“3… 2… 1… Happy New Year, James”

“Happy New Year, Kuy”

Was how my brother James and I began 2007… Toronto time that is. By this time we were somewhere over the Pacific, I believe… Where it was actually 4 or 5 hours behind Toronto time. Whatever, it didn’t really matter much. We didn’t even bother waking up mom, who was sleeping a few rows behind us.

My 2007 was marked with a few changes… Not many. Just a few. But major ones. Looking ahead (but not too much), 2008 may turn out to be just about the same.

My main concern of course, is the fact that my stint in University is about to come to a close. yes. Three semesters left, and all is done. But what am I going to do afterward?

I remember, my decision to go to Bible School after High School had a lot to do with finding out what I’m going to be doing in life. But it would seem that when I graduate University, I will have gone no further in thought.

But. Just because I don’t know what I want to do after school, doesn’t mean I can’t prepare for it. The most major change in 2007 for me… the scariest in fact. Was a career change.

I had been working for the City of Toronto since 2002 – when I was 16 years old. It was my first job ever, and I’d been working on and off for the different seasons. But most steadilly during the summer for day camps. I guess much of my decision to leave had to do with getting passed over for a promotion that I really felt I deserved in 2006 (that’s a long story…). But most of it is actually looking forward to life after my Bachelor’s Degree.

Because of my program, History and Political Science, there is a very real possibility that I would go into some sort of Post-Secondary school.. be it graduate school, or law school. And that I knew is something that I had to prepare for. My solution: Bartending. Possibly one of the best jobs there is for University students. It offers just about the most pay for the least hours worked. As long as you get a decent position that is. So, a few weeks before my final exams, I started bartending school. a few weeks later, after my summer started in May, I hadn’t even written my bartending exam yet (I still haven’t written it… guess I don’t plan to anymore) when I got my first bar job. It was for a Crusie Ship on Toronto Harbour – Obsession III.

I guess it was a really good starting position. But honestly. I was really itching to get out of there. I didn’t even make it completely out of the whole camp scene, as I was volunteering at the music camps at my church at the same time. So I lasted there about 2 months, when I finally just up and quit. By then I just really couldn’t stand working there. But fortunately, I wouldn’t be unemployed for long, as I pretty quickly picked up (though I didn’t start it right away) another bartending job. That’s the one I currently hold, at Roy Thompson Hall.

This is where it really begins to turn for the better for me. Honestly, when I quit from the Cruise Ship, I had serious doubts about my future in bartending. It was made worse when I got an interview at Moxies Bar and Grill (an interview that I didn’t even apply for… I just, got a random call one day cause the bar manager saw my resume online). I don’t even know what I was expecting really… Except up until that point, I was doing pretty good on interviews (by the time I interviewed for Moxies, I’d been hired for probably 5 out of the last 6 jobs I interviewed for). But really now. One look at the bartenders, and the servers.. in their uber mini-skirts and I knew it wasn’t exactly where I belong. That was really a low point for me, cause I really felt like that was it for this whole bartending business.

But alas, another call. And another interview.. One, that I ironically really thought went crappy. I was sick, and I just wanted to get it over with. Honestly, I didn’t think I would get the job, so I pretty much just put it out of my mind. Which made it all the sweeter when a week later, my (now) boss gave me a call offering me the job. Well of course I accepted. And I’m really glad about that decision.

Ahhh.. I dunno. There’s just something about the atmosphere at Roy Thompson Hall, I guess. That just makes it feel so nice to work there. It’s just so high class.. so prestigious. I guess the fact that I was seeing movie stars during my first few shifts was indication of that. But yeah. It’s just a great place to work. Actually the tips are pretty bad… but really. The pay is so good that the tips really is just the cherry on top (my goal for tips is just to pay for my transportation to and from work… and most nights, I make more than that).

So, I’m pretty happy with that. I can totally see myself sticking to Roy Thompson Hall, until I get some serious bartending job.. you know.. the kind where you make 5 bucks an hour, but 200 bucks a night in tips. The kind that I can *really* live on while… nay… *if* I end up in post-secondary.

That brings me to where I am now. The 15 minutes away from New Years Eve day… And why I think 2008 will be similar in the depth of changes that I think will occur. For one thing, my education focus has really began to change. I’m now really more concerned about just passing, and getting the degree over with, rather than setting myself up for grad school. Not that I want to totally disqualify myself from going to grad school. But then again, actually. It’s no big deal. I’m changed my focus again… and this had to do with a statement I made a while back to a friend of mine… one that I realized is really really true. And something I really should do something about…

That statement was… “I’d like to be a pilot…. yeah… that’s something that will really make me happy for the rest of my life.”

So. What am I aiming for now? Fligth school. After Unviersity of course. I’ve been looking at different places, and programs range in length from 2-4 years, and in requirements from… just a high school degree… to having grade 12 calculus, algeo, physics and chemistry… So what I’m gonna do now, is try to set myself up a little bit for that… and to graduate on time too of course.

So here’s the game plan for 2008…

1. Make up my missing credits… That means taking a summer class this summer… and maybe again next summer.
2. Get those high school courses done even if I end up not needing them. This means taking Calculus in nigh school this semester… Followed by the other courses over the next year.
3. Just like what people do in a recession… Pay down my debt, and save up. I estimate the whole pilot thing to cost $30,000… And I have until September 2009 to save up for it.
4. Don’t fail any frigging courses… Just… get it over with!
5. I haven’t given up on a career in politics… or government… So this summer, I’m still taking the foreign service exam. And if there’s an election next year, then I’ll be doing some serious volunteering for that too.

Phew… 5 major goals. I think I can handle that… Hmph… 2007… What can I say? Forget the past… here’s to more “Todays” that are yet to come.

Yahuh. I’m done. Owhe yeah.

But man, this always happens… The exam that I was most worried about… this last one I just did… turned out to be the easiest! Bah. The other two exams… oh man. It just… bah.. whatever. It was annoying. I really felt prepared for all of them. But… I dunno how to say it. It’s just… I hate exams!

Oh well. I’m working tonight and tomorrow. Then I’m off to Stratford for the weekend (well actually, Markham first, on Saturday night, then Stratford until Sunday). Some crazy stuff there too, first cause I’m skipping one of the rehearsals. Next… Just cuase.. It’s crazy. LOL.

Forgive me for not being more descriptive. I’ve been up since 5:30AM, studying. And I jsut wrote 2 exams in a matter of 4 hours. Now to drown myself in video games… Or.. something…