and then there are some opportunities that are indeed worth waiting for...

as of 5pm today (now yesterday), i have rejoined forces with the elite members of the happily employed. as of next monday, i will be officially working as a core teacher for oxford learning centres in oakville.

i'll be spending 4 days a week teaching everything from beginner french (ooh la la!) to intermediate math (yikes!) to a teaching audience of up to 4 students per hour-session, stretching from grades 1-12. overwhelming? sure. but there was a surprisingly good vibe felt right when i walked through the door for my interview this afternoon, and the people there seemed quite genuine and laid back, which was such a nice change for once. of course, it may have also helped a little that one of the directors who interviewed me was also an alumnus of good ol' u o' dubbya :oP and as if i wasn't completely sold on the position already, the kids i met today were so ridiculously adorable that they eventually (read: ultimately) helped sucker me into taking the job right on the spot. and having the job in oakville? well, that's just a hop, skip, and a 20-minute jump from the 'saugs. :o)

it's a small gig, i know - that is, compared to the glitz and glam of previous uw co-op experiences that completely spoiled me throughout my undergrad years, but i have a good feeling that this opportunity will be one extremely worthwhile in the longrun. besides, not only do i get to teach, but i also get to sing happy catchy songs about grammatical elements and vowel constuctions with my students too - now really, what more could this particular english major possibly ask for? :oP

edit: and as for japan, after much consideration, i declined and said "sayonara" to my offer.

i now have a newfound respect for microsoft interns

there are just simply no words i can say... just this:

http://internz.org/Video2005
(63 meg version highly recommended :oD)

rohit, i'm so proud to be considered your friend *happy tear* :oP

back on canadian soil

philippines, mahal ko ito... (fort san pedro, iloilo)

home again, home again, jiggity jig... and just like that i'm back from the philippines - it astounds me how a month just completely whizzed by without really noticing it. i was supposed to arrive on saturday afternoon, but because of our flight delay, the bunch of us were stranded in vancouver for a night. we finally touched down in ontario at around 3:30pm yesterday afternoon.

so much for blogging during my trip (oops!) :oP now i'm left with far too much to say, and far too jetlagged to write. maybe this time i'll let the pictures do more of the talking :o) just click here and here for a very lengthy but amusing pictoral play-by-play :o)

this trip wasn't exactly the relaxing getaway i pictured it to be, but it was wonderful to see family that i haven't seen in 9 years, and even more overwhelming (in a good way) to see how much they've all grown since the last time i saw them, and how most (if not all) of them already have their own lives now, settling down with their own families, getting married, working full-time jobs, and all that other good stuff that makes life pleasurable and meaningful :o)

all in all, it was an amazing trip; one that was definitely full of memories, awesome times, a dang good load of food, and a smorgasbord of stories to tell... but maybe perhaps at a time when i'm more in tune with the hours of the day and the days of the week :oP

but as much as i miss the the family reunions, the tropical breeze in my hair, my toes sinking in the white sand, shopping and eating for pennies, the karaoke channel(s) on tv, and of course, the sincere hospitality of the islands, it's pretty nice to be back home :o)