rickohikes

A Winter Hike at Grassi Lakes

Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve posted a hiking-related entry. That’s probably because evil winter came, and along with it, snow and cold weather. I don’t really like cold weather :(. I often want to punch winter in the face. But I don’t mind winter activities even though I don’t partake in them very much.

Well, today, friends Robin and Tushna and I decided we would head out to Canmore for a winter hike. You know, ’cause nature is pretty cool and stuff. The temperature was remarkably mild for this time of year and the sun was shining, so it was the perfect day for a trail. After stopping off at an information centre in Canmore, we decided on the Grassi Lakes hike, which I had wanted to do for quite some time. Grassi Lakes wasn’t so grassy, but the snow cover made everything look beautiful. I wouldn’t call the trail strenuous by any means, and it took maybe 1.5 hours, but it was a really nice little hike after being on a hiatus for a couple of months :). And the company was great as always- lots of chatting and laughing and jokes. The perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

I’m So Busy!… But….

I’m crazy busy these days, and so my blog entries are few and far between… but I will post this awesomely stylish photo. Of course, it’s Shari and I, and this post is a shameless plug of our superior photogeneticism: the genetic predisposition to showcase our awesome photogenic abilities and appear aesthetically pleasing in at least 95% of all photographs … and cue smile. In case you are all wondering (and I know you are), this is what a pair of sexy looks like. The End.

Espy: I am a Diva. And I ONLY do Designer.

OBVIOUSLY, I’m not that much of a diva, nor do I only buy designer. I may have a flare for the dramatic at times, but I do exercise some limits when it comes to buying clothing. As much as I would love to buy designer clothing and accessories, I’d rather spend my money on plane tickets, travel related stuffs, adventuring and shenaniganning. Also, usually I could care less about something being “designer” or not. Once in a while, though, it’s nice to treat yourself to clothes that make you feel like a million bucks, as they say. That’s why I had ‘Buy Designer Jeans’ on a previous version of my 30 before 30 list. I couldn’t justify it then, so I scratched it out. And I can’t quite justify it now, but you know….

Not the exact Chinook location. Photo: The Toronto Sun.

So on Friday, my friend Shari and I decided to go shopping. First up, we’d rush to Chinook Mall for the grand opening of Express. Why did we get up early to rush?? Clearly there would be deals and a huge line up and free swag and a lot of hoop-la! There was no line up. Or free swag. And there was no hoop-la, since the grand opening was actually at 4 pm. In any case, there were some great deals, and the store was not filled with annoying customers, which made for a pleasant shopping experience. I didn’t know much about Express before I went there. Apparently it’s a huge store in the US with some very nice clothing, from casual items, to work-appropriate outfits, to night-on-the-town type wear. The deals were good, so I bought myself two belts. I also tried on some clothes, and what I found out was this: 1) Their small extra slim fit Express 1MX shirts fit me amazingly!! 2) I am now a 29 inch waist, and their slim fit Photographer dress pant accentuates my butt and fits me beautifully.

Dressing up at Express. Love their shirts!

After Express, Shari and I were talking about the difficulty with buying jeans that actually fit well. We all know how it is- we buy a pair of jeans from some store off of the rack, and before we know it, we hate those jeans because something just doesn’t fit quite right. Well, I had heard about a place called espy in Calgary. espy offers a combination of designer and affordable wear, and the stylists will help you find just what you’re looking for. According to their website: “espy knows that fashion and style are not about what you spend, it’s about your attitude and how you mix it together that makes you a style icon”. Shari and I decided to take the chance and go, knowing fully well that the prices may be a bit high. And even though we’re both stylishly awesome and sexy beings, we both felt that a style intervention and denim fitting were necessary in order to find the dark wash jeans we were both seeking. We also wanted to be style icons, of course…

espy in Inglewood, Calgary (espyexperience.com)

We walked in and fashion stylist Tianna greeted us. She told us a little about Espy, since we had never been there before, and after learning about what we were looking for, her and another stylist Jay (I think that was her name) were off to find clothes for us! Tianna found some amazing pieces for Shari (those jeans looked awesome, Shari!) and Jay pulled some jeans for me to try. First up, a pair of Fidelity jeans. I have never felt so awesome in a pair of jeans, especially after a first attempt! The colour wasn’t right, so I tried on the equivalent pair in a dark wash. Damn, I looked good! (Ha!). Then Jay asked me, “Are you good for shirts?”, at which point I thought, “I could use some shirts!”. I told her to think of something and dress me. “Really?”, she asked. “Yes :)”, I replied. I was basically giving her free reign to dress me up! And so off she went to put something together. She returned with a shirt, T-shirt, sweater, and blazer jacket, and had me start layering. If I could afford everything, I probably would have just taken it all and never changed out of it! Basically what I’m saying is that Shari and I were looking quite good that afternoon. Not that it’s a huge stretch or anything… ;).

“Designer”? What the H do I know, which is why I was there!

The espy Experience was more fun than anything. It felt great to have a stylist choose clothes for us, and we could see how everything worked together. Fashion, style and clothing are investments and they can really make you feel good. What’s that phrase, Clothes Make The Man? I don’t quite believe that, but I do think they can make quite a difference and can make you feel quite good :). In the end, I bought those Fidelity jeans, and can now retroactively add it to my list and cross it off, just because I can. “Buy Designer Jeans”. Check. Also, thank you to my friend Selina for helping me make the decision to buy the jeans! She was just a phone call away, and she loves fashion, so I knew I could count on her :). I won’t say how much I paid, but let’s just say I’ve never paid that much for jeans before. And as long as I care for them, the jeans were well worth it! Apparently, espy will probably offer a Groupon deal in February ($39 for $100 worth of denim, or something like that). Shari and I will be going back, fo’ sho’! Thanks Shari for a fun shopping day! Thanks to the stylists at espy for the jeans!! And thanks to RBC for my credit card, which allowed me to purchase these jeans!!!

Shari and I looking awesome. Well, naturally!

My GQ look? I loved the shirt and blazer jacket!

I would have never worn a T-shirt like this. But it works!

Quite happy with my purchase at espy :) — Quite happy with my purchase at espy 🙂

My “31 Before 31”- A Brand New List!

n my opinion, the biggest item on the list!

I had always planned on blogging about my “30 before 30” list once I turned 30. I figured I would want to debrief on how it all went, how many items I was able to cross off, and which tasks I didn’t complete. That said, I never did debrief about my list. Does it mean that I forgot about it and tossed it aside? On the contrary: the list did exactly what I was hoping it would do.

I can recall a time in my life where I felt consumed by work and stress. This was right after completing my degree, and I spent most of my off-time thinking about work. I let work get to me. I put my mental well-being, physical health, and social life on the back-burner. There were things I always wanted to do and thought: “I’ll get to that someday”. I knew I needed a change.

Moving to Calgary was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It gave me the change I was seeking and a sense of independence, but more importantly, it allowed me to think about aspects of my life on which I wanted to place high importance. I always knew I wanted to be more physically fit, but could never get myself to exercise. I always wanted to enjoy the outdoors more, but just never seemed to make the effort to do so. When I decided to start P90X, focus on achieving some of my goals, and ultimately, create my “30 before 30” list to help me stay on task, I never knew it would instill in me the sense of adventure, possibility and momentum that I now feel. So I never debriefed about the list simply because there were many mountains to climb and fun adventuring to be had. Nothing really stopped after I turned 30. In fact, right after turning 30, the list of “31 before 31” was already shaping up nicely!

Today I finally finished thinking of 31 items to tackle before I’m 31. Now that I do the math, that is only 9.5 months away, and I think the list is a bit ambitious! NBD, No Big Deal, I’ll just do my best and see how it all goes :). Here it is…

Adventure
1. Go white-water rafting at Kicking Horse
2. Try paragliding (or hang-gliding)
3. Go caving in Canmore
4. Hike crypt lake in Waterton
5. Try ice climbing
6. Go kayaking or canoeing in Glenmore Reservoir
7. Go overnight camping (Egypt Lake?)
8. Go zorbing at COP
9. Try cross-country skiing
10. Do the CN Tower Edge Walk
11. Go dog sledding
12. Go zip-lining at Elora Gorge

Career/Education
13. Write the GMAT by the end of March
14. Complete my Certificate in Relational Databases by June
15. Get my SAS Advanced certification

Fitness
16. Complete one round of P90X2
17. Complete a 30 day yoga challenge
18. Run another half-marathon (Hopefully Vancouver!)

Fun/Social/Just ‘Cause
19. Float down the Bow
20. Go to the water park at West Edmonton Mall
21. Buy a bike
22. Watch Casablanca
23. Watch the original version of The Shining
24. Watch until the end of How I Met Your Mother Season 3
25. Watch all 4 seasons of Battlestar Galactica
26. Take a cooking class
27. Make Trinidadian pelau, macaroni pie and eggplant dip dishes
28. Have a lobster dinner with Marie (for real this time!)
29. Bake a chocolate cake from scratch

Travel
30. Take a wine tour in the Okanagan
31. Hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru

Hiking and Caving Shenanigans

Shenanigans are the best kind of nanigans. And where there’s shenanigans, usually Dan’s around. So yes, Dan was visiting 2 weekends ago for some hiking and caving adventures! I know, I’m a bit behind on my postings. Back off already! But since I haven’t been keeping up, I will conveniently hi-jack Dan’s blog postings about the weekend and link them here. However, I will also share some photos and videos of the epic weekened. EPIC I says.

1) Read all about the great hike at Nihahi Ridge here:

“All The Classy Bitches Drink Mountain Top Scotch”

2) All the going-ons about the caving adventure at Rat’s Nest can be found here:

“It’s a Dark Wet Hole. It Must Be Fun.”