Evolution of Dance

I laugh out loud everytime I see this video... the guy is actually talented.

I learn more from the radio in transit to work than I actually do AT work

So apparently myth is true… although it doesn’t seem so much a myth because if you watch any group of women, they prove that it has to be a bona fide fact (every episode of Sex and the City is based on this fact).

Women talk more than men do – 3 times more!

A study stated that on average, women use a whopping 20,000 words in one day, while men barely use 7,000. This brings about an interesting debate…

Do men use less words cause they’re smarter, dumber or just unable to express themselves? Do women use more words because they’re more emotional, and therefore need to voice those feelings? And is this something we should equalize/ attempt to narrow the gap, or is it just one of those differences between men and women that we all love to analyze…

When I compare my mom and myself to my brother and dad, I can definitely see the difference in word use – it’s actually a common spat in our family – my dad tries to get a word in but my mom is too quick for him.

To me, the more you speak, the more you have to bullsh*t – how else can you account for the extra word use? I must say, I have long been a fan of saying more in few words – I have put conscious effort into not talking as much (I find this makes me seem like I understand everything at work while I really don’t have any idea what they’re talking about). I also find people (a.k.a. women) at work who talk too much annoy not only me, but make me doubt their real capability since the BS factor seems to be so high.

Really, some self-control is needed at time- in my male-dominated workplace, I keep myself in check to make sure I don’t sound like a ditz. Once I leave that office though, it’s time to relax – I say let everyone speak! It really takes greater skill to be able to verbalize what you’re saying… anyone can shut themselves up. Otherwise, one day bottling up all that “talk” might turn you into a crazy on the streets of Toronto that just talks to him/herself…

Pho? How bout NO

If evil were to take form as food, it would be Pho.

I'd like to add that I am really trying to be experimental with food choices - I definitely tried a lot of different foods in Europe, and I attempt to keep an open mind (as much as I can complain while I do it).

I knew Pho and I weren't meant to be when I smelled the coriander in the mix - I don't know what it is, but coriander makes me... I won't get graphic. Not only that, but the smell sticks with me for days after. *Shudder*

Then, Dirk (my coworker) pointed out the pieces of tripe or stomach or whatever it was... I swear, my imagination got the better of me and I couldn't eat anymore.

Good news though - I couldn't eat anything the rest of the day - looks like I found that secret method for sticking to that diet my trainer tried to put me on.

P.S. This post is not meant to offend any Vietnamese people - I'm sure you're all lovely, and that other choices on the menu were delicious, but yuck.

Has someone been reading my blog?

It seems my tirade against O.J. Simpson's TV interview and book made a difference - both have been cancelled today! This is the first time that media has listened to me - and about oh, 10 million other people.

And in the meantime, we count another beloved star making a nosedive in their reputation - Kramer, from Seinfeld, was doing stand-up and was getting heckled by some (apparently) black people, because he went into a shameful verbal assault against them. It seems like he had a mini-crazy moment - possibly pulling an Anne Heche, circa 2001, or maybe a Mel Gibson, circa raging alcoholic. Either way, somewhat unfortunate. Check it out on www.tmz.com (with video!)

"IF I did it" - BS by OJ Simpson

I know I said I’d write about happy things… but the truth of the matter is that happy things are often boring, rare, and I’m unable to rant about them. They just don’t get me into the Mozone, you know?

Hence my next subject – I read about O.J. this morning: he is writing a book and interviewing with Fox about the murders he “didn’t” commit. He will write/discuss how he would have done it IF he was the one that murdered Nicole and Ron.

I don’t understand how people can watch this bull. How can you watch someone describe a murder that he obviously committed with the smug satisfaction that he did not get charged nor will ever be charged? This is an actual quote from the interview: “I have never seen so much blood in my life. I don’t think any two people could be murdered without everybody being covered in blood.” I don’t even know what to say to that… I only hope that his kids aren’t watching, because not only am I disgusted that someone would give this loser any more attention for being a murderer, I am infuriated that the US judicial system would allow for something like this to happen – he should be stopped and silenced forever.

I rest my case.

After canvassing for 6 months and having an amazing team to support him, Andrew’s hard work paid off last night. Although he didn’t actually beat the incumbent/offensive John Filion, he got an amazing 35% from his ward.

Needless to say I am slightly hungover and very tired this morning… my night ended around 1:30 (not bad for a Monday) after traveling home on the subway from Yonge and Sheppard and making several pit stops along the way.

Whatever happened, it was all worth it – I’m proud to say I worked on a campaign for a guy like Andrew. As Pat would say, “a real class act”.

E-Day is finally here...

After helping Andrew out for the past few months, the day is finally here - election time!

Go out and vote, and then come celebrate Andrew Miller's successful campaign in Willowdale - he deserves it!

On a side and completely unrelated note, I just read an interesting article on CNN about Toronto, professors and weed - we should be proud that we got into international headlines with this story.... riiiiiiight.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/11/13/canada.professors.reut/index.html

Good ol' TTC...

So although I bitch about commuting, it definitely gives me a chance to satisfy my obsession with Sudokus, books, music and people-watching for about 2 hours every day.

Although most days I'm either touched or amused by people's actions, the past few days have made me realize that a) riding the subway is like a microcosm for the "real world" and the type of people in it b) (continuing on that thread) there are a lot of "weirdos" in Toronto and c) there are a lot more homeless people than I realized (now that it's cold outside, the homeless keep to warmer areas).

A touching moment was yesterday, when an elderly couple got onto the subway, snuggled together and both fell asleep during the ride. It sounds cliche, but it was cute since they were doing it without any false pretense.

Some scarier experiences were when I saw a group of teens harass another teen (damn bullies), then myself got assaulted on the same day. Some guy started touching me, and then following me off the subway - thankfully a pair of knights in shining suits saved me with their white briefcases. A modern day fairy tale perhaps?

The worst part of my commute was yesterday, when I was coming back from Spanish class - as I was entering the subway, sirens were going off behind me and following me up to the entrance. I was trying to get to the Westbound trains at Yonge/Bloor, and as I was transferring through, I noticed a commotion and a man perched on a railing in the tunnel looking like he was ready to commit suicide. Turns out the sirens were cops trying to come stop him...

EIther way, it really saddened me that this actually happens - I mean, I'm not naive enough to think that suicide is more common than the public assumes, but to actually see someone desperate enough to do it in PUBLIC is a tragedy.

On that note, I've decided to write about happier things from now- it seems my blogs always end on a sad note, which is not an indication of me at all. Sooooo.... next blog: rainbows and puppies and raindrops on roses.... you get my drift.

Finally...

It has finally happened!

TMZ (www.tmz.com) has just reported that Britney Spears filed for divorce from Kevin Federline - anyone who knows me knows that a) I love keeping up with Hollywood gossip b) I always loved Britney and c) K-Fed is white trash.

This is my superficial side coming out, but I am glad that she finally got rid of him. And she waited til she looked good and caused a stir last night on Letterman to do it.
http://www.tmz.com/2006/11/07/holy-crap-brit-is-hot-again/

You go girl! (I can't pull that off can I?)

GAH!!!

I lost my mother%\*$& in cell phone on the subway - I'm an idiot!!

I thought I'd try and vent on the blog to deal with this major annoyance. Oh, and to mention that I am a predictable human being: it seems the 5 Stages of Grief apply to me: I passed Denial about 2 hours ago, when I couldn't believe that it happened to me, and tore through my purse/bag/car/clothing (with odd stares from fellow subwayers). I am currently, and obviously, going through the Anger stage - if any of you were here with me right now... well, you don't want to be.

Beware of stages 3-5: Bargaining (yeah right), Depression (ouch) and Acceptance (very far away). Don't say I didn't warn you.

Release therapy - literally.

Apparently this man strikes so much fear into people's hearts that they get turned on.

On my way to work this morning, I read a little blurb in the Metro about increased condom sales and bookings at "love motels" in South Korea recently. I'm not kidding - the article wrote that "despite the South Korean's apparently blasé reaction" to North Korea and nuclear situation, South Koreans are actually "seeking solace in sex".

I don't really know what to say... usually I would say that people have their own way of dealing and that I don't understand, but finally, this is a grieving process that I can appreciate.

Something tells me that in about 9 months, the Metro might report an unexplained "increase in babies born" in South Korea…

Mon the mom? Highly unlikely.

Being a parent scares the crap out of me.

Not that I am thinking about it becoming a reality anytime soon - I'm still proud to say that I am in a selfish phase in my life, and that raising a child is nowhere near the realm of my possibility.

I have seen my share of bad parenting, and especially horrible parenting, through disasters in our (formal) social circle, through children at my mom's school and just through personal experience at my own schools. When it comes down to it, a lot of parents should have either waited, or declined the role in the first place. It's common sense that the environment that you grow up in creates the kind of person you are, with a few exceptions that break the mold.


I love the Cosby family - if I could choose a fantasy family of my own, I think they'd be a lot like them. I'll never forget the episode when Theo talks to his dad about not being smart enough to do well in school, and that he should be able to choose his own path in life, which doesn't necessarily have to be so hard. He talks at length about loving him no matter what he studies, and that his dad should accept that. A Full House episode would have called for a pat on the back, and a "don't worry, honey, you can settle for mediocrity if that's what you want" moment.
Cosby, on the other hand, replied with the unforgettable "that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard!". Classic... it sounds exactly like my dad, and it was refreshing to know that there were other kids out there trying to take the easy way out and the parents to nip that kind of mentality right in the bud.

Anyway, I digress once more... my blog is inspired by an article I read this morning. It seems there is a study saying that autism could be caused by too much TV at a young age: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1548682,00.html?cnn=yes. These kinds of studies freak me out, since it puts one more thing on the ownice of the parent. I am by no means a control freak, but remembering all the "dos and don'ts" of parenting make me realize I am far from ready or willing to become a mom. Or I could try to adopt a child from Malawi, but it seems that's fraught with even more problems than having my own.

I think that being selfish, single and lovin it is the way to go for me - no mini-Monika's for now.

What are you smoking?

With my office (partial) view into the building courtyard, I was surprised to see a large number of people frequenting (props to Adam) the outside walkway. It was pouring rain, and cold, and I couldn't figure out why people would subject themselves to an unpleasant environment.

...Then, I saw the magic sticks. People were obviously in need of the hit of tobacco and the trade-off between smoking and getting wet was an easy decision to make. I was and am surprised by how many addicted smokers there actually are - living in the suburbs, and hearing all the anti-smoking laws has deluded me into thinking that nobody smokes anymore, but one visit to downtown toronto during morning coffee or lunchtime definitely clears up the confusion.

Don't get me wrong, I'm really not one to loudly judge the smokers - even I have casually 'experimented' with cigarettes/cigars, and don't feel guilty about it. I don't think I can really understand people with a full-blown habit, that required a morning smoke to get through the day - then again, I'm not the type to have an addictive personality, so apparently I "will never understand".

Smoking provides some kind of high that people need, hence the addiction - find a new high! Listen to Brooke Shields (whose 80's advertisement against smoking I find highly amusing), whose "looks are spoiled" by the cancer stick. It can't possibly be the white jumpsuit and cheeks the colour of a fire truck that are ruining her vibe... Brooke Shields circa 1985 has a lot to teach you all, take notice and dump those cigarettes (especially the ones that you stick in your ears, those can hardly be good).

I'm inlove...

It has happened, and much, much sooner than I thought it would:

I have met someone, and I'm completely infatuated after only a few days.

Bold statement? Yes. But this male is exactly what I was looking for. First of all, he's incredibly low maintenance - he is completely happy (from what I can tell) with just hanging out with me, and doesn't need anything fancy to be content. He holds himself with a quiet dignity that few possess, says a lot using very few words. Of course, he's extremely good-looking, but a little too territorial sometimes (he would rip the competition to shreds, literally). Although it's only been a few days, he has been there to tuck me into bed and wakes up to greet me in the morning.

Want to see this gorgeous specimen? He's really one-of-a-kind:

Meet Moe.

Homecoming definitely felt like coming home...

Sigh... I didn't realize how much I missed London until this weekend - although I didn't have time to think about missing it, given that I had 24 hours to celebrate my return.

This picture (my most favourite) is the perfect image of what the weekend was - passed out but still showing school spirit (on the left) and lookin fly (our actor friend on the right). Sadly, this is the scene at the beginning of the trip, but it was definitely worse on the way home (I almost joined them, and I was driving).

The weekend started off with the football game, which I am proud to say we won, but I didn't make it through - it rained almost the whole time and I got my sick ass frozen to the core up until half-time. After driving some soaking boys and myself back to the apartment, we di dsome shopping and chilled up until we realized we were late getting to the bar at 8pm! The Frog had a 45 minute line-up, which we quickly manoeuvered around by paying the bouncer the equivalent of cover at a Toronto bar, and got in immediately.

The Frog is by far the best bar I have been to, and that includes Toronto bars/clubs as well - it never disappoints. The crowd was great, cheap drinks and more cute guys than I've seen in one night. We kept it a girls night, which was the best - Amal and I partied hard til closing, and got few hours of sleep that night. The next morning, we dragged our hungover bodies to Starbucks, and on the way home hit Barakat's, which completed the customary London weekend - keeping it traditional is comforting.

To sum it up - I saw almost everyone from our graduating class (one friend even flew up from LA just to be there) and London is an amazing place to party it up. Amal and I decided that we are definitely visiting sometime soon again, and embracing the early arrival time, cheap drinks, familiar faces and the one crowded street on the way home from the bar. Thank God we chose Western... who knows what might have happened if we were U of T'ers (no offense lil Deboz)...

Weeeeesteeeern

How excited am I? Almost 6 months since my last class and 4 months since grad, I get to visit my lovely alma mater - and under the best circumstances. I don't like purple, or watching sports, sitting out in the cold or drinking beer ("it's so good once it hits your lips"), but for some reason Homecoming weekend brings out the best in me and I become a fan of all of the above - until the game clock strikes 0, and I drag myself home without one of my high heel "slippers".

Moving along... I am driving up Saturday morning with a carload of Western Alumni, and meeting up with the old crowd to watch the game and proceed to party until Sunday morning. I'm sure there will be many stories after this week - London always guarantees a good time, especially at the Frog. I'm going to be there for all of 24 hours, but oh, how glorious each hour will be...

To be or not ... what?

I had this discussion in Europe, and it’s been on my mind since then…

You can argue that people should always be working on improving themselves – through self-discovery and –reflection, the point of our life is to eventually reach a perfect version of ourselves. Or at least that we can accept and be happy with.

So the question is, how do I choose what this “ideal Mon” should be like? I have definitely identified what could be classified as character flaws, but how much of those are something I should embrace? Basically, should I be accepting of how I was born, or should I constantly be trying to change who I am? On top of that, I find there are different versions of me too – when in a different environment, or mood, or whatever.

A lot of people have responded that you should always be changing your personality to rid yourself of flaws, but I find that’s also what makes someone interesting. Really, the worst thing you can do is be boring, or to make people indifferent to you.

Therefore, I have chosen to keep my impatience, my ill-timed jokes, my inappropriate comments and my ever-changing moods as character-enriching qualities. You’ve all been warned.

Get your sexy on...

I had to comment on my random thought of the day...
Being newly single (1 month or so), I have suddenly been immersed in the dating scene - or rather, the complexities of what it means to date. Most of my friends are single, but definitely have more dating experience than me - despite being 23, I was always a late bloomer, and am a few years behind other people.

Interestingly enough, playing catch-up can happen pretty quickly - it seems that there are a lot of single, young people out there. First, I get my daily dose of it every day on the way to work, and during breaks and lunches (did I mention I have a weakness for guys in suits?). Second, websites like Lavalife have showed that there are a lot of people out there looking, albeit I consider LL the indirect, kinda "chicken" way out (I'm trying not to knock it til I try it).

As always, I digress - my point here is: what is the quality that attracts people to another? After speaking at length on this topic with Sam, we decided that it's definitely confidence. Obviously the man (in this case) needs to have something to work with, but the ability to be secure in yourself and in your ability to satisfy your partner is crucial. Since the person has no doubt in themselves, this leaves no room for the partner to doubt them either.

Just to be clear, being confident does not include an overly large ego or being cocky - in fact, often truly confident people will not talk about themselves, but just exude self-assuredness.

This will weaken my argument, but I thought about this while watching JT perform at the VMA's this year. So many people hate him, or criticize his dancing, but he doesn't care - and his performance is always stronger because he's so sure of himself. Hence "bringing sexyback"... we love JT.

Delayed diatribe (def. prolonged, bitter and abusive discourse)

I didn't want to do it... I exercised self-control... I even realize that by writing about it I'm giving it even more attention... but it HAD to be done!!

I can't stand Paris Hilton. Even more than Diddy.

I don't even know when the Paris media obsession started. All I know is that when she first became popular, I was trying to figure out who the heck she was. But I was still indifferent. I got annoyed with her show, and with the "That's Hot" repeated everywhere - of course she could only put two (three?) words together at a time. She showed a lack of imagination and lived a life of true gluttony, in every sense except literally - the burgers she advertised so expertly will never really be eaten by Paris Hilton. My annoyance turned to anger when she badmouthed Lindsay Lohan - I hate to admit it, but Lindsay is my favourite young drama queen, so I got her back.

But yesterday, my indifference--> annoyance--> anger turned into rage. She was driving under the influence, and evidently did something wrong since she got arrested. Instead of apologizing or doing some sincere and instant damage control, she announced that "it was nothing" and that all this attention has been "hurting her feelings".

I don't even want to say anymore... I'm angry, if you couldn't tell.

On a happier note, I am spending tonight with my friend Sam and hitting up a party with people from my school, and heading out for some good old-fashioned partying (with dancing hopefully). Tomorrow, Sam and I are heading to Yorkville to shop, but really to catch sight of all the stars in town for the Toronto Film Fest. When telling my coworkers about my weekend plan, I came off somewhat stalkerish - but the key is to look for many stars as opposed to just one (which we are doing). And catching up on our reading in the neighbourhood Starbucks.

Finally, I have officially become a part of my office - I have a nickname! Normally, it's "Mo", but during my ghetto, high street-cred moments, I become "Deboz". Both make me sound tough, which is definitely the attitude I would like to portray.

Deboz out. Boo-yeah.

I have become a geriatric...

...and I've developed the need for a cane as well, apparently.

Obviously, this week is one where many students go back to school, and often to a living of freedom, sleeping in, drinking and going out - oh, and being surrounded by people their own age. I didn't really miss Western until I realized that the past 2 weeks have been the exact opposite of the life I used to have.

It has actually been less than 2 glorious weeks that I have been employed, and I love every minute of it. I always thought of myself as a "non-worker", but CGI has been absolutely fantastic! The office, the people, the location... I've even been doing some relevant work. However, this lifestyle has me yawning at 9pm, up at 6am and lacking the social life that I so carefully put together up til now. Emails are definitely the only form of communication, partnered with some msn chatting (since I get it at work). I spent my first weekend as a working girl sleeping, watching movies, shopping for work clothes and... well, there was some partying, but I was hardly up to my "hardcore" standards.

I am assuming (and hoping) that once I get into the rhythm of things, I will get used to only sleeping a few hours and actually going out on weekdays. I mean, when am I supposed to fit in extra currics, a boyfriend, a family, or even a life?? I'm not as alarmed as I sound, but that's only because I am half-asleep...

Monika out.