So I took a taxi downtown this evening to go see my good friend, Jon Crowley, celebrate his birthday in style at #loserkaraoke. When it came time to pay the lovely taxi driver, my credit card was declined. Ruh roh, as my lovely Tumblr would say. Not good.

I stood on the street for about 10 minutes, on my phone. I have two Scotiabank numbers in my adress book. Apparently the first one has regular business hours (wha?) and the second one just gave me beeping noises (ummm. ok.). So I grab my suddenly suspicious (and, I might add, new) credit card and call the number on the back. And get stuck in an infinite loop of automated menus. Pressing a bunch of zeros doesn’t even help! Gaaaah.

Finally, in desperation, I grab my bank card and call the number on the back of that! Successfully navigating  the menu this time, I get put on hold… for 10 minutes.

Now, I am a rational person. And it just so happened I was in quite the relaxed mood tonight. But I cannot imagine what someone who is freaking out about the credit card being stolen would feel about that kind of experience. And hasn’t Scotiabank been touting they’ve won awards for their customer service? It’s not playing out well right now for them. I am not impressed.

So I give up, and go inside and enjoy myself for an hour or two. Sadly, and sorry Jon!, I could not stay too long. The first thing I do when I get home is check my balance online. Yep, something is definitely up.

So I call the last number again, and get put on hold for 5 minutes. I don’t really understand why it took so long at 11pm on a Thursday night for Scotiabank to answer. Must be understaffed. Finally! Someone answers. After answering all the questions correctly to identify myself and explaining the situation, I am told that yeah, there might be some suspicious activity and did Scotiabank call me to let me know they’ve possibly locked down my card? Of course not. Seriously, that would have been nice to know BEFORE I got in the cab, you know?

And the kicker? The Scotiabank system is currently updating and the CSR cannot access my information right now. I now get to wait 1/2 hour for her to call me back when the system is ready to deal with me.

This is ridiculous. Scotiabank, I’ve been a customer of yours for a very long time (you know, since birth and all). 24 years of loyalty. TWENTY-FOUR. And up until recently, I would never dare dream of switching to another bank. I like your brand. I like your ads. I like the people I’ve dealt with. Customer service has been pretty good, for the most part, in my experience. But this kind of thing is the kind of incident that makes me take a step back and assess things.

Things like how you still don’t have an iPhone app. That would be nice. Or how you excitedly just introduced text alerts to customers’ phones. Excuse me? Text alerts? Isn’t that so 2004? I’m being serious here. As someone who enjoys the new and exciting things the internet and mobile industry can bring me, your lack of investment in keeping your technology up-to-date is a huge red flag to me.

So please. Call me back. Fix this. And tell me you have something shiny and new for me to play with. Then I think we’ll be ok.

So I’ve decided to do the Year in Review meme that’s going around. This is one of my most personal blog posts I’ve ever written here. Please be gentle.

1. WHAT DID YOU DO IN 2009 THAT YOU’D NEVER DONE BEFORE?
Visited New Zealand, Thailand, Fiji, and San Francisco!!! Skydived! Snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef. Ate kangaroo and camel. Was so violently, violently sea sick for 2 hours straight. Swam with dolphins. Made a date with someone and then didn’t show up (oops?). Had the best burger of my LIFE. Went on a LOTR tour aha. Hiked a glacier for 8 hours! Took Thai cooking classes. Did bamboo river rafting. Spoke Thai. Hiked a 3 day hike in the mountains outside Chang Mai. Showered under a waterfall. Saw a man eat a cooked rat (ugh). Saw ladyboys. Met someone traveling. Saw a dingo. Did 4 wheel driving on a beach.

Went to my first Tweet-up! Met some amazing, amazing people in the Toronto Tech community who inspire me daily with their passion and brilliance. Was unemployed for a long period of time. Took a job and was depressed about it.

Fell apart completely due to a broken heart and put myself back together.

An unforgettable year.

2. DID YOU KEEP YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS, AND WILL YOU MAKE MORE FOR NEXT YEAR?
Last year I said: “I’d like to go home to Toronto and enjoy my friends and boyfriend. Start really putting some roots down there. I would like to lose the weight I am slowly gaining in Australia. I also really want to start focusing on my career by getting a job I really enjoy and working hard at it.”

So, in 2009, I did go home and enjoy my friends, definitely started putting some roots down, and definitely got a job I really enjoyed.

For the coming year: I want to do something that makes a difference, however small, in this world. I want to lose some weight, but am happy with where my fitness is, for once! I want to continue to meet people who inspire me on a daily basis. Surround myself with good people. I’ll let the rest figure itself out. :)

3. DID ANYONE CLOSE TO YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Hmmm. Not that I can think of.

4. DID ANYONE CLOSE TO YOU DIE?
No, :).

5. WHAT COUNTRIES DID YOU VISIT?
Australia! New Zealand! Thailand! Fiji! The US! Part of Canada. It was a GREAT year for traveling.

6. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE IN 2010 THAT YOU LACKED IN 2009?
Better control of my finances, honestly.

7. WHAT DATES FROM 2009 WILL REMAIN ETCHED UPON YOUR MEMORY, AND WHY?
January 7, 2009 – The day Ex broke up with me.
April 20, 2009 – The day I arrived back in Toronto permanently.
June 29, 2009 – The day I started my job at Publicis.

8. WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT OF THE YEAR?
Getting my job at Publicis!

9. WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST FAILURE?
Spending TOO MUCH MONIES on things like clothes and eating out. Need. To. Stop.

10. DID YOU SUFFER ILLNESS OR INJURY?
Sprained my ankle pretty bad, surprisingly. I was in physio for a good month with that. Couple of colds and a sprained groin (aha). Nothing more serious than that.

11. WHAT WAS THE BEST THING YOU BOUGHT?
My kitteh (#CrazyCatLady)!! Tickets to Thailand, hostel in Fiji, my boots in San Fran <3! My new camera and iPod! Train tickets to Montreal.

12. WHOSE BEHAVIOR MERITED CELEBRATION?
My family and friends. <3 So much mad love. Everyone I’ve met in the Toronto Tech community as they are giving, giving people who make me smile on a daily basis.

13. WHOSE BEHAVIOR MADE YOU APPALLED AND DEPRESSED?
Appalled is a strong word, I think, for anyone I know.

14. WHERE DID MOST OF YOUR MONEY GO?
Traveling, rent, food, clothes. Sooo much food and clothing, omg.

15. WHAT DID YOU GET REALLY, REALLY, REALLY EXCITED ABOUT?
Thailand! New Zealand! Fiji! San Fran! Seeing my friends and family again! Surprising my dad with a trip home for his birthday in April. Getting my job!

16. WHAT SONGS WILL ALWAYS REMIND YOU OF 2009?
Poker Face – Lady Gaga
Dylan – Emmy the Great
Don’t Stop Believing – Glee Cast
Bad Romance – Lady Gaga
Help I’m Alive – Metric
Kids – MGMT
North London Trash – Razorlight
My life Would Suck Without You – Kelly Clarkson

17. COMPARED TO THIS TIME LAST YEAR, ARE YOU:
I. HAPPIER OR SADDER? Sadder, probably. Just because I was all “OMG I’m in loooove” at this time last year.
II. THINNER OR FATTER? Fatter.
III. RICHER OR POORER? So much poorer. Still paying off my debt from traveling.

18. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU’D DONE MORE OF?
You know what? Every year I say: “More napping.” But dude? I wasn’t working for the first half of 2009 basically. I’ll let you know I got quite the number of naps in. I wish I had done more of… not eating? I feel good about most other things.

19. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU’D DONE LESS OF?
Buying too much food and not eating it. Eyes > Stomach.

20. HOW WILL YOU BE SPENDING CHRISTMAS?
At home in Halifax. It was so nice to have a Christmas again after not having my traditional family one last year.

21. HOW WILL YOU BE SPENDING NEW YEAR’S?
Last year, I spent my New Year’s Eve on a boat, in the Sydney Harbour, watching the world famous Sydney fireworks. Nothing can compare to last year’s. Nothing. Looks like maybe a house party will be happening.

22. DID YOU FALL IN LOVE IN 2009?
I was in love at the beginning of 2009 but spent most of the year trying to figure out how to fall out of love. :-/

23. HOW MANY ONE-NIGHT STANDS?
None.

24. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TV PROGRAM?
Dexter. Californication! How I Met Your Mother (OMG BEST SHOW EVER). Jersey Shore, you know it! House. Mad Men. ANTM. How could I forget 30 Rock! Grey’s Anatomy. The Hills. The City. Glee! Big Bang Theory!!

…Ok I’m done, I swear.

25. DO YOU HATE ANYONE NOW THAT YOU DIDN’T HATE THIS TIME LAST YEAR?
No!

26. WHAT WAS THE BEST BOOK YOU READ?
EVERYTHING BILL BRYSON WROTE. I basically devoured about 15 of his novels when traveling this year. Brave New World. England’s Mistress: The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton. A book I can’t remember the title of that was about a town that confined itself during the plague.

27. WHAT WAS YOUR GREATEST MUSICAL DISCOVERY?
Well, I knew about Lady Gaga before but dude. I discovered just HOW AWESOME she is this year. Girl is fierce.

28. WHAT DID YOU WANT AND GET?
Awesome travel adventures. An kick ass job I LOVE.

29. WHAT DID YOU WANT AND NOT GET?
To not spend this year getting over someone? More monies.

30. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE FILM OF THIS YEAR?
Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince (because I’m a Harry Potter nerd, shurrup). VIcky Christina Barcelona. Up In The Air. Avatar.

31. WHAT DID YOU DO ON YOUR BIRTHDAY, AND HOW OLD WERE YOU?
I turned 24. I went to The Boat the night before with a bunch of friends and danced my tail off. I got street meat at the end of the night. My roommate made me birthday cupcakes with Kanye on them. <3 Hung out with kitteh.

32. WHAT ONE THING WOULD HAVE MADE YOUR YEAR IMMEASURABLY MORE SATISFYING?
If Ex hadn’t have broken up with me. It really started the year off with a huge level of suckitude. It was a long, painful, confusing, depressing, hope-sucking process. It took me way, way longer than I expected to get over him. I mean, I understand his reasoning for why he broke up with me but his reason doesn’t mean I could reconcile it as my reason.

It’s hard falling out of a love with a man you think is amazing and expected to be with for a very long time. Very hard. But I’ve finally arrived at that place. It’s liberating. I actually feel strong enough to enter into a real relationship again, should I chose it, which I can’t say would have been a truth for most of the year.

I can’t even remember what it feels like to love the parts of Ex I loved. It’s good.

33. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL FASHION CONCEPT IN 2009?
Kind of all over the place, really.

34. WHAT KEPT YOU SANE?
Friends, family, my personal journal.

35. WHICH CELEBRITY/PUBLIC FIGURE DID YOU FANCY THE MOST?
David Duchovny, no doubt about it.

36. WHAT POLITICAL ISSUE STIRRED YOU THE MOST?
In Canada: Net neutrality.

37. WHO DID YOU MISS?
Friends, my family. Summer of 2008.

38. WHO WAS THE BEST NEW PERSON YOU MET?
Hmmm! So many! My Twitter friends, as a whole! <3 My new coworkers too.

39. TELL US A VALUABLE LIFE LESSON YOU LEARNED IN 2008.
You will survive this. Just keep putting one step in front of the other and remember to breathe.

40. QUOTE A SONG LYRIC THAT SUMS UP YOUR YEAR.
I have three! Let me show you them!

I want your loving
And I want your revenge
You and me could write a bad romance.
- Bad Romance // Lady Gaga

If we’re still alive
My regrets are few
If my life is mine
What shouldn’t I do?
I get wherever I’m going
I get whatever I need
While my blood’s still flowing
And my heart’s still
Beating like a hammer
- Help, I’m Alive // Metric

The memories fade
Like looking through a fogged mirror
Decision to decisions are made
And not bought,
But I thought this wouldn’t hurt a lot.
I guess not
- Kids // MGMT

Check it out.

Found via AdJoke.ca. Thanks Paul.

Mike, from the Canadian Cancer Society, left me a comment letting me know that these were indeed real people who were either patients, survivors or caregivers. That’s really, really great to hear. That makes this ad, in my eyes, that much more powerful when I know the emotion is real.

As well, Mike let me know that they are adding companion videos on their YouTube channel, found here. Four of the total eight videos have been posted, so I’m off to check out the others!

Thanks for the note Mike! Glad I could get an answer so quickly! :)

If you’re ready to join the fight on Cancer, or would like to donate to the cause, feel free to check out their website for this campaign at www.FightBack.ca.

Found via Tom at AdHunt.

I know I’m a bit of bleeding heart and this ad definitely played to that. But I love the raw emotion displayed here. The anger, the hurt, the hate. Powerful stuff.

I wonder if these were actors or true survivors. I’d like to know the answer to that.

The reaction is not immediate. It’s only when the tagline comes up that you begin to realize what you have just seen. And then you play this ad back over in your head and it’s only then the heart-wrenching, sickness-in-your-stomach feeling hits you.

I am having trouble watching it a second time. It’s a great parallel, this idea of “burden”. Brutal but well done.

(Source.)

I’m not going to claim I know much about the horrors the generations previous to us witnessed in war. I wish I knew more. I wish my grandfathers had both been alive when I was born and to see me grown up. I would have loved to have asked them about their experiences in the war and to find out their stories.

Instead, I rely on other’s tales of loved ones and the pain and suffering they endured to fight for and protect our amazing country, Canada.

Thank you for your sacrifices. I wear my poppy today to show my respect for all the veterans gave up so that our families can enjoy the freedoms we do. We are proud of you.

So how did I fair, dear readers?

In total honesty, I broke down last night and spent about $10. But let it be known, it was not for me. My kitten needed food and litter. I didn’t expect her to run out of her dry cat food so fast, so it was an unforeseen expense I couldn’t prepare for. Plus, I couldn’t exactly expect her to forgo eating for some silly challenge.

Either way, she’s adorable and deserved to om nom nom some food. Fact.

Other than that, I was successful in achieving my goals of spending $0 (on myself).

I’d also like to thank those people that were generous and bought me either tea (thanks Scott!), lunch (thanks Todd!) or beer (thanks Brandon!). I feel like a bit of a mooch to be honest and I’ll be sure to repay their kindness some way or another in the future. But other than that, I lived off leftovers and food already at home.

I even managed to play soccer, go to an improv class and go to a comedy show this week without spending a single cent. I think that takes talent, friends! ;) (And perhaps some planning, haha.) I definitely didn’t sit at home at nights, which usually meant I was eating dinner standing up in the kitchen at work before running to catch the TTC. As someone that likes to make fancy meals and cook, or barring that, eat out, it was a little painful but I adjusted.

It was a short challenge but on Tuesday, as many people who follow me on Twitter knows, was a really bad day for me. I was exhausted, overwhelmed and stressed out about some personal issues, which resulted in some tears (how girly!). Knowing I couldn’t make myself feel better with a hot cup of tea or some chocolate almost made it worse. I didn’t realize how much I depended on those little things to soothe me when I’m having a bad day. Funny our relationship with food, no?

All in all, I have been thinking all week about ways I can adjust my spending habits and rework personal finances. I’m glad I did this – just so that I could see it’s possible to go a day or two without spending some moolah. :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

]]> http://www.emmabrooks.ca/2009/10/23/recap-the-0-challenge/feed/ 3 http://www.emmabrooks.ca/2009/06/17/if-youre-wondering-whats-happening-in-iran-right-now/ http://www.emmabrooks.ca/2009/06/17/if-youre-wondering-whats-happening-in-iran-right-now/#comments Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:01:49 +0000 Emma Brooks http://www.emmabrooks.ca/?p=135 This is not part of my #WriteOff09 Submission. I simply wanted to spread the word about what is happening in Iran right now. Regular blog post will be up later today.

For more information:
PICTURES:
here and here
NEW INFORMATION:
Here – near constant updates
Here – ONTD_political live post
ON TWITTER:
@StopAhmadi, @ProtesterHelp

دنیارابگوییدچطورآنهاانتخاباتمان دزدیده اند
Tell the world how they have stolen our election