Hurray! Akemi finally received her Canadian Permanent Residence Card. All it took was a lot of paperwork, a year and a half wait and, of course, the support of friends, family – and visitors to this blog who took the time to post comments on her behalf. Akemi prepared a little video thank you over on her blog: Common-law Visa. So, yes, thank you. It’s certainly a relief to not have to worry about my girlfriend being deported.
Now, Akemi looka forward to finding a job. She has decided to start with a part-time retail position as she works to improve her English. Given her past experience working at the Pierre Marcolini Cafe in Ginza, she’s looking for something in desserts, preferably chocolate. So far, however, she’s been disappointed with the response to the handful of resumes she has dropped off – or, more to the point, the lack thereof. Apparently, in Japan, a prospective employer gets back to you within 1-3 days of your leaving your resume, whether it’s to express interest or to say “Thanks but no thanks.”. I explained that, even though it may seem as if her resumes fell into a black hole, she should follow up. That’s what North Americans do. She has to learn to be annoyingly persistent.
Career advice time. You’ve all gotten to know Akemi on this blog. What kind of work do you think she’d best suited for?
Mailbag:
Secondlook Dan writes: “How does one sign up for this Gelato 101 class?”
Answer: The class was hugely popular and sold out within minutes of being announced. I’m not sure if James is planning another round, but you may want to ask the next time you’re in (1001 W Cordova St.) or check out Bella Gelateria’s twitter feed for the latest updates: James @bellagelateria
john writes: “I guess you hear this a lot but I’ve an idea for the continuation of stargate which would tie up lose ends…”
Answer: While I appreciate the enthusiasm, you’re better off trying to get one of your own, original ideas off the ground rather than attempting to come up with series ideas for a pre-existing property.
Jaqaril writes: “And I don’t want to sound arrogant or entitled, but I really hope you guys at least try it and get in contact with MGM.”
Answer: Well, as you pointed out, it’s clear that MGM is aware that a audience for Stargate is still out there. It’ll be interesting to see how the app does.
Joey Wayne Suggs writes: “Joseph could you please tell me without breaking any secret vows ( kind of kidding but not really ) lol could you please tell me why you make a specific reference to the number 3 in every episode of Stargate SG1 and SG atlantis.”
Answer: I’m not sure what you mean by specific references to the number 3. Could you give me some examples? At first, I assumed you were referring to the rule of 3 (The rule of three is a writing principle that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things. – Wikipedia) which I tend to adhere to because I find it rhythmically satisfying.
Karen writes: “How’s Bubba doing?”
Answer: Better! Just a few moments ago, he was back to his old self, barking at Sarah Jessica Parker when she appeared on t.v. Thanks for asking!
Today’s entry is dedicated to birthday gal PBMom.
I think Akemi should have her own catering business, she’d be great at it!
Glad Bubba’s feeling better!
Congratulations, Akemi!
Does this mean we can start making Canadian stereotypes about her, assuming she knows everything about hockey, fishing, and maple syrup?
And Happy Birthday, PBMom!
I realize those stereotypes aren’t clever at all, but there are three of them so it’s okay. And I put the third at the very end for the extra punchiness so it’s okay plus one. I love rules.
I thought Akemi already had a full-time job keeping you out of trouble. 😉
With her keen fashion sense, I’d say a boutique clothing store. Maybe one that specializes in aprons. Or Victoria’s Secret…but I AM mostly thinking of the perks for you with that one, Joey. 😉 With her ever-growing experience as your dinner date, I’d also suggest a specialty food shop, perhaps her choice of a chocolate shop, or perhaps a gourmet food shop. I would suggest a jewelry shop, too, but I have a feeling that may be a very bad idea. 😉 How’s about a classy shoe shop? If I recall correctly, it was her Midori shoes that first caught your eye. 😉
das
That’s great news!
I’m having a hard time thinking of job ideas, because it seems like Akemi is really good at a lot of different things. Maybe something that depends on someone who is bilingual in Japanese and English like a travel agency. That way she’s comfortable with working with customers, working on English, and multi-tasking, which she seems to be super-good at as well.
I could see Akemi working in a retail clothing store or pet boutiques, given her love of dressing up your pups!
Huzzah for Akemi! Best wishes for her job hunt.
I look forward to reading the gelato entry when I don’t have a gut bug. Kicking my … innards. Ugh.
Congratulations Akemi!
On the job, maybe a high-end doggy apparel shop? Perhaps even her own doggy overcoat line? She seems to have a knack for it…
Congratulations….truely a WOOO HOOO event!
Jobs/work…Initially – perhaps something in retail as Jorie and others suggested.
OR….something in the culinary arts – guick thought items would be gelato and macarons where both of you had a 101 session.
Catering/restauranteur – with you, Rob, and the other cooks in your circle.
The creations presented at your football sessions and even lazy day meals always look tempting.
Oh…and Carl Binder ….LOL…he will keep the menu choices from being “awful.” This might be a good idea since the demand for other things is greater and we would want Akemi’s business to be a success.
Akemi can do anything, but I think she should do something in the food industry. She can learn the business then Joe can buy a restaurant and we’ll help name it.
When she goes on an interview, just remember, no cursing, burping, biting nails, crying, vomiting or wearing flip flops. And if they ask “why do you want to work here?”, don’t say, this will do until I find something better or I’m desperate and no one else will hire me.
Now go out there and get ’em!
I see Akemi in Holt Renfrew type store or smaller high fashion store. Or giving cooking classes!
Bahahahaha… Agreed: @dasndanger
I thought Akemi already had a full-time job keeping you out of trouble.
She’d be a natural with clothing! She is so lovely and kind. But any job where she gets experience with talking more will help so I don’t think I’d limit it!
Joe will you be walking down memory lane with SGU too?
Thank you 🙂
Thanks for the birthday wishes here, on Twitter and Facebook. My father used to say I was the luck of the Irish and I thought it was a compliment until I had some Irish history lessons. He always did mean it well, but after that point, I asked him to stop saying that. It’s bad luck to make ironic comments about luck.
Finally got my computer with my new hard drive. My well-meaning husband plugged in the backup drive to restore our files, didn’t READ THE DIRECTIONS and wound up backing up our new computer which has nothing on it overwriting the files we need. Not a problem you say? Because the computer repair person should have given us our old hard drive back thatnhadn’t yet crashed and we can still get the data off it? True, if your husband ASKED for it back on Fridaynwhen he picked it up. All our sensitive financial information and passwords, etc. on there for anyone to take. Fingers crossed for us as he attempts to right his wrong and go to the shop to get the hard drive so we can, in fact, attempt this. If they haven’t thrown it in the dumpster. 11 years of data will be gone. And I will have exactly 3 weeks minus time out to care for Patrick, leave the office while Patrick tries to sleep, minus the time I am taking care of pets, minus the few hours I need to minimally function, to get every receipt from 2012 into Quicken so I can file my taxes on time. You can only file an extension to get the return in, but if you owe, they expect their money by April 15 or,least penalties and interest begin accruing. But how do you know unless you DO the return that you will owe or not? Silly governmental rules. I can grieve the loss of my American Idol pictures and such but this is a pressing, looming nightmare.
Job-hunting advice? Be your own boss! I cannot tell you how freeing that feels. Sure there is a lot of work that goes into the business, but if you have to manipulate your schedule to take care of something, you likely can. And do the thing, Akemi, that you love third-most because Joe and the dogs rank 1 and 2, perhaps reversing that order on some days. But since Joe’s job may take him to unexpected places, it might be best to do something you can promote on the Internet that can travel with you, like inventory.
However, if that is not something that can happen, the job tips–I had my job for 23 years at the same place before leaving to start watching dogs/cats, but in looking around at my friends, usually they get their foot in the door by being recommended by a friend who knows someone who knows someone. My husband got 2 good jobs that way.
Congratulations Akemi 🙂
Congrats Akemi! No jobs advice other than be persistent and patient.
I think this “Weird Al” Yankovic song is appropriate:
@PBMom: Oy. 🙁
Congratulations Akemi!
Yay for Bubba feeling better. Hope Jelly and Lulu are in top form too.
Job for Akemi: I agree in the food or clothing industry.
Huge congratulations to you both and the best of luck to Akemi!
Congratulations Akemi!
Congratulations Akemi! Nice to have everything finalised 🙂
I think she could do anything! It takes guts and determination to move from Japan to Canada – starting a new life and a NEW language! I admire her spirit and patience!
Job wise, yeah, working with animals or in the food industry does seem like a good fit, although I wouldn’t rule out teaching in the long term. Akemi’s kindness, personality and patience would help to make her a great primary school teacher . 🙂
Great news Akemi! Congratulations!
Hurray for Akemi! Job advice is, stick with what you love, even if it takes you longer to get started. Sounds like the chocolate idea or something else food related is the best bet.
Has Akemi thought of starting her own business? She does such a great job with the doggie clothes, maybe she could start making them to sell. Or aprons. She loves aprons. Maybe she could start her own line of kitchen accessories – matching aprons, placemats, potholders and the like. Or pocketbooks and wallets made out of recycled clothing (like they do in India, making bags and such out of recycled saris). Maybe even incorporating origami into the design. I mean, that is if she’d find doing something like that fulfilling and enjoyable.
das
Yeah Akemi! Officially, welcome to Canada!
As for job ideas, with Akemi’s great attention to detail and her (from what we can tell on your blog) friendly/polite/humorous/fun personality, she definitely needs to work in a high-end, service-type industry (retail/catering/clothing design/etc). Or, if all else fails, remain Bubba’s personal assistant 🙂
@Akemi: best of luck with whatever you choose.
It seems to me that Japanese way of giving a reply to every applicant is the better way, and a more respectful way of doing it. It says your not just a small, almost useless cog in the very large machine.
I would understand it would be hard, perhaps impossible at times, during bad times when a small company is getting thousands of applicants. But when it’s just a few, ten, fifty, it seems like it’s not such a big deal that it couldn’t be done.
These days it could be done via email for almost everyone, it wouldn’t require someone on the phone for two days.
I wish Akemi lots of luck with finding a job.
PS, Joe, did you see the laws on common law marriage has changed in BC? Now, ‘what’s his is half hers’ doesn’t just apply to the officially married.
I vote for something in the food industry. Akemi not only is a great cook, but everything she does looks beautiful. I remember all the bento boxes you did for you Joe. I do agree with others though that keeping Joe out of trouble would be a full time job by itself. PBMom, good luck with your computer. I too have learned the hardway to not let my husband near my computer. I swear that he just looks at them and they break. Hope you get your hard drive back intact and taxes done soon. We won’t talk about when taxes get done in our house, but it would make you feel better.
That’s great news!
As for a job, with a smile like hers I reckon Akemi would be an asset anywhere. On a practical note, what about helping out in a pet rescue centre? It might not be paid work to start with, but the experience would look good on her C.V.
Or…maybe she could enroll in a business course. I think she could do well being a caterer for kids parties.
Congratulations to Akemi. It’s been a long road, and it’s great to hear that she got a happy ending.
Congrats to Akemi.
And dasndangers suggestion is pretty good, outside of the Cafe/restaurant work, self employed work sounds like a good idea.
Certainly there are plenty of places like Ebay for example that would cater to someone designing and making their own stuff to sell on.
@ Mike – RE: Common law. Don’t tell Joe horrible things like that – he’s apt to run off to the Himalayas to become a monk, or something. 😉
das
I second the persistence advice. When I was applying at DB, I applied 6 times and did two stages
I just happened across this and wondered if you have seen this. Someone setup a Stargate: Atlantis theater room in their house. Check out the images from the article. This appeared in Elctronic House magazine.
http://tinyurl.com/cqfb2x5
Some employers do call and inform you if you didn’t get the job. It may take a while to get back to you and if they don’t, you can call. Don’t give up hope Akemi! Something will click when you see/read about it.
We went to visit a state college about 3 hours from here. It seems like a good school. Should my kid try for a big name college we might be able to afford or go in State and not break the bank? Both colleges are ranked well for the field he wants to study but the bigger name college might open doors when he graduates. Any opinions?
Congrats to Akemi too!
Tam: If the programs are equivalent, don’t break the bank.
😳 I meant a bigger name college we might NOT be able to afford without going into debt. His ACT score is good, so we can count on some scholarship money but not a full ride.
Congrats Akemi
Elminster
Congratulations, Akemi! Good luck finding the perfect job. I vote for the internet-based business that you can take with you wherever you go.
Joe, you may now exhale. 🙂
Congratulations Akemi ! 🙂
Congratulations Akemi! I hope that you love the country you’ve chosen as much as I love the country that I was born into!
Work wise, you seem to love cooking and baking and you definitely love animals. I’m thinking that you would totally fit into the dog-grooming business… a nice little shop with a couple of tables and chairs where one could sit and wait with other customers while buying items that you have baked and brought in. As well, you could get into the pet clothing business – I’ll bet Vancouver is ripe for something like that if it doesn’t have it already. But if there is such a place existing, yours would be different because the products you’d offer would be different. What other dog grooming place would offer coffee/tea (perhaps chocolate) and macarons for a break. You have your fingers in many culinary “pies” and have such an imagination that I really could see you running an outstanding establishment.
Best of luck to you!
Congratulations Akemi! You are a brand new Canuck! Starbucks contracts with women to supply their baked goods; Akemi can sign up to be a Starbucks supplier:
http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/diversity/suppliers
Congrats Akemi
Happy Birthday Mam
Hi Joseph thanks for taking the time to reply to my question what I was referring to is the fact that in every episode of Stargate SG1 and Atlantis in every single episode one of the cast say,s you have 3 days or 3 minutes or on a laptop it will display the number 3 I guess it could possibly be the rule of three since every episode of the Star Trek incarnations they do the same thing as well.
Again thank you for taking the time to respond
Hi Akemi,
Go to canva.com/ it’s an Aussie company that makes awesome do it yourself graphic design posters etc. I has a brilliant Resume section. — cheers