Miniso - Hello Kitty pop up

Wow, can't believe we are in May! We are almost halfway into 2026. Insane how fast time flies. Where'd the time go?!

About a week and a half ago on April 25, Miniso had their very first Hello Kitty and friends pop up store at the Scarborough Town Centre (STC) mall. This was the first event in Canada. What was so special about this event? The newest addition to Hello Kitty and friends was the new blind box racing edition. Along with 500+ other cool items that aren't found in regular Miniso stores. AND the finale? They were bringing in both Hello Kitty and Cinnamoroll characters for pictures!

Just look at how cuuuuute they are!

Sounds totally exciting right?!

On paper it definitely sounded exciting. I mean, the FIRST pop up in Canada! And this was being promoted all through social media and word of mouth. You would think Miniso would expect a huge turnout.

But no, it was chaos. 

The first Hello Kitty & Friends pop up store, meet & greet.

Let me break it down to you. In order to take picture of the characters, you must first buy something at the pop up shop. Once you show the receipt to the team, they will guide you to the line up to take pictures with the characters. On paper once again, it sounds simple. Well, let me tell you how it actually went down. You ready for the tea? 

The event began early on Saturday morning. For those crazy enough to do this, they lined up outside of the mall at 4am. When the doors were still closed. I kid you not. These were HARDCORE fans. I was not that crazy. I still wanted my beauty sleep, so my friend and I (and God bless her for coming with me), decided to meet at 9:45am to line up.

I got there first and saw this line in front of Sephora. However it looked quite short. I asked the lady in front if this line up was for the pop up store. She mentioned it was actually for the characters, and the line up for the pop up was on the other side. I thanked her and made my way over, and COWABUNGA. The line up was INSANE. Torontonians love lining up for the most random things.

I don't know who decides on how the line up goes, but it sort of snakes around the entire place. I had to ask for directions on where the damn line began. So I lined up first, while my friend joined me shortly after. Initially the line seemed to be moving at an alright pace. I wish there were signs, but there were plenty of security around and STC staff, but apparently NOT ENOUGH. 

My friend and I continue lining up, chatting up about life and what not. The lady behind us had brought her daughter, as her daughter was a huge fan of Kuromi (that makes 2 of us!!). Her daughter begged her to come to the mall and take pictures with the characters. This was tough for the lady as she had work at 12:30pm and rushed to line up at 10am with her daughter. A lot of kids were actually there lining up with their parents, and a lot of kids and adults dressed up for this event. I had my Kuromi sweater that my bestie bought for my birthday. 

So here we are, at this point lining up for 1.5 hours and we sort of hit a slow zone. The lady is getting a bit antsy with waiting as now she is close to her work time. Meanwhile my very brave yet no BS friend goes to find the coordinator of the event to see how long it would take to get to the characters. At this point, it was about 11:20am. 

After what seemed like forever, my friend returns back and delivers the saddest news: they have officially closed the line up for the characters because they were only there for a 3 hour window, from 10am to 1pm. In between, they were required to take 20 minute breaks, because the costumes do get quite humid, and it would be inhumane to not give people a break from the humidity. When you think about it, a 3 hour window is not a lot of time already, but add 20 minute intervals in between, and you're probably looking at a 1.5 hour event instead. There is no way they are getting through this massive line up, so of course, they decide to cut off the line.

Now, the thing is, they did not announce this to those lining up for the pop up store. Keep in mind a lot of people showed up to this event primarily for the characters. The pop up store would still remain for the next month to shop, but the characters were only there for that one day, for 3 hours. In simple terms, everyone was lining up, thinking they would get a chance at taking pictures with the characters but no one from Miniso had gone around yet to inform them all of the bad news.

When the lady and her daughter found out, honestly it was the most depressing thing a mother could do, to deliver bad news to her young daughter that hey, we can't get photos with the characters because the line is closed. Other people nearby heard us talking and were stunned as well. The coordinator did not expect such a huge turn out. But hello, you guys promoted this event like crazy via social media. It was over hyped. And considering this is the first hello kitty pop up in Canada, did you not think this would draw people in?? They clearly underestimated the event.

The best request though? The coordinator asked MY FRIEND if she could go around and pass the message along. UMMM WHAT? No, that's YOUR job. My friend ain't getting paid for any of this, and there's no way in hell she is going to deal with the backlash that will happen from these customers. Like, are you kidding me?! Obviously my friend told her no, get your employee to do it. That's not my job. Eventually the coordinator did speak with an employee. This poor soul had to deliver the bad news to the massive line up, one by one. 

As for the solution for the remainder of the massive line, how would they get the photos? The coordinator suggested after the photo session, they could do a group photo with everyone in line, before the characters finish their shift at 1pm. Again, this was only a suggestion, but no guarantee that this would happen. And how would this group selfie work? You'd only be able to use one camera. It's not like everyone can ask for photos with their own phones.

At this point, my friend asked if we should still line up because at this rate, it would take another hour to get into the pop up store. I could go to this pop up store anytime - it didn't have to be opening day. Plus my back was also aching from standing so long, I had to leave the line a few times to either walk it off or sit down and rest. Since both her and I were not THAT desperate to shop in a crowded pop up shop, we decided to just leave the line. The lady and her daughter behind us had already left given that she had work. 

Instead, we went around to try and find these characters and eventually we did. We snuck in a few pictures, and my friend is a ninja - she managed to snap some up close, while evading security. Now that's a true friend! Like damn, we could've just done this instead of waiting in line for over an hour and a half! 

My friend being stealth.

After that, we just decided to sit down and grab some lunch and catch up on life. Honestly, it was a very interesting girls day out (a much needed one). 

The Miniso pop up event? It was a fail.

The characters were the ones that really made everyone hyped up, but to disappoint a whole bunch of fans is just on a different level. Especially the kids. The amount of disappointed kids (and parents who had to be dragged out early to this event), you just can't imagine. 

Honestly, this event would've been more successful if they hired 2 pairs of characters. When 2 are on the floor taking photos, the other 2 are on standby outside, getting their breaks. When it is ready to switch sides, you swap. And you keep going until the photo session ends. This would've made the line flow much quicker, and everyone would get a chance at photos. Miniso has the budget to hire 2 more people to play characters. It's not like they're operating on welfare. 

Another mistake? Don't promote the event as the very first pop up store in Canada, if you aren't going to anticipate a huge turn out. As a coordinator, you ALWAYS anticipate the unexpected and worst case scenarios. You don't just blame the "I didn't know it was going to be so big" game. Then why are you a coordinator? 

Miniso, get your SH!T together before you announce another pop up event. 

Kaleidoscope 2026

Happy end of April already! Crazy how time flies.

Now that spring is (finally!) here, there are some car events happening in the upcoming months, from PTN's season opener to the Kaleidoscope show!

For those who don't know, Kaleidoscope is a Porsche car show event showcasing all the colours of Porsche (also know as Luxury in Colour). It was founded by Ryan in 2023, with the first show held at the old Kellogg factor in London, Ontario. Anyone with a coloured Porsche can apply to be a part of the show. 

This year, the location is set in Oshawa, Ontario, at the Parkwood Estate. The event is being held on Sunday June 14, from 9am to 1pm. For spectator tickets, it's just over $61 taxes in. For those wishing to display your Porsches, unfortunately the application window has now closed so if you wish to attend, you will have to buy spectator tickets.

Here is the website for more ticket details: Kaleidoscope

In 2023, I had submitted the request to be part of the show. It was also a $25 submission fee (which went towards the Humane Society of London). Unfortunately it was quite tough to find members to attend the show as it was all the way in London, and the drive itself would take close to 3 hours. I remember asking around and not many were heading out from the east end. 

This also occurred on a very busy weekend for me, as I had a wedding to attend on both Friday and Saturday (it was a 2 day celebration). The first Kaleidoscope would occur on the Sunday. I told myself I could do it, it would be a nice drive.

Well. Friday was a long day, and Saturday turned out to be a longer day too. This was the first time that hubby and I attended a friend's wedding together so we basically hung out as much as we could that entire weekend. When the Saturday evening reception was done, we had a post wedding hang out, and I got home around 3am. 

As a lady, it takes time before jumping into the shower. You've got to remove your face, your clothes, jewelry, any bobby pins in your hair or any hair decorations. By the time I was settled into bed, it was about 3:45am. I had also planned to meet one of the Porsche drivers heading to the Kaleidoscope show just after 5am, so I figured I would have to leave the house by 4:30am. Thankfully I didn't have to be there for 7AM, as this was the main cars event. I would attend the usual 9AM spectator event opening time.

I had just under 45 minutes of sleep before I made my 3 hour drive to London. This was probably my most sleep deprived drives of my life.

I met at the meet point in Mississauga to meet the member. 10 minutes passed. Then 20. And I thought well, maybe he forgot? I didn't have his cell, just an IG account. I messaged to see if he was alive. I gave it another 5 minutes and if I didn't hear back, I was leaving to London. I got a message shortly after saying he wasn't feeling the greatest and had to pass on the day.

Lo and behold, I made my drive to London by myself, which took just over 2 hours after the meet point. It was probably the most boring drive (no offence London). I think all that adrenaline didn't make me feel fatigued. I was just desperate to get to the event for 9AM. Once I saw the building, I felt so relieved and parked in the lot next to the event and made my way in.

Lots of beautiful Porsches in all aspects of colour. Members who made it from Toronto, Hamilton, Mississauga you name it. I made my way around the event and took pictures of everyone's rides. I met with a few members and hung out in the Kellogg's building. If you haven't been, there's a huge indoor park where you get to climb and just...basically be active. There is an arcade for kids, with a food court, and a larger restaurant further into the building, with indoor golfing. There is also an area where you can buy art, snacks, and of course beer. Pretty cool set up. 

By the time we got back outside, some of the members from the show had left, and I asked if it would be ok to move my car into the show, by the entrance, which Ryan gave his blessing. I just felt so cool after that, because my baby was finally in Kaleidoscope's first show!

Once 1pm rolled around, that was the end of the event and everyone had their routes to head back home. I managed to cruise together with a group, which made the drive back to Toronto so much more entertaining. Unfortunately I parted ways around the Hamilton region, so it ended up to be a boring drive back to Toronto.

Hubby was at work so I messaged him when I got back to Toronto to let him know I was safe. However, the text didn't go through and I had no idea, so all that time he thought I was lost in London! Stupid phone. 

I wasn't able to attend in 2024 due to prior plans, and 2025 was a write off for me. This year would be wonderful considering it is closer to home and it's at the estate, a historic building. Hopefully I could try to pop by! This time I would be getting more than 45 minutes of sleep before I drive out.

If you haven't had the chance to check out Kaleidoscope in the past, be sure to check it out this year!

CL - small Cabata

This is a belated post but this was probably my last handbag purchase (for the time being). 

Back in late July 2022, I was browsing the Christian Louboutin website for fun. I was still trying to master the Pigalle stilettos so I didn't think buying another heel was in the picture just yet. But I was being drawn to their small leather goods and handbags section on the website. Although they have very cute clutches, the one thing that really drew me towards a handbag was the design.

Along came the small Cabata.

This wasn't just any Cabata. But it had the CL's mini logo and design all over it, sort of similar to Louis Vuitton's neverfull logo bag. It was in the classic red and black colour, and it also came with a small pouch inside, very similar to the neverfull again. The difference? The CL was cheaper than the LV for one. Second? The CL came in calf leather; LV only comes in coated canvas. Imagine spending over 2 grand for a canvas when you can spend less for leather. That sold me. 

I emailed the Yorkdale location, hoping they would have one in stock. Unfortunately they informed me they didn't have the style in stores, but they did have one on the main website. What did I do? I went ahead and ordered it. 

When it finally arrived in the mail, I was sort of disappointed in the packaging. It came in a very plain white box with no stuffing inside. The bag was in a brown bag protector with the Louboutin logo on it. Otherwise that was it. It was probably the most boring package I've ever received when it comes to luxury handbags. 

However, that went all away when I finally saw the bag. I just love the design and colour combination. I believe this was from the fall or winter 2021. Interior is the classic red in calfskin leather, and the bottom of the bag has the red rubber sole (similar to the men's rubber sole of the shoes). There are metal studs that line the bottom of the handle, which makes it look super cool.

One of the downside of this bag is that it's an entire open bag - there are no zippers so anyone can literally stick their hand inside your bag to steal something, or you could be driving and turning, then your bag suddenly tilts over and all your contents come flying out. There is a clasp which is located internally that helps to "close" the mouth of the bag a bit, but really it doesn't make a huge difference in securing all your items inside. Considering it's just one big bottomless bag, you can throw everything in there but it will be a mess trying to retrieve items (unless you buy one of those compartment dividers to throw in the bag to make it more organized). 

All in all, the small size is decent. The regular might be a bit too big for me (and it's probably more competitive side by side with the neverfull), but if you're mostly using it as a daily bag to throw your essentials, then the small is a good size. This is definitely another option if you're looking at the LV neverfull and debating if you should get it - this is an alternative that's also slightly cheaper. Plus you don't have to worry about every other mother or auntie out there having the same bag as you. In all my years I haven't seen anyone with the same design as mine. 

Just be careful to not overstuff the bag with heavy items (such as a laptop). The handles are thin-ish and they are strong, but I'd be scared throwing in my laptop all the time and straining the handles on a daily. I would not recommend it. If it's a smaller iPad then it's fine. But any regular sized laptop would not be recommended. Stick with a proper laptop bag.

Here are just some pictures I took over the years:

Behold the small Cabata with the LoubintheSky print.

Getting up close and personal. I just added the small charm on it. But you can see the print and the black studs (which are the same ones used on my Loub flats)

The bottom of the bag is the same rubber sole as the male shoes. 

Even the cat is quite impressed with the amount of stuffed animals I managed to put inside.

How it looks over the shoulder.

Overall, I am quite happy with the purchase. It's been almost 4 years since the purchase. I started using it for my daily bag to work. However, I ended up rotating it out with a simple backpack since I end up throwing stuff around and I didn't want to risk damage to the bag.

As a final touch, I did ask Mike from All in Detailings to ceramic coat the handbag. Literally it was magic. You could pour a drink on it and it would just all side off. This wasn't the first time that I had ceramic coat the handbag (I had also done it on the Monster 2Jours handbag maybe 8 years ago). Ceramic coating is generally used for cars to maintain the shine and to not have beading on the paint/windows after a rainfall. Pretty cool stuff. No regrets!

To summarize:

Company: Christian Louboutin

Product: small Cabata 

Design: LoubintheSky print 

SKU: 3615482791017

Material: calfskin leather

Length: 34cm

Height: 24cm

Width: 12cm

Handle drop: 20cm

Price (2022): $1,950.00 (Canadian $)

Comes with: small pouch inside

Alternative bag: LV Neverfull

Bathroom? Anywhere?

Lately I've been reading a lot of things happening on the TTC. From bed bugs to cockroaches crawling on the seats, to passengers urinating and pooping on the subways. 

Yup. Pee and poop.

I don't take the TTC anymore - used to take it probably 20 years ago for school. It was the most miserable 4 years of my life doing downtown commuting with TTC. I vowed to myself that I would never live or work downtown because I hate taking public transit. Even if there are special events happening downtown, I would rather drive and be stuck in traffic. 

When I watch random IG clips of people urinating on the subway, I just feel so sad for them, yet disgusted that our city has come to this. So many clips of this happening and homeless people sleeping on the seats. The worst one were the ones caught pooping on the subway floor. Those must've come out of sheer desperation that they couldn't wait until the next main station with bathrooms.

I don't know about now, but last I recall, there were washrooms only at specific stations (eg. Kennedy, Warden, and then Yonge/Bloor) which is quite a bit of a stretch. Sometimes if there are delays, you'd be stuck underground somewhere between stations, and if you really had to go, you either piss your pants or piss on the floor I guess. Even if you got off at the next station, there's no guarantee that there will be washrooms in that station.

It brings me to my own personal experience late last year. I was going for my initial consult with the surgeon, and considering hubby and I were coming from the east end, all the way to the west end in morning rush hour traffic, we knew it would take a while to get there. We arrived to the city ahead of schedule but I really couldn't hold my bladder much longer. We decided to check out this small plaza across from the medical mall. Considering the medical mall would require payment, we decided to wait a bit before going in to get the ticket. Hence the separate plaza.

In that plaza, there was a grocery store, a sushi restaurant, and a medical walk in clinic. We stopped by the grocery store, checking out if there was a washroom. Unfortunately there was not. Out we walked and checked out the sushi restaurant. Now keep in mind, this was about 1000am so businesses were open. We went into the sushi restaurant and they were open. I asked the staff if it was possible to use the bathroom very quickly. What reaction did I get? They shook their heads no. I wasn't dressed like a bum or wearing anything ripped. I had my usual casual clothes with my designer handbag. Yet I got turned away from simply trying to take a piss.

Lastly I went into the walk in clinic asking if I could use their washroom - because there was one RIGHT there. "Oh, I'm sorry, this is only for our patients." Ok cool I totally get it. But considering this part of the city was still under construction for their LRT, everything was a complete mess to drive around and look for the nearest Tim Horton's (there wasn't really one nearby and the one we thought we went to, it was IN the grocery store). 

Me, a neatly dressed normal working person, got turned away from 3 places trying to use the washroom to take a piss. Thankfully I didn't have massive diarrhea because that would be a different story and no place would offer that to anyone. If a normal person gets turn away from using something as basic as a bathroom facility, how do you think the homeless population feel? This is the most basic human right, yet normal working people get turned away.

Eventually we ended up going to the medical building a bit earlier to park and I went looking for a public washroom on the ground floor. Surprisingly there was no public washroom, unless you got a key from whatever clinic you're visiting. I was lucky to find a handicap washroom on its own, without any key. I just went ahead and used it. At that point it was better than nothing. 

Do I blame anyone from taking a piss on the subway or on the sidewalks? Honestly, given my similar situation, I don't blame them one bit. It took about 20 mins to do a circus run trying to find a washroom, ANYONE that would allow me to use it, and those 20 mins felt completely brutal. 

Honestly? Humanity has gone to garbage. If people do not allow others to use something as basic as the washroom, then I'm sorry but your facility deserves to get shat on. 

My work clinic is another example. Staff are aware that anyone who is not a patient here or a staff member, if they ring our doorbell and start asking for the bathroom, they get turned away. Thankfully this doesn't happen often, but when I get Wheeltrans drivers asking to use the bathroom, I let them use our facility. It doesn't make sense for them to drive to the mall or plaza as there isn't anything nearby. 

I do understand too that not everyone has good intentions. You never know who is asking to use it for actual elimination, or using it to snort up cocaine, or shoot up heroine. We have experienced that too. At the end of the day, facilities need to be cleaned. It is our duty to ensure facilities remain clean and functional. 

Going back to TTC stations and washrooms. I wish all stations were equipped with washrooms, for those really emergent cases. At the same time, I can see that maintenance would increase - it would need to be cleaned and maintained more frequently as anyone can use it. Hence why they only have it at certain stations, and mostly at the main connection points. 

Public washrooms in general? If you're not anywhere near a mall or a hospital, it's generally difficult to find a public washroom to use when duty calls. That's the biggest problem with this city. And if you do find one, you have to pray and make sure they even allow you to use it. If not, good luck. 

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter weekend for those who celebrate!

I call it the Resurrection weekend, as Jesus was crucified on the Friday, and rose on the third day (Sunday). It is because of His love for all of us, that He died for our sins on the cross so we may have everlasting life, and be with Him in His Kingdom once we pass from this Earth. 

May you all continue to seek His love, pray for those around you and those around the world, and pray for strengthening in your faith with God.

AC Jazz

I'm sure most of you have heard of the tragic event that unraveled at LaGuardia airport in New York this past week. 

On Sunday March 23, an Air Canada jet was making its final decent from Montreal to New York, and was coming in for a landing. At the same time, a fire truck was attempting to attend to another emergency case across the airport and requested permission to cross the runway. ATC gave the all clear for the fire truck to cross. The fire truck began its crossing when the AC flight began to land and was going at over 100mph. The pilots slammed on the brakes and did their utmost best, but unfortunately the jet slammed into the fire truck, and ultimately taking the life of the 2 young pilots.

One of the flight attendants was flung onto the runway, still strapped in her seat, alive but injured. The rest of the passengers suffered anywhere from minor to a handful of critical injuries. When passengers did not hear any clearance from the flight deck, they ultimately attempted to escape the plane and helped each other along the way.

This is the first fatal incident at LaGuardia in over 30 years, and the first involving an aircraft with a fire truck. 

Many questions are being asked, whose fault was it and what can be done to make air travel safe again. This is very early into the investigation and really, we shouldn't be pointing fingers at anyone. Except the government, because ultimately everything is really their fault. 

Air traffic controllers (ATC) have one of the most stressful jobs on the planet. It is probably one of the most strict that I have heard. Yes, you don't need a degree to be an ATC, but you still need to study the handbook and take a course/write the test as the basis. They are also very selective on who they hire. They just don't hire anyone. They have to hire the best at coordination, at memory and critical thinking. And they don't hire anyone after a certain age. They are super strict with breaks and how many hours one works. It's no wonder they get paid very well - but the stakes are high.

I remember in the beginning of my nursing career (or just before I began it), I was really doubting myself if I would be a good nurse. I decided to look at different avenues, one of which was being an ATC. I've always loved planes growing up (thanks to my dad) and one of my first dream jobs as a kid was to be a pilot (my first was a bus driver....all thanks to the movie Speed). I even made a fake ID tag when I was in grade 5, with my status as captain. I wanted to fly the 747 if I became a pilot. But then I got glasses, so my pilot career was pretty much over at that point. 

But ATC? It sounded interesting. As I read more into it and thought about taking the course, I held myself back. This was probably worse than dealing in health care because one wrong move, and I could send hundreds of people to their deaths. That's not something you can just recover from. One wrong move, and your career would end.  

The thought of how many lives could be lost in one wrong move really convinced me that I couldn't handle that guilt over my head if it were to happen. Eventually my nursing career took off and I never really looked back at returning to the ATC journey. 

After hearing the ATC recording, I felt heartbroken, not just for the young lives lost, but also for the ATC team who were dealing with another emergency and trying to resolve that, the guilt that they felt when the crash happened. Obviously no one wants a crash to happen. But now the question is, how overworked are these ATCs? 

When Trump took over, one of things he mentioned was to reduce the amount of ATCs around the nation. Fire the ones who didn't speak English well. Don't hire any more because they were expensive. So now you have the current ATCs who are overworked, burnt out, or retiring and no one is replacing. Between October 2025 to January 2026, there have been 498 runway incursions reported at US airports. 498! What?! 

Just like any incident, there's always a scapegoat. The question is, who will it be this time? Is it the fire truck driver error? ATC? The pilots? And sadly, they always blame ATC or the pilots for errors. It's always 'human error'. It's never a systemic problem or a government problem. But that's the thing, everything always starts from the government. 

While we still digest this tragedy, and the investigation continues, I just hope people realize that the 2 pilots who lost their lives did so with heroism. They lost their lives, so that their passengers and crew would live. That's the ultimate sacrifice. 

Rest in peace captain Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther. 

Sparkly Cane!

Can't believe we are almost 4 months into 2026. One more week and boom it'll be April!

First of all, it's Kidney Month (well, aside from fraud awareness month). So this month we have been celebrating stuff related to kidney care and kidney health. It's been wild with all the events happening around the hospitals this month but thankfully it is almost done. 

Second, uhhh sparkly cane what?!

Last year when I was walking like an old lady (before surgery), I was looking into getting a cane for myself. However I couldn't really wrap my head around the fact that I'd be walking around in a cane. To be honest, I should've bought it when I actually had a hard time walking instead of pushing myself. I guess you can say the pride hit me.

I told myself that I would only get a cane if it was super sparkly and blingy. I went on Amazon to try and find a cool one but they were all pretty generic sparkles, nothing too crazy. Plus, they were super expensive. Most of them were just sparkles that were glued onto a paper, which then was wrapped onto a metal cane. Anyone could do that at home.

During the time I was off sick, I couldn't get myself to do much bending or sitting down for long. I had to keep active. But in my mind, blinging out my cane would be a DIY home project. Hubby ended up buying a cane for me just before I went into surgery and man, I wish I had got the cane earlier because it was quite helpful with my balance. But given the amount of pain I was in, doing a sparkly project was out of the question.

After surgery, I was still too stiff to sit down for a long period. I had started using the cane when I went outdoors or went for longer walks (like in a mall) or if the snow/ice would get bad. I didn't trust myself enough to keep my balance freely, nor did I trust the public to not bump into me inside the mall, especially during the Christmas shopping time.

One thing that I've learned for sure is...people are way more nicer when I use my cane. They give me the right of way, or stay away from me. It's a different experience. You don't really have people who randomly bump into you and then walk away without apologizing. If anything, when someone does bump into me, they automatically jump back and apologize. There are the rare odd balls who do bump and just walk off without saying anything but again, it's rare. 

The first 3 months are crucial, and the rest of the internal recovery could take 6-12 months. My mind is still stuck with the ideology of "I don't care how long it's been, but I'm not taking any chances in the first year", which means I am bringing out the cane for my longer walks, and bad snow storms, and might as well put crowded places. I do not want to take any chances of getting knocked over to the floor this year. Absolutely not. 

Which brings me to the current state. Obviously things are getting much better than last year. My sitting and walking tolerance have gotten better. My back muscles still burn up about 1 hour of non stop walking, and by the 1.5hrs mark I have to start stretching. Nonetheless, strengthening the back muscles are still a work in progress. And one day, I finally decided to...bling out the cane.

Yup. You read that right. Bling it out.

I ordered a bunch of rhinestones from Amazon. I didn't go too crazy with the colours, but I started off with a vision that the colour theme would be pink and black (the cane itself has a pink and black combo). I also ordered strong glue (not crazy glue but glue that was friendly enough for nails, skin, plastic, you name it). Next was the design. I had to figure out what would go well with a cane's shape. 

Ultimately, I settled with a snake. Why? Partially it's because of Taylor Swift's Reputation outfit (for those who have watched the Eras Tour, you know what I'm talking about). It was also one of the easier shapes to do on something so narrow like a cane. I ended up Googling a simple snake design and used that as inspiration.

The second why? Because it was a generic cane, there's a possibility that other people would have the same cane. I was at the mall one day. Lo and behold, I saw an older gentleman with the exact same cane as me. From that point on, I wanted mine to be more personalized, more bling, more me. 

The next step was to figure out how many snakes I can fit on a cane. If I wanted it to be a bit more outstanding, two snakes may be too much. I went ahead to draw a sample snake on the cane. However, it turned out more curvy and took up more space than I thought. It was still not a problem though. In the end, I stuck with a one snake design.

My original plan was to fill the cane with pink rhinestones, and then use the black rhinestones for the snake. However, when I started off with the pink, and then started the snake, I could see that maaaaybeee the pink would be a bit too much. It would overwhelm the snake. So I stopped the pink at the top, and will think of something to blend it in better with the snake. 

I started off with the shape of the snake's head at the top of the cane, and used the smallest rhinestones available. I didn't want to include medium to large rhinestones on the head just yet. Instead, I would do that mixture for the rest of the body. It just made sense, given the snake's anatomy and the scales that get larger once it's further away from the head. I had to make sure the head wasn't too big, otherwise it would be out of proportion with the rest of the body.

Once the head was finally drawn, I started out a slithering type of shape. Snakes are curvy, and with each curve it comes with slightly different shapes. I really did try my best and I think it turned out alright. As the shape made its way on the cane, I was just dying to find out how it would turn out. Overall it took about 4-5 days to complete.

Drawing the shape of the snake wasn't the most challenging aspect of this project, but putting on the rhinestones and gluing them one by one was the toughest part. You can't use fingers to put these into place, but the kit came with these large tweezers, which helped for the most part. But there were many instances where my grip was too tight, that the rhinestone would go flying somewhere in the room and I'd have to start again. Because they are tiny, I literally had to stick my face against the cane to make sure every one of them was glued properly and glued on the right way. They were very easy to flip over and get glued the wrong way. So that was the frustrating part. 

Once the entire shape of the snake was drawn on the cane, I started off with gluing the rhinestones on the outline, and then one by one started filling in the inside of the snake. This is where you can freestyle the snake's "skin" by filling in all the empty spaces as best as possible with all the different rhinestone sizes available in the kit (there are about 6 different sizes). This was probably the most challenging of the project. Gluing was one thing, but making sure you work fast enough so the glue doesn't dry before you put all the rhinestones in. 

When the final touches of the snake was done (the narrow tail end), I was just happy to be done with the project. I was proud of how it came out. I still had some space left at the bottom of the cane (this is the final edge of the part that makes the cane adjustable -  you really don't want to bling out the entire bottom of the cane in case you need to adjust the height of it). I decided to use this small space to put mine and hubby's initials, along with a heart.

Given the entire snake was all black rhinestones, the heart and initials I made it pink. In a way, it's a reminder of how much I had to go through health wise, BUT it was also a reminder of who was there with me all along while I went through these challenges and then successfully recovered. At first you may not notice the bling, but as soon as the light hits the cane, it's definitely VERY blingy.

I'm proud of what I've done. And I'm pretty sure when I'm 80 years old, I would still appreciate the bling. Bling never leaves a girl's heart.

The snake's head (and tongue sticking out). Hard to capture on picture, but videos make it very obvious.

The snake runs the entire length of the cane, just before the adjustment part. The initials are just below the snake.

This project was completed at the beginning of the week, so I haven't had the opportunity to take it to the mall just yet, but if I do, I hope I don't end up blinding people too much. I really have no idea how sparkly it would be indoors. If it's outdoor in the sun, it'll be very shiny.

We shall see how the glue holds up in various weather and temperature. I'm excited to see, and of course if any of the bling fall off, no biggie. I still have an entire set at home!

Let's just say I have prepared myself for old age. Given how tiny these rhinestones are, there's no way I'd be gluing this when I turn 80. But now, I can say that I'm ready for it. Are you?

Dream Car Review

So what is my dream car?!

Obviously it's a Lamborghini Murcielago. The sound of that V12 *drools*. Unfortunately it has been discontinued for almost 2 decades and I'm sure the maintenance on that beast would be way out of my budget. All I can do is just look at pictures and photoshop myself in one.

But really, what is a realistic dream car? Realistic as in, attainable without breaking the bank?

Well, sometime back in 2013 is when I had this dream of one day owning the Porsche Cayman 981S. At that time, the 981 had its debut and was being released as a 2014 model. It was beautiful, and had won quite a few awards, one being the best sports car of the year. It had a detuned flat 6 engine (from the 911 big brother) and that sound, OOF! I was still a fresh new nurse who was just starting out back in Toronto, and picking up every shift I could work, including both days and nights. I already had a car so I didn't think I needed another one. When I saw the brand new starting price, I told myself there's just no way. I couldn't do it. I put it at the back of my mind that one day, somehow it will be mine.

Fast forward to October 2018.

At that time, the next generation Cayman had come out already, the 718 Cayman. The engine? They had switched the base and S models to a turbo, and you could only get the flat 6 in the GTS model. Or the GT4. I didn't want another turbo car, and really was trying to find the flat 6.

Lo and behold, one was found at Pfaff for a reasonable price (actually, now that I look back on it, it was a pretty good price - it would be impossible to find at that price these days). It was a '14 Cayman S, with PDK and loaded with a few options. I didn't really care about the options - I only really wanted the engine spec.

After test driving it, and seeing the owner had done an excellent job taking care of it, I signed the papers. I felt like a true adult since I didn't need any co-signers. The Cayman S came home on October 30th. It was financed for 6 years but paid off in 5. 

I have had the Cayman for just over 7 years now (the previous owner had it for 4), so the car itself is now 11 years old, which will turn 12 this year. I feel like I can actually do a long term review!

Photo by Boris Lau (2022)

How is the drive?

Well, depends what you use it for, and how you drive it. I don't take it out on a daily basis, but it's mostly a weekend car. It's garaged throughout winter. For weekends, I use it for mostly car cruises, car meets, or random drives with hubby. The drive is quite smooth, very sporty steering and very responsive. It takes bumps well, although it's not an SUV so you will still feel uneven ground here and there, but generally speaking it does have better suspension than my Genesis Coupe (which is on Teins coilovers). It comes in 3 driving "modes": regular, sport, and sport plus. When you hit that sport+ button, it's like a different monster is unleashed. Everything becomes super responsive. The shifts are crisp and quite violent. There should be a warning to say, please put your head back into your seat because the car will throw you back with acceleration. With sport+ mode, that also gives you the opportunity to do launch control. In all my years of owning this car, I have never launched it only because I don't want to break anything. Plus, Porsche could detect how many launches you did in the car over its lifetime so I rather not do anything crazy. 

How about maintenance? Is it expensive?

The most basic maintenance you can do is yearly oil change. The thing with Porsche cars is you don't have to do every 3 month oil change, but just a yearly maintenance (unless you track your car everyday then yes, you should do it more often). Depending on the Porsche dealer, they could charge you $600-700 for the oil change (and this includes labour/taxes). The first and last time I did an oil change at the dealership was in May 2020 during the pandemic, which I had to wait outside in the cold for 2 hours as dealerships would not allow anyone inside the building because of COVID. And then of course they charged me about $600 something for it. I complained about the service especially waiting outside, and all they could do was give me a $50 credit. After that, I took it to a reputable garage specializing in Euro cars, and paid half the price.

The PDK flushes don't have to be done every year but it should be maintained at least once every 40-50k. I've had the brakes/rotors changed at the end of 2024, which was about $1300 including parts and labour. A new set of summer performance tires were bought and those were about $2300.

The most damage I had to pay was for the front condenser. During a trip on the 407 in 2022, rocks had fallen off a dump truck and I couldn't dodge it in time, so a bunch of rocks damaged the condenser. The problem with non-GT cars is that there is no front mesh grilles to prevent rock chips from entering the car. My air conditioning stopped working and was blowing out hot air. The condenser was replaced, and it cost about $975 with parts and labour. I ended up buying aftermarket grilles to cover the condensers, which was about $300 after parts and labour. 

Overall, I probably spent more on my Genesis Coupe maintenance than the Cayman S over the years. There was one year the Genesis needed major work, which they had to drop the subframe and rear bushings. The entire work was about $5400. I don't think I spent that much in the 7 years of owning the Cayman.

A full tank of premium gas in the Cayman cost about $85, and the most I got out of one tank was about 550km. It gets better mileage than my Genesis. 

Does the car draw attention?

I mean, it's bright yellow. It's not my first choice of colour but it was whatever was available. I don't think it draws that much attention compared to a Ferrari. Plus the exhaust is stock. If it was much louder, then yes it would draw much more unwanted attention. 

Does it hold a lot of items in the frunk and trunk?

The great thing about this car is the 2 trunk spaces. Unfortunately it's not like you can fit a cabinet in the trunk. I've taken this Cayman to the cottage and to camp grounds, and was able to fill both trunks to the brim. I even managed to fit a rice cooker in the frunk. For a car this size, I'm surprised at the amount of items it can hold.

How are the seats? Is it comfortable inside?

The leather seats are the basic sport seats, so it's only a 4 way power seat. It's comfortable enough for random drives, but for long hours drives, it could get sore on the back. I have driven from Toronto to Ottawa through the back roads, and what should have taken 4.5 hours took about 12 hours (with stops in between). That was probably the most brutal drive. The leather seats came with heated and cooling seats, which is so helpful when I have back aches or cramps. It helps with hot days too, to cool off my back. Getting into and out of the car can be challenging, especially if you have back issues, but you would need to work on squatting or working on your core to make it more comfortable. The downside is the rear blind spots. You just have to be careful when looking for cars.

How is the paint?

Some car companies use crappy paint (such as Hyundai) that as soon as you get a rock chip, a chunk of paint goes missing from the hood. For Porsche, the paint is quite strong. They use some galvanization technique that helps keep the steel from rusting. I do have a few rock chips in front even with PPF on it, and I don't see any extreme damage. One time I accidentally backed into the Cayman with the Genesis - I was just trying to park on the driveway. The Genesis ended up with more scratch damage on the bumper compared to the Cayman. Cayman had a slight scratch that I couldn't even tell unless it was up close. 

How is the road noise?

The Cayman has only seen summer tires so the road noise was decent. I didn't have to crank my music high to drown it out. If anything, the music is right behind my head: that flat 6 engine. You can still have a good conversation even with the engine behind you. 

How's the Bluetooth?

Ok, this part probably fails in the Cayman. The technology is from 2014 so it's "old' in that sense. I find I have to crank up the volume to hear people, and people on the other end have a hard time hearing me - it's as if I sound far away. That's an easy fix - I just use my bluetooth headphones.

How about the GPS Navi? External music aux plugs?

Again, it's old technology. Unless you go into Porsche for an upgrade, which will cost money. At the moment, the 407 going east from Pickering to Peterborough does not exist on the GPS. So I would have to run my data on my phone. As for any external music plugs, like iPods, there is a USB in the glovebox to connect but it didn't really work with my iPod mini (yes, the block that is about 22 years old now). Otherwise I connect to my phone music via Bluetooth and it works fine.

Do I get a lot of male attention?

No, at least I don't feel that I do. Then again, 99% of the time I drive with my tinted windows up, so if someone were to try and get my attention, I wouldn't notice because I would be listening to music too, or talking to hubby. 

As a female, do I feel empowered?

It's a Porsche. I guess I do.

Would I recommend the Cayman?

Absolutely yes. Without a doubt. It's probably the best car I will ever own. And if you can find a reasonably priced one that is well maintained, go for it. You will not regret it. 

Photo by Boris Lau (2022)

Sick...

It's that time of season....it's either Norovirus or cold or a flu! Yay!

I'm fortunate that I've never experienced Norovirus - I've had friends who have gone through it and it's a complete nightmare. I can't imagine having diarrhea and vomiting for 24 hours. I might as well just live in the bathtub for that entire day, why not?

This past week I went to work in good health. But I believe it's because I worked 8 hours straight without any proper breaks (I would eat and still do work), and did this straight the entire week, that I probably compromised my immune system. The days were just non stop work, phone call after phone call, emails after emails, staff issues after one another, you name it. I wasn't resting well either at home, so my lack of sleep also contributed to getting sick.

The day started off normal, and it ended fine. By the time I got home and went to bed that night, I started to feel weird in the head. It was like a pending headache but I also had trouble breathing at night. Sometimes my allergies would set that part off so I thought maybe it was just allergies. Then my throat started to feel weird - not sore, but felt like something was just there.

The next day I went to work, I didn't feel the greatest. I took my temperature in the morning and it sat at 36C, which is my usual temperature. I'm usually between 35.5 to 36. As the day went on, I felt super tired but still pushed myself to get through the day, although I did feel quite sluggish. My colleagues and manager noticed it right away because I also kept sneezing non stop. Allergies, I would say. But I was going through tissues like no tomorrow. Then the coughing started.

By the time it was time to go home, my temperature hit 37C. Oh great.

I went home to try and get some rest, as I had an event to attend that evening that I had bought tickets already - it was a reunion party for all staff alumni. Each ticket was about $90 so it would suck to just skip out on it entirely. Thankfully I had a couple of friends that were coming along so I didn't have to drive all the way. However, I decided to just mask up and not touch anyone or anything. 

The reunion was nice. Although I was only there for one season, the fact that they remembered me just really felt like I've always belonged. It was my very first job, not just as a student, but like...first job ever. I had many memories there and learned a great deal from my superiors. I didn't get to see my other colleagues who I worked with, but to see my former bosses glowing and still looking the same after 20 years is amazing (and I made sure to tell them that). After the speeches and food, the dancing was beginning and unfortunately my friends and I decided to leave as they have kids to go home to, and it was good for me as I wasn't feeling the greatest and couldn't really dance post surgery. 

That same night I could not sleep no matter how hard I tried. The biggest challenge was the breathing - I couldn't breathe out of either nostrils. Don't you hate it when that happens?! Yeah, it sucked. Thankfully I was off work the next day so I could try to catch up on sleep. My sense of taste and smell definitely got disturbed. The food and all looked amazing but I couldn't really taste anything. 

This all brought back memories of when I got COVID. I've had the flu a very long time ago, and that was bad. When they say COVID is like the flu, I think it really depends who it hits because when I ended up with COVID, it was a lot worse than the flu (at least from my experience). I ended up with COVID in summer of 2022 (yeah, like what?). I had attended a Backstreet Boys' concert, which was held outdoors, and if I recall my symptoms began about 2 days later. I had gone to work and was feeling fine, until the last hour where I started to feel a bit warm. It was past 37 if I recall. Then, the stomach ache hit. It didn't hit right away but something felt off.

Thankfully I made it home in a safe manner, and that's when my stomach ache got worse. So now I had that, and a fever. I had a rapid test at home, which tested positive. Oh great. Now I started to freak out. I texted my manager and was told I had to go to the testing facility for a PCR (which I did, and it was also positive). 

Over the course of the next few days, I lost my sense of taste and smell. I was also very fatigued, had muscle aches and headaches. Then the cough and sore throat hit me like a bag of bricks. I didn't leave my room. I was depressed that I couldn't taste anything and feared I would lose it completely. You could stick a bag of onions and garlic in front of my face and I wouldn't smell it. I pretty much had almost all the symptoms (except the vomiting part), but I remember being in bed for about 10 days. It was the worst feeling ever. 

I'm thankful it wasn't severe enough that I needed the ER or ICU. But it definitely took a toll on my body. This time around with the cold, I don't feel that - just more fatigued. It'll just take time. 

I know I should be going to bed and sleeping instead of blogging here. In a way, it's to also keep my brain going. But one thing is for sure - stay active and hydrated as much as possible. Your body will thank you for it in the long run!

Red Flags, and not red flag deals

It's March, which means it is officially fraud awareness month!

If you have been following my blog over the past decade, I had written about several fraudsters in the GTA on one of those posts back in the day. Feel free to scroll back and read, and be aware of the fraudsters because they're still out there. 

Today won't be a post about an actual fraudster, but instead, I'll be talking about red flags in people. This is just my own personal experience over the years dealing with various people who had wronged me or led me to believe they were who they say they were, but were not (does this make sense?). I know it also takes two to tango in a relationship or friendship, and I believe that when two people are not meant to be together, they could exhibit red flags to each other, which makes the relationship even more toxic than it already is. 

We all have our preferences and opinions on what we want in relationship partners, in friendships, in business partners. It's what makes us who we are, our identity. But when someone comes along trying to change your identity, that's not the right partnership. That's coercive control, which is one of the signs of narcissistic behaviour. 

This is not everything I've had to deal with, but some of the key ones I have compiled over the years to remind myself that this is not any type of loving behaviour. 

"I should date them because they're so hot" - Umm no, that's a horrible reason to want to date a person. I find that the hot dudes are the ones who cheat the most because they know they're hot and will use that to their advantage. This goes with chicks too. So unless you're ok with dating a serial cheater, then I would avoid at all costs. 

"I'll go to church, but only if you're open minded about getting a boob job" - wait huh? What does going to church have to do with a boob job? This one is so strange but it was actually mentioned. I invited you to church, because that's a part of my faith and is important to me. I respect your views, yet you can't respect mine. It was an open invitation to attend, not mandatory. But hey, I got my answer. 

"All your friends/family are too much. I can't handle them." (or anything that states your family is crazy, nitpicking your friends, I don't want to be around them and neither should you) - this is a form of narcissistic behaviour (and I know so many people throw that word around), but this is one that will gradually pull you away from the ones who actually care about you, until you have no support around you except for that one partner who will end up controlling you. You end up in isolation. Don't ever let it get to that point. 

"You're weird, can you stop being like that? You're an embarrassment" - once again, manipulating to make you believe you're the problem, and you're the one who needs to fix it. I have both seen and experienced when someone says that to you, you immediately shut down. You never want to do anything silly again, and part of your inner child dies. 

"I know I'm jobless right now, but don't worry, I will get back to it" (but not actually working for months to a year and not doing anything to try and look for a job) - this is lazy, and a user. I was so lucky to have met not just one but TWO of them. Now I understand what Taylor Swift's reference is in The Man. I definitely felt like a man during those times. 

Blaming you for all the problems and never taking any responsibility for any of their own wrong-doings. And of course getting angry at you for it. Would you want to be with someone who blames the world except themselves? AND be angry at you that you can't even talk any sense into them?

Convincing you to move halfway across the city, far from your family, friends and workplace, all because he's an only child living with his parents. Not only that, but convincing you to "trial" it first for 2 years, and if it doesn't work, then we can find another place. But don't worry, he will drive you to work everyday, or you're allowed to 407 it to get to work faster. In old school tradition, that would be seen as untraditional and a blasphemy. Your body and your life isn't like test driving a car. No commitment? Then no moving homes. Sorry lads, it don't work like that. You either compromise together and find a middle ground, or split ways. 

Convincing you to have a child (when you don't want a child), and then convincing you to take time off work for couple of years to do a masters degree. First off, no job will hold onto a position for that long. You either work, or get fired. And I'm not doing a stay at home parent duty. This isn't a communicative compromise. This is a one way demand.

Playing the silent treatment game. This is never healthy. No one is a mind reader. You're mad and want to be left alone? Say it. You're upset with something I said 5 months ago? You should've told me 5 months ago, not now. 

How they treat their mother/father/siblings/wait staff. Huge red flag if they treat all of them with disrespect. I have seen the way moms were treated - with loud yelling, constantly making fun of their moms. I have witnessed the way how things were said to wait staff. The privilege, the tantrums because you didn't get to sit where you wanted to sit, the way the oil was not delivered on time/separately in a container so they wouldn't eat. That's a man child. What makes you think they won't treat you the same down the road (if not now)? 

Promising a forever future, with all these great life plans. But it never happened in the timeline that was promised. Why promise something if you're not going to do it? Don't make promises you can't keep. 

I'm going to (insert whatever job duty), but never actually doing it. Again, don't make promises you can't keep. If you're going to do the laundry, do the laundry. If you're going to pick up the milk, go pick up the milk from the store. But don't say you'll do it, and not do it.

Lying about your job, your parents, your current girlfriend (or boyfriend). In short, a chronic liar. Why you lying bro? You think people won't notice when you lie about your age by 10 years? Who you trying to fool? 

Forcing you to be someone you're not. Don't ever change for anyone, especially if it's part of your personality and identity. You will end up losing yourself and your identity with time. 

Not being able to express your thoughts and feelings freely without being judged. This is what kills most relationships. If you cannot express anything to your partner, without feeling like they're going to be offended or yell at you, this is not a healthy relationship. The feeling of not being wanted or heard by your partner will lead to extramarital affairs, and that's how cheating always begins.

Never apologizing for any wrongdoings. Over the years, I apologized for things that I didn't do, just because I didn't want to fight. The other person? Never apologized once. It's like they're the perfect person everyone wanted to be around. If you know you made a mistake, own up to it and apologize. If anything, it makes you the bigger person. It's called accountability. If you're not accountable for your mistakes (small or big), then that just shows your true character.

The scary part is...the list goes on. If you're having to walk on eggshells around the person who is suppose to love you the most, that's not love. That's anxiety inducing. The body is never suppose to live with anxiety forever. Your body should never be in fight or flight mode 24/7.

Which is why anyone who gives you butterflies in your stomach, you should not go any further with that person - as a friend, as a lover. Just FULL STOP. 

Stay safe this month, and beware of the red flags. 

Post back surgery recovery phase

Hello all!

Hope you're all having a wonderful week so far.

One thing I didn't get to talk about last year was post surgery recovery. I haven't had any major surgeries before, aside from wisdom teeth removal surgery, but back surgery is considered major as it does involve going right into the nerves, muscles and vertebrae. 

Everyone goes through different symptoms post surgery, but I will talk about my experience, now that we are almost 4 months post-op.

The surgery occurred in the early afternoon on a Tuesday. I was home by dinner time on Tuesday evening.

The first thing I did? I went and sat on the chair. I had a bunch of iodine on my back (given I had sensitivity to Chlorhexidine), so the dried iodine remained on my back around the wound site. Hubby went to clean my back with some water and a towel. He was speaking with my parents while doing the cleaning.

Within seconds, I recall their voices getting more and more distorted, sounding further and further away. It was very muffled. I was confused why I was experiencing that. And then it hit me. I started getting really dizzy. I don't know how loud I was talking at that time, but I remember telling them I don't feel so good, and I need to sit on the couch. I asked them to pass me the blood pressure monitor and to put it on my arm.

I remember pressing the button and waiting for the reading. 80/47. A normal blood pressure reading in a healthy individual is 120/80 (reference point). My usual reading is about 100's/60's give or take. So for a reading of 80/47, that was considerably low. I was basically crashing at that point. This is due to a combination of dehydration (no fluids since 9am that morning), and the combination of anesthesia. 

Thankfully I did not vomit or experience a seizure, as laying down did help to get the blood flow going again. I was given some water and soup to help with the pressures. Eventually it did start going up slowly in the 90's and I started to feel better. Once I felt better, I took a quick walk around the house to ensure movement and prevent any clots from happening. 

The next day, I felt very achy in the back. Not pain, just muscle ache. And this is normal. Bending, lifting or twisting is a no-no at this point. Using the bathroom was a challenge. You'd have to be very careful to lower yourself without bending or twisting. At that point I just wished I could hold my bladder forever or put an in-dwelling catheter in myself but that is already risky in itself. This is also when I realize we all take the little things in life for granted. Something as simple as putting socks on, or going to the bathroom.

The site of incision was still covered with a dressing but as the day progressed, I could see the blood start spreading slightly. It wasn't enough that it pooled blood, but it definitely had to be changed at the end of the day.

One thing I also noticed during this time is...my hunger went into hyperdrive. You know the feeling you get when you get really hungry - your stomach growls and hurts at the same time? Yeah, I was getting that every day, at every hour, for about 2 weeks straight. I would eat from the morning all the way to the very early morning the next day. I felt like a pregnant woman (although I really don't know what it feels like), but I was just ALWAYS hungry.

I would be eating, and my stomach would still be growling in pain. It was very strange. I'd eat small meals, large meals, snacks in between. But I was still hungry.

This was the body's way of telling the brain that it needed to repair and recover quick. Even though the incision was about an inch and a half in length, this was not a "natural" part of the body so instead of being normal, it went into hyperdrive and demanded all these nutrients to be consumed so it could repair itself quickly.

For 2 weeks, I ate like I had a baby inside of me. After 2 weeks passed, the hunger did die down quite a lot so I was not eating as much anymore. But man, that was torture.

The no shower part. Yeah it sucked. I was not allowed to have a shower for minimum 72 hours (or 3 days), but after that, I can shower - as long as the wound dressing did not get wet. Considering I was still having some bleeding on day 3, I figured to play it safe and not shower for a few more days. Only thing I could do was a sponge bath on myself. 

By the time day 6 came along, the bleeding had stopped. My hair was more oily that P. Diddy's baby oil supply - I just wanted to shower. That first shower felt super fresh. However I made the mistake of not asking someone to help me because I nearly fell out of the shower. I wasn't really able to bend my legs properly as it would affect my back muscles so when I did that a bit too fast, the pain hit and I nearly lost my balance trying to get out. So yeah, lesson learned - always ask for help, especially at your most vulnerable. 

By the end of the first week, I was able to walk daily for 30 minutes if not a bit more. They say the more walks you can do, the better. But the key thing is, do not just lay there and not do anything. 

Entering the second week was a bit torturous as this was also the menstruation time. Given my history, I was expecting a lot of pain and being in bed all day. However, the anti inflammatory medications I was taking for the back definitely helped with the pain and flow. If anything, it almost stopped the flow. I felt so relieved I didn't have to deal with cramps and back aches during this crucial recovery time. 

I tried to increase my daily walks to hourly everyday, if not more. It was the only thing I could do peacefully without injuring myself. I used a walker to walk around the house, not because I couldn't walk but I didn't want to get dizzy from walking in circles and falling down. Outside of the house, a cane was used for extra balance.

The first two weeks, I was told to not drive or get into a car as a passenger, unless it was for a short trip to an appointment. Otherwise no car rides. I extended this to about 6 weeks of no driving. In between, I did do short trips as a passenger to appointments or to a grocery store but otherwise it was very limited. Considering how bad our roads are (and our drivers), any bumps or accidents on the road is a risk to the recovery period.

After the 2 week period, which I call this the very crucial period, things started to slowly get better. The numbness in my leg that I felt all these years were slowly going away. But of course, the restriction of no bending/twisting/lifting was still in place. I was not able to start formal physiotherapy yet as it was too early. So I stuck with just doing daily walks and light leg stretches. 

By week 4, I had an appointment with the family doctor for a check in, and for some paper works to be completed for my work place. My stitches were looking great. I saw a new physiotherapist to try and see if I could begin some more back stretches as per the surgeon's recommendation. It was only very light back exercises to try and start with the core, nothing too crazy.

By week 6, the formal physiotherapy training began. I also went to see the surgeon for a follow up appointment. The stitches had dissolved by this time and the incision looked beautiful. Restrictions on back to work remained in place, with no nursing duty until summer of 2026. 

By week 9, I gradually returned back to work on desk duty with many restrictions in place. It was still a bit of a challenge because if I sat too long in a chair, my back would start aching. If I walked too long, the back would ache and I'd have to sit and rest. With time though, it would get better, especially with constant physiotherapy.

What I've learned during this phase is to take advantage of these physio stretches and exercises. I couldn't do any of them before, hence why I started losing muscle mass. Now that I can move more, I'm taking advantage of the exercises to work on the muscle strengthening. They also help a lot when my back starts really aching during the day. By the time I get home from work, I have to shower and stretch it out, and it feels a lot better. Movement is the key. 

Although I feel much better than I did 2 weeks post operation, I am always paranoid about slipping or falling, or something suddenly jumping out to scare me. It is very easy to throw one's back out now even if it's 4 months post op. 

The winter weather also doesn't help. Given we had 20 something days of negative weather, this really played against me. My back muscles were always so tight, and it doesn't help I have a sedentary job. Both of those combined together resulted in constant muscle aches, no matter how much I tried to stretch myself. Eventually I brought out the heat pad on my back during the night and it seemed to improve a bit. However, movement is still the key. So this remains an on-going battle.

My motto is, if the surgeon says it takes 3 months to recover, you double it, if not triple it. Don't rush recovery. Your body will thank you.

Valentine's Day v3.0

 Happy Valentine's Day y'all!

AKA. Happy consumerism day where all the chocolate and flower companies get a good chunk out of your money.

Jokes aside, Valentine's Day is also on a Saturday this year, which means...YAYYY!! Weekend celebrations! Which also means...I'm sorry to all the culinary staff out there because you guys and girls will get swamped this weekend. 

I remember years ago when I wasn't really into celebrating Valentine's Day all because prices get jacked up for no reason (except for consumerism). Then I came upon someone's IG account, where they were a widow and remembering all these little moments. One of which was Valentine's Day. She mentioned she never really celebrated it, even when her husband was alive (and this is a young couple in their late 20's). When he passed away, all these special days came and went and she reflected on it. One of the regrets she had was never celebrating Valentine's Day with her husband, and wished she could just do it one time before he passed.

It made me think too...that yeah, although we shouldn't glorify it to just one day, it's nice to celebrate even for fun. It doesn't have to be anything grand, but any small gesture just to remind ourselves that yes, I still love celebrating this day of love with my special someone. 

My love and I will be celebrating 3 years this coming Valentine's Day together. We both don't take it seriously that we must book an expensive place to eat dinner, but just enough to ask each other "will you be my Valentine?" and cuddle for a nice meal and movie.

Whatever you all do this Valentine's Day, I wish you all fun times and the good memories that will come out of it. 

So Eleonor 85mm Review

Hello and welcome back to my blog!

Today I'll be doing a review of another pair of Louboutin boots that were purchased in Winter 2023. This one was a bit of a random purchase. I was looking for a nice pair of boots to complete my Louboutin collection but I couldn't really decide on which pair.

This is a late review, so I have worn these boots quite a few times already so the review would at least be more up to date.

It was end of December 2023 when I went to the Louboutin store with hubby to check out random shoes. I don't think there was any intention to buy anything but, you know me. Once I see something I really like, I can't stop thinking about it unless I purchase it.

So here we are, in the Louboutin store and we are checking out random shoes and handbags. I remember not really seeing any heels that were outstanding to me, so I went to check out the boots. And that's when my eyes laid on the So Eleonor in 85mm height. I had a pair of old above ankle boots that I've been wearing until they started falling apart and I figured if I need another pair, the Louboutin would be it. 

I tried on the So Eleonor and man, first thing I noticed was how comfortable they felt on my feet. The heels were one thing, but the boots felt much better. I immediately fell in love. The great thing about the So Eleonor is the thicker heel stem, and that there is a side zipper to get in and out of the boots easier. I really don't like boots that don't have that option as it feels I'm going to break it every time I try to stick my feet in them.

It didn't take long to decide that these were the boots for me, so I ended up purchasing the boots.

Once again, I went to Mike at All in Detailing to PPF the red bottoms and he did an amazing job. 

The first event I wore the So Eleonor to is the 2024 PTN season opener at Porsche North Toronto dealership. This was the ultimate test to see how these boots really feel. It started off great, no concerns. As the evening went on, my feet did get a bit sore, but nothing compared to if I wore heels. By the end of the night they were feeling a bit achy. However, I did not get any blisters. Just sore feet.

In between, I wore it for smaller events, and it was comfortable - no signs of blisters or feet aches. My last test was during the winter season for my birthday, when I decided to wear them for the Nurse John event downtown. We parked about a 10 minute walk to the event. The walking duration wasn't a problem. It was the weather, and I wish I had listened to the news that day. It had started to snow, and it was cold. I assumed it wouldn't accumulate, but it did.

Unlike the other more 'sturdy' boots with lugged soles, the So Eleonor does not have any grooves at the bottom. It is flat and smooth, so it makes walking in snow and slush/ice very dangerous. It's more slippery with the PPF on the bottom. The 10 minute walk was torture, because every step was a potential for a broken ankle. Unfortunately I didn't bring any other pair of shoes because I figured weather would be fine. I had to hold onto hubby for dear life and once we got into the building, I was so relieved. By the time the show ended, it was time to walk back to the car. The snow had stopped but it was super slushy and icy outside. I made it to the car in one piece and at the end of the night, I can say I survived walking in Loubs in the snow and ice. I wouldn't recommend it, nor would I want to do it again. 

Of all the pairs of Louboutins that I own, the So Eleonor are the most comfortable. These are also pretty special because Taylor Swift had worn her famous sparkly Eleonora Botta (knee high boots) during her Eras Tour, so I basically have the same boots at her, just in a shorter non-sparkly version. I thought about putting some crystals on mine but decided against it. I didn't want to ruin the leather.

Here are some pictures of the fit:

Introducing the So Eleonor 85mm in calf leather.

The front view.

The side view. I love the shape of the heel.

The infamous red sole. As you can see, it is just flat and smooth. Not the greatest in snow and ice.

My mini Louboutin collection. From left: La Massine Flat, Pigalle, Corneille and So Eleonor.

In summary, I would recommend these boots to add to anyone's collection. Unfortunately they are now discontinued from stores and online so the only option is to buy from consignment shop.

Pros:

-confortable

-good height

-open/close zipper on the inner side of boots

-they are elegant/matches any outfit

-calf leather is super smooth

Cons:

-horrible in snow and ice/slush

-does not keep the rest of your leg warm

Details:

Company: Christian Louboutin

Name: So Eleonor

Height: 85mm

Material: Calf leather

Price: $1695 Canadian

Availability: discontinued from boutique store and online

It's a Love Story

....baby just say yes?!

The world has seen how Taylor Swift has gone from one boyfriend to another, basically shining her romances in the spotlight. And honestly, it's tough to deal with romance and break up especially when you're famous. When they break up, she would write about it through songs. Made money off of it. Honestly, the most brilliant thing to do. Now she is one very wealthy lady, yet so down to earth and probably the best boss lady anyone could meet or work with. I admired her work all these years but after seeing her go through the Eras Tour and all the physical demands of the tour, and how she treated her staff, I have a newfound respect for her. 

For many years, I can tell she hoped for a forever love. She, just like many of us girls/women, long for someone to love, to be loved. Her songs relate to love, heartbreak, betrayal, redeeming win - experiences that we can all relate to in our daily lives. 

When she met Travis and they were frequently in the spotlight, the joke was the same: waiting for the break up so she can write more songs. However, it didn't turn out that way. Instead, she found her love. Travis pursued her (and mama Swift also helped introduce them when he was really hoping to meet her). He got butt hurt when he was not able to meet Taylor that night after that one concert he attended, and now? He's got the girl of his dreams.

Now I can't say I can relate because I'm definitely not famous, but I can relate on trying to find that love. This love that was told to us as kids, by our parents who put into our heads that our Prince Charming (or Princess) would be out there for us. That you must get spoiled and loved for it to be...true love.

Man, what a load of bologna. Disney definitely fooled us all growing up. 

My road to love was definitely not straight forward. Some of my friends had it simple, where they dated one guy and boom, got married and had kids. End of story. Live happily ever after. Then there are friends who dated more than Taylor Swift and still haven't gotten married. Now, I'm not saying it's a failure. I'm saying for one person it could be quick to find someone, whereas for another it could take almost a life time to find true love. At the end of the day, if they both find love, then that's all that should matter. 

I'm not going to sit here and go through every detail, and blame everyone else for my failed relationships, because it does take two to tango. But I definitely felt many years ago, that love should be easy to find. Love shouldn't be tough to the point that you burn out from all the stress of trying to be loved by someone. You shouldn't have to beg to be loved.

As the years went by, and I've gone through all these different experiences, I had to eliminate some of my misconceptions, and one thing that really stuck out was...you can't change anyone, unless they want to change themselves. If they already have these pre-fixed beliefs on culture/gender roles, it's going to be impossible to change them. For years, I believed I could change people. But no, I'm not God. I cannot change people unless they want to change themselves for the better. 

Then there's the hope that eventually they'll change their minds. No, please don't ever hope they would change. Something as big as where to live, or if you should have children, those are HUGE decisions that you cannot HOPE for someone to change. They either want it or they don't. You cannot wait for years, hoping they would change their minds. The best part? You hoping they would change, without telling them about your hopes. You're just wasting time. That was also another hard lesson on my end, that ate away many years of my youth. 

Of course there's also the crush. Crushing on someone for say, 2 years and then hoping they would take initiative to ask you out, but they don't. You spend 2 years trying to give signs, trying to talk about your feelings to them, spending all your effort to get their attention, only for them to tell you that they prefer a certain type of girl (or guy) and then try to change you, to be one of them. That's not love. 

Then there are the ones who are just there to get your money, or try to get into your pants and then run for the hills. Then tell their family or friends that this chick (or guy) is crazy. Spread these false rumours to make them look like the bigger person, while making you feel like the smaller person. In that moment, yeah losing money really sucks. But also remember, you have an entire lifetime to make the money back. In the grand scheme of things, this one experience is a small dot on your lifeline. It's not worth the hassle, nor the mental health to try and fight to prove a point. You just have to pick yourself up and move on, and be the bigger person. 

I was also too nice, didn't really speak up and this was my biggest downfall. If I didn't speak up and just went with the flow (even if I didn't agree with it), things would get worse later on when I'm told why I didn't speak up before. This was another big lesson learned.

This all sounds horrible, but I'm sure many of you can relate to at least one of the above. If we didn't have these experiences, there wouldn't really be much purpose in life. It's all a matter of how you use your experiences to shape who you are, and who you can become (if you want). You are probably thinking that after all my negative experiences, I wouldn't want to find love anymore. I mean, you're partially right. In my previous posts from 2022/23, I pretty much gave up after that online experience and decided to focus on myself. I did not go the route of jumping into dating again or getting engaged/married to people who I barely knew (unlike a certain person or two in the past who went this route and well, can't say it went well for either of them).

I focused on my career, on my family and friends, discovered new hobbies and just did my best to focus on God, on His blessings (whether they be positive or negative experiences), and was just thankful I was still living. 

Without going into great detail, this is when 2023 changed me for the better. 

I have known the love of my life for about 6 years at this point. But during those 6 years, we never really talked. Just the normal 'good morning, how are you' type of basic conversations. Quiet but respectful of each other. Our conversations gradually picked up, from random check in messages, to full conversations.

It was during my birthday in 2023 that he bought me a gift (2 porcelain cats! yay!) with Chinese writings that was about health, and about love. It didn't really hit me at that point that maybe, he was trying to tell me something (and he actually was). But because I have a turbo 4 brain, it remained spooling for a long time. 

The birthday gift that set off our journey (2023)

Fast forward to May 2023 and this is where things really took off. We had been texting almost daily at this point, and had random phone calls here and there. Although we remained friends all these years, this time it felt like I had known him forever (yes yes, you probably heard this before too). The more we hung out, the more I realized he was what I was looking for all this time. He was in front of me all these years, yet I never saw it with my Asian eyes. This is when you cue the lyrics to Taylor Swift: "dreaming 'bout the day when you wake up and find that what you're looking for, has been here the whole time."

I didn't want my heart to be fooled again by my decisions but this time around, it felt different. In the past, I felt butterflies, all giddy and excited. This time, I didn't get butterflies or giddy. I felt....safe. Peaceful. It felt like home. I've never had this feeling with anyone (no joke). What made me feel safe? As friends, he went out of the way to make sure I was safe. He made sure to walk on the side of traffic to ensure I was safe. If he saw me freezing in a room, he'd go out of his way to get his jacket and kept me warm. If I was about to walk into a wall, he would pull me away. In the grand scheme of things, these may seem like small stuff; you don't need the grand impressions but it's all the little things that matter. To me, he made me feel safe from the very beginning. And I believe this was what I had missed out all these years. Feeling peaceful is another positive sign. Previously, it was like walking on eggshells. When you can't express your thoughts or feelings to the person who supposedly loves and cares about you without getting judged, or it becoming a precursor to another huge argument, that's a red flag. But now? It's the complete opposite - I feel much more at peace, because I can express my thoughts without feeling stupid. 

As our relationship progressed, we learned a lot about each other. We had these perceptions, but instead of tearing each other down, we would encourage and lift each other up. We also learned each others' habits (both good and bad). He became my biggest supporter. My number one fan. My confident. 

One important factor I noticed was that I could act myself in front of him - be silly and weird and not get nagged for acting such a way. Instead, my weirdness was embraced with love. Of course I wouldn't act disrespectful with him in front of guests and what not. But with him, or with our closest friends, I could still act like a goof ball and he would laugh about it, and still love me. Unlike in the past if I did act like a dork or a weirdo, I would get scolded for it and to grow up. Now THAT'S not love. It goes both ways: if a guy started acting like a weirdo, and a girl scolded him and told him to grow up, this would shut the guy down completely. There's really no coming back after that, because the safety shield took so long to finally come down, but those words are hurtful - the shield would go right back up. 

Many of our beliefs and life goals lined up well. Our choice of living also lined up well (none of the 'let's move to Milton or Niagara and I'll drive you to work in Toronto' nonsense). We actually have the same goal of city living. There's no emotional blackmailing. No guilt tripping. None of that. Instead, we worked through everything together. There is no I, but we. 

I joked that all I ever wanted was a nice, tall guy (ok, taller than me at least), who believes in God and could cook. Actually no joke, this was my basic requirement. I remember praying to God how hard is it to find someone with those traits?? Apparently it was very difficult considering it took 2 decades to find him. Not only is he way taller than me and believes in God but when I found out he could cook, I almost cried. It felt like I won the lottery. Now I don't have to starve to death. But seriously, this was what I prayed for all these years.

All relationships will have its ups and downs, and I'm not saying ours is perfect. It's all about how you handle your deck of cards. It's about mutual respect of one another. It's also about supporting one another through the good and bad. When you get that golden card, you will do whatever it takes to not lose it. 

Someone said it's just the honeymoon phase and this lovey dovey phase will pass eventually. It's been almost 3 years of honeymoon phase, and we intend to keep it that way. After a long day of work, the only voice I want to hear is his, and vice versa. I perk up when I see him or hear his voice on the phone. That's what it should be about. It's all about the mindset. One thing's for sure though, now I understand when people say 'when you know, you know." It's a feeling that's tough to describe unless you go through it yourself. You should feel at ease, and safe. I think safe is the key word, not butterflies. Butterflies are actually associated with anxiety, not love. 

To anyone who is still longing for your true love, don't give up. They are out there, and there are still good people out there with a great heart, and have much love to give. There is a Travis for every Taylor out there.