The World and Me

A very frequent geographical question is "How many countries are in the world?"

Different numbers pop up when one inquires or reads about the number of countries in the world. Each source you use often yields a different answer. Ultimately, the best answer is that there are 194 countries in the world.

Of course I don't know that for sure...but that's what the internet says.

I've been mapping out some of the cities I've been to on Facebook and it says that I've only been to 43 countries.

That's less than 25% of the world!

I don't imagine that I would want to go to EVERY country in the world.........but I think I need to make a goal of at least 40% of the world. That would be about 75 countries.

I have another 30 or so to go.

Broken Magnet

I can't believe I travelled all this way with my new fridge magnets and then go and drop Capri on the floor! I'll have to repair it with a bit of glue but that sucks.

I'll also have a new project on the go soon...... to re-arrange all the magnets on the fridge so the new ones fit....alphabetically of course!

Life can be so simple.

Can't Forget Orange and Me

Also another color I've been going crazy for..........

Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics.

Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation.

To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it gives the sensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is not as aggressive as red.

Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an invigorating effect, and stimulates mental activity.

Lime Green and Me

I've noticed that I've been purchasing a lot of lime green stuff....towels, bed linen, runners and clothing.

This is a pretty bright color so I was wondering why I was being drawn to it of late...especially when I'm NOT a green color fan...especially in clothing.

Of course....the internet explains all things in life so I had to search for the meaning......

The Meaning of the Color Lime Green 4th Chakra - Anahata - Heart
Element - Earth
Possibilities, Perception & Anticipation
Heart Chakra Stones - A wonderful sense of anticipation at all the possibilities and opportunities the world offers.
Allows us to be perceptive and non judgmental. This color inspires us to try new things by initiating change.

Life and Renewal: Green is life. Abundant in nature, green signifies growth, renewal, health, and environment.

Nature of Green: Green is a restful color with some of the same calming attributes of blue. Like blue, time moves faster in a green room.

Straight or Curly

I had my hair straightened the other day just for the fun of it.

The last time I had this done was when I went to Vegas for the Madonna concert.

It wasn't the best time to do this, as I could not lay by the pool.

Water would undo the do.

I don't think this straight hair looks good on me, but I do get more looks from the boys.

Either I look like a freak or I look even hotter than I do now with my curly hair.

I'll have to put it to the test one night.

Friday Night Blues

It's really kind of strange to be sitting at home tonight after all the places I've been too lately!

I've been trying to figure out how to load my digital camera photo's on to a CD. No luck. I'll have to bug Jr once again.

Left Toronto late Sunday night and stopped over in Edmonton to visit with everyone. Took the bus back to Calgary yesterday afternoon.

I've just finished going thru all my mail and now I've started on getting caught up in the 'real' world.

My first task was spent this morning at the passport office to start the process of renewing my passport.

I just can't help it....it's the most important piece of document I own.

Finding Me

I love my travelling adventures!

It all helps me be what I've always been.

My Friend Monica #2

I've posted once before about my friend Monica...but she deserves one more post!

• For being such a great host (a great cook and picks up right after you)
  
• For being such a great dancer (shaking that ass to Groove Amanda)
  
• For being such a great singer (knows all the words to a song)
• For trying to negotiate taxi fares (long way to go here..but at least we got some good music)
  
• For being sick (so she could hang out with me)
• For dog sitting blind dogs (only got on her nerves after 4 pm)
  
• For laughing all the time (yes...we are both very very funny)
• For having such a great boyfriend and blind dog (Sander rocks at picking up egg mcmuffins after the girlie night out...or should I say morning out)

Oh.....the list could go on and on.......AND...I'm sure Monica is adding to it as she is reading this!

Monica rocks!

Hot Red Bag and Shoes

I had nothing to wear for the wedding so of course I HAD to go shopping.

I picked up a cute little black dress and accessorized it with some hot red pointy shoes and a cute red evening purse.

I even purchased some cheap bling- bling to go with it!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bling-bling

No one would of ever guessed that I was backpacking for 4 months and had not worn a dress or heals for quite awhile.

It's like riding a bike. One never forgets how to look hot when they need to.

Coke and Naughty Drug Dogs

My flight from Amsterdam to Toronto on Thursday was uneventful...other than I had another fine to pay with Air Transat......AND...the plane was pretty full. It was a boring eight hour flight. Good thing Monica packed a lunch for me. The only thing that was confiscated was the coca-cola.

Once at the Toronto airport and while standing in line at customs to show passports, the usual 2 police officers are there with the big drug dogs.

It was pretty funny this time as you could tell that the one dog was recently trained and all it wanted to do was play. The GUY police gave up and asked his collegue...a WOMEN...to help him out.

She solved all this by getting another dog to sniff us all.

Women can do anything!

Social Activites in Toronto

I love Toronto...ONLY....if you are in the Downtown core!

I'm in some bizarre part of ONTARIO.....area called Vaughan. Feels like I'm in Italy.

Good thing I have great friends picking me up or dropping me off cuz the subway doesn't come anywhere near here!

On Friday I met up with Sue and Carole for a long lunch. Great to see them once again!

Dinner that night was with Lana at this great Vietnamese restaurant. We also had this adventure coming home on the 401 or 400 (I get mixed up with all the highways here). Several cop cars came speeding up behind us and cornered a car.......well actually had him slam into the cement divider. The cops then ran out of their cars with their guns out. WOW!

Lana had to keep driving so I don't know if anyone actually got shot or not.

I'd like to believe that they did.

I LOVE Toronto!

Vince's Italian Wedding

I went to a very large Italian wedding yesterday in Toronto.

Four Hundred and Thirty people. Yes you read that right. 430.

I would guess that 210 of them were couples. Yippee!!!

The church ceremony was very nice......I even had to look up the "love is......" and post it in my blog as a reminder that this really does exist.

The reception ceremony was out of this world. Very high end with loads of food and drink.

Vince and Maria both looked awesome..... and.....when Vince jr and Maria jr move in they sure will be beautiful looking kids!

Who would of ever thought that while on a beach in Jamaica, the funny looking guy walking by with a speedo and a hat I wanted to borrow would end up being a great friend of mine!

You cross paths with all kinds of people in this crazy world we live in!

Love Love Love

Love is very patient and kind,
never jealous or envious,
never boastful or proud,
never haughty or selfish or rude.

Love does not demand its own way.

It is not irritable or touchy.

It does not hold grudges
and will hardly even notice
when others do it wrong.

It is never glad about injustice,
but rejoices whenever truth wins out.

If you love someone you
will be loyal to him
no matter what the cost.

You will always believe in him,
Always expect the best of him
and always stand your ground
in defending him.

All the special gifts
and powers from God
will someday come to an end,
but love goes on forever.

Heading Back

This is it. Last night of being overseas.

I leave first thing tomorrow for Toronto. Air Transat. Cost $350.00 Canadian

I'll be in Toronto until Sunday night.....AND....my social calendar is full for all those dates!

I love my life.

Thoughts of the Day

• You can't fail if you never give up
• It's not what you FEEL its what you DO
• People always know the truth

Movie Critics

We've rented a few movies over the past few days and here is a quick review........

Little Children. Movie about unfulfilled lives. Fantastic. Very thought provoking. Two thumbs up.

Last Kiss. Movie about choices. Very typical. I was disappointed with ending given this was written by the fellows that wrote Crash and Million Dollar Baby. Usually they end tragically.

Over and out.

Top Three Pick

Out of all the cities that I have visited so far, I still have Amsterdam on my top three places to visit if you love cities.

I spent the full day on Monday doing the tourist thing:

• I finally got a chance to go see the Anne Frank House (one of the many victims of the Jewish persecution during World War II) 7.5 Euros
• I quickly walked thru the Rijksmuseum...I always go and visit the '"Masterpieces" every time I come to the city. Rembrandt. Vermeer. Hals. Steen. 10 Euros
• Walked around the centre of the city....looking at all the amazing buildings and all the canals and house boats
• Went into the Cannabis College for a laugh
• Walked by Casa Rossa and quite a few sex shops and smoke shops
• Ate an amazing turkish pizza at one of the fast food places
• People watched

It was a super busy day!

I Love Amsterdam.

Peas and Facebook

Addicted to both.

Cars and the Beach

Monica's sick today so we were just hanging out with Sanders blind & disabled dog while deciding whether to go to the beach or not.

Beach it was.

Well....kind of. Her car broke down while driving there. Exhaust problems.

Shortly after we had pushed it backwards to get it out of the way for this huge semi, the local roadside assistance ANWB came to help.

So different from Canada! They actually try to get your car working for you.

Pretty cool.

We'll need to take the car to the mechanics tomorrow to get it permanently fixed.

I'm sure Monica will not be feeling well once again.

Say No to Two Bags

I got busted while leaving London Gatwick airport.

I had two bags to check. You are only allowed one.

Fine of 60 pounds. That was more than my flight cost to Amsterdam.

While paying, I refused to sign the form that I knew the baggage allowance policy (cuz I didn't). The employee screamed at me that I was defacing legal documents. Called her supervisor. I reluctantly signed the form.

In Amsterdam while patiently waiting for my bags, I notice that I am the only one still waiting for my backpack.

Yup. Lost.

I had to fill out some forms and they assured me that my backpack would arrive the next day.

It did. 3 pm.

I wonder if British Airways was trying to prove a point here.

Wait until they get my letter!

Heather........I'm going to have a pro forma for every travel issue you can think of!!!!

My Special Friend Steve E

• Wears crazy afro wigs in the airport and on the tube
• Carrys bags even when he has a broken finger
• Hands out oyster cards to homeless people
• Hands out cell phones to homeless people
• Provides shelter to homeless people
• Is a great host....makes a fantastic cup of tea with stolen sugar
• Has the best music playing on a big ass screen ever made
• Is the best in the industry on having top security on some of his private videos
• Is getting an inflated ego from reading this.

Bye Bye London

Forgot to update on my last few days in London!

Monday night hooked up with another friend for dinner. Uttam. Still a crazy man.

Played a tourist one day walking around Big Ben and the Parliment area. There was a tree on fire at Westminister Abby. It happened just as I was walking by. Pretty funny seeing a priest with a fire extinguisher. I keep forgetting how hot I am.

Wednesday night met up with Marta and Sally for drinks.

I had a great time in London.

Red Light District and Me

I LOVE the Red Light District.

There were very few ladies walking around on the Friday night around 4 am......meaning people like me.....as the working ladies don't walk around in Amsterdam. They live in a special box with windows and a red light around the window.

So much to see.

So much to do.

Dancing Dancing Dancing Machine

Friday night at Escape!

www.escape.nl

We had to negotiate on getting a cab back to Sanders house.

Monica sucks at this. She needs to take a course or just shut up when I've got it covered.

This time it was the cabbies turn to laugh.

We made it home but lost our hearing with the very loud turkish music he had blaring on his stereo system.

We woke up the whole neighbourhood.

Good thing Monica doesn't live there.

Mice Discount

I love Amsterdam and there is nothing like going out for dinner and dancing on the weekend. Well....actually any night of the week is great in Amsterdam!

Friday night was the big girlie night out. Sander kindly drove us into the big city around 9 pm.

Monica had reservations at this funky restaurant where you basically spend the night before going out dancing after midnight.

http://www.nomads.nl/

Turkish food, belly dancers, wine, tarot card readers, masseuses........AND...............MICE!

We spotted them just before we were asked to leave.

Dodging Bicycles to Stay Alive

I'm in the land of bicycles and very tall people.

The Netherlands.

Got here Thursday night after quite the ordeal with British Airways (that story will have its own blog entry.....you know those Brit rule abiding freaks).

This country still rocks!

With only one week here, I had to get busy ASAP...

Priorities.............dancing & laughing, eating out and laughing, dancing and laughing, shopping and laughing, dancing and laughing, people watching and laughing..........

All with one of my best buddies MONICA!

(oh..........her boyfriend Sander and his blind and disabled dog Guus are letting us laugh on our own)

Freebies and Me

A few things to do in London that are free:

• See some weird and wonderful art in the new Tate Modern
• See London's best punks at Camden Town market and pick up a bargain
• Wonder around and don't miss Potobello Market
• See the stars at a London movie premier in Leicester Square
• Admire the luxury and opulence available to buy in Harrods
• Revisit your childhook in Hamley's toy shop
• Wonder around the shopping area on Oxford St, Bond St and Kings Road

I had a tick list and did them all!!

I'll be heading over to Harrod's right after I meet up with Erica for lunch today...........

London Did You Knows

• London is the largest city in Europe......population of 7.2 million
• Oxford Street is the busiest shopping street in Europe, with more that 300 shops and over 200 million visitors a year.
• There are over 3,800 pubs and more than 230 nightclubs in London
• The annual Notting Hill Carnival is the second largest carnival in the world after Rio de Janeiro
• The buskers all over London's tube neetwork have to audition for a licence

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London

China Town and Me

I visited with Lynne the other day for lunch and a coffee in China Town London.

It helps to go with an Asian when visiting China Town!

I've got her on facebook now as well...........

Poetry and Art

I read this on the wall when I was at the Tate the other day:

alone
in the forest he lives
alone
in the forest he loves
the forest feeds him
he feeds on the forest
alone
in the forest
he dies in the forest
alone
it is the brush
it is the forest
he lives

Poetry is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. Poetry may be written independently, as discrete poems, or may occur in conjunction with other arts, as in poetic drama, hymns or lyrics.

Undergrounds and Me

Crazy but very organized transit system in London.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground

I even have my very own Oyster card!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster_card

Awards and Premiers

While looking for a Starbucks the other night, I walked right into the afterparty crowd for the Q awards.

The bouncers told me to keep walking.

http://www.qawards.co.uk/qawards/

There are was also a movie premier going on that afternoon.

Only in London baby!

Galleries and Me

Quite the spot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gallery,_London

Modern Art and Me

I love Tate Modern!

Enjoyed the afternoon there the other day.

Very yummy!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tate_Modern

Forceful Expulsions

There is vomit everywhere here in London after 11 pm.

Reason: Pubs close at that time.

The Brits sure drink A LOT. And I mean A LOT.

Certainly excusable when you are 18 years old and just starting to drink.

But hey come on now....over 20 and up..........

Its actually very sad to see....all the people being carried out due to the extreme amount of happiness they try to put into their life.

Seduction and Cults

I've been seduced into the cult world of Facebook.

I wonder if I'll ever get a job now.

British Humour

I'm a bit slow when it comes to British Humour.........but I did get it when I saw this sign posted on a building the other day:

'Let us be your first erection'

Advertising for a construction firm.

Too funny.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_humour

Thought to Ponder

I saw this on a building when I was in Belgrade:

How long is now?

Burning Money

It's crazy how much money you need to have a good time here in London.

It doesn't help that everything is the same price as back home.

In pounds that is!!!!!!!! I pay double in Canadian dollars (1 pound costs a little over $2.00)

Knowing this beforehand has kind of helped with the shock factor.

Kind of.

Tea and Me

I was in training with the tea and milk prior to me getting here.

Good thing... as they always put milk in the cup with the hot water and tea bag.

I'm so British now!

Well not really....I still put sugar in my tea.

Go Ask Alice

Met up with Alice for dinner and drinks on the Friday night. The Alice I met in Rio during carnival.

Her boyfriend Jim is in France at one of the semi final games for rugby. They LOVE this sport here.

http://www.world-cup-2007.co.uk/?gclid=COyhhfba_I4CFQOTMAod1Fokug

The British sure love to drink and celebrate...to ANYTHING!

Perfect Eyebrows and Boyfriends

I met up with Erica on the Friday night for a drink before I was meeting up with Alice for dinner. This is the Erica I met on one of my trips to Central America.

The one with the perfect eyebrows and the perfect boyfriend.

We all spent the afternoon together yesterday at Portobello Market. A very posh part of London.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portobello_Road

Warwick is such a cutie pie and they make such a perfecto couple!

So nice to see..........

Dinner was at a Thai restaurant...........Yelo..............drinks afterwards at some club with mucho black folks and music.

Very nice..................

Clubbing in London

Of course one of my 'to do' things for London was to go out clubbing and clubbing I went!

http://www.turnmills.co.uk/turnmills_content.html

Got there after midnight and just HAD to hang out until the tube started up again for the Sunday morning.

It's interesting how wasted some people are at 7 am on the Underground on a Sunday morning.

Loads of fun...............

Freak City

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camden_Town

No need to say more.

The place rocked!

Shisha Pipes and Me

I met up with one of my old travelling roommates last night....Olivia. We met in Thaliand and travelled through Cambodia with Intrepid. The Olivia that had a monkey bite her while feeding it (when we were specifically told to not feed the monkeys).

Had a blast!

Met up at 6 pm for a few drinks, then went to So Ho for a Turkish dinner.

Of course after loads of wine, we ended up smoking the shisha pipe...........

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah

Bye Bye Italia

I left Bologna early Wednesday morning for a flight to London. British Airways..direct...2 hrs. $115.00 Canadian.

My week with the relatives was pretty busy with the usual....food and more food!

I did spend one afternoon at a small outlet store:

http://www.outletcastelguelfo.it/

The rest of the time was spent visiting and saying goodbye.

I do hope that some of them come visit us in Canada one day!