I GOT INTO LAW SCHOOL!!!

The title isn't wrong. Its TRUE! I got into law school! My little sister called me yesterday afternoon and told me I had an important letter from the University of Saskatchewan College of Law. She opened and read it to me. When I heard her read out, "Congratulations, you have been accepted..." I nearly fainted. Then I remember jumping up and down, hugging my aunt, while giving high fives to my cousins. Oh yeah, i think i yelled... "fuck the little people" a few times too (Just for clarification, i'm refering to Eastview when I say "fuck the little people").

No one is more surprised than I am. My LSAT score was dismal. I'm guessing my average was the saving grace of my application. Luckily for me, not every school weights the LSAT the same. I know for instance, U of Vic only attributes 30% of the overall weighting to your LSAT, while your university GPA makes up the rest. I'm interested to hear from U of Vic but i'm not getting my hopes up. I'm not gonna push my luck.

In case you were wondering about the type of standards U of S has in comparison to other law schools here's some quick facts for you. U of S only accepts roughly 10% of its applicants, which basically means you have a 90% chance of not getting in. The average LSAT scores of their applicants is roughly 158. Most law school hopefuls know that if you score a 160, you'll prolly get in to most of the law schools you've applied too. U of Vic (which is always ranked one of the top law schools in Canada) has a average lsat score of 160 amongst its acceptees. So what's the difference between a score of 158 and 160... roughly three questions on the actual LSAT. You'll be required to answer up a 140 questions when you are writing the actual test. So, they won't let just anyone in... unless your name happens to be Terrence Ma...*Pimp*

So what does this mean? Am I coming home?

Nope. I'm seeing this through till the bloody end. I promised my grandmother and i promised myself I wouldn't half ass this second chance. I don't intend too. I'm going to study my ass off, write this test, and wait for U of T to accept me too.

The Perplexities of Mass Transit

Here's a synopsis of my first week in BC. I got to learn the intricacies of Vancouver's mass transportation system the hard way. I figured my aunt would know the bus routes and would be able to explain to me which one's i would need to take once i got to Richmond. I was in for a big surprise. Apparently, she rarely leaves Richmond. However, she did point out that i could take the 480 bus straight to UBC. If only it were as simple as that. I found out very quickly that 480 bus only runs from monday to friday and not on weekends. Which means that when i have my weekend diagnostics tests i need to find some other way of getting there... which my aunt has no idea of how to actually get there. On top of that, the 480 bus makes it last stop at the UBC around 9:40 pm and my class goes straight to 10:00 pm, and sometimes a little late. I also have to find an alternate way of getting back. After a few fiasco and a very long and unintentional trip to downtown vancouver, on my first solo experience with the bus system, i think i got everything figured out.

Tues and Thurs: I take the bus 480: UBC around 4:00-4:15 pm and i'll arrive at the UBC roughly around 5:00 pm (its usually sit around and finish up some last minutes questions). The instructor arrives early and 5:30 and goes over questions from last classes homework. This part is not required but he's there if you want to review the homework, so, i like to take full advantage of it. Class continues to 10:00 pm.

I catch the 99 B-Line bus headed for Broadway Station and get off @ West Broadway and Granville. Then transfer and catch 98 B Line bus headed for Richmond Center and i get off @ No 3 rd and Westminister Hwy. Then I walk down the block to my aunt's place on Buswell St.

Weekends: On weekends its different. I take the 98 B Line: Burrard Station @ rought 8:30 am and get off at 41st and Granville. Then I transfer to Bus 41: UBC or Bus 43 UBC, whichever comes first. I arrive at UBC @ roughly 9:25 am and my diagnostic tests start at 10:00 am.

After the test, which usually goes till 1:30, I catch Bus 41: Joecyln and get off at 41st and Granville which i then transfer to 98 B-Line Richmond Center.

Oh yeah, not all bus drivers are nice... most are, but the ones that are dicks...well, are REALLY dicks. Oh, and one last thing, not all bus drivers know where their going... how do u think i ended up in downtown?!

Anyways, I finally feel comfortable with the transit system. Just yesterday I found the MEC store by myself using the bus system and today i headed downtown (on purpose) and even used the sky train... stay tuned for more updates

Message from Vancouver

So I've been in Vacouver for roughly three days. In those three days, i've have done my best to take mental notes on the social peculiarities of living in Vancouver or more accurately, living in Richmond. For those of you that don't know, Richmond, is basically a pseudo-suburb of Vancouver. I've personally dubbed Richmond, New Hong Kong. I still find it a bit awkward here even though I know i'm part the the ethnic majority . It's pretty hit-and-miss here when you ask for directions. Most people know english... at least the younger people do. However if you ask directions of a random asian person over the age of ...say... 25, you have a 50/50 chance of finding someone that actually speaks english fluently. I know what your thinking, just ask a white person for directions. There's risk in that too cuz most of them don't live in that area, they just come down for the chinese food, so they can't help you either. Thus, knowing cantonese becomes a big strategic advantage, one that I won't enjoy since my cantonese is terrible.

The great thing about Richmond is that everyone here is pretty short and skinny. Based on my personal observations, the average height seems to roughly 5'6-5'7, and clocking in at roughly 150. When your 5'10 and weight 195... your practically a giant in Richmond. If AJ were here he'd probably would be mistaken for a Yeti.

This entry is getting big, i'll report more later...

ps... vancouvers been fun so far... but it still isn't home.

Shove it, Gradworks!

So I walk into work on Tuesday morning... late as usual and I sneak into my office.

One of my fellow colleagues walks up to me and says the dreaded phrase, "the boss wants to see you"

Then I think i peed a little...

Anyways, I go into Kelly's (my boss) office. She says that she has bad news. Apparently, HR called her yesterday and stated that gradworks would not extend my contract. So, basically, if I need time off to write my LSAT, i would have to quit. Then she called them "stupid" which is her usual closer when you give my boss bad news like that.

She had already told me to book my flight to Vancouver last week plus I had already paid for the LSAT course I'd be taking there. Here's the exact thought that went through my head,"...shit...".

Yeah, i was pretty choked. Then she told me not to worry cuz she after her meeting with HR she had a little discussion with Lana. The "General Manager". If you are unfamiliar with SaskTel heirarchy, there's only two positions higher than her.... Vice president, and the CEO.

So here's the dilly, Kelly does some fancy juggling with her budget so she could keep me on her staff as a temporary manager. She calls, Lana, sells her on the idea of keeping me on! So, when i return on June 13th I will dumping gradworks and officially returning home under the flag of SaskTel management. Can anyone say pay raise!

Best boss ever.