Tuesday, September 29, 2009

rainbows and cigarettes

Just a quickie because something fantastic happened just now!

I went outside for a cigarette (yes, I know they kill you and even worse, give you wrinkles...) and realized that tomorrow is the big day to move into the new place!!!

Anyway, as this realization dawned on me, I had a single tear of happiness (I will soon post pictures of how messy the batcave i.e. Maggie's bachelor is and you'll know why I say this), and just as this happened, the sun came out and reflected a rainbow off my single tear onto my glasses!

In conclusion, there is no pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, just tears. Tears of joy. Cheesy, but awesome!!!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

confessions

Finally got the guts (well, a couple beers and a double rye soda will do that) to confess my adoration for a certain someone. Don't think it'll go well, but who knows. Cross my fingers... Wish me luck...

(X)( -____-);;

Monday, September 21, 2009

homesick...

Perhaps it's still a bit early to jump to the word "homesick" but I can't really think of how else to describe it. A combination of remorse but not regret, longing but not pining, and an unusual state of being stuck in limbo.

Although I've always recognized that everyone needs time alone for self reflection and self emancipation, now is not one of those times for me. Or maybe it's been a long time coming, and now that it's here, I'm at a loss for how to handle it. To begin with, I don't feel like I'm doing a hell of a lot of self reflection, so in my mind, this is no different than dicking around unemployed.

I think the fact that I haven't really settled in makes things worse, since we don't move into our new place until October 1st. It's difficult to call a place home when you don't have your own space and a comfortable ritual to fall into. Although the usual wake up, wash your face, brush your teeth, etc morning ritual are still in place, it happens at different times of the day, and after that happens, my ritual falls apart and I'm not sure what to do with myself again.

I know that this can't be blamed on moving to Vancouver, but moreso that I've always been so busy keeping myself busy. In Edmonton, I never had fewer than 2 jobs at a time - working the 60 hour weeks, having the extra cash on hand - it was always a way to maintain a high strung, fast paced lifestyle. I never wanted to stay at home, and if I ever did, it was only a forced means of pacing myself for the next wind of non-stop activities to come.

In hindsight, maybe it's true what they say: this sort of lifestyle is incredibly draining on both your body and soul, and worst of all, you never know it until it's too late. I feel a pang of guilt knowing I've unknowingly imposed a persona of hard partying nights, gluttonous eating habits and excess unnecessary spending on my friends and those around me.


(image courtesy images.easyart.com)


I have never thought anything of ordering 10-20 shots in a row at a bar; to me, this was simply the norm and the quickest, funnest way to accomplish the small feat of getting everyone, who wanted to be drunk, utterly smashed. But when I think back about all the people who have called me or texted me the next morning telling me about how they spent the night with Princess Porcelain, I feel ashamed knowing that I felt proud to be that hard partying friend.

Trying to cut down on alcohol, but instead of feeling like I'm in control and limiting my drinking, I simply feel as though I'm holding back on what could be a spontaneous out of control night. To this day, regardless of how many embarrassing, stumbling, vomiting nights we've had, I still can't help but enjoy the humor and lack of inhibition associated with them.

Anyway, before this post gets any more morbid, I suppose I'd better head out and enjoy the sun while it lasts...


P.S. 
Oddly enough, I keep waking up with puffy eyes, or developing puffy eyes in the middle of the day. Can one cry without knowing it...?


Shoes of the day! Just got the Keep Benten Pretzels, check 'em out, they're super cute!!!

(\___/)
( '  v  ')b





(photo courtesy eukicks.com) 



Wednesday, September 16, 2009

V-V-V-Va-va-voom Vancouver!

Had one of the worst errand days in history on Monday scrambling to get everything together before the big move on Tuesday...

To start, I made the grave mistake of thinking my last physiotherapy appointment was 1 hour later than it really was. Funny how a 1 hour time lapse can completely throw off the rest of the day (I was exactly 1 hour late to dinner later that night -___-;;). Then, to make matters worse, the guy I was supposed to meet to pick up a new cellphone forgot to come meet me. Now I know you're thinking, no biggie, Edmonton's not that big - BUT, if you put St. Albert into the equation... 

Ended up being almost an hour late to meet Castle, my amazing tattoo artist, to fit in a bit more work on the Klimt piece. Luckily, he was super understanding even though we only got a 1.5 hour session in... Another stroke of luck - V came by and offered me an arm to bite on - which, by the way, is a heaven send when your leg is starting to twitch from the pain (I only wish I had taken photos to show the damage I left, and I say this regardless of how much True Blood I watch). I have to say, I think I am developing an odd affection for him...

*** I am adopting T's habit of referring to friends this way so that only some dirty laundry is aired ;)

Arrived at my own going away dinner 1 hour late (see!) but when you've got another stomach for lobster, it tastes just as good cold as it does hot... (thinking about this is making me drool, for contrast sake, I ate leftover sushi from a fridge that apparently might be broken this morning... sitting and waiting for the shits is the worst, apparently). Perhaps the late dinner was a blessing in disguise though, because we ended up staying so late that both C and K were able to join!! If you have never seen C eat before, think of a beautiful garburator...

Afterwards, we all went back to my house so that I could finish packing and cleaning. A and P came by and joined, which I was thankful for, since mundane tasks seem to go by much faster when your friends are sitting on your couch nosebleeding to sultry pictures of fobs on the internet.

T also left me a goody in my mailbox!! My dear twin spoils me...

"Some things are hard to find because you're not meant to find them yet..."

Lancome Le Vernis Divine Lasting Color & Shine Limited Edition in 012 Pure Gold

 I am wearing it as we type! It's a beautiful light 12K gold as opposed to a cheesy 24K gold, which I LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

I only wish I had a camera to show you...
(photo courtesy from Lancome.com)


So it turns out my home weight scale isn't particularly accurate, because when I got to the airport, the lady made me take out 5lbs!! THAT WAS A PURSE, A SWEATER, AND A PAIR OF JEANS. Then, not only did she make me weigh one of my carry-ons, I wasn't allowed to bring my 3rd carry-on of shoes, even though I have on occasion carried 4 carry-ons... AND then to top it off, I had to pay the overweight baggage fee...
I hate Air Canada ( >_<),,|,


Anyway, arrived in Vancouver safely, and first stop, Aberdeen Mall in Richmond! Got my fix of DAISO, my beloved Japanese $2 store and picked up some eyelashes for myself and T. (Again, I am kicking myself for not having a camera, these lashes come with tops and bottoms, and the top is lined with silver glitter!)

First meal - Iki Sushi, a modern Japanese fusion restaurant that provides the option of brown sushi rice! (Another kick for not having a camera.) They had a ton of different types of maki, so it was a bit difficult to choose... we ended up going for the prosciutto roll, the bahama roll, and another roll from their specials - sundried tomato, cream cheese, and artichokes rolled in brown rice covered with pumpkin seeds, served with a balsamic reduction, as well as a salmon carpaccio and the fire tower - yam tempura fries served with spicy teriyaki, togarashi mayo, and hollandaise sauce...

The maki here was amazing, but I probably wouldn't order toro here again since it wasn't as buttery and fatty as I expect it to be, but overall a really awesome meal for less than $50 (for all that? STEAL!).


(menu image courtesy of Iki sushi's website)


OH, I dyed my hair, finally!

I decided to try the Clairol  Perfect 10 in Light Brown #6, since a different shade had worked well when I tried it out on my Mom. Used it on natural, non dyed hair and it turned out really red in my hair! I am upset, since I spent quite a bit of effort trying to get the red out... ( T_T);; Should I re-dye it?

AND to make matters worse, it doesn't match my extensions anymore... I think I'm going to cry...


(photo courtesy of moneysavingmom.com)




Anyways, I suppose I should get out and check out the city a bit while Maggie is working...

Thursday, September 10, 2009

you say goodbye, i say hello

You say yes, I say no
You say stop and I say go, go, go


I say high, you say low
You say why, and I say I don't know


You say goodbye and I say hello

Hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye
I say hello

Hello, hello


As usual, after weeks of waiting and talking about it, it feels like time fast forwarded itself and suddenly the big move is less than a week away.


I finally got around to booking my ticket to Vancouver - I'll officially be departing:

Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 1:55pm, YEG -->YVR


Good job Natalia... 5 days left and no serious attempts at packing have been made. In all honesty, packing 2 suitcases cannot be said to be a bona fide obstacle, but to those who know... well, you know.


I started watching True Blood as a means to procrastinate and avoid the inevitable cleanup/deciding what shoes I "need" (personally, I think the words "shoes" and "need" are blasphemous in the same sentence, so clearly, this is a struggle with my morals).

I think I am going to just pack them all and worry about it later... I realize that, really, I'm just bringing all my heels and sneaks since I really have no flats I care for...
(the only thing that Vegas screwed me for... NEVER EVER EVER speak aloud what you want to buy/are looking for that day because you will NEVER EVER EVER find it. I thought Tammy was bluffing, but try it, you'll regret it. Those Fendi flats still haunt me in my dreams... T_T They look like this but in the traditional Fendi zucca canvas with a distressed brown leather buckle)



On the bright side though, check out the boy I am checking out while trying to pack! He plays an old evil vampire named Eric... I want to (o ^ 3^)/ * him!! Clearly conducive to packing... But isn't he just the most beautiful modern day James Dean?



Maggie found us a garden level suite in the Strathcona area, just east of downtown/Granville area. It's cute in a quaint sort of way, with enough space to accomodate any friends who might want to visit *HINT HINT*NUDGE NUDGE*. It's still pending, but this seems to be the best prospect so far...



I am considering staying until the end of 2010 Winter Olympics now; seems like there's partying and money to be had, so we'll see how that flies...

OK, the infamous to do list:

- PACK PACK PACK
- Get bloodwork done
- Check out BC healthcare
- Clean my room so that my mom doesn't hold a garage sale in my name
- Figure out how to cram my stuffed toys into my suitcase
- Figure out how to not scuff my beautiful shoes without bringing their boxes
- Get the Kiss and the white rabbit finished up
- PARTY PARTY PARTY

Definitely going out this weekend one last time while I'm here.
BE THERE OR REGRET BEING SQUARE.