I'm off to Japan and HK again for some R&R. This time, I'm going with friends instead of family. I a little pissed about our travel arrangements... suckered into paying more for crappier flights because I couldn't get my way in that aspect of the trip.
I was all for self-plan, but some of the others who haven't been there were apprehensive about an itinerary not built by a travel agent. Oh well, I guess that's the price of travelling with others - you have to compromise a bit. I figure we overpaid by approx $500 CDN - maybe more.
Anyway, I'm leaving tomorrow (Wednesday March 18th) and I'll be back by April Fool's day.
I find that I'm starting to use the word "yikes" a lot. It's taken the place of the "oh my god" exclamation, as well as the "daaaamn" expression.
So, let's say you watch someone get hit by a car, "yiiiikes..."
The TTC's three-tone chime sounds and the double doors slide shut on your bag - "yikes!"
Not sure where I got it from.
Alright kids, I'll see you in two weeks.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Friday, March 06, 2009
Centses
To celebrate my 100th post on this blog, I'm going to post something. Gotta love circular logic. Anyway, the big update:
We're supposed to hit 15 celcius today and maybe break a record. I'm happy about the relatively balmy temperature today - it's finally given me the opportunity to rock my new(ish) Roots(tm) leather jacket. I got it because it's thinner than my current leather jacket - the liner in my Roots jacket is a single thin layer of polyester. It's my new 3-season jacket (spring/summer/fall) for temperatures ranging from 0 to 20. The cut is young and slim (unlike Danier's fat-boy cuts), and after a couple months of wear, I'm sure it'll stretch a bit and conform to my body-type.
In other news, my sister's boyfriend proposed on Valentine's day. She said yes. They're tying the knot June 2010. Looks like they're gunning for Estates of Sunnybrook or Liberty Grande for the reception. I wonder who's going to pay...
On snowboarding.
Took 1 lesson last year, and went snowboarding maybe 5 times this year. I am now considered 'intermediate.' Means I can turn and stuff and get down a green or easy blue hill without plowing or falling. I got down a black diamond in Vermont, but I was scared silly. People ask me how I learned so fast, and I tell them that I follow 2 rules: 1) Don't fall, and 2) Go fast. I'm being totally serious. You have to keep pushing the boundaries of comfort in order to improve. Obviously safety and control are paramount, but pick up some speed and don't be such a pussy - you'll learn faster. I'll probably buy a board end of season.
On skiing.
I tried snow-blading. Whoooo-whee, it was FUN! I like it better than skiing. You can do 360s and jumps so much easier. It's like a cross between skating and skiing. I may buy snowblades too...
On the markets.
Buy, buy, buy, buy, buy. I rang in 2008 at about 75% cash. Thank procrastination for not buying anything until October. Since then, I've been committing 50% of each paycheque to the TD Waterhouse account - haven't lost that much, but my RRSPs suffered a bit... maybe 40% down since March '08 (8% in the big picture). I maxed out my RRSP contribution for '08 last weekend, right at the deadline. Thank procrastination again, since I'm buying super low after last week's dismal drop. I hope to be 75% equities by 2010, 90% by 2011. Hopefully, we're not that far from the bottom. I'm no expert, so I'm not going to guess where the bottom is, but hopefully, I'll be able to average out the cost as time goes on.
On moving out.
I've narrowed my focus down to condos on the Bay Street corridor - the area bounded by Bay, Yonge, Bloor, and the lake. With a bunch of new condos having just been finished, plus the exodus of students in May, hopefully, I'll be able to score a 1 br for 1,200 or a bachelor for just under that. There's stuff around that price available in the rental market right now, but I'll hold out for $50 - $100 / month. Some of the rentals on MLS have been stuck in the listings for 60 days... With inventory going up, I can't see those rentals not dropping in price come May-June. In the meantime, I'll just use the rent money to buy stocks and cool shit.
On girlfriends.
Minus one, plus one. It's kinda early, so I don't wanna jinx it or otherwise fuck it up. Knock wood.
-d
We're supposed to hit 15 celcius today and maybe break a record. I'm happy about the relatively balmy temperature today - it's finally given me the opportunity to rock my new(ish) Roots(tm) leather jacket. I got it because it's thinner than my current leather jacket - the liner in my Roots jacket is a single thin layer of polyester. It's my new 3-season jacket (spring/summer/fall) for temperatures ranging from 0 to 20. The cut is young and slim (unlike Danier's fat-boy cuts), and after a couple months of wear, I'm sure it'll stretch a bit and conform to my body-type.
In other news, my sister's boyfriend proposed on Valentine's day. She said yes. They're tying the knot June 2010. Looks like they're gunning for Estates of Sunnybrook or Liberty Grande for the reception. I wonder who's going to pay...
On snowboarding.
Took 1 lesson last year, and went snowboarding maybe 5 times this year. I am now considered 'intermediate.' Means I can turn and stuff and get down a green or easy blue hill without plowing or falling. I got down a black diamond in Vermont, but I was scared silly. People ask me how I learned so fast, and I tell them that I follow 2 rules: 1) Don't fall, and 2) Go fast. I'm being totally serious. You have to keep pushing the boundaries of comfort in order to improve. Obviously safety and control are paramount, but pick up some speed and don't be such a pussy - you'll learn faster. I'll probably buy a board end of season.
On skiing.
I tried snow-blading. Whoooo-whee, it was FUN! I like it better than skiing. You can do 360s and jumps so much easier. It's like a cross between skating and skiing. I may buy snowblades too...
On the markets.
Buy, buy, buy, buy, buy. I rang in 2008 at about 75% cash. Thank procrastination for not buying anything until October. Since then, I've been committing 50% of each paycheque to the TD Waterhouse account - haven't lost that much, but my RRSPs suffered a bit... maybe 40% down since March '08 (8% in the big picture). I maxed out my RRSP contribution for '08 last weekend, right at the deadline. Thank procrastination again, since I'm buying super low after last week's dismal drop. I hope to be 75% equities by 2010, 90% by 2011. Hopefully, we're not that far from the bottom. I'm no expert, so I'm not going to guess where the bottom is, but hopefully, I'll be able to average out the cost as time goes on.
On moving out.
I've narrowed my focus down to condos on the Bay Street corridor - the area bounded by Bay, Yonge, Bloor, and the lake. With a bunch of new condos having just been finished, plus the exodus of students in May, hopefully, I'll be able to score a 1 br for 1,200 or a bachelor for just under that. There's stuff around that price available in the rental market right now, but I'll hold out for $50 - $100 / month. Some of the rentals on MLS have been stuck in the listings for 60 days... With inventory going up, I can't see those rentals not dropping in price come May-June. In the meantime, I'll just use the rent money to buy stocks and cool shit.
On girlfriends.
Minus one, plus one. It's kinda early, so I don't wanna jinx it or otherwise fuck it up. Knock wood.
-d
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