Party Strike.

I'm officially on a party strike. I know everyone else does the exact same thing after the holidays but this is strange for me. You usually can twist my arm or more accurately, I can twist yours :)

This stance has been taken because of one main thing. My health. I've had an onslaught of strange, mildly superficial ailments over the last few weeks and it has to end. Swollen glands, wierd deformity on my earlobe that my colleagues ensure me is not assocaited with head & neck cancer, stomach issues (I'm banking on this being an ulcer) to name a few. Working for a company that specializes in medical health doesn't help. I was up at 3 am on a Thursday morning googling tonsillitis and appendicitis. It's got to end.

On a cheerier note. I've been much more productive during this strike. Imprisioned in my King St. apartment in Toronto isn't even a quarter of the nightmare it was being holed up in my cell of an apartment in Seoul. For one, I have the internet, a kitchen, a bathtub and space to walk around.

Here are some things I've accomplished:

1. Buying flowers. I've gotten in the habit of this lately so it's not strictly limited to the strike. I find that my high ceilings really compliment flower arrangments and with the extra money saved from no boozing -- why not splurge?

2. Reading. I've finally finished my book! I used to be such an avid reader. I'm making a comeback. I can actually contentrate again.

3. Blogging.

4. Cable. This may be a given for others but not me. I rarely watch cable. I haven't installed my cable splitter yet so if I want to watch it I have to unplug the cable chord to my computer -- I'd choose internet over tv most days. However, with the extra home time, I decided to give it a try. I watched a few hours of StarTV to catch up on important news and enjoyed two Saturday night moves on TBS. GTS.

5. Language Studies. I like to study languages. I never fit it in but last night I did go over some Spanish verbs in preparation for a quick trip to Cuba (more on that to come).

6. Yoga. Hell, I even used my purple yoga mat.

7. House-cleaning. Not only did I scrub the tub, I bought a new closet organizer and did all my laundry and watered my plants. I do try to stay on top of the plant thing if nothing else.

When you spend 5-6 nights of the week out, and the other 1 or 2 in bed with a hangover or catching up on personal hygiene like shaving your legs and washing your hair -- you never have time for the domestic things. Funny, I still haven't tackled my cooking resolution. That will come next...

Ok, some more pics. The first one from my brother Nick's annual "Festivas" party in L-dot. He's holding his trophy -- meaning behind the award undetermined. The second one is Jim and Mel after hours. Sorry, I couldn't resist.