WWW

Oh yes...Wild Women's Weekend!  This is my annual retreat that I go to with a number of women  (some I know, some I don't) and we just have the bestest time.  It's really a weekend for all of us to chillax from our crazy lives and our kids.  From movies, to board games, to cooking to whatever any of us want to do...it's all fun.  If anything, there is a ton of time to catch up and talk to our heart's content.

This year will be a smaller bunch at 12.  I think the most we've had was 40 and that was just insane.  But 12 is really great!  Really a great chance to sit and chat with people I haven't seen for a while.  Oh, and sleeping in.  OMG.  And with so many people, we all take turns cooking.  But basically, we only have to cook 1 meal in 3 days, 2 nights.

Oh...chillaxing, cooking only 1 meal, guffawing the whole time and getting some much needed down time.  I'm so ready for this event.

Thoughts

I've been feeling rather Oprah-esque the last 2 days.  Probably because I've been wearing my Oprah clothing.  Yes, these were the shirts I bought knowing that they were the wrong size.  But they were such a good deal and the thought of being closer to Oprah made me buy them!  But I was pleasantly suprised when they fit!  Though, I probably should shorten them...but that's easy enough.  For now, I'll just tuck them in.

Anyways, wearing them gave me some moments of thought.  I was thinking about the people in my life and how I'm a real supporter of them.  Doesn't matter how crazy their idea is or what crazy dream they want to puruse.  I love it!  Even better, I would love to help them get there.  Because it's their life and their dream.  If it makes them happy and it's not hurting anybody, then YEAH, I want you to achieve it!  Doesn't matter how big or small.  Helping you achieve your bucket list item?  OMG.  Even better!  I want to be your Oprah supporter!!!

Sometimes I do the wackiest things or enjoy things that nobody cares about...but I don't really care what others think because it's my life, my choices, my activities, my dreams.  These choices/dreams make me happy.   My friends always laugh at me and they tell me I'm crazy but it's in a good way!  They know I can take the "ribbing" and I know they support me in every way because I'm living the life I want rather than trying to follow someone else.

For those that haven't found their own way or their own life and constantly trying to follow others, I really do feel sorry for them.  Sometimes, people just need time to reflect on what it is that they want rather than following or trying to be something that they're not.  Sure, I get that sometimes we try on "different" versions of us as we're trying to figure out where we fit in.  But I think when you're comfortable with who you are, you just naturally attract friends that are right for you.  And you naturally will find choices in front of you that will help you in continuing your journey and finding activities that complement and help you achieve your own happiness.

So, with my pink coloured Oprah shirt on today...remember to live your own and best life.

Ok.  Enough of the deep stuff.  Have to go finish some Words with Friends games!!  Yeah, I know.  Important stuff.

Clothing

No, not clothing for me.  I'm looking for clothing for my hula girl.  In fact, I was getting ready to do some measurements to make some clothing for hula girl.  THAT'S how dedicated I am.  I mean, if she's going on a road trip in the West Coast...she better have the appropriate clothing.  She can't travel with a hula dress on when it's raining, windy and possibly snowing.  Tsk, tsk.  That won't do.

But after trying to find appropriate clothing, I realize that hula girl is just going to have to tough it out.  Her butt crack will continue to have to show.  The way her arm is attached, I can't get her to wear clothing because there's no space between her hand and where she's attached.

Maybe she'll just have to wear a long boa scarf.  Not sure if that's just too skimpy for her.

Don't worry Nafisa.  I'll figure out something.

Recipes

This weekend, I had some family and friends come over to celebrate one of my kid's birthdays.  Awesome!  It's a chance to catch up, enjoy a special event and have some good food.

I always try to do a dish or two that is different and then have some regular foods at these soirees.  The one recipe that I tried that seemed to be a hit was the homemade bread!  I've been playing around a little with the cooking time and the amount of water for the bread...but I think I've done it where my family likes it and friends too.

LOL!  This one friend just asked for plain butter.  Screw the dip.  But he basically just sat and ate pieces of the bread with butter.  I'm not entirely sure what else he ate that night.  It was awesome.

What I love at these events is a chance to try some new recipes that I've been wanting to try!  I found this AWESOME website called tastykitchen.com and it has some great recipes.  Some of my favourites included the homemade loaves of ciabatta like bread that I made on Saturday, homemade tortillas that my kids cannot get enough of, the coconut loaf, homemade hamburger buns (yes, I don't even bother buying now), and lettuce wraps.  

It's great as I can get the kids to check it out with me and they have a buy in of what types of foods they want to try.  

So, this weekend, I will try finding some new recipes again!  I feel games day coming on...need some new recipes to try out for that crew!

BFF Contest Update

So, after getting my score of 38/40 for my BFF contest, as mentioned, I was just happy that I didn't bite the big one.  And it wasn't the lowest score.  ROFL!  Yes, I know it's just a title for a contest, but for my competitive friends, I think you'll get it...just wanting to be the best/top.  WIN.  

I had forwarded the link to a couple of people to show my score.  And yep, 38/40.  I got comments like, "O, I would have given you straight 10s" or "a 9 for friendliness?!  Craziness!"  All sweet comments indeed.  

But I had this one friend make fun of me..."you got 40/40!  That's perfect!  How much of a higher score is there?"  ROFL!  I thought she was crazy but now I had to look.    Sure enough, 40/40.  Even my husband had a good laugh about it. 


Maybe she had a change in heart when I gave her straight 10s.  ROFL!  I must have guilted her into giving me a perfect score and not realized it.   I'll take it.  


Well, she's got 5 more dates and let's see what happens!!

BFF

I've been a long time listener of 95.3. It's a good station and I get what I need from it. One of the shows I really enjoy is the afternoon show with Kiah and Tara Jean. They have this awesome chemistry, they're funny and seem to always get themselves in trouble. I follow them on Facebook just to see what they're up to. A couple of weeks back, I saw a post for Tara Jean looking for a new BFF.


Here's the ad if you're interested: http://vancouver.virginradio.ca/TaraJeanNeedsABFF.aspx


I have always adored Tara Jean. I think she's stinking funny and pretty down to earth. And I really wanted to meet her...so yes, I entered the contest to hopefully be one of her 10 dates in 10 days. But I didn't hear anything back so I thought I was out of the running. Fair enough, lots of interesting people out there and maybe my set of frienship skills isn't what she was looking for. Granted, it was Kiah who was doing all the choosing. But I thought, good for me for entering because at least I tried.


Fast forward to yesterday. I was in the car checking my Twitter account...yes, killing a couple of minutes before I went to the restaurant that I was meeting friends at. And there were some tweets on Twitter by Tara Jean about this contest. So I sent a tweet back asking her if all the contestants had been chosen. She answered no, but asked if I entered.  I tweeted her back saying I did, I wanted to be Scrabble buddies and asked Kiah (who was also part of the tweet) to pick me! Seriously...what did I have to lose?


Because I was short listed for next week (I didn't know that) and there was a cancellation suddenly, I ended up going today to meet Tara Jean! SWEET.


As I was getting ready to head down to Edible Canada, I started getting nervous. Ummm...I didn't quite realize that "scores" were put up on the website. And I had forgotten that she gets to review me and I get to review her on air. Everybody who listens to the station hears about it. EEEEK. What if she HATES me and I end up looking like a tool?! I'll never find any new friends!!!


Of course I checked out the previous scores of previous dates. Dang. They got HIGH scores. This could be very bad for me. But hey, I just told myself to suck it up because I was going and I was going to meet someone I've always wanted to meet.


I made it down and got the restaurant early. Decided I was going to study the menu. Yep...pick a food that I wouldn't embarass myself eating. And before I knew it, she showed up and conversation ensued!


I had a good laugh about her picking menu items. I didn't realize she wasn't a red meat eater. At least she had options at this restaurant...one one of her previous dates, she ended up going to Chop Steakhouse. 


Anyways, she wasn't sure about the duck fat fries. Heck, I ordered the fish and chips meal because it HAD the duck fat fries on the side. So I just told her to try it...if she hated it, no big loss to her. But if she liked it, she could always order more. These were the food items we ended up with:

Fish and Chips

Rice flour tempura, sesame cilantro coleslaw, crispy duck fat frites

 Roasted North Arm Farm BABY Beet Salad

Whipped fraser valley goat cheese, mustard greens

Crispy Cauliflower

Spinnakers brewpub malt vinegar - opted out of the capers

Creme Brulee

Infused with Chai Tea

Can't remember what this one was...but chocolate something!

How well did I do?  Well, I probably won't end up her bff...but I didn't stink up the joint and embarrass myself.  That's always a plus.  

http://vancouver.virginradio.ca/Channels/TaraJeanNeedsABFF/story.aspx?ID=1641901

The radio interview will be up soon at:

http://vancouver.virginradio.ca/Blog/BFF/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10337007

At least the portion I heard on the radio today, she thought I was funny, she had a great time and good chemistry.   I had a really good time and I got a chance to try out a new restaurant.  Overall, really great conversation about a ton of stuff with a person I've never met before, great experience and so glad I did it.  


Alright, what am I going to try next?  =)   

Weekend

Well, the snow came...and thankfully, it didn't get in the way of my weekend. I'm all for snow...on the mountains. No need for it to be on the road! Anyways, Saturdays are always busy with lessons. Swimming and Mandarin for the kids. And it just takes pretty much the whole day because of the location of activities and the length of them. But I didn't have to miss taking my kids to lessons because of the snow. That's good. Sunday was a fairly busy one. Bit of clean up before we headed off to Toys R Us. One of my kids will be celebrating their birthday soon and she wanted us to take her to the toy store so she could choose her own gift. Fine by me! But we had to build enough time in there so she didn't feel rushed. She chose a number of packs of these toys called Moshlings. Well...she taught us how to look for ultra rare characters even though they were covered and they were supposed to be secret. LOL! The whole family spent 1/2 hour looking for these ultra rares. Whatever. She was happy. Then it was off to Timbuktu...or more like Whonnack. Holy smokes...in the middle of nowhere...but the family had to head out that way to attend a good bye party. This lovely family is moving to Calgary and it was their send off. And I wouldn't have missed it...this family really is lovely. But better yet, their whole extended family is amazing. I got to catch up with all of them and share so many stories. I find it so ironic because I know these people more than my husband does...and he's the one that introduced me to his friend that belongs to this family. So, some tears, lots of laughs, some great fun with the family...all around lovely weekend.

Mindfulness

I really believe in being mindful and present. This could be while having a conversation with someone, appreciating a place or just a moment in time. But you can't be mindful all the time. For me, I tend not to be very mindful when I'm listening to music! One of my favourite songs right now is Carly Rae Jepsen's new song called Call Me Maybe. It's a pick up tune, it's fun, it's pop, it's just cute and awesome! So think about me loving this song, singing to it while I'm driving and trying to do a right hand turn. Yes, I'm checking traffic...singing this song...and not noticing the guy's car in the next lane. And I'm totally mouthing the lyrics: Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's my number, so call me, maybe? Yeah. He was lip reading. Yeah. He thought I was talking to him. Because, that's just me...constantly telling guys to call me. Poor guy. I probably frightened him away. Oh well, let's just say I'm glad he couldn't see my embarrassment afterwards!

Change of Website...Again!

Well, I really enjoyed the dynamic version of this website. I liked how photos could be separated, I liked the flipboard approach...but for a number of reasons, I've had to go back to a more static version of this website. However, I felt that a change was still needed. And maybe I'm feeling like I need some blue sky...so I went with more a blue themed type of background. It will do for now. And the blue makes me happy.

Marketplace

Tonight, I watched a taped episode of Marketplace. It's a CBC show that does have merit. However, I don't watch it often because I really can't stand most of the hosts. But tonight's episode was about Canada's stores with the worst customer service. They ended up being Zellers, Canadian Tire, and Walmart. Well, I can definitely agree with Zellers and Walmart. I don't go to those stores for customer service, I go there for the best price in something. But even then, sometimes I have to think about going. Canadian Tire has been hit and miss with me. But fortunately, I've found some folks there that are actually helpful. I have to admit I didn't last through the program because watching it was so brutal. I've had bad enough experiences that I don't need to see someone else's bad experiences. UGH. And seriously CBC, change the hosts on Marketplace. Yes, some of them are THAT bad.

Gold Coins

Every type of industry has a season. Right now, it's wedding fair season. All the ads are about wedding fairs. Yes, I've been to those, but no need to go those anymore. And for whatever reason, I've started to notice that it seems to be gold coin season. I don't know how many ads I've seen selling gold coins. There are ones to buy gold coins at Golden Eagle or ones from the mint. I've even seen them on FB (seriously, what keywords am I putting in to get these types of ads?). I haven't had the time to look into gold coins. And hey, I'd probably look at it if gold takes a big dive and I buy low. So I'll just look at the pretty coins at this time.

Log Houses

Remember that old toy that uses "logs" to build a log house?! I loved that pioneer toy, whatever it was called. I would just continue to build upwards and never really put a roof on it. And I got a chance to play with it recently, and yep...I kept building the base of the house but didn't bother putting a roof on it. I got to put some fake log furniture in it too. I'm older now so I see the purpose of furniture besides using it to climb on. Oh, nostalgia. Gosh...I'm getting old.

Tools

I need to clean out a number of drawers in the house. Actually, I need to do some better cleaning on certain parts of the house. Life just gets busy. Work and kids, well, it doesn't leave a lot of time for other things. However, having a clean house is a first world problem. And if that's the worst of things, well, it's nothing to complain about. Having said that, I have implemented a special 5 minute clean up each day. After all that needs to be done in a given day, I give 5 minutes to a very certain area and clean it. It really is the mad dash of cleaning. With only 5 minutes, I don't have much time to think which is good. Well, after doing a couple of days of 5 minute clean ups, I realize, I have many more 5 minute days ahead of me. But oooo...I have found more than 1 box cutter, an extra bag of stuff to recycle, clothes that can be given to charity....and the list goes on. So still lots ahead to do, but I feel like I'm making some headway.

Different Lives

I recently got back in touch with an old high school bud. I haven't seen him in years, but when we got together again, it was as if it was just yesterday. So cool. But his life is so different from mine and I am constantly awed by his life. He's extremely athletic having won some medals in some BC Games. I'm sure he could have gone on to the Olympics but he wasn't that interested. He loves the outdoors. He lives in the middle of no-where and loves it. The one thing we do have in common is our love for travelling. However, he is single and can go whenever he wants to. And so I had a good laugh when he said that he was going to go canoeing in the Amazon. You know, anybody else I'd have to question it. With this guy, I'm not because I know he's going to do it. Oh, the adventures this man has been through compared to my life. So different from mine. Yet, I couldn't imagine a different life for him. So cool.

New View

With the start of a new year, I thought I'd try a different look for the blog. This new version has many different ways of reading the blog. I tend to like the sidebar and the flipboard option. But see what works for you! The content is the same. But I just found that the constant scrolling was just not a lot of fun. I figured with the options given on the top left, you can find a way to read the blog that suits you. best. So if you have a preference or have comments about the changes, let me know. I mean, I know that all 9 of you...heck maybe only 7 of you now have so much to say to me about how I structure my blog. =)

Happy 2012!

Hard to believe another year is upon us!  Happy 2012!  

Most years, we spend it with friends out in the boonies.  But that's because they all have families too and finding a family friendly event that doesn't cost a ton of money and has the space to house THAT many kids is difficult.  But my friend has a great place and basically has a whole floor for kids to play in.  So it's perfect! But this year, we spent New Year's Eve with basically the same people but in a different location.  This year it was in Harrison Hot Springs!  Not the most glamourous place as I always see it as a seniors place.  But we were at my friend's parents place out there and it's a stunning house.  It's about a 5 minute walk to the beach, tons of room, and just perfect for get togethers.  I've been there before but it was especially nice to be celebrating there this year.  

Tons of food, great friends to just chill with and the kids all got along fine as they do every year.   At 12 midnight, all the kids took their noisemakers (we're talking pots and pans, bowls, bells and whatever else that could clang) outside to bring in the new year.  Lots of hugs and kisses for everybody.  

Such a simple night but filled with lots of fun, laughter and love.  

As we all stayed over, we all got to spend our New Year's Day with each other too.  We all chipped in to make breakfast and help with the kids.  I cooked and washed dishes because their stove is to die for and I love  washing dishes (not enough to come over and do yours though).  And as usual, the conversation was awesome because they are just awesome people.  
After breakfast, we all went down to the beach to let the kids run off some steam.   They diverted streams, played with sticks and rocks, played whatever crazy games they thought up...it was awesome.  And of course we had to watch the crazy people do their Polar Bear swim.  Yeah, done that before and no need to repeat it.  But we cheered these people on...just thankful that none of us had to do it.  

So a completely chill night and day with some great friends.  Couldn't have asked for a better evening.  

Happy New Year and best wishes to all of you in 2012!

Travelling Hula Girl

Hello!  I'm lovingly referred to as Hula Girl, but my real name is Nafisa!  I've been asked to be a guest blogger on here for my recent trip to Hawaii!  Oh, it was just lovely!   But let me tell you a little bit about myself.  


I was born in Hawaii.  In fact, my grass patch shows the word Hawaii. It's a sign of authenticity.  
I do not know my real age but I know that I've been taken care of by many loving families.  Each one very special.  I've watched children grow, I've been with the elderly and I've watched the world change.  The one thing that wasn't so pleasant was when my arm was broken.  My one family at that time was fixing the fireplace and basically with all the banging and movement, I fell!  But nothing a little Krazy Glue couldn't fix.  


And from that last family, I made my way into a new family by way of a prank.  If you've been reading this blog, you'll know that I was hidden, captured, locked up and sought after.  It was very funny!  And what a fun way to start my new adventures with my new family.  


And I must say, I have had a lovely time with my newest family.  They have taken great care of me.  The kids just love me and helped me get packed for the this Hawaiian trip.  The mother has treated me like her own child!  She never lets me out of her sight and ensures that I enjoy adventures as much as possible.  


Now that you have my background, in my next blog, I will give you highlights of my Hawaii trip.  The trip was so much fun!  In fact, it was so much fun, the mother has asked that I come back to write future blogs.  I already have my next adventure planned.  I will even share a family secret with you in those future entries!  But you'll just have to wait for it.  Until then, read up on Hawaii.  


Aloha to you all and mahalo to my newest ohana.  

Hawaiian Highlights

Aloha again!  Here's a quick synopsis of my trip to Waikiki with my newest family!  

My poor "mom."  She was so stressed trying to get to the airport on time.  I kept saying, "don't worry!  Planes fly Hawaiian time."  Little did I know that they do not...they actually fly on time!   But we got there in plenty of time.  It had been so long since I had flown, I wanted a picture with me at the departure gate desk. 

Here are some of the travellers on this trip with me!  

These two were especially cute.  I was safe and sound in their hands.  

I'n not sure why the youngest girl of the family looking so odd in this picture.   She must be having some stress issues too!  Just like her mom.  


We got on the flight just fine but it was a long flight.  We got there quite late so no pictures of me on the flight.  But what I can say is that the food was terrible and overpriced.  Bleh.  Couldn't wait for some real food in Hawaii.    


One of the neatest adventures I had was at the Lagoon!  Oh, so pretty and zen.  I had forgotten how gorgeous the men view could be.    Just look at the background!  The calm water and blue sky.  AWESOME.  

Not my bestest angle, but I was looking out towards the beach.   Again, the beautiful view of men blue water.  Really a site to behold.  

Hang ten baby!  No trip to Hawaii is complete with a little surfing time.  SWEET. Caught a couple of great waves!  But paddling was really difficult with my small arms.   But I managed and it was totally worth it.  

After some surfing time,  I wanted to join in on the family activities which included playing in the sand!   I'm the Queen of the mountain!

Though, I think the kids built a moat around me so I couldn't run away.  That was one deep moat.  

Oooo...perched up off the ground.  The only problem is that birds think I'm food!   They keep circling me!  Shoo and don't poop on me!

Time for some more sand play!  I just love the feel of it in my feet.  Not sure if I could count on the kidlets to build something that could save me from the elements though.  I mean really!  Look at how spaced out these columns are!   Tsk, tsk.  

I wanted to snorkel but just couldn't find the right sized equipment.  Guess the market for hula girl sized snorkel sets is very small.  The kids seemed to be having a ton of fun in the water checking out fish, but I guess I'll have to sit this adventure out.   

Oh, finally some time to just mellow in the warm sand.  Being buried allowed the heat to really penetrate my body and help me with my sore muscles from surfing and sand time.   Ahhhhh.  Being a hula girl isn't easy.   =) 

Next cool memory, the Dole Plantation!  Check out the cool trees in the back.  That one with the sign is a mango tree.  Those sure are good!  

.

At the Dole Plantation, they have a train tour.  Yep, good old train number 18.   I got to sit right up front.  Sweet view.  Though, the birds must have followed me from the beach.  They were circling me once again!

The whole family must have felt some Hawaiian magic that day because they all wanted pictures with me to commemorate the moment.  

Awww...this is one of my favourite pictures of the family!  They're all smiling!

Woman...bring me some food!  Ok, I thought about saying that but didn't.  My mom would have probably broken my other arm.  But she must have read my mind as she brought back some good grub.  HI steak.  Wow.  SO good.  I ate it 4 nights in a row!  You bet I ate it all.  It's just fundamentally and morally wrong not to finish steak.  

I  missed being with the trees.  Though next time, I will remember to bring a hammock.  Climbing the trees was was very tiring and my feet kept getting tangled in the roots!

Hanauma Bay was really neat.  The sand was different and felt good.  Couldn't head out to the water though...again, no hula girl sized snorkel equipment.  And there was lots of coral and it would have cut into my feet.  The fish were huge here too!  No point in them thinking that I was food.  Though, the birds kept watching me thinking I was some big drumstick.  They're not very bright.  When have they ever seen a drumstick with a hula dress on?   

As I didn't have any snorkel equipment that could fit me, off to the aquarium.  I wanted to see all the fish that my family saw when snorkelling!    Check out some of the pictures of my new found friends too.  

Due to the lighting in the aquarium, it was very difficult to take  appropriate pictures.  But you get the drift.  

The drive around the island was great.  And how perfect.  I really felt like I was in the right place in the right time.  I mean, I'm sitting on the dash of the car!  Isn't that my purpose in life?!  Oh, if you could have seen me hula.  Swish, swish, swish.  I was totally in my element.  

Awww...I love this picture...but there is something missing.  Yeah, my initials!  Everybody was all excited about this tree and the garlic shrimp from this vendor that they forgot about my needs.  Ummm...hello?  This is a trip for me back to the motherland?  Don't I get initials in some tree too?  

My favourite memory was being on the beach in the North Shore.  The beach was pristine, the water just perfect for surfing, and the sound of the ocean was pure awesomeness.  

Look at those waves coming in.  I got to look out and see the incredible view of men waves, mountains and blue sky again.  I really can't tire of this.  

And here's the money shot.  The bestest memory for me was to have my feet on home soil.  There is nothing like it.   I will forever be indebted to my new family for taking me back home to visit.