Events #11
Social theme: No complaints for 30 days!
Now this was a challenge. The concept comes from Maya Angelou who encourages us to be more positive and affect the world by this "simple act". The task is not to complain about those trivial things we tend to focus on such: as that guy driving in front of us, the teller at the store, or a work colleague, or a family member that behaves differently from us. I strived this month to be less critical of myself and others and to be more patient.
I was challenged with this one. Not that I have a lot to complain about-I love what I do for a living, my marriage is great, I am fortunate to have good friends and neighbours. But I do tend to be frustrated when things don't go as I planned. Did I make it through the month without a slip up? No. But it did slow down my habit of having fits of frustration over small things in my day.

I will endeavour to continue this habit. It is very powerful and has made me look at how I view others and myself differently.
I recommend this challenge to all of you.

I have no picture for this challenge, so here is Tiki with his buddy Miki- Miki never complains about the indignities...

Event #7-10
Spa theme:
To continue on with the spa theme this week, I got my hair dyed, got a proffesional make-up application, wore false eyelashes and got a photo shoot.

On Saturday morning I had my hair appointment with Rosie at Crescedo hair salon. I like Rosie. She has good energy and she knows her stuff. In a previous consult regarding the hair colour, she recommended I try a semi-permanent colour that would gradually wash out over the next few months. There was a general concensus that I should be conservative in my choice of colour with a bit of "punch". So we chose a dark brown colour with highlights of purple. Sounds outlandish, but it actually turned out perfect. If you saw me walking down the street, all you'd notice is a dark head of hair, but as I got closer, the light would catch the highlights and whamo! It's purple!

Next up, I had an appointment with Jordan at Echochic Salon for my make-up. Whew! Lots of foundation and four layers of lipstick. My eyes kept trearing up. They did not like the make-up brush, mascara, and all the fussing around. Jordan kept wipping the tears and re-applying more foundation and shmootz to my face. He applied my false eyelashes and voila! The make-up was well done, the eyes smokey, and the lip colour natural. I was ready for the shoot.

Tina G, a friend in photo journalism school, generously offered to do a photo shoot for me at her school's studio. She did an awesome job. At first I felt self-conscious, not knowing how to pose. But she encouraged me and slowly it felt more natural. We took shots in a few outfits, some boudoir shots-those are for private use only-sorry- and fancy dress shots. Simon came in at the end and we got a few with the two of us together. I realise how difficult it must be for models to change their expression and keep the poses fresh for each shoot. It is a lot harder than it looks.

All dressed up and some place to go! My sweet man got opera tickets for Saturday night. Why waste all that work! I felt very glamorous that evening. The opera, Carmen, was spectacular. It is one I know well and I restrained myself from singing along. I was bushed that night but mindful of my transformation. I didn't realise how much effort being girly took.

Event #4-6
Spa theme-aaahhhh
Well, I'm hooked! My girly friends recommended I try a facial and pedicure. This sounded very wise so I booked myself at Fingers and Toes in James Bay for Saturday morning grooming.

 I've never done a wax so I threw that in as well. For those who are wax virgins such as I was, its not that bad. The secret is baby powder on the legs prior to the hot wax, and of course a smooth and brisk pull of the hair removal cloth. To me, it felt no more painful than pulling off a bandage. Once the waxing is complete they spend a few minutes plucking any stray little hairs with tweezers. What attention to detail! I opted out of waxing in the bikini area. After many consults with aficionados of that type of waxing...painful and well...yuck!

Onto the facial. Nicole had very skilled hands, ever so gentle. She recommends that this procedure be dome regularly (every few months). The facial starts with a warm towel and a wash to cleanse the skin. Next she goes over my face with what looks like a dremmel bit, exfoliating the surface layers of skin and removing any blemishes. More warm towels applied, a moisturising peal-off mask and finally cream. I almost fell asleep.

The piece de resistance was the pedi. A shiatsu chair, hot soak for the tootsies...nice. The young lady doing my pedi was Melanie. She was an ex-WCCMT student! Apparently she was a student at the massage college when I was a senior there myself. It such a small world. While we were chatting about our old Alma Mater, Melanie buffed my rough toes and feet, gave me a very nice foot massage and applied the "I'm not a waitress" colour of nail polish onto my toe nails. The secret is layering. A clear coat protects the nails from the deep red colour (it may stain the nails), two coats of the chosen colour, and two more coats of clear to protect the polish from chipping off.

For the men out there remember this as a great gift for your girl. After a morning at the spa, she will be relaxed, feeling good about her feet and well who knows what could happen?