♪Oh let the sun beat down upon my face, stars to fill my dream...

...I am a traveler of both time and space, to be where I have been♪

G'day all from Calgary!!

I've survived the first few days here (obviously :P) It's been super-nice weather - sunny & warm everyday. Well, until today, when it looks dreary & miserable. But I guess the weather can't be perfect all the time - especially since it *is* Calgary, home of wacko weather! ;)

Job hunting has started a bit - not as much as I'd like, but there's more to be done today, tomorrow, and every day till I find a job!

I encountered my first crazy person on the train the other day! Since it is a large city (around a million people I think?) there are going to be wackos! The first one I encountered was on the train on Saturday morning, on my way home from TJ's place. It was 9am, and I think this guy was still drunk. He was older (maybe 50-60?) and loud. There was this other woman right behind him, that he started talking to - calling her his "wife" and "Sweetpea", etc. He said to her at one point "you know, before I became an alcoholic, I was one of the best gynecologists around!" *shudders* She got off - I don't know if it was actually her stop, or she just wanted to get away from him. But he called after her as she was getting off - I was worried that he'd follow her. Then he moved & was standing towards the back of the car, and I heard him talking to (or about?) someone that "Elvis Presley, the King of Rock & Roll, was on the train!" Weird. But I guess that's what makes it interesting - and as long as he leaves me alone (and doesn't harm anyone else) that's what I enjoy about people.

So, since last time I posted, I've explored the city a lot! Lots of walking - on Saturday, I went for a 4 1/2 hour walk around the city - wandered down by the river, found the Pumphouse Theatre & Pumphouse Ave & Pumphouse St that I was informed about by Lou (& took pics!) Also wandered downtown & figured how to get around the city - pretty easy, seeing as it's divided into quadrants, and all the streets are numbered. Makes it easy! I'm excited about the city - seems to be a lot to do around here. I picked up a number of pamphlets of things going on around here, so I look forward to doing some of them!

I was dead tired after that walk - I told Vinay that I would call him to see if he wanted to do something that evening, but he was going to a movie, and I didn't feel like sitting through one (I figured I'd fall asleep!) So I just chilled that night - napped, chatted online, slept pretty early.

Since Vinay & I didn't get together that day, we decided to meet for brunch on Sunday. He met me at the train station near my place, and we walked towards the University of Calgary. We didn't explore the uni much, although that's definitely something I'm going to have to do more of. It was good getting to know Vinay though, and seeing more of the city - it was another day of a lot of walking (though not quite as much :P) The rest of the day, I chilled though.

Yesterday, I left late for the job hunt, and didn't do as much as I'd like. Although I know of places to go, so hopefully today will be more.

Interesting thing about yesterday - as many of you know, I don't tend to dress up much, if I don't have to. But since I was going to talk to companies, I was walking around the city in a skirt & nice top, and I actually enjoyed it. I guess I'm growing up a bit with regards to looks, and I am tempted to go out and buy a few more pretty things (although I can't until I have a job! :P) Part of me almost wants a job that is a bit more formal in dress - nothing that I have to buy a whole new wardrobe, but one that I can wear nicer clothing more often. I felt pretty yesterday in my skirt :P It was kind of fun! I'd also considered getting a new haircut sometime, so maybe I'll do that this week too sometime :)

Amanda L & I had an interesting conversation last night - she said that she thought me coming out to Calgary would be a good experience. Since I've never lived very far from my parents (the farthest being about a 3.5 hour drive) it would be good for me to have this complete independence, and mature as an individual a bit. It likely will be - I don't have my parents for when I need anything, but I do have friends here for support if I need it. There are a few things on my mind though - some people & experiences, that are on my mind though. She told me not to let them hold me back - I should get out there, and meet new people, and learn. I will definitely try my best - it'll be an interesting 4 months. I'm nervous about it still, but it could be good :)

Well, time for me to go shower & get ready for the day. Job hunting awaits me. Then Amanda G comes in today, since she's also here for 4 months. So I'll be meeting up with her tonight. So for now, g'bye folks, and take care!

I made it!

Greetings from Calgary!!

Yes, I made it here safely. Flight was good - no issues with the security at all. I was nervous b/c I'd never flown alone before, but there was no problem whatsoever! I wasn't worried about the actual flight...moreso with check-in & baggage. Unfortunately, no one to talk to on the plane :S I read, I listened to music, I dozed a bit, and I thought. A lot. I almost cried when we were taking off, just b/c it was the realization of leaving home for 4 months.

Weather's not too bad here - sunny, and about 20^oC. Not warm, but not too bad. I left Ontario in its dreary state yesterday, so I was happy to see the sun here!

My landlord picked me up at the airport yesterday, which was super-nice of him! He had to run a few errands afterwards, then he also took me to the grocery store. The house is pretty nice - good location, about 2 blocks from the C-train, as well as a mall, and a grocery store. I live with my landlord, who seems pretty laid-back & a nice guy, and this other guy who moves out on Tuesday or Wednesday (and isn't here this weekend :P) Next week, a new roommate moves in!

Last night, I met up with TJ who's also in Calgary, and got here last weekend. We went for a few beers & some wings. Then we ended up going back to his place to hang out. I ended up crashing there last night, since he's about a 20-25 minute walk to the train, and the bus by his house stops running at like 9:30pm. So I didn't feel like walking to the train, so crashed there. I fell asleep early - I was still on Ontario time, and haven't really slept well in the past week & a half, and yesterday was a long day of travel. But I still didn't sleep overly well last night. Oh well.

It's only 12noon here, even though my computer clock says 2pm :P Haven't changed time yet! I think I'm going to go grab some food, and go wander around Calgary to figure it out. I'm supposed to meet up with Vinay later, since he's also in town, and possibly TJ will join us. Amanda comes in on Tuesday too! :D

♪My bags are packed, I'm ready to go♪

This'll be my last post from Ontario for awhile. My plane leaves for Calgary in less than 10.5 hours. I'm packed (minus the few things I need in the morning) - amazingly got pretty well everything I wanted to take in my suitcases. Now it's just try to sleep tonight, and go tomorrow.

I'm excited. I'm nervous. I've never flown by myself before. I've never lived this far from my parents before. Nor have I not seen them for this long of a period. As well, I still obviously lack a job. I know it'll be fine, but it's still just the little bit of worry beforehand.

Take care all, and I'll be back when I get to the other side of the country! :)

♥

♪Cuz I'm leaving...on a jetplane♪

♪Hello...I've waited here for you!♪

I returned home about 30 minutes ago from the Foo Fighters Acoustic concert.

WOW. That was one of the BEST concerts I have ever seen. And I've seen quite a number of concerts, including the Foo Fighters the first time 3 years ago. But that was INCREDIBLE!

I don't know if it's b/c I do have preference for acoustic music, but they started playing, and I nearly cried from the beauty of the music. They played all of the acoustic side of the new album, plus some acoustic versions of older stuff, including My Hero, Floaty, Big Me, Times Like These, a few others, and ending in my favourite Foo song: Everlong. In fact, I've said it before, I think the acoustic version of Everlong has got to be one of my all-time favourite songs. I just love it!
As well, right before that last song, Dave was like "I'm sorry, but I need to rock out to one song!" and played Best of You, rock-style.

He was also entertaining as hell - talking to the audience, explaining some of the songs, having fun with the other members of the band. I should mention - the band doubled in size for this tour, adding a keyboardist/accordianist, a violinist, a percussionist, another guitarist I think. It was cool - the violin & accordian especially added some pretty nifty sounds to some songs! The percussionist, I think his name was Drew, he was introduced, and Dave said something about "there's no cowbell" but then Drew did have one, and did a little solo & dance with the cowbell!

Before the show, Jess & I went to a restaurant that I've been told about many times, but have never been: Spring Rolls. A delicious Thai restaurant, where we split spring rolls, then I had Pad Thai. SO GOOD! :D

The driving wasn't too bad, seeing as I was nervous. It was my first time driving that much on the highway since I crashed the car in April. I was nervous on the way there for the first 10-15km on the 401, then was pretty relaxed. On the way home, I was a little more scared, seeing as it had rained some, and the road was wet (and it was dark, which I just hate driving in!) But since I crashed due to wet roads, I was freaked out for awhile, but eventually I hit areas that weren't hit with rain, and was alright. Still freaked out passing trucks, but luckily, there weren't many people around me at all, so overall, it was ok, especially after I left Toronto. While it was scary at times, I'm glad I drove it - I needed to get back into it sometime!

All-in-all, was an awesome night! :D

♪The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music♪

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE music. Whenever I'm doing something, unless it takes a lot of concentration, I'll have music playing. I always have at least one song in my head (although usually it's 2-3 songs...and never a normal combo - one time, Geoff & I were playing squash, and I had the Magical Trevor theme song, "My Guy" by Mary Wells I think (I think it was in Sister Act?) and "Don't Ya" by the Pussycat Dolls all in my head at the same time!) I've also been to A LOT of concerts - although not as many anymore, due to lack of time & money. I still also buy CDs, and don't just download everything (although I do download still anyway!)

As well, if you look at my music collection on my laptop (b/c yes, there is more selection there, due to downloading!) I have some of practically everything! From 80s rock, to country, to swing, to rock, to rap, to oldies, to some heavy metal, to jazz. From Abba to Bowie to Black Eyed Peas to Green Day to Kelly Clarkson to Collective Soul to Maroon 5 to the Backstreet Boys, and just about anything else. Yes, I have my favourites (classic rock particularly!) but I will listen to just about anything.

Last night, my friend Greg & I went to see my friend Jenn's band play. They play a free concert in the park every Sunday night - it's a symphony orchestra type band. We observed that about 3/4 of the band was over the age of 45, and Greg & I were two of the very few in our age group in the audience - the majority of the rest was over 50, with a few kids under 12. We discussed how this type of music seems to be becoming a lost art, which is sad. It's such pure beautiful music, without lyrics. While it's not my first choice, it is truly lovely music. Some of the original music, of which, everything else comes from! And it'd be sad if this music died out.

♪So I say thank you for the music...the song I'm singing...thanks for all the joy they're bringing♪

I just got back from going to the movies with Des - we ended up seeing World Trade Center. Wow. It was a powerful movie - much like United 93 was. Obviously, both covered 9/11, but different aspects - United 93 was about the plane that went down in the field in Pennsylvania, and World Trade Center was about the policemen who were trapped.

The movie started out with people getting up to work that morning. It was just a normal Tuesday morning. Nobody could imagine what would actually happen that day. It's weird - so much, like the attack on America that day, could happen in just a day. Any day. It could happen tomorrow...hell, it could happen 5 minutes from now. It's scary, and yet something you can't think about. But still, it makes you think.

One of the characters in the movie did not know where her son was - she also said that the last time she saw him, she yelled at him for something...now she just wanted to hold him. It also made me think - I don't always get along with my parents, or siblings, or friends, etc, but I know I was feel SO guilty if we left each other on a bad note, then something happened to them.

Similarly, there were so many other characters that didn't know where their family members were that day - whether they be part of the police or fire department, or workers in the buildings. I could not imagine what they went through, sitting, wondering, waiting to find out if their loved ones were alive or not. That has got to be one of the worst things imaginable!

Anyway, that was just a few small thoughts about the movie - it was really good though. And I'm sure I'd have more to say, but instead, it's time to sleep! G'nite all!

♪People are strange when you're a stranger♪

Wow! My weekend turned out better than I thought it'd be :D Going into it, I had no exact plans, but I had so much fun this weekend.

Friday night, Jess & I had some Pho for dinner, then hit up the Blues, Brews & BBQs festival that's happened in downtown Kitchener. The music was sort of in the background for the most part, while we chatted/caught up, as well as people-watched. But it was a gorgeous night out, so good times.

Saturday, during the day, I went for a bike ride for awhile, and ended up in DT Kitchener again. I wandered around the market, and around some of the stores, and ate a sausage on a bun from a street vendor (with fried onions!) and watched some more of the Blues. I also biked through Victoria Park in Kitchener, as well as Waterloo Park, where I sat for awhile under a tree & read my book. I saw two weddings, and heard bagpipes galore in the park - however, I never did find (or search really carefully for) the source of them! That night, as previously mentioned, I went for coffee with Jocelyn & Sharlah. That was awesome, as I haven't seen either of those girls in a long time - I had a great time catching up with them. I missed them a lot!

Sunday (yesterday), a few of us (Jesse, Jessica, Matt, Margaret, David & myself) went to Grand Bend to the beach. I know Jesse through dance - he taught the ballroom club this term, but I met him through swing in the fall term. I'd also met Jessica this term through dance, and we became friends. I'd met Matt & David once or twice before, but had never met Margaret (Matt's gf) before yesterday. Through beach volleyball, frisbee, swimming, lying in the sun, gorgeous weather and good people, it was definitely an awesome day!! When we got back to Waterloo (around 9pm), Jesse & I ended up staying at Jessica's for dinner, then I ended up hanging out at Jesse's for a little while.

Honestly though, one thing I was able to do A LOT of this weekend was people-watching. People are so fascinating. Old, young, various races, genders, hairstyles, clothing, sizes, shapes. The way they interact with each other. The way they act in general. It's amazing to watch, to wonder why somebody has their hair the way they do, or why they decided to wear that shirt or those pants today. Or how they met the person they're with. The way they act can be the most interesting.

Most of you who know me know I definitely enjoy people - I very rarely actually like to be alone, b/c it's boring. I like to talk, I like to learn about others.

I've doubted myself in engineering before, and while I don't mind the program, I think if I were to change, I would definitely go into something more people-related. Something also that I could travel & see different cultures. That would just be awesome (and now, I'll likely settle for travelling on a regular basis! :P) I've heard the culture in Calgary is a bit different than here, so I look forward to moving there to see what it's like :)

♪Back in black♪

HELLO CYBERSPACE!!

Miss me? I didn't think so, since most of you (other than Mau I think, but I'm so out of the loop with who reads this anymore!) who read this probably saw me multiple times during the past term. Yes folks, the school term is over, and thus, maybe I will return to the Blogspot world for the next 4 months again.

The term went well. I do enjoy classes in the summer - nice weather, breaks for various outdoor activities, etc. Yes, it is hard to sit down and work at times, but the profs are a little more laid-back, and the nice weather gives me more energy. I'd heard it was supposed to be a crazy busy term, but it really wasn't bad at all. But then again, marks come out tomorrow, so we shall see. However, it's the first term in awhile that I'm not worried at all - not about my overall average, nor about any individual courses :)

Of course, there was much more going on this term than just assignments & studying. The highlights started off early, with a random road trip on the May 2-4 weekend. 7 of us (Pete, Laurier, Amanda, Lou, Henry, Calvin & myself) packed our stuff into a van, left at 3pm on Friday afternoon, and 18 hours later, at 9am Saturday, arrived at our destination: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina! We had a fabulous 2 days there - when it was about 4oC in Waterloo, it was 30oC there! Lovely! Then we left at 1pm on Monday afternoon, and got back at 7am Tuesday morning. Fortunately, I didn't have class on Tuesdays till 6:30pm, but some of my poor friends were in class at 8:30am. Are we crazy for going that far for just a short amount of time? Maybe. But it was well worth it!

Concerts for the term: only two. Beginning of May, Kat & I went to see Great Big Sea in Kitchener - wonderful show/band as usual! Then at the end of June, a bunch of us went to see Pilate on campus. Also a very good show. I may go see the Acoustic Foo Fighters show in a week & a half - I have tickets, but don't know if I'm going yet, due to other circumstances.

June didn't have anything overly special to talk about. It was fun - a few parties, a few nights going out, but honestly, nothing spectacular to mention here.

The end of June & beginning of July brought another highlight - meeting my nephew for the first time, and seeing Jenn & Mike for the first time in almost a year. Oh my goodness, Henry is such a happy, beautiful little boy :D You couldn't *not* love him. We had close to 35-40 people over on the Saturday for a barbecue & to meet the little guy, and he barely fussed at all! So sweet :D

The following weekend was another highlight - my dear friend Bekah's wedding to Joe. It was a lovely outdoor wedding - Bekah was beautiful, and the ceremony was lovely. It was a fun night of lots of food, and a bit of drink (as I drove :P) and dancing! Also, saw some high school friends that I haven't seen in a long time, so that was also fabulous!

The rest of July: busy with school, engineering semi-formal, classes end, a few more social things. August brought exams till this past Tuesday, and now I am done! Only one more school term to go - 4B in January, then graduation! Hard to believe it's been 4 years already!

So, what does the fall term bring me for co-op? Interesting that you should ask. I'm flying out in 13 days to Calgary, Alberta. I have a plane ticket & a place to live, but I still don't have a job. I do have some connections out there that have my resume through other people, and I do have some other companies to email still. They are very much needing workers out there for EVERYTHING so I am hoping to get a job once I get out there. If worse comes to worse, I'll work at Tim Horton's or McDonalds making $15-18/hour!

Well, that's about it for me tonight. Hopefully nobody's given up on me, and will actually read this :P I'm off to meet my dear friends Sharlah & Jocelyn for coffee & chat tonight, which will be awesome since I haven't seen them much at all since high school (last time seeing Sharlah would have been at her wedding last year, and last time seeing Jocelyn was at Bekah's wedding, but before that, it was Sharlah's wedding!) Have a good night all!