$1, $2, $3, uh oh no more coins for laundry

In the pursuit of a job, things are getting to be a bit tighter you could say.  The stress is causing my clothes to get a bit more tight, the joys of eating out is becoming tight, and the choice of organic fancy la tee da items are being switched for whatever might be on a sale at No Frills.

This isn’t the life that I had imagined when I moved to Vancouver.  Also, after being treated very well on a cruise ship and basically having everything handed to me; I have come to an awakening of the reality of land life.

In my building, there is a shared coined laundry, which only takes quarters, loonies and twoonies, but it doesn’t give change.  Also, if you have new quarters or loonies, it won’t accept it.  So, you need to be well prepared, and I thought that I was prepared.  I went to put my 2 loads of wash into the dryer, when….uh oh…all I had was a loonie left.  I put the 2 loads into 1 and hoped for the best after it dried for 60 minutes.  It wasn’t fully dry, so I lugged up the semi dry laundry, and spread it around my apartment so it could dry overnight.  Now to me, this is hitting the bottom.

However, there is light at the end of the tunnel here.  Yesterday I had 2 interviews, and this is why I did not end up doing my blog yesterday.  One of the interviews was for a position, which would have me return back to sea, and be HR for a well-known cruise company.   I am proud to say that I have another interview next week.  The other interview was for a job that would keep me locally based in Vancouver, and this is to be a tour guide.  This interview was a group interview, and the people in the interview were so diverse, intriguing, and funny to say the least.  This went for 3 hours it and included a trip on a tour bus as we talked on the mic for 4 minutes about our passion.  I am to find out by Friday if I am going to be offered to be a tour guide this summer, but I honestly think that I would rock it! I would make so many memorable experiences for guests to Vancouver, Victoria, and Whistler! Imagine me driving a bus, talking on a headset, and telling stories and facts…I almost do this everyday!

Everyday is a new journey and a chance to make this day even better then the one before.  I am not giving up and in a time like this, all I want to do is hide and cry, but what would that accomplish?  Nothing.  So – hold your head up high with a smile on your face and say that everything is going to be alright.  And if you are down, just go to Jericho Beach and see the bunnies; how could ever get upset with a cute bunny around.

Follow your heart, follow your passion, listen to your inner self.

Have you ever known someone who was full of life, zest, passion and then something about them changed?  Instead of the carefree individual, they had become as if their fun had been sucked out of them?  From your own point of view, it was almost like they had just settled with what is, because they might have been afraid that nothing could be better, and why should they make a change and risk what they had?  I feel there are many people like this in the world, and they just settle.  That’s it.  Settle for the job; settle for the partner; or to settle for the sake of settling.

I remember when I was a kid and I had big dreams.  I was going to become a marine biologist, Olympic Figure Skater, top host of a morning show, and a pop star.  I had no doubt in my mind that I would never achieve any of these goals, as life was one big opportunity.   But what has happened to this kid?  Where did she go?  I feel like the challenges that I have faced in the past 6 months have led me away from just settling.  I have been provided with a platform to make a change, and to become my ultimate self.  What is it that you have always wanted to do?  What is your passion?  What makes you so excited to wake up each morning and be like, “this is going to be an awesome day?”  Maybe your community makes you feel this way, perhaps it is your faith, maybe it is your own business, or the people you work with.

I have always known and felt that I am destined for something different, something beyond the norm.  I have never felt that I ‘fit-in’ and there has always been a piece of me that was a bit unique.  I was never the popular kid in school, the one with a boyfriend until I was much older, the sports star, the fashionista, or the one who came from a rich family and had everything that I wanted and desired just handed to me.  I know that I have something different to offer the world.  I know that I am special, and I know that I am going to make it.  I am listening to my inner voice – and it tells me everyday, you are going to be fine.  Just settling for the sake of settling – doesn’t seem that it is for me.

My heart and my passion is in entertaining and to be thriving in Hawaii.  My inner voice tells me not to settle.  That is who I am.

If you live in Vancouver, you must run, or hike, or bike, or Waddle??

I have to firstly thank my Mom for signing me up for the Vancouver Sun Run, however, this girl has not been training.  I had made a conscious effort yesterday to improve my health and wellbeing, and that included me getting outside and running again.  Normally in the past I would have just gone to the gym, but with no job and beyond crazy expensive gym memberships and fees, I have decided to use the good ol’ outdoors.  

Last week I went to check out a gym in the area because they had a free pass, but never be fooled by the world ‘free’.  Basically free, mean’t that I would owe $90 and I would have to pay that upfront.  Also, the girl that was helping me had the messiest desk I have ever seen, and when she shared with me my contract, but it didn’t even have my name on it! Why would I want to join a gym like this?  At least nature accepts me for who I am, with my amazing running abilities in all conditions.

Today I took my run to Granville Island, and as I write here, I am barely able move my legs.  I am now waddling about the condo like a duck, and I must say this might be a new trend in style – the Duck Waddle will now replace the Harlem Shake and take Gangnam Style by storm….that’s right…do the Waddling Duck….

The Duck Song =) Happy Paddy’s Day!

Wait in line…Cover..at a Pub???

 

My exciting night out in the city of Vancouver consisted of many bus rides to find a pub in Gastown, which also had cover and a line at 9:45pm.  Maybe I might be a bit of a princess, but really, why do you pay to get into a pub to see overly intoxicated youngsters ripping up the dance floor to terrible live music?  Perhaps this is what I used to do in the day, and I have to admit that I am getting old.

I went out tonight as one of my friends is heading back to work on the ship, so if I didn’t go, it would be mean you could say.  With my head held high, I went into this pub, even trying to get a job there along the way.  Talking about jobs, well – I still do not have any offers, which I was hoping to have at least one by today.  But, I am becoming a warrior to being denied or at least declined a further interview.  Nothing can really get me down at this point, because with what I have dealt with this year, a response of “good luck with your future endeavors” doesn’t mean too much to me at this moment.

What I am completely grateful for is my family, my friends, and especially my brother, because he is making me really see the light during these more dark days.

So, after leaving the pub, I went to another place in the city and that was actually fun.  I started talking about my life adventures, and I was told – why don’t you do comedy?  Hahaha, I laughed to myself out loud actually, and as much as I would love to be a comedian, I don’t think that I can compete with the funny people out there.  I would love to make everyone laugh, make everyone think, and make a good difference in the world to these people, but for right now I will keep doing what I do and rock the sweet stamp from being in a silly $12 cover pub in the city.

As tonight may have not been the highlight in my time in Vancouver, I have to tell you that last night at the Imagine Dragons concert was the ultimate!  Have you ever wanted to relive an experience over and over again?  With the company I had, and the live music, I was in a very happy place and as it goes in the song “I’m on top of the world” I truly was.  In a total state of gratitude for the presence of this amazing band; along with my friends, I was and am a very lucky girl.

As I’m on top of the world, I hope everyone can at least feel like this everyday or once in a while, because it is worth it! Good night from Kitsilano! 

 

Secret to Success – from my point of view…

From the girl at the bus stop licking the lid from her to-go container to the guy driving the fancy Lamborghini, there is one thing that we all in common.  Do you know what it is?

We are each a unique individual, but why do we have to be treated so differently?  Why do we look at other people and either wish that we were in their position, or grateful that we are not them.  Why do we have to judge each other, instead of accepting one another and be full of love, acceptance, peace and ultimately pure and authentic happiness?

One of my practiced secrets to the success so far in my life, is that I treat everyone the same.  I honestly don’t care if you have the designer clothes, wear the same thing everyday (as long as you don’t smell) or if you shop at Salvation Army.  If you are a decent person, with a beautiful soul and good intentions, shouldn’t that make you the best?  You should pride yourself with the good deeds you do in the world for those around you, even if they are small like holding open a door, or a simple smile as you pass someone by.  What doesn’t impress me is when someone talks themself up, like an elevator pitch to make a sale.

On one of my visits to Whistler, I was having a good time in one of the bars dancing to Gangnam Style.  As I was in mid-throwing my arm up in the air, I was approached by a very beefy American.  He was very confident and asked me if I wanted to dance.  Of course I said sure let’s go, as I proceeded to show him how to get to the dance floor, because I am was a local and I know how to do it. (I did have a few drinks).  He was an ok dancer, with massive muscle arms.  He told me was a SWAT paramedic, and asked me if I had ever had to kill someone before.  I was a bit hesitant to answer, but I said, maybe I hurt a fly before, but never someone.  He then went into telling me about how much he owns, earns, has, and then he said something to me which is so true, “What does it take to impress you?”, as clearly his speech on what he has wasn’t doing what he wanted.  I answered with, “If you were from Hawaii, then I would be impressed!”

Now you might be like, come on Lynsay that is judging someone where they are from.  Well, why do I love Hawaiians – they are full of love, hospitality, and true beauty.  They adore their land, and they know that it is all about what can you give back to the land, not take away.  To me, that is beauty. True beauty.  Love, appreciation, acceptance, and being authentic is key.

I treat people the way that I want to be treated, and I don’t have time for those who are rude to others, stuck up, and believe that everything is all about them.  Because it is all about each other, and we need realize this.  We are here all here together, not separate.

When Does It Become Too Much?

 

Have you ever been in a situation, and you think to yourself, “This is way too much for me to deal with right now, how did I let this happen?”  It’s almost like the old saying, ‘when it rains, it pours’, well just like the weather in the city right now, it is pouring down for me.

Whenever there is a change in my life, either it is during a full moon or my tooth (16 to be exact) starts to act up.  I should have known there was going to be upcoming chaos when I was at my job eating raw veggies and my implant cracked.  I was surprised by a beautiful piece of white porcelain in my hand.  I didn’t know what to do, and after calling numerous Dentists on a Friday in Vancouver, I found a dentist to take me.  *Note to self – probably not best to go to a dentist located outside a transit station underground*

I was very grateful for the Dentist to be able to see me, however I became quite nervous when he had a shaky hand, and he was ordering the dental assistant what to do, as she was not really with it.  As I was told not to move my tongue or it would burn if it touched my top tooth, I started to panic and think can I really hold my tongue down for this long.  I was also told that there was a 70% chance this fix (band-aid) solution would work.  Needless to say, I had a full tooth for 12 hours and then it came apart.  But this tooth has a massive story behind it, which actually started in 2005! And since this Friday, my life has been one big change, a big restructure you could say.

How do you handle restructure?  Does it make you panic, or does it excite you?  Do you shy away from change, or do you embrace it?  Restructure can be like an earthquake, it shakes everything up, it makes it uncomfortable, but when there is a pile of rumble, you can then start to create something new.

Creating something new, manifesting, believing, hoping, dreaming, this is where I am at today.  I’ve got big dreams, big plans, and you are all part of it!

Fresh and New Video Day

Fresh and New Video Day

Here comes Lynsay Boo Boo…

It was time to step it up, and start to live the life of it being Fresh and New.  Today I went and tried out Bombay Brow Bar and I am super excited about the results of threading vs the traditional waxing.  Go out and give it a try – and the chai tea is amazing too that they give you!

I also went for a manicure and got black on my nails.  Feeling the need to be a bit dark and edgy, and why not start it out with my nails.  Easy enough to take off with nail polish and I must say, it looks quite daring and cute.

So, today I got asked “When are you going to get to the good stuff?”, so this is for my friend who asked for it.  Keeping on the idea of being fresh and new, I like to keep my life that way.  Always changing it up, and that has happened a few too many times in many areas of my life.  Like when I was on an airline flying to Hawaii and ended up partying with the crew and 2 months later I was offered a job with the airline as a Flight Attendant.  Unfortunately I was unable to commit to this adventure, but I think it would have been an amazing experience and if that came to me again, I would jump at the opportunity to fly around North America.  I can’t even imagine the stories I would have after those flights.  Of course there are way more details to partying with the Crew, but it is best to keep it G rated on this blog – but I can tell you, it was fun, memorable, and I can tick that off my bucket list of crazy things to do.

Not as wild as I was hoping to get today, but there is always tomorrow and I never know what I will think of next.  Enjoy the video!

To Be Noticed You Have To…….

 

Start a trending blog? Wear bright colours? Be covered in tattoos? Dance in your underware or do a hand stand infront of a open window at your place?  Or what about for work? What is wrong with standing out from the crowd, being genuine and authentic and doing this by putting a picture of yourself on your resume?

I have to do this, and yes I am about to refer to lyrics of Justin Bieber, but in his song “As Long As You Love Me” the Biebs sings out “We’re under pressure.  Seven billion people in the world trying to fit in, keep it together…” But what if you don’t want to fit into the norm?  What if all you do want to do is stand out?

This is where I am now, doing my best to stand out from the crowd, and yes I have put my picture on my resume.  Why did I do this? Well, unfortunately last week I was made redundant from my position, and now it comes to look for a job again.  With so many postings, and a large amount of applicants, I do want to be a bit different.  I want to make a statement, which makes potential employers think about giving me a chance to meet them in person.  I was told that this was a ridiculous thing to do, and I would be taken as a joke.  I want to be the one saying in the next few weeks, “look who is laughing now!”

It is hard to find a job, let alone a good paying job with decent benefits.  So I am on the search to continue my destined path of success.  My picture will remain on my resume, and I will stand out from the crowd, and I will be amazing! And this is all about taking a chance. 

Taking a chance…reminds me of just before Valentine’s Day with the most gorgeous eye doctor.  At my work (at the time) we had Sweet-o-grams and I thought it would be worth it to just drop a little note on it to give to my eye doctor.  However, my plan wasn’t going as I had hoped it would turn out.  Instead of just him, I had 2 Doctors in the room with me, and this other one wasn’t giving me the opportunity to just slip this little note, which actually said, “Why don’t you give Yoga a try”.  At the last moment, when I was getting up to leave, the room was empty and I threw it on his desk.  I nervously ran out of the office and thinking maybe one day I might hear back from the best looking eye doctor I have ever seen!  I am happy to report, that I never heard back from him, but I took a chance.  I decided to put myself out there and although it didn’t turn out the way I wanted (dreaming) I am more than grateful for my confidence and courage to think out of the box and really, I would have never wanted to go out on a date with him anyways.

The journey has just begun, and I am taking each day as a new opportunity to wake up with a zest and passion for life, and to share all the happenings with all of you.  Until tomorrow, rest well and I guarantee an upcoming laugh or two!

The Beginning

….In the City, everyday is a weekend for me

So, here I am again.  Lying in my bed with my stuffed animals beside me scattered with the distant sounds of reggae music coming from my computer.  I normally would have been excited for a beautiful sunny Saturday in Vancouver, since this is not the case for most of the days here; but everyday has now become a weekend for me.  This could be a dream of many of the working individuals in the city, who I would watch on the city bus every weekday morning go from one side of the bridge to the other (downtown) on the bus.  I wouldn’t actually take this bus everyday, it was more of a last minute decision when I realized I missed the other buses and I couldn’t be late to my job.

The people on the bus would be all suited up with their briefcases and the classy ladies with their black stockings on and fancy shoes, with their hair perfectly in place and checking their smart phone for the latest social media updates.  Back in the day, I would have dreamt to be in their position, but here I was on the bus, standing in my nude stockings with my Tom’s on, which I have to mention are a half size smaller than my current shoe size, but they were on sale.  You can never turn down a sale on Tom’s, at least a child is still getting a pair of shoes and I am too.  I would get off at the stop, which was closest to my work, and this was still a bit of a hike to get to, and I would think about what is it that I really want to do with my life.

Now how did I get here, to be walking to work in smaller Tom’s with a hesitation to go?  Well my friends, this all started as a grand idea a few months ago to leave my more lucrative and sometimes relaxing job on a Cruise Ship.  There were no weekends on the Cruise Ship, your weekend consisted of a two-month vacation after working for 4 months straight (7-8 months for most Crew), and somehow I didn’t seem to mind that schedule.  As I said, I had a great job, and a fiancé who was a musician onboard.  All I wanted was for us to settle on land, and I thought that if I took the lead, he would want to follow up, because let’s be honest, I am a pretty nice person to want to spend the rest of your life with.  So, I made the decision to leave ships with a few days notice and I had an offer to work in Vancouver.  I packed my bags, got a deal on a flight and came to the city with my Mom (just wait for that edition of the flight to Vancouver) and moved into my unfurnished place in Kitsilano.

Kitsilano, what a great part of Vancouver.  Everyone is like-minded with their yogic ways, and need to be seen at Whole Foods.  Walking down 4^th Ave in the rain with Hunter Boots, this is a total must do; put that on your list of things to do in the rain in Vancouver, you will fit in.  After many trips to Ikea, Pier 1, and my bed being delivered it was time to unpack and put my condo together.  The best part about my condo I am renting; is that I found this online and put the deposit on it, signed the rental agreement without even seeing it.  Sometimes people come into your life, and you completely trust them, and my landlord is one of those people who I am so lucky to have met through a posting online.

So where is this going, more to come tomorrow my friends…stay tuned for the adventures of everyday is a weekend for me.