It's Not Who You Know, It's Knowing Me... hehe

Behaviour Diet: 5 Steps to Shedding Those Unwanted Actions And Thoughts

2009-03-11T15:47:00.003-04:00

A wise person once told me that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. So if you're looking to stop the insanity and shed a few unwanted types of behaviour, then take note of this 5-step program. Step-by-step, you'll surely get the results you're looking for!

The first step, in some cases, can be the hardest step to achieve, which is determining what behaviour it is that you'd like to change. The problem is that we don't always conciously realize we're doing something, and if we don't know that we're doing what we're doing, then we can't change our behaviour. So let's just say, for example, that you want to stop using the word "like" ten times in every sentence, then the first step would be to realize that you say the word "like" ten times in every sentence. The reaction you have at this point towards your behaviour is probably something along the lines of you blurting out a sentence, and then getting frustrated because you realized in hindsight that you just did what you didn't want to do. Relax! You're only at step one!

The second step can actually be a more frustrating step than the first one. During this step, you conciously realize that you'd like to change what you're doing, and you'll realize that you're doing what you don't want to be doing once you're done doing it. An example might be needed here. Let's continue with our previous example of wanting to stop using the word "like" ten times in every sentence. What happens during the second step with this example is that you realize you're saying the word "like" right after it has come out of your mouth. Don't fret, though, because you're only a few steps away from completing your diet!

The third step shows that you are gradually shedding the unwanted behaviour. Continuing on with our example, what happens during the third step is that you realize you're cheating on your diet DURING the actual act, ie while the word "like" is coming out of your mouth. So what happens here is that you stop yourself mid-word, turning "like" to "li...". Instead of being angry at yourself for not getting rid of the bad behaviour completely, you should be proud that you are halfway to your goal, so keep up the good work!

During the fourth step, you are conciously focusing on what you are doing and/or saying at all times. This means that BEFORE you cheat and say what you don't want to say, you think about the sentence about to pop out of your mouth, and then it comes out with no "like" at all (unless you mean the verb "to like", or if you're comparing one thing to another). You know what this means? That you're practically home free!

The fifth and final step is the actual maitenance of your diet. One step at a time, you've attempted to get rid of some kind of unwanted behaviour, and at this stage, you have completely slimmed down. It becomes easier and easier to not do what you don't want to do without even having to think about it.

On that note, I hope that my 5-step diet will help you find the path of least insanity.

For a free brochure, please contact me at 1-INSANE-4-LIFE. Long distance charges may apply.

Ready, Set, Commit

2008-12-21T17:35:00.004-05:00

Historically, and stereotypically, speaking, men have been known to be the commitment-phobic gender. Innumerable women have stood by patiently, waiting for the moment when their partners felt ready to take the relationship to the next level, whatever that level may be. This phobia seems to be made up of a group lingering fears ranging from the fear of what's ahead in your life (do you really want to include someone in your life to the point that you are making decisions together instead of having the freedom of independence), to the fear of what is yet to be discovered about your partner (who knows what skeletons might be locked up in that closet), to the fear of giving more importance to your relationship with one person when there might, in fact, be someone out there better suited and more worthy of being with you (so many people, so little time), to the fear of what you might become with the influence of who you're with (be who you want to be, do what you want to do, who needs the peer pressure).

Slowly, but surely, though, there is a commitment revolution stirring. In this day and age where women are evolving and becoming more equal to men in the eyes of society, they find themselves holding a few more cards in their hands. There's an interesting shift going on, where women are throwing their conventional ideals to the wind and deciding to take a more male approach to relationships. It's almost as if the I'm-not-ready-for-a-commitment virus has spread to the previously always-ready-for-a-commitment gender.

Here's where it gets to be a bit more confusing, at least for men. Let's look at this as a comparison. Before: the majority of women were supposed to be ready to commit at the drop of a hat, the question always being whether their men were ready to make things more serious. After: even when the man feels ready to commit, the woman now has the possibility of taking her time to decide on if she is ready to take the next step with her male companion of the moment.

It makes you wonder if the world has gone mad, really. How could things get so out-of-hand? It's incomprehensible. It's unexpected. (It's amusing, actually.)

In a way, it's unbalancing the triangular theory of love, where the combination of intimacy, passion, and commitment characterizes the type of love being experienced in a relationship. Could it be that women were all looking to achieve the highest form of love, consummate love, the love that includes giving 100% intimacy, 100% passion, and 100% commitment to your partner, and are now content with sharing their passion and intimacy without any commitment at all?

I guess it's a theory. In reality, it's a very plausible theory if you ask me. But where exactly does that leave me? Probably in the same place as many other women out there who are now confused with their new-found freedom, stuck in the middle of the love triangle of intimacy, passion, and commitment, questioning their roles, old and new, and looking ahead to a green light along an unknown, foggy road.

30's the New 20, You Know...

2008-10-29T11:37:00.006-04:00

According to Buddhist reasoning, we are all dying from the day we are born. Nobody knows their expiration date, but we all most certainly have one printed somewhere in invisible ink on our bodies.

By the time you reach your "You're Over the Hill Now, Welcome to 30" birthday bash, you've seen the start of roughly 11,000 new days. 11,000 glorious days of living, loving, and learning. Hopefully.

In reality, there aren't many people out there who realize that the current moment they are living may very well be their last, and although I would like to think that I am one of the exceptions to that rule, I normally am not. The consequence of that is living each day as if there were many more days ahead to have a happier existence, saving our bliss for a future date when we will have the opportunity to have the best time of our lives. A great quote comes to mind by an American author, Stephen Vincent Benet: "Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways." Hmmm. Who ever said we live our lives in thousands of uncaring ways? We definitely care, right?

We run around like hamsters eternally chained to our treadwheel, doing important things that will help us reach our important goals in our important, individual lives. We finish degrees we will never use (but we have the paper to prove we went to the boring, useless classes and passed), we spend thousands of dollars travelling to far off third world countries to live as the poor locals do (as if that will make us feel better and less materialistic), we perpetually party like it's 1999 (even though we've been there, and done that), we do yoga with the world's top gurus to help us clear our chakras (for a small fee), we replace our low-carb diets with no-carb diets (because this new diet surely has the right solution for your dietary needs), we run to the gym, we run at the gym, we run home to have our no-carb dinner alone, we "date" (if that's what you really want to call it), we get married (conjugal indebtedness), we have kids (who, unfortunately for most, mimick our every move), we get divorced (and join the 50% statistic), we go back to dating (with the help of some online matchmakers willing to find us the sugar daddy/sugar mommy of our dreams if we could only conjure up the right look and resume), we search for inner peace and happiness (by getting plastic surgery to change our outer look and feel better about ourselves). Every single aspect of our lives is designed to fit our hectic lifestyle. But what exactly are we doing here? Have we really found happiness in keeping ourselves busy with our own individual Important Things To Do lists of life, or are we just cramming as much as possible into our finite existence so as to not find ourselves bored, and scared, and ironically alone?

There's so much going on around us, and yet it all means nothing. You will not find reciprocal love from your BMW. You will not find an everlasting union with the overtime you work (till death do us part is unfortunately a reality for some workaholics and their jobs). You will not look back at the pictures of you being stressed out and consider them snapshots of cherished moments in your life.

Your life is now. No matter how many days you've lived, no matter how old you think you're getting, there's no use counting the days when the days you live don't really count for much in the end.

So maybe 30 is the new 20. Or the new 10. Or a time for rebirth before time expires.

Seeing Clearly Through The Muddy Waters

2008-06-23T19:59:00.005-04:00

We all live somewhat parallel lives. We rush and brush past each other every day while following the paths of our existence, drive single file through traffic to get to our important destinations, hear the noises that surround us but distinguish none, until life stops us for just a moment.

My life was paused today by an unexpected guest. Someone, somewhere in the Universe had decided that my path was to cross with that of another, someone I knew back in my childhood days of horseback riding and Friday night dances, teenage crushes and candle-light ceremonies.

There have been many instances where people from my past have come back into my life, and I welcome each and every one of these messengers that I've learned from, and whom I have yet to learn from. But today's experience was different, magical, spiritual. I reconnected, or maybe even got formally acquainted, with someone who I hadn't thought of as a key player in the theatrical experience of my life, but who I felt from today onwards would definitely symbolize something important to me for the rest of my days.

Her story was both simple and complicated. Cliched and unique. It brought to mind the blossoming of a lotus flower, bringing beauty from filth. At the same time, she immitated the strength of the Nelumbo, keeping herself as together as possible, no matter how hard life tried to break her apart or bend her out of shape.

The actual story is unimportant. We all have our own dark tales to tell, each story judged as a different shade of grey from the audience that hears it. The moral to keep in mind, though, is that even the darkest and most disturbing moments of our lives have the potential to help us blossom into something beautiful.

Through the muddy and unclear waters of my life, I saw beauty today.

It's Good To Be Back

2007-11-27T13:53:00.000-05:00

I know, I know... I haven't exactly been keeping my promise of writing on here regularly, but like the title says, it feels good to be back.

Back in a familiar place, surrounded by familiar people, and faced with familiar feelings.

Back here writing on my blog and sharing my familiar situations straight from the computer where it all began.

Back in the Wild Wild West.

Back home, surrounded by my family's own definition of love, that I wouldn't trade for the world (well, ok... maybe sometimes).

It's totally cliche to say, but it feels like I never left! The funny part about this is that I feel like I didn't just come back home, I literally invaded. I guess I'm a perfectionist at heart, and I like doing things right the first time around, which explains why my room is still a mess, and not painted, with my old furniture right where I left them.

Here's my excuse: it's a mammoth job to do all on your own, and it helps when you have personal and outside motivation, and the support of the ones you love. Clearly, something's lacking, and I'm not about to point fingers towards others when I am responsible for myself and my own surroundings in the production that is my life.

Alrighty. This is where I need to take a deep breath and focus and remind myself to take it all in baby steps... Baby steps... Baby steps... But I don't WANT to take it all in baby steps. I want to do it and get it over with, so what the hell is stopping me?

OK, enough whining and complaining and questioning for one afternoon. After all, everything happens for a reason, so if I'm "stuck" in this situation, there must be a reason for it. We'll soon find out!

This was a short "Hello!", but I'll be back real soon, I promise. So for now, I'll leave you with my wise fortune cookie message from last night:

Your Own Path Is The Best.

For Sale: Me

2007-03-05T19:46:00.000-05:00

Funny title, huh? Let me explain what I mean...

About six years ago, I was looking for a new job. I've always worked in a business environment, so all I knew was that I didn't want a job involving sales (thinking at the time that a job in sales meant a job in retail). My plan was to apply for a position at a bank. Little did I know that that included sales.

Fast forward to now. I am currently working as an account executive, directly involved in making sales. Theoretically, it's like living my worst nightmare. BUT I am a people-person and I feel that I am capable of having a sophisticated conversation with whoever I meet and I am also able to convey the pros and cons of things to people so as to make them see that what I am "selling" is beneficial to them.

The thing is that that's only one dimension of the dreaded S-word. When it all comes down to it, life is like an on-going sales process. We sell ourselves to strangers in the hopes of making friends, we sell ourselves to our teachers in the hopes of making a lasting impression that might get us a better grade, we sell ourselves to our parents when we want to make independent decisions, we sell ourselves to potential suitors in the hopes of finding our very own fairy tale relationship.

There comes a time in our lives when we get sick of all this selling. At least, that's how I feel. I have confidence in myself and the things I do and am capable of doing, so why do I feel like I have to keep proving myself to the world?

I'm actually feeling a bit drained and lost because of all this "selling". It takes a whole lot of energy to keep up with the daily "transactions" in life. It's like a never-ending story. Makes me want to crawl into bed and never get out.

I know what I want. At least I'm pretty sure I do. So how come I'm finding it so hard to sell myself to the right people in order to get what I want?

** SIGH ** Alright. Enough. It's that time of month and I felt the need to rant a bit. It would be nice if I could find the light at the end of the tunnel.

Or maybe just a case of wine and a bunch of sappy movies. lol

"Until Death Do Us Part..."

2007-02-24T17:27:00.000-05:00

No matter what language you say your wedding vows in, no matter what words are used, it all comes down to the same thing: sharing the rest of your life with that one other person by your side, no matter what.

So there you are, sitting at home, alone, wondering why the pages of your life are passing you by, unrecognizable to you because it doesn't seem like the story you had planned to write. Where's your house with the white picket fence? Where's the fairy tale ending?

I'm not here to make any judgement calls on what happens to practically fifty percent of couples once the vows are said, the rings are exchanged, the bride is kissed, the party's over, and the honeymoon has ended. Nobody can really know what is going on in any relationship that is not their own.

The reality of life is that it's a journey that has its share of obstacles. It's a journey that has detours and unexpected turns. It's a journey that is easier to take with the right person by your side to support you and encourage you.

The opposite is true as well. While on your journey, if the person you love and care about is not the right person to enable you to take the next step, then the question is 'Is this person the right person to share my journey with?'

It's a scary question to face. It might seem like a defeat in a way if you admit that you didn't make the right choice when choosing the person you planned to spend the rest of your life with.

Here's my advice. Forget about the awkwardness and discomfort that comes from dividing what you both brought together. Forget about the financial details that you will have to go through in order to separate 'what's yours and mine.' Forget about the reality of temporarily being alone while revisiting your search for 'the one.'

How about thinking of divorce as a new chapter in your life. Think of it as giving yourself and your ex-spouse a second chance at happiness. Think of it as making a decision that will, in the end, relieve the burdens of your life instead of adding to them. Give yourself the opportunity to turn the page, start fresh, write a new chapter, and help yourself find your very own happy ending.

With all of this said and done, I would like to point out that I am not encouraging people to get divorced. I believe in compromising, I believe in working things out, I believe in doing all that you can do to make the best out of the situation you are faced with. I believe that you have to make smart choices in your life. But nobody's perfect. People do make mistakes. All I'm saying is that you don't have to live with a mistake you've made for the rest of your life once you come to realise that the choice you made is not the right one for you.

Be strong. And remember that you are not alone.

I am Miss Piggy... Hear me oink!

2007-02-04T16:41:00.000-05:00

I did the muppet personality test (link is on the bottom) and I am supposedly Miss Piggy! I always felt I had some kind of connection with her, and now I know why! lol

This is what it means to be Miss Piggy (pay attention!):

"A total princess and diva, you're totally in charge - even if people don't know it. You want to be loved, adored, and worshiped. And you won't settle for anything less. You're going to be a total star, and you won't let any of the "little people" get in your way. Just remember, piggy, never eat more than you can lift!"

The Muppet Personality Test
http://www.blogthings.com/themuppetpersonalitytest/

Finally! I'm Connected To The World!

2006-09-04T09:48:00.000-04:00

Guess what boys and girls? This lovely, rainy Labour Day Monday morning, I was awakened to something that sounded like a fire alarm. No need for alarm though, because it was just my doorbell announcing the arrival of two Videotron installation guys!

I jumped out of bed and let them in... It kinda felt like they came, they saw, and they conquered. In my half asleep state, I had to follow their path of destruction to put everything back in its place and to make sure nothing was damaged.

I must say that I had a more pleasant experience watching the renovations get done at my humble abode rather than watch 15 minutes of the Videotron guys cutting cables and attaching things. I guess I made them feel right at home cause it certainly looked like they were comfortable doing whatever they wanted to. They also had impeccable customer service skills, leaving the booklets and such at random places in my apartment so that I could later go on a Labour Day Treasure Hunt and find all the things I needed in case I wanted to find out more about my internet service.

The bottom line: I now have internet access! And guess what??? I'm using my OWN internet connection right now to write this post! The Videotron guys left about 10 minutes ago and I decided to see if it would work, and as you are my witnesses, IT DOES!

At this point, all I have to say is WATCH OUT! This is only the beginning of many, many, many posts to come!

On that note, I think I need to get back to bed now... I'll be back shortly. Happy surfing!

Feeling Homesick...

2006-08-21T12:15:00.000-04:00

As I sit here and stare at the wallpaper on my crappy PC (lol), I can't help but get this unfortunately all-too-familiar feeling at the pit of my stomache. It's the same feeling I get whenever I hear about someone who's heading in the direction of my home-away-from-home. It's the same feeling I get when I receive a text message from one of my dearest friends in the world.

Right about now, some people are completely confused about what the hell I'm talking about. Some of you probably think that I miss the Wild Wild West Island since I've moved to a different postal code in Montreal, and although it's true that I miss it, I visit often enough so it hardly feels like I left. The remaining poor unfortunate souls who know me pretty well know EXACTLY where I'm going with this...

SOMEONE GIVE ME A FIRST CLASS AIRLINE TICKET TO LONDON ENGLAND!!!

I caught the Brit Bug in 1999 and I haven't been able to get rid of it since then! I had a few good friends visit London this summer, and although they all came back with the same bug, one of my really good friends summed it up well with his question: "Why the hell did you leave in the first place?" lol

The first thing that comes to mind when you mention the UK to North Americans is that it can't possibly be such a great place cause it's always raining. I think they selectively forget the fact that there's just as much, if not more, precipitation here than there is in London! We get it in many different forms: rain, snow, freezing rain... lol So if we can handle the weather here, then there should be no reason why we can't handle the rain in London!

The next thing that's usually brought up is the fact that it's expensive to go to and/or live in London... Yes, that is true as well, seeing as we have a pretty high quality of life in Montreal, but the way I see it, if you're planning on moving to London, you better not be planning on working at McD's to support yourself! If you find yourself a good job, then you have the opportunity of making a whole lot more money in London than in Montreal (which is what I'm planning on doing since I do need to find something to support my expensive taste! lol)...

The bottom line is that I miss London, and I'm sure it misses me too! I can't wait to get back there... I can't wait to get back to my home away from home, to the city that hardly makes me feel like a tourist (I think I know parts of London better than most of my Brit friends living there!)...

If you have the opportunity to travel to my second hometown, take it from me: you won't regret it if you're informed enough about what's available to you when you get there! If you need a personal tour guide, then I'm always available to travel with you, as long as all my travel, accomodation, food, and leisure expenses are paid! It'll be a trip you'll never forget! ;-)

Anyone For Some Coffee?

2006-07-18T16:39:00.000-04:00

You'll never guess what my mommy (ok, PARENTS, but mommy) got for me...

This beautiful Cuisinart Brew Central White/Stainless Steel Coffee Maker!

I guess things are SLOWLY falling into place. I've put away some stuff in my kitchen so there's some kind of sign of life now. I'm feeling a little like I'm living in my own bubble cause the only access I have to outside life is my cell phone. I don't have the internet or home phone hooked up yet, but I DO have a coffee maker and some coffee! :D

My daddy helped me out as well by hooking up my like-new-ish washer and dryer, and most importantly, MY AIR CONDITIONING UNIT! I have no clue how people survive this weather without having A/C in their houses and cars. Personally, I'm not into sweating profusely. If I wanted to sweat, I could find other ways of doing that, like sitting in a sauna for example. lol

I also hooked up my television (my 19" television set that I got as a gift for my 19th birthday... which was just a couple of years ago or something... lol), and even though it's not a HIGH DEFINITION or PLASMA TV, all I care is that I HAVE a television! So far, I have the FREE channels (God bless free TV... and for all of those who haven't lived outside of Canada, not every country has such a thing as FREE channels that you can get just by plugging in your television set!), but again, it's good enough for now!

So in a nutshell, all I've been doing for the past couple of days is sitting on the half of my L-shaped couch that has been moved in already (still waiting for the rest of the couch to be moved in), enjoying the adequately cool temperature of my apartment, and watching TV and a few DVDs (Sex & The City Season Six Part One, notably) while I drink my coffee. lol That's how I'm gathering up the energy to tackle the rest of the things that need to be done!

If you don't mind a relatively messy environment (maybe not MESSY as such, but just not all put away and organised), then feel free to drop me a line and come by for some coffee!

Ta ta for now!

Why The Hell Do People Move Anyway???

2006-07-11T17:32:00.000-04:00

There is a valid reason why I haven't been writing on here in a long while. That reason is because I have found myself in an EXTREMELY HIGH STRESS SITUATION. If you've never moved out on your own before, let me just warn you that it's not like a walk in the park.

I don't even know where to begin to explain my situation! First of all, the ad for my lease transfer for my car has been posted for over a month now (I think), and I haven't had the response I was looking for, disabling my cash flow.

Second of all, the landlord is being a pain in the ass with reparations and painting that should've been done to the apartment BEFORE I moved in and started paying rent, although technically the only thing I've done so far is pay rent and paint till my right arm felt like it was going to fall off! (I've been painting since last week and it has yet to be finished!!!)

Third of all, I didn't realise that there were so many laws involved with leases and landlords and tenants and whatever, because had I known all that stuff BEFOREHAND, I wouldn't STILL be waiting for the kitchen floor to be done and for the hole behind my front door to be fixed AGAIN. (Just to make your lives a whole lot easier, at least if you're residents of Quebec, here's the link to the rights and regulations from the Quebec government in terms of leases: http://www.rdl.gouv.qc.ca/fr/pdf/Ccq_du_louage_28_06_2006.pdf )

Fourth of all (oh yes, there's more!), I completely understand that everyone has their own life to lead and they have their own priorities, but it's also not fair that people made plans to help me and then bailed. I ran around to get things to "host" a painting party and ended up wasting time and money I didn't have to buy food and drinks for people who didn't come.

So here I am... on the 11th of July... ALMOST done painting (but not yet)... ALMOST moved in (but not yet)... ALMOST all organized (but not quite cause I'm still waiting on people)... and I'm ALMOST going to commit murder! lol Thank God I don't have access to a gun...

This is Lil Flame signing out for the evening... I'll keep you all updated on the move and other things ASAP! In the meantime, it might be wise to stay out of my way... lol

UPDATED POST: Silver 2003 VW Golf GLS Manual - Lease Transfer

2006-06-21T02:01:00.000-04:00

Who's interested???

Silver 2003 VW Golf GLS (means fully equipped) with black interior

Manual Transmission (yes, I drive stick... lol)

*** LEASE PAID FOR JULY ALREADY ***

Available IMMEDIATELY so take advantage of not having to pay the lease for the remainder of the month of July by contacting me ASAP!

5-speed manual transmission, black cloth seats, air conditioning, AM/FM/cassette/CD player, height-adjustable front seats with seat heaters, tilt/telescopic steering wheel, power windows with 'pinch' protection and 'one-touch down' feature for driver's window, anti-theft alarm, variable intermittent wipers, pollen and dust filters, folding key with remote locking/unlocking, rear defogger, rear wiper/washer with intermittent feature, cruise control.

Lease is $368.72 a month with VW Credit, 12.5 months remaining on lease (more or less). New leaser will have to take care of $450 + tax (approximately $517.50) fee for lease transfer AND $1500 NEGOTIABLE.

Furniture And Appliances Needed

2006-06-13T14:24:00.000-04:00

Lease signed. Check. Bed. Check. TV. Check. DVD player and almost as many DVDs as Blockbuster has. Check. Washer and dryer. Quite possibly a check. Packed.... Ummmmm... I'll leave that to the last possible moment. lmao

There are a few things that I need, though, to sustain my survival. My apartment is completely unfurnished, which means that I will have to find myself a fridge and a stove, unless I want to spend all my money on greasy fast-food all day and all night (ummm... I'll pass on that one).

I'm also looking for a few other things like maybe a wall unit for my living room and a wardrobe for my bedroom. I'm kinda picky though... Keep in mind that my goal is to make my apartment look like the one in the pic from my original Apartment Hunting post. lmao (A girl can dream!)

There are so many things that I possibly need that I can't even think of a list of what they are. I would appreciate some comments and suggestions on where to go and what to get and stuff... As usual, feel free to write me with any information that you'd care to share!

A housewarming party is in the works already... I'll get back to y'all on the 411 about that soon enough! I'm aiming to the hostess with the mostess, as they say!

A bientot!

P.S. This is definitely not to force people into bringing something along when they come over, but here are a few things which I would put to good use... lol It doesn't necessarily have to be THOSE EXACT ITEMS... Similar items would be great as well! And by the way, it's the thought that counts! Thanks guys! xoxo

http://www.findgift.com/cgi-local/Registry.cgi/lilflame

To My Seemigly #1 Fan

2006-06-13T13:25:00.000-04:00

I'm sure you're all wondering who my #1 fan might be. And although there are a lot of you out there who are religiously reading my posts, most of you are doing it "under wraps".

My COUSIN, on the other hand, has been leaving me comments on my blog and has been talking to me about it as well... And frankly, I find it flattering that someone's paying so much attention to the goings on in my humble little life! lol

It's kinda understandable in a way because the poor unfortunate soul lives in Toronto, and there isn't much to do out there... So she needs to entertain herself with something, and she seems to have chosen reading my blog as a favourite pastime. lol

OK, OK... Am I teasing a bit too much? In reality, my cousin is often the one entertaining ME with her hilarious emails and stuff. I guess it's a kind of MUTUAL entertainment going on here.

As we speak (or more appropriately, as I type), she is having lunch in the Wild Wild West Island of Montreal. Yes, she has found her way "home", temporarily. Little does she know that she will return home to find her picture on my blog. I can't wait to see her reaction. lol

Anyway, I think this is a quasi-satisfactory homage to my first little cousin (Little? Who am I kidding? She's over a quarter of a century old already!?!)... And actually, my littlest cousin on that side of the family is quite literally much BIGGER (taller) than I am. "Sad But True" (Metallica) lol

Thanks, Patel, for your encouragement and support!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Yes, ALL those exclamation points are JUST for you!!!) lmao

Love you... (sometimes) xoxo

Verdun, Here I Come!

2006-06-09T11:22:00.000-04:00

You now know the proud tenant of an apartment in Verdun!!!

Well, ALMOST tenant anyway... I'm heading out in about 45 minutes to go sign my lease, and THEN I will OFFICIALLY be the proud tenant of the apartment in Verdun...

Some of you might be thinking that it's not the best area to be in, but that's probably because you've heard stories and haven't visited Verdun yourself lately!!! lol It's supposed to be the next up-and-coming area, and I've just found myself an inexpensive yet nice apartment in a really nice part of town!

Trust me, I'm gonna have a housewarming party of some sort eventually and then you can all check it out for yourselves! There are lots of cute cafes around, and everything is really close by... And I'm a couple of blocks away from the water!!!

I'll take pics of my place as soon as I can and post them on here. I'm supposed to be moving in in July, so I'll be there within a month!

I can't believe this! It seems that everything has just kicked into turbo mode! I have to pack and get everything sorted out with my car and paint and............ it's a neverending list!

Volunteers needed! lol Contact me ASAP if interested in helping. :D

Montreal Apartment Hunting 101

2006-06-04T15:05:00.000-04:00

OK. I think I stand somewhat corrected. lol

I wrote my post about apartment hunting in Montreal, and about how hard it was to find apartments available online (seeing as I AM a computer girl... lol), and then I started hearing about all kinds of sites that had apartment listings for Montreal!

I guess it was a matter of asking around and talking to people to find out where they were searching and if they knew about any good sites, as opposed to Googling "Montreal Apartment Rental". lol

Since I have gained some very important knowledge, I feel compelled to share it with all of you (surprised!?! lol). Below, you will find a list of websites I've been checking out, with a brief commentary on each one. Hopefully, if you're apartment hunting as well (some sites are not just for Montreal), you'll have an easier time finding something.

Here it goes:

http://www.viewit.ca/ This site helps you find places across Canada. It didn't have A TON of listings for Montreal, but there were some pretty good places on there. The thing about this site is that their search engine leaves a bit to be desired, but I guess it can be usefel when looking for places across the nation.

http://montreal.sublet.com/ This site helps you find places in... Montreal (duh!). Actually, the main site is mostly for the province of Quebec, but that link is generally for people searching in the Montreal area. You can do an advanced search on this site that is pretty well organised. The main "problem" with this site is that you have to register to get the contact information MOST OF THE TIME. Some ads have the information for you, but most of the ads have just the description of the places. What I did was I found out the area it was in, then actually WENT to the area and checked some places out, which wasn't a very difficult task, but was frustrating at times because you couldn't always get to see the apartments because of one reason or another after driving and searching.

http://www.moremontreal.com/apartments/ My friend told me about this site, and let me tell you, THIS is an excellent site. When you click on that link, it will bring you to a page that seems a bit chaotic (at least it did to me). Too many things all over the place that you're not too sure where to begin. What I did was I went to "02 Search" and took it from there. Their search engine is great, and this must be some kind of known website somewhere because there are TONS of listings all over the island of Montreal, LOTS of them have pics, ALL of them have some form of contact information, AND IT'S FREE!

http://www.ifind.ca/ This is a pretty good site as well. Kinda reminds me of classified ads in the way it's presented. There are NO pictures at all, and one ad is after the other. The thing is that, if the person placing the ad had all the information about their apartment and knew where to put it, there are a lot of details available about the places. Basically, people can write whatever they like about their place and it doesn't seem to have a limit on words either cause some ads are looooooooooooong. lol Even though it has no pics, I think it's a pretty good site.

http://www.rentmtl.com/ Here's another pretty good site with lots of listings that was recommended to me by another friend of mine. This site even gives you a map of Montreal with all the areas marked and you can select the areas you're looking in directly from the map. The search engine could be improved a bit cause it's a bit limiting, but I still found this site to be of great use.

Alright apartment hunters. I hope these sites are as useful to you as they were (still are, actually) to me. As U2 says, "but I still haven't found what I'm looking for." lol

I'll keep you all posted on my findings, and then you're all invited over for a house-warming! Maybe I should make it Bring Your Own Booze cause the party might be out of control and crowded with the amount of people that might show up! lmao

I'll cross that bridge once I get to it... You guys cross your fingers in the mean time for me!

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

2006-05-26T14:21:00.000-04:00

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?

2006-05-25T01:05:00.000-04:00

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

2006-05-24T14:43:00.000-04:00

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

2006-05-22T18:34:00.000-04:00

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???"

2006-05-22T15:07:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-05-22T05:04:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-05-22T02:51:00.000-04:00

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

2006-05-22T01:54:00.000-04:00

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!