Lights!

Since I was about 9, I've been intrigued and amazed by Christmas lights. They have this College in GA that they transfer into a massive Santa's workshop with over 5000 lights in December. I've gone for the past 5 years (minus last year) and each time I get excited and happy to see the lights. Call me a little kid, but there is something about the Christmas season that makes me happy. I know I don't officially celebrate Christmas yet (I'll be able to officially celebrate it once I marry my guy), but it seems much more joyous than Channukah. That's not to say that Channukah isn't fun, but once you get past the age of 9 it becomes less exciting (you don't get 8 presents over the course of 8 nights and there are no family festivities or meals). When I lived in Canada the first time around (age 1-9.5), Channukah was so much fun. My grandparents went out of their way to make it fun (as did my mom) and I really enjoyed lighting the Menorah (sp?). Once we moved to GA though, everything changed. My mom was the only one that lit the candles and we stopped getting fun presents (at least not presents we wanted). Channukah was no longer about spending time with cousins and grandparents, but instead lighting the candles and watching tv.

Now, all this said, I like Christmas not for the religious portion but for the family/fun portion (and maybe because I've never really celebrated it and it's semi-new to me). Any holiday that celebrates family, food, fun, lights and presents, I'm all about.

Happy Holidays!

Crazy, Sexy, Rainy?

Ontario is to snow as Georgia is to Rain (lots and lots of it).
It doesn't just rain in GA, no, it pours!!
It's a good thing I'm getting more comfortable driving. Windsheild wipers are my friends.

I had my first 1-1 session at work and I received a lot of good feedback. Apparently, people think I'm quick and adaptable. This is completely different than my last job. My last job tried to convince me that I was an idiot who could not be flexible/adaptable. Stupid company!

I found a movie friend in GA. Yeah! This doesn't replace my movie buddy though. When I get to California, he'll be with me to watch whatever new movie is out.

Also, feel better Nana. She's been under the weather with a yucky flu. I know what it's like to be sick. I think I'm sick every other week :)

My mom is being annoying and needs the computer. This is what you get when you move back home. Lucky me!

Skeeball, slot machines and Star Wars video games...oh my!

I spent tonight at Dave and Busters with a few high school friends and siblings. It was a fun night, however I realize more than ever that I don't have all that much in common with most of these people anymore. Don't get me wrong, I think they are great, but they don't get me like my TO friends do. My TO friends would never go out to a bar (lots of drinking) and watch a football game, instead they'd go to a live show and barely drink anything at all. I know there are live shows to be had here in GA, but I have no one to go with (none of my GA friends are into that scene). I hope this 6 month stint goes by quickly!

Side note: I miss my movie buddy! No one wants to go see any movies with me and it's driving me crazy. I might just go alone.

My parents just came home with their new convertible. It's big and ugly. Soooo not my style! But I'm glad they are happy.

525,600 minutes

I just want to start by telling everyone they need to see the movie "Rent." It's truly amazing. I have always been a big fan of the musical (I've seen it twice) so when the movie came out I was somewhat skeptical, but excited at the same time. Oh, it so wasn't a disappointment!

My parents are out of town until tomorrow, so I'm relaxing and taking it easy. I love my family, but oh are they loud. My brother is staying over this weekend, but he seems to keep to himself for the most part. He's a character, though. I've never known/met anyone quite like him. He interrupts himself when he's telling a story, looks at his arm muscles when telling stories, and has a Quagmire laugh.

I shopped until I almost dropped today. I bought clothes and a camera. I'm not a materialistic person, but I'm really happy with my purchases. I love saving money, that's for damn skippy!

Happy Black Friday!

Once, twice, ten times a lady?

I bought my wedding dress. I want to post a pic, but since Myke reads this I can't. Damn! However, if you want to check out the dress go to Maggie Sottero's website and click on the dress design "grace." It's really beautiful and I'm really happy with it.
The best part is that it was cheap!
I showed it to my dad and he got all teary-eyed. It was sweet.
I still have to purchase a veil and shoes, but that can wait until later.

We are going to someone's house (a family friend) for Thanksgiving around 4pm for some yummy fried turkey.
I love holidays based around eating.

Things I am thankful for:
1. A loving Beyonce
2. Parents, Grandparents, Cousins, etc...
3. Yummy Food (i.e. mac and cheese, turkey, etc...)
4. Email
5. Weekends/Holidays
6. Airplanes (to take me on my many trips)
7. Movies (I need to go to more of those)

...there are more, but I need food.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Streppy the clown

My first day at work went well. They took a bunch of us to lunch and paid for it which I thought was nice. Everyone seems really smart, fun and friendly and the girl training me is really sweet. I hope this experience is a positive one.

Something not so positive: Strep throat. That's right ladies and gents, after being here for a little time I have managed to get strep throat. I'm in such pain that the doctor gave me pain killers so I could swollow. I'm on antibiotics so hopefully I'll get better fast. I'd have to miss work at the beginning (actually, I think I got sick when I started working for Hewitt...).

My wedding dress shopping has been put on hold until I feel better to go out.
Damn!

Oh and last night we (meaning my family) went out to dinner with my uncle david and phil. I didn't think it was possible to stay in a department store for over 3 hours, but they did it! They should seriously get an award. :)

Oh and I miss Myke!

Good things come to those who wait

I got the job! I start this Friday. I'm super excited about it too. It's something different than what I've been doing in the past and it's with a smaller office. The only problem about starting on Friday is that my parents don't have a 3rd car. That means, either my mom has to get a ride with a co-worker or my dad has to drop me off at a subway station near where my work is (and that is bad cause I have no idea where it is and how to get to the office).

Last night was the Ben Folds concert. I love live music but I hate the crowds. Aaron and I noted that everyone at the concert looked the same (i.e. white, middle class, etc...). Oh and teenagers annoy me.

Oh, the choices!

I thought I was all set with the dress, until I went to another place and found two other dresses that looked good on me (side note: out of 30 dresses tried on only 3 looked good on me.). So now I'm conflicted. What to do, what to do?
And when did dresses get so expensive? All the ones that I'm liking are roughly the same price ($800-900). My dad has decided that he can find cheaper so he will be attending our next wedding dress store fitting come this sunday...should be interesting.
For everyone who does not know my dad, this is the same guy who thought he could get less expensive, nice bras for cheap. When we went bra shopping at Sears(this was years ago mind you) a sales person turned to me and said "for you or for him?." After that, he told me I could go buy expensive bras at Victoria Secret. It was an extremely funny situation though. Who in their right mind would say that? Did the sales lady not realize that my dad was male? Who knows...

I had my interview today. It lasted 3 hours and I was interviewed by 8 people. Craziness. I'm glad I got that over and done with. Hopefully, I'll hear back from the company soon. It'd be great to get a job in GA.

I like the weather here. It's beautiful.

Oh and I hate driving...

found a winner!

Today was very exciting, cause it meant trying on a bunch of wedding dresses with my mom. As expected, the strapless dresses looked horrible. The one I think I'm going to pick has a Kate Winslet via Titanic look...very sheek and 1940's. I can't disclose too much, as my beyonce reads my blog.

I have an interview at 9am tomorrow for an HR related job. I'm super excited. I figure if I don't get any job in GA that's my cue to move to California. We'll see what happens.

Here's to Karma...

"State that I hate"

So, in the course of 3 hours I have left my guy, flown to GA and have moved permanently to GA (or as I call it: State that I hate). I am a ball of emotions, but I'm confident that this will work out in the end.

My last day in Canada was spent with Myke in Niagara Falls yesterday. It was a really nice way to say goodbye (though not a final goodbye as we will have a reunion in December and then in March). We had dinner at the Keg (free voucher!) and then headed to Cafe Tu Tu Tango for entertainment and yummy sweet food. There was a free tarot card reader and so I approached her for my fortune. She was dead-on about a bunch of things...scary! She told me I'd be experiencing two big moves and then have a couple of job prospects (all being positive).

Anyways, I miss and love my friends, family and Myke and hope everyone is doing well!

A snake and an earthquake

I keep on telling people that if there is a snake and an earthquake in the same week/month after I move to California, I am going to pack up my things and leave permanately. Well, today (before even entering California) we received news regarding Myke's visa. I'm so livid that I feel sick to my stomach. If anyone says to me "things happen for a reason" or "it'll work out", I'll kick them (hard!). Anyways, I'm not going into details cause I might write mean things.

Tonight: See Jenn and Barry for dinner and then hang out with Tom and Ang

How sad that my life fits in two big suitcases, a book bag, and a purse.

Wine and G's

More goodbyes...

I said goodbye to my family, work friends, Derek and now Tom and Ang (well, almost...we'll see them tomorrow night for a few). How sad it is to think I won't see them for 6 months or even longer (for those who aren't attending the wedding in Hawaii). I'm trying to focus on good times right now. I told Myke he wasn't allowed to cry (side note: For all of you who don't know, if a guy cries than I automatically cry).

On a completely different note, here a few jobs/professions I feel I'd be good at:
1. Assassin
2. Muse
3. Professional sleeper
4. Bug girl ('cause I hear bugs...hehe)
5. Hip Hop Artist (yea, I said it!)
6. Borat's wife

Quick goodbyes

First off, I have to say that I suck at saying goodbye. I can't grasp the idea that I'll be moving to a different country come next Saturday. In my silly little mind, I think, "gee, I'll just see my family/friends whenever so what's the problem?".

So...here's a recap of my day of "goodbyes":

Brunch: Met up with Rose, Noah, Naomi, Matt and Qunyen at this place called Fressen downtown. Everyone was contemplating what to get, while Myke and I stared at the menus in confusion, wonder what the hell most of the dishes were made out of. We did end up finding dishes to our likings and they turned out really yummy (go vegans!). Highlights of brunch--singing songs with Naomi, comparing myself and others to famous/and not so famous people (i.e. Bette Midler, girl behind us, etc...), discussing Jeremy's sexuality, tv shows, and other fun, but stupid shit.
After saying goodbye to everyone, Myke and I walked away into the sunset (except minus the sunset). It was nice!

Dinner: Grandparents picked Myke and myself up (along with my other nana). We had a very ethnic and interesting dinner made by Chef Uncle Lawrence. I'm not a big fan of curry, but I must say that this meal was tres (= very) enjoyable. I fed my little cousin Jada, while my other two cousins, Summer and Ciera, raced around the room. These are the moments I realize how lucky I am. Though I don't get along amazingly with all my family members, I find that I have a special place for them in my heart. They've seen me grow up and I've seen them grow (mostly outwardly, but...). I am going to miss all my Hart/Golden family members, however my grandparents are the people I will miss the most (besides Myke). My grandparents are the most wonderful, generous, caring people out there. I truly respect and enjoy the time spent with them. I'm a sap!
______________________________________________________________________________

And so my goodbyes have begun...

Just in...

For everyone who didn't know, I went to NYC for labour day weekend (I know, I'm a bit behind with the post) and while I was there I met famous people and got engaged (both things were and are equally exciting). After much harrassing on my part, I got my good friend, Dan to send me pics.
See trip highlights below:












Oh and dinner with Rich and Eryn was fun!

"I'm married to the sea"

Last night we celebrated Ang's 26th birthday at the Orbit Room downtown. The band was great! I wish that I was able to stay out late, but my sleep meter only allows me until around 11:30 and then I start fading fast (sorry Ang).

Facts: I'm leaving a week from today. I haven't started packing. And I've filled my week with things to do which means that Myke and Dara time is cut short (sucks).

Right now we are waiting for Myke's Barrie friends to come to TO for dinner. The clock keeps on ticking and my stomach is hurting.

Curb your Enthusiasm vs. Seinfeld

Everyone is a bit perplexed that I am a fan of Curb your Enthusiasm and not Seinfeld. I've given Seinfeld, what I feel, is a fair chance, however the characters and acting were not believable or enjoyable for me. Curb seems more realistic. Though the show sometimes makes me feel stressed or uncomfortable, I find it to be way funnier than Seinfeld. Maybe I'm a big fan of Curb because Larry reminds me of my dad or maybe it's because I know the actors aren't given fully written scripts and most of the show is improvised...whatever it is, I'm an avid watcher and will continue watching the show until they stop making it.

So, it looks as though I'll be flying alone to Hawaii. My parents are giving my frequent flyer miles to my nana so that she won't be flying alone. Though I'm a bit sad that I'll be flying that distance alone, I'd rather it be me in this position than my nana.

Today means going out to lunch with my grandparents and then having Derek over for dinner (Myke is making his speciality).

Anti, Dis, Con or Un?

I always have a hard time figuring out if words start out with anti, dis or con. For example, unorganized always seemed correct to be but after many conversations with friends and co-workers, the correct word is disorganized. If all these prefices mean the same thing why can't I just use an "un" or "con" whenever I feel like it? It's not like people won't know what I'm referring to...right? Right!

I'm heading to the doctor this afternoon for some tests...yuck! It's ok, cause I'll have Myke by my side :)

Oh, Happy Birthday, Ang!!

The story of the Keg Mansion

Myke suggested that we head down to the haunted Keg Mansion for dinner last night and so we did just that. All the rooms in this mansion look old and eerie. I didn't see any ghosts, but Derek and Myke were scaring me a bit with their ridiculous jokes (haha). After that we headed to Dereks place to see his new futon and black cat (fitting since it was on halloween). I'm discovering that it's hard to say goodbye to people when you haven't really grasped the fact that you are leaving.

Today means giving my stereo to this spa across the street and getting a free massage for it. Yay! Also, the new tenant of this apartment is coming over to buy a couple of items and see if he wants anything else.

I finished the book Rose and Noah gave me (it only took me 2 hours to read). It was good, but I kinda had a hard time relating to the main character as she was way too possessive on men (well, one man in particular).