Tuesday, November 30, 2010
How Interesting
Hey all! So some very interesting things have been happening since the last time that I wrote a blog post. Very interesting indeed.
I'm amazed, if interested, in how lazy some people can be. Let me explain: this past Monday, I had an appointment scheduled to see a woman (I won't name names) at my bank to discuss student lines of credit. The main point of the appointment was to find out the difference between a bank's student line of credit and the government's student loan/grants, and how much the student line of credit covers for post-secondary education compared to student loans from the government (which I have done a rough estimate and it's just barely enough to cover the full cost of the makeup course at JCI). I brought my mother along just so then if we were to jump into things right away and apply for me to get a student line of credit from my bank, everything would be crystal clear and nothing funny was pulled.
The first thing that came out of the woman's mouth that I had the appointment with was, "I'm sorry, I haven't had much time to look over things... And I was just doing that before you came in."
Uhm, what? I had scheduled the appointment on Thursday I think it was, that or Friday afternoon when I didn't have much going on, so the woman I had gone to talk to had known well before hand that I had an appointment with her the following Monday and that I was interested in talking about student line of credit - which gave this woman a complete weekend to look things over and get an understanding of what the bank's policies were and whatnot about student lines of credit. This is not what had happened, hence why I said that I'm shocked, if not interested, about the laziness of some people. If there was a task that I had been given that I didn't know about, I would spend a weekend - or four hours, whichever - to cover what it was that I needed to cover in order to have a good understanding of what was going to be discussed on the up-coming appointment, so I was very disappointed in that. So when I got the call from Erin today, the admissions girl from JCI, I had to tell her that I didn't know anything yet because I was told to go home and do my own research about student loans and grants from the government, which Erin was outraged - with me, not at me - about. She even said, which gets me giggling now, "What kind of bank is that that they don't even want your service?" I replied, "Well, it's that woman that I went to talk to. I don't like her whatsoever." And it's true. I really don't. She tries to make things easier on herself but twisting words around to make it sound like the customer didn't do enough research, when really, she should have been the one to do the researching. So I'm going back into the bank this coming Monday and discussing with the manager about student line of credit and specifically telling her that the woman I talked to didn't know anything about it. I don't care if the manager gives heck to the woman I talked to; if you're given a task in your job, you need to know how to do it right.
Anyway. So that's that. As well, I have been doing massive amounts of work at school - so much so that I can't even properly sleep at night because my mind is in constant overdrive (more on that later). I've already completed my Work Experience 12 course, which was a breeze to do because I've already been working since I was 13 (which nowadays is almost considered child labor in Canada, HAHA) and I'm almost done my Grad Transitions 12 - there's two assignments that I need to do still, one of them I've already completed but still unsure of whether or not I should hand in or make sure it's as realistic as possible, and the other I'm still confused about even though Sharron, my instructor, has tried to bang it into my head a million times what I need to do. Oh well. On top of having those courses (almost) completed, I've also completed my Web Design 12, which was a breeze and I didn't realize how quickly I would have it done - I still need to do a demonstration for Miles, my other instructor at the learning center, but that's at his direction which he still needs to do. He's a very busy man, and in some ways I feel almost sympathetic towards him about how busy he is. He's very popular at the learning center. So all I have left to do is Business Information Management 12 (which is just working with MS Office Publisher 2007), Studio Arts 11 (a course I started last year but couldn't complete because other things were distracting me from getting it done) and English 12, which I have about 5 to 6 more units to do (think of these units as assignments - that's it!). A few loose ends to tie up and that's it! I'm done! I've completed Grade 12 successfully.
Anyways, I'm being rushed off of the Internet so I will give you guys more updates soon!
Stay gold!
- Colten.
xoxo
I'm amazed, if interested, in how lazy some people can be. Let me explain: this past Monday, I had an appointment scheduled to see a woman (I won't name names) at my bank to discuss student lines of credit. The main point of the appointment was to find out the difference between a bank's student line of credit and the government's student loan/grants, and how much the student line of credit covers for post-secondary education compared to student loans from the government (which I have done a rough estimate and it's just barely enough to cover the full cost of the makeup course at JCI). I brought my mother along just so then if we were to jump into things right away and apply for me to get a student line of credit from my bank, everything would be crystal clear and nothing funny was pulled.
The first thing that came out of the woman's mouth that I had the appointment with was, "I'm sorry, I haven't had much time to look over things... And I was just doing that before you came in."
Uhm, what? I had scheduled the appointment on Thursday I think it was, that or Friday afternoon when I didn't have much going on, so the woman I had gone to talk to had known well before hand that I had an appointment with her the following Monday and that I was interested in talking about student line of credit - which gave this woman a complete weekend to look things over and get an understanding of what the bank's policies were and whatnot about student lines of credit. This is not what had happened, hence why I said that I'm shocked, if not interested, about the laziness of some people. If there was a task that I had been given that I didn't know about, I would spend a weekend - or four hours, whichever - to cover what it was that I needed to cover in order to have a good understanding of what was going to be discussed on the up-coming appointment, so I was very disappointed in that. So when I got the call from Erin today, the admissions girl from JCI, I had to tell her that I didn't know anything yet because I was told to go home and do my own research about student loans and grants from the government, which Erin was outraged - with me, not at me - about. She even said, which gets me giggling now, "What kind of bank is that that they don't even want your service?" I replied, "Well, it's that woman that I went to talk to. I don't like her whatsoever." And it's true. I really don't. She tries to make things easier on herself but twisting words around to make it sound like the customer didn't do enough research, when really, she should have been the one to do the researching. So I'm going back into the bank this coming Monday and discussing with the manager about student line of credit and specifically telling her that the woman I talked to didn't know anything about it. I don't care if the manager gives heck to the woman I talked to; if you're given a task in your job, you need to know how to do it right.
Anyway. So that's that. As well, I have been doing massive amounts of work at school - so much so that I can't even properly sleep at night because my mind is in constant overdrive (more on that later). I've already completed my Work Experience 12 course, which was a breeze to do because I've already been working since I was 13 (which nowadays is almost considered child labor in Canada, HAHA) and I'm almost done my Grad Transitions 12 - there's two assignments that I need to do still, one of them I've already completed but still unsure of whether or not I should hand in or make sure it's as realistic as possible, and the other I'm still confused about even though Sharron, my instructor, has tried to bang it into my head a million times what I need to do. Oh well. On top of having those courses (almost) completed, I've also completed my Web Design 12, which was a breeze and I didn't realize how quickly I would have it done - I still need to do a demonstration for Miles, my other instructor at the learning center, but that's at his direction which he still needs to do. He's a very busy man, and in some ways I feel almost sympathetic towards him about how busy he is. He's very popular at the learning center. So all I have left to do is Business Information Management 12 (which is just working with MS Office Publisher 2007), Studio Arts 11 (a course I started last year but couldn't complete because other things were distracting me from getting it done) and English 12, which I have about 5 to 6 more units to do (think of these units as assignments - that's it!). A few loose ends to tie up and that's it! I'm done! I've completed Grade 12 successfully.
Anyways, I'm being rushed off of the Internet so I will give you guys more updates soon!
Stay gold!
- Colten.
xoxo
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
How Time Flies
My, how the time flies by!
To think that only just a year ago, I was living in a motel with my mother as we had become, essentially, homeless. To think that a year ago, things were looking like a dead end for me. I had lost essentially 80% of my friends at school and only had my friends Nowie & Shelby and Mellissa to hang out with. I stopped caring about school and pretty much stopped caring about everything else as well. To think that just a year ago, I had no idea whether or not my mother would have a proper and traditional Christmas.
A year later, after all that, I'm surrounded by people who care about me and who love me for me. To think that a year later, I would finally decide what career I want to pursue. A year later, I have become a stronger individual and at least have become more mature in my decisions and have started taking responsibility for my actions if I have done something wrong - or I try to, which counts for something (practice makes perfect!). To think that a year later, I would start pulling A's in school that I don't even know where they came from.
To think that a year later, I'm still alive.
I guess this blog post is kind of a sequel to my blog post - which was more of a spiteful rant than a thought-provoking speech - and as I write this, it sinks in more and more how blessed I am to be surrounded by such kind, caring people. I guess the drama that I put up with at least seven months ago was a transition period for me, and now I'm where I want to be and I'm not so quick to think the worst of people.
I guess, in essence, I just want to say thank-you to everyone who has been there for me and has made me realize how great life really is.
So, to anyone who is reading this and has been a vital part of my life... Thank you. You don't know how much I appreciate everything you've done for me, even if it was just small talk. It lets me know that people do notice me.
Stay gold, everyone. Life is too short to let the smallest things bother you...
- Colten.
xoxo
Monday, November 22, 2010
Some Random Thoughts
You know, it continually boggles my mind about how some people complain about the slightest things. "I don't feel like doing the dishes." "I don't want to go to school; it's stupid." "My parents are dumb." "My life sucks."
Why do we complain? Is it easier for us to just whinge and moan negatively about what sucks in our life instead of positively acknowledging the fact that we're a hell of a lot luckier than others?
Take a look into my life for a night: I have a mother who constantly complains about how tired or sore she is, which must mean that I have to cook, wash the dishes, clean, do laundry, and everything most parents are typically known for, all the while pulling A+ marks out of my behind in school. When I don't oblige to washing the dishes, she screams about how badly she wants a dishwasher. When I don't oblige to do the laundry, it's a big deal (there are many things she screams and complains about with that one). I know that when I go out into the real world, all of those things become a part of my life - and I have done it all before. I've cleaned bathrooms, I've swept, vacuumed and mopped floors, I've done dishes many times and I've done my own laundry before - which I think is all fun and games because that's just the way I am. If anything, I almost enjoy house work when I'm home alone and there's nothing better for me to do.
So why is it that parents with teenagers - who are being bogged down by the stresses of drama, school and making plans for living out on their own - are increasingly becoming more and more impatient with their kids? When did this all start? I don't know about you and how your parents react to so-called "laziness", but my mother reacts horribly to it. It simply amazes me when my mother complains about a lot of the things that I don't do, and when I do finally get around to building up enough energy and do minimal cleaning, she overlooks it and not a day later complains that whatever I cleaned has become a pig sty.
And why is it that parents complain to others about paying bills and cooking and cleaning? Even single mothers or fathers with an only child complain about cooking!
The point that I'm trying to get to here is, why is it that the majority of us complain about the most smallest things when we have all that we need? Think about it: I'm sure that most of us that are reading this has just finished a hearty supper and will be sleeping in a bed with more-or-less clean sheets later tonight, all the while protected from the bitter cold of winter, with some heaters running somewhere in whatever we live in. It is my strongest belief that if we have a roof over our head and food on the table - note that it's on a table and not a floor - and a bed to sleep in at night, we should be happy. We should be almost overjoyed about the position we're in.
Now, I understand that a lot of North Americans who become homeless randomly choose to become homeless - why? some of us will never know - but if you think about the poorer countries who have shacks, not even houses, that are built out of straw or leaves or whatever they could find, and they don't even have clean water or a proper bed to sleep in at night, you momentarily become content that you're not in that position. (For some reason, I think a lot of us should relearn what the definition and the difference is between clean water and dirty water.)
So my question to you is, why is that we complain if we don't have a dishwasher, or our parents took away our cell phone, or we have kids who seemingly don't do anything around the house? Why can't we be happy and joyful about what we have, instead of upset and angry about what we lack? So what if we don't have a dishwasher? At least we have the tools, ready whenever we need it, to wash our dishes clean with so when we use them next, we don't have the risk of eating from moldy plates? So what if our parents have taken away our cell phones? There's a lesson to be learned in that, and hey - at least you have a cell phone. So what if your teenager doesn't do anything around the house? They probably have better things to do before they hit out on the real world and experience what it's like to be a responsible adult instead of an easy-going teenager.
You can't stay unhappy forever, anyway, and you have to find joy in something. And maybe, when that time comes and you do realize that what you have is enough and there's nothing short in your home, things will start looking a heck of a lot better than when they did thirty minutes ago.
Why do we complain? Is it easier for us to just whinge and moan negatively about what sucks in our life instead of positively acknowledging the fact that we're a hell of a lot luckier than others?
Take a look into my life for a night: I have a mother who constantly complains about how tired or sore she is, which must mean that I have to cook, wash the dishes, clean, do laundry, and everything most parents are typically known for, all the while pulling A+ marks out of my behind in school. When I don't oblige to washing the dishes, she screams about how badly she wants a dishwasher. When I don't oblige to do the laundry, it's a big deal (there are many things she screams and complains about with that one). I know that when I go out into the real world, all of those things become a part of my life - and I have done it all before. I've cleaned bathrooms, I've swept, vacuumed and mopped floors, I've done dishes many times and I've done my own laundry before - which I think is all fun and games because that's just the way I am. If anything, I almost enjoy house work when I'm home alone and there's nothing better for me to do.
So why is it that parents with teenagers - who are being bogged down by the stresses of drama, school and making plans for living out on their own - are increasingly becoming more and more impatient with their kids? When did this all start? I don't know about you and how your parents react to so-called "laziness", but my mother reacts horribly to it. It simply amazes me when my mother complains about a lot of the things that I don't do, and when I do finally get around to building up enough energy and do minimal cleaning, she overlooks it and not a day later complains that whatever I cleaned has become a pig sty.
And why is it that parents complain to others about paying bills and cooking and cleaning? Even single mothers or fathers with an only child complain about cooking!
The point that I'm trying to get to here is, why is it that the majority of us complain about the most smallest things when we have all that we need? Think about it: I'm sure that most of us that are reading this has just finished a hearty supper and will be sleeping in a bed with more-or-less clean sheets later tonight, all the while protected from the bitter cold of winter, with some heaters running somewhere in whatever we live in. It is my strongest belief that if we have a roof over our head and food on the table - note that it's on a table and not a floor - and a bed to sleep in at night, we should be happy. We should be almost overjoyed about the position we're in.
Now, I understand that a lot of North Americans who become homeless randomly choose to become homeless - why? some of us will never know - but if you think about the poorer countries who have shacks, not even houses, that are built out of straw or leaves or whatever they could find, and they don't even have clean water or a proper bed to sleep in at night, you momentarily become content that you're not in that position. (For some reason, I think a lot of us should relearn what the definition and the difference is between clean water and dirty water.)
So my question to you is, why is that we complain if we don't have a dishwasher, or our parents took away our cell phone, or we have kids who seemingly don't do anything around the house? Why can't we be happy and joyful about what we have, instead of upset and angry about what we lack? So what if we don't have a dishwasher? At least we have the tools, ready whenever we need it, to wash our dishes clean with so when we use them next, we don't have the risk of eating from moldy plates? So what if our parents have taken away our cell phones? There's a lesson to be learned in that, and hey - at least you have a cell phone. So what if your teenager doesn't do anything around the house? They probably have better things to do before they hit out on the real world and experience what it's like to be a responsible adult instead of an easy-going teenager.
You can't stay unhappy forever, anyway, and you have to find joy in something. And maybe, when that time comes and you do realize that what you have is enough and there's nothing short in your home, things will start looking a heck of a lot better than when they did thirty minutes ago.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Exciting News
Hey everyone! I'd first like to say to my readers, once again, that I'm sorry for the long awaited update! It's been kind of crazy in my mind, not even in the house! I've been doing a lot of thinking and it's put me in such a state that I can't even remember what date it was yesterday! (Thank gosh for technology.)
So first off, the primary thing you might notice is the new layout. I JUST finished it (I'm writing this post as I eat supper) and I'm happy with the way it came out! I have to give props to the makers of the Blogger Template Generator I used - they really know their stuff! I was finally able to incorporate everything that I wanted in this template - the background, the picture and the blog's logo - without the headache of trying to find a series of codes to make it work. I know it's a little bit of a cheat, especially when I'm studying, of all things, web design, but codes used for web design and Blogger template designs are two completely different things.
The second thing that has caused me to lose track of the time is post-secondary education. Let me clarify myself here. On Wednesday night, I filled out an application form on John Casablanca's Institute's website (a college that covers everything in beauty and fashion, and even holds fashion shows!!) giving them my name, my cell phone number (a wise decision) and my address and whatnot. The next night, on Thursday, I was hanging out with a friend of mine when, for the second time that day, my cell phone rung. I answered it, not knowing who was calling, and the girl on the other end introduced herself as Erin from JCI. Initially, I was shocked and excited at the same time. Shocked, because I didn't realize somebody from the college would get back to me so soon (I was expecting at least a quick email on Friday or something asking why I had filled out the form with no comments) and excited because it was a phone call, so I could hear and understand the attitude that was happening at the other end.
We chatted for a while - it was actually about 12 minutes and my poor friend was sitting there, bored out of her mind - and as the time past, the more I felt better about my decision. I had heard about JCI before from two acquaintances I had met a long time ago and they had nothing good to say about it, and just that starting phone call made me realize that I really could fit in there. Before we hung up, Erin and I concluded that she would call me the next day at around two o'clock.
Friday rolls around and at exactly two o'clock, I get a call on my cell phone and it's Erin. After a near-45 minute phone conversation (us girls have so much to talk about, you know?) I felt ten times better as I had never once actually talked to a college about my future career, and for once I felt like somebody understood me and my needs. So I'm super excited to get going on my future right away. But of course, time is of essence and it's working against my favor. But oh well! Soon.
Anyway, the reason why I'm so excited about this is because Erin had said I could very well easily get accepted into this school, as she I guess is one of the major players in the game of "Who Gets In...And Who Doesn't?" From our phone conversations, she told me that she could tell I am very passionate about makeup, which I am, and that I would easily fit in with the rest of the group.
The main line: if I do get accepted into JCI, that means I will be starting my future in the makeup artistry field and working towards my goal of having a career in doing fashion makeup! AAAHHHHH! Just thinking about it now makes me break out into a big grin.
Anyways, that's all I really have for now, so I shall talk to you guys soon with more updates!
Stay golden!
- Colten. xoxo
So first off, the primary thing you might notice is the new layout. I JUST finished it (I'm writing this post as I eat supper) and I'm happy with the way it came out! I have to give props to the makers of the Blogger Template Generator I used - they really know their stuff! I was finally able to incorporate everything that I wanted in this template - the background, the picture and the blog's logo - without the headache of trying to find a series of codes to make it work. I know it's a little bit of a cheat, especially when I'm studying, of all things, web design, but codes used for web design and Blogger template designs are two completely different things.
The second thing that has caused me to lose track of the time is post-secondary education. Let me clarify myself here. On Wednesday night, I filled out an application form on John Casablanca's Institute's website (a college that covers everything in beauty and fashion, and even holds fashion shows!!) giving them my name, my cell phone number (a wise decision) and my address and whatnot. The next night, on Thursday, I was hanging out with a friend of mine when, for the second time that day, my cell phone rung. I answered it, not knowing who was calling, and the girl on the other end introduced herself as Erin from JCI. Initially, I was shocked and excited at the same time. Shocked, because I didn't realize somebody from the college would get back to me so soon (I was expecting at least a quick email on Friday or something asking why I had filled out the form with no comments) and excited because it was a phone call, so I could hear and understand the attitude that was happening at the other end.
We chatted for a while - it was actually about 12 minutes and my poor friend was sitting there, bored out of her mind - and as the time past, the more I felt better about my decision. I had heard about JCI before from two acquaintances I had met a long time ago and they had nothing good to say about it, and just that starting phone call made me realize that I really could fit in there. Before we hung up, Erin and I concluded that she would call me the next day at around two o'clock.
Friday rolls around and at exactly two o'clock, I get a call on my cell phone and it's Erin. After a near-45 minute phone conversation (us girls have so much to talk about, you know?) I felt ten times better as I had never once actually talked to a college about my future career, and for once I felt like somebody understood me and my needs. So I'm super excited to get going on my future right away. But of course, time is of essence and it's working against my favor. But oh well! Soon.
Anyway, the reason why I'm so excited about this is because Erin had said I could very well easily get accepted into this school, as she I guess is one of the major players in the game of "Who Gets In...And Who Doesn't?" From our phone conversations, she told me that she could tell I am very passionate about makeup, which I am, and that I would easily fit in with the rest of the group.
The main line: if I do get accepted into JCI, that means I will be starting my future in the makeup artistry field and working towards my goal of having a career in doing fashion makeup! AAAHHHHH! Just thinking about it now makes me break out into a big grin.
Anyways, that's all I really have for now, so I shall talk to you guys soon with more updates!
Stay golden!
- Colten. xoxo
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Another Update
Hello everyone! My, what a blur these past two weeks have been! I can't believe that it's already the middle of November! It seemed only just yesterday I had walked into the hospital and was ushered into the operating room where I passed out without knowing it and woke up not knowing where I was or what had happened to me, or worse yet - how bad I had looked! Although looks aren't everything when you've gone into a operation like that; there's no helping how swollen your face is going to be.
So again, I haven't been up to much but I've been doing a lot of thinking - sadly, when you have a lot of time on your hands that you don't know what to do with, you get lost in the depths of your mind. To tell you the truth I can't remember what I've been thinking about; the majority of the topics are divided almost equally to my jaw, which I found out yesterday that it will not open fully like a normal jaw would, my weight, as I've lost a lot of it and I'm starting to scare even myself, and my future.
My future is the one that both scares and excites me the most as it will be an adventure: I don't know where I'm going to stay, how I'm going to have money to buy the basics for my new temporary home (mattress, food, tables, chairs, sofa, food, etc., etc.) and where I can find a good job. I've been thinking of picking up a job at MAC Cosmetics if possible, either as a receptionist or possibly an apprentice makeup artist, which I would absolutely love to do. But I'll figure something out; I always do. It will probably just take time and connections to getting started.
But regardless of all of this, I'm doing fine and my recovery is proving itself to be a fast one; I just wish it would be a little faster! I can't wait to bite into a big, juicy burger from ... some fast food restaurant! LOL!
All right, I'm out! Stay golden!
- Colten
xoxo
So again, I haven't been up to much but I've been doing a lot of thinking - sadly, when you have a lot of time on your hands that you don't know what to do with, you get lost in the depths of your mind. To tell you the truth I can't remember what I've been thinking about; the majority of the topics are divided almost equally to my jaw, which I found out yesterday that it will not open fully like a normal jaw would, my weight, as I've lost a lot of it and I'm starting to scare even myself, and my future.
My future is the one that both scares and excites me the most as it will be an adventure: I don't know where I'm going to stay, how I'm going to have money to buy the basics for my new temporary home (mattress, food, tables, chairs, sofa, food, etc., etc.) and where I can find a good job. I've been thinking of picking up a job at MAC Cosmetics if possible, either as a receptionist or possibly an apprentice makeup artist, which I would absolutely love to do. But I'll figure something out; I always do. It will probably just take time and connections to getting started.
But regardless of all of this, I'm doing fine and my recovery is proving itself to be a fast one; I just wish it would be a little faster! I can't wait to bite into a big, juicy burger from ... some fast food restaurant! LOL!
All right, I'm out! Stay golden!
- Colten
xoxo
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Ecstatic Excitement
 |
| This was taken sometime in October, before I got my surgery, and probably one of my favorite pictures to date. |
Hey all! Gosh, this jaw surgery really has kind of boggled my mind a little, but I am happy to say that with each new day that passes, more progress is being made ... which makes me even more happy! AND I just got a bouquet of flowers from Dr. Perrin's office, my orthodontist! Such a lovely bunch of people! THEY CARE ABOUT ME! LOL.
Anyway, not much has really happened these past couple of days. I've been spending my time mostly at home, sitting in front of my computer. I went to Kelowna yesterday only to have my surgeon tell me what I knew already: everything is going excellently well, but it'll be another MONTH (that's four weeks people!) before I can finally start eating things like burgers and chips and ... all the more fatty stuff. I have one more week of eating liquid meals before I can start eating soft foods, like pasta and eggs and all that jazz, which kind of makes me depressed but all the more reason to stay at home.
However, there's this boy, and his name is Ryan... I think I'll leave it at that for now.
Anyways, that's all I really have to say! Just trying to keep people updated as much as possible.
Stay gold, everyone! <3
- Colten.
xoxo