An Italian Panda!

When planning a trip, there are always certain things that I procrastinate on ... this time around, one of the things I've been putting off is dealing with a car rental (we decided that we need a car for a few days when we're in Tuscany).

But I'm happy to report that I've finally dealt with it - I booked our car. :) We'll be toting around Italy in a cute little Fiat Panda (I love the name!). I can't wait to get lost in Tuscany ... yay!

The weekend

I didn't have the most exciting weekend, but it was alright. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, my head has really been acting up lately - so I was out of commission with a migraine on Friday and then again on Sunday. Blah! One thing that really freaks me out is the medication that I have to take for them (Zomig) - when I take Zomig, I often get numbs arms/hands for a couple days afterwards ... now, if you ask me, that's scary - if it's doing that to the nerves in my arms, what is it doing inside my head?! Yikes.

Other than suffer, I managed to at least do a couple of things over the course of the weekend:

• Saw Brokeback Mountain. It was a really good movie; like any love story, it had it's fair share of tragedy. I agree completely with those who say it should win numerous Oscars. It was filmed in Alberta ... and you know, I've never really had much desire to visit Alberta (well, except for wanting to go to Drumheller ever since I was small) - but I think I want to visit there now, just to see the skies. They look gorgeous (did I mention that the cinematography in this film is amazing??).
• Dan & I paid a visit to the suburbs. I had to go to my paper supply shop in New West, and Dan wanted to stop by a music store in Surrey (there is one near where we live but they're in the process of moving locations).
• Watched a DVD - "Ronin". Dan & I like to watch movies that are set in Europe before we're Europe-bound ourselves ... we seem to do this every year ... watch as many Europe-themed movies as possible. Ronin was set in Paris, Arles and Nice. We'll be going back to Arles in June, so that was our inspiration for watching it. :)
• Finished the invitation job I've been working on for the past while ... 3 days ahead of schedule. What ever will I do with the free time?! :P
• Did a little shopping. It seems that, as I get older, I care more and more about what I look like. Yep, and since I turned 30, I think I'm more girly than I've ever been! I even bought a dress ... how crazy is that?!

I guess that about sums up the weekend ... how was yours?

Too light?

I paid a visit to my hair stylist on Tuesday. I had a little colour job done - some highlights ... but I'm not sure that I'm happy with them. They seem a little too prominent on the top of my head (I told her I wanted natural, subtle highlights).

I'm giving it a couple of days to see if they grow on me - if they don't, then I guess I'll go back and have her tone them down a bit. You can see a little bit of them in the pic here, but not really. They're a lot lighter in person. Whatcha think?

On that note, speaking of asking for opinions/comments - why is it that people hardly ever leave any on my journal?! C'mon, I know you're there! ;)

Not much

I'm afraid my life isn't terribly exciting these days, but I've decided that I'll still try to update often. So, that said, what's new with me ...

Yesterday was one of those tiring 15 hour days (if you factor in the 1 hour commute to/from the day job and the 30 minutes I took for my dinner break). Don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining, I've had many of these days and I'm sure to have many, many more ... it comes with the territory when you're starting up a business of your own while holding down a full time day job. :) (I told you that my life isn't very exciting lately, so this is what you get!!)

I'm at the day-job right now ... taking a quick lunch break. Today my so-called lunch consists of a pear, dry roasted peanuts and a diet Pepsi. It could be worse, that's for sure, but for some reason it doesn't quite seem like a proper lunch ... ah well, this is what happens when I don't have time to pack a good lunch the night before. :)

Wow - not the most exciting of entries, is it?

Journals with pics are so much better than those without, don't you think?

Belgian Beer Tour!

I can't wait! In just a few months, I'll be Europe bound. One of the things I'm most looking forward to is the visit to Belgium. I've been there a few times now and can't wait to go back ... for a variety of reasons, but to be honest, I think the main reason is the beer. How could it not be?!

I used to drink my fair share of beer when I was younger ... but never really liked it too much, so vodka became my preferred drink. Until I went to Belgium!! Things sure changed ... but I suppose that's to be expected - after all, there is a beer for everyone - even if you think you don't like beer.

Years ago, Dan, Ang & I joked around about going on a "beer tour" in Europe. We all appreciate beer - and Europe - so why not combine the two and make a trip out of it?! Well, it appears that the time has come ... although the beer tour has transformed into the "Belgian Beer Tour". Btw, when I say "tour", I don't mean it literally ... it just means we'll go to Belgium and drinks lotsa beer. :)

So! This June ... the Belgian Beer Tour!

I don't know if Ang is going to join us or not (I sure hope so - she is one of the few females I know that seems to truly appreciate a fine beer - I need a girl like that along with me on the tour!). We're rallying the troops and trying to get some people to meet us in Belgium - so far I think some of our Dutch friends are in for it, as well as Rob (who is from Vancouver but is currently living in Germany). Kimberly is going to try to make it - and possibly John's bro, Dave, too. And hopefully Ang will opt to join us too, even if only for a bit.

If you're going to be in the neighborhood, drop a line - you're welcome to join us - the more, the merrier. :)

Duvel, my favourite! Mmmm!

Teufel, Diabolo, Devil, and Lucifer are all translation of this "divine" beverage. A powerful and heady aroma with an omnipresent bitterness. A strong beer that must be served cold if you want to fully taste its bitter aftertaste. Strong alcoholic flavour (8.5%)

Birthday wishes

Daniel, if you're reading this ... happy birthday! :)

Music questionnaire

1. What are you listening to right now?
Literally, right now? Nickelback is on the radio (I’m at work – can only have the radio on).

2. What song makes you sad?
Ooh … that depends. Lately it’s been Dream About Me and Where you End by Moby. And Hurt by Nine Inch Nails lately … that’s a very sad song for me (brings back some bad, bad memories).

3. What is the most annoying song in the world?
Pretty much any song by Jewel …

4. Your all time favorite band?
That’s tough. But I’ll say Depeche Mode … they’ve been a part of my life for so long, what would I do without them?! (1997-present). But really, I don’t have just one.

5. Your newly discovered band is?
Haven’t discovered a new one in awhile but I’ve re-discovered an oldie-but-a-goodie though … I’ve been listening to old-skool Suicidal Tendencies lately (their first, self titled album … released 1983) – love it!

6. Best female voice?
I don’t mind Dido and Nina Persson (The Cardigans). Strange, now that I think about it – I think I listen to a lot of bands that have male singers – definitely more so than female singers.

7. Best male voice?
Right now I’ll go with Dave Gahan. I’m listing him, not because he’s one of the best singers out there (honestly, he’s not) – but I do think he sounds better now than ever before. He’s totally on top of his game.

8. Music type you find yourself listening to most?
Electronic based, I guess. But I listen to a wide range of stuff.

9. What do you listen to, to hype you up?
That depends … to get my inspired, it’s Moby’s “Hotel”. If it’s to get in drinking/party mode … hmmm … then it’s a mix. I’ll have to check my iPod later and get back to you.

10. What do you listen to when you want to calm down?
The Amelie soundtrack

11. Last gig/concert you went to?
Echo & the Bunnymen. Next one: Ladytron. I’m supposed to go see The Wedding Present next week … but I don’t know if I will or not.

12. Band you find yourself listening to the most right now?
DM, The Faint, Moby, Suicidal Tendencies, Donnie Darko soundtrack, the Misfits (old stuff), some Arcade Fire, Bloc Party … etc.

13. Most hated band?
I don’t hate any bands – I just appreciate some more than others! If someone is making music and doing what they want – then all the power to them.

14. Song that makes you think?
Well, lots do, but off the top of my head I’ll go with one that’s totally been in my head lately … Where you End (Moby). And maybe Nothing Lasts Forever by Echo & the Bunnymen.

15. Coolest music video?
The best video EVER is Flat Beat by Mr. Oizo! I LOVE IT!! :)

16. Music video with the most babe watch?
There aren’t too many videos out there that feature hot guys! So … I’ll go with White Flag by Dido … cuz’ David Boreanez (Angel) is in it – and he’s easy to look at. ;)

17. What was the first concert you went to?
My first small show was in 1984 – I saw Images in Vogue at Seaquam High School (ha ha!). My first major concert (as in, coliseum-sized) was Metallica and The Cult (1998).

18. Can you play a musical instrument?
Ummmm …. as much as I love music, I’m sorta musically challenged … (so nope, I can’t play anything).

19. Ever been in a mosh pit?
Of course.

20. Are you in a band?
Nope.

21. Ever dated a musician?
Yep.

22. Do you wish yourself that you were a musician?
Nah, but sometimes I think I might like to do vocals.

23. Best chick band you know of?
The Donnas, of course!

24. Last song that you heard on the radio, etc...?
Coldplay is on the radio right now.

25. What do you think of Classical music?
It's okay in the right situation.

26. What do you think of Country music?
Not too much.

27. What do you think of Death metal?
Well, in limited doses … I can live with it.

28. Last BIG band that you saw live?
Depeche Mode.

29. Are you a groupie?
Nope.

30. Do you listen to music in foreign languages?
French once in awhile.

31. Funny concert moment?
The Platinum Blonde concert a couple of years ago. The whole experience was funny … man, I love those guys! It totally took me back to 1986. John and I had the best time ever that night!!

32. Sad concert moment?
I can't think of one. I don't often get sad when at shows!

33. Do you listen to the radio?
Yeah, at work all day … from 8:15am to 4:30pm …

34. Do you watch music TV?
Once in a blue moon.

35. Do you follow the music charts, like the top 40?
Not on purpose, but I suppose I do cuz’ I listen to the radio all day!

36. Have you met any famous musicians?
Well, nobody overly famous … but I chatted with Ladytron after one of their shows at the Commodore one night.

37. Are any of your friends/family/etc. musicians?
A few - Dan, Dan’s dad (was), John, Daniel … and then I know of others via John, but don’t know them too well (all I can say is that they’re pretty crazy guys).

38. Song that best describes your feelings right now?
Shit, I have no idea …

39. Song that describes your life?
Funny … I’ve often said that “Tubthumping” by Chumbawamba is the theme song of my life - ha ha! I had a lotta shitty things happen in my life … yet I got through them. “I get knocked down, but I get up again …”

40. Do you know the names of all the band members that you listen to?
I think I know most of them. I think it’s important for all members of a band to be recognized, not just the lead person/singer.

41. Does a musician’s physical attractiveness play a role in the music?
I don’t know what a lot of the bands I listen to look like... so no, I guess not.

42. Favourite movie soundtrack?
Donnie Darko, Suburbia (I've loved Richard Hung Himself by D.I since I first saw the movie back in 1984 - and I still do!), Amelie

43. Any musician pet hates?
Cocky, arrogant musicians suck.

44. What are you listening to right NOW?
Strange, when I started this questionnaire Nickelback was on …. and they’re on again! It’s “Photograph” this time. (btw, and I haven’t taken that long to complete this questionnaire – they play these guys all the time on the radio) :)

45. Do you wear band etc T-shirts?
Nope. I did consider buying a DM hoodie at the show though … but I didn’t.

46. What do you think of people who do?
I find it kinda silly when people wear shirts of the band they’re at a venue to see play. It’s fine – buy a shirt – but don’t put it on right away at the show!

47. What music sub-culture do you feel like you belong to?
None. That’s too limiting.

48. What song is stuck in your head right now?
I don’t want to say. :)

49. Do you sing in the shower?
Nope.

50. If so, what? If not, why not?
I’m too shy. ;)

51. Would you rather marry a musician or be one yourself?
Be one myself.

52. Hanson moves in next door to you, do you go introduce yourself, or do you arrange to beat them up?
I wouldn’t likely go out of my way to meet them – instead, I’d probably just smile and say hello once in awhile (after all, they would be my neighbors … that’s what neighbors do!!)

53. Do you cook to music?
Yeah, since I got my iPod Nano, I do! And I wash dishes to music, I clean the apartment to music, I work on designs to music … I even lie in bed at night and listen to music before dozing off. :)

Look, I'm happy again! :)

Pretty pathetic! :P

On the way home from work I started getting a bit down. I hate being like that!!! Being like that actually pissed me off. It really pissed me off, because just earlier today I vowed to get back to normal (=happy) ... so I figured I should do something about it.

I came home from work, changed into my exercise gear and went for a run. It seemed like such a good idea at the time ...

Right ... well, like I said, it seemed like a good idea ...

I should now mention that it's damn cold here in Vancouver right now! Today, with the windchill factor, it's -14 degrees ... now, I don't normally deal too well with being cold ... so for me, in temperatures like this, well ... not good. :P

I guess I wasn't dressed properly for today's weather (ha ha) - someone I ran past actually asked me where my hat and mittens were! And stupid me - in my haste to get outside before my energy wore off - I forgot to put on lip balm. Real smart. So it was cold and windy ... my lips were feeling horrible ... and I couldn't even lick them (that's the worst thing to do in weather like that) - arrrrgh!

I lasted as long as I could out there (25 minutes ... but it felt more like 2 hours) but I just couldn't take it any more. I got home awhile ago and thawed out - but my lips don't feel very nice (despite my lathering them with lip balm the instant I walked in the door) -- and my ears hurt. :(

So - tell me, how lame is that?! But hey, at least I gave it a try.

PS: At least it appears to have worked - I'm no longer down, nor am I pissed off anymore ... I'm now just laughing at myself (at the thought of how pathetic that attempt was). :)

I want it all

Those of you who only check my journal ever so often have been missing out lately! I've posted some entries over the past few days that I've only left up for short periods. In one I did a bit of ranting about a certain situation/person ... and most recently, I shared a little personal info. But those three entries are now gone, so you missed out! Now all you get is a picture. :)

If you're interested in either of them, then you'll just have to email or call me for details. ;)

High/low

Whatta week. One major low - but balanced out by one major high!

I was going to start with the low, but you know what? I think I'll skip it and move instead onto the high point. Maybe I'll mention the shite part later (or ... maybe not!)

Onto the good! I'd much rather talk about the good. :) Last week I made contact with an old friend! We were friends from about grade 5 ... all the way up til' we were about 18 or 19 - but then we just sort of drifted apart. We were great friends, so I don't really know why that happened. Daniel was the best friend you could ask for - one of the nicest guys on the planet - he was always so nice and always patiently listened to my lame stories. :) Many a summer nights we would talk on the phone until the sun came up ... I totally remember that - we would talk for hours - then, just as the sun was coming up, we'd hang up and go to sleep - and carry on the next night. He was an awesome friend. But like I said, for some reason we drifted apart - so the last time we hung out was in about 1993/1994?? Something like that. So it's been a loooong time. I'm happy to report that he's doing really well for himself and seems just like the old Daniel that I knew all those years ago. I think we're both looking forward to getting reacquainted (well, I know I am - and I hope he is too!) :)

So at least it ended up being a balanced week - one really bad event, one excellent event. And in the end, the positive event definitely overshadows the negative one, so that makes me happy.

A drunken girl w/ a pic of Daniel that goes waaaay back! (1990)

Mmmm ... fruit!

I'm sitting here, eating pineapple. It appears that I had *slightly* too much alcohol on the weekend - I was so dehydrated yesterday, I thought I was going to die. And first thing this morning, I started craving fruit (a common thing when I'm dehydrated) - so on the way to work I stopped and bought some fresh cut pineapple. Mmmmm!

Had a few friends over on Saturday night ... and yep, totally drank too much. Started the night off by having champagne - on an empty stomach. Yikes! I guess I was asking for trouble, right from the start. :)

But there is some good news to this little story. As many of you know, over the past couple of years my body has decided that it hates it when I drink - and it punishes me every time. I get a migraine almost every single time that I consume any type of alcohol - it doesn't matter if I have 2 drinks or 20 - I can almost always guarantee that the following day I'll be written off with a migraine (most often in my right temple ... but on occasion, the left). However! Yesterday - no migraine ... even after consuming silly amounts of champagne and vodka the night before!!! I was totally shocked.

However, that said, I still wasn't feeling 100%. I still suffered yesterday, but only from a bit of a "regular" hangover - basically, I was just queasy and had a headache (a regular one). I'm still stunned that I didn't have a migraine.

I did have a migraine on Saturday day though - and took medication for it. Maybe by having it beforehand helped me avoid getting one the next day?! Most likely, the medication was probably still in my system ... hmmm - maybe that's what happened!

Anyways, I'm going back to my pineapple now. :)

Room update

Why is it that everything always seems to take longer than you think it will?! Actually, I don't know why I even asked that question - as I already know the answer - it's because life gets in the way. There just aren't enough hours in the day to do everything you need to do.

So, that said, the bedroom renovation is sloooowly coming along. Here's a pic - but please note the following:

• the curtains and bedding hadn't been ironed before this pic was taken!
• there will be an iron tie-back for the curtain soon enough ...
• we don't have new bedside lamps yet - the ones in the pic aren't staying
• I should have cleared the mess on the bedside table (and in front of the radiator) away before taking the picture ...
• the curtain looks darker in this pic than it really is - and the blue-ish pillow and sheets seem to look a little light ... it actually all goes really well together - and they're dupioni silk, so the texture is really nice :)
• we still need to hang some art/pictures - the walls won't remain this bare!

I probably shouldn't even post this - I should really wait until the room is done - but some of you have been asking (about the new iron headboard, in particular) , so here you go! But just keep in mind that it's still not done!!!

The room looks a lot better than it looked before, but I still don't think we'll be inviting Robert over any time soon. ;)

Designer Superstar Challenge - go Robert!!

Last night a new show started on HGTV - "Designer Superstar Challenge". It was so fun to watch, because Dan & I know one of the designers/contestants. It was so stressful watching it though - we were stressed out for him!

Episode 1: The Pitch

In this premier episode our ten contestants arrived in Toronto to meet the judges and each other for the first time. But well before they can comfortably settle in at their “welcoming dinner”, they’re shocked to learn that one of them is about to be sent home. Unless of course they can ace their first challenge – taking place right there in the restaurant.

With the judges waiting in an adjoining room the contestants were given just fifteen minutes to conceive an entirely new design show idea – with both a title and themselves as host. Then one-by-one they were given just three minutes to “pitch” their concepts directly to the judges. In other words, to do everything they can to make the case they truly have what it takes to make it on television. Robert impressed, Idiko distressed, and Natalie was shown the door by the judges.

Go Robert!!!!

PS: There is a poll on the website (right side of page), but it's hooey. They had it up before the show even started and there were a couple of contestants who had major votes ... and today I took a look and the guy who did worst on last night's episode (and most annoying and boring) has quite a few votes (as if!).

Days fly by

Thought I should do a quick post, seeing as it's been awhile since I last updated. January was a busy, busy month! Honestly, there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done that needs to be done.

I've been working on a couple of different design jobs, so that's been my top priority. It's a lot of work, but I love every minute of it (of course - or I wouldn't be doing it! ...). My current project is designing custom wedding invitations for an Irish couple who are getting married in Rome.

My original plan for January was to get a website designed - but I've just been so busy with jobs that I haven't even had a chance to think about it. Okay, well, I've thought about it - just haven't had the time to do much more than that. :)

I've also been commissioned to create some theme-specific art for a graduate school - so that's next on my to-do list.

Busy, busy! It's good though - I love having lots on the go. I get restless when I don't have enough to do. I'd much rather be completely overwhelmed than be bored.

On top of all that stuff, I've been doing my best to plan our trip to Europe. It's slowly coming along. I've now booked our flight from London to Florence (and got an excellent deal!), so that's one less thing to do. I have a feeling that May/the trip is going to sneak up on us in no time ...

PS: I've also, of course, been enjoying my new iPod Nano quite a lot. :)