Just plain terrorized.

Living in North America, it is easy to get paranoid... over such things as home security and safety.

Last week, we received a notice from the condo property management that the yearly fire alarm inspection was going to happen and that a technician would be entering our unit. And the notice included that for $30, a carbon monoxide detector could be installed at the same time as the inspection.

Wait! I have a carbon monoxide detector which I purchased years ago and plugged in the bedroom outlet. It went missing when I moved furniture, and when I was not looking for it, I found it sitting on top of a book shelf. So with the notice on hand, I plugged the carbon monoxide detector, first in the bedroom, then I moved it into the kitchen.

I also brought down the big picture frame of the "Our Lady of Perpetual Help" hanging against the humongous fire alarm contraption on the wall, and took out the small chair by the door to give easy access to the inspector, and removed two candle holders by the hallway where the smoke alarm had been installed.

Then, yesterday before 7 am, the detector made a funny sound - low, continuous beeps - and I got alarmed and pulled it out. I said, it could be a malfunction.

I moved the detector to the living room. A around 10 am, while waiting for the technician, the detector sounded again - once more, low, continuous beeps. I unplugged it and read the note at the back which said: The opening must be vacuumed to remove dirt accumulation. So I vacuumed and re-plugged it, and it made no more sound. I had just finished my brunch of fried rice, egg omelet and tosino, and suddenly felt a slight headache. I thought, could this be "carbon monoxide poisoning or just lots of cholesterol?"

The technician came after lunch, checked the smoke alarm and the fire alarm and was gone in 5 seconds.

This morning, at about the same time as yesterday - 7 am, the carbon monoxide detector beeped again. I heard it from the bedroom and I immediately rose up and unplugged it. I checked myself: " am I feeling dizzy, fatigued, etc? - the early signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. Though cold, I slightly opened the window to ventilate the house.

Despite the snow and the minus 4 celsius temperature this morning, I drove to Home Depot and picked up a new carbon monoxide detector - it cost me $33. I installed batteries on it, tested it, and it is now lying on top of a dining table, awaiting proper installation in the bedroom.

It was emitting green signal awhile ago, but the manual said, that is a sign of the alarm scanning for any possible CO. If there was any, it would emit 4 continuous beeps, and red light, pause 5 seconds and beep again. No such thing took place. Amen.

Jersey Boys in TO

Braved the wintry weather today to catch a matinee showing of the Jersey Boys at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. It was zero degree celsius, and the flurries, non-stop, when I drove out at 2 this afternoon. I preferred the matinee over the regular evening run because at night the show would finish at almost eleven and the drive back home would be more treacherous.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the two-hour musical which featured an able ensemble of young men and women both from the US and Canada. Jersey Boys started its Toronto run last August 21, 2008 and will continue, I think, till February 2009.

Winner of the 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical, Jersey Boys is a "candid, powerful portrayal of the journey of four guys from the wrong side of the tracks - led by Frankie Valli - who became one of America's biggest pop sensation." It is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The group sold over 175 million records.

Although I was a toddler perhaps when the group was enjoying its sojourn in American television and countless venues, I love and can dance to the music of Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons.

I especially enjoyed their " Can't Take My Eyes Off You, My Eyes Adored You, Rag Doll and Oh, What a Night." And of course, their "Big Girls Don't Cry and Walk Like a Man."

New Toy for New Year

I'm a browser; that is when I am in the mall, I browse merchandise, usually at an electronics store. Otherwise I would be sitting in one of the mall benches looking at other browsers.

If I want to purchase something big, say a Blue Ray or a television, I would search first on the Internet and look for customer reviews. I remember buying a big screen TV way back in 1996, and it took me at least 6 months before selecting a particular brand, and my first DVD, way back in 1999, after 4 months of research.

My friend Al bought his HD television, a Panasonic DLP a couple of years back and he explained to me the advantages of DLP over Plasma and the LCD, he being an engineer.

Well, like Al, I also wanted an HD TV, but again, I toiled at the idea and did my research once more. I crossed out Plasma because of its short life span; I crossed out the LCD because I did not want to change lamps. In my office, I used to replace the lamp in the LCD projector and it cost my department money.

Well, late last year (actually about mid-November), I finally finished my agonizing research and decided on a purchase of a Samsung 61 inch-DLP TV. It is a series 7, which means it is has the Samsung CinemaPure 120Hz color engine, HDMI connections and others, and a 1080p resolution. But the main reasons I chose this one is because of its LED (Light Emitting Diode) which means I don't change lamps for a long life performance. And the number 1 reason? It is 3D-ready, which means I can watch 2D movies on 3D!

Now, I waited two days before it was delivered, asked the assistant super to help carry it on the pedestal (it is huge), and started to fiddle with it to watch a 3D movie. But wait... how to?

Before I purchased it, I already researched the requirements for the 3D connectivity, but I didn't realize it would be this much work. The other guy at the electronics store purchased the same brand and make and he would have to wait for at least 1 week, because I got the last inventory. He told me he owned a Plasma and it died on them after a few months of extensive use doing video games. He, too, could not wait to experience the 3D magic, he said.

I am now sitting and waiting for my 3D connectivity. The only thing I am wating for now is the installation CD from AOL. Unfortunately I am still among those who faithfully use AOL for my Internet; and my old computer which has internet connectivity is an Intel Celeron. For the 3D to function, I should have at least an Intel Pentium 4 1.6GHz or Athlon XP or the ideal - IntelCore 2 Duo or Athlon64 X2 Dual CPU.

The 3D glasses, router and 3D-enabling-software from Tridef arrived before Christmas and the required Vista-operated computer with the required graphics card and HDMI-DVI port, is sitting on my dining table, waiting.

It's 2009 and my Holiday gift to myself had been unwrapped before Christmas arrived. Now, I already started to list in memory the movies I will rent and watch on 3D. I am on my own countdown...