Stay Active, my friends.

Stay thirsty?  No .. stay active, my friends. 

I ended up joining the RA badminton club last week.  I joined late but better late than never.  I have played almost every day now and I have to say I'm glad I joined.  The other summer club that I was thinking of joining wasn't as fun - attendance was down and the quality of players had dropped as well.  It was tough finding a good game to play so I decided not to join.  I may drop in just to say hi but won't play there.

The club has dedicated badminton courts so you are never confused which line is in or out.  :)  The club members play with feather birds which takes a bit of getting used to.  My serves were an inch short and my drops are either too high or short as well.  Oh yeah, if you get smashed at, it hurts.  :)  For every game, we have to contribute one bird each.  I tried to sneak in a half used bird but my friend told me that the rule is to contribute a brand new bird for each game.  Darn. :P

Some nights I'm consistent and other nights, I'm just not getting it.  But I never knew how much I enjoyed playing until now.  I am considering joining the rest of the year but it's a hefty $500!  It's cheap considering the Mandarin Badminton Club in Markham costs around $600 a year.

I have been shopping around for a club in Markham/Toronto.  If anyone wants to play, let me know.

I started the Wilton Decorating Basics course last weekend and I already tried making cupcakes from scratch.  They turned out pretty good.  I shared them with my co-workers as I couldn't eat all 12 of them myself.

Anyway .. back to work.

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The Importance of Friends

Over the weekend, I learned the importance of friends.  I had a rough week and went home to get away from the madness.  Usually I stay in my room all weekend but this weekend, I met up with Larry (Polkaroo) and Corrie (BHS - bigheadedshrimpie) on two separate occasions.

On Saturday night, it was dudes' night out with Polkaroo.  I have to say .. I haven't had that much fun in a very, very long time.  I so needed that.  We traded stories on where we've had the best food in Toronto and Ottawa.  I learned that there is a place called Harlem's on Queen Street West(?) that I am going to have to try.  I mentioned that I wanted to try the famous chicken and waffles combination and Harlem's is the place to be.  The only place I knew that served this great combination was Mildred Pierce's but they've changed the menu to something a bit more upscale.  :(

All this food talk took place at the Silician Sidewalk Cafe.  I think Polkaroo's goal was to fatten me up - the belgium waffles were so good.  My waffle was topped with fresh strawberries, brownies and a large scoop of ice cream.  I ate 90% of my dessert and I wasn't hungry.  It was too good to go to waste.

When we weren't talking about food, we were talking about our cameras.  I'm so jealous that Larry got the Nikon D90.  I wanted that camera too!!  But I ended up getting the Canon XSI instead.  Next time I am in town, we are going on a photography walk in the Distillery district.

On Sunday, I met up with the BHS (bigheadedshrimpie) bright and early.  We stopped in at Dickens' for a breakfast of "champions" and then we went to Vaughan Mills mall to do some power shopping.  BHS was a great sport and she tried on everything I asked her to try on - including a really expensive pair of jeans.  I love styling others - male or female.  But I am terrible at styling myself.  I'm not sure why.  :)  It was a successful shopping trip as we both walked out with a purchase or two.  BHS didn't buy the jeans but she couldn't stop talking about them for hours after we left the store.

That night, I had dinner with SP (sleep pilot, Ka) and BHS.  We went to a japanese restaurant for dinner and it was the first time I had chirachi.  I love sashimi and I love sushi rice.  I don't know why I've never ordered it before.  Oh wait, I do know why.  Even the best japanese restaurant in Ottawa doesn't have it on the menu.  >(

I drove home on Monday and I felt pretty sad to leave that fun behind.  Next time I'm in town, we'll have to do it again.

Thanks ...

Pudgy

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Busy Weekend

Last weekend, I had a ton of errands to run.  I got a lot of small things out of the way which I am happy about.  I put off small things because I deal with the big cases first but every once in a while, you have to do as Nike says .. Just Do It.

I manage

• to get some banking stuff out the way.
• sign up for the Wilton Cake Decorating I class in June
• went to see my friend Billy's new house. 
• grocery shopping - I was out of the basics (milk, eggs, bread, fruit).
• filed my income tax return
• attend a yoga class
• made bbq ribs for dinner and made dried bok choy soup.

Whew .. not bad for a weekend, eh?  Next weekend will be busy too.  I have to clean out my car.  :(  My friend Jason is also visiting so I have to find time to meet up with him.

One item I don't want to really mention is that the 2009 Bordeaux Futures came out.  I looked over the first offerings and I only found one that I felt was worth buying.  I ended up submitting an order for Lafleur-Petrus.  When I took a second look at the list, the Gazin was worth getting too but I didn't order it.  Right now, it's a lottery.  I don't even know if I'm going to get the case I ordered.  I may not even get the LP.  Side note:  the Trotanoy was notably missing from the Pomerol list in the first offering.  It was there for the 2008 Bordeaux Futures first offering list.  Maybe it will appear in the second offering.

The second offering will have all the really good stuff.  I can't wait until it comes out.  I didn't want to spend a lot on the first offering because I figure I'll do some damage on the 2nd round.  I've always wanted to own a Mouton-Rothschild.  ;-)  We'll see ..

After all of this, I'm going to have to save up for a Eurocave next. 

Pudgy

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May Already?

Can you believe it's May already?  The other day there were flurries while driving to my sister Joyce's house!  Sigh .. can we have some warm weather please?

Pudgy's Wine Pick of the Month:  2008 Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel.
- really good zinfandel.  A bit on the pricey side at $30 a bottle.  But it is oh so worth it.  :)
- 2007 vintage made Wine Spectator's top 10 last year.
- very consistent producer and quality.
- i bought 4 of these already.

Pudgy

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Happy Mother's Day

I drove home on Friday to spend the weekend with my mom.  I haven't seen her since Chinese New Year and I missed her very much.  A lot has been going on in my life in the last few months and I was so busy that I almost forgot that it was Mother's Day this weekend.  A co-worker reminded me and insisted that I go home to see my parents.  If it wasn't for her, I probably would have stayed in Ottawa and cleaned out my car during the weekend.  :)

I'm glad I went home.  I got to see everyone.  Chloe is growing everyday.  She is really heavy!!  :)  I was sad to leave but I did not get teary-eyed this time.  I hope my mother will be able to come out to visit me soon.  I want to make vacation plans and I'd love to take her to Le Manoir Richlieu in Charlevoix, QC .. or to the Inn on the Twenty in Jordan, ON.  My mom doesn't get to travel much due to obligations at home.  But my mom has been a rock for me this year.  When I cry, she feels my pain.  When my spirit got broken, she tried to pick up the pieces.  I'm glad I went home to see her.

My Ma:  Thanks for being a strong mother.  I am deeply sorry that you have had to endure this journey with me.  There is nothing like a mother's love to stop the flow of tears, comfort a bleeding heart, and soothe the mind numbing pain.  I am determined to make you proud of me.  Happy Mother's Day.

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Sam & Steph in Ottawa

My brother and his family came to Ottawa this past weekend to visit me.  It was really nice seeing him, Steph, the boys (Hong and Seph), and baby Sienna.  She was so cute with her big brown eyes.  I took them to Parliament Hill, the Rideau Centre, and the ByWard Market.  While at the ByWard Market, we stopped at Le Moulin de Provence for the famous Obama cookies.  Barack Obama had stopped in this bakery for some Canada cookies when he came to Ottawa.  Ever since then, the cookies have been one of their most popular items.

While my brother was in town, we stopped off at IKEA and got me a tv stand for my tv.  He helped me hook up my tv and gave me the HDMI cable from his tv.  Thanks Sam!

I was really happy to see my brother and sister-in-law.  It is very rare that we get to sit down together and really talk.  When we all meet up in Toronto, we all have other obligations - like catching up with our own friends.  That we don't have that much time together.  While they stayed with me, we got to spend a lot of quality time together and I got to know Steph a little bit better.

I am very appreciative that they made the 8 hour journey to Ottawa, just to see how I am doing.  Seeing them leave was sad for me.  Nowadays, I get teary-eyed with every good bye.  When I look at my tv, I am reminded of my brother's visit.

Thanks Sam & Steph.  I hope you guys come back to visit me later this year.

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Milestone - April 23rd

Just a reminder to myself that this was a significant date in Pudgy's life.

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