The Countdown is ON!

I (we) can’t believe there are only a mere 4 months left before our wedding day. It seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating the news of our engagement and enjoying beautiful summer sunshine with our friends and family. I’m thankful that we have been able to pace ourselves with our wedding planning, and feeling blessed that we both still have the patience to remind each other to ‘keep calm, and carry on’. Luckily, both B and I are DIY kinds of people, and so our mini projects here and there for the wedding has helped to calm the nerves a bit (because we enjoy the creation process).

To some, it may seem stressful to do planning on your own and I won’t lie, it isn’t a breeze. But we figured we’d try to save some money, and the time we spend telling our planner the things we want/need, we might as well do it ourselves. We think it’s helpful to have someone coordinate many aspects of the wedding day though, especially the day of. I can’t imagine having to worry about when the caterer is supposed to arrive or if the cutlery is placed properly while doing my hair and makeup. :/ We decided to hire a day of coordinator (which is significantly cheaper than hiring a wedding planner for the whole thing, she even works specifically at our venue so she knows all the ins and outs), to relieve some of the day of stress.

Thankful for Fam and Frds

As the year 2012 comes to an end, and the start of 2013 is soon going to begin, I have finally found some time to update this blog with all the things that have happened since. In September, I started my full time teaching job at the local public school, which unfortunately I am currently not working at because of my recent diagnosis of PE (blood clots in my lungs). I have been at home and resting for the past couple months and the plan is to return back to work at the beginning of February and hopefully by then, signs of improvement will be clearly seen on the CT scans that I will undergo after I’ve been on medication for about 4 months or so. Going into emergency, I was feeling okay (I think my parents were more worried, understandably) but after the diagnosis, I guess everyone was feeling more shocked and made sure I was resting as much as possible. Since then, I have just tried to be more aware of my body to make sure the condition doesn’t get worse.

From this whole ordeal however, both my family and Ben’s family have been beyond supportive in helping me adjust to life with the condition. Stuff like, making sure what they cook for me does not contain mega amounts of Vitamin K (which produces more blood than I can handle right now since I’m on blood thinning meds), researching causes/effects of the medication, driving me to check ups and to run errands when I needed, staying with me at the hospital when I was admitted, cooking for me, following up with school stuff for me while I was transitioning the new teacher taking over my class for the time being and a million other things that I can hardly remember. I am so grateful for their care and love. Especially to my soon to be husband, I couldn’t have asked for a better best friend. He consistently reassures me and has been doing everything in his power to make sure I am okay. To my beautiful and thoughtful friends far and wide for their positive vibes, follow ups and visits. I was telling Ben that though my condition if worse, could possibly be fatal, I was happy with all the wonderful blessings that I have in my life and SO happy with how things have turned out. BUT, thank goodness I’m getting better now it seems, so nothing to worry about.

On Cloud 9

The last four months brought many wonderful blessings, which I will forever be grateful for. Who would have thought that last August when I was all set to leave and teach in Korea for a year, that I would be back in one month’s time, supply teach at the school board of my choice, land a short 4 month 1/2 day job teaching at the school board with the same class everyday (LTO), and then a full day LTO (which lasted me until the end of the school year).

As if that rush of opportunity wasn’t enough, I also had an interview with York Region District School Board for a full time permanent job towards the end of June, and was later offered the job at a school close by that will start in Sept 2012 (the bonus is that it’s a school that I have worked at before, and teach a grade 3/4 class with a little French ). For those of you familiar with the teaching industry, over the last several years, it has been tough finding permanent work in the field due to a surplus of teachers and declining enrolment. Lucky for me, I was able to secure something shortly after finishing teacher’s college which looking back was quite a risk, quitting my corporate job.

Then came mid July, and after 6.5 years of dating, Ben decided to propose and I said yes! (The exact date was on July 20th in case anyone was wondering ). I have to admit the recent ride has been pretty nice. My goals from the past year have been achieved, and my wishes for the year 2012 have so far been granted. I could not be happier with how my 27th year has unfolded.

My Own Class!

The last two weeks have been a blessing. Actually, life is a blessing and the last two weeks were a great blessing. To make a long story short, I finally have the chance to teach in my own classroom!!!!! Who gets excited for work?!?! I DO! So, until the end of the school year, I will be teaching Grade 3 in an amazing school (yeah I already know this, because the first impressions of it were simply so wonderful!), and although I am crazy nervous that I will be finally the lone person in front of the class teaching these kiddies, I am really excited for the new learning experience (for both me and my kids)! Thank you to my wonderful family, b and friends for their endless support during my journey since leaving the corporate world back in 2009. I can’t believe it already has been so many years since then. Seems like just yesterday…

So Many Things to Celebrate!

Today marks the first day of a glorious new year! Happy to be alive and well, surrounded (whether physically or emotionally) by the people I love and who I love most. Thank you for all the blessings in 2011! From graduating from Teacher’s College after a ‘mid-life realization’ (lol) and becoming a certified teacher in Ontario, to venturing out to Korea for a job (meeting the most adorable children and exploring one of the many beautiful places on earth), then coming home to a Board opportunity (that will hopefully turn permanent in the near future), and ending the year with many lovely memories of places traveled, food eaten, people I’ve met and reconnected with, and the countless dishes shared from ev’s kitchen. I am happy to say that 2011 was an amazing adventure and year of growth. I am excited for the year ahead, as it will be a busy one, with courses and work. But, it will be full of life, love, laughter and tears especially since I will play a special role in three of my dear friends weddings in 2012!!!! It is a blessing to be a part of their special time and witness personally the warmth in their hearts.

Today also marks my parents 30th wedding anniversary!! It’s amazing to see them grow old together!! I wish them many years of love, happiness and good health! They are currently enjoying a feast of a meal in HK with all my relatives! Wish I could be there.

Finally, it’s also my birthday!! And this post is dedicated to how I’ve decided to spend it. With good friends, doing something that makes me (and hopefully them) and others feel good. Inspired by The Birthday Project, originally from this blog post, I wanted to do something similar and spread some kindness cheer with the people around me, especially to start off the new year! With the help of my B.F.F. (best foodie friend June), my trusty sous chef (Helene), and sous chef for life (B) haha, we baked 100+ cupcakes that we will decorate, package and give out at the local skating rink this afternoon. They are ‘just because’ cupcakes that are meant to spread some holiday cheer and kindness to strangers we meet today. I know that some may think it’s odd and may be skeptical about receiving them, but I assure you, there is/was no ulterior motive! I just want to do something nice for others that may not be expecting it, and which could possibly brighten their day just a little bit more!

First Week

Yup, just finished the first week of ‘officially’ teaching back in Toronto. It has been a pretty nerve wreaking first week anticipating calls each morning. However, I survived, and have many interesting memories to reflect on. Having been at home ‘waiting’ for the ball to get rolling on teaching jobs, it was nice to be back in the classroom and working with the children again. I would have to say the week turned out surprisingly well and there were no major issues at all. Thank God! Hopefully the jobs will continue to roll in and I’ll be working regularly soon!

Seoul Searching 2011: A Teacher’s Guide and More

I have ALWAYS wanted to teach abroad, and for several years I have considered what it would be like to work abroad on my own and do one of the things that I love to do… teach. After contemplating a few different opportunities previously, the opportunity and timing to leave Toronto after completing my BEd earlier this year presented itself, so I wanted to take it as I knew how difficult it would be to find a job teaching at the school board. I just wanted to start my career and get teaching and learning and improving my skills as an educator. Living in Asia was something I wanted to do too, and Korea struck me as an interesting place as I’ve heard from many friends and acquaintances how ‘good’ their experience was.

Of course, leaving Toronto meant leaving friends, family and B behind. But it would only be for a mere 12 months and I was going to have visitors here and there anyway. I must admit, the first week or so it was tough getting use to life in a small condo by myself in a foreign city which didn’t have many English speaking people or signs or menus :S. I was homesick but thanks to my supportive friends I managed to get through those gloomy days. THANKS ^.^

Less Than a Week!

source

The tulips represent my mood right now. Colourful and fresh! ^.^

Less than a week until I return back to Toronto. Wow that year went by fast.. haha My year long plan to teach in Korea has turned into a one month journey lol (a detailed Korea post will come when I settle back in Toronto! Wait for it!!) Nonetheless, I am SO excited to be returning home to another new start. I will begin supply teaching with YRDSB as soon as I complete the training and then be able to apply to longer term positions so I can really begin my new career! I will also be searching for a new car (since the subie lease has come to an end ), helping 3 of my dearest friends plan their big day and coming home to see my family, friends and b!

So much LOVE… A Surprise Farewell Party

Last weekend, my beloved Laurier family (the girls) threw a surprise farewell party for me to celebrate my move to Korea for the next year. It was definitely a surprise as I had no idea that it was being planned and that all the girls would show up at one of my gf’s place!!! I was actually so shocked I was shaking even after seeing all their faces when supposedly it was a 3 person quick dinner before heading downtown for a birthday party.. perfectly planned and executed!

Foodspiration & Lifespiration

From a young age, I have loved food. Pictured above is me eating Lychees in HK/China when I went for a Lychee picking trip. lol

I’ve been procrastinating to start a food blog for quite some time. Between eating, cooking and entertaining, I’ve had so many delicious encounters and taken on so many culinary adventures I felt it was time to document some of that as a reference library to myself and as a ‘foodspiration’ for other food lovers. Facebook has been a good friend to me, allowing me to share my food adventures and also showcase the different things I’ve conjured up in my own kitchen (or friends’ kitchens).

Though I love food dearly, I didn’t want this blog to focus solely on that. There are so many other wonderful things in this world that I want to document and share. So, this is simply my own journey journal and maybe you will find it interesting too.