Ubiquitous

A. S. D. F. Ow. K. L.

// December 18th, 2007 // 3 Comments » // Personal, QOTW, Work/Volunteer

QOTW: Ever notice how difficult it is to type when you have a paper cut on your finger?

Cursing filing and these so-called time-wasting school “financial management career prep” programs that send people to a property management firm to arrange payroll papers in alphabetical order!

P.S. - A cookie if you can figure out which finger the paper cut is on lol.

P.P.S. - Theme change, FINALLY.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Volunteer Perk

// September 1st, 2007 // 21 Comments » // Academic, Personal, Quotables, Work/Volunteer

I recently converted to volunteering as an office worker (for the same organization for which I did the Supreme Court job during the summer) where I answer client calls and set them up with 30 minutes appointments with lawyers. Basically people call in, I ask them a whole bunch of qualifying questions, such as their monthly net income and home equity, then get them to provide me with a brief description of their case.

At my first orientation session last week, my trainer explained to me how to deal with the idiots who most unfortunately get hold of our number and ring in. Apparently, there was one extremely odd guy who called in in the past. My trainer asked him to briefly describe his case. He said that he biked half way across British Columbia to this ridiculously faraway location, where he found a rather empty beach. Then, in his own words….

Wacko: So on this rather empty beach.
Volunteer: Mm-hmm
Wacko: I took off all my clothes…
Volunteer: …
Wacko: …and found God.
Volunteer: (who I assume was trying to stop herself from cracking up) Er… so what exactly do you want a lawyer for?
Wacko: Oh yea, these two police officers came by and arrested me!!
Volunteer: For indecent exposure?
Wacko: Yea. *giggles*
Volunteer: *thoroughly disturbed* Do you want an appointment sir?
Wacko: *more giggling*
Volunteer: Yes?
Wacko: *hangs up*

Thank God (Pun? Haha) the guy left our office alone after that. I can’t wait to see who I get to deal with. The reason I’m changing volunteer roles at this time of year is of course because school’s starting. Isn’t it horrible, how we’re getting these back-to-school reminders everywhere? So many people are posting their new schedules, and don’t get me started on all the overly-fake happy teenagers featured on back-to-school sales at large department stores. I have a bizallion things I need to get done in the next three days that my evil IB teachers handed over at the beginning of the summer. Then, it’s an entire year of International Baccalaureate (Academic program, like AP, except more complicated) hell ahead until graudation.

So while we’re counting down to hell, give the addictive game Stackopolis a try. I finished all 20 levels and painstakingly noted down the passwords and blueprints for each level. Have fun. The Links page, featuring all the special people that I link to, has been updated as well.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Stupid Things You Can Do at the Supreme Court

// August 19th, 2007 // 13 Comments » // Work/Volunteer

As an eager IB student heading into the last year of high school and considering a career in law, finding a volunteer opportunity that allows me to work at the B.C. Supreme Court puts me right up there on cloud nine. However, I soon learned that there are so much more than elegant smart suits and snappy speeches in the Court building.

I got dropped off a bit early that day, at around 8:15, and waited a while in the lobby before going over to the sheriff to grab the key for the room where my clinic was going to take place. So there I was, in my white blouse and freshly-pressed black pants, a binder in one hand and a few keys jingling in the other, eagerly waiting for the lawyer and the clients to arrive. You see, being a complete clutz most of the time, I was ecstatic that so far the day went back without me walking into any poles or spilling coffee on someone. I got in the elevator to take me down to level one, where I knew a nice carpetted seating area and a sheriff would greet me.

None came.

Instead, the elevator doors opened and I stepped out to a small, unfamiliar room. The guy waiting for the elevator gave me a sheepish smile and walked into the elevator. I realized I must’ve pressed Parking Level One, instead of the Level One. I didn’t want the guy to know I got off the wrong floor so I pressed the button again after the door closed. No problem.

Except the button didn’t light up.

Hmm. Maybe both elevators were going to Level Four or something. I waited. And pressed. No sound. No movement. Five minutes later, I was still standing stupidly in the holding area pressing the button, pretending I knew what the hell I was doing. I took out my cell phone to call my mom and get her to get back and maybe take the elevator down … crap, No Network Signal. Alright… don’t panic. Time to find a way out through the massive underground parking lot and pray that there’s no card that one has to swipe to open the outside gate. I opened the only other door in the room and hoped maybe to see some source of light in the parking lot. But noooo… there had to be ANOTHER door behind the first one. These lawyers, so damn strict about security! That’s when I saw writing at the back of the first door.

Authorized Personnel Only.
Hours: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Card Access After Public Hours

Okay, phew, I was so close to buzzing security with the intercom beside the elevator. It was now 8:26 AM. I just needed to wait a few more minutes and the elevators will work and NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW I WAS TRAPPED IN THE SUPREME COURT BUILDING. No wonder that guy gave me an embarassed smile earlier. At 8:29, I heard voices from the other side of the double doors. CIVILIZATION! I’m saved I’m saved! Sure enough, a few seconds later people walked into the little room. Have I ever mentioned lawyers are intimidating? Well they’re more intimidating when there are fifteen of them all cramped in a little room giving ME weird looks. Ten silent seconds later, a lady beside me asked the man next to him, “Is the button lit up? It doesn’t look…” In the faint light it was hard to tell. The man stepped forward and pressed the Up Arrow. Green light lit up and shone brightly. Somewhere above the elevator whirred to a start.

Okay God, this is the part where you make me melt into the floor. By now, I could feel a dozen or so pairs of eyes on the back of my head. The lady who spoke gave me a puzzled look and laughed.

Ding. Thank GOD. Last thought of the day? Being in a crowded elevators filled with lawyers is not very pleasant, especially when you’re a head shorter than all of them and not wearing fancy suits -____-

(My clinic went fine though, phew. The uber nice lawyer gave me all these advice for law school!)

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Popularity: 2% [?]

Question Mark

// August 12th, 2007 // 11 Comments » // World for the Week

If you hail from Canada, you would have heard by now the big news making the headlines: Free-Tibet Protesters Return Home After Chinese Detainment, or some variations of that. These six protesters apparently unfurled a huge banner on top of the Great Wall, with the writing “One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008″. This acts as both a mocking of the Olympic 2008 celebrations and a mission statement of the “free Tibet” organizations that want to give the Chinese province of Tibet independence.

All the Western World’s heard about Tibet are the so-called human rights abuses and the whole Dalai Lama fiasco. To address the latter, the Dalai has agreed to the one-China policy and is welcomed to return anytime his fancies. So what the heck are the protesters trying to do? Both my grandparents and my dad have worked in Tibet on business trips. They don’t talk about the alleged human rights violations and disssent movements happening left, right, and center. No, the only complaint they have about the place is how much the goat shish kabos made them puke afterwards (the blood wine didn’t agree with my dad’s stomach). I guess I’m caught between my Oriental upbringing and my Western influences. One thing I really hate to see is this Olympics game which I’ve so looked forward to turn into a heated political arena. The New York time may be the most accurate…

For about as long as the modern Games have existed, they have served as a stage for politics as much as sport. Berlin 1936 was Hitler and Jesse Owens. Helsinki 1952 was the beginning of the cold war. Mexico City 1968 was the Black Power salute. The blood of 11 slain Israeli athletes stained Munich 1972. Moscow 1980 meant boycotts, as did Los Angeles four years later.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what this One World One Dream turns out to be. In the mean time…

*Goes to wave little FREE QUEBEC flags*

In other news, the I-35W Bridge in Minnesota is no more. Makes you wonder where all the capitalist tax dollars went eh? Eight people are confirmed dead, among whom is a 23 year-old nursing student who moved to the States from Somalia in 2000. Such a young life, such a bright future, extinguished.

Over in Utah, still no sign of the six trapped miner. Yikes. I’m glad they’re still drilling because I’m still hopeful. My heart goes out to the friends and families.

Half way around the world, the Taliban is still holding 21 young Koreans hostage. Two have been killed already, and two sick women are said to be released in the next few days (rumour, unconfirmed). These are students were on a Christian good-will journey! How cruel can one get?! The families must be miserable knowing they could see their sons and daughters as soon as the U.S. gives the word. But of course, hostages in exchange for Taliban prisoners is a no-deal as the U.S. believes the trade could initiate more future violence. I don’t blame them but I wonder how the stand-off is going to end… probably when the Taliban kills everyone off in a bout of anger. The injustice of it all.

Time for a piece of less-gloomy news, “Greenpeace activists cut a 61-metre-long question mark inside a crop circle in an Abbotsford, B.C., cornfield Wednesday morning, in protest of the absence of genetically engineered food labelling in Canada.”. Or the way I heard it, “un point interrogation” (was watching the 11:00 pm French news on Le Telejournal Colombie-Britannique). It’s quite a nice piece of artwork. Greenpeace said they’ll pay the damage to the farmer whose field they used, lol.

Lastly, what’s this new rumour going around the Angie and Brad are breaking up? Well they can’t! Hollywood can’t lose their poster adoption couple! How can they realize their dream of populating their own country if they break up?! Tsk tsk.

P.S. - Changed themes. Permalink headaches continue. Anyone know how to remove the index.php from the links? I take it out and all the links are broken (yes I tried changing it on the Options page as well). So now… as a precaution, all the links are the FULL path … huge headache. I also added a page on the Juvenile Justice System and a Colour Palette.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Becoming Jane

// August 10th, 2007 // 4 Comments » // Friday Flicks

At a friend’s insistence, I went to see Becoming Jane last weekend. There was only one theatre playing it and it was all the way on the other side of town. I liked the movie quite a bit, and couldn’t help writing a parody for the romance. Yes this contains quite a bit of spoilers, but you know how all these stories end! I was very giddy at the HP cast: Julie Walters (Mrs. Weasley) as Jane’s mother, and Maggie Smith (McGonagall) as Lady Gresham. Jane Austen was played by none other than the lovely Anne Hathaway. The movie paled a bit in comparison to Pride and Prejudice, ah well, the author never seems to be as interesting as her writing.

Read it here!

(Oh and an added bonus to the movie, Tom LeFroy is played by the same guy who plays Mr. Tumnus the goat on The Chronicle of Narnia, so I pretty much spent half the movie wondering where I’ve seen him before and why I keep imagining snow and lots of fur when I try to remember…)

On a sidenote, if you Last.FM, this list of tools would come in handy! I’ve also added a button board for your plugging pleasure!

Popularity: 3% [?]