06/7/2011



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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 australian. and kind of hot. at least that’s what i noticed - it wasn’t actually looking, per say. i mean, when beauty presents itself infront of you, you notice.

and i just sounded like a guy right now who got caught with wandering eyes.

anyway, they had a board put up with both a headshot photo, name and profie next to each picture.

the purpose of this board, i would presume, is for parents to know who is who and therefore, know who is interacting with their child each day. i like that, of course - there should never be anything to hide when it comes to caregiving. the more they share, the more comforting it is to us.

but i couldn’t help but notice how gorgeous everyone was! of course, the headshots are professionally done and is required by any actor/actress to have a supply of them, just as any of us requires business cards. it’s part of their portfolio/resume, after all.

so there i was, just standing there, stunned and wondering if chaeli will at all even remember that her days here at this particular camp might just be the only time she will be lead by a staff THAT good-looking. like… all of them.

plus, their portfolio read like a resume, almost.

anyway, i’m looking forward to the show next week. and hoping chaeli has a fabulous time!

Tagged: parenting, .

04/7/2011



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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 key, really, to growing.

the roller coaster effect was due to the ups and downs of what i would say was a transitional year for her. as mentioned before, grade one was a whole new world. especially at a more academic environment. but it was well worth it. not just for the end-result, but more due to the journey. she has learned so much - both text-book information and so much more. most importantly, she has learned the value of working hard and putting her effort into doing well. the reminder we set forth to her is that the effort is key. i would MUCH rather take a hard B then an easy A anyday. so when her first two report cards came with mostly B’s and just the odd A’s here and there, we were content. only because we witnessed how hard she worked to learn all these new lessons and concepts.

by the third term, however, it was evident that the hard work was pulling off. she was getting things with much more ease and able to understand the concepts better. and while we were happy, but not surprised, to see all A’s on her 3rd report card, i was, once again, much more delighted with the teacher’s comments.

a grade is just a grade. but the comments gives us a more fuller picture in areas where she has improved. or maybe is still struggling - it’s things we want to know.

she also walked away with two awards, one for ‘caring’ and one for the academic achievement in computer studies (academic awards are given to about 5 students per grade in each subjects).

still, it was an emotional last two weeks as the last day approached us. chaeli had been talking about how she didn’t want the school year to end. she even asked her teachers if she could carry a box of tissues on the final day - claiming she was afraid she would be crying all day long. one of the teachers said that in her 17 years of working in this profession, she has never heard a child say something even close to that. it almost got her choked up.

but the teachers did a great job maintaining a positive energy throughout the last day. the children had a lot of fun as they partied and played.

some of the parents, however, did spill some tears. i was close but was able to hold it in. it’s just hard to say good-bye to not just one great teacher, but two! both home room teachers were just so hard-working, caring and wonderful. the level of team commitment with each other, the school and with us was outstanding. i plan to write a letter to the vice-principal and principal to show my appreciation and to give props to the two teachers. it’s the least i can do.

that pretty much sums up the last day… except one more thing. the latest scoop is that chaeli got back together with her previous boyfriend from earlier in the school year. but they forgot to exchange phone numbers which frankly is fine by me.

Tagged: bliss, parenting, .

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, .

23/6/2011



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about the birds and the bees talk - the questions get tougher

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.”

“what… did you just change your mind?”

“i dunno.”

“well, is he okay? is he sad?”

“i dunno.”

it’s like she’s 7 going on 16. this isn’t good. not at all.

so we had a talk where she can’t just go around playing her friends like that. and that if she’s going to ask a boy to be her boyfriend, she should at LEAST commit to it for two weeks (which for their age is the standard time of a long-term relationship).

a day later, my parents picked her. my mother told me that chaeli had asked them, “if i have a boyfriend, does that mean i’ll get pregnant? i don’t want to get pregnant.”

then my father pulled me aside and said, “when you two are alone, TALK TO HER!”

most likely, the mystery of why she broke up with this boy only after two days has been solved.

and i’ll be honest… it is tempting to let her believe this myth. just think… staying away from boys! for fear of getting pregnant! any chance i can let this go on until here teen years?

probably not. and the anxiety it is creating isn’t healthy. damn.

i’ll be checking out, It’s So Amazing!: A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families pretty soon.
 

Tagged: parenting, .

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, .

19/5/2011



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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.

last night was one of those moments.

just to back-track, chaeli was a bit slow on learning how to read at the level she was suppose to be at. not because she couldn’t do it, but because she was in an environment for JK and SK that didn’t give her a kick-start. which really, wasn’t a problem for doug and i. we were actually trying to allow her a childhood before she was forced to grow up five times faster then normal once she started grade one.

of course, due to a crappy school in our area with no before/after childcare support what-so-ever, we made the leap into enrolling her in a private school… one that was slightly more academic and had her put into a grade two and something three level scenerio.

this caused massive panic attacks for me. i questioned myself day in and day out - was this the right move to make? am i putting too much pressure on her? perhaps i didn’t worry about this daily - but it was on my mind a lot in the first month and a half.

well, last night, she was asking me if she could have some extra time to read that night. not wanting to ever take away the joy of reading, i told her that i would allow her 15-20 minutes before we had to get ready for bed.

and that’s when i discovered that she was 2/3rds into her chapter book. granted, it was ‘captain underpants’ but as i watched her read, i could tell how much she was into it. she was laughing at the funny parts and serious at others. she wasn’t just reading but completely absorbed into the story. so i asked her later, which book she was going to read next. her library shelf has a section where she organized all her chapter books - she showed me the next two she wanted to read with sheer excitement.

i think what made me proud was that she was showing so much enthusiasm. and i know i didn’t get into reading until much later. grade three was probably when i started to enjoy it.

it’s a valuable tool. i’m happy she’s picked it up. reading has been a way for me to gain so much more knowledge. it makes me think about things and the way the world is… the way people are. and of course, the ability to escape… even if just for 15-20 minutes.

Tagged: bliss, 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, .

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, .

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