A couple of weeks ago I was at a friends house who was moving. While at her house and watching her pack, I saw the LARGEST zip lock bags I have ever seen. It was large enough to hold a duvet, or pillows, or clothes, and it had a zip lock on the top, just like the little bags, that we all have in our cupboards. That got me to thinking about all the different size bags and how we make use of them in our daily lives.

I am always trying to find new ways to pack more efficently. I’ve tried rolling my shirts (I don’t think I saved that much room by doing that), I put my socks in my shoes to save space, but I think the one thing that I am sure a lot of people already know about it for packing – use Zip Lock bags.

I always used zip locks for my toiletry products, sunscreen sprays and stuff like that. I bought the PC exlarge bags which were a much better price than the named brand items. I used them for my undergarments as they fold nicely and you can get enough for 10 days in one large size bag. Once you flatten the air out of the bags, you can put much more in them. Similar to those bags that you see on tv.

The large bags can also be used for putting your electronical chargers, cords and plug ins for your different devices, DS games for your kids, even different lenses for your camera if you are not taking your full camera bag while you are travelling.

The smaller size bags have so many uses, most of which I am sure you are already doing when you travel.

Sandwich size bags – so many uses: obiviously, snacks that you have taken out of their original packaging – nuts, dried fruits, jube jubes, whatever you can buy at the bulk barn; your ear buds for your ipods; your passports if you don’t have a passport holder (and even if you do, extra protection is never a bad thing).

The snack size ones (the little ones) – you can put extra memory cards; batteries; jewellery (keep it separate in your travel case).

So, the next time you are travelling either by car or by air, and you have to pack an overnight bag or for a two week vacation, make a stop at your local store for some different size bags.

There are a lot of ways to give back to your community, local and on a more global level. Of course there are always cash donations, there are time donations, giving your time as a volunteer in community events, just giving back any way you will help you as a human being and will help your community.

Every year during the High Holidays our Synagogue does a Kosher food drive on Kol Nidre night, which we always participate in. For the last three years I have been called and asked to participate in a food drive this time of the year where they come and pick up from the condo. I have said yes every time.

I went to No Frills earlier this week and loaded up a shopping bag full of groceries for the pick up today. The pick up time was to be between 9 – 12 noon today. I called down to my concierge desk about 930 and said I wasn’t ready just yet, but if they come to call me and I will come down.

Shortly thereafter, I got a call that they were here. I asked my concierge to find out if they could come up to pick up the package. She replied “she said no”. I said okay, I will be down in a few minutes. I hurried up and got dressed and went downstairs. When I got there, my concierge told me “she left”. She left? I was very upset. I was called and asked to participate, went to buy the food, and she left. I left the bag downstairs thinking maybe she would come back.

After I came back upstairs I vented on Facebook, and the more I thought about it, I wanted to take the food back and give it to someone else that may need assistance.

There are all kinds of people that fall on hard times. I remember a friend of mine that works for the social services arm of the city’s social work system. She works with many different kinds of people is many different life situations. She told me a story once that her supervisor told the team, “never judge or make judgements against any of your clients, we are all potentially one pay cheque away of maybe needed assistance”. That has never left me.

On my way out to meet some friends I stopped by the concierge to pick up the package and it was gone. She told me that the lady came back. When the concierge gave her the bag of food, she replied “Oh, I would have gone up to get it if I had known it was food. I thought it was a cheque.”

So let me get this straight – you are picking up for a FOOD DRIVE, and you thought I was asking you to pick up a cheque – MONEY, and you didn’t want to come up the elevator – but for food you would have?

Does that make any sense to you? It didn’t to me either….

Thanks for sticking with me, I appreciate it!

A few weeks ago someone posted a status update on facebook that went something like this: “why do people always feel the need to post photos of what they are eating?”

There are many different answers to that question.

I can tell you why I like posting food pictures and why I like seeing other peoples food pictures.

Let’s start with why I like seeing peoples food pictures. 

If they are posting from restaurants that they are eating at, it gives me ideas about where to go either in my own city, or when I am travelling to another city on vacation. There are several tv shows on the food network that serve the purpose about showcasing foods and food options at restaurants around North America.

Several friends I know have posted food options from diners showcased on Diners, Drive ins and Dives, and another friend posted from a diner in Hamilton that was showcased on the Canadian version of the show You’ve got to eat here! These same people travelled earlier this year and they were in San Fransisco for the day and they were literally on the food tour of San Fransisco. They were checking in on facebook wherever they went and posted a photo of everything that ate that day. I LOVED IT!!!

If they are posting about food they are cooking at their own home, it is always great to show a photo. People are always looking for new cooking ideas, different takes on the same old, same old. I have taken other people’s ideas and made them my own just from photos I have seen on Facebook.

Everyone knows that I love photography. I am also a travel agent and that I like to take food pictures. Now that I am creating photo books for my different travel adventures, having a two page ‘food’ spread is becoming something that I include in every book.

For example – I blogged about my food experiences in Hawaii.  They were amazing. I received a lot of recommendations before going to Hawaii about where to eat, and one girl even said, “go to Cool Cat Burger, and order the Don Ho burger”. How specific can you get for a recommendation. We didn’t get there, but we went to many other places I ate amazing food – and have the pictures to show for it.

How else would you know that the molokini potato is PURPLE! Well, I have a photo of it! That is also macadamia nut crusted Mahi Mahi at The Fish Hopper restuaurant in Kailua Kona town, on the island of Hawaii.