Summer Funventures!

Hi there!!
Do y'all still remember me??
I can't believe it's been almost 2 weeks since I posted something on this little blog'o'mine!!
My Summer Vacay has been busy busy and since the mister arrived a bit more than a week ago, it has been super duper insane busy!
I haven't even had time to get my photos off my camera! Which I should really do..

We have been having loads of funventures around Vancouver Island... we spent a weekend at Strathcona Park Loge for KV&JH's GORgeous wedding... cabin 11, which we shared with 9 of my beautiful friends had its own little beach and firepit... the view was stunning and the entire weekend was the most amazing time... there's nothing quite like spending your evenings in front of a campfire!

Cabin 11 Crew

We have eaten our way around my fave spots in Victoria and took a day to tour Salt Spring Island where we hit 2 wineries, a few local artists studios and ate lots of yummy samples at the farmer's market!

We are now back on the mainland... after a major EPIC FAIL wherein I sent M to Horseshoe Bay to pick us up but we actually arrived at Twsawwassen.... if you look up the distance on google maps you will understand the epicness of my FAIL.... then he sat in traffic for two hours to come get us to take us to the airport so we could pick up our hire car then for us to follow him home, but he dropped us at the airport, then left... and it wasn't until I saw him driving off that I had the brainwave that.. HEY... he's suppose to wait for us!! FAIL FAIL FAIL!!  ANYwhos... we found them eventually!!

After our adventures picking up the hire car and a night spent in Maple Ridge with M&T  we are now up in Whistler...

Well... the mister has just woken up... so I guess I should be getting on with my day! I hope y'all are having a great summer (or winter for those in the southern hemisphere)!

Hopefully I will be back soon with photos of some of our funventures!!

Word Wonders: Bow

So I was just getting my weekly dose of Extra Ordinary and one of the comments on this week's edition is about the word "bow" because it is both a homophone (sound the same but have different spellings or meanings) and a heteronym (same spelling, different pronunciation)... and because I am a big giant geeky nerd I immediately got to thinking about the different uses and meanings...

to bow - verb, to bend at the waist
bow - /ˈbaʊ/ - noun, to bend at the waist ie. to take a bow
bow - /ˈbaʊ/ - noun, the fore of a ship
bow - /ˈboʊ/ - noun, an archery weapon used with an arrow
bow - /ˈboʊ/ - noun, a kind of knot ie. to tie a bow
bow - /ˈboʊ/ - noun, something you use to play a stringed instrument

Can you think of any other crazy word wonders??

I have been posting the weirdest stuff since I've been on vacay, no?? I promise there will be outfits and recipes coming soon!! I have actually been getting dressed each day and done some random spots of cooking and baking... I just haven't got around to getting photos up... I have been regaling a few travel tales I would love to share with you all as well... but for now, it's bed time!!

Hope you had a great weekend and are having a good start to the week!

What's the biggest risk you've ever taken?

One of the questions on MTV's 1 girl 5 gays*...

One of the answers:  "Having unprotected sex" 
         
Amen!

Maybe it is more an issue in the gay community but I think it is definitely an "issue"..  and it is totally an unnecessary risk that I think so many of us take...  and yes it can be super awkward "in the moment".. or really just super awkward in general.. but (to sound like a safe sex ad) it really only takes once to put yourself at risk... and considering there's STD's (STI's? what's the correct term these days??) that can affect you for life and affect your ability to have children (for those that way inclined).. it's completely not worth it.. 


As the years have gone by and I hear about friends who have had scares and who have had to go through treatments and various other things, I realise how lucky I am to not have had to go through those things...


So, love yourself, respect yourself and respect your partner as well... unless you are in a committed relationship and both of you have been given a clean bill of health.... then...

"No Glove, No Love"!!

  

Or head along HERE for 24 other hilarious slogans!! "Don't make a mistake, Muzzle your snake" Priceless!!

Here's a fun Durex commercial from 2009 for some light entertainment after a somewhat "serious" post..

I'm not sure why it made such an impact that I felt the need to blog about it...

maybe I'm growing up or getting old or something...??

*I don't usually watch MTV, but I'm in a cable'less house right now and MTV is one of the 5 channels that I get on the TV... along with CMT and CTV News... I got sick of the CTV news loop and I'm not really one for country music so MTV usually ends up on the TV for background noise... Don't judge me, ok??

Movie Madness: Machete, Source Code, Limitless

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So, last Friday, after spending a couple of hours hanging out and napping in the sun then a most delicious meal of sushi at Shizen (post to come).. the G-man and I ended up flicking through Netflix and came across Machete... he said he had heard good things about it and I looked at him blankly, as I'd never heard of the movie before.. E-V-E-R! But a quick flick through the cast list revealed an all star cast including Jessica Alba, Don Johnson, Robert DeNiro, Michelle Rodriguez, Steven Segal, Cheech Marin and Lindsay Lohan... I was intrigued... so we threw it on.. on the premise that if it was crap, he was never allowed to pick a movie EVER AGAIN... (potentially not such a huge threat considering we don't even live in the same country! but alas!) By the time the opening credits rolled, I was hooked... G offered to change it but my interest had been piqued... we saw it through to the end and I was impressed.

Some parts are super cheesy but not to the point that it's off putting, all the superfluous stuff seems to knit together the storyline somehow... G compared it to an 80's cop show... I think it has a lot more gratuitous violence! Bottom line is.. I really enjoyed the movie and I didn't think I would... so, if you enjoy watching heads fly off bodies, then definitely check this movie out!!

I realise I have told you nothing of the storyline.. but you don't really need to know before you start watching it.. I didn't!

Monkey rates Machete at 4 out of 5. For gratuitous violence and a bit of spoofy hilarity, this is a must see!

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Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, I'm sure you've seen the ads/trailer for it.. "What would you do if you only had 8 minutes to live?".. He is in a commuter train and keeps being returned to the same period in time over and over again trying to achieve a different outcome... that's about as much as I knew about the movie before JGP threw it on one afternoon... I wasn't really paying attention at the beginning but it definitely sucked me in...

Though there were parts where I zoned out again.. overall it wasn't a very gripping movie, I think partially you feel a bit like you're watching Groundhog Day and the repetition made my brain zone out even though something new happens each time and he learns a bit more about the situation.. maybe if I had been paying more attention I would have enjoyed it more as I would have picked up subtleties in each "playback".. 

The twist at the end really threw me for a loop and I can't really say I understand the complexity the movie was trying to convey...  the mini love story that happens is interesting and is really the only thing that carries any character development.

Monkey rates Source Code at 2 out of 5. There wasn't enough stuff blowing up, gratuitous violence or character development to really get me into the movie... and the underlying techie storyline just made my brain hurt...

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This is yet another movie that was highly advertised... again JGP threw it on one afternoon and as per usual I wasn't really paying attention.. though I did get drawn into it.. it was a bit slow to get going in my opinion but it was worth the wait for the storyline to develop..

There was blood shed and one scene which made me watch through my fingers... it is an interesting idea, if we were able to use our minds to its full potential, where would it take us? tho I'm not convinced all the rich and powerful are necessarily the ones with loads of clarity!!

I liked the twist at the end though not necessarily where the movie ended up.. does that make sense??

Monkey rates Limitless at 3.5 out of 5. There was enough violence and blood shed to keep me entertained, the little plot twists kept it interesting but I probably wouldn't buy the DVD...

Well, there you have it.. my first movie reviews... not really the most detailed or based even remotely on  cinematography... pretty much based solely on their entertainment value for me!  So, how did I do?? Do you care?? Should I tell you my opinions next time I watch a movie or should I just keep it to myself??

Filling in some Birthday Blanks on a Saturday...

It was Lauren's birthday this week, so her blanks are birthday themed!

1.   My most favorite birthday was       I think my 11th or 12th? I got to celebrate twice because I flew to LA and thanks to the international date line it was still my birthday! Two whole days of official birthday!! My uncle also took us all to an awesome steak house to celebrate.. it was nomminess!!   .

2.  My worst birthday was    maybe my 12th or 13th? my parents and I all forgot until about 11pm and I was like... hey... it was my birthday today! (I was on Summer vacay and totally spaced what the date was)... I got to celebrate the next day, so I wasn't too traumatised or anything...   .

3.  My favorite birthday memory is     getting kicked out of my own 21st.. HAHAHA.. not my proudest moment, but boy did I have a great party up until that point!!  .

4.  The best birthday present I've ever received was   a mini Mercedes with pedals and a little electric motor when I was in kindergarten... I used to love driving that thing around the house and in our backyard.. it was AWESOME POSSUMS!! .

5.  The  best birthday present I've ever given was      I have no idea! I tend to give fairly random birthday presents... I did send a vegetarian gummy candy in the form of bacon strips and a t bone steak once... she ate it all up and loved it!! :D I think I sent her some tape with bacon on it as well... I'm sure she put it to good use!! haha... (yup.. I'm that friend...)  .

6.  Birthdays are       best when they last the whole month!! Like mine did this year.. hehehe... thanks to the mister for spoiling me for my b'day month!!   .

7.  My favorite age so far has been       the age I was last year.. I had so many awesome adventures... ripping around the desert and beaches of Oman, Las Fallas in Valencia, Madrid, Alicante, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, an amazing Summer at two weddings in BC, Canada and 4 glorious weeks of cottage life with boats, wakeboards, sea-doos, atv's and jeeps in Muskoka, Ontario.. Thanks to all the lovelies who made it all possible!!   . 

Well, I need to get off my behind and get ready to head downtown for the Dragon Boat Festival!! Happy Weekend!!!

Head on over to Lauren's to say Happy Birthday or to join in the blanks fun!

Canoe Brewpub, Victoria, BC, Canada

It was a long weekend a couple of weeks ago and three of us made the most of the 1st August on the patio of "Canoe Club", Brad was already there and advised against the chicken breast sandwich... but even with that off the list, there was still plenty to choose from...

I started with a Caesar (I was on a mission to only drink Caesars when I was out during my entire Canadian holiday....) - they garnish their Caesars with a mini pepper and cocktail olive...

Gareth & I shared the Ploughman's Platter ($16.50) - Oyama York Prosciutto, Dry Cured Salami, Duck & Pork Rillettes, Hilary's Cheese, Pale Ale Cheddar, House Pickled Veg, Onion Jam and Toasted Bread .. we were originally going to order just the Pork & Duck Rillettes ($6.50) (what you see in the ramekin) but our server suggested the Ploughman's instead and we were stoked to have gone with his suggestion... the soft cheddar was super yummy.. we needed an extra side of bread ($1) to go with all the yumminess on offer!

I had to switch to Mojitos after two Caesars as the salt content in the Caesars was just too much on a hot sunny day... their house Mojito is made with Havana Club and hibiscus syrup and on Mondays is on special for $6 (2oz pour)... I had absolutely no trouble downing a couple of these!!

At about the 4 hour mark, we decided we were all still a bit peckish so decided to get the Flatbread to share among the three of us...  we went for the Galloping Goose Italian Sausage & Cherry Bomb Peppers option ($15) and it was the perfect amount to nibble...

As the sun started to dip below the horizon I wanted a sweet treat to wrap up our fabulous 6 or 7 hours spent in the sun, we had seen plate after plate of the Ice Cream Sandwiches go by but they were huge and I wasn't in the mood for that much sugar after a couple of Mojitos, the server gave their Creme Brulee ($7.50) the thumbs up and that was all the encouragement I needed.. the sugar top was toasted to perfection, crunchy with a bit of caramalisation without being burnt..  I wrangled Gareth into sharing and it was the perfect amount to satisfy the sweet tooth!

I think the fact we were there for about 7 hours is testament to how enjoyable it was to spend a sunny day on their patio! Add my 4 cocktails and Gareth's 5 or 6 pints and our final bill came to just over $100 after tax.. throw in 10% tip, $55 each for 7 glorious hours of great service and fantastic food = well worth it in my mind!

If you find yourself in Victoria on a hot sunny day, definitely check out Canoe Brewpub!! Even on a not so sunny day, drop by and dine in the "designated heritage building that underwent a $6,000,000 renovation in the late 90′s. The soaring timber frame and rustic brick architecture create a vibrant atmosphere and provides a setting just as beautiful, albeit different, than the patio outside." - extract taken from Victoria Explorer's review on Canoe.

Thoughts and Thinking...

The Thinker - Auguste Rodin

During the course of conversation lately, I have noticed there are different types of verbal thought...
I am very much a person who has sort of "stream of consciousness" verbal thoughts, in the sense that I talk as I think things over... so sometimes what I say seems to lack coherence and make no sense... (this probably happens more than I'd like to admit! - apparently my mind is a jumbled mess!) and I will often jump from one thought/idea to another as they occur to me...
Some people only verbalise thoughts after they have internally debated and come to a conclusion... and they are just seeking confirmation that they have come to the "right" decision... or they want a "sounding board"... often things only seem "real" after we have verbalised them to someone else...
Other times people verbalise a finalised thought in the hopes that the other person will "talk them out of it", to argue the other side, to "make them see sense"...
And whether we like to admit it or not, we probably have a set friend we go to for each scenario... there are friends who will agree with you no matter what... and there are friends who will tell you not to be so bloody stupid and what the hell were you thinking!?!?  Maybe it's not even a conscious decision who we instinctively go to when we want to hear the things we want to hear... does that even make sense?

Many times I've been told, I definitely fall into the second category... I am the kind of person you go to when you want to hear it like it is... this is not to say that I will always tell you what I think (although more often than not, I do!)... but if you approach me with a thought or idea or ask my opinion.. there will be no sugar coating involved...  mostly because of the aforementioned "stream of consciousness", though due to this, I can and will often talk in circles until I either convince myself of something or convince myself otherwise!

A bit like this post! Are you still with me? Or did I lose you somewhere amongst my jumbled mind??!!

What kind of thinker are you?
What kind of friend are you? Are you one to tell them what they want to hear?
Or are you like me and tell them what you truly think, even if it's not something they want to hear?
Are you one to always put in your two cents worth? Or do you only share your opinion if you're asked for it?
More often than not I can't help but put my two cents in.. and sometimes it gets me in trouble.. but in the words of Dr Seuss "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

Hope you had a great weekend!!

I have been wing eating, beaching, brunching, pitch & putting, dragon boat watching & enjoying the company of great friends! Life doesn't get much better!!