Amina & Sarah Said

Sarah (L) and Amina (R)

A few weeks ago, I watched a documentary called Forbidden: Dying for Love, the shame of the father, as part of Investigation Discovery.

This was a case that gained worldwide attention because of its nature: honour killing. My views? There is no honour in this. Killing is killing.

It explores the story of Amina Said (pronounced sa-eed) and her sister Sarah, both 18 and 17 respectively who were trying to live the life of normal American teenagers when they were both brutally murdered by their own father on January 1, 2008 in Irving, Texas.

The father, Yaser Abdel Said, married Patricia Owens, an American, in February 1987 when he was 30 and she was just 15. They had met a week prior. Yaser was working at a convenience shop as a cashier when he first met Patricia. He was in the USA using a student visa, while she was born and raised in America. He had promised her and her family that he was a rich Egyptian man, who owned a big land back in Egypt, and that he could take care of her and provide for their family. In reality, there was no land. Once they married, he took control over Patricia and made her work, while he pretty much did nothing.

Now this is the thing that blows my mind. As the parents of the girl (Patricia), why the heck would you allow your naive 15 year old daughter to marry a 30 year old stranger after a week of meeting?! The marriage needed a parental consent in order for it to be legal. Yet her parents signed the consent! I'm pretty baffled as to why they would allow that to happen. They failed as parents to protect their daughter. I don't care how rich the guy appears or how smart he is, but 15 is too young. Parents are suppose to protect their young, but her parents failed miserably to protect Patricia, leading to her downfall.

Anyways, back to the case..

They had two daughters together, Amina and Sarah. As the girls got older, Yaser made it very clear to both of them that they were not allowed to date anyone in America. Yaser would arrange the girls to be married to much older men in Egypt instead. As part of his views, Yaser believed that women were objects. Arranged marriages to older men who could provide a dowry was a must. Obviously both girls rejected his offer, but Yaser did not care about what they felt because they were girls.

Both girls started dating American guys early in their teen years. They had both kept it secret from their father, because they knew he would not like it. Talking on the phone to the boys would be too difficult, so Amina and her boyfriend, Joseph, decided to exchange love messages using a notebook, which Amina kept at school.

Yaser had a habit of going through both Amina and Sarah's belongings whenever they got home, as well as going through their cell phones, and inquiring about names when he got suspicious of them. So they both had to be extra cautious. Unfortunately, Amina had accidentally brought home that notebook one day, and it was while she wasn't looking, that Yaser took this opportunity, and snooped through Amina's backpack, and found the notebook with notes from Joseph.

Yaser was very furious and questioned Amina about it. Amina then lied to Yaser, saying it was her imaginary boyfriend, because he wouldn't allow her to have a boyfriend. So she had to make one up and pretend someone loved her. Initially, he believed her. But he then started going overboard with monitoring her.

He would follow her car to school, and make sure she wasn't talking to any boys. When she was gone to class, he would have the spare key to her car, and then start snooping around for more evidence. He would also bug her car with a recorder, and listen to conversations she had with Sarah. It was also through the recorder, that he found out both Amina and Sarah lied to him about having American boyfriends.

At this point, Yaser was furious. He was losing control of his girls, and did not know how to deal with it except through anger, intimidation, and death threats. Now that his behaviour was becoming more and more aggressive, Amina feared for her life. She begged her mom to take her and Sarah away from home, and to another family home in another state.

Initially Patricia (mom) agreed and made the drive to her family's place in another state, getting the girls to safety. However, after Yaser realized they weren't home at the time he asked them to be home, he became worried and begged them to come back home and start all over again.

It was at this point that Patricia lied to Amina and Sarah. She had gave them an excuse to go back to Lewisville. Both Amina and Sarah were very reluctant. Eventually they had no choice but to agree.

The sad part about this? Patricia knew how violent her husband Yaser is. She knew he wasn't going to change. Yet she lured her own girls back to him. She basically set their death trap. And this is the part that most people cannot come to terms with. Their own maternal mother refused to protect her own girls from a monster. A real mother would protect her own kids from their own abusive fathers, and flee in order to protect the kids. But not Patricia. She too, is a monster.

After they arrived back home, Yaser promised them things will be better.

On January 1, 2008, Yaser told Patricia that he was going to take Amina and Sarah to grab some food. Patricia wanted to go as well, but Yaser had said he only wanted to spend time with his girls. He took the taxicab he used (for work), and set upon going to grab food.

He had driven to Irving with his taxi cab, parked it, and then shot both girls multiple times (total of 11 times), starting with Amina. Sarah had managed to call 9-1-1 and told the operator that her dad shot her. Soon after, the operator heard the rest of the shots and then silence.

It was that same night that another taxi cab driver spotted Yaser's abandoned taxi in a hotel parking lot.

Whatever Amina's fate was, it would be the same for Sarah. Amina knew she was going to die, and in the end you can pretty much say she just gave up the fight. Both Amina and Sarah went through a lot growing up, but they are very brave young ladies, and that's how they should be remembered.

Yaser had vanished since the girls' murders and remains at large to this day. He has been added to the FBI's Most Wanted List (Yaser FBI). He is wanted for capital murder, and of course in the state of Texas, capital murder convictions will receive the death penalty. FBI is giving out a $100,000 reward for his arrest. Reports have said he may still be in the USA (either Texas or New York, driving as a cab driver), or that he could be in Egypt.

I have read and watched reports of Patricia after the murders, and there is conflicting things with her. One report says she still keeps in touch with Yaser, but in other reports she says she hasn't talked to him since the killings. Doesn't know where he is etc. Yet his family probably knows his whereabouts but isn't saying anything, to "protect" his image and honour. Because that's the bullcrap that they believe in. They believe that Yaser did right, to get rid of two beautiful girls (and I mean HIS OWN BLOOD AND FLESH!) in order to preserve his own image. Because he didn't want to be known to raise "whores". Really? That's surreal how a parent would even think that. They were far from that image. Amina and Sarah had great potential to do well, but unfortunately cannot live out their dreams.

For those living in those States, or the surrounding areas, please be extra cautious and help keep an eye out for this monster. Justice needs to be served for Amina and Sarah.

Life Can Change

Happy Easter weekend to everyone out there! May we take this moment to realize what a blessing life is. Thank God for being so merciful to us, and for giving each of us life.

Have you ever wondered why a good amount of the population these days are getting sick? When I mean sick, I don't mean the flu or the general cold. I mean cancer. Organ failure. Kidney disease. Hypertension. Diabetes. Hyperthyroidism. Diabetic neuropathy. Diabetic retinopathy. Liver failure.

It's an interesting topic, one of which the answer won't be so straight forward.

It was a question asked by an older couple to me, and one who was suffering from a few combinations of the above. Why is it, that with all the technological advancements in this day and age, people just seem to be getting more and more sick? The diabetic clinics are filling up fast. So are the hemodialysis programs. Same with cancer clinics. What is going on? Why all these advancements in medicine and technology, and yet people are getting sick starting at an early age?

At this point, there really isn't one answer. But I believe there are a combination of answers. And this is what the couple and I talked about.

A brief overview in terms of life and the medical issues that happened:

The couple had met years ago and married. One was Canadian, and one was European. I won't go into detail how they met, but the debate was whether the wife would move, or the husband would move, in order to be with each other. Eventually the European husband moved to Canada to be with the wife.

They had plans to start traveling the world (they were at a retirement age) once they settled here, and were going to spend the rest of their life together. However, things took an unfortunate turn when the husband got sick about a year ago. There was already a previous history of hypertension for years, along with diabetes. His kidneys started to fail, and he developed diabetic retinopathy, eventually leading to blindness.

Instead of traveling and seeing the world together, they are now both trying to understand the disease process and why it took a nasty turn, resulting in blindness.

This is when the conversation got interesting.

We had brought up several topics together: genetically modified foods, processed foods, lack of exercise, lack of activity, technological dependence, and isolation.

The huge one these days is processed foods. What are processed foods? They are foods that are high in sugar, sodium, or fats/trans fat and have been pre-packaged and sealed in order to preserve it longer (using chemical preservatives). For example: bacon, granola bars, instant noodles, soda drinks, fruit snacks, dry fruits, margarine, cheese, frozen dinners, to name a few. They are available in every corner store, in gas stations, at supermarkets. They are pretty much available everywhere, which is the scary part. They are, what I call "ready to eat" foods. Why are these such bad foods? Well, as I said above, they are (sky) high in sugar, salt and trans fat. Those 3 are the main culprits in having a bad diet, resulting in various medical issues from diabetes to hypertension to hyperlipidemia.

There has been warnings before on processed meats like bacon, salami, ham and hot dogs and reducing these amounts, as they could lead to (colorectal) cancer. There is still on-going research into this area though. Do I believe that processed foods can harm one's body and lead to various health problems? Absolutely. We are seeing it everyday in this population. When it comes to getting a patient history on their diet, that's when everything will click, and then we start to see why they have become so sick.

It is always important to eat foods in moderation, and to reduce the amount of processed foods in our daily diet. Reducing the amount of sugar, salt and trans fat and replacing it with healthier choices (fresh fruits, vegetables, whole wheat) will help in the long run. You know that saying "homecooked meals are the best"? Well, yeah because everything you prepare, you can control how much salt or sugar or oil needs to be added to your own food. When you are at a restaurant, you can't control the amount of oil or salt that is added to your dish. Hence why eating outside all the time is definitely not a good thing for your body.

Lack of exercise and lack of activity. Back when I was in grade school and high school, we had gym class everyday at different periods. It was one of my favourite classes growing up. I was involved in cross country running, and track & field competitions. It was pretty much my exercise everyday, and I felt good about it health wise. Nowadays, I don't know if they do have gym classes everyday, but looking at North Americans (especially America), you can tell physical activity is no where near the top of the list. Why is that? I also think it's because of technology (which I will talk more about below).

The general guideline for exercise is 30 minutes of physical activity per day. If you want to lose a lot of weight and be fit, then obviously it will have to be more. That will need motivation, concentration, and time. Judging by how busy our lives our these days, 30 minutes seems like a lot to most people. And that's the other thing. Our lives are just so busy (whether it's with school, work, spouse, kids, parents/grandparents, babysitters etc) that we tend to overlook the 30 minutes because we're just so damn tired. After an entire day of working and running around, cooking and cleaning, a lot of us would just want to sleep. Not work out for 30 minutes.

But this is the weird thing. In the Baby Boomers era, an average family would have 5-7 kids. Yet the parents still worked, and still managed to feed that many kids. They were generally healthy, and yet they were still ok! These days we struggle with 1 or 2 kids, and we get burnt out. Heck, even single people still struggle! Why is that?

Part of it has to do with society and also the ridiculous amounts we have to pay for housing these days. The average home in Toronto has already hit $1 million. How is a young professional suppose to afford that after graduation? With the housing prices going up, and our salaries remaining the same, it is no wonder so many young people these days work over time, in order to pay for the essentials. They burn out, but still try to work. And that's when their bodies start failing. Combined with poor diet, and lack of proper exercise, it is no wonder this population is going downhill. All because of increased taxes, housing, utilities. The essentials.

But wait, what about technology? Yes, technology is a great thing. I mean they found ways to identify people's DNA at crime scenes, so it has come a long way. Computers and internet have come a long way too. Telephones went from cords to cordless to cell phones to bluetooth. Advancements in medicine has come a long way. Cures for diseases are here (or for some of them). So why is it a bad thing?

When we come to rely on technology too much, and in this case I mean cell phones and laptops, heck internet, we become more and more isolated from our families and friends. Doesn't make sense? Ok let me break it down.

When we are so focused on our cell phones (look at all the young people these days, including me), we are all glued to this bright screen of radiation. I'm pretty sure most of us aren't looking at pictures we took from our cell phones, but rather browsing the internet. We are glued to social media. Facebook. Instagram. Whatsapp. Yes, we have friends (and even strangers) connected to us, so technically we aren't "lonely". But think about it. We are all glued to our phones at dinner in front of our parents. At parties. At school. At work. On the bus or subway. Heck, even in the car. There are people around us, yet we are still on our damn phones. Did we all forget how to talk to each other like normal human beings? We have become so isolated from the real world, that we have been sucked into this virtual world, and think we are still in the real world because our friends are there. But they aren't physically there. We don't like showing our phones to our parents, or even boyfriends or girlfriends because of "privacy reasons". Yet we are still so glued to it that we forgot how to interact in the real world. That to me is isolation. Any type of isolation in the long run is not good for the human mind or the body.

This is also why I chose to not have data on my cell phone. People think I'm lame for not having data, or think I'm so "old school". But I have two reasons why I don't have data. 1) I get to save more money each month compared to my friends who have data and 2) I do not want to be connected to the virtual world 24/7. In a way, it's my way of having self-control over technology. This gives me a very good excuse to talk to people, to see friends and actually talk to them in person, and also spend time with family. I give my full attention to people at dinner, because I have no reason to check my phone for any social media updates (unless I am on-call for work). Before I go out, I check Googlemaps to make sure I know where the heck I'm going. I don't rely on GPS too much because sometimes it takes me to the wrong location, so I use what I have best: my brain. I memorize the map. And I still get to my destination without difficulty.

If we let technology take over our minds and our daily routine, it is no wonder we "don't have time" for physical activity, or for proper diet. If we can take the same amount of time that we spend on social media/internet on a daily basis, we can apply that same amount of time on physical activity and proper diet daily. I can guarantee you that you will be amazed at how much time we all waste on the internet.

When we all combine all the issues above to our daily routine, we can see how there could be huge problems for us in the long run if we don't change some of our habits. One day may not seem that bad, but when it becomes a daily habit, the body suffers. You may not notice it right away, just like the couple I mentioned above. But once the problems all hit, it will hit very hard. And it will be too late to reverse all the medical problems. Once you go blind, or once you lose a limb, you will not get it back.

We can all help ourselves by contributing to our own health, and avoiding the unhealthy habits and diets.

Louis Vuitton Reveal

Hello fellow readers. Guess what?

I bought another item. Except this time I went the "used" route. Usually I buy my items through the retail stores, but this item is no longer sold in stores. It was a limited edition run from a few years ago (exact date I'm not too sure). 

I had seen it online on a consignment shop a few weeks back, but missed out on the opportunity to buy it as it sold very fast (and I mean it sold within 30 minutes of being posted). The colour was in the pomme d'amour, vernis leather (or patent leather). 

I was looking for a small coin purse so that I could fit in the Chanel WOC. The WOC is already limited in space, but putting my keys right into it could potentially ruin or scratch the leather inside. The current key holder I have (from Coach) is a bit bulky so it doesn't fit in the WOC. Plus I have tried fitting coins in the zipped compartment of the WOC, along with my bills, and it's difficult sorting through both bills and coins in a small compartment. I figured maybe it would be best to have a coin purse to go with it and keep the coins separate from the bills.

The debate to myself is whether I should use this as a key holder or as a coin purse. Or both, if that's even physically possible. I'll have to play around and see.

So when I saw it available again on the consignment shop, I knew I had to jump at the chance.

Here it is, a LV reveal:

It came with the original shopping bag. Yes, the top sticker had already been ripped by the original owner.

The dustbag that it came with.

Tada! 

Some up close of the chain endings with the keyring and lock.

The heart shaped coin purse in violette monogram vernis leather.

The interior.

The care booklet it came with.

Another shot.

Last shot, with all the items it came with.

Detailed summary

Brand: Louis Vuitton

Name: Heart Shaped Coin Purse

Hardware: Gold

Colour: Violette
Size: Length 4" x Height 4" x Depth 1"

Material: Vernis Leather (or patent leather)

Style: Monogram

Ways to wear it: On the wrist, in the purse, or even hang it on your purse as a purse charm (although this one is cool, it seems a bit long to wear as a charm)

Shout-out to Jodidays Closet for the item. As I mentioned a few posts before, Jodidays Closet is an online consignment shop based in Toronto. All the items go through an authentication process before it is sold to the public. It is a one woman company (!) and she is very efficient with replies and communication. She is also on Instagram under the same name.

There are a couple of ways to order the items if you are located around the GTA. You can do a local pick up, but you would have to email her first to say you want to do a local pick up. A 40% deposit is required to do the local pick up. The other option is to buy the item directly via PayPal, and then have the item shipped to your place. However, there is a shipping fee of $25. Currently, she ships to anywhere in Canada and the USA.

I did the local pick up route, so it was a matter of matching schedules to pick the item up. I would definitely recommend her for purchasing used luxury items. She also does consign items as well, so if you have any luxury items that you don't use anymore, you can email her for quotes. Depending on the item and value, there is a certain percentage of commission based on how much the item is worth, and how popular the item is in the market. 

Thanks for reading! I'll do an update in the future on whether it's a good match for the WOC or not. Otherwise I would probably just use it in a purse.

Steelcase Tires Review

Since it is still March, and it is Fraud Awareness Month, I will continue with this review of Steelcase Tires.

Steelcase Tires & Mags is exactly what you think it is. They sell tires. Steelcase Tires

A brief overview of how I got in contact with them:

Back in early 2015, I was suppose to purchase a set of tires from a person we shall call A (how convenient because his name begins with an "A"). A had initially told me he had an old set of G35 tires that he had kept and didn't need them anymore. The summer tires that I had were going bald so I needed a set. At that point it didn't have to be brand new, but just something so I could use when it came to swapping out the tires. At this point, I had the understanding that I would get A's old G35 tires. This was in March 2015.

By the way, I am not making this up. I do have the text message conversations but for the sake of potential tampering, I will not post it up.

As the days went by, I get a message saying A is on his way to Buffalo to pick up the tires. That was April 2, 2015. It confused me because I asked him what happened to the G35 tires, and why Buffalo. He then told me they were old/bald and not good. Ok...but couldn't you have consulted me beforehand that you were now doing a plan B? Which then he told me he had to go out of his way to get it for me. Ok, well that's not my problem.

The explanation was that he would help tune a club member's GTR and in exchange, that member had a set of tires that he wasn't using (he had apparently gotten newer ones so didn't need these ones) and it would be a direct swap. I asked how much it would be. Instead, A kept insisting it wasn't required because it was a direct swap. And he got offended that I would have to pay. Almost like someone saying "you can't appreciate the finer things in life". Well, it's not about that. This is a business deal nonetheless, not a vacation. Told me to save my money.

He had taken these new tires and my rims to Steelcase Tires for them to mount. That's the first time I heard of them. So from that point on, I had the understanding that 1) the tires were picked up from Buffalo and 2) they were picked up by A and then driven to Steelcase tires for them to mount my rims to tires. Are we on the same page with this? Ok good.

April 17, 2015 is when I saw the tires/rims. At that point he still refused my cash and I offered to treat him for dinner at least for helping. In between we kept touch here and there, and I had also asked for my front lip/side skirts back because A had them. He had offered to help take them to a shop to get it repaired and repainted. After months and weeks of excuses of not meeting up (i.e my grandpa fell on his face again, my mom's in emergency, my grandma can't breathe, I've been admitted to the hospital, I'm in Chicago, I'm in Montreal, I'm in New Jersey, my whole family is in emerg because they're all constipated etc.), I figured I wasn't getting any of my items back. That was my last straw, and that was end of June 2015.

I heard nothing but silence from him for months. It wasn't until I started moving on with my life that he suddenly reappeared. In mid September, I get a mail from A's mother (really? mother? Whatever happened to dealing with problems face to face like adults, without involving each other's parents? Are we grade schoolers or something? *rolls eyes*), asking about the tires.

What really confused me? The mail had said the tires were still outstanding. They weren't paid for. And now the shop is coming after me supposedly. I was also being threatened that my car would be impounded, until the tires were paid.

So let me get this straight. The tires were NOT from Buffalo? They were from Steelcase Tires. "Purchased" from Steelcase Tires in April 2015. The mother was smart enough to send me a copy of the invoice. Very smart actually, because it had the exact date, with the customer information and the price. None of which was mine. I was basically lied to. And now I have to pay the price for someone else's lies? No thanks.

I was really confused. I got an email from A later on saying the tires were from Steelcase Tires, and because I was not dating him at the time, the tires were not a gift. Not only that, he had typed out "regardless what I paid" (still have a copy of this email). It's hilarious, because on the invoice, someone had handwritten "A's girlfriend" on the invoice.  We weren't together in April 2015, so who's A's girlfriend? Obviously It wasn't me.

It gets better. I get a call from Richard Boake at the end of October 2015, who runs Steelcase Tires with his dad. I've never met the dude before. Don't even know how he looks like and don't care, although Google really helped so now I know. Never been to the store before. Don't even know where the hell the store is located. Richard is asking me about these tires. I had explained to him that I was told these tires were a direct swap from Buffalo with another GTR member, according to A. Richard says well, no the tires are from Steelcase. He had gave it to A, and it was ok to take them first without paying. But now someone needs to pay up.

To put it simply, A had lied to both Richard and I. What he told Richard is not what he told me and vice versa.

Ok fine, I can understand a shop needs to get paid for their items. But here is where it all falls apart.

1) How is it MY responsibility that a shop owner DECIDES to give a SET OF TIRES to a customer they "trust" and not accept any upfront deposit or payment right away? A normal shop would have done that. If full payment is not done within that day, then you go after their ass. You don't chase them 6 months later down the road. That delay in time is very suspicious and shady.

2) The invoice never had any of my information. My signature wasn't there. There was NOTHING on this invoice to indicate my name or information regarding this "purchase". If they ever decide to have the shop change the invoice information to my name, that itself is a crime. That is forgery. If they do that, their asses will get sent to jail. As I said before, the mother already mailed me a copy. So legally, they can't change it.

3) I have all the texts and screenshots from my conversations with A and Richard. When I compare the two, both their stories don't really match. Hence why I feel like I'm being scammed by both of them. One email said they were paid for, and one text said it wasn't. This is why I said the stories are inconsistent.

4) My experience and "story" is exactly the same. It never changed, and it never will change.

5) The fact that I was not present when A and Richard interacted at the shop, it is NOT my responsibility to pay. I have confirmation with law enforcement as well regarding this matter. I had no knowledge of their meeting or interactions, because I was told they were from Buffalo, not Steelcase. If I had told A or Richard that I am interested in buying tires, and I sent A to pick them up for me, then yes, that would be my responsibility to pay. But that interaction NEVER happened. So therefore, I am not responsible. The only two people responsible and who should be fighting it out would be A and Richard.

After the initial phone call and conversation, Richard had texted me again to follow up what A had to say. This is ridiculous, as I am now the middle person communicating between A and Richard. Besides, I had cut off all communication with A. If you want your money, talk to A, not me. How the hell do I know what interaction you guys had? I don't know anything.

The most unprofessional thing about Richard and Steelcase Tires? The fact that when I told him it wasn't my fault that he decided to let go of a set of tires to his long time customer, and trusted him that he would get paid. That's when he got pissed at me. What did he say? Here, I type word for word:

"I don't give a shit anymore. I'm taking you both to small claims court. I don't care about your problems. You have the tires on your car and you are now aware that he hasn't paid for them. I have never encountered a less empathetic person in my life. Your willing I let a 3rd party go down for tires that are on your car because your boy friend lied to you. Real class act both of you are."

Honey, you obviously have not met someone empathetic or don't know what empathy is. Are you getting that confused with sympathy? Because they are two totally different things. And just to clear things up, my job requires me to be empathetic. I deal with life and death in a blink of an eye, so don't be telling me I ain't empathetic. You obviously aren't empathetic nor have any feelings except anger, playing the "I'm not guilty" game.

Small claims court? With what case? The judge would laugh at you both for wasting his time because I had no clue what was going on behind my back; whatever agreement was agreed upon, it was between A and Richard, not me, plus I have all the evidence I need on my side. I have the original conversation with A, and a copy of that invoice without my information on it. When they look at the text exchanges between Richard and I, they would be able to tell who the real douchebag is. Case closed. Money and time wasted.

Class? Really? What do you know about class? You obviously have no class considering that last message you sent me, nor how to talk to people properly. Bitch please, once you find the definition of class and act like you have class, you can come talk to me properly.

Would I recommend people to go to Steelcase Tires & Mags to get tires? No. I haven't even been to the shop before, and I still wouldn't recommend people to go. The fact that I have to deal with an unprofessional individual, who was butt hurt because the truth hurts, tells me he can't handle reality. It is also very unprofessional how he used vulgar language to someone he's never even met before, even if a potential customer. So please steer clear of this individual and this shop as a whole. Especially when they don't take responsibility for their own actions, and start blaming other people for their wrongdoing. I don't care if this individual is the best race car driver in Canada or is involved with fundraising foundations, he crossed the line with me. I stand firm in my view that Steelcase Tires is not professional, and will rip you off. Save your money and go elsewhere.

Again, how is it my problem that he let go of a set of tires without taking a deposit or full payment upfront? REMIND ME AGAIN? Only hooligans would do that. Real professional shops wouldn't. I don't care how good of a customer they are in the past. There are still shop rules to follow.

The 2 culprits to avoid:

Richard

"A"

I would recommend Tires23 (located in Mississauga) or Simply Tire (North York), as both have great reviews and both offer packages for different cars/clubs around the city.

Motorama + Cars

This past weekend was the Motorama car show located at the International Centre.

I had a feeling this was similar to the Performance World show back about 10 years ago, as it was also held at the International Centre, and the welcome entrance display was also exactly the same. It always occurred during March (I remembered clearly because people would be complaining their cars would still have snow on it. Then again, there are those who have show cars and only show cars).

In 2007, a family member and I got into the Performance World show for free, as we knew someone who had all the access to all car shows at that time. I had never been to any of those shows so it was an exciting time.

After going to the show, I found it to be heavy in classic cars, restored cars, and a good section of imports. I didn't recall much vendors there. I think most of the vendors were located at the front entrance of the show. But the show itself was heavy in various modded cars. It was basically like Import Fest, except with a heavy emphasis on muscle cars.

There were a lot of modded cars. Cars that were illegal to drive on Canadian roads, but they were so done up, it looked really cool.

Fast forward 9 years later. The show has changed its name. Location remains the same. The date of the show remains in March. Admission for adults: $20.

The vendors were located in the first two sections of the car show. Let's just say there were 4 sections in total. So 2 of them were pretty much vendors, mixed in with a few cars on display. Almost all the cars in the entrance (we shall call that section 1) were restored classics. Section 2 was heavy on Nascar items and cars. Section 3 was the biggest area, with most of the cars. There were a few vendors here and there. Most of the cars were classics or muscle cars. There was the Scooby-Doo van, Back to the Future's Delorean, and Kitt from Knight Rider among others. Then section 4 was the smallest, and this is where the "imports" were held. I say that because not every car there was an import. There were some American cars as well.

Overall, Motorama was disappointing. They didn't have as many cars (in my opinion) as in the past. The restoration of the classic cars were pretty amazing. It's amazing to see classics from back in the day get glamoured up. But I was really disappointed in the modern cars. Some were just plain stock. Then there were those who were so "hella flush". Or what some like to call "stance nation bro". There is nothing cool about destroying a car's suspension and tires/rims when the tires stick out like it's about to fly away. It looks like a human trying to hold their pee when they walk. That's pretty much the picture I see when I see a hella flush car.

There were a couple of Genesis Coupes this year that were nicely done (not because I'm a fangirl, but they actually looked really good), one which won best in show. Being modded doesn't mean you have to make it all hella flush looking. But to me, it has to be tastefully modded. It has to look good. Everyone obviously has their own perception on what looks good and what doesn't. Having kickass performance mods and lightly modded exterior is the way to go. It's better to have little cosmetic upgrades than having too much going at once. When the car starts to look too busy on all the corners and curves, that's when you know you've done way too much to it, and in a bad way.

The whole stance look. Some people like it, some don't. I'm one of those who don't like it because I don't see a point. You can't turn properly. You can't drive properly. You have to avoid any rough roads. You can't drive it in winter. You can't drive it in bad weather, period. Sounds like any regular modded car. But the turning and driving part is the key. If you can't drive it, then what's the point? You spend all that money on tires and expensive rims, and you can't even turn it properly. What's worse is the tires would get worn a lot faster. To me, that's a waste of a good set of rims and tires. There is nothing cool about that.

Anyways, I didn't take many pictures during this show because I didn't have the energy or mood to do it. To me, it was a disappointment.

In other great news, it is March...which means...car cruising season is coming!! Not like I'll be going to every cruise due to a busy schedule. But stay tuned for some pictures, because those would be worth it.

Dear: Prelude Driver

Yes, I totally saw you. You in the red 5th generation Prelude.

I was driving and minding my own business, trying to focus on driving because it was a cold day and it had snowed a bit. For me, safety first.

I noticed this red coupe in my peripheral vision. Just there. Not going any faster than me or any slower than me. It was just side by side with me. It went on for what seemed like hours, when it was merely a few seconds. However, upon speeding up ahead of me, I saw the passenger sort of almost stick his head against the window to see who was driving (yes, I know my tints are a bit dark, but that's the point).

After that moment, what I saw was some dangerous driving maneuvers, trying to get my attention. The Prelude changed lanes without signaling (come on, why are cars equipped with turn signals?! they aren't decorations!!), and veered quite sharply directly in front of me, and then went back to his left lane. Then he starts braking hard, as to try and slow down to my speed.

There really are two things that crossed my mind at that time. 1) Guys do that to get a girl's attention or 2) they want to race. Most of the time they just want my attention, but this isn't Tinder. This is real life driving. You are operating a machine that could potentially injure or kill people if you don't pay attention. That is why I probably look zoned out every time I drive. Because that's what I'm doing: concentrating.

There are times that it may become necessary to warn a driver about something, whether a flat tire or maybe the gas cap isn't closed properly. Legit things to warn a driver about, so you go about and try to honk or get their attention to tell them. Still dangerous yes, but the intent is to warn them that something is wrong with their car. Either that, or the driver finds out the hard way.

In this case with the Prelude, there was nothing wrong with my car. It was two guys trying to get my attention, while doing dangerous maneuvers on the road. Stupidity is what I call it. Even if they are trying to say "nice car", you don't start driving like a maniac to try and get attention. Is it really that important to you?

As much as I wanted to cut in and out of traffic to avoid this driver, I couldn't because there was traffic everywhere. The highway was coming up anyways, so I just took my time and drove the limit. Meanwhile, the dudes in the red Prelude are in front of me. I ended up taking the highway whereas they continued forward.

In conclusion, yes guys, I did see you. But don't drive like maniacs next time to get a girl's attention.

Speaking about cars, there has been a picture circulating on Facebook about bringing Ertefa back. For those who don't know, Ertefa is GTA's largest car meet. Ertefa got shut down last year because idiots would show up and start doing donuts and burn-outs in a crowded environment.

In my opinion, if they bring it back, it will just be shut down again. There will always be a few bad apples in a basket of good apples. No matter how hard all the organizers try to make it a safe environment for everyone, there is always that one person who will ruin it for everyone. So far it seems that a lot of people do want it back, and Ertefa is finding a way to accommodate. Do I have high hopes it will continue to run? Nope.

My first/second and only experience going to Ertefa was back in the summer of 2013. I think I had gone to two different meets, one with my coupe and one without. There were exotics there, and a lot of imports. If I could sum it up, it was like a big parking lot with lots of modified cars. And the smell of weed was disgusting. The first time I was there, I smelled weed and got a massive headache because of it. I didn't enjoy my time there because the smell just ruined it. For those who say just "wear a mask", come on now. Who the hell brings a box of masks with them wherever they go? I never went to those meets before so I didn't expect the weed part.

The second time I drove the coupe, and thankfully I didn't smell weed. But that's the thing. Once you go to an Ertefa meet, you just don't go again after the first or second time. To me, it was just the same old repetitive thing. You pretty much see the exact same thing each week. Everyone is a complete stranger to me. There is always going to be some sort of drama with some person, and the presence of police just makes everyone nervous. I know in my previous posts I had mention about having police presence in order to have some sort of crowd control, but also having that interaction with car enthusiasts and cops to maintain a good relationship with them. Sounds easy on paper, but when cops see a douchebag doing donuts, burning out or randomly racing people on the streets, do you think they will just sit back and sing KUMBAIYAAAAA?

Obviously not. They will take action, and in return, the rest of the attendees suffer because of that one person misbehaving. So would I be in favour of Ertefa? Nope.

Having huge meets doesn't make it fun. Small tight-knit groups and cruises make it a lot more fun. Members are aware of each other already, meet ups are not as frequent but when they do happen, it's a more intimate group of getting to know all the drivers. Cruises are the most fun. It's way better than just parking the car in a parking lot and walking around trying not to get run over by a ricer. I could do that at Pacific Mall any time. Don't need Ertefa for that.

Besides, there is more to life than getting in trouble at Ertefa. To each their own.

It's March?!

I am amazed how time flies. It really does.

So I never got the chance to wish you all a happy:
Valentine's Day.
Chinese New Year. (GONG HAY FAT CHOY!!! GONG SEE FA CHAIIIIII!!!)
Family Day.

I was going to write something on those days but I got lazy. So here I wish you all, all those combined!

Now I haven't had much Valentine's day celebration in the past. I'm not the type of girl that will expect the usual girly stuff on that day. You've probably heard before from your spouse telling you, it's ok honey you don't need to get me anything for Valentine's day. The first Valentine's day you'd want to make a good impression. Anything after that will have to be a mutual agreement. If you both agree to not celebrate it, then don't celebrate it. But don't say it, and then suddenly celebrate it because they would probably get mad that they didn't get you anything. I'm sure with years to come, the vibe will die down a bit. As I said, it's all about the mutual agreement.

Next up is the Chinese New Year, or the Lunar Year. This year, it's the year of the Monkey. OO OO AHH AHH!! *scratches arm pits*

As a kid, getting red pockets was the highlight of CNY, especially when there's a huge extended family because all the uncles and aunties will be handing out red pockets EVERYWHERE! LIKE OMG! For those who don't know, married couples will be the one giving red pockets (i.e money) to unmarried kids. Nowadays, I'm just lucky for what I have. My parents still give me red pocket as per tradition, but it just feels so weird to accept it sometimes because they've done so much for me. I remember trying to give them all my pocket change when I was a child (those coins in those piggy banks...good times). So when CNY came, they would give me red pocket, and I would have red pockets for them too. They looked pretty surprised, and then reassured me I didn't have to give them anything because I was still a kid. Only mommy and daddy would do that. I was pretty hurt they didn't take my coins, but they said when I get older and marry, then if I wanted to I could. I was probably 6 or 7 when that happened, and I still remember to this day.

Seeing all the family on CNY was exciting, but sad at the same time because M isn't physically here anymore. I remember trying to be happy, but still broke down in a corner. It took some time, reassurance and prayer to make it a bit better. I still have that empty spot in my heart, which may never get filled.

Family Day was uneventful as I was working 16 hours. My family hates it when I do a double shift. It's true though, it does damage the body if it occurs too often. But I had to do it to get an extra day off so I could spend more time with family. Isn't it ironic. Working a double on Family Day so I could get an extra day off to spend time with family. It worked out in the end and I'm happy I got to spend time with family. I felt like a zombie after though because it was one of those odd shifts. It would start at 3pm Monday then finish Tuesday at 7am. Doing it once in a while is fine, but doing it constantly will just screw up the biological clock. 7 am to 11 pm is considered the ideal double shift, followed by 3pm to 7am. But the hardest is 11pm Monday to Tuesday 3pm. That's a night to day double, and I would not recommend that. I have never tried that shift, but I have seen people do that, and I would just not do it.

Recently, Holt Renfrew changed their Privileges program so that everyone this year gets a membership card to carry around (versus having to download a program into the cell phone first, then downloading the app to install a virtual card). I was quite excited when the card came in the mail because I wanted to pick up my birthday gift, and I couldn't do it without the card. So finally, when it came in, I went straight for the shop to pick up this gift. The gift this year is a leather luggage tag (and a mighty big one), wrapped in a nice gift box. I took mama with me, and had her open the gift. She really liked it so I told her she could have it. We ended up looking around HR and she was astounded at how crazy high the prices were for clothes. A normal looking T-shirt would cost $300+. We didn't buy anything, but when we're together we window shop 99% of the time.

This is the new card they have for this year. This is the front. The back I won't show (for obvious reasons), but it will have your name and your card number.

For some reason, it took my brain a while to finally understand how this program works. HR will tally up how much you've spent the previous year in order to determine which tier you belong to. I had the misunderstanding that you could just accumulate all the spendings you had over the years and that's how it would add up as the years went by, but nope. Totally not. It's only based on the previous year spending. So say you buy a Chanel classic flap in medium in 2015. That alone is already $6,000+ so you automatically are in the third tier (Select +) for that year. Then say you bought another flap. That would bring you to the fourth tier (Front Row) for that year. So when 2016 comes, they calculate that you've spent 12k in 2015, so you will be in the Front Row tier. HR will then list out all the benefits you can use for the year of 2016 based on what you bought in 2015. However, everything gets "reset" at the end of January each year. So if you don't buy anything for 2016, that's ok too. In 2017 when the new card arrives, you will drop to the first tier (Welcome).

The tiers work as so:

1) Welcome ($0-999)
2) Select ($1,000-4,999)
3) Select+ ($5,000-9,999)
4) Front Row ($10,000-24,999)
5) Front Row+ ($25,000+)

From the previous year, I can see they definitely reduced the amounts. I believe Front Row+ used to be greater than $50,000 annual spending, but they probably realized that not many people would spend 50k at Holt Renfrew in a year. Same with Front Row. It used to be something like 25k to 49,999. Select+ used to be 15k to 25k. So they did play around with the numbers this time around, which makes it a little bit easier to attain, but not really.

I have not tried out any of the benefits (aside from picking up my birthday gift) so when I do, I'll do a review on whether it's worth it or not.

Next up? Periods. Women periods. Menstrual periods.

Every girl/woman goes through different experiences, but it always bugs me that guys just assume it's time for a girl to act all bitchy. I once knew a guy who said there is no excuse for girls to act bitchy when it's the time of the month. Well, you don't bleed out of your private area on a monthly basis, so what gives you the right to say such a thing?

Some girls experience mood swings before a period (hence the term PMS). Some have bad skin break outs before a period. Everyone is different. Then there are some girls who get violently ill when they're on their period. I know someone who would vomit because of the cramps and pain. For me, mine ain't all that peaceful either. The worst is when it interrupts your daily routine, like your job. I had gone to work feeling ok, but within 3 hours, I was hyperventilating, sweating, feeling dizzy and cramping like it was the end of the world. I was pulled out of work because of menstrual cramps. After some prescribed narcotics, I felt better. There was one time I had vomited because of the pain, and probably due to the side effect of the narcotic. But it annoys me when guys say it's not all that bad, when they have absolutely no idea what they're talking about. I don't know what kind of girls they dated, but having painful cramps that can be debilitating is very real. And this goes on every month. You can imagine how annoying it can get!

So a note to the guys: when your girl is acting bitchy, don't call her a bitch. Just listen to her and get her what she needs, whether it's hot chocolate, a rub on the tummy, or even a snuggle. It would mean the world to her.

That is all for tonight. Time for my brain to rest. Cheers!

Fraud Awareness Month

Happy fraud awareness month!

I heard on the radio that March is Fraud Awareness month. Whether that is true or not, I find it ironic that it was less than a week ago, a fraudster was caught up in a kidnapping.

Last Thursday, a man was found beaten and bound at the side of a road. His 2010 Bentley Continental GT was stolen, and then recovered a short time later. Police are currently looking for up to 4 suspects in this kidnapping case.

A brief recap: OCEANSKY goes down and another one: OCEANSKY

Sounds like a case of robbery gone wrong or something, but the plate on the Bentley (later as I discovered) was OCEANSKY. I've seen that plate somewhere before. Upon further digging, the owner is very well known in the car community. Friends of friends know him. His name? Reza Mokhtarian. If you've heard of Capital Trust Markets (based off in New Zealand) and Forex Trading, he was the one who ran it. He is also the founder of Mentor Tips

Years ago, he asked those to put their investments into this, because they would get a 15% return rate every month. His tactic is as so: become a millionaire in less than a year. That's how he (supposedly) became one so quick. I don't believe in that crap anyways. Anyone who holds conferences to talk about how to become a millionaire very quick is all a scam. You still have to pay money to find out how, and the tips are pretty useless (haven't tried, but voluntarily went to one of those conferences and wasn't a fan of how it was portrayed). When you think about it, the human mind is very selfish, especially when it comes to money, and a lot of money. Those who make a lot of money will not tell everyone how to do it, because then everyone will be millionaires. Then others will outdo you. So why risk that? This is why I don't believe in those things. They try to make it all sound so catchy and that you'll be a millionaire in no time. In reality, it won't happen overnight, and it won't happen in less than a year.

To prove he was rich, he got a mansion, bought exotic cars, and appeared to be well off. In reality, the home was not under his name, and the cars ended up to be rentals. People had invested, trusting they would get a good return, but when they tried to access their money, the system would show they had nothing. People would go after him, and well, just like all liars and fraudsters out there, they have their ways of making up stories to delay getting their money back. What he does is basically like a Ponzi scheme.

If you Google "reza ferrari chat", a huge thread comes up in who he is, and what he does. His Aventador is a rental, and so is his Bentley.

The kidnapping story just seemed so weird. If the people involved were former investors or just plain enemies wanting their money back, they might as well just ask him to force sign documents, or get money withdrawn, kidnap him then kill him. The fact that he was found beaten and not dead, suggests that it was a scare tactic, or it was a set up. But really, scare tactic? He's still not going to pay up. Maybe they all hope that after this, he would take it more seriously and return people's money. Who knows.

It reminds me of Lou Pearlman, the former manager of the Backstreet Boys, and N'Sync. Before he became manager of BSB, he had convinced investors to invest in his Trans Continental Airlines company, which only existed on paper. He defrauded investors over $300 million. When the Backstreet Boys became successful and was selling out concerts, he used their fame to try and pay back the investors. He convinced the Boys that each were only allowed a certain salary (it was around $300,000 for each), while the rest would go to his pocket to pay back his investors. As a screaming fan growing up, I'd always thought those 5 guys were super rich. In reality, Pearlman owed them millions as well.

Pearlman was finally caught in 2007 and was found guilty of running the longest Ponzi scheme in history and sentenced to 25 years in jail.

Another one in the car community is (we shall call him) Andre. Supposedly drives a GTR (last I heard, it was found in a lake) and knows a lot about it. Offers to help with car parts and doesn't want money. Yeah, because in the end when your parts get installed, your car falls apart and you are left to pay a huge bill to repair your car. Which costs more than just the "free" parts itself. Some GTR owners are still left without their parts, or money from this guy. They call him, email him, go to his home to get things back and are left empty handed, because the entire family acts like they're in a Ponzi scheme.

He's nice to people initially, and that's how people fall for his tactic. He works his way into people's lives by buying them things, whether it's jewelry, car parts, you name it. Once he establishes trust, then he will screw you over by not returning items or money. And when you start to go after him, he will run and get his mom to finish you off. The family will see you as a bad influence to him and will blame you for everything, when in reality, he's the one causing you to go crazy. You just want your stuff back. How hard is that?

Apparently it's difficult. A lot of people are still waiting for their items and money (which he doesn't have because they have gone towards lavish dinners with different girls). He is also another bad news in the car community. Shops are aware of him, GTR owners are aware of him, and I'm pretty sure other randoms in the car community know as well. In the end, it's buyer beware.

Don't say I didn't warn you. It is Fraud Awareness month after all.