My Sunny Day with Marie

Today was a really great day! Although in the morning, the weather wasn’t too nice (grey and a little bit of rain), it did eventually clear up by 1ish. Marie and I had booked appointments together to get our nails done. She needed a gel fill on her nails and I needed a pedicure. There is a new nail salon down the block and we thought we would check it out. Also, it’s a great excuse to get together and spend the afternoon together. Our appointments were at 11 and I have to say, Kathy, the girl who gave me a pedicure did a fantastic job! I haven’t been taking care of my feet lately and they looked pretty bad. But she did an amazing job. I can’t wait to wear open toes : ) My pedicure came up to $37.00 including her tip, not too bad. Marie’s came up to $45 including tip and she was not too happy with her fill. I have to agree, I don’t wear gel nails but I could tell by looking at it that he did a really crappy job.

After our appointments, we headed over to Main Street because I wanted to check out a little furniture store on Main to get a quote on my design. I want a 60” x 60” cubed storage/bookcase unit and I am looking all over the city for someone to build it for me. I went to a place on Grandview a couple of weeks ago and I thought I would have them build it for me but I’ve decided I better get a few different quotes. This little place have some amazing furniture pieces in their store front and on their website. I gave him my idea and my measurements, he told me he’d get back to me in a few days. But he didn’t really ask me for any more details and I wasn’t too impressed with that. Also when I asked him about a simple unfinished platform bed, just a frame with legs, he quoted me around $500. WOW, is he CRAZY? For a simple UNFINISHED frame and legs?? I don’t think so….. the guy on Grandview quoted me $248 and that is with a dark finish! After that, I decided I would probably not be going back to him. As we were walking back to the car, we stopped at a local art gallery and checked out some of the local artist pieces. A little bit on the more expensive side and nothing really impressed me in there.

On to Broadway Street for lunch and another furniture quote at Shilo Living. We decided to make our first stop a lunch stop at the Congee & Noodle House. Congee is always yummy on a day like today. Def. warmed up our tummies :) After our lunch, we started to head over to Shilo Living but noticed J&M Coin and Jewellery Ltd right next to the congee house. The beautiful soltaire in the display window lured us in. We looked at the engagement rings and I didn’t think it would ever happen but I found 2 engagement rings that I am in love with. I have been in many jewellery stores but can never seem to find one that I wanted or loved. The SA was very helpful in explaining the details on each ring. Apparently, they do not work on commission and J&M own the property the building is on, therefore lowering the mark ups and costs to the consumer. I could not believe that both rings were under $950.00. Now I just have to decide on which engagement ring I want. Ring No. 1 - diamonds .34 cts in total weight, 3 or 4 rows of diamonds, a cathedral setting above the rows, this design can only hold a princess cut diamond solatire, in 18k white gold. Ring No. 2 - .24 cts total weight, a thinner cathedral style with engravings accented with diamond baguettes also in 18K white gold, this one can hold either a round or princess cut diamond. I will most def. get R to see these rings so he can give me his opinion even though I am pretty sure he will go with Ring No. 2 because of the delicate features on the ring. After trying on all the lovely engagement rings, we headed over to Shilo Living. The SA at Shilo was FANTASTIC! She spent a good 20 – 25 minutes with me, going over my design and idea of what I am looking for. She drew up a sketch and gave me plenty of options. I think I will be making my purchase at Shilo. At first, I was a bit skeptical about getting them to quote me a piece because their style is very country. I’m looking for something modern, clean and simple. No little drawers or ornaments or mouldings. But she really understood what I wanted and has given me a few options on how to go about this piece. I am looking forward in hearing from her!

After my errands (getting quotes on my future furniture piece), it was Marie’s turn so we headed over to West Granville Street. Marie was looking for a pair of black pumps to go with her dresses/skirts and business attire. She had done some shopping downtown and picked up a pair of brown pumps but the were too small and she really could not walk in them. She did find a pair of black pumps in a store downtown but they did not have her size so they told her to check out their West Granville store. When she showed me the pumps she picked out, I had to tell her in my opinion, those were not the PERFECT little black pumps. The ones she picked up were BCBG shoes and yes, they were black and with a little heel but they had a silver buckle across the front and stiching all around the shoe. I told her she needed to go with a simple, cleanline, black pumps with no buckes or stitching. The shoes she picked out were cute but too casual for business or dress attire. I gave her a pair of little black pumps also made by BCBG and told her she should buy something like that. She wanted something with a buckle because she figures a plain black shoe was boring but I told her if she was looking in purchasing only one pair of black pumps, she has to consider the following: a pointed toe, at least ½ or 1” heel, simple, cleanlined, no buckles or stitching. This is a girl who works as a courier so she never dresses up during the work week, she is limited in her wardrobe and shoes. She also does not want to buy more than one pair of black shoes. So I finally broke her and she agreed to pick up the pair I choose. They are very cute. After walking around West Granville, we decided to have a tea break and stopped by T on Broadway. We chit chatted for a bit and after overhearing a lady mention her parking meter, we realized our parking was about to expire! We rushed back to the car, luckily no parking ticket and decided to call it a day of shopping (for Kay and I anyways). Marie was going to head downtown to meet her friend, S for dinner and some more shopping! What a day! Marie is def. my sunshine on my grey cloudy rainy day! She is way too much fun and our conversations are so funny. She is my feel good friend and I hope that everyone has one of her because of her, I’ve forgotten all about the awful week I had……

Dinner with Long Lost Cousin

No, not really but I have not seen my dear cousin in quite a long time. We have been trying to plan this dinner for weeks! She missed my birthday gathering in August (due to a trip to Kelowna, nice...wine county) and promised to meet up when she was back in town. It's now September 29, almost two months after my birthday dinner. I did not expect her to take me out and I insisted on paying for my half but she would not allow it! Darn chinese families, always fighting for the bill! Dinner was scrumptious!

Before heading over to the restaurant, I went to pick up N at her new condo on Main Street. Wow, it’s a really beautiful condo. The inside was very Yaletown-ish and I love their beautiful art collection displayed on the walls of the condo. Although, the place was a little bit of a mess and there were piles of boxes and papers all over the place, their apartment is lovely! Much larger than their last place with an extra bedroom and bathroom. I love the kitchen although it's a little bit smaller than what I would want. But def. a very nice place.

Earlier while we were making plans for dinner and trying to decide on where to go, she had asked me to pick a place or if I was the adventurous type, we could try out this little restaurant on Main Street. I am pretty adventurous and I enjoy trying any type of cuision at least once! She suggested a little place on Main Street called Nyala where it serves African cuisine. She did warn me about it being a little messy because we would be using our fingers to eat but I was def. up for it. Sounds pretty interesting, eh? We ordered 2 appetizers, a Hummus dip and deep fried squid. For our main entrees, we ordered a chicken dish, a beef dish and a veggie dish. The three entrees came on one very large plate, underneath the entrees was this spongy like crepe (but a little bit thicker and had little bubbles on it) which you would eat after finishing off all the entrees. But of course we did not, that was way too much food for two people. With the meal, a few pieces each of the spongy like crepe. You break a piece of the “crepe” and scoop up the entrée. It was really fun and delecious! I also tried Ethopian coffee which was very different from your North American coffee. It was milder and clean tasting with a hint of spices. Very interesting. I will have to take my adventurous friends over there for dinner one day.

On Main Street, you will find a lot of little restaurants that serve all types of cuisines. I love living right by Main, there are so many interesting store fronts and restaurants. You could spend many hours walking the blocks of Main. If I had more time on the weekend, I would most def. head out there.

After dinner, we decided to hit a little place a few doors down for dessert. This place is so small that I have never ever noticed this little dessert place on Main. This place was called Sweet Revenge Patisserie and it had the most amazing decor. Very 1930ish and the décor amazing! They served speciality teas and desserts. All pateries were freshly made every day. I tried the Carmel tea with an old fashioned chocolate cake. N’s wife, R was able to join us for dessert. We got a chance to meet again and catch up on life. It was a wonderful night and I’m so glad I got the chance to see them both.

Wish I had my camera but I didn't! It would have been great to take photos of each place and the yummy dinner!! Oh well, next time.....

EP's Birthday Luncheon

Today, all us ladies in the office (well not ALL OF US) but the 11th / 12th floor admin girls took EP out for her ??th birthday! In the morning, Val ordered a gorgeous flower bouquet in a fancy glass vase as a gift from all of us. When she came up to get them (it was a huge surprise), she was so happy and almost got teary eyed! I forgot to bring my camera to work so I don't have any lovely photos of our lunch or the flowers but EP will take photos for us so hopefully I can post one up for all to see. For lunch, we headed over to Red Robin's, I am not the biggest fan of RR but it was the birthday girl's choice. I guess RR is conveniently located and the menu carries a variety of food so everyone can enjoy. There were 10 of us celebrating this special day with her. I think, she had a lovely time and it was really great to have lunch with the ladies in the office, like a pick me upper. But it is always hard to come back to work after lunch like this. It felt like a Friday instead of a Thursday and when I go out for lunch in the mid week, it really throws me off! Crap it's only Thursday.... ah... back to work....

Raise A Reader

This morning on my way to the office, Raise A Reader is campaigning on the streets of downtown, this happens every year, all across Canada. Because of the ongoing construction for the Canada Line, my bus stop in downtown is 8 - 9 blocks away from the office building. On every street corner, there is a volunteer trying to persuade you to donate to the fund and you get a "free" newspaper (and a sticker so that everyone else will know you have already donated). I managed to get by all the volunteers (now, don't get me wrong this IS A GREAT campaign but I have commitments to other charities such as BC Children's Hospital, The United Way Fund etc.) except on Burrad/Georgia (2 blocks from the building), I got front checked (trying to stay with the hockey terminology) by a fellow Vancouver Canuck, seriously a hockey player (have no clue which one he is even with his jersey, I didn't get a chance to catch his number on the back of his jersey). How could I say No to a huge hockey player? Couldn't, didn't, and felt guilty if I kept walking so I donated $10 to the fund and received a "free" newspaper (which the office subscribes to....) and a sticker so the rest of the "harassers" will leave me be.... damn, I should have gotten the hockey player to sign the newspaper but I was sorta in a rush to get to work..... for $10 and a newspaper that I am not going to read, shoulda gotten him to autograph it..... oh well... my good deed for the month!

Disappointment

Tonight I was suppose to meet a friend, KD (a friend I've known since I was 14 but only re-united our friendship this year after a 10 year gap). This chick is usually pretty flaky and has been known to be a no show numerous times on the days we were suppose to hang out or have lunch or get together. But those times, we talk about it days in advance before the meeting date. I always make sure I have other plans or go on with my day when we have plans because with her in mind, I know she MAY flake out on me. But I didn't think she would flake out on me the night of the get together. She called me today afterwork and we spoke about meeting up for a drink (a restaurant 2 blocks from my place, Thank Goodness) after her yoga class (which is also in my neighborhood) at 9pm. I showed up 10 minutes late and waited outside of the restaurant for about 8 minutes, still no show, called her cell phone numerous time and it was turned off. You would think that after 10 minutes of waiting, her not answering her cell that I would turn around and walk home BUT I gave her the benefit of the doubt and decided to go ahead into the restaurant, requesting a table for two. After 35 minutes of me sitting by myself in a somewhat busy restaurant (surprise me cuz I didn't think anyone would be there so late) I decided that SHE DECIDED not to show up. Although I was pretty damn angry, I called my best friend (who would never ever let me down), Jas to vent. Jas was taken back how calm I was but I couldn't BLOW UP in a restaurant. Darn embarrassing if you ask me. I don't know what her excuse could be this time (not like I cared any other time) but I am not in a mood to deal with it or her. Of course, if she had a car accident or something life threatening, I would totally understand and have no hard feelings. But I am pretty darn sure she is fine.

What really pisses me off is when you know something inside. I had a feeling about her being a no show even as I walked down the street to the restaurant, even before I looked into the restaurant to find her. I KNEW IT, I HAD A FEELING. Darn, I should have never left my apartment this evening. Plus, I really didn't want a stupid ice tea but had to order it because I just couldn't sit at the restaurant waiting for her and not have anything on the table. It's been a really really long day and been crazy busy at work (as you probably can tell by my lack of posting or delay in posting!) and I was super tired. That is it, no more meeting her up in the middle of the week. Really, I am too tired to put up with this and too tired in the middle of the week to even deal with this. I can't even catch up on my own housework and chores around the apartment because I am so damn tired. I am suppose to work on stuff when I get home but instead, I make dinner, eat dinner, plop onto the couch and vegetate.

Sunday Errands

This afternoon, I went to see my mom and grandma again. Mom needed to run some errands and I came along to chauffeur them around. First stop, we headed over to Crystal Mall in Burnaby because mom wanted to check out the grocery market in the mall. Apparently, someone she works with has been raging on about how great the product is and how inexpensive their prices are. Yes, the prices and the quality were not too bad but for us to drive all the way out there to pick up fruits / veggies is not my idea of a good deal, the gas alone would make up the difference! Crystal Mall has changed so much, it's crazy! I remember a time when this mall was half empty and we could find parking on the first floor. Now it's so busy and there are shops all over the place! Wow, what a change.

After Crystal Mall, we headed over to Metrotown Metropolis Centre because I wanted to go to Zellers and Winners. A friend of mine had told me that I could find shoe boxes for $1.97! I really am trying to organize my shoe closet and I have been searching online. Some of the ones I have come across over the web were pretty darn expensive! For plastic boxes!! I found them and decided to buy 10 to see if they would work in my closet and fit my shoes. We headed over to Sears because my mom received a gift certificate from my brother and I as a birthday gift. Also, Estee Lauder was giving out a bonus if you purchased a product over $29.50. Our g/c didn't cover her cream, gosh it was pretty expensive! $100.00 for a small bottle of cream but I know how expensive it can get, my EL cream costs me $56.00. Winners was our next stop and I was hoping to find a pair of rain boots or something but no luck (this is the third Winners I have been to), maybe I am looking to soon. I guess I can wait a few more weeks and just check back every week and hope they will have something. I have a g/c for Winners (my b'day gift from my brother) and I need to use it. I was thinking about using it for a piece of art that caught my eye but I have some photos in which I want to Photoshop and print them on a canvas. It would be an original artwork by me and that my friend, is priceless. :) We decided to head back as mom and grandma had mahjong plans and they needed to get home to prep dinner for their guests. I also needed to head home cuz Kay was home doing her laundry and her homework. Poor girl, she had some problems with the clothes dryer and I figured I better get home to see if she was feeling better.

When I got home, Kay and I cleaned out my shoe closet and placed some of my shoes in the plastic containers. They are awesome!! I don't have enough and so I will be heading over there tomorrow to pick up some more! There is so much more room in my closet which means I can buy MORE SHOES!!! :)

Mom's Pre-Birthday Dinner

Tonight, we celebrated my mom's ??th birthday! Her real birthday is Tuesday but we are all working and it's on a weeknight so we decided to take her out tonight instead. My brother chose the restaurant as my mom hates making restaurant decisions. What I had in mind was a Northern Italian restaurant in downtown Vancouver but I don't think my brother wanted to drive back into the city so he picked a place in Richmond called Shanghai River. It was not too bad and typical Shanghainese food, very greasy and full of msg. But my mom really enjoyed her dinner and having my brother around (he hardly visits!). He also dressed up for her which was sweet as he normally looks like a bum! Well, he says it's not bummy but casual..... yeah ok. On my birthday, he came right afterwork in jeans (bummy looking), sweatshirt and a baseball cap!! Oh well. It's nice of him to be so thoughtful for my mom. My brother and I paid the dinner bill (OMG, it was a little expensive for Shanghainese food) and we gave her a Sears gift certificate as I knew she wanted to pick up a product from Estee Lauder. Overall it was a good dinner and my mom was happy. Grandma didn't make it because she forgot and had plans for Mahjong with her friends! The next time mom gets a visit from my brother will be Thanksgiving in about 2 weeks :)

This afternoon, I headed over to my mom's place a little early because she wanted to run some errands but when I got there, I smelled gas in the TV room. She called Terasen gas and put in an emergency call for someone to take a look at the fireplace. But someone had to wait at home until he came and I needed to run down to Henley on Grandview to check out a custom bookcase for my living room. I headed down there first without mom and I was there for about an hour looking at a couple of different types of bookcases. I found 3 styles that I liked (contemporary no country) but I need to measure the space in my living room against the wall where I will be placing it. He needs the measurements and then he can give me a quote on two of them. The third one is a new style but not custom (standard, already built) but he did not have the measurements because it is a new product. I will call him on Tuesday or Wednesday with the measurements and he will quote me and give me the measurements on the third piece. Right now, I am also looking for a new bedframe because the IKEA frame I'm currently using is cheap and my very expensive Serta mattress (a little bit thicker and heavier than an IKEA mattress) keeps falling through the bottom frame. It's driving me crazy but what do you expect when you purchase a $150 bedframe. Because I am in the smaller room (Kay got the huge room), I need a simple platform bedframe with no head or foot boards. He stocks one called the Yaletown for $198 to $249 depending on the stain, I would like a dark stain to match the rest of the furniture in my little room. Also there was a cute little piece on sale good for DVDs or videotapes and I asked him if he could give me a better price if I were to purchase all three pieces, he said he would work out a package deal.Sweet :) Love it. I am going to go to Shilo Living on Broadway to get a few quotes on their pieces and there are a couple of places on Main street to check out. Hopefully, I can get all three pieces for under $1000 including delivery, we'll see.....

Friday Shopping

Ooops I did it again!

Lunch and Shoes

Today, I had lunch with a friend whom I have known for almost 10 years, J and it was really nice to see him. We went to a little japanese place for lunch and we caught up on each other's lives. It's been way too long, I think the last time we saw each other was a little over 2 years ago for my 29th birthday. I cannot believe he works downtown now and he is only about 5 blocks from me!! He's been in downtown just as long as I have. He still looks the same and hasn't aged a bit but that's because he doesn't have any kids just yet. J and his wife are working on it but you know when you get to our age, it actually takes work and timing to get pregnant. Hmmm... now I'm thinking maybe I should consider getting pregnant soon. My clock is ticking as well......

It's funny how life is when you lose touch with your old friends but once you get together again, it's like old times and a thing hasn't changed! We do not see each other often but our friendship continues were we left off. Trying to catch up on each other's lives (2 years to be exact) and talking about the people we used to know and hang out with in an hour is pretty darn hard but really when do we all have any other time? We are all busy and when we do have the spare time (weekends or weeknights, you want to really spend it with your family/loved ones). I told him we will have to make this a monthly lunch or something so we don't lose touch again! We both work so close to each other and it would be nice to hang out once in a while instead of once every two years. I hope we can do that.....

Afterwork, I went to Holt Renfrew to pick up my newly ordered shoes, Stuart Weitzman little black pumps. Lovely.....

Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club

Tonight, I headed over to the comedy club again to see Ian Bagg as he was the headliner for tonight's comedy fest show! KD came by to pick me up as it was still raining, I could have taken the bus but she insisted. When she came to pick me up, she was talking on the phone with LS (little sh*t) and she was becoming a little bit hysterical. I was a little worried because she was waving her arms around and screaming in the phone. I was thinking that I should have taken the bus instead. But we made it in one piece. I thought the show started at 8 but apparently on the weeknights it starts at 8.30 instead of 8. We were pretty damn early. Jas met us at the club on time, we were to be there at 7.30 so we could get good seats but because we had the wrong time, we were really early. We decided to have a drink at the bar in the hotel lobby. Since I hadn't eaten (late lunch), I ordered a glass of red wine and breadsticks with dip. Two of the dips were yummy, the third one was made with olives and I don't like olives. After our drinks, we headed down to the basement to get our seats and it was a really great show. All the comedians tonight were really funny and there was an asian dude and he was pretty darn funny for a chinese guy! But Ian Bagg was hilarious and I really enjoyed his act. He was the main act and def. worth the $15.00. I hope to catch his comedy show the next time he's in Vancouver, apparently he has his own show called The Ian Bagg Show at 10.30pm at Tom Lee Auditorium in downtown, Vancouver for three nights. What a fun night, we all got some great laughs and it was good for all of us. Laughter is the best medicine they say. But I am really really tired. I need to wake up tomorrow to go to work and it's already past 11.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Sick Day

What a day I had! First of all, karma really does come around!! This morning I called work and told them I could come in to work because I was feeling fine. Seriously. No pain, just a little bit of discomfort but no swelling and there wasn't any pain where my teeth was pulled. Yes seriously, NO PAIN. But Val insisted that I take a day to rest. Ok, I for one am not going to argue with her so I took another sick day. Since I was taking the day off I thought I would see Kay out the door as I never see her in the mornings. Before she left, I ran up to her to give her a big kiss and a hug but slipped, ran into her knocking us both onto the floor. I banged my knee and now I have a huge ugly purple/blue bruise on my left knee!!! See, karma goes around. I didn't have ANY PAIN from my wisdom teeth removal that I had to feel some sort of pain for something. Crazy sh*t, I know.

Since I had taken a sick day, guess who else took a sick day? Marie! My dear sweet lovely happy bubbly friend, Marie! She called me early (before lunch) and asked if she could come by for lunch (she was going to bring me soup but I said NO WAY, I'm eating real food now!!) She had a migraine for a couple of days so she took a sick day to see her chiropractor, he can usually fix her back and neck so that the discomfort of her migraines will soothe down. After her appointment, we headed over to Thai Takeway for lunch and caught up on life. Too bad it was pouring, what a day, we both had a sick day and it was pouring rain! After lunch, she needed to run some errands so I went with her since I had no plans and having someone to run errands with is so much more fun than doing them by yourself! We headed over to her friend, Jules to pick up something that Marie left in her car. Jules was at work and Marie had a key (they are very close), she took me around her little suite and it's quite cute. Very expensive but she lives in a really nice area, Kerrisdale. We headed over to Choices because Marie is a vitamin freak and her vitamins were on sale. I ended up picking up a bottle of Nutra Sea Omega 3 capsules because the lady at the stand (promoting the product, its a new product that just hit the shelves) convinced me and Marie to pick some up. Great benefits and I will see how well it works. I'm already taking a multi-vitamin and I am looking into taking some calcium pills as well but will have to consult with my family doctor first. After Choices, we headed back to her chiropractor's to pick up a note for work, she needs one to take a sick day and then dropped me back home. It was really nice spending the afternoon with her. I hadn't seen her in a month and a half. Even though it was pouring rain, she was my ray of sunshine today, yes I know it's cheesy but she really is one of those "feel good/positive" people.

Wisdom Teeth

This morning at 9.30am, I had an appointment for an oral surgery, ah, a fancy way of saying, "pulling out my wisdom teeth". At first, I was quite nervous about getting all four wisdoms pulled out (yes, all FOUR) and I'm terrified of needles (yes I have a tattoo on my back but this is why it's on my back cuz I didn't want to watch the needle tattooing my skin!!) Yesterday afternoon, I spoke to a couple of people who had their wisdom teeth taking out and they stated the surgeon used a needle to put the IV into your veins. WHAT??!!?? Sticking a needle in my vein?? Uuuuuhhhhhh NO. I would have re-scheduled the appointment (again!) but it was already too late (this was yesterday late in the afternoon).

I walked into the office with a bit of nerves but everyone at the office was very friendly, helpful and comforting. This surgeon is the best in Vancouver and he is always fully booked, to schedule an appointment, you could be waiting for months for your appointment. But luckily I was able to get an appointment with him within a month as this was somewhat of an emergency. I have been having some major problems with my wisdom teeth, the last time being a very bad infection on my gums (food was stuck behind the wisdom teeth). As I was lying on the chair, he asked me how I was doing and not to worry because this would over and done with real fast. Also looking over my xray, it was going to be a simple procedure, no problems with my roots and my wisdom teeth were completely grown out. As he stuck the needle in my arm, I was thinking about happy thoughts and he told me that I would feel a little dizzy like I've had too many glasses of margaritas. He said it would sting a little bit as the medicine was going in and if it did, he would slow it down. After 20 seconds, he asked me how I was feeling and I said, nope I don't feel dizzy. He said, you must be a good drinker and I said yep! He laughed and asked what I like to drink and I answered, it's been red wine lately (must be my age!). After he mentioned a red wine from France (which now I have forgotten), I was completely out.

Woke up in a recovery room with a bit of a headache, some pain and swollen mouth. There were a few pieces of gauze in my mouth to soak up the blood in my mouth - BLECH!! My father was running late (they wouldn't let me go, someone has to pick me up) and as I sat there in the waiting chair in the recovery room (I was completely awake after 30 minutes, the next girl was lying on the recovery bed), I could feel a little bit of discomfort and swelling but not much more, considered myself pretty lucky as I thought I would have gotten sick from the anesthesia. When my father finally got there to pick me up, they gave him some extra gauze (needed to change it every hour because I was going to be bleeding for the rest of the day), a prescription for painkillers, and my 4 wisdom teeth (yes I wanted to keep them). I couldn't really walk straight and my dad had to help me walk to the car and to the apartment. I lied on the couch for a few hours and finally decided to take a nap. Kay came home afterschool and daddy stayed around to watch out for her and me, I guess. I woke up around 6.30ish, close to 7 and I was famished! I hadn't had anything to drink or eat since last night at 8pm!! We decided to head over to the Congee Noodle House on Broadway because daddy didn't want me to eat anything solid. The instruction sheet from the doctor's office stated that I wasn't suppose to eat anything for two days and only to have clear liquids, no smoking for 5 days. Yeah right. I don't think so. By the time I woke up from my nap, I was ready to eat SOMETHING, ANYTHING. Congee hit the spot and when I came home from dinner, I was competely awake, not ready for bed at all.

I am thinking about taking tomorrow off even though I am feeling fine. Well, I guess I will see how I feel when I wake up tomorrow. Oh, off to watch House!

Seattle Premium Outlet

What a long day we had! Shopping in an outlet mall is very time consuming and very dangerous to my bank account! Jas and KD think I have a huge shopping problem (ahem!! Trishashopholic?) as I am the one whom made the most purchases. I know a great deal when I see one and I for one, will not pass up a great deal! Before heading off to the outlet mall, I joined the VIP club on the premium outlet website and printed off a bunch of awesome coupons to make my shopping experience even better!

It was a long drive to Tulalip's Seattle Premium Outlet (about 2 ½ hours from the border) but the we spent the longest time waiting at the border, we were in line for an hour. Lots of people had the same idea as we, going to the States for a day of shopping! Finally we reached the check out point and they let us through with no problems. Our first stop was at Bellis Fair to have lunch and pick up a couple of items. I wanted to buy some socks and stockings at Target because I love the below ankle sockets Target carries. I remember discovering them a few years ago during a weekend trip to Seattle to visit friends. I hadn't been able to find anything in Vancouver and when I did find something similar, they weren'’t as nice as the ones I got from Target. The ones from Target are thin and comfy and the Hanes socks are thick and sporty. Now it isn't like the Target socks were super inexpensive and they are about the same price as the Hanes socks, I just figured if I'’m already in Bellis Fair, I might as well pick up the comfy wearable socks! Yip, I'’m crazy.

As we headed back onto the road, our drive was long and boring. Kay and I fell asleep in the car, we took a mini nap, I hate car rides esp. long ones. We made it to Seattle Premium Outlet at around 3.00ish and I could not wait to get started. First stop, the Gap store but I didn'’t really look for anything as I have already been to the Gap store in Camarillo while I was in LA last month. KD picked up a couple of cotton long sleeve shirts for about $7.00USD, that's a pretty good price but the line up to the cashier was 20 minutes!! Banana Republic was next, I had printed off a 25% discount coupon and I spent the most money at BR but I can justify it because these are my fall items for work. My best buy was a knee length black wool dress for $49.99 (marked down) and additional 25% off! We also hit Kenneth Cole which I ended up buying a really nice pair of dark denim blue jeans for going out (all my jeans are not suitable for going out for drinks or dinner, only for running errands and stuff). Had to go to Calvin Klein to pick up some more dress shirts for work, I bought one when I was in LA last month at the Camarillo Outlet and it's a beautiful shirt. A lovely fit and everyone at work thought it was stunning! I ended up buying a black and a beige one. Also hit the Polo Ralph Lauren because I wanted to pick up a v neck sweater that Jas got while we were in LA and it's so beautifully tailored. Normally I don't like to wear sweaters (cuz of the bulkiness) but this one is very slimming and is a classic sweater that will go nicely with my new CK beige shirt. Of course we could not forget about Kay, we ended up at the store she was waiting to go to and I bought her a pair of Converse sneakers because she has been bugging me for months and months for a pair! She got a really cool pair for only $19.99 USD! That is a great price!! I was a little bit disappointed in the Burberry Store as I was hoping to find a pair of rubber rainboots and a wool hat but no luck. Jas is going to London, England next month so she will pick up a wool hat for me. I had seen one at Holt Renfrew for $260.00CDN and that is a ridiculous price for a HAT!! Last stop, Sony store for a pair of headphones because the one that came with my mp3 player is dying, giving off crackling sounds and it bugs me! We spent about 5 hours there and we were ready to head home. We stopped off at Applebee's for dinner and it was disgusting but hey, when you are hungry, you will eat anything. The weather started to turn as we left the outlet, started to rain on us!! Lucky us getting out of there just in time before it started to pour.

Heading back to the border, we were trying to figure out what we were going to say to customs. Canadian customs can be a pain. The duties on US shopping is ridiculous! 30% duty and 13% provincial and federal taxes which would make our shopping deals out the window. But KD decided to take a chance and lowered our number on our purchases but the custom lady didn't buy it. She made us pop the trunk and caught all our shopping bags. KD stated we had bought $170.00 worth of goods but there were a bunch of shopping bags in the trunk def. not worth $170.00. We pulled over and had to pay the fines, duties and taxes before they would let us head home. We ended up paying 60% (duty + penalty) and 13% taxes. ARGH!! We had $600.00 undeclared goods so we ended up paying quite a bit in taxes/penalties. They also decided to take their sweet time holding us there at the office, we were there for almost 2 hours!! By the time we got home it was past midnight and poor little Kay, she was tired but played little actress, quite well too if I may add. We had her pretending to sleep in the back, hoping customs would let us go, you know not wanting to wake a child up but nope, that didn't work. So when we ended up at the customs office, she had to pretend she was drowsy and drunk with sleep. I should put her into acting classes and see if she could do something with this talent of hers ;)

What a long night and day.... photos to be posted soon......

Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club

Tonight, I went to Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club with Jas because she had tickets to see the show sponsored by her real estate agency, Remax. Since the tickets were paid for and I didn't have to spendy any of my money, I figured why not go and enjoy the night with my best girlfriend, right? It's nice to get some laughs into my system after a very very long week at work. Also, I hadn't been to a comedy show in ages and I thought it would be something different and fun to do. We are now past the clubbing and dancing and drinking all night stage. I didn't realize that Yuk Yuk's changed venues and instead of being at Plaza of Nations, they moved to the basement of the Century Plaza on Burrad Street. Before the show, there was a wine and dine (on appetizers) for the guests in the bar lobby of the hotel named BEYOND. WOW was this bar ever gorgeous! Wow, did the Century Plaza ever clean themselves up! (recently renovated) A few years ago, I went to the Century to get a spa treatment at Absolute Spa and I remember thinking (while walking through the lobby of the hotel) oh my gosh, is THIS the Century Plaza with the world famous Absolute Spa? But with the recent renos, they've done a pretty darn good job at turning the hotel into a first class hotel. If you have not been there recently, I would strongly recommend you go out there and check it out. It's beautiful, the inside of the hotel, oh I better make it clear that the outside hasn't changed, it's the inside that they renovated. What a drastic change. As we wined and dined in the bar, we mingled with other guests and friends of Jas's real estate agent (the one that invited us). After finishing off the wine and filling our tummies with the appy's (not the best, everything was cold but who's going to complain on an empty stomach? Not us.) We headed down to the basement to grab some seats for the show. The show started at 8pm and there were 3 acts and 1 headliner. The host was a local Vancouverite who was a doctor by day and a comedian by night (that's kinda scary, I wouldn't want him to be my doctor!) and this guy was pretty good at hosting, his jokes were hilarious. The first two comedians were not that funny IMO and both of them had a very warped sense of humor which I didn't find very funny. But the third guy, Ian Bagg (who will be headling on Wednesay) was seriously hilarious and we loved how he could work the crowd. His jokes were distrubingly funny but funny. We are planning to buy tickets to see him this coming Wednesday night. The headliner was also a Vancouverite but he too was not that funny, IMO. Jokes were a little boring and he didn't seem to work the crowd very well. He seemed to have to try really hard to crack the jokes and when he did, not funny at all. A few people in the crowd actually started to leave before the show finished. Ouch, that hurts. The waitress who was serving us, was a ditz. She took forever to bring our drinks and was flaky with our bill. The berloody drinks were expensive! OMG, a martini cost almost $10 and boy was it ever strong. I only managed to finish half of the drink. Blah! I should have ordered a glass of red wine instead. After the show, we said our thank you's and good byes and headed home. Gosh, it was a long work week and am I ever glad it's over!

Tomorrow, off to Seattle Premium Outlet! I signed up for their VIP and printed off a bunch of coupons. I am going to do some serious shopping tomorrow and break the bank, I'm sure! An early start and probably a late night back with customs on our @sses. More shopping details tomorrow.... Outlet Shopping, here I come, ARE YOU READY FOR ME?? :)

More Comments re: handbags for Jenni

Hi Jenny!

I know I didn't post any Coach handbags and I really really tried to go on there and pick something out but I am not the BIGGEST FAN of Coach..... I have a problem with the tag stating "Made in China" .... ugh!! Why couldn't they make their handbags in the USA or Spain or even Malaysia?? Okok, sorry for being so anal but in my previous post, I gave you a few different luxury brands with handbags under $500.00. I'm not exactly sure what you are looking for and when a girl goes shopping for a handbag, it can be what you least expect or like! After your shopping trip this weekend, let me know what you had decided on, ok?

Tips by Trish

• Be sure to pose with the handbag and when I mean "pose" I mean, holding it in your hands, on your shoulder etc.

• Make sure there is enough room in the handbag to carry all your needed personal items plus some. Extra room, even a little, is important cuz you never know what you might put in there last minute!

• I love pockets esp. big pockets (on the front) and pockets inside the purse, to hold cellphones or lipstick etc.

• Comfort is a big one for me esp. holding a lot of stuff in my handbag, shoulder strap being thick and carrying the weight evenly over your shoulders or handle grips have a comfortable grip when holding the bag with your hands.

Ok last but not def. not least favorite and under $500 but not very practical...

Louis Vuitton
Récital

This functional, feminine pouch is ideal for the transition between day and evening. Held elegantly on the shoulder, the Récital offers an imaginative double-folded top opening, while the interior is sized for essential belongings: makeup kit, wallet, and cell phone.

• Monogram canvas with natural cowhide trim and golden hardware
• Unique fold-over flap closure with hidden snap
• Raspberry alcantara textile lining
• Inside patch pocket
• Elegant shoulder strap
• 7.9" L x 5.1" H x 2.5" W

$485.00

Good Luck with your shopping and be sure to have fun with it!!! Wish I could be there with you, I would never turn down handbag shopping...actually who am I kidding?? I would NEVER turn down shopping of any kind. P.E.R.I.O.D. Can't wait to hear all about your shopping trip and awaiting to see what you decide on as your new handbag!!!

We Remember

The World Trade Center site fell silent four times -- twice each to mark jetliner crashes and the collapse of its iconic towers -- and solemn remembrances were held around the nation Monday to mark the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Ground zero in lower Manhattan went quiet at 8:46 a.m. and 9:03 a.m., for the impacts of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Flight 175, and again at 9:59 a.m. and 30 minutes later, when the south and north towers fell.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, paid tribute to those who lost their lives and the rescuers who fought to save them. "Five years have come, and five years have gone, and still we stand together as one," he said. "We come back to this place to remember the heartbreaking anniversary - and each person who died here - those known and unknown to us, whose absence is always with us."

The spouses and partners of the 2,749 people who died at the trade centre then read out the names of the victims - as has happened every year since the attacks.

President George W Bush opened the day by hosting a breakfast for the firefighters and police officers who were among the first to rush to the burning skyscrapers. The president later stood in front of a door salvaged from a fire truck destroyed that day, a flag at half-mast above him. Mr Bush is to visit the attack sites in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon later in the day before addressing the American public on television from the Oval Office.

In Shanksville, where United Flight 93 crashed to the ground, killing 40, people gathered at a temporary memorial - a chainlink fence covered with American flags, firefighter helmets and children's drawings.

Moments of silence were also observed in the American and United terminals of Logan International Airport in Boston. American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 took off from Logan before slamming into the towers.

Other remembrances are planned around the country and the world.

Busy Busy Busy!

Wow, it's been a while since I last posted on my blog! I have been terribly busy these last few weeks esp. at work and at home. I was off to LA for a week and came back to a bunch of paperwork to catch up on. The admin assist who works closely with me went on vacation for a week and half which meant I was the only administrative person on my floor, keeping me quite busy.

Kay had a really good start to the school year and the weather is finally starting to cool down which is nice. I love Vancouver in the autumn. That is my fave. season :)

I have a few posts saved in my draft that I have not finished but as soon as those are updated, I'll be sure to post them.

I also have to update my shopping blog as there are a few new items I've purchased in the recent weeks. :)

PS. Jenni if you are still around reading my blog, I also have a post about handbags in my drafts. And what happened to your blog!!?? I tried to look it up and it's gone :( Anyways, stick around and I'll be sure to upload the photos! Unless of course you have already purchased a handbag! Let me know :) Hope you are doing well and things are going good!

Louis Vuitton Addiction

A beautiful piece added to my growing collection....

PNE

What a day!! Sheesh, I’m super tired. Today, Jas, Kay, C (Kay’s friend) and I headed out to the PNE – the Best Family Entertainment event in Canada! Being it’s last day for the PNE, it was super busy and tons of people had the same idea as we did. I didn’t purchase the all day ride passes for the girls because I was not too comfortable with the idea of letting the two girls walk around by themselves. Plus with so many exhibitions, shows and people wandering around, I just didn’t want to lose either of them! There is a lot to do besides ride all the cool / freaky rides. Shows and Shopping! I decided to drive to the PNE instead of taking the transit even though I figured it would be hard to find parking but decide to risk it. Not surprising, we did not find parking at the PNE parking lot, both lots were full (cars were ling up to wait their turn to get into the parking lot!) so we decided to see what the neighborhood offered in parking spaces. Around the corner were some people who live in the area and were trying to sell me a parking spot in their yard or front door but these people were asking for $25.00!! $5.00 more than the pay parking lot!! I don’t think so. We ended up driving back up Hastings street and parked about 5 blocks away from the Playland front gates. Not too bad of a walk but the sign on the street stated no parking between the hours of 12-6pm Monday to Friday and being a Monday (but a holiday) had no idea if that applied or not. There were many cars parked along the street as well (I figure they must have the same idea as me) so I took a chance. Arriving at Playland front gates, we walked pass the rides and headed over to the PNE. We hadn't had lunch because we were saving our tummies for the junk food being served. We ate all our fave. junk food, first stop burgers and fries. The girls wanted the famous deep fried potato chips and I wanted some perogies but the line up for that place was much too long. After the food (picked up some of those little donuts for dessert), we decided to burn off some of the calories off by walking around the exhibition. We caught a motorcross bike show, the dog show, the Taiwanese latern festival and stopped by the sandcastle exhibit. We also ended up at the shopping arena which I usually end up buying tons of stuff AS SEEN ON TV but ah, not this year. I went in for one item and one item only and came out with that one item. These amazing little wipes that look like a pill but are made of a biodegradeable material that soaks up liquid triple it's size! It's amazing! I love these little guys. I ended up buying 5 packs so I have 500 pieces!! These will end up in my car, in my kitchen, and at the office where I can do some major spill damage!! After walking the around the shopping booths, we were getting hungry again and made one last pit stop at the BBQ chicken!! Gotta have some BBQ chicken before you leave! Sheesh, what a day and I am going to start my healthly diet tomorrow or else all today's junk food will stick to me and never disappear. We spent 6 hours at the PNE and we missed the Show Home because we were all too tired and ready to call it a night. Oh well, maybe next year.... it was a good day. We always end up having so much fun at the PNE even though it's a little bit expensive.

For our PNE Photos taken today!

Taiwanese Cultural Festival

Today, Kay, Jas and I headed out to the Taiwanese Cultural Festival! We try to make it out to this event every year. It usually lands on the September long weekend and goes on for three days. This year, there was a cover charge for this event! WTF? $9.00 to be exact. Wow, I couldn'’t believe it. Well, luckily we were able to sneak in because they did not have secure gateways nor the volunteers had full control of the crowds. This year, there are two parts to the festival, food/shows/little stands (like the Chinese Nightmarket) were set up at Plaza of Nations and the second part the art exhibits and history presentation were set up at the Roundhouse Community Center in Yaletown (years before the festival was set up at the Plaza of Nations but the building is now being occupied by a casino). First, we headed for the food and little shopping stalls. We didn'’t stay to watch any of the activities happening on stage. We wandered around a bit and then off to the Roundhouse. We managed to get a stamp for entry at the RH, funny thing is we didn'’t pay but I didn'’t feel too bad because really they should not be charging a cover fee for this event. Every cultural festival that I have been to in Vancouver has not charged me an entry fee. That'’s ridiculous! Off to the RH (free bus shuttle service) but the RH is only about a 7 minute walk (5 blocks away) so we decided to walk it there and back (with some grumblings from the little one). At the RH, the theme of the centre was Taiwanese Arts. One room had photographs of different places in Taiwan taken by Taiwanese photographers, another room displayed the paper lanterns which were amazing and my fave room set up like an art museum displaying arts from Taiwan. This is def. my fave. part of the festival, looking at all the original Taiwanese art in the make shift gallery which always impresses me. These pieces are not for sale, display only and there was no sign up saying we couldn't take photos. Even though I wanted to take photos, I felt that these were original pieces of art and are somewhat copyrighted. But I saw many people taking photos but couldn't bring myself to do it without permission of the artist. Oh well. Also displayed in another room were photos of different parts of Taiwan taken by Taiwanese photographers. Those were really nice images, almost felt like I was there. It was a pretty good day only one thing missing.... R....