Winter Wonderland

I wake up and there's a fresh layer of snow on the ground. It seems like every time I wake up in the morning and look outside the window there is a layer of fresh snow. Not necessary a lot of snow but still enough to cover the snowfall from the previous day. Good thing I have my dad's massive winter boot here with me! I should have wore it today when I went to Canadian Tire... next time.

My apartment is coming together slowly. I built my side table that was originally planned for my bedside table but it didn't look good so I moved it beside my flower pattern couch. I was starting to put together my coffee table but the garage sale screwdriver I bought years ago was a piece of crap and didn't do anything but hurt my hands and the screw bit deformed under the workload. So today I went out and got myself a screwdriver! It's a 4.8V Mastercraft cordless screwdriver that PIVOTS! How cool is that? What's even cooler is, it was on sale for $11.99... how good is that? It's only 4.8V so it's not that powerful but it sure is more powerful than me doing things manually. So if it I put together my coffee table and my living area is looking pretty decent.

I know a lot of you are asking for pictures but I don't have a camera so pictures will have to wait. So wait for them! I'll do a picture update one of these days.

Well another weekend is coming to an end... darn why do weekends feel so short now? And weekdays feel SO long? Have I become an official working professional, who dreads the weekdays, looks forward to weekends but hates how short weekends are? Crap!

I can't wait until I get my first pay check... two more weeks! I'm gonna feel like I won the lottery when I get paid! It's going to be great!

Don't be a stranger people and leave a comment.

Week Number 2

My second week here is coming to an end and I can say that it is feeling more like home. Maybe it's cause I have my furniture and other essentials that came in mid this week and I got my internet and cable today. No more sleeping on an air mattress and no more slow internet connections. Now I won't be bored... well I hope not.

Even though my apartment is feeling more like home... I wish I had all this back in Toronto. I would love to have my friends over, kick back with some cold ones and just having a ball. I miss my friends. I know I'll make new ones here but just miss all the opportunities that I'm going to miss with them. If anyone wants to make the trek over here... c'mon over! My apartment is always open for you guys!

I've realized how much I've missed the food network. I've been watching it in the airplane and now that I can watch it whenever I want... I think/hope that it'll inspire me to do some cooking on my own. If you don't know, I love food and I love to cook. I might not be good but I love to cook anyways. I'll have to blog about my cooking adventures whenever that happens. Hopefully I'll have a camera by then and I can take pictures of my beautiful and yummy creations!

What to do this weekend... maybe I'll hit up the mall again and walk around for a bit and walk on over to the superstore and sears. YES, we have sears! LOL I can use some new work clothes... which reminds me I gotta do a massive load of laundry! Oy I need toonies too, crap! I wonder if I can figure out a way to do laundry for free. Me and my housemates figured out a way to do laundry for free in Waterloo... Hrmmm I'll have to do some research on youtube. Laundry should be free... or at least affordable. C'mon, $2 for a wash and another $2 to dry... that's just ridiculous!

Hope this weekend will be a good one! Wish I was with you guys back home... miss having a pint with you guys!

Don't be a stranger and leave a comment.

So Full

I eat so well at work... well I ate so well at work today at least. Today one of the programs for few of the units was a special dinner (don't know why we call it dinner cause they eat it at lunch) and on the menu was ham, carrots, and potatoes. I was busy doing one on one with another resident on my unit and learning the tricks and the trades so I didn't get to eat with anyone but I was lucky enough to go downstairs to get leftovers and it was good! On top of that, we had a department meeting at lunch and people brought desserts of all kinds... goodness there were 2 cakes, 2 pies, ice cream, and mini cupcakes. All I got to say is I was a very satisfied employee and a very sleepy one for the rest of the day.

Because of the moving people I started work late yesterday so to make it up I worked 8am-6pm today. Damn that's almost 12 hours... I didn't realize that! BUT it was worth it cause it so happened that there was another special dinner program called Travel Group running in the evening. Basically residents pick a country of their choice and the recreation assistants do light research and do a presentation about that country and get the group to talk about that country. So if they've ever visited, if they were born there if so how was it growing up there and moving here, etc, etc. And after the presentation, the recreation assistants or whoever is facilitating (usually two) cooks a meal from that country. So today it was about living in North America back in the day. So they prepared a roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, cabbage/union/bacon dish and for dessert apple pudding crumble with ice cream. I don't think I've eaten so well for a long time.

I guess I was at the right place at the right time. I picked a good day to go home late. So now I don't have to cook dinner... basically all my meals for today were from work. Oh I love my job sometimes.

My apartment is still a mess. I know I did a lot of work last night but it sure doesn't look like it. Just looks like a bomb went off and stuff flew everywhere. I have the weekend to clean up, I guess.

OH! The family I met through Pastor Chang offered me their car for the weekend. The guy is in Mexico for a conference so his wife emailed me today wondering if I wanted to borrow their car to explore the town. I was shocked that she offered the car cause they have 4 kids... maybe she met she'd drive me around... but still the thought was very surprising. I'd feel bad to take their car and I don't have any places in mind I'd want to go to.

Well I know the temperature back home is dropping... bundle up people! But that's still nothing compared to here... I'm still waiting for the -40 temperatures.

Don't be a stranger and leave a comment! :)

12 More Hours...

My furniture and other things are arriving tomorrow! WOO friggin' HOO! :)

Not much happened today at work but continued on with the new employee orientation. The only fun part of today's orientation was it was the last day! Haha. I got to do my mask fitting again cause I didn't bring my card from Toronto... I hate tasting that bitter solution... so gross. And the stupid things they make you wear.... I look like a goof, a total goof. I wanted to keep the mask I was using but I left it on the table and when I came back from lunch I didn't know if it was my mask or someone's mask.

Yeah not much to blog about tonight... other than the fact that my stuff's arriving tomorrow morning! Finally my apartment will look and feel more like my home and I can finally settle in and feel comfortable. So long air mattress! You've provided me with... urmm comfort but I will definitely not miss you. I think I might fall asleep tomorrow night and not wake up for work cause I'll be too comfortable and sound asleep from the comfort.

Oh and I can't wait to start cooking some real food. Frozen food, instant noodles and pizza... not a very healthy combination of foods, I think. I need some vegetables and fresh stuff in my diet. Too bad I don't get paid for awhile.... my grocery shopping will have to wait and I'll just eat rice and curry-in-box that my mom sent over with my stuff. Thank mom! :)

Man it's only 8:30! I'm still not used to this time difference... I'll chat some more and maybe I'll sleep early tonight... or I'll tidy up my room so I can fit my bed and dresser when it gets here tomorrow. Maybe I should sleep on the floor tonight... so I don't have to wake up early to deflate it... yeah I'll just sleep on the floor tonight. The sacrifices I make for myself. Haha

Don't be a stranger and leave some goodies in the form of comments.

Orientation... What A Bore

Today and tomorrow was and will be a boring day for me. It's new employee orientation sessions... whoopie! I'm sitting there and listening and it doesn't matter if you're in a different province, everything is pretty much the same. Staff abuse awareness, child abuse awareness, workers comp... everything's the same. I guess I should have none since those things are pretty standard across the board... or I hope they are.

So I got nothing really to blog about today.... today was uneventful. OH! My furniture and other essentials were suppose to arrive today but the driver calls me yesterday and tells me the hwy in Regina closed down cause of 20-30cm of snow fall! 20-30cm!! How crazy is that?! He tells me he probably won't be on the road again until tomorrow. So he calls me in this morning and leaves a voice message telling me he hasn't left yet cause the hwy is still closed but they are opening it up slowly so he expects to be here by Wednesday earliest. WEDNESDAY?! I want my stuff already... I want to be able to cook a meal, sleep on a real mattress, sit and watch tv and eat a meal on a chair and a table. Guess my mom was right when she told me everyone needs to know how it feels to suffer a little... I don't think I'm suffering that much but not having some of the things I took for granted... it's making me appreciate them even more now.

Hopefully my stuff will be here Wednesday and by that time my tv will be ready for the cable and internet people who'll be coming Friday. Woohoo! Finally my apartment will feel like a real home. I wish I had a camera to take a picture of my bare apartment... it's pretty sad looking. Just picture yourself house hunting and you walk into a house with no furniture, no nothing. Well that picture you have in your head, it's pretty much my living area and kitchen and dinette area. My bedroom looks alright but still sad cause it's my air mattress, suit cases and my laptop with a few random things on the floor.

It's time for bed... I'm sleeping early these days. Guess that's a true sign of a working professional. Sleeping early to get my 6-7 hours of sleep. Good night! Don't be a stranger and leave a comment. And if you're in a good mood, follow my blog, too. :)

First Weekend In Grande Prairie

So my first weekend here was pretty good and productive.

I slept in and woke up 11-12. I didn't want to wake up but thought I should at least wake up early enough so if I wanted to do something I'd have time to do it. I walked around my apartment and I can't wait until my furniture, kitchen stuff, mattress and all the other things I packed arrive Monday. My living area is pretty bare... literally has nothing but curtains. I have a feeling I should have listen to my parents and shipped both the couches... even though they are flower patterned. Gotta save money, ya know? My living area seems to be big enough for both plus tv and coffee table. We'll see when I arrange the furniture around.

Being the first weekend, I wanted to explore this town that I now call home. What better place to go on a weekend but the mall! I wish I could say its a big mall like Yorkdale or even Fairview but... it really isn't. For all you readers who've been to the Conestoga Mall in Waterloo... yeah it's pretty similar but worse. The only men's store I can really shop at is RW&Co but that's only for work attire. I guess I'll have to drive to Edmonton one of these weekends to do ALL my clothe shopping.

Walking back I stopped by Canadian Tire just to kill more time and if I could buy anything for the apartment. After picking up stuff I realized that I should probably wait until my stuff arrive and see if I really do need the things I picked up. And I didn't want to spend money cause I haven't gotten paid yet... cause do I really need a hook near the main door to hold my keys? I didn't think so... although it was a good idea at the time.

Last night I met up with a family that Pastor Chang met at Urbana and I went to their son's indoor soccer game to talk and get out of the apartment. It was nice to meet them finally after countless emails and to talk to someone besides residents and coworkers at the hospital. While at timmies they told me about this production their church (so happens it's one of the churches I had in mind to attend) was holding a comedy production called Studio Y and they invited me to come if I had nothing to do Saturday night. So having nothing to do and wanting to go out and be productive with my time, I walked over to the church and had a good time. It was pretty funny and well organized. They apparently have it once a month so can't wait to go next month. Talking more with Mike, I found a gym I could go to but it'll be a far walk but hopefully I can figure out their transit schedule to save me time.

I'm glad I met the Bennett family, their kids are all nice and their youngest, I think is 9 months is SO cute. She cried the first time she saw me, which was last night, but now she smiles and laughs when I'm around. I guess she opens up to people easily. Or I'm not as scary as I thought. Haha.

I'm getting more comfortable here now, now having met a family who can show me around town and talk to, having worked a full week, and having been here a week. It still gets lonely but that's not going to go away. I wonder what my friends and family are up to this weekend... I miss having a drink with you guys. CHEERS!

What Could Have Been...

Weekend officially started today at 4:15pm but has been ruined by one phone call at 2:15pm.

I definitely did not want to wake up and go to work today. It was such a struggle to roll off my air mattress and walk towards the shower. But because I live so close to work I think I can afford to sleep in a little bit... I mean it takes like... 3 mins to walk to work. Honestly, it's that close. My view from my bedroom AND living room is the hospital.

Work today was pretty slow. None of the recreation therapist work Fridays but me and my supervisor so it was just me and the recreation assistants. I still don't know what I'm suppose to do at work... I don't lead any programs and assessments/reassessments don't happen that much... so what do I do? I try to make myself look busy but reading a binder or trying to help out so I can get to know my residents. The residents are fun and I love hearing their stories.

So after lunch I was prepping something one of the recreation therapist asked me to finish up. As I was working on it, I get a phone call and on my caller id it read Restricted ID so I was curious to see who was calling. I pick up and BAM! "Hi this is so and so from CENTRE FOR ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH, is this peter?" WHY?!?! Why must they call me NOW for an interview... when I already took a job on the other side of the country, one week into my new job and with my furniture expected for arrival on monday... why?? I told the person I already have a job now and we hung up. After that phone call my mood changed and all I could think of was... "what if i didnt take this job now?" "what am i doing here when i could have the change to work at my dream job?" "i lost my chance at my dream job!" All these thoughts... and I guess I'm doubting myself again for coming here, when there was a potential to stay home in the city I love and want to live in.

So my weekend has now been ruined... hopefully something sparks it up again but losing the chance to work at my dream job is pretty heartbreaking.

Don't be a stranger and leave a comment.

Hump Wednesday

I can't believe it's Wednesday already... although it felt like Friday and I was ready for the weekend. First week of work and first week of being out here is almost half done! Pretty crazy! I wish I could say I've explored this small town but after work I just want to go home and rest, even though I have no furniture and nothing to do.

So I've been living like a true bachelor and been eating frozen food, Hungry Man to be exact. LOL It's pretty good... don't know if it's cause I was really hungry or cause it's actually good but the portion was pretty filling. I had the turkey dinner. Came with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, peas, and cranberry sauce. I'd much rather eat the real thing though... mmm turkey dinner!

Working is going alright. I'm getting to get the hang of things now but it's totally different from what I am used to. I'm used to being involved with the programs and activities that I would plan but here the programs and activities are mostly facilitated by the recreation therapy assistants. I can facilitate here and there when one of the RTA's is sick or if I want to observe a resident. I guess I'm doing more of the background work here and doing the assessments of residents. I have 51 residents in one unit and 10 patients in another unit... a total of 61 people I have to assess and plan for. The unit with 51 residents, I hear it takes 3 hours to write up an assessment for person! YIKES! The recreation therapists have been really helpful so it should be a real smooth transition.

Last night I ended up sleeping at 10pm and I ended up waking up at 6am but went back to sleep until 7am when my alarm woke me up. I slept at 11pm two nights ago and at 10pm last night so I should try to sleep at 10:30pm. Or I guess I can sleep at 10pm and wake up at 6am so I have time to shower, eat and check stuff online before heading to work. I'll try 10:30pm tonight and see how that goes.

Don't be a stranger and leave a comment.

First Day At Work

So today was my first day at work and it was alright. It was just filled with administrative stuff, forms, and my supervisor talking and talking and talking. I got to see some of the clients but will definitely meet them all eventually as I start going to the units and doing more work besides administrative stuff.

I know this is only temporary and geriatrics isn't my field of interest but I want to stay out here longer than my temporary contract. I'm making good money here. I hope I don't just stay here until Oct (which is when my contract ends... I just found that out today) cause all the moving and what not would be a waste of money and time. I should continue to look for jobs in Toronto, maybe in Calgary and definitely in Vancouver too. But my ideal job is in Toronto and I'd love to live in Toronto. So much life, so much excitement and it'll always be my home.

It's a little lonely here... ok not a little but a lot lonely here right now. I have no furniture yet so my living area is bare, kitchen only has bread, peanut butter, kettle and instant cup noodles (how Korean am I? lol). I just stay in my bedroom where the only piece of furniture is my air mattress but at least my bedroom is occupied with clothes and suit cases... even though they are just randomly lying on the floor. It's very messy right now but it's making my room look full and less lonely.

I like my apartment. It's a nice place. I don't have a peep hole in my front door... I'll have to call the caretaker and see if he can do something about that. What if someone knocks at my door, I'd want to know who it was, who wouldn't? He is a really nice guy and his wife is just as nice. I lucked out on finding a good caretaker... superintendent... or whatever else you call them.

I was on hold with the internet and cable company and I noticed I don't need internet right now. I'm "borrowing" someone's wireless right now and I don't need cable right now either cause I don't even have a tv set yet. Good thing I was on hold or else I would have signed up and wasted money... money that I don't have yet. I can't wait until I get paid in two weeks... even if that first cheque is going straight to my bills, it'll still feel good to see that money in my bank account for that short amount of time.

Well I think I wrote enough for today. I'm planning on sleeping early tonight cause this morning was a bit of a struggle. It was still pitch dark outside at 7:30 and now I understand why people can't get up in the winter. I'd always used to wake up fine but not anymore. And the crazy thing was I saw kids walking to school in pitch darkness... that's pretty crazy I think. So I'm gonna try to sleep at 11, an hour earlier than last night and see if that helps.

Until the next post, don't be a stranger and leave a comment or two.

So Long Toronto... I Will Miss You

So I'm heading off to Grande Prairie for good in 5 or 6 hours. I had a blast at Wayne and Eli's wedding, hope the best for you two. Thanks for letting me party and hang out with all my friends for the last time in awhile.

As I sit here and think about my future... it's scary. There are a lot of unknowns for me. New town, new work, new everything. I guess I did ask for this... but didn't know it would hit me this hard. Thought I could breeze pass it and be on top of the world but in actuality I really don't know what I'm doing and I'm far from the top of the world.

I will miss my friends and family a lot. They were there for the good times and bad times. Shared a lot of great memories with them and I hope to continue to make great memories with you guys. I know it is going to be tough on me when I'll be sitting alone in my apartment thinking of home and wanting to hang out with my friends. Going to bars and going out for drinks won't be the same without you guys.

I know I have doubts and I know I will continue to have doubts about taking this job but I know for certain that this will help me grow as a person and help me mature as a man. I look forward to the unknown for that's where I will learn all my valuable life lessons from.

I won't have internet for awhile when I'm at Grande Prairie. So hopefully the next time I blog, I'll be settled in to my new apartment and settled into the new environment. Until that time... I'll miss you guys!

A New Day

So after posting my last blog, I talked to my brother some more and we figured things out. It was nice to talk to someone familiar since everyone here is unknown to me and not sure if I can trust anyone. But I know once I get to talk to more people on a regular basis I will hopefully build that trust with them.

Thanks everyone who thought about me and offered up help. I really felt your love and comfort. Don't know what I would do without friends like that, who are selfless and wanting the best for others. Thanks and you know that I'm always here for anyone.

Today I go back home for the weekend to do some packing and attend a wedding. I know I will have a tough time saying goodbye to everyone cause now I know how tough it will be without any of them around. Will I hold it together? I won't know... I guess I'll have to wait and see.

Time to get ready for the day.

Don't be a stranger, leave a comment.

Having Doubts...

I'm having big doubts for accepting my new job...

I've been here for 3 days now and I'm already feeling homesick. Maybe it's because I'm stressing out about financial situations or maybe it's cause I'm not used to living in a small town, knowing no one or maybe it's a combination of both. Whatever the reason is, I'm regretting my decision. I thought this would be a great experience for me but little did I know how much work and stress it was going to put on me. I can say with no shame... I broke down today. I broken down in tears cause I had enough of calling banks asking for credit increases or asking for line of credits and getting rejected but them all cause I haven't officially started my job yet or cause in my letter of employment it says I'm only temporary full time. I knew money was going to be an issue to beginning with but I know I will get reimbursed back. Just that initial stage of paying for everything is the hardest part.

However, I am happy and blessed to have such loving and caring people in my life. Whether it's people from my new work or my family, I am truly blessed to have people I can talk to and who will comfort me. I guess I do think too much sometimes, over analyzing things and making everything seem worse than it really is and puts me in more of a mess. I guess this trip to GP hasn't been the greatest since day 1... with my luggage being misplaced and not loaded on to my flight from my stopover.

I'm feeling a little better now. I talked to my brother and talked through some ways we can overcome this situation. I guess I should stop trying to figure things out myself and let people I trust help me out to lessen my burdens and stress. As I write this blog and as I think about it... maybe my move to GP is good for me. It's developing me as an adult and is teaching me life skills and life experiences that I would not get living in the comfort of my parents in a city where I'm comfortable. This change will be good for me... I just need to have hope and see the light on the other side cause I know this stress and burden will be lifted.

This was more of serious blog but I hope people will keep me in their prayers and will talk to me whenever they see me online cause I will need to talk to familiar faces, even if its over msn or facebook or what not.

I miss everyone back home... even though I'm coming back for the weekend, I think it'll just make my final flight to GP that much tougher to swallow. I now know the true value of my friends and family.

Don't be a stranger and leave a comment.

Wild Wild West?

Hello everyone from Grande Prairie!

So I landed yesterday afternoon but my day started off pretty bad. When I went to the airport I got my ticket and lined up to get checked and what not. The line wasn't THAT long it was still a slow process. So it was my turn and put everything down in the tray but I guess it's because I haven't traveled on a plane in ages, I didn't take off my belt or my watch. So I walked through the machine and it started to beep so I just figured it was my watch and they were just going to check with their metal detection stick thing and they did but that wasn't it. After the girl checked with the detection stick she calls over a call and tells him to pat me down. He patted me down and what not but I guess because I haven't flown in a long time, I didn't expect to be padded down. Now I know to take off my belt and watch and any metal on me.

My flight was pretty good, watched tv on the plane and tried to sleep cause I only had 2 hours of the sleep before I went to the airport at 4am. I stopped at calgary for 30 mins and boarded my last flight to Grande Prairie and that was pretty. I land in Grande Prairie and I wait to pick up my luggage and nothing. Everyone leaves and I'm staying there still waiting. I go to the Westjet people and tell them my luggage didn't come so they filled out an online report and told me hopefully it'll be on the next flight in at 3pm. So I wait 3 hours and still nothing.... I ended up checking in at my hotel and waited cause the next flight was at 11pm.

Long story short... I got my luggage this morning at 9:30. It felt nice to wear some clean clothes.... love that feeling.

I'll blog about my day later on... my stomach not agreeing with the sub i just ate right now.

My First Trip To Grande Prairie in 3 Days!

Wow I haven't blogged since new years day! I've been busy with meeting a lot of people, busy figuring out moving stuff and I forget to blog sometimes cause I'm just too tired when I get home most days. I guess I have a lot to write but I will try to not bore anyone and try to keep this post short and sweet.

So I've been meeting a lot of friends and people and it has some negative side effects. I've been eating SO much lately and I feel so fat. Literally, I've been eating out every single day. For example, couple days ago, I met up with a friend and we both wanted pho but we were close to hwy 7 and leslie so I thought there must be a pho place there. We found one but... it wasn't that great so we decided to go to pho 88 at warden and steeles to fulfill our pho cravings. All in all... I had two large pho back to back that night. I can't believe I finished both bowls too... I surprise myself sometimes with all the food I can eat. OH! earlier in the week I went to my friend's sushi place... and I ate a lot there too. I swear I think I gained at least few pounds but my parents and friends are telling me I'll probably lose all of my weight when I move out west. I don't think my parents understand I can feed myself... feed myself pretty well at that when I'm alone.

I love to cook. I don't know if I'm good for not but I love to cook. I think when I move out, it'll give me an opportunity to fine tune my cooking skills. Too bad I won't have anyone to cook for but myself. If anyone wants to visit me in Grande Prairie... come and I'll feed you well!

So I've figured out all my moving costs and now figuring out how I'm going to pay for it all is a tough one. I will get all my money back through reimbursements but getting that initial money is pretty hard. None of my credit card people want to raise my limit cause A) I just graduated B) I haven't started work yet and C) I haven't used my sears card for two years. I didn't want to ask my brother but I think I will have to. I'll let you guys know how that goes.

I'm finally going to Grande Prairie on Monday. I think it'll finally hit me that I'm moving when I'm at the airport or when I'm seating on the plane or when I land and check myself in at the hotel or it won't hit me at all until I start work in two weeks. Everyone I've talked to at Grande Prairie, whether it's landlords, my manager, other recreation therapist, they all seem so friendly and helpful. I think I got lucky and I'm blessed that I found a friendly and helpful town to work in. I think my transition from the big city to the small town won't be too hard.

I will blog again... hopefully more often now. Until my next blog, don't be a stranger and leave a comment.

The day after new years eve... I didn't even do anything last night and I still managed to sleep most of the day today. I guess doing nothing is pretty tiring too. I was watching the college football bowl games and the winter classic hockey game but watching it lying down in my bed all cuddled up in my blanket didn't help my cause with falling asleep. At one point I remember I woke up for a second to turn off the tv and went back to sleep.

So my move to Grande Prairie is coming closer and closer. I emailed an apartment ad and they actually replied back. This is a 2 room apartment though and it a little bit more expensive than what I want but it's close to the hospital and other places. I have to email another place but both of them don't have any interior pictures so I'll have to make my decisions when I get there in two weeks.

I can't believe it is the weekend already. I honestly didn't have a clue what the days were... everyday felt like a weekend day. I guess I should enjoy this freedom cause I know I won't get this much free time when I start work. Which reminds me... I have to get a work calender to organize my life from now on. I should have bought on during boxing day. I saw a nice one for $13.99. It had time slots, days, full calender... the works! I'll have to get it soon. Maybe I'll get it this weekend.

Hope everyone is enjoying the new year so far... let's make it a good one!