Bellini-induced Brain Freeze

It's all just a little bit of history repeating. It's definitely Spring, a season I love. Time for change, metamorphosis, rejuvenation, all that jazz. But somethings don't seem to change much. Or if they do it's in a cycle. I had decided I had had enough with growing out my hair. Time for a haircut, as I'm always apt to do around my birthday. So, chop chop. That same night I was showing someone a picture of me and my friends from 7 years ago and wouldn't you know it my hair is pretty much identical to that picture. Which also made me wonder how whenever I go to a stylist looking for a completely fresh new look...something different that I've never done before, it never fails to look pretty much the same. The whole rounded bob business. I guess that's just what works for me and all the stylists seem to come to that consensus. That same night a guy from back in the day was back in super-flirt mode. The problem with him is I don't know if he's just ...

Where's the love? Technology is not my friend right now. A shame, really, since I love my little gadgets. Computer is still being a brat. It goes through a cycle of 1, 2, sometimes 3 resets before I can finally login sometimes. This next complaint is more esthetics but...I've cracked the rubber lining on my iPod headphones. Civic and I went scouring the stores for a replacement pair (since we doubt I could get a new set with my warranty since it still works sublimely...it just looks ghetto, is all) but all they have to offer now are those in-ear earbuds. I want the regular earbuds. *sigh* My dad, ever my hero, "fixed" it up with some blue electrical tape, but I still want a nice-looking pair. My latest celly, "The Hotness," all of a sudden has a dysfunctional camera. I know it used to work. But who knows when it conked out on me 'cuz I'm not one to use the camera function regularly. So I took it to my friendly tech boys who sent it away. N...

Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck. So in the past 4 days I have found 20 dollars on the ground and a cell phone. I felt bad for whoever lost the 20 dollars...but it's kind of funny how quickly that guilt fades away. It wasn't like I found a whole wallet so I could trace who the bill belonged to. And posting it on the board would just be stupid. I also feel kind of bad for the guy who lost his cell phone. I had noticed it on Saturday morning on my way to work. It looked dead to me at the time so I figured someone tossed it 'cuz it was trashed. Fast forward to today: Monday. The cell phone is still on the ground, in the snow, and my curiosity couldn't do without plucking it up. And lo and behold, the celly was still kicking. With all the snow and cold and wetness all around it, it survived. Sturdy little mofo. I'm still not a big fan of Nokias despite being a witness to this durable little miracle. I meant to call during my lun...

Blast from the past Some things never change, huh? And in the relative scheme of things that means I'm even better off than I thought. A co-worker/pal from back in the day called a couple of nights back. It's been so long since her and I have had any time to hang out together. Anyway, the conversation turned to how I'm now taking salsa lessons which in turn evolved into a discussion about SoHo. And so she says: "Yeah, I was there a couple of Saturdays ago. What's-his-face was there...back to his old tricks, huh?" As I've mentioned before, none of my friends ever really liked him...but I'm an Aries and we're bullheaded like that. Anyway, I know my friend knows I don't hang with him anymore...but I DON'T think I ever told her that he's got a kid in tow now and, last I cared to hear, was engaged no less. So, although her mention of him somewhat piqued my curiosity I figured I didn't need to give her another reason to validate her...

Freeze frame My computer has been bratty lately. Not sure what's up but I'll ask Weird Kid about it sometime. Maybe Civic, too. Today was my follow-up at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre. I cannot believe I am now in my 4th year since finishing the radiation treatments and all. The MRI came out well, the lung x-ray came out well. I thought this was going to be my last year but he figured they'd keep me around for a few more years. I really don't mind. A couple of hours a year to give myself peace of mind is well worth it. However, I did graduate today from my cancer dentist. Whatever graduating from their program means (the dentist said those exact words "graduated from our program" quite a few times). She also gave me a sheet -- which apparently they had also given me way back when all this began -- about what to expect in the future and for the rest of my life blah blah. She did circle on there a note about a certain procedure my regular dentist had bee...

Lock it up, Rufus That title has no relevance to today's post. Moving on... I had my MRI on Tuesday morning. Like I had planned I kept my piercing in until I got to the hospital and check-in. So an hour before my exam I got prepped to take it out. In the bathroom was this Psycho Woman -- and I say this with a lot of contempt -- who was reading the newspaper at the sinks. She wasn't waiting for anyone, the stalls were empty, she just stood there with the paper on the counter, reading. So I waited a couple of minutes until it became clear that she wasn't going anywhere. Couldn't she read outside in the waiting area? She made no sense! Begrudgingly I stood over the sink next to her and starting working on removing my nostril screw. Maybe she would have left soon but I wasn't going to take the chance on having to rush and remove it 'cuz who knew how long it would take for me to take it out gently. She looked over at me and watched me fuss with my nose for a...

Never can say goodbye I washed my hands, took a deep breath, and took my nose piercing out thinking this was it. But it was gentle and painless -- completely not what I was expecting. It made me contemplate how easy it would be to get back in. There was a bit of strain felt when I was trying to get it back in so I chickened out. I tried to accept the fact that I would no longer have a little gem on my nose. I'm a stubborn girl, though, so 20 minutes later I still couldn't reconcile myself to the idea that I would not have my piercing for my birthday...so I tried again to put it back in. So much about worrying about scarring and such. So tomorrow morning I'll be taking it out again . Hopefully it's just as simple this next time around. And the same for putting it back in. February 19th, 2006. The Phenoms are the 2006 Calgary Pilipino Basketball Association champions! Final score against NE Express: 86-71!

:( I think my little nose-piercing adventure will be coming to an end even quicker than I had anticipated. I don't regret getting it anymore (remember when I wasn't so thrilled with the look the weekend after getting it done?) but I've always said I could also live with or without it. But I always thought I'd keep it at least until my birthday this year. Just so I could have a birthday with my nose pierced. The problem lies in the fact that my annual MRI is scheduled for this Tuesday. When I first had my nose done the piercer assured me that it would be alright to replace my nostril screw with a retainer temporarily for the procedure. Unfortunately, there is no piercer available where I got it done until March 15th...and calling around I haven't met with much luck finding a retainer. As a last resort I called back to Divine (my piercing place...and a great vintage store) and asked them if they had any retainers. Even if they didn't have someone who could d...

Happy Valentine's, Happy Happy Valentine's, Happy Valentine's Day! I love Valentine's Day. February 15 is good, too. How can you go wrong with half-priced candy and stuffed animals?

Love all around My family came home last night all safe and sound. Hooray! And to welcome them home I prepared quesadillas and fish tacos. Yum. I kind of cheated, though, since the night before I had a quesadilla/margarita/poker night with my friends. Not that I fed my family leftovers, but all the fixings were already chopped up and ready to go for them. I've got so many new purses and shoes it's like Christmas all over again. Heehee. And yes, I got some new knockoff bags, too. Styles. And now the pressure is on me to go "home" and visit. I understand, it's been over 15 years since the last time I went to the Philippines, but it's so hard to get away. And I can't really afford a month off the way we usually do when we go there. It doesn't mean I don't want to go. Hardly. Maybe I should just suck it up and go for the two weeks. It may not be much but it's something. And in other matters of love, I think this will be the first Vale...

Crave-o-rama Oh what I would not give for a cupcake from Crave right about now. The worst thing you can do to a girl like me is to deny me something. All of a sudden I HAVE TO HAVE IT. But in my defense, it's been months, MONTHS, since I've had a Crave cupcake. I think I'm overdue. Tried to treat Weird Kid to one before they left, only to find the store closed for the holidays. On Friday I was all set to treat myself to a cupcake. This was such a premeditated plan that I looked forward to my destined date with cupcake goodness all. week. long. But it turns out it wasn't destiny. After Civic and I had some tea at Oolong we walked over to Crave to find them "sold out and so (they were) closed for the day." Bear in mind that we went there 2 and a half hours before they were even scheduled to close. Oh, why must everyone want the same things I want? Why must they make it so difficult for me to indulge myself?? With no cupcakes in hand, we relegated o...

Up Close and Personal So on Boxing Day last year I picked up a webcam for my computer. It was kind of a bandwagon move, I must admit. A couple of chat friends have them and I thought it was nice seeing who I was chatting with and their actual facial expressions and such. And, as if I couldn't possibly feel any less "with it," my little goddaughter in Ontario has one as well. I can't really say I'm a big fan of mine. I'm not sure what it is, watching others on their cameras versus myself in front of my own. I don't enjoy mine. Once, a friend actually asked to view my webcam and I refused 'cuz I felt like I looked like crap. Ah, there's the rub: my aversion to being monitored at all times. Plus, it would be so tiring to try and be entertaining at that hour. That's my downtime. Just a few days ago I noticed on my sitetracker that a certain IP address had spent over 40 minutes poring over my blog (11 views!) for references to two individua...

Generally speaking So my generalizations, as is expected, come back to bite me in the butt. Ang came to the defense of couples everywhere after my "observation" that couples I've been encountering lately can't really schmooze with other people. And for the most part the couples in my dance class are starting to loosen up and mingle...or if they weren't into that they have since stopped showing up and never enrolled for the class. There are still a few that haven't warmed up to the group, however. For instance, which is usually typical, there are more ladies signed up for my class than men. Our second class was a miracle, really, since there was a male student for every female student. But our third class had a real deficit in testosterone. So to solve this situation our instructor encourages to form dancing "molecules" as he calls them: one male practicing alternately with two ladies. Most guys don't have a problem with this, but apparen...

And another thing... While I love love LOVE children, I've finally accepted the fact that I'm not ready to go there right now either. And I realized that just this past week with my family gone. It's been much too quiet with them gone. And it's been pretty blah just me and my grandma at home. But because she's home alone for so long during the day when I'm at work and such I feel obligated to hang out at home at night. That has included the weekend too, so far. Though we're trying to find a happy medium by getting some aunts over on the weekends to keep her company with their late night hardcore mah jong sessions. So I can still have time to unwind with my friends on the weekends and not have to rush home right after work/dance class. I felt so guilty on Sunday when I came home from the Jordan Knight concert at Tantra. (Yay, Jordan! Heehee.) His show ended later than I anticipated and I got home an hour later than what I had told my grandma. Norma...

Hello caller, you're on the air (or something to that effect) Reynold comments on my previous post : "You have evaded the Bigger Picture however, are you concern about your present situation, do you see yourself married, explore the inner you and then speak to us." So let's explore this. When I was a little girl I always knew I'd get married and have kids. The "plan" was to get married out of university and kids promptly thereafter. Well...my university graduation came and went and there wasn't anyone in the picture so that "plan" kind of died. And now we're going on 5 years since graduation. Does it concern me? Not really. As I've said before, I'm not going to actively go on the hunt because I think that is forced/unnatural. It's just not my time yet, that's all. But make no mistake, I DO see myself getting married. Or at the very least I do see myself with kids. Is that wrong? I'm sure there will be word...

Forget peer pressure, elder pressure is insane I guess it was bound to happen. Me and the mini-familia are next up on the docket for all the marriage/children blah-di-blah. We noticed it on Christmas Eve. Watching Lana open her presents my grandma commented on how she was getting big now and that soon we'd need a new baby around to take over the cute duties. Then she got on Spidermonkey's case about finding a girl to marry so he could have kids and carry on his family name (he's an only child.) So weird that she'd rag on Spidermonkey and not her own grandchildren. Then numerous relatives teased Weird Kid before he left last weekend...telling him to find a nice Filipina to bring back home and marry. Oy vey. I thought I was flying under the radar. Here was all the family, piling the pressure on those younger than me to get married and make babies...until my grandaunt came over to visit. Grandaunt(GA): Leah, how old are you now? Leah: I'm 26. GA: Oh, you are on...

And then there were four. My dad and Weird Kid left for Manila today. Thursday my mom and Baby Sis will follow suit. It turns out my grandma will be here to keep me company at home, not that we get around to talking a whole lot. I had asked her if she wanted to go to Toronto to visit my uncle while the rest of the family was away since I'm gone for so much of the day but instead she just asked around the family circle for visitors/lola-sitters to provide companionship during the daytime. I cried. Weird Kid's response: "Oh geez, Le, why do you have to start?" My dad can never deal with seeing me cry. So my teddy-bear father with the tough outer shell got choked up in reaction. But what I didn't expect was Weird Kid tearing up a little, too. Man, my family is a bunch of saps. :) And they always teased me for being the over-emotional one. I'm sure Weird Kid is getting a good rest on the flight right now. He never fails to sleep on planes, whereas I have ...

It's in the air I'm going to try this whole "blogging-via-email" thing. I realize it's not revolutionary, but I've always blogged the old-fashioned way by signing into Blogger and writing/posting from there. I have a tiny...crush, I guess you could call it, on this guy on the C-Train. It's all due to his cologne. It's my favorite cologne. There aren't very many guys out there who wear it and it makes it all the more special when I get a whiff of it around. Much like those cheesy Axe Effect commercials. He's not always on the train with me, but it's a treat when he's there. I get all giddy-like. I've stalked right behind him on the escalators (yes, he gets off at the same station as me). Mmm, he smells so nice. And as a bonus he's not very hard on the eyes. :) My whole family is headed to the Philippines shortly. Without me. Everyone knows I don't do well with an empty house. They'll be gone for a month. How am I going...

Spread the word I had a day off today and this morning my parents and my siblings took me, the last to "convert" in my family, to Ceragem . My godparents had raved about it to my parents, who in turn went to check it out with baby sis in tow. The next day the three of them brought Weird Kid and my grandma with them, and now I was the last to experience this wonder machine. The deal is, you sit and listen to them psyche you up for your Ceragem experience for about 10 minutes or so and then off you scurry to your respective Ceragem beds. (As the whole spiel was going on I watched an older man as he lay on his Ceragem, the heating console on his crotch the entire time. I prayed that I didn't have to use his bed next. My wish was granted.) As my brother pointed out to me beforehand, it kind of feels like a cult: all these Ceragem fanatics full of enthusiasm and craving their time with the Ceragem Master. But I suppose it's a small price to pay to get to lie down ...

All-in Hope you all survived the holidays. It's amazing, isn't it? It doesn't matter how much work you put into preparing for Christmas and New Year's, it doesn't compare to how much energy goes into just enduring the holidays. Somedays we were visiting/entertaining 3 different families at 3 different times. And then the poker! Us "kids" went into a poker frenzy. Till 6 in the morning, 4 in the morning, day after day after day. And the food! *groans* If you don't eat it now, or send it home with your visitors, you have to eat it tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. And then of course when you visit other houses, they send food home with you. It never ends! My first post of 2006, and I can't think of anything more clever to say. :) It was a pretty quiet NYE. Daisy and I had tickets for Limerick's, but I ended up at Spydermonkey's house with no way to get out and meet up with her so the tickets became a write-off. I'm ...