Hello readers!
Sorry it's taking forever to post things. It's been crazy busy the past few weeks with applications, project essay, scheduling and finally starting a second job/career.
Lots of things happening in the news lately, especially with these mass shootings. No where you go is safe these days. It's kind of sad how you can't even go to McDonald's to get food without being shot. Stay safe everyone. It's unfortunate the world has come to this point.
Work has been pretty nuts lately dealing with critical situations and what not. I'm just glad I have a few days off from the chaos to focus on my research paper.
So that's the latest update. When I have a bit more time to sit down and write a theme, I will do that. In the meantime, hope you all have a good rest of the week!
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Monday, July 11, 2016
Homelessness
As you drive downtown, or uptown or wherever you're heading and you stop at a stop light, you suddenly see this guy (or girl) sitting at the corner with a sign or a bucket collecting change from people.
At red lights, they usually get up and go through the traffic, asking for change from drivers who are stopped. Depending on people, they could give them change or not. You feel bad for them so you roll down your window and give them $5. They say thank you, you say no problem. The lights turn green, and off you go.
You may feel relieved that you helped someone with a basic breakfast, or part of it, but what you may not realize is how long they've been standing at that corner, or what scheme they have in their heads. Or how much they've collected all day. It's also none of our business what they do with the money that we give them. Drugs, prostitutes, food, clothes. We wouldn't know.
Homelessness is a real issue, and I have volunteered before at a homeless shelter so I do see the struggles that people face. We do whatever we can to try and help them get back on their feet, and start life over again.
Problem is, it's the fake people that ruin the desire to help those who really need it.
What do I mean by that? I have read/seen on the news how privileged people pretend to be homeless, dress up as homeless, and beg for money at street corners. At the end of the day, they take whatever they make back home, and use it to their own advantage.
There was a male dude (I believe it was in Toronto) who was caught on the news for pretending to be homeless. The crew had followed him from the street corner to his two storey home (and it was a pretty nice home), and tried to interview him. The guy was very reluctant, swore at the news crew, and threatened to call the police on them for trespassing onto his property.
This guy had worn dirty, old ripped clothes, made himself look disheveled, and fooled everyone. At the end of his "shift", he changes into his dress pants and dress shirt to go home.
This is not the first or only story about "fake homelessness" but it seems to be on the rise. This already gives the "privileged" people the perception that no one is to be trusted, so they stop helping those on the streets.
This is also the part that boils my blood, because it's also privileged people who take advantage of those in need, in order to gain something more for themselves. In the end, we have no clue if we should help or not, because we don't know if they're really homeless or just taking advantage of everyone else and the system for the homeless.
My experience of volunteering at the homeless shelter while in school really helped to open my eyes with what they really go through. Mental illness. Broken families. Drug addicts. Some of them had privileged lives before and lost everything because of gambling debts, or drug debts. There is already that stigma while they try to get their lives back together.
And now it's becoming even more harder; people may not want to help, because they don't know if they're really in need of help or not.
Life isn't fair. True. But we all need to play a role in making society a better place to live in. Not take advantage of each other. People say animals are so smart and so caring. We are given the gift to be dominant over animals, vegetables and plants; we do have the heart and the knowledge to be better than animals and plants. Because right now with our actions, we are worse than animals and plants. Do you really want to be compared to an elephant or a venus fly trap plant? A cucumber?
As a hard working citizen, I want to be sure that my hard earned cash is going towards someone who is really homeless and needs it to get back on their feet. I pay enough taxes (damn you government!) and I'm sure the rest of you do too. I'm also sure you would like to see your hard earned cash go towards something positive (although we may never know). Not towards someone who clearly doesn't need it, to fund their shopping spree on cigars or watches.
Tuesday, July 05, 2016
Club Mannerisms
My rant today is about mannerism.
This one pretty much stems from helping others, but not receiving the same respect back, instead being thrown under the bus. I'm pretty sure all of you know at least one person who does that to everyone or have done that to you at least once. Those people aren't really your friends. They are just there to use you to gain more respect for themselves.
I really do feel sorry for those people, people who use people to gain something more for themselves. It really is a sad world we live in.
Anyways, to give you a brief overview of what I mean, I will break it down to you on events that happened in the past month, and you will see why I feel the way I feel.
Let's rewind about 3 (almost 4) weeks ago, when a car club was going on a rally. Almost all of these rallies have sponsors, and so in order to promote these companies, the clubs have decals made and stick them on the cars.
Significant other (SO) was to also go on this rally, but there's a lot of prep work that goes into it: car cleaning, putting on decals, packing etc. I knew SO needed to get the decals put on by the club, so off we go to meet the members and get the decals put on.
Keep in mind too that this was also the afternoon that SO and I should've been spending time together, but instead we are at this garage finalizing things for the car. Now, here is where it gets "too nice".
We both offered to help the club put on the decals for their trucks that will be accompanying them for the rally. It takes a few hands to make it work, especially if it's a huge decal that spans half the length of the truck. So we figured the more people, the faster this can get done and the faster that people can get out of there since it was a hot day.
What should've been a 10 minute stay turned into a couple of hours or so, because we helped them with the decals. They said thanks at least, but didn't sound too genuine.
Fast forward about a week and a half or so. There is a huge photo shoot event happening with 2 car clubs at the local airport. This is in combination with the above club. SO and I are responsible for one club, and the other club is responsible for their members.
Most of the members from our club had arrived already and were already waiting at the gates to get in. Once all the things had been organized inside, SO was responsible to direct the cars to park, while I was responsible for getting the members through the gate. Members from the other club were also at the gate, responsible for their members entering.
After a head count, pretty much all of our members arrived on time and were already parked. We were waiting on a couple of cars to come in, but they were far away. So we told them that once they arrived at the gates, just call one of us and we will let you in. At this point, our duty at the gates were done. However, the other club had members they were still waiting on (and I mean more than 1) cars so they were still manning the gate. SO and I go back to the main event to check out the event and see how things are going. Our last member arrived safely, so all was accounted for our group.
About 3/4 of the way through the event, we get a message from the host of the venue, yelling that no one was manning the gate, and no one had told security that they were leaving the gate.
(To clarify: this was at an airport, so when no one is at the gate, anyone will be able to sneak in and go on the runway. Liability becomes a huge issue, and the venue will get in trouble for it if someone is injured or killed).
Here comes the best part: the founder of the other club member tells this host that it was SO and I's duty to man the gate. That we were responsible for it and it was our fault that we didn't tell anyone that we left the gate.
This guy, the very same guy we had helped to put stupid decals on his stupid club trucks just threw us under the bus.
SO didn't know until the host of the venue told him what was said to her. Of course he became really mad. Not only that, but now the venue was charging extra money on each car that had entered because of this unmanned gate. Tried to bargain it but to no avail.
Alright, whatever so the event was over. We got our pictures. It's all over I guess?
Not really. Because I was still pretty mad about how SO was treated. The bitch mode came high on when we saw our club pictures being promoted on the models' personal page, but promoting the other club. Not only that, but our club watermark was half missing.
To clarify things even more: both club members paid for the models and the venue. Nobody sponsored anybody during this event. This was a paid event. It wasn't like one club paid for everything and the rest got in free. Nope, EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE paid for this event and for these models.
So to see SO's hard work being stomped on and not getting club acknowledgement, it made me fume. I think if you saw your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend/significant other put in a lot of work in planning and helping to get things organized in the club, you would want to acknowledge their hard work. My reaction is just like any other normal human being's action.
I called out the lady with barely any clothes on, and said it was a joint event. And to also acknowledge both clubs as both clubs had paid for her, along with her other scantly clothed friends, to attend this photo shoot (AND I AS WELL. I CAN'T BELIEVE I PAID FOR THIS. I'M NOT EVEN LESBIAN).
Then this lady had said she was told to just show up by the other club, and that it was sponsored by them. Hence why she kept promoting the other club. Ok, well that ain't her fault. But it's definitely the other club then, for being sneaky bastards - to try and claim everything as theirs. Their event, their models, their hard work, their money, their time. You name it.
And come on. There is no such thing as "our models". What, do you own them? If that's the case, might as well consider yourself a pimp, because pimps own prostitutes. Models are models. They don't belong to anyone.
People now think I'm a complete bitch for being a bitch to the models and the other club. But if you were in my shoes, you'd probably do the same: You'd stand up for the one you care about because you don't want to see their hard work being thrown down the toilet. I'm not trying to gain fame from this, or try to win tickets for some lame event. I'm just trying to stand up for what's right.
I'm told that I have no class, I'm an asshole, immature. You name it. Haha once you're in the "car scene", you're pretty much all of the above. There are other ways I could've done it, but this was the path I chose and this is what I had to deal with. My thinking hasn't changed, my outlook hasn't changed these years. I'm still nice to people, but it really depends.
If people are using me to gain what's best for them, then screw them. Dragon lady will come out to haunt you in your dreams. I'm a pretty mild dragon lady. I know of worst ones than I. So I'm really not all that bad.
I don't regret what I've said. I don't regret the event happening. I don't regret standing up for someone who I care about. I don't regret anything. Because this really shows the real side of some people, if they're genuine or not. That's how you learn if they are real friends or just people out there to use you and do business. From this event, it was all about business from the get go. It's just unfortunate that the nice people got dragged into this, and got thrown under the bus. And you wonder where all the nice, genuine people went.
They died when they got run over by the bus.
Some tips?
1) Learn manners. Isn't that what mom and dad taught when we were kids? I find it scary that some 4 year olds have way better manners than 50 year olds. It's sad, really sad. And scary.
2) Say thank you. I mean really mean it. Not like a HMPH THANKS!
3) Don't go throwing people under the bus, because it will come bite you in the ass later on.
4) Don't take credit for all the work when you know another person also put in time, effort and money into the same damn event. Acknowledge them as well. Don't be an asshole.
5) Stand up for what you believe, and for your loved ones. Sometimes the best thing to do is to keep quiet, but when you know that your loved ones have been stomped on, don't stay quiet. Stand up and fight for them.
6) Don't plan car events with another group.
This one pretty much stems from helping others, but not receiving the same respect back, instead being thrown under the bus. I'm pretty sure all of you know at least one person who does that to everyone or have done that to you at least once. Those people aren't really your friends. They are just there to use you to gain more respect for themselves.
I really do feel sorry for those people, people who use people to gain something more for themselves. It really is a sad world we live in.
Anyways, to give you a brief overview of what I mean, I will break it down to you on events that happened in the past month, and you will see why I feel the way I feel.
Let's rewind about 3 (almost 4) weeks ago, when a car club was going on a rally. Almost all of these rallies have sponsors, and so in order to promote these companies, the clubs have decals made and stick them on the cars.
Significant other (SO) was to also go on this rally, but there's a lot of prep work that goes into it: car cleaning, putting on decals, packing etc. I knew SO needed to get the decals put on by the club, so off we go to meet the members and get the decals put on.
Keep in mind too that this was also the afternoon that SO and I should've been spending time together, but instead we are at this garage finalizing things for the car. Now, here is where it gets "too nice".
We both offered to help the club put on the decals for their trucks that will be accompanying them for the rally. It takes a few hands to make it work, especially if it's a huge decal that spans half the length of the truck. So we figured the more people, the faster this can get done and the faster that people can get out of there since it was a hot day.
What should've been a 10 minute stay turned into a couple of hours or so, because we helped them with the decals. They said thanks at least, but didn't sound too genuine.
Fast forward about a week and a half or so. There is a huge photo shoot event happening with 2 car clubs at the local airport. This is in combination with the above club. SO and I are responsible for one club, and the other club is responsible for their members.
Most of the members from our club had arrived already and were already waiting at the gates to get in. Once all the things had been organized inside, SO was responsible to direct the cars to park, while I was responsible for getting the members through the gate. Members from the other club were also at the gate, responsible for their members entering.
After a head count, pretty much all of our members arrived on time and were already parked. We were waiting on a couple of cars to come in, but they were far away. So we told them that once they arrived at the gates, just call one of us and we will let you in. At this point, our duty at the gates were done. However, the other club had members they were still waiting on (and I mean more than 1) cars so they were still manning the gate. SO and I go back to the main event to check out the event and see how things are going. Our last member arrived safely, so all was accounted for our group.
About 3/4 of the way through the event, we get a message from the host of the venue, yelling that no one was manning the gate, and no one had told security that they were leaving the gate.
(To clarify: this was at an airport, so when no one is at the gate, anyone will be able to sneak in and go on the runway. Liability becomes a huge issue, and the venue will get in trouble for it if someone is injured or killed).
Here comes the best part: the founder of the other club member tells this host that it was SO and I's duty to man the gate. That we were responsible for it and it was our fault that we didn't tell anyone that we left the gate.
This guy, the very same guy we had helped to put stupid decals on his stupid club trucks just threw us under the bus.
SO didn't know until the host of the venue told him what was said to her. Of course he became really mad. Not only that, but now the venue was charging extra money on each car that had entered because of this unmanned gate. Tried to bargain it but to no avail.
Alright, whatever so the event was over. We got our pictures. It's all over I guess?
Not really. Because I was still pretty mad about how SO was treated. The bitch mode came high on when we saw our club pictures being promoted on the models' personal page, but promoting the other club. Not only that, but our club watermark was half missing.
To clarify things even more: both club members paid for the models and the venue. Nobody sponsored anybody during this event. This was a paid event. It wasn't like one club paid for everything and the rest got in free. Nope, EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE paid for this event and for these models.
So to see SO's hard work being stomped on and not getting club acknowledgement, it made me fume. I think if you saw your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend/significant other put in a lot of work in planning and helping to get things organized in the club, you would want to acknowledge their hard work. My reaction is just like any other normal human being's action.
I called out the lady with barely any clothes on, and said it was a joint event. And to also acknowledge both clubs as both clubs had paid for her, along with her other scantly clothed friends, to attend this photo shoot (AND I AS WELL. I CAN'T BELIEVE I PAID FOR THIS. I'M NOT EVEN LESBIAN).
Then this lady had said she was told to just show up by the other club, and that it was sponsored by them. Hence why she kept promoting the other club. Ok, well that ain't her fault. But it's definitely the other club then, for being sneaky bastards - to try and claim everything as theirs. Their event, their models, their hard work, their money, their time. You name it.
And come on. There is no such thing as "our models". What, do you own them? If that's the case, might as well consider yourself a pimp, because pimps own prostitutes. Models are models. They don't belong to anyone.
People now think I'm a complete bitch for being a bitch to the models and the other club. But if you were in my shoes, you'd probably do the same: You'd stand up for the one you care about because you don't want to see their hard work being thrown down the toilet. I'm not trying to gain fame from this, or try to win tickets for some lame event. I'm just trying to stand up for what's right.
I'm told that I have no class, I'm an asshole, immature. You name it. Haha once you're in the "car scene", you're pretty much all of the above. There are other ways I could've done it, but this was the path I chose and this is what I had to deal with. My thinking hasn't changed, my outlook hasn't changed these years. I'm still nice to people, but it really depends.
If people are using me to gain what's best for them, then screw them. Dragon lady will come out to haunt you in your dreams. I'm a pretty mild dragon lady. I know of worst ones than I. So I'm really not all that bad.
I don't regret what I've said. I don't regret the event happening. I don't regret standing up for someone who I care about. I don't regret anything. Because this really shows the real side of some people, if they're genuine or not. That's how you learn if they are real friends or just people out there to use you and do business. From this event, it was all about business from the get go. It's just unfortunate that the nice people got dragged into this, and got thrown under the bus. And you wonder where all the nice, genuine people went.
They died when they got run over by the bus.
Some tips?
1) Learn manners. Isn't that what mom and dad taught when we were kids? I find it scary that some 4 year olds have way better manners than 50 year olds. It's sad, really sad. And scary.
2) Say thank you. I mean really mean it. Not like a HMPH THANKS!
3) Don't go throwing people under the bus, because it will come bite you in the ass later on.
4) Don't take credit for all the work when you know another person also put in time, effort and money into the same damn event. Acknowledge them as well. Don't be an asshole.
5) Stand up for what you believe, and for your loved ones. Sometimes the best thing to do is to keep quiet, but when you know that your loved ones have been stomped on, don't stay quiet. Stand up and fight for them.
6) Don't plan car events with another group.
Monday, July 04, 2016
Louis Vuitton Experience
This is a very belated post. First off, Happy Canada day to Canada! And Happy 4th of July to the USA!
Things have been quite busy lately, whether it's job related or cruise related (mostly work related), hence why posts have been quite delayed lately. However I am a bit more active on Instagram (@carsnpurses) as I have pictures uploaded at least twice a day if I'm not too crazy busy.
Last month, I decided to check out the Louis Vuitton store, because 1) I finally found a purse that I like and can see myself wearing a lot 2) It's multifunctional 3) Louis Vuitton has been having price drops in the past month (weird right?!) 4) This will be my very first LV bag.
Now I had decided to wait and wait, hoping the price would go down even more. However, bags are like the stock market: you just never know when it will go down or up. The bags will never go out of style because it is a classic, so I wasn't in any rush to get it.
But it just so happened that on the day I purchased it, there was the GTA GTR Club cruise that was taking off from Yorkdale. Members were given about 1.5 hours to meet at the parking lot before setting off on the cruise. Lucky me, I got there just after 12pm, and the first thing I did was hit the shopping mall. Well, of course I said hello to my honey first, gave him a hug, and said "Ok I'll see you in a bit, gotta go get that purse!" Of course he rolled his eyes at me, and said to come back by 1:30pm otherwise my butt would get left behind. Yikes ok!
Here I am running in the parking lot, and finally into the mall. I speed walk, because slow walking just doesn't do it for me. I hadn't eaten at all in the morning, but it's ok. Get the purse first! Then whatever time I had, I'll wolf down food.
Got to the LV store. Things haven't changed much, and since I was in a rush, I went to the first lady I saw standing there, and said I wanted to get a purse. She paged a lady named Stephanie to come assist me.
Stephanie was very friendly, down to earth and out-going as well. We had a great conversation about the variations of purses that I wanted. Initially I thought the PM would work well for me, and she asked if I wanted to see the MM as well, but I refused and said PM would be fine. Boy was I wrong.
She had brought out the PM for me to see, but it was in the wrong style (monogram instead of damier ebene). After the small confusion, I got what I needed and ran to get some food, then ran back to the GTR meet, where they were departing shortly thereafter.
I went home that night, opened the bag, and tried to fit all my essential items that I would take on a night out. Man, it took some effort. Couldn't even fit my long wallet in the bag! So I had to downsize. But even when I downsized the wallet, it was still a struggle. I did the upside down challenge to see if the flap would let go, and all my stuff did fall out (oops).
So I knew I had to get the bigger size.
I called up LV and explained the situation, saying if it was possible to upgrade the size. Stephanie put on the MM on hold for me until I could come in to pick it up. The day I picked it up, I realized it was the wrong style that was reserved. So that had to be clarified and fixed. It took a while as they have to go through the system and do some changes before going to get it. I guess it has to do with inventory and what not.
Overall, it was a great experience. Some shops are very strict on handbag returns and exchanges as there are a lot of people out there who try to swap the real with the fakes, and return the fakes to the actual store. I was a bit nervous about it as it was my first time exchanging a bag, but they were very good with me. There was a lot of verbal communication to clarify things so to me, that was the most important.
If you are ever at the Yorkdale location, ask for Stephanie. I also saw online that people have recommended her as well, and I was lucky to have her as my sales associate.
Here below is my new honey: LV Favorite MM.
Things have been quite busy lately, whether it's job related or cruise related (mostly work related), hence why posts have been quite delayed lately. However I am a bit more active on Instagram (@carsnpurses) as I have pictures uploaded at least twice a day if I'm not too crazy busy.
Last month, I decided to check out the Louis Vuitton store, because 1) I finally found a purse that I like and can see myself wearing a lot 2) It's multifunctional 3) Louis Vuitton has been having price drops in the past month (weird right?!) 4) This will be my very first LV bag.
Now I had decided to wait and wait, hoping the price would go down even more. However, bags are like the stock market: you just never know when it will go down or up. The bags will never go out of style because it is a classic, so I wasn't in any rush to get it.
But it just so happened that on the day I purchased it, there was the GTA GTR Club cruise that was taking off from Yorkdale. Members were given about 1.5 hours to meet at the parking lot before setting off on the cruise. Lucky me, I got there just after 12pm, and the first thing I did was hit the shopping mall. Well, of course I said hello to my honey first, gave him a hug, and said "Ok I'll see you in a bit, gotta go get that purse!" Of course he rolled his eyes at me, and said to come back by 1:30pm otherwise my butt would get left behind. Yikes ok!
Here I am running in the parking lot, and finally into the mall. I speed walk, because slow walking just doesn't do it for me. I hadn't eaten at all in the morning, but it's ok. Get the purse first! Then whatever time I had, I'll wolf down food.
Got to the LV store. Things haven't changed much, and since I was in a rush, I went to the first lady I saw standing there, and said I wanted to get a purse. She paged a lady named Stephanie to come assist me.
Stephanie was very friendly, down to earth and out-going as well. We had a great conversation about the variations of purses that I wanted. Initially I thought the PM would work well for me, and she asked if I wanted to see the MM as well, but I refused and said PM would be fine. Boy was I wrong.
She had brought out the PM for me to see, but it was in the wrong style (monogram instead of damier ebene). After the small confusion, I got what I needed and ran to get some food, then ran back to the GTR meet, where they were departing shortly thereafter.
I went home that night, opened the bag, and tried to fit all my essential items that I would take on a night out. Man, it took some effort. Couldn't even fit my long wallet in the bag! So I had to downsize. But even when I downsized the wallet, it was still a struggle. I did the upside down challenge to see if the flap would let go, and all my stuff did fall out (oops).
So I knew I had to get the bigger size.
I called up LV and explained the situation, saying if it was possible to upgrade the size. Stephanie put on the MM on hold for me until I could come in to pick it up. The day I picked it up, I realized it was the wrong style that was reserved. So that had to be clarified and fixed. It took a while as they have to go through the system and do some changes before going to get it. I guess it has to do with inventory and what not.
Overall, it was a great experience. Some shops are very strict on handbag returns and exchanges as there are a lot of people out there who try to swap the real with the fakes, and return the fakes to the actual store. I was a bit nervous about it as it was my first time exchanging a bag, but they were very good with me. There was a lot of verbal communication to clarify things so to me, that was the most important.
If you are ever at the Yorkdale location, ask for Stephanie. I also saw online that people have recommended her as well, and I was lucky to have her as my sales associate.
Here below is my new honey: LV Favorite MM.
The front metal face plate. It scratches very easily. I still have the original wrapping on it.
Details on the gold hardware.
The back view. There is no back pocket.
The interior. Loving the red!
This is what I was able to stuff in there. Credit cards, coins, money, lipstick are all in the black Coach pouch.
This is how it looks after I stuff it up.
With the flap closed and with the gold chain hanging out or...
You can always tuck away the gold chain inside.
The side view after all the items are inside. You can see it still retains its shape and doesn't bulge out like crazy.
Favorite MM with the Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy perfume bottle.
Favorite MM with some accessories.
Favorite MM with the Holt Renfrew 2015 Bear.
Just a glance:
Company: Louis Vuitton
Name: Favorite MM
Name: Favorite MM
Style: Damier Ebene (available in Monogram and Damier Azur)
Material: Canvas
Size: 28cm x 17cm x 4cm (length x height x width)
Straps: 1 short gold chain that can be detached on one side to hide inside, and 1 shoulder strap made in cowhide leather which can be detached completely. Strap can be worn over the shoulder or cross body (although if you're tall, the bag will hit you just above the waist).
Interior: One big compartment to fit all the items, with 1 interior flat pocket (you cannot fit an iPhone 5 inside it)
Closure: Magnetic closure
Hardware: Golden hardware/brass
Can be carried: on the hand, wrist, shoulder or cross-body
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