shy

the eve before a crazy christmas morning

nobody@vox.com(shy) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:44:54 -0500

i was able to get chaeli just before 1pm, today, and head home.

unfortunately, we've all got a head cold. but i count ourselves fortunate given all the horrible flu viruses making others in a much worse state then us. i'll take the sniffles over any of the other ailments anyday!

so it's just chaeli and i. we're about to head upstairs and get under the covers, while watching a bunch of dvd's. she picked that will smith sharks tale flick to start with. don't know why she loves that movie so much...

doug will be home for dinner and then it's an extra-early night for chaeli since she didn't fall asleep as early as i hoped last night. i'm letting her miss nap so she can get to bed early tonight.

as usual, we will wait for her to be in deep sleep before we move all the presents down to the living room and under the tree... and stuff the stockings to the brim!

then i'm going to go back to bed, put on 'love actually' (my personal ritual on christmas eve) and hopefully get more then several hours of good, solid sleep.

merry christmas, everyone!

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sad dream with funny ending

nobody@vox.com(shy) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 09:13:38 -0500

an email i wrote to ada this morning:

so last night, i dreamt that hoa and you split up. i was very upset. i tried to talk some sense into him but without any luck.

after learning that you guys were splitting, helen puts out the message that SHE's interested in hoa. i told this to hoa adding, "can you believe that? i mean, that's just crazy!"

then hoa said, "helen? really? hmmm...."

"you can't be serious!"

"what?"

"you're actually considering dating her?"

"yeah... i think i'll ask her out."

"hoa, you can NOT do that!"

"why not?"

"because! it's wrong! how can you do this to ada. if you do this, i can't be your friend anymore!"

"well... i'm sorry, shireen. but this is what i want to do."

and then i was thinking, WAAAAH i lost hoa as a friend!

i was all crying and weepy.

then you and helen have a talk and you came to me to say, "it's okay, shireen. i'm totally fine with hoa asking helen out."

and i was all, what? what the hell is going on? why is everything so upside down?

more crying and weeping.

then i find myself being bella from twilight but dating troy from high school musical. and we were coming out to the school that we were dating (like in the twilight movie - shocking everyone) but we did it in sort of a musical number style on stage in the cafeteria.

that 2nd part was probably a different dream.

shy.

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the month of december

nobody@vox.com(shy) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:04:52 -0500

christmas is just three days away. it's unbelievable how time has flown. these past three months have been like a blur.

what have we been up to to make time go so fast?

well, in the past few weeks:

as noted previously, the first saturday of the month, we found ourselves at what is fast becoming the annual christmas party for our friends. steve and cor hosted the deep fried turkey and kid's secret santa exchange at their place. as usually - yummy food and great memories.

the weekend after, we went to see stuart mclean's christmas show. for those of you unfamiliar with this author, i suggest you give him a go. the first book i ever read of his was vinyl cafe: unplugged. both sweet and funny. he doesn't write novels, really. more like short stories. but the short story centres around one family - dave, morley, sam, stephanie and arthur, the dog. as well as some neighbours that seem to cross paths with dave and morley's family quite a bit. his earlier work seemed a bit rough so i would probably not start off with his first couple of publications.

anyway, the concert was a hit. he brought the house down with a story from his most recent book, "extreme vinyl cafe." he also featured two canadian musicians. one whom i really liked by the name of matt anderson, who has a booming voice. anderson did probably the best 'holy night' i've ever heard.

this past friday night, i threw my best friend, ada, a surprise party, congratulating her on obtaining her ph D. she thought i was throwing a christmas party with just her friends but had no clue that i had also invited two of her cousins (and their respective spouses and kids), her parents, her younger brother and her best friend from dragon boating.

when she walked in and saw what we had done, she actually had to walk back out, turn to her husband and ask in complete shock, "hoa... do you know what's going on? what's going on? what's happening?"

awesome! i was stressed that she would find out and it's been difficult because i had been seeing her every weekend since the last weekend of november. i was so worried i'd let something slip.

anyway, the party was great. i haven't hosted such a large event (24 adults and 12 kids) in such a long time (not including chaeli's birthday parties held at indoor playgrounds where we get a host or two to do a lot of the leg work) that i found myself a bit lost in what to do. and planning a party for an adult is so very different, in my opinion, from throwing a party for a preschooler. and the last time i threw such a party mainly for an adult (or adults) was back several years back - the 2000 new years party and the jack and jill for ada/hoa. i've had bbq gatherings and potlucks since then, but those were of a smaller group.

so yes - i found myself quite nervous.

i think it went well, though. everyone seemed to have a good time. i tried to keep it casual - nothing too fancy. it was meant to just be a nice, intimate and cozy gathering.

the next day, the saturday, doug, chaeli and i went downtown by subway to watch disney on ice.

we've seen this one before two years ago - the princess classics. but even the 2nd time around, it was good. in fact, it was better. we bought better seats - a section better which ended up being only $39 ea. and 12 rows from the rink. not bad, considering the first 3 rows right at the rink are $80 ea.

afterwards, we went right back uptown and stopped at a small japanese restaurant for some really good, quality food for a very decent price.

chaeli was so tired. she hardly slepted the night before and because the show was at 3pm, she missed her nap. by the end of our meal, her eyes were almost half shut. but it was some of her favourite food and she was hungry. so she forced herself to stay awake just to eat as much as she could.

by the time we drove underground into our parking lot, she was out.

she slept almost 14 hours that night.

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"eddie" the gym stalker

nobody@vox.com(shy) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:27:03 -0500

so i'm calling her "eddie" since she stares at me like the jack russell from fraser - as mentioned in the previous post.

today, she picked the cardio machine next to me again. and yes, she proceeded to talk to me.

i purposely moved the mp3 player that was clipped on to my shirt and turned the volume up, hoping that she'd get the hint that my music was too loud for me to hear her. and though she does not look my way the entire time, she did turn to stare at me at least several times. each time, holding her gaze for what felt like 10 seconds or there around.

do you know how long 10 seconds is? or even 8 seconds? count it out - with a mississippi inbetween.

yeah - that's right. LONG.

i could tell she was doing this as a way to try and catch my own eyes should i turn even a millimeter towards her direction in order to 'flag me down' so to speak.

and yes, she did try to talk to me - quite loudly i might add - on a few occassions. i know because inbetween song tracks, i actually heard her. not enough to know exactly what she was talking about, but enough to know that she was talking to me.

what was worse this time was that she started to watch the timer on my machine more and more near the end. i was thinking to myself, "oh. my. god. is she watching it so she can try to talk to me at the end of my workout?"

sure enough, just as i started to wipe down my cardio machine with my towel, she tried to get my attention again.

i didn't really know what to do because by this point, she wasn't just annoying me, but was creeping me out. so i did the only thing i could do - jump off, do the quickest 180 spin on my heels and march off while still plugged into my tunes.

i also showered and dressed quickly in fear of her catching me in the women's locker room. or worse yet, waiting for me at the entrance of the gym!

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gym stalker

nobody@vox.com(shy) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:21:48 -0500

awhile ago, i ranted about the weird lady that was very persistent in getting my attention even while i was plugged into my tunes and clearly ignoring her.

that wasn't the last time she's tried to get my attention. there's been several occassions where she'll find a cardio machine next to mine and start talking. i can't hear her, but i can see her lips move from my peripheral view. most times, she doesn't talk. but she keeps on turning to look at me, waiting for an in... you know, that moment where i'll turn slightly towards her direction so she can get my attention.

good god. i feel like i have my very own 'eddie' at the gym - you know, that jack russell that keeps on staring at fraser.

and what the hell is up with all this jack russell symbolism in my life? is this some universal way of mocking me???

anyway... today, she caught me in the women's locker room just as i was getting ready to go to my thursday bodypump class. she's so weird. she just comes up and starts talking to me as if we were already in the middle of a conversation.

so the gist of it is - she's noticed that i lost weight and wants to know how i did it.

i size her up and decide to tell her that most of my recent success has been from bodypump. judging by what little i know of her, i had a gutt feeling that she would follow me into this class. and judging by anything i was able to piece together, the class would scare her away.

and so, like a good little stalker, she came to class.

when she got there, she started to say that she has done this class now that she thinks about it. and that it had caused her injuries.

and no, i don't understand why she continued to step up for the class without at least talking to the instuctor first about her past injuries with the class. but she went ahead anyway.

i'll admit, i checked to see her form throughout the class and as i suspected, she did not come close to the correct form in ANY of the exercises that we did. i know the instructor, without wanting to shine the spotlight on her, was trying her very best to speak to the entire class on the proper form in hopes that she would listen. but she did not. and not only was her form off, it was probably the most WAY off form i've ever seen done - in bodypump or anywhere else. she was doing things with that bar that i have never seen before. and anytime she squated or lunged, her knee went WAY past her toes.

all i could think was, "and THAT's why she kept on injuring herself."

as usual, i had to leave before the abs and stretch in order for me to have time to shower, change and go back to work. i didn't stick around but i had a feeling she was looking for me afterwards.

we shall see if she returns next week or not.

WEIRD!

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christmas politics

nobody@vox.com(shy) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:47:30 -0500

i've been busy.

and it's been fun stuff but the one thing i'm missing is having down time. i mean, the christmas tree and all the other decorations are up, but i haven't had the time to be able to enjoy it. i would love a full weekend where we have ample opportunity to sit in our living room, listening to christmas tunes and do some craft together. or read. or play board games.

this sunday might give us that opportunity, as will christmas eve. but that is all.

and i'll take that over nothing.

i was just talking to my girlfriend about christmas eve and christmas day. and how it's managed with extended family, as well as our immediate family.

we both agreed that we need at portion of time to be with just the husband and our kids - to set aside at least christmas eve and/or christmas morning for us to build our own annual traditions.

it's not always easy though - family politics can come into play. for example - if you come from two large familes (or worse, if your side and his side are like oil and water), how do you decide on how to split it up AND reserve that special time for just your nuclear family?

my in-laws do not live in the same city as us but if they did, both sides are small enough to have christmas dinner together. and i would have no problem having them over late in the morning to open presents with chaeli. but i would still want christmas eve pretty much to ourselves. a drop by from a friend is no big deal, so long as we get to stay where we are. at home.

so i want to hear from those out there - how do you do it? what's your idea christmas?

note: to all those replying, it seems as though people think that i'm having family politics over the holidays and i just want to clarify, that i'm not. but i notice it's common amongst a lot of people i know. :)

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people really do read my fb status updates...

nobody@vox.com(shy) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:58:02 -0500

this past saturday, we had our annual 'deep fried turkey and kid's secret santa exchange' party at steve and cor's house.

what a good party - i just felt like a huge release being there with good friends. laughing and talking and best of all - the kids are so good at playing on their own now. they spent most of the time in the basement with each other. ah bliss!

an important lesson learned within five minutes of arriving - even though i think people never read my facebook status updates, they SO read them.

within the first hour, the following facebook statuses by yours truely was discussed:

- that i admitted to staring at zac efron's 6-pack in '17 again'
- that i love red, orange and yellow peppers, but am not fond of green peppers
- that i almost went to see 'new moon' on my own

i think the highlight of the night was the guys chin-up contest. boys will be boys, after all.

afterwards, steve l. said, "i'm very disppointed with myself. hoa! i should hire you to train me back into shape."

to which hoa's reply was, "okay. but you HAVE to listen to me. if i tell you to do a push-up, you can't just say, 'bah! why bother?'"

hoa totally had steve l. pinned on that one because that's EXACTLY the type of thing steve l. would say.

and i think it's these little conversations of parties that seems to stick with me the most. the kind where a smaller group is off to the side, chatting and having a good laugh or two.

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culture at kultura

nobody@vox.com(shy) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 01:24:12 -0500

after the annual SCAW (sleeping children around the world) charity concert, we finally had a chance to try roger mooking's kultura restaurant. like his other restaurant, nyood (pronounced 'nude'), it's like a tasting menu where you share as a group.

oh yum. definitely a good choice. the only problem was that there were so many yummy items that we over-ordered. at the same time, the plus side is that the next time i go back, i'll have a clearer idea of what i want to focus on.

our crazy, long list (including appetizer, main menu items and dessert):

Edamame - Miso, Black Bean
Scallops with Gow Gee - Braised Beef Cheeks, soy Emulsion, Cripsed Shallots
Mushroom Orecchiette - Mailvoire Pinot Noir Pear Chutney, Aged Cheddar
Peppered Tuna Carpaccio - Daikon, Sesame Oil, Mizuna Cress, Miso Crisp
Naan - Garlic, Black Onion Seed, Harissa Yogurt
Indian Samosas - Shitake Mushroom, Pine Nuts, Truffled Paneer, Tamarind Date Chutney
Miso Black Cod - Yuzu Corn Puree, Pickled Radish Salad, Crystallized Tamarind
Crispy Tofu - Miso Consomme, Shitake, Garlic Chips
Chicken and Gnocchi - Rice Crunch, Spring Peas, Peppered honey
Black Quinoa Cursted Lamb Loin - Roasted Salsify, Gai Lan, Maple Gastrique
Chocolate Delice - Salted Caramel, Sesame Nougat, Twizzler Ice Cream
Flourless Chocolate Cake - Chocolate Pudding, Caramel Parfait, Frozen Lemon Curd
Vanilla Sugar Doughnut Holes - Caramel and Chocolate Dipping Sauce

keep in mind, for a lot of it, we had to order two as there were about 5 adults and chaeli, whom loved the food that she tried but was a bit disappointed that roger mooking himself wasn't there to greet her (he's one of her favouirte 'cookers' as she likes to call it, from foodtv.ca). okay, i admit it. i was disappoint too, even though i knew full well that he wouldn't be there.

my favourite was the black cod, mushroom orecchiette and the tuna carpaccio. the tofu and scallops were also amongst some of my faves.

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ease up on the testosterone

nobody@vox.com(shy) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:13:44 -0500

alright - just one more observation that I have to make from my bodypump class, which i wrote about yesterday... okay, maybe two. because there's this little petite brunette who attends the class and she really is just that. petite. but with very noticeable breasts. and not in the bad way. i'm not saying that she's so out of proportion that she might fall over but seriously - she's stacked and well, it's very hard not to notice.

but other then that, i've noticed that on the occassion, we get some male clientele in the class. and without fail, i honestly do not know what they are trying to prove.

there they are, all arms but with a big pop-belly, loading up the weights and ready to go.

not even after the first exercise, are they able to last.

here is where i smirk. way more then towards the teens that i wrote about yesterday because at least those teens proved to us that they weren't there to try and prove anything and were, actually, not the typical, pain in the ass teens we normally stereotype them for.

but these men! exactly what did they think they were trying to do - impress us?

i lose count at all the times they end up dropping their weight right to the ground before we finish a set, creating a huge thud as the instructor, even with the mic, tries to talk over the noise as she brings us all to the finale. at this point, our muscles are starting to shake, sweat is stinging our eyes, and we are doing everything in our power to try and overcome that lactic acid build-up so we can finish the set together - as a team. and basically, just bring it on home.

but that loud thud? that annoying distraction?

it makes me want to just face THAT GUY and say, "did you seriously think that this is about how much you can lift/press? this is about ENDURANCE, baby - not maximum weight. take it outside to the rest of the meat heads if THAT's what you're looking for!"

morons.

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an epiphany brought on in a twisted way...

nobody@vox.com(shy) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:27:42 -0500

so this is probably going to make myself sound pretty horrible... but who doesn't sound horrible once in awhile on the internet? everyone. that's who.

i walked into today's bodypump class about five minutes early, surprised that nearly all the spots were taken. relieved, i did find one spot near the front and yes, while most people do not like being in display for the rest of the room to see, i don't care.

i even have a hole on one of my butt cheek which i have to patch up. but as it's mainly a class of women, whom will see me completely naked after the class in the locker room (and vice versa), does one hole, showing my baby blue panties really make a huge difference?

i don't think so.

as i was saying, i like being up front. not because i like being on display (not caring about who sees my bum with the hole showing that i'm wearing baby blue coloured panties and WANTING to show said bum with the hole that's showing blue panties are two completely different things), but because it helps for me to be close to both the instructor and the mirror. just so i can stay focused and on time. and i don't have some one in front of me that's completely off beat, mucking me up.

i hate that. it's my pet peeve. let that be a warning - if you're going to take a spot in front of me, you had better be awesome.

anyway - the class was packed! and as i didn't look around all that much, i didn't realize that half the class was made up of teen girls until the instructor welcomed the students of some catholic school, where they were participating in the class for the day as part of their gym excursion.

and in the middle of the week, outside of summer vacation, i'm just not use to seeing anyone younger then the age of 23 at my gym - and the 23 year olds are usually either trainers or fitness instructors. the rest of us clientele are usually in our 30's and up. these girls were YOUNG! you know - young enough so that THEY needn't be ashamed for gushing over twilight actors.

now, this is a hard class. and while i've been going to this strength circuit training class from hell since september, i'm still working on increasing the plates of the bar that i use. and the last thing i need are a bunch of teens laughing and pointing at me while snickering to each other, "hee hee - look at that older lady there struggling with half the weight i'm using! and she's got a hole in her pants! YOU CAN TOTALLY SEE HER BLUE UNDERWEAR!"

but something amazing happened. because as we started to do the warm-up, and i couldn't help but to see the reflection of those behind me from the wall mirror, i realized that these teens were actually using 1/3rd to even as low as 1/4tr of the weight that i was using. and they were struggling! like - they were just dying and we only had just done the warm-up!

so it's horrible for me to say, but i enjoyed it immensely as i doubled up my plates for the squats while they were all taking breaks numerous amounts of times, panting and making faces like, "you have GOT to be kidding! she wants us to do what now?" they were having 10 times harder of a time then my first class.

and then i really looked around and saw that some of the regulars are actually older then i am and loading up way more weights.

it gave me inspiration - that with age, we actually can become stronger. and that women today knows what it takes to be kick-ass if they want to be.

okay... so maybe this epiphany was somewhat tainted over the fact that i got to feel better about myself through the struggle and pain of a bunch of teens. but i hope, at the least, that these girls saw a future where they too, can achieve this type of strength and determination.

after all, us old farts know a thing or two about life. :)

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