Vodka and Soda

where did you come from?

 

two fun bloggy ladies are hosting a hilarious linkup - and i never do link-ups because i'm way too lazy to do the work - so this goes to show the epic awesomeness of this game.  join in!

i have google analytics linked to this blog but never check it because of said laziness.  however, driven to find out what brings people to my blog, here are some crazy searches that i found:

"khaleesi eyebrows".  the sheer fact that a game of thrones search term brings people to my blog should make me the winner. 

"how to cut crap out of your food cold turkey".  i'm assuming this person was looking for the term "clean eating".

"beautiful labias".  i have never written about my labia but i do write about how angry i am at my vagina  quite a bit, so i accept this.

"can vodka treat depression".  no, but it can certainly make your life happier!

"crazy girl at maroon 5 concert".  a lot of girls lose their shit when they see adam levine (duh, who wouldn't?)  and that's exactly what i wrote about here.

"i fart in my sleep".  anything mentioning farts makes me laugh.  seriously, winner right here.

"nanananananananana trance".  not sure what the fuck this is about or why it has anything to do with my blog.

"you are a fuck pic".  don't even know what to say to this.

 people search for some weird shit on the interwebs! 

did you link up? what did you find?  if not, what are you waiting for?

last one standing

 

 

when i started becoming an active blogger, i had a 'core' group of bloggy pals  whom i regularly interacted with and by that, i mean we read, commented and enjoyed one another's blogs daily.   

it seems that of them all, i'm pretty much the last one standing [cue sad violin music].   as time passed, i noticed fewer and fewer posts from these lovely ladies and my google reader started to get boring and uneventful.  it was my early morning ritual that started my (work) day off right to sit down at my desk, coffee and breakfast in hand and sift through my greader but with the dwindling posts and my laziness to seek out other blogs, my morning ritual soon went to shit.  that sucked....you mean i actually have to work?!

and to put the nail in the coffin, my oldest bloggy pal announced last week that she's officially shutting down her blog.  while i knew it was coming (based on the infrequent posts and now-rare comments being left on my blog), i was also sad.  is this the end of our/my blogging era?

to be honest, i've thought about quitting this blog several times.   i don't know if it's just me or the fact that my life is lame uneventful but i sometimes struggle with what to write.  when i had blog buddies, i had tons of stories to share, funny things to write about and felt no way about posting tidbits about my farts, my vagina,  poop, small weiners and anything else that popped into my head.  having my own little blogospace allowed me to escape from the bullshit that life sometimes threw my way so i looked forward to that time alone with my thoughts, words and the joy that my bloggy circle brought.  

but because of this,  having my core set of regular blogs put me in a comfort zone that made me lazy.  i didn't feel the need to seek out other awesome blogs that i know are out there and i never bothered to put in the effort of finding these awesome blogs and get to know the author through their writing. 

and so, i've been doing that as of late which i guess is some form of starting over and starting fresh.  perhaps this will also inject some oomph back into my posts that have been lacking lately.   in my comfort zone, i'd forgotten about blog hops, link-ups and all those other fun activities that can connect you with other writers from all walks of life.  in the past few days, i've spent many hours jumping from one blog to the next; searching, reading, discovering and subscribing and i had forgotten how much fun blog stalking and lurking  hopping can be.  with fitness at the forefront of my mind, i not only found a bunch of fitness-type blogs to subscribe to but,  i've also found some fun blogs that are filled with the type of unfiltered, hilarious ramblings that i love.   

but now comes the tricky part:  trying to connect with the blog author.  sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't and it's always a disappointment when those connections don't work out, especially when i really enjoy their content.  i've already unsubscribed to some blogs after many (and failed) attempts at trying to interact with them which sucks but so it goes.

do you regularly seek out other blogs?

 

2012: a year in review

 

it seems like yesterday that it was summer and i was just starting my life as a housewife.... now the new year is upon us which means i am heading back to work.  how the fuck we get here?!

although i'm such a loser for not taking more time off, i have to say, 2012 kicked major ass.  here's why:

...in december 2011, i hit rock bottom from a health perspective.  i wasn't on the verge of death but a single photograph was taken that turned my life around so as of january 1 2012, i made 2 goals for 2012:  to lose 15lbs and get organized.   you all know that i totally rocked the losing 15lbs part... the getting organized... not so much.  who cares though; i'm a total badass for hitting the hardest goal that i set!

...turning my life around and living a healthy lifestyle took time.  when i first started, i had the upper body strength of a toddler and zero cardio endurance.  i could barely even get through a 4-minute tabatas workout without going into cardiac arrest.  i recently did the same workout that killed me 11 months ago and breezed right through it!  i didn't even hit my target heart rate which goes to show how far i've come.

....my journey to a healther me is an ongoing story.  i started with a tiny workout that lasted only 4 mintues and eventually moved up to jillian michaels' 30 day shred, then kicked it out of the park with insanity and then tied it up all nicely with p90x.  my results have been incredible and the past 11 months have been amazing, fitness wise.  in addition to getting my pre-pregnancy body back, i also started running, learned to love it and now wearing a size 2.  oh hell fucking yes.

...in june, i left my job and became a housewife of markham.  it was a forced leave (government/consultant reasons) and my original 3-month leave turned into an 8 month leave of pure awesomeness.  after turning down several offers to work, i couldn't hold them back any longer and i'm sad to announce that i start on january 15.  i really don't know how i'm going to drag my ass into the office every day when i'm so used to relaxing and taking naps in the afternoon :(

...in september, my baby girl started junior kindergarten.  it's a huge milestone for me her and although i'm really excited for her and all of these amazing things she's going to learn, i can't help but feel sad that she's growing up too fast!

...in october, we took our hugely anticipated  family vacation to disneyworld, orlando. travelling with another family, we stayed in a sprawling 1300sqft condo that barely cost us anything, was close to some wicked outlet malls and target (resulting in massive yet awesome hauls) and everyone had a blast. 

...a little too late in the year, i started chronicling things that make me smile on a weekly basis.  this is a lazy wonderful way to blog since the pictures tell the story.  it's too bad i didn't start this series sooner in the year!

...earlier this month, my friends threw a surprise december girls' birthday dinner at the  most awesomely awesome rodney's oyster shack in downtown toronto.  i had never been there before but seriously, it has the best food.  ballons, presents, oysters, food and wine was a-flowing and a great time was had by all.  it also gave me a chance to do a comparison photo since it was this very occasion last year that spawned my entire healthy journey. 

...for the first time ever, we went to see the santa claus parade in downtown toronto.  apparently, it's a big deal but i've never had a reason to go... the crowds, the cold, bleh... but this time around, kayla was the reason why we went and it was amazing.  although the people were rude as hell, it was worth it. 

...christmas was awesome as always.  while i've always enjoyed christmas, it's a different kind of excitement and fun when you have a kid.  i guess as you get older, the "magic" of christmas disappears but with a child, you get to relive it starting beginning of november with promises of santa, the elves and present wish-lists.  i love seeing kayla's eyes light up whenever santa is mentioned

...yesterday, my hubby  and kayla took me out for an early birthday dinner at my favorite restaurant, matahari grill.  not only did i let go and enjoy the food i ate -- even with coconut white rice *gasp!* - but i also enjoyed every bit of my favorite dessert:  sago-sago, imported tapioca pearls served chilled with palm syrup and coconut cream.  basically, it's an orgasm for your mouth.   to top it off, he got me the most amazing gift:  minion key chains!  lookie:

hope you all have a fantastic new year!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

I'll be taking a blogging break while i partake in the Christmas festivities.  Wishing you all a great Christmas and a happy new year!!

 

it's ok....

 

[via:  me!]

i really like this series gal pal, blarkness, does on her blog so i'm stealing this for today's post:

 

it's ok.....

...to be scared to visit your father at his grave site.  even though 8 years have passsed,  i still can't bring myself to do it.  seeing that gravestone makes it so... final.  i can't handle that.  instead, i pretend that my dad is on a long vacation and is doing just fine.  i prefer to remember him as he was: the most wonderful and loving father.

...to finally give up trying to connect with certain bloggers.  after endless and failed attempts of interacting on their blogs, writing and sending helpful (long!) emails filled with tips and words of encouragement (that took  me a good 20mins to write), i'm letting it go... and unsubscribing.... which is too bad because they really do seem like nice people!

...to dread going back to work even though you love your career.

...to secretly wish you had your daughter's beautiful hair that gets all beach-wavy when it's hot and humid.  i mean seriously, look at it:

 

...to be fine with posting (fitness)  progress pictures of yourself on your blog or instagram yet be hella embarassed when you discover that any "likes" from friends are shared on facebook.  time to mark my instagram as "private". 

...to prefer curling up with a good book or watching great tv shows instead going out...which for me, is like, all the time.

...to be excited to see the Les Miserables movie because the musical was incredible and turned you into a bawling, weepy mess.

...to only be able to watch the walking dead with  your hubs because it's too scary to watch alone, even during the day.

 

weekly smiles

 

my adorable kayla dressed as supergirl. the top was borrowed from a friend and hubs and i searched at the chaotic walmart for the rest of the pieces.  we were lucky in that the nice walmart lady gave us a bag that only had pieces of the supergirl costume (which was perfect because we only needed what was in the bag) and only charged us $4.92!  i had to alter the skirt/belt/leggings and despite my hideous sewing skills, it actually turned out really well. 

 

last august, i went to see maroon 5 when they came to toronto.  well, next year they're coming again and i finally found someone to go with (thanks, Ven!).  unfortunately, i missed the presale tickets but will be keeping my eye out for more tickets as the date approaches (feb 19, 2013).

 

and because of my excitement for the upcoming concert, i spent a good part of last night watching maroon 5 music videos and adam levine interviews.  i caught a recent one of him on david letterman and he came out wearing a suit.  my vagina was not prepared to see him all sexy in a suit.  i love my husband and all but goddamn this man is one fine piece of ass.

 

i started this program on monday and surprisingly, i LOVED running outside if it weren't for that bitch sandy who has been fucking with the weather and make it rain all frigging week :(.  i ran anyway despite the rain.  is it bad that as soon as i realized how much i loved running, i started thinking, and got excited, about buying running gear?

 

 

there's nothing like a heart-warming, amazing movie to make you smile.  hubs told me about Intouchables months ago and i really don't know why i waited so long to watch this!  without telling too much, this is the story of two men from completely different social and economic statuses who come together and develops a beautiful friendship.

 

 

thursdays is the BEST day of the week because vampire diaries is on.  can't wait for tomorrow night!

 

 

the last time i was this captivated by a book was when i was reading the hunger games.  i love stumbling upon books that take you by surprise and completely immerse you in the story.  i can't put this down! (ps - it's a trilogy and the second book, The Twelve, is already out).  stolen from amazon:

"When a secret project to create a super-soldier backfires, a virus leads to a plague of vampiric revenants that wipes out most of the population. One of the few bands of survivors is the Colony, a FEMA-established island of safety bunkered behind massive banks of lights that repel the virals, or dracs—but a small group realizes that the aging technological defenses will soon fail. When members of the Colony find a young girl, Amy, living outside their enclave, they realize that Amy shares the virals' agelessness, but not the virals' mindless hunger, and they embark on a search to find answers to her condition."

in other words, this book is fucking awesome.

 

hope you all have a great rest of the week!

 

yet another post about blogging etiquette

 

[image source]

 

i've posted about blogging etiquette before but i think it's time for a refresher.

while i may not be the best blogger, share the most interesting posts or even keep up with maintaining my own blog on the regular, rude blog etiquette really irks me.  and yes, i know the interwebs are anonymous but if you put up a site, sit down and dedicate time to writing posts, then reap the rewards of your precious time and thoughts by interacting with your audience, goddammit.

one of my favorite pasttimes is searching for, and interacting with, new blogs.  when i find a site that i enjoy reading or even a post that i can relate to, i'll leave a comment.  if i really like the posts i've browsed on a blog, i'll add that site to my reader.   i know all bloggers love getting comments;  interactive readership is what drives us to sit down on a regular basis and post stuff up, right?  

but when a blog you enjoy and interact with doesn't respond - at all - what do you do? how long do you keep returning to, and interacting with, that blog/author and wondering if your comments - your time and thoughts - are even being read, let alone considered?

i've been experiencing this as of late.  i found a bunch of new and great blogs and interacting with them for weeks now with absolutely zero response.  nothing.  nada.  so i went to their "about me" page to see if maybe it's a bunch of contributing authors but nope, i read things about them and "i love interacting with my readers!" to which i think LIES!.  i get that one can get busy and leave things alone for a while but for that long?  dammit, if you can post multiple posts in a week, i'm sure you can respond to at least a few of your readers.

i'm not looking for new followers.  i interact with a blog based on the author's post because i enjoyed reading it.... that's it. i don't play that "follow my blog and i'll follow you back" bullshit.  heck, i don't even know how many followers i have but if can spare a few minutes writing a comment, the least you can do is respond.

when someone visits my site and is kind enough to leave a comment, i make it a point to not only respond to them in my post but i email them my reply to make sure they know i've responded.  i know that hardly anyone returns to a post just to see if the author replied so i do this as a token of appreciation for stopping by; for taking the time to read my verbal diarrhea and leave me a comment.  in addition to replying to their comment, i'll also visit their site, browse around and leave a comment on a few posts that i find interesting.  if i really like their site, they get added to my reader unbeknownst to them.  they'll just start seeing me around their blog on a regular basis. 

so i'm wondering with these new blogs ... should i continue to visit those sites even though my attempts at making a connection are futile but i enjoy most of the posts?  should i be petty and remove them from my reader because "that'll show them"?  should i just visit and not comment?  because really, don't we interact with new blogs to make a connection?

 

what would you do?

random thursdays: current obsessions

 

gal pal, Leesh from the blarkness chronicles, has a fun post on her blog and i thought what the hell, why not?!  i have a bunch of unfinished posts that i'm too lazy to complete and this is a quick way to bang out my thoughts so here are my current obsessions:

 

 

white collar.   oh, neal caffrey..... you are all kinds of delicious man-hunk.   it's too bad you don't like vaginas because if you did, you can shoplift this pooty anytime.  

it took me a while to get into this show; the first season was a bit 'blah' at first mainly because there wasn't a trailing story line and in each episode, they  always solved the case.  boring.  however, the characters made up for it especially mozzie, the quirky, eccentric, brilliant conman and surprisingly, you learn to like tiffani theissen instead of wanting to punch her in the face.  part way through the second season, they started developing ongoing plots which totally reeled me  in and now i can't stop watching it.   i'm almost caught up (wah!) and currently looking for something else to watch so if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

suits.  another brilliant show.  it makes the summer evenings bearable to be able to watch something that's smart and witty on tv which is a blessed relief from all of those trashy bachelorette/bachelor bullshit that seems to occupy the majority of summer prime time television.   my favorite characters are donna and louis;  i'm so glad that they brought her back and give more camera time to louis litt.  tonight is the season finale (boo!) and i can't wait to watch it.

p90x.  we all know from my frequent fitness posts that i'll be doing this program for the next 90 days or at the very least, 60 days, after which i'll decide if i want to change things up and do an insanity/p90x hybrid program.  instead of my usual 5-day workout week, i've increased it to 6 days a week to maximize my results and so far, i'm loving what i'm seeing.   i've been taking progress pictures along the way, fitting into clothes i haven't worn in years (with room to spare!) and so in love with this program.

vega sport.  i've found an awesome supplement line that's natural, plant-based and vegan.  not that i'm a vegan but i know vegans like their food and products pure so i chose this line for that very reason.  it's not that expensive (average price for a jug of their stuff is about $40) and because it contains all natural and organic things, i'm not pouring harmful chemicals into my body.  my favorite after-workout drink to replace lost minerals/vitamins/proteins is blending the protein powder with a banana, ice, 1 cup of skim milk, 1/2 cup of fresh berries and a bit of water ... so delicious, refreshing and what my body needs after a hard workout.  i must warn you though:  because these products are plant-based, it makes you fart something awful.  like so bad you need to quarantine yourself a few hours after consumption.  

 

 

do you know what tophatter is?  if not, pretend you didn't see this because it's addictive and you'll hate me for introducing you to it.  it's a live auction site where you can buy or sell things.  you attend a virtual auction and place bids on a lot of cool stuff.  imagine etsy via live auction and that's what tophatter is.  i blame my friend, ro, for introducing me to this site because i can't stop looking at it!! since i've been cleaning out my closet and the rest of my house, i've found a ton of stuff to put up for auction so i've been cataloging my things and updating them onto this site.  my first auction is tomorrow!  wish me luck.

 

workout gear -- it's all i lust over these days.  

nike sports bras.  of all the sports bras i've worn over the years, nike has never failed me.   i'm built  like a domino so it's not as if i need a supporting bra but these tiny excuse for breasts need to be loved too.  

asics runners.   how awesome are these shoes ... how can a girl not love hot pink?  there's nothing more awesome than working out in cute gear and feeling like you're the bomb-diggity 

spalding capri leggings.  the best leggings for working out.  spalding doesn't only make tennis balls but exercise gear too!   i find mine at winners for $16.  they're so awesome i have 4 pairs.  they're cotton, breathable, so incredibly comfy (that i also wear them around the house) and hugs your ass like a gay man.

 

 what are you currently obsessed with?

 

 

it's party time!

 

 

i guess i'm fashionably late to the party but welcome to my humble corner of the blogosphere; a place where i fulfill my weird, incessant need to ramble on about whatever is rattling on inside my head.   some info about me and this blog:

• i'm a 30-something wanna be full-time blogger but my job gets in the way of that.  i have a 4 year old daughter and married to the love of my life since 2004.  i'm an IT consultant which means i'm a geek at heart; new shiney gadgets totally give me a geek boner and will put a smile on my face any day.

• this blog is about a mish-mash of everything and anything:  product reviews, makeup, my current obsessions, gadget bonerisms, hilarious stories at my expense, how much i sometimes want to punch work in the face, my period which tends to anger me and generates a fair amount of cursing and crappy/angry illustrations , my adorable 4 year old daughter and general goings-on.

• i (re)named my blog "vodka and soda" after a weekend away with some fellow bloggers in vegas.  needless to say, this is my favorite drink and the monday after those blurry 4 days, i opened my eyes and thought:  what an awesome name for a blog!  and "vodka and soda" was born.

• i tend to write what ever is in my head which means  1) there's no filter and 2) because of no filter, there's likely going to be some swearing involved... especially on days when my period decides to show up (see second point).

• i'm an action movie junkie - anything with guns, bombs, car chases, covert ops, awesome kung-fu and john mcclane get my panties all bunched up.  die hard is my favorite.  there's  a guy at work who doesn't even know what die hard is about and for real, i can't relate to him.  true story.  

• i'm a sucker for pretty packaging which makes it easy to convince me to buy whatever it is you're selling.  good for you but not good for my wallet. or my husband who will give me The Look.

• my sense of humour is pretty out there so i'll laugh at anything that has to do with vaginas, poop, farts and funny stories of people falling down

• i've been on a health kick since early january so you'll likely see tweets or posts from me cursing Jillian Michaels,  bitching about how much i hate my rabbit-food diet or ecstatic that i finished a workout without needing to be resuscitated.

 

feel free to look around, leave me comments or stalk me.  i'm available for stalking via twitter, google reader, bloglovin', pinterest or email (see right nav bar for stalking methods).  just don't demand any money from me because i've spent it all on gadgets, makeup and beauty products.    now, why not leave me a comment with your blog so i can return the stalking favour?

weekend recap: beauty board, family time

 

i had a fabulous weekend.  weather-wise, it was decent but had a blast with family, friends and discovered a great new sushi restaurant, thanks to a friend's reco.   

 

cuddles with her new (lootbag) toy | cuddles with daddy |  kayla enjoying the new sushi restaurant.  i'm so glad that my kid is adventurous with foods.  what toddler loves fish eggs,  miso soup and sushi?

 

on sunday, the long-awaited beauty board finally arrived.  twice a year, i'm stoked to attend this event put on by stephanie daga of blushpretty.  it's a fun-filled afternoon of mingling, networking, meeting great vendors, trying on makeup, great eats, great music and best of all (or worst of all?) - shopping.   oh, the shopping.    this year new vendors participated:  pure + simple, splat! hair color, eco tools, flirt lashes, apotheKerri cosmetics, a paper story, batiste dry shampoo, ella botanicals, silpada jewelry, kaia naturals.  

 

some of my favorite brands at the beauty board:  

pure + simple |  cheeky monkey | kaia naturals |  consonant body

 

the swag never disappoints!

not only is this one of the most awesome events i attend on the regular, but the swag is the best.  we're talking about full size products, not those bullshit department store samples which gives you nothing.  

do you see that kabuki brush peeking out from behind the pantene shampoo?  i've been searching for that brush for months and when the lady from ecotools showed me what she put in each swag bag, we both squealed in delight.  

 pure + simple also gave a "summer prep" kit which i'm dying to rip into.  i haven't looked inside yet but their stuff is great.

 

the reasons why my wallet is sobbing and bleeding:

cheeky monkey nail colors:  "social climber", "BFF" and "i like it on top" top coat.  for the events, there was a buy 2, get 1 free promo....  how could i resist?

consonant body:  antioxidant serum because mother nature, i'm adding things to my arsenal and will continue to fight you all the way.

pure + simple:  all natural sunblock, SPF 30.   i love that it contains natural ingredients, is sheer and doesn't leave a white cast or make you look like an oil slick.

stella and dot has some competition with silpada jewelry.  while i was >thisclose< to buying a bracelet from S&D, i didn't because it was a different sales rep and that would be like cheating on my regular rep.  instead, i ended up getting these two necklaces from silpada.  i was just going to buy the one on the right but i loved them both so why the heck not?!  i've been busting my ass at work, working out like a mofo, denying myself the pleasures of desserts and other yummy foods  so mama needs a treat for herself, goddammit!

kaia naturals:  bamboo, all natural face wipes.  soaked in yummy vitamins, these wipes (in convenient, individually wrapped travel packs) makes taking your makeup off easy-peasy.  when i tested the product, not only is it super soft but it smells divine and great for sensitive skin.

and now, another ass work week begins but at least i have goodies at home waiting for me and my necklaces are on the way.  in addition,  i've been wanting to host mini-giveaways for the month of april for all of you awesome readers as a way to 1)  say thanks for following me and keeping up with my random drivel and 2) to celebrate my 2 year blogaversary.   stay tuned; i'll be posting the first yummy giveaway this week!

 

 hope you all had a great weekend!