Yesterday was the closest I've come to actually having a "vacation" day since arriving in Europe! After I finished getting my internet dosage for the day I totally flaked out. I <3 my 3 Musketeers book so far. It's pretty hilarious!
While I was resting, another new roomie came in. We ended up hanging out and going out for dinner - she was from California. Dinner was great - I had real authentic lasagna... Which was the same, just a bit saltier, as our Canadian stuff. LOL. I did splurge and get dessert though! I had tiramisu! Sooooo delish!
Afterwards we just wandered back to the hostel and chillaxed in the room. I'm also happy that the new roomie spoke Spanish, so I didn't feel so awkward about ignoring the Argentinian chick.
Anywho, I caught the Eurostar to Florence just now. I have to figure out how this railpass stuff works - I don't necessarily need a reservation, but I don't know what I do otherwise! While trying to get on the train, I had to get help reading my ticket because I had no idea what "Carbonazza" and "pisto" meant (and don't try spell-checking those because I soooo didn't spell them right.) So now I know they mean "car" and "seat" respectively.
Argh. Italian keyboards and I don't get along - this one is mostly great, but it has a tiny backspace button and immediately to the right of it is the "home" key, so I keep accidentally hitting it and typing at the start of the line...
Anyways, I should go out and explore the actual city now that I'm here. I have no idea what I want to do, but I'd like to see David, and go hang at the Bugogli Gardens just to spite my friend Michelle. I think I mentioned also that one day I want to do a day trip to Siena.
Oh, and before I forget, yes, the scenery was pretty damned cool on the ride over. You could see beautiful fields, rolling hills with villas on top, etc. There were a surprising amount of tunnels though, so I finally gave up on taking on/off my sunglasses each time we went through one.
On the ride, I amused myself by imagining what once stood on those fields - small roman villages, fields of army tents, poised to invade, invasion forces from the world wars... Temples. The list goes on!
Another way I've been amusing myself is by looking at the local italians and imagining what they'd look like as a statue. Oh wait. I think I already said this in a previous post... Oh well, it still holds true.
Ciao!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Rome finito
Wow. So I'm officilly declaring the Rome segment of my trip as being over. It's only 2:15PM but I've used up all my resources. Yesterday after I logged off, I went to my room for a catnap and ended up having to rush to get to the basilica on time.
As mentioned, our tour guide offered to be there at 6:15ish to take us for a short tour to make up for cutting ours short... Well, because of my nap, I was late so no one was at the entrance to the basilica. I ended up walking around on my own, which, honestly, was probably better than going on my own. St. Peter's Basilica was very beautiful - it was also great that it was near closing, so there were few people there. I could walk around and not bump into people, there was a hushed reverence, etc. The basilica is very gorgeous - waaaay more massive and grand than anticipated. Yes, it has the gaudiness of excess opulence but I enjoyed it and got a lot more feeling from it than I did the Sistine Chapel.
On my way out, I was amused by watching one of the changings of the Swiss guard. It was very informal. The guy saluted his comrade, went into a nearby door, another guy come out and took his place, and then the original guy came out with his briefcase and saluted and walked away. The Swiss guard uniforms crack me up. Some of them look like they should be painters because of their big floppy hats. Others remind me of the Jacks on playing cards.
As I was leaving the basilica, the two Canadian girls I had met up with found me - it turns out that our tour guide never showed up. (Although apparently they came after me, so my guess is that yes, either the guide didn't show up, or, equally likely, the guide showed up, no one was there (I was 10 minutes later remmeber) and left. Apparently they planned to go to the office today to complain and try to get some money back. Anyways, we were trying to plan to do things, but in the end admitted defeat and just returned to our perspective hostels.
I grabbed some pizza and brought it back to my hostel's patio. While I was eating, some random old American guy came and sat near me and started chatting. He wasn't creepy or anything, but it was just annoying to have to force a conversation. Luckily one of my roomies came down and helped pick up the slack... And then we found out that the guy was one of those old opinionated American guys who wouldn't even listen to other people's opinions. Another of our roomies came down which helped the conversation a bit, but we all sighed a breath of relief when he finally packed up. (Apparently my Dutch roommate thought the guy was my dad at first.)
My roommates and I just chilled and had some drinks which was pleasant. We then retired to our room and met the new people (3 of our roommates had left that day) - we now have an Argintinian girl who speaks no English (umm, awkward!), a Thai guy who's sudying in the Netherlands, and a guy from New York. Luckily one of our roommies spoke Spanish, so he conversed with the latina, while Michael and I yapped with Ed, the Thai guy. But as of today the last of my original roomies have left so we have no one who speaks Spanish.... Umm, awkward some more!
Last night was the first night I've had a good night's sleep since arriving. And by "good" I mean I was only woken up twice - once when one guy came in late at night, and one when my bunkmate came in. Not bad for a hostel. LOL
Today I did a bit more aimless wandering. My first step was to go to the Pantheon since I didn't make it in last time - on the way I got to see the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain again... But there were very very few tourists this time! I mean, I could actually SEE the Spanish steps this time. LOL. When I upload my photos, I'll make it a point to show the busy/not-busy photos to demonstrate what I mean.
After the Pantheon I wound my way to Piazza Navona. It was just a wide plaza with pretty fountains and buildings - my fave parts was a random band playing music in a corner of the plaza. Plus I saw a woman feeding a mass of pigeons. Seriously, I was worried they'd peck her apart!
When I first arrived in Rome, I saw this person dressed in a sphinx mask and wearing this shiny/sparkly yellow blanket. You could tell this person would do something if you dropped a coin in the can in front of them. I have to admit, I was curious as to what they'd do, but I didn't bother paying them. However, the next day outside the colosseum I saw the same person! And later down the street, there they were again - oh wait, no, there's a whole troop of these people scattered around Rome, dressed in their spandex blankets with their masks. It wasn't until I was in Piazza Navona that I saw someone pay them. The person's reaction? They bowed. Umm... That's it? Boooo! You couldn't pay me to stand around in the humidity with a hat and blanket to make what these people are making!
I wanted to walk to the closest metro station, so I had to walk to the colosseum. Along the way I found a cool site where in 1929 while demolishing a building for new construction, they found ruins for 4 temples and decided to preserve the entire site. The reason this was so interesting is that they were actually doing to work to preserve the site! You saw people with little brushes, guys taking photos, people washing the slabs of materials, etc. It was tres cool. I just wonder why, if the site was discovered in 1929, it's taking so long to restore?
I strolled along the Roman Forums and the colosseum again and eventually made my way to Piazza di Vittorio Emmanuele. Now, there was supposed to be a huge local market here, but I certainly didn't find it! I tried finding a restaurant but there were very few and most of them were expensive. Instead I went into this little mom & pop take-out store and got a mozarrella and prosciutto calzone. Yum? Not. Picture the thing like this: Take some sliced ham and shredded mozarella, toss them together in a blender , wrap it in thick dough and then deep fry it. Don't get me wrong, it tasted okay (not great, but okay) but the fact that it had the texture of look of something that someone had pre-chewed and spat back into the dough was very VERY off-putting. LOL.
I was going to wander around some more, but I realized I was pretty freaking exhausted, so I said, "Screw it! I'm going back to the hostel!" Which is exactly what I did! I did make a quick side trip to the English bookstore though - I picked up the Three Musketeers because I couldn't stand sitting down and reading my guide book anymore. LOL.
So now I'm going to go up to my room and lay down. My subway pass is valid for the rest of the night so I'll probably go out this evening for dinner - I've been in Rome for 3 days now and I still HAVEN'T HAD PASTA! I've had pizzas, paninis, and calzones, but no pasta! This must be rectified! LOL
Tomorrow I'm headed to Florence. I originally wanted to go for a bike tour of Tuscany, but my back's a bit tender, so I'll probably do a day trip to Siena instead (my roommates insisted that Siena is the place to be). Plus the Canadian girl's said that I could see the Tuscan scenery quite well from the train, which was my main reason for wanting to do the bike thing.
Ciao!
As mentioned, our tour guide offered to be there at 6:15ish to take us for a short tour to make up for cutting ours short... Well, because of my nap, I was late so no one was at the entrance to the basilica. I ended up walking around on my own, which, honestly, was probably better than going on my own. St. Peter's Basilica was very beautiful - it was also great that it was near closing, so there were few people there. I could walk around and not bump into people, there was a hushed reverence, etc. The basilica is very gorgeous - waaaay more massive and grand than anticipated. Yes, it has the gaudiness of excess opulence but I enjoyed it and got a lot more feeling from it than I did the Sistine Chapel.
On my way out, I was amused by watching one of the changings of the Swiss guard. It was very informal. The guy saluted his comrade, went into a nearby door, another guy come out and took his place, and then the original guy came out with his briefcase and saluted and walked away. The Swiss guard uniforms crack me up. Some of them look like they should be painters because of their big floppy hats. Others remind me of the Jacks on playing cards.
As I was leaving the basilica, the two Canadian girls I had met up with found me - it turns out that our tour guide never showed up. (Although apparently they came after me, so my guess is that yes, either the guide didn't show up, or, equally likely, the guide showed up, no one was there (I was 10 minutes later remmeber) and left. Apparently they planned to go to the office today to complain and try to get some money back. Anyways, we were trying to plan to do things, but in the end admitted defeat and just returned to our perspective hostels.
I grabbed some pizza and brought it back to my hostel's patio. While I was eating, some random old American guy came and sat near me and started chatting. He wasn't creepy or anything, but it was just annoying to have to force a conversation. Luckily one of my roomies came down and helped pick up the slack... And then we found out that the guy was one of those old opinionated American guys who wouldn't even listen to other people's opinions. Another of our roomies came down which helped the conversation a bit, but we all sighed a breath of relief when he finally packed up. (Apparently my Dutch roommate thought the guy was my dad at first.)
My roommates and I just chilled and had some drinks which was pleasant. We then retired to our room and met the new people (3 of our roommates had left that day) - we now have an Argintinian girl who speaks no English (umm, awkward!), a Thai guy who's sudying in the Netherlands, and a guy from New York. Luckily one of our roommies spoke Spanish, so he conversed with the latina, while Michael and I yapped with Ed, the Thai guy. But as of today the last of my original roomies have left so we have no one who speaks Spanish.... Umm, awkward some more!
Last night was the first night I've had a good night's sleep since arriving. And by "good" I mean I was only woken up twice - once when one guy came in late at night, and one when my bunkmate came in. Not bad for a hostel. LOL
Today I did a bit more aimless wandering. My first step was to go to the Pantheon since I didn't make it in last time - on the way I got to see the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain again... But there were very very few tourists this time! I mean, I could actually SEE the Spanish steps this time. LOL. When I upload my photos, I'll make it a point to show the busy/not-busy photos to demonstrate what I mean.
After the Pantheon I wound my way to Piazza Navona. It was just a wide plaza with pretty fountains and buildings - my fave parts was a random band playing music in a corner of the plaza. Plus I saw a woman feeding a mass of pigeons. Seriously, I was worried they'd peck her apart!
When I first arrived in Rome, I saw this person dressed in a sphinx mask and wearing this shiny/sparkly yellow blanket. You could tell this person would do something if you dropped a coin in the can in front of them. I have to admit, I was curious as to what they'd do, but I didn't bother paying them. However, the next day outside the colosseum I saw the same person! And later down the street, there they were again - oh wait, no, there's a whole troop of these people scattered around Rome, dressed in their spandex blankets with their masks. It wasn't until I was in Piazza Navona that I saw someone pay them. The person's reaction? They bowed. Umm... That's it? Boooo! You couldn't pay me to stand around in the humidity with a hat and blanket to make what these people are making!
I wanted to walk to the closest metro station, so I had to walk to the colosseum. Along the way I found a cool site where in 1929 while demolishing a building for new construction, they found ruins for 4 temples and decided to preserve the entire site. The reason this was so interesting is that they were actually doing to work to preserve the site! You saw people with little brushes, guys taking photos, people washing the slabs of materials, etc. It was tres cool. I just wonder why, if the site was discovered in 1929, it's taking so long to restore?
I strolled along the Roman Forums and the colosseum again and eventually made my way to Piazza di Vittorio Emmanuele. Now, there was supposed to be a huge local market here, but I certainly didn't find it! I tried finding a restaurant but there were very few and most of them were expensive. Instead I went into this little mom & pop take-out store and got a mozarrella and prosciutto calzone. Yum? Not. Picture the thing like this: Take some sliced ham and shredded mozarella, toss them together in a blender , wrap it in thick dough and then deep fry it. Don't get me wrong, it tasted okay (not great, but okay) but the fact that it had the texture of look of something that someone had pre-chewed and spat back into the dough was very VERY off-putting. LOL.
I was going to wander around some more, but I realized I was pretty freaking exhausted, so I said, "Screw it! I'm going back to the hostel!" Which is exactly what I did! I did make a quick side trip to the English bookstore though - I picked up the Three Musketeers because I couldn't stand sitting down and reading my guide book anymore. LOL.
So now I'm going to go up to my room and lay down. My subway pass is valid for the rest of the night so I'll probably go out this evening for dinner - I've been in Rome for 3 days now and I still HAVEN'T HAD PASTA! I've had pizzas, paninis, and calzones, but no pasta! This must be rectified! LOL
Tomorrow I'm headed to Florence. I originally wanted to go for a bike tour of Tuscany, but my back's a bit tender, so I'll probably do a day trip to Siena instead (my roommates insisted that Siena is the place to be). Plus the Canadian girl's said that I could see the Tuscan scenery quite well from the train, which was my main reason for wanting to do the bike thing.
Ciao!
Monday, June 08, 2009
When in Rome...
Howdy folks!
So as most of you know, I'm currently in Italy on my Europe trip. I arrived on Saturday, June 6 and I'm already exhausted! I'm having a few issues typing this entry because a) I'm using a really really tiny keyboard, b) I'm exhausted, and c) this is an Italian keyboard so keys are in different locations! (E.g. the parenthese keys are two left from where they normally are, the apostraphe key is on the question mark key which is beside the backspace, etc... Colour me confused!)
On to the recap! (Photos to come later when I have more time to sit down and sift through the gazillion I've taken.)
My first adventure started at the airport when I kept setting off the security alarms. I ended up having to get patted down by a female security guard. I'm blaming my underwire bra.
I flew on Air Transat... Wow. What a dump! I've flown on many planes before, but Air Transat was the first time I've ever felt like I was in steerage! If my ass was any bigger, I'd have never fit into the seat! It didn't help that I was sat next to a gruff Italian guy and his wife. The guy was much more vocal than I about how uncomfortable the seating was, and he kept fidgeting. The flight itself was okay - I was uncomfy because at first I was too cold, and then I was sweating hot. I didn't get much sleep due to nervousness and Mr. Italian flopping around like a landed fish.
After landing, it was surprisingly easy to get from the airport to the city centre! I took the airport train to Rome's Termini station - but I don't remmeber much of the trip. It is soooo humid in Rome! And the train wasn't airconditioned, so lack of AC and lack of sleep makes for a very very sleepy Mau - I kept drifting asleep and then jerking awake. :(
I managed to make it to my hostel eventually. It's pretty cool! Very very North American/European. The checkin counter was playing the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and even now in the bar where I'm typing this, they're playing Moby. The hostel rooms are huuuuuge and they have big lockers under the bunkbeds to store your stuff. Very awesome. The old-school Italian elevator is a bit intimidating though - it's this tiny contraption with the folding doors that you can see through. It took a bit to work up the courage to use it. I'm also happy because my roommates are all cool - but more on them later.
Yesterday I immediately left the hostel to start exploring the city. I soon learned one of the first lessons that all tourists to Rome must learn - thou shalt not snap photos of every old building you come across.... Or you'll be sitting around forever and ever and run out of camera space. Seriously, I can't believe how indescribably beautiful Rome is. EVERY BUILDING is the old old style. Streets have the old bricks instead of asphalt. The streets are narrow. There are churches on every corner. So I rapidly had to give up on taking a picture of every interesting building I came across because it was an exercise in futility.
Another observation about Rome - Smart cars abound. Seriously, I've seen more Smart cars in the past 48 hours than I have in the past 10 years in Canada. Plus all the other cars are extremely tiny too... Which is probably a good thing considering the crazy paralell parking that goes on here. I saw a car bump into the one ahead of it while parking and totally didn't give a damn. When there aren't tiny cars, there are scooters and motorcycles. I also haven't been this terrified of crossing the street since I was in Thailand. Seriously, it's pretty freaking scary to take that first step through a busy roundabout.
During my initial expedition, I can't remember how many times I got lost. Well, lost is a relative word. I always knew where I was in relation to a certain tourist location, etc. I'd randomly walk down some streets, run into a beautiful fountain, set off on another street, find a tourist spot, wander off again, etc... My fave thing right now is the tourist map everyone is given. It's so detailed and helpful.... And it's ridiculously easy to identify who else is a tourist by it. LOL - we all have them in hand.
Despite being continually "lost," I still managed to find the following tourist destinations:
By this point I was utterly exhausted and starving. I hadn't ate since Breakfast on the plane (11am) and it was like 7PM. I did have some gelato, but I paid an arm and leg for it, only to discover that it's that same as is served in Canada! Now, I've been reassured by some people I've met that Italian gelato truly is better and that I must give it a second shot.
After getting lost on side streets, I finally made it back to my hostel and met all my roommates. I was sharing my room with 2 American girls who were on exchange in the Netherlands, an American guy who was travelling through all of Italy, a guy from the Netherlands who just finished BIKING here, and a guy from Malaysia who has been travelling for 2 months and is on his final month in Europe. They were all crazy cool about introducing themselves and were super friendly. However, they are kind of inconsiderate about certain things - the first night some of them went for a pub crawl. I didn't have a problem with that, or with my bunkmate waking me up when crawling into bed at 3am. The girls were rude though in that they turned on the huge overhead light when they came in a 6AM. And last night, I was in bed sleeping when everyone came back from their evening walk. I woke up and told them they could turn on the light if they wanted... But I was under the assumption they were back so they could go to bed (It was 1AM)... Well they poked in and out, were chatting, etc. I woke up some more and we chatted and were laughing, but I have to admit, I was uncomfortable with how loud some of them were being, and sure enough, someone came and banged on our door. And then they got loud again, so bang bang bang again. And STILL my bunkmate was hyper, so I had to be a bit of a bitch (and by that I mean, meekly remind them) that I HAD been trying to sleep before they came in. They settled down after that, but I was wide awake and had a hard time sleeping again.
Anyways, more about Rome. Yesterday I spent the day in Ancient Rome. One of my roommates told me I should sign up for a tour because you get the skip the line, they're good, etc... Well, skipping the line was right, but the tour was crap. We were a group of 30 people and the tour guide had a little microphone that we all listened to through these cheap-ass ear pieces... And it was a windy day, she had thick accent, etc. so the result was that I couldn't hear a thing. At least I skipped the line for the colosseum!
Oh the colosseum! Words can't describe how magnificent it was! As with the pantheon, it's mind-boggling to realize how ancient these ruins are! I don't know what else I can really say about the Colosseum, because you've seen most of it in books, etc. I did manage to jar my back though when I was leaving - the turnstile I was going through didn't turn when expected, so I hurt myself. :( After the colosseum I visited Palatine Hill, the legendary starting location of Rome. It had some terrific ruins, but I didn't know what any of them were! There's a distinct lack of signage to explain all of Rome's tourist locations. :(
While on Palatine Hill I was taking a short rest and listened to part of another tour group. I liked their guide so much that I got her brochure so I could take in part of her Vatican tour.
After Palatine Hill I visited the Imperial Forums... Crazy cool ruins!!! Columns and arches and ancient temples! OMG they were beyond cool. Again though, you don't know what you're looking at, so you tend to have to do post-research after you get back to your room. (That's what my roomie referred to it as.) I was so tired at this point that I actually found a slab of marble and flopped down on it for 30 minutes or so and catnapped in the shade. Nothin' like flaking out at some ancient ruins.
While on Palatine Hill I met some Canadian girls and I ran into them again while in the Forum, so we got together for a lunch at a nearby trattoria. It was great not having to eat alone. We made plans to go to the Vatican today (more on that below). After lunch we split up because I wanted to explore the ancient area some more.
Well, I didn't really do the ancient stuff too much again - instead I walked around the ancient Roman Forums (lame becuse they were indistinct lumps of rock in grassy areas - I could have been walking around an rocky field in Canada for all the definition these ruins had). I strolled around the outside of the colosseum some more and wandered to Domus Aurea... Which is apparantly just a park for locals... Probably the first authentic Roman locals I've encountered since arriving!
After ancient Rome I decided to go back to the Spanish Steps - it was nearly night now and I was hoping to catch sunset over Rome. Well, I did... But it was anti-climatic. LOL. I stood around for like an hour with such anticipation, only to have the sun go down with barely a blink. No red skies, no brilliant flashes of light, etc. Le sadness! Oh well. I wandered home, got a salad for dinner and went to bed. (Whereupon the roommate fiasco with loudness took place - right now I've had about 12 hours of sleep in 48...)
Today I got up bright and early so that I could go on the Vatican tour. Again, I don't know how to describe it! It's so opulent and gaudy! I'm sure if I was religious, I'd be more properly impressed, but I'm happy our tour only took us for the highlights. You could probably take a full week to explore the various museums and look at their paintains and sculptures. I got to see some original works by Rafael, Michalangelo, DaVinci, etc... Towards the end of our tour, we of course went through the Sistine Chapel. Erm... Anti-climatic is the word. Again, if I was religious it would be more impressive, but I'm not, so oggling the dreary walls (little light to protect the painting) was a bit boring! You get better details in replicas, etc. I feel blasphemous just typing this.
Our tour had to cut short before we could go to St. Peter's, so I'm meeting up with the Canadian girls again at 6:15 to check it out again.
Right now though I'm utterly exhausted. I've used up all my energy reserves, especially since I haven't had a good night's sleep since arriving. My feet also feel like they're going to fall off any time now. I'm sweaty and sunburned (if I get skin cancer, can I claim it's couture cancer because it's from Italy?). I really don't want to go out again, but if I don't, I'll have to visit the basilica on my own. Despite this, I AM thoroughly enjoying Rome. It's not at all what I expected, but it's also more.
Tomorrow's plan is to chillax and re-visit the Pantheon. I also want to go to the Capitoline museums. 3 of my roommates left today, so it'll be interesting to see who's left.
I also just want to say - WOW. There are so many tourists here! It's insane to fight through the crowds! And it's not even the heigh of tourist season!
P.S. I apologize for the mispelling of any location names in this post - I'm too tired/lazy to pull out my guidebook and find the proper spellings.
So as most of you know, I'm currently in Italy on my Europe trip. I arrived on Saturday, June 6 and I'm already exhausted! I'm having a few issues typing this entry because a) I'm using a really really tiny keyboard, b) I'm exhausted, and c) this is an Italian keyboard so keys are in different locations! (E.g. the parenthese keys are two left from where they normally are, the apostraphe key is on the question mark key which is beside the backspace, etc... Colour me confused!)
On to the recap! (Photos to come later when I have more time to sit down and sift through the gazillion I've taken.)
My first adventure started at the airport when I kept setting off the security alarms. I ended up having to get patted down by a female security guard. I'm blaming my underwire bra.
I flew on Air Transat... Wow. What a dump! I've flown on many planes before, but Air Transat was the first time I've ever felt like I was in steerage! If my ass was any bigger, I'd have never fit into the seat! It didn't help that I was sat next to a gruff Italian guy and his wife. The guy was much more vocal than I about how uncomfortable the seating was, and he kept fidgeting. The flight itself was okay - I was uncomfy because at first I was too cold, and then I was sweating hot. I didn't get much sleep due to nervousness and Mr. Italian flopping around like a landed fish.
After landing, it was surprisingly easy to get from the airport to the city centre! I took the airport train to Rome's Termini station - but I don't remmeber much of the trip. It is soooo humid in Rome! And the train wasn't airconditioned, so lack of AC and lack of sleep makes for a very very sleepy Mau - I kept drifting asleep and then jerking awake. :(
I managed to make it to my hostel eventually. It's pretty cool! Very very North American/European. The checkin counter was playing the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and even now in the bar where I'm typing this, they're playing Moby. The hostel rooms are huuuuuge and they have big lockers under the bunkbeds to store your stuff. Very awesome. The old-school Italian elevator is a bit intimidating though - it's this tiny contraption with the folding doors that you can see through. It took a bit to work up the courage to use it. I'm also happy because my roommates are all cool - but more on them later.
Yesterday I immediately left the hostel to start exploring the city. I soon learned one of the first lessons that all tourists to Rome must learn - thou shalt not snap photos of every old building you come across.... Or you'll be sitting around forever and ever and run out of camera space. Seriously, I can't believe how indescribably beautiful Rome is. EVERY BUILDING is the old old style. Streets have the old bricks instead of asphalt. The streets are narrow. There are churches on every corner. So I rapidly had to give up on taking a picture of every interesting building I came across because it was an exercise in futility.
Another observation about Rome - Smart cars abound. Seriously, I've seen more Smart cars in the past 48 hours than I have in the past 10 years in Canada. Plus all the other cars are extremely tiny too... Which is probably a good thing considering the crazy paralell parking that goes on here. I saw a car bump into the one ahead of it while parking and totally didn't give a damn. When there aren't tiny cars, there are scooters and motorcycles. I also haven't been this terrified of crossing the street since I was in Thailand. Seriously, it's pretty freaking scary to take that first step through a busy roundabout.
During my initial expedition, I can't remember how many times I got lost. Well, lost is a relative word. I always knew where I was in relation to a certain tourist location, etc. I'd randomly walk down some streets, run into a beautiful fountain, set off on another street, find a tourist spot, wander off again, etc... My fave thing right now is the tourist map everyone is given. It's so detailed and helpful.... And it's ridiculously easy to identify who else is a tourist by it. LOL - we all have them in hand.
Despite being continually "lost," I still managed to find the following tourist destinations:
- The Spanish Steps - These were in a very pretty area. At their top is an old old Church and an Egyptian obelisk. The best thing though is that you can get a beautiful view of the rooftops of Rome. I can't believe how many domes there are! At their base is a pretty pretty fountain. I think it has some historical significance, but I can't for the life of me remember what.
- Shopping district - Beyond the Spanish steps you can find the couture shopping area of Rome. Gucci, Prada, Armani, you name it, they got it. I felt low-class just walking through it!
- After the shopping area I wandered to the Piazza di Popolo (or something like that)... Much more impressive on my map than in real life. LOL. Again, I have no idea what its significance was, but there was a pretty fountain, columns, etc. I was also pestered by Indian men trying to sell me roses.
- According to my map, at this point I was near the Tiber River, so I decided to walk along it. Now, in most cities I've ever visited, water areas are pretty. Not so with Rome. The water was so dirty and brown, plus it was really really low. The pretty thing were the bridges crossing it - they had multiple arches, etc. Very cool.
- I wandered South towards the Pantheon. Unfortunately I got there while it was closed for Mass, so I want to visit it again tomorrow. But I have to admit, it's an impressive building! It's just so mind boggling to see how huuuge it is and to realize how old it is. While I was in that plaza I sat on one of the rock columns beside it, and I have to admit, it was humbling to sit in the Pantheon's shadow on a rock that was over 2000 years old!
- After the Pantheon I wandered further South along whatever interesting roads I found (and of course, in Rome, they're all interesting looking!) I saw the Vittorio Emmanuele Monument. I was beyond tired at this point, so I just admired it from a distance and proceeded to get lost again.
- Now, this time I was truly lost - I thought I was somewhere South East of it, but somehow I stumbled on Trevi Fountain. I snapped a few photos, but in the end, it's just a pretty fountain! I don't get the appeal.
By this point I was utterly exhausted and starving. I hadn't ate since Breakfast on the plane (11am) and it was like 7PM. I did have some gelato, but I paid an arm and leg for it, only to discover that it's that same as is served in Canada! Now, I've been reassured by some people I've met that Italian gelato truly is better and that I must give it a second shot.
After getting lost on side streets, I finally made it back to my hostel and met all my roommates. I was sharing my room with 2 American girls who were on exchange in the Netherlands, an American guy who was travelling through all of Italy, a guy from the Netherlands who just finished BIKING here, and a guy from Malaysia who has been travelling for 2 months and is on his final month in Europe. They were all crazy cool about introducing themselves and were super friendly. However, they are kind of inconsiderate about certain things - the first night some of them went for a pub crawl. I didn't have a problem with that, or with my bunkmate waking me up when crawling into bed at 3am. The girls were rude though in that they turned on the huge overhead light when they came in a 6AM. And last night, I was in bed sleeping when everyone came back from their evening walk. I woke up and told them they could turn on the light if they wanted... But I was under the assumption they were back so they could go to bed (It was 1AM)... Well they poked in and out, were chatting, etc. I woke up some more and we chatted and were laughing, but I have to admit, I was uncomfortable with how loud some of them were being, and sure enough, someone came and banged on our door. And then they got loud again, so bang bang bang again. And STILL my bunkmate was hyper, so I had to be a bit of a bitch (and by that I mean, meekly remind them) that I HAD been trying to sleep before they came in. They settled down after that, but I was wide awake and had a hard time sleeping again.
Anyways, more about Rome. Yesterday I spent the day in Ancient Rome. One of my roommates told me I should sign up for a tour because you get the skip the line, they're good, etc... Well, skipping the line was right, but the tour was crap. We were a group of 30 people and the tour guide had a little microphone that we all listened to through these cheap-ass ear pieces... And it was a windy day, she had thick accent, etc. so the result was that I couldn't hear a thing. At least I skipped the line for the colosseum!
Oh the colosseum! Words can't describe how magnificent it was! As with the pantheon, it's mind-boggling to realize how ancient these ruins are! I don't know what else I can really say about the Colosseum, because you've seen most of it in books, etc. I did manage to jar my back though when I was leaving - the turnstile I was going through didn't turn when expected, so I hurt myself. :( After the colosseum I visited Palatine Hill, the legendary starting location of Rome. It had some terrific ruins, but I didn't know what any of them were! There's a distinct lack of signage to explain all of Rome's tourist locations. :(
While on Palatine Hill I was taking a short rest and listened to part of another tour group. I liked their guide so much that I got her brochure so I could take in part of her Vatican tour.
After Palatine Hill I visited the Imperial Forums... Crazy cool ruins!!! Columns and arches and ancient temples! OMG they were beyond cool. Again though, you don't know what you're looking at, so you tend to have to do post-research after you get back to your room. (That's what my roomie referred to it as.) I was so tired at this point that I actually found a slab of marble and flopped down on it for 30 minutes or so and catnapped in the shade. Nothin' like flaking out at some ancient ruins.
While on Palatine Hill I met some Canadian girls and I ran into them again while in the Forum, so we got together for a lunch at a nearby trattoria. It was great not having to eat alone. We made plans to go to the Vatican today (more on that below). After lunch we split up because I wanted to explore the ancient area some more.
Well, I didn't really do the ancient stuff too much again - instead I walked around the ancient Roman Forums (lame becuse they were indistinct lumps of rock in grassy areas - I could have been walking around an rocky field in Canada for all the definition these ruins had). I strolled around the outside of the colosseum some more and wandered to Domus Aurea... Which is apparantly just a park for locals... Probably the first authentic Roman locals I've encountered since arriving!
After ancient Rome I decided to go back to the Spanish Steps - it was nearly night now and I was hoping to catch sunset over Rome. Well, I did... But it was anti-climatic. LOL. I stood around for like an hour with such anticipation, only to have the sun go down with barely a blink. No red skies, no brilliant flashes of light, etc. Le sadness! Oh well. I wandered home, got a salad for dinner and went to bed. (Whereupon the roommate fiasco with loudness took place - right now I've had about 12 hours of sleep in 48...)
Today I got up bright and early so that I could go on the Vatican tour. Again, I don't know how to describe it! It's so opulent and gaudy! I'm sure if I was religious, I'd be more properly impressed, but I'm happy our tour only took us for the highlights. You could probably take a full week to explore the various museums and look at their paintains and sculptures. I got to see some original works by Rafael, Michalangelo, DaVinci, etc... Towards the end of our tour, we of course went through the Sistine Chapel. Erm... Anti-climatic is the word. Again, if I was religious it would be more impressive, but I'm not, so oggling the dreary walls (little light to protect the painting) was a bit boring! You get better details in replicas, etc. I feel blasphemous just typing this.
Our tour had to cut short before we could go to St. Peter's, so I'm meeting up with the Canadian girls again at 6:15 to check it out again.
Right now though I'm utterly exhausted. I've used up all my energy reserves, especially since I haven't had a good night's sleep since arriving. My feet also feel like they're going to fall off any time now. I'm sweaty and sunburned (if I get skin cancer, can I claim it's couture cancer because it's from Italy?). I really don't want to go out again, but if I don't, I'll have to visit the basilica on my own. Despite this, I AM thoroughly enjoying Rome. It's not at all what I expected, but it's also more.
Tomorrow's plan is to chillax and re-visit the Pantheon. I also want to go to the Capitoline museums. 3 of my roommates left today, so it'll be interesting to see who's left.
I also just want to say - WOW. There are so many tourists here! It's insane to fight through the crowds! And it's not even the heigh of tourist season!
P.S. I apologize for the mispelling of any location names in this post - I'm too tired/lazy to pull out my guidebook and find the proper spellings.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
A sobering thought about cancer research
I just learned that there will never be a cure for cancer. It's sobering. http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1162
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Similes
I just had a minor heart attack over an April Fool's post on a blog I frequent. The blog posted a news item. saying that Walmart was buying the CN Tower and was going to rename it the Walmart Canada Tower, etc.
Firstly, good job on the April Fool's joke! I was momentarily horrified before I clued into the fact that it just had to be a joke. Secondly, I loved the one reader's comment, "You guys had me. Damn, I was about to tune into the TV news to witness Toronto liberals jumping from high rises like lemmings."
Ha! Lemmings. I like that.
Firstly, good job on the April Fool's joke! I was momentarily horrified before I clued into the fact that it just had to be a joke. Secondly, I loved the one reader's comment, "You guys had me. Damn, I was about to tune into the TV news to witness Toronto liberals jumping from high rises like lemmings."
Ha! Lemmings. I like that.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Stream of consciousness
One of the things I learned in my grade 10 creative writing class was a writing exercise to get your creative/writing juices flowing. Essentially you just sat down and wrote for 5 minutes solid. It didn't have to make sense and you didn't have to correct your spelling. All you had to do was write for the sake of writing.
I miss writing. I used to really enjoy it but when I contemplated sitting down these days, I just get really weary at the thought of the effort required. This got me thinking of the stream of consciousness exercises - after all, the point of those was to get in the habit of writing, so I thought I'd give it a try. I came up with the idea last night and I even started brainstorming ideas of what to type about. It seems like very few of them got implemented. The result of my exercise was so amusing that I decided to post it for you to read. Enjoy!
I'm going to try this whole "stream of consciousness" thing again. I haven't done it since highschool but I think it's like a muscle - you have to work it out in order to get it working again. Or, like my analogy this morning, it's like having "sleep" in your eyes first thing in the morning. You've got to rub 'em (or it in this case) to get things flowing again. My mind is so weary these mornings. I don't know whether it's because I didn't get enough sleep (god those pillows are comfy) or whether it's just too early. Or, as I said, maybe my morning brain muscles have atrophied.
Oh gosh. Now my mind is starting to wake up a bit more and more. Is it coincidence or is this actually helping?
I keep reloading the CIHR website, hoping to find the results of our CIHR grant but it's not loaded yet. I suppose it was too much to hope that the results would be on first thing this morning, but a girl can dream, right?
I felt so inspired by the Twilight website last night. I really do miss writing. Or do I just miss the praise that went along with my written work? I miss the creation, the thrill and excitement of creating what I considered to be "rivetting" scenes. I'd really like to start practicing again - and hopefully that's what this writing exercise will do - give me the incentive to sit down and actually do something.
God. Those pillows were so soft and fluffy. I'm kind of grossed out at the idea of how long I've had my old ones. I don't even know where that ink spot came from. And I'm pretty sure they aren't meant to tbe an off-brownish colour. Yup. Gnarly. I'll have to set up a reminder in Outlook to change them every year.
So fluffy.
I also need to change my contacts. It's rather gross to realize that I've rarely cleaned my contacts this month. I just hate that whole "decontamination" process when I get home.
I miss wearing my sweatpants. I wish I could wear informal clothes here at work. My grad school shirt would get a hoot. I wonder what Michelle's dress looks like. I feel the urge to go shopping for myself now, but I can't justify it (I think) because I have stuff I can wear to the gala. I think I do at least. I'll have to double check the state that my clothes are in. Maybe I can justify it after all.
I wonder why I always misspell after all. I should look it up online. Maybe it's one of those weird words that aren't a word. Like shebang and hooplah. Heh. I just should try to include "shebang" in an email with Alyssa.
I wonder how Cathy's liking her new job. I haven't seen her online or anything on Facebook. It's crazy how people get into jobs they don't want just for a paycheque. I know that technically that's what I did, but at least I enjoy my job, if not my boss. I wonder if CIHR is loaded yet. I should go check. It's been morethan the 10 minutes I wanted to spend on this exercise.
Will this exercise count in my whole, "get used to writing again" attempt? Because I do write everyday... Just not so continuously. Maybe I should put this off until I get home and actually intend to write something for personal reasons.
Did my damned mp3 player freeze up? Oi. I don't know what to do. Oh email! I hope it's either Lyss or Bilodeau. I'd prefer the latter, if only to find out aobut the grant and nothing else. Here's teh incentive I need to finish this up. And off I go!
I miss writing. I used to really enjoy it but when I contemplated sitting down these days, I just get really weary at the thought of the effort required. This got me thinking of the stream of consciousness exercises - after all, the point of those was to get in the habit of writing, so I thought I'd give it a try. I came up with the idea last night and I even started brainstorming ideas of what to type about. It seems like very few of them got implemented. The result of my exercise was so amusing that I decided to post it for you to read. Enjoy!
I'm going to try this whole "stream of consciousness" thing again. I haven't done it since highschool but I think it's like a muscle - you have to work it out in order to get it working again. Or, like my analogy this morning, it's like having "sleep" in your eyes first thing in the morning. You've got to rub 'em (or it in this case) to get things flowing again. My mind is so weary these mornings. I don't know whether it's because I didn't get enough sleep (god those pillows are comfy) or whether it's just too early. Or, as I said, maybe my morning brain muscles have atrophied.
Oh gosh. Now my mind is starting to wake up a bit more and more. Is it coincidence or is this actually helping?
I keep reloading the CIHR website, hoping to find the results of our CIHR grant but it's not loaded yet. I suppose it was too much to hope that the results would be on first thing this morning, but a girl can dream, right?
I felt so inspired by the Twilight website last night. I really do miss writing. Or do I just miss the praise that went along with my written work? I miss the creation, the thrill and excitement of creating what I considered to be "rivetting" scenes. I'd really like to start practicing again - and hopefully that's what this writing exercise will do - give me the incentive to sit down and actually do something.
God. Those pillows were so soft and fluffy. I'm kind of grossed out at the idea of how long I've had my old ones. I don't even know where that ink spot came from. And I'm pretty sure they aren't meant to tbe an off-brownish colour. Yup. Gnarly. I'll have to set up a reminder in Outlook to change them every year.
So fluffy.
I also need to change my contacts. It's rather gross to realize that I've rarely cleaned my contacts this month. I just hate that whole "decontamination" process when I get home.
I miss wearing my sweatpants. I wish I could wear informal clothes here at work. My grad school shirt would get a hoot. I wonder what Michelle's dress looks like. I feel the urge to go shopping for myself now, but I can't justify it (I think) because I have stuff I can wear to the gala. I think I do at least. I'll have to double check the state that my clothes are in. Maybe I can justify it after all.
I wonder why I always misspell after all. I should look it up online. Maybe it's one of those weird words that aren't a word. Like shebang and hooplah. Heh. I just should try to include "shebang" in an email with Alyssa.
I wonder how Cathy's liking her new job. I haven't seen her online or anything on Facebook. It's crazy how people get into jobs they don't want just for a paycheque. I know that technically that's what I did, but at least I enjoy my job, if not my boss. I wonder if CIHR is loaded yet. I should go check. It's been morethan the 10 minutes I wanted to spend on this exercise.
Will this exercise count in my whole, "get used to writing again" attempt? Because I do write everyday... Just not so continuously. Maybe I should put this off until I get home and actually intend to write something for personal reasons.
Did my damned mp3 player freeze up? Oi. I don't know what to do. Oh email! I hope it's either Lyss or Bilodeau. I'd prefer the latter, if only to find out aobut the grant and nothing else. Here's teh incentive I need to finish this up. And off I go!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Hepatitis C
Disclaimer: For random people who find this blog posting, I'd like to point out that I am NOT a physician in any sense of the meaning. I'm merely writing about a few things I've learned since I've started working and I may have misunderstood some of the knowledge below. For more information on Hepatitis C see the Public Health Agency of Canada and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Before I started my current job, the only things I knew about the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) was... Nothing. The only Hepatitis viruses that I knew about were A and B and the only reasons I knew anything about those was because I was vaccinated against them. Now, 6 months into my job I'm amazed and horrified at how little the world knows about Hepatitis C.
To give some perspective on Hepatitis C think of it this way: In the world today, 36 million people are infected with HIV. Now contrast that with the 170 million chronic Heaptitis C infections in the world. This is 3% of the world's population! In addition, an estimated 3-4 million people become infected with HepC every year. Similar to AIDs, the highest rates of infection are in Africa and Asia. Country-wise, Egypt has the highest prevalence rate (22%) (Contrast that with Canada at 0.8%). In addition, death rates are higher for HCV than other viruses.
A study on "percutaneous injuries among health care workers" showed:
(Source: Am J Industrial Med 2005;48:482) Essentially I just want to show that more people are dying from HCV than from the other two "biggie" viruses.
Most people contract HCV through injection drug use (in Canada, drug use accounts for two thirds of HCV infections, in addition, you are 10 times more likely to contract HCV than HIV through a needlestick injury), use of sharps (e.g. needles, nail clipping equipment, toothbrushes, etc.), unsafe sex (less than you would anticipate), through birth, etc. The high risk populations are:
In addition there is always a chance that treatment might not work - depending on what HCV "genotype" you have, there is anywhere from a 30-70% chance that the treatment will fail.
As I described above, it's shocking to learn how terrible and prevalent HCV is and how few people know about it. So the next time you're discussing pandemics or fretting about the bird flu, stop and think about the pandemic that is already loose upon the world. Everyone needs to be aware of Hepatitis C!
World Hepatitis Day is on May 19. Find out more at Am I Number 12?.
Before I started my current job, the only things I knew about the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) was... Nothing. The only Hepatitis viruses that I knew about were A and B and the only reasons I knew anything about those was because I was vaccinated against them. Now, 6 months into my job I'm amazed and horrified at how little the world knows about Hepatitis C.
To give some perspective on Hepatitis C think of it this way: In the world today, 36 million people are infected with HIV. Now contrast that with the 170 million chronic Heaptitis C infections in the world. This is 3% of the world's population! In addition, an estimated 3-4 million people become infected with HepC every year. Similar to AIDs, the highest rates of infection are in Africa and Asia. Country-wise, Egypt has the highest prevalence rate (22%) (Contrast that with Canada at 0.8%). In addition, death rates are higher for HCV than other viruses.
A study on "percutaneous injuries among health care workers" showed:
| HBV | HCV | HIV | |
| # of acute infections | 65,600 | 16,400 | 1000 |
| Estimated # proceeding to chronic infection | 656 | 13,120 | 999 |
| Estimated deaths | 262 (40%) | 3,936 (30%) | 999 (100%) |
(Source: Am J Industrial Med 2005;48:482) Essentially I just want to show that more people are dying from HCV than from the other two "biggie" viruses.
Most people contract HCV through injection drug use (in Canada, drug use accounts for two thirds of HCV infections, in addition, you are 10 times more likely to contract HCV than HIV through a needlestick injury), use of sharps (e.g. needles, nail clipping equipment, toothbrushes, etc.), unsafe sex (less than you would anticipate), through birth, etc. The high risk populations are:
- Developing world
- Immigrants to the developed world
- Incarcerated
- Homeless
- Living in rural areas
- Mental - Depression, irritability, difficulty concentrating
- Phsyical - Flu symptoms, marrow suppressioin, weight loss, skin rash, etc.
In addition there is always a chance that treatment might not work - depending on what HCV "genotype" you have, there is anywhere from a 30-70% chance that the treatment will fail.
As I described above, it's shocking to learn how terrible and prevalent HCV is and how few people know about it. So the next time you're discussing pandemics or fretting about the bird flu, stop and think about the pandemic that is already loose upon the world. Everyone needs to be aware of Hepatitis C!
World Hepatitis Day is on May 19. Find out more at Am I Number 12?.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Good thing I'm not claustrophobic
I've had my morning chuckle already. I got into the hospital at 8:20 yesterday and still ended up being 5 minutes late into the office. Why's that? Because the newly renovated elevator decided to stop working just after I, and 10 other people got on it.
I think it was the first day the elevator was put into comission since it was renovated. We all piled into it, pushing our various floor buttons, and then the elevator sank several inches while the doors closed. Everything went still, followed by an electronic voice saying, "We are experiencing minor difficulties." Heh.
The safety features in the elevator left a lot to be desired. The people near the doors tried hitting a bunch of buttons but nothing was working. (I was at the back of the elevator.) The elevator told us to hit the alarm button but no one responded. I guess that someone finally found the "call an operator" button because an operator called into the elevator saying that she'd find someone.
Annoyingly, the woman nearest the control panel kept pushing the alarm button even though no one was obviously paying attention. Another few minutes crept by and she called the operator again. Unfortunately it seemed like the operator can't tell who's phoning her (e.g. no call display) so we had to go through the spiel again. I just thought it was obnoxious because the woman who was leaning on the alarm button told the operator, "Can you please hurry, it's getting really hot in here!" Yes, it was uncomfortably warm, but she was only saying it to try to make it seem like an emergency to get us out.
Another minute went by before someone finally called to us through the doors. The asked us to hit the "door open" button first. Gee, you think we didn't try that? They finally ended up having to pry the doors open to let us out. LOL. The whole experience wouldn't have been so bad, but it was too bloody hot in the elevator!
The only other elevator issue I've had was that I once accidentally hit the emergency call button in an elevator at Carleton University. The buttons in that elevator were really really low, and each was the size of my palm. I was juggling a bunch of grocery bags and accidentally knocked one bag against the button and then I had to wait for someone to answer so I could assure them it was a mistake.
I think it was the first day the elevator was put into comission since it was renovated. We all piled into it, pushing our various floor buttons, and then the elevator sank several inches while the doors closed. Everything went still, followed by an electronic voice saying, "We are experiencing minor difficulties." Heh.
The safety features in the elevator left a lot to be desired. The people near the doors tried hitting a bunch of buttons but nothing was working. (I was at the back of the elevator.) The elevator told us to hit the alarm button but no one responded. I guess that someone finally found the "call an operator" button because an operator called into the elevator saying that she'd find someone.
Annoyingly, the woman nearest the control panel kept pushing the alarm button even though no one was obviously paying attention. Another few minutes crept by and she called the operator again. Unfortunately it seemed like the operator can't tell who's phoning her (e.g. no call display) so we had to go through the spiel again. I just thought it was obnoxious because the woman who was leaning on the alarm button told the operator, "Can you please hurry, it's getting really hot in here!" Yes, it was uncomfortably warm, but she was only saying it to try to make it seem like an emergency to get us out.
Another minute went by before someone finally called to us through the doors. The asked us to hit the "door open" button first. Gee, you think we didn't try that? They finally ended up having to pry the doors open to let us out. LOL. The whole experience wouldn't have been so bad, but it was too bloody hot in the elevator!
The only other elevator issue I've had was that I once accidentally hit the emergency call button in an elevator at Carleton University. The buttons in that elevator were really really low, and each was the size of my palm. I was juggling a bunch of grocery bags and accidentally knocked one bag against the button and then I had to wait for someone to answer so I could assure them it was a mistake.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
First solo shag pad
I'd like to give you all a tour of my apartment. This is the first apartment I've never had a roommate in. It took awhile to get used to, and my tendency to talk to myself has drastically increased, but now I love living on my own! (The main reason being that I can be a total slob with no one to judge me.)
It was a minor miracle that I found this place. I'm sure I mentioned it before, but I moved to Toronto without having a place to live. I was so stressed out in my first week from new-job-jitters and having to learn a big new city that I didn't have the time nor incentive to hunt for a ridiculously expensive apartment.
I was feeling guilty for having mooched off my friends (they were kind enough to put me up on their couches/floors) so I ended up looking at apartments on craigslist. I called a bunch but none were grabbing my attention. And just when I was about to call it quits, I decided to give one more listing a try. It was a basement apartment, but oh-so-pretty.
To shorten my story, I managed to see the apartment the very next day (it had only been listed the night before!) and before I knew it, I was signing a lease! The first week I literally had NO furniture. I slept on a sleeping bag on the hardwood floor with my stuff scattered around. You have no idea how lonely it is to hear the room echo when you're alone in a strange city!My parents and middle sibling along with her BF helped move my stuff down the following weekend. It went really fast, but 5 years of student living didn't really give me a lot of actual furniture. The only things I had were my computer desk, bed, dresser (which was actually my parents', but I annexed it) and couple of cheap drawers from Walmart. Luckily my middle sibling donated an end table and a couple of chairs which served as my "couch" for the next month or so.
A trip to IKEA got me a couple of bar stools, a shelf, another end table, a TV stand, etc. I also ordered a couch from the Brick. The problem with the shelf that I bought was that my ceilings were too low for it to fit!!! We ended up having to literally SAW OFF THE BOTTOM! It looks good - you can't even tell that it was "modified" but I was horrified at the destruction of my brand new furniture!
A couple days later, the Brick came to deliver my couch. Again, nothing can happen easily for me. I had been really concerned that the couch would be too big to fit down the stairs. My parents assured me over and over again that it would fit. And lo and behold, they were right. The problem though was that the couch was too tall (again, the ceilings were too low) that the delivery guys could not angle it into my living room! Long story short, the Brick ended up taking it back to the warehouse and I got store credit for it, which my sister was able to sell to a friend for me, so I came out no less poorer than when I started. Phew.
On another trip to visit me, my parents offered to pick up a futon for me and deliver it themselves, saving me the hassle of dealing with the Brick again (I have a hate-on for that store now). Although I despise futons, I caved, needing something other than the small IKEA chair to sit on.
So now you can see my shag pad in its fully furnished glory! My only beef with the place is that it's a basement apartment. It's so cold in the winter. Luckily my landlord who lives above me is relatively quiet. Plus, the apartment is in a ridiculously convenient location! I'm sad because I'll have to leave it behind when I move to Montreal...
Bedroom 1, Bedroom 2, Bedroom 3
Bathroom 1, bathroom 2
Living area 2
Electronically mugged!
You hear about it all the time but never think it could happen to you. Well, it can. And I'm proof! Identity theft!
I went to an ATM last night after work to withdraw some money. Bzzt. "Transaction denied." I'm like, "Huh?" So I try again. Same result. I figure it must just be that the machine isn't working so I go to another local bank and try their machine. Nope, the problem's still there.
I end up going back to my office to check my online banking balance... and just about throw up. I see that there's been a $500 withdrawal from a bank machine and another purchase for $85... Neither of which I did.
I immediately called PC Financial and tell them the situation. Lucky for me they had already cancelled my debit card. They set up an investigation and told me that I'd probably get my money back in 5 to 10 business days. Even more lucky for me, I came into work the next day and there was a message from them. I called them back and now I should have the money back by tomorrow! Apparently the withdrawals were happening in Quebec!!!
It's crazy how fast this happened! I'm 90% sure that my card information was "stolen" when I went to the St. Lawrence market this weekend. That's the only ATM I've used in awhile. It's also embarassing to know that I was careless enough that someone saw my PIN! I'm hoping that I at least got duped by a smart thief who installed a mini camera or something, because I normally do make a slight effort to hide my PIN and whatnot. Oh well, my lesson has been learned and I'm going to be a total paranoid freak from now on.
I went to an ATM last night after work to withdraw some money. Bzzt. "Transaction denied." I'm like, "Huh?" So I try again. Same result. I figure it must just be that the machine isn't working so I go to another local bank and try their machine. Nope, the problem's still there.
I end up going back to my office to check my online banking balance... and just about throw up. I see that there's been a $500 withdrawal from a bank machine and another purchase for $85... Neither of which I did.
I immediately called PC Financial and tell them the situation. Lucky for me they had already cancelled my debit card. They set up an investigation and told me that I'd probably get my money back in 5 to 10 business days. Even more lucky for me, I came into work the next day and there was a message from them. I called them back and now I should have the money back by tomorrow! Apparently the withdrawals were happening in Quebec!!!
It's crazy how fast this happened! I'm 90% sure that my card information was "stolen" when I went to the St. Lawrence market this weekend. That's the only ATM I've used in awhile. It's also embarassing to know that I was careless enough that someone saw my PIN! I'm hoping that I at least got duped by a smart thief who installed a mini camera or something, because I normally do make a slight effort to hide my PIN and whatnot. Oh well, my lesson has been learned and I'm going to be a total paranoid freak from now on.
Lost in cyberspace
For over a month now, I've been emailing a colleague at the Canadian Liver Foundation, asking her for information. She didn't send it, didn't send it, etc. Finally I called her and left a voicemail, asking for the info because I really needed it.
When I returned to my desk, there was a voicemail from her stating, "So Maureen, I'm getting the impression you haven't been receiving my emails!" We managed to figure out that for some reason, her emails were randomly being lost in cyberspace! I received 1 out of 10 emails she sent! Normally I'd blame the users, but in this case we're both computer savvy people.
After a bit of detective work, we found out that I couldn't receive any emails from the CLF. We both called our IT people to ask them to sort out the problem. It was funny watching them start to communicate. (Note, these conversations are not verbatim.) The CLF's guy wrote, "Well our logs show that the emails were sent properly." The UHN people respond, "Well our logs show that Maureen has only received emails on this, this, and this day." and so on.
I'd got a couple of phone calls from the CLF's IT dude asking, "Maureen, did you receive Karen's email?" And of course I hadn't. Finally today the CLF managed to figure out the problem, not that I understand what the problem was. Apparently the lost emails were due to an AVG smtp outgoing scanner. *blink blink*
The whole ordeal was so odd though. I'm so used to emailing people that suddenly not having the ability to get the information easily was a huge issue. I'd send her an email and then realize, "Oh wait, she can't reply!" We started joking about how I could email her and she'd reply with smoke signals.
When I returned to my desk, there was a voicemail from her stating, "So Maureen, I'm getting the impression you haven't been receiving my emails!" We managed to figure out that for some reason, her emails were randomly being lost in cyberspace! I received 1 out of 10 emails she sent! Normally I'd blame the users, but in this case we're both computer savvy people.
After a bit of detective work, we found out that I couldn't receive any emails from the CLF. We both called our IT people to ask them to sort out the problem. It was funny watching them start to communicate. (Note, these conversations are not verbatim.) The CLF's guy wrote, "Well our logs show that the emails were sent properly." The UHN people respond, "Well our logs show that Maureen has only received emails on this, this, and this day." and so on.
I'd got a couple of phone calls from the CLF's IT dude asking, "Maureen, did you receive Karen's email?" And of course I hadn't. Finally today the CLF managed to figure out the problem, not that I understand what the problem was. Apparently the lost emails were due to an AVG smtp outgoing scanner. *blink blink*
The whole ordeal was so odd though. I'm so used to emailing people that suddenly not having the ability to get the information easily was a huge issue. I'd send her an email and then realize, "Oh wait, she can't reply!" We started joking about how I could email her and she'd reply with smoke signals.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Proper incentive
I have recently discovered that, given the proper incentive, I can be very athletic if needed.
To get in and out of my basement apartment, I have to go through my landlord's backyard which is surrounded by a 7 foot (minimum) fence and has a two way locked gate. Apparently the deadbolt on the gate isn't meant for extreme temperatures though. I've had a few mornings where I couldn't unlock the gate because the bolt was frozen in place.
The first time this happened, I ended up having to wake up my landlord and walk through his apartment to escape via his front door. Since then, he's provided me with an extension cord so that I can use my hairdryer to blowdry my way to freedom. :)
Now, this is all well and dandy, but then I ran into a different dilemma. What happens when I'm coming back home and the gate is frozen? This happened to me on Tuesday night. I had come back from my cooking class, it's 10:00pm, I'm tired and cold. I go to unlock the gate, and my key won't turn.
Me, being the totally couth and ladylike person that I am immediately start thinking, "Oh my fucking God!" Along with several other expletives. I wouldn't have been in such a panic, but you see, earlier in the day I received an email from my landlord, informing me that he was going to be in Columbia until the end of the month. Of course, I didn't think to write down the contact details of his friend that he gave me either.
So here I am, trying to defrost my lock with the de-icer I carry in my purse, the warmth from my hand, etc. (And of course I'm freezing my butt off the entire time because of the arctic temperatures that were plaguing Canada at the time.) One of the neighbours came by and we tried to brainstorm how to get in.
Finally I cracked and asked the neighbour to act as moral support while I attempted the impossible. I decided to climb the 7-8 foot fence! This wouldn't be such an ordeal, but the fence isn't the most sturdy thing in the world - it leans over, and it's a privacy fence, so the wooden slats are really close together so you can't put your feet in between the slats! Thankfully there was a short cement column at one corner of the fence, so I used that to get a boost up and by some minor miracle I climbed that damned fence! I had to fall about a foot down to reach the ground on the other side, but I made it safely!
And lucky for me too that the neighbour was ethical because I had left my purse, coat, bag, etc. all on the other side of the fence (didn't want to risk getting them caught while I was climbing). He was kind enough to hand them over to me when the ordeal was through! LOL
To get in and out of my basement apartment, I have to go through my landlord's backyard which is surrounded by a 7 foot (minimum) fence and has a two way locked gate. Apparently the deadbolt on the gate isn't meant for extreme temperatures though. I've had a few mornings where I couldn't unlock the gate because the bolt was frozen in place.
The first time this happened, I ended up having to wake up my landlord and walk through his apartment to escape via his front door. Since then, he's provided me with an extension cord so that I can use my hairdryer to blowdry my way to freedom. :)
Now, this is all well and dandy, but then I ran into a different dilemma. What happens when I'm coming back home and the gate is frozen? This happened to me on Tuesday night. I had come back from my cooking class, it's 10:00pm, I'm tired and cold. I go to unlock the gate, and my key won't turn.
Me, being the totally couth and ladylike person that I am immediately start thinking, "Oh my fucking God!" Along with several other expletives. I wouldn't have been in such a panic, but you see, earlier in the day I received an email from my landlord, informing me that he was going to be in Columbia until the end of the month. Of course, I didn't think to write down the contact details of his friend that he gave me either.
So here I am, trying to defrost my lock with the de-icer I carry in my purse, the warmth from my hand, etc. (And of course I'm freezing my butt off the entire time because of the arctic temperatures that were plaguing Canada at the time.) One of the neighbours came by and we tried to brainstorm how to get in.
Finally I cracked and asked the neighbour to act as moral support while I attempted the impossible. I decided to climb the 7-8 foot fence! This wouldn't be such an ordeal, but the fence isn't the most sturdy thing in the world - it leans over, and it's a privacy fence, so the wooden slats are really close together so you can't put your feet in between the slats! Thankfully there was a short cement column at one corner of the fence, so I used that to get a boost up and by some minor miracle I climbed that damned fence! I had to fall about a foot down to reach the ground on the other side, but I made it safely!
And lucky for me too that the neighbour was ethical because I had left my purse, coat, bag, etc. all on the other side of the fence (didn't want to risk getting them caught while I was climbing). He was kind enough to hand them over to me when the ordeal was through! LOL
I am not a statue
Before Christmas I had an incident with pigeons. I was braving a snowstorm to go out and buy some milk. Along the way I had to walk through a flock of pigeons.
Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but when you get too close to pigeons, they're supposed to fly away, right? At least, that's how it's supposed to work? Right? Right?!
Not so in this case. When I started getting close to them, yes, they started flying, but instead of flying away from me, they flew upwards and hovered in the air around me. They were so close that I actually felt their wings beating against me! I was beyond freaked out. I ducked and started scurrying along, but the little beasts continued to follow me for several meters!
It wasn't until I was going back home that I found out why they acted as they did. It turns out some guy had been feeding them. He was there when I was returning. I made a small joking comment to the effect of, "Oh, so you're the reason why the pigeons attacked me!"
The man got a bit defensive and replied (rather snarkily or so I thought), "Well they have to eat too!"
I personally have no sympathy for pigeons or any kind of bird during the winter. They've survived hundreds of years without our help in feeding them in the depths of the season, and let's face it, pigeons are scavengers - they'll eat practically anything! Even more amusingly, the guy was feeding them literally across the street from a homeless shelter. I can't help but think that's just really unclassy!
Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but when you get too close to pigeons, they're supposed to fly away, right? At least, that's how it's supposed to work? Right? Right?!
Not so in this case. When I started getting close to them, yes, they started flying, but instead of flying away from me, they flew upwards and hovered in the air around me. They were so close that I actually felt their wings beating against me! I was beyond freaked out. I ducked and started scurrying along, but the little beasts continued to follow me for several meters!
It wasn't until I was going back home that I found out why they acted as they did. It turns out some guy had been feeding them. He was there when I was returning. I made a small joking comment to the effect of, "Oh, so you're the reason why the pigeons attacked me!"
The man got a bit defensive and replied (rather snarkily or so I thought), "Well they have to eat too!"
I personally have no sympathy for pigeons or any kind of bird during the winter. They've survived hundreds of years without our help in feeding them in the depths of the season, and let's face it, pigeons are scavengers - they'll eat practically anything! Even more amusingly, the guy was feeding them literally across the street from a homeless shelter. I can't help but think that's just really unclassy!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
This is the voicemail that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friends....
Hospital voicemail systems have the longest messages in the world. It's very aggravating when I call someone, get their voicemail, and just want to leave a quick message. Instead of a generic message saying, "Hi, you've reached so and so, please leave a number," a lot of the voicemail messages here say, "Hi, you've reached so and so. I'm not available to take your call right now. If this is a medical emergency, please contact your family doctor or visit the nearest emergency centre. I will be out of the office from date to date inclusively. If this is a clinical matter, you may contact so and so at extension blah blah blah. If this is a research matter, please call so and so at extension blah blah blah. For all other concerns, please leave a voicemail with your full name, patient number, and a phone number you can be reached at."
It's even worse when you know the person is out of the office but need to leave a voicemail anyways. In that case, it's like a ticking time bomb of aggravation and I end up tapping my foot impatiently, afraid to not pay attention lest I miss the beep.
P.S.
Jill - don't gimme none of that crap about me not posting on my blog anymore! You apparently just don't visit here enough! You're still stuck on your smiling heavens in Australia post!
It's even worse when you know the person is out of the office but need to leave a voicemail anyways. In that case, it's like a ticking time bomb of aggravation and I end up tapping my foot impatiently, afraid to not pay attention lest I miss the beep.
P.S.
Jill - don't gimme none of that crap about me not posting on my blog anymore! You apparently just don't visit here enough! You're still stuck on your smiling heavens in Australia post!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Checklist
Highlight the things you have done.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (or both.)
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (kinda hard not to)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (indoors)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (Okay, it was Brownie cookies. Same diff.)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (!!! Excuse me as I laugh hysterically...)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (or both.)
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (kinda hard not to)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (indoors)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (Okay, it was Brownie cookies. Same diff.)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (!!! Excuse me as I laugh hysterically...)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The other side of the tracks
Since moving to Toronto, I've encountered many lower class and poor people. Mostly I don't pay attention to them and they ignore me. I don't give money to homeless people. I'll donate money to homeless shelters or soup kitchens at times, but I don't give money to the people directly. It's sad at times to see the kinds of people who live on the street.
One day on the streetcar, one homeless gentleman kindly moved his stuff off the seat beside him so I could sit down. He was very polite but I'll admit that cultural conditioning made me feel uncomfortable sitting beside him at all. I took off my gloves and he tried talking to me, mentioning how he used to have 6 pairs of gloves but they got stolen, etc. I made a comment about it being too bad, and then pulled out my book so I could ignore him in the politest possible way. I couldn't help but feel worse for this guy because he must have had Parkinson's or something. He couldn't control his body - he was shaky, his head kept jerking in my direction, etc. I can't help but wonder what kind of life he has had to end up where he is now.
When I first moved here, a homeless woman came on the streetcar one evening and announced very loudly, "Excuse me ladies and gentlemen, I haven't had anything to eat in 3 days and am starving," and then she proceeded to go up to every person in the car begging for money. Again, I wondered what her life must be like, to have to debase herself so much as to make announcements like that - it must take a lot of courage, and humiliation, to have to do that kind of thing.
When I mentioned this occurrence to my friend Michelle, she told me that she knew of the woman and that the lady was only really after money for drugs. I didn't really argue with Michelle because let's face it, that's the case at times, but I couldn't help but wonder if maybe she was just being too cavalier about the subject, or just biased.
Last night while I was waiting inside the streetcar stop (just a 3 sided shelter with clear walls to protect you against the wind), the same black woman came in. I assumed she would ask me for money and I strategically turned away so I could ignore her until the moment came. I could see her reflection in one of the windows. She was muttering and smoking. I saw her squat down and I assumed she was just cold and wrapping her arms around herself. But then I heard a splat, splat, splat sound. I thought she was throwing up or something, so I glanced backwards. That's when I realized she had copped a squat, pulled down her pants, and was peeing inside the shelter.
I was horrified. There were a gazillion other places nearby where she could have urinated and the fact that she chose to do so in the shelter with me less than a meter away totally freaked me out. I barreled out of the shelter and was relieved to see the streetcar coming. By this point, I was disturbed at even standing next to her. We both got on the streetcar and I managed to secure a seat by myself. (I was terrified that she would try to sit beside me.) A bit of the way down the street, she started licking her hand - like a dog would. Bit long wet smacking laps up and down her fingers. Thankfully she got off at a stop before I did.
The whole occurrence really disturbed me. Obviously the woman was high/strung out/whatever and Michelle was right. I just wonder what happened to bring the woman to such depths that she would urinate in a shelter right beside one of the most busiest intersections in Toronto. What kind of events could bring someone so low? It's seeing things like this that really makes me appreciate the life that I've had and continue to have.
One day on the streetcar, one homeless gentleman kindly moved his stuff off the seat beside him so I could sit down. He was very polite but I'll admit that cultural conditioning made me feel uncomfortable sitting beside him at all. I took off my gloves and he tried talking to me, mentioning how he used to have 6 pairs of gloves but they got stolen, etc. I made a comment about it being too bad, and then pulled out my book so I could ignore him in the politest possible way. I couldn't help but feel worse for this guy because he must have had Parkinson's or something. He couldn't control his body - he was shaky, his head kept jerking in my direction, etc. I can't help but wonder what kind of life he has had to end up where he is now.
When I first moved here, a homeless woman came on the streetcar one evening and announced very loudly, "Excuse me ladies and gentlemen, I haven't had anything to eat in 3 days and am starving," and then she proceeded to go up to every person in the car begging for money. Again, I wondered what her life must be like, to have to debase herself so much as to make announcements like that - it must take a lot of courage, and humiliation, to have to do that kind of thing.
When I mentioned this occurrence to my friend Michelle, she told me that she knew of the woman and that the lady was only really after money for drugs. I didn't really argue with Michelle because let's face it, that's the case at times, but I couldn't help but wonder if maybe she was just being too cavalier about the subject, or just biased.
Last night while I was waiting inside the streetcar stop (just a 3 sided shelter with clear walls to protect you against the wind), the same black woman came in. I assumed she would ask me for money and I strategically turned away so I could ignore her until the moment came. I could see her reflection in one of the windows. She was muttering and smoking. I saw her squat down and I assumed she was just cold and wrapping her arms around herself. But then I heard a splat, splat, splat sound. I thought she was throwing up or something, so I glanced backwards. That's when I realized she had copped a squat, pulled down her pants, and was peeing inside the shelter.
I was horrified. There were a gazillion other places nearby where she could have urinated and the fact that she chose to do so in the shelter with me less than a meter away totally freaked me out. I barreled out of the shelter and was relieved to see the streetcar coming. By this point, I was disturbed at even standing next to her. We both got on the streetcar and I managed to secure a seat by myself. (I was terrified that she would try to sit beside me.) A bit of the way down the street, she started licking her hand - like a dog would. Bit long wet smacking laps up and down her fingers. Thankfully she got off at a stop before I did.
The whole occurrence really disturbed me. Obviously the woman was high/strung out/whatever and Michelle was right. I just wonder what happened to bring the woman to such depths that she would urinate in a shelter right beside one of the most busiest intersections in Toronto. What kind of events could bring someone so low? It's seeing things like this that really makes me appreciate the life that I've had and continue to have.
Stuck
Getting to work shouldn't be difficult. I wish I could say that was the case on Wednesday this week. I got FROZEN into my backyard and ended up being 20 minutes late to work!
To get in and out of my apartment, I have to go through my landlord's backyard which is surrounded by a fence taller than I am. The only point of entry in the fence is a gate with a bolt that can only be released by key. The problem was, the lock was frozen closed!
I have never ever had to deal with frozen locks before, so I ended up going downstairs, getting some warm water (the fastest solution, although I know that it would just freeze over again) and a pack of matches. I also phoned home, waking up my mom and dad to see if they had a better idea on the spur of the moment. Nope. Water it was.
I troop back upstairs and outside and manage to melt the ice in the lock so I can finally get my key into the hole... But, alas! The key wouldn't turn! The entire BOLT was frozen! Due to the shape of the gate opening, I couldn't maneuver anything into the gap to try to de-ice the bolt. I thought of getting my hair dryer out, but I didn't have an extension cord long enough to reach the fence! By this time, 20 minutes had passed and I was getting worried about being so late to work. (I had already taken a moment to email my coworker to let her know that I'd be late - turns out that I spelled her email address wrong and she never got the message. Oops!)
I would have tried climbing the fence, but it's not the most sturdy thing in the world - it leans over, so if I were to try to climb it, it would probably collapse. And only sturdy portion of the fence is the part where there's a coniferous tree in front of it... I didn't feel like being tackled by pine needles while trying to manage my escape.
I finally ended up calling my landlord. Crap. The call goes straight to voicemail. My last recourse was to start banging on his backdoor. Thank God he was home for once! LOL, he ended up letting me through his house and out his front door and later on, he fixed the gate so that I could at least get back into my apartment later that evening.
I now own my first bottle of lock de-icer. And, the landlord has provided an extension cord just in case there's another fiasco like this again
To get in and out of my apartment, I have to go through my landlord's backyard which is surrounded by a fence taller than I am. The only point of entry in the fence is a gate with a bolt that can only be released by key. The problem was, the lock was frozen closed!
I have never ever had to deal with frozen locks before, so I ended up going downstairs, getting some warm water (the fastest solution, although I know that it would just freeze over again) and a pack of matches. I also phoned home, waking up my mom and dad to see if they had a better idea on the spur of the moment. Nope. Water it was.
I troop back upstairs and outside and manage to melt the ice in the lock so I can finally get my key into the hole... But, alas! The key wouldn't turn! The entire BOLT was frozen! Due to the shape of the gate opening, I couldn't maneuver anything into the gap to try to de-ice the bolt. I thought of getting my hair dryer out, but I didn't have an extension cord long enough to reach the fence! By this time, 20 minutes had passed and I was getting worried about being so late to work. (I had already taken a moment to email my coworker to let her know that I'd be late - turns out that I spelled her email address wrong and she never got the message. Oops!)
I would have tried climbing the fence, but it's not the most sturdy thing in the world - it leans over, so if I were to try to climb it, it would probably collapse. And only sturdy portion of the fence is the part where there's a coniferous tree in front of it... I didn't feel like being tackled by pine needles while trying to manage my escape.
I finally ended up calling my landlord. Crap. The call goes straight to voicemail. My last recourse was to start banging on his backdoor. Thank God he was home for once! LOL, he ended up letting me through his house and out his front door and later on, he fixed the gate so that I could at least get back into my apartment later that evening.
I now own my first bottle of lock de-icer. And, the landlord has provided an extension cord just in case there's another fiasco like this again
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Cell phone woes
Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted anything relevant to my current circumstances. Nothing terribly exciting has happened recently, I thought I'd share a fiasco that occurred back when I first moved to Toronto.
As mentioned, I'm renting a basement apartment. When I agreed to rent it, I never thought about cell phone reception. It wasn't until the first week I was there that I realized I couldn't get a cell phone signal in the place! If I wanted to make a call, I had to walk to a window and hold my cell phone far away to get a tiny signal.
Since I figured I couldn't get reception, I signed up for a landline. I got the cheapest package available (like $14 a month). Two weeks later my family came to visit and that's when I found out that every other cell phone company got cell phone reception in my basement! It was only Bell, and companies that use Bell cell phone towers that didn't work in my apartment! I was so mad!
I love having a cell phone. There seemed to be no point in keeping both a cell phone and a landline, so I decided to cancel my landline, break my Bell cell phone contract (I still had about 8 months left on it), and get a phone with Fido. Well, all this was easier said than done.
When I went to get my Fido phone, I found out that I could have my old Bell cell phone number transferred over to my Fido phone. I was like, "Yay! Now I don't have to tell everyone my new number." (I had only gotten my Toronto number a couple weeks earlier when I first moved to the area.)
To transfer my phone number, I had to get my Bell account number first. So I went to the Bell store and told them that I needed my account number. The lady just asked for my phone number and gave it to me then and there with no problem. I troupe back down to Fido, give them my phone number and account number... There's a small error, but the transfer goes through. Yay! I have a Fido phone number now.
The problem is, about 15 minutes later, I start getting phone calls for someone named Kevin. It wasn't till 30 minutes later that I realized I gave Fido and Bell the WRONG CELL PHONE NUMBER. (As I said, I had only had my phone number for a couple of weeks and hadn't memorized it yet.) I gave the lady at Bell the wrong number, so she gave me the correct account number for the wrong phone number. And that's why the number transfer went through Fido. Essentially I stole someone else's phone number! I now realize that the reason I gave the wrong phone number is that I gave Fido my old Ottawa phone number but I used a Toronto area code.
Long story short, I had to wait until the next day before I could sort out the mixup, and I ended up being on the phone with Fido and Bell for nearly 3 hours trying to give back "Kevin's" phone number. Then, a month later, Fido tried to bill me nearly $500 for breaking a contract (because I had bought a phone and returned it the next day). Luckily the phone call to fix that mistake only lasted a few minutes.
As mentioned, I'm renting a basement apartment. When I agreed to rent it, I never thought about cell phone reception. It wasn't until the first week I was there that I realized I couldn't get a cell phone signal in the place! If I wanted to make a call, I had to walk to a window and hold my cell phone far away to get a tiny signal.
Since I figured I couldn't get reception, I signed up for a landline. I got the cheapest package available (like $14 a month). Two weeks later my family came to visit and that's when I found out that every other cell phone company got cell phone reception in my basement! It was only Bell, and companies that use Bell cell phone towers that didn't work in my apartment! I was so mad!
I love having a cell phone. There seemed to be no point in keeping both a cell phone and a landline, so I decided to cancel my landline, break my Bell cell phone contract (I still had about 8 months left on it), and get a phone with Fido. Well, all this was easier said than done.
When I went to get my Fido phone, I found out that I could have my old Bell cell phone number transferred over to my Fido phone. I was like, "Yay! Now I don't have to tell everyone my new number." (I had only gotten my Toronto number a couple weeks earlier when I first moved to the area.)
To transfer my phone number, I had to get my Bell account number first. So I went to the Bell store and told them that I needed my account number. The lady just asked for my phone number and gave it to me then and there with no problem. I troupe back down to Fido, give them my phone number and account number... There's a small error, but the transfer goes through. Yay! I have a Fido phone number now.
The problem is, about 15 minutes later, I start getting phone calls for someone named Kevin. It wasn't till 30 minutes later that I realized I gave Fido and Bell the WRONG CELL PHONE NUMBER. (As I said, I had only had my phone number for a couple of weeks and hadn't memorized it yet.) I gave the lady at Bell the wrong number, so she gave me the correct account number for the wrong phone number. And that's why the number transfer went through Fido. Essentially I stole someone else's phone number! I now realize that the reason I gave the wrong phone number is that I gave Fido my old Ottawa phone number but I used a Toronto area code.
Long story short, I had to wait until the next day before I could sort out the mixup, and I ended up being on the phone with Fido and Bell for nearly 3 hours trying to give back "Kevin's" phone number. Then, a month later, Fido tried to bill me nearly $500 for breaking a contract (because I had bought a phone and returned it the next day). Luckily the phone call to fix that mistake only lasted a few minutes.
Monday, December 08, 2008
Useless
You'd think that a city with over 4 million people, they'd have a better library system. Ugh.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Another poem (not by me)
One of my old friends from university (okay, we only had one class together ever and haven't seen/talked since) recently posted the first draft of a poem she wrote on her blog. I read it and was enthralled. So I've taken it upon myself to pimp it out. Without further ado, here's "The Violence of Fall" by Katherine S.
The Violence of Fall
It is reported that
The sheeplike trees,
Tended by the gentle warmth of May,
Watered along June’s fickle streams
Growing thick with fleece under the humid July
Greenhouse glass,
mirrored in high-flying August clouds,
Were murdered the night of September 8th.
Fleece felled,
Unsuspectingly assailed by volley upon volley
Of steel-forged drops,
Quietly pricked by the razor-breath of winter
Until jaundice spread through finger-veins,
And blood-bright vessels danced beneath the skin.
Battered and bruised by wind-whips,
Stripped to the bone.
And the distant sun,
When it peered above the hill,
Could barely find the remains of summer’s flocks
Among the feverish pools of mustard
And bloody torn leaves
That soaked the skeleton stems.
The Violence of Fall
It is reported that
The sheeplike trees,
Tended by the gentle warmth of May,
Watered along June’s fickle streams
Growing thick with fleece under the humid July
Greenhouse glass,
mirrored in high-flying August clouds,
Were murdered the night of September 8th.
Fleece felled,
Unsuspectingly assailed by volley upon volley
Of steel-forged drops,
Quietly pricked by the razor-breath of winter
Until jaundice spread through finger-veins,
And blood-bright vessels danced beneath the skin.
Battered and bruised by wind-whips,
Stripped to the bone.
And the distant sun,
When it peered above the hill,
Could barely find the remains of summer’s flocks
Among the feverish pools of mustard
And bloody torn leaves
That soaked the skeleton stems.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Welcoming package
I unexpectedly had to go to Montreal for the past four days for work. The Doctor who's taking over the program I'm working for asked for my help on some paperwork. I was asked on Tuesday and by Thursday I was in Montreal. I asked him for a couple of hotel recommendations and ended up booking a room at Le Roberval.
On my first night there, I crashed relatively early because I was exhausted. (Getting up for a 9am flight will do that to you.) At midnight though, I woke up for no apparent reason. Then I realized I was woken up by the sound of someone knocking on my door. I wasn't about to get out of bed and see who it was, so I ignored it and heard them leave.
Just as I was falling asleep again, the phone rang. It was the front desk. The woman on the phone asks me, "Hi there, did you hire an escort?" [Read: Prostitute - my hotel was close to the red light district.]
I'm like, "What? No."
The woman replies, "Oh, sorry." And then before she hangs up, I hear her saying to someone else, "A woman answered. You have the wrong room."
I managed to fall back asleep, but the next day I joked with the Doctor, thanking him for arranging the welcoming package to Montreal. :)
On my first night there, I crashed relatively early because I was exhausted. (Getting up for a 9am flight will do that to you.) At midnight though, I woke up for no apparent reason. Then I realized I was woken up by the sound of someone knocking on my door. I wasn't about to get out of bed and see who it was, so I ignored it and heard them leave.
Just as I was falling asleep again, the phone rang. It was the front desk. The woman on the phone asks me, "Hi there, did you hire an escort?" [Read: Prostitute - my hotel was close to the red light district.]
I'm like, "What? No."
The woman replies, "Oh, sorry." And then before she hangs up, I hear her saying to someone else, "A woman answered. You have the wrong room."
I managed to fall back asleep, but the next day I joked with the Doctor, thanking him for arranging the welcoming package to Montreal. :)
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Truly an international city
I cannot believe how small this world can be. I was walking around Toronto's Eaton Centre a couple of weeks ago when I thought I recognized someone from my time in Hong Kong. I wasn't sure it was her though, so I called out, "Vris?" Lo and behold, the girl turns around and it IS Vris!
I met Vris through my friend Minnie when I was in HK. We didn't hang out all that much, but we did spend Chinese New Year's together with a bunch of other people while renting an apartment on Lantau island for a few days. She was super nice and fun to hang out with.
Prior to moving to Toronto, Minnie told me through Facebook that Vris was coming to Canada, to the University of Waterloo (where I studied!) for an exchange! The day that I saw her, she was in Toronto shopping with another former exchange student who apparently arrived in HK right after I left.
I just couldn't believe that I could run into someone from Hong Kong in the largest city in Canada! It's crazy!
I met Vris through my friend Minnie when I was in HK. We didn't hang out all that much, but we did spend Chinese New Year's together with a bunch of other people while renting an apartment on Lantau island for a few days. She was super nice and fun to hang out with.
Prior to moving to Toronto, Minnie told me through Facebook that Vris was coming to Canada, to the University of Waterloo (where I studied!) for an exchange! The day that I saw her, she was in Toronto shopping with another former exchange student who apparently arrived in HK right after I left.
I just couldn't believe that I could run into someone from Hong Kong in the largest city in Canada! It's crazy!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Morning calm
The one thing I look forward to about going to work every is walking by Alexandra Park. There's nothing special about the place - it's just a regular city part.
What I enjoy about it is the people. It's close to Chinatown, so every morning there are little old Chinese men and women there doing their morning exercises. My absolute favourite moment though is watching the group doing Tai Chi on the baseball diamond. They look so serene going through their movements with the sun shining on them.
What I enjoy about it is the people. It's close to Chinatown, so every morning there are little old Chinese men and women there doing their morning exercises. My absolute favourite moment though is watching the group doing Tai Chi on the baseball diamond. They look so serene going through their movements with the sun shining on them.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Convenience food shocker
I'm embarassed and mildly revolted to have to admit that I'm eating, and even enjoying one of those Uncle Ben's Expressions dinners. (You know, the rice and meat in a bag?) Except for the fact that it's a bit salty, I'm enjoying it a great deal.
The only reason I bought it is because I still don't have a microwave in my new apartment, so I needed something I could heat up on a stove without too much effort.
The only reason I bought it is because I still don't have a microwave in my new apartment, so I needed something I could heat up on a stove without too much effort.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Life changes
Wow! After nearly a two month drought, I'm back! With lots of news!
As I'm sure I've mentioned before, I've been job hunting. Well, two weeks ago, I sent my resume to the University Health Network in Toronto at 4:17PM. 8 minutes later, I got an email asking me to come for the first round of interviews. Wow!
Later that night, I found out that my father had the day off, and he was kind enough to offer me a ride to Toronto. So off we rode so I could have an interview for an Administrative Coordinator position.
I wasn't quite sure how the interview went. Some questions went well, but the girl who was interviewing me (and whom I would be replacing) had the greatest poker face in the world, so I was never sure where my answers sat with her. She also told me more about the position itself. Essentially the Admin Coordinator role is responsible for running the National Canadian Research Training Program in Hepatitis C. That includes coordinating weekly web conferences, planning the annual meeting in Banff, and bookkeeping. Yikes!
The interview was on a Wednesday. On Thursday I got the call back to come in on Friday. This time the interview included the same girl as Wednesday as well as the current director of the program, a Dr. Heathcote. The interview was much more a "getting to know the personal side of you" kind of interview. I yammered on and on, all the while thinking, "Shut me up!"
Well, apparently my yammering worked. By the time I arrived home that night, there was an email offering me the job and could I please start on Tuesday? First interview Wednesday, second interview Friday, starting on Tuesday?! They apparently took me a little too literally when I said I could start immediately. Can we say slight panic? I had to pack, buy new clothes, etc. (The clothes were especially important since 3 of my last 4 workplaces were casual environments, so I had nothing to wear that was business casual!)
I kept joking that the planets were aligning with regards to this job. I sent the resume, got the interview within mere minutes, my dad could give me a ride (thus negating a 4 hour bus ride), I got the second interview, and then I got the offer! Yes, the planets aligned indeed!
Oh yeah, one other small problem with starting work on Tuesday. I have no place to live in Toronto. Hrm. This is when I called in favours. My friend from university, Stacy, was kind enough to offer me a place to crash for the first two nights, and my high school friend, Michelle, was nice enough to give up her bed too. (And I literally mean her bed: She doesn't go to bed till 3am whereas I have to be up and at work by 8:30am, so she chose to sleep on the living couch so she could continue to stay up late.)
So essentially I arrived in Toronto on Monday, got my transit passes, found my way to work, etc., and then I started the next day! I can't really tell you what my first week has been like - it has been crazy information overload! I was in training all week and so on. There's so much more to this job than I anticipated. I guess I'll just have to rise to the challenge!
Also, when I applied to this job, I didn't realize just how quite well known the program, or my boss, was! My supervisor (Dr. Heathcote) threw an annual socializing bash at her house on Thursday, and while I was going there with some of my coworkers, I found out that Dr. Heathcote is one of the top three, if not the most well known doctor in her field! Also, the liver clinic where the course is kind of based out of (I say "Kind of" because this is a national program) is also one of the foremost in its field. Yikes! Can we say intimidation factor???
Anyways, as I was saying, I spent my first week going to work and stressing. It probably wouldn't have been too bad, but then I'd come back to my friends' apartments and stress about housing too! I didn't realize how expensive Toronto housing was, and how difficult it would be to find a place! I called and saw a few, but they weren't the greatest, or they had already been rented!
But hooray for me, the planets aligned one more time! On Friday I was looking at apartments online. I half heartedly phoned a bunch to find out more information. I was generally in one of those, "Woe is me" moods - sad, intimidated, etc... The next morning I went to go see one of the apartments that I had made an appointment with.
PRETTY! I was salivating on the floor looking at the place! It's a basement apartment with only two windows but it's newly renovated (heck, they haven't even finished the place!) with its own set of laundry machines! It's so big compared to some of the other places I've seen! I left with the rental application and came back within an hour. I pretty much bullied the landlord into signing the lease (he wasn't going to sign anything till tomorrow) but we worked it out. So tomorrow, assuming the credit he runs on me goes well, I'll move into my new place! (Ignore the fact that it's unfurnished for now - I have a sleeping bag and I went home last night and gathered a plate, frying pan, etc.)
So that's my life in a nutshell. Tomorrow I have an orientation session and then the real work begins! I shall endeavor to update more often now that I have a job and am living in the big city again. :)
As I'm sure I've mentioned before, I've been job hunting. Well, two weeks ago, I sent my resume to the University Health Network in Toronto at 4:17PM. 8 minutes later, I got an email asking me to come for the first round of interviews. Wow!
Later that night, I found out that my father had the day off, and he was kind enough to offer me a ride to Toronto. So off we rode so I could have an interview for an Administrative Coordinator position.
I wasn't quite sure how the interview went. Some questions went well, but the girl who was interviewing me (and whom I would be replacing) had the greatest poker face in the world, so I was never sure where my answers sat with her. She also told me more about the position itself. Essentially the Admin Coordinator role is responsible for running the National Canadian Research Training Program in Hepatitis C. That includes coordinating weekly web conferences, planning the annual meeting in Banff, and bookkeeping. Yikes!
The interview was on a Wednesday. On Thursday I got the call back to come in on Friday. This time the interview included the same girl as Wednesday as well as the current director of the program, a Dr. Heathcote. The interview was much more a "getting to know the personal side of you" kind of interview. I yammered on and on, all the while thinking, "Shut me up!"
Well, apparently my yammering worked. By the time I arrived home that night, there was an email offering me the job and could I please start on Tuesday? First interview Wednesday, second interview Friday, starting on Tuesday?! They apparently took me a little too literally when I said I could start immediately. Can we say slight panic? I had to pack, buy new clothes, etc. (The clothes were especially important since 3 of my last 4 workplaces were casual environments, so I had nothing to wear that was business casual!)
I kept joking that the planets were aligning with regards to this job. I sent the resume, got the interview within mere minutes, my dad could give me a ride (thus negating a 4 hour bus ride), I got the second interview, and then I got the offer! Yes, the planets aligned indeed!
Oh yeah, one other small problem with starting work on Tuesday. I have no place to live in Toronto. Hrm. This is when I called in favours. My friend from university, Stacy, was kind enough to offer me a place to crash for the first two nights, and my high school friend, Michelle, was nice enough to give up her bed too. (And I literally mean her bed: She doesn't go to bed till 3am whereas I have to be up and at work by 8:30am, so she chose to sleep on the living couch so she could continue to stay up late.)
So essentially I arrived in Toronto on Monday, got my transit passes, found my way to work, etc., and then I started the next day! I can't really tell you what my first week has been like - it has been crazy information overload! I was in training all week and so on. There's so much more to this job than I anticipated. I guess I'll just have to rise to the challenge!
Also, when I applied to this job, I didn't realize just how quite well known the program, or my boss, was! My supervisor (Dr. Heathcote) threw an annual socializing bash at her house on Thursday, and while I was going there with some of my coworkers, I found out that Dr. Heathcote is one of the top three, if not the most well known doctor in her field! Also, the liver clinic where the course is kind of based out of (I say "Kind of" because this is a national program) is also one of the foremost in its field. Yikes! Can we say intimidation factor???
Anyways, as I was saying, I spent my first week going to work and stressing. It probably wouldn't have been too bad, but then I'd come back to my friends' apartments and stress about housing too! I didn't realize how expensive Toronto housing was, and how difficult it would be to find a place! I called and saw a few, but they weren't the greatest, or they had already been rented!
But hooray for me, the planets aligned one more time! On Friday I was looking at apartments online. I half heartedly phoned a bunch to find out more information. I was generally in one of those, "Woe is me" moods - sad, intimidated, etc... The next morning I went to go see one of the apartments that I had made an appointment with.
PRETTY! I was salivating on the floor looking at the place! It's a basement apartment with only two windows but it's newly renovated (heck, they haven't even finished the place!) with its own set of laundry machines! It's so big compared to some of the other places I've seen! I left with the rental application and came back within an hour. I pretty much bullied the landlord into signing the lease (he wasn't going to sign anything till tomorrow) but we worked it out. So tomorrow, assuming the credit he runs on me goes well, I'll move into my new place! (Ignore the fact that it's unfurnished for now - I have a sleeping bag and I went home last night and gathered a plate, frying pan, etc.)
So that's my life in a nutshell. Tomorrow I have an orientation session and then the real work begins! I shall endeavor to update more often now that I have a job and am living in the big city again. :)
Sunday, July 13, 2008
I see dead people
My cat totally creeped me out last night. We were sitting on the couch, me watching a movie, her being petted by me, totally content and relaxed with each other. Suddenly, she launches upwards on point, growls deep down in her chest, and stares at something just over my left shoulder.
I'm at home by myself, it's night, and my back is to the empty hallway. I was almost afraid to turn around because I half way expected some burglar to be standing there. But there wasn't. There was nothing at all behind me, but the cat was still staring fixedly on nothing.
Makes you wonder if animals can sense spirits after all...
I'm at home by myself, it's night, and my back is to the empty hallway. I was almost afraid to turn around because I half way expected some burglar to be standing there. But there wasn't. There was nothing at all behind me, but the cat was still staring fixedly on nothing.
Makes you wonder if animals can sense spirits after all...
Friday, July 04, 2008
50 Facts that Should Change the World
Found this interesting link on the web today: 50 Facts That Should Change The World. Some were scary, some were sad.
The only facts that I urge you not to take too seriously are the ones that are criminal in nature (especially the ones that mention the developing world). E.g. the child soldiers fact - no one can truly know how many child soldiers there are. The number, 300000, appeared in literature somewhere and no one has been able to figure out its origins. So the numbers could be higher or lower.
The only facts that I urge you not to take too seriously are the ones that are criminal in nature (especially the ones that mention the developing world). E.g. the child soldiers fact - no one can truly know how many child soldiers there are. The number, 300000, appeared in literature somewhere and no one has been able to figure out its origins. So the numbers could be higher or lower.
Ghost busters
Several weeks ago the doorbell to our apartment rang. I answered the door to find two young guys around my age standing there. They introduced themselves, saying they were from Pennsylvania and were from the TV show, "Ghostly Encounters." (I had never heard of it.) The one fellow explained that my home town was apparently as a "hot spot" for ghost stories and they wanted to know if I, or anyone I knew, had ever experienced an encounter from a non-earthly being.
Throughout this whole spiel, I was nodding like an idiot. Sure I don't really believe in ghosts, but a TV show (which I have heard of) actually did recently come to Owen Sound to do a feature on an older building in our town, the Billy Bishop Museum. So I didn't really question that these guys were who they said they were.
After they asked me about any potential "encounters," the dude doing all the talking started laughing. It turns out that they were actually representing Foster Parents Plan and were looking for people to sponsor needy children. They laughed when I explained why I didn't question their cover story.
But still, that conversation was beyond strange. Their whole joke about being ghost hunters took about 3-4 minutes to get through. So what was the point? It was so random.
Throughout this whole spiel, I was nodding like an idiot. Sure I don't really believe in ghosts, but a TV show (which I have heard of) actually did recently come to Owen Sound to do a feature on an older building in our town, the Billy Bishop Museum. So I didn't really question that these guys were who they said they were.
After they asked me about any potential "encounters," the dude doing all the talking started laughing. It turns out that they were actually representing Foster Parents Plan and were looking for people to sponsor needy children. They laughed when I explained why I didn't question their cover story.
But still, that conversation was beyond strange. Their whole joke about being ghost hunters took about 3-4 minutes to get through. So what was the point? It was so random.
Taking them all with me!
I think I tried to poison my parents and I last night. I made a kickass wonderful meal of chicken drumsticks, mashed potatoes, corn, carrots, and homemade bread. It was delicious! The only pain in the butt thing about it was that the chicken took a lot longer to cook than anticipated. We ended up microwaving the chicken just so it would cook faster.
Well, something must have gone wrong with the food. This morning I woke up feeling very ill. When my dad phoned later, apparently he had been feeling sick too. My mom just came home and admitted that she had suffered the same symptoms... We don't seem to have food poisoning since the symptoms passed very quickly, but given the evidence, I believe I shall throw out the leftover chicken.
I dub myself, "The Assassin Chef!"
Well, something must have gone wrong with the food. This morning I woke up feeling very ill. When my dad phoned later, apparently he had been feeling sick too. My mom just came home and admitted that she had suffered the same symptoms... We don't seem to have food poisoning since the symptoms passed very quickly, but given the evidence, I believe I shall throw out the leftover chicken.
I dub myself, "The Assassin Chef!"
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Death of my tastebuds
Tonight, my mother made a cake. She decided to use a pre-made cake mix and packaged icing. The cake was delicious, but something went terrible wrong with the icing.
She used "Added Touch" vanilla flavoured icing. I could hear her in the kitchen griping about the icing being kind of weird - it wasn't whipping the way it should. She actually had to get a fork out and break apart the dry lumps.
When she went to get the cake from the cooling rack, I sneaked into the kitchen and swiped my finger in the icing bowl to get a quick treat. I started to run away from the scene of the crime, but that's when the taste in my mouth hit me.
Oh boy, something went wrong with that icing. Terribly wrong. With each step I took, the taste in my mouth got worse. It was like eating sour paint. I wasn't sure if it was just me, so I stopped my mom from putting the icing on the cake and took the icing out to my father to try. (I'd have offered it to my mom, but she has no sense of taste.) My dad was so revolted by the icing's taste that he actually spat it back into the bowl.
We suspect that the packaged icing had gone bad. I opened the second (unopened) package that my had left out, and it too had a terrible odor. Needless to say, the icing got thrown out (in the outside garbage - I couldn't stand the idea of having it sit in our kitchen garbage), and my mom ran out to buy some new icing.
The worst thing is that the taste lingered! Both my dad and I had to find something else to eat to get rid of the god awful flavour!
She used "Added Touch" vanilla flavoured icing. I could hear her in the kitchen griping about the icing being kind of weird - it wasn't whipping the way it should. She actually had to get a fork out and break apart the dry lumps.
When she went to get the cake from the cooling rack, I sneaked into the kitchen and swiped my finger in the icing bowl to get a quick treat. I started to run away from the scene of the crime, but that's when the taste in my mouth hit me.
Oh boy, something went wrong with that icing. Terribly wrong. With each step I took, the taste in my mouth got worse. It was like eating sour paint. I wasn't sure if it was just me, so I stopped my mom from putting the icing on the cake and took the icing out to my father to try. (I'd have offered it to my mom, but she has no sense of taste.) My dad was so revolted by the icing's taste that he actually spat it back into the bowl.
We suspect that the packaged icing had gone bad. I opened the second (unopened) package that my had left out, and it too had a terrible odor. Needless to say, the icing got thrown out (in the outside garbage - I couldn't stand the idea of having it sit in our kitchen garbage), and my mom ran out to buy some new icing.
The worst thing is that the taste lingered! Both my dad and I had to find something else to eat to get rid of the god awful flavour!
Monday, June 09, 2008
Taro soup sadness
One of my fave things to eat in Hong Kong was Taro/Sago soup. It's a soupy mixture of sago (tapioca pearls), taro root, and coconut milk. I remember watching Peggy making it once and it seemed really easy. I finally decided to make my own soup but couldn't remember how to make it, so I decided to frankenstein a pot of it by mixing a couple of recipes I found off the internet.
To make the soup, I had to search far and wide for the ingredients. I literally travelled to a small town about 1.5 hours away from Owen Sound to get the sago. Then this weekend while I was in Kitchener, I popped into an Asian grocery store to buy taro root. (Of course, it wasn't till I got into the store before I realized that I didn't even know what taro root looked like! I had to ask a random customer to point it out to me.)
Making the soup was a painful process.
Cooking the taro wasn't difficult, but chopping it up was. That damned root was hard! The sago turned obtained a glue-like consistency when I started cooking it. It took FOREVER to cook through. One of the recipes I was using also said that I had to drain and rinse the sago in cold water. When I did so, I promptly clogged my colander with the starchy glue stuff floating at the top of the pot. It took two colanders with multiple cleanings in between before I could finally rinse the sago properly.
Adding the taro and sago to the coconut soup base was easy. Now I have a large pot full of coconut milk, taro, and sago and it looks exactly the way I remember it! Unfortunately, it kinda tastes like crap. :( I added some honey to my current bowl, but now it tastes like bland chunky soup with a dash of honey.
I wish I knew how the Zhongsan Fishing Village restaurant made their sago soup - there was grapefruit in theirs and it was delicious!
So now I'm sitting here, trying to choke down my bowl of soup, simply because I refuse to throw it out. Next bowl, I'll try using regular white or brown sugar instead of honey.
If anyone else has made taro/sago soup before, can they offer their own recipe or suggestions on how to make it?
To make the soup, I had to search far and wide for the ingredients. I literally travelled to a small town about 1.5 hours away from Owen Sound to get the sago. Then this weekend while I was in Kitchener, I popped into an Asian grocery store to buy taro root. (Of course, it wasn't till I got into the store before I realized that I didn't even know what taro root looked like! I had to ask a random customer to point it out to me.)
Making the soup was a painful process.
Cooking the taro wasn't difficult, but chopping it up was. That damned root was hard! The sago turned obtained a glue-like consistency when I started cooking it. It took FOREVER to cook through. One of the recipes I was using also said that I had to drain and rinse the sago in cold water. When I did so, I promptly clogged my colander with the starchy glue stuff floating at the top of the pot. It took two colanders with multiple cleanings in between before I could finally rinse the sago properly.
Adding the taro and sago to the coconut soup base was easy. Now I have a large pot full of coconut milk, taro, and sago and it looks exactly the way I remember it! Unfortunately, it kinda tastes like crap. :( I added some honey to my current bowl, but now it tastes like bland chunky soup with a dash of honey.
I wish I knew how the Zhongsan Fishing Village restaurant made their sago soup - there was grapefruit in theirs and it was delicious!
So now I'm sitting here, trying to choke down my bowl of soup, simply because I refuse to throw it out. Next bowl, I'll try using regular white or brown sugar instead of honey.
If anyone else has made taro/sago soup before, can they offer their own recipe or suggestions on how to make it?
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Please stand by: We are suffering technical difficulties
Bwahahahaaa. I'm sitting here watching CBC news right now. The commercials just ended and the weather forecast came on with a woman explaining everything... But there was no sound. She's standing there yapping away, pointing out the temperatures and everything... And then I guess someone realized there was no sound.
She starts twisting around to check her microphone, pauses, turns back to the camera, smiles and makes the "One second" gesture and says it (silently), and then the channel cut back to commercials.
I'm still waiting for the forecast...
She starts twisting around to check her microphone, pauses, turns back to the camera, smiles and makes the "One second" gesture and says it (silently), and then the channel cut back to commercials.
I'm still waiting for the forecast...
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Important words
I seem to be in a poetry mood lately, and so I thought I'd toss out a few of my favourite poems.
First I'd like to relink to this post. Because it still presents an beautiful but sad image.
Recently I was reading a short story and the story referenced a poem by Pastor Martin Niemöller who lived in Germany during the Nazi occupation. I've heard the poem before, but never really knew its origins. According to Wikipedia, this poem was Niemöller's response to the German intellectuals' response during the Nazi rise to power. Here you have it:
First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up,
because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left
to speak up for me.
Suddenly I've been beset by a fit of laziness. So I shall instead merely link to other famous poems that are either really powerful for me, or just really pretty.
"If You Forget Me" by Pablo Neruda. I actually just found this poem while looking for a poem website. I liked the pretty imagery in it.
"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. Let's face it, we've all read this poem before, but it's so powerfully symbolic that I had to include it here.
"Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley. I have always loved this poem since I first read it in grade 10 English. I love how the author shows how fleeting life can truly be. Imagine what our lands will look like in hundreds of years.
"The Listeners" by Walter De La Mare. This poem has always intrigued me. It's a creepy but good snapshot. I'm always left wondering what the traveller was doing and why. The poem's cadence is among the best I've read.
"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost. Okay, so this poem isn't exactly profound (at least in my opinion) but I love the imagery in it. You can imagine yourself in the rider's place.
"Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Once again here's a poem I first heard in grade 10 English. The thing that draws me to it is the rhythm - meant to sound like galloping horses.
Those are a few of my fave poems that I can think of off the top of my head.
First I'd like to relink to this post. Because it still presents an beautiful but sad image.
Recently I was reading a short story and the story referenced a poem by Pastor Martin Niemöller who lived in Germany during the Nazi occupation. I've heard the poem before, but never really knew its origins. According to Wikipedia, this poem was Niemöller's response to the German intellectuals' response during the Nazi rise to power. Here you have it:
- First They Came...
First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up,
because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left
to speak up for me.
Suddenly I've been beset by a fit of laziness. So I shall instead merely link to other famous poems that are either really powerful for me, or just really pretty.
Those are a few of my fave poems that I can think of off the top of my head.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Walking the line
My mother's union went on strike last Thursday. Since I'm unemployed (and believe in their cause of course), I've joined them on the picket lines outside their workplace.
This isn't the first time I've been on a picket line. Back in 1996, my father's union went on strike for 7 weeks. I was about 13 or 14 years old then and he took me on the picket lines with him. We even traveled to Toronto to take part in the massive demonstrations in front of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. I don't have many memories of the strike, but now that I'm older, I realize that my view of unions is very different from others.
I've met a lot of people over the years who are vehemently anti-union, and to be honest, I just can't understand why! My father has been a union member for my entire life. My mom has been a union member since 2004. To me, unions are a Good Thing. My History courses have shown how hard people have fought for the right to have unions. They're meant to help protect employees from their own companies and whatnot. The fact that they still serve the same purpose today makes me rather proud.
My mother's coworkers went on strike because they feel they aren't getting paid enough. The union conducted a survey and discovered that their salaries are in the bottom third for similar positions in the province. Then they found out that their managers are in the top third salary-wise. The union was demanding a pay raise - not even to be brought up to the absolute middle of the scale - no, they just want a raise to the lower middle area of the salary scale. Management told them that there simply wasn't any money to give them the raise. The big controversy now is due to the fact that the company recently built a brand new building that costs around $20 million! There's a lot of superfluous spending and needless additions (e.g. an exercise room that has no exercise equipment, a drive-thru window that's doomed to be environmentally-unfriendly, etc.). So when Management has the money to spend on this garish ugly building (nicknamed by the public as the "Taj Mahal", or the "Copper Kettle") but not the money to spend on their employees, it looks bad. Also, the Board of Directors has told Management that the pickets SHOULD be brought up to a fair wage.
Given the fact that unions are legally recognized, and they have certain rights, it's amazing how people have been reacting to the picketers. Employees on strike have the right to hold traffic up for 10 minutes. Apparently, no one told this to Management. I saw one manager actually bump 3 women with her car because she refused to be held up (which we have the LEGAL RIGHT TO DO). Another picketer got hit immediately after, and even had to be taken to the hospital because of minor injuries. She's probably going to end up pressing charges.
While walking along the picket line, we've received an amazing amount of support. People honk their horns as they pass by (much to the annoyance of Management who can hear all of this and are getting complaints from the neighbors about the noise - but the neighbors are deliberately complaining because the more they bug Management, the more Management will need to give into the union's demands). We've been receiving coffee and treats from members of the public and even from people who are still working in the workplace. Not everyone has been pleasant though. Some people have driven or walked by and yelled at the pickets for being greedy and whatnot. People don't seem to understand that a union won't go on strike unless they feel really strongly about the issue! They don't get paid while they're on strike, or if they do, it's usually only $25 A DAY. Obviously they'd much rather be at work than on the line. One or two people have made rude gestures, and one fellow went on a 5 minute temper tantrum. Overall though, the good has outweighed the bad by a long shot.
What's also surprising me is how personal people are letting things become. Some situations are understandable. For example, one union member was offered a full-time non-union job about 2 days before the strike, so she's been crossing the picket lines and according to inside gossip, she's been taking on some of the picketers work, making her a Scab. But even the reaction from Management is surprising. After the strike is over, both Management and the picketers are going to have to work together - but there's going to be A LOT of bad blood between the two groups. I don't get why Management can't be pleasant and just wait for the 10 minutes while we hold them up and so on. Instead, it's rather childish, they completely ignore us on their ways in and out. Also, amusingly, they have a small web camera pointed out the window and are watching us with it the ENTIRE time!
Luckily the other employees inside the building are being very supportive. ONA, the union for the nurses and public health inspectors, have encouraged their members to join us on their breaks and lunch hours. They've also been instructed to try to avoid taking on the work of the union members (within reason), and so on. Other unions from around the city have stopped by to help and disrupt the work inside the building. On Friday, some correctional services workers (aka jail guards) came to join us on the picket line. Canada Post and a bunch of the courier companies refuse to cross the picket lines too.
All in all, it has been a very interesting experience being on the picket line now that I'm old enough to appreciate the intricacies of the situation. I have a lot more appreciation for unions and the laws that help govern their relations with the workplace. So if you see a group of employees on strike sometime, give them a honk or a wave or anything to let them know that you support, or at least acknowledge their complaints! Go OPSEU!
This isn't the first time I've been on a picket line. Back in 1996, my father's union went on strike for 7 weeks. I was about 13 or 14 years old then and he took me on the picket lines with him. We even traveled to Toronto to take part in the massive demonstrations in front of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. I don't have many memories of the strike, but now that I'm older, I realize that my view of unions is very different from others.
I've met a lot of people over the years who are vehemently anti-union, and to be honest, I just can't understand why! My father has been a union member for my entire life. My mom has been a union member since 2004. To me, unions are a Good Thing. My History courses have shown how hard people have fought for the right to have unions. They're meant to help protect employees from their own companies and whatnot. The fact that they still serve the same purpose today makes me rather proud.
My mother's coworkers went on strike because they feel they aren't getting paid enough. The union conducted a survey and discovered that their salaries are in the bottom third for similar positions in the province. Then they found out that their managers are in the top third salary-wise. The union was demanding a pay raise - not even to be brought up to the absolute middle of the scale - no, they just want a raise to the lower middle area of the salary scale. Management told them that there simply wasn't any money to give them the raise. The big controversy now is due to the fact that the company recently built a brand new building that costs around $20 million! There's a lot of superfluous spending and needless additions (e.g. an exercise room that has no exercise equipment, a drive-thru window that's doomed to be environmentally-unfriendly, etc.). So when Management has the money to spend on this garish ugly building (nicknamed by the public as the "Taj Mahal", or the "Copper Kettle") but not the money to spend on their employees, it looks bad. Also, the Board of Directors has told Management that the pickets SHOULD be brought up to a fair wage.
Given the fact that unions are legally recognized, and they have certain rights, it's amazing how people have been reacting to the picketers. Employees on strike have the right to hold traffic up for 10 minutes. Apparently, no one told this to Management. I saw one manager actually bump 3 women with her car because she refused to be held up (which we have the LEGAL RIGHT TO DO). Another picketer got hit immediately after, and even had to be taken to the hospital because of minor injuries. She's probably going to end up pressing charges.
While walking along the picket line, we've received an amazing amount of support. People honk their horns as they pass by (much to the annoyance of Management who can hear all of this and are getting complaints from the neighbors about the noise - but the neighbors are deliberately complaining because the more they bug Management, the more Management will need to give into the union's demands). We've been receiving coffee and treats from members of the public and even from people who are still working in the workplace. Not everyone has been pleasant though. Some people have driven or walked by and yelled at the pickets for being greedy and whatnot. People don't seem to understand that a union won't go on strike unless they feel really strongly about the issue! They don't get paid while they're on strike, or if they do, it's usually only $25 A DAY. Obviously they'd much rather be at work than on the line. One or two people have made rude gestures, and one fellow went on a 5 minute temper tantrum. Overall though, the good has outweighed the bad by a long shot.
What's also surprising me is how personal people are letting things become. Some situations are understandable. For example, one union member was offered a full-time non-union job about 2 days before the strike, so she's been crossing the picket lines and according to inside gossip, she's been taking on some of the picketers work, making her a Scab. But even the reaction from Management is surprising. After the strike is over, both Management and the picketers are going to have to work together - but there's going to be A LOT of bad blood between the two groups. I don't get why Management can't be pleasant and just wait for the 10 minutes while we hold them up and so on. Instead, it's rather childish, they completely ignore us on their ways in and out. Also, amusingly, they have a small web camera pointed out the window and are watching us with it the ENTIRE time!
Luckily the other employees inside the building are being very supportive. ONA, the union for the nurses and public health inspectors, have encouraged their members to join us on their breaks and lunch hours. They've also been instructed to try to avoid taking on the work of the union members (within reason), and so on. Other unions from around the city have stopped by to help and disrupt the work inside the building. On Friday, some correctional services workers (aka jail guards) came to join us on the picket line. Canada Post and a bunch of the courier companies refuse to cross the picket lines too.
All in all, it has been a very interesting experience being on the picket line now that I'm old enough to appreciate the intricacies of the situation. I have a lot more appreciation for unions and the laws that help govern their relations with the workplace. So if you see a group of employees on strike sometime, give them a honk or a wave or anything to let them know that you support, or at least acknowledge their complaints! Go OPSEU!
Monday, April 07, 2008
Square peg, round hole
I've been cooking dinner for my parents quite often since I've been home. Since I do the cooking, they wash the dishes afterwards. This is a quick recap of last night's conversation/events in the kitchen.
> Mau pulls out the ingredients for dinner.
> Mau fetches her favourite sharp knife that comes with its own sharpening sheath.
> Mau looks at the knife and does a double-take.
> Mau yells at her mother, "You IDIOT! You put the knife in the sharpener UPSIDE DOWN!"
> Mau's mother starts laughing and comments, "I was wondering why it was so difficult to put in the sheath!"
> Mau's father covers his face with shame.
The whole situation was hilarious because I didn't even think before I bellowed out at my mom. I thought most people realized that if something wasn't moving easily, you shouldn't force it! LOL. I was completely dumbfounded that she managed to shove the knife into the plastic sheath. Unfortunately it seems like the sharpener is broken - I need to get a screw driver to pry it out this evening.
> Mau pulls out the ingredients for dinner.
> Mau fetches her favourite sharp knife that comes with its own sharpening sheath.
> Mau looks at the knife and does a double-take.
> Mau yells at her mother, "You IDIOT! You put the knife in the sharpener UPSIDE DOWN!"
> Mau's mother starts laughing and comments, "I was wondering why it was so difficult to put in the sheath!"
> Mau's father covers his face with shame.
The whole situation was hilarious because I didn't even think before I bellowed out at my mom. I thought most people realized that if something wasn't moving easily, you shouldn't force it! LOL. I was completely dumbfounded that she managed to shove the knife into the plastic sheath. Unfortunately it seems like the sharpener is broken - I need to get a screw driver to pry it out this evening.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Car Karma
Oh Cathy, you and your car amuse me to no end.
This afternoon I arranged to meet Cathy for a lunch date. She ended up driving us to this little bagel restaurant near Bank and Holmwood. When we arrived, I hopped out of the car, locked my door, and started toward the restaurant door. That's when I heard, "Uh oh," behind me.
I turn around and see Cathy looking wide-eyed, trying my door handle. All she says is, "Maureen, I think I just locked my keys in my car!" Sure enough, she has done just that. And to top it all off, somehow she exited her vehicle while it was still running. She surmises that she must have opened her car door to see how close to the parking lines she was, and then instead of pulling out her keys, she just stepped out of the vehicle and locked it with the button like normal.
Luckily, or I guess I should say unluckily, she had had car problems earlier in the week and ended up signing up for a CAA membership. She was able to pull out her brand new membership card and call for some help.
It was interesting to watch her reactions to the whole situation though. Most people would have started panicking or gotten all irritated and angry at themselves. Except for her shock of doing something as silly as locking her keys in her car, Cathy was cool about the whole situation. She just pulled out her membership and made the call. Yes, she's quite the person to have by your side in an emergency.
Also, another bonus to the afternoon is that while we were waiting for CAA to appear, we stood outside by her car chatting. After about 20 minutes, one of the employees from Kettleman's restaurant came outside and gave us two free bagels, fresh from the oven for free! That was so kind of them! And I'll have you know that when CAA finally arrived and we were able to go in and enjoy our lunch, the bagel sandwiches from Kettleman's were delicious.
This afternoon I arranged to meet Cathy for a lunch date. She ended up driving us to this little bagel restaurant near Bank and Holmwood. When we arrived, I hopped out of the car, locked my door, and started toward the restaurant door. That's when I heard, "Uh oh," behind me.
I turn around and see Cathy looking wide-eyed, trying my door handle. All she says is, "Maureen, I think I just locked my keys in my car!" Sure enough, she has done just that. And to top it all off, somehow she exited her vehicle while it was still running. She surmises that she must have opened her car door to see how close to the parking lines she was, and then instead of pulling out her keys, she just stepped out of the vehicle and locked it with the button like normal.
Luckily, or I guess I should say unluckily, she had had car problems earlier in the week and ended up signing up for a CAA membership. She was able to pull out her brand new membership card and call for some help.
It was interesting to watch her reactions to the whole situation though. Most people would have started panicking or gotten all irritated and angry at themselves. Except for her shock of doing something as silly as locking her keys in her car, Cathy was cool about the whole situation. She just pulled out her membership and made the call. Yes, she's quite the person to have by your side in an emergency.
Also, another bonus to the afternoon is that while we were waiting for CAA to appear, we stood outside by her car chatting. After about 20 minutes, one of the employees from Kettleman's restaurant came outside and gave us two free bagels, fresh from the oven for free! That was so kind of them! And I'll have you know that when CAA finally arrived and we were able to go in and enjoy our lunch, the bagel sandwiches from Kettleman's were delicious.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Strange habits
Everyone has little habits or ways of doing things that really make no sense but they believe that their actions make a difference. I know myself that I have certain foibles and ways of doing things that probably don't have any scientific backing to them (not that I can think of any examples right now).
I must share with you one of my roommate's actions today that actually made me laugh out loud.
This afternoon when I exited my bedroom I saw that my roomie was cooking her lunch. The strange thing though was that she had a tea towel draped over her head. It wasn't wrapped around, it wasn't tucked in or anything. It was like she had laid a newspaper on her head. I paused and stared at her and she saw that I was looking, but I just shook my head and said, "I'm not going to ask."
She then proceeded to explain to me that the tea towel was to protect her hair from absorbing the smell of her food. She had had a shower in the morning and didn't want the smell to permeate her hair.
I'd like to remind you that this woman has a degree in Biology and is getting a second degree in Environmental Engineering. On what planet could you believe that laying a tea towel on your head while standing over your pot would stop the smell from getting into your hair? Nevermind the hair, she was wearing her clothes for the day, her skin was exposed, etc. But this single thin piece of fabric, which covered maybe a quart of her hair (which is long and hangs to the top of her shoulders) was supposed to stop the smell?
I should probably mention that the towel had been nicely folded earlier, and thus the creases in the fabric created a little peak that seemed to act more like a chimney, drawing the steam into it rather than blocking it.
I can't wait to move out.
I must share with you one of my roommate's actions today that actually made me laugh out loud.
This afternoon when I exited my bedroom I saw that my roomie was cooking her lunch. The strange thing though was that she had a tea towel draped over her head. It wasn't wrapped around, it wasn't tucked in or anything. It was like she had laid a newspaper on her head. I paused and stared at her and she saw that I was looking, but I just shook my head and said, "I'm not going to ask."
She then proceeded to explain to me that the tea towel was to protect her hair from absorbing the smell of her food. She had had a shower in the morning and didn't want the smell to permeate her hair.
I'd like to remind you that this woman has a degree in Biology and is getting a second degree in Environmental Engineering. On what planet could you believe that laying a tea towel on your head while standing over your pot would stop the smell from getting into your hair? Nevermind the hair, she was wearing her clothes for the day, her skin was exposed, etc. But this single thin piece of fabric, which covered maybe a quart of her hair (which is long and hangs to the top of her shoulders) was supposed to stop the smell?
I should probably mention that the towel had been nicely folded earlier, and thus the creases in the fabric created a little peak that seemed to act more like a chimney, drawing the steam into it rather than blocking it.
I can't wait to move out.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Officially withdrawn
I called the Grad Studies office at Carleton today. It's official - I'm no longer a Carleton U student. Umm, yay?
I have to admit, now that I'm over the shock of deciding to withdraw from grad school, part of me regrets it. I think it's like the trauma of childbirth. At the time it hurts and scares you so much that you never want to have a child again, but then time fades the memories and you're willing to go through it again.
At the time of my original decision to withdraw, I was so stressed out and then so relieved when I "escaped" from grad studies, but now I miss going to classes, reading articles, and so on. I remember being miserable and struggling, but it's like there's a fog between myself and the misery I experienced.
On a more positive note, I have another interview on Monday! Yay me!
I have to admit, now that I'm over the shock of deciding to withdraw from grad school, part of me regrets it. I think it's like the trauma of childbirth. At the time it hurts and scares you so much that you never want to have a child again, but then time fades the memories and you're willing to go through it again.
At the time of my original decision to withdraw, I was so stressed out and then so relieved when I "escaped" from grad studies, but now I miss going to classes, reading articles, and so on. I remember being miserable and struggling, but it's like there's a fog between myself and the misery I experienced.
On a more positive note, I have another interview on Monday! Yay me!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Hallucinations
I've been up late several nights in a row. And by late, I mean staying up till 2-4am. One of the reasons is that I found one of my favourite comic strips, "For Better or Worse," posted online, and I've been catching up on the archives from 2003 to present day!
Last night though, I started to wonder if the lack of sleep was catching up with me. Around 2am I blinked and stared at the current comic strip I was looking at more closely. I could have SWORN the speaker in the one panel's eyes moved!
I paused and started staring at the panel, waiting, no, DARING the stationary character to move again. And it did! LOL, for some reason, the comic strips posted online in 2005 started having animated sections. Random people will blink, a person in the background will move, etc. It was rather disconcerting at first, but now I'm just relieved to know that I'm not hallucinating.
Last night though, I started to wonder if the lack of sleep was catching up with me. Around 2am I blinked and stared at the current comic strip I was looking at more closely. I could have SWORN the speaker in the one panel's eyes moved!
I paused and started staring at the panel, waiting, no, DARING the stationary character to move again. And it did! LOL, for some reason, the comic strips posted online in 2005 started having animated sections. Random people will blink, a person in the background will move, etc. It was rather disconcerting at first, but now I'm just relieved to know that I'm not hallucinating.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Losing my flip flops
I never used to wear flip flops. And I especially never wore footwear in the house. When I first went to university though, I had to buy a pair of shower shoes. My purchase took the form of a pair of $2 flip flops from WalMart.
I got so used to wearing the flip flops that I rarely took them off. I wore them not only to the shower, but also to the cafeteria, around my residence, and pretty much everywhere (except outside).
Surprisingly those flip flops lasted me for 4 years - not bad for only spending a toonie on them! They finally broke when I was in Hong Kong. I had to replace them, and ended up buying a pair of Diesel brand name flip flops while in Thailand. Unfortunately they were terrible fake products. They had had flowers painted on them. I think the flowers rubbed off in two days. Oh well. They're still ridiculously comfortable.
In my current residence, I keep losing a single flip flop (usually the right foot one). How do I do this? It happens when I go to sit at my computer desk. Without thinking, when I first sit down, I usually sit with my right foot curled up beneath me, which means I kick off my right flip flop before sitting down. Later I'll shift positions, and automatically go seek out my flip flop, only to find it's not beneath my desk. It's beside it.
I don't know how I continue to surprise myself by doing this. I've been "losing" my flip flop since I first moved in, but I'm also surprised (and amused) when I have to lean over, grab it, and throw it to my foot.
I think it's even more amusing that I'm actually dedicating an entire post to my flip flops, but hey, they're now a necessity of life for me. Anytime I take a trip anywhere, I always pack my flip flops for wandering around my new accomodations.
I got so used to wearing the flip flops that I rarely took them off. I wore them not only to the shower, but also to the cafeteria, around my residence, and pretty much everywhere (except outside).
Surprisingly those flip flops lasted me for 4 years - not bad for only spending a toonie on them! They finally broke when I was in Hong Kong. I had to replace them, and ended up buying a pair of Diesel brand name flip flops while in Thailand. Unfortunately they were terrible fake products. They had had flowers painted on them. I think the flowers rubbed off in two days. Oh well. They're still ridiculously comfortable.
In my current residence, I keep losing a single flip flop (usually the right foot one). How do I do this? It happens when I go to sit at my computer desk. Without thinking, when I first sit down, I usually sit with my right foot curled up beneath me, which means I kick off my right flip flop before sitting down. Later I'll shift positions, and automatically go seek out my flip flop, only to find it's not beneath my desk. It's beside it.
I don't know how I continue to surprise myself by doing this. I've been "losing" my flip flop since I first moved in, but I'm also surprised (and amused) when I have to lean over, grab it, and throw it to my foot.
I think it's even more amusing that I'm actually dedicating an entire post to my flip flops, but hey, they're now a necessity of life for me. Anytime I take a trip anywhere, I always pack my flip flops for wandering around my new accomodations.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Asian geek
I'm totally an Asian geek. Last night I dreamt I met one of my fave HK actors, Nicholas Tse. Later on, I had a different dream where I was getting a mini-Mandarin lesson in a random university class.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Delayed departure
I was supposed to be back in Ottawa tonight, but I didn't make it. I got to the train station and went to pick up my ticket about 15 minutes before departure... Only to be told I was supposed to be there 45 minutes early! Apparently there were no seats left for me. :| Luckily I was able to rebook my ticket for tomorrow and hang with my sister and her boyfriend for another day.
We ended up going hiking in Hamilton. Unfortunately, a lot of the trails were really icy, meaning we had to go very slowly. On the way back, we found a much faster method of getting down the icy sections! See the video!
We ended up going hiking in Hamilton. Unfortunately, a lot of the trails were really icy, meaning we had to go very slowly. On the way back, we found a much faster method of getting down the icy sections! See the video!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Sweet images
I saw this little poem/story on a web comic I like to read. I found it so beautiful (in a sad kinda way) that I wanted to share it with others. The comic is called Friendly Hostility. This excerpt was from a week the artist took off from the comic. It can be found here.
I knew it was the end when I woke to find you sleeping next to me, grave dirt in your hair, under your fingernails, streaked on your pretty face.
You smelled like the hydrangeas you'd been buried with. Your skin, your skin was translucent, thin and delicate like tissue paper.
It bordered on pale blue, bringing a moonbeam into the golden sunlit morning, into the cotton sheets tangled up on my bed.
I pulled the covers over us, pressed close and tucked your head under my chin like we used to before the accident, and went back to sleep.
I knew it was the end when I woke to find you sleeping next to me, grave dirt in your hair, under your fingernails, streaked on your pretty face.
You smelled like the hydrangeas you'd been buried with. Your skin, your skin was translucent, thin and delicate like tissue paper.
It bordered on pale blue, bringing a moonbeam into the golden sunlit morning, into the cotton sheets tangled up on my bed.
I pulled the covers over us, pressed close and tucked your head under my chin like we used to before the accident, and went back to sleep.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Pre-pain status
I figured I'd type this quick entry out before the pain of my day truly set in.
I went snowshoeing today.
I haven't been snowshooeing since 2004. Cathy and I went to Gatineau Park and rented some snowshoes... We were walking around from 11am to about 2:45pm. I am so not looking forward to tomorrow when the pain sets in. My legs are already stiff and sore, and this is after a hot shower and an evening of relaxation.
We walked along two trails, the easy "Sugarbush Trail" and the "Blanchet Trail." The woman at the Visitor's Centre told us that the Blanchet trail had a few vertical climbs and whatnot, but that it was a good walk. She failed to mention that "vertical climbs" translates into "scaling a mountain"... That's right, somehow Cathy and I managed to snowshoe our way up the side of a mountain.
We probably got 98% of our way through the trail before finally turning back. We were both ridiculously cold and tired from hiking upwards... I can't decide whether going up or down was harder. Going up was difficult because we were climbing all the way, but going down was also hard on the knees/thighs because you were constantly leaning back to counteract the angle of the hill while wearing snowshoes. At least going down went faster than going up!
Despite my impending pain, I had a great day. It's so nice to do something different from staying inside, or going to a mall or anything else.
I went snowshoeing today.
I haven't been snowshooeing since 2004. Cathy and I went to Gatineau Park and rented some snowshoes... We were walking around from 11am to about 2:45pm. I am so not looking forward to tomorrow when the pain sets in. My legs are already stiff and sore, and this is after a hot shower and an evening of relaxation.
We walked along two trails, the easy "Sugarbush Trail" and the "Blanchet Trail." The woman at the Visitor's Centre told us that the Blanchet trail had a few vertical climbs and whatnot, but that it was a good walk. She failed to mention that "vertical climbs" translates into "scaling a mountain"... That's right, somehow Cathy and I managed to snowshoe our way up the side of a mountain.
We probably got 98% of our way through the trail before finally turning back. We were both ridiculously cold and tired from hiking upwards... I can't decide whether going up or down was harder. Going up was difficult because we were climbing all the way, but going down was also hard on the knees/thighs because you were constantly leaning back to counteract the angle of the hill while wearing snowshoes. At least going down went faster than going up!
Despite my impending pain, I had a great day. It's so nice to do something different from staying inside, or going to a mall or anything else.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)