The Search for My Grade 5 Teacher.

Since moving to New Westminster, I've had passing thoughts of my Grade 5 teacher, Ms. Gropp. During class, she frequently mentioned that she lives right here. In New West. 

I've thought of reconnecting with her, but never had the courage, thinking I'd be crossing boundaries. That maybe she wouldn't want to be bothered. I even had thoughts that she may not be with us anymore as she was in her 50's back when I was in Grade 5. 

My girlfriend who I work with in one of the policing units gave me the final push tonight. 

She said, "It's worse to live with the regret of not reaching out. Plus, I bet she'd be over the moon to hear from you and to have you tell her what an important influence she was in your life."

Ms. Gropp was a real dragon lady. I remember her giving shit to one of the boys in class for calling me 'hopeless'. "WHO SAID THAT? WHO SAID CLARA IS HOPELESS?? I TELL ALL YOU GUYS, SHE SMARTER THAN ALL OF YOU. YOU GOT NOTHING GOOD TO SAY, THEN GET OUT OF MY CLASS!!  

For all those reading this from East Van, this lady, was a REAL East Van teacher. Attitude and all. She was in her 50's back then. Took no shit from no one. I learned from the best and she was a real source of inspiration. 

I made a facebook search tonight and the profile looks like it could be her. Here's my message to my Grade 5 teacher: 

Is this Ms. Gropp? 

I'm not sure if I have the right person, but I thought i'd give it a shot. 

I'm Clara and you were my Grade 5 teacher at Renfrew Elementary School. I had a music teacher named Ms. Westrom too. I was part of the school singing group too. 

I wanted to reach out to you, one of the early teachers who made a positive and caring contribution to my life. You were aware that I came from a challenging family dynamic and I remembered you finding me crying by a window when school was just about to let out for Summer. 

I wanted to you know that I'm doing okay now and life has been rewarding both emotionally and financially for me. I am a high school counselor now and work as a flight attendant during the Summer. 

I'f i've got the right Ms. Gropp, I'd love to hear from you and hear how you are doing. :)

My winning entry into grad school.

Hi Everyone :) 

After a journey beginning at age 11, it all finally became a reality this past week as I was offered admission into one of the three graduate schools that I've applied to for Counselling Psychology. I was so determined to ensure that I made a positive impression by taking the day off and handing my entire application package in person and conversing with the academic adviser. It was on that day that I met my interviewer for the first time as she was passing by on her lunch break. 

A few days later, all of it came to a head when I was offered an interview. After delivering a hand made mug to the Principal who helped me throughout this journey, I went in to share my story and childhood aspirations with Dr. Taggart. 

I'd like to share with everyone the short letter of intent I wrote supporting my dedication towards the counselling profession along with the interest and determination originating from childhood. Here it is: 

Dear Admissions Committee,

My name is Clara Mai Yan . I am currently a resource and skill development teacher where I help students discover their learning styles, personal strengths and foster their confidence in learning. Prior to holding my current position, I spent two years at the Canadian International School of Macao as a reception and first grade teacher upon graduation from Queen's University.

One of my early significant experiences include being mentored, encouraged and inspired by my teachers and especially, my high school counsellor. Being raised within a challenging family dynamic, my counsellor was responsible for teaching me strategies to develop emotional strength, problem solving skills and build solid interpersonal relationships with my peers. Having seen me through grades 8 to 12, she has inspired me

to help students and those whom I work with to overcome adversity by developing resiliency.

It was during secondary school where I began to dedicate my leisure time towards volunteer work that would help with my career goal of becoming a school counsellor. Shortly after beginning 10^th grade, I joined the Kids Help Phone's national Student Ambassador program where I toured various high schools in BC to raise awareness and facilitate group discussions on current challenges facing teens. During 12^th grade, I became a member of the peer counselling team which involves helping new students adjust to school life in Canada and offering written insight to peers through our school newspaper's advice column. After graduation from secondary school, I further developed my counselling and mentoring skills by becoming a Residence Adviser at Queen's University. Currently, when I am away from my teaching duties, I serve as a Crisis Counsellor with the Vancouver Crisis Centre and Victim's Assistance Unit Caseworker at the New Westminster Police Department. Each Spring, I also volunteer as a guest hairstylist with the Cinderella Project in Vancouver.

When asked about what I have to offer the counselling profession, I am most proud of my ability to engage and establish rapport with both students and new people who I encounter. I am most thankful and grateful for having students and those whom I work with on a volunteer capacity, trust and share with me their personal hardships and challenges.

Within the area of school counselling, my research interests are in the social and emotional development of students, especially as it pertains to adolescent girls. As the issue of relationship safety becomes a growing concern, my goal as a school counsellor is to help young women develop self-confidence, resiliency and a strong sense of identity—without relying on social media and societal gender expectations as a source of positive self-identification. I am also curious in researching the learning needs of male students and exploring the growing epidemic of underachievement in both boys and girls. Upon completion of my counselling degree, I look forward to working with teachers to help students experience success through identifying and reinforcing their strengths and competencies.

Given my experience, work ethic and dedication towards achieving my childhood goal, I am confident and looking forward to completing my graduate studies in Counselling Psychology. Thank you for reviewing my application and I hope to receive an offer of admission for the Fall of 2015.

Sincerely,

Clara Mai-Yan Wong 

Stories from the Jumpseat.

Hi Everyone,

In the new year, I'll be commencing my flying duties again as I have a break from grad school.

This idea has been boiling for some time now and I've decided to blog about it all as soon as I have enough passengers willing to share a bit of their lives with me. Due to the nature of my personality, I've been accustomed to talking with passengers about their upbringing, travels, personal goals, love life and my favorite:

How long have you been happily married? I love seeing happily married couples. Laughing, kissing, still holding hands at age 80.

So watch for these stories in the upcoming year!

The REAL FEAR.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-love-and-war/201404/4-reasons-not-settle-in-relationship


Well, there you have it everyone. Four reasons to never settle for a man who is wrong for you. I hear many stories from many women who are deathly afraid of being alone. 

I'll share with everyone what the real fear is though. 

To all the women out there who fear being single. Take off your earmuffs and listen up: 

The number one fear you should have is the fear of NEVER being able to feel TRUE LOVE again if you settle for the WRONG GUY. It is very scary indeed. Imagine feeling nothing but apathy when you wake up next to your husband everyday. Imagine feeling no excitement or a sense of symbolic closeness when you look at the wedding ring on your finger. 

Want to stop imagining such things and start feeling like you've married the love of your life? Then stop settling for a man who is wrong for you. Don't marry him or agree to a second date. Start looking for someone who you cannot imagine your life with. NOW. 

Ask Clara: Submit your questions...

Hi Everyone,

I'm posting to invite those who are interested in  having their questions answered, to submit their questions via this website or my facebook inbox.

There are no monetary benefits to  having this advice/travel blog. I've always wanted to start an advice column of my own and my hope is to reach as many of you as possible who may need insight or assistance. Please feel free to write me about anything, especially issues pertaining to:

1. Relationships
2. Education/Parenting
3. Any questions from adolescents are welcome.

I am a skill development teacher and work as a volunteer crisis counsellor during my days off.  Currently in graduate school specializing in counselling psychology, you can also find me at the library with my nose in the books. :)

Happy Halloween everyone!!!!

Ask Clara: Full Disclosure on a White Plate.

Welcome everyone. This week's second letter comes from Natasha in Minnesota. In a relationship for three years, Natasha wonders if her boyfriend's future plans include her. Is he planning or playing with her? Natasha laid out her expectations again to her boyfriend four days ago and asks him to contact her regarding his thoughts. After saying, "okay, bye", her boyfriend has yet to contact her. 

Thank you Clara.

....it's been really hard for me so far but deep down I know I am doing the right thing. It's like you keep waiting for them to change and it's a lot of broken promises.....

I am a professional. 34 years old. I was with my boyfriend for three years and were living in the same state. I got a good job and moved and the expectation was that he would sell his house and eventually come be with me. All of that was going well. It's only been a month or so that the cracks started to form. For maybe the last 6 months, I have asked him to learn about my culture and religion. Initially he said he would but after repeated promises, he would always have an excuse.  

Other issues are his job..He has a very basic job but does not push himself to do much more than that. I stay with him because the man treats me like gold. Literally would do anything for me and really spoils me rotten. I love how he cares about me. It's just hard. I am losing some respect for him because he does not push himself to have goals and lack motivation. He breaks promises. 

So I laid it on the line. Told him I need my needs met and to stop making empty promises...that was Sunday and so far just silence...not sure even if he comes back now that anything would change. 

I guess I am hoping for a miracle but deep down know that if he cannot even contact me after four days, maybe it's just not going to happen. 

Natasha, 

Congratulations on having the strength to fully disclose your needs and in a way, STANDARDS, to your boyfriend. It sounds like you are aware that by doing so, there is a chance that he may not return due to the fact that he simply does not want what YOU want. 

When a man is in love with a woman, there will be no empty promises and excuses. It sounds like this man is really not interested in making a full commitment to you. If he can't even commit to learning about your religion and culture (which is part of you), what makes you think he would be interested in sharing and building a life with you? 

The other issue concerns his employment. Ambitious and successful women like yourself often pair up with men with similar goal oriented wavelengths. It isn't so much a financial issue as it is a concern regarding emotional compatibility. A man who is unmotivated will not satisfy you and at worse, may cause you to become less motivated as well if you stay with him in the long run. The fact that you have mention his lack of motivation in this letter clearly shows that it is something you are not comfortable with. As the 'breadwinner', would you be comfortable paying him alimony and sharing all your assets if you two were to divorce? 

You mention that he treats you like gold and spoils you rotten. A man who treats his girlfriend like gold will NOT break promises and negate her needs and requirements. I can only imagine that he is spoiling you with material things, by which you can purchase yourself given how financially and professionally successful you are. 

Remember: The goal is to find, marry and have children with the love of your life. Focus on finding a man who shares the same life goals as you. All material things can be purchased later when you BOTH have worked hard to financially afford them. 

You did the most logical and right thing by fully disclosing your requirements to this man. All you can do now is keep staying happy and beautiful and see if he can step up to the plate and fulfill your STANDARDS. 

Good luck Natasha and thanks for trusting me to answer your question! 

Broken Dates, Broken Excuses. (Ask Clara, overseas edition)

Today, Cristina, from Tuscany writes to me asking this question:

Hi Clara, how are you? I'm confused and I need an advice from you :)

I've known a boy 12 years older than me. I'm 20 and he's 32. He is fascinating and a good looking man...But we chatting from 2 months. I never contact him...He always do.

But when he asks me to go out and I accept, he disappear. And the day after, he try to tell me excuses and justifications. Why he contact me everyday if than, he don't wants to go out with me??!! I'm not a petulant girl. I always have the respect of everyone....But this situation has to finish...How can I do?

Do I just disappear and don't answer at his messages, or should I make a speech about that with him?

Excuse me for my English. And excuse me for the bother : |


Thank you Cristina for trusting me with giving you insight to this issue. 

At any age, when it comes to finding decent men brought up to fulfill their commitments, the most basic gesture is for a man to SHOW UP for a date when plans have been made. 

The fact that he has broken dates repeatedly with "excuses and justifications" means this man will no longer have the pleasure of hearing from you. 

What kind of manners was this guy taught by his mother anyways? 

You mention at the end of your letter that this "situation has to finish". Well, I certainly sense your determination to discontinue letting this guy play you like a yo yo. 

Do what you need to do to ensure he never hears from you again. Block him, stay away from the areas he hangs out in, heck, if you need to move to another area, I'd do that too. 

Keep your standards and dignity high Cristina. 

Question of the Day..."Are you the type of man...."

Good Evening everyone, 

After much pondering and discussion with colleagues, we came up with a question worth some deep thought. Especially for men who have daughters. 

"Are you the type of man that you would want your daughter to marry?" 

Think carefully and honestly. 

Straws in Beers (The Old Wellington at Manchester England)

Us three flight attendants visited this bar recently. Here's our experience in photos and words :)

We arrived to a crowd FULL OF MEN and I counted: five females. The outside patio was filled to the brim along with the carpeted inside. The selection of beer was plentiful with Peroni and ales available.

Here are the first two drinks with the two of us drinking with straws:

We took a seat outside:

The three of us had an amazing view of everyone. Lots of men and easy going people.

Here's the three of us (left one making a funny face):

The washroom had no toilet paper though at either stalls. And it was carpeted, LOL:

I heard a girl knock on my stall asking for a toilet roll and thank goodness, I had some in my bag (yes, i carry Charmin's mini roll in case of times like these).

After one beer, we left and on our way out, some gentlemen yelled for us to return. Turning around, we decided to snap a photo of them hollering:

That's it for now! WE LOVED it and will be back soon!

Maple Twist on Patio

Hi everyone :) *Waves* Some say I live in one of the sh!ttiest part of town.

But sh!tty doesn't describe the maple twist I tried two blocks from my apartment during one sunny day this week. Here's what it looks like: 

The cone wasn't too sweet. Patio consisted of rugged carpet and direction faces the shade during late afternoon. Wonderful area to read a newspaper or self help books after work. 

I noticed the cashier address many customers by name so I'm assuming they are frequent customers :) Try it! You won't regret it! 

The Art of Grapefruit Eating (March 3, 2003)

Hi everyone,

Today's entry dates back to March 3, 2003 during university. Then and now, grapefruit remains my morning fruit of choice. Here's a poem dedicated to it.

The Art of Grapefruit Eating 

Sliced in half

Two sides of healthy glowing roundness

Juicy pulp separated into triangular sections 

Leads me to great temptation

*smiling*, digging for that 'triangle'

Punctured pulp, teeth I tear. 

"Haiku".

Sunday afternoon
Hello! My name is Clara  (say hi!)
Counselling people

Outback Steakhouse (the strip, Las VEGAS)

Lambchops with brocolli, mash potatoes and a full belly. On our outing to Vegas, we munched at outback after having shopped at Ross. Lets have a look at what was on my plate:

What my boyfriend's plate looked like:

With the exception of the malfunctioning elevator that brought you to the 4th floor of Outback, everything was good. There was a whiff of cheese smell passing through the restaurant at times. Glancing over to nearby tables, this could be attributed to orders of cheese fries.

Cheers!

Check out my store on Etsy.

Like it? Check out the etsy store for a few more items :)

Koon Bo: "Are you the one who ordered the Baked Sago Pudding via telephone?"

Yes, we were the ones who ordered the baked sago pudding via telephone prior to arriving at Koon Bo. After squeezing our car into a tight spot, we arrived, switched tables as we were too close to the door and clinked tea cups:

We then ordered the Peking Duck. Crunchy, savory duck skin. Mmmm...LARGE green onions and hoisin sauce. Have a look:

Here's another angle:

Next came the lettuce wraps made from the remainder of the duck. Lettuce was crispy and duck melange with crispy noodles was savory. We were full and then remembered we had 'ordered the baked sago pudding via telephone'.

Lettuce Wraps:

We didn't actually finished the wraps so off we go, taking them home. Tony and I decided to make fried rice with it for Sunday dinner. Here's a panoramic shot of that evening's clientele:

Tony, Rene and I have seen the Sago Puddings coming out of the kitchen and alas, we get ours. Tony says, "Wow, LOOK around. This thing is ordered by tables of 10 Clara! What is that anyways????

Here is the sago pudding:

View from the bowl:

You all should've smelled this thing when it came out of the oven. It was piping hot, sweet and comforting. I think I scalded my throat with this though....

And this fish says, "BYE FOR NOW!"

To Recieve Help, you must *reach out*

Line two is ringing
Sudden and lingering loss
Secret kept from kids

A crippling pain
Let down by medical staff
"How to get unstuck"

Dad calls you ugly
Comparison to others
Loving school and books.

Your Car Smells Nice : DIY Air Freshener

Happy Easter everyone :0)!

This will be my first 2013 blog post and hope you all will try it out.

After being car-less for a while, I was fortunate to come upon my current volkswagon cabrio with the help of the current gentleman I'm seeing . The down but fixable side of the story is that the car had some mold on the seat due to her having been parked in the rain for three months.

Not wanting to shampoo my car with chemicals, I youtubed "ways to get mold out of your car" and found that a concoction of water and vinegar in a spray bottle, coupled with brush scrubbing will get rid of it. So it's gone now. But to ensure she will always smell nice, I've found a way to make my own air freshener for the car. Here you go:

This is the final product :)

Materials Needed:

1. colored felt
2. scissors
3. ribbon (or something that has oooph to it)
4. scented oil

 

Cut out your desired shape

 

 

 

Use a hole puncher to create a hole in the shape.

 

 



 



Add scented oil to the shape :0)

 

 

Insert ribbon and make a knot!

Identifying Your Keys.

Hi everyone! *gives BIG wave*, 

I'm a huge fan of learning things that make life easier. Lets look at today's DIY. 

Having trouble identifying which key opens your door? They all seem to look the same. Worse yet, there's some creepy looking guy across the street staring at you. 

You NEED to get into your apartment/car asap. 

Here's what you need: 

1. Keys
2. Elmers glue (or liquid glue). No gluestick okay? 
3. glitter (any colour) 

Take your glue and squeeze a thin layer on the upper part of your key. Like this: 

Coat the 'glued' area with glitter. Shake off excess. Like this: 

Allow the key to dry and coat it with clear nail polish. This creates a 'seal ' for the glitter. Repeat on the other side when fully dried. 

Remember, glitter is sold at the dollar store. 1.00 :) 

breakfast and two injured toes.

Hay guys! 

*sits at computer* Recently, two of my toes got trampled on by a 5 year old kid resulting in no shoe wearing for the next few weeks. The doctor says I will walk again and recommends me not to run on the treadmill. Yeah right. 

Staying home from work is not an option but wearing flip flops is. So each morning, I am pictured in a tan winter wool coat and flip flops on my feet. 

I've been teaching and counselling half days recently which has allowed me to sleep in and eat breakfast. It turns out that I live by an IHOP (just found out this morning) so I packed my bag and paddled out to eat. This is what my plate looked like this morning: 

Cathy was my waitress. She's adorable. This location resembles a small house and only seats limited number of people. Look at the plate though. It's so neatly arranged. I'm a slow eater so 30 mins later, my plate looked like this: 

I wasn't able to eat the sausage nor the pancakes so it was taken to go in a foil wrap. Cathy offered a container, but I f*kn HATE styrofoam and bulkiness. 

On the topic of BREAKFAST, I had recieved a coupon for free smoked cured bacon while at the FARM TO CART event. "Re-up bbq" is located at New West Quay and specializes in pulled pork. Here's my bacon snack pack: 

My last pit stop before returning home for the day was the temporary 'art display' at the Quay. The showing exhibits, "The Wonders of Learning: The Hundred Languages of Children. Reggio Emilia, Italy. 

The last time I was exposed to the Reggio Emilia concept was from a colleague in Singapore who acted extremely unprofessional. As a result, I have negative associations to it. I'd rather not get into the story of what happened overseas. 

However, it is a blessing that I walked in on this exhibit as I met Susan, who is a retired professor from Douglas College. Susan is responsible for teaching EDUC courses at Douglas and embraces 'out of the box' thinking and learning. It is due to her that I have less negative associations with RE concept. Here is a photo of what kids may be exposed to in a Reggio Emilia learning environment: 

After observing all the objects, I made this message using the chain and bolts. And I wrote this message: 

And on that note, I'll sign off for now :) 

The sequined Adidas stitch.

Hai everyone :)

For the first time in 4 years, I wore my sequined Adidas shoes on my way to the gym today. I had initially designed them back when I attended university. Here they are: 

Looking at them, I definitely did not remember how to do the stitch. This bothered me during the last half of my workout and I spent my 10 minute train ride home examining my shoe and trying to envision how the heck I had managed to perfect this stitch 8 years ago. 


When I arrived home, I decided to use my very old and dirty oven mitt as a demo. Here it is: 

I'm a hands-on learner so with needle and thread in hand, I was slowly beginning to remember the stitch. 

1. First, thread a needle and make a knot at the end. Thread needle through from BOTTOM. This ensures knot isn't visible. 

So I had begun the stitch already in order to ensure that I was doing it properly. 

2. In the previous step, you made the knot and the needle comes up from the bottom. Insert a sequin through the needle now. 

Here is what it looks like: 

3. Guide sequin (pink one is pictured here) to the bottom and insert needle through previous sequin (blue one pictured here). Guide needle through this hole so it looks like this: 

4. Guide needle through hole of pink sequin and pull thread through. Look at the following two pictures: 

5. Insert needle through left side of mitt (fabric) and come back up again with needle. Like this: 

6. Insert sequin and repeat :) 


This stitch is great for decorating the ankle part of canvas shoes and other soft material. Enjoy!