More importantly however, is knowing what  I can control, change, and make sense of, and being honest about accepting the things that I cannot.  Sounds simple right? It  really should be.

I’m still working on me but I hope this video inspires you to Do what you love and do it often. And the rest? Well, it will somehow figure itself out…

Inspiration:
The Holstee Manifesto Lifecycle Video from Holstee on Vimeo.

Quotes from the video:

This is your life. Do what you love and do it often.

If you don’t like something change it.

If you don’t like your job, quit.

If you don’t have enough time, stop watching tv.

If you are looking for the love of your life, they will be waiting for you when you start doing things you love.

Stop over analyzing, life is simple.

Open your mind, arms and heart to new things, and people.

We are united in our differences.

Some opportunities only come once, seize them.

Travel often. Getting lost will help you find yourself.

All emotions are beautiful.

When you eat, appreciate every last bite.

Ask the next person you see what their passion is.

Share your inspiring dream with them.

Life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them.

So go out and start creating, life is short.

Live your dream and share your passion.

And although there isn’t a real deadline to crossing any of these off, it’s still motivating to have clear goals in mind and in sight.  I know, they say that your 30s are the new 20s because you really know who you are and what you want by then. But why waste time when you already know?

This is my #pursuitofhappiness (for now).

1. Achieve financial stability.
2. Attend the Olympics.
3. Be a mentor/ Change someone’s life/ Inspire someone  to do something awesome.
4. Be in the best shape of my life.
5. Camp in a tent.
6. Climb a mountain.
7. Continue to be a child at heart and don’t lose sight of the simple things.
8. Don’t stop the hustle – always thrive to learn and be better.
9. Establish my career in CPG Marketing (and on path to become VP).
10. Fall and stay in love (and get married to him!)
11. Fire a rifle, shotgun or pistol.[June 2011]
12. Go white water rafting.
13. Have a Professional Designation/ higher education (CMA,MBA,etc.)
14. Host Turkey dinner.
15. Learn to cook without following recipes.
16. Learn to do a cart wheel.
17. Learn to snowboard and/or surf.
18. Own a pair of designer shoes and a purse that I buy for myself.
19. Own a place.
20. Read at least 30 books.
21. Ride an elephant.
22. Ride in a hot-air balloon!!!!
23. Scuba dive.
24. Skydive. [Summer 2010]
25. Stop swearing.
26. Travel the world as much as possible –  Asia, Australia, Europe, Peru, South America,etc.
27. Upgrade the Acura EL.
28. Walk the Great Wall of China.
29. Watch the sun rise and sun set [Jan 2011, Jamaica] somewhere amazing.
30. Witness a meteor shower.

What makes the top of your list? Please share!

- C

Let’s get sexy first.  I’m in Miami B!tch!
I can’t remember how many times we played the LMFAO song but we definitely lived up to the ‘drink all day. play all night. let’s get it poppin.’ truth of South Beach, Miami Florida.

Planning for 10+ girls (with all sorts of personalities) for a 4-day trip is no easy walk in the park.  Everything from arranging plane tickets to figuring out where the parties are at, to creating the perfect itinerary and making sure rooming situations are good, is your job.

Here are a few things that worked for me.

1. Set a Budget, they are not meant for breaking.  Budget for a) plane ticket and accommodations, b) budget daily spending for food, partying and other ‘mandatory’ activities you would like everyone to attend to (i.e. shows).  Your guests will really appreciate this, trust me.
2. Accommodate to your best ability. You can’t make EVERYONE happy, and you can’t ask everyone where they want to go and what they want to do. Remember, your job is to make Bride happy, everyone else will learn to suck it up.
3. Research. If your Bride or your friends are anything like us, food is a priority.  Whateverthe priorities are within your Bridal Party, research everything online before going.  We found the most AWE-mazing, non-db, super nice and connected promoter – all because I Googled Miami Pool Parties about a million times. lol I know we all like to be spontaneous and go with the flow…but with a big group [of girls], planning is essential.  It doesn’t mean you don’t leave any room for excitement, have a little fun. (;
4. Use visual tools to help plan the trip. Not being too familiar with South Beach, I used Google Maps and mapped out all the restaurants, clubs, beaches and other interesting hot spots on the map.  We knew exactly how far our hotel was and whether we could walk or take a cab.  It also really helps with the itinerary and planning your days out, which is my next point.
5. Create an Itinerary but don’t make everything mandatory to attend.  People like to know what they’re doing and when, mainly because we want to know what to wear and how to do our hair that day/night.  If you are a close group of girlfriends, its easy to do everything together.  If there is a large group and you’re in a big city, I would suggest that you leave some ‘free time’ for girls, who may not enjoy the same things as you/Bride enjoys whether its for shopping or visiting a monument; they will appreciate this.  Of course, all dinners and partying are a must-go event!   It was also very important to schedule ‘get ready time’; add an extra 30 min safety always.
6. Have Themed Nights. We had so much fun dressing up and making sure we were noticeably a Bachelorette Party.  You get free stuff, other girls are nicer to you, boys buy you drinks – it’s really all good in the fun!  Our themed nights consisted of Black/White & Sexy Ballerina (with corset tops).
7. Ignore the drama.  There will be drama, but ignore it.   Ignore it and it will go away.
8. Ask other MOHs/ Bridesmaids for help. People are very willing to help if you ask.  @millieng sent me her entire Vegas Bachelorette  itinerary for her BFF, but then we changed our plans and went to Miami! haha
9. Buy anti-acid pills.  If you’re Asian, you’re likely going to have the “Asian glow” – the effect of being flushed red after one sip of alcohol. Pepci Ac and Zantak work well and it’ll make everyone look less buzzed in pictures!
10. Have fun! Enjoy it and pray that you’ll only be MOH once. :P

Stay tuned for Part 2 – Showered with Love!

-C

People & Culture

As we were driving along the roads and passing by the numerous fruit stands, jerk centers and craft markets – all I could think of was “What do these people do all day?”  ”Do they just wait all day for tourists to come by?” “Do they have any ambitions for a better life?” “Do they even know what’s outside of their life as it exists?”

Life there in the small towns seem so simple.  Wake up, get the stand ready and then wait.  Sitting, waiting, wishing?  Of course I can only imagine what is going through their minds and what they do all day but as we drove by, I could feel their desperation for us to buy something.

In my interactions with them, I found that they were aggressive but respectful. They repeatedly ask for you to check out their shops, “just take a look and don’t have to buy”, but once you give them a firm No, they will back off. And sure guys will make comments, but it’s probably because people here wear long sleeves in 30 degree weather, and well I don’t!

Despite their persistence, and maybe I’m naive, people here seem to be very courteous, respectful and friendly (at least in the day time).  All of them with say “Good morning/afternoon/evening”, will help you when you need directions, and tell us about their culture.  Some of them seem to enjoy life for what it is – a true appreciation.  But maybe they were nice because they wanted something from us, but a part of me has the hope that they were just good people.  But maybe not.  One of our tires were deflated from going on  a pothole too fast and two Jamaicans quickly came to help us change the tire and pump up the other one.  He charged us only $1000 JMD no problem, that’s like $12 CAD!

Church also seems to be an important part of life here too.  In every little town, there is a church and on Sundays, they were packed with people.  There is also this sense of community/ “love thy neighbour”, as we saw locals helping other locals out; telling us about different things to do – i.e. visit Savana La Mar in the day and then go to Rick’s Cafe at night when it opens at 6pm – when in fact, the cafe is opened during the day.

Being in Jamaica also made me realize how much our Canadian culture is influenced by Jamaicans.  All the slangs that are used like, “What g’wan”, “Bredren”, “Boss”, “Seen” and “Respec” come from Jamaican culture.  Fly kicks, pimped out clothes, and hipsters may also be influenced from here.  Music, specifically reggae is a huge part of life and Bob Marley is the king.

In the end, I know I sound very optimistic about the people and the culture here, but I am a realist at heart.  I am aware that the crime and murder rate is extremely high and that there is a lot that I don’t know and don’t see daily. But for some reason, I have this glimpse of hope that things can be turned around because there is so much good in them too.

Nonetheless, I’m happy to have seen the “other side” of life by taking a road trip across the country.  It really makes me think about how fortunate we are and how much we should appreciate the little things in life.

Things to Remember When Travelling

With a renewed sense of inspiration gathered from my trip to Jamaica, I promise it won’t be another year til I blog again.

Peace!
- C

Food

Jerk Deliciousness

For those who enjoy  jerk chicken in Toronto, boy do I some news for you! Jerk pork and jerk lamb is actually the best thing EVER, AND jerk pork seems to be the ‘authentic’ meat of choice!  Jerk chicken… meh.  A key part of enjoying jerk meat is the hot sauce – good thing I bought some jerk seasoning and spices home for BBQ season! :P

My Top 3 Jerk Spots in Jamaica:

1. Jerk Lamb w/ mint + festival @ Sweetwood (Kingston)
2. Jerk Pork w/ bread @ G&B Jerk Center (Buff Bay)
3. Jerk Pork + Jerk Chicken w/ yam + bread @ Scotchies (St. Ann’s Bay)

Jerk Lamb w/ mint sauce + festival (Sweetwood, Kingston, Jamaica)

How they make Jerk. (Scotchies, St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica)

Jerk Pork (Scotchies, St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica)

(Festivals are fried dough that you can eat as a side with jerk foods.  It tastes kinda like translated in Chinese “cow tongue pastry” – the sweet fried dough that you have with congee.)

Curry Goat

Curry Goat w/ Rice & Peas + Veggies (3DIVES, Negril, Jamaica)

After chilling at Rick’s Cafe for some reggae and drinks, we stopped by a restaurant called 3 DIVES in Negril to have dinner.  I ordered the curry goat and it came with rice & peas and veggies.  Delicious! With a bon fire off to the side of the restaurant and a full view of the stars, I couldn’t ask for more.

Seafood & Fish

Moonshine cooking fish over an open fire (Negril, Jamaica)

Frying fish on the beach (Negril, Jamaica)

A top highlight was eating on the beach in Negril, where we negotiated with some Rastas to cook for us.  We first went to the fish market with ‘Bobby Culture’ to pick the fish we wanted and then ‘Moonshine’ fried the fish in an open fire.  It was a kinda expensive but the experience was worth it and there was something great about supporting the Rastas! lol

Lobster surprise dinner (Mille Fleurs Restaurant, Portland, Jamaica)

Coriander fish w/ Coconut rub wrapped in Banana Leaf (Mille Fleurs Restaurant, Portland, Jamaica)

Fish and lobster was also had in Portland at a fancy restaurant called Mille Fleurs at Mocking Bird Hill Hotel.  Pretty good, but I would say that the lobster doesn’t beat what I’ve had in Toronto!

Patties

Juici Beef Patty w/ Coco Bread!

On most days we had jerk, but I had a chance to try out the Beef Patty w/ coco bread (ate it kinda like a sandwich) at Juici Patties (one of their chain restaurants).  Funny enough I had it for breakfast and it was a good start to my day!

Fried Chicken

Fried Chicken w/ Rice & Peas (Boston Bay, Jamaica)

On our way to Reach Falls and passing by Boston Bay, where jerk supposedly began, we somehow stumbled into a little bar/restaurant where there was only curry goat and fried chicken available.  But no jerk!  Apparently the area has gone downhill for a while now and have left.  Anyways, we opted for fried chicken!  It was pretty good and wasn’t super battered like KFC with sauce that tasted close to the canned bean sauce. lol

Ake and Salt Fish

A Traditional Dish - Ake & Salt Fish for Breakfast (Montego Bay, Jamaica)

A traditional dish in Jamaica is ake and salt fish for breakfast!  I wasn’t use to eating fish or salty foods in the morning but it was something I had to try. Ake is a fruit  (looks like scrambled eggs) and the combination goes well with the fish. Not my fave but I think you should still try it!

Tropical Fruits

Tropical fruit plate to start my day! (Polkeris, Montego Bay, Jamaica)

Mmmm grapefruits in Jamaica were my fave! Spoiled by the B&B we stayed at in Montego Bay, we would start off every morning with a plate of fruits.  Ting!-  a carbonated grapefruit drink in Jamaica is also the bomb!

Jam-Fusion

Jam-Italian spaghetti w/ Jerk spices (Evitas, Ocho Rios, Jamaica)

Jam-Italian and Jam-Chinese were some of the Jamaican fusion foods that I tried.  Jam-Italian foods was Italian food that is fused with Jamaican spices.  Jam-Chinese (no pictures) was Chinese food w/ some kick!

Rum & Red Stripe

Red Stripe Beer

Appleton Rum and Red Stripe beer is the local favourite and helps to cool off in the hot hot weather!  New discovery is Ting! and rum! Too bad I can’t bring back some Ting!, but rum I can! Who wants a shot?

To be continued…

Don’t get me wrong, I love resorts –  it’s like a fantasy dreamland where you can escape the stresses of real life and just hang back, relax and be in the comfort of the 5-star resort with the bestest friends in the world.  Excursions are set and a guide takes you where you want to go, tells you what to do,  and how much to pay.  Excellente!   This trip  however was the opposite except that our days were planned most of the time.  But we ventured out on our own, navigating through the roads in a rental car looking for the adventure destinations and food spots, negotiating with the locals for best prices and best of all, got lost in all of Jamaica’s beauty.

Ready for the ride?

Next to my backpacking European trip in July ‘08, I think Jamaica’11 ranks near the top of my list of vacations…

On the Road

Jamaica is an amazingly breathtaking country from North to South and East to West Coast.  I know, because I saw it with my own eyes.  :P It is divided into 13 Parishes (kinda like Provinces) and I was fortunate enough to visit or at least drive by (lol) 10 of them; everything but St. Elizabeth, Clarendon and Catherine.

Every city had its similarities;  a collection of small stores in a strip mall, a super market, crafts market,  a Digicel/Clairo/Lime (the Big 3 telecommunication companies), jerk/fruit stands and Burger King/KFC.  In each city there wasn’t something – a building, piece of architecture, etc. – that made it noticeably different than the other.  In fact, it was hard to distinguish between a bigger city and a smaller town, except for the number of tourists walking around!

West Coast and East Coast however had distinct differences.  The North/West Coast (hot vacation spots like Negril, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios) had more access to beaches, view of the sea,  the “city life” (i.e. casinos/clubs) and was bombarded with resorts. I say bombarded because while in Negril, a city known for as “Jamaica’s Seven Mile Beach”, it was difficult to find a stretch of beach that was available for the public/locals.

Driving along the North West Cost of Jamaica

The East Coast was more secluded and seemed to be frequented by few tourists. The drive was more scenic with fields of palm trees, banana trees and other crops.  The towns we passed by were smaller but still encompassed the essence of a town as mentioned above, and people were more surprised to see non-Jamaicans.

Driving along the East Coast of Jamaica

Other things to mention about driving in Jamaica:

Adventure (Highlights)

Dunns River Falls

Dunns River Falls (Ocho Rios, Jamaica)

A must-visit tourist spot when visiting Jamaica, and no tour guide is necessary though if you have a sense of adventure and can hold your balance. It was so much fun!  I’m coming back with some bruises cause I was too adventurous haha but it was worth the victory!

Rick’s Cafe

Sunset at Rick's Cafe (Negril, Jamaica)

Deemed to be Top 10 Bars around the world, Rick’s Cafe is a lively spot for tourists to hang out and watch the sunset over the sea.  It was a very ‘happening’ place with live music and lots to drink!

Rio Grande River

Tony, Captain of the Raft! Rio Grand River. (Port Antonio, Jamaica)

Rafting on the Rio Grande River is a gem in Port Antonio! We paid the ‘Captain’ who paddles a bamboo raft along the Rio Grande River.  Amazing!  We had a chance to paddle ourselves too, haha too bad I wasn’t very successful.

Blue Lagoon & Frenchman’s Cove

Rafting to the Blue Lagoon (Port Antonio, Jamaica)

World Famous  Blue Lagoon in Port Antonio is where the fresh water meets salt water.  We also went snorkeling around Monkey Island and swam in a pool of natural mineral water which is said to make you 5 years younger!

Reach Falls

Reach Falls (St. Thomas, Jamaica)

After visiting Dunns River Falls, I wasn’t sure what could top that but Reach Falls did!  Located in the parish of St. Thomas on the South East Coast, this waterfall adventure is not to be missed.  A tour guide is recommended in this case – he took us up the falls (which isn’t as easily navigated as Dunns River), into caves and ‘through’ the falls literally!  AMAZING.

To be continued…

Food, Culture & People, and Things to Remember!

Maybe because it is the year of the Tiger or maybe because 2009 was just a rough year and I’m looking for so much more, but I am confident that 2010 will be a good year, my year.  I’ve always believed in living a passionate life and doing things that make me happy but I haven’t fully followed through… which leads me to the things I need to work on to live the life I want to.

Appreciate the journey.

Somewhere along the way between coming out of university and working full-time has really changed the perception I have of myself.  It’s not that I’m not confident about who I am and my abilities to be successful but it’s more of an expectation that I have set hat I have yet to reach.  I am constantly feeling disappointed in myself because I want to get there faster without realizing that it’s just not possible sometimes.

2010 will be more about appreciating the journey to getting where I want to go and ultimately having more patience in the process.  I need to enjoy and learn from the experiences (good or bad) that will lead me to euphoria instead of giving myself a hard time when things don’t go exactly as planned.

Warrior > Worrier.

I worry too much because I care too much.  It’s probably not a bad trait but there is a big discrepancy between really caring and not giving a sh!t.  It’s not much of a problem when someone or something is on the other extreme since I do not spend more than a minute to ponder but if it is something important or I love you, then I’m crazy! lol

Seriously speaking I just need to chill and not let my emotions get the worse of me.  Be a warrior, strong and composed, instead of a worrier, flustered and annoyed.  If I find myself worrying, it’s better to take the initiative to control the situation versus letting the situation affect me.

Enjoy personal space.

Unlike most people, I do not enjoy personal time.  It’s not that I can’t be alone but I enjoy the company of people more than hanging out by myself always.  There’s nothing appealing about kicking back and spending time alone.  Even for something as simple as watching TV shows; I’d much rather watch with someone than not.

It’s not that I need to be glued to people but there is a comfort having someone there; and by there I mean in the house or just around in some way.  And although this hasn’t been much a problem in any way, I know that I need to be okay with it and turn that into time well spent by myself.  I think good things can come from it and I’ll probably be more productive.

2010 for me is about new experiences, new adventures and enjoying the journey in getting where I want to go.  So the challenge here is to find something that t I enjoy doing by myself and be okay that I am doing it alone because there’s no better way to get to know myself and find happiness within than to spend time alone. Will keep you posted!

You are your own rock.

Something was different about 2009. It was a life-changing year, different in every way and went through things that I never thought would come my way.  I am still very indifferent about how I feel about 2009 but in many ways I’m glad it’s over.

What I’ve realized time after time is that at the end of the day, you only have yourself to depend on and that your happiness needs to stem from your core.  If you depend on others for happiness you will be disappointed because that expectation is too much to be rested upon someone else’s shoulders.  It’s also not really fair to put that on anyone else!

Two things to remember that help is 1) accept the reality of the situation and 2) spend time on making things better not waste time moping over what you cannot change.  And so what it all comes down to is that you have to be the master of your life’s goals and overall happiness level.  If you want it, go get it, do it and make it happen.  Do not depend on others to make it happen for you (even though a helping hand is always appreciated).

“Everything is in your hands and your hands only.” @skanwar

I think having control of your own happiness is empowering and nothing and no one should ever come between that. So 2010, are you ready?  Because I’m coming for you!

Last but not least, I’ll share a few things that I’m looking forward to…

• Finding passion and happiness in my 9 to 5 (aka work)
• Skydiving (Summer 2010!)
• More traveling – cruise, NYC, etc.
• Seeing friends get engaged <3
• Boyfriend working in clinic
• DT Volleyball Championships (wooot!)
• Learning a new skill or improving a rusty one
• Planning/help to plan some kind of event
• Volunteering
• Rekindling old friendships
• Having countless girls nights in at best friend’s condo!
• Becoming a better chef
• and so much more!

And taaaaaaa daa, cheers to 2010!  Cheers to better tomorrows and backward smiley faces all around (:

xoxo

C

- Anatole France

Thanks to @DoOneGood for sharing the Finish Strong movie link (www.finishstrongmovie.com) this morning, otherwise I wouldn’t have found this inspirational quote! I’ve even written it out and posted it on my bedroom wall!

Lately I’ve been struggling a bit mentally, thinking about life in all of its aspects.  If you’re thinking about whatever it is you are thinking about, be rest assured that you are not alone.  It’s easy to fall when you’re already downhill (been there, done that – check check check) but what you have to realize is that it always seems worse than what it really is.

Sometimes,  it’s just a mental thing; and today it finally clicked for me.

Stay tuned because the girl who shouts from the rooftops, walks through walls, and dances in the rain is back. (:

- C

We’re always taught to look forward and pay attention  to the road ahead, but note that we are also reminded to check the rear view mirror every 20 seconds.  I definitely check my blind spots way too often then.

Pondering? Let’s continue together.

And yes, I am back…. attempt #3 at writing regularly.