Flying Madness - Have you flown lately?

Flying Madness - Have you flown lately?

Keith and I just got back from our very relaxing and enchanting honeymoon cruise in the Caribbean. The cruise was very delightful but I should tell you the trip didn’t begin so smoothly. It all began with the flying madness on August 25 with Air Canada. Our flight was supposed to leave at 0700 however it was delayed by an hour and a half due to a "technical communication problem" within the airplane. I got to thinking why on earth wasn’t this problem noticed and resolved hours before the flight departure??? Shouldn’t airline companies have frequent maintenance checks of technical systems on the night before a flight or maybe early on in the morning before they start boarding passengers on that plane????? Shouldn’t these technical problems be monitored and solved efficiently??? What are all those exorbitant airfares and miscellaneous fees we’re paying for? Do they just get pocketed by the big wigs in the airline companies? Is it too much for a paying customer to expect this much from a service provider?

Needless to say, that one problem ended up escalating to more problems for me and Keith that day. Since our flight was delayed, we missed our connecting flight to Fort Lauderdale from Toronto. We were supposed to be at Miami that night, enjoying our paid stays at Hilton Miami Hotel, instead we ended up at Ramada Hotel in Montreal. Why Montreal? Well, since we missed our connecting flight at Toronto and the next flight out of there to Miami was not till 3:40 pm (by then it would be too late because the cruise ship was going to sail out at 4:00pm), we opted to fly to Montreal. The following morning we caught a 9:00 am flight to Miami. I was really disappointed with Air Canada. I have flown with Air Canada so many times, but not as many as other people but I’ve had my fair share of late flights with Air Canada. I can’t put up with that anymore when other airline companies seem to not have any problems with their flight departures.

Another thing I’ve decided from that trip was that I will avoid connecting flights at Toronto. It’s one thing if you’re connecting for a trip within the country but when you’re flying out of the country is another thing. I didn’t really like having to take a shuttle bus from a domestic terminal to an international terminal. Couldn’t they just be all in one building?? I’ve flown to Toronto before and it has never bothered me before but with this recent maddening experience I’m kinda not happy about it. The one inconvenience with these separate buildings was that when Keith and I missed our flight to Miami and we had to fly out to Montreal that same afternoon, we had to run around collecting our baggages. Our baggages were tagged for Florida so it was at the international terminal. We had less than 2 hours to collect our baggages and check ourselves in again for our flight to Montreal. After we’ve spoken with a customer representative about our flight change, he directed us to collect our baggages at Cart 1, so we waited at cart 1 but it wasn’t there. We had to ask another airport staff and told him about our situation. He said well your luggages will be at the international terminal because we were supposed to be at that terminal for the flight we missed. So off we went out of the domestic terminal and we just missed the shuttle bus. Luckily another one came along with 5 minutes. We went inside the international terminal heading towards the baggage claim area and this lady airport staff stopped us and said we couldn’t go in cause we didn’t have the appropriate boarding pass. Fair enough but couldn’t she escort us in to grab our baggages since there were two of them there sitting by the desk. No she couldn’t, we had to find another staff to escort us in. When we found a staff to escort us in, we walked pass by the lady airport staff. After we’ve collected our luggages, which took a while, we walked out the same way we came in without our staff escort because she left as it was taking a long time for us to find our luggages. This lady airport staff stopped us again and asked us where the escort was and we said she left because it was taking us a long time to find our luggages. It looked like she was going to say something else but we just interrupted her cause we were running out of time and we didn’t really want to miss another flight. I was livid by this time but now that I think about it, she was just trying to make sure the luggages were not stolen. If that was here reason for stopping us again, they why did she not just check our photo ids and compared the name to the luggage tags. Then I thought, even if she did that how would she know that we didn’t change the tag to show our names? (Keith and I wouldn’t actually do that!!) Maybe that’s why she wanted the escort staff to come along with us. However, even though we had an escort staff, she wasn’t standing close to us, in fact she was chatting with other staff, so she wouldn’t have seen if we change the luggage tags (again we’re not going to do such a thing). Oh well!! Anyway, on top of all this chaos we managed to make it onto our Montreal flight.

After that it was smooth sailin as soon as we got onto the cruise ship and we’ve forgotten about that incident. I just thought to share with everyone what we’ve experienced and hopefully you won’t have to go through it.

Becky the Bookworm: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (Louis de Bernieres)

Unlike most books I’ve read, this one was really tough to read at times. It took me long enough to read it and I’m usually a fast reader especially if I’m interested in the book. I’m not saying that this book is not interesting, but when you’re used to reading fictional romance, fictional adventure/mystery, it certainly is a different experience to read a book that is somewhat based on reality, the war to boot. I usually don’t like reading books that have very overpowering tones like war, cultural oppression and abuse. I just feel frustrated, helpless and extremely, extremely sad. For example, reading about the war, it makes me angry to think that people of one race is capable of hurting another group of people. For what reason? A flawed one indicating that one race is more superior to another. When I was reading this book, it reminded me of a side trip Keith and I took with our tour group in Germany on the way to Munich. A number of you reading this entry may have seen Schindler’s List, but have you actually walked through an internment camp??? Have you actually looked at an incineration chamber??? It is horrifying, gut-wrenching and nauseating. How can people commit such acts? How can one standby and let millions of people get slaughtered simply because they didn’t have the right color of hair or eyes???

The book wasn’t all about the war, but portions of it were and when I got to that part, I had such a hard time reading it. The one thing I liked about the book was the fact that in one minute you’re reading something entertaining then the next minute you’re reading something intellectual or heart-breaking or horrifying. It was a constant rollercoaster and you never knew what you will be reading next. The book also talked about the relationship that developed between Pelagia (a Greek woman) and Captain Corelli (an Italian soldier) during the years of Italian occupation in Greece. It focused on the strength of one’s love for another and how it goes beyond the color of one’s skin or the language they speak. The dedication and patience that Pelagia had waiting for Captain Corelli to come back after the war was heartbreaking at times. I admired Pelagia’s faithfulness to Corelli, eventhough she had no idea whether he was still alive or if he had forgotten her and married someone else. I always wonder how women with husbands in the military service cope with their husband’s occupation. If I was in their position, I’m not quite sure that I would’ve been strong enough to not breakdown everyday worrying about his safety.

It certainly was an interesting read and if you want to relive the experiences of people during the war, this book will give you an idea of how it was. The story did not just evolve around the civilians. It also gave one an opportunity to look at what higher ranking officials were going through as the situation progressed from diplomacy to war, and how one man can be sacrificed or utilized to progress one’s political agenda and tip the power scale to where one finds it is suitable to be.

I’m not Dopey but why do I feel so dopey?!

I’m not Dopey but why do I feel so dopey????

I have been lucky not to have needed T3’s when I got my wisdom teeth out. However, I have been unlucky to have recently been in a rear-ender . Boy, I had no idea how bad whiplash injury could be!!! I was not a happy camper. My neck was really sore and was getting extreme muscle spasms that hurt like hell. The doctor has given me prescription for this medication called Robaxisal C and it has a muscle relaxant med in it, as well as Aspirin and Codeine. The first time I took the medication, after a few minutes I was feeling loopy/dopey. It felt so weird like everything in the room around me was swaying. I figured out that 2 tablets (with 60 mg of Codeine) might be a little too much for little old me!!!

Anyway, I’m glad that this muscle relaxant is working now. I might actually be able to get some sleep tonight.

Lower Back Tattoos and Epidurals

Lower Back Tattoos and Epidurals

A few days ago I watched a news segment aired on CTV regarding lower back tattoos placing women in birthing risks. According to the anesthesiologist interviewed, women in labour who have lower back tattoos may not always have the option of receiving epidural analgesia during labour. Some anesthesiologists have concerns that puncturing tattooed skin with needles used for providing epidurals may  push the pigment/dye into the epidural space and cause a reaction.

This news certainly made me think twice about getting a tattoo on my lower back. I tried to find more information about this issue and came across an article that was published in the "Obstetrical and Pediatric Anesthesia" Journal. This article talked about trying to find research literature from two different scientific research literature databases for information on complications of providing epidurals into tattooed lumbar area. There was no information found providing evidence that such a complication has occurred so the article ended up discussing "implications" of providing epidurals into tattooed lumbar area instead. The authors attributed this lack of evidence as partly due to the lack of or a small number of women with lumbar tattoos who had received epidurals. It is an interesting read. I took the liberty of posting on here the link to the article so that you guys can read more about it. I’ve also attached a link to the CTV segment about the issue.

1) Journal Article http://www.cja-jca.org/cgi/content/full/49/10/1057

2) CTV news segment http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1108868228321_35/?hub=CTVNewsAt11

Note: if the link for the article doesn’t work, i also have the pdf version of the article.

Why do I even bother?!?!

Why do I even bother?!?!

I don’t know why I even bother working out when the next day I’ll just waste it eating a bag of Cheerios (well not the whole bag!) or a bag of Hershey Kisses. How much control does it take? Apparenty, I don’t have that much control when it comes to my cravings. How am I supposed to look fit for my wedding when I keep horking down every junk food I can find in our cupboard? I guess I should learn not to stock our cupboard with any junk food. However, I’m also a firm believer that you should reward yourself for every hard work you’ve done. So maybe it is justified to have a few Hershey Kisses but not the whole bag!

I find it hard to motivate myself to continue working out when I always have pain when I first start. I know that once I’ve got the routine down, it won’t hurt as much but it just seems like I’ll never get over the pain. However, I’ll have to keep going to the gym cause those damn fees are wracking our VISA card quite a bit!

Goodbye Agassi!!!

Goodbye Agassi!!!!

How my heart is broken!! I will never get the chance to watch him play tennis live. I’ve always wanted to see him play live but I’ve always put it off too. Mind you I’ve never missed his games on tv! That is, if I happen to be at home and not working. Well, maybe I’ll take the time to see him at his last U.S. Open. Hopefully, I’ll have the money and vacation time to do it.

I remember when I was young, Ida and I would always watch tennis games in the summer. The finals of every tournament would always have Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. I would cheer for Andre and Ida would cheer for Pete, unfortunately more often than not Andre would lose to Pete. My sister has always bragged about how dynamic and superb a player Pete Sampras is, which he really is. So is Andre! He’s had his fair share of slams anyway and i guess he’s making room for younger players to do the same.

Now that Agassi is retiring, I guess I can root for Roger Federer cause everyone is saying that he’s the next best thing. Roger definitely plays like Sampras. I like that he’s quiet and you can’t tell what he’s going to do next. But maybe I should root for an underdog, i just don’t know who. Guess I’ll just have to watch more tennis tournaments to figure it out.

I sure hope I have a green thumb!

  I sure hope I have a green thumb!!

Last weekend, Keith and I finally decided to do something about what little garden we have. It was so much fun pulling out all those weeds and not so pretty looking flowers. I just don’t like all those little creepy crawlers on the soil but I guess i can’t prevent that.

Our little garden looks cleaner, breezier and prettier. We planted hostas and stargazer lilies. I hope to God that they survive!! I guess if they didn’t, we’ll just have to try a different plant/flower.

I can understand now why most senior nurses are into gardening. It’s a great way of relieving your stress, especially psychological stress, cause you just forget the things that worries you most. You get into a relaxed state even though you are working physically, it’s not a hard job as long as yo don’t have a huge garden.

Well, that’s it for me today. Wish me luck with my garden….i meant our garden.

The Lake House

The Lake House

My sister told me to check out this movie, since she knows I’m a huge fan of Keanu Reeves. Ever since the first time I saw him in Babes in Toyland, I thought he was the coolest and unique actor I’ve ever seen. I know a lot of movie critics think he’s such a horrible actor, but who cares. Movie critics do not reflect the general population’s opinion or for that matter, my opinion also does not reflect the general population’s opinion about Keanu Reeves’ acting.

Anyway, for those of you who don’t know, I am a huge sucker for romantic stories and so is this one. Apparently, this movie is a remake of a Korean film entitled "Il Mare". According to Wikipedia, the story centers on a lonely doctor (Bullock) who begins exchanging love letters with a frustrated architect (Reeves), but they then discover they are separated in time by two years. How freaky is that?! If you guys want to check out the trailer, here’s the link:

http://thelakehousemovie.warnerbros.com/

Happy Earth Day!!

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!! APRIL 22, 2006

Hello everybody!

It’s been a while since my last blog posting. I just found out that today is Earth Day! I was kinda wondering why I’ve been seeing so many things on global warming recently. About a couple of weeks ago, I’ve come across two printed materials covering global warming. Then today, I was browsing online and I saw Earth Day photos which showed signs of global warming and the different steps being taken by different countries to counteract this threat.

One of the printed material I came across mentioning global warming was Vanity Fair’s Special Green Issue. I’m still reading it and so far it’s okay. One of the main articles in the magazine was written by Al Gore and his main focus was more on the inspirational/philosophical/political side of global warming. There was not a lot of information regarding how we can help reduce global warming in the article however, Vanity Fair did include a portrait of various people who are contributing to this movement. Links to websites that will provide information on global warming are also mentioned in the portraits.  If you are not into buying the magazine, I’ve included below the list of the links:

1) www.gocarbonzero.org - talks about Go Zero, a program that helps individuals and businesses measure how much they contribute to greenhouse gases and provides them with an easy way to do something about it.

2) www.treehugger.com - i’m not trying to turn everyone into a tree-hugger but if you would like information on alternatives to your way of living, you can check this out. I know it will take me a while before I get on board the waterless washing machine!! I haven’t really thoroughly explored this site yet so feel free to let me know about what you guys think.

3) www.stopglobalwarming.org - this one is about a non-political group looking to pressure Washington into taking decisive actions. For everyone living in the States, you guys might want to check it out.

4) www.idealbite.com - this one is about organic products from your average daily foods to denim that hug your buns….

5) www.grist.org - focuses on weightier matters: the battle over a wind farm off Cape Cod: the bad deal chickens get; mountaintop-removal mining in Appalachia; plans to produce methane from dog shit in San Francisco for use in natural-gas systems

6) www.earthday.net - provides information on how we can, in our own little way, contribute to reducing green house gases. We don’t have to buy hybrid cars, we just have to be mindful of our car’s efficiency when we drive them. When you go this website, I recommend taking the "Ecological Footprint Quiz" cause it estimates how much productive land and water you need to support what you use and what you discard. After answering 15 easy questions you’ll be able to compare your Ecological Footprint to what other people use and to what is available on this planet.

All information, except for earthday.net was obtained from Vanity Fair’s Special Green Issue.

That’s it for me folks. Have a Happy Earth Day today!!

ps. if you do buy the magazine, check out the article "While Washington Slept" - it features photos of how Washington will look like if and when water levels rise due to the melting of the polar ice caps.

Becky the Bookworm: Inca Gold (Dirk Pitt series by Clive Cussler)

Becky the Bookworm: Inca Gold (Dirk Pitt series by Clive Cussler)

If you guys have seen the movie "Sahara" then you’ll know who Dirk Pitt is. If you haven’t seen that movie, you may want to check it out especially if you are an adventure junkie. Dirk Pitt is your modern day Indiana Jones whose main interest lies in marine science. He’s smart, athletic, rich, popular with the ladies and has a knack for saving himself, his friends and other people from all kinds of evil danger; at least that’s how the fictional series by Clive Cussler potrays him. I’ve read most of Sidney Sheldon’s novels and since he hasn’t written a new one in a couple of years, I thought I should check out another author in the same genre. However, I should point out that Cussler’s writing focuses more on the adventure side compared to Sheldon’s fascination for mystery. They are both good and everyone who’s liked Sheldon’s novels will like Cussler’s as well.

In Inca Gold, you’ll not only read about Dirk Pitt’s marine adventures but also of archeology and how this field can be easily plagued with looting and mischief. Monetary gains take precedence over historical merit and benefits of the archeological artifacts that are discovered by scientists. Of course, like all other adventure books, there are the villains that are so evil and you can imagine actually living but hopefully not in your world.

There’s a bit of technical information you have to get used to reading with Clive Cussler’s novels. Since Dirk Pitt is a marine scientists, there are a lot of references to diving. It’s always handy to have Wikipedia explain the numerous scientific and technical terms in the novel.

Enough of this talk! Check out your local library if they have a copy and start reading. Summer vacations are coming soon and a good book to read while lounging in the sun is always nice. Enjoy!!