Okay, I still can't seem to figure out what's wrong with my blog! I went into my template and tried to put links into categories and everything looks fine on my template...but then when I publish, the links aren't there!!! *sigh* If I can't figure it out, I may just end up not putting categories like friends' links , family links, etc. I may just lump them all in together if it's too much of a hassle! LOL! Grrrr.

PS. I still can't get my bloglog back! Where did it go? LOL!

Still getting used to the new Blogger Beta. So far, I think it's easier in some ways, but complicated in others. I can't get my brain wrapped around certain things like"

a) How to get back MyBlogLog . I thought that was such a cool little feature, but I can't seem to get it to stay on my blog! I thought I added it when I updated, but alas, it is no longer there.

b) How to sort my links into Friends, Family, My Links and Cool Links. Right now they're all lumped together. Hey, at least they're in alphabetical order. *sigh*

Other than that, I think the new Blogger Beta is better than the older version. I like the idea of having labels and categories for posts.

Jill or CuriosityKiller, a little help here? Pleeeeease? LOL

People frequently ask me about my life abroad and my experience teaching in Japan. I always tell them how I fell in love with the Japanese culture and how rich in history, art and spirit the country is. I just love Japan! I could go on and on about tea ceremonies, calligraphy, kimonos, geisha, the language, the people, the beautiful countryside, the crazy busy big cities, the advanced technology and all my crazy everyday experiences.

One of my friends asked me about vending machines. "Is it true you can buy used school girl panties in vending machines there?" Surprisingly, the answer is "yes"! You can purchase almost anything in vending machines there. Why one would even want a pair of used panties is beyond me! There are so many different types of machines to cater to your every whim. From hot or cold tea, chocolate milk and coffee, beer, beer, and BEER...sake (Japanese alcoholic beverage that seemed to me as strong as tequila!), toilet paper, food items...and yes, even porn. I was shocked to see men buying everything from magazines to other unmentionables from the machines. There are vending machines everywhere. I'd never seen so many in my life. You can even choose from dozens of brands of cigarettes and they're super cheap in Japan. I don't smoke, but when my mom came to visit me when I was teaching in Japan, she just thought it was so cool to get her smokes, Coke, disposable camera, and stamps for her postcards all from vending machines. *sigh* That's one of the cool things I miss about Japan. Very convenient!

Here's a site I found where a guy named PhotoMann has pics of all the neat vending machines you can find in Japan. http://www.photomann.com/japan/machines/

WikyLion proposed a challenge of listing the Top 10 Movies on your list. This was quite a difficult feat, because I have sooooooooo many favourite movies!!! ARGH!

Here's my Top 10

1. West Side Story
2. Romeo and Juliet (Franco Zefirelli version, 1969)
3. Forrest Gump
4. Shawshank Redemption
5. The Notebook
6. I am Sam
7. The Lover
8. Stand By Me
9. The Sound of Music
10. Amores Perros

Now for the runners up (sorry, WikyLion...this was just too hard!!!)
Lunch With Charles (Canadian/Hong Kong film) and Betty Blue (French film) are right up there too! Oh, also Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (though I know many people who have HATED that movie). I also loved Dead Poets Society, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Bride and Prejudice (I love all the Bollywood movies), Love Story, House of Flying Daggers.

So, what's your Top 10?

It's 2AM, we just got home, my puppy is snoring at my feet, the kittens are going nuts (they seriously look like they're on speed or something- they're CRAZY! One's hanging off the curtains and the other one's taking running jumps from the sofa to the table near the window and plucking all my aloe plants out of the pot!!!). Hubby's playing a video game that a friend lent him tonight and I'm blogging because I can't seem to fall asleep.

This morning was a lovely day. Blue skies, fresh snow, crisp air and a little excursion to the Snow Flake Fair with my mother-in-law. It's so nice to see all the vendors selling their crafts and creations. I walked right pass the freshly baked breads and preserves from Maja's Bounty. She always has wonderful, delectable treats that are organic and of the best quality ingredients. Maja takes special care as to what goes into her products. (The reason I walked right past this time is because I ALWAYS end up getting something and right now I don't neeeeed anything!)

I was very happy because I got to see Dylon there. Everyone who knows him says that he is such a wonderful guy. I know this firsthand, because there were a bunch of really cute old ladies at our table for lunch who were all gushing over him! LOL! "Dylon's amazing at computer stuff!", "Dylon's a talented artist!" "Dylon, Dylon, Dylon!" They were too cute! I kind of chuckled because I glanced over at him while he was concentrating on a piece of jewelry, totally unaware of the chatter taking place at our table. So, this is what a "hen party" is like! LOL! They were the cutest little hens though! Dylon, if you're reading this, you've got heaps of fans :) I was happy to find out that I can wear Dylon's jewelry because the earrings are made of hypo-allergenic material. Yippeeeeee!!! I took special note of this beautiful pair of earrings with bluish/turquoise accents (Dylon, were they handblown glass beads? I'm not sure what they were, but they were gorgeous).I've been dropping not so subtle hints to Hubby that my birthday is two weeks away!

I was also very happy to see Wiky Lion and his wife. They were selling their Watkins products. I did get their black pepper, but was seriously tempted to buy sooooooooo much more! Very bad! At least I've got my very own dealer if I ever need a Watkins fix! LOL! Seriously, if you're reading this, Wiky Lion, it was great seeing you and your lovely wife! She's awesome!

Now, this brings me to the old fart thing. In the afternoon I made some white chocolate/dark chocolate swirly bark and put them in plastic baggies and tied them up with a card and ribbon for all of our friends. Plus, I needed a nice gift to bring tonight since Hubby, my parents and I were invited to an early Christmas party tonight at our friends' house. It was an awesome party- great food, great people, great conversation, lots of laughs...We got there at 6PM but supper only began around 9PM (and Hubby and I are used to eating around 6PM because I don't like to eat after 7). The food was amazing- a grand 'ol Trinidadian feast. Cheers to the host and hostess for a wonderful evening. One of our friends plays Caribbean music in a band and was up here for the weekend and sang and played the quatro for us. Good times. I think I mentioned that Hubby and I RARELY go out because we're always up early to work. By 10PM I felt myself getting very, VERY tired. I resisted sleep because I didn't want to be a party pooper. We ended up leaving a few hours later and just got home at 2PM. I used to be able to go out and have a good time with friends until the wee hours of the morning, but it seems that now I just need more sleep! Yikes! Am I becoming an old fart???

...this time by Jill AND Dina :)

The ABC meme...

A - Available/single? Married 6 months...still a newly wed!
B - Best Friend? I'm going to be sappy and say my husband!
C- Cake or Pie? Keylime Pie!!
D - Drink Of Choice? mango juice or chocolate flavoured soy milk
E - Essential Item You Use Everyday? toothpaste
F - Favorite Color? Indigo Blue
G - Gummy Bears Or Worms? Neither
H - Hometown? Toronto (okay, Scarborough!)
I - Indulgence? the occassional white hot chocolate from Tim Horton's
J - January Or February? January.
K - Kids & Their Names? No human babies YET! But 3 felines and 1
canine (Nala, Fred, George and Chance)
L - Life Is Incomplete Without? love
M - Marriage Date? June 17, 2006.
N - Number Of Siblings? 2 brothers.
O - Oranges Or Apples? depends on my mood- usually apples (Royal
Gala)
P - Phobias/Fears? heights, snakes, fear of losing my family
Q - Favorite Quote? "Everwhere is walking distance if you have the
time."
R - Reason to Smile - watching my husband while he's sound asleep.
Too cute!!
S - Season? Spring
T - Tag Three or Four People? MsMamma, Curiosity Killer, Northern Mom
U - Unknown Fact About Me? I'm allergic to green apples and cheap
jewelry (seriously, I can only wear real gold or silver and
nothing else and green apples make me break out in hives and
make my lips look like a platypus!)
V - Vegetable you don’t like? Kolrabi (I don't even know how to
spell it!)
W - Worst Habit? getting mad at stupid things
X - X-rays You’ve Had? Teeth, uterus, skull
Y - Your Favorite Food? pad thai
Z - Zodiac Sign? Sagittarius

Well, it's not reeeeally a blizzard. I just looked outside to see lots and lots of snow! Crazy! We haven't had snow and it's been pretty mild and all of a sudden....WHACK! All I can see is white outside. Everything is white!!! I feel like I'm in one of those snow globes and someone's turned it upside down and shaken it! Weeeeeeeeee!!!

I guess I'd better get back to work! LOL! Lots of paperwork and organizing to do. I've got a student coming for 8 months. Hubby and I are skipping babyhood, the terrible twos, the tweens...and going right into having a teenager! Since the student will be studying here from overseas and is a minor, we've had to become his legal guardians. Should be fun!

PS. Jill, thanks for helping me sort out my blogging issues! You're the best! Oh, and I finally switched over to Beta! Thanks a bunch!

The other night, I was driving home from my parents' house and enjoying the quiet, peaceful drive. The Island is such a magical place. I was thinking of how lucky I am to be living here. Three years ago, I never even knew this place existed. I was a Torontian (but Montrealer in my heart), an ESL teacher, a world traveler...and now fate has brought me to this wonderful place.

My thoughts were interrupted, and I thought I was going to die. Two very large deer appeared a few feet in front of my vehicle. I honestly didn't know if I could stop in time. I don't even know if I was more worried about wrecking my vehicle or dying than hurting those beautiful creatures. I felt my heart jump into my throat and panicked. *phew* My SUV stopped two feet in front of the deer. They looked into my headlights, stayed a moment and sauntered away into the woods. They were beautiful. They were probably really hungry because they were in hiding from the hunters for a week or so.

Anyway, I'm okay :)

Hubby and I invited my parents over for supper last night and after our meal, we introduced my mom to the incredible world of PlayStation2. LOL! She is now addicted to Karaoke Revolution Party and is a certified mic hog! :) Too cute!

PS. Lele and Bu, you'll be proud to know that I got "Diamond" records for Material Girl, Do You Really Want to Hurt me, Dust in the Wind, Time after Time and "Platinum" for I Love Rock n Roll. Hubby got Platinum for Sweet Caroline and Uptown Girl. Mom, on the other hand....booed off stage :) She's still cute though!

Inspired by MsMamma's latest post, I decided to pay hommage to the top 100 songs for the year I graduated from high school. The idea is to take the top 100 songs from the year you graduated high school and bold the ones you liked, scratch the ones you hated (thanks, MsMamma for teaching me how to do that html code! LOL)and leave those you feel neutral about. I don't even know who some of these singers are or what the hell song that is. To be honest, I'm a true product of the 80's and the only songs that I really liked in the 90's were rock ballads, tunes from the mullet years, glam rock... *sigh* and we thought we were so cool! Here, my friends, are the tunes from 1993! lol!

1. I Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston
2. Whoomp! (There It Is), Tag Team
3. Can't Help Falling In Love, UB40
4. That's The Way Love Goes, Janet Jackson
5. Freak, Silk
6. Weak, SWV
7. If I Ever Fall In Love, Shai
8. Dreamlover, Mariah Carey
9. Rump Shaker, Wreckx-N-Effect
10. Informer, Snow
11. Nuthin' But A "G" Thang, Dr. Dre
12. In The Still Of The Nite, Boyz II Men
13. Don't Walk Away, Jade
14. Knockin' Da Boots, H-Town
15. Lately, Jodeci
16. Dazzey Dukes, Duice
17. Show Me Love, Robin S.
18. A Whole New World, Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle
19. If, Janet Jackson
20. I'm So Into You, SWV
21. Love Is, Vanessa Willlams and Brian Mcknight
22. Runaway Train, Soul Asylum
23. I'll Never Get Over You (Getting Over Me), Expose
24. Ditty, Paperboy
25. Rhythm Is A Dancer, Snap
26. The River Of Dreams, Billy Joel
27. I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles), Proclaimers
28. Two Princes, Spin Doctors
29. Right Here (Human Nature)-Downtown, SWV
30. I Have Nothing, Whitney Houston
31. Mr. Wendal, Arrested Development
32. Have I Told You Lately, Rod Stewart
33. Saving Forever For You, Shanice
34. Ordinary World, Duran Duran
35. If I Had No Loot, Tony! Toni! Tone!
36. I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That), Meat Loaf
37. Slam, Onyx
38. Looking Through Patient Eyes, P.M. Dawn
39. I'm Every Woman, Whitney Houston
40. Baby I'm Yours, Shai
41. Come Undone, Duran Duran
42. I Don't Wanna Fight, Tina Turner
43. I'd Die Without You, P.M. Dawn
44. Whoot, There It Is, 95 South
45. Hip Hop Hooray, Naughty By Nature
46. Another Sad Love Song, Toni Braxton
47. Will You Be There, Michael Jackson
48. Comforter, Shil
49. Good Enough, Bobby Brown
50. What's Up, 4 Non Blondes
51. All That She Wants, Ace Of Base
52. 7, Prince and The New Power Generation
53. Dre Day, Dr. Dre
54. One Last Cry, Brian McKnight
55. Just Kickin' It, Xscape
56. I Get Around, 2Pac
57. Bed Of Roses, Bon Jovi
58. Real Love, Mary J. Blige
59. Here We Go Again!, Portrait
60. Cryin', Aerosmith
61. Cats In The Cradle, Ugly Kid Joe
62. What About Your Friends, TLC
63. I Got A Man, Positive K
64. Hey Mr. D.J., Zhane
65. Insane In The Brain, Cypress Hill
66. Deeper And Deeper, Madonna
67. Rain, Madonna
68. The Right Kind Of Love, Jeremy Jordan
69. Bad Boys, Inner Circle
70. That's What Love Can Do, Boy Krazy
71. Do You Believe In Us, Jon Secada
72. Angel, Jon Secada
73. Forever In Love, Kenny G
74. Again, Janet Jackson
75. Boom! Shake The Room, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince
76. When She Cries, Restless Heart
77. Sweat (A La La La La Long), Inner Circle
78. It Was A Good Day, Ice Cube
79. More And More, Captain Hollywood Project
80. How Do You Talk To An Angel, Heights
81. Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat), Digable Planets
82. What Is Love, Haddaway
83. To Love Somebody, Michael Bolton
84. Give It Up, Turn It Loose, En Vogue
85. Alright, Kris Kross
86. Check Yo Self, Ice Cube
87. Fields Of Gold, Sting
88. Ooh Child, Dino
89. Faithful w/ Go West
90. Reason To Believe, Rod Stewart
91. Break It Down Again, Tears For Fears
92. Nothin' My Love Can't Fix, Joey Lawrence
93. Three Little Pigs, Green Jelly
94. Livin' On The Edge, Aerosmith
95. Hey Jealousy, Gin Blossoms
96. If I Ever Lose My Faith In You, Sting
97. Anniversary, Tony! Toni! Tone!
98. One Woman, Jade
99. Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Taylor Dayne
100. Two Steps Behind, Def Leppard