Tochi's Hut

I stopped by the community library today to return a book. While parked at the drop off loop, I noticed the sign instructing drivers not to leave their cars idling for more than 3 minutes.

I normally do not idle my car for too long; not because I am environmentally friendly, but because I do not like wasting gas. However, in the winter, my car needs to warm up. It is only 30 seconds to a major road where I'll be driving 70km/h. If my engine is not warm enough by then, the rev's will be quite high - I fear that I will cause irreparable damage to my engine. :|

So, I guess many a times, I do inadvertently leave my car idling longer than allowed by the bylaws. :(

Working with contractors has been quite the experience, both good and bad. Many good stories to tell.

One in particular invovles my circuit breaker. In gutting my cooking place, I wanted to cut off power to my outlets and appliances, just in case. Now, my circuit breaker is very poorly labelled. I flipped all the appropriate switches... or so I thought.

When the contractor came to install some pot lights, he asked if these wires were live. I assured him the power had been cut off, after all, I remove the previous light installation without problems.

However, his electric test pen kept buzzing as he tested the wires. He dismissed the pen as being over sensitive,

Well, needless to say, the pen is more trustworthy than me. Switch #12 which was marked "Dining Room" actually sourced that light and two other outlets. It only took two shocking experience for the contractor to find out. lol.

With the recent discussions on the next VegOut, I thought it would be neat to have each Veggie represented in a picture over the course of my Project 365.

I'd start of with myself, jOrange. With the new sink installed, I've been wanting to try to capture still water. Had a bit of time on my hands today, so decided to combine two themes into one.

This was a lot harder than I expected. I had 5 different strobes on the orange, but still had a tough time getting the shutter speed down. Will need to research on better/more proper techniques.

I promise the other fruits and veggies will be much better. lol.

It's been over a year since I've switched from Bell landline service to iTalkBB VOIP phone service. It's been a wonderful experience so far. Instead of $31.95 + Tax a month for local calling, I'm paying $14.99 + Tax for local calling and 500 free minutes to USA and Hong Kong - caller ID, voicemail, etc are also included.

For some reason, my phone stopped working last night. The power light on the VOIP box is typically green solidly, but was now blinking weirdly. I wasn't getting a dialtone either.

I called customer service tonight to fix the issue. I absentmindedly selected "English" service option, and was on hold for 10 minutes. I'd never been on hold for this long before. I hung up and switched to "Cantonese" option, and immediately connected to an agent.

My problem was resolved quickly. Apparently, my cable to the router had come loose. All I needed to do was push it back in properly, and the lights returned to their normal state.

Sigh. Noob mistake. I should have checked that first. I got fooled by the blinking lights.

Met up with Doris last night after work, but before that I had a quick errand to run at a card shop. Otherwise, a certain someone will be unhappy. :D

Anyway, I stopped by the Carlton Cards at the Promenade. As I approached the store, I was confronted by a mass of teddy bears saying "Love", "Be Mine", "Hug Me". Holy cow. Valentine's Day is coming up very soon!! The holiday just seemed to have crepted up on me. This year is special, because Chinese New Years is on the same day too. :x

With thousands of cards, you'd expect to find suitable greeting cards with ease. However, every time I visit a card store, I unwittingly spend at least 30 minutes finding the right match.

Oh yeah, Carlton Cards reduced their Buy-10-Get-1-Free program to Buy-6-Get-1-Free. Pretty cool.

Went to dinner at Phoenix tonight. Snapped a quick picture of this art work etched into the walls of the dining area. Are they birds? Are they leaves?

Simplicity. Elegance. Beauty.

I am still feeling like crap today... the blunt of the cold was hitting home. Yet, I had to weather the storm and do lots of shopping.

The contractor was scheduled to come in tomorrow to install some lights and rearrange some wiring. I had to go out and pick the lights... talk about leaving things till the last minute.

I had lots of cool photo opportunities, but alas, I left my camera at home. By the time I got back, I was so drained that I went straight to bed. Fearing I might sleep past midnight, I took a picture of the one thing I saw before heading to zzz.

I purposely installed my 50mm f/1.8 to get the shallow DOF on this bottle, cause that's pretty much what my day was like... blurry except for the one narrow thing I was focused on. :x

And ya, I'm going with both western and Chinese herbal medicine to get rid of this cold ASAP. So frustrating.

Woke up this morning really tired and a running nose. Crap. The many long nights these past few weeks finally caught up to me, and I too became sickaroo.

I needed to finish my tiling today, since the thinset requires a few days to cure. This concoction of 苦茶 was just enough for me to complete the Augean labours at 2am.

I promptly conked out after that.

Whoever invented the wet saw has my eternal gratitude. Cutting the tiles was one aspect of my renovation that I was looking forward to most, and it didn't disappoint.

I'm amazed at how well the diamond blades work at cutting porcelain. A very clean cut with little splash damage. A pure engineering marvel.

I noticed that Ikea Vaughan's Wacky Wednesday deal today was an ALLAK Swivel Chair for $49.99. It regularly sells for $99.99. I've been in the market for a new chair, and while this one is mediocre at best, the price was hard to beat.

I headed over there after work to pick one up. To my surprise, after paying for my chair, I realized there was no line at the food stand. Every time I come out of the checkout, I'm tempted to grab one of those awesome smelling Cinnamon Buns, but the lines were always packed with like-minded folks. So, I never bothered to wait in line to buy one.

Today, being a weekday, I got my chance to savour the wonderful flavours that is the Cinnamon Bun. Sooo goood.

Oh ya, about the photo. I liked the colour scheme of this room layout... starting to collect ideas for my next renovation. :D

I've done enough complaining about my Project 365 progress recently that I decided enough was enough. Change requires you to take action with yourself; I had to begin by do things differently today.

With the newfound motivation, I got my camera out after work and kept it readily beside me for once. I wanted to capture something without mentioning the kit--en word that has become taboo with Bill and Rich. So I turned to the next most interesting topic: the weather.

Today's weather was crappy. The drive home was crappy, and here's me trying to capture that crappiness. Since I was stuck bumper to bumper, I had some time to take a few pictures. I purposedly focused on the glass and wanted to blur out the cars.

Btw, the traffic isn't because of the weather; it is because of East Beaver Creek.

Got my new PC today, but didn't really get a chance to play with it. Managed to log into windows, browse the web and install Dragon Age (Haven't even played it) and one picture. The lighting was crap in my room, and I'm too busy to compensate for it, so this picture will have to do.

Then, it was back to the kitchen... things are taking longer than expected, and I'm pressed for time. sigh. As I was working away, I kept on thinking, who gets a new PC and doesn't spend time drooling over it on the first day. Can't wait till this kitchen is done.

I know these machines aren't accurate, but I just cannot resist testing my blood pressur and heart rate when I see one of these self-served machines.

My trial today was abnormal. The cuff typically compresses your upper arm, before slowly releasing the pressure. However, this time around the cuff compressed normally, stopped for a brief second before compressing further. It was literally suffocating my arm, and I could still feel the lingering effects 30 seconds after my arm was released. WTF.

And OMG... my systolic pressure is super high. :x

January 16, 2010

Some of you might recognize this place and groan. Yup. The Toronto Coach Terminal.

Had to come downtown to pick up big G today, and got stuck on the DVP due to two accidents just south of Millwood / Leaside Bridge. Having lived in Toronto all these years, I've never once heard of Millwood. However, I've always heard Leaside Bridge mentioned in traffic reports and never figured out its location.

Well, today after being stuck there for 30 minutes, I finally discovered this bridge. :x

Got the game, but no computer to play it.. yet.

I did have my wide angle lens out today to take some pictures of my kitchen. In trying to decide what to shoot tonight, I thought I'd try my hand at some closeup shots @ 12mm.

I'm seriously lacking creativity at the moment - and even the motivation to PP. Hoping to break out of the slump soon, though the kitchen is taking up all my time and sucking my mental juices dry.

The only thing I've learned in this ordeal is that demolition is really like slave labour. No wonder contractors charge big bucks for these type of work.

Btw, this game better be good... lf anyone plays WH Online and want some power-up, let me know.. lt came with the game.

I was having a blah day as I making a mad rush to finish removing all the old tiles. Moreoever, my Project 365 has entered the lull part of the cycle - grabbing a picture every day is starting to feel tedious.

During a tile removal break, I realized I still needed a picture today. Shawn's photo of the day inspired me to think of what I did collect...LEGO was the one and obvious answer.

I have quite a vast collection of LEGO, with sets dating back to early 80's. I still have an unbroken streak of Lego's sets every year for 20+ years (longer than my National Park's streak). However, in recent times, it's come down to only a set or two per year.

Most of my LEGO sets are packed away in boxes in my basement, since I don't have room to display them. :x Not having the sets, I'm forced to substitute with a picture of LEGO instruction manuals.

So here's a sampling of some of my manuals, with my favourite set thus far being the X-Wing Collector's Edition in the forefront.

P.S. And yes, those are exactly what you think. :P

After 6 years, I finally got my EZPass. Compared to the 407ETR, EZPass is loads better.

1. There is no rental fee for transponder.
2. I-90 costs on NY averages about 4.6 cents / mile ~ 2.9 cents /km.

Let's look at 407ETR now...
1. $2.50 / month rental.
2. 19.85cents / km!! PLUS a 25 cents base fee.

If 407ETR isn't so damn convenient and if I wasn't ever in a rush, I'd never take it. :(

Oh, in the recent 407ETR bill, there was a small advertisement section asking people to check out the new rates for Feb 2010. 40 cents base fee plus minor adjustments to the kilometre rate. The cost of my two exit trips to/from work just increased by 15%.

I'm seriously considering returning my transponder.

Besides the community newspaper, I hardly ever get a chance to read a hard copy of the news nowadays. A sign of the times, perhaps? The only time I ever get to do that is if I'm waiting at some reception waiting for an appointment, and they happen to have a copy there.

I took my car in for a tire rotation today and there was a National Post lying around. I thought this newspaper went bankrupt a few months back, so I was a little surprised that the paper is still around.

Tire rotation was kind of funny... this new kid with an extrovert personality came out and asked what his next task was. The reception guy told him he had to do another rotation. His reaction was "Another one?!?!?" "Yup, just like your last one!".

When he was done, he came to me and said, "Your tires have so much tread, you didn't have to rotate them yet." The reception guy asked him how he measured. "With my finger!" The reception guy shook his head and went out to check with an actual instrument. He did confirm that my tires had very little wear despite having ran 20k, and the wear that it did have was very uniform. Score!

The exchange between this new mechanic and his mentor made my day. Oh yeah, I guess I drive more like Button than Hamilton.

One of my Boxing Day purchases - a new microwave from Future Shop. The original microwave arrived, but thank to the packing engineers at Panasonic, they decided to place the glass turntable just under the inside cover of the box. Even though the microwave itself is secured by thick Styrofoam blocks, the turntable had no padding whatsoever. As Murphy's Law dictates, the top of my box got jabbed during shipping. Upon unwrapping of my microwave, I discovered that the turntable was chipped.

Of course, I cannot accept such a defect. Searched around my local Future Shops, but none of them had the microwave in stock. I called their customer service, and the lady wanted to forward me to their warranty department. I asked what the warranty department is going to do? She replied that they'll fix my microwave. I countered with how they are planning on fixing a chipped glass piece. She admitted they will have to replace it for me. Same thing as me getting an exchange. So stupid.

Finally, over the weekend, I saw that the store in Newmarket had the microwave in stock. Made a special trip up to there, and despite the rather long wait in line, I finally got my microwave. Loving it so far.... especially Sensor Reheat. :)

Chisel conquers all.

I completed the painting of my kitchen over the weekend. The next stage of my renovation project involves removing the existing tiles and laying down newer, much nicer ones.

And man, the old tiles are hard to remove. However, they don't stand a chance against the hammer and CHISEL that I purposely brought from Home Depot to exterminate these suckers.

The chisel has been doing a great job; my wrist, on the other hand, has not. My right wrist tires after the third or fourth tile, requiring constant breaks to recover is hp. I still have maybe 150 tiles to remove. :( If there is any consolation, I expect my wrist to be that much stronger after this ordeal. I hope it will be able to last 10 tiles after some more practice.

My badminton buddies better watch out for my smash! :P

P.S. My walls are done in the background. :P

The plaza outside my house hasn't been doing very well over the years. Numerous grocery stores have come and gone. However, last year, the plaza underwent a massive renovation led by the introduction of a new Planet Orangics store. The plaza did look a lot better, but I was bemused at how an organic food store would survive. My mom and I always wished that a Chinese restaurant would open at one of the empty storefronts.

A few weeks back, I noticed another Planet Orangics store had opened 10 minutes drive away. WTF? Then, as I was driving back yesterday, I noticed that the Planet Orangics store at my plaza had closed!!! Their storefront sign had been dismantled.. wtf. I drove up to check out the "Closed" notice on their door when I realized a new restaurant was opening soon next door.

Phoenix Restaurant. Ok.. whatever. Wait.. what's that giant poster with Chinese on it?!? Wait a sec?!? Is that 金鳳 -- one of my most favourite Chinese restaurants in town (I go several times a month)?!?! They are opening a new branch 5 minute walk from my house!!!! XDDDDDDDD

This is too good to be true!!! My dream is turning into reality... this is by far the best news I have had all year. I could hardly contain my excitement as I raced home and called my mom to convey this awesome news.

WOOT!! I will never go hungry now. :)

One of the Xmas presents Doris gave my Mom this past year. My mom loves Quality Street.

My mom is visiting my sister right now, and she left her box of Quality Street at home. Ho Ho Ho. I ate all the pieces I liked, and left the caramel pieces (which I detest). These are always the ones we eat last and most reluctantly. :D

After priming my kitchen walls in white, it became such an inviting canvas for me to do some abstract art. Here are the opening splashes of my paint brush with the new Orange!

When we redesigned our kitchen, we wanted to make it a lot different. Something more modern, something more unique. I was quite open to bold colours, but little did I expect we would have selected a bright orange. I'm not sure how it'll turn out in the end when the kitchen is all done. However, I have some cautious optimism that things will be okay.

I suspect people will either say WOW or WTF when they see the final product. At least it's bound to invoke a reaction. :) The colour needs a cool name like Shawn's choices. lol

Chicken Wings for lunch today - my favourite type: Louisiana. I just adore these wings from M&M Meat Shops.

On Boxing Day, they had these wings on discount for $6.99 plus a free 1L bottle of Pepsi. Great deal considering a box typically sells for $11.99 (i think). Limit of 3 per customer. This was my conversation with the girl at M&M Meat Shops.

me: "Can I get 3 boxes of the Louisiana?"
girl: "How many do you want?"
me: "Isn't there a limit of 3?"
girl: "For you, there's no limit. :D"
me: "You serious?!?"
girl: "I can see you love these wings."
me: "Sweet!" :P

Man, as if painting all the walls wasn't enough for tonight, I had to deal with this lamp that broke, while trying to watch the WJHC. I got a feeling earlier this evening when I moved the light that it was kind of unstable. When I accidentally bumped it with my ladder, I just resigned and watched it come slowly crashing.. down. :(

After 3 months I finally assembled my Toronto Marathon frame. :)

I completed the 2009 Toronto Marathon back on October 18, 2009 with a chip time of 3:58:56.9. I ordered the photo on the left from the Official Race Photographers for CDN $21. It arrived several weeks ago. The right photo was taken by the awesome photographer named Doris. I've been meaning to print it forever to finish up the frame. Last night at 11:30pm, I logged onto Black's Photo website to upload and print my photo, only to discover they had a 75% off all 5x7 prints promotion that was to expire in 30 minutes! Caught the deal just in time, and had my second photo printed for $0.55. :)

Next race, I definitely need my own photographers.

January 3, 2010 - Photo 3 of 365
My Home.

Every weekend for the next while will be dedicated to the kitchen. Today was the first day of painting.

When we picked our ceiling paint, for some reason, we didn't like the pure white that is typical of ceiling paint. We elected to go with an off-shade known as Silk Moon. After applying two coats of this paint today, I cannot really tell the difference.

And yes, those goggles are the same ones from CHEM 201.

January 2, 2010 - Photo 2 of 365
Home Depot - Richmond Hill.

I am in the process of redoing my entire kitchen. Over the past two weeks I have gutted my entire kitchen (only thing remaining is my dishwasher, which I have not figured out how to disconnect, and some old tiles).

Well, much to my dismay, I found my drywall and insulation required more repairs than expected. Good thing Home Depot is only a 5 minute drive away! I've learned and used pretty much everything there is in this aisle at Home Depot.

This blog has been pretty neglected this past year.... but with the new decade, I have been convinced to start a more ambitious project... Project 365 - A Photo A Day....

This will be a montage of my every day life... most of the photos will not be amazing or spectacular, at times, even crappy... but that's part of the spirit. One is bound to have good and bad days. :-)

Help me stay motivated by adding comments to my photos! Write me a nasty note if I am slow with my updates. Hope you enjoy this!

Without further ado... 1st photo:

January 1, 2010 - Sunrise @ SAT

Today marks the end of my San Antonio, TX trip and I had an early morning flight to Dallas connecting onward to Toronto. Security was heightened to ORANGE status thanks to the Nigerian dude. As I was trying to take photos of the sunrise, a security guy approached and asked WTF was I doing... what the heck. He released after I told him I was just trying to get a picture of the beautiful colours. I didn't feel too comfortable taking more photos... so this was the best I ended up with. :|