Sydney's thank you message...

Awwww... so cute! Meet Sydney (Ron's cousin's daughter). She's 2-1/2 years old, and we got her a drum set for Christmas! See below for her thank you message.

The youngest member of the Rye crew!

Ron and I met up for brunch with his 'Rye crew'. His friend Mark, and his wife Cynthia brought their newborn baby boy Mason - the first baby of the crew. He's so cute!

We went to Golden Griddle, but actually passed on the brunch buffet option since Ron and I have been eating non-stop since the holidays began! Gotta love the holidays! :)

Family Fun!

After getting home so late the night before, I got up the next day to help Ron clean his place up, and to go out and grab some items for our get-together tonight! We were going to have all of my siblings and my cousins over for dinner! This was the biggest group we've ever had at the condo: 17 people!

Everyone made good use of Ron's condo amenities by going to the gym, using the sauna, the whirlpool, the swimming pool, and the billiards table! We played games, and there was plenty of food and liquor on hand! As always, it was a lot of fun, and I'm glad that my family saw where my future home will be! :)

THE cookie is back!

My all-time favourite job was working for a small townhouse in the Richmond/John St. area downtown. It was right near the Milestones restaurant, which I frequented quite often (you should see my little bellini animal collection - my VP thought I had a drinking problem). There was a dessert that I discovered during one of my visits at Milestones called "The Cookie" that I absolutely fell inlove with. A warm dark chocolate cookie, with white chocolate chunks, topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with fudge and caramel sauce! One day, the menu changed and 'the cookie' was no longer on the menu... which I was VERY disappointed with (I may have even written a letter!).

Derek was in town for the holidays, and I had arranged for the old crew to meet up at Milestones tonight for a small reunion. To my surprise, there was a special menu placed in front of me with the title 'Your favourites are back'. As I skimmed through the menu items, there on the bottom of the list was 'The Cookie'! I was excited! :)

And it didn't disappoint. It was gooooooood! So good that I was happy to work off all the calories by salsa dancing with the gang after! Derek wanted to check out a salsa club here in Toronto, so we all headed to El Rancho... definitely too late a night for an ol' woman like me! I didn't get home until 4am!!! But it was fun meeting up with the old gang again... definitely what the holidays are about!

Our Christmas tradition continues...

Christmas isn't Christmas without a few traditions. As you all may remember, every year, Ron and I exchange books, a magazine subscription, and of course, an ornament to add to our tree.

This year, you can find these on our tree:

Ron's favourite friendly neigbourhood Spiderman, and MY jukebox!! I've actually always wanted a jukebox. For now, I will have to enjoy my Christmas one (you can actually flip the song selection sheet, and select the Christmas songs listed by pressing the letter/# combination!).

Christmas Highlights!

So Christmas is now over, and we're looking forward to ringing in 2009! Here are some highlights from my Christmas 2008:

• 1st Christmas Eve spent with the future in-laws!
• Ron's aunt telling me before we eat: Oh, I'm so fat. No exercise you know... no more SEX! :)
• Ron's dad put in a Christmas VHS video from their 1983 Christmas!! Ron was only 9 years old! It was hilarious! Let's just say there was singing and dancing involved. :S
• forgetting my sister's house #, and walking into a complete stranger's house! oops.
• distributing my LAST calendar to my family (my cousin Ryan's taking over the tradition! whoo-hoo!)
• and of course, my FIRST Christmas with my fiancé! (can you believe this will be my last Christmas as a single woman?!? eeeek!)

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

~sally & ron

Good Eats!

I met up with Ev to do the annual printing of my family calendars. It's my last one this year, so this will be the last time Ev! You'd think we would have it down pact by now...but no, we had some 'technical difficulties' this year. Thanks for all your help Eb! We then met up with Mel and headed to St. Lawrence Market for lunch, where I was introduced to the chicken parmesan sandwiches! It was good, and HUGE! I could only eat half of the sandwich, but luckily had a snack saved for my fiancé later! I also bought some butter tarts that Mel told me were quite famous at the market.

We also went grocery shopping, and while at the store... I was convinced by the girls to make a nice home cooked meal for Ron: Roast Beef!! They even told me exactly how to cook it, so that I was guaranteed a happy man! It was a deeeee-licious dinner ladies! Ron was quite pleased, and so was I! :)

A Hypnotist for Christmas?

After work, Ron and I headed to Copper Creek Golf Club for his company's holiday party. The food was delicious! They had all these different food stations, as well as various appetizers, not to mention the open bar! I was stuffed by the time we had to sit down for dinner: salad, stuffed chicken with veggies, and butterscotch creme brulee for dessert.

During dinner, they brought out the entertainment for the evening: a hypnotist! I couldn't believe it, as you only ever see them on TV. By the end of the evening, he had a group of Ron's co-workers on stage, asleep, and doing whatever he asked of them: playing the piano, doing weird facial movements, ballet dancing.... weird!

A Christmas WND!

Saads & Raju was kind enough to have the whole gang over for a special WND, as well as Caroline, Rob, and their baby Anderson. I actually hadn't been to a WND in a while (since starting the new job), so it was good to see the whole gang again! The food was delicious (mushroom lasagna, mini Shepherd pies, stuffed mushroom caps, samosas, cheese & crackers, with Ev's Banoffi pie and Mel's fresh fruit for dessert!). Thanks for hosting yet another wonderful dinner Saads!

Christmas Concert!

What a better way to get you in the Christmas spirit than to watch a bunch of kids singing Christmas carols, right?? Tonight was Matthew, Justin and Aleenah's Christmas concert. The theme was 'Christmas around the World".

While we were waiting for the concert to start, my sister asked me to go and take photos of her kids in their respective classrooms. Since there was time, I decided to venture out to the school hallways looking for each class. Aleenah and Justin both smiled for their photos with their friends, however, when I got to Matthew... he said "laaaater". I think I embarrassed him. hehe. And when the kids saw me in the doorway, I heard one kid ask Matthew "Who is that? Is that your sister??" hoa hoa hoa... it must have been my braces! :)

After that compliment, I headed back to the school gym. The school band started the program off... and boy, did it sound bad! Geez! I remember I was in the band when I was in grade school, and now I wonder if we sounded the same way?!?

First up was Justin, whose class did a Silent Night version in Korean! (thought you would like that one Di). And then it was Matthew's turn... whose class did a Nativity enactment. Last but not least was Aleenah's class, who sang Angels We Have Heard on High. The kindergarten class was the cutest though, who did a Hawaiian dance to Mele Kalikimaka! They were so cute!

Raptors vs. Nets

Ron was able to get Raptor tickets for us again tonight. But as the day went on, more of his co-workers backed out and gave him tickets. By the end of the day, he had the whole box again (this is like the Celine Dion concert all over again). As I was really busy at work, I actually hadn't checked my messages until 5pm, when I had to leave for my orthodontist appointment.

By that time, he had only 4 spare tickets. Ron called my brother, as he'd been bugging him to go the next time he got hold of some tickets - but no answer. You snooze, you lose bro. So then I called my sisters. Sure enough, they both wanted to go with their respective spouses. Ron had also invited HIS sister and his brother-in-law, Dex-his cousin, and Eswin- his best friend.

The last time at the Celine Dion concert, it was the meeting of the parents. This time, it was the siblings. It went ok, I guess... Ron's sister said that we looked nothing alike, and my sisters said that Ron and his sister looked nothing alike too! All in all a great night... except for the freakin' Raptors losing! arrrrgh! Vince Carter got some really bad boo's from the entire stadium every time he touched the ball... almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

Thanks for the tickets Ron!

The boy with the pink DS...

My sister picked me up early this morning so we could check out the Umbra Sale! I don't really need anything when I go to this sale, but because of my love for photography... I always try and check out their new collections in photo frames and photo albums.

This year, we brought my nephew Matthew. It was great! He just sat there in a corner and guarded all of our purchases while he played his Nintendo DS (yes, it was pink. He broke his and has been using his sister's DS). It was so much easier to maneuver around without having to lug a cart around!!

I bumped into one of Ron's friends there and when asked where all of my items were, I told them about Matthew in the corner. "Oh, the boy with the pink DS! I saw him!" haha... I guess you don't see many boys out there with a pink DS! :P

Slumdog Millionaire

Maybe it was the Indian food I had earlier this week, but I was inspired to watch the Slumdog Millionaire movie tonight. I had heard great reviews on it (as well as Di and Mahi's), and when I saw the trailer, I loved the way the shots in the film were captured.

It was an excellent movie! I really enjoyed it, and would recommend it. But I have to warn you, there are quite a bit of subtitles to it, so if that's not your thing... then maybe not for you. I loved the end of the movie as well (the credits)... it just wouldn't be an Indian movie without it! :P

Here's the plot summary:

The story of Jamal Malik (Patel), an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika (Pinto), the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions. Each chapter of Jamal's increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show's seemingly impossible quizzes. But one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out. At the heart of its exuberant storytelling lies the intriguing question of how anyone comes to know the things they know about life and love. Written by Fox Searchlight Pictures

I have to do PLOPS!

While the rest of us call it a #2, or poo... Zarius, on the other hand, calls it 'plops'. "I have to do plops mommy!" I thought that was hilarious!

Ron and I headed on out to farmland... uh, I mean Tanaz, Mo and Zarius' new house! :P (I say that because she literally has a farm if you look further out onto her backyard). The house was much cleaner, there were less boxes and they've definitely settled in a lot more since I saw it last on moving day. Tanaz decided to make one of her Indian dish specialties for dinner... she just knows how much I loooove Indian food afterall. Ron liked it! He had seconds and even asked for more hot sauce! Although I was a bit hesitant to eat it, I finally tried it. I have to say... it was pretty good! There is a specific Indian spice that I really don't like (used in a lot of their dishes, I find), but it wasn't in this one! We also had apple pie a la mode for dessert, which was quite yummy too!

Below are photos of their new home, as well as the yummy Indian food. Thanks Tanaz!

Fashion Friday at Cityline anyone?

Hi all! When I first got laid off months ago, I put my name on a list to go onto Cityline - Fashion Fridays. With Quel and I both off at the time, I thought it would be fun for us to go together. I just received an email (yes, 5 months later) that I'm IN!

Here's the email:

Thanks for contacting CityLine reservations. I've booked you in for 2 adult only seats (absolutely no babies and no one under the age of 13 permitted in your reservation) for Fashion Friday on January 30, 2009. Please arrive at the station at 9:30am on the day of your show. Someone from reservations will give you a call two days prior to confirm your reservation. Also, please note that you are only able to attend CityLine once in a twelve month period, and because we are booking so far in advance, the topic/guests of your show may change without notice.

**CityLine is no longer live. Your show will air on Citytv 1 week after this tape date. Please check you local listings for times**

So here's the thing. I don't think I can go. What with the new job and all, I don't think it would be appropriate for me to ask to take the time off (to go to Cityline). It would be very unprofessional of moi (and you know how 'professional' I can be) :P.

So does anyone else want them?? If not, I have to call and cancel, so let me know... first come first served!

Did you know...

Here's an interesting tidbit for you... did you know there's a city called 'Sexmoan'? (pronounced like sasmuan). And funny enough, this city is located in Pampanga, Philippines! Oh those Flips... they sure know how to name them! :P

Happy Birthday Matthew!

Today's my nephew's birthday. He's 11! I remember I was writing one of Rye Goodyear's exam the day Matthew was born.... I just wanted to finish the exam and get to the hospital! I think I passed that exam, but having Matthew come into the world was quite a special day. He was the first nephew and grandchild so we were all excited!!

And here he is 11 years later. His foot is now bigger than mine, and I've already borrowed some of his sweaters. That's a photo of us from Niagara Falls two months ago. I think he was trying to do the 'Sally' smile! :P

Happy Birthday Chooch!

Happy 50th Birthday Renée!

I met up with Nicole tonight to head over to Dora Keogh pub on the Danforth to celebrate Renée's big 5-0 birthday! Yep, that's her on the right. She looks exactly the same 50 years later, with the tongue out and all!

I worked and met Renée at my most favourite job: Today's Parent Group in 1999 (according to the name tags she gave all of us), and a group of us have remained to keep in touch over the years. We had some great times at this company, and there were lots of others there that night to celebrate with her. There was a live band, and people just went right on out on the dance floor and were dancing along... it was great!

Quel came by and joined us for a couple of beers later in the evening, and then we went to Demetré's for some dessert after. I didn't get home until almost 2am! What the?!?! Waaaay past my bedtime!! :P

enRoute's Best New Restos!

The November issue of enRoute was an issue I always looked forward to: The FOOD ISSUE (not to mention I helped with tasting some of the restos while I was there). Just thought I'd share what this year's Top 10 Best New Restos are (from across Canada). Happy Eating!

1 Nota Bene
180 Queen St. W., Toronto, 416-977-6400, notabenerestaurant.com

2 Le Local
740, rue William, Montréal, 514-397-7737, resto-lelocal.com

3 The Harbord Room
89 Harbord St., Toronto, 416-962-8989, theharbordroom.com

4 Chef’s Table
1126 Memorial Drive N.W., Calgary, 403-228-4442

5 Boneta
1 W. Cordova St., Vancouver, 604-684-1844, boneta.ca

6 The Only on King
172 King St., London, 519-936-2064, theonlyonking.ca

7 Lucien
36 Wellington St. E., Toronto, 416-504-9990, lucienrestaurant.com

8 Fraîche
2240 Chippendale Rd., West Vancouver, 604-925-7595, fraicherestaurant.ca

9 Liverpool House
2501, rue Notre-Dame O., Montréal, 514-313-6049

10 Stage
1307 Gladstone Ave., Victoria, 250-388-4222

My Raptor curse is GONE!

As you may know... I've NEVER been to a winning Raptor game... EVER! I almost thought it best that I didn't go to any more games (to make Randy happy) hehe. But tonight, I witnessed a winning game, with a 93-86 win over the Charlotte Bobcats! YAY!

Ron called me last minute after work to let me know he scored some tickets to tonight's game. With seats being in the 4th row... I couldn't say no. I quickly finished up what I was doing at work and met him just as the game started. It was a good game and as a bonus, each ticket holder also received Jose Calderon bobbleheads to take home! :)

Sorry to have missed WND ladies, but it was worth breaking the Raptor curse, right?!? GO Raptors GO!

Getting into the Christmas spirit...

Ron and I decided to put our Christmas tree up today! With only 32 days left, we thought we'd try and get into the spirit! We played some Christmas music, put the tree up and wrapped some presents to put under it! Now I'm off to bake some cupcakes! :)

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

Wedding Dress shopping - no freakouts!

Di wanted to go check out some wedding dresses today. I think she was more excited to do this than I was! To be honest, I really don't enjoy shopping. And with something like a wedding dress, I was more worried about freaking out! (remember the diamond ring jewellery incident?!!?) Anyway, Di was great! She talked to all the people that worked at the stores, asked all the questions, and grabbed a whole bunch of dresses to get a change room started. Everyone thought SHE was the bride! :)

I have to admit, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. No freakouts, and it was more like putting on a pretty costume! The first dress I tried on was nice, and then the second was even nicer! I actually really liked it, and would have bought it but I felt that I needed to look around some more. So Di and I went to check out another store. She grabbed a dozen dresses for me to try on, and it was nice to get so many comments from the other ladies there: "that's beautiful", "I really like that one", "wow!", "that dress looks amazing on you".... some of them even asked to try on the same dress after they saw it on me.

I wouldn't have been able to do an entire day, but I'm glad to have done it. Thanks for making it a positive experience Di!

Hangin' with Huddy!

Di and I met up with Huddy and met his new girl, Kim. We met at Jack Astor's at Yonge/Dundas and had dinner while trying to watch the Raptor game against Vince Carter! Can you believe that game? GEEZ!

Hud's girl seems very nice, and it seems like they've been together longer than they really have been, actually. We went across to Milestones and sat by the bar to finish the rest of the Raptor game until our movie began: Body of Lies. It was a pretty good movie, and an evening with Huddy is always so much fun!

Hilarious!

OK, I saw this clip on Facebook, and was laughing hysterically after I saw it... had to share! It's a skit from Saturday Night Live with Beyonce and Justin Timberlake:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2cWbOakLBc

Tanaz's new home...

I went over to Tanaz, Mo and Zarius' new home today... they just moved in! I only took a photo of the front of the house, and my new favourite spot by the window as there were boxes everywhere! Since it was a brand new home, there was a lot of dust everywhere. Tanaz put me to work the minute I got there: wiping down all the shelves, cupboards, vaccuuming, dusting, unpacking and putting stuff in the pantry... geez! Welcome to your new home Tanaz (and I declare that MY window by the way). :P

My Montréal cravings...

It's been a year and seven months since I've been to Montreal. During this time, there have been quite a few food cravings I've had. This past weekend, Ron and I decided to drive down so I could fulfill all those yummy cravings!! Ok, we were checking out possible wedding churches and venues as well... but we still haven't decided on anything, so this blog is all about the food!! :)

I took Ron to all my favourite restaurants!! Our first stop was my favourite Vietnamese resto: Pho Bac. The key to good Pho is the broth, and I think this place has a pretty good one! Next stop was L'académie. This is the restaurant where you can bring your own wine, and Karen, Shaun and I always had a blast here! Ron had the filet mignon, with scallops and shrimp, while I had the filet of sole... we even shared a bottle of wine even though Ron's not a big wine drinker. (you know who drank most of THAT). After dinner, it was such a nice night that we decided to walk the streets of Montreal... on St. Denis actually. I was looking for a dessert place for some Crème brûlée, but no such luck.

Sunday morning, we woke up early to head out to Bagel Etc. I used to pass this place on my way to work all the time, and it wasn't until last year, when I came to Montreal with the girls that we discovered the yummy pancakes... they were still good ladies! We made a quick stop into Simons, and then we then headed to Old Montreal, where I spotted the cutest little cupcake shop: Les Glaceurs. There were so many flavours to choose from, but we finally decided to try the Vanilla-Café cupcake. It was goooood! If I wasn't so full from breakfast, I would have tried every single flavour!

Last but not least was lunch at Schwart's... you can't go to Montreal and not have THAT!! This place never disappoints. After that, we quickly stopped off for some Montreal bagels... always good hot from the oven! We were utterly and completely stuffed from the weekend of eating. It was definitely hard to try and drive after that... all I wanted was to take a nap! But I was happy to share all my favourite restaurants with Ron. There are a bunch more, but you can only fit so many in a weekend. It's nice that he knows where I used to hang out!

My head HURTS!

Geez! Talk about information overload... is this what work is like?!!? My first day of work today, and I sat with the woman who's position I'm taking over... and she just talked and talked and talked. And I had to listen and absorb EVERY single word of it! And THEN, I had to go for a 2-hour training session on Maximizer, a program used throughout the company.

My head was pounding by the end of the day, without a Tylenol or an Advil in sight! Tomorrow, I'm bringing a bottle to work with me. The woman leaving is only here until Friday, which only leaves me 3 days with her. I'll need that bottle all week! :P

Oh how I miss the days of sleeping in, facebooking, watching movies and chatting with y'all on MSN!

Working girl!

I was laid off exactly 5 months ago today! I can't believe I've been unemployed for that long, 'cause it sure didn't feel that long. But I guess one has to go back at some point. (sigh)

I was offered a job... two jobs actually! The past couple of days, and up to the last few hours until my noon deadline today, has been a debate on which one to take. I did the pros and cons, and even had an Excel sheet with ratings of importance factoring out and calculating each offer to help me decide on which one to take (yes, that's Ron's influence).

After all of that, I finally decided on one. I start tomorrow, actually! I'm very nervous about it since it's been a while since I actually worked... it's like the first day at a new school! I hope I make friends! :)

Happy Birthday Lorna!

My Saturday started off with a jog around Queens Park with Di and Quel. In the evening, we all went to Bar Italia for dinner and had our favourite chicken sandwiches... mmm! After that, we walked it off and then I had to head over to Wegz Stadium Bar to celebrate my cousin Lorna's 21st Birthday! I'd never heard of this place before, but Ron would have loved it here (he was in Niagara today with the boyz to celebrate a birthday himself)... the place is full of TV's with every sports channel you can imagine, with pool tables, foozball, and a video game section. All my siblings were there, as well as my cousins. It's always a fun night out with them (drinking mainly), but I was way too tired to stay out that late (considering I woke up at 6am). :S

Crepe it up!

Quel and I decided to check out a new crêperie in her neighbourhood called Crepe it up! We had just had dinner and were just looking for something small and sweet to eat.

There were quite a few selections on their menu, with options listed as sweet or savoury. We shared The Dark Angel crepe - hazelnut chocolate (nutella) with a scoop of vanilla ice cream inside. It was good... darn good actually. We were both impressed at how good it was! And it was at a very reasonable price: $4.80 (taxes in).

Before deciding to blog about this place, I googled it. It turns out the owner has quite an interesting story of how he started his own crêperie. It motivated me!! Read it for yourself:
(taken from Burke Campbell, Financial Post - published Saturday, November 24, 2007)
----

Crepe it up! Getting laid off supplied the motivation

TORONTO -- Chris Lee owns and manages Crepe It Up!, a restaurant that specializes in crepes with a wide range of fillings, at locations in downtown Toronto.

Leap of faith: "I worked in an office as a corporate salesman. I sat in a cubicle, in front of a computer screen. It was like going to jail every day. One day, I was laid off. That supplied the motivation."

The flash: "While visiting Quebec City, I stopped at a creperie. Everything was in full view. You could see the cook making the crepes. All the ingredients used for filling were displayed. That moment, I decided I wanted to start my own place."

A part of me: "My business is something I created. I'm responsible for keeping it going. It's like having a child. It's someone you have to nurture."

Keeps him going: "I work long hours and sometimes I wonder what I've gotten myself into. But then people come in and really enjoy the food. It picks me right up."

That lovin' feelin': "I make this crepe that's filled with vanilla ice cream and chocolate hazelnut. One customer said it was 'better than love, without the heartache!' It makes me feel good to make people that happy!"

Raptors vs. Pistons

I was excited when Ron called me in the afternoon to let me know that he had gotten his company box seat tickets to the Raptor game tonight! This was supposed to be Allen Iverson's first game with his new team! I was disappointed when I found out that Iverson wasn't playing tonight's game afterall. :( What a jip! The Pistons didn't need him anyway since Raptors lost 93-100. You know, I don't think I've ever been to a winning Raptor game... hmmm. Thanks for the ticket Ron!

Baking...

With both Saadia and Melanie taking baking classes, it encouraged me to try to attempt baking something of my own: Toblerone cookies! I found the recipe on the internet, and decided to give it a try.

I only made 6 cookies, but each cookie was pretty big! Ron was my first guinea pig, and he thought it was really good! I tried one shortly after, and thought it was just ok. I brought Tanaz and family two of the cookies, and Zarius liked it! Hey, if a kid liked it... then I'm happy. I may adjust the recipe a bit if I try it again, but I must say, the highlight of baking is the SMELL of the cookies in the oven! mmmm mmmmm mmmmm.

Movie watching...

This weekend was spent house sitting Di's place while she was off in NYC - mainly watching movies, which I always enjoy. Friday night I met up with Quel to watch Vicky Christina Barcelona, followed by some sweet potato fries at Hemingway's and walking around Yorkville. We continued to walk to the club district, which was insanely crazy with people out in various costumes that we ended up at Jack Astor's by the end. Since it was Halloween, Ghostbusters 2 was on TV when I got home, and I ended up watching that until about 3am.

Saturday morning, I watched Bee Season on TV, which I didn't really understand but continued on watching hoping that by the end it would all make sense - nope. I then met up with Quel and had lunch at St. Lawrence market. We watched Changeling after lunch - good movie, and it frustrated me to know that it was based on a true story. We walked around for a bit and then had dinner at Pho 88... mmm... perfect for a cold evening. I dropped Quel off and she loaned me a few dvd's which I watched that night: Jack and Jill vs. the World, and Married Life. I have to say - they were both bad. The thing with me watching movies is that no matter how bad or how tired I am - I have to finish the movie. It's one of those things where I feel if I fall asleep or don't watch it until the end, I may miss the 'good' part. I always hope the movie will get better - but most times, I'm quite disappointed.

Sunday was spent with Ron. No, not movie watching. We went grocery shopping, and I finally decided to start on my Christmas list! We got 3 kids off our list, so I'd say that was pretty productive!

Happy Halloween!

Doing the right thing...

When I took the kids to the movies last week, my nephew found a wallet on the ground in the parking lot. It had $20 in it, and a card for the Canadian Children's Opera Company. He asked me what he should do with it, and I told him we should return it. Since there wasn't any I.D. (it obviously belonged to a child), I said that I would drop it off at the theatres another day in case someone came to look for it.

I have to admit, part of unemployed me wanted to just keep it. :P When I looked at the wallet again, I examined it more thoroughly and when I flipped the card over, there WAS a name, address and phone number. I called the number, and it turns out the wallet belongs to a 12-year-old girl named Sarah. I asked her to describe the wallet and the contents of what was in the wallet for me (have to make sure it's the right owner after all), and she described it quite thoroughly!

I just got back from meeting her and her mom at McDonald's in the Walmart across the street. She was very happy to get her wallet back, so it was definitely worth it. I guess doing the right thing has its advantages.

Winter Tires for SALE!

Hi all! Thought I'd spread the word, as I completely forgot that I still had these winter tires lying around. They were from my Honda Civic, which I no longer need. They're fairly new, as I had bought them a year prior to my car accident, so only used in one winter! Specs are below, if you know of anyone looking for them! Looking for best offer.... thanks!

Pirelli Winter Carving with Steelies
Mounted and Balanced
185/65/14
4x100 Bolt Pattern
Thread Life: 90%+ remaining

Oh, to be young again...

My younger cousin Lorna called me today for a favour. It seems that for her 21st birthday, she bought herself a nice present: a 2004 Acura RSX! The favour she needed was for me to drive her to go and pick up her new ride.

I remembered what it was like to go and pick up your very first car.... ah, the memories of my little Honda Civic. It was a momentous occasion, and I wasn't going to let her down. I picked her up from work at 1pm, and then she took me out for lunch (which was a nice surprise). We actually had a nice chat during lunch and were able to catch up on each others lives. It made me realize when she grabbed the bill and paid for ME that my little Lorna was all grown up. And I must say that I'm proud of the way she's turned out - she's got a good head on her shoulders! (look at me sounding OLD by saying that!!! geez!)

After all the paperwork was taken care of, we both headed out on the road! How exciting! I'm sure she's got a lot of plans for her new ride - I remember I did! I got her to the 401 and then she was off on her own. I quickly made my way to Tanaz's house for dinner after as I was running a bit late.

Zarius was waiting for me as I arrived - he's so cute! He had new songs, phrases, and a new dance to show me. He also gave me a gift - an engagement gift as a matter of fact. It was a very nice picture frame with our names engraved on it - for our future wedding photo! Thanks Tanaz, Mo and Zarius! :)

Dim Sum... Gimme Some!

My family and I meet every now and then for dim sum, just to catch up as a family. Today, however, was my dad's treat (which never happens)! Usually, the kids all pitch in to pay for the bill. He wanted to thank us all for throwing his surprise birthday party, which I thought was really nice of my dad! If you knew my dad, you would know that this was a big thing for him to do and organize himself. And it was even nicer, that he asked me to call Ron to invite him. Once my dad personally invites you..... you're IN Ron! :)

Thanks for the good eats daddy!

HSM3

After going to 2 theatres, the kids and I finally ended up at Yonge/Hwy 7 to watch Highschool Musical 3 (HSM3 is what the kids call it). The other 2 theatres we went to were sold out for the day, can you believe it?? Geez! But it being a PA Day and HSM3 coming out in theatres today, I should have known better when I volunteered to take them.

But I secretly enjoyed watching HSM1 and 2 actually (I love teeny bopper movies), so I didn’t mind volunteering to take them to the 3rd one (I have to see what happens to Troy & Gabriella afterall – who are dating in real life you know).

I have to admit - I liked it! It was so cheesy, but cute... just the right amount of teeny bopper level that I enjoy. All the kids in the theatre started clapping as soon as it came on, and then they all cheered and clapped at the end of the movie as well. Who wouldn't enjoy that?!?

He's IN!

When my niece draws a picture like this, I think it means Ron's IN! She wrote: I love tita sally and uncle ron. You're finally accepted as being part of the family Ron! (at least by Aleenah). hehe.

Marathon photos...

Just thought I'd share some of the photos taken of all of us on Sunday, which were just posted. We all received medals at the end of the race!

Eating out...

Ron has his last 2 Jewish holidays this week, so we decided to check out some wedding reception venues today. No, nothing decided yet. I just felt like we should check some out to feel like we're actually progressing with the wedding plans. hehe.

I took Ron to Casa Manila for lunch (yes, the FOB in me was craving it). I ordered the Kare-Kare, and the Kaldereta with rice... while Ron (who needed help figuring out what each dish was) finally decided to get the Adobo, and BBQ with rice. It was good... hit the spot since I haven't had Filipino food in a while. It's located on Don Mills and York Mills in case anyone wants to check it out!

For dinner, Ron and I decided to check out Chipotle at Yonge and Dundas. Eveyone was raving about how good it was, so I wanted to try it out for myself! We shared the Barbacoa Fajita Burrito - Shredded beef, braised with their own chipotle adobo, cumin, cloves, garlic and oregano - and the chips with salsa and guacamole. I have to say, I didn't enjoy it that much (with the exception of the Fresca soda!). The burrito was a bit too spicy for me, and am I just getting older, or was everything TOO salty??? The chips and the salsa were way too salty even for a girl like me that loves salty items more than sugar items! And there was way too much cilantro/coriander in everything- which I hate!

Not all heroes wear capes

Dwayne. That's my hero's name. I had to bring in my Macbook to an Apple store, because I couldn't access my files and you all KNOW how much I rely and looove my Macbook. I hadn't backed up my files in a while, so I couldn't afford to lose anything (lesson learned: backup your files!!!).

I took it into the store, and Dwayne did some tests. It seems my hard drive was failing, but because it was still under warranty, they just had to replace it. Luckily, I had brought my external hard drive with me, so he was able to get into all the files on my computer and back it up!! Whew! I had to leave my baby with them for a few days... Where will you put it? Is there security? Will it be ok? These were all the questions I had as I hesitated parting with my Macbook.

So now I'm having a bit of separation anxiety as I patiently wait for them to call me to pick it up... what does one do without a Macbook?!!?

Toronto Marathon!

Ron and I woke up bright and early this morning (at 5am to be exact) to head out to do the 5km Toronto Marathon with all his cousins. We had received these micro chips which we could attach to our shoelaces so that we would know EXACTLY how long it would take to finish the race. And the results are in:

Dex - 25:03.3
Rose - 31:04.8

Sally - 37:32.4

Ron - 39:17.6

Jen - 40:19.4

Wald - 41:34.3

Christine - 52:00.2

James - 52:00.6

After the race, we all headed out to Muddy Duck Restaurant out in Mississauga for a brunch buffet! It was fun, and there's now talks of doing another race on December 31st! I think Ron and I are gonna pass on that one though...

Happy Birthday Menalle!

Once we were back in the T dot and my sister dropped me off, I quickly got into my car and headed down to celebrate Menalle's 'faves' birthday celebration. She served Lin Garden, one of her faves, but was unfortunately a bit too too spicy for me to go for thirds (only got to a second helping). hehe. Happy Birthday Menalle!

Family in the Falls...

With love,
from Niagara Falls

Since my cousin's family is here visiting this week from L.A., we decided to take them to see Niagara Falls. I'm exhausted! We walked around the entire strip, and just got back from a very filling dinner at Ruby Tuesday. My sister and I split the mini burgers with fries, and the spinach and artichoke dip. We then followed that with a trip to the fudge factory, where we got a chocolate swirl cheesecake on a stick, dipped in chocolate, then rolled in Skor bits. mmmmm.

We decided to spend the night here, and I'm currently babysitting the kids while their parents are off to the casino. That's what I get for not being a gambler. :S

Di's WND!

Our first WND on an actual Wednesday was tonight, with Di cookin' up a delicious dinner. I would also like to mention that I actually was her 'sous-chef' for this one. Since Di was working and wouldn't be back in time to cook it all... I came by early so that I could follow her specific instructions that she left me.

Di's menu:

main course:
Roasted chicken
Crab and mushroom stuffing
Green Beans with dill
Mashed parsnips and carrots
Cornbread

dessert:
Crème Brulee with fruit for dessert

Saads also made an appearance at dinner tonight, with her nice tan from her 2-week vacation. She and Raju just got back from Hawaii and she was telling us all about it! Aloha and Mahalo for the wonderful dinner Di! :)

Freaky déjà vu!

As some of you may remember, a year ago this Thanksgiving weekend was the car accident to which I lost my first vehicle - the Honda Civic Coupe Si.

This year, it was my cousin Leonard's Civic that he lost. I just got off the phone with him, and he was in a car accident last night on his way downtown on the DVP southbound. The woman behind him didn't stop in time, and he was sandwiched in between two cars once he was hit by her.

Thank goodness he's ok! Another thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday. This was also his first car, and if you knew my cousin you would know that he absolutely loved his car (it could have been in The Fast and the Furious movie!).

Please be careful out there drivers! We can be as great a driver as we can be... but there's always someone else out there that shouldn't be behind the wheel.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My Ate Nini, her hubby and baby Riley all flew in from L.A. to spend a week here in Toronto this Thanksgiving. Their first stop was at my sister's place in Ajax on Saturday night. Today, we had the whole family over at my aunt's house. After that, Ron and I had to head over to Mississauga to his parents place for Thanksgiving dinner. It's been a weekend of eating, and we have leftovers in the fridge to keep us fed for the next few days!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!