Nomadic Minx

Like A Phoenix..

2006-10-01T22:02:00.002-04:00

I am back.
I missed you.
So much to tell.. I will create a highlights blog to catch everyone up on the past year...
but for now.. just know.. i am happy to be home.

boo
ya
ka
sha.

Holiday Mercy?

2005-12-16T15:17:00.000-05:00

can i beg forgiveness? 3 months. 3 months of doing lots and lots and doing barely anything. there is no point in going into all the stories becuase i would be here forever. suffice to say: it's been emotional. in case you have no idea here is a quick recap of my life... don't blink:

* went to san francisco for a week to shoot 3 episodes. was met there by my wonderful girls from vancouver kiki and freakattack. we made a little friend called clift who went on adventures. tattoos were had and big funny glasses were worn for no apparent reason. workwise i had a great time. fab director. shot beautiful interesting houses. a straw house built by tibetan monks. the owner threw us a party afterwards... we LOVE owners like that. a wonderful flat in the castro district owned by a very vivacious geena-davis lookalike. i freakin' love san fran.

*left my girls and caught a flight to vancouver to meet bruce. took the early morning ferry to victoria, shimmied into a dress and went to the oak bay hotel for his sister's gorgeous wedding on the ocean front. nothing could have been more perfect for such a lovely couple. and there was prime rib and gravy so hello perfect day.

*next morning we drove up island hopped another ferry to powell river and stayed at the most wonderful house you could hope to be in. my stepmom's sister's house with her husband and her sister-in-law. homemade wine and cheese. need i say more? plus we spent a lovely day in their farm outback with my grandma mary who, at 90, is as funny and charming as ever.

*then bruce and i hopped two more ferries and headed back to vancouver. first stop was adam's mama's house where we had a brief but lovely visit with mrs. b and nana. bruce and i developed a strong affection for nana.. she will be missed.

*bruce and i managed to hit our fav restaurant stepho's and sneak in a visit with some old friends before we parted ways..

*raced back to toronto. did laundry. flew to barcelona. well this is a million posts worth.. but it has become one of my most beloved cities. ever. anywhere. the food the people the churches the wine the wine the wine..... i fell in love with the city so easily it is almost shameful. perhaps when i have a moment i will go into detail about why i love this city so much.. what i managed to see and do... but for the moment take my word on it. i also managed to go to madrid for 2 days and despite a good showing it has nothing in barca. also managed to go to a real madrid game and miracles of miracles sat 6th row center. saw beckham and ronaldo and all those lovely lads so close... spain was full of suprises and wonderful company.. even my china managed to slide in :) bliss. ok moving on.

*came back to toronto and did nothing. except see ONE THOUSAND films with my friend ricoco suave.

* the one bright shining moment was when bruce came into town, popped us both on a train and we went to montreal. scalped tickets to the canadiens/ leafs game. stayed in a zen hotel and ate steak for the weekend. and saw my best girl. perf.

*got a call end of novemeber that my grandma in nottingham wasn't well and i needed to come quick. i panicked and ran in circles. and then an angel decsended. her name was cc bloom. out of nowhere like a speeding bullet she zipped into toronto and held my hand, and ran around the city, and picked up things and dropped off things and advised on things.. and saved my life. and then 72 hours later we both were gone.

*arrived in london and another angelic imp named orange took me straight to nottingham to see my mum and gran and then followed the most wonderful ten days of sitting with my gran and drinking tea. i haven't been "home" for that length of time in 10 years and it felt good. my uncle m was such a comfort. always makes you understand why you are part of the family.. becuase we are a quirky one. he has the best sense of humour i have ever seen on a man. and my mum? well she was the picture of grace under fire. cool and collect and beautiful.

*then had a lovely drive with my step-dad to london. took us 4 hours becuase an oil refinery exploded. ah well. went to my good friend amit's in battersea. had a lovely evening of wine and chatting. next morning went for an agent meeting and then met amit and went to see a BAFTA screening of Spielberg's Munich. all else aside about this film i have become a huge fan of eric bana's. captivating performance. came back to the flat. ordered chinese and slept like a baby. next morning i was on a flight.

*arrived in abu dhabi and have had nothing but a peaceful time since i have been here. my dad and stepmom's apartment is gorgeous. oceanfront view. fresh sticky hot air. and the best food in the world. pure bliss. i didn't realise how much the sun heals your body from the outside in.

*tomorrow i am off to calcutta for two days then to bombay for four, just in time to slide back to abu dhabi for xmas eve. zack will be here by then and the turkey should be in the oven before i even get off my flight.

so that was the not-so-brief-briefing.. hmm. i have to get better at word efficiency.

and i know full well that all of you have just scrolled right through the recap of my boring life just to get to these... you attention seeking bastards. well here they are, a crowd favourite:

SHOUTOUTS!!!!

bubs: thank you so much for all your support and understanding. don't peek at your presents.
cc: take care back home i know familes can be insane. i miss you and my headset terribly.
china: see u in two weeks. jan 4 or 5 for dinner? u better bring photos!!
freakattack: have a great time in ontario. can't belive i am going to miss you. so bloody typical.
mj: hope you are well and for god's sake get into UofT.
chellebelle: this is our year baby. hold on.
orange: vegas? i have to tell you something...
camel: happy birthday babes. driving through london without you wasn't the same :(
dre: you know what i think but i support you and hope your dreams come true.
kiki: any news from vg? your blog keeps mine going.
blower: we need to sort out a visit soon.
amani: happy hols to you too babes. send my love to gops and nad.
az: where you at lady? are we ever going to meet up again?
bower: move back to toronto. do it do it.
my toronto ladies: jan 10th i am back. aykhs we better do something at your flat!!
ricoco: what are we going to see? we are going to have to do doubleheaders everyday or we are never going to be ready for our party!!
wapner: you must be "swamped". i'll be there soon to make my music video. i know you must be panicking about that.
joshi: please come home.
mama: i miss you. ever so much. see you in a few weeks.

so that's it. it is 1:30 am and now i have to wrap prezzies and clean my room and organize for my flight tomorrow... it has been 8 years almost to the day since i was last in my beloved india.. next time we chat it will be after xmas. perhaps it could be next year. whenever it is, until that time stay safe and have a wonderful holiday.

An Insomniac Rambles...

2005-09-06T04:32:00.000-04:00

it is 4am. again. for the past month i have not gone to sleep before 4am. i have rarely gotten up before noon either. my whole day has been flipped for the past month. you see i have been on a holiday of sorts. there was a month break between shooting episodes 7 and 8. so i have been back in toronto. just chilling. it is so bizarre to have nothing really to do. no school to prepare for. just reading. watching jamie oliver. etc.

i have managed to keep myself a little busy with random wanderings and thoughts, such as....
-i went to little india for the first time. bruce and i decided to go bangle shopping. i found out that there are bangle sizes. i am a 2.4 but i can wear a 2.6 too. i don't think there is anything so sensual and delicatley beautiful as the sound of bangles clinking on a woman's wrist.
-paul haggis is amazing. he wrote million dollar baby and crash. and he is a canadian. aren't we proud.
-friends visiting friends is cool. seema came up from dc to see me for 5 days. it was a wonderful time to catch up, veg out and try not to get into too much trouble. she's the best.
-auditions are great. as long as they aren't for commercials. i detest commercial auditions. i find it degrades my soul (but enriches my pocket book. oh dilemma.)
-the word pocket book is ridiculous.
-vera drake is intense. the best change of emotion performance i have ever seen. wowza.
-girlfriends rock around the clock. kristen and kate are coming to see me in san fran. and china and alanna are coming to see me in barcelona. love my girls.
-not stretching before going to the gym when you haven't gone in months is dumb.
-having a twix bar everyday is good for you. or at least that's what i tell myself.
-talking to your mom everyday is very good for you. that i know for sure because my mom told me so.
-carnival games are awesome. nothing like competing against a 12 year old for a stuffed animal.

i have done a few things this month but i really can't remember. i saw a ton of movies. some very good, some horrid, some so confusing that i can't make up my mind if they are very good or horrid. i also caught up with friends i haven't spoken to in ages. neil in korea is still alive. arrival date now is april 2006. believe it when i see it. senta is in new zealand and just gave birth to little sebastian. hopefully will see each other soon.

so it has been a while but here they are... SHOUTOUTS!!!!
cc: you are back!! so bloody typical. now i am gone for 6 weeks. we must learn to better coordinate.
eli: muchas gracias for saving my ass. i'll buy you some sangria.
china: less than a month. i can't believe we are doing this. radio rental.
bub: 10 days. then she's hitched. can't wait to hear the speech.
orange: can't believe i will miss the fondue. drag her there anyway.
az: find a way to come babes. it will be well worth it. i promise.
kiki and freakattack: fly down on the 11th. that will give me two days to properly sort out the hotel. kiki you are my lesbian lover and freak you are her estranged scottish sister. it is san fran. if they don't let you guys bunk with me i will scream discrimination. has to work.
mj: dinner on the 20th? where should we go... i know. NOT earls.
chellebelle: hope you are there to join us for eats.
amani: u free on the 20th for dinner?
romes+rubes: have a great time with aykhs on friday. can't believe i am missing it.
mama: fingers crossed. ozmog's home must go.
poppa: see you in 11 hours!!!
lady g: i need grandma mary's number. have to let her know she is having company.
bower. dinner. 20th. be there.
joshi: if i don't see your ass by may 1st rob and i are going to hunt you down personally.

so you know here is the itinerary for the next little while. it is subject to change.

sept 6: dad comes to toronto. big smiles.
sept 9: fly to san fran
sept 16: fly to vancouver but will be at a wedding and with my lovely step-gran till the 20th.
sept 21: fly to toronto
sept 25: fly to barcelona
oct 14: return to toronto.

if any of you are in or around vancouver. or in or around spain while i am there please let me know and we'll sort something out.

ok i am going to try and attempt this sleeping thing again.

While in Abstentia...

2005-08-09T06:48:00.000-04:00

It has been a while. Sorry about that. I have wanted to blog. I have missed you all very much but there were too many weird/funny/inconsequential/ life changing/ random events going on that i kept trying to store in my brain for the ultimate blog. but now i have waited so long that i have forgotten most of them. i will do my best to remember in this 4:04 am update. an insomniac begins:
so where did we last leave it. ah yes. i got on the plane. bumped to first where planes don't crash. so flying over scotland was beautiful. here are some photos taken from my little oval window to prove it:

landed in the wee bonnie land and went to the hilton where i proceeded to tell the lie of my life. you see my friend andy from london has a gold executive card with the hilton. in particular with this hilton in glasgow on account of his staying there every freaking weekend to cover the rugby and football on the bbc (he is the live graphics guy). so his card allows him to get upgraded to an executive suite and have access to the executive lounge where there is free breakfast, lunch, appys and an open bar plus free internet access. hello. a gold mine. so he called ahead and asked if he could switch it over. he soon cottoned on that only a spouse can share the card. ah ha. so i became mrs andy. so in the car ride over to the hilton i slapped on a paltry little ring and prepared myself. i prepped the crew to ask me when my husband was coming.. was i excited to see my husband soon.. etc to make it all seem real. arrive at the hilton. saunter up to the front desk. i explain that my husband has a gold card, he is coming to visit for the weekend and can i have an upgrade please. oh yes ma'am. perfect. all going to plan. do you have his card number. i am like no but i can call my husband right now.. and they are like no need! just spell his last name. ha. ah yes. you see here is the catch. andy's last name is chrysostomou. it has taken me over 7 years just to learn how to spell it when i have lots of time, no pressure and access to a pen and paper. shit. so i start C-H-R-Y..ummm.. you see i am a new wife. my cover cracks and i start to ramble how we just got married and i can't spell well.. meanwhile chickadee at the desk has typed in the mashed up first four letters and as it turns out only one person in the system starts whith chry. she interrupts me shooting myself in the foot and slides over the key to the executive lounge. score.

workwise glasgow rocked. i had the best crew who made the shoot, fast fun and efficient. they rocked literally a couple nights when we ventured out into the wilderness of glasgow's nightlife. we managed to find a wicked r 'n b club. we crawled into the grungy basement of the club, the crew, the boys (andy and elias up from london for 3 days) and moi. good times were had by all. evidence is as follows:

some random thoughts and tips from glasgow:
- strata is great restaurant. i recommend the grilled chicken with risotto and baby carrots.
- watching ready steady cook at 4:30 every afternoon is a great way to spend the afternoon.
- cute boys fundraising for cancer are more interested in picking up cute chicks than curing cancer.
- i saw a boy officially titled etherboy. it was mid-day friday and he was totally bobbleheaded. he got his name from the infamous scene in fear and loathing. his pants dropped as weaved through the road. this was met with applause and cheers from nearby pub drinkers. he then began to walk in circles and do the world's best faceplant. you could hear the crack. this was met by thunderous applause and cheers. then the drinkers turned back to their pints as the live entertainment/ potentially dead man was no longer interesting.
- polo club is a great gay bar.
- b'lo is a great r'nb club on saturday nights. tho don't walk to the bathroom alone unless you want to get assaulted and molested
- edinburgh kicks glasgow's ass.
- eat fish and chips at ever opportunity
- best clothes store in scotland: cult.
- best shoe store in glasgow: puma.
- best piece of advice on this trip came from my mother. in edinburgh i was freaking out bc my shopping addiction had gone into full swing. she told me to walk straight to the nearest coffee shop. read the paper and call for help. stay put until someone came to escort me from the shopping district. i pass on this piece of advice to fellow shoppers.
- packaged sandwiches are awesome. especially ham and cheese.
- saying grand instead of cool is very cool. or grand i should say.
- don't play paper, rocks and scissors unless you are prepared to lose and have to do something sucky.
- it is ok to eat shortbread everyday.
- don't wear green to the home of people who support the rangers. in fact don't wear blue or green anywhere. just to be safe.
- the toni and guy hair salon has an open bar. guarantee you'll love your haircut.
- london is the city of piss. paris is the city of shit. and i dub glasgow the city of puke. these people know how to party.

the final night in glasgow the crew decided to have a last bru-ha-ha and hit up the number one gay bar in the u.k. it was a great way to transition back to my gaybourhood back in the t dot. flew in the next morning in a bit of a state. got a few hours sleep and then headed off bright and early the next morning for a shoot in muskoka aka cottage country. shoot was meh. headed back into the t dot late that night for dinner with friends which was super meh. thankfully adam bower showed up at my house the next day after having the meh of all weekends. we cracked a bottle of red at 2pm and didn't stop till 2 am. misery loves company? i think so. took the next day as a recovery day. and then it came august 3rd. birthday wednesday. i cleared the day so my brother and i could wander, relax and go to my fav steakhouse for dinner. well zacky didn't wander. he didn't relax. and he didn't have steak. instead he got mono. so instead i spent my birthday eating fried chicken in front of the telly. up at the crack of dawn the next morning for a two day shoot in muskoka where i spent day one by the pool, then later in my little cottage watching and listening to torrential rain (so beautiful) and wrapped it all up with a sing song and red wine. shot the big reveal the next day and did my show intro on a boat on the lake. life's tough kids. came back home and on account of my flop of a birthday my boys barker and ricoco took me out for a great dinner at the harbourfront followed by a blur of drinking elsewhere. the following night my girls took my out for a random night of best ass competitions (gay men only), huge margaritas and random ghetto booty. fun fun. sunday i slept all day. and today i watched my brother crawl back on the road to recovery via miss teen usa. we tuned in tonight only for me to witness the boy whoop and holler like a maniac while scoffing chicken and slurping milkshakes. nothing like 51 barbie dolls to inspire a man back to health.

so that's a wrap.. now for the part that i know you are all waiting for... drumroll maestro...

SHOUT OUTS!!!!!
cc: sept 5th will be the best day ever. can't wait to rack up my phonebill.
bubs: what should be bring for g'ma mary. what should i get your sister?!
kiki: san fran to van= 16 hours. we have from 2 pm thursday till 8 pm friday. eek.
freakattack: happy birthday babes. watch the post.
chellebelle: congrats to mike!
mj: u dead fred? what up?
china: wanna roadtrip to madrid and watch real?
az: better come to barcelona! can't wait to see you.
mama: tell theo i am taking over his room in october.
poppa: can't wait to see all your pics in september.
lady g: congrats on your new place! i can't wait to visit.
amani: please come to toronto. i neeeeeeed lasagna.
fuller: what's your blog?
orange and camel eyes: THANKS FOR THE PREZZIES!!! love you and miss you both.
romes: better hook up a dancefloor for friday!
rubes: better see you friday lady.
bower: thanks for being my partner in wine.

ok. going to try and sleep. should be a little easier since is is nearly 7 am and i reallzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......

Tick Tock Tick Tock

2005-07-21T10:13:00.000-04:00

A Little Story:

Upon my return to Toronto I had 48 hours before I was off to bonnie wee Glasgow for 10 days. It was full of meetings, sushi and sleeping. bliss. My flight was at 10:55 pm Tuesday night. Got us into Glasgow at 10:15 am the next day and miracles of miracles we weren't shooting the day we landed. We had a day to RECUPARATE!!!! That is unheard of. Anywhoo, I was told that a car was coming to pick me up at 8 pm. It takes half an hour to get to the airport so I was like "8 pm!! What the hell. I don't need to be there 2 and a half hours before the flight!!". Can you see where this is going yet. So I enlist my dear friend Barker Wapner to take me to the airport instead. I told him we should leave my place around 8:15ish. Well lovely boy Wapner showed up to my place with a, suprise suprise, sushi dinner at 8pm. So we ate, chatted and I triple checked everything. The whole time he is like "Dude.. it is getting late." So at 8:45 we get out the door. Loads of time. Until... my phone rings. The director is on the line. She tells me that there has been a "shenanigan" with the plane. They had to change planes. For a smaller one. 200 people aren't fying on the plane EVERYONE (except those that reserved their seats) are on standby. If I am not at the gate before 9:30 I am not going to Scotland tonight. WHAT!! Listen people. She said at the GATE, not the airport.. the FREAKIN' GATE. Air Canada's international gates are in a seperate new terminal that you have to take a 10 minute bus ride to!! I hang up the phone. Look at Wapner. Give him the low down. And that boy drives. Fast and crazy. Dodging lorries and 18 wheelers baby. We screech up to the airport and fumble around for change becuase you have to pay 2 dollars for a cart at Pearson. Cheap inconvienent jerks. And I take off running. The express self-service terminals are gone to I have to get in line. Time is ticking. 9:15. Finally get a checker-inner-chick. Try to explain that there is a camera crew at the gate, I am the host and I need to RUN. YES I PACKED THE BAG MYSELF!!!!!!! Lord. Race to the security check in. Run through the beepy thing. No beep. Thank God. Then I hear.. "Do you have a laptop?". I'm like YES BUT I HAVE TO GET ON THE BUS TO GET TO THE GATE!!!!!! I HAVE 12 MINUTES MAN!!! He freaks at my freaking runs the swab thingy and tells me to GO GO GO!! Run down the stairs and hop onto the bus. Agonizingly slow bus ride. I eye up my competition for Scotland. Bunch of red-haired pissed off looking people who are going to try and race me to the gate. I put my game face on. Bus doors open. I bolt. First one out and in the line. My producer approaches me. It is 9:29. She's like "We are all stand-by man. Except Jim, the audio guy. He reserved his seat online." I look at Jim. He has a big grin on his face. Perfect. There is no way we are getting on this flight. Which means we try to fly tomorrow night. Same flight and have to shoot and land. Soooooooo typical. The cameraman mentions to our producer that between us all with the gear we have 30 HEAVY cases. Which would be a bitch to load off the plane. Wink wink. I practically see the lightbulb go off in her head. "Gimme me a sec" and she wanders up to the front desk. We all take a seat. 5 minutes later I hear "Will passengers Simone, Lehr, etc" approah the desk. They hand us all boarding passes. But not regular boaring passes. First class boarding passes baby. Oh yeah. And then I remember Jim. It doesn't pay to be diligent. He is packed back in economy. They producer grabs his boarding pass and heads back to the desk. Cheeky monkey manages to swap it for first class too. We board. And you know the weird thing. I am a nervous flyer. Always convinced my plane is going down. But sitting up in first class I had no fear. This is where the rich people sit and rich people don't die. HAHA. Weird rational. Anyway i drank the free booze, dined on steak, slept like a baby and woke up to a view of rolling green hills. Couldn't have asked for a better start to Scotland.

Mini Shout OUts:
Wapner: Thanks for your Formula One racing skills. I owe you.
CC: Hope this made you smile. Miss you babe.
Freakattack:everyone looks like you. FREAKY!!

Will do proper shoutouts soon.
tara my loves.

Blogger is Making Fun of Me.. and other Uninteresting Facts

2005-07-14T03:15:00.000-04:00

This was on the blogger website. Little too much of a coincidence i think. WEIRD.

"Bruce is Mad Cute
Share your photos by uploading them to your blog for free.
(Not only for cat photos.)"

Anyway, update time. I am in Calgary as we speak. Attending my first stampede since 1985. And I must say... IT ROCKS! Yes. Cowboys, cowboy hats, cowboys boots.. the whole thing. I love it. The weather has been great, the food has been beefy and having time alone has been wonderful. I even managed to find a few mounties yesterday.. hehe. Fantastic. Not much to tell. Toronto was mellow. Auditions, running around for Space For Living and watching lots of movies seemed to be the 10 day trend. It has been strange getting out of the European groove and plugging into the North American tempo, but I think I am getting used to the fact that I can't nap in the afternoon. Oh well.

So most importantly, SHOUTOUTS!

cc bloom: come back. now. i really need you here. one more month.
bower power: can't wait for our friday night. 2 weeks baby!
kiki: first week of september? i have till the 8th.. can we swing it?
mj: how was the bday? have you recovered yet?
chellebelle: back in korea? how come?
freakattack: i think rahul might be bringing a few films to vancouver... will let you know.. may get to see butt again!!
zackarooni: u rocked that letter/name thingy!
eli & orange: one week till ya laddies arrive!
bubby: 24 hours.

a serious partying binge starts tomorrow. the crew managed to hook up passes to every club. mental. i thought we were supposed to be working. ah television.

see ya next thursday. in glasgow. by the jesus.

plip plop.

Way Overdue.

2005-07-07T19:31:00.000-04:00

today is a sad shocking day. another one to add to the list of horrible things that occur on our planet. i received a text message at 8:30am saying that 7 bombs had hit london. turn on the bbc. i rushed out of bed. turned on the tv and felt like the clock had turned back four years. i called elias, and andy and amit. everyone is fine and safe and well. and all i want to do is fly to london. i know that sounds crazy but i want to be there. make sure everyone stays safe.

so an update on the past going ons of the past two weeks? i am not sure if anyone much cares at this moment but if you want some mindless distraction, read on:

* i arrived back in toronto 10 days ago. since then i have gone on several auditions and call backs which have been great. nice to know you can step out of the picture for a couple months and then land right back into it without missing a beat.
* i have weaned myself off wine. it was a slow process but well worth it. i know know what the world looks like in focus.
* i have a really crappy cough/cold thingy. it sucks. i can't talk properly and i am sneezing constantly. irritation extreme.
* my kitty is still as cute as ever. thankfully he still remembers our routine of having an afternoon nap together.
* space for living season two is in FULL SWING. here are my tenative dates: calgary (july 11-17), glasgow (july 19-30), san fransisco (sept 9-17) and barcelona (sept 26- oct 6). anybody for a little flamenco? freakattack.. wanna reunion in san fran?
* i did my full day of shopping for wardrobe yesterday. i know we think it would be the best day ever to go into a store with a stylist and try on clothes for 7 hours and then walk out with a million things. let me tell you: HIGHLY OVERRATED EXPERIENCE. it is tiring and exhausting. but today when it all arrived i forgot the craziness of yesterday.
* i was craving lasagna at midnight last night and was informed by mr pizza hut that lasagna has been moved off the delivery menu and now is dine in only. so i put on a crappy pair of sweatpants, sneakers and a cargo jacket and went downstairs incognito to grab a tv dinner from my 24 hour supermarket on the corner. there i was hip checked by the world's biggest drag queen. nearly bumped off the planet. gotta love living in the village.

SHOUT OUTS:
my london boys, camel eyes and orange: i am so thankful that you both are safe and sound. i will see you very soon.
cc bloom: thank you for the wake up message. you are amazing and so thoughtful.
china: i miss u babe. i hope you are staying strong and enjoying your new found freedom. study up on your spanish girl!
amani: you were cooking lasagna and didn't give me a call? hello?! when you come here you better be ready to whip together another one!
mj: happy birthday babes. hope you had a great one.. see you sometime before we are 40?
chellebelle: konichiwa. that's all i got. hope you are not lost in translation.
freakattack: so when are going to catch up properly? this is highly unacceptable.
kiki: it was great to talk last week. hopefully we'll meet up soon.
mama: hi to the shkwinkilies. i miss them believe it or not.
papa: thank god you cancelled your flight. i'll sleep easier.
buuby: one week till the rodeo :)

many of you have never met my true love and arch nemesis: jake the cat. well here he is in all his glory:

i miss you all and hope you are all safe and happy.
take care.

T minus 44 hours

2005-06-25T06:47:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that after 8 unexpected weeks, returning to Toronto is around the corner. For real. My time in London has been made up of three things:

Surviving the heat. It has been ridiculous over here. I mean hot hot. and no one has ever heard of ventilation systems, nevermind air conditioners. Everyone looks all slippery and bottles of water are lukewarm. Ah England.
Shopping. I think I may have somewhat of a problem. A problem that is exacerbated with my mother around. We spent one day together in the West End on the High Streets and managed to buy nearly everything in sight. Another shopping catalyst is the London market scene. I spent last Saturday at Portobello market in Notting Hill and am just heading off to Camden Market. Your feel like a very lucky pirate that keeps stumbling across fantastic treasures. Except they take your money.
Eating. Hello. My god. If I eat anymore fish and chips I will be able to skip the plane and swim back home myself. I know it is a stereotype of jolly old England, but I can't help it. I eat it at every opportunity. Cod. Lovely.

Not much else to tell. details are insignificant really. i managed to skip up to my gran's for a couple days. just enough time to visit with my amazing uncle and cousin and see their new dog max. a 10 month old springer spaniel. the only really acheivement i managed while i was up there was arranging to have max's testicles snipped off for half price. i can find a deal anywhere :)

so they are a bit tardy, but i thought it was only polite to let the alcoholic haze the lift before i gave my SHOUT OUTS:

freakattack: see what sucking up for a shoutout gets you? gets you to number one baby. as per requested i felt the queens bottom for you. i think she is using an anti-cellulite cream because it was suprisingly firm.

china: my tavli skills are growing. by the time i come back i will avenge your loss in jungle. see you soon. be strong. freedom is taken not given.

az: welcome to blogland! once i figure out how the hell to link other people's blogs to mine i will start to spiderweb.

pop: can't wait to see your portugal pictures.. when are you going to post them?

chellebelle: what happened with guardian?!

kiki: i should be in toronto for most of august... could that work?

cc: i am so proud of you. happy to hear you arrived safe and sound. keep us posted!

wapner: move the drums over kid. i am bringing back half the world with me.

bubby: apparently blondes do have more fun.

next time i post i will be poutine side. doing LOTS of laundry. and buying a new dresser. where the hell am i going to put everything? i went on this trip with a small suitcase and a duffel bag and am returning with 3 proper suitcases. jeez louise. i wish i knew one of those design shows where they organize your place and give you storage solutions and... oh. the cruel irony.

ta ta merchant bankers.

I Got Out Alive.

2005-06-17T20:12:00.000-04:00

ok. so technically it is still thursday for me so i have not missed my weekly installment of SHOUT OUTS!! but before that i think a brief update is in order.

my last week in cyprus was a wonderful mish mash of:

being offered jobs so that i can stay (ah yes.. giving up my career in toronto so that i can serve crappy vodkas to drunk army boys. very tempting)
buying yet another ginormous suitcase to bring back all the loot i have manage to aquire during my past 2 months (read aquire: steal from my mom's shop)
having a cypriot- english phrase book put together by my best mate china so that i can remember all the mad sayings i have picked up over the past 4 weeks
eating WAY too much halloumi

my greatest accomplishment was confirming my cypriot side by learning to play tavli!! (that is backgammon to the rest of us). on my last day i even went out to buy my own tavli board so that i have something to do when i am locked up in my flat during toronto's suffocating summers and ass-freezing winters.

on wednesday night i managed to hit 3 bars, 1 restaurant and a club on my way to the airport. as you can imagine my flight was a little trying. but you have to do the goodbye circut properly when you are in cyprus. i arrived in london in the wee hours of thursday morning. the boys and i went to the swiss restaurant that night and i can't confirm if there was spit or not in my cheese fondue due to the several bottles of wine that were had. everything was delicious :) today i woke up, watched layer cake, ate some watermelon, had an ice lolly, then went wandering the high streets for a few hours with elias. i managed to accomplish the impossible task of hitting every worthwhile shop on regent street and oxford street and buy NOTHING. i wanted to buy a shirt. i needed to buy a shirt (before you freak mom the reason is i wore a long sleeve shirt and today it was 30 degrees and i was dying of heat.. so i thought i would pick up some t-shirt for a tenner so i could stop baking to death.) and there was nothing. anyway we wandered over to elias's office local for a couple with his colleagues, met his cousin and brother and then went for italian. we then made it over to momo's on regent street. momo's is a fantastic arabic bar/ restaurant with great music, martinis, shisha and tavli boards! drove home listening to damien rice. bliss.

so maestro. drumroll please:

Bubby: cheeseburger please. even if there is no gas.

CC: tomorrow!! can't believe it.

Wapner: so happy it happened finally. we didn't watch saw for nothing :)

Zackattack: 10 days.. will the apartment be ready?

China: I miss you so much babe. I have played tavli everyday. You would be proud.

Pop: I managed to get away fromt he clutches of the fresh OJ. Back to work for me!

Dre: I am coming to Calgary baby! July 11-16. Will you still be there?

Chellebelle: Konichiwa. Mental.

watermelon martini going to my head.

this computer is in my bed.

the rest i will leave unsaid.

Kalimera Moro Mou!!

2005-06-09T07:24:00.000-04:00

Good Morning Baby! I am officially one week away from leaving this island. How did 8 days turn into 4 weeks? Not quite sure myself but it was been a wonderful swirl of sitting at waterfront cafes 4 times a day drinking fresh orange juice and watching red lobster tourists waddle by. Bliss. My London boys, Andy and Elias have cleverly found a way for me to come to London.. they made a reservation for next Thursday night at one of my favourite restaurants.. so now there is no way I can change my ticket!! This restaurant is called St. Moritz and it is the only Swiss restuarant in all of London. Imagine! Madness. So we go there, order a bottle of wine, cheese fondue followed by chocolate fondue. Mmmmmmmmmm. Can't wait! Mind you the last time I was there i got into a fight with the head waitress.. so there may be spit in my fondue this time.. but oh well... what is a little saliva?

Drum roll please.. time for my SHOUT OUTS!!

CC: Hellllllllllllooo? Where are you LA? Washington? For God's sake woman let me know.
Kiki: I have managed to fully waste all of my days in June but hopefully you can pop over after your brother leaves..
Amani: As soon as i get my schedule I will let you know and we can work it all out.
Wapner: I land around 11 am. Sure you are coming?
Zackattack: Have you officially moved into school now?
Bubby: Saw an old Prelude yesterday.. the good old Diego days :)
Chelle: What up? Guardian arrive?
Bower: Hope to see you soon. I really do.
Freakattack: Um. Could you like fly out sometime or something? Whatevs.
Ness: How was grad? Did you go?
Romes: First week of July baby we got to hit it up!

Phew. ok. I have to go get ready to have.. what else? A drink with a friend. For all of you that know the wonderful Roberto he is in town visiting his girlfriend.. lovely to see a friendly face from the past. Wish all of you were here to take a walk at midnight on the beach. The stars come out and it is gorgeous.

Ciao amores.

The Never-ending Vacation Ends

2005-06-02T12:44:00.000-04:00

I have recevied one question repeatedly for the past 2 weeks: Are you ever coming home?! Though I have toyed with the idea of having a permanent vacation I have decided to return (actually was forced to decide.. thanks flight centre... grrrr). I will be back in Toronto on June 27th.. though I have no idea how long I will be in town because we kick off shooting second season of S4L at the end of the month! Ah well.

So numerous shout-outs to catch up on:
Bower: I wish I was there to help you through this. In my thoughts.
CC: Been amazing to hear your voice. Miss you lots.
Chelle: Been forever.. let me know what transpires with the Guardian ;)
Freakattack: what up biatch.
Bubby: Saw an ad for shark tale. Friendly shark in Jasper :)
Aman: Coming to visit or what?
Kiki: We need to coordinate once I get my shooting schedule..
Romes: Better be ready to dance when i get home!
Wapner: You free on the 27th?

Alright kids.. I should write a proper upate but I have been in Cyprus long enough now for my 1/4 Cypriot part to kick in. That means i am so lazy and can't be bothered. Know that Cyprus is amazing.. we have had torrential rains followed by days of gorgeous sunshine. Bliss.

Toodles.

I Changed My Mind! Shock! Horror!

2005-05-26T12:29:00.000-04:00

holy guacamole. been a while. so things have slightly altered. who knew that when you come to a mediterraenan island for a visit it would be hard to leave? the night before my flight to london (which was on may 24) i changed my ticket. i just wasnt' ready to go. i can't explain it but it just didn't feel right. so here i am. still on the island and thinking i am going to change my ticket again. mental.

so a week has passed and here are my shout outs:
CC: bonita chickita. call me. tell me about you and afrika.
Bower: When you moving into pimp palace?
Amani: Nice to know you are alive!! Come to the T. Dot.
Bubby: Aboweena.
Drea: When you off to icicle land?
AZ: wish i could see you when you come visit!
Freak Attack: miss you lots and lots lately. can't you scuba in lake ontario?

umm... my head is dead. i promise to pay more due attention to my baby blog.

kalispera.

Overdue shout outs and a random cyprus update

2005-05-19T06:58:00.000-04:00

i am way overdue for my weekly shout outs... so here goes:

CC Bloom: CONGRATS ON MALAWI!! you rock the station that rocks the nation.
Bower: Wowza. OXFAM. i am super proud of you, brains. and i saw your view. hope you have room for visitors.
AZ: Thanks for the Norway hook-up. I'll be sure to pass it along.
Wapner: Hope you found your leading lady. See you soon.
Freak Attack: Awesome catching up with you late night chat style. We are way overdue a proper conversation.
Kiki: I will hold you to your visit. you are welcome any weekend anytime.
Bubby: Hope your May long goes well. Your parents will appreciate your visit i'm sure.
MJ: what up? where you at?

ha. ok. i have to stop the shout outs. for some reason when i write these things i resort to the writing style of a 15 year old scribbling in her friend's yearbook. good god.

so update.
i am in cyprus now. the highlights and mini-observations:

it is like the whole island is in a deepfreeze. nothing changes. everything is preserved. relationships, people, issues of importance. you can step off the island for years and then step right back into your place and nothing will have moved. eeire.
my mom's best friend, and a close friend of mine, ann got married on saturday. she is a mad aussie and she married a sweet cypriot. it was a wonderful evening full of goat meat, belly dancers and drunk old greek men proposing. hot.
staying in cyprus is really an art of killing time. i have done effectively nothing for 7 days, and yet i am exhausted and go to bed at 4 in the morning. you plan your day around driving for 30 seconds to pick this up and then driving for 20 seconds to drop that off. stop to have a drink every 5 minutes. text like a maniac. nibble on some halloumi and then bang. the sun is rising. who knows how time moves over here.
they have cafe culture here, which bears resemblance to our patio culture in canada. so you go to 3 or 4 cafes a day. have copious amounts of oj and espressos and try to kill time until the evening. then you get ready and go sit outside some other cafe and have a drink. beverages are the upmost importance here. we are a very hydrated island.
i don't want to leave. this is the most shocking revelation yet. i love spending time with my mum and my cousins but i am usually eager to get back home and get stuck in. but this time i have really enjoyed chillaxing and not feeling the pressure of normal life. perhaps it is because for the first time my life is wide open. i am done school. for ever. i don't need to go anywhere. the travels once again can begin. thank god i have jake in toronto or perhaps i would never return.

that's all she wrote. i hope all you canucks enjoy your may long. ti quiero.

Leo Baby

2005-05-12T06:55:00.000-04:00

So i know a ridiculous amount of Leos. I was reading the "Star Gazing" section of the Gulf News Tabloid and thought I would share our horoscope for the day...

LEO (July- 22- August 22)

Think carefully about the distinction between sticking to something you believe in and being stubborn over the next couple of days, becuase several situations wil arise that initally you'll regard as a personal challenge. However, on closer analysis you'll realise there is nothing better.

2 Down, 2 to Go

2005-05-12T06:27:00.000-04:00

There are four legs on my trip. London Part One is done. and now Abu Dhabi is in its final hours. Tonight I will go up to Dubai and fly over to Cyprus.
Abu Dhabi has been the perfect way to end 6 years of education. Relaxing, eating and sleeping. I even managed to put on a bikini (don't die of shock), and spend a day at the beach swimming in the ocean. It was beautiful.
Other highlights:

drank a wicked cocktail called sun and sand. ingredients: baileys, kahlua, milk on ice topped with chocolate ice cream. a grown-up's milkshake. yum yum.
spent the day just with my brother. wandered on the corniche. laughed at weird people. laughed at ourselves.
watched eulogy. great film. very very funny.
watched kingdom of heaven. not a great film. but orlando bloom. nuff said.
had wine at every available opportunity. managed to have quite alot of it when i watched sideways a few days ago. perfect combination.

so that's all from the middle east.

on another note. i would like to welcome penelope into the family. bruce just got a baby ipod. so cute. she can now be friends with my ipod spike and lucy my powerbook. one little happy mac family. and they say it's not a cult... bruhahahahahahaha.

Amazing What You Can Do in 15 and a 1/2 Hours.

2005-05-09T17:26:00.000-04:00

It is 1:26 am and i just rolled in from an extremely long day. 15 and a 1/2 hours to be precise. I'll give you the coles notes version.

woke up at 8:30 am. took a quick shower. grabbed some fresh oj and a butter croissant (not sounding much like the coles notes version.. ah well) and my step-mom gail, my brother zack and i all packed in the car and headed off to Dubai.
recovered from the two hour drive with a drink on the back patio of the Jumeriah Beach Hotel. Google a picture. I'll put some up once my life is back in order. The water was chrystal clear. The sand was white and warm.
dropped zack and his friend off at Mercato Mall. Mercato Mall is pulled straight from Venice. It is like you are transported back time. Aged beautiful balconies. Intricate carving. Of course all built a few years ago. mental.
gail and i went over to another mall. perhaps we would call is a complex. medina jumeriah. holy holy water. this place was a breathtaking maze of marble and old wood and random shisha bars. they have built the mall in two sections. completely designed in the style of ancient arabia. the malls are separated by a canal that leads straight out into the ocean. and they have a variety of restaurants along the bank of the canal. gondolas pass you by as you eat italian, or thai or south american.
then we picked up zack and his friend and met up with an old friend of gail's who took us to one of Dubai's best kept secrets. i call it the candystore. we went to a crappy market in a sketch area of town. we asked a shady looking man for the bags. he went and grabbed a key. he took us around to the back of the market to an abandoned store. he unlocked the door. we all piled in. through a couple of racks of forlorn looking clothes he pushed on a wall and a door opened. inside there were a bunch of men and a couple foreigners hanging out. he led us through to another room. and bam. there they were. hundreds upon hundreds of bags. gucci, ysl, burberry, chanel, louis vitton, todd's, dior. you name it they had it. for a pittance. i nearly died. i am not a brand girl. but something about holding a prada purse.
after we left with our arms full we headed over for seafood pizza and wine at gail's friend's house. zack's friend said that stephen harper was a fascist. gail's friend's visiting sister-in-law from alberta said all paul martin could offer canada was legalizing pot and gay marriages. awkwardness all around. ha. was AWESOME.
but the best part of the day came at the end. we went down to the creek. it really is a river that divides the city of dubai. they have motorized taxi boats called abras. and taxi boats are not the image i want to convey. these are old long canoe shaped boats with a canopy and a long wide bench in the middle. well instead of using it to take us across the creek we hired it for two hours, at 9 pm at night, to take us up the creek to the ocean and then down along to the other end. we cracked open a couple bottles of champagne and let the day soak in. nothing more amazing than being on the water, in an old wooden boat, drinking bubbly in the dark.
then we came home. i showed my dad my all purses and he nearly dropped dead. don't think he was expecting us to clear out the store.

anyway now it is 1:48 am and i have no idea what we have in store tomorrow so i better get some sleep. (the coles notes guy would have fired me)

Shout Outs.

2005-05-07T06:01:00.000-04:00

So I am notoriously bad at sending e-mails. Embarassingly bad. So I thought I would do weekly shout outs so you all know that I am thinking of you.

KiKi: Thanks for inspiring this blog. Hope you had a wicked Norwegian Independence Day/ Birthday (told you I would forget)
MJ: Happy Birthday babe and happy to hear that you are back running.
CC: Back in Vic. Hope it treats you well and come back and visit next month.
Dre: Norway? That's hot. Can't wait to visit.

That all I can remember now. Damn heat. Over 35 degrees. Will update as they come to me.

My First Time

2005-05-06T10:32:00.000-04:00

About time? Perhaps, but I have never felt the need to blog till now. I am sitting in a weird little cafe listening to obscure jazz in Abu Dhabi and it just feels right to blog. I have left Toronto for a 5 week journey around London, Abu Dhabi and Cyprus. So a few mini-updates:

1. i have left my kitty Jake in the care of his tough-love godmother Rubina. Today she told me that he got himself stuck in a garment bag, attacked her roomate Samina in the middle of the night, and then in the wee hours of the morning busted open his treat bag and ate everything. Out of all the kittens in the litter i pick the one that is half monster. But he is my monster.

2. my 3 days in london were awesome. i arrived may 2 my friend andy (and suprisingly his identical twin brother pete's) birthday. my little brother zack was with us and we woke up to his 20th birthday may 3. I managed to sneak in visits with my good friends Amit, Saleena and her husband Ish before my brother and I left to Abu Dhabi. Bottles of red wine were consumed. No sleep was had. Wee-kad time.

3. i have seven flights on this little trip i'm on. So far i have taken 4. On every single god damn flight i have have an "incident" with an airline hostess. I usually fly without any problems, but every trip has its quirks and i am just going to have to accept that i am going to be bitch-slapped for 3 more flights.

I have another week or so over here and then head to Cyprus early Friday morning for a wedding that takes place a few hours after I land and lasts two days. I think i need a vacation.