My ARCT Journey

I don't think I've ever blogged about my journey to ARCT. Here goes:

What is ARCT? It stands for Associate of the Royal Conservatory diploma in performance and teaching in music, the highest academic standing awarded by the Royal Conservatory of Toronto. I had no idea what that was when I was 6 years old. I briefly remembered that when I was a little girl, I saw someone at church play an amazing repertoire and I wanted to be like her when I grew up. She was playing it fast, and I was amazed at how fast her fingers were moving across the piano.

I don't remember much when I was little (I have selective memory), but I was told my first quest to learn piano was around 6. Mom was excited that I wanted to learn something new and was willing to put me through lessons, but dad was not so eager. The family did not have any musical background, except for my brother who was learning organ years back, and he ended up quitting. Although he was good at it, I guess he didn't have the passion to continue. Dad didn't want to see another one of his kids quit so perhaps that's why he held back in letting me learn, because this meant having to buy a piano. Instead, I was told to learn the organ. But I didn't want to learn the organ. I wanted to learn the piano.

Fast forward 2 years later. I was 8 when finally, the decision to have me learn piano was granted. A beautiful Kawai gloss black upright piano was bought for me to learn. I finally began my journey as a pianist. In the beginning, it was somewhat easy but confusing at times. It was a combination of learning the keys, and trying to learn the basics of piano theory. Little did I know piano theory would be a pre-requisite to advancing to ARCT.

The requirements for piano (or what they call practical exams) vary from time to time because they keep changing the repertoires every few years, so my memory and experience with my repertoires are probably ancient compared to 2016. Just like school textbooks, I don't think there's a huge change in previous repertoires. Songs mostly remain the same, except maybe they add a few more in, or took out unpopular ones. Who knows what they decide.

I don't remember when I took my very first practical exam. All I knew that it was for Grade 3 Practical and I ended up with First Class Honours. I was proud of myself for doing that, but scared to death during the exam. In the beginning grades, there is one examiner. You play 3 songs or so from memory, and do skill tests as well (scales, playback, clapback rhythm). The passing grade is 60 (I believe it still is).

The next exam I took was Grade 6. Same thing except now they increased the amount of songs you have to play and memorize. You lose points if you have to go back to look at your songs. You lose points for playing wrong notes when it comes to songs, scales, playback, clapback etc. This takes practice. I mean a lot of practice. As you advance further up into the grades, the amount of time and practice increases. Before I'd practice 30 minutes a day. Now it was looking at about 2 hours (and mind you, this is during school time too so it would need to be divided into school home work and piano home work/practice).

Now, this is where the hard part begins, because this is when they really started introducing piano theory. Before I thought theory was optional; I didn't have to do it. But now, it was a requirement if I wanted to take it further with my studies.

I finished Grade 6 and skipped Grade 7. This was the turning point. I switched teachers. This was also the time I was finishing grade school and in the eyes of my parents, it was unacceptable that I was just entering Grade 8 piano. They got word that a spot had opened up at another piano teacher's place. A family friend had just finished Grade 10 piano, but was unable to continue her music studies due to university. She had to quit, so this left an open spot. My mother signed me up right away.

I was really sad to leave piano teacher #1 because she was so nice to me, gave me candy and stickers when I did well, in order to encourage me. Every week I'd look forward to receiving stickers. So I was pretty heartbroken that I would not be looking forward to that from this point on.

My first lesson with teacher #2 was alright. It was like doing an audition, and examiners may give you another chance. That type of feeling. Lesson #2 followed and that's where my hell of a journey for the next 4 years began.

The first words out of my teacher's mouth? "You didn't practice this week." My reply? I had a school trip to Ottawa for my graduation so I wasn't home for 3 days. His reply? "Well you still have 4 other days to practice."

I was shocked. My mom was not. Because she knew he was a strict teacher. She knew I needed this kick.

The days of stickers and candies were gone. I was in my pre-teens, entering the terrible teenage years. The rebellious years. I wanted to fight back but couldn't because well, I wasn't paying for these lessons. I had no job. I had no career. I was just beginning high school. I didn't want to become a bum for the rest of my life.

My piano teacher also became my theory teacher. He was a manager by day, and a piano/theory/violin teacher by night. It was incredible. And scary.

This was also the start of my theory journey. I hated theory. I didn't understand why I had to learn all these weird rules about writing composition. It's not like I'll become a songwriter for famous singers so I hated it with a passion. I knew I was definitely not the next Beethoven, so why should I learn about composition? The problem was, I had to learn it in order to do practical exams. As a kid, I didn't know about it until I was already in it. I thought it was just piano exams. I didn't know I had to write theory exams too!

By this time I had already finished my second theory exam with teacher #1 (or what they call Rudiments 2). My teacher asked how much I got. I think it was 82% and I thought I was proud of it as a 13 year old. His response? "That's it? My students got 100%." Yup, way to ruin a 13 year old's confidence in music. But it also showed something too: he is hardcore and serious about these exams and wants the best for his students.

At the start of lessons, the teacher had asked my parents what the goal was for me: to play for fun, or to get something out of it. My parents wanted me to get something out of it, the diploma. And so he laid out a plan for me for the next 4 years. When I should be taking theory exams, when I should take the practical exams. It was my life for the next 4 years. He makes a very good point as well. If you want to succeed in getting your ARCT in music, you must do it before university, because otherwise you will have very little to no chance due to being busy in school.

When I look back now, I've known people who got it before university, and one person who got it after university. There was no in between. University courses already take a toll on time, so it will be impossible to put aside 3 hours daily to practice piano and theory.

By 14 years old, I knew what I wanted: to graduate with an ARCT.

In the time frame of 8 months, I had completed both my Grade 8 and Grade 9 practical exams, both with first class honour standings, as well as two theory exams. It was the fastest I've ever completed a set of exams. The outline of equivalency is on the RCM website but just to summarize, each practical exam comes with a number of theory exams if you want your certificate for that particular grade.

For example:

Grade 8 certificate = grade 8 practical exam + rudiments 2 theory.
Grade 9 certificate = grade 9 practical exam + history 3 theory + harmony 3 theory.
Grade 10 certificate = grade 10 practical exam + history 4 theory + harmony 4 theory + counterpoint +  analysis 5 theory (or equivalent to that degree back in the day).

Not only do you get certificates for piano, but you also get certificates specific to theory. So Grade 5 Theory would have the equivalent of grade 5 harmony, grade 5 history, grade 5 analysis, all of which are separate exams that you have to write during the course of the year.

Examinations come 3 times a year: Spring, Summer and Winter. During my years in high school, I was writing exams at least 3 times a year, with one practical in between. This is on top of the midterms and final exams in high school.

One great thing about piano exams is that you can use that towards your high school credit, so I did that for sure to balance out my time line, as well as take extra courses. But it is a lot of work and it will take up most of your time.

Grade 10 piano takes about a year and a half to complete on average, and all the theories have to be completed within 5 years of doing the grade 10 piano examination, otherwise you will have to redo grade 10 again. This is a requirement in order to advance further to ARCT. Grade 10 is probably the hardest level to complete because of all the songs you have to memorize, as well as the skill set involved. The overall average to pass grade 10 is 75% or a 70% in each of the skill set (i.e scales, playback) in order to advance to ARCT. If you fail at scales or one of the subsections, you have to retake it and pass it in order to advance. In a way, it's good because you're given another chance but it is time consuming because you have to wait until the next examination period to do it. You can't just do it online or apply whenever you want. You have to wait 5 months until the next exam period (which is a waste of time in my opinion).

My teacher had recommended me to learn a Grade 10 song while learning Grade 9, and I used a Grade 10 song as one of my lists for Grade 9. I never knew you could do that, but in the long run, it makes it a bit easier for the preparation for the next level. So for Grade 10, I used a song from ARCT as one of the list (there's List A, B, C, D, E and Studies subsections). In a way, it was like fast tracking.

Depending which ARCT you decide to do (either performance or teacher), performance is purely just piano songs. You play 6 songs, all memorized, in front of 2 examiners for an hour or so (this will depend on how well you play, how long your songs are, as well as if the examiners are tight on time). The songs are each on average about 14-16 pages long so yes, you will be sitting down for at least an hour of playing almost non-stop. Teacher's will include skill set as part of the exam, although I'm not sure if they changed the outline of that now.

ARCT takes about an average of 2 years to prepare. On top of Grade 10, which is an average of 1.5 years, you are looking at about 3-3.5 years to prepare for 2 grades in order to graduate. If you have an excellent teacher like mine, as well as have the mind to push yourself, you can do it in 2.5 years or less. This would require a lot of daily practice. An average of 5-6 hours of practice time daily is needed. And yes, you would have to really prioritize your school work, so finish all the homework at school, and leave the rest for piano. I had planned for spare periods in between my school schedule so I used those spares to practice piano at school.

I'm not the greatest pianist of all time, nor am I a gifted one. I knew I needed practice, so that's what I had to do. If I knew I was going to be out for the entire day on a weekend, I woke up early to practice. I don't mean 8 or 9am. I mean 4am. Yes I have woken up at 4am to practice piano, until about 7 or 8am because I knew I would be out for the entire day. I can't remember exactly how much I practiced because I always regretted that I could've practiced more. It could've been around 5-6 hours, but when your mind is so concentrated on music, you lose track of time.

Unlike the rest of the practical exams, the ARCT passing grade is set at 70%.

Once I got the letter for graduation, I was overjoyed. It's the most amazing feeling in the world to finally finish everything. It had taken me 10 years from the start of learning, to the finish line but I was so happy it was over. In 4 years with this teacher, I had completed 4 practical exams and 8 theory exams. If it wasn't for him, or for my folks, or God above, I wouldn't have completed it. I would've just given up like the rest.

The key to this success? Don't give up. Always have a plan. You may think the negative words and comments are there to throw you off, but in a way, you need to see it as a motivation. You need to use that as motivation to keep pushing forward. Whenever I hit a wrong note, my teacher would slap my fingers, and hey, IT HURT! I got yelled at, slapped, given the most negative feedback I could think of. I had gone home crying after lessons before, thinking I was a complete failure. I wanted to give up so many times. It was not worth my time to practice and then get negative feedback. I saw the amount of time and money my parents had invested in this activity of mine, and I knew they wanted to get something out of it. They had told me if it was too much, then I should quit. This came at a crucial time of high school finals and university applications. If this was too much, then quit and focus on school.

Keep in mind these lessons were not cheap. Piano lessons can vary from $20/hour to as high as $75/hour, and that's just piano. Then there's theory. You could be paying as high as $140 per lesson for 1.5 hours. It's a waste if I did this for 4 years then quit. I wanted something out of it as well.

So I kept going. I wanted to make them proud. I wanted to make myself proud. And I did. Not only did I receive my ARCT (and the first one in the immediate/extended family to do so), but I also graduated high school, and got accepted to university and program of my choice all within the same month. It was not an easy journey, but it was one that I will always remember for the rest of my life, and one that I can pass onto future generations.

My dad reminds me every time I hit a wall in my life: If you ever feel like giving up in anything in life, always look back at the time you got your ARCT. If you can do that, you can do anything in life if you put your heart and mind to it. Don't give up, but just try your best.

It's been over 10 years since graduation, and these words still stick with me. Thank you all who have been here with me through this journey.

Pet Peeve - Empty Lot

I'm sure most of you have this pet peeve when you enter an almost empty lot, you park somewhere, and this random car comes up and parks RIGHT BESIDE YOU.

Come on, of all places you could've parked, you HAD to park beside me.

Here's my story:

I was in my folks' car driving to a grocery store, when on the way there, the under tray piece from underneath had cracked and flown off. The grocery store was not too far away so we pulled in to inspect. The parking lot was huge, and there were about 10 cars parked near the front of the store. No big deal. Folks pulled up not too far from the front and parked.

At this point, there are no cars beside us or behind us, but they were around, parked I mean. I got out to inspect underneath to see which side had flown off and how bad the damage was. It was at this point a black Dodge Caravan came into the lot and decided to park beside us. When there were hundreds of other spots out there. He could've parked 2 spots away, but NOPE. He just HAD TO park beside us.

The part that pissed me off the most? As I was inspecting and had my head in the wheel, and trying to not bend over so much, the driver honks. Why? Because I was in the way of his parking spot. Almost like to say "watch where you're going lady! I could've killed you!"

I gave him the most bitch face look I could give anyone who crossed my path, and told him off in Mandarin, calling him a crazy sh*thead and that he was an idiot for not parking elsewhere when there was so many other spots around.

The guy was stunned.

I think his wife was equally as stunned. During this time frame, he did not get out of his van, but the wife did and walked quickly into the store. Finally, after determining which part of the under tray was damaged, my folks and I walked into the store as well. We grabbed whatever we needed then headed back out.

At this point, the driver was no longer in the driver seat. He must've been so terrified to leave his car alone. He probably thought I would destroy his car.

Come on. It's a Dodge Caravan. Why would I touch that. It already has its crappy build quality and issues so it will break down on its own, regardless if I touch it or not.

Soon after we came back to the car, the minivan couple came out as well. Damn. I couldn't do anything to his van (not like I planned to anyways. I'd get my ass kicked). Nothing happened after that, except that I gave them another death stare.

Before, I would've let it slide because I'm just so nice like that. But after you've been taken advantage of many times by people who supposedly "care" for you over the years, you eventually don't trust anyone and aren't nice to anyone anymore. Your mind just gives up and says, screw you all. If you're in the wrong, I'm going to make sure you know you're in the wrong.

It annoys the crap out of me when the other person is clearly in the wrong, but they blame it on the other person. It's retarded. Do they not teach people anymore to accept fault when it's clearly their fault? To not blame others when it's clearly their own fault? The attitude of this society scares the living crap out of me. I wouldn't want to raise kids with society's attitude like that. I rather tie my tubes and sterilize myself than to raise kids in this messed up society.

Hopefully he will learn his lesson to not park beside someone when an entire lot is empty from now on. I doubt it because he's Chinese and Chinese people never really learn their lesson (coming from an Asian background, it is true to some degree).

But seriously. Empty lot. Come on.

Prada Saffiano Wallet

As mentioned previously, I had purchased an item from the consignment shop, jodidayscloset (www.jodidayscloset.com), located in Toronto, Canada. The prices are fixed in Canadian dollars on the website and her Instagram, so don't try bargaining with her to get the price down. The prices are based on the popularity of the item in the luxury market.

What made me decide to get this item? A few factors. The first one was because I've been looking for a similar sized item for a while, but couldn't justify buying it brand new. I didn't need it to be brand new because it was something I would be using everyday, so it was going to wear down regardless. Second, I had a similar one but in a different colour. I sold it a while ago because of a certain douche bag. Hilarious because it was "for his mom" but given to me months prior. Right. Thanks for the free money! Third, I saw the colour and knew I had to get it.

I had hopes I would see it via the consignment route. The item is currently sold out on Prada's website (at least in this colour), and I haven't been shopping at the local malls lately so I don't know if they are really sold out or not in stores. I just kept waiting, and waiting. Lo and behold, I saw it pop up on the site. And lucky for me, it was a colour that could match with my collection! I knew it was the right time. 

It was bought in early 2015 by the previous owner. Condition was 9/10, with some darkened areas around the corners, but overall it was still in very good condition. The leather has softened over time which is great. Hardware has no scratches, still shiny. It came with the original box, bag and authenticity card as well as a receipt. 

So here's my reveal: Prada Saffiano Wallet in Peonia (or peony pink)!

 Comes with the bag, box, authenticity card, and receipt.

 Tada! 

 Holds up to 10 cards, as well as a back compartment and bill compartment.

 The bill compartment. My pet peeve would be that now the bills will come out all folded up versus flat. I like flat bills.

 Comes with coin compartment.

 Reminds me of a diary book for some reason.

 The size comparison between the Prada and Coach long wallet (which I've had for over 3 years).

Finally, my peonia/peony pink collection from Prada.

Some details:

Name: Saffiano Metallic Gold Leather Wallet

Company: Prada
Style No.: 1M1225

Colour: Peony Pink

Size: 14cm (length) x 9.5cm (height)

Features: steel hardware with metal lettering logo, snap closure, 10 credit card slots, 2 document pockets, 1 coin compartment with zipper closure

Price: $650 (brand new) plus tax

Hope you enjoy this review/reveal. If you are looking at the consignment route for any luxury items, contact Jodi at jodidayscloset. If you are local, send her a message to say you can pick up locally, and you won't get charged for shipping. Two big thumbs up!

In conclusion, I think I'm a Prada girl. PG!

Day Off

I almost forgot what it's like to have a day off.

I stayed in bed for most of the day, because I just felt so exhausted. It felt good to not do anything except to sleep. I didn't feel productive at all with my life though, so that sucked. But at least I slept really well. 

I started watching The Mindy Project on Netflix. Now that show's addicting! It was suggested from a good girl friend of mine, plus when I saw a clip of the show, Mindy was wearing a classic Chanel piece. I had to watch it, for her and her handbag of course. Although she plays a doctor in the show, you don't have to be in the medical field to understand the show, because it's mostly a romantic comedy show which focuses on her (failed) love life. I find it similar to Ugly Betty, except from a medical perspective. Ugly Betty was an awesome show; it was sad to see it end but that too was also a very entertaining show.

Today was suppose to be the second annual Toronto Car Spotting meet at Erin Mills shopping centre, but that got cancelled because...I forgot why. It's now moved to next Sunday. That's ok though, I would've been way too tired to make it out. Unfortunately next week I'll have to miss it due to work. 

Starting tomorrow, I begin my marathon of working 13 straight days. I've never done this before, so keep me in your prayers that I don't break a leg by the end of this stretch. Hopefully I don't get sick either. *Fingers crossed*

Oh yes, I do have to share my purchase lately from Jodiday's closet. As you have probably read a while ago, I had used her to purchase consignment items from her. Authentic luxury items. I'll leave my next post to reviewing and revealing what I purchased.

Man, my leg kills. It feels like I've been doing leg day non-stop, that kind of burning feeling. But I haven't done leg day in a long time. This didn't start until yesterday while working halfway through a shift. I thought I slept kind of funny, but I didn't sleep on that side of my leg. So it didn't make sense. Then I realized, maybe it was the time I was helping to transfer someone. The hoyer lift wasn't working properly. 2 others and I had helped to transfer. I must've been in a funny position or something when I lifted. Never lifted with my back, but definitely used my leg muscles. Now my leg kills. It really feels like I pulled something because I can't walk properly. There is a non-stop aching feeling going down my leg, but primarily in the upper thigh part. Anyways I'll just keep an eye out for it and see what happens.

CNE is opening this Friday! Which I probably can't make it because of work. Gosh, work sucks.

Alright, time to go back to sleep.

Happy August!

Wow, it's been a while since I last blogged about something.

Things have been pretty hectic lately, with orientation, training, application and the final project essay to write, along with working pretty much everyday. Health becomes a priority during this stressful time, making sure I get enough rest and eat properly everyday, as well as get some sort of exercise like walking around the neighbourhood.

I'm thankful my body has not broke down by working so much and lacking sleep. For the very first time in my career, I have never worked 16 hours for 5 days straight, with approximately 5 hours or less of sleep each night and commuting between 2 jobs. Now I know what it feels like to be working 2 jobs. I know people who balance 2-3 jobs and I've always wondered how they managed to do it. Let's just say it's very tough, but you have to have a will to do it. A lot of them have children and family to support, as well as paying off life's crazy expensive bills with mortgages, electric utility bills, cable, property tax, you name it. To them, their family and children are what drives them to do what they do. They may be really tired, but they know they have to do it to survive.

Unfortunately with rising housing costs, as well as just costs in general to buy everyday items, having one full time job does not guarantee stability. I didn't understand what they meant, until I went through it. And they are right. By the time you pay off all the bills, you have very little to play around with, or save. This is why many take on a second job to save up or buy things that they've always wanted to get but couldn't.

For me, it isn't about the cost, or money that drove me to do what I do. I took on 2 jobs because I wanted to learn more about each corporation, the various policies and procedures, and see the differences between each site. In a way, I'd like to combine all the things I've learned at one corporation over the years and apply the knowledge to the second corporation and vice versa. Of course each corporation has their own policies to follow so it must be followed and can't be mixed up. That's the hard part. The longer you stay at one corporation, the harder it becomes to climb up and move on because you get so used to everything and everyone.

This is the most challenging that I have found in terms of learning and applying my skills. Because I got so used to the old ways, it's hard to learn different ways sometimes.

People think I'm crazy for taking on these jobs because it only leaves me one day a week to rest. That I need to enjoy life more, that I'm too young to be taking on 2 jobs etc. It's almost like going back to the book of Genesis, where God says we work 6 days and on the 7th day, or Sabbath day, we rest and honour Him. When we think of our great ancestors and how much they worked, we wonder how they managed to do all that work in 6 days! Of course lots of things changed over time and over the years. People have tried taking short cuts to work less but make more money. In reality, if it was really that easy, we would all be doing that, but majority of us still work most days and gain average salaries, or less. So I don't believe it when people tell me there are easy ways to make money and not have to work so hard. There is no such thing.

Yes, totally understand there's a lot of sacrifice that goes into this, in particular my favourite: sleep. But I know this will benefit positively for the future for me. All this hard work will eventually pay off. It's the transition period that's always the most difficult. But by God's grace I'm still surprisingly able to function without a cup of coffee (I never drink that stuff. Doesn't taste good in my opinion). What's better than having your body's epinephrine instead of an external caffeine stimulant?

Secondly, I haven't gone out much because of work. I try to but then I hear news stories about the latest shooting or fighting or something. It's ridiculous how you end up being fearful of stepping outside because you don't know if you'll be coming home alive that same day, due to someone else's stupidity or beef with their enemy. It just so happens you walk into their situation and get caught up. Thankfully it hasn't happened to me or to anyone that I know of. I remember one Saturday I was suppose to be off, but ended up working. I was suppose to go to Eaton Centre that day too. It was that afternoon that there was a shootout inside the mall, during the afternoon. It injured a few, and one died (I believe it was one of the enemies or target). Something as simple as going to the mall becomes a scary moment.

I know, maybe you might think I'm too negative and I should just go with the flow. Or simply paranoid. Maybe I'm all that. But I rather take my own precautions so that I don't have to get caught up in the wrong crowd.

Speaking of shopping, I decided to buy something via the consignment route. It was pretty much a spur of the moment. It's something I've been thinking of getting for a while, after selling my other item but I couldn't justify paying the taxes and the price that the company was asking for, brand new. Lo and behold, I found a listing and decided to get it. I will be sure to share with you all what I ended up getting!

Now I'm on the phone with Air Canada...I should say listening to their stupid long replay of lame music, trying to get a hold of a representative. I figured maybe if I call in the middle of the night I would have better luck getting an agent to help me with a flight. But nope. Wait time for an agent? 30-45 minutes! More like 2 hours. It's been almost 35 minutes that I've been on hold. Thank God for free minutes. I wouldn't pay a single cent to be put on hold with Air Canada. Never had to call AC for help before so this is my first time experiencing this. If I could fix it online I would, but I can't. This sucks. So I sit here typing and waiting...

This is nuts. I can't believe it's August already. I barely had time to enjoy the summer and now it's halfway done?! That's nuts. The weather lately has been a bit crazy, being way too warm. But then again, I'd prefer this over the snow. Actually wait, I like the cold weather. Not freezing weather, but it's got to be just right. Who am I kidding, this is Canada after all. The land of PMS-ing mother nature.

Hmm...I should do a review of Air Canada Reservations help line. So far they're getting a negative 100 for service, and I haven't talked to anyone yet.

Cruises. Right! I totally forgot if I had already wrote about the cruise to Wasaga Beach with the GTA GTR Club. The group hit the beach at the end of July for a nice cruise through the city and upwards to the country side roads. There are some really nice twisty roads up there. Didn't see any cops, and none of us got in trouble with anything. We used the Glympse app to keep everyone together and not have everyone lost. At some point, people did get lost because the group got split up briefly, so some time was lost because of people trying to find their way. Eventually all was good. We got to Wasaga Beach where we all parked together, took some photos, and went to the beach to set up a tent. Some of us strolled on the beach, some of us went to the Wasaga Beach Rib Fest. All I cared about was funnel cake. Except I didn't walk far enough to get one. Sad face.

The RibFest was pretty small to be honest. There were 4 large booths, and a couple of stands for drinks but that was about it. Not like the huge ones they have within the city like Toronto or Mississauga. It was all good, we had some ribs and they were pretty good. Very filling but good. We headed back to the beach and tent where we dipped our feet in the waters. I haven't been to Wasaga in so long so I totally forgot how shallow the waters are. You could walk 500m and the water would still be at your knees. It was a nice, refreshing way to cool off during a warm day. Eventually it was time for us to depart, so the group left together, took some rolling shots, and then parted ways.

Alright, about 50 minutes later, an agent is finally on the line! Got my ticket changes done, and the lady is pretty nice, although I am not happy about the money difference I have to pay. Otherwise it went smooth.

*NOTE* Don't buy airline tickets for friends, especially if they are ones who back out. Long story short, one of the friends was suppose to go on a trip earlier this year with a group of us. My girl friend had gotten my ticket already, and considering I couldn't get points, we both thought buying for our other friend was a good idea. I could collect my points then. This friend had said he would go on the trip with us and was super excited, and I did tell him I'd buy it because of points purposes, and that he would pay me back (which he did). Lo and behold, he backs out at the last minute. I cancel his ticket, but of course I can't get a 100% refund because it was more than 24 hours since the booking.

I could still use this credit towards my next flight, which I did. However, because the booking was under his name, but the payment was under my name, and now I need the tickets under my name, it's an extra $100 to change the name. Ridiculous right? That extra $100 cost me more than the difference I have to pay for the flight. Lesson learned. And oh, I want to strangle that friend.

Alright it's been a long day and long night on the phone. Time to get some much needed rest. Good night all you lovely people!