Photo Dump

Kim making a new friend in Mui Ne.

This is Holly. Holly was thrust into the arms of Ms. Anna, one of the teachers at CIS, outside of Hollywood gym by a security guard and he refused to take her back. She is a cutie, very friendly and she is also very lucky. Ms. Anna, her new owner, is an animal lover extraordinaire, she rescues animals on a regular basis and volunteers at a local animal clinic.

ELEPHANT! This was taken at Siem Reap as we raced past in our tuk-tuk.

Statue of Buddha at Angkor Wat near the lepper King terrace. Buddha's lips are stained pink, not sure why. Perhaps he is full-time fancy like Kim?

Sassy pants does Angkor Wat. :)

We are taking the road less followed...

Lend me your ears

I got my stitches removed today. It turns out I didn't have eight stitches I had eleven. It also turns out I have nerve damage which means I can't feel half of my ear. The nerve damage may be stress related and after time may correct it'self or it may be permanent. My ear looks a little bit like Frankenstien's experiment right now but I think when it has had a chance to heal I will have a lightning bolt scar across my lobe.

School's in for the summer

Ha Long Bay was incredible. It is entirely too difficult to explain what it was like for me being there. I suppose the best way I could explain it is I stepped into a postcard and just hung out for a while. I've had such a range of experience in the last two weeks I don't know if it has really registered in my ol' brain what I've done and seen.
It wouldn't be a Kim blog post if I didn't mention the food. THE FOOD WAS AMAZING! Everything had something like a lily made out of a carrot or a lotus made out of a cucumber on it. On the day boat we were served food with a side of potato bird. I believe that Naomi posted a picture of it in the last post. The garnishes were mind boggling, but the food was even better. Sea food up the wazoo. Seriously, I'm glad that school is starting in a couple of days so that I will have less time to eat out and get fat.
Just so everyone knows, I know you all will be sad to hear this..... my two dollar green watch broke. And it wasn't even its fault. I jumped off the stupid (beautiful) boat with my stupid (awesome) watch on and the stupid (warm and wonderful) salt water broke it. BOO. I may give it a proper burial. You know, because it meant so much to me.
I got burnt, which surprisingly is somewhat resembling a tan. Very weird for me.
I'm glad Naomi put the video of me jumping in the water, not because I'm particularly graceful in it or because I want the world to see me in a bathing suit (I so don't) but it kind of shows the scope of our experience in a way that pictures may not. It is me, interacting with the landscape. A landscape that is so far removed from the one I'm used to. I loved it so much.
We went to the school today. CIS Vietnam is full time fancy. There is a theatre (although I would probably refer to it as a lecture hall) a cinema (like, a real one) and a bowling alley. Now, what with me being a member of the Youth Bowling Council for 12 years (how freaking cool am I?) I was pretty excited about the alley. Not sure how much we are going to get in there though. And there are no bowling shoes. Also the lanes aren't oiled. Which they should be. Not that I'm nitpicking. Because nitpicking about a bowling alley would make me look like a loser.... heh.
We also have smart boards in the classroom. Which is hecka cool (very good English I know) because they are like these big Ipads. Well maybe not that fancy but they are touch screens. Which is neat because I really feel like that is the way of the future. Digitalized whiteboards. Crazy.
Missing my family today. If anyone asks my brother when his birthday is he will tell you he turns 19 in 4 days. This is a very big deal. I have to find him the perfect Vietnamese present. I was thinking maybe one of those cone hats. He could wear it to work every day. Very fashionable for a 19 year old, I think.
Also talked to my Mom on skype. She will be reading this I know, so I won't tell the whole world she got super mushy and cried. I guess she loves me.
I suppose I'm missing my friends too. Today, it was especially the technically inclined ones. We went into the theatre hoping we would be able to recognize the kind of lights that are hung. We could not. They looked like a cross between a par can and a childs LED toy. Any ideas?
I am going to read on my KOBO now. I gobbled up "The Help" during our Ha Long Bay trip. Very good read. Now I'm on to Game of Thrones.

Photographic Essay

We have our first staff meeting this morning and have to run out the door. We will post more this evening/your morning. Our first day on the boat.

Sunset.

A concession stand.

For lunch our chef created this wonderful garnish.

A passing ship.

Children helping their Father in the fishing village.

Kim jumping off the top of our boat.

A quick catch-up

We aren't dead. We spent the last four days in Ha Long Bay and we didn't have access to the internet.
Blogger is not letting me upload any images at the moment so that will have to wait until tomorrow, when we will both probably upload pictures and much longer posts. For now I will just say that Ha Long Bay is beautiful and the most wonderful place to recuperate from a tuk-tuk accident. Our bruises are nearly gone and I get my stitches out tomorrow (fingers crossed). Anyway here to tide you over until we can write real posts is a short video of Kim enjoying herself in Ha Long Bay.

Greedy Kim

So I'm a bit funny about my pictures. Actually I'm a bit funny about a lot of things, but that is another story.

I can't really explain it, but I don't really like the idea of everyone being able to copy my pictures off of facebook. I think it is because I took a photography class and I usually spend a couple hours at a time editing on Lightroom. Or I'm just greedy, either way.

So, I do have a photography website, but since the internet here hates me I've been having problems uploading my pictures to it. But, I'll try again later and will post when I am successful in said mission.

For now, I have a couple pictures I don't mind posting here. This is the infamous Tuk Tuk accident. I'm sitting at the edge of the ditch looking basically directly down on it. The spots on my camera are the mud. Poor camera. I've tried to clean it but I still keep finding bits of red mud.Everything in Vietnam is my size!!! This is the bathroom at Valerie's upstairs.Best coffee of my life. I love you Gloria Jean. I love you. And below is Valerie's apartment!

Full-time Fancy

On our way back to Ho Chi Minh City our flight was delayed by four hours. One of the other passengers was irrate and she screamed and yelled and jumped up and down until the man in charge had to do something to shut her up. His solution was to put all of the delayed passengers into the special first class lounge in the airport where there were computers, air conditioning, lounge chairs, lovely food, and magazines. Here is a picture of Kim waiting in style in the fancy lounge.

Some Highlights

We have been taking a lot of pictures but haven't really had the the time to sit down and post them to the internet. Our connection in the apartment is slow like dial-up. The first image was taken in Mui Ne and the rest were taken during our time in Siem Reap and Angkor Wat.

We will post more images soon!

Home in Ho Chi Minh

It is strange how after being in Cambodia for 4 days Ho Chi Minh doesn't feel as foriegn or strange to me anymore. The relief of getting back to the apartment after our Tuk-Tuk adventure was so great that it felt so much more like home to me.
Naomi is currently tackling the pictures she has taken since we arrived. Totalling 338, it seems like a lofty job. I haven't a clue how many pictures I took between Mui Ne, Ho Chi Minh and Siem Reap... but there are lots. And I like to use Lightrooom to edit pictures, so it may be a while before I post any. Or maybe I will go on a picture editing spree and amaze myself with my own talent and speed..... Doubtful though.
I'm currently attempting to stream So You Think You Can Dance. I have been on a tv watching mission for about 15 minutes now and I've managed to load a total of 5 minutes of television. WOO. I'm thinking perhaps I won't be watching a lot of tv whilst here.
Spoke to my Dad and brother this morning. Which was incredibly nice. They have a calming effect on my somewhat highstrung personality. I think I've handled being out of North America for the first time with style, and Naomi and I held together extremely well with the accident. That being said I was starting to get anxious with not having spoken to them using my real live voice since Vancouver. My Dad didn't even know about the Tuk Tuk accident because he didn't get a couple of the emails that I sent him so dilegently. Which is interesting.
My Cambodian green watch is still working, which is very nice considering the high price of two dollars I paid for it.
Eight minutes of "So You Think You Can Dance" to watch now. Hot damn!
Did I ever mention we saw Elephants at Angkor Wat? We should have rode those around instead of the Tuk Tuk. Although I probably would have fallen off of that too.... That sort of things just happens to me.
Speaking of silliness that occurs in my life: after all that work I went through to get my credit card, the bank machines I've tried won't accept it or my debit card. So I must put on my detective hat and find out why that is before Valerie and Naomi stop letting me sponge off of them and kick me out on the street. Hopefull that isn't today, I want to have a nap.
I finished the book I was reading "Let the Great World Spin". It was very good, although it wasn't the kind of book that hooks you with its plot and drags you in. It was more of a slow enjoyment, if that makes sense? I wasn't in a rush to finish it and yet I didn't want to discard it into the books I should have never bought pile. Naomi is reading it now, perhaps she could better explain. The interweaving of plots the author does is really wonderful.
Well.... maybe I will edit some pictures now. Naomi is inspiring me with hers.
Probably write again tomorrow as we are spending all day kind of decompressing and preparing ourselves before our Ha Long Bay trip.
Did I mention that the food in Vietnam is incredible? And cheap? Have I said that yet?

The kindness of strangers

Kim pretty much covered the accident but I just wanted to mention how incredible the people around us were. When we stood up in the ditch and started to move around passing vehicles had already pulled over to the side of the road and there were people there immediately to pull us up out of the ditch. A beautiful South Asian woman approached me and told me she was a doctor and she got some antiseptic from her car and started tending to my ear. Another woman with curly hair grabbed my hand and held it to steady me. When Kim laid down on the grass another woman stayed with her and cleaned her face of the red mud. None of these people were paramedics or employed in anyway in rescue work they were tourist like us who happened by. I am always going to be humbled and thankful for their assistace.

Not-So Lucky

Since we got to Siem Reap the word lucky is everywhere. Lucky Market, Lucky Restaurant, Lucky the name.... We got a red string tied around our wrist by a monk and we were told it was lucky. Our Tuk Tuk drivers name was Lucky.
Maybe they weren't clear on what kind of luck it was.
Yesterday morning was amazing. We got picked up by Lucky at 8am, and went to the Angkor Wat site. Our first visit was a smaller temple but the relief work was amazingly intricate. I can't remember the name at the moment but.... it was really great. Then we headed to a very quiet temple I also cannot remember the name of. BUT the last temple we went to is called Tah Prohm and it was probably my favourite next to the Bayon at Angkor Thom. There were massive trees growing over the stone work. Really amazing.
Then it was about 12:30 and we decided to go back home. We hopped in our Tuk Tuk with smiles on our faces. Unfortunately though, fate was at work. A stray dog ran in front of us and we hit it, then swerved and went into a very deep ditch. Probably 6-8 feet deep. It all seems so surreal. We are okay, I am just bruised up but Naomi had to get 8 stitches in her ear. We tried to have a sense of humour the whole way, but there were moments when we got upset. I think we handled it very well and we encountered an amazing amount of kind people that helped us along the way.
Unfortunately we have no idea how Lucky and his Tuk Tuk faired. Because that is his support system we are very worried about him. No one could have stopped what happened, and we are actually extremely lucky (guess the red yarn did work) that we didn't get hurt worse. The mud in the ditch kind of broke our fall. Unfortunately Naomi took the brunt of it all, whereas I kind of got thrown into the mud. But we still have high spirits.
So, instead of taking a 14 hour bus ride home we are flying. Which is a relief.
I want to send a universal thank you to all the people who helped us, and send well wishes to Lucky and hope he and his Tuk Tuk are in one piece.
We also would like to say that our impression on Cambodia and Angkor Wat hasn't been coloured by this experience. We are so glad that we were able to see everything and had an amazing time.
Pictures to come later. Actually, in a state of shock I took a picture of our turned over Tuk Tuk, so we will post that just to better explain. I don't exactly know what my thought process was in that moment, I think I was mostly trying to see if my camera worked.
Will write more later. Love to our friends and family!

Siem Reap

We are now in Siem Reap the town near the archaeological ruins of Angkor Wat. It took us a fourteen hour bus ride to get here which we were told would only last eleven. Our hotel was supposed to pick us up but there was no one to meet us so we made friends with a tuk-tuk driver named Lucky and he took us to where we needed to be. He is also going to act as our tour guide today and tomorrow.

Yesterday morning when we arrived at the hostel where our bus was leaving from we were greeted by quite the sight. There was a group of drunken Irishmen, one of whom was wearing nothing but a pillow. Considering it was 7 a.m. it was unexpected. There was much hilarity as he danced around trying to get dressed. We politely averted our gaze as he dressed himself. When he approached us he had his shirt on inside out and backwards. He asked the woman at the desk to help him adjust his shirt and she chased him with scissors. Hilarity.

In other news: computers hate me.

Words words words

I really don't know where to begin. Fourteen hour bus rides aren't fun, but what is fun is exploring Angkor Wat. Everyone in the whole world should be able to experience it. It is incredible. I've taken about 3000 pictures, and we are going back today.
Also, Tuk Tuks are the bomb. They are like horse carriages but instead of a horse it is pulled by a motor cycle. Riding in a Tuk Tuk feels great when one is sweaty and sun burnt.
It is really difficult to know what to write when we have experienced so much.
We went to the night market last night and spent some money. Not a lot of money because everything is under 20 dollars. I got a Casio watch (perhaps a knockoff) for two dollars. And so far it hasn't stopped working, and it has been a whole night. I figure if it lasts two days, that is a dollar a day and I can't complain.
Naomi is having serious computer issues. I've been able to check facebook, write emails and of course write this blog post, whereas Naomi can't exactly even get on the internet. Funny, but not exactly fair.
I do not want to take the bus home tomorrow. If taking a Tuk Tuk was possible I would so rather go on that. Buses are no fun, Tuk Tuk's are. It would probably take 30 hours to get home on a Tuk Tuk and I would probably get a million MORE mosquito bites. I've been eaten alive.
Currently I'm watching this bald man hit on this very pretty girl beside us. She is more interested in the stray dog that hangs around the lobby. Not quite as hilarious as seeing a naked irishman in the hostel where the bus picked us up, but still funny.
People watching in Vietnam and Cambodia.... awesome.
I'm going to give Naomi the computer that works now. Because I fear she may lose her mind.

Getting caught in the rain

On our second day here Kim and I walked to our meeting with our boss. Big mistake. When we were about five minutes from his office the heavens opened up and rain came forth like water from a tap. If you haven't experienced a tropical rain storm before it is hard to imagine the sheer amount of rain that pours from the sky. We waited for a little while under an awning with a cute couple who were all dressed up to have their wedding pictures done in the little park near our boss' office. As time ticked away we grew a little concerned that we would be late for the meeting so we decided to chance the rain. We got soaked, completely and utterly drenched. The moment we stepped out from under the awning and onto the street we found ourselves in ankle deep water running along the edge of the street. With Kim giggling behind me, I ran for the nearest shelter. By the time we arrived at Colin's office we looked as though we had swam rather than walked. We had a good meeting but when we stood up to leave we both noticed with chagrin that we had left huge wet butt prints on the seats of the office chairs.

Brief but Important Update From Kim

Just got home from Mui Ne and we leave for Siem Riep tomorrow. Been amazing, and tiring. I feel as though I will write a long descriptive blog post when I am not exhausted, but for right now I have one thing to say:
Banana pancakes are amazing.

Why?

I have always been more or less ambivalent towards hockey. I don't watch it and am usually only vaguely aware of the cup finals because of over-heard conversations or advertisements.

When Kim and her family showed up in Nanaimo to take us both to the ferry, she was wearing her Canucks jersey. She wore that Jersey on our entire trip, through Vancouver to Hong Kong, and then from Hong Kong to Vietnam. I would guess that it was close to 20 strangers who spoke to us because of that jersey and shared their hopes and thoughts on game seven. I started to appreciate how something as simple as a shared fan base could bring strangers together in a shared sense of optimism, camaraderie, and congeniality. Kim had planned to use her Canucks jersey as a part of a lesson plan for her Grade Four students. When we arrived in Vietnam we didn't have access to internet and although we knew the game had finished by that time we had no idea what the outcome had been. I texted Valerie at the school hoping she could tell Kim the results. It was then that we heard about the loss and the rioting. This morning we have internet and we can see all the images in the International media and on facebook. In this post-game atmosphere I wonder how Kim would be greeted if she wore her jersey now? I am really sad that something that had linked people in such a positive way has been tainted by the selfish few who rioted in Vancouver.

Hobbit Houses and Delicious Samosas.

Everything in Vietnam is the perfect size. The ceilings, the couches, everything. It is like living in a Hobbit hole. Except we aren't really Hobbits, because we don't have hairy feet.
We are safe! The trip here was relatively painless. Other than the length of it all, it went very smoothly. Cathay Pacific is a very good airline. When we checked in in Vancouver we didn't think we would be able to sit together, but Cathay worked it so we were able to sit together at the front of our section so we had leg room.
Because of our disgusting gravol we both slept for about five hours on the plane. And then I watched "The Dead Poets Society". I feel like what with my English and Theatre degree, it is a tragedy that I hadn't seen it before. It is a wonderful movie, and I may or may not have teared up at the end. Don't tell Naomi.
Then I watched Predator. And two episodes of Modern Family. And then we discovered that they have a bunch of episodes of Top Gear, which if you haven't seen look up right now. But it has to be the English one not the American one. The American one pales in comparison.
After thirteen hours and two meals, we were in Hong Kong. Where I bought a six dollar coffee and attempted to stream the hockey game.
Just a brief segway into the outcome of the hockey game...... wow, Vancouver..... I know all the residents of the city aren't guilty for rioting, but... That is the image you want to project to the rest of the world? Especially after we had such a successful Olympics? The good news is 1200 people apparently showed up to clean up the streets. I'm incredibly disappointed the Canucks lost, but I won't be setting any cars on fire any time soon.
Anywho, during the two hour flight from Hong Kong to Vietnam, we watched another episode of Top Gear. And had breakfast, again.
It took quite a while in the Vietnamese airport to get our Visas, but that was okay. I know I was warned about the humidity and I believed everyone but honestly, it was still a surprise. My hair has taken on a life of its own. It is very large, and it kind of looks like I have devil horns because certain pieces like to stick right up. But it is a small price to pay for being in such a cool place.
The buildings and scenery here are incredible. And the kids are probably the cutest I've ever seen in the world, I can't wait to teach them.
The principle of the summer school picked us up at the airport and took us to Sky Gardens, which is the complex a lot of the teachers live in. Once again, I love Valerie's apartment. I'm going to take a bunch of pictures of it to show you how it is basically made for me.
Then we went to an Indian restaurant for dinner, which I suppose is funny because our first night in Vietnam was spent eating food from another country. But this food was amazing. We had samosas that were.... just so good. SO GOOD.
Now that I've sufficiently stole just about all the material that Naomi could write about, I'm going to sign off. We leave for Mui Ne today, so we will have lots to talk about when we return.

YVR

Hi. How are you?
We are at the airport. Sitting. Waiting. Had some chewable orange flavored gravol it was disgusting.
There is free internet here so that is exciting. Yup. Customs was quiet, short line. Kim is wearing her Canucks jersey which has earned her at least two new friends. We enjoyed the fragrant Duty Free stores and saw a $2000 watch. Kim is planning a nap. I'm wishing I brought someone more exciting or entertaining. I could trade her in for a Shelby. Kim says I'm mean. This waiting stuff sucks.

Peace Out

Tonight we fly!

As seen on facebook

Dave Ross

Safe travels! I'll be following along with the blog...

about an hour ago via iPhone ·  · 

• • 

    Kim Phillips haha if it looks like I'm saying something embarrassing, that is actually just my roommate.......... lol.

    about an hour ago · 
  • 

    Dave Ross Already added to my Google Reader... I expect a good read! No pressure or anything...

    about an hour ago · 
  • 

    Kim Phillips haha there is about about a novels worth already of us just planning. Not sure if it is good or not, but it is there lol.

    about an hour ago · 
  • 

    Naomi Boutwell ‎...just your roommate?

    3 minutes ago · 
  • 

    Naomi Boutwell Seriously? Challenge accepted.

    3 minutes ago · 
  • 

    Kim Phillips hahahahhahaa... you caught that hey.

    2 minutes ago · 
  • 

    Kim Phillips NO NO NO, I did not challenge

    2 minutes ago · 
  • 

    Naomi Boutwell Too late.

    2 minutes ago · 

Tomorrow, tomorrow... I love yah, tomorrow.

Alright, so I just packed my underwear. This makes it real.
I've also worked my last day at the grocery store before August. Which was a very interesting experience. The first five hours went by like lightening and then the last three were like torture. But they gave me a card and were very supportive, so generally I would call that a success.
Then I came home and napped for a good bit, because getting up at 4am tends to do that to a person. I was going to go to town and get my Visa pictures retaken (they have run away, and are now lost in the abyss) and transfer money into Naomi's account, but instead I'm going to sit in my pajamas and go do those things tomorrow. I have plenty of time in the morning so I should be fine.
Ahem, not quite sure why I told you all that... But it was very interesting and you were happy to read it, right? Naomi and I keep talking about how her posts are useful whereas mine are..... colourful.
I called Telus, which was an interesting conversation. They are going to change my plan to the lowest one possible, in two days. What I am worried about is that I've been using my phone a lot this month already, so will I get charged for that? The lady said no, but Telus has lied to me before. And then she assured me I can get my student plan back when I return. So hopefully that all works out. All I know is that tomorrow I'm turning my cellphone off. It feels as though I'm saying goodbye to a friend, a constant companian if you will. You may laugh but I am a like to most of youth today in that I rely on my cell phone quite a lot. Truly I will be saying goodbye to a lot of friends, because that is my way of communicating to a good number of them. So not having it is going to be weird. Really weird.
Tomorrow, tomorrow we leave for Vietnam. Well technically we leave for Vancouver and then at 2:45 am we leave for Vietnam, but still. It is insanity, but the good kind. I'm nervous and excited, but I don't think it has exactly hit me all the way yet. Maybe when I get on the plane?

The last of it

Our last bit of paper work is done. We have everything that we need in order to get multiple-entry visas for Vietnam.

Paperwork

We still haven't received the paperwork from the school for our visas. With only four days left to go and two of those days being the weekend, I am getting a bit antsy.

Oh my Crap We Leave So Soon.

So, I'm not exactly "panicking", but my mind is definitely going about 500 miles per hour. It is four days until we leave. And I work three out of those four days. Tomorrow I have a doctors appointment and I'm hoping she doesn't tell me I need any more vaccinations because I'm not really sure when I'm going to have time to be able to get it. Also needles are freaky.
Then, I have to go to the bank. And to get my prescriptions. And I have to call my phone company and be like "please don't charge me lots of monies". And work, I have to work. Did I mention I work?
I'm really regretting that energy drink I had earlier.
I'm going to forget lots of things. Like.... my passport. Which is really important because they don't even let you go places if you don't have it.
Also, I'm starting to dread saying goodbye. I already said bye to some people and it makes me miss them instantly. It is going to go by so quickly and I'm going to have a blast, but I'm going to miss the people at home too. And I wouldn't really have it any other way, because my friends and family are (usually....) quite nice.
By the way, how the heck will I live without my cell phone? I keep leaving it places (not exactly on purpose) and have to tell myself that pretty soon I won't have it at all. Which will be good for me, right? Right. Okay. Maybe I will try to read or something. Currently I'm reading "Let the Great World Spin" and I'm quite enjoying it. So long, fairwell, to you and you and yooooou.

Filler

We might not be posting very much in the next few days just because most of our planning is done and we are only really taking care of last minute before you travel kinds of things.

Our friend Nick is going to New York and I am verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry jealous of him because he gets to see the Spider-man musical! Have a great trip Nick!

This Post Should Really Be in a List Format.

I just wrote a beautiful entry, full of hilarity and valuable information... And blogger deleted it. There was some kind of technical error I do not understand that deleted everything I wrote. You see, I would normally be okay except for the fact that this epic post was probably the best I've ever done. It was a thing of beauty. Truly. Now it is gone.
I suppose I will try to recreate it, but just know that something that wonderful just can't be redone. It is like trying to paint a picasso when you aren't picasso.... Sigh.
(You can see why I want to be a theatre teacher... I'm clearly a bit dramatic)
Anwho, this is what I wanted to talk about: the fact that my brain is on overdrive. About an hour ago I went to pick up food, and as I got out of the car I very responsibly rolled my windows up for security. I went into the Restaurant and purchased a delicious order of fish and chips. When I exited said Restaurant, I looked at Clifford and realized I left the drivers door WIDE open. Never done that before. I can only blame it on the fact that I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO! Vietnam is in a week. A WEEK! Last night I spent a good majority of my time making lists. Packing list, to do list, to buy list... Lists for lists.... This made me very excited and very panicked. Which is an interesting combination.
The Canucks aren't winning right now, which is very sad. I wore my jersey to work today and everything. I like wearing my jersey because it makes the majority of the customers be kind to me. It is like somehow the jersey sets me apart and makes me an actual person to them or something. OR I'm happier when I wear my jersey and they are responding to my generally perky attitude? Although today was a bit crazed. We were short staffed and quite busy. But it is over now. POSITIVITY IS KEY!
Alright, tomorrow I graduate. I think I'm most excited to see a couple of my friends I haven't seen in a month or so. I don't think the enormity of everything that is going on in my life currently is sinking in. Although, I do have a very nice list of all the awesome things going on.

Extra Crispy

Yesterday I had a great visit with a long time friend. We had breakfast at Mon Petit Choux and walked along the waterfront...without any sunscreen...on a VERY sunny day. Stupid. Today I am sitting here covered in three different kinds of moisturizer hoping that the burning red colour of my skin fades to a tan by tomorrow in time for the graduation ceremony I will be attending, unlikely.

Kim skyped me today with her packing lists and enthusiasm. I thought I was nearly ready to go but as she spoke I realized I still have a few things left to do. I need to pick-up more prescriptions, pack properly, empty my Mother's suitcase, and get the house organized.

I borrowed a book from a friend and realized I should get it back to her before I leave for the summer so I am reading the Jade Peony by Wayson Choy at the moment and really enjoying it. I love that it is set in Vancouver and that it is about Canadians.

Out of curiosity I looked at the entertainment page on the Cathay Pacific site and I am not thrilled with the selection. I have seen most of the films and the rest I don't really care to see. I think I will just pop a gravol and try to sleep through the 13 hours flight.

When one door closes another opens...

Today was my last day of work at the bookstore. I will miss my co-workers they are all such wonderful people. Someone even arranged for a good-bye cake, it said "We'll Miss you Naomi" and it was DELICIOUS! I felt a twinge of remorse at leaving when I saw the cake and the card that had been prepared for me. Still, change is good and necessary, it is time to move on. I am sure I will see my co-workers often on campus, and on visits to the store.

I have started reading my next book which is The Tiger by John Vaillant. It is too early
 to tell if I like it yet but it was a best-seller at Christmas and we couldn't keep it on
 the shelves so that does bode well. I first heard about this book when I read a press release about Brad Pitt buying the film rights to the novel. The basic premise sounded very interesting and I will borrow a quote here to describe it.

Deep in the frigid Siberian wilderness, an Amur tiger hunts. Fearsome strength is at the command of a calculating mind that relentlessly stalks its newest prey: man. Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the taiga, John Vaillant provides an unforgettable true account of a lethal collision between man and beast in a remote Russian village during the late 1990's. At its core, The Tiger is the story of a desperate poacher who picked the wrong tiger to accost. Yet it engages the reader on political, socioeconomic, and conservation fronts in order to explain how the stage was set for a deadly showdown. It's a gutsy approach that could easily lead to chaotic storytelling, but Vaillant is careful to keep the bone-chilling storyline taut by capturing the intensity of an animal worthy of our greatest respect and deepest fears. --Dave Callanan

Summertime and the livin is easy..... but busy at the same time.

First order of business: The Canucks have won the first two games of the stanley cup final.
Second order of business: 10 days until we leave.
Third order: My cousin (who is one of this very blog's three followers, so you know she is great) has agreed to drive us to the airport from the ferry. Which is fantastic and wonderful and completely saves us from an incredibly exhausting mission where we have to lug suitcases, probably that are larger than us, on to crowded buses or expensive taxis. So, my cousin gets a gold star.
There are so many things to do. I have 30 half written lists laying around my room telling me all of the different things I have to do, plan and pack.
Graduation is on Tuesday, I went and picked up my regalia yesterday. ALSO, my Mother got me a 750 dollar bursary from her Kinets club. Seriously, everything is kind of awesome right now. And when I say kind of I mean really really really freaking great.
Except that I wake up at 4am tomorrow to go to work. Other than that, things are just going along swimmingly.

This post isn't very interesting

Things have slowly come together. We have sent off our paperwork for our visas and everything is more or less in order. All of our important mail has arrived. We will be doing lesson planning next week after the Graduation ceremony. The only real hurdle we have right now is getting from Tswwassen with our three large suitcases to the airport. We have asked the usual suspects but my Aunt is flying to Paris, my Uncle is working, and Kim's friend has to attend a seminar. So we are trying to find other options because a taxi at about $50 seems rather steep. We could try transit but we will have a lot of luggage because Valerie asked me to bring her an extra suitcase in order to bring things home. Ah, well I am sure we will sort it out somehow.