Anyone Got A Time Machine?

Living in the 21st century sure has it's advantages. I mean, look at everything we can do now! Cell phones have cameras, smart phones in general, YouTube and Facebook came out enabling a 'better way of staying connected now more than ever', human segway transporters (for people who who think walking just isn't cool enough), being able to order anything and everything online with a touch of your finger...like fast food even, GPS, e-readers, Skype. Basically our whole world revolves around computers and technology. Even some schools nowadays require that their students have laptops or iPads (and I'm talking about grade school). Also libraries filled with encyclopedias and books in general are starting to become a thing of the past. Am I complaining about all these techy advances we have now have in front of us at our disposal? No. Okay I lied, maybe a little. Is it so wrong that I would rather go back in time just a little bit? A time where books were actual books, not electronic books on e-readers? A time where we would have to solely rely on someones word alone upon meeting up somewhere for dinner, because we didn't have cell phones to text? Or what about a time where writing letters and calling people over the home phone was the only way rather than  our new-age emails, e-cards, and having text conversations through our phones ? I'm still happy to see that Hallmark is still business and that people do still send Christmas cards because if that ever dies out I'm going to be first in line for whenever a time machine gets invented (and at this rate with all that can be done in today's world, that may very well be sooner than we expect)
So I have a BlackBerry. Yes, a Blackberry. Yes that's okay, I'll pause for a minute here to let you laugh and get it out of your system. I love having one, always have. Even though Blackberry is suffering I still stay loyal. I have used an iPhone before, and I own an iPad so I am very familiar with how it works and all the features. I have also tinkered around on some of the Androids that are out there.All impressive for some reasons but I still love my BlackBerry the most. And an added bonus? The US government cannot monitor BlackBerry communication. Nope, nothin' wrong with that!
So anyways, I got a new BlackBerry the other day, thew fancy q10, it has the trusted old faithful keyboard that I love and the screen is all touch, sooooo navigating is done through the screen and there is no track pad. This part drives me crazy. (Thank goodness I still have the keyboard at least) It's not so much the fact that it's touch screen as I'm sure it's just a matter of getting used to it but it's just that it's too easy to accidentally touch something and make an error, send the wrong thing, delete in error etc...
It. Drives. Me. Nuts.
So although I love my phone, I wish I could go back even just a little to when phones only were used to make phone calls. Simplicity. We were fine back then and got everything done okay so I can't imagine us not being able to now. Or I'd even take pagers! Hahaha! Remember those things? I remember my Dad had one, and he would give us kids a legend of codes which would mean different things. So for example, if Mom needed Dad to call her when he was off work for a grocery list she would dial his pager and punch in a bunch of '4's. Awesome little weird way of communicating I think, but it did the job!
As I started writing today's post I began to think of all of our technological advances that we have made. Yes, some definitely are fantastic and make life much easier and more efficient, even some more eco-friendly. But some are just downright unnecessary and ridiculous and are only adding to the future laziness of our world, of our kids, of our kids kids, and their kids! How is that in a world where we have all this technology to stay connected, we are actually more disconnected now than ever? We have all these outlets for communication; text, Skype, emails, Facebook, Twitter, instant messaging, and basically just the ability to do everything online such as banking, dating, college diplomas and degrees, and ordering groceries even! All this to bring us closer, make things easier and more attainable or efficient, yet the human touch gap is narrowing as we speak. Sometimes I feel so lost amid all these new technological advances, and I'm doing my best to keep up and stay with it because if I don't blink quick enough, the world is going to take off without me.
If I may point out something funny, my parents struggle too - with even just text messaging. I probably shouldn't laugh at them because I may be in their shoes one day, but....I do. But they're definitely trying. My Dad has his BlackBerry and uses that okay, my Mom just got her very first cell phone last year (not a smartphone) and she is getting a bit better at text (it's still funny as hell when she uses it though. My mom thought 'lol' meant lots of love.....hmmm, I was wondering why she was always' laughing out loud' whenever she would text me telling me to drive safe or wish me a good vacation)
Now that I mention my Mom, it reminded me of a funny conversation I had last week with her. Well maybe not funny, but rather kind of sad actually. I was telling her how my generation is going to be the last of the already dying breed of domesticated, crafty, sweater-knitting grandmas. When all of today's young girls grow up to become little old ladies, not a damn single one of them are going to know anything about baking pies, knitting, sewing, pulling off making an entire homemade turkey dinner, or making jams and preserves. They won't even have actual photo albums to share with their grandchildren. Their memories and keepsakes will consist of Instagram selfies, Facebook and Twitter accounts. Their vocabulary will be full of stupid acronyms, and they wont be able to hold actual conversations. This goes for the grandpas too. Remember good ol' art of conversation? Something that should come natural to us but is becoming less used and people are actually losing their skills of real one-on-one communication? This is something I come across more and more every day. Even finding someone with a good solid and confident handshake is quite a rarity.
It would be interesting to see for sure, and I'm sure my parents generation felt the same way about my generation growing up. Obviously things are going to change. People are going to change. Things will advance and change the world - it's a given. But sometimes I think some things just need to be left as they are, and stay true to their origin, especially when it comes to the humankind and keeping the human touch alive.

10 Things

Looking outside my window, from my warm and cozy home, it's a splendorous sight to see. The bare branches that were once lined with lush green leaves, are now crystalized in sparkly white hoar frost, the ground surface is completely blanketed in heavy white snow, the sky is blue with the sun peeking through, and there is a definite icy cold crispness in the air. It truly looks like a beautiful Christmas snow globe outside, or just like the cover of a Christmas card depicting the perfect winter image. Sounds pretty, doesn't it?
Now, let's put me out on the other side of that window for a minute here.
This morning I woke up, ate breakfast, threw on some boots, my toasty warm hooded winter jacket, a toque, wool mitts, and put my ear buds in blasting my ipod on full! I headed outside, shovel in hand, ready to take on the huge 3 foot dump of heavy snow we got last night! Man I hate winter! Yes I was definitely busting my ass and working up a sweat but it was still so cold. The ends of my hair were even freezing into icicles! Now that's when you know it is damn cold! OR better yet when your nose hairs inside are freezing together. You can feel it when you wiggle your nose! It's the weirdest feeling ever. Nonetheless it was cold, and there was a ton of snow. I was much happier indoors in my sweatpants looking out, holding my mug of piping hot green tea.The only thing good about this is the exercise you get, so basically that's the only thing that gets me outside to shovel the snow, is knowing I'm in for an excellent workout.
How can something so beautiful be so horrible at the same time? The bitter cold, the icy roads, the dry wind that stings your nose and cheeks. I don't know how I do it year after year to be honest. However, I am a born and raised Calgarian, and I haven't died yet from a winter yet.....(although some days it really feels like I'm going to. Hahaha!) . I guess I've gotta be doing something right to cope through this crap, year after year.
So I came up with a list of things that help me get through my winters. A list of things that either make it a little bit more easier or bearable or make me feel a bit summery. I'm sure we all have our own things we turn to, and here is mine!



10 Things That Help Me Survive Winter In Calgary:



1) Vitamin D supplement - aka 'the sunshine' vitamin. Not only is it used for preventing chronic disease, and boosting your immunity, but it also combats depression, just like the vitamin D from good ol' sunshine does! Need I say more?

2) Heated car seats - I've had cars without, and Ive had (and have) car(s) with, and I will never, ever, ever go back to a car without heated seats. Sure in the summer it can suck having black leather seats but when winter comes, it makes it allllllll worth it!

3) Remote car starters - While we're still on the topic of cars here, yes, this is a must for me. I've had cars without, and my current car I had it installed in and it is the best thing ever! Totally worth whatever money it may cost you. Trust me!

4) Bob Marley - What better way to combat the icy cold than with blastin' up some sweet island sounds of Mr. Marley? Even when it's cold out, I find that sometimes just by playing his music, I instantly warm up and my mood changes. Instant mood elevator! What a legend! R.I.P Bob <3

5) Spiced rum / Dark rum beverages - Yeah that's right, hard liquor helps me get through the cold! Don't judge. Ha ha ha! No, no, I'm no alcoholic, but honestly when it's cold like this, nothing warms you up quite like a little rum drink (even with some egg nog in it) or some red wine. This is definitely not a season for cold beer or margaritas!

6) Bronzer - For all my beautiful lady readers, this is for us. Let's face it, our skin looks more dry, dehydrated, and dull in the winter. We lose whatever tans we got during the summer, and as for me, yes I'm half Guyanese so I stay tan all year BUT I do get a lot lighter during the winter months too unfortunately (that's my half white side coming out). But nothing like a little light dusting of bronzing powder over the cheeks, hairline, bridge of the nose and chin to give you that sun-kissed glow, even in the winter!

7) Sweaters and cozy blankets - Cuz baby it's cold outside, and I like to stay as warm as possible. Wouldn't you? 'Nuff said!

8) Starbucks holiday drinks - Mmmm!!! I wait for these bad boys every year. First they bring in the delicious Fall drinks ; the pumpkin spice lattes, and then the Christmas ones ; Peppermint Mochas, Gingerbread Lattes, Eggnog Lattes, Creme Brulee Lattes. If the delicious hot flavor of these drinks aren't enough, the cute red and white cup in comes in decked out in little Christmas images should be. Or get a tasty Christmas-style baking treat to go with it! Mmm! I don't know about you but these lattes always put a positive spin on winter for me.

9) Hydration!!Drinking lots of water, and slathering on the coconut body butter - We all know we're supposed to have the 8 - 8oz glasses of water per day, but during winter with all the dryness here, I slam the water like there's no tomorrow. Hydration from the inside for better skin, energy, and less headaches, aaand my all time fave go-to ; The Body Shop's coconut body butter! That stuff is simply amazing, and smells like a beach!

10) Projects - I find that if you can commit yourself to a project or two, or even just many little projects throughout the season, it gives you something to do and to focus on and work towards while staying indoors rather than the usual and preferred couch laying with a blanket and movies (although don't get me wrong, I love doing that too!!) When I give myself projects to do indoors I feel more productive and the time tends to go a bit quicker after Christmas, which is great!


So there you have it, that's my (shortened) list! A few of the little pleasures, and a few of the necessities for me. As a matter of fact, this year I'm going to start taking up cross country skiing as another great way to make the most of winter, and also to get in some fantastic exercise. I started skating again a couple years ago, and I am most definitely going to get back to doing that as well this year. At this rate, before I know it I will be slappin' on the summer rims, waxing up my car, and sportin' a fresh new dress and heels in no time!

It Is What It Is....And It's Okay

During this past week I realized something. Something I always sort of knew but I guess you could say wasn't quite sure of until recently. You might call it sad, but I just call it what it is.I came to the realization that my Mom and I are just two totally different people and won't ever truly be close. I've always known that we were never close, and growing up was quite evident. But you know how sometimes things can change or evolve as we get older? Well I thought that perhaps maybe as the years went on, we might get there, but we haven't. I don't think we ever really will be, and to be quite honest, I think it's fine. Most people tend to be closer with either their Mom or their Dad, and sometimes some are close with both. I love my Mom dearly, but our personalities just don't quite mesh that way where we truly 'get' each other, and we don't have anything that we even bond over really. From time to time I do try make an honest effort with her whether it's going out for breakfast or dinner and drinks, shopping, or even trying to help her with some things around the house or even just being inquisitive about her day and her hobbies and such. But one thing I learned about that is that no matter how much effort one puts into creating something, if it's just not there and never has been there, then chances are, it probably won't ever be there. In some ways I find this to be a bit sad as every girl wants to have that special mother daughter closeness I think, and I witness this all the time, even amongst my own girlfriends. When I stop and take a second to look at these relationships and evaluate and admire the love that I see, I smile. I smile because it's such a sweet and heartwarming thing to see. I smile because I can only imagine the growth and nurturing it must have taken to get there. But I also smile because although I may not have that, I do have the realization of something else - and that is that I am daddy's girl. Definitely. And no, not the spoiled brat "Daddy!" this and "Daddy!" that. Oh hell no. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't even dream of calling my Dad 'Daddy" because something about that word (at least when it comes to us) sounds so whiny and weak (and our Guyanese family is stubborn as hell and try not to show any signs of weakness, even in the simplest forms) See, to call my Dad 'daddy', to me, just sounds like I need something, and like Im still a little girl, when I prefer to have this independent woman state of mind, haha! So 'daddy' just does not fly. Unless you're referring to the term 'daddy's girl' in which it does, in this case.

So anyways, last week my Dad was on vacation for a week. My Mom was alone, and it was Halloween week/weekend. I worked all week but as my nights off came along I decided hey, why not have a chill night with Mom, watch some movies, and have a couple beers? So we did! I think she enjoyed herself. The next day there happened to be a Halloween party going on in the town, and my Mom always wants to go out to Halloween parties and dress up but my Dad never wants to, therefore they never go, and my Moms friends aren't normally into it either. So I have this bright idea at work that day and tell my Mom to put together a costume, Ill reuse one of my old ones and I'll take her to that party and we can Halloween it up together!

Well she loved that idea! So we went out, we had wings, we drank, we checked out all the different costumes and she took some pictures. But throughout that whole evening (and we were there for just over 4 hours) we just didn't have any conversation really. It wasn't anything awkward like being on a bad date, it was just quiet. There wasn't any similarities, no common ground, no mutual interests for conversation....nothing. The most we'd have to say to each other would be random comments about a funny costume we saw, or whether we should order more wings or not. Stuff like that. It was nice being out with my Mama for sure but we are just very different people. So after that night I accepted it for what it was.

Even when I think back to when I was a little girl, some of my most sweetest memories (which are usually memories a girl would have with her mother) are ones with my Dad of when I was done having my bath at night time my Dad would take a comb and de-tangle my long dark hair for me. Then he would part it down the middle or sometimes into three sections and braid my wet hair, fastening it with his version of a quick-fix hair elastic ( a piece of woven chicken twine.....uh huh, yeah you read that right. He's even used those little blue rubber bands that come wrapped around green onions in the grocery store). In the morning before school, I would take them out and have these beautiful soft waves. So sweet. Another fond memory I have is how my Dad bought me my very first CoverGirl compact for me! I remember being in junior high school and that's when all the cool girls would start wearing powder, so I pleaded to my Dad to buy one for me! I laugh as I think about it because his face was priceless. He twisted up his brow, wrinkled up his forehead and asked me what the heck do I need makeup for? I simply had no other explanation other than it was just cool to have. With that, he rolled his eyes, sighed, but got it for me anyway. My brothers would probably disagree with me when I say I wasn't spoiled. I really wasn't (in the normal ways that I guess most girls would be spoiled) as our family didn't have a lot of money growing up, and my Dad was primarily the only one working and supporting a family of six, with one of them being a hellion always getting arrested, getting into serious trouble and doing bad things - the older he got, the worse it got with him, but that's a story for another day.

Back on topic here...........as a matter of fact there was a time growing up, pretty much from pre-teen throughout the teenager years that I didn't like my Mom at all. Yes it was partly because of the hormonal teenaged girl reasons, but there are other bigger reasons as well. Again, maybe a story for another day.

But one thing that I have grown to know and learn as I get older is that when it comes to family, particularly your own Mom and Dad, although you might not get along or might not see eye to eye at all, ever, it's important every now and then to give them a little sign to let them know that although you've recognized your differences, you still recognize their existence, and that they are not unloved. Not unloved at all.

Hibernation In Full Effect

So Calgary got it's first real dump of snow a few days ago and I am not liking it. yes I was born and raised here so yes I should be used to it by now, but I'm not, and I don't think I ever will be. I mean normally our winters/first snowfalls come in a bit more like a lamb gently easing you into the cold season. But damn, not this year! It was like BAM!!! Honey I'm hoooommmme!!!! So naturally I'm in even more of a hibernation mode than normal this time of year. I've been sick for three weeks with this ridiculous super cough, and thus haven't been able to work out properly because with any increase in my heart rate and breathing, my lungs feel like they're going to explode, and my breathing becomes more difficult. Needless to say I'm a bit of a grumpy bear right now and I'm just trying to trudge through.
SO..............what's one good way to lift my spirits and pass the time during days or times like these? Bake! That's right, good ol' baking! One of my two favorite therapies right next to retail. So since it's so cold and miserable outside right now, I decided to close all my blinds so I didn't have to see it, crank up the tunes, throw on my latest, favorite new Wonder Woman apron (thank you Lem!) and get to work.
Todays inspiration came from flipping through a grocery store flyer where I saw tubs of neopolitan ice cream on sale (for those of you who may not know what that is or didn't grow up with it, its a three layer flavor combination of chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla) I decided to try incorporate that into a cupcake. 
It turned out quite tasty, and was actually kind of fun to experiment with and make. I think you'll like it :)
Here's what I came up with!


For the vanilla cupcakes:
Measure the following, and mix all together using a whisk : 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Next, whisk 1 cup of milk, 1/2 cup water, 3/4 cup oil, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, and 2 large eggs in a separate bowl from your dry ingredients. Make a well in your flour mixture/dry ingredients, and gradually pour your wet mixture into it. Whisk until blended.

Divide the batter up into cupcake paper lined muffin/cupcake tins (makes 24), and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

So what I did afterwards, after everything was cooled off, I took a serrated knife and gently cut off the tops of the cupcakes, as I was preparing a strawberry flavored mixture/icing to spread on it and then sandwich the top back on.

So I whipped up some basic vanilla buttercream frosting, and I separated a small portion of it to make the strawberry part, in which I added in some red food coloring and some strawberry jelly. Once I mixed that together, I sandwiched it between and put the tops back on.

Then I used some white frosting, spooned it into a piping bag and drew a circle along the edge of the cupcake tops.

I added some cocoa to my remaining 1/2 of my vanilla buttercream to turn it into chocolate buttercream, and piped it onto the tops.

Lastly, I whipped up a small amount of icing, colored it with pink food coloring and drizzled it over top to tie the whole neopolitan-chocolate, strawberry, vanilla thing together.

Then I couldn't resist and inside shot of it sliced in half to show the texture and strawberry goodness!

So there ya have it! My Neopolitan Cupcake! And it sure is yummy! The only thing I might change for next time is to maybe try using a strawberry concentrate or juice as opposed to the strawberry jelly/jam I sued for flavoring today. Only reason is that the consistency was a bit off (for my liking) , but nonetheless it doesn't really matter as the strawberry part is sandwiched inside so no one really sees it, but rather tastes the strawberry goodness instead! If you end up trying it out yourself, ENJOY!!!!! If not, well that's okay too! Thanks for checking out my blog post today. In this weather where I can't wash or wax my car, I can't go galavanting outside in a dress and heels, and I cant go for a good energetic run with my ipod on blast, I'm glad I can find comfort and happiness in being a 'Betty Crocker', and all the ideas and creativity that come along with it (Mom, you had no idea what you were turning me into when you bought me my first Easy-Bake Oven , did you? Ha ha ha!!)