Coulda Woulda Shoulda

This is my favourite time of year. Whether I'm with family or connecting with people via Skype, I always find it the most relaxing and rejuvenating time of year. For me, the summer is about busy-ness. It's about being outside, getting into nature, jumping on my bike and riding around some of the beauty that BC has to offer. It's about spending time on patios, alternating between mornings on the beach and evenings watching the sunset. It's about finding amazing things to do, adventures to go on, islands to visit, festivals to enjoy. But this time of year provides the most quiet solace for me. Probably because we aren't always near loved ones, which means this time of year ends up being filled with late mornings, lounging pj time and junkfood-filled days. As I type, I can see various runners trek past the window along the dyke, diligently adhering to their holiday fitness schedules. And, since I do have another half marathon ( Dasani Half Marathon ) in about 6 wee...

Just having a fabulous moment of happiness. My life is great. I have so many great things. And even when I think I'm straying off the path, I suddenly realise this is not the case at all. The path was just leading me to where I needed to be, without me needing to do anything at all. Energy will get you there. You just have to relinquish control. Ok. Lesson learned. Thanks universe.

Last week, I was wandering through a bookstore, soaking in all the wonderful-ness that comes with wandering around a store filled with stories, I was hit with a bit of inspiration. I've certainly been at a cross roads before. Certainly had the opportunity to make a choice one way or the other way. And for many years, my perfectionist self consistently want to make sure I was doing things the RIGHT way. Whether it's age or experiences or the west coast air, I think I've slowly come to the realization that in essence, it doesn't really matter which path you take as long as you're always moving forward. I tweeted "Accept that your life could go in many directions, all fulfiling, and you will fear less about making mistakes...". And since today I emerged from a bit of virus hell (sorry all those who may have had to come along the ride with me) I was reminded of this tweet and it made me think about it all over again. I could be a travel writer. I cou...

I'm not really sure I can describe the awesome-ness that is seeing mountains towering behind a beautiful cityscape and after once again this weekend taking the camera out, I'm not sure that I'll ever get to SHOW it either. I'm sure one of you savvy picture taking peeps could probably enlighten me on how to pull the mountains out of this shot and make them 'pop' in the way that it makes my readers feel like they're RIGHT THERE with me. But then, perhaps that is more Mother Nature's point - you actually have to BE there. Because as hard as I try, I can never get those mountains to look as spectacularly LARGE in a picture as they do when I stare at them. I mean, they're awe-inspiring. I just can't stop staring at them. And so, spent another weekend saying, "Oh my god will you LOOK at those mountains?", so much so that D finally huffed as I was midway through the sentence for the 2034th time and said YES YES  I SEE THEM and I've b...

I have had quite a few people surrounding me - online and offline - who are in need of a whack of positive energy. I figured I'd throw it out to the Internet-verse to see if I could muster up as much as I possibly could to help them along the paths that they are currently facing. I've been going through a bit of a transition myself lately, one that I'm quite familiar with and one that is not all that great to weed through but always leaves me feeling much stronger as I get out the other side. I've talked about the 3 month hump before - the strange period that seems to hit after I've lived somewhere for 3 months where I feel just at a bit of a loss - missing those things I left behind, perhaps eager to discover more about the place I am currently and the general sense of uncertainty, unknown, insecurity. I find it painfully hard, mostly because I AM a very confident, outgoing person and feeling hesitant makes me irritable. I think it also stems from coming fr...

After being happily swallowed up by the Olympics over the past 2 weeks, I'm getting myself back to normal here in our new home. There had been some anticipation and 'wait until after the Olympics' type actions here since we arrived in January. Now that we've lived through that spectacular chapter, it's time to get down to the business of really digging into some of the things I've been wanting to do for a couple of years now. Running I've commited myself to another half marathon here in Vancouver at the beginning of May. I'm hoping for a personal best and am continuing to raise funds for a great cause - you can read more about it here: http://www.canadahelps.org/GivingPages/GivingPage.aspx?gpID=6777 The weather has helped with my training immensely - as have the yoga and spin classes I'm able to attend. The serotonin is doing wonders for my mind and the physical aspects are allowing me to fit into my pants again. Reading I've star...

There have been many things that I have been awestruck about this end of the country. For one - and those of you who know me, big eye roll please - the weather!! The fact that I went for a run in January IN MY SHORTS was fansatically wonderful. The fact that I ran past the mountains was even better. For another - the food. So much deliciously exotic food surrounds my new home. Thai. Vietnamese. Portuguese. Chinese. Irish (HEYit's still foreign!! and delicious..) But what has struck me most about the food, what blew my mind, was the SIZE of the pieces of sushi and sashimi. Yes that IS my chopstick, NOT a toothpick. Clearly if you are from the Vancouver area YOU HAVE BEEN HOLDING OUT ON US because no one has EVER told me about the amazing size of the pieces you get out here. Either that, or Tokyo Joe's has just opened and is will be going out of business in a week's time for selling WAY TO MUCH FISH for WAY TOO LITTLE!! I have lived in Korea and while I have ne...

It has been 5 months in the making but D and I are officially off on our next adventure. This adventure has coincided with the longest most intense project I've worked on since my days as a book publicist. And so, I am only now getting to the point where I have 2 minutes to myself, to write about just what is going on in my part of the world. I am currently making a cross country trip from Ontario to British Columbia via the United States to my new home in Richmond, B.C. D is going back to school, I am continuing to be a tech writer and we will be in the Vancouver area for the Olympics, not before we make the epic journey in our car across multiple States in a much more comfortable albeit similar distance as many many pioneers from years past across this vast continent. So far, so good. With many things to say, I'd rather collect thoughts before I put them here, however I thought it was important to get down that I am leaving, gone, moving, outta here, off again. What I also wi...

I know, I know, I've gone silent again. But I must say this video made me a little nostalgic for that crazy place called the UK. Happy commuting today

Last week, D and I ventured out to hear this guy speak about not only his time in Afghanistan but also, where the world of journalism is headed for the future. He's an alumnus of our school - Ryerson University - and being back in those halls made me kinda itch a bit not only for the thrills of reporting but also, the world's-your-oyster feeling of being a student. I suppose that's partly what drew me to teaching, that observation of wonderment and newness of topics show to people who have not yet experienced it. Amongst the many interesting and inspirational things Smith said, there was also quite an poignant comment from an establish newspaper man in the crowd. Someone asked him what employers are looking for these days, a typical 4th year student question, which although understandable kinda of sounded dense in the context of the conversation and certainly for someone who has been out of school for almost 10 years. He answered the standard, 'drive, ambition, willing...

2009 is here. Does anyone remember Y2K? God, that seems like, years ago. Well, 9 years ago to be exact. I have lots of way in which I am going to alter my perception this year. I will not call them New Year's Resolutions because really, that is just setting myself up for disaster. But I am going to look at this year with new eyes. And hope that with each day, I will keep the awe-ness that I so cherish in daily discovery and observation. I'm going to slow down. Say no. Prioritize. Stop and smell the roses type thing. I'm going to not let the snow get me down and leave my house anyway. I'm going to try to relish in my distractions and not rue them. I'm going to remember that endorphins are my friends and 10 times up and down my steps can do the trick if it's -20 outside. Wishing you all new hope and adventure.

THE ECONOMY SUCKS RIGHT NOW!!! And do you know what else sucks? THE FACT THAT NOTHING ELSE IS IN THE NEWSPAPER. OR ON THE RADIO. OR ON THE INTERNET. And now I'm helping to perpetuate that problem but BLOGGING about it but mostly I wanted to blog this. That I'm not sure whether being away for 6 years has sheltered me from all the bad=ness that seems to happy ONLY in North America or whether this is really bigger than all the headlines about Afghanistan or Iraq or the Tsunami or global warming. Because I remember talking to my family when I was away wondering why they were getting so obsessed with one thing or another and now maybe I realize that maybe JUST MAYBE the MEDIA WAS OBSESSING THEM. Because I'm being bombarded with this information that is only about ONE THING. A thing that I suppose is really important but is potentially being dealt with EXTREMELY BETTER in parts of the world where they have actually had real problems like droughts and bombs and fear of N. Korea th...

Right now I'm sitting at a computer in my HOME OFFICE. Yes, that's right I have HOME. A nice, 3 story HOME that is ALL MINE. Well, I share it with D but he's easy to share with. Over the past 6 days I've enjoyed relaxing on MY OWN couch, staring out the construction from MY OWN window and getting in some exercising running up and down the 3 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS in the space which I now call my own. D and I fell luckily into this place which a friend of ours owns and is kindly renting to us. It's given me a whole new outlook on things. Just having your own space has never seemed so important. I guess it feels like almost 2 years since I've had my own space. We had a great place in Korea - huge 3 bedroom, great for parties - but, in hindsight, it was hard for me to feel completely at home there because I knew I would be leaving. The Belfast rentals always felt instantly like home. I suppose since Ireland is very much Western like Canada, it didn't take much. But ...

I'm finding it hard to concentrate on just one item these days. We've not yet been home a month (I KNOW SERIOUSLY! It totally feels so much longer than that) and there still seems to be so many questions floating in the air. And so, I find myself, busily trying to find one solution (somewhere to work) when suddenly, my brain jumps to another problem it wants to fix (pants too tight. must exercise). I distinctly remember the guilty feeling when umemployed, that I'm-a-total-slacker feeling that needles away at you, make you feel like you're not being productive if you're not doing something to get yourself employed. I suppose it similar to the guilt creative people feel when they have to leave the office to be, well, CREATIVE. Like their playing hooky. Or doing something they shouldn't because it actually makes them feel good. But I ignored all those thoughts today and decided that since I am in the middle of a forest, I should take advantage of that and go...are ...

I think I'm finally crawling out of this cave I feel like I've been in for the last little while. It's not that I've been a hermit, although a few blog posts ago you can read all about that, it's just simply more that I'm starting to figure out the 'yeses' and 'nos' of this new world called home. I've interacted with people - but only those who know me better than myself and actually have known exactly what I needed during this period of transition without ME even knowing it. Now those people deserve MEDALS. There is so much information to share and I've always been better at sharing it on paper or at least, on the internet. I suppose that sounds weird. But the thing is, I only have to write something once. Then everyone knows it. And we can move on to more important conversations like how long have you had your hair cut like that and did you really just find the guy that painted your kitchen in the yellow pages? It's so easy how that...

Alright, for all you people who wanted me to get a haircut and get a real job, well, you may have had your wish come true. Well, sort of. I have just spent the day reasearching, reviewing and re-writing my resume and I feel as though it's been a full days work. Part of me even has me scratching my head wondering if I ever really travelled anywhere but this basement computer. I can't really say I've come any closer to making any official decisions. I found a lot of information that will help me and a lot of information that will not. But I also found this: Seen Reading - http://seenreading.blogspot.com This is the coolest concept I've seen in awhile. And since my brain is fried, take a look at this fantasically funky concept, while I try to find sift through all of this data I've imported today. Oh my.

I feel a bit sheepish about the fact that there has not been that much written in this space over the last little while. As a person who is constantly nattering on about current plans, future plans, even past plans, I feel a bit strange not having put something here. And it's not just on virtual paper. I can count on my fingers the number of people I've actually spoken to in the last week. I suppose this is a semi-apology for those I've not yet gotten in touch with - and also those who may not realise we were home. I did have visions of writing about our last night in England and then our first day back in Canada, but the thing is, it's all a bit stranger than expected. In a TOTALLY good way. But strange all the same. I'm still processing the past 18 months - a year in Korea, 6 months on the road. And I guess, finding it all a bit too much to really communicate about. Which is why I haven't written. Or emailed. Or called. So, I'm sorry, I wasn't expectin...