Back in a Mo!

Photo Credit

Around about this time of year, I always drop this word, "hiatus". It's the holiday season, you see, and even bloggers need their holidays.

In the last 4 Decembers since I started this blog, I've always had to study for final exams or travel through Europe so my hiatus always came early, around mid-November onwards.

This year, I didn't have any more exams left since I finished my studies. And so I stayed a while longer blogging, but I would still like to take some time off.

I think a lot can be said about refreshing and re-energising one's soul. The holiday season with its festive mood does that for me.

Anyway, I hope to see you guys back in January. Have the very best of the holidays. After all, this moment...this interlude...now...is really the most wonderful time of the year.

What I Know For Sure...On Being an Accountant



I've always professed that being an accountant was never my idea in the first place. I've got a long love-hate relationship with accounting. And to tell the truth, it really would not have been my career choice. It was my mother's.

But somehow fate seems determined to prove me wrong. I had a real knack at mathematics and debits and credits...and my destiny seemed sealed.

Fast forward to a few years later, I finished my accounting degree and was working in the accounting field. And although it had been a profitable union between accounting and me, I still insisted that it wasn't my passion.

Another few years, when the subject of further studies came up, I decided to pursue management accounting. Not totally convinced that it was what I wanted, but acknowledged that if I do eventually get certified, it would impact a lot in terms of my career and salary.

Well, I am proud to announce that a few weeks ago, I am confirmed to have received my Canadian CPA accreditation.

I've reached the top. Or rather, my top, my mountain of mountains, my leap and bound. It really has been an extremely long road.

I dedicate this achievement to my mom, who always believed I could do it, who knew this was the best for me even if I couldn't see it then. I was really good at understanding accounting concepts. I used to say that it was because my mom was an accountant as if accounting was some kind of genetic disease that could be passed down to generations.  I never really thought that there was likely a better reason why I did so well at it. It might have been a secret passion that was so secret, even to me.

Maybe because I was such a rebellious daughter then that I always equated becoming an accountant by heart would truly turn me out to be my mother's daughter after all.

I don't now. I've realised that accounting had become one of a few real connections I had with my mother.

Somehow I don't quite believe myself nowadays when I say that accounting was just an alternative career for me, something I did for my mother. After all, I've worked so hard to get to the top. If I didn't really want it badly enough, what the hell am I doing here?

Accounting has become more than a profession and a passion. It's become a way of life. My life.

Summer Getaway - the Macarons

 After sampling some on the old streets of Quebec City, we made the resolve to bring back some macarons. With all the sights and scenes we tried to cram into the week-long summer getaway, we gave very little time to look for the right spot to get our macarons from.

Luckily for Google Maps, it pointed us to Point G. Point G is a little shop on a busy main street in Montreal. It is unassuming but once you see images of giant macarons on the shop's facade, it becomes increasingly hard to miss.

Point G from the outside

As we walked in, we were immediately overwhelmed by macarons. Macarons of all colours and taste were on display everywhere. Macarons, macarons....well, you get the idea. It's macaron heaven.

Although it was really hard to make choices, the box only held 10 macarons each, we managed to make away with 4 boxes.

Once we got home, we tried some right away. They looked great...and they tasted great! No regrets on buying them at a random shop suggested by a GPS and a lot of thanks to Google Map.

Imagine our recent delight to find out that Point G macarons are available in Mississauga. The hunt is definitely on!

Summer Getaway Day 7 - Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Looks so real, you can almost go through it

Today was the day. Well, actually....that day was THE day.

I had the city all to myself. In actual fact, I wanted to visit the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts but nobody wanted to come with me so it was meant to be a self-exploration day.

To prepare for my trip, I downloaded the bus routes for The city and got some tips from my sister-in-law, a local resident of Montreal.

I got to the museum on my own, with no hitch.

Instagram photo by jamie250196

The museum was inspiring to say the least. Getting surrounded by art masterpieces of great artists made me feel like creative juices were pumping into my heart.

Am I starting to look like Picasso more and more?

 

Some were odd, some were nice, some were weird, some were in symmetry....I really lost myself in that place. Of particular interest were paintings and busts of Napoleon and how the French Revolution came to be. I love depictions of the  past and I guess these art pieces were calling out to the history buff within me.

Napoleon portrait

Spent a great part of the afternoon at the museum until I felt it was time to go home. Rode the bus and did not miss my stop...which was a good thing since I probably wouldn't have been able to extricate myself from the French city if I had gotten lost indeed.

For more information about a visit to the museum, check their website out.

MMFA from across the street