This post is going to be so disengaged. *breathes in and out and calms down*
I don't know why I've been feeling stressed up and frustrated lately. It isn't over work, though I did complete a killer make-your-own-video assignment all by myself last weekend and am very proud of it. And there was Personal Financial Planning and Film mid-terms too, the former for which I managed to pass in the B-range. (Pass! Haha.. and I'm not exclaiming this just because I'm an exchange student and there are lotsa confusing Canadian tax laws in the paper, but just from the position of a lousy Finance major.. bleah.)
Anyhow, I've not been very engaged in things that are constructive or productive; maybe I just gave myself an excuse to slack off after the Alberta trip since there were just too many chapalang things to do anyway. So after the mid-terms and video submission, I just wanted to give myself some space to breathe before getting into the swing of things. But Prof painted a very bleak picture of the job market for me a few days ago, and she'd apologized for dampening my moods on exchange - but yes, it's not that I wasn't aware of it, and I guess her reality check totally jolted me from my senses indeed. What am I doing?!
Maybe it's all a vicious cycle:
You feel listless and lethargic - you just want to chillax - which means not doing anything worthwhile, and that's on top of just munching your frustrations off - you feel unhealthy - you feel listless and lethargic. ROAR.
Still, I'm not alone. Reading Christine's emails and Luyi's letter and birthday card, we're all in the same boat after all. And though mine's right across the Atlantic and my friends' are, erm, along the Straits of Malacca, we're still drifting and trying to keep our oars together, holding on to each other for support. And I guess that's what matters, and what keeps me sane somehow. That we all understand and seek solace in encouraging and comforting each other. So to my best friend and close friends back home who are caught up in things and feeling dreadful, let's all keep our heads up and jia you together. We will get there, eventually.
On a random note, I just picked some maple leaves from the courtyard to press; they aren't very beautiful since they're all starting to wilt by this time. And I miss my coffee partners, and my best friend too. :(
xx
Rediscovering Downtown
Tuesday after the Film test - I had to head Chinatown and buy some jiao zi and guo tie for the upcoming AIMS International Food Night, so I took the chance to take a breather, walk around and engage in retail therapy. At least it was a whole day to myself, which I was thankful for. So once again, I was taking in and appreciating the sights and sounds of downtown Winnipeg - only this time more carefully.
Winnipeg's Millennium Library, the largest in the city (so something like our National Library?)
Mall at Portage Place - thought the Campbell soups look cute, haha. I bought a pair of waterproof gloves here too, at Dress for Less, and it actually says "-20 degrees!" on it, so I guess they're good for my snowball fights when the time comes, heh.
Top left pic: "Winnipeg's Free Press" along the Skywalk- a collection of press stories mounted on the walls for viewing pleasure. The others depict streets around Winnipeg's Exchange District, which is actually an attraction for tourists cos it's the oldest across Canada. Unlike the financial buildings and brightly-lit skyscrapers in other Canadian cities, Winnipeg's consists of a large number of preserved brick buildings, which are majestic and nice really.
Winnipeg's Chinatown. Says "established in 1986", so as old (young) as me! And seriously I didn't know Winnipeg's called 温尼伯 too; it's like 微尼夫拉得 for Winifred, haha.
It's exciting to see freezers and vegetables like this after a very very long time.. and while scanning across the labels I saw Tasty Brand sotong balls from Singapore LEH - I wonder if this brand really exists?
Btw I was so tempted to buy Asian foodstuffs and snacks here too, but didn't cos of the melamine scandal. One article I read said this though - "So far it appears that only Asian products are affected - therefore if you live in Europe or North America, your Snickers bar is probably safe to eat. For now." - but I guess better be safe than sorry ba. :(
Halloween's coming! This was taken on another occasion while grocery shopping, and the sheer size and number of pumpkins in the grocery stores are just.. large. Haha.. limited vocabulary right now. Bleah.