pattiez's blog

I just had a 3.75 hour meeting today for IMC. This week, I was in meetings for 7.25 hours. Thankfully they were very productive.

I can do it!

Next week will be intense. I'm actually looking forward to it. =)

Now, should I bother making dinner or just have a big breakfast. Hmm...

Labels: co-op, imc, sma, YWiB

After reading Stephen's new post, I figured I should write one too. I've been insanely busy this semester. I've confirmed that the busy lifestyle is what I love. I love the feeling of going from one place to another. The need to have a continuous to do list. It's so fulfilling to see a page of "to do's" all checked up and having it spill to another page. It's weird, but I'm not exactly "not weird".

It sure doesn't feel like summer though. The weather has been horrible. Toronto gave me a real summer to compare to, so Vancouver is disappointing me right now.

May highlights:

I'm not sure if I mentioned about my first official day of coop. Well, the wind blew out the power... twice. I ended up going home after 3 hours of work; two and a half of which we were out of power.

We spent our first anniversary in front of the television watching the very disappointing round two game four playoff game. Oh, and he made steak dinner. Yum.

Toronto! It was nice and relaxing. I really appreciated the luxury of taking Friday off from coop as well, so my trip was Friday to Monday rather than just Saturday to Monday. The concert was amazing. Our last meal before returning to Raincouver was outside in the patio. We enjoyed a nice meal with a cocktail and 27 degree weather.

Just on Friday, I went to a meeting with the organization that's paying for my coop. I found out when they were introducing me that they wanted me to do a short speech. Improvising in front of 23 established professionals is not exactly a easy thing.

The past week, I've had about 5 hours worth of meetings for YWiB (www.ywib.ca). Come to think about it, compared to the amount of work that has been done, 5 hours isn't a lot. I'm excited to see our programs and events launch by the end of the summer. The hard work will be worth it!

I finally tried the new ramen place: Hokkaido Ramen Santouka. It's a ramen chain that originated from Japan. I really enjoyed the soup. The cha-shu was delicious! It melted in my mouth. Om nom nom. I didn't enjoy the noodles too much, despite the apparent claim by Japanese people that Santouka cooks their noodles perfectly. I would prefer it if it was a tad softer. Just a tad. Oh, and locals claim that Santouka is the most authentic ramen shop in Vancouver. That may be true, but I've had ramen in Hokkaido and well... it's not the same.

Labels: canucks, co-op, concert, food, food adventure, him, holiday, Japan, trip, vacation, YWiB

Eight official days down and I'm loving the position. I'm tired, and a tad overwhelmed, but it's a nice change. Usually, when I'm overwhelmed, there's no clear break between work and life. But because I'm by the hour, once I leave the office, I can put my "overwhelm-ness" on break. Love it! =)

Enjoyed a nice evening with A. "Panda" Lee. We went to Foundation for some om nom nom goodness and then enjoyed some Asian refreshments after. It was nice to catch up and just chit chat. I love how open we can be. No censorship here. It's rare to find a friend like that now... especially with so many years of history too. I'm lucky.

Mmkay, need to rest now. How is everyone else's summer going?

Labels: co-op, food

May is not coming soon enough. I am exciting for the next few months. I'm going to be busy with my first coop term planning Canada Day and the Summer Concert Series in North Vancouver. I had a meeting with a previous coop student in the same position today. I didn't realize how intense this coop term will be. I'm really nervous but excited at the same time. Other plans for the summer semester include intense Canucks playoff games, YWiB, work at CTS, Toronto Trip, Bard on the Beach, and walks along the seawall. It's going to be a great summer... I hope.

What are you people up to?

Labels: co-op

Here are my plans for next semester (so far). Yes, as a student, my life is separated into semesters. 'sigh'

May
02 CTS: Brooks & Dunn
?? coop officially begins
09 CTS: Eagles
15 CTS: Celtic Woman
21 Toronto Trip
22 Taylor Swift concert
24 back to Vancouver

June
27 Much Ado About Nothing (Bard on the Beach)

July
01 Canada Day in North Vancouver (I wonder if I get stat pay...)

August
02 BC Day (day off!)
?? coop ends
20 CTS: Michael Buble
23 CTS: Lady Gaga

*note: this post will be constantly updated

Labels: co-op, holiday, plans, theatre, vacation

So I just received a email from Co-op Advising for new international co-op opportunities. There was one that just made me literally "lol": "Teach Math in China".

Seriously?

"Students will teach grade 12 level math to students in China."

I don't know about you, but my understanding is that China's mathematics (in terms of academics) are much more advanced than Canada's. This was placed under the Science faulty too. I supposed any second year university student should have an advanced understanding of math. However, it's still a strange thought to want a Canadian university student teaching math in China.

What do you think?

Labels: co-op, hmm

Does volunteering pay off? Yes.
Is community involvement important? Yes.
Is school involvement in clubs important? Yes.

Sure, sometimes I do things and I realize that I hate it. I see it more of a good thing rather than a waste of time. I am able to cross things out. Deduction ftw!

Weeee~

This is a very fragmented post with only one purpose.

Guess what?

...

I got the first co-op position I interviewed for!

The best part? It was the only position I really wanted.

More details...

Ever since I decided on my major, I have done a lot of thinking in regards to career paths I would want to pursue. I ended up with three; one of them being event planning. I have always enjoyed the logistics of events. Even in everyday life, I enjoy being kept busy going from one thing to another. So event planning fits perfectly for me. There are cons though to balance off the pros. If I do end up in event planning, it'll be difficult to keep a family (depending on the husband of course) due to the busy and irregular schedule. Also, it may involve a lot of traveling. Another is that the market in Vancouver for it is not very big. I would either have to settle with less income or relocate. But either way, I am excited for this co-op position because it'll help me in crossing it off my list or pushing it to the top.

By the way, check me out in July because I'll be event planning Canada Day in North Van. =)

Labels: co-op

Should I apply to coop positions that aren't in the lower mainland?

Cons
-away from family, Dino, friends
-need to find a place to live
-unguided challenge of being independent

Pros
-open to opportunities that may not be locally available
-different environment
-challenge my independence and individuality
-learn my own way of life and culture (further self-discovery)

What else should I consider? What are your thoughts?

Labels: co-op