10 Things To Do Before 2012.

I came across a blog the other day that inspired me to come up with my own list of things to do before the end of the year. Half the year has already flown by already?!? So, in no particular order, here are some of my must do’s:

10. Hop a plane and visit Hong Kong and Vietnam.
I may be one of the few Asian people out there who has never stepped foot in Asia. Last summer I went away for a few weeks to New York and the Bahamas during the gorgeous Vancouver summer and came home burnt to a cinder. This year, I’m saving my vacation and leaving the city when it’s gross and dreary out in the fall and coming back with nothing less than a mediocre tan so I can be the envy of all things pasty. Well, also because my friend lives in Hong Kong and it’s time I visited him. And, who doesn’t love cheap Pho and zooming through the streets of Hanoi on a moped?

9. Run.
I practice this on a daily basis as I pack my bags and run for my life at work. But genetically, I am not a runner. This is something I’ve struggled with for a long time. I’ve had invitations to run 5k’s, 10k’s, half marathons. People must think I have some sort of athletic bone in my body, but I don’t. I struggle with endurance and breathing. However, I’m going to take this in stride, and force myself to go running at least once a week (to start). I’m going to make it past this mental block and become a novice runner. My expectations are low, but I must start somewhere.

8. Write More.
A few years back I blogged for 30 days straight and didn’t blog again for another year and a half. I’m going to try and make writing/blogging a part of my weekly routine. I’m also going to try and be a better blogger, and maybe start my own website and learn HTML. Am I living in the 90′s? Does HTML still work or does everyone use DreamWeaver and what not for websites? Stay with me if you want to find out how this writing process goes. I like readers and comments

7. Maintaining the Book Club.
At the start of the year, I got together a couple of my literary enthusiast pals and started a book club. We read one book a month, and meet to chat about it over yummy food and beverages. We’ve so far read books that we’ve loved, and hated. I’m hoping to keep it going until the end of the year at least. If anyone wants to join, please do. Just as long as you also thought “The Happiness Project” was a fail, you’ll fit right in.

6. Change my hairstyle.
For the past 3 years, I’ve only had relatively short to shorter hair. It’s currently “long” and I am ready to cut it. However, sometimes this is difficult when people advise you to “keep it bodacious” and after asking them for clarification on what that actually means, it’s no doubt that positive reinforcement changes everything. It’s getting warmer out and having 3 pounds of hair only makes it hotter. Oh well. Stay tuned, the femme mullet might make a comeback post wedding season.

5. Go fishing.
No, I don’t mean on Plenty of Fish. I mean like literally, on the water, in a boat, with a rod and maybe some chest waders. For those wondering, no, I’ve never fished and therefore will need a guide. Please, and thank you.

4. Stand Up For Mental Health.
In the spring, I was looking for volunteer opportunities in the Mental Health field to try and figure out if it was something I wanted to develop a career in. I found an opportunity with Stand Up for Mental Health, a non-profit group who at the time was looking for a fundraiser. Not having any experience in fundraising, I replied to the ad anyway, and have now signed on a to long term volunteer commitment with the organization as their Communications/Fundraising contact. This will be a steep learning curve, but something I am truly passionate about. Mental Health is something I’m sensitive towards, and on occasion, struggle with. SUFMH educates the public in attempts to reduce stigma to those who are mentally ill. By working with individuals who are diagnosed with some sort of mental illness, they are trained to do stand up comedy, and by working through their everyday issues with laughter. Shows occur couple times throughout the year so if you’re interested in attending a show, you definitely should! We are all crazy, now it’s just about recognizing it and embracing it!

3. QUIT MY JOB!
I’m pretty positive this is something I should have a year ago. Having said that, I do enjoy having my rent and lifestyle habits supported financially, therefore I am still with this job. But, mark my words, I am going to be done with this job, with or without another by the end of December. Merry Christmas to me!

2. Continue to eat as little meat as possible.
When the year began my friends and I participated in a “4 Weeks to Veganism” challenge where we start by eliminating red meat, and worked towards the end goal of becoming Vegan for a week. Since then, I have reduced my meat intake by at least 50%, and have not had any beef since. I was really shocked by how much I enjoyed being a vegetarian and how much more energy I had. With that, I make it a point to only have vegetarian lunches and will allow chicken and sometimes pork for my meat intake. I’ve grown a fond dependency on tofu and many tofurky products. I’ve also managed to not have fast food for nearly a year! I admit I fell short when I had to participate in the KFC Double Down mania this past fall, but I have not had McDonald’s, A&W, Wendy’s, in a long awhile. A healthier while

1. Live in the moment.
I recently added to my tattoo collection with a new pocket watch on my inner left arm. It’s a reminder to live each day, for the moment, and for the present. But, I chose a pocket watch for the vintage/antique feel as a symbol of the past. For those who know me, you’ll know I am very nostalgic. To the point where it’s sometimes unbearable to listen to songs, or walk through certain streets. However, I’m moving through and past that. Always remember where I’m coming from, never forgetting the past, but living for the moment.

We’ll see in January how much of this I managed to accomplished. Stick around?

Can you feel the RUSSSSH????

Over the weekend, one of my best friends and I took to the city, running into the unknowns as we helped raise awareness for the BC Lung Association. It was our second year in a row participating in Rush – The Urban Scavenger Hunt, and even more memorable than the first. Along with 298 of our now closest friends, we scoured through the city not knowing what to expect, but the unexpected.

As I’m recapping the highlights of the day, my legs and arms are still mildly sore. This is an improvement from last year, where I was sore for a week after. I can still feel the burning! The day began with rain but that didn’t stop us. Joyce and I had a plan, and that was to actually plan and plot our route before we began to run like maniacs. When we were instructed to “GO!” I ran for the volunteer holding the clue cards that would guide us for the next few hours. Joyce and I decided to go far into Richmond first, and leave the Vancouver checkpoints last. To sum it up, we basically popped a balloon with a stranger, attempted to translate traditional bikrams yoga poses into Sanskrit, decipher clues at the Richmond Public Library, and orient ourselves at the killer mandatory checkpoint at Minoru Park. By killer, I meant this was why we didn’t place near the top 20 (which was our goal). Because the checkpoint was mandatory, everyone had to do it. By the time we got to Minoru Park, we were so stoked because we had already 3 checkpoints under our belts, and was ready to conquer this one and run back to Vancouver for the remainder of the course. However, with nearly 20 teams ahead of us in line, I knew this was when that Gold Rush Pass would have played an integral part to the day. The Gold Rush Pass allows teams to bypass any lines at any checkpoint. We stood waiting for 45-55 minutes in line (I know this as I was tweeting, texting, and nervously gnawing at my Cliff bar to pass time). We completed the task within 7 minutes. From there, we knew some of our stamina had been lost and we hopped the skytrain back to East Vancouver where we entered my old stomping grounds for the last haul. We shot balls from sling shots between our legs (think human Angry Birds), caught wet sponges with buckets, went blindfold through the periphery of a park (blind leading the blind), and finally an obstacle/boot camp course at Slocan Park. We did all this within an hour or so. With energy in us again, we hopped the skytrain again and headed to our very last and mandatory checkpoint in Chinatown. This was where we had to stuff our faces with a hazelnut sparkle cookie and a gigantic cinnamon knot from Bread Garden. It’s too bad we didn’t get to enjoy the lovely treats, and I’m sorry to Follow Me Foodie for having to see our faces of anguish as we tried our fastest to devour the goods. Now, we just had to make it back to the finish line. By this time, our good friends Team Dinosaur and Team T & A were already done. Joyce and I finished 45 out of 150 teams, just under 5.5 hours.

With the multiple bumps and bruises, the the mysterious bug bites all over, it was definitely an experience we won’t forget. Though I will never look at Minoru Park the same, and I’ll surely cringe at the sight of another cinnamon anything, I’m glad we all did so well, and helped raise big money for the BC Lung Association. Kudos to the many people in charge of making this day run as smooth as it did, and all the hours of hard work you put into this. Your creativity is what makes us so excited to do this! So, THANK YOU!

Also, thanks to everyone’s generosity, we raised a total of $1260 and will be receiving free registration for next year’s event. Joyce and I really would like to say a very sincere “thank you” and know that we had you in mind when we battled our way through the course of the day. Next June is awhile away, but it’ll be our third year… and you know what they say, three times a charm! Unitl then… with love, team j&k, ftw. yes, for the win

Reasons to pick up a hitchicker

When you’re famous, it’s really easy to become even more famous. This is the absolute truth. So famous that you are able to take an odd situation, and make it really trendy. For example, this past year, Lindsay Lohan and a whole pack of celebrities popularized the concept of checking into rehab. Rehab was cool, trendy, the new place to be. But because LiLo was already so famous, she one upped herself, and made going to prison, an extracurricular activity that may seem immoral, but was actually now, glamorous. I kid you not. For awhile, because I love Lindsay, I told everyone I was in prison, but I really meant I was at work. You get the idea.

On Tuesday, Bono (the peace loving shades wearing frontman of U2) became really famous for hitchhiking. Hitchhiking. You know, what you do when you’re stranded on the side of the road, with your thumb stuck out, hoping to get a ride to anywhere but where you are at that moment. He was in Vancouver hanging out, when it started raining. Apparently not able to adapt to such harsh Vancouver weather conditions, he decided to hitchhike along with his assistant. And of course, another not so local celebrity, Edmonton Oiler’s Gilbert Brule just happened to be there to pick up the non shades wearing Bono and his assistant at the time. Within a matter of some Vancouver rain, an extended thumb, and an A List Celebrity and a C list athlete, hitchhiking and picking up hitchhikers, is now the next claim to fame.

There are perks to picking up hitchhikers in this case. For Brule, this meant backstage passes to a sold out show, and a very special shout out labeling him as a “hero” in front of a stadium of crazy fans. Special. However, for those who don’t believe in happenstance, luck, and possess some legitimate common sense, I urge to reconsider picking up hitchhikers. The skeptic paranoid in me still believes that when an individual is seen standing at the side of the road with their thumb extended, caution should be secured in place. What if this person is an axe murderer, why are they in need of a free ride, are they escaping from the state penitentiary, or maybe they just plain forgot to take their meds and will mistake you for their ex wife and well, murder you. Exactly. Not every hitchhiker will be able to hook it up with free passes to a concert, I’m just saying.

Having said all this, I will entertain the idea of picking up a hitchhiker for sheer entertainment the next time I shall come across one. Thanks to Bono, I will think about how glamorous it would be to maybe pick up an accidental celebrity, running away from some regular weather catastrophe, and then be mentioned on every blog, paper, and gossip site for days to come. Because despite the fact that I am paranoid, you gotta help a lending hand sometime. Because as Bono can now attest to, “sometimes you can’t make it on your own.”

Funny enough, U2′s “Beautiful Day” just came on the radio. So, ENJOY!

Friday, I’m In Love.

Music is one of the primary loves of my life. The first tape I bought was Snow’s “Informer” followed with Kris Kross’ “Jump.” My CD collection began at a very age and is therefore quite expansive, eclectic, and well, somewhat embarrassing. I am extremely guilty of singing in the shower and car. I used to make mixtapes and later on, mix cds for all my friends and lovers. I have 3 different iPods with different music on each one. If I could, I would probably marry music (in some form).

A very dear friend of mine, is getting married in September and has requested that I compile various playlists of songs to provide the soundtrack to the wedding. I accepted with calm composure, but little did she know I was jumping up and down on my imaginary couch, yelling like Tom Cruise à la Oprah style on the inside. I am ecstatic and delighted to play such an integral part on her big day.

Even though I have 2 laptops and an external hard drive full of music and love letters, I am nervous. I want this to be perfect, and I want the music to reflect the “feeling” of the day. I am trying to fuse retro and groovy dance favourites, with the hip hoppity indie rock folk loving hits of today. Meanwhile, I need to ransack the inner romantic in me for mellow, reception time music. This is such an exciting task, I don’t even know where to begin so, I haven’t.

Holly, the bride and I, share a favourite song which will definitely be featured at some point in the evening of her wedding day. The Cure’s, “Friday I’m in Love” always makes me ridiculously happy every time I hear it. I thought it would be appropriate to share with you all on this, Friday.

Also, I will also be featuring one of my favourite bands from my childhood, Salt ‘N Pepa’s “Push It” at the request of the bride along with choreographed danced moves.

I’m looking forward to a summer project of musical creativity. If you have any suggestions on your favourite booty shaking hits, I’d love to hear from you. Or if you have songs you want to hug your snuggie to, that will do as well.

My life as a Canucks fan.

In 1994 I was 12 years young and everyone around me was going crazy. My family, teachers, and friends… everyone had caught on to “towel power” as the Vancouver Canucks battled on their epic run to Lord Stanley himself. It was the best time, and for me, my personal favourite memory of what it means to be a hockey fan. 1994 was a momentous year, and I still remember being glued to the television watching every game with my mother, especially. We cheered, we yelled, and we cried when we lost. It was a big deal. There was no such thing as “homework” on game nights, both from teachers and parents alike. Everyone had a Canuck t-shirt. At school, I remember there was an assembly at one point and the gym was packed with kids and Canuck paraphernalia. Somewhere in my parent’s home, I still have the 1994 towel that everyone waved at games (thank you sentimental hoarding genes). I have great memories of that year, and they have stayed close with me whenever people talk “hockey”. This past winter I was over at a friends house and we played a little Canucks trivia game, just for kicks. My friend and I had to start at Jersey No. 1 and list the player’s number and name of whomever wore that jersey, in numerical order. I beat him. To protect his identity and ego, he shall remain nameless

When we lost Game 7 and all off Robson street was rioting, recovery to normal life was beginning. I went back to my life as a sixth grader, and hockey became a thing of the past. Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Devon Sawa was a much bigger deal. Hockey re-emerged in my life as soon as Todd Bertuzzi joined the team. It was an exciting time for the Canucks, and there was a glimmer of hope that along with Markus Naslund, the team would obtain reach of the Stanley Cup again. That never happened, and I drank a lot as I ditched studying for university exams in exchange for playoff drinks and bar food. Sadly, due to his Steve Moore aggressive head punching incident, lawsuits, and suspension, he left the city, and I left hockey (again).

Vancouver has always been a hockey city, but admittedly, I’ve found the Canucks hard to love in the past few years *insert unanimous boo-ing here. In the past few seasons, I would watch a game, get hyped, cheer, and then be disappointed with bad goals, reckless turnovers, and overall defeat. As a person, I don’t deal well with disappointment, and that was all the Canucks were delivering for a long time. It’s 2011, and it’s again, a great time to be a hockey fan in this city. Best goal tending in the league, top scoring twins, and the coveted President’s Trophy says it all. Hockey mania has ensued as car flags, jerseys, and seas of blue and green litter the city. Contagious campaigns such as “Believe in Blue” caught fire overnight. The green men are local celebrities, and so is the chick who decided to flash her boobs at then of Game 2 versus San Jose. It’s undoubtedly a great time to be a Vancouver Canucks fan right about now.

I get quite a bit of flack from everyone who doesn’t approve of my lacking Canuck mania. It’s okay though, because for me, hockey and the Canucks hold a very dear spot in my heart. In 1994, when I was 12 years young, I loved nothing more than Kirk McLean and Trevor Linden. Pavel Bure “The Russian Rocket” had a spot on my bedroom wall, and I’ll always know every 1994 team player and jersey number to heart. I loved the Canucks when they stayed at the Pacific Coliseum before the glitz of Rogers Arena. I loved them with all my youthful spirit I had, topped with a bag of gummy bears. There is a deep Canuck fan inside of me, and I hope this year, the same fan will resurface. I feel it, and as the road to Lord Stanley continues, even though I don’t possess the same pre-pubescent enthusiasm, I make up for it in hope and heart.

For the remainder of the playoff run, I’m going to believe in blue. And for the remainder of the playoff run, a little part of me will be 12 again.