Globefish Sushi
Nov 2006
Tiny joint just north of Kensington Rd...opened earlier this year but already packed with loyal customers... delicious, fresh, uniquely presented sushi rolls. I recommend the paradise roll topped with lightly battered softshelled crab. Well made wasabi with a real zing.

Caffe Mauro
Nov 2006
Intimate little eatery that has a few tables for dining in, and takeout. The foccacia bread is amazing! So light, yet fulfilling. This Italian cafe serves light lunches, and yummy lattes. I had a proscuitto + bocconcini sandwich layered with roasted red peppers, olives and lettuce tossed in a tasty dressing...simple, yet elegant. pure satisfaction.

Chili Club Thai House
Nov 2006
You'd totally miss this place if you were looking for it. Tucked in a tiny strip mall on 10th ave, it's unassuming exterior means that you have no expectations. Open the door, and wow! You walk into a cozy, tastefully decorated thai-style room with romantic lighting. We ordered the seafood red curry, which was a heavy on the fish sauce, but the prawns were fresh - nice and crisp. The soya bean paste egg noodles were pretty non-descript, but the saltiness balanced the softly scented coconut rice quite nicely. Free coconut ice cream (very creamy) for dessert rounded the meal off nicely. Why is Thai food so expensive in Calgary tho???

global warming's for real

It's all gone!

My three weeks vacation that is... I'm almost ready to go back to reality for real now.

After a week in Mexico and a stint in Italy, the jet-setting is at its end. Not that I'm particularly fond of flying... United managed to lose my backpack for an entire week and my flight back to Holland was cancelled. Huh. But who cares! I had a great time shopping in a random mall near Verona and the bus to the Marco Polo airport is actually quite efficient.

Mexico:

Mayan Ruins at Chichen Itza

Thousands of resorts in the Cancun area, and I manage to stay at the same one as my supervisor and another colleague (50+). LOL, it was great actually. Big pool, beautiful weather, nice beach...and the all inclusive food/drinks were decent! Nod to the Pina Colada and the catchy theme song (just imagine twenty people in silk shirts wiggly wildly). A field trip to Chitchen Itza broke up the week nicely. There are some crazy acoustics in these Mayan temples!! You clap...and the echo sounds like a bird! No kidding!!

Italy:
Venice is ALL tourists! It's ridiculously overpriced, but the canals and depliated buildings are so charming. Rob and I ventured there without a map, and we when we stumbled upon St. Mark's Square, our response was..."this is it?!? are you sure?" Then we decided to brave the Italian motorways (passed on the SMART car - LOL) and headed towards Padua + Verona. The traffic at Padua was so bad we decided to not head into the city centre...and went to the IKEA instead. HAHAHA. European IKEA has almost the same stuff as the Canadian one. Maybe better cappucino. Verona was nice, very quaint! The we headed toward Lake Garda - amazing views and delicious seafood. We followed the recommendation of the aimiable lady at Hotel Conca D'Oro and visited the mountainside curch, Maria della Corona, and the magnificent Sass Pordoi and Tre Cime de Lavarado passes in the dolomite mountain range. Check out the photos!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/mary.g.lee

Beware: You'll want to get on a plane today!

Netherlands:
My second course over in Rijswijk...nice to see some old friends and refresh my geophysical knowledge base!

Painting workshop in Amsterdam...Picasso anyone! ha ha...

New Orleans:
Culture hub of the states... after an excellent jetlag recovery session at the luscious W Hotel, I was ready for a day of exploring! Maybe half the businesses are running back in the touristy bits of the French Quarter. It was Sunday afternoon, and there was a parade! most people on the streets just assumed...well, it's Nawlins...there's always a parade. Actually, a German told me it was to celebrate OKTOBERFEST! Sweet! I've got a sizable collection of beads that I didn't have to work for now. ha ha. New Orelans is buzzing...Live jazz on the blazing streets, the rich, bold flavours of fresh cajun seafood, and just super friendly folks. Great place for a geophysics conference. LOL, I think I went to the House of Blues 4 times that week...

Get Tight...with Christ!

It's been forever, I know! But here come a whirlwind of entries.

Last week, I got back from my first roadtrip driving experience. Long time plan to see the RHCP in salt lake. Gasp! ha ha

Salt Lake City has a booming cosmetic industry

My roomate Jeff + I went to Vancouver to pick up Ming and bam! We were off across the border to lovely Seattle. Nothin like the barristas at starbucks throwing your cup over to the guy making that frappuccino!

Pretty rainbow in Glacier National Park

Then we headed to southwest Washington, to see Mt. St. Helen's. Crazy! It started spouting lava again just last year! The crater was huge. And the effects massive blow that toppled all the trees is still clearly visible from the lack of vegetation in the area.

Salt Lake City was our next destination! Morman capital of the world. Indeed. It was a gorgeous city, nestled in the mountains...beautiful desert-like scenery, rolling landscapes... and come on, why WOULDN'T you want to pay for a temporary membership to drink at a "Port o' Call". Really nice restaurants in SLC actually. Great Italian bistro, strange Japanese fusion...but the real winner was the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert!! They blew my mind. So amazing. Check out these wild pics from the SLC paper:

http://extras.sltrib.com/tribphoto/GalleryPhotos.asp?GID=REDH_0817&sort=Gallery

The clubbing scene in SLC was quite...interesting. Lots of performers...and cages. I will say no more.

The next day, we visited Preston, Idaho...home of the one and only Napoleon Dynamite!! The entire town was flippin' sweet!

Preston High School....gimme some of your tater tots!

We visted Napoleon's house, Pedro's house, ha ha, Rex-Kwon-Do was actually for real, but shut down last year. We downed some tater tots and milkshakes at Big J's...even tried running in the field like Napoleon (you can't use your hands!).


Antler display in Jackson Hole, Wyoming...gateway to Yellowstone National Park

We then headed north towards Yellowstone National Park. Jackson Hole, Wyoming is Banff of the South. DDG (drop dead gorgeous!) scenery and equally massive prices. I blame Clinton! ha ha

Views of the rockies in Teton National Park just south of Yellowstone were spectacular..just because the range is on a fault block. The landscape is so flat...and then BAM! You've got thousands of feet of vertical.

Morning Glory pool in Yellowstone. WOW.
We reached the south entrance in good time and watched old faithful burst at precisely 2:55pm.

Just stunning colours and contrasts in Yellowstone.

Every 90 mins...+/- 10 mins!

Navigating the windy roads to all the beautiful waterfalls and hot springs was fun. I like driving on the scenic roads... and doing on the spot miles to km conversions outloud. LOL. thinK Metric!

Beautiful Salt Lake City at sunset... RHCP preshow!

My other favorite sight in Yellowstone were the basalt columns near Devil's Tower. The lava cooled so quickly the rock shrank into these hexagonal columns! work is slowly invading my life i think.

We drove through Big Sky Montana and after a night of camping in Glacier National Park, awoke to our 8th gorgeous day in a row. We were so lucky! The mountain views were amazing, and St. Mary's Lake is serenely beautiful.


View of Mt St. Helens from Johnston Ridge Observatory. Nothing but ash!

The no-hassle border crossing put us North of 49. The road to Calgary was...WOW. Far too straight! I think Jeff + I had not driven 10 hours combined before this trip and here we did 60 or so in a week. LOL. Has binge driving been invented yet??

Basalt Columns of Yellowstone National Park

Home sweet home...if only for a week :)

Paris...je t'aime

*sob* Aussies are out of the cup! wtf?!?! who calls a penalty in the last minute?!

http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/060626/1/8am4.html

48 hours....in Paris!

Friday 4pm... "This is NOT the way to do business"
After some frantic calling (the car rental place cancelled our reservations...at 4pm!?!? we were leaving at 5...) and harsh words ...we got in our guzzling suv's and raced to the city of love.

Friday 12pm...
After a 5 hour hoppin disco party in the car (bee gees, shakira, you can't go wrong) and the best introduction to French fast food ever (ick!), we made it into Paris. What a sight! Thousands of rollerbladers skating on the road near Place de la Concorde?!?!? Apparently, this is a wednesday + friday tradition... the friday night rookies were holding up the traffic for a good 15 mins...ahh...only in France! It took poor Marc 1 HOUR to find a parking spot for the suv...je suis desolee!

Saturday 9am...
Woke up to a nice pastry breakfast and headed out to Tour d'Eiffel... we went up to the Palais de Challoit to take photos and ended up being in a music video! what!!!?!! ha ha, but don't worry, as Beth noted, based on the quality of the rapping, there is no way we're gonna see these guys on MTV. good thing Mae + I were practicing those moves in the car.


Saturday 2pm...
Induction into Paris street cafe culture... there must be at least one per capita in St Germain de pres! In the tradition of "French Women dont' get Fat"... our Marc says French people stay thin because the tables at the cafes just can't fit that many plates!

Saturday 4pm...
Kendra and I did the tourist round and visited St Sulplice (nope, no broken tiles), le Pantheon, and les jardins de luxembourg. Based on the quick stroll in the park, I thought...wow! There are a whole lot more gay couples in Paris than I remember! The rainbows gave it away...apparently, it was the gay pride parade day!

Saturday 8pm...
With the gorgeous weather over our heads, we decided to be ambitious and metro it up to Sacre Coeur. Wow, Paris is gorgeous, but so much dirtier than the Netherlands! Montemartre was bustling with musicians and tired tourists. We bought our obligatory overpriced postcards and met up with the gang for dinner

Saturday 10pm...
MMMmm...A traditional Creperie! The crepe provencal had tasty ham, camembert and a fried egg on top.

Midnight...
The group split up, and we trusted the lead of Marc's Venezulan friends...we landed a HOT underground club (literally). Underground dungeons converted into hip bars are so european! LOL...a couple of 90 euro bottles of havana club rum later, we were "salsa dancing". Note the quotation marks. Matt talked to Miss Venezeula about Diesel engines...she studied Mech eng. LOL

Sunday 5:30am...
Ah ha! so this is when the metro opens. You know those little photo booths?! Ya, they were designed for drunk people. The card may say Je t'aime, maman...but this one's not getting posted!

Koln Krazy

Fussball.... world cup fever in Cologne! After an intense weekend of team-building and 3 days of classroom work, I was ready for a break... and right now, there is nothing else better than a quick jaunt to football central. Everything revolved around the World Cup. People walking around with painted faces, flags, annoying horns... food shaped in the shape of footballs... contrary to popular belief, beer isn't always served in huge steins in Germany. In Cologne, 0.2l delicate glasses (they break easily!) were the norm. Ha ha, and you can have A LOT of those. Our group consisted of 1 Irishman, 1 Spaniard, 1 Frenchman, 1 Russian, 1 Azerbajanian (?), 1 Filipino, 2 Americans + 1 Canadian = 1 shell family. It was pretty hectic sometimes, between multiple languages, two rented cars, cell phones and one road map!

Good things:
- menus that are only in German...mmm...savoury pancakes!
- cars that drive on the right. phew!
- easily climbing 509 steps to the top of the Dom cathedral...gorgeous!
- super patriotic fans that like to sing
- crazy british people that swim in the rhine to recover a lost football. man, the rhine?!?

The not-so-good things:
- getting the shaft bed (ie, cot) in a 4 person room
- 0.2l bottle of coke that costs 2.6 euros
- the stinky people that are also climbing the narrow steps to the top of the Dom
- not knowing how to get out of Cologne
- trying to split one bill between 9 people...argh



Cologne's Dom Cathdral...took over 800 years to finish!

Sam Roberts!!!

Sam Roberts is still kicking!! Chemical City is a rockin album...and even though the Mac Hall show was all ages, it was a rockin good time. Man! They are SO energetic. After some crazy roars and chanting from the crowd, they came back for THREE, yes! THREE! encores. Ahh...I love don't walk away eileen.

The opening band was a geeky combination of something like james blunt with a mellow instrumental/girly backup. These aussies had some crony, catchy tunes that composed from simple riffs and blatently obvious lyrics. BEN LEE was entertaining none the less...and Lara could have been an elf from lord of the rings. she was gorgeous... And go David Hasselhoff!

Oh! And yay, I won $100 at the CSEG convention! As if three days at the conference (with one kicking contractor party!) wasn't enough! Yup, I won this "identify the location of the seismic section" contest...there were 6 place names, 4 sections. Who knows how, but I was the runner up with 3 correct answers! Sweeeet! I love when statistics blow up!! WOO!

The Oilers are awesome! They've been kicking butt. I'm sure this streak will continue. It must!!!

Horray for everyone coming to visit this summer. I'm really looking forward to seeing y'all.

Stampede will be awesome. Come one come all!!!

http://cs.calgarystampede.com/events/on_stage/coke_stage.html

OUR LADY PEACE is playing!! And SAM ROBERTS again!!! ahhh! awesome?!?!? Then red hot chili peppers in salt lake city...anyone interested?? I have ONE mroe ticket for a lucky person if you wanna come roadtripping in the USA. ahhh, love those peppers.

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to obedience and warmth. In love, you feel the most alive when things are straight-forward, and you're told that you're loved. You'd like to your lover to think you are loyal and faithful... that you'll never change. You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please. Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with. Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment. You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred. In this moment, you think of love as something you thirst for. You'll do anything for love, but you won't fall for it easily.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

You Are a Cappuccino

You're fun, outgoing, and you love to try anything new. However, you tend to have strong opinions on what you like. You are a total girly girly at heart - and prefer your coffee with good conversation. You're the type that seems complex to outsiders, but in reality, you are easy to please

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

You are Milk Chocolate

A total dreamer, you spend most of your time with your head in the clouds. You often think of the future, and you are always working toward your ideal life. Also nostelgic, you rarely forget a meaningful moment... even those from long ago.

What Kind of Chocolate Are You?

Are you hungry?

Go flames! We just tied Anaheim 2-2 in less than 5 minutes of the 3rd period!!

AWESOME...

and so was dinner. CILANTRO is amazing.... a unique contemporary menu, buzzing ambience. The cranberry bbq marinated ELK ribs were heavenly! So tender, meat falls right off the bone... The jalapeno chicken wood-fired oven pizza rivaled Wooden Heads in Kingston, with a really distinctive strong cheese. The charred halibut served on a bed of crisp baby spinach and fresh strawberries was really refreshing. A fruity 2003 vineland estates sauvignon blanc (niagra) set this off really nicely. Do not miss this place!! It is so unassuming from the outside, you are bound to miss it if you are not looking!


Deer Run Subway
April 2006
First steak and cheese sub. Tasty! Good job Craig. Ha ha... definitely not the sub of choice for leftovers...lunch was a bit soggy today.

Danube’s Restaurant
April 2006
Cute cafe atmosphere in trendy Kensington. Don’t go for anything but the delectable fresh fruit crepes served with vanilla ice cream! I highly recommend the mixed berry crepe...those are better than the plain banana + chocolate sauce crepes. For you sugar and caffeine addicts, get the hazelate.

Crave Cupcakes
April 2006
At $2.50 for a single cupcake, it’s flat out overpriced. Plus, the signature “crave-a-licious” chocolate cupcake with blue vanilla icing tasted almost exactly like fresh betty crocker pancakes. (which ring in at $1.50 for a box that makes 2 DOZEN! Ha ha)

Bubblemania
April 2006
FOB central. Not the best bubble tea (bubbles were a bit hard, and the drink super-sugary), but it is open late! Til 4am at least...and they have dirt cheap food (didn’t try).

Aida’s Mediterranean Bistro
April 2006
Tasty, fresh, cheap Lebanese food. Try the kibby, they’re sort of like fried meat dumplings with a wheat wrapper, served with fresh mint yogurt. Awesome lamb kebab pita!!! GO!!

Thai Sa-On
April 2006
I had the Pad Thai, authentic, but nothing to rave about. I think I would try curry next time.

Open Sesame
April 2006
Highly UNrecommended! Make your own stir fry with stale rice and veggies! Sigh. Theatmosphere was pretty neat, but the food was disappointing. There was nothing indian about the butter chicken!

Buzzards Cowboy Cuisine
April 2006
Tucked in just out of the main downtown core south of the train tracks is Buzzards. While it gets 10/10 for its rustic, relaxing ranch decor, the food was only medicore. The lamb burger was on the overdone, dry side and the blackened catfish was not blackened at all! The mexican corn bean salad that accompanied the catfish had a nice cajun flavor though. When I order charcoal, I want it black!!

Melrose Cafe and Bar
April 2006
The people-watching on 17th just can’t be beat. Nice patio, but get there early! The seafood pesto thin-crust pizza would have been fine if they hadn’t sold it as a seafood pizza! The shrimp were about as big as a penny!!! Ringing in at $22, the fishbowl cocktail was a little disappointing. Mostly ice, you couldn’t even taste the purported 6 oz of liquer from the overpowering taste of tang, or whatever powder concoction they claim is fruit juice. The mushroom swiss burger was juicy + satisfying. Stick with the bar food!

Simple Bistro
April 2006
Wow! An authentic European style, family-run cafe in the middle of suburbia. Yes, we are talking the deepest depths of South Calgary, in Bridlewood! The black forest ham, dijon mustard panini was grilled to perfection, but the tarragon chicken quiche was a little overdone. The cafe au lait is a perfect breakfast starter!

Milestones Restaurant
April 2006
This one just opened up Monday in Southcentre. Seems to be a globally-orientated knockoff of the Joey’s Tomatos chain of restaurants. The grilled chicken + portabello was a nice creamy choice, served on a bed of spaghetti with some grilled veggies on the side. Nothing new to rave about, but a really solid pasta dish. The white chocolate cheesecake was delicious, not too sweet (ok, it was still coma-inducing) but I really liked the mocha sauce on the side. Coffee is perfect anytime of day.

Tribune
April 2006
Bold flavour is the name of the game at this trendy spot on Stephen Ave. The calamari was blackened to the point where it really did taste like charcoal! Is this karma biting me in the butt? The complimentary rosemary brioche was very fresh. I had the lamb sandwich with a beef vegetable soup. The lamb was done up sort of like a roast beef sandwich on a fresh baguette, super tender and very moist, and that distinctive “lamb” flavor was not too strong. I really liked the apricot jelly that brought out the sweet flavor in the food. Like my friend noted, it was an upscale vietnamese sub. The soup was okay, it was very heavy on the carrot (well, I like carrots. Ha ha). Cindy’s croque madame was beautiful. The egg was done in the shape of a flower! The crisp layers of toast, gruyere and fresh ham was drizzled in a sinful creamy, bechamel sauce. Lovely.

Viet Hai Restaurant
April 2006
Do-it-yourself sizzling BBQ of deliciously marinated beef and shrimp! A tasty vietnamese staple of rice paper wraps, fresh veggies and a peanut dipping sauce. YUM YUM!

Canyon Meadows Bull and Finch
April 2006
Nothing special about this neighbourhood pub. Only one large TV for the game, the wings were typical bar fare. The main course of a roasted chicken+ribs was disappointing. Very dry.

Tibet on 10th
April 2006
The beef dumplings in a savoury, but clear vegetable broth was really tasty. A nice blend of chinese and western vegetables. The tofu and chicken stir fry in a tomato sauce was reminiscent of a sweet and sour sauce...but much less “artificial”. Went really well with the deep fried whole wheat flat bread. The steamed buns were basically the same as chinese “man tou”. This nice little place in Kensington with a friendly family-run feel is worth a try!

The Roasterie
April 2006
Located on bustling 10th street in trendy Kensington, this is no ordinary coffee stop. They roast their own beans!! I tried the guatemalan blend, and it was delicious. Very light flavor with a long lasting, almost sour aftertaste. But not sour in a bad way! The Colombian was good, but familiar. No aftertaste.

Pasquale’s on Macleod
April 2006
Fresh pasta is served in an intimate dining room. Nothing special about the veal scallopini stuffed bocconcini cheese...but the homemade pasta noodles were nice. Al dente! The food was pretty good, but I just felt like I could have done the same (or better!) at home.

The Siding Cafe
April 2006
This bustling hot spot right on the c-train line serves up delicious sandwiches and entrees at very reasonable prices. The flat-iron steak served on buttery garlic bread paired with fresh field greens in a creamy dressing with shoestring fries was delicious! Give this classy, yet casual joint a try!

Dear Ralph...

Dear Mr. Klein:

With a $4 billion surplus in this province, you would think we could afford decent health care! Really, all I am asking for is a pillow ...nothing more than a fluffy, squishy, rectangular pillow. Is it that much to ask! I guess rampant budget cuts mean that the little extras, like pillows, will have to be sacrificed.

Long wait times are another unfortunate reality when it comes to doctor's visits. Granted, it wasn't too bad yesterday. I waited 1 hour at the walk-in clinic, 1 hour in the ER waiting room, maybe 1 hour to be seen by the doctor after getting into the ER, 1 hour for an ultrasound, 1 hour for the ultrasound results, 3 hours for a CT scan (which involved drinking over a litre of "contrast" solution... a glass every 15 minutes...ick!), and 1 hour for the results of the scan. Don't worry, I'm not going to die or anything....and I'm NOT pregnant... I can't believe you even thought that! LOL

Well, I hope you seriously think about this Ralph. Do you want to wake up with a sore neck the next time you end up having your stomach pumped? I mean...

Well, at least CT scans are still cool. So fast!

Sincerely,
Mary Lee
Concerned Albertan


And in other exiciting news:

I've got my house! Horray! With this little jaunt to the hospital though, I'm just gonna take it easy at home for a couple weeks. More time to think over the decorating, etc.


This is ridiculous! Look!!

City sheild of Mary Esther, FL.

A little information on my favorite veg:

Morning Glory
Water spinach is also called "Morning Glory" in Thailand and Asia. You can find it often at restaurants as fried morning glory. The vegetable is a very delicous vegetable with green stems and leafs. The stems and leaves are cut to pieces and then either used as a vegetable for soups or for fried vegetable dishes and served with oyster sauce. In Vietnam water spinach (morning glory) is almost a kind of national vegetable.

bonus time!

Horray, I got 1/12 of a 2005 bonus for working in December. Awesome. But today, a guy from work had a buy-out party...leaving Shell for more lucrative salaries + options... makes me wonder if there are going to be as many lifers as there have been in the past. Ironic...two people have announced they are jumping ship...and the corporate orientation was just last week!

And after many years of procrastination, I finally have my driver's liscense! Sure, we have graduated liscensing in Alberta now, but hey...I am already looking forward to the day that picture gets scrapped. LOL, I managed to fail the test on the nice, sunny day, but passed when it was snowing like crazy. typical.

Jamie Oliver is awesome! I'm going to have dinner parties once I move into my house... check out the asparagus! http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/cats/breakfast.php

can't beat the powder

Happy Birthday Jordan + Grant... what a perfect way to spend a sunny weekend. Lake Louise is awesome! Insanely blue sky, fluffy white snow, crisp mountain air, can't get better than that. I can't believe this was my first time out in the mountains. Crazy! Once these bruises go away, i'll be up for another weekend. Sure, Banff is still touristy and overpriced, but the "lodge" atmosphere is so welcoming and relaxing, it was worth it. Plus, every single waiter/waitress/retail clerk has an accent, so it is fun to guess where people come from.

On another note, it was hilarious to see Jordan get picked up by a cougar at "Wild Bill's Saloon".

I move into my house March 15!

Congrats Michelle on THE JOB!!!!!! Weekly lunch. Awesome! Do the plus 15s connect our buildings?? ha ha

Mary

Crazy crazy crazy

So...I just made an offer on a house and it was accepted!!! HOLY CRAP...I can't believe I am almost a house owner. I had been reading on different websites about new home purchases, and one of the symptoms people feel is FEAR. So I thought, well, now that I know about it, it won't hit me...but BAM, Friday morning, I sort of freaked out at my desk at work. What am I thinking??? Can I afford this? What if interest rates spike and I lose my house!?!?

So my Mom called, and she calmed me down. Moms are great at that. Yup, I've got a week to figure out the mortgage, house inspection, etc...

Ha ha, if you're looking for a place to rent, call me!

Merry Christmas!!!

Have a safe + happy happy Christmas season!

December 24th?! Already?? I can't believe I started work THREE weeks ago. Seems like yesterday I was cleaning my room getting ready for work. Life whizzes by when you're having fun! Yes, work IS fun :) I swear! December was a great time to start work - I averaged 2 Christmas parties a week! Getting familiar with geophysics again is going smoothly as well. Seeing as I have no holidays to speak of, I will be one of three people on my floor next week. I could take more coffee breaks...but who would I talk to?!? LOL. No...the starbucks people don't know my name...yet.

I am super-excited about training next year. My supervisor told me I really should try and go to Houston for the 5-week Exploration & Production course (aww...houston??) but there is a geophysics course only offered in Rijswijk (who knows if that is the correct spelling...yay, Holland!) in September. So...perhaps Kilimanjaro will wait til next year, 3 week stint in Europe, here I come!

What have I been up to besides work the last month...well, work takes up 9 hours...C-train another 2...sleeping gets 8, leaving 5 hours. 2 of those are devoted to getting ready + dinner...woo, 3 hours to spare! There aren't enough hours in a working day...grr! But lately, I've been trying to finish Tender is the Night and catching up with my best buds from high school. Oh, and sorting those 4000 photos I took on my trip. Cutting down to 300 of the best of the best to print.

Christmas eve...doesn't even feel like it. I'm loving the almost 10 degree weather (yes, celsius!). I will make a strawberry ny style cheesecake today, and prepare a huge 11-person dinner tomorrow. Yup, a roast beef and baked chicken will all the trimmings. Mmm...who doesn't like glazed carrots?!??! mmm...baby carrots. Esther is coming from Edmonton today! Horray! My sister is awesome. I guess I should clear an area where she can sleep.

Ha ha, have an awesome holiday...and yes, indulge in chocolate. I certainly am! As my friend told me, Mary Christmas!

p.s. Colleen ROCKS!!! She got me the Jack Johnson dvds!!!!!!!!ahhhhh!!!!!!!! i miss thailand.

I didn't explain my life story to anyone today!

Garfield, my trustworthy pal!

My parents are awesome. Look at this sign they made me!! Garfield! It's been 4 days since I got back, but I'm still not fully adjusted. It's like the bed is TOO comfy and everything is so clean! The main problem is the jetlag. I've never had such difficulties before! But the past few days, these nap attacks hit me at 3pm... brutal! But I only gave in once and slept til 9 ...at which point my Mom told me to get up for dinner. lol.

Yesterday was my Mom's birthday! We went out for Dim Sum and even though I had Dim Sum EVERY DAY (sometimes twice a day!) in Hong Kong, it was still enjoyable. Portion sizes in Canada are I dunno, double those in Hong Kong? So are the prices...LOL. I baked my Mom a jello cheesecake. One of the replacement children, Alan, and my Dad's cousin, Jessie, helped out. Thanks Michelle, Jello cheesecake rocks! But doh, I cut the cake out of the springform too early, and the jello was all leaking out the sides...but shh, don't tell!

My Mom, me, and the tasty tasty lemon cheesecake...

Let's go for a whirlwind recap:

Hong Kong was super... stepping off the plane, my grandma and aunt didn't recognize me because I was so tanned. LOL, in Hong Kong, they like people to be "whiter". Seeing relatives was a breath of fresh air...I started to think of home + Canada + all you loyal readers of this blog. There was much shopping to be done and SO SO much food. Innumerable dinners with all my relatives, it was great to see my cousins! Man, we're all growing up! Crazy! Disneyland Hong Kong is nifty. I think the castle is 10x smaller than the one at DisneyWorld, and the park is doable in a day.

Dog meat restaurant...not uncommon in Guang Zhou...I didn't try it, of course!

I went back to Guang Zhou, a province in Southern China, and visited the village where my maternal grandparents are from. Wow, there's a boulevard that looks something like Les Champs Elysees right next door now! It's been 15 years since I visited, and the last time I was there, I banged up my eyebrow. One of the villagers that helped carry me to the hospital recognized me! And he gave me 4 live fish as a present! Wow... ok, this is horrible: Two of them died in the car...we had dinner before we went home...


Last few days in Thailand were covered in the last post...here are the anticipated pics!

Me, biking on Koh Tao...and of course, the tattoo. :)

Mommy, Daddy! Guess what?!?

I got a tattoo!!! LOL, ya, a real one...crazy! I'm going to call my parents about it in a few hours... currently, I am waiting in the departure area of the breezy Koh Samui Airport. It is 7:45 in the morning. Blast! I'd post a pic, but you can't on these free terminals. But what more can you ask for? Free food, free internet, free buzz (hey, from the cappuccino!!), direct flight to Hong Kong...Bangkok Airways is awesome!

So...getting a tattoo actually didn't hurt that much. Sort of felt like a dentist drilling...on my back. But the pain settled in about an hour after they were done? Sort of like a bad burn. Chilled out on the shaded Patio of a lovely resort after that...and enjoyed a Coco Kiss, a nice stiff blended cocktail to celebrate my last day in Thailand.

I can't believe it is finally over...it was a like a dream! I can't help but be corny at this moment. Today's sunrise was magnificent (my first in Thailand...the only other time I was up this early was during the Full Moon Party...and it was cloudy that day!) . Perfect blend of blues and pinks, with tall, leafy palms silhouetted against the horizon. And lucky me, I was saved from walking to the main road by an Italian guy!! Contrary to popular belief, money CAN'T buy everything in Thailand! The taxis (if you don't pre-order them...) don't start until 7am! Silly me, I forgot that the 3 hour flight to Hong Kong was "international" and only left an hour before departure for my taxi reservation... thankfully, this motorcyclist came along and swept me off my feet! Horray! Because trekking with 30kgs of crap is not cool. LOL, and I got lucky with the immigration official too!! I actually overstayed my visa for a day. Apparently, I can't count! Went for the visa run a day too early, and the fine is supposed to be 200B/day. But he wrote it off! Score!

What have I been up to the last two weeks? Just chilling out on Koh Pha Ngan...sun, sand, beach...you can't ask for more! I also went diving one last time, with awesome visibility at Sail Rock. Actually, it was really cool (nerd alert...)... there was a huge thermocline and you could feel the big difference in water temperature...and this made the difference between 30m to 2m visibility!! And in spots, you could see the "heat" making your vision wavy like a mirage! Cool! Ok, geek glee is over.

Horray! The plane is about to board. See you soon at home!! Or at least I'll be on MSN more...I think. :)

Tick that off the list: Full Moon Party, Koh Pha Ngan

Ok, so take the craziest party you've ever been to...and multiply it by ten...THAT is the Full Moon Party on Koh Pha Ngan... an idyllic island full of palm trees and unspoilt nature in the gulf of Thailand. A group of us from the Coral Bay resort caught a taxi (twelve people crammed in the back of a pick-up truck...lol) to Haad Rin beach, ground zero for all the fun. When we got there, it was super quiet in the town, which worried me. Ha ha, we had just engaged in a heated debate over whether the party was on the 18th, or on the 19th...ads had posted both dates, but I was sure it was on the 18th because of the internet. Thinking back, it is pretty hilarious that your biggest concern is what night is the party on again? But seriously, I didn't want to miss this!! LOL. Live in the moment people. :)

The story right on the beach was completely different though!! Blaring tunes from the huge sound systems set up right in the sand, bodies swaying to a variety of tunes...hip hop, techno, hard rock, funky stuff, top 40...anything, people making out, glow in the dark body paint everywhere...I think some were doing it right in the sand...so ridiculous! So what was there to do but try my first bucket? LOL, as the name suggests, you get a plastic pail, a few straws and yep, your choice of vodka or whisky. So I went with the Sangsom (Thai whisky), Coke and Redbull combination, with plenty of ice. LOL, I polished off my own mickey? Crazy!! Over the course of the next few hours, I almost converted to Battism (but I told her I'd have to drink behind her back), took a dip in the water (white underwear I remembered later...ga!), rocked out at all of the beachside hot spots, signed a Canadian girl's t-shirt in a special place and just had an all around wicked time. Even through the throngs of thousands, I spotted Christopher and Linnus! Two swedish guys who were staying a couple doors down, at Coral Grand. I also bumped into a few people from Vietnam! Small world...or big party? Both I guess! Actually, in high season (dec-mar), the FMP can attract up to 30, 000...yikes! I don't think there would be any room to even move! Batti & I were hit with the tired bug around 5am, so we plopped ourselves down in front of the local 7-11 (there are 10 on every street in Thailand) and people watched for an hour...then the sun came up and wow...the amount of straws, bottles and stuff on the beach told the story! All the hardcore partiers were still dancing though, so we mustered up a second wave of energy and joined then. The beats slowly winded down, and they played the last tune at 8:30...whoa! I ended up grabbing some breakfast with the Canadian girls (ha ha, we first spent an hour "shopping" on the beach for matching sandals because they had lost theirs) and cabbed it back to Coral Bay. They wouldn't take me all the way to the resort (VERY crazy road, a la Koh Tao) so I had to walk (with my large bottle of water) back to the bungalow...LOL, the battle scar on my foot is from walking home? typical!!
So what is the moral of this story??

GO TO THE FULL MOON PARTY ON KOH PHA NGAN!!! it is awesome!!!!

Just to recap: I saw a turtle on my last dive at Shark Island in Koh Tao!!! So graceful, just paddling around the corals without a care in the world. The few hours before taking the ferry to Pha Ngan were hectic though! The lady at the laundromat had given my bag of clothes to some guy! noo! I spent the next hour running around like a chicken with its head cut off....but thankfully was able to retrieve the clothes after finding the dude eating lunch at the restaurant around the corner from the laundry place. Who takes clothes from a laundromat without checking them first??? And these were PINK! Ugh...

This is the whaleshark that we saw!!! SO COOL hey? 4 or 5 m long baby...wow!!

Simone has a couple other cool pics of Koh Tao on her site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31025008@N00/

My Love/Hate Relationship with Koh Tao

Check out the dirty legs after doing some off-road quad rides on Koh Tao! Woo!

Alrighty...here we go.
I love the island lifestyle, hate paying for it...food, internet, services are twice as expensive!

Diving in the morning is ridiculously good...but I can never wake up! Argh! I went to bed at 8:30pm and STILL managed to miss the 6:30am dive....by 20 minutes. I hate myself!!!

Love snorkelling in the warm waters with colourful corals and fish...I wanted to swim to Shark Bay, but these swarms of jellyfish came out of nowhere!! Ya, my face was feeling really numb, and the stinging was hiliariously painful (but I'm not a masochist), so I turned back without seeing the black-tipped sharks...they're supposed to be in the bay, everyday!

I love the cooler weather that the rain has brought...but WHY! WHY is it monsoon season in the south now? A week ago, it only rained at night...and now, it is pouring all the time. And there is no love/hate with damp clothes! Just malice.

A green swamp...in the middle of the tropical paradise that is Koh Tao. Batti is a quad PRO. Fearless!

OOh, I learned how to ride a quad yesterday! Man, that thing has torque...you can't let go of clutch in the 1st gear completely, or else you'll go flying! Took it for a spin down a deserted road (well, some Thais were laughing at me...) but left the off-roading to Batti, my new Dutch roomate. She goes crazy on that thing! Roads (if you can call them roads) on Koh Tao are sandbagged, and SO steep! Pictures will come...as soon as I get off these ridiculously expensive islands!

Ok, I won't bore you with more mundane details! I'm heading to Koh Pha Ngan tomorrow afternoon (after my last morning dive...to Southwest Pinnacle! LOL, for the 4th time....maybe I'll see another whaleshark! I have arranged a wake-up call...ha ha) for the legendary full moon party on Tuesday. Wish me luck! I know I'll be sleeping on the beach.

A couple more koh tao pics:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/vampalcyone/album?.dir=/2a29&.src=ph&.tok=phqrJyDBXvHP7N7D

SCUBA mecca!

Ok, here goes the fastest update in the history of blogs. Well, at 2B/min...this is pricey for Thailand!

Ko Samui was nice, had some really delicious seafood and was accosted by these Thai cabaret performers...wish I could post the pic! Can't even tell they're guys!! We learned this neumonic device in scuba:

Bangkok (BCD - buoyancy control!)
Women (weights...I need 2.4kg on my belt)
Really (releases - check that your BCD and air tank are secured)
Are (AIR - ya, make sure it is turned ON...all the way!)
Fellows (final OK)

Ha ha, so that means I took a boat to Koh Tao, which is just north of Samui in the southern part of the gulf of thailand. It is amazing diving here! There are a bizillion dive shops. I am diving at coral grand divers, and my 200 B ($6 CDN) room includes a swimming pool. How ridiculous is that?!?! Lots of sun, soft white sand and shallow shallow beaches. The corals and fish are really cool. Puffer fish! And playing with the fish on the bottom of the ocean while they swim between your legs is fun. And ooh, Simone, a really awesome American woman I met, we did kung fu and crazy backflips and scissor kicking (think street fighter. ha ha) underwater. So much fun!!! I am continuing with the advanced open water course tomorrow. If you want to certify yourself, get a plane here!! It'll work out cheaper...and if the amazing underwater visibility (50m!) and abundance of wildlife doesn't convince you, the price will....only 9000 baht or less per course. ridiculous! Last night, we celebrated the end of our course and watched this movie that was filmed of us during the last day. It's pretty sweet...James Bond-esque somersault entries off the boat, descending into the water like skydivers in a ring formation...watching the teeny bubbles get HUGE as they race toward the surface. It is amazing. You gotta try it!!!

How to Lose Pounds...and gain them BACK!!!

Hey, yep, I lost a few pounds...worth of hair! LOL. After 5 gruelling hours (including an hour of my indecision and waiting...) at Hair Pro in Chiang Mai, I look even more Japanese than before. Here are some things to do in Thailand's northern capital:

• Go shopping!! The Sunday street Market is awesome (my backpack is an amazing 22kg...it started out at 14. eep!)
• Catch a traditional Lanna dinner and dance show; one of the skits portrayed a hill tribe party! Very random - the hill tribers would swing spastically around on these banner-like curtains tied to the ceiling...then smoke opium. indeed!
• Head up to Mae Sai, on the Thai/Burmese border. I was in Burma...for 15 minutes! Lots of ripped DVDs at the market...this included a visit to the tourist trap, the Golden Triangle. So named for the black market that used to exist between the border of the three countries: Laos, Thailand and Burma (Mynamar)... drugs for gold!
• Wade through calf-deep water because the Ping River floods...a lot. Twice in the 10 days I stayed in Chiang Mai!! Damn monsoons... ha ha

Right now, it is a ridiculous 33 degrees and so sunny I think I might go blind, on Koh (island in Thai) Samui. I thought my stand-by flying days were over... but thankfully, the supposedly fully-booked flight wasn't. Wow, there are a LOT of Israelis out and about! Happy Jewish New Year!

The beach is absolutely GORGEOUS. Silkly white sand and palms... but I think I have resort jealousy. My windowless 400B (A whopping $12 CDN...) A/C room is a *gasp* 2 minute walk to the water. Oh well, won't be spending much time there with these turquoise waters calling.

Speaking of which, ta ta!

B-Limey!

Some much needed R&R on the top deck of our boat...

Ok...bad pun with the title...my bad. Anyways, Halong Bay redux! It was an amazing three days. Got lucky with the weather and just avoided the monsoon rains. On the first day, we cruised leisurely in and out of the karst formations, and anchored in a bay for a moonlight seafood dinner and some swimming at sunset. Jumping off the 2nd floor deck of the boat was fun! LOL, lost my top...but thankfully, the water is "turquoise" and not crystal clear.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/vampalcyone/album?.dir=/4107&.src=ph&.tok=phWdosDBn0LWrsGp

For some reason, blogger won't let me upload anymore photos...so the link above shows a couple more pics.

The second day, we visited Monkey Island and scaled the prickly limestone to the top of the island...our group of 5 then headed to Cat Ba Island. We had a pretty ridiculous second night! First of all, one of the guys was an exact splitting copy of Devin (if you know him...), right down to the gift of gab, posture and clothing of choice! The difference: Gareth is an Aussie and he studied social science vs. physics. Crazy!! After dinner, we hit up a pool bar run by an Aussie expat. After a few rounds of really embarrasing pool, we went to the panorama bar at our hotel, hoping that there would be some Ka-ra-o-ke... sorry! Bar closes at 11:45pm. I really wanted to have karaoke under my belt before leaving Vietnam! It's SO popular with the locals. Well...we found a late-nite discotheque and enjoyed the Napoleon Dynamite-esque dancing by the professionals (sculpted bodies and everything) from Belgium. They closed abruptly at 1 am, with the last song being Bryan Adam's Everything I do...ooh...yes, my favorite!

So, Miss Canada suggests swimming...the beach was just a leisurely 15 minute stroll away. So we headed there and went for an early morning dunk.... and were interrupted shortly after by an angry Vietnamese guy. Probably for the best...looking out for our safety right? LOL, thankfully, only the two guys were skinny dipping (no comment).

Everyone was late for breakfast on the third day... but we still made it back to Hanoi by 4:30! Before flying out the following evening, I indulged in a sumptous Chocolate Buffet at the Sofitel Metropole Hanoi (US$10!). Seriously, you can OD on sugar... what a strange feeling! Sort of like you've got energy, but you can't really concentrate enough to use it... and you want to sleep at the same time... Weird.