MAC a la Yorkdale

A visit to the only MAC store in the world was quite an exciting adventure. Seeing for the first time a MAC mini in person has inspired me to think really hard to find a good justification to purchasing one. On top of that a very very lovely 30" LCD HD Screen induced an increased heart rate and drool from PM's heart and mouth respectively. I will return to the store again to gawk very soon.

Written on Pocket Word

Moo Moo See, Moo Moo Buy II

More items added to the list of things I bought/used because of PM...

6) LG DVD Burner (I bought it about a month after him, cost me $20 less)
7) CD Storage Master (a great program for those who have many many many burned DVDs/CDs)
8) Blogging on the go (all because of his Axim - I still want one)

More to add later...

BAD = Good Poop

My game in badminton was the best I’ve ever played. I owe it all to a fellow player that has given me some practice on specific skills and empowering me to play a better game. It really is amazing how just a little coaching can do so much. I even broke a sweat while playing today...and I’ve never done that during badminton. It was very hot in the gym too today, but I think it was my game that is to blame for the sweat. Now I’m pooped!!

Written on Palm Notes

Life making me stupid

I went to do an interview with a teacher today at a school, for my internship paper. I arrived at 12:30pm. I was then told at the front office that the teacher had left for lunch because he waited until 12pm for me. It is then, that I realized my meeting was actually scheduled for 12 and not 12:30! Boy did I feel dumb! With only a day left before the paper is due I screw up the one chance I had to interview some teachers. This isn't even the first time I have been late half an hour for something since my internship started. I have been moving appointments 30 mins in my head for some strange reason. I AM getting stupider by the minute.

I think I’ll blame it on working from home too much and getting distracted by the comforts of my desk.

Written on Palm Notes

When techies butt heads

I saw first hand, how a bunch of techies can be really annoying. Everyone trying to outdo each other’s techiness. Techies have a perception that they know EVERYTHING and can fix all things electronic. That, in and of itself is a good thing. To have a positive self esteem about that type of work is helpful to getting things done. BUT when there is a group of them together… OMG! A bossy techie thinks they know it all and their way is the right way. They will check and double check everyone else’s work, then make sure everyone tries it their way, even though someone else has tried it already.

In the end, when push comes to shove, one person figures it out and no one is willing applaud them for their efforts because each of the techies were trying to solve the problem first. The person who solved it gets an automatic smug smile on their face for they are happy to have solved the problem first, and all the other techies try to figure out what they did wrong to prove that they can fix it next time too.

Lesson learned: Keep the bossy techies away, they get annoying real fast.

To be noticed…

The whole notion of being noticed by someone that one is attracted to is extremely thrilling. I’ve seen him around for a few times, and was kindly introduced by a friend just a few days ago. He flirts like crazy, not sure if that’s his regular self or just with me. He is very touchy feely. He said he’s never seen me around before… maybe because I tend to blend in at first. I told him I’d seen him around a lot…he was apologetic for not seeing me sooner. He’s a real sports fanatic… he plays many many many sports and is quite a jock. Probably a first in my books, but there’s a hotness factor there somewhere. Not sure where this will all lead. This is really exciting. I can’t wait to see him again. See what happens next.

Rollercoaster

The coaster continues to move. I thought I had gotten off, but alas…that was just my imagination. Back to the beginning, the ride goes up, just waiting for the inevitable time when it will all come crashing down. Cheap thrill I guess, I’d rather get off the ride now. Somehow, I can’t convince myself to do it even though I know it is best. Perhaps next time round I’ll get thrown off, that may just prevent me from getting back on.

Medications != Good?

Medications can be such a blessing or not so much. My running nose had prevented me from taking my allergy medication, which happens to be a nasal spray. If I spray, it comes back out because of the runny nose. Here in lies my problem. I typically start using my allergy medication before the season arrives to pre-empt any form of discomfort from my seasonal allergies. Since I was not able to take it for a few days, a problem has started. I started getting dry eyes, runny nose that won’t stop, sneezing that won’t stop. A solution! If I take some cold medication that will stop the coughing, runny nose and such, those symptoms disappear. However, since it is a decongestant, it also dries up my sinuses and disrupts the equilibrium of liquid in my head, causing constant dizziness. So now I’m left with only one option. Stay at home and close all windows and doors. In a sealed environment, at least I can deal with my cold bug without the allergies, but with the weather so nice lately, it’s hard not to open a window to let the “fresh” air in. Oh the joys of medication and the side effects. If only other allergy medications worked for me! Stoopid antibodies!!

Moo Moo See, Moo Moo Buy

Items I have bought because PM has bought them
1) External Harddrive case
2) Ikea Knife
3) Silpat
4) Duplex printer
5) Staple-less Stapler

They are the best items and well researched :)

Illness

Being sick just sucks! After my night of feeling and looking great at AX, health just seemed to go downhill from there. I started to get a slight indication of a cold, so I loaded up on Cold-FX, which seemed to work other times. Not this time though. After taking the full 3 day regiment of pills, I was still not closer to feeling better. In fact, after the pills, it got worst. Much worst. I ended up in bed for the entire Friday, only waking occasionally to pee and watch an hour of tv, before zonking out again into bed. With no other medications in me, my body did the hard work of fighting off this infection while I lay in an almost comatose state. Good thing I only got worst after my site visits for my internship. I'm still not completely better yet, but at least I'm no longer constantly tired.

The question is... why would anyone really want to read about someone who is sick? If you've just read this, let me know. :P

And now… this is art because…

I was with my friend IK in the distillery district going around taking photos on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Lots of people were there and many of the galleries were open as well. We stopped in to many of the galleries to see what they have. In one gallery, there was a woman there with two girls both around 10-12 years of age. This woman was telling the girls to look at this photograph and continued to tell them why she thinks it is interesting. Moving to the next photograph, she again, told the girls what she thought of them. In my head, I was thinking, why on Earth are you bringing children to look at art, if you don’t let them form opinions of their own? Yes, it’s one thing to offer suggestions on how to interpret art and model responses, but it’s going a bit far if there isn’t even an opportunity to make any comments. There is no point in allowing people to look at art if they can’t provide their own understandings of it. STOP telling people what YOU think, start asking other people. OY!

Ago-massive change

The visit to this exhibit with PM was planned initially for the free day the local counselor organized it for the community. With a lost ticket, it was not a bad idea to wait anyway. The crowds were a bit much from the news reports. In the end, the Massive Change show is essentially used raises social consciousness about the world of design and function in the world now had some interesting ideas. A display of the progression of the Segway was neat since I was on one just a few weeks ago. The photo display with everything in the world either in the visible spectrum or not was well designed. Of course a great part was the staple-less stapler that both PM & I got. Here is a photo of the stapler and the results.



I have the black one.
Very neat idea...high on geek factor. Other products I have also purchased that PM has also:
1. Duplex printer
2. Staple-less stapler
3. I forget the rest… there are more.

Written on Palm Notes

Pick me up baby!

I couldn’t believe it! After months of AX attendance and I finally got picked up, at least an attempted pick up. I thought I dressed well, looked good, felt great, it was all falling into place. Lots of friends in attendance, people to talk to, met some new friends. A whole slew of people from badminton was there. It was a just a fantastic night. There was this guy that was looking at me quite a lot, and he finally approached me to talk. He was a bit touchy feely, but this time, he was decent looking at least. His whole intent was to bring me home with him that night. I wasn’t about to go home with anybody, but he was quite interested. While he was trying to hook up with me, another man across the room came over and dropped of his business card in my back pocket. It’s so interesting how 2 guys gave me their numbers in one night. This never happens! Wow.

lack of private blogs

This sucks...there doesn't seem to be an option to post a blog privately. :(

Mister Holmes

I saw this in the newspaper, so I went out and bought it...

Really, i'm not obsessed...

Drip Drip Drip

One would think that if you owned a home, they would care about it. After all there is a financial commitment and it is lived in everyday. I learned the sad reality that certain people just don't give a damn.

We have been having problems with the upstairs washroom occasionally leaking into the kitchen below for a few months. There has been talk of a renovation, but it was really all just talk. Yesterday my dad discovered a puddle of water in the laundry room. He insisted that i take a look at it. We took a look. It appeared to be coming from the attached storage room. We looked in the storage room. It turned out that the leak was not a minor puddle causing leak. It was actually BIG KAKA!!! A steady drip of water was coming off a pipe and into a cardboard box of miscellaneous paper and books. It didn't stop there though. This dripping water has essentially filled the entire box until the bottom had disintegrated and the water then dripped onto the floor. Looking at the source of the water, it appears to be water actually soaking into the wood because there is the tell-tale sign of mould. Mould not just at the sourced of the drip, but over a wide area of timbre that makes the joists of the kitchen floor. The water stains suggest MUCH more than just an annoying drip too. My dad did what he did best...he stood and watched while I took control. Many boxes were soaked through, the contents covered with black mildew. I grabbed the gloves immediately and changed into clothes I can get dirty in.

It turned out almost the entire contents of the storage room needed to be evacuated into the already messy and crowded basement. The removal of the mould infested, drenched useless garbage look quite a long time, and it took the effort of the whole family. I ended up spending today getting rid of empty boxes with Styrofoam pieces and plastic bags that came with various items we purchased in the past say, 10 years. I broke down enough boxes to fill 3 clear plastic bags full of them. Thank goodness tomorrow is recycling day. 4 black bags of garbage though.

Still lots to tidy up, there is at least half a room full of stuff that needs to be cleared out still, maybe by the next paper recycling day, we will get rid of it all!

Hopefully, we will have someone to look at the source of the problem soon. Hopefully, the job will be done well enough that there are no major problems. Though, I do wish Mike Holmes will come check me out…err…check out the work.

Written on Palm Notes

Sex with PM

It's amazing how eating can be so much fun. From 7:30pm until 11:00pm, PM & I sat captivated by the sights, sounds & smells of one of the most amazing restaurants in the city. Perigee's kitchen is the centre of attention for it is an open kitchen with built-in coves for the chef to interact with the patrons and talk about the dishes being served. For a restaurant kitchen, it was very quiet as the head chef and 4 other chefs danced in a carefully choreographed dance between the fridge, grilling and cooking stations and the server's alcove. A separate cheese and dessert chef worked in front of our bar seats over looking the whole kitchen. The seats surround the kitchen in sets of two, three all having head-on views of the kitchen, the tables for four sitting perpendicular to the work space of the chefs. A true foodie would only sit at the bar, for all the action is right in front of them. I looked intently at every dish being prepared for it could be what we will be served. Perigee is not your typical restaurant with a set menu, you see. We were offered strictly a tasting menu with the server recording any food allergies and preferences. The chef then creates an option of five, six or seven courses for you meal. We chose the seven course meal and actually got a total of ten individual dishes each to taste. I would have been quite pleased to have ordered a full fourteen course meal if it was allowed. Every course that came to our table was absolutely fabulous. The complex flavours, simplicity of the presentation, perfect cooking techniques and thorough explanation of the contents of each dish all made the experience great beyond words. The sheer amount of dishes and cutlery per person was astronomical with at least one vessel per course and a new set of cutlery for each course. The head chef was quite pleased with the vanilla bean we presented him and talked to us a bit food. He actually returned on several occasions to see how the meal was going, with both PM & I asking a variety of questions of him and the pastry chef.

We found out where to get the world's best chocolate, Verona chocolate locally. The chefs really know their stuff. I think we really got their attention with the kind of questions we were asking and were quite pleased to answer our questions with knowledge and professionalism. Being probably their youngest patrons and the only ethnic minority eating there, it was quite interesting. It was much like going to the club with John's family during thanksgiving a few years ago. At least I wasn't mistaken for being a server this time. All the minorities were dish washers or removed finished dishes from the table.

After having the frois gras spiced hot chocolate with frois gras donuts, PM said "This donut is better than sex!” I have to say it was pretty darned good!! Not better than sex though.

As all the courses were amazing, it is difficult to pick a favourite, yet my choice would have to be the duck Prosciutto. It tasted so wonderful...I will need to eat more of it.

Firsts...
-having beef tenderloin with just the outsides seared with the middle nice and red
-having a whole steak of frois gras with that tenderloin
-eating sqaw (which I learned is pigeon) I wouldn’t order it by choice, but it tasted pretty good to me
-eating a total of twenty different courses (PM & I saved a bit of every dish for each other to try)
-watching a professional chef, cook my entire meal in front of my eyes
-eating Morales mushrooms
-using up so many dishes in one meal
-talking food with a head chef

It was a great experience food wise and PM is certainly the right person to accompany me. He wrote down the contents of our dishes in the Axim while I took fuzzy under exposed photos. I’ll have to design a setup to take photos of the vanilla meals in low light environment without a flash.

I couldn't wait to write this all down...

Written with Palm Notes

Up By North Bay

I went up to North Bay with PM to visit his family, and he took some time to show me around his home up north. My first train ride started at Union Station and it took just about 6 hours in total. PM bought a magazine to read on the way up…I call it porn for foodies…



We watched one and a half movies on his Axim while sitting in the food train. The screen was a bit small to watch with two people, but we managed well with the setup. When the Bluetooth keyboard comes in, it will make it easier to watch because of the cradle. We had to set up a makeshift way to make the Axim stand so that the angle is viewable, and learned that PM has a great way with improvising ways to make the Axim stand up.

We cooked dinner for the family the next evening. We made blanched asparagus with hollandaise sauce, grilled flank stake marinated in garlic, rosemary wet rub, purple potato gnocchi with pesto sauce, flourless chocolate cakes and Longan fruit. I had a fabulous time making that meal, leaning how to make many of the items on the go. Our hollandaise broke while waiting for the other dishes to be ready, so we had to re-make it. It all turned out great and the family ate it all up. I can’t wait to make more food with chef PM. So fun!



One evening, we went down to the waterfront and were really surprised with what I saw. Masses of ice! A few pictures will say a few thousand words actually…

This one has the colours modified, but it looked cool.


Water frozen never looked so good. The water actually frozen into shards of ice in the shape of the tide….



PM, his sister Heather drove me to Sudbury and visited Science North (the Science Centre of Northern Ontario). The building is actually shaped like a snow flake. Kinda neat! The floors connected by a huge ramp provided interesting architecture on the inside.



I even slept on a bed of nails….



A trip to a closed exhibit on a slow day got us into the exhibit for the Segway. Lucky us got to ride it around for many more rounds than the typical public would have gotten.



While in the butterfly sanctuary, Heather and PM was discussing the colours of the beautiful blue butterfly and how it is likely a male because females have duller colours. PM then said “That’s why I am the better looking than you are…” Here’s PM saying it…



We got a ride back half way back to Toronto with a high rolling family friend of PM’s mom. We stopped by Casino Rama and caught a tour bus back to Toronto for $5. I showed PM the joys of playing slots, and he won $125 from a $10 donation to the casino. I lost $30. The high roller friends showed us around and donated some money for us to play on. I lost $70 in about 3 minutes. Slots are fun!

Why is my hour of time worth less than others?

I really don’t understand. I invite people to come over to my place when I have the place free. It’s nice to have company when I don’t want to go out. I go out often enough as it is. It’s nice to entertain once in awhile. When I do invite people to come over, some complain about the distance and time it takes to get there.

That’s just BS!

If you have a car, it takes 20 minutes from the downtown core to get here.

Transit takes about an hour.

I typically don’t drive, so I take transit. I make the effort far more often than most to spend the hour (each way) to go “hang out” with people. Why is it such a pain to reverse the process? I’m right on the transit line, it’s not too complex. It’s a train and a bus. On a good day, it only takes 50 minutes.

So pissed off!

I want some cut meat...

Talking of a course from GBC on how to cut different meats has really got me salivating. It doesn't fit in my schedule though. Maybe next year.

Written on Palm Notes