Nov/22/2009

Happy Birthday to my dear dada, you are the best!

La Pachanga – My favorite Latin American Restaurant

One of my favorite restaurant had just closed down I had two favorite restaurant in the city one named “Tropika” that specializes in Malaysian/Thai cuisine and the other is “La Pachanga”. Now both of them are closed down apparently for good. We rarely eat out except on birthdays and very special occasions so going out to a restaurant is usually a treat for us. On my birthday we usually go to Tropika well for the past 5 years. On my mom’s birthday we go to La Pachanga. Malaysian and Thai dishes are not really that hard to make because it is somewhat close to the Malagasy (with an Asian flair and lots of curry) way of cooking so I was not that sad when it closed down last year. La Pachanga on the other side is totally new to me, the only thing on their menu that I can attempt to cook is the paella.The owner (our neighbor by the way lol) insists it is not a “Mexican” restaurant and he is right. It is definitely not your usual burrito, enchiladas, empanadas kind of restaurant. However they make killer nachos lol, the best we have ever had!  Anyway goodbye Tropika and La Pachanga you will be missed!

I am just going to write a short note today to say that I am alive lol and a BIG thank you to that kind lady who returned my iPod at the Gym today. Whoever and wherever you are lady, thank you and I believe in good karma.

That’s all, vita tompoko.

Sainte Marie – Madagascar (Summer 2008)

Great weekend so far Here is a little summary of what went down:

The “to-do list” has shrunk considerably

Poker, one glass of beer, great beef stew,  Guitar Hero, Karaoke, two glasses of wine (white and red), RockBand (That other Guitar Hero game) and great company make a fabulous Saturday night!

Waking up at 12pm on Sunday is so so great y’all should try it!

The picture: It was taken at La Crique, Sainte Marie (Madagascar) in 2008. It was a bliss, the “complete” relaxation destination.

Las Vegas – Winter 2008

I had a very hard time picking out a picture for my post today. I am sorry to disappoint for those who thought this blog is gonna be all about the happy tales and soothing pictures lol well umm just a warning it is kind of not. I will try to limit this kind of post as much as possible though. Anyway there are so many random thoughts in my head right now and I do not know how to organize it all in one post. Yes those random thoughts that need to get out ASAP. Without further ado…

I am tired, very tired. Who isn’t eh? No really I am just exhausted everyday and I feel like there is never enough time in 24 hours for me to finish everything that I planned to accomplish in a day. Gosh talking about planning, wow that’s a real doozy because I am also very behind at work. Very very behind. This is very unlike me! I do not know how to tackle it. Hmm coming to work at 7 am till 7 pm this Monday or why not the whole week could be a solution. That’s all I can say about work in English because everything else I want to tell you about it would be in Malagasy and those are for future posts.

I have this VERY long to do list this week or no wait this whole month and this does not concern work by the way. I really have tried to ignore it but I realize today, it is due after tomorrow the latest.

I am afraid to go to the dentist, not only so much because of the pain during the visit but also the pain after I see the bill. Talking about medical stuff I am also afraid to go to the gynecologist and that my friends is also on the list but thank God this is not due after tomorrow. Do not let your imagination go too far, these are routine visits or should be and NO I am not trying to get pregnant. I know how very “Penelope Jolicoeur” of me!

I took my passport photos today because my passport had expired (that was also on the list by the way so I need to renew it) and gosh they still looked like a mugshot. I say “still looked” because this is my second time doing it. I took my passport photos at Walmart last weekend and it was bad lol very bad to the point of hilariously funny. It took the guy (photographer) 20 min to get my picture right. You know the rules nowadays (which I did not know before taking the picture), no glasses, no earring, no light colored top, no hairband and NO SMILING in passport photos. That particular day I was wearing my glasses, the biggest bedazzled earring from Forever21, a light purple top, a hairband and my signature smile (OF COURSE lol). He was like oh boy another one of them. So I took all of those off and still he was like oh your face is too shiny. I was like excuse me? By this time my husband could hardly contain his quiet chuckle in the corner. Back to the story, so the dude was like here, he gave me a “baby powder” to de-shine my face. Fine I did that as well because I just wanted this thing to be over with, but you will never guess what he did next? GUESS! LOL He gave me this mat a very very shiny metal mat that I need to hold while he is taking the picture. That’s when I was like this is ridiculous because wouldn’t this make my face even shinier! BAM he finally got the right passport photos just when I was very grumpy and hence they looked like a mugshot. The second try I don’t know what was going on because the lady (photographer) was a doll, maybe I am just not the pretty passport pic kind of gal (aka ugly ahaha).

I watched “All about Steve” yesterday, it was one of the BEST comedy I have seen in a long time. I absolutely recommend it to anyone! I watched “License to Wed” today and the verdict? Lame lame lame unless you fellas are so into Mandy Moore.

What else? Well I think that’s about it for today The picture above was taken in Last Vegas last winter and no it was not in a night club. It was inside a mall, a very chic, very Vegas and very chaotic kind of mall.

Over the Mauritian Sky – Summer 2008

Since it is now 11:20 pm, I feel that talking about the the thing I said I was going to talk about as per the below post is a bit of a daunting task. Therefore, I am going to write a very short post. Hurray me! I made it through the week, writing a post with a picture per day. Yes it has been 7 posts already with 7 pictures and now I have 358 posts and pictures to go! Now that is a daunting task if you ask me but I invite you all to embark on this journey with me and I promise you it will be very “picturesque” one.

Butchart Garden – Victoria, BC

One of my favorite tree is the Japanese cherry blossom. When I first came to Canada, I used to confuse the Japanese Tree Blossom to a Peach Tree, doesn’t it kind of look the same though? Over here, when the Japanese cherry blossoms are in full bloom it’s a sign that summer is coming. They do bloom quite late over here  though (late May) as I think they are supposed to be blooming in the early spring. In Madagascar, when peach trees bloom it’s a sign that winter is coming. I remember when I grew up, we used to go to the country side almost every “Grande Vacance”. Grande Vacance for those who do not know means “Big vacation” in the literal sense. It is kind of like the summer holiday here (June or July until September) but over there (in Madagascar) it’s winter time instead. Yep, we had our “Grande Vacance” during the winter time! I remember during our vacation in the country side that the peach trees are always blooming and I was complaining to my mom when are we ever going to come on time and have some peach!

I had breakfast with my husband today and I told him some of my childhood memories in the country side. He was laughing his pants off! I am actually planning to do another post about that today, since I did not post anything yesterday. I am just debating whether I should do it in English or in Malagasy, well we shall see!

So If I had a Million Dollar?

First of all, Yes I know I am quoting a Barenaked Ladies’ song, who am I kidding? You would not know this band (they are VERY unpopular) unless you live here up North and watching Much Music . So back to the assumption, if I luckily win a Million Dollar what would I do with it?

1. I would pay off my mortgage

2. I would pay off my parents’ mortgage or give them money to pay off their mortgage lol

3. I would put away funds for my brother and my sister’s undergrad and graduate tuition

4. I would buy my grandma and my in laws a home in Antsirabe and Antananarivo Madagascar respectively

Enough with what I would do with they money, because I think by point number 4 it will run out already lol So what would I do or not do if I win a Million Dollar lottery?

1. I would not quit my job

2. I would take a leave of absence though for a couple of months to travel (Madagascar and Costa Rica)

3. I would consider going back to school and take some classes just for fun!

4. I would also consider having a baby sooner (lol)

So there! In case you are wondering, what a selfish b%$#! No no I will donate some as well to charities of course ahaha. In fact my father spoke to us today during dinner that he would actually like to build a charity for the little kids back in his hometown in Madagascar. That is a fantastic idea! I will write about it in another post.

The picture: It was taken this fall at a Park. It is a fake bill and was given by one of those people preaching about the end of the world is coming soon.

Le Morne Mauritius

There is not much to talk about today. I hope I think of something inspiring before the end of the day. It was a beautiful Sunday though. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, just a perfect lazy Sunday. We woke up late and I made breakfast for two, like every Sunday. I only “make” breakfast every Sunday because every other day I just eat whatever is easy to reach such as an apple or yogurt etc. Today I made my husband’s favorite which is banana waffle. I discovered that recipe by mistake though. It is super easy, just mix in a cup of Aunt Jemima’s  complete pancake flour, add half a cup or so of water then add 2/3 a cup of mashed banana (usually just one banana). Pour that mixture in the waffle maker and ta-da! There you have it, banana waffles. We also had scrambled eggs and coconut yogurt. To top all that off I had a homemade London fog which is just Earl Grey tea and steamed milk. That’s a heavy breakfast isn’t it? Ahaha it sure is but we do indulge on Sundays. Come on live a little! I live by the rule of having one cheat day per week on my so called “diet”. That means I try to eat “healthy” 6 days a week and every Sunday I have an awesome breakfast like that!

The picture: it was a sunset at Le Morne Mauritius. Everytime I see that picture I think of Lionel Ritchie’s song “Easy”, you know the one that goes “because I am easy, easy like Sunday morning”.

“San Francisco”

That picture was taken in San Francisco this past summer.San Francisco is truly a colorful city in the literal and figurative sense. Actually there were other pictures that were equally pretty in the same neighborhood but I choose this one for my post today. I love colorful things! I always make sure I add a pop of color in my clothes so you will never catch me dead with a black (top to bottom) or grey outfit! I am definitely not the “beige” kind of gal. That would be the death of me ahaha! If it is up to me I will make all the houses in my neighborhood that colorful, like the picture above. It’s so cheery! It makes me smile just looking at it and this palette definitely helps on those long Canadian winter months.

Well back to the picture, the people who owns those houses are truly lucky! Just across the street from these houses is the beach and you also have a fantastic view of the “Golden Bridge” from there. It is almost a dreamy neighborhood, meaning sort of surreal. It is along the Pier, almost at the end actually. We were walking for almost 5 or so hours that day and boy I was just about to give up. It was all worth it though when we reached that place. I was taking pictures left, right and center. I think the people who passes by in their cars must have wondered what the hell? I was ecstatic so I didn’t care.The only thing that changed my mood that particular time was thinking about walking back because it would take an additional couple of hours to reach our “metro” back to the hotel. San Francisco is a very unique city that I am sure to blog about many times in the future.