Gus Digital

Moving On

2008-02-12T22:43:00.002-08:00

So I have officially moved my blog from Blogger to Wordpress.

After reading several reviews and comments on both I decided to move the blog. You can now find me at www.gusdigital.com which will be hosted by Wordpress.

I have nothing against Blogger, as it has been very good to me, but I think I just need something more professional looking moving forward. I know it will be a long learning curve to get use to Wordpress as I don't think I'm that "technically sauve".

This will be my last post here on Blogger, so if you are following me, please update you links to www.gusdigital.com.

New Name

2008-02-12T07:10:00.000-08:00

Last night I decided to take the plunge and get myself a domain name.

You will probably notice that Gus' Place is now Gus Digital.

I have plans to change the look and format shortly, so if you are following along, please make sure you change how you get to me. You can now find me directly by going to www.gusdigital.com.

The Bellini Effect

2008-02-03T07:51:00.000-08:00

Russ and I were at the Cactus Club in Yaletown the other day enjoying a Bellini when I thought to myself, "Self, who in this city makes the best Bellini"?

Based on wiki, the Bellini originated in mid 30's to late 40's by Giuseppe Cipriani, a head bartender at Harry's Bar [wiki]. It is made up of peaches and Italian sparkling wine.

I of course love the Cactus Club's version, but I'm determined to find out where else in the city has a good Bellini. I have heard that Milestones, Swiss Chalet and White Spots all make them. Russ has also had one White Spots and he finds it equally refreshing. If anyone else knows of a good place to have a Bellini, please let me know.

Puerto Vallarta 2008 in Review

2008-01-27T09:21:00.000-08:00

It has only been a few short days that Russ and I have returned back from Puerto Vallarta, which now seems to be our annual trip south.

Though this was a shorter visit for me then expected, I still managed to get to points around Puerto Vallarta I thought I wouldn't get to. This time around Russ and myself ventured to the Gringo Gulch area of Puerto Vallarta famous for Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's home (Casa Kimberley and Casa Burton). This was the house that Richard Burton bought for Liz when he was filming "Night of the Iguana" back in '63.

Now websites say that Casa Kimberley [link] is now a bed and breakfast, but alas this can't be further from the truth. It is currently not occupied, falling apart, and no one lives there. I can say this because Russ and I actually paid a care-taker some money ($5) to get in and walk around. I have to say that the views were spectacular and was surprise to know that we could see the home from our balcony back at the condo.

The weather in Puerto Vallarta was definitely cooler than normal. I was surprised that at night time we had to actually bundle up and I had to wear a jacket.

This has been a strange month for them. Even the tourists weren't as many as years past. With that said, the construction of new buildings and condos in the old section are huge. I do hope that they don't build too much as the charm of the old section will be lost.

All and all a good trip and was able to connect with some old friends and meet some new ones as well. Hopefully we'll see them all again next year. :)

You can find more pictures of the trip on my flickr [link] page

UPDATE: Looks like my blog was picked up on Tourist Network [link] and translated into German. I'm not sure if it's a compliment or not.

From Arizona to Puerto Vallarta Mexico

2008-01-14T19:05:00.000-08:00

After our sales training in Scottsdale AZ was over, my vacation officially started!

I am now in Puerto Vallarta Mexico for 8 more days of sun and fun. Although the first night I arrived I was surprised to see how cold it is here. At night you really need a jacket to get around the city. I was cold while having dinner last night at Joe's Fish Shack on the patio. The food there was awesome as usual (Mahi, Mahi was yummy, yummy).

Today of course was a beach day and I was surprised to see the beach fairly empty. I recall last year if you didn't make it to the beach by 12pm you didn't get yourself a palapas. Now you can still find a palapas all day long. You also don't see many Americans here now a days. I'm wondering if the issues back in the US are resulting in less traffic down here. Oh well maybe that is a good thing :)

Tonight we had dinner at the condo (roasted chicken) and just relaxing now getting ready to head out for the evening. I'll make sure I bring my jacket just to make sure I don't suffer like I did last night.

I'll have a magarita for all my friends back home!!! :)

Sales Training in Scottsdale Arizona - End

2008-01-12T20:16:00.000-08:00

Today was our final day of training here in Scottsdale and I have to say what a great bunch of people we have working for our company. The enthusiasm each office brings to the table is amazing and I know this will push us even further in the coming year.

I want to congratulate our Eastern Region in the US for winning Best Office of the year, an honour our office in Vancouver shared last year. You have an amazing team of individuals and I look forward to seeing awesome things from you.

I want to also congratulate our fellow Canadian members, Claire for winning best CRM out of our Toronto Office as well as Vince, in our office, for continuing to win best AE for the 5th consecutive year.

Way to go Marketwire!

Tomorrow I'm off to Puerto Vallarta for a much needed holiday.

Sales Training in Scottsdale Arizona

2008-01-10T22:15:00.000-08:00

So I'm here in Scottsdale Arizona for a company wide sales training. With all of our offices here in one place going through the training has so far been enjoyable. The days of course are long with courses and seminars, but there is so much to learn and our team is making the most of it.

Tonight we had a "dine around" where we were give specific restaurants to attend. My luck I was given the joy of going to North, an Italian restaurant here in the Scottsdale. I have to say the food was fantastic, from the antipasto, to the my actual meal MMM. Everyone at our table fully enjoyed their meals and it was fun to get to know other members of our team.

Tomorrow will be another fun filled day of seminars with some fun interactive games planned. How much fun they will, time will tell ;)

You can find some of the photos of the event on my flickr page [flickr]

I think that is it as I'm off to bed to try to get some sleep.

Happy Birthday Junior

2008-01-04T10:16:00.000-08:00

On January 1st, 2008 Junior turned 1 year old.

Though we didn't have a cake or have a party for him, Junior did have a great day of just playing with both Russ and I.

We'll definately have to have some type of party for him, but it might have to wait until we get back from Puerto Vallarta at the end of the month!

Christmas and New Years Round Up

2008-01-04T10:15:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven’t updated this in sometime.

Christmas Eve Russ and I spent the evening with Andrea and Alix at their place to have a great dinner. Alix has always been a fantastic cook and her sweet corn pudding was delicious! MMM mmm MMM.

After dinner, Andrea turned on her Wii and we all worked off some much needed calories. .This was my first time playing Wii and I have to say it was fun, graphics are “cute” and “cartoonish” but I guess that is what makes it fun.

Christmas morning I opened up my presents to some great stuff Russ had gotten me, shirt, tie, cuff-links as well as some cologne I’ve been wanting.

We got dressed and headed up to Theresa’s for Christmas morning breakfast. Theresa is another amazing cook and she made some great fruit salad, homemade cinnamon buns and some hot coco with Baileys. MMM.

Later on we had Russ’ mother over for our traditional turkey dinner and had a great time.

My sister, mother, and niece Samantha flew in from Toronto over the weekend and we spent time shopping, and baking my pan dulce again, which I have to admit I’m getting better at. 

New Years Eve was spent at Andrea and Alix’s again with Theresa, Mike and another couple who I hate to say I’ve forgotten their names. We played Wii again and had fun playing golf, tennis, and bowling. Great fun.

New Years day was a day of shopping and finally relaxing.

This holiday has been fantastic, with spending time with friends and family.

Thanks to everyone who has made this past year so wonderful and special, and thanks to all who have been apart of my life for many many years!!!

Pan Dulce Attempt

2007-12-15T14:14:00.001-08:00

So today I decided I wanted to make pan dulce or as it is known in Italy as panettone. This is something I have grown up with all my life and always remember my abuela making it during the holidays.

Now this is my first attempt and I'm trying to incorporate my abuela's recipe with one I found on the internet.

I've so far into the first rising process and hopefully it will work out, if not hey I tried, and there is "tomorrow" :)

Already I did forget to add the lemon grinds into it, but I can add it when I add the raisons and walnuts later on (keeping my fingers crossed). And I didn't use all the items in the photo.

UPDATE: Not quite as I remember it, but not bad for a first attempt at making this on my own. I believe I know what I did wrong and the next one will be even better!

New Eyewear

2007-12-13T20:39:00.001-08:00

So yesterday I picked up my new pair of glasses which are alittle different from what I am used to. These are thicker framed and definitely make a statement.

The glasses are from FYSH which their website describes them as

"an edgy new brand of unique eyewear for people who live, love and lounge in their own way. Inspired by the beauty and freedom of the sea, FYSH is a symbol of the true origins of human style"

You decided and let me know

I know it will take sometime to get used to, but I think they look great.

I've been Elfed

2007-12-04T22:14:00.000-08:00

So I've been Elfed

Merry Christmas all!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1172035402

Snow Days

2007-12-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

So what do Vancouverites do best, well they talk about the weather, either it be too much rain, too much sun, or like to day, too much snow. We are again having a great dumping of snow (by Vancouver standards of course), and it's pretty much great to see and get one into the Christmas Spirit.

This is Junior's first snow and he has been enjoying it so much. He loves to run in it, eat it, and of course write his name in the snow :). I shot the following video today via my cellphone's camera, so the quality sucks but you get the idea.

Here's hoping all the Vancouverites are out and enjoying the snow, because as we all know here, the rain is only a day away and the snow will be gone!

Happy Snow Day everyone!

Weekend Update

2007-11-18T17:19:00.001-08:00

This past weekend Russ, Deb (Russ' co-worker) and myself attend the Eastside Cultural Crawl. It's an annual artist festival where you actually get to go in and visit local artist in their workshop. Though we only hit a couple of venues, the art was amazing to say the least. This city has great talent. The amount of people that were walking around on loft area was amazing. We even went to a converted mortuary for some live music and more art. You can view all the photos I took at my flickr page [link].

Saturday was pretty much a no fuss day. I think the only exciting thing I did was head to the pet store to pick up some food for Junior. The rain was heavy and it wasn't pretty to head out. I did start up some reading on HDR photography [wiki] and will try that out.

Sunday we went to the movies to watch Beowulf in 3D Imax. Much FUN!

Doggie Hotel

2007-11-09T22:54:00.000-08:00

Russ and I will be heading down to Seattle for a couple of days this weekend and as such needed to have Junior taken care of. Since our usual friend Laura unfortunately isn't available this weekend, I had to search for a kennel to house Junior for a couple of days. With recommendations from Junior's groomer's Pawsh Spa [link], we have Junior booked at the Rex Dog Hotel [link].

I should have more details on Junior's experience when we return. But based on Karen (who took my booking), Junior is in a for a great treat this weekend. Gosh this place has even flat screen tvs and a pool for the doggies. Lucky guy! :)

UPDATE: November 12, 2007

Boy the Doggie Hotel was amazing. Junior had a fantastic time, based on the staff, and they have nicked named him "The Junior-nator". Hmmm I wonder that meant. Junior was so exhausted from his stay that he is having one of the longest naps today.

Thanks Rex Dog Hotel for the fantastic treatment of Junior and for showing us around the place. I highly recommend them for any dog owners out there!

The Cirque is Coming Again

2007-11-08T14:09:00.000-08:00

Cirque Du Soleil will be returning to Vancouver next year for their production of Corteo. They will be here from June 12, 2008 – July 6. 2008 under the Grand Chapiteau at Concord Pacific Place.

I have been to all their shows in Vancouver and this will be my third time attending.

You can purchase your tickets at the following link [tickets].

Below is a 10 minute preview I found on Youtube

Happy Birthday Laura!

2007-11-07T07:46:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to wish Laura (or as some of you know her, LOLO) a fantastic birthday today!

You have been there for me when Junior needed a babysitter, as well as when Chelsee and the condo needed looking after. Thanks again for being a good friend and I hope I can at least take you out to lunch today.

Hope you have a fantastic day!

Shopping in the US of A

2007-11-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

So what do you do when it's a rainy day and the Canadian dollar is at an all time high? Well you go down to the US and go shopping!!!!

Russ and myself thought it would be great to head down to Belfair Mall for the day and see if we could scrum up some savings considering the Canadian dollar closed on Friday at $1.07 US.

We got up early enough and with our friend Laura offering to babysit Junior we headed down around 10am. We did expect a delay at the boarder and we weren't disappointed. As we headed down to the Peace Arch, the wait time estimate was 2 hours, while the Truck Crossing was only 90 minutes. Having only a few seconds to decided which way to go, we headed to the truck crossing. As we approached we worked our way into the line for the "estimated" 90 minutes. Sitting in line for the first 10 minutes and only moving one car length I wondered if the boarder guards were on a coffee break or not. What was suppose to be a 90 minute wait turned into a 2 hour wait. Oh well. And what is up with the radio 88.3 FM who constantly kept giving updates from 9am?!

After answering the usual questions at the boarder, we headed to Belfair mall. Granted before this we had to get a bit to eat since 2 hours in line was a bit overwhelming.

We stopped at this little restaurant just across the mall, I can't remember the name, and was surprised when the hostess asked what the little red flower on my jacket was. I let her know it was a poppy and it was for Remembrance Day. I guess I forgot they don't celebrate it with the poppy and have their version known Veterans Day.

At any rate, Russ and I continued into the mall to do alittle bit of shopping. I had fun shopping at Macy's and was surprised at some of the deals. I ended up with 6 undershirts for $22, normally 3 of the same brand would have cost me $26 back home. I bought a sweater that was on sale for $55 and a t-shirt for $19. Total just under $100 before tax. I thought I did well.

We continued to browse through the mall and stopped in at other shops, but I didn't buy anything. It's amazing how easily one can over shop and spend tons of money.

After 3 hours of this we decided to head home and bare the 2 plus hours wait at the boarder.

Thinking we were exiting to head to the Truck Crossing again, we took a wrong turn that took us through the downtown of Blaine Washington. This was a cute little town and is a must stop next time. We finally found the road to the boarder and were pleasantly surprised that we manage to cut into the line (due to a stop light allowing us to turn onto the road) and only wait about 1/2 hour to the boarder where we were greeted by the pleasant Canadian boarder guard who just let us pass through as we declared our purchases.

Definitely will have to do this again if the dollar keeps up, and to all those that know me, see I didn't even come home with any gadget. I'm proud to say I didn't even go into an electronic shop at all while we were down there.

Here is to the dollar going up $1.10 US next weekend! :)

Cool Car Ad

2007-10-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

A fellow Twitter, Brian Shaler, had commented on how this is one of the most interesting ads out there. I have to full hardly agree. Hat's off to the ad agency who created this!

Dear Apple Store

2007-10-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

Canadian price

US price

Dear Apple Store Canada, why are your prices higher for products than your Apple Store US? Our Canadian dollar is worth more than the US dollar, yet your prices are always higher. When will you pass on your savings to us north of the boarder?

Granted I can probably drive down to the States to buy the item cheaper, but why not pass on some savings to your cusomers up north.

Thanks for listening, though I doubt you actually did.
Gus

No More Nuts for Junior

2007-10-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Junior had the most dreaded appointment with the Vet to date. Alas he was being Neutered.

There is no telling anyone how guilty I have felt about doing it. I don't know if it is a "guy thing" or not, but I'm sure he is going through some discomfort, though you would not have known it yesterday buy the way he was walking, jumping and just being a puppy.

The Vet did instruct me that he is not to play for long periods of time, just to go outside to do his "business" and then return in. He is also not allowed to lick himself in that area and as such he has been give the dreaded plastic cone. I have been avoiding putting it on him, but this morning I had to do it since he was being left alone.

The guilt hit me again as he just looked at me with his puppy eyes and just stared and would not move. If he did move he would walk backwards.

Hopefully the 2 weeks I have to wait before his stitches are removed won't be too traumatic for the poor little boy nor me.

Overall the wonderful treatment I have received from the Vet has been awesome. If anyone needs a good vet, please go to Yaletown Pet Hospital. THey not only know how to treat your beloved pet, but they treat the parents very well!

Physical

2007-10-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

Today I underwent the dreaded “Yearly Physical”. Though surprisingly enough it has been over 6 years since I’ve had one. Bad Gus I know. Well I have been feeling alittle under the weather lately and alittle sluggish to say the least that I thought it was time to go in for that physical.

My Doctor is a very “to the point” kind of doctor and I admire that. The first thing he did ask me was how old I was. When I let him know I was 38, he said “well you have 2 more years before we have to do that lovely rectal exam” I thought that was very funny of him to say and it helped the rest of the physical to go smoothly. Well for the most part.

He took my blood pressure and wasn’t too happy with the results since my pressure was high (150/90). He said normal should have been around (145/85). Hey I don’t think that is too high above what he expected, but hey I’m not a doctor. Though with the stress of work lately I’m not too surprised to see my blood pressure higher than normal. Anyways he had me go through the usual blood work and I should find out, amongst other things, cholesterol levels, lipids, glucose levels (to check for diabetes). Of course he’ll check my blood pressure again and see if it was just a “white coat syndrome”.

Hopefully all will be fine and some life style changes will have to be in order.

Vancouver in the Fall

2007-10-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

This coming Sunday it will be 6 years that I have moved to Vancouver from Toronto. Though there are no regrets in my move, I still miss the colours that fall brings.

Here in Vancouver there isn't much variety in the fall colours. It's either a golden, red or just brown. In Ontario I remember the drives north to Barrie or West towards Orangeville and seeing the fantastic shades of gold, orange, red, and yellows throughout. Of course with the sun being out these colours would be always be fantastic. Maybe I'm not looking in the right spots, so if anyone in Vancouver has some suggestions as to where to look, please let me know.

To my family back east, hope you don't take the fall for granted as I have, because I do miss that change.

Happy Birthday Gladys

2007-10-02T07:10:00.000-07:00

I want to wish my oldest sister a fantastic and wonderful birthday.

I haven't been there for her birthday in over 6 years and I wanted to let her know that her baby brother misses her and wishes the most wonderful birthday!!

Love you always.

PVR Blowout!

2007-09-30T07:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my digital cable HD PVR cable box from motorola died.

I'm not sure what happened, but it would not turn on, or if it did would only last for less than one minute.

The sad news was I had purchased this box on Ebay and I knew that Shaw (my cable provider) would not honour any warranty on it. With that in mind I called Motorola and spoke to their tech support. Unfortunately since I bought it in "Canada" and via the internet, they do not honour a warranty on it. I was alittle pissed off at hearing this, and asked if there was somewhere I could take it for repair. They pretty much told me I was out of luck. Nice job Motorola!!!

I then called Shaw to see if they could do anything. They of course tried to see if they could get a signal to the machine, but that failed. The tech guy "Tony" did say that he would send someone over to have it looked at, this even after I told them that this was purchased on the internet. He said a tech guy would take a look at it and see if he can fix it there, otherwise, I'm out of luck. But still there might be some hope.

Luckily I still had my old Digital Cable box which I reconnected and got it working.

Boy you don't realize how much you need "TV" until you don't have it :)

Hopefully this Tech Guy will be able to fix it on Monday, otherwise I will have to purchase a new PVR :(

Happy Be-Lated Birthday Justin

2007-08-29T07:39:00.000-07:00

On August 27th was my nephew Justin's birthday.

Alas I missed posting on here and I'm sure he had checked and wondered "what the heck?". But I have a good excuse my nephew. You see I'm on the road and didn't really have access to the internet.

You did of course recieve your birthday card early, so I hope that made up for it.

At any rate, I hope you had a great birthday and had lots of yummy cake!!!

Love
Uncle Gus

Happy Birthday Russ

2007-08-18T09:41:00.001-07:00

Today is Russ' birthday. Though I'm not sure what we are going to do for it, I do know that he will be taken out for a nice dinner by me and his mother. Hopefully he will enjoy where we decide to take him.

At any rate, Happy Birthday Russ and I hope you have a fantastic day today!!!

Parent's Visit So Far

2007-08-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

Well I think my parents are enjoying their time here in Vancouver so far.

After picking them up at the Airport on Friday night (flight was delayed 20 minutes), we drove home and had a fun little chat and ate some bbq chicken I cooked on the bbq.

On Saturday, we woke up had some breakfast at home. Russ went down to the local coffee shop and picked up some yummy treats which we all indulged in. We packed the extras up with some fruits and headed into Whistler. We of course first stopped off at Shannon Falls where we took a couple of photos until my camera died. Luckily I had the charger in the car and managed to charge it on the rest of the way up to Whistler.

It was a nice drive, Russ and myself have been enjoying it lately and I thought they would as well. They were impressed with the mountains and the great weather that was happening. Granted I had to close the sunroof and put the air conditioner on as my mother doesn't like wind in the car (it's all about the hair).

We had a good fun filled time in Whistler and then headed home. Russ ended up staying behind on this trip.

On Sunday we headed into Fort Langely and walked around abit. I was surprised to see the interest in antiques my father has. Russ and him where getting along great in that department.

After a few hours there, we headed into White Rock, but didn't realize that there was a festival going on. We couldn't park anywhere it was a horrible drive through the town. On that note we stopped by for a pizza, which I thought was over priced at $22 for a peperoni pizza, but enjoyed it.

On Monday we went to Granville Island and took the water taxi over (or put-put as we like to call it here). We had fun going through the market and then headed back home. We then later headed to the mall so my mother could buy Samantha, Steven and Justin their "back to school bags". So do you guys fear, your bags are coming :) We all later went and ate at Poncho's one of favourite Mexican Restaurants in the city and one my mother has been to before.

As for today, I'm back at work and the weather has turned worse. No more sunshine today, just drizzly rain. As such my mom is cleaning the condo (hey I didn't force her, but it gives her something to do), my dad is going to make some stew which will warm up our bones.

Oh and mom and dad are enjoying Junior and he is having a blast with them.

I'm glad they are here and you don't realize how much you miss them until you see them.

Parent's Up Coming Visit

2007-07-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

My parents are coming to visit me this coming weekend for a full week. I haven't seen them for almost 2 years and it will be nice to see them again. Of course they will be staying with Russ and I, and it will be a slight challenge to fit 2 more grown ups in this small 584 sq ft condo. I hope they don't mind the cramp quarters when they are here.

I don't know what we will be doing during the full week they are here. My plan is to at least get them up to Whistler the weekend they are here. I'm sure they will enjoy it, especially the wonderful drive up to resort town. Afterall Russ and myself have travelled that route lately this summer on our quest for a close camping site.

It will be a busy time at work next week as well so I hope I won't have to stay late on any of the days and get them out and around. I hope they won't be too bored and it will be great to have them visit.

Looking forward to seeing you Mom and Dad!

Camping 2007

2007-07-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Russ, Junior and I packed up the camping gear in Tabitha and headed up the coast to Cal-Chek Camping ground located about 10 minutes south of Whistler. Granted Russ took off their early during Friday to make sure a site was grabbed. Somehow he managed to set the tent up and drove all the way back to the city to pick up Junior and myself.

I haven’t been camping in decades and this was really one of the first times I’ve actually camped in a tent.

Junior of course loved being able to run free without a lease and the care takers didn’t mind that he wasn’t on one. Actually all dogs that were there were off lease and it was nice to see. Junior of course never ventured far away and was always within eye distance of the campsite.

It was fun to just go out and relax for a weekend. The only major worries I had was how to keep those damn mosquitoes away from me. Citronella candles and Deep Woods Off did the trick for the most part. I’ve manage to only have 12 bites through the whole weekend.

You can find some photos on my Flickr page, though granted they were shot via my cell phone camera.

We’ll definitely head back up there again in the future. You can’t beat $10/night/car.

My suggestion for next time is to be sure we are warm enough during the night. Boy it gets cold up there and the blankets were not enough. Even Junior suffered from the cold and I think I’ll be taking him to the Vet today to have the sneezing and the drippy nose looked at.

Meet Tabitha!!!

2007-07-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

As if this weekend wasn't full with birthdays, I'd like to introduce the world to Tabitha our new Mazada 3 hatchback.

Of course she was a great purchase and definately is fun to drive around the city and outskirts. On Sunday Russ and I took her out for a good run to Fort Langely and I have to say it was a pleasure to drive. I definately will want to keep driving her more. She will come in handy when we have our trip planned for the end of August.

Zomm Zoom Zoom!!!

Happy Birthday Andrea!!

2007-07-24T12:49:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Russ and myself attended a Birthday Party for Andrea, and Alix, at Theresa's place. Theresa pulls off the most awesome dinner parties. She is an awesome cook.

So Andrea, I forgot to post your birthday greeting on my blog, so please accept this as a belated Birthday Greeting!

Hope you had a fantastic time!!!

EDIT: Andrea's Birthday is actually on July 31, and this was just a "pre-birthday" celebration!!! :)

Happy Birthday Steven

2007-07-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

Today is also my Nephew's/Godson's 8th birthday!

Though I can't be there in person to wish you the best, I hope this will ease that.

Your card is in the mail, so don't worry I didn't forget :)

Again hope you have a fun day, make your mom take you to your favourite place and have an extra slice of cake for me! :)

Happy Birthday Alix!!!

2007-07-17T06:56:00.000-07:00

Today is Alix's birthday. So from Russ and myself Alix, have a wonderful birthday. Any plans? Should we be making any plans? hehehehe

Busy Weekend Planned

2007-07-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

I know it's been almost a month since I sat down and blogged. Between work conferences and work itself I have been alittle busy. The good news is I have some time today so I decided I should blog.

This weekend Russ and I have a few things planned out. Tonight we plan on going to see Transformers with Laura. Hopefully we should be able to get tickets and enjoy a good old fashion summer blockbuster!

Saturday we are going to go car shopping. Yeah we are looking for something new, but we haven't really decided what to buy. We are still in the information gathering phase and will try out a few cars. Of course the Toyota, Nissan and Mazda shops will be getting a visit from us.

Later that evening we are meeting the owners of the Elbow Room to see Gypsy. I have never seen this musical and I don't expect much of production as Vancouver rarely has the "huge" productions.

Sunday will probably either involve a rest day or more car shopping. Who knows. At any rate definitely a full weekend planned and should make the time go by!

Happy Father's Day

2007-06-17T13:36:00.001-07:00

Today is Father's Day.

Though I can't be with my dad on this day, I'm hoping he will have a fantastic day! Don't eat too much and don't do too much today, just sit back and enjoy the day!!

To all other Dad's out there, hope you too have a great one!!

Junior @ Work

2007-06-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

With Russ being in Puerto Vallarta for the next week, Junior is tagging with me to work.

He's actually been very well behaved I have to say. I have set up a wonderful rest/sleeping area underneath my desk with some of his favourite toys as well as some cookies for being such a good boy.

Everyone here is very happy to have in around and he's been getting along with most of them.

Now the only problem is that he won't leave my side. Everytime I get up, he follows me. This makes it very hard for someone to go to the bathroom. I must have a strong bladder to control it as much as I have ;)

It will be an interesting walk home as I know he usually likes to go for a walk when I arrive home, this might just be the walk he needs and he will fall right asleep.

Doggie Makeover Madness

2007-05-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I blogged about Junior and I thought I would do this today.

This weekend Junior went in for his very first dog grooming. I was of course complete scared about it. I've heard horror stories of what some dog groomers have done, either to the dog themselves or just claiming the dog was worse or required more than is necessary.

Well to keep a long story short, I was proven wrong with Davie Groomers. They were awesome to deal with. They answered all my questions and were very understanding as this was Junior's first grooming.

We dropped off Junior at 9:30 am in the morning and by 11:30am they had called me to let me know he was ready to be picked up. Being just around the corner when they called, I rushed over to get a good look at the new Junior. All I have to say is WOW! Davie Groomers did an awesome job! Junior is now looking like a miniature Schnauzer.

I have the images of his before and after shot here or on my flickr (link) page.

Wondering Eye

2007-05-25T15:58:00.001-07:00

Today I went to IRIS on West Pender and Howe Street for my eye check up.

After paying my $95 to have the eye examination, I'm proud to say that my eye site has not changed in over 4 years now. WOOHOO.

The optometrist started to talk to me about eye surgery to correct my eyes and he thought it wouldn't be necessary since the prescription wasn't that high and I probably wouldn't notice much of a difference in the long run. We then started talking about contact lenses, which I wear on occasion, and let him know that sometimes my eyes get very dry when I wear then. He suggested the Acuvue Oasys (TM) and said that they probably had a trial pair I could try.

Little did I know that when they transferred me to the Optician they wanted to charge me $50 to fit my eyes. I questioned why they would need to "fit" my eyes and her comment was "they are of different material". As far as I was aware I have never been fitted for contacts, and I'm an occasional wearer of them. Needless to say I said "no". Not only will i go elsewhere where they will not have to "fit" my eyes, but I think I will go elsewhere to have my eyes examined next time.

Hey You!

2007-05-18T16:50:00.000-07:00

Madonna has just released a new song to co-inside with her Live Earth performance later this summer called "Hey You".

You can download the song free of charge for the next 6 days at MSN.com or by clicking on the following link.

Though she doesn't sing about the Earth, she does sing about "love" and changing each other. This is a very 60's influence song, peace and love.

I'm enjoying it, but when do I not enjoy Madonna (ok American Life sucked, but whatever).

Happy Birthday Amanda

2007-05-13T19:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Amanda!!!

WOW, it's very hard to believe that 28 years (OOPS 27 years) ago you were born. I of course was only 11 years old at the time and because of your birth, everyone made fun of me by calling me "Uncle Gus". Boy I hated that :) But you never called me Uncle Gus, which was was always nice! :)

Now that the years of changed, I don't mind being called Uncle and it's always nice that you will always have an Uncle that is close to your age. :)

Hope you have the best of birthdays!!!

Love,
Uncle Gus!

EDIT- OK SO I screwed up, you are 27 years old!!!

Happy Mother's Day

2007-05-13T15:40:00.000-07:00

Today is a very special day for mom's out there. I have to send a very big wish to my mother back in Woodbridge, Ontario a BIG and HAPPY Mother's Day!!! Though I can't be there in person you will be in my heart all day. I know I probably wasn't easy to raise when I was a child and we've had our moments, but the end results speaks for itself.

I have to give other best wishes to both my sisters, (Gladys and Maria) who are both mothers and have done an amazing job of raising their children. I'm sure it hasn't been easy, but I'm sure you both have enjoyed the end results.

Last, but not least, a special wish also goes out to Russ' mother on this day. She hasn't been in the best health these days and everyday is more precious than the next for Russ. We will see her for dinner tonight.

Big HUGs to all of them!

Come on Blenz!

2007-05-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

Being Argentinian I just love having Yerba Mate (wiki).

I was happy when Blenz introduced their Yerba Mate Latte but was surprised that most locations won't just give me the tea alone. I really don't understand why some locations just won't serve the tea without the steamed milk. I'm so surprised at the looks the clerks give me when I request it. "Oh so you just want the Yerba Mate tea alone?...No we can't do that" It's TEA PEOPLE!!! Just add water! :)

I'm just glad the Blenz located at Davie and Richards (just down the street from where I live) does it for me all the time, no questions asked. They have to be the best people. They always have smiles on their faces and go that extra mile for their clients! I will definitely continue to go to them.

So to the rest of the Blenz franchies out there, let's follow in this store's footsteps and just give me my damn Yerba Mate tea! :D

Steven's Communion

2007-05-01T15:37:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday was my Nephew and God Child Steven's First Communion.

Now for all those catholics out there, this is a big deal. This is where you have the Eucharist for the first time (represents the body of Jesus, similar to when He broke bread and gave it to His Apostles).

As I couldn't be there for this family occasion I hope everyone had a good time.

Don't worry Steven, your card is in the mail. Your mother can explain why there as a delay...UGH!

Night at the Opera

2007-04-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

Last night’s performance of Puccinni’s Tosca performed by the Vancouver Opera was highly enjoyable. I was thoroughly impressed by the costumes, set decorations and the performances of the 3 main characters (Tosca played by Cynthia Lawrence, Cavaradossi played by Renzo Zulian and the villian Scarpia played by Yalun Zhang). I won’t get into any details about the plot as you can find the synopsis here.

At times I have to admit I felt like I was watching a Soap Opera (hmmm maybe that is why they came up with that name). The melodramatic moments and the over emphasis was sometimes comical to watch. I know this isn’t proper “Opera Etiquette” but it was an experience.

Russ and I did comment at the end when Cynthia Lawrence (who plays Flora Tosca) had her “bow”, purely a “Diva Moment” devouring the audiences' applause. It reminded me of Mimmie Drivers’ version of Carlotta in the movie Phantom of the Opera. For all of you who didn’t see the movie, her famous line is “they Lovaba me, they Lovaba me” (strong Italian accent) HAHAHAHA.

Any ways this was a great performance and I had a fantastic time. I will definitely see another one, but I will have to see what the 2007/2008 Season will bring. I do believe La Boehme will be one of them.

To the Opera

2007-04-26T16:42:00.000-07:00

Tonight I'm heading to the Opera for the very first time. Russ has managed to get some tickets to the Vancouver Opera's rendition of Puccinni's Tosca.

I'm not sure what to expect, but I've always wanted to say I at least attended one in my life.

I'll try to report more after the show.

To Blackberry or not to Blackberry

2007-04-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

It seems lately our office is on the Blackberry [link] bandwagon. Everyone seems to be getting one version of the Blackberry or another and I'm starting to wonder if I'm falling behind.

Now I currently don't like the selection of Blackberry Telus offers and I find them very clunky and not very stylish. After all I'm all about the style. And not to mention the cost of the data plans here in Canada are ridiculous.

Now recently Apple has announced the new iPhone which is scheduled to hit the stores south of the border beginning in June. We still don't have any confirmation as to when Apple will be issuing it in Canada. People have speculated that Rogers will have to carry the device as the iPhone will be GMS [wiki] enabled allowing for the rich features.

Of course in my opinion Rogers has the best selection of Blackberry's out there. And I'm not just saying this because my niece is the Manager of Accessories for Rogers, but just stating the obvious.

Now my dilemma is should I just wait it out for the iPhone to hit the market here in Canada before I make my switch from Telus to Rogers (or which ever carrier it goes to), or should I just bite the bullet after my contract is up with Telus and move over to Rogers for a Blackberry? I'm not saying I'm not happy with my service at Telus, far from it, but when you want to have cool phones you have to go where they are.

Well some choices for sure.

Damn Those Mites and Other Fun Bits

2007-04-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

I took Junior to the vet on Saturday to get his booster shots (2nd shots, one more to go) and during the examination we found out that Junior has ear mites. The symptoms have been there for a few days now, he scratches his ears alot, shakes his head. So now I have to give my lovely boy some ear drops once a day for the next 2 weeks. He's pretty good at taking them actually, he seems to know that this is going to help him in the long run.

I also went out to dinner with Andrea and Theresa on Saturday night to the Atlantic Trap and Grill. This is a bar with very "East Coast" feel, alot of music, alot of drinking and alot of partying. They usually have bands playing on Thursday and Saturday nights and you can check out their April Calendar on the following link. We had some good grub and I stayed to watch a bit of the band (Pearl Jim) who I would categorize as a fusion jazz/funk/celtic band.

Also on Saturday and Sunday Russ and I started our spring clean frenzy. We tackled the deck and started removing all the dead plants and just some general cleaning. We bought some new planters that stand 3 feet high and had a hell of a time trying to figure out if we should just add soil to part of the container or the whole thing. We ended up just adding gravel to 1/3 of it and then dirt to the rest. Now with such a small deck (8x8) I was thinking it wouldn't take so long, but it is still not finished and I still need to remove some plants from the window boxes and decided what plants to put there this season. Boy I've become a gardener, but not like many, I do not find it relaxing at all! I enjoy the finish product and don't like the journey to it. But that is just me. :)

Mom's Surgery

2007-04-11T11:29:00.000-07:00

Today my mom is going through an Angioplasty [wiki]. Though this procedure is fairly regular and few risks, one has to remember that is a heart procedure none-the-less.

My prayers are with my mom as she goes through this procedure and I know the recovery will take sometime.

This wonderful Youtube.com video shows the procedure. My sister Maria tells me it will only take about an hour and then they will observer her for 4 hours afterwards.

UPDATE: Looks like she won't be going through this procedure after all. The doctors have told my mom that upon reviewing the case, it will probably do more harm than good. She has to go through a stress test and see. There some blockage in her artery but they say it doesn't suffice to do this procedure as they can probably treat it with medication. PHEW!

Happy Birthday Dad

2007-04-09T08:10:00.000-07:00

Yet again I have a birthday greeting to send out. Not just any birthday greeting, but this one is for my Dad.

So Dad, if you are reading this, Feliz Compleano!!!

Spend it well and don't overwork. Surround yourself with family and enjoy the grandkids!!!

Ok I've said it all.

:)

I'm Twittering

2007-04-05T15:51:00.000-07:00

I have just joined Twitter (link)

For all those who don't know what Twitter is, basically it is a "mini blog" where you type 1 sentence of how you are doing or what your are doing at a specific moment in time.

These are showcased on my sidebar below, and you can have others join your group of friends. So please sign up and add me to your group of friends.

Pretty interesting.

Thanks Darren Barefoot for the CPRS Seminar yesterday and bringing me on board this new avenue.

Happy Birthday Ernie

2007-04-04T16:05:00.000-07:00

OH MY GAWD...OK the birthdays keep coming and coming.

Happy Birthday to my niece's husband Ernie. (Sorry I'm getting old and I don't have a "Blackberry" (hint hint) to keep things on track)

Hope you have a fantastic birthday and enjoy yourself today.

Love
Your Uncle-in-Law

Happy Birthday to my Sister Maria!

2007-04-04T00:09:00.000-07:00

Well today my lovely sister turns the big 4-0.

I remember fighting with her on the couch when we were little, kicking each other, slapping each other, throwing things at each other and just plain yelling at each other. Ahhh the good old days. Now we are more civial to each other. Hmmm do you think it's age related?

I do miss not seeing her as often or talking with her as often. So to my baby sister (even though you are the middle child) I wish you all the best on your 40th birthday!!!

With big hugz and kisses!
Your Brother!

Happy Birthday Danny and Gwen

2007-03-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

WOW two more birthday wishes to send out today.

First, Happy Birthday Danny. Danny is married to my sister Maria. Hope you have a fantastic day and don't party too much at the Pub.

Secondly, Happy Birthday Gwen. Gwen is Russ' mother and is celebrating her 80th birthday today! I'll be seeing her later today and will give her all my best!

And folks the birthdays will continue, I have 2 more in the next couple of weeks so keep an eye out!

Happy Birthday Samantha

2007-03-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

I was told my lovely Niece that today was her birthday!

I have been occupied with work and Junior so my days have been all screwy. Not to mention being on the other side of the country doesn't help things.

So to my LOVELY NIECE Samantha, HAPPY 15th BIRTHDAY!!! (WOOHOO bells, whistles, horns, confetti)

And now you don't have to scowl me anymore. :)

Have a great one!!! Miss you lots!

Love Uncle Gus

Happy Birthday Adrian

2007-03-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

Today is my eldest nephew Adrian's birthday.

On behave of his FAVOURITE uncle in the world, hope you have a fantastic 21st birthday.

Now you are legal to party anywhere in the world, just make sure you do so responsibly.

All the best to you on this day. (sorry I don't have more recent picture of you)

Love your Uncle!

We are all Adjusting

2007-03-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

Well it is now a week that Junior has joined our little "clan" and the adjustment is coming along fine for all of us involved. I definitely forgot how demanding it is to have a puppy around. You have to constantly keep an eye out on him so he doesn't do "his business" and you have to make sure as he investigates his surroundings he doesn't get into any area that he is not suppose to be.

Junior also had his first vet visit with me on Saturday. I was surprised to find out that Junior isn't as young as we thought he was. By the vet's assessment, Junior is more like 4 - 5 months old as he is already getting his adult teeth. This was alittle shocking as I thought I was getting an 8 week old puppy. Not that this really matters as he is so LOVED now it would be heartbreaking to have him "exchanged".

The good news with this all is that he is in great health, didn't whimper at all when the vet gave him one of his shots. Also this now allows us to be alittle more "aggressive" in our potty training.

I've decided to use the Crate Method as it is more beneficial to all parties involved. Basically he is in his crate at night, or when we need to be away from the house. This will allow him to get use to not going potty where he sleeps. Upon letting him out of the crate (his "room") we immediately take him outside. He has been doing great these past couple of days on this method, only 2 accidents.

I'll try to post about other things, but for right now, it's fun being a "parent" even if it is to a puppy.

Meet Junior

2007-03-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

After a world wind trip on Saturday and returning Sunday from Vernon British Columbia, I am proud to introduce Junior to the world. Junior is a black and white (though kinda brownish) miniature schnauzer pup. He is 8 weeks old and adjusting very well to his new life in the big city of Vancouver.

I'm sure there will be some challenges ahead, but he's just so cute!!!

EDIT: Another recent photo, better quality

The Stork is Coming

2007-03-09T10:48:00.000-08:00

This weekend Russ and myself will travel into Vernon (part of the interior of British Columbia) to pick up "Junior" our soon to be miniature schnauzer pup.

The breeder has told me there are 2 males currently to my "specifications" and I will just have to determine which one to take home. I know it will be a very VERY difficult decision, but only one can return home with us.

I'm kinda excited and very scared at the same time. This will mean alot of responsibility and I believe I'm ready for it.

I'll post some pictures of "Junior" when I have some.

Parental Urge

2007-03-02T12:23:00.000-08:00

For all those who know me, they know that I have been wanting a dog for a few years now. I haven't gotten one for a few reasons.

1 - Russ had a gorgeous cat named Chelsea and I didn't think it would be fair to intrude in her space,
2 - I have been busy with work and didn't think I could manage my time
3 - I just didn't have the cash.

Lately all 3 reasons have been put aside, we no longer have Chelsea (link), I have been able to manage my work time and commitments, and lastly cash flow has been great.

I have been making a few calls to some breeders lately and I am getting closer than ever to have a new 4 legged family memeber. I'm definately eyeing a Miniture Schnauzer and hopefully within the next 3 months or so I will be able to introduce him/her to the world.

Plane Crash

2007-02-19T16:43:00.000-08:00

I've been sick for the past few days (I won't tell you what I got, cuz it isn't pretty) and I hate being couped up in the condo with really nothing to do.

On Sunday Russ and myself decided to go out and enjoy the nice sunshine and weather in Vancouver. We took a drive to Spanish Banks and decided to walk along the boardwalk. To our surprise we came across a plane crash!

Ok so it wasn't a "real" plane crash but it looks pretty damn convincing. This is a set for a Hollywood picture being filmed in Vancouver. I'm going to go out on the lim here and say it is for the movie "Passengers" staring Anne Hathaway and Patrick Wilson (synopsis - A grief counselor works with the survivor of a plane crash.)

More pictures can be found on my Flickr page (link)

Donovan Life

2007-02-07T10:16:00.000-08:00

I love to look at new condo developments are they are going up and from time to time I love to sign up and be on a mailing list. It is always interesting to see what form of advertising they create to try to get you to buy.

Now a new development will soon be starting called the Donovan. Today in my inbox I got an email to view their Donovan Life mini-series. This will be posted on their website every other day under the "watch Donovan Life" link. Check it out, it's funny and is described as "Yaletown meets Sex in the City meets Will and Grace".

Enjoy!

I've added the Youtube link below

Post Vacation Blues

2007-02-06T17:06:00.000-08:00

I know it has been sometime since I posted on here and there have been a few things going on in my life as well.

It has now been over 2 weeks that Russ and myself got back from our holiday in Puerto Vallarta. This was one of the most relaxing vacations I have ever had and was so relaxed the first week back at work as well.

Granted this did change a week after when reality starts to hit. Russ' mom had a very mild stroke, but is recovering fantastically well. There was a day there were we thought she was going to lose it, but she bounced back and will probably be going home tomorrow. Yeah!!

In the meantime we've had Syd (Russ' African Grey Parrot that lives with his mom) over our place. Think of a gifted 5 year old and you will understand this parrot. She has about 150 word vocabulary and is always asking for things. She will most likely head back to Russ' mom's place when she heads home.

So don't anyone fret, I'm still doing fine and learning that vacations only last a short time, after that reality always comes back. Just enjoy them when you have them and remember, you always have more coming to you!

Happy Birthday Miss604

2007-01-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish Rebecca (aka Miss604) a very Happy Birthday.

Though I can't be there in person to wish you the best, I hope you have a fantastic birthday!

Hugs from me!

Puerto Vallarta Day 2

2007-01-07T16:39:00.000-08:00

Well we are here in Puerto Vallarta and doing exactly what I said, RELAXING!!!

The Condo is very nice, though there really isn't a view of anything. If you want a view you have to get up on a chair and look over. Don't mind the house right there, but look beyond and you have a view of the bay. The beach is only a short walk and we are within walking distance to all the shops and bars.

Definitely the city is changing, there is so much new construction, restoration happening now. The main boardwalk (the Melcon) is coming along wonderfully. I remember how it used to be the first time I was here (over 20 years ago) and to what it is now is amazing, boy just from a year ago is amazing. There are a few new sculptures up and it's always nice to see everyone walking around mid afternoon. The locals on the weekends just love coming down to the beach and hanging out.

I've started uploading a few of the pictures on Flickr, so please go and check them out.

I don't plan on blogging too much as I don't think we'll be doing alot, but you never know if I find something worth blogging about and mentioning, I'll definitely have a post.

Puerto Vallarta Mexico Bound

2007-01-04T14:25:00.000-08:00

In less than 48 hours from now this will be my new home for 2 weeks! Ahhh I can't wait to be back in Puerto Vallarta and enjoying a well needed 2 weeks holiday in the sun.

Now this isn't the firs time I've been there, this will be the 4th time. The first was with my family years back, way before it was such a popular destination. I'll be going with Russ again and this will be our 2nd time there together. Hopefully we shall see some more properties and hopefully if luck prevails, purchase a home down there. Can you just imagine having this at your doorstep always?

I hope to blog while I'm down there, but don't expect a "day to day" coverage like our trip to Paris. This will be mainly a relaxing holiday and I don't intend to do alot while I'm there.

See you all soon from sunny Puerto Vallarta Mexico!!!

Holy Assessment Batman!

2007-01-03T12:49:00.000-08:00

Last night I arrived home to find our British Columbia Assessment form in the mail. I was happy to know that our property has gone up in value, over 25% from the last assessment a year ago. Now this of course is happy news for anyone who is trying to sell their place, but on the downside this is also used by the Municipal Governments for their taxes. All I know is that there better not be a raise in the Municipal Governments salaries next year. I would hope that the city of Vancouver would use the money wisely if not give their citizens a tax break (wishful thinking I know).

Vancouver has now become one of the most expensive cities to live in. Yet people keep coming and buying property here. I have no idea how they are doing it. Let us hope the bubble doesn't burst anytime soon.

Happy 2007!!

2007-01-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

Well it is finally 2007!

Had a fantastic time entering the New Year. Russ and myself went out with a bunch of friends to the River Rock Casino to catch a dinner and show. The show was with Bjorn Again who are an Abba tribute band. These guys were awesome and had everyone on their feet dancing the night away! Such fun. It was also nice to see a HUGE mirror disco ball hanging from the ceiling. This disco ball must have been over 20 feet in diameter. Truly stunning. I'll try to post some pictures up soon.

The rest of our New Years was fairly low key as all I wanted to do was rest and relax.

To everyone, wishing you the best in 2007!!!

Merry Christmas

2006-12-25T11:27:00.000-08:00

To all my family and friends, all the best on this joyeous of days! Hope you all have a wonderful day and enjoy the day with your friends and family.

Above is our tree decorated with real candles lite up for Christmas Eve!

SOLD!

2006-12-22T14:41:00.000-08:00

So today it was announced that our company was sold to OMER Captial Partner out of Ontario [link].

It's nice to know that our company is doing so well in the market place and that institutions like OMER and Manulife Financial believe in our growth potential. This definately has opened up alot more doors for me career wise and I hope that I will be able to expand my horizons in the near future.

This has been an incredible year for us at work and I look forward to another amazing year!

People Keep Surprising Me

2006-12-14T14:51:00.000-08:00

So this past Tuesday night I was at an event for work (the joys of doing what I do). Now these events can be enjoyable and other times can be just boring as hell. They are meant to be networking events.

Well this event had some great prizes to give away I have to say. A MotoQ cell phone, Sponsorship events, a restaurant gift certificate, etc. Now our main competitor (I won't mention their name here) was there and had donated the restaurant gift certificate. Last year I had won some of their prizes and I thought this year I would be funny to win it again :) . Well when they chose the name for the certificate, the person who donated it won. I thought cool, he'll just ask for them to pick another name instead, but I was SHOCKED to see him actually keeping the gift he donated. I'm sure I wasn't the only that noticed, but come on, if you are going to donate a gift, donate it, don't keep it in the end.

This is just another example of the competition at work. Oh well, glad I'm on this side!

The Ivy Bridge

2006-12-14T10:55:00.000-08:00

So my sister Maria and her husband Dan have entered the world of pub owners. They are now part owners of The Ivy Bridge in Brampton Ontario.

I know it has been a long process, but they finally have it open and doing fairly well. So if you are in the Brampton area, stop by and say hello! You never know who you might run into there, a judge, a police chief or just a very nice person behind the bar.

All the best on the venture sister dear!!!

More photos can be seen on my Flickr page

DVD Beef!

2006-12-01T15:16:00.000-08:00

So I've been noticing for sometime now that when movies are released on DVD they are released in 2 different formats. One just contains the movie alone and another version has the movie plus an extra DVD full of little extras (known as the Deluxe Version). Now I remember a few years back when the "deluxe" version was the only version that would be released. Is the way that the movie studios are gaining extra cash? Especially with the difference in the cost of the 2 versions. I myself prefer to buy the deluxe versions, but if the price keeps staying this high, I might have to revert back to just the movie version by itself.

What a Month

2006-11-29T12:47:00.000-08:00

WOW this November has definitely been an incredible month. Not necessarily good news mind you. Let's break it down:

1. Record rainfall for the month
2. Record windstorms for the month (maybe I'm making this one up, but definitely had a few)
3. Boil water advisory lasting 12 days (due to number 1 and 2 above)
4. Record snowfall
5. Record low temperatures (I feel like I'm back in Ontario during January)

And now today we have more snowfall and tomorrow more rain. Interesting weather indeed. Definitely great for the Ski Resorts and getting into the Christmas Spirit. Alas the snow won't last long, but it was nice while it lasted.

Yup, that be snow!

2006-11-27T12:15:00.000-08:00

I have been in Vancouver for just over 5 years now and this has to be the second time since that move that it has snowed this much in Vancouver.

Now I just love the first snowfall of the season. It always seems to give a fresh look to the city and helps you get into the Christmas Spirit. As well the snow always has certain glow in the evenings, almost hypnotic.

This definately brings me back to the days of living in Woodbridge, ON and having to shovel this stuff. I'm so glad I don't have to deal with that here :). Granted the only thing I must deal with when I am here is icy sidewalks and drivers that don't know how to drive in this weather. But all in all this is definately a nice and welcome change from the usual rain.

Spooky Powers!

2006-11-24T11:44:00.000-08:00

So last night I had a very spooky experience. Russ and I were just getting ready to start to watch CSI when I thought, wouldn't it be very cool to have Roger Daltrey appear on the show. Afterall, the Who's music is what starts off CSI. As the episode progresses, the "villain" ends up being unmasked and who is it? Yup Roger Daltrey. I was a little spooked by it.

I have had this experience before, I was once able to describe someone's home when I was talking to them. I had never been to their home before.

I also recall once having a vivid dream of my mother at a picnic. This dream felt like I was watching a play unfold with very bad props. Well in this dream, my mother gets up and goes to the trunk of the car. As she reaches in for something, the trunk closes on her arms and she begins to bleed. At this I woke up. Now I asked my mother about this, and she automatically wonders who has told me this. I continue to tell her it was in a dream, to which she says again the someone must have told me about this. It happens that this did happen to her and that she was pregnant with me at the time.

Maybe I have "THE POWER OF SITE" OOOOHHHHH!!!!!

Happy Birthday Mom

2006-11-22T16:17:00.000-08:00

Today is my mother's birthday. Though I can't be there in person I just wanted to wish her all the best on her day.

Feliz Compleano Ma!!!

Movie Review - Casino Royal

2006-11-21T12:17:00.000-08:00

This weekend thinking it would be another fun filled day of rain, Russ and myself decided on going to the movies. Of course our choice was the new Bond flick Casino Royale.

While waiting in line to get our tickets, we happened to run into Freddie Prince Jr. and his lovely wife Sarah Michelle Gellar (known for her Buffy the Vampire series). It was nice to see stars up here in Vancouver and just hanging out like regular people. It was also funny to note that we ended up sitting in front of them at the show, no this wasn’t planned, it just happened this way.

Well Movie review time.

This to me was a kick ass movie. Daniel Craig does a brilliant job of portraying James Bond. In this movie we see less gadgets and more action. This is the story of how Bond became a Double “O” agent. I don’t want to get into much detail as most of you would probably already know the plot of this movie. It’s just nice to see Bond get beaten up and actually bleed for once. We get to see that there is still some remorse in Bond as he kills. He isn’t as cold hearted. He also blunders which is great to see. All in all a fantastic movie which I would greatly see again.

In Loving Memory

2006-11-16T11:58:00.000-08:00

It is with great saddness that I announce the passing of Chelsea Chi Chinabear last week (some of you will know her by "The Dutchess").

I have not posted anything then as Russ wanted to keep things quiet and didn't want people to know. He has definately taken it hard as he was the one that had to put her down.

She lived a fun filled 16 years and I had the pleasure to know her for 5 of those years.

She will be greatly missed, but we know she is now in a better place.

Spider Man 3 Trailer

2006-11-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

We will all have to wait until May 4, 2007 for the movie to hit the theatres, but definately looks like it will be interesting. I was hoping to see just "alittle" more of Venom, but I'm sure that will come closer to the release date. I believe another trailer is scheduled for February.

Happy Birthday Laura

2006-11-07T09:11:00.000-08:00

So today is Laura's birthday and I know she didn't want anything special done for it, but oh well guess I have to blog about her now!

Laura used to work with me and has since moved on and is working on other things. She was very kind to babysit Chelsea when we were away in Paris and I will forever be grateful to her for that! I would love to take her out for a drink or even dinner, but she doesn't want any fuss on her birthday. And as such I have to respect that.

So Laura, I hope you have a great birthday and hope you spend it the way you want to!

Lots of Love!

Weekend Update

2006-11-06T15:27:00.000-08:00

So I have been sick for a few days now. Nothing major, but a damn itchy throat that hurts like hell when you try to swallow anything.

Today I'm almost better, but it seems the more I speak at work, the more my voice seems to get worse and in the type of work that I'm in, I need that voice. I think I must have inherited this from my mom's side of the family. I know when my mom gets sick, she looses her voice. I always used to laugh and giggle at that, and I guess this must be payback for all those times! :)

This weekend I didn't do that much. Russ and myself did get together with Andrea and Theresa on Saturday night for a great dinner at Theresa's place. That girl can cook and she's a great hostess!!! Always a pleasure to see Andrea and catch up on things.

Naked Pumpkin Run

2006-10-30T14:05:00.000-08:00

Ok I just heard this and had to share.

On Halloween night at 8pm there will be a Naked Pumpkin Run along the sea wall between Beach Ave and Yaletown. This event people wear a carved pumpkin over their heads and run about 1 mile naked. Supposedly this event started in Boulder Colorado [wiki] years ago and has expanded. Hmmm they must be liberal minded Americans!

Hmmm I might just have to go check it out as it will end in my neighbourhood! :)

EDIT: Boulder Colorado has posted up their pictures at the following link: http://web.dailycamera.com/soundslides/1101pumpkin/

Parade of Lost Souls

2006-10-30T11:08:00.000-08:00

So Russ and myself attended the Parade of Lost Souls on Commercial Drive this past weekend. It was amazing to see all the people dressed up for Halloween, especially the older croud.

The Parade of the Lost Souls I found out is a neighbourhood's annual celebration to honour the dearly departed, wake the living and overcome fears. there is a colourful torch-lit procession that made its way through neighbourhood streets and alleys. Held at Grandview Park, the evening's grand finale featured performances of fire dancing and fireworks.

We definately plan to go next year and this time I will bring my camera, as you can only do so much with a cell phone camera.

Week From HELL!

2006-10-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

This week has been a week from HELL, and yes I know Halloween is just around the corner. My stress level has never been so high than it has been this week. Any little thing seems to get my blood boiling. Not only has work been hectic, but the home life hasn't been a breeze either.

It's that time of year again for us at work, add the usual earnings, but now throw in Budget projections for next year in the mix. First it was due at the end of this week, but that was pushed foward twice to this morning. Let's just say it is done and leave it at that.

At home, Chelsea (our cat) has started doing her "business" at the front of the door. So every so often we have a nice little wet spot in the hallway. Today she decided to do her "business" on my shoes. UGH!!! I am not amused, nor impressed and she has avoided me all morning long because of this.

I'm just waiting for the work week to finish so I can just try to RELAX!!!

Hmm maybe I should take some YOGA classes or something to help with this stress!

TGIF!!!!

2006-10-20T15:26:00.000-07:00

After a fairly busy week at work (only to get busier this month), it's finally Friday!!!

We had Harley, a great colleague of ours from our Ottawa Officed, join us for a few days here at work and he proved to be a blast. Sometimes the quiet ones are the ones you have to watch out for when the day is over! hehehe!

Aside from that, Andrea and Alix will be dropping in tonight for dinner and we will have our slide show of our Paris trip for viewing (not my choice, but they want to see them with narrative...oh my!)

Later this weekend hopefully we'll catch a couple of movies. Russ and myself want to see Marie Antonette, as it was filmed in Paris and we have to remember the places we were in. Hopefully also catch The Prestige.

I'll have to write up a review this weekend so stay tuned!

Friday the 13th!!!

2006-10-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

Well today is Friday the 13th!

If you are superstitious, this is a perfect day for you to just stay home, hide under the covers and hope the day to go by quickly. For others this is a good luck day. Being 1/2 Italian, this is suppose to be a good luck day for me. I've always tried to remember if I ever really had any luck on this day? I can't think of anytime in the past when it was lucky nor unlucky for that matter. Hmm maybe I should just consider myself lucky for living another day and enjoying tomorrow or I should just buy a lotto ticket and hope for a big pay out! :)

So for all of you out there that are scared of this day, becareful, avoid black cats crossing your path, stay away from crows, don't break any mirrors, and above all don't walk under someone on a ladder.

Have Clothes Shrunk?!

2006-10-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

Ok I'll admit it, I'm a big boy. Some would say overweight (mom, dad, neices and nephews), but hey it's me. Lately I've been trying to update my wardrobe abit and I'm having the worst time finding clothes.

When I was in Paris, it was difficult to say the least to find something that would fit me. For example I was looking at this great shirt and the size on it said "XXL". I thought to myself, self, this should fit. When I picked it up I was surprised to see how tiny it was. I don't even think it was a SMALL. What is going on in this world when you can't buy something fashionable unless you are skinny!

When I was in Chicago, I thought to myself, self, this would be the perfect place to buy some clothes as I'm sure the clothes are geared to a North American clientale. Well I was again shocked to see that clothes don't fit the normal person there. Are we going for an Asian Market here (sorry to all my Asian friends).

I know some of you would start to say, well maybe you should be working out, but I started thinking what about all those bodybuilders out there, are they having the same problem? Isn't there any stylish clothes out there for us big folk? Considering 50% of Canadians and over 60% of Americans are overweight, wouldn't it be wise to tap into this market? I want fashionable clothes, not huge t-shirts or aweful Paul Bonyan shirts.

Where is the Customer Service?!

2006-10-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

Ok I work in Customer Service, granted not in retail sector anymore, but I can understand working on the other side of things.

Lately I've been having the worst luck with people that work behind the counters. I don't know what it is, are they having a bad day, am I too nice, I don't know. I have been trying to get something resolved from Restoration Hardware (I'm not even going to link to their website here) for the past 5 weeks!!

I had purchased a shelving unit from them back in December and a few months ago one of the attachments broke off. Well a week before I took off to Paris I stopped in there to see if there is something they can do. A counter person was great, and helped me with my concerns, took my name down, etc and said they would order a new piece for me. Well when I got back from Paris I still didn't hear back from them.

So about a week ago I returned to the store and they had no record of taking any of my information down. The lady there at least was able to come back with a print out of my original order and said she would call me back later that day. Well I never heard back from her that day. A few days later I called to inquire what was going on, having my name being taken down yet again. Well to my surprise no one called me back.

Now I'm back from Chicago and my patience has run to an end. I call and quickly asked to speak to a Manager. I was first told by a girl that she would take my name down and they would call me back. At that point I said "Listen, everytime I give you my number, no one calls" She quickly got a Manager. To my surprise the Manager was the lady I dealt with 2 weeks ago. I let her have it! I had enough.

To end this long winded story I'm getting a new shelve sent to me. It seems you have to be a bastard to get things done around lately. What ever happened to be being nice to get things done. I think I'm going to develop this strategy a little more often.

Taste of Yaletown Event

2006-10-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Anne (a coworker) for this.

Yaletown is having an event October 13th - 29th called the Taste of Yaletown Event (web)

During this event, participating restaurants will be showcasing a 3 course menu for $25, $35 or $45. The participating restaurants will be donating a portion of the cost to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society.

If you are in the city please check this out. I know I will, though I have to figure out where to go. Hmmm maybe all of them :D

Chicago Came and Gone

2006-10-02T14:08:00.000-07:00

Well our conference is now over and I think it was a great success.

To my collegues from all over the globe who attended, it was a pleasure to meet every single one of you and I hope we all learned from each other the value of a true global team!

To some of the speakers, thankyou Howard Olsen from High Output and David Meerman Scott for the great write up on your experience at the conference.

The only downside I can find is that we didn't get enough time to explore that city. That city has lots to offer and there are tons to do and see there. I missed the King Tut Exhibit and the musical Wicked the Musical was playing. Sigh. One day I will return.

Chicago - Conference

2006-09-29T15:20:00.000-07:00

So here we just wrapped up a second full day of our Annual Sales Conference. So far things are going great, though I have to admit the schedule is alittle grooling. But I can understand what we are doing and how we are doing. Now I won't go into too much detail because it seems that our Competitors love to read my blog from time to time. :) Yes I know you are reading this :)

Any way. Tonight we are going on a dinner boat cruise on Lake Michigan. THis should be a great time as the people are fantastic and well you know how it gets when you get a bunch of working people together in one room! We love to drink :)

I'll try to make sure I post some pictures up on Flickr, as I have still to take some pictures of this great city. Walking around the city you get a great sense of the architecture and style. People here are great for the most part and I haven't experienced anything out of the ordinary for a big city.

Well I'm off to get changed and meet some of collegues downstairs for a pre-drink excursion.

And Competition..thanks for caring about me and reading up on me. :)

Chicago Bound

2006-09-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

Now who would have thought I would be traveling twice in one month?

Tomorrow I leave for Chicago for our Annual Sales Meeting. Now I don't think it would be so bad, but I don't think I will have much free time to explore the city. Our days have been pretty much planned out for us from 7am - 7pm most days and some evening events thrown in for good measure.

Hopefully I'll get to explore some of it on Wednesday when I arrive, but I fear I'll be too worried about what is going back in the office and I'll be glued to my computer "just in case".

I'm sure some of my colleagues will be doing other things and I'll have to take some cues from them :)

Hmmm maybe I'll run into Oprah!!! :)

T.M.X. Elmo is Here

2006-09-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

Ok so the new 10th anniversary Tickle Me Elmo has now been officially released.

I remember when the first one came out 10 years ago, my sister Maria went crazy trying to find one for my niece Samantha. I don't know how she did it, but she manage to find one and was able to give it to her on Christmas Day. Ahhh parenthood.

Now the new and improved Elmo falls on the floor, bangs his knee, rolls over, kicks his legs. WOW amazing. Hmmm maybe I'll get one this year for Christmas. :D

To view a video please see below:

Hmmm maybe I should buy one for the office. With the wet weather lately people are alittle grumpy (me included) and this might just be what we need on those grumpy rainy gloomy days!

Back to Reality

2006-09-19T19:15:00.000-07:00

Well I have now been back to work for 2 days now and I keep wishing I was on holidays. It never fails that when you return to work you have tons more to do than when you left. I guess it will always be that way. I got in on Monday to more than 450 emails. Of course my email box was over its limit so no one could send me any messages :) (I kinda like that one). The good news is most of it was irrelevant and I just deleted them. I think I'm now officially caught up and starting to get back into the swing of things. I already have a function to attend this week for work on Wednesday and that should be "exciting".

I'm trying hard to find things that are exciting to blog about at the moment, but that might have to wait as things get back to reality.

This weekend I will be attending a birthday party of a friend and should be fun. It will be at one of my most favourite restaurants in this city, Ponchos. This lovely little Mexican Restaurant is located on Denman. Yummy foods to say the least.

That's it and that's all!

Paris - Day 12 and Trip Home

2006-09-16T07:54:00.000-07:00

Well our last day in Paris was a fairly relaxing day. We walked around the Latin Quarter again and manage to stop in a few shops along the way. Nothing purchased.

We proceeded to the Louvre again and I was tempted to go in again to catch some of the other sites we didn't see, but alas I was worried Russ didn't want to go. Though on our return I found out he did and didn't want to ask me for the same reason as I didn't ask him. Oh well.

We walked in some shops along the way home as I was trying to find a nice casual blazer to purchase, but alas there was nothing in my size. I guess since most Parisians are small and tiny, they don't need really big clothes like they have back in North America :) Now let's see, an XXL shirt which I thought was nice was really a SMALL in my books. I couldn't buy a thing. OH well, this might be a reason to loose some weight. :D

We then went home and relaxed before one last big dinner out. The dinner was fantastic and headed home to pack for the trip back home. Russ had saved a bottle of champagne from the other day and we toasted our last night in Paris. It was actually fun.

The trip back home to Vancouver was long. Our flight from Paris to Toronto was delayed on the tar mat for about 1/2 hour as the airport was busy and we had to wait for our turn to leave. This started to worry me a little as we only had 2 hours in Toronto, and that would cut into my visit with my sister Gladys in Toronto. This made the 8 hour flight feel longer for me as I couldn't sleep and kept worrying about it. To my surprise the plane landed on time and we were able to have a short coffee with my sister and niece Amanda. It was great to see them as it has been over a year since we last saw each other. You begin to realize how much you miss your family when you are not in contact with them for a long period of time.

After our coffee we walked back through security and as we approached our gate, the plane has begun to be boarded. The trip from Toronto to Vancouver was more relaxing. I manage to sleep for abit. We landed in Vancouver on Thursday night to a typical Vancouver weather and finally got home. Ahhh HOME! It was great to sleep in our home again.

Paris - Day 11

2006-09-12T23:49:00.000-07:00

Well we didn't get much sleep last night as we were worried we wouldn't get up and miss our tour today. The plan is to at least sleep on the bus.

We made it to the tour operator's office in good time and waited to board our bus. The bus had a tour in 3 languages, English, Spanish and Japanese. I was impressed on each translator how great they spoke their languages and was more impressed by a white person speaking Japanese.

Our tour began in the city of Reims where we stopped off for a tour of the "caves" of one of Marylin Manroe's favourite champagne - Piper Heidsnick. Supposedly one of the many champagnes used in the motion pictures as well. The tour of the caves felt like we were in a Dysney ride. We boarded a little card and were whisked away through the underground of the complex and were given the sites and sounds through a pre-recorded audio. Alittle shlacky, but the champagne tasted great after the end!

We were then taken to the Cathedral Reims. This is were many of France's Kings have been crowned. The Cathedral was going through some very extensive renovations in and around the site that it was hard to hear our tour guide at times. Inside the Catherdral you can see where the Germans had bombed this during World War I. The architeture was amazing as it is in the gothic style. Walking around you can feel the history that was there. At one point our tour guide pointed out a chair where Joan of Arc sat during one crowning. She then pointed out a statue of Joan of Arc made out of Ivory. Now the eery thing is that the face is always clean while the rest of the statue shows it's age.

We then proceeded on our tour of the Champagne region to Moet and Chandon's estate. This is the champagne that Nepolean loved. It was also interesting to note, during our guided tour, that is also where Dom Perignon is made. I even got to hold a bottle of it during out tour, a bottle that still was being aged :)

This tour was more personal as we had a person tour guide take us through the underground caves and learn more of the history behind Moet and Chandon champagne. Truely delicious in my books!

We then headed back to Paris where I crashed of pure exhaustion.

Tomorrow will be another grand adventure as it will be our last official day here in Paris!

Paris - Day 10

2006-09-12T23:29:00.000-07:00

Today was another fairly relaxing day.

We woke up late and decided to just take it easy for the day. We headed down to a tourist booking site and signed ourselves up for a tour of Champagne France tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it as it will be the first time on our trip that we will be chaufeured around in a guided tour.

We then headed for something to eat and stumbled on a little restaurant we always walked past. The food wasn't too bad, but the people next to us seemed to have their noses in the air. Now they weren't Parisian, but American. No offence to some of my American friends, but they were just typical Americans. They complained about the service, they complained about the heat, they complained they had to go shopping. I was about to tell them to just go home them, but I was kind and concerite like a good Canadian boy :)

We then proceeded to head over to another cementery in the city close to the Moulin Rougue - Montmartre Cementery. Now this cementery isn't as grande as the Pere-Lachaise, but still as impressive. They had wild cats running around the place and it lended itself to the creepy cementery feel.

After a few hours there we headed home and rested for our big day in the morning. Now funny thing is that neither of us brought an alarm clock and we have to be up by 6am to meet our tour at 7:45am. This is going to be an interesting night!

Paris - Day 9

2006-09-11T00:43:00.000-07:00

Today we slept in after having 2 full days of walking. Our feet have been so tired, we decided that today would be the day to just do things leisurely.

We ended up leaving the condo at 1pm and just walked over to the Latin Quarter to do a little bit of shopping. Alas since it was Sunday, most of the shops were closed. But first we stopped off for a bite to eat at a Bar/Club/Restaurant. We had their buffet brunch and then continued on our way to the Latin Quarter.

After walking around for a bit, we stopped by a a cafe shop and sat outside with our 15 Euro glasses of coke and beer and just people watched for a bit.

We got back up and started to make our way through the maze of streets and alley ways at one point getting a little lost and disoriented. At that point the map came out to see exactly where we were, which wasn't too far off a main street. We slowly began to make our way back home where we rested.

As the night drew nearer, Russ got me up and said it was time for me to get some nighttime shots I have been wanting to get. We hopped on the Metro for a 2 hour tour stopping at the famous Moulin Rouge (which to be honest wasn't that spectacular on the outside), the Arc de Triumph, and the infamous Eiffel Tower. I think I got a couple of great shots and was happy with that quick trip.

At this point we were getting a little hungry and stopped in at a restaurant for a late bite to eat. Thankfully there was one open at midnight and we manage to get a quick bite just before heading home for the night.

Ahhh REST! :)

Paris - Day 8

2006-09-11T00:17:00.000-07:00

Today we ventured a little further out of the city to a little town known as Melun. It was a fun 40 minute train ride outside the city. It was fun to see the city slowly change from industrial, to rural, to country side.

From there we waited about an hour for the bus to show up to take us to the Chateau Vaux le Vicomte. This was the place that Louis XIV wanted to out do, and he did with Varsaille. This was a little of a disappointment having seen Varsaille first, but still a spectacular building and grounds. They were even getting ready for an Opera production on the grounds with the Chateau as the back drop. Ahhh the French! Alas this did not really allow me to take pictures of the front of the Chateau.

The highlight was definitely being able to walk up to the dome of the Chateau and an amazing view of the grounds. The gardens were spectacular and we were treated this time to the fountain show (every second Saturday they have the fountains on for 3 hours). These fountains are gravity controlled by the resevoir that is on the grounds. Truely amazing.

We of course had to walk the grounds and I was taken back by all the sites. I pictured how it must have felt back then. This was their entertainment, walking the grounds each day and stopping every so often to admire the sounds of the water, the beauty of the fountains themselves and the gardens.

After 3 hours of walking the grounds it was time to get the last bus back to the train station and work our way back to our temporary home.

This has definitely been 2 full days of walking and walking and more walking. My feet are aching and I need a break tomorrow!