Holidays are almost over...

(Edit: This was a pic from New Year's at my sister's friend Melina's house.)

Christmas is over. Not even any snow. Too bad, but I had lots of fun with my family and stuffing myself silly. This year the party was at my brother's condo. The first time we've had it outside of my mom's or aunt's house. It was actually at a "kid's" house. How weird. But funny cause we were all in a cramped condo just like the old days when all my aunts and uncles could only afford small apartments so we'd all cram in for the family parties. It so cool to see how life just keeps on revolving.. what's that saying.. "As the world turns, these are the days of our lives?" Wait a second, that's from a soap opera. Anyway, you get the idea. At the end of the night, all the adults went to my aunt's house and just the cousins stayed at my brother's to exchange gifts. Gerwyn and I also exchanged presents at that time which I was nervous about but it didn't seem too bad since we all kinda opened our gifts at the same time so everyone was distracted. HOWEVER, just as we all finished opening our gifts and the excitement died down, Gerwyn pulls out a small box from his pocket and says "one more!". Needless to say, the entire room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Then he says, "Relax everyone, I'm not getting down on one knee." WHEW! For a split nanosecond, my heart stopped. However, when everyone started breathing again, I opened the box and saw two beautiful diamond earrings. Nothing like a little bling to make the holidays extra special!!

Now its time to plan New Year's...

5 more days til Christmas...

Its almost here and I STILL haven't done my Christmas shopping. I remember when I was younger I was SO into the Christmas spirit, I don't know what it is but this year just doesn't feel like Christmas to me. I think I'm starting to get stressed about buying gifts instead of enjoying the things I love about the holiday like the decorations, the cookies, and the SNOW! Where is the snow??? How can we have a White Christmas without it?

Tonight is my turn for Wednesday dinner. I'm making an arugula and tomato salad, chicken parmesan with grilled peppers and polenta and a berry tart for dessert. I also have another dinner party tomorrow night so don't be surprised if you notice a few similar dinner menu items Saadia. Another great part about the holidays is getting together with all your friends and family, I love the parties!! (And of course I love the food!) If only work didn't get in the way, I could get so much more done with an extra 8 hours...

Speaking of which, I guess I should get back to work. I have my work Christmas party on Friday night and then brunch with Sally, Saad and my sister on Saturday followed by some last minute shopping before I head to Scarborough for family time. Can't wait!!

Edit: Here's a pic from my work Christmas Party (We played Deal or No Deal and I won $140!!)

Miami: Part 2

Just to finish up the trip to Miami, our last few days were spent taking Jackson shopping for new shoes and getting stuck for 4 hours on Alligator Alley with a flat tire. The tire actually EXPLODED so that we were left driving on the rim. It was pretty scary but we (gerwyn, Jackson and myself) were all ok. I just ended up with over 40 mosquito and ant bites but I guess that's what happens in swamp land. Can I blame them for being attracted to my sweet blood?
Our last day in Miami was sad, we had to say goodbye to Jackson who was leaving to spend some time with his dad. I was in the shower so I barely had time to wave to him as he was being carted off to his dad's car. I wonder if he misses his Auntie Dow Chicken? (Don't ask where the name came from, I was just happy he could remember me.)

Now its getting closer to Christmas and I still haven't done my shopping, barely started in fact. I go out at lunch every day to try to knock things off my list but I just can't seem to find the right thing. Maybe everyone will get socks this year???

Mel suggested I shop first thing on Saturday morning so that's what I'm going to do. Pick up my caramel macchiato and shop til I drop. Tonight I'm going to Milestone's with the ex LBLers, Ken, Connie, Janet and Courtney. Then I'm off to Hemingways to meet up with more LBLers after their Christmas party. Tomorrow is shopping and Christmas parties (Saadia, Susie and Janet) and then Sunday is Bruce and Harita's housewarming. Wow, its going to be a busy weekend, but I love it. Who can complain about going to parties with friends???! What a better way to spend your time I say. Especially when you have friends as good as mine. Especially Mel, Sally and Saadia, they are by far, the best... hee hee.

Back from Miami...

Gerwyn and I got back early Friday morning (3:00 am) and have finally caught up on our sleep from the trip. (We slept in two twin beds pushed together so we each took turns falling into the crack.) Now we're refreshed and I'm ready to blog!!

Our vacation was SOOO relaxing, the sun was out, the temperature was HOT and Gerwyn's nephew Jackson was SO CUTE! Every morning we were awoken by a little voice knocking on the door asking for his "Uncle G". It was the sweetest thing ever. Then he'd jump up on our beds and give us a big hug and kiss to wake us up. And as hard as we would try to get him to lie down with us for a little nap, he would somehow manage to drag us out of bed and next thing you know we're in the living room watching cartoons in front of the tv.

We arrived in Fort Lauderdale around 8:30 pm on thursday night and Gerwyn's sister Cheryl met us at the airport. Jackson was already asleep in the backseat so we didn't get to meet each other until the next day but I admired his long eyelashes during the 2 hour ride home. When we arrived at Cheryl's place, we had a little nighttime snack and then went to bed.

The next day we all piled into Cheryl's car and she took us for a little tour of her town Naples. Picture a quiet, lazy retirement town with a beach. Just the kind of place for a nice quiet, relaxing vacation. We stopped in downtown Naples for lunch (sushi with kiwi and mango, very interesting...) and took a walk up and down the main street. It was really beautiful and even better at night! The streets are all lit up with Christmas lights, perfect for an after dinner stroll. Anyway, after lunch we went to the outdoor mall. Seeing as how it was "Black Friday" we thought we'd find some good deals but then we forgot that we were in a town with a bunch of rich retirees. They don't need sales. So we just window shopped at Tiffany's, Cartier, Burberry and Gucci. That night we went out for dinner with Cheryl, Jackson and her boyfriend Chris. The restaurant had live music (well, a guy playing a bunch of instruments anyway) so I asked Gerwyn to dance with me. Unfortunately someone was feeling a little shy that night so instead I got Jackson on the dance floor with me and the two of us gave the entire restaurant a little show. It was so much fun. (I even managed to get Gerwyn to dance with me for about 3 whole seconds before he ran off...)

Day 2: Miami Day! Saturday Gerwyn and I were planning on renting a car and driving to Miami for the rest of the weekend. We had originally planned on getting a Kia or similar (it was in our price range) but luckily the car they gave us (a Dodge something or other) had alignment problems so what did we end up with? A convertible! Whoo hoo! We drove out of that car rental place very happy campers.
Then it was back to Cheryl's to pack and head out to Miami. We managed to get to Miami without getting too lost, it only took us 1.5 hours along the highway they call "Alligator Alley". Apparently its dangerous and there is only one gas station along the entire stretch of highway so they say make sure you fill up before you leave. Gerwyn got to know this highway very well, but more on that later.
Once we arrived in Miami, we checked into our hotel and got ready for our fancy dinner on Ocean Drive. We ended up at an outdoor patio of a place called Fox Cafe. It was very romantic and of course, Gerwyn asked everyone and their brother to take our picture.
After dinner, being the old people that we are, we changed into our comfy clothes and went for a walk along the boardwalk. It was a beautiful (yet windy) night and I wanted to go right out onto the beach but I think someone (and I won't mention any names) was a little scared (it was really dark out there.) so we stuck to the boardwalk and then eventually walked home.

Day 3: We woke up and enjoyed our "continental" breakfast after running out to feed our parking meter. (We got a ticket the night before for being only 5 minutes LATE! $18 later we learned our lesson.) Then we checked out of the hotel and went back to the beach to enjoy the great sunny weather. Gerwyn spent lots of time in the water while I baked on the beach. We saw a lot of interesting characters getting some sun and of course, someone made sure to get lots of pictures of them. (Yes, even the topless lady!!) Then we went for a drive to the outdoor mall called Bayside and enjoyed the sights after we ate a couple of big steaks at the Argentinian Fast Food place in the mall. On the way back, we got a little lost (couldn't find the highway) and got to see the "bad" part of town, it literally changed from one street corner to the next. Beautiful outdoor mall to rundown dirty street littered with mattresses and homeless people. I was nervous because we had the top down on the convertible and they looked like they wanted to approach us. We ended up getting stopped at a light and I was all panicky but Gerwyn just laughed at me. (Can you tell the romance is dead?) Finally made it back to Naples just in time to spend an evening with Jackson while Cheryl went out on her date. We took Jackson to McDonald's (like any good aunt and uncle would do) and then watched some cartoons before going to bed. Jackson didn't want to sleep alone so Gerwyn and I ended up in his King Size bed on either side of him. Every so often I'd feel a foot or some other tiny limb thrown on top of me while Jackson got comfortable. It was so sweet.

Day 4: Naples Day!
Today we started our day with Starbucks with Cheryl and then a trip to the Naples Beach where Gerwyn made us RUN (yes, I said RUN) for exercise. I finally had to stop before i passed out but gerwyn kept going and we met up halfway down the beach. It was good exercise while it lasted and made up for all the ice cream, pizza and chips we had ingested on the weekend. We got back to our car to find another parking ticket on our dashboard. Just as we're about to freak out, I notice its only a "Friendly Reminder" to pay for parking next time we come by. That's Naples for you, in Miami we get slapped with $20 for being 5 minutes late, in Naples, the ol' retirees only get "reminders". How nice.
Later that day, we picked up Jackson from daycare and took him to the local Farmer's Market where he and Gerwyn taste tested every fruit and vegetable they had. We ended up buying a big bag of tangerines and Gerwyn peeled about half of them in the parking lot while Jackson and I waited patiently with our mouths open.
That night we put up the Christmas tree and had pizza (yes, again) for dinner with a side of ice cream and chips. We were definitely on vacation.

Now I'm starting to get a little fuzzy on the rest of the week so I think I'll have to consult Gerwyn before writing again. Be back...

VACATION BABY!

Today Gerwyn and I are off to Miami!! Whoooo hoooo! We can't wait. He just emailed me now (its only 10:37 and we're not leaving the office until 12:30 but... "Don't bother emailing me, I'm officially shutting down my pc!!! I'll be in meetings until 12:30pm, call me on my cell if you need me. I'M ON VACATION BABY!!!") and it looks like someone is in vacation mode already.
Our flight leaves at 5:30 and lands at around 8:30. His sister Cheryl is going to pick us up at the airport, I'll be meeting her for the first time (and her son Jackson, I can't wait to squeeze him! I've yet to meet a baby I didn't want to squeeze!)

Hope y'all have a good week without me, I'll blog when I'm back...

A quick poll for the LADIES... (that doesn't include you Gerwyn!)

Scenario:
Your monthly "visitor" is soon approaching and you can feel the hormones coursing through your veins. You are completely on edge and VERY easily irritated. What's the WORST thing someone (especially a MAN) could say to you at this point???

Quiet Weekend...

This was the first weekend I had NO plans. Well, no major plans at least. (i.e. weddings or showers.) Friday night I went to Grant's birthday dinner at a restaurant called Politico (very romantic but not so much with 17 loud people). Then met up with Gerwyn around 10pm and we took a very looooong walk around the city. We walked from my place to Union Station and then to the Royal York Hotel. We stopped in each location to sit and admire the architecture. We were even thinking of hopping on the ferry and going to the Islands but after resting for about 20 minutes at the Royal York, we were too tired. My feet were throbbing (or "vibrating" as I like to say,) by the time we got home. But at least I didn't feel so full anymore.
Saturday was errand day. We had breakfast and then went to pick up my cousin's daughter Jessica to take her to piano lessons at the Royal Conservatory of Music. We were a bit late and my cousin Mad thought we wouldn't make it in time but Gerwyn being the "star" driver that he is, managed to make it with 5 minutes to spare. After Jessica's lesson, we dropped her off and then headed to the 'burbs (aka Thornhill) to go to the gym. But of course when we got to his place, Gerwyn was hungry and I was tired so he ate and I took a nice long nap. 3 hours later, we ended up at the gym for a very quick workout (we only had an hour until the place closed.)
Anyway, it was nice to have someone to work out with again, and he showed me how to use a lot of the equipment to do what I wanted. Personally I was just impressed that I could keep up with him on the elliptical. I only ended up burning about 30 calories less than him(because I went a bit slower) but I lasted the full 20 minutes. (Even after he kept raising my levels every 2 minutes!!)

After that I was STARVING so we went to all you can eat Sushi by his house which was SO GOOD (Sal, remind me to tell you where it was... they had 2 PAGES of choices!!) Gerwyn and I were both practically rolling out of that place by the time we were done. Then he drove me home to Scarborough where I got lectured by my mom and then spent the night.

Sunday morning I visited Grams and the kids again, played with Jessica and Michael and then took another nap at home. In the evening, I met Gerwyn for dinner at Amore at Yonge and Eg and then went back to my place where we were very surprised to find Hanna and her "friend" Lucas.... still trying to block that one out of my memory!!

All in all, a nice, quiet, relaxing weekend...

Time before the game....

Tonight we're using Ev's tickets to the Marlies game so I have to kill an hour and a half before the game. I don't have much to report because I already wrote about my weekend so perhaps I'll just share the conversation I had with Gerwyn this afternoon. I'll just report the facts and let the unbiased readers decide what to make of it...

We had originally made plans to go see a movie (Borat) and have dinner at Yonge and Eglinton. Later in the afternoon, Ev sent the email about the hockey tickets which I forwarded to Gerwyn to see if he wanted to go. He replied with an email to me asking what I thought. I replied back to him saying I was happy to stick to our original plan (afterall, I hadn't seen him in a few days and I was looking forward to a nice romantic date,) but if he wanted to see the game I would be ok with that. Then he calls me in the afternoon and the conversation went like this:
G - So did you want to go to the game?
D - I don't mind doing either, do you want to go to the game?
G - Well what do you want to do? I talked to Norm and he said he was going but I said I would ask you first.
D - Well, its up to you, if you want to go, let's go.
G - Ok, I told Norm we'd meet him at Gate 1 at 7pm.

Now ladies, does anyone notice anything strange about this conversation?? As I said before, I won't point it out, I'll just let the unbiased readers decide...

EDIT: And so ends our 100 days of bliss...

Saadia's BIG day!

Saturday, Gerwyn, Sally, Ev, Susie and I went to Saadia and Raju's wedding. It was extra special as I have known both Saadia and Raju since highschool and saw their relationship grow from teenagers in highschool to present day at their wedding. The day was amazing, Saadia looked so beautiful in her 2 Indian wedding outfits and again in her wedding address. She had asked me to say at speech at her reception so I was extra nervous. I was supposed to say my speech first right after Saadia and Raju entered the hall and I didn't have alot of time to rehearse so I decided to have a couple of glasses of wine to ease the nerves. Although, the drinks did succeed in making me tipsy, it didn't take away any of the nerves and when the MCs called me up to the stage I was petrified. I was telling Caroline (who was also saying a speech after me) that I was going to hyperventilate while I was standing at the podium. I think I was extra nervous because I was going to be saying some meaningful things to Saadia who has been such a good friend for so many years, it was just an emotional event for me. I've included the speech below in case Saadia wants to keep a copy of it. Overall, I think it went pretty well, I was actually able to make Saadia cry which I don't think I've EVER seen in all my years of knowing her (she's an ice queen during the saddest of movies,)and I managed to say the whole thing without bursting into tears and turning into a mess. My voice only wavered once and I think I recovered pretty quickly.

After the speeches, they started the dancing right away (as is Sikh reception custom) and dinner was served during the dancing. The food was amazing, all of my favourites: butter chicken, naan, chana chick peas, mutter paneer, etc and the music was great too. He played a good mix of Indian, Calypso and even a little 80's. A highlight of the evening was watching Susie and Gerwyn go crazy on the dancefloor. Gerwyn made up his own "water jug" dance (balancing the jug on his head to the Indian beats) while Susie teased him with her scarf. They even had the wait staff of the restaurant mesmerized. I'd post the video if I could but I don't think my blogging skills have advanced to that level yet.

All in all, a beautiful wedding and a great night with some very good friends.

The speech:
I've known both Saadia and Raju for over 15 years. I've known them since the beginning of their relationship when Raju first started chasing Saadia in highschool. And when I say chasing, I mean chasing. Saadia wasn't exactly open to the idea of dating Raju in the beginning. In fact, I think she was the exact opposite. But Raju, being the determined and ever-so-suave guy that he was, decided he could convince Saadia to go out with him if he just kept asking. Repeatedly. Over and over again. He even came up with his own little forumla: "Persistance = Success" and proceeded to share ith with everyone he knew. I'd see Raju in the hallway at school and say, "hey Raju, how's it going?" and he'd reply, "Good. Persistence = Success!!" I'd walk into the Student Council office after school and see "Persistence = Success" written in BIG letters on the chalkboard. Basically, no one, including Saadia could escape it. Obviously Raju's persistence finally came through for him because Saadia finally agreed to have lunch with him at McDonald's and now, 15 years later, here we are today.
For anyone who has met Saadia, I don't need to tell you what an amazing person she is. From the first time you meet her, she just exudes warmth and friendliness. Saadia and I became really close when we attended Ryerson together. I moved into her dorm building half way through my first year and really didn't know anyone. I remember I had just finished unpacking and was sitting in my room with nothing to do. I was too shy to go out and meet people and also had no cable so I couldn't even watch tv! Basically it was my first time living outside of my parent's house and I felt a bit alone. That same day, the phone rang and it was Saadia calling to welcome me to the building and invite me over to her room where I pretty much proceeded to live for the rest of the year. We eventually moved into our own apartment together and we lived together for about 4 years. However in all of our years of friendship, I will never forget that moment when she called me that day. She just made me feel so welcomed and at home at a time when I was feeling a little homesick.
Saadia, I have been blessed to know you all these years, you are the definition of a true friend and you will always have a place in my heart.
Enough with the mushy stuff, I'd like to end my speech by giving Saadia a little piece of advice for her marriage: If things get difficult while you're married (like Raju doesn't pick up after himself or refuses to do the dishes,) always remember what a wise person once told me:
Persistence = Success
So here's my toast to the success of your persistence, in the past and for the future.

Mary's Birthday!

This weekend has been a flurry of activity! Friday night we went to Mary-Ann's birthday dinner at Canyon Creek in Scarborough. Mae, Glenn, MelandNorm, Ev, Gerwyn and I. Unfortunately Sally couldn't make it because she was on her way back from Montreal that night and didn't end up arriving in time. The food was pretty good, Norm had the HUGEST pork chop I've ever seen in my entire life, I swear the thing was at least 4" high, he even had trouble finishing it. Ev had ribs and some really good french fries that everyone picked off her plate. The rest of us had steaks of some sort followed by a very yummy and extremely decadent chocolate brownie and ice cream. Gerwyn being back on his gym routine actually REFUSED to finish it, it was the first time I've seen him show any kind of restraint when it came to chocolate. I've also been trying to implement some dietary changes in my life, I've been strictly enforcing the only 80% full rule and trying to make a point of more vegetables and salad and less heavy stuff. Its only been a week or so but I've noticed a difference. I no longer go to bed completely overstuffed and unable to breathe and I also have less tummy aches, its amazing what a little restraint can do. Let's hope I can keep this up. I'm on my way to Jared's (Mary-Ann's son) birthday party now and I know its going to be a challenge to stay away from all those desserts, her mom makes the BEST cheesecake I've ever had. I feel my belt expanding already... Well, a little indulgence every now and then ain't so bad right???

Yesterday was Saadia and Raju's Sikh wedding followed by the hugest reception I have ever been to. The place was massive (afterall, it had to hold 500 people) and the food was amazing. (Restraint was a challenge last night but again, I managed to do it. Maybe it was because I filled up on the wine beforehand...) Anyway, I'll have to give more details later because I have to leave soon for Jared's party and I still have to shower! (Yes, I'm going to shower for the occassion. Happy ladies?) Lots of pictures and great memories to share. It was one of the best and most meaningful weddings I have been to, two great friends finally getting married!!

Be back soon...

Hallowe'en Dinner at Ev's!!

Last night was Hallowe'en dinner at Ev's. Ev prepared a great dinner and we all dressed up. I was a giant spider and Gerwyn was my spider web. MelandNorm were Hugh Hefner and his playboy bunny and Ev was either Chun-Lee or a Masseuse at a Rub-n-Tug. We had a great time playing with Kahlua and eating Ev's yummy dinner (followed up by a really cool Graveyard cake, pics to come...) and then I went back to Gerwyn's house (being the considerate girlfriend that I am, I didn't want him to take the subway alone,).

I know I keep gettin' in trouble for not blogging enough but its hard when you don't have a computer at home and also no pics to upload on a regular basis. I'm starting to realize that its hard always depending on others, I'm used to depending on myself and its not a good feeling to feel "helpless" sometimes. Lucky for me, I have some great friends who are always willing to help me out!! Like the latest thing was Ev who so kindly volunteered to make Saadia's money box for her wedding even though I said I would do it. I only asked her to form the box and she decided to decorate it herself too! (Mostly because she knows I'll probably make it ugly but still, at least she's willing to help!)

Tomorrow I'm going to Saadia's Mendhi party and then on Saturday to Saadia's wedding. Its finally her big day, I can't believe time has flown by so fast!! Speaking of time flying, I recently noticed that my mortgage is coming up for renegotiation. I remember when I first bought my condo, I thought "wow, I'll never stay there three years, that's such a long time!" Who knew it would fly by so fast?? Maybe I should have signed on for a longer term! Its a bit frightening actually, how quickly life can just pass you by.

Well that's it for now ladies, I know this one was a bit boring but there's not much else going on right now. Tonight I finally have a day to rest, go back to the gym and start writing my speech for Saadia's wedding. Just a quiet night at home...

Silly...

Gerwyn's time to "shine"...

Last weekend was Gerwyn's big Salsa performance (aka recital) at his Salsa School's annual gala. He practised for two weeks straight ending in a 3 hour salsa marathon at my place the night before where he proceeded to bark out salsa moves to me that I had never heard of before. Anyway, by the end of the night my feet were aching and my patience had almost run out but he got his practise time in and was ready to perform the next day. Saturday I met up with Ev to go to Michelle and Rob's Pampered Chef party plus a quick stop at the Soriano household before the Salsa show. It was a long day but I was looking forward to seeing Gerwyn bust his Latin moves in front of everyone (including Evelyn and Huddy who came for the "hot" girls...). I would include a video of his performance here but I'm told it is not for public viewing (we'll see about that, "You Tube" link to come...). Anyway, he did an amazing job, I was so proud but the one thing that was definitely missing were his "shines"!! Or what I like to call "flourishes", the fancy moves in Salsa that involve "spirit fingers" (or magic hands as Huddy likes to call them) and the extra hip shakes. They were there in all of Gerwyn's practises but alas, not so much in his actual performance. I think he was too shy and nervous to let em loose but nevertheless, his performance was great and I was so proud! We'll have to save those "shines" for behind closed doors I guess...

D&G @ A gLANce

Thanksgiving!

Sorry its a little late but I guess I haven't had a chance to blog lately. Last weekend was Thanksgiving and Gerwyn came to my family dinner. He finally met my grandma (she cried when she met him!) and was formally introduced to all my aunts and uncles. All in all, I think it went pretty well. He managed to survive the interrogation from my uncles and I managed to survive the sex talk from my mom!! (31 years old and I finally get the sex talk! I wonder what'll happen when I'm 40!)
The next day, Gerwyn came by for some quick leftovers (he's not as afraid of my mom anymore, considering the number of times he's kissed her, its only natural by now...) and then we took a spontaneous drive to Niagara on the Lake for dinner. It was the perfect Fall day and the leaves were beautiful. We took a walk up and down the main street (can't remember the name) and then went to a restaurant for dinner and some Niagara wine. After that, we made a quick pit stop by the Falls to check out the light show and then headed home (the long way might I add since we got a little lost, lucky we had a MAP in the car! It was part of my car-warming gift to Gerwyn.)
This weekend was yet another Lazy Saturday and its been amazing as usual. Sleeping in, eating and then.... well, more sleeping of course! ;)
Tonight I'm meeting up with Sally and maybe Ev and Mel, tomorrow is Mel's birthday celebration, we're going to Big Daddy's, YUM! I love birthday celebrations, not only is it great to see everyone (especially since we don't often have the opportunity to get together with everyone) but there's CAKE! Whoo hoo, I can't wait...

Gerwyn, get back to work!

I'm stuffed!

Yesterday was my turn for Wednesday dinner. I made mushrooms stuffed with crab for an appetizer, chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese and prosciutto with tomatoes stuffed with rice for an entree and profiteroles stuffed with ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce for dessert! Can you guess what my theme was??? I just figured since I'm always so stuffed after every Wednesday night dinner, I might as well just embrace the idea... (I'd post a photo of my dinner but SOMEONE forgot to take a picture of the food... hmph!)

One down, two to go...

This past Saturday was my brother's wedding. It has been a very long awaited event in my family since he is the first of the three of us to go. (Not to mention a bit scandalous since my older sister is still single but we won't go there.)

Anyway, not only was this the first big family event for us, but it was also being filmed for the Food Network tv show, "I Do, Let's Eat". The camera crews were always around and as much as I tried to get into the background of every shot (they didn't appreciate my funny faces behind people's backs,) I think they were more focussed on the food. And who could blame them, there was a huge buffet of all kinds of Korean food not to mention a very fragile ice sculpture in the middle of the room. As usual, I was stuffed (even though I CLEARLY had less food on my plate than either Sally, Gerwyn or huge surprise, Susie! Who knew that girl could eat!) and then came the speeches and dancing. I was so shocked at the clear heartfelt emotion that my brother expressed that night, I honestly didn't think he had it in him. (As you can see by the expression on his face, he is not the most expressive guy.) Anyway his speech was amazing and it really showed me a different side of him. (However the next day he was back to normal, snapping at me for asking him a simple question... anyhoo moving on) The night really got started when we moved onto the dancing. I always thought my family was pretty tame, they are traditional Koreans afterall, but who knew they could dance!! And by dance, I mean sporadically throw out limbs at fast intervals not quite to the beat of the music. It was hilarious!! I've never seen my aunts and uncles like that! Besides my uncle busting out some kind of weird interpretive dance with a plate of cake, the most shocking had to be when my aunt (Hanna's mom) dragged Gerwyn by his tie onto the dancefloor with her. This was the first time they had met and they were actually dancing together... I wish I had taken a picture. I always knew my man had moves, but never in a million years could I have imagined him breaking them out with my aunt!!

The whole evening was a great success and so much fun. It was such a memorable and meaningful occassion, I was so glad to be able to share it with my friends (Sally and Susie) and especially Gerwyn. It was his first introduction to my family and I think all in all, it went pretty well. (Check out the picture of us and my mom, she's actually SMILING!!!)

Lazy Saturdays...

Ever since Gerwyn and I started dating, we've had a lot of "lazy Saturdays"; you know the days where you wake up late, go out for breakfast, come back home for a nap and then maybe go for a walk. Basically the days you just play by ear, no "to do" lists, no chores, just lazing around together. It was great but lately, we've both been really busy so our Saturdays have turned into squeezing in some together in between the tasks that need to be done (buying the FJ, going to wedding showers, going to weddings, etc). This weekend was the return of the Lazy Saturday and boy, was it nice... I actually had my first Friday alone (well, alone with Hanna and her friend) but I was able to do some things around the house that needed to be done. Gerwyn came by later (a little inebriated I might add, and he says I'M the drunk...) and we finally got to sleep in. Saturday started out a bit cloudy but by the time we got outside the sun was out and it was a perfect day to meet MelandNorm for brunch at Eggspectation. As usual I stuffed myself silly and then we did a quick tour of the mall before walking home. As per the perfect Lazy Saturday, we got home and took a nap before heading back up to the 'burbs (ie. Gerwyn's house) where we had leftovers for dinner and then bought a ton of junk food (Lays Regular chips, the 50% less salt ones, they were really good and also microwave popcorn, my favourite!) and rented a dvd (Eve and the Firehorse which was a great movie during the parts I was able to stay awake for! - Gerwyn verified that it was in fact a great movie since he watched the whole thing.) . Unfortunately we had to get up early on Sunday as per our usual routine where Gerwyn drives me to visit my grams in the morning but on this particular day he actually came INTO the house and met my mom. (It was only a quick visit, long enough for Gerwyn to showcase his extensive knowledge of Korean - 2 words, and then he left. Mom says he looks way older than me!)

The rest of Sunday was a bunch of wedding preparations for my brother's wedding next weekend. That's right, yet another busy weekend planned for next week. I love celebrating as much as the next person, but I'm starting to love the Lazy Saturday more...

The First Move. An interpretation by Gerwyn Begonia

Alright, it's my turn to blog about something blogworthy on Princess Di's Blogger. So here she goes... Lately, there's been a lot of speculation about who made the first move in our relationship. Was it Diana, was it Gerwyn, who the heck was it? Enquiring minds want to know, so let me put this disputed debate to rest and explain what really happened on that fateful night of July 29th, 2006. First of all, perception is everything, there's Diana's account of events and then basically there's the truth. Some might say that before that fateful night of canoodling, there was a series of prior events that led to that notorious moment. Take for example the FORKING incident at the cottage (July 16th). According to Diana, she was like an innocent antelope gazing in the grass, and I was like a savage lion that ambushed her from behind!!! C’mon, please… Are you serious? Who actually believes that? The truth is, I was walking up the hill towards the car, I tripped on a stone and fell on her, but thankfully her badonkadonk broke my fall. Basically she saved my life. The ensuing week consisted of an exchange of emails back and forth between Diana and I; she invited me to her birthday party at her mother’s house (July 22nd). Was it a move? I’ll leave that up to our open-minded, objective readers. As a gift, I gave her a biggantic, hunormous, collosig fork to commemorate our previous weekend at the cottage. I thought it was an innocent and funny gesture, but something in her eyes told me she thought it was something more. My suspicions were correct, because the following week consisted of flirtatious emails from Diana, asking me when I was going to wine & dine her, and if I’d like to come out for Huddy’s birthday that weekend at Century Room (July 29th). Was it another move? Again, I’ll leave that up to our unbiased readers to decide.

Thus, this brings us to the eve of that fateful night. I met up with Diana and Evelyn and we shared a cab to the club, I sat in the middle, Diana to my left and Evelyn to my right. During the ride Diana held onto my arm and rested her head on my shoulder, while Evelyn whispered, “I got her drunk just for you!” to which I happily replied, “Thanks Ev, now my work is half done!” There was definitely chemistry between us, but the cool thing is that it wasn’t weird or awkward. In fact, it was rather playful and comfortable. After a few more drinks, and a few more inhibitions out the window, we found ourselves separated from the crowd doing our own thing. We snuck away hand-in-hand (She totally initiated the hand-holding, but I’m guilty for obliging) and escaped to the patio where we did some shots and talked to strangers. We told some people we were engaged, we told others we were married, but she told everybody she was an unsatisfied women. Who does that? Anyway, I thought it was funny and I admit I was attracted to her callous whit. We laughed a lot that night, we were so silly and juvenile it cracks me up just remembering it. Somehow, later that evening we found ourselves back inside the club by an open window overlooking the patio, there was a private party just outside the window, and someone poured us a couple of drinks. We toasted the party and devoured our drinks only to have our chests burning from what felt like rubbing alcohol. However, the effects of it seemed to help drown out the noise of the club, and for awhile it seemed like it was just the two of us in our own little world. Physically, we were very close in proximity; there was the occasional brushing of arms, inadvertent body graze, and touching of cheeks as we tried to hear each other speak. Then Diana dropped a line on me that clearly gave me the signal that she was interested in something more. This is the juicy part! Are you ready folks? Gazing into my eyes, she asked, “So Gerwyn, when are you going to wine and dine me?” Cleverly I responded, “Well I suppose saving my life does warrant a meal.” Inebriated with my defenses down, I confessed that I secretly had a crush on her (This could be interpreted as a move), there was a short blur of drunken banter further exchanged between us, and then suddenly we kissed. And it wasn’t just any kiss; it was a hungry, passionate, Adam & Eve doing it for the first time kinda kiss. The kind of kiss in public that makes people say, hey get a room! As the night came to an end we walked Evelyn home, and hailed a cab back to Diana’s place. The cab ride was quite eventful! Seemingly, this is where Diana and I have extremely incongruent interpretations of that night. All I remember was her mounting me in the backseat, and the cab driver winking at me in his rearview mirror. The cabbie actually turned on some smooth grooves and before I knew it we were getting hot and heavy in the backseat! Another car pulled up beside us asking for directions, but when they realized how enthralled we were they immediately apologized for interrupting us. We were embarrassed, but Diana being the Good Samaritan that she is, unselfishly offered directions, and like a pro resumed position. I was taken aback, thinking to myself, is this the same bookworm-nerd I thought I knew? We pulled up to her condo and it was time to say goodbye, I respectfully declined her invitation to come upstairs, but redeemed myself by asking her out for what would later be branded as our very first date. The cab ride home seemed like the longest cab ride of my life as I tried to piece together all the fragments of our infamous union. Finally when I arrived home, after 35 minutes of the worst case of blue balls ever, I came to the conclusion that it really didn’t matter who actually made the first move. Who really cares? The point is that a move was made; in fact many moves were made, so many that it’s too difficult to accurately pinpoint who the culprit was. In the end, I think we can both agree that whoever it was, and whatever move it was, it just may go down in history as the very best move that either one of us has ever made in our whole entire lives…

Ahhh the smell of bbq'd meat...

Yes, this is a strange blog entry but I never said I was normal so here goes...
Last night I went to a Korean BBQ restaurant with my brother and Nancy (his soon to be wife). I've never actually had Korean bbq in a restaurant before (why roam, when you can stay at home?) and I have to admit, I was blown away with how good it was. I was starving when we got there and they gave us a HUGE platter of Kalbi to cook over the open fire (I think it worked out to 4 large pieces per person). However I don't think each person ate their proper portion because I could not get the pieces of bbq meat into my mouth fast enough. I ate all the "pan-chun" (little side dishes) first cause I was so hungry and then by the time my brother got the first pieces of Kalbi onto my plate I went nuts! It was so unbelievably good, I threw all my rules about "80% full" out the window and practically devoured everything. (There was even one piece of meat left on Nancy's plate which she didn't eat and I was THIS close to eating it. However since we are not YET related, the wedding is not until next week, I thought i would show SOME small bit of decorum and actually show a little restraint.. but it was HARD!). Anyway, after dinner my brother dropped me off at Gerwyn's house cause we were already in the neighbourhood. When I got there (I had walked right in cause the door was open) I started to take off my shoes when Gerwyn was walking up the stairs. He stops about 20 feet from the front door and says "WHAT IS THAT SMELL??!" He could smell the bbq on me from there and I hadn't even taken my jacket off yet, it was hilarious. We even went out after for a short drive later but anytime he came near me all he could smell was bbq! And all this time, I thought no man could resist the smell of bbq'd meat. Apparently it was a little too much for me cause all he wanted to do was get away. However anyone who knows me knows that I like a challenge so I proceeded to throw myself on him at every opportunity. Even when we were going to sleep, he didn't want to lie too close because apparently the smell was eminating from my hair and skin.

Even if it is a "man-repellent" I don't care, it was WORTH IT!!! DEELEECIOUS!!!

Catching the Bouquet and A Very Sunny Day!

This past weekend Gerwyn and I went to his cousin Jen's wedding. It was my first time meeting all his "relatives" (every Filipino seems to be his cousin in some way or another...)and it was also our first wedding together. The minute I met his aunt, she told me I was "next". I wonder what that meant? However I seem to recall the gently bronzed colour draining out of Gerwyn's face when she said that. When it came time to catch the bouquet, I did my best to hide behind Gerwyn's chair but one of the bridesmaids was able to track me down (I must have been emitting the "single girl" radar that prevents me from getting out of the bouquet toss at every single wedding I attend,)and dragged me onto the floor with all the other single ladies. I tried to implement my usual "avoid the bouquet" tactics by moving to the very back of the crowd however 1 minute later I noticed a bouquet of flowers flying towards me and landing at my feet. What's a girl to do but pick it up of course!! Needless to say, Gerwyn's aunt gave me a big smile and hug on our way out that evening...

The next day I visited Grams and decided to play with my cousin Madeleine's kids on one of the last beautiful days of the summer, sunny and 27 degrees! Perfect for a bike ride!! However seeing as how I am bicylcally challenged, I just watched the kids ride circles around me. While they were riding I noticed that Jessica's bike was actually the perfect size for me (in that I could actually touch the ground if I were to ride it) so I asked if I could take it for a spin at which point she reminded me "but you don't know how to ride a bike Diana!" (nice and loud for all the neighbours to hear of course,) so I suggested she teach me. Next thing you know I'm sitting on the bike with a 9 year old and 6 year old on either side of me holding me up and yelling at me to pedal... It was especially touching when an old man on a leisurely stroll PASSED me on the catwalk while I was trying to pedal. I'll never forget that moment! Anyway, about 45 minutes later, under their expert direction and constant "holding on", I was finally able to get the hang of it and made it down the entire street all by myself!! I've never seen two teachers more proud of me, they were both screaming at the top of their lungs "she's doing it, she's riding, she can ride!!!" It was worth the embarrassment just to see the look on their faces. Now if only they could drive...

Tonight, is Norm's turn to cook Wednesday dinner and he's making his grandpa's empanadas, I'm SO EXCITED!! Next week is my turn, we'll see if I can follow his lead...

The FJ and Saadia's Stagette!

So this weekend was another busy weekend that started off on a very high note with a brand new car! Not my own of course, but we finally picked up Gerwyn's long awaited FJ Cruiser!! It was all very exciting except for the part where we had to wait 2 hours until the car and paperwork were ready but when it came time to finally exit the dealership and see that sparkling, shiny, sexy, black (my choice!) vehicle, it was worth it! Of course Gerwyn immediately asks the first passerby to take a picture of us (and by us, I mean the entire Toyota Sales Team that helped us with his purchase) by the car and then we were off! It was the most thrilling 2 minute drive back to his house. (He was leaning towards Niagara Falls but I had a shower to go to for Saadia later that day.)

Later in the evening, I headed to Saadia's shower/stagette and stuffed myself silly while watching Saadia belt out some Karoke in her slutty top. We then boarded the karoke party bus and headed for the King of Stagette bars, Devil's Martini. As usual it was packed (full of other stagettes) so we kept to our little corner upstairs and scoped out various men for Saadia to take pictures with. We ended the evening with a trip to Happy Seven which I have to admit was a little disappointing (not as good as I remember, the spicy squid was rubbery!) but considering how starving we were (except for Sally who was trying to keep it together after a few too many drinks... I knew you shouldn't have had that Smirnoff Ice!) it wasn't all THAT bad.

The next day was yet another early morning, got up at 7 to catch the 8 am train to visit Grams and then off to a dance lesson with Susie for my mom and brother. She taught him lots of "smooth moves" (well, as smooth as my brother can be) and he and I even took a few spins around my living room (it was the FIRST time I've EVER danced with my brother, OR my mom for that matter.) Anyway, by the end of it, they were quite the dance team and with a little practise, I think they'll have no problems gliding across the dance floor at my brother's wedding. After a whole hour of dancing, I was of course, starving so we headed to Wah Sing for some lobster and spicy squid (yes, that's right, I had it again!). The meal was unbelievable as always and I was stuffed!! (I think its a bad sign when you have to undo your pants BEFORE you sit down to dinner. But thank goodness I did because I made lots of extra room for the second, third, fourth and fifth helpings...)

I ended the evening with a long (and much needed) walk around the lovely suburb of Thornhill with Gerwyn followed by him dragging me to Congee Something Or Other for a midnight (and it was midnight!) snack. Luckily this time, I was able to refrain from eating, otherwise I think I would have actually experienced first hand, the meaning of the term "busting a gut".

All in all, a lovely (but busy) weekend. I've realized that I now spend my weekends getting less sleep than I do during the week and actually trying to catch up on sleep during the work week... WHO DOES THAT?!

The Return of Wednesday Dinner!

So last night we resumed our weekly tradition of Wednesday night dinners with MelandNorm, Ev and now Gerwyn. Mel volunteered to go first and of course she totally outdid herself and started us off by setting the bar very high. As always, Mel was awesome!!! She is truly one of the best chefs I have ever known. I only hope to be as good as her one day. Sal, this is something you can never challenge her in. The theme was Tapas and she made ribs, chicken wings and various vegetables. Dessert was a baked caramelized peach served with vanilla ice cream. It was amazing and although I promised myself that THIS year I would stick to a "stop when I'm 80% full" rule, I couldn't help myself and proceeded to pork out until I was about 180% full. I think I managed to out-eat everyone that night including Gerwyn and Norm!! Needless to say, it was a very s.l.o.w. walk home for Gerwyn and I. Poor Ger, he unknowingly volunteered to go next. However now that he's seen how stiff the competition is, I think he's a little scared... no reheating your mom's leftovers this time Gerwyn!!

I have to admit, it was so great to resume our dinners, I really missed seeing everyone and now of course, they are even more special because Gerwyn can come too. (I have a feeling Norm may appreciate his presence more than me... I think he was a bit overwhelmed with the amount of estrogen in the room last year, although I don't know if Gerwyn will really make a difference, y'all know he can be more girly than me!). I have to mention, when we came in Norm answered the door without his shirt on. WOW! Gerwyn looked like a kid next to him...Norm's abs are so defined and his V shaped body is something....Mel's so lucky.

A couple more weeks and it'll be my turn, wonder what I should make... whatever it is, I better start doing the research now!! Mel truly is the best. Did I mention that already?

Wedding Weekend!

Not my own of course!! Apparently that is still a loooong way away. This past weekend was Saadia and my cousin Mark's wedding. Saadia's ceremony was a simple civil ceremony at City Hall which took place on Friday. Ms. Rayman looked beautiful of course and ALMOST shed a tear while she was saying her vows... yes I think I may have even heard her voice crack! Pictures to come (I haven't mastered the art of posting images yet. Plus Gerwyn has custody of OUR camera now and who knows when he'll get around to downloading pictures for me.) Anyway, take my word for it, she was gorgeous! We followed the ceremony with dinner at her sister Camilla's condo (yummy Carribbean food, anyone for some saltfish balls???) and then I headed off to Scarborough to prepare for Mark's wedding the next day.

When Saturday arrived, so did the hurricane apparently cause it was SO wet and windy that day!! Poor Mark and Meredith got married in an outdoor ceremony on the worst weather day of the entire summer. However, as my uncle said, a strong tree needs a lot of water so I think it was a good sign. All in all, everything worked out, bride and groom got teary eyed while reciting vows they wrote themselves and Mark even managed to piggy back Mer (even did 2 laps around the room!) in his rubber boots during the Korean "pae-bek". It was hilarious. (Again, pictures to come...)

Sunday was recovery day, first off to brunch at Meredith's parents house in the beaches and then off to my cousin Mad's house for a cousin's bbq with Gerwyn. It was the first time he was meeting anyone in my family and I think everything went relatively well. Except for him showing up over an hour late (which legitimately was due to the bad weather, lucky for him!), and probably not getting enough food (since we pigged out before he got there,) I don't think it was too painful for either side. My family didn't interrogate him too much and although he tried to weasel some information out of them about me, I don't think he managed to get anything good. (No Korean name for you Gerwyn!) Luckily we escaped the night WITHOUT Gerwyn doing his impression of a Korean man washing their hands or his Korean accent. He'll have to save that for when he meets my mom!

Monday, we just lazed around, met Sally, MelandNorm and MaeandGlenn for Dim Sum at Ruby where I tried to avoid all the gelantinous weird stuff on the table and then we went for a nice leisurely 2 hour drive through bumper to bumper traffic while we tried to get to the EX on the last day.

70 days to go...

So last night Gerwyn and I went out for dinner to Jamie Kennedy restaurant. He says it was for our one month anniversary but I still refuse to stoop down to his level of sappiness so for me it was just an excuse to get all dressed up for a fancy dinner. The food (and wine) was great (although I know Ger left hungry, those portions were tiny, even for ME!) and of course, the company wasn't so bad either (happy Gerwyn?!). Mr Sappy brought me beautiful flowers and a card and also his camera so he could stop passersby every 10 minutes to take a picture of us (I'm not kidding!). Unfortunately no time to upload pics yet but I will upload over the weekend. Then we went to Solferino for Gelato and I ate all of his (Skor) and we threw mine out (Dulce de Leche) and sat beside the fountain (which was lit up at night, very romantic...) before walking home. When we got back to my place, I turned on the radio to 93.5 and they were doing a live-to-air and playing lots of old school so of course, Gerwyn jumps up and starts dancing in my living room! So what do I do? Jump up and start dancing with him! We even did the BUS-STOP! (Of course, I had to show him the moves... ) Then he let me open my card which had a really cool butterfly in it that flew around when you opened the card (practically scared the crap out of me) AND... this is the best part ladies, are you ready??? HE gave me the first entry he wrote in his journal on the day we got together (July 29th, 2:50 am, he even labelled it!). Of course, I'm not going to share with you what it said but I was speechless. (and that's all I'm gonna say.)

Today, its off to Saadia's wedding tonight and then tomorrow my cousin Mark's wedding and then on Sunday, Gerwyn will finally meet the family!! (Well, part of the family anyway, just my siblings and cousins. I'm not ready to unleash the parents just yet... )

By the way, if you're curious about the title, its because Sally told me that every relationship has its 100 days of bliss, so if this was our one month anniversary, then I've got 70 days to go... CAN'T WAIT!!

who knew?!!?

all these photos above were taken BEFORE we got together!

who KNEW!??!

:)

Wait a second! Mel, stop making up my posts!! So I finally figured out how this thing works, I can finally post something in MY OWN WORDS!! You're a bad girl Menalle!

Although, those pictures are funny! I forgot about the ones from Gerwyn's birthday... its true, who knew that we would be where we are today back then?! Somehow, he managed to WYN me over...

How it all began...

Blogger Buddy

Hi guys! Thanks to Mel, I now have my very own blog. I don't have a camera so I will rely on her and Sally to post pictures - even if it's an embarassing one of me. This one was taken on my rooftop patio - one of my favourite spots to hang out and have Wednesday night dinners.