I'd like to thank those Three Angry Guys for making today even more non-productive.

You'll see what I mean when you check this out!

Have a great weekend all!

Does anyone remember that old sci-fi series Space 1999?

Doesn't this story about the Russian's plan to mine the moon remind you of that? I suppose they'll also soon be storing spent nuclear waste up there as well.

Where's Martin Landau and Barbara Bain and the gang when you need them?

Well, folks, it appears that, yes, Canada has woken up to a new government. And as hoped by many who were afraid of a Conservative landslide, we have a minority government led by Stephen Harper. I believe that many of us can breathe now.

I just have a message for Stephen Harper now. And it goes like this:

Prime Minister Harper,

Congratulations on your win in the 2006 election. As you said in your speech, Canadians have voted for change.

However, I don't think that you should be too proud of yourself just yet. Your hopes of a landslide majority were also dashed by those same Canadians that voted for change. I can predict that this will be a difficult time for you and your party.

I am one that did not want to see your party get in however, I am very happy to see the results in that even though you won, there will be watchdogs that work to keep you accountable for your decisions. I think this is message for you that even though many want change, they fear what this country will become if your right-wing Conservatism is allowed to flourish. You have a lot to prove and it should start with listening to the people.

I heard only a small part of your speech and I think it premature that you make this out to be a huge victory. It is not. You will have to work hard and work with the other parties to keep Canada on a path that will hold the nation together. This is important for many people here. We do not want to become another state of that country to the south. (No offense to my American friends but Canada has an identity of its own)

I can only guess that the Liberals and NDP are going to work WITH your government to create a better Canada and not work against you as you and your party did from the onset of the Liberal minority government. Nothing made me more angry than your attempts to sling mud at and to undermine what the Liberals and NDP were trying to do instead of working with them to make good decisions.

From where I was sitting, you had it out for the Liberals from minute one and had only a desire to get more seats than to make a minority government work. Canadians are paying you to keep Canada moving forward instead you spent your time trying to topple the government. Let's face it. Not all of us are friends with those we work with, yet we manage to do what's best for the company so that we will have a job to come to. You did not do that before this election and now I think you're going to have to do what's best for Canada. You'd better because I and many others are watching.

And that's where I'd like to end this letter. I will be watching and doing my part to make sure that you speak for all Canadians. Like me, like my neighbour, like my Canadian friends who were born in other countries and chose to come to this nation for a better life and to the immigrant population that live and work here but do not have voting rights who came for the same reason, and women, men and children who count on our government to keep us moving forward in an environmentally and socially responsible way.

Anyway, folks, that's my twenty-five cents worth. Have a great day!

I was reading this article today about multiculturalism in the UK. Funny, I was having a conversation with an English friend here just yesterday about the same thing. It's funny how things like that happen.

As well, I find it funny when England calls itself a multicultural country.

If you don't already know this, Canada has multiculturalism built into it's constitution and it's been like that for close to two decades. One morning, all Canadians woke up to learn that we have been "legislated" a multicultural society and we have grown into that policy. To me, it not only meant that we were a nation that consisted of many cultures but also that there was an acceptance and respect of the diversity of people that live here.

Many live by this belief, I am sure but I am guessing that there are also many who think that we should "protect our own" much to the disadvantage of the other groups. A "Let's protect Canadians" kind of thinking. Personally, I believe that if people would like to immigrate to our country, they should be able to as long as they are doing it because they would like to be a part of this country of ours. I think that is just the way it should be... it's part of what makes Canada a great place. We have grown into our multicultural skin and let it flourish.

The bad thing about this is that it gives me a kind of superiority complex that no other country can do it as well as we can. Thus my amusement about the United Kingdom. I felt that (when I was there last) there was a huge diversity of people from around the world however, I also felt that there was a subversively negative feeling about non-Britain's living there. It's a hypersensitive part of myself that notices these things. It seemed like an underlying racism.

However, this article makes me think twice about it. Could I come off of my moral high ground long enough to believe that it is possible that some other country of the world is capable of the same kind of acceptance?

I know what some of you think about the subject but it would be nice to hear what you have to say about it. About anything really... comment on the article or the state of the world.

Anyway, it's election day in my country... again. I know the results that I'd like to see but it will be interesting to know the final results. Do we stick with the old guard, the Bush-ass-kissing conservatives that think women should stay at home and have children, the fence-sitting NDP (which by the way, all three of these parties seem intent on mud-slinging their way through the campaign) or the Greens (who haven't had much of a chance to prove anything).

Looks like many of us will wake up with a whole new government tomorrow morning...

I don't know about you but I think if I'd been giving a life-altering and necessary face transplant operation, that I would rethink my stance on smoking. It appears that the woman who recently had a face transplant can now move her mouth and is able to chain smoke.

Does anyone else out there consider this absurd?

Could they not have just denied her the operation and just give her a mask and pump cigarette smoke directly into her body?

I am not one who watches reality shows (with the exception of ANTM) but something I saw on TV the other day, made me think of my friend Mr. T. I think that he might find this site interesting. (And perhaps some others as well) So, please take a look at Bathroom Divas.

No commenting is necessary as this is just for your enjoyment.

Note to T? Perhaps you left Canada too early!!

I looked at my blog today and saw the last entry mentioning something about happy holidays. Funny enough, I thought because not only has that message all but been forgotten but it looks like I have been taking a holiday from blogging as well… I apologize for the lack of posts but I have been so busy.

So, how has 2006 been for you so far?

For me, there have been all sorts of changes. I started off with visions of healthier eating after the abuse of my body for the past three months however, a slight iron deficiency kept me at a much lower energy level than usual. Nothing serious, really, however, it didn’t really help me feel better about the choices I made. I have been on the upswing since I started catching up and things appear to be going fine.

My dream of actually getting my space cleaned and in order has not been realized so I am aiming for the deadline of Lunar New Year. It looks like that is much more reasonable considering how busy I was over the holidays. I was beginning to believe that I would become one of those pensioner ladies that lives alone in a dark stained wood apartment with bookcase stuffed full of books and ornaments and labelled shoeboxes and that horrid velvety floral antique furniture in my old age. If I don’t get it done soon, I am afraid the habit will never go away. (One would never know from this but I really am a stickler for organization. I just sometimes get too distracted and busy to get to it right away.)

And while I haven’t started cleaning, I have been able to catch up on my correspondence.

I can remember saying once that I was single-handedly keeping Canada Post in business with the amount of snail mail I was sending. However, one additional thing keeping them going is that they hike the rates up every year. I don’t want to gripe about it because I have no problems providing the service levels remain high. However, it just seems to be getting worse. And the rates are scheduled to rise again next Monday.

I truly believe that letter-writing is an artform and I will continue to do my best to keep it alive. (I am not naïve enough to believe that I can pass it on to the next generation though…it appears that email has taken over…)

For those of you that I’ve told, I am making a concerted effort to be more positive about things and especially myself. I am pleasantly surprised that I am getting better at making negative thoughts disappear more quickly. There’s still a lot of work to do on this but I am getting there.

I got a letter from a friend yesterday who offered her thoughts and words of wisdom as well as pointing out a few of her insecurities. The funny thing is that with woman of our strength, there is a lot of self-doubt that people don’t see. All people doubt themselves, I have discovered so I should remember not to feel like I am alone. I guess one wonders what is “wrong” with themselves if the are still alone in their 30’s and 40’s. Yes, we could be “picky” or maybe we just don’t want to end up like our parents. Nevertheless, I guess sometimes being in a relationship isn’t all that perfect either. (I’d like to thank my friend for her words. They really put things into perspective.)

So, with that said, I am trying to be a positive human being. I think it’s going well so far!

And, I also feel much more positive in my decision to break free from habit. I have been meeting friends that I haven’t seen in a while and am reminded what wonderful individuals they are. I apologized to one the other day but she said that everyone goes through phases in their lives that go in different directions. And true friends can connect any time. I’ve even had time to start or evolve recent friendships. Everything is new, fresh and going in a very positive way.

My only dilemma with this is, if you meet someone you really like, when is it safe to push it to the next level. Is there a way to tell when that person isn’t just thinking about being your friend? I mean, how can you tell if someone wants to be more than friends? Should one just let it evolve or should they go for it? Why do we want to protect our feelings so much?

Yesterday, a married friend told me that she wished that humans were more like animals in that way. Animals pursue that which they are interested in while humans take the safer approach and wait for the signs. The problem is that I think that humans have lost touch with their intuitive, natural side a long time ago. (Remember the tsunami in Asia? People flocked to the beach when the tides went out so far and quickly and the animals fled).

Can anyone tell me where all of this insecurity comes from?

Having re-read this, I just wanted to say that with all the talk of insecurity and negativity, I am in no way feeling that way. It’s simply a new year and I have had lots of time to observe behaviour over the past little while. In many ways, my observations have made me see things in myself and to address things and make positive decisions.

In closing, I hope that Olivia, Audi, David and Robert received their postcards. I have heard from some of you and once again wanted to wish everyone a great 2006!

Take care everyone!

Hey there everyone!

I just wanted to ask that you go to my friend Mao's website and help her out by commenting on her latest post. It might seem a little odd to ask such questions as she has but it's all about educating people, right?

I know that there are a few of you out there that are really able to satisfy her curiosity...

Thanks for helping!

I saw the film Syriana over the holidays. It was interesting and although I am glad that I saw it, as my friend said "it's not a very feelgood film, is it?"

That said, if you get a chance, you should check it out.

An interesting point was brought to my attention while checking out the site though, I didn't know that Alexander Siddig's uncle is Malcolm McDowell...

Has anyone else out there seen it? If so, what do you think? What else have you seen lately?

Well, I must admit that yesterday was a pretty sad attempt at posting but to tell the truth, I have been limited by time and I didn't want to neglect my readers. I did find the whole past life thing a little interesting. Sounds a lot like my present life.

I suppose that one could say that the end of one year and the beginning of the next is a good time for change. In my case, I didn't finish the one thing that I always complete at the end of the year and that was cleaning everything from top to bottom. My fault really because I fell into old patterns of behaviour. That is one thing that I decided to change this year...

You see, as much as I love change, I am also a creature of habit. Last year, I spent most of my time at the same places with the same group of people. I really like these people but to tell the truth, I was pretty bored by December. I like the safety of hanging out with people that I trust in places that I also trust however, it is part of the reason that I was so blah towards the end of the year.

Because I don't want to get caught in the same rut this year, I have decided to spread myself around. I started reconnecting with people that I haven't seen for a long while and it was really inspiring. I think it is time that I venture out from the safety of my crowd and just do things that I hadn't thought to do in a long time. (Don't look for me to start skydiving or bungie jumping anytime soon though). It's time to have fun with it.

This is going to be a good year. I can feel it!

Oh, and if you are one of those that I was hanging out with all of the time, please do not feel that I have changed my mind about being your friend. I just wanna break out of this shell. It's no one's fault except my own that I am in this position and I am just trying to rectify it. (I will talk with you about this a bit later...)

Take care all and have a great 2006!

New viewer alert! The following are links to new people's site that visited my blog...

Fernanda e Cate
In Portuguese...

Oh we have no bananas...
From Germany in English and German...

Scott'N'Katie
They're getting married...

If you're interested, take a look.

My Past Life
(discovered here)

I don't know how you feel about it, but you were female in your last earthly incarnation.You were born somewhere in the territory of modern Southern England around the year 1425.Your profession was that of a farmer, weaver or tailor.

Your brief psychological profile in your past life:Seeker of truth and wisdom. You could have seen your future lives. Others perceived you as an idealist illuminating path to future.

The lesson that your last past life brought to your present incarnation:Your lesson is to develop a kind attitude towards people, and to acquire the gift of understanding and compassion.

Thanks to Radmila at My Two Second Shelf Life for the link.

And, Happy 2006 to you all!