Cheers to all!

Being Canadian, I am seldom offered the opportunity to celebrate my country or act patriotic. Sure, we have Hockey but if you aren't aware of how we react to our national sport, read my previous post here. July 1st is Canada day. It is the day that marks Canada's birthday. This year, my country turned 144 ( I think), and the day was marked with celebrations including parades, fireworks, a stat holiday (on a Firday, yippee!) and some moderate drunkenness. Some say it is akin to the July 4th celebrations int he USA, but I beg to differ.

This year was the second year that I missed out on my nations birthday. Instead, I have  been in the USA to celebrate their nations independence (well that wasn't my reason for going to the USA, but it just worked out timing wise.)  I don't really get it, having only a slight clue ofwhat it is all about (I am neither a history buff or American) but I do know that it is one hell of an excuse to party! This year, I spent the day floating down the Clackamas river getting daytime drunk. It was hot hot hot out , around 30 C, ( I don't know what that is in Fahrenheit) and it was the perfect way to celebrate summer, regardless of my nationality. At night I celebrated by going on a motorbike ride (as a passenger, more on that in an upcoming blog post) to watch some fireworks.

The 1st thing I noticed when driving through the state of Washington on July 1st was the numerous places to purchase expolisives. I mean, at home we have a handful of places to buy fireworks around Halloween , but nothing for Canada day. We do have fireworks displays, but no one really ventures out to blow up their own, instead flocking to the city or the town square to watch. In the USA, everyone has fireworks! Days before the 4th, the sky will be randomly lit up with colour, even in quiet neighborhoods, and there are people on every corner holding signs to direct traffic to the nearest place to buy them. We went to watch a display, but there were numerous private diplays in every direction. On the ride back, while on  the highway, the sky was constantly lit, until after midnite. On the way back from the fireworks show, I noticed that the places to purchase more fireworks was still  open even though it was 11 pm! I suppose there could be a few patriots that were runing late and still wanted to blow shit up in the last hour of the 4th... I personally love fireworks, and think it's great that so many people were putting on personal displays. I continued to watch through the window after returning to the house.

So,  I didn't end up getting as drunk or partaking in a BBQ like I did last year, but I smelled BBQ everywhere I went and went for a wonderful patio burger at a pub situated on the Columbia. I feel a tad guilty for missing Canada day 2 years in a row, but I'm sure that my absence went un-noticed.  Here is a small shout out to my nation:  link to a post by a fellow blogger listing some wonderful canadian creations.

I am proud to be North American, proud to be Canadian, and proud of the Americans for partying harder than us on their July holiday. Cheers to all, even if it is a little belated ( I am on vacation and there is a keg of raspberry flavoured beer here....)

My Top 10 Iphone Apps!

My Top 10 Apps for the Iphone

I love my Iphone. I definitely get my moneys worth with all of the surfing I do on there. I actually look forward to a delayed appointment, as I get a chance to chat with my friends who are overseas, play games, read news… Oh there is just so much entertainment on there for me I could go on forever! Instead of going on forever, here is a list of 10 of my personal favourite apps on the Iphone. Keep in mind that I am not saying these are the best out there, but out of the multitude of apps I have,  they are the ones that I use the most!

1) Facebook. If you’re not a Facebook whore, then you can replace this for Twitter or MySpace. Certainly, you MUST social network, right?

2) E Buddy.  Access your MSN, Yahoo, AIM, GTalk, Facebook, MySpace, ICQ, and Hyves accounts.  Ok, I don’t know what the latter two are, but I do use 4 of the mentioned chat programs.  It is a one stop shop for all your contacts. Usually works without fail, but even when it does fail, it’s worth dealing with to be able to keep in touch while on the go!

3) FML.  I know it doesn’t really do anything, but neither do I, and I LOVE to cruise FML’s whenever I have the chance.  It’s constantly updated, highly popular, hilarious app. It is really my go-to app on the Iphone.

4) Words with Friends- It’s Scrabble, but without the official name. It’s also free. Scrabble. All day. Every day. With anyone who has an Iphone. Can it get any better than that?

5) RBC Mobile Banking I’m sure that if you don’t deal with RBC your financial institution has an equally awesome app. The online banking apps are quickly becoming one of the most widely used apps out there.  Comes in very handy when you need to move money from credit over to credit to buy things you don’t need. Bliss!

6 ) E Bay- Shop online all day. It’s easy to use and links straight to PayPal. The “My E bay” screen is similar to the one on my home PC, and just as good if not better due to its simplistic interface. Ill never miss out on a last minute deal as long as I have this app!

7) IMDB- Better check out that movie before shelling out the big bucks to see it in 3D! It is easy to use, and much better than opening up the site in browser.  It saves old searches, and provides me with all the movie info I need, at my fingertips.

8) CNN- Provides up to date news from around the world. Right here, right now. Includes a Video tab, local News tab, Favourites, and much more! I just have to remember to remain media literate -smiley-

9) Let’s Tans- This is super fun puzzle game!  I use it when I’m not killing time with FML’s. Not too challenging, but still makes me think! Plus, it has pretty colours!

10) Shazam- Simply, it rules! I’m a music junkie who loves to genre hop. Having access to the song title and artist information for random songs that I hear while out and about is invaluable. Simply hold up the phone when that great unfamiliar song is playing and you will never have to wonder again!

The best thing about all these apps, is that they're

!!!!!

Now, I would love to write more, but it is my move on Words with Friends. Please note that Chess With Friends would have made this list, but I am having a hard time winning any of the Chess With Friends games I am playing... So I excluded it based on the fact that it reminds me that I am intellectually inferior.

Thanks for reading, and I welcome any suggestions for more cool apps!