vacation time soon?

Just 4 more days. 4 MORE DAYS. Until I get a week and half off of vacation before school starts. I can't wait. I don't really mind work. After all, it is bringing me income that I need to pay for grad school. But I'll be extremely glad of this break I'll have in the upcoming week. *SF-THIS-COMING-THURSDAY-OMIGOSH-SPAZ.

I got up so early today that it wasn't even dawn yet. And tomorrow I have to get up earlier because I start work at 7h. And the lovely reason for that is because there's another sleep over tonight, which (from what I heard) 500 people will be participating in. Oh gosh. The other reason I start at 7h is because the store wants to give these people one whole hour to shop instead of half an hour, like on New Year's Day. I might just need coffee tomorrow morning. I guess I don't really mind coming in early, because I get to leave early.

Just a bit after sunrise. 

My friend visited me in the aquarium today! She was also my roommate when I studied at Davis. All the crazy things we've done..... good times, good times. We used to cook together as well, since both of us love Chinese food. Unless we're super tired, and make pasta. Ahaha.

In an effort to finish preparing for the language placement test, I've been frantically devouring French books and articles, including anything grammar-wise. I do actually get a few opportunities to practice my French now that I finally have my language badges from the aquarium. Guests see them and automatically speak the language to me. It's kind of fun.

I should find a boyfriend who's either Russian or French but speaks both the Russian and French language.

4 MORE DAYS. Let's get on with the show.

ringing in 2012

Now that New Year is over, time to get back into the usual crunch. Time to get back to work and studying. In fact I worked New Year's Day at 7h30. Running on less than 3 hours of sleep, I managed to conquer this 9 hour shift with the help of some of that lovely substance, caffeine.  I'm trying to drink less coffee right now so that when school starts, the effect of caffeine will still be strong.

Greetings to you on New Year's Day at sunrise (7h20)

So, 2012. Resolutions? No, not really. I mean, there's the usual staying healthy-working out-saving money-being the best that I can be shenanigans. Otherwise there's not much else. I know a lot of people make the resolution of drinking less coffee and more tea. I like both and there's no way I could ever stop drinking coffee. Perhaps I'll just make it a goal to read more, learn more and have an open mind at all times. And then, there's that petit bucket list I made of things I'd like to do before Dec 2013. It'll be nice to get started on that.

I had a super rude guest on New Year's Eve. As part of our job, we have to greet the guests and see if they need help and what not. Obviously for most people, this can get quite annoying, but hey, it's our job-so deal with it. So this lady walks in and I said hi to her. Afterwards, I noticed she was looking at the something that was in a case, so I asked if she needed some help. And she goes, "no, I don't need your help. I need some space, and I don't want any of you to be bothering me." I was like........ whatever.

Now that the holiday season is over, I can look foward to the beginning of school! And yes, I'm counting, not to sound like a nerd or anything. I'm actually glad the holiday season is over. Something was stressing me like no other. How I got through the holidays was the thought that every day was going to be an adventure and there was going to be something new and surprising every day. Welcome to my world of self-prescribed peptalk.

But seriously. I know 2012 is going to be awesome.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Because I'm horribly uncreative, I shall put up this sign to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving.

And what do you know, I'm working today! But at least we get a free Thanksgiving meal! Yesterday I was trained on the cashier registers. For some odd reason I was short by 9 dollars, and that's probably because of the training practice and what not. Not to mention the fact that I was moved around on 3 registers....

I remember last year, I was in France celebrating Thanksgiving with the rest of my fellow Californians at Brasserie Elite, the restaurant our directors booked us. They even served us turkey! We all thought they were going to serve us duck or something. And my first snow fall happened that night! It was one magical year.

So with that being said, what am I thankful for this year?

1. Being alive
2. The opportunity to spend an amazing year abroad in Europe
3. All the luxuries, having a place to live, for the food on my table, that I'd be able to buy holidays drinks at starbucks ^_^, that I'm healthy.
4. My job
5. The fact that I got into grad school
6. Graduating from college
7. The summer intensive language program
8. My professors in Davis
9. God
10. Last but most important, Yulia. For the support and encouragement she gave, the things she taught me, for taking care of me, and for being my friend and roommate

This morning, I went to Whole foods, just to pick up a few more things before work. I picked up a bottle of Beaujoulais wine, which again, made me miss France. As I approach the cash register, even before the lady got to me...

Cashier: ID please!
Me: Sure, the usual
Cashier: It's good, cause you look like you're 12
Me: ...... thanks?

Because we Asians have natural botox. I've been told I look 16 so many times since I've started working at the Aquarium. The other thing I've been told is "Wow! You're from China and you have no accent (speaking English)?!" I just told you I've been here for a long time, and basically grew up in the states.

That, or I get this: "Wow,   你的中文怎么讲的能么好？！(How come you speak Chinese so well?!) Well, I just told you I speak it on a daily basis. Not all kids who came to the states at an early age lose their Chinese, you know.

Anyways, I must get ready. Once again, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

what i see on foot

Ok, so today was a pretty pleasant, sunny day for walking. Needless to say, I enjoyed the walk to the aquarium for work today. So I thought I'd document my walk to the aquarium with my handy camera. After having a wonderful day off yesterday, full of errands and studying, I was ready and refreshed for work today. So here goes:

Walking down the hill and past the high school

Walking past the library, which reminds me I need to return my books

Huh, didn't notice this picture on the light pole. I guess the city just put this angel up recently

Walking past the city hall

Walking past my soon-to-be school, and the classroom in which I had my Russian class in

Walking past the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation, a place I hope to frequent soon

Taking the shortcut, the scenic route

Part of the historic walk of Monterey

Slowly inching towards the Monterey trail

And there it is!

Enjoying the beautiful scenes along the trail

The trail

Sealions sunbathing

More of those lovely creatures

Walking past San Carlos beach

Getting there!

Cannery row

Cannery Row!!

My work place! You'll notice I'm not wearing khaki pants (uniform) but it's because I need to get them hemmed.

Walking out of work at 5:30pm. It's all dark..

And there is my lovely walk to the aquarium whenever I go to work. It's about a 40 min walk, unless I speed walk, which takes about 35 mins or less. Sometimes I get lucky and have a co-worker take me home when it's dark and cold. Yesterday was also a day where I wished I reviewed my Italian and remembered it when I took it for one quarter like...3 years ago. 

I finally got my khaki pants! And I got them hemmed, thanks to my lovely roommate. What am I supposed to do without her. 

It's Thanksgiving tomorrow! I 'm going to cook like no other and enjoy another day of rest. 

playing at the aquarium

My first day at work, over. Today will be the second day of work, staring at fishes, dealing with customers like parents and kids.

So after filling out paperwork THAT LASTED 3 HOURS, I started work yesterday. And for some ungodly reason, I woke up at 7am. I don't know what sleeping in is anymore... Maybe this is good practice for classes next semester when I have 8am classes. And then for some reason afterwards, I was an hour ahead of myself..thinking that 8am was 9am. But anyways, my roommate walked with me about 3/4th of the way to the aquarium. It was a good day for walking yesterday, unlike today because it'll rain.  

The uniform for the aquarium is the shirt that they issue you, and khaki pants. I was like....that means I have to go buy them.... Ok.... All this shopping needs to get done before Black Friday (WHICH I will not be joining in the madness) or after Friday. It's a good thing I have tomorrow off so I can take care of my errands and study. I wasn't able to study much because after work I went with my roommate to her friend's birthday party.

So, what I learned yesterday at the aquarium.

1. Every guest needs to be greeted and asked if they need help.

2. Play with the toys, because that will bring attraction for the kids.

3. Sell

4. PROMOS:
- Fused-glass jellyfishes are 39.99 dollars and until Nov 21st, you can get a lightbase for free that's normally 16.99! Did I also mention that the jellyfishes glow in the dark?

- Huge plush whales are on sale for 14.99!

- There's a 40% off table, so a lot of stuff are cheap!

- There are penguins that are also on sale for 9.99!

5. There aren't that many Asians working there, just a few. Someone thought I was another employee's sister. This hasn't happened to me since being in the East Coast where there were few Asians, so everyone thought we were all related in some way regardless of our ethnicity.

I'm starting to sound like an advertisement. Also, there are books and music in the store. So, guess what I do best? Selling books and music, of course. Any of you coming to Monterey and goes to the Aquarium are free to bug me there, that is, if you can find me. It seems all the workers are taller than me.

Also, last Friday, there was a fall forum, in which the topic was "Are you really free..?" There were 3 sessions and all of them had interpreters doing consecutive interpretation there. That was pretty cool. I stayed for all 3. My roommate was in the 3rd panel discussion interpreting from Russian to English, and I think she rocked it.

Come January time, I'm going to have my "get-ready-for-it" face on...starting school and work. Should be interesting, and hopefully, I know what I'm getting myself into.

Cheers to starting work, and the interesting things it'll bring.