a TO style update

oh Toronto.
my new home.

I've been here for almost 3 monthes now. And my, what a whirlwind it has been.

Getting adjusted is a new place is a lot of work. In my case, it was nice to have a few semi-friends and acquaintances in the area so my integration wasn't nearly as stressful, but it was still a challenge to get into a flow. The job scene has been less than stellar, working at a call centre, now a chaotic fine dining restaurant. But overrall, this has been a great move.

This city is awesome! so many adventures every day, so many concerts, bars, food options! With a city this huge, it seems that every turn there's a new place to see and go to. Plus, when you live in a city like Toronto, it's amazing how many visits from friends you get. And since you don't see them on a regular basis, each time you see them is that much more amazing.

This city is definitely a lot of fun, but definitely a lot of work. I've recently got myself an internship, and hoping for a second, which is nice to help the whole 'find yourself in the big city' experiment I seem to be doing. I'm liking the challenge I've been given here, especially with how easy and comfortable Ottawa was making everything.

3 months in. Keep it coming. Bring it on.

-janeovision.

'cuz you gotta have faith.

I've been thinking about faith lately.

Not just the religious type, (I haven't been religious in years) but the faith we put in others, in ourselves, in the stranger on the bus or the cab driver taking us home.

It seems to me that many people put the stereotype of 'bible-thumpers' on the word faith. Many believe that faith automatically points toward religion, to the limitations of some of those beliefs, shutting out others and other ideas, accosting those that aren't "on your side" and nearly stifling others with you "Faith".

Now, I've gone down a few of the religious paths before settling in my comfortable world of atheism. I was raised Roman-Catholic, practiced Wiccan for 3 years, and even looked into other religions. I"ve seen the beliefs of other religions, in education, in the media and in public practice. I've even watched (and loved) Kevin Smith's Dogma, and rethought the word "Belief" and "Faith". In my 25-ish years of being surrounded by religion and faith and the love and hate and anger and etc. that has come about in my lifetime, I have realized this:

It doesn't matter what you believe. It's even okay if you don't believe at all. What matters is where your faith lies and that you have any faith at all.

And we all have faith. Somewhere.

Faith to me is trusting those around me, the people I choose to have in my life, and those that happen to pass through, will be good to me and will be there for me. I have faith that when times are tough, I have that friend that will call me or text me and send me a little bit of love, regardless how small. Faith is also knowing that sometimes they won't be there. Sometimes they can't, whether they don't see you in need, or whether they are too wrapped up in their own lives. And this is where faith in yourself comes in. When you feel alone, stuck, trapped, royally screwed, or whatever. When those times comes and it feels like you are gasping for air, knowing you can keep moving forward, because it will get better. You are strong enough to get through whatever it is that is pulling you down.

Faith even goes out to those strangers we pass every day. The girl that catches up with you because you dropped $5. Or that cab driver that finds your phone, charges it and calls your last number so you can get your phone back. Or that man that pulls you back when you're not looking and saves you from being smucked by a bus. That old lady who sees you at the bus stop asking if you're ok, be cause you 'looked sad' Those little things and big things that people do for you. They have no idea who you are. You could be a horrible person, you could be a wonderful person, but they see you as just another, and reach out to you. They take that moment out of their own life to make sure you are ok and you don't have to worry or be bummed or hurt. These people aren't every person we pass, but the ones that do are the ones that surprise you.

It's a nice surprise too.

I think this post comes from the recent teen suicides that have surfaced in the news. It reminded me of high school, dealing with bullies, being called names (including a lesbian) and having those days where you feel like you're drowning. Having faith in those around me, in myself, and in the potential of what was ahead was what kept me going some days.

Everyone has faith. Everyone has to. Otherwise, at those dark moments, we'll just get lost.

If anyone who's struggling out there is reading this, have faith. Stay strong. Whatever you have faith in, hold onto it. It's your powerhouse. It will keep you going. It gets better.


...'Cuz you gotta have faith.


-janeovision

a word to the future...

Ahhhh, life. Ah, student politics.

This year I've had the first official opportunity in a long time to watch student politics to blossom, progress, and simultaneously spontaneously combust. The student association and faculty association members have gone through quite a lot this year. Gong shows, shit shows, and general nonsense. Granted, there have been some amazing things happenas well, but it seems the shit has outweighed the good this time.

As the new execs start rolling in and transitioning themselves, I would like to put out a bit of my own advice. Take it as you will, love it, ignore it, bitch about it (which I'm sure you all will) but at least read it before you go all middle-school on me

• Politics and relationships are bad.
• Know your audience. If you have an UBER-kickass party on night, assume that everyone is going to be just as, if not twice as hung over as you are. An event the next day is a poor choice, even if you have *insert pop tween/rocker/etc icon here* in your lineup. Just becasue you build it, doesn't mean they'll come
• Facebook is shit. Stop basing all your advertising on it.
• If someone has an opnion, good or bad, take it into consideration. They may be a bitch/asshole 99.9% of the time, and they may say what they are saying in a crass and offensive mannor, but they may also have a point.
• No, seriously, politics and relationships are BAD!!! You have to know how and when to separate the business and personal, regardless of the level of the relationship. If you can't do that, you shouldn't be in politics. At all.
• Stop relying on your friends. Politics is a job, it's a business. Social events, political events, ANY events must be dealt with as if you are doing it on your own. Unless they are on the payroll, you can't count on them. In saying that, don't be pissed if friends don't show up to events you have prepared. It may be your job, but it certainly isn't theirs. They have their own lives and own stuff to take care of.
  
• A JOB IS A JOB IS A JOB!!!! Just because it has to do with school and there occasionally is music and drinking and delightful chaos everywhere, doesn't mean you can fuck off and get stupid. You're getting paid, you're responsible. Take the responsibility.
• THERE'S A TIME AND A PLACE FOR E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. There.
• Be strong, be confident, get over your egos. Seriously.
• Old ideas are good, but new ideas are and can be better. Even Adding new twists to old ideas can make things great. Don't put all your hope into an old idea. People get bored way too quick these days anyways.
• Know your rights!!!!! Know the rules of which you work under, know what you can and what you cannot do. But better yet, know the loopholes so you can still get away with shit.
• NO RELATION... okay, i think you understand that one now. But seriously, business before pleasure. In every aspect of the phrase.
  
• People are going to tear you down. Stand your ground. They are going to fight you. Your best bet is to listen, take the information and move on. Ignoring it and shutting it down makes you look close-minded and an overall asshole.
• Listen. Work. Fight. Play. Have fun. know your limits.

Thats my two cents.
...Okay, that may ba a full quarter. But take it and learn.

Onward and upward. I hope.

-janeovision


p.s. anyone who gets angry about this post. just click here

this place is a powdercake!! (you notice 'em...)

This is a mini post about where I live. And where you live. Earlier in my posts I mentioned the fire that swallowed my sister's apartment while she was on her honeymoon. Some dumbass had fallen asleep while smoking and ran out of the building when the awoke to the fire. Another neighbour, who smelled the smoke, alerted everyone in the building and saved everyone. The place was destroyed, with the fire making a b-line from the back apartment to their right corner one. They lost everything from the wedding, all the new furniture and appliances they had purchased for their new apartment and new life together.

And they had no insurance.

If you live in Ottawa, and if you have been watching the news this past month, there have been apartment fires one after another, gutting buildings and stranding renters over and over again. It's even worse because the majority of these people do NOT have insurance. It's scary, because most of these people are students, or people holding part-time jobs and people who can't afford to start over again.

After all the fires this month and after watching my sister going through what she did, I got insurance last week. It's not expensive (around $200 or so for a full year, depending on whatever) and it helps you out! It obviously isn't going to replace everything, and you still have to deal with the shock of losing your possessions and home, but at least it helps move forward from the chaos.

Think about it friends,

-janeovision

what do you remember of the first 10 years?

2010, a new year, a new decade. A fresh start.

I’ve been talking to a lot of friends, co-workers, peers (etc.) about the last decade, and the first real start in the new millennium. And we’ve come to a conclusion about this first introduction to the 2000’s.

It’s sucked.

We’ve had war, terrorist attacks, tsunami’s, earthquakes, economic downturn (on more than one occasion) murder, rage and hate. In general, the first ten years of the millennium have been a downer. When you ask someone about what they remember about the past ten years, it’s hard to think of the positive stuff, since the negative has been so prominent.

So, that being said, I thought we should try to find the positive in the past 10 years! Yea, we did have a rough decade, but there was some positive stuff too! What I did was, with the help of friends, co-workers, and even guests at the restaurant, I have compiled a list of some of the GOOD things that have happened in the past year.

Here we go…

• Ipods and itunes – everyone can afford one now, they are the new way to enjoy music. You can have 5 albums, or 5 weeks of music on something as small as a matchbook or as large as your palm (which is still pretty awesome!) all the music, movies and radio you could want at your fingertips. And with the development of shared music and itunes, there is no limit to what you can enjoy
• Dove “Real Beauty” Campaign – It was about time someone took a look at the media and say ‘this is not right’. Creating a campaign acknowledging and praising all types of women, body types and declaring them beautiful. Hopefully is helping this budding generation of girls that are being so overwhelmed with Hollywood enjoy the beauty they have and make their individuality hot.
• Celebrity Arrests – I know, I know, but these indiscretions of the rich and famous remind us that not only are they human, but also really, really stupid.
• Kanye West – He’s a jackass. We all hate him, we all love him because we all hate him. Jackass.
• Red Bull – who needs coffee when you can have a caffeine surge in a can? Plus, this one you can mix with alcohol more easily! Hyper drunkards for all!
• Obama – okay, there seems to be some nervous people now, since it’s taking time to get stuff done and he’s backtracking on stuff. Welcome to politics. He’s still made a huge impact on what the future is to become, he’s our first black president, AAAND he thinks Kanye is a jackass too.
• Pageants – This is a little known fact, but National beauty pageants (minus the Trump franchise of course) are no longer aired on national broadcasts. Booyea.
• Youtube – you can watch anything from any era, from any person, from any theme, mood, or personal style of the video poster. Whether it’s breakdancing, epic fails, music videos, tv and movie clips, the options are endless, with thousands of videos posted every day, there is no limit to your procrastination.
• Social Networking sites – Keep up with friends from all over the world, whether you’re BFF’s, random bar friends, or just want to stalk, you can now do that without the fear of that restraining order!
• Nunavut.
• Gay rights – There’s still a LOONG way to go, but at least there’s a start.
• Life – This one is a little broad, but it seems that in the past few years, we have demanded a better quality of life and we’ve demanded a simpler life. Simple is better.
• Technological boom – wii, cell phones, IMAX, etc have really developed a lot in the past decade. I remember by cell in 2002 and game cube. Fast forward to PS3 and skype and the interwebs. We’ve come along way, baby.
• The euro
• Breakdown of the US empire – suck it, USA.
• SARS-stock – Toronto was almost destroyed by the SARS outbreak. Music and people coming together saved that city. Sweet.
• “Your mom’ and “That’s what she said” jokes – You know you love them.
• Style Evolution.
• Books into movies – Not all of these were a good thing, but some were amazing.
• Y2K – that was fun, wasn’t it?
• American politics – We all got a good laugh. Thanks Sarah Palin!
• Tax-Free Savings Accounts
• Hybrid Cars
• Letterman brings NY back on the air – This was huge to me. Even after all the chaos and tragedy of 9-11, David Letterman came back on the air and reminded people that it was okay for people to laugh and move forward from the tragedy. He made us laugh again and saved us from the pain.
• Wikipedia – fun facts and useless info, not to mention the power to change the info!
• Blogs and websites about nothing – TFLN, MLIA, FML, Fuckyoupenguin, etc have made procrastination more fun and just allowed us to laugh and vent and share more of ourselves to each other. Occasionally, it’s a bit much, but some people forget the power of the interwebs.


Now, Obviously this is only grazing the surface of good things that happened. But, like I said, it’s hard to find the positive when the negative is so prominent. Even some of the positive builds out of the negative.. Definitely not the easiest thing in the world. Either way, there was some good, there was some positive, and we were able to move forward from the bad that has happened, or at least, we’re working on it.


Here's to another 10 years, and here's hoping they are awesome.

-janeovision

let me tell you a joke...

So, the other night I was walking home in the drizzly december weather and a homeless man walked up to me.

Now before he asked me for anything, he showed me this trick with a jumbo bread clip, where you throw it like a boomerang. He then did ask for change, but requested that he perform a few jokes first.

One of them was:
what did the ocean say to the shore?
Nothing, it just waved.

I did have a quarter, and was pretty happy to give it to him, but before I could give it to him, he wanted me to guess the number I was thinking between 1 and 100.

He guessed 74. Nope, higher.
He guessed 98. Nope, lower.
Then he guessed 83. I gave him the quarter.

It was actually 86, but I had to tell him he was right. He had so much spirit, and when I high-fived him to 'congratulate' him, his face lit up like a little kid.


That's pretty much the whole story. He and I had this random interaction alone in the soggy streets, but it was kinda neat to have this exchange with him. I didn't feel harassed, I didn't feel guilty or annoyed, and he was truly happy to have this contact.

I dunno. It was just a night moment, thought I'd share.

-janeovision

jobs can be cool...

so tomorrow...

I go and load out and set up for Kiss.
I go and watch Kiss.
I teardown Kiss.

oh life, you entertain me sometimes.

-janeovision