Rosie’s Ramblings… Again

I have tons tons tons of things on my mind! So, if I seem disorganized in this blog, you know why! I notice that when I am stressed, my mind starts to wander every minute and I think up of totally weird stuff that’s not relevant to what I need to do! One minute, I would be thinking about my parents, other minute, I would be thinking about skin cancer (a lot of magazines are talking about it!) then other minute, I would think about how do journalists maintain families while working on a job that requires them to travel all time. Weird, I know.

Today, I decided to stay at my office all day and attempt to finish all homework that’s due tomorrow and tuesday, including homework I didn’t finish for last week. I have 2 red bulls (I know, bad for me) and some snack ready in case I have the urge to fump it and go home! Which probably will happen around dinner time though I am tryin to stay here until 1am when Jimmy comes back from work.

I got Leonard M. Elstad award from Phi Kappa Zeta sorority couple weeks ago. It’s so nice to get an award from them and I am definitely surprised! I never expected to get anything during my last semester because really, I am such a mediocre student and I’ve contributed a lot during my early years at Gallaudet but not so much during my last year. So, it’s a nice surprise! 🙂

I “defended” my seminar paper last week in front of faculty from Gallaudet and CUA. It was a pure hell if you ask me. I didn’t do BAD but it was intimidating to have bunch of professors asking me questions or arguing with me about my paper! I THINK I did well but I’ll know for sure when I meet with the teacher on Wednesday. This experience definitely made me think hard about getting my PHD – that won’t be happening until I’m suffering from midlife crisis and maybe an empty nest syndrome. I definitely want a lot of life experience to back me up the next time I “defend” my research.

So, 3 weeks to go. 1 week of classes, then 1 week of exams then 1 week of packing, graduating then moving! It’s going to be a big change and I do look forward to it but I don’t deny being nervous! I think the reason why I am feeling so nervous about the move is because it is “permanent”. Of course, we can always move somewhere else if we’re not happy but the point is, I’m moving back home, looking for a job and saving up for a house. A family of our own is in near future (no, I’m not pregnant YET!) and we are making no plans to settle elsewhere. So, it does feel permanent and I’m constantly wondering if I’ll be happy, what choices will I make, what will my life look like away from turbo-stimulation at Gallaudet and what would it be like being a wife, a mom, a employee, etc… So yeah, I’m thinkin’ too much and givin’ myself unnecessary stress! 🙂 But thats how I work!

Romeo is doing a lot better today. He gave us a scare last night! He was urinating everywhere and was obviously miserable — so we thought that maybe he had an allergy reaction to shots. This morning, he was walking around and actin’ 75% like his ol’ self! WHEW! I guess he urinated on floors because he was upset and pissed that he’s sick… Or he doesn’t want to get out of the bedroom and go to the litter box where other 2 cats are at since he’s not strong enough to defend himself if necessary. I don’t know — I’m not a cat.

I’ll ramble more later.

Touring DC

Jimmy and I will be moving to Canada this summer, so we decided to visit as many places in DC as we can before we go! We made a list of places we haven’t seen, including the new museum called “Newseum”. It was a FUN weekend but we were definitely tired after walking miles, miles and miles around Washington, DC! Below are some highlights of us playing tourist last weekend!

Saturday, April 19

First day of our “tour! We decided that we will go to couple of museums and enjoy the national mall. It was a GORGEOUS day and we couldn’t resist spending more time outside than inside!

There’s a GORGEOUS garde just outside of the Smithsonian castle and I have this hobby where I take pictures of any castles I see. I have over 20 pictures from my trip to Europe few years ago and few from Canada – I absolutely love castles!

Our first stop – African Art Museum. I absolutely loved this museum! It was my favorite for that day. Below are three of my favorite art from the museum!

Gorgeous mask. This mask has 4 faces and is based on a myth about a man with 3 wives. It’s beautiful and it has a lot of details that definitely takes a lot of skill to make.

A cool “bowl” sculptured in Africa. Every side of this sculpture has new person, face or animal – so you have to circle around the sculpture to see everything!

I love this one. Mother and child sculpture that is taller than I am. It is a gorgeous piece of art.

Jimmy attempting to jump on this tree. No idea why. He is weird in that way.

I love this tree! The flowers smells nice but it’s STRONG!

Jimmy observing police blocking roads and preparing themselves for a protest. A group of people are protesting against a group of people who are Nazis and want to do an anti-immigrants march in DC. It was pretty dramatic and I admit I was a bit nervous because this group doesn’t like anybody who isn’t white! And obviously, Jimmy isn’t white. Luckily, the protest was under control and nothing bad happened, that I know of.

Police on their bicycles.

Police on their motorcycles.

National Gallery of Arts – West Building.

Little girl in a blue armchair by Mary Cassatt in 1878.

Painting and Sculpture by Jean-Pierre-Antoine Tassaert in 1774.

Matched Lovers by Quentin Massys in 1520. I absolutely love this painting! I love that the woman is attractive but the man doesn’t look too nice. The contrast between lovers and how engrossed they are with each other.

Us at the fountain inside the museum.

Entrance to National Gallery of Arts: East Building (Modern Art). I absolutely love modern art but I was disappointed because the museum changes their themes every season and this time, it was forest. I didn’t particulary enjoy looking at thousands thousands and thousands of paintings of trees. I wished that there were more variety and that they offered something for those who don’t enjoy that type of art. Below are only two paintings that I liked in this museum.

Football Players by Albert Gleizes in 1912

Jack-In-The-Pulpit NO. V by Georgia O’Keeffe in 1930

At end of the day, we decided to just lay down on the mall and chat our evening away. It was such a beautiful day and a perfect day for people-watching!

Sunday, April 20

We went on the DC Duck tour. It was FUN!!! We toured around the city on road and in the potomac river! The piece of machine functions as a bus and a boat. An amphibian!

Us in our rain gear!

White House.

Getting into the Potomac River!

 

Pentagon.

They gave us a ducky whistle! Cute!

Jefferson Memorial.

Monument.

Capitol.

Union Station.

Entrance of Newseum. A news helicopter was suspended in air.

Absolutely love this quote! In this gallery, there were a lot of photos up on the wall that won the Pulitzer Prize. A lot of them made me cry! I have so much more respect for journalists now than ever.

Us before we went into the 4-D theater. It was AWESOME!!! We felt mouses crawling on our feet, bullets whizzing by, rain, etc… but it was all illusion! Amazing how far technology has gone!

A statue of Russian leader destroyed during the revolution.

A piece of Berlin Wall.

A guard tower from Germany during the time of communism.

A memorial for all photographers/journalists who died at line of duty.

A piece of antenna from one of WTC buildings destroyed in 9/11 attacks.

A journalist knew too much and somebody planted a bomb on his car. This is the result and the journalist died.

Us at end of the day! We were SO exhausted but definitely glad that we decided to tour even if it rained. Newseum is now my favorite museum in DC! (So far!)

We plan on seeing the wax museum and Arlington Cemetery before we go. So that might happen in the next couple weeks. Keep your eyes out for more pictures!

Poor Kitty-Kids

Jimmy and I took our cats to the vet yesterday to get rabies shot, distemper shot and a full check up. I also asked for health certificates to allow our cats across the border when we move in 3 weeks. Needless to say, our kitty-kids did not enjoy the visit! We have a WONDERFUL vet, Dr. Spencer and they like him but not this time!

Oscar handled it like a pro. He was totally chill about it and actually asked Dr. Spencer for some lovin’. When it came to time for shots, he just stayed still, didn’t make any noise or attempted to run. He was pretty easy to handle.

Toby, Toby. He didn’t like it at all and was growling every time Dr. Spencer touched him but there was no biting or anything like that. He stayed as low to the table as possible and when it was time for shots, all he did was growl.

Poor Romeo. He had it the hardest. He was crying, trying to climb onto me, holding onto my shirt and when it was time for shots, he gave a soft meeooowwww and cried. Poor guy!

Dr. Spencer said that cats may be a bit lethargic for a day or two because of the shots. Oscar and Toby are behavin’ like their ol’ selves but poor Romeo, he has a bad reaction! He’s totalllly lethargic, grumpy, anti-social and this morning, he vomited. I feel bad for him! I hope it goes away in few hours rather than another day! He’s obviously miserable.

On brighter note, we have all information already for cats’ journey to the true north!

Rosie’s Ramblings, Again.

I do “Rosie’s Ramblings” because I don’t get chance to write blogs as often as I’ll like and it’s just hard to blog about many different things in different blogs. So, I like to get all of my thoughts, news and rants in one blog! And, for those who know me, you know how I tend to jump from one topic to other frequently!

These days, I feel so socially incompetent because I’ve been spending most of my time this year doing my homework for 7 classes, searching for jobs, graduate schools, closing some personal business before the move to Canada, preparing for the move and of course, planning for the wedding. It has gotten to the point where I feel “rusty” at socializing with people and carrying on a conversation! This is really “new” for me because usually, socializing is what I do best! Hopefully, after everything settles down, I’ll be able to know how to socialize! Maybe because I’m so spread thin, it’s hard for me to “focus” on the conversation or because I’ve been out of the loop for so long, I don’t know where to “start”? Whatever reason may be, it is a very very interesting thing to go through!

Besides being “socially incompetent”, one of biggest challenges this semester is not having enough time for friends. It sounds SO bad but it is how it is and I’ve learned that 7 classes is just too much! A bit late to be learning this lesson, considering it is my last semester but hey, at least I have some advice to give to my friends! 🙂 I am really disappointed that I am not able to have quality time with my friends this semester, considering that I will be moving to Canada in 5 weeks! Friends – I hope that you know that I think about you and do want to hang with you as soon as exams are done! Thanks for putting up with my craziness!

It’s hard to believe that there are only 3 weeks left of classes, then exams and finally, graduation! There are so many papers to do and while I always have good intentions to do it ahead of time, it never happens! Heh! I am most nervous about my English senior seminar class because I have to do 25 pages and “defend” it to faculty from Gallaudet and other universities. The presentation will be next Wednesday and the paper is due 3 weeks from now. Talk about PRESSURE!

As for wedding plans, job search and graduate school, that will have to wait. With only 3 weeks left of classes, I cannot give attention to other things but I have all summer to get all those things figured out! I’ve been thinking that maybe, after I’ve “settled” at home, I could go to my family’s cottage by myself and just really have time alone to reflect, relax and revitalize! It’ll be really nice to do nothing but read, write, do my art, cook, swim and sleep for few days! I’ll have to ask my mom and some other family members if I can have the cottage to myself for few days but it shouldn’t be a problem!

I’m half looking forward to moving to Canada and half dreading it! I know that I’ve been talking about settling in Canada for some time but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon! I look forward to being with my family, to enjoy what Ontario has to offer and to be more comfortable financially but I don’t look forward to being away from friends I’ve made in DC and having to leave my little “niche” in the Deaf community here. It’ll take some time before I make friends in Ontario and finding a niche within the Deaf community. Being part of the Deaf community is SO important to be and I know that for my well-being, I need to have that in my life. Hopefully, with new job and going to events, I will make new friends and reunite with old ones. It’s going to be a big change!

Jimmy is really looking forward to moving to Canada. He’s been wanting a “fresh start” and a new change but naturally, he’s a bit nervous too! He’s mostly concerned about finding a job and getting a work visa but he already knows my family, some friends and knowing Jimmy, he’s mostly looking forward to being able to work on cars on the property! Our apartment doesn’t allow him to fix cars in the parking lot (of course) and he’s been really itching to get his hands on engines! I think that my family’s lifestyle and my hometown will really suit him considering he enjoys being outside and getting dirty! I look forward to showing him more of my country and see how he likes living there!

It’s almost 11pm and I should finish couple papers for tomorrow’s class! So, I’ll sign off and blog again some time soon, I hope!

Long Overdue

It has been a while since I blogged! Usually, I enjoy blogging everyday or at least every other day but this semester, I find it so hard to find time to blog even one measly line! Today, I’ve decided to lock myself in the office and of course, because I don’t want to do my homework just yet, here I am!

7 weeks left to graduation! I am really looking forward to graduating and to be able to move on to new things! It looks like my mom, birth mom, mom in law, Jimmy, Niki (niece) and Olga (friend) will come to my graduation! I am still waiting to hear if 2 other people can come. It’ll be really exciting to finally graduate but also to have my mom and mom in law meet! They haven’t met in person and it’s nice that they will before the wedding!

Jimmy and I had hard time deciding on what to do after I graduate but because we need to focus on paying off our debts, we will be moving to Canada FOR SURE! I will move on the same weekend my family come for graduation and Jimmy will move after his contract at MSD ends. This is really exciting but at the same time, scary! It’ll be a big change for us, from a fast-paced big city to a small town in the true north! It’ll be nice to be near my family but Jimmy and I will definitely need some time before we find our “niche” in Ontario! I haven’t been in touch with people there besides my family and I haven’t found a job there yet. It’ll all come together in the end, I know it!

REAL Women, REAL Beauty show was a success! The audience enjoyed it, the cast enjoyed it and I did too! Some of them asked if we could give another show this year but unfortunately, most of us don’t have time for rehearsals and performances considering there are only 5 weeks of classes left! However, I’ve told Mary Lott (Campus Activities Coordinator) to make sure that the next director know to give at least 2 shows next year! I am glad that it’s over but at the same time, I am a little sad because it’s my last time directing the show. Who knows, I might be able to visit next year when they give RWRB shows in March!

7 classes = A LOT of homework. So therefore, I have to get to it now and blog some more later!

Rosie’s Ramblings

So, it is midterms. I can’t believe that 6 weeks has come and gone because to be quite honest, I don’t remember much of what happened during those weeks! This semester is definitely the most heaviest, the most stressful and the most busiest semester of my entire undergraduate career! 7 classes. 20 hours of work. REAL Women, REAL Beauty show. Senior seminar paper (25 pages of british colonialism, ugh.). Searching for fulltime job. Applying for graduate school. Applying for new work visa. Planning for a wedding in Toronto. Yeah, it’s definitely crazy! Thankfully, there is only 10 weeks (including spring break) left of this madness!

My only stress-relief for this semester is scanning and uploading old pictures. I’ve been using films until Spring 2005, so there are a lot of printed pictures in my boxes! Yeah, it seems like a weird stress-reliever but it really takes my mind off from what’s happening NOW and allows me to be nostalgic about the past. After I graduate, I know I will be making big plans for future, so now is kind of good time to look back and remind myself of how far I’ve gone. If you want to see those old pictures, go to my facebook! 🙂

Jimmy is doing really well. He is searching for a new job closer to our home and a job that makes use of his degree in Business Administration. So, hopefully he finds something soon! He’s also thinking about going into graduate school part-time, so that’s exciting! Our three feline-boys are doing well too. Oscar is his usual laid back self. Toby is improving everyday, seems more confident and relaxed than when we first adopted him. Romeo is doing well, besides being half-naked! We had to cut his hair from shoulders and down because during the winter break, his coat wasn’t groomed often enough and became matted which is painful for animals! So, we cut him a-la-poodle and he looks funny! heh!

Besides deciding on invitations (my sister, Sanja will make them) and possibly moving the ceremony next door, there isn’t anything new about the wedding. Six months left. It’ll be a pretty wedding, yep.

Spring break is coming up around the corner and guess what I’ll be doing?! For the first time in my entire undergraduate career, I will be……….. staying home! Unfortunately, I have to lock myself in the apartment and really focus on my senior seminar paper. It is 25 pages long and I will have to defend it to faculty from Gallaudet and other universities in DC. So, yeah, here goes my spring “break”! BUT, I have honeymoon in September, so that kind of makes up for it! 🙂

I better go back to my homework and blog some other time! Have a great March!

REAL Women, REAL Beauty

On March 12, 2008 at 7pm, we will be having our second annual “REAL Women, REAL Beauty” show!!! The purpose of this show is to change how we define beauty, to defy society’s expectations from women and to show that beauty comes in all sizes, colours, lifestyles, shapes, ages and status! This show will include dancing, skits, modeling, ranting, poetry, video clips, fab facts and so many more!!! We did this show last year and it was a HUGE success! I hope that this year will be too!

If you are interested in auditioning for this show, please contact me at fieryrosie@hotmail.com OR go to Flex A/B on Tuesday from 7 to 9pm, Wednesday from 8 to 10pm or Thursday from 7 to 9pm.

I am really excited about this show because I had so much fun directing the play last year and all ladies really enjoyed it too. In the survey I gave out last year, 92% said that after watching the show, they experienced a boost in their confidence! I hope that there will be same results this year, if not better!

Keep your eyes peeled for more details soon! 🙂

Wedding Talk: 194 Days Left!

On Saturday, I went to Rockville with some bridesmaids to choose a bridesmaid gown and we found one we all liked! It is a gorgeous dress and I know that everybody will feel beautiful in it. I am really glad that I found a dress that would look good on any shape, size or height. After choosing the dress, we all went to Barnes and Noble to browse before going to a Thai restaurant for dinner. Food and company was just perfect! We stayed at the restaurant for almost two hours!!! Then we all went to my apartment to hang out for rest of the night. It is definitely nice to have bridesmaids together and it was interesting to see what dynamics our group had! From what I’ve seen, the wedding day will be a lot of fun! I only wish that my other two bridesmaids from Canada were with us but there are plenty of opportunities in next six months for us to get together!

Bridal Gown – Check. Bridesmaid Gowns – Check. Cake – Check. Catering – Check. Ceremony Location – Check. Reception Location – Check. Photographer – Check. Bridal Party – Check. Wedding Staff (Pastors, Readers, Ushers, Etc…) – Check.

Hotels – In Progress. Registry – In Progress. Tuxedos – In Progress. Honeymoon – In Progress.

Invitations, Programs, Decorations, Flowers, Jewelery, Shoes, Make Up/Hair, Marriage License, Wedding Bands and SO MANY MORE – NOT DONE!

Whew! Planning for a wedding is A LOT harder than I thought. Even though I am having a lot of fun planning for my wedding, it is definitely stressful! There are so many details that I never thought about before and now I am terrified that I am forgetting something! My advice for future brides? Make sure you have time and the money if you want to have your “dream wedding”! Thankfully, I have bridesmaids and my family who really help out.

I am only getting married once, yep.

First blog as “GURosie”!

Hello hello!

So, here it is, my first blog as a Gallaudet blogger! Before I start blogging my thoughts, opinions, observations or blog about life, I’ll go ahead and introduce myself!

I’m a senior at Gallaudet hailing from the true north, Ontario, Canada! Youngest of 7 kids and an aunt to over 20, I was born and raised in a cool town, Barrie, where there is a huge lake, several ski resorts and plenty of Poutine stands. In case you don’t know what Poutine is, it is a Quebec cuisine; french fries, cheese curds and gravy! Although I grew up in Barrie, I spend a lot of time in a small town, Milton, where I went to Ernest C. Drury School for the Deaf. From kindergarten to 12th grade, I lived at the dorms during the week and went home on weekends. After I graduated from high school, I lived in Erfurt, Germany for an year as an student exchange where I lived with three host families and went to a Deaf school. When my year in Germany was up, I enrolled at Gallaudet University and have been here ever since!

2008 is a big year for me. I will be graduating with a degree in English in May and I’ll be getting married in August! Between wedding planning, finishing up my last semester at Gallaudet, raising 3 feline boys, directing the second annual “Real Women, Real Beauty” show, working for Orientation Programs and making plans for “life after Gallaudet”, there will be plenty for me to blog about!

Keep your eyes peeled for my next blog! Next time though, I’ll add some pictures to bring me to life!