Thanks Fred!

In October I am planning on going to visit my sister in Connecticut to watch the New York Giants vs Dallas Cowboys football game. As a big wig at GE, she has access to their GE box so we will have great seats and I just couldn't turn down the chance to watch the Giants play again. The first time I saw them play in Buffalo was amazing and I'm sure these seats will be even better. (I'm even going to wear my Manning jersey. I'll probably be the only one there among all the suits wearing a jersey but what better opportunity to wear it right?)

In order to make the trip, I had decided to use my air miles to book my flight. Since I didn't have enough miles at the time to book, I decided to sign up for a platinum AMEX in order to get the bonus points which would get my balance high enough to get my ticket. However to my great dismay, (and after paying $60 to get the card!) I found out that it can take up to 120 days to get the bonus points!! I started to panic since I was SO looking forward to watching the game (and also doing some major shopping at the best outlet mall ever,) so I decided to contact my friend Freddie (my grade 5 boyfriend,) since he used to work at AMEX. I thought maybe he could give me some advice about calling them and seeing if I could get the points added any earlier. Anyway, after I explained my situation to him he said "I have air miles, how about I just give them to you?". Unfortunately the points are not actually transferable but instead he called air miles himself and booked me my flight using his own air miles. I was shocked but so thankful for his generosity. I am very lucky to have such great friends and I just wanted to publicly say thanks to my grade 5 boyfriend for still looking out for me! Thanks Fred!!!

Decorating Update!

Well after two weekends of painting and reorganizing, I have finished my foyer. I bought the paint from my local Pro Hardware (which I didn't know existed beside St. Lawrence Market,) taped the walls and went to it. For my first project, I thought I did an ok job. At first I thought it was far too messy (my stucco ceiling caused a bit of a problem when it came to painting,) but now that I've had a few days to look at it, it doesn't seem so bad. Sally helped me do the trim and finishing touches.

I also finally got my new cabinet delivered and set up. I wasn't sure about the size at first (it was bigger than I thought,) but now that I've got all of my things in it (and a lot more storage room!) I think I'm happy with it. The great thing about it is that I can also use it as two separate pieces by flipping top half over.

It was a bit harder than I thought and I'll have to really think about whether or not I want to tackle painting the rest of the place. Especially with a dark colour, its hard to get the right coverage. I think I will now turn my attention to getting my chandelier hung and possibly adding the mosaic tile to my kitchen backsplash.

Congratulations Pallly!

Last weekend, my best pally Sally finally got engaged! Seeing as how we pretty much tell each other everything, keeping this a secret was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do! Her fiancee Ron had told me about a month in advance that he was going to propose and although I was very happy to help with his plans, it was SO HARD not to say anything!

Although the pic above looks like Mae and Ev are not happy (while celebrating at Wah Sing), they are just trying to imitate the Brace Face Smile. Mel and I on the other hand, couldn't contain our excitement and are all smiles!

Now that the cat's finally out of the bag, I am very happy to be able to tell everyone and anyone "Sally's engaged! Sally's engaged! Sally's engaged!" Whoo hooo! Let the wedding planning begin...

DIvine Design!

After almost 5 years in my condo, I've decided to give myself a new project. Time to finally decorate! I've always thought about painting and decorating but there always seemed to be something or other going on that prevented me from devoting the large amount of time necessary for such a project. Now that I find myself with lots of free time, I thought I would finally get a move on with my condo. Those old dusty paint chips that were stuck to my wall 2 years ago when I last felt inspired are finally going to see fruition.

Just this past Saturday I got up early and met Mahi for a run at Queen's Park. Then we went for breakfast and did a little furniture shopping for our respective places. The first stop was Biltmore at King and Sherbourne. We had gone the previous weekend but the items I found were a bit out of my price range so I was unable to make the commitment. This time, I found a bookcase/china cabinet that I fell in love with and although the price was still quite high, I was able to negotiate a little (where is Mae when you need her?) and am now the proud owner of a "new country" china cabinet and antique side table. It was the most money I've spent in a long time and my poor bank card got put to the test. But it will be a good start to the home reno and finally getting this place looking the way I've always wanted. Next stop, Home Depot to start picking my paint colours!

A little plastic surgery never hurt anyone?

Today I had my consultation with a plastic surgeon regarding my "lipoma". Lipomas are fatty tissue that are relatively normal and usually appear in different areas of the limbs. Based on that definition, I think I have quite the lipoma developing in the ol' midsection. But the one I was getting checked out happens to be on the back of my skull. I noticed it had grown in the last few months and although I've had it almost all of my life, I feel its time to say good bye. So today, Sally my Pally drove me to my appointment and $300 later, I will be "lipoma-free". The appt for the actual surgery is not until November. Until then, I will look forward to being able to lie on my left side and wear non-lopsided pony tails. Maybe while I'm there, they can do a quick lipo on some of my other "lipomas"...

Happy Thanksgiving... Korean style!

This weekend was Korean Thanksgiving. Which as you all know, means a big pig out fest at home. This year's celebration didn't disappoint, we had my mom's kalbi, and my aunt's noodles, chicken wings, and all my other favourites. My cousin Carol also made my favourite dessert, chocolate pavlova and a pumpkin pie. I had 3 helpings of pavlova and then just about passed out from the sugar high.

The day before I woke up early and met Mahi, Saadia and Raju for breakfast at Morning Glory. Its a cute brunch place on the east side of King. Not my usual neighbourhood but I'm glad I checked it out. They use Ace Bakery breads and their sandwiches looked amazing. They also have small portions which I really liked. Perfect for a light meal before yoga with Mahi. It was our first yoga class and I was excited. I've been wanting to try yoga for awhile and when Mahi mentioned that he wanted to try it out I thought it was a perfect opportunity to get a move on. So Saturday afternoon we took our first "hatha" class at the Yoga Lounge on Richmond. It was a little "new age" at first with all the deep breathing that always makes me feel like I want to pass out but shortly thereafter, we got into our tree poses, downward dog, sideways plank and one of my favourites "the sphinx". It was a lot harder than I thought (I was sweating a lot by the end of the class) but it was also relaxing. Each difficult move was followed by a stretching move. I have four more passes so if anyone wants to join me, feel free!

After yoga I headed to Scarbs to babysit my niece Charlotte. She's getting bigger now and I was really hoping that she had grown out of the screaming tantrum phase but looks like I have a few more years before that happens. Just like last time, we spent the first hour playing and giggling and then all of a sudden, the dark cloud came over her little face and the wrinkle in between her eyebrows turned more severe. Soon the mouth opened and the waterworks followed. The next 45 minutes were spent with me picking her up, putting her down, carrying her all around my house (and I mean into EVERY room,) playing with every single toy and just generally trying to calm her while she screamed her little lungs out. By the end, I was dripping with sweat and I just decided to sit her on the floor while I cooled off and she continued her screaming. Luckily her mom walked in the door just at that moment and all of a sudden the dark clouds lifted and she was laughing and giggling again. Not even a year old and already turning into quite the little troublemaker.

Tonight I went for a quick run (to work off those pavlova calories) and then finished off my leftovers from my mom. And so ends my first Thanksgiving of the year. Things to be thankful for: good health, a comfortable lifestyle, and of course, great family and friends to share the holidays and every day with. I've been so fortunate to experience everything that I have and I can only look forward to what the world has in store for me.

Costco and lobster!

Tonight Ev and I had a long awaited reunion with Costco. It had been a long time since we went and boy did we make up for lost time. Our cart was so heavy by the end of the night and together, we spent over $400! (All necessities of course.)

After Costco, we met Sally at Wah Sing for our favourite lobster and spicy squid. Between the three of us we ordered four dishes and pretty well managed to eat everything. We had a couple lobster heads left over for Norm but unfortunately MelandNorm couldn't make it. It was nice to catch up with Mrs. Milner and have some good old fashioned girl time again. (Something I expect to be getting a lot of for the next little while...)

Tokyo Snoring...

Tonight Sally and I went to a movie at the Isabel Bader Theatre. As it is the season of TIFF, she wanted to use her vouchers to treat us to a TIFF movie. The only problem with them is that you usually don't know what you're going to get. It can be good, but it can also be not so good. Tonight was one of those "not so good" movies. It was a Japanese film called Tokyo Sonata and it was just a teeny bit dull. (It also didn't help that it was about a guy who becomes unemployed and eventually goes crazy.)

Anyway, TIFF is always fun and I'm happy we are in a city which can play host to such creativity. Thanks for the dinner + a movie Pally!

Live in light...

Last night Saadia and I went to a workshop to learn more about our periods at The Red Tent Sisters on the Danforth. Its a store that specializes in women's "cycles" and this workshop was to introduce us to the cycles of the moon and how our own cycles can correspond. I was very skeptical going in but in the end it turned out to be a good learning experience. We learned about how we can use our cycles to our advantage.

During pre-ovulation, you're a "go-getter". Its time to start new projects and/or get your current projects done. You excel at being analytical and solving problems, tackling new obstacles. During Ovulation, you're a "nurturer". You're happy and this is the time that you enjoy taking care of others. Once you're pre-menstrual, you're a "wild woman" (to say the least!). This is when you're creative and a good time to take stock of your situation and evaluate what your issues are. Finally during menstruation, you're a "recluse". This is a time of reflection and introversion, a time to be alone and take care of yourself. The key is to be aware of what stage of your cycle you are in and then use these characteristics to your advantage.

Another great thing I got out of the workshop was discovering natural maxi pads. Now you might be thinking "ewwww" but when you really think about, just like diapers, pads cause a lot of waste and are generally not that great for the environment. Well, there is a company called "Lunapads" that has created washable pads (which are very similar to cloth diapers). They come with a base pad that you use for your entire period plus liners which you change as often as you want. I'm sure it takes some getting used to, so I've decided to start with their overnight pad and a pantyliner first. Depending on how easy this transition goes, I may move onto regular pads.


After the class, Saadia and I stopped off for a waffle (to treat our moon goddess selves,) and then hung out at her place before I headed home. It was a lovely evening with one of my favourite fellow moon goddesses! Live in light ladies, live in light...

Shopping!

Today I met Saadia and Camilla for a day of shopping. We started at Saadia's house for she and Raju made a lovely breakfast. All of my favourites: hard boiled eggs, bagels, bacon and fruit. After breakfast we headed to Joe Fresh, then Winners and finished at the Eaton Centre. We were supposed to be looking for new styles for Camilla but somehow I still managed to spend over $100 on shoes, a new cordless and some underwear. Luckily Camilla and Saadia found a few items too.

After shopping I came home to find little Miss Kahlua patiently waiting for me. We went for a short walk around the block and then came back home for a nice long belly rub. She likes to be cradled like a baby while I rub her tummy. Then she closes her eyes. Its the cutest thing and probably the closest I'll get to having my own baby in a long time.

Now I'm just waiting to finalize plans with Susie and her friends for a night on the town. Well dinner and then we'll see if I can make it out after that.