I had an omelette with tomatoes for breakfast. It was great. I then did a few things, which included reading the newspaper flyers and sorting out my music collection.

I had lunch, consisting of chicken burritos and barbequed pork in a pita. They were all yummy.

At 13:30, I called the president's son (PS) at home, but he wasn't there. I just left him a message. Roughly five minutes later, he returned my call. He had let his cats loose in the hallway for some exercise. Anyway, I said that I'd be there in one hour. He then said that I'd be there at 14:00. Ah, no. One hour from 13:35 is roughly 14:35. It amazes me that this guy cannot count. He said 14:00 twice during the conversation. I started to lose patience after the second reference and had to explain incrementing the hour by one.

I did get to his place by 14:30. He came down by the time I had plugged both my iPod and cellphone into the dual car charger.

I had to get a case for my new PDA, so we went to the Future Shop at the Eglinton Town Centre. I got silicone cases, which look nice in frosted white and baby blue. They also come with screen protectors. I also got a Death Cab for Cutie CD. PS bought a couple of DVDs, including Poker for dummies, which I probably need to borrow once he's done viewing it.

We then headed over to Winners (bought my first pair of Columbia sneakers and a Levis handbag) and then Mark's Work Warehouse. PS bought three shirts. I bought a cable-knit long sweater in olive. I had initially thought about purchasing it in lack, but I have many black ones. I had tried on a nice denim shirt, too, but it didn't look like it fit well. It did feel fine, though.

We left that place and drove down to the Beaches. I drove by all three schools that I had attended. We eventually parked on Wineva and then got a bite to eat at Gabby's. I had the halibut fish and chips, which were great. PS first ordered the chicken wrap, but didn't realize that there were two of them on the menu. He went for a steak wrap, instead. I don't get that, other than the fact that we had ordered barbeque wings for starters.

I watched Notre Dame's football team have a rather commanding lead over its opponent. I think Regis Philbin would have been proud at that stage.

We left at 18:00 and drove down to Ontario Place. The Chinese lantern festival was in high gear. I took pictures of a couple of attractions using my cellphone's camera. We then walked to the Molson Amphitheatre.

The signs were misleading. We were in one lineup and were told later by a security guard that we had to go to the other side. I didn't get how difficult it was to actually have someone at the top of this lineup to block off this section.

I went to get a t-shirt. I then got cola beverages for both PS and me. I didn't have enough money, though. I paid for one of them and then had to ask PS for $5 to pay for his.

Anyway, we found our seats and sat down. The show had already started. Swollen Members were performing. They were fine. I'm just not a huge fan of the band's music.

Rihanna came on stage as the second opening act. She was terrific. She was full of energy and enthusiasm. She cited Toronto to be her favourite city in the world. That was sweet of her. I only own one CD of hers. I think she has another one out.

I wasn't sure what to expect at a Black Eyed Peas concert. I had a great time. It was such an entertaining night. The show just got better and better. It was a clear, crisp evening to enjoy some hiphop.

BEP performed as a group and then split off to do solo numbers, which was a nice touch. Fergie sang "London bridge," her new single from her solo effort. She did cartwheels in succession at one stage. Actually, every member is quite flexible.

My favourite song out of the bunch was "Bebot," performed by Apl.de.ap. I don't know Tagalog, but I like the song nonetheless. He was great. He tore the house down.

There were many shots made towards the U.S. administration. It was said that "Canada should stay the f*ck out of the United States," for things were that bad with the war, among other topics.

The encore included introducing the band and then breaking into "My hump." The show ended with "Let's get retarded," with the entire audience singing, "cuckoo!" It was a ton of fun.

I think my concert experience was more positive than the following review, but I'm including it here, as a reminder of a fun evening out.

Concert Review: Black Eyed Peas

Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto - September 9, 2006
By BILL HARRIS -- Toronto Sun

TORONTO - According to the Black Eyed Peas, Canada should expand its borders.

"All of North America should be called Canada," will.i.am suggested to the crowd at the Molson Amphitheatre last night. "The United States of Canada."

No word yet on how U.S. President George W. Bush might respond to this, but we're guessing not well.

In the meantime, the Black Eyed Peas -will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and focal point Fergie - continued their love affair with Toronto last night. At least, it seems like a love affair if you take them at their word.

The Black Eyed Peas know how to work a crowd, but sometimes they can go over the top with it. If they had given out Loonies every time one of the group members elicited cheap applause by yelling "Toronto," the audience would have felt like lottery winners.

The Black Eyed Peas also pandered to the crowd by chanting, "Bush, stop the bull----," and by saying things like, "Is there anyone in Toronto who loves hiphop music?" and "Is there anyone here tonight who graduated this year, college, or high school?"

It almost got to the point where you were expecting them to yell, "Kittens! Does Toronto love kittens?"

That said, the Black Eyed Peas are infectiously enthusiastic and fun. There was a very large contingent of young girls in the crowd last night, and undoubtedly the Black Eyed Peas gave them exactly what they came to see and hear.

The Black Eyed Peas insist their future is not sketchy, despite the fact Fergie, who joined the group in 2003, is set to release a solo CD called The Dutchess (purposely misspelled) on Sept. 19. The first single, London Bridge, hit No. 1 in the U.S. and crept into the top 20 in Canada.

The 31-year-old Fergie insists she can manage her musical ambitions both within and without the Black Eyed Peas. The other members of the group expressed support for their "sister" last night, but if she ends up leaving them behind, this will be a classic lesson in what can happen when you actually let Yoko into the band.

Speaking of a girl who could break up bands, 18-year-old Rihanna played a visually entertaining lead-in set. The Barbadian songstress sounded best on her quieter numbers like Unfaithful, but in her more upbeat songs the recorded loops, samples and background vocals almost completely drowned her out.

Vancouver rappers Swollen Members took the stage mere hours after playing the halftime show at the Argos-Hamilton Tiger-Cats CFL game at the Rogers Centre. Swollen Members' new CD, Black Magic, comes out on Tuesday.

After the show, we walked past the pagoda when all the lights suddenly went away simultaneously. So much for taking night shots. Mind you, this was at 23:00. We then walked over to my car, eventually getting into it after the folks in the van parked next to us let us in. We then drove to a Tim Hortons on Bay and Front for some iced caps and timbits. I then drove PS home and proceeded home. The drive was peaceful and great.

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Song that's stuck in my head: Black Eyed Peas' "Bebot"
Yummy food eaten today: Halibut and chips
What I crave: Diet coke

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