Pet Peeves Part II

ok im getting cranky... working 2 weeks on this site is getting to the point where we're tired of each other. in summary:

- the people are less cooperative
- my boss makes me wait for him to fnish his STUPID breakfast every SINGLE morning
- there are so many parking lots in cleveland... where are all the CARS?!
- i have been wearing a 20 pound harness for the past 2 days
- people are difficult in general
- im tired of eating out, and no longer feel hungry nemore
- i miss my own cooking
- i miss my mom's cooking
- i miss eating with people who know how to hold a conversation
- i miss society
- i miss the beach
- i wanna get these shoes at DSW, two pairs im debating.... after all the OT these 2 weeks, i can get both!!!
- i need a new bathing suit, im thinking string bikini?? or halter?
- i miss my family, i miss my darrick, and my friends

Pet Peeves in the last 2 weeks

can you tell i have time on my hands. this is my third post in 2 days...
i have a lot of waiting to do on this job, since my company is just observing and we dont need to be part of the set up... so one of the first things i do in the morning is wait for the other guys to set up, which can take from an hour to a few hours depending on what is being set up.

ne ways, to my pet peeves:
- there are way too many parking spaces / parking lots / parking garages and other parking complexes in general in cleveland. theyre mostly empty ne way!!!

- people drive way to slow here. i mean EVERYONE is going the speed limit and not one mph over. i feel like im moving around at the rate of a turtle!

- yesterday, my cab driver was drivng the entire trip from the botanical gardens to my hotel at 35 mph. when he saw a cop, he slowed down even more! and then, he started to slow down at EVERY SINGLE intersection!!!

- too many people begging for money in downtown cleveland, when there's barely anyone here

- people seem to have nothing better to do but chat uptourists. i guess i must have "tourist" written on my forehead or seomthing

- sports maniacs. i didnt even know that cleveland indians or cubs or browns was a team before last week. too many sports bars to cater to these sports maniacs.

- weather is so crappy. it was a beautiful weekend, but the entire week was bad. and this week looks the same too. apparently this is normal clevelane weather. blah!!!

- this job has too many rules. we had to wait almost 15 min for a door to a room to be opened. its not even occupied!!! its empty, and we just stored all our stuff in there. too many rules, and everything has to go back to one guy.

- i hope i dont get fat from eating out for 2 weeks straight. i try to order healthy stuff, but i dont know if it does much good.

- whats the big deal bout the grand prix? its here in cleveland this weekend. well, the weekend that just passed.

- o another one about cleveland! everything down town closes really early!!! like before or at 6pm! ok, mebbe not evertyhing, but a lot of things. and there isnt much selection for shopping either. or anything except eating out.

- i miss brampton, waterloo, and toronto. i miss boston. boston is pretty similar to toronto, minus the bad drivers, and narrow and crazy roads.

- people always say "z" as zee instead of zed.

- im not sure how i'll go back to no air conditioning...

- this isnt a pet peeve, but i cant wait to move into myhouse with con and elaine! im so excited! im really enjoying my work term, but i'll be ready for a change soon. and i kinda like hitting the books every 4 months. its straight forward. we'll see, i might regret saying that after a few weeks of FIVE technical electives!! lol...

- still waiting... mebbe i should watch the test set up. letsee if theyre doing ne thing yet.

Cleveland take 2: part 2

so i just came back from dinner with myself. its a little strange dining by myself in a restaurant, since i usually go with at least one other person. but its also kinda nice. no need to worry bout making conversation and you can just concentrate on the food and wine. im starting to try different wines and contrary to what i first thought, i dont like sweet wines. in fact, i mostly prefer dry wines.

tonight i just spent (well the company ne way) almost $50 on dinner. well, the company doesnt pay for alcoholic beverages so i wont be expensing all of it. i had seafood tonight, and i made sure that i didnt eat too much during the day so that i could enjoy dinner. it was worth it. i had a halibut seared crusted with potatoes. it was so moist and delicious. and a glass of white wine - silverado (cali wine). yummie.

i went to the botanical garden in the afternoon and it was really nice. i wish that i could have stayed there longer, but i had left later in the afternoon, thanks to my bad scheduling and waiting for my laundry to finish, so i only had about 1.5 hours to tour the entire place.

i think my favourite was the rose garden, and the costa rica greenhouse. the butterflies were so cool! they flew around and just fluttered all the time so i couldnt really take a picture unless they landed on something. i almost ran into some.

o yea. the other day i used a bowl and it was left on the counter of my kitchen of my hotel room. when i came back that night, it was gone. i thought that they just took it, and i just opened my dishwasher for some reason. and there was my one bowl. they had put my one bowl in the dishwasher and ran it. FOR ONE BOWL!!! such a waste....

well tomorrow is gonna be another day of work. hopefully all goes well. :) u knwo with all the pictures i need to take for this project, im sure that i would have expensed enough to get a new camera... lol

Cleveland Take 2: update

so i've been in cleveland for about a week now. and only one more week of work here. then i get to head over to texas to visit my relatives.

its not the greatest thing staying in a hotel for the weekend by yourself. right now im waiting for my laundry to fnish up while watching miss congeniality 2. and cleveland is not a really nice place, i think. the downtown area where im staying ne way. things close very early, except for the sports bar around here. theres not too much selection of food, or they are closed when i want to eat. such as oustide the 9 - 5 on monday s to friday. there is also a lot of poverty here. i mean, in toronto, there would be alot of people downtown, and one would almost expect poor people to be asking for money. but here, downtown is very empty, and there is still a lot of people who ask for money on the streets. and people are too talkative here. i dotn like going out alone, because i get approached a lot and it makes me uncomfortable. i think thats just how things are here in cleveland.

i went to the rock and roll hall of fame yesterday. i dont know much about rock and roll at all. i think that the most interesting thing was seeeing all the outfits that different people where on stage and in music videos. if my laundry ever finishes i would like to tour a bit more. although, i think im ready to go home soon, and eat some normal food. home cooked food.

o yea, i forgot to mention that i saw a man dressed as a women last weekend. at the sandwiche shop, he was the cashier. it was interesting.

i cant believe that my midterm evaluation is coming up soon. its been passing so fast. i hope its a good one. cuz im been working hard. lol... i brough the specs for the other project im working on. just in case. mebbe i'll read it over dinner tonight. well, at least the OT will help with singapore.

i've been thinking of gettng a pet. ever since i lived with coco last work term, and met my friends new house cat here in boston. mebbe i'll just a fish. i hope it will not cause troubles when i go through customs.

i swear

i swear by the the moon
and the stars in the sky
and i swear like the
shadow that's by your side
i see the questions in your eyes
i know what's waiting on your mind
you can be sure i know my part
'cause i stand beside you through the years
you'll only cry those happy tears
and though i make mistakes
i'll never break your heart
and i swear by the moon
and the stars in the sky i'll be there
i swear like the shadow that's by your side
i'll be there for better or worse
till death do us part
i'll love you with every beat of my heart
and i swear

i'll give you every thing i can
i'll build your dreams with these two hands
we'll hang some memories on the wall
and when (and when) just the two of us are there
you won't have to ask if i still care
'cause as the time turnes the page
my love won't ever age at all

and i swear (i swear) by the moon
and the stars in the sky i'll be there (i'll be there)
i swear (and i swear) like the shadow that's by your side
i'll be there (i'll be there) for better or worse
till death do us part i'll love you
with every single beat of my heart and i swear

and i swear (i swear) by the moon
and the stars in the sky i'll be there (i'll be there)
i swear (and i swear) like the shadow that's by your side
i'll be there (i'll be there)
for better or worse (better or worse)
till death do us part i'll love you
with every single beat of my heart
i swear i swear i swear

i lOOOOOOOOOOVe that song
i've been listening to it for 2 days straight, at work and on the way home.
i wish that love songs like that could be written today.. sigh

ne way, work has just been a blur the past few days...
im not sure exactly what im doing, but im constantly running around the office, looking for people, getting stuff ready, etc...

preparing for cleveland i need to be careful to bring all that i need with me. speaking of which, i should prob be packing tongiht for that since im heading out to new york right after work friday. i think i need to buy more socks and undies... i need it to last more than 2 weeks... and no, i will NOT flip them over!

i actually have 2 really great projects that i kinda had to choose between, and thats a first for me. they were both long term projects, so i wanted both. :) in the end, i got what i wanted :D and i could start one of the tomorrwo and continue with it when im back in boston again. so im happy about that.

so im really thinking taht i have this thing with being the best. well, not really the best... but i always strive for it. i strive for it in academics, and i also strive for it in work. im beginngin to think that sgh might be one of the best consultants that i could be working for. im not sure if there are better structural / building tech people out there. and i find that so appealing. i mean, when i was little, my mom always encouraged me and helped me with chinese hw, so i was always no. 1 in class, of course it was a small class but still, i had to numero uno. and even when i went to mississauga for a year, i still strived for it, even tho i was in bigger pool of competition. i guess its the competitive streak in me... or is it me just always pushing... i have no idea... just hinking bout this for the passed few days. especially now that im choosing courses. i want the best courses that could provide me with the best foundation for future courses, and eventually work. well, this is prob how a lot of people are, ne way, why settle for less...

im really liking my bob cut:)... mebbe darrick will let me keep it when i go back to toronto. my roommates suggested taht i just cut it before i go back. :P i wouldnt be that sneaky, now would i?! lol....

o yea. i had my first kickball practice last night after work and it was a lot of fun. i was so disappointed today when practice was cancelled due to rain! it was only 60% chance! and it was less than 1 mm of rainfall. when i pointed this out to the captain, he and some other crew members just laughed at me, and said something like, 1mm?? how much is that? si units, man! geez, those americans...

kickball, what is it? its soccer baseball for those of u who remember it from elementary school. baseball, except you kick the ball. it was really funny seeing my boss and some of the other guys and girl engineers playing. and they would make fun of one antehro and make comments like a couple of kids playing. it was funny. like the way my boss and some of the engineers would make fun each other when one fails to catch a fly ball or soemthing like that. and then the imitations are also really funny. i'll miss it when im in cleveland :(. i thin i need to practice catching and kicking. practice in general.

ne way, i realize that ive been really lazy and not posting pics. i'll get to it. soon. mebbe tongiht. after i pack. mebbe.

goodnties!

just me

its been quite the experience so far for this internship in boston. ive just been talking to my parents last night and i just kinda feel like a little girl thats just had her eyes opened up and seeing more of the world. i guess thats one of the things i hope to accomplish when i came to boston. kinda in an unconscious way. ive always been brought up in a protected environment, and even when i went away for uni, it was like i was always in arms reach. and besides, waterloo is not exactly a place where people go and get corrupted, all people do is work, ne way. lol

ne way, my point is that i know that there is so much in the world that i would like to learn about and experience. and i just feel really lucky this term to be able to do that. ive never been travelling before, but in just a little over a month, i've travelled more than i have in my entire life. ive stayed in hotels longer than i have in my entire life. it just doesnt really feel real. i feel like ive been given a really good oppurtunity and im trying to take advantage of it as much as i can.

i havent really wrote about cleveland and new york, and i think i will in this entry cuz it was pretty neat, even though they were short.

new york was really fun, even though i wasnt there for all that long. i want to go back again for a little longer. i love the food there. there so many diffferent things to try. there was even an egg custard store that just made egg custard. and there was even cantolope and strawberry flavours. i was quite amazed. i also saw live frogs hopping around the bottem of barrels in the market. i even had my first taste of frog legs. it really does taste like chicken. to me, the texture is almost a cross between fish and chicken. really tender. also good. although i was kinda grossed out since i had only seen frogs hopping about earlier in the day. but it was peer pressure, and i should try new things. so there.

also, people drive really crazy. as my uncle put it, new yorkers drive with one hand on the wheel and the other one on the horn. my cab driver was a nut. o yea, i had also ridden in more cabs that week than in my entirwe life. i was in those yellow cabs that you see on tv. i thought it was pretty cool. :)

i really love trying new food. i think thats what i'd like to do more of when i get the chance to travel. theres a really good buffet place in flushing called east manor. it makes mandarin look like micky d's and it basically costs the same. also a really good dim sum place in flushing by 37th and main st. the food there is actually steamed! and i really liek the little stores that are family owned and stuff too. they had some really really yummy dumplings...

ne way, on to cleveland. well i actually didnt get to do much in cleveland except work alot. i was only there for 3 days, 2 nights. and the first night i was exhausted from about 2 hours of sleep and waking up at 3 to catch a 6 am flight, only to arrive in cleveland and start working until 5 30pm.... i was ready to collapse on my king sized bed at 7 30 right after dinner. o yea, im prob repeating this stuff cuz it kinda sounds familiar, but whatever. its my recap time. so the king size bed is amazing...and i have a double bed here. how can i ever go back to my dinky twin bed?! lol... j/k. ive been in a twin bed my whole life, i prob dont move enough to notice the difference.

ne way, i was staying in the room closest to the exit! i mean closest. there wasnt even a room across the hall from me. it was kinda creepy. for one thing, being in a hotel by myself is new to me, and being at the very end of the hallway is creepy. not to mention all the csi i watch, that room is known as murder central. for easy access to the exit for the killer escaping of course. ne way, i know its a show and all, but i did feel spooked just the same and was glad that i was only there for 2 nights.

i have to say, the crown plaza was not quite as nice as the marriot. yes, that is my humble opinion based on the 3 hotels i have stayed in for the past... idunno.... 8 - 10 years... lol

ne way, thats about it for travelling. it has been a really exciting. i feel like small town girl just seeing the "world" or something. lol

also, the people i work with at work are really amazing. not only are they all really knowledgable in their fields, like experts, i really feel like they're making an effort to show me different aspects of building technology and getting me experience, and out in the field. i get to talk to the principals (they are the partners in the firm) and i dont feel like the burden coop. i actually feel like a coop that can help, and they are interested in training. and thats a good feeling. havent felt taht in a coop term yet.

its kool how someone explained the role of consultant. and i know its biased cuz he's a consultant, but still, i'll share. see, all the places i've worked, there was someone you could turn to and hire to solve ur problem. but being consultants, they have to be the one with the answers, there's not really anyone else they can turn to for the answers. they are kinda the end of the line. so its kinda kool. and no wonder it cost so much for their time. i was just tallying up my expenses and work time when i went to cleveland. and im an intern. i can only imagine what it cost to have my boss there.

it was funny, he said to me, either they (the people who hired us) will tell us to leave cuz they cant afford to pay us, or we will leave because they arent paying us enough. lol... well it was funny when he said it. and darrick laughed when i told him. :)

i have more news, but it can wait. :P i miss my darrick and my family very much. but im also really glad i came. i hope i can grow with this experience.

ne ways, it has been a long day. pilates at lunch was a good work out, but now im beat. good nite all!

Its raining again

yea it is... but its actually a good thing cuz we needed the rain for a leakage survey at work. and we got rain. now its supposed to rain until sat... i guess we wished a little too hard for rain.

i actually came home and had a little time to cook today. wahooo... and was paid for travel to and from the site too! expenses is pretty kool

watched sue thomas fb eye. she and jack look so cute together.

ive been searching for some flights to go home for my next long weekend. but all ive come up with are to expensive. and even the ones that are not direct fligths cost a lot. i dont want to take the grey hound and waste 2 days travelling... so im not sure what to do with my holiday.

i cant beleive its been 6 weeks almost. what have i been doing here that makes time go by so quickly?! i learned that sgh might actually be recruiting specifically from uw because of the bulding science part of our curriculum. its kinda wierd. i havent thought much about what i want to do after graduation yet.

speaking of school, i got rankings back. good results, so me happy. rankings are hard to believe sometimes, when i see it, i just wonder who those people are that are a) above me b) below me. not that its a big deal, but i just wonder.

some people are jerks. more specifically some guys are jerks. girls are called something else. yea, some people just make me angry. thats right, angry! ....

ne way, gonna either sleep or read for a bit. its only 9 15....

travelling

work is getting pretty interesting now. i get to work on actual projects and even travelled to cleveland. that was something that i had not anticipated.

its gonna be too hard to catch up on the stuff i missed while neglecting my blog.

ive learned that its hard to build a building properly. sealants dont seal a building from water coming in, a proper drainage system does. if designed properly, that buildng can withstand a hurricane without sealant and still not leak. thats really kool.

people dont really know what they're buying. its a really bad idea to buy a buiding if you cant walk around and check for damages. now i will rthink about buying a condo.

i think this is the first work term that i can picture myself doing after graduation. its really exciting and problems are always dfferet. people always find new ways of building bad buildings. its really like csi for buildings. given a set of circumstances, you run tests, look for evidence and try to peice together what happened and how to fix it. the peopel there are also really great to work with. im amazed by how much expertise everyone has. there is a lot of room for advancement. its weird, i can kinda see a future almost... which hasnt happened to me on a work term yet. but we'll see.

ive been pleasently surprised taht waterloo is one fo the only schools that have a buidlign technology courses offereed at the undergraduate level. they're gonna hire 3 more coops next term from uw. and ive been talkig to one of the people interviewed and they said they were realy impressed with both myself and the previous coop. it made me feel really good.

ive been spending a lot of money. i went shopping a abercrombie yesterday. i do like their stuff, they fit very nicely. but as darrick always tells me, im too cheap. and it almost felt awkward buying it. but it was nice and i really like my new clothes. :)

im so busy. work is really busy. i like to be busy, cuz it keeps me from thinking too much. missing people. but at the same time, i want to miss people. so that i dont feel so robotic or soemthing. not sure that makes sense. im trying to find a flight home, but so far ive been finding really expensive flights.