So That I Remember

Been playing around with the new Nikon in downtown Toronto yesterday. Out of the 190 shots I took, only ONE turned out decent (the one with the ducks) and it's still not that good, bad focus. Oh well, still, improvements abound!

Some of the better ones:

Now that the job portion of my life has been determined, I can get on with the travel plans! I realize now just the extent of my luckiness: having a shitload of time to do whatever I want AND a full-time job afterward. I have to take advantage and not let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity pass. When else in life am I ever going to be this young, reckless, and burden-free ever again?

So, in less than 17 days time, the world will witness the beginning of NY's Excellent World Adventure! Prepare for world domination!!

China:

• Nov. 16 - leave on a non-stop flight to Beijing, then fly to Kunming (Yunnan province), then drive back to Yuxi (my home town)
  
• Spend 2-3 weeks in Yuxi to get over the time zone difference and to eat!
  
• Visit my cousin at her university in Chongqing (Sichuan province) for a week
• Go climb all the famous mountains in Sichuan, eat a ton of spicy hot pot
  
• Visit all the famous lakes and rivers, beaches, and forests
  
• Back to Yunnan, visit all the ethnic minority villages (ie Dali). Carry around a sketchpad, camera, voice recorder, and artsy my heart out
• Spend a week in Taiwan, go on the cruises, shop
• Spend a few days in HK, SHOP LIKE MAD
• Stay in Shanghai for a week, SHOP LIKE MAD

• January: Parents visit, go on farther travel trips with them around northern China

Thailand:

• Feb 15th: Fly to Thailand with my cousin
• Spend a week at a fancy resort, chill, visit all the famous temples
• Spend a couple days slumming it in hostels just for the hell of it

Then in no particular order: Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore - all for eating and touristing!

Finally: Korea, New Zealand, Australia - only if I have time and more importantly, money, at the end (budget of 15k CAD, really hope it sees me through!)

I'll be back on May 13th, 2010, just in time for when my job starts in August!

So yeah, gone for 6 months. THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME!!!!! I can't wait! My Chinese studying has been going pretty well. I can read a lot of signs and basic conversation now, but my speaking is still shitty. Hopefully, I'll acclimatize to the new environment and haggle my way to a good deal quickly though.

Admittedly, I'm also pretty scared. I've never been on my own for so long before. A lot of the southeast Asian countries are on travel advisory since there's been recent terrorist activity and many violent insurgents, so I'll have to be careful...Man, I really hope I don't die on this Excellent Adventure. What's more scary is the random violence; muggings, kidnapping...shit, even thinking about it makes me nervous. I'll have to be extra careful.

But it has got me thinking, I need to be physically stronger. Once I come back from this trip, I'm determined to start taking Taekwondo or Judo classes, so I can kick ass if ever need be.

Anyway, I guess the only thing I can do in terms of safety is to stick to the group and never be alone.

But I digress. This is going to be the best adventure ever!!

I'm absolutely obsessed with this game...it's so damn good!!

The story is entirely engrossing, the gameplay is fantastic and fluid, and the graphics...my god, the graphics....

You know what? I could honestly say that this game is on par with Zelda: Ocarina of Time!

Before I say anything else, I will say this: I still can't believe my good luck. It almost feels too good to be true and I'll get hit by a car or something, so I'm walking/driving extra safely these days. This is...so good. Life is...SO GOOD.

I'm incredibly glad the whole job search is over AND I got my dream come true. Just wow....wow...WOW!! Like...this kind of luck and happiness should be illegal!!

Phew, ok...haha...ok. The main reason I'm writing is because now I have to look beyond the job search. Now that my main priority has been accomplished, I can do all the little things I've put off. List time bitches!

1) Work out, lose 5 lbs in time for convo (20 days) so I can fit in that super sweet dress...otherwise I'll have to buy a new dress lol

2) Learn Chinese. I'm going back to China with grandpa in November and I'll probably be staying in Asia until March/April of next year! First I'm going to travel China/Taiwan/HK by myself or with grandpa, then Southeast Asia with my cousin during her New Years holiday. She really wants to go to Thailand too, so we can go parasailing! The timing works out perfectly!! (I'll still pay you for the concert tickets you've bought Mihan)

3) Finally finish my remix of Heaven on Earth by Britney

4) Violin and piano practice. I can play Clair de Lune on Piano now! YAY! It took a ... really long time...

5) Play all the games I bought. Over the past month, I've accumulated 5 games and have actually only spent...maybe 15 hours total on the PS3. Let's see, what do I have...

• Bioshock
• LittleBigPlanet
• Resistance
• Fat Princess
• Rachet and Clank
• Uncharted - gonna get that off Frank

Ok so that's not that many...doable!

6) Get highlights in my hair...haha, this is gonna be fun. And a new haircut too, I'm tired of this long hair. I look like a dirty peasant.

7) Dragonette concert this Thursday! It's gonna be awesome! Hopefully, I'll meet up with the old investment banking team too so I can rub my new job into their unbelieving faces. SUCK IT.

That's all I can think of for now. The learning Chinese thing is really top priority though. It'd be so embarrassing to go back and not know how to speak properly. Oh yeah, that means I won't be buying the TV either, haha...why buy it when I'm not even going to get to use it, and my parents don't want to spring for HD cable yet. Oh well, it'll be cheaper next year.

I'll be getting my offer package in the mail today (fingers crossed!). I don't even care how much they pay me, I'm just glad I have a job. That's actually another reason I can't buy the TV. I totally didn't realize the you don't get the "signing bonus" until after you start working! I thought I'd get it as soon as I returned their offer saying yes. Ack...so yeah, what little money I have left needs to be saved for traveling.

Well, time to start the day off with some good quality Chinese learning! YAY!!

I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!

I GOT THE MOTHER FUCKING JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YYYYYEEAAAAHHHH BITCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot even describe the happiness, and ecstatic-ness, the level of sheer joy in myself right now. All my studying, all my hard work, and all the sweat and tears I have put into these years of university, have all paid off. I don't even know how it's possible, this level of amazing luck and greatness. I'm just...so happy, so happy.

Wow. I honestly couldn't even believe it when one of the traders called me telling me they were giving me an endless offer for the job. I was on the VIVA Blue bus feeling really down, really depressed because I thought the interviews hadn't gone well at all. I thought I had gotten a lot of the answers wrong because the traders hadn't smiled at all when I answered. Just sort of blinked and said "OK". Wow. Honestly, I was close to tears on the bus because this was my very last opportunity. After this, I had nothing.

So when my phone rang, I was like "Wow, they're sure rejecting me quickly". The trader's voice was low, courteous, rejection-ish. Then all of a sudden "We'd like to extend you an offer"....

WTFFFF!!! OMFG!!!!!! I COULDN'T BELIEVE MY FUCKING EARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, seriously...what if I really did hear it wrong?? .... No way......lol ok yeah, the offer letter will come in the mail on Monday.

I'M SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!

YYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY

THIS IS THE BEST DAY IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh and the killer irony: I closed my C account just a week ago after 7 years of use. Next week, I'll have to go open another account there lol!

The job starts next year around September, so I have a year to do whatever I want!!!!!!!!!! WWWWWOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't believe in God, but no other phrase is more appropriate right now: "When God closes a door, he opens a window"

All those investment banking interviews I failed, it was for a reason. I WAS DESTINED FOR TRADING!!!!!!! MY DREAM JOB!!!!!!! MY DREAM HAS FINALLY COME TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!

BEST DAY EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'M GETTING THAT 52" TV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The pre-interview reception is today!! Ahh...my heart is pounding out of the cage, I'm so nervous EVEN NOW, like 5 hours before it! Holy shit, there's just so much pressure!

Ok, calm. Calm down. Today doesn't matter too, too much. I can be nice, I can be social. It'll be OK as long as I don't fuck up drastically. Just smile, laugh at their jokes, make small talk, ask intelligent questions, then GTFO. Tomorrow is the actual interview, the shitstorm.

Oh my god, I'm just scared they'll ask me ridiculous questions that I can't answer....AAHHHHHH..........then I'll have lost the interview for sure :((( I've tried to study as much as I can, but there's just so much they can ask! I really wish I didn't boast that much on my resume right now....

Fuck....I keep thinking about...what if I don't get this......doomed to a life of failure............ :(((((

Shit...shit shit.......

Sigh, ok, on the bright side, I've had a lot more time than most other candidates to prepare because they're most likely in school or working. So hopefully they seem like idiots and can't answer the questions either so I'll look good in comparison.

Fuck, I'm so nervous. Haven't been this nervous (like, MASSIVE butterflies in stomach) in a long time, it's hard to deal. Shit!! Can't let it show. Confidence, right, I can do this.

I CAN DO THIS.

I CAN DO THIS. I DON'T NEED THIS JOB. THIS SHIT IS FLUFF. I CAN DO THIS!! AAARRRRRHHHH!!

LEEEEEEEROY JENNNNNNKIIIIIINS!!!!