Kohloo

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I feel kinda tired today. I slept good last night, but I think I'm still in recovery from yesterday

I've got some pasta sauce simmering on the stove. I threw in a bunch of carrots, celery, onion, and zucchini. And for meat it has ground chicken. It took two jars of sauce, one was garlic and onion and the other one was fine herbs, both tomato based. Lol, I always get flavoured ones because I'm too inept to put my own seasoning in

Melons definitely

There are definitely some rude Canadians! I wouldn't know how our politeness compares to other cultures though. Our basic medical is generally covered by taxes. People with low income (I fall into that category) have a bit more coverage. But our medical certainly isn't free! It can get quite expensive, especially with prescriptions and hospital visits. However, you aren't denied medical attention. You get treatment first and then the bill. But many employers provide a medical plan for their workers. I like knowing that if there's ever anything wrong, I won't be denied treatment.

How much patience do you have while you're out in public? As I'm getting older, my patience level for being out in public is getting much smaller. I've come to despise the city! I find that many city-folk are always in a big rush, are more judgemental, and tempers are thin. It constantly feels like some sort of rat race. And what's the end goal? Nothing really. Not to mention the city never sleeps, you can hear traffic at absolutely any time of night. While I'm out in public, whether it be for travelling or grocery shopping, I find that I am eternally getting frustrated and like I'm about to completely lose my mind. It's honestly gotten to the point where I'm fairly certain one of these days I'm going to completely snap. I'll probably lose it in a grocery store and go shrieking out of the place in a frustrated rage, away into the wilderness. I'll go live with the darn bears. I'm sort of glossing over everything at the moment, I could go on an endless tirade about how I feel about the city. It's everything, the people and the sounds and the mentality and the constant go go go. I'm constantly stressed out and anxious and I can actually feel my heart rate and blood pressure rising dangerously. Let's just say I wouldn't mind living in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Preferably before I have a complete meltdown... As much as I hate the city, I am very guilty of being one of those city-folk. It's actually what I've become that makes me hate the city. It turns me into a different person (a miserable person). I wear headphones specifically so I don't have to deal with the people around me. I'm always in a rush. I'm just as pushy and rude as everyone else around. I never take the time to relax or try to think positive during my travels. All of these traits are -extremely- prominent while I'm going about on public transit. When I'm out of the city, I'm a very different person. I'm calm, I'm relaxed, and I'm actually happy in life. I properly feel like myself during those times. The city is fun to visit every once in awhile, but it obviously isn't suited for me to live in it. I've also only just recently consciously realized that I tend to feed off the energy of the people around me, you can imagine how that gets. Alright, now let's try something different. [spoiler=Rules]After spending a week at my parents' house, today is the day where I make my trek back into the city. It's also the day where I've decided to challenge myself. Here are the rules: •No headphones •No playing on my phone •No rushing •Try to smile at least once •Pay attention to what's around me •Remember to breathe, seriously That seems like a lot of rules, and impossible ones at that. Let's try it anyway! Ready? Okay. [spoiler=Lonsdale Quay]My aunt had an appointment today, so for the first part of my journey I got a ride. Gives me a chance to mentally prepare myself for what's ahead. After waiting with her until her appointment, I begin my trek. First up, big ass hill. Thankfully, my journey is down the hill. No music? Kinda weird, but I think I can dig it. Crossed paths with a friendly old lady, I got to try my hand at smiling and saying good morning (turns out, I've still got it in me). Okay, this walk is a pleasant way to ease myself into the challenge. Take my time, do a bit of window shopping, try to resist the urge to run down the neverending hill like a maniac (nothing to do with patience, I just want to see if I'm capable of stopping myself before momentum launches me into the ocean at the bottom). It's the next part where the challenge really begins. [spoiler=SeaBus Pt 1]Okay, here we go. The next chapter in my saga? The SeaBus. For those of you that don't know (which is basically everyone that hasn't been to Vancouver BC), the SeaBus is part of the public transportation system. Vancouver has a lot of water going through it and fairly large docks for the shipping industry. There are bridges and you can go around the water, but as you can imagine it adds quite a bit of time to your commute. For those travelling by transit, the best option to deal with the water is to go straight across it, that's where the SeaBus comes in. It's a very small passenger ferry and it only takes about 10-15 minutes to get across the water. One of my favourite things about showing Vancouver to people is taking them on the SeaBus. It offers a unique transit experience and the view is pretty fricken cool. Unfortunately, I personally lost the wonderment of the SeaBus because it became a regular part of my commute. For me, it was just another part of transit, another part of dealing with people. The charm was totally ruined for me. [spoiler=SeaBus Pt 2]My usual SeaBus travel routine? •get there fast. I'm either running to catch the boat about to leave, or I wanna be first for the next one. •don't sit down, don't even look at those benches in the waiting area. •line up at the first or second boarding doors until it's time to get on the boat. •while boarding, go all the way to the other side to get a seat right next to the front exit doors. •be standing and ready to get off the boat before it's even docked. •put those lovely long legs to use and stay at the head of the pack to beat the crowd. [spoiler=SeaBus Pt 3]This time though, I'm doing things a bit different. There's a boat about to leave. If I run, I can make it, easy. But that would defeat the purpose of the challenge before it's barely even begun. Time to slow down, I'll catch the next boat in 15min instead. After all, I'm not on any sort of time limit today. So I missed the boat, and I feel good. Today, no queuing at the boarding doors, I'm actually going to sit down on one of the benches. Getting a bit fidgety because I can't play with my phone, but I can cope. Started to get a bit anxious as more people arrived and started queuing up at the doors. I had to put in a conscious effort to not sit on the edge of the bench and resist the urge to grab my stuff and line up with everyone else. I made myself stay on the bench until the boat arrived and the ramps were down. Once the ramps were down, I couldn't sit still any longer and had to stand up in the line. I managed to stay at the back of the crowd though and was one of the last few to board, so I did okay thus far. I deliberately chose one of the seats far away from the exit side. At this point, I was starting to feel anxious and on edge. Rather than dwell on it too much, I looked at the scenery for the duration of the ride. It helped calm me down, and for the first time in years I actually really enjoyed the SeaBus. Turns out the charm never left, my vision was just too clouded to see it. For departure, I remained seated until the ramps were down and I stayed at the back of the crowd while getting off the boat. So far so good, I think I'm ready for the next part. [spoiler=SkyTrain Pt 1]Another thing I've enjoyed showing people is the SkyTrain. For those that are wondering, the SkyTrain is exactly the same as a subway. The main difference is that it's above ground (and even above the roads), rather than being underground like a subway. It offers a really cool view of the city. It is, once again, something that lost charm for me years ago. It's also complete madness during peak times. Fortunately I dealt with the SkyTrain before the usual morning chaos, otherwise my challenge would have utterly failed. [spoiler=SkyTrain Pt 2]So how do I usually go about riding the SkyTrain? •gotta rush, no patience. •stand right behind the yellow line. •choose where to board the train based on what station I'm getting off at. •I became a master at knowing where to stand for the doors to line up when the train came. I also memorized all of the stations, so it was extremely easy for me to know which door to go to so that I get off right in line with the exit from the station. •be as unapparoachable as possible, there's always people around that need help figuring out where to go. •stand on the side of the train I'll be getting off. •play on my phone or stare at the floor, heaven forbid I look out the windows. •those lovely long legs get a lot of use while travelling transit. I like to stay ahead of the crowd and I really know how to haul ass when I'm on a mission. Unfortunately I can put myself in mission mode without actually having a mission, so I always haul ass. [spoiler=SkyTrain Pt 3]But, in theme with today's challenge, I am once again doing things differently! Transferring from the SeaBus to the SkyTrain, I took my time. I sauntered along almost lazily (which hilariously took a lot of internal effort). At the platform I didn't line up for a change. I stood back and waited patiently. I managed to distract myself by staring intently at the train map. I'm not real sure if I actually looked at it or if I just gave it a borderline death glare. I must have seemed approachable enough though because a lady asked me for directions. I managed to quickly quell my annoyance. I was friendly and actually helped her. She was thankful, smiles are contagious, and what do you know? Not everyone is an asshole and I actually enjoy the pleasant interaction with strangers, who knew. So I'm able to peacefully board the train and carry on. As someone that used to be addicted to my phone, and still occasionally struggling not to relapse, not playing with my phone while on transit is exceptionally difficult for me. [spoiler=Phone Addiction]When I say I was addicted to my phone, I don't mean the, "oh haha I love my phone lol," like most people. I was genuinely addicted to the point where it was starting to seriously negatively impact my relationships with the people around me. It got to the stage that I actually had to give up my smartphone cold turkey and switch to a basic flip phone. It's only in the last couple of months (beginning of April) that I've allowed myself to get a smartphone again (iPhone 7, 128gb). It's been a struggle for me not to relapse, and recent life stress hasn't been helping. Fortunately this time around I have people to support me. But I do have my weak moments, and it takes incredible willpower for me to overcome them. I know it seems like a strange addiction, but it is very real for me. It just serves as proof that addiction can come from anywhere and that we need to take care of ourselves. Anyway, I thought I heard my phone get a message so I took it out. Turns out the person in the seat ahead of mine just has the same ringtone, it was hard to put the phone back away. I made it this far though, I'm not gonna let myself fail now. So I looked out the windows. Apparently I got too invested in the view because I almost missed my stop. It was kind of pleasant though because I was actually enjoying the ride, for a change! [spoiler=SkyTrain Pt 4]This stop wasn't actually my final destination, but where I had to make a quick transfer to a different train. I didn't quite pay attention though and I got off the platform on the wrong side of the street. It aaaalmost pissed me off. But I forced myself into my happy place and decided to find some positives. First of all, all I had to do was cross the street and re-enter the station on the proper side (hardly an inconvenience really). Secondly, it gave me the opportunity to treat myself to something to eat along the way, I was starting to feel hungry! So I stopped at the cafe. It was my intention to get something cool to drink and something savoury to eat. I left with a cinnamon rasperberry hot chocolate and a rocky road bar (a chocolate fudge and marshmallow monstrosity with nuts in it). So instead of cool and savoury, I got hot and sweet. Do I regret my decision? Yes. Was it still delicious despite the regret? Of course. Did I feel like I was going to die from a heat and sugar overload? Most definitely. We live with our choices, moving on! Heading back into the proper area of the station that was someone handing out a free local newspaper. Usually I never bother with it, but I decided to grab one anyway (besides, it gave me a chance to practice being friendly and smiling), I figure it'd help keep me distracted from my phone for the last part of my journey. I got on the second train much the same as the first one, calm and not rushed. Turns out the newspaper was a silly idea, not only is it awkward to look at on a train (people make it look so easy, I had no idea what I was in for), it was also very small and took me mere minutes to get through the parts of interest. So it was back to looking around. My phone came out for a second time during the trip, however this time it was in response to an advertisement in the train I would have never seen during my usual routine (in the interest of bettering public information and knowledge, the Canadian Red Cross is currently giving away first aid pocket guides, the ad provides a number for you to text the word 'guide' to and arrange where you want your free first aid guide sent to). So it was actually something useful and I had an easier time putting my phone away compared to the first time. [spoiler=Final Leg]So now the transit portion of the journey is completed and all that's left is the short 15min walk to Tim's place (my home away from home). At this point the sugar really hit me and it took practically all of my self-control not to just book it. Sugar and caffeine missions are worse than my regular missions, it usually results in what feels like a millimetre away from death. The last approx. 5min of the walk is this super steep as heck hill that is utter bullshit to go up. Going up it while trying to fight off a sugar rush is absolute ridiculousness and should not be done. It's amazing I survived, I didn't think I'd actually get myself calmed down just barely enough to get up the hill without being a complete spaz [spoiler=Conclusion]Overall, I think I did fairly well. While quite frequently during the trip I felt anxious and impatient, I didn't let myself succumb to it. I managed to slow down for a change and enjoy the commute. I will say this though, because of my constant vigilance to remain in my happy place, I found the trip to be very exhausting. It definitely took a lot more energy than normal. I won't complain too much about it though, because it's something that will get easier with time. Plus, even though it was tiring, I feel much more in a pleasant mood compared to normal. Also, as an aside, I had an extremely busy weekend (lacking in sleep, no less) and only got 3 hours of sleep last night. So I'd say I did pretty fricken awesome! What about you? Do you have minimal patience while out in public, or do you thrive in the crowd? Has your patience capacity changed as you've gotten older? Have you ever challenged yourself to try and have more patience?

I really like summer because everything is so bright and sunny. But then I get sick of the heat. I really like autumn because of all the colours, but I get sick of the eternal rain. Winter is absolutely gorgeous. But I'm a wimp with the cold lol. Spring is FLOWERS and everything in bloom and generally really colourful. But allergies. Actually I get allergies in autumn too. And the summer...... I don't get allergies in the winter! But I still take allergy meds...because I'm allergic to the cat.... I like seasons. I like weather. I don't like seasons. I don't like weather. Basically I like a season and associated weather, until I get sick of it.

I'm glad we have something common Methinks I have to check out Super Junior, Infinite, and MonstaX sometime soon!

My favourite time of day? Bedtime. But really, there's things I like and dislike about each time of day. I'm the same way with the seasons too.

Oh seems like we might like similar! I haven't tried Super Junior or Infinite yet though

I've only just recently found out what Kpop is. I've been slowly exploring it through YouTube! My first exposure to kpop was Exo with their song Monster. So I listened to some of their stuff. Then through suggested videos I ended up through a trail of 2NE1, 4Minute, SHINee, Blackpink, and BTS

And all I can wonder is, what are you going to melt next? Lmao

I listed what consoles I have before. But my list has since changed! Because of my big move back across the country, and not being particularly attached to material items, I left behind all of my consoles with my ex. One day I'm thinking I'll get a PS4, but not for awhile yet.

Fortunately I've never had to do it too often. My parents have always been the sort to try and figure something out on their own. They won't bother me to help them unless they haven't figured it out on their own. And when I do help, they actually pay attention to what I show them, so they can do it on their own.

I find it really handy for when I'm doing anything involving my mobile provider! It gets things done really fast for me. I hate calling them because you usually end up on hold for ages and then I quite frequently have a hard time understanding people on the phone. So the live chat support on the website is ideal for me, in that regard. I haven't used it anywhere else though

I've switched to refreshing water for the day now ^-^

I briefly considered going back for the avionics program and pursuing that path instead of maintenance. That part of my program came very naturally to me and I highly enjoyed it. However, because I'm not 100% sure, it's too much money for me to throw down. Also, it's a lot easier for M's to get work than it is for E's. AME E and S are both a lot more specific and involved and aren't needed as often. Whereas AME M is always needed because aircraft are maintained on a very extensive schedule, where most of the work falls into the M category.

I've had a bit too much coffee, so my heart rate is kinda too high!

Honestly the entire course is beyond cool. I don't talk about it much though because as much as I enjoyed the program, I don't want to work in that field. The entire program is a big technical achievement for me though. I graduated with an 84% average grade (half the grade comes from theory and the other half comes from practical). So I've got two years worth of adavanced technical training. The program is actually only 16 months long, but because it's full time (Monday-Friday, 8-9 hours a day, with only a one week break during the summer), it counts as two years worth of hands-on experience towards your AME certificate. AME stands for Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, Canada's really fancy way of saying aircraft mechanic. There's three different categories though M (maintenance), E (avionics), and S (structures). My training was for the AME M, which is all the general maintenance plus a bit of everything else as well.