Category: bc pavilion

July 22 – U

On By randysanghaIn 2016, 365 days, 365 days of gratitude, 80s, 80s music, accounting, aging, appreciation, art, aunt, babysitting, back handed gratitude, bc pavilion, beauty queens, blue collar, bonds, Bootlegger, brother-in-law, brothers, bullies, burnett, canada, charlies angels, classroom, clone club, coaches, confidence, cousins, cyberworld, dad, daughter, David Bowie, delta kappa epsilon, Disney, doctor, education, elementary school, england, entertainment, ethnicity, europe, extended family, facebook, family, females, first impressions, football, former student, fraternity, freud, friendship, Gilligan's Island, golden years, grad date, grade 12, gratitude, gratitude blog, growth, gym, happiness, high school, Hilary Duff, hockey, hockey dad, I Dream of Jeannie, iggy azalea, india, Indian, indo-canadian, inlaws, inspiration, instagram, internet, landlord, learning, librarians, life, mariah carey, McDonald's, mcnair, mental health, mentors, Miss India, Miss Universe, mothers, mulder & scully, mumee, music, neighbour, new westminster, niece, nursing, orphan black, outside comfort zone, parenting, photography, plus sized, Pokemon Go, pop culture, Prince, professors, psychology, punjabi, Quebec, queensborough, reality tv, religion, renters, reviving ophelia, Richmond, richmond high, robert bateman, robin thicke, role model, rome, sarcoidosis, schizophrenia, secretary, senior citizens, separation, service providers, sesame street, sibling, Sikh, sister, sisters-in-law, son, soul mate, speech pathologist, sports, Star wars, steveston, strangers, student, student teacher, students, Survivor, tatiana maslany, tattoos, taxes, teacher, teaching, technology, teenagers, tenants, thanks, the truth is out there, therapy, Thompson, Thompson Twins, top model, trans, true to yourself, tyra banks, Uncategorized, uncle, Universite de Laval, Universite Laval, vancitybuzz, vanessa williams, walking dead, weight loss, westwind elementary, white boys, wife, witness, women, xfilesLeave a comment

363/365 – people to thank who have had an impact on me.  Wow, only 3 more gratitude posts left including this one!!  When I started this journey a year ago, I was a little nervous as to if I would have 365 people to thank.  I didn’t want it to come down to posts such as thanking my mailman for the flyers he delivers in that they were the ones that led me on to some awesome deal!! ; )  Early on in these posts, I started hearing from friends that so and so had made “the list”.  I didn’t understand what that was until I was told that it was my “gratitude list”.  That put some pressure on me to say the least as there was now a “list”.  I didn’t want it to be a list and I didn’t want it to be some type of contest.  Then I heard that some people mentioned they were in the 80s and others were in the 200s!  I do have to make it clear that I haven’t had an order as to who I thank and thus whatever number gratitude post it was has no relation to ranking.  Most posts are the night before or a couple of days before.  Yes, I saved my dad for his birthday as I did with my children for theirs, my mom was first because well she is my mom but save for them and the final two gratitude posts, no one had a day or a number.  The list by the end of Sunday is far from complete.  I could thank another 365 people who got me to where I am today and this is what today’s gratitude post is about – to all of the people I didn’t name and there are hundreds of you that have impacted me!  So many former students, co-workers past and present, family members, inlaws, bosses, professors, fellow students, random strangers, neighbours past and present, friends, backhanded gratitudees (bullies and the like), service providers, celebrities etc, etc – just so many people who have made me who I am and to all of you un-named in this past year, you are part of this gratitude journey just because you were not personally mentioned here doesn’t mean you weren’t recognized by me.  To all the new people that will come in to my life, thanking you in advance as some of you will change and influence me in new ways.  Thank you to all of you who came along with me on this 365 day journey as well.  Your encouragement and support has gotten me to this end point.

May 13 – Expo 86

On By randysanghaIn 2016, 365 days, 365 days of gratitude, 80s, appreciation, bc pavilion, bonds, confidence, ego boost, encouragement, expo 86, facebook, first impressions, gratitude, growth, happiness, inspiration, outside comfort zone, part time job, strangers, thanks, true to yourself, UncategorizedLeave a comment

293/365 – people to thank who have had an impact on me.  30 years ago, I got the job that changed me forever.  The job that got me out of my shell.  The job that gave me confidence.  The job that basically set me on the path to becoming who I am today.  Yes, I worked at McDonald’s and Bootlegger and A&A Records and yes, they brought out or refined qualities in me but the job that had the greatest impact was my work as a host for the BC Pavilion during Expo 86.  It was not the job itself entirely, although I learned all about British Columbia, but moreso the people that I worked with.  I had very little confidence but I managed to ace the interview and be the first host/hostess to be hired months before official interviews (long story).  I was a bundle of nerves when training started before the official opening in May of 1986.  Here I was with all these older people – most of them my fellow hosts/hostesses.  I was just 20 years old and knew I got myself into something way over my head.  I have written a gratitude post about Frank who got me out of my shell with his ingenious method of making me completely uncomfortable LOL.  However, there was also Ian who was this 6 foot 6 guy who had a cool car and would take me and Cindy for rides.  I remember drinking for the first time with hosts and hostesses and being at parties (okay maybe one or two of the many that the rest attended) – something the nerdy, geeky, overweight Randy of high school never did and was never invited to.  I remember staying at the residences for the host for a couple of weeks to bond and connect.  I remember hilarious Kim who would say things to me to see if she could get a reaction out of me – she did.  I remember very nice Rob who was kind and genuine towards me.  I remember supervisors both great (Rick and Lois) who gave me an indicator of what awesome leadership was and I remember supervisors not so great (no names mentioned he he) who showed me what just being powerful was – and that was not good.  I remember being surrounded by some of the most stunning males and females – great marketing EXPO 86 🙂  I remember some of the nicest hostesses like Jana, Susan, Maria and Tess who made me feel very comfortable in my own skin.  I also recall some wild characters who I shied away from like George, Marita, Jamie, Doug and Trish but secretly was in awe of because they were so very cool.  I remember working with the Southam press heiress and a guy who would go on to be on One Tree Hill and Mad Men. Yes, that was one of the best experiences of my life and I am so glad that I was host for the province of British Columbia – the best job to have had at EXPO 86 of the thousands that were available.  Yes, there were still mean/not so nice hosts and hostesses because my awkwardness still shone through and I was shunned by some but for all of you who accepted me (like Bina, Haneef, Ken, Lana, Jamie, Sandra, Karen, Coniah, Greg, Sergio, Blair, Windy, Jayni, Anne-Marie, Vicky, Stephanie and the many, many still unmentioned by name in this post – I’m sure I’m going to offend someone because I forgot them) and made me feel a part of that great experience, I thank you and I am glad that through Facebook, I have discovered many of you and rekindled or created new friendships as mature adults.  Something sure was Happening there for me!