Over a Year ago...
Not sure if anyone still reads this thing. Actually, I'm pretty sure no one does. And really, why would they? Cause I haven't been here and while I was away, I was keeping my MSN Spaces site.
Anyway - I've been thinking about starting to write again. And do you wanna know what has prompted me? Well, it's non other than my beloved Toronto Raptors. And I've gotta tell ya that although I love them - man they are PISSING me off. In the two games in New Jersey, actually, in this ENTIRE series - they have played like crap. Tonight is Game 4 and they are actually lucky that it's not the sweep game because that's how horrible they have been. They won Game 2 (which I attended) but that was damn lucky and Game 3 (Friday) and Game 4 (tonight) have been absolutely embarassing and just plain silly. They have no life. They are not executing. They look like a bunch of varsity players out there - HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY. There is no cohesion on the floor. They are not doing anything they are supposed to. How many f-in turnovers do they have? How many lazy fouls? Bosh? WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU??? Ford? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU RUNNING AROUND EVERYWHERE FOR??? Right now, there are about 9 mins left in the 4th quarter and the score is 94 - 62. Yes, that's what I said. THIS IS RIDICULOUS.
You know what is comes down to? I know this team was not expected to do anything at all this year. But their play this season has completely changed those expectations. They looked like an amazing team all year. People were crying about their lack of publicity and airtime in the US. So, tonight they are on TNT in the States. Their first appearance on US TV and man, they are showing a huge stinker.
The thing I can't stand is that they aren't competing at all. They just look like they care. 10 mins ago, I saw MoPete smiling on the court after a foul was called on him. I'm not calling out MoPete. I'm calling out the whole team b/c it's just their general demeanor all over the court. It's purely unacceptable.
Game 5 is Tuesday night and they have a chance to win it (solely because of the Home Crowd advantage). But even if they do that, they will go back to NJ for Game 6 on Friday night and I don't expect anything different.
This team is done unless they have a supreme change in attitude. But more importantly, they don't deserve anything right now. They just look like a bunch of chumps on the court.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Changing Sites...
Quick message and link to let you know that I'm switching websites. For this trip, I have created an MSN spaces site that allows me to easily upload photos while I am traveling. So, check out the new site and bookmark it for my travel updates over the next 4.5 months. It's also called Goks World
Quick message and link to let you know that I'm switching websites. For this trip, I have created an MSN spaces site that allows me to easily upload photos while I am traveling. So, check out the new site and bookmark it for my travel updates over the next 4.5 months. It's also called Goks World
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Update # 1 - live from London, England
Hi everyone, I arrived safely yesterday morning and now, I'm at my brother's flat in London. It's about 12:35 am on March 2 and I have been here since yesterday morning (arrived at around 8:30 am on Feb 28).
My flight over was pretty good although the plane was quite empty. And Air Canada - I've got one beef. I know you don't have the individual seat back tv's/entertainment centres yet but CAN YOU PLEASE CHOOSE SOME BETTER MOVIES??!!!?!?!!?! The Corpse Bride and Shakespeare in Love! What the "@$%* is that??? I tried to sleep instead and I was especially full after my 2 dinners. 2 dinners you ask? Well, I ordered a special meal on this flight. I got the "low fat, low cholesterol" meal so I got served first. It was quite dry and not that tasty. When I finished my meal, the guy right next to me just got his so I was sitting there just smelling his food and I was still hungry. So I asked the flight attendant if they had any extra food and they did so they hooked me up. Mental note - if you want to ensure you get served first or at least get served warm food - make a special dietary request and then, you'll get your food first. I also listened to my new iPod a lot and decided that I really like it but man, it's gonna take some getting used to that whole click wheel concept to navigate around (and to control the volume)
It's been a great couple days in London. First off, it's been VERY SUNNY which has been great. I haven't seen a drop of rain. I told Raj and Pari before arriving that I would be bringing the sun with me. And I didn't lie! Yesterday, after a bit of an ordeal getting to Raj's flat from the airport (there were all these tube delays), I tried to sleep throughout the afternoon. By about 4:00 pm, Pari (my brother's fiance) arrived home from work and we chatted and got caught up. Raj got home around 6:00 and after chilling for a bit, we headed out for Al-Onaak, a Lebanese restaurant in their neighbourhood. The food was quite nice, especially the baba ganoush and the lamb kebab. After dinner, our friend Sonu arrived an we went to a bar in Oxford Circus to meet up with some of my Aussie friends and other Londoners. Sam, Kat, Lindsey, Tony and Clara came out. We went to this bar called Firevault which was really cool cause they sell Fireplaces by day and at night, there is a trendy restaurant and bar downstairs. Very cool decor and some really neat fireplaces and drinks... After that, the five of us that were remaining proceeded to head to Match Bar (also in Oxford Circus) where we had some good times. They had this one drink on the menu called the Breakfast Club which sounded GROSS. It had a couple shots of bourbon, an egg white, orange marmalade and other raunchy stuff. Tony volunteered to try it and the bartender was all excited to make it. He came back a few minutes later and apologized cause they were out of Orange Marmalade. So, Tony then gave the bartender free rain and said "You make whatever you want, just do gin or absinthe". The bartender was smiling a lot and left. We must have waited for nearly 10 minutes and he finally returned with what he called "The Strawberry Delicious". That drink was HUGE and quite tasty. The bartender was so pumped about it - it was great. Good on ya Tony for being such a great sport about it!
This morning, I got up kinda late (but who cares cause I'm unemployed and on vacation). My brother did a little work in the morning and then had decided to take the rest of the day off. We had an excellent day and thanks to his amazing suggestion, I got to see a lot of London. Raj has a Vespa scooter and we rode around all afternoon checking out different sites around the city. Again, the weather was gorgeous and sunny so it made it perfect. The only problem was that when you're on a scooter, it gets considerably colder cause of the wind. We had some fish and chips in Notting Hill for lunch. They were pretty good (apparently one of the top 10 in London). I'm not quite sure about that though. After lunch, we rode up to the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasdon which was absolutely fantastic. I'm really glad that Raj brought me here cause I hadn't seen it during my previous 2 trips to London the last couple of years. Unfortunately, we missed darshan by about 45 minutes but we still got to see some of the deities and also got to see the incredible stone work, wood work and especially the Haveli architecture. I also learned about an amazing movie called Mystic India . Apparently, it's an IMAX film and I just missed it in London (at South Kensington). It's playing in Mumbai and in Sydney so I should be able to see it at some point during this trip. Otherwise, maybe it'll come to Toronto in the summer. After the temple, we drove back into the city and met Pari for some drinks at a neat coffee shop near her school. When we left the coffee shop, it started to snow!!! (okay, so maybe I brought this from Canada along with the beautiful sun) It was the perfect "first snowfall of winter" kinda snow - it was really beautiful. So many people (including me of course) were taking pics of the falling snow. Since London is such a cosmopolitan city, there are probably tonnes of people that have never seen it so I think they were quite excited today.
For dinner, Raj made spaghetti with meatballs, Pari made a salad and I made tuna cakes (but used yogurt instead of mayo) so they were definitely healthier (but just not solid enough). Rajs' coworker Salo came by and so did Sonu. It was a fun night just chilling out, eating, drinking and watching the England - Uruguay friendly match that England one with a late goal during injury time - definitely a last minute win!
London is a funny place. One thing I've noticed is that it is quite transient here. So many people come and go so often. I was asking my Australian friends who've been here anywhere from 2 - 4 years. All of them are sure they won't stay here forever and most seem to think that 4 or 5 is enough. Raj's friends even feel the same way. It's so cosmopolitan and there is so much to do but I guess it just doesn't have the long term appeal to many people. Maybe with all the constant moving around, people just find it hard to establish and maintain solid relationships with people. The cost of living in this city is absurd too and for students or people with entry level jobs, it is very difficult to save up or survive because rent, food, etc just adds up. Another observation is that there is a bar/pub or restaurant everywhere you turn in this city. On the scooter today, we went through a lot of old neighbourhoods and all I kept seeing were different restaurants (and all were from various parts of the world). It's a fun and exciting city and I love coming to visit. Just don't know if I could live here full time.
I reckon that it's time for bed as I've got a full day of bumming around to accomplish tomorrow before my flight to Mumbai leaves at 9:30 pm. Oh yeah, did I mention that it's about 37 - 39 degrees celcius right now in Mumbai??? Man, I am going to sweat my butt off.
Night all.
Hi everyone, I arrived safely yesterday morning and now, I'm at my brother's flat in London. It's about 12:35 am on March 2 and I have been here since yesterday morning (arrived at around 8:30 am on Feb 28).
My flight over was pretty good although the plane was quite empty. And Air Canada - I've got one beef. I know you don't have the individual seat back tv's/entertainment centres yet but CAN YOU PLEASE CHOOSE SOME BETTER MOVIES??!!!?!?!!?! The Corpse Bride and Shakespeare in Love! What the "@$%* is that??? I tried to sleep instead and I was especially full after my 2 dinners. 2 dinners you ask? Well, I ordered a special meal on this flight. I got the "low fat, low cholesterol" meal so I got served first. It was quite dry and not that tasty. When I finished my meal, the guy right next to me just got his so I was sitting there just smelling his food and I was still hungry. So I asked the flight attendant if they had any extra food and they did so they hooked me up. Mental note - if you want to ensure you get served first or at least get served warm food - make a special dietary request and then, you'll get your food first. I also listened to my new iPod a lot and decided that I really like it but man, it's gonna take some getting used to that whole click wheel concept to navigate around (and to control the volume)
It's been a great couple days in London. First off, it's been VERY SUNNY which has been great. I haven't seen a drop of rain. I told Raj and Pari before arriving that I would be bringing the sun with me. And I didn't lie! Yesterday, after a bit of an ordeal getting to Raj's flat from the airport (there were all these tube delays), I tried to sleep throughout the afternoon. By about 4:00 pm, Pari (my brother's fiance) arrived home from work and we chatted and got caught up. Raj got home around 6:00 and after chilling for a bit, we headed out for Al-Onaak, a Lebanese restaurant in their neighbourhood. The food was quite nice, especially the baba ganoush and the lamb kebab. After dinner, our friend Sonu arrived an we went to a bar in Oxford Circus to meet up with some of my Aussie friends and other Londoners. Sam, Kat, Lindsey, Tony and Clara came out. We went to this bar called Firevault which was really cool cause they sell Fireplaces by day and at night, there is a trendy restaurant and bar downstairs. Very cool decor and some really neat fireplaces and drinks... After that, the five of us that were remaining proceeded to head to Match Bar (also in Oxford Circus) where we had some good times. They had this one drink on the menu called the Breakfast Club which sounded GROSS. It had a couple shots of bourbon, an egg white, orange marmalade and other raunchy stuff. Tony volunteered to try it and the bartender was all excited to make it. He came back a few minutes later and apologized cause they were out of Orange Marmalade. So, Tony then gave the bartender free rain and said "You make whatever you want, just do gin or absinthe". The bartender was smiling a lot and left. We must have waited for nearly 10 minutes and he finally returned with what he called "The Strawberry Delicious". That drink was HUGE and quite tasty. The bartender was so pumped about it - it was great. Good on ya Tony for being such a great sport about it!
This morning, I got up kinda late (but who cares cause I'm unemployed and on vacation). My brother did a little work in the morning and then had decided to take the rest of the day off. We had an excellent day and thanks to his amazing suggestion, I got to see a lot of London. Raj has a Vespa scooter and we rode around all afternoon checking out different sites around the city. Again, the weather was gorgeous and sunny so it made it perfect. The only problem was that when you're on a scooter, it gets considerably colder cause of the wind. We had some fish and chips in Notting Hill for lunch. They were pretty good (apparently one of the top 10 in London). I'm not quite sure about that though. After lunch, we rode up to the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasdon which was absolutely fantastic. I'm really glad that Raj brought me here cause I hadn't seen it during my previous 2 trips to London the last couple of years. Unfortunately, we missed darshan by about 45 minutes but we still got to see some of the deities and also got to see the incredible stone work, wood work and especially the Haveli architecture. I also learned about an amazing movie called Mystic India . Apparently, it's an IMAX film and I just missed it in London (at South Kensington). It's playing in Mumbai and in Sydney so I should be able to see it at some point during this trip. Otherwise, maybe it'll come to Toronto in the summer. After the temple, we drove back into the city and met Pari for some drinks at a neat coffee shop near her school. When we left the coffee shop, it started to snow!!! (okay, so maybe I brought this from Canada along with the beautiful sun) It was the perfect "first snowfall of winter" kinda snow - it was really beautiful. So many people (including me of course) were taking pics of the falling snow. Since London is such a cosmopolitan city, there are probably tonnes of people that have never seen it so I think they were quite excited today.
For dinner, Raj made spaghetti with meatballs, Pari made a salad and I made tuna cakes (but used yogurt instead of mayo) so they were definitely healthier (but just not solid enough). Rajs' coworker Salo came by and so did Sonu. It was a fun night just chilling out, eating, drinking and watching the England - Uruguay friendly match that England one with a late goal during injury time - definitely a last minute win!
London is a funny place. One thing I've noticed is that it is quite transient here. So many people come and go so often. I was asking my Australian friends who've been here anywhere from 2 - 4 years. All of them are sure they won't stay here forever and most seem to think that 4 or 5 is enough. Raj's friends even feel the same way. It's so cosmopolitan and there is so much to do but I guess it just doesn't have the long term appeal to many people. Maybe with all the constant moving around, people just find it hard to establish and maintain solid relationships with people. The cost of living in this city is absurd too and for students or people with entry level jobs, it is very difficult to save up or survive because rent, food, etc just adds up. Another observation is that there is a bar/pub or restaurant everywhere you turn in this city. On the scooter today, we went through a lot of old neighbourhoods and all I kept seeing were different restaurants (and all were from various parts of the world). It's a fun and exciting city and I love coming to visit. Just don't know if I could live here full time.
I reckon that it's time for bed as I've got a full day of bumming around to accomplish tomorrow before my flight to Mumbai leaves at 9:30 pm. Oh yeah, did I mention that it's about 37 - 39 degrees celcius right now in Mumbai??? Man, I am going to sweat my butt off.
Night all.
Monday, February 27, 2006
life changing?
Well, in about 4 hours, I am leaving my house to head to the airport for a trip that many are calling "one of a lifetime". I will be gone until July 13 so in total, that is 137 days (I had to total it up for travel insurance purposes).
I was up till 4 am last night and I'm still doing stuff. Man, so many last minute things that I left too late - my fault of course. And that new iPod Nano is amazing but wow, that was a bit of a LONG process to load it up. I even had to call Apple Tech support - man I'm a loser.
Stay tuned for several updates and I hope I'll be able to figure out how to upload photos to this site too.
Thanks for all the well wishes from everyone. It really means a lot and definitely - thanks for coming out to Sage last week for my party. That was a blast. And, here are some pics from that night.
Until we meet again...
Well, in about 4 hours, I am leaving my house to head to the airport for a trip that many are calling "one of a lifetime". I will be gone until July 13 so in total, that is 137 days (I had to total it up for travel insurance purposes).
I was up till 4 am last night and I'm still doing stuff. Man, so many last minute things that I left too late - my fault of course. And that new iPod Nano is amazing but wow, that was a bit of a LONG process to load it up. I even had to call Apple Tech support - man I'm a loser.
Stay tuned for several updates and I hope I'll be able to figure out how to upload photos to this site too.
Thanks for all the well wishes from everyone. It really means a lot and definitely - thanks for coming out to Sage last week for my party. That was a blast. And, here are some pics from that night.
Until we meet again...
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
February is here?
Wow, this month is going by fast. Not sure if all of you know but this is my LAST week of work. I have officially resigned from my job and this Friday February 17th is my last day. On February 27 (less than 2 weeks from now), I take off for a little journey. I'll be hitting England, India, Australia, New Zealand and other parts of Europe - returning by the middle of July.
It's kinda nuts and I'm definitely a little scared about the whole thing but I think it'll be a fantastic experience and one that I never regret. If I didn't go - that would have been my only regret cause once it was in my head, it was just something that made sense and something I had to do.
I like to plan everything and make sure that I know what's going on. So far, I haven't really been able to wrap my head around this trip. It's coming so fast and I am still working till Friday. AND work is VERY busy right now. So, next week is gonna be a blur and before I know it, I'll be on a plane heading out. I've got this list of "to do's" and it is only growing even thought I am tackling things on it.
Gotta get back to work but before I go. Some shoutouts...
1. Congrats to Bobby and Bonnie on their engagement. It was a lot of fun at your party on Saturday night and my apologies about the ICICI jab - hopefully no one was too vexed about that ;o)
2. Happy Birthdays go out to Byron, Ian, Sherry, Arthur, Anh, Vip, Bobby, Sarah and Julie.
Wow, this month is going by fast. Not sure if all of you know but this is my LAST week of work. I have officially resigned from my job and this Friday February 17th is my last day. On February 27 (less than 2 weeks from now), I take off for a little journey. I'll be hitting England, India, Australia, New Zealand and other parts of Europe - returning by the middle of July.
It's kinda nuts and I'm definitely a little scared about the whole thing but I think it'll be a fantastic experience and one that I never regret. If I didn't go - that would have been my only regret cause once it was in my head, it was just something that made sense and something I had to do.
I like to plan everything and make sure that I know what's going on. So far, I haven't really been able to wrap my head around this trip. It's coming so fast and I am still working till Friday. AND work is VERY busy right now. So, next week is gonna be a blur and before I know it, I'll be on a plane heading out. I've got this list of "to do's" and it is only growing even thought I am tackling things on it.
Gotta get back to work but before I go. Some shoutouts...
1. Congrats to Bobby and Bonnie on their engagement. It was a lot of fun at your party on Saturday night and my apologies about the ICICI jab - hopefully no one was too vexed about that ;o)
2. Happy Birthdays go out to Byron, Ian, Sherry, Arthur, Anh, Vip, Bobby, Sarah and Julie.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
trash filled evening
Last night was Ketan's birthday and the posse got together to go out and the theme was "trash". Yep, that's right. So where did we go? Well, we went to Hooters for dinner of course and then Cockodile (oops, Crocodile) Rock for drinks. It started off with a bang at Hooters. Sam and Raquel got there first and told the servers that we had a reservation cause we had reserved the couches by the big TV (since there were 7 of us and we wanted to watch the Leafs-Habs game). Apparently when they got there, there were these 3 black guys sitting in the couches and they had to be moved to accomodate us. When the rest of us got there, we were just sitting around shooting the $hit, etc and then we noticed that those three guys that were sitting in the couches AND were now sitting on some crappy benches were actually NBA players. They were Mike Bibby, Francisco Garcia and none other than Ron Artest (as an aside - Ron Artest is the guy that got suspended for the entire season last year cause he got in a fight with fans in Detroit and he's also the guy who said he needed to take time off to work on his album so the suspension was no problem).
Anyway, these guys were having their night before a game dinner at Hooters. They were eating curly fries, wings, burgers but no booze - just water bottles. It was hilarious seeing these guys eating in Hooters. No one was really bothering them and they eventually took off anyway. But man, they are tall. So, we asked our waitress what kind of tip they left. She went and asked the waitress that was taking care of them and apparently, they left a tip BELOW 15%. Can you believe that??? Their total bill was probably no more than $50 CDN and they left below a 15% tip. Wow. That is totally tight! But a story nonetheless.
The fun continued at Cock Rock where of course, the music sucked and so did most of the people. It definitely made for fun people watching. Ketan and I started playing pool and were running the table for a bit. At one point, I was shooting and had one ball left before going for the 8-ball. As I was lining up my shot, there was this girl leaning on the table and her butt was right in my line of site. I joking said to Ketan and Nikhil - what if I hit that girl in the butt with the ball? We all started laughing. It was too perfect. Well, as I was winding up my shot, my conscious got the better of me and I decided - No, I shouldn't do it. But in the end, I said Fugg it and I went for it so as I did my shot, I hit under the cue ball so it hit my ball and then bounced and boom - hit her right in the cheeks. She was so startled and look around and we were all killing ourselves. I went over and apologized and after the game bought her a drink to say I was sorry. But man, that was totally priceless. I couldn't believe it actually worked so well. I didn't get my shot in by the way (it missed by inches). But, we did win the game so that was good.
Off to Quebec City tomorrow morning for the next 4 days for work. Talk later.
Last night was Ketan's birthday and the posse got together to go out and the theme was "trash". Yep, that's right. So where did we go? Well, we went to Hooters for dinner of course and then Cockodile (oops, Crocodile) Rock for drinks. It started off with a bang at Hooters. Sam and Raquel got there first and told the servers that we had a reservation cause we had reserved the couches by the big TV (since there were 7 of us and we wanted to watch the Leafs-Habs game). Apparently when they got there, there were these 3 black guys sitting in the couches and they had to be moved to accomodate us. When the rest of us got there, we were just sitting around shooting the $hit, etc and then we noticed that those three guys that were sitting in the couches AND were now sitting on some crappy benches were actually NBA players. They were Mike Bibby, Francisco Garcia and none other than Ron Artest (as an aside - Ron Artest is the guy that got suspended for the entire season last year cause he got in a fight with fans in Detroit and he's also the guy who said he needed to take time off to work on his album so the suspension was no problem).
Anyway, these guys were having their night before a game dinner at Hooters. They were eating curly fries, wings, burgers but no booze - just water bottles. It was hilarious seeing these guys eating in Hooters. No one was really bothering them and they eventually took off anyway. But man, they are tall. So, we asked our waitress what kind of tip they left. She went and asked the waitress that was taking care of them and apparently, they left a tip BELOW 15%. Can you believe that??? Their total bill was probably no more than $50 CDN and they left below a 15% tip. Wow. That is totally tight! But a story nonetheless.
The fun continued at Cock Rock where of course, the music sucked and so did most of the people. It definitely made for fun people watching. Ketan and I started playing pool and were running the table for a bit. At one point, I was shooting and had one ball left before going for the 8-ball. As I was lining up my shot, there was this girl leaning on the table and her butt was right in my line of site. I joking said to Ketan and Nikhil - what if I hit that girl in the butt with the ball? We all started laughing. It was too perfect. Well, as I was winding up my shot, my conscious got the better of me and I decided - No, I shouldn't do it. But in the end, I said Fugg it and I went for it so as I did my shot, I hit under the cue ball so it hit my ball and then bounced and boom - hit her right in the cheeks. She was so startled and look around and we were all killing ourselves. I went over and apologized and after the game bought her a drink to say I was sorry. But man, that was totally priceless. I couldn't believe it actually worked so well. I didn't get my shot in by the way (it missed by inches). But, we did win the game so that was good.
Off to Quebec City tomorrow morning for the next 4 days for work. Talk later.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
New Government, New Investments, New Adventures...
So, the Conservatives are in power now, eh? And with Paul Martin stepping down, it appears that the Liberal party will be in a bit of shambles for a little while. Seems optimal for the Conservatives to get some stuff done because their official opposition is without a leader. Well - our country definitely needed some change. I just don't think this is the right change. Hopefully the NDP and Liberals will keep the Conservatives accountable and we'll probably end up having another election sooner rather than later because that's how it seems to go when you have a Minority government. Here's a funny website with some images of our parliamentary leaders
Saw a condo with Etch last night. Kris, Etch and I were throwing around some investment ideas so we thought we'd check it out. Man, it's funny how different event he subtlest change can make something look/feel. This condo was "identical" to Etchs - only a mirror image. But because it had an enclosed den, the space almost felt completely closed off. So subtle but man, it totally was. Etch's just feels so much more open and liveable. I'm sure part of it has to do with the fact that his is painted very nicely and he's got it set up great with nice furniture but it definitely felt different (although it was "identical"). Needless to say, I think that investment idea is not gonna pan out.
Speaking of investments, I recently got a new Financial Planner who is a friend of the family and will help me learn this stuff and make my money "work for me". Nothing wrong with that. I hope it starts working double time now!
So, my plans for the rest of 2K6 are coming together quite nicely. Everything is finalizing itself and my departure date is February 27. Lots to see and do before then so stay tuned.
So, the Conservatives are in power now, eh? And with Paul Martin stepping down, it appears that the Liberal party will be in a bit of shambles for a little while. Seems optimal for the Conservatives to get some stuff done because their official opposition is without a leader. Well - our country definitely needed some change. I just don't think this is the right change. Hopefully the NDP and Liberals will keep the Conservatives accountable and we'll probably end up having another election sooner rather than later because that's how it seems to go when you have a Minority government. Here's a funny website with some images of our parliamentary leaders
Saw a condo with Etch last night. Kris, Etch and I were throwing around some investment ideas so we thought we'd check it out. Man, it's funny how different event he subtlest change can make something look/feel. This condo was "identical" to Etchs - only a mirror image. But because it had an enclosed den, the space almost felt completely closed off. So subtle but man, it totally was. Etch's just feels so much more open and liveable. I'm sure part of it has to do with the fact that his is painted very nicely and he's got it set up great with nice furniture but it definitely felt different (although it was "identical"). Needless to say, I think that investment idea is not gonna pan out.
Speaking of investments, I recently got a new Financial Planner who is a friend of the family and will help me learn this stuff and make my money "work for me". Nothing wrong with that. I hope it starts working double time now!
So, my plans for the rest of 2K6 are coming together quite nicely. Everything is finalizing itself and my departure date is February 27. Lots to see and do before then so stay tuned.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
in pain...
...first because I had my first DB practice this morning (after a few months). We weren't doing any pool paddling. Just the regular 2 hour cardio, weight and stretching INTENSE practice. My legs are hurting, my arms are in pain, my shoulders are feeling it. It's definitely a good feeling cause I know I worked hard but wow, I haven't felt like this in a while. Its all about proper stretching though. Gotta stay on that.
...second because after practice, I got together for a less than great brunch (just the food was less than great) with Ashwat, Romi and Samp at the Summit Grill at Yonge and Eglinton. The food was OK. It was definitely better the last time I went there but hey, can't win 'em all I guess. I really wanted to get their sweet potato fries with my omelette but instead I got the regular home fries cause I didn't know they had the other ones. Doh! One funny part was when the snooty waiter dropped all of our dishes after clearing the table. That definitely brought a nice smile to my face. Especially cause he wasn't the greatest waiter.
...third because my eyes/brain are confused. This weekend, I saw some shortfilms. First, on Friday night with Kris and Etch, we watched this collection of shorts that Kris brought. There's really nothing else to say other than THEY SUCKED. Man, I couldn't get into any of the 3 we watched. Something about "The Delicious" and some other guy that wanted to become a fish. They were definitely hurting. To make up for it, on Saturday night, I went to the National Film Board to watch another short film. My buddy Nikhil (aka Jugular) was in a movie called Andy in the City. It was a good movie and definitely cool to see Nikhil on screen. The concept was quite heavy and the character development was pretty good, especially for a short. After the movie, we watched some short films in the lobby. It's really cool cause anyone can just go there and sit in the lobby and watch movies. They have these really cool seats that have built in speakers in the headrests so you just sit back and relax. We watched some some "Science is fun-type" movies that simply explained science concepts like Explosions and Fire. They were quite amusing.
...fourth because tomorrow is the big federal election. Should be quite an interesting result. I'm not sure I wanna see the Conservatives in power but the Liberals kinda confuse me too. The mud-slinging is the worst though. Why can't anyone just focus on what they do well? As opposed to pointing out all the faults and shortcomings of the others. No one can build any credibility this way. It's just stupid.
...fifth because tomorrow is the 5th episode of 24: Season 5. I've been waiting a week and man, it's quite good so far! Can't wait for tomorrow although it's only going to be 1 hour so man, that is gonna go by way too fast!
...first because I had my first DB practice this morning (after a few months). We weren't doing any pool paddling. Just the regular 2 hour cardio, weight and stretching INTENSE practice. My legs are hurting, my arms are in pain, my shoulders are feeling it. It's definitely a good feeling cause I know I worked hard but wow, I haven't felt like this in a while. Its all about proper stretching though. Gotta stay on that.
...second because after practice, I got together for a less than great brunch (just the food was less than great) with Ashwat, Romi and Samp at the Summit Grill at Yonge and Eglinton. The food was OK. It was definitely better the last time I went there but hey, can't win 'em all I guess. I really wanted to get their sweet potato fries with my omelette but instead I got the regular home fries cause I didn't know they had the other ones. Doh! One funny part was when the snooty waiter dropped all of our dishes after clearing the table. That definitely brought a nice smile to my face. Especially cause he wasn't the greatest waiter.
...third because my eyes/brain are confused. This weekend, I saw some shortfilms. First, on Friday night with Kris and Etch, we watched this collection of shorts that Kris brought. There's really nothing else to say other than THEY SUCKED. Man, I couldn't get into any of the 3 we watched. Something about "The Delicious" and some other guy that wanted to become a fish. They were definitely hurting. To make up for it, on Saturday night, I went to the National Film Board to watch another short film. My buddy Nikhil (aka Jugular) was in a movie called Andy in the City. It was a good movie and definitely cool to see Nikhil on screen. The concept was quite heavy and the character development was pretty good, especially for a short. After the movie, we watched some short films in the lobby. It's really cool cause anyone can just go there and sit in the lobby and watch movies. They have these really cool seats that have built in speakers in the headrests so you just sit back and relax. We watched some some "Science is fun-type" movies that simply explained science concepts like Explosions and Fire. They were quite amusing.
...fourth because tomorrow is the big federal election. Should be quite an interesting result. I'm not sure I wanna see the Conservatives in power but the Liberals kinda confuse me too. The mud-slinging is the worst though. Why can't anyone just focus on what they do well? As opposed to pointing out all the faults and shortcomings of the others. No one can build any credibility this way. It's just stupid.
...fifth because tomorrow is the 5th episode of 24: Season 5. I've been waiting a week and man, it's quite good so far! Can't wait for tomorrow although it's only going to be 1 hour so man, that is gonna go by way too fast!
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Fun Weekend except for one Stupid move
Back home on a Sunday night just trying to wind down after a fun weekend and get ready for a long, busy week. It was the annual high school gang snowboarding weekend up at Blue Mountain. There were 16 of us and we had this lates-80's style Chalet with a huge kitchen, dining area and common room. I think there were 7 or 8 bedrooms as well so that was good cause everyone got a place to sleep. We even had a hottub which was definitely very cool to chill out in on Friday night and Saturday again after swimming.
As an aside, I'm not gonna get too much into the "stupid part of the weekend". Let's just say it has something to do with my cell phone and being submerged in the hot tub. Oh well, time for a new phone I guess... ;o)
Thanks in advance Cristine - sounds like you are gonna be able to help me out which is totally awesome. And for anyone else, you'll be hearing my voicemail for the next few days if you call cause I need to activate my "new" phone. One thing that sucks is losing all of my phone numbers from my phone book and some funny saved text messages that I had. O well, looks like I'll have to create and save some new memories.
Getting back to the weekend - it was a blast (well, everything except for the snowboarding). I guess it actually started on Thursday night when Etch and I did the grocery shopping at Food Basics. $212 later - we were done and had all the food. Man, I didn't think it would take as long as it did but then again, I don't think I've ever shopped for food for 16 people before. We had tonnes of stuff - main stuff, snacks, appetizers, desserts, drinks - I think we did well overall. The was definitely NO shortage of food the entire weekend either and man, there was a lot of sitting around eating and drinking the whole time. I really wish I could have "sweated" a little at some point cause I was starting to feel gross just sitting or standing around after eating so much.
It rained all afternoon/evening on Friday night and then got really cold overnight so all that did was freeze everything that was on the hill. Needless to say, boarding in that ice was quite difficult (and painful when I fell on my knee or butt). It's so hard to carve and catch an edge on ice like that. Luckily, I had just had my snowboard waxed and tuned up so I think it was in tip top shape.
Changing gears - I haven't posted in a while and one thing I'd like to do is Congratulate the 2006 World Junior Hockey Champions - Canada with their convincing 5 - 0 win over Russia a couple weeks ago. In other sports news, I finally pulled off a deal in my hockey pool and upgraded my defence corps so we'll see what happens now but hopefully it'll pay dividends.
One final thing. 24 Season 5 begins tonight. Although I've been saying all along that I am going to skip this - I just can't and I think I'll be watching the 2 hour season premier. Man, this week to week thing is gonna kill me though.
Back home on a Sunday night just trying to wind down after a fun weekend and get ready for a long, busy week. It was the annual high school gang snowboarding weekend up at Blue Mountain. There were 16 of us and we had this lates-80's style Chalet with a huge kitchen, dining area and common room. I think there were 7 or 8 bedrooms as well so that was good cause everyone got a place to sleep. We even had a hottub which was definitely very cool to chill out in on Friday night and Saturday again after swimming.
As an aside, I'm not gonna get too much into the "stupid part of the weekend". Let's just say it has something to do with my cell phone and being submerged in the hot tub. Oh well, time for a new phone I guess... ;o)
Thanks in advance Cristine - sounds like you are gonna be able to help me out which is totally awesome. And for anyone else, you'll be hearing my voicemail for the next few days if you call cause I need to activate my "new" phone. One thing that sucks is losing all of my phone numbers from my phone book and some funny saved text messages that I had. O well, looks like I'll have to create and save some new memories.
Getting back to the weekend - it was a blast (well, everything except for the snowboarding). I guess it actually started on Thursday night when Etch and I did the grocery shopping at Food Basics. $212 later - we were done and had all the food. Man, I didn't think it would take as long as it did but then again, I don't think I've ever shopped for food for 16 people before. We had tonnes of stuff - main stuff, snacks, appetizers, desserts, drinks - I think we did well overall. The was definitely NO shortage of food the entire weekend either and man, there was a lot of sitting around eating and drinking the whole time. I really wish I could have "sweated" a little at some point cause I was starting to feel gross just sitting or standing around after eating so much.
It rained all afternoon/evening on Friday night and then got really cold overnight so all that did was freeze everything that was on the hill. Needless to say, boarding in that ice was quite difficult (and painful when I fell on my knee or butt). It's so hard to carve and catch an edge on ice like that. Luckily, I had just had my snowboard waxed and tuned up so I think it was in tip top shape.
Changing gears - I haven't posted in a while and one thing I'd like to do is Congratulate the 2006 World Junior Hockey Champions - Canada with their convincing 5 - 0 win over Russia a couple weeks ago. In other sports news, I finally pulled off a deal in my hockey pool and upgraded my defence corps so we'll see what happens now but hopefully it'll pay dividends.
One final thing. 24 Season 5 begins tonight. Although I've been saying all along that I am going to skip this - I just can't and I think I'll be watching the 2 hour season premier. Man, this week to week thing is gonna kill me though.
Monday, January 02, 2006
Happy New Year
It was nice hearing from various friends over the holidays and also getting updates from those with families, etc to find out what's new and exciting and changing. I had a good holiday and as of tomorrow, it's back to the grind. Oh well all good things must come to an end, eh? Or at least - they must be stifled from time to time until we realize how much we miss them and figure out how to get them back...
So I've got a couple "realistic" resolutions for this year...
So far, I'm 2 for 2 on all of these but it is only January 2nd, so we'll see how long that lasts.
I also did a great job in 2005 of tracking my expenses with MS Money so I just want to keep that up. This year, I might set up a budget to see how that goes. Oh yeah, with that budget, I do want to get a better handle on my investments as well.
On another note, tonight, I watched the first half of a movie called Human Trafficking. Part 2 concludes on Wednesday night. It's got Mira Sorvino and Donald Sutherland in it and it's quite a heavy story. I think it was made for TV cause I never saw ads for it or heard of it being released in the theatre. Anyway, it comments on and shows quite a serious topic. The sex trade/porn industry is immensely lucrative and the way they lure women (and girls) into the industry is totally scary but I can see how easy it must be. The way they portrayed it was just so simple (getting a passport, pretending to be a "modeling" agency, etc. And then they showed some scenes in Manilla, Phillipines and it totally reminded me of the grossness I saw in Bali and Thailand where local girls were always with these nasty British, American and German men doing just about everything. This is a major problem in the world because unfortunately, the money for trafficking humans is becoming just as large or larger than the money for trafficking drugs.
It was nice hearing from various friends over the holidays and also getting updates from those with families, etc to find out what's new and exciting and changing. I had a good holiday and as of tomorrow, it's back to the grind. Oh well all good things must come to an end, eh? Or at least - they must be stifled from time to time until we realize how much we miss them and figure out how to get them back...
So I've got a couple "realistic" resolutions for this year...
- Eat the recommended amount of Fruits and Vegetables every day. Gotta get my vitamins and fibre at all times!!!
- Exercise/Stretch/Yoga/Walk/Play sports/Do something active at least once a day. Preferably more! But at least once. I have to do something!
- Read something for at least 10-15 minutes every day. The Newspaper (Sports and another section) count but a book would be better. And preferably before going to bed just to put my mind at ease.
So far, I'm 2 for 2 on all of these but it is only January 2nd, so we'll see how long that lasts.
I also did a great job in 2005 of tracking my expenses with MS Money so I just want to keep that up. This year, I might set up a budget to see how that goes. Oh yeah, with that budget, I do want to get a better handle on my investments as well.
On another note, tonight, I watched the first half of a movie called Human Trafficking. Part 2 concludes on Wednesday night. It's got Mira Sorvino and Donald Sutherland in it and it's quite a heavy story. I think it was made for TV cause I never saw ads for it or heard of it being released in the theatre. Anyway, it comments on and shows quite a serious topic. The sex trade/porn industry is immensely lucrative and the way they lure women (and girls) into the industry is totally scary but I can see how easy it must be. The way they portrayed it was just so simple (getting a passport, pretending to be a "modeling" agency, etc. And then they showed some scenes in Manilla, Phillipines and it totally reminded me of the grossness I saw in Bali and Thailand where local girls were always with these nasty British, American and German men doing just about everything. This is a major problem in the world because unfortunately, the money for trafficking humans is becoming just as large or larger than the money for trafficking drugs.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
wanted to update but just didn't find the time
In the past week, there have been several times where I've said "I'll blog about that" but not once have I actually done anything about it. Now it's tough to remember everything that has happened of late.
I think the most notable thing is conquering my stupid fear. The day was December 28, 2004. The scene was Blue Mountain for Snowboarding. The time was about 2:30 pm in the afternoon. As we were going up one of the chairlifts just joking around as usual, Etch, Tom, Rachel, JLo and I were having a good day. Then, at the top of the hill, I promptly took a huge spill after getting off the chair lift. Stupid Blue Mountain doesn't clean the area under their chairlifts and that particular chair exit is so steep AND icy. Anyway, I fell. I twisted my knee and it turns out that I actually tore my MCL in my left knee. I was rolling around in pain and couldn't put wait on it. Etch thought I was crying wolf and kept telling me to get my ass up but I couldn't. In the end I had to go down in the snow stretcher, strapped in and pulled by some ski patroller on skis... It was quite the site I'm told. Thank god no cameras were present.
So, this time around, it was the same day. December 28, 2005. Same chair lift and actually worse conditions cause it was rainy and gross. Well, I got off the chair lift fine and had a day of snowboarding without any issues.
So, I am over it. And I guess I'll see how the next time goes. Stupid Blue Mountain! Take that.
What else can I tell you about? Well, my friend Sam (originally from Sydney, OZ and now living in London, UK came to visit for about 4 days. She was here from Monday the 26th until Friday the 30th. It was a lot of fun hanging out and totally a last minute kinda trip that actually worked out perfectly. My friends took such good care of her and made her trip that much more fun and gave her that much more of a "localized" experience as opposed to a touristy time. While she was here, we partied for Kristian's bday on Monday night, had Dim Sum and did some shopping on Tuesday. Saw the Toronto Marlies play some AHL hockey on Tuesday night. Went snowboarding on Wednesday. Then, she went to Niagara Falls all day on Thursday and at night, she met up with my friends Cris, Cam and Hedia (and their posse) and they had a girls night in Toronto. Friday she got a great tour of the city (thanks Cam) and then we met up for a late lunch on Baldwin before going to the airport. All in all, Sam said she had a GREAT time so I'm glad we were able to show her nice the city is. Although we didn't see the sun or any blue skies at all (until her last day).
This week, I've done a little shopping and going around the city (kinda touristy things). A couple major things stood out. FIRST and FOREMOST - WHY DON'T THEY PUT LIGHTS ON THE CN TOWER DURING THE HOLIDAYS??? I really don't get it. The structure is totally unique and could totally be set out among the skyline (even if it was just for a week or two). Did they used to do that? I am totally sure that they did when I was a kid. Also, my parents and I went driving around downtown on Christmas Day (in the evening). It was so dead and there weren't many lights or anything anywhere. Also, it didn't seem like there were too many people out. I was surprised cause if you go to cities like New York or Chicago - so many people are out and about at Time Square or Navy Pier or something.
And I'd be remiss if I didn't speak to the latest shooting in Toronto that occured on Boxing Day. It's just the latest in a string of violence that has continued all year long. I think the reason this is getting so much more attention because it was an innocent bystandard and I'm sorry to say - but she was an attractive blond white girl. More people definitely take notice once it's someone outside of the gangs that are killing each other. One thing that I just don't get is - WHY ARE JAIL SENTENCES SO LIGHT? WHY CAN SOMEONE ON A GUN RELATED CRIME GET OFF ON BAIL WITHIN A WEEK? What is the motivation for Politicians to allow criminals/gang members, etc who use guns to get off so easy? I just don't understand why there aren't tougher rules and laws. Over the next few days/weeks (and definitely tonight for NYE) we'll see a bulked up police presence. Let's see how long that continues. I'm sure it won't be long enough.
So, 2006 is only 9 hours away. Pretty crazy how quickly the years go by. 2K6 is gonna be a great and exciting year for me. I can't wait to see how it goes! I'll keep you all posted about my plans...
Cheers to everyone for a safe and happy new year.
In the past week, there have been several times where I've said "I'll blog about that" but not once have I actually done anything about it. Now it's tough to remember everything that has happened of late.
I think the most notable thing is conquering my stupid fear. The day was December 28, 2004. The scene was Blue Mountain for Snowboarding. The time was about 2:30 pm in the afternoon. As we were going up one of the chairlifts just joking around as usual, Etch, Tom, Rachel, JLo and I were having a good day. Then, at the top of the hill, I promptly took a huge spill after getting off the chair lift. Stupid Blue Mountain doesn't clean the area under their chairlifts and that particular chair exit is so steep AND icy. Anyway, I fell. I twisted my knee and it turns out that I actually tore my MCL in my left knee. I was rolling around in pain and couldn't put wait on it. Etch thought I was crying wolf and kept telling me to get my ass up but I couldn't. In the end I had to go down in the snow stretcher, strapped in and pulled by some ski patroller on skis... It was quite the site I'm told. Thank god no cameras were present.
So, this time around, it was the same day. December 28, 2005. Same chair lift and actually worse conditions cause it was rainy and gross. Well, I got off the chair lift fine and had a day of snowboarding without any issues.
So, I am over it. And I guess I'll see how the next time goes. Stupid Blue Mountain! Take that.
What else can I tell you about? Well, my friend Sam (originally from Sydney, OZ and now living in London, UK came to visit for about 4 days. She was here from Monday the 26th until Friday the 30th. It was a lot of fun hanging out and totally a last minute kinda trip that actually worked out perfectly. My friends took such good care of her and made her trip that much more fun and gave her that much more of a "localized" experience as opposed to a touristy time. While she was here, we partied for Kristian's bday on Monday night, had Dim Sum and did some shopping on Tuesday. Saw the Toronto Marlies play some AHL hockey on Tuesday night. Went snowboarding on Wednesday. Then, she went to Niagara Falls all day on Thursday and at night, she met up with my friends Cris, Cam and Hedia (and their posse) and they had a girls night in Toronto. Friday she got a great tour of the city (thanks Cam) and then we met up for a late lunch on Baldwin before going to the airport. All in all, Sam said she had a GREAT time so I'm glad we were able to show her nice the city is. Although we didn't see the sun or any blue skies at all (until her last day).
This week, I've done a little shopping and going around the city (kinda touristy things). A couple major things stood out. FIRST and FOREMOST - WHY DON'T THEY PUT LIGHTS ON THE CN TOWER DURING THE HOLIDAYS??? I really don't get it. The structure is totally unique and could totally be set out among the skyline (even if it was just for a week or two). Did they used to do that? I am totally sure that they did when I was a kid. Also, my parents and I went driving around downtown on Christmas Day (in the evening). It was so dead and there weren't many lights or anything anywhere. Also, it didn't seem like there were too many people out. I was surprised cause if you go to cities like New York or Chicago - so many people are out and about at Time Square or Navy Pier or something.
And I'd be remiss if I didn't speak to the latest shooting in Toronto that occured on Boxing Day. It's just the latest in a string of violence that has continued all year long. I think the reason this is getting so much more attention because it was an innocent bystandard and I'm sorry to say - but she was an attractive blond white girl. More people definitely take notice once it's someone outside of the gangs that are killing each other. One thing that I just don't get is - WHY ARE JAIL SENTENCES SO LIGHT? WHY CAN SOMEONE ON A GUN RELATED CRIME GET OFF ON BAIL WITHIN A WEEK? What is the motivation for Politicians to allow criminals/gang members, etc who use guns to get off so easy? I just don't understand why there aren't tougher rules and laws. Over the next few days/weeks (and definitely tonight for NYE) we'll see a bulked up police presence. Let's see how long that continues. I'm sure it won't be long enough.
So, 2006 is only 9 hours away. Pretty crazy how quickly the years go by. 2K6 is gonna be a great and exciting year for me. I can't wait to see how it goes! I'll keep you all posted about my plans...
Cheers to everyone for a safe and happy new year.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Good Times
Last night, the top floor of the Philip St. Townhouse posse had a bit of a reunion. Cdawg was in town from Vancouver and we chilled at Etch's place. It was a blast. Cris joined the boys for a little while and overall, we had a fantastic time. Just great to reminisce about old times and joke around. The infamous Sept 11 story was shared yet again and numerous other ones. We had a little "fresh air" on the balcony and man was that ever good. Just relaxed and chilled out for the night. Oh yeah, Cdawg and Etch made some killer natchos. Just like back in the day. All we were missing was some tuna melts (the other Philip Street favourite).
Looking forward to more times like this during the holidays...
Etch just sent a hilarious forward. Watch this Jay Leno video (all the way to the end).
Last night, the top floor of the Philip St. Townhouse posse had a bit of a reunion. Cdawg was in town from Vancouver and we chilled at Etch's place. It was a blast. Cris joined the boys for a little while and overall, we had a fantastic time. Just great to reminisce about old times and joke around. The infamous Sept 11 story was shared yet again and numerous other ones. We had a little "fresh air" on the balcony and man was that ever good. Just relaxed and chilled out for the night. Oh yeah, Cdawg and Etch made some killer natchos. Just like back in the day. All we were missing was some tuna melts (the other Philip Street favourite).
Looking forward to more times like this during the holidays...
Etch just sent a hilarious forward. Watch this Jay Leno video (all the way to the end).
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
BUSY BUSY BUSY
Wow, the holidays are here and unfortunately, they are still far away. Man, this last week has been nuts and the next few days (until year end) will be just as bad. This is definitely the busiest time of year for us (at work) because of fiscal year end and I think I thought I was done all my stuff so I kind of underestimated it this time around. Anyway, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's dim but hopefully it will brighten up shortly.
In other news, I went to the Symphony last night. I saw Handel's Messiah performed by the TSO at Roy Thompson Hall. I think I went there back in the day but I don't know for sure. Anyway, it's quite a beautiful building and definitely very impressive on the inside. The performace was okay in my books. I mean I liked the instrumental part for sure (and the trumpet solo was definitely the highlight for me). But the vocals (the 4 soloists anyway) weren't doing it for me. Too much religious singing I think (but I guess that's what Handals' Messiah is about right?) The Toronto Mendholson Choir was also there and that was pretty impressive (there were about 120 of them in total I think).
I would definitely go back and see another symphony show BUT I think I would prefer a show that had much more instrumental music (and less vocals). Oh yeah, and I definitely wanted more percussion.
I saw a couple movies last week.
Syriana was quite good. Definitely a flick I've gotta see again. So much going on and so much information. It was quite interesting to see how involved everything is with oil in the middle east and I guess oil in general. There is such big money and everyone gets so greedy to have any piece of it. Also, they showed one storyline that followed some youth who had no other options to earn money or feel important. It showed how easy it was for them to be manipulated into thinking that certain malicious ideas (like bombing or taking out innocent people) are actually acceptable. That these things will promote and create positive changes. It's a thinking movie for sure and quite jumpy with multiple scenes similar to Traffic.
Walk the Line was a really good movie. I didn't know anything about this film before watching nor did I know anything about Johnny Cash. But man, that was a solid film. Joachim Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon acted very well and they did all of their own singing in this movie (found that out after). The rise and fall and rise again of Johnny Cash was quite the story. Reminded me a lot of the movie Ray actually... The scene in "Ontario, Canada" was interesting - I wanna know if that actually happened.
Unfortunately, it looks like volleyball is done for the year. Tuesday night, Thursday night and Saturday afternoon are all done for the holidays so now, I've gotta wait for next year. I can't wait to get back on the court. In the mean time, I've found a squash buddy in the condos across the street so I'm definitely gonna try and get some squash in over the next little while.
Wow, the holidays are here and unfortunately, they are still far away. Man, this last week has been nuts and the next few days (until year end) will be just as bad. This is definitely the busiest time of year for us (at work) because of fiscal year end and I think I thought I was done all my stuff so I kind of underestimated it this time around. Anyway, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's dim but hopefully it will brighten up shortly.
In other news, I went to the Symphony last night. I saw Handel's Messiah performed by the TSO at Roy Thompson Hall. I think I went there back in the day but I don't know for sure. Anyway, it's quite a beautiful building and definitely very impressive on the inside. The performace was okay in my books. I mean I liked the instrumental part for sure (and the trumpet solo was definitely the highlight for me). But the vocals (the 4 soloists anyway) weren't doing it for me. Too much religious singing I think (but I guess that's what Handals' Messiah is about right?) The Toronto Mendholson Choir was also there and that was pretty impressive (there were about 120 of them in total I think).
I would definitely go back and see another symphony show BUT I think I would prefer a show that had much more instrumental music (and less vocals). Oh yeah, and I definitely wanted more percussion.
I saw a couple movies last week.
Syriana was quite good. Definitely a flick I've gotta see again. So much going on and so much information. It was quite interesting to see how involved everything is with oil in the middle east and I guess oil in general. There is such big money and everyone gets so greedy to have any piece of it. Also, they showed one storyline that followed some youth who had no other options to earn money or feel important. It showed how easy it was for them to be manipulated into thinking that certain malicious ideas (like bombing or taking out innocent people) are actually acceptable. That these things will promote and create positive changes. It's a thinking movie for sure and quite jumpy with multiple scenes similar to Traffic.
Walk the Line was a really good movie. I didn't know anything about this film before watching nor did I know anything about Johnny Cash. But man, that was a solid film. Joachim Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon acted very well and they did all of their own singing in this movie (found that out after). The rise and fall and rise again of Johnny Cash was quite the story. Reminded me a lot of the movie Ray actually... The scene in "Ontario, Canada" was interesting - I wanna know if that actually happened.
Unfortunately, it looks like volleyball is done for the year. Tuesday night, Thursday night and Saturday afternoon are all done for the holidays so now, I've gotta wait for next year. I can't wait to get back on the court. In the mean time, I've found a squash buddy in the condos across the street so I'm definitely gonna try and get some squash in over the next little while.
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Holiday Season in Full Gear
And what does that mean? A whole lot of eating and entertaining. Man, I feel like that's all I do every weekend now - go to someone's house for a dinner or potluck and then just get stuffed. Man, I've been eating well but I really gotta do it more in moderation. It's just TOO MUCH at times but it's so hard cause most of the time, the food is SO good.
Last weekend (after returning from Chi-town), we had our annual holiday dinner with the Marathi crew at K&R's house. It was a mexican themed potluck and I tried making something new. Some corn pancakes and a peach salsa. Surprisingly - they were actually quite good. Bapat made empanadas (three different varieties too so they were awesome!) G made some kick ass fajitas and Samp made enchilladas and guac. The feast was crazy. We all had food the itis in full effect after that! Played some fun games and then a few of us crashed there. We also met K&R's cat "Puppy" for the first time. And for the record, Puppy is not a fat cat! He is just quite furry. Oh yeah, he pees standing up (like a person would). I didn't see this with my own eyes but this is what Kdot tells me. I'll believe it when I see it though.
Sunday was a regular lazy day just doing laundry, expenses, etc. Lord of the Rings was on and of course, I was mesmorized by that and had to watch it.
Last week - I played volleyball THREE TIMES. It was wicked!!! Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I had some good games overall and my hitting is improving each time I play. The other part of my game that is getting better is blocks. That is huge and I'm no longer intimdated to jump up and try. I'm also keeping my eyes open more and more now ;o) This Tuesday - my team (the Rednecks is our name I think) are in the finals so that should be fun. And I'm also planning on going again this Thursday and Saturday so that will be great again.
Yesterday, the UW crew got together for our annual Holiday Party. This time, Flo and Art hosted it. I had a great time playing cranium, eating takeout chinese, watching 40 year-old virgin, playing XBox NHL 2K6, watching Byron's home videos and generally just chilling. We also did a gift exchange which was quite hilarious. Byron's nurse outfit for Mae definitely was the topper. While playing cranium yesterday, I got one of the "acting cards" and I had to act out a "Swimsuit Calender". That was priceless. I wanna see some photos of that - actually maybe I don't. The key is that our team got it and we didn't end up in last place or anything so I'm happy about that.
Tonight was another holiday party with some other friends. We had a mexican theme again (different crew) and the legendary Guacamole was a success once again. I had retired for a bit but brought it back in full force tonight and it turned out great. We also had chili, tacos and quesadillas - all of which were very yummy. The host is pregnant and she's actually gonna pop any day now. Her due date is this Friday so any day this week could be the one. The couple don't know if they are having a boy or girl (they chose not to know after the Ultrasounds). I think that's cool. I wish more and more people did that. They are also giving birth at home with a midwife. I don't know much about that so I can't really make an opinion one way or the other with respect to that one.
This week, other than vball. I have tickets to the Raptors/Bulls on Wednesday night. Then next weekend - it's more food and sitting around having fun at holiday parties. I also gotta do some shopping which I'm gonna try to do during the week and preferably during the day (malls on weekends are just silly this time of year).
Happy Holidays all...
And what does that mean? A whole lot of eating and entertaining. Man, I feel like that's all I do every weekend now - go to someone's house for a dinner or potluck and then just get stuffed. Man, I've been eating well but I really gotta do it more in moderation. It's just TOO MUCH at times but it's so hard cause most of the time, the food is SO good.
Last weekend (after returning from Chi-town), we had our annual holiday dinner with the Marathi crew at K&R's house. It was a mexican themed potluck and I tried making something new. Some corn pancakes and a peach salsa. Surprisingly - they were actually quite good. Bapat made empanadas (three different varieties too so they were awesome!) G made some kick ass fajitas and Samp made enchilladas and guac. The feast was crazy. We all had food the itis in full effect after that! Played some fun games and then a few of us crashed there. We also met K&R's cat "Puppy" for the first time. And for the record, Puppy is not a fat cat! He is just quite furry. Oh yeah, he pees standing up (like a person would). I didn't see this with my own eyes but this is what Kdot tells me. I'll believe it when I see it though.
Sunday was a regular lazy day just doing laundry, expenses, etc. Lord of the Rings was on and of course, I was mesmorized by that and had to watch it.
Last week - I played volleyball THREE TIMES. It was wicked!!! Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I had some good games overall and my hitting is improving each time I play. The other part of my game that is getting better is blocks. That is huge and I'm no longer intimdated to jump up and try. I'm also keeping my eyes open more and more now ;o) This Tuesday - my team (the Rednecks is our name I think) are in the finals so that should be fun. And I'm also planning on going again this Thursday and Saturday so that will be great again.
Yesterday, the UW crew got together for our annual Holiday Party. This time, Flo and Art hosted it. I had a great time playing cranium, eating takeout chinese, watching 40 year-old virgin, playing XBox NHL 2K6, watching Byron's home videos and generally just chilling. We also did a gift exchange which was quite hilarious. Byron's nurse outfit for Mae definitely was the topper. While playing cranium yesterday, I got one of the "acting cards" and I had to act out a "Swimsuit Calender". That was priceless. I wanna see some photos of that - actually maybe I don't. The key is that our team got it and we didn't end up in last place or anything so I'm happy about that.
Tonight was another holiday party with some other friends. We had a mexican theme again (different crew) and the legendary Guacamole was a success once again. I had retired for a bit but brought it back in full force tonight and it turned out great. We also had chili, tacos and quesadillas - all of which were very yummy. The host is pregnant and she's actually gonna pop any day now. Her due date is this Friday so any day this week could be the one. The couple don't know if they are having a boy or girl (they chose not to know after the Ultrasounds). I think that's cool. I wish more and more people did that. They are also giving birth at home with a midwife. I don't know much about that so I can't really make an opinion one way or the other with respect to that one.
This week, other than vball. I have tickets to the Raptors/Bulls on Wednesday night. Then next weekend - it's more food and sitting around having fun at holiday parties. I also gotta do some shopping which I'm gonna try to do during the week and preferably during the day (malls on weekends are just silly this time of year).
Happy Holidays all...
Friday, December 02, 2005
sickie
So I had a decent week in Chicago. Man, it was a LLOONNNGG one though. Spending close to 7 hours each day at our booth at the trade-show was pretty grueling. Standing on my feet all day, shaking hands, being polite - all that fun stuff. And to top it all off, I got sick. I was there from Saturday to Thursday and by about Tuesday night, I was starting to feel it. It hit rock bottom on Wednesday and the the pinnacle was definitely flying home yesterday evening. My flight was delayed by an hour. I didn't get home (to bed) until past 2:00 am this morning (Friday morning). Flying when you are all congested and sick has gotta be one of THE worst feelings too. Man, that was just way too much.
The bright side is that Cris and I did get some good shopping done. And some good walking around Chi-town on the Magnificent Mile, etc. It was definitely a good time. Monday night of last week, I had a good time hanging with some of my old "classmates" from the training program I went through a couple years ago. It was especially good to catch up with Michael who got married about 15 months ago. He (and his wife Heather) are great people so I will definitely look them up if I go to NYC in the future. I also got to spend some quality time with Yollanda and Cristine - talking about work, life and the pursuit of happiness.
Speaking of happiness, I think the Raptors are probably relieved. They won their first road game of the season. Who was it against you ask? Well of course, the lowly Atlanta Hawks. Quite possibly the only team that is worse than Toronto in the entire NBA. Tonight's stellar matchup was definitely one of the worst matchups in the history of modern professional sports. That said, it was actually a decent game - probably because both teams felt like they had something to prove. The tandom of Bosh and Villenueva is looking good and with Calderon tossing dimes around, it should be a bright future. Let's see what pieces of that pie actually stick around for the long term though.
I guess I should try to sleep this cold off so goodnight y'all.
So I had a decent week in Chicago. Man, it was a LLOONNNGG one though. Spending close to 7 hours each day at our booth at the trade-show was pretty grueling. Standing on my feet all day, shaking hands, being polite - all that fun stuff. And to top it all off, I got sick. I was there from Saturday to Thursday and by about Tuesday night, I was starting to feel it. It hit rock bottom on Wednesday and the the pinnacle was definitely flying home yesterday evening. My flight was delayed by an hour. I didn't get home (to bed) until past 2:00 am this morning (Friday morning). Flying when you are all congested and sick has gotta be one of THE worst feelings too. Man, that was just way too much.
The bright side is that Cris and I did get some good shopping done. And some good walking around Chi-town on the Magnificent Mile, etc. It was definitely a good time. Monday night of last week, I had a good time hanging with some of my old "classmates" from the training program I went through a couple years ago. It was especially good to catch up with Michael who got married about 15 months ago. He (and his wife Heather) are great people so I will definitely look them up if I go to NYC in the future. I also got to spend some quality time with Yollanda and Cristine - talking about work, life and the pursuit of happiness.
Speaking of happiness, I think the Raptors are probably relieved. They won their first road game of the season. Who was it against you ask? Well of course, the lowly Atlanta Hawks. Quite possibly the only team that is worse than Toronto in the entire NBA. Tonight's stellar matchup was definitely one of the worst matchups in the history of modern professional sports. That said, it was actually a decent game - probably because both teams felt like they had something to prove. The tandom of Bosh and Villenueva is looking good and with Calderon tossing dimes around, it should be a bright future. Let's see what pieces of that pie actually stick around for the long term though.
I guess I should try to sleep this cold off so goodnight y'all.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
in the windy city
i've been in chicago for work since saturday early morning. it's been quite nice so far (well, the non-work stuff). chicago is a great city. especially the downtown. the architecture, the restaurants, the life around here is so nice. it's a great city to walk around too. i did some shopping on saturday and i think i might be going to the art institute on thursday before my flight so that should be great.
i am down here for a trade show/conference (actually, the biggest one in our industry). it's nuts - i think there are like 70,000 people at this show and it is just so busy. we stand on our feet ALL DAY long and man, it's tiring. you have to be "on" all the time talking to customers about product X and product Y. after a while though, it's the same thing over and over agin and a bit much...
so yeah, i was just watching tv in my hotel room and i saw an ad for the Oral B Triumph. it's a toothbrush with a computer in it. totally random. not sure it's that necessary but what do i know? a few of my friends and coworkers have electric toothbrushes and they swear by them so i am thinking about making the switch. perhaps not this computerized toothbrush, maybe something a little less techie. we'll see what happens.
man, i'm yawning like crazy.
i think it's time for bed now.
p.s. my bed here at the Renaissance is so comfy. i could just melt in it.
i've been in chicago for work since saturday early morning. it's been quite nice so far (well, the non-work stuff). chicago is a great city. especially the downtown. the architecture, the restaurants, the life around here is so nice. it's a great city to walk around too. i did some shopping on saturday and i think i might be going to the art institute on thursday before my flight so that should be great.
i am down here for a trade show/conference (actually, the biggest one in our industry). it's nuts - i think there are like 70,000 people at this show and it is just so busy. we stand on our feet ALL DAY long and man, it's tiring. you have to be "on" all the time talking to customers about product X and product Y. after a while though, it's the same thing over and over agin and a bit much...
so yeah, i was just watching tv in my hotel room and i saw an ad for the Oral B Triumph. it's a toothbrush with a computer in it. totally random. not sure it's that necessary but what do i know? a few of my friends and coworkers have electric toothbrushes and they swear by them so i am thinking about making the switch. perhaps not this computerized toothbrush, maybe something a little less techie. we'll see what happens.
man, i'm yawning like crazy.
i think it's time for bed now.
p.s. my bed here at the Renaissance is so comfy. i could just melt in it.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Thursday at Home
Wow, I haven't been "working from home" in a while. I have been on the road in Western Canada and Southwestern Ontario for the past 2 weeks. It's nice to finally be home.
Yesterday, I rediscovered one of my biggest pet peeves (and probably the same for most peeps) - Toronto Traffic. It took me nearly 3 hours to get from Simcoe (south of Brantford) back to Toronto yesterday evening. There was no snow. No accidents. Just stupid drivers being stupid and so many of them so the volume was too much. I was getting so impatient in the car - I just wanted to get home. The QEW was rammed. So was the 403. And the 401 and the 427. It was just too much.
On Tuesday night, I played vball and it was great. I was a serving machine and had some good spikes in too. The team played great and we were 5 and 1 after the night so that was sweet. Tonight, I am playing again for a bit before meeting up with Ashwat, Kdot and G. Should be a good game. I leave for Chicago early AM on Saturday and then I'm gone for a week so I am gonna miss vball all of next week unfortunately. Vball is such a great game. I am so glad I started playing it again 2 years ago and it's amazing to see the improvements. I couldn't hit at all but now, I can spike (still slightly unorthodox but it works).
Back to working I guess...
Wow, I haven't been "working from home" in a while. I have been on the road in Western Canada and Southwestern Ontario for the past 2 weeks. It's nice to finally be home.
Yesterday, I rediscovered one of my biggest pet peeves (and probably the same for most peeps) - Toronto Traffic. It took me nearly 3 hours to get from Simcoe (south of Brantford) back to Toronto yesterday evening. There was no snow. No accidents. Just stupid drivers being stupid and so many of them so the volume was too much. I was getting so impatient in the car - I just wanted to get home. The QEW was rammed. So was the 403. And the 401 and the 427. It was just too much.
On Tuesday night, I played vball and it was great. I was a serving machine and had some good spikes in too. The team played great and we were 5 and 1 after the night so that was sweet. Tonight, I am playing again for a bit before meeting up with Ashwat, Kdot and G. Should be a good game. I leave for Chicago early AM on Saturday and then I'm gone for a week so I am gonna miss vball all of next week unfortunately. Vball is such a great game. I am so glad I started playing it again 2 years ago and it's amazing to see the improvements. I couldn't hit at all but now, I can spike (still slightly unorthodox but it works).
Back to working I guess...
Sunday, November 20, 2005
busy satuday, chill sunday
Well, this weekend definitely went by FAST. It was great. But man, where did the time go? I think the main reason it was so quick is cause I didn't get home till close to 1:30 AM on Saturday morning cause of all the stupid escapades I had with planes on Friday night.
Anyway, I woke up on Saturday morning and was supposed to meet up with some friends at St. Lawrence Market for brunch. That didn't work out cause I was way too tired so I just chilled with my parents, had some lunch and caught up on stuff. I wanted to go play some vball but it wasn't in the cards that day (cause I didn't get a second phone call...) ;o)
That afternoon, it was the Third Annual Hung Long Master of the Universe Curling Tournament organized by Mr. Tchao. Once again, a fantastic fun-filled afternoon and even better was that the participants list grew to close to 40 this year. We had 5 sheets of ice for our games and it was a blast. I think I played much better last year but alas, we still had a great time and almost finished undefeated. Nicole was a natural and definitely our ringer. Yollanda actually had some skills but Collin definitely had the shot of the day when his rock landed right on the button.
After curling, a bunch of us went to the OSC to check out BodyWorlds. It was quite an interesting exhibit. Definitely worth checking out. I think my expectations were too high only cause of all the hype I had heard from others. Definitely don't go on a Saturday if you can avoid it cause it's unnecessarily slow and crowded. Also, the layout they have (starting in the ramp) is silly cause it creates such a bottle neck at the beginning. There are definitely some really cool features. My highlight was seeing the bodies in some actual positions like skiing, skating, soccer, etc. I wonder if those people were actually those types of athletes when they were alive - that would be even cooler.
After Bodyworlds, I had some Vietnamese food at Pho Saigon (thanks for the suggestion Flo!) I had Pho for the first time in a while and I actually liked it this time. Not sure why I wasn't a big fan the last few times I ate it but I'd have it again... Or maybe it was just this place cause it did taste good.
The night ended with a trip to Ketan's place to chill with Ashwat and G. We played some pool, saw K&R's new phat cat named Puppy and had some laughes. We have our holiday party planned for December 3rd. That will mosdef be a very chill night!
This morning, I got up and my friend Natalie came over. We had a great time catching up with each other's lives - all the juicy gossip. It was great to see her and just sit around and talk. Later, I helped mom with lunch and then went out and raked leaves...all in all for a total of about 3 hours. Raked in the front, side and back of the house and filled up 3.5 bags (those huge brown ones). But the job is done now so that is good. Watched the end of the Argos game. Man, they really shot themselves in the foot with all those turnovers. Oh yeah, and the Raptors finally won one today. Albeit, it was against the Heat without Shaq. But, at this stage (prior to a 4 game Western Road Trip), they needed something. Anything really. After this trip, are they gonna be 1 and 13? We'll see. ;o)
Well, this weekend definitely went by FAST. It was great. But man, where did the time go? I think the main reason it was so quick is cause I didn't get home till close to 1:30 AM on Saturday morning cause of all the stupid escapades I had with planes on Friday night.
Anyway, I woke up on Saturday morning and was supposed to meet up with some friends at St. Lawrence Market for brunch. That didn't work out cause I was way too tired so I just chilled with my parents, had some lunch and caught up on stuff. I wanted to go play some vball but it wasn't in the cards that day (cause I didn't get a second phone call...) ;o)
That afternoon, it was the Third Annual Hung Long Master of the Universe Curling Tournament organized by Mr. Tchao. Once again, a fantastic fun-filled afternoon and even better was that the participants list grew to close to 40 this year. We had 5 sheets of ice for our games and it was a blast. I think I played much better last year but alas, we still had a great time and almost finished undefeated. Nicole was a natural and definitely our ringer. Yollanda actually had some skills but Collin definitely had the shot of the day when his rock landed right on the button.
After curling, a bunch of us went to the OSC to check out BodyWorlds. It was quite an interesting exhibit. Definitely worth checking out. I think my expectations were too high only cause of all the hype I had heard from others. Definitely don't go on a Saturday if you can avoid it cause it's unnecessarily slow and crowded. Also, the layout they have (starting in the ramp) is silly cause it creates such a bottle neck at the beginning. There are definitely some really cool features. My highlight was seeing the bodies in some actual positions like skiing, skating, soccer, etc. I wonder if those people were actually those types of athletes when they were alive - that would be even cooler.
After Bodyworlds, I had some Vietnamese food at Pho Saigon (thanks for the suggestion Flo!) I had Pho for the first time in a while and I actually liked it this time. Not sure why I wasn't a big fan the last few times I ate it but I'd have it again... Or maybe it was just this place cause it did taste good.
The night ended with a trip to Ketan's place to chill with Ashwat and G. We played some pool, saw K&R's new phat cat named Puppy and had some laughes. We have our holiday party planned for December 3rd. That will mosdef be a very chill night!
This morning, I got up and my friend Natalie came over. We had a great time catching up with each other's lives - all the juicy gossip. It was great to see her and just sit around and talk. Later, I helped mom with lunch and then went out and raked leaves...all in all for a total of about 3 hours. Raked in the front, side and back of the house and filled up 3.5 bags (those huge brown ones). But the job is done now so that is good. Watched the end of the Argos game. Man, they really shot themselves in the foot with all those turnovers. Oh yeah, and the Raptors finally won one today. Albeit, it was against the Heat without Shaq. But, at this stage (prior to a 4 game Western Road Trip), they needed something. Anything really. After this trip, are they gonna be 1 and 13? We'll see. ;o)
Winter Travel
this post was actually written on Friday night...
I sit here at Pearson Airport just waiting. Why you ask? Cause the stupid luggage area of the plane is frozen shut! Yeah, you heard me. I just landed in Toronto after my flight from Winnipeg. We were sitting on the tarmac for about 20 minutes cause there was no staff to welcome us at the gate. Then, once we got off the plane and came to baggage – we were waiting for about 10 minutes before an announcement said “Sorry for the delay for passengers who just arrived on Flight 266 from Winnipeg, but the luggage compartment is frozen shut and we are doing what we can to open it. We cannot give you an estimate on how long this will take.”
So, what have I learned this week? That air travel in the winter SUCKS! Man, I have been inside too many airports this week for too long a period of time.
Oh, an update at 12:02 AM (just 15 minutes after we’ve been waiting already). The guy came on the loudspeaker and said “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have an update. At present, we are sending two of our finest agents to the gate to find out what the problem is and they will report back with a better time estimate as soon as possible”. So now I must continue to wait for the “fine agents” to get back to me and tell me how much longer I will be waiting. My money is on 35 minutes at least. This blows.
Well, I was waiting for about 30 more minutes. Finally the bags came and I got in the cab. The fun didn't end cause the cabbie missed my exit off the highway so we had to go past and come back. Man, that was a crazy week! Glad it's done. Let the fun begin again next Saturday when I leave for Chicago...
this post was actually written on Friday night...
I sit here at Pearson Airport just waiting. Why you ask? Cause the stupid luggage area of the plane is frozen shut! Yeah, you heard me. I just landed in Toronto after my flight from Winnipeg. We were sitting on the tarmac for about 20 minutes cause there was no staff to welcome us at the gate. Then, once we got off the plane and came to baggage – we were waiting for about 10 minutes before an announcement said “Sorry for the delay for passengers who just arrived on Flight 266 from Winnipeg, but the luggage compartment is frozen shut and we are doing what we can to open it. We cannot give you an estimate on how long this will take.”
So, what have I learned this week? That air travel in the winter SUCKS! Man, I have been inside too many airports this week for too long a period of time.
Oh, an update at 12:02 AM (just 15 minutes after we’ve been waiting already). The guy came on the loudspeaker and said “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have an update. At present, we are sending two of our finest agents to the gate to find out what the problem is and they will report back with a better time estimate as soon as possible”. So now I must continue to wait for the “fine agents” to get back to me and tell me how much longer I will be waiting. My money is on 35 minutes at least. This blows.
Well, I was waiting for about 30 more minutes. Finally the bags came and I got in the cab. The fun didn't end cause the cabbie missed my exit off the highway so we had to go past and come back. Man, that was a crazy week! Glad it's done. Let the fun begin again next Saturday when I leave for Chicago...