6 posts tagged “shopping”

The day I left Washington, I couldn’t find my fountain pen. I was in panic. I use it to write letters and on my journal, and I seriously felt incapacitated in that aspect. In fact, I’ve neither written in my Moleskine or letters, since then.

I’ll spare people with my happy dance so I just do it in my head. Nevertheless, I’d like you to know I’m doing it–the happy dance. I’d tell you why:

1. Dine Out Vancouver 2007

   “Vancouver’s most anticipated food and wine event is back! Offering an extended 17 delicious days and156 leading Vancouver restaurants, Dine Out Vancouver 2007 is bigger and better than ever! From January 19 to February 4, enjoy delectable three-course prix fixe menus at one of Vancouver’s hottest restaurants for $15, $25 or $35 per person, complemented by quality BC VQA wine pairing suggestions.”

   Last night, my dear friend A and I went all the way to West Vancouver to eat at The Beach House. It was far. To give you an idea of the trip, we got into Highway 1 at Exit 33 (or shall I call it Entrance 33? hehe), and our we were headed for Exit 10–in the pouring rain, yes. The restaurant is right beside the water so it’s gorgeous. Well, we imagined it to be gorgeous on a nice day anyway.
   
   Trip aside, the food was good. We tried everything on the event menu. There’s usually two choices for appetizer, main course, and dessert. We ended up having all of them because we both ordered different things.
   
   I had food envy though, especially when my friend’s main course arrived. I’m a sucker for meat and when I saw the pork chop sitting on her plate, I could hear my tummy cursing me, “What the f-ing hell were YOU thinking when you ordered?” Aaanyway, my crispy skinned trout wasn’t bad at all. It was very tasty and I loved the crunchy skin!
   
   
   
   YUMMMM…
   
   The decor was alright, nothing too fancy, just simple and elegant. It’s not rich, so to speak. The service is good, I have no complaints; our server was very attentive but you can also sense that some of them really don’t care about service even if they’re giving good service. Am I making sense to you? Do you know what I mean, though?
   
   The washroom was clean and nice. Dark walls–mahogany if I remember it right. Candle in a fancy bowl. Nice lighting. We took mirror photos there. Hehe.
   
   Overall, I’d give The Beach house a 7/10, a nice place to visit once in a while because of the travel and well, if it’s not spectacular food, I won’t go out of my way half the time. That said, the food was good! I’d say, go for the seafood appetizer and pork chop out of the Dine Out menu. For a $60 meal with wine pairing (we ordered something else out of the event menu), it’s decent.
   
   Note: If you are ordering the menu with the wine for the 3 courses, they don’t give you a full glass. Don’t worry about having to drive later because it’s not enough to knock you down at all.


2. Online shopping and mail. I’ve been a good consumer, really. Here’s the first batch of web loot that came in the mail yesterday:
   
   Lampwork beads, black onyx beads, crocheted wooden beads, sterling silver wire, and my box of MOO cards. I’m still waiting for other beads. :-)


3. Aveda Comforting Tea, which is, uh, really comforting. I love it.
4. Lush’s Fair Trade Foot Lotion and Lip Squeak Lip balm. The latter makes me want to eat apple pies all the damn time.

Good things:

• - Sunday dinner and good company.
• - Laughing to tears.
• - Hot chocolate with Bailey’s and kahlua.
• 
  
• - Booking flight to Phoenix for Valentine’s and D’s company party! We are cheeeeeeeeezzzzzy lovers like that. Haha.
• - Catching up on some of my reading.
• - Getting on top of things with January events and prezzies. I commend the boyfriend for sending our gift for my parents’ wedding anniversary way ahead. =D

I am on a spending whim again and I feel like getting my craft on to make cards, letterheads, etc… I’ve been contemplating on buying a Print Gocco screen printer which will probably cost me a good $250 after shipping. I know it’s getting out of stock (in the US) but I’m not sure whether it will be restocked in the near future (like, 6 months) and be sold for less than $100. Then again I am a shopaholice of the I-want-it-and-I’ll-buy-it-NOW kind so I am thisclose to using my new debit Visa to get it. SIGH Anyhoo, my question is–to those who are knowledgeable about Print Goccos– How do I know which type to buy? I see P5, B6 then the mesh type. If I want to print on paper with small letters, should it be high- or low-mesh? I’m confuzzled.

guilt trip

I was debating whether to go to yoga this afternoon or not, because I have errands to do: return a pair of boots I bought because my jeans wouldn’t fit in them, drop off my clothes for dry cleaning, buy groceries for my trip, buy vitamins, get my refill prescription… And because of female things, I didn’t really want to go. I ended up not going. And now I feel guilty. I feel as if I’ve cheated on a boyfriend and denied him of sex. HAHA. I swear to god, why do I feel like this about yoga? It has been sooo routine to my body (because in the past 36 days, I’ve gone for 34) that I am made to feel guilty by my own body for not going. BAAAAAHHHH.

So I dropped off my dry cleaning, had my eyebrow waxed (finally got an appointment!!!), ate dinner (Indian!), and roamed around Metrotown. Metrotown is my new Robson these days. Alas, I can probably be a tour guide for that mall.

kabayan!

Aaaanyway, while walking by my lonesome and making a mental list of tentative gifts to give this Christmas, a couple of women interrupted my thoughts–and scared the shit out of me–when they shouted (think shouting in terms of, “BOOO!”), “Kabayan!“. [It’s Filipino for “countrymen”. It’s an expression said when you recognize a fellow Filipino and you want to establish some sort of connection with them.] For a moment I didn’t think they were talking to me, because hello, I don’t know them and I wasn’t looking in their direction.

It turns out they were selling puto [poo’-toh] and kuchinta [coo-chin-ta’]. These are sweet rice cakes eaten as snacks or desserts; the former is a soft and grainy variety, the latter is sticky and chewy. I love them both. They were $1 for a 3-piece pack of each kind. I completely forgot why they were selling them because my mind was somewhere else. I tried them when I got home, and the kuchinta was alright. I’ve yet to taste the puto tomorrow.

boys will be boys

Always one of my stops, I went to Chapters to check out new books and magazines. While browsing at the literature section and checking out a cleverly-packaged McSweeney’s, a couple of guys passed by. Guy #1 joshed the other rather loudly, “Are you researching about your STDs?” Of course that made me look and laugh. Now people, that is just the kind of joke that would roll out of my mouth when I am with my guy friends.

my affinity for puppets

Still at Chapters. I saw these:

Here’s a backstory: During my freshman and sophomore year in university, I lived in a boarding house with other girls and for some reason, all of us had stuffed toys. They had names, and our stuffed toys would befriend each other. They talked. We made videos. Yes, there were some very boring, and insane nights when clearly, the academe was humping our brains dry with all the work and this was what we did to cope…aside from 4pm underaged drinking.

Move on to today. I have this, uhm, talent of making puppets and toys come to life. I would unknowingly get into character, assume a voice, and make a puppet interact. Sad, huh?! Haha. I think I totally weirded out my boyfriend when we were at the Phoenix Zoo (or whatever that zoo was) and I saw the puppets. I was retardedly overjoyed and tried them on my hand and made them move, and propped them on my boyfriend’s shoulders, arms…made the pink piggy kiss his nose. Poor boy. I can almost see him run…run as far away from me…! I fear for our future children.

In a related note, I took photos of these babies because I wanted to show them to D. I love, love, love his nieces and nephew and I was thinking of getting them puppets. =p

suckah for snail mail

Skoah sent me thank-you postcard for coming in for a facial. What a nice, unexpected gesture and I appreciate it. It’s just too bad I didn’t like their facial. The product is so-so, but the service is great. What can you do.

bitch

Generally, when you return an item you purchased, it’s no big deal. It’s not used, there’s nothing written on the receipt that returns for this product not accepted, you didn’t like the product so whatever. Right?

I returned the unused boots and the girl asked if something was wrong with it. I said I couldn’t fit my jeans into them, not even footless tights because they’re too tight at the top. I couldn’t also put the jean or pant legs over them because the fur was too bulky at the top.

She snarkily asked, “Well you tried it on before you bought it, right?”

At this point I said, “I was wearing a skirt then.” I was wearing a miniskirt and a knee-high sock.

I wanted to smack that furry boot across her face because she was turning left and right tossing boxes and sighing while waiting for the debit card approval to go through, like darn, I’m wasting her time.

I rarely return things and when I do, it’s only because the thing that what I bought isn’t working out for me. I am trying to stop myself from calling or e-mailing about this incident.

Nothing much happening here. Oh wait, I’m preoccupied to say anything much. Yeah, that’s it.

I’ve pretty much survived 14 days of yoga. Not without stumbling, though. There are just some days when I couldn’t focus my energies and concentration that damn, I just about fall out of those standing poses as if it were my first time to stand on either of my two feet. Kind of reminds me how off-balanced I was when I did rollerblading. Helloooo.

The Dandayamana-JanuShirasana (Standing Head-to-Knee Pose) and Dandayanama-Dhanurasana (Standing Bow Pulling Pose) are kicking my ass. The former, quite literally, which makes my hips and my butt cheeks feel like they want to pry open. Not the best feeling. I’m learning, though…quite painfully. The latter pose I could hold for 60 if I’m standing on my right leg, NOT on my left. I feel like my left leg is somethin’kindoflazy sometimes. Oi.

Patience is a hard thing to learn. :(

Is it just me or is your bank (so much) nicer to you when you have a business banking account with them? I finally opened one after months and months of procrastination and for the past few weeks I’m almost treated like royalty compared to the so-so service before. I should have done this a long time ago. Haha.

I am absolutely drooling over the iPod Nano (PRODUCT) RED special edition. Making puddles of drool (gross!), I say. But I’ve spent so much on yoga classes, clothes and gear this month that I simply must look the other way! Eek. [Not to mention the color iPod that I bought last year is just slightly used. Hee.]

For my last month-long trip to Las Vegas and Phoenix, I bought a new Samsonite luggage and I loved it because of its awesome organizational features.  Hah.  But oh Samsonite, how you failed me!  The rod of one of the two wheels got busted when I got back last June!  Just after one trip!  What the hell?!?  Can those be fixed?  If so, by whom?

Anyway, so I'm scouting for new luggage.  I'm eyeing the Heys XCase carry-on and a bigger one--some other brand I found at The Bay that is under the "lightweight" category as well.  I noticed that the lightweight lines have limited organizational features inside, and maybe that's why they're lightweight.

For those in the know,<strong> can you recommend a sturdy luggage</strong> that can withstand check-ins?  And not too expensive, please, since I already signed off my firstborn to the airline industry.