tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354960542024-03-07T02:36:41.097-05:00Pieces of me...Life as I'm getting to know it!Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-40668579397599109412016-03-07T00:38:00.001-05:002016-03-07T00:38:29.247-05:00Do not jump...Last month, someone jumped from a building where I used to live.<br />
I got a second hand account of what happened.<br />
One of my neighbours from that building told me that he heard a loud noise and the building shook.<br />
When he went on the balcony and looked down, he saw a body lying at the bottom, on the steps leading to the doors into the building.<br />
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This shook me.<br />
I didn't see it, I didn't hear it happen, yet it shook me.<br />
I don't even live there anymore, yet, it shook me.<br />
Had I been in the building...had I been walking nearby...I can only imagine how I would feel!<br />
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The next day at work, I wasn't myself.<br />
I told a coworker what happened, and she confided in me that her dad also committed suicide a few years ago. At the time, she never told anybody how her dad was found, just that he passed away.<br />
It's only on that day, that I learned that she carried that lie and the weight of it for a couple of years, until she could come to terms with it. Her dad did not leave a note. His car was found by the side of the road, on a bridge and his body at the bottom.<br />
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I admire her for still being wholesome.<br />
I admire her for being so stoic this whole time.<br />
Part of me does not understand. Maybe because even in my lowest of lows, I never felt like ending my life. I'm not being judgmental, I don't know what goes through the mind of one who turns to suicide. But I've been told it is very common for people to have these thoughts. And fortunately not everybody who has these thoughts go through with it.<br />
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February was mental health awareness month.<br />
The media talked about it at length. One morning, I heard a parent talk over the radio about how his daughter, a teenager, took her own life last year. The story was heart-wrenching. It's hard enough for a parent to lose a child, but for a parent to question whether they could have prevented it, it could be mental torture day in and day out.<br />
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I, personally, don't think I could ever do it, even if I am depressed.<br />
I do not have piercings or tattoos because of the pain I anticipate I would have to endure.<br />
Plus I would not want my family to go through the pain of going on without me, of ever thinking that they could have helped.<br />
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I know that in the moment, due to their illness (depression or any other mental disorder), people who commit suicide are not thinking of the pain they would inflict on their loved ones. In that moment, they think that taking their own lives would actually make everything better.<br />
It makes me sad that there are so many people in the world who think they have no other choice.<br />
It scares me that I may be walking by someone having these thoughts and not knowing what they are going through.<br />
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This is a reminder to myself and to the world to be kind to others, you don't know what kind of day they are having.<br />
<br />Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-76571239077909392682016-01-24T22:04:00.001-05:002016-01-24T22:04:50.778-05:00It's 2016, leave me alone! I cannot believe that a month in 2016 is almost over.<div>
If the first few days of the year is any indication, this year is going to be a rollercoaster!</div>
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Over Christmas, I reconnected with a high school friend who really wanted to match me with this guy she knows. Long story short, she gave him my number, without my permission and when the guy messaged, I debated for the longest time whether I should respond or not. My aunt also wanted to match me with the same guy and I had refused at the time. So what is it with this guy that everybody wanted me to meet? Turns out they matched me with him only because he happens to run marathons and knowing that I also run, they thought we would be a good match! </div>
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After a few texts, he admitted to having failed his high school exam twice and to being in the 'food production industry' now. That was a major turn off for me. First, that made me realize that I am an intellectual snob. I have absolutely no interest in someone who cannot perform academically. Second, his obvious lack of ambition, having relinquished his job as a chef in favor of a social life, did not inspire me at all. I like guys who are driven by ambition, and his nonchalant 'now I work Mondays to Fridays from 6:00am to 2:30pm and I have week-ends free' as an excuse to stopping being a chef, did not impress me. An ambitious man, who did not like the lack of social life as a chef, would either work towards owning a restaurant, or becoming an executive chef. It did not help that the guy gave the 2 options, either being keen on meeting him, or being a jerk. So I chose to be a jerk. </div>
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A few days later, my cousin messaged me that a popular online dating website was having some kind of discounted rate. Why does everybody want me to be in a relationship? What is wrong with my life right now, that everybody seems to want to change it? My cousin asked me, when I said that I'm not looking, 'what will you do when you get older?'. I answered 'Exactly what I've been doing all along: whatever I want!'. </div>
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I understand that people in marital bliss think that I'm miserable alone. But I'm not, and nobody seems to understand that. Would me being in a relationship and eventually married make me successful or happier? Can I not be successful being single? I've heard a lot of stories of women who are useless, do not hold jobs, do not contribute to society, but are able to be in relationships and get married. Are these women worth more than me, just because they got hitched? </div>
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Most of my supportive friends understood my position when I told them the story of the cook. But one of them said to me 'You are not getting any younger, you cannot afford to be picky'. I've heard it before, but that one time was the last straw. Yes, I know I'm not getting any younger, but do I want to settle just because it's about time? I don't think so. I hardly ever want for companionship, and the guy who does make me want to give up the kind of life I've created for myself would have to be worth it. </div>
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Why give up a peaceful, drama-free life for all the complications of being in a relationship? Statistics on divorce and real-life examples around me certainly do not make me want to be in a relationship. And the few successful marriages around me do not inspire me. I'm happy for them, but I do not envy them. As with many things in life, being single is a decision. I could, if I wanted, put myself out there and find someone. But I don't. And people do not understand why.</div>
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It is 2016, why can't a single woman be left alone? </div>
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Sometimes I think that people cannot see me be happy on my own and just want to add misery to my life. Other times, I'm more lenient and think that they mean well (that maybe if I find a 'better half' the happiness would double?!?), but are not really looking out for what would really make me happy. </div>
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Right now, it is for everybody to leave me alone. </div>
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Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-58220371566400173272015-12-22T10:32:00.001-05:002015-12-22T10:32:14.495-05:00Salkantay Trek - Day 5 - Machu Picchu finally! The long awaited day was finally here!<br />
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I was up and packed by 4am. The hotel provided breakfast from 4 am to 8am, so we had our breakfast and Alex came and picked us up at 4:30. The gate at the bridge opens at 5 am. By the time we got there, there were already a lot of people in line.<br />
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Once the gate was opened, everybody got their passport and ticket checked and then we went up the stairs for 1 hour. Machu Picchu's gates were open at 6 am and the first bus had already arrived so that next to us dripping with sweat, there were people who took the bus up.<br />
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Alex gave us a tour of the ruins for about 2 hours and then left us to roam and enjoy the day as we wanted. His job was done, he had to go down and get a train ticket back to Cusco since locals could not book their ticket days in advance like tourists do. We had seats on the 6pm train.<br />
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I had secured a ticket to Wayna Picchu, but my comrades on the trek did not. So we parted ways for a few hours, agreeing to meet at noon outside the gate. I decided to go up to Sun gate before going to Wayna Picchu at 10:00. Up and up I went for more than 45 minutes. By the time I got up there, I took a picture and had to go back down and across to the Wayna Picchu entrance. I got in behind a gentleman from Boulder, Colorado and he talked about 2 couples he met and which I also met in Cusco!<br />
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Wayna Picchu was steep and the ruins at the top overlooked Machu Picchu. I met the couple from New York up there. People assembled at the top, where there was no railing or anything for safety. One had to go through a crack in the rock to get up there. I carefully made my way down after, having to go down steep steps, barely wide enough to hold my foot, getting to the gate 20 minutes late to meet my fellow Trekkers. The American couple followed us down to Aguas Calientes since the line up for the bus was ridiculous. We went to our hotel and hung out in the lobby for a while after having lunch at a local restaurant. We spent our free time at a bar playing cards before catching the train at 6pm.<br />
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At Ollaytambo, we had a cab waiting to take us back to our respective hotels in Cusco. We got in town at around 10pm. That ended the 5 days we spent together going up to Machu Picchu.<br />
One bucket list item could be crossed off for me. Although the trek was in no way easy, I loved doing it. My phone registered an average of 30,000 steps for each of the 5 days we were trekking. The scenery was beautiful and it was the experience of a lifetime. The choice to take a lesser known trail was, I felt, a great decision. The washrooms were not as bad as predicted and the trail, though busy with other groups, were not as crowded as what I imagine the Inca Trial to be all the time. In any case, what an adventure I had in the Andes!<br />
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<br />Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-28200210871303429812015-12-22T09:50:00.000-05:002015-12-22T09:54:32.728-05:00Salkantay Trek - Day 4<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6JB_3J4EDg5OB2duKht_RZxM7_bu4K7Jm_oy6W_1pcW9OAY_pn8KSVTpWY-Tjg-2SpwMh2X8oRfh4wje3Hdc0KMXTaKWXVahPGL7gTc_0Tz4TXiJY-xrA1pQ4O_DljBWIxx5hQ/s1600/IMG_4561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6JB_3J4EDg5OB2duKht_RZxM7_bu4K7Jm_oy6W_1pcW9OAY_pn8KSVTpWY-Tjg-2SpwMh2X8oRfh4wje3Hdc0KMXTaKWXVahPGL7gTc_0Tz4TXiJY-xrA1pQ4O_DljBWIxx5hQ/s400/IMG_4561.JPG" width="400" /></a>Day 4 started earlier than usual. We were up by 4:30.<br />
Our chef made us a cake overnight, decorated with cream and everything.<br />
We had quinoa for breakfast, instead of oatmeal which is quite unusual.<br />
This is where we said goodbye to our chef and helper. The helper was bringing us lunch later that day but we were not to see our chef again.<br />
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We left camp at 5:15 and started uphill right away. Alex promised it was only 3 hrs uphill at most.<br />
I had a hard time going up but it was not as bad as Day 2 and we were done with the uphill in 2 hrs.<br />
When we got up there, there was some ruins and we stopped to have a break.<br />
These ruins had a ditch in a straight line directly pointing to Machu Picchu, but because of fog, we could barely make out the outline of Machu Picchu.<br />
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We then went downhill from there until we reached the local train station. The sun was high up by then although it was only 10:00 am. We met with our helper who provided our lunch boxes. We were all so hungry that we ate right away.<br />
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We walked 2.5 hours along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes.<br />
The agency had booked a hotel for us, but we did not have any change of clothes with us. We were free until 5:15pm when the local train would bring our bags to Aguas Calientes. It was nice to shower and have a nap in a real bed instead of the tent. Alex met us at the local train stop and gave us our bags before dinner.<br />
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Dinner was at Apu Salkantay restaurant, just by the local train stop. We had to pay for our own drinks but the agency paid for the dinner. Alex then showed us the cheapest supermarket in Aguas Calientes for us to buy our snacks and water before leaving us for the night.<br />
<br />Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-12006594724682819892015-12-21T16:29:00.001-05:002015-12-22T09:53:03.628-05:00Salkantay Trek - Day 3Day 3 started at 5:30 am with the coca tea brought to my tent.<br />
We had a delicious breakfast with oatmeal, cereals and omelettes.<br />
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Again, we were the last group to leave camp around 7am, although we were the smallest group.<br />
This is where we said goodbye to our 'horse man'. Our bags were going to be taken to camp and the horse man was going back to where we started.<br />
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Today's trek was nice and easy, through shaded areas and valleys.<br />
We saw several waterfalls and had to walk over sketchy looking bridges made of wood and covered with soil and grass.<br />
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We found lots of butterflies along the way.<br />
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This is where we had a choice to abandon the rest of the trek and go to hot springs for the afternoon, but we chose to tread on. We walked through a small village towards the campsite, under a hot sun. We arrived at the campsite around 1:00 pm to eat lunch.<br />
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I then had a nap before Alex woke me up around 5pm for a coffee tour. The owner of the campsite has a small coffee plantation so he gave us a tour, showing us avocado plants and coffee plants. He showed us how to pick avocados with a stick that has a bag at the end. He then walked us through the whole process of how to make coffee, with the roasting, grinding and brewing. We all tasted the delicious coffee after.<br />
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Our tour included a couple from New York from another group/campsite. They hung out with us as our guide, Alex, and Mattias played soccer with a deflated ball with the locals. Any out-of-bounds ball meant someone had to run down the slope to retrieve the ball. Soccer seems to be prevalent everywhere in Peru, there seems to be a football field wherever there are a few houses around.<br />
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It was another early night for us since we decided to set off early the next day.</div>
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<br />Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-91849992835361800242015-12-06T00:19:00.000-05:002015-12-21T16:33:16.656-05:00Salkantay Trek - Day 2The day started at 5:15am by a knock on the tent 'Signorita? Signorita? coca tea?'.<br />
The cook always brings us coca tea to our tents in the morning and then we had 30 minutes to get ready and show up at breakfast.<br />
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Breakfast was pancakes with fruits. We ate and left just before 7am.<br />
That 2nd day was the hardest of all. The trail was uphill for a few hours as we climbed up to the Salkantay point. It was an arduous climb for me. I had to stop every few steps as my heart was racing as soon as I walked and I was breathing heavily. Alex stayed with me and I finally made it. We spent some time at the top, the highest point of the trek, Alex giving us a history lesson and taking pictures and building towers of rock.<br />
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We then went down towards camp. We stopped in the middle of a field where the helpers had set up the tent for us to have lunch. We ate, and then started to walk to camp. <br />
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We had time to rest before tea time which was popcorn and won ton's stuffed with cheese. Then we had dinner before heading to bed by 8 p.m. That was an exhausting day for me, especially in the morning. I thought it would never be over. I was glad the most difficult part was over. </div>
Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-64658534674066113342015-11-11T23:38:00.001-05:002015-12-21T16:36:11.655-05:00Salkantay Trek - Day 1Salkantay Trek, the best alternative to the Inca Trail.<br />
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I embarked on the 5-day trail with a Swedish couple and a Montreal guy on October 5 at 5am.<br />
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We were all picked up at our hotel or hostel by Alex, our guide, who came with the cook and the assistant cook in a van. We stopped for breakfast before we met with the horseman and his horses. The cook took a cab to the first camp to secure a good spot for us. Although we set off before the horseman and the horses, we were passed by them at the first stop we made.<br />
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The trail itself was uphill for a couple of hours. Then it flattened and we walked along a stream, sometimes shaded by trees, but mostly out in the open, For 3 hours, it was a leisurely walk to the camp. The camp was not as I imagined it to be. There was a main building next to washrooms and on higher ground was another structure to host our tents. The cook had set up and was preparing lunch when we got there. The tents were already set up too.<br />
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We were each given a bowl of water and soap to wash our hands before sitting down for lunch. The table was set with a table cloth and there were 3 lawn chairs and 2 stools around the small square table. We had a feast for lunch: soup, rice and vegetables and potatoes of course.<br />
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After lunch, we had a short time to nap before setting off to go see a lake up the hill. This was not part of the trail, but all the other groups also seem to be heading there.<br />
That uphill was a killer for me. I huffed and puffed up, with Alex giving me both his walking sticks instead of my lone one. I did make it eventually, with lots of breaks taken along the way and Alex looking on. The view was quite worth it, the mountains covered with snow loomed over the lake to make a breathtaking picture.<br />
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The descent was way easier for me, and I enjoyed looking at the horses and cows freely roaming the mountains.<br />
When we got back to the camp, we had tea time. Tea time almost always consisted of popcorn and crackers and an assortment of teas or coffee or chocolate.<br />
I was exhausted and by the time we were served dinner, I was dying to go to bed, almost falling asleep at the table. We even had dessert that day, a black jello like dessert, very sweet.<br />
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As my fellow travelers braved the cold to take pictures of the night sky, I brushed my teeth in the cold water and headed to my tent, wearing layers for the cold night ahead.<br />
Other groups had set up their tents across from ours and there was always someone talking or milling around, but I had no difficulty finding sleep, with the full satisfaction of having survived the first day.<br />
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Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-2985033872465479342015-11-11T01:31:00.002-05:002015-12-21T16:35:33.454-05:00Cusco - where the journey started...October 1 to October 12, 2015 I travelled to Peru to finally do the trip I have been wanting to do for a few years. It was on my bucket list to visit Machu Picchu and having many of my friends make the trip in recent years, only made me want to go even more. I finally caved in and decided to do a solo trip.<br />
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My journey started in Cusco.<br />
Cusco is where everybody starts their trip to Machu Picchu.<br />
Cusco is where everybody gets used to the altitude.<br />
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I arrived at 7:00 am and my hotel had sent a taxi for me. The sign he held had 'Karine Chang' on it. I confirmed the hotel and followed him.<br />
My first encounter with Peruvian traffic was in an old Toyota. The oldest Toyota you can think of.<br />
The driver honked almost as soon as he would have to stop. The drive was as jerky as can be. When we got to San Blas, the street he wanted to take was flooded, so he drove me into a courtyard where he asked me to get out. He then took my suitcase out and wheeled it up the hill to a narrow alley, past the San Blas square to my B&B, Casona Les Pleiades. I immediately went to sleep for a couple of hours before heading out to lunch.<br />
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The thing I least liked of my trip was to eat alone. Yet, I had to do it for lunch and dinner that first day. The first 3 days, I was on my own.<br />
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Day 1, I walked around Cusco and explored the little markets for gifts to bring back home. I visited the chocolate museum where I saw chocolate condoms and then visited the Qorikancha, a convent. I took a picture with 2 girls in traditional dress and 2 baby sheep and they ripped me off of 20 soles. I ended up the night at Pacha Papa, a restaurant in San Blas.<br />
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Day 2, I decided to go even further up to Cristo Blanco. The receptionist at Casona just said to turn right and take the stairs. At the end of the stairs, I went a bit to the left and found more stairs. Stairs, stairs and more stairs. I arrived at a platform where a group of French tourists were lingering. I asked one of them to please take a picture of me before going on my way. I finally got to Cristo Blanco where I followed 2 couples from Boulder, Colorado, down to Plaza de Armas. I had lunch with Laurie and Ted at Jack's cafe, while the other couple went back to their hotel. It started raining heavily after lunch, so went to visit the Cathedral. As I left the Cathedral, I heard a couple speak creole. Sure enough, they were Mauritians. I chatted with them a few minutes, they were on a tour from France.<br />
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Later that day, after my briefing at Terra Quecha, I was having dinner at Le Papillon when I happened to notice than Arjun was also in Cusco. Arjun who I haven't met for at least 5 years. He was across the square from me. We met up and eventually were joined by Jenny, from Texas. We went to get her street food before we went to a bar called Quilla. We played Jenga and had pisco sour and Cusquena, the local beer. I went back to my hotel at 11pm, where the water wasn't running anymore. Good thing I had some bottled water to brush my teeth!<br />
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Day 3 was Pisac day. I asked the receptionist to book a cab for me. Jime was my driver. He brought me to an animal sanctuary first, where I saw llamas, alpacas, condors and monkeys. We then went to Pisac. It took me 2 hours to visit the ruins, then I had lunch in Pisac's main square at Mullu. I had an alpaca burger with avocado and fries and my first (of many) coca tea. I then went around the famous Pisac market before Jime returned me to Cusco. I ate alone for the last time that night, but a Dutch girl sat next to me just as I was leaving and I chatted with her until her food arrived.<br />
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I had to go to bed early that night to start the Salkantay trek early the next day.<br />
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<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5XPWqsqSn0lFygjyL5GIMbIILa3Teiaoj7Agox-jYzSrFDDDMXCQiwjbDO_46E5WTb72g-waVYBmRpv3mDo48h0icXtl2T3iLNttQkbp8ExHfi819nOAajgGvH7gUuu7pEe3uA/s1600/IMG_4289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5XPWqsqSn0lFygjyL5GIMbIILa3Teiaoj7Agox-jYzSrFDDDMXCQiwjbDO_46E5WTb72g-waVYBmRpv3mDo48h0icXtl2T3iLNttQkbp8ExHfi819nOAajgGvH7gUuu7pEe3uA/s400/IMG_4289.JPG" width="400" /></a>
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<td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vs9lWJB2lq4/ViGkPLPYa6I/AAAAAAAAHo8/qz2ZN6xpVTk/s1600/IMG_4291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vs9lWJB2lq4/ViGkPLPYa6I/AAAAAAAAHo8/qz2ZN6xpVTk/s400/IMG_4291.JPG" width="400" /></a>
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Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-89971501884818916562015-10-28T00:24:00.000-04:002015-10-28T00:24:10.488-04:00Toronto Island Give-It-A-Try: My First TriathlonAugust 22 was perfect for a triathlon.<br />
We were body marked on the mainland and took the 6:30 ferry to Hanlan's Point.<br />
Outside temperature was 17 degrees and the water temperature was 19 degrees which made wetsuits optional.<br />
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My wave was at 8:20.<br />
My goggles got water in my first 2 strokes, so I stopped, stood and readjusted them.<br />
I then had to catch up with the others. I swam close to a straight line towards the first buoy, almost hit it at right angles turning into the parallel line with the shore. The 2nd turn was also a close one to the buoy and I was then facing the sun. I was getting tired by then, and couldn't find the last buoy. Nobody was around me, and I kept looking up to see just the sun ahead. I almost panicked. Then I saw someone on my right and it seemed that we were going towards the same point on shore. So I kept swimming until I could stand and run out of the water.<br />
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I did not rush in my transition one. I did take my goggles and started to unzip my wetsuit. I then jogged to my bike. I took the time to wipe my feet before putting my shoes on. On my mountain bike I went, for 10km! I got many 'on your left!' and people passing me. I kept a steady pace and got to the transition zone without a glitch.<br />
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It was then time for the 2.5k race. I adjusted my knee brace and set off. This was not like the Nike 15K, it was just a loop, part of which we had to do twice. I was able to finish it without too much trouble, stopping once to take a sip of water.<br />
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I felt great finishing the triathlon. It didn't push me to my limits, but it was a challenge.<br />
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<br />Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-48690877491283906862015-08-30T00:17:00.002-04:002015-08-30T00:17:50.585-04:00The games following the gamesThe ParaPan games were not as popular as the PanAm games, but it was certainly more impressive. People with disabilities work harder and better at their other abilities. Yet, they give no excuse, and their determination is amazing.<br />
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Once the PanAm games were over, my shifts for the ParaPan games started the following week.<br />
Here's an account of my shifts.<br />
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<u><b>Saturday, August 1:</b></u><br />
6 o'clock shift in a 'blue' car C212 and sent to the airport. There is however, no staging and I was deployed to Terminal 3 where I sat for a bit and then chatted with the Venue Manager there.<br />
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I was moved to Terminal 1 around 10am.<br />
There, I had a nap, and then chatted with the Venue people there. That day, I met M, who welcomed the guests inside of the secured area and escorted them out to the cars. I was 5th in line and they were expecting 4 guests in the morning. The next guests were coming after 3:30pm. M gave me a tour of their area and told me about his job. I had nice chats with the people there, but at 2:15pm, I requested to leave early and the controller granted me permission. I heard the other blue cars being released 30 minutes later when I was on the DVP. M became a friend.<br />
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<b><u>Thursday, August 6:</u></b><br />
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6 o'clock shift, but got there 5 minutes later than usual. Charlie 964 in Red group. I met Lynn from my last shift of the PanAm at the depot and hung out with her till I was deployed to the Sheraton at 7:00am. I had a blast at the depot, chatting up with another M (say M2), part of the team at the depot.<br />
At SHR, I was part of a long line up of cars there and Anthony, the supervisor of the venue transport team, was quite entertaining. I had a trip to the village and a trip to Corus Quay. I ended the day at around 2:30pm from the Sheraton. Anthony had gone to the torch relay at David Pecaut and brought us pins back. All in all, a very good day, even though I was stationed at SHR for 3 hours at the head of the line.<br />
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<b><u>Friday, August 7:</u></b><br />
After a morning of work, I got to the depot at 1:45pm for my 14:00 shift. Charlie 332 in the blue group. M, from the airport had another shift today, so I looked for an opportunity to go there. But it was not meant to be. I was going to go to the airport as an RFT driver, but another girl, Willa went and my trip was cancelled. I was asked to stay behind at the depot. I was kept at the depot all afternoon with Chun, Laura and Cherryl. I hung out with the schedulers Gary and KB and they needed to schedule drivers for special T1/T2 assignments the following week. Gary had already scheduled me for a special assignment for the Monday, so I was assigned to IPC on the Tuesday. I told Gary to call Merle to get him for IPC on the Thursday. Later, I witnessed and posed as jury in a 'trial' in the control room. Abdi, a controller, was given a yellow card for sending a driver back to the airport when the driver was to stay downtown. It was all fun. I played ping pong with Willa later and then watched the opening ceremonies for the ParaPan games on the big screen. At around 9:30pm, Cheryl wanted to go to Nathan Philips Square to look for something at the store and Laura decided to bring her. I decided to tag along and so all 3 of us went into Laura's car. We dropped off Cheryl on the way back. We came back to the depot just after 10pm and took some pics with the car I never drove.<br />
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<b><u>Monday, August 10:</u></b><br />
10:30 shift for the 'Culture' at the SHR.<br />
I went there for 9:30 to say hi to the Transport crew there and then went to the 4th floor to report for duty. My first fare was not to be before 13:30, so I hung around until 12 noon and then went for lunch at NPS. I then picked up the car from the underground garage before parking myself, in the rain on Richmond street for half an hour. My 13:30 never showed up. I was deployed to Billy Bishop airport where I picked up half of a band, 'Les Chercheurs d'Or' from Montreal. It was nice chatting to them in French. I dropped them off at the hotel and was then free to go after parking the car back at the same spot.<br />
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<b><u>Tuesday, August 11:</u></b><br />
This was my T1/T2 assignment day for the IPC. My shift time was changed from 10:00, to 7;00 am.<br />
Ulpia was one of the other drivers, along with 2 Bryan's and a Ben. Laura was supposed to be on this shift but she walked in at 7:50 and was asked to stay behind.<br />
I picked up 4 ladies from Montreal at the SHR and drove them to MIS, the Hershey Centre. We watched goalball while the IPC members visited the venue. We then had lunch before driving them to Whitby. We dropped them off at a mall across from the ABL.We drove back to MCDC where my car was taken and given to Chun. I met Chun later at PAC when I went to watch sitting volleyball and swimming with the folks. M was now working at PAC, so we met and chatted for a bit.<br />
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<b><u>Wednesday, August 12:</u></b><br />
6 o'clock shift with Merle. We talked about him arriving early to secure us spots at a venue and we decided on RYA to watch wheelchair basketball. M2 was there and directed me to the correct line to be in the same group as Merle. I was assigned Charlie 626 in green and Merle was Charlie 191. Merle and I left at 6:15am after chatting with M2 for a bit. Merle and I asked control whether his name starts with a 'J' or a 'D' because I was convinced it was Dave. But it was not, it was John that time. We were at RYA most of the day. I went to the village twice, once with an athlete and her doctor to get her jersey. They were from Peru. I got the same doctor later and he gave me a pin. Merle and I were separated just before lunch, he was sent to ABL. When he got back, we had lunch and soon after, I was sent to PAC in Scarborough to drop off 2 Japanese delegates. I couldn't get the radio out there so I asked Merle to radio in for me. We met again back at the depot and had cake before leaving for the day.<br />
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<b><u>Friday, August 14:</u></b><br />
The weather for my last shift was not looking good, so I took the TTC to the depot.<br />
I arrived at 13:00 for my 14:00 shift and went directly to the trailer for the controllers. I looked for John and Dave. Patrick was there too. Gave them cookies and a thank you card and took pics with them. Then waited for my shift to start.<br />
I was Charlie 199 in Blue. I asked Daniel to send me to PAC, but he almost didn't. M was at PAC, so I wanted to go there. I drove the Secretary General of the Jamaican delegation with her 2 kids to York, just before 5pm. In the meantime, M visited the parking lot, but I wasn't there. I watched sitting volleyball and then went to have dinner. M joined me and the other drivers. We were called back around 20:30 and I drove 4 Colombians to the Intercontinental on Front street. I was then sent to PAF at UofT before being called back at 22:00. I went back to the control trailer to sign off while the control guy looked on and collected a few pins left with Kristina by Laura. I then got a hug from M2 before I took the shuttle to Union.<br />
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<br />
In retrospective, the ParaPan games made more on an impact on me than the PanAm games did. Maybe because these games were more low key, so fewer drivers and more opportunities for things to happen for me. I made new friends during these games. Some of these friendships may not last, but at least one is on a good track to last. These 7 ParaPan shifts were by far more eventful than my PanAm shifts and maybe because sensing the end approaching, I lived it more intensely. Or maybe just the fact that these shifts were closer together than my PanAm shifts, there was more continuity in my experience.<br />
It was bittersweet when I attended the closing ceremony at Nathan Philips Square the next day, but it certainly provided closure. These games are over, when are the next ones??<br />
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<br />Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-45177030302761784502015-08-09T23:05:00.000-04:002015-08-09T23:06:10.492-04:00What I do for a living...Over the last month, I've met a lot of strangers during the PanAm games. At every shift, I would undeniably get the ultimate question: <i>What do you do for a living? </i><br />
My answer is usually a variation of 'Java Developer', 'programmer', 'software developer' and/or 'IT person', depending on the facial expressions I get when I say those answers.<br />
<br />
I do not look like a typical software developer.<br />
According to TV shows, I should look like:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fortressofbaileytude.com/Pictures/Abby_NCIS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.fortressofbaileytude.com/Pictures/Abby_NCIS.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">Abby from NCIS</span></td></tr>
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or, like :<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/35300000/Garcia-penelope-garcia-35381044-1280-720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/35300000/Garcia-penelope-garcia-35381044-1280-720.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">Penelope in Criminal Minds</span></td></tr>
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or like :<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ctv.ca/getattachment/29ac38b4-e350-462d-af13-11427656e0fc/CSICyber/Cast/Hayley-Kiyoko.aspx/635575408802930000?width=600&height=338&crop=true" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.ctv.ca/getattachment/29ac38b4-e350-462d-af13-11427656e0fc/CSICyber/Cast/Hayley-Kiyoko.aspx/635575408802930000?width=600&height=338&crop=true" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">Stefanie in CSI: Cyber</span></td></tr>
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Why do they all have to look nonconformist?<br />
<div>
Why can't a woman who is good in IT and/or computers look like the average Jane? Why can't they wear normal clothes, wear normal make up and act like it is totally normal for women to be in this profession? And why, why do they all have to have funky hair??!?!</div>
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I hardly ever think about it, but there are not a lot of women in my profession.</div>
<div>
I also never think about how much the outside world regards software developers as a species of its own. People who understand computers versus those who just use them. The look I get when I say what I do for a living is usually either one of <b><i>awe </i></b>because I seem to have found success in a field where women are not supposed to be successful, or one of <b><i>surprise </i></b>because I do not conform to the idea people have of software developers. </div>
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Women have brains, some even have brains that are more performing than some men. Then why would people be in awe that I can be a developer? If a man can be good at problem solving and can learn how to use a programming language, then why can't a woman do it? The brain, or rather the intellectual field, is probably the only field where men and women may be compared at the same level, unlike sports where men are naturally inclined to have bigger muscles. I do not consider myself a genius, and I do not deserve to be looked at in awe, as if I have a higher IQ than the average Jane who may be an accountant or of any other profession.</div>
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Similarly, I do not think people should be surprised that I do not look like a developer. If they come to my office, they would notice that the few women doing the job do not conform to the image that TV shows paint of women in the profession. We dress business casual, usually in mellow and down to earth colors. None of us has pink-colored or blue-colored hair. </div>
<div>
None of us carry more gadgets that we can carry. </div>
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But also none of us sit at home and program for fun. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Maybe women with pink-colored hair do sit at home and code for fun.</div>
<div>
But what I do is what every other software developer knows how to do. </div>
<div>
In a nutshell: collect requirements, design, code, test and deploy. </div>
<div>
Nothing more, nothing less.</div>
<div>
Maybe TV shows need to work more on making female programmers part of the mainstream than trying to paint them as unusually smart women who opted to pursue a career in a field where only men are expected to succeed.</div>
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Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-61840250656374578862015-07-28T23:22:00.001-04:002015-07-28T23:32:19.574-04:00PanAmazing journey<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi70nPihKK6tLeEbh2YFb1UXXllPHKOJ4Uj-BjpLu-oeus1sD7tl1cL4r0Us4MHyIFnZqXm6PnuJHLYv18Ov1lgY1lTEHJ0eCrOeZwzAXkQNP4Fhh4VWNnk-ytvGvCaDLbmFUbfQw/s1600/IMG_4127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi70nPihKK6tLeEbh2YFb1UXXllPHKOJ4Uj-BjpLu-oeus1sD7tl1cL4r0Us4MHyIFnZqXm6PnuJHLYv18Ov1lgY1lTEHJ0eCrOeZwzAXkQNP4Fhh4VWNnk-ytvGvCaDLbmFUbfQw/s320/IMG_4127.JPG" width="320" /></a>The PanAm games came and went.<br />
From July 10 to July 26, I lived and breathed the games.<br />
The whole city, despite some negativity about the HOV lanes, embraced the games.<br />
<br />
My PanAm journey started on Sunday, <b>July 5</b> with my first shift as a T3 driver.<br />
I had a total of 6 shifts for the PanAm games, all of them starting at 6:00am.<br />
It was hard to wake up at 5:00am and ride the bike to the depot on Cherry street.<br />
That first day, I was in the Yellow group, Charlie 747<br />
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The first thing I did at the depot, was to lose my radio. Someone took it by mistake, so I had to tell the people in charge and get them to give me another radio. That first day, I was stationed at the Athletes village, then moved to the Westin before being moved to the staging area at the airport. We spent quite a lot of time in the tent at the airport, with no water or coffee. I was finally sent to terminal 3 where I picked up one passenger going to the Westin. He did not talk to me, and I went the wrong way on Queen's Quay. I dropped him off in the T3 line and told him I could not go in the drop off zone. The venue manager told me that I could if they have luggage, immediately after. I was let off early, around 11:30am.</div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday, July 11:</u> </div>
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My second shift was not much busier than the first. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTOc27fGPPIxD-OlBPemz0VRCq1BEpWY-coHh_A0xcP9D-2nDcyNjOW0vesog5UDeAV982iN4C1tzaXxoe9alkydXU36G7SRmH5hs99FkOSqaBZgL8R-W3EpyqoVSBN23jwYiAQ/s1600/IMG_4158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTOc27fGPPIxD-OlBPemz0VRCq1BEpWY-coHh_A0xcP9D-2nDcyNjOW0vesog5UDeAV982iN4C1tzaXxoe9alkydXU36G7SRmH5hs99FkOSqaBZgL8R-W3EpyqoVSBN23jwYiAQ/s200/IMG_4158.JPG" width="150" /></a>I was in the Gold group, Charlie 605. I met Allan that day, old gentleman with lots of stories to tell. They did not allow us in the village this time, but a cop walked us around the village and showed us the buildings. I got one Brazilian reporter going to the media centre at Exhibition Place. The poor guy was friendly and wanted to talk but had very limited English. I went back to the Athletes village before being called back at 11:00.</div>
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<b><u>Monday, July 13:</u></b></div>
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First vacation day of the year. Charlie 298.</div>
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Allan was in line ahead of me and told me to get in line behind him and be 'white' so we end up being stationed together. We were deployed to the Westin this time, and we made it through the second staging to first staging and then back to Cooper street. I drove to the Athletes village twice, once with 2 officials from Argentina and once with a sole female client, origin unknown. She did not look up from her phone. I was let go at 11:45, and I made my way to PAP (Pan Am Park) where I enjoyed some beach volleyball for free.<br />
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<b><u>Sunday, July 19:</u></b><br />
Blue team, Charlie 212. Westin, again.<br />
Two cars jumped in line ahead of me, but was relatively short staging at staging 2.<br />
I drove 2 guys to the Intercontinental Hotel on Bloor. They talked to each other mostly, except when we drove through Yorkville. As I pulled up in front of a T1 car, I felt a little rattle, and the official in the back said that I hit the car. They got out of the car and I checked the car but I couldn't see anything. I went to the other car and the driver said that I caught his tire. I returned to the Westin. All blue cars were sent to PAP, where I followed 2 drivers to the workforce dining room and got a hot meal and 3 pins. The driver I followed was a Quebec guy. We were called back shortly after we started watching the gymnastic rhythmic. I went to the car wash before returning the car and saw scrapes on the front right bumper. I reported the scrapes to Abraham, and he was very nice about it all.<br />
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<b><u>Wednesday, July 22:</u></b></div>
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I popped into the trailer to say hi to the controllers today and finally got to see what the guy in my ear all day looked like. I was soon deployed to the Westin, on Cooper street, but was asked to go to PAP as soon as we got there. I went in with Janet and her niece Kristi. As soon as we were done using the washroom, we were redeployed to OPW (Ontario Place West) where waterskiing was taking place. We got to watch that for a bit and then Kristi got us meal vouchers at the workforce tent. When we got back to the parking lot, I was asked to drive 2 Canadian athletes to the village. One was a marathon runner and already ran the previous Saturday and the other was running the 10km in a couple of days. I nearly missed the exit on Jarvis and quickly exited the Gardiner, giving them a fright. They were very nice about it when I apologized for it. I drove back to OPW and then was called to PAV (Athletes village). I drove 4 Argentinians to the media centre at the Exhibition before my shift was over. I did watch Janet scrape her car on a big block at the village during this shift. When she reported it at the depot, Abraham told me that I did not scrape the car the other day! It was already reported! </div>
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<b><u>Saturday, July 25:</u></b></div>
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Final shift today. I heard stories about fleet workforce not being happy with drivers who got their cards punched at other venues, so I was stressing out about it. I overheard the guy talking to Allan and when I walked up to him, I asked him not to be mad. He was very cool about it and he gave me a pin and a small Pachi as well as my participation letter. </div>
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I was in the Blue team, Charlie 214 and deployed to PAP right away. </div>
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We went to see the marathon start and finish. Today I was with Teresa, Merle, Anna and Lynn. </div>
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We saw a Canadian athlete walk by and Teresa congratulated him. He walked over and showed us his medal and chatted with us for a bit. He won the 20km walk. </div>
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When the marathon was over, we went into the park and got ourselves Coca Cola cans with our names on it. Lynn sent Merle and myself the picture later. We then went to watch some racquetball and handball. Canadians were playing in both sports. As I returned to my car, we were called back shortly after, around 11:30.<br />
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When all was said and done, it was a great PanAm experience even if I did not drive as many people as I thought. The other drivers, a lot of them retirees, most of them offering their time in the spirit of the games, are kindred spirits. So long PanAm, looking forward to the Parapan in a week....<br />
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Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-68219403537525841962015-05-10T23:33:00.000-04:002015-05-10T23:33:02.790-04:00LINC: The classes that saved me.When my parents moved in with me in a 2 bedroom in January, things started to settle down finally.<br />
I enrolled them in the Language Instruction for New Comers, a program intended to help new comers with getting jobs and/or integrating Canadian society.<br />
I did not enrol them for them to get a job, but I did enrol them to give them something to do.<br />
And it has given me even more than expected.<br />
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<i><b>Structure</b></i><br />
First, the classes gave their days some structure.<br />
Before they were enrolled, they would wake up whenever they felt like it and the rest of their day would flow accordingly, with them having lunch at 4pm sometimes. By being enrolled in a 9:00 to 2:30pm class, their days were regimented by their commitment to attending the classes. It gave them just enough freedom after school, to go to the library or to Chinatown to pick up some groceries for dinner before they had to return home. They even have homework to fill their afternoons before dinner time.<br />
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<i><b>Exercise</b></i><br />
Second, the Ukrainian centre where the classes are held is about 2km from home. My parents found out that it will take them at least 30 minutes one way to get there, 45 minutes if they take their time. That was for me, the best way to ensure that they will get at least 1 hr of walking every day. After seeing how my grandmother's mobility decreased due to inactivity, I loved it when they said they don't mind the walk and even walked in the harsh Canadian weather. With the right boots and jackets, they did not complain much even when the weather was really, really bad.<br />
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<b><i>Something to talk about</i></b><br />
Last, but not least, the classes gave them something to talk about at dinner time.<br />
When before they would assault me with questions about my day as soon as I walked through the door, we are now all in the same state of mind when I get home. By the time we sit down for dinner, we are all ready to share how our day went, and instead of not having much to say, now they both cheerily share what their teachers have said, or what they have learned at school that day.<br />
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In addition to all the above, the classes gave both of them a small circle of friends to socialize with on a daily basis. My parents were put in different levels and therefore do not spend the whole day together, which definitely has its own benefits.<br />
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They were hooked from the very first week. They look forward to learning and spending the day at the Ukrainian centre. Whenever they have to skip classes to go to doctor's appointments, I feel their regret about having to miss school, so now I make sure that, when possible, doctor's appointments are made in the afternoon so that they would only miss a couple of hours of their classes.<br />
Yes, these classes have been good, not only for my parents, but for me as well.<br />
And the best is that they are free to stay in these classes for as long as they wish, until they become Canadian citizens!<br />
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<br />Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-86196254518287378382015-01-25T00:30:00.000-05:002015-01-25T01:12:36.920-05:00New Year, New Place<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last week I moved for the third time in 7 years.</div>
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A lot of people asked me if I was excited about the move or stressed out. </div>
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I wasn't much of the former and I only got stressed out the days leading to the move....</div>
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There isn't much to it really, </div>
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1. Pick a date</div>
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2. Save the date with your friends/movers</div>
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3. Book the elevators at the current address and the next address</div>
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4. Reserve a truck</div>
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5. Get boxes</div>
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6. Start packing...(a little every day works great for me!)</div>
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7. Disassemble furniture that can be disassembled.</div>
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8. Protect corners of furniture that cannot be disassembled</div>
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9. Secure loose items</div>
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Come the big day, hope that everything goes as planned!</div>
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The best part of the day was that I get to drive a big 10 footer! Driving a car right after seemed quite ordinary.The funniest part of the day was when the security guy looked at us and asked who's going to reverse the truck into the loading area and all the guys looked at me! Yes, the only woman around is backing up the truck! Not too bad for an asian female driver!</div>
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Then when everybody has left and you have boxes everywhere, make sure you take a big breath and start unpacking, first with the basics and then with the "peripherals".</div>
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The faster you get to it, the better it is.</div>
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Of course, the first thing that was set up was my computer! </div>
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Then to admire the view:</div>
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Granted, that's not the CN tower, but I get an unobstructed view of GO trains!<br />
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I liked my old place, but I think with time, I'll get to like this place too.<br />
After all, home is where the heart is, right?Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-29647271622876038092015-01-01T03:23:00.000-05:002015-01-01T03:25:01.207-05:00Where did 2014 go?As I sit here and ponder where the year has gone, I cannot believe that the last 12 months have gone by so fast. It seems only yesterday I was writing the retrospective of 2013. It's almost as if 2014 happened without any big impact on my life. But I know this is not true. 2014 has brought a lot of changes in my life. Maybe it's true what they say....as you grow older, the years just seem like days...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoa4ETH-I9TVzmHVnzVMFX5XrEia1G5iv5sBICwNKJ8H3ciGd9qS3T0ThRvylSNduftsbCD9g-x0oHmJADEKd6iB8QhkyhowhJppb6X2S-jDJGo0dEoB11MerNRD4fMBQO7T8gGw/s1600/IMG_0441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoa4ETH-I9TVzmHVnzVMFX5XrEia1G5iv5sBICwNKJ8H3ciGd9qS3T0ThRvylSNduftsbCD9g-x0oHmJADEKd6iB8QhkyhowhJppb6X2S-jDJGo0dEoB11MerNRD4fMBQO7T8gGw/s1600/IMG_0441.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a>Well, if that's the case, then here's a summary of what I did over the last few days!<br />
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In <b>January</b>, Christina and Patrice were in Toronto for a visit. We hung out a lot and went to karaoke. <br />
It was sad when they left. I went to Ripley's Aquarium a couple of times which is more than most people have since the aquarium opened in October.<br />
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<b>February </b>was a winterlicious month. I was at Casa Loma for High Tea and visited the castle for the first time. This high tea gave me the idea of organizing my own tea party! Another meaningful event was a trip to Ottawa to skate on Rideau Canal. We skated the whole length of the canal! The next day, we visited Parliament Hill before heading back to Toronto.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9j2y3_uwNUQ/U8wsd3HGjnI/AAAAAAAAFBM/J9gq-NIGB24/s1600/IMG_0674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9j2y3_uwNUQ/U8wsd3HGjnI/AAAAAAAAFBM/J9gq-NIGB24/s1600/IMG_0674.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jia3L_g0E4A/U8wvK1sml5I/AAAAAAAAFFw/OlZfp5dEBeI/s1600/IMG_0692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t0K_bf4NP7o/U8wigrMnS-I/AAAAAAAAEuI/58bUndNVKQM/s1600/IMG_0559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t0K_bf4NP7o/U8wigrMnS-I/AAAAAAAAEuI/58bUndNVKQM/s1600/IMG_0559.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jia3L_g0E4A/U8wvK1sml5I/AAAAAAAAFFw/OlZfp5dEBeI/s1600/IMG_0692.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></div>
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In <b>March</b>, I finally was able to host a tea party at my place. With lots of food, which were apparently all of the same shade, I invited a few friends over after going to pick new glasses for them in chinatown. A week later, I built my most impressive fondant cake yet, a LEGO movie cake for Nathaniel's birthday!<br />
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In <b>April</b>, I agreed to become a Toastmasters mentor to a club at MaRS Discovery District. For Easter, I went on a road trip to Cleveland. We went to the symphony orchestra, to a Blue Jays game and to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.<br />
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<b>May </b>and <b>June </b>were fairly quiet before I flew back home at the end of June for Christina and Pat's wedding. It was a bittersweet return to the island. I appreciated it more because I don't anticipate going back soon. Being in the wedding party was relatively easy for Christina's wedding. Everything was planned, so it went fairly smoothly. I stayed one night at Angsana before going back to my own bed. Time outside of the wedding and its related activities were spent with family.<br />
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In <b>July</b>, as soon as I got back to Toronto, I went to a Katy Perry concert and another first for me, axe throwing! I wasn't too bad at it, I lost in the semis and was the top female in our group!<br />
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<b>August</b> was a big month for me. We went to the East Coast. As per my previous post, it started on a high with meeting a stranger on the plane. The whole trip was a lot of fun, with lots of sights and cities to see on the east coast of our beautiful Canada.<br />
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<b>September</b> came and went and in <b>October</b>, my parents arrived. This was the start of a big change for all of us.Between living in a cramped 1 bedroom in downtown Toronto and the trek to Mississauga, the weeks went by fast. Months of preparation culminated in the United Way CN tower climb. where for 3 days, I was in the cross-over room looking at climbers arrive at the finish line.<br />
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<b>November </b>has been a blur. It was spent looking at a lot of 2 bedroom condos around the area. Finally, just after mom's birthday, I found a place. So most of the beginning of <b>December </b>was spent making arrangements for the move and going to factory sales and dinners.<br />
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Which bring us to today! It's now 3 hrs into the new year and I'm watching The Godfather on Netflix. There's a saying which dictates that whatever you do on New Year's day, that's what you'll be doing the rest of the year. The plan when I wake up is to make dessert for dinner and clean and de-clutter. What's in store for 2015? Hopefully, not more cleaning and de-cluttering!! :)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9j2y3_uwNUQ/U8wsd3HGjnI/AAAAAAAAFBM/J9gq-NIGB24/s1600/IMG_0674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-67055413272660655802014-11-17T01:31:00.000-05:002014-11-20T00:40:09.761-05:00How long is enough to make an impression?Last August, I went on a trip to the East Coast with 6 friends.<br />
On Friday, August 8, for the first time in my life, I took Porter Airlines to Halifax, Nov<br />
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a Scotia.<br />
On Friday, August 8, for the first time in my life, I met DC (Name protected for privacy reasons).<br />
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DC and I hit it off right away. I must say, he is my 'type'. Clean shaven, blond, blue eyed, in a suit. I would have been perfectly happy to just sit next to him without much interaction, after all, on all the flights I've taken throughout my life, I've never really 'talked' to whoever sits next to me.<br />
DC, however, engaged me in conversation almost as soon as I sat down.<br />
He asked me where I was heading and the purpose of my trip. By the time we took off, he was sharing his plans over the next few days and how he has to get ready for his friend's wedding the next day. I gave him some pointers on delivering speeches and even talked about Toastmasters.<br />
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By the time the plane made a stop in Ottawa, we've been having a blast, not letting the banter die down and laughing so loud that most of the plane could hear us. My friends dropped by to say hi and they were all introduced to DC, my new BFF. It's funny how we didn't need retrospective to realize that we were having a great time and sharing too much. DC said it a few times and I said it a few times. Like 'woah, okay we are really sharing our lives here....'<br />
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In the 3+ hours we were together, he made me switch on my phone to check the meaning of the word 'gesticulating', he spilled wine on himself and he told me about his stay in hospital a few months ago. We talked extensively about his siblings and his girlfriend as well.<br />
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When we landed in Halifax, DC got off the plane in a hurry, his family was waiting for him as we were about 1 hour behind. We had exchanged numbers but he said he'll see me at the baggage claim. That never happened. I forgot my hat in the plane so I had to go back for it and by the time we waited for everybody to visit the washroom, nobody was at the baggage claim anymore. That was a bit of a disappointment, after 3 hours of non-stop talking, to close the chapter on such a meeting without even a proper goodbye. But DC came through, he messaged me to apologize for not waiting around.<br />
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The first few days of that east coast trip rode on the high of having made an acquaintance before it became about the trip itself. I messaged him when I got back to Toronto and we chatted back and forth for a bit that night. Then nothing, until last Wednesday. I saw DC at The Bay, with his girlfriend. I saw him, I had 2 seconds to decide whether to say hi, decided not to and walked on. I regretted it almost instantly.<br />
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Why didn't I say hi?<br />
The main reason was that I feared he wouldn't recognize me.<br />
What if I did say hi and he drew a blank? What if I did say hi and then had to explain how I know him? After all, although we were both there, how he perceived our interaction on the plane could have been totally different from mine. Although HE made an impression on me, have *I* made an impression on him? Are 3 hours enough for someone to remember you? If yes, then for how long? Would I remember him if we crossed paths 3 years down the road? Would I dare to say hi then, even if I regretted not doing so this time? Very unlikely, unless I was in a particularly outgoing mood.<br />
In any case, DC will always be remembered fondly even if this 'friendship' does not last. After all, it's not every flight that you get to share your life with someone else...even if it's just for 3 hours! Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-52598795599788243812014-10-22T20:09:00.000-04:002014-10-22T20:09:08.340-04:00As my world turns...My life has changed over the last 2 weeks.<br />
On October 4, my life as I knew it so far came to an end.<br />
After 7 years away from my parents, they finally joined me here in Canada, as sponsored immigrants.<br />
It's funny how your life changes with two other people in your space.<br />
I cannot believe how much more dust, more hair, more mess, and thus more cleaning I had to do.<br />
I better get used to seeing pee all over the toilet seat because at 63 years old, it's unlikely I'll get my dad to aim better when he tinkles.<br />
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The first few days, I resented the fact that I now have to share everything at my place, and for now, I even had to give up my bed. I also resented the fact that they are now old and cannot adapt as easily as I would have wished. After a few days of explaining EVERYTHING at least twice, any question was met with exasperation, a deep breath, followed by an impatient explanation. Under normal circumstances, I do not have the patience to explain the little things. Imagine that under stress, confined to sharing my space and just a general sense of exhaustion, there is no patience or kindness left to explain things that I have learned over the last 14 years about being in Toronto and being Canadian.<br />
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Just when I thought I was getting a handle of things, my dad had to go and push my buttons. It's true what they say, your parents make you, so they know exactly where your buttons are. I hardly ever cry, but when I do, it's mostly of frustration. My dad so frustrated me last night, that I cried. Not tears of anger or sadness or regret. Tears of frustration that were accompanied by hacking sobs. I can't remember sobbing like this since December 2012 when Keira left Canada after a 2 week visit, but then, those were tears of sadness.<br />
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I'm over it now. I know that in the weeks, months, years (maybe) to come, I somehow have to find a secret fountain of patience to deal with my ageing parents, their expectations and somewhat skewed view of the world while managing my own expectations and worries. In more ways than one, it is like raising rebellious teenagers. They have their good days, and they have their bad days.<br />
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Gone are the days when all I had to worry about was myself.<br />
Gone are the days when I had all the 'me' time I wanted.<br />
But also gone are the days when I had to cook when I get home from work!<br />
Chin up, at least I'm well fed!Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-53628096107996302462014-02-23T19:45:00.002-05:002014-02-23T19:45:34.146-05:00Sochi 2014 - Oh Canada!That's it, 25 medals in 2 weeks.<br />
Today was the last day of the winter olympics in Sochi, Russia.<br />
It was with a lot of emotions that I have watched the olympics religiously over the last 15 days, from 7pm to 11pm.<br />
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The whole gamut of emotions included nostalgia of the last olympics in Vancouver and my time there; the excitement of hearing 'Oh Canada' and the feeling of kinship when the Canadian gold medallists cried watching the Canadian flag being hoisted and sadness when the Canadian athletes did not make it through to the podium.<br />
<br />
Of course, in a country where hockey is almost a religion, that sport was the main focus for most Canadians. I, however, was more elated by the double Gold we won in curling than the double Gold in hockey. I got hooked watching curling in Vancouver. Although I never followed through to watch it outside of the olympics, when the Canadian curlers hit the ice this time around, I was hooked again. I spent more late nights watching curling than watching hockey. I know more about the curlers than any of the hockey players. In fact, I did not even wake up early this morning to watch the gold medal game for the men, against Sweden.<br />
Errrr, can they revoke my citizenship if I admit this online? I hope not.<br />
<br />
As for any olympics, the media brings you focus to specific athletes and sports. Here in Canada, hockey always steals the spotlight. The women's curling finals were overshadowed by the women's hockey team winning gold. Just like the men's curling team's win was overshadowed by the semifinals between the USA and Canada for men's hockey. Because the men's hockey final game is on the last day of the Olympics, that is what the media is talking about today and will continue to talk about when they talk of the Sochi games. What about curling though? The women's curling team was undefeated throughout these games! The men's curling was defending the gold Canada won in Vancouver. What about the double gold in moguls in the first few days of the games? This is unfair! The world must perceive us as a nation of moguls, curling AND hockey. At least until the next Olympics.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"We're sorry. The country you are trying to reach is not available at the moment because of Hockey, Curling OR moguls. Please try again later."</blockquote>
Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-67544787684366991692014-02-23T18:33:00.000-05:002014-02-23T19:12:35.678-05:00Retrospective on 2013<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfINbndse-wdJ6BJbmqfp0IOZw1aBqSIJm48hha3EusjKDwSToA9s0ukUy4iT1qiOkvE9-qQdYcdMSoU_JhY0OKK9nR8bN5b_WqyhFRrOhW8Dq4X87fCmWHq25rhIGXCTnzCppA/s1600/carrine+246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfINbndse-wdJ6BJbmqfp0IOZw1aBqSIJm48hha3EusjKDwSToA9s0ukUy4iT1qiOkvE9-qQdYcdMSoU_JhY0OKK9nR8bN5b_WqyhFRrOhW8Dq4X87fCmWHq25rhIGXCTnzCppA/s1600/carrine+246.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Two months into 2014 already.<br />
At the beginning of the year, I thought of doing a recap of 2013. Of course, I didn't get to it until now.<br />
So here it goes...<br />
<br />
2013 was the year of Toastmasters for me, starting with my icebreaker speech in January and delivering a speech almost every month. I did not get to do my CC10 until this month but the bulk of the heavy lifting was done in 2013, and I even became VP Education for Supreme TD Toastmasters in July.<br />
<br />
There were quite a few 'firsts' in 2013.<br />
First time I tried pole dancing, first time I went sugar-off in Quebec, first time camping in Tobermory, first time scubadiving (in Tobermory), first time skydiving in Niagara Falls and first time attending a Zoroastrian wedding.<br />
<br />
Then of course the travels: Boston in May, San Francisco in June, Atwater/Yosemite in June, Washington DC in September, Rochester in November and Singapore in November/December. I loved Singapore because I got to spend time with Keira. At 17 months, she did not talk much, but she loved to play and she allowed me to hold and play with her when she was in a good mood. She unfortunately had to go to the hospital on the last Thursday I was there, so I spent the last few days in the hospital as well. It was heart-wrenching. On my way back home, I had a stop-over in Narita airport in Japan. That was probably the best stop-over experience EVER! 8 hrs of freebies!<br />
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<br />
As for running, I did a MEC run in the snow in January, then the Harry Spring Run-off, the Sporting Life 10K and finally the Scotiabank Waterfront half marathon with the exact same time as last year. I could have improved my time if I wasn't nursing a stomachache from the day before.<br />
<br />
I did not have any life events, but my cousin Eric got married and my parents came to surprise him at his wedding in June. Then while I was in Singapore enjoying 2 weeks with Keira, Gabriel was born at almost 10lbs.<br />
<br />
Apart from the ballet, I attended La Boheme at the opera, went to Kelly Clarkson's concert which also featured Maroon 5 and went to two musicals: Wizard of Oz and Cats.<br />
<br />
I ended the year with a pot luck among friends at my place as per last year and we had a game of 'Cards against Humanity'.<br />
<br />
All in all, 2013 was a great year, with lots of new experiences and travels.<br />
2014 promises to be more hectic, with big changes looming for me and my parents.<br />
The first 2 months of the year have already set the pace....<br />
<br />
<br />
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After 9 speeches, the tenth one was to inspire my audience. I have selected the imaginary situation where I appointed to join and lead a kindness committee at my company. The title of the speech: One coffee at a time. Having only finished the speech the night before, I was nervous for not learning the speech by heart. I faltered a couple of times and glanced at my notes, but it went relatively well. Here's the speech:<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>Have you ever wanted to scream at a coworker in the course
of the day? Or fought the urge to throw something at them? This happens to me way
more often than I would like to admit. Sometimes I snap at them or I let out
exasperated sighs. Then I feel guilty about not being patient and kind. This is
what motivated me to join and lead the Kindness committee.<o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
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<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
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<i><b>Fellow employees, in a world where bullying is a reality
for one in every 3 students, in a world where the news reports show more
atrocities around the world than good being done, in a world where kindness is
almost a novelty; where are we, as a society, heading? Do you hold the door to
the person behind you or do you let it flatten their nose? Do you give your
seat to someone in need or feign sleep? Do you try to help your coworker out
when he has a deadline or just go about completing your own tasks? If we do not
practice being kind to each other, could we survive as a community? More
importantly, will the next generation know what kindness is? When I asked
myself these questions, I made an astounding discovery. People, like you and I,
may not be intrinsically kind, but they can work at it and inspire others to do
the same. How do we become kinder and make the world around us kinder?<o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
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<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
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<i><b>There are 2 ways we could do this. The
first one, which I have seen a friend advertise on Facebook, is to follow the
Pay-it-forward formula. The first step is to commit to be kind to a number of
people, say 3, and that in turn, instead of repaying you for the kindness, they
would pay the kindness forward to someone else. What if I turn back and hold
the door for the person behind me ? Wouldn’t that person also hold the door for
the person behind him? What if I pay for the next one in line when I get my
coffee tomorrow morning? Would that
person also pay for the 3<sup>rd</sup> person in line? That’s exactly what
someone did at a Tim Hortons drive-thru in Winnipeg and the pay-it-forward
chain lasted for 3 hours and 28 minutes, until someone refused to pay for the
next customer in line. That person was depicted as ‘The Grinch’. I’m sure there
was more than just one Grinch in that line, but nobody before him, wanted to be
the one to stop the chain. Most people find it far worse to be labeled as a
jerk than to pay for the next order. Nonetheless, it lasted a few hours and it
all started with ONE individual doing ONE simple gesture of kindness. A gesture
that both you and I could do.<o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>A second way of infusing more kindness in the world is to go
BIG, like, really big. Have you heard of the young man in Edmonton who bought
himself a donut and a coffee and then paid for the next 500 large coffees? He
was talked about in the news, without being on the news. Nobody knows why he
did it, he just walked in, ordered his breakfast and paid $859 on his debit
card. And then he left. He stays anonymous, but I’m sure the satisfaction he
must have had of making 500 coffee lovers happy is exhilarating. A week later,
another Tim Hortons customer did the same thing in another city. Now, a year later,
I still remember the news segment on that story. Not only are these big random
acts of kindness, as they call it, likely to have a ripple effect, but they
have a greater impact on us. We talk about it for DAYS, even more so if we are
one of the 500, or if we know someone these 500 customers.<o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>Imagine how you would feel if when you are about to pay the
cashier for your coffee, she says that it has already been taken care of.
Wouldn’t that make your day? Wouldn’t you want to share your joy around? ‘You
know what happened to me today? Someone paid for my coffee!’ At a minimum, it
makes one person happy. In reality, it makes at least 2 people happy. I
remember the Friends episode where Joey tells Phoebe that no act of charity or
kindness is selfless, because the person doing the good deed feels good about
making someone else’s life better. If you do not care about saving society from
a lack of kindness, or about setting an example for the next generation, then
at least do it to feel good about yourself and encourage others to do the same.
<o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>If you were here last week, you would have heard Wendy, our
area governor talk about ‘heroes-in-waiting’ in her speech. Ordinary people who
have the potential to be heroes. We do not all have to be heroes, we can
improve the world one coffee at a time. Both examples I gave today, the pay it
forward chain at the drive thru in Winnipeg and the guy who paid for 500
coffees in Edmonton , happened at Tim Hortons. Most of us get a cup of coffee
or tea in the morning, so these are both things we could do without straying
too far from our daily routine. Whether we choose to start small and just pay
for a friend’s coffee or we want to make a big splash and touch as many people
as possible, it only needs one person to start a chain reaction. To improve
ourselves and paint a kinder picture around us, it has to start with nobody
else but US! Let’s stop being spectators to the disintegration of kindness
around us and commit to just ONE act of kindness TODAY. I assure you that it
will not be wasted. It will be one additional day where kindness prevails. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, ‘You
cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too
late.’<o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-66429626265137111832014-01-01T19:19:00.001-05:002014-01-01T19:19:16.384-05:00CC 9 - Because I'm a girl<div class="MsoNormal">
This was my CC9 delivered in November. I haven't had time to post it until now. The goal was to influence your audience.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>Have you ever seen this poster? Have you ever heard of the
‘BECAUSE I’M A GIRL’ campaign? <o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>Toastmasters and dear guests, ‘Because I’m a girl’ is a
global initiative to end gender inequality, promote girls’ rights and lift
millions of girls, and everyone around them, out of poverty. Their motto is to
invest in girls and change the world. Why girls? Because of the way girls are
treated in poorer countries around the world. Because they are the first ones
to suffer. Yet, they have the biggest potential to help themselves and their
families if they are given a chance. Because I am a girl provides these little
girls that chance. Let me give you 3 reasons why I am raising awareness to this
cause today.<o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">First,
let's talk about food. When I was growing up, my mom would layout the food on
the table and everybody would serve themselves to as much food as they want.
Now picture yourself as poor in a developing country and that for dinner
everybody else was allowed to eat first before it was your turn. Imagine that
the same scenario happened every day, where you would silently pray that the
other members of your family would leave you some food or you'll have to wait
till the next day to see if you will have better luck. This happens not because
your parents do not love you as much as the other members of your family but
because of your gender! Little girls around the world go through this every
day. They have to watch the male members of their family eat and hope that
there is enough left for them to eat. Is that fair? From someone who would not
even let her brother get away with a piece of chocolate if she also didn't get
one, that idea is outrageous to me. “Because I'm a girl” initiative, provides
food to little girls around the world so that they have a fighting chance to
survive poverty. </span><o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>The next thing where girls are overlooked is education. 66 million girls in developing countries are
not in school. The main reason is because families think that the daughters
will be more helpful working for the family than getting an education. Since
there is little opportunity for girls to get a paying job even if they are
educated, the family seldom wants to spare them, so that they help with cleaning,
cooking, collecting wood or water and looking after the younger children.
Another reason that families do not send the girls to school is that most
schools in poorer countries do not have the facilities to accommodate girls. ‘Because
I’m a girl’ helps to send girls to school by building schools with the
appropriate facilities and by giving them food if they need it. That gives the
parents an incentive to send them to school as well. Research has shown that
for every year of school a girl attends, her lifetime income raises by 10 to
20%. And the more education she gets, the healthier her children will be. My
dad is a male chauvinist, but he never denied me the education I wanted. He
could have said ‘you are a girl, you do not need an education and certainly not
in Canada’, but he didn’t. <o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>Thirdly, by promoting gender equality, ‘Because I’m a girl’
is not only promoting a better life for girls but also for boys. Children have
a better future when their mothers are educated and their fathers are more
involved in the family life. For example, let’s take my brother and I. My dad
believes that a woman’s place is in the kitchen. He never goes in the kitchen
except to eat. Yet, for all of his shortcomings, or maybe because my mother was
educated enough to know how to counter argue him, my brother and I were raised
in a gender equal environment. Every chore was divided equally between my
brother and I, regardless of the nature of the task, from cleaning the kitchen
floors to raking the yard. Today, my brother is well versed in domestic chores,
something that I’m sure, his wife appreciates. But more than that, the cycle of
gender inequality has been stopped in our generation.<o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>With a little food, as much education as they can get, and
by promoting gender equality, girls have the potential to lift themselves out
of poverty. The global initiative ‘Because I’m a girl’ is changing the world,
one little girl at a time. If you want to help be part of that change, you can
donate or shop on the website www.because I am a girl.ca. Or you can make a difference
by fundraising or by increasing awareness to the cause. Little girls everywhere
need YOU to advocate for them so that THEY in turn may make a difference in THEIR
world.</b></i><o:p></o:p></div>
Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-26293505215489937452013-10-04T20:37:00.000-04:002013-10-04T20:37:24.466-04:00Facebook worthy - CC8<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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What is the BEST souvenir you could bring home for yourself
from your travels?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Toastmasters and most welcome guests, if you are like me and
have a terrible memory, then photographs are the most valuable souvenirs from
your travels. I have travelled over the world and depending on who I
travel with, the pictures I have as mementos might not be the only memories I
want to keep from a particular destination. Some are really bad. Now, with
digital cameras, you are at least able to check on the spot if the picture will
make it to my Facebook and if not, to take another one right away. It does not
however, take away the fact that if you follow 3 simple rules, you will not be
spending the whole afternoon trying to get the perfect shot with the Eiffel tower.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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First rule, determine what you are trying to capture. Do you want a picture where the focus is a person or a particular
monument or object? As a rule of thumb, the focal point should be in the center
of the picture, vertically and horizontally, whether it is a person or an
object. Take this for example:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMYB87QJEzhyLN9z8Y9ZOwgB1DOPra3xmqGjdGcVbsQJU9p6o2k1b4xppFAKkJCCWTHhgAKyvk_xm4I0J4XA7TrFx8V3Ep5_2KRINHrJ0LFGcZ5XRfAd8_-8ghcidilNwVOPaZw/s1600/IM001063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMYB87QJEzhyLN9z8Y9ZOwgB1DOPra3xmqGjdGcVbsQJU9p6o2k1b4xppFAKkJCCWTHhgAKyvk_xm4I0J4XA7TrFx8V3Ep5_2KRINHrJ0LFGcZ5XRfAd8_-8ghcidilNwVOPaZw/s320/IM001063.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<br />
What do you think the photographer was
trying to capture in this picture? The lamp or the sofa? …These days, digital cameras allow you to have a grid on the
screen to make it easier to center the main subject of your picture and to
align the ground horizontally. It always amazes me that as easy as technology
has made it, quite a few people still cannot take a decent picture. Like this
one:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pGxHEHkbgvlmOFGVHxU2JI6BvrlXwKb5UnRJxhXwT-NJwmxZt8KiTdH7eyVh9uPA2YvKHusiz3CS8483PseTr529u7KxMv15g-nuxRLSu6UqlK8CWD889hOx3c1u8JymrHoD7g/s1600/IM001405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pGxHEHkbgvlmOFGVHxU2JI6BvrlXwKb5UnRJxhXwT-NJwmxZt8KiTdH7eyVh9uPA2YvKHusiz3CS8483PseTr529u7KxMv15g-nuxRLSu6UqlK8CWD889hOx3c1u8JymrHoD7g/s320/IM001405.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Apparently it is okay to cut my head off when taking a picture in
the south of France. After all, I just need a memento of how blue the sky was
and a sample of that wall there. Or maybe I want to remember that in Geneva
[slide], the ground might not have been quite level.</div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=35496054" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMLmHZzyD_gya8gthj6yLrWJI2haOodIIgiVLznWEE6G8uzssIdHWsEo1mDMM1B0RaxyFtdKbrkGhWZqVPg9qn3437QEItXBGVuDvtV8IdtMfeZ5dGdQx7yy539fGNza40Ga68w/s1600/021+Me+and+le+jet+d'eau+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMLmHZzyD_gya8gthj6yLrWJI2haOodIIgiVLznWEE6G8uzssIdHWsEo1mDMM1B0RaxyFtdKbrkGhWZqVPg9qn3437QEItXBGVuDvtV8IdtMfeZ5dGdQx7yy539fGNza40Ga68w/s320/021+Me+and+le+jet+d'eau+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The second thing you have to think about when you are the
photographer is the lighting. [slide] I think most people would know that if
you are behind the camera, then you want the sun to be at your back.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KOtDrEQRWYDpMdTOoZnIxCoef5MK04g7olCt0c8MF_PoO45epFxlGNMDney9W37imbAtj-G77apUmrikEcyip5KuV2eLXCHawLkJ9Orgg-ZXwT4UQSRExydjO0KkgZZsBsliuw/s1600/2005-10-23-036+Versailles+-+me+and+the+garden.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KOtDrEQRWYDpMdTOoZnIxCoef5MK04g7olCt0c8MF_PoO45epFxlGNMDney9W37imbAtj-G77apUmrikEcyip5KuV2eLXCHawLkJ9Orgg-ZXwT4UQSRExydjO0KkgZZsBsliuw/s320/2005-10-23-036+Versailles+-+me+and+the+garden.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This guy knows what he’s doing. With the newest cameras, if the setting is on
‘automatic’, they would sometimes detect that you are taking a picture against
a brighter background and the flash will be triggered automatically. If you do
not know better however, you would end up with pictures like this.<br />
<br />
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48FEcQz7fyd7g6dppCTtEaz0qbfVPaWXMX97-4xs_VWiga8fX0UaejGV11oAHBYWvtssH7sjfr1BWjMbsngZukpF1fTIqBXSxB2m1hmCZk4lNXNQKZBEDKnoFnzRxV4FkAlXV7Q/s1600/cntower.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48FEcQz7fyd7g6dppCTtEaz0qbfVPaWXMX97-4xs_VWiga8fX0UaejGV11oAHBYWvtssH7sjfr1BWjMbsngZukpF1fTIqBXSxB2m1hmCZk4lNXNQKZBEDKnoFnzRxV4FkAlXV7Q/s320/cntower.JPG" width="217" /></a></div>
This is my very first picture with the CN tower. “Hi mom, I
made it to Toronto. Can’t you guess that’s me with the CN tower?”. This is me not very happy that the houses on the canals of Amsterdam were brighter
than me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgMwgxxv7vZWiEA3qrqRQyoYLjiupDbMP3wSOG2LvOdsz4nX9kxOTSdyzOz3km1bZmiLiUGnLu8giq3T4RBL6PyEOuUY2pgXvGOROtQKE7jMhSnGWfpZVPuhBBhH5No286TYq0w/s1600/2005-10-30-007+Amsterdam+-+waiting+for+the+canal+bus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgMwgxxv7vZWiEA3qrqRQyoYLjiupDbMP3wSOG2LvOdsz4nX9kxOTSdyzOz3km1bZmiLiUGnLu8giq3T4RBL6PyEOuUY2pgXvGOROtQKE7jMhSnGWfpZVPuhBBhH5No286TYq0w/s320/2005-10-30-007+Amsterdam+-+waiting+for+the+canal+bus.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This is what happens when you put the flash on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFzIbUCwGGlr5xL54PeNGeeyS4H2JVRzPApqTvtamL6bmqCe6rd5qf8xAICoRfMaakJp15FZ2XhPKalEU91Gr3xnHHx2Shz13P_gy26XYAsncCQEb9LBUOaHJUfiXOzOOVbGoWA/s1600/2005-10-30-008+Amsterdam+-+opposite+Centraal+station.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFzIbUCwGGlr5xL54PeNGeeyS4H2JVRzPApqTvtamL6bmqCe6rd5qf8xAICoRfMaakJp15FZ2XhPKalEU91Gr3xnHHx2Shz13P_gy26XYAsncCQEb9LBUOaHJUfiXOzOOVbGoWA/s320/2005-10-30-008+Amsterdam+-+opposite+Centraal+station.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Let’s not talk
about the angle there, just make sure you know where the brightest source of
light is.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Framing and lighting may be subject to taste. The
photographer may always use as an excuse that he or she, wanted to create an
artistic photo, an out of the ordinary perspective on the subject in the
picture. However, nobody could excuse a picture like this one.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXqLp1IPhiwVPisWqXGn6bGhz-B5yYEUq4codcKsWkFxMdr8nBjVit8E1046e1LFH3fqPFnrNGcqxLHDUlO2j5FBKodLpBQQmfmJNmJ60E-T9IfoKcFBDGF4p5x7EKIr3nlYnWA/s1600/IM001147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXqLp1IPhiwVPisWqXGn6bGhz-B5yYEUq4codcKsWkFxMdr8nBjVit8E1046e1LFH3fqPFnrNGcqxLHDUlO2j5FBKodLpBQQmfmJNmJ60E-T9IfoKcFBDGF4p5x7EKIr3nlYnWA/s320/IM001147.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The
third rule is, unless you are trying to take a candid photograph, wait for the
subjects to be ready. It is good to count out loud ‘1, 2, 3’ so that the people
being photographed are fully aware of when it is going to happen. Now, my
memento from Le Casino de Monte Carlo is a picture where I am half sitting or
half standing. And my souvenir picture in Bangkok’s Grand Palace is this one,
where I was still trying to figure out what the guide was saying.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImyS_s6RQQ2SjJgBjWEVSPsV2BSROvifnsE2XQasl4_Hl-gy4LhLx-ic97PyZ2GM4XHGKlUVbpvCSiFWRlkG10HvWR5Za0OHUUJX-yHT7L-l3pyt9UyjrPbSIxgE6emL-WUY7Fg/s1600/2007-04-10+019+Bangkok's+Grand+Palace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImyS_s6RQQ2SjJgBjWEVSPsV2BSROvifnsE2XQasl4_Hl-gy4LhLx-ic97PyZ2GM4XHGKlUVbpvCSiFWRlkG10HvWR5Za0OHUUJX-yHT7L-l3pyt9UyjrPbSIxgE6emL-WUY7Fg/s320/2007-04-10+019+Bangkok's+Grand+Palace.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Capturing digital mementos is easier than it has ever been
before. According to 1000memories, a website that allows users to archive and
share old photos, “Every 2 minutes today we snap as many photos as the whole of
humanity took in the 1800s.” Quantity does not trump quality however so just
remember the 3 rules: center the picture on what you want your focal point to
be, think about lighting and allow the subjects to settle in before you click.
Those will make for better mementos and will not make you ashamed of sharing
your vacation pictures. There is nothing worse than going through hundreds of
pictures to find 10 good ones to share on Facebook.</div>
Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-21921368127472327562013-09-05T07:44:00.000-04:002013-09-05T07:44:19.086-04:00Two is better than one.<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Raise your hand if you are bilingual!<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Toastmaster Chair, fellow Toastmasters and honored guests, in
this country, ‘bilingual’ largely means French and English, but you may know
another language other than French. I am a bilingual, having learned French and
English from a young age, as have all of my cousins. I visited one cousin and
her family last week-end. She is married to a monolingual man and has 2 kids
with one more on the way. Early on, they have decided that the children will be
bilingual even though the father misses out on half of his kids’ conversations.
Why would they do it? Why would he voluntarily put himself in a situation where
he might not understand his kids? Let me give you 3 reasons why, like my
cousin, I feel more parents should aspire to raise bilingual children.<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Research has shown that bilingual children outperform
monolingual children in executive functions. Executive functions <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">are cognitive
processes such as problem solving, mental flexibility, attentional control and
task switching. </span>I am NOT saying that because I’m bilingual <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>! Ellen Bialystok, a
Canadian psychologist and Distinguished Research Professor at York University
has done extensive research on the effect of bilingualism on different aspects
of cognitive development in children. She has found that <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">being bilingual
gives the individual an advantage of better attention control and therefore
facilitates processing and functioning in several cognitive tasks. Imagine
presenting an object to me. Immediately my brain provides the labels of the
object in both languages I know. Which word I pick to say out loud depends
largely on which language is being used and the appropriate word to use in the
context. Constantly making the
decision about how to best respond to a situation, as well as having better
control over what they select, results in better performance in regards to
problem solving and attention control. In other words, bilinguals are exposed
to more situations where they have to make decisions based solely on the
situation they are in, making them better at focusing their attention on the
details that are relevant at a specific moment in time. <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><b><i>If that isn’t reason enough, let me give you a second reason.
The American Speech Language Hearing Association promotes good listening skills
and ability to connect well with others as advantages of being bilingual. Language
goes beyond just a means of communication. Each language has the ability to
shape an individual's perception of the world, and a bilingual's perception of
the world would change according to the language they are currently functioning
in. This makes them more sensitive to cultural differences hence makes them
more adaptable in a social setting and more likely to make friends. <o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><b><i>There is another strong, third, reason parents decide to
raise bilingual children in Canada. In a 2007 survey, 60 percent of Canadian
parents cited increased job opportunities for their children as the main reason
for enrollment in French immersion schools. That is because a 2006 research
poll for Canadian Heritage revealed that almost 70 per cent of Canadians felt
that bilingualism improved employment and business opportunities. With over 30
countries with French as an official language and over 220 million French
speakers worldwide, bilingual employees may work with multinational
corporations working in or with these countries. Exports from French-speaking
countries represent 19 per cent of world exports, creating a sizeable market
which requires French speakers.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><b><i>In summary, my cousin’s children will be better than their
monolingual counterparts in executive control tasks such as problem solving and
task switching; they will do well socially thanks to an increased cultural
sensitivity and; they will have a better chance at landing a job when they get
older. If you are not bilingual, and you are thinking right now about how to
reap the benefits of being bilingual, do not despair. Since learning a new
language is no small task, prove your dedication and determination, other
traits increasingly valued in the globalized world, by picking up a new language
now. </i></b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-5359224433187939402013-08-23T00:11:00.001-04:002013-08-23T00:11:35.865-04:00The Need For Speed<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>GoodAfternoonToastmastersAndHonoredGuests,
todayIamPresentingMyCC6WhichFocusesOnVocalVariety.<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Imagine if I talked like this for the next 5 to 7 minutes?
Not only would I be stressed out, but you would be too. Nobody would have
enjoyed the experience. I might even hurt myself by biting my tongue.<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Toastmasters and dear guests, if you have seen me outside of
this club, you have probably seen me walk at a brisk pace, rushing somewhere,
always trying to catch the next event in my calendar. Yes, I’m that annoying
person who HAVE to pass people walking leisurely on the sidewalk. Yes, I am the
one who is too impatient to stand on the escalator. Yes, I get annoyed when
fast food staff is far from being ‘fast’. Where does this need for speed come from?
Life has been trying to warn me to slow down for years but I have been turning
a deaf ear. Today I would like to tell you 2 life lessons I have received.<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>First example is when I was about 6 years old. The school
used to provide chocolate milk to the children. One cup per student, every day.
I was always so eager to get my chocolate milk. One day, as soon as the teacher
gave the signal, I rushed out of my seat, ready to outrun everybody to the door.
Two steps forward and I realized that I didn’t have my mug. Noooo, quick turn
around and grab it! That was without counting 20 other kids also rushing to the
door! As I turned around, a little boy, who was just about 3-4 inches shorter
than me was right on my heels and we collided full on. His forehead. My eye
socket. BAM! Guess who had a black eye
for a few weeks after? Would it have
killed me to slow down and be a little further down the line? No, but it would
have spared me a black eye! <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Life threw me a bigger warning a few years later. I have a
scar about an inch long on my right knee. I got a cut from a lawn mower. Yes, a
lawn mower! I was thirteen and rushing to the grocery store at the corner of
the street. As I got out of the front door, my dad intercepted me to ask me to
lift the front side of the mower over the ledge onto the lawn. My dad’s lawn
mower was capricious, could never be started on the lawn itself. I had a plastic
bag in my hand and reluctant to waste any of my time, I squeezed it in between
my knees and lifted the lawn mower. As I lowered it over my bent knees, the
blade grazed my right knee. I looked down and I could see the soft, white
tissue under my skin. AAAHHH!!!!!!! In retrospective now, I should have taken
the time to put the bag aside, it would not have impeded my movement when I
squatted down and that would have saved me some blood and tears. <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>These are 2 examples where my need for speed were the root cause
of my downfall. Next time you are impatiently trying to pass someone on the
sidewalk, think again. Is it worth risking an eye for? It certainly wasn’t for
chocolate milk. Or the next time you are in a rush and want to skip a step to
get there faster, ask yourself if it’s worth having a scar for. You don’t always
have to be the first in line and it’s not always best to take a shortcut. Life
is not meant to be lived with black eyes or scars. If you are like me and you
live life at full speed, then my best advice to you is to slow down and ‘smell
the roses’. The 6 year old me with the black eye and the 13 year old me limping
to school would agree. </i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35496054.post-66525908594312818512013-07-07T19:52:00.000-04:002013-07-07T19:52:14.711-04:00The hump speech - "Laughter, the best medicine"<div class="MsoNormal">
Last Thursday, I did my 5th speech for Toastmasters. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This being the half way point, I needed this to be good.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
CC5 focuses on 'Your Body Speaks' and I needed to move around a little bit and add more gestures. The title came to me because of the jokes section of Reader's Digest. Here goes: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>Are you feeling low? Are you feeling down? Do you need a
pick me up? <o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>I have the perfect remedy for you! <o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>Toastmasters and honored guests, good afternoon.<o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>This is not an ad for a drug or a crisis helpline! What I am
trying to sell to you, is an all-natural, free and always available cure for
everything that could go wrong in your day: LAUGHTER!<o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>How do you feel when you laugh? Doesn’t laughter make you
feel better if you are having a bad day? Did you know that in addition to the
instant vacation you get, laughter may make you feel better physically? Research
has shown that laughter makes the brain release endorphins that can relieve
some physical pain. So in theory, whether you have a headache or a heartache,
laughter might help you through it. How could you use more of this miracle cure
in every day life? Let me give you a couple of things you could do!<o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>First, be ready to laugh at yourself. Have you ever watched
kids finding endless amusement in the silliest of little things? The latest
video to become viral is the video of 2 toddlers each playing with an elastic
band on doorknobs and laughing hysterically. Who would have thought? Elastic
bands! Kids usually go into hysterics when they do something silly and then
laugh at themselves. Somewhere along the way, adults lose touch with their
inner child and their ability to be silly. We take ourselves too seriously and
do not laugh at ourselves readily. People
wonder whether I am on drugs or have gone coo coo when I’m being silly or insanely
happy laughing at myself. Don’t mind me, I’m just having a mini-break from the
daily grind!<o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>My second suggestion is to tap into your memory bank of
funny anecdotes. Imagine this, 2 of my girlfriends and I got lost driving in
the States once. As I was trying to figure out where to go, the car started
making a weird flapping noise. One friend got busy looking up directions so we
decided to stop by the side of the road to investigate the noise. As I slowed
down, I asked my friend in the back seat to find the origin of the noise.
‘Huh?’ she said, ‘let me close the window…I cannot hear you girls over that
noise’. With the window closed, all was quiet!!! The wind coming through the
open back window was making all this din. That is probably not the funniest story you
have heard, but to the 3 of us, recalling that moment of panic because we might
possibly be lost with a broken car across the border and the realization that
the noise was just the wind, always bring us to tears laughing. Sometimes I am
smiling while walking down the street because I’m recalling a funny moment.
Sometimes I am laughing by myself because I am replaying a hilarious
conversation in my head. I sure look
like a crazy person doing so, but I think every person should have a fountain
of funny moments to go to for an instant pick-me-up moment!<o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>I once read that 3
minutes of laughter a day could help to keep you healthy. I’m fairly sure I
laugh for more than 3 mins a day. Do I ever get sick? Of course! But even in sickness,
if you can either be silly and laugh at yourself, or if you can tap into some
cheerful memories, you will definitely be in a better mood. Something that no
other remedy can give you instantly. So, be ready to laugh and build up your
arsenal of laughable moments. Laughter is the best medicine and you too may use
it on a daily basis! The recommended dose: a minimum 3 minutes a day!</b></i><o:p></o:p></div>
Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681772031009497594noreply@blogger.com0