Australia Actually

[Dec 11, 2015]. My day off today! I slept in til about 10 (was having crazy dreams again.. which I quite enjoy actually) then got ready for a late Christmas lunch with the co-workers at the Keg. It was so nice getting together out of work for a change. 

Afterwards, I killed some time before meeting Jesse, and hung out at Starbucks. I attempted to read the book for that one class that I hate, and they might as well have written it in greek because nothing made sense to me. I do not speak the technical language that they wish for me to study. So I'm skipping that chapter and I'm gonna keep going until I find something that I can connect to. Lol. 

Peppermint mocha, no whip <3

Quick stop at Walmart :)

Have a good night!

Xo,

Chels

Sorry, no affirmation today, but here's a rant instead:

There's so many things that attribute to confidence, but today I'll use calmness as an example. I'm finding it quite hard to tame my nerves for an exam I'm having next week. I literally cannot make sense of the prof's powerpoints or thought pattern in general. It feels like she's stringing one subject after another, without really expanding on any one real topic. The readings have no direct relation to the powerpoints (I'm guessing she thinks they're important in some way?) I am incredibly frustrated about this because none of her notes have one singular theme, and they certainly have no flow. I am so mad. I really have to calm the f*ck down. 

WORST. PROF. EVER.

WORST. T.A. EVER.

I went on ratemyprof & found solace in the fact that a lot of people felt the same way about her. She teaches a 200-level class like it's a 400-level class, and after everyone pretty much shat bricks for the reflection paper and midterm because she graded really hard and provided no support nor detail, she had the audacity to tell us that we had to "work for it". 

I'm literally on the verge of flippin' a table here. No, erase that, I've flipped many-a-hypothetical-tables in my head at this point already. I think I'm calming down now. I haven't found a resolution, except to stop reading her damn powerpoints and attempt to read the book instead. At least the book will have coherence and will actually MAKE SENSE. 

At least this meme makes me laugh. 

Sorry you had to see this side of me; but i'm only human and I do get angry too. I really value honesty and i'd hate for my readers to only be getting one side of the story. I like to keep it real as much as I can!

Hope you still love me,

Chelsea

This affirmation is really contradictory of how I feel today, to be honest! Haha. I've been procrastinating studying for exams. It was only yesterday that lectures ended, and all I wanna do is detox my brain :( 

Oh well! Rome wasn't built in a day, right? It's hard now, but it'll be worth it in the end. Just like the "spending fast" that I talked about from Day 2.. trying to pay off a large sum from a little paycheck sometimes feels like things are moving at a glacial pace. Hahaha. It's only day 15 of the fast, but i'm feeling the repercussions like a drug addict. LOL. 

Anna, the inspiration behind the Spending Fast, recommends writing down a needs & wants list, and only spending on the essentials. She was able to pay off about $24,000 worth of debt within 15 months. If that's not worth it, I don't know what is :P 

No sunshine for us today! It was grey skies and snow when I left this afternoon. 

#Justcutethings! hehe

I know buying Timmies isn't an essential, but I had to have a mocha to cheer me up on this dark & gloomy day.

Xo,

Chelsea

I've just written down my goals for the next year! I can't believe it's that time of the year again. Bf and I have decided to go low-budget for Christmas this year, and instead of giving each other presents, we're gonna start "putting money in a jar" that will go to travel expenses instead. We're gonna stick to a $20 budget (he's getting beef jerky, i'm getting loose leaf tea haha!!) and putting a larger sum in the "jar". :p Don't know if i've said it before, but I freakin love this guy. He's just always on board and we make quite a good team together!! What would our "ship" name be? JESCHEL? JELSEA? hahhaha!! jk. 

I'm looking forward to a lot of things next year, and i'm super excited to reach those goals :) Goes to show that adventures don't just show up on your doorstep, you gotta work for it!

A picture of me walking to school. haha. 

LAST DAY OF LECTURES FOR THE SEMESTER.

Yipeeeeeee!!!!!

Night,

Chelsea

Aaaahhh!! All these Christmas photos are getting me excited! Can't wait to do more Christmas-ey things soon O__O I never thought i'd say it, but i'm not feeling the holiday spirit yet. Still have two exams to go!

Today's affirmation is "I am strong". Since i'm not exactly Hercules and I have a bad wrist, my strength is in no way physical. lol. My strength is found in the resilience that i've developed through the years. I can also be brutally honest with myself, which is always the first step: Acknowledgment (of the problem). Then comes analysis (where did I go wrong? what changed?). Afterwards, there's resolution (setting guidelines and boundaries), and the rest is just plain, good old-fashioned commitment. Acknowledge, Analyze, Resolve, Commit. That is how I keep the devil away. LOL. My idea of strength is in one's ability to stick to change! 

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Christmas tree display at TD mall! Pretty xx

These lights look super festive :)

Stephen Ave on December 7, 2015.

Cheers,

Chelsea

Helloooo! Spent the afternoon watching "One More Chance" with these guys, to jog our memory before watching the sequel next week. This movie is kind of a big deal. It had been seven years since it came out and we first saw it. I think it's pretty safe to say that the Filipino community is thrilled to see Basha and Popoy back on screen :)

Today's affirmation is: I am loved.

Well, these people definitely make me feel loved :)

I have a lot of people to be thankful for this year. Some of them I've known for years, and some I've only gotten to know recently. <3

 I'm also super excited because my cousin just gave birth and we are gonna have a new baby boy to play with on Christmas day!!

Hope you guys had a lovely Sunday!

Love,

Chelsea

Hello! A bit late in posting this one because I fell asleep watching Harry Potter.😁 Today's affirmation is: I am successful in whatever I do. Now, that's the spirit! 

Recently, I came across my dentist who asked why I quit 3 years into my nursing degree. Usually, i'd give the long drawn explanation of how "it just wasn't for me", even though I know they will never get it. After all, it was the stable job, high income pragmatism that got me there in the first place.

"Why did you quit?"

Even though it's been nearly two years, it still feels like a slap in the face.

I looked at her squarely and said, "I didn't quit. I did everything I could."

And that's all that matters. There's a difference between quitting and sacrificing, as one of my favourite authors, Elizabeth Gilbert, once said. I may not be successful to other people's standards, but I consider my decision a huge success. In the end, I chose to be accountable to myself; I chose to end what I knew in my heart was never going to work out. But let me say it again, I DID NOT QUIT, if by quitting you mean giving my blood, sweat, and tears fighting for something I wanted so badly. That's different from someone who just stopped showing up to work because they "quit". No sir, I am no quitter. I had to get knocked out and dragged out of the arena, because I refused to quit.

For me, success cannot happen without failure. Success, in my definition, is overcoming failure. 

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This morning. From the best co-worker ever <3

I got to meet Doug Hamilton (left) and Kris Russel (right) from the Calgary Flames today!!!

My cousin also happens to be a big fan of the Flames!

I'll see you tomorrow,

Chelsea

"I am important" is not meant to sound cocky or conceited in this context. At a fundamental level, we have to believe that we are significant, that we are useful, and that we can make a contribution. At one point, I let the world make me feel insignificant. I stopped talking to people, I stopped trying in general. Loneliest time of my life, guaranteed. So please, if you start feeling depressed or helpless, please talk to someone who cares about you, or see a professional. Don't ignore the signs. 

Everyone should feel that they matter in this world, and that they're not alone.

I know this one's a bit on the serious side of things.. but it's good to be reminded that we are all going through something. Don't carry the weight by yourself, is all i'm saying. 

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Last day of Fall tutorials today!! Woohoo!! I can't believe i'm down to my last 2 lectures next week. Drove up to see this guy after school :)

Had my favourite Laksa instant noodle for lunch!

Afterwards, I ran some errands and killed some time at the bookstore. 

I want this book. I loooove Shonda Rhimes!! So excited for Scandal & How to get away with murder to come back on screen.

Finished off the night with some Starbucks & McDonalds :P

Goodnight,

Chelsea

[9:49 p.m.] I literally just came up with this idea after watching a few Vlogmas videos on YouTube. I got so inspired by Zoella's videos (her excitement is contagious!) that i've decided to do my little version of Vlogmas, but calling it "Blogmas" instead because i'm just gonna be writing on my blog instead of posting videos everyday for the month of December. 

If you're not familiar with the concept, the Urban Dictionary definition of Vlogmas is: A Christmas celebration that mainly Youtubers participate in by vlogging (or video blogging) everyday until Christmas. 

I've also decided to start doing the 30-Day affirmation challenge by Brian Tracy, and *lightbulb!* what better time to appreciate and reflect on life than Christmas time anyway? All of the titles i'll be using will correspond to the affirmation of the day.

So let's get started, i'm already late by a day! haha.

I have it all written down on my little whiteboard! :)

Yes, I understand it's a bit cheesy but it's been a while since i've done something like this.

My fairy lights <3

Reflecting on today's affirmation. Hmmm. This is a bit hard actually. haha. "I can do anything I put my mind to"... i'm trying to find an example from my life experience without having to bare my soul to the internet. lol. 

These past few months, I have set my mind to: doing great academically, paying off my tuition each semester (student loans can suck it), saving money on my TFSA, and even deciding to go on a "spending fast", which is a bit extreme, but I really need it to pay off my car loan. 

I guess "not baring my soul" just went out the window right there :p haha

I'm really happy at how dedicated and disciplined i've been (warning: i'm gonna be tooting my horn a lot through blogmas hahaha) with all the responsibilities i've had to face these past few months. Working five days a week, putting myself through university when I was on the verge of quitting, and actually rocking my first year in Communications studies. I've never done so well academically in my life (this might change as I enter my 400 level classes haha-- I hope not), and I just know that if I put my mind to it, i'll be able to make the best of my experience at UofC the second time around. 

I'm gonna be posting more photos for the next blog posts.

Have a great evening!

XO,

Chelsea