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!

Busy Bee

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!

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.

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.

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.

 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

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

Belated News!

Hello world, hope you are all enjoying this day and take it all as a blessing!

First off, Happy belated Father's Day to the fathers, fathers to be, and fathers who have passed on. I celebrated with family and gave my dad his gift for the year (which of course was the new Iphone 6). He was overjoyed, yet kept saying I spent too much money on him. When I look back at all these years of him raising me, the price of a phone is very minuscule compared to what he has invested in my life.

The latest funny story involving my dad (in honour of Father's Day) was pretty recent. It's a bit embarrassing but that's alright.

One day my mom caught me plucking my leg hair and started yelling at me to stop doing that. She doesn't know what plucking is, but equates it to shaving. So of course off she goes lecturing about why it shouldn't be done etc. While she was giving her usual speech, my dad overheard all this happening. He then left the house and a while later came back home.

He came to my room, with something in a bag. I took it out, and it was a box of wax strips by Nair. He then said this to me in Mandarin:

"Sooo..what the hell, you pluck your hair, doesn't that take a really long time? Anyways I saw this on TV and found it in the store. Since it was on TV it should work. I don't know how to use it so you will have to call someone to ask how to use it. Ok? This is better. Faster."

I have never laughed so hard in my life. Almost gave myself a hernia.

It might seem ridiculous to some, but to me it's the small things that matter. He didn't have to do it, but he did because he cared. That's what love is, and that's also why I love and care for my family.

Props to the dads out there, especially mine because he is extra special to me!

I also did a minor shopping splurge as well. It came at a time when the GTR Club met up and there was about an hour and a half of time before the crew left for a cruise. I took this time to go in the mall while the guys were outside admiring cars.

I headed straight into the Louis Vuitton store, sort of knew what I was getting and got it! Stay tuned for a reveal.

It was partially a splurge, and also a reward to myself for getting a second job. Then again, I don't know if I should be celebrating a second job. It will be a lot of work, pretty much leaving no time for life. Hopefully I will be able to balance both out. I'm not sure what the plan is right now, but it's a transition period that will get hectic.

Speaking of GTR meets, there have been quite a few cruises already. I'm really glad people are coming out to just spend the morning or afternoon or evening time cruising. There is another one coming up this Sunday with the BMW True North group so that's pretty exciting!

There are some events happening this Sunday. GTR/BMWTN meet, the Strada cruise, and then the Unionville car show, so it will be a busy Sunday for sure. If you are a car fanatic, be sure to hit up one of those (or all if you can) this Sunday!

I'll keep this update a bit short, but stay tuned for more in the next post. Enjoy the day!

Orlando

As many of you already know, it has not been a good week for Orlando.

First off, Christina Grimmie, a previous The Voice contestant, was shot to death by a deranged fan while doing a meet and greet with fans after her concert. The gunman then killed himself. It was found that the gunman was obsessed with Christina, and had tried to change his appearance via cosmetic enhancements to become her boyfriend.

He became enraged when he saw a picture of her and her producer together. But they were not dating, according to sources. This fan obviously suffered from hallucinations, maybe mixed with other mental health problems. As you may know that saying, if I can't have you then no one else can. The ultimate act? Murder-suicide.

Then on June 12, 2016, more tragedy struck. A gunman entered Pulse nightclub, a gay nightclub, and went on a shooting spree. 49 people were killed, 53 people suffered serious injuries. This incident has become the worst mass shooting in USA history. The gunman had held the rest of the nightclubbers hostage until about 5am, when the SWAT stormed the place. During the gunfight, the gunman was killed.

There are speculations that the gunman was secretly gay (even though he was already married with a kid), yet was offended when he saw two gay people kissing in public. They are still trying to figure out his motive.

On June 15, a two year old boy was enjoying vacation with his family in a lagoon near Disney's Walt Disney World hotel, when he was pulled into the waters by an alligator from the very same lagoon. The father tried to fight off the alligator to no avail. Tragically, the boy was dragged underwater and died from trauma to the body, along with drowning.

There are no signs about possible alligators lurking in the waters, however, the neighbouring hotel does have a warning sign about alligators. The only signs around the Disney hotels are "no swimming" signs, but nothing about potential alligators lurking nearby. Disney staff are aware of the alligators yet nothing was done about it. This is a huge blow to Disney's resorts.

Can you imagine bringing your young kids to the most magical place on earth, and then being attacked and eaten by an alligator lurking near the resort? How painful it must be for the parents.

It has been a terrible week for Orlando, Florida. Please keep them in your prayers, the victims, the families, and those who are recovering from these disasters. Stay strong Orlando.

Cars Cars Cars!!

Happy June! Holy cow it's June already. That's insane O_O

To start off with the blog, I have exciting news: my parts are painted and ready to be installed! WOOO!!!

It's been a long time coming if you know the crappy journey I had to go through for these damn lip and skirts (and bumper).

For those who don't know, I will sum it up. The first time I had bought a used front lip to be painted, gave it to a GenCoupe member for painting, and I never saw it again. That was 2013. In 2014, I got another front lip and side skirts that were new/used. They got painted and installed. I suffered a misshape which damaged my bumper and lip. One of the skirts was a bit warped and was not pinned down properly, and over time it caused strain within the skirt resulting in it cracking in several places.

A douchebag named Andre then took my front lip and side skirts to get "painted"/repaired, and with several phone calls, emails, texts, whatsapp to him regarding the return of my parts, I never saw it again.

Two stolen front lips and a set of skirts in less than 2 years. I'm so lucky.

Anyways, it's been a year and a half since I broke the bumper and just over a year since my parts were stolen and never returned. I figured it's time to fix her up and make her look better than before.

I realize buying new parts are never really worth it in the car market because they will always decrease in value. I figured maybe when the time is right, the right parts will show up. It may have taken a year or two, but eventually the used parts showed up in the local used market. I was just responsible for getting it painted to the colour I wanted. Voila.

After delaying and being lazy, I finally got the parts painted and one part installed. The rest will have to wait until the weather gets a bit warmer so it will stick properly to the paint. Hopefully by the end of this weekend, it will all be done and over with. And I will be happy again.

To the two losers who stole my parts (and most likely sold it off in the market to gain MY money), you can eat horse dung, and I hope your balls rot from flesh eating disease.

Back to more car news:

The GTA GTR club has expanded in the past couple of weeks. People know of people who know of people who have GTRs and boom! The club just grew! It's amazing how small this world really is. So don't screw around with people's minds because eventually it will come bite you in the ass without warning.

This is exciting news as summer is pretty much here (or almost, considering the weather lately has been whack), and a lot of people bring out the cars for shows and cruises. So what's better than having all the GTA owners gather together and have one huge meet and cruise!

Now it all may seem very cool and all, but the cruises itself is a pain in the ass to plan (not that I plan it, but I've seen behind the scenes and yeah, give props to the leader of the cruises!). The toughest part about big cruises is to have everyone stick together. It's almost impossible to do, but you have to have the cooperation of the entire group as well. I.E no burnouts,  no crazy driving, no illegal runs, stuff like that.

Thankfully the maturity of the GTR members have exceeded those of the many clubs and meets that I have went to in the past (however, there is always that one bad apple in each group). So far with all the cruises that we've been on, it's been pretty well planned, no one got into an accident or got pulled over by the cops (well, maybe except that one time when that one random chick in the Porsche flipped her car over because she took a turn wayyyy too fast, and even lied to the cop about her speed). But non-GTRs don't count. XD

Everyone has driven with respect to each other, and has communicated well with each other prior to the cruise and also during with walkie talkies (those things were so cool when I was a kid...who knew it would be so useful some 30 years later!).

The meets and cruises are NOT announced publicly, except for current owners, to keep it exclusive to GTRs.

As cool as Blacklist Rally and Northface Rally are (and hey, we all love to see the Lambos and Ferraris come out to play), the GTRs are underplayed because people have the perception that it's not a supercar, or doesn't cost half a million because it's a Nissan.

But this is the brilliant part. It's a brilliant car! It eats Lambos and Ferraris for breakfast, and costs 1/5th of those! Give it some basic bolt ons and a tune, and you are pretty much set in eating all the cars alive that exist in this world today. The Japanese finally did something right, and that is creating this monster car.

So when you have 15 GTRs show up to a meet, and only GTRs, the parking lot sounds monstrous. It won't sound like a F1 race, but it sounds like a bunch of dinosaurs roaring at each other. There's just something about the sound of a GTR that is so distinct and so monstrous, especially when they all start up at the same time. It's one of those noises that you won't want to miss, and one of those noises that you must hear before you die kind of thing.

Because the group is growing and has grown a lot over the past few weeks, people are excited to bring them out. The amount of cruises and meets were very subtle at first, but has now become a weekly (if not twice or thrice a week) event. We hope to continue this as it brings the GTR community closer (the community itself is not as huge as the Genesis Coupes or the Hondas for example), so people already know each other from before.

Which leaves one simple rule. Banned members are not welcome. People may think "what a stuck up thing to do" but here's the thing. If you have a member who was going around lying to everyone about fixing the cars and never really doing it, or doing it poorly that the person is now having to pay double the price to fix their car, then why should they be allowed in the group? As a leader, wouldn't you want to put some sort of control over those types of behaviours?

Wouldn't you want to help your group? Not put your group in jeopardy with this douchebag. For the sake of all members (current and new), banned members are not welcome to the meets or cruises. Fair and simple.

Strada has already taken off with weekly meets already, but I haven't been and don't plan on attending. Ertefa is supposedly doing one huge event in July, similar to Importfest, but I'm not interested. Those shows just never really appealed to me. As much as I love showing off my ride, I rather just enjoy it for myself. I'm the only one who knew what it was like to go through all this with my car, and I'd rather enjoy it behind closed doors than to share it with a bunch of guys who assume whatever they want to assume. Cool yeah you can assume whatever you like, but I'm just done with all the drama associated with cars and people.

If there is drama in the car scene (and trust me, there's a lot), I rather just sit back and watch it unfold. Not participate in it or egg them on. Just watch.

My last bit is about...purse!!! Right of course, I found another purse I'd like but debating with myself to get it or not. It is from Louis Vuitton, and I know from my post a while ago, I said I'd never buy a LV bag because they are mostly canvas and not leather. However, this one is one of the classics and is cute to wear for casual or nice nights out.

The price is reasonable (well, at this point anything below 3 grand is reasonable), but I am still debating. My priority is that I should get the car fixed up and ready to go before I buy another purse. Or maybe I should wait. I did notice some LV prices have gone down. Now that's weird! Usually it's the opposite way. I'm not sure how long this will last, but probably not very long. It's always a gamble with these purse prices.

Or maybe I should reward myself for working too hard. To the point where I got another job in the medical field. I'm not sure how I will balance two FT and PT jobs, but one thing I know is...shopping spree!

Not. Yeah we shall see how it goes. I have yet to go in and look at it and try it on. It's one thing to see online and watch videos with other people reviewing it, but it's another thing to actually try the purse on. I remember when I fell in love with the Tivoli PM bag, and kept watching videos after videos about the bag. I went to the LV store to see it in person, and it was not what I expected. It seemed too simple. The hardest part was the zipper. Because of the shape, it was hard to zip and unzip the bag. That to me is the most important part of shopping for a handbag. If you can't open the bag properly, then what's the point of spending all your cash on a bag that won't open or close properly? Doesn't make any sense.

So I didn't buy it. Simple.

I should be good with what I have now. I don't want to entertain the world with my items and end up bankrupting myself.

Cheeeeeers!

Ramblings Etc.

This will once again be a random ramblings post about what has happened the past week. Get ready for it whoop whoop!

I'm not sure if it's me or what, but lately at work it's been crazy hellish busy. All the bad stuff at work seemed to be falling on my head. I don't mean getting in trouble, but in terms of critical issues, I've been the one dealing with it for some reason. The adrenaline kicks in to try and get to the bottom of the issue and make sure things go smoothly. By the end of the week, I'm pretty much exhausted. Never been so happy to see my bed for 8 hours or less.

Another topic to speak about: jealousy.

We parked at one of those lots where you pay for parking. The lot wasn't full, but it was our first time visiting the town that weekend. Parked beside a white sedan (for the life of me I'm trying to remember if it was a Mazda 6 or a Ford Fusion/Taurus because I honestly can't remember). The person who drove it was a mid 20's to early 30's Caucasian male with a Caucasian girlfriend in tow. 

As we were getting our parking ticket, we noticed the male giving us the "HMPH!" attitude, as though to say "Show off, driving such a nice car". We didn't think much of it. It's not like he even talked to us.

We came back from our meal to the lot, ready to get in the car when I noticed this dent that I haven't seen before, on the door panel. Upon further inspection, it had gone down past the paint. We didn't notice any other colour there except white. We knew that white trash had purposely opened his door into the car and gave it a dent. 

Wish I had the plate, otherwise I'd hunt him down and cook him for dinner. Just kidding. I'm not from China so it wouldn't happen. But I would probably still do something terrible that I'll regret in life.

Well, there was not much we could do at that point. Just know that there are some really jealous people out there that will vandalize your property if they feel like it and know they won't get caught. However, there are eyes in the sky. 1) Cameras and 2) God. You think you can escape from your vandalization, but in reality, you will get punished sir. Enjoy your life right now, but you will eventually get what's coming to you.

It reminds me of the time when I parked in a shopping mall underground lot. I was taking a mini nap in the car when all of a sudden BOOM!! It woke me up. There was a Chinese man putting his daughter in the backseat and was opening his driver side door when he actually full blown slammed his door into mine. I gave him the bitch face look, and well he just stared at me like "what did I do wrong?", got in his Honda CR-V and drove off.

Now I could've went after him and caused some damage, but he had his young daughter in the back. I didn't want her to witness any illegal things that I was planning on doing, nor did I plan on eliminating her from identifying me. So I just let it be.

Hilarious. I'm making this sound like some 007 mission to eliminate people I don't like. I can tell you I am far from 007.

Going back to all this, I'm sure many of you have made some minor dings on people's cars, whether intentional or not, and probably didn't cause damage, so you drive off. For those who do it unintentionally, please assess both cars before you leave. Leave your info on the dash if it's really bad, or wait for the other party to come back and explain what happened. 

For those who do it on purpose, you can go eat a pile of horse dung and get butt raped by a horse. I hope one day you will suffer 100 times more than the harm you've caused other people. 

After almost 2 years of running a damaged bumper, I'm finally getting my new bumper painted, along with a front lip and side skirts that I bought just this past spring. All 4 parts have been sent in for painting. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, so they say. Originally I just wanted to not do anything and just leave it because modding right now brings a lot of pain and bad memories.

However, considering these parts are different than the past and I had to shell out more cash again to get parts, I might as well just do it and get it over with. Make her look nice again, and perhaps I can actually enjoy driving her.

For the douchebags that have stolen my front lips, side skirts, and stock tires/rims, I hope you both die a slow and painful death that involves getting your balls chopped into squares. You know who you are.

Genny is slowly coming back to a different girl. Countdown to her final look. Can't wait to shoot some pictures.

This week has been scorching hot hot hot. Sometimes I wish the snow was back, but when I think about my 3 hour trek home in summer tires in the snow, I take it back. Thankfully I wasn't out in the sun much but it wasn't too bad. At least there was still some wind to take away the humidity to some degree. Either way, this is just the beginning!

Being unwell does suck. For the first time in a while, I had to call in sick due to menstrual cramps. Who knew?! It all started off by going to the mall. I thought I had my painkillers with me in my purse, but I actually forgot it on the table at home. If I had it with me it might've been better, but every month is always different.

We weren't at the mall for too long before my symptoms started to flare up, until I was barely able to walk straight. I thought I could pull through since I encouraged my folks to come to the mall and walk around. The plan was for me to sit or lay somewhere on a bench while my folks went shopping but they wouldn't agree to that, so we drove home. 

By the time I got home, it got pretty bad. The pain was just too much. It doesn't help with the bloating too. Took a painkiller and it took some time for it to kick in but it did. Eventually I passed out, but I knew I wouldn't be in good shape to perform 100% at work so I called in. I've pretty much passed out for most of the day and I still feel tired.

Being a woman sucks. Then again, I don't know if I want a penis to hang out of me forever. 

People think that it's just a fake thing, that girls act all bitchy because they have an excuse to, and that the whole PMS thing is not real. Ok, maybe some girls do fake it, and use it as a way to get things their way. However in my situation, I don't have anything to gain. I'm not looking for pity, or money, or freebies. I just want to get better and go to work so people don't have to keep worrying for me. 

It's hard when your body is fatigued (I mean it's understandable). The average blood loss in a given period cycle is 10mL to 35mL. It doesn't sound like a lot, but when you are a woman and having periods every month, it seems like a lot! If someone is suffering from menorrhagia (blood loss of greater than 80mL per cycle), that's when it gets pretty serious. I wish I knew how much I was losing but it's difficult to calculate exactly how much. I'm probably borderline menorrhagia, so that explains why I feel tired for 4-5 days straight, and then I feel better after it all ends. 

So in conclusion, appreciate your lady.

Tailgaters. How much I hate them. The worst are those SUV and pick up truck drivers who think they are driving a Formula 1 car, but in reality, their ride is slow as heck. There are tailgaters who will drive up everyone's ass, or there are tailgaters who only drive up to those who look fast, but leave everyone else alone. Either way, it's a dangerous practice.

I have many stories to tell, but the ones that really stuck out to me was when there was a Land Rover somewhere behind me. I had just made a turn and was doing the limit, when suddenly the Rover came from behind me, changed lanes, and then cut me off while approaching a red light. This is the weird thing though. He didn't have to cut me off because the lane that he was in, there was no car in front of him. Technically he could've stayed there because at the red light, there was no car in front of either of us. But instead, he decided to cut me off on purpose. What did I do? I stayed behind him because I didn't really care much at that point to cut people off.

The light turns green. I usually leave about a 2 second window before I start honking at people to go. The light was clearly green, it was more than 2 seconds, and so I honked. He didn't really budge. So that's when I made sure there were no cars behind, and cut into the next lane to blast past him. Somehow that made him really angry, and now I had this Rover behind my ass. Come on. The light is green. You get mad because someone behind honked because you weren't paying attention? Don't get mad at me. Get mad at your DNA for being too slow to react to light.

After trying to catch up to me, I lost him at the next set of lights. Sorry, but I just don't want to deal with people like those drivers. You instigate something, I will fight back. People can tell me to just leave it be, but seriously if you weren't there, then you had no idea why I acted the way I did. 

The other time I was on the highway, the infamous DVP, going northbound. At that time there was still traffic, and at some point there was stop and go traffic. The traffic was moving from where I was. The fastest you can really go at that point is probably like 60km/h, maybe 70 if you're lucky. Suddenly, the traffic ahead of me stopped. I had a bad habit at that time of not leaving enough space in front of me (and that's most of our mentality, in heavy traffic you tend to stick close to the car in front since you're not going anywhere anyways). I stopped in time, but had to direct my car towards the shoulder/guardrail in order to prevent crashing into the car in front. The car behind me stopped as well. But the car behind him did not stop.

That's when I heard metal crunching behind me. It's scary when you see it in your rearview mirror. The car did not end up crashing into me thankfully, as he left enough space. But his car and the car after him were not so lucky.

You may think it will never happen to you, but you just never know. One sudden wrong move and it could all be over. Thankfully the occupants were ok, just minor injuries and whiplash, but this really emphasizes the importance of leaving enough gap with the car in front of you. If the person behind you doesn't, and ends up smashing into you, it is their fault regardless for not leaving enough space. You can do whatever it takes to be the better driver, but you can't control how others decide to drive. In this case, it's the person who didn't leave enough gap that will be fined/charged with careless driving.

My rant of the week. Now go out and enjoy the weather!

Cruising into Summer

It's end of May, and finally....we are blessed with nice weather. Today's weather is 28 degrees, with humidity it will feel like 31C. Craziness. Last week it was chilly like December and today it's suddenly summer. Welcome to Canada.

It will be the first summer without M. People probably think I'm totally over it because I try to post topics not related to M, but I think that's part of coping as well. If I keep posting about M, I know it will be harder to move on. The only reason why I brought M up now is a couple days ago, I took a nap and had dreams about M. Vivid dreams. It was shortly after he passed, and no matter what I did or where I went, there was always a reminder of him. And I would burst into tears and cry.

I had to ask my folks if they could hear me yell or cry in my sleep but they said they didn't hear anything. But it all felt so real. I could feel the tears rolling down my face, and the sadness through my yelling. That's why I had to ask. Because it felt so real.

I still feel sad to this day. I try to not think about it but sometimes it's hard to ignore it. Over the past 18 years during summer time, we would always let M out to roam the backyard or open the door for him to get some fresh air since he was always an indoor cat. This summer, it's going to feel empty. We can still open the door, but there is nothing there.

All in all, I still have dreams about him sometimes. It's still hard to deal with, especially when your furry companion who has been by your side all these years is suddenly gone. I don't think I've completely gotten over it, but it's been a slow step by step process. I may not be able to achieve 100% of who I was before, but I can only try.

I try to at least enjoy my passion that I was pretty much "born" with: cars. This year, it's not the parking lot meets but it's about the cruises. I know before I had written I would never attend a parking lot meet ever again. There are times cruises start off at parking lots, so it doesn't really count. Parking lot meets are those who meet at parking lots, and you just chill there. No cruises or anything. Just park and talk. Yeah, kind of boring now.

So far there have been 3 cruises that I have attended, and they have all been insane. Thankfully no injuries or accidents. Cruises are difficult to plan, especially the routes, and it's always difficult to keep a huge group together without getting lost. The planners do a lot in advance before setting a cruise date up (a lot of times they have to drive the entire route to make sure nothing is closed).

If you are heading out for a cruise this summer, be sure to give props to the leader and planners please. They do a lot of planning in order to make it possible. Listen to the rules, don't do stupid things like burnouts or peels on public roads. Have two-way radios with you to keep in touch with the rest of the group. It's always good to have a passenger with you to keep track of what's going on. It's a lot more difficult when you go solo on a cruise.

Last weekend, the GTR club met up and I had the opportunity to tag along. A total of 13 GTRs showed up: R32s, R33, and lots of R35s. About 11-12 of them cruised to downtown to have some burritos. Let's just say...the highway sounded like a dinosaur was going to destroy it. It was absolutely insane and brilliant. Windows were rolled up, yet I could feel the vibrations from these monsters driving by, and the exhaust. Just wow.

I can imagine the general society (when I say this, I mean people who have no clue/don't give a damn about cars) who were cruising on the highway that night were probably calling in reports of street racing. What these people don't know is these cars are naturally that loud. And they sound like that on the highway. Especially when they accelerate to change lanes. They are just loud. It's also people like this who I wish would just stay home and not drive. Ever.

I know a lot of Torontonian drivers are just terrible. We have become the China of North America to some degree. But you know what the funny part is? I see a lot of Caucasians and guys getting into accidents vs the "asian women" stigma. I laugh when I see 2 guys who have rear ended each other because well...where are the women? No, not stuck in kitchens. Well, I would be burning down the kitchen so I wouldn't want to be there.

Anyways, back to the cruise. We had a couple of stops along the way to take some photographs. I am not a professional photographer. I just like to take pictures and share if I like them. I don't know much about exposures or whatever. I just do it for fun.

I had posted this on the Toronto Car Spotting page, and let's just say my phone notifications have been going off the hook since Sunday night. I love the photos, and I thank those who also enjoy and love the photos as well. It's all about sharing the same passion and love for cars. And appreciating the photos too.

Cheers!