earlier this year i went to a shoe sale at the markham fair grounds. it was a huge warehouse sale where some of the latest styles of shoes, sandals, and boots were combined with some older styles and sold for less than retail price. the catch was that you'd have to buy 4 pairs to get the 5th free while each pair of sandals was $50 and each pair of shoes was $60. now ofcourse because i love deals and i love shoes, i went crazy and bought 5 pairs! only problem with the sale was that there wasn't too much selection of size 7 but a HUGE selection of size 6 and 6.5. so i figure i can fit size 6.5 sandals since my heel would be just right as long as it wasn't a shoe where my foot would be squished in.

what a bad friggin idea! i managed to buy 3 pairs of shoes that fit and are decently comfy but the other 2, omg what a waste! they HURT. now i don't know if its because i chose a smaller size since the shoe clearly fits, but just hurts when i walk in them...can't help but think if it was a half size bigger, would i still have the same problem?

anyways...so that was a waste of $100 :( this was not the first time i've bought a pair of shoes to find out on my first official wear that it either doesn't totally fit quite right of there's some sort of defect that i couldn't detect during the testing phase. or maybe i'm just totally retarded when it comes to buying shoes?!

so i had the most weirdest thought today while on the treadmill. they should have treadmills inside shoe stores! then we could try on the shoe and walk for 5 mins and if we felt ok in them, THEN we'd buy! b/c we all know that once we've paid for those shoes and take the first few steps, you'll never be able to return them unless you happen to find a dense cashier who will take them back.

i suppose this idea would never work because it would just reduce shoe sales by gazillions of dollar seeing that there must be SO many uncomfy shoes out there...what women will do to look good....lol

did you know that the average size for an american woman is size 14?!?!?! and the average size of an american woman on a reality show is a size 2?!?! HOLY MOLY!

i think i recently learned this fact when watching a commercial for a new reality tv show coming out soon called "More to Love". Apparently this show is kind of like the bachelor except everyone on the show is overweight -- hence more to love :P

i went to go see transformers today! it was OK. it was entertaining but almost the exact same story line as the transformers 1 except its in Egypt this time. Meagan Fox's role is purely for sex appeal...she really have no other value to add but clearly this tactic is working because so far transformers has brought it how many millions? and its only been out for about 1 week!

holy crap i haven't blogged since may 5th!

ok...let's update:

i finished CMA!!!! hooray! assuming that i passed that is...final marks aren't released until mid-august but i think i'm ok :D

still at the same boring job...still deciding when to go to HK although i'm 95% certain i WILL be going which leads back to...how much longer should i stay at this boring ass job?

i finally bought a mac book and its WONDERFUL! :D thank goodness i waited because apple decided to re-group (if you can call it that) their product line and decide the 13" aluminum mac book is worthy of "pro" status! which mean i get $100 student discount instead of $50 :P Also, apple launched the latest version of the macbook which has 7 hour battery life among other goodies ANNNND best of all, because i love deals, it came with a free itouch AND canon all-in-one printer! how SWEET!!!! this is my first blog using my brand new macbook ;)

holy shit there are sales everywhere! and this gets me into trouble because i love deals! i've been spending way too much money on unnecessary items lately and it must stop! hence i've decided that i must take up some god damn hobbies OTHER than shopping! its summer for goodness sakes there MUST be other things to do! so i have decided that blogging is one of my new activities! in fact, maybe i should blog about how i actually SAVED money day to day starting with today!

today (well actually June 30th) i went to Coach to get a free gift: pencils. Coach is giving out a set of pencils to promote their new "Poppy" line if you sign up to receive emails from them. you could probably get a pack of pencils for $1? but because coach is printed on them, i'm gonna go ahead and say i saved atleast $10! :P

ALSO, diana gave me this coupon to go get a free re-useable shopping bag from Longos (the new downtown location by bay and dundas). i'm on this whole try to be nice to the environment so why not right? retails for $1 but i got it FREEEE :D

woooo...was on a roll! total savings $11 but then i went to best buy and bought the beyonce album which was on sale for $8.99....damn...was doing so well too.

ok...that's it for now.

So next on the yummy list is Guu with Garlic (on Robson). This is a super fantastic Jap Izakaya (Tapas) restaurant. I've been the Vancouver 4 times now but never had a chance to eat there because the waits were ALWAYS so LOOOOONG. But this time it was about 30-40 mins on a Thursday night so i decided to give it a try and it was WELL worth the wait!

There was 3 of us but we ordered 14 dishes! Oh the joy of tapas! Each dish is as small as an appetizer so you get so much variety! I can't help but wonder why we don't have any Tapas menu restaurants in Toronto! :(

Most of the dishes were seafood oriented and all delicious but the most memorable thing about Guu with Garlic was exactly the garlic!! The cooked the garlic in a way ( i assume they deep fried it) that the garlic was crispy like chips! OMG it was SO GOOD!

This place is a definite must-go!! Guu is Guuuuud! ;)

Long time no blog. sorry...got lazy.

Anyhow, i just returned from a long weekend in Vancouver and it was a fantastic trip! the jap food out there is just AMAZING! This was actually my 4th time out there and i love it!

So, first up, JAPADOG! This is an awesome japanese hot dog stand at the corner of burrard and smithe. This stand was actually there the first time i went out to van but it wasn't very popular then so i never bothered to try it...but 4 years later they've made the headlines of many papers and magazines and have caught the attention of various celebrities including ice cube!! there was a picture posted on the hot dog stand that said he ate there 10 times!! lol

They have quite the variety of hot dogs and toppings but mind you the prices are a little wack. it ranges from around $4-$7 for a hotdog!!! but hey, if you're not eating it everday then its worth it to try. Vancouver Magazine named it as apart of the 101 things you have to taste before you die in the September 2008 issue.






So i decided to try the kurobuta terimayo hotdog which consists of a hotdog made of japanese pork topped with grilled onions, teriyaki sauce, japanese mayo and shreds of seaweed. Ya you think it sounds gross til you eat it! It's F-ING delicious! I'm getting hungry right now just talking about it :P

today was my last day of SLP class!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

now i just have the board report (due June 4th) and the board presentation (June 20th) and then i will be DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i just found a really cool website that allows your to make caricatures of yourself and friends or whoever you want! it's so awesome! i have just wasted the last hour drawing various people i know :P

here's me looking super cool:

my kitty (also very cool wearing his infamous santa hat):

and my best looking fly as always with the beret from paris:isn't it cute?! check it out at http://www.vistaprint.com/vp/ns/caricatures/editor/choose_type.aspx?xnav=TsrImage

ENJOY!

within the last week, i've seen two ads for new fast food snack items that have of course, caught my attention :P

numba 1 - is the "Mac Wrap" - obviously introduced by the infamous McDonald's and it's basically a big mac inside a flour tortilla rather than a sesame seed bun.

now i LOVE wraps! all that ish about eating less carbs blah blah blah makes wraps a fantastic alternative to buns ya? BUUUUT the idea of shit quality beef inside a wrap...hmmm...(btw, i never eat the big mac and you could probably argue the same about shit quality chicken...but i absolutely adore the mcchicken so i don't care lol)...yet i must admit, i will likely try this mac wrap still BECAUSE, it has been released in Canada for only a limited time - until May 18th. i guess they're using Canada as a test market? Apparently they're selling for $1.49! so go try one! ;P

numba 2 - BK Burger Shots! basically mini burgers - 2 for $.199 or 6 for ?? i dunno how much but i hope i never see the day where i need to order 6 for myself! :S

because i've never had the honour of tasting a white castle burger, i'm going to guess that this is something of similar nature. also, from the new commercial, i'm guessing this new product is aimed at women? it definately appeals to me! :D mini burgers so that you don't feel like a pig while eating a huge one. and if you have a lady friend, you both get a snack for $1 each! genius!

last week i had drinks with a couple of friends whom i've lost contact with since high school. one became an ibanker but hates his job because he works from 8:30am to midnight most nights + weekends. they gave him a crackberry and he basically has to drop whatever he's doing and tend to whoever's needs it is in Japan (or wherever) when it starts buzzing. On top of that, he works with people who are "evil" as he would call them. he said that "these people would bend down and strangle your puppy when you're not looking". yikes!

but he got talking about perspective and how he's always the eternal optimist no matter what. he said that he dated a girl who studied psychology and she did a study that interviewed people who won the lottery. not just $20 or $500 but the jackpot and needless to say these people were ecstatic. she also interviewed people who became disabled (for example lost their legs) and they were overwhelmingly distraught. one year later, she interviewed those same groups of people and found that their happiness levels were the same!!!!

you would never think that right? and furthermore, i don't even know how accurately this experiment was executed, if she asked biased or leading questions, was there a control side, etc. etc. etc. BUT regardless, i do believe its possible. it's basically all about perspective. he said it's not always easy trying to see the bright side of things, but its something you can work at. nobody wants to be a debbie downer :P

for those of you who don't know, i love food. i just love to eat good, tasty, food. if its wholesome, bonus. if not, well...gonna croak someday right? might as well enjoy while you can.

i came across 2 very catchy websites lately and decided to add them to my side bar for easy access and also to share with the world my interesting finds.

if you are not into food, you'll probably still enjoy this blog: www.thisiswhyyourefat.com posts the most ridiculous pictures of the fatest foods you would never imagine eating! (but i guess people really do eat them!). i know what i said up there about croaking some day, but i do want to live to see tomorrow...literally.

next, www.eatmedaily.com is a witty yet critical blog on food, media, and culture. definately a good read to keep with the times!

i actually came across Eat Me Daily from surfing fb and someone had posted this article from the site: The McGangBang: a McChicken sandwich Inside a Double Cheeseburger [a chronicle]. Sounds ridiculously intriguing right? lol then take a look:

http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/03/the-mcgangbang-a-mcchicken-sandwich-inside-a-double-cheeseburger/

anyhow, check those out and enjoy!

today i'm going to express myself through pictures since i don't feel like writing:

pretty clear right?

"There are two kinds of head fakes. The first is literal. On a football field, a player will move his head one way so you'll think he's going in that direction. Then he goes the opposite way. It's like a magician using misdirection. The second kind of head fake is the really important one - the one that teaches people things they don't realize they're learning until well into the process." - Randy Pausch

when i was young, like 3 or 4 years old, my mom enrolled me to learn how to play the piano like every other chinese kid. i LOVED it! everyone loves it at first. then slowly it became a drag. i only practiced day in day out to avoid my piano teacher's harsh criticisms that were borderline verbal abuse. i wanted to quit dearly at one point but my mom kept persisting and forcing me to the paino...6 of the 7 days in a week. i haven't even began to mention the dollars she forked out to pay my teacher who charged a rate of $30 something dollars an hour! finally one day she said "when you reach grade 12 in high school, i'll let you stop learning piano so that you can have more time to concentrate on your studies". for obvious reasons i think she felt disappointment but finally surrendered.

now approximately a decade after i've stopped playing i still don't really have much interest in the piano. sure i love music, but playing it on the piano...i probably only do it once a year now out of curiousity, boredom, or encouraging my little cousin to take interest and learn.

the truth is, i finally realize how much i actually learned in the process. i think my biggest acqusition in those 12 years was discipline. it set the foundation for my work ethic through high school, university, my job, and CMA - all in which i'd say i've been fairly successful. even though my mom may not know, she executed a great head fake.

As you might have already guessed, i'm really into reading books. i love a good read. i can't explain it but i suppose it's like watching a good movie or immersing yourself in a good drama -- do you remember r.kelly's dramatic series of songs - trapped in the closet? f-ing genius! i couldn't WAIT to hear the next song!!

some people may think that reading takes too much effort when you can just watch a tv show or listen to music to be entertained, but if you take the subway to and from work each morning, you'll quickly learn that reading will become one of your fav activity for 45mins-1hour a day.

my latest entertainer: The LAST LECTURE by Randy Pausch (w/Jeffrey Zaslow)

it's about a professor at Carnegic Mellon, also husband, father of 3, friend, son etc. who has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. chance of survival past 5 years is less than 5%. he's been asked to give a lecture on what matters to him in life so he's decided to lecture on achieving childhood dreams. in telling his story, he speaks of how he was raised, life lessons that have made him who is now, overcoming obstacles in his life, etc., all in an effort to leave his mark so that one day when is 3 young children (currently under the age of 10) grow up, they may be able to learn something from what their father left behind. this guy has some pretty good lessons if you're up for it. my fav thus far: "The brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough. They're there to stop the other people."

my mom has recently discovered a love for miss vickie's chips so we've been buying bag after bag so that she can try all the different flavors. i was at walmart up in stouffville last night (they seem to have better sales up there) and saw a new flavor! Rosemary & Basil! it's so new that i can't even find a pic of it online nor on the miss vickie's website! Anyhow, it's DELICIOUS! try it!

Americas's Best Dance Crew is such an awesome show! so entertaining and fantastic to watch when working out! lol but sadly it was the finale today :( Even though there's a winner every season i think Jabbawockeez are still the best :P

Anyhow, Quest Crew was the winner for season 3.

"The temperature is significantly below what's normal for this time of year. Usually by the start of March, temperatures in Toronto hover several degrees above zero."
(source: http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090302/090302_real_cold/20090302/?hub=CP24Home)

IT WAS MINUS 27 DEGREES TODAY!!! ABSOLUTELY NUTS!!! I WORE A LONG TURTLE NECK SWEATER AND TIGHTS UNDER MY DRESS PANTS AND I WAS STILL DYING!!! WHAT IS UP WITH THIS WACK WEATHER?!?!

what a fun and eventful weekend! :)

friday started off with dinner with maddie, jenny, and dean at none other than Rural where we got a 4-course meal for $8.99! lol

afterwards, i met with juliette, shirley, and bryant for some bblt at Go for Tea. we did some much needed girl talk and venting LOL sorry Bryant...i know it was boring hehe :P

and saturday night, went to a korean soju bar near yonge and sheppard with jenny, jason, and friends and did some good old drinking with drinking games! and the night ended with mcdonalds chicken mcnuggets...mmMMmm yummy :)

in preparation for my CMA board report presentation in june, i decided to try on my 2 suits. i have not worn a suit in over 2 years (since my last job interview) and so was a weeee bit worried that i got fatter and now can't fit...which would either lead me to 1. buy a new suit or 2. start working out so that i can fit into my suit by june 20th. knowning how cheap i am plus that fact that summer is coming i would opt for #2.

anyhow, i tried on suit #1 that i bought in vancouver almost 3 years ago and was surprised to know that i am either thinner now than i was before or i was in a rush and just bought a size too big lol. experience with suit #2 was not as pleasant. while i can still fit into the pants and button them up, they are tight :( but then again, i was in the middle of dinner and i felt uber bloated...

regardless, my goal now is to fit into suit #2 (b/c i don't want to gain weight to fit into suit #1) hence the working out shall begin!!!...soon...:P

1/2 hour makes a huge difference in the morning. just 1/2 hour earlier means THAT much more traffic. i sat in a turning lane for 10 mins! and the subway is a LOT more packed. didn't get a seat like normal :( but i made it on time - infact, was 15 mins early. i took a full hour of lunch and it was nice! :P

but for now, i must get back to reading Remember Me? it's SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD :D :D :D

i must rant about work today...

yes, i come in late every morning (approx 15 mins :S). i know its not good, BUT i always make up for my time AND MORE. i work through my lunch atleast 3 times a week = 3 hours which more than makes up for my 15 mins x 5 days = 1 hour 15 mins.

Furthermore, i work late whenever necessary. there was a time when i worked late for 3 months straight - usually til around 8:15-8:30pm but some nights were until 9:30-10:00pm!! ANNNDDDD i do not claim overtime!! not because my position doesn't allow me to but b/c the VP asked me to stop so that he could show the president that OT is on the decline b/c we are getting all our work done. that and the fact that my company doesn't make any money so he has to keep the expenses low. anyhow, he (VP) said that he doesn't want an official record of it, but i could just come in late during down periods to make up for it...hence my tardiness every morning.

isn't it funny that when you're slaving away during your lunch hour or during your dinner hour, you are never "monitored" or told "you should go home, its way past your home time" or anything remotely close to that?!

so OFCOURSE the morning that the subway is delayed because of some power outage at yonge station, is the morning that the president and the VP decide to come by my desk and notice that i'm not in yet. they tell my supervisor to start "monitoring" me. pfffff! if you want to go ahead and be a penny pincher and monitor my every minute then go ahead - monitor me. don't worry i'm going to be on time for EVERYTHING! on time to start, on time to finish, and on time to go to lunch EVERYDAY! oh and i will still stay for overtime if required but it will no longer be free :)

my mommy and i had a delicious lobster dinner tonight! :) lobster is on sale at T&T for $8/lbs so my mommy bought 3! it's so easy to cook. just bring a huge pot of water with salt to boil and throw in the lobsters. Once it comes to boil again, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 mins (for 1-1/4 lbs lobsters).

we ate two and couldn't finish the third so we're going to make lobster bisque tomorrow :D can't wait!

work sucked today. my deparment's latest project: translating english financial statements to french. here's the kicker: NONE of us are fluent in french. retarded right? *sigh*

i decided to be somewhat productive today (domestically) and made a huge ass pot of chili :P Mmm tasty!

Chapters is having a sale. I love Chapters and I love sales :D

Sale (in-store only): best selling paperbacks for only $10!

So i went and bought Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella. It is about a 28 yr old girl who lives in London and has just woken up in the hospital after a car accident. Unfortunately she now has amnesia and doesn't remember anything that has happened during the last 3 years of her life -- in which she got promoted to Director of her division ($$$), went from slightly chubby, crooked toothed, frizzy haired to almost supermodel material, began owning Louis Vuittons, and went on a reality show where she met her now husband who is a gorgeous multi-millionaire. So as you can see she's woken up to a dream life :P

So far (as of chapter 8) it is a fantastic read. Super easy and entertaining :)

About a month ago, my laptop screen broke :( (was a dell and it was getting old anyways). So i need a new laptop now. Did my research and found that all new laptops come with windows vista which i hear is CRAP!

I originally didn't want to spend more than 1G on a new one but then i started considering getting a macbook. They are so pretty, hardly any problems with viruses and spyware, doesn't operate on vista, and has all these cool features ie. time machine that backs up your files every hour?

I know i can only afford the 13.3inch macbook. But now I have to decide whether to get the white book (plastic) $1150 or the aluminum $1399 (diff of $250!). I hear the plastic one cracks easily and i don't want that since i don't plan on buying the 3 year warranty thingy...but then $1399 + taxes = $1609.

*sigh* what to do...

"Look King Kong. Why don't you take you and your 1980 pick-up lines, climb all the way up to the top of the Empire State building, beat on your big old monkey chest and then jump off?"

LOL :D hehehe

TGIF!!!!! I finally made it through another torturous week! It's a miracle! :P (you know you need a new job when...lol)

Also, today marks 4 months left until i'm done the CMA!! In other words, 4 months left til i get my social life back! FREEEEEDOM!!!!!

ANNNNNDDDDDDD Shirley's home from OZ!!!!! :D :D :D yay!

Here are the most recent pictures of my nephew.

Isn't he adorable? :D

Julie's bday at Tryst. She's a party animal :P What a fun night ;)

so evidently i didn't win the jackpot...i didn't even get one number! lol

so here i am at work...again...debating whether i should spend another $2 on saturday's draw for $48 MILLION DOLLARS! damn i'm so cheap.

hmm...odds are 1 in 14 million...

I decided not to be a fatty and take a walk on my lunch. I ended up breaking my new years resolution and spent my money on an unneccsary item - $2 for a 649 lotto ticket :P But the draw is for $39 MILLION!!! If i win, you wouldn't know though because i wouldn't post it here for everyone to see. ha.

My First Blog!

Yay! I've created my first blog!

Now i just need to figure out how this thing works :P