Puppy Love!

*Facebook users, please scroll down and click View Original Post on the bottom RH corner of the "note" to read this properly!!!

After two days of frustration running after, correcting, and crate training my puppy, I was in love. A Mensa puppy according to the vet, Kiara learned to knock at the door when she had to use the bathroom, on the third day. Sit, Come, Down and Stay are all good...although we are still working on "Fetch" and warming her up to her kennel! To those non-dog lovers, skip this entry, it has little to do with adventurous travel - but can you resist the eyes of a little puppy?

"Wow, this car is the perfect bed...zzzzz"

"Tug of war is the best game ever - even with a blanket - why can't I play it with my leash??!"

We picked her up from the breeder in Calgary and she slept the whole way home! Shaking with nervousness, she accepted her new life away from her siblings. While the first two nights were hell - yelling so loud I could barely believe it! Something so tiny makes that much noise?! When beside any gentle human, she is in bliss. Leave the room and she cries - but she's learning!

Kiara - Gaelic for "little black haired one", camouflaged on my couch.

Training books suggest that you make a kennel super comfortable, so I bought a baby dog bed with cozy stuffing, a new toy, and treats, trying to entice her into the kennel. She's too smart though...what does she do? The second me or my roommate let her out of the kennel - she slams the door closed. Seconds later, she realizes "Wait, all the cool stuff is in there!" , runs back, drags out her ball, dog bed, and blanket, one at a time, and places them in the living room where I'm watching tv.

Me and my baby after her first bath

"I feel all fuzzy like a cat!"

Crawling under the table for a den - "Chewing the bone is hours of fun!...well, hours divided into minutes where I switch to chewing my rubber ball, blanket, and occasionally something I know I'm not supposed to, like my mom's shoes! I keep out of her closet though...that is out of bounds!"

"This is the table I like to den under, after I drag my flavour of the moment-toy around the entire table a few times and settle on a spot"

"A kennel? You're kidding, right? I'm staying right here with you"

Unless of course there'se a baby around. Kiara LOVES kids...it's like she knows she's baby too. Check out this pic (coming soon!) of Kiara and Sheena's three month old daughter, Alyssa, chilling in the baby rocker. We were at a coffee shop on the weekend (yes, I take her everywhere), and she whined when the kids who were petting her went on their way..."why can't I go play with you???")

Kiara loves to exercise and seems to have endless energy, even though she is let out at least twice a day. Every morning at 6:30 am, we go on a 45 minute walk/jog (She's more fit than I am...and at lunch hour I'm back again to play for an hour. Not to mention the hour in between work and tutoring, and two hours before bed. I think I'll have to join The Running Room's running club). At least the one online, so I can schedule the interval minutes in. She's a crowd-pleaser though, so on the weekends it gives me a chance to slow down - I even found a hair salon (The Hair Station) who said it'd be fine to bring her while she gave me a stylish cut...will have to try that!

Well it looks like I've taken on a different type of adventure. Don't worry though, this blog isn't going anywhere. Her kennel has a 5 year warranty and is international major airline approved, so I'll be sure that she's coming with me for long term travels (ahem...Europe!)!

Oktoberfest to Rocktoberfest - Prost!

Decidedly different, the Shaw's annual Oktoberfest to Rocktoberfest was a great way to spend Halloween. From halloweeners, to beer girls, to the costume-shy, a mix of people (very few Germans!) created an amazing night. Kristin, Sean, Connie, Carol and I rung in Halloween with cheer. While the menu was German, they ironically only had Canadian beer - Where's the Erdinger Weissbier?!

Settling with our Molson Canadian, we enjoyed the crazy way they moved from traditional German polka dancers to a night of rock. While the veggie fare was limited to pretzles, spatzel and black forest cake (unfortunately just Save-on Foods brand) - and Canadian beer- the event made up for it in its flair. I may have to join the bandwagon and make this an annual event!

http://www.oktoberfestedmonton.com/

A Perfect Housewarming Party

On October 24th, 2009 I threw my first houseparty, with quite the turnout (facebook replies, you lie!). A simple affair of 30 people, a smorsborg of Halloween cupcakes, tiramisu, crackers, Crispy Minis and various cheeses - and enough alcohol to feed an army - it was perfect. The infamous flu kept a few away from the fun, but it was a great mix of friends from everywhere. Unfortunately, the picture collection is slim, and doesn't even include half of those there...but we were too busy drinking ;)

From Big Shiny Tunes 14 to various radio stations to ecletic MTV, our background noise ranged from music to the Oilers vs. Flames hockey game. My cupboard is now stocked with wines of all kinds, gin, tonic, regular Coke that awaits its Bacardi companion, and collections of beer.

From top left: Steph, Sean, Ryan, James, Kendra

Bottom Row: Tracy, Lindsay, Kendra, Katie, Steph, Janice, Meghan

After weeks of rearranging dates and planning, it finally turned out a success. Expecting only a handful of people, I had a houseful. Maybe Shakespeare said it best

"Expectation is the root of all heartache"

You all know what this means...houseparties, bring it on! There will be more, bigger and better than the last!

P.S. If you need a good realtor, I can hook you up ;) Thanks James for helping me find my first home!

Ottawa & Gatineau: Our Capital, Multicultural City!

A whirlwind long weekend in Ottawa proved to be an adventure! Very Edmonton-like in its atmosphere, minus the tough trucks and lack of Autumn foliage, Ottawa's uniqueness brings a hint of French culture to a small Canadian city. Speaking simultaneously in French and English, residents switch from one to the other as if they were the same - a wonder I wish other cities had.

Lorina & I wandered the market-ridden streets like Dalhousie, boutique shops on Murray and York, and the classic city centre mall called Rideau. Friday evening I tried my first Beavertail ; a deep fried resemblant of the elephant-ear desserts at the Scandivanian tents at Heritage Days.



Saturday we embarked on a 12 km hike in Gatineau, Quebec. Although the Ottawa transit system is far superior to Edmonton's, and includes an amazing bus-only lane and $3 ride to the airport, we did find it difficult to find someone who could tell us how to get to Gatineau sans auto. After way too many detours, we arrived for our hike and shivered our way to see bright autumn colours and Pink Lake's scenery.




Monday, I decided to explore the city as Lorina headed back to the office - unfortunately I was a week too much into off-peak season, and museums were closed Mondays! I hear the Canada War Museum is a site to see. The Royal Mint and Change of Guards are worth it too; I saw it 14 years ago but it was memorable. In lieu of the museums and art galleries, I created my own historical walking tour, showcased in the slideshow below.

Just a simple weekend of breakfast at Cora's, which was good but uncharacteristically cold (Lorina tells me her Lucie breakfast was not up to par), buying jewelry at markets, and coffee with Lorina's friends - it was an excellent break from my hectic lifestyle. I even had the opportunity to meet Dennis and Naomi again at Royal Oak pub near Ottawa University, in another mini Singapore reunion - this time not halfway across the world!

After Canmore & Seattle this summer, small weekend trips seem ideal; maybe I'll make it a bi-monthly tradition!

Check out the slideshow ! Facebook users, please click View Original Post at the top of the "note", as facebook does not support embedding video.

A Little House in the City

Homeowners for Dummies? Tired of paying the landlord, I made the leap to a tiny little house a basement and a yard. I find the place eerily quiet, even though it's right near the busiest part of the city (ah, Edmonton, you do try to be a metropolis). After my Spanish exchange student's exchange was unfortunately cancelled, I went on the roommate hunt....quite the adventure I can tell you!

From creepy creepers to arrogant people that can't read, to families that wanted to move into my basement (my 14 and 16 year old are "quiet" they assure me), to a woman who claimed her four year old Boston Terrier only weighed 10 pounds...in a one month span I saw it all. Luckily, I now have a German roommate named Rainer, and there's better energy in my home (more than just my own footsteps!)



A cute little house is now mine; it looks like the ones I wanted to buy when I was eighteen (what do you know, it's six years later, living in Europe and Asia sucked up my money like a furious vacuum). Decorated in red and black, and the kitchen in dark lime green, feng shui elements are around my home; happiness awaits. Fairly priced, and gorgeously maintained, I'm excited to be in a place that's really mine. (Ok, the rec room/bar needs work!) English tutoring like crazy to pay the bills, I've turned into a workaholic - but a workaholic with a beautiful life. Can we say houseparty???

One thing I can tell you about home maintenance. An electrical contractor never to use: Laser Contracting, owned by Kam - don't use this company! As a marketer, I'd be happy to detail the reasons why my customer service experience was less than satisfactory; just email me.

The best part of being a homeowner? No condo fees and I can have a dog! Twenty years after I first asked for a puppy, my dream comes true. As a kid, I asked every Christmas and birthday from the time I was four, until I relented my pestering at age 12. After a year of reading doggie books, dummies books, training guides, and collecting internationally airplane-approved gear, I am ready.

Kiara

Kiara, my little black lab puppy, was born September 4th, 2009 and will be coming home from Calgary on November 7th, 2009. As summer disappears into the Autumn, I begin to understand why, despite the work, people are so excited for their babies; I can't wait to meet her!

Kiara - pronounced "kee-ar-ah", Irish for "little dark haired one", and Italian Chiara for bright, I'm sure my black lab will be intelligent and beautiful. Her full size kennel, puppy collar and leash, seatlbelt harness, toothbrush, puppy blanket, organic food, ceramic food bowl and a dedicated nameplate await her arrival!

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Seattle: Underground City of Cafes

After an arduous summer of work, work, work, Sean and I jetted off to Seattle for a weekend in August - land of cafes, planes and a famous fish market. While Pike Place is not all it's cracked up to be, and the original Starbucks lacks the same elegance as them all, Seattle's other cafes were heavenly. One must, however, give Starbucks the credit for the largest coffee marketing plan ever - despite their mediocre, weak, American style espressos. From the central Green Tortoise hostel, to the half rain, half shine weather, to metropolitan teaspressos on Vancouver's rocky beach, our getaway was a perfect escape from our workaholic lives.


Feminism in the Air

A day at the airplane museum proved to be a worthwhile bus ride. On a budget, we checked out Seattle's very Edmonton-like public transport; slow but gets you there eventually. A slow mode of transport to check out the world's fastest mode. Throughout the museum, a feminist touch peaked my interest. Other than the well-known Amelia Earheart, women in flight included Harriet Quimby, Julia Clark and the Stinston sisters. With two floors of themed models and a few real planes parked on a runway, the Museum of Flight is a definite must-see.

Check out my slideshow of the airline industry's first women and the way society slowly let them into the cockpit. Girlpower!



Underground City Tour

Perhaps the most interesting historical tour I've ever taken (and I have taken a lot!), the Underground City Tour exposed three blocks of Seattle's "old city". Due to poor elevation conditions, the city had to be uplifted in the 1800's and for three years, people lived on a "two-level" city, with the bottom level harbouring the miners' bars and other entertainment, and releasing sewage like smells throughout the city. The comical speaker made the show, from his description of the city's aroma to his description of the city's political bureaucracy.

http://www.undergroundtour.com/

Shopping, Shopping, Shopping (and pizza)!

Go outlets! Yes, half of our four day trip to Seattle was spent on the outskirts, shopping in malls. Best $400 ever spent...for double the price of our plane ticket, we shopped ourselves silly! The metropolites in Seattle's core, and even in Vancouver's Kitsilano While Vancouver and Seattle are famous for street pizza, one slice was good enough for me. We met up with Sean's brother and had an amazing Thai meal. Busy, bustling, beautiful...if it weren't for the rain, Vancouver would be the perfect place.

Canadian Beach

HI Jericho Beach is an interesting hostel located on Vancouver's waterfront. Roomy, clean, with great staff, it's an excellent way to spend a cheap night in Vancouver. Ok, perhaps not the most Singapore like beach ever, but a refreshing difference to Edmonton's land locked land mass. A pensive hour by the beach before returning home.

Frustucken in Edmonton

Summer in Edmonton is like a fleeting two months of happiness after eight months of a prisoner's hell. The month of June consisted of a few Sunday brunches among friends, as we checked out some fine Sunday dining to relax from the stresses of the working life. The Germans have a word for the enjoyment of breakfast we miss in the English language; fruhstucken.













Manor Cafe

Meghan, Sean, Stephanie and I have labelled this as one of our favorites; amazing poached eggs, great fruit and sides and a cozy, home like feel. Just minutes away from 124th street's little boutiques, it's a great place to enjoy a meal and then walk around the downtown area.


Shopping, yoga, and breakfasts....what a great way to spend Sundays! Too bad our weather only lasts a couple months!

L'Azia

Surprizingly affordable, this restaurant in the downtown core (ok, ok, I know our downtown is not spectacular, but it's getting better!). For under $15 we got an amazing meal, including cornbread, fruit salad and tabouleh. Working like crazy makes the weekends seem heavenly.
Ah, to be a student again!

A new German movie I found interesting after a few months of classes was The Educators, titled "Les Edukateurs" (less, with a k) for the Cannes Film Festival in France. A few politically left winged college students can't stand the rich, snobby neighbourhoods near them, and break into the homes, not to steal anything, but to rearrange the furniture and leave "life-changing" sticky notes. A must see!

With my new German tutor, Marika, Wednesday evenings consist of a foray into German culture and creativity with grammar. From houses, to work, to school, we speak about real life situations, to help me follow my dream to work in a warmer place, to live in Europe. With semi-fluent French, parts of Italian and bits of German, maybe I can follow a path towards my dreams.

German philosopher Wittenstein said it best "Die grezne meiner sprache sind die grenzen meiner welt". The limits of my language are the limits of my world.