Author Archives: Charlene Precious

Haven’t done Wall-E in a while, so here’s one.

I made my own favourites icon. See it? Look on your browser tab or where the website URL is, there’s a little red heart now. :)

Have you heard of the upcoming Toronto reality show Lake Shore? A Canadian version of Jersey Shore? Some Torontonian fist-pumping adventure? GTL Toronto style? HAHA, here comes another guilty pleasure show – so atrocious, yet so gripping because you just. don’t. get. it. and it’s simply satisfying to sit there and say “wtf?” and laugh your head off and then say “wtf?” again. They’re auditioning for people like this train wreck over here, so if you feel you fit the profile, then you should audition! I kid. Don’t do it! Auditions ended anyway. The point of the show is to throw eight (supposedly attractive but I’d describe them more as sleazy) twenty-somethings from diverse backgrounds, together in one camera-rigged house for some stupid but entertaining phony drama. Oh TV, the garbage you bring to our lives.

It’s Friday tomorrow. I’ve got happy tears.

I’ve become an overnight fan of Regina Spektor. The song you’re listening to (unless you’ve pressed the stop button because you hate it so much) is called The Calculation and it’s by Regina – a song with a perfect portrayal of love and how unexpected it can be and how there’s no calculation or formula and you can’t go about it with exact precision, although we often do. Ah, she’s so poetic, and fresh, and different. I love discovering music that you don’t hear on the trashy radio.

I’m going to Pennsylvania this weekend to a town called Montrose for a church retreat and some family time. I hope there are good things to take photos of.

The travel bug is biting me hard. I’m thinking Los Angeles in November or December and then throw in a little Vegas in there since it’s only 270 miles away from LA. While in Vegas, I have to see The Beatles LOVE Cirque du Soleil show. And then next thing you know, it’s January 2011, vacation time at work refreshes, and I’m booking a Contiki tour to see more of Europe. That’s what’s going to happen, my friends. Stop planning, start making things happen.

PS. Happy September. I wish I was going to class next week to pick up my heart that I left at Ryerson University.

I find that the older I get, the less I care about what people think about me. Anyone else feel the same way? I wish this transformation started sooner because when I was younger, tripping in the hallway at school was actually the end of the world. Now it’s think what you want, say what you want, tell people what you want – doesn’t bother me much. It’s human nature to judge, to talk, to think we have the other person all figured out. Nine out of ten times, we’re probably off on a tangent. Things aren’t always what they appear to be but we’re all suckers for gossip, so that’s the crappy part. If you can walk away from gossip, raise your hand. You deserve a star. On the flip side though, if we’re all comfortable and confident enough in our own skin, we can keep doing our thing even with the whole world laughing. Kind of like the story of Noah’s Ark (lol). You know yourself better than anyone else and you please who you want to please and that’s that. Happily ever after.

Ah, and here is one of my Venetian masks from Venice, Italy. I bought two while I was there. The other one will be unveiled in the next little while. They’re so beautiful; I wish I had a masquerade party to go to. Anyway, I got SIX mosquito bites in fifteen minutes while shooting this in the woods by my house. Mosquitos dig my blood. Maybe vampires do, too. Perhaps Edward Cullen from Twilight would like my blood more than Bella’s. Just maybe.

Congratulations to this superstar for getting a big fat raise today. You deserve it, love. I’m thrilled for you. Twice baked potato at the Keg is on you!

Man, does it feel GOOD to be powered by WordPress. I have been so resistant to change with web design. I’ve loved Notepad since I was 13 when I first learned how to make html-based websites. I never progressed from Notepad. Notepad was the one. CharlenePrecious.com is an entirely html-based site built with Notepad (I’ve disabled all site navigation except for the blog because I’m working on a revamp.) But honestly, it’s a royal pain in the butt and enough is enough! I committed to moving on and tackling WordPress. Everything is practically automated. Super low on stress and hassle once you’ve configured and customized everything. BUT. And this is a big but. Until you’ve configured and customized everything exactly to the way you want it, it’s still a pain in the butt. Not easy especially when you’re very particular about how you want your site to look and work. I know I am. Anyway, what matters is that it’s here. A Photo A Day is an official photo journal. You can read all about it here. I am so excited! Welcome, welcome!

I think I’ve read in an HR textbook back in school that recognition is one of the greatest motivators in the workplace. I concur. I think that without it, there’s a disconnect. It’s really quite amazing how one genuine praise, a genuine “great job!” (key word is *genuine*) can change your entire day, week, month, year. Sometimes it’s nevermind the money, nevermind the job, nevermind the work environment. Sometimes it’s just wanting to be recognized for your hard work and efforts and feel appreciated. Abraham Maslow did say that we have a hierarchy of emotional needs to fulfill – this is totally one of them! I think we all want a little attention that cold, hard cash can’t provide. But then again, I can’t speak for everyone. When I become a bosslady one day, I will condition myself to be extra sensitive to recognizing, acknowledging, praising, rewarding, and appreciating my team (when it is deserved of course).

Where is this coming from? My wonderful boss who said very nice things as I was leaving the office today. I’m fueled and ready to take on the world today more than yesterday.