Riddle me this

For the next few days, I'd like whoever happens to read my blog to play the following game:

Where is Leah now?

(answer the question)

Enter your guesses and thoughts in the "Comments" section. (I've been itching to spill this news!)

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat. (Not to mention me!)

Holiday feasting just a tad early. Just a tad. Seems like me and the usual suspects always have something or other to celebrate every weekend. This weekend was particularly shameful feasting-wise. *groans* So much food!

Friday nite we scoped out the new Senor Carlos Cantina upon Latina's suggestion. Loved it! Loved it all from the Plato De Casa to the yummy yummy yummy sangria to the flavoured tequila shots. "Una mas, por favor!" Finished it all off with some of the best deep fried ice cream I've had in a really long time and a fruit chimichanga. The 3 of us definitely dined together like kings, too bad we're supposed to be little princesses. Played some mini-golf at Schank's afterwards, does that count as burning off a bit of that meal? Probably didn't help that we did that whole "down a tequila, down a sourpuss" ritual post-game.

Daisy commented that I've been partaking a lil more in her lush life lately. She was impressed I did so many shots with her Friday nite. What HAS changed my whole outlook on drinking? *shrugs*

Saturday was dinner with Civic. Anyone who has never tried the Paesano dinner at Lucianos, go! Run! It's so unbelievably excellent. But try to bring 2 people with you...and make sure they're big eaters. Paesano was designed for couple dining but there is waaaaaay too much food. 5 courses, it's insane! Let's see, the ones we chose were the caesar to start (Love Lucianos' caesar salad!) followed by spinach and artichoke dip (Daisy's turn to pick) then seafood linguini (Civic's choice) and Tuscan Chicken (I was the one to pick the entree) and ending up with a luscious tiramisu. Thank goodness we all agreed on the tiramisu or I would've had to beat one of them down. *giggles*

To make caloric matters worse they gave us a free dessert for inconveniencing us. They had to make us switch to another table to accommodate a reservation. The cannelloni dessert was also mmm mmm good but it definitely did us in. It was truly like being a part of an Italian family. "Eat! Eat!" Definitely too much food for 2 people, doable (though groan-inducing) for 3 people. Or at least it's groan-inducing for 2 girls and a guy. I would've probably fared better if I had shared the meal with 2 boys. I certainly reccommend it for all you C-spotters out there. It looks expensive, but considering all the options that are laid out before you it is tremendous value. Only issue that may arise is if you and your fellow diners cannot come to a consensus on one of the courses (which is why we divvied up the decision-making, each had one course where they had greater sway.)

Sexy noises turn me on

Daisy and I were having a discussion about our current "prospects/projects" dating-wise the other day.

On my part I've only gotten to the phone call stage with most of these guys (I'm an internet lurker, which isn't the safest nor the healthiest of dating strategies, but hey, I live on the net) and things are already shutting down.

There's this one guy I've talked with, and everything I know about him sounds perfect.

Except for his voice.

And for the life of me, I can't get past his voice. Thinking about it makes me shudder, and not in a good way, either. It is just a touch less grating on the nerves than Egghead's voice (for those who know Egghead). Can I work my way around it? I dunno. I don't want Egghead-voiced sweet nothings whispered into my ear. And heaven forbid I someday hear Egghead-voiced dirty talk!

Horrible dilemma, is what this is. I haven't met this guy in person yet but for all I know he could be perfect for me in every single way, except for that cursed voice!

Then again, I at least gave Misfit the foot-fetishist a chance. This guy should get an opportunity, too.

Rest assured you'll all hear about this one when I meet him.

People of the world join hands! Start a love train, a love train.

I think it's time for a lil bit of linky-love. I may not get as much traffic like the blogging powerhouse that is Tony Pierce, but whatever traffic I have, I'm willing to share.

First off, Kelly's redone her blog for the holidays. If you're feeling Christmas-y like I am these days then go take a peek and boost your holiday cheer!

Ray Garraud always hits me up with a dose of New York and all things Big Apple-esque. I know I'm not the only one who thinks his blog great 'cuz the genius Tony Pierce has confessed to being a big fan. Go take a lookee to see what the CitiBlog is all about.

yndygo and kool keith have recently signed my guestmap (as should you!) and I'm happy and thankful. yndygo voices a lot of topics that as of yet I've only kept to myself about, go take a read! kool keith gives props to Tupac, and that charts him high in my books. Go check out his flow. :)

The superb Hose Monster mentioned me in his blog not too long ago. Just like the time meesh graced me with a kind word on her blog I again was floored! Hose Monster always has great stuffs to say, and sometimes he even says it in Spanish! Great way for me to practice all that stuffs I learned in my first years of university. "Uhh...orgasms...refried beans...ok, we're doing good!" And as for meesh, she seems to have forgotten she has fans who are in dire need of a shot of meeshness. Take a peek at their blogs.

Madpony seems to be on everyone's lips these days just like M.A.C. LipGlass. The younger sister inspired me with a Christmas present for Sunny. Believe all the hype and peruse their site.

And also, aqua angel's blog seems to have resurrected itself! Excellent!

Happy birthday, Spydermonkey!

Your birthday and the 3rd annual Snow Pants Day, too! Only a lucky lad such as yourself would have a birthday and have the whole campus celebrate in drunken revelry as a result!

Have a faboo one!

Ohana

"Ohana, that means family. It means nobody gets left behind."

Ahh, Lilo and Stitch. I loved that movie. I cried during that movie. But let's face it, I cry at a lot of movies. I cried during Aladdin when Al set Genie free. I cried during Free Willy when Jesse helped Willy escape. I even cried when Jim realized he wasn't in love with Nadia and went running to his band geek lover, Michelle. (Rumor mill: American Pie 3 is currently filming. Jim and Michelle are getting married. Grain of salt, people, remember this is only a rumor.) I cry, it's what I do, and it feels dang good.

Need to get back on track, that was not the whole purpose of this entry.

It has come to my attention several times that some peeps question my lack of motivation for moving out at the ancient age of 23. *lol* I would assume that this also comes from those who can not understand having such a close familial relationship.

Civic, for instance, couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that my parents don't need any time alone together. But, for some inexplicable reason it's true. And it's not like we haven't tried. My brother and I have given them money for dinner (for anniversaries) and made reservations for 2. Mom. Dad. Two people in total. What do they do? They ALWAYS call the restaurants back and change the reservation to accommodate all of us. "We are all a part of this anniversary! You kids wouldn't be here if we weren't together."

True true. We just thought they'd appreciate a little privacy.

But too much of their family togetherness attitude has worn off on me, I think. Not that it isn't a good thing, but it sure makes it difficult to leave them. In fact, I think it will be devastating once I'm alone in a small apartment. Too quiet. Too cold. Too dead.

Too lonely.

Not seeing these 5 faces on a daily basis is a dismal prospect.

But I'm not delusional. I know I'm going to have to leave sooner or later, and it's probably going to be sooner rather than later. I can't imagine living at home past 25. (Eeek.)

My mom did more than just leave home when she moved out, she left the country. Somedays I just want to give her a big hug, I think there are days when she regrets moving so far away. Unlike my dad, she has no family here. Nobody else in her family moved out of the country. Just her. In the 23 years of my life, she's been "home" 6 times, and 2 of those occasions weren't very joyous 'cuz they were my grandparents' funerals. Phone calls can't possibly be enough, and the art of letter-writing is fading into nothingness.

We used to watch Party of Five together, and one of our family friends mentioned how their younger children always gather together at the older sister's house every weekend for dinner.

"I hope you guys are that close when we're gone. You kids have to take care of each other." My mom would tell me.

And I hate it when she talks about them being gone, but she has nothing to worry about. Me and my sibs will be in touch for years and years to come. We may not be Hawaiian but I really believe in ohana.

Keeping it real

Amazing Race kicks Survivor's butt.

I can't understand why it doesn't get more, or at least as much, love as frigging Survivor. But oh well, what can one lil girl do? If you ask me, it's no contest. With Amazing Race you actually see exotic locations with the exotic locals doing exotic activities It's exotic.

On Survivor I really don't see anything exotic about it. Thailand, Africa, where were the other ones? I don't know and I don't care. They all looked the same, and they all did the same kind of things. Sure, if you were on the show you would get to tell people "Well, I spent 39 days in Thailand, that's over a month!" And then someone asks you what you did during your 39 days there.

Hey now, all you have to show for it is possibly a million dollars, if you're the lucky winner. No pictures, though you have a whole series which will inevitably end up on DVD. But what did you do? "Umm, well, we built a hut on the beach, caught fish, went swimming, played some games, stabbed each other in the back, and ate some bugs."

"Interesting, what were the locals like?"

"I dunno, I never saw one."

"Where did you go? What did you see?"

"I stayed on the beach, I saw the beach and a little bit of jungle, I also saw a dead baby bat."

"Wow, you sure made the most out of your time in Thailand."

Daisy and I have always thought we'd be fantastic in Amazing Race, with our whole passion for seeing the world and all. But two problems with that come to mind. 1) Neither of us can drive, yet. And 2) Getting to see all these wonderful sites, I wouldn't want to zip through them and would probably dawdle. I'm sure Daisy can relate.

So I was happy that they let the teams have their pictures taken in front of the Petronas Towers last nite. To have the opportunity to see these beautiful things and not have any souvenirs of the experience would choke me. I'd be pretty useless as a partner in the race 'cuz I'd be clicking away at everything I saw like a lil shutterbug. Screw reading the map!

The twins, Derek and Drew, are still in the game. That's exciting. Some extra eye candy for you if seeing these worldly wonders isn't enough to feast your eyes upon.

Flo and Zach are, unfortunately, still in the game. That really pisses me off. Flo is such a whiny little, ugh, I can't even say it. Poor Zach, being stuck with such a bag. That tantrum she pulled in Switzerland was tacky and disgusting. If I had been Zach I would've shoved her off the boat to cool her off. (Teaser: It looks like Zach may be growing a spine 'cuz the preview of next week's ep shows a whiny Flo, quel surprise, screaming "Why are you leaving me here???")

Ken and Gerrard are still there, I don't have much to say about those two 'cuz their neither hot (a la Derek and Drew) nor are they scandalous (a la Flo and Zach).

Teri and Ian are still in the running. I don't really like them since they are another team that abuses one another. I would rather have them out, I suppose, 'cuz having them still in means that

JOHN VITO AND JILL ARE OUT!!!!

Why, oh why, oh why??? I am so sad. They were beautiful to one another which made them a strong and unified team. Why did they have to go? Oh well, I hope they got to enjoy Singapore a little more. My mom tells me it's beautiful there.

Walk this way

They say walk 2,000 steps a day and you will never gain a pound. (I assume this holds so long as you don't start eating more.)

It kinda makes me curious as to how I'd actually look if I were a driver rather than a pedestrian. I have no intentions of ever finding this out in real life, though.

Granted, I get spoiled on the weekends with rides from friends and family. I don't mind walking, though. I rather enjoy it, actually. The article goes even further to subtly hint at the benefits to be gained from walking even more than 2,000 steps a day. Psh, hello? Welcome to my world!

So I thought I'd be a good lil girl and set an example. I donned my princess coat and made the lil trek to Eau Claire Market to spend my lunch hour window shopping. Of course, window shopping is always a miserable failure for me. I ended up buying an UBO bulb. Why? I can't explain why, I've just always been drawn to those bizarre lightbulbs since the day I laid eyes on them at Urban Outfitters in Toronto. Besides, the store was closing out so I got it for 7.95 plus GST...which kicks the ass of 22.95 plus GST and PST in Toronto. How they could ask 23 dollars for a crazy light bulb is beyond me, but at least now I have one. :)

Speaking of Urban Outfitters in Toronto, would I be so out of line if I dropped 50 bucks with my Christmas package to my cousin and goddaughter, asking if they could pick me up a travel charm bracelet? Dunno how much it would cost over here since it was 25 USD on the website. 50 would hopefully cover the bracelet, the tax, and the shipping.

Let's make a deal

Kelly recently referred to me as the "goddess of shopping." Call me megalomaniacal but I kinda like that. :)

Civic just treated me to lunch. Following Kelly's vein, the lunch could've been considered an offering to the shopping goddess. *giggles* The occasion? I saved him 75.00 on his new winter coat, at a store which does not regularly have sales or discounts. He handed me a 20 and said "Go nuts." Usually that's a really bad idea; saying those two words whilst handing me some money. But there's only so much a girl can eat and I didn't feel like eating anything really exotic. I only used up like 6 bucks of his 20 so his actual savings on the coat was more like 70.00.

Shopping is a crazy game, though. You have to time it perfectly. I recently got a PS2 on my associate discount at Zeller's, only to have them drop the price another 20 bucks retail. I dunno if it's worth the hassle of bringing that big box back to get the price adjusted to save me an additional 3 bucks (which is really all it would come to, even though the retail price drop sounds like a whole lot).

Depending on a store's shopping policy/price guarantee it does pay to lurk around for a bit. I admit, I'm a lurker at Le Chateau. Since they only refund to credit note and their merchandise is so 3-second-trendy I don't like slapping down money to pay full price for their stuffs. If you lurk them for a month or so, you get a feel for whether or not the item you are eyeing has some staying power style-wise and by then they've moved onto a new trend so your item is now on the clearance rack. Find your size and fit on that clearance rack and you're laughing. You've got a new piece of clothing that is still wearable without being dated or tacky, plus you probably saved at least 40%.

That's another game I play, I window shop so much that I enjoy seeing all the trendoid girls strutting about. I think about how much that outfit would cost retail and where they got it, and then think of how much it would cost a week or month from now when it would not be "cool" to wear it in public any longer. Catty? I guess so. I may tend to consider you foolish if you pay full retail for flash-in-the-pan trends. Malicious? That's not my intent. Just keeping the "skills" fine-tuned.

Moschino is an assistant manager at a mens wear store. More impressively, he's a buyer for the chain. He gets to pick which items of which lines their store gets to carry. I have always dreamt of having such a job! Mind you, if people like what I buy then I would end up with 100s of biters on my style. Augh, perish the thought! If there's one thing I can not stand, it's biters.

Feliz cumpleanos, Sr. Mijo!

Hmm, better keep it quiet. He might be studying, or pretending to be working.

HEY, ARE YOU FAKING WORKING???

Everyone knows you shouldn't be working on your birthday. Anyway, have a faboo one, and thanks for being such a pal all these years.

My mama told me "You'd better shop around."

Love love LOVE shopping, and even better, Christmas shopping!

Love the retail hookups. Love them.

"What you think, you're like me? You ain't like me, motha f*****. I know mad people, connected people. Who do you know?"--Carlito's Way

I don't know who added that quote to my website's quote list, but it's quite fitting for this blog entry today.

It was all about retail hookups this weekend. Did I take advantage of them? Not to the fullest extent, but the point is, the connections were there.

My cousin gave me 2 invitations to Family and Friends Day at Banana Republic. I didn't use mine 'cuz I'm not really a BR girl but I let Civic have one. It was kinda scary how ecstatic he was over a 30% discount. *lol* Oh well, at least it was well appreciated....that kid would be a poster boy for BR if he had the money, I swear.

Peru-girl's boo works at the Gap so she got us all hooked up for Gap's Family and Friends Day...unfortunately ran out of time and didn't get to take advantage of that one.

No worries, I'm sure Mexx's F+F day is approaching.

Reitman's never has those, cheap-ass bastards. But I've still got friends there so I should peruse the wares at their store, Smart Set, and RW&Co, maybe work out a lil deal.

Retail connections rock. Work with a few people and then move on to another job and all of you have this whole network of discounts at your fingertips. Posie's friends work at Wireless Wave and Club Monaco, so hopefully they can hook us up with some Caban. Reitman's alumni work at Bryan's, Aldo, and La Senza Girl now. That's fabulous. Aldo sets up benefits with Globo, Transit, and Pegabo. Work at La Senza Girl and you get deals with La Senza, Silk & Satin, Suzy Shier, Anne X, L.A. Express, and La Vie En Rose. Bryan's always has nice stuffs...just need an occasion to wear it. Still have peeps at Abington's Animals, Sears, Boutique of Leather, and Rafters. Thingy knows people from Foot Locker and Athlete's World. Weird Kid has friends at Bluenotes. Combine all that with my SPC and preferred customer cards and it's as if at least 3/4 of the whole mall is my bitch.

Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it. And yet I am a shopping saint, it's a wonder I don't spend more money. I think that deserves a little a treat today. *s*

But perhaps I've treated myself enough. Yesterday was the Bay's F+F day, add that discount onto my employee discount and everything becomes one hell of a deal. Surprisingly enough I only spent 115 yesterday, so I got quite a bit of Christmas shopping done. But then looking in my shopping bag almost half of it is little things for me, myself, and I. Ah well, it was stuffs I wouldn't ask of people for Christmas so nobody can complain that I'm filling up my wishlist myself.

Next weekend is Zeller's F+F day...hopefully I'll finish my Christmas shopping then. Toys! I love buying toys!

Blue Christmas?

Ah yes, the boys on the internet are coming out of the woodwork again. How can you tell the holidays are fast approaching?

What is with people who scramble to find "romantic relationships" in time for Christmas? I guess I can kind of see it, based on how I felt when I had to put the tree up by myself...all lonely and miserable. But honestly, why does it have to be a romantic relationship? I am surrounded by friends and family who love me and I share the love right back. It's beautiful.

I feel no need for last-minute boyfriend shopping. And I find it really stupid that all these guys/strangers are just bogging down my ICQ with inquiries about whether or not I'm single and am I looking?

One guy, he could've perhaps been a nice guy before the holiday dread fell upon him, he was all whining about how he hasn't had a girlfriend in blah blah blah months and it would just be so nice to have someone special in his life again 'cuz it gets kinda depressing.

Good god.

But, you know, I keep on keeping on, same old pace. Had a talk with Moschino late Saturday nite and he was completely wasted. Very blah conversation, I don't know if it was due to his inebriation. He commented on how quiet I was, I figured I was just saving breath 'cuz I didn't really think he'd remember anything we discussed the next morning. *lol*

How do socialites do it?

I mean, honestly, they don't work out, their days are filled with cocktails, champagne, noshies, and just lounging around with fellow elite, and yet they still stay all svelte. Geez, look at this...

Ugh, all that suffering down the drain. Maybe they ought to nuke me again *lol*

Hooray for Bollywood!

Another weekend come and gone. At long last Daisy and I caught the film Bollywood/Hollywood in Kensington. The movie gods smiled down on us and blessed us with a re-engagement of the flick at the Plaza Theatre. And thank goodness they did! That movie was very well done. Definitely not a "deep" movie that will educate you on the modern day lives of East Indian people, but it's highly entertaining even for those who are not familiar with the territory.

I mean, I'm not very learned on their whole culture...I've tried a bit of their food, heard a bit of their music, seen them in their traditional dress, watched a few snippets of Bollywood movies on that ethnic channel, and that's pretty much it. But I loved the movie!

I'm so grateful we got another chance to catch it. Since it's a Canadian production I doubt we'd ever find it on video after it left the theatres.

Obsession no. 5,039,824

Leah the perpetual shopper strikes again.

If any sweet, kind-hearted Americans (or Torontonians, Montrealers or those from the UK) want to light this lil girl's face up in bliss...send a "travel charm bracelet" from Urban Outfitters my way. For such a beautiful gesture you would receive my undying gratitude.

Well, until I find a new bauble to get myself hyped up over.

No seriously, Leah sporting a travel charm bracelet would be a very ecstatic Leah indeed. I would hug it and pet it and call it George.

Man, Urban Outfitters rocks my world. Makes me really wish I could fly over to Toronto right about now just to do a bit of shopping.

P.S. Can you see the reason why I love this bracelet so much? Do you see it? Do you see it? I wish I could circle it there for you all to see. Or maybe I should just spell it out: N E W Y O R K!!!! Right there! Almost as good as one of those "I (heart) NY" t-shirts!

Maybe I'm just like my father: too bold. Maybe you're just like my mother; she's never satisfied.

Back in high school someone said that the circumstances under which we meet "the one" AKA "Mr./Ms. Right" is usually similar to the conditions under which our own parents met. The girl who told us this, Ssoberr Girl, her parents met in a ladies bathroom. I didn't ask. This girl used to be so bent on finding a boyfriend I was surprised she didn't spend more time in the powder room. You could say she is still bent on the whole boyfriend thing, which would explain why she clings so dearly to her precious boyfriend, no matter how undesirable. I recall the first time we ever went to a bar with her. She had cutesy pieces of paper already prepped with her name and phone number daintily written down. Good Lord. Thinking of that nite, I wonder why she even hung out with us in the bar, she should have posted herself in "the loo." Maybe she would have had better luck finding someone that nite, insufferable try-hard.

Perhaps I shouldn't dog on the girl so hard. After all, she's the one with a boyfriend and yours truly is still single and living large. Oh, who am I kidding?! There is absolutely no reason to be envious of her. Like Daisy said, we don't need guys like the one she picked up. I myself would rather have cilantro permanently joined to my nostrils than go through life attached to someone like that. Ditto for the delusional man. (For those who don't know, I despise cilantro....and celery.)

She did NOT meet him in the ladies bathroom. This could go 2 diffy ways: 1) He's not the one for her. or 2) Her whole theory is full of monkey poop.

However, if one were to take her theory seriously, the man of my dreams would magically appear as follows:

1. He's not from here.
   
2. He'll be at a party of a mutual friend in my hometown. and
   
3. I'm going to end up moving away to marry the guy.

Given that I can't imagine living and raising children anywhere else in the world than right here...I see this as highly unlikely of ever coming to fruition. Not to mention that the guys my friends are friends with (at least the ones I know of) are sooooo not my type.

Also, on the flip side, for me to be the right one for him, wouldn't his parents have had to meet under the same circumstances?

Ssoberr Girl's whole theory really is full of monkey poop.

El chocolate

So Civic calls me at work yesterday afternoon. His class starts at 6:30 so he has time to kill (no sense going home) thus we ended up wandering about after I finished work. We ended up at the Palliser to check out Death By Chocolate. Me and my pricey suggestions!

So yeah, we were a tad underdressed. Me and my puffy urban jacket, him and his jeans. But I was determined to get me some of that tiramisu once again! Being that I've only been to the Palliser twice in my life I was completely turned around as to how to get to the frigging Death By Chocolate. Ask the front desk ('cuz I was unsure if we'd have to tip the concierge if he helped us out) and she directs us to one spot. Ask the maitre d' at the lounge and she directs us further in. Ask one of the servers and "tada" we were apparently in the right spot: the Oakroom. Still totally turned around we grab ourselves a table and try and work out our next move. THIS was clearly not the same sort of Death By Chocolate we were expecting based on our experience in Edmonton.

Server lady comes by and gives us a bowl of nuts to nosh on and a drink/noshies menu to peruse. Flipping through the menu we find out that the Death By Chocolate at the Palliser refers to a chocolate buffet on Tuesdays and Thursday (Lucky we picked a Tuesday to check out the place or else we would've looked like morons). "What?!?" I ask. Doth my ears deceive me? My head was reeling over the possibilities! Chocolate fountains....chocolate fondue...tiramisu!

We inquire about the DBC and server lady gushes about it and encourages us to go take a peek at the wares. We walked over to where we assumed the buffet to be, and there was no action going on, no chef preparing the flambe/brulee stuffs on the burners, no mass amounts of chocolate to mull over. Nothing to inspire us to shell out the 13 dollars. All the more baffled we return to our table and resort to drinks and maybe noshies.

Hmmmm...maybe not. Garlic patates frites alone cost 9 bucks. I'm not paying 9 bucks for french fries! Decided on a chocolate orange martini and that's it...definitely a place to return to on a more special occasion rather than a typical day. The martini was soooo good and insanely potent. In that regard it was great value, I commented to Civic. The cost of 1.5 cocktails at a typical bar but giving the buzz of more than 3! Excellent. I think we'll be back when we're dressed more snazzy and we have reason/occasion justifying the high end posh cost.

Also last nite, sparks flew (literally) from my computer. Scared the monkeys out of me! It won't turn on at all anymore. Weird Kid is being a dear baby brother and we're going to take it over to the shop tonite after dinner. I've only had the machine less than 3 months! And the love/hate relationship between me and computers rages on...

Welcome home!

Lethal comes back to us from all the way in Indonesia! Good stuffs! Thank goodness, with all that's going on around the world these days I'm grateful she's back home with all of us. (Apologies to Sunflower as she is missing from this pic, I just don't seem to have "whole gang" pics at all.) As some of you may know, Lethal went away to teach English in Indonesia. She's home early, but I'm definitely not going to complain about that. With quite the adventurous spirit I'm sure it won't be long until she departs from us again for a new exotic locale. Girl's definitely got the traveller's bug, and not in the typical tourist sort of way. I admire her for that. I can't picture her lounging on the beach in Jamaica or Mexico...she's more the type to do the hike to Macchu Picchu (without a guide, I may add, though I don't think they allow that anymore) Perhaps she'll join Daisy and I on our journey to Morocco? Only time will tell.

I'll be home for Christmas (and I always will.)

I am definitely craving some teppanyaki/sushi action right about now. Maybe I'll be able to hold off until the weekend. Maybe Civic will help a sister out, perhaps I should call up my godsister and go to Ginza with her and the hubby. Or maybe me and the familia will luck out with time to have a dinner out together. It's been a while since we've eaten out together.

Speaking of the familia, I'm feeling much better now. I was in a funk Sunday nite but all was resolved Monday.

I'm fanatical about Christmas, and noone in the house was taking the initiative to set up the Christmas tree this year. (Traditionally, though I don't know how we came up with this date, we always put up the tree on the 22nd of November.) I asked my mom about it and she said "why don't you and the baby (sister) just do it yourselves?" Well of course the lil sister has to go to bed due to school the next day. I carried the tree upstairs hoping it would get the ball rolling, but no. Weird Kid was busy doing homework, mom wanted to play on the computer, grandma was sleeping along with baby sis, daddy was watching tv. It was all up to me to set up the tree.

Let me tell you, it was the most depressing and loneliest experience I've had in a really long time. I couldn't even make the event more cheerful by listening to Christmas CDs which I'm wont to do on those occasions. Now I understand why some lonely people despise the holidays; and I feel horrible that they have to experience that all the time. Setiing up the Christmas tree (and all things Christmas, really) is supposed to be a community thing....a friend thing....and definitely a family thing. After putting the lights on the tree I gave up on decorating the tree any further. I just wasn't in the mood anymore. Hopefully there'd be more participation from the family if I let them look at the barren tree for a day or two.

Thankfully I didn't have to wait very long. My mom, baby sis, and I almost finished decorating the tree last nite. I just have to go out and buy more ornament hooks. And may I boast our tree is looking absolutely lovely this year (I got to pick the theme this time). It definitely lifted my spirits.

I vow to never ever decorate a tree by myself ever again. I dread living on my own and having to decorate my place solo for the holidays. I'm definitely having tree-decorating parties when I'm older.

Weekend in review

Hmm, what did I do this weekend?

It was pretty typical, I suppose. Friday, Daisy and my plans to catch Bollywood Hollywood finally fell through yet again. The Plaza stopped running it and now the only place to watch it is at the Moviedome and I really despise watching films in such a sticky scuzzy crap-hole. At a lack of anything else to do we fell back on our failsafe plan: Cactus Club Cafe for martinis and noshies. Always good.

The train ride home was entertaining. Stoopid drunk lil hoochies strutting up and down the C-Train platform talking gibberish. (And I DO mean gibberish...they had no clue what the other was talking about.) A wannabe thug came and sat down by Daisy and I and asked our opinion on whether or not his finger needed stitches. As soon as I saw the bloody digit I had to turn away all squeamish. Daisy stared intently at it and insisting with the guy that he really ought to go get it stitched up at the hospital. He swore up and down that it would be alright, he didn't think it was serious. I mean, honestly, why do people ask you your opinion when they're not going to accept it anyway??? He probably just wanted attention and to have us all gush about his injury while he sat there acting all strumfy. Who knows what happened with his finger that nite, oh well.

Saturday was a pure act-Asian-with-your-kind nite. After basketball practice, Thingy and Weird Kid picked me up and we headed to the north to catch Friday After Next. About half an hour later I'm sitting in the theatre surrounded by them and their all-Flip crew. The movie wasn't as good as the first two, but the 3rd ones never are. Still some really great laughs, though. Friday After Next was exactly what I needed, though. I've been craving a ghetto comedy for a while, and 8 Mile just isn't comedy nor is it completely ghetto. I'm almost certain that I'm using the term "ghetto" all wrong. I guess what I want to say is that I've been craving some black comedy. Oi, like that sounds any better. *rolls her eyes* Anyway, I was satisfied, end of story. After the movie we drove to Bubblemania Cafe and had bubble tea and noshies. I had a chocolate bubble cream, sooooo good. Again, it was exactly what I needed. I miss doing a lot of these things 'cuz I'm mainly living in the "white world" due to my friends. Lethal's interested in bubble tea, but other than that the only friend outside of my family and friends circle who drinks the stuff is Civic. That does not make for very many bubble tea outings since Daisy is usually with us. Daisy is pretty "international" with her tastes and for that I think she's wonderful...the girl just doesn't like bubble tea. Lethal's pretty international as well. I guess I don't have it as bad as it seems sometimes, but it still feels like truly rare and special occasions when I get to do non-white stuffs. I wonder if Mijo ever misses doing white stuffs or Mexican stuffs since he's always doing Asian stuffs.

This morning I bought mine and Daisy's tix for Saturday Night Fever: the musical. I'm so excited! I tried for front row centre on the first balcony 'cuz in my opinion those are the best seats for the broadway shows, but no luck...and I even have advanced purchase privileges! (Not for sale to the general public until next Monday) so we ended up in Row J, centre, on the floor. It will probably be overwhelming but also an electrifying feeling being so close to the show. I remember way back in jr. high SunMoon and I had the coveted front row center first balcony seats for Phantom of the Opera. Really, that was definitely an experience to remember. I haven't seen many other musicals at the Jubilee other than Grease.

La Isla Bonita

SunMoon is now officially on the island of Guana in the British Virgin Islands. Lucky lil wench. Ah well, Banff and us girls await your return, chica! See you in June!

Yeah yeah, good morning

I wonder if this is what a hangover feels like. If so, then it's not so bad, just a tad uncomfortable, a smidge inconvenient, but otherwise survivable. I've gone through lots worse.

Last nite, SunMoon rounded up a bunch of us girls for her last Ladies Nite this year. No more Ladies Nites for her until June when she returns from the Virgin Islands. I was totally game, despite having to work today. Originally the limo was supposed to bring us back home at 11:00, but it was our last chance to party with SunMoon for 7 months. We didn't shut the club down, but a 12:45am limo pickup is late enough for us 9-5 people (or 8-4, for a couple of us).

The limo was pretty kewl. You know what? I'd never been in a limo before. Never did it at grad time, never did it anytime. My reasoning? "Everybody does the limo thing." How I contradict myself! *lol* Anyway, it was fun stuffs. I still wouldn't choose it as my wedding/special occasion transportation (I still have to make a unique and snazzy entrance/departure) but it was a nice way to get around the city. Spiffy blue neon lights lining the top and bottom of the inside, fun buttons to play with, digital cam to "capture the moment," phone in the rear, 2 tv's and a stereo, leather interior and a kitschy mirrored ceiling. I could definitely get used to riding around the city in that on a regular basis *giggles* See the guys outside checking out the next batch of potential hookups as the driver opens our door and we step out. "Is this all for rent?" one dood asks. Not sure if he meant the limo or the limo with us in it. *lol*

We step into the club and there are guys right at the entrance ready to pounce on the first girls that peak their interest 'cuz, well, you know, first come first serve. One guy of a more aggressive persuasion grabbed my hand and tried to drag me away to meet him and his friends. I just got here buddy! They were ready to close in on me in a circle when I took my chance at escape as soon as I could and rejoined the rest of the girls.

As per usual, I had a great time with SunMoon and her girls. I don't know what it's going to be like without her around for 7 months. Their m.o. for Ladies Nite is different from me and my girls and if you ask me, garnered better results. Not that me and my peeps don't get picked up but it just felt like a bigger success last nite. Charlie, Kevin, Ben, fun plastic jacket guy, I have no idea who else there was but needless to say it was a blast!

I used up 5 of my 6 drink coupons within the 2.5 hours we were there. I think that constitutes great effort on my part. I've also discovered I'm an amazing pool shot when I'm tipsy.

R-girl: Hey Leah, let's play pool with these boys.
Me: Oh god, R, didn't you see my last game? I suck at pool.
R-girl: Don't worry, I'll suck, too. (This coming from the girl who whipped our asses the previous round.)
Me: Aight.
*introductions all around, get teamed up with Kevin. Kevin breaks, his buddy follows, my turn...*
*shuffle up to the pool table, take my shot...I sink two balls*
R-girl: You suck, huh? *l*
Me: I'm just slightly tipsy. *waving SunMoon over and handing her one of my drink tickets* SunMoon, can you get me another Candy Apple?
:::Later on in the game, and after each subsequent set of turns from then on:::
Kevin: You realize I've done nothing for our team? You're the only one sinking any of our balls. *high five down low and up high* (cheesy guy, huh?)
Me: I'm not usually like this, I'm just drunk. *another sip of the Candy Apple*

Unfortunately, I missed the 8-ball and set up R beautifully so she could get her last ball and finish us off with the 8-ball, thus Kevin and I lost the game. "Good game!" *hugs and handshakes with the boys and off we went to go join some of the girls on the stage*

Downstairs, SunMoon, J, and L were grinding against and teasing a poor soul named Ben while R and me just did our own thing onstage beside them. They had dragged him down from upstairs. J's pickup. Eventually, SunMoon said "I guess you're the wrong guy to be teasing, huh?" He didn't get it. Charlie ended up having to pull him aside and tell him what the deal was. Then Charlie decides he's fallen for L. I spent a good part of a half hour dancing with Charlie while he asked questions about how we all knew each other and blah blah blah until he finally gets all specific about who he really wanted to find out about. Yet another poor soul! I don't think he believed SunMoon when she told the guy L has a boyfriend...still left her a number to pass on to L. J and L had left earlier 'cuz J's boyfriend was going to pick them up at Marlborough station. T and La were upstairs still fending off the rest of the guys.

R and I found new guys to converse with: fun plastic jacket guy and his pal, all dressed in black guy. Eventually I was left to entertain them both (R needed to sit down for a while) and the crazy doods decide that all 3 of us should do The Bump together. Of all dances! *lol* Still fun, though I'm sure it looked like a scene straight out of Night At The Roxbury with a guy on either side of me. Those two were insane.

Did I mention that NO icky old men approached me at all last nite? Success!!

Then R left us, too, and SunMoon brought around T's cousin. He was funny, too. A mixture of raver and b-boy with a question mark on both. At least he was enthusiastic.

When time came for us to go meet our limo pickup for going home...it turns out that L had picked up my coat instead of her own (she had paid for everyone's coatcheck....I didn't pay for a single thing at all last nite) since we must've had our check tickets switched. On my part, I had given my check ticket to the bartender instead of my drink ticket in my drunken-ass state and they could no longer find it. Luckily, my denim dress/shirt was with SunMoon. J had given it to her saying it was on the same hanger as her jacket when she had picked it up. A bunch of drunk girls trying to figure out what was going on and not even being able to recognize our own coats can not be good. Unfortunately, I couldn't get L's coat so she wouldn't have to pick it up from Coyote's the next day since neither Sunmoon nor myself could pick it out with certainty. (I called SunMoon today and she'll be able to get my coat back on Saturday since it's L's birthday)

Ken the limo driver picked us up again, now our group was down to 4. More digicam pictures and chitchat with Ken. T and La crank up the stereo on Eminem's Without Me. I love SunMoon's peeps! Upon arrival at SunMoon's house we took one final picture with Ken and then T and La drove me home in T's Jeep (so kewl!) Clean up, do my fluoride trays, jammie-time and I was out cold.

Whatta great nite, I wish I didn't have to wait more than half a year to do it all again. Geez I'm gonna miss you, SunMoon.

Another "match" made in television heaven

I'll say it again, boys with airborne toys are damn sexy.

Forget about driving and telling me about your souped up car, tell me you can fly and I'm ALL YOURS baybeh! Travolta can fly, he's way too old for me plus he's married. But he's an incredible guy. Don't believe me? Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Pulp Fiction. Enough said.

As much as I love the insanity of reality dating shows, I just didn't bother sitting through the entire 2 hour finale of the Bachelor last nite. I just kept the TV on, listening in on what was going on, and occasionally sitting in front of the tv to get some "visuals."

As far as bachelors go, Aaron was a way better "catch" than last year's Alex, in my humble opinion. A total class act in almost every sense of the word, he'd fit right in with the Kennedys. A polished pianist, budding restaurateur, bank vice-president, leisure pilot. Yeah, he tugged at all the materialistic heartstrings of my little heart. Love him? Not in that short a time frame. But who wouldn't jump him after he shows you his swanky loft (I LOVE lofts), his personal plane, his future restaurant, the billboard that advertises his status and power at the bank? A golddigger's dream: his name is Aaron Buerge. I'm not saying that that's all the man is; sex on legs with money. But it definitely helps sway women, and creates an instant attraction (albeit very shallow). Marry a man like him and you're set for life. You don't have to worry about feeding your children let alone having something to wear to this weekend's chichi function. His act of refusing the show producers' offers of money and paying for the engagement ring out of his own pocket was a nice gesture and made it feel like he really was genuine and sweet. But that would just make him practically perfect.

As for the women "finalists," I wasn't very enthusiastic about either of them. Helene came across as really insincere and fake. And good god her voice and laugh were getting annoying! Her look doesn't work in Aaron's world, she's lower class. The shade of her nail polish was hideous. (Goodness, am I being catty? *lol*) I liked the style of the dress she chose for the proposal, but I could find a dress like that in your basic mall-type store. She was a total actress, I assume 'cuz she knew what a "catch" Aaron was so she'd say and do whatever she had to do to "win" the proposal. (Is it true, 'cuz I wasn't watching at the time, that she spent the night in Aaron's pad on their final date? The hussy!) I think my beef with Helene stems a lot from the fact that she behaves, and even looks, like Ursula the Evil Sea Witch in human seductress form just like in Disney's the Little Mermaid.

I didn't want Brooke to win either due to the fact that she had become all ga-ga over Aaron so quickly that it could possibly come to no good. As much as I believe in the same sort of fate as she does "when it happens it just happens" I wasn't sensing him getting all high on their love like she was. It was terrible seeing how hurt she was, but it really was for the best.

But what was up with him actually proposing??? He should have presented the ring and then said he was going to hold onto it for a while, just like Alex did last year. It would make him look more committed to developing the relationship rather than jumping into the deep end too impulsively. Plus Helene's sugary sweet acceptance made it seem like she had been rehearsing the whole thing in her mind on the limo ride over. Yet again, another dating reality show pisses me off. But how I love to hate them!

A prominent majority

Wow, I really skewed the percentages on that tracker time-zones-of-readers graph. I was bored last nite so I went to a Calgary chat. Now they account for 80% of my readers *sigh* A couple of nights of that chat-room deal and I've definitely had enough. If I have to answer "a/s/l" and "want to have some fun?" one more time I think I would rather eat a nasty salad composed of cilantro and celery exclusively. But I did find some sweet new guys to chat with.

Wandered around downtown after work yesterday while waiting for Daisy. I really shouldn't have gone window shopping. Found this gorgeous dress that I simply had to try on and sure enough I fell in love with it. I feel so damn sexy wearing that dress. Yet another cocktail dress to add to my insane collection...with few cocktail parties to actually attend! I believe I have a fetish for cocktail dresses, I own way too many of them. I'd rather wear those than super-formal gowns 'cuz I find them more fun, flirty, and comfortable. Plus, I find the whole cocktail party scene more enjoyable. I can picture myself laughing gaily, tossing my hair around, conversing with some refined gentlemen. *lol* Very socialite, very Sex And The City. Mom understands the whole "buy it when it looks good" deal. She almost chastised me for shopping yet again until I modeled the dress for her. Sure she saw why I fell in love with it. Now I just have to find an occasion to wear it. Perhaps the annual unifriends Christmas dinner.

Had a nice convo with Moschino last nite. He went to watch the Flames game and I admitted I've never been to a single hockey game in my entire life, but that I thought Jarome Iginla is a definite hottie. He says his roommate is friends with some of the players and the lucky bastard (Moschino...don't know if roomie was with him) had drinks with Iginla after the game. I love me some Iggy! Must try and be better "friends" with Moschino.

Wiggle it, just a little bit

I read this on another Filipina's blog. The girl actually lives there in the Philippines.

Magnolia, a national dairy company (ah good old Magnolia, you pay a hefty premium to get just one litre of their ice cream over here in Calgary...and even then it came from California and not the Philippines) is selling "Magnolia Jelly Tongues."

A sex toy, you ask? No no, my friends! It's a popsicle that turns "wiggly" after a few minutes. The sexual connotations of enjoying a popsicle have just gotten a whole lot stronger. Now not only do you suck on the things, but you can french it, too.

I wonder if they'll import THAT here to Calgary.

Pull up to my bumper, baby

This has become an issue as of late and I suppose it's time to comment on it. While I agree that cars may be one of the great inventions of the modern world, I would be a miserable soul if I had to get everywhere by car when the rest of the entire world is driving as well.

Case in point numero uno: Daisy and I were on our way via C-Train to Kensington to go watch Bollywood Hollywood Friday nite. aqua angel thought she'd be a dear and join us in our lil outing but offered to pick us up. Unfortunately, due to traffic she was unable to pick us up from the train station until fifteen minutes prior to the movie. After driving down there even more time was eaten up trying to find a parking space. While this was all going on I couldn't help but contemplate the pros and cons of car-dom and how it pertained to this particular situation. I figured if Daisy and I had stayed on the train we would have made it to the movie in due time, not to mention we would have had the opportunity to window shop at all the kitschy Kensington stores along the way to the theatre. Despite the larger size of my ass (or in keeping with the car theme, "having more junk in my trunk") I would not have had to worry about finding a parking space for my ass, let alone paying for parking my ass. Mind you, then aqua angel would have had difficulties meeting us for the movie 'cuz she would've still been driving. But that's all in the past. Daisy and I will try to catch Bollywood Hollywood again this Friday.

Case in point deux: Several times when my dad would be so kind as to drive me to work traffic on Macleod is completely unbearable at the entrance to Chinook. It was all I could do not to jump out of the van and just walk in between the cars and make my way to the mall solo. In a similar vein, a girl who used to work with us during the last Christmas season would always end up 45 minutes late and in a foul mood due to her tribulations securing a parking stall amongst all the Christmas shoppers. First of all, if she had parked at Metro (like The Bay had arranged for their employees) and then simply taken the shuttle over to the mall she would have made it to work on time and in a better mood/capacity to be welcoming to customers. She was a blonde in the truest sense of the stereotype. She inspires me to write a whole blog entry on her, but I'll save that for another day.

A similar scenario as numero uno occurred yesterday morning. I bummed a ride with my brother to Heritage station. He kept scouting around for a parking spot until he finally gave up and let me hop off to catch the train. He ended up having to drive all the way to the university where most likely he would have to battle it out again for a parking spot once he got there.

Then there are the places where it just doesn't suit "the style" to drive. Examples are Kensington, as previously mentioned, Banff Ave, and Uptown. While there are people who will show their cars off coasting along 17th or Kensington, I think that they are missing out on a lot of that particular street's vibe. The people, the sounds, the smells of the trendy cafes. The only experience they get are the sights, and that's only briefly and not up close. Yonge Street in Toronto is like that as well. Actually, I think I would rather experience the world's finest cities on foot. That's the way they reccommend it for New York. A huge undertaking, I know, but it's the best way to get a "feel" for the place. Besides, if Daisy can do it in London, then I can most certainly do it in NYC.

My lil home in the blogging world

Ever since people suggested I install a tracker on my blog I've been obsessed with seeing where all my visitors come from. During the weekend the East Coast people (possible New Yorkers! Yay!) were battling it out with my hometown time zone (MST). They were neck and neck. All of a sudden on Monday the Mountain Standards jumped to representing almost half of my readership. Where'd all the East Coast people go? The East Coast now represent about a third, West Coast-ers make up about a quarter of my visitors, followed by a smattering of Europeans, Asians, Brazilians, Australians, and New Zealanders. (Kiwis!)

I wish my readers would sign my guestmap, It's only polite to say "Hello" when you're in the neighborhood. ; )

Of course, they could all be "one-time" visitors. It would appear that most of the time Google and Yahoo are referring readers to me these people are looking for info on Louis Vuitton and Gucci knockoffs or Missy Elliott's weight loss (my no. 1 referral topic).

It's flattering to know I'm being noticed, though.

Randomly pulling things out of the air

Just some random ramblings re:the weekend.

Was unable to catch Bollywood Hollywood on Friday, ended up seeing Igby Goes Down. Very similar to The Royal Tenenbaums. Pretty good but I would rather have watched Bollywood. Must re-attempt to go see it.

Had a short chat with Finn late nite Saturday. It's been at least 6 months since him and I had a chance to chat. Such an ambitious boy, certainly a guy you could take home to impress your parents. Still unsure of what went wrong between him and Daisy but as much as I'm on Daisy's side with whatever happened, Finn is still my friend.

A brief convo with Mijo on Sunday nite. Claims that he's tried to get the shirt I gave him for Christmas translated twice. The Japanese say it's some sort of Japanese gibberish followed by the phrase "the fight." If anyone out there knows how to translate Japanese characters please let me know. I'll take a picture of my brother's shirt and then post it up here for translation. (Yes, I got my brother the same shirt as part of his Christmas present. Diffy color though, and it's not like they'll be seen out somewhere at the same time. Besides, they're two of my fave guys in the world so they deserve my best shopping/Christmas gifts.)

My brother is apparently a star now in the Fob-ball league. Crazy boy was doing a dunk yesterday and broke the frigging net, totally taking it down. "THAT'S MY BROTHER!!!" Apparently my daddy has volunteered to repair the cracked rim. Game was held up half an hour as they debated how to continue.

Lana is developing shyness (is that even possible?) and it's absolutely adorable. Baby is so grown she's off the charts at the clinic for infants. She is as tall and weighs as much as a normal 2 year old already. Posie reports that Lana has a penchant for ripping up paper. The child is going to have a blast come Christmas!

Playtime

You are the playful pin-up! Do you know how to be serious?

What Type Of Retro Gal Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Makes total sense to me. I'd rather have snowball fights and play mini-golf than lounge about "waiting for my close-up."

Missy Elliott f/ TLC - Can You Hear Me?

[Aaliyahs mother]
This is the information for
For where you can send the flowers
It's for Aaliyah
I'll give you the phone number in case you need it
Ok we’ll see you
Take care of yourself
I love you
Bye bye


[Missy]
I been checkin on your moms and dad
And your brother, sister since the day you left
Passed on and went away with God
But for your mom its been
So damn hard
I hate to even hear her cry
Aaliyah, she asked me why
Would her baby girl go this way?
Can you give me better words to say?

One day she’ll see you again
With the same old beautiful smile
Long hair and the voice of a hummingbird
You’ll be singing them same old songs
Aaliyah, can you hear me?
I hope that you’re proud of me
Me and Tim we been doing our thing
But It's never been the same
Since you had to go
I ain't never met a friend
More incredible

[TLC]
I know you in real good hands
With God but damn I miss you
Aaliyah, if you see Left Eye will you tell her
That me and Boz miss her too?
Cuz no ones gonna fill her space
TC L not replaced
Y'all the reasons we learned to love
Fly high with your 22 doves


One day we’ll see her again
With the same old beautiful smile
Crazy but sexy cool
She’ll be rapping them same old songs
Lisa, can you hear me?
We hope that you’re proud of us
TLC has come a long way
But its never been the same
Since you had to go
Cuz the healing process will be long and slow

Aaliyah, I know you in a safer place
You face to face with the creator
And I'll make up
And if you and Left Eye happen to chat tell her
Me and Tionne, we know that she much safer
If you see Biggie Smalls up in the clouds tell him
He's still the illest MC we had around
2pac; there is only one
Big Pun; RIP, we say one

One day we’ll see y'all again
With the same old beautiful smiles
All styles so many styles
And y'all be doing the same old things
The last time we seen ya
We hope y'all can change the world
Let them see how short life be
It would never be the same since you had to go
To the music world y'all are incredible

---

I thankfully found the lyrics "Can You Hear Me" after quite a few days of searching. I didn't want to comment on the song without them.

The first time I heard this song, I was riding on the bus heading home after work. In my own little world, looking out the window. Just me and my music, which is exactly the way I like it as the working day winds down. (Which is, coincidentally, also the way I like to begin my working days.) It got to me immediately, trying to blink back the tears that wanted to escape. There were a couple shoulder heaves while I kept the sobs from emerging.

Everyone knows how much I love music, but I don't think they realize how integral it is to me and my world. But I digress, that will be discussed another day.

An older lady looked at me with concern and sympathetic eyes. I gave her a weak smile letting her know I would be alright.

I was just listening to music.

The song not only commemorated Aaliyah and Left Eye, two of my favorite artists...but it also spoke volumes for all the deaths that I could not explain to myself.

Sunflower was not joking when she said it has not been the best of years for a lot of people. Despite the whole "c-word" that looms over my entire life now, I feel I've been blessed by a lot this year. Yet it seems that all around me people were not doing as well.

Last summer, an old co-worker fell down an elevator shaft and died. I had just seen her the day before. She wasn't going to Texas to visit her parent like she always did each summer. Instead she was just going to stay in Calgary and relax, having just finished teaching summer school. One fateful nite and she's gone. It ended up being her parents coming to see her and not the other way around. A visit to say goodbye.

That same summer a guy I knew from high school had a horrible car accident with a semi after a late nite of studying law. Just like my co-worker, he left us in an instant.

And to this day I still can not wrap my head around the World Trade Center disaster. People going home, people leaving home, all departed in the blink of an eye.

The Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan who were killed in "friendly fire" when a misguided American soldier bombed them. How do you explain that one to their families?

The lovely miss Aaliyah. How can her death be squared away knowing that her pilot was high on crack? Though we "Need A Resolution" to all this, nothing we reconcile ourselves to will ever bring her back to us.

And the vivacious Left Eye, she was always my favorite girl in TLC. A fun vacation in Honduras gone terribly wrong.

All these beatiful people gone from our lives through no fault of their own. Taken away from us with no apparent reason to be found. Nobody will ever be able to explain why these people were chosen to go and why we have been allowed to stay.

As Missy said: "Can you give me better words to say?"

Because I, for one, am at a loss.

Haha, I knew I was "bi-coastal"

Congratulations, you're Los Angeles, the City of Angels.
What US city are you? Take the quiz by Girlwithagun.

Known as the entertainment capitol of the world, LAX is the third largest airport in the world in number of passengers. All 467 square miles of this city are full of art, music, movies, television and fashion. From the mountains to the beaches, tourists flock to this city for the endless entertainment. Home to people from 140 different countries, each section of this diverse city has its own culture.

Congratulations, you're New York City, the Big Apple.
What US city are you? Take the quiz by Girlwithagun.

Overwhelming to visitors, this bustling city can seem hard and imposing. With so much going on, there is an axiom that if you visit NY for a day you will see most of what you want; for a week, some of what you want; and if you live there, you will see none of it. It is a city made by people, changed in some small way by everyone who passes through it. Despite what anyone may have ever said about it, New York has shown a tremendous spirit. At their heart, New Yorkers are symbolic of the American Spirit, and have become the poster children for defiance in the face of adversity.

But I've already seen LA. I'd absolutely love to take my chances in NY.

If only all we had to fear was fear itself

Somedays I choose movies to watch with completely ironic timing.

Last nite I finally saw Spike Lee's Summer of Sam and it made me so mad. What right did this psycho have to place fear in the hearts of a whole massive city? This nutcase had all of New York City afraid of him. One man had them all running around dying their hair blond, staying in at night, closing down bars indefinitely. One simple, measly lunatic. And really that's all it takes, folks. I find it frustrating that some sicko can freak out so many people and flip their lives upside-down. Much like the recent sniper attacks.

Today the headline on the Calgary Herald says that the Syncrude site and the Calgary Stampede are two targets that the terrorists have in their sights, according to a list of Canadian targets put together by the U.S. State Department.

Same thoughts, different location, different psycho(s). What right do these freaks have to place fear in the hearts of MY city?

My poor beloved Stampede. I hope this doesn't keep people from coming and enjoying the festivities. But then again, how could this potential threat not keep them away? People possess common sense.

Then again, this IS Canada, and although bin Laden uttered our name in his speech on the Al-Jazeera we tend to fly really low under the radar. If the terrorists are going to attack an American ally, they'd probably hit England since they appear to be more enthusiastic in supporting Bush's War on Terrorism. Not that that makes things any better.

Good God, I've mentioned politics up in here!

Baby, look at you shine!

My girl Missy Elliott put out her latest CD yesterday. I, being one of those impatient ones who has to be one of the first in on everything, picked it up immediately. (And of course, it is advertised as 5 dollars less starting Friday, trust that I will get a price adjustment. I should have done that for all the other CDs I've ever bought on release day. Imagine all the 5 dollars I would save.) I figure I'll pick up TLC (which was also released yesterday) on Friday after I've savored Missy's Under Construction a little while longer.

However, what I wanted to discuss with regards to her new CD is not how sweet her music is but rather how great she looks in the CD liner.

I had heard rumors before the release that Missy had lost even MORE weight this time around...one source quoted 50 pounds. Flipping through the CD liner I was quite impressed with the transformation.

"Girl, look atcha! You done good!"

Not that she doesn't know that already.

I must admit that I wasn't with her in the beginning, although I do own all 4 CDs. When she first came out I liked her first single but was kind of caught up in her size (shallow moment no. 5498). It was the era of Lil Kim and Foxy Brown back then. Women who flaunted their sexuality and their skanky side. How was a "bigger" girl supposed to emulate that without turning off a huge audience? Luckily, she didn't have to. After I heard her second single I admitted to myself that what she had there, as she put it so aptly herself, was a Gold Mind. And clearly I wasn't the only one she proved herself to. Look at all the work she's put out...all the artists she's collaborated with. Where's Foxy Brown now? People are getting sick of Lil Kim, she's old and tired. (Apparently, Christina did not learn any lessons from Lil Kim's dying trend.) And who's left to shine? My girl, Missy.

No doubt she's looking good. From the latest pictures it looks like she's pretty close to my size now, which inspires me to go for the style I've always been looking for (money taken into consideration). She's become more feminine, yet maintaining her street edge. It's her moment and heaven help the haters who try and take it away from her. It's a shame that it's probably her weight-loss that will gain her more fans as she goes along and not her talent. But if that's what it takes to get the world to hear her, and it doesn't make her bitter, then all the power to her.

A-ok

I had my 6-month followup at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre this morning.

I never know what to make of these checkups, they feel unproductive, like me and my oncologist are just there to shoot the breeze together for 10 minutes or so. What did we accomplish today? This:

1. The healing in my ears could still be making me off-balance, hence explaining why I get a bit dizzy sometimes when I get up really fast.
   
2. Hair's growing back pretty nicely.
   
3. I'm pretty much back to the weight I was before all this *sigh*
   
4. An MR scan will be scheduled for January.
   
5. See you in March.

At least there was no bad news (other than the re-gain of weight, but I've never really stressed about that sort of thing). Unfortunately, during the dental clinic portion I didn't get to see my New York dentist. But I did hear him down the hall *grins*.

Bazooms

I think, that if there were one thing that I could change about my body instantaneously, painlessly, it would have to be my chest. Not to make it larger, as most women would, but rather to make it smaller. Men may think I'm crazy, sunflower may deem me undeserving of being a woman, Lethal may even have me institutionalized...but if I were ever to alter my body to make myself that tiny bit happier, I would get smaller boobies.

I'm not talking reducing myself to flat-chested status, just maybe tone it down a cup size.

For one, it would make me look THAT much more slimmer. Ask Sunny, she'll testify. Aqua Boy has had several female acquaintances who've had the reduction process done, and they look all the svelter as a result.

Also, it would make it easier to achieve a perfect dress size.proportionally. Ever since I was a young girl, I didn't care what size I was, so long as the measurement ratios were exact for any particular size. Having a bigger chest makes it near impossible...even worse if I should achieve a smaller waistline. And I'm sorry but I don't want to go the other route: gaining more weight to make this chest look more proportional.

But I digress, the point of this entry is to point out how inconsiderate some people are with regards to acknowledging my chest size. I've got a bazillion stories to tell on this matter, I'll try to keep it down to a choice handful.

No. 1: In a stoned stupor, a jr. high classmate snapped at me due to my obsession with a teenage heartthrob. The insult "big-breasted bitch" was uttered. He apologized later, though, so all was good.

No. 2: While shopping in a Toronto boutique a sales associate asks how the clothes were after I emerged from the fitting room. When I mentioned that their fit was not what I had pictured in my head she acted all sympathetic to my plight and pointed out the very obvious fact that the fit would be different "here" *grandiose hand gestures simulating a large (and apparently, overwhelming) chest*

No. 3: While waiting to be served at a local Subway two teenage boys were asking for a cup so they could get some water from the fountain. The clerk was going to charge them the full price of a drink. His argument was he couldn't be so sure they would not fill the cup with soda from the fountain. Why are so many Subways so stingy? Noticing my apparent disgust with the penny-pinching act the clerk called the boys back and gave them the cups. I felt like I had helped those boys out until I overheard them say "He only listened to her and not to us 'cuz she's got big tits." Ungrateful lil bastards.

No. 4: During my stint as "beanie girl," I was leaning over the till reaching for some tag protectors for a customer. My boobs brushed against the cash register buttons resulting in a loud "beeeeeeeeeep." The lady had to stifle a snicker. In retrospect I guess I should have produced more awkward moments such as those, it was the only time a Beanie customer ever tipped me. 2 dollars. She probably felt bad for being amused.

No. 5: Just recently, during a trip to the local Taco Bell, the nice old lady (she really IS super nice, so I know she wasn't being malicious) was inquiring about my new DKNY shirt. "What's that mean? New *pokes at my boob at the N* York *pokes at my boob at the Y*" "That's Donna Karan *gesturing towards my own boobs at the D and K*" "Oh, oh, I see I see."

Most of these people are harmless, of course, but it'd still be nice to not have the obvious pointed out. It'd also be nice to be able to buy button down shirts that don't drape past my boobs thus negating the fact that my belly does not stick out so much. Friends are welcome to tease, it doesn't really faze me. When I told Mijo about my (then) upcoming radiation therapy he kidded about how the radiation would make me a mutant, causing me to grow a third boob and I would be so off-balance that I'd fall (and yet, still somehow remain propped up. *his words, not mine*) When I asked him his opinion of what I should be for Halloween, such and such or Lara Croft. He voted for Lara to "make use of what God gave (me)." Friends are always asking me to spare some of my "talent" and pass it on to them. (If only it were so simple, I'd gladly help them out!) Usually, I hardly remember that I've got bazooms 'cuz the majority of my friends are chesty. I'd just like to fit into normal tops for once (and not in a porn star/trashy/Christina Aguilera sort of way.)

Lana is 6 months old today. Awwww.

Sam turned 5 years old yesterday so there was a birthday dinner in her honor the night before. Her mommy had just returned from a trip to the Philippines so the poor woman was exhausted with jetlag. But everybody does everything for lil Sammy, even my own mother, but that's besides the point.

A new addition to the regular type of festivities was the newly purchased/imported videoke machine. Sort of like karaoke meets Star Search with a bit of American Idol. The crazy machine doesn't know what talent is, unfortunately.

I don't usually like singing in front of people, so I hovered around with the little cousins until all the "grownups" had migrated downstairs to converse. First selection of the nite for me: Total Eclipse of the Heart. Lil cousins had no idea what that song was (made me feel old) but I totally ripped into that one. Or at least I felt like I did really well on it. My sister recognized the song from my choir days and participated with the requisite "turn around" to my lines. Imagine my disappointment when it rated me with a "76 Practice more please." Apparently my choir voice was not good enough for this stupid machine. Sam's older sister said I had to sing louder for a better score. That was going to be a challenge since my choir voice is quite soft.

Next selection: Underneath Your Clothes. Little cousins go "Ew" as they read the title, until they realize that it's the Shakira song. I tried to sing louder this time, and to make it easier I brought the mic even closer to my lips. Success! "100 You're a singing superstar!" Applause all around from the little munchkins.

The spell was broken when the grownups returned upstairs to join in our lil fun. I had no intentions of having them hear my singing voice (although I knew my mom was listening in at the bottom of the stairs) so for the remainder of the evening I sang with my sister in my normal voice, belting out the tunes. Still maintaining the 99/100 scores 'cuz as we had all learned, it was the volume and not the quality that was important. Bye Bye Bye, Tearing Up My Heart, A Song for Mama, boy band songs galore, and me and my lil sis kicked ass in each and every one.

Happy birthday, Sam!

Staying Alive

Daisy and I went to go see 8 Mile Friday nite. As much as I love Eminem, I left the movie feeling unsatisfied. It could have been so much more. But then I realized, that one of the purposes of the movie was to minimalize all the hype. Everyone knows that story is semi-autobiographical, Em was showing that the road to the top was not all exciting and fascinating as some would like to think. And to this end, I love the movie.

Being that Daisy is quite iffy on the whole phenomenon which is Eminem, I was unsure of how she would react to the movie. Success no. 1: Daisy says, and I quote, "I never realized how hot Eminem was." Success no. 2: She points out that Cheddar Bob is quite similar in character and purpose as the doomed Bobby C. in Saturday Night Fever. Just one of those things that make you go "hmm." She opened a whole line of thinking with that one observation. (And for the record, Roger Ebert and his new partner even echoed the whole Saturday Night Fever sentiment. How could I have been so blind???) Below are a few parallels I've come across to validate 8 Mile as the Night Fever for this decade. Warning: If you haven't seen the movie yet, it may spoil a few things or give too much away.

1. Tony dances and enters in dance contests since that is what he does best. Rabbit raps and enters in rap battles 'cuz that is what he does best (when he doesn't choke.)
   
2. Tony has an uninspiring dead-end job as a paint mixer. Rabbit has an uninspiring dead-end job as a factory press operator.
   
3. Both have "strumfy" friends who talk shit and pose but never make anything happen.
   
4. Tony has a useless mother who banks everything on her priest son. Rabbit has a useless mother who banks everything on winning bingo or clinging to a crappy relationship for a settlement check.
   
5. Tony gets misled and played by Stephanie, yet she is an inspiration. Rabbit gets played by Alex, though she inspires him.
   
6. Cheddar Bob is pathetic like a circus monkey who does everything to gain the respect and approval of his "friends." Bobby C is pathetic like a, well, Circus monkey. He, too, does everything to get his friends to like him better. Both end up harming themselves in the process, Bobby C fatally.
   
7. Stephanie will do anything to get Tony to notice her or focus his attention on her. Janine will do anything to become more involved with Rabbit. Both get dismissed for the "inspiring" women.
   
8. Both Tony and Rabbit win their respective competitions. Although we are thrilled for the characters, noone can really understand how this improves their lives any.

I am certain that I did neither movie any justice with this short commentary on obvious similarities. Through this whole spiel the point that I wanted to get across is that 8 Mile is subtle genius, just like Saturday Night Fever. Strumfiness vs. genuine inner strength and drive is always a good topic to explore in any movie with depth. Both achieve this beautifully.