"O Canada ...", it's my 10th Canada Day celebration, time truly flies.  Just for fun, I read an article which listed the top 10 things that Canadians have voted for as their favourite things.  They are:

10. Tim Hortons
9. The beautiful Canadian Rocky Mountains
8. Fresh water
7. Hockey
6. Health care
5. Freedom
4. Our changing seasons
3. The Canadian character
2. The landscape
1. Multiculturalism

Happy Birthday Canada!

Spent this past weekend in Niagara Falls with Michael, even though the trip was booked months ahead, it's perfect timing for a little celebration.  Since several things happened this past week which were in deed worth celebrating.  One of which was I got a new job offer, and the company is a major corporation, probably the biggest company I've worked for so far.  Second, I passed my Course 2 exam, thought I was pretty lucky on passing that one :P  And also I got a new car, since the new job is pretty far from the city, I'll need to drive to work.  Gonna pick up my new civic this weekend :)

All in all, half way through the year, been pretty happy with how things are going for me.  Looking forward to a busy summer :)  The only thing that's a little disappointing would be that I'll have to delay my trip to Beijing, probably have to wait until at least late winter next year, maybe we can go back for the Chinese new year, we'll see.   

虽然这首歌和奥运过去快一年了，而且我第一次听到它的时候也没觉得有多震撼。 但今天偶然间又听到，特别是第一次看到了整个MV里每一个北京景点的注解。 忽然想念起了我的老家－北京。 同时也感到做为一个中国人，虽然越来越多的时候觉得自己更像是一个加拿大人，but，当我听到和看到这首MV时，由衷的感觉到做为一个中国人的那种自豪和骄傲。 

上周四的晚上，去庆祝一个好友的生日。 我们在红酒和美食的作用下，聊了很多往事。 在我们聊的很high的时候，她突然问我，“是不是北京人都爱谈政治？”  我倒从来没有注意到这个现象，也许只是我自己而已吧    Anyway, below is the MV, enjoy :)  And hopefully I'll book my vacation back home soon, can't wait!

  

Have been a little lazy over the past few days, with nothing much too exciting to report, still the same old...  Overall I've completed the 2-week detox diet, and the result is mostly psychological I think.  Everyone who's known me going on this diet has kept asking me whether I've lost any weight, and I'm afraid the weight-loss result is not that significant, however I do feel much healthier than before :)

Also been training for the 10k run for a month now.  At the end of the training, I'll run a 10k race at the end of July.  Looking forward to that :)  Then think I'll want to sign up for the half-marathon training, and then the full marathon.  Aiming to participate the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon next year :P  Or maybe I'll do the 5k this year, just for fun :P

Bought a few recipe books online, one of which is the most famous classic cook book by Julia Child, called "Mastering the Art of French Cooking".  I've been into cooking for a while now.  I find the difference between western cook books and the Chinese ones are that the western cook books are usually written by a single chef, such as Julia Child, Jamie Oliver (a.k.a. the naked chef), etc, and they've got a personal touch to it, one can almost read it as a memoir or story book.  And the Chinese cook books are just plain cooking instructions, without any of the chef's personal stories.  So that being said, it's much more pleasant to read a western cook book.  And since I've always had this fascination on French culture, can't wait to learn more about French cooking.  Also there's a movie based on a true story of a girl cooking all the recipes from Julia Child's book, which is coming out in August called "Julie and Julia", definitely want to see that.

Here're a few pictures of our relaxed weekend, plus my cooking :P

More than half way through my detox diet, woohoo :)  According to the book, starting on day 11, I'll re-introduce certain food back to my diet, such as rye, yogurt, cheese, and wheat, one day at a time.  I think the most I will get out of this dieting exercise, is cutting back on all sugared drinks, pops, coffee and fast food.  I'm getting used to drinking just water everyday, and eating fresh food.  I'll try to keep it this way for as long as possible.

Anyway, I got up late today, so went straight to lunch.  Had a bowl of Vietnamese vermicelli with grilled chicken for lunch.  Then for dinner, had tofu with the left-over fish from the other night, cucumber with eggs stir-fry, plus steamed rice.  Also snacked on macadamia nuts throughout the day :P

Been really good these days, going to the library quite a lot, to study for my upcoming exam.  Just re-booked my exam, and it's a week from this Saturday.  Hopefully I'll be much better prepared this time, and no surprises :P

Also heard a new song from reading one of my friends' blog today, and later found this video of Colin Firth.  Always liked him, and now with his sweet voice, he's totally irresistible :)

 

Forgot to update yesterday, here's the recap: had watermelon for breakfast as usual, followed by a baked yam for lunch, then had sea bass, vegetables stir fry, plus steamed rice for dinner. 

And today, watermelon for breakfast.  Tuna salad, lettuce, alfalfa sprouts wrapped in whole wheat pita for lunch.  Then made this very healthy soup for dinner, which consists of sweet potato, butter nut squash, carrots, onions, pear, apple and ginger, all cooked and pureed together.  The recipe is from the hormone diet book, and it tastes really good :) 

I think I'm getting used to the daily diet routine now.  As usual had watermelon for breakfast.  For lunch, had the left-over duck, and hard-boiled eggs, plus rice congee.  Not sure what to make for dinner yet, probably just something easy like a salad.  Also ran a 5k together with Michael this afternoon.  Was very impressed that he ran with me all the way, I could tell he was trying hard to keep up, but still he did it.  Maybe will convince him to run with me more often.

Saw an interesting article on CNN today, which describes this new phenomenon of an increasing number of young males in Japan appear less masculine, who are very much not interested in sex or making money, but rather their appeal.  The word for them is "Herbivore Men" (草食男子).  Another article here describes this similar matter by someone who's Japanese. 

I think both authors missed a point which is to say that maybe more and more Japanese guys are turning gay.  Forget the fancy word "Herbivore Men", I think an easier to understand equivalent word would simply be "gay".  Or maybe those guys are not all the way there yet, marking them "gay" would be somewhat harsh, since they are quite different from the true gays who are interested in hard-on anal sex all the time.  But still, I think if some young guy is only interested in fashion and appeal, and who looks skinny and somewhat "pretty", then that guy is not far from being called gay in the West. 

Anyway, I hope this trend does not continue and affect all the young men in Asia, otherwise it would be quite devastating for all the young Asian women out there :P

Day 4 of my detox diet.  Had watermelon for breakfast as usual.  Made Japanese style omelet rice for lunch.  I learnt it from my Taiwanese roommate a long time ago.  It's basically chicken fried rice with some ketchup, wrapped in an omelet.  Then for dinner, had some BBQ duck bought from a Chinese store, also made a stir-fry with Swiss chard and spicy tofu, plus steamed rice of course.  Again, only drank water the entire day plus the supplements. 

Finally finished the book "The End of the Affair" by Graham Greene.  It's another book that I had for a long time, but never really had the patience to finish reading it.  This time, I finally went all the way.  Have to say, it's a quite an interesting story.  It certainly questions many things in life concerning true love, marriage, and faith.  True love can drive a man into complete misery, jealousy that he ends up hiring a private detective to find out whether the woman he loved has left him for another guy.  Even though she's married, and he had an affair with her, yet he could never really let her go.  But later you find out the shocking truth, and have to say, I didn't like how the book ends exactly.  Partly because I am not religious, so that I don't believe God can really come between two people's true love for each other. 

Overall I like Greene's writing style.  Particularly how he could describe those tender feelings one often has when one's in love,  like here: "... She had lowered her head to escape the flash, but I would have recognized that close knotty hair which trapped or resisted fingers.  Suddenly I wanted to put out my hand and touch her, the hair of her head and her secret hair, I wanted her lying beside me, I wanted to be able to turn my head on the pillow and speak to her, I wanted the most imperceptible smell and taste of her skin, and there was Henry facing the pressman's camera with the complacency and assurance of a Departmental head." 

It's funny how the name of the main female character in the book is Sarah again, just like in "When We Were Orphans".  And both books are set in London during Wolrd War II, what a coincidence.  Again, this Sarah is extremely elegant, lady-like, and if she walks into a room, all the guys will notice her.  Someone who is so extraordinarily beautiful, that the main character can never quite have her, but always has her on his mind.  I can picture either Nicole Kidman or Cate Blanchett be a good fit for playing this Sarah. 

Anyway, have a few more love stories I'd like to finish reading soon, particularly "The Time Traveler's Wife" (hopefully I can finish it before the movie comes out) and "Something Borrowed".  Also ordered some more books today, one on Chinese politics called "Prisoner of the State", one on South Africa "Disgrace", and one on Pakistan "Three Cups of Tea".  Gonna have a busy summer with all these good books to read :)

Still going strong on my diet :)  Had watermelon and cherries, plus some soy milk for brunch.  Then for dinner, made a feast, consisting of cod fillet in hot and sour sauce, eggplant and tomato stew, stir-fry Swiss chard, and steamed rice.  Only drank water again, and the usual supplements. 

Nothing much is planned for the weekend, probably going to see a movie in the theatre.  I kinda want to see "The Hangover", read some good reviews about it. 

Also watched this video again today, was very touched by it.  Enjoy :)

   

First thing in the morning, took the liver cleanse supplement (since that dosage is twice a day), then had a few slices of watermelon and 2 hard boiled eggs for brunch.  Then took a Omega-3 capsule right after food.  Chewed on one Vitamin C pill as a snack, since it's chewable and grape flavoured :P  Also had a probiotic capsule, since it's recommended to take without food. 

For dinner, I made sushi, which consists of rice, smoked salmon, cucumber, avocado, and eggs.  Before going to bed, I'm going to take the liver cleanse supplement again.  Drank only water throughout the day.  And as an added bonus, ran 5k tonight as part of my weekly running routine, I try to run Tuesdays and Wednesdays every week with a local running group.  Off to a good start, feeling very healthy already :) 

Starting tomorrow, I'm going to follow the anti-inflammatory detox diet suggested by Dr. Natasha Turner for 14 days.  I read her book for a while now, and I'm very eager to give it a try.  It's the start of a 6-week hormone diet program as mentioned in her book (you can find it here if you're interested too), not sure if I want to go the whole way, we'll see.  But it seems like the 2-week detox diet is good for anybody to do it just once in a while.  The basic idea is to cleanse your body, get rid of most of the toxins in your body by eating very simple, fresh food along with some supplements.

I'll try to write an entry a day capturing my daily food intake throughout the entire 2-week period.  There are a lot of the restrictions for what you can and cannot eat/drink during the detox period.  Basically no alcohol, no smokes, no caffeine, no sugar/sweet stuff, no processed food, no dairy products, no red meats, no grains that contain gluten, no citrus fruits, and the list continues.  Which begs the question of what can one eat?  And the answer is the following:
  - Gluten-free grains, which are millet, rice and rice products, buckwheat.  (I think I'll just stick with rice, since being Chinese, it's easy to eat rice everyday and not getting sick of it :P)
  - Vegetables, all kinds of vegetables except corn
  - Fruits, all fruits except oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, canned fruits, raisins, dates and other non-organic dried fruits
  - Beans, all beans are fine
  - Nuts and seeds, all except peanuts
  - Fish and poultry meat, all fish, seafood are fine; all poultry (chicken, turkey, duck, etc) are fine
  - Extra-virgin olive oil
  - Eggs
  - Soy products, all soy products (tofu, soy milk, etc) are fine

Actually it's not that bad, since a lot of the Chinese dishes I make regularly are all in the list above.  I guess I'll just alternate between chicken and fish with rice mostly, with different kinds of vegetables everyday.  I just won't be able to eat red meat for a while, and if I do eat out, I'll probably only able to order sushi or salads  

Also I'll need to take some supplements daily as part of the detox diet, these include:
  - A probiotic supplement, suggested brands are: Ultra Flora Plus; HMF Forte; Smooth Food 2 or All-Flora
  - A herbal cleansing formula for the liver and/or bowels that contains milk thistle, dandelion, turmeric, artichoke and/or beet, suggested brands are: Clear Detox-Hormonal Health; Lipo-Gen; Liver-G.I. Detox
  - One serving per day of a bowel-cleansing formula containing fibre, suggested brands are: Clear Detox-Digestive Health; G.I. Fortify
  - Others such as Omega-3 fish oils and extra Vitamin-C are highly recommended too



Update:
I checked out a health store yesterday, and noticed that all the brands for the supplements mentioned in the book were not available in Canada, so I had to get the Canadian equivalent brands for those supplements.  Here are the ones I got:
  - Ultimate Flora (by Renew Life, contains 50 billion cells per capsule) for the probiotic supplement
  - Complete Liver Cleanse (by Enzymatic Therapy, a natural herbal cleansing formula for the liver with fibre), I find this is a very good buy, since it completes the cleansing with the added fibre, a 2-in-1 supplement
  - Vitamin C (by Jamieson)
  - Omega-3 (by Swiss)

So I'm all ready, and here it goes :)

首先声明一下，unbe-fucking-lievable, 这个词不是我invented的，最早是听我一个很久以前的男朋友的step mom用的。 说起来也挺好笑的，那个男朋友本来就比我大很多，那时他就已经三十多了，我还在上大学，刚二十出头。 但他的这个step mom却很年轻，可能四十都不到，也许是人家保养的好，又加上很风趣，我们说起话来一点代沟都没有，感觉就像是我男朋友的sister一样。 Anyway，那时逢年过节的时候，和他的家人在一起，我最聊的来得就是跟他的step mom，Karen，我连她的名字还记得，可见我多么喜欢她。 她总是穿的很休闲，经常就是T-shirt加jeans，有时还是那种有印大熊猫的T-shirt，一看就是一个tree hugger外加一点hippie。 她对中国很感兴趣，我们总是聊一些关于中国，西藏，信仰等等的话题，总是很有的聊。 她说话时也很风趣，unbe-fucking-lievable,  就是出自于她，用来形容对某些事物很惊讶的态度，比unbelievable更胜一筹。

OK，进入正题，说一下我周六的考试。 很出乎我的预料，监考官竟然没让我考，原因是我exam register的名字和我driver’s license上的名字不一致。 本来也没什么，因为很多人都有一个常用的名字，也许和自己的legal name不完全一样。 我当时报考时也没太多想，就填了自己常用的名字。 可笑的是，第一阶段的考试遇到同样的情况，监考官指出不同，我拿出好几个ID，外加我大学的alumni ID，让他看到两种名字都有用过，他就没说什么了。 这次是不同的一个监考官，偏偏就只要看government issued photo ID，那就只有driver’s license或health card，名字不一样，就偏不发给我考卷。  最后找到他们的manager，谈了半天，最后要我去找律师弄一个affidavit来证明我的两个名字都有用才能让我考。 很多事有利就有弊，有弊也有利。 本来我复习的就不是很充分，这下我又意外的得到了好几天的复习时间。 后来想想，自己还真是lucky呢。 要是fail了，重新register，又要破费很多银子。 这下我被动的多得了好多宝贵的复习时间  所以有时人生就会有这种unbe-fucking-lievable的事情发生

这几天又开始临阵磨枪起来，因为明天早上我又要去考第二阶段的考试了。 好像我永远都是等到最后一刻才开始准备，不管前面有一个月还是两个月的时间，总是最后三天搞定。  最后的效率也是出奇的高，大概一天啃5个chapters，平均一小时看20pages，哎，真的无可就药了。。。还好我的另一个好友也要周六考试，虽然是不同的科目，但还好我们可以相互督促，不至于又去逛街了。 明天下午我就又轻松了，至少等到再下一次考试的前三天 



上个周末，我的一个在美国的cousin结婚了。 他是我在南非的大姨夫和他前妻的儿子，所以跟我没有血缘关系，不过还有一点亲戚关系。 之前小时侯在南非时还一起玩过，那时他才13岁，我15岁。 后来我来到加拿大，他和他的孪生兄弟去了美国，我们就一直没见过面，只是偶尔在网上聊聊。 很难想像他会那么早settle down，因为在我的印象里，他一直是一个很随便，很爱玩的家伙。 倒是他的brother总是很文质彬彬，感觉很认真，将来可能是比较靠谱的人。 现在他们完全出乎我的预料，两人的状态完全和以前的倒了过来。

这就是他们的婚礼。 不过结婚前，人家早就和老婆把房子买了，把孩子生了，而他现在才24岁，真是让我蛮惊讶的...


看，他们可爱的baby都已经一岁多啦~~~


就让我们祝福这对新人吧

AKUS: Alison Krauss and Union Station.  Their songs have been on my most frequently played song list.  Especially Alison Krauss's soft sweet voice, she's been absolutely my most favourite female musician.  I'd love to go to see them live if I had the chance. 

Especially this song, "Baby, Now That I've Found You", every time I listen to it, it reminds me of this past fall, the autumn when I was 26.  I guess for me, it will forever remind of me of that period in my life. 

Can't believe I'll be 27 in less than two months.  My mom was already married when she was my age, and she gave birth to me when she was 28.  Which is quite scary if I think about it, since I'm approaching that age too.  And I totally can't picture myself being a mother.  I still want my youth, I still want my freedom, and there's still this wild spirit inside me that can't be ignored completely...

Well, some people say that 30 is the new 20 now.  So on the other hand, it may not be that bad, it all depends on how you look at it.  The most important thing I guess is for me to enjoy each day, and live my life to the fullest, with no regrets :)

 

记得第一次听到“五月天”这个名字还是在大学的时候，我的台湾室友经常会给我介绍一些她新发现的歌。 通过她的影响，我也痴迷的爱上了孙燕姿，Jay Chou，Jolin等等。  我对五月天了解的并不是很多，只知道一两首他们的歌，因为有很多是闽南语的，我完全听不懂。 今天偶然间再一次听到了他们的“噢买尬”，突然间让我回想起了很多在大学时的人和事。 手上的青春在慢慢流逝，好想再像当年一样，尽情的party到天亮。  不过现在的我又不像以前那样单身，可以无忧无虑的be crazy and wild。 哎，真的是围城，人总想要自己手上没有的东西。。。

 

今天是周五，好兴奋，因为这个周末是Victoria Day Long Weekend。 明天我们就要去Ottawa，去看那里一年一度的Tulip Festival :)   最近在家里看我之前买的“鲁豫有约”的dvd，非常喜欢她的节目，里面的嘉宾不仅有国内很红的影星，歌星，明星，还有各个行业比较有名，有特点的人。 让我也可以弥补一下国内都流行什么，最热点的话题是什么。

还有最近买了几本有关health和beauty的书，看起来都很girly的books。 其中一本是最近很热卖的"The Hormone Diet" by Dr. Natasha Turner。 我还在看，觉得写的很好，说不定过些天也要试一试她的detox diet。 还有一本是Victoria Beckham写的"That Extra Half An Inch"，都是她对关于各种服装，服饰给的tips，advice。 每个女人看完后都会有感触吧。 我要尽量在summer之前，把自己的body做到bikini ready.  看看这样的body，是不是很inspiring啊 :)

Another weekend just flew pass by, didn't do much except had dinner with friends followed by poker on Friday night.  Then on Saturday, we saw the new Star Trek movie, it's definitely a good blockbuster hit, and the beginning of a whole slew of summer blockbuster movies. 

Poker night at Yang's :)


Another home cooked meal: egg salad, sea bass in Chinese sauce, stir-fry celery with spicy tofu :P

今天去了一个工作面试，应聘职位还是我做的老本行，但公司是一家多伦多新起的航空公司，而且它的位置还很特殊，在多伦多市中心南部的小岛上。 这家航空公司专门从Toronto Centre Island起飞，飞往各个附近的大小城市，像Ottawa, Montreal, New York City还有Chicago等等。

记得我最早在大三的时候，曾经很想当空姐。 因为小时侯很喜欢数学，总希望将来做跟数学或科学有关的工作。 也许是在大学的学习和实习，让我做够了每天和枯燥的程序与geeks打交道的生活。 让我忽然觉得还是头脑简单点的比较好，冲动的想去做个“dumb blonde”。  后来发现做空姐很好，可以靠美貌吃饭，还可以周游世界。 于是很认真得修改简历，投了好几个知名的大的航空公司，像Air Canada，Cathay Pacific。 然后就十分开心的做起当空姐的梦。 幻想着我每天打扮的漂漂亮亮，穿着制服，世界各地飞来飞去，再碰到头等仓的哪位有钱人看上我，嫁给他，一辈子就搞定了。 我还很高兴的打电话告诉了我的家人。 我爸妈从小就很尊重我的选择，很少反对我想要做的事。 唯独那一次，他们好像感觉到我马上就要放弃我的大学学习，兴致冲冲得当空姐去了，一个劲的劝我多考虑，甚至还用姥爷很反对我当空姐的想法来威胁我。 不过老天没给我那个机会，我投的简历一个interview也没有，我的空姐梦也就慢慢的黯淡下来。

事隔五年后，我那想做空姐的梦又开始萌发起来。 如果能在这家公司工作的话，我就等于跨进了航空公司的门，也许之后有机会能再转成空姐呢。 不过话说回来，我的年纪也不小了，要从头做空姐的话，也许薪水上是个很大的drop吧。 不过哪怕只做一两年，圆了我那想最空姐的梦，也未必不可 :)

Didn't do much this weekend, just stayed home and watched some movies.  We saw the new X-men movie in theatres, it's really good, with all the sound and visual effects on a big screen.  Also saw an interesting documentary on TV called "Up the Yangtze", it's about the lives of ordinary Chinese people who were affected by the ever-changing China and the Three Gorges Dam project. 

I particularly like the joke one Chinese guy made, it's something like the president of China and the president of the US were driving on the same road, and they both reached a T-section, which on the left it's going towards Communism and on the right it's going to Capitalism.  The US president made a right turn.  The Chinese president also turned right, however he put his left-turn indicator on.