Clean

My hands are so dry from cleaning the bathroom yesterday. I was tired and wanted to just take a nap but I ended up having a really bad nightmare and I was scared to go back to sleep so I decided to do some chores instead and keep myself distracted. I figured I’d do the laundry since I’ve been meaning to do it for awhile now and there were already 3 loads to do. So I hauled all of our dirty clothes to the wash (I had to make 2 trips... we had so many clothes to wash and I couldn’t carry everything including the detergent, fabric softener and bleach in a single trip). After letting 2 washing machines run, I went back upstairs and started cleaning the bathroom. It took me 2 hours to finish because I wanted it to be thoroughly clean. I realize there really isn’t any graceful way of cleaning the bathroom... you have to be on all fours, scrubbing everything and reaching high and low just to make sure everything is spotless. I kept having to run back downstairs to check the laundry...I actually realized I had the left our front door open so many times. By the time I finished cleaning the bathroom, the entire apartment smelled like Vim. I took the fan from our bedroom, opened the bathroom windows and just let the fan blow out all of it. Since I was still waiting for the laundry to be done, I decided to do some sweeping and vacuuming. I also tidied up the living room a bit. I was tired after doing all the chores but it felt good knowing that I accomplished a lot for the afternoon. When Steve got home, he started making dinner and then we went out for a walk to Blockbuster to rent a video. We also passed by Baskin Robbins on the walk back home so I could get a tub of ice cream...Yum!!

Dinner turned out nicely – roasted chicken with potatoes and corn cob on the side (omg I’m beginning to sound like a housewife). Steve’s such a good cook... I wish I could cook that well. He’s patiently teaching me so hopefully one day I will master the dishes he makes. I’ve already mastered his Greek salad, ribs and mashed potatoes (they’re easy dishes to make). I attempted to cook Tortang Talong once but it turned out bland and not quite the way my mom makes it. I haven’t attempted it since but Steve’s traumatized (I think) from that cooking experience so it might be awhile before I make a second attempt. JR says I’ve ruined the dish for Steve permanently and that he wouldn’t be surprised if I ruin Filipino food for him for good because I make such horrible dishes. I take him to Filipino restaurants once in awhile and he has his favourites like Beef Kaldereta, Menudo (only if it there’s no liver in it) and pork barbeque (he absolutely loves it). He actually once Googled the recipe for Beek Kaldereta and we attempted to make it from home. It turned out okay but I still think my mom’s recipe is better. Steve loved his version though.

I want to make Tinolang Manok, Tortang Ampalaya and Pinakbet because I haven’t had them for a long time. I don’t think Steve will like tortang ampalaya because last time we were at a Filipino restaurant, I made him try it and he said it was too bitter. He doesn’t mind Pinakbet so I think that’s a safe dish to make. I’m also craving this dish my mom makes which has squash and gata (I think). I think Filipino recipes are better learned from family members... the ones that have been passed on from generation to generation. For some reason, they just don’t turn out as good if the recipe came from the internet.

Last night after washing the dishes, I thought about halo-halo... I think I’m going to go on Google and look for any Filipino restaurants that might serve it here in Toronto. All this talk about food is making me hungry!

Man, I wish I could dance like them!

I didn't get a chance to watch the full episode of So You Think You Can Dance last night and only caught a few of the last performances. Among those that I was able to see, I loved this one the most. I think it was danced really well and I loved Wade's choreography. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

It got me

Once all alone
I was lost in a world of strangers
No one to trust
On my own, I was lonely
You suddenly appeared
It was cloudy before but now it's clear
You took away the fear
You brought me back to life

You are the sun
You make me shine
Or more like the stars
That twinkle at night
You are the moon
That glows in my heart
You're my daytime my nighttime
My world
You're my life

Now I wake up everyday
With this smile upon my face
No more tears, no more pain
Cause you love me
You help me understand
That love is the answer to all that I am
And I?m a better man
You taught me by sharing your life

You are the sun
You make me shine
Or more like the stars
That twinkle at night
You are the moon
That glows in my heart
You're my daytime my nighttime
My world
You're my life

You gave me strength
When I wasn't strong
You gave me hope when all hope is lost
You opened my eyes when I couldn?t see
Love was always here waiting for me

You Are My Life
- Michael Jackson

I didn't get a chance to watch the memorial for Michael Jackson yesterday because I was at work and last night we weren't home to see the recap. So this morning I looked for some clips on MSNBC as well as YouTube. I have always been somewhat curious of the relationship between Michael and his children so I was glad to see some pictures and home videos. He seems like a lovely father based on what I just saw. I feel sorry for the kids because no child should ever lose a parent especially at such a young age. I think that despite Michael's quirks, he really loved his children and did his best to protect them from the prying eyes of the public. I think that despite the fame that surrounded him and all the crazy antics, he did what he could and gave them the best of him.

In the videos I saw, You Are My Life was playing in the background and I couldn't help but get teary-eyed. It is a beautiful song.

Wes is gone! Woot Woot!

I am soooo happy that Wes was finally eliminated from the Bachelorette last night. The snake should have been kicked out from the show a long time ago. Jake, Michael or Jesse should have been at the top 4 instead of stupid Wes (is it obvious that I don’t like him at all?). I just don’t think it’s fair that he went as far as he did on the show. I don’t like the fact that he went in it with the wrong intentions. The song he made for Jill wasn’t anything special anyways. It was kinda annoying actually. I told Steve last night that if he somehow didn’t get eliminated, I would have stopped watching the show. I don’t think I can stand another episode with him in it.

Anyhow, I really hope she ends up with Kiptyn. I don’t mind Ed either actually. Reed isn’t bad but she just seems more compatible with either Kiptyn or Ed. She obviously has a physical connection with Ed but I think that there is a comfort level with Kiptyn that just comes naturally between them. I also admire Kiptyn’s honesty when he said that although he feels that everything is going better than expected between them, he also feels that a proposal is somewhat far off. I think it’s perfectly okay to want to know each other better before getting engaged. At least it shows that he takes it seriously. He is right... how well do you really know a person in a month or two? How do you know this is the person you want to spend the rest of your life with?

I find Ed charming and it’s obvious that Jill has the physical chemistry with him (he must be a good kisser or somethin’) but as much as she’s attracted to Ed, I think you need to be with someone who you can be with beyond all the physical chemistry... what happens when all that fades?

So yea, I’m hoping she chooses well. I can’t believe how invested I am with this show now considering wasn’t too crazy about it in the beginning.

The Weekend

As usual the weekend went by again in a hurry. On Friday evening, we decided to have dinner with my family and my brother’s friend, Dan, who had spent the week in Toronto to see my brother. Since it was his last night in town, we thought it would be nice to take him out for dinner as a family. He’s never been to a Greek restaurant before so we took him to Danforth which is basically Greek town here in Toronto. I was hoping to eat at Mezes because it’s one of the best (if not the best) restaurant there and they have such good food. They are a bit pricey (dinner for 4 people could easily go over $200) but the quality of the food is just outstanding. They have the best iced tea in Toronto as far as I can tell. Steve always complains about the fact that they seem to nickel and dime you for just about anything. You pay for each glass you consume instead of it being refillable like most places in Toronto. I don’t really mind... okay, let me rephrase that..., I am also conscious of the money we spend when we go out for dinner. But we don’t eat at Mezes everyday so I don’t mind paying more than usual when we do go there.

Mezes was packed when we got there. We didn’t have reservations because earlier that day we couldn’t decide on where to eat. Since the wait was long and we didn’t want to have to stand in line all night for dinner, we decided to go to Ouzzeris instead. It was also busy but not as packed as Mezes. We were able to get a table for seven and soon enough we were seated and having a delicious meal. The food is good too and about the same price as Mezes. We ended up staying there for almost 2 hours.

The following day, Steve and I just did some stuff in the morning then ate lunch at home and took a nap in the afternoon. I always feel good when I get the chance to nap. I also always end up getting a headache after napping. I never used to but now I do and I don’t really know why. But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to nap... I still love it! After our nap, we headed out to dinner with Steve’s dad and sister at a patio. Boy, his old man sure can eat! I am always surprised at how much food his tummy is able to hold. After dinner with them, we went back home, changed to warmer clothing and then headed out again to meet some friends for a bonfire by Lakeshore. They were doing fireworks at the Exhibition Place and from our spot on Lakeshore we had a perfect view of the city and the fireworks. It was a bit chilly if you weren’t sitting by the fire but we did have a good time. Good thing though that we ate dinner before going... I don’t think the chips would have done it for us.

Sunday morning Steve let me sleep in a little bit then we took his mom out for lunch. Later that evening we made dinner at home (we already spent so much eating outside) and then rented a DVD from Blockbuster. We decided to rent Confessions of a Shopaholic since we haven’t seen it and I was curious. It was okay... quite funny because I could relate to her shopping addiction although on a much smaller scale compared to her. She was just crazy! I love the part where she’s trying to rationalize buying the green scarf and in the end she tells herself it’s “really an investment”. Hahaha! That part was so me! I always convince myself that my expensive purchases are good investments. Steve gave me a knowing look at the part where Rebecca says “I forgot I even had this!” when she realizes she has this little black dress in her closet. It certainly wasn’t Oscar-worthy but it was still entertaining. I just hope I don’t turn into a shopping maniac like her. It would be such a disaster.

So that was what made up my weekend. Short but quite enjoyable.

Lovely little things

Oohhh found these on ETSY and I WANT them!!

Almost late

Toronto weather’s been nice lately. We’re finally getting temperatures between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. We had to buy a fan because we don’t have airconditioning in our apartment. We slept so soundly last night that we both woke up extremely late this morning and had to rush to be able to make it to work on time. I had a sudden adrenaline rush when I saw the time on our bedside clock. I couldn’t believe that it said 7.43 on it. At first I thought, “that couldn’t be right…” so I woke Steve up and asked him if the time was right. He just nodded and said, “yeah…” and closed his eyes again. My next thought was sh*t we’re going to be late!! I think I may have heard the alarm go off earlier but I think I dozed right back to sleep and that’s probably why we both woke up so late. I hate waking up and realizing I’ve gone waaay past my “getting-up” time. It screws up my morning routine completely and I spend the next few minutes panicking and trying to organize my thoughts and figure out what I should do and the order I should do them so that I can be out the door right away without forgetting anything. Surprisingly, with all that mad dash to get to work on time, we actually arrived a few minutes earlier that we usually do. Oh the power of our adrenaline! Better than Red Bull I tell ya.

I overheard a colleague talking to our manager about his vacation time. He had just submitted his vacation request and they’re trying to figure out if the time he’s taking off is going to conflict with another colleague. I couldn’t help but feel envious. Dude, I want to go on vacation too! I know we just came back from our trip to Punta Cana 2 months ago but still…I feel like going back to the resort and spending a week or two there. It’s soooo nice just sitting on the beach with the sound of the waves nearby. I LOVE the beach and I was blessed to have been proposed to and wed at the beach. I can just imagine myself sitting on a lounge chair, sipping a cold beverage and just basking in all that sunlight. Maybe I should stop torturing myself by thinking of it too much. It makes it hard to concentrate at work.

Back to work!