| |
|
|
.:Thursday, October 26, 2006:.
|
The value of a gift
If you gave a friend/relative a $100 gift, would you expect the same back from him/her?
If your friend gave you a $100 gift back, but later found out he/she got it on sale for half price, and/or split the cost with other people, would you be pissed off? Would you have expected more for the dollar value from that one person?
That is, all variables aside: everyone is in a similar financial situation, with similar upbringings/expectations.
I had this discussion with the bf yesterday. He thought I was making too much of a big deal out of it. His point being, if you got what you wanted as a gift, you should be thankful and not go into the petty financial minutae that was involved in putting it together. Valid point.
I guess it all comes down to expectations: all things being equal I would like to think that the same amount of thought and/or money that goes into a gift that I give would be reciprocated in one way or another. Whether it's a Starbucks mug or notebook one has had his/her eye on, or that Kitchenaid Immersion Blender he/she covets. I can understand and appreciate financial constraints that people fall under from time to time, but I mean, if you have the means, the brains, and the wherewithal to do so, why cop out?
If one were to a receive a gift they thought was way too extravagant to reciprocate, even if one had the means to, what are they to do? Say thanks, this is too much, and state then and there that the gifter shouldn't expect something as extravagant in return? Should everyone walk around with gift-giving caveats written on their foreheads? 'Tis a tricky situation if you ask me. Should people place the value of the gift at the MSRP or the sale price?
(Insert Carrie Bradshaw moment: "I couldn't help but wonder..." is it, or is it not, the thought that counts?)
I suppose it is all relative, I mean you hear horror stories of 're-gifting' and intrinsic cheapness of others you would expect to be rather generous. Not that giving/receiving is what things like birthday parties and Christmas and weddings are all about - but there has to be some kind of guideline in gift-giving etiquette, shouldn't there? Or is this one of those things that should be left unsaid lest we begin sliding down a 'slippery slope'?
Was looking up online guides for gift-giving etiquette - there's a lot to say on wedding gifts and corporate gifts, even college grads party gifts. Etiquettegrrls.com has some interesting views on this, and some pretty good tips.
5:32 p.m.
posted by tre
.:Wednesday, October 25, 2006:.
|
Can someone point me in the direction of a store that sells casual fall jackets that are not the following:
- bomber jackets
- vests
- anything with a fur-attached hood
- anything that is cropped above the waist
They are friggin' everywhere. I might settle for a blazer but it's gotta be something I can wear with jeans and running shoes that is not fleece, a hoodie, or running jacket, or lululemon jacket (those I already have). And that I don't necessarily need to layer to stay warm.
Also looking for a light grey sweater. Anyone seen any of those?
1:02 p.m.
posted by tre
.:Friday, October 20, 2006:.
|
Mmm, cardboard. So in an effort to make more healthy choices I decided to look at the back of my favorite bags of chips to see what they were worth their weight in... turns out not much more than so-called 'healthier' alternatives. (Please note I base my findings on caloric content alone, did not pay attention to amount of fat or sodium or other stuff) - 1 serving of Guiltless Gourmet Mucho Nacho baked tortilla chips = 28 gram serving has 110 calories
- 1 serving of Tostitos brand tortilla chips = 1 ounce (approx 30 grams) serving has 140 calories
So when you break it down, 3.93 calories per gram vs 4.67 calories per gram... that's a 0.74 calorie difference. The kind you can burn off. Like by breathing. Oh wait that's Tic-Tacs. NM. I digress.
Looking back at the Nutritional Facts, 28 gram serving of the baked stuff is about 28 chips, or so it says. 1 serving of Tostitos is about 15 chips, so already you are also looking at a volume/density difference per chip.. and knowing that you will probably have at least two servings worth (average single bag of chips in the stores is 50-60 grams)... perhaps it is better in the long run to go for the baked kind. Although, you wouldn't want to eat more than one serving of the Mucho Nachos because it tastes like cardboard with a smattering of nacho cheese dust on it. Yegh.
I'll stick to my regular bags of chips, thank you very much, just spend the extra half hour on the bike instead.
9:25 a.m.
posted by tre
.:Wednesday, October 18, 2006:.
|
Sigh...
I want this:
1:35 p.m.
posted by tre
.:Saturday, October 14, 2006:.
|
Smackdown on grammar
I am increasingly having more and more issues with CNN and the way they report the news. From having tag lines or titles to whatever hot topic is on the docket for today, to well... just going overboard with reporting the news. It seems as though the CNN machine has decided that their news is so important that they need to repeat it 10 times an hour... which can get fairly repetitive and annoying. Especially if you know something important is going on this very instant and CNN has failed to post a 'breaking news' report on their website or on their show. Ugh. I have complained about this before... but today I read a title that cracked me up, leading me to wonder how the word "smackdown," which was popularized by professional wrestling, has been deemed fit to use jounalistically. I mean it's a popular term now... so I guess it makes sense... but considering it's not really a word (is it?) shouldn't they use "quotes" to emphasize the word? I dunno. I just thought it was weird:
6:01 p.m.
posted by tre
.:Tuesday, October 10, 2006:.
|
New pics from the last two weekends
Up on my MSN Live Space: check out pics from The Cellar (Sept 30), and Cass' birthday party @ The Foggy Dew (Oct 6). Fun times.
Unfortunately I did not think to take pics of my Thanksgiving dinner including the two pies I made (yes, I baked... I can now claim to make a very good graham cracker crust), the other dishes my mom brought, the half-cooked turkey, and neatest of all, Joe & Tracy's new house in Cloverdale. Oh well!
9:41 a.m.
posted by tre
.:Thursday, October 05, 2006:.
|
As if you needed to be more shocked about how much you actually eat...
NutritionData.com has a pretty neat calorie counter. I discovered that up to lunch today I will have consumed approximately 642 calories. 231 from my croissant this morning (which wasn't really that great to tell you the truth, croissants are no good unless they are eaten freshly baked, I've discovered), and I had to calculate all the contents of my sandwich: 34 from approximately 30 g of shaved turkey breast, 31 from 2 slices of capicolla ham (!), 1 from the piece of lettuce, 4 from the ounce of cucumber slices, 43 from the tablespoon of mayonaisse (!!!), and 166 from the rye bread. The rest of the calories are from the apple (72) and 4 ounces of pineapple (60).
As you can see I had a bit of free time on my hands this morning.
12:05 p.m.
posted by tre
.:Wednesday, October 04, 2006:.
|
Yogurt I can get behind
Activia Vanilla flavoured. Who knew?
Also enjoy the strawberry... but as far as yogurts go, I was never a fan until I actually forced myself to try the vanilla. The pro-biotic ingredients are a good addition as well - my intestines thank Danone ;0)
4:26 p.m.
posted by tre
.:Tuesday, October 03, 2006:.
|
Is my neighbourhood becoming *gasp* cool??
Took a brisk walk yesterday after work, on the way home passed by this bakery cafe that's been open for business for the last little while called Breka Bakery Cafe. Or Cafe & Bakery. At any rate, we popped in to take a look. So I didn't really look at whatever menu they had because I was busy salivating over the dessert display (mmm, donuts). We didn't pick up anything, just made mental notes. The last of which was, the hours... and noticed a "open 24 hours" sign. WTF? In our neighbhourhood?? First Starbucks, then this? What's next, free wireless internet?
There are lots of restaurants on Fraser St between 49th & 41st. Mostly mom & pop joints, mostly of the asian variety. My current favourite is the Vietnamese restuarant in the former Peter's Pizza. They haven't re-decorated as such, the inside still looks like a European courtyard... or something, but I can't reconcile the insane ceiling plaster which isn't so much stippled as it is recalling mini stalactites (stalagmites?) ALL OVER THE CEILING. Anywho. Damn good wonton soup.
I've noticed a bunch of Filipino restaurants pop up recently which made me laugh at the irony: who eats Filipino food? I mean seriously. Why eat Filipino food when you could make it yourself? Or have your aunt/mom/cousin/friends' parents make it for you? For free? Okay my argument has zero merit - and it does make sense - said relatives need to take a break sometimes from cooking all that free yummy food. Lumpia and pancit and all that.
I guess part of my argument is that Filipino food is not completely ethnically Filipino: lumpia is spring rolls. Pancit is chow mein. Stocking up on SPAM. Ethnically Filipino food is not all that appealing to people who aren't Filipino... is it? Aside from something like... adobo... my reference of truly ethnic Filipino food is boiled meat and cabbage? Yech. Bagoong (stinky fish paste) and tomatoes. Marshmallows and insanely coloured red weiners. Together. On a stick. Banana catsup. Ok I kinda like banana catsup... it's really not that bad. What is Filipino food other than something slightly variated from all the other Asian varieties? I'll save that argument for the philosophizers.
What we've decided (myself & Dorfmeister) is that the Fraser/49th area needs is a bar. Like somewhere that plays Canucks pay-per-view. And serves beer. And is classy and not beer-soaked like the other alternatives e.g. Hippo's or Penny Lane. A place that reflects the ethnic diversity of the area - samosas and spring rolls, if you will. And as luck would have it, the Once A Tree Furniture store has vacated its Fraser/50th location for Marine Dr... so there is a big empty retail space just waiting to be taken over. Man if I had the capital and restaurant experience I would so be into that...
We also 'discovered' a european deli on the street but it was closed - will have to go in to check out the prices to see how they compare to Santa Barbara. If it's only slightly more expensive it may still be worth not needing to drive to... The Drive.
I'm hungry now.
9:45 a.m.
posted by tre
|
|
copyright? what copyright? (2005)
guess what?
... webstats provided by:
...with...
|  |
|
