Happy Birthday Hamunee!

Yesterday we celebrated my grandma's birthday, she turned 91! As usual it was a big pig out fest at my house with all the usuals, kalbi, chicken wings, noodles and lots and lots of kimchee. We also had tons of yummy desserts thanks to my cousin Mad and her kids and Hanna who brought her famous chocolate WOW cookies. They were awesome. Mad's son Michael who is 6, had the stomach flu and wasn't allowed to eat any of the goodies but you could tell it was so hard for him... he brought us a Turtle he found and asked if he could just "hold it". Then that turned into, "can I just squeeze it?", then it turned into "can I please just have a bite?" (answer: no), then "can I just lick it? Just one lick?" and then finally his mom caved and gave him ONE bite. It was heartbreaking to see him have to put it down after that. He kept asking me where it was so he could look at it later.

After pigging out (twice) and 5 hours of family fun, Gerwyn and I decided to head back to his place. I was exhausted but one of his friends was having a get together so we decided to head back out around 10 to say hello and watch UFC (blech... I read a cookbook instead.) We ended up staying til about 3:30 am (the latest I've been out in AGES) and then slept in today til 1pm. It feels so weird to get up so late. Something I used to back in university days but not anymore. Well, my body decided it didn't like it either and gave me a nosebleed, something I also haven't experienced in a looooong time.

Now we're on our way to my uncle's (hanna's dad) for a sushi party with all my cousins. That's right, more pigging out. Gotta love the holidays... family, food, fun!!

Christmas Recap!

Its hard to believe that Christmas is already over... it went by so fast! I barely had time to finish my Christmas shopping! Here's the recap of events this year: (pics to come, whoo hoo!)

Christmas Eve: Spent most of the day with Gerwyn doing last minute shopping and then having dinner with his mom. I gave his mom the slippers I bought and she gave me a scarf. The card said "thanks for taking care of Gerwyn." 'Bout time I got some recognition!! Later that night, we went to my mom's house for another dinner (apparently Gerwyn "wasn't hungry" but he couldn't resist the kimchi and my mom's special Shake'n'Bake ribs!) and then we Scrabbled! My cousin Carol, my sister and Gerwyn and I all played and guess who came in last place... ME! Hard to believe considering the wordsmith that I am however my cousin Carol is like our family Scrabble champion and Gerwyn kept making up his own words... apparently "bumlady" is another word for a female transient... uh huh! Too bad Webster didn't think so!! He's still upset he didn't get points for "quib". (Yet another word Webster didn't recognize... at least not in 1988.) Ended the night with my sister coming in first place, followed by Carol and then Gerwyn. Wait until the REMATCH!

Christmas Day: Woke up after sleeping beside my snoring sister in a squeaky bed to open all of our presents. My brother and sister in law brought Charlotte down and my cousin Jun-Seok participated in his first Canadian Christmas. We each took turns opening our stockings and then all of our presents. Since I got my brother a Tassimo, I quickly finished off our present opening party with Lattes all around. YUM! Later in the afternoon we went to my aunt's house for a big fat dinner and then games with the cousins. We played Cranium Cadoo with my niece and nephew and then did our family Kris Kringle followed by a "gift steal" game. We quickly realized that in order to "steal" the gifts, there has to be something worth stealing! You should have seen all the "callat" everyone brought!! (My filipino vocabulary is expanding...) It was hilarious, I, at least brought a Starbucks gift card (who doesn't love lattes?). Luckily I ended up with a Cineplex movie gift certificate. But I was this close to a box of yucky chocolate and a dvd of the one of the worst movies I've ever seen "Stuck on You". (That was my sister's gift.)

Boxing Day: Shop Shop Shop! Too bad I didn't buy buy buy! The deals were scarce and I couldn't find anything I liked (at Bayview Village anyway,) so my sister and I headed downtown and met my cousins Hanna, Jenny and Jun-Seok for dinner and then a movie "The Kite Runner". Then they all came back to my house for a big sleep over. I've never had so many guests! Too bad I had to work the next day. I missed breakfast at Eggspectation...

Tomorrow is my grandma's 91st birthday so we're throwing a big party for her. Another big family shindig, those are always the best. Then there will be one more party at my uncle's on Sunday and then its time to figure out how to ring in the new year...

Oh I almost forgot, this year Gerwyn bought me a new Sony Digital Camera. Yep, its the one I wanted, JUST LIKE MEL's!! (I'm still trying to figure out how to use it, hence the lack of photos in this blog post.) Anyway, first resolution for 2008: more pictures!!!

Meet the Flintstones...

This weekend was our annual Christmas get together with the girls: Ev, Sally, Mel, Mae plus partners. Its strange how now there is almost a boy for every girl. (And soon when Stu comes there will be! So hard to believe!!)

We fought through Toronto's biggest snowstorm to make it so Gerwyn could get his coveted Kris Kringle gift. That boy is worse than a little kid, he couldn't stop talking about his gift all week. Luckily he got what he wanted, his Colibri wind proof lighter. As for my gift, Sally was my Kris Kringle and she got me all of my favourites, comfy pjs, a board game (Taboo) and the best gift of all, The Flintstones on dvd. Most people probably don't think the Flintstones are a very good cartoon, in fact, its pretty cheesy. But the Flintstones were always my lunch time show when I was a kid. At 12 noon, I'd leave for home and my grandma would meet me halfway. Then when I got home, she'd have lunch ready, either a mini frozen pizza or an egg sandwich or if I was really lucky, a beef patty and then I'd watch the Flintstones. It was the best half hour ever. When the show was over I always knew I had to get ready to go back to school and then Grams would walk me back.

Its a simple memory but those are always the best ones. When you're an adult you forget how great it is not to have a care in the world. I miss those days with my grandma and I hope that watching the Flintstones will help bring some of those memories back.

A look back..

I just took a quick peek at my blog at this time last year. Apparently there was no snow? Well, that's definitely taken care of this year, its been snowing all day! (however, most of it seems to have melted...)

I still have Christmas shopping to do but I have no idea what to get people this year. If you think about how much people spend on gifts every year.... sometimes I wish I could just pool it all together and give it to someone who really needs it. After reading about Hanna's experience in Nepal, it really puts life into perspective.

Last year at this time we were still into the thick of Wednesday dinners, I was reading over my menu back then and I don't even remember making half of that stuff! We really should be keeping better records of that stuff, its so interesting to remember what foods I was into. I usually pick one ingredient and then make it all the time. Back then it seemed it was polenta, I remember the "polenta" days... then there was the "rapini" days and the "brussel sprout" days. These days I've been eating a lot of mushrooms. That's right, I'm finally starting to like them after 32 years!!!

I'm looking forward to all the family parties this year, I forgot how much fun it was last year until I read about it all over again. This year will be even more fun since my niece will be there, I plan on hogging her as much as possible. She won't be so little for very long afterall...

This weekend is the first of the fun parties with our annual Kris Kringle at Mae's. I wonder who got me? I wonder what Ev will get us??? (hee hee, too bad she doesn't read our blogs...)

What's to expect for next year??? For one thing, Ev will be getting married. I wonder what else? Who's lives will change forever next year? Time just flies by so fast, makes you wonder what some people are waiting for...

Breakfast with Raadia

This weekend we had Saadia and Raju over breakfast and by "we", I mean me while Gerwyn watched. (Ok, so he DID remove the bacon from the oven and put it on a plate.) Raadia, as they like to be called, needed to kill some time while their townhouse was being shown so they both came over for breakfast and then Saadia and I went to the gym and baked some Christmas cookies.

We made Ginger snaps and Chocolate Snow Caps and for once they didn't taste like cupboard! (The icing sugar was used was questionable but luckily, it turned out ok.) Gerwyn needed to finish his Christmas shopping (for a certain someone who shall remain nameless,) so he spent the day on his own and we met up again in the evening to watch The Golden Compass (it was good!) Then we went for sushi on Queen and walked all the way to Yonge before deciding to take a cab the rest of the way.

Sunday I went to visit Grams and my niece Charlotte (who I am finding are more and more alike... ) and then came back downtown for a quick pitstop at the gym before heading to Gerwyn's for our Heroes marathon. We intended to watch the football game but ended up getting super engrossed in his Season 1 of Heroes. We stayed up til 2:00 am watching them! Needless to say, getting up this morning was extremely difficult. Thank goodness I don't have to work until 10, that extra hour made all the difference...

Weekend with the moms...

This weekend Gerwyn and I ended up unknowingly spending a lot of quality time with our moms. Saturday we met up in the morning to go to the gym and then headed back to Gerwyn's place for what was supposed to be a "quick" snack and then off to start Christmas shopping. When we got home, Gerwyn's mom had lunch ready for us, she even set two places at the kitchen table and put out two eggrolls. I felt like I was in a restaurant! We had baked chicken, squash, rapini salad and potatoes. It was yummy! During lunch she started to talk about her trip to Miami to visit Gerwyn's sister. You could tell she had a good time cause she didn't stop talking! Usually our conversations are quite short but this time she had lots to say and she got all excited when she talked about her grandson, it was great to see.

After we got ready, we were supposed to drop her off at her party but when we got there it was still dark and the doors weren't even unlocked! Turns out she was 2.5 hours EARLY but she wanted to help decorate. (Clearly Gerwyn didn't get any of her punctuality skills...) So we ended up all going to Fairview Mall for coffee and a walk around the mall. Later, we dropped her back at her party and we headed to Yorkdale to get started on our Christmas gifts. A few hours later, we both came out with 2 pairs of running shoes and only one gift. (I got an extra pair for my sister.) By the time we got home we were so exhausted, we ended up just vegging out in front of the tv.

Sunday we were supposed to go to my mom's house so Gerwyn could meet my niece Charlotte. During breakfast my mom called to let us know that we should come over later since the weather was so bad. So we decided to take Gerwyn's mom grocery shopping first and then head to my mom's for dinner. It was actually quite a long day with all that travelling, I felt bad that Gerwyn had to drive all over the place in the terrible weather but I'm glad he got to meet Charlotte. She was so cute. Unfortunately my paranoid brother only let her out for 2 minutes but we got to give her a little squeeze and pat on the head before she disappeared. Then we ate a huge dinner with my family and headed back home to catch Sunday Night Football.

It was a long day but I'm really glad we got to spend quality time with both of our moms. It was my first taste of having two families... can't wait!!

She finally has a name...

My new niece is officially named! Miss Charlotte Grace Soo-Min Lee. Its a bit of a mouthful but I must say she looks like a Charlotte.

This weekend I got to spend some more quality time with little miss. I helped change her poopy diaper and give her a bath. She's just so cute, I don't think I'lll ever be able to say no to her little precious face. Its so angelic. Strange how that's possible considering she looks just like my brother. My brother and I were washing her bum in the sink last night and I was thinking how strange it was, one moment we're fighting over who gets to use the sink to brush our teeth before bed as teenagers and the next minute we're washing his daughter's tiny bum! How time flies...

Back from Boston!

Now that I've been back for a few days, I thought I would post about my trip to Boston. First of all Boston is a great city, as long as you're not driving or navigating it. The traffic was unbelievable and the roads reminded me of Europe where all kinds of roads merge into one and then suddlenly change names. Once we decided to leave the rental in the hotel parking lot, everything got a whole lot better.

Thursday we arrived in the afternoon just in time to unpack quickly and grab a bite to eat in the hotel restaurant before heading to a Leafs/Bruins game at the TD BankNorth Centre. The game wasn't that great, we lost but it was cool to see how many leaf fans there were, lots of blue and white jerseys and we all jumped up whenever the Leafs scored.

Friday we had breakfast in the hotel and then it was time to work! First objective was to find 1000 pennies which had to be glued to giveaways for the Moola launch. Luckily Grant's brother Shea and Gerwyn were there to help glue, otherwise I would've been there forever... After gluing, I took a quick shower and then started to get ready for the launch party. Had to run to the printer's to pick up our lifesize cheque that we got mounted to give away at the end of the night and then head to the party. The launch went really well and Gerwyn ended up becoming an honorary employee after giving four hours of demos all night. There was lots of energy in the room though, so never a dull moment (or moment to rest for that matter.) After the launch party, the guys took us out for dinner and then we headed back to the hotel for some well deserved rest. There was an after party going on that night but we were in no shape to even attempt a night of partying. Another reminder that we're getting old.

Saturday morning my sister drove in from Stamford and we spent the rest of the day shopping on Newbury St. Its a beautiful street full of lots of stores in old buildings. After a long afternoon of shopping and Starbucks we stopped for a little sushi and then headed home to for a little rest before our dinner with the guys. We ended up going to this seafood restaurant called King
Crab Hall or something like that? Anyway it was good (and very pricey) and then we all went for a walk around Faneuil Hall, it was really beautiful. They had a big Christmas tree and all the lights up. Unfortunately it was way too cold to stay out too long so we got into a cab and headed home.

Sunday was our last day in Boston and after we had breakfast with my sister at the local Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks (they make breakfast sandwiches there!) Sooky headed home and we got ready for our flight back. It was a short flight (thank God cause I was getting nauseous by the end) and then I hopped on the Go Train to go and meet my new niece.

Meet my new niece!

Isn't she just so cute? She doesn't have a name but she's the cutest unnamed baby I've ever seen! Only 6 lbs.

Where everybody knows your name...

As of Thursday, I'll be off to Boston on a business trip! I'm dragging Gerwyn along with me so we can tour the city in our spare time and try some renowned Boston Crabs!! We're both very excited and hopefully my sister will be able to meet us for the day on Saturday so we can all hang out. First stop: Cheers!

Unfortunately this weekend is also the due date for my future niece or nephew. Nancy says first babies are usually late though so she's going to do her best to hold it in. I can't wait to meet him/her. This Christmas is definitely going to very exciting, my entire family plus the new baby all in one house! My brother and Nancy moved back home last weekend and it already feels so much more lively when I'm there. Can't wait to add a crying baby to the mix!

Last night Ev took me to see a legend... Mr. Stevie Wonder! I haven't been a die-hard Stevie fan or anything but I didn't want to miss an opportunity to see a legend live in concert so I wanted to go. I've been to a few concerts before but none like this. It was so cool, he was just so relaxed and everything seemed to come so easy... the amazing voice, the amazing piano/keyboards and even his harmonica playing was unbelievable. I'm so glad I was able to go. During the show, he asked a "special guest" to come on stage to play with him. I was shocked when the special guest and companion came out to play and I saw a familiar face! It was one of Susie's ex boyfriends. His name is Daniel and he plays percussion in a local salsa band. Anyway, the special guest was a blind percussionist who I have seen perform with Daniel in his band. Daniel held the microphone to his drum while he played and sat right beside Stevie! How cool would that be? I talked to Susie today and she said he was friends with Stevie's regular drummer and so they were invited to attend the sound check earlier in the day. When Stevie heard them play, he invited them to come back and "jam" with him in the show!

I think that's all for now, I know its been awhile since I've blogged so I may have forgotten a lot of things already... what can I say, I'm getting old!!

Will post again after Boston, wish me luck at the conference, we'll be launching the website!!

Sally's Turn

We always give Sally a hard time for crashing our WNDinners but never hosting her own, so this weekend, she finally decided to have the entire gang over for dinner at Ron's. Let me just say that I took full advantage of the opportunity to be HER guest for a change!! It was great! She hung up my coat and scarf, got me my beverage, my napkin and my coffee!! It was like my very own beckandcall girl!

Dinner was deeeleecious too. We had Lin Garden take out featuring my all time favourite Green Beans. Who knew green beans could be so good (I have a feeling they are deep fried first, but who cares!) After dinner, was my favourite cake, Strawberry Shortcake. It was to celebrate our favourite shortcake's birthday: Menalle. I think she's 35 or something... hope you enjoyed your birthday cake Mel, cause I sure did!

After dinner was games time and y'all know how much I LOOVE games! We played Dance Revolution (where I kicked everyone's butt except for Ron's but he OWNS it so really, he doesn't count,) and Air Guitar. Everyone made fun of my dance technique but I think I was able to win because I constantly held my arms out at my sides so I wouldn't lose my balance. Gotta have a strategy afterall!! You KNOW that's going to be the next big "move" at all the clubs...

All in all, a very fun night with great hosts! Between all the games and all the food (I didn't even mention all the chocolate and candy Ron had at his house, he has a major sweet tooth, my kind of GUY!) I think my every dinner party wish came true that night. Way to host your first dinner party Salabia!!

The weekend AFTER...

I just realized that I forgot to blog about (Canadian) Thanksgiving so instead my blog will be about the weekend AFTER.

But just to recap, Thanksgiving was filled with the usual pigout fest, Saturday I met Ev for breakfast and spent the day at her place helping her prepare for her family Thanksgiving dinner and playing with Kahlua. Sunday, Gerwyn came over after his trip to Mexico and I made little Thanksgiving dinner just for the two of us. Roast chicken, sweet potatoes, stuffing, brussel sprouts and cheese biscuits. We were stuffed! Monday was my family dinner at my uncle's house and everyone pigged out! There was a table of food as long as the eye could see, one side was turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and all the other fixings, and the other side was the usual Korean food, kalbi, chicken wings, noodles and plenty more! We stayed so long that we ended up eating lunch and dinner there. The strangest thing was that it was SOOO hot, it felt like a summer day but it was Thanksgiving! Its always cold on Thanksgiving? Instead, it was steaming hot in the kitchen and my poor sister in law almost melted. She's eight months pregnant now and I felt so bad for her. Between being so full I couldn't move plus the stifling heat, it was hard enough for me to survive, I can't imagine having a big belly full of baby on top of that!

This weekend was pretty quiet. Friday night Gerwyn came over and I watched him eat a whole bowl full of chocolate. Even I was amazed. Then an hour later, I was watching tv listening to him moan about his stomach ache in the bathroom. Poor guy, that's what happens when you show no restraint!! Saturday I met Kim, Trish, Saadia and all the kids for an afternoon of bowling at Vaughn Mills. There were four little kids all under the age of 5 and it was chaos!! I couldn't keep my eye on all of them at once. It made me rethink my four child future plans, but I figure if I just have twins, there'll be no way to chicken out. So we'll see what happens. Then we had a quick lunch in the food court and I headed off to celebrate Eid (the end of Ramadan) at Saadia's mom's house.

Unfortunately I was so stuffed from lunch, I didn't have a chance to enjoy all the Guyanese cuisine, but I managed to fit in a few appetizers and take home some spicy plaintain chips for later.

Today, I spent the morning with Grams (she was sad today, I had to convince her that I would be getting married soon so she would stop crying.) and then did a little house hunting with my brother. He's looking for a new place for him and Nancy to live near my mom's house.

Now I'm waiting for Gerwyn to come over so we can have dinner together before the start of another busy week...

Arf arf!

Hi everyone. It's me Kahlua. I just wanted to say how much fun I'm having at my Auntie Diana's office. My mommy Evelyn had to go to a conference today until Thursday so until then I am playing at my Auntie's house and spending the day at her office. This morning I was so super clean and smelled great. Then Auntie Di made me walk all the way to her office in the rain and I ended up all black on the bottom. My paws were soaking wet and I looked like a fuzzy puff ball on the top half and a drowned rat on the bottom.

Now I am dry and sitting in Auntie's lap. We just went for a lunch time walk and a visit with Susie and now I am back in the office having a rest. I have to gear up for my long walk home, hopefully it won't be raining again because unlike my mommy Evelyn, my Auntie Di refuses to carry me home.
Hope everyone is having as relaxing a day as me...

Ring of Fire

This weekend was pretty busy. Friday night Sally came over and we went for a jog along what has now become our "usual" route. (Distillery District to T&T and then back.) Then we rented the worst chick flick ever, "Catch and Release" and Sally stayed over. Saturday morning we went for a massage at King Edward and then met her friends Raquel and Derek for breakfast at Petit Dejeuner. After stuffing ourselves (what else is new?) Sally dropped me off at Janet's for a bbq at her friend Andrea's place. It was just a girls only event and it was nice to chit chat about "girl issues" for awhile (yes, most of it centered around men of course!) Janet brought her new son Cole and everyone took turns holding and snuggling him. Later in the evening Janet drove me home just in time for me to change and meet Saadia for a quick visit to Nuit Blanche. It was a strange evening, we walked from UofT all the way to Richmond and Spadina. My feet were killing me by that point, and I have to admit, the exhibits were just "odd", a little too "modern" for our simple minds. So around midnight or so, we hopped in a cab and headed home. It was nice to catch up with Saadia though, I hadn't seen her since her trip and boy was she tanned!
Sunday, I got up early to visit Grams and then had lunch at my mom's house and chatted with my cousin until about 3 when Saadia picked me up and we headed downtown. I was going to go to Saadia's for dinner but I ran out of stamina and interest in jogging over to her house. Just as I was contemplating what I was going to do for dinner, Mel called and asked if I wanted to try Lin Garden with them. They always rave about how great the food is so I welcomed the opportunity to give it a try (and not to cook!). Well they weren't lying, that place was AWESOME! Too bad its all the way in Scarborough, but the food is definitely crave-worthy. We had green beans, garlic shrimp, chile fish, chicken pakoras and some brown noodles that I happened to forget the name of. We all joked about the "damage" we would experience the next day but I have to say, so far, so good. No sign of the infamous "Ring of Fire" this time... whew!

All in all a great busy spent with great friends! I think I managed to squeeze in a visit with almost everybody!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

You probably think I'm a month early but this weekend we celebrated Korean Thanksgiving. I actually didn't even know it until my mom told me the day before at my sister in law's baby shower that we were hosting a party. The shower was nice, my cousin Madeleine and I went together (after trying to do some last minute shopping and picking up some furniture for her kids at a local garage sale,) and we PIGGED OUT! I guess pigging out runs in my family cause Mad and I both had two helpings of lunch (which was a mixture of homemade Korean food and some ordered Chinese dishes from Congee Queen,) and two helpings of dessert (chocolate Dominion cake, it was SOOOO good.) After the shower, I went back to Mad's parents house and hung out with her kids and my grams and then decided to walk home from there since its only about a 30 min walk to my mom's. I get out the door only to find two little kids running after me. They refused to stay at home and wanted to come too. I welcomed the company (and the help with my bags) and we all walked together as I gave them a detailed account of the details of the shower (surprisingly they were both VERY interested, especially the part about the cake.) After a quick stop at my house for some leftover cake, I ended up going back to their house with them so Mad and I could drop off her furniture before picking up some Swiss Chalet for the kids. Then Mad, Carol and I headed out to watch a movie, "Eastern Promises", it was VERY VIOLENT, some rather graphic fight scenes that I hope to soon forget but other than that, an interesting story.

Sunday it was time to help mom out with the Thanksgiving dinner. I spent the entire morning chopping vegetables, stir frying, and then napping. Then I taught my cousin from Korea how to bbq (he'd never done it before) and we ate some kalbi right off the grill. Then my cousins and aunts and uncles all started to arrive and again, we pigged out. Carol made two pies for dessert, apple and pumpkin. With the exception of constantly being told by my mom that I was doing everything wrong, it was a good weekend. Unfortunately I had a Coke with dinner and now I seem to be VERY awake... what to do now??? Maybe I should start planning for my Wednesday dinner, how can I outdo Norm....

A welcome houseguest...

Tonight I decided to borrow a little houseguest, Kahlooki-Loo! She is just so cute. She was so excited to go for a walk when I picked her up, she just ran and didn't even look back! After two HUGE poops on the way home I thought she was tuckered out. However when I got home she turned into a bundle of energy and all of a sudden wanted to play. I did my best to keep up with her but now I think I'M tuckered out!! Right now she is sitting on my lap trying to lick my face while I type. If only I remembered to bring her food. Hopefully she ate enough at Ev's during the day cause it looks like she won't be seeing another meal until tomorrow... Thanks for staying over Kalooki, I missed you!!

No Labour on Labour Day!

Labour Day weekend was spent up at Mel's cottage in Muskoka. Just what the doctor ordered after a busy week doing last minute wedding stuff. The weather was perfect and the entire weekend was just sooo relaxing. We vegged out, ate, canoed, sat by the campfire and watched the moon rise. That's right, the moon actually ROSE, it was the coolest thing ever. We could see it come up over the hills and into the sky. Wendell (Mel's mom's boyfriend) took us for a moonlit boatride after, we sat in the middle of the lake and just stared at the stars. It was amazing.

Back at work on Tuesday, all the girls received a very interesting email from Evelyn, turns out she had a fantastic time in Italy with her boyfriend who is NOW her FIANCE!! Congrats to Ev, looks like there'll be more wedding planning in my future...

This weekend looks like it will be another relaxing one. Saturday Gerwyn booked us a couples massage as a leftover gift from my birthday and then I've made us dinner reservations at Kultura. It feels like its been awhile since we've had an official "date" so this Saturday we decided to dress up and try a night out for a change... I guess after a year of dating, its easy to get lazy and just spend all of your time vegging out. Its time to rekindle a little romance!

Susie's married!

This weekend was Susie's big wedding weekend. I took Friday off work and headed up to Uxbridge early with her and her girlfriends to do last minute organizing for her big day on Saturday. Knowing my best friend, I figured she was super stressed and everything would be all over the place so I offered to be her "wedding co-ordinator" for the weekend. I had no idea what I was in for... there was a loooong list of to-do items and not enough time in the day. Lots of last minute details that seemed to change minute by minute as my indecisive friend kept changing her mind!! Anyway, we finally got the tent and forest situation figured out and got back to her sister-in-law's place around 10ish to relax and for me, write my speech. Saturday morning we had a great breakfast at Lori-Jean's house and then off the spa we all went for manicures. Too bad mine didn't last. But with so many things to do that day, it was the least of my worries. Then we all headed back to the house to get ready. Susie's dress was a work in progress right to the last minute with Lori-Jean sewing it up right before she had to put it on. Her family was scrambling around the wedding site getting all the last minute stuff done (thank God we didn't have to be there!) and we spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready. By 4pm we climbed into the car and arrived at her brother's house only to be met with the beginnings of a rainstorm. There was a little panic as we figured out what we should do, drag everyone back into the tent, or just go for it. After about 10 minutes of back and forth, we settled on making the best of it and climbed into the horse drawn wagon in the rain. By the time we got to the forest, we were pretty wet, but luckily all the guests had umbrellas with them. The weather was warm though, so the rain wasn't so bad, in the end it added a romantic element to the whole thing. Once I accepted that I would just look like a wet rat, the rest of the night was fine. No need to worry about getting dirty after that!! After the ceremony we went back up to the tent for the reception. I spent the hour before dinner running around meeting caterers and servers and also desperately trying to finish off my speech. By the time dinner was ready, I still had a paragraph to go and my time was approaching... eventually I ended up winging the very last part but in the end, again, everything worked out. People laughed when they were supposed to and I ended up making it all the way through with only one pause for crying. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. As the speeches continued Gerwyn realized that he had locked his keys in the car so we went down to wait for the tow truck to come to open his door. I ended up missing Susie and Josh's final speech but luckily I made it back for the slideshow and Gerwyn got his keys.

With the exception of a few electrical problems later in the evening , the rest of the night was great, there was a live salsa band (so good!!) and a belly dancing performance too!!
At around midnight Gerwyn and I were ready to call it a night (he was still recovering from his flu which wasn't improving after being in the rain,) and we headed home. All in all it was a fantastic night and Susie and Josh had a great time. But if there was one thing I learned from this whole experience, its that a wedding co-ordinator is a MUST! The last thing I want to do on my wedding day is stress about where the tea bags are or who's going to run out to get more ice...

Nap time

Today I took a nap. A two hour nap. And now I am awake. Last night I had a coffee around 4pm (since I was planning on going to see JT later that night, I figured I needed the caffeine) and I ended up not being able to sleep. I woke up this morning exhausted and was actually nodding off at my desk today. So when I got home I decided I would take a "quick" nap before going to the gym. Unfortunately quick nap ended up being almost 3 hours so at 10:00 I got up and finished my laundry, made Susie's money box for her wedding and now am updating the blog. The next few days are going to be quite busy for me with last minute planning for Sue's wedding so it was nice to just veg out a little tonight however, now I am left awake and not much to do. Well, actually I have many things to do, clean, write my speech, clean, but I don't feel like doing any of that stuff. I just want to veg out, it feels like I so rarely get time to actually read a book or just do nothing anymore... I kind of forgot how great it is!

Are you Superbad?

Tonight Gervinder and I are going to see Superbad. I'm sooo excited. Every time I see the trailer I crack up. Favourite scence so far: the skinny Chinese kid doing his cat impression. Let's see if it can live up to the hype!

Yesterday I threw Susie's staggette with her friends Hana and Amanada. The theme was COCKtail party and it was hilarious. There were penises everywhere, all shapes and sizes and many different colours.... green guacamole penis... yum! We played a special version of charades (Movie: E.Three: The Extra Testicle), popped the penis pinata and then of course we finished the night off with a special appearance by Officer G-String, he put Sooz under arrest and read her her rights. It was hilarious and she was shocked so our work was done. All in all, a crazy, raunchy send off to a crazy, raunchy friend. Next week: the BIG day!!

Spicy!!

This weekend was filled with Food Festivals in the City. Taste of the Danforth and Hot and Spicy food festival. Friday night I had Susie and her friend Hana over for burgers (which weren't spicy) to do Susie's wedding hair and try on her wedding dress. They stayed til about 2 am which was the latest I've been up in awhile, hopefully we got a lot of accomplished. (I was so tired, I don't really remember.)

Saturday Ev called me around 10 to remind me that we were getting together for shopping at Holts. It was a nice hot day and we enjoyed walking around so much that we went from Holts (and Bloor) all the way to Winner's at College. (Then we bit the bullet and took the subway back downtown, I was super tired!) After a nap back at home, Gerwyn came over and we met up with Ev and Kahlua again to check out the Hot and Spicy food. After getting lost downtown (even after all these years, I still get lost now and then,) we finally found Ev and pigged out on super spicy Jerk Chicken (one bite and my mouth was on fire!), Curried Goat, rice and beans and Columbian beef. Since Kahluki wasn't allowed in the tent, we left her with Gerwyn while Ev and I got the food. Every time we looked up to check on Gerwyn, he was surrounded by 10 different girls. Kahlua is a serious chick magnet. Even when we were all walking around together, people would constantly stop us to ask us about her. I felt a little like a celebrity! We finished the night off with a deeleecious crepe (chocolate, bananas, nuts and ice cream, YUM!) which between the three of us went down in seconds. (We had to fight Gerwyn for it.) Then we walked around the boardwalk and again got stopped every five seconds to answer questions about Kahlua and finally ended the night back at Ev's.

Sunday after Grams, I went home for lunch ate the spiciest pepper I've ever had. My mom grows her own in the backyard and always warns me to "watch out for the hot ones" but I don't know what this means, they all look the same? Anyway, I mistakenly took one of the wrong ones and boy did I regret it. I practically downed a litre of water trying to stop the flames on my tongue. Later in the afternoon, Hanna and Jenny came over and we all headed downtown for a bbq and hanna's famous cookies at my place. Gerwyn came back from Beerfest (already hung over by 6) and we all enjoyed a nice dinner. Unfortunately Gerwyn was the subject for Hanna and Jen's 20 questions about when we were going to get married and have kids. He handled it very well though, cool as a cucumber. However after they left, he quickly suggested we stop talking about it which suited me fine cause those conversations are always SO serious!!!

This week will be busy with last minute plans for Susie's stagette. But I'm also looking forward to the biggest event of the summner, the EX!! I love the EX and can't wait to go. I can taste the tiny tom's right now... I think I'll buy my tickets tomorrow...

I'm finally IN!

So today is my first official day as a home internet user. Grant came by my place tonight to fix my internet and now I'm finally all hooked up. Apparently the problem was an incorrect DNS setting. He fixed it in 2 seconds. 2 weeks without internet for nothing!!

Anyway, now that I've finally joined the millions of people with internet at home, you can expect regular blog updates! (hopefully...)

So what's new today? I have adopted five new babies. Cybele is off to France for a year so she's giving away all of her houseplants. I've been an admirer of her plants for awhile as she always takes great care of them and they always look very interesting. Unfortunately I couldn't take any of the big ones but I have five cute new cacti that I hope will thrive in their new environment!

I also have a new room again. Hanna is almost moved out and I have my 2nd bedroom back. What should I do with it? Originally I used it for storage and that is currently what its turning into but I feel that I should be better using that space... any ideas???

The return of the Lazy Saturday... and Sunday... and Monday!

This weekend was time to recuperate from vacation. A vacation from our vacation if you will. Gerwyn and I did absolutely nothing and it was grrrrreat! Friday night he came down and we rented "Pathfinder", a typical boy movie about Vikings fighting. It wasn't THAT bad if you ignored all the dialogue and just appreciated the fight scenes. Nothing like a guy getting his head chopped off. Saturday we slept in (finally!) and then headed to Thornhill so Gerwyn could change his shoes (yes, that's right.) and then we took another nap followed by a movie at Yonge and sheppard ("Transformers". It was definitely more than meets the eye!). Saturday night was supposed to be "going out" night with Mel and her sister who was in town for a week, but by the time we got back downtown (around 10ish?) we were so tired from all the excitement that we just fell asleep.

Sunday I got up early and headed to grams and then came back later in the afternoon to super clean my condo. Then I headed back up to Thornhill for dinner with Gerwyn's family. There were 10 of us in all, including Gerwyn's mom and his aunts and uncles from the States. We ate at Carnival, a brazillian grill on hwy 7 and man, was it good! It was non stop meat!! They just kept bringing swords of different grilled meats to the table, it was our dream come true. Everyone enjoyed it and we all came out full. Of course that didn't stop Gerwyn from polishing off the chocolate and ice cream that was left over at my condo later that night.

Monday was yet another day to relax with a walk to the Eaton Centre and then a nap for Gerwyn while I prepared our bbq dinner with Vic, Darren and later MelandNorm. After a hot dinner on the rooftop, we all walked to Solferino for some yummy gelato. Then Gerwyn and I rented another movie "DejaVu" and spent the rest of our long weekend on the couch vegging out.

Now I'm officially rested...

My birthday and our anniversary!

Two birthday cakes, one birthday dinner and one anniversary dinner make Diana a very happy girl!!

Wedding in Naples!

Naples, Florida that is... Here are pics of our trip to Naples/Miami for Gerwyn's sister's wedding. Unlike some people, I prefer to give my details in person so I'll just post the pics for now.

T - 15 minutes to go!

Just about to leave, our cab will be here in 15 minutes. I'm all packed and ready to go. I checked the weather and its supposed to rain all week though. :(

I am updating my blog (like a good girl,) and Gerwyn is.... (can you guess?) ... just getting out of the shower!! Still has to pack his bag and then we're off!!

Wish us a safe trip girls, see you when we're back!!

P.S. Thanks for my birthday dinner again last night, it was great to spend it with you guys.

And that goes for you too SALABIA!

Give it a good blow job Sal!!

Stop bugging me MEL!

She may LOOK innocent, but her RULES are deadly!!

Who's the cutest of them all?

Sally's birthday... Distillery style!!

Hot dog!

Je me souviens...

Ok so Montreal was 2 weekends ago, but here's the recap on a post I started last Sunday:

Just got back from a weekend with the girls (Sally, Saadia, Raquel and me) in Montreal. But before I give the recap, I thought I would report on last Wednesday's dinner since it was MY turn! Oh wait, no, it was Norm's turn and then mine. Anyway, here's the short version: Norm did a mexican theme with fish tacos, wasabi shrimp and chocolate peanut butter pie (from Emeril) for dessert. IT was DEEE-leecious. Gerwyn stuffed his face with 6 tacos right out of the gates. We barely had time to finish one in the time it took him. Needless to say, he was not a happy camper that night. Stomach ache all night... The following Wednesday I chose a menu out of a Martha Stewart mag: Paprika Rubbed Roasted Chicken with Dill green beans and stuffed baked potatoes. Dessert was a chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. (Gerwyn says my cookie was over baked. At least he didn't get a stomach ache!!) Then it was off to Montreal, the trip was great except it rained all weekend. We shopped (at Simon's), we ate (at Schwartz and Cafeteria), we got rained on (the entire weekend) and got massaged (by strange most likely unregistered Eastern European masseurs... it was odd to say the least). Anyway, for full details I suggest you check out sally's blog. How's that for a recap?!!

Onto last weekend: Friday night I shopped til I dropped at the mall and bought two pairs of shoes and some pants at the Gap. Saturday I went to Janet's to give Calla her birthday present and then headed back to the mall to pick up my second pair of shoes (they were ordered in) at the Bay. Coincidentally, I met Susie and Josh there who were in the midst of registering for their wedding and then Gerwyn came by on his bike and we all stopped for coffee before Gerwyn and I went to Terroni for dinner. It was SOOOO GOOD! Gerwyn practically inhaled the mushroom salad, I barely got a bite. Then his left temple started sweating from his spicy pasta that he ordered. He had to go to the washroom to "dry off". (I would agree, it was pretty spicy.) Then we walked home and digested our meals and prepared to watch Borat but ended up falling asleep on the couch so we just went to bed instead. Sunday I got up early to visit Grams and Gerwyn went for a bike ride with Vic downtown. I ended up running into Gerwyn again as I was walking back from the GO train station. (I think he is secretly stalking me...) We ended up going to my place and I made mini pizzas with grilled vegetables and we watched Amazing Race. Since he didn't feel like riding his bike back home, he ended up staying over again and we were able to have breakfast together on Monday. It was quite nice (except for having to actually get up EARLY to MAKE the breakfast..)

Whew, I think that's it. Now I'm off for some mani/pedi time with Ev and then a little Sushi at Japango, haven't had sushi for ages so I'm really looking forward to it! YUM!

Trip to Uxbridge!

This past weekend Gerwyn and I went up to Uxbridge with Susie and Josh to check out her wedding site. She's getting married at her brother Scott's house in his backyard. It was about an hour drive and on the way we stopped to visit her mom so she could meet Gerwyn and I could say hello. I don't think I've seen her for almost 10 years. Seeing her was like finding a piece of home. I have so many childhood memories at her house and although she lives somewhere different now, it still felt like "Kimball House" when I entered her apartment. Tons of pink everywhere with the occassional memento from back in the day (her encyclopedias from the late 70's, her teacups...). It was so great to have her meet Gerwyn too. She was so excited. She told me that I should get my mom's approval before I get married and I said "I talked to my mom already" and she said "not THIS mom!" It was so sweet. She asked Gerwyn all these questions about when he wanted to get married and have kids, she really put him on the spot but he was pretty good about it, didn't even break a sweat. Then on the way out, when he hugged her (of course he had to get a hug and kiss in there,) she said "you won't find anyone better." Almost makes me cry to think about it. She was such a big part of my life growing up, I'm glad I got to introduce the past to the future.

Then we headed to Scott's and spent the rest of the day in his massive backyard. It backs onto a forest and Susie had a few places spec'd out for where she wanted to get married so we took a little tour and then Gerwyn played frisbee with Josh and Susie's nephews while we talked decorations in the barn. It was a beautiful day to be out and we had a great time!

Sunday was Gerwyn's "day" so he spent the entire day cycling around the city in his new bicycle shorts while I visited Grams, cleaned my apartment and grocery shopped. This Wednesday is my turn to make dinner. I've perused all my Food magazines and settled on a Martha Stewart menu of paprika roast chicken, stuffed baked potatoes and french cut green beans. We'll see how it goes...

Yeah baby, its bangers and mash!!

Ev decided to go with an "English" theme (seeing as how she just got back from a romantic getaway with her Englishman Steeeewart) for Wednesday dinner and made traditional English Bangers and Mash. She even got the recipes from Jamie Oliver. It was very tasty. Her appetizer was an arugula salad with pinenuts, pancetta and balsalmic. For dessert, she made a "Banoffee Pie", a toffee pie with banana chunks and whipped cream. It was deeeelish. Some might even say it was their 'favourite dessert' of all Wednesday dinners. I won't mention who that someone was, but needless to say, he won't be enjoying any more desserts at my house... hmph!

Tonight I've decided to meet Sally for drinks (because we can now that she's a T.O girl again) and then tomorrow I'm off to Burford, Ontario for a dinner party at Kim's house with Trish and Saadia. A pretty quiet weekend I'd say.

Easter Weekend!

This past weekend was Easter and you know what that means... c.h.o.c.o.l.a.t.e! (Yes, I'm a bad Catholic.) Friday being Good Friday, I had the day off work so I met up with Gerwyn and we ate fish (no meat right? See, I AM a good Catholic) and watched Blades of Glory. It was hilarious. At one point, Gerwyn even fell out of his seat from laughing so hard. Friday night we had dinner downtown (Taco Bell, nope, definitely NOT a good Catholic) and vegged out. Saturday was brunch at my uncle's house. It was the biggest feast ever. What started out as a small brunch among cousins turned into a huge family affair with crab, the biggest fish I've ever seen and sushi as far as the eye could see. Uncle taught everyone how to make california rolls. Even the aunts got into the assembly line. My cousin Jenn laid out the seaweed sheets, Mad and CAt applied the rice, uncle put down the avocado and crab and Carol's mom folded em up. And of course, Mad ate all the "ugly" looking ones. Turns out, about half of them were "ugly". Then they moved onto spicy tuna and salmon rolls, just as tasty and just as quick to disappear. Plus Carol made all the usual breakfast foods, french toast, bacon, sausages, potatoes and lots and lots of desserts!! We were so full.

I left Uncle's at about 4pm to head to my friend Mae's for another Easter party. Yes, even more food. However, by the time I got there I had digested enough so that I could try a few of Mae's ribs, Mel's chicken, Ev's scalloped potatoes and even the Chinese food that Sally and I brought. Plus the carrot cake and blueberry cheesecake. Then we had a little EAster Egg hunt before Gerwyn and I got our butts kicked at Wii. (We played Tennis against Ev and Glenn. Clearly they were cheating.)

Sunday was recovery day. Got up early to visit Grams and then ate a small lunch at home before heading back downtown to meet Gerwyn. We watched "The Holiday". It was definitely a chick flick so naturally, we both loved it. (Ok, so Gerwyn not so much. It was no "Notebook" apparently.)

This week is Ev's turn to cook Wednesday dinner, hard to believe I can still think about food, but I wonder what she's going to make???

Its almost Wednesday, you know what that means...

Its my turn for Wednesday dinner. Wonder what I will make??? Don't want to give away any secrets just yet...

On another note, Gerwyn suggested we do a "colon cleanse" together. That boy is so romantic...

Wii are at it again...

Last night was Wednesday Dinner again and this time was Gerwyn's turn to cook (as opposed to last week when he just "bought"). He went with a Middle Eastern theme and made Chicken Schwarma sandwiches and baklava for dessert. Now that Sally is back in town, we were honoured with her presence for her first official Wednesday dinner. A couple more and she'll be cookin' in no time! Gerwyn's friend Victor also came by and MelandNorm brought our favourite guest "Wii". Sally finally got a taste of the action as we all played a game of bowling (somehow she managed to beat us all... beginner's luck I say,) and then moved onto boxing and baseball. I scored two homeruns (one grand slam) on Gerwyn's lame pitches. (Fastball? As IF!) All in all, a very (and active!) night. Then we commuted with Sally back to Thornhill since she was heading to Ron's place. Having our boyfriends live in the same neighbourhood is proving to be verrrrry convenient! Makes up for the fact that we actually live so far away from each other. Anyway, I'm just glad Sally is back in town, it honestly felt like she never left but that just goes to show that her place in my life was never filled! I knew she'd make it back eventually...

Sorry for the delay...

I forgot my blogger password so I was locked out for awhile but now I'm back! So... a recap on what's been going on lately:

Valentine's Day: On the 14th we all had dinner at Ev's since it was Wednesday dinner night. She made a yummy lasagna and deeeleecious brownies for dessert. I also made chocolate covered strawberries in honour of the holiday. Later that night, I went to Gerwyn's house and gave him Valentine that I made, straight out of grade school with doilies and everything! I had told him that I thought we should "make" our gifts this year so we don't spend any money. So what does Vinder give me??? First, a pillow that he bought with a picture frame in it which of course he used to insert a picture of us. (I swear, ANY item with a picture frame in it and Gerwyn will find it.) AND for the "homemade" segment of the gift, he decided to "make" me feel good. Now ladies, get your minds out of the gutter, by that he was going to give me a much needed massage. I always massage his shoulders and back before we go to bed but for some reason, the favour is rarely returned so on V-Day, it was my turn to collect! And it was worth the wait, I got almost a full hour of good shoulder and back focussed massage. The great part about it was that when I usually go to the spa, I'm shy to tell them if its too hard or soft and where I really need them to focus so with Gerwyn, I could just tell him what I wanted. It was a great gift and definite points for creative interpretation!!

Last weekend we didn't do too much, Saturday we went to the gym to work out and Sunday I celebrated Lunar New Year with my family and pigged out.

Yesterday we had Wednesday dinner at my house. It was Vinder's turn to cook and he decided to treat everyone to Swiss Chalet instead. We even had a special guest: Victor Ricafrente (Gerwyn's best friend). Mel and Norm also brought their Wii and we finally got to try it out. Needless to say, we're hooked! Our favourite game was boxing. Even though everyone got a very good laugh at my boxing technique (or lack thereof,), it was still a great workout! It took me 3 rounds to knock the guy out and by then I was huffing and puffing and so tired. Who needs the gym when they have the Wii!!

Fight, FIGHT!

All couples argue. I know its a normal part of every relationship. But with my limited relationship experience, I had no idea how hard it is to communicate when you're angry and what effect it can have on others.

Gerwyn and I have had a few disagreements and they always work themselves out but most recently, our latest disagreement ended up with us not talking for a few days. It was the first major argument I've ever had with a significant other and quite a learning experience. Mel says being in a relationship is about working as a team. And even when you disagree, your focus should be on resolution and learning, not necessarily to make them feel bad or point a finger. Easier said than done, especially for me since I always "thought" I was trying to help by pointing the finger in the first place. (ie. pointing out what they did wrong.) I didn't realize what kind of effect this can actually have on someone else. Susie, who also gives great advice, says that there are four key ingredients to every successful relationship: Commitment, Trust, Communication and Respect. You don't realize how true this stuff is (or how much you may lack it) until you come into times of trouble.

Things are obviously better now, but boy, do I still have plenty to learn...

Ron holds a baby and pets the dog!

On Friday night I went out for dinner with all my cousins to Wah-Sing. My cousin Joon-Sook from Korea is here for 6 months or so learning English so to welcome him here, I arranged an impromptu dinner which everyone was able to come to which was great! There were 8 of us in total which meant we could order 2 orders of the lobster and 2 orders of the Cantonese Chow Mein. Everything was so tasty! I even got to have my green beans too. It was nice to see my cousin again, he said I looked exactly the same as when he saw me last which was almost 10 years ago I think. After dinner we went to my cousin Madeleine's house for tea and just talked. I felt bad for Joon-Sook a bit since we were all talking too fast, I could tell by the look on his face he couldn't keep up. But its good for him to be "thrown in" to this kind of environment. What a better way to learn right? And my cousin Mad was able to translate all the interesting parts. It was nice to catch up with family, so rare for me!

Later that night, Gerwyn stopped by after a night out with his old high school friends. I could tell he had a great time because he had a big smile on his sleepy face when he got in. Saturday, we took Hanna and David (who was spending the weekend at my condo) out for breakfast at George St. Diner and then suited up for some basketball! Gerwyn was nervous that he might not be able to keep up with a 14 year old but he managed to hold his own and even beat David at all the games we played. (He was relieved.) Just give him a couple more years Gerwyn, then you'll be in trouble!!
After b-ball, we headed out to Mae's to catch up with everyone and hear about Ev's trip to Thailand. I ended up drinking 3 glasses of wine so I was pretty tipsy. Gerwyn kept throwing Kahlua on Ron's lap (knowing he was afraid of dogs). I have to admit, it was pretty funny to see his arms thrown up in the air while he was shrieking every now and then. He didn't actually PET the dog, but it was on his lap which was close enough. (A first for him I think.) Then came Andrew Jacob, Mae's newborn who wasn't even one month old. Of course all of the girls took turns holding him while the boys watched. I decided to pass him to Gerwyn who then passed him to Ron who had never held a newborn in his life! (Check out Sally and Mel's blogs for pics. I have a great picture of Ron's scared face as he's holding the baby. Hopefully it'll get posted soon.) After the dog, baby and 4 cups of coffee using Mae's new Tassimo coffee maker (which Gerwyn just couldn't get enough of!) we went home and I took a nap while Gerwyn bounced off the walls. He ended up watching a move until 3 am that night! That's what you get for drinking all that coffee! Needless to say, I was late to visit Grams in the morning.

Sunday was quiet, after Grams, I had lunch with my mom and took the train home to go to the gym and have a nice looooong bubble bath. I haven't done that in ages and boy was it relaxing.

Birthday Report...

So last weekend Gerwyn and I celebrated his big day! At 31 years old, we're still waiting for him to mature but at least he's well past his pre-buscent years (although there was that pesky pimple that just wouldn't go away for awhile...)
On Friday (the actual BIG day) I woke up to go to the gym and then went for a massage at Sutherland-Chan. (Gerwyn's birthday was a great excuse to treat myself!) Then I met Saadia for coffee and ran to the grocery store to buy my big boy a cake. By the time I got home I only had about 45 minutes to bake the cake and take a shower before I had to leave to meet Gerwyn at Finch station. Barely enough time to get the cake out of the oven and then out the door! After I met Gerwyn, I gave him his first present (homemade Toblerone shortbread and a Colgate 360 toothbrush) and then we went for Sushi at our favourite place Ginza. Then we went to Promenade for a bit of shopping before watching Babel and eating popcorn (with BUTTER!) After the movie, we headed downtown. I made Gerwyn close his eyes while I iced the cake and lit all the candles. Then when he opened them I sang him a song and he blew out his candles and then we GORGED on cake. I think we almost ate half of it that night. After cake, Gerwyn opened his presents (Kiehl's shampoo and conditioner, a red iPod Nano and a Chili Peppers Guitar book with play along cds to look good on his coffee table) and then I read him his card. It was 31 reasons why I was glad he was born. (I won't bore you all with the list.)

Saturday, we had waffles with ice cream and bacon for breakfast (apparently it was birthday WEEKEND) and then we played basketball (I lost again!) before going to Square One. Original plan was to go to Niagara but we hit traffic in Mississauga and changed plans.) One watch and a pair of shoes later, we ended up back downtown for more cake and a dvd. (Did I mention someone had KFC at the mall? It was like the boy had never eaten before, the whole thing was devoured in seconds!!)

Sunday was quiet. Just went to Grams in the morning and played with my cousin's kids (my cousin Cat from the States was visiting with her 2 kids too) and then went back home to watch the football game. Yes, I watched football. And I think I may have even enjoyed it. Which is good cause Superbowl is in 2 weeks and I have no choice but to watch the game. If you can't change them, might as well join them... I'm ready for some football!!

9 more days until Gervinder's birthday: Any ideas?

Gerwyn's birthday is next Friday (the 19th.) We'll finally be the same age. For 6 months anyway. I'm not sure what to plan. Should we just go out for dinner, should we try a short weekend getaway, should I get him PS3? HA HA HA, as if I'd actually get him a PS3!!! But I'm sure Gerwyn will read this and for a split second he'll think his dream has come true.

Any suggestions ladies?

On another note, I really wish I had pictures to post with my blog entries...

Weekend Update!

Last weekend was surprisingly busy for not having any real plans. Friday night was Josh's (Susie's boyfriend's) birthday party at their place. Gerwyn came down after work and we were planning on heading there together. Just as we're about to leave my place, my phone rings and its Susie. Here's a quick transcript of the conversation:
Susie: When are you leaving?
Di: In a few minutes.
Susie: Well, you just missed the main event?
Di: What happened, did you guys play a game?
Susie: I'm engaged!
Di: EEEEEEEEK!
I scared Gerwyn when I screamed but I couldn't believe it. First that it happened, and second that I missed it. Josh proposed just after he blew out his candles in front of everyone. I'm so happy for her and can't wait to start planning!! Just when I thought I had run out of weddings to go to...
So the rest of the night was spent congratulating her and celebrating. Gerwyn really needed to unwind after a crazy work week and I think he accomplished his mission as by the time I got him home, he was having trouble standing, focussing and even breathing. (Ok, that part was a bit scary. I kept putting my hand on his chest while he was sleeping to make sure it was moving.) But he had a good time.
The next day was supposed to be our "lazy day" but it turned into "active day" when Gerwyn decided he wanted to try out my basketball court. I think he just wanted to re-live his highschool days by doing all these crazy lay-ups and even attempting his famous slam dunk. (That one didn't go over so well, turns out its a lot harder to do after 15 years. He's still hurtin' from that one today.)
After he creamed me in basketball (its hard to focus when you're trying to steal the ball off someone trying to recapture their youth, he was totally cracking me up!) well, I managed to get a few points by the end but he always won. After b-ball, we went to the mall and tried to return his sweater at Abercrombie and Fitch. If anyone has heard me talk about this store, its to tell you how much I hate it. And Gerwyn made me go in there TwICE! Once to return his sweater and a second time to return the pants he bought after returning the sweater. However the second time I couldn't bring myself to wait in the store so I waited outside.
After shopping I headed to Scarborough for my gram's 90th birthday. It was great, she was so happy to see everyone and I know it means a lot to her to be part of the group instead of cooped up in her room in a bed all the time. She even started crying while we sang happy birthday. It was hard not to cry too.
I pigged out like crazy (had 3 helpings) and then chatted with my cousins for a bit before going home with my mom.
Sunday, I visited Grams again (she slept for most of the time) played with my cousin's kids (baby Stephanie cried in my ear for an hour straight! There was no calming that baby down. I finally got frustrated and gave her to her 9 year old sister to hold which actually worked. I think she just wanted a familiar face. I guess all us Koreans aren't the same afterall.) and then went back down town to meet Gerwyn for Abercrombie visit number 2 followed by dinner at his friend's Mexican restaurant. The burritos were yummy! I'm going back on Wednesday with MelandNorm again.
Then we watched Bend it Like Beckham (Gerwyn hadn't seen it before) and in the spirit of the movie gave each other Indian names. I gave him Gervinder and I'm not sure what he came up with for me but I'm sure it wasn't as clever as mine.