The day that never ends

After spending nearly the past 6 months in SE asia…again I find myself trapped in a time capsule sending me back in time. Of course I am referring to the plane that sends me across the international dateline.  And what would this trip be without a bit of adventure and reflection.

Fresh on my mind I thought nothing better than to sum up the adventure of my work experience since I departed Canada in January. Reviewing my tally’s I completed work for:

•        2 tv commercials
•        5 magazines
•        2 billboards
•        more fashion shows than I could imagine have ever doing around 8
•        1 advertising campaign
•        6 ultra luxury events
•        5 lookbooks

There is possibly more but that’s about as far as my memory serves me with this regard. It’s been a relatively productive experience, but as that goes I have also managed to grow more as a person.

Last year around the same time (possibly a week later), I wrote a post called, reason, season and lifetime. (Reason Season Lifetime Post)This was related to an outstanding email I received from a past client. To prevent blatant repition I thought best to just some it up before continuing to my next point. 

People are introduced to your life in many ways, each person serves a purpose in some respect or another. For some the role is small, and others it grows to serve a larger impact in your personal development.  Without placing people into specific boxes you naturally discover where someone sits in that scale of reason, season and lifetime.  Using my past adventures as examples I thought I may enlighten you:

Photobomb Success

The reason: The easiest example for this would be a client on a job. Maybe a photographer or stylist, While sometimes you get along great and others its an oil and water separation you work together for the purpose of completing a job.

A season: I will continue with a model example again. A seasonal influence on your life is frequently a roommate or classmate, maybe someone that you work on a project with. For the month, 2 months or an extended amount of time, you help each other out. However, at the end of that period, lets say a modelling contract, you essentially stop communicating. The relationship provided what it needed during the season, but no longer is something that has extended influence. I find many of the people I meet slide into this category whether it was university, modelling or otherwise.

Lastly, a lifetime. As you travel about your daily life or around the world there are people you connect with on a deeper level. These people, make extended efforts to maintain a line of friendship and you do the same. Sometimes its that gym rat buddy from university, a roommate from travels abroad or even just a happenchance encounter that blossomed into something more than a passing of shoulders. These are my favourite obviously, at the same time they are also rare. 

As I go back and read this I can name specific people who each sat into a particular category I mentioned above. While some influenced me more than others each person is very important in my life and I thank them for it. My travels have extended my friendships far beyond the reaches of Canada’s vast boarders and interestingly enough introduced me to some amazing people on my global doorstep.

Oops, almost forgot about the adventure of the day. The genius I am booked a 7 am flight out of Singapore to come home. Silly and smart at the same time, I realized that by pulling an all nighter with a friend and a few coconuts would help me crush 8 hours of the 20 something of travel time.

In standard fashion I arrived 2 hours early for my international flight. Upon boarding we sat waiting on the plane for an additional 3 hours while one of the doors was not closing properly. Eventually we were all deplaned. The good news is, the plane was safe to fly, the bad news was the door would be inoperable and safety standards stated that rows 18-38 needed to board a different plane. Guess who had lucky seat number 34C.

As luck would have it I missed my connection towards SFO almost instantly, so I felt no pressure to get anywhere ultra quickly. I obviously wanted to get home, but the few empty seats I would rather surrender to someone on business or travelling with children, and that I did.  Alternatively, I was rebooked for a 12:45 flight to Hong Kong, then through Vancouver and finally making it back to cowtown. The downside I wouldn’t be flying on United’s old school fleet. Gosh darn it.

I seriously have to commend all the customer service and everyone from United, Cathay and Air Canada for their efforts. This messed up door created quite the shit storm, and while some passengers reacted poorly, these staff managed to stay calm and get shit done.

Unfortunately with all that commotion, my bag is sitting somewhere. As of this exact moment, I have no clue, and neither do the airlines. But they are seriously working hard on it and I have great appreciation for that. Lost baggage claim is all ready, and despite it originating with United’s issues all the 3 airlines have put in a diligent effort to find it for me.

I am a lucky person to be honest. My flight is taking back home, where I have most my clothes so a few days without that suitcase isn’t going to hurt me (unless I want to play squash) and despite a large delay, I am only arriving home 5 hours later than originally scheduled while following a vastly different route.

I am always listening to music as I write my blogs, one of the few times I listen to music (its usually audiobooks and podcasts). As I pitter patter across the keys I can see fingers rattling off the ivory keys to the tune of Mozart (concerto of two pianos and orchestra in e flat).