(no longer) LOST IN JAPAN

After 3 1/2 Years: New Blog Post!

Not here. Here.

posted by Samantha @ 4:39 PM 0 comments

FACEBOOK

So, it's been exactly 3 months since I last posted and wonders of all wonders, nothing has happened in those last 3 months. Probably didn't help that for one of those three months, I went underground so that I could study for the Quebec Bar exam. The exam was 8 hours over 2 days and it covered everything. So hooray for it being over. It was a really odd experience though. For the last eight months I have been in school, for the sole purpose of taking this exam. My entire career, nay, my entire future was riding on this one exam. And I wasn't the only one who was nervous. You could cut the tension in that room with a knife. It was absolute insanity. People's hands were shaking, voices cracking or strained... Like an entire life was hanging in the balance... which I suppose, for some people, is the case. The grades are supposed to be released on Friday so we'll see how I did in less than 5 days, provided the Barreau holds up their end of the bargain and actually corrects the exams.
Otherwise, the world is basically same ol' same ol'. The last couple of weeks have been an emotional roller coaster for me so perhaps I am just longing for easier times but a friend of mine posted all these old photos on Facebook from my days at Westminster Camp and I couldn't fight the wave of sadness. I was a superstar back then and a super drama queen. I don't miss being a teenager but then again, I certainly miss a lot of the people that I spent time with. Obviously over the last 10-12 years, we've all grown up, gotten married, had kids (not me, I'm still way behind on that front) and through the wonders of the Internet now, I can go back to a time when life was way less complicated, when you didn't have to worry about finding a job, about long distance pseudo-relationships, about leaving your family, your home, your whole life to be with someone may not even appreciate the sacrifice you're making...
When I was 13, I couldn't wait to grow up and now that I'm on the verge of doing just that, I wish I could be a kid again. Ironic.

posted by Samantha @ 1:45 PM 2 comments

My Court date

So... on the long road from Lawyer-in-Training to full-fledged lawyer, I was in court this Monday. I was there as an observer and now I have to write my own decision based on the cases and the evidence that was presented.
The new Montreal courthouse is a giant, unattractive, black building beside the old Montreal courthouse which is a few centuries older and much more appealing to the senses. It has also been featured in many a wedding photo. There really was no point to that description.

Anyway, I listened to three cases and seeing as it was small claims court, no lawyers allowed. It was kind of like watching Judge Judy or something of the sort (only in French). On the docket: a case about unpaid bills, a latent defect case, and one where a family is suing the Casino de Montreal. It certainly made for a long but very interesting. I'm not really supposed to talk about the actual merits of the case because my Professional Code of Ethics forbids it (yes, lawyers are bound by a code of ethics), however, I will say this. You need to have the patience of a saint to be a judge. So now I have until March 5th to choose a case and write my decision. Should be fun.

posted by Samantha @ 3:54 PM 0 comments

First post of 2007... This is for you Gomes

OK. Well. I haven't really been posting because life back in Montreal is not really that exciting. I go to school, I see my friends, I eat, I sleep, I go to Tim Horton's... That's about it. There is a Taco Bell in Montreal now. The chain was banned here before because the meat wasn't high enough quality and apparently we're all meat snobs in Montreal, but while I was away, up pops a Taco Bell. Haven't been yet but I hear the line is like 30 minutes long just to get through the door.... so much for fast food.
Anyway, I went to Nebraska to visit Geoffrey. Met his family, a few of his friends from his town, high school teachers... It was fun. I would have liked to stay a little bit longer but I had to come back for Christmas or my mother would have kicked my butt. And trust me, she may look harmless but it's all an act.
So as I was saying, Nebraska was good. I did some sightseeing, visited the zoo, went to see an empty football stadium... 85,000 people... That's like 4 times the capacity of the Bell Centre. HUGE.
Um that's about it... wow, my life really is boring. Oh... One thing is new. you are looking at the newly appointed treasurer for the Montreal Chapter of the JET Alumni Association. Hooray! I really should not have gone drinking before that dinner. Stupid alcohol.

I leave you with a couple of Nebraska pics just to prove to you that I was there.


Memorial Stadium


The Nebraska State Capitol Building. That was pretty cool actually... but I like weird things
The view from the top of the State Capitol. That's in Lincoln, NE... just in case you didn't know

Downtown Weeping Water. That's Geoffrey's father's grocery store with the red front on the left.

posted by Samantha @ 11:54 PM 1 comments

Random thoughts

Sorry for not posting in a couple of weeks but it's been a weird couple of weeks. Well, at least it's not October anymore. And to make the day even better, I can always trust Dlisted to find the strangest stuff on the market. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you great ball control.

PS. If you actually go look it up... click on the link he provides and watch the video.

posted by Samantha @ 8:31 PM 1 comments

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Happy Halloween from TROGDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR!!!! I wish I could take the credit for the pumpkin carving but unfortunately it was Adrian's creative genius once again. And the Trogdor comes in the niiiiiiiiight!!!

Just in case you have no idea what I'm talking about... allow me to introduce you to the original Trogdor

posted by Samantha @ 4:20 PM 2 comments

8th Grade Hell

I don't feel like whining about being back in Canada today... And trust me, I have many reasons to be whining... especially now that I'm studying taxation and learning that for every $100 you earn in salary (if you are in the highest tax bracket), $48 of that goes to the government, leaving you with a mere $52 in my wallet... With 48% of my hard earned cash going to the government, you'd think they could make roads that didn't collpse... Why would anyone want to stay in this arctic wasteland?!

but N-E-wayz

Angie posted the following bulletin on MySpace and I figured it fit the theme of my life for the last week. Let me explain... in an effort to procrastinate, I started cleaning out my desk drawers and discovered my old diaries and school agendas from high school. You think I'm a drama queen now? Imagine what I was like as a teenager. Good lord. The post was called 8th grade hell but to be honest, my first 3 years of high school all blend into one. So here's a little bit of superficial fun because my brain is fried from this mornings lesson on corporate taxation. Let's see how well my memory serves me....


8TH GRADE HELL
Your 8th grade year in Middle School is supposed to be "the worst year of your life." Let's see how much you remember. I know for some it might be hard for you to go back that far!

1. who was your best friend?
Chiara, Catherine, Suzie... We were joined at the hip.

2. Who did you like?
THAT guy... Then Noah for a little while... and then THAT guy again... But we don't talk about him.

3. What sport did you play?
Judo. That was back when I actually competed and won stuff...

4. Did you buy your lunch?
No way. My mom made my lunch every day and I would trade my Mom's homemade bread for stuff that was less healthy (like pizza and cookies and Suzie's mom's gyoza--well Korean gyoza)

5. It's Friday night, where were you?
In 8th grade?! Probably watching TV and going to bed early. I had judo Saturday mornings. I was 13 for most of 8th grade. SHEESH.

6. Were you a party animal?
No. I think I had my first cigarette in 8th grade though. I almost threw up afterwards. Didn't pick up another one for awhile after that.

7. Were you in the "In Crowd"
I suppose with only 40 people in 8th grade (all girls), there isn't really much of an "in crowd". But if there had been, I probably would have been in it.

8. Ever skip school?
Um no. Well unless you count being late for class because we took the "long way" to see the boys at Selwyn House on our way back from mass... (I went to an all-girl Catholic school)

10. Did you go to football games?
Not in grade 8. We didn't have the student population to have sports teams. I went to a few Loyola football games later in my high school career...

11. Did you get suspended/expelled?
AS IF. I was probably the biggest suck-up on the planet.

12. Can you sing the alma mater?
I think so. It's sung to Beethoven's "Ode to Joy"... La vie est une musique, quand l'amour est à la clef. Tout est beau tout est magique tout est un jour de congé. Le soleil dans les yeux qui brille joue la cantate des couleurs... Joie d'un matin qui pétille d'amitié et de bonheur.

13. Who was your favorite teacher?
Madame Rousseau. She was awesome. She still is. I still talk to her to this day. She even sent me teaching materials when I was in Japan (which were super useful)

14. Favorite class?
History with Madame Rousseau. Hands down.

15. What was your schools full name?
Villa Sainte-Marcelline

16. School mascot?
ME!!!! Well probably not. We didn't have one.

17. Did you go to dances?
Yes but they were lame because it was an all-girls school.

18. If you could go back and do it over, would you?
With the knowledge that I have now? Absolutely. And I would kick THAT guy in the balls. Many, many, many times over. But if I were to relive it again

19. What do you remember most about Middle School?
THAT guy... unfortunately

20. Favorite memory of your 8th grade year?
School trip: Planet Hollywood in NY, meeting Mary Hart and getting on Entertainment Tonight...

21. Were you ever posted up on the 8th graders wall?
I don't think there was an 8th graders wall... What would make 8th graders so special that they would get a wall?

22. Did you have a job?
I was a Counselor in Training in the summer after 8th grade... does that count?

23. Where did you go most often for lunch?
To the St-Joseph's Oratory Cafeteria... In the poshness of Westmount and the watchful eyes of the nuns, there weren't too many places where we could go.

24. What did you do after 8TH GRADE?
See question 22.

25. Did you like your eighth grade year?
No. Two words: THAT GUY... Grade 9 was leaps and bounds better.

posted by Samantha @ 3:23 PM 1 comments