The beginning of time off -Days 1!

I'd been planning for quite a while now to take time off once I completed my degree... well that time has finally arrived!

I present you with Day 1 of this side adventure!

Day 1 began quite slowly due to the end of tax season festivities the night before, as I'd anticipated. However, after some time at home, working in the garden, and enjoying the sunshine on my lawn, I ventured out with a friend.

First stop outside of home base: McDonald's... to help with post party hat pickling of my liver.

This was followed by an adventure to a liqudation warehouse place on Lougheed Hwy near Willingdon Ave. I procured a few wonderous items, including some terrible Engrish stationary, a Dish jean skirt for $5 (!) and slipper boots which I pledge to wear only 1) around the house or 2) while camping... and most definitely NOT outside when it's raining in Vancouver...

Subsequently there was a trip to the library where I picked up a couple books...

 The one by Dr. Wayne Dyer has been excellent reading material discussing the Tao and application to daily life. I had downloaded the audio book courtesy of the Vancouver Public Library's electronic resources, but haven't made it all the way through listening yet. The other book, World War II for Dummies, will be nice and easy to read through.


I also have a copy of the Canadian Firearms Safety Course student handbook from a friend, to study. I am thinking I'd still like to have my firearms license. I'll come back to this later probably...

Then after the library was the beach! It was super windy out!

 Later in the evening, I linked up with Dave Macdonald and our friend Rob in celebration of Dave's birthday. Since I wasn't drinking (surprise, surprise), I drove us down to Hapa Izakaya in Kits for some birthday day brulee!

The evening was splendid and good conversation especially at the end of the night! I even managed to pick up my bowl, necklace, and gift certificate which were prizes I'd won at the silent auction at the Global Agents for Change Gala a few weeks back. Dave had been graciously guarding them for me as our schedules routinely looked like two ships passing in the night.

I'd say that this adventure is off to a good start!

So.. Tax season is done!

YIPEE!

So on with the other updates! I had my birthday recently -- it started with cheese and then followed by brunch at Bandidas Taqueria

Some time at the beach spinning poi, as well as going out for coffee and a few tasty treats before dinner

 

Dinner itself was very tasty -- fresh crab steamed up with some butter (thanks to my camp stove) and consumed picnic style overlooking the ocean. The rest of the evening was very relaxed and full of cheese, cream puffs, and a Planet Earth episode of fish!

Tax season, volunteering, and general mobility

So onward with the random updates and pictures!


I volunteered this afternoon in the Downtown Eastside today with the Canada Revenue Agency's Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (aka CVITP). I had contacted the Harbour Light Centre to offer my time, representing as an accounting student with the Langara Accounting Club (which I'd been quite involved with in 2009-2010). Today was pretty quiet, but productive and I think I helped several  people get caught up with their tax returns. This is important because not only does it mean that these people usually will get a refund, but also they'll get other monetary benefits like the GST/HST credit for filing their returns - people that could definitely use the cash. This was a nice change from my regular tax season crazy, though it was tax related. However, I'll be back with my nose against the grindstone tomorrow.

The variety of things that I've learned over tax season never cease to surprise me. To first reflect though, here are some of the general things I learned last tax season which helped me out greatly:

1. Find clothes that you don't need to iron (in my case, a black dress)
2. buy 2-3 outfits worth of the above mentioned clothing (I bought 2 of them and wear them in rotation/pending dry cleaning)
3. Keep some kind of breakfast stock in the fridge at work (thanks to a friend, I have been regularly supplied with bagels and all I need to do is make sure I have cream cheese)
4. Don't worry about hitting up the coffee shop every day (it's worth it)
5. If you get going on a file and have some good motivation rolling, go with it until you run out of steam
6. Don't pick a restaurant to order dinner from that no one else likes (I didn't do this, but I heard enough to make me think twice!)

 

I've also had the recent privilege of  helping a friend who's become suddenly quite limited in mobility. Due to a bit of a mishap, he's found himself the new operator of a pair of crutches! I did some cooking yesterday for a group of mutual friends and help with running an errand today. After my volunteering, I went back over to aid with a cheeseburger run (on nom!)  and a stop at the park (as documented above). 

The rest of the evening was pretty low key, and I stopped by to see my friend Dan the Man for a half hour at The Bunker near the end of my day. It was nice to slow down the world a little and talk to a friend who knows me well enough that I can just really be myself around. I'm excited for his countdown until his very cool girlfriend returns from teaching overseas. I'm not sure if I'll be in Canada when she does, but I'm sure I'll see her shortly after I return! 

I also found the sweater I started knitting back in 2007 (? I think?). My goodness. How long should sleeves take to finish anyhow?! I put a few rows in on the weekend. I think this'll start travelling with  me wherever I go.  Ahhh. How I missed knitting. 

The light at the end of the tunnel

I spent much of the last few years looking towards reaching the peaks of mountains I was climbing... stepping one foot in front of the other at a steady pace, occasionally trucking along with a large pack of what felt at times like rocks. Last week, I reached a huge point in my travels:

I completed my graduation project for my degree. Now, I'm just waiting for my grade.

I set out on this path in 2007, just after the time I started this blog.  Looking over the posts, I realize how much I miss writing here and how busy I've been the past two years. I've accomplished a lot and I'm excited to put my thoughts down about all the things I've learned... though this will take a while. There have been challenging times, but really not bad.. just great oppotunities to prove my mettle.Having come through the program.. I have to say I am so glad to have done this.

I also realize, having this project done and waking up the next day.. well... I knew nothing would really change. I think a lot of anticipation can be built up around the expectations involving using the end of something as some kind of carrot/stick to help a person get through challenging times.. however, I did feel a HUGE amount lighter in my mind.

There is so much more to say, but not tonight!  Soon enough however..

Hope you are all well.

Which are you?

Which are you?

There are two kinds of people on earth to-day;

Just two kinds of people, no more, I say. 




Not the sinner and saint, for it's well understood,

The good are half bad, and the bad are half good. 




Not the rich and the poor, for to rate a man's wealth,

You must first know the state of his conscience and health. 




Not the humble and proud, for in life's little span,

Who puts on vain airs, is not counted a man. 




Not the happy and sad, for the swift flying years

Bring each man his laughter and each man his tears. 




No; the two kinds of people on earth I mean,

Are the people who lift, and the people who lean. 




Wherever you go, you will find the earth's masses,

Are always divided in just these two classes. 




And oddly enough, you will find too, I ween,

There's only one lifter to twenty who lean. 




In which class are you? Are you easing the load,

Of overtaxed lifters, who toil down the road? 




Or are you a leaner, who lets others share

Your portion of labor, and worry and care? 

 

-Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Lead, follow, or get the heck out of my way

So as the Fall arrives, I'm definitely feeling the decline in the warm summer weather. I'm both a little sad to see the summer go and excited for the autumn. With things cooling off, I'm looking forward to having quieter campgrounds, less bugs, more campfires (huzzah for no bans!) and an array of indoor activities.

Not too long ago I got myself signed up for a yoga pass at Open Door Yoga which seemed like a pretty good deal. It's also really convenient since there's one in my neighbourhood, one on the way to school, and one in a friend's neighbourhood also. Yoga will be a really nice way to keep me flexible and the blood flowing as I ramp up with the school season and Work.

As well, I've signed back up for level 2 of the west coast swing dancing class at the Urban Beat Dance Co. where I absolutely love taking classes. I was a bit nervous to get back into it, but after the first class I think it's all coming back to me. I just have to remember to stop trying to lead.

My favourite thoughts about being a leader involve this 3 minute TED talk by Derek Sivers entitled "how to start a movement" -- it sums it up quite nicely, that a leader is just a "lone nut" until the first follower.

In the last few weeks, I've also noticed a shift to more comfort foods and I've also started cooking again, now that I've settled in my kitchen once more. It's quite nice to be able to have invested enough into my kitchen to be able to cook just about anything by only picking up a few items from the store... and certainly inspiring me to cook again.

I have to admit that while I'm not a burger and french fries sort of girl, I believe I've actually eaten more cheeseburgers (!) and poutine in the past 2 or so months, that I have in the past 8 years combined.

(Poutine -- as shared with my friend Dan at St. Augustine's)

 I'm not sure what happened...  I mean, the poutine is easy to explain -- the cheese curds + me = love. I realize while I avoid places like McDonalds, Burger King, A&W (etc)  and I never, ever order burgers from restaurants, that I'm a McDonald's cheeseburger kind of person. Just one cheeseburger, no more and no less seems to sate the appetite for something greasy, quick and comforting just as much as a box of Kraft Dinner. 

Three things a man should and should not be content with

For all the wishful thinking of wanting to travel, to see and do more things, I'm again reminded today to ground myself by stopping and resting my mind. I've had a hard time sitting still as my drive to take advantage of my free time has been overwhelmingly pushy. The "I'm supposed to" is sneaking its way in there a little, and so I decided to pull it in check a bit by going to a spot I feel quite at peace at. Straight from Work, I went to The Quiet Beach with my book (Not So Big Life), my knitting (secret project!), and a blanket.
Proof:

I sat down and began thinking, along side the readings of this book, about an excerpt I had read by James Allen:

"There are three things with which a man should be content:

1. With whatever happens
2. With his friendship and possessions
3. With his pure thoughts.
4. Contented with whatever happens, he will escape grief; with his friends and possessions he will avoid anxiety and wretchedness; and with his pure thoughts, he will never go back to suffer and grovel in impurities.

There are three things with which a man should not be content:

1. With his opinions
2. With his character
3. With his spiritual condition.

Not content with his opinions, he will continually increase in intelligence; not content with his character, he will ceaselessly grow in strength and virtue; and not content with his spiritual condition, he will everyday enter into a larger wisdom and fuller blessedness. In a word, a man should be contented, but not indifferent to his development as a responsible and spiritual being."

 I really liked the final sentance in that quote --thoughts of being happy with what you have, but never complacent with respects to who you are. I love both those ideas.

I broke from my reading and pondering to take some photos of the world around me at that moment. Consciously forcing myself to spend time in the present instead of planning for the future (and all the "should's, have to's, ought to's" that follow that list). 

Looking at my camera's pictures (oh hail the ever instant digital camera) I realized that these shoes which I randomly picked up at a second hand store (when shopping for my Zombie Walk dress) were quite bright.

They instantly reminded me of Dorthy's ruby red slippers from the Wizard of Oz. Oddly, thinking about that movie made me ponder why I think about going elsewhere when there is so much right here. I know I seem to long for adventure, yet when I travel, I always love returning to the British Columbia coast. There has not been a single time where I have come home from my travels and thought elsewhere to be more beautiful.

The groups of people at the beach disbursed as it got cooler, leaving me to my thoughts and enjoyment of the tranquillity surrounding me. I stopped everything to watch this gorgeous, serene sunset and did my best to clear my mind, to be living in the present.

The only thought seemed to stick was "there's no place like home."

Tests, zucchinis, zombies

It's late night and I'm sleepy, but wanted to share some highlights over the past week. I missed taking pictures at a lovely party on the weekend at my friend T's place, but I assure you that was a wonderful tasty time also!

Europe was worth it

I wrote an exam this past week for an accounting class. Here's the apres test beverages with a few of my number crunching friends, Matt and Adam. Matt technically isn't in accounting anymore, but I still think of him as a fellow number nerd at heart.

 

I found out that while I passed the class, I still need a better mark to meet both my school requirements and my personal wishes for the material in the course. The only thing that kinda is hurting about this is my sore ego --though nary a dent in my awesome GPA, I know I can do better! I suppose this is what missing 2-3 weeks of classes by going to Croatia in mid semester does. Mind, I did kick butt in the two accelerated/compressed (1/2 semester) courses I was doing at the same time. 6 in one hand, half dozen in the other... I'm really glad I have the opportunity to take it with the same instructor again. I really enjoyed her class the first time around. Here's to kicking some fanny on the second round.

 Green thumbs

I'd like to share with you some of my dear friend Neil's pride and joy of the garden. Behold! Zucchinis! Grown from seed!

Thank you Neil for bestowing upon me some tasty veggie goodness.

Zombie Walk 2010

BRAAAAIIINS