2010b
2010a
2009d
2009c
2009b
2009a

2008f
2008e
2008d
2008c
2008b
2008a

2007e
2007d
2007c
2007b
2007a
2006d
2006c
2006b
2006a
2005a

2004b
2004a
2003a
2002a
2001a


&

December 7, 2010

Saturday, another laptop movie: de battre mon coeur s'est arrete. Most relatable film since reprise. Tom chooses between making a living (by following his dad's footsteps into the brutal real estate business) and feeling alive (by following his mother's footsteps into classical piano). Surprisingly encouraging ending. If one seeks, one shall find a fairy tale compromise.

Sunday, west elm sofa sale. I've been eyeing the tillary for a while. Walked over to the liberty village store so that S can calculate the comfy index.

Tuesday, the craziness that is New Business Plan review process ends ...

November 27, 2010

Accompanied S to Xmas party at great cooks on eight. Vendy loves to set steak on fire :)

November 22, 2010

Saturday, super cute movie on S's laptop, Totoro. Vendy wants a cat bus :)

Monday, S starting a new job. Instead of visualizing blood vessel data for surgery, he will now work with a robot that surveys oil & gas pipe lines.

November 16, 2010

Spent most of Monday and Tuesday interviewing new grads. Was impressed by the thoughtful response. I like to pose open-ended questions. I like to ask people to describe their ideal manager. I like to think that we all strive for our ideals, if only subconciously.

November 14, 2010

I remember a few years ago, me telling Jenny about the various techniques I was trying to get along better with the guy I was dating. I remember clearly the look on her face: It shouldn't be this hard. At the time, my attitude towards relationships was the same as that towards everything else in life: If it's not hard, it's not worth doing. Looking back, it clearly was not meant to be. I love planning (e.g. will do activities A, B and C; may squeeze in D and E if weather goes according to forecast) while he loves improvisation (e.g. let's throw a party tonight). Each felt more strongly about what to do than about each other.

With S, I ask him what he wants to do all the time, yet I find us doing exactly what I want all the time. The fact that he does not have strong feelings about most things makes getting along a non-issue which, believe it or not, worries me a great deal. Is he living out my vision for my life, as opposed to his vision for his life? So far, the impact of my vision has been limited to seafood seasoning (lemon rind), furniture stain (espresso) and home location (St Lawrence Market). In the future, it will affect who to socialize with and how to bring up kids. After a few teary conversations, I arrived at the following vision statement: A relationship where we celebrate our differences, including the fact that some of us do not believe in vision statements.

November 13, 2010

Friday, dinner with Briyanta at Four. Apparently, hiring an elephant for a wedding is very expensive. Even in Kenya.

Saturday, another movie on S's laptop, La Double Vie de Veronique. "Krzysztof Kieslowski's original idea was to create several slightly different versions of the film, to play in different theaters. If a viewer saw "Veronique" twice at different places, the story might change like a favorite bedtime story in which a phrase is altered or a scene added or dropped with each telling. There would be no "right" way to see the film."

November 6, 2010

S moves in. Shocked that his shirt count is three. Happy that closet space is not an issue. We watch a movie on his laptop to celebrate. Persepolis turned out to be rather depressing.

October 31, 2010

Saturday, mesmerized by the Andersen Project, where emotions can be projected as shadows and lights. "This modern multimedia fairy-tale from Canadian theatre visionary Robert Lepage explores questions of sexual identity, unfulfilled fantasies and a thirst for recognition and fame that are drawn from the life and writings of legendary storyteller Hans Christian Andersen."

Sunday, an attempt at a romantic walk along the lake in the fall. Freezing wind blew in a sense of serenity.

October 23, 2010

Friday, cooked sea bass + beef tenderloin (i.e. surf + turf) to celebrate anniversary. Vendy likes to cook sea bass on lemon rind and beef tenderloin on red onion, served with orange pepper sauteed in olive oil drizzled in balsalmic vinegar.

Saturday, plan to brunch at le petit dejeuner foiled by long wait list. Scallops and pizza at Archeo instead.

October 21, 2010

Monday, the craziness that is New Business Plan review process continues. Luckily, I have an amazing coop student.

Thursday, joining the Toronto Actuarial Development Committee. My first look into how a big company manages talent development.

October 16, 2010

Friday, loving instant risotto :)

Saturday, drove to West Elm to pick up console desk. I love the open look but keeping cables tidy will be tricky.

October 10, 2010

Friday, cooking lasagna. The top layer of pasta tasted like cracker. Need to refine methodology.

Saturday, walked to Ossington only to find Goed Eten closed. Yummy French-ish food at Delux instead.

Sunday, planning a trip with Denise. We strolled through Sylvan Park, followed by dinner at Torito. I suggested Bolivia. She suggested Bhutan. We finally decided on Turkey, which we planned to visit in 2008 when she moved to London!

October 3, 2010

Saturday, first meal at new condo. Ingredients purchased from St. Lawrence Market. Goat cheese + roasted red pepper medaglioni . Wild greens + balsalmic fig dressing from Stonewall Kitchen.

Sunday, Steven dropped by new condo. He is visiting India with Haina over the holidays!

September 26, 2010

Saturday, coffee with S + his parents @ Dark Horse, followed by "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives". A chromatic exploration of the universal desires when dying. Then again, we are all dying.

Sunday, brunch with Carl @ le pain quotidien. He is in town because of Sharon. They got back together on the other side of the world.

September 22, 2010

Relaxing Sunday afternoon with Shirley, Jenny, Rach + James @ Arepa Cafe. We visited new condo. Jenny says this is exactly the kind of place she expected me to get.

Wednesday, the craziness that is New Business Plan review process begins ...


&

:De battre mon coeur s'est arrete








:west elm console desk








:brasa floor lamp from ikea








:Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives








&