Sushi

Last night we celebrated my birthday with Paul & Charissa at Sushi Island. I've always wanted to try this place after my sister raved about how good it was. She was absolutely right, it was good! I was a little worried because it was an All You Can Eat joint but there were some options that worked well for me. For $12.99 you can get all the rolls such as dynamite, soft shell crab, red dragon, etc. If you want sashimi it will cost you a heftier price of $20.99. The catch is that you have only an hour and a half to eat but I was really impressed with the wait staff and how often they came around for new orders. We had a great time trying different types of rolls. One was called a fire cracker roll which had tuna tempura bits, spicy mayo and Japanese 7 spice sprinkled on top. As Di would say, it was so good!

Next stop: Flow restaurant in Yorkville.

Birthday Weekend

Although I had to work this weekend turned out pretty awesome. As per my title - yes, birthday celebrations are still in full gear. Saturday night we were all invited to Ron's place, or as Norm calls it - the dream bachelor pad. You name it, he has it: Wii, PSPs, Xbox, DVDs of all sorts, sport paraphernalia, cigars, and an abundance of chocolate and candies as well as a fridge full of nothing but beer and water. Since Ron obviously doesn't cook and because Sally was using her sore back as an excuse, they did the next best thing - ordered Lin Garden! Lin Garden is loved by many but remember the rule: If you go to Lin Garden, you have to call us. Sally didn't even attempt a dessert but bought me a birthday cake instead. Sally is so nice! I'm so thankful to have such a nice friend!


Sunday was spent celebrating my birthday with a few highschool friends. I've been friends with these girls since highschool and although I don't get to see them as often as I'd like, we always have such a great time together. Celebrations were held at Christine's lovely new home. She was a wonderful host and even packed up food for each of us to take home. Thanks for the nice gifts (I thought we said No to gifts this year?) and for all the cakes!

TGIF

At last, it's Friday. Unfortunately I will be working at a job fair tomorrow but nonetheless it's still Friday!

Just thought I'd post pics of my birthday lunch at Pearl restaurant located at Queens Quay. I really enjoy dim sum because of the variety and the perfect, small mel-like portions. Norm, on the other hand, would prefer a steak dinner any day but sometimes you just need a change. The location of Pearl is unbeatable. It's in Queens Quay terminal on the second floor and most tables have a view of the lake. Lucky for us, we got a nice window seat with an awesome view. The food was probably the best dim sum I've tasted but it came with a price. Now I can cross Pearl restaurant off my list. Next stop - Sushi Island.

Birthday Week

I don't normally take my birthday off but this year I thought, "Why the heck not?".

Yesterday I was treated to a nice birthday lunch. I was touched that my manager and a couple of close colleagues took the shuttle downtown just to celebrate my birthday. I guess a 2 hour lunch is okay if the boss joins us! Back in my office I was struggling to keep my eyes open. Wine makes me sleepy. I was awakened by a delivery of a dozen red roses. It was absolutely beautiful and I was pleasantly surprised. I knew it was from Norm but just to make sure I read the card and it said: "King Edward Hotel, Massage, Oct 16 11am". Yup, it's from him. In the evening we headed to Ev's place for WND. She made a tasty apple crumble pie (we've renamed it Apple Crumb-aclat!) and jambalaya. This day was the perfect start to my birthday week.

This morning I woke up and saw a birthday card next to my dozen roses. On special occasions we don't normally get each other gifts but cards are mandatory. To me, it speaks louder than the roses. I can't deny -- the roses are a nice touch! -- but it's what's inside the card that counts!

Happy Birthday to me...

Thanksgiving at BigDogs

I decided to post this ASAP because we all know that Dancing Queen and BigDog are our biggest Blog readers, critics, and fans. Since our summer was full of visitors, we were not able to see them as often as normal but we were all able to reconnect during Thanksgiving. When I walked in I was surprised to receive comments on my newly straightened hair but I realized quickly that Bigdog was in the know because of my blog. Glad to know that it not only helps update those who are far away but also those in Toronto who we don't get to see as often as we'd like.

Thanksgiving at BigDog's brought the Christmas feeling in the air (although the weather was unusually mild at 36 degrees!). Norm and I were in charge of the turkey, stuffing and butter tarts. We were all impressed with Paul's first homemade potluck dish - mexican chicken is what he called it. (Although I'm convinced Charissa did all the cooking). BigDog went around force feeding us with his crab stuffed mushrooms (they were so good!). And what's a party without the infamous seafood casserole! This Thanksgiving I am thankful for all the great cooks we have in the family. Thank you for making me fat.

Miguel's 15th

Our godson Michael shares his birthday with my Mom on October 8th. This year he turned 15 and although his Mom keeps saying this will be the last birthday party...inside we all know that he will always be her baby. It was also a time to celebrate their new home. They moved into a cozy condo perfect for just the two of them! Happy Birthday Mike - I look forward to your 16th birthday party next year!

Marquez Thanksgiving

After my hair appointment we celebrated my Mom's birthday as well as Thanksgiving at Has & Flo's. We weren't able to cook the way we normally would but we agreed to keep it simple this year so we turned to our trusty old friend: Swiss Chalet. But because I love to cook, I managed to make cornbread muffins the night before. I guess it's the southern blood in me. At the end of the night we surprised mom with an ice cream cake. Hazel and I decided that 59 candles would totally melt the cake so we only put 6.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Hair Weekend

Thank goodness for a 3 day long weekend. Rohani and I got our hair straightened yesterday. It's something I treat myself to every 6 months. Growing up I've always had big hair. Most people who have thin hair would kill for this but of course we're never happy with what we have. Growing up I had to find ways to tame my mane which is one of the reasons why I've always had toned biceps (the hair dryer weighs at least 10 lbs.). All through highschool my hair was up in a permanent bun. Then came the Jennifer Aniston haircut where big and layered was in so that worked for awhile but boy was it a lot of work! Going on a vacation was hard because I had a separate luggage for my hair accessories and I had to wake up at least 2 hours before everyone to straighten my hair. Now at last I have found a solution and although not permanent, am happy to sit for 6 hours every 6 months for $200. Some may say that's too expensive and to that I say, You just don't understand.

COACH Obsessed

My Aunt and cousin called a few days ago telling me about the great coach sale that's going on. Great. Am I supposed to fly over to South Carolina and go shopping? Although that would be nice, it's also unreasonable... although when I was younger, I'd go to South Carolina at least twice a year. It's different now, I guess. We're older. We have mortgages, jobs and responsibilities. So on to Plan B. We drive to Buffalo! That's right. We had a day off last week so we drove to Buffalo to check out Coach. The sales were not what I had expected. It's never as good as SC so I came home empty handed but at least my mind was at rest knowing that I didn't miss a good sale. But back in SC, my cousin went back to the Coach store and bought me a bag. Now that's love! Thanks Auntie and Ann. I am lucky to have personal shoppers.