Saturday, January 16, 2016

The Mystery of the Missing Czech

For the last month, I've been dealing with this insane issue of a certified cheque that bounced... A certified cheque is guaranteed funds and so it's impossible for it to bounce. I called the banks over and over, who kept blaming each other, no one knew what happened, why it "bounced" or where it was. After a month of calling almost every day and even threatening to go to the police, my bank finally decided to refund me the amount, even if there is no proof that the problem was on their end, as we both believe it is the other bank who caused the problem.
Anyway, it's been a stressful adventure, and I've written a open for the occasion.

The Mystery of the Missing Czech

There once was a Czech,
A brave young man.
He soon became a soldier.
He wanted to serve his country,
He wanted to defend his land.

He grew impatient.
Tired of washing dishes,
Czech wanted to be a leader.
One day, he received an audience.
With the General, he spoke.

"I would like to be a leader,
I want to be a sergeant, sir."
He said, and the General laughed.
"A cocky young lad, you are!
First, a corporal you must be."

Czech, more impatient than ever,
Worked harder than the toughest,
Bravest and biggest sergeant.
He moved up quick,
Becoming the leader he knew he could be.

He was not satisfied.
Again, Czech spoke with the General.
"I need my certification,"
He proclaimed. The General nodded.
"So be it. Come see me at dawn."

Czech passed with flying colours.
He was now certified for war.
He packe his bags,
All his earthly possessions.
He left his country to defend it.

But Czech never returned.
No one knew what happened.
He made it to the battle front,
He came came to the base camp.
After that, he disappeared.

Stricken with grief,
The General searched far and wide,
On the battlefield, in the camp,
He searched the towns,
But Czech could not be found.

The enemy had not seen him,
The basecamp did not remember
No one seemed to know.
Czech disappeared into thin air,
Like a bird, he flew away.

That was the only explanation.
The General never saw him again,
His proud protégé, like a son he was.
"Come back to me," he cried.
But never again, was Czech seen.

The General, on the other hand,
Never ceased to search
For his missing Czech.

Monday, January 4, 2016

Goodbye Party

Before someone leaves on a big trip, it's customary to have a going away gathering of some kine, usually a party or a dinner. I decided to do both. I combined our annual New Year's Eve party with my going away party, and also had a dinner at Boston Pizza for those who either couldn't come to the party or don't drink. Both were a total success and I'm so happy I got to see some of my friends before I leave for a year.

I didn't get any pictures at BP, but I got quite a few during the party. I got myself some ridiculous 2016 glasses that gave me the perfect excuse to take ridiculous selfies!












In all seriousness, I am so grateful for the people I have in my life. Whether we've been friends for years, or a few weeks, I will miss you all so much! I am so lucky to have you all in my life.

Friday, January 1, 2016

Hello 2016!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2015 was an interesting year. So much happened that I will remember forever. But I sure as hell am ready for 2016.
While watching How I Met Your Mother, I came across this quote, which seems perfect for the new year.
"You wrote down all of these things to say goodbye to, but so many of these are good things. Why not just say goodbye to the bad things? Say goodbye to all the times you felt lost, to all the times it was a No instead of a Yes, to all the scrapes and bruises, to all the heartache. Say goodbye to everything you really want to do for the last time."

Last year, I had quite a few goals I wanted to accomplish:
I will have graduated university.
I will have read Lord of the Rings (for the first time, I might add).
I will have read 21 books. **I read 10 books**
I will have run a full marathon. **I ran 5 half-marathons**
I will have moved out. **I am moving on January 5th (to Germany!)**
I will get out of debt.
I will be happy. 

I'm pretty proud of everything I've done, even if I didn't quite cross off everything on my list. Really, though, who really ever does? Either way, I can't wait to see what 2016 has in store for me.

Here are some goals for 2016:

By December 31st, 2016,
I will have run a full marathon.
I will have travelled to 10 countries.
I will finally be happy with my body.
I will have read 10 books in German.
I will have become a morning person (probably my most challenging goal ever).
I will be happy.

Happy New Year everyone!

Thursday, December 31, 2015

Goodbye 2015

2015 was a strange year... It started out as the worst possible beginning of a year and turned into one of the best years of my life. I laughed, cried, ran (a lot), ate (a lot), spent days without sleep, or slept 15 hours straight, and accomplished so many things I will never forget.

January
Well, January didn't start out too great. I got cheated on on New Year's Eve, then I started my last and toughest semester of university, started training for the Berlin Half Marathon and ranted about boys being stupid.

February
The highlight of this month was filming my party movie for my filmmaking class. It was tough, but a hell of a lot of fun! The final product is full of goofs and hilarious continuity errors, but the shoot brought me closer to many of my classmates and I made some great friends!

March
March was absolutely insane. Because I was leaving to Germany, I needed to finish all my school work 2 weeks early. This meant four 10+ page papers in German and film projects all due at the same time. I honestly did not sleep for about four days straight trying to complete all these projects. I threw a fit on my way home from the airport when I couldn't get on a flight the first day (and the second day). Finally, I got to Germany, and ran the Berlin Half Marathon!

April
April started off in Germany. It was such a wonderful adventure! I even got a tattoo! I wrote my last exams ever... It was slightly unreal.

May
In May, I ran my fastest half marathon ever!

June
A lot of things happened in June! I celebrated my 21st birthday, two days later I graduated from university, I ran another amazing half marathon, then injured my knee at a fun run...!

July
The best part of July? Folk Fest. I also went camping twice with friends, I ran Mud Hero and Dirty Donkey once my knee finally healed!

August
August was a crazy month. I was working 9-5 at the museum, then 5-midnight at the restaurant almost every day, then also on the weekends. My days off were very limited... and my sleep? Even more limited!


September
Another busy month for me. I worked my butt off, I ran a little, and spent a lot of time dressing up in medieval costumes in the Magna Carta exhibit at the museum.


October
In terms of work, October slowed down for me, which meant blogging picked up! I ran yet another half-marathon, voted for the first time and made some GoPro videos. Then, for Halloween? I became a mermaid! I also reached 200 posts!


November
November was a month of fitness: 30 Day Squat Challenge, November Project, Dodgeball, and my 5th half marathon of the year!

December
This last month has been a whirlwind. I spent 5 days in Montreal with my family, then started preparing my move to Germany.

It's been a crazy year, and I'm grateful for every minute of it, for every person I've met, for all those still in my life, and for all the opportunities I've been given. It's been an amazing and unforgettable year.

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Retiring the Work Shoes

I just finished my last day of work today... I LEAVE IN 6 DAYS!

I've been working at the museum for 16 months and I worked at Beachcomber for over 6 months. It's been a crazy adventure, and my shoes are definitely the proof of that.



After clocking out today, it finally hit me. I'm leaving! I'm about to throw these shoes in the garbage and move on.... I know they're just shoes, but shoes have a way of marking certain milestones in our lives. They go and see everything you do, travel with you...

Maybe I'm just getting sentimental. Either way, good riddance!
Bella Lulu Ink Blog