Chicken & Steak

Despite my busy work schedule during the winter break, I still had the chance to have dinner with friends. The first dinner was with my friends with whom I lived the four most amazing months of the my life. Pat, Georgia, Sophie, Courtney, Julian, Fiona, Naomi & I were all on exchange in France together. For four months, we lived in Juan-les-pins and attended the SKEMA together. It was great to catch up and reminisce of the good old days. The last time we were all together was probably back when we were still in France. Those moments seem to be so far away. I'd give anything to go back in time and live it again... We met up at Laurier Gordon Ramsay, which I have being dying to try. The ambiance was nice and cozy. I enjoyed my chicken and the wonderful company I had.

The very next night, it was the JMAS Christmas dinner! We chose to eat at luxurious steakhouse, The Keg. Despite the crazy rain outside and the dangerous, slippery ice outside, everyone arrived at the restaurant in once piece. Our table was in a little isolated corner, which was great because we had some privacy. But the corner was, in my opinion, a little bit tight for all 15 of us. The gift exchange was hilarious! Everyone came up with great ideas as secret Santa. The food was amazing. My steak was absolutely delicious and it heartwarming to have spent a wonderful night with my colleagues.

Steak with shrimp and crab garnish & twice baked potato

The Art of Not Saving Money

Now that the semester is finally over, let the Christmas shopping begin! I need to do some massive shopping in the next few days because I haven't had the chance to pick up anyone's gift! However, after my last exam today, I went for a round of celebratory retail therapy! Sadly, it really wasn't a fruitful session because I only crossed off two people off my list....... and splurged on myself - shame on me, I know.

I had actually intended to reward myself for working hard this past semester. By that I meant a pieces of clothing here and there aka new Christmas party outfits. But then, I walk into Ogilvy (where I start working tomorrow!!) and walked by Burberry, out of habit just to see what are the latest handbags on shelves. But then, I see it...  That beautiful thing! The truth is, I have been eyeing that item for a years, but could never really justify its purchase. However, seeing how I haven't shopped in so long (because I've been busy with school) and that it was cold outside, I decided to try on the beautiful Burberry earmuffs! I never dared to tried them because knowing myself, I know that all my logic and reason would just become non existent and the first thing I would do is to pull out my credit card. Now, try to guess what I did after trying them on? I know, I know, shame on me! I really don't know how to save money, do I? In light of what I did, I decided to hold off buying new boots and clothes until I start working again (which is tomorrow!) or maybe I'll just return the earmuffs...but it would so sad.

Earmuffs in Charcoal Check

Greetings from Paradise: The Land of Sunshine

All my friends know that I am a Longchamp Pliage girl. I have a tons of Longchamp bags, many of them I bought during my French days (oh how I miss those days....). They were so cheap in France I just couldn't not buy them. It would've been a crime if I didn't!

Anyways, after a super productive day at the library, I rewarded myself with some new blog posts from my usual reading list, and this is what I found: the upcoming Lonchamp x Jeremy Scott Postcard Pliage! The perfect solution to the cold, dark, gloomy Canadian winter- isn't this the perfect bag for winter or what!? I am not sure when it will be released and if it will be sold in Montreal. This bag can totally be my reward to myself after this semester! Clearly, I am just trying to find any excuse to buy this bag, but this is honestly the much needed splash of colour Montreal needs during winter!

Pictures from Colette

The Countdown Begins Once Again

I wish I could tell you it's a countdown until the day I leave for France again. Unfortunately, it's a countdown for the start of finals. In exactly seven days, I will be write my first final exam of the semester. Hence why Gurjit and I are currently at Montreal's beautiful Grande Bibliotheque, prepping for our exams!

Time to study!

Girl With a Pearl Earring

My parents just recently came back from their trip to Taiwan & China. Usually, when they travel back to Asia, we always get to make a list of things we would like them to bring back because almost everything there is just do darn cheap! My list usually contains all kinds of cosmetic products: make-up , skincare, nail polish from pretty much every Asian brand. However, this time, since my parents were planning to travel a lot more, they didn't expect much time to shop, so we didn't get to make lists. But, still they came home with a present for me! Totally unexpected, I received something I never thought my parents would ever get me! I was gifted with a purple pearl necklace and earrings set! They ain't famous Mikimoto pearls, but fancy enough for me! Purple pearls!! Even I never thought about getting purple pearls, and purple is my favorite colour! Needless to say, I was quite happy with my surprise.

I guess my Tiffany necklace is finally coming off - I never wore another necklace since receiving it for Christmas 2009!

The necklace seems to be more pink than purple.

Hello Snow, long time no see.

On November 23, I woke up to a big surprise, a big white surprise......SNOW! I looked out the window and just saw white. Streets and trees were all covered by a glittery white substance. The last time I saw snow, it was before I left for France. I thought the landscape was cute until I remember how much I hate snow. When it snows, it's because its winter. During winter,  it's cold - I hate cold. When it snows, it means that I have to go shovel outside.... in the cold. Do you see the vicious circle in all of this? Another reason why I don't like snow: it slows everything down! First, the snow made me walk slower because it's harder to walk in the snow (just like how it's harder to walk and run in the sand). Second, it made my bus arrive later causing me to be almost late to class! You see how snow just ruins everything? Okay, maybe I am just being an overly difficult girl. Okay, I am... but still! Isn't summer just much better? You get to wear cute clothes without covering yourself up with a enormous parka and several layers of sweater and scarves!Most importantly, you get the wear beautiful shoes in the summer!

All of this snow just confirmed once again that leaving for the French Riviera was the best decision I could've ever made last winter! I skipped an entire season of snow and Canadian cold for amazing French food and Mediterranean beaches! In a little bit more than one month, it will be the one year anniversary of the beginning of the best adventure of my life.... Can you believe how fast time flew?

"Hey boy, you seem like a good trader. Want to trade numbers?"

It is Wednesday, yet I am still exhausted from my weekend.

Last Friday, it was Sunbul's birthday celebration. Following the night out, I had to wake up super early on Saturday to volunteer at the 2012 John Molson Stock Exchange Simulation with Anastasia and Andree. The day was long but pleasant. I was assigned to be on the trading floor during the event. As a runner, I was handed the trade tickets from verifiers, and had to read out the numbers to the data input clerk as quickly as possible. During the practice run, the whole floor was rather quiet. But as soon the as the stock sim officially started, the hall quickly filled up with screams! This small simulation was pretty intense, so the NYSE must be CRAZZYYYY! The event was separated into four quarters, so I stayed there the whole day, despite being already quite drained from the previous night. I was so tired, that I went to bed at 8 PM that evening. I felt a bit lame for going to bed that early on a Saturday, but it felt good to be able to have more than five hours of sleep.

Midnight Photoshoot

Last Thursday, my friend Mark and I finally got the chance to go shoot together! We've been talking about meeting up for some street photography since this summer, but it never actually happened... until now that is.

So after my class on Thursday night, we headed downtown, to Place des arts, where big light projectors were installed and rotating, illuminating the dark sky. Sadly, when midnight struck, the lights shut off. We wanted to shoot Montreal's night view, so we headed over to Mount Royal. To get to the look out point, we had to walk up in the woods. Of course, we had to take the wrong turn, taking a huge detour to get to our destination. Did I mention that it was in complete darkness? Blair Witch Project style, no joke. I had to admit, it was scary! I was so afraid someone or something would jump out and attack us. (Delusional, I know - but I couldn't help it!)

It was cold, especially up on Mount Royal at the look out point. But I got to take some pretty pictures!

Halloween = Birthday + Free Candy + Screams

Happy Halloween!

Not only is today Halloween, a day where I get to eat a tons of candy without feeling guilty, it is also my little sister's birthday!

Happy birthday BonQuiQui*! I wish you another year filled with happiness, love and much success!
* name has been changed

Lighting up the candles on the cake

On another note, today is also Monday meaning I had office hours with the lovely Anastasia! In honour of Halloween, we spent our office hours watching Scream. Two hours well spent if you ask me! I think it was the first time the office was that quiet. Anastasia, Tuan and I watched silently and followed the plot carefully, so that we don't too scared or surprised (I could definitely use some of that amazing concentration in class!). Despite that, Tuan still managed by let a few screams here and there. The fact that he screamed like a little girl towards the end almost made the horror movie turn into a comedy! Good times, good times...

Afternoon Tea

So, what did you do on this quiet Sunday afternoon?

I had some wonderful afternoon tea at the Maitre Chocolatier with my parents! It sounds lame and boring (especially with the parents), but after a busy weekend - celebrating Halloween by hosting a "Fright Night on Friday, and leaving for Ottawa early Saturday morning- having afternoon tea was a perfect way to mark the end of easy and fun days, and the start of hell, also known as school.

Having already experienced The Queen Elizabeth Hotel's Afternoon Tea, I had an idea of how it would be. But the Maitre Chocolatier's service differed very much from the Queen E's. First of all, to my big surprise, there was live music, provided by a guitarist and bassist! The duo played some nice ambiance music while I enjoyed my wonderful cherry green tea and patries. The food, as I expected, was all homemade. Just like at the Queen E's, I was offered a variety of sandwiches, scones (which came with 3 marmalades : figue, vanilla and strawberry) and various bite-size desserts. What I like about the Maitre Chocolatier is their vast choice of tea leaves. At he Queen E's, only a few flavors of tea bags were available. The tea room was cozy and superbly cute. It brought me back to my French days, which I miss everyday. The service was impeccable. I was served by courteous, bilingual and knowledgeable attendants, who informed me about the teas and the food. It's a great spot to spend time with girl friends, chitchatting over tea!

Sandwiches

Scones & marmalades

"Hi, I'm Harry, Harry Potter"

Just how many Harry Potter die-hard fans do you know? I actually happen to know a few, with many of them who happen to be part of JMAS with me! A wonderful girl with enormous amount of love for British Harry's (Harry Potter & Prince Harry, that is), Anastasia is one of them.

Every Monday, Anastasia and I share office hours. Two long hours of sitting in an office, hoping some students will show up and ask us questions. Sadly, they never do, so we just basically hang out in the office the the sake of formalities. Having office hours with another girl is always fun because you can talk about anything, especially when it's with someone you get along with. But you know what's even better? When you share your love for Harry Potter! We spent part of our office hours watching the very first Harry Potter movie until I decided to make some tea (how English of us!). As we sat down to continue the movie, I decided I wanted popcorn (yes, we had popcorn in the office). Unfortunately, and fortunately, we never made it back to the office to finish the movie. After the popcorn was ready, Anastasia and I just sat down on comfy couches in a quiet corner and chatted away! It was so good to have a some girl time after all the midterm madness! We chitchatted until our JMAS meeting at 6 pm! Well we actually had to stop at some moments to go eat, but you get the idea! Can you imagine all the stories we told each other? I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait for next week's office hours!

Many might say Harry Potter brought magic to their lives, but Harry Potter brought me a new friendship!

At Last, Freedom!

Freedom, oh how I have missed you! It feels so good to know that I can read, watch movies and surf online as much as I want without feeling bad and panicking. Indeed, midterms are over!

Of all my three years of university, this is the first year that I got a really, but really crappy midterm exam schedule. The first one being on the Saturday right after Thanksgiving - which was fine, because I had plenty of time to review. The second exam was Business Law and Ethics (COMM 315) and it was scheduled on the following Wednesday. Then Friday Oct 21, I had both Advanced Managerial Accounting (ACCO 430) and Financial Reporting II (ACCO 320) were scheduled at the same day and same time. This is where things got a bit complicated. I had to come up with a schedule to allocate my time between all three classes. It sounds simple and nothing too crazy, but it was a heck of a week.  All those late nights and early mornings have drained me from all my energy.

To make things worse, since I had two exams scheduled at the same time, I registered to write the alternate for ACCO 430, after hearing my ACCO 320 professor saying that he will not providing an alternate version. Unfortunately, the alternate ACCO 430 exam was still on the same day, but the time slot was just moved to the morning. In other words I had ACCO 430 from 10 am to 1 pm and ACCO 320 from 7 om to 10 pm. How lovely.... Just when things couldn't possibly be more stressful, I find out there was actually an alternate exam for ACCO 320, which is scheduled on Sunday morning. That means I would have had extra time on Friday day to review for ACCO 430 and the entire Saturday to study for ACCO 320! It was at first super upsetting because I can't switch alternates. But then, I told myself I'd finish my exams earlier this way. So, instead of reviewing for ACCO 320 in the morning,  I'll be sleeping in!

Thank You For the Long Weekend

After receiving the devastating news that I didn’t get my internship (and crying over frozen yogurt with my dear friend Sunbul), my parents came to me with an interesting proposal. Since their restaurant is closed for renovations, they suggested  we go to Toronto for Thanksgiving weekend. Normally, I wouldn’t agree to go, just because it’s so close to midterms – the first one being this Saturday (Canadian Income Taxation). But I desperately needed time away from everything and get all things related to recruitment out of my system.  So, how was my long weekend you ask?

On Friday, it was my very last shift at Gap. As much as I enjoyed working there (and the employee discount) it didn’t provide me the flexibility I was looking for. So, as unfortunate as it was, I had to make a choice: school or Gap?  The answer was obvious, of course. But as a normal human being, I got attached… Yes, it was sad, but my Friday did have a happy ending. That night was also Patil’s birthday party at Suite 701! Good food, good drinks and good people – I had a blast! Coolest part: cruising down Crescent Street in Gurjit’s ballin’ ride. 

Beautiful blue sky

In the early hours on Saturday morning, I rushed home to pack and get ready to leave for Toronto. I had about 2-3 hours before departure time (4 AM). I packed as fast as I could, while watching Material Queen on my laptop (that show is so goddamn addictive, so I had too. Multitask FTW!).  Then I went to bed for about an hour or two. Four o’clock came along and I woke up completely exhausted and drained.  We loaded the car and drove away. When my eyes opened again, we arrived had at our destination. Six hours felt more like 1 hour.

People say Toronto isn’t that great, but I like it. I can’t exactly explain why, but I do. My parents and I spent three days, walking around, shopping, and eating (no worries, I packed my Tax notes and studied at night). It wasn’t like going to Paris, walking around the Louvre and enjoying delicious pastries by Laduree. However, it was just as good because I got to spend some quality time with my parents and bought and ate tons of Asian snacks that cannot be found in Montreal. 

Best Chinese restaurant name ever.

Climbing poker chips

Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick

Thank goodness my interview at Ernst & Young was on Monday. On Tuesday, the symptoms of my cold were fully in effect. My nose stopped functioning; I couldn't breathe and couldn't smell. I coughed uncontrollably and ate cough drops like I breathed. Just when I thought my worst day was over, Wednesday turned out to be even worse! I coughed uncontrollably x2 and my throat was in so much pain! It was unbearable! I felt bad for all my classmates, because I literally coughed every 3 seconds! Not only that, my voice became extremely manly and it scared the crap out of call my friends. I just woke up and I am already coughing my lungs out. I hope with some medication, my day will be a bit more pleasant.

Hello, Hello, Baby You Called I Can't Hear a Thing

Today was a bit of a stressful day. I woke up happy because I was smart enough to submit all my CACEE forms yesterday afternoon, instead of waiting for this morning! As I spent the morning doing some homework, I kept glancing at the clock, waiting for it to hit noon.

After lunch, I went to class and my heart starts beating 1000 times per minutes.  I look at the time on my phone and I realized any firm could be calling me now! But instead, my phone stayed in my hands soundless and motionless. Then, my friends start texting me, reassuring me that firms must be busy reviewing my application. Every time my phone vibrated, my heart jumped. After a while, I got used to it and stopped giving myself heart attacks over a little phone vibe. Time passes, and as I focused more on class, getting that phone call for an interview was getting further in the back of my head. And of course, the unexpected happened. My phone starts the vibrate, and behold, Ernst & Young was calling me! I ran out of class and answered the phone. I was so happy that I could barely speak! My hands were shaky and my body felt light, almost numb! Can you tell how badly I wanted a firm to call me? So, anyways, an interview has been scheduled and I hope I will do well.

"If the Shoes Fit, it's Too Expensive"

I have a thing for shoes....no, actually, I have a thing for expensive shoes.

A few weeks back, while vacationing in Toronto, I came across this pair of gorgeous ankle boots. I picked them up and instantly fell in love. Soft black suede, hidden platform and stud covered heel - they were calling out my name. Then, I found out they were Sam Edelmans' and a bit out of my budget. But anyhow, fast forward to now, I can't stop thinking about them and decided that they were perfect for fall. Plus a good pair of shoes last forever, right? (I saw yes, but I know some say its debatable.) Naturally, after work today, I dragged my co-worker/friend, Lisa to show her the shoes...... and walked out with them about 10 minutes later. I am horrible, I know...

So, here's the third addition to my collection of super expensive shoes (the first and second being my pair of Le Pepe boots and Miu Miu nude heels, which I love to death).

Sam Edelman Renzo ankle boots

Fingers Crossed

Done, done, done, done and done! CA Recruitment Cocktail is all in the past now! Recruitment season is almost over!

The last two weeks have been exhausting! As I jumped into a new semester at JMSB, it was also the start of the CA recruitment season. Waking up every morning to attend firm tours and CACEE seminars, then head back to school for school, or go to work. Sounds like nothing, but recruitment activities use up lots of energy!

All these events requires students to network intensively, in hopes of landing a summer intership or a full-time position at an accounting firm. But that is not all; these small events are just a warm up to the CA Recruitment Cocktail! The cocktail regroups 20 something firms into one giant hall, where 400 students aggressively fight against each other for the firm representatives' attention! It might sound like a stressful night, but at the end of it all, I always have tons of fun. As this is my second attempt to land an internship, the results will be positive this year. I boosted my GPA and my networking and social skills have also gotten better, or so I'd like to believe. The firms I like seem to like me (more so THE firm I like, seem to like me too). Honestly, each firm is different from each other, making it quite hard for me to choose. But before I talk about which employer to choose, let's cross our fingers and I hope a firm will actually choose me!

Golf Town

Remember when I stated that my dad was the coolest person in the world because he had paid half of my D5100. Well today, he did it again...

After our morning practice at the driving range, my dad took to Golf Town, where he bought me my own golf clubs! Honestly, ever since I came back from France, my dad has been spoiling me like crazy! This summer, I really trained hard to learn golf. I guess my dad saw my dedication and thought I was worthy of getting my own set of iron clubs (I have been using his old, old, old Wilson 7-iron club).  It's just too bad that school has started and the weather is becoming colder as we speak. Fall is only a few steps away. And with CA recruitment happening right now, I'll be busy attending firm tours in the mornings instead of hitting the driving range. Hopefully, I'll be able play with my clubs before I put them away from winter!

I'll be posting pictures and more details about my beautiful set soon!

This Love

At this precise moment, seven days ago, I was in a hotel room with my sister and cousin Lisa in Toronto. Lisa and I were most likely planking all the over the place, being completely crazy while my sister chats quietly with her friends on Facebook.

I wish I was still in Toronto! It was such a blast. I hadn't seen my cousins Linda and Lisa for a while, so it was good to catch up. While my sister hid in embarrassment every time we mentioned it, Linda, Lisa & I literally planked and owled everywhere we went!

Most hilarious incident:  In the middle of a shopping session at Abercrombie & Fitch ( which by the way had amazing sales!), Lisa, Linda and I all planked on a table that was in the middle of the store. Obviously, my sister Monica died of embarrassment and ran away as soon as the thought of planking in the store came to our minds. As the three of us took turn planking and taking pictures, a cute male employee approaches us : "Sorry, you're not allowed to take pictures in the store...." We burst out laughing and ran away as fast as we could with Monica waiting for at the entrance. Oh boy, was she unhappy. Needless to say, it was hilarious and it made out day so much funnier.

We also planked and owled all over the hotel: the lobby, laundry room, fitness room etc. It might seem crazy, but hey, we had a lot of fun and laughed uncontrollably. My vacation definitely wouldn't have been this amazing without all the planking and laughter!

I now leave you with some picture of the Maroon 5 concert. Well actually, more of Adam Levine...[for some odd reason, I wasn't able to rotate some of the pictures :( ]

Perfection

August 22nd, 2011 : Maroon 5 concert at the Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto.

The concert was amazing! Adam Levine is simple divine. How can such a perfect man exist on Earth!? He is simply heavenly. I sang and screamed so much that my I lost my voice.

What a great evening. I love Maroon 5!

PS - Pics are to come!

Up, Up, and Away!

I don't remember when was the last time I went to the International Balloon Festival of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, but I do remember being in awe at the sky full of pretty balloons of all shapes and colours.

Angela, Mark, Katia & I spent a nice afternoon bumming around the festival, look at balloons fly away. Then in the evening, we got to see Pitbull perfom. Actually, that was I lie, we only saw him on the giant screens. There were so many visitors it was impossible to walk around the stage; let alone getting close to it!

It was a nice sunny day to be walking around and brushing up on my photography skills. A special thanks to Mark who let me borrow his super awesome Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 DX lens for the day!

PS. Leaving in 3 hours for YYZ!! Maroon 5, here I come!

Turkish Night

Life has been hectic lately that it felt so good to finally sit down over a nice dinner and catch up with friends.

Last night, I met up with Sue and Connie, who I met during my time at Starbucks. I haven't seen Sue for a very long time, so I was very excited to meet up with her. She gave Connie & I  a tour of her cozy and unique downtown apartment before  heading to a Turkish restaurant nearby. None of us knew what to order since we never had Turkish food before. But we ended up all the getting the Special of the Day, which included a lentil soup, a beef main dish, Turkish bread (similar to a naan bread, but much thinner), and some tea and dessert at the end.

The food was good, but the best part of the evening was actually sitting down and chatting with two wonderful ladies. We ate, talked, laughed and laughed some more. The night was filled with laughter and everyone had a great time. We all agreed to meet up over dinner more often, perhaps over Korean food next time! It was such a fun and relaxing evening. I can't wait to do it again!

Lentil soup

Main dish

Sue & Connie

Tea

Dessert

But Things Just Crazy Living Life Gets Hard to Do

Plans for tonight:
- Do nothing
- Do nothing
- Do nothing
- Do nothing

I have never been this excited at the prospect of doing nothing at all. These past weeks have so been hectic that I'm looking forward to just sit down and do nothing. First, I started new job and got scheduled way more hours I had asked for. Normally, I would've been happy, because that means I get to make more money. But in this case, it was the week before finals and I wasn't down... at all. Sadly, being the shy newbie I am, I didn't want to cause to much trouble -especially after getting a huge speech from my new manager for asking for days off for finals and upcoming trip to Toronto (7 days until Maroon 5!). So like the good employee, I am. I still went to work when I could've used that time to study. However, in the end, they did remove a shift from my busy week, so all was well.

Perhaps I can use all this extra time to learn all Maroon 5 songs by heart before the concert!

Won't Go Home Without You

19 days until I get to see the ever so handsome Adam Levine!

I haven't been to Toronto in a while, so I'm looking forward to this trip. Then again, how can I not be excited? I'm going to the Maroon 5's concert!

But actually, one of the main reason I really can't wait to go is because of the Cash Cab! The Cash Cab is a TV game show that takes place in downtown Toronto. The taxi driver (Adam Growe) randomly picks up  passengers and asked them questions during the entire ride. Right answer will earn them money and wrong ones will get them strikes. After three strikes, they get kicked out of the cab! Given that I will have to take the taxi multiple times during my stay, I am praying to all possible deities that one of them will be the Cash Cab! I LOVE that show!

Until then, I have still have final exams to write and business to take care of for JMAS. And of course, I have to work. Speaking of which, I am getting used to working at Gap. I'm still a bit confused on certain things, but I am starting to get a hang of how everything works. I hate being the newbie, but luckily we are like 10 new employees!

If I Was a Rich Girl

Dear pretty things,

Please be mine!
I will love you forever & always.

Roger Vivier

Bulgari

Lulu Frost 14K gold Code Rings

PS. Can you tell purple is a favorite colour of mine? ;)

Photos via Style.com & Lulu Frost