09/6/2011



random updates with a humidex of 43 celcius

  • it’s hot outside. hot. and while rain is needed to relieve us, i’m pretty pissed off that it’s falling on a saturday. it’s like that every week. at the beginning, they announce cheerfully not to worry about the rain we just had on the weekend because next weekend will be two full days of sunshine. pffbbbt. whatever - as soon as we approach mid-week, the sunny forecast turns to rain and overcast skies.

  • chaeli has now finished her four captain underpants chapter books and just started her first of five diary of a wimpy kid chapter book series. i didn’t realize she was that far ahead. damn - my kid gets to read more then i do! but i’m still happy for her that she’s not only able to read and understand herself, but purely enjoying the experience.

  • we work beside this hotel. not a bad hotel. i would probably say it is a 3 star hotel which is pretty standard over here. our cafeteria is situated right next to the parking lot of this hotel and you can clearly do some people watching from the windows. apparently, there is one man who is a repeat customer - each time he checks in, he’s with another lady.

  • the ‘children of the corn’ neighbours moved out a couple of weeks ago. just like that. we didn’t even know they were selling. and while the walls are thin enough not to cover all noise, so far, our new neighbours are a big improvement. at the same time, who knows how long our lucky streak will last. it is a little odd that i have never even seen them. all i see is their car. and some things they’ve moved to the back patio. anyway, i can go out and enjoy the backyard without having two creepy kids standing next to each other, and staring at me so deeply i’m expecting laser lights to shoot out of their eyeballs.

  • hobbes is starting to ‘talk’ to us. up until now, the sounds he makes have been limited - barking, growling, whining and big sighs. now, he is making noises that are sounding like he is trying to talk to us. i’ve seen this happen with other dogs and sometimes, it can take a few years to develop. it will be nice, though, if he reaches that point. i would much rather hear this type of ‘talking’ over barking and whining.

  • there was a thing on the radio - of how people take their ipad with them to the washroom. and i have to say, that makes sense. it’s not too much different from reading a book, magazine or newspaper while sitting on the loo. in fact, i’ve read most of your blogs while on the loo.

30/3/2011



escaping the politics

i haven’t blogged much because i’ve been overworked and pretty much stressed out. and while i’m tempted to vent about all the silly politics that’s been going on around me, i’m more inclined to just put that aside so i can write about other things in life.

besides, after doug came home last night from his evening class, we stayed up until midnight, discussing all the issues i’ve been facing at work. and trying, where possible, to come up with a solution.

since our country weekend get-away, hobbes has come back extremely matted. and while we did try to detangle the furry mess, it was just impossible. at least impossible to do it without causing him pain. since then, it’s only gotten worse as he scratches and gnaws at them, making each knot bigger and bigger.

we spoke with our groomer and she basically said that when dog reachs this point, the only they can do is give them a shave.

it’s time to change the style anyway. it will prepare him for the warmer months. it’s still cold in the mornings and evening so we may need to invest in a doggy sweater. honestly, something i’ve never imagined getting for a dog but now i see why it may be necessary.

chaeli’s 2nd report card came in today. for her core subjects (math and english), she did about the same as far as grades, with one new section graded in english (novel study) and two new sections for math (data management and problem solving). in total, there are now 6 sections graded in each core subjects. she received mainly B+ (high 80’s) and some A- (low 90’s). we were pleased because the comments were all positive and while the grades did not change much, the material did - much more comprehensive and difficult then in the first term.

what was also nice was to see that in all other subjects, she received from A- to A+, with an exception in science (B+).

i had to laugh when i read that her one A+ was in computer studies. i made a remark to doug, “yeah, i’m not worried about her grade in computer class - it’s somewhat inherited.”

as for me, i was more into the comments this time then the grades. and am learning that the teacher’s comments shed way more light then a mere letter or grade.

anyway, chaeli was totally eager to see her own resutls. i let her read it at the back of the car on the way home the day we receive the report card in her folder at school. all i could hear was exhasperated whispers of “YESSSS!!!” from the back as she went down the list of grades.

there are about 3 more weeks of doug’s two-nights per week classes and it’s a major countdown for me. the long winter on top of a lot of things happening for work for me, has made the mid-week and half of the weekends where he gone, pretty tough. he’s tired, i’m tired… and the crazy thing is that part of my frustration is that i can not work late either tuesdays or wednesdays which are usually the days that are more optimal for me to work late. i’ve been working late fridays instead and then bringing home work.

who wants to work late on fridays and over the weekend when they can get it over earlier in the work week?

so it’s a bit ironic… i’m countding down to the weeks where i can work late on those two days which is a wierd thing to want to do. but given the option, it’s the lesser of two evils.

18:14



escaping the politics

it’s time to change the style. it will prepare him for the warmer months. it’s still cold in the mornings and evening so we may need to invest in a doggy sweater. honestly, something i’ve never imagined getting for a dog but now i see why it may be necessary.

chaeli’s 2nd report card came in today. for her core subjects (math and english), she did about the same as far as grades, with one new section graded in english (novel study) and two new sections for math (data management and problem solving). in total, there are now 6 sections graded in each core subjects. she received mainly B+ (high 80’s) and some A- (low 90’s). we were pleased because the comments were all positive and while the grades did not change much, the material did - much more comprehensive and difficult then in the first term.

what was also nice was to see that in all other subjects, she received from A- to A+, with an exception in science (B+).

i had to laugh when i read that her one A+ was in computer studies. i made a remark to doug, “yeah, i’m not worried about her grade in computer class - it’s somewhat inherited.”

as for me, i was more into the comments this time then the grades. and am learning that the teacher’s comments shed way more light then a mere letter or grade.

anyway, chaeli was totally eager to see her own resutls. i let her read it at the back of the car on the way home the day we receive the report card in her folder at school. all i could hear was exhasperated whispers of “YESSSS!!!” from the back as she went down the list of grades.

there are about 3 more weeks of doug’s two-nights per week classes and it’s a major countdown for me. the long winter on top of a lot of things happening for work for me, has made the mid-week and half of the weekends where he gone, pretty tough. he’s tired, i’m tired… and the crazy thing is that part of my frustration is that i can not work late either tuesdays or wednesdays which are usually the days that are more optimal for me to work late. i’ve been working late fridays instead and then bringing home work.

who wants to work late on fridays and over the weekend when they can get it over earlier in the work week?

so it’s a bit ironic… i’m countding down to the weeks where i can work late on those two days which is a wierd thing to want to do. but given the option, it’s the lesser of two evils.

15/3/2011



not starving at “starving artist”

We’re sitting here at Starving Artist (http://www.starvingartistbar.com/) after the most delicious waffle and espresso brunh I have ever had. I got the potato waffle benny - first time having waffles with potatos in it and first time having benny on a waffle rather then the traditional english muffin. Definitely worth the experience! We’re now going to another dog park to expend some puppy energy.

Tagged: bliss, random, .

14/3/2011



1 note

ahh… the art of lounging

i didn’t wake up to workout as early as i wanted to. i think i woke up at 8am and just lounged in bed with my ipad for 45 minutes before getting up and heading downstairs for my p90x workout (chest/back and ab-ripper-x). we’ve just finished brunch and i’m now sitting in the living room, listening to some asian-inspired electronica/deep house while i blog. chaeli is still finishing up her meal, doug is taking his turn on the ipad and hobbes is curled up behind me so that he’s wedged between my butt and the back of the sofa.

this is living!

as soon as we’re done our coffee, food and geekiness, we’re going to get dressed and head out. the sun is shining and the winds are down - it’s still chilly but truly beautiful outside. we’ll head out to a dog park for a couple of hours. maybe take a light stroll as well.

Tagged: health, parenting, random, .

12/3/2011



first march break… as an adult that is

when my colleagues asked me what i was doing next week, i told them, “oh nothing… just taking march break.”

sounded weird but truth be told, i have never taken march break off before. chaeli has always been in a daycare setting so doug and i just continued on with work. and leading up to this year, i was dreading it. dreading having to take the one week off where all other parents and kids are off. and really - to try to keep chaeli busy on my own? as much as i love her, it didn’t seem appealing to me.

well, when this week started to approach us, i was so looking forward to it (especially if we get good weather). the bonus is that doug also took the week off. and now that she’s seven, she’s pretty self-sufficient. in fact, she helps us out whenever we need help (and with tasks that she can safely do on her own). plus, we’re not at all planning to go to any of the tourist traps. we’ll probably see a movie but we’re hoping to try out a couple of restaurants and do some hiking. and a couple of dog parks are probably in the mix, too. no doubt, we’ll be taking the subway downtown to do a bit of walking as well. which reminds me, i have to find out if dogs are allowed on the subway. i think they are outside of rush hour

today is saturday and it’s my semi-vacation day only because doug is at a workshop during the morning and half of the afternoon. i’ve also just spent my morning cleaning the house just to get it over with.

i’ve learned in the past that every two weeks is the ideal to give the whole house a nice disinfecting scrub and dusting. it’s easy to maintain if i do it every two weeks. when i’m really busy, i might let it stretch to three weeks. this would be rare, though. and at three weeks, i notice that it’s just a little bit more tougher to get the grind out or dust collected with a simple sweep.

with me being sick and work being so busy (among life just being chaotic), i’ve left the house for a month without anything but some quick spot cleaning. i can’t remember when i last did this - maybe a couple of years ago or more?

anyway - wow. not something i want to make a habit of. most surfaces needed to be wiped down twice just to get the grime and dust off. it just takes twice as long. no thanks. not to mention we had to live in that condition for a couple of weeks.

but… of course, it couldn’t be helped. i just really want to get back to my regular cleaning routine now.

Tagged: family, parenting, random, .

08/3/2011



1 note

long winter blues

totally not surprising, but this winter seems to have dragged on longer then most. i think it’s because we’ve just had a lot of bad luck hit us this year. with a crazy schedule, it’s been hard to find time to just catch my breath.

i’ve been sick a lot too, which hasn’t helped. in fact, it’s been really hard for me to work out for the past couple of months because i’ll start my workout routine for a week or two and then have to stop because of some ailment.

anyway, an update with life in general:

  • with me not feeling well a lot, hobbes has been a faithful companion. days where i was in bed all day, he barely left my side. it’s amazing how these canines can just detect that your not well.

  • it’s hard to imagine that chaeli is more then halfway through grade one. she’s learning stuff like: nonagon, heptagon and decagon (the three i had to look up for either the number of sides/vertices and/or pronounciation); capitol cities of countries such as jordan, vietnam and pakistan; and getting ready for multiplication and division. quite a lot for grade one but with our help, she’s been able to get anywhere from 90% to 100% on her test scores.

  • fitness for me has been a struggle these past two months but i’m not giving up. this week, even though i’m not 100% recovered, i’m starting again. but to help me ease into the swing of things, and just to try and keep in perspective that my life is busier and so i need to cut some time out of my workout schedule, i’m just back to the basics. essentially, i’m going to try and do something each day and only workout to the intensity i’m able to. i’ve lost so much strength since before christmas and while it’s very frustrating, i have to look forward and not let this set back depress me as it often can. i do think that i need to do yoga at least twice a week, swapping out some high intensity workout for it. so far, i’ve worked out 3 times this week - hoping to continue like this.

  • doug has been going to night classes back to back, two nights during the week - one with all-day workshops on most saturday’s. it’s been really hard. on all of us. but personally, it’s been really hard for me. i miss not having him help out. it’s hard to work all day on a job where no matter what, i can’t help but to bring work home at least in my mind because i’m doing a lot of projects/tasks that require my problem solving skills, and then having to be the one to pick chaeli up, go home, do homework with her, cook dinner, prepare lunches for the next day and hopefully, squeeze in shower time (for her and for me) before trying to get to bed early. and then wake up early enough to get chaeli to school before getting to work myself. the daily grind this winter is way harder then the latter half of last year. i can’t wait until the school year ends - not just for chaeli but more so for doug.

  • chaeli has been a great sport in all of this. and while there are frustrating days with her, for the most part, i’m so glad i get to be this kid’s mother! i thought i could never love her more then i already do but i was wrong. as she grows up and i learn more about parenting and her growing personality, i seem to love her more. it’s more challenging but in return, it’s also more rewarding. i don’t always feel this, of course. there are days, thankfully not often, where i feel like it’s almost impossible to continue being an effective parent. but still, i’m lucky to have her in my life.

  • march break is coming up and we’re kicking it back at home for the whole week. it’s only been 2.5 months since christmas break but we all need it. i’m looking forward to working out in the mornings (without rushing to work afterwards) and spending some quality time as a family.

20/2/2011



1 note

i heart postsecret

for several months now, i’ve been diligently following the weekly postsecret posts.

of course, like most, i’ve been hearing about this site for a very long time and while i peeked into it in the past, lately, i’m starting to get addicted to it. i look forward to sitting at my computer every sunday morning with my freshly brewed cup of coffee as i read each posted postcard.

i sometimes wonder what wakes me up more - the caffeine or some shocking confession from some anonymous stranger out there.

i think it’s very much the latter.

some secrets are sweet and touching. others are truly sad. though, i think i like the quirky ones the most. the kind of secret that defines how human we really are. that we all have these weird idiosyncrasies. like one recent person stated that he/she sits on toilets sideways. and another admitted that cleaning out the lint from the dryer as being her favourite laundry pasttime (which made me realize that i quite enjoy that part too - the thicker the layer, the better! and i hate doing laundry.) such strange revelations. but to me, the most fascinating!

then there are the dirty secrets. usually involving theft or infidelity. and they are bad… really they are. yet i enjoy reading them. so much that lately, i started to question whether i’m becoming the type of person that i never wanted to be. you know, the type of person that enjoys gossip.

sure, i suppose it’s a bit better that i don’t know any of these people but there is a sickness to the pleasure i get from reading the naughty postcards. it obviously doesn’t paint me as a good person - but it’s true. i suppose while i try not to indulge in the workplace gossip (especially as 95% of the gossip turns out to be untrue), if i need to have an outlet, indulging in postcards from strangers, sharing some controversial secrets, is the best way to go.

anyway, the website doesn’t archive pervious weeks but i have them archived by grabbing their rss within my google reader.

here’s one posted a couple of weeks ago that i found quite amusing:

Tagged: geek, random, solitude, .

14/2/2011



randomnous valentine

  • i’m not a big fan of valentines and if it weren’t for chaeli, i would do anything for this day. but like a good mom, i did whatever needed to be done to prep for her valentines day party at school - including a 30 mini spring rolls contribution for their food list. as for doug and i, we did get a chance to go for sushi this past saturday while chaeli stayed with my parents. it wasn’t for valentines - just a regular date-night/outing because we haven’t had one for so long.
  • i’m glad that justin beiber didn’t win last night. nothing personal against the kid - well, except for his hair - but it felt good to see esperanza spalding take the award for best new artist. she might have not won the hearts of teenie boppers more interested in getting a date with bieber, but her talent and lovely personality was definitely dserving of such an award. bravo, esperanza! bravo!
  • so i got chaeli to point out her new boyfriend - i must say, he’s the best looking kid in class. way to go, chaeli! but i learned that he’s also one of the students that gets into trouble often. so young and she’s already going after the bad-boy image.
  • our roof is leaking again - propery management didn’t fix it as they said they would two years ago and so now, we’re looking at a worse leak then before. i’ve been spending a lot of my free time communicating back and forth with them - and basically nagging them to do it right this time. they are responsible for not only fixing the roof but also fixing any water damage the leak might have caused (and not just the cosmetic parts of our interior - but any material inside the walls and/or attic that the water has touched so they are not hotbeds for mould spores).
  • we have now acquired an ipad and have been wasting our time with plants vs zombies.

01/2/2011



cravings…

and i’m not just talking about food cravings. though, there are a few to add to that list as well… but it’s now february and as with all february’s, the darker and shorter days of winter added on to the cold, dry climate (not to mention, miserable and dangerous driving when the roads are slippery), always makes me day-dream more of things i want to do or have at that respective moment.

i’m sure this is the result of being more caged in at home. not that i don’t love being at home but there’s more work involved in getting out of the house. with the longer drives and the preparation of staying warm, our very hectic and crazy life gets a tad more crazier.

anyway, here’s a list of cravings - both big and small:

  • full-back massage
  • a 3-night trip to vegas
  • manicure
  • fresh hot cinnamon rolls
  • lobster and steak dinner
  • summer
  • yoga retreat
  • new furniture for our living room
  • fried squash blossoms (never had any but am craving to try one - preferably in italy)
  • edward cullens*

*i had a dream the other night about edward cullens. it was a very cool dream but unfortunately, i would much rather have dreamt about jasper. i blame this on watching eclipse while i was sick.

Tagged: bliss, geek, random, solitude, .

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