my bro commented that m'blog is too wordy or long or something like that. so as o'late, i've been trying to keep it brief, for those short-attention-spanned people out there. how'm i doing?
(i considered omitting all vowels in my words, but decided to just combine words wherepossible).
18 January 2010
17 January 2010
red velvet returns!
you may remember my post about red velvet cupcakes last year at around this time. they're baaaack! i have already enjoyed two (one was stale though, much to my chagrin), and plan on taking advantage of their return because after valentine's day, they will disappear. then i will go back to dreaming about the red, velvety goodness...or maybe i'll be motivated enough to make the cupcakes myself?
14 January 2010
please...
dear: edmonton oilers,
while i appreciate that your only win in the past 13 games was against the toronto maple leafs, on my husband's birthday, it would be great if you could win another game sometime soon. you're winning right now - please don't blow it. otherwise i'll un-follow all of you on twitter.
love,
miko
while i appreciate that your only win in the past 13 games was against the toronto maple leafs, on my husband's birthday, it would be great if you could win another game sometime soon. you're winning right now - please don't blow it. otherwise i'll un-follow all of you on twitter.
love,
miko
your vote needed!
my good friend, carson is contending for the wind instrumentalist of the year at the canadian smooth jazz awards. the winner is chosen by most online votes - please vote for him!
you can check him out on youtube HERE first if you want to make sure you're making the right decision...which you are. :)
click HERE to vote.
you can check him out on youtube HERE first if you want to make sure you're making the right decision...which you are. :)
click HERE to vote.
07 January 2010
swag-obsessed
some of you may have received an email from me regarding swagbucks. this is a search engine that allows you to collect "bucks," which you can exchange for prizes.
amy and i have become obsessed with swagbuck-ing. there are bonus codes that are released everyday too...which is mostly why i installed the widget to the right ----->
so...if you feel like joining, click on the widget!
amy and i have become obsessed with swagbuck-ing. there are bonus codes that are released everyday too...which is mostly why i installed the widget to the right ----->
so...if you feel like joining, click on the widget!
28 December 2009
RIP doug henderson
today, the world has lost a great man. doug, congratulations on a life well-lived...you will be missed.
10 December 2009
squeaky wheel
i bought a pair of boots recently. the sales guy told me that i could wear them and still get the price adjusted if they went on sale within 14 days. i noticed they went on a sale a few days later, but the website said i needed to bring in the merchandise; i called the same store asking whether i needed to bring in the box too (it was quite large so i wasn't going to bring it unless absolutely necessary).
contrary to what the salesman said, the girl who answered the phone told me that the boots can't be worn, and that i had to come in that day because i only had 7 days to get the price adjusted...and their website said i had 14 days, but it said nothing about whether the merchandise could be worn.
i sent a detailed email to the store's customer service outlining my complaint (that the website isn't clear, the staff in their stores are confused and give conflicting information). after a couple weeks, i received an apology, and a promise to do better, but nothing more. i was hoping for free stuff - hmph. in the email, i promised to never shop at said shoe store again, and i stand by that oath.
to be fair, i've decided that every time i write a mean letter complaining about something, i should try to write a nice letter with positive feedback. so i wrote to club monaco for replacing my pants again, thanking them for their commitment to their customers and their high level of customer service. is it possible to have a crush on a clothing store? if so, i've got one!
as for you, shoe-store-who-must-not-be-named? take THAT!
contrary to what the salesman said, the girl who answered the phone told me that the boots can't be worn, and that i had to come in that day because i only had 7 days to get the price adjusted...and their website said i had 14 days, but it said nothing about whether the merchandise could be worn.
i sent a detailed email to the store's customer service outlining my complaint (that the website isn't clear, the staff in their stores are confused and give conflicting information). after a couple weeks, i received an apology, and a promise to do better, but nothing more. i was hoping for free stuff - hmph. in the email, i promised to never shop at said shoe store again, and i stand by that oath.
to be fair, i've decided that every time i write a mean letter complaining about something, i should try to write a nice letter with positive feedback. so i wrote to club monaco for replacing my pants again, thanking them for their commitment to their customers and their high level of customer service. is it possible to have a crush on a clothing store? if so, i've got one!
as for you, shoe-store-who-must-not-be-named? take THAT!
03 December 2009
i love club monaco
remember this story?
well, the very same thing happened - i bought another pair of pants to replace the ones that had ripped. this time though, the little elastic fibres were coming out of the stretch wool fabric. my pants had a "furry animal" look to them. i did precisely the same thing - bought a new pair of pants, thinking i couldn't return them AGAIN. but when i went to get them hemmed, i happened to be wearing my furry pants, so i asked if it was normal...the girl told me no. sooo...even though i had already paid for the pants, she gave me a full refund and let me exchange the pants. woo hoo!
the best part is they added a smaller size, so now the new ones fit perfectly...i don't even need to wear a belt with them. amazing!
and, just as the title says: this is why i love club monaco. shop there, people - it's worth it!
well, the very same thing happened - i bought another pair of pants to replace the ones that had ripped. this time though, the little elastic fibres were coming out of the stretch wool fabric. my pants had a "furry animal" look to them. i did precisely the same thing - bought a new pair of pants, thinking i couldn't return them AGAIN. but when i went to get them hemmed, i happened to be wearing my furry pants, so i asked if it was normal...the girl told me no. sooo...even though i had already paid for the pants, she gave me a full refund and let me exchange the pants. woo hoo!
the best part is they added a smaller size, so now the new ones fit perfectly...i don't even need to wear a belt with them. amazing!
and, just as the title says: this is why i love club monaco. shop there, people - it's worth it!
15 November 2009
the reason
you may be wondering why i suddenly have started blogging again, after such a long break.
first of all, i didn't want to blog until my chronicles of italy (not to be confused with the chronicles of narnia) were finished. i've been whittling away at it, and finally finished it today.
but i do have a reason for finishing it today, and not next week...or next month. my reason is this:
many of you know i have been teaching in oakville for a long time now. my very first student has always held a special place in my heart...not just because she was my first student in a new environment, but because we hit it off immediately. i taught her for years and she came to my wedding! although she is no longer my student, she remains a friend and we keep in touch regularly, thanks to life's modern advances - namely, facebook, texting, blogging and starbucks.
a bit more background info for you...
dana is an amazing person. she is vivacious and smart, funny and responsible, caring and quirky. she is beautiful inside and out. she excels at everything she does, and she doesn't even need to try. but that's not the type of person she is...she doesn't do things half-way. everything she does, she does with determination and all her energy.
dana has an equally amazing father. he was known to all that worked at the school, as the dad who cared endlessly about his kids. he used to listen in on his daughters' lessons outside their classroom doors, i think, because he wanted to support them without smothering them. he was incredibly cheerful and known for his easy-going manner. the people that knew him, admired him. a wonderful person with a perfect family.
dana's father has a rare form of brain cancer but was in remission. unfortunately, his cancer has returned. you can check out dana's story here. the shortened version: dana's dad is in palliative care and she is participating in the ride to conquer cancer in june 2010.
no one deserves to go through something like this, but dana's family is especially unworthy of such heartbreak.
we have all been affected by cancer's deadly reach, and we would all like to see cancer beaten in our lifetime. please, if you can, donate even a bit of money to help this happen and to support dana on her journey. click here to donate.
thank you.
first of all, i didn't want to blog until my chronicles of italy (not to be confused with the chronicles of narnia) were finished. i've been whittling away at it, and finally finished it today.
but i do have a reason for finishing it today, and not next week...or next month. my reason is this:
many of you know i have been teaching in oakville for a long time now. my very first student has always held a special place in my heart...not just because she was my first student in a new environment, but because we hit it off immediately. i taught her for years and she came to my wedding! although she is no longer my student, she remains a friend and we keep in touch regularly, thanks to life's modern advances - namely, facebook, texting, blogging and starbucks.
a bit more background info for you...
dana is an amazing person. she is vivacious and smart, funny and responsible, caring and quirky. she is beautiful inside and out. she excels at everything she does, and she doesn't even need to try. but that's not the type of person she is...she doesn't do things half-way. everything she does, she does with determination and all her energy.
dana has an equally amazing father. he was known to all that worked at the school, as the dad who cared endlessly about his kids. he used to listen in on his daughters' lessons outside their classroom doors, i think, because he wanted to support them without smothering them. he was incredibly cheerful and known for his easy-going manner. the people that knew him, admired him. a wonderful person with a perfect family.
dana's father has a rare form of brain cancer but was in remission. unfortunately, his cancer has returned. you can check out dana's story here. the shortened version: dana's dad is in palliative care and she is participating in the ride to conquer cancer in june 2010.
no one deserves to go through something like this, but dana's family is especially unworthy of such heartbreak.
we have all been affected by cancer's deadly reach, and we would all like to see cancer beaten in our lifetime. please, if you can, donate even a bit of money to help this happen and to support dana on her journey. click here to donate.
thank you.
02 November 2009
burglary 101
kris went to vancouver for work last week. i met him on thursday, flying on aeroplan points, and we had a great mini-vacation...a bit of shopping, had some good food, saw the mountains, stocked up on authentic japanese groceries...
the flight back from vancouver was delayed though, by almost an hour. normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but kris was supposed to catch a connecting flight to montreal. he ended up missing it because of the delay, but was placed on the next flight. because of his later departure time, kris was able to walk me to the cab stand and say good bye...
i got in the cab, and the driver was making idle conversation with me...he asked who kris was, and where i was that week. i explained to him that kris was my husband, and he went to vancouver for work, so i met up with him there...and that he was off to montreal next. after i said it, i thought to myself that i probably shouldn't have told this man, who i don't know, who will drop me off on my front step, that i'm home alone with my husband out of the province. i dismissed the thought quickly, mostly because i didn't want to scare myself.
that night, i slept soundly until about 4am. i dreamed that i had some friends over, and the doorbell rang. it sounded so vivid and real, my eyes shot open, and i thought that the doorbell actually did ring. i immediately convinced myself that the cab driver rang the doorbell, and that he was coming to get me! i listened carefully for any strange noises...and of course, i heard many creaks and squeaks that i never usually hear. i comforted myself by reminding myself that the security alarm was armed, and, failing that, i would be able to hear mr. cab driver open the door to the bedroom. he would still need to climb a full flight of stairs before he could do any damage, which would give me enough time to call 911 and start yelling at my neighbours (the police officers) that someone was in my house. i formulated all these plans while being only half awake.
then i realized in my sleepy stupor that if someone was planning on breaking into my house, said perpetrator would likely NOT ring the doorbell as it eliminates the element of surprise. so i went back into a fitful sleep. i woke up in the morning, safe and sound. short a few brain cells and a little bit tired mind you, but safe and sound.
the flight back from vancouver was delayed though, by almost an hour. normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but kris was supposed to catch a connecting flight to montreal. he ended up missing it because of the delay, but was placed on the next flight. because of his later departure time, kris was able to walk me to the cab stand and say good bye...
i got in the cab, and the driver was making idle conversation with me...he asked who kris was, and where i was that week. i explained to him that kris was my husband, and he went to vancouver for work, so i met up with him there...and that he was off to montreal next. after i said it, i thought to myself that i probably shouldn't have told this man, who i don't know, who will drop me off on my front step, that i'm home alone with my husband out of the province. i dismissed the thought quickly, mostly because i didn't want to scare myself.
that night, i slept soundly until about 4am. i dreamed that i had some friends over, and the doorbell rang. it sounded so vivid and real, my eyes shot open, and i thought that the doorbell actually did ring. i immediately convinced myself that the cab driver rang the doorbell, and that he was coming to get me! i listened carefully for any strange noises...and of course, i heard many creaks and squeaks that i never usually hear. i comforted myself by reminding myself that the security alarm was armed, and, failing that, i would be able to hear mr. cab driver open the door to the bedroom. he would still need to climb a full flight of stairs before he could do any damage, which would give me enough time to call 911 and start yelling at my neighbours (the police officers) that someone was in my house. i formulated all these plans while being only half awake.
then i realized in my sleepy stupor that if someone was planning on breaking into my house, said perpetrator would likely NOT ring the doorbell as it eliminates the element of surprise. so i went back into a fitful sleep. i woke up in the morning, safe and sound. short a few brain cells and a little bit tired mind you, but safe and sound.
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