Wilting, wading, and Waldo'ing

We've been in the midst of a heatwave that slowly built up over the last week.  The hottest day was a balmy 38 degrees celsius with a humidex of 48!  Needless to say, it was a little warm. 

I have mentioned before that I don't do well in the cold.  Unfortunately for me, I don't do well in the heat, either.  I know, I know.  It's annoying.  Just call me a human chihuahua.
This week has been trying, to say the least.  I've been doing my best to not complain, seeing as I hate winter more than any heatwave, so I've been doing my best to beat the heat.  Here's what I suggest:

1.  Invest in a good water bottle that keeps ice from melting quickly.
My friend, Bridget, got a water bottle from a little eco-store in our area called the Ninty-ninth Monkey.  It's from a company called ThinkSport and it's AMAZING.

 I can put ice and water in it first thing in the morning and still have icy water late at night.  Plus, there's bonus points from your nephrologist if you plunk it down on her desk with a loud, unintentional clang.  She couldn't miss it..  it's huge.  See?  I DO take care of my kidney :-P

2.  Get a 10 foot inflatable pool for your backyard.
I didn't think I'd like it at all since it's not heated, but 35+ temperatures took care of that.  It's a great way to cool off, even if my dad now feels sympathy for killer whales in theme park pools.

3.  Break down and finally swim in the giant lake that's on your doorstep.
This weekend I officially became the person I used to be flabbergasted by.  I used to go down to the Lake Ontario waterfront all the time, and think that the people who were swimming in it were crazy/insane/loco.  But this weekend I didn't care.  When the humidex is soaring in the 40s, all logic goes out the window.  And it was FUN.  I felt like a kid again.  (Even with the nuclear power plant being RIGHT BESIDE us)

Another thing we did this weekend was WHERE'S WALDO?  My friend, Jon, bought a Waldo suit, so we went around getting some WHERE'S WALDO? type of photos.  We got stopped in a grocery store due to "policy violations" but it didn't hamper our fun.  I won't post any of the photos since it's going to be a surprise.  It was funny to watch him marching around trying to find good shots, though.  Eric tailed him closely, much like the theme park costumed characters with their bodyguards.

Dance!

My gym always leaves interesting things on the front desk counter.  Sometimes they are coupons for free yogurt drinks, recipes for yummy muffins or shakes, invitations to new classes, or even ballots to enter contests.

Today was a new one.  It was an invitation to join a flashmob this Saturday at the mall. 

Ah man.  I have always wanted to be in a flashmob!  Improv Everywhere got me into it, and it's been stuck in my head ever since.  There was even an episode of Modern Family where Mitchell surprised Cam by being in one.  Jealous!

Well, I have to work this Saturday :(  And I'll miss it.  So I'm a little bummed by that, but hey, maybe there will be a next time :)

I would wave, but..

Lately I've been enjoying the Zumba class offered at my gym.  When I started going there, I had no idea what Zumba was.  I didn't know that it was so widespread.  If you look up Zumba on YouTube, you'll find video after video of people having fun.  And the classes are all packed.  I'd say these Zumba people have got it figured out and must be making a small fortune.  After all, who doesn't like dancing??  Dancing is fun and easy exercise.  Weight building is not...

My two main goals that I want to achieve from working out are these:  Energy and Muscles.  I've written about my major lack of energy before, so no need to expound on it again.  As for muscles, I had a vague idea that I needed more of them, but I had no idea how much.

I'm a weakling.  I've pretty much always have been a weakling, I'm just more of one lately.  The gym was offering a free fitness assessment with an instructor, so I took advantage of it.  After all the questions about my health history and personal fitness goals, the instructor took me to this machine that measures fat, muscle, and bone content using electrical impulses.  I was impressed.  Then I was surprised.  I'm good in the fat department.  No need to lose or gain.  But my muscles.  My puny muscles are indeed very puny.  I must gain 11.4 lbs of muscle in order to be in the "normal" range.  I thought, no problem.  Easy task.  Then she told me roughly how long it would take to build those 11.4 lbs of muscle.  Approximately 10-12 months.  But how?? I wasn't understanding the severity of my past slacking.

I was relating my discoveries to a friend the other day over lunch.  When I told him the amount of muscle I had to build up, he burst into laughter.  He was incredulous.  "Sarah!" he shouted, in the middle of a crowded Tim Hortons, "If you asked for almost 12 lbs of beef, you'd fill up this tabletop!!"  And then proceeded to laugh even louder.  But it hit home.  11.4 lbs is A LOT OF MEAT.  How did I ever let it get this far??  I'm the biggest health slacker ever!  How do I even lift my arms to type??  I have no idea.  I'm probably a medical marvel.

So now I'm determined to make muscles.  It will be hard, but it will be worth it. 

source

Friday is here!

I'm tired today.  I've just worked my normal 5 days in a row and now I have to work tomorrow too.  Add that to the fact that I'm not used to exercise and I have a feeling that I just might sleep very well tonight. 

I got off work early and headed to the gym to sign up for a year.  I figure if I'm paying hard-earned money for this thing, I might just be motivated to go.  I then had time to kill before the Latin dance/cardio class so I decided to get on a bike and watch Judy Judy on the overhead TV.  I barely made it to 10 minutes..  on easy "flat terrain".  But at least it wasn't downhill or anything!  That would be embarrassing!  ;)

The dance class was the best class I've done so far.  As one older lady told me at the beginning, it doesn't matter if you get all the moves right, so long as you add in a lot of enthusiasm and energy.  So I gave it my best and almost passed out at the end.  Phew!

Then I cancelled out all my efforts by having wings and wedges for dinner with friends, with a nice, cold glass of Coke.  MMmm..  It was all worth it :)

We went skating tonight, as well, for a friend's birthday.  I use "we" loosely here, as I did no such thing.  I'm not crazy about winter sports, anymore.  I sat on the sidelines and played the role of "Hockey Mom":  tying people's skates, giving them coffee when they skated over, taking pictures.  In the process I drank my coffee and then my husband's..  so I might not sleep well tonight, after all..

It's Friday!  yay!

Sleigh bells ring

I'm not one for winter outdoor activities.  As I've mentioned before, I get cold extremely easily and find it impossible to warm up.  Despite that, almost my entire church assembly went up north a ways for a sleigh-ride and cookout.  We couldn't have asked for a better day.  The sun was splitting the trees, the snow was sparkling, and the farmer was jolly (this may have had something to do with his "hidden" flask). 
I really enjoyed myself, even though we had gotten lost about 2 minutes away from the farm and kept going back and forth on the back roads.

I've stolen these photos, but they're too good to not share :)

 I love horses :)

My husband petting his first mule/donkey

 

photos by bonjourstacy

Happy Hallowe'en

I've come to realize in the last few days that a lot of people don't know where Hallowe'en came from.  So here are some "FUN" FACTS for one and all:


1.  Hallowe'en is believed to have first orginated from the Celtic harvest festival Samhain, in Ireland. 
2.  Samhain represented the end of the season of light, and the beginning of the season of darkness.
3.  It was believed that the border between our world and the spririt world was at it's thinnest, resulting in visitations from spirits of both persuasions.  The harmful ones were warded off with carved Jack-o-lantern turnips and costumes that mimicked them.
4.  Bonfires are still considered a part of Hallowe'en in some places.
5.  Going door to door asking for candy is thought to have come from the practice of "souling" on November first, where poor people would beg for food in return for prayers for the dead (on All Saints Day).


Hallowe'en is a holiday that I always looked forward to as a kid.  I knew the family rules..  no witch, ghost, or devil costumes, but I was more interested in other things, anyway.
My mother was especially good at making costumes for us.  One year she made my sister into a blue jay, giant bird feet included.  She could hardly walk in it, but it won her first prize in her class.
Another time I had an interesting costume.. 
Here's a picture:

I'm the one on the bottom left in red and white.  I'm also facing backwards for some reason, so it's difficult to tell.  Can you guess?  No?  I was a tube of Colgate!  Why?  I have no idea!  I don't recall asking for this costume, but looking back it was pretty neat..  and also difficult to walk in due to the wire clothes hanger in the bottom of it.  I don't think I won a prize for this one, either.  That's my mother in the back.  She's the mime in black and white.

Even as an adult, I love dressing up on Hallowe'en.  It's still fun to dress up and be whatever you want to be for one evening.  And the candy helps.  This year is a wash because of it being on a Sunday night, but there's always next year!

Spooky!

Funny story about my husband's lab coat in this picture.  We got ready at my parent's house and he wanted to splash fake blood on the jacket (he was going to be a zombie doctor).  I told him that the only good place to do that would be in the shower or outside.  Since it was dark and cold outside, he chose the bathroom.  We were in a hurry so we ran out the door with the jacket still damp.  A little while later my mother called and said thanks for almost giving her a heart attack when she went to take a shower..  I can always count on him to forget little things like not leaving the bathroom looking like a crime scene!

Hazzy's Photoshoot

Did you know...?

In Korea, I did a photoshoot of sorts right after I first arrived.  Some guys from the church went out for an evening with myself and a girl we all knew.  We were walking in the fashion/shopping district of Busan and there was a huge bus sitting in front of a clothing store called Hazzy's.  They invited us in for a free photoshoot..  so we said yes :)  Wouldn't you??

It was fun :)  And that's my husband in the middle back..  but I didn't know he'd be my husband at the time.  And I'm 100% positive he didn't either.. haha.

Horseback riding vs. ATV'ing

As a little girl, I had an obsession with horses.  I should rephrase that..  I think I still have that obsession.

I remember begging and begging my parents to be allowed to take riding lessons.  Unfortunately, due to a run-in with cancer as a toddler, my doctors had expressly forbade activities which could lead to major falls or blows.  Horseback riding in particular was on the list. 
I don't recall fully understanding the gravity of the situation.  So I'm sure I must have drove my parents crazy.  I remember many trips to petting zoos, as well as an extensive collection of My Little Ponys.  I'm sure now that they were trying to placate me.

As an adult, I finally understand why I'm to be careful...  but I still don't want to.  I want to take riding lessons!  And I want to learn a martial art!  I do have the sense, however, to realize that this is probably just a feeling of "the grass is greener on the other side" syndrome.

When I was in Korea, I got married.  And for our honeymoon we went to Jeju Island.  Our tour offered stops where we could choose out of a couple activities.  One of these choices was between ATV'ing and Horseback riding.  My husband immediately voted ATV'ing.  Now I love ATV'ing.  Having spent part of my childhood in Newfoundland, I had a bit of experience with that.  And my parents (being protective) rarely allowed me to drive.  So I wanted to vote for ATV'ing.  BUT..  why was it up against horseback riding??  My childhood dream vs. my need for speed.  I bugged my hubby enough that he finally asked the tour guide if we could do both..  and threw in that it was our honeymoon.  After a quick vote on the bus, everyone said we could take the extra time.  (yay!)

We went for the horses first.  It was a little bit of a letdown, to be quite honest.  The mares were saddled up and waiting, and they were as wide as they were long.  Considering they had foals following them around, I'd say they recently had babies, or were again pregnant.  I could barely coax a trot out of mine at first..  it didn't speak English, nor did it seem to care for more than a slow, meandering walk.  I finally got it to go a bit faster, whereas it started bolting in the other direction, leaving Eric to fend for himself. 

That over, we went over to go ATV'ing.  The man said that he'd go slow so we'd have no problems.  I told my husband to tell him that I wanted to go fast.  He was a little flabbergasted, but agreed.  My hubby looked a bit nervous because it was his first time, so I said he could go last out of us three.
The leader took off and I made sure to be right on his heels..  He glanced behind with a shocked expression and gave it the gas.  It was loads of fun!  Lots of hills and hairpin turns..  Apparently my husband almost flipped his over a couple times... till he learned to ease off the gas on the turns :)
We had a nice coating of dirt by the end of it, but it was fun.

Next time I'll vote for ATV'ing unless the horses aren't pregnant :)

Fishing trip planned

We're planning on going fishing this coming Canada Day. Only 3 more days!

I don't know why I love fishing so much. I think part of it is the sense of accomplishment that I can go and get a meal or two without negatively impacting the environment. Recently I watched "Food Inc." and ever since then I have a bad feeling about meats and vegetables in the grocery stores. I've been trying to only buy seafood that is maintaining it's population levels, such as pollock. Also, I'm thinking of getting my veggies & fruits from a farmer's market nearby on Fridays. As for red meat.. I can only wonder where it's been.
But anyway, back to the fishing. A couple friends of ours are coming with us this time. They haven't really had any experience with fishing, so we're going to rent a boat for the day. Should be loads of fun! :) Watch out largemouths, here I come!

Note to self: Gotta remember my sunblock!

Last year!

I love picnics!

Saturday was our annual Sunday school picnic. I had to work :P but I still went in the evening for a potluck dinner and some games. It was a lot of fun!

Have you ever played the donut eating game?
You hang up powdered jelly donuts and everyone has to race to eat them.. with no hands!

Lots of fun, and it makes for some hilarious photos :)















Another game we played was water balloon volleyball. Both teams have a bedsheet, and basically you launch overfilled water balloons over the net at each other.

Wow, we got soaked.

Ah, I love camping

Did you know...

Hammocks are not made for two ;)

photos courtesy of my sister - bonjourstacy

Go fly a kite!

My husband said that all Korean kids grow up with a kite in their hands. They can construct them, and then fly them all in the same day. Smart little guys. I remember making them in elementary school, but I don't remember any of them actually flying..

The other day my friends and I went kite flying. We were going to build out own, but ended up buying some cheap ones from the dollarstore.

I felt like a kid again :)

Take me out to the ballgame!

Ok, I'll admit it. I'm not much of a baseball fan. I've visited the Skydome (sorry, Roger's Centre) in Toronto a couple times for games, but I found it lacklustre at best. The fans were bored, the seats were empty, and the game was uninteresting. So when my husband asked me if I wanted to go to a baseball game, I declined...
...
I got a look. It was a look of pure shock and horror that I would ever say no to such a thing. In fact, I got the exact same look from his brother when he repeated my answer to him. So my curiosity was peaked ever so slightly. Was this just because they are die-hard fans? Or am I missing something??

Well, to make a long story short, I agreed to go. We were armed with umbrellas to protect our delicate faces, whole roast chickens from a street vendor, and 1000 won kimbap rolls. We were ready. Except we weren't. We didn't have newspapers.

I was confused.

They were adamant about the newspapers. We had to search high and low for them. I suggested playing a Korean game instead of reading newspapers. This was rejected.
So, we got the newspapers and headed into the stadium. It filled up FAST. By the time the game was about to start, the place was packed. There wasn't even any standing room anymore. I was starting to feel excited.

So the newspapers: they shredded them and made pom-poms! And everyone had one :)

The game started and it was one of the best times I had in Korea. Everyone was dancing, shaking their pom-poms, and sing one of about 20 different songs and chants. It was FUN!

Most random part of the day: When the stadium staff handed out orange garbage bags, everyone immediately inflated them and put them on their heads. I'm not lying. It was the strangest thing ever. Suddenly I was in a sea of orange bags :)

I highly recommend going to a Giant's game in Busan. I've heard that it's not quite the same in the other cities. Let me know if it's just as good!

Karaoke is EXACTLY like we thought

So karaoke.. we went on Sunday evening. Two hours for $10 (only $2 each!)

I wasn't sure if it would be different than the stereotypical karaoke room that you see on movies and such... wellllll... it was! BUT, they were all really surprised. Most of them are really modern, and we managed to find the sketchiest place in Nampo-dong. (hahaha) We even sent Eric upstairs to scope out the place before we went in.
It had the techno-disco-ball rotating on the ceiling, the leopard print sofas, tiny room.. oh man. GHETTO! But we had a great time. I think you'd love it. The more you dance around, the more fun everyone has. And because it was such a tiny room, we were pretty much bouncing off each other.. a five-person mosh pit. The guys had so much fun, that they want to go next Sunday.. and sing YMCA.. lol. (I informed them of the Village People's "status".. haha.. their expressions were priceless)

So you HAVE to try a karaoke room if you ever come here.. seriously. Much fun to be had.

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Btw.. keep these pics to family only (Show them, because I'm not getting much of a chance lately). I don't want any potential problems in case karaoke is considered a "bad thing" to do. Trying to make as few waves here as possible!

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The TV

The guys.. dancing.. lol

Eric LOVES to dance.. then again.. they all do. They know this dance by a Korean all-girls pop band.. it's called "Tell Me" and it's hilarious when 3 guys are doing it because of some very feminine moves.

The disco-globe.. much like the one Shane gave you.

Ghetto sofas!

Cyber cafes! My new addiction!

Yesterday I was out and about with some friends when they suggested that we go to a PC bang. What's a PC bang? A super-fancy cyber cafe! These things are awesome. First of all... they're really really cheap. We stayed for almost 2 hours and paid $1.80. So it's $1/hr. The chairs are soooo comfy, the computers are fast, and the games are really fun.
Apparently some people live in PC bangs. They just stay there 24 hrs, order in food, and shower in the public showers that are everywhere. Crazy!

So yeah.. my new addiction.. haha