Things I miss about Canada (In no particular order)

**Please note - these are not complaints - these are just things for me to blab about as everybody in Canada is still asleep. I also call it procrastination before grocery shopping.


*Wal-Mart - specifically the 24 hour one in Dartmouth Crossing
*Dollarama
*Sushi specifically maki rolls and agadashi tofu (Doraku is the best with Sarah)
*pot stickers (pan fried dumplings), wonton soup, egg rolls (not that I ate them much) and hot and sour soup
*liquid flea medication (we have yet to find the vet's office)
*Friends/family/cats
*Wing nights (not that I went on many)
*Cheap bus fare and bus passes/tickets at reasonable prices
*Driving
*Having a job/my own income (hence the business approach)
*No ticks
*A dryer (I wish I had one for some of my felting projects - clothes don't really matter)
*Great Wall Restaurant with dim sum
*Canadian Plug outlets (my Gameboy Advance won't charge in the converter we're using for some reason - hence the downloaded games)
*Lamb (not very common/popular here)
*a BBQ (we could have one on the bottom ground outside - the balcony is too small to hold one for safety purposes)
*a backyard for the dogs to go out and do their business without trekking 3 floors while pregnant to do so (love the apartment so this isn't a huge complaint at all!)
*an Asian grocery store
*Timbits - why I don't know as I used to work at Tim Hortons and no longer eat their baked goods. But occasionally a timbit was delicious.
*off-leash dog zones/parks
*Michael's art store
*My scrap booking goodies which are all locked up in storage (I don't want to get into scrap booking again as of now because it's so expensive for one and a lot to lug around if we move/when we move back to Canada)
*My art stuff from back home in general I guess - the painting of ceramic pigs, the card making and so forth. Although I am having an absolute ball with needle felting.
*I never thought I'd say this - but the crazy calls from customers. The ones that hate your guts and think you run the bank because they dial a 1-800 # and the ones that praise you like you're the next best thing to sliced bread.
*Harvey's burgers. Don't get me wrong Grilli 21 kicks butt as does Hesburger - however being able to say in English - NO cheese and extra(x3) pickles would be nice. Something I may have to learn in Finnish when I start a course.
*My rubber boots - I packed them away in storage OR they're in the car.
*The crazy gossip fests with friends and colleagues over tea or between calls or on lunch breaks in the lounge!
*English radio stations (not that I've listened to the radio on my phone yet - so there may still be hope)
*All my cooking/baking utensils and equipment that I left behind or sold.
*My coffee table I got for $50 from a friend that is large and square and opens up like a chest on both sides.
*My DVD collections and books (Twilight, Little House on the Prairie and Harry Potter etc.)
*My food processor - it chopped, sliced and diced with a push of a button. And I made wicked guacamole - none of this "guacamoledippi" stuff that you get in the store that has an expiry date at least 6 months from purchase.
*A kettle for my husband. Who presently uses our 3 Litre pot to boil water - which is fine - unless I need it for making supper. Which is at least 3x a week.
*My Bubba. Bubba is the cab driver that I begged to have when coming home from work. He's big and round and absolutely a doll. He told me a bit about Finland and called me "Mama". Sure he called every body that - but nonetheless - he always asked about Tim and my dogs and made sure to wave to him if he saw him at the bank parking lot drop off spot. And no I don't know his real name.
*Seeing people I know downtown or at the malls. And all of my friends babies - thank goodness for Face book.
*Driving to Westville - because that guaranteed me Ming's (or Dragon Bowl), Wendy's, Walmart and a nap!!
*Rex - my friend's dog who we often watched or took with us to New Glasgow or the beach and watching him swim was a riot. Along with the fact that he has such a big name for a little body. His breath - I don't miss. Everything else - is okay.
*Washing machines that finished a load of clothing in a timely manner - aka anything under 30 minutes...45 even.
*English labels at the stores, and in the advertisements and flyers that get shoved in our mail slot at 6:30am on a Saturday morning.
*Global Pet Foods
*100 ml sized tooth paste tubes. Here the Sensodyne is in 75 ml - which does make a difference!
*The shared time zones - this way I was able to converse with people more frequently.
*Public Gardens (yes there are several parks and beautiful scenery here) - however I forgot my camera the last time I went and missed a bunch of beautiful flowers that had bloomed.
*A regular double-sized bed - in which I didn't fear falling off of it and had a bit more space.
*My medical benefits and a brand new inhaler...haven't figured out how medical works here yet.
*Plastic chopsticks - have yet to really shop for them - so we have bamboo ones that are slowly splintering...almost got one in the lip the other night!
*The Bulk Barn and their Wednesday discount days (10% off for students and seniors)
*Starbucks frappucinos or iced tea/lemonade...they were expensive as heck but a nice treat.

That's it for now I suppose - I'm sure a Part 2 will come around later.