July 2011
6 posts
bloggin at wp
for the past several months, i have been posting mainly at posterous which also auto-posted to my various blog accounts - wordpress, tumblr and typepad. but… it doesn’t cross over the tags well. and because i’m horrible with my typo’s and always in a rush, i end up needing to go to all sites to edit because posterous will not auto-correct any of the sites that i posted...
5 tags
the art of one-night camping trips
there’s definitely an art to it. mainly, the goal is to create a system where packing and then unpacking is smooth and easy. which is hard to do and to be honest, i haven’t figured it all out just yet but i’ve made it my project to find out how to do it. friends of mine use to have in their trunk a box of equipment and some clothing (older stuff they don’t mind getting...
1 tag
beautiful head shots
so for wk 1 and 2 of chaeli’s summer adventuring, we sent her to a stage acting camp which basically will result in an hour production on an actual theatre stage with all the technical sound and lighting to boot! and the thing is that while there’s your usual teen camp councelors who assist, the groups are lead by professional actors/actresses. i met one the other day. he’s...
2 tags
bittersweet last school day
as much as i welcome the carefree summer months for chaeli where she will be having fun at various camps (no homework or tests), it was sad to see the last day of grade 1 come and go. for chaeli, she has had a roller coaster of a year. but as she will learn in life, it’s that roller coaster that will create passions, memories and milestones - all adding up to life’s experience. the...
8 tags
extra loooong canada day weekend
i’ve been on vacation since last tuesday evening. and as we’re nearing the end of our july long weekend, i’m wishing for just one more day off. it’s been a fun pack five days. some best friends, ada and hoa, stopped by tuesday night for dinner - they were on their way from vancouver to welland for the dragon boat nationals. ada happened to have a lecture at UofT (btw,...
5 tags
where hobbes feels free and happy
at the east end of downtown, there’s this magnificent dog park along the beach. 2.5 arces of sand, water, trees and trails. our furried, four-pawed friends can run free here. and it’s certainly a favourite of ours. simply because it gives us so much peace. and hobbes certainly does not mind either.
June 2011
5 posts
1 tag
about the birds and the bees talk - the questions...
chaeli asked a boy at school to be her boyfriend. this happened on a tuesday. the thursday of that same week - a mere two days later - she dumped him. :/ i asked her why she did that. and with each question, she answered me with a shrug and ‘idunno.’ “did something happen?” “i dunno.” “did he do something bad?” “i dunno.” ...
1 tag
where two wrongs do not make a right
i don’t condone her actions but some of the revenge-seekers definitely doesn’t seem any better. true - she did partake in the vancouver riots and while her actions might be arguably less worse then some of the vandalism and assault, it definitely shouldn’t be easily forgiven. she did give an apology and would have looked better if she left it at that. but really - the racism...
4 tags
catch-up
i am so very behind on my blogging. i even had photos i wanted to upload from a few weeks ago - all still on my camera. then i got hit with a nasty bug mid-last week and have been recovering ever since. as of Sunday, i felt much better but am still coughing and blowing my nose. so this will be another random update of some sort. last sunday night, i found myself alone at the beach. i had a...
5 tags
random updates with a humidex of 43 celcius
it’s hot outside. hot. and while rain is needed to relieve us, i’m pretty pissed off that it’s falling on a saturday. it’s like that every week. at the beginning, they announce cheerfully not to worry about the rain we just had on the weekend because next weekend will be two full days of sunshine. pffbbbt. whatever - as soon as we approach mid-week, the sunny forecast...
1 tag
letter to management
i’m tired and frustrated and tired. it’s hard enough to keep up with the daily grind. there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day. but at least when i’m on my way home, i know that i’ll have some peace and some solutide. even if it doesn’t come until 10pm at night. it’s something - something to look forward to. yesterday, though, that peace...
May 2011
9 posts
4 tags
guilty pleasures no. 36
filet-o-fish it’s my fast-food comfort food. one that i can’t have often but when i do, i savour every single bite of it. but… it’s not just the taste of the soft, flakey, white centre or how the breaded batter gives you that delicious crispy texture on the edges (especially from the four corners). this mc d’s creation holds a lot of memories for me. for one,...
4 tags
birthday boy
on friday, hobbes turned one and has been a part of our family for over 9 months. he came to us as a little, wee, 7lbs, moving rug. now, 10 lbs later, he’s definitely a big part of the family. he now talks to us in his own way and it’s amazing how we can understand him. and really amazing that he can understand us! we spent friday night at my aunt’s place where hobbes got...
2 tags
little book lover
i will admit that i’m about to share a very proud moment as a mother. but it’s not with any conceit. it’s because i usually wonder how much i’m screwing up my own kid. parenting is hard. period. every now and then, there are moments that remind me that i’m not doing half bad. that while i’m certainly not perfect nor ever will be, the kid is doing alright. ...
4 tags
little shadows
after reading my friend’s post about how one of her twins followed her into the powder room when she went to quickly wash her hands - only not realizng she had a little follower present - and she had closed the door when she left not realizing that her little one was trapped in the room (found quickly by her husband, though), i’m reminded of a similar situation. it wasn’t with...
2 tags
it's friday. where the hell did the week go?
every monday night… no wait. scratch that. every SUNDAY night, i always think to myself, “man, i wish it was friday.” but by the time the week starts, everything happens to fast, i’m ridiculously busy and by the time i go to bed, i’m usually asleep before my head hits the pillow. it’s a blur. and sometimes, i even sit there and wonder to myself, “what...
3 tags
negotiating with a paw
a couple of friday’s ago, i came home to find that my parents had already picked up chaeli from school and were back at our house. hobbes had been home all day. normally, when i come home, hobbes routinely follows me upstairs while i change out of my work clothes. that day, he ran right up to the bottom of the stairs and then stopped dead in his tracks. i turned to look at him briefly but...
3 tags
zoo, pee-stain and mother's day
this past weekend was probably one of the more busier mother’s day weekend. but lots of fun! saturday, t&t plus their twin toddlers, m&e, came over to drop off their dog, cowboy, for a playdate with hobbes. while we left the two to fend for themselves, the two families went to the zoo - something we ourselves, have not done for a year now. we renewed our membership when we got...
1 tag
i'm not here to debate about politics...
i’m just here to whine. last night, our country became a majority-conservative lead nation. the worse i was hoping was a minority-conservative leadership. and the fact that the liberals lost by a landslide make their future look bleak. what is worse… what really aggravates me, are the many voters who were liberals in the past, deciding to switch over to conservatives. the reasons...
2 tags
the one day of sunshine
we had only one day of sunshine and glorious weather last week and it happened to fall on the saturday i had to go and get recertified for first aid and cpr. wah! doug and chaeli took hobbes to a dog park - from what i heard, they had a lot of fun. i, on the other hand, was stuck inside a classroom, doing a very crunched and speedy crash-course from what i learned from the 2-day class three...
April 2011
4 posts
8 tags
first e-book purchase, easter feast and sunday dog...
i know - what a weird thing to get excited about. especially since i’m probably one of the last on earth to have purchased a novel in it’s digital format. and it’s not that i’ve never read a digital book - i’ve gotten several from the library in the past but at the time, i had to read it on my computer. which wasn’t exactly mobile. and this is my first purchase...
6 tags
things i miss doing that i want back in my life
reading. oh how i miss always having a book on hand. it’s been months since i’ve read a book. and really, it’s my quest to start reading again as the summer months approach. i loved using the library and still hope to take books out. but the reality is that unless i take a book out that’s not on hold (i.e. popular books), i won’t have the chance to finish it before...
1 tag
Diorama
We’re in the midst of doing a dinosaur project with Chaeli. She has to draw/paste an image of the dinosaur, write a short verbage about it and then create a model scale, 3D scene of its environment. Which I have learned is called a diorama. I actually wouldn’t have believed ‘diorama’ is a real word had it not been for this homework assignment. In fact, I actually feel silly...
3 tags
naked hobbes
poor wee hobbes. with all the matted mess that became his fur, all they could do at the groomers was shave it all off. hobbes came back to us half the dog he use to be. he was pretty depressed and timid for the first couple of days. it actually reminded me of when he first came to live with us - constantly sticking by our side. he’s also been sleeping with us - but i’m not sure...
March 2011
10 posts
6 tags
escaping the politics
i haven’t blogged much because i’ve been overworked and pretty much stressed out. and while i’m tempted to vent about all the silly politics that’s been going on around me, i’m more inclined to just put that aside so i can write about other things in life. besides, after doug came home last night from his evening class, we stayed up until midnight, discussing all...
6 tags
escaping the politics
it’s time to change the style. it will prepare him for the warmer months. it’s still cold in the mornings and evening so we may need to invest in a doggy sweater. honestly, something i’ve never imagined getting for a dog but now i see why it may be necessary. chaeli’s 2nd report card came in today. for her core subjects (math and english), she did about the same as far as...
7 tags
country road, take me home...
we just got back from a country weekend getaway - friends of ours invited us to stay with them in a town two hours away from here.they live on a fairly large property with the backyard leading to a forest - cross the dirt road and we also were greeted by a river. they had over 70 maple trees on their property tapped, saving a couple to tap when chaeli got there, just so they could show...
3 tags
am dim sum, pm irish stew
considering we’ve had the week to relax, as usual p, our week ended up being jammed pack. yesterday, a bunch of mepy girlfriends and i got together for lunch. it served a dual purpose - the kids got a few hours playdate and i got a chance to meet up with some girlfriends whom i haven’t seen in 2011 yet (i had to miss out the last two gatherings). this morning we had dim sum with family...
2 tags
not starving at "starving artist"
We’re sitting here at Starving Artist (http://www.starvingartistbar.com/) after the most delicious waffle and espresso brunh I have ever had. I got the potato waffle benny - first time having waffles with potatos in it and first time having benny on a waffle rather then the traditional english muffin. Definitely worth the experience! We’re now going to another dog park to expend...
3 tags
ahh... the art of lounging
i didn’t wake up to workout as early as i wanted to. i think i woke up at 8am and just lounged in bed with my ipad for 45 minutes before getting up and heading downstairs for my p90x workout (chest/back and ab-ripper-x). we’ve just finished brunch and i’m now sitting in the living room, listening to some asian-inspired electronica/deep house while i blog. chaeli is still...
ahh... the art of lounging
i didn’t wake up to workout as early as i wanted to. i think i woke up at 8am and just lounged in bed with my ipad for 45 minutes before getting up and heading downstairs for my p90x workout (chest/back and ab-ripper-x). we’ve just finished brunch and i’m now sitting in the living room, listening to some asian-inspired electronica/deep house while i blog. chaeli is still...
3 tags
first march break... as an adult that is
when my colleagues asked me what i was doing next week, i told them, “oh nothing… just taking march break.” sounded weird but truth be told, i have never taken march break off before. chaeli has always been in a daycare setting so doug and i just continued on with work. and leading up to this year, i was dreading it. dreading having to take the one week off where all other...
5 tags
long winter blues
totally not surprising, but this winter seems to have dragged on longer then most. i think it’s because we’ve just had a lot of bad luck hit us this year. with a crazy schedule, it’s been hard to find time to just catch my breath. i’ve been sick a lot too, which hasn’t helped. in fact, it’s been really hard for me to work out for the past couple of months...
4 tags
Untitled
we spent this saturday at ikea, purchasing a couple of TROFAST cabinets and wall shelves (with an assortment of different colour and sizes of bins) for chaeli’s room. the assembly and re-organizing (which included more sorting and chucking) took up a good chunk of the day. but it was worth it. with just one wall shelf to put up (which we’ve decided to leave empty and use as a book...
February 2011
11 posts
5 tags
texting and phone use during dinner
so this blogger basically entitles his blog, “I Will Check My Phone At Dinner and You Will Deal With It.” i would comment on his blog but wordpress has this really annoying thing of keeping you on the email subscription forever so that if the blog post is very popular, anyone who makes a new comment will force that blog at the top in your ‘my comments’ page. ever months...
3 tags
i heart postsecret
for several months now, i’ve been diligently following the weekly postsecret posts. of course, like most, i’ve been hearing about this site for a very long time and while i peeked into it in the past, lately, i’m starting to get addicted to it. i look forward to sitting at my computer every sunday morning with my freshly brewed cup of coffee as i read each posted postcard. i...
3 tags
on parenthood and music
as parents, we try to be responsible - we want to raise chaeli on the right path in regards to the importance the various paths of life. one of such paths involves having a decent and diverse taste in music. but lets face it - i’m sure this has always been a challenge for parents worldwide. and it always starts with us holding our little, tiny baby in our arms, cradling him/her while...
3 tags
valentines day for everyone but me
no, this isn’t a pity-party. just a very accurate description of how my valentines day went. it started off like any other monday. except perhaps that i had to pack a bag of mini, veggie spring rolls for chaeli’s valentines day at school. and then of course her little ziplock bag of tiny v-day cards. which, by the way, i’m now embarrassed to have given. why? because chaeli...
4 tags
randomnous valentine
i’m not a big fan of valentines and if it weren’t for chaeli, i would do anything for this day. but like a good mom, i did whatever needed to be done to prep for her valentines day party at school - including a 30 mini spring rolls contribution for their food list. as for doug and i, we did get a chance to go for sushi this past saturday while chaeli stayed with my parents. it...
1 tag
we thought we were safe...Click here to set a...
chaeli: mommy, you know what? me: what? chaeli: justin asked me if he could be my boyfriend. me: oh really? chaeli: yeah. me: and what did you say? chaeli: i said, “yes!” me: exactly how did he ask you? chaeli: he said, “do you want to be my girlfiend?” me: and this is for real? chaeli: of course it is!
2 tags
locks of love
we started chaeli’s birthday with a trip to the hair salon. she had a 10am appointment to get 10+ inches chopped off. the hair will be donated to a an organization called locks of love - a non-profit organization that creates wigs for children undergoing treatments that causes loss of hair. chaeli loves her new short and very chic do. they basically layered the bob so that it’s...
3 tags
a sort-of new year's resolution
so it’s the other new year for me - the one that follows the moon and is symbolized by the cycle of animals.this year, it is the sign of the rabbit. which i find very fitting. it is the year that brings on patience because that is what the sign of the rabbit is strong for. which is exactly one of my weaker areas. i have less patience then the average person. but believe me, i’ve been...
2 tags
2011 - year of the rabbit
happy chinese new year! we’re not celebrating until tomorrow night - easier for a friday. but it should be good - we’re going to go to my aunt and uncle’s for chinese hot pot. my favourite chinese meal, winter fix! to all, i wish you a happy, prosperous year.
3 tags
one more craving
yesterday, i listed off some current cravings. i would like to replace the entire list with one very big craving i am having right now… to drop everything, get the next flight out to vienna and meet my friend who had been stuck in cairo. we would celebrate over some schnizels and very good beer. how tempting it is…
4 tags
cravings...
and i’m not just talking about food cravings. though, there are a few to add to that list as well… but it’s now february and as with all february’s, the darker and shorter days of winter added on to the cold, dry climate (not to mention, miserable and dangerous driving when the roads are slippery), always makes me day-dream more of things i want to do or have at that...
January 2011
12 posts
6 tags
weekend family fun
as mentioned before, i wanted a weekend just for the three of us. with so much going on, i felt a need to reconnect. i also realized, though, that doug and i are really in need of a weekend alone. it may not happen until the end of february but i’m looking forward to it. i’m wondering if my parents will be brave enough to take on both hobbes and chaeli. or my aunt and uncle might...
2 tags
dear friend - please come home soon...
after watching the news yesterday about the riots and violence in egypt, the first thing i did was get on the internet and start to email/twitter to a friend who is there now (long-term work project). i knew even as i was typing that what i was doing wasn’t exactly helpful. the egyptian government had already turned their ‘off switch’ on the country’s internet. but it...
4 tags
so ready for the weekend...
this is my 3rd day back from being sick - while i’m definitely much better then i was at the start of the week, i still feel extremely weak. this is what happens to people like me. we go-go-go and have the amazing strength to hold off on getting sick. as soon as a big moment in our lives has passed, that’s when it hits us like a ton of bricks. i’ve seen this happen to me over...
2 tags
one of the cons of being ill (as if the pros...
i’ve been back to the daily grind after being home sick for 3.5 days. about five people in the span of just the morning alone, have told me to keep away from them in fear of falling ill themselves. how comforting.
3 tags
snubbed ubb - day 2
i stayed home again today. feeling a smidge better then yesterday but only got my voice back (sort of ) near the end of the afternoon. both days, i actually had to email my manager to let him know i was still off sick because a voicemail from me would have just sounded like some random squeeky noise. i got a chance to watch ‘the switch’ which was definitely a nice movie to take...