26 before 27

Starting real early this year.  It's 12:41 am on October 2, 2016.

1. Have a raisin bread grilled cheese.  Check. It's greasy but yummy.
2. Make a turkey.
3. Winery tour.
4. Contiki trip with Andrew
5. Actually go to the South of France.
6. Make French onion soup.
7. Go on a picnic.
8. Go camping
9. Go skiing.
10. Start a new diary
11. Go to a concert
12. Take pole dancing class
13. Go to yoga class
14. Have lunch from home for both of us 4 days a week. Meal plan.
15. Don't have a baby.
16. Sky diving
17. Get motorcycle license
18. Get a motorcycle
19. Paint a painting.
20. Make three new recipes
21. Have a shrimp taco.
22. Learn a new piano piece.
23. Have friends over for BBQ.
24. Get the backyard and garden beautiful
25. Read 12 books
26. Get real estate license

23 Before 24

1. Weight goal: 140lb
2. Learn to ride motor cycle
3. bake cookies
4. Travel 
5.  

yeah. that's how far things got in year 23.... 

24 Before 25

Oh ho, looks like I didn't even finish MAKING a list of 23 before 24 last year. Bad Girl!

However, 23 was a very sweet year for me. Lots of growth and new experiences. I don't think there's anything I regret or truly dislike about year 23. =) Now, onto the list for 24 before 25, quarter century!

1. Sky Dive
2. Go on a tropical vacation Does Spain count? It was hot in southern Spain...Palm trees and everything!
3. Learn to dance - swing dance perhaps?
4. Read at least 12 books. One per month isn't too hard!
5. Go on a winery tour.
6. Climb Maccu Picu - Inca trail
7. Pick up the Viola again
8. Paint a painting
9. Practice calligraphy
10. Move out on my own  50 Stephanie St. Check.
11. Have that serious adult conversation with my parents  Been having lots of those.
12. Go horseback riding
13. Achieve my 'ideal' weight. 140 lbs perhaps?
14. Visit Richview CI
15. Wine appreciation. Learn and drink up!
16. Go on a road trip  PEI 3-day road trip. Yup.
17. Go camping
18. Row or Canoe or Kayak Dragon Boat. Close enough.
19. Make Curry
20. Make tomato sauce AND made dinner for Ray, Andrew, and Sam.
21. Make a budget and stick to it. Track money spending.
22. Learn one completely new piano piece
23. Learn how to use a sewing machine
24. Start a business

Shiseido 2014 GWP

Shiseido 2014 GWP bonus at the Hudson's Bay is starting March 12, 2014.

Places to Visit/Do

1. Moulin Rouge
2. Louvre
3. Baker Street
4. CERN
5. Buckingham Palace
6. Eiffel Tower at night
7. Notre Dame 
8. Sacré-Cœur 
9. Arc de Triomphe
10. Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid
11. vienna-card
12. salzburg- salzburg card

22 Before 23

1. Graduate from Electrical Engineering! Convocation is June 15th! 
2. Start rock climbing I WENT rock climbing...once so far...
3. Weight goal: 140lb
4. Sky dive
5. Swim regularly
6. Learn about RRSP  Kind of. Got my pension stuff in order. 
7. Plan a tropical vacation
8. Read 20 books  Yes, I think I managed 20 books this year. 
9. Learn Chinese
10. Go to ROM
11. Learn 2 new piano pieces fluently Learned two easy ones. =) But they were pretty and fun. 
12. Learn to dance - swing style
13. Go on a picnic I'm going to say yes to this one...totally picnicked in Paris. 
14. Go on an overseas trip  Went to Europe April 28 to May 18! 
15. Loose my donut belly
16. Skate
17. Toboggan with cafeteria trays
18. Make a scrapbook/album for undergrad years
19. Make a flower garden I'm going to say vegetable garden counts. Spent a good two days digging around in the yard. 
20. Bake cookies
21. Go for a meal at Mel's Diner
22. Make a costume for IRS--Was sick during IRS.

So, overall, I'd say I did okay. Not fabulous, but Okay. There has been some attempt/action towards the baking cookie, swing dance, and tropical vacation...but....just didn't get around to FINISHING the tasks yet.

The Working Women

I have a question to pose to all the women out there, both young and old. How do you balance or plan to balance the work-family balance?
Now, as a female engineer (electrical at that), I know I am a minority. I know I face more challenge for equality and opportunities in the future in my male-dominated profession, but that is a battle I am willing to take on. I knew about the challenges I was facing for being an Electrical Engineer, but the one issue that has surprisingly captivated my attention is the Work-Family balance.
When I think about trying to balance working full time and running a household, I start panicking. I, like many of my generation (those in their 20’s) want both a family and career. I was raised by a strong-willed and devoted working mother, and a working father who does household chores without being asked. Yet, I also know that I am an only child, and not even one they had to worry about a lot. I like to think I am independent and records show I did well in school. They, being immigrant parents, did not help me with homework. They did, however, take me to my math and piano classes (like most devoted and doting Asian parents). They devoted their Friday nights and Saturday mornings to my classes, and I am forever thankful to them for that.
However, I ask how the heck I am going to do for my kids what they did for me. I plan, and hope, to have more than one child, which means there will be an even greater time commitment. Throw in the fact that I work in a competitive male environment, where my colleagues will stay late to finish projects, makes me question just how I will do all I need to do in 24 hours a day. (And I LOVE sleeping…). I mean, my hours are not flexible, and I really can’t work from home. So what should I do? Sacrifice my career for my children’s? Or not be the mother I want to be, so I can be the Engineer?
The examples of working female engineers I have personally met are not inspiring hope. I was at a Women in Engineering talk a few months ago, and this very dedicated and driven female engineer was giving the talk. She’s a successful consultant, who owns her own company, has spare time to travel…etc. She gave us all these tips on how to succeed in the male dominate work place, and have a successful career. Yet, in the Q&A, she revealed that she’s on Husband 2.0 and does not have kids. I understand that she as an individual did not want kids and chose not to have any, but what are the rest of us to do? She played by the boy’s rules, and worked long and hard hours to earn respect and reputation in her field. Further examples are the two women in my group. One older one has children, and the younger does not. Now, when I say younger, I mean 30 years old, which isn’t old, but isn’t that young either. The younger one has no plans to have children soon, and the older one gets here super early everyday so she can be home for her school-aged children. However, she has no prospects of advancing her career currently as she does not take on challenging projects and takes more time off compared to her male counterparts.
How about a house hubby? Hm? That sounds enticing no? My dad stayed home on and off throughout my school years as he did consulting, when he was home, he would do everything from the cooking to the cleaning to the shopping. But when he worked, my mom had to step up again and do the cooking…etc. The balance there, of course, was money and family. He couldn’t stay home all the time because we could not afford the lifestyle we wanted, plus, he likes working. Which brings us to another point; most husbands don’t want to be a house husband. Most males I know, enjoy making lots of money, preferably more than their wives. Maybe I should find a guy who can work from home? Or don’t mind being a house hubby? Hm…food for thought. Which professions can work from home?
So the question remains. How do you balance it? Or are you just choosing which one is more important to you and neglecting the other? Do you have a house husband =) ?

Dear Sony pt 5

Hi Sony,

I get the hint. My cell phone and camera is too old. It's so old in fact, that my computer won't even support the M2 adaptor. Yes dear review-seekers, the E-series laptop does NOT support the older, larger Sony Memory stick size. fml. I should have checked because my beloved cell is so old it uses the M2 memory, which has an adaptor to a standard size Sony Memory stick, which is apparently too big for today's modern times.

Oh, to add insult to injury. The EA Vaios are now discontinued. The CA Vaio line looks promising thought. It changed and fixed some of the problems I experienced with the EA.

LOLs: You Need One!

Hand Puppet / Loofah

Look what I found today! =)

Aren't they adorable? Yes, it's a loofah attached too its stomach. It's made of a washcloth material and meant to be used as a shower scrubber-thingy.

Purr by Katy Perry

Has anyone smelled/worn it yet? How is it? I'm totally LOVING the bottle and I'm tempted to go searching for it. Does anyone know where I can find it in Canada? Any good reviews on it?
It's totally on my list of things to get (Just for the bottle too....a purple kitty? I'm in.)

EDIT: Got it from Shoppers Drug Mart for $20 if anyone's interested.

yay pictures!

Yay! Pictures! I just added some pictures to the C&E review from ages ago. I'm taking pictures at night, at my computer desk. My alternative is to take them downstairs with the white light and carpets (a la the coke mug pictures). Which do we like better? Or does it not matter that much? Because it really is more convenient for me to take pictures here in the study....however, the pictures taken downstairs seem more true to colour. Um, right, I'll try to be not too lazy and take the pictures downstairs.

Oops...

I seemed to have deleted an old post. Oops. If you've read it, it's the one about how I deemed myself a good person. I still do, but I just don't feel the need to type it up again. If you have a copy archieved, then please send it to me and I'll repost it. Otherwise, it's gone into cyberspace trash. Oops.

Re: Trackball Mouse

I've used the Logitech Trackball Mouse for a while now, so I figured it was time to give it another review.

Overall, the mouse is an easy to use mouse with an easy learning curve. The only tricky operation I found was to drag stuff around. To do drag and drops successfully consistently took some time to master, but it wasn't a big deal and it got easier once you got more accustomed to the track ball. I’ve had no problems with it doing drawings on CAD.

It’s a true plug and play with no software installation required (I’m using it on the company computer and I don’t have privileges to install stuff). Smooth integration between software and hardware (the computer doesn’t notice a difference between which mice I’m using as far as I can tell).

The new mouse did indeed take stress off my wrist. However, my wrist would still hurt occasionally if I’ve been working non-stop with it. That, I believe, is just muscle fatigue from too much usage rather than strain due to improper support and posture.

The mouse is a decently large size, and thus does provide support for the palm and wrist area. However, I only have medium sized hands (so my dish-washing rubber gloves say), and that fact might not hold true with users with larger hands.

Goals, goals, goals

It's that magical time of the year again! No, it's not New Years, it's the countdown to back to school. My year is divided into thirds that rotate between school and co-op. So this goal setting thing actually happens about three times a year. (Better than the once-a-year for New Years right?)

Let's start with short term goals. Things that need to be done ASAP and is more like a to-do list. I'm going to put it out here so I can be accountable to someone in cyberspace.....or at least so I know there's a permanent record of it in this world.

So, what's on my goal list/things to do list for the next little while?

1. Log my PEO Hours
2. Finish Work Report
3. Finish reading 222 notes (It's a course I'm taking next term. One that I particularly dislike and thus, I figured I should get a head start on it.)
4. Review last term's Math course (Because who really remembers all those theories after 4 months?)

Re Amy Chua / Tiger Mom

The internet has been abuzz with Amy Chua's book and her parenting style for quite a while now. I've been quietly reading them and thinking about what people has been saying and felt the need to add in my two cents.

First off, congrats to her daughter who got into Harvard. However, it's NOT a testament of Chua's parenting skills. Her kid was a Harvard shoo-in to start off with. You CANNOT be a prof's kid and not get into their school. Especially when you are the child of two law professors who are also Harvard Alumni. To not get into Harvard would have been a challenge. Their daughters had the perfect conditions given to them regardless of how Chua parented them. They would have been surrounded by the some of the smartest and most motivated people in the world growing up, and they would have had great role models. They had access to basically endless resources, I’m sure money or even time spent with parents was never a problem. Parenting is only a part of the picture, not the whole story. Please people, let's give the children some credit for what they achieved. I believe they would have achieved MORE if Chua didn't control their lives so much actually. They, the daughters, are clearly gifted and motivated individuals.

Second, those daughters are going to need therapy when they are older. I GUARENTEE it. They would be unable to cope with failure, constantly seeking others’ approval, and of course, endlessly trying please their mother. I can only wish them the best when they are faced with failure, because they have probably never learned what it is like. I hope they will be okay when dealing with rejection and disappointment.

Third, Madam Chua, you are a hypocrite and liar to some extent. Your husband is Jewish, and non-asian. There was no way your children would have been exposed to ONLY Asian parenting. No way. Impossible. You, yourself, are rather non-traditionally Asian yourself, and I’m sure it passed on to your daughters through your parenting. Your own life choices defy Asian parenting. Madam, I’m sure growing up, you had more freedom than your daughters. I’m also sure you grew up with less amiable circumstances than your daughters, but you overcame hardships because you were free to make your own choices and claimed ownership over your life. You defied your parents and married a non-Asian. You defied your parents and went into Law. I wonder if your daughters will have the guts to defy you in the future? I wonder how much stuff they hide, or will hide, from you to avoid your disapproval? I wonder how many days and nights your daughters will spend stressing to figure out a way to tell you something. I’m sure if your daughters got tested for their ability to lie, especially lie to you, they’ll be up there with some pretty damn good poker players. Madam Chua, as your daughters grow older, they will grow closer to their father and further from you as their father will offer them understanding and not judge them. I hope you are aware of all this and prepared to deal with what the future has in store. Actually, I know you are prepared. I just hope your daughters are prepared too.

These are my thoughts on what I have gleamed from your interviews and newspaper publications. I have not yet read the book, and I’m sure it’s a lot less severe than what the media makes it out to be. However, my worries and thoughts towards what your daughters will deal with are genuine and some are from experience, because like them, I was raised by a Tiger Mom. I love her dearly, but I sure would appreciate a less painful up-bringing.

To all the Tiger Cubs out there, I want to hear about your experiences. I would be extremely interested to see a book showing the other side of the Asian parenting experience. If anyone IS compiling something of the sort, I’ll be happy to contribute.

Grey's Anatomy: SUCH A GOOD EPI!

This week's epi (song beneath song ?) is SOOOO GOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO WATCH GO WATCH GO WATCH!!!!!!

Coco Cola Mugs

Look what I found at the dollar store! Don't you think they look pretty cool? I think they'll be fabulous for some beer, juice, and of course, cola. Ben, don't you think it'll fit my collection of coco cola bottles perfectly? =D

OPI Nail Polish: Green-wich Village

I bought two OPI nail polishes in January, one purple, one green. I'm going to review the Green-wich Village one day since it's near spring and st. patrick's day. =)

The nail polish has a decent formula, it's a little soft compared to those long-wearing nail polishes, but decently long lasting and durable. You need about three coats to achieve the colour on the bottle, or else it looks more like a lighter lime colour. The green is slightly, very slightly, more yellow than blue. It's not super noticeable and the colour does get darker with each layer you put on. The colour is opaque and without any shimmer or glitter. It's just a nice, glossy, and strong colour. It's not a neon, but it is noticeable and nicely bright.

Overall, it's a pleasant nail polish, easy to use and apply. I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a green nail polish. It is the true-est green I have found to date. The photos for the nails are below. They were taken by the windows, and there's conveniently some real plants in the background for comparison! =)

Scheduling

Scheduling. Will it be my savior for next term? I'm alright with doing everything I need to do when I'm home on co-op, but I seem to have a knack for destorying any attempts at keeping a sane schedule when I'm away at school. So, with an eye on the future and with my 20/20 hindsight of what happened during the last two years I was at school, I'm going to create a schedule that is hopefully flexible and encompasssing of all that I need to do.

Here's a list of needs and wants that I need to fit into my schedule.

1. 15 minutes to and from class
2. 2 hour of 'me' time a day (it's not excessive at all, because I'm throwing in my showering, teeth brushing....etc time in here)
3. 3 meals a day min.
4. class time.
5. laundry and house cleaning time each week
6. 9 hours of sleep a day (yes, 9 hours. I actually function best when I get 10 hours, and at 8 hours a night, I'm like a zombie.)

I will post what I come up with later. Wish me luck! =)