Hotel Heaven

It hurts to look at my bank account. I’ve been indulging a little too much.

Last week, I decided to be spontaneous so I booked a one-night stay at a luxury hotel. I needed a getaway from work, my family, my dog, my town and drama.

My friend and I had been talking about a fun day/night in the city on a day we both had off. Lucky for us, we had last Monday off.

The night before, I got home from work after 11pm and I was searching for hotels. I used hotwire.com to find some incredible bargains. But I was stuck in a dilemma. I had a choice between a 2-star hotel with free wifi and free continental breakfast; or a 4-star luxury hotel with great service, a great location and great comfort. Not to mention the fact that there was a $50 difference in price.

Ultimately, I decided to live a little and choose the 4-star hotel. I’ve never stayed at a 4-star hotel before [and all good things in moderation].

Because I used Hotwire, their policy is not to show the name of the hotel until booking is complete so I was slightly worried. As soon as I booked it [at nearly 2am] I found out that the hotel was better than I expected—The Westin Harbour Castle. It was right beside the harbour, it was walking distance from major tourist attractions like the CN Tower, it was close to the train station so I could easily get home, and it offered things like an indoor pool, fitness area, tennis courts, etc. I was super-duper excited!

I checked into the hotel without my friend who was coming from west of Toronto. As I approached the doors, it felt like a Vegas hotel with bright lights and valet parking. Inside was so classy I felt underdressed in semi-casual attire. There were guests at the bar and lounge, and everything was modern inside. The workers were so polite and friendly, apologizing for me having to wait 5 minutes in line and even offering maps of the city while I was waiting in line. I was asked where I wanted my room and I asked for something high with a nice view. Boy did she deliver by giving me the highest floor possible [just below the Penthouse suite floor].

I could feel my ears pop as the elevator escalated to the 34th floor. I walked in and immediately looked out the giant windows to see the incredible view of Lake Ontario, the Toronto islands and the Toronto Island Airport. I was amazed. I took advantage of jumping on the king-size “Heavenly” bed and checking out their “Heavenly” bath [registered trademarks of the hotel]. The bathroom lights were coming from the frame of the mirror so I felt like a movie star. While waiting for my friend to head downtown, I laid in bed watching The Doctors on the flat-screen TV before exploring downtown.

The whole night was relaxing. We spent some time enjoying harbourfront and the lake view, we took a nice walk to Dundas Square to have a classy dinner at Milestone’s, shopped for a bit at the Eaton Centre, then we took a stroll back to the hotel to sleep in 10 layers of comfy sheets and pillows.

It was so hard to get up and leave by noon, especially after just a one-night stay. It was nice walking up to Starbucks coffee/tea and The Globe and Mail sitting outside the door.

I am glad for the luxury experience I had and hope to have again when I’m older and have more money to blow.

 

 

I-rish for some more pub grub

Earlier this week, my friends and I went out for dinner and a movie [The Avengers!!!!] For dinner, I suggested the Irish pub right across the theatre. I wanted to go to the pub on St. Patrick’s Day but it was packed. I remember checking the menu for it a month ago and really liking it. I enjoy pub grub; decent price for good food.

Their daily special was a choice of appetizer for $6. I noticed “Mac ‘n’ Cheese Fritters” and it sparked interest. I have heard of them and seen them on Food Network shows like “Diners, Drive ins and Dives” but never in a restaurant around here. How can you resist mac ‘n’ cheese made with smoky bacon, breaded and deep-fried to golden perfection?

And I can’t forget the fact that there were peas in the mac n cheese! It reminded me of the first time I tried carrots and peas in Kraft Dinner after seeing a host on a TV show say she sometimes puts carrots and peas in macaroni and cheese for her kids.

The order came with 6 fritters served with house made smoked ketchup. If you like dipping your grilled cheese and ketchup, you’d like it better with the ketchup. I preferred it without, but it was still good with the ketchup. They were crispy on the outside, and warm and creamy on the inside. The smoky bacon and peas added a nice textural contrast to the creaminess, while the ketchup gave it a bit of sweetness to counter the salty and savoury elements of the fritters.

For an entree, I didn’t want to go to an Irish pub and order chicken wings and a beer. I wanted to try something traditional. I ordered a classic Irish stew made with lamb, beef and root vegetables, then served with rosemary soda bread. I always wondered what gave Irish soda bread its uniqueness. They were dense, a little chewy, but the rosemary gave it great flavour that complimented with the root vegetables and meat. The Irish stew was very hearty with the big chunks of meat, potatoes, carrots and celery. They were in a hot tub of peppery gravy that the soda bread soaked in well.

Would I come back? Heck yeah! There are more interesting items on the menu I would love to try. Maybe next time I’ll get an Irish beer to go along with my meal.

Ride Warrior

About two months ago, I received a phone call from a friend just after midnight. He called to ask me if I wanted a season pass to Canada’s Wonderland [the largest and most popular amusement park in Canada]. In my head, I was thinking why he couldn’t have just texted later. Apparently, there was a special deal and there were four of us needed. He thought it’d be perfect to have him, his girlfriend, me and his close friend. All four of us are great pals so it made sense. Initially, I was reluctant. I told him I should think about it because it would be $70 to a place I haven’t been to in years… not to mention my slight “fear” of roller coasters [I’ll explain later].

He tried to convince with me, then he said he needed to know as soon as possible. Out of sheer impulse and being half asleep, I said “sure.” He was happy, he said goodnight, and I was back to sleep. But the week that followed gave me second thoughts. Because my decision was not based on reason, I kept questioning myself: was I doing the right thing to just blow $70 when I knew I needed to save money to book my trip to Europe? What was I going to do about the roller coasters? Is it too late to back out now?

Almost two months later, I don’t regret my decision at all. I admit, I was worried for a while when he set a date to go. It meant that I was coming closer to facing my “fear.” Well, I guess now is a good time to explain. It’s not a fear of heights. It’s a fear of everything crazy happening super fast that I can’t handle. You go up, you go down, you go upside down, you twist, you turn, you go reverse, you go in a tunnel, you go over water, etc. It just seemed like too much. When I see roller coasters, I think they’re cool but I also get a little scared when I picture myself on them. I used to love roller coasters when I was a very young girl, but there came a point when I was not at amusement parks or on any thrill rides for around 10 years. I love any water ride, even though I haven’t been on many. I’ve done a big drop ride before at Disney World. I’ve been on smaller fast-paced rides or smaller roller coasters [as recently as last summer]. But I could never really pin point what was holding me back from the big guys.

The day came. I was up at 7:45 a.m. which is so early for me. We arrived at the park before 10am. We waited almost 90 minutes to get into the park because of an insanely long line for season pass holders… all for a single photo for identification. While waiting in line, my friends kept making me look at the new roller coaster—Leviathan. The biggest and fastest in the park yet. The ride itself was just over top of us in line so we saw the riders passing us. I was scared shitless. The only thing that calmed me down was laughing when I saw one guy fist pumping on the ride.

So we got into the park. Rather than head to Leviathan, knowing it was going to be a long wait, they lead me to a roller coaster that was super fast, had a loop [maybe two, I don’t remember], twists, turns, the whole nine yards. Way to ease into this roller coaster thing. I kept saying I was going to cry. They said they would drag me, carry me, whatever they had to do to take me on every ride. They said “Leave no man behind” and they kept saying I would become a “ride warrior” after that day.

We didn’t wait at all to get onto the ride. Of course, I screamed. I never scream but roller coasters make me scream. In fact, even my two guy friends screamed which was kinda funny. The worst part about roller coaster rides [for me, at least] is the first drop, or any drop for that matter. You slowly ascend to the peak before diving in. It blows my mind every time. The rush feeling; everything coming at you at once. You feel like you’re floating or falling or free-falling. I can handle loops, turns and bumps, but those ups and down kill me every… single… time.

The only thing that helped me get through each roller coaster was trying to shut my eyes most of the time. I couldn’t help myself sometimes but it helped a lot. I admit, after the first one, I felt so much better. Actually, I even suggested the next roller coaster which was laying on your stomach. But the third one was Wonderland’s previous big guy, before Leviathan was constructed. BEHEMOTH. Of all of the rides, that was the longest and hardest to go through, but I admit it was an incredible thrill and I would probably do it again. One thing I was worried about was that the ride had nothing much to hold onto; no chest cover or second handlebar. Just one small one by your waist and half a meter distance between you and the person in front of you. It was that ride that made me do a sign of the cross as we took off. And the sign saying that the ride passes over water didn’t help. I felt like I was going to die and all my friend beside could do to calm me down was to point out fish in the water. Thankfully, I survived. I couldn’t have been happier. After surviving that roller coaster, I knew the rest would be easy. And with each ride we went on, it became easier and more fun. Still a little scary with those drops, but thrillingly fun nonetheless.

For the four hours we spent in the park, we went on 8 different thrill rides. Not much, considering there were so many, but enough to stay standing. Then again, three of us had headaches and tried sleeping on the way home.

After getting up super early, waiting forever in line to get in, facing and defeating the challenge of roller coasters, eating totally overpriced food [I spent $10.16 on a footlong sub at Subway that would have cost me $5.65 in a regular franchise restaurant], watching my two guy friends argue with an employee over a prize at a basketball shooting booth, watching my guy friend get told off and nearly beat up by a biker-looking dude [for saying “Shit” on a ride], and getting tanned [with a tiny sunburn], I had an amazing day with awesome friends. I can’t thank them enough for pushing me. I did something I would have never done on my own.

This is a great start to a great summer season at Wonderland. I cannot wait to go again. I hope by the end of the season, I will have gone on all of the thrill rides… not to mention all of the rides at the water park when it opens next month!

I’m proud of myself for facing my “fear” and turning it into a new way of having fun.

 

 

Eurotrip!

I finally booked my trip to Europe! How exciting!

I’ve been looking into going to Europe for over a month now. I’ve been looking for tours to go on that my dad would approve of since he wouldn’t let me go backpacking as my mom suggested. It’s finally settled! I found the perfect short tour of a few countries. Now I can begin planning the days I spend in England before and after my 10-day tour to 7 European countries [not including England].

My entire trip is THREE weeks long and I hope to make the most of out it. I want to visit as many places as possible. I would love to spend the day in Ireland and/or Scotland just to be able to make it 10 countries in 3 weeks. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! I would give more details about places I will be going and things I will be doing but I would rather save those details for future posts.

It’s a little scary but also exciting to be going alone on this eurotrip. However, I will not be alone when visiting places. I’ll be meeting new people, doing new things, eating different foods! Great memories I cannot wait to start making!

I put it a countdown for the trip which you can see on the right side of the website. Yay me!

What’s Up, Doc?

I have a doctor! It’s been a long time coming—about 3 years to be exact. When you turn 18, you lose your family doctor that you had growing up. Now that you are an adult, you have personal responsibilities like seeking a doctor to look at your personal areas without having your parents there in the room.

I’ve been pretty normal in the health department for several years [with the exception of a couple of trips to the clinic for an injury and something else I cannot remember] so I haven’t had a need to go miles to see my family doctor. Speaking of which, Dr. Lee is a 40-minute drive away. Too far. From where we lived 11 years ago, it was a 15-minute drive. Have you seen the gas prices lately?

Now my siblings and I are all 18 or over. It’s been time for a new family doctor. My mom recently found a new doctor [as hers too was a long drive away] and she has been converting the rest of us. My older brother had already registered a long time ago. With my dad’s personal doctor retiring and with me without a doctor, it was about time. So we drove 10 minutes to a big building called THE DOCTOR’S OFFICE [they couldn’t have been more obvious with the giant bold letters that a person with terrible vision couldn’t miss].

I got up late that day. For some reason, there are so many nights where I wake up at least 3 times. Once around 7/8. Then around 9/10. And finally around 11/12 when I realize, “Shit! I just wasted half the day! Time to get up and do something!” My parents told me the appointment was at 3 so I did whatever I needed to do to be ready before then. I was ready by 2:15. We got there at 3:10. I thought we were late. We sign in with the receptionist and we are told to wait. While waiting, I ask my mom why we have to wait if we have an appointment. Then she tells me the appointment is actually at 3:45.

I am pissed. I have to sit in a waiting room for probably another hour (We actually did wait a full hour until finally seeing the doctor) after having already been waiting an hour just to go to the doctor’s office. Not to mention I planned my eating schedule. I had a late breakfast at 1:15 (after my jog) and I was expecting to have lunch at 4 when we got home. Therefore my stomach was rumbling the entire time. While we were waiting, my dad kept suggesting fast food places to quickly grab something to eat. “Panzerotti.” “MC [McDonald’s].” “Taco Bell.” Honestly, it doesn’t help the doctor’s office to be surrounded by at least 10 restaurants with foods you shouldn’t be eating. What was my mom doing while waiting? She was on Facebook. Not so typical. What was I doing? Playing sudoku. Not so typical either.

A Filipino woman escorts us to the room where we are told to wait again for the doctor. As she takes us, I whisper to my mom “Say something so she knows we’re Filipino.” My mom says nothing. I am quite disappointed. So we sit in the waiting room for the doctor to come in. What does my dad do? He jokes and pretends to be the doctor. I sit on top of that paper lining and he pretends to check my blood pressure. Then I suddenly realize I have to pee. Bad timing, I know. Not only do I hope the doctor doesnt start without me, but I am worried about using the washroom at the doctor’s office where there is a possibility that sick people were in there and I could get sick. I am cautious as hell. I return and thankfully the doctor isn’t there. We sit waiting again This time, what does my dad do? He naps. I don’t know how he does it but he fully fell asleep.

We finally see the doctor. She stands beside me. Not a good place considering my stomach was rumbling. We each go through medical history, register on a form and that’s it. Conclusion: I have a new doctor and I have to get a check-up and physical exam ASAP. I’ve never had a physical done before. The closest thing has been when I was 13 or so and Dr. Lee wanted to check to make sure puberty and mother nature were doing their thing. I’m nervous to get it all done, but I want it done because I want to know if there is anything wrong so it can be dealt with now rather than any later.

As we leave, we pass by the Filipino nurse again. This time, the nurse says something in tagalog to my parents. How does my mom respond? My mom says “Thank you” instead of “Salamat” in tagalog. WTH!?!?! I’m not impressed by that. Even the nurse was confused. At that moment, she thought we weren’t Filipino and started talking to us like a white person. Then, just before we go out the door, my mom goes to her and asks for our doctor’s business card… and she said it in tagalog. FINALLY.

We get into the car and I ask where we are going to eat. My parents’ two choices made me laugh: McDonald’s or fish and chips. We just came from the doctor’s and they want something that could send them back there.

 

Living on the [Putting] Edge

Yesterday I went mini putting with a couple of friends. We went to the glow-in-the-dark mini golf and arcade place Putting Edge. I’ve been mini putting many times before, but never in a glow-in-the-dark setting. Interesting!

I’ve lived in my town for nearly 11 years, and I regret to say that I have not been to many hangout places. Hangouts usually consist of everyone chilling at someone’s house, a meal at a restaurant or the local bowling alley. For several years when I first moved, there was an indoor roller skating rink that we used to always drive by. Unfortunately, the place closed before I could get a chance to check it out. Bummer.

All of my friends who grew up here were shocked when I said I have never been to Putting Edge. Everyone else has been there at least once for a birthday party, a date or a hangout. I was a little ashamed. I was invited to go last year with coworkers of mine, but I was working the night they decided to go. Meanies!

On a Friday or Saturday night, the place would be packed with friends fooling around with the clubs or young couples making out in random places on the golf course, but it was 7 p.m. on a Thursday. The place was dead. It was the three of us and a family. That’s it.

As soon as we entered, I was not impressed. The atmosphere was shit. Big room, poor lighting, old arcade games and an unattractive front desk. The employee at the register looked bored out of her mind. I used to work with someone whose first job was at that Putting Edge so I’ve heard many stories about terrible staff, crazy parents and the things people do inside the golf course area. I just paid $9.60 and was hoping for it to be my money’s worth. I believe it was. I did save $1.86 for using my student discount card so it was nice not having to break up my $20 bill and using my $10 bill instead. We’re given a club, a ball and a glow-in-the-dark bracelet. Then we enter the golf course room. Yay! The white on my sweater and my shoe laces lit up and I got excited!

I haven’t been mini-golfing in 5-6 years [maybe even longer than that] so I’m a little rusty at first. I’m trying to develop a comfort level with the club and the ball. Trying to figure out how to swing and aim right. I’ve never been taught how to properly golf, nor do I know how golf really works—especially the point system. The extent of my golfing knowledge comes from playing Mario golf and the golf game on the Wii. Then again, this is mini putting so it’s not to be taken seriously… but I do like competition. We are given a sheet of paper to tally our points. Rather than going with golf rules that have to do with a birdie, a par, then the +1, etc. we decided to tally how many strokes it took us to get the ball in the hole. Quite fair.

As in real golf, each course got more challenging. Nonetheless, I was having fun challenging myself and hoping to win. Somehow we ended up catching up to the family that was on their 8th hole when we started and waiting for them by the time we both reached the 12th hole together. While waiting, we just fooled around the courses.

Both of my friends had an advantage because they have been there several times over the years. One thing I can take away from yesterday is that going there is a once-in-a-blue moon experience. If you go there as often as you go see a movie—say once a month—it gets boring because it is the same. The place hasn’t changed since it opened. So it’s a place to go once in a while but nothing more. The entire experience wasn’t very special, but it is nice to know I had that experience of going there.

It was all over in 45 minutes. It seemed too quick. One friend and I were neck and neck the entire time, but I prevailed victorious!!! Boy, do I love winning.

Party [sham]rock is in the house tonight

I am warning you now. This blog is going to be long but you may find it entertaining.

St. Patrick’s Day just passed. If you’re not Irish like me, you know that St. Patrick’s Day is just an excuse to party and drink. I mean, come on, I wonder how many people actually know the significance of Saint Patrick. I know why because of my religious background. It seems offensive to be partying, drinking and wearing silly shirts and accessories.

I’ve never done anything special on this day because it was of no concern to me. It was just another day, apart from so many people in green. But this year, even though I was quite reluctant at first, I decided to do what most people my age would be doing. So I wore green and white, drank beer and partied my heart out.

I was reluctant because I knew all that wasn’t me, but like I keep saying with all of these new things I’m doing that I wouldn’t usually do, “FUCK IT.”

I spent the evening with a friend I have never hung out with alone before so it was different but in a good way. I like different. In fact, I NEED different in my life. She came over around 8pm with a 12-case of beer. I wish I could have freeze-framed my dad’s face when he saw me carrying it in the house. Priceless.

Before I go on, let me just say that I’m not a big drinker. I don’t mind the taste of alcohol, but I prefer cocktails which hides the taste of alcohol with fruity concoctions.

I have not had any alcohol since New Year’s so I worried about how my body would handle the sudden rush. When my friend came, the first thing we did was have a shot… actually, more like 4 shots because of the amount of alcohol in the glass. When planning this, I said that we both needed a shot to loosen up. Both of us are going through breakups and we needed to get rid of the tension. I didn’t have any tequila and straight vodka is a BAD idea (I learned the hard way) so we had coconut flavoured Malibu rum. At least it had flavour, right?

One bad thing was that neither of us had eaten in 6-7 hours. Right after drinking all that rum, we went straight to a bottle of beer and talking for an hour in my basement’s bar. I am not usually a beer drinker. I like the smell of beer but the taste is…meh. However, Budweiser is tolerable to me. I’m not going to lie, it was a little hard to swallow but every gulp was closer to finishing it. All I wanted to do was finish the damn thing!

Another thing about me is that I have a tiny bladder so if I drink lots of fluid at one time, I’ll be making trips to the bathroom every 15 minutes. And may i say that is exactly what happened. In the first hour she was there, I went four times. All from a glass of rum and one beer!

To add, we were both buzzed immediately. Having not eaten and having drank straight alcohol put us there quick. As my friend and I agreed, a good buzz is all you need to enjoy the night. Being drunk is too much.

The buzz really hit me though. Getting up to go the bathroom was difficult. I wasn’t walking straight. I wasn’t even sitting on the toilet seat properly by the third time I went.

Before leaving at 10, we decided to eat so we wouldn’t be drunk. I got a frozen pizza and went up to the kitchen to cook it. It was so hard trying to act normal with my family around asking me stuff. I was so buzzed I dropped the pizza when walking in.

The mushroom pizza was delicious. I don’t know if I thought that because it actually was yummy or because I was buzzed so the 6 mushrooms on the entire pizza meant nothing to me. Nonetheless, the pizza was like a sponge for the alcohol. I felt a little better after eating. We were both more aware, that’s for sure.

We took a cab to her house to drop off the case of beer and grab her stuff she forgot, then we headed to a country/dance night club in the downtown area of my town. We were considering going to an Irish pub, but the taxi driver told us bad news about the two we were considering—one had an hour-long wait, the other went bankrupt and closed down. Now my friend has been to bars and clubs several times so I am glad my first time at a club was with her. That’s right, you read correctly. Even though 19 is the legal age to go clubbing, I have never been before. Sad, I know. Better now than never!

Green beer!

So we got there before 11pm, as my friend suggested to avoid lineups. My friend has never been to that club so it was a new experience for the both of us. After getting ID-ed (may I just say how nice American passports look with the flag and eagle compared to shitty plain Canadian ones). The place was a decent size. I expected it to be bigger but whatever. It was country-themed so we both were a little out of place in a club filled with mostly white people. The place wasn’t busy at all. Maybe 50 people just hanging around the bars and booths. We took this opportunity to take pictures and have GREEN beer for the first time! Yay!

As soon as we walked in, I recognized some faces that went to high school with me. I was quite shocked at the different sides I saw to a couple of them. One guy, oh the poor guy, was dancing alone the entire night. He didn’t even make a single move on any girl. I wish I took a video of his awkward dancing. At least he was into it and wasn’t like most of the guys there who only know how to grind make out on the dance floor.

We danced a lot that night. But it was the second time we went to the dance floor (after a 20-minute wait to use the bathroom) that things changed. All of a sudden, a random guy comes close behind me and starts dancing. I didn’t even turn around to see his face. I just go with it and my friend starts laughing. It was something different! So we’re shaking it, grinding and grooving to the music. But then he starts putting his hand inside my shirt to hold my back and my waist. Feeling a little uncomfortable, I tell him to dance with my friend and I so that he gets his hand out. We are both dancing with him now but I see that my friend isn’t interested in him and she pulls back. He focuses his attention on me again. My friend says she is going to get some fresh air to leave us alone, but I tell him I’m going to. He grabs my hand and tells me to stay and dance; he even suggests we go somewhere else. I say sorry but maybe another time. I rush to be with my friend. She was surprised I went to her. She said that when she used to go clubbing with her best friend, she hated that her best friend would always leave her alone to dance with guys or to go for a smoke break. I’m not that kind of person. If I go with friends, I stick by them unless we all end up with someone else… or I’ll quickly get the person’s number and leave. Anyways, the guy I was dancing with was not ugly. A little bit taller than me, buzz cut, appropriately-dressed, that bad boy look. I did good!

It was hot in the club. We went to get air (not fresh air, smoky air) five times to cool off. Then they finally turned on the giant fan on the dance floor. That was our spot!

Although most people there were our age, it was so weird seeing a few older people in their 40s dancing. My friend told me that one woman was trying to dance with a younger guy but he refused, saying he doesn’t dance with older women. Rude.

So at 1 a.m., we find a booth to sit and relax. After talking for some time, these two guys come and sit next to us. No invitation. No hello. The blond guy sitting beside my friend stirs up conversation with her and the guy beside me is being his wing man. Oddly, I recognize the guy sitting beside me. I think he may have went to our high school but I don’t ask. They ask us if we play hockey because they are hockey players who are being drafted to the Pittsburgh Penguins with Sidney Crosby. Clearly they are trying to score some points. The blond guy asks our ages. They say they are 19, so when my friend says she is 21, I am confused. She gives me the girl signal to go with it so I just play along as her “wing man.” She starts laughing with him and he continues to flirt…UNTIL… his girlfriend comes along and steals him away. Boy was she pissed! All my friend had to say was “Damn, why are all the good ones taken?” I admit, the blond guy was decent with his fit body, but he looked like a player—and I don’t mean hockey player. Turns out, the guy beside me also had a girlfriend who he was making out with for a very long time in the booth in front of us.

We dance a few more songs until my friend asks me if I want to go. I say it doesn’t matter. She says let’s go. As soon as we leave the club, we see police officers and police cars outside at the biggest club downtown. There’s even broken beer glasses on the street. We ignore it and walk to the taxi building where we see a line of people waiting for a cab. While waiting, we see two others that went to our high school. Then, out of nowhere, these two guys appear in front of us and start arguing over something stupid. Some random fat lady eating a late-night pita headbutts one of the guy’s stomach so they don’t fight. Then another random guy comes in between the other guy. The two walk away continuously arguing until one guy loses it and they both start fighting. No party night is complete without a fight. Sadly, the fight is broken up by strangers. I was waiting for blood, sweat and tears!

Twenty minutes later, we get our cab and head home. Successful night? I think so.

Gambling A Life Away

I got to cross off another thing on my growing list: I finally went into a casino… legally.

By legally, I mean that it was the first time I was allowed inside to play.

When I was 13, my family and I went on vacation to Las Vegas. We went to several hotels and I walked through dozens of casinos. There were slot machines and card game tables everywhere! I even watched my parents try their luck. But of course, no one under 21 could play. Here in Canada, 19 is the legal age to be inside a casino. Although I turned 19 almost two years ago, I have been never inside a casino in Canada. My mom told me that when I was 19, she would take me to Casino Rama in Niagara Falls (the biggest and most popular casino in Ontario) so I could gamble and so she could buy me a drink (since 19 is the legal drinking age as well). That never happened. My parents go to Casino Rama once a month since they always receive free tickets to see a show, but I’m either working or out with friends.

So on the way home from an afternoon at the sex shop, checking out cool fish (I am considering getting some pet fish), petting a parrot for the first time and getting angry at idiotic drivers, we made a quick stop at a local casino/slots. My friends dropped me off and I went inside to check it out. Because the place was called OLG Slots, all there was to expect were a bunch of slot machines. Nothing Vegas-exciting… sadly. But it was still a first for me!

I didn’t know there was a process to getting ID-ed at a casino. First the security guard looked at my ID for a good 5 seconds, looked back at me, then he scanned the ID, swiped it and quizzed me on my postal code before finally letting me in.

To put it in simplest terms, the place was nothing special. Rather quite depressing apart from the bright lights and the beautiful noise of pulling levers and coins dropping. It was an adult arcade—but the games sucked. The place was just a big room full of hundreds of slot machines and middle-aged people gambling their lives away in the middle of the afternoon. The room was tight and difficult to navigate through. I went around the whole room to check out all of the different slots they had. That was interesting, but nothing else was. I wanted to play, but I couldn’t just pop a quarter in like I thought I could. You needed to use bills or get credit. I didn’t want to use up my only $20 bill and I didn’t have time to get credit so I just left slightly disappointed.

At least I learned a few things like the ID process, the different slots to play, and the ticket system for winners.

My parents plan on going to Niagara Falls next month so I hope to tag along and go to Casino Rama for the first time. Maybe play a game of poker or blackjack. When I was 13, I played online poker (shocking, I know) and I even played a lot of poker with my cousins so I kind of miss it. A friend told me it’s not very exciting like you see in the movies. Maybe it’s just Canada. From what I remember from being in Las Vegas, it was exciting and thrilling. I turn 21 this year so hopefully I’ll get my chance to fly down there and gamble my life away for a day.

Aren’t We [a little] Naughty

My two friends and I did something a little naughty…

One thing on my growing list of things to do was to go to a sex shop. A little odd for me to want to do that, but why not? I’m a very curious person and sex shops spark my curiosity. I had this perception of them being dark and sketchy; with items hidden with curtains or in special rooms; and a place for creepy middle-aged men to spend their free time. It was time to—once and for all—see for myself.

Okay, I admit we didn’t visit the small and shady-looking sex shops in our hometown. Instead, we went to an upscale sex shop called “Aren’t We Naughty” two towns away but it was a sex shop nonetheless.

How did we find this store? Well, it’s impossible to miss when you’re driving east or west on the highway. It’s right next to the highway and is clearly visible with its cherry icon, red and black colour theme and the windows framed with sexy men and women.

On the way to the store that afternoon, one friend said she googled the store to see what she was getting herself into. I contemplated that but I wanted to be surprised. Just before getting out of the car, I jokingly said I saw someone I knew. Imagine that? It would be so awkward to find anyone I knew there. So before entering the shop, I had to take a deep breath. We walked inside and I was in awe… then I started to smile and giggle because I couldn’t believe I was inside a sex shop. Me of all people! I’m the girl that always thought of doing crazy shit (pardon my “French” as one friend jokingly says after she swears) but would never do it.

Surprisingly, I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. Being inside felt like being inside any female clothing store. It was big, bright, warm, organized and with plenty of room to walk around freely. To be honest, it was more inviting than being inside a Victoria’s Secret store. The employees were all female and all friendly. Just before going inside, I told my friends that if anyone asks, we are *wink wink* looking for a birthday gift for a friend. Thankfully, no employee asked what we were looking for but just offered any assistance.

The first half of the sex shop is what you’d expect to see like lingerie, porn videos and magazines, male and female thongs. But the back half of the store is where all of the interesting stuff to look at is. I was so amazed and confused by the array of sex toys and other bizarre items they had. Lower-half body replicas, body building penis gadget, anal beads, sex furniture, organic lubricants, eco-friendly and weird-shaped vibrators, etc. Even the names of products were hilarious like “Upstairs Downstairs” and “Nipplettes.” Btw, did you knew there are categories for orgasms? Unreal.

I made sure to look at—even touch—many random things in the sex shop to satisfy my curiosity. I wanted to take a short video like I did for my first jogging experience, but the other customers left so we were the only ones there for some time. I must admit, it was weird having the employees constantly looking at us.

As we were leaving, I was still in awe of my experience. The first thing I said to my friends was “My mind is blown” [if you get the silly pun]. We sat in the car for 5 minutes thinking of where to go next but I was still taking it all in. One thing we did agree upon was that it was the perfect place to creep on people. During those 5 minutes, it was so interesting to see who walked into the sex shop. First a young couple, then an old man, and then a father and his teenage son.

All in all, a great first experience. Maybe the small and shady-looking sex shops have totally different atmospheres than this one did, but until next time. One thing I can take away from this is that sex toys and products are dammmmmnnnn expensive. I didn’t buy anything. My friend suggested getting something as a souvenir, but who knows, I might have to return in the future for bachelorette party planning.

Just on a side note, I apologize for the number of times I said “sex shop.” This will hopefully be the only time you’ll be reading those words repeatedly.