new diet plan

okay. so since i'm moving to a new area in the toronto downtown core, i will be posting pics of each new restaurant that i dine at.... starting next time. lol.

trying to start something new

sitting here i don't know what to do... feels like the work is never going to finish, or even get started. there is always a let down, i guess this is normal since the situation that i am in is huge! something that needs to have bumps in the road, but how much longer will this go on.

but, OMG! the leafs are smoking hot! what is with this team and fighting for a playoff spot every single year. it's as if they sleep for the whole season and then at the last season they decide to wake up and say hey, we need to go and get some points. regardless, go leafs go!

something that i am trying to get into, waterloo road. a british drama series set at waterloo school and the students and teachers that go there. interesting first couple of episodes, but it is hard to understand all the lingos and different accents. thanks to tommy for tweeting this one to me.

next up, halos for my caliber, from the folks of advanced automotive concepts. this is most likely the only modification that will happen to my cali this year. can't wait until the warm weather comes and it's time to wash, clay-bar, polish and wax. oh baby! it will be time to cruise soon!

travel plans for this year? vancouver, hopefully gatty and my yearly venture into maryland... road trips much?

holy smokes

omg, can't believe that it will be next week... next week!

time to start packing... time to start painting... time to start renovating...
what a long and hard road it is and now i am at the end point. things are starting to fall in place, now if only i can find a trustworthy renovation person then everything will be GREAT!!!!!

finally watched the social network. is it good? yes, it is interesting because we are still living this and everyone is on facebook and so obviously we are interested as to how and why it became so successful. if we are taking the movie as it is... i would say that mark is quirky, but did not steal the idea. he was heavily influenced by shawn and while that helped him to make the first millions... it was quite obvious that he was also the reason that mark made such a terrible move in screwing his only true friend in eduardo; the ending scenes with shawn and the drugs and partying is the end result. overall it was entertaining, and with business it is ALWAYS messy. money is the devil!

one more month

wow! how fast time moves... one more month until i get my keys. so excited! but there is still lots to do... renovation, cleaning and moving. i've always found it interesting to see how other ppl decorate their places. now it's my turn n i have more than enough ppl telling what to buy and which colours to use, so now actually don't know how much of the design or decoration would be my own.

so starts a new chapter in my life... can't wait to see what it holds for me.

xmas time.

car? got it...
house? got it...
Xmas off? nope...

unfortunately being in health care means that you have to work through holidays. this year will be spent at work during the day and huddled in the house with my family at night. everyone has a different idea of what Christmas is all about. for me it's my family getting together with some good food, funny stories, and some embarrassing games as well. this year the house is decorated and awaiting the arrival of some very special guests; excitement is growing. How will you be spending your Christmas holidays? At home with your family or away?

It is not yet the official winter season and we have already had several centimetres of snow here in Toronto. In mid-November is when we prepare ourselves for the winter blast that will last for a couple months. First, the cars get a complete wash, claybar and wax job. For my car in specific, headlights and the front bumper is switched out and the original factory ones are put back on. But the most important is putting on your winter tires. Remember, the best all seasons are still worse than the worst winter tires. Second, the water has to be turned off, all the summer garden tools and equipment gets stored away. All the winter essentials are brought out (shovels, salt/sand) Thirdly, stocking up! The one that is always neglected, being prepared! Not just your car, but also your house. Gas stoves, flashlights, candles, extra blankets, canned food, water, batteries, radio!
But remeber to give yourself extra time for travel, have patience and leave extra space.

it's been so long...

can't believe it's already been one month since i lost posted anything here. i guess i just don't have much to say at all; really not much has happened to me since the last entry, what a boring life i lead eh? but something that has been keeping me up at night and really consuming my attention is me taking the next step... how do u know when u are ready to buy your own place?

i'm standing at the edge, everything is prepared but yet i can't take that leap. i like the place that i saw, but my interest still irks me whenever i think of the one that slipped out of my hands. there is something about an old well-maintained building that makes you think of the older posh toronto; dare i even say manhattan like feel? while i am sure everyone who comes to this moment will have this... cold feet, i just wonder if it is really a sign that i am in fact not ready to move out, not ready financially to be living so close to the edge.

some food links, i know everyone already knows these places, but i've just "discovered" them for myself. first up, diana's seafood (www.dianasseafood.com). located in the lawrence+warden area of toronto. from the outside, it looked like the rest of that area, a little runned down, but it offered a vast variety of seafood. the reason that i went there? to get myself some fresh oysters; yes, if you are keeping score, i officially like fresh oysters (no, i hate them cooked).
second one is cumbrae's (www.cumbraes.com). a excellent butcher shop with 3 locations serving toronto, who get their products from local farms!

hockey season is among us again! here's to me hoping that the toronto maple leafs (www.mapleleafs.com) will be making an appearance in the playoffs this year. while it is still preseason/exhibition games and nothing to get excited about, at least we haven't lost every single game; for those who don't know it's 2-2-1 with a game up against the sabres. the opening game for the leafs will be on the 7th against the montreal canadiens at the acc.

last but not least.... are you ready for the winter season? have your emergency kits ready? i do, flash lights, gas stoves, MRE kits, emergency blankets, water... let's hope this season will be like last season's, a nice balmy dry winter.

vacation turns deadly

This post is all about what happened in Manila. If you have been hiding under a rock, a bus full of Hong Kong tourists was taken hostage by an ex-cop in Manila, Phillipine. The hostage taker was seen looking out the window numerous times, yet the Manila SWAT did not take the shot. A lot of things transpired during the whole ordeal, most this blogger thinks is completely ridiculous "tactics" (using one hammer, aggravating the hostage taker, arresting his brother, no media black out...) by the SWAT. It ended with their SWAT storming the bus, after the hostage taker had open fired on the hostages, killing 8 of them.

While watching this unfold, I thought if how lucky I am to be in Toronto, where we have a well-trained ETF. In 2004 there was a hostage situation in downtown Toronto at the very busy Union Station. There was one hostage and the hostage taker had already fired off shots in the underground P.A.T.H system. The ETF team made the very appropriate decision in taking the shot and eliminating the hostage taker. I strongly believe that while a peaceful resolve is the best way, when the hostage taker shows that they are not willing to release the hostages, the police must make the correct decision in shooting. The hostage taker had their chance to surrender, yet did not do so. The lives of the innoncent are at harm, they MUST choose to save them; instead in the Manila hostage situation, the SWAT did not shoot when they had multiple clear views of the hostage taker. Poor decision-making, poor training meant that 8 innoncent people on vacation are dead. How do we make sense of this? Not just what the hostage taker did, but what the Manila SWAT did not do.

Everyone say a little prayer for those who have died; for those who watched their loved ones murdered infront of them; those who will be recieving the dead bodies of family members instead of a joyous hug. Today showed just how inhumane humans can be.