2020 Updates

Here goes another post of random ramblings! Let's get ready to RRRRR-AMBLE!!!!!

2020 has been a sad start. From Kobe Bryant's tragic passing, to Ravi Zacharias and Irfan Khan as of late; 2020 has been a sad year so far and it's just going to get more sad with all that's been happening.

COVID has put a halt in most of the world's economy. Slowly but surely, things will start to open up. Hopefully those who have lost jobs/income will be able to go back to their jobs or find new ones. It's a difficult time for many. Let's try to help one another out. Stick with the social distancing rules and please don't gather in large groups!

The past few months I have been working as a front line staff. It started off very difficult as we had staff off on sick leave or leave of absence or what not. It was not surprising to have 8 staff call in sick per shift on a daily basis. Considering it takes about 33-35 staff to run the department per shift, losing 8 members took a huge toll on the rest of us. Especially when certain staff were off for 2 weeks or more. On top of that, we've had community transmissions which affected our clients, and having to do contact tracing which resulted in several isolations. Let me just say, it was a madhouse. And that was just before the pandemic began. I had to put my usual work duty on hold in order to be on the front lines because that's how bad it became. Thankfully we have started pandemic preparations before this happened and implemented strict policies so we have not seen a huge rise in cases.

Things have started to taper off gradually, but seeing the community start gathering in large groups when the officials have implemented strict rules on social distancing, it really pisses me off. We don't know when this second wave will happen but seeing how things are right now, it could happen very soon. And we may not be prepared for it. However, it doesn't mean we won't continue implementing our policies. We still are and we will still continue for as long as it's needed.

I was looking back at previous posts and just realized that wow, I have not bought any handbags for almost 2 years. That to me is like celebrating sobriety. It can truly be an addiction that is not good for the wallet. But as I accumulated all these bags, I kept thinking to myself...why do I need so many bags?! How many arms do I have anyways?! And the thing that really stuck out to me was that I rarely have time to go out. All I do is work. There's no way in heck that I would want to take any of those bags to work, especially during this pandemic. So I've basically worked to buy bags, for them to sit on my shelf. Yeah, so that's one hobby that I have set aside for now and just focus on life. There is more to life than handbags that's for sure. It hasn't stopped me from window shopping and dreaming of certain bags. But seeing how things are now, it just doesn't make sense to get handbags.

Speaking of which, both Louis Vuitton and Chanel have raised their prices during this pandemic. LV did two price increases. TWO. DURING A PANDEMIC. How narcissistic is that?! I understand that companies are struggling to sell products during this time but seriously. TWO increases? come on now. And Chanel has raised their prices, anywhere from 7-27%. That is HUGE. So now it will cost just north of 9 grand for a medium classic flap. 9 GRAND! I could get a GT4 body kit instead.

I just honestly think it's so classless and ridiculous of them to do such a thing. In Chanel's case, it's obvious that they don't care about most of the customers. They care about those who are willing to drop 10 grand on a bag without blinking an eye. They want to focus only on the super rich. They do NOT want people who've saved up their hard earned money over the years and reward themselves with a bag. No. They don't want them. Their market is the super rich and only the super rich. In my opinion, it's the wrong move. The only reason why Chanel has sold so many products lately is not because of the super rich, but those who are "normal" middle class people who have worked hard and bought their products over the years. They may not have dropped 50k at once to buy 4 handbags, but they may have over the years bought certain amount of bags and jewelry, or whatever accessories. That still adds up. So if anything, the middle class has helped Chanel with their profits in the past decade. For them to do this, it just shows they're not as classy as we thought they were. They will end up losing a lot of customers. There is only so much a super rich person can buy from Chanel.

LV is trying to pull a Chanel stunt. The only difference is LV is making customers pay thousands of dollars for a canvas bag, and not a leather bag. If you want leather, you have to pay a minimum of 3 grand or more for the bag, and can go upwards of 10 grand or more, depending on the type of leather. I was never really a fan of LV, even though there was one that really caught my eye. When I saw it in person, it was a lot smaller than I imagined, and now they're asking north of 2 grand for it. Does it look classy? Not really. It is more fun and casual but not as classy as I thought it would be.

I've basically lost respect for those two companies. A complete classless act. They really should be ashamed of themselves. But they're so stuck up that they probably don't care. So why should we care to carry their products?

Speaking of not caring. For those who have been on social media a lot (IG mostly), you've probably seen the recent police activities among car gatherings. A while ago I mentioned a group called TOtakeovers, and we all think it's members from there plus more, who cause havoc among Toronto streets at night. The stunts include doing donuts at intersections, donuts in parking lots, drag racing on a stretch of public road, and there was one which stopped traffic on the 401 because someone decided to do a donut there too.

Since the pandemic began, there has been a huge increase of stunt driving on Toronto streets. I work almost everyday and I can say there is little to no traffic on my way to work every morning, so I can imagine what it's like at night. Probably no traffic, if at all very little. This still should not be a reason for people to go out in hoards, and start doing donuts in the middle of intersections. I don't mean 10 people, but it's upwards in the hundreds that people congregate at these meets. It's getting ridiculous to the point that police will stop any car that looks modified, and give tickets just because they can. It's affecting everybody. For those who actually stayed at home, and went out for a quick drive to warm up the car, they get stopped because they drive a fast looking car. Thankfully I have not been pulled over, but that's because I avoid driving at night. This is just getting way too ridiculous. And it's those types of people that ruin the rest of the car community for us.

You might think, well just take it to the track then!

Here's a funny story. This past Tuesday is when stage 1 of reopening certain public areas began. This included parks, golf courses and of course, race tracks.

Day one of open lapping at Cayuga. It was a complete disaster. It involved a group of (sorry to say if I sound racist) China boys. Yup. I said it. China boys. Videos from the cars were posted to social media, which showed them disregarding the rules, overtaking others when they're not suppose to, and not driving behind one another. It seems that people forgot how to drive after staying home for so long.

The worst part is, they congregated at the last turn, not very far from a live track lane. And started shouting and punching each other. This all stemmed because a CLA would not let people pass and others behind him thought it was too slow. One thing led to another and boom. Again, I hate to say this but the Chinese mainlanders just isn't helping. It's not helping that this pandemic stemmed from China, but now you have these China boys swearing at each other and talking so loud too. I listened in to the video and yes, they were definitely saying stuff like F your mother! F your mother! Yeah, until you have to call her back in China to give you more money to fix your cars. Such an embarrassment to all Asians around the world. I watch that video and get so disgusted. Then it gets on the news and you see a bunch of pubescent China boys fighting. Ridiculous.

I also felt bad for the random Vette owner. That was the Vette that became engulfed in flames. I bet he didn't expect to lose his car that way either. Insurance is going to be a bitch. Let's hope he got the track insurance.

I will leave you a link for your enjoyment to read (and watch if the link is still available):
Cayuga 2020 day 1 disaster

I feel like I've talked a lot of car stuff so let's talk about....

Tax season. The government was nice to extend the deadline for tax season to June 1. Of which I have not done my taxes yet. Shoot. It's always an exciting time because I get to find out if I get any returns, or on a sad note, if I have to pay back the government. I remember talking to someone who worked more than 2 jobs and they had to pay back 10 grand to the government. Holy crap. I think the biggest mistake was not buying RRSP. It's also when I found out working all those overtimes may not always be so beneficial because in the end, you still have to pay it back. So what's the point of all that?! I hate the government most of the time.

That's it for now. I shall return soon. Stay safe everyone.

Sciatica...

For those who don't know, I've struggled with a bad back for the past decade. It all stemmed from an injury while assisting someone. One event has now led to a complete downfall during my young adulthood.

I have done physiotherapy to help alleviate some pain, but during crazy scheduling, it has been difficult trying to keep up with it religiously. Unfortunately my clinic has now closed down as the owner has retired. Since then, I hadn't had much time to look around for another, so I figured I would do my own little stretches at home.

So that's what I have been doing, especially lately with a lot of running around, and my back is in dying need of rest and stretch. That is what I did last week and I guess I must have pulled something during one of my stretches (maybe went a bit too far compared to the usual). The next thing I know, there is a sharp pain going down my back and my leg. Well...that's not good.

I immediately went to put a hot pad on my back. Normally it would resolve after a couple of hours. I knew something was wrong when I got up the next morning and had trouble getting out of bed. Things that I were able to do before, I was not able to do that particular morning. Putting on socks and pants became a challenge and probably the most painful thing. For the first time, I had to sit down and put socks on. My morning routine was slow that morning but I was still able to accomplish my tasks. The next part was getting into the car. Considering I drive a lowered car, it really didn't help me at all. Getting into the car was not an issue, but getting out was a struggle.

Going to work that morning (and looking back to this, I should've just called in sick), I took my time. Every step that I took, there was a sharp pain in my back that would radiate down my leg, all the way to my foot. It was not a nice feeling. It alternated between pain and numbness. Half the time I couldn't feel my leg. Sometimes my butt was in pain because of the nerves. All in all, it was a struggle.

The second worst thing to occur that morning were my allergies. I had stopped my Reactine for a few days as it was drying out my nose and of course I was getting nosebleeds. The allergies weren't so bad at home, but at work it was a nightmare. This particular morning it started off alright but within the hour, I was in a sneezing frenzy. Because of the constant back pain I was in, every sneeze became a painful nightmare. It felt good to sneeze but I had to force myself not to sneeze sometimes in order to save my back. Oh boy, when that sneeze came and it couldn't be stopped, I was crying in pain soon after. It's interesting how our body works; when we sneeze, we always think well it's just my lungs and nose. Nope, you use your entire abdominal cavity to expel all that air and whatever particles are irritating your nose. So for 8-10 hours, it was torture. And I was stupid for not carrying my Reactine with me. Eventually I got a hold of Benadryl, which was better than nothing at this point. I rather feel the drowsy effect than sneeze for another hour.

Normally I would try to hide my issues, but this time around it was hard to hide my limp that was ever so obvious to everyone. They asked if I was ok, I said 'sciatica'. And they all freaked out, saying I am way too young for this. Yes, I know I am way too young for it but what can I do? I have to learn to deal with it. That's all I can do. So please stop telling me I am too young for anything.

By the time I got home, I was quite relieved. My sneezing had stopped (I did take a Reactine to make sure). I took a shower (ahhh very nice for the back, very soothing), which took forever. And finally, I tried to relax in bed for a bit. When dinner time came around, I was hungry but my problem is...I could not get out of bed. First of all, I couldn't really move much without the pain shooting everywhere. When I had the courage to finally try to stand, I couldn't stand. I nearly collapsed and that scared the living daylights out of me. The problem was, I would try to stand but there was a sharp pain that went from my back to my feet and it just made everything so painful and numb at the same time. I had no strength to support myself. I did not want to take any further risk into harming myself so I ended up going back to bed ever so slowly.

Never in my life did I want to bother anyone to help me, but this time around I had to call my mom for help. She had no idea what was happening as I didn't tell her anything throughout the day, but when she came and saw me, she thought I needed to go to the hospital to get assessed. I guess that's how bad things became. However, I didn't want to bother her or dad and there was no way I would want to go to a hospital during the COVID. I don't think the staff could do much anyways so what was the point. Plus I didn't want to have them exposed to possible sick patients at the hospital so I begged her to not take me. She asked if there was any way we could go to a doctor, but given the circumstances I didn't think any clinics would be open except for the emergency department.

My next challenge was going to the bathroom. I wish I had the equipment to catheterize myself but unfortunately I don't and I didn't want to give myself a UTI. Thank God that I have one of those computer chair on wheels. It took me a while but I managed to transfer myself into that chair and rolled down the hallway using my arms as my guide. Unfortunately for me, the chair was too wide to fit the bathroom door frame. So this was the next challenge: to get inside the bathroom without falling over and cracking my head open. It went successfully, but it was pretty painful. Brushing teeth was a challenge because I couldn't stand straight. The toilet I won't go into much detail, except it took time to lower myself and raise myself up using my arms as strength. This really gave me huge insight into those who have lost both legs to various ailments and who really rely on their arms for transfer purposes. It isn't easy. I give them HUGE credit that they have to deal with it everyday for the rest of their lives. Don't take your limbs for granted (or your body as a whole).

I transferred myself back to bed. I was doing fine until I tried to reposition myself and must have twisted my back somehow. The next thing I know, I am screaming in pain. When that pain hits, the entire body just freezes. It's like a lightning feeling that goes up and down the entire body. The more you tense up, the more intense the pain becomes. It takes a lot of energy to close your eyes, ease your mind, relax your muscles, and let that pain try to go away on its own. That's what I've learned when I have bad flareups. There was one time I became so tense after one of the flareups that the pain just kept going and it felt like forever before the pain finally started to dissipate. It was at this moment that I decided I should take some time off work to recover. People would think I'm crazy for going into work if I couldn't even stand.

Sciatica is no joke. And it can hit anyone of any age. I really think we should stop labelling certain issues as "old people" issues, just like how disc degenerative disease can happen to anyone of any age. If certain trauma happens in a young person's life that they get DDD in their 30's, they shouldn't be told that they're too young to have it, and that it's an "old person's disease". Just like how officials say COVID attacks the older people. No, it can affect ANYONE of ANY age. So please, let's stop labelling things on certain people.

To this day, I still have numbness down one of my legs. It's something that I just got used to, and just learn to deal with it. Ever since that bad flare up, I have been feeling more funny things down my leg. It's hard to describe but the closest I can think of is when you hit your elbow/funny bone against something and you get that weird feeling going down your arm momentarily. That's as close as I can describe this feeling, except it is always there. It doesn't goes away and unfortunately for me, it will probably never go away.

For those who don't have back issues: count your blessings. Please take care of your bodies, of your back especially. Because once you injure your back, it is very difficult to go back to normal after an injury.
For those who are going through back issues: I understand you. We got this. Just keep staying strong, keep up with those massages and physio sessions. And please, just be careful too. We have one life to live, one back to deal with, one chance. Let's aim for recovery and not let it boggle us down.

Checking in - COVID progress

As the title states, we are right in the middle of the COVID pandemic. Lots of things are still shut down, but they have began phase 1 of opening the economy. I wish I had blogged earlier on prior to the announcement of the pandemic but things were just quite chaotic. 

When SARS was here in 2003, I was still in high school. Being new to this role and then suddenly having to deal with a pandemic like COVID while others around me survived through SARS was challenging to say the least. I felt like a child compared to everyone else. I almost felt lost especially during the pandemic plan. It sounds easy by word of mouth but when you sit down with a team to talk about the logistics behind the planning, it was a lot more complicated than I thought. However, this was the time to not complain, and just deal with it. There was no time to absorb, but to just jump into this unknown and just fight it. Save as many people as possible. Try to prevent spread amongst the most vulnerable population. Just do it. 

I have never been so stressed in my life. Prior to the pandemic I was struggling to lose weight. During this pandemic, I've lost weight just because of the stress. Surprisingly it was 8 pounds! I have initiated the intermittent fasting (16/8) and I had lost 2 pounds during that duration but since the pandemic, it added on an extra 6 pounds. Hopefully I can continue this for my own benefit. I think the hardest part about IF is the eating. My biggest fail is snacking. So it's trying to cut out all the sweets from the diet. It wasn't so bad in the beginning but it's a struggle now during the pandemic when stress levels are high, and all I want to do is snack in order to keep going. Anyways, that's something I need to work on, that's for sure.

I hope everyone out there is surviving through this pandemic. I know it must be tough for those who have lost jobs, lost loved ones from the terrible virus or other conditions, or just mentally trying to survive this pandemic. It is tough, and I wish there was a short term solution to fix it all. I know the government implementing these restrictions probably seem too "controlling" and not within our rights as citizens of our countries. However, know that they aren't doing this on purpose and are really trying to limit the spread. I don't believe those protests about trying to reopen the economy. Not only are they putting themselves at risk, but they just don't see the big picture. We are quite thankful the hospitals are not as bad as what Italy was experiencing, because of the early restrictions our unit had taken way before the pandemic was declared. But we are still not safe from it and I don't know if we ever will be. I don't know if this will go away like SARS. I don't know if there will ever be a vaccine. All I know is that if we continue to do our due diligence in following instructions, then yes, we can have a chance at beating this together. We are all in this together. So please, do your best and try to stay home as much as possible. Call your loved ones and keep each other sane and comfortable. 

Just a FYI, no I do not have the COVID as the title seems. I just ran out of ideas to label the title. I wish I could type more, but it's been another crazy week and I've been falling asleep every time I arrive home. I think I've been running on pure adrenaline all week and all day that finally when I can shower and relax, I just complete crash for hours. It's a nice feeling to finally sleep. 

Stay safe everyone. We will get through this. Please tell all your family, all your friends, your loved ones...tell them all that you love them. And actually mean it. Do this every day if you can. Because with all that I see everyday, you just never know what will happen. So do me a favour and do this for you and your loved ones. 

Petro Canada

This is a review on Petro Canada. Specifically the car wash (wash and go) cards.

On the website, there are options of buying or reloading your wash cards. There is one link that gives you the option of 5, 10, or 15 washes plus a bonus wash. Then there are ones on another link which says you can buy the same one and you can preload them in after a certain wash.

Now, this is where this gets a bit confusing. No where on the site does it say to purchase the first option FIRST before purchasing the preload option. They only said it would preload after the last wash. Ok. Confusing. You should've hired someone better to write your website. Or tell them to go back to school and learn proper English.

I paid for 10 washes (preload), which my card had 0 washes. This is the point that it should've prompted me an error to say OK NO WOMAN YOU CANNOT BUY BECAUSE YOU HAVE 0 WASHES LEFT SO YOU NEED TO BUY 5 WASHES FIRST, THEN YOU CAN PURCHASE ME, THE PRELOAD OPTION.

Well guess what. It still went through my card because they charged me. I got the email confirmation that it was bought and it would start after this date.

Fast forward to today. I went in for the car wash. And I mean this is the first car wash since last year. So I'm desperate for a car wash. The last time I went to check it out, the wash was closed. Honestly, it ALWAYS happens to me. I have terrible luck with cars and now car washes.

Those who have been using Petro know that their lines are always long (longer than anyone's dong in this world). It would be about a 45 minute wait. So here I am, waiting in line. Now it's finally my turn and I'm so relieved I can finally get a wash. I scan the card and, NOTHING. IT SAYS I HAVE 0 WASHES LEFT. What the bloody period clot is this??

I press for support. The man had a thick accent, so I told him the situation that I paid for 10 washes already. And he said "well just park your car where it is now, tell the guy behind you, and walk over to the station so you can pay for the car wash." I said...EXCUSE ME? That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard. I'm not going to let 10 people wait behind me while I walk/run to your dumb ass and pay for a wash when I've already paid for it.

I ended up buzzing again and he said the same thing. This time, I was already fuming. I told him to open the door and just let me through because I was in no mood for a wash anymore and just wanted to leave. So he let me through. I drove to the station, and told him the situation. He scanned my card and told me, 0 washes. I said this is ridiculous. He responded that if there was an issue, call customer support.

Wasted 45 minutes of my life that I'll never get back. I went home and called customer support, got someone again with a thick accent and basically yelled at them.

The answer that I got from them was that there were a few days that the site had glitches, so perhaps the wash never went through. But I mentioned the email confirmation. And this is where I checked my banking statement. Petro charged me TWICE! Bull$hit! $278 for 20 car washes that I will never see. I demanded a full refund, and said I would never go to their company for service ever again. Now I felt sorry for the person I was talking to because she was getting the brunt of a company she's working for, and compensated by giving me 2 free washes.

I mean great, that's great but problem is they never keep their car washes open all the time. And the times that I go, they're closed.

I never purchase gas from Petro (aside from the GTR guys because they love it), but if they choose Petro stops for their next rally, I'm Googling the next Esso or Shell stations because Petro will not get a cent from me from this point on. And if I have to drive a while to get there, then I will. I will not pay for a company that has treated me as such. I rather give my money elsewhere and if I have to pay more for a car wash somewhere else, then I will.

2020

2020! What.

Lots and lots of stuff have happened since my last post. Funny, it seems like I write the exact same introduction year after year...

But seriously. Lots have happened.

That dream job that I've always strived for...well...GUESS WHO IT WENT TO? Yours truly. All that hard work paid off. However I can say it's killing my brain because of all the stress. I get a taste of management and what it's really about. All I can say is...it is tough work. The amount of things you have to remember is insane. I don't know how managers deal with so many issues in just 1 hour but I give them huge credit for doing what they do. Now of course these are managers who actually put their heart and soul into their jobs, not the ones that just sit there and nod their heads and not do anything. I'm not sure if that is truly what I want to do but definitely trying to strive towards it.

You're probably wondering if I'm still using the iPhone 6S that I've had for the past 4 years. I've upgraded...to a XR! Ok Ok before you start laughing, it's only because I really wanted the blue. The new 11 does not have blue so I had to downgrade to the XR so to speak. I did buy my mom the 11, so if anything she is much more technologically advanced than I am.

This past winter season, I did not put the sweet Porshaaaa on trickle charger. I figured let's try this out. Last season I had the bad luck of taking it out on the first day, then having the ignition switch die on me. This time around, I told myself I would drive it in between good days of winter (at this point you just hope and pray the weather plays nice). Thankfully this past winter it has been quite mild, not too extreme so I was able to take her out once to twice a week around the neighbourhood to warm up before storing her back. However, this part is tedious. This was my first time doing this but I had to type in a schedule to remind me when I took her out and for how long. This became my guide for the entire winter and literally became my second job. Monitoring how often it was driven, and then monitoring a break in the weather. If I knew there was a huge storm coming, I would monitor the days before and compare the weather for those days, choosing a mild day (or sunny day with higher temperatures). It's probably much easier to just store the car but the prep work that goes into it takes some time as well. Either way, I've tried both and they both work.

Fox Run Rally. Right. So we had our very first rally run last summer, where we went to Ottawa for 3 days and participated in Race the Runway, simulator, amongst other shenanigans. Most of the cars were GTRs  with a few other sports cars in between like mine, and a BMW Alpina. It was very successful. All the members had a great time and we are looking forward to this summer. Let's hope this whole coronavirus will pass by summer time.

Speaking of coronavirus (or COVID-19), it has been insane in the groceries lately. Toilet papers gone. Pasta and pasta sauce gone. Canned goods. Sanitizers. Lysol wipes. Everyone is going cuckoo over this. Those who hoard such things, SHAME ON YOU. Seriously. Unless you have 40 children's ass to wipe, there is no reason for you to start hoarding it all for yourself. Such selfishness. Same with the wipes. People are hoping to sell them online but now Amazon and Kijiji have banned such sales online so those people are now stuck with all those supplies. For what? A profit? It's ridiculous. Key thing is: STAY HOME. ESPECIALLY if you're sick.

People have these misconceptions that the virus is an airborne virus. The virus does not stay in the air and float around like your mother's underwear when it goes missing. The virus is similar to a flu where when one coughs, those droplets go into the air, but drop after a certain distance. The droplets fall on tables, floors, equipments, you name it. Your cell phone. Geez. That itself is a petri dish for disaster. And they can live on surfaces from hours to days. Handwash is key, as well as disinfecting all surfaces.

Those Lysol/Accel wipes is best handled with GLOVES. OMG I don't know how many times I've seen people handle it with bare hands. The amount of damage they could do to the skin (let alone having those chemicals absorbed through your skin into your body) over time can be deadly. Whether it's COPD of the lungs or getting severe dermatitis, it's important to use and disgard them appropriately.

While everyone is hoarding ridiculous items, I have gotten myself menstrual pads because when a girl bleeds, toilet paper is useless in those situations. I have gotten cookies because at least I can snack on those during the day. It's kind of hard for me to snack on pasta. Thankfully we have enough toilet paper from before so there was no need to buy anymore. However, in about 3 weeks, that may change. The amount of times I take a crap in one day, I could probably go through a roll.

In sad news....I really wanted a bag from Louis Vuitton. I was eyeing it since last month and wanted to purchase it the last weekend before March (so close!!). When I returned to the site the following Monday, I kicked myself. Prices went up by $100. COME ON REALLY LOUIS??? I read there was going to be a price hike but I didn't know it would be that soon. Sucks balls. At least now I don't have to rush and get it. But still, it completely sucks.

I cleaned my room. And found many gift cards that I had not used yet. That is better than eating ice cream. Of course I had to go through the tedious work of checking each and every card to see if they had a balance. That took pretty long but now I finally figured them out. So yeah, clean up your rooms frequently so your dentures or balls don't go missing.

Ok, time to take a crap. Bless this toilet paper.

Pfaff Porsche

This is in regards to my experience with Pfaff. Pfaff is one of the biggest dealership groups here in Ontario and Porsche is one of the companies under the group.

I had gotten the car from Pfaff last year. If you read in the previous post, I had gotten the car just before winter, so there was not much time to enjoy the car before being put to storage over winter. The car was put on a trickle charger over the months to maintain the battery. I had checked it over the months to make sure the readings did not go below 100%.

Bring on March! Single digit temperatures and sometimes double digits make my fingers itch. And my feet tap. I'm just waiting to bring her out! So of course, that's what I do. 

The first thing I noticed something was a bit odd was when the readings showed 25%. Hmm. How did it go from 100% to 25%. This is my first time storing and taking out a car from long winter months so it's not like I have much experience with it, but I figured 25% would charge later on to 100%. What did I do? I took the car out for a spin.

Knowing that it hadn't been started up in months or driven, I had to take it real easy. I warmed it up for a good 15mins or so. I then slowly drove it, grandma style. No redlining, no fierce acceleration. Just everything under light load. I took it for a wash, which took forever to do. So those 40 mins or so I just let the engine run. 

After a day of parking and driving, I came home and parked the car in the garage as per usual. I knew something was wrong when I turned the key to the 'OFF' position, but the engine remained running. Hmm. That's weird. So I tried again to restart the car. But you know how the car jolts a bit when you first start up the car? Yeah, didn't get that this time around, because the engine was still on.

Turned it off again. But then I realized: the key is stuck in the ignition. It's off, but it's stuck. The engine is still running. Super weird. Never encountered anything like this before. I had to walk to the back to listen to the exhaust and it was still running. Super, super weird.

Now I have a parked car in the garage, with the engine still running, and the key is off but it's stuck inside. I can't take it out. I contacted Nextmod, and although they were closed, I was still able to get in touch with them and explain the situation. After going through some brainstorming, he brought up a good point: try calling Porsche Roadside Assistance. Oh my goodness. I had forgotten I have that!

After getting the number, I called them and explained my situation. The most dangerous situation is that I could not close the garage door with the car still running, otherwise I'd be dead by morning. A tow truck showed up within 15-20 mins to assess the situation. He too could not remove the key from the ignition. Tried to brainstorm ideas, and said ok, let's try and unplug the battery. So he did. And guess what? The car engine was still running.

He then decided to pull the fuel pump relay fuse. This time, the engine did shut off. The key remained stuck in the ignition, with the dash lights still on. The only thing at this point was to put the car back to trickle charge so the battery won't be dead by the morning. That was the end of the evening.

The next morning.

Monday. Initially I called up Porsche Centre North Toronto as it was the closest dealership to me. However, they were pretty swamped that week and were unable to fit me in until Thursday of that week. If I wanted a loaner car, I was out of luck as they had none that week. The earliest would be the week after. I figured I didn't want to wait another week of trying to fix the problem, so I called up Pfaff to see if they had a spot that same Monday. Thankfully they did, so the appointment was booked for that morning.

I go to the garage to start her up. Anddddd the car is dead. I couldn't open the doors with the keyless entry system, so I had to manually take out the hidden key and open it from the lock. This time, the dash lights would not turn on once the key was turned. I had a dead car with a dead battery in the garage. 

I called up Porsche Roadside Assistance again. This time I asked for a tow to the dealership. Because I needed a flatbed, it would take up to 2 hours for one to show up. And of course, this was a day that I had work. I was frantic. I notified Pfaff of my situation that I wouldn't make the scheduled time, so they said no problem, we will book you in at 1pm instead.

However, 20 mins after I called them up, a flatbed showed up! I'm pretty thankful that they were very quick to respond. He boosted the battery and the car was alive again. He asked if I wanted to drive it to the dealership instead, but I had told him it's best if it gets towed. He loaded it up to the flatbed, and once again he tried turning off the car. The engine would not shut off, even with the key in the 'OFF' position. 

Now begins our trek to Pfaff. We arrived to Pfaff an hour before the scheduled appointment (thank God for 407) and unloaded the car off. I drove it to service and explained to them what happened. I've never seen a group of techs surround a car trying to turn it off. They struggled as well. And now in my head I keep wondering, holy crap is this a lemon? I mean not only does it look like a lemon, but it smells like one too? All kinds of panic type ideas start hitting your head when you're nervous of what the outcome would be.

I spoke with the service advisor and he recorded everything that I experienced, as well as any other issues that I wanted to look into (i.e tail lights not sitting flush, spoiler not sitting flush). Very minor things but of course bottom line is, we need to find out why the car isn't shutting off when it's suppose to.

Considering they still had to diagnose it and perhaps order parts in, Pfaff offered me a loaner car. It was the Macan base, that was loaded up pretty well. This was my first time experiencing a loaner car, so I figured I will take them up on the offer. I wasn't able to get time off work that day, so I'm thankful again that they were able to offer a loaner for however long it took. 

I drove the Macan that day and man, it didn't feel any different than the Cayman, except maybe it was a bit taller on the road. Otherwise I found that the steering was pretty similar in feeling, and it had a massive panoramic roof. The Macan was pretty optioned out with the sports chrono package, Navi, sports exhaust, as well as other features that I didn't have a chance to try. I hadn't looked into the Macan at all, but after this loan, it's definitely in my radar. 

I call it the baby Cayenne, because it is smaller than the Cayenne. I found it to be comfortable (I do drive 2 sports cars, so anything with more than 2 doors is comfortable), and the heated seats were a nice feature. The only thing I noticed was that when the passenger side fan was on, there was this annoying swooshing sound coming from the dash vent. I turned the passenger fan off and the sound disappeared. I don't think the swooshing sound is suppose to happen, but then again, it is a loaner so who knows what previous drivers did.

I had the Macan for 3 days and drove it back and forth between work before Pfaff notified me that the Cayman was ready for pick up. To be honest, I was pretty sad to be dropping the Macan off, but I can finally be in my car again.

In terms of the issue, it was found that the ignition switch was defective. All cars exhibit various symptoms for us to figure out and they can be different when it comes to a defective ignition switch. In my case, the engine wouldn't shut off. The engine thought that because the key was still in the ignition, then therefore, the engine remained on. It also gave off another warning, which had said my headlights were failing, when they were in perfect working order.

The ignition switch is similar to what they use in the 911, and is a known issue apparently. Fortunately because the car is still under warranty (CPO), everything was covered: ignition switch replacement, Macan loaner, and the 2 mayday calls and tow, with the battery boost. 

Of all the cars and dealerships that I've dealt with, this is by far one of the quickest responses. You know what they say, you get what you paid for. I definitely didn't experience this at Hyundai (and probably never will...I still remember they gouged me almost $1000 and didn't even fix the problem), but this blew my mind. I'm just really thankful that it turned out well in the end. The only thing I had to pay for was the gas in the Macan before I returned it, otherwise I'm pretty relieved. 

If you're looking at Porsche products, whether it's new or used, I can tell you that you'll get looked after. Yes, you pay a premium for their products but the warranty is worth it. 

What's been happening?!

Wow, didn't realize I haven't posted anything in the past couple months. My Instagram is a bit more active, although I don't post content on a daily basis either. Feel free to follow me @carsnpurses if you want to see car content (yes, primarily it will be car and handbag focused).

February was a busy month. Lots of birthdays, and it was also vacation month! If you're wondering where I went, here's a hint: the tallest building in the world, with the fastest coaster in the world.

Yes. If you guessed Dubai, you are right!

I'll be sure to share more of my Dubai adventures in the next post as I'll have to sort though pictures that are worthy of being posted here. Stay tuned, and I promise it won't take another 2-3 months for it. It was a beautiful place indeed, and I can say it's almost like another version of Toronto: buildings everywhere, shopping everywhere, and everything is expensive.

End of March, which means....it's almost car season! WOO! The cars are coming out of hibernation! I have seen plenty of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, Mclarens...they're all coming out. However, this weekend is pretty gloomy and cold so I doubt there will be many out at this time. But at car dealerships and independent garages, you can slowly start to see the cars pile in to get ready for the summer season.

Speaking of summer season, there are a few events happening that are plenty to check out: drive for cancer, anti-bullying campaign, grass roots, sick rides for sick kids, amongst others. They're all spread out for the summer months so there's always something to do each week!

Which brings me to my ultimate driving machine. The Cayman S. What a beauty of a car to drive. I haven't had much of a chance to enjoy the car much as it was purchased right before winter, and basically stored away. It came out this week, and there was already an issue. I'll be sure to share my next post about my experience with Porsche.

I will keep this short, as I will work on the next post. Stay tuned for another hour!

HAPPY 2019!!!

It's been a while since my last post so forgive me...

Merry belated Christmas!

Happy belated new year!

Now that we have entered 2019, 6 days in, it's been quite an adventure. Adventure I say because I have finally caught whatever bug is going around these days. I've kept track of when was the last time I got sick and it happened in November 2016. Since then, it was probably the longest streak I've had in all my life!

How did the sickness begin? Since Boxing Day, I worked 6 straight shifts, then was off on New Year's. Ended up going to Niagara Fallsview casino for a bit, and I think that's when I started feeling a bit funny. I sat there waiting for my folks, and felt this itch in my throat. Didn't help that I was also wearing a t-shirt. Yay for t-shirts in winter.

The following day, I worked 16 hours (it was by choice) at 2 different sites. Going into the 16 hours, I basically didn't sleep. Why? I have no idea. I just couldn't sleep. Maybe it was because my throat was feeling uncomfortable, and then I tossed and turned all night. By the end of the evening, I was starting to have sniffles. To finish off the week, I would have 2 more shifts to complete. However, by the next day (the 3rd), I couldn't get out of bed. Everything ached, and my throat was starting to kill me. Yay for sick calls.

This time around, I was pretty thankful there was no high fever (unlike last time). Just battling whatever bug I have. Didn't go to the doctor's because I didn't think there was a need. Stayed home in bed for pretty much 3-4 days straight and drank more water that I ever had in my life. Slowly but surely it is getting better. But with another 6 straight shifts this week, I don't think it's going to help with the rate of my recovery (yeah, I'm crazy).

So, reflections on 2018?

I have learned that my 2 kitties love to bite wires. I've lost count of how many wires have been chewed in half or nearly chewed in half. I've never had this experience before because when M was a kitten, he never chewed on wires. So this is a completely new thing to me, that the behaviour of these kittens are very different. I had to wrap the wires in black duck tape so they don't electrocute themselves. I've had to unplug the computer and printer in the room so they don't continue to chew on it. It's been a nightmare having to wake up in the middle of the night multiple times, just to see one of the kittens biting the modem wire, or telephone wire, or my Iphone charge wire.

They must hate Apple because they have destroyed (so far) about 3 Apple chargers (1 MacBook Pro charger and 2 Iphone chargers). I did find my MacBook Pro charger wire chewed in half. It was pretty sad to see. I'm so thankful I have a lot of back up supplies but there comes a point where I will run out of spares eventually. They have destroyed my other USB wires and TV cables as well. With their cute faces, it's really hard to be mad at them. The furnitures have survived so far, but it's one of those things where we can't win at everything.

I totally forgot I signed up for a free trial of Amazon Prime, and all this time I didn't realize I could check out their Prime tv. Which means.....THE GRAND TOUR TIME!!!!!!!!! I am quite far behind as I've never seen an episode before, but it's quite entertaining. I really miss the trio on Top Gear but it is what it is. Their new show is pretty much TG so it feels like it hasn't changed.

Handbags. I think I managed to buy one...or two handbags for 2018. And on a sad note, the Gucci handbag was sold to a consignment shop. I have no clue when it was sold but it must've been sold for a while before I followed up and asked for the money. So that's how I learned it was already sold. Just disappointed the company didn't notify me as soon as it was sold, but I guess they're quite busy too. So head's up if you ever consign with a shop...always follow up to see if your item was sold, and if it is sold, that's when you can connect with them about having them pay you the amount. Just keep in mind that shops take 15-20% commission as well.

Moose Knuckles. I ended up going to the outlet store in Niagara to get jackets for my family. However, I am such an idiot because I misjudged their size. By the time I went back to exchange, they were out of the popular sizes because it was just past Boxing Day and they just had their sales. Bummer. Got a store credit and will head back soon to check out the sizes. LOSER!

Conferences. Hopefully I'll get a chance to go to some conferences this year. Need my education hours. I'll have to find out where the conferences are this year.

November 26, 2018: the 3 year anniversary of M's passing. Considering I have these 2 kittens to look after, I would think it would be easier but it wasn't. The day came, and all the memories came back to my head. Couldn't control my emotions and I just bawled my eyes out. It wasn't much about forgetting him. It was about hoping he understood that I'm giving these kittens a chance at life, just like how I saved him when he was a kitten. Every year goes by a little bit easier, I didn't cry as much in 2018, so that's an improvement.

Christmas 2018: I finally got to spend quality time with family after 3 years of working Christmas. I was definitely looking forward to it, and it was very memorable. I'm fortunate that I could be with family this year.

New Year's Eve 2018: worked my shift and it was the shift from Hell. Of course they put me in charge of the unit, and of course I had to work with the doctor that you can't say no to. For 8 hours straight, I was on my toes making sure I didn't miss anything and that's the most stressful part...remembering all the little details that everyone tells you in an 8 hour period. I was pretty beat by the time I got home and passed out. Fortunate to watch the countdown on TV but again, all from NYC. Why is there nothing broadcasted from downtown T.O??

What to look forward to in 2019: (this is by no means my resolution)

1) Staying healthy (which includes not getting sick again!)

2) More family time

3) Working less (by working less, I mean having more days off, which means working more doubles in order to maintain more days off XD)

4) Praying more

5) Car cruises. I'm quite excited as I can finally bring out the new ride (well, "new" to me) and learn the car more. I didn't get a chance to last year as it was close to winter, but I'm really looking forward to seeing what this car can do. However, I do need tints on it, as well as dual dash cams, so they have to go on first before this car goes on any cruises or meets. But definitely quite excited about it! New adventures for sure!

That's all for now, thanks for reading. Be sure to tune in soon for more updates and adventures! 2019 is going to be a good one :)

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