Pudgy's Space

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Back in April, I had a long list of things I wanted to tackle over the summer. It's check point time. Where are we at with that list?

Continue taking yoga on a weekly basis.

Progress: I ended up dropping yoga. It wasn't doing anything for me.

Progress: Done. Completed course 1. The instructor wanted me to continue with course 2 and 3. We'll see.

Take up tennis again. I still want to learn the inside-outside forehand

Progress: I didn't take the lessons. I ended up spending my budget on badminton instead.

Build my wine collection. There are 2009 Bordeaux Futures coming up. :)

Progress: :) Well .... you've seen the posts. Waaaaay out of my budget.

Experiment with different recipes. There are many things I've always wanted to try but never had time.

Progress: I cook every single night. No tv dinners or instant noodles for this chick. My ma encourages me to make soup for the week too.

Continue to write in my journal. It is very therapeutic for me.

Progress: does online journal count?

Catch up with friends. I have lost contact with some friends and it's time to reconnect.

Progress: So far, I have. I have reconnected with several folks I have lost contact with over the years.

Summer badminton is up in the air. Most of my friends are likely joining the badminton club at the RA Centre.

Progress: Done. Ended up joining the RA club and it was probably the best thing that I ever did. Karen, you will be impressed at how well I am playing now. My partner Justin and I have taken on some tough teams and we beat them!! Justin and I have only been playing together for a few months and we are starting to know each other's style.

Bring my orchid back to life. It's been flowerless for a long time due to neglect. :(

Progress: This is slowly coming along. It is still alive.

There is still a lot of summer left. Who knows what else will get done. :)

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

I knew that the prices for the big chateaux were going to be crazy but this is insane! Who can afford this stuff?

Margaux - $1275/btl
Palmer - $495/btl
Lafite Rothschild - $1275/btl
Latour - $1375/btl
Mouton Rothschild - $1275/btl
Haut-Brion - $1395/btl
La Mission Haut-Brion - $1249/btl

The only one worth getting is the Malescot-St. Exupery @ $135/btl. Good score and excellent aging potential.

So I'm officially out when it comes to 2009 Bordeaux Futures. At these prices, it's just not worth it. I believe it's a great vintage - no question. But I don't believe these will double in value in 10 yrs. Even if it does, it's not worth the investment anymore. The 2005 vintage was just as great and I'll bet the wines from that year are much cheaper than what they are offering for the 2009.

Pudgy

Who would you call?

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

I was in my office when the earthquake hit. I don't think I've ever felt such a rumble beneath my feet before like that. It started off mild but it got severe within milliseconds. The rumbling lasted maybe 10 seconds but we were all bracing for the aftershock. Apparently the earthquake registered at 5.5 on the Richter scale.

The building was evacuated. The first person I went to look for was my co-worker Anne. She has bad knees and in an evacuation situation, you cannot take the elevator. I helped her down the stairs and outside safely. Luckily, we were only on the 5th floor. I heard those on the 12th floor and higher really felt the tremors.

The scene outside was organized chaos. Everyone had their cell phones out, trying to reach loved ones. Some were lucky enough to get reception. Others were not. My phone was out of juice. Great timing, eh?

Seeing everyone trying to reach out to their loved ones made me think .... who would you call first in a time of turmoil? If you had one last thing to say to that person, what would it be?

2009 Bordeaux Futures

What the heck is up with the prices for the 2009 Bordeaux Futures? In my previous post, I mentioned that the Trotanoy was missing from the first list. Well, the Trotanoy is available now .. and get this. For a whopping $249 a bottle!! The 2008 version of this wine went for $149 a bottle. I don't see a difference in the score either. I think the falling euro has something to do with it.

If anyone out there is considering futures, here are some that I think may be worth it:

Alter Ego - @ $85/btl
Clerc-Milon - @ $89/btl
Duhart-Milon - @ $99/btl
Pontet-Canet - @ $175/btl (near perfect score for under $200)
all of the Sauternes are supposed to be really good.
Hosanna - @ $175/btl (the l'Evangile scores the same but is $429/btl! no thanks).
La Croix de Gay - @ $45/btl
Pavie-Macquin - @ $119/btl

The big names in Bordeaux have yet to be made available. Seeing how Trotanoy is priced at $249, I may have to sell my Acura EL to get a Mouton Rothschild. :) If anything, the Sauternes are looking really good at this point.

In the June 26th LCBO release, the 2007 Seghesio Old Vine Zinfandel is supposed to be really good but is it $40 good? Depends on who you ask. I'm a fan of the Seghesio brand. But for half the price, Rosenblum makes a perfectly good zin.

Stay thirsty, my friends. And always. Drink responsibly.

Making progress in badminton

Monday, June 14, 2010

Tonight I started out playing pretty off. My shots were so bad. As the night went on, I started playing better. Way better.

By the end of the night, my partner and I beat a pretty good team. We won 2 out of 3 matches. I also lost three birds throughout the night. Boooo.

I think practice does make perfect. Since I've started to play more often, I think I've improved bit by bit. Unfortunately, the big toenail on my right foot is purple. :( Gotta be the shoes.

I've had my shoes for a year now and the power cushion is starting to wear out even though the shoe is still brand new. I can't justify buying new shoes. However, I have asked Kevin at the pro shop to let me know when these go on sale.