Learn, learn, learn OR Tiff, TIff, TIff?

Hey! Have you forgotten about me yet? I’m so sorry for being away for so long, With the little downtime I had, I slept. I’ve been so tired; always on the go, Alberta time vs. Ontario time. I still can’t quite get in the real swing of things. In case you were wondering, I am back in Ontario now.. I landed last night at about 10:30, meaning I didn’t get home until about 12. I didn’t get to bed until around 2, AND then I was back up at 6 for school. I’m not doing so well... EXTREMELY tired. But oh well... I will fill you in on everything I neglected to share with you. Here it goes:

Since we last spoke, I went to Edmonton, the wedding, the West Edmonton Mall, Banff, back to Calgary and Spruce Meadows. I’ve met two guys, had a blast traveling, feared for my life and played with animals. We’ll start with getting to Edmonton. My cousin, who I found out is religious (don’t know how he’s related to me?) drove me to Edmonton, where my mom drove with my aunt and granny. The speed limit on some of the highways there is 110, waaay better than the 100 km/h we deal with here in Ontario. My cousin however disregarded the speed limit and decided to travel anywhere between 140 and 160 km/h..... Yep. He weaved through traffic, resulting in brief heart palpitations for myself. Not an experience I wish to have again, unless of course I’m with a professional driver on a race track. When we got to Edmonton I was surprised with a suite in the Fantasy Land Hotel. My mom knew how badly I wanted to stay there,  so she booked a room unbeknownst to me. We got checked in, got ready for the wedding, and then proceeded to the wedding. It was a small, pretty ceremony, followed by a small tasteful reception. The only thing I hate about weddings is the need for overly fancy food that no one actually enjoys. There was sea food combined with ALL of the courses, which of course made me want to vom. I got to bond with my uncle though whom I haven’t seen in about 5 years. Now that I’m actually older, and not a child, I really appreciated the time I got to spend with him.

The next day I woke up to the SOREST throat you can ever imagine. I was lethargic, couldn’t swallow, and had just found out the Tim Hortons was about a 10 minute walk, RIGHT next to the ice rink. So, I got dressed, and started my trek to the Tim Hortons. No matter how sick I was feeling, I needed to see the mall. After all, we were only in Edmonton for the day. Me and mom went to a shark show (it was awesome), saw all the attractions (amusement park, water park, etc) and shopped ‘til we dropped. We went out for dinner again with my uncle (aunt, granny, and cousin) and then packed the car up for  home. I absolutely refused to drive with my cousin again (which was awkward and lead everyone to think I was a whiney baby). Who in their right mind would get back into a car KNOWING what was coming. So I drove with my mom and aunt, and my grandma drove with my cousin. Phew.

Thursday we were back in Calgary. We decided it would be a home day as we were all tired from traveling, and my cold-like symptoms had now turned in to flu-like symptoms. We all caught up on our rest, TV, and drank lots of tea.

Guess what? It’s Friday morning now and we’re heading to Banff. This was the part of the trip that I couldn’t wait for. So we packed the car early, and drove the 1.5 hours to Banff. Within 20 minutes of driving, the mountains appeared. Now, remember that I had NEVER seen the mountains before. I almost cried they were so pretty. I couldn’t believe it. As we got closer and closer, it became less and less real. We drove around for a while, took some pictures from various angles and lookout points, and then headed to meet the newlyweds for lunch. (Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you, the newlyweds and us all had the same itinerary for the rest of the week. Awkward? Yep.) Lunch was awful, well the food was; the company was great. 

--Just so you know, as I’m writing this.. I’m eating a wrap, which has officially made me feel sick. How Rude! (Thank you, Stephanie Tanner; courtesy of Full House)—

After lunch, we started walking down the main strip of Banff, where I booked my horseback riding trip, which was to take place in 30 minutes. So again, off we go; down through Banff to the stable. My guide: GORGEOUS. Dave was his name, straight out from Australia. I just happened to be the only one on this tour, so it was just me and Dave. It was romantic.. or so I like to think. Fast forward to the end of the story: I chickened out, didn’t ask for his number, and left. Never to see him again.

Plane ride home: Met a cute boy in the airport.. and by met I mean just smiled as I walked. While I was sitting on the plane, I reaaallly had to use the washroom, but it’s always such an ordeal, so I held it... Until the point where I almost burst. I ran to the washroom, where I was greeted by a 5 person line. Inconvenient. I was in everyones way, so me and said boy chatted in the flight attendant's cabin. It was just for a short time before the meaner of the 3 flight attendants broke it up. Once we landed, me and mom went to retrieve our baggage, where this boy came up to me asked me about my flight, helped me and my mom with our baggage, and took my number. He already texted me and wants to go for coffee. Forward? Yes. Am I flattered? Absolutely. 

First day of school, over. My schedule is great: Monday for 6 hours, and Thursday for 8 hours. That's all. The rest is nice and relaxing. I'm going downtown to star watch (hoping for Ryan Reynolds and Rachel McAdams) with my good friend Megan... Hopefully we can score some tickets to a movie for TIFF. That would be fun. Anyway, no word of the day today. Too lazy. 

Until next time, 

Mr. Famous, xo

This is from September 13th, Oddly, it didn't post.

Hey! Have you forgotten about me yet? I’m so sorry for being away for so long, With the little downtime I had, I slept. I’ve been so tired; always on the go, Alberta time vs. Ontario time. I still can’t quite get in the real swing of things. In case you were wondering, I am back in Ontario now.. I landed last night at about 10:30, meaning I didn’t get home until about 12. I didn’t get to bed until around 2, AND then I was back up at 6 for school. I’m not doing so well... EXTREMELY tired. But oh well... I will fill you in on everything I neglected to share with you. Here it goes:

Since we last spoke, I went to Edmonton, the wedding, the West Edmonton Mall, Banff, back to Calgary and Spruce Meadows. I’ve met two guys, had a blast traveling, feared for my life and played with animals. We’ll start with getting to Edmonton. My cousin, who I found out is religious (don’t know how he’s related to me?) drove me to Edmonton, where my mom drove with my aunt and granny. The speed limit on some of the highways there is 110, waaay better than the 100 km/h we deal with here in Ontario. My cousin however disregarded the speed limit and decided to travel anywhere between 140 and 160 km/h..... Yep. He weaved through traffic, resulting in brief heart palpitations for myself. Not an experience I wish to have again, unless of course I’m with a professional driver on a race track. When we got to Edmonton I was surprised with a suite in the Fantasy Land Hotel. My mom knew how badly I wanted to stay there, so she booked a room unbeknownst to me. We got checked in, got ready for the wedding, and then proceeded to the wedding. It was a small, pretty ceremony, followed by a small tasteful reception. The only thing I hate about weddings is the need for overly fancy food that no one actually enjoys. There was sea food combined with ALL of the courses, which of course made me want to vom. I got to bond with my uncle though whom I haven’t seen in about 5 years. Now that I’m actually older, and not a child, I really appreciated the time I got to spend with him.

The next day I woke up to the SOREST throat you can ever imagine. I was lethargic, couldn’t swallow, and had just found out the Tim Hortons was about a 10 minute walk, RIGHT next to the ice rink. So, I got dressed, and started my trek to the Tim Hortons. No matter how sick I was feeling, I needed to see the mall. After all, we were only in Edmonton for the day. Me and mom went to a shark show (it was awesome), saw all the attractions (amusement park, water park, etc) and shopped ‘til we dropped. We went out for dinner again with my uncle (aunt, granny, and cousin) and then packed the car up for home. I absolutely refused to drive with my cousin again (which was awkward and lead everyone to think I was a whiney baby). Who in their right mind would get back into a car KNOWING what was coming. So I drove with my mom and aunt, and my grandma drove with my cousin. Phew.

Thursday we were back in Calgary. We decided it would be a home day as we were all tired from traveling, and my cold-like symptoms had now turned in to flu-like symptoms. We all caught up on our rest, TV, and drank lots of tea.

Guess what? It’s Friday morning now and we’re heading to Banff. This was the part of the trip that I couldn’t wait for. So we packed the car early, and drove the 1.5 hours to Banff. Within 20 minutes of driving, the mountains appeared. Now, remember that I had NEVER seen the mountains before. I almost cried they were so pretty. I couldn’t believe it. As we got closer and closer, it became less and less real. We drove around for a while, took some pictures from various angles and lookout points, and then headed to meet the newlyweds for lunch. (Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you, the newlyweds and us all had the same itinerary for the rest of the week. Awkward? Yep.) Lunch was awful, well the food was; the company was great.

--Just so you know, as I’m writing this.. I’m eating a wrap, which has officially made me feel sick. How Rude! (Thank you, Stephanie Tanner; courtesy of Full House)—

After lunch, we started walking down the main strip of Banff, where I booked my horseback riding trip, which was to take place in 30 minutes. So again, off we go; down through Banff to the stable. My guide: GORGEOUS. Dave was his name, straight out from Australia. I just happened to be the only one on this tour, so it was just me and Dave. It was romantic.. or so I like to think. Fast forward to the end of the story: I chickened out, didn’t ask for his number, and left. Never to see him again.

Plane ride home: Met a cute boy in the airport.. and by met I mean just smiled as I walked. While I was sitting on the plane, I reaaallly had to use the washroom, but it’s always such an ordeal, so I held it... Until the point where I almost burst. I ran to the washroom, where I was greeted by a 5 person line. Inconvenient. I was in everyones way, so me and said boy chatted in the flight attendant's cabin. It was just for a short time before the meaner of the 3 flight attendants broke it up,

Happy Labour Day!

Word of the day; Magpie; the hyena's of the bird species (Definition: Aunt Lynda)

So, we're nearing the end of day 3, and guess what? I'm sick. Yep. Upset stomach, sore throat, stuffy nose, the whole bit. Pretty inconvenient I must say. Yesterday we got so much done though! We went shopping for the bride and groom, got them beautiful dishes off their registry and continued on shopping. It's so cold here (a whopping 3 degrees), I had to buy a coat. 

Fortunately for me, I had tried on a coat back in Ontario at the Gap and already knew that was the one I wanted. The good news: it was on sale, less the 8% extra tax we pay, I saved a bundle. 

Me and mom also went to the Science Center to see the Body Worlds exhibit. It was AMAZING. There are no words to describe what I saw; from all the organs, to all the bones, to the nervous system and the stages of life (starting from embryo, to 9 months). It was sad to think that the babies I was 'oo-ing' and 'ah-ing' at were once alive, but nice to know that these people donated for educational and scientific purposes. 

It's unfortunate that after me and mom had a terrific afternoon walking around the downtown core (only to find out that NOTHING is open after working ours/weekends) we ended up BACK at the casino. Yep, two nights in a row. I was kind of annoyed to be honest, as my first experience was boring. Why spend money on nothing? If I don't win (which I never will) I'll regret spending the money on nothing, where I could have been sporting a nice new pair of jeans or shoes. So, everyone in my family knew how annoyed I was at the whole casino-ing thing, I felt kind of bad. But the funny thing is, they're there AGAIN, right NOW, as we speak and have been for the past (at least) 8 hours... problem? I think so. 

Today, me and mom had lunch at Sunterra (the Calgary equivalent to Toronto's Pusateri's) with my grandpa. That was really nice! He's really cute, and funny so I had a great time. My mom was super emotional... I guess she was shocked at how much he aged. Makes sen

se. We then went condo shopping! It turns out that the pricing of houses/condos out here is a lot better than in Toronto, are we surprised? haha not at all. We wouldn't move out here I don't think, just have it has property to own, and rent it out to people.. maybe my granny, or even grandpa! 

My cousin arrived today though! He was in Toronto for the week, so he's back; gives me something to look forward to. He's in my age range so that's good. I don't think he drinks, so that's bad. Ha. Oh well:) Tomorrow, we head to Edmonton. I'm really excited for that. We have the wedding, and then of course the West Edmonton Mall! I'm super excited about the amusement park/water park/sea world aspect of it... 

My mind is ALL over the place today. I can't even function, thanks to my mush of break a la sickness. So I apologize for the short, choppy sentences, and any spelling/grammatical errors I may make. I'm too lazy to correct anything. 

To end today, I just want to say how much I miss my baby boy. I have even posted a picture of him, just to say a little "Hello" to him. 

Until next time, 

Mr. Famous, xo

Day 1- Success

Word of the day; Coulee; a small valley, or a low-lying area

Good morning everyone! It’s 11:30 Calgary time, so 1:30 Ontario time. So.. morning for me I guess. I’m really adjusting to the the two hour difference, probably because I was up for 24 hours when we flew in on Friday night, so I slept like a baby. I still have no wifi connection so I’m just going to write blogs and post them as soon as I can. It’s Sunday, meaning day 2 of our trip out here. I’m really loving it. It’s amazing how different it is from Toronto though. Their “downtown” is the size of one or two neigbourhoods of our downtown. I would say the Financial district, and Club district. That’s what Calgary’s downtown is made of... maybe a little bit of Yorkville as well, because all the major hotels are on one strip (easy for spotting celebrities as they visit!) 

Yesterday we didn’t do too much. We got off to a slow start, then went on a quick tour of the downtown, and went to Innisfail to pick up my granny. We ate dinner there, and met some of her other senior friends (who were adorable), and then continued back south to Calgary. I learned a lot yesterday on the drive alone. For example: Calgary is primarily flat, like the Prairies, with the exception of the mountains of course, so while you’re driving, it’ll all be flat, and then all of a sudden you’ll be in a little divot; this is called a coulie (I’ll have to double check the spelling on that.) Anyway, a coulee is just a little part of the land that dips down, and back up again (think tiiiiinnyyy valley). I also learned that Alberta is known for their canola crops. Now, the coolest thing about canola is that it is a BERRY! There is a plant that flowers, and when the flower is gone, all that is left is a little black berry which produces the canola oil. I feel like many of you guys already knew that, so don’t laugh too hard at my obliviousness to crops. I can’t seem to remember what else I learned which kind of sucks, something about oil and gas. OH, I remember! There is oil everywhere. Along the highway, about every 5 minutes you’ll see a pumping station that I originally thought was for hydro... turns out, they pump oil in to a main station somewhere else in Alberta. COOL EH?

So, after I learned all of this fun information, we stopped at a place that is completely familiar to me... I would say it’s like a second home. Crossiron Mills. People back home, you may resonate with this a bit... Crossiron MILLS. Similiarly to, Vaughan MILLS. Yep, a giant mall, filled with 200 stores including a Coach outlet. So of course, I bought a cute new black leather swing pack, and a bright coral wristlet. Both adorable. My mom bought a black leather purse, a black swing pack, a wristlet, and she bought me a passport holder, and my aunt (in Ontario) a new wristlet. My aunt (in Alberta), spent 1500 dollars.. well that’s not true. That’s what she would have spent had we not been at an outlet. Her total came to 400 dollars... 900 dollars in savings. Can you even believe that? Finally I went to American Eagle and French Connection, where I bought a new belt, a sweatshirt, a pair of jeans and a pair of green cargo pants (suuuper cute). The most amazing thing is: only 5% tax. Not 13% like Ontario, but FIVE PERCENT. It’s unreal. You save so much on tax, causing you to buy way more. 

I have to wrap this up quickly we are just about to head out, so forgive me for rushing through this last bit. We went to the casino (there are 7 in Calgary alone) for my first time ever... it’s just not fun. I didn’t win anything, and I had to pay for a drink. Annoying. My aunt however won about 3000 dollars. OF SLOT MACHINES! I couldn’t believe my eyes. So I was a bit sad, and tired. We came home around 1:30 Calgary time (3:30 Ontario time) and I stayed up watching Full House (of course) until about 5 am Ontario time. Don’t know how I did it, or why.. but I did. 

SO TODAY: it’s raining quite a bit, so we’re skipping the Calgary Tower but we’re going to the Science Center (BODY WORLDS is there, I missed it in Toronto), the Saddle Dome, some more shopping (for the wedding on Tuesday) and a few other touristy things. 

I’ll check back in later today hopefully. On a final note, although it’s pretty redneck out here, I’ve seen toooo many good looking guys. Sadly, no pictures yet, so I’ll work on that today.

Until next time, 

Mr. Famous, xo

I'm on a plane!

Hey! I’m currently sitting on the plane, going through some mild turbulence. Not a huge deal though, just a thunderstorm that we’re going around. -- no word of the day today. sorry! :)

I’m watching Full House (of course, because I’m obsessed), and it’s the Christmas episode where the Tanner clan travels to Colorado. I just needed to quickly jot down on paper (no internet of course) how excited I am for Christmas to come. First there is my birthday, and then of course Thanksgiving, BUT THEN, Christmas. I love the smells or orange and cinnamon, the Christmas music that jingles through all shopping malls and stores, as well as the gorgeous decorations that cover houses, streets and of course, the malls. 

--------------------------------------------------

I’m off the plane, fully rested, and in Calgary. I was pretty much up for 24-hours, without the time change. My eyes were burning, I was pale, and I was pretty much a walking zombie. As you can tell, I’m a huge baby that needs beauty sleep on the regular. I’m so excited for everyone to wake up, and start touring this wonderful city. When we arrived, it was 19 degrees, which I thought was fairly nice... until I fell asleep. I slept in my normal gear, a long (Blue Jays) t-shirt and underwear. Normally I sweat in that attire, but last night I WAS FREEZING. I’m not sure if I can exaggerate that enough. My teeth were chattering, my body was in a ball, and I was shivering. It just was too cold. So now I’m wearing sweat pants, and socks... socks. Ha! can you even believe it? I haven’t worn socks (aside from at the gym) in like 6 months. My teeth hurt so much this morning from chattering all night, I can’t even chew very well. 

I don’t really have anything else to blog about, nothing exciting has really happened. I watched about 7 episodes of Full House on the plane, where my in front and backwards neighbours (the people that sat directly in front of me, and behind me) were the worst neighbours ever. The one in front, fully reclined which fully pressed on my laptop, and the one behind, kept expelling gas and pushing her knees into my chair causing it to bounce up and down for the whole flight. I was really not impressed, but a pretty good flight over all:)

Until next time, 

Mr. Famous, xo

'Bye Ontario

Word of the day; insidious; operating or proceeding in an inconspicuous or seemingly harmless way but actually with grave effect

Hiiiiii! How is everyone today? I hope well.. It's Friday of a long weekend. Now, I understand the day immediately following the holiday is the first day back at school, but let's not think that far ahead shall we?

Today is finally my last day of work. I've completed 4 long months of working at 9-5 job. I bet some people would love to have a 9-5 job, but for me, I'm more go with the flow, and spontaneous. I happen to hate routine, so getting up at the same time every day, and coming home at the same time, really starts to bother me. That's why I love university! Some days, I get to wake up at 12, and others I'm up at 530 am. So, it's an everchanging environment.

I'm leaving work early so I can catch my flight to Calgary tonight. It's funny, 'cause I had a dream that Adrian Grenier was in Alberta... God how I wish that was true... Anyway, I'm so excited for my trip: West Edmonton Mall, horseback riding through the Rockies, a dip in the hot springs in Banff, and the beautiful scenery of the West Coast. The only thing that's holding me back is my sweet dog Ozzy. He's just getting so old and fragile, that the mere thought of leaving him for 10 days breaks my heart in half. Maybe I'm being a baby, or a suck, but so many things could happen in that time period. Being that he's a great dane/german shepherd mix, and 10 years old, he's already surpassed his expected life span. So, I took a bunch of pictures of him to keep with me on my phone doing cute, every day things.

Let's talk boys for a minute. I realllllyyyy put myself out there to the blonde, in a band guy. I texted him with a direct message: "When do I get to see your band at least practice? :)" I was TRYING to be witty, and flirty... obviously it didn't work, or he's just not interested, so forget him. I'm not really into the whole chasing thing. I understand that it's sometimes fun to play cat and mouse, but quite frankly, it just annoys me. Why do I want to play games? Simple answer: I don't. So if he's not willing to take a bite, then I give up. Easy peasy, right? Wrong. If only it was that easy.. especially as fall approaches, and all you can think about going to pumpkin patches, picking apples, and getting ready for Christmas... all with a "boyfriend" of course. Oh well, I won't get too upset about it. I have plenty of other things to look forward to, and to be happy about.

I probably should concentrate on working now. My next blog entry, you'll know, I'll be blogging it from Alberta. Think about me looking at the mountains, maybe some wolves and bears, and who knows what else!

Until next time,

Mr. Famous, xo

Quick check-in

Word of the day; ambivalence; the state of having simultaneous, conflicting feelings toward a person or thing

Hola! Welcome to my blog on this overly hot, and humid day. I don't have too much time to blog, but I wanted to say a quick hello before I jet off again. I'll start by saying this: I'm addicted to Full House. Remember that show? With Uncle Jesse/Joey, and Danny Tanner. I recently bought season 1, and seriously, I can't stop. I forgot to sleep some nights because I would just be enveloped into it. So a dear, dear friend of mine bought Seasons two and three for me to borrow during my trip to Alberta (Thank god, I love her). 

I got my hair done last night. I added chunks of near-white blonde, and dark plum. The bad news is,  barely anyone noticed. I really thought it was obvious that there were blonde chunks of hair in my normally brown hair, but NOPE, apparently not. Oh well, I think sometimes I expect too much. 

Tonight, I have a yoga party (to celebrate my yoga instructors 1-year anniversary of teaching) and a mini hangout sesh with Jacob. Yep, Jacob from a few blog entries ago entitled "Jacob vs Edward". I guess we'll see how that goes. 

The only thing that I can honestly say is making me sad is that the guy from the Blue Jays (not an actual player obv) has yet to e-mail me back although he said he would. Maybe I'm being a little obsessed about it, but I'm just so excited. How can I not obsess over something like that? Well whatever, I'll give it time and hope for the best. 

FINALLY, Adrian Grenier tweeted me. Or retweeted one of my tweets. My tweet went as follows: Hard rock for dinner, @teenagepaparazzo for dessert. Terrific night @adriangrenier"

He RT (retweeted) "Yummm!" Back to my tweet. CAN YOU EVEN BELIEVE IT? I ran through my house with unmistakable excitement. Adrian tweeted me, adrian tweeted me, yahoooo. 

I want to give a final little recommendation to read Committed, By Elizabeth Gilbert. I'm mid-way through and can't even believe how much I'm learning about marriage in different countries, cultures, and religion, all while following the complex mind of Liz Gilbert through her battle against re-marrying. 

I'm done blabbing now, off to buy a present for yoga instructor (obv I've procrastinated)

Until next time, 

Mr. Famous, xo