Friday, July 31, 2009

All I Can Say Is...

... this movie better be darn good.



I saw a movie poster for it the other day while Steve and I were in the car and I started pointing and squeeling at it like a maniac. Steve started panicking because he was driving and he thought I was pointing to a bug on the windshield (I kinda react that way towards bugs) or something alarming. I told him no, it was just a poster.

I really do hope this movie does not disappoint me. I promise to buy the DVD if it's good so let's make it happen people.

Too much television.

I’m glad this season of the Bachelorette is finally over and we get our Monday evenings back. That’s the problem with having a show you like watching, it tends to take over your time. I’m still a bit disappointed that she didn’t pick the one I wanted but Ed isn’t so bad for her. They do look legitimately happy and he does seem to really love and adore her. Steve and I were saying how obvious it is that the producers of the show really make an effort to make the bachelor/bachelorette look extremely good for the show. Not to say that they don’t look good naturally but you can tell they had to work out to get a toned body. Not only that, but they always look so fab during the show. Just look at their clothes, hair and make-up!

I didn’t get a chance to watch last night’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance because we were busy preparing dinner for some guests we are having tonight and also because I was busy cleaning the bathroom. It took me 2 hours again! Ugh. At least this time I didn’t have to do the laundry at the same time since I already did it over the weekend. I saw the 100th episode of So You Think You Can Dance last week and I was so disappointed with Katie Holmes’ dance. All she did was lip synch to a song and do some really basic dancing (if even that). They made such a big fuss about it that it raised my expectations only to be disappointed. It kinda sucked. I think she’s gorgeous though – with long or short hair.

I am still bummed out about the fact that both Jason (there goes Mr. Cutie) and Janette got eliminated last week. To be honest, as much as I like Evan, I think he should have gone home. As for the women, I think Melissa should have been eliminated. She’s beautiful and she’s a terrific dancer but she’s not as versatile as the other remaining dancers. I thought she bombed when they did the cha-cha or rumba was it? I can’t remember. But her and Ade didn’t dance it very well. I hope Brandon and Kayla make it to the end because they’re really strong dancers. Kayla, I think, lacks personality but she’s got the technical skills.

When So You Think You Can Dance is over, I’ll probably try watching Wipeout. It’s on the same time slot as So You Think You Can Dance which is why we never see it but I’m hoping that whe SYTYCD is over, we can begin watching. It’s hilarious! I always find it funny seeing the contestants tumble their way through it. I don’t know if they get hurt when they bounce off those giant red balls but it sure looks painful the way they hit themselves and fall sometimes.

TV can be soooo addictive.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Yummy!

My co-worker has an entire jar of pistachios on his desk and man, they’re so addictive! I always find myself gravitating towards that dumb jar. They’re just soooo good! But really salty too which is why I am trying to stop myself from devouring too much of it. I have a bag of frosted flakes hidden in one of my drawers which I snack on every now and then. I don’t like eating my cereal with milk so I eat cereal the way I eat potato chips. Since the pistachios are so salty, I usually follow it with my frosted flakes and because it’s sweet, I end up getting really thirsty so I’ll drink several glasses of water through the course of the day and in turn end up having to go to the washroom so often. So there... there’s the vicious cycle that’s been going on at work. By the end of the day, I’m all snacked out that I’ve lost my appetite for a proper meal.

I ate THE perfect mango last night for dessert. Steve had come home from playing basketball with his friends and I was watching the finale of The Bachelorette (I’m disappointed she didn’t pick Kiptyn by the way!) and he peeled and sliced a mango for me. It was soooo good! Just the right amount of sweetness and firmness. It kinda reminds me of an Indian Mango common in the Philippines and it tasted just like the Indian Mangoes that grew in our backyard when we still lived there. I kept telling him over and over again how delicious it was and he kept telling me he doesn’t like mangoes because to him, it tastes like soap. Don’t ask me why because I don’t understand how it could possibly taste like soap. Weird! If I had bagoong (shrimp paste), it would have been heaven. Yum yum!

Another co-worker told me that there's a Bario Fiesta here in Toronto too. I just don't know if it's the same as the one in the Philippines or not. But she said they have halo-halo there so I think I'm going to check it out. Steve always asks me what halo-halo means in english and I tell him it literally translates to mix-mix. Hahahaha! He doesn't really like any of the Filipino desserts. But I think it's just a matter of him trying as much as he can until he finds one he actually loves.

All this talk of food is giving me some massive cravings. I want to go on a food trip!

Funny Wedding Dances

My cousin posted this video on her Facebook page and I thought it was super creative and hilarious at the same time. What a great idea to start a big celebration. I wish I had thought of this for my wedding!

I also found this video on YouTube which I thought was rather amusing.


Monday, July 13, 2009

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!

Thursday, July 09, 2009

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!

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

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.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

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.

Monday, July 06, 2009

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.