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, .

01/7/2011



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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.

Tagged: bliss, day trips, hobbes, parenting, photography, .

09/6/2011



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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 turns to rain and overcast skies.

  • chaeli has now finished her four captain underpants chapter books and just started her first of five diary of a wimpy kid chapter book series. i didn’t realize she was that far ahead. damn - my kid gets to read more then i do! but i’m still happy for her that she’s not only able to read and understand herself, but purely enjoying the experience.

  • we work beside this hotel. not a bad hotel. i would probably say it is a 3 star hotel which is pretty standard over here. our cafeteria is situated right next to the parking lot of this hotel and you can clearly do some people watching from the windows. apparently, there is one man who is a repeat customer - each time he checks in, he’s with another lady.

  • the ‘children of the corn’ neighbours moved out a couple of weeks ago. just like that. we didn’t even know they were selling. and while the walls are thin enough not to cover all noise, so far, our new neighbours are a big improvement. at the same time, who knows how long our lucky streak will last. it is a little odd that i have never even seen them. all i see is their car. and some things they’ve moved to the back patio. anyway, i can go out and enjoy the backyard without having two creepy kids standing next to each other, and staring at me so deeply i’m expecting laser lights to shoot out of their eyeballs.

  • hobbes is starting to ‘talk’ to us. up until now, the sounds he makes have been limited - barking, growling, whining and big sighs. now, he is making noises that are sounding like he is trying to talk to us. i’ve seen this happen with other dogs and sometimes, it can take a few years to develop. it will be nice, though, if he reaches that point. i would much rather hear this type of ‘talking’ over barking and whining.

  • there was a thing on the radio - of how people take their ipad with them to the washroom. and i have to say, that makes sense. it’s not too much different from reading a book, magazine or newspaper while sitting on the loo. in fact, i’ve read most of your blogs while on the loo.

Tagged: geek, hobbes, parenting, random, rant, .

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, .

13/5/2011



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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 just happened?” as in… where did the week go? what significant thing even happened this week? WHO AM I AGAIN?

anyway…

summer is starting to come but the rain seems to be hitting us on most weekends. that sucks. seriously. that makes me want to shake my fist to the sky and scream, “why, god, why???” it’s cruel, really. not fair at all.

plus, i have a dog that hates to be out in the rain. it’s a little embarrassing but in all honesty, i can’t say that i blame him.

and now that i am finding myself finally on a friday, i am graced with a flat tire - a slow leak that didn’t show any signs of a problematic tire until just now when a good co-worker thankfully gave me heads up about it.

as i look at the weekend forecast, once again… RAIN! ALL WEEKEND LONG!

it’s time to sit back, make some tea and read a good book.

Tagged: hobbes, rant, .

11/5/2011



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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 didn’t think much of it. until i got the very top landing. a landing which is also home to a very large, potted plant. usually, this plant sits there pretty insignificantly - letting us pass by it almost unnoticed since it now is just blended in to that top-landing scenery.

that day, however, while the plant was still as it was in it’s usual corner directly under our skylight, there was dirt circling around it as well as a trail of dirt on our carpet.

i looked at it and muttered, damn dog.

i quickly changed and then headed downstairs to find him. but… he was no where to be found. what he did was head down to the basement to sit with my dad. now, the couch we have down there is right next to the stairs so that when you sit down and turn your head to the left, you can see up the stairway. apparently, hobbes was sitting on the opposite side of my dad from the stairs, peeking up the whole time. as soon as i appeared, he ducked down. and when i came downstairs to get him heck, he even tries to scurry behind my dad.

my dad didn’t move for him - when hobbes surrendered to defeat, he flopped his chin on my dad’s lap as he looked up at me. if dogs could talk, i swear, the words coming from hobbes would have been something like, “oh mom. i’m sorry - i couldn’t help myself!”

i must say, it’s hard to stay mad when they look this cute and obviously sincere. still - i had to finish this off. so i carried him upstairs and went through the whole procedure… pointing at the mess, asking him in a stern voice if he did all that, then confirming that what he did was bad. the whole time, his ears were as low as possible, he was slouched over with his head hanging down. he also was trying to avoid eye contact - doug says it’s ‘the look of shame’ that they fear.

then, while he looked away with guilt, he raised his paw and tried to offer me a paw-shake.

i must admit - it’s damn hard trying to stay angry when all you want to do is laugh!

Tagged: hobbes, parenting, rant, .

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, .

07/4/2011



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naked hobbes

Hobbes-shaved

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 if that’s for comfort or more because now that he’s not covered with thick fur, he doesn’t get over-heated like he use to.

one afternoon, while i snoozed on the couch, he actually curled up in a tight little ball and napped on my tummy the entire time.

i’m totally taking advantage of the extra cuddle-time!

Tagged: bliss, hobbes, parenting, .

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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