I wonder how this topic came about....

"Hey, you know what we should study?"
"What?"
"So I've been observing lesbian women and I've noticed that they all look bigger than the heterosexual women. I think we should get someone to fund us for a 5 year study and find out if that's true or not. This could have serious reprecussions on society-at-large, plus we could give lesbians even more reason to feel bad about themselves."
"That sounds like a great idea."

An Unfortunate Doppleganger

Every time I come to Markham, I always find some kind of interesting article or event in the world (due to the inability to escape outta here and due to the fact that I know no one). For instance, did you know that yesterday was International Dance Day? I have yet to specify if that means a day celebrating different national dances, or simply a day where it is encouraged to “boogie”. In the case that it’s the latter, I must admit that every day is “International Dance Day” for me (I’m a notorious car dancer).

More on that later… a more interesting blurb blurb came my way today about Bin Laden being arrested. I could not believe that this did not make news headlines all over the world! Unfortunately, what it’s really about is a poor Afghani chap trying to cross the border into Pakistan who happens to look exactly like OBL. Not only did he go through this traumatic experience recently, but it’s not the first time - he’s been arrested before! What’s that saying: “Fool me once, shame on you - fool me twice, shame on me”? These officials should get their facts straight, cause not only are they embarrassing themselves, but OBL might get clever and use him as a decoy.

I am truly fascinated by the idea of a doppelganger. I feel like it’s comforting and exciting to know that there is someone out there who looks exactly like me. Although some people describe doppelganger as an “evil twin”, I prefer not to think of it that way. In fact, apparently if you ever find this person, you are both supposed to be destroyed and/or ruined. Kinda like Harry Potter and Voldemort. I was hoping to meet mine eventually, given the whole “one must die while the other lives” kinda sucks.

P.S. I had to add this article - sometimes people are truly idiots. A bizarre twist here would be if the new groom/groom’s brother was also his doppelganger.

It’s been an interesting week…

In a nutshell, I spent the entire weekend outside - a combination of washing the car, tanning outside, coffee and club patios. I have to say, I now know what has been missing in the past 6 months - the freedom of going outside, wearing next to nothing and just enjoying the city as it should be enjoyed. Speaking of which, gotta hit the gym… no one should be wearing Daisy Duke shorts looking like Rita McNeil…

I also got a chance to see PCD and Christina Aguilera on Monday night. One word: amazing. Hot. Incredible. Ok, many words.

Anyway, during the weekend festivities my girlfriend Eva and I stopped by a vegan restaurant called Fressen. It is a very earthy and hip place on Queen St W, and even though the list of ingredients seems to be limited to veggies and fruit, it was surprisingly good! I would love to be vegan, but my love of fish and eggs would probably not be acceptable (just maybe). But it inspired me to try out new things, and also explore different parts of Toronto (who knew we had so many great restaurants and patios?)

Here comes an amazing summer in TO!

Akon at Zen Nightclub, Trinidad - Disgusting

I think the title of this video says it all - I am seriously disgusted and shocked that something like this happened - and "artists" like this are actually popular. Notice the audience clapping!

Today is a sad day for rappers - Cam'ron is quoted in the news today as saying "he wouldn't helpt police catch even a serial killer because it would hurt his business"... all I have to say is - what the deuce is going on!?

Pearl the Landlord

I just watched this video and nearly choked on my DC - this is the funniest video (albeit a little scary if she remembers the words they taught her).

I gotta go - need to "get my drink on"...

Ever since graduation/my trip to Europe, I've been building a "List of things to do before I'm 25... then 30" so that I can be conscious of everything I still want to accomplish.

I checked off one additional item on that list this weekend - auditioning for Canadian Idol. It was a really fast, and only slightly nerve-wracking experience - I think I'm actually getting better at this whole "performing in front of strangers" thing. I got some really nice compliments, but apparently "have what a lot of other people have" - I think they need something different and original this year. I went in just for the experience, but I got so motivated after it that I'm definitely trying out next year again! This is why I love the list - a personal dare turned into a self-affirming experience - and I can't wait to challenge myself with the next item on that list.

Friggatriskaidekaphobia

I don’t really consider myself a superstitious person, but I have to admit that every time a “Friday the 13th” comes along I think twice about doing anything significant (because of the tiny possibility that luck may not be in my favour that day). How silly, you all say… however, a quick Google search produced hundreds of thousands of hits about the superstition: stats about increased accidents, unexplained bad luck and fear so paralyzing that 5% of the US population has physically harmful anxiety on this day.

It’s funny that no one can really explain where the superstition comes from - Dan Brown insinuated that it was the day that King Philip ordered the arrests and murders of the Templars sometime ago, and that day has been considered unlucky since then. Either way, it is one of those globally-spanning superstitions, and Wikipedia lists it as especially significant in Germany, Poland, Portugal and English-speaking countries… Poland? Really? I think all we need is a nice drink to get rid our worries…I wasn’t even going to go out tonight but now I see that it’s physically necessary.

P.S. Is the reason apartment buildings don’t have a 13th floor because of bad luck? Riiiiight…

Would you bail me out of jail?

I recently had a conversation with my coworkers about Facebook, and mentioned that I had over 400 friends listed on my network. Although a lot of these people are those that I don’t even talk to, but significant from my past, my coworkers couldn’t believe that I would bother being “FB Friends” with so many…

…from which stemmed a lovely conversation about what a “real” friend is, and how many you really have that you can call more than an acquaintance. The Facebook Coolness Factor seems to be to have as many friends as possible, when really you could only stand to see 4-5 of them on a daily basis. My coworkers say that in fact, they can think of 1 or 2 that they would really count on. “What does ‘really counting on them’ mean?” I ask.

To which Kevin replied, “My best friend is a guy who I know would lend me a significant sum of money, no questions asked, if I asked him to lend it to me. Or he’d be the guy that I would use my one, single phone call from jail from cause I know he’d drop everything and come bail me out.”

That got me thinking… sure enough, although I have all these FBFs, I can only count on one hand the number of people that would do that for me. This has become my measuring stick in the past couple of weeks, so much so that I have started to care for those suckers that would do that for me more than those I realized wouldn’t. These are the girls/guys that will most probably get me outta that inevitably bad relationship, or tell me I have something in my teeth… both incredibly necessary and difficult to do.

Point being, I hope that everyone realizes who those friends are (and hopefully you haven’t been a jerk your whole life and can name someone other than your parents) and treat them like gold - I know I am.

We have a new enemy on a very new front

My friend Bart sent me this great article today - kinda random but definitely a compliment to us Polish girls.

Eva, Adam and I were talking about relationships (what else) this weekend, and traveling to Poland, and how almost every woman you see there looks like she just stepped off of a runway, while the Polish guys look like they’re all gang members (and act like it too). And yet, by default, these bum guys get these gorgeous girls…

Anyway, moving past that, the background behind this online piece is that a lot of Polish people (mostly young adults or young families) are emigrating to the West - Ireland, England - since we entered the EU. It’s actually kinda sad for Poland, because we can’t seem to keep our young peeps in the motherland.

Anyway, these British Pirate-Hookers™ [courtesy of A.B.] are deciding that the Polish girls are too hot for their own good and bullying/beating them up! It seems the British males are more inclined to the Eastern European ways, and the locals aren’t appreciating it. Shameful… I feel like they’re animals trying to mark their territory.

On that note, I am heading to the U.K. this June (officially got some vacation approved today!) so needless to say I’ll be kicking some British ass when I get there…

Lent update

With Palm Sunday approaching and Lent almost being over, I have to say I think I have followed through pretty well with my Lenten promise.

I thought giving something up was overdone (especially "junk food" or "TV") since most people can't follow through with that anyway, or end up spending the time/money that they may save on equally wasteful activities. To be blunt, my goal throughout these 40 days was to "avoid being a bitch". It's been hard but I've made a conscious after.

I have to say though, after reading this article on CNN , being nicer is nothing compared to what these people chose to give up! I mean, it's damn near impossible...

I’ve become a true Toronto downtown-ite

Ever since I started work, I wanted to make sure I still maintain some individuality throughout this rat race that we call the “working world”. This may seem silly, but part of that commitment was to keep bringing my own lunch, take the TTC like a trooper (regardless of the crazies) and by all means, avoid coffee like the plague. I can say right away that bringing my own lunch stopped at about week #2.

Unfortunately, this week has become another week of broken promises - not only did I take the GO Train for the first time yesterday, but I loved it! It’s the most comfortable, quiet and fast ride to work - and it’s even better than I thought it could be. I have to admit, embracing the crazies on the subway has neither been as rewarding nor as mutual as I thought it would be. I tried to be nice to one, and got lava-burned on my first attempt [I’m not going into detail]. Yesterday morning on my way through the tunnels of Kipling station, my bitterness for the TTC was coupled with a good-looking man almost beckoning me to follow him to the GO Train station. I followed my gut (and libido) and lo and behold, found myself on the GO - and felt a real guilty pleasure.


My other broken promise is almost too horrible to speak of: as a constant nag to my coworkers and family, I have been a vocal opponent to this unhealthy addiction. But a simple mistake made me a hypocrite this week. Last week, I (innocently) went to Second Cup and wasn’t sure what to get, when the coffee man (of course, a good-looking one again) suggested a Moccacino with soy milk and half the chocolate. I naively accepted, and then tasted the most delicious drink I’ve ever had. Since then, every day I pass by the Second Cup (on the way to work) I have to fight off the urge the evil but delicious coffee…

I can now concede that 1) coffee is a true and real addiction, 2) “subway crazies” are no longer an amusement but a provocation and 3) my libido/men in suits/men in Second Cup uniforms get me into trouble.

I couldn't help myself

So I've been going through a "cute phase" recently, and my senses are acutely aware of anything remotely adorable or endearing. I saw this video a while ago, but it was recently brought to my attention again and it really makes me laugh (especially after something crappy at work). You will either think I'm the biggest nerd, or it will make you laugh at least a little.

Ooops, she did it... again?!?!

So I had a full out post written about stuff that's going on in my life, but I though I'd take the opportunity to comment (being the millionth person to do so, no doubt) about the girl/mom/Girl-Interrupted-in-real-life that is Britney Spears.

I have to admit, I have always been a Britney fan - I can even say she was my girl idol crush at her peak (Slave for You? Hellooooo hot). Every girl wanted her abs, and her love life (circa JT) and her moolah. Because for the girls of my generation, she was the girl who grew into a woman as we became women too - she serenaded our teenage and semi-adult life with lovely, poppy and sugary tunes when we needed the break from the angst-filled Alanis, trippy Radiohead, and boy crushes BSB and NSync.

I really think this is why we are all taking this recent situation with Britney so seriously. I mean, we all thought K-Fed wasn't good enough for her, but felt bad like you do for your girlfriends - who hasn't fallen for a guy that looked great to you but was really a loser to everyone else? And when she got married and got pregnant, we were happy for her in a disappointed way, but we knew she would bounce back because she is Britney - despite her mistakes, we knew her career was huge to her and that the comeback was eminent.

Which is why the break-up with K-Fed was a huge deal - she finally got rid of what was holding her down. Instead, it seems like she got rid of what was holding her together. What is going on now!? Drugs, sex, partying and with two kids at home?

I have to say, I still had faith until the head shaving incident. I became less naive to the possibility that it was all being blown out of proportion, and realized that this is a really, really sad version of Britney. And what's worse, is if it happened to someone like her (albeit she's not the most intelligent), what would stop us, those girls that grew up with her, from having this nervous breakdown potential?

I really just hope that something can save her, because she has (had?) so much potential that she lost in the past 3 months. And lemme tell you, the only person happy about this situation must be Tom Cruise, because "head shaving" is the new Crazy - "couch hopping" has moved to a distant second.

For my part, I'm keeping the electric clippers faaaaar away from my house.

R.I.P. Paula Menendez

The past few days have been filled with shock, sadness and disgust at the Debowski house.

On Monday morning, our street was filled with cop cars and the house right across the street from us was cordoned off with police tape. We had no idea what happened, except that my dad’s physiotherapist, and our neighbour, Paula Menendez, lived in that house.

The story started off with a rumour that Paula had been abducted - her door was found wide open, and her car was in the driveway. Laura, our neighbour, was getting questioned by the police and was really upset.

As the day progressed, the news reported on having found 2 women murdered in a house in Markham. Getting home that evening, the police found out that one of the women was the (alleged) murderer’s husband, and the other was not yet identified. For a passing moment, I thought about Paula being involved in this murder, but dismissed it almost immediately.

Imagine our surprise when news crews showed up on our street, and started interviewing residents about Paula’s murder - her being the other woman in Markham. All of our neighbours are shocked, and disturbed by the constant presence of cop cars on our street. It turns out that it is highly likely that Paula was abducted, by Christopher Little, and then taken to Markham where she likely watched Julie getting stabbed and killed, and was then dragged to the garage, bound and hanged. The details of the story involve a love triangle, with Paula’s husband Rick recently dating Julie, Christopher Little’s husband.

This is really a surreal situation - to think that someone living so close to you could be robbed of their life in such a brutal and violent way. We all keep thinking about the absolute terror that Paula went through on Sunday night, and feel incredible guilt about possibly being just a few metres away when the coward came to attack an innocent woman. I am disgusted, shocked and will forever feel partly to blame for not noticing that anything was wrong. I can only hope that whoever did this will be punished enough for the crime of robbing 2 girls of their mother, and murdering another because of his own fucked up life.

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/181543

This puts a whole new spin on B.O.

I was about to make a comment about how I completely disagree with an article I read (at least on a conscious level) and how sweat is gross.... but I got, and still am, distracted by the hotness that are Brad Pitt's abs (glistening ones, no less).

Damn.

So... back to focus. Reading the news this morning, and trying to sift through the plethora of articles regarding Anna Nicole Smith, I found this great one about how females are sexually aroused and get a faster heart beat simply by smelling a chemical found in guy's sweat.

Mmmmm, crazy delicious.

Of course, the scientists found a useful result of this experiment - the smell of sweat actually increases cortisol levels, which is what makes humans able to cope with stress, and well-being - basically feel-good stuff for the body.

Anyway, as a business person, this is somewhat inspiring - perhaps I will create a product that simulates the smell of sweat and sell it?? “Eau d’homme: guaranteed to make your night a “feel-good” night”.

Oh man! Maybe that’s what the put in Axe? Bummer… I’m always the last to know…

I can NOT believe he didn't do this when I went to see him!!!

I can't believe this... I'm incredibly jealous. Next best thing is to watch it on video...

Oh Justin, you are amazing even with a box over your crotch.

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1740879

Romeo and Juliet

This is definitely something I've never seen before...
Apparently archaeologists have found 5000 year old skeletal remains of a male and female in an embrace near – where else – Verona, Italy. It seems like it’s the real proof to Shakespeare’s story, despite the 6000 + year difference between the age of the remains and the classic tragedy.

The article is pretty self-explanatory, but I just love to think what the background is behind this story – were they really lovers trying to escape something and dying together? Could Shakespeare have been inspired by some variation of an original true story, and used it to write his own?

There’s something to be said about seeing such a tender moment captured in history, underground for over 6000 years. Seeing these kinds of discoveries makes me appreciate what it means to be a human, and a small but important part of our history – I wonder what fossils our generation will leave for humans in 5000 years… hopefully it’s not just a legacy of indifference for the environment and a global crisis on their hands.

The inevitable post has finally come...

So with Valentine's Day quickly approaching, and a few recent changes in my friends' singledoms, I thought I would finally post about the inevitable conversation topic: relationships.

I don't know whether it's the recent holidays, or whether spring fever has come early this year, but at least 4 of my close friends have recently given up their precious single status to be nauseatingly happy in fast-moving relationships.

That sounded incredibly bitter... and I don't think I am, although there is something bewitching in the thought that there actually is someone out there willing to put up with your crap and still be with you despite it.

As an outsider, I can say that I find all the PDAs and constant hand-holding a little over-the-top, although I guess it's not as disgusting when you're actually in the relationship. But with my recent resolution to become more open to dating, I realized that it's increasingly difficult to find someone - especially since I am very clear and decided in what I want in a guy.

Perhaps I am a little bitter this morning... having gone on several dates recently, I had a fantastic experience this weekend but it made me realize that there are so many factors out of my control - even if I do manage to meet this close-to-perfect man, there is always the issue of timing which seems to always get in the way.

However, after reading this article on msn, it lifted my mood a little bit - it's a pretty accurate measure of what you can gain from being single: http://msn.match.com/msn/article.aspx?articleid=6320&TrackingID=516311&BannerID=544657&menuid=7&GT1=8953.

That being said, I am happy for all you couples - if anything, it makes my life easier because you're all in such good moods. Keep it up - just try to tone down the PDAs and get a room.

I don't believe in resolutions... but here goes nothing

Alright, I have caved into the pressure, but for more than just the silly reason of it being a new year.

I have decided, as so well put by my friend Jess, that I have lost my "groove". It may be that time of year, or the fact that work is consuming my life, or perhaps that in exactly 11 weeks I will be crossing the threshold into my mid-twenties (gasp! yes, run away in fear, I am becoming middle-aged...)

Whatever it is, I have identified it as "negative" and not how I want to live my precious few weeks of early-twenties. Therefore, on the eve of the 11 weeks preceding said birthday, I am giving myself one goal - to become the best version of myself that I've ever been. I read some BS somewhere that once you write something down, you become much more committed to it or something, so here's my strong (and ulimately regretable) written contract to myself to fulfill my goal. That way, if I don't achieve it, I will not only be sorely disappointed, but be aware that this public declaration will also lead me to new levels of humiliation should I fail.

I have not decided yet what it means to become this best version - you'll excuse me for my vagueness, since I am on 3 hours sleep and see not many more hours on this proposal-filled horizon. But, I will be writing down these goals as I think of them, and will write what I have achieved at the end of 11 weeks. I do promise, however, that my goals will not include taking up smoking, avoiding Nutella or frequenting that gigolo place I mentioned before... I'll save that for my breakdown as I approach my late-twenties (Good God, can you imagine being thirty?!?)

Good night, and good luck (to myself, I'll need it).

Tis the season to be...lonely?

During my morning breakfast (at noon) today, I noticed an article in the G&M about relationships during the holiday season. Apparently, Christmas brings out the loneliness in people - specifically women. In fact, we miss having a man around so much that apparently the use of gigolo services increases by 25% during the month of December.

At first glance, I scoffed and pitied the poor women who needed a little lovin to make up for the lack of a companion during the holiday season. But upon further reflection, I realized that I am not so different at all!! Mon, the "strong and confident woman", is also missing a male companion as of right now, and is defintiely feeling it. I hate to use the word lonely, and I won't admit to it, but there's definitely a void that I never noticed before. And as I've admitted to Amal - I miss having a guy around. There, I said it - and I won't say it again.

But having a relationship is something that can't 100% be replaced by anything else. I've got a great family, friends, job and a chance at polishing up my own self, and I don't even mind spending time alone with just a book, or music or movie. But being with someone is an addiction, like to a drug - once you have one taste, you know what you're missing when you lose it. It's especially noticeable when all of a sudden all your friends have some love interest on-the-go (when did that happen?!?)

I am not the type to just go for anyone - I would rather be alone than to fake some sort of relationship with someone I am not completely crazy about, and I hope to never reach that point of desperation. But my self-righteousness is lessened of late - I have realized that while being alone is great, I am weak/strong enough to want someone else to share my life with. Someone who happens to be tall, dark and handsome, with a great job and family values, who can be modern and traditional at the same time, and who will be loyal for the time that we are together. And to be honest, until that guy comes along, I will continue to fill the void in my life with new experiences and make it as full as I can without him.... and avoid the gigolo clubs until I really, really need them.