This is one of those hmmmmmmmm kinds of entries that I have been thinking about over the past little while, especially having lovely experiences in the past week or two at the grocery stores. If you have noticed in the newer stores, they now have “do it yourself” isles where you stand in line and deal with the automated machine that scans your items, talks to you, takes your money, spits out a receipt and wishes you a good day. When they first came out at Superstore it was like total rocket science…just getting the damn thing to open up was hard enough. You would press START-scan your item, sometimes if you were lucky it would beep, most times it wouldn’t. Then it would cut you off and say, “please see your cashier”. The only difference is that whenever you look over your shoulder to FIND one, they are either not around or trying to help someone else from smashing the screen! (more…)

And I have been learning a few of them along the way….all I can say is that I am quite surprised with recent events and in a way, not so surprised. Whenever a situation comes up, I try to take the best out of it and apply it towards life-in this case, my professional life…and all I can say is that whereas I got a rude awakening today and a few weeks ago for two separate things, I really learned a lot about the people involved and myself as a good and honest person as well as a professional.

I am just that at the end of the day, I have the wits to know better and to encourage myself to get a thicker backbone so that I can always be the one who comes out the winner. Sometimes you just think of that phrase, “laugh and the world laughs with you” and forget that where you may be the one to always want to please and be nice, others may not care and only think of themselves in order to make you feel bad-or attempt to.

So now I know better and have a clear vision…and let’s just say that if that sucker punch should ever come out of nowhere and attempt to get me, I will make sure that I have my fists up ready to block it out and move on with my daily life…all without letting it bring me down, break my spirit AND let me miss a beat!!

Is THAT an Oprah moment or what? lol

Wait a second, is that even the RIGHT way to spell Entrepreneur??? I have no idea and Donald Trump would probably slap me if I spelled wrong (sorry big guy!!).

Work has been going great since the official opening of my studio in September. I have successfully made it through 2 major recitals and one extra performance given by my former piano teacher in my actual studio. I have dealt quite well with payments, book keeping and the lovely Visa payments every month using my cool machine. The studio itself has been doing quite well with a nice survival rate for all my fish and the inclusion of some new ones. My hermit crabs got a new aquarium tank and upgraded from 2 hermie to 4…so far they have been doing just fine even though the humidity in my studio is practically non existent!!! (more…)

Ok my first introduction to Baklava that was yummy happened back in October at a student’s house party. I bit in to it and was ready to roll over and bark at how good it was! I thought it was a rich and sticky treat that was so good but almost too sweet-there are some yummy Italian desserts that we have that are drizzled in honey that are just as good. The only downside is that not many of my family members (in and out) make them so when I do have them is once in a while but I love them just the same. (more…)

I can hardly believe it is Christmas time, let alone an end of another year and the beginning of a NEW one!!! Life this past year has been good-honestly, if you are still alive and healthy while reading this entry, chances are, it has been a good one for you too. Come and join me as I try my hand at re-visiting my past year for you!! (more…)

I absolutely LOVE temping…well…only in certain places. Usually I do the jobs here and there over the summer so that I get about 7-8 weeks filled up with work and thankfully for the past 2 summers in a row, I have been able to work at my most FAVORITE place…the place that is located in the hood but has the most fabulous people! I got a personal phone call from the main boss asking if I had any time to help out this week. I told her to keep my number so that she could contact me to discuss and then book me out through the agency. This company and my temp agency knows that I give first priority to the company-and they are the only ones on my list that I like enough to do that. (more…)

What a weekend this has been!!! Running between two schools and managing to teach and do business all at once is very tough sometimes!! Friday I had to set up my hall for the concert and what a task THAT was-it is an open showroom that isn’t used by my landlord at all…so imagine all the dust and the look of the washroom! OY!! No matter how many times I mopped, it looked dirty and my Crocs were leaving prints. I ditched the idea because my back was not feeling great with all the twisting and turning, trying to clean unfinished slate. Either way it got better but I assumed that all the chairs on top would hide everything anyways. I fancied up the place quite a bit with decorations and candles and candies all over the place so it looked pretty nice. Did that for over 3 hours (imagine the fun it was to get 4 chairs at a time from the next building over and going back and forth until there were 36 chairs sitting on the floor!!!), then I had to work at Yamaha and teach for about 4 hours! (more…)

It is funny how small the world REALLY is even though it is a tacky clique. Russ works with a lady who happened to be taking piano lessons for a while and then stopped, along with her daughter. He recommended me to her (of course he would, he KNOWS I am brilliant! lol) and she signed up….she was one of those ladies who was really looking to be inspired again after having some terrible teachers to deal with and her daughter pretty much didn’t want to ever see the piano again. I met both of them in the summer, we all hit it off and they are both doing so well and loving the piano! Lisa’s magic works again…I just blame it on the great Feng Shui of my studio that helps to create learning and motivation!! Anyways, the lady asked if I could go over to her house and play some background piano music for her hubby’s 50th birthday party on Saturday night. Sure, why not? (more…)