Post Script: The Past Few Weeks.

Went to the see the Nutcracker on Dec 10th avec les parents and other misc family that included 2 aunts, 1 cousin, 1 old family friend, 1 regular friend... and a partridge in a pear tree. T'was my second time seeing this particular ballet, but as the tickets were just $20 I couldn't resist. The show was spectacular, and I'm glad I went again coz there were parts that I had forgotten about. I think my little cousin enjoyed it as well, seeing as she's been attending ballet classes for about a year now.
 
Went to The Lady Killer's Christmas Shin Dig Dec 15th. Met a lot of old friends and made a few new ones as well. Cosmo Girl got a pink frying pan for Christmas... and I came away with Edward the Bear who has a nice fuzzy and soft bum!


Partied it up the next night at the Company Holiday Dinner at the Liberty Grand. Good food...good wine... great DJ... all the makings of one really good night of fun that is barely remembered by all - thanks to the open bar! Suffice to say that the weekend was very quite after back to back nights!

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week were really slow and quite anti-climactic after the week before culminating with the party. Somehow managed to get through those days and began my vakay time on Dec 22!!

Since then have been home neck deep in preparations for the big day... tomorrow! This year we're hosting Christmas lunch at our place and of course this has resulted in my mother going completely off the deep end with her endless preparations! I'm just trying to lay low and out of her path or else I might just get steamrolled. Its actually going to be a very small crowd this year as one sister and her family is away in India and the other sister is having C'Mas at her in-laws place. Still, even with them gone we'll be about 12 people and that's more than enough that the condo can hold!

Must sign off now. Vacuuming awaits me!

Merry Christmas to All. And don't forget to put out milk and cookies!

The Past Few Weeks. Part 2

By the time December came around, I was neck deep in the family project I was working on. I learnt that if ever given a choice to coordinate with family again.... run like the wind. Seriously, I just don't understand how otherwise (supposed) adults function in a professional environment and manage deadlines for reports, projects etc. But when given a simple task with plenty of time to do it, fail to comprehend even the simplest set of instructions.

For example, here's a sample of the kind of email I would send out:
Hello All!!
Quick reminder that all the grandkids pictures are due in by this weekend. Please please try and get them in to me ASAP coz I'll need the whole weekend to plan the layout of the scrapbook.
Thanks!

Sample of the replies I would get:
... when are the blurbs due?
... what is the theme colour for this scrapbook?
.... who do we have to send our blurbs to?
... what's a blurb?

Still, I persisted.... and thankfully have all the pictures, blurbs and other bits and pieces of information I need to get this all together. Right now, I do NOT envy my cousin who, has to create order out of chaos and somehow string all the blurbs together to write the entire story!

One thing's for sure. Its not going to be done in time for Christmas!

The Past Few Weeks. Part 1

Oh dear....
I really seem to have become terribly lax with updating my blog regularly! First it used to be that nothing exciting was happening; Ergo, I had nothing to report. Now, its just the opposite and I'm too darn busy to sit down and properly chronicle events. So.. here's a quick overview of the past few weeks.

Saturday, Nov 26th: Cavalcade of Lights, Nathan Phillips Square, Downtown Toronto.

Met up with some of the pals at City Hall to watch the lighting of Toronto's "Official" Christmas Tree... (Or is it a Holidays Tree??? Who knows.. everything has to be so damn PC around here!) Beer Baron said he was coming too... but he didn't show and we could only assume it was a sort of washroom crisis - which is often the case with him. Anyway....even though it was sub zero temps... we had a blast and the programme was actually really good and involved dancers and acrobats and music groups and fireworks... and of course the big moment when the tree was lit and everyone went "Ooooooo".

Well once that happened, there was really not too much point hanging around, also we were chilled to the bone and hungry and thirsty as well. (We're all about pampering our bellies). Thai food was suggested, and we trekked up to Yonge/ Dundas to 'Thai Salad King' which someone swore was the best Thai restaurant this side of the Don River, and in spite of the 20 minute wait for a table that barely fit us all, I'll have to admit that the food was quite good. Well mine was anyway!

Once our bellies were attended to, we had to look after our minds.. or rather trash our minds with beer and so it was back down Yonge St. in search of an appropriate establishment. Of course being 10pm on a Saturday night, everything was busy and there was not a table to be found for love or money. Finally at Fionn McCools, (the 3rd place we tried) there was a glimmer of hope when I found this table occupied by this sole woman. I asked her if we could sit down as the bar was packed, and she was all alone at a table for 6!! Well she agreed and we all crowded round.

Little did we know the fun was just starting! Turns out, chickie (who btw was mid-late 40s and um.. kinda looked like a man!) was there to "support" the band, and she insisted in telling us (over and over again) 1. that she shouldn't really be there coz she had an exam to study for. 2. that she was in love with the lead singer 3. that he'd asked her out several times, but she'd turned him down coz of the age difference and 4. that she loved "these guys" and would follow them anywhere to hear them sing.... then back to point 1 and so on.. you get the picture! AND she was getting progressively drunker and louder! Well, the climax was when she got up to dance and grabbed some poor random girl and started spinning around with her nearly knocking over several tables, mic stands and the amps in the process! Well by now the entire bar had gathered round the stage, not so much for the music, but for the crazy spectacle unfolding. Honestly, it was like a train wreck... chaotic, horrible and you know people will eventually be hurt... but you still can't look away!

We were all pretty much in splits at our table and could barely hold a straight face when she got back to the table!!! Thankfully, she left soon after (all that spinning must have gotten to her) and once she did we just sat back and let loose!

Oh my.. talk about a strange evening!

Festive Fun

The "Christmas is almost here" sprit is quickly infiltrating the masses around town, helped largely by Retailers and Advertisers everywhere, encouraging folks to "give generously" this festive season. And of course in order to "give" one has to shop,.. and that's where the bombardment of advertisements come in. From clothes to cakes and soaps to shoes.... everyone wants you to buy THEIR special product!

Christmas may be five weeks away but people across the city are full of the holiday spirit. The jolly one himself made his first appearance of the year on Sunday and thousands, some with a hot cocoa in hand, lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the big guy himself!

This annual event, now in its 101st year, is a mecca for kids and Christmas fans of all ages, shapes and sizes from all parts of the city. They line the parade's 25 kms route with family, friends, even pets to see the colourful floats go by, to greet the crazy clowns with their bags full of candy treats and to cheer on the vibrant bands and music groups that play those old seasonal favourites that help put us in the mood of things! For some like me, its a once in a way event, if and when I can make it. For others, its been a family tradition spanning generations!

But the parade that survived the Depression and two World Wars wasn’t always the grand event it is now; it actually had rather humble beginnings. Timothy Eaton’s department store held the first Santa Claus Parade in Toronto and in the inaugural event the man in the red suit made the mythical journey from the North Pole to Union Station in downtown Toronto. In the first few years Santa was the only feature, and he would make his way through the streets in a coach drawn by four horses and accompanied by four trumpeters. He was later joined by attendants in festive costumes and clowns.

As the years wore on, the Santa spectacle grew bigger and bigger and organizers kept outdoing themselves adding features like floats, marching band, performers and even local celebritires making guest appearences. The event hit a roadblock back in 1982 when Eatons announced that it would cancel the parade, because of the recession it couldn’t justify the cost of the event. But Toronto residents wouldn’t have it. A massive campaign was launched and the parade went ahead as scheduled with the help of corporate sponsors.

One hundred (and one) years later Toronto’s Santa Claus Parade is still going strong, and hopefully it will for another 100.

First Snowfall

I'm looking out of my window at work and outside, my world is slowing turning white. Its Nov 18th, and this is the first "official" snowfall of this season!

Friday afternooon, only 4:17 and its already dark outside. *sigh*

On the bright side... its nearly 5... and I'm off to meet friends and go see "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"

Beer and Baseball!

Back in June, I was part of a team that the Company put up for a 24 hour relay in support of the Easter Seal Foundation that helps disabled kids. About 30 employees joined up to run (or walk or crawl), play volleyball and softball on June 14th and 15th and all the money that we raised through pledges went to the Foundation.

Now of course where 2 or 3 employees gather.. there amongst them is a case of beer! From the start of the event at 10 am on Saturday morning to its end at 10 am the next day, we meandered our way through 12 cases of that sweet nectar known as beer!

Everything seemed to be going off just fine. For once Mother Nature had complied with everyone's pleas and granted us perfect weather conditions for the event. Did I say things were going fine? Well they were....up until the boys decided that I needed coaching (badly) on the art of how to properly use a baseball glove. (a MOST tricky device let me tell you). So I was carted out to centre field and presented with a glove and instructed to catch as Travis stood at home plate and hammered out fly balls.

Experienced fielders LOVE pop flys as its an easy out. I on the other hand being neither experienced... nor a good fielder (mainly due to my total lack of hand-eye- coordination) was not as fortunate. I managed to get a few of them before Travis hammered one that went up particularly high. And as I rushed to get under it, the sun caught my eye (the same sun that I was so thrilled at having earlier) and that ball made contact all right.. just not with my glove.. rather my right cheekbone, right under my eye.

yes.. go ahead.. an OUCH was in order!

Suffice to say the eye/ cheek puffed up to enormous proportions and I had to be shipped off to the first aid tent. It was all well though, and after an hour of medical administrations where they checked to see if anything was broken... I scampered (well maybe there was no scampering right then) back to join the group and partake in the rest of the activities.

For those who are interested in details.... (and even if you're not) the right side of my face looked like it had made contact with a painter's pallet... and purple was the dominant colour, with a sprinkling of red and a wee bit of black and blue. The upper eye lid decided to join in on the swelling so when I woke up Monday morning.. only one eye actually opened!

Still, the aching body and pirate look was totally worth the experience of the entire weekend. Thanks to the combined efforts of some of my colleagues and everyone else who was awake at 4 am... I FINALLY learned how to hit a baseball and more importantly understood just why batters wriggle their hips!!!

Once Upon a Lifetime.

Plans are underway to put together a scrap book of memories as a Christmas gift to my grandparents.

This ambitious project taken up by children and grandchildren of my mum's Clan aims to provide a small, yet invaluable glimpse into the lives of Nana and Papa, spanning their 60 year marriage. With inputs from family, close friends and relatives from all over the world, organizers are hoping that this will be the "ultimate" tribute to a couple who have touched the lives of so many and inspired us with their values of love, honesty, generosity and friendship.

OK.. so that's the press release (aka email to family) and that sounds grand! In reality, we've had one meeting so far with my mum, her 2 sisters, my cousin and myself and I came to realise that coordinating the Academy Awards would probably be an easier task!

Here's hoping that good luck and good humour is on our side and get this done in time for the my aunt's departure to India on Dec 16th.

Inshallah!

Miscellaneous

We had out fire drill at the office today. Complete waste of half an hour. Good for the smokers though!
Thankfully... its a balmy 18 degrees .... so no one really minded going outside.


Temperatures on previous fire drill days:
32 degrees (in the shade). Bad.
-10 + wind chill. WORSE!

Jibber gets back this evening. He was in Vancouver for the past 2 weeks on work. He said it was the worst 2 weeks of his life as he was cooped up with a bunch of crazy Christian bible bashers (say that 3 times quickly!) and all the "holiness" was making him queasy! Poor baby! Guess we'll have to do a big night out and see how many of the 7 deadly sins we can commit! Just off the top of my head I'm thinking... Gluttony, Sloth and Lust at least are definitely manageable!

Happy week-ending everyone!

The Talk

My Mum walked into my bedroom at 8:30 am on Saturday morning and posed the following question to me.
"So, are you and Jiblett planning anything longterm?"
My response: "ooooeeerrr??"
Anyone who even remotely knows me... knows just how alert I am most mornings.... let alone a Saturday morn after hours of binge drinking with
Well anyway.. it was clear that my mum wasn't going to leave until she had answer, and mumbles apparently didn't count. I was dying to tell her.. why don't you ask Jiblett.... and let me know what he says coz I'd sure like to know myself! But I didn't. My mother does not have a sense of humour. I get that from my dad's side of the family - together with my beautiful hands!
So I had to snap awake and let her know that neither of us actully had a clue and that's what she'll have to be happy with.I contemplated telling about the "man whore" theory... but remembered about the lack of humour just in time.
THIS is why I sleep through Saturday mornings.

Where have all the flowers gone?

St. Xavier's College, Bombay. Main building

I recently joined a group of ex college batch mates and interacting with old friends brought back a rush of nostalgia for the 5 glorious years I spent as a student at St. Xavier's College, Bombay.

For the clueless readers, St. Xavier's has the distinction of being one of Bombay's oldest and most distinguished educational establishment. And I'm not just saying that coz its my Alma Mater... its because its TRUE!

The bias may infact be an inhetited factor! You see, I come from a long line of Xaverites... mum, aunts, uncles, second cousins twice removed.. they all traversed the "first quad" on the way to classes, all sat under the famed arches that give the building its unique look, all "bunked" classes and ran to the nearby movie theatres to catch matinee shows and of course all hung out in the woods at sometime or the other. Many feature make St. Xaviers unique. The woods are one of them.

The first time I came to Xaviers (for admissions) I walked right though to the end of campus... and then turned around and demanded of my mum... "So... just were ARE these woods you're always yapping about??" and was completely flabbergasted when she gestured to the cluster of trees we'd just passed. I counted them. There were seven.

So wait... all this fuss for a measely seven trees? Well... yes! Primarily because Xaviers, unlike many other colleges could actually lay claim to possess a "college campus". However small it may be, it was a place for Xaverites to call a second home. Most other colleges were bland modern buildings facing directly onto a (often) busy street. Students of other colleges had to lay claim to the surrounding streets and call that their campus. We Xaverites didn't have to. And in a city where every square inch of real estate is more precious than the Khohinoor Diamond... for Xaverites, those seven trees was something that no other college had... and hence it was part of what made Xaviers so special.

Sadly the seven trees were down to six by my final year thanks to one particularly bad monsoon getting the better of one of them, but at least till my last day there, I had the pleasure of walking though what truly could be referred to as Xavier's history!

Generations of my family have spent hours under those trees meeting up with old friends and making new ones... rehearsing plays and or just hanging out after bunking class... and later copying notes from those who didn't. And of course there was that one time when an entire First Year Chemistry class had to evacuate to the relative safety of the woods after my uncle and his lab partner managed to blow up whatever experiment they were working on! True story... Guides honour!

1st Quadrangle & Chapel

Fast forward to December 2004 and a visit back to 5, Mahapalika Marg. After what seemed to be an eternity of questioning from the security guard (Customs at the airport was less of a hassle!) I ran though the "tunnel", past the 2nd quad (still gory with Britannia signs) and came to a dead halt just past the foyer. NOTHING....absolutely nothing prepared me for the appalling sight that met my eyes. Gone were the park benches and simple stone settings around the trunks.... and in their place an abomination of unsightly shiny ultra modern benches and strange little shrubs and a path that meandered its way through the surviving 3 trees and (oh holiest of terrors) a bridge (!!?) that traversed... nothing ... and lead...nowhere!!

WHO let this happen?? Would it have happened if we were still there? Does this new generation know nothing about preserving tradition? Those crumbling, pigeon crap encrusted benches and khattas were just as much a part of Xavier's as are the arches and imposing stone facade. In my eyes... it was nothing short of vandalism!

Or was it just a sign that my time at Xavier's had past... and the college, the quads, the classrooms and the woods now belonged to a new set of students who perhaps prefer this new look and are in the process of creating new traditions.

All I knew was.... memories were what brought me back to Xavier's that day.... and memories were all I had when I left.

Ghosties and Ghoulies

... were on the guest list when a bunch of us (The Blonde One, her bf, Brooksy, Beer Baron & I) met up at Menace's this Saturday. The main item on the evening's adgenda was to meet, chat, drink and carve pumpkins. It was the BYOB&P kind!

Only... we hadn't seen each other in so long... and Menace, Beer Baron and Brooksy had many stories of their recent trip to Barbados & St. Kitts... and The Blonde One and her bf had stories of their own.... and I was baking apple pie.... and with all that....we never did get around to carving the pumpkins!

Spent Sunday in a totally splendid lazy fashion at Menace's. Woke up late, stayed in my jammies all day, watched Halloween worthy movies (Nightmare before Christmas, Sean of the Dead, Nightmare on Elm Street - don't ask which one- and um.. the Guru!!)
And... we carved pumpkins!

Menace did a ghostly graveyard scene...a far cry from her szchizophrenic bat from last year but interesting in a way that only she can do so!
I did what ended up looking like a mutant gargoyle!
And Beer Baron... in true Baron style excelled with a detailed carving of a headless horseman!


To everyone out there celebrating Halloween.... Happy Trick 'o Treating!
Be safe tonight!

One Week

When I got home last night, there was a letter waiting for me from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Canada.

I have been called for a swearing in ceremony on Tuesday October 25th, the last and final stage in process of achieving Canadian Citizenship.

That means, I have one last week... 7 days... to call my self Indian.

It has been a long and tedious process to date. One that started not with the application for Citizenship, but with the application for Immigration, back in 1999.

And all that will come to an end one week from now when I stand before a Judge and swear my alligence to a Queen and to a Country that I am only just begining to understand and discover.

Of Gods and Men.

I just finished reading "Lamb:The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Chilhood Pal" by Christoper Moore.
yeah.. the tile is a mouthfull.. and a little strange... but its simply a MUST read.

See, usually, when you hear humorous and Christ and/or Christianity in the same sentence, its generally part of some two bit comedian's stand up routine, that would offend 9 of 10 good practising, God fearing Christians.

But this book is both very funny and very real and very moving. And the writer manages say his piece without impugning the founder or for that matter any of the beliefs of Christianity in the least.

Growing up in a traditional Roman Catholic household, I've pretty much had the religion stuffed down my throat from before I could even walk or talk properly! I remember sitting around with the whole family saying the Roasary... or getting all dressed up (which incidently I hated) for Children's Mass on Sundays and attending a hundred different kind of Church functions and Church related activities. Later on, I even got conned into giving up my Sunday morning sleep ins to teach Sunday School. Granted... I was a pretty unconventional SS teacher and that time I got the grade 6s and 7s to re-enact the whole Noah's Ark and Flood scene from Genesis, complete with the lelliphants trumpeting and the lions roaring and of course the "sound" of God's wrath in the form of thunder and rain (steel plates crashing together). The other teachers thought Judgment Day was upon us... but hey... at least the kids learnt the story well!

In my first year of college in Bombay, our parish formed a new youth group and through it did a lot for me in my tumultuous teenage years. .. most of all introducing me to a GREAT bunch of friends... most of who I am close to till today.. even though we are far from being college students, and most of us no longer even live within the Parish boundaries.

The past few years have seen me begin to question much about my faith of what I took for granted my entire life. Religion now seems to be a separate issue from faith and belief. I find myself wanting to believe in my past, but at the same time questioning certain practices and traditions that seem to be more a product of man than that of God.

Perhaps I am vain to think I am wise enough to try and fathom theories, solve mysteries and answer questions that scholars have struggled with for centuries. Or perhaps I want to believe so much... that I see the answers that I want to see.

So, read the book, and let me know if it stirs you like it did me. I cannot promise a religious revelation or a chorus of angels or nirvana from this story. But I can promise a good time and.... perhaps a little clarity.

And maybe I will go to Church this Sunday. For reassurance, for comfort, for....peace.

Blame it on the weatherman

The weather forecast for Toronto.

Yesterday: Cold and rainy
Today: Cold and rainy
Tomorrow: Cold and.... yep.. you got it... RAINY!!!
GAH! HUMBUG!!!

Two Weddings.... and Turkey!

The harvest is in and summer is done. We've had some pretty warm and deceiving days in October, but looks like Thanksgiving weekend was the last hurrah and Mother Nature has quit joking around and is in full Fall mode. Looking back to take stock of the summer, two events spring to mind...the two weddings I attended.

For the first, flew to Denver, Colorado over the Labour day weekend to witness one of my college friends tie the knot. He moved to Goshen, Indiana in our 3rd year and that's where he met his wife. I had never been to Denver and although I was busy helping out with wedding "stuff" was glad I was able to take in some of the sights and sounds of the city as well.


The wedding itself was a simple but unique ceremony held at the South African Pavilion of the Denver Botanical gardens attended by about 50 of their close friends and relatives. The ceremony was followed by a gathering of family and friends at one of the garden's reception rooms. Tradition was thrown to the wind with the complete absence of the usual speeches by family and friends, instead, the evening's entertainment included performances by a group of Japanese Taiko Drummers and traditional dances from Indonesia and Lebanon performed by two of the bride's college friends.

There was no DJ present to spin funky tunes, but the music was an eclectic mix, hand selected by the bride and groom to represent songs that held a special meaning for them, and for the guests present. So basically we went from the sound track of One Fine Day... to Bollywood's best - Dalher and Asha... and from the Bootstrap Boogie to a Broadway Medley!

It was very surreal watching a close friend tying the knot... and its a good thing I was too preoccupied with taking pictures or else I might have had to protest! Protest that we're too young... that it was just yesterday we were scrambling to get college assignments handed in on time.... that some of us STILL don't know what we're doing in life... let alone finding life partners!

Jibblett said he felt much the same way this past weekend when we went up to London (Ontario) for his friend's wedding. After a year that was filled with bad examples of marriage and weddings with one of his friends going through a bitter divorce... this wedding was just what everyone needed to sweeten the mood again! Following the bi lingual French-English strictly civil ceremony at the historic Middlesex County courthouse, guests dined on a scrumptious 5 course meal and partied the night away.

Woke up very tired the next morning, but had to get back into shape pretty quick as we were due for Thanksgiving dinner on the Jibblett Farm. Fortunately it was just Jibblett's parents and brother and we didn't have to deal with extended family and cousins and aunts etc! It was a whole year since I had been there, so we took a walk around to check out Diamond the new pony, and the new kitty cats in the barn and walked out to the bush pre dinner to look for Fall surprises! Took a coulple of mandatory family pictures and went back to the house for the much anticipated turkey dinner... with all the fixins!!!


All said and done, summer 2005 was a pretty good one. Good weather and good times. And judging by this past weekend, I'm off to a good start for this Fall as well.

My Kingdom for a Nap!!

Lately, I always seem to wake up exhausted. No matter what time I go to bed. 9, 10, 11 pm.... I always wake up as weary as I was the night before. At this point, I seriously think I may be sleepwalking. That, or indulging in some other equally strange nightly activity. That's the only explanation I have for the constant lethargy.

A friend suggested I tape myself, just to find out just what is going on. But somehow that just seems like a creepy option I'd like to keep as a very very last resort.

I mean, I don't like being on camera when I'm awake and conscious... let alone when I'm not and have no control over what I may say or do. Some may argue that I (seem to) have little control over my tongue and actions even when I'm awake, but that's up for debate, and also not the point of this post.

So if anyone out there has a better idea... by all means, let me know.
For now, I'll just nod gently at my work desk.

Happier sleeping times!

Sounds of Silence

My department, like the rest of the stadium has a very eerie deserted feel to it right now.
Reason being, most of the noise makers, (and some of the quiet ones too) are all away on a 3 day trip to Las Vegas - the result of a sales contest run over the summer. Although I qualified, (just by the skin of my teeth) I had to turn down the trip as the taxes were too much ($600 for 3 days.. yikes!) and I couldn't afford it.Also, I have a friend's wedding this weekend, and all said and done.. I'd much rather be there! Even with the car rental and wedding present... its a way cheaper option. And besides, I'm rooting for this couple to last... unlike a couple of some other nuptials I've witnessed.Still... its a bit sad to see all the empty desks and not hear the incessant chatter about Football and Hockey and of course the baseball playoffs. Even the phones are quiet. Like they know if they ring.. there's no one to pick up!
Well its just for 2 days... they'll all be back on Tuesday and with them the noise! Well, at least we hope everyone will make it back. Last year, 2 people were denied boarding due to *ahem* 'excessive alcohol consumption'... both MANAGERS!!! And you're right... we've never let them forget it!

Move over Dr. Phil..... I've got flower power!

Last summer at one of the weddings I attended, the table decorations were wee little pots of African violets, that guests were encouraged to take them as keepsakes. Just for fun I took a bunch home. I gave 1 to my mother, 1 to Jibblett, 1 to his mother, and the last I decided to take to work to brighten up my desk. It was just this wee little plant with a couple of purple flowers but something about it made me want to have it around.

Jibblett proceeded to kill his within a week, and the one I gave my mum got this weird fungus and died. Jibblett's mum managed to hang on to hers for a while, but her's too withered away in a month or two. Every day, I would check carefully for signs of life and although the flowers faded away, it seemed to be hanging on.

All though winter, my little plant (who I christened Bonnie) sat at my desk and listened to me as I had good day and bad days and some days that should never be on record in history! I went away to India for 5 weeks, and thanks to the diligence of 2 of my colleagues, Bonnie did not suffer in my absence. And then, one Monday morning in May I walked in and lo and behold, my Bonnie had 3 of the most beautiful blooms I had ever seen! I think I glimpsed just a bit of motherhood that moment I saw the flowers!

Cheered on by the fact that I was actually capable of looking after another living thing, I went out that day and bought another indoor plant... and then another... and then another. All summer, I added to my collection As of now, my family has grown to include Clyde the Spider Lily (to go with Bonnie of course), Jorge (pronounced Hor-he) the cactus , Juanita the Aloe plant, Esmerelda the lipstick plant and finally Frank the polka dot plant.

As for Bonnie.... she's doing marvellously. Done flowering for now but that's the fun of a changing season.... there's so much new stuff to look forward to.

PS: My doc's mighty pleased that my BP levels have stabilized and my colleagues have noticed a spike in my cheeriness quotient. Even on Mondays. They still however back away from me pre 10 am and pre first cuppa coffee.

Moral of the story: When all the world's a mess and you're having a bad hair day as well.... go outside and soak up some nature. Trust me.. it will make a world of difference.
Also, let sleeping dogs lie and leave pre caffinated women well alone if you value your balls... in both cases.

Bonnie & Clyde

To be (with) or not to be (with)

A question I get asked a lot is...what's with you and Jibblet... are you guys together or not?

Good question really. And I'm not sure of the answer.
Do we hang out together? Yes.
Is there an implied date on a Friday night? Yes.
Do I have a toothbrush at his place? Yes.
Are we going out? uh.....

I for one can fully attest to the power of words. Simple ones like boyfriend or partner send Jibblet (and men in general) running for the hills. Words like commitment, long term and ring would probably get him to the moon!

Still, there is a very real problem at hand. If I can't use any of the above without him doing a ............ on me, how am I supposed to introduce him in a social situation? I pondered this for a long time and after several drafts, this is what I came up with.

The next time I have to introduce Jibblet to anyone else, this is what its going to sound like.
"Hey, [insert friend's name] meet Jibblet. He's my man whore."

Unless of course this is a family function and I'm introducing him to say, my Auntie M.
In that case it will be, "Hello Auntie M, lovely to see you again. Let me introduce you to Jibblet, my insignificant other."

All the leaves are brown......

Brown and yellow and orange and red. Its just what everything around here looks like.
Over the past 4 years, I've found that Fall is by far one of the prettiest times of the year. Oh sure, Spring is great because it brings the promise of warmer days, Summer has long hours of daylight and holidays and the tiny snowflakes fluttering down turning everything into a Christmas card like scene make Winter special too. But Fall has a charm of its very own. You KNOW that the days are getting shorter... and that there's a definitive chill in the air that makes you snuggle into your jacket when you leave for work every morning. Still, the beauty of the Fall colours almost make it all worthwhile.

September I've found is the kind of month that won't let go of summer, yet announces with the shortening of the days that summer is gone, and fall is here already. On one day, September will lull you into believing that the weather is just perfect for a picnic on Center Island on Saturday afternoon. But when Saturday comes around, you spend the entire morning fumbling for sweaters and waterproof sheets, because it is raining and cold. You look at the picnic lunch you've put together and all the outdoor games you've arranged to have and wonder just HOW you could have been so misguided.

But that's Canadian weather for you, and you soon learn never ever to leave home without first checking the weather forecast. You cannot simply look out the window in the morning and gauge what the day will be like. Oh no. For the morning can begin bright and sunny, by mid-morning it could be windy followed by a brief afternoon tempest with winds up to 40 kph and this could make way to an evening that's hot and humid again! A certain city in Nova Scotia has been recorded to have had all 4 seasonal temperatures in just one day!



October brings with it the final splendour of Fall. By the middle of the month, Mother Nature suddenly realizes that this is no false summer anymore, and that's when she brings out her arsenal! Thunderstorms with raging winds and cold cold cold rain lashing down relentlessly. And that's pretty much where we're at right now! Most of the trees have lost their pretty foliage to the north wind and stand barren, ready to face Old Man Winter. Like me, they stand ready for the cold, and wait for the promise of Spring.

My new pass time - hackin up a lung

**sniff* cough* sniff*sniff**
I'm sick!
And not just the one-day-sniffles-take-a-pill-and-get-back-to-work sick.
This has gone on for 3 days... and there's no end in sight!

So I've been stuck at home (never pleasant throwing me in prolonged contact with les parents), have consumed enough of cough syrup to officially have a hangover and even chicken noodle soup is starting to lose its appeal. Seriously, there's only so much day time TV you can watch with its endless talk shows and re runs of hit 8Os sitcoms!

And as if all that is not enuff.... Monday.. I was offered a job. Well ok, not really offered, but it was the "apply and there's a helluva chance its yours" kinda thing.

The kind of job where I'd actually be able to have an opinion!
And voice it
And something may actually come of my suggestions
And I'd be able to use BOTH sides of my brain again (joy)
And... Well... actually want to get out of bed and go in to work!

Great... you may say.. take it. Coz anyone who knows me knows just how miserable I am in my current position.

The catch?

A drop in salary. HUGE drop. Something in the line of $8-10 K. BIG

So here's the eternal question that has been haunting mankind for centuries.... Love or Money???

Insert square peg into round hole...

I've just discovered that I'm not as technically challenged as I thought I was.

I'm way worse!

It took me about 20 mins to figure out how to get the flickr thingy to work.. and even now I'm not too sure how to edit the pictures and make my website all pretty looking.
And I'm afraid if I close the windows, I'll never be able to find those sites again.
And I'm afriad that this is a whole waste of time anyway... no one will want to read my stuff.
And I'm afraid that I'll never loose those 20 lbs I've trying to loose.
And I'm afraid....

Oh.. wait.. its almost 3. Time for more of my pretty pink pills. aaaaaah.

I've finally done it!

And here it is.... a blog of my very own.

But now that I've finally gone ahead and done it.. I'm not too sure where I even want to begin?

What do I want to say that was SO important that I had to go and add to the clutter on an already cluttered internet(s)?

Coz really, now that I have all this free space in front of me, my thoughts are strangely silent. And believe me.. for me.. that IS strange. Even when I'm sleeping my thoughts are going at a 100 kph.

But that's a whole different blog post!

Keep reading if you want to know more!

PS: If this was a major award ceremony for bloggers, and I had just won for new blogger on the block, I'd say, "Thank you J0-in-Japan , Sanch and Conks.... and of course my agent, hairdresser and stylist"