11/7/2011



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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 worn and dirty) all set in their trunk. maybe even a sleeping bag or two as well. when the mood hit, they would just toss in the tent and some food, keeping the meals really easy.

returning from their weekend trip, all it took was to store any leftover food and do the laundry.

easier said then done when it comes to just taking care of yourself. throw in a kid, a dog and a husband who likes to over-pack, and you’ve got yourself quite a handful.

still, i’m determined to make it easier because while there is still work involved, i loved camping this weekend. and i really want to do more of it.

i made some mental notes this time around in areas we can cut back on and improve on. when we unpacked, i asked doug to keep this one box out with supplies we have at home, that we can keep for future camping trips. i’ll be building on that box. at the moment, we’re still borrowing some utensils we have at home and then having to unpack them and store them away for daily use. so, i’ll be looking at keeping a set just for camping, along with other supplies.

food is an area we need to improve on. we always created ‘gourmet’ meal plans and we have to let go of that when we’re just going for a night or two. it might mean sandwiches, ramen noodles and/or kraft mac ‘n cheese with chopped hot dogs. and while there’s nothing like fried eggs and bacon/sausage in the morning, the time it takes to make and clean up forces us to not get a chance to explore the park until closer to noon when the day is starting to get hot. cereal, milk and fruit will have to do.

and a bag of rain gear should always be packed with some fleece for unexpected cold nights - all just left in the trunk. picnic blankets can be left in the trunk as well.

there’s a lot we can do that doesn’t need repacking each time.

anyway, we did have a great weekend regardless of how short it was. i will write a separate post about it with photos later on this week.

Tagged: bliss, family, geek, organize, vacation, .

03/7/2011



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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, it’s so cool to have a friend who does university lectures - i wonder if one of these days, i can attend? how wicked would that be?)

that was the kickstart of mine’s and chaeli’s long-long-extended-weekend. doug had to work on the thursday but was able to get off early so we could go for the dog park and consume yummy sushi and japanese food at our favourite korean-run-japanese restaurant. it’s the best of two worlds - we get both kimchi and sushi.

the rest of our mini-vacation included chinese lunch with my parents, two trips to the dog park down at the beach, another dog park out west plus yet another one up north, lots of ice cream, swinning at my parents’ community centre (well, doug and chaeli went swimming - i use to go when it was salt water, but now they’ve added chemicals and i’m allergic to that), bbq steaks at my parents’ place, movies on netflix, fireworks, picnics at the beach and lots of sunshine!

we only bummed around thursday morning - since doug was at work.

the highlight was visiting fort york on canada day (free admission for that day only) which is a historical site the british built for protection from the invasion of americans in 1813. this site was what started the progression of our city. i hadn’t been back to it since my grade six 3-day trip. all i remember was dressing up in period costume, eating food made like it was made back in the early 1800’s and sleeping in the bunkers where the soldiers use to sleep.

kind of creepy when you think about it.

chaeli had a blast - especially as there were some special events during that day. one of my fave was actually a shadow puppet put on by a performing arts community of the first nations. the music had a spell on me - quite powerful and beautiful.


front gates of fort york with toronto in the backdrop


flag raising ceremony


chaeli helping out in the kitchen


rifle demonstration


view from inside a window in the mess building

Tagged: bliss, day trips, family, friends, hobbes, parenting, photography, solitude, .

21/6/2011



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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 challenging week and i needed some space. so i decided to let doug take care of chaeli’s bedtime routine while i took a drive. i didn’t plan on going back but that’s basically where i ended up. it’s a peaceful place. when i arrived, i couldn’t help but notice a lot of people park their cars and just sit there, staring off into the lake. did they all need some solitude as well? or were they just there to kill time?

  • wednesday was doug’s birthday but unfortunately, it was also the day i got sick. still, we had a nice steak dinner.

  • saturday was the day we celebrated doug’s birthday with my family. everyone except my aunt and my mom caught the matinee for x-men first class. excellent. probably the best written x-men movie yet and i do hope that they continue down this path.

  • saturday evening, we went to my aunt’s/uncle’s for some lobster. what a treat! i have not had lobster for quite awhile and my 1.5 little red dude completely filled my tummy.

  • sunday morning, we slept in and then first went to the dog park on the way to my parents’ place and then had both lunch and dinner with my parents. it was simply the perfect weather type of day. blue skies with only a hint of clouds, a light breeze and lots of sunshine (but without the humidity so quite comfortable).

  • we watched two movies on netflix - fearless and ichi. fearless was a great movie. reminds me what jet li is best known for. ichi was fun - mainly eye-candy. i would put it into the whole spaghetti-western quality genre (except all in japanese).
Tagged: bliss, family, geek, solitude, .

30/5/2011



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guilty pleasures no. 36

filet-o-fish

Filetfish

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, it was my grandmother’s (my pwo-pwo’s) favourite item whenever we picked up some mc donald’s. and from her, it became a favourite of mine. each time i bite into one of these babies, i always remember her.

secondly, it reminds me of my best friend… ada and i even have had email conversations about the love of the filet-o-fish.

the last one was about the cheese - how it should be a full process slice rather then the half. i complained that it’s rarely positioned in the middle and usually askewed to one side. she claims that it’s really just a bonding agent to hold it all together.

she could be right. i’ve made a point on my to-do list to email the corporation and inquire exactly what the purpose of making the slice only 1/2. and why, at the least, can’t they centre it so that there’s a better distribution of cheese throughout the sandwich.

but whatever the answer may be, i will forever be faithful to the filet-o-fish.

[previous guilty pleasures]

Tagged: bliss, family, friends, geek, .

23/5/2011



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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.

3 months old

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 spoiled with many treats. and yesterday, we finally took him out for a nice two hour hike (something we’ve been anxiously waiting for - but too many weekends have been raining and wet).

happy birthday, hobbes! looking forward to more birthday celebrations with you.

one years old + one day

Tagged: bliss, family, hobbes, parenting, .

16/5/2011



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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 chaeli, but with hobbes.

when we first adopted him into our lives, he was very clingly. we couldn’t walk anywhere in the house without him following directly behind us.

one day, i was rushing around the house doing choirs. doug was home and i just assumed that hobbes was with him as at one point, i realized i hadn’t seen the little pup in awhile.

but to double check, i called down to doug, who was in the basement at the time, “hey - have you see hobbes? is he with you?”

expecting doug to say ‘yes’ i was a bit surprised when doug replied back, “no - i thought he was with you.”

so we quickly went around the house calling and whistling for the little pup, all the while, wondering exactly what sort of trouble he’s gotten himself into. then i heard doug laughing from the laundry room followed by, “found him!”

apparently, he had quickly followed me into that room. when i left, i had closed the door as i usually do, leaving poor, wee hobbes all alone. he might have whimpered but the washing machine droned out his sound.

oops.

anyway, this friday, hobbes turns one. my aunt wants to have a little family party for him which should be interesting. i remember we were made to stand around her dining table to sing happy birthday to their shihtzu who, sitting at the end of the table, just looked around the room all confused as if to say, “why the hell are they all staring at me and singing that god-awful song?”

i love hobbes. but i don’t know if i want to sing to a dog. again.

Tagged: family, friends, hobbes, parenting, .

10/5/2011



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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 there and was happy to see that t&t decided to purchase a year’s membership as well - hopefully this means more zoo outings with them! and a chance for cowboy to get use to our place. i felt bad for him - he was left with a crazy spaz of a dog in an unfamiliar place. however… when we got home, the house was left as it was and the two dogs were fine.

well, doug picked cowboy up before taking him out for a piddle and got a little pee stain on his shirt. but doug should have known better. :)

the twins had a great time! it’s a cool age to watch them recognize so much - they spent a lot of their time pointing at the various animals they saw.

chaeli had a good time as well. though i think she was interested more in the twins then the animals.

after spending a couple of hours there, we all headed back to our place for some cold beer and a simple antipasto platter i quickly assembled. then doug got working on the grill to make us some delicious marinated chicken thighs and various types of italian sausages.

on sunday, i woke up fairly early to get my breakfast in bed. after that, the race was on for me. i had to do some grocery shopping for the week as well as get things ready for my parents’ place. unfortunately, i didn’t get much me-time but it was a good day none-the-less.

i’ll make up for it this weekend - other then a doggie playdate we’ve got lined up (depending on weather), we have no other plans. hopefully, we’ll have time to go see thor.

Tagged: bliss, family, friends, .

25/4/2011



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first e-book purchase, easter feast and sunday dog park

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 - through kindle-amazon, to be exact.

but still, i’m happy. happy to have discovered that it was $5 cheaper then the print version, happy to have it available on my ipad, happy to support the earth by going paperless in one more area and happy to be reading a novel by an author with mad writing skills.

so yesterday, i downloaded alice munro’s too much happiness and was able to start reading it last night. i mentioned in my previous post that reading was one thing i really missed and am hoping to bring back. the last time i finished a book was sometime last july/august.

as for the rest of the weekend (and no, the above was certainly not the highlight), it went very well.

friday was rainy and uneventful. but the rain couldn’t have come at a better time as i spent all day indoor to clean and prepare any food preparations for the next day (at least anything i could make ahead of time). doug had to work but as it was a holiday, it wasn’t very busy. he started work at 6am and was able to be home not too long after 2pm. i was so tired by the end of the day - while chaeli and doug stayed up to watch a movie, i fell asleep around 10pm (not too long after they inserted the dvd).

saturday was busy - there were a lot of cooking and setting up the table and giving chaeli a head to toe and last minute cleaning/organizing… but i managed to get whatever i could get done in time to do a bit of yoga. which meant that this week, i was able to do yoga twice - yeay!

my family and one family friend from japan (he was able to get his company to transfer him back to canada), arrived after 5:30pm. the friend is here to get things settled (i.e. finding a new home) so that he can move his family over as soon as school for his two teens is done with. the earthquake and radiation scare made the decision to move back pretty simple - no hesitation what-so-ever. it will be nice to have them all back here.

our easter menu this year was a great success. everyone had seconds (and some had thirds). in the end, we hardly had any leftovers which was a good sign (they loved it and we made just enough to be filling without creating very little room in our fridge for the next few days).

sunday morning, we slept in. all of us. chaeli didn’t come get us until 9:45am which shows how tired she must have been. in fact, she was so tired, she had forgotten about the egg hunt until we reminded her. after that, it didn’t take long for her to hurry us all downstairs where she began finding treats and little easter gifts scattered everywhere in the living/dining room.

it was a challenge this year to hide everything - we had to take into account that hobbes is a great sniffer. but it turned out that hobbes so tired that all he wanted to do was curl up on the couch and snooze with all the egg-hunting excitement going on.

after our traditional, easter sunday brunch, we did the egg colouring and then went out - we took hobbes to a dog park not far from my parents’ place and then visited with my parents for a couple of hours.

once again, i was exhausted. doug and i started to watch ‘salt’ and i fell asleep mid-way. which is becoming my thing. in the past year alone, i have watched the first half of movies way more then any movies from beginning to end. i have a collection of movies i have yet to finish. how sad.

our 2011 easter menu:

deviled eggs

bacon-wrapped enoki mushrooms

salad bundles

herb-marinated roasted lamb

  • rosemary, oregano and thyme: all fresh and finely chopped
  • olive oil
  • garlic
  • salt & pepper
  • basically mix everything and rub all over lamb
  • warp with seran wrap and marinate in fridge overnight
  • slow roast/grill on low heat

roasted vegetables

  • red potatoes, halved
  • big chunks of carrot and parsnips
  • brussells sprouts
  • toss veggies with olive oil and dry herbs (oregan and parsley, for example)
  • roast in oven

pistachio cheesecake

Tagged: bliss, family, friends, geek, health, hobbes, parenting, solitude, .

21/4/2011



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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 i have to return it.

i may resort to purchasing books through kindle-amazon - digital books. if the price is good and it’s a popular book i really want to read.

blogging. of course, i still blog but it’s not as often as i like. but i want to get back to posting at least once a week. blogging has always contributed to me creativity and to not get this outlet as frequently as i use to saddens me.

traveling. unfortunately, this is one area we won’t be able to afford doing for awhile. but i think it’s important that we do one or two weekend get-aways. just for our own sanity. i’m not placing this high on our list but it’s definitely something not to be completely ignored.

hiking. the weather is getting warmer which means we’ll be taking more walks and hikes on the weekends. yeay! it wasn’t just the exercise it gave all of us, but a chance for us to explore different trails and towns outside of our city.

yoga. i do do yoga, but not weekly like i want to. in fact, there was a time i did it twice a week and it felt great! so i’m going to try and squeeze it in at least once a week, on top of my other workouts.

the one thing i have had more time for is working out. for the past couple of months, i have found a way to introduce it back into my life - on a more consistant basis. it’s not perfect and sometimes, it needs to change week to week in order to fit it into my busy lifestyle, but i’m happy that i’m at least doing something.

so here’s to the end of winter and all the things i hope to do!

Tagged: bliss, family, health, parenting, solitude, travel, .

30/3/2011



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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 the issues i’ve been facing at work. and trying, where possible, to come up with a solution.

since our country weekend get-away, hobbes has come back extremely matted. and while we did try to detangle the furry mess, it was just impossible. at least impossible to do it without causing him pain. since then, it’s only gotten worse as he scratches and gnaws at them, making each knot bigger and bigger.

we spoke with our groomer and she basically said that when dog reachs this point, the only they can do is give them a shave.

it’s time to change the style anyway. 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 grades, with one new section graded in english (novel study) and two new sections for math (data management and problem solving). in total, there are now 6 sections graded in each core subjects. she received mainly B+ (high 80’s) and some A- (low 90’s). we were pleased because the comments were all positive and while the grades did not change much, the material did - much more comprehensive and difficult then in the first term.

what was also nice was to see that in all other subjects, she received from A- to A+, with an exception in science (B+).

i had to laugh when i read that her one A+ was in computer studies. i made a remark to doug, “yeah, i’m not worried about her grade in computer class - it’s somewhat inherited.”

as for me, i was more into the comments this time then the grades. and am learning that the teacher’s comments shed way more light then a mere letter or grade.

anyway, chaeli was totally eager to see her own resutls. i let her read it at the back of the car on the way home the day we receive the report card in her folder at school. all i could hear was exhasperated whispers of “YESSSS!!!” from the back as she went down the list of grades.

there are about 3 more weeks of doug’s two-nights per week classes and it’s a major countdown for me. the long winter on top of a lot of things happening for work for me, has made the mid-week and half of the weekends where he gone, pretty tough. he’s tired, i’m tired… and the crazy thing is that part of my frustration is that i can not work late either tuesdays or wednesdays which are usually the days that are more optimal for me to work late. i’ve been working late fridays instead and then bringing home work.

who wants to work late on fridays and over the weekend when they can get it over earlier in the work week?

so it’s a bit ironic… i’m countding down to the weeks where i can work late on those two days which is a wierd thing to want to do. but given the option, it’s the lesser of two evils.

Tagged: family, hobbes, parenting, random, rant, travel, .

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