Versace Aevitas Pumps

Let's begin by saying these are my very first Versace anything. How did I come across this item? They were having a sale on their website so I decided to check out the items.

Originally I wanted some sort of boots. But they didn't have it in my size, so I kept scrolling. And then I saw these.

I think this is one of those YOLO moments. I've always had basic classy things, nothing too crazy. I figured this was the time to go a bit crazy. They're called the Aevitas pumps. In metallic pink. I went ahead and ordered it online from the Versace website. I can't remember how long it took for delivery but probably about a week and a half. 

Here are some pictures and reveals!

 

Now I am about 5'6 or so. With these pumps, it shot me up to about 5'9ish. 

My first time wearing them was on my birthday. They are pretty snug, but that's probably because they haven't been broken in so everything felt very tight. It was a bit tough to walk in, and I have to admit, I did get foot cramps in the beginning because of how stiff it is. I'm sure with more wear, it will be much better.

All in all, I don't have regrets getting these. They are pretty hideous and cool. Can't wait to wear them out more this year!

2024 - A New Era

Happy Belated New Year! Cheers to 2024! 

I hope you are all well whoever has made it this far in reading my random thoughts over the years. I broke my promise that I would not wait too long between posts, and yet I have not posted anything in almost a year. Time to play catch up because it was A LOT! I will leave work out of this one because everyday has been a blur for the past year. I will however shift it to ... love adventures.

The last post I wrote was about dating apps. And it felt like I had totally given up on love (at least on finding anyone on dating apps). I kept believing that maybe it was a sign I would be single forever, that it would be my final fate. I was ok with it, yet my heart still was longing for love, hoping that I would still meet someone somehow. My first step was to get out of my room first because I wasn't going to find love if I stayed in my room forever (or maybe they'd find me).

About a month after my post last year, I had a couple of coworkers come up to me to try and set me up with people...people they either knew or were of friends of friends. The good thing about it is at least someone knows they exist. Now, this could go either good or bad: if things go well, then everyone is happy. If things go bad, the friendship/relationship would be awkward.

At that time I was still a 50/50 in meeting new people. I ended up chatting with both guys that were referred to me (man, this sounds like a job interview). One was a gentleman and successful and we had a few dates here and there. The other was a bit more socially awkward and spoke a lot about himself. Never met up with this one as he would ask me after midnight if I wanted to meet up the next day for lunch, so he was dropped for inconsideration of my time. 

As things progressed with the first guy, I had to remind myself that I was not going to be dating around for fun, but for marriage purposes. Is he the one? As nice and successful as he was, I didn't feel that feeling of "he is the one". People tell me all the time...when you know, you know. You can't force it; you'll end up resenting him (same with guys). I always hate having to tell someone that although they're a great person, this wouldn't work out between us because of ABC. But it is better to tell them than waste everyone's time.

After that very interesting month, I decided to just go back to my usual self: the workaholic with a car cruising hobby. I promised myself I wouldn't dare find another guy in the car community so participating in cruises and rallies would be fine. I wasn't participating to find love, but to enjoy the hobby. I aimed to keep my mind busy and not sulk on what I didn't have.

Until he came back.

Well actually, I had already met him 6 years prior in a non-car community setting (hallelujah). But to finally say I found love (and organically too!) is so rare these days. It's funny how love is, and how God works in mysterious ways over the years. The main difference this time? I can finally say I know that feeling. The right feeling. The feeling of true love. The caring type of love. The calmness that love brings. The exciting type of love. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I have found my one. The one to be with for the rest of my life. 

I will leave my journey of love on the next post. This time, I swear it won't be a 2025 post. For those who are still single and waiting on love, you will want to read the next post. Don't give up on love.

Dating Apps 2.0

Remember when I said you wouldn't find me on any dating apps?

It still holds true to this day. 

There is a but though. BUT......

In 2022, I did sign up for ONE app. It was not one of the very common ones (Tinder, Bumble or Hinge). I decided to give it a try. ONE TRY.

I lasted for about 3 weeks. Not even a month. And then I quit.

That's how disgusting these dating apps are.

Let's rewind back to sometime in 2022.

I decided to sign up, upload whatever pictures I thought would bring out my beauty, and figure out how to use the darn thing. Because it was a free app, it only allowed certain amounts of guys for you to view for the day. Then you'd have to wait 24 hours to get the next batch of guys. If I paid money, I would get to see every guy who had liked me and choose who to connect with. Sounds like a waste of money.

I saw all these hearts and likes in my account when I signed back in. Unfortunately I could not see them all because I'm a cheapskate and didn't pay for the app. But I figured I'll get through that list eventually. Someday.

There were a good amount of Asian guys on there. Some of them I recognized from school. I kept telling myself I should message them to say hi.

Let's forward to the ones who did match with me.

I don't remember how many I matched with, but I could count on one hand how many normal conversations I had with the guys. The rest were either weird, very desperate, or ghosts. By ghosts, I mean he would say hello. I'd say hello. His next reply would be 5 days later. Then on the last day before the messages expire, he would ask if he could have my number. UMMM I don't think so. I don't even know you. Goodbye.

The other one started off the conversation with "hey, want to meet up for coffee?" UMMM no, I don't even know you. No icebreaker? I get that people don't want to waste any time but this was way too fast.

Another was from a local church. We did have a pretty good conversation for the first few days. Unfortunately it died off on the last day before messages expire. But he did invite me to check out the English service one day if I was up for it. Thank you kind sir.

Of all the guys I spoke with via messages, I only ever met up with one guy for dinner. He seemed nice and decent. Except for the fact that he kept pushing to watch Turning Red at his condo. Maybe I'm not used to this current dating culture but I did inform him that I was not comfortable going to anyone's place on a first date. The fact that I had to repeatedly say it just showed how much this person really cared. Non existent. 

Now we go into this whole "who pays for dinner on the first date?" I recalled asking him if he wanted to split the bill, but some guys end up footing the bill, which he did. I thanked him for that. We then agreed to grab a bubble tea, of which I said I would grab the bill. I'm not used to the whole "let's split 50/50". I think it's lame. If you invite me, you grab this bill. I'll grab the next. None of this BS 'let me pay you back $26.87. JUST NO.

It seemed like a good first date. But it wasn't the right click for me. Then again, I only met the guy this evening. Maybe I just need more time.

The night ended off with a thank you and a hug, and then one last invitation to go back to the condo for a movie. I politely declined and waved goodbye (as my mind was worried about making it to work the next morning). 

The next few days we chatted on text. He asked if we could go for another date, and there was just something holding me back from accepting that. I didn't know what it was, but it just held me back. The next few days texting back and forth, he was quite open with sharing various food pictures and condo pictures, except I noticed he would say stuff like "I'm hanging out with my friend tonight. Her and I will just be chatting and watching a movie." It's 1am bro. What kind of chatting are you doing. 

Another would be catsitting for a girl friend. Ummm you're catsitting for less than 12 hours? Doesn't make sense either. Cats will be fine without company for 12 hours.

While he was my longest connection on a dating app, it ended rather quickly with him ghosting me. When guys complain about girls ghosting them, it also happens to girls too! But I was so relieved it was over. I guess in this current culture, it's normal for everyone to be dating 25 people at once. There's no more of the "let me focus on one person first and if that doesn't work out, I'll just try again later with someone else." NOPE. No more of that. 

My mind has not gotten used to this culture. The whole let's sleep with 25 people or more until I find the right person. No thanks. I don't want to have a relationship with a STD or STI. I'm good.

The next guy I never met in person. We had a good chat for days as well, until he stopped messaging for whatever reason. About 2 months later, he messaged to say hello!! It's been over half a year and I have not responded back.

After this, I ended up deleting the app for a few reasons. One, because of a family emergency. Two, because I realized if I wanted to go out and meet all these guys, I would have to make time out of my already packed schedule to meet these strangers. Unfortunately I couldn't commit to that. There was also no guarantee that they would commit either. Three, most of the guys on these apps are looking for something casual. 

This was the beginning and end of my dating app adventure. I'm definitely not signing up for anymore. It was too much for my brain to handle. 

Here's to hoping I can find love the normal/natural way (sans dating apps).

2023 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 It's officially 2023!! 

Well, Happy New Year to all of you readers. Thanks for continuing to read my random posts. It's crazy how I've had this blog since I was in high school, which seems like a VERY long time ago. Almost 20 years to be exact. Man, I feel old.

I guess you are wondering why I've kept it for so long. I don't know if I have an exact answer. Part of me is thinking this is almost like a personal diary (except for those who know this link). I can always go back to it and re-read the years and laugh about it. In a way, it's like I've watched myself grow. The other reason is looking back on various events, handbag purchases (haha), and they all have a sentimental value to me. I also appreciate the good and bad that I have blogged about over the years. A lot of my friends who started blogging with me in high school are no longer doing that (unless they have secret pages that I don't know about) as they are all busy with life, and that's understandable. Life takes over and then you forgot you have a blog. I'll aim to keep this going for as long as I can.

Well, we are still in this pandemic after 3 years. It's gotten to the point that people are just sick and tired of it. Ultimately, the people who are the ones that are tired from it are the health care workers dealing with COVID cases. ICU has been bombed with cases during this last wave (to be honest, I've lost count of which wave we are in right now). Omicron variant has sent people into ICU faster than the previous waves. I haven't been into the ICU lately but have friends who work there and they are all burnt out from this pandemic. During Christmas, it was the worst 2 weeks of my entire career. I was helping to staff the unit and it was a logistical nightmare trying to staff all the sick calls, LOA, family emergencies during the holiday. Management said it was the worst Christmas season they've ever dealt with as well. I have never pulled that much OT in a short time span. Everyone who is working doesn't want to work for the money. Those who were off didn't want to come in. It only left very few choices, and ultimately I ended up staying for either 10, 12 or 16 hours at a time. It's exhausting.

Carjackings. There's been so many of that happening. 

2022 was a record of how many cars were stolen from Toronto and shipped overseas for profit. Majority of them are still SUVs (Lexus RX, Honda CRVs being the top ones, F150 pick ups, Raptors are also common). I didn't really hear of sports cars being stolen. I mean, if they're stealing SUVs to use for illegal smuggling, bombings, driving over uneven terrains, then surely a sports car would be useless for that.

I was wrong.

Near the end of 2022 was when a friend had their Ferrari F12 TDF in bright orange carjacked late in the evening. Stolen from Forest Hill area. This story blew up all over social media, especially within the car community. Everyone had their eyes on this car.

Eventually the car was found parked in a handicap spot, underground at an apartment. It was not the police who found it. But a car spotter with a very keen eye. If it wasn't for him, the car would be long gone in a shipping container destined for Dubai. 

Unfortunately that is what happened with another local car enthusiast when his GT3RS and jeep were stolen off his driveway. He was not very lucky with recovering the vehicles. The Jeep was found to be in Montreal. The RS was missing for 4 months, until another car enthusiast spotted it on a Dubai website for sale in late December. Early this month, that post went viral. Many people were bombarding the shop with messages of selling stolen vehicles from Canada. Eventually their social media shut down, and the listing for the RS was removed from their website.

Really, none of us are safe. If you own a sedan or SUV/pick up, you're at risk of having your cars exported to Africa or Middle East. If you own a luxury sports car (depending on model and how limited they are), they could end up in Dubai for the very wealthy.

My advice? If you live in a house (whether it's detached, semi or townhouse), walk backwards into your home. It sounds stupid and may look like you have serious mental issues, but it's the only way that you will get to see your surroundings. Stare people down if you have to. Make yourself look crazy so no one approaches you. Once you turn your back and head towards your door, that's the window of opportunity for someone to run up behind you and attack. 

If you're out shopping and heading towards your car, always be aware of your surroundings. If you can, do a quick scan before approaching your vehicle. I usually do a full 360 to ensure my tires are all inflated. Considering how low profile my cars are, I don't expect anyone to be hiding underneath the car, or in it as my back seats are very small or non-existent. However, people can still put tracking devices underneath your car if they really want to follow you home. And that's why you walk backwards into your home.

Handbags.

Oh boy. Thankfully I have not bought too many in the past year. I did add on a Louboutin tote bag (which I can always review in another post). I am also awaiting a custom bag locally that will have a Porsche emblem on it to match the car. Until then, I think I am done with purchasing. It's insane how much they have increased prices over the years. Unless something REALLY catches my attention, I will sit on the side lines for now. Then again, I say that every damn year.

Dating.

Man, what is with the dating scene these days? When they say there are so many options in hospitals, they're lying. Unless they mean patients, which is against the rule anyways. I'm not adventurous enough to roam the city and find random people to befriend. There's also not much time as I'm mostly working (that's on me though, as I could technically make time, but I choose not to). Everyone suggested 'try the dating apps!' 

Ok so here's my story. It's actually not that interesting. But I signed up for ONE dating app just to try it out. It was free, but they only send you limited suggestions per day. As a woman, you get to choose who you want to connect with, but you can only do that in a limited amount per day. If you pay, you can see everyone's messages. Keep in mind, I'm not that desperate to find anyone. And I'm definitely not paying if I'm not desperate. 

When they say dudes are always being ghosted, I can disagree. Women also get ghosted too. I remember striking up normal conversations, starting off with "hi, how are you" or they had a common interest, you ice break by joking or something. The guys' responses would take days before they acknowledge anything. After almost 7 days of on and off random conversations, they would either stop talking, or ask "want to meet up?" Yeah, no thanks. 

My favourite is when one guy messaged and just asked let's meet up. UMM NO. Maybe if I want to die tonight then sure.

I only survived 3 weeks before quitting it entirely. Part of it was because I wasn't that desperate to date. Part of it was because of a family emergency. 

All in all, those dating apps have made me NOT want to date anymore. It's such an entirely different world out there. I'll just date my cars. 

Alright, that's it for now. Must do some chores. 

So now it's Fall...Reflection time 2021

Every time I revisit my page, I forget it's been months if not years from my last post. I'm terrible at updating. Still alive and kicking.

I remember when I told myself 2021 would be my year. And so far, it's been AMAZING. Stress-free, worry-free. Hang out with my family and friends. It's been quite nice. 

Summer 2021 was quite amazing. I made sure to not waste this summer on dumb people and spend it on those who I truly care about. Enjoy life and enjoy the summer without working like a madwoman. Ok, maybe I did still work like a mad woman. However, I made sure to not pile my schedule like crazy with work and still took my weekends off to explore Ontario with family and friends. I felt that summer was just way too short. Wish the summer weather would keep continuing.

You know that feeling when you've committed x amount of years with someone and hoped for the best, hoped for a great future but as the years dragged on, it just wasn't meant to be? Yeah, it's a crappy feeling for sure. You feel it's such a waste of time and energy. But there's always a reason why that person was there in the first place. I can't say for every case what that person's goal was in your life, but to me it made me realize that I shouldn't settle for less. Especially when they don't have the same spiritual goals or overall life goals as you. As time goes on, you just hope for the best but in the end it wasn't meant to be. It also made me realize to trust my gut feelings. Don't ever fight your feelings. You may keep telling yourself everything will be fine, but when that internal feeling is screaming at you, that's not a good thing. I also realized I was never really assertive enough. I was just too nice. I put people first, making them all happy and not realizing I was making myself miserable. This is the hardest lesson to learn. 

My biggest lesson learnt: if your potential in laws cannot accept who you are based on your race or religion, or what you look like - you better make sure you truly love that person to fight for them. That person has to fight for you as well. Otherwise it's not worth it. My view has changed now, in that if they do not like me, then oh well. Because I'm not going to prove to anyone that I'm a nice girl. You will see it through my actions already. You don't need any further proof. But if I have to start changing who I am to make them happy, then that's not who I am. I'm just faking my way through. There's no more "just do it and make them happy". No sis. Don't do that bullshit. If you have to do something to make others happy to save face, then that's not who you are. It wasn't meant to be. You should only do things because you want to do it, not because others told you what to do.

I'm definitely still recovering, and I have had some pretty bitter moments. But I do remind myself that I am in a much better place than I was a year ago, or 2 years ago, heck maybe even 3-4 years ago. I'm happier. I see my friends more often now. I get out of the house more often. I try to drive more now, go on more cruises. It's been quite refreshing. Life is good.

I don't get as many questions now about "why aren't you married yet" or "don't you want any kids?" "why are you wasting your life away?" 

First of all, I'm not grabbing any random stranger off the street and marrying them. I don't believe in arranged marriages or blind dates. Plus, you don't need to be married to be successful in life. Kids. Right. Touchy subject for some people. But growing up, I never intended to have any kids. I never pictured myself as a mother and still don't. That's who I am, and that will probably never change. I'm definitely not wasting my life away considering how busy I am in my professional life. I enjoy it, although it does have its challenges and burn out moments. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. I never dreamt of working 2 jobs in my life, but it's been quite rewarding and I always set a yearly goal: to surpass last year's salary. So far I have not failed in that goal. 

Am I a loser? A failure at life? An Asian leftover?

Let me tell you one thing. The more bad relationships one goes through, the harder it is to settle with anyone because expectations are now very high and unattainable. So no, I don't see myself as a failure in life, nor a left over, or a loser. In fact, I see myself as a hot commodity, and if no man is willing to get to know me or work with me in life, then that's his loss. At this point, I don't want to waste anymore time on guys who cannot think for themselves or cannot detach themselves from their parents. I'm not there to fix anyone. I spend my entire career trying to fix people, and the last thing I want to do is fix someone when I come home. No thanks.

This girl is living the single life like I'm high on methamphetamine. 

And this goes out to any of you who have gotten out of a long term relationship. Don't rush yourselves. Don't start dating right away. Don't run back to your ex. Don't do those dumb things. As soon as you rush into another relationship, you will regret it and you will also hurt that innocent person. Just don't do it. I have been told to try online dating, and my response is: no thanks. I don't want to get raped or killed by some ugly dude who looks like Frodo. Some people do find their soulmates via online dating and good for them! But I say the majority on there are there for a quick bang and that's it. I don't have time to waste on that, so you won't see me there. But please, do let me know if you come across my face on a profile. I can guarantee you that's not me though.

Maybe some day I will find someone, maybe not. Who knows. I don't want to give up on love but my past experiences have made me almost doubt if human love exists anymore. The more I seek, the more I find non-compatible partners. I've stopped looking and if one day love finds me, then may that be the happiest and blessed moment of my life.

Onto the next....

Epic training. For those who have used the Epic system, I don't know how you guys and girls handled it in the beginning. I have heard good things about it once people know how to use it. Unfortunately for me, we haven't gotten there yet. So to keep things a bit short, I was selected by the leadership team to represent my department and be a super user for this program. Prior to the go-live date, I, along with other selected members, am responsible in testing various department computers and to report to IT on the success or failures of this system. You may be wondering why the IT is not doing this and why a random nurse or manager was selected? I guess because IT is also short on staff. But the rest of us will be using the system everyday, so this is also why we were selected to test. None of us were trained to use this system, yet we are now told to go test every computer in a given time frame. 

It has been a chaotic experience as we have to be committed to this job on top of our everyday job. Which means my job gets pushed back, and it means backlog work. The worst is when your coworker goes off on vacation and you're left to cover the entire program's issues, as well as do this Epic testing. I believe I can feel myself actually burning out now. I would've thought the pandemic would burn me out, but no, it's THIS! 

So yes, this is totally keeping me busy. I can't imagine if I was still in a relationship while trying to juggle this. I would never hear the end of it. So the fact that I'm NOT in a relationship, at least I can just come home and sleep.

My next thought...

I was aiming to wear my Louboutin heels to my cousin's wedding last month. However, that plan failed. Even after trying to break those heels in, walking around the house in them, stuffing socks in them. I couldn't do it. And I'm thankful I didn't because that ceremony location, from the parking lot to the venue was a long walk in itself. My feet would've died. I'm not sure when I will get a chance to wear them in public, but let's hope it's a place where I don't have to walk very much.

Speaking of shoes, I had bought these cute flats from Winners back in 2015 in Vancouver when I had that presentation. It was such a find, as it was my first time shopping with my managers, and one of them suggested them for me. They cost only $10! They were my pride and joy. Sad thing is, over the years because they were so comfortable and I kept wearing them, they did wear out and had split at the front. But I kept wearing it! Eventually they were a bit too embarrassing to wear to work, considering the position I am in. But I just couldn't get rid of them. It had that much sentimental value to me. 

Wearing the Loub flats and kitty flats to work took a toll on my feet. Also on their soles. So I knew I had to find another casual pair of flats to wear to work.

I did try searching Winners again, but unfortunately did not find any cute flats. I tried Walmart but same thing. Eventually I settled with Brown's shoes, which carries various brands. I had an eye for Michael Kors flats. I did tell myself I would never buy anything MK. However, the flats were too cute to not resist. I wish they had cost $10 but this was more like 15x the price. They are also super comfortable. The only downside? My feet are very weird. My right foot is slightly shorter than my left so every time I walk in flats, my right shoe feels like flying off. Can you imagine asking a shoe store to give your left foot size 9 but give your right foot a 8.5? They would kill me.

Anyways, I guess that's what shoe stickies are for. Thankfully I have some at home and can just put it in the back of the shoe to somewhat extend my feet forward. With the Loubs, it still feels tight in both feet. So weird indeed.

MK is now my daily and I have officially retired my Winners. Thank you little cute flats.

Stay tuned for my next rant/reflection (not sure when that will be...hopefully not next year!).

Pigalle 85mm Reveal/Review

 Last month I did the unthinkable. I purchased my very first pair of stilettos.

For those who know me, I've always HATED heels. I'm the running shoe type of girl, and if I have to dress up and go somewhere, most likely I'll be wearing a pair of flats or MAYBE one with a mini heel. When I mean mini, I mean 1cm heel. I've always had this fear that I will trip and fall in stilettos, and worst case scenario, it gets caught on the railroad tracks and I get run over by a train. At least I can say I died with style.

Jokes aside, I was pestered by my mom to have a set of nice heels for special occasions. Nothing too crazy tall, but something nice. She has no idea what Christian Louboutin is, but if she saw the heels, she would definitely say no, you're crazy, look how tall it is. You're going to break a heel. I swear, you can never make an Asian mom happy. *NOTE TO ALL THE MEN OUT THERE*

The only pair of shoes I own from Louboutin is a pair of flats, and even those are uncomfortable. When they say Louboutin makes uncomfortable heels, they forgot to add flats too. Probably the most uncomfortable flats I own. In the end, you are just paying for the brand, nothing more. What I've learned too is that every pair of styled heels will vary with your size. So say you are normally a size 38. With Louboutin, depending on the depth of the heel and style, you could vary between a 37 to 39. If you buy one pair of this particular style in 38.5, your next style may be a 37.5. It's stupid. I've never dealt with a company that is very confusing with sizing. I don't understand why they can't just stick with "ok this is your size in every style, here you go, problem solved" but nope. Instead, you have to go in each time to try on the heels.

Let me tell you about my experience. My first recommendation is, if you are a woman, make sure you get a woman sales associate. I'm not trying to be sexist but every male sales associate I have gotten, whether they are for handbags or clothes or shoes, they have ALL messed up with my packaging or the product itself. They seem so clueless. So save your time and find a lady who knows what she's doing.

I found a pair of heels that I wanted online from the main website. I tried to order it off the website but it kept bouncing back that it was not available. It didn't make sense because the shoe came in various sizes and it said it was still available. A very popular style shoe too - the Pigalles in 85mm. Louboutin's classic heels.

As much as I didn't want to, I ended up calling Yorkdale to see if they had any left. They did. I spoke with a male SA, and he was kind enough to reserve a pair for me until I can come in to purchase. At that time, there was no in person shopping. You could only pick up and drop off. But can't physically go into the store.

The day comes and I come to pay for it. They allowed me to park in the valet area without paying as I was there to just pick up the item. I paid for it, picked up the box and headed to my car. Something in me just wanted to open the box right there and then to make sure it was all good, yet part of me said it's ok, it's a high brand company, they do a good job. It will be fine. Plus it was wrapped up nicely. So I drove home. Took a few pictures. Then opened the box. Tried it on, and something felt weird.

I had trouble inserting my left foot into the left heel. The right heel was no problem. I mean I know all of us don't have equal sized feet but this was a huge difference, when your foot can't even fit in the shoe. Stupid me. I should've looked underneath for the size. And guess what. The SA gave me 2 different sized shoes. How in the hell do you do that?? 

This was frustrating as it's a bit of a drive to Yorkdale. So I texted the SA right away, and he kept apologizing. Asked me if I could come back now. I looked at the time. It was 10 minutes to closing, and it takes me way more than 10 minutes to head back. So I said no. I will come by another time. I jokingly told him now he owes me another free pair. He sort of laughed it off.

The next time I went back, I wasn't sure if I could park in valet anymore as this time around, the malls had opened up for indoor shopping, so I parked far out back and walked over. I was able to meet him in person and again, he told me he had no idea how the mix up happened. The only thing he offered me was if I parked in valet, he could reimburse me. TOO LATE.

This time around, I made sure to check BOTH heels before he stored it back in my box and gave me back my shoes. This time, I could finally fit both feet in. Yet when I came home to try it on, I still felt maybe it was too small. But maybe this was because it's heels.

The third time I went back, the SA was off, so I got a female SA and she knew what she was saying. She knew the styles in and out, and she took her time to help me with various styles. She allowed me to try another half size up in the Pigalles but noticed it was too big. So what I had was actually right. Another pair that is a much comfortable fit is the Corneille's. Unfortunately for me, the heel is a bit too thin, so I felt wobbly when I walked. I guess next time once I ace the Pigalle.

Overall, it was a bit of a nightmare experience. I'm not sure if I really want to go back to the store to shop. I would say if you really have to try the heels in person, then you have to try it in stores. Otherwise if you already know your size, then buy it online from the main website. It will save you the time and headache.

Before wearing these out, I made sure to paint protect the red bottoms (I have done that with the flats too). I took it to All In Detailings located in Mississauga. Mike is terrific at PPF-ing not just cars, but also handbags and shoes. He used xpel to wrap the underside so I never have to worry about the red bottoms peeling. Very happy with the final product and I encourage all the ladies reading to PPF your heels. I work hard for my items, and I want to protect them as best as I could.

I have only worn these at home (there really isn't any reason to be wearing it out right now) just to practice and all I can say is....IT IS PAINFUL. I don't know if it's because of my wide feet, and the shoes are very narrow (very narrow toe box), or if it's just all Loub heels. I stand in them for 5 minutes and I can already see the pressure points all over my feet. When I walk, I can feel the pressure point at the bottom. It's quite painful. There is not much cushion support so I will probably have to add something in. It's not too difficult walking in these, I guess because of the thickness of the heel. But there is absolutely no comfort in these heels. I tried using thin stockings to see if I could reduce the pain. It worked, but the problem is the stockings make it somewhat slippery so my feet ended up slipping out from the back area. So either you want a good fit without stockings but deal with potential blisters later, or you wear stockings to protect yourself from blisters, but risk breaking your ankle when your feet slip out.

This shoe, as classic as it is, is really meant to be stationary. It's definitely not meant for work, unless you know you're sitting your ass down for the next 8-10 hours. But running to a code blue situation, yeah not wise. Going to weddings is possible, as long as you're either sitting down for a long period of time, or standing for some time. As soon as you walk, good luck.

It's difficult being a woman. The decisions we have to make in order to look pretty for all you assholes out there. Kidding (maybe not). 

Here are some pictures! Enjoy!

2021

 I'm late to the 2021 game but Happy New Year. Yes, very late.

Yes, still alive and kicking. Yes, still working through this pandemic. Yes, probably burning out but I never have time to sit down and think about whether or not I'm burnt out. 

I hope everyone is staying safe and sane during this pandemic. Just like the rest of you, I'm sick and tired of it and want this to be over with. With more than a year of it, this pandemic has stretched out our resources within the hospitals.

And for those who say "well, you chose this profession, so deal with it" let me tell you a few things. NO ONE chooses a profession based on the chances of a pandemic happening. NO ONE asked for a pandemic to happen. NO ONE chooses to risk their lives and health to work with COVID patients. I wish I could be working from home, like some of you lucky people out there who complain it's so boring to look at 4 walls everyday. YOU have the choice to take a break and step outside for some air, or go for a walk around your neighbourhood. I WISH I could do that but I can't. I can't just drop my things and leave my patients and say, see you in an hour, I'm going for a walk. I chose to help people and yes, it does come with certain risks and sacrifices. But nothing to this point where the government doesn't stand behind you while you risk your life everyday. I DIDN'T CHOOSE THAT. 

For those who say this pandemic is a government conspiracy and that COVID is not real, I wish you could take a walk through the ICU hallways to see what is happening. Walking through the closed down surgery unit (because they scaled back on non urgent cases) DOES NOT COUNT as "empty units". NO. TAKE A WALK THROUGH THE DAMN ICU. The nurses, doctors, respirologists, pharmacists, housekeeping team..you name it. They have worked non stop throughout this pandemic and risk their lives (some even losing their lives) just to keep patients alive while your ass is sitting down at home in front of the TV, listening to some social media BS from Tik Tok users. The biggest slap in the face is for you to go out to the rest of the world and declare this virus a joke and fake. 

With the variants of concerns dominating our current cases, it is no surprise that distribution centres are going through terrible outbreaks, affecting the factory workers and essential workers overall. We are seeing the young in ICU (30-50's) and they are not making it out. Those who have not been vaccinated because they didn't qualify based on the government's essential list. Those who are essential but refused the vaccine. Those are the ones who are packing the ICUs. 

Even in our program. Our current cases are those who refused vaccination. Those who have said they didn't believe in the virus, they didn't believe in the vaccine, and that they would never get the virus. Well guess what? Living in multi-generation households, their family members ended up testing positive, which resulted in our patients getting the virus. Some are not doing so well because of their co-morbidities. I will be straightforward about this but sometimes it takes a real tragedy to open people's eyes.

Have I had the chance to sit down and reflect on the past year? To be honest, NO. There is no time to sit down and reflect. There is no time to even feel burnt out. I have a feeling I am burnt out because some days I come home, shower, and I pass out. I don't wake up until the night time and I've missed dinner. The cycle repeats about a week later. And it's been like this for over a year. So yes, I am tired but I must live too. 

Anyways, enough about this pandemic.

2021 started off bitter-sweet. It was a brand new fresh start for me, not having to look back to the past. I became much more happier, more freedom, much less stress in the head about my life. Maybe it was difficult in the beginning but things eventually got better.

Sometimes it takes other people's presence to finally realize that you deserve better. And that's what I realized. It was a good start for me. 

I began to focus on myself, my health, my faith. My faith. Something that I have not worked on for the past 5 years. It's difficult when those around you don't share the same faith and don't encourage you to work on your faith. It becomes a huge challenge. So I'm back on the road, taking it a step at a time to get back to where I was 5 years ago. 

I splurged on my first pair of heels (will be my next post yay). Still trying to learn to walk in them. When I mean heels, I mean first pair of stilettos. I'm still afraid of them, but I'm trying to get past this fear now. It's only taken 30 something years to finally try and not be scared.

Aside from that, because of this darn pandemic and "lockdown" rules, there really isn't much we can do. Can't really visit friends or go to the movie theatre. Everything is so different now. But going for a drive is also helpful. I've been enjoying the car, but unfortunately now I have to go for servicing. Never had an issue over the years because I don't drive like a maniac. But since it was driven last summer too aggressively, the alignment is completely off. Great. Got to pay to play, even if someone else sort of ruins your car. 

Hopefully my next post won't be until next year. Stay tuned!

Donato Salon & Spa Review

I was referred to Donato's at Square One shopping centre as 1) I haven't had a hair trim or cut in years 2) I wanted to partially dye my hair. The salon itself is huge. I have never been to a salon this big before and it was also very clean inside. Because of COVID, there is an extra COVID fee on top of the usual price of style/cut/colour. Every other seat has been sealed off and customers are limited. Everyone is screened before you go in, and no visitors are allowed. 

I was referred to Yau (hair colourist) and showed her pictures of my inspiration. She notified me that it would be a long process due to the length of my hair, as well as the bleach/hair dye process. This was my first time getting my hair dyed at a salon so it was all new to me. Yau explained everything to me and was very professional with it. She assessed my hair, made her recommendations and also showed me various shampoos and conditions to use vs which ones not to use. I had used Pantene shampoo and conditioner over the years but had no idea it dried my hair out; my scalp was always oily but the hair was always dry. 

The first step was bleaching the hair. Bleaching Asian hair takes the longest as our hair is naturally dark. This took the longest time. Once it was washed out, it was bleached again to make it lighter. And again it was washed out. Next step was the colour and heat to ensure the colour stays, before washing it out. The look that I was going for was a subtle look. I opted for a flaming red colour underneath my dark hair. On the outside, it looks natural but at the same time, ready for party mode once I flick my hair. 

After all was done, I went for a hair trim by Jennifer. She was also very professional and experienced with hair trims/cuts and very down to earth. 

The entire process took about 5 to 5.5 hours from beginning to end. I have huge respect for Yau as she spent nearly half the day doing my hair. It's not easy that's for sure. I would recommend both Yau and Jennifer if you have any hair needs! 

I have gotten positive compliments from those around me, and even referred some friends to Donato as I'm really happy with the result. I would definitely go back for touch ups and trims in the near future. Thank you Donato team!

Below are some pictures!

Before!

Before!

After! 

After!

After!

Release the Phoenix!!

Fall 2020

 Hello lovely people.

It has been a while! Lots have happened since the last post and I was not able to post as my Macbook went obsolete and would not load certain pages anymore (blogger is one of them). Eventually got a new Macbook Pro.

It's fun to be back. Lots to share. So little time though. Also had my nails done previously and I'm still growing them out so it is a bit of a pain to type.

I will leave it here. Next post will be something quite different than my previous posts. Hang tight everyone!

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 (by the GTA GTR Club), 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 (key is SIMILAR, NOT THE SAME) 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.