Monday, November 29, 2010

I Want to Be Your Rocketeer


On Saturday, I worked at Club Monaco for their morning to afternoon shift. It's been a while since I've worked a full 5 hours on the floor. And, this time it was the craziest busy, and I was placed at the front (which I feel is a prestigious role since you're with all the new merchandise) for the whole time. EXCEPT for the first hour - I was engaging, i.e. greeting people. So, I really enjoy greeting people because 1. I get to people watch outside the store, 2. Be alone with my thoughts when there's nothing to do because otherwise I'd just be standing there, and 3. I get to see what people are wearing when they enter the store. Well, NOT this time. This time, YES at 10 AM in the morning, a.. most likely drunken scary looking man approached me and started talking about the most vulgar, sexual things. I thought he'd eventually back off but came closer and closer. He asked for my number and when I was working next. OBVIOUSLY, I didn't tell him anything.. but as he left he asked for a hug and I took a huge step back and he went to slap me on the bum but missed and hit me on the thigh. NEVER have I felt so violated before. Men can be such creeps sometimes. He left and then came back later looking for me, but no real harm was done. The rest of the day was filled with busy American Thanksgiving discount shoppers. The mall was packed! Glad I was going home before the mad mad rush.

My brother was in town. So he came to visit me. We went to Yorkdale Mall - which has the most AWESOME christmas light display. I took a video. Post it soon~ And, then we had dinner @ Ten Ren on HW7. It's the biggest in Toronto? All their food is made with tea, ex. tea drenched chicken. Food was pretty good. I really liked the soup. I'm starting to love soup - because my parents make soup all the time. I used to complain about drinking it... but now I know what's good has always been there.

Raptors Vs Hawks @ ACC

Today, I went to the Raptors vs. Atlanta basketball game @ the ACC (Air Canada Centre). My friend's friend won tickets for the executive suite box seats! Besides have a really good private view and private bathroom, the suite included: all you can eat catering, snacks, AND open bar. They EVEN had dragon fruit. They also had this menu with JUST ice cream (Hagen Daaz & Drumsticks). HEAVEN! Don't worry.. when I got home, I went to the gym for an hour. Though, that didn't help much because the HD ice cream cone was 340 calories. D:

Only 3 weekends left before my internship ends.

We finally got some snow in Toronto <3.

Next week, holiday hours start, so I'll be working at Club Monaco until 11:30 instead of 11pm. Zonk.


Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Day 66: Home Early for Once


Perks of working until 11pm @ the Eaton Center

(I got a secret preview of the famous Christmas tree; carolers were rehearsing for the Santa Claus parade too - like a private performance. How lovely~)

Work is per usual. We gettin' our shatz done. We're getting speedier and speedier every issue. And, I actually enjoy emailing the PR people for things and putting in some personal comments here and there that go beyond work. Our cubicle really has become our own; it's going to feel weird to pass it along to another three interns in a matter of a month.

So since I wasn't in Toronto over the weekend, I missed a bunch of fun events. There was the Santa Claus parade...The one I actually really wanted to be at was the Lanvin for H&M launch. Every so often, H&M does a collaboration with high-end designers to make a select few pieces for an affordable price that everyday people can purchase. Mind you, Lanvin dresses go for a few thousand. These pieces were priced at around $200-400? Here's a promo video of the collection that was launched (and probably sold in seconds):

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Day 64: Finally Hailed a Cab

Ode Club Monaco Outfits
From left to right:
Look 1: Iman shirt, Fabian chinos
Look 2: Devon shirt (yes, this was from the men's side...but it's so soft!)
Look 3: Nina scoop back top (one of my faves)
Look 4: Julie turtleneck (part of my gifted outfit), last year's skirt

Over the weekend, I discovered wine & beer make me drowsy. It's been the first experience I've had where things get blurry and I can't walk in a straight line. I FINALLY understand that MADD commercial where they use those wine glasses to impair the driver's vision to show you what it looks like through a drunk person's eyes. I have never felt so drowsy after drinking alcohol. It's like I was in a random state of existence. Trippy.

I went back to Ottawa... it was sort of a last minute thing. I didn't tell anyone that I was going back, so those who did see me - you should feel special. And, those who didn't see me, you're still special - but I'm sad I didn't get to see you. One of the reasons I went back is because I was inducted to the International Golden Key Honour Society. Wasnt' that big of a deal... but I paide $100 for the lifetime membership, so I figured I'd and grace them with my attendance... jkjk. It turned out to be only a 10 minute gathering. Waste. There was also a Begin2Believe event that I was helping with photography. I've been so lucrative with my leave Ottawa for Toronto, that some old friends didn't even know until now. My bad. Ottawa was chilly, but still the place I love.

The magazine cycle is starting to pick up now. Slowly but surely. I started the day by packing last minute things for the editorial 17-page spread photoshoot that's going on for the next two days. The shoot is being spread throughout Toronto and the GTA. We took a taxi to the trailer to pass along stuff. It was a nice break from sitting in the office all the time. Later on in the day, they needed some things to be packed up for a local designer, so again, hit the taxis and head over to a new location, packed things up, and headed to the designer's studio. First time being in a designer's studio... kind of fun. We actually got to meet the designer, which was super awesome. I didn't know what to say...the other intern said, "Hey, nice to meet you. I really like your clothes." And, all I said was, "Hi, we talked on the phone..." Oh god...how embarrassing. Ah well. I really want to be on set for one of the editorial shoots before my internship is done. Please?

So pretty much, I'm scheduled every week on Monday nights at Club Monaco guaranteed. This week, maybe they put me on a Sat instead of the Wed because I sold like $500 worth of clothes to this lady last week. I'm starting to get the hang of their sales tactics (i.e. sweet talking). I sealed the deal for a scarf this man wanted by : a)mentioning it as a sale item b) the colour complimenting both his hair and eyes. Haha. Oh this feels wrong.~ But I was telling the truth. Anywho... I think this manager has beef with me ever since I asked him about my gifted outfit and he snapped at me saying, "Kristy, not to be disrespectful, but this is the least of my problems." Sigh. I don't like being on people's bad side. And today, he forgot about my half hour break, and made me take it after close (meaning I had no where to go but stay in the breakroom). Adding Club Monaco to my plate has really made me test myself as to whether I can handle stress, fatigue, and stamina. I feel like I'm subconsciously testing myself to see where my limits are. We'll see if I go crazy soon enough.

Looking forward to the Pandora event going on later this week. :)

Party Weekend

Clubbing @ Frequency

Last weekend. Some Ottawa friends came down to visit. I got ditched by some dude I was supposed to show around town. Went to downtown Korea town for the first time since I moved here. Soju & beer are a bad mix to deal with. We learned that Friday night is when Asians go clubbing. (We went on a Saturday to Frequency). Circa is shutdown. When you have too many Jagerbombs, you're up till 5am in the morning with ringing in your ears and not one ounce of feeling that you are tired. I'm the BEST person to learn driving from. (cough, cough*** roommate hintage). There's a cool place for speciality selected dimsum right down the street from where I live. Forget what it's called...

Besides many other cool places on Queen Street West, I took my friends to this place called New Era. The one on Queen is the flagship and has a cap press that irons out all the kinks before you roll out with the new swag.

I haven't had Asian cooked meat in a while. Since my roommate rented a car to practice driving, we went crazy grocery shopping. We stopped by the Asian market to pick up some cooked meat. This was a good dinner.

More Than Half Way Mark

Publication for the winter issue has been long done. We pretty have been sitting and doing nothing for the past month. But, it's given me time to reflect and think about the future.

Should I:
  1. Go back to Ottawa (start my masters research)
  2. Apply to UBC for their Operations Research masters?
  3. Stay in Toronto - try to assist a stylist (no clue how to start there)
  4. New York? I saw some postings for finance jobs in clothing companies
  5. Try another internship? - probably not since I'd have no money left
  6. Find a job in Toronto (this man I met in a carpool said he'd try to help me find one)
I don't really know if I love fashion as much to make it a career. It's hard to say with the internship since the tasks we've been doing aren't really what I'd be doing for a career. I haven't decided if it's that I really just like buying clothes OR I really just love clothes? The events are glamorous no doubt. And what better things to get for free, but clothes, bags, and accessories? One thing I'm sure of: I'm glad I picked this internship. It hasn't been as much as I've expected, but I've taken it as something that's made me live my life a little bit more than I could have before. I'm still that naive Ottawa-ian but more stylish and confident in who I am.

So far, it's looks as if the end date will be Dec 23. Bummer.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

It's Like I'm Not in Toronto

High Park

A sunny but cold day, my cousins and I trekked places in Toronto that make you think you're not in Toronto. First stop, High Park - the largest park in Toronto. People say it's like the Toronto equivalent of New York's Central Park. It was a nice walk around the park with the crisp, cold air and scent of leaves flowing around. There were PILES and PILES of leaves that were calling my name to jump in and join the fun... but I resisted. Maybe next time. We saw a residential area behind the park with houses that had windows galore. What a wonderful place that would be live...to wake up and see the wonders of nature amidst the congestion of the metropolitan.

The Distillery District

The quaintest little area filled with historic ventures. There were plenty of little shops, boutiques, furniture stores, and galleries. The picture on the right was from a little art gallery called CubeWorks. All the art is made of rubics cubes! Isn't that crazy?? They also featured an artist, whom I forgot their name, but they had the most amazing metal 3-D netted half sculpture of a women's body...and when there's a shadow casted, it's like a whole other piece of art. That's definitely something I could stare at for an hour. OH! And when you get close to Balzac's Coffee Roasters, you'll know it. The whiff of roasted coffee beans will engulf your sensory palettes and bring a seeping flow of aroma into your nose and extend into the very tips of your blood flow. I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but I love the smell. When you walk in, it's like a modern, huge barn. With artwork everywhere, and scaleable decor, it definitely brings an atmosphere I've never felt before. I think they even have the hot drinks with steamed milk that they make shapes out of the foam! Love. A great place to have a date or to socialize in a group.

For dinner, we went to Greens Vegetarian Restaurant. This was my first vegetarian meal ever! On the menu, it said things like "mock beef, mock duck...". My cousin's husband joked around with me all night saying I wasn't going to get any meat. It's lucky I'm alright with tofu and bean curd...because I think that was basically it. They just made them look like/taste (not quite) the meat. The place was very clean, and the food tasted very clean beside the massive amount of oil that outdoor Chinese food has. I'd say 3.5 out of 5. Haha.

Yay to an extra hour in life. Just for today.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Day 50: Where's Katie? Veranika? Bianca?

There's this new rule at Club where you have work two weeks in order to get your outfit. Every other employee I tell that I haven't gotten my outfit yet is surprised. Yah. I got screwed. And, I got screwed even more on Tuesday. Two weeks for me was on Monday, but I had to cover for someone the hour I was going to get the outfit. So, I up and went to the store on my lunch break. Not only did I have to accommodate my lunch hour for the manager coming in, but I didn't even end up getting my outfit. They gave me this piece of paper with 6 options for outfits. At Club, all the clothes are given people's names (i.e. Celine, Sarah..) as their style code, so employees can remember them and sell them better. This sheet had all these names on them, but I had NO clue what they looked like. I swear I looked for 40 minutes racing around the store (because 1. my lunch break was over, 2. I just wanted to get my outift..and finding the clothes was only half the battle). After finding the clothes, I'm supposed to try them all on to get a "fit and feel" and get someone's opinion on what looks best on me. THEN, I'm supposed to pick one and put everything back in it's place. All that in an hour? Well...supposedly it's possible, but NOT when the clothes aren't even there. Turns out.. half the clothes are for the December collection. I'm waiting until next Monday... and if it's not there.. well. Screw me.

Pseudo Family (missing 1) @ Sugar

So pseudo family member in the middle of the above photo is leaving us. He's broken our family apart and moving to Hong Kong... for a little while or forever. Isn't it funny? We're colour coordinated. Sigh.. he's the one who actually got my jokes. And, he's the one who told me I should gamble! Hhahaha. We talked at the dessert place about what he'd miss about Canada. Here's what he said: 1. clean air, 2. weed, 3. Ottawa Shawarma (specifically Shawarma King), 4. Pho, 5. clubbing in Ottawa, 6. and although he wouldn't truly admit it, pseudo family.

Nudely Basic

It's been more than halfway through the internship.




Halloween Hoopla

DIY Tulle Skirt - Peacock

Friday Night @ Tila Tequila. Okay, so Toronto has influenced me a tad. All the clubbing parties are on Friday nights. Which means, I HAD to go Halloween clubbing Friday night - no doubt. Originally, I wanted to go to Mansion since my roommate told me they were having Halloween festivities all weekend long. But, my other friend said he was meeting up with new friends @ Tila. Did I really care where I clubbed? Not really...just wanted to make my trip back worth my while. So, the ladies and I got ready - we were together a peacock/fairy/cop. Didn't match, but whatevs. They looked smokin' hot anyways. There, we met some new faces and partied all night long. Shot after shot... I was still having fun. Yah, for sure.. I met some pretty dope (bahahah) peeps.

Some personal things happened this weekend (both good and bad), but that's something to share to my close ones in person. It was still hard to leave Ottawa. Everytime, I feel like I'm leaving so much behind. But, this time, the ride back.. I didn't feel this aching pain - I love distractions and this was the best kind.

PS. I took an Asian carpool - you know.. those one from CFC. Oh boy, was it the most asianest ride back. My feet were cramped, and there was old folk music playing. Oh, I love you so, Ipod!

Last Week's Busiest Week So Far Recap

On Sunday. I finally met up with my friend who really made me start this all - an opportunity in the fashion industry. We were coworkers back in Ottawa. One day, when the store was dead, he asked me: "Why aren't you in fashion? Every time I see you on the computer, you're looking at clothes." That's what kind of gave a nudge into the direction of where I am now. How crazy is that? That I was going to just randomly apply for the internship and actually get in. Weird how the world works. So yah, it was great to catch up with him and see where he was at in terms of his aspirations.

Day 45
. I couldn't remember much more than just keeping my eyes open as I folded clothes and cleaned at Club Monaco that night after my internship. But somehow I made it through. I usually can't sleep for another hour or so when I get home from outside... so it felt even longer. Thank goodness, the magazine let me come in at noon, since the week has been pretty dead in terms of things to do. The thing that sucked was because I left so late from work, the subway only ran northbound halfway to where I needed to be. The manager at Club said it should be still running, and if anything they would pay for a taxi ride home. Well no, it wasn't running all the way up... I ended up taking a shuttle bus half way, which took a long ass time. Not only that, there was a creepazoid man that just HAD to sit beside me out of all the empty seats. Bummer.

Day 46. I'm still pretty tired at this point, but I promised my niece (my cousin's daughter) to this self-defence class at night. They told some pretty empowering stories that I think will stick with me for the rest of my life. And, so womanly defence moves. (I tried this later on my brother... and it didn't work. -.-)

Day 47. Today at Club, the regional manager was coming. I was given warning during orientation that you need to look your best when they come, i.e. girls need to wear heels. So being a tiring week already, I was looking forward to standing in heels for 3 hours after 7 hours of work. Great. Turns out? I was assigned to back stock. Bahaha. It was fun. Met some new characters for sure.

Day 48. I left work early! My roommate's friend was in town and was leaving that day. Who wouldn't take an offer for a ride! We got home just in time for me to have dinner with the fam. And rejoice in my much missed room for some long awaited sleep.