It’s 2009 already! My, how time flies. It looks to be a big year. There’s a lot to do, a lot of changes in store and a major event to look forward to - The Star Trek Movie!!!!

I always try to start my year right by being with my family and celebrating together. There’s some great food coming out of the kitchens so yes, I feel very stuffed. Sad though that my insomnia is still here so am now very sleepy. Hmmm…maybe it’s carbo overload.

We took a cab from my folks place and it was a pretty uneventful trip. Once we got home I paid the driver - still typical. The driver says happy new year. Naturally, I greet him too and wait. He’s not giving me my change! Are you freaking kidding me?! On the 1st day of the new year? His new year’s resolution must be to be crooked this year…grrr. His answer was, he thought I was giving him the change as a tip. Hello! It was equal to the fare so NO WAY! Greeting someone happy new year does not equal keep the change you ^%&*. I am not getting into this “prayer partner” cab again!

Hay! Shaking it off….there are more things to be happy about and right now, happiness is getting some sleep in my nice soft bed….

A friend of mine wrote a post about his take on “someone Meant To Be“. Old question. The debate still rages on. Some people say you bet there is! Others say in your dreams (almost literally).

I think women are more into the concept of the “one true love” than the men. Maybe it’s because we grow up with this concept. We have all these romance stories that keep the concept alive. The love songs out there with lyrics that say someday my prince will come. Can you blame a girl for getting ideas?

Most people think that our other half will be tall, dark and handsome. Well maybe not exactly dark…some like them fair after all. We think they will understand us perfectly. They will see our beauty (inner as well what is skin deep) and overlook our flaws. They will love us unconditionally and never leave us.

Reality: if there is a one true love out there for each one, they sure aren’t easy to find. It’s more like looking for a needle in a haystack. One can grow ancient trying to find that person.  So many just settle for what they can get. Others just collect and select, hoping that they bag “the one” during the process.

It is possible that the much awaited individual actually came along but unfortunately didn’t recognize their other half. After all, there were 2 people hunting - both with blinkers (or should it be blinders) on. Most of us don’t know what we want. How can we recognize our other half when we are unclear what we want; especially when the packaging is not what the tales and ballads say he or she will look like. Instead of dashing and debonair or buxom and beautiful, you have plain, not very noticeable and definitely not what was expected.

It is also possible that should we be lucky  enough to find the right one, as my friend Phil said, we think love conquers all and now there is no need to work on the relationship. Without care….most things do not flourish. In a country like ours where there is no such thing as divorce, this can be a costly mistake. It can result in many unhappy people trapped by a piece of paper and vows said in front of a priest.

Long and short: love is a decision. We choose to be with someone because of their strengths. We often close our eyes to their less pleasant side. When their quirks begin to get on our nerves, we have a choice to make. We have to decide whether we can be with them still or not. Give it a fair shot; try to really make it work first. Most times, things can be worked out. If our choice is to say goodbye, it hurts whether or not this person is the infamous “one”.

What do we do when on vacation? Aside from the gathering, hanging out, chatting, eating and having fun we thon! “Thon?” you ask. “What is that”. That’s short for marathon. Usually we watch movies or TV shows. Tonight, we opted for movies the kids would enjoy.

Our line up:

• Nancy Drew (2007)
• Sky High (2005)
• Enchanted (2007)

I found the Nancy Drew movie ok but not great. It was too full of angst and very unlike the Nancy Drew I read about growing up. It did make me laugh the way the kids were very caught up in the story and they were getting startled and really excited. It was more fun to watch them than the movie.

Sky High

Next we watched Sky High. The music used were tunes I grew up listening to while I was still in school, so I was having a blast! The movie was also funny and light. I love the name of one of the characters: Warren Peace. Naturally firestarter ended up with an ice maker.

We’re closing the night with Enchanted. Something light, funny and musical. I love the combination of cartoon, music and live action. Amy Adams did a great job!

Well…back to the movie.

Christmas Flavors

During the long Christmas Holidays, thonning is a must.  Of course, popcorn is a must! One of our favorite sources: Chef Tony’s.

They have some limited edition flavors and christmas choices. The ones I got to taste were Warm Butter Caramel, Creamy Hazelnut and Belgian Chocolate.  The limited edition flavor is Belgian Butter.

Not being a toffee lover, the caramel didn’t appeal to me much. My taste buds just couldn’t make heads or tails of the flavor. I thinks it’s better to keep that a flavor for my candy.

My Christmas Pick

The Belgian Butter had no appeal either. I love buttered popcorn so I guess it’s belgian butter that does not appeal. It just appeared too bland.

Now let’s get to the flavors I loved! As you can see, I think these make a great Christmas gift! The Belgian Chocolate is a unique taste and yummy. The Creamy Hazelnut though is what tops the tree for me. Can you tell how much I love it?

Of all the times to become an insomniac! The holidays would have been my last choice for my system to act up. It is so frustrating, trying to get some rest and getting nowhere! There aren’t even any good shows on TV to at least watch til I finally fall asleep.

I tried changing the channels. No luck on any station. All boring or uninteresting. Man! so many channels on cable and none appeal. I thought there’d be at least 1 good movie but…no sale.

I am now online but most of my friends are not. I tried to play some games but got bored. I tried surfing but am having no luck finding anything appealing there either.

I am resorting to an ice pack and cold medicine to relieve my cold and hopefully knock me out. I really need to rest.

When I was still in school, the Christmas holidays were something I much looked forward to.  How could I not love it? We had no classes, there would be lots of presents and great food. There was no need to get up early and lots of time to hang out with family and friends.

I’m so lucky, this year I get a week’s vacation, coinciding with Christmas and going all the way to the new year. No work, no need to rush to work, great food and yes, time to hang out with family and friends.

If only it was like this every year…

It’s Christmas Eve and everyone is rushing to get to their families…well, those who have no work anyway. The streets are full. Vehicles are barely moving. The usual 15 minute trip has become an hours travel and finding an empty cab to take you where you need to go is a miracle.

Even in the bus there was traffic. With it being SRO with all of us packed together like sardines, you bet comfortable is not the word to describe the experience. Add that I’m traveling with kids and carrying 2 heavy bags - yes, my arms are still shaking from the strain - and the trip becomes more difficult. You can’t move far into the bus to get a comfy seat. You squeeze through the people to get out the door.

The important thing though is that I am with my loved ones for this very important season. Now to go get some rest.

This has been a tough 3 weeks. While the workload was light, for some reason my system has been out of whack and every day it is all I can do to keep from crashing. I have been welcoming the end of day with much relief simply because it means now I’d be able to close my eyes and rest for a bit.

So I tuck myself into a comfy corner of the bus. Get all my stuff safely settled. I usually read or listen to the radio just to rest my mind. Once in a while I snooze.

How do you know that you are badly in need of sleep? When you close your eyes for what you think is a minute and find an hour has passed. When you wake from a snooze and finding yourself wondering if you were snoring (hopefully not loudly). Worse, drool! No, that didn’t happen to me, thank goodness.

Definitely though I am already looking forward to my rest day so I can sleep.

My friend, Ade, will be absolutely delighted to know that mizchvz.com is finally upgrading. It’s still WP, just a newer version. Still working on the theme (redecorating can take time) and I’ll still welcome suggestions (especially if your tips equal more money (LEGALLY!) for me.

Hope you like the finished product which will be up soon!

I remember when I was still in college. my sister got us a gig as ushers and runners for this event. It was easy work and fun. It also paid which was great. What was most unpleasant about it though was that the elevators were smell traps!

Smell traps are places where you enter normal and come out stinking of some un-namable stuff. The stench is so strong your eyes water as you get in. If there was another fast way to get to where needed to be without having to get into the stink boxes, you would use it. Unfortunately….there aren’t.

Now before you start thinking lack of cleaning caused the problem, let me just say that the elevators were fine til some people got in. When they get out, they leave behind their personal perfumes that we all wish they’d taken with them instead because, the bad news is: it sticks to your clothes!!!
Here are some tips on how to cope with said situation.

• Always carry a light scented cologne. Spray some on your hand or wrist to give you a way to breath clean air during the time stuck in said box.
• Carry a hand sanitizer. If you have no cologne, clean hands can do in a pinch.
• Air fresheners are your friend - know where they are located. It’s great of you have those small ones meant for bags on hand
• stand upwind and ensure you have space around you  - big bags and boxes come in handy at this point.

Why am I recalling all of this now? Picture this: I’m sitting in an internet cafe with my air freshener right in front of me and the air con blasting straight at me. “Why?” you ask again. The answer is: because just sometimes, your deodorant lets you down again….and unfortunately for those of us sharing the room, it happened here.