Sorting Through the Clutter
If you somehow were able to unearth my diary amidst the clutter of my room, then you would probably find something like this...
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Sorting Through the Clutter If you somehow were able to unearth my diary amidst the clutter of my room, then you would probably find something like this... |
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Wednesday, October 19, 2011 Easily Distracted This is what I need to do so that I can spend some quality time with my blog and give you some fabulous updates! In the meantime, here's a short update: - got married!! ♥ - went on our AH-mazing one-month honeymoon in Vietnam - settling into the new home - loving married life xo Labels: Globetrotting, Great Loves, Life and the City posted by Jenn | 8:23 PM |Saturday, June 11, 2011 More Wedding stuff... As the day approaches, I'm pretty sure all I'm going to be blogging about (if I even have time to blog) is wedding stuff :) So I'm warning you now, gentle readers. The designer sohomode that created my bridesmaids' dresses emailed me the other day: They're ready! Here are some pictures of the dresses still in the designer's studio in NYC:   Aren't they freakin' gorgeous? I can't wait to see my girls in them!! It's becoming more real now. Shortly after I got engaged in September last year, I started researching like crazy. Reading every wedding blog possible, soaking in all the inspiration and ideas. I found that in the past two months I stopped checking wedding blogs every day. And then it dawned on me: I finally found my vision....and I'm running with it now. I'm hoping it all comes together. Getting more excited...and a little anxious. A little more than two months away now.... :) Labels: Great Loves, It's all about me posted by Jenn | 3:19 PM |Monday, March 21, 2011 Timelines: Great Loves (and the not-so-great ones too) In celebration of getting engaged, I thought I would start this timeline series so I can walk you through how I got to the point of finding THE great love. This follows on Eighteen. ************************************************************ 1999: Aged 19: He spoke with a slight European accent even though he was born in Canada. I had a crush on him for 3 years at this point but I resigned myself to the fact that we would only ever be friends. He was too perfect- almost intimidatingly so. Gorgeous hazel eyes framed by long lashes, strong broad shoulders, and a playful smirk all rolled into an athletic and intelligent package. He also mercilessly teased me (which he later admitted was clumsy flirting) so I could never really let my guard down around him. We both graduated from our respective high schools and found ourselves attending the same university. Miles from home, we bonded over advanced differential equations and late-night study sessions. He stopped teasing me long enough for us to have real conversations. I started to fall in love and to my surprise, so did he. Late one night at my dorm, he told me how he felt. We were instantly inseparable. He was the first boy I ever loved...I thought we were actually going to get married. I read this quote once - "The magic of first love is our ignorance that it can ever end" and looking back at the two-year whirlwind of young love and college romance, I can see how how true those words are. It was a beautiful relationship but it has long since ended. Labels: Great Loves, Timelines posted by Jenn | 10:58 PM |Wednesday, January 26, 2011 Timelines: Great Loves (and the not-so-great ones too) In celebration of getting engaged, I thought I would start this timeline series so I can walk you through how I got to the point of finding THE great love. This follows on Six. ************************************************************ 1998, Aged 18: Notice the huge break between this chronological entry and the last one? Yes, my father was one of those fathers that "banned" me from boys. How did he do that? Well from the age of when puberty hit to when I was of legal age (and could therefore make my own decision), he put me in an all-girl high school. It wasn't as bad as it sounds, but it really did do the job. Or it did the job until my OAC year (that's grade 13 for those who were not born in Ontario, Canada...or not born at all yet in the years prior to 1986). I went to my first co-ed dance party and that's where I met Brian. He had all the traits that made fathers (or maybe just MY father) ban their teenage daughters from dating: he was a rebel, he had an earring, he was hot. The next Monday, I met my best friend at her locker and swooned all the way to homeroom. She could only smirk and roll her eyes at me. But she was happy for me. Even though she had to put up with all my mushy gushiness for weeks on end. It was a long distance relationship - long distance for teenagers who didn't own cars. He lived in Newmarket so we talked all night on the phone. And sometime all throughout the night into the early morning. We met up whenever we could. We shared our first kiss outside of the Playdium. But like all long-distance teenage infatuations, they ended for almost no reason at all. The relationship just kind of faded away after 5 months of mostly just talking on the phone. I never forgot how giddy I felt when I was with him. Labels: Great Loves, Timelines posted by Jenn | 10:06 PM |Monday, November 29, 2010 I'm ENGAGED! (Well it happened about 3 months ago...but I'm not that good with the blog-updating) Crazy, huh? But it happened. I love this boy so much and he makes me so incredibly happy. Even after 3 years of dating, he still manages to surprise me with how smart/funny/annoying/loving/sweet//vulnerable he can be. I'm excited to start the rest of my life with him... But that got me thinking about what happened in my life to bring me to where I am today. So I'm going to start a new series: Great loves (and the not-so-great ones too) ***************************************************************** 1986, Aged 6: His name was Joe. He was probably the most popular boy in my class. He had curly dirty-blonde hair and a ThunderCats backpack. Even our teacher knew we were an item. He would pair us up when our class lined up to go on field trips to the community centre skating rink. I chased him around during recess and gave him a kiss on the cheek. I don't think he was able to handle the commitment. A week later, he was hanging out with other girls. He didn't even have the decency to tell me it was over. To be continued... Labels: Great Loves, Timelines posted by Jenn | 7:59 AM |Friday, June 25, 2010 I wrote in my last post that I was looking forward to what my 30s will bring. What I didn't expect was how quickly I was going to be able to to see what my 30s are bringing! Two weeks after all the festivities, I rolled my ankle REALLY badly while playing ultimate. Like - REALLY badly - like 'gasping in pain for a few minutes while rolling around on the grass field' badly. I had to sit out for the rest of the game but I was able to walk by the end of the game. And I've been walking around fine since then. BUT my ankle is still not 100%. I used to have the strongest ankles ever (thanks to years and years of mastering how to walk/jog/run in heels) but my right ankle is still tender if I push my fingers hard into it and if cannot do the yoga lotus position without wincing. That's right. My 30s body is no longer capable of healing as quickly as 20s body. I couldn't believe it. It's actually quite annoying. I had to wear an ankle brace this past week during our ultimate game just so I could run at full speed and now worry about my ankle doing something weird. *shakes fist at ankle* On the flipside, the 30s me is seeing progress on the career front. I got a promotion!! Finally, after years of being a "fresh grad", my company has finally recognizing all the blood/sweat/tears that I've poured into my work. (Okay, no blood...but definitely some sweat and tears). The official announcement went out on Tuesday, so I no longer need to keep it a secret from anyone. Although my new position has the word "senior" in it. Way to make me feel like I'm in my 30s. *shakes fist at company* Labels: Grown Up Stuff, Life and the City posted by Jenn | 8:19 AM |Saturday, May 08, 2010 I had a fantastic birthday weekend. You'd think that saying goodbye to my 20s would make me all sad and mopey. But nope, my fabulous friends and I escaped to nearby Niagara Falls to celebrate my new decade (well, me and PC's new decade..since we said goodbye too our 20s within 2 days of each other). I haven't gone on a getaway with a bunch of friends in awhile and I rediscovered how everything is extra fun when shared with fabulous people. I won $25 from the casino, appreciated wine with my increasingly rambunctious comrads, enjoyed the best steak I've ever had with the company of my closest15 friends, danced until my feet hurt at the local meat market/club, and then got kicked out of the hotel for partying too hard. Nothing says a great party like getting kicked out of a hotel ;) So no regrets as I leave my 20s and confidently enter into this exciting phase of my life. I'm excited to see what my 30s bring. Labels: Globetrotting, Life and the City posted by Jenn | 11:11 AM |Monday, March 22, 2010 My dad is the greatest dad to have ever walked the Earth. My mom died when my little brother and I were just kids. I was 10, just teetering on the edge of tween-hood and my brother was still sleeping in his carebear bedsheets. My dad single-handedly raised my brother and I. He was both my mother and father. I didn't really have a mother figure in my life during my formative teen years, but I was never in need of a role model. He taught me to be strong-minded and strong-willed, yet at the same time gentle, respectful, and compassionate. He taught me to love because he unconditionally loved me. In grade school, he would drive my brother and I around on weeknights and all weekend to our piano, swimming, skating, violin, and art lessons. He high school, he always made sure that my brother and I were never in need of anything. When I moved away to university, he would bring salt to sprinkle on my walkway so I wouldn't slip while running late to class. During one really bad winter, when I nearly spun out on the highway while driving back to university, I called him in tears from the highway. He offered to drive up into the snowstorm to get me. I wouldn't let him do that, so instead he stayed on the phone with me and navigated me through all the local roads until I had driven through 3 cities and arrived back on campus. When I graduated and moved into the big city to live on my own, he would bring me homemade soup when I got sick and couldn't stomach anything else. Now that I'm all grown up (for the most part), I recognize what a blessing my dad is and how much I can still learn from him. I cherish ever moment I spend with him. Labels: Grown Up Stuff, Thoughts posted by Jenn | 8:35 PM |Sunday, March 07, 2010 I don't have a particularly acute sense of smell. My olfactory gifts are pretty standards. But once in awhile, a familiar smell, scent, odour will drift by - filling my head with an instant jolt of memories. I don't keep a diary. But smells will do the trick if I want to wander a little bit down memory lane. I bought this fancy new shampoo in first year of university, when I moved away from home for the very first time. I wanted it to be a year of everything new. I bought this shampoo again last week. I didn't even know they still made the brand. The moment I started sudsing up my hair, I was hit was this unmistakable feeling of homesickness, uncertainty, and anxiousness. For absolutely no reason at all. But with a flip of the shampoo bottlecap, it brought back all the feelings of moving away for the very first time. Or how about the time I was walking on the sidewalk on a hot sunny summer afternoon. I didn't even notice the guy walk past me but all of a sudden I was holding hands with my first love. It was Fall, the leaves were fluttering off the trees, and I was walking amidst the century-old buildings at the university we both attended. That cologne smells like butterflies in my stomach, first kisses, and endless daydreams about the first boy I ever loved. My brother got me this drugstore perfume that I still love to spray on from time to time. I stopped using it for awhile, but started using it again sometime last year. It made me think of all the times I got ready for dates in my purple bedroom, of when I got dressed up to go out dancing all night long, or when I was meeting the girls downtown for dinner. Whenever I spray that perfume on, I smell excitement and anticipation. So who needs to write things down in a diary, when I have all these scents - all these olfactory cues - that waft around me? posted by Jenn | 7:25 PM | Wednesday, January 13, 2010 Happy new year! One of my friends told me that once January 3rd rolls by, you're not allowed to wish anyone happy new year anymore. Well, because the year is old already, she claimed. Really?! What about people you don't get a chance to see within the first couple of weeks of the new year...I think they still deserve to be wished a happy new year. OR, what if they're Chinese and you need to wish them a happy new year in February? Or what about Persian new year in March? It really could be new year all year 'round, no? Okay maybe not. Wishing someone a new year in August may be a bit silly. Either way, I hope you had all had a wonderful 2009 and here's wishing you an even better 2010! Labels: Life and the City posted by Jenn | 6:56 PM |Sunday, December 06, 2009 I asked Jason whether he's a change-adverse person. His response "I like controlled change". So that got me thinking. I had always thought "change" meant "changes that were out of your control", because I always thought I was good at dealing with change. In fact, I welcome change because I like variety - I liked things to be shaken up a bit when it got too dull. So that led me to believe that change was beyond our control because it was something that you had to deal with - something you had to adjust to. But change can happen by choice too - "controlled change". And as I thought about it, that kind of change may be the tougher than the change that is thrust upon you. Because this kind of change requires you to recognize that something needs to change, to make a decision about changing, and then to act upon it. So maybe "controlled change" is as challenging to deal with as my traditional definition of "change". Either way though, change is good. Labels: Thoughts posted by Jenn | 6:06 PM |Sunday, November 01, 2009 Spain Highlights... If I haven't already said so, I'll say it again: traveling is one of my top loves. I think it all started when I was still in the womb. I like to think I was in Hawaii before I was even born when my parents escaped for a week to the sunny island when my mom was pregnant with me. And then my dad nurtured the travel bug in me all through my childhood. I remember we were always traveling one way or another. Road trips down to Myrtle Beach, trekking through the mountains in Banff, climbing the glacier fields in Jasper Park, visiting the 1988 Expo in Vancouver, eating lobster in Charlottetown, visiting Disneyworld in Orlando, feelling "irie" in Jamaica. My first time travelling without my parents was in 2000 to (strangely enough) Hawaii - back to the "motherland"! A couple of years later I travelled with my girlfriend to Cancun, and then it just rose exponentially from there. I've managed to squeeze most of Western, Central and Eastern Europe, Japan and Panama between 2004 and 2007. Travelled to my real motherland when I visited China and HK for the first time ever in 2008. I have never willingly taken the organized travel route. You know what I'm talking about - the tour buses, the crazy schedule, the rushed itineraries, the one (or two or three or all) annoying tour mates. I say "willingly" because of course I've been on a few - I come from a Chinese family. Chinese people LOVE tours. There are advantages to the organized tours - much less planning on my part. But I'll take the added work and planning anyday. When I have it my way, I only do the independent travel option. By "independent", I don't mean "solo". I haven't been brave enough to travel on my own. Maybe one day, but I doubt it. I enjoy the company and conversation of my friends too much. By "independent", I mean I plan my own itinerary, I book at only the places that I want to stay at, I choose the sights that I'd like to see, and when I come across a place that I love - I'm free to choose to stay there for as long as I want. I'm a big advocate of independent travel - the freedom is exhilarating and you never know what you might discover when you alone (and maybe your travel companion) are responsible for your agenda. This year, I was lucky enough to travel to Spain and Morocco with my sweetheart. It was wonderful, eye-opening, overwhelming, and refreshing all at once. Some photos from the Spanish half of our adventures below. Moroccan pictures will follow shortly. It was my first time traveling with Jason. I discovered that he's a great travelling partner. He knew how to guide us around the cities, contrary to what this photo tells you :)  Funny trees that reminded me of Super Mario Brother video games. This was in Madrid in El Retiro park. Similar to Central Park in NYC, it's a little bit of fresh air in the big bustling city.  This was at El Rastro market. It's called "Madrid's legendary flea market" and it's only open on Sundays. We were lucky enough to be in Madrid on a weekend. It was unreal - so packed with shoppers and sellers. If you're looking for something, chances are someone will have it at one of the thousands of stalls.  In the little town of Cuenca. We took a day trip from Madrid to visit this little medieval town that's built on the cliffs. There were literally houses that were hanging precariously off the steep ledges. Only one house of this kind remains. We hiked for about an hour to get to the other side of the gorge to catch this gorgeous view. Jason's soaking in the view here.  Since this is my blog, I can post whatever pictures I want. So what better forum than to post our cheesy sunset photo. ♥  Moroccan highlights to come...... Labels: Globetrotting, Great Loves posted by Jenn | 6:30 PM |Saturday, October 24, 2009 Artsy-Fartsy I'm the kind of person that likes to try out different things. I like variety. According to my Myers-Brigg type (ESFP), I'm an artisan. My workplace really places a huge emphasis on Myers-Brigg personality analysis and have invested a lot of time and money in helping each of us define what our personality types are, what our communication styles are, what our teamwork styles are - so that we can apply that to how we work as a department. I have to admit, I have been converted into a true believer in Myers-Brigg theories. It's scary how bang-on it is. It's helped me understand how some of my colleagues operate and in the end, it just helps us all work together better when we understand each other. I have yet to apply it much to my personal life yet. Jason hasn't taken his Myers-Brigg type test, even though I've guessed at what type he would be (my guess would be he's an INTJ). But I'd love to get him to take an official test. (some of the online tests are pretty accurate too, but I like getting a professional opinion, ya' know?) I think it would help us grow as a couple and would probably help us understand how we both contribute to our relationship. It's incredibly interesting. What kind of Myers-Brigg personality type are you? You should take the test. It'll just help me understand you more. And then you'll understand me a little more. And it'll just make the world a slightly happier place. Labels: It's all about me posted by Jenn | 2:08 PM |Tuesday, September 29, 2009 I'm baaaaaaaaaack! (Reader: Oh, were you even gone?) Yes, I was gone. Gone for a wonderful 16 days to the land of Tapas and the land of Tagines. (that's Spain and Morocco, for the less foodie types). I was traveling with my sweetheart (his first time traveling, ever) and we had such an awesome time. I was a little nervous before the trip - having never spent this much time with him before - and was worried that this trip would spell the end of our 2-year relationship. But we have survived but even better, we're become closer and gotten to know each other even more so. I'm still doing my post-travel laundry and trying to clean up my dusty apartment. So I will offer more stories and maybe even post a few pictures up during my next post. P.S. To my gentle readers, thanks for continuing to read...even though we all know how horrible I am with posting regularly. Labels: Globetrotting, Great Loves posted by Jenn | 9:07 PM |Friday, August 28, 2009 Do people even follow my blog anymore??? Hellooooooooo....helloooooooooo....hellooooooooo (that's me trying to show you, remaining gentle readers, that my blog is so empty, it echoes). Does it come through? Trying to decide whether to call it a loss with this blog and start a new one...or just CPR and revive it?? Labels: It's all about me posted by Jenn | 6:43 PM |
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