My name is Arual and i have a problem....

....I am addicted to shoes. It feels really good to be able to finally admit this to myself, although I honestly don't think it will help me. I bought these last night and I am thrilled they were only $27. They are going to look so cute with tights and a shirt dress.

Dear Telus

Thanks for the Sweet Deal! Now instead of paying $9 a month of unlimited evenings and weekends, I now pay $2. $7 a month I can now save or use towards downloading ring tones and useless games! Thanks friends :)

~Arual

Rollerskating

Last night I went to the rollercade which I haven't visited since I was a teenager and decided instead of rollerblades, I would rollerskate. After situating myself, I was good to go. The rollercade is hilarious. It was exactly as I remembered it. The teenage girls get all dressed up in club wear in the hopes of meeting a teenage boy who will ask for a slowskate. The slushies are still the same and most of the music is the same too...For $10 including rental I travelled back to 1994 which is a pretty good deal. :)

Whaaat???

Where did this week go? Is tomorrow Friday already? With the training I am doing for work, I have been so exhausted at the end of the day that I have been vegging out and then passing out. And now it's Thursday.

Yesterday, I stopped into a second hand store that I have always wanted to check out, but never seemed to. I bought a cute mini skirt from Talula Babaton for $20. There were some other pieces I loved on the hanger, but did not do my figure justice. Too bad.

I don't like Mondays

...but I really like that song :)
This weekend was crazy. Friday night I karioked (spelling? how does one spell it anyway?)with my brother, Saturday I was feeling the effects of too many imported beers so watched 3 seasons of Sex and the City (I am now done the entire series! Woo!) and Sunday I went for sushi with a girlfriend. I spent way too much money and now have to juggle a little as I forgot Molly has her vet appointment on Saturday. But I will be okay. I just need to keep it on the DL this week and money issues will work themselves out.

I can't wait to be finished work today because I really want to nap. I had to be up early for training sessions at work (this will last 2 weeks) and my body is rejecting that lack of one extra hour of sleep. I know I should keep myself up till at least 9 so that I don't mess up my sleeping patterns, but I want a nap so bad!

Reading Frankenstein for school right now and really enjoying it. Northern Living Allowance went and watched the play on the weekend and I hope she posts her review once its written --hint, hint ;)

TGIF

Hooray it's the weekend! Yesterday was payday and I applied $412.72 to my VISA today. This paid off purchase interest for September, October and December. I am changing my debt bars to reflect a breakdown of the charges on my VISA that I am going to pay off with my quarterly plan. And that way I can watch the progress better as it will be mostly snowflakes to wipe out each debt.

And i found this blog called "What Claudia Wore" that is a project based on the Babysitter's Club member Claudia Kishi's wardrobe. Laugh out loud funny. Mostly because I remember wanting to dress exactly like Claudia. :) If you loved the BSC growing up, I recommend checking out this blog.

Facebook Blocking...

I have serious facebook addiction issues. And tend to check up on ex-friends, ex-boyfriends, ex-boyfriend's ex-girlfriends, randoms, etc. etc. etc. I thought about it today and I don't want to be that creepy stalker-ish person anymore. I blocked all of the people I am always checking up on that aren't on my friend list. And it feels kind of relieving to know that I can't just mindlessly check up on these people anymore and know way too much about their lives. Small steps on this journey to a better me right?

I'm reading...

...The Perks of being a Wallflower. I love it and can't put it down. It is so sad, yet so hopeful.

EDIT: I finished this last night and was surprised at the ending! I found this book well written and an easy-read. I want to go back and read it while downloading all of the music they listen to in the book as well. Has anyone else read this?

Ruby Tuesday

I need to start really focusing on school. I quit my part time job so I would have more time to devote and dedicate towards my courses and now is the time to give it my all. My projected graduating date goal is June 30, 2010. That leaves me 18 months to finish 16 courses. I am in three right now and hope to be completed all three by April 1, 2009 starting the next three at that time.

Distant learning has its perks: I can study anytime, anywhere, and can go year round non-stop. Distant learning also has a major downfall: I am responsible for making and sticking to my schedule. Not exactly the procrastinator's dream. I read a quote yesterday that spoke to me and I need to realize that I have to stop relying on tomorrow to get things done. I need to start setting limits and schedules and deadlines for myself so that I can complete this and move on to bigger and better things in my life.

Sometimes I think I procrastinate because I am afraid of the change that bigger and better things bring. I am afraid that my dreams may not be as glossy when I reach the goals that I think I want to reach. I am afraid not so much of failing, but of being disappointed. Right now I still have all of my dreams and expectations in front of me. When I reach the end, what if they aren't what I imagined at all? Sure, it could be better (and I am really rooting for it to be better), but what if it is the same, or worse? A part of me is really afraid to take the plunge and find out.

BUT a bigger part of me is tired of never moving forward in life. Talking all of the time about things I want to do and see and accomplish. Maybe my life won't be different, maybe I will still be at a 9-5 dreaming about a better life, maybe the whole point of living is to continuously wish for something more. Maybe that is what keeps one going and the minute you stop dreaming is the minute the point of life is over.

Maybe I should get back to work. And I will put in a good solid 2 hours of school work this evening. Maybe my New Years resolution should have been that I will trade in reality TV on MTV for my own reality.

A serious case of the reds

Once in a while, a friend and I get together and drink a bottle of vodka. We catch up, laugh, dance and get silly. The last time we did this was the beginning of November (November 1 actually). My friend was showing me some dance moves that were ridiculous and the alcohol pumping through his veins threw his balance off. Somehow his bean pole frame managed to go through my living room wall. Knowing there wasn’t much I could do about the situation right then in the state we were in, I laughed it off and told him we would worry about it later.
Saturday, I finally finished the job and it cost me $30. My dad had drywall and the mud stuff and all of the other supplies needed and patched the hole. I had to get paint that matched because it had to be my red wall that my friend went through. Not the neutral one that I already have a can of paint for in the closet. The paint is what cost me. BUT the end result is beautiful and you can’t even tell that a body went through my wall once. And if I had left it, who knows how much my landlord would have dinged off of the damage deposit in the end. And honestly, I think we did a better job painting that wall then whoever previously did it as there are no streaks this time.
And the other bonus of this is I had to move my bookcase in order to paint the wall. In order to move the bookcase I had to empty it. I have been meaning to organize my books and possibly sell some and now have a perfect opportunity. No point putting books back on the shelf that I plan on getting rid of.
This week is my first full cheque with my raise on it. I am excited to see how much more my pay cheques will be and hope that it is significant enough to put more towards my goals.

Dear Government

Thank you for purchasing my bus pass this month by reimbursing me GST. That was a nice little treat right after Christmas. Oh, and thank you for finally realizing that I did submit my medical receipts last year and sending me a letter not demanding that I owe you a large sum of money, but that you have amended your mistake. I like when I receive nice news from you dear government, it makes me think that although my vote just results in a possible coalition, we may be on the same page after all.
Good luck in 2009, you may need it more than me.

~Arual

2008: A reflection

I am sad that I have to go back to work tomorrow already, but excited to start the new year. I had a fabulous time In Saskatchewan catching up with my friends, awed at how much their little baby has grown in 3 months.
This post is a list of what I accomplished in 2008, although nothing on my list of ten things to do was accomplished I still had a pretty great year.

1) My dental implant was completed in April 2008 which equals a perfect smile. This has been a very expensive process but the results were worth it. My goal in 2009 is to pay off all outstanding charges on the credit card that is related to this process.

2)15 credits in school were completed. 6 credits short of my goal but I am determined to play catch up with that now that I don't have a part time job taking up time.

3) I was lucky to fly overseas and tour England and Latvia. I actually received a Christmas card in Russian from my Russian relatives I met while there. An amazing opportunity that I had.

4)I climbed the Calgary Tower stairs (all 802 of them) and walked back down them too raising money for the Alberta Wildlife Foundation. This year my goal is to complete the 200km Ride to Conquer Cancer in June of 2009. I signed up for the orientation this evening.

5) I have saved $600 in my Emergency fund and $350 in my down payment fund. It is not a huge amount of savings, but I have never had that much saved before.

6)I have been able to live on my own this year, and all my bills are current. I was so worried that i wouldn't be able to do this, but I bit the bullet and dealt with it as it came. I am glad for this opportunity to learn how to rely on myself.

7)I got rid of my $700 overdraft that I had had since 2005. Knowing that all of the money in my account is mine is the best feeling ever! :)

I had a long talk with A today and I think we are going to give it another chance. I want to take it slow though and not jump right back into bed with him. I know in my heart that he is the one and he says that me leaving opened his eyes. I am hoping he is telling the truth.

Happy New Year to all and good luck in 2009. I have a feeling it is going to be a fabulous year for all of us!