Vancouver Canucks vs San Jose Sharks

WIN 3 - 1

Wow! What a game! Roberto Luongo (Canucks Goalie) made an amazing save during the 2nd period! He received a standing ovation from the fans and def. is the best goal tender in the league! Check out this write up about this game on the Canucks website.

"His best save of the night – and maybe even the season – came when Marcel Goc picked up a rebound, circled around the net and tried to exploit a floundering Luongo. But even with an empty net, Goc couldn’t foil the goalie. When Luongo reached across the net and caught the puck while he was on his belly, Goc looked absolutely dumbfounded." - Kyle Hardland

What an amazing game! I've been really lucky to have attended two really great games!! Let's hope the next game I go to is as exciting as these two! I will def. have to add my name to the draw for Hockey Tickets more often.

Our lovely Saturday

Today, Kay and I spent most of the day with my mom and brother. First off, we had to head back to Creo Bellus to pick up some of mom's pieces and my custom made peridot earrings. We also planned on having lunch and running some errands. My earrings are so beautiful and the details are amazing. The earrings came up to $400 with a family and blog discount! I didn't realize they were going to come up to this much but I do have to say, they are def. worth every penny, lovely peridots (my birthstone) and 5 point diamonds (3 on each earring).

We didn't realize how long we ended up staying at Creo Bellus because after a couple of hours, our tummies were starting to growl! Since my brother would not be coming with us to run errands (he apparently doesn't need any food) and had plans to attend a friend's birthday bash, we only had a couple of hours before he needed to be back in Richmond to get ready for his party. We decided to stay close by, on Main Street, at a Hong Kong style cafe which is known for cheap and fast food. I don't really like this kind of restaurant esp. on my new diet but decided to have something really simple and what I normally will not eat. Instant Noodles in a satay base soup with satay beef strips. It was pretty tasty except for the fact I could taste all that MSG in the soup! After our meal, we said our good byes and mom and I headed back to her place to drop off her thousands of dollars worth of jewellery as we were going to head over to Metrotown and she did not want to carry all the pieces wth her. We decided to head over to the Superstore in Metrotown because I had to check HonHon's mail as I have not done so in weeks! Boy did he have A LOT of mail! Oops!! After checking his mail, we headed over to Metrotown because we needed to pick up a gift for C's birthday party (at the Garage Clothing store), we bought her a nice pullover top with a lacey tank top to match. After Garage Clothing, we headed over to Superstore to pick up a few items as they did not have everything we were looking for (this Superstore is terrible, they are never ever up to date with their stock!). After a while, we realized it was getting late and we still needed to pick up take out for dinner. We headed over to the newly renovated T&T Supermarket on the other side of the shopping centre. Gosh, I had not realized how large it has become and it is looking very "Richmond' like! I cannot believe how many Hongers and Chinese people now live in the South Burnaby area, it almost feels like a mini Richmond!! I do have to say though, I am loving this new and large T&T Supermarket except that I am no longer living in the area so I won't be visiting it too often. The closest T&T for me in the Cambie area is the one in Chinatown and that one is not very big and it hasn't been updated or renovated since it first opened. At T&T, we picked up a few more items missing from our list and picked up some sweet & sour pork and chicken for dinner. We headed back to mom's place and KD was still around packing her stuff (she's moving out of my mom's bsmt suite at the end of the month). We chit chatted a bit and caught up on life, she finally found a receptionist job at a Kia dealership in Richmond which is better than her call centre job (paying only min. wage and contracted for 6 weeks). After speaking with her, I headed back upstairs to eat dinner with mom and grandma. Kay and I stayed around for a bit and we finally decided to call it a night by 10.00pm because we were both really worned out from today.

Check out the below photos of my custom earrings and winning prize!!

Ken's Good Bye Lunch / Katie's Visit

This afternoon, we headed over to Savory Coast (yes, again!) for lunch to say good bye and to wish Ken T Great Happiness and Luck in Japan. He has been with the company for quite a number of years and even though he did not want to make a big deal about his parting, we could not let him go without a lunch! Just a small group of people whom he has worked with over the years were there to wish him all the best. I managed to snap a few photos of this lunch and with some people in the office so we do not forget Ken! Although, I am sure none of us will, he is a really nice guy and a great person to work with, we will miss him lots and it won't be the same without him.

Why to Japan, you ask? He is leaving us because his wife took on a really great job in Japan (originally where she is from) and they decided it is her time to be where she wants to be as she has been in Vancouver for many years. We wish him all the very best. Good for them and Good Luck Ken! (Photos from Lunch, Click Here)

Erin and Katie also came out for lunch and I got some pretty great shots of her too! (Photos from the Office, Click Here) Click onto the photo to enlarge:

Calorie Counting

I was watching Ellen today and her fitness guru, Bob Harper, was on the show talking about calorie counting, how to lose weight effectively and how to keep fit in the comfort of your own home. He suggested picking up this book because it is a great book to keep with you while you are eating and watching what you are putting into your body. How interesting.... I am thinking about picking one up......

I won!

I just got a call from Tai (Creo Bellus) telling me that I won the necklace draw from the Grand Opening! How cool is that? Plus, my birthstones / diamonds have arrived and he is making my earrings as I type this, it should be ready on Saturday. How exciting, I can't wait to see them!

Oh yes just one more thing to mention, this for a steal price!

Louis Vuitton - TBA to my LV Wish List

Louis Vuitton, limited edition Heart Purse from the Saint Valentine Collection in Vernis, Pomme D'Amour colour.

To be released February 1, 2007.

I should put my name on the waiting list but I will be very disappointed if I cannot get one......

$375 CDN

Facials and Jewellery

Today, mom and I had appointments to get at home facials with a couple of representatives from Sunrider. At first, I was a little bit skeptical about this because it sounded like a pyramid scheme but after some researching, I found that this wasn't as what it seemed. It is a direct sales company and they carry a lot of herbal products developed and researched in USA, Taiwan, China and all around the world!

Eva, mom's friend, came over to talk about the products and what a difference it can make to your personal well being. As I had already done some of my own research, I didn't really focus in on everything she was telling us. Another reason because she was speaking in Cantonese and I could not understand a word she was saying. But I already knew the product lines were hugely successful and many people who used it, seemed to be better from using the products. I signed on as a member because I was interested in the facial products and also the herbal tea bags in which help cleansed you internally. The membership fee is a little high but it's a one time fee and a lifetime membership. I am willing to pay the price if it will improve my skin as I have been having problems finding creams/cleansers for my face. Besides, calculating the cost of some of the products I have spent over the years is by far lower than what I paid into the membership.

After our facials, we headed over to Creo Bellus to meet my brother and pick up my mom's jewellery. The last time we were there, the backroom was not completely finished and still in the process of being set up with the working stations. Wow, it looks so professional now and they even have their own little "barista" in the hallway. Josh still works at Starbucks once or twice a month because of the awesome benefits he gets for being employed with Starbucks. I asked him if he could pick up the cute pink heart mug for me the next time he was in the shop as I have been eyeing this one since it came out but I don't want to pay the retail price for the mug. I think he gets 30 or 40% off the retail. They did an amazing job at cleaning and restoring my mom's jewellery! I was so impressed that I asked Tai if he could clean my rings. He did an amazing job, both of my rings look brand new! As if I just purchased them today! I wish I had a photo of the before and after but I don't. My mom gave my brother a really nice diamond men's ring but it was set in yellow gold. At first when my mother gave him the ring (last week), he didn't seem to be all that fond with it but after Tai cleaned up the ring, the difference is incredible! You cannot tell it's the same ring! After Tai cleaned off my beautiful white gold rings, we were able to convince my brother to re-polish the yellow gold ring and make it into a white gold ring which will make the diamonds POP! It was really cool to watch my brother's ring turn from yellow to white, I wish I had my camera so I could record it and post it. Of course, the white gold will not last forever and eventually after wearing it, it will eventually return to its original colour (yellow) but all he has to do is bring it back to Creo Bellus for a replating. I also discussed my earrings with Tai and changed the design on my earrings again! But he was super nice about it and wanted me to be completely happy with the final design. No pressure and genuinely cared about all the details of my earrings.

We finished up so the boys could get back to work, we wanted to take them out for dinner but they decided to take a raincheck because they still had a lot of work ahead of them. We headed over to a not so great but cheap chinese restaurant on Victoria. After dinner, we headed back to my mom's and my brother stayed to trim my mom's hair while I decided to head home. I am almost ready to go to bed!

Happy 31st Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASMINE!

Tonight we celebrated her 31st birthday! We had dinner reservations at Savory Coast on Robson (Dine Out Vancouver) and it was splendidly delicious! Although, IMO, it seemed that the restaurant overbooked themselves because our reservations were at 8.00pm but we did not get seated until 8.20pm but Dee (owner/manager) comp our drinks at the bar. It was pretty apparent that the restaurant also crammed in as many tables as they could possibly fit in their dining area. Although, I was not too impressed with our server, the food was delicious! I love the fact that we could choose three items from their regular menu. Many restaurants participating in Dine Out Vancouver set their own special Dine Out Vancouver menus and SC is one of the few places offering meals from their regular menu. I think I will def. consider holding my wedding reception at Savory Coast (whenever we get official....). When we finally had the chance to order (super busy!), I did not see the "dessert" on the menu and asked our server if the third item was dessert or was it another appetizer from the menu. She jumped right out to tell us that we didn't have to order the third item! WHAT? Why the heck would I not order the third item??!!?? I am paying $35.00 for a three course meal, ah yeah, I will order the third item even if I am feeling really full because I will def. make sure I have it all!! Our server was not very attentive to our table and I am sure she had a long busy night but if she can't handle this business, she should not be a server at a nice restaurant. She did not ask us how our meals were, she did not make sure our order was correct, and when we were ready to order dessert, she did not ask if we wanted any tea or coffee with it! Overall, the food was really good and I have the photos to prove it! You should def. head over to the Savory Coast on Robson, you will not be disappointed!

After dinner, we decided on having a couple of drinks and since we were downtown already, we decided to check out Zin Restaurant and Lounge as it was close by and we haven't been there in quite some time (well I haven't been since my birthday dinner was held there in 2001 or 2?). The lounge has been renovated since that time we were there. Not as trendy as it was once was and the decor has been renovated to feel and look more casual. Now it seems there are two areas: a restaurant and lounge area. Drinks were ok, not great but it was a nice place to talk and wind down. I had wanted to go to Jupiters but it's not a quiet place and it would have been really hard to talk and relax. Originally, we were thinking about heading to a jazz lounge but it was a little bit further out and V didn't drive M's car. After drinks, it was time to head home since Jas and I took the transit down, we did not realize V drove his Porsche tonight instead of M's Honda. This meant we all had to cram into his car like a can of sardines! Overall, it was a wonderful night with wonderful friends!

For more Birthday Photos! V has some good ones on his camera.... if I EVER get them, he still owes me photos from New Years!

Dine Out Vancouver

Click the menu to enlarge.

Tonight, Val and I went for dinner right after work, we headed over to Tropika for Dine Out Vancouver 2007. There goes my "Dine Out One Night" of the week. Actually, I had lunch with the girls on Wednesday so my DOON has already been used and tomorrow I have another dinner out for Jasmine's 31st birthday! This week, my eating schedule is really screwed but I guess what I can do is not eat out for the next 2 - 3 weeks. I can TRY to avoid eating out which means in my mind (the guilt) I could make up for this week! Does that make any sense?? :)

There was a lot of food served for Dine Out Van at Tropika, I couldn't believe all the dishes we had. Click the menu to enlarge onto another window. Everything was so delicious and the Coconut Seafood Fried Rice was a full order which surprised me! The soup was amazing, I have never had soup at Tropika before and I think I will def. have to order this one the next time. For $25 to sample their menu, it was a really good price and one of the better menus on the Dine Out Vancouver site. The Coconut Seafood Fried Rice on the menu is approx. $11.00 or so.

Dine Out Vancouver is one of my fave. events of the year, usually it showcases a lot of great restaurants in Vancouver. I checked out the website and was hoping that Gotham would be participating again this year but they did not. Very disappointed. Lumiere was also not included in the list either. One of these days, I will have to try both of these restaurants. Only for a special occasion of course!

Wish List - Next Louis Vuitton Handbag

This is my next Louis Vuitton handbag. I think HonHon should buy it for me for Valentine's Day. Love the style (which I have been eyeing since the beginning of my LV obessession) but did not like it in the Monogram or Damier Canvas print. It is now available in the Mini Lin! I didn't think I would like the pattern but I saw someone carrying this bag and I am IN LOVE.

The Details
Monogram Mini Lin Bucket PM
$975.00 USD ($1,050.00 CDN)
Monogram Mini Lin canvas; supple, light, and resistant
58% cotton, 24% linen, 18% polyamide
Grained calf leather trim
Light colored stitching
Shiny brass metal hardware
Open top
Flat leather shoulder straps with adjustable buckles
Removable inside zipped pouch with clasp
Tonal textile lining
9" x 10.2" x 6.3"

Canada Post Delivery

Look what finally arrived!

Yep, it finally came and OMG, it's HUGE! My neighbors were kind enough to hold the package for me since I was not home to sign for it. Lucky for me that they did! Because the box is huge and it would have been a huge hassle trying to get that box into my little VW Bug!

OT

I.A.M.T.I.R.E.D.

Two days in a row that I had to stay in the office past my usual time I get off which is 4.30pm. Last night, I stayed until 7.00pm to help finish a proposal that needed to be out the door the next day. Five 3" binders that needed to be sorted and labelled so it be couriered out the following day. Now, you IMAGINE the amount of paper needed to go into those binders. Although, I can't really complain because of all the extra time I'll be banking and the payout. But on Monday, I was super tired because I had not slept well on Sunday night (with only 4 hours of sleep) and by the end of the night, I was ready to pass out. Since we had left so late and did not have anything to eat, V and I headed over to Kitto Japanese Restaurant on Granville Street to have dinner. Kitto is a little Japanese Restaurant that has been around for a long time. Located on the "Granville Strip" by the theatres and other entertainment venues, it is a really good place for quick bite (due to the quick service) within a budget. It is not the best Japanese in Vancouver but reasonable considering it's location. Usually, the Japanese restaurants in downtown are crap and over priced. Not all was lost as Val and I were able to chitchat and unwind during our dinner. Keeping to my 900 calories a day with no carbs or sugars after breakfast, I ordered a Sashimi platter (13 pcs) and 2 pcs of chopped scallop with tobiko (ok, I broke the rule here) and 1 pc Unagi sushi. Mmmmm... yummy! Delicious. I could LIVE ON JAPANESE FOOD.....

After dinner, we caught our transit back, I on the bu and Val on the skytrain. I was thinking while standing at the bus stop freezing my @ss off, that maybe I should consider taking the taxicab home (5 minute ride) but I decided it would be a waste of money. In the end, I should have taken the taxi up because taking the bus from downtown wasted almost 35 minutes of my night. I was super tired and so ready to pass out when I got home but I could not go straight to bed as I had to prep Kay's and my lunch for the following day..... still got a few things to do before heading off to catch some zzz's......

Oh wait, ONE MORE THING... the VP noticed our hardwork and gave both of us a pair of Canucks Hockey Tickets! How exciting is that? Very ....

Sunday Errands

Today, we did our usual Sunday errands. Picking up our weekly groceries! Gosh, how exciting! Really! Yes, can you read the excitment in my words?

Nothing too interesting happened today. Kay and I headed over to mom's to drop off some items for her. After chatting with my mom for a bit, we headed over to Superstore to pick up our weekly groceries. It was super cold today esp. when the sun went down. After Superstore, we needed to go to Capers to pick up some items that I could not find at Superstore. Picked up our stuff at Capers (I can't believe I spent $31.00 on 5 items!) and headed towards home. As we passed Blenz, Kay was asking me if I wanted to pick up a mocha. I have not had a mocha since last year because of my minimal sugar intake. I told her NO, I can't. She couldn't believe how strict I was being on this diet. But I am determined to lose some weight and not gain the weight from quitting smoking! Besides I'm not cutting everything out, just eating 900 calories a day or less. I am doing pretty good and my body is starting to get used to the amount of food I intake except on those days I call "Dine Out One Night". Which means that for one night (or lunch) of the week, I do not count the calories and eat whatever I want to eat. But I usually save these days for the weekend because my mom usually likes to dine out. On those days, I am full very quickly and can't even finish the meal! But I have to say, it has been quite hard not having my milk chocolate mocha on the weekends but I'm doing really good. While on this new diet, I should probably start doing some cardio or join a gym. I am procastinating on joining the gym, one of the reasons being, I do not like working out in the gym, I would rather be outside! I guess once the weather warms up, I'll be sure to get my butt out there to do some running, hiking, and biking. For now, I'll get my daily exercise from our walks and cleaning the apartment.

That was pretty much our day.....

Taboo Naughty But Nice Sex Show

After the opening, I had made plans to go to the Taboo Sex Show which was being held at the Vancouver Convention Centre. I met up with V, M and R at the centre because those three were already together in the afternoon. I had decided to take the bus down and boy I must have been crazy! It is so cold tonight! My fingers were frozen and I had forgotten my hat so I think I might have caught a cold.

The taboo show was pretty interesting and there was a lot to see but it was so crowded! I realize now that it is probably best not to go with your friends and to attend this event with your lover instead. I do not want to know how kinky my friends are in the bedroom! Too much personal info! Although, R and I didn't stay around long as V and M wanted us to go our seperate ways for an hour, there seemed to be a lot of great booths but I didn't get a chance to stop at them because V was running us up and down the centre looking for the kinky show that was being held. I thought we would eventually make our way back there but it seems that once V and M decided to go their own way, R and I decided to leave the show and get something to eat.

We headed over to Steamworks because it was close by and they served real food not fast food. Neither of us wanted fast food. We were in there for an hour eating and talking, she's a really fun person. Very cool to converse with. V called just as were were finishing our meals. He let us know they were ready to meet up with us and I said ok, we'll be there in 10 minutes. I guess we had some miscommunication because we were suppose to meet up at the front enterance. Once we got there, we were all waiting around for each other! R and I were at the front entrance to the convention centre while M and V were at the front entrance of the sex show! I guess they did not realize we had left the building. After the show, those two were hungry so we decided to stop at a Japanese restaurant on Cambie Street since I had already eaten, I only had green tea while those three had some food. After late night dinner/snack, we decided to call it a night as we were all very tired and they had to head back to Coquitlam.

Next year, I'm going to coincide HonHon's visit with the Taboo Sex Show!

Grand Opening - Creo Bellus

Today, we (mom, brother, Kay and I) went to our family friend's Grand Opening to help celebrate their new jewellery store front. My brother's friends, Josh and Tai, have opened up their new business in a store called Madison. Madison and Creo Bellus partnered up to open a store on Main Street and although this is Madison's second store, it's a first for our dear friends! How exciting and I can't believe how grown up those two are! It doesn't seem that long ago when they were still running around and skipping school. Wow, life can move so quickly, you blink your eyes and poof it's a few years gone by. I can't believe these boys are now grown men running their own business but in my eyes, they are still my little brother's bratty friends! Just kidding! Anyways, congrats and good for them! I am very proud of them.

During the opening, we stuck around for almost 2 hours! There were a lot of people coming through and business was good! They had already sold some pieces in the display case and both were already writing up many custom orders. My mom brought in a few pieces of jewellery for resizing and cleaning. I spoke to Tai about a pair of custom earrings with my birthstone/diamonds. I am very excited to see the final product, I can't wait. I know it's going to be a beautiful piece esp. since it will be done by hand. He has impeccable workmanship and has been in the business for 12 years! Wow, I still can't believe how grown up they are.

If any of you are interested in a custom piece of jewellery, please go see our good friends, Tai and Josh at Creo Bellus. (FYI, Creo Bellus Fine Jewellery - Vancouver has no relations to Creo Bellus Fine Beaded Jewelery, a couple of girls who handmakes beaded jewelery from South Burlington, VT)

Contact Info:
Creo Bellus Fine Jewellery
5690 Main Street
Vancouver, BC V5W2S7
(inside Madison)
Tel: 604-324-0015
Send an email to Josh and Tai

Extreme Winter

What a strange week of weather we have been experiencing! On Monday, the temperatures was not too crazy cold and in fact, it felt warmer than usual. Tuesday and Wednesday we were having some strong winds with freezing cold showers. Today, we have freezing temperatures and SNOW! YES SNOW!! Gosh this will really screw up traffic tomorrow!

Big O Tires

Today, my very kind brother drove my car to Big O Tires to rotate the tires and check out the front driver's side tire. On Saturday, the tire guy checked my tires to see what the percentage of my tires were at and the front two were at 30% but the back two were still pretty good. He suggested that we bring the car back the following week and he'll rotate them for me for free which means it will last another year. That saves me some $$ and I can start saving up the $$ to pick up the tires for the following year. I reminded my brother earlier in the afternoon to make sure the tire guy checks the front tire because I figure there must be a nail that is causing leak in the tire. Might as well get the tire looked at and fixed since we were bringing the car in. At least if there is a problem with the tire, it can be fixed! Yep there was a small screw in the tire and Big O patched it up for $17.00. Now I don't have to worry about my tires slowly losing air and checking the tires every couple of weeks!

After the tire shop, they decided to head over to Metrotown to do some shopping. Apparently, they both wanted to "kill some time" and do a bit of shopping. Well, they didn't buy anything but both did have some fun. Her uncle was teasing her all night and she can get pretty pissed off when you tease her, she took it quite lightly from my brother though. After a couple hours, they were finally getting hungry and started to head back to my place. Since I am on that salad chicken dinner diet, I decided to order my brother and Kay some take out from Hugo Restaurant (down the street). Pretty decent food at pretty decent prices. After dinner, those two played video games (Mario Party 7) until 9.15pm. My brother decided to call it a night - thank goodness! - it was getting late for Kay and I. But guess what? Kay did not start her homework nor did she finish her chores before leaving for the tire shop with her uncle. She was up later than usual to finish her math. Gosh I was not pleased. I have to wake up tomorrow at 6.00am! Oh well.... going to bed after 10.00 is not ideal but I was making a turkey stock on the stove top so I couldn't have gone to bed until 10.45pm anyways! It was still simmering!

Weekend Fun

Second weekend without any nicotine and I almost shot Kay......

But before I begin.... let's start with Saturday. Yesterday, I spent the afternoon and early evening with my mom and my brother. Because I quit smoking and my brother and R are my "comfy smoking buddies", I called to see if my brother had in fact quit smoking. He had not but told me he did not carry any cigarettes and was only smoking them when others had them. It is going to be harder for him to quit than myself because most of his friends smoke and I am the only smoker in my group of friends. Confirming that he did not have any cigarettes on him, I left the apartment without Kay (she is looking for a raise but she had a whole stack of chores to be done before giving her one!) around 12.00pm because I needed to go to Vancity to make a payment on my visa before heading over to Big O Tires to meet up with my mom and brother. Today, my brother was getting a new set of tires from Big O Tires courtesy of mom, grandma and I as an early birthday gift. Big O Tires are great! Reasonable Prices, Great Customer Service and Quick Service! The set of tires including installation and tire disposal fees came up to a little over $600.00. Gosh, that is still quite expensive but my brother's car needed performance tires not the regular ones. It was going to be about 30 minutes before we could get the car back so we decided to have dim sum across the street. Now I'm pretty picky about dim sum but my mom is not. I really didn't have a choice because there really isn't anything around there to eat besides some greasy chinese restaurants. Dim sum was cheap and it wasn't very good at all. But after a quick bite, we were ready to get back to the car so we could head back to my mom's. Going back to mom's to drop off our cars (to use grandma's car) we decided (well, my brother and I) decided it was time for a coffee. We stopped by Starbucks before heading over to Superstore to pick up some items and food. After wandering the store for a bit and picking up more than a few items, we headed back to mom's to put our items in our cars and to help mom put away her stuff. Because my brother had a hockey game, we decided to catch an early dinner on Commercial Drive (mom is only about 5 minutes from there). My brother was craving pasta so we went over to Marcello's for yummy pasta. They are moderately priced, serving a small selection of pasta and really great pizza! They are known for their brick oven pizzas but I, myself, can make fresh pizza at home (yes including the dough - which IMO is the best kind of pizza!) but they do make REALLY GREAT PIZZA next to my own. Mmmmmm.... yummy! Mom was not too impressed with the food and drenched her pasta with salt. My mom is very asian and she prefers asian fusion western dishes! After eating all that pasta (my mom and I shared a plate), I was feeling very very full as I had not had a full meal of carbs like that in 7 days! Gosh, I was really dying for a smoke!!! It was pouring rain as we headed home and after stopping in to say good bye to my grandma, I was off. I had picked up some McDonald's for Kay as a treat because she was stuck doing chores at home all day.

Sunday

Today, for the whole day, Kay and I spent it together. We really didn't do much but get into each other's face all day. In the afternoon, we were at home doing housework, updating photos and other fun things but a little after lunch, we decided we needed to get some air so we decided to go over to City Square Centre Safeway to pick up some fruits/veggies and meats for the week. Since it was a nice day (the sun was out but the air was crispy cold) we walked to CSC and it was a scenic walk if you can call the cambie construction scenic. At least we were able to see how far along the construction is going for the Canada Line but I imagine the future traffic getting worse and worse as each week of construction continues. When we reached CSC, we made our first stop to Kin's Market (a local fruit/veggie market) but the line ups were crazy and we were only going to pick up a few items. So we decided to pick up all our fruits/veggies at Safeway instead. Before Safeway, we headed into the Cook Shop because we must always stop by this store when were are in CSC. I love this store, they carry everything you need in a kitchen or to help with your culinary creations! They even carry egg rings! Yes, EGG RINGS. I have been looking for one of these for so long and forgot that the Cook Shop would probably stock these. A little expensive (priced at $7.99 for one!) but mom thought it was worth it. In case you are wondering why mom needed an egg ring so she can make nice round eggs for her english muffin breakfasts! We did find something that we thought would come in handy, a cheese slicer, and it was a very well made sturdy slicer but it was more than what I wanted to pay for a cheese slicer (priced at $19.95). The only reason why we considered buying one for ourselves is because the last few days, we have been eating grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, it would be much easier to have a cheese slicer to slice the cheese evenly instead of having uneven cheese distribution on our sandwiches, yes we are really that anal. After walking around the Cook Shop, we went over to Safeway to pick up our items. In the middle of shopping, Kay was really starting to annoy me. She just would not be quiet for ONE MINUTE. She kept talking and asking questions and going on and on until I finally said Can you be quiet for 5 minutes?!? And she looked at me like I was asking for the impossible and answered, why do I have to be quiet? but I want to know! I realized then that we needed a minute away from each other so I sent her to the fruits to pick out her own fruits for the week and I went over to the dairy to pick up the mike that was needed. Sheesh. What a nice quiet minute for myself. After a few minutes, we met up again and I was a little more calmed and relaxed. All I really needed was a minute to myself. I probably should have gone to the store without her but I thought it would be a good idea for her to get some fresh air. Oh yes before I forget to mention, Kay and I found an inexpensive cheese slicer at Safeway ($4.99) and I bet that works just as good as the $19.95 slicer. Although this one was not as nice as the other one, I figure it doesn't have to look pretty, it just needs to slice the cheese! After Safeway, we headed home as it was starting to get dark and cold out. I wanted to make a stop at Capers but Kay wanted to go straight home and go over to Capers after dinner. I decided it would be a good idea to take a break. Lucky for us (and Kay's decision to stop home) we made home before it started to rain! We didn't have our umbrellas with us because when we left the house, it was sunny. Got home to separated the meat to freeze, prep'd our weekly lunches, made dinner, watched some TV, ate some dessert (me-sweetened tofu with canned fruit, Kay-ice cream cake) and decided to finish our last chore of the weekend, Capers to pick up some feta cheese (for my salad lunches this week) and some yogurt. It has def. been a long day and now we are ready for bed!

New Year's ...

res`o`lu`tion
- noun
1. a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.
2. the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.

Since the beginning of the new year, I have decided to make a few changes for 2007. I guess we can call them New Year's Resolutions but I always make them and end up breaking them! I guess I would rather not put a title on these so I'll call them "2006 Carried Over Commitments"! Hahaha...

My 2006 Carried Over Commitments:

Quit Smoking - I have not had a cigarette for 5 days. I quit smoking, cold turkey and it's one of the hardest things I have done. SO VERY HARD!!! This will be my 10th attempt (the third time I've done it cold turkey). Some days are better than others but the withdrawal is messing up my body and mind. Having withdrawals from the drug is pretty crazy. But I have been trying to overcome it with another drug. CAFFEINE. I am having a couple of cups a coffee a day to help my body from the withdrawals.

Cut Down My Carbs - I've decided I would like to lose a few pounds this year. We are already on a pretty good diet but we def. eat too many carbs. For the last 5 days, all I've eaten is a huge helping of salad and a side of meat (at most 4 oz). The first two days were hell on earth. No carbs and no smokes?!?! Some people think I am being crazy trying to cut out these together but I know I can do it.

Minimize My Sugar Intake - Now I need to cut down my sugar intake. I am a huge chocoholic. I cannot control myself with sweets. If I have one, I will continue to eat until I feel sick. I know I have a problem. Hopefully I will manage to cut out most of the sugar in my daily consumption. So far, I have been pretty good, half a teaspoon of sugar in my tea / coffee, no sweets etc.

More Exercise - Ok, I have been really really bad this past year. I am going to make more of an effort to go out there and exercise. Will try to start jogging, biking and hiking again. I did pretty good over the summer with the Grouse Grind but once you stop, it is so hard to get back into a routine. But I am really going to try to be more active this year.

I think that's about it. Not too many resolutions and the ones I have listed are not too crazy and outrageous! I am sure I can accomplish all of these this year and hopefully, lose 10 or so pounds! Wish me LUCK.........


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Yum Yum!

Jen is back from the Caribbean! Over the holidays, she went to visit her sister and while she enjoyed the sun, we enjoyed the snow, wind, cold, and bitter rain. She brought back a little treat, only available in the Caribbean, Tortuga Caribbean Rum Cake - a taste of the islands. Yummy! Very sweet and def. tasted like fine rum. I, myself am not a huge rum fan but rum in cake is pretty yummy. Thanks Jen, you are the best!

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Woowee, what a way to start the new year! We had a blast tonight and it was great being with such wonderful friends!

V, M, R (M's friend), Jas and I spent the evening at R's place for potluck dinner. She was so kind to host the New Year's Party at her quaint little apartment (2 blocks from my place). Boy was there a lot of food and such splendid dishes! So much food! Party started at 7.30ish because Jas and I were 30 minutes late getting there as we didn't realize that her apartment was on the other side of Cambie! Since we were on the wrong side of the road and we could not cut across due to the construction, we had to walk back 4 blocks cross at the light on 19th and walk back up again! How silly of us!

Upon arriving, M and R were cooking in the kitchen cooking up a storm and V, being the great host he is, poured us a couple of drinks and keep us entertained while M and R were finishing up. R has a really cozy apartment and the layout / style of the apartment is very similar to mine. She had started painting her walls to a pretty green colour (didn't like the boring cream walls) which made the room really warm and cozy. R does not own any chairs for her dining room table so we decided to use it as a buffet table, helped ourselves and sat in the living room around the coffee table. We finished our meal around 10.00pm which meant we still had some time before the countdown. V brought out his fancy camera and tripod for this dinner so we all took some group photos together. I took a photo of V setting up his tripod and I forgot to bring my tripod so I will have to get those shots from him. We did a couple of fun poses and serious ones! We hadn't really decided on what and how we were going to count down so we chatted and gave ideas on where to go.

Around 11.20pm, we ended up deciding to head downtown for the countdown. R wanted to drive up Davie Street first to see if there was a crowd and if anything fun was happening because for her, Davie Street is the place to be. Oops wrong street because there wasn't a crowd at all which means we were in the wrong area. Next stop, Granville. As we started getting closer to Granville, we noticed a large group of people surrounding the Future Shop on Granville / Robson street which meant we were def. in the right place. We parked in the parking lot below Future Shop and headed onto the street. We had less than 10 minutes until midnight and boy was the crowd going crazy! We realized why there was such a huge crowd on the corners of Granville / Robson, Future Shop had the big TV with the countdown. There was a large police force presence in the areas and I am sure they were going to be very busy tonight. The crowd was getting rowdy and people were getting excited as the clock ticked it's way to the new year. 2007 was less than 2 minutes away but we ended up running across the street so we could watch the clock countdown. As it was getting closer to 2007, traffic was at a halt and the crowd was flowing onto the streets to catch a glimpse of the clock. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ... HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2007 has arrived!! I took a few photos, hugged all my friends and wished them a happy and prosperous new year. Looking around, we decided it was probably a good idea to leave this part of downtown as we knew we were not going to get very far with the crowd. Granville street has quite a number of bars / pubs / restaurants but with the crowds on Granville, we didn't think we'd make it to any of the places.

We decided to try our luck in Gastown. We just wanted to celebrate the new year with a drink at a bar or club. I had my doubts about getting in to any place as it was New Years and I'm pretty sure all the bars / pubs / clubs are charging a huge cover fee to get into their establishment. I was not mistaken. $20 min. cover charge plus water down drinks at $8 a glass, no way ~ I don't think so! It was quite scary walking around Gastown past midnight, lots of crazies out and you couldn't tell from the party goers to the drug addicts! We decided no one wanted to pay that kind of money to get into a sleazy pub so we headed back to the car. On our way to the car (we parked by Tinseltown), we caught a burlesque show at a bar (peeping through the windows) and their backstage was through the private lobby of the motel. R managed to sneak our group backstage to take a group photo with the ladies from the show. It was quite hilarious! R is full of energy and this is without alcohol! She is very daring and outspoken/going, full of adventure and fun! After photos, R decided to go to 7-11 to pick up a slurpee because she really really wanted one. Even though we were heading back to R's place to finish off the wine we started and open the bottle of champagne in the fridge.

Traffic out there wasn't too bad on our way back. Once we got back to R's apartment, we all let loose esp. V. V finished off the alcohol and boy was he silly! A very silly drunk! But it was so much fun and I am glad to have spent the night with such great friends. I really don't know what else to say except that I could not stop laughing the rest of the night because V was getting a little buzzed and he is quite funny when he is buzzed. The girls managed to get him to sing, dance in a skirt and wear girlie accessories. Lucky for me to have my camera and I was not at all buzzed. Caught all these moments on camera. New Year's Pics

Hope everyone had a great New Year's!

Oh yes one more thing, to start off the new year, I decided I needed something new. Check out my most latest purchase!