tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76755282011-04-21T11:31:37.119-07:00Hopefully clever comments about life in Vancouver, B.C. as lived by a French girl from MontrealMelissanoreply@blogger.comBlogger5991100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-76274963235945024292008-09-12T22:36:00.001-07:002008-09-12T22:43:00.553-07:00

OK, I'm a few days late writing this post, but I figured that I needed to wrap up A Frog in BC, since this frog is no longer living in Vancouver. In October, it would have been six years since I first moved here. Almost made it ;)I'll continue writing, because it's fun and now I have a new set of remote friends to keep informed, but the blog will be different: cue in Relearning Montreal. It's a

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-57285350949911662522008-09-08T08:50:00.000-07:002008-09-08T09:12:23.063-07:00

And that's just what they did! Woot, another year, another 60 km walked to raise funds for and awareness about breast cancer. Although there seemed to be less walkers involved this year (around 1,600), the total amount raised for the Vancouver walk was incredible: $4.1 million! I raised almost $2,400, short of my $3,000 goal, but given that I did not invest much time in special fundraising events

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-13953950332557385402008-09-01T20:15:00.000-07:002008-09-01T20:26:54.770-07:00

It's strange to live in the condo when most of my stuff and some of my furniture is gone, the whole place looks very impersonal and empty. The movers came on Thursday and took LOTS of boxes away (where does all this come from? I live in a one-bedroom, how come I have accumulated so many things??). Then, on Friday and Saturday, the painter was working on the place and did an awesome job,

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-43296424473441000522008-08-25T10:11:00.000-07:002008-08-25T10:26:57.018-07:00

Packing is OK, assuming you don't have a hard time finding boxes. Must be because it's the end of the month, but all stores I've hit for spare boxes are out, including the liquor stores (normally a great source of sturdy boxes for heavy items). I had to BUY boxes, go figure. Fortunately, I'll be able to claim up to $2,000 of my moving expenses with my new employer. Yay!I met with my realtor on

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-13974063922956619102008-08-19T17:56:00.000-07:002008-08-19T18:14:02.611-07:00

Day #2 of my non-employment and I managed to get a few things done, good. Yesterday was my birthday and I didn't lift a finger. OK, I bought food but that's because I was in the mood to cook, not to order out.Having three weeks to prepare for my move back may seem like a lot of time, but if I'm not careful, the days will fly by and I won't get anything done. Let's be honest, it's quite tempting

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-41963321465097740602008-08-16T16:13:00.000-07:002008-08-16T16:31:28.982-07:00

Yesterday was my last day at work. After three years working with the same company, I finally said my goodbyes, packed my personal belongings and made it out the front door without my access card. It doesn't feel weird yet, but it will on Monday when I wake up and think "is it nice out? should I go climbing?":-)It was a short day, something I was really happy with since Annie and I had gone to

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-30277304377232561072008-08-09T15:20:00.000-07:002008-08-09T16:00:33.621-07:00

I am moving back to Montreal in September. Well, OK, not exactly in September because I really only plan to be in town for a few hours on September 10, before leaving for 17 days in Greece. However, when I return from Greece on the 27, my final destination will be Montreal.After almost six years living in Vancouver (October 26 would have been my sixth year anniversary), I can honestly say that

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-63832773309817796342008-08-09T12:13:00.000-07:002008-08-09T12:17:36.563-07:00

I just discovered I can watch coverage of the Olympics on cbc.ca. Beach volleyball anyone? Very cool. I'm sure if I search a bit I can also find an online recording of the opening ceremonies.

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-45711426488336859892008-08-05T22:46:00.000-07:002008-08-05T22:58:39.138-07:00

I can walk, but my legs are stiff. If I sit down for too long, when I get up, I have to take a few steps to let my legs recover primary functions (i.e. not trip over themselves).I'M SO SORE!I blame Sarah. We went hiking yesterday (BC Day, woot!) and had an amazing afternoon going up and down Goat Mountain (pictures here). The sun was shining, it was hot, and we had some company on the trail, but

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-53892003904557082692008-08-02T12:02:00.000-07:002008-08-02T12:26:15.079-07:00

If everything had gone according to plan, I would be in Whistler this morning, not at home on the computer typing this post. However, the plan to head up to Whistler was derailed (along with the actual railroad) by a massive rock slide on the Sea-to-Sky highway. If you've ever been to Vancouver and made the trip to Whistler, you'd know that there's one highway connecting the two and that highway

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-84184514655978987722008-07-27T17:59:00.000-07:002008-07-27T18:26:30.636-07:00

I had the pleasure of encouraging my friend Steve through a fundraising stunt that had him post 48 blog entries in 24 hours, all in an effort to raise funds for the Montreal Childen's Hospital Autism Clinic. Steve raised almost $1,800, which is incredible. His initiative was also the focus of an article in the Montreal Gazette on Saturday. In the article, Steve talked about the 24 hours of

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-89126185201871100472008-07-26T09:52:00.000-07:002008-07-26T10:05:18.201-07:00

Catching a cold is never fun, but in the summer, it's a real bummer. I have no energy to go outdoors, although I should go for a walk and some fresh air. Maybe this afternoon. I'll bring lots of kleenex, that's for sure.In a way, things didn't turn out too bad. I was originally invited by Scott to attend the Pemberton Music Festival. In true Scotty fashion, this was an all-weekend music marathon

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-70683154451732393442008-07-16T19:01:00.000-07:002008-07-16T19:12:12.190-07:00

The living is definitely easy :-)It's summer in Vancouver and that means beautiful weather, not too hot thanks to the breeze from the ocean, and wonderfully sunny. It also means that my corner store started selling local berries and that I can start my days with a bowl of fresh blueberries and raspberries with yogurt. Local cherries are for my afternoon snack. Mmmm.It only took six straight days

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-21633439224196783542008-07-06T18:08:00.000-07:002008-07-06T18:37:20.844-07:00

Well, I am now both equipped and trained to climb outdoors, but I have to admit that my first experience was so-so. First, there was the weather, rainy and cold with the two last hours of our course spent under the pouring rain. OK, this is BC, but aren't we in July? Around 3 p.m., we were all wet and cold, not happy. Fortunately, we started the class early, around 9, so it was a good day's

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-73774943485049728472008-07-01T16:41:00.000-07:002008-07-01T17:12:21.984-07:00

Especially when the weekend lasts three days and I spend it away from home and from the computer. Bliss.After the heavy-duty week we just had at work, a weekend away was needed. Not a heavy-workload week, but a heavy-emotional-load week as the company laid-off half of our R&D department in Vancouver. Last Friday was the last day at the office for many, including my boss, my boss' boss, several of

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-14633300811065115182008-06-16T20:59:00.000-07:002008-06-16T21:02:44.309-07:00

But since I only slept 3 hours last night this is going to be a short one. I've just returned from a quick visit to Montreal, where I had a lot of fun catching up with mom and dad, Annie and Marc, as well as a few friends. I also spent 24 hours in Quebec City to see a few exhibits for the 400th anniversary of the city. Fun, fun. Pictures are on Flickr. Yawn.Bed time.

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-36790802988144684182008-05-28T21:19:00.000-07:002008-05-28T22:05:46.311-07:00

Just before the weekend, I reached another important milestone: the end of two major projects I have been working on for the past 18 months. These were large, million-dollar projects involving, at times, between 30 and 40 team members in India and Vancouver. There were times when I doubted we would ever be able to ship, as these are software projects and you always find bugs to fix in software.

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-89312972588738556022008-05-26T20:39:00.000-07:002008-05-26T20:42:39.787-07:00

I'll write more later, 'cause right now I'm too tired and heading to bed. We made it back to Vancouver at six a.m. this morning, after driving all night. I slept for about 1.5 hour and went to work for the entire day. Yawn.I posted a few pictures of the weekend :-)

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-46584819832938513272008-05-19T18:02:00.000-07:002008-05-19T18:07:19.617-07:00

Both my worm bins seem to be suffering from an infestation of mosquitoes. I opened the lids to dump some scraps and was greeted by a cloud of them both times. The good news is I also seem to have a few spiders who have set shop between the two bins and I am hopeful that they will help control the population. But that was a lot of mosquitoes, should I be concerned?The bins are working well now, I

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-90663440806868539032008-05-19T11:49:00.000-07:002008-05-19T12:46:53.783-07:00

Until recently, the weather hadn't really given us a decent taste of spring with mornings usually in the single digits, and afternoon temperatures not going much beyond 12. However, last Thursday, someone flicked on the summer switch and wham! Sunny and warm weather for the next few days. I had forgotten how hot 30-degree weather can be. Nice.This is a long weekend in BC, even better to fully

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-19482113318105105812008-05-14T23:12:00.000-07:002008-05-14T23:18:31.095-07:00

When you get started, climbing is fairly easy. Pretty much anyone can climb up a wall and make it to the top. But then, as you try the harder routes, you see the limits of your technique. Brute force can get you up part of the way, but it can also get you injured. I cannot get past the 5.9 routes.Tonight, I attended a movement class at The Edge in North Vancouver. I normally climb at Cliffhanger

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-67021542479432219552008-05-11T22:36:00.000-07:002008-05-11T23:01:00.209-07:00

Yeah, you read that title correctly. I'm going to write about speed dating. Even better, I'm going to write about MY experience with speed dating. Be prepared to be amazed ;)Speed dating, if you've only heard about the word but don't know what it stands for, is a way for a bunch of single people to meet other single people and determine if they would like to get in touch with any of the single

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-87468603177788610692008-05-04T21:37:00.000-07:002008-05-04T22:06:37.407-07:00

Or at least... content with life. There's nothing special going on, I spent a few quiet weekends now, but somehow, I'm really enjoying the downtime. I've been exercising more, reading more, eating better and cooking a lot (not always to a successful outcome, oh well).I started my day early, around 8 a.m., so I could have enough time for breakfast and a coffee before my spinning class. I had a

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-55421902618937205492008-05-01T21:59:00.000-07:002008-05-01T22:22:10.787-07:00

Making our products and buildings greener means using recycled and less-toxic materials, right? Not exactly say the authors of Cradle to Cradle, a book I recently finished reading. This is a book that I strongly recommend. The book has an interesting position on the topic of product design and recycling:1. Recycling is good, as we don't need to harvest additional raw material to create products,

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-8351186798992606812008-04-27T20:43:00.000-07:002008-04-27T20:59:54.572-07:00

All together, this was a very relaxing weekend. I could do another few of those. I love starting the week with a bunch of lunches prepared, clean sheets, laundry and dishes done, while feeling well rested. OK, maybe a bit tired. My legs are aching, and they'll hurt even more tomorrow. This morning, I went for my first power pacing class at the gym. Yikes.Power pacing, also called spinning, is 60

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-24726950921668685402008-04-26T20:31:00.000-07:002008-04-26T20:33:37.466-07:00

Organic chicken breast in a pesto sauce, steamed organic asparagus, and a medley of grape and cherry tomatoes from a local hothouse. Fifteen minutes to prepare, less than $10, and there are leftovers.Who said eating well had to be complicated or expensive?

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-6042438440932768282008-04-24T21:20:00.000-07:002008-04-24T21:37:53.296-07:00

The great thing about ambitious goals is that they have a way to drive you, get you out of bed in the morning and set you up to accomplish more than you would ever think possible. Once you reach that goal, it's a time for celebration. And rest.But then what?I'm going through a phase of random and unguided reflection. It helps that I started walking to and from work every day. That time is my time

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-88113062531228158152008-04-19T09:53:00.000-07:002008-04-19T10:04:00.348-07:00

On my way back from work last night, I was caught in a hail storm. Fortunately, I had my umbrella, gloves, scarf, boots and winter jacket, pretty much dressed for whatever bizarre weather would be thrown at Vancouver. I did start the day with sunglasses on. Heading to the bus stop, I walked by a guy with his little designer miniature dog on leash. The guy was wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-49574328007517371282008-04-13T22:23:00.000-07:002008-04-13T22:43:04.099-07:00

Wow. It feels like someone finally found the spring switch and turned it on this weekend. We were fortunate to get two days of sun and warm weather. I expect to see a few burnt faces tomorrow at work... people never learn.I got myself a set of wheels yesterday (a Nissan Versa, cute little car, not much juice but at least it was barely sipping away at the gas) to visit my former boss (former from

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-51860920359259215152008-04-08T20:30:00.000-07:002008-04-08T20:47:46.016-07:00

I knew this was going to happen. No more school, no more forced reading and homework = no more mental discipline. I'm all over the place, looking at too many options, reading too many books at once (I have eight, EIGHT books in progress next to my bed), I think I need to calm down and have somewhat of more structured approach for all this free time.Or maybe this is just exactly how life really is

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-41110716852379595862008-03-27T22:05:00.001-07:002008-03-27T22:16:31.462-07:00

The moment I've been dreaming about for a little while now has finally arrived. Six years and a few... ahem... thousand dollars later, I'm finally done with my MBA. My last exam went well last night and I'm not worried about the outcome. I have one workshop left, but it's not for credit, I just have to show up and learn about business and ethics, something I'm really interested in anyways.After

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-63265404268293567752008-03-25T21:06:00.000-07:002008-03-25T21:09:07.163-07:00

Last night of prep and studying, a 7 a.m. webinar for our customers on designing usable applications, if tomorrow is anything like today, 45 urgent e-mails waiting for me when I walk in, four meetings, and an exam that will end around 9:30 p.m. My last exam.

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-54110439568122619452008-03-21T11:29:00.000-07:002008-03-21T11:44:34.886-07:00

Did you enjoy a long, leisurely morning in bed, catching up on some reading? I sure did, and it was wonderful. The week was long and busy, so this was my reward. I think I was also fighting off a nasty bug, so far so good, but it had a way to drain my energy. A few more good night's sleep and I'll feel as fresh as a daffodil.I heard a cute joke while at Yuk Yuk on Wednesday night. I somehow had

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-30952970469157527942008-03-16T21:13:00.000-07:002008-03-16T21:28:16.952-07:00

I come from a family that always has one or two containers of homemade soup in the freezer. My dad makes soup throughout the winter: vegetable soup, chicken soup, usually a combination of leftovers and whatever vegetables are left in the fridge. Every Christmas, we enjoy a traditional Slovak sauerkraut and sausage soup, a recipe passed on from my great-grandmother to my grandfather, my aunt and

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-30801382076359690632008-03-15T11:07:00.000-07:002008-03-15T11:55:53.126-07:00

I'm glad I slept in a bit this morning. I've been off work for the last three days of the week, but I was spending lots of time at the Globe 2008 conference, where I was volunteering. Three days of conference, walking around, greeting delegates, answering questions tired me out. It's hard being pleasant eight hours a day ;)There a few things I enjoyed about the conference: meeting other

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-42628367168822203862008-03-08T19:40:00.000-08:002008-03-08T19:50:33.197-08:00

This afternoon, Sarah and I walked down memory lane and went skating at the Riley Ice Rink, close to Queen Elizabeth Park. We were originally going to ski at Whistler, but we both had so much to do over the weekend that we decided to stay in Vancouver. The memory of our attempt at getting back into skates when we were at Big White encouraged us to make it an outing this weekend.It was a lot of

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-7547879821208049732008-03-01T10:58:00.000-08:002008-03-01T11:30:02.927-08:00

What a great feeling. It's a sunny Saturday morning here in Vancouver, I slept wonderfully last night (I was going to write "like a baby", but do babies really sleep throughout the night? I hear they wake up all the time) and besides some work with my team at school tomorrow, I don't have much planned. A weekend to relax :-)Just as I was about to leave work yesterday, around 5:30, I saw a very

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-67461029161031027152008-02-21T21:23:00.000-08:002008-02-21T21:39:45.336-08:00

On a beautiful, sunny and warm February day in Vancouver, it's easy to start thinking about spring, flowers, cleaning your patio planters and, soon, enough, what plants you're going to grow in there. And what best ingredient to grow healthy plants than compost. Which obviously reminded me that I hadn't looked into how to get a worm compost bin set up at home yet.During Christmas, dad showed me

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-1781339220592754982008-02-14T23:42:00.001-08:002008-02-15T00:16:45.182-08:00

I've had a simply amazing day. I should be heading to bed, as I have an 8 a.m. meeting tomorrow, but I had to write a few words about what was probably the most surprising and lovely Valentine's Day. You'd think that as a single woman, I'd be dreading this day when Hallmark reminds you that you have not found that special person yet. But forget Hallmark, this Valentine's Day was all about

Melissanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-3444833879959357162008-02-09T17:21:00.000-08:002008-02-09T17:25:24.717-08:00

I just paid the tuition for my last semester. I had mixed feelings as I was writing the cheque: excitement because the end of the program is near, discontempt because I have to pay $2,500 forone class. I tried very hard not to think about my sister who is doing her entire MBA for twice that amount. The Quebec government has always been incredible in promoting post-graduate studies. I don't know

Melissanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-50056200578640454422008-02-06T21:39:00.001-08:002008-02-06T21:53:04.385-08:00

The walk back home from school tonight was miserable. It's raining and cold outside (was snowing earlier), I had an umbrella that wasn't much protection against the windy conditions and one of my shoes sprung a leak, so my foot was frozen. I hadn't had dinner yet and felt really hungry. I was walking at a brisk pace when it hit me: really? Miserable?Just think about it...I was walking to a warm,

Melissanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-44886673255513902552008-01-30T23:10:00.000-08:002008-01-30T23:33:16.461-08:00

I've been nervous about checking my investment portfolio of recent, news of markets all over the world feeling the impact of the US economy slowdown not helping me feel very confident about its performance. I'm mostly invested in Canadian stock, which is obviously going for a wild ride.When I reviewed my performance stats for the past year, they were pretty poor, barely any gain. However, I

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-42752406709421131012008-01-28T21:35:00.000-08:002008-01-28T21:52:45.579-08:00

Mondays are never really days when I wake up and jump out of bed with a grin on my face. It's usually a bit of a drag, you start thinking of the week ahead, all the work involved, and because you went to bed / woke up at all kinds of hours during the weekend, it's hard to even get up. This morning was no different, although I did wake up early for no apparent reason. So instead of tossing and

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-79794658292507380132008-01-27T16:49:00.000-08:002008-01-27T17:02:37.147-08:00

I think I have to start blogging more often. I was going over recent posts and they try to cover too many things at once, without really covering anything well. Maybe little daily posts, capturing the thoughts of the moment?I'm having a hard time focusing these days. Maybe a blog a day would help me order my thoughts and slow down this whirlwind of ideas and activities that are making my head

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-895594180451112002008-01-21T22:50:00.000-08:002008-01-21T23:17:48.998-08:00

It's past 11 PM on Monday night and I only now have a few minutes to report back on my weekend of skiing at Big White. I guess my semester has really started, I'm busy preparing assignments, reading, posting comments in WebCT and listening to a conference call (for work), all at once. Multitasking, you say? Ben oui.I returned safely from my weekend trip, around 10 p.m. last night. Doing the trip

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-63277500935839391212008-01-14T19:11:00.001-08:002008-01-14T19:23:02.941-08:00

The wind is blowing so hard outside that I can feel the building swaying now and then. I am NOT kidding. Needless to say this is a perfect evening to stay home, do a bit of reading for school, and go to bed early.Classes started again last week, my very last course of the program. I'm having a hard time getting back into the beat of things. Fortunately, the teacher seems interesting and not too

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-997038466420348462008-01-05T15:55:00.001-08:002008-01-05T16:07:42.611-08:00

I'm drying my fifth load of laundry... Guess who finally received her suitcase with her Christmas presents and dirty clothes from a trip to Montreal? Yay!! I was so happy that it wasn't lost, I dreaded having to compile a list of items I had packed, to search drawers for receipts, and then realizing that some content was simply irreplaceable. I don't think my suitcase was ever really lost, it

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-85963130241535965702008-01-02T19:57:00.000-08:002008-01-02T20:12:24.145-08:00

I made it back to Vancouver safely last night, albeit an hour later than planned. I don't think it was so bad, considering I left Montreal in a snow storm. The flight was delayed as it waited its turn in the de-icing lineup. As usual, the plane was overbooked and they asked for a few volunteers to stay an additional night and fly back business class the next day. Tempting, but I had work to do

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-28078140950576778812008-01-01T14:09:00.000-08:002008-01-01T14:25:25.257-08:00

It's been snowing all day and although this weather would make for a lovely snowshoeing outing, this is more than I want to deal with in the city. Looking at the banister on the balcony, close to one foot fell just today! So far, my plane seems to be on schedule, leaving for Vancouver at 7:55 tonight. Fingers crossed. It's already a long flight back, I don't really want to sit in the plane for

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-78413993149065066342007-12-26T12:55:00.000-08:002007-12-26T13:08:15.974-08:00

I know, I'm a day late, but yesterday was the only day in a long time where I did not look at a computer screen. Felt quite nice to be disconnected :-)I'm in Montreal until January 1, to celebrate the holidays with my family and catch up with some friends. The weather is pretty tame, no snow has fallen since I landed on the 24 and it hasn't been cold. Apparently, from the status of several

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-64767347618165874682007-12-20T20:19:00.000-08:002007-12-20T20:31:54.912-08:00

Over the past few days, many events and outings have been stirring the Christmas spirit and made it feel like the holidays are upon us. The office Christmas party was obviously a good way to start the celebrations. Pictures were posted in Flickr over the week:With my colleagues Nehul, Ben and Brian here.With my colleague Brian here.Candid shot here.Late evening silliness here.So much fun!Then,

Melissanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-77052005838688236662007-12-15T10:45:00.000-08:002007-12-15T10:57:27.346-08:00

and yes... another winner.Last night was our office's Christmas party, held again at Canvas Lounge in Vancouver. The venue is pretty cool, the food was fantastic, and everyone was dressed to impress. Seeing colleagues in suits and dresses is a big deal when you work in a software company. We never dress up for work. This year, we had once again very cool prizes up for grabs, two iPod Touch,

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-47490198329900651622007-12-10T22:11:00.000-08:002007-12-10T22:30:26.683-08:00

... hard to believe, isn't it?I cannot remember how I came across this book, I think I read about the author in one of the blogs in my RSS feed and looked him up on Amazon. His name is Jiddu Krishnamurti and he is a philosopher from India. The book I read was called Think on These Things. It's a collection of questions from his students about everything from happiness, to meditation, from freedom

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-35869954027333932812007-12-09T21:29:00.000-08:002007-12-09T21:34:32.672-08:00

Who knew so much work could go into 82 pages...

Melissanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-51937107856305341042007-12-08T12:00:00.000-08:002007-12-08T12:11:42.678-08:00

On Monday, I was told by my first reader that my project was approved by him and ready to be sent to the second reader. I immediately sent the file over, thinking this would be settled quickly. After all, wasn't this just a formality?Ha! Nope. Not so much. On Tuesday, I received an e-mail that was probably two pages long with comments and questions. I was floored. I had less than a week to go

Melissanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-66189549879739153592007-12-02T19:34:00.000-08:002007-12-02T19:40:58.540-08:00

It was snowing for most of the weekend and I was looking forward to walking from home to the climbing gym, thinking of the fresh air, the crisp snow, the muffled sounds of the city. I was looking forward to taking my camera on the walk to take pictures of Vancouver under a blanket of snow.Yeah, right.It was snowing for most of the weekend, but it all stopped around 2 p.m. today and then it turned

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-52287572005110287112007-12-01T15:42:00.000-08:002007-12-01T16:02:18.685-08:00

As I was reading about corporate social responsibility and sustainability, I came across references to a book by John Elkington in pretty much every article. The book is called Cannibals with Forks. When I was done reading journal articles, I decided to grab a copy of the book at the Vancouver Library (which finally opened after two months of strike).John Elkington is the Founder and Chief

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-66551826402889359712007-11-27T20:12:00.000-08:002007-11-27T20:26:15.763-08:00

Oh, the drama. VANOC revealed our 2010 mascots and the comments have not stopped since. If you haven't seen them, they're on this web site.The general feedback has been so negative. First, people wonder what they're supposed to represent. I have to agree, the stories behind each character are a bit complicated, but in the end, does it really matter? Are they cute and could they translate well

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-17277511728226404152007-11-25T23:10:00.000-08:002007-11-25T23:22:56.935-08:00

Wait... Didn't we just finish the weekend? Right... Didn't feel like a weekend.Content of my MBA project is now 100% complete, with references, keywords, an abstract, all lists and proper formatting. My supervisor is reviewing this version hopefully in the next few days and I'd like to think that I'm ready to hit the second reader. We'll see.Funny how this increase in school work and work work

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-62962632000642255932007-11-24T12:02:00.000-08:002007-11-24T12:13:11.815-08:00

My last three days were spent in a workshop on sustainability reporting, stakeholder engagements and assurance. After reading about these topics all semester for my project, my head was filled with disconnected concepts and my own interpretation of what all the theory meant. After the workshop, the pieces of the puzzle are finally fitting together and I was able to learn about real-life

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-22558361248349044152007-11-19T20:57:00.000-08:002007-11-19T21:15:00.711-08:00

Oy! Almost ten days since the last post. I'm alive friends, just busy putting the finishing touches to my MBA project and getting everyone at work more or less coordinated on two other major projects. I'm surprised I don't mix things up more often.So, I found this (see Fast Isopod picture) crawling around my carpet the other day. Did look too scary, but still wanted to know what it was. And have

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-13540691150980350822007-11-10T14:46:00.001-08:002007-11-10T14:52:14.376-08:00

I'm spending the next four days (Monday is Remembrance Day and I took Tuesday off) writing the report for my final applied project. I've collected enough data and conducted enough interviews, it's time to put all my thoughts on paper (well, technically, on hardrive).This is it. By Tuesday night, I should be able to send a long Word document to my project supervisor.Wish me luck. And yes, I'm

Melissanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-29239515162937326982007-10-31T20:09:00.000-07:002007-10-31T20:15:45.875-07:00

It has been a tiring week and we're still a couple of days away from it being over. Tonight, I had the grand ambition of making it to the gym for a bit of cardio, but I figured that my body needed more rest than exercise. I am climbing twice a week anyways...It's 8 and I'm ready for bed. Must have something to do with the 7 a.m. starts and the late nights, the cooler weather and the shorter days,

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-3273250698147732852007-10-27T17:06:00.000-07:002007-10-27T17:20:40.331-07:00

On October 26, 2002, I was on a one-way flight from Montreal to Vancouver, wondering how this next chapter in my life was going to unravel. I was two days away from starting a job in a new company, in a city I didn't know, a week away from getting an apartment, and a few weeks away from receiving what I had shipped via railway from Montreal. Fortunately for me, I was welcomed with open arms by my

Melissanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-56075522138299088312007-10-25T09:03:00.000-07:002007-10-25T09:04:41.921-07:00

"Melissa,Merci pour tes mots, c'est très gentil. Lauren et moi sommes sains et saufs, notre maison n'est pas en danger. On a reçu des amis pour 24 heures; ils avaient été évacués. Ils sont maintenant de retour dans leur maison intacte.Petit à petit ça retourne à la normale. Aujourd'hui il y avait 25% de mes collègues au bureau mais j'anticipe presque tout le monde demain.Prends soin de

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-69687096937025634102007-10-22T14:28:00.000-07:002007-10-22T14:31:08.752-07:00

Watch this video, send the link to friends, to family, to men and women around you. We all know this is happening, I've never seen it so bluntly exposed.Killing Us Softly 3, Advertising's Image of WomenSome of these ads make me sick.

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-78926006915074765322007-10-21T10:26:00.000-07:002007-10-21T10:44:32.582-07:00

Winter in Vancouver is a rough season for shoes and boots. I should know, all my footwear has sprung a leak at one point or the other. Then you let them dry, spray them with a sealant and maybe your feet will remain dry for a few more weeks. This winter, I decided that I've had enough of wet feet. I went out yesterday and bought two pairs of waterproof boots. The first is more like a shoe, it's

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-20716422649602175012007-10-20T11:09:00.000-07:002007-10-20T11:24:31.742-07:00

I seem to be set on weekly posts. Until December, it just might have to do, I can't seem to find the time to write during the week.Every Friday, I have this little routine that helps my body and my mind break away from the week and get nicely settled into the weekend. Before I head home, I pick up some sushi and a movie, or a few episodes of a TV series. Then, I go home, don't answer the phone,

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-31112712474896361182007-10-14T16:23:00.000-07:002007-10-14T16:32:58.083-07:00

Living according to a carefully planned budget means that you spend within your means and that, hopefully, you are even left with a little extra at the end of the year that can be saved for a rainy day. Because rainy days happen. A lot of people do not live within their means and because they run out of money before the end of the year, they borrow. The next year, not only do they have to pay

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-78295521156647850672007-10-06T16:16:00.000-07:002007-10-07T12:10:55.582-07:00

I'm only a few hours away from a turkey dinner at my colleague Nathalie's place. Since Nat lives far ($30 taxi ride from the closest Skytrain station), I rented a car today. This also allowed me to do some grocery shopping, the timing was perfect since my fridge was empty. Since it's cold and rainy outside, I'm also in the mood to cook stews and soups. Yum.Now, I had a car reserved at National at

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-2128125163876806222007-09-30T14:16:00.000-07:002007-09-30T15:02:38.925-07:00

I'm writing this post from the dining room at my parents' place. I am in Montreal for the next few days, for a short visit that started with my friend Anaïs' wedding on Saturday. Anaïs and I have known each other since we were about 3 or 4, and have spent our childhood playing together, along with Annie, Marc-Antoine and Anaïs' sister Rosalie. We never attended the same schools, but would still

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-69313436134780239392007-09-23T10:58:00.000-07:002007-09-23T11:04:33.985-07:00

If only I could :-( I am a mess of runny nose, sneezing, scratchy throat and watery eyes. Day 2 of a nasty cold, not pretty. It's the season I guess and although my daily ride to work on the bus is short, it's been filled with sick passengers. That's what happens when the weather suddenly turns really cold. A few mornings last week I woke up to 12 degrees. Brr...But, in the grand scheme of things

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-1066748228617018912007-09-16T10:59:00.000-07:002007-09-16T11:01:27.998-07:00

It's a year from now, but one thing I learned from fundraising is that the early bird gets the most donations. Ready for the 2008 edition of The Weekend to End Breast Cancer?

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-61918594671895052522007-09-15T11:13:00.000-07:002007-09-15T11:28:48.036-07:00

I wish I could manage my time better these days and keep up with everything well, but it's not working out. I tried reading into the Getting Things Done method, but I never finished the book. So I'm getting some things done, but neglecting a few. I'm neglecting the blog, I'm neglecting my personal e-mails... Fortunately, I still manage to do some exercise and see friends. Bear with me while I'm

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-23150641260555589972007-09-10T17:34:00.001-07:002007-09-10T17:51:34.371-07:00

I didn't find any online links to this story, but on French CBC radio tonight, I heard about something that was too silly not to blog about.Vancouver has a car co-op that allows 3,000 members to share the use of approximately 170 vehicles. The cars are parked in designated areas in the city, members can call the co-op or reserve a vehicle online for a given date and time. The co-op is a great

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-72571582581857907612007-09-03T22:14:00.000-07:002007-09-03T22:32:17.536-07:00

My recent foray into downloading/printing a bunch of reports to read for my applied project also exhausted whatever powder was left in my laser cartridge and today, I needed to get myself a new one. Which led me to wonder how I was going to get rid of the old one...If you want to recycle electronics and personal computers, there are many options available. Printer cartridges? Not so much. Unless

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-60388005264245490642007-09-03T14:24:00.000-07:002007-09-03T14:37:55.746-07:00

Oh, don't give me that look, you know it's coming. People are hanging on so dearly to the last few days of summer while I'm marching decisively ahead towards the shorter and cooler days. Here are seven reasons that tell me I'm totally ready to embrace the fall.The plants outside want to be put out of their misery anyways. I didn't take care of what was growing on my balcony all summer and it

Melissanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-356106594920234082007-08-27T21:33:00.000-07:002007-08-27T21:54:00.907-07:00

Isn't that what the work week is for? :-)I had a great weekend, barely had a thought for the cool and rainy weather we had on Saturday. What's a little rain when you are having fun?Saturday was spent partly with Dina, Steve, Ben and Naomi. We had lunch together on Granville Island and then went for a live show under the Burrard bridge. This was a production from Boca Del Lupo called Quasimodo. A

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-79966061868107319792007-08-23T21:40:00.000-07:002007-08-23T21:55:20.134-07:00

Five working days away from the project and only 75 e-mails waiting for me this morning. Not bad. Mind you, many coworkers waited until my return to send me stuff or chat about issues, knowing that I was away on vacation and wasn't going to respond. I have colleagues who will answer e-mails on their days off. I refuse to set this kind of expectation.I just finished reading A Thousand Splendid

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-83202365627905643942007-08-22T15:51:00.000-07:002007-08-22T16:13:17.046-07:00

Mom and dad are on the plane now, on their way back to Montreal after spending a week in BC. They wanted to be here for my birthday, which was really nice. We spent two three days in and around Vancouver, then three days in the Okanagan for some wine country touring. Here are some of the highlights, and I posted pictures here.Best winery - The award goes to Silver Sage Winery. While most wineries

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-29769841950961569732007-08-14T21:13:00.000-07:002007-08-14T21:54:06.458-07:00

After writing my last post about my recent handbag purchase, I dropped Matt & Nat an e-mail about my concern with their choice of material. I received a prompt reply from their marketing department and here's some of what they had to say:Thank you for contacting us to address your concerns.The matt & nat policy of using 100% vegan materials was conceived in the interest of preventing cruelty to

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-11345225042377772382007-08-12T18:20:00.000-07:002007-09-03T22:31:12.582-07:00

One book I recently purchased and am reading on a regular basis is Ecoholic, from Adria Vasil. In a world where more and more companies are "greening" their product to appeal to the public's increasing concern for the environment, Ecoholic is a wonderful reference that helps you distinguish the real green options from the green PR.In the spirit of the book, I thought I would also share personal

Melissanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-82704286246682623162007-08-11T09:20:00.000-07:002007-08-11T09:49:44.123-07:00

The luxury... renting movies and reading novels. LOL! Doesn't take much, doesn't it?A few nights ago, I rented an excellent movie, The Last King of Scotland. The movie is based on the book of the same name and tells the story of Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin, as seen by the fictional character of a young Scottish doctor who becomes Amin's personal physician. Forest Whitaker plays Amin and he does an

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-18939289299244229992007-08-06T10:19:00.000-07:002007-08-06T10:31:57.747-07:00

I feel much better today, after a very relaxing weekend. This girl needed some time off, let me tell you.It finally feels like summer, the weather is gorgeous, the city is fairly quiet but that's to be expected when it's a long weekend. I've been enjoying life getting back to its normal self. I hadn't done any proper grocery shopping for weeks and had piles of paperwork, including unopened mail,

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-59807287190162589502007-08-02T16:31:00.000-07:002007-08-02T16:34:50.116-07:00

Just my luck. Ten days of penicillin to start the summer. Crap!What if I meet a nice boy that I want to kiss? Ah! Shouldn't be contagious after 24 hours on the meds. Good enough for me :-)

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-29535500312476909292007-08-01T15:12:00.000-07:002007-08-01T15:16:58.034-07:00

I'm not surprised, this is something that happens when you push too hard. Except that it sucks to be sick when the semester is over, the weather is beautiful and there are so many things to do!It's probably nothing big, I'm waiting for the result of a swab to find out if it's a strep throat or just a virus. I've been feeling kind of iffy since Sunday and I think the stress from the exam just

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-31250756184748374712007-07-28T11:20:00.000-07:002007-07-28T11:27:38.285-07:00

This semester is dragging, but I can finally see the end. I'm an hour away from submitting my final project for operations and then my last exam is on Monday night. One last weekend spent on homework. Woot!After that, it's all about enjoying the summer in fast forward. On Tuesday, I'm going to see Paris Je T'aime at Cinema 5th Avenue, on Wednesday there's volleyball and then I'll try to make it

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-54624968852726511862007-07-21T11:40:00.001-07:002007-07-21T11:44:35.562-07:00

July 18, 2007 was the mark of three years on A Frog in BC. Three years of writing semi-regularly about life on the West Coast. I'm not sure I ever thought this blog would become a permanent fixture in my life...

Melissanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-39610708600030588632007-07-18T20:13:00.000-07:002007-07-18T20:31:48.881-07:00

Although I already have a fair volume of reading to do for school, I try to read other books as well, for balance. Reading before bed lets my brain disconnect from the crazy pace of the day. The latest book I just finished was touching and an eye-opener.28 Stories of AIDS in Africa by Stephanie Nolen puts faces on the 28 million people living with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. Stephanie Nolen

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-61205841497248903292007-07-15T11:09:00.000-07:002007-07-15T11:41:16.133-07:00

I used to find that I never had enough time in a day to keep up with world news and new technology development while having to go through all the required readings for class. I found a way to address this with RSS.You've probably seen the RSS logo on blogs and web sites, but most people don't really know what RSS is for. We did a short presentation in class about RSS and, in a class of 50+ MBA

Melissanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-69539437104859850732007-07-14T13:32:00.000-07:002007-07-14T13:47:54.048-07:00

Having to go to class after a long day at work is hard. Having to sit at the computer all day throughout the entire weekend when it's sunny and warm outside is harder. Knowing that your friends are at the beach while you're sitting in front of the computer is brutal... Focus, FOCUS!I had a quick call this week with a contact from university who recommended a few key people that I could get in

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-36630676516487278232007-07-10T20:03:00.000-07:002007-07-10T20:11:50.581-07:00

It must be July. Yup, it's sunny and hot in Vancouver, really quite lovely. Might not be so great when I play beach volleyball tomorrow, but otherwise, who am I to complain.Hallelujah! I finally have a passport. It only took, what, four months? Even though I hadn't really planned to travel anywhere, I felt so naked. What if I had to travel? I know!I'm spending lots of time these days on my final

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-70678907335751883512007-07-03T22:21:00.000-07:002007-07-03T22:37:23.653-07:00

I was looking at old pictures on my Flickr site when I came across a comment from my cousin Marylene. Her comment had a link to her own Flickr account and that's how I discovered that we have some serious talent in the family.Check out A Sheep's Mind, Marylene's photoblog. There are some good pictures, I already have my favorites including this one of her and her boyfriend, and this one of an

Melissanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-79217108085523157632007-07-02T21:41:00.000-07:002007-07-02T21:56:20.041-07:00

Wow, way to pack three days Mel. Not with homework, work work, but just fun activities with friends.Let me see. There was a stagette on Friday for a colleague from work. We had dinner at Brix in Yaletown and then watched live improv at Theatersports on Granville Island. I have a lot of admiration for people who can do improvisation, I can't imagine trying to come up with witty remarks in front of

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-87381086878741388992007-06-27T22:11:00.000-07:002007-06-27T22:25:37.716-07:00

Yesterday, I went to the climbing gym with Sarah. It was one of my best sessions so far. There's a route that was kicking my ass every time, it has two overhangs and part of the climb is on an incline (i.e. you're holding yourself on the wall). By the time I would make it to the second overhang, I was always so tired I couldn't pull myself up. Well, not yesterday. I was dead set on conquering

Melissanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-3370455511854626312007-06-24T11:18:00.000-07:002007-06-24T11:23:07.726-07:00

PBS Frontline World is showcasing the work of social entrepreneurs around the planet and you can watch nine short movies on grassroot initiatives that are really making a difference on their web site.

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-84670899609409644682007-06-23T15:45:00.000-07:002007-06-23T16:02:50.064-07:00

Two posts in a single day! Might this be the end of the dry-spell?I haven't written much about running lately and it's not because of my not trying to get out now and then. Instead, it's because I physically cannot run. Well, not for long anyways. I've been diagnosed with Patellofemoral Syndrome in the right knee, a fairly-common injury for runners. It's a painful injury but fortunately, it's

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-50710039867012000392007-06-23T13:40:00.000-07:002007-06-23T13:53:56.463-07:00

This city is in dire need of something different. How else would you explain people lining up for 40 minutes to spend their Friday night at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Don't get me wrong, I think the gallery had the right idea when they organized their first all-night FUSE event. Vancouver doesn't often see artistic events that combine a mix of traditional visual arts and live performance, with

Melissanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-28993690488715137622007-06-16T11:45:00.000-07:002007-06-16T12:06:18.139-07:00

You know, if I had to come up with a strange way to spend my Friday night, I don't think I would have come up with the story I'm about to share with you.It all started around 11, as I was getting ready for bed. My evening was fairly low-key, I watched a few episodes of Angel after making myself a yummy dinner. As soon as I turned the TV off, I could hear a cat meowing outside. It sounded pretty

Melissanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675528.post-41285927339734406472007-06-09T10:44:00.000-07:002007-06-09T11:00:07.566-07:00

I didn't realize it when I wrote the post, but the little one-liner you've been staring at for a week now was my 500th post! It's pretty crazy when you think about it, but not entirely surprising since the blog started in July 2004. Yes, A Frog in BC will be three-years old in a month!I'm really enjoying this slow morning, it's raining outside, I'm having a coffee and catching up with e-mails...

Melissanoreply@blogger.com1