Chasing dreams, not diamond rings

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Sorting out a life...

It's so hard to sort out your life and truly know where you want to go and where you want to be in "X" number of years. Everyone tells me to relax and just take it as it comes, but don't you have to plan certain things to make sure you're on the right track ? ? ? Otherwise, what would you do that one day when you look back and realize that your life was just a big blur...? A nothing? I'd be crushed if I was just drifting along and had nothing to show for it.

I am slowly putting some pieces of my life together... things I haven't done I'm actually coming around to do. Sucks how once you get out of school though, you have so much financial burden... and have to start taking up adult responsibilities. Whatever happened to the fun?! Wish I postponed the whole growing up process now.

One day though, money will no longer be an issue.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Today was not my day...

All my friends are off on their own adventures- I wish I was part of it. My heart is so far away me... it's gone overseas to Lebanon, HK, SF, ... and especially where Jess & Lauren are.

Some days I can let go of certain things and move on so well. Other days I have moments where I relapse and wish things were different. You can't always be happy in life... you can't always be motivated... but I wish I was today.

Saturday, June 24, 2006

I went to the driving range with Walid today for the first time ever! It was sooooooo fun! 2.5 hours in the sun with one bucket of balls. I learned the basics with Walid's help and I actually had some nice hits... they went to the 150-200 signs :D This of course, was when I actually HIT the ball. hahaha I missed the tee so many times. I'm sure we'll go more often now hopefully. AT least 2x a week unless it gets too expensive. I might get a driver and get professional to show me once how to do stuff.

Michelle, Lee, Walid, Ryan & I went to Philthy's at Yonge & Eglinton at night- it was fun. Just sat around & chatted. I'm so tired right now though. Spending so many hours in the sun really wore me out (thank goodness I didn't get a sunburn) and man, my SHOULDERS and my arms are sooooooo SORE. This girl has to sleep. More pain to come tomorrow :P

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Overdue RECOGNITION & COMPENSATION...

Hey everyone... thought this was an interesting article from the Globe and Mail dated June 22, 2006. I found it online @ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060622.wxheadtax22/BNStory/National/home

Brief commentary before you read the article: The Chinese were charged a head tax for immigrating to Canada in the mid 1800's, early 1900's. The Chinese paid the head tax to immigrate and worked like slaves to build the Great Canadian Railway. They were paid barely anything compared to the huge amount they borrowed to immigrate, living standards were terrible. Needless to say, many of them died on the job. Their blood built that railway... and this is one step towards making wrongs right. Go Canada. However, I do not know if this compensation rightly compensates the financial and emotional suffering the Chinese experienced in years thereafter. As we all know, poverty breeds poverty. You can't reverse one's upbringing with just $20,000.

PM offers $20,000, apology for head tax
BRIAN LAGHI

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper will close a controversial chapter in Canadian history today by offering up to $20,000 to each of the people forced to pay the Chinese head tax who are still living.
The move will come as Mr. Harper offers a formal apology to the 81,000 Chinese immigrants who shelled out a total of $23-million to enter Canada. A compensation package is also expected to be offered to widowed spouses of those who paid the tax, while a source added there will be a so-called national recognition program established for educational and cultural activities. Estimates of the cost of the overall program varied, although one source said it would top $30-million.
Sources said the government has identified only 29 surviving victims of the tax. There are approximately another 250 or so widows.
The government expects that a few more may come forward at a later date.
"There's no way to determine the total payout," said the source. "There may be 20 people that nobody's ever heard of who eventually come forward."
One source said the government's package is based on one paid to Japanese Canadians who had been interned during the Second World War. That package saw payments of $21,000 to each of those affected still living. Another $12-million was set aside for the educational, social and cultural well-being of the community.
The source said government officials had originally agreed to a compensation package of $18,000 a person, but raised that figure recently to $20,000.
"Not everybody is going to be happy with it," the source said.
One Conservative Party source said the government was paying as much as it could afford without incurring the anger of its conservative base of supporters, many of whom don't believe redress should be paid beyond those who were directly affected.
Chinese immigrants began coming to Canada in the late 1850s during the rush for gold in British Columbia, but the real influx came between 1881 and 1885 to work on the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Soon after, the Canadian government imposed a head tax of $50 per person to limit immigration. The tax was later increased to $500, a massive amount at the time. The tax had the effect of splitting families and preventing wives and children from joining their husbands and fathers in Canada, many of whom had to take out loans to pay the tax.
The tax was paid until 1923, when Canada banned Chinese immigration. That act was repealed in 1947.
Mr. Harper will make his speech in front of a group of Chinese Canadians who have taken the train from as far away as British Columbia to be in attendance. The vast majority are descendants of those who paid the tax, although there will be a few surviving individuals as well.
Heritage Minister Bev Oda and Jason Kenney, the Prime Minister's parliamentary secretary, crossed the country to meet with individuals of the Chinese community to discuss the redress package.
Ms. Oda hinted yesterday that compensation would be paid out.
"An apology will be made in the House and we will also be addressing appropriate acknowledgment," she said in the House of Commons.
The government also plans to put aside $2.5-million in redress funds for members of other cultural communities.
Those communities include Canadians of Italian and of Ukrainian origin, although the money is not expected to be spent on individual compensation, rather the cash will go toward community programs and education. Sources said Mr. Harper is also expected to acknowledge other events, including the turning back of a ship carrying hundreds of Sikhs, the Komagata Maru, in Vancouver in 1914.
The money is part of a $25-million fund put aside by previous Liberal governments to deal with redress in a number of cultural communities.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

The person I imagine you to be no longer exists; so many things have changed... but I am content knowing that we existed at one point in time.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

First things first:
WELCOME HOME, MICHELLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've MISSED YOU and I'm SO GLAD you are home!!!!!!!!!!!!

Second of all:
My ladies in Europe, thank you for the emails, I will try and get back to you ASAP! Trust me, you're #1 on my Email back list.

Third of ALL:
Sam & Momo!!!!! I MISS YOU... thank you soooo much for the email, Sammy... I wish I was there in Lebanon too, but I'm stuck with my crappy contract; working a crappy summer job :(

So what is new in my life? Nottt much. I live a pretty standard, boring, undergrad graduate life. The summer job could not be more dreadful. Today I had nothing to do, and then because I challenged myself and wanted to find things to do, I went and asked my manager if I could help with something. I got stuck with EXCEL sheets again. WhoEVER knew what "vlookup" and "hlookup" was??? Well guess who took a crash course? Thank goodness though, a Laurier grad that recently joined the organization was really helpful and walked me through some of the most messed up spreadsheets I've ever seen and helped me set something up before I left for the day. Gonna go back and face the monster tomorrow though, so I'll have to let you know what happens.

In other news, I've had more free food/will have more free food in this week than I've ever had in my life~! Yesterday it was some girl's bridal shower (so we had cake); today was someone's birthday (so we had more cake) and tomorrow we're having a BBQ (compliments of the building administration); Friday there's more free cake (someone is leaving) and it is also the organization's 8th year celebration so we get free food and drinks... from 11:30-2:30 (and we get paid despite the fact that we will not be working!!!). Is this awesome or what? WELL NOT REALLY. I have come to the conclusion that I have an office ass. Butttt... hahaha let's not let that bother me. I'll just... yeah, work it off all later. psh. lol. Summer is the devil. Ice cream and sweets all look MORE tempting than usual.

Anyways, I'm out.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006


My family outside the Reception area (Schelgel Building)


3 kids ! Inside the Schlegel.


Lilly, Ali and I at the Waterloo Memorial Centre where our convocation ceremony was held.


One of the most hilarious pictures I have from the pig roast: Matt falling and a drunk Morris trying to hold him up.


Last pic of the pig roast night: Matt, Jason, Loli, Kelly, Shannon and I.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

It's funny how revelations about life hit you when you really don't expect it. So many things have happened in the past 5 days, it's hard to recount! But here it is:

Thursday: Overtime @ work, then went home and packed for Waterloo. We were in Stinky-town (as my sister calls it) by 8pm. Had some dinner and then Todd and I went for coffee at William's/McDonald's. It was nice hanging out with him.

Friday: CONVOCATION 2006!!! Me = Grad! (can you believe I still talk like this at my age?) Anyways, 7am I was up getting ready. Lilly came to get me around 8:15 and we went on campus and got our gowns. Then we went to the Memorial Arena and got ready for the ceremony. It started a bit after 10 o'clock and we were done by 11:30! It was amazing! Nice and sweet. Bob Rae is Laurier's chancellor, so he gave a short speech. Afterwards I got pics with friends and family. Todd came and bought me red roses; it was a really sweet act that I truly appreciated. My family and I headed back to campus for the reception. I saw some profs, got some more pics and of course, picked up my diploma. It was beautiful. For once I looked at the Schelgel Building (business building) with new eyes and saw how beautiful it was... even felt a little pride! lol. My fam went to Benny's for lunch and then we went back to my brother's place. Everyone went to bed so Todd and I went to see X3. It was a good movie! I went home and had dinner with the fam and played Starwars Monopoly until I passed out from exhaustion, next to the board.

Saturday: Went home and had a PIG ROAST at Walid's. This pig was gigantic and it was really cool to do something different. There was a Keg too and of course, I was gone after 2 cups... (30 minutes). I had water the rest of the night. Matt and his cousin Suzanna were hilarious! Both were so drunk; and both fell (I have pics to prove it). I went to Tim's after with Lauren, Danielle, Ryan and Kelly after to sober up before heading home.

Sunday: RAGING SHOPPAHOLIC MAKES A COMEBACK... yes, Julia went shopping at Markville Mall and bought everything... that was black.

Monday: HELL DAY at work. Some crap went down and I got blamed (50% not my fault), but whatever, what's done is done. I was angry for the whole day, but I went home and worked out so it made me feel better. I went to bed exhausted from working out, which was just the way I liked it cuz that meant that I would go to bed STRAIGHT away and think no more! :)

Tuesday: Things got better. In fact, I'm at work right now blogging to you all. I've been running around trying to drop off things for different directors for their meetings tomorrow. My colleagues actually treated my manager and I for lunch at Milestone's. It was my manager's birthday yesterday and they were congratulating me on my convocation. It was funny because one of them heard that I was graduating and was like, "What? From high school???!" lol. WOW.

Anyways,... all in all, a crazy 5 days. I've come to realize that once you tread down a path, there is no turning back. You start believing in what it is that you are doing and all the doubts that you faced in the past dissipate. People change faster than you think; all you can do is be true to yourself and do what you think is right for you.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

My finale...

Convocation is on Friday...

Yes, I will finally be done with Laurier. I didn't think this ceremony was a big deal but the more I think about it the more anxious I get. This is pretty much my finale to very many years of education.

I bow gracefully and I thank all my friends, family and acquaintances that have helped me along my journey thus far. Each soul that has touched my heart helped me become the person I am today, and I sincerely thank you. You made me believe when I did not; you kept me company when I was lonely; you made me laugh and love even when I thought I could not. You have brought me so much happiness. All of you have thus made life so much more worthy of living.

I hope we continue on as close and caring. Best wishes to us all as we tread forward with our newfound passions and destinies. Here's to us!!!

Friday, June 02, 2006

Ignorance is blissful

Ryan, Dani and I went downtown tonight to the Inside to celebrate Sabrina's birthday. All in all, it was time well spent with good company. The DJ's were good... and so were some other things...

I've never done anything like that before, but it's weird. I've let other opportunities pass by and the one that I don't just doesn't work out the way I thought it might... tho I don't know quite what I was expecting?

More fun in the next couple of days... pool party @ Danielle's, shopping w/ Link and a grad party @ Jeremy's!!! :)