33/365: the jersey boys

this was taken yesterday at the first canadian place. jersey boys came and did a few songs, some of which you may know very well: sherry, my boyfriend's back, walk like a man and...can't take my eyes off of you.
it was an awesome lunchbreak and now i really want to go see it!
(for a limited time only, they're selling jersey boy tickets for $25 & $60 - perfect for valentine's day)

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32/365: routine

this is what happens on a weeknight:
eat dinner or depending on the day, get home late after a dizzying ride on the go bus
hang out with the siblings, blog, chat or watch food network
eat a banana with nutella
prepare lunch for the next day
iron and hang up clothes for the next day
take a shower.
talk to john.
sleep at midnight. argh.

this is what happens every morning:
wake up at 5:55 am
hit the snooze button
wake up for real at 6:00 am
shower and wash my hair
dry my hair
straighten my hair
tease my hair
apply makeup
make sure everything is unplugged
go downstairs
leave at 7:00 AM

this is what happens when i get to downtown:
wake up
get off at union station
run to catch the streetcar
get off streetcar
walk into building
go up the elevators
use receptionist's magic button to open door
turn on computer
read emails
get bowl from kitchen
make coffee
take out box of cereal from drawer
measure out cereal into bowl
cut up bananas
eat and sip
read emails
work


this happens everyday. it's a little sickening. just a little.
if i can just take my time to do things that would be heavenly. when i go on solitary dates i have to literally tell myself to slow down, walk and look around.

good night all.

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31/365: class notes

this is what happens when you mix
sleepiness + ontario human rights code + talkative teacher
= badly written notes

my university notes looked like this, pre-laptop era.
the two paragraphs are actually the same. i rewrote it after slapping myself awake.
i took a picture of this because i just had to share it with you. looking at it amuses me because the first paragraph just looks downright ridiculous.

sometimes i dread tuesday nights.
have a good night all :)

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30/365: ink

an inkwell for a nice fountain pen, both from john, to encourage more handwritten letters. i haven't refilled the pen yet, but it writes so smoothly and i feel like a jane austen character...although i'm sure they used quills. or not. i don't know. i'm basing all this from the pride&prejudice movie. harhar.
ps: i like how the inkpot looks so old worldly and antique. the bottom says "paris". sigh. :)

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28/365: nutella love + list #1: a list of things that used to excite me when i was a kid

happy monday! how was your weekend? i have been somewhat amiss with my blogging and meant to do this yesterday! i visited rebecca's blog and found a nice list of things that used to excite her when she was younger! i thought it would be a good idea to make a list too.

so without further ado, things that used to excite me when i was younger:

• pool parties
• walking down the toy aisles
• fireworks on new year's eve
• family parties
• drinking pop (soda- we were only allowed to drink coke at parties!)
• friday night line up of batman, x-men, are you afraid of the dark?
• 10-hour family roadtrips
• presents from my godfather who lived in germany and malaysia. the best one was a matryoshka doll (it saddens me that i no longer have it!)
• writing and acting out skits in grade school
• mr. squiggle, play school, sesame street
• sappy mexican soap operas/telenovelas that we used to watch in secret: marimar, maria mercedes (the nannies let us watch them!)
• barbie dolls
• hello kitty stationary
• stamps
• stickers and sticker books (esp. felt, shiny, or scratch and smell, lisa frank stickers)
• cross-stitching
• buying dmc skeins and embroidery loops
• starting a new pattern
• home ec class (we started at a really young age - grade 2!)
• blue kool aid
• cheese stuffed hotdogs
• breakfast at mcdonald's
• sonic on sega
• mario brothers and duck hunt on nintendo
• school supply shopping
• tea sets and kitchen toys
• little tikes
• tonkatsu and tempura
• goosebumps, sweet valley and nancy drew books
• jem
• school socks trimmed with lace
• french braids

what's yours? what used to excite you when you were younger?

my next list will probably be things that get me excited presently. nutella for sure will be one of them. especially when it's on sale. :)

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27/365: get rebel.

taken with the iphone.
walking down queen street with john, i saw this and really liked the font.

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26/365: refilling the atomizer

this took forever to do. i was so afraid i was going to break the bottle so i had to carefully spritz the perfume into the atomizer. it took around 30 pumps to get it full.

miss dior cherie is the only perfume i can wear because it doesn't make me dizzy. for years i had gone au naturel, relying on freshly washed hair and laundered clothes. but there was always something so nice about those girls who pass by you and just smell so sweet! thus my search for perfume-that-does-not-give-me-a-headache began. we were united last year and have been using only her ever since.
i would love to know your favorite perfume to wear!

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25/365: j'aime this mug

this is john's mug.
my parents bought each family member individual mugs that suit our personality. they bought him one since he's practically part of the family and comes over a lot.
when he's not here i use it. harhar.
beside it are: butter biscuits from the lovely virginie (very yummy) and a baggie prototype for valentine's day. i finally got the "drawstring effect" down pat. this year i think i'll make blondies, wrap them in wax paper and stick them in this bag and perhaps send them in the mail.

how is your day-before-friday like? i had a nice sleep on the train, except when i got off i felt like a total zombie. i can't wait for the weekend. lots of sleep and a possible trip to coquine!

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24/365: love story

john surprised me with this little music player (?). it is the cutest thing and it plays the theme from love story. the sound is so tiny.
i remember listening and falling asleep to percy faith and henry mancini cassette tapes (theme from love story was one of them) on my walkman (harhar, back in the day). my taste in music was very much influenced by my dad, who loves music so much. if he had a soundtrack for his life it would most definitely include henry mancini, the beatles, paul mccartney (post beatles), elton john, billy joel and queen.
because of this, a lot of my memories have certain songs attached to them:
* "rock the boat" by hues corporation - a family trip to my very first beach (puerto azul - i remember seeing the sky "touch" the water in the horizon and was so amazed by it)
* "twelfth of never" by olivia newton john - driving from my grandfather's funeral
* bobby goldsboro songs and crooners - sunday afternoons
* sheena easton and suzanne cianni songs - going to school and driving home when i was in elementary
my soundtrack will be really similar to my dad's, but would also include mainstream figures like avril lavigne (before she got married), coldplay (before he got married) and lady gaga for good measure. harhar.
have a good day all :)

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23/365: a mountain of chopped apples

these are chopped apples for my tuna salad. i used to hate packing my lunches for work, but to get on with my resolution to save more money, it is something i had to start doing. can you imagine, i was sometimes spending $15 a day for breakfast and lunch. multiply that by 5 (days) then by 4 (months). and that's not including lattes.
by adding things like apples to my salads or bringing nutella in little containers i now find packing lunch a much more enjoyable task.

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22/365: rosemary & dijon mustard chicken

i wanted to cook dinner yesterday partly because i was watching food network the whole day and also because i was craving something fried. this was last night's dinner. i didn't really follow a recipe, but thought that dijon mustard and rosemary would taste very good together! it was very simple to make and we had it with parboiled rice and my dad's yummy tortellini soup. i am basing this on what i did last night, so if it seems a lot to you, it's because i was cooking for 8 people! i also eyeballed the mustard and the olive oil, so you can choose to add more or less.

rosemary & dijon mustard chicken
12 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in chunks, pat dry
2/3 cup dijon mustard
1 cup olive oil
5 sprigs of rosemary, chopped (without the stem of course)
5 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
juice of one lemon, lemon zest
salt & pepper
olive oil for frying

1. whisk dijon mustard, olive oil, rosemary, garlic, lemon juice + zest together, with just a bit of salt and pepper. take a little taste!
2. sprinkle salt & pepper over chicken then toss into dressing.
3. heat up pan with olive oil for frying on medium-high heat.
4. fry up chicken - make sure you don't crowd the pan!
5. fry on one side for a few minutes, then turn. make an incision with a small knife to make sure it's thoroughly cooked!
6. repeat with rest of the chicken.
7. serve.

give it a try :) the family loved it. i also made enough for today's lunch. hehe.

have a good week, all!

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21/365: little old lady

sometimes you get thrown into certain situations that lead you to believe that perhaps the universe is trying to tell you something.
yesterday i met a sweet old woman on the bus. she wanted to switch seats so that she won't have to struggle to get off and accidentally hit me with her bags. that is her in the picture, waiting to cross the road.
before i go on i want to say that i love talking to strangers, but really hate awkward silences...that's why it's easier for me to talk to cashiers and sales associates- the conversation ends with the transaction. so when she started talking to me i have to admit i felt a little freaked out. oh no, what should i say next? kept running through my mind.
but in those 15 minutes i learned that
* she has a maltese dog named lady charlotte
* she has three grandchildren, ages 32, 18, 11
* she loves wuthering heights and cannot get into sense+sensibility and pride+prejudice
* she and her husband loved walking down harbourfront
* she lives in a home with other ladies
as we were going along yonge street she pointed out at a cemetery and told me that her husband and her sister were there. her husband died 15 years ago, and her sister, 2 years ago.
the part that hurts her the most, she says, is my sister. we did everything together. and then you realize that you're all alone because everyone else is gone.
before getting off the bus she told me to have a good day and to try watching wuthering heights first before reading the book.
after she left, i thought about this chance meeting. it just seemed like one of those things you would read about in a mitch albom novel. i thought about my own life and the mistakes i made. besides sweet facts about this lady, i learned that silence need not be awkward. it's okay to look out at the window and say nothing. you do not need to have a constant flow of conversation. that only happens in movies and shows. with my quick temper and stubbornness i can easily take things and people for granted. this encounter reminded me that life is short, to be thankful and to love others as much as they should be loved, not as much as i can.
so even though my heart hurt for her, i also admired her optimism and energy. i got off the bus feeling good and light.
now to just follow through with these lessons... :)

have a good weekend all!

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20/365: more of lake ontario

this was taken on friday.
it's funny. when you tilt the iphone a certain way, it makes a very sunny day look really gloomy.

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19/365: skating + other things

silhouttes of branches on the ice.

hello all, happy friday!
i had such a great evening!
last night we had a small team building activity and went skating at the harbourfront. for those who live in toronto and haven't skated there yet, you should! it overlooks the lake and at night it is just the most romantic place to be in. but being an outdoor rink there was nothing to hold on to for support and this almost kept me from going on the ice.
i think i am the clumsiest person i know when it comes to all things sporty. i started off very wobbly and very scared, but by the end of the night i was skating by myself and picking up some speed!
and this is all with the help of my boss.
can you imagine your boss teaching you how to skate? following your orders to skate on your right side as opposed to your left so that just in case you trip you can easily grab onto his coat?

afterwards i met up with my best friend in the old mall that we used to hang out in as kids. for those who lived in scarborough, you would know bridlewood mall. this is where we wolfed down onion rings, drank lots of bubble tea and bought bags of salty peas from the bulk store.

i thought about all this and realized that i really shouldn't be so down and blue when there is so much to be thankful for:
* working where i am right now with kickass bosses (all 6 of them!) and co-workers
* my lovely best friend
* my family
* john, who is just so awesome
* go transit so that i can get from markham to downtown easily
* ikea for its cheap and yummy breakfast
* being able to take courses that i really enjoy
* the lake as the backyard
* being able to sit and sleep comfortably every morning on the subway
* sunny days, like today

so if you're feeling blue on this beautiful friday, hug your mom. hug your boyfriend. hug your best friend. or your boss. or whoever. because you're luckier than you think!

have a wonderful weekend everybody.

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18/365: dogwalker

i decided to take a walk during lunch today. i'm feeling a little down and needed some vitamin d (plus i am really really craving nutella but can't have any). lucky for me, the lake is the office's backyard.
this was taken with my iphone.
i don't know if you can see her, but that's a girl with two huge, playful retrievers in tow.

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17/365: think big

sorry, i just uploaded this today for yesterday's photo. i have to admit that this 365 daily photo challenge is getting difficult (durs, that's why it's called a challenge!).
when i first started in my current job, i was given a book called the magic of thinking big. i remember rolling my eyes and thinking, great, a self-help book (not that i have anything against them).
fast forward a few months ago (a year later in my job), in the midst of some kind of quarter mid life crisis (almost), i saw it in my bookshelf and whipped it out. and let me tell you, i was lapping everything up. this book is awesome. and to my surprise, it was written in the 1950s. it's crazy, but everything the author addresses: self esteem, lack of confidence, relationships with others, relationship with yourself, etc...are all issues that we are still dealing with today.
one of the most important lessons i drew from this is to remember what your goals are, what you want to be when you "grow up", to never loose sight of that goal and to work tirelessly towards it. he doesn't offer you empty promises, but helps you see things in a different way.
it seems almost childish to have post-it reminders on your mirror, but sometimes i forget - especially on bad days when i think that my goals are unrealistic when really they aren't. so yesterday i remembered and signed up for another night course. one less towards that event+meeting management certificate!
if you've ever felt/thought the way i did (and still do), you should give this book a try.
have a good day, all!

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16/365: more audrey love

these are my favorite audrey hepburn movies. next on my list is charade. who can resist her clothes, cary grant and the kickass henry mancini score?

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15/365: i like

i like:
waking up with
raccoon eyes
at 11:51 on a sunday morning
and coming down for breakfast


i hope you are all having a good weekend everyone.

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14/365: i like

i like:
nap times on saturday afternoons
just before a party

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13/365:

i don't really have a story for this. except that this picture is further proof of my little obsession with audrey hepburn. no, i'm not like that guy who has a huge collection of simpsons' memorabilia, but i do have her everywhere in my room. and two frames in my bathroom. hm.

today i felt a little sluggish, just going through the motions of work. i stood up twice to retrieve documents from the printer only to find out that i haven't printed anything out.
i aspartamed my coffee twice. this is a much needed weekend!

so have a good week all and rest up! take advantage of this freakish (yes, it's freaky) spring weather we're having. no snow in january! can you believe that??? even in markham.
yes, even in markham.

ps: you still have a chance to win some letterpressed goods by me and john!
pps: thank you for all the nice and encouraging comments! we really appreciate it.

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