Is there no limit to how cute and sexy this woman can get!?

Ayase Haruka

I think these pics pretty much explain everything - including my obsession with this Japanese actress.  Kim Yun Ah was sooooo yesterday!

My new favourite summer spot

Awenda Provincial Park.  This is my new favourite beach and summer day trip spot.  Tobermory is gorgeous and of course nothing comes close in Ontario to the sheer magnificence of Tobermory, however, driving five hours compared to two hours makes all the difference for me.

The two hour drive is relaxing and convenient as there is a pit stop opportunity every 30 - 45 minutes somewhere.  There are lovely and quaint townships you must drive through en route to Awenda.  I stopped off in one spot to grab a nice healthy lunch and took some pictures.  Here they are:

Here's the inside of this historic General Store, now turned Country style bakery and restaurant.  I liked the interior.  Judge for yourselves.

These shots were taken from where I was sitting.  Use your imagination and put the two pics together in your mind - yes, because I'm too lazy to splice them for you!  You'll get the idea of how this place looks if you apply your creative side.

This was my lunch.  Nothing fancy.  In fact for the price, quite depressing.  However, the bread was baked at the restaurant.  The mayonnaise that was used to make the tartar sauce is homemade.  The veggies are all from local markets.  The fish is from a local fish monger who only deals in the freshest products.  Yea, it was good and yea it was fresh.  But it was pedestrian.  And the tartar sauce was lacking.  I, however, still enjoyed it as it was clean and healthy.

The owner who greeted and served me said they offer some of the best desserts ever.  So I took a look.  They were impressive.  So impressive I seriously wondered if someone who used to live in Pickering up until 8 years ago could really have the training to pull off these levels of homemade desserts.  No joke, these pies were killer professional.  I asked her which pie was the best and most popular among the patrons and she said everyone claims the coconut pie to be the best they've ever had.  Bold claim. 

I took her up on her recommendation and ordered a slice.  Here it is.  Visually it was stunning.  The cream, the shavings of coconut, the pie crust...my eyes soaked it all in like a tyrant just before he is about to devour a female offering from a local chieftain trying to win his favour.   Where that comparison came from I don't know.  Food and the intimacy of a fine woman are my two great loves, so forgive me if I confuse the two at times. ;-)  So back to this "best coconut pie ever" review.  I ate it.  And to my surprise it really was a spectacular pie.  Spectacular, I say!!!  But, was it the best pie I've ever had?  Well, considering I've only devoured one other homemade coconut pie and that wasn't very memorable, I guess it really was the best coconut pie I've ever had.  The flavours were real.  Light and yet still sweet enough to satisfy any dessert lover.  Creamy without being overwhelming.  Truly a delicate balance of cream and sugar.  Wow.

After another 40 minute drive from my lunch stop, I arrived at my favourite beach.  Take a look.

You may notice a lack of people on this beach.  There were others on the beach, but you can't see them because the area is so expansive on a mammoth level that the other visitors to the park are so small, they seem to be invisible.  For someone who hates confinement and tight quarters, this little fact is a bonus.  Even if crowded, there's enough beach for everyone.

Can you see the others?  ;-)  I wasn't alone on the beach but I might as well have been.  A few people walked by but no one really setup tent in my area - as you can see from both the left and right shots.

 This picture doesn't really doesn't capture the sheer size of this beach.  If I was to walk over to the area where I am staring off to, I think it'd probably take me about 10 minutes.  That's pretty dang far.  There were a group of teenagers over there but, from where I was, they were as small as ants.

The only regret I now have is that so many friends are asking me to take them up with me.  Should I have kept my mouth shut? ;-)

Sad Movies, heatbreaking songs

I love heartbreaking songs.  Don't ask me why.  I am one of the millions of people out there who make ballad artists rich by demanding airtime for their love songs.  As much as I love listening to heartbreaking love songs from all cultures, I cannot watch sad movies.

Something about sad movies give me a mild case of anxiety.  I'm still trying to figure this out but I don't like to watch sad movies because it makes me feel more anxious as opposed to sad.  Weird, eh?

There are some great sad films out there.  I tried to watch one that all critics have recommended as the best war movie ever called: "The Grave of the Fireflies", and I failed miserably.  Fifteen minutes into the film and I stopped it.  I sensed the sadness coming and I couldn't deal with it...so yea, I turned it off.

Now, while surfing, I just came across another one that people keep saying is soooo heart-wrenching called "Crying for love in the centre of the world".  This goes by another title, "Socretes in Love" and it's originally a manga.  Apparently, it's devastatingly sad.  One reviewer off www.imdb.com wrote:

Makes grown men cry, 24 November 2005

Author: turbozed from milpitas, california

The recent trend towards more "serious" drama and the influx melodramatic korean dramas replacing the more light-hearted Japanese style, a crazy tear-jerker was bound to hit the Japanese airwaves. This drama will make even a cold-hearted person with ice water in their veins tear up. The formula is simple, really: Show innocent high school kids falling in love and dealing with happiness, love, and loss. The reason this formula has and will always work is because everyone has an affinity for the purity and idealistic quality of adolescent love. I imagine that there will be a few out there who will say that the "tragedy" aspect of the drama is pandering for sympathy. True, it seems like there are a lot Asian dramas out there in which cute, bright-eyed kids are stricken with some terminal disease (leukemia, brain cancer, acid reflux, etc.). The brilliance of Sekai no Chuushin is the presentation of this (maybe overdone) subject. Like almost everything, a measure of quality involves considering details. Sekai no Chuushin sets aside screen time in order to throw in subtle instances of humanity in order to generate a foundation for us to care for the characters before hitting us with one of the crazy, dramatic moments. Personally, I felt the beginning episodes (before we're hit with bad news about Aki) were the best ones. The acting was outstanding for a Japanese drama and the whole series was well-cast (the older Saku could've been a little more likable though). Special honors go to Takayuki Yamada for his portrayal of 17-year-old Saku. Yamada has to be one of the best dramatic actors in Japan. Overall, this is one of the best dramas to come out of Japan.

 I love Haruka Ayase so I really want to watch it but the freaking youtube trailers I've seen causes a bit of anxiety...it looks really sad.  Why?  Why must I be so sensitive to sad movies?  For those who enjoy sad films, please watch these two Japanese movies and let me know your reviews.