Thank you Mr. Gore

Finally had the opportunity to watch The Inconvenient Truth.

I suggest everyone who hasn't watched the movie to please watch it.

especially those who drives a gas guzzling SUV, watch it.

And those who think we should continue to develop the fossil fuel industry, watch it.

Watch it; then realize how backwards, uneducated and stupid the US government and media is. That's right, "Freedom" to oil in exchange for the Planet.

It's a D*ck in a Box!

I almost died laughing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLb0w8-HG_0

Invite to Interview and a day on campus - Queen's

It is good to know that I didn't screw up my OTHER chances. I have a meeting with the Assistant Director and a few students in Jan. as part of my application process. So I have a few weeks to prepare for this interview and hopefully not screw this one up as well. :(

Today, I also emailed Rotman again to see where my application is within their process. Normally I would not think it should take this long for a school to provide you with an initial response. Maybe my app got lost in the shuffle?

I hope to get to work on another application during the holiday downtime. This process is never-ending...

That was quick.

Well, I didn't have to wait until January to find out what Ivey's decision is. Answer is no.

Rejected.

I better start working on more applications...

Ivey Interviews done

Man, what a brutal process. After the application, essays and interviews, now it's time to wait. I was told I should recieve an answer first week of January at the latest. Let's hope I receive a big package in the mail! I still have not received a thing from Rotman. I probably won't since there's been so many mishaps with my application. :p

Queen's app is coming very close. I just have to do a final review on the cover letter and I think it's ready for submission.

Let the waiting game begin...

Winter is here, oh how I miss the warm weather

It is HERE.

Temperature is suppose to go up a little in the next few days, with daytime high of 2-4 celsius or so. Today is high of 2C but morning temp of -10C or so with the windchill factor.

This weather gets me thinking about my warm holiday at East Malaysia. As usual, you get to meet great divers across the globe. Dave and Vicky, an english couple from our boat (very good divers), sent me their website w/ some of the underwater photos they took on the trip. If you have time, check them out!
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/dvlcom/travel/borneo06/index.htm

I actually started looking at a dive holiday in Cozumel...there is one in Jan organized by a local dive operator....but...but...I was just ON a holiday! Very tempting...

Back to Life, Back to Reality

After a month's break (from work and blog :p), I am back!

Photos will follow soon,..just a quick re-cap on my "holiday".

- Went diving in Sipadan, Malaysia - saw the infamous Barracuda Funnel.
- Skipped Taipei as diving trip killed off any desires to be on another airplane.
- Items purchased - LG Chocolate Bar, 3 pairs of shoes, work clothes and souvenirs.
- Visited Bo Lin Buddha, The Peak, Macau, HK Historic Museum (which displays pictures of my family's village!) and many shopping centres.
- Had 2 fresh water crab dinners (Dai Jab Hai) and 1 fresh seafood dinner. :q
- Attended Mayze's wedding. (best wedding food ever!)
- Number of forms of transportation taken: 10
- Scheduled 2 interviews (had 1 today)
And of course, met up w/ relatives, aunts, uncles, grandmas, etc...

Now if only I can have another week off to recover from my holiday.

Here's a pic of the folks we dived with...

Only a few more days!

Vacation date is coming close...starting to get excited! 4 weeks off, woohoo!

I just need to close the Rotman application before I leave. Ivey's submitted.

Then I need to compile 3 packing lists, 1 for HK, 1 for the wedding and 1 for diving...just to make sure I don't miss anything!

Rainy Days...

Raining ALL day today...blah weather!

I was just told that my original backup for my holidays may not be available so I may have to look at training someone else to back me up for the 4 weeks I'm gone. Dammit!

I confirmed w/ UWO that they have received my transcript request. Ryerson has also started processing the request since they cashed my cheque already. So, just 1 more "essay" (more like a paragraph, 250 words?!) for Rotman then I have 2 apps ready to go....man,..it's draining to BS.

Kicked arse on AWA

I didn't wait for the 24hrs as the GMAT report notification advised and the website still gave me a report. (it says it'll be available tomorrow)

Anyway, my full marks are out and sent to the schools now, which means I can start submitting the full applications when I'm ready. (Ryerson also cashed my cheque for the transcripts so those are on their way.) I think I've completed my Ivey application, that is essays, resumes and everything. I just need my editor, aka Neil, to read it over before hitting the "Submit" button.

On another happy note, I got 5/6 on the Analytical Writing portion of the test. Which is so awesome b/c most ppl I've talked to usually get a 3 or 3.5 on that piece! kakakakaaa...so I may not be a genius in analyzing math questions but I can analyze an argument and write about it pretty damn effectively!

Mean score for the test out of 622,975 test takers is 526.6. I got above 600, so I'm pretty happy at the moment. :D

Brrrr...what happened to Fall weather?

50 cm of snow fell in Buffalo yesterday, apparantly, they are in a state of emergency. (and I was freak'n out last night when I saw some flurries!)
It was 2 degrees this morning when I went to work...high of only 7 today.

Been real busy lately,..trying to get the applications stuff together, then wedding, Thanksgiving and mid-autumn fest. I finally got my official test score notification so I can finish up the application form part of the process. There are however still so very many essays to write. *sigh*

On a good note, I'm on vacation countdown, 17 more days to go! That's only 2 more work weeks! woohoo!

More weddings to come...

Double whammy today.
First I got invited to another wedding for next weekend, (sorry Daniel, you asked kinda late!) then I was informed that another pair of friends got engaged! (Mike and Debi, congrats!)

Anymore? Let's just get it all over with now....

Transcripts, resumes, essays oh my!

Did a run through of the applications for the first 3 choices of school again this week. (I actually registered for the applications back in the summer. :p)

Sent off information to all my referees as well and one of them already finished all 3 forms!

Then gotta arrange for transcripts and do those bloody essays. Time to put on the BS cap.

What a great day!

Did alright on the GMAT, don't think I need to go it again, 80 percentile is good enough for me.

Bought white bridesmaids dress for $30.

Bought another dress for another wedding for $40.

All I need now is shoes for the dresses...outlet mall shopping tomorrow!

Brain Frying

Too many practice questions! Brain is so tired, wait, I think I smell burning....

Only 1 more week to go! I'm a nervious wreck!

Goodbye Mayze!

It was good seeing you! Next time I see you, it'll be wedding time!!!
I will do my best to find a white dress after next Sat. I hope Vaughan Mills will have what we're looking for!

And speaking of next Sat, I am starting to get nervous/stressed about it. This weekend will be full study days at the Turkey library. Hopefully, I will have good news to post next Sat. (fingers-crossed)

You want bridesmaids' dresses what colour now?

Mayze and I attempted to find off-the-shelf dresses for bridesmaids yesterday, it was unsuccessful...seasons have changed and white/cream colour stuff has been cleared out.

If only we were shopping for black then there are unlimited amount of choices.

Actually, black may not be a bad idea, black and white are in this fall...

Come'n Mayze, gives us a colour that won't make use look fat!

Adventures at a Local Boxing Club

I managed to stay out of the house ALL day today.

Starting with a 10am masssage appointment with Mr. Magic Hands. Then off to Turkey Library (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robarts_Library) for today's study set. Which by the way, I did much better than yesterday's. I really needed to be in a study environment to flex my grey matter! Then Neil picked me up to watch some boxing matches at a boxing club in Cabbagetown.

The matches were fun to watch...if only this annoying, uneducated, abusive addict was not sitting in front of us. This guy was obviously high and drunk. He was figidty, clenching his jaws a lot (the chewing effect) and was just acting like a child with A.D.D. He could not sit still and what's worst was he yelled obscene amounts of foul language during the fights. What made it more horrible is the way he was treating his son who was one of the boxers in the junior categories. He was punching and swearing at his son telling him that he needs to kick the other kid's ass, while his son is telling to him stop. "Stop it, stop hitting me!"

After the 1st half, many people left the club as some only showed up to support their friends. (We were there because Neil's colleague was fighting a match.) There were more space to move around so we decided to move away from the asshole. Before you knew it, he moved right in front of us again! This guy was trying to start something! Prior to us moving, he was already being a prick by consistantly moving in front of our view. This guy was totally asking for it! On top of bugging us, he also made some really rude comments to other people and those folks complained to the club coach. They didn't do anything about it because he's their customer. All they can do is "keep an eye on him". This guy is obviously the pink elephant that no one wants to talk about because no body seemed to pay any attention to him,...as if it was done on purpose. Trust me, if you heard the words that came out of his mouth, you would notice this guy!

When we left the club, the Crazy was sitting outside smoking. I was half hoping that he would start something when we walked pass him, just so Neil can Tae Kwon Do his ass to bits.

Passive Aggressive Prick!

Time to crank it up!

I spent most of the long weekend catching up on sleep and studying for the GMAT. I did a "practise-test" and the result wasn't very satisfactory.
I have 1 more study guide to finish. This is the "Official Guide" which contains hundreds of past test questions. I will be doing sets of these questions each day to mimick the number of questions from each section of the exam. At this rate, I should finish the book before my test date. Hopefully, I will still have enough energy to do more practise tests.

Game is ON.

Wish me luck.

It's your own bloody fault!

If you choose not to maintain the data in the tool or follow proper processes or build a new process to accomodate the new tool, then you can't blame the application if it contains out-of-date or incorrect information.

You can only blame the people that are not following the process, which means yourselves!

Road to the North

I spent more than 1 hour commuting up North to a friend's birthday dinner. 90% of the time, I kept thinking to myself, am I EVER going to hit 3rd gear before I get to the restaurant?

It was bad, real bad. How do ppl do it? Ppl who spend more than 1 hour commuting back and forth to work? It's craziness! Urban sprawl sucks.

On a happier note, I got a wedding invite from my old neighbour. Congrats Andrew! His finance is actually the daughter of my mom's old classmate, what a small world.

No Neil, I don't want to watch The Protector again!

Maritimes Recap

Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick

Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City, Quebec

Peggy's Cove, Halifax, Nova Scotia

World's longest covered bridge, Hartland, New Brunswick

Ready to demolish your lobster???

Green Gables, PEI

Cavendish Beach, PEI

Confederaton Bridge, PEI

McLobster Sandwich!

PEI

We arrived at PEI today, staying at Charlottetown tonight.

Highlights of today are Green Gables from Ann of Green Gables and lobster dinner. Yummy!

Pictures will get posted when I get back.

Cattle Tours

I'm on a "duck" tour, like you know how baby ducks follow their mother around all in a row? Well, this has advanced to what I would like to call, "Cattle" tour. Where a tour guide literally herds a bus full of tourists.

I'm in Frediction, NB right now. My 1 week "vacation" to the Maritimes. However, this isn't considered vacation as we need to follow tight schedules and meal plans. I didn't mind so much to do this at first as I was tired of being at work and tired of planning my Nov trip.

BIG MISTAKE!

Activities for Neil

Since Neil is coming to Hong Kong for a week, I figure I will help him figure out some activities to do to maximize his 6 day stay.

Of the 6 days, I plan to do the following with him:

• Visit the Peak with some shopping on HK Island. (and a tram ride, HK's streetcar)
• Lantau Island for the Buddha and Po Lin temple, this will be a a days' visit with a hike.
• Mong Kok and surrounding areas to browse running shoes, electronics, "woman's" street etc...
• Tsim Tsa Tsui for some exporter's shopping
• Day trip in Macau
• Aberdeen - Mayze's wedding

Umm..not a whole lot of time! There's definitely more that we can do...we'll see how much stuff we can jam pack into 6 days!

Bleeding hair

I had my hair done last thurs., a dark violet non-permanent colour rinse to enhance my hair colour so it's looks richer instead of yellowy-brown. (umhmm..and to cover some grays)

It's still bloody bleeding! Literally, redish water all over the tub...bloodbath.

Trip planning complete!

YYZ to HKG - done
HKG to KUL - done
KUL to TAU - done
Dive package - done

Now I can concentrate on my studies...I have 5 weeks left to get good and ready. I only need a 700!

YYZ to HKG done!

AC Seat sale, $1545 return, flying direct!

Only 1 more flight to take care of and trip planning is done!

Neil's coming too. Yay! :D

Stupid drivers on the road

I am recently experiencing more and more road rages while commuting to work.

Yesterday, Neil had a later start to his morning so I gave him a ride to work. We took local streets instead, and I swear, everytime we take that route, there are bound to be stupid drivers on the road. In yesterday's case, it was an A-hole riding both lanes for approx. 6km and was consistantly cutting me off while doing it! No signals, nothing! The street we were on have high volumes of streetcars in the morning. (If you haven't been to TO, streetcars are electric buses that run on tracks. Tracks are on the inside lane of the street. If a streetcar stops to drop off/pick up passengers, cars on the outside lane must stop behind the door exits.) So it is common for ppl to weave in and out to get pass the streetcar. But buddy didn't have enough balls or again, he's just plain stupid! It got to the point where I stuck my head out the window and started screaming at him. He then decided to stick to one lane.

These are other types of drivers that I would like to have a chat with...

The "I don't know how to use a blinker" driver. I'm not psychic, tell me where you are effing trying to go!

The "Use the brakes during lane change" driver. If you're going to cut into my lane, please maintain my lane's speed, do not come in front of me and brake!

The "Brake Happy" driver. These people are the ones that causes unnecessary traffic problems. People who brake whenever they like, when there is no need for it. For example, if the vehicle in front of you is slowing down just a bit, TAKE YOUR BLOODY FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL! You can control you speed without HAVING to use the brakes you idiot. It'll actually save you some gas money! And if you have to brake the very instant the vehicle in front of you decelerates, you are following too close, back the eff off!

The "Don't care if other ppl get to turn left" driver. Please DON'T take your sweet-arse time at the front of the line when there are thousands of cars behind you needing to turn during the left turn signal! Anticipate the light change and bloody TURN!

and finally, The "Cellphone, Blackberry, Eat Happy" driver. No you cannot multi-task without harming others on the road, so have your passenger deal w/ it or get off the road.

What a start to the short week

Worm in the server, systems were REAL slow. Got practically NOTHING done. I could've taken another day off to make it an extra long weekend!

I confirmed the dive resort reservation today. Now I only need to buy 2 more plane tickets for the rest of the trip. *sigh*

On a high note though, I will be taking a family vacation to the east coast in another week or so. Finally, a holiday!

Uneventful weekend

Some studying, some Peterborough, some parents, some car washing, and some house cleaning tomorrow.

Still don't understand why small town folks think big towns are the big bad city...why would they think that when their next door neighbour tries to rip down their fence when they're drunk? Or when punkasses drive around town just to egg pedestrians? Or when these same punkasses drive up and down town in their loudass domestic vehicle 3am in the morining because they have nothing better to do?

These ppl are so much less considerate than the average person that lives in the GTA.

I then hear comments about how if your car breaks down in Toronto, no one would stop to help you. That is total BS! Last winter when my car broke down during a frigg'n snow storm, I had many ppl stopping and asking if we need help. I was once harrassed (I was much younger then) by a trailer trash construction worker with racist comments and a man off the street help me out of the situation. A stranger saw me in distress and helped me out!

Take that, small towners!

Weekend Madness

Sat:
Got the Fit tinted in the morning.
Had breakfast with Jeff, checked out his not-so-new condo and office and ran some errands with him. I was also his last minute stand-in date for a wedding later that evening. The bride is actually a highschool acquaintence, who's finance works at the company my friend works at...small small world. Then went to Jeff's friend's place to say hi...end up not getting home until 2am.

Sun:
Dim Sum avec ma famille uptown. Ran into ex-colleague who's company got bought out last week from a chip processor maker...umm..think you know which company I'm talking about...
Then hung out at my mom's for a while until my father came screaming for Neil to help him move some concrete slabs in the backyard. He found traces of "animal" under the slabs. When it came to lifting the last piece,...I saw a black fur ball with a white strip.
SKUNK!
Neil immediately placed the slab back onto the ground. My father even used a big piece of branch to poke it! Long story short, after we left the house, my father hosed the skunk out of it's hiding place, waking Pepe Le Pew from his sleep.

Finally, 1 detail of the trip is confirmed!

KL to Tawau flight confirmed and booked! Thank you Aileng!

Now we have plenty of time to figure out where we should stay for the 1 nite in KL and which dive resort to go with. Or better yet, there can even be a home-stay package with the local villagers! I would however require once again Aileng's help to find out more details for that type of trip.

Anyway, once Jennifer, my dive buddy confirms her itnerary for Penang=>KL, I will book my HK=>KL flight. Have to solicit help from relatives to do that!

Otherwise, not much else going on with me. Getting the car tinted tomorrow and having breakfast w/ Jeff, visiting parents on Sunday and some rigorous studying.

Trip Planning - Part Deux

Sorry, not a lot of postings this week. Have been juggling studying and trip planning this week...stressful!

I lied, it won't be Phuket, just b/c I was advised the diving is only "okay". If I was going to be in Asia and the diving was just going to be "okay" then I must as well dive in the Caribbeans.

We are now going to Sipadan, Borneo. Still part of Malaysia but a whole lot harder to get to.

I have to:
Fly to Kuala Lumpur, stay the night.
Fly to Tawau the next morning, 7am flight!
Land transfer from Tawau to Semporna (fishing village where the Jetty stations are at)
Boat transfer out to the islands.

Good thing I arrive to tranquil island pace for the next few days. Hopefully, we will get to do an intro dive the first day we get there. Then it will be 3 days of diving, 3 dives each. Day 5 is pretty much spent travelling back to civilization. :(

Then back to HK again for a few days, then to Taipei w/ mom for a few days, back to HK for the wedding and the rest of the time, spend it in Hong Kong.

Man, just tired talking about it! Think I might need an extra week back in Toronto to rest from this vacation!

Saturaday Fun

Massage @ 10:00 with Joe. The man can work my legs!

Lunch at Krispy Roll @ 11:30.

Nike Employee Store @ 13:00 . (bought shoes and a cardio outfit)

Home @ 15:oo to watch the Tour. (okay, Neil watched most of it, I drew a bath for my sore muscles. Floyd Landis won,..another American winning the Tour, the French most be PISSED!)

Lolo @ 19:00 for Summerlicious. Great dinner...I had the liver, it was done well. Hey, it's a French bistro afterall, you gotta do liver!

Had some great conversations, thanks for the lovely evening Mike and Debbie!

Tomorrow will be filled with studying and ribs eating....the big man wants to do All-You-Can-Eat Ribs at Montana's. I won't have to eat the rest of the week after I'm done there!

It's Tour DE France, not Tour DES France!

Chubby ex-cyclist, Mr Bob Roll continues to butcher this competition's name. This guy was in this race when he was a cyclist himself! (not that you can ever tell now, he's a porker) Enough times that he should know to pronounce this properly!

It is not Spanish, you fat American.

Will someone correct this guy already? I guess that's not happening when he's been pronouncing it incorrectly for 17 stages.

How to make low cost geographies work for you.

Low cost should not equal low-skilled. It should mean that you can hire a person with the same or higher qualification at a fraction of the price.

Hiring less qualified workers at a fraction of the price will only cost you more to manage them.

Finally can upload pics!

I've been having issues uploading pics onto Blogger, think their "upgrades" were causing issues last night. Anyway, here they are, FINALLY.
Here's Neil trying to load his bike into the floor of the backseats. But the bike is too long, so we folded the seats down in the back and loaded it that way instead...see below.
I've made an appointment to get the Fit tinted next Sat. Because of the small windows this car has, the labour is going to cost me a little more to get this done. But I'm still happy with the price,...it's suppose to be a good shop, highly recommended by car freaks.

Yesterday, I was advised NOT to go diving in Phuket in November...all because of the Tsunami crisis in Indonesia, claiming the region is not save. That's like saying I should never go to Califronia or Japan. I do not want to live in fear nor would I ever choose to live in fear. I will be going to Phuket, unless a Tsunami hits Thailand now causing devastating damages! If that happens, then it's never meant to be.

Unbearable Heat

Highest temp hit 34C, felt like 40 with the humidex.

Played about 2 and 1/2 hours of ball today and couldn't with stand the heat. Hid under my umbrella for the rest of the afternoon.

My new PutPut

Sorry, haven't taken pics of the new car yet.

We picked it up yesterday and I finally got to drive it this morning. Was a little rusty with the clutch in the beginning but soon got a handle of things. If you are wondering, no, I did not stall the car.

It will be sweltering heat for the next few days. It will be roasty at the beach tomorrow! But I am ready, I bought sandsocks today! :p

And a replacement ball for Wyatt. But, uhh...it'll have my name on it....hahahaa.

Will post some car pics soon.

Sleepless nights

Once in a while, I get these nights....I'm tired, physically and mentally, yet I can't get to sleep.

Maybe it's the excitement of finally getting the new car.
Maybe it's the excitement of knowing I'll be diving in Phuket with my long lost dive buddy in November.
Maybe I'm just over-tired.

I sub'd in for my friend's work beach vball team this evening...now THAT is a team! Had a great time and got quite a bit of opps to touch the ball. I felt like part of the team for once!

Pops and Pancakes, good luck with the rest of the season!

*woot woot* car has arrived!

It's getting ready at the dealers and will be ready for pickup tomorrow! I won't be picking it up until Friday though b/c I need Neil to come with so we can drive both cars home.

Things to do:
Cancel current insurance
Activate new insurance
Get certified cheques
Buy floor mats

Trip planning is a bitch!

Aiyah...what a painful task.

I'm trying to do research and some costing for my Nov. trip to Asia.

Dates that can't move: Nove 19th (Mayze's wedding) week of Nov 13th (going to TW with mom)

I would like to spend 4/5 days in Thailand for a diving trip, REALLY want to do a live aboard...but flight prices are looking ridculous at the moment. It's looking at two grand just to fly, then add the live aboard package (approx. $600), TW package (approx. $300/400), food (???), shopping (???)...

Have to be stingy until Nov...*sigh*

Mundane Mondays

Things are kinda slow today...recap for the weekend.

Slept. Like a lot of it.

Watched Pirates 2. It was a fun movie, I like the first one better.

Played some beach vball Sunday.

That's about it, but geez do I feel tired...very tried for some reason.

Oh and watched World Cup...such shame that games are determined by PKs now. Suks,..what happened to the Sudden Death days? Is it because the term is not PC?

Dr. Slump

A friend triggered my childhood memory of this hilarious cartoon series. It was never imported to Canada...since it was a little perverted, and had the characters poking at pooh for fun. (It was sometimes a piece of talking Pooh too.) hahhaaa....I watched it under the age of 10, and I came out alright. (well, depends on who you ask)

Needed: Remedies for bites and Poison Ivy

Since we've been back from our camping trip, we've been scratching out skins raw. Me from the squito bites and Neil from the poison ivy.

I've looked up remedies to ease the itch and pain. Many of which we've tried already but the relieve just doen't last long enough!

I wish I can sit in a pool of calamine lotion and work at the same time...I wonder how many bottles of lotion I have to buy to fill my bathtub....

Squeeters and me. Part 2

The water was quite cold at the Falls, so we only went in to cool off and take a quick rinse.
Snack: Hard boiled eggs, tea and S'mores.

We chilled for a litte while and left the Falls at approx. 12:30pm. We hiked back to another old spot and started a fire for lunch. We've made an awesome firepit and stove setup, check it out.

There were many blueberry bushes along the trails. Neil picked a bunch for lunch. :)Lunch: Chicken weiners, S'mores, blueberries and tea.

After a while of burning stuff and eating, we packed up once again and headed back to the car. On the way out of the forest, we encountered big groups of non-wilderness lovers. Folks that come out with their loud music, booze and stupidity. Why waste your gas to go out there to do that when you can do that at home? I don't get it...them and the trash they leave behind!

Here Squeeters Squeeters! Part 1

The boy and I went camping for 1 nite in the High Falls area, 40mins north of Peterborough. It's crown land, so no park fees required, first come, first served. It's not a problem for us since the location we want to camp is quite obsure. It's a clearing that we found last year and Neil doesn't think that anyone else has been there since. Why? Because you have to bush-whack for about 30 mins before you can get there. It was Sept last year when we went so it had significantly less vegetation (and bugs).

Day 1
This time of the year, it is mosquito city. Squitos, Squeeters, Mossies, whatever you want to call them...they LOVE me.

Current bite count: 22. (There may be more as the itching sometimes doesn't start a full day later.)

We set up camp, built a fire and started out our "Meat on a stick" food fest. Souvlakis and sausage weiners. It is Atkins diet when we go camping. We finished our meal with some S'mores and tea.

As forecasted by the weather man, we got rained on that nite. It started about 8ish, so we tidied up and went to bed early.

Day 2
We woke up at approx. 5:30am.
Between the tent and the vestibule were lots and lots of mossies! They must've used the vestibule as a hide-out through the rain. But let's get back to the story...what is really important is that it is REVENGE TIME! I must've killed a dozen of them! Muahahahaaaaa....(I smashed them between the tent's mesh lining and the vestibule.)

Neil saved some firewood from the nite before under a tarp so we can have dry wood for the morning campfire. When he was fixing up the firepit, there were slugs all over it...all the wonderous things that come out after the rain!

Breakfast: Hard broiled eggs, oatmeal, tea and S'mores.

At about 8:30am, we left our campsite and hiked back to the car to lighten our load before hiking into the Falls.
Here are some pics of us hiking through the trail. In this picture, Neil is actually STANDING on a beaver dam.

After an hour of hiking, we are at the Falls!



cont'd in next post....

Rabbit is back!

VW is once again changing the branding of this car in North America. It is back to being called the Rabbit. It is the new Golf that's been released in Europe since late 2003. Why are we always so LATE in getting any innovative vehicles in this region? (It is to protect the crappy domestics, that's what!)

Marathon Mario

It rained buckets this afternoon so we skipped tennis. Instead, I used my energy to woo Mario into taking me into a new dimension. I used up the battery pack. :p

World 5
99 Lives

I have been given the BIBLE. (you know, the guide to secret passages and tricks!) Have to dedicate time to bible studies this evening.


Thank you Bobby!
***hugs***

Hooked on DSLite

New.
Super.
Mario.
Bros.
ROCKS!

Wedding pics (don't worry they're not mine!)

My friend Mayze (pronounced Macy but with z sound, not pronouced Maze) has finally posted her wedding pics...http://mayze-klayton.spaces.msn.com/

She used the same photographer as my other friend Frank. It was done in Taiwan...apparantly a whole lot cheaper and better quality than Hong Kong.

I don't think I ever understood why wedding photos are taken PRIOR to a wedding and in outfits that you aren't going to wear on your wedding day. How did this start? Ever since I can remember, that's how things were done...is it just a chinese thing? (sorry, Taiwanese too) Anyone have comments on this?

Then there are MORE wedding photos taken during the wedding...so why the extra set of photos? It's like couple Glamour Shots but with a wedding theme.

Is it then tacky to just take these "wedding photos" and not have a wedding?

I will be going back to HK in November for her wedding. I will probably do a short trip to TW. What I REALLY want to do is visit Malaysia or Thailand for a diving trip. It's been SO long. I miss Nemo. :(

Brutal day

another shitty workday to start the week off

these ppl I work with just keeps getting dumber

Reasons why this has happened:

1) Rounds and rounds of layoffs.
Dumb ppl still managed to stay with the company (many actually did make it to the chopping block but there are still SO many left), leaving MORE work for the competent employees. Those that have the background and education to match what they're currently doing has of course managed to find better jobs elsewhere. So we have very few folks who knows what they're doing and many that has no frigg'n idea.

2) Outsourcing.
We're running an internal outsourcing model and the quality of employees being hired in the low-cost region just doesn't cut it. We're relying on ppl that have very different culture when it comes to training and mentoring to build a team. Even if we hire smart employees, we are either 1) not training them to their full potential (both soft and hard skills) or 2) they get fed up and leave.

This is not the ideal work environment I want to be in. I would like to work in a high calibur workforce where people are educated, innovative and know what they're doing! Of course, that's what we all want...and to get it, I will have to go back to school. Not going back for the $$$, but for a place where I would like to get up and go to work for. Not somewhere I dread going 5 days a week.

Need food

Tired and need food. Neil, where are you??? I need to grocery shop SO bad. There was nothing to eat in the house except of the last bits of Raisin Bran..you know, all the broken and powder-y pieces at the bottom that turns into drywall compound when you add milk to it? I had THAT for breakfast and 1.5L of Gatorade throughout the day. After 4 hrs of beach vball. (well, cut that into 2 hrs, it was kinda slow), hot shower and hot bath later, the hunger has KICKED IN.

Lots of events happening this weekend,..Pride (one of North America's biggest Gay Pride events), the annual Dragon Boat races at the Toronto Islands and the start of the Toronto Jazz Festival. I've attended none of them. WAY too many ppl, WAY too many tourists.
http://www.pridetoronto.com/, http://www.dragonboats.com/, http://www.torontojazz.com/

If you ever think about visiting Toronto,..late June is definitely a good time!

Apres Kaji

I am full of scallops, fatty tuna, lobster, hamachi and sea trout. Summer menu is much lighter, most of the dishes were served cold. My mother was so stuffed that she was full by the time sushi rolled around.

I once again booked seats at the sushi bar. It's a 2 and 1/2 hour dinner, you need some entertainment!

Chef and owner, Mitsuhiro Kaji is entertaining as usual. Even though I don't understand Japanese, his animated expressions are just amusing to watch. Here he is busy preparing sashimi and posing between his precision slicing.









Below are some of the dishes we had tonight.








Silver Cod and tofu with 3 different kinds of miso














Toro Tartar with corn pancake.









Lamb chop with Japanese Barbeque sauce.







I wanted to take more photos of the food but I got too excited when I got there and totally forgot about it for the first 3 course. :p Then when I did started taking photos, I would forget again and then take pictures of the half eaten product...see the smeared bbq sauce next the lamb chops?
Scallops with truffle dressing. The beige stuff on top are mushrooms. Served cold and raw. (mushrooms were cooked) There's suppose to be 3 scallops with this dish....

Needless to say, it was another fabulous meal. I recommend everyone to at least try this once. If you are a sashimi/sushi lover, it is a must.

Thank you again Kaji san and his whole crew!

In with Summer, Out with Winter

It's the bi-annual Wardrobe Switcheroo Event! The event is held when I feel the weather has sufficiently settled down enough for me to justify switching my wardrobe to match the season.

I don't have a 400 square-feet walk-in closet as most of us ladies would like to have, so with the amount of clothes I own(and the fact that I have to share my closet with someone else now), storing out of season clothing is essential to avoid closet explosions.

Today is a good day...it's a ME day. I had my monthly massage appointment with Joe this morning. (Mr. Magic Hands, don't think dirty, he plays for the other team. He's just so bloody talented!) For once, my shoulders, upper back and neck is healthy! I wasn't broken, nor did it feel like a curb when he's working through my traps! Finally, being active again is giving me results.

I will be spending the afternoon hosting the Wardrobe Switcheroo Event. Part of the Event will involve purging of clothes that 1)haven't worn for the past 2 seasons and probably never will and 2) stuff that doesn't fit me anymore...this usually means it's too small. :(

Tonight, I will be taking my mom to dinner for an early birthday celebration. I'm taking her to Sushi Kaji...notoriously expensive tasting menu style Japanese Resto. http://www.sushikaji.com

Expensive, but worth every penny.

Dumb people at work but TGIF

I know we all have to learn and work with these challenged folks, but when dumbness comes from not caring? It is time for them to go. It will only cause more harm than good, for both the individual and the company's interest.

I however did enjoy pointing out this person's inadequacy and uselessness to their management. (all facts and not opinions of course) I am only a bitch when you force me to be one!

I am having DS Lite withdrawal...I was hooked playing Super Mario Bros last nite before leaving work. I'd forgotten how much fun that game can be!
Check it out...
http://www.nintendo.ca/cgi-bin/usersite/display_info.cgi?pageNum=1&lang=en

If you get one, for sure get to get "Brain Age". For once, games for the non-gaming community! "rewarding form of entertainment everyone can enjoy, as it helps players flex their mental muscles" as described on the website.

Weekend is on its way. My legs are finally healing from my Monday torture, at least they aren't hurting from walking down stairs anymore. I will do yoga after work tonite to stretch them out for Sunday's vball. Yes, sorry all...it's beach vball league.

Orchid finally winding down

I bought an Phalaenopsis orchid WAY back in March. It was on sale, $20 at the local grocery store. During its glory days, it had 15 flowers on it. It's now down to 4 and the spike that doesn't have flowers has yellowed. Did some research and was advised to cut the spike as it's dead. :(

There's a new leaf growing so I guess it's still healthy,..perhaps I need to repot as the roots are overcrowded.

On to some good news,...finally surrendered and decided to look for a team to play with on weekends and summer league.

I have "try-outs" on Sunday with this team, I hope this team works out.

For those of you that don't know, I (or Neil would have me say, We) purchased a Honda Fit Sport. It is only On-Order basis right now, ETA mid July. Patience is wearing thin,...I want that car in my hot little hand now! (or rather, want my arse in the hot little car now!)

Had been checking some forums about the car...as usual, most of them are from the States. Apparantly, the demand for the vehicle is so high that dealerships are selling above MRSP! I've never heard of such a thing in Canada! Peeps are bitch'n and whine'n about the mark-up and the fact that there are now waiting lists. (?!) Folks that did get their car already said the min. TAT for the car is 6-8 weeks. Whoa! What are we buying here? The Hermes Birkin?

My dealer better not be lying to me when he said max. 4 weeks wait!

Jelly Legs still!

Had some time to sorta fill out some profile stuff and uploaded a pic. The white kid's my nephew, his name is Kael and he's 6 months old. I call him pumpkin head!


World Cup Fever is on! You know it when ppl are calling in sick to take the day off to watch their football...fellow Porkchop colleagues are in a good mood...Portugal 2, Mexico 1.


Talked to dealership just now, no word on when EXACTLY the car is coming in, but it should be within 4 weeks, nothing crazy like the U.S. waiting list; VIN number should be available tomorrow => car will be officially ordered tomorrow => I can officially get insurance lined up.

Legs are hurting worse than ever, had to take some Robaxact this morning, but it's not working! Last time I hurt this much was after 30 laps at swim practice,..umm..that was 14 yrs ago...fuk, feel even older!

Still bored at work => hence another post

Yoga class tonite? I really shouldn't....

Post #1

Such pressure for the first post! What do you write on these things? I guess just thoughts and ideas as they come to your head?

The need to start a blog is really due to laziness...instead of writing to different ppl overseas about the same sh!t, I only need to write it once. :p

So life so far....
- still living with my man
- recently bought a car, waiting for it to come in
- jelly legs due to crazy Monday morning workout class
- loving the summer weather
- playing tennis after work today, hope I keep them balls in the court and not hit them out on the road...

Next update will probably consist of pics of the car...heheee..can't wait!