HELP!!! I'm Apartment Hunting...

It's actually been MONTHS that I've been trying to find an apartment downtown... or downtown suburbia. It's interesting to see the differences in apartment hunting from one city to the next.

When I was living in London, and searching for a place to stay, I was clearly advised that if I saw something advertised that I liked, I would have to see it that same day if I wanted to have a chance at all. Here in Montreal, it seems like some places are on the market for quite some time before they actually get rented.

Something else that I noticed was the lack of organisation for online apartment hunting in Montreal. There are only a few sites you can search on, and there really isn't that much there. I must admit that I haven't searched the newspapers, which might actually have more to offer, but I think I'm more of a computer girl than a classified ads girl.

OK. Here's the deal. What I'm looking for is what's in the picture. LMAO (In case you are not aware, that means "laugh my arse off".) Am I being a tad unrealistic considering I'm on a tight budget? hehe In reality, what I'd like is a rental price that ideally includes EVERYTHING (heating, hot water, electricity) and a place that is either as central downtown as possible, or close by.

For example, something in the Atwater Market area would be really cool. I'm thinking of finding something along the lines of $600 CAD or less, and YES, it isn't an unrealistic goal from what I've seen so far. As for size, the bigger the better (in this case, size DOES matter! lol). In terms of deadlines, I would like to move sometime in August preferably. That way, I can be ready for school and stuff. I HATE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC!!!

I think I've covered all my bases here. If you guys have any suggestions or questions or comments, please feel free to let me know. I know I'm going to miss the Wild Wild West Island, and being close to my family, but there comes a point in time where you need to be more independent and make tough choices that will help you in the end

Now let me go daydream about the apartment in the pic... lol

If You're Happy And You... Well, Do You Really Know It?

Hmmmm... Here's a question for all of you.



ARE YOU HAPPY?



It seems like a very simple question, and although it's only three words, they are difficult words to answer to sincerely. We all have the freedom to answer this however we like, but if we aren't truely happy and we only state that we are, we're only fooling ourselves.

How many times have you all looked at people around you and thought that they might be living happier lives? What criteria have you based your inferences on? Is the grass always greener on the other side?

Before you start to form opinions about others, it's important to keep in mind that there are many ACTORS and ACTRESSES out there, ACTING happy, and we cannot deny that we have all been actors and actresses at some point in our own lives. But like clowns, a whole lot of us wear masks to hide our true selves and our true feelings. Can one clown be envious of another?

What brings happiness to the world? Does happiness come from collectings items? Does happiness come from accumulating money? Does happiness come from making others feel miserable? Do we need to use people as stepping stones and walk all over them to feel a sense of accomplishment?

Here's something else to think about. Can you ever really know whether or not someone else is happy? Can you imagine what it's like living as someone else? Living someone else's life? Do we even have the right to judge whether or not someone else is happy??? Maybe the other person doesn't have the same standards... Maybe the other person doesn't want what you want from life... And when I say "the other person", the other person can be a stranger, but can also be someone very close to you. For example, the other person can be your child. And just because that person is your child, does it mean that you have the right to tell your child what will make him/her happy? Can you expect your child to do things that will make YOU happy, but make them miserable, just for the sake of fulfilling YOUR dreams? You can replace the word "child" in this example with many other words, but the questions remain the same.

Here's something else to consider. When seeing someone win money at the Casino, do you ever wonder how much money they have already spent in order to make that monetary "gain"? Would winning that money make you a happier person? Can money even buy us happiness? I agree that money can ease the stresses of every day life by letting us live comfortably, letting us pay our bills and taxes and fill our gas tanks and eat and drink and buy clothes that we like and give gifts to our loved ones and travel the globe to see what wonderful things exist on Earth. But are those people who work themselves to the bone to make MORE MONEY, and who save every penny to add interest to their bank accounts, actually HAPPY? How about the people who work hard and spend every penny they have on so-called frivolous things? Are THEY happy? Does Heaven or Hell allow us to bring our finances with us when we pass on? Can we live a fulfilling life living from pay cheque to pay cheque, buying everything our hearts desire?

As you can see, that SIMPLE question I asked at the beginning is a very complex one to answer. I'll leave you all with this quote for tonight... But keep an eye out for more posts on this topic because I plan on exploring this further after doing more research.

"Success in life could be defined as the continued expansion of happiness and the progressive realization of worthy goals. Success is the ability to fulfill your desires with effortless ease. And yet success, including the creation of wealth, has always been considered to be a process that requires hard work and it is often considered to be at the expense of others. We need a more spiritual approach to success and to affluence which is the abundant flow of all good things to you."

Deepak Chopra

"I'm So Depressed": Part 1

How many times have you heard people use that expression? You've probably heard it so many times that its become as common as saying "hello", and unfortunately not as common as saying "I love you".

In reality, there are many people around us suffering from depression, but it is very likely that you will NOT hear those who are clinically depressed saying "I'm so depressed." That's why it's important to know what's going on in the lives of the people we care about, and to be observant enough to notice changes in behaviour that can range from sleeping less/more than usual to a loss of interest in favourite activities.

Unfortunately, the people who are suffering from severe depression might not seek help at all if they are left to do it on their own. It's not an easy task to get up and actually face your problems, and even harder to do it on your own.

But depression is not just hard on the person who is suffering from it; it can be just as hard, and possibly even harder, for the people who care and are there to help out. It can seem like an endless list of confusing questions: what should I do? how should I help? should I force someone to go to a doctor? is it necessary to take medication? how long will this last? how long has it been around already without my knowing it? etc.

There are a few things we need to keep in mind when trying to help. First of all, we need to let them know that we care about them unconditionally (which is a foreign term for many human beings). Second of all, we need to listen rather than contradict. Third of all, be patient; depression is not like a cold and will not disappear in a few days, but can be treated with the help and support of family, friends and physicians.

I guess I wanted to bring this up today to point out that there are a lot of things going on in the lives of those we care about that we choose not to see, or are UNABLE to see. There are things we choose to hide and keep to ourselves about our own lives as well. We all need to take a moment and look at our quality of life and realise that life's too short to live alone in misery, no matter how big or small is whatever we're hiding from the world. There are friends and family (and sometimes even strangers) around to help out, just as you are there to help others. Hand in hand, with love and support, we can make our coming days a lot happier and easier to deal with.

"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant." (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Tech Nightmare - RIP Motorola V600

If you know me well enough, you know that my mobile phone is basically an extension of my hand. lol In the beginning of 2006 though, something unthinkable (to me) happened... My phone decided to boycott and half-died on me! There I was, meeting a few friends at a bar, when all of a sudden, my V600's screen stopped working.

That's when the DIY troubleshooting skills came out. I took out the battery, blew all the dust and dirt away, then put the battery back. Pressed the ON button. Watched the number pad light up and the screen ATTEMPT to turn on. But nothing. I banged lightly on the back of the mobile phone. Still nothing. I flipped it open and closed. Banged it again a few times. Still didn't work.

I was really angry about it cause I felt like I had lost communication with the world, but I let it go for the evening, thinking it was the battery that died or something. I got home, charged the battery, and found out, to my dismay, that it was my phone that had gone crazy, not the battery.

*Deeeeeeeeeeep breath* It wasn't the fact that I had paid top dollars for my mobile that got to me, or the fact that I had just bought a new RED face plate for it (I LOVE the colour red, in case you didn't know), but mostly the fact that I lost all the precious phone numbers I had accumulated on my phone along the years, all 300+ of them!!!


This post is dedicated to my phone that passed away and is a notice to all of my friends who read this to please re-send me your contact information. It's very likely I haven't contacted you lately because I don't have your number anymore (unless it's because I owe you lots of money, in which case please do NOT contact me at all... thank you!)... lol

And by the way, for the people who are thinking that I am stupid for not saving the numbers on my SIM card, let me ask you this: does a SIM card even HOLD over 300 numbers?

I rest my case. And let my phone rest in peace.

"Fly with US???"

So here I was, at midnight, trying to book a flight for my mother... I searched all the usual sites, and discovered some new ones as well, when I found a flight that was priced at half of what I'd been finding everywhere else!!! It was on the US Airways site, which I had never been on. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity to book it, and it SEEMED like everything was going well. They even had an option where you could select your seats on the flight!?! I hadn't seen that before on any other site and was impressed. So I filled out all the necessary information, and waited for the verdict...

Purchase... that's the make it or break it point. And unfortunately, after I waited the fifteen seconds for the page to load, I realised that it broke. I got a message telling me that part of the billing information was incorrect. So I entered it again. Reviewed the entire page for things that might have been changed. Made sure it was all ok. Then pressed Purchase again.

Maybe the site had something against me. Maybe the American site had something against Canadians. Who knows!?! The point was that the problem was obviously not going to get fixed any time soon. So I took the next logical step, which was to call the internet support number that showed up on the site after I got the error message.

Talk about frustration. I'm in a hurry trying to book the flight to get on with my life, and here I am stuck on the phone listening to why I should fly with US Airways and where they fly and all kinds of other information which was adding to my aggravation. After waiting on the phone for 20 minutes, I FINALLY spoke to a human being. She asked my name and where I wanted to fly to and from. Then she asked me if she could put me on hold for a moment. That moment lasted about 10 X 60 moments. And then, after waiting on hold for 10 minutes, the line disconnected and I was faced with a dial tone.

At that point, I was past frustrated. I was seeing red. I hung up the phone and redialed. Again, the informative voice of the US Airways lady blasted through my speaker phone. Half an hour later, I was greeted by a man's voice on the other end of the line. I advised him about what had happened before. He got right to the booking.

*sigh*

Aren't we surrounded by enough lies and manipulation? Why do some websites feel it's ok to lead us into thinking that we are actually going to get a decent price for something when it's all just one big joke? The internet support guy on the line tells me he can't find the booking I was working on and quotes me a price that is $300 USD MORE than what I had tried to book. I was in shock. I expressed my disbelief and went over all the information I had on my screen to make sure that he was booking the same flights, and he confirmed that everything was the same apart from the price. His excuse was that "most probably, the rate that was showing on the site was no longer available." What??? If it was no longer available, what the hell was it doing on the site???

After trying to book the flights online AND THEN waiting AN HOUR to speak to TWO people who could not help me, I was thinking to myself "Why the hell would I want to fly with you???" The site didn't work properly, the internet support people were NOT supportive, and the slogan for US Airways still rang in my head: Fly With US!

Let me just end with this. What ever happened to good old fashioned customer service? What happened to prompt responses (it was MIDNIGHT EST, can't imagine how long I would've waited had I called during peak hours)? What happened to going the extra mile to help out the customer to the best of our abilities? What happened to publishing the right prices for the flights in the first place?

All in all, it was such a frustrating experience that I am seriously re-thinking booking any flights in the future with US Airways. Although they mention that they are trying to improve services, they're going to have to make a hell of an effort to gain the clients that they are probably losing because of such a seemingly poor track record in such a competitive industry.

To Java Or Not To Java, That Is The Question!

More specifically, should I have had that cup of coffee after dinner AND should I blame the said cup of coffee on being up at such a time (either really late at night or really early in the morning, in either case an alarming time) OR should I blame my new-found diversion for my being awake??? lol In any case, my last post before going to bed tonight (this morning?) is going to be about a nice cup of java... Seeing as I love "going out for coffee" (which is an expression I use often), which doesn't always mean actually HAVING coffee (shockingly enough to some people, coffee in this case can be replaced by tea, hot chocolate, Perrier, and/or whatever you like! lol), I thought I'd mention a few places where I've enjoyed my cup of joe recently in the hopes of giving you guys new places to discover if you haven't discovered them yet!

First on my recent fav list is Café Artijava (837 Mount Royal East). The pic in this post is a pic of a latte I had after my pre-birthday dinner with my husband (if you don't know what I mean by my husband, don't ask! lol). It was so beautiful I hardly wanted to drink it!

Second of all, I've had some really great flavoured coffees (and teas) at Toi Moi & Café (at either location, around Laurier & Park or around Atwater Market).

I think my brain is boycotting at the moment cause I can't think of any other great coffee places I've been to, although I'm sure they exist...

It's bed time! Sweet dreams... don't let the bed bugs bite!

Tis The Season To Travel!

Summer is here, even if the weather doesn't seem like it lately! I've been trying to plan my yearly trip to LONDON, but one thing after another seems to be delaying my travels...

Although I'm experiencing difficulty planning my OWN trip though, I find myself planning everyone else's trips all over the world! It seems like I have become everyone's personal travel agent, voluntarily of course... That said, I am wondering whether or not I should start charging a minimal fee in return for the time and effort I'm putting into finding everyone the best deals possible (at least to my knowledge) for their travel plans. I guarantee that I do more work than travel agents when it comes to looking for the best deals, and I don't try to settle for whatever I find if I think I can find something better! Each trip that I plan for others I plan as if it were my own trip... and all I know is I travel on a budget most of the time! Why spend lots of money getting to your destination when you can spend your money on more important things (like buying an extra bottle of Weekend Burberry perfume from Burberry in London... hehe)???

Hmmmmmm... I've blabbed on for a couple of paragraphs and I am still undecided about my on-the-side travel business!?! I'll probably end up doing it all for free as usual... I mean, if you don't want to use a travel agent and you can search for flights and accomodation online YOURSELF, then why the hell would you pay someone else to do it for you, right?... Right!?! lol

Someone help me out here... Comments and suggestions are welcome, if not DEMANDED!!!

The Start Of A New Me

Well... here I am... I have a few friends who had suggested I start a blog so that they could all keep up with what was going on in my life, and after contemplating where I should put my blog site and stuff, I finally got around to registering here cause of my friend Mark in Ottawa. Aren't you all happy that you're now going to read my never-ending comments and stories and beliefs???

*sigh*

All I can say is welcome to my blog and I hope you enjoy the roller coaster ride, also known as my life, by my side! I'm glad to be taking this journey with you!