Maroon 5 – Payphone

just in time – a great summer song to theme the upcoming sunny days.

the phenomenom of drake (the musician, not the hotel)

i prefer the hotel.

the musician? not so much. but the thing is this – i actually think the guy is a riot. when he’s not annoying me with his ultra-nasal and what i can only describe as forced-low-tone. like, it sounds like he’s pushing his vocal cords in an unnatural way. actually, it sounds painful – and i often envision him downing some hot water with lemon and honey after a concert… maybe sucking down some fisherman’s friend, as well.

he seems to have a really pleasant personality – down to earth and even quite funny.

but his music – his voice! ugh!

i tolerate the one song he sings with rihanna (‘take care’ – the deep house vibe influence brings back good memories for me from my clubbing days).

yet, he’s famous. people love him – the kids love him. i don’t get it, but he’s obviously doing very well for himself.

i just want some one to explain to me what it is that’s made him so famous. really – i want some one, and i’ll be very open with seeing things from a different perspective, as to what it is about his ‘talent’ that’s made him take off.

i want to like this man. i really, really do. i want to be supportive of his music career.

but… i just don’t get it!

c’mon c’mon – the von bondies

my latest tune on repeat (thanks to opening credits from ‘rescue me’):

the art of being lazy

i had my first lazy sunday of 2012.

more importantly, it was the first lazy sunday in a very long time.

as i sat on the couch, listening to tunes and sipping coffee, i commented to doug, “you know, this is what i miss. we use to do this so much more often. especially before christmas – we would carve out some time once or twice a week where we would just sit here with the tree lights on, some christmas music and would either talk or read or just do nothing at all…”

this past sunday, i stayed in my pj’s and spent a majority of my time sitting on the couch reading comic books (buffy the vampire slayer, season 8). i did do the laundry but other than that, i was in complete pamper-mode.

i even dressed appropriately. i had on my large, navy blue, old navy t-shirt which is my favourite pj top, pj bottoms that are like lounging shorts, a big, purple, over-sized, v-neck sweater that i got a long time ago (so it’s very old and therefore very comfortable) from cotton ginny (i don’t think that store is even around anymore) and my blue, fuzzy socks (i have one pair in pink too).

it was the best lounging outfit. yes – lounging clothes makes a big difference. the art of picking what to wear can make or break one’s comfort and optimal laziness. i woke up with that goal and wasn’t going to give up the opportunity for my lazy-sunday.

i succeeded this past sunday.

there’s just not enough hours in a weekend

i don’t want to say that there’s not enough hours in a day. because that would mean that i would just end up spending even more of my daytime at work.

but hours in a weekend? yes, please. at least leading up to christmas.

i can’t believe the “biggest and best holiday of the year” (according to my 7 year old) is less than two weeks away.

TWO WEEKS!

thankfully, shopping has been done but now the dreaded part awaits – the wrapping. and i really wanted to start this past weekend but it was hard enough to fit time in to decorate the tree.

we did it though – i mean, we had to get pizza delivery just to get it done in time without a late bedtime for chaeli… but we did it.

we also kicked start the season with Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Cafe Christmas Show this past saturday. we went with new friends, p. & l. this year, something p. and i floated around as an idea last year.

a good idea it was! we met up for some yummy pub food at a local irish pub. the difference with this pub’s food is that it’s a bit more upscale without the upscale price.

then after the show, we went to another bar for some midnight snacking and beverages.

i can’t remember the last time doug and i stayed out until midnight. this is exactly why babysitting is required every now and then. i need to remember that!

it was such a fun night. and while the show was superb, my favourite times were more just the talking, laughing and general good merriment experienced by all.

every now and then i need to cleanse my soul…

• i like that song from selena gomaz. that ‘i love you like a love song, baby’ one. chaeli likes it too but that’s okay. she’s 7. no one expects her to have a refined taste in music. i’m turning 39 in a couple of weeks. what’s my excuse? did i mention it was from selena gomez? (though she does seem like a decent kid so i’m rooting for her to have a successful life)

still looks good at 52

• most nights, i sing some songs to chaeli at bedtime. sometimes, doug will lie on her bedroom floor and catch a quick cat nap. he isn’t a big fan of some of the songs i choose to sing. not because of the melody but because of the lyrics. so sometimes, i’ll wait until they’re both asleep before i break out into the morrissey thing… “and if a double decker bus… crashes into us… to die by your side… what a heavenly way to die.”

• i like it when doug showers in the morning. because i’m still in bed and the sound of the shower always makes me feel peaceful. it’s a nice way to wake up.

madly rushed and random

• chaeli had her surgery last week to get a cyst removed from her bottom, inner lip. it was a cyst that’s been there for several months and while sometimes, it does go away on its own, hers decided to stay. she was nervous. i was nervous. but they had a pre-surgery orientation two days before which was designed to ease any fears in children. it was a fabulous program and made a huge impact on both of our nerves. i would say that it cut down our nervousness by 90%. i’ll be writing a letter to the hospital, commending them on a great program.

• i have been wondering for quite some time now – does katy perry have issues with letting go of her teen years? it seems that 3 out of her 4 last singles released have been about teen dreams and/or angst. maybe she’s just gearing towards a demographics. at least that’s what i hope. because otherwise, well, it’s a tad pathetic. and embarrassing. katy – you’re not a teen anymore. live in the moment!

• i finally buckled down and did some shopping. and it was a good timing – i found some amazing sales. i now have enough of a wardrobe without having to wear any of my big pants, skirts and tops where i had to sadly hold up the bottoms with a belt. i even bought a pair of black, knee-high boots! loving the boots. they’re slick and quite comfortable with nice height from the heels.

• doug made amazing chocolate chip pumpkin muffins yesterday. i ate two of them for dessert and brought in two more for today. granted, one of them is suppose to be for my manager but i haven’t told him yet. just in case i end up eating both!

• i wanted to create another wordpress blog for just my ‘guilty pleasures‘ but there’s something wrong with the import function. i went to the discussion board and it looks like a lot of people are having the same problem. what’s ironic is that it’s just an xml file exported directly from an existing wordpress blog (under the respective category) and yet it’s not working. i still am waiting for a response from support – it’s been a few weeks now.

• as of this past weekend, i have only the final items to shop for christmas gifts: one more stocking stuffer for doug and a present for our annual kid’s secret santa exchange.

on parenthood and music

as parents, we try to be responsible – we want to raise chaeli on the right path in regards to the importance the various paths of life.

one of such paths involves having a decent and diverse taste in music. but lets face it – i’m sure this has always been a challenge for parents worldwide. and it always starts with us holding our little, tiny baby in our arms, cradling him/her while saying, “just you wait and see… mommy’s going to teach you all about david bowie, the smiths, the cure, just to name a few.” and of course, it depends on the parents and the era – those musicians and bands are replaceable – but those were my ideals.

at the beginning, it seemed to work. i spent the first two years of chaeli’s life playing a lot of classic bowie. by the time she was 2.5, she was walking around singing ‘scary monsters’ and when that day happened, all i could think was, yes! i did it! success! hahaha!!!

the problem is that no one can predict what external forces lies ahead, just waiting to crush that winning path you’ve worked so hard in defining for your children. and when that one variable comes into your household, it’s amazing how little power you have to stop it’s evil and malicious influence on your child.

it happened to our household a couple of months ago. we were watching tv and something about justin bieber came on.

chaeil: mommy – do you like justin bieber?

me: no! he sucks. remember that.

chaeli: but i like some of his songs.

me: you do? since when? oh no – you don’t think he’s cute do you? please don’t tell me that you love him and want to marry him some day.

chaeli: ew! of course not! he’s too old for me – he’s a teenager!

me: yeah… right… that’s right! you just remember that. he’s a teenager and way too old for you.

chaeli: i’m just talking about his music.

me: okay. well… i still don’t think he’s that great. plus he needs a haircut.

chaeli: mom, he’s not that bad.

and there you have it. see? all that work for the past seven years – gone. it was a sad day for me.

randomnous valentine

• i’m not a big fan of valentines and if it weren’t for chaeli, i would do anything for this day. but like a good mom, i did whatever needed to be done to prep for her valentines day party at school – including a 30 mini spring rolls contribution for their food list. as for doug and i, we did get a chance to go for sushi this past saturday while chaeli stayed with my parents. it wasn’t for valentines – just a regular date-night/outing because we haven’t had one for so long.

• i’m glad that justin beiber didn’t win last night. nothing personal against the kid – well, except for his hair – but it felt good to see esperanza spalding take the award for best new artist. she might have not won the hearts of teenie boppers more interested in getting a date with bieber, but her talent and lovely personality was definitely dserving of such an award. bravo, esperanza! bravo!

• so i got chaeli to point out her new boyfriend – i must say, he’s the best looking kid in class. way to go, chaeli! but i learned that he’s also one of the students that gets into trouble often. so young and she’s already going after the bad-boy image.

• our roof is leaking again – propery management didn’t fix it as they said they would two years ago and so now, we’re looking at a worse leak then before. i’ve been spending a lot of my free time communicating back and forth with them – and basically nagging them to do it right this time. they are responsible for not only fixing the roof but also fixing any water damage the leak might have caused (and not just the cosmetic parts of our interior – but any material inside the walls and/or attic that the water has touched so they are not hotbeds for mould spores).

• we have now acquired an ipad and have been wasting our time with plants vs zombies.

vinyl cafe, udon and more baking

i’s been a really, really, ultra-short weekend. simply because it’s been just so much fun that time flew by way too quickly.

chaeli stayed at my parents place for a 2-night sleepover – and i so needed this. a break from motherhood even if just temporary. doug and i did a lot – things we had to do and things we wanted to do. after all, it’s all about striking that balance:

• friday night, we went over to my aunt’s and uncle’s where hobbes was staying during the day. since chaeli and my parents were not joining us this time, we took the opportunity to get some spicy indian food. of course – yum! winter and spicy food (especially if curry is involved) is my comfort food from the cold. sure, sure – i love a mean stew every now and then. but it just doesn’t beat some of my favourite spicey foods – indian, west indies, thai, just to name a few.
• i did take saturday morning to do things on my to-do list – p90x cardio-x and cleaning the house. afterwards, though, doug and i got to doing some more baking which we will finish up today and then sort all six kinds into several tins to be handed out this week. feels good to almost be done. as much fun as it was, it does take up a lot of time. i’m not at all sure if we’ll be doing this each year. but if we do, i need to try and do it in november and then just put the cookies in the freezer. it’s nice to have one less thing to do in december, since preparing for the holiday festivities is already jam-packed as it is.
• we went to see stuart mclean‘s christmas tour last night and like last year, it was not at all a disappointment. what i love about his stories are that they are not just hiliarious but touching and humble and down-to-earth. they are fictional characters but over the many, many years (close to two decades?) these characters of dave, morley, sam, stephanie and arthur the dog have become so real and so very much part of our lives.
• before heading to the show, doug and i stopped at the grange for some japanese noodles. same place as where we went last time. the service is fast and with our two dishes and two appetizers, the whole meal came out to less then $30 after tax and tip. plus, the piping hot steam coming from the food was like a warm blanket from the winter evening walk.
• hobbes was a great sport. we rarely leave him on his on for more then five hours – if even that! but due to the show starting late and the traffic coming home, he was pretty much on his own for almost eight hours. but he did really well – no accidents and the kitchen wasn’t in a mess when we got home (well, his toys were everywhere but that was to be expected).

so we’re now off to do a little shopping and to go meet up with my parents and chaeli for some all-u-can eat sushi! hopefully, if the weather does not get too crazy, we’ll also be picking up our tree on the way home.