WINTER TIME!

Holy it's winter. Where has time flown?!

Let's just say it's been a freaking whirlwind few months. Winter tires are on. Christmas gifts are almost done. Kittens are slowly growing. Eye lash extensions are done. Crazy work hours are almost done.

And got my dream car.

Speaking of cars, I recently found out about this whole new hashtag/hobby thing that people are doing these days: TOtakeovers. Or #totakeovers.

You may have heard in the news lately that a group of street racers closed down a public intersection and started doing donuts. Police eventually showed up and caught these racers in the act, while trying to chase down a BMW that had fled the scene after doing the last donuts in the intersection. The people who follow this group have applauded the news crew for giving them the popularity that they all want on Instagram.

Let me just tell you that car enthusiasts do not do stupid sh!t like that on public roads. Not only is it dumb, but also dangerous as there are other cars on the roads in very close proximity to where these people are doing dumb donuts in the middle of the intersection.

Correct me if I'm wrong but parking lot meets were the sh!t back in the day. It was so calm, and you actually got to meet new people and hang out. How the hell will you meet new friends while doing donuts on public roads, tire smoke everywhere...how is that even pleasant?! Worst is, these assholes who are involved in this entire activity don't think anything is wrong with it. It's more exciting than parking lot meets. And the whole attitude of "F the police" and "thanks for the shoutout CityTV!" really shows their immaturity level, which can't really be measured on a scale because it's damn idiotic.

This really gives the true car enthusiasts the biggest disadvantages with any car related activities because of these assholes. The police see a nice car, good luck because you're getting pulled over along with the Honda Civic that decided to tag along as well.

If you search the hashtag on Instagram, you will see the idiotic videos that have been circulating around the internet. Apparently this all started from the car culture in LA, where ricers would close down an intersection and tear it apart by doing donuts.

Oh right, leads me to another point: learn to do donuts. Most of those donuts are damn amateur. Hitting someone while doing a donut is very amateur and stupid. Driving in circles around someone (or another car) is NOT considered a donut. It's just called, driving in circles like an idiot.

What's scary is...this happens during the cooler months. Maybe the hype picked up after the summer had ended, who knows. But the videos that were circulating earlier seemed to be within the past few weeks when temperatures had dipped. Idiots I tell you, because there's no way you can control hockey pucks on cars in these temperatures.

Things may all be fun and dandy now, but when someone gets seriously injured or killed, is it really all that funny? I really think most of these idiotic guys don't really give two craps about anyone except themselves, because this is the type of society that we currently live in: a sense of self entitlement. It's sad how things have become.

I'm ready to go back to chilling on people's driveways with cars.

A dress

After watching Crazy Rich Asians (best rom-com movie in a really long time), I was inspired by this dress that I saw...on Neiman Marcus.

Unfortunately Canada does not have Neiman Marcus but thankfully USA is just nearby. Yay for online shopping!

I don't exactly remember how I stumbled across the dress. But all I do know is that I was looking for a dress to wear for the upcoming Christmas party. Yes, Christmas is what, 3 months away now?! Gosh!

I wasn't completely desperate in finding a dress. It was one of those moments, that if I found something then that's awesome. If not, then I'll just wear whatever I have at home. No big deal.

After spending days and nights going through a bunch of dresses from different companies, I stumbled across one beautiful dress. It was in emerald green, with a mesh top alined with beautiful mini flowers everywhere. It was very princess-y, almost like the Princess and the Frog type of thing. Lame I know. And then it reminded me of the Crazy Rich Asians dresses.

The price was high for a gown. I mean, you could buy a wedding gown. But then I found out why: the dress was mostly in silk. Ahhh shoot! Silk is a bitch to take care of. It was a debate. If I liked it, then I'll keep it but if not, then I'll just return and get a refund on it. The hardest thing about buying clothes online is the sizing. I based it on dress sizes I wear here, and was crossing my fingers that this would fit.

There is an option online where you can estimate the size based on what size you wear from other companies. For example, I used FCUK to try and estimate the dress size. It gave me a size 10. WTF? I'm usually a size 6. I ordered the last size 6 that was available on the site and just crossed my fingers. There were only 2 or 3 sizes left in total, so I was really fortunate to get it.

When it arrived in the mail, I was super excited. Tried it on, and it fit great! Only problem is, this dress seemed like it was for girls that were over 6 feet tall. The amount of hemming I need to do would be astronomical. Even with my 3 inch platforms that I could wear with it, I would still need to hem it. It was also a lot more poofier than I thought it would be.

Either way, it's such an elegant gown. I have temporarily stored it away until I find a place that could hem it but I do believe I have found my Christmas party dress, as well as perhaps using it as a future wedding gown party dress.

Now, I don't know much about fashion, but all I know is that it's by Marchesa Notte. Marchesa was established in 2004 by Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig. Chapman was married to the now disgraced Harvey Weinstein, the man accused of sexually assaulting and raping many actresses in Hollywood. Weinstein had funded his now ex-wife's fashion company back in the day, and without him, Marchesa wouldn't have taken off.

You would've seen Marchesa dresses worn by A list actresses on the red carpets of award shows and the Met Gala. Marchesa was also in Crazy Rich Asians, worn by Constantine Wu when she was attending the wedding at the church. Unfortunately after Weinstein was arrested, actresses shunned Marchesa from the red carpet and boycotted the dresses. It was found that Weinstein forced all the actresses that he hired for his movies to wear Marchesa Notte for red carpet events, otherwise he would not pay them.

Once Chapman divorced Weinstein, she continued with Marchesa in expanding it to wedding gowns and evening gowns. Actresses have now started wearing Marchesa again, as a sign to Chapman that girl power is still there.

Anyways, I found that to be an interesting read and the history behind the brand. Not saying I support Weinstein for raping all these women. But the fact that she made the decision to divorce the man whom she though she knew and married, and had a kid with. She left the ex behind and stood up for all these women. And for that, we stand by her side as well.

Sweden vs. China

Happy Fall 2018 everyone!

Based on the title of this post, you probably already have a sense of idea of what's about to come.

This is regarding the latest news on Sweden vs China. No, I'm not talking about soccer or hockey, or any type of sport for that matter (unless you count verbal abuse as a sport).

On September 2, three tourists from China arrived to Stockholm, Sweden (by the way, it's a beautiful city...I was pretty sad I didn't get the chance to explore everywhere) and wanted to check in to their hotel. However, the check in wasn't suppose to be until the following day. If they wanted to check in early, they would have to pay an extra night fee. That is the norm, and the rules.

The only difference is that the China tourists (I will emphasize CHINA because they are different than from other Asian countries) begged to check in earlier and stay the night for free because they had no where else to go. Any hotel in this world would not check you in earlier FOR FREE. You have to pay. So this was explained to them. The next thing we know, the Swedish police were called in to help assist the tourists out.

The tourists were now upset (I mean, I guess I can understand why...because they didn't get to stay for free for one night), and were now begging in front of the police, asking them why they're treating the elders like this. The response from the police was that they took the tourists to a transit station, which was located beside a graveyard.

I guess they got offended by the graveyard sign?

There is a Swedish comedy show that did a skit on this matter. It was translated into Mandarin and then streamed onto the net where the Chinese took huge offence to what was being broadcasted. It implied that China tourists poop on historical buildings/sites, as well as having them eat dogs for lunch.

Now they have brought this matter to the media in China. As a result, the Chinese have taken action to boycott any Swedish companies including Ikea and H&M to name a few. They have also asked Sweden to APOLOGIZE to China for their mistreatment in the first place of the tourists. Knowing that China is one of the biggest consumers in the world, this would impact businesses and tourism within Sweden and their known companies.

So let me break it down for you based on what I can understand:

1) I hate to be a racist here (maybe I'm not, who knows), but I find those from that area of Asia do not have knowledge of right or wrong. I'm not saying ALL of them, but a good amount of them have no sense of right or wrong. Mannerism is not at the top of the list. I have seen them piss in the public, and I mean IN FRONT of the public and they have no shame in it whatsoever. I have seen them dip their feet in the fountains outside the Louvre. I have seen them spit and shoot snot on the ground with people in close proximity. I have seen them poop on benches/on the floor (thankfully it was through surveillance video and not in person). They also talk and yell in public for no apparent reason; I guess it's just the way they talk. But seriously, you wouldn't want to walk in a nice restaurant or a movie theatre, and hear them blasting in Mandarin about how much they have to pay for a ticket.

2) If you want to check in to any hotel when it's NOT your check in period, YOU HAVE TO PAY. Really, it's that simple to understand. Unless you're the CEO or the queen, YOU STILL HAVE TO PAY. No one will get a free pass if you want to check in early. Heck man, you want to check in 3 hours early, you still have to pay. Life is not fair, so suck it up.

3) China tourists are manipulative. Yes, they really are. They make it seem like the Swedish police beat them up and was cruel to them. Sweden released a security footage of the event unfolding in the lobby before they checked in. No sign of police brutality. They love twisting words to get people to believe in them.

4) China wants to boycott Swedish companies? Ok cool, boycott them. We will just tell the rest of the world to not visit your communist country as a vacation spot.

5) China tourists will raid all the luxury handbag shops in other countries. I have been to Chanel, Prada, you name it, and the Chinese will grab any bag they see fit and just keep it with them. I once was looking at a classic flap, and I specifically asked to see that particular one. I'm looking, and the next thing you know, a China woman grabs it from my hand. Excuse me? I gave her the death stare. Thankfully it wasn't the one I really wanted so I didn't make a huge deal out of it, but if it was, I wouldn't tackled her for it.

My parents have visited China before and I've heard some horror stories from them as well, hence my reluctance to visit. I've already got a general sense of what the health quality is like there, as my dad came back sick and then gave it to me. I have never, in my life, gotten so sick. It's like getting H1N1, with days of non stop high fever, a really terrible sore throat that I couldn't talk or swallow, and it took forever to recover. I don't know what kind of flu or diseases China has, but let's just say if I visited, I would probably be hospitalized in the ICU.

I'm Asian myself. But I don't connect myself with the Chinese because I'm not from that part of Asia. Being born in Canada makes me a lot different than them as I don't associate with their culture as much.

For a country that wants to take over Taiwan, and other parts of Asia (or the world), maybe start off by teaching your offsprings about mannerisms. The last thing we need is China taking over other countries that have worked so hard to gain their independence, when they don't even know the difference between pissing in public and pissing in private.

Unfortunately the rest of the world does know the terrible etiquettes of the Chinese, and there are times people mistaken me as a China woman, because I speak Mandarin. I do get offended at times especially from people who INSIST I'm Chinese. No. I'm Taiwanese. And I'm proud of that. I'm not Chinese. So don't insist on calling me a Chinese when you don't know the difference between Mandarin and Cantonese (and no "Chinese" is not an official language). Just like my fellow friends from Hong Kong. I call them Hong-Kongnese. Singaporean from Singapore. Malaysians from Malaysia. Vietnamese from Vietnam. Koreans from South/North Korea. Filipinos from Philippines.

Chinese is reserved for China. Period. Don't associate Chinese with the rest of Asian looking people because although we all look Asian, we are definitely different from those in China.

Think extra careful when you speak with your friends, or just people in general, from those who come from Asian countries.

Maison Birks

My last shopping spree....was at a jewelry store. Whooopeee!

A while ago, you probably read my post about my experience at Birks about 11 years ago when I was still a student and looking for a diamond band ring. The SA had guided me from looking at white gold to silver, and then finally...the cabinet that was going to be on sale next week. I left the store with nothing and took my business to Mappins instead. I found the diamond band ring I liked and got it as a gift from my folks for my birthday.

Now, 11 years later, I walked into the exact same store. Why exactly? Because I was tired from work and didn't want to drive all the way west in traffic. I was lazy.

A brief story:

I was browsing online, looking for a glamorous ring to wear. It had to be cute and pretty. I actually started on Cartier and Tiffany to see if I could find anything but what they were asking (for the size of diamonds) was ridiculous. For example, the carat would be 0.13 but they were asking for $2100. It wasn't worth it in my opinion. Now of course there are reasons why (the 4 C's of diamond hunting), so perhaps that's why it was a ridiculous price, but I wasn't crazy enough to purchase it.

Then I remembered Birks. Of course I remembered Birks.

I browsed their rings online. They don't have as many selections as the rest but one thing I do know is that they are a Canadian company, and well, might as well support our own kind right?

That's where I finally found something similar as Tiffany and Cartier. Price was reasonable as well. So off I went to the store.

This was around 3:30pm on a weekday so malls were not packed. I wasn't expecting a busy time in the store but I wasn't expecting to be the ONLY CUSTOMER in there.

Let me tell you it was intimidating walking into Birks wearing half my scrubs and looking drained from work. There were 3 SAs in the store. The guy I remember very well, and I didn't want to ask him so I went towards 2 ladies. They were having a chat and I guess didn't see me, so I started to browse around, and didn't realize I was browsing the baby jewelry section.

At last, the older lady asked if I needed any help, and this is where I showed her the picture of the ring I was trying to get. She then directed me to the right place and brought out the ring to see. We sat down where I could see it more and try it on. Thankfully the one they showed me was in my size, so I did not have to wait for days or weeks to get it sized.

Diamonds can always be negotiated. I asked if this was the best price that I could get, and well, maybe I didn't push hard enough, but I knew I wasn't going to get a better price, as it was already a pretty good price. The SA said unfortunately that was the price it was going to be. But, she could throw in a few things for me. For example, the infamous silver bell used for engagement rings. Considering this was not under their engagement ring section, I am not suppose to get the silver bell. Because I was nice about it, she decided to throw it in for free for me!

The ring comes with the Birks blue box, as well as a traveling pouch to put the ring in, instead of bringing the silver bell with me as it is a bit heavy. It also comes with a certificate of authenticity, listing the type of diamond, for insurance purposes.

All in all, I was pretty happy with it. The diamonds really shine in sunlight and bright lights. It does look pretty glamorous. I debated telling her about my terrible story 11 years ago (and I believe it was the same lady too!!) but I decided not to. Figured if I did, maybe she would give me a better price LOL.

Now for the reveal:

The magical blue bag and box with ribbon that it comes with.

OooooOooo the silver bell!

Voila! 

This is the Birks Starry Night collection, heart shaped diamond cluster ring with a single halo. Consists of 0.5 carats, with S1 clarity and H colour on the scale. Comes in 18k white gold. You wouldn't be able to know unless it's under magnification, but when it glistens in the sun, it just shines WHITE BLING BLING!

It comes with a 1 year factory warranty. Birks will also do complimentary cleaning (like other stores).

For more information: Starry Night Heart Shaped Ring

Tiffany does have a similar ring. The only difference is the centre piece of the heart is one solid diamond. And of course the minimum overall carat is 1. It comes in platinum. Tiffany is asking north of $24,000 for that ring. I'm fortunate I did not pay that price. This is magnificent enough for me. 

And here it is: Soleste Heart Ring

Cartier does have a heart shape ring, which only consists of a diamond in the middle, but no diamonds on the band. They're asking for about $2100 Cdn. Not as glamorous looking as the above two.

So if you have a girlfriend who is looking for heart shaped rings, these are wonderful selections from great companies. It's just a matter of how much would you be willing to spend. Don't forget though, you can always negotiate when it comes to diamonds and gold.

Vapormax Plus

Hello and greetings to all!

Now that we are winding down to the last week of August (what the heck man...really?!), there has been a lot of shopping happening. Well I don't know if it's a lot if you consider 2 shoes "a lot". But to me it's a lot.

Last year (beginning of 2017) I had bought a pair of Adidas Superstar shoes in black and rose gold. It was beautiful and I ended up using them for work. Now, considering I was on my feet a lot at work, I needed really good pairs of shoes. I have never bought Adidas before so decided to try them out. It was kind of funny because they weren't the most comfortable, especially if you have flat feet. They are pretty flat looking and don't have much of an insole, so I had to purchase insoles and switch out their stock ones.

After about a year and a half, they started to crack. The part where the front has the bend, and where the front meets the sides, that area started to really crack on my right foot and then the left. I was told from my friend that hers had cracked like that too over time. So I guess this is a known issue in Superstars.

Now begins the hunt for another pair of shoes. I'm usually a Nike fan, and have bought a lot of running shoes over the years.

A brief history:

I used to run a lot of cross country competitions during my school years, as well as track and field. As a young kid, my parents would not get me Nike shoes because they were super expensive and didn't see the point as my feet kept on growing. They bought me Brooks and still gave me good results in the end.

In my last year of grade school, my parents decided to reward me with my first pair of Nikes. I was so excited and happy because I could run in cross country with my very first pair! Lo and behold, I picked up wicked blue Airs (sorry I can't remember the exact name as it's been almost 20 years already), which at that time I believe the cost was $130...ridiculous if you think about it. However, I was very thankful they agreed to buy it as my feet finally started to stop growing.

I used them for several practices and the final competition. 3 months into wearing them, I noticed the front was tearing. The plastic that was situated at the tip of the shoe had started cutting into the mesh material on the side where the toes sort of bend with the shoe. I was pretty sad, as I felt my parents wasted money on a shoe that wouldn't last. I had no idea what to do.

Until my dad suggested we talk to Nike. The store probably wouldn't take in the shoe for an exchange as it was already past the date. So we decided to contact Nike directly. Nike has this exchange policy that if the shoe breaks within the year due to manufacture issues, then they can replace the shoe. I didn't know about this policy until we wrote to them. I remember we filled out a form and then explained what happened. We did this 5 months after they had bought it (although the shoe was ruined in 3 months, but for some reason we waited until the 5-6 months period...probably because we had no idea what to do).

I thought I could help out by...gluing the sides with my glitter glue. Yes, I actually did that and think I ruined it more to the point that it couldn't be fixed. However my dad still said to send it in and try. Nike contacted us and told us they would try to fix it, otherwise they will send a replacement.

About a week later, I got a pair of brand new Nike Airs in the mail. They were purple this time, the same style. I was super happy and fortunate that they were able to replace in such a short time. Although I was a bit sad they weren't blue, but still blessed that I still got something back.

I managed to get about 2-3 years of wear on the purple ones before they started to rip as well over time. By this time I wasn't doing much running anymore so that probably helped as well.

It's been over 18 years and I still remember that experience. Hence why majority of my running shoes over the years have been Nikes.

Now, back to the current story.

Now that my Adidas Superstars have ripped and is no longer safe to wear in the workplace, I began to search back to my favourite: Nike. I hadn't bought a pair of Nikes for some years now (the last one being from the Nike factory) but I browsed their main website and came across the current trend: the Vapormax.

Nike recently celebrated their 30 years of Air Max by introducing a hybrid into their line up: Vapormax. Apparently it took them 7 years to design and finalize this product, and released it on their 30th anniversary.

I tried to find a nice pair of anything. I was quite disappointed in the women's selection as I find women's get the crappiest colour selections (no offence). I used to hate my feet but maybe I should feel blessed as I have the option of browsing the men's catalogue as well, because there's such a vast selection.

Lo and behold, I land on the Vapormax Plus. Now that's my type of running shoe. Although I won't be running in them anytime soon (maybe except during a code) but otherwise I had to do some reading on them. They are comfortable. Knowing my past Nikes, I can whole heartedly agree that they could be comfortable. I landed on a pair that was (thankfully) on sale at that time in the men's section, and of course I chose a blue and black combination from Foot Locker.

They arrived in the mail about a week later and I was SUPER HAPPY!

Now of course I went to browse more colours and realized Nike has this "Be True" category. I fell in love with a pink and purple one with rainbows on the sole. Unfortunately they sold out everywhere in North America, so my only option at this point was to order from the UK. It took a while to figure out my UK size but I jumped the gun and ordered it. Got butt raped by customs, but can't escape them as it was coming directly from the UK store.

The shoes arrived 1 day apart. And I'm super happy to unveil them both here: The Vapormax Plus and Be True collection.

Voilaaaaaa! My 2 pairs of Vapormax Plus.

The Vapormax Plus soles.

The back of the Be True shoes.

At the bottom of the right sole, it says "BETRUE" at the end.

My verdict?

I have began wearing the blue Vapormax pair and they are super comfortable. I am still breaking them in so my feet are still somewhat sore from the stiffness, but they are slowly starting to loosen up. If you have flat feet, it will benefit you. I can feel the big arch helping, especially when I do a lot of standing and walking around during work hours. 

Another advantage is that it will give you a slight boost in height. The sole is basically all air, so you're essentially standing on air. And no, the soles will not pop if you step on a needle. Apparently it will take some force to break the air soles. You can try to search videos on Youtube.

Some disadvantages are that they do squeak a lot on glossy floor. It sounds like when you come into a building from walking in the rain outside, but eventually they clear up. At this point, they're still squeaking so I assume it will take a bit of time to wear them in before they stop squeaking. Everyone knows when I'm coming.

Another disadvantage is the tongue of the shoe. There is no place to weave the laces through to prevent the tongue from sliding around. I find after a while, the tongue has migrated to the right side of my feet, or the left. My prior shoes I was able to weave the laces through and the tongue wouldn't move. So I'm not sure what happened here!

Some people report that their shoes get stuck on the stairs, due to the gap in the middle of the sole. The sole is 2 parts, allowing more flexibility. I haven't had any issues yet of getting stuck or falling down the stairs, but I will report if I do. Hopefully not.

I sprayed down the Vapormax Plus with a protectant that repels fluid spills (definitely need that in my workplace setting). So far it's been working well; the shoes look flawless. I've had many compliments at work and they do stand out quite a bit. 

The Vapormax Plus Be True pair will most likely stay on my shelf untouched as it is a limited edition piece. Maybe I'll wear it once or twice but they will most likely end up like my pink breast cancer Uggs: stored away safely, living in my closet.

For more information, you can visit Nike's official website. If you're seeking the Be True version, you may have to order it via a UK site, but fair warning, they don't have many left over and they only come in men's size. And don't expect a discount, as they do cost more than the average Vapormax Plus shoes.

Code for the Vapormax Plus Be True: AR4791-500

Code for the Vapormax Plus in Blue/Black: 4205550

Summer Fendi

GTR and what is that?!

Hello August! Now we are officially halfway into summer. Kind of depressing now that I think about it because I haven't done much this summer except work like a dog. July was madness with work. And now that it's over, it's August. Great.

Last month I was browsing the net on my downtime, and wasn't really looking for anything in particular. I hadn't bought a brand new bag since last summer (the Alma BB was bought some time in November in the used market), so my streak was getting pretty good. A much better improvement than the past 2 years considering my designer handbags have now reached 10.

I was browsing the Chanel collection but didn't find anything appealing. And here's the thing. Chanel has been increasing prices left and right lately, that it's now impossible to find any handbags under 3K. The WOC is now a whopping $2700 and depending on the material or style, can easily reach $3300. The Mini has now hit $3700, which in my opinion you really can't fit much in either bag. Dropping 3K on a wallet seems a bit insane. And I didn't find much appeal in any bags in the latest collection. Considering I have a WOC and 2 classic bags already, I'm not desperate to get another piece.

Same with LV. I didn't find anything too appealing.

Until I landed on Fendi's website.

I'm a sucker for cute things, especially monster eyes. They just look so evil and cute at the same time. I don't really see many monsters being carried around (or maybe I'm just not in the right setting or environment). But this particular bag really caught my attention. The price was reasonable as well (not a huge difference than the other monster By the Way bag that I own). I gave my Fendi SA a quick text and sent her a picture of what I was interested in.

She texted me back quite quick and said that they had 2 in store. One was on display, but there was a brand new one in the back. She would hold it for me, and off I went the next day with my BFF.

We arrived there sometime around noon, and was greeted by the SA right away. She had brought out the display model for me to touch and try on, just to see if it was really my cup of tea. And off she went to get the brand new handbag for me. I tried it on and really liked it. It has a classic twist to it, but yet a fun side to it as well. It was then I realized that I could get a matching WOC and a wallet as well! However, I wasn't really into those at that time, but mainly focused on the handbag itself.

SA brought out the brand new bag and had me check it over, making sure that I was happy with it before I dropped the money down. Fendi continues to offer the option of hot stamping initials or monster eyes on the key tag, but I chose not to at this time. And here I went, paying the handbag. I was ecstatic!

SA had also asked about if my mom and I enjoyed our Fendi bags and of course I said yes! She loves it to bits. She also asked why I didn't bring my mom with me, and I told her 'mom doesn't know I'm here!' :P

We walked around for a bit in the mall before heading back home, where I decided to do a mini unboxing in pictures below.

So here it is....the Fendi Monster Petite 2Jours in black calfskin with gold hardware.

The beautiful bag and box.

Comes with a black dust bag as well.

Voila! Here she is!

Another front end shot. 

The rear shot. It is pretty plain with just the calfskin leather.

The inside consists of 2 large compartments and a middle zipped compartment. The entire bag has one button snap closure on top.

A bit up close with the monster eye.

A shot with the GTR. This was her first outing (and her only outing so far).

The bag is made of 100% calfskin leather all around, including the interior. Previously on 2Jours bags, the front and back are usually saffiano leather, with the sides being calfskin leather, and the interior being a fabric type material. In this particular model, everything is calfskin leather. The good thing about it is that it's easier to clean, both inside and out. The bad thing about it is I feel it will be more prone to scratches and blemishes.

I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the key tag because it was so nicely wrapped up that I was too lazy to open it and take a picture of it. It does come with its own dust bag (really cute!). 

The hardware comes only in gold, for this particular bag. It also comes with shoulder straps that seem difficult to attach/detach. It doesn't have a clasp like the BTW bag but it's similar to a pop belt, which I feel can loosen up over time if it's being taken on and off over time. I have seen and read that if you don't want the shoulder strap, then it's easier to just hide it in the bag and then you can use it if you need it, without having to detach it. The bag itself is roomy already, so hiding the strap is no problem.

It's a beautiful bag all around, and I have a feeling it will age gracefully over the years. Based on what I've read so far on those who've had it long term, the bag's sides will tend to sag over time, unless you really stuff the bag well to keep the structure. I've noticed that with the bag, the store did give tougher tissue paper to be sure the structure of this bag doesn't sag as it sits on shelves. Overall, I am happy with this purchase (although when I checked the website now...1 month after I purchased it, the price HAS GONE DOWN WHAT??!), and I hope to get many years of wear on this handbag. Go monster!

Let's go to the nitty gritty details:

Brand: Fendi

Name: Petite 2Jours (Monster)

Product Code: 8BH253SQPF0KUR

Dimensions: L (10.23 inches), W (4.7 inches), H (8.3 inches)

Material: Calfskin, aluminum, brass

Interior: 2 large compartments, 1 middle zipped compartment, snap closure top

Comes with: key tag, black shoulder strap that can be detached

Where to buy: Fendi boutiques

Summer 2018!

Wow we have entered into summer. A lot has happened since I last blogged (I mean, what life isn't busy?!)

Last month I went on a Scandinavian cruise to visit Norway, Germany (Berlin), Estonia (Tallinn), Russia (St Petersburg), Finland (Helsinki) and Sweden (Stockholm). All thanks to Princess Cruises, it was a wonderful trip. If you happen to get the chance to go on a cruise there, the countries are beautiful. I will try to get some pictures uploaded for you to see in the next post.

I've also had 2 babies recently. Not real babies. Fur babies to be exact. This happened a couple of days after I arrived back from my trip. I hadn't really told people my plan was to adopt a kitty, but it was to help a coworker whose cat had given birth to a litter of kitties. And he begged me to take one. It was really hard to say no. But I said yes, sure why not.

The other kitty was suppose to go to a friend of mine, who lives on the other side of the city. I ended up taking the 2 kitties with me so I could meet up with my friend the following day to give her the kitty. I got lost coming back home because this is what happens when I listen to other people's direction without physically looking at a map beforehand. So I ended up way north of Ontario when I was suppose to go south.

So here I am, lost in Ontario somewhere, with 2 kitties who kept meowing for 30 mins non stop, probably wondering where they are being taken. Halfway through, they stopped meowing. I looked and saw them both laying beside each other, hugging each other...sleeping. It was the cutest thing I've seen in the longest time.

I finally got home and basically said, your grandchildren are home! They saw, and said: this is too cute...but it will be tough to split them up. Let's keep them both.

And so, that's how I ended up with 2 kitties instead of one. I believe they are both sisters but they're still young and still need an appointment with the vet to confirm. They are just shy of 3 months old so they are still super tiny.

Aren't they adorable? :)

They have kept me super busy the past month. But it's been a joy to see them grow slowly (although I wish they could stay small forever). I'm happy that they've found their forever home.

About a week in, I broke down as all the memories from M came flooding back and I kept asking myself...am I doing the right thing? Am I really ready for this? For the next 15-20 years? Am I betraying M? It was a lot of ifs. I ended up praying about it. I believe they can help me heal, but it doesn't mean M's memory will be gone forever. Although I still take many photos and videos of them, my main screensaver is still M. It doesn't mean I love them less or one more over the other: it just means they're all in my heart forever and will remain there forever. This is just a reminder of why I love kitties.

While all this madness is happening, I saw a bag and bought it. Yeah, bad I know. I had time to browse the net one day and went on Fendi's website and BOOM! I saw IT! I contacted my Fendi SA and thankfully they had one in stock, brand new never opened, and one display model. So I booked an appointment to go in and see it.

I brought my BFF with me for moral support (maybe perhaps she would try to convince me NOT to buy it but it didn't work). After seeing the display model and trying it on and contemplating for about 5 mins, I decided this was coming home with me. And so it did!

My SA asked me why I didn't bring my mom? (she remembered I bought her a Fendi bag for Mother's Day). Perhaps my mom would be interested in getting another bag? I told her my mom didn't know I was there shopping LOL.

I came home, took some pictures and videos and ended up using the bag once for now. I'm still not used to the soft leather all around and am terrified of scratching the hardware and leather. It is a beautiful bag for sure.

Stick around for the next post to see a reveal and details about the bag. I promise you this time it won't be a 2-3 month wait for the next post ;)

May Flowers

Holy patootieeeeeeeeeee! Haven't blogged in over a month. It's been crazy with life, but I'm still around whew.

A lot has happened since then. April was crazy with preparing for that symposium, but all that came and went by so fast that now we are in May.

The night we left, it was that rain and snow storm. Hundreds of flights were cancelled. I was really worried that my flight would not make it out as I still had to prepare for the presentation the following day. Thankfully AC Rouge was updating us constantly about our flight status. The flight was suppose to depart at 9pm, but we left just after midnight. Not bad considering some flights never made it out. Our original plane was stuck somewhere on the runway because of all the snow. But they had found another plane that was closer to the terminal and so decided we'd take that plane instead. After we boarded, we had to wait another hour or so because a plane behind us was stuck in the snow. They had to dig it out.

Normally I'd bash AC but this time around, I was thankful that they kept us updated every 15 minutes and apologized. I think everyone knew there was going to be a delay because of the weather so there wasn't any crazy passenger stories. Everyone was pretty cool with it. We were just thankful we were escaping this weather to go to more sunnier weather. We departed and landed in Las Vegas after 1am. By the time I got settled into the room and ready for bed, it was about 3am. Of course Vegas is always partying at all hours.

The symposium went well. It was great to be back in Vegas again (and this time, pretty much all expenses were paid by the company). It was only the last half of the trip that I was on my own but otherwise it was a great symposium. Met a lot of people from various States and countries, and getting to know different practices. The presentation went really well, got quite a few interests on my topic. Also, Canada represent BRAP BRAP!!!

Stayed at Aria resort for the last part of the trip and it was AMAZE BALLS. I walked into my room and as soon as I opened the door, a welcome music started playing, and the window drapes automatically opened, revealing the Strip view. This was the first time staying at Aria, and I have read amazing reviews. But this was the best room I've ever booked. The bathroom was awesome as well. I really enjoyed the private toilet area with the frosted glass and separate door from the rest of the bathroom. Private pooping at its finest.

The shower area looked beautiful, with a tub beside it as well. However, when it actually came to showering, there was not much grip on the shower floor once water hits it. It became super slippery. So that was one negative thing noted. You just have to be extra cautious.

The room walls were pretty good. I didn't hear much sound from other rooms that I remember. Maybe I had really good neighbours that never made a peep. The water in the room costed $14 for a bottle. I think it was one of those 1L bottles but TOTALLY NOT WORTH IT. I was told to not touch any of the drinks in the room and fridge as they all had motion sensor on it. There is a warning that if you do touch it, you have about 60 seconds to put it back otherwise it will charge it to your room. I've read reviews that people did do it in less than 60 seconds but they still got charged. So anyways, I never touched them and never got charged.

I'm not a fan of casinos, but the casino area was huge. There were always parties happening at night with the clubs and lounges inside but I never got to check it out as I'm not really into that scene anymore.

I brought my folks to watch Cirque du Soleil's "O" water show at Bellagio and they really enjoyed it. I watched it back in 2009 and don't really remember much of it, except that there was a big pool. Getting old sucks. But once I saw it again, I was like OH YEAH I REMEMBER THIS NOW! Many butt clenching moments because the performers were jumping so high into the pool. And part of me was like, oh gosh, please don't miss the pool.

I did more walking around this time than before, and took them sight seeing around the Strip. Then as fast as I arrived, it was time to leave.

A couple days after I arrived back home, I hear of this terrible news of a Toronto van attack. A van had gone down Yonge Street, hitting pedestrians. Eventually the driver was caught and arrested, then taken into custody. In the end, there were 10 deceased, and many more injured.

This is not something you hear of in Toronto, but when news of it circulated throughout the world, you can't help but wonder: no matter where you go, you just aren't safe anymore.

The tragedy brought us together, and to say: even through tragedy, we are still united as one. We stand together, and we stick together. A memorial was held as well for all those affected.

I want to say it was an attack. Absolutely. This young man who was brilliant on paper, but had autism, had some issues with women in general. He was frustrated with them in general and decided to take action upon them. Someone who is mentally incapacitated will NOT be able to come up with a plan and actually act on it. I don't believe in the whole 'I blame the mental illness' crap, especially when it comes to situations like this. When capable people start blaming mental illness for their actions, it really pisses me off because it really just directs blame to a certain group.

There are people who are really mentally ill, that when you see and get to talk to them, you really know something is going on with their minds. There is no way they would be able to come up with a plan and act on it. The minds are very scattered in thinking, and nothing makes sense when you talk to them. Even a "hello, how are you?" question will result in many scattered answers that won't make any sense.

To be able minded, do something stupid, and then blame mental illness for it, you just want to punch them in the face.

I hope this guy gets what he deserves. A life sentence for each person he murdered, served back to back.

Mother's Day also came and went. This year was absolutely devastating as we had to travel out of town for a funeral on Mother's Day. A family friend of ours, his beautiful wife passed away from cancer. Because of the timing, the only time was on Mother's Day. The hardest part was listening to the goodbye speech from their eldest son, who was still in university. The youngest had not graduated high school yet, but he was going to next month. Prom is also next month as well, and he is still deciding which university program to accept. He still hasn't accepted the fact that his mom will not be there anymore.

It was the hardest Mother's Day to get through. Even though yes, my mom is still here. But when I immense myself in their shoes, it hurts. It really just reminds us all how life is so fragile. Everything can be fine today, but gone tomorrow.

My period cramps this month was terrible. Everything was fine the first 4 hours, but right after that 4 hour mark, all hell broke loose. I took a narcotic to ease the pain, which eventually worked after an hour. But the air in the room was way too humid. Air circulation sucked in that area of the building. Windows can't be opened because of safety issues (don't want patients jumping out the windows). So the last resort was using a fan, but of course that's against infection control because we blow bacteria around the room. Great. All that combined together along with feeling lightheaded and what feels like losing half your body's blood = ready to faint. The nausea is terrible.

I didn't know I looked that bad, but my coworkers know me well.  They realized right away that I didn't look so good and wasn't my normal self. By God's grace I managed to survive that shift and was able to go home a tad bit early as people thought I would pass out on the floor and have to call a code on me.

I have good and bad months. I've had pretty good months lately so it was just a matter of time that I would get a bad one. It just so happened it turned out to be this month. Being a woman SUCKS. I remember reading this meme about periods. It went something like, why can't it just be a small, red dot like congratulations you got your period. See you next month.

If only it was really THAT simple. As a kid, when they first taught stuff about periods in school, I actually thought it was going to be a circular red dot. That's the way it was taught in school. They never said it would look like something had died in your underwear. It would be too traumatizing to show a picture of what a period really looks like in real life.

If only men knew what periods looked like, and what women have to go through each month and deal with this 'congratulations, you're not pregnant' reminder. Some women have it good, and some have to call in sick for work each month because that's how bad it gets. I'm sort of in the middle. I have good months, and some months I want to murder myself to end the misery. If I look at my track record, I remember having to leave work once because the period cramps were too severe. I was getting chills and shaking because of it, along with lightheadedness and nausea. Thankfully I did not puke on anyone but there was no way I could pull through the shift. I'm fortunate that it does not happen every month.

I have done check ups to see if there was something more serious going on with me, but they did not find anything. In the end, you just end up blaming the hormones. Great, I can't control how much hormones are produced each month.

I found more shoes to buy. I was lucky to get them when there was a sale happening during the weekend. I ended up buying 3 pairs, but of course, one for the niece. She's been drooling over my rainbow platforms and begged me that if I don't wear them anymore, to give it to her. Problem is it will be many more years ahead as her feet are definitely not the same size as mine. I saw a rainbow one and ended up getting one for her. I just hope she can wear them this summer, then she can match with auntie! Kids grow fast, so I'm pretty sure I'll be buying a few more sizes for her in the next few years.

Anyways, time to get back to applications. Will update when I get it all sent out to see what my next journey in life will be.

April 1st!

You know what that means...

First off, I bought a Lamborghini Aventador in baby blue. It's been my ultimate dream to own such a machine. Paperworks have been done, but the dealership at Pfaff still needs to do final checks and what not before I pick it up. I request to also get tints done there so that also explains the delay in delivery.

Plan is to have it delivered to the house. I requested that they put a big bow on the roof, because I like to spoil myself like that. The plan is to do a delivery video/photo session and pose with it before I take the bow off.

This has been a wicked dream come true so I'll be sure to share it with you once delivery occurs!

In other news...

Happy Easter to all! May we also celebrate that it's the day Christ rose from the dead. Amen to that! May you all celebrate with family and friends on this awesome weekend.

The data collection was compiled and now the final presentation is done! It has been printed and ready to go. I'm pretty excited and scared at the same time. I've noticed no one from Canada has a poster presentation at this conference so I keep telling myself, behave. Don't screw up. YA REPRESENTING THE CANADIANS YO! DON'T SCREW UP!!!!!! Yeah, no pressure. Just keep it cool.

I went to Niagara yesterday to check out the games and eateries at Clifton Hills. I tried the Zombie 3D game and that was pretty neat. It was similar to a game I played a couple years ago at Wonderland, on a ride and shot zombies at a screen. The only difference here is that it's in a theatre like setting, so you're not on a ride, but the seats move with whatever is going on, on the screen. There are seats that don't move if you request. Most likely they'll just turn off the seat motion during the game. Anyways that was cool.

The second was a haunted house. It's somewhere in the middle of the busy street. But the decorations are behind cages. Nothing pops out at you like the ones at Wonderland. Yet I was still trying not to piss my pants from being too scared. The problem was that it was completely pitch black. Couldn't see anything so you will have to hold onto the walls and feel the walls. The attendant says it takes about 10-11 minutes to complete the house but I finished in about 2-3 minutes because I cheated: I used a flashlight.

There was another vampire one but didn't get to check it out, since I thought it would be similar to the other haunted house one.

Then there was another 3D ride. This was located inside one of the arcades. Nothing scary about it. You just shoot lasers at targets that are on each figurine inside. This one was one that takes you inside on a cart. I was lazy and wanted to sit so this is a good one if you want a break from walking inside attractions.

The arcades was a hit/miss opportunity. Some of the arcades inside were a bit messed up as it ate my coins and didn't return them, yet didn't give an opportunity to play a game. I didn't bother trying to complain to get some reimbursement for the coins since I didn't pay too much for them. But just a head's up if you decide to check it out.

Also checked out the Grand Buffet inside Fallsview Casino. First time there at the buffet. Of course I get carded again trying to get inside the casino. The buffet is $30 a person, but if you have a player's card, I believe you get some sort of discount. If you play a lot there with the card, you do get some coupon that gives you free lunch or dinner buffet. I don't have either so I paid the $30.

The food selection was alright. The taste was alright too, nothing too crazy. Desserts was good. Otherwise I don't think it's worth $30 for the buffet. I think maybe they're trying to be like Vegas with the food and stuff, but it's not THAT impressive. It's convenient for the casino goers who want to have a lunch or dinner but don't want to go far.

After that it was time to go home!

I've been looking for a pair of Chanel shoes which aren't sold in Canada. It's a bummer as I've called Canadian boutiques and they pretty much said the same: if there isn't a price listed on the website, it means the Canadian market didn't pick it up. Which SUCKSSSSSSSS. I guess I'll have to try USA and see whether they do have it or not. If they do then great. Problem is, the damn currency exchange. Our dollar always sucks. So while I oogle over them and dream about them, I will really have to think whether they're worth it.

I've had a couple of weird dreams lately. The first is I dreamt my brother bought a used Ferrari Maranello. So weird. Because my brother doesn't really care much about cars. I would go and visit him and see the nieces. At the same time, I would take the keys and drive the car around. I almost curbed it in my dream while trying to park on his street. Almost had a heart attack, and then I woke up. I woke up wanting a Ferrari.

The second dream was that I had almost missed my flight. The flight was 720am. I was still at home at 7am packing. But for some reason the online announcement said oh nevermind, the boarding time would be 9am. Yet the flight was suppose to be 720?! I'm not sure what happened there, but all I remember is taking my time to pack my things. And then I woke up thinking I missed my flight. Thankfully it's not the time yet.

Alright, that's about it for now. Going to take another afternoon nap. Be lazy. Cheers!

March...Spring?

Holy Moly. Did not realize I missed a month of blogging. I guess it was pretty crazy last month that I didn't get a chance to write anything.

First off, February was a bit nuts. The hardest part of it was losing a patient on my birthday and feeling pretty bummed out about it. It's never happened before after all these years and then boom, it just happened. What's interesting is the previous day my coworkers knew it was my birthday coming up, and jokingly told me I need to work hard on my birthday (since we get time and a half for working on our birthday). Who knew that's what really happened! The worst experience is to lose someone that you're taking care of, regardless if it's your birthday or not.

After going home and feeling pretty bummed out, I pretty much stayed in bed most of the next day. It was going to be a slow day. The only plan was to go out for dinner and that was that.

But who knew my friends had planned to do a surprise birthday party for me. Totally did not expect it. There were a few clues that I figured something was up....I swear I picked out a car in the parking lot that looked eerily familiar to a friend's, but wasn't too sure as I couldn't remember her plate. I only recognized the model and colour, but it was a bit dark so it was hard to tell.

I walked into the restaurant and was directed to a table. Well, a big room I guess. With a big table full of my good friends. I was totally shocked. Nevertheless, it was a great birthday surprise that those closest to me had taken the time and effort to put together. I really cherish each and every one of them. 

Then of course it was Chinese New Year, the year of the dog. WOOT! Got some red pockets once again.

February was also the month of a shopping spree at Swarovski. I'm not sure how much I spent in there, but it was mostly birthday gifts for other people. Because of that, and I unknowingly spent it during a promotional time frame, I ended up getting a bunch of free gifts. Free sparkling wallets, free crystals, free pen, a 20% discount, and a sparkling umbrella. Yes, I went wild in that store. While ordering the gifts online, I had the option of shipping it to store or home. I chose the store option and it was pretty convenient.

That's when I also discovered the Swarovski Crystal Society, a paid membership where you get various store promotions and upcoming events, as well as a yearly sparkling gift, and one admission to the Swarovski Cristallwelten museum in Austria. I was in for the yearly sparkling gift. One little decoration can cost upwards of $80. So I figured why not?! Let's try this.

I did receive the gift in the mail. Let's just say Swarovski does an amazing job with shipping and delivery. You wouldn't even know it's by Swarovski but it's neatly and discreetly packed to the point that no one would think to take whatever was in that package.

Some great news: I finally got my specialized certificate in the mail! So it's official: I passed. I thought all this time they emailed the wrong person and was waiting for an "Oops, sorry we emailed the wrong candidate" email. But fortunately that didn't happen; the initial email was right. I was just being paranoid. It came with a specialized pin to wear to work and wherever. Unfortunately even when they tried to protect the certificate from the pin, the pin still went through the thick layer of cardboard, and made a couple of holes in my certificate. Oh well. Looking forward to framing it soon.

Didn't realize but there is just over a month away until the next conference, which I'm still prepping for. I was hoping to get this all done by the end of the month. So far, it's a work in progress. But I know the data collection is going to be a pain. Graphing the data isn't so bad if I knew how to use Excel. I'll have to figure it out soon. Fingers crossed.

Recently I got my eyebrows done. It was to help a friend as she's starting out in her hobby/business. And I never really liked my brows so I guess it was a chance to make it look better. Microblading is the new in for brows. For some reason I thought it was similar to a mini hair transplant. I had no clue it was about cutting the skin superficially and injecting dye just under the skin to create the semi permanent look (i.e basically a semi permanent tattoo). I really need to get with the times. It's currently healing but it makes my brows look super dark. Eventually it will fade, but this week has been torture as I'm trying to hide my face from everyone. So if you see me avoid eye contact with you, it's not because I don't want to see your face. It's because I don't want you to see my brows while they're healing :P

Next up? Some eyelash extensions to complete the look. As well as a follow up to fill in the brows. And then doing my nails before a trip (although I really hate the feeling of it, but it looks cool). Oh right. And buying a set of new tires. Forgot about my car for a moment. If you're wondering, Genny is doing fabulous. She just needs a new set of heels. WOOHOO!!!! Got to throw away the crap ones from Steelcase Tires.

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY to all the ladies out there! I am probably 10 minutes late but oh well, still counts.

This brings me back to just over a year ago. One of the strongest women I know of is my mom, who had to go through that terrible side effect of cataract surgery, and then suffering a hematoma in the brain from a fall because of vision issues. A year later, she is doing much better. She's always had this independence in her, that it was weird when people did stuff for her. But she's been much better since that day and is now stronger than ever. She still cooks, cleans, takes the grandchildren out, does her chores. It was almost like the injury never happened. It's a huge miracle when it comes to her recovery; a huge blessing from above.

Take the time to thank your loved ones around you because things can change in an instant. Don't live with regret. Always treasure them while they're still here for you.

Judging a Book...

...by its cover.

I'm pretty sure most of us have judged someone based on what they see versus who they really are deep down inside.

We are going to do a way back play back event when I was about 19 years old.

I was still in the very early years of university, had summer jobs, didn't party at all but I did have a social life going out with friends for dinner and stuff like that. Just wasn't into the clubbing scene.

This was also the era that (for some reason) I fell in love with diamond rings. Not the wedding type of diamond ring per-say but more of those plain bands with small diamonds engraved in the centre. To me it was a clean look, very elegant and nothing too crazy. It was shiny yet had a smooth finish.

Now I was a fortunate kid (still am) that my folks decided to get me one for my 20th birthday. I thought it was a bit crazy, but they really saw how much I was drooling over various pictures of it...to the point that they said ok fine, your birthday gift because you worked hard. But doesn't mean you stop working hard!

Alright. Now question is where do we go to get it? There are millions of jewelry places to go to but it wasn't just about finding the right price; it was also finding the proper cut and handiwork of the ring.

We checked out People's. A family friend had told my mom that People's Jewelry is equivalent to McDonald's. I guess because of the workmanship. We had a good laugh about that. Didn't stop us from going to see the place, but in the end, we didn't really find one that made us all happy.

Next we checked out Birk's. I had heard of them before but didn't know too much about them, except that they were a bit on the pricey side.

So of course my folks and I wander to the area where they had the bands with diamonds etched in them. A saleslady came by and asked if we needed any help. We said we were looking for a diamond band ring. She then asked who was it for, and they pointed at me.

It was at this point the saleslady asked if I was getting married. I said no, I'm just looking for a band with diamonds etched in them as a birthday gift. She kind of looked at me wide-eyed, as if to say "Girl, you are waaaaaaaaaaaay too young to be in this store buying a ring for yourself." Of course she tried to ask what kind of cut, how many diamonds, whether I wanted gold, platinum or white gold, that sort of thing.

I aimed for a white gold finish. So of course this lady is slowly migrating away from the diamond bands to another section: the "on sale" section. I could tell they weren't as high quality as the typical wedding bands because they were placed in a completely different section of the store. I looked but didn't see anything I liked.

Then of course, the next one was the last assault: My dear, here is the section where we carry our SILVER jewelry. It will be going on sale next week *winks*.

How the hell did I go from white gold and diamonds to silver 925?!

I can see why she would do that migration from gold to silver: because I looked like a young kid who was getting spoiled, and so to save my folks from overspending, she guided us to the silver section.

It's a funny story when we talk about it. Of course when it actually happened, I felt a bit of insult because it was similar to being treated at a luxury car dealership when you're trying to buy an expensive car that you can afford, but the salesperson doesn't believe you and shows you the cheapest car they have on the lot.

Of course I wasn't going to pick the most expensive band out of the store. My folks and I agreed on a range and if we couldn't find one in the range, then we wouldn't get it.

After that experience at Birks, we walked out with nothing. And of course as we walked away, the saleslady reminded us of that "silver sale" that was happening next week and to come back. Thanks I guess?

Eventually we ended up at Mappins. I hadn't heard of the store before but after going there, it was a pleasant experience. The saleslady asked what we were looking for and she showed us the entire collection. Never once did she judge us (or me) for wondering why a young person would walk into a jewelry store to get a diamond band ring. She was very accommodating as it took us forever to choose something and I believe we did take a couple of trips to the store before we finally decided on one.

From the time we entered Mappins to the time we received the product was a very pleasant experience. The saleslady made sure we were happy with the purchase, and to triple check the ring when it arrived to make sure there were no scratches or blemishes on the product. I tried the ring on and it was beautiful. She complimented that it suited me quite well, even at that age.

It's been over 10 years and I still wear it pretty much everyday. It needs a cleaning soon but for now, it's held up very well. Couldn't be happier. Still shines bright like a diamond and compliments my wardrobes.

As for Birks, I really do enjoy looking at their diamond rings. They are beautiful. I just hope one day they would take me seriously when it comes to purchasing one. I am 10 years older now. Hopefully. Fingers crossed.

New Year Thoughts

I was reading the news (of course, when I'm bored I start reading), and came across several stories that bogged my mind.

The first is this thing with people doing this "Tide Pod Challenge", a Youtube challenge where young adults eat laundry detergent gel pods for fame. The warning label on the pods say to "keep away from small children". I didn't know a 16 year old was considered a small child, but considering they're eating something poisonous, you might as well call them idiots.

This is the "new fad" of 2018. Eating laundry detergent. Are you serious? What's the next challenge? Who can down a cup of antifreeze the fastest?

I have watched a clip of these idiot teens biting down into the pods and of course, the pod erupts in their mouths and they try to spit it out. I'm not sure what the goal of this challenge is, except to break the pod with your teeth. Otherwise, it's probably the dumbest idea. Somebody out there, at least start spreading something good or helpful. Not stupid things like this.

This really shows how our society is really like: going downhill. It makes me fear raising kids in this culture. I would like my future kids to get married to smart people, not idiots who eat washing machine pods for fun. There is already a generation of idiots; we don't need more to populate Earth.

Honestly. I don't know what these teens are thinking. And yet you want respect from everyone? Maybe start growing up and realize the difference between food and a Tide pod.

Click here to see what the next generation of leaders will look like.

The other one that hit the news pretty big this week was the attack on a 11 year old girl wearing a hijab. A man came up to this girl while she was going to school and assaulted her by cutting off her hijab. Not once, but twice.

The girl and her family called police, and got the TDSB involved. It hit nationwide news, and everyone was searching for the culprit behind this assault. That this isn't what Canada is about.

You're right. It isn't what Canada is about because the attack never happened.

I'm not sure why a 11 year old girl would lie to the police, to the school, and to the public about this made up story. I mean great, she didn't get injured. But seriously, why would you say something like this?!

This is equivalent to calling 911 for fun and hanging up the phone when they start asking you if you need fire, ambulance or police. Or having someone arrested for raping you when it never happened. How is this situation any different?

My folks taught me at a very young age, to never call 911 unless my life was in trouble, or I needed to save someone's life and needed help. But to never cal 911 for fun and hang up, because we could get into serious trouble. And go to jail. Yes, instilling fear actually works people. Don't be afraid to threaten or scare your kids because it actually works and they won't even try it. So where were the parents and their teaching of telling their kids to NOT LIE TO THE POLICE ABOUT SOMETHING SERIOUS LIKE SOMEONE ATTACKING THEM?

If an 18 year old did this, they would get arrested for wasting the police's time. Or 30. Or  60. This girl is lucky the police isn't arresting her parents or her for wasting their time and resources chasing after false leads.

Now there is that issue of well, what happens if someone wearing a hijab did get attacked, but are now afraid to report the crime because of what this girl did? In the world of forensics, if there is proof that it happened, they will find it and yes, the culprit will get convicted. I don't think anyone should be afraid of reporting something that happened to them.

She faked the assault.

The other one to hit the news was a University of Guelph professor who was accused of making snark remarks to one of his students and his aid. The student suffered from severe anxiety and was chewing gum in class. The student had raised his hand to ask the professor a question, and that's when the snark remarks began.

Why is he chewing gum? It helps him to relax because of his anxiety. He mentions he has an aid beside him. The professor then calls him the 'handler' and tells him that he 'needed to control' the student.

Obviously the student was very upset about this and left the class, along with the aid. Soon after, other students in the class protested about how the professor handled the situation, which prompted one female student to stand up and basically rip apart the professor. Along with a standing ovation, she really stood her ground. Soon after, students started filtering out of his class.

The power of social media. I tell you, you have to be very careful what you say in this day and age. One wrong move, and your future is on the line. This is a prime example of this. The professor can think he's all badass and tough, but one wrong word, and you're out the door.

Professor thinks he's tough.

Now, one of the more depressing news this week was the 5 year old girl who was struck and killed by a vehicle in motion, right outside her school.

Camila was being picked up by her dad after school. The car was parked in the drop off/pick up area of the school, and they were both getting into their car when a SUV in motion (nobody was in the driver's seat) began rolling towards their car and pinned them both against their car.

Both were taken to hospital, but unfortunately Camila's condition was too critical that she passed away a couple of hours after the accident.

We also found out that little Camila had battled cancer when she was 3. This was her second chance at life and now it was taken away too soon.

Rest in peace Camila.

Camila Torcato

Another tragedy this past week was the shooting of an innocent bystander, a 15 year old boy named Alfred Wong.

He was riding along in the car with his parents, approaching an intersection when there was a gunfire outside. Alfred was hit by the stray bullets intended for someone else. They had just come back from a family outing when they were caught in the crossfire.

He was on life support and was not expected to live. How do you deal with that? That you're just minding your own business with your family and then suddenly now you're making the decision to continue life support or not.

Supposedly the shooting was gang related. Investigations are currently underway. People in gangs are heartless. They really don't care about the feelings of other people when it comes to hurting innocent bystanders. They don't care to stand up and admit it was their fault for ending innocent lives. Of course, because they're idiots. Only idiots and cowards join gangs.

Rest in peace Alfred.

Alfred Wong

Happy New Year!

First post of 2018. My, my time flies.

Just the other day, I was speaking to a staff member and she commented that she couldn't believe it was already 2018. I was in shock too. Then I said at least it's 1 year closer to retirement for everyone! She looked stunned and thought I was retiring. Of course I said I was joking, but I wish I could retire. Unfortunately, not for another 30 years.

This year, it was (and still is) unbelievably cold. A lot of the NYE events had been cancelled or scaled back because of the weather. As much as I wanted to watch fireworks, it was way too cold to wait outside to watch it.

I was fortunate enough to check out Niagara Falls during NYE and it was beautiful. Everything was frozen and just looked so wintery. Surprisingly there were still lots of people who went there for celebrations, even though it was bloody cold.

I checked out the casino as well, even though I'm not a gambler and got carded on my way in. Yay for Asian genes! I was pretty happy; it closed off my 2017 in positivity. It was pretty packed inside the casino as well. Nothing new really. I did see a Grand Buffet but didn't get a chance to check it out.

We walked around the Fallsview area for a bit, grabbing some food (yes, the money I refuse to give up is my meal money), and window shopped.

After spending pretty much the day there, we drove back home. Since it was a last minute decision to do this, the suggestion of staying a night in Niagara was difficult as prices were already sky high with NYE. Next time though.

I've been watching a lot of crime shows (and I mean a lot...it's probably a bit unhealthy) recently and with all the various degrees of crimes that are committed by people, I wish they did not abolish the death penalty here in Canada. Canada's laws are a joke. Someone who is convicted of first degree murder gets an automatic life sentence, BUT they would still get parole in 25 years. If they're a juvenile and they kill someone, they won't be convicted as an adult, so they serve 10 years in a juvenile detention centre and then get released.

What. The. Heck.

Yes, there are people who do change for the better; they made bad choices/mistakes and then they have to serve years behind bars, but they learn to become a better person, and their choices reflect that, as well as their personalities and behaviour. Then there are those who pretend that they've changed, when they haven't, get released, and commit the same crimes (if not worse). Then that's when the courts say "oh, he shouldn't have been released" or "that's weird, my assessment showed he was a low risk to reoffend".

Some people don't believe in the death penalty, because it interferes with God's plan of life or death. Humans shouldn't "speed up" the process of death by putting someone under.

After reading about various crimes (inheritance crimes, insurance fraud crimes, cheating crimes etc), I'd side with the death penalty. Especially those involved in heinous crimes, and those who show no remorse whatsoever, they deserve the death penalty. Why should we be paying for them to stay in prison forever, so that they can live out their lives in prison? What about their victims? They have no more voice to defend themselves. And especially in court when they present evidence of crimes, where victims are exposed to the bare bones, when strangers can see them at their saddest moments.

Which brings me to the death penalty techniques. The most common one is the lethal injection, a combination of 3 IV medications. I've read that they stopped supplying Sodium Thiopental to prisons because the company (Hospira, and the only supplier) did not want to be associated with lethal injections in death penalty cases. So prisons had to scramble to find another combination, which most recently they replaced with Midazolam.

The 3 IV combos don't necessarily bring a "fast" death; some are declared dead within 5 minutes, and some last until 20 minutes. Some think it's unethical that convicts suffer at the death chamber, whether it's doctors trying to find a vein or whether the medications don't have a long effect as others.

Take for example, Clayton Lockett. He was tried and convicted of murdering a 19 year old, by beating, raping then murdering her. During his execution, it was difficult finding a vein for the injection. Eventually the doctor found a line in his femoral vein and inserted the IV there. However, because there were other people watching the execution, they decided to drape his groin area with a cloth, to preserve his dignity.

Midazolam was then instilled. However, what they didn't realize was after some time, the IV had infiltrated and was no longer in the vein. While they injected the other 2 final medications (Vecuronium Bromide and Potassium Chloride), he started to convulse. The doctor initially thought he didn't get enough dosage but then again, he had no idea how much went in because the IV got dislodged in the end. Lockett died about 45 minutes after the first injection of Midazolam, convulsing and twitching, as well as trying to talk as he was dying, that something was wrong.

Considering what he had done to the 19 year old female, 45 minutes of a failed execution is what he deserved. It's not because he's of colour, or he grew up in a messed up environment. But it's because the crime he committed was heinous.

Then of course the state and organizations are all like, this is inhumane. You need to fix this and that etc. But come on. They killed, and they showed no remorse. Some laugh at their victims' families and threaten them as they walk to jail after their convictions. And somehow the State still says "well, this is inhumane for making them suffer like this on the table." Yes, sure. Tell that to all the victims' families. That's a huge slap in the face.

It would be much better if they took out the muscle relaxants and sedatives, and just straight up use potassium chloride. Not only will they suffer a cardiac arrest, but they will feel like they're burning up all over. This is nothing compared to the crimes they've committed. I really don't see why the state laws have "inhumane" and "execution" in the same sentences. It's either one or the other.

Yes true, God is the one who will judge them in the end. What we do is speed up the process of them meeting God. But to have those murderers continue to live in jail cells when they don't deserve to (and also us paying for their stay), it makes my blood boil.

In the case of Paul Bernardo, someone like him needs to be put to death, not be in jail for life. There is no amount of psychology sessions that will change who he has become: a serial rapist and murderer. He has shown no remorse, and has become the most notorious killer in Canada. See, the thing with executions is that at least we know that they're dead and they'll never escape jail. For those in life imprisonment, there's always that small chance of escape. And you always think at the back of your mind: what if?

Wow. What a way to start off 2018 by talking about executions. I have been reading and watching way too many of these shows and cases.

In positive news, Moose Knuckles jackets really does keep you warm. I went out in a t-shirt wearing this jacket, and shovelled the snow in -20C weather. I was drenched in sweat when I came back inside. I forgot if I had already talked about this, but if I did, oops.

My Gucci bag is still for sale for those that are looking for a designer bag. Still up on www.jodidayscloset.com!

Stay warm everyone. Time to sleep.