Sunday, October 30 - Tonight marks the first night I'll be living on my own. I guess you could say it's the beginning of a whole new life !
So this weekend, my parents helped me settle in by bringing the rest of my stuff from home. (By the way, packing was hard because I wasn't going to bring everything with me - since I will still go home every weekend - so I had to divide everything into twos). Anyway, they cleaned, washed, bleached pretty much every part of the apartment. I also re-sprayed the place and helped my dad bug-proof it by sealing up some of the bigger cracks and gaps in the walls and ceilings. I made a mental note to buy a cocking gun this week to seal up some of the smaller cracks on my own.
Bug situation: still see them - more disturbing are the ones that we've seen inside the kitchen cabinets. That's just gross. So my mom and I will have to bug-prof our kitchen, meaning all food will be in sealed containers. All dishes will be covered and will be rinsed before using, and I think I might even use the fridge for storage (since roaches cannot tolerate cold temperature).
My last day at home was pretty standard though - I didn't feel like I'm going to miss it, considering I'm not moving that far away...but who knows, we'll see what happens after a week.
Aside from the bug situation, and the fact that my apartment STILL smells like paint, I really like the idea of having my own place. It definitely feels grown up. Let's hope I'll be able to wake up on time to go to work tomrrow...
So this is it - Day 1 of the rest of my life !
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Friday, October 28, 2005
Moving Day !
Friday, October 28 - Today was the big day - moving day !!!
After calling in sick at work, I did some last minute packing and got ready for the movers to come and pick up my stuff. The plan was to have them pick up stuff from my house with my mom being at home, while I meet the movers at Yonge & Eg. So at 2 p.m., I was already standing outside my building, waiting for the movers to deliver my stuff.
The move went smoothly. At the beginning I was panicking, mainly because the lady who booked the elevator and cargo area before me was still moving when my truck arrived. We had to wait half an hour for them to finish - during which I kept worrying that I will have to pay extra (because the truck was only covered till 4 p.m.). I also had problems with the cargo elevator - but the lady at the rental office was very nice and helped me out a great deal, so that was good.
Today was also the first day I've seen the apartment after they've sprayed it. I didn't smell any pesticide, but my mom said that most professional pest control companies would not use smelly pesticide as it's toxic...I did see a few dead small bugs though, so hopefully the spraying did the trick.
The actually move itself went really smoothly. The whole process took maybe 10-15 minutes. But then again, I really didn't have too much stuff.
So this weekend, my parents will come and help me settle in. I'm pretty sure we'll still see bugs (chills...) but because I couldn't take time off from tutoring (I took last weekend off thinking that was the weekend I'll be moving), I won't have be sleeping in the unit till Sunday night...
So I guess this is it - it's actually happening ! I've officially moved out ! woo-hoo
After calling in sick at work, I did some last minute packing and got ready for the movers to come and pick up my stuff. The plan was to have them pick up stuff from my house with my mom being at home, while I meet the movers at Yonge & Eg. So at 2 p.m., I was already standing outside my building, waiting for the movers to deliver my stuff.
The move went smoothly. At the beginning I was panicking, mainly because the lady who booked the elevator and cargo area before me was still moving when my truck arrived. We had to wait half an hour for them to finish - during which I kept worrying that I will have to pay extra (because the truck was only covered till 4 p.m.). I also had problems with the cargo elevator - but the lady at the rental office was very nice and helped me out a great deal, so that was good.
Today was also the first day I've seen the apartment after they've sprayed it. I didn't smell any pesticide, but my mom said that most professional pest control companies would not use smelly pesticide as it's toxic...I did see a few dead small bugs though, so hopefully the spraying did the trick.
The actually move itself went really smoothly. The whole process took maybe 10-15 minutes. But then again, I really didn't have too much stuff.
So this weekend, my parents will come and help me settle in. I'm pretty sure we'll still see bugs (chills...) but because I couldn't take time off from tutoring (I took last weekend off thinking that was the weekend I'll be moving), I won't have be sleeping in the unit till Sunday night...
So I guess this is it - it's actually happening ! I've officially moved out ! woo-hoo
Friday, October 21, 2005
I hate cockroaches
Friday, October 21 - I hate cockroaches. I fear them. I loathe them.
Up until now, I've had very limited experience with roaches. I have never seen them in my house and very very rarely do I even see them on the streets. That all changed tonight though.
Jason and I went to pick up the keys to my apartment last night. Because it was after-hours, we had to pick up our keys from this other girl in the rental office at the building next door (the two buildings are owned by the same company). This girl clearly had NO IDEA what was going on - not only did she give me the wrong set of keys, she was also somewhat annoyed (I guess she wasn't having a good day?). Anyway, we went up to check the apartment. First impression: strong paint odour but very nice. They repainted my kitchen cabinets white, so my kitchen looks brighter than ever. And then I opened one of the cabinet doors...
Out came a bug. I didn't know what it was because before we could catch it, it had disappeared.
Ok - I told myself - one little bug won't kill you. I initally thought it was a spider.
I went into the bathroom and was about to close the door when I saw another "creature". This one was lying on the floor. There was no doubt about it. It was a roach.
I didn't have time to react because when I turned around, there was another big one crawling along the tiles above the bathtub. Jason managed to kill both and flushed them down the toilet while I just stood here in shock. Jason suggested that I check out the closets for possible bugs...
Opening the linen closet door - another one came crawling down the shelves and into a hole down in the floor.
Four roaches within a span of minutes. Not a big deal you say ? but as I remember what my friend Erik once said, behind four bugs are possibly 400 or 4000 of them, hiding somewhere...
The whole experience left me pretty disgusted (and pretty disappointed) - mainly because 1) I have never seen so many roaches before and I'm not used to seeing them 2) I had not expected roaches or bugs of any kind 3) there's no way I can move in this weekend now.
So we left the apartment and I called the rental management office, leaving a detailed message of how I had found roaches in the apartment and I need to get the place sprayed. The whole time, I kept thinking about the place as being infested.
On Friday, I was still a bit distraught and I skipped my conference yet again. I went back to my building to talk to the rental office. The lady was nice enough and told me the pest control company would come on Monday. She also gave me the right set of keys finally.
So now it looks like I won't be moving till at least next weekend. That means I'll stay at home for another week. Frankly, I don't mind. The whole roaches experience is giving me the creeps.
Up until now, I've had very limited experience with roaches. I have never seen them in my house and very very rarely do I even see them on the streets. That all changed tonight though.
Jason and I went to pick up the keys to my apartment last night. Because it was after-hours, we had to pick up our keys from this other girl in the rental office at the building next door (the two buildings are owned by the same company). This girl clearly had NO IDEA what was going on - not only did she give me the wrong set of keys, she was also somewhat annoyed (I guess she wasn't having a good day?). Anyway, we went up to check the apartment. First impression: strong paint odour but very nice. They repainted my kitchen cabinets white, so my kitchen looks brighter than ever. And then I opened one of the cabinet doors...
Out came a bug. I didn't know what it was because before we could catch it, it had disappeared.
Ok - I told myself - one little bug won't kill you. I initally thought it was a spider.
I went into the bathroom and was about to close the door when I saw another "creature". This one was lying on the floor. There was no doubt about it. It was a roach.
I didn't have time to react because when I turned around, there was another big one crawling along the tiles above the bathtub. Jason managed to kill both and flushed them down the toilet while I just stood here in shock. Jason suggested that I check out the closets for possible bugs...
Opening the linen closet door - another one came crawling down the shelves and into a hole down in the floor.
Four roaches within a span of minutes. Not a big deal you say ? but as I remember what my friend Erik once said, behind four bugs are possibly 400 or 4000 of them, hiding somewhere...
The whole experience left me pretty disgusted (and pretty disappointed) - mainly because 1) I have never seen so many roaches before and I'm not used to seeing them 2) I had not expected roaches or bugs of any kind 3) there's no way I can move in this weekend now.
So we left the apartment and I called the rental management office, leaving a detailed message of how I had found roaches in the apartment and I need to get the place sprayed. The whole time, I kept thinking about the place as being infested.
On Friday, I was still a bit distraught and I skipped my conference yet again. I went back to my building to talk to the rental office. The lady was nice enough and told me the pest control company would come on Monday. She also gave me the right set of keys finally.
So now it looks like I won't be moving till at least next weekend. That means I'll stay at home for another week. Frankly, I don't mind. The whole roaches experience is giving me the creeps.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Getting ready to move out !
Sunday, October 16 - Moving out is turning out to be a lot more work than I thought it would be. I mean, I'm not complaining, but I didn't really anticipate that I will have to spend all this time shopping, making lists, and worrying about how I'm going to physically move everything from Markham to Yonge and Eglinton...
This weekend was the last weekend before I officially move in (slated for the weekend of Oct 22-24), and I think I've finally finished shopping for the essentials - I got my microwave, my toaster oven, my kettle, and bedsheets. The TV has also arrived (it looks amazing !). The only problem remains how we'll carry everything down to the apartment, not to mention we still haven't really fixed a moving date.
I'll be getting the keys this Thursday - hopefully the move this weekend will run smoothly. It bugs me that we're still somewhat unprepared...
As for my parents ? they seem to be doing ok - I think reality has finally sunk in and they're just going with the flow of things now...
So this is it, my last week at home !!
This weekend was the last weekend before I officially move in (slated for the weekend of Oct 22-24), and I think I've finally finished shopping for the essentials - I got my microwave, my toaster oven, my kettle, and bedsheets. The TV has also arrived (it looks amazing !). The only problem remains how we'll carry everything down to the apartment, not to mention we still haven't really fixed a moving date.
I'll be getting the keys this Thursday - hopefully the move this weekend will run smoothly. It bugs me that we're still somewhat unprepared...
As for my parents ? they seem to be doing ok - I think reality has finally sunk in and they're just going with the flow of things now...
So this is it, my last week at home !!
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Yonge & Eglinton, Here I come !
October 8, 2005 - So after all these years of whining, complaining, bitching, crying (ok, may be a little extreme here) about living in the suburbs and spending 5 hours on transit going to and from work, I have finally decided (and convinced my parents) to move out !
Initially, I thought about staying put and save up to buy the condo. That thought quickly disappeared though when I thought about how brutal it would be to spend another winter waiting for buses that don't come, not being able to get to work on time (I have to be there by 8am every morning to do media clippings now, long story...), and how early I will have to wake up whenever there's snow on the ground, I figured you know, I need to get outta there now. Add in the personal growth factors, I can't see a better timing.
So after convincing my parents over the past couple of months and evaluating the pros-and-cons of moving out, I decided to go ahead and just do it.
I have to admit that the apartment hunt process wasn't very extensive. Freeman and I did go around to check out various buildings in the Yonge & Eglinton and Davisville areas - but we really only saw maybe 5 buildings? I like Midtown mainly because it's close enough to downtown without really living downtown (there are other factors too - like being close to Jason and Freeman, and only half an hour from home by car). Anyway, looking around, I figured it would probably be most convenient if I live right above Yonge & Eglinton centre - with direct access to the subway and the mall (which means I won't ever have to get out and face the elements in winter!).
So today, we went to check out the units and we were shown one on the 8th floor that seems pretty decent. The unit has been vacant for awhile - but it looks fairly clean. The 1 bedroom apartment faces north - so I will at least get a decent view.
The rent is steep though and it would mean a lot of budgeting (a skill which I will have to master soon). So after going back and forth about it - I finally signed the lease today.
I don't know how my parents feel about it - I mean, it's sad for them, partly because it's a cultural thing (you don't move out till you're married) and partly I think they are losing their control over me. Mom's already nervous that I'm going to be moving in with some boy...
I think it'll be a learning process for everyone, for me especially, to finally to be on my own and to learn what it's like to do everything myself. It's definitely scary, but it's also very exciting. For my parents, they need to learn to let go, and to realize that I'm no longer 5 years old.
So Yonge & Eg, here I come ! Though, I still have a few more weeks before I actually move in...
Initially, I thought about staying put and save up to buy the condo. That thought quickly disappeared though when I thought about how brutal it would be to spend another winter waiting for buses that don't come, not being able to get to work on time (I have to be there by 8am every morning to do media clippings now, long story...), and how early I will have to wake up whenever there's snow on the ground, I figured you know, I need to get outta there now. Add in the personal growth factors, I can't see a better timing.
So after convincing my parents over the past couple of months and evaluating the pros-and-cons of moving out, I decided to go ahead and just do it.
I have to admit that the apartment hunt process wasn't very extensive. Freeman and I did go around to check out various buildings in the Yonge & Eglinton and Davisville areas - but we really only saw maybe 5 buildings? I like Midtown mainly because it's close enough to downtown without really living downtown (there are other factors too - like being close to Jason and Freeman, and only half an hour from home by car). Anyway, looking around, I figured it would probably be most convenient if I live right above Yonge & Eglinton centre - with direct access to the subway and the mall (which means I won't ever have to get out and face the elements in winter!).
So today, we went to check out the units and we were shown one on the 8th floor that seems pretty decent. The unit has been vacant for awhile - but it looks fairly clean. The 1 bedroom apartment faces north - so I will at least get a decent view.
The rent is steep though and it would mean a lot of budgeting (a skill which I will have to master soon). So after going back and forth about it - I finally signed the lease today.
I don't know how my parents feel about it - I mean, it's sad for them, partly because it's a cultural thing (you don't move out till you're married) and partly I think they are losing their control over me. Mom's already nervous that I'm going to be moving in with some boy...
I think it'll be a learning process for everyone, for me especially, to finally to be on my own and to learn what it's like to do everything myself. It's definitely scary, but it's also very exciting. For my parents, they need to learn to let go, and to realize that I'm no longer 5 years old.
So Yonge & Eg, here I come ! Though, I still have a few more weeks before I actually move in...
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