The Yam children's Christmas dinner party was a hit! Haha... it was great to have the four of us take over the kitchen, and everything turned out great!

It was great to get together as a(n extended) family again to spend time with one another... and I certainly got to feed my mah-jongg craving this Christmas too! Haha... I guess the weird genes of the Yam family most likely come from my mom's side, which makes it technically a "Choi" thing... we had a lot of fun until 2.30 am playing 4 rounds of mah-jongg while listening to our parents sing karaoke and dance (ballroom =p) in the small living room... haha... it's so funny. =p

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

Merry Christmas!

It's been quite a hectic Christmas holiday especially given my limited number of free days this year, and having to take care of various things for work...

I finally got to take a breather at a weird time today: waiting for the rest of my party to arrive at the restaurant for our occasional "cousins' get-together". It was finally a time where I could just sit, reflect, and praise Him for his unceasing strength, blessings, grace, and love, and especially for his ultimate sacrifice that frees us from the consequence of sinfulness...

Christmas service at church tonight was quite unexpected -- I knew there was a big production going on but I didn't expect an orchestra in addition to the mass choir... it was all pretty cool, and quite amazing. It's an awesome feeling to praise together in a large setting... I'm definitely looking forward to it at Urbana. =)

This year has also been really nice just to hang out with my family. That's the beauty of having 3 siblings... we can play mahjongg or Scrabble together without having to find extra people... or in the spirit of the Yam family, we can just be weird together. [We come home from bubble tea tonight at 12.30 and our dad just finished making some fish soup.] Haha... it's great. =)

Merry Christmas everyone. =)

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
-- Isaiah 9:6

Ah... the annual Christmas "booking" game. I've switched from Excel to Palm Desktop software this year, haha.

This is also the first year that I have to find time after work to meet up with people who are back in town, not to mention consider how busy work is in the next week and a half... and it has been doubly difficult because time is even more limited since I'm leaving for Urbana on the 26th and I'm gone until the 3rd...

Crazy!

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

Oh Toronto...



I haven't gone skating at Nathan Phillips Square since high school... and there were surprisingly relatively few people there tonight! Coupled with the warmer than seasonal weather, it was a beautiful night! =)

On an aside, I was just randomly thinking today... technology has definitely brought the world closer together... communications are so much easier to keep in touch with people whom we've lost touch... but the most significant medium is neither email nor instant messaging, but rather, Google. =p

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

So, now that CFA level 1 is over... what next?

Talks of CA.CBV are in the air... are there any takers?? But it's all a result of my upbringing: you can never have enough education. =p

Haha... although, it *is* nice to take it easy again now, not having to study after work. SO... maybe I'll find some time to have some "parties"... sophisticated ones only, of course. =p

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

No time! No time! Can't believe there is only like... 2 weeks until Christmas! I have so much work to do before that... and I just kind of started another client today too...

Haha, as a result of last week's machine hours, I think I've readjusted my sleeping schedule to 2am... although, I'm not completely sure whether I had shifted it earlier than 2am for real anyway... =p

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

All finished! Haha, we'll see how it goes... results come out early February or something like that. I've been so disorganized with the CFA -- didn't meticulously look over the examination ticket and instructions, leisurely walked to the centre prior to the exam, didn't have my ziploc bag to hold my personal belongings... and if it weren't for Jonathan, I may not have had brought my calculator into the exam centre. =p

SO thankful this week is finally done with -- it was crazy at work, and I was trying to put in as many hours as possible studying -- "machine hours" are a lot harder at work when there is no real downtime to take power naps, but praise God for carrying me through it!

After the exam, we spent the rest of the day winding down watching the Leafs game (probably the first game that I've watched (almost) in its entirety), and playing an intense game of Scrabble over James Bond "Die Another Day". It was just nice to relax... at least for now before I have to catch up on a lot of work that I've backlogged from two weeks ago...

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

Ah!!! NEED TO STUDY!!!

CFA exam is on Saturday... doesn't help that this week is a busy one at work!!!

This week has been going back to university "machine hours"... which I have been sustaining somehow all by His strength...

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

"Praise God praise God praise God!"

and "Thank you thank you thank you" for the many congratulations that I've received today! [To me, it is still "today" because I have not yet slept. =p]

I found out that I passed the UFE (Uniform Evaluation) today, marking the passing of the last major hurdle in the path to becoming a Chartered Accountant... but anyway, I guess it was still a "not a big deal" type of day for me because (as I have written below,) I think I moved onto my "next stage in life" after coming back to Toronto. However, it was nice to get a day off of work and get woken up shortly after 12pm to a number of congratulatory phone calls. =)

But as usual, upon looking back, I am evergrateful for the very much support that I've received from all ends over these years, and am in awe when recognizing all these good gifts that come from Him, the Father of lights.

Especially regarding personal achievements, it remains a struggle to imitate Christ's humility, to
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. -- Philippians 2:3-4

Work has been busy enough so far, but not as bad as it could be -- still expecting much worse to come. =p But having to study on top of working is slightly more tiring than "usual"... so I guess that's why I haven't had too much time to reflect lately... well, really, it's my own fault for misprioritizing...

Some thoughts regarding "life back at home":

It hit me a few weeks ago that I am finally *here*. I have done *it*, achieved *it*.

What, exactly?

The concept of education, in which my parents submerged me at a very young age, and constantly throughout my upbringing: "If you don't get a good education, you won't get a good job!" Despite these constant reminders, my parents were great in that they never put any pressure on me... and it turned out well for me because I guess I possess the necessary discipline for self-directed learning in an environment with *very* much freedom.

So starting with elementary school, I took to their challenge and strove for excellence in academics (while staying well-rounded with multiple extra-curricular activities, of course =p). Come to think of it though, I guess I internalized this challenge very early on -- I don't really recall my parents having to really sit down with me to do homework or anything... And despite a little rut in middle school (the worst two years of my life at J.B. TYRRELL, =p ) I continued to develop this concept, and sought to strive for excellence in all that I did.

I thought it was pretty funny that, during university, my mom would call me every so often and constantly tell me to sleep more, go out more, go find a boyfriend... [haha =p] because I shouldn't study *too* much. Regardless though, the reality of now having graduated from university suddenly set in on that day, and having been blessed with a good job upon graduation, I realized that I am *here*.

Wow. What now? *This* is it? [Not that it didn't feel good -- as from my previous entries, I *am* looking forward to working and just life in general as an "adult." =p] But I guess it's normal to experience "graduation syndrome", and that's how it hit me... finally achieving what I have been striving for, for approximately 20 years...

It's exciting. =)

As much as I liked university, I am very excited to work, build new relationships, try to balance life, find spirituality in the bustling city... it's very exciting. And something to really embrace... =)

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

[Not really a blog of substance... =p]

When I was in elementary school, beginning to learn English and the *ways* of Canadians, I always thought it was funny how sportsplayers only had their last name on their back as an identifier -- funny because the names sounded so natural and normal... so good thing no Chinese people played professional sports (back then) because then, it would sound so weird! "Lau passes it to Kiang..." No, doesn't really work. =p

But now, after all these years, "Yam" (by itself) actually sounds *normal*... who would have known... =p

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

GO.... YAM!! =)




Haha... yes, that is my sister, Karen Yam!

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

Last Saturday, October 25th marked the eighty-seventh convocation for the conferment of degrees at the University of Waterloo. Like all other convocations, the ceremony was long and monotonous, except for the occasional holler and cheer by appreciating fans.

However, this convocation was unique because it conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws honoris causa to Ms. Pamela Wallin. We then had the privilege to receive Pamela Wallins' address to the Convocation, which, as a broadcaster and journalist by trade, was *much* more engaging than any other Convocation address that I've heard before.

Her message wasn't really original -- by now, even before graduation, we would have already heard x number of generic "charges to anyone enterring society," and indeed, the Convocation started with a [very drawn-out and slow] message by the Chancellor (Mike Lazaridis, Founder, President and Co-CEO of RIM) about the virtues of integrity. [It was like he had just woken up. =p]

But at least, Pamela Wallin's address was engaging, unlike many other convocation addresses... I was going to try and remember what she said, but here is only a brief summary -- i can't remember exactly. =p

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Generally, with graduation comes freedom, and with freedom comes the burden of choice -- indeed graduates will be faced with many more choices, and in making those choices, the following are good guidelines to form a framework for decision-making:

1. Be a realist. "An optimist looks to the long run as what is important. A cynic thinks the long-run is irrelevant. A realist believes that what happens in the past determines the long run, and that you can choose what that long run will be like."

2. Character trumps knowledge -- how you treat people speaks louder than how smart you are.

3. "Be stupid." -- meaning, be open-minded. Allow room for other concepts or opinions or ways that are different from yours, and learn from them.

4. Success is how you adapt to your circumstances. Especially given our rapidly changing times, one must constantly reinvent oneself, so a successful person will be able to move along th environment.

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Anyway, again, these aren't really revolutionary concepts, but it *was* nice to hear them from a dynamic speaker.

On an unrelated topic, I hope this blog will change the Google ads off of the "relationship problems" topic, e.g., "Save the marriage!" "Relationship saver" "Stop divorce now". Really, the blog was only about clicking... =p

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

O Canada...

It's kind of funny that when autumn rolls around, I often hear talk (usually about endeavours of Chinese parents) about [fung yip tun / feng ye tuan] -- roughly translated into: leaf tours. My parents actually went on one for the first time this year, taking a bus to Muskoka for the sole purpose of viewing leaves. Upon their return, my mom likened it to driving on the DVP...

Personally, I think the best leaves are on the Bayview Extension. =p

On an unrelated topic, pursuant to my friend Ina's blog re: "clicking", I would like to post this response:

I believe in clicking. =) This does not mean that I do not believe in the commitment and follow-through part though -- on the contrary, I believe that "agape" love is the only love that a relationship *should* exhibit. So to decipher through the different thoughts, I think this is an issue of a normative theory vs. a positive theory, where a positive theory outlines an empirical, practical viewpoint of what actually *happens*, whereas a normative theory outlines how a relationship *ought to* operate.

Starting with the normative theory, I believe that God created love as defined by himself -- unconditional, selfless, sacrificial -- He chose to love us first. Similarly, in a relationship, I think it *should* also be a rational choice to love the other party-- a choice that is not deterred by irrational emotions or circumstances. So can arranged marriages work? I think they can, as long as the parties fully commit to their relationship and work on it.

Onto to the "positive" side, I think that society has perhaps "watered down" love to be based more emotions, and I think it is true that in general, we are more non-committal than historical peoples. However, our society has given us the freedom to choose whoever we would like to "test" as a potential spouse, which can based on any number of factors or standards we choose. So to assist our choice, here is where I think "clicking" comes into play [yes, finally, my point. =p]

Clicking, to me, is simply a preliminary gauge of compatibility, the initial attraction that draws people together. Although it is not necessary (see above re: arranged marriages), it is part of today's times. Definitely though, it is not an end-all... from the "clicking" part, will two people understand how they jive, and see what activities or things in general they can pursue together to really become part of one another's lives and find God's will for them together. Without the clicking part, I think it is difficult to find the ways in which two people can grow together.

In summary, I think clicking is an important start to two people's journey together -- a journey that involves a lot of exploration and searching -- so without a general level of compatability and similar interests, I think it is very, very difficult. Again, I reiterate that ultimately, the goal is to find "agape" love, as love is *supposed* to be. =)

Thoughts? Comments? May the floodgates be opened. =)

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

Finally went out to a client today -- it was fun. =) This is one of the aspects of being an auditor that I enjoy very much: being able to go outside (i.e., not get cooped up in an office all day) and talk to new people and learn about new businesses.

Get to sleep in too, because the client is in Markham... very nice. =)

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

So thus commences my "career" -- I've been back home for two weeks now, the first week going through training and this week doing "real" work.

As much as I am enjoying myself, (and I am!) I guess it is kind of surreal to think that I am achieving what I used to dream about in junior high and high school. Always part of the keen group, we planned our courses for all of high school going into grade nine... of course, there were annual adjustments, but that's just a fact of life -- you make your assessments and choices, and when new information comes, you incorporate them into your assessments: Bayes' theorem in Stats. [Haha... been studying for CFA.] I guess change was just something that I dealt with without really thinking about it.

As for work, it's been nice. =) It's exciting to try the challenges of balancing work with life -- the fun of meeting up with people lunch, or dinner or drinks after work, to be part of the rigourously-timed GO-train culture [hurry up! i've only got six minutes!] and enjoy whatever else in the remaining time [TSO!]. Perhaps I am still enchanted with working full-time... I'll reassess myself after busy season. [But then again, I always *have* been the workaholic, machine-type... =p]

I especially look forward to developing my skill set as a "senior": the first level of supervisory, I suppose. In any case, to me, it's cool understand the significance of this position not only for functional purposes (i.e., to complete an audit), but also in the development and growth of staff, where interpersonal relationships are of utmost importance, coupled with technical and soft skills development. It's exciting to build on my foundations that I learned being a leader in extra-curricular activities -- and not only that -- if CCF didn't have so many activities to necessitate strict time management, I think I would have much harder time now --> so yes, make sure you make use of school to also develop your soft skills too... !

In the end, the concepts of leadership, mentorship, teaching... and also of time management and organization... they are the same regardless of a corporate or a Christian context. Next... to see where I fit in the church...

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

I can't believe how tired I was -- slept for over 17 hours -- I haven't done that since third year, I think.

Anyway, again, my classmates and I just got back from a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas. Our ports of call were San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Martin, Netherlands-Antilles; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and Nassau, Bahamas.

San Juan is a quaint, historic city, and we took a walking tour around Old San Juan. The main interest points were La Fortelezza, which was originally constructed as a fort, but which is now used as the residence of the governor of Puerto Rico; and the Castille, which was the real fort which was constructed after La Fortelezza was found to be in a bad location for its purposes.

St. Martin / St. Maarten is a resort town -- very small, but has really nice beaches, so many high-end resorts are there. We went snorkelling here, and walked around the French side. St. Martin is interesting: half is owned by the Netherlands, half is owned by France.

St. Thomas is part of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and we mainly went snorkelling here... there were a LOT of fish! And since many tourists come here, the fish are not afraid of humans, and will swim up to us, so it was pretty cool to swim around schools of fish.

Nassau, Bahamas doesn't really need to be explained... high-end resort town, including the Atlantis Resort. We had the opportunity to visit Atlantis... it's huge and very nice! Very much like those big Las Vegas hotels, but with much better beaches, and an awesome water slide. Potential spot for our next vacation... =p

When we were not on shore, the cruise ship had a lot to do – the Explorer of the Seas has capacity for 3,114 passengers, and boasts an ice-skating rink and a rock-climbing wall. In the evenings, after the after-dinner entertainment, we were either people-watching in the Royal Promenade Café, dancing in the Chamber nightclub (when they weren't playing songs from the 70's =p), or in the Dizzy's nightclub, enjoying the Latin / Jazz band while watching people salsa / latin dance.

The average age on the Explorer would be the 40's… so the entertainment and music were mainly geared towards that age group, which made some things kind of boring. Good thing for Dizzy's nightclub, and ultimately, our companionship.

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

I'M BACK!

Cruise was awesome -- very good time with my classmates, and got a nice (controlled) tan.

More to come... very tired right now... =p

Until next time... tired...

PACKING IS SO [MAH FAAN]!!!

Very, very tired... there is way too much stuff in my room from moving back home... no time no time!

Haha... off on vacation with my classmates on a celebratory, post-UFE cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. Ina has a nice summary of our ports of call. =p Will be back in a week! =)

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

Waterloo, I bid thee farewell... and I guess yesterday was a good day as any to experience what will probably be the last of my "machine mode" days -- the days are so much more difficult in full-time... and the body does not get any younger. =p

I will miss Waterloo. The barbeque yesterday reminded me about the community of believers that is there... this community that has been a major source of my growth over the past five years... this fellowship that never ceases to amaze me by seeing how much God has blessed it abundantly -- the number of ministries and the size of the events that are prepared, all by students (!) who juggle many, many other things at the same time… and the act of serving and how rewarding it is when we surrender our lives in service – I just saw how much I have neglected this area in the past few months… This fellowship will likely be the most dynamic fellowship that I have been a part of... whose members enthusiastically seek to strive for spiritual maturity to become men and women of God, and whose members are among the most talented people I know...

I will miss it all. But back at home lay challenges that we are destined to encounter, and whatever we have learned in the comfort of that community, we are to apply it elsewhere and to teach it to others -- no gift is useful if it is not shared... and the difficulty level is augmented as we need to juggle full-time jobs (!!) with everything else. And as daunting these challenges appear, God does not give us more than we can handle – and if he has given much more than we think is manageable, it is humbling to know that he does that only because he is willing to entrust us with those things… and all we really need to do is demonstrate faith.

But Waterloo, I will be back every so often to re-experience a glimpse of this community… And location has never changed how much care about people…

So until next time, this is (still the same) Gladys Yam. =)