Cindy's Corner

2012 Book 5 -- Unconditional Parenting

2012-02-10T00:25:00.001-05:00

Amazon.ca Link: Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason

This is a departure from last week's Pride and Prejudice. This time, it's a parenting book. When it comes to parenting books, I tend to read the more liberal, more gentle and sometimes radical ones. This one is no exception.

(Because I don't necessarily agree with everything the book says, I'll use italics on my own point of view.)

This book looks at, and beyond, discipline. The premise of the book is, if our long-term goal as parents is to raise our children to become responsible, self-reliant, confident, loving adult who are willing to take on challenges without (too much) fear of failure, then discipline, whether done in the form of reward or punishment, is not the best way to achieve it.

It's not what the parents say or do that counts--it's what the child perceive as the message behind it.

The book claims, discipline is a way of sending a message you only love your child under a certain set of conditions (hence the author coined the phrase "conditional parenting"). Some such messages can be, "I only love you when you get straight A's" or "I only love you if you can sit still during dinner." When conditional parenting is constantly applied, the child's sense of worth is reliant on external factor (parents) instead of from within.

The problem, the book claims, for most "child disciplinary issues" is, often times the issues aren't issues except parents make them to be. That is, "my child is not eating three square meals day--he's only eating snacks all the time and not a bite during meal time" is not a problem unless the parents perceive it as one. Some of these "problems" are parents' failure to understand the physical and cognitive limitations of the child. (In the specific example, when a child is hungry, she needs to eat. If she's able to find food, she eats. It's a physical need. Some possible "solutions" to this "problem" are, move the meal time earlier, provide healthy and balanced snacks.) Other times, it's parents projecting their own expectations, happiness and fear without respecting or even paying any attention to that of the child.

I vividly remember one time when I took FBB to the paediatrician's office for a check up. One (Chinese) mom was there with her two children -- the older one, a girl, was about 8 years old, wearing white jeans; the younger one, a son, was around 5. The children did what children usually do -- they played with the toys in the waiting room, which were on the floor. The mom kept babbling her disapprovals--nay, disgusts--for at least 10 minutes: "that thing is so filthy! Why are you playing with that?" (OK, lady, what's the message you're sending to the other parents who let their children play with them?) "I told you not to wear white because you'll get them dirty. See? Now they're dirty!" (Um, why did you get her a pair of white jeans in the first place then?) I sat there, quietly entertaining my own son, and thought, "how miserable it must be to be her children, to be basted in such negativity every day!" Now I look at it from a different angle -- she was having unrealistic expectations and did not take her children's needs and wants and opinions into regard.

The book claims punishments, or negativity in general, is psychologically harmful. This includes everything from corporal punishments to time-outs to phrases such as "why can't you do anything right?" They have a long term effect on the child's self-esteem. The book claims, when a child does something wrong and perhaps already suffering the consequences of it, it's the time when she needs love the most, and punishment sends the message of abandonment instead of love.

I find it sometimes hard to refrain from at least being angry, if not actually punishing, when FBB did something "wrong," which often means he was being "unreasonable" and/or "uncooperative" in our eyes. He gets stubborn beyond belief when his energy level is low, and I can easily lose my patience if we're running late or if I was a little under the weather as well. In the heat of the moment, I felt myself boiling with thoughts such as, "why can't he just cooperate when I'm so damn busy?!" or "why the #@!% is he insisting on the blue one when I gave him the red?!" Oh yes, I would snap. But when I cool down, I can usually see the reasons behind his actions, and find myself bearing some of the blame. Reconciliation often involves me saying sorry for my actions and words, and trying my best to put his thoughts and reasons into words, and then explain to him why I didn't agree with him and what we both could have said or done to avoid such situation.

One controversy of the book is manners. The book says, if we tell our children to say the magic phrases like "thank you," "please," and "sorry" when they don't mean it, we're actually teaching them to lie.

I can attest, at least with FBB, when he says "thank you" and "sorry" spontaneously, it's from his heart. Nothing says "sorry" louder than him come over hugging me and almost crying because he felt bad for hurting me, even if unintentional.

As for rewards, the problem with tangible rewards is quite self-evident, if I ever look at how it applies to myself introspectively. When you get a tangible reward (say, $10), it's natural that the next time you get the same reward for performing the same task, you'll be less happy about the reward, since you've already received it once. In other words, rewards lose the luster rather quickly. The only way to keep achieving the same level of excitement is to up the ante. Worse yet, you can only up the ante so much--eventually, either you can't keep up with the expectation, or nothing else in the same category seems to provide any additional excitement. (If you have 12 exotic sports cars in your garage, even adding a one-of-a-kind super-car to the collection won't be as exciting as the first one.)

We use bribery, albeit sparingly. Specifically, FBB gets a few stickers for poo poo. Also, I sometimes give him treats to gain compliance of random, irregular things, such as taking him to a place he doesn't really want to go. But then, he regularly gets to play with stickers, so the poo poo stickers aren't all that special. As for treats, I also give him some occasionally for no apparent reasons. IMO, it's not too hard to refrain from giving out rewards to a three-year-old, since there aren't that many "achievements" worth celebrating for with lavish rewards at this age. I may feel different about this issue if/when I have a 10-year-old competing in hockey league.

Perhaps the most controversial point of the book is, praises like "good job" are actually not good. Studies (and the book is littered with psychology study results) have shown that when a child is given a reward, even if it's a verbal one like "good job," after achieving a task, a few patterns emerge:

The child is less likely to enjoy the same task again.
When allowed to choose between two tasks of different levels of difficulty, the child will tend to take on the easier one (to receive the reward again) instead of the more difficult one (to avoid not receiving the reward in case of failure).
When asked to perform a more difficult task, the child is more likely to give up than if he weren't given the reward.
If the task is an act of altruism or generosity (e.g. clean up the park), the child is more likely to perceive it as a chore than a generous act after-the-fact.

My point of view: While I don't agree with not saying "good job" at all, I make an effort to praise for the effort (which was proven by multiple studies to encourage people to try harder next time, children and adults alike) instead of the result. (Confession: I don't do that often enough.) Also, with my personal experience, even though FBB is at the young age of 3, I find asking about specifics on the task is better -- "How did you cut the octagon out from the paper?" "Why did you choose to colour this purple?" "What are you making?" "Was it difficult?" "Did you like this?" By asking these questions, I can gain more insights on his abilities and thought process.

When it was a good deed, praising can get especially tricky. Phrases like "if you share your crackers with Johnny, maybe he'll share his blueberries with you," may sound innocent enough, but it promotes self-interest (assuming the child likes blueberries, of course). The best way to praise in the point of view of the recipient encourages the child to empathize. For example, "I see that you shared your snacks with Johnny. He must be happy not to be hungry!"

We tend to say "thank you" much like a praise whenever FBB helps with any chore. While I don't know if it's the main drive for him to do chores or does it just feed the fire (initially he seemed to love to do housework because it's something he sees us do all the time), I don't think he's getting the message that we love him only if he does chores.

So what are we to do as parents? First of all, respect the child. Respect his limitations, respect his abilities, respect his thoughts, respect his feelings. Secondly, don't just "do things to" kids; "work with" kids. In addition, trust the child's intention to be the best possible given all the evidence available.

It means letting children participate in decisions affecting and especially regarding them.

It means giving the child choices -- and for older child, ask him to come up with some of the choices.

It means don't belittle, say, your child's fear of imaginary monster -- to her, it's very real and legit.

It means constantly communicate with your child and foster the trust, both ways.

It means setting reasonable expectations with regard to the child's ability -- if he can't sit still for a three-hour wedding banquet, either don't take him to the occasion, have some activities planned for him, or notify the host he'll need to roam and see if there's anything anyone can do to accommodate.

It means explaining instead of yelling and accusing.

It means when your child comes home with a black eye, don't automatically assume he was in a fistfight.

It means, set boundaries (for older children, involve them in establishing the boundaries), and let the child explore freely within.

I agree with these proposals in general. We do quite a lot of these already, and we don't have any major complains on FBB's development--for that, I have my mom to thank.

She let FBB fed himself with whatever utensil struck his fancy (nothing sharp of course) back when he was a year old, resulting in a gigantic mess every time, and just cleaned up without complaint.

She shows us by offering FBB choices, he is often more satisfied. (What clothes he's wearing day-in and day-out is not something worth fighting over.) She also shows us that it's easier to gain compliance on other matters after we let him make some decisions.

She shows us that, when he wants to do dishes, we can let him help, while reminding him only to do the ones within his ability (touch wood, he hasn't broken anything yet).

She shows us that, when playing with FBB, it's important to play *with* him, not imposing rules on how a game should be played.

She shows us that, when FBB didn't achieve something for the first time (score a basket), it was uttermost important to send encouragement to try again instead of saying he wasn't good. To this day, we don't say "you suck" when he (or anyone else) misses. We don't even keep scores.

Most of all, she demonstrated the importance of being emotionally available. In my opinion, nothing else says "I love you" unconditionally more so than this.

2012 Book 4 -- Pride and Prejudice

2012-01-30T21:40:00.000-05:00

Project Gutenberg link: Pride and Prejudice

Confession time: Before I embarked on this reading project -- nay, even before I actually "picked up" this book (from Project Gutenberg's Top 100 lists) -- I always thought Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen was what I would consider a "pretentious" book. After all, if a book is considered one of the literary classics, it must be, no? At least that was my presumption on anything that could be selected as a mandatory reading by a high school English class.

How fittingly ironic for a book with "prejudice" in its name to change my mind.

Two things sparked my interest of ever opening this book. First, Jane Austen Knits, a new special issue of a knitting magazine, was published late last year. While I have yet to even glance that publication (which I do not own a copy of), I learned from the description of it that Jane Austen was a writer of fiction works with female protagonists. Armed with that information, my mind was more open to reading Pride and Prejudice when I saw the came preinstalled with my Kobo app for Android and the author was Jane Austen.

I opened the book, and found it hard to put down. Such is how I usually consume novels I like. Indeed, I would have devoured the whole book in one sitting were it not for other obligations fighting for my attention.

I will spare everyone a synopsis or review of this book, since there are plenty, as judged from reading the book's Wikipedia entry. Personally, Pride and Prejudice has greatly influenced my style of writing, even if temporarily.

A glance at Project Gutenberg's top 100 lists should provide more potential reading material in my coming months. Before you ask, I have no intention of reading the book currently ranked #1, Kama Sutra. (And if I do read that, in this year or ever, I will most definitely not tell you about it.)

2012 Book 3 -- The Year of Living Biblically

2012-01-29T17:59:00.000-05:00

Amazon.ca affiliate link: Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

This is a book I meant to read for a while. The premise is simple: the author decided to live a year following all the rules and laws laid out in the Bible as literally as possible.

The author is Jewish by birth but is secular and liberal. (After all, he is the editor-at-large at Esquire--probably not a magazine a pious soul would choose to be affiliate with.) I secretly think part of the reason he took on this project was to ridicule the Judo-Christian Bible (the many versions of it).

It's obvious most of the laws he (initially) considered as ridiculous (even if he didn't use this word) are no longer practiced by most Jews/Christians/Catholics. The list includes famous ones such as "eye for an eye" (because you'll get into legal trouble doing so in most countries). It also has some which are rather impractical in city life, such as deeming a woman unclean for the seven days after the start of her menstruation period -- which means no physical contact, no sharing bed or indirect contact (i.e. if she sat on a chair or touched a pole, you shouldn't), and not eating food she cooks. And then there are the obscure ones which even many religious leaders don't have a very good or convincing explanation for, such as no mixing of fiber in clothing.

(As a knitter myself, I interpret the last one as all blends are no-go. Apparently, as explained to the author, the rule specifically means no mixing of wool and linen. Polyester blends are OK. Still, I wouldn't risk with any blends if I were to choose to follow it.)

The story of the author's attempt to follow the Bible is intertwined with his family's decision to have another child, which ended with his wife delivering twins conceived via IVF. IVF, abortion, and homosexuality are probably the most hotly debated issues among the religious. Personally I have no problem with IVF, but it's not something I want to put myself through if at all avoidable. (Trust me, go read up what it actually involves on the woman's part.)

I'm mildly amused that the author discovered while practically no sect of Judo-Christianity actually follows the Holy Book to the dot, some fringe sects do follow some Bible verses a little too literally--such as handling snakes, venomous ones, in sermon every week.

If his words are to be believed, after actively studying the Bible and seeking advice from religious leaders for a year, the author did transform into a more religious person (although still not necessarily a believer of God) at the end of the project.

I'm sure walking around New York in a white robe, a staff, and an unruly beard already makes one highly self-conscious.

This post clears my review backlog. I can now focus on my current book and picking out the next one.

2012 Book 2 -- What to Say When You Talk to Your Self

2012-01-28T17:56:00.000-05:00

Amazon.ca affiliate link: What to Say When You Talk to Your Self

I saw the recommendation on this book from a comment on a blog post discussing "invisible scripts". The book is a guide to replace all the negative things we say to ourselves, either silently or out loud, with positive things. By "reprogramming" our mind to positive thoughts, the book says, we can change our behaviour for the better.

For example, almost every woman thinks she has (at least) 5lbs too fat when she looks into the mirror. She'll say (or think) something along the line of "I'm too fat" or "I'm ugly". Replacing those thoughts with "I have a healthy body" and "I am beautiful" will actually make her happier, bolster her self confidence, and actually make her more beautiful. (This example is mine, not from the book.)

I don't know if I buy into the whole premise of "change your thinking, change your life." The instructions in the book also seems repetitive and a little hallow.

On the other hand, merely raising the awareness of the existence of such negative thoughts, or failed expectations, is enlightening. I suppose I should test-drive it for a week before making definite conclusion that it is just fluff. Maybe it will make my life a little better if I try this. As the saying goes, "shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."

2012 Book 1 - Spousonomics

2012-01-27T17:33:00.000-05:00

Amazon.ca affiliate link: Spousonomics: Using Economics to Master Love, Marriage, and Dirty Dishes

I picked up this book on the "New & Hot" shelf at the library (along with the curiously titled Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit, which was picked for me by my beloved three-year-old son because it features a tomato on the cover).

The fascination of economics in non-traditional aspects in recent years, a movement popularized if not started by the bestseller Freakonomics, is a curious one. Since that book, everyone seems to rush to apply "economics" to topics which most people wouldn't put the two in the same sentence.

My formal education on economics was limited to one high school course taught by a teacher with a rather funny last name, Mr. Agg. (I vividly remember him showing me one of the assignment submissions he received from our class, with his name misspelled as "Mr. Egg" on the title page. I never knew what he did about that.) Aside from vague memories of Keynesian economics theory and supply-demand curve, I have forgotten what was taught in that class.

Back to the book. The topic and tagline seemed interesting enough. I finished it within a week.

I felt like most of the "problems" in the book, each presented as a single case study, fall in the "really? Couples do that?" category. (For example, if a couple do really keep score on splitting housework 50/50 to-the-dot, it's a wonder they haven't annulled the marriage in two weeks.) The problems and their respective "solutions" are forcefully pigeonholed into an economics context, without taking too much consideration on the emotional side of human nature. In particular, the resolutions to the problems seem more wishful thinking than real.

Instead of the advertised benefit of improving my marriage, I feel like it worked the other way around--it taught me more about economics principles in a non-traditional setting. For example, the section on hyperbolic discount was a big revelation to me--it clearly explains what goes through my head when I exercise (or how rationalize the decision to skip it).

Would I recommend this book? Yes, if you're looking for a lighthearted, entertaining read. If you're in a relationship heading towards marriage counseling, however, I suggest you to pick more serious stuff.

2012 Resolution: Reading

2012-01-26T16:42:00.000-05:00

On an odd day in January 2012, I've finally decided what I should try to do in 2012 -- read more.

To be exact, I meant reading 52 books in 2012, the equivalent of one book every week.

Since I actually made the decision right before Chinese New Year, I suppose I could made it slightly easier for myself by making it a resolution for the Year of Dragon, but I didn't. It was only three weeks into the (Gregorian) calendar then, and I have finished reading two books already.

In other words, I was only one week behind when I made up my mind. I just need to find 50 more books to read. Not a difficult task if one glances at my bookshelves. (I've since finished another book and over 50% done on the fourth.)

I decided to lay some ground rules on what is considered a "valid" book, lest I cop out and devour my son's collection in a single sitting:

The book must be in English. Part of the rationale behind this project is to improve my English literacy. I read Chinese books too fast anyway.
It must not cost me additional money to acquire the reading material. In other words, I either already own the book (in any medium) or I can borrow it (from library or acquaintance).
The book may be a physical (i.e. printed-on-paper) book, an eBook, or an audiobook.
Magazines don't count, even if they are National Geographic.
The book may be fiction or non-fiction. I have very little interest in fiction works written in English though, so I foresee a year of mostly non-fiction ahead of me.
For better or for worse, references don't count. (Not that I plan on reading thesauruses, but I do have more than a few knitting stitch dictionaries and books filled with knitting patterns.)
For technical books, those which "teaches" a single language (e.g. books with titles like "Learning Ruby", "Android Programming") don't count, but higher level work (theories, observations, comparatives, mindset, etc.) and more general topics (e.g. "how to become a better blogger") do count. I'm still debating whether a book on, say, designing a data storage in the post-relational-database era, should be included in the list. I'll come back to that if/when I encounter such a book and I want to read it.
I will write a review for each book.
The book must be mostly written; that is, not graphical in nature.
The book must be read for my own leisure/pleasure, not as a required reading imposed by others.
The book may be a reread, providing it has been more than a year since I read it. (The last three points cover the "preschooler bookshelf" loophole.)

There. I think it covers all the self-imposed restrictions. Now I should go about and write the reviews for the three books I've already read.

P.S. It feels almost weird to blog on Blogger again, after the long hiatus of blogging mostly about the little guy.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

Jamaican Beef Patty FTW!

2011-11-07T11:25:00.002-05:00

Back in a bygone era (early '90s), I lived in an area with a fairly large population of Jamaicans. Back then, one of my favourite snack food was Jamaican beef patty. It was cheap, around $0.70 each, and readily available at convenience stores nearby.

Life changed, we have since moved away from that area, and I haven't had a patty for long time. A few years ago, I had a sudden craving for one. I walked to the nearby corner store, expecting to find them there. To my major disappointment, that store, and other nearby stores, didn't have Jamaican beef patties, only hot dogs. I don't think I ever got the patty fix I looked for back then.

Two weeks ago, I happened to be hungry and at a strip mall with a George's Tastee store. I walked in, bought a beef patty ($1.10 now -- inflation was alive and well in this city), devoured it, and told my mom about it. Her reaction was, "hey, why didn't you get one for me? I love that too! I remember when you guys were young and had them all the time." Sorry, Mom, I didn't know you like it as well!

Last week, we had lunch at a different strip mall with a George's Tastee store. After lunch, I bought a big box of frozen beef patty. Mom and I had it as part of our lunch the next day. We were both happy.

2011 Camping Round Up

2011-09-07T14:59:00.002-05:00

Last year, FBB went camping for the first time. This year, we decided to double the fun: we went camping with Daniel's parents at Algoquin during civic holiday long weekend, and camped with the CC gang at Bon Echo during Labour Day long weekend.

Both trips were fun and interesting in their own ways. Daniel's parents both had camping experiences "back in the days" when they were young, but their last camping trip--their first car camping trip, Canadian style--was almost 20 years ago. As such, they were both delighted when we offered them the opportunity to come camping with us. In fact, Daniel's dad was so excited that he bought some new camping gear, including inflatable bed and propane lamp. (They already have a "modern" tent from their last camping trip in the 90's.)

Due to some prearranged engagements, they couldn't join us until around dinner time of our second day at Algonquin. Both of them were very, very, pleasantly surprised to find us already enjoying hot pot for dinner, complete with chopsticks, bowls, and everything else needed for hot pot. After all, Daniel and I took on the responsibility to pack all the food and utensils for them, telling them they only needed to bring their own tent, clothing, personal hygiene, and sleeping arrangements. It made for a rather uneasy ride for FBB, as the back seat was packed full to the brim.

The next day, we rented two canoes, as Daniel's mom always said she loves rowing. As we entered the canoes, I fully expect FBB to clutch onto me like he did last year. Imagine my surprise when he not only was no longer scared of being on a canoe, but he immediately grabbed a paddle (my paddle) after getting inside! It took 30 seconds for us to determine FBB was not going to let go of the paddle, so Daniel had to rush back to the canoe rental truck to grab the smallest paddle they have available for FBB. As we started paddling, FBB also "paddled": although, as Daniel puts it, it was "negative productivity," as he doesn't really know how to paddle and screwed up the direction of our canoe. I had to spend more of my energy correcting our course than usual. It wasn't too bad though, since Daniel's parents have actually never canoed, and they had some trouble coordinating and steering. In addition, despite it being the most leisurely canoeing trip I've ever had, Daniel's parents were both quite fatigued by the return trip.

The best thing about camping with Daniel's parents is, I could pawn FBB off to them and finally be useful again at cooking, packing and other chores. As much as FBB meant to be helpful when we were packing, it was much easier to get things done when he wasn't around. During packing, everyone played the "how about you go ask Mama/Baba/Grandma/Grandpa if he/she needs help?" Well, everyone, except Daniel's dad, who has the patience of a saint, especially around his grandchildren. He was also very generous as always, giving us the new inflatable bed and the new propane lamp, both of which we reluctantly accepted.

The Labour Day camping trip was a different kind of fun. The last time we went camping with pretty much the same people, I was pregnant with FBB. Back then, it was just five friends: Jit, Sheepie, Wolfie, and us. This time, we have an additional adult (Kat), and two toddlers, FBB and Charis. FBB, the seasoned veteran at camping, was happy and free to roam around the campsite. On the other hand, it was the first ever road trip and the first time ever sleeping away from home for the much younger Charis. I must say, Sheepie and Wolfie were very brave to attack so many "first times" in one big fell swoop, as the trip also marked the first time Charis was on a ferry, on a canoe, and at the beach.

As Daniel and I and FBB arrived near sunset, we rushed to set up our tent and bed (the same inflatable bed Daniel's dad gave us). It was that moment I saw the starkest contrast between the seasoned and rookie toddler: while FBB was happily jumping on the inflatable bed, Charis was crying for daddy. Understandable, for it was her first time camping. Soon, as she gained familiarity with her surroundings and the people, she was more comfortable.

Jit and Kat arrived the next morning. We took the very short ferry to the other side of the lake, and hiked short trail on top of the cliff. Again, it was Charis' first time on a ferry, and she took it rather well. Just as our last hike near Rainier, FBB managed to fall asleep on the way back, even sleeping through the ferry ride.

After the hike, Jit, Kat, FBB and I hit the beach closer to our camp site. The sand was coarse, but with the aid of the noodle, FBB enjoyed the swimming much more than ever--he even "swam" on his back for the first time, to which he commented, "it's like washing hair!"

Fearing the weather could get worse, we had BBQ for dinner. To my amazement, we actually managed to finish up all the meat I've prepared, which I kept worrying was too much!

The next day, we decided to go canoeing. With six adults and two toddlers, we only rented two canoes and have effectively written off the toddlers' respective moms as paddlers. Well, that's not exactly true for FBB: Daniel managed to find the shortest ever paddle I've ever seen--shorter than FBB himself--in the paddle shed. FBB declared he wanted to sit beside me, not on my lap, and showed off his "paddling skills." Unfortunately, after actually paddling for a while, he was a little tired and just dragged his paddle along the water surface, effectively steering the canoe towards his side. Unaware of FBB's actions, Jit kept trying to correct the course with his strokes on the other side of the canoe, and I tried my best to copy his strokes. Observing in the other canoe, Daniel jokingly, but rather correctly, said, "negative productivity."

Remembering and mixed up with the canoeing at Algonquin last month, FBB kept requesting us to canoe to the beach. In order to satisfy his request, the toddlers and moms were dropped off at the beach before the rest of the group return the canoe. Due to the strong wind, I opted out of swimming, giving Baba a chance to observe the improvements of FBB's "swimming skills." It was also Charis' first time at the beach, and just like FBB, she enjoyed it much more than the swimming classes at the pool.

Hot pot was on the menu for the night, and again, we managed to devour all the meat.

That night, after the little ones have gone to bed and the adults were wrapping things up, it finally started to downpour, something we've been fearing all trip long. Luckily for us, raining stopped the next morning when we need to pack. Before we left, we had a nice warm lunch of SPAM and corned beef with udon.

As we were packing, FBB asked me what I was doing. "Packing," I told him, "we're going home today." I was mildly surprised when he replied, "how about we don't leave? How about we stay?" It was the first time he requested to extend his stay away from home; usually it's the other way around.

I commented to Daniel, "after two years of effort, we've successfully bred a toddler who likes camping." That's the good news.

Swingin' to the West Coast

2011-09-06T17:51:00.002-05:00

Last month, we had the pleasure to spend a week on the other side of the continent. We flew to Vancouver, spent a couple of days in Victoria, then headed south to Seattle to visit my brother.

By now, FBB is a rather well-traveled toddler, having flown to Greece, Hong Kong, and Denver already in his less-than-three years on earth. (Add Las Vegas to the list if counting the time he was in womb.) However, this is the first time he had (to have) his own seat. Thanks to all the money-grabbing ways of Air Canada (and our lack of "status"), we couldn't reserve three seats together for neither flight. Fortunately, our fellow travelers were kind enough to switch seats--come to think of it, I probably would switch seats too, since a happy toddler in flight is much easier to deal with than a grumpy one, especially when you can't really choke the little guy/gal without getting arrested.

It was funny how FBB become slightly confused after landing in Vancouver. He somehow thought we landed at the same airport we came from (Toronto), kept asking about where our red Corolla is. When we got our rental, a Ford Fusion, at the airport, it seemed to confuse him more: "how come we are driving a Ford Fusion?" (That's after he asked what model of car it was.)

Despite technically "visited" Vancouver twice, I have never really explored the city. Both times, I was in the city, or even just the vicinity, for a single meal. This time around, I finally had the chance to at least visit the downtown core in daylight. After landing at the airport, we visited two different Japa Dog locations to fill up our tummy, before taking the ferry to Victoria.

For all the talk of it being the best city in Canada, I was actually a little disappointed at what Victoria has to offer. It feels a lot like Ottawa, only with nicer weather year-round. My opinion will probably change though, when I have the chance to explore the rest of the island, since I much prefer outdoor adventures than city vacations in general. Maybe I should at least visit the Butchart Gardens, but $29 per person seems like a waste of money when neither of us can tell different plants apart. Instead, we went to Abkhazi Garden for both its garden and tearoom.

Our original itinerary called for taking the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles in US, but the 10:30 am ferry was already full by the time we arrived at the dock just before 9:00! With the next ferry at 3:00 pm, we chose to enter US via the land route, taking the ferry to Vancouver instead. That gave us another opportunity to sample the Japanese cuisine Vancouver has to offer: this time, we visited Guu Original for lunch. It wasn't the best restaurant to take an overtired FBB to, but at least the food was good.

After lunch, we headed south of the border to the main "attraction" of the trip: Seattle. There's nothing better after a long road trip than to arrive at a homely destination with homemade meal readily waiting for us. Too homely, perhaps--it reminded a tired FBB of my mom, and he wanted to go back to Toronto to her home instead of staying. Thankfully, that phrase didn't last long. The next morning, my brother took him to the nearby playgrounds, and he had a blast there.

After playground, we went to Pike Place. For lunch, we bought a serving of each of tuna poke (sorry, FBB) and shrimp cocktail at a fish market, the best mac & cheese I've ever had (I think the place is called Beecher's), some rather expensive but extra-sweet and extra-large local-ish nectarines, some awesome clam chowder from Pike Place Chowder. In addition, we bought a piece of salmon for dinner later that night, a soft-serve ice cream cone to calm down FBB, who was scared by the showy yelling of the fish mongers. We also bought some (uncooked) chocolate linguine because I was intrigued, and some chocolate ice cream to go along with it. We didn't have time for the chocolate pasta and ice cream until Friday (the last night we were in Seattle), and they were surely divine.

Next day, we went to Snoqualmie Falls, which Daniel said was a fantastic waterfall in a tranquil and undeveloped area. It was still a fantastic waterfall when we visited, but definitely being developed into a tourist attraction: a spa was built right on top of the waterfall, and trails were being paved. It turns out the hydro company owning the falls and its old hydroelectricity power plants had decided to replace the century-old turbines and powerhouses with newer ones, and develop tourism in the area in one big fell swoop. To further Daniel's disappointment, the old trek to the bottom of the waterfall was closed for rebuilding. At least FBB didn't seem to care: as long as he sees a waterfall, he's a happy fellow.

After visiting Snoqualmie, Daniel said he wanted to visit the northwestern part of Mount Rainier National Park, which he has never been to. Unfortunately, the almost-three-hour drive was rather fruitless, as the road was permanently closed to traffic at the gate of the park. The rangers said we could walk in (after paying up, of course), but it was already late in the day, and we didn't really feel like paying. Instead, we hiked a short trail, about one mile long, right outside the gate.

One funny incident: on the way back from Rainier, Daniel was caught speeding by a cop. The cop was intimidating, as cops probably should be, and his hand was on the gun at all times. With a BC license plate, he knew we were vacationers. He approached Daniel, whose first thought was, "crap, how much is this ticket gonna be?" Then, he checked the passengers--FBB and me--and had pretty much decided to let us go. However, the mere presence of the intimidating stranger and the anxiousness in Daniel's tone were troubling to FBB. He kept asking me, who was sitting beside him, "who is he? What's going on?" I told him, "This is a cop. Baba was caught speeding." After repeating this conversation a few times, FBB's worry level broke through the ceiling and started crying. (I swear, I didn't punch him to make him cry!) After that, the cop just let us go.

The next day, we went orca watching. As always, we gave FBB ample of notice of the day's activity: "we're going to watch orca whale today!" We even called him 「鯨魚楓」("whale FBB") , his Piglet 「鯨魚Pig」("whale Pig"), and he in turn called us 「鯨魚爸」("whale Baba") and 「鯨魚媽」("whale Mama")! 鯨魚Pig even joined us on the boat tour! (We did that to make sure FBB becomes excited about this event, as he doesn't really know much about whales at all.) We spent a good part of the day at sea, seeing a lot of orca whales, some porpoises and sea lions. FBB was tired (and slept on the way back to port), but he certainly enjoyed it.

Doug was able to join us on our "official trip" to Mount Rainier on Friday. ("Official," since the spontaneous trip two days ago didn't work out as planned.) He took us to a supposedly short hike, about three miles round trip, with good view of Mount Rainier. Well, the hike itself was as short as advertised, but the drive to the trail head was hellish: it was 6 miles of unpaved, uneven, and rocky uphill battle full of switchbacks and potholes. The Ford Fusion we rented, as good a car it is, is only a sedan; the drive was definitely more suitable for the likes of Jeep Liberty or Ford F-150. It took us a good part of an hour to get to the trail head. FBB was quite cooperative on the way to the top, where we stayed a long time for a good snack, but he soon fell asleep on the way back, in Daniel's arms no less. Daniel and his sore biceps still had to drive to make our way back to civilization, down that same 6 miles of rock piles.

As for Friday's dinner, FBB christen it "pizza day" as soon as he figured out it was Friday. (Friday is pizza day at his school.) Since none of us were actually hungry when we arrived back in town, we went to a grocery store and bought a frozen pizza. In passing, I lamented we still haven't visited the beloved (by us) department store, Target, which Doug told us was just next door. Ding! We expanded FBB's winter wardrobe, I bought my first pair of pumps in years, and of course, we bought a bunch of the much-loved Choxie chocolate (a store brand of Target).

On Saturday, Doug joined us on our way back north of the border. We stopped at the outlet mall en route--another big part of our trip. Much thanks to Doug, Daniel and I were able to get some kid-less shopping done, with each of us acquiring a pair of shoes and some clothing. We also bought black shoes as part of FBB's new uniform, one pair for now, and another pair in the exact same style, one size larger. (It was "buy one get another half price".) We also ventured into the Burberry outlet store and let ourselves bedazzled by the price tags, playing the "guess the price" inside the store. I was slightly tempted by the bags at the Juicy Couture outlet, but eventually left the store empty handed.

Saturday's dinner was at Kintaro Ramen, which had a line up that took forever to move. Again, FBB was overtired (which seems to be the theme of our trip), so we thought he wouldn't eat much. However, by the time the ramen came--we didn't order FBB's--he was eating so much of it we had to add another one to our order!

Our flight back to Toronto was on Sunday afternoon. Despite staying in Richmond, we decided to visited Vancouver downtown one more time for another delicious meal. This time, I turned to Yelp and found Miura Waffle Milk Bar. The waffle sandwiches were great for a Sunday brunch. Then, Doug took us to the Blenz Coffee down the street to get the dark hot chocolate.

Before we bid adieu to Vancouver, we drove around Stanley Park, stopping only at the Hollow Tree for photo op. Thanks to the car rental arrangement, we also had some time to kill at the airport, where we finally bought a stuffed Orca for FBB--something I wanted to get on our Orca watching trip, but there were actually no stores at the port. The Orca joined Piglet and other stuffed toys on FBB's bed.

Wasaga Beach

2011-07-11T11:27:00.001-05:00

We decided to go to Wasaga Beach yesterday. Unfortunately, a late wake-up time and extended morning frenzy (we ended up packing 2 bags + 1 cooler) meant we didn't get to leave the house until close to noon.

We had lunch at Extreme Pita in Barrie (note to self: pita-as-pizza-dough works really well for pizza-lovin' FBB). Then, we tried to be all cute to avoid the usual traffic, but ended up getting lost! All the detour meant we didn't arrive at the beach until almost 3:30.

When we told FBB we were going to swim in the water and play with sand, he said, "I'm not going to swim. Mama go swim. I'll play with sand." Still, we lured/dragged him into the water. He was visibly uncomfortable in the water. Floating toy and life jacket didn't help much. (Gosh, we specifically bought a bigger size life jacket last year, hoping it'd last longer. It's already too tight at the waist now!) We started splashing water at each other and asking him to chase one of us--he needed to hold onto someone at all times while in the water--and he finally began enjoying it, albeit cautiously.

The sand was a different story. I knew he'd enjoy playing with sand, even with the limited sand toys we brought (a shovel, a ship mold, and a large yogurt container). It's sometimes a wonder why he never plays at sandboxes in parks. (OK, I know the answer: he doesn't like walking on sand, and definitely when there's sand in his sandals/shoes; and he doesn't like to play at the same spot (or with the same toys) with other kids, especially when he doesn't know them.) Surprisingly, Daniel hasn't played much with sand on the beach when he was a kid neither (lack of opportunities), so I had to take them to the "right" sand for building sand castles--not too dry and not too wet. Once I showed them, the boys easily got the hang of it. Daniel even managed to make some perfectly round sand balls!

What's a trip without snacks? This time, we packed a LOT of food--strawberries, corn on the cob, cucumbers, chocolate wafer, peanut butter, bananas, peanuts, almonds, cherries, tofufa... we didn't eat all of them, but enough to keep us full. Daniel was probably really hungry when he packed the cooler in the morning. :D

On the way back, we asked FBB if he enjoyed the beach. "Yes," he replied. We'll probably go there another time before the summer ends.

Vacation

2011-07-06T10:57:00.000-05:00

In the car...
Daniel: Should I take next week off?
Me: It's up to you. Perhaps we can check if there are last minute deals. Do you plan to stay close to home or go aboard?

Me: LOL I wonder if there'd be any $299 flights to Portugal like Iceland last time. I heard it's a nice place to visit.

Laid Off = Laid Back

2011-06-25T23:06:00.000-05:00

I was laid off on Thursday.

It so happened to be a day Daniel chose to work from home. So after I was given "the meeting," I called him up and told him about it, packed up some of my belongings, quietly told another co-worker in the vicinity (our area has become more deserted recently), and left the company I was officially part of for almost 5 years.

It was almost lunch time. I walked out of the building, called up two other colleagues for lunch. After lunch, I decided to go home. However, I called up Daniel and he said FBB hasn't napped yet. So I went to the library instead, and spent 2.5 hours there reading, something I haven't been doing lately.

Many colleagues of past and present offered condolences upon hearing the news. For that, I am deeply grateful. As I have said more than once in the past, the best part of Redknee has always been the people I worked with.

To be honest, I was relieved it was me. My health has never been in a good shape since I came back from maternity leave. (In fact, I had been suppressing hives for the whole week with over-the-counter allergy drug cocktail.) I had long since lost my interest in the work, and have been looking for ways to not spend 10+ hours a day away from home, 5 days a week. Besides, unlike some other coworkers, I am fortunate enough not to have to worry about immediate financial pressure.

The only part I don't like about this? I *just* signed FBB up for 5 full days of school in the months of July and August about two days before! At least I get some "me" time now...

Gardening

2011-06-22T15:14:00.000-05:00

Cindy: Did you see Alex's status about landscaping?
Daniel: Yeah. What's a dry well?
Cindy: LOL no idea. All I know is if it were us, we wouldn't have done any landscaping. The most we'll do is probably plant two cherry trees and they don't need much care.
Daniel: Well, maybe we will. If we have a smaller yard, we don't have to spend half a day every weekend weeding and such.
Cindy: I don't think so. Knowing you and knowing me, there are a gazillion things we'd choose over landscaping or gardening. Just be honest--wouldn't you prefer napping or watching TV than gardening?

My Quest for a New Washer

2011-06-15T22:50:00.000-05:00

As I've lamented for about a year now, the washer left by the previous owner of our home was just a POC: the clothes don't come out clean, and they smell moldy.

(If anyone asks, that's a Kenmore 48172, 3.5 cu. ft. HE front loader. Don't buy it.)

When our fridge died earlier this year (that's another Kenmore, which was an OEM Fridgidaire at heart), we decided to postpone the washer replacement until next year. After all, if we get a new washer, we'd get a decent one.

A decent LG steam washer under $1,000 after tax don't come by often, but it did appear on the Futureshop flyer three weeks ago. We contemplated, but never acted on it.

Right after the flyer deal expired, our washer broke down. Specifically, it doesn't know how to transition from "drain" to "spin."

We declared the washer certified, and set on buying a new one. I was actually very close to buying an LG 2501, after finding one at $849 + tax + shipping. However, knowing what I know about front loaders now, I know I would want extended warranty on it. That brings my cost to over $1,000.

Fortunately, the flyer fairy didn't abandon me completely: Futureshop ran a 10% off all major appliances promotion last weekend. While we were at the store, I did some comparisons: if I buy the LG 2501 and I want it to last longer, I'll need to religiously clean it with Affresh every month. In other words, the electricity cost saved by using an HE front loader is almost negated by the cost of Affresh. On the other hand I could just buy the dumbest el cheapo top loader for half the cost, opt out of the extended warranty, and probably still cost less over the expected life time of the washer--not to mention the non-HE top loader is more likely to last longer than the fancy HE steam front loader.

That's why I now have a 3.9 cu. ft. Whirlpool top-loader ($399 - 10% + shipping + hose + tax). I'm happy to have clean clothes using only one cycle, and that it takes less than an hour to get it done.

Parent-Teacher Interview

2011-06-10T17:31:00.000-05:00

Teacher: Let's start off with gross motor skills. I noticed FBB has great gross motor skills: when we play balls in the gym, he passes the ball very accurately. He'd sometimes point to the basket and ask us (in motion) to shoot the ball as well.
Me: It's no surprise. He has a child-size basketball hoop at home which he plays with a lot. Also, he goes to watch Daddy play basketball every Saturday, and plays with real basketball with adults there.
Teacher: I also noticed he mostly uses his left hand.
Me: We noticed that too--he mostly uses his left hand to hold chopsticks or to draw as well.
Teacher: Hmm... but I've noticed he uses his right hand with finer movement.
Me: Really?
Teacher: Yeah. We have this work where he sews buttons--the fabric is held in embroidery hoop and sewing with blunt darning needle and embroidery thread. I noticed he holds the button with his left hand and sews with his right.
Me: That's interesting. Perhaps he sees me knit and sew with my right? I have no idea.
Teacher: It could be that he chooses to use his dominant hand to hold the button.

Teacher: Onto his language skills. Given the short period of time he's in school and English is not his first language, we can't really assess his language skills. I mean, he says "thank you" and "please," but that's pretty much it. He mostly uses gestures to get his point across.
Me : (Not a concern here--we can carry out conversations with him.)

Teacher: Now on music/singing. Since he's in so late (LOL), he misses a lot of our circle time. He definitely seems to enjoy it, but doesn't usually sing along or request any songs.
Me : (You should see him requests and/or sings along 鳳陽花鼓...)

Teacher: He initiates his own work; he's quick to grab whatever he likes to work on off the shelves. However, that also means I can't do many lessons with him. When he has started some work, I have to let him finish.
Me : (Note to self--gotta go to school on time...)
Teacher: Not only that, since he often comes in with his breakfast (me: it's snack), he spends some time sit down at the table and have his snack before actually working. Since he's only in school in the mornings, and we only really have 9:20-10:00 to do any work or teaching. Perhaps when we come back from the playground, he sees everyone else's lunch bag on the table, and he's the only person without food. How about you put the snack in a bag in the lunch bag area and we give him that when we come back from the playground?
Me: Sure, sounds like a good idea.

Teacher: Is FBB coming in for the summer?
Me: No, we didn't enroll him for the summer. He's entering Casa in September, as far as I know.
Teacher: My only concern is, he's a quiet and shy person. Last time, when someone else--I can't say who--took his snack, I saw that happening. FBB was visibly very upset about it. I immediately asked that child to apologize (which he didn't), and then quickly turned to FBB and offer him a cookie instead. He pouted his lips a few seconds and eventually broke out in a cry.
Me: I heard about the incident with his Tigger hat as well.
Teacher: Yeah. I'm not sure if he's emotionally ready for Casa yet, especially if you remove him from school for two months. The Casa environment is a little different--there are older children in the classroom, and the teachers handle things differently as they expect the children to behave more maturely. Even just doing one extra month would be helpful.
Me: I'll reconsider that.

(The next day, instead of being 1/2 hour late, we were *only* 20 minutes late.)

Hide-and-Seek with FBB

2011-05-24T11:27:00.002-05:00

After a few games of hide-and-seek with cousin Jessie and Aunt Clarinda, it FBB's turn to go into hiding. I suggested him to hide behind the huge Winnie the Pooh plush. He hid. He heard "ready or not, here I come!" He peeked out and was immediately spotted.

The next game he was supposed to hide, he ran back to the exact same spot. He heard "ready or not, here I come!" and jumped out laughing.

I guess we need to work on the basics. :D

無題

2011-04-19T13:34:00.000-05:00

古有岳飛，今有艾未未。「莫須有」乃我國數千年鐵腕文化之精髓也。

Baba is Back!

2011-04-19T11:04:00.000-05:00

When Daniel took on the job of springtime Santa Claus between Toronto and Hong Kong, his suitcase was packed with gifts on both ways of the trip.

After we had dinner, FBB insisted on doing dishes, but we didn't want him to "help." Daniel redirected his attention to the suitcase full of gifts.

First gift was a pair of slippers. FBB tried them on and liked them, and Daniel was surprised they only barely fit FBB.

Next up was a mini Robosapien, a gift from Daniel's brother-in-law to FBB. As expected (by us), FBB showed little interest in it. (FBB doesn't really like robotic or RC toys. That includes stuffed toys that talk or move or have blinking lights, or robots that don't even move.)

Then, it was a bottle of liquid soap. Why a bottle of liquid soap? Well, the bottle was McDull dressed in full bunny suit! At HKD $28, it was worth the money, even if the soap was junk. :)

After that, Daniel pulled out two sets of books from the same series: 基礎漢字500 (啟蒙級 & 萌芽級). These were "special ordered" by us, since FBB already has book 1 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Needless to say, FBB went gaga over them.

Daniel also pulled out a few books "special ordered" by my mom: children's versions of 唐詩三百首, but FBB was too busy about the other gifts.

At the bottom of his suitcase, Daniel took out a set of Melissa and Doug puzzle, a gift from his cousin. FBB was ecstatic, "the school has this!" Yea, puzzles rank pretty high on FBB's favourite toys scale, along with balls, cars & trains (which don't move by themselves--not even automated Thomas trains), and play food.

Oh, and one last thing--Angry Bird stuffed toy! FBB readily claimed it as his own, but Daniel stopped him, "hey it's not yours; it's mine!" (I wondered why he didn't buy the whole flock.)

家人的真義

2011-04-04T12:31:00.000-05:00

家人是，儘管自己雙腿一站得久就會痛，還是會花一整天來準備大家的晚餐。
那是我外婆。

家人是，明知道你雙腿一站得久就會痛，打算替你把晚餐弄好而你卻不領情，於是因爲你糟塌自己的身體而氣得和你吵起嘴來。
那是我媽。

家人是，看着你因爲吵完嘴坐在沙發上耍悶氣，便跑過來逗你。而你在耍悶氣時只狠狠的丟下一句話，於是強忍着快要哭的樣子，坐在你旁邊望着你。
那時我兒子。

家人是，望着即管嘴也扁了、快要哭的孫子，還是坐在自己旁邊好幾分鐘，於是忍俊不禁笑了。
那是也我媽。

(當然，我外婆還真是氣人的~ 她老人家這兩三個禮拜周身疼痛，痛得她睡不好胡思亂想，以爲自己大限已到~ 於是大家四出找尋舒緩的辦法，終於好不容易說服到她去針灸按摩推拿，醫師明明説她至少一星期不要久站勞動，可是去了兩次稍爲好轉便把醫師的話當耳邊風~ 氣死人~ 氣死人~~~)

Why the current CRTC usage-based billing ruling is flawed

2011-02-08T19:30:00.000-05:00

There are multiple glaring flaws in CRTC's usage-based billing (UBB) ruling.

First, the big telcos, the ones owning a total of 95% of the market, is essentially forcing the small ISPs to charge as much as they do for as little as they offer--on their *full* prices. In reality, they offer bundle discounts, promotional discounts, retention discounts, all a lot of different discounts, to the point that almost nobody pays the full price. In other words, if they were to treat internet access as a utility (which was one of the major arguments the big telcos use), the smaller ISPs could not compete in the product offering nor pricing. This is an oligopoly in working.

Secondly, the big telcos all offer exceptions to the cap to their own services. Usage of their VoIP, their VOD, and other bandwidth- and data-heavy services they offer, are exempted from the cap. In other words, by using the relatively cheaper Vonage instead Rogers' more expensive offering, you might end up paying more because the bandwidth consumed by Vonage costs you money, but the bandwidth consumed by Rogers' VoIP does not. This is anti-competitive.

Thirdly, the overage charges were arbitrarily set at a ridiculously high rate ($1.75/GB), relative to the cost. In fact, if they can offer the so-called (and incorrectly named) "insurance" at 40GB for $4.75, the overage charge costs almost 15 times of that amount on a per-GB basis. Since it's hard to imagine the big telcos not making money at the "insurance" price (otherwise they would not have offered it), the overage is just a money grab.

Additionally, the big telcos are not required to spend the overage or insurance charges on network infrastructure improvements. If it were, at least I would be content with the charges, since consumers will ultimately benefit from it. Unfortunately, the extra revenue was just for padding the bottom line of the big telcos (and by extension, the bonuses paid to their executives).

From a consumer perspective, the current UBB ruling is a huge step backward in internet connectivity. The situation is akin to all gas stations get together and limiting your gasoline usage at 50L per month at the current (already sky-high) price, charges $5 per litre extra, and pressures the municipal governments to reduce public transportation services because these services hurt their bottom line. Sounds fair?

Pingu!

2011-02-03T11:56:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, both Daniel and I worked from home, and FBB's school was closed due to the weather.

While I was working in the kitchen, Daniel was working in the study, and FBB was by his side. All of a sudden, I heard FBB say, "Pingu! Pingu! Pinga!"

Curious as to why he was suddenly all excited about Pingu and Pinga in the study room (where I don't have any Pingu or Pinga), I listened in closely.

Daniel: It's not Pingu; it's penguin. Daddy's email has a penguin.
FBB: Pingu!

I went to the study and asked Daniel what was going on, only to see this logo in Daniel's Outlook:

Daniel: Look! This penguin wears armor! This is an awesome penguin!
FBB: Pingu wears armor!
Cindy: Yeah, this is a marauder penguin! <Chuckles>

笑吟遊子吟

2011-01-21T12:15:00.000-05:00

媽媽: 遊子吟...
FBB: 孟郊媽媽！(不論邊首詩，同邊個一齊就加邊個喺個作者名後面)

媽媽: 慈母...

FBB: 手中綫！

媽媽: 遊子...

FBB: 身上衣！

媽媽: 臨行...

FBB: 密密縫！

媽媽: 意恐...

FBB: 遲遲歸！

媽媽: 誰言...

FBB: 寸草心！

媽媽: 報得...

FBB: 兩春暉！<笑>

媽媽: 三春暉！

FBB: 兩春暉！<笑>

媽媽: 三春暉！

FBB: 兩春暉！<笑>

媽媽: 吓？點解得「兩春暉」㗎？

Life After Starting School, FBB-Edition

2011-01-19T10:13:00.000-05:00

FBB has only started school in January, and we never expected school to affect FBB so much, so early.

Thanks to the regular outdoor time routine (and perhaps more importantly, all the layers to bundle him up), FBB is much less opposed to being in the cold--at least enough for him not to request going indoor immediately when we went outside tobogganing. FWIW, we weren't helping him to be acclimatized to winter before, since I detest being outdoor in wintry weather.

Perhaps more amazingly (to us), he managed to unlearn old habits and form new ones in less than two weeks of school. One example is pottying--before he started school, he used to take off his pants completely and stand over the potty; now he sits down. The teachers also managed to instill a very good habit of "holding a cup with two hands," thank goodness.

Another instance is with the actions associated with the song "Zoom Zoom Zoom (We're Going to the Moon)." Back at playgroup, since all children were with a caretaker, the last action was always the adult picking up and "flying" the child. For the longest time, this was the way we did it, and FBB enjoyed it very much. Obviously, the teachers at school can't pick up all the students, so the last action was changed to two hands mimicking a rocket over the top of the head, and jump. When we had "circle time" (= songs) at home with FBB two nights ago, he picked this song. When Daniel picked him up at the end of the song, he was SO UPSET because it was NOT the way to do it (any more)! In fact, he almost cried and kept repeating, "this is not the way! It's like this! [Hands over his head]" We had to redo the song and "fix" our sequence to settle him.

The new habits were slightly problematic for us: FBB has always been rather particular about things in general. Once his mind is set on doing something a certain way, or a series of things in a certain order, you better not mix it up. Prior to starting school, it wasn't as big a problem, as we (the adults) knew where he learned the habits from--usually, one of us introducing or observing the behaviour for the first time, and we share the knowledge. Now that he's in school for a couple of hours a day, there's a hole in our knowledge-sharing: we don't know what exactly did he learn from school.

For example, when the teacher(s) read to the students, she would sing a certain song first. Then, she would read the book while holding it in a particular way. While we could decipher the melody, none of us could figure out one line of the lyrics. Now, whenever he wants me to sing this song (which is almost every night), I just murmured through the missing line every time, singing something like "I don't know what is this line" in tune. Furthermore, the first time he said the book should be held in a certain way ("teacher doesn't hold it this way"), I spent a good 5-10 minutes on trial and error, before figuring out what's the "way" he wanted.

As it stands now, we're not really concerned with what he actually "learns" from school, knowledge-wise. (We think he's quite advanced for his age in terms of "knowledge", as all parents probably do.) We just wanted him to become accustomed to a school-like environment where he's away from us, where he's not "king" and is expected to follow orders (or at least not causing mayhem). Reading and counting and writing can all wait.

冇失斯文

2011-01-17T13:56:00.000-05:00

FBB 日日都有幾次唔着褲周屋走，我次次都叫佢:「快啲着番條褲啦，有失斯文呀~」

(我都算文雅啦，婆婆話「剝光豬」，爸爸就話「露體狂」！)

點知呢排個百厭星玩駁嘴，一邊走一邊話:「冇失斯文！」
「有失斯文！」
「冇失斯文！」

如是者來來回回幾次之後，一屋笑聲。

Property Tax at Work -- an Early Afternoon at Community Centre

2011-01-02T16:52:00.000-05:00

On the second day of 2011, we found ourselves with a day free of any engagements.

Daniel suggested visiting a community centre, so I immediately searched for operating hours of nearby libraries. After narrowing down the choices to Angus Glen and Milliken Mills, we chose the latter based on the lunch options available nearby.

When we arrived at Milliken Mills at almost 1pm, we learned it was actually public skate time from noon to 2pm. Daniel and I have been wanting to take FBB to skating this year, so we figured it was best for us to at least visit the rink and watch others skate. FBB didn't show too much excitement, but watched intensely at the people going around the rink. In fact he was most interested at the little kids skating (or learning to), although he has this tendency to call anyone less than 4' tall "baby" when the kid was probably around 6 years old. :D

Then, we went to the McDonald's next to the arena for lunch. The best part about Milliken Mills is, the McD's is actually connected to the arena, so we didn't have to go outside at all. I chose a McNuggets Happy Meal with apple slices and chocolate milk for FBB. Initially, he wanted our fries instead of his nuggets. Once we showed him the nuggets should be dipped into the sweet and sour sauce, he wanted the nuggets instead. Then, we showed him how to dip the apple slices into the caramel dip, and he ate them all eagerly as well. (We never had to "sell" the chocolate milk to him.) I guess we should eat more dipping food. :)

After lunch, we went to the library for some play and story time. We passed by the pool, but it was closed for maintenance. Otherwise, it would have been fun to show him people using the huge water slide at the pool.

At the library, I wanted to borrow some age-appropriate books on starting school, but they weren't easy to find on the rather unorganized picture book shelf. (The were organized by author.) FBB had so much fun with us reading to him as well as with playing with the toys there, I had to "bribe" him to leave by asking him to help me scan the books. (In fact, when I lined up to be served, he wanted to use the self-serve checkout scanner instead.)

As we walked back toward the arena (we parked our car at that side), we saw people walking in with hockey gear in tow. Daniel and I decided to show FBB people playing hockey, so we visited the rink again. We managed to catch the start of a game at Novice A level, and stayed for a whole period. Unlike watching people leisurely skate, FBB was much more involved and excited about watching hockey. (For the record, it was the first time I've ever watched a hockey game live in person too.)

In fact, FBB was so excited about hockey, he didn't fall asleep on the ride back and kept talking about playing hockey at home--and we did. He couldn't wait to take off his shoes and jacket to play hockey, and ended up playing for almost an hour!

Loop-Through Scarf for FBB

2010-12-31T01:24:00.000-05:00

After I (finally) finished the last of my hand-knitted Christmas gifts today, a belated scarf for my dad, I decided to knit FBB a loop-through scarf.

When we met up with Caden and Tristan last week, I spotted they each had a Grandma-knitted loop-through scarf, and I thought it was the perfect scarf for FBB: Children + short scarf with no loose end = good.

(Heck, I even contemplated knitting a cowl for FBB instead of a loop-through scarf, but it just didn't feel like the right choice on multiple levels.)

The mere mentioning of loop-through scarf brought some nostalgia: when I was young, my mom knitted us a few loop-through scarves. I remember I had at least a dark blue one (school uniform colour) and a white one. Obviously, the practicality of loop-through scarf was the reason why my mom knitted them.

After I put the finishing touches on my dad's knotted scarf (as I call it) during FBB's nap, I immediately started knitting FBB's loop-through scarf with leftover yarn from Daniel's Fibonacci scarf.

The best part about knitting a toddler-size loop-through scarf? It could be done lightning fast! By the time FBB woke up and came downstairs, I was almost half-way done.

He saw me knitting, and asked me what I was knitting. When I told him I was knitting a scarf for him, he face lit up with a huge grin, "Mama knitting for FBB!" His excitement and happiness was written all over him.

Two minutes later, he was crying in sadness.

Here's why: As I knit with the yarn in a tangled mess (after Daniel's scarf was done, I was too lazy to wind), FBB played with the yarn and made it even more unmanageable. I told him, "Please don't touch the yarn; otherwise I couldn't finish knitting this scarf and FBB would be miserable."

And he started crying the light "sad" cry. It's the compassionate cry when he sees people he loves being hurt or sad, or hears stories about that.

Obviously, he heard and understood the latter part of the sentence, and it struck him. Hugging and consolation didn't lift his spirits up. My mom had to apply diversion tactics to pull him out of the blues.

Fortunately, the next time he saw the in-progress scarf, he was all happy and excited again, and had pretty much forgotten about the misery.

I finished up the scarf after dinner, and it's drying on the rack right now. For better or for worse, FBB is sleeping over at my mom's place again, so he won't see the finished product until tomorrow.

'Tis the Season to be Shoppin'

2010-12-29T04:18:00.000-05:00

Boxing week loot thus far:

Samsung Galaxy S Captivate for Daniel ($0 with 3-year plan, and got back a $125 Best Buy gift card)
New Nike sneakers for FBB
Window dressings (to be continued--our initial choice for kitchen/family room didn't work out; need extra panels for bedrooms #2 and #3; need to decide on fabric/colour for master bedroom)
Dyson DC24 small-ish upright vacuum cleaner ($429 at Best Buy, making good use of the $125 gift card from above)

Additionally, we need to get a pair of snow pants for FBB, plus I'm eying a pair of Ugg Classic Cardy Knit (deciding on colour) and perhaps a blazer. And perhaps an extra pair of indoor shoes for FBB.

On a completely unrelated note (as these don't go on sale), we need to get some bigger-sized diapers. I spent the past few days agonizing over the cost of toddler cloth training pants/night time diapers. Eventually, I found two options which are acceptably-priced. The choice should be finalized in the next few days.

Shoe Shopping for FBB

2010-12-27T15:49:00.000-05:00

If shoe shopping is an activity that differentiates men from women, then FBB is most definitely a guy, as he seems to hate it with a vengeance. Every time I asked him to try on a new pair of shoes (as everyone knows, shoes need to be tried on for sizing and comfort), he simply refused to try them on.

Obviously, there were some notable exceptions. Exception #1 was when we took him to SoftMoc to pick up and try on a pair of Crocs I've ordered for him. Given his past history with new shoes in general, I had the foresight to buy a pair in the the exact same colour and style as mine, and he liked them as I expected him to. (As an aside, I'm already planning to buy the next pair in the same style and colour as Daniel's, since my current pair is pink.)

Exception #2 was when my parents took him to New Balance at Bayview Village. Initially, FBB didn't want to try on any new shoes (as expected). After seeing my dad trying on ten different pairs of shoes, he was wanted to join in on the fun as well. And once he put a pair on, he didn't want to take them out. My parents didn't want to buy the shoes right then and there though, so they took the shoes off him and bought the exact pair elsewhere at a cheaper price. Big mistake: by the time the shoes arrived weeks later, FBB has almost outgrown and has certainly forgotten about them, thus he was treating them as he treated any new shoes, a.k.a. not wanting to wear them. (He eventually grew to like them.)

That's the end of the back story. Let me fast forward to yesterday.

On Boxing Day, we decided to visit Promenade. We didn't really have any game plan or purchases in mind, so we were just wandering around the mall. When we were outside Sport Chek, I saw the sign saying "all shoes on sale," so we went inside--not for FBB, but for Daniel's perpetual basketball shoe-shopping. (Daniel's very particular about his basketball shoes.)

Inside the store, I told Daniel to go shop for basketball shoes while I browsed their very limited kids' shoes selection. I wanted to get FBB started with trying on shoes, so I just grabbed a pair of Crocs and tried 'em on him. He was his usual self; namely, against shoe-shopping. Fortunately for him/unfortunately for me, I was literally going through every single pair of gender-neutral or boyish toddler shoes and asked for size 8, to which the salesperson said they only had size 7 or 9. (Was the neighbourhood flooded with toddlers wearing size 8 shoes???)

With the shoe shopping in bane, I took FBB over to the basketball side and saw Daniel trying on a single shoe. Since he has some very specific criteria for basketball shoes, he was running and hopping around to test the shoes. FBB found it very interesting. I imagined the train of thought going through his head, "ah ha! So THIS is how you try new shoes on! I want to try new shoes on too!" Reading the excitement on his face, I asked again if he wanted to try on new shoes--this time, he said yes!

I got my hands a pair of size 9 Nike (the salesperson told me Nike's toddler shoes tend to run a little small) and put them on FBB. I asked FBB if the shoes fit as I checked, and he immediately said they fit. When I finally let him loose on the floor, he was running and jumping around in them, just like Daniel was.

In the end, Daniel couldn't find a pair of basketball shoes he liked. But for FBB, I knew better--we didn't take the new shoes off him at all, and just paid for the shoes. Sometimes, a higher price tag is well justified for the pain we won't have to endure (to get FBB to wear new shoes).

First Professional Haircut

2010-12-13T17:17:00.000-05:00

FBB's hair has grown quite long since we last gave him a haircut. We felt the weather is too cold for another ordeal with the clippers, so we took FBB to the salon on Sunday.

FBB wasn't dumb at all. At the shop, he initially refused to enter the actual salon area.

It took a lot of persuading from everyone before I could lead him sitting next to Daniel.

First, we let the stylist--the same one Daniel and I have been visiting for over a decade--work on Daniel's hair first. Being the "demo unit," Daniel was hard at work, selling it doesn't hurt and it's not scary at all. Along the way, the stylist kept engaging FBB in conversation and body contact to build trust.

After Daniel's haircut was done, the stylist finally managed to get FBB to agree to a haircut. Initially, he was seated in the chair. But when we wanted to first showed him the work-in-progress, he had to stand on the chair to see himself in the mirror. We decided it might be better just to let him see the process, so he was standing on the chair for the rest of the haircut.

With me gently holding FBB's hand/body, he made peace with it even though he was still visibly uncomfortable. In fact, he adamantly refused the repeated requests from the stylist for the permission to use a hair clipper. (Yeah, FBB's hair was cut with scissors only.) There's one upside of him being uneasy: he was actually reluctant to move, making the haircutting job much easier.

After getting a new 'do, FBB saw his new look in the mirror and smiled every time we said he looked great. :) He even gave the stylist a big hug, and high-fived all the idle staff.

(Of course, he didn't get his hair washed at the salon. He hates washing his hair with a vengeance, and I didn't want to bestow that upon anyone there.)

媽媽病病

2010-11-25T09:50:00.001-05:00

尋晚上床瞓覺嗰陣...

Me: 媽媽個肚病病呀，你今晚可唔可以乖啲瞓呢？

FBB: 媽媽個肚病病，要飲水水㗎~ <坐起身四圍搵水杯> 杯杯呢？<準備落樓下攞杯>

Me: FBB唔好落床啦，我叫爸爸攞杯杯啦！<叫爸爸攞杯>

<爸爸攞杯入嚟>

FBB: <打開個杯蓋> 媽媽飲水水！媽媽肚肚唔病啦！

Handyman

2010-11-22T14:54:00.001-05:00

FBB has been playing with my tripod a little too much, somehow unscrewed a handle apart from the tridpod, and managed to lodge the nut into a weird location along the way. The only way to rescue the nut was by brute force, repeatedly pounding.

(Thanks honey for fixing it!)

When FBB saw Baba in the middle of "fixing" the tripod, he wanted a piece of action too: he grab a wooden signage post from his toy set (which shaped somewhat like a hammer)--which he called his hammer--said he's "fixing" and started pounding the tripod with it.

We even captured it on video, but the video was not safe for public circulation, since he happened to be pantless at that moment. (Hi full moon!)

A short while later, my mom said our freezer compartment didn't seem to work properly and needs "fixing." I told her, "you just said the magic word." Sure enough, FBB went to the fridge with his "hammer" and tried to pound on the fridge.

The next morning, I opened the toy tool set I bought a while ago, because I fear he would actually break things with a solid wood "hammer". Thankfully, the screwdriver captured his attention the most. (Screwdriver was another of his obsession, although for the longest time, he seemed to think a key could be used to unscrew a screw, and kept trying to unscrew the hex screw on his own chair with a key.)

Spalding

2010-11-22T11:07:00.001-05:00

FBB's birthday party.

With a mini basketball in hand (the one Phil & Rachel bought FBB, from NBA Store NYC), Alex asked FBB, "what's this?"

Alex was expecting "ball" or "basketball."

FBB answered, "Spalding!" Alex was amused. :)

Why would FBB answer "Spalding"? Baba has a Spalding NBA official game ball, which we bring to basketball court every Saturday. Since FBB likes the ball so much and is around it often, he naturally asked every single word on it.

(Yes, including the David Stern signature on the ball.)

Since Alex happened to be pointing at the "Spalding" sign on the ball when he asked, FBB gave the most precise answer he knew.

Yup, we are grooming another avid basketball fan/player in the house. :)

POANG

2010-11-16T00:41:00.001-05:00

根據我嘅"提示"，小威買咗張小朋友版POANG俾FBB做生日禮物，因為襯番屋企本身有嘅大人版POANG。

(個cushion用料唔同，不過FBB都無理咁多。)

尋日我特登喺FBB面前坐佢嗰張，佢竟然話:「媽媽唔坐！太細喇！」緊住趕咗我落地！

又唔見佢平時坐我嗰張嗰陣肯俾我踢佢走！:P

多謝多謝！

2010-11-16T00:40:00.001-05:00

多謝各方好友送咁多咁好嘅生日禮物俾阿仔！

多謝 Jit 嘅 toboggan！

多謝 Alex, Grace, 同 Brandon 嘅 Mega Bloks！

多謝 0g 嘅靚恤衫！

多謝 Sheepie, Wolfie, 同 Charis 嘅 gardening tools！完全係本周精選—去到邊都要淋花花！

多謝 Uncle Louis 同 Eileen 嘅生果籃同蔬菜籃！講到食，真係你同FBB最襯囉！

多謝小威小欣嘅POANG！

多謝爺爺嫲嫲嘅 easel！婆婆今日攞嚟教生字~

多謝大伯、伯娘、堂姐、堂妹嘅籃球架！(好似係老竇至愛多啲！)

多謝嫺姨婆嘅 hockey net！

多謝公公婆婆嘅 train set！

多謝多謝！

火爐B

2010-11-16T00:36:00.000-05:00

話説尋日好鬼陰陰凍，於是係車裏面有咁樣嘅對話...
Me: 嘩，咁鬼凍，我淨係想要攬住個電暖爐同電氈！
Daniel: 唓，你後面咪有個囉！<指住FBB>
Me: 火爐B!?!

Happy Dur-Day to FBB!

2010-11-11T16:20:00.001-05:00

For the past week or two, we've been "prepping" FBB for his birthday: "FBB's birthday is coming up soon! You are almost two years old!"

As with most things we say specifically to him, he has been repeating that sentence to us once in a while.

Like this morning, while still in bed. (Coincidentally, while reading Pooh's Birthday Surprise in bed.)

I immediately corrected him, "Today is FBB's birthday! You are two years old! Happy birthday!"

Before I left home, I gave him his birthday gift: his own digital camera. He was enjoying it as much as I thought he would. :)

(Yes, it was totally a selfish move: there's hope that he won't want my way-more-expensive D60 as often as he does now.)

I don't think he has grasped the concept of "birthday" beyond the song "Happy Birthday" (which he pronounces as "happy dur-day") and candles-topped cake. (Although I'm sure he'll soon realize birthday = lots of gifts and might promptly starts to declare any day as his birthday.)

Happy dur-day to you / happy dur-day to you / happy dur-day to FBB / happy dur-day to you!

Knitted goodies

2010-11-09T02:16:00.003-05:00

My new key fob holder

Thanks to the Probe amigurumi, I picked up the yarn and knitting needles again. (The crochet hooks is waiting patiently.)

A skein of Patons classic wool merino in rich red was turned into:

a fishies hat for FBB (pattern: Fishbowl Baby Hat)
an XOXO headband for myself (pattern: Hugs-and-Kisses-with-Love Headband)
a wrist key fob holder (just an 3-stitch i-cord sewn close)

Everything was knitted on double-pointed needles (because that's what I have on hand) while watching TV. Both the fishies and the XOXO headband took about two nights each.

The fishies was the most fun to knit; the pattern was easy and cute. However, when I first asked FBB to try it on, he refused!! Daniel was like, "I'm not surprised. He doesn't like knitted goods." (There's some truth to that.) However, I eventually warmed him up to it--by wearing my own "Canada" toque which he loved to wear earlier this year. When he asked to wear my toque, I replied, "you've got your own too!" My mom and Daniel helped selling it to FBB too, "Mama knitted this carefully, stitch by stitch." Now he's very excited about wearing his "fishies hat". And every time he sees the hat, he says, "Mama knitted this!" *Awww~*

When I started the headband, I didn't read the instructions fully. It turned out to be way more involved than I expected a headband to be--because it's actually knitted on double width and sewn together. The fact that I don't like cable knitting doesn't help neither. The double layer made the headband very thick, and because I wanted to finish the repeat pattern in full, it ended up being slightly too loose. The only remedy I can think of is felting it a bit, but I'm worried about losing some of the definition of the cable stitches to felting. I'm torn!

The key fob holder was born out of necesscity: the string of my company-issued retractable key fob holder (with company logo on it) broke. At least it was new when given to me--my other option is the lanyard (also with company logo on it) they gave me when I returned from maternity leave, which was quite beaten up by some other person(s) before I received it. I decided to kill multiple birds in one stone: using the remaining yarn from the skein, I learned to knit an i-cord, using it as my new key fob holder. It's shown in the picture.

(FYI, I never bothered to complain about the lanyard, as I have better things to complain about, including the lack of desk phone, lack of garbage bin at my desk, squeeky air conditioning system, dripping ceiling, leaky windows, no ethernet cable, no power bar, very beaten up and dirty company-issued laptop bag which has broken zip on day one I received it, a whole floor of R&D sharing a single printer while the other floors which do not even occupy the full floor have multiple printers, etc etc... Do I sound bitter? LOL)

Now that FBB has seen me knit, and I have let him knit (or more precisely, play with yarn and knitting needles), every time he looks up at my "knitting bag" (placed on a high shelf, as it contains scissors and tapestry needles), he wants to "knit knit knit"!

午睡

2010-10-31T13:48:00.001-05:00

食完午餐，喺play room玩緊...

爸爸:嗱，我哋就嚟上去瞓覺覺㗎喇。

FBB:唔上去瞓覺！唔上去！喺下面瞓！

媽媽:你唔想上去瞓覺呀？點解呀？

FBB:唔上去瞓！喺下面瞓！

爸爸:咁你飲埋杯水先喇。你飲咗杯水我哋就喺下面瞓，你唔飲我哋就上去瞓。

FBB:喺下面！喺下面瞓！唔上去！

媽媽:哦，你唔飲水呀，咁我哋上去瞓㗎喇噃！

FBB <即飲>

媽媽:OK，咁我哋喺廳度瞓啦！

The Story of a Little Probe

2010-10-18T18:14:00.001-05:00

One Little Probe

Once upon a time, there was a not-so-little guy. His birthday was coming up, but the not-so-little guy's not-so-little wife did not know what would make a perfect little birthday gift.

The not-so-little guy loved StarCraft, in particular, he loved playing the Protoss race. His not-so-little wife thought, "hey, maybe I can buy my husband a little StarCraft gift!"

The not-so-little wife searched and searched, but she only found mass-produced, not-too-lovely merchandises. She was stumped.

"There must be some little handmade StarCraft gifts out there," the not-so-little wife thought. But all she found was a sold-out baneling plush on Etsy.

The not-so-little wife's search was fruitless--even the almighty Google could not help her. With one week left, the not-so-little wife decided to make her own.

She studied the official web site, and decided to make an amigurumi of a probe. Since she knew how to knit (or at least knew enough to knit some useful things), she planned to knit the amigurumi.

However, knitting with DPN (double-point needles) was much more cumbersome than knitting with regular needles. After knitting a ball and felt not too happy about the result, the not-so-little wife decided to bite the bullet and crochet.

There was another little problem: the not-so-little wife has only ever crocheted once, and that was when she was in grade 6. Fortunately, the almighty Google and its helper YouTube were on her side. She relearned to crochet in no time.

After some trial and error (and more trial and error), the little probe was born, just in time for the not-so-little guy's birthday.

Happy birthday, honey! :)

Staycation, a.k.a. "FBB & Me Week"

2010-10-15T23:00:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, I told my parents we'd like to visit my bro in Seattle during Thanksgiving week, just to take advantage of the much lower air fare for infants under two years old and the special system wide upgrade passes. Alas, they redeemed their miles for their own air tickets to Seattle, and we ended up not going--Daniel couldn't take the days off, and by the time he realized that, the air tickets price had skyrocketed, so I ended up staying as well. Since I have already requested the days off and really like to have a vacation, it turned into a staycation week.

Pre-Turkey Weekend

The weekend pre-turkey was more or less normal--basketball on Saturday and swimming on Sunday. We visited Pomona Mills Park on Monday with Grandma and Grandpa Ho, then had turkey-day dinner with my grandma at Swiss Chalet.

Tuesday -- Shopping Day

On Tuesday, I took FBB to the Rainbows and Rhythms class for the first time--he missed the first class because my mom forgotten about it, and the second class due to sickness. And we were late for the class, because FBB decided to take his own sweet time for breakfast! *sigh* Our class ended at 10:45, but there was actually a 11:00 class for an older age group. FBB must have enjoyed the class--saw a kid coming in for the next class and decided he wanted to stay too. Fortunately, the teacher did let him stay for the next class. It pushed my loosely-defined schedule an hour late, so I just took FBB to lunch at FMP. He liked his BBQ pork on rice! (OK, maybe not the rice, but definitely the pork.) We shopped at FMP for a bit after lunch. Then, I took him to Wal-Mart and forcefully tried a pair of snow boots on him--for some reason, this guy just hates shoe shopping. On the way out, he decided to take a bottle of dish detergent for himself and another one for me (both are of the same colour too!), so we ended up buying two bottles of dish detergent as well. By the time he woke up from nap, I suggested we go to backyard to play, but he seemed to find the day a little too eventful and prefer the more relaxing indoor play.

Wednesday -- Public Transportation Day

Wednesday was originally scheduled to be Toronto Zoo day. However, when I went to the pump, I couldn't get the fuel door to open! As the low fuel indicator light was already on, I took the car to our trusted garage for an assessment. It turns out the fix wasn't an easy one, and the parts needs to be ordered in. Thinking it was a rather critical problem (fuel door won't open = no gas = car is useless), I scheduled the appointment for Thursday. Since I have packed everything needed for a day out though, I decided to make it a "public transit" day instead: I parked the car at Thornhill Community Centre (the garage was just by the rail tracks on Green Lane) and took FBB on YRT route 2 to Finch.

It was FBB's first time on a bus since Hong Kong (which was almost a year ago), and the first time after he has actually learned what a bus is. As such, he was very excited on the bus--which is to say, he spent most of his time and energy observing. At Finch, we transferred to the Yonge subway. Again, it was FBB's first time on a subway train since Hong Kong. The first ten to fifteen minutes of the subway ride was fun for him, but by the time we hit Dundas, he wanted out. We eventually left the subway on Queen.

We strolled inside Eaton Centre a bit, but I thought it was a waste of time to be inside a shopping mall, so we headed out onto the street instead. I walked along Queen, and found out there was a farmer's market amidst of the constructions going on at Nathan Phillip Square. We shopped at the market for a little while, then went to Smoke's for lunch. After lunch, I was still fearing FBB was not too eager to go on the subway, so I decided to walk north along University. FBB fell asleep some time during the ride.

By the time we hit Bloor, I decided to pay a visit to Whole Foods. I walked out empty-handed, mostly because I knew I still had another hour of travel ahead of me. We passed by Pusateri's as well, but I didn't have the guts to enter.

After FBB woke up, I figured maybe I could try subway again. I walked to Yonge and Bloor, and took the Yonge line north to Finch. To much of my relief, FBB didn't fuss this time. We returned to our car by YRT route 2 again, even though I just missed a bus and had to wait 20 minutes for the next one. It wasn't until I boarded the bus that I realized I could have taken route 91 instead! *sigh*

Thursday -- Home Sweet Home

Thursday was the scheduled "fix my mom's car" day. After two days of very frustrated commute and facing the deadline of his car's emission test, Daniel decided work from home and take his car to the shop together. It worked out well: we dropped off one car, then Daniel dropped FBB and me off at OEYC for playgroup, after which he dropped off the other car and walked back to Thornhill Square and did some work at the empty food court. At playgroup, we were asked by multiple people where Grandma was--proving how well-known they are to be as regulars. Then, we went inside the mall to meet up with Daniel. We were about to go back to the shop to pick up the car, but FBB insisted he wanted to go shopping--apparently, my mom takes him to Food Basics after playgroup almost everyday!! I walked out with a loaf of bread (something I wanted) and a small bun (FBB wanted to pick a bun with tongs).

After a stay-home lunch, I took FBB out to shop at Samko & Miko toy warehouse sale. He was clearly interested in:

toys which made sound and/or light with the press of a button
toy cars, especially those which made sound and/or light with the press of a button
toy tools, especially those which made sound and/or light with the press of a button
balls, especially basketball (both ball and hoop)

I put a lot of toys in the #1 category into the bag, just to make him move on to the next aisle. Then I took all of those toys out when he wasn't looking (i.e., he was busily obsessed with the next toy in category #1)--mostly because I find noisy electronic toys annoying and ADHD-inducing. Somehow, I managed to pull the stint off; all but one of the items I bought require no batteries. (The exception was a toddler digital camera. I just want to keep my DSLR safe and sound. And in my hands.) I did buy a toy car (matchbox-size truck), a set of toy tools (I thought the kid-size Black & Decker workshop set was cool, and contemplated the full gardening set. I only bought a small set with toy nuts & bolts & screwdriver.), and a toddler-size blown-up hoop (unfortunately, not the Little Tykes or Fisher-Price ones). I only let him access the toy truck, and safely stowed the rest away for his upcoming birthday.

Friday -- Toronto Zoo Day

I finally took FBB to the Toronto Zoo on Friday. It was sunny, but very windy (thus chilly). At the admission, I was in a mild state of sticker-shock: $23 for adult, plus $10 parking. That's $33 right off the bat for just FBB and me! The day was chillier and way more windy than I expected, so my first stop was actually at the cafe, ordering a hot chocolate and asked for a cup of hot water. It was FBB's first time drinking hot chocolate, and he certainly enjoyed it.

Prior to the visit, I didn't do any research on exhibits--I figured other than the few animals he actually recognizes, the others are probably equally appealing to FBB. Due to the windy weather, I entered all pavilions along the way. It helped us stay warm. FBB walked some, but was mostly on the stroller.

By lunch time, we were still walking--my first copy of the zoo map was blown away earlier in the morning, and I had no idea what restaurants were open. Since I didn't have a map, I "accidentally" walked down the one-way section "Canadian Domain," which was rather stupid of me, as I was already very hungry (walked all morning + cold), the path was steep (I didn't see the warning sign until I was on my way out of the section), and the restaurant was just around the corner had I choose not to enter the path. Thanks to that little detour, we didn't have lunch until 2:00pm.

After lunch, we paid a visit to the polar bears before kissing the Zoo goodbye. If I had the time, I'd like to visit the rest of the Zoo as well, but it was already past FBB's nap time. Here's some perspective on FBB's tiredness: he managed to fall asleep before our car hit Sheppard. It was a solid two-hour nap in the car. (The car was parked inside our garage, with the sun window and a door open, the garage access door open, and I checked on him every 15 mins or so--I wanted to move him back to the bed, but he wasn't in the right state, so I just left him in the car.)

Our dinner was decided by me while I was still in the zoo--hotpot at home. I called Daniel up after lunch and asked him to defrost the pack of shabu beef, and we were good to go. It was FBB's first hotpot of the season--which is to say, he probably doesn't remember it from last winter. The ingredients were all pulled from our fridge: Daniel made the soup base with carrots, celeries, corn, and leftover sauce from steamed chicken. The only meat was beef, which was enough. We had frozen udon, king oyster mushroom, tofu, eggs, and 唐蒿 (bonus: I already washed the 唐蒿 on Wednesday). FBB clearly enjoyed his dinner, watching the food cook and all. And he was certainly 牛魔王 2.0, liking his beef very, very much--it was the first time I heard him describing something as "好正呀!".

Commuting on Public Transportation Across Different 905 Regions is Crazy

2010-10-10T00:48:00.001-05:00

Our daily commute on Highway 401 is nothing but frustrations these days. Even staying 'til past 7pm doesn't work any more--the norm is "eastbound 401 is heavy between Highway 427 and Bathurst, alternately express and collectors" (680 News). And we really ought to be home by 8pm for dinner.

The traffic eats into our already-limited free time and affects our mental health. Out of frustration and fueled by a dash of curiosity, I started researching about commuting via public transportation. What I found was an even bleaker picture than driving:

According to Google Maps, my commute takes 2 hours one-way: YRT route 2 to Finch station => Yonge subway to Eglington => Eglington West bus to Skymark, then walk about 10 minutes to office.
Daniel's commute is also 2 hours one-way, and even more convoluted: YRT route 3 to York U => Oakville-bound GO bus to Bramalea => Brampton Transit Steeles bus to Kennedy => Kennedy bus to Courtney Park => drive or taxi 3km to office. [The last part is just priceless, considering I'm specifically asking for public transit directions.] Yes, that's a grand total of 3 different transit systems.

Thanks no part to Mississauga Transit information not available on Google Maps, I have since found (slightly) better routes:

For my commute, routing through Pearson reaps benefits: YRT route 3 to Yonge => Viva Pink to Richmond Hill Centre => GO Airport Express to Pearson => Mississauga Transit route 7 to office. If everything goes according to the travel plan, the morning trip takes 1:40, and the evening trip takes 1:27. (6:16)
For Daniel's commute, after replacing the "drive/taxi" part with Mississauga Transit, the total morning commute time is 2:17. A route through Pearson is still faster though: YRT route 3 to Yonge => Viva Pink to Richmond Hill Centre => GO Airport Express to Pearson => Mississauga Transit route 7 to Eglinton/Commerce (yes, up to this part we're still on the same commute) => Mississauga Transit route 27 to office. The morning commute takes 1:52, and the evening trip 1:38.

Yes, it's actually doable. Alternatively, we can shave 15-20 minutes each way by driving to Richmond Hill Centre, making it almost acceptable. [Assuming there's parking spot close to the terminal by the time we arrive, that is.] However, since all the routes involved are just buses, the commute is still very much subject to the road conditions--imagine the ensuing mayhem if Highway 407 is down to a single lane due to a jackknifed tractor-trailer. Not to mention missing a transfer can be costly: the GO Airport Express is an hourly service.

Onto the financial analysis:

With us using three different services (YRT, GO, Missisauga), the GTA Weekly Pass is the only choice. At $52 per week and tax deductible, it works out to $1850 a year per person, after tax credits. (This assumes 3 full weeks of vacation = 49 weekly passes, and a minimum of 3 weekly passes per calendar month. Thank you CRA and your arcane rules.) Since we have two people, the yearly cost is $3700.
We haven't measured our fuel efficiency, but a guestimate is about 9km/L. Pinning gas at $1.18/L (we only use 91 octane) and subtracting work-from-home days, the upper bound is $2300 worth of gas a year. [A better-case scenario is about $1850, if our fuel efficiency is actually higher, and we switch to regular gas.]
The difference in car insurance is neglectable, since we'll still keep the car.
Our car haven't had any major issues, only needing regular services and maintenances. Although I cannot pinpoint a number, it is certainly not $1400 a year.
Obviously, the driving cost assumes we don't switch to Highway 407: the annual cost of taking 407 between Highway 427 and Highway 400 both ways works out to be $1900. [I did that exercise two weeks ago.]

In conclusion, because we're currently carpooling, it costs us less--both in time and money--to drive than to take public transit. Yes, despite our best intentions to take public transit, the numbers just do not support this idea. We'll continue to kill trees/babies/Earth/Universe by driving. Sosumi.

On the other hand, if there is actually an east-west high speed mass public transportation system in the northern part of Toronto which reaches both ends of the border--in other words, the subway-equivalent of Highway 401--I will gladly consider it. Although with the sorry state of the City of Toronto government and the even more brainfucked TTC, this will likely remain a pipe dream beyond my retirement.

Let the road rages continue.

好好味喎~

2010-10-09T16:36:00.000-05:00

肥髀髀發咗差唔多成個禮拜燒，一直都無乜胃口，今日先終於叫做好番啲。

由於公公同婆婆今日出發去旅行嘅關係，晚餐係由我負責—其實我都好耐無煮飯，因爲有婆婆、太婆、嫲嫲鐵三角幫我哋煮！至於材料嘛... 基本上都係舊餸:叉燒炒蛋、白灼西生菜、薑蔥蒸雞髀。其中一半嘅叉燒係婆婆買落，另一半係嫲嫲自家製，而雞髀只係需要番蒸！

正式開枱之前，我爲咗費事肥髀髀阻頭阻勢，氹咗佢乖乖地坐低開始食碟叉燒炒蛋。鍾意食叉燒兼自己有份幫手打蛋(或者可以話搗蛋)嘅小朋友就梗係鍾意食呢碟餸啦！到我哋都坐低食食吓飯，佢指住碟叉燒炒蛋話:「媽媽煮嘅！」「好好味喎！」「媽媽煮餸好好味呀！」

呢個靚仔已經有少少識得分啲餸係邊個煮，況且佢睇住我煮，自然知道係我煮嘅。至於後面嗰兩句，係學爸爸講:每次我煮餸，爸爸都會半玩半認真咁樣講— 因爲讚多啲＝> 我煮多啲＝> 佢煮少啲＝> 佢做少啲吖嘛！

雖然明知碟餸好味嘅原因係啲叉燒(呢碟餸都幾難變大災難)，不過阿仔第一次讚我廚藝，都幾開心㗎！

傻母手中綫，肥髀身上衣

2010-10-02T00:33:00.001-05:00

本來上個冬天已經話整嘅，結果今日終於一口氣完成嘅製成品:冷褲褲。

至如點解會的起心肝，其實係因為FBB夜晚瞓覺着嘅冷褲褲已經全部唔啱着！再唔自己搞掂就要買~

連埋手痕加上去嗰個檸檬，花咗兩個幾鐘頭。但係影完相先發現其中一隻褲腳反轉咗！？！？今日已經冇精神再同佢搏鬥喇，遲啲先啦！

This is an upcycled pair of wool longies, the first ever I've made.

I had plans for this project since last winter. The motivation to make it today? FBB wears wool longies to bed at night, and he has outgrown all the wool longies we have. If I don't get this done ASAP, I'll have to resort to buying a new pair or two.

Including the lemon patch, I spent over two hours on this tonight--only to find out, after I've taken this photo, that I sewn one of the legs inside out!!!! *sigh*

Swim Class, Take Two

2010-09-27T00:16:00.001-05:00

Today's the start of a new swim class season.

Flashback... I took FBB to Parent & Tot swim class last winter. We missed half of the classes because he was sick; we were late for the rest because, well, we were late. For the little time we were actually in the water, I was stuck with a crying koala clinging onto me. Oh, and I had to take him alone and then walked home, because the class clashed with Daniel's basketball.

This morning's class was, shall we say, a stark contrast?

Last night, we have been repeatedly telling FBB we were going to swimming today. He was excited, but we are never too sure: sometimes he shows excitement when we mentioned we were going to do an activity X--which he doesn't like--until he realizes what X is.

Thanks to everyone not waking up early enough, we were still fashionably late for the class. Instead of me, it was Daniel who led FBB into the pool. As FBB walked into the water--it was a very gradual ramp, he showed some hesitation as the water reached his midriff, but was nowhere near as aquaphobic as before. Daniel scooped him up to enter "deep" into the water. (The pool was small and shallow; the deepest part only reaches Daniel's chest.)

I saw some uneasiness in FBB's eyes, and immediately pointed him to a floating ducky, something he is very familiar with. Meanwhile, Daniel kept selling the idea "swimming is fun" and tried to help FBB make peace with the water. Throughout the class, FBB seemed to enjoy jumping into the water (an activity repeated about a dozen of times), circle time (he always enjoys songs), and even did some kicking. At the sideline, I told Daniel to teach FBB how to blow bubbles--one of the activities taught in the previous swim class which FBB never tried--and FBB enjoyed that too.

When the class was over, I asked FBB, "was swimming fun?" "It was fun," he replied. SUCCESS!!!

And the first thing I said to Daniel? "Huge leap!"

While he was nowhere like the little girl in the class who loves water as much as a fish does, at least FBB is comfortable with being in the water now. We suspected a few contributing reason to the progress: throughout the summer, we went to beaches and played at streams (while hiking) a few times; FBB has become more confident in himself overall; Daniel entered the pool with him this time, and "Daddy = fun".

On a related note, we asked FBB again if he thought swimming this morning was fun, and he said yes. To Daniel's relief, he also said he liked basketball. :)

Terry Fox Run

2010-09-19T14:21:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Jill, who clued me in on today's Terry Fox Run last week, I signed up.

Despite (or because of) the lack of training, I signed up for this run instead of other races this year. There were other factors I chose the Terry Fox Run too: the cause was terrific--this is the 30th anniversary of the Terry Fox Run. The location was really close to home, and I was able to meet up with Daniel and FBB (in stroller) midway through the run. This was not a timed event, so participation was more important than personal record.

With the drive being 5 minutes away from, I arrived at Thornlea at around 8:50. I was expecting this to be a smallish event--maybe about a hundred participants. Turns out it was quite a bit bigger than I thought, with refreshments and all.

I actually started running at 9:10. I planned on taking a modified version of the 5km route--I skipped a small loop and chose to meet up with Daniel and FBB at Green Lane and Aileen. (After waited for 5 minutes, I actually decided to run back to home to get them, but eventually met them at King's College instead.)

Daniel ran alongside with me, pushing FBB in our stroller, for the second half of my run. Thanks to staying up late for StarCraft2, not having breakfast yet, and the stroller, our paces were actually not too far apart.

Daniel didn't just push the stroller--he pushed me hard too, figuratively speaking. Whenever I stopped running and started walking, he told me to get back to running. "But it's uphill!" I cried. (Goddamn Willowbrook and its long climb!) He was having none of it: "Yeah, just do it!"

On the other hand, the praises were dished out in an indirect way: he kept telling FBB, "Look! Mama's running! Mama's good!"

After we crossed the finish line, the three of us split 2 hot dogs and a burger. It was FBB's first time having a hot dog, which he showed a clear preference over hamburger. My suspicion tells me it's the high visibility of ketchup on the hot dog, comparing to burger.

We stayed a little longer for the other festivities--but mostly for the child-size basketball net. FBB enjoyed the basketball so much he almost didn't want to leave. Suffice to say the junior-size basketball and net are very high on our to-buy list.

Vacation Day is Busier and More Tiring Than a Work Day

2010-09-18T00:39:00.001-05:00

Today is the date of FBB's 22-month-old check-up. Instead of working from home, I chose to take the day off. Yet, somehow the day was busier and more tiring than a regular Friday.

We started the day with a visit to the paediatrician's office. Before we entered the doctor's office, FBB was enjoying running around and playing games with either one of us.

However, when his name was called, all hell broke loose. It was a constant stream of crying and refusing anything but clinging onto me like a koala. The intensity grew as the doctor entered the office, took measurements, asked and answered questions, quickly examined his eyes and body, and eventually gave FBB two shots. Understandably, by the time FBB had received the vaccines, the crying was uncontrollable.

Then, rather uncharacteristically, the doctor literally shoveled a lollipop in FBB's mouth. (Only later did we find out how uncharacteristic the act was: his receptionist told me the doctor only started giving candies to children in the past month or two to make them like him more, after more than spending 16 years as a paediatrician. Go figure why it took him that long.)

Startled, FBB stopped crying and calmed down immediately. Even though he has never had any candy (I gave him chocolate before though), children's love for sugar is well-documented. FBB was no exception.

In fact, he calmed down so well he was willing to interact with the doctor--blowing kisses, high-fives, waving goodbye. It was the first time a visit to the doctor didn't end with me frantically trying to soothe and dress a screaming FBB at the same time and subsequently forget to make the next appointment. Instead, I was able to dress FBB leisurely, and, with FBB in my arms, actually had time to chat with the receptionist.

To say the truth, I was not prepared to start giving FBB candies any time soon--one of the main reasons I don't plan to take FBB trick-or-treating this year--and certainly not under this circumstance. Alas, candy is an inevitable. And if he's only getting candies from the doctor after his bimonthly check-up, candy would remain a rare treat with special power. I'm fine with that.

After having an early lunch, we went home so Daniel could actually do some work (he was supposed to work from home) and FBB could nap. While the two gents in the house do their own things, I was out in the yard becoming mosquito food watering (needed for newly planted trees and newly seeded+fertilized lawn) and weeding (pulling out 2' tall ones on the slope and under the shade, spots usually missed by others).

FBB woke up, and I wrapped up our never-ending yard work to go shopping instead.

With FBB in tow, I went to Walmart's crazy anniversary sale to stock up on tons of things, leaving Daniel home to concentrate on his work. I somehow managed to pile the following into the shopping cart in a single trip:

2 x pack of 4 boxes of Puff kleenex
6 x pack of 8 rolls of Bounty
2 x pack of 16 triple rolls of Charmin
4 x bottle of Dawn dish detergent
4 x pack of 4 Dove soap bar
4 x various vitamins and supplements
5 x boxes of breakfast cereals
2 x packs of Chunks Ahoy
2 x pack of 4 9V batteries
1 x pack of 2 3M furnace filter
2 x 20kg bag of Windsor System Saver pellets
3 x bath towels
1 x FBB + 1 x size 2 basketball (our own)

The total bill came to $184. Boy, am I glad diapers weren't on my shopping list!!!

Then I took FBB across the road to Promenade Mall. After a brief snack at T&T, I went out-of-my-way to the guest services counter to borrow a car-shaped stroller for FBB. (He has been drawn to driving lately.) We went to Old Navy, because they were having a baby sale with 30% off everything maternity/baby/toddler, an additional 30%-off-single-item coupon, and a buy-one-get-one free sale on activewear. I spent a lot of time debating whether to buy 2T or 3T clothes for FBB. For tops, 2T are "just fit" right now, but I'm not sure if they'll last through the winter. For pants, 2T have the right inseams, but 3T have the correct rise and waist (amen to FBB's belly). And since I have finally discovered outdoor running isn't too bad (my relationship, or lack thereof, with running is another topic for another day), I scooped up some warmer technical clothing for myself as well.

After shopping was done, we went out for dinner with both my parents and my in-laws. FBB was happy-but-lethargic, probably under the effects of the vaccine. I was under the weather too; errands took their toll.

Yes, I should go to bed. Just one more load of laundry... (Damn you, newly started smart metering!)

Teach Me to Do It Myself

2010-09-15T10:55:00.001-05:00

In a Montessori-esque (or as Ben said, "Grandma-ssori") way, we have been allowing FBB to help out in many day-to-day activities if he asks.

It started with eating by himself, shortly after he turned one. We didn't initiate it--my mom did. At that stage, letting FBB feed himself was down-right disastrous; we jokingly said the post-mealtime clean-up was in Haitian earthquake proportion.

With experience, the clean-ups became progressively easier. From time-to-time, we still have to do a "Zamboni round" on the table (mostly when eating out), but the floor has been largely intact.

That was months ago. Now he can reliably perform many steps of his own personal hygiene and care (wash his hands, brush his teeth, put on some clothing items), with a little aid from us. Almost everyday, we see little improvements.

("Wouldn't it be great if he can put on his own diaper before bedtime?" Daniel once asked during bedtime. I had bigger ambition, "it'd be even better if he can wash his own diapers!!")

He also shows a keen interest in many chores in and around the house, including watering the lawn (as shown in the picture). We have allowed him to participate in these tasks, or at least become an active spectator of them.

It was best captured by a little incident: Grandma Ho paid a short visit to us after dinner a few days ago and got a glimpse of FBB "doing dishes." (In reality more like intervening whomever was actually doing the dishes; but I digress.) He pushed the dining chair from breakfast area to the sink, put on his little apron, and asked us to help him up.

(Whomever is not doing the dishes often try to prolong these steps as much as possible, so the person actually doing the dishes can speed up and wash the "high risk items"--scissors, sharp knives, breakables--first.)

Once FBB was standing on the chair, he asked for the sponge, then asked for detergent squeezed onto the sponge. Then, he started wiping a plate with the sponge in a circular motion. Grandma found it so amusing she was already laughing, "he even knows how to use the sponge to wash dishes!"

"We see this (the time and patience) as an investment," Daniel replied, "I expect him to help us do dishes when he grows up!"

At least that's the wish. What we really want is for FBB to grow up as a child and later adult who can at least take care of himself. We both understand this is a prime time period of learning; if we snip the buds now out of our own convenience, it'll burn us (or rather, him) later. (It's the essence of a Montessori concept called "sensitive period", despite Daniel not actually knowing anything about Montessori besides "the Montessori preschools are expensive.")

Unfortunately, we have witnessed more than a fair share of Hong Kong children who are unable or otherwise unwilling to perform age-appropriate tasks from personal care to housework. While the cases reported in the HK media these days are to the extreme, the reality is not too far off.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

Weighing In

2010-09-13T11:18:00.001-05:00

Last week, all of us collectively suspected FBB has put of some pounds lately. So I weighed him, on Wednesday I believe--and he was a whopping 31 lbs! No wonder my arms were so easily tired when I carried him! The usual one-arm carry doesn't work for more than a few minutes now.

I put him on the scale again yesterday, and his weight was down to 28.4 lbs. This is after a day of generally refusing to drink water and snack, so I'm not worried about the "weight loss" at all. Besides, 28.4 lbs still put him above 75-percentile on WHO's growth charts. Heavy toddler, I know!

「唔該閃吖！」

2010-09-11T23:58:00.001-05:00

("Please blink!")

As part of our home alarm monitoring system, we have a smoke detector installed on the second floor near the stairs. It blinks a little green light about every 30 seconds.

I don't know who started it, but when FBB is around the vicinity, he would sometimes look up and say 「唔該閃吖！1，2，3，4，5，6，7，8，9，10！」

I suppose one day, he suddenly realized the light would blink. Then, whomever he was with told him he could politely ask the light to blink, and taught him he could count to ten and the light would blink.

I am fascinated by his fascination and (re)action, as always.

The Switch (to Forward-Facing)

2010-09-10T14:03:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, we finally switched FBB's carseats to forward-facing.

It was something I have been holding out for, despite numerous requests from everyone else (well, other than FBB himself): "his legs are bended! That's so uncomfortable!" My reluctance to commit was simple: rear-facing is up to 500% safer than forward-facing, as it prevents internal decapitation. Even the American Association of Pediatricians now recommend rear-facing until at least the age of 2, assuming the car seat's weight and height limit haven't been exceeded.

Well, FBB's height and weight are now dangerously close to the rear-facing limit (within a pound) of the Radian XT we have installed in our car. We talked about switching to forward-facing (or rather, I finally accepted the requests) for a few weeks.

"Talked," because our car didn't have an anchor for top tethering strap--the top tether is legally required by our beloved government. At first, I thought it was a major operation involving drilling through the car chassis. We didn't even have the owner's manual for the car. Fortunately, Google came to the rescue (as always), and I found instructions to install the anchor in our car, down the the parts number for the anchor. Another search led me to an online copy of the owner's manual, which stated the anchor parts was actually included in the glove compartment of the cars sold in Canada.

That was both good news and bad news: Where to locate a relatively small parts included in the glove compartment of a car bought 12 years ago?

If I were the first owner, I would definitely have misplaced it.

If Daniel were the first owner, he would probably have misplaced it.

However, the first owner was actually Daniel's dad, a clean- and organization-freak. Before we asked him, we had high hopes he would just dig it up in his garage or basement within a minute.

Alas, that was not the case--he didn't recall seeing it.

Slightly disappointed, I decided to go to a Toyota dealership "one of these days" and buy it.

Imagine my surprise a few days later, when I found it still inside the glove compartment! (Thus proving we have never, ever cleaned the glove compartment.)

The actual installation of the anchor was easy, because there were actually pre-drilled holes. The whole process of switching to forward-facing (plus the shoulder-belt height adjustment that's also due) took about 15 minutes. We did it over last weekend. (Thanks to crappy weather, it was the highlight of the last official long weekend of the summer. How sad.)

And to keep things simple,my mom switched the True Fit in her car to forward-facing at the same time, despite it having a higher weight limit.

Before his first ride in a forward-facing position, we gave him a little time to soak in the excitement. Naturally, he showed a lot of interests in the act of driving. What surprised me the most though, was his keen observation of the blinking signal-indicator light. He would (and still does) say "arrow 閃吓閃吓" ("arrow blinking") every single time. After a few times, I explained to him we signal when we need to make a turn. Now he says "轉彎呀!" ("turning!") whenever we signal.

Another big change is, now he prefers both of us to sit the front than having one of us sit beside him. And for some peculiar reasons, he especially prefers me to be the driver. (I don't think Daniel's complaining about that.) I actually miss sitting beside him quite a bit; it was a great bonding time to play games and sing songs together.

Does it mean we're soon leaving toddlerhood and moving toward preschool?? *weep*

Toronto Star's Coverage of the Hostage Situation in the Philippines

2010-08-24T21:41:00.001-05:00

I am writing this blog post specifically to condemn Toronto Star's meager coverage of the hostage situation.

If you're interested in more information on the incident, the Wikipedia entry titled "Manila hostage crisis" is a thorough read.

I first learned of the event--where else--on Facebook. As it was on prime time television in Hong Kong on multiple TV stations, some friends were even live-updating on Facebook.

Yet, as I paid my daily visit to Toronto Star's website, there was no mentioning of it. In fact, if my memory served me right, the most prominent headline was on G20 charges being dropped. There was also a blurb on the mayor of Belleville's alleged affair with police chief, as well as a woman in UK who was dumped a cat in garbage bin and was caught on CCTV. Later in the day, there was also the news of Tiger Woods' divorce. After some digging, I found this article titled "Gunman, 8 hostages dead in the Philippines" by Associated Press buried deep in the bottom right corner of the World News page, which is oh-so-conveniently accessible by clicking "News" and then "World".

Yep, the editors of Toronto Star deemed an affair between the mayor and a police chief of a town of 45,000 or a cat's tragic 16 hours inside a garbage bin more important than death of eight tourists in Philippines in a hostage situation. Never mind the 300,000+ Chinese population living in GTA--more than 10%--might just be interested in knowing such a tragedy happened to their brethren. (I can sort of understand the coverage on Tiger Woods, although I am sort of fed up with that saga by now.)

Fast forward to today. A follow-up article titled "Philippines criticized over deadly hostage standoff," penned by New York Times appeared in the proximity of yesterday's initial coverage, which is equivalent to some neglected closet space. And what was the article up against? Clint Eastwood and Bruce Springsteen confirmed for TIFF! (Yeah yeah, it's that time of the year again.) A Korean figure skater fired her coach! (Fine, she did win gold at Olympics earlier this year in Vancouver, her former coach was a Canadian and a silver medalist, and she has been training in Toronto. Still.)

As rumours started to circulate around a particular family, we learned the father of one of the hostage families, who was killed, was Canadian, as confirmed by his employer. While the citizenship status of the rest of his family was unknown, more Canadian connections were discovered. His 20-year-old daughter, who was also dead, was confirmed to be a student at University of Toronto. His 18-year-old son, in critical condition, just graduated from a high school in Mississauga. His 14-year-old daughter was among the deceased as well.

The mere whisper of "Canadian" must have sounded like thunder in the ears of Toronto Star's editors, as it finally prompted them to assign a staff writer on the story, producing this article titled "Canadians killed on Philippine hostage bus" and prominently featured it on their front page. Thanks for the coverage; it was only one-and-a-half days after the event has ended.

#epicfail

三國演義

2010-08-23T00:58:00.001-05:00

因爲無聊，所以下載了「三國演義」的 iPhone app。

因爲更無聊(或者可説是不分緩急輕重)，所以置一衆圖書館借會來的書不理，開始閱讀「三國演義」。

第一次、也是唯一一次拜讀「三國演義」已經是近廿年前的事。如今再訪故友，另有一番滋味。

尤其是人生多了那麼一點點的經歷後，對人情世故有更深體驗，真覺得曹操是管理天才，天下歸他也是理所當然。以現代企業管理角度來看，曹操可算是 M&A (合拼及收購) 高手，尤其是反袁紹收購之舉可説是精彩絕倫。

至於劉備，只覺得他矯柔造作、滿口假仁義。要不是有幾個得力下屬支撐場面，只怕他在新野時已身首異處。

孫權嘛，作為一方霸主尚可，但論管理手腕，曹操勝他何至一籌！赤璧一戰未能寸進，之後也沒甚太大作為。

下次該找陳壽的「三國志」和裴松之的「三國志注」來讀，只是對自己的理解能力沒有信心！

Curiosity is a Double-Edged Sword

2010-08-16T12:48:00.001-05:00

FBB is now at the age where he's curious about almost everything. In his case, he's especially into food and drinks. He wants to try everything we eat or drink, despite us telling him it's hot, either in temperature or as in spicy. This is a little guy who'd request kimchi or curry, found it so spicy he had to drink lots of water immediately after eating it, and still want another bite.

Last night, I made myself some ginger tea in the hope of soothing my headache.

FBB: 咩嚟㗎? (What is it? -- his current favourite phrase)

Me: 薑茶，辣辣㗎。(Ginger tea; it's spicy.)

FBB [touched the mug and quickly retracted his hand]: 熱熱。(Hot hot.)

FBB: FBB 飲! (FBB drinks!)

Me: 辣辣㗎喎。你試吓嘞。(It's spicy. Try it yourself.)

FBB [took a sip]: 嘩，好辣。(Wa, spicy.)

A Little Adventure in the Produce Aisle

2010-08-12T01:19:00.000-05:00

During last weekend's grocery shopping, I saw a curiously-looking fruit. It was sold under the name 羅漢果 at $0.99/each.

羅漢果? All these years I only knew they were for making Chinese soup! I must try it!

We bought two home, but we didn't attempt to try them until tonight.

First question: how do you eat this thing??

You see, the shell was hard and we couldn't cut through it. Peeling didn't work; neither did our attempt to cut it open near the stem.

For all we know, it could be empty inside??

After exhausting the usual ways of cutting a fruit open, I asked, "should I google?"

"Yeah," said Daniel, while still trying more ways to open it.

At my laptop, I vaguely remember it was labeled as "passion fruit" at the grocery store. (For all I know, it could be anything--very obviously, I've never seen a passion fruit before, and neither had Daniel.)

The Great Internet Oracle (ok, I mean Google) answered our question: if the shell is hard, it's not ripe yet. The solution? Just let it ripe.

Ah ha!

So the two passion fruits have now been migrated from the fridge to the counter top, still toying with my imagination.

The Summer of Travel

2010-08-10T13:28:00.002-05:00

FBB in motion

This is probably my favourite recent picture of FBB. The picture captured a happy and active toddler having fun outdoors (running towards Grandpa off scene). You can even see the moon in the sky--which is perfect because this toddler loves to wave hello and goodbye to the moon.

The picture was taken in front of Parliament when we went to Ottawa over Civic Holiday weekend.

This past July was definitely a busy month for us in terms of travel: a birthday/anniversary trip to Rocky Mountain, a camping trip to Algonquin, then a road trip to Ottawa.

Fortunately, FBB's tolerance to boredom is pretty high; he endured flights--including the unplanned extra 4.5 hours waiting on tarmac--and long car rides without many complaints. (Or I should say, we wouldn't have planned so many trips if he's one of those car seat-hating toddlers.)

Snacks, drinks, Magna Doodle (well, and Mama) kept him entertained for long rides. Magna Doodle is an amazing toy for travel. For all three trips, it was the only toy we brought with us. I draw things or write Chinese characters he recognizes, and he erases them and ask for another. When he finally gets bored by the Magna Doodle, we play games or sing songs. If he shows signs of impatience, that's usually because he's hungry, so we give him food. :)

I believe the trips opened his eyes a bit, especially the camping trip. After we came back from Algonquin, he turned into an outdoor kid who loves to stick out in the backyard. It's a good thing our backyard is spacious, well-fenced and rather secluded; we could generally let him loose in the backyard while we do yard work.

Ahhh... I can't wait for the next trip (yet to be planned)!

Nobody Nobody Nobody

2010-07-24T22:59:00.001-05:00

Over at dinner tonight, my 4-year-old half-Korean nephew started singing "nobody nobody nobody but you" (inside a Korean restaurant no less).

His cousin, my 5-year-old niece, asked what he was singing. He said, "I was singing Korean!"

She retaliated by singing a song with some French phrases, and said, "I was singing French!"

The ensuing sing-off continued for many, many minutes, part of which was captured on video for grandparents' later enjoyment (who were absent).

When FBB was in bed, he was refreshing the new phrases he learned during the day, as usual. To our amusements, according to Daniel, FBB repeatedly said "nobody nobody nobody" tonight. We have never taught him this word, nor heard him saying it.

The first thing I did? I looked up "Nobody" MV (in both Korean and English) on YouTube, read up on Wonder Girls on Wikipedia, then looked up even more MVs of them.

I can't remember what life was like pre-Internet.

Oh, and the song "Nobody" is now totally stuck in my head.

Carousel is Not Meant to be Scary...

2010-07-23T23:08:00.001-05:00

We went to Niagara Falls with Daniel's brother's family of four, as well as his brother-in-law and his nephew today. On our way back, we stopped at St. Catherines for dinner (and more importantly, to avoid rush hour traffic).

We visited Port Dalhousie and its famous carousel. We bought $1 worth of tickets--at $0.05 a pop, it was very cheap entertainment indeed.

When we first arrived at the carousel, FBB studied it from afar, keenly yet cautiously. We approached the carousel, intending to take him for a ride. He cried as if it was the most scary idea ever. (Of course, he found riding a canoe equally scary...) He literally ran away from the carousel! Yet, when the carousel started and his cousins were riding, he looked at it with his full attention.

After dinner, we went back to the carousel to finish off the tickets. This time, with the full party, I wasn't going to let him run away. We tried to make it sound fun (轉轉喎! 好好玩㗎!), but that didn't work ("我哋去玩 carousel 好唔好?" "唔去!"). In the end, I just carried him in my arms and went in line (with him crying).

We went on the carousel, and I picked the fixed car instead of a moving pony, for obvious reasons. FBB was squarely planted on my lap. When Baba went on the moving pony in front of him, FBB pointed to the seat next to me and said "爸爸坐!" Baba went on to ride the pony, and we kept trying to sell the pony to FBB ("好好玩㗎喎!騎唔騎呀?" "唔騎!"). His 5-year-old cousin kept asking her mom "why doesn't FBB want to ride?"

The carousel started moving. FBB held onto my arms tightly, which were wrapped around him. He was affixed, just as he was on the canoe. When the carousel finally stopped, he was absolutely relieved the ordeal was over. I asked him if he wanted to go again, and he immediately answered a very firm "no!"

Camping is Fun!

2010-07-22T23:27:00.001-05:00

On Monday, we went to Algonquin Park for two nights of camping with "Uncle Philip" and "Auntie Rachel".

T - 2 days

We went to three different grocery stores to buy different food. It wasn't just for camping -- we were set to host a dinner on Sunday as well.

In addition to grocery runs, we went to Canadian Tire. We bought 2 of the 3lb sleeping bag which was a door crasher on Saturday, plus an additional cooler box. We also tried to buy a lifejacket for FBB. There was a child-size lifejacket on sale the week before, and I got a raincheck for it. When we hit the Canadian Tire--a different store from which I got the raincheck--they refused to honour the raincheck on a lifejacket which was on sale the week before, because the barcode didn't match. When Daniel finally managed to find one, it was PINK. D'oh!

We spent the night preparing food.

T - 1 day

I took FBB to another round of grocery shopping. Specifically, it was for watermelon, which seemed nowhere to be found in Markham--what's camping without watermelon?!?!

I also went back to the Canadian Tire store which I got the raincheck from. I went to the lifejacket aisle and couldn't find one with a matching barcode. So I went to the customer service, who fetched some dude to help me. That dude in turn fetched yet another guy to help me. The first thing this guy did (finally someone helpful) was look up the stock in their inventory system. Good news: there was plenty of stock. Bad news: the product description clearly stated "purple/pink". When I got the raincheck, they asked me what colour I wanted, and I specifically mentioned something boyish colour!! Anyway, this dude help me fetched the purple/pink one from the top rack (it took him about 10 minutes to locate a ladder). Then, I grabbed a yellow/blue one of the same size and product description, and went to the customer service again. I told the dude I have a boy and there's no way in hell I'll let him wear a purple/pink lifejacket. He just added the barcode of the yellow/blue lifejacket on the raincheck and told me to pay for it at the cashier. It was that easy?!?!

We managed to host a rather successful dinner. FBB was the centre of attention again, mostly due to his sheer appetite.

After dinner, we did some packing, but we were nowhere near ready.

Monday: Launch Day

We did last minute packing before heading to the rental car company to pick up the minivan we rented.

Or supposedly have rented.

When we arrived at the company, it was CLOSED. We tried calling them up, and nobody picked up the phone. According to the owner of the Mac's convenience store next door, we weren't the first people to be shut out. What kind of crappy company is this?!?!

Frantically, we called the second-lowest priced company on the list, about half an hour later. That company actually has customer pick-up service, so we went home, and Daniel hitched a ride from the rental car guys.

To my surprise, Daniel didn't come home with the minivan until an hour later--and this company is only at Yonge and Steeles?? Daniel retold the story: initially, they told him he'd get a certain minivan, but they couldn't find the keys (or the guy with the keys). Then, after the van was cleaned and checked, and papers were signed, they found out the door didn't close?!?! So they had to get him a different minivan, cleaned and checked again, before he could take off.

This whole minivan rental fiasco ran us 2 hours late. By the time we started packing, we were in such a rush that I missed some semi-important things--more on that later.

Our original plan was to have lunch at Webers Hamburgers on Highway 11. But since we were two hours late, we had to grab food (Wendy's) before we hit Highway 400.

Also, since we were late, we had no time to hike/bike before dinner. We arrived at Algonquin at around 5:30, which meant we had to set up tent and campfire right away, or risk not having dinner (or at least have it in pitch dark).

Fun of the day: we found some wild blueberries around our campsite!

First night's dinner was grill--we had a piece of steak, some short ribs marinated with bulgogi sauce, some Korean pork belly slices, eggplants, corn, and sweet potatoes. Oh, and some (wilted) lettuce on the side. We found out I forgot to pack the chicken. D'oh!

FBB certainly had fun with all that meat.

After I put FBB to bed, I rose up to roast some marshmallows with Daniel and Philip. Rachel has crashed faster than FBB...

Tuesday: Canoe Day

After we woke up, we went to the Portage Store and rented two canoes.

It was FBB's first time in a canoe, and he was NERVOUS with the deer-caught-in-the-headlights look. He flat-out refused to just sit down in the middle of the canoe; instead, he cried "媽媽抱" while clinging onto my legs tightly. I tried my best to actually paddle, but it wasn't comfortable at all.

On the other canoe, it was Philip and Rachel's first time canoeing as well. It was fun seeing them running around in circles, almost literally. (Just like Daniel and I did when we first canoed. Or the second time.)

We found a little dock and had lunch on the dock, where Daniel managed to lure FBB to the open water. It was the most fun he ever had in water--certainly a HUGE improvement over the "koala baby" I had for all of this swimming classes. (FBB also managed to be picked up by a 4-year-old girl. Way to go, Son!)

After lunch, we continued paddling to Joe Lake. There was a 295m portage, which Daniel and Philip did pretty much just for the sake of it. We didn't go too far until it started raining. We tried hiding under a bridge, but no luck because of the strong current. We docked and waited for the rain to die down a bit, and just went back.

By the time we arrived at the Portage Store, we heard ice cream calling us. :) FBB shared some of Baba's and some of Mama's cones.

Dinner was hot pot. It wasn't until we started setting up dinner that we realized I forgot to pack noodles/udon and daikon. D'oh!! Daniel was SOOOO mad at me because he feared we didn't have enough food. I came back to the campsite from washroom, and father and son were nowhere to be seen?? I thought they went to buy food--turned out they went to washroom as well.

Fortunately (especially for me), we were OK on the food.

When I was about to put FBB to sleep and Baba said goodnight to him, FBB decided he wanted Baba as well. So Baba and Mama both stayed by him, and possibly fell asleep before he did.

Wednesday: Bye Bye Algonquin!

We woke up and pretty much started packing. I mean, we had to--we ran out of food.

Before we left, Daniel said he HAD to hit the beach. (He is certainly a beach guy.) We played at the beach for a bit before leaving.

First thing first: we stopped at the first Tim Horton's we saw, picked up 3 iced capps and 1/2 dozen donuts, before continuing on. (We also had to stop at the second Tim's we saw, because somehow the first store only gave us 2 straws--Daniel and I were sitting there, watching our iced capp melting, and couldn't do a thing!)

Since time was on our side, we had lunch at Webers. It was our first time eating a Webers--the burgers lived up to the hype. We had to order 5 burgers (yes, one for FBB) and 2 fries (because FBB kept munching on the fries).

We got home about 4pm.

New word of the day: 士波波梨

2010-07-15T22:38:00.000-05:00

Breakfast.

We had to make good use of the 4lbs-box of strawberries for $3.97 (No Frills last week, first page). As such, we added sliced fresh strawberries to this morning's freshly-cooked oats.

FBB: 切，媽媽，切！ [translate: cut, Mama, cut!]
Me: 切乜嘢呀？ [Cut what?]
FBB [pointing to the strawberries on the table]: 呢個！[This one!]
Me: 呢個？士多啤梨。[This one? This is a strawberry.]
FBB [nodding]: 士波波梨！[err... rough translation: s-ball-ball-ry]
Me [trying to contain my laugther]: 士多啤梨。[Strawberry.]
FBB [still nodding]: 士波波梨！[s-ball-ball-ry]

After a few tries, I sighed and laughed.

A Day in the Toddler Life of FBB

2010-07-13T22:58:00.000-05:00

I was happily sleeping when I sensed sunlight slipping through the curtains. I opened my eyes slowly and groggily.

I got up and started exploring my surroundings as usual. I found myself in bed, the same bed I have spent most of my sleeping hours in. Mama used to be the person who slept next to me when I was a lot younger, but now it's Baba.

Baba was still sleeping. I decided to give him a kiss on his cheeks. A few more kisses would surely wake him up, I thought.

Baba opened his eyes. I greeted him with "Hi, Baba!" and gave him the brightest smile--how could I not beam when he responsed affectionately?

Baba grabbed the alarm clock to check the time. I asked Baba, "what is this?" "This is an alarm clock. It says 8:30," he replied. I repeated after him, "8:30!" "Yes, the clock says 8:30," he pointed to the clock face again, nodding.

As soon as Baba picked up his glasses, I pointed and said, "Baba glasses!" "Yes, it's Baba's pair of glasses. FBB is smart," Baba echoed with approval.

I climbed down the bed, stating the fact, "FBB climb down!" Baba took my diaper off and brought me to the toilet, "FBB goes to toilet." "FBB toilet!" I exclaimed.

Then I watched Baba brushing his teeth. He explained every step he took to brush his teeth. Baba handed me my own toothbrush and asked me to brush my teeth. "FBB brush teeth!" I put the toothbrush in my mouth, like Baba and Mama do. "FBB is smart, FBB knows how to brush his teeth!" Baba was always excited about me brushing my teeth.

After we were done in the bathroom, Baba showed me a pair of undies. "Whose undies are these?" "FBB's!" I answered promptly, "FBB wear!" I tried to put on my undies. After a few tries and a little help from Baba, I was finally able to put it on. I did the same with my pants.

Baba and I headed to the kitchen for breakfast. Baba took the cooked oatmeal out of the fridge, scooped some out to a bowl, and put it into the microwave. Then, he took out the box of Oatmeal Crisp from the cupboard and filled another bowl with it. After the microwave beeped, Baba transferred the oatmeal into my bowl. Then, he poured milk over both the oatmeal and Oatmeal Crisp. "Cow's milk", he said, "I'm pouring cow's milk into the oatmeal and Oatmeal Crisp." "Cow's milk!" I proclaimed my knowledge.

As always, Baba put me in my highchair, put a bib on me, and placed both bowls on my tray. Baba took two spoons from the drawer, giving me one. Then, he took a banana and started cutting some pieces into both bowls. I said, "banana," while scooping the pieces up and eating them.

While we were still eating breakfast, I heard a familiar rumbling noise--it's the garage door opening. I knew who it was, "Por Por!! Por Por!!" I soon heard the beeping sound from our home alarm system, notifying me a door is being opened. As I predicted, Por Por walked into house and greeted me, "Hi, FBB!" "Hi, Por Por!!" I greeted her with a beaming smile.

"Are you having breakfast? What are you eating?" Por Por asked. "FBB is having oatmeal and Oatmeal Crisp for breakfast," Baba answered. "Oatmeal Crisp!" I echoed.

I was almost full by then; playing with Por Por seemed more interesting than breakfast. So I demanded, "down to the ground!"

"FBB wants to get down," Baba acknowledged, "Baba wipes FBB's face and hands first before FBB gets down." Baba wiped my face and hands with a wet hankerchief. I took the hankie from him and further wiped myself and the tray, while Baba was letting me down.

I ran to Por Por and gave her a big hug. Then, Baba asked me, "I'm going to wake Mama up. Do you want to come with me?" "Mama!" I claimed with excitement and rushed to the stairs, "FBB up!" I held onto Baba's hands and climbed up the stairs. Baba counted each step, "one, two, three, ..." and I sometimes echoed him.

After I reached upstairs, Baba asked, "Where is Mama?" I rushed into the room Mama was sleeping in, "Mama! Mama!"

Mama was still sleeping. I climbed up her bed and gave her a big, wet kiss. "Hi, FBB," Mama said groggily but happily. Then, she turned to Baba and asked, "what time is it?"

"9:30," Baba replied. Mama got up slowly, and turned to me, "did FBB have breakfast yet? What did you have for breakfast?" Again, Baba answered for me, "we had oatmeal and Oatmeal Crisp. Oh, and banana too."

I took Mama's iPod and started playing with it. Mama said, "I'm going to brush my teeth. Has FBB brushed his teeth this morning yet?" Baba replied, "FBB was a good boy; he brushed his teeth this morning!"

I followed Mama to the bathroom and watched her brush her teeth. Then, I followed her to the bedroom. She said, "Mama is changing clothes." I pretended to take off my clothes like Mama was doing, and said, "FBB change clothes!" With her shirt off, I pressed Mama's belly button and said, "belly button!" She laughed. I did it again, and she laughed this time too. I was happy.

Mama led me downstairs, and she fixed herself a breakfast. In the mean time, Por PorFBB, come and let me put a diaper on you. We're going to playgroup." At first, I didn't listen, preferring to play with Mama instead. After Por Por repeated a few times, I decided to go to her, and sat squarely on the diaper laid out on the floor.

By the time I finished dressing, Mama had finished her breakfast. She was loading her lunch bag with her lunch, and told me, "Mama is going to work now."

"NOOOOO!!!! Mama carry! Mama carry!" I asked Mama to carry me. I didn't want her to leave!

Mama came over, carried me in her arms, as I settled. She gave me a hug and a kiss, and repeated, "Mama is going to work now. Bye bye FBB!" She put me down on the ground.

I was still not happy about her leaving. Swiftly, Por Por gave me my own lunch bag to carry. I was happy again, "FBB go to work!"

I picked up my own shoes--my pair of Crocs!--from the shoe rack, trying to put them on myself. "That's the wrong foot, FBB," Baba said and showed me the correct foot to put the shoe in. Then, I put on the other shoe.

Mama opened the door and said, for the last time, "bye bye FBB! Mama is going to work now!" "Bye bye Mama," I said, and blew her a kiss. She left.

Por Por said, "we're going to playgroup." Then, she took me to her car. Off we go!

When we arrived at the playgroup, I picked a few toy trains to play with. Soon, it was circle time. We gathered in a circle, as a teacher led us to songs and dances. I love circle time!

After circle time has ended, Por Por and I stayed to play with more toys. There were a lot to choose from. I played with the dominoes, and then the toy food. Por Por brought out a small box of blueberries for me to snack on. I ate while I played.

Then, Por Por took me to lunch. We went to a dim sum restaurant and had lunch with Gung Gung, Haan Yee Por, Uncle Sun and Uncle Tsuen. They all loved to see me! I ate many different dim sum, but my favourites are BBQ pork bun and turnip cake.

Por Por drove me back home after lunch, but I fell asleep in the car before arriving home. Boy, was I exhausted from all the fun I had so far!

Somehow, I ended up in my bed--yes, it used to Baba and Mama's, but it's mine now--when I woke up. I cried, "Por Por! Por Por!" Sure enough, she answered my call and took me downstairs to the kitchen again. Unbeknownst to me, she even prepared some blueberries while I slept! I happily enjoyed my snack while she started preparing dinner.

I finished the blueberries in record time. Walking over to the CD player in the family room, I turned it on and started dancing and singing to the familiar tunes. Por Por sang with me too.

Then, I went to my play room. My current favourite is a knobbed puzzle with cars and trunks. Mama, Baba, and Por Por all told me different stories about the puzzle every time. I love putting it together and then take it apart again!

I also played some basketball. I used to watch Baba play basketball every week, but his season was over. One day, he installed a small basketball basket over the fence of my play room. I have been practicing my dunks since.

"Dinner's ready," said Por Por. She put me on my highchair and gave me my dinner. She ate her own with me. My dinner is rice mixed with minced chicken and chopped up veggies. It was my default meal. I saw some string beans in her dinner, and I demanded, "bean!" She gave me some of that, as always. She also gave me some of her beef, but I only demanded more beans.

After I had dinner, Por Por took me upstairs for bath time. She put me in my baby bath tub and let me play in it. She always ended my bath with a quick shower. Had it been Mama or Baba, they would have used the shower only.

We went back downstairs to the kitchen, where Por Por finished cooking dinner for Baba and Mama. I wanted to see what she was doing, and demanded "up!" Por Por gladly obliged, and managed to cook with one hand only.

We heard the familiar rumbling noise of the garage door again. I quickly dropped everything I was doing and rushed to the door. Por Por opened the door for me--it was Baba and Mama! I could barely contain my excitement, "Baba! Mama!" They both replied with a grin.

My first order of business? Taking over Mama's lunch bag. While they were walking to the study to drop off their bags, Baba asked, "how was FBB today? Was he a good boy?"

"He was a very good boy today. We went to dim sum for lunch, and he fell asleep in the car ride home," replied Por Por. I didn't pay much attention to their conversation; instead, I wanted to be carried by Mama's arms.

"Up!" I said to Mama. She scooped me up with one arm, kissed me on my cheek, and said, "hi, FBB!"

"Tickle, Mama, tickle!" I tickled Mama. She laughed in response, and tickled me back, "tickle FBB!" I laughed too. We exchanged a few more rounds of tickling.

Everyone was preparing for dinner--Por Por was finishing up the cooking, and Baba were setting up the table. Mama? Well, Mama and I were playing in the play room. She picked up some flashcards and started showing them to me. Of course, I knew most of the cards already--these are flashcards of fruits and vegetables, my favourite topics.

Dinner was ready. Mama took me to the dining table. She put a Yellow Page on one of the chairs and had me sat on it.

Why yes, it was my second dinner. I ate on the same table as Baba and Mama. We ate the same food too; Baba would cut the food up into small pieces with scissors.

Tonight's dinner was rice (as always), blanched lettuce, and steamed chicken. I loved veggies, and I loved chicken! The rice? Not so much.

They always asked me to eat with my spoon, but I much preferred my hands. These days, Mama would give me a pair of chopsticks as well, but my speed with the chopsticks was even slower. And less successful.

As dinner went on, I was getting fuller and started playing with the food and utensils. Mama would somehow squeeze in a spoonful of food or two while I played. But I wanted to be a big boy and liked to eat by myself instead of being fed. Mama complied.

After Mama has finished dinner--she was always the first one to finish dinner--she started doing the dishes. By the time Baba and I were done, she had finished washing all the dishes in the sink already.

In the mean time, Baba took a watermelon out from the fridge and cut it up. I loved watermelon! I couldn't wait for Baba to finish cutting!

I liked my watermelon slices the same way as Baba and Mama's slices. I ate three slices. Baba commented, "we must take FBB to the bathroom more often tonight!"

After watermelon, it was bed time. Baba said, "FBB, it's sleepy time." He started carrying me upstairs. But I wanted Mama! "Mama carry! Mama carry!" I cried. Mama came over, and I leapt into her arms.

Mama carried me to the bedroom. She took me to the bathroom first, then she tried to put a diaper on me, "FBB, diaper time," she said. I wanted to play with her--instead of going to Mama and the diaper, I quickly crawled to the head of the bed and laughed.

Seeing I wasn't too co-operative, Mama took Big Bear and tried to put the diaper on it, "whose diaper is this? Is it Big Bear's? Oh, look! Big Bear is wearing a diaper!" I pointed to the diaper and said, "FBB's!" "It's FBB's diaper? Oh, then let's put it on FBB," Mama said while taking the diaper off Big Bear. I ran away again, laughing. She put it back on Big Bear. It went back and forth another time before I was caught by Mama, who pinned me down with a fierce tickle and then put the diaper on me.

Then, Baba came to the bed and said, "thank you, Mama!"

"No problem, Baba," Mama replied, "night night Baba! Night Night FBB! Hug hug, FBB?" Mama came over, gave me a last hug, before leaving the room.

Baba started playing with me in the bedroom, barely lit by a nightlight. We played with Big Bear and Small Bear for a while. After a while, Baba laid down in his side of the bed, pulled a blanket over his body, and said, "Baba is sleeping. Baba is covered with a blanket. FBB should sleep now too. FBB should be covered with a blanket." He said that while putting me down and then putting a blanket over my body.

I started reviewing my vocabulary, "Grandpa, Grandma, going to work!" "Bye bye Gung Gung! Bye bye Por Por! Bye bye Tai Por! Bye bye Haan Yee Por! Bye bye Ah Ray! Bye bye May Yee Por!" Baba fell asleep while I was still talking to myself. Eventually, I fell asleep too.

Tomorrow will be just as eventful as todayd!

Toy Story 3

2010-07-08T23:27:00.000-05:00

On my birthday, Daniel and I did something we haven't done in a long, long time: we went to the movie theatre.

I don't recall what was the last movie I've seen at the theatre, but it certainly predates FBB's birth -- yes, it has been that long.

We went to Empress Walk to watch the movie in 3D because, well, I'll buy it in Blu-Ray and will be rewatching it in 2D.

(Empress Walk was the choice because Cineplex Odeon doesn't seem to have cheap tickets on Tuesdays any more. Boo.)

It was one of the hottest days this summer (well, the heat wave is still here...) Since I have been craving Korean spicy food since before our trip, and Empress Walk is so close to many good Korean restaurants, it was only natural that we had Korean food for dinner. The combination of summer heat, hot and spicy food, and the lack of air condition made both of us dripping in sweat, but boy, was the meal satisfying! (As a bonus, the TV also happened to be replaying Netherlands vs. Uruguay.)

As the second sequel of the most daring CGI animation franchise, Toy Story 3 has lived up (and may have even surpassed) all the expectations. In fact, I would call it the best among all three Toy Story movies. (Unlike the Shrek sequels which seem to become increasingly "meh.")

In the grand scheme of things, the main plot was "Andy going to college; what will happen to the toys?" It dealt with friendship, loyalty, love, neglect, betrayal, and saying the final goodbye. The last few minutes was absolutely tear-inducing (OK, gushing in my case). I won't spoil the ending for you in case you haven't seen it, but suffice to say yet another sequel is extremely unlikely.

On the lighter notes, there was no shortage of witty lines and scenes. The mere mentioning of the "Spanish mode" still bring us chuckles. "Señora!"

Happy Anniversary Trip #3 -- Rocky Mountain National Park

2010-07-05T13:49:00.000-05:00

On a certain workday three weeks ago...
Daniel: Mama, are you taking July 2 off?
Cindy: Nah, I want to save my vacation days up for longer trips. I can always work from home.
Daniel: But we might go on a trip woh...

On a certain workday's commute home two weeks ago...
Daniel: Mama, you need to get your passport tomorrow! :)
Cindy: Why?
Daniel: Because I just booked air tickets for a trip July 1-4! :)
Cindy: Huh?
Daniel
Cindy: Will the passport be ready by July 1?
Daniel: I just checked -- if you apply tomorrow, you can get it on June 30. :)
Cindy: That's a little tight, no? :P BTW, where to?
Daniel: Guess. :)
Cindy: Fine, I'll just check your email. :P
Daniel: OK, it's a national park, and it's in the States. ;)
Cindy Rockies?
Daniel: Yup! :)

Day 1
Thanks to Daniel's Air Canada Prestige status, we visited the Maple Leaf Lounge before take-off. Isaac got his first taste of potato chips and pop--and we fully blame AC for that. ;)

This is the first flight we actually took Isaac's carseat with us. The carseat we had (Sunshine Kids Radian XT) was a little heavy, but it folds up for easier carrying. (I still don't understand why Daniel didn't use the strap to carry it on his shoulder, but I'm not complaining since I don't have to carry it!)

Isaac did well during the flight--he napped a good part of it, and played with whatever was on hand during the flight (we knew he'd be good without "toys"). He didn't even requested to get down and walk. The only "problem" we had was he didn't want to drink as much water as we'd like him to. This became the recurring theme throughout the whole trip.

After we arrived at Denver airport, we headed to Boulder, which was en route to Rocky Mountain National Park, for dinner. The restaurant of choice was The Cheesecake Factory. I ordered the Kobe Burger (which was easily the best burger I've ever had), and Daniel ordered a pasta (about twice the size of his appetite). We both ordered cheesecake for dessert (neither of us could finish). Since the portion size was soooo big, Isaac shared our food.

Boulder was a very nice city. After dinner, we strolled (with our feet--as always, we didn't bring stroller on trips) around the Pearl Street Mall area before continuing our journey to our destination, Estes Park. As expected, Isaac was asleep by the time we arrived.

Day 2
It was our third anniversary. We forgot to turn on the heat the night before. A combination of that and our bodies not totally adjusted for the altitude, all three of us were rather crappy. As a result, Daniel decided we should do the drive today and saved the hiking for tomorrow.

We drove up Old Falls River Road to the Alpine Visitor Center. At 11,796 ft. above sea level, it was actually above the tree line. By the time we arrived at Alpine, Isaac was asleep, and Daniel and I were both hit by headache and needed rest. All three of us napped inside the car, thanks to the headaches, it was not nearly as enjoyable as it might sound.

We had lunch at Alpine--ham sandwiches, and Isaac kept picking out the ham. Headache was still bad. We walked around the visitor center area before heading back down to a lower elevation via Trail Ridge Road.

We continued southwest to East Inlet Trailhead for a short hike to Adams Falls. At a lower altitude, headache subsided somewhat. Isaac walked part of the hike--and we discovered he loves to walk on bridges. We used his interests in bridges to our advantages the next day--it became a lifesaver to get him walk on his own instead of being carried.

Dinner was totally disastrous. It was already dark when we arrived at our cabin, Daniel said he needed a hot shower himself, then gave Isaac a shower, before we headed out for dinner. It was already 8:45pm mountain time when we finally headed to town for food. Daniel said he had upset stomach and had no appetite, but I was already starving. It was so late that the restaurant we finally decided upon was actually closed. We fell back to McD's, but when we were looking at the menu, neither of us had wallet on us. By then, I was absolutely irritable--at least they had their showers! I made Daniel drop me off at our cabin for my own shower, waited another half-an-hour, before food finally showed up at 10:00pm. It was sushi from Safeway.

After downing some food, I was finally at a more manageable mood. Daniel jokingly asked me if I thought I married the wrong guy--all the anniversary trips to date never turned out as good as planned. I suggested next year we should just have a weekend getaway at Royal York. :)

Day 3, a.k.a. the Big Hiking Day
With heat actually running over the night, all three of us had pretty good sleep. I still had a slight dull headache, so I kept drinking water (and never felt I drank enough). The headache eventually went away during the hikes, as I kept my windbreaker and hood on all day. (Damn wind, go away! :P)

We started off the long day of hiking around Bear Lake, a very easy 0.5 mile loop. Then we hiked to Emerald Lake (1.8 miles one-way). Isaac slept on Daniel's back (in a mei tai) for a short while, but woke up before he had enough rest (thanks to me keep trying to tug his arms in). We decided to stop and have lunch.

Today's lunch menu included canned tuna sandwiches with a side of apple, nectarine, and blueberries (Isaac managed to eat most of the pint of blueberries in the span of three days). Again, Isaac kept picking the fish out of the sandwiches. *sigh*

With Isaac in tow, we had to stop often. Thankfully, he was willing to hike maybe 1/4 - 1/3 of the trail. (And thankfully to me, it was Daniel carrying him the rest of the way.) We lured Isaac to hike more by making bridges even more exciting than they seemed to him, by making a game of "jump!" out of logs, and by letting him play with the stream water ("Wow! It's cold!").

Emerald Lake was worth the hike. We had a snack of dried fruits, bananas, and more blueberries by the lake.

The hike back to the trailhead was a lot easier; going down 605' in elevation is obviously easier than going up. Isaac managed to fall asleep in a mei tai--this time on the front--along the way. As he was still sleeping when we reached the trailhead, we decided to hike our way to Glacier Gorge (0.4 mile) instead of taking the bus and risking waking him up. (Weren't we glad it was a mostly downhill hike.)

From Glacier Gorge, we hiked to Alberta Falls (0.8 mile one-way, 160' elevation gain). On the hike back to the trailhead, both of us felt our knees were giving in. We called it a day.

Before we started hiking, Daniel had the ambition to hike to The Loch as well (3.0 mile one-way, 990' elevation gain). Obviously that didn't happen. (I don't think he could do it by then even if he hiked alone with Isaac and I staying behind.)

We finally managed to finish our day while there was sunlight remaining! We had dinner at a diner in Estes Park. Isaac had mac & cheese for the first time, as well as a few bites of Daniel's pizza and my meatloaf (both are firsts).

By the time we arrived at our cabin, the bed was calling us. We decided to postpone packing to the next morning.

Day 4, a.k.a. Tarmac Day
Somehow it was too hot in the cabin over the night, so none of us had the best sleeps again. We managed to pack and leave the cabin by 9:45am, only 15 minutes later than we originally planned.

Before we left for Denver, we visited the Wild Basin area of the park today. It was supposed to be a 0.3 mile one-way, 15' elevation gain hike to Copeland Falls, so we were all wearing Crocs (yes, including Isaac). Boy, were we misled--it turned out the parking lot already full by the time we arrived, and we had to park 1/2 mile or so away from the trailhead.

Daniel : Mama are you OK?
Cindy : Yeah, but I totally didn't sign up for this! It was supposed to be 0.3 mile!
Daniel : Me neither!

The longer walk has somewhat further delayed our plans. By the time we arrived at Denver downtown, we only had time for lunch, but not much time left to walk around.

Daniel : I think there is a Cheesecake Factory around Denver downtown.
<1 minute later, Cheesecake Factory>
Daniel : What do I know! Game?
Cindy: Game. :)

By the time we arrived at Denver airport, it started raining hard. We wanted to take advantage of Daniel's Prestige status and lounge access again--we all could use a good shower. We knew time was already running short, so we frantically look for the lounge, never to be found. We eventually found out it was located in a different wing of the terminal, accessible only by train. We went anyway.

To our further dismay, the lounge was not equipped with showers. It also didn't have canned pop or juices, only fountain pops. There was no chips or ice cream in sight neither--only cookies, veggie sticks, and cheese cubes. In the end, it was so not worth the effort.

As I looked out of the windows and saw hail the size of golfballs, I specifically asked the staff at the gate whether we would be able to take off on time. The flight actually arrived a little late; people haven't even started unloading when we arrived at the gate 4:15pm, but the flight was scheduled to depart 4:35pm.

With preboarding privileges (guess where did it come from?), we were among the first to board the plane. Since the flight wasn't full, Isaac had his own seat. Score!

However, that was as far as our luck go. The plane left the gate, but the take-off was delayed due to weather. Almost every time the captain spoke, he said our flight needed to be rerouted due to the storm system and it should be another 10-15 minutes.

Isaac managed to fall asleep and subsequently woke up, and we were still on the ground.

I started to feel lightheaded thanks to both dehydration and lack of food. Daniel couldn't even feel the hunger any more.

Patience ran low around the plane, but we weren't moving. Planes of American airlines headed back to the gate thanks to the FAA rule, but our AC flight wasn't subject to that. We were just stuck inside the plane.

AC didn't even provide complimentary meals--only free snacks were offered. We had to pay for the apple slices that kept Isaac at bay, as well as the chicken sandwich which saved my life. Thank goodness we were sitting on the first row of economy class; I was sure there wouldn't be any edible (or even inedible) meal choices left in the cart if we were sitting in the back.

They also provided complimentary alcoholic drinks, but what good is that?? I asked for three glasses of water (because Denver is Mile-High City, and I was slightly dehydrating), and was told by the flight attendant she only had 2 jugs of water left for the whole plane. I opted for juices instead, fearing they'd run out as well.

4.5 hours on the tarmac later, our flight took off around 9:00pm mountain time. The flight itself was only 2.5 hours.

We touched down at YYZ at 1:36am. We were beyond tired.

Isaac was definitely overtired by the time we reached home, but was still awake (barely). We didn't want him to go to bed hungry, so we fixed him a meal first. At his cranky-tired state, he saw the watermelon in the fridge and demanded that. We were happy to oblige--he could use the fluid intake from it.

2:45am, and our family of three were having watermelon together. We all took showers afterwards, before heading to bed.

On Reading

2010-06-13T01:12:00.000-05:00

Often times I forget how much I love reading--reading for pleasure, that is. Finishing three novels in a normal work week ought to serve as a reminder.

Perhaps "consuming" is a better word to describe my act: I read for hours, until either the I devoured the whole book or it engulfed me. The worst offenders (or best books, depending on the point of view) are Chinese fiction.

Had I not left Hong Kong, would I choose to pursue a higher level education on Chinese literature and/or history? Sometimes I ponder. After all, I did not realize I was good at science until I read the letter of recommendation from my secondary school in Hong Kong.

On the other hand, English books are less enticing to me. While I prefer not to admit, my English literacy has not reached the same level as my command of the Chinese language. For example, as of this point of the current blog post, I have already looked up the definition of a handful of words. These are words whose meaning I am unsure of; words I have seen multiple times before but have never utilized in any of my writing; words I have yet to internalize.

Instead of novels, I tend to pick up English non-fiction from bookstores. If you have visited my home, the bookshelves should have stated this clearly. The books appealed to me not because of pleasure, but the potential utility each book may bring.

Maybe I should take up writing. After all, "publishing a novel" appears to be a popular life goal, although I have never included it on my ever-changing list.

June 4, 1989

2010-06-04T23:41:00.000-05:00

Today is June 4, 2010.

21 years ago, an extraordinarily sad event took place in Beijing.

I thought of the students and the ordinary citizens who were fighting for a better China. Some of them lost their lives; others moved on.

But what does "moved on" mean? Have a job, start a family, buy a car, buy a house?

Whatever happened to the better government they so fiercely sought?

On the flip side of the coin, I always pondered what was going through the mind of an ordinary soldier who received the order the night before. Would he question the commander? Would he wonder if some of the people facing the guns were his friends, his family?

I remembered joining the procession that took place in Hong Kong. I was old enough to know it was a very, very serious issue back then, but it took me 20 years to finally have the desire to learn more about what happened.

"That's the way the Party works" used to be, and still is, my "explanation" for China's action in 1989. In fact, that's the way Chinese governments worked for thousands of years. Sadly, most Chinese people choose to simply accept the ruling. And for the current generation of dissents, leaving China is an easier option than changing the country.

How many years until I'll give "the Talk" on Tienanmen Square to Isaac?

Montessori School Tour

2010-06-03T23:22:00.000-05:00

I visited some Montessori schools recently. The last few schools I visited, I took Isaac and my mom with me.

Isaac was so smart--every time we arrived at a school, he immediately wanted to cling onto me, as if he knew this is a place where mommies drop off their kids for the day. Both times, there were no kids or parents in sight.

The first time my mom went into a toddler classroom and saw these kids doing their Montessori work (activities), she has this look on her that says, "this is what Isaac does at home anyway." Indeed, Isaac's "play" activities at bear a strong resemblance to Montessori activities, even before I started studying the Montessori Method. But she also knew these Montessori schools offer what Isaac lacks at home--interaction of people his age.

Overall, my mom was impressed with Montessori schools. She was amazed that the kids behaved very well in a classroom setting. I also like what I saw--I can envision Isaac being in one of these classrooms.

My First Montessori Moment

2010-05-31T15:10:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I went shopping for items suitable for Montessori Practical Life activities. I came home with half-dozen of small drinking glasses, a small glass pitcher, a small tray, among other things.

This morning, I deliberately set out to teach Isaac how to drink water from a glass and pour water from a pitcher. As expected, things went smoothly -- he has done both activities before, just not in this setting, and definitely not with all-glass materials. We only had one minor spill, and he wiped it dry himself. ("HELLO? Glass can shatter and he'll hurt himself??" -- The Montessori-esque thinking is breaking glass items is a lesson to teach a child to be careful.) I just have to be very attentive when I give him glass to work with.

After we were done drinking, pouring, and breakfast, Isaac thought I was going to do dishes (I was planning to defer...). He pushed one of the chairs from the breakfast area over to the sink area (yes, he can do that). I immediately knew he was looking forward to do dishes, so I washed with him. Or rather, I washed the dishes, then let him do the final rinse and placed the dishes onto the drying rack. Although he still managed to make his shirt wet, it was nothing like the wet floors I had to deal with before.

I'm also trying to teach Isaac to dress himself. There's limited success for each item, but we're still very far from "graduation". Now if I can only have some Montessori dressing frames to teach him buttons, snaps, zippers, etc...

Parenting Philosophy

2010-05-28T23:04:00.000-05:00

Before Isaac's birth, I didn't really have a parenting philosophy. Heck, I had no freaking idea what was coming my way. Talk about deer caught in headlights.

After Isaac has entered this world, I found myself very fond of attachment parenting. It spoke to my mother instinct. I firmly believe one cannot spoil a baby. We just let him have everything he asked for.

Before I knew it, Isaac was no longer a baby -- he's a toddler. (One who is very fond of saying "no" these days, to our chagrin.) We try hard not to confine him in a particular space or activity. I'm even refraining from suggesting or nudging him into another activity before he's done with one.

Then I started reading up on the Montessori Method, and it appeals to me more than the usual cheery-song-singing-and-keep-stimulating-the-toddler way. Maybe it has something to do with his personalty -- for a toddler, Isaac is pretty cautious and patient. Not to mention he is at an age where he wants to imitate every and all houseworks we do. "Montessori teaches kids to wipe their table? My son already does that!"

I Love Ginger

2010-05-09T00:47:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time (i.e., before Isaac was born), I thought nothing of ginger--it was something you use while cooking seafood (especially steaming) to get rid of the fishy smell; it was something you add a slice to while boiling veggies; it was something you dip chicken into, along with green onion.

Then Isaac was born, and along came "sit month".

[To my friends who are not familiar with the concept: "sit month" is the first month after baby is born. The mother is supposed to "enjoy" special care to help the body to recover.]

The most important things during this month are expelling "wind" from the mother's body and replenish calcium. The first is achieved by eating lots and lots of ginger, bathing in ginger (which I didn't do), and not washing hair (I didn't follow that neither). By lots and lots, I mean every meal--the only carb I ate during that month was white rice cooked with ginger. I had it for breakfast; I had it for lunch; I had it for dinner; I even had it at 5am when I was hungry.

Before you say, "yuck that must taste spicy!" I have to tell you--if you have lots of "wind" in your body, you won't find ginger spicy. Amazing but true.

My streak of ginger rice ended the first day I finally found the rice spicy. That was almost a month after Isaac was born.

Since then, I became more aware of the effects of "wind". I was (and am) frequently affected by it. When I feel too much "wind" in my system, or when I know it will hit, the first thing I do is make some ginger tea and drink it.

For example, on a particular (and windy) Friday, I started feeling sick in the afternoon. By the time we were heading to my mom's place for dinner, I was very sick in the car ride. The first thing Daniel did when we arrived was to brew me some ginger tea. Since that took some time, my grandma gave me some of her candied ginger. I had a few pieces (and more). Less than half an hour later, I felt much better. I finished the ginger tea (about 3 cups of it) after dinner, and was totally fine when we got home.

Daniel half-jokingly said I turned into a ginger lady. Little did he know it works for him today too.

This morning, he said he didn't feel too well--he might have caught some "wind" during his outdoor run the past Thursday (which was sunny but very windy). He felt a cold is brewing in his body. By dinner time, he was pale and sick. His mom suggested him to drink some ginger and green onion tea [3 big slices of ginger, one green onion taking the white and light green part, boil in about 2 cups of water for 5 minutes].

We made the tea as told. I drank a cup as precautionary measure as well (despite it strongly reminding me of steamed fish). He first commented he didn't find it spicy. As soon as he drank it, he immediately felt the stuffiness in his head cleared. Two minutes later, he burped (thus expelling "wind"). Then he felt warmth in his hands, which he hadn't feel for most of today.

Chinese medicine is indeed very amazing.

Haircut

2010-05-04T16:41:00.000-05:00

We gave Isaac yet another haircut on Sunday.

This time, we have improved from "crying from start to finish" to "crying before and after, but not during the actual cutting"--as in, every time I switched off the shaver, he'd start crying again. At least he was able to sit still during the cut, and I didn't feel rushed to finish the job. The result was a (finally!) nice, even cut.

We showed him his new look in the mirror afterward, and he was very pleased with his new look. I'm glad you like it, hon!

It seems that every time we cut his hair, his head suddenly looks bigger. Go figure.

櫻花

2010-04-23T11:22:00.001-05:00

DSC_3090.JPG
Originally uploaded by sundae1888

家中庭園裡的兩株櫻桃樹開花了。

回想去年這個時節，剛剛把房子買下來還沒有入伙，來驗樓時第一次看見兩株櫻桃樹花開盛放。那時還不知道這兩株是甚麼樹，只道花兒開得燦爛，將來春天年年有花可賞，直至入伙才發然原來是櫻桃樹。

自始每年不單可賞花，還有果可嘗。

四代香港人

2010-04-19T13:07:00.000-05:00

讀完『四代香港人』，簡直覺得俾佢批死。

雖然自己離開咗香港咁耐，但係屋企人嘅教育方針始終係屬於港式。讀書係為咗搵工，做嘢係為咗搵錢，賺錢係為咗養家。所以讀書唔可以亂揀科，搵工唔可以求其，至於嗰啲畢業先流浪一年，或者試吓唔同嘅工試到啱為止呢啲行為，一概免問。

家長梗係話無硬性規定，不過好多嘢唔駛畫公仔畫出腸。況且自己都明白佢哋嘅犠牲、期待同苦心，又點好意思話「對唔住，不過我決定唔讀書，喺街邊賣吓畫就算」？

「知道別人喜歡他們喜歡甚麼，也知道自己不喜歡甚麼，但不知道自己不喜歡甚麼。」

到咗三字頭，仲係盲摸摸。

Morning Person (NOT!)

2010-04-14T15:56:00.000-05:00

Isaac has been waking up around 7-8 for the past week or two. According to various charts and gurus, that means he's not getting enough sleep. It also means *I* am not getting enough sleep unless I forgo my studying (and I'm choosing sleep over studying).

Despite having "sufficient" hours of sleep, I still feel like a zombie when I'm waken up by Isaac in the morning. 8 hours is definitely not enough for me...

In Pursue of a Goal

2010-04-10T15:34:00.000-05:00

Ever since Isaac was born, one of my dream was to be able to stay home, without sacrificing our quality of life or family income.

I made some false starts. It's probably unfair to call them false starts because they probably would have worked if I were better skilled at those things, but at this stage, the math just didn't work out.

Last month, a co-worker clued me in about being a mortgage broker. While not a get-rich-quick type of career comparing to, say, real estate agent right now, I like mortgage broker as a career because people still need to renew their mortgage once every few years in good times or bad.

I researched more about how to become a mortgage broker, and before I know it, I'm taking an accelerated course to become a mortgage agent right now.

(In case you're wondering, yes, I should be studying instead of blogging. That's called procrastination.)

Next step: join a brokerage. If anyone know of a mortgage brokerage hiring, please let me know.

And if anyone need a mortgage in a few months, please contact me. :)

Molars!

2010-04-05T12:03:00.000-05:00

When it comes to teething, Isaac has been a pretty good baby/toddler compare to the horror stories we always hear from veteran parents. No fever, no diarrhea, no tantrum, not much chewing on things.

His teeth count has been sitting at 8 for months. It's harder now to check on his teeth, because he doesn't open his mouth on command yet, and he doesn't let me stick my finger in his mouth much any more. (Plus, I worry about him biting my finger.)

I started noticing the canines working their way out a little more than a month ago. For the longest time, I thought the top-right canine would be the first of the canines to cut through. To my surprise, it was the bottom-right first, then the bottom-left maybe 2 days after I noticed the first one.

The top canines are still taking their own sweet time--although I'm starting to see a tiny bit of white on the gum now.

Last week, while I have been curious (as always) about when the top canines would cut through, I started noticing the bottom-right first molar has already cut through, and the bottom-left molar was about to appear as well. No wonder he was clingy!

With the molars, his cheek does swell a bit, and he likes to put my hand on his cheek from time to time, as if it's bothering him.

Now we have 4 more teeth on the bottom than on the top. I wonder when will the top teeth cut through?

Meal Time

2010-03-29T17:21:00.000-05:00

When it comes to parenting, every mundane thing we take for granted as adults somehow becomes a task, a quest, a problem to tackle.

Take eating.

If you ask ten parents about eating and meal time, chances are they all have complaints.

Some babies and toddlers are just not too interested in eating. The parents would try every single way to cohort their kids into eating--from scolding to bribing to following the kids around the house.

Other parents think their kids are eating too slow. Or too fast. Or too frequently. Or not with utensils. Or picky. Or making a huge mess.

Personally, I'm dealing with a toddler who eats four meals a day, plus two snacks. He's very interested in eating, and I'm not complaining about that. I mean, he finishes his blueberries, one of his favourite food, in record time. Besides, have you seen a toddler ASKING for more broccoli?

Our latest "problem" is, Isaac often wants to eat OUR food, not his own, even if they come from the same plate. This frustrates Daniel to no end, because he's usually the one who cuts Isaac's food into tiny pieces, only to see Isaac wanting a whole piece of veggies from our plate instead.

Usually, Isaac would eventually starts eating his own food, if we ignore him and his requests for a bit. After all, this guy loves eating. These days, I have to go back to feeding him though, if we actually want to finish the meal in a reasonable time frame. He's been busy playing with the food and picking the tiny bits off his bowl or tray, instead of eating with spoons. The upside is, it makes a smaller mess.

An Independent Toddler

2010-03-26T16:33:00.000-05:00

Isaac has become more and more independent and opinionated these days, especially after he really started walking.

For example, when he sees a particular item (for instance, the nail clipper on the counter), he might insist on getting it. The problem is, he just points in the general direction of the item and doesn't really have the vocabulary to say what he wants. So this has become an increasingly common occurrence:

Isaac [sitting on his high chair, points to the counter]: "Uh-uh!"
Me [pick up item #1 in the direction]: "Do you want this ?"
Isaac [shakes his head]: "無!" (no)

Me [pick up item #2 in the direction]: "Do you want this ?"

Isaac [shakes his head]: "無!" (no)

Me [pick up item #3 in the direction]: "Do you want this ?"

Isaac [reaches out]: "俾!" (give me)

On top of that, we have been teaching him to count. Every time he walks up or down the stairs, we count the steps. When we dial a phone number, we speak it out loud. We also count with fingers, beads on abacus-y toys, and other countable items. While I don't believe he has grasped the concept of counting yet, at least he seems to know what number comes after another. (The Isaac counting system: 2, 3, 5, 6, 8.)

We have also been teaching him about body parts. We mostly taught him in Chinese, but the song "Head and Shoulders" helped a lot to teach the English names. He can even name the body parts (he knows) on a stuffed toy like Quatchi. :)

Also, after months of vigilantly taking him to bathroom based on timing or deal with misses (messes) afterward, he finally started to tell us, verbally, he needs to go. That's a huge step!

While it is cool to see him growing leaps and bounds cognitively, his assertion of preference is also a double-edged sword: he is not old enough for me to bargain or negotiate with him yet. We generally let him have his way, but sometimes we have to put a lid on things:

"No, you can't play with scissors. Scissors are not for toddlers."

"It's past your bed time now. Let's put on a diaper and go to bed."

"You've been washing your hand for 5 minutes now. It's enough."

"You want this piece of fish (or other food he likes)? Eat a spoonful of your own food first."

He Walks! He Walks!

2010-03-19T17:51:00.000-05:00

6 weeks ago, I had a toddler who had no interest in walking without us holding his hands.

One day, he suddenly discovered standing "up" and squatting "down" was fun. He went on and did it over and over again, like 50 times in a row.

A few days later, my mom successfully cohort him into walking a few steps, hands free. We officially declared he was "walking".

But for a few weeks, that was the extent of his walking. He still had no interest in walking without us holding his hands.

Fast forward to last Friday. Out of the blue, during his weekly visit to my parents' place, he decided taking a kleenex out of the box in the living room then throw it out in the kitchen was fun. That's with a long (for him) walk down the hallway. I didn't believe it when they told me, but my dad even captured one on video!

Since then, Isaac has been finally, really, walking. He walks from kitchen to play room, from family room to kitchen, down the hallway to the front door... you name it.

(Although I still have troubles capturing it on video, because he crawls over and attacks every time he sees me with the Flip in my hand.)

With Glowing Hearts, We See Thee Rise

2010-03-01T15:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the last day of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Fittingly, the men's hockey final happened yesterday as well--of all the golds, the one that matters the most. To us Canadians at least. The fact Sid-the-Kid won the game for us with an overtime goal only added to the theatrics. That US goal which sent the game to overtime, I could hear the whole country gasped in despair.

I have been never really followed any Winter Olympics until this one (perhaps a bit too ferociously). Overall, I find the winter games more exciting to watch. The fact Canadians did very well at the games only fueled my passion. :)

Initially, I thought the goal of 30 medals was too ambitious. After the first few days, the goal seemed downright unattainable. In the end, we didn't win 30 medals, but we had a lot of 4th's and 5th's, so it wasn't as far-fetched a goal as I thought it was. Besides, we won the most gold ever! Gold = the only winner, right? ;)

Stomach Bug or Food Poisoning?

2010-02-28T00:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday started out like every Friday: my mom took Isaac to playgroup first, then to her house for the day. Daniel and I went to my mom's for dinner, and our little family went home as usual.

Then, something unusual happened: as I carried Isaac, still dressed in his snowsuit, inside the house and put him down to change, he threw up a bit. I immediately told Daniel, who came over to look after Isaac as I went to washroom to wash my hands.

Right then and there, Isaac threw up half of his dinner.

We changed him out of the dirty clothes and put him to bed, without too much difficulty. But about 2 hours after he fell asleep, I heard, via the baby monitor, something wasn't right. Just when I was asking Daniel, "did he just puked?" Isaac screamed.

We rushed to the room and found him threw up the other half of his dinner and his face was buried in it. Daniel took the crying Isaac straight to the bath while I cleaned up. We spent the rest of the night in what is now the "sick baby arrangement": Isaac and I sleep in the bed, and Daniel sleep in the next room. (This is to protect Daniel's sleep in case Isaac wakes up a lot because of sickness.)

We thought he just ate too much (which he really did), and discussed strategies to maybe not give him as much food next time.

This morning, we skipped swim class as a precautionary measure. About 5 minutes after Daniel left for his weekly basketball pick-up game, I found Isaac had a bout of diarrhea.

It was the first time he had diarrhea.

At that point, his energy level was lower than usual, and he was clingy as he always is when he's not well. He asked to nurse, which I happily obliged, thinking it was the easiest on his stomach.

While I was nursing, my grandma called and said "your mom is very sick!" which totally scared me--I was thinking heart attack-sick! Fortunately, it was *just* vomit and diarrhea. I immediately told her Isaac was having the same thing too. She called because she wanted me to take my mom to the doctor, but she never got around to ask once she heard Isaac was sick. (And I couldn't anyway, as Daniel had the car.) My mom and I then wonder if it was food poisoning, and discussed what food they both ate but the rest of us didn't.

Then I served Isaac breakfast. It was a late breakfast, but Isaac showed no interest in it. I just let him be and gave him water. He wasn't too fussy, but still clingy. But the lack of wet diaper was slightly concerning.

Now firmly believing Isaac had mild food poisoning, I made him congee for lunch. He had fun eating it for a while. As I was busy in the kitchen, I turned around to find him puked a whole bunch again.

I just put him down for nap afterward. He woke up crying. I nursed him again, but poor guy's stomach couldn't even take breastmilk then and puked.

Fearing dehydration, Daniel gave Isaac some salt water. Isaac finished the whole cup. Fortunately, he didn't throw that up.

Daniel and I discussed whether we should take Isaac to ER. Again, dehydration was the biggest concern. I suggested calling TeleHealth Ontario for advice first. The nurse told us to put Isaac on a special diet:

Clear water diet--either water, Pedialyte, or diluted Gatorade--2-3tsp every 5 minutes for 4 hours.
If he didn't throw up, double the amount for 8 hours.
If he still didn't throw up, start giving him bland food (cracker, white bread, rice, etc.--it'll be congee for him).

That sent Daniel to the nearest Shoppers Drug Mart immediately. The mentioning of Gatorade surprised Daniel, because he never thought his favourite sports drink can be used this way. I called my mom to let her know as well, but she said she's already on recovery path.

Isaac show clear preference for plain water over Pedialyte; I had to withhold the water to make sure he drank at least some Pedialyte.

Because breastmilk is off limits for now, I was fearing bedtime would be a major struggle. As we headed to bed, Isaac was clearly requesting--nay, demanding--to nurse. Fortunately, I put him in a mei tai on my back, gave him his water/Pedialyte from time to time, and he fell asleep in about 15 minutes.

It'll be Pedialyte/Gatorade/congee tomorrow...

Isaac's Development

2010-02-19T18:31:00.000-05:00

I was about to write another "Words Isaac Say" post, but I realize they're getting old because his vocabulary is just expanding in an amazing speed.

His cognitive capacity is growing fast too. Nowadays he likes to be "the boss" and order us to sing certain songs or play certain games (and repeat ad nauseum). He even directs us to play games or do gestures that involves two people instead of being part of it.

I'm still amazed he can point at the nose of a cartoon character or a stuffed toy and say 鼻鼻 (nose). I thought they look different enough from a human nose, which is what we've been teaching him. And I'm amazed that when he sees a pair of real scissors in action, he does the scissors sign for it.

Meal time is also getting easier for us as well: he can now semi-reliably eat by himself and not make a huge mess. (Well, the size of mess depends on the food involved.) Our dinner, which is his second dinner, used to involve me chow down the food while Daniel cuts everything up into small pieces (with scissors), then I feed him once I'm done. Now I can leave him alone with spoons and trust him to eat at least some food by himself before I start feeding him. He's (still) very interested in our chopsticks too. One of these days I'll give him a pair of training chopsticks and let him try eating with them.

Then there's the visits to the doctor. He must remembers getting shots in the doctor's office, because he cries from the moment we enter the examination room until we leave, even if there's no needle involved!

Keep the Olympics Going!

2010-02-16T17:29:00.000-05:00

Ever since the opening ceremony on Friday, Daniel and I have been spending way too much time in front of the TV watching various events.

The "way too much time" part was not an overstatement: We watched luge, speedskating (both long and short track), pairs figure skating, super combined, hockey, moguls, snowboard cross... I even stayed up to watch the rerun of the opening ceremony for the parts I missed. (Isaac didn't give me an Olympic break for his bedtime...)

Overall, I like watching Winter Olympics more than the summer games. They're usually more exciting because more of them involves speed and/or artistic elements.

The only winter sport I found weird is biathlon--of all the sports out there, these are the two they pick to combine into a single event?

Cheering on!

Up! Down! Up! Down!

2010-02-03T18:05:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, Isaac learned the concepts of up and down at playgroup about ten days ago. He has been busy practicing them since.

Initially, he needed to hold our hand to get up (for "up"). He was first seen standing up by himself about two days ago. :) Now that he has almost 100% recovered from the latest round of sickness, my mom said he has been practicing up/down by himself for like 100 times today.

While we were still talking on the phone about his newfound ability to stand up by himself, my mom suddenly said, "he walked! He walked a few steps towards me!"

Suffice to say, Daniel and I will try very hard to cohort him to walk for us tonight. :)

Words Isaac Says, Part 4

2010-02-03T17:58:00.000-05:00

熱熱 (hot) -- I'm not sure if he entirely understands the concept, but he says it nonetheless.
鞋 (shoe) -- Last time when we visited the doctor, I let him walk in the waiting room and hallway in his shoes. After that visit, I busted out a new pair of shoes to wear at home, aqua colour with penguin, and he totally went gaga over them. He has been requesting to wear them before going "dai dai" (walking) almost every time.
包 -- We've been teaching Isaac to play rock, paper, scissors. Now he says 包 (paper) when we do paper, not just say "bai" (five).
"Bor Bor" ("Por Por" - grandma) -- I don't think he has ever said it in front of my mom, but he said it when he held a picture of her (she was not around).
Up/down -- He learned the concepts of up and down from play group. He has been practicing them since.

Words Isaac Says, Part 3A

2010-01-12T12:07:00.000-05:00

Words I forgot yesterday:

"book" -- he only seems to associate the word with the set of tiny word books which one of them actually has the word "book" in it, but it's a start.
"ble" -- another word from that set of books. This one is "marble" and/or "bubble".

Words Isaac Says, Part 3

2010-01-11T14:42:00.000-05:00

New words learned:

拍拍 -- refers both to the action of clashing two things together to make noise, and the act of getting in and out of his highchair (which makes the sound when snapping in the safety bar). He also likes to walk/crawl to his highchair randomly and snapping the safety bar by himself.
帽 -- hat. He seems to prefer my toque over his own hat.
戴戴 (wearing) -- mostly refer to wearing a hat.
腳腳 (feet) -- it's not quite the right pronunciation, but distinguishable.
大篤 -- don't ask about this one... although I wish he has learned to associate the phrase with what I was referring to!
"dar" -- star. He has sort of grouped leaf-shape into "star" as well, such as the maple leaf logo on my Olympic hat.
"art" -- heart. He hasn't quite mastered the trailing "t" sound.
"mum mum" (toddler-eze for food) -- he mastered this along with the ASL "eat" sign too!

Winter Break

2010-01-04T13:50:00.003-05:00

Accomplishments over the holidays (OK most are Daniel's, but nonetheless):

RK housewarming party + LAN party
IKEA shopping + installed doors on BILLY display case
Finished *all* Christmas shopping before 24th!
Hung some of Isaac's pictures on the wall (another wall to go)
Attended bro's wedding :)

"Dai Dai"

2009-12-25T18:22:00.000-05:00

This week has been sort of a progression/regression week. On the progression side, Isaac has taken an interest--deep interest--in walking! He's still very cautious and would only walk with both hands held. My mom has taught him to put on shoes before "行街街" ("shopping" => walking), so when he wants to walk ("dai dai!") he would give us his shoe and stick out his foot to have us put the shoe onto him.

Isaac has also taken a liking into "walking" up the stairs, instead of climbing as many babies do. :D Time to install baby gates on the stairs...

On the regression side, he has been flat out refusing the potty for the whole week. Because we routinely have him diaper-less at home, we had a lot of "misses". It's not like he doesn't know how to use the potty nor doesn't know he wants to pee. He would sometimes indicate he needs to go, but still refused the potty. *sigh*

Another thing which is totally irking us right now is mealtime. The lil' dude now doesn't want his own food--he wants ours. Not only that, he wants to eat food in our bowls with our utensils. He would totally eat the same food from our chopsticks but refuse it if it's from his plastic spoon. His utensils preference, in ascending order: (his) plastic spoon, regular stainless steel teaspoon, our chopsticks, hands.

Yep, hands. Ours or his. There had been meals where he would only eat something if I handed it to him with my fingers. Like, chicken (as in "手撕雞").

Words Isaac Says, Part II

2009-12-22T09:51:00.000-05:00

I *knew* I missed some...

抹抹 (wiping) -- Initially, he says that when we wipe his face after meal. Now, he would take a hankie/washcloth and wipe the table or his high chair tray and say that.
"BAI!" (擺 = put down) -- He says that when he puts something down on the table (and pick it up again to repeat the exercise), usually his straw cup.
"DAAAI doh" ("dai ping gwoh" = 大蘋果 = big apple) -- There's this children's song which ends with this phrase. He can't say it right, so he just toddlerize it.
波波 (ball) -- He doesn't play with balls very often, but somehow he picked it up. The other day we were shopping at Walmart, he pointed to the beach balls and kept saying 波波 and pointing when we weren't paying attention, until we finally realized and gave him a navy one. He still kept saying 波波 and pointing, and I saw him wanting the yellow one. I gave him that too, and he was happily sitting in the shopping cart with one big ball on each side.

Words Isaac Says

2009-12-21T13:04:00.000-05:00

奶奶 (milk) -- 'nuff said.
無 (none) -- He usually says that with the palms up gesture. It's a milder "no" in general. (He just fusses if it's a stronger "no".)
叻叻 (smart) -- He says that with his two index fingers up. We do thumbs up, but he doesn't know how to do thumbs up yet.
媽媽 (mom) -- 'nuff said. Although my mom said when we were out, he once pointed to my PJs and said 媽媽.
爸爸 (dad) -- 'nuff said. My mom said he pointed to daddy's lunch bag and said 爸爸.
"dai dai" -- That's 街街 = going out. He has a walker toy, which my mom teaches him to walk with it as "行街街"
"wooh wooh" -- That's his new favourite phrase. We teach him in the sequence of "狗仔點叫呀?" (What does a doggie say?) "wooh wooh!" "貓仔點叫呀?" (What does a kitty say?) "meow!" "獅子點叫呀?" (What does a lion say?) "roar~~". Although the only reliable response we get is "wooh wooh". Sometimes he'll think for a while, then response with "wooh wooh!" with the latter two. :) He also says "wooh wooh" spontaneously as a blanketing term for those Fisher Price Little People toys (one of which we have is a dog).
"mau" -- He doesn't say "meow", but "mau".
"hi" -- He says that with hands waving. He knows that's "hello". He says that to people who just appear.
"bye bye" -- He says that with hands waving too. He know that's what you say when people are leaving. He says that when people puts on jackets or leaving a room. He says that when *he* is leaving a room.
"yeah" -- He says that when he claps hands. That's his happy gesture.
"four" -- He sometimes follows his Baby Einstein toy to say "four" sometimes. He doesn't seem to pick up the other numbers though.
"bai" -- That's how he says "five", as in "hi five", with the gesture.
襪襪 (socks) -- He says that when he sees socks, either when we put them on him, or when we put on socks ourselves.
"ahhh" -- He says that satisfyingly after he takes a sip of water, almost every time.

Olympic Torch Relay

2009-12-20T13:20:00.002-05:00

Daniel went to basketball yesterday morning. Initially I wanted to get some shopping done, but Isaac already fell asleep almost immediately after we dropped Daniel off. I didn't want to disrupt Isaac's nap, so I was forced to drive around.

My radio was tuned to 680 (as always), and I heard the Olympic torch was on Burhamthorpe at Dixie, heading towards Mississauga Civic Centre. So instead of circling around our old neighbourhood, I headed west to 'Sauga.

By the time I got to 'Sauga, it has already reached Square One! I quickly found a spot in a nearby lot, wore Isaac in my newly acquired (which I'm selling) BabyHawk mei tai, and rushed towards the crowd.

I made it just in time! After a few minutes of waiting, I witnessed this exchange.

Despite the cold, the crowd was awesome. People spontaneously sang the anthem. I saw a few people with tears on their face.

It was certainly a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Back to Work

2009-12-08T13:09:00.000-05:00

So I'm back at work for over 2 weeks now. I was both relieved and saddened by how little things have changed in 13 months. I was also amazed that I still remember a lot of work-related things, despite not coding or touching anything Java (except the drink) for over a year.

Isaac has adapted pretty well both to our newly established schedule and to the new reality that Mama is not around. Having Grandma taking care of him at our home was probably the most significant contributing factor. Grandma is just so good with kids in general, and Isaac is very attached to her. In fact, every time Grandma arrives, Isaac says "hi" and waves happily to her, often crawling towards her immediately. I am also deeply appreciative of her support; she does housework for us when she has time. Besides, knowing Grandma will be the one to witness many firsts for Isaac in years to come is a relieving thought, comparing to some caretaker at daycare centre.

Now that we (well, mostly Daniel) are cooking our own meals again, our weekends and weeknights have become a lot busier. Every evening, we had to rush home to make dinner, eat, then maybe play with Isaac for a little while before putting him to bed. In order to save time on weeknights, Daniel did a lot of cooking and food preparation over weekends. Often, I can't offer much help, because I'm usually playing with/taking care of Isaac (the two are one and the same).

Counting Down to Back to Work

2009-11-21T23:58:00.000-05:00

We're back in TO for a week now. The flight back home, being a direct flight, was much better than our trip to HK (with the stopover at YVR). Unfortunately, Daniel's Aeroplan Elite status upgrade passes arrived about a week too late for us to fly Executive First Class on our flight back to YYZ.

This past week, I have been trying to instill a schedule/routine for Isaac before I go back to work. So far, the sleep/nap routine is working great for me; we'll see how well it works for my mom (who, unlike me, is not hesitant to let Isaac cry to sleep).

Isaac's interest in (our) food has kept growing. Now that he's one year old and officially allowed (by paediatrician) to have table food, we started giving him some bites of our food. Last night, he watched us having dinner (the first time since we came back to Toronto because he slept at 4pm thanks to jet lag). Despite already finished a full bowl of congee (his food), he still wanted bits of our food, so we fed him a little bit with our chopsticks.

I'm going back to work on Monday. I hope Isaac (and I) can stand the long separation. I worry about him missing me during the day; I worry about me missing him during the day. I worry about him being clingy when I come home; I worry about him ignoring me when I come home. I worry about him not taking milk during the day and wants to nurse more at night. Hopefully things will go smoothly.

Happy Birthday, King!

2009-11-11T12:52:00.000-05:00

Today is Isaac a.k.a. the King a.k.a. Fei Bei Bei's one-year-old birthday. But since Daniel was super busy at work, we kept our celebration minimal, with a little family dinner at a random restaurant (which we still didn't let Isaac enjoy our table food yet--don't want to start with MSG-laden food). Then, we bought some 雞蛋仔 from 利強記北角雞蛋仔 (Tsim Sha Tsui) and gave him some. FBB enjoyed it a lot, despite the shell probably being too crunchy for him little mouth.

After I successfully put him to sleep, Daniel and I enjoyed a little "we survived!" celebration on our own--Movenpick's tiramisu flavoured ice cream. It was soft and foamy, just like eating real tiramisu!

Hiking in Hong Kong

2009-11-07T12:44:00.000-05:00

Friday night (more like Saturday wee hours)
Daniel: I want to go hiking I want to go hiking I want to go hiking in Sai Kung!!
Cindy: Hmm... OK... [google] How about 麥理浩徑路段1? It's rated at 1 star, 3 hours.
Daniel: That's too long for Isaac. I'd rather do something shorter but more strenuous, and ends at a beach.
Cindy: How about 龍蝦灣郊遊徑? It's only 1 hour, but 2 stars. It takes some walking to and from the trail though. There aren't many choices if you want something within 2 hours.
Daniel: Hmm... sure!

Saturday "morning" (more like afternoon; we woke up around 1pm)
Cindy: It's kind of late... do you still want to go hiking?
Daniel: YA!
Cindy: Hmmm... OK...
Daniel: Let's have lunch around here first, then we'll go.
Cindy: Err... that'd be really late, wouldn't it?
Daniel: It's OK we're still going.

So, we finally left home around 3:30pm. We took the MTR to Diamond Hill, then took Kowloon Bus number 91 to Clear Water Bay, got off at Tai Au Mun Road. After asking for directions, we walked along Clear Water Bay Road about 20 minutes to the Clear Water Bay Country Park, where the trail head of Lung Ha Wan Country Trail was located.

By the time we actually started hiking, it was already past 5pm. The first part of the trail was as strenuous as advertised: it was all uphill stair-climbing for almost 200m elevation gain. By the time we reached the top of the hill at Tai Leng Tung, the sun has started setting. Daniel started worrying about whether we would make it to the bottom before it gets pitch dark. The downhill part wasn't as steep, and I was going as fast as I could to race against the sun. It reminded us of our "lovely" time at Kalalau Trail in Hawaii; not a good memory.

Despite our slow speed, the trail really only took an hour or so. By the time we reached the bottom, it was dark. There was a stable and equestrian training ground at end of the trail. We walked along Lung Ha Wan Road back to the bus stop. The first half of the road was not lit; we relied on my iPod Touch and the "Flashlight" app to guide our steps. The walk back to the bus stop was more than half an hour long. When we finally reached the bus stop, we took the green minibus (which came before the bus) to Tseung Kwan O instead.

It was the first time we really went to Tseung Kwan O--the first time after it was developed anyway. We were impressed by the more spacious (in Hong Kong standard) development. We had dinner at the Maxim's MX in the mall across the street from the Tseung Kwan O MTR station. It was then and there I finally feel like I was "living" in Hong Kong instead of just "visiting" Hong Kong: no tourists, all locals, mostly families. I can't say the same thing about Tsim Sha Tsui or Mong Kok or Causeway Bay (which I still haven't been to, but that's another story).

After dinner, we strolled around the mall a bit before hitting the MTR. We finally had the chance to take the Tseung Kwan O line! On top of that, we traveled the Kwun Tong line from end to end! During our ride, we chatted about how the Kwun Tong line was supposed to END at Kwun Tong, how things have changed around this line (since we were both most familiar with the Kwun Tong line), how MTR changed so rapidly since we left Hong Kong... just old-timer talk. :)

Halfway Point

2009-11-01T11:56:00.000-05:00

We are at the halfway point of our Hong Kong trip, and I have finally crossed some items on my todo list:

Visited 金鳳茶餐廳 yesterday for its egg tart and cold HK style tea.
Visited Ethan and Owen yesterday as well. Twins > double the trouble!
Went to Yau Ma Tei today to buy the "bubble cake" iron. We can make our own bubble cake when we get home!
Had lunch at Mong Kok today with Ada and Tony. Scratched two items off my list!
Bought 3 suitcases in MK today.
Visited Goo Por in Seung Shui--finally a place not FILLED with people! Goo Ma's family of four and some of Daniel's cousins were there too. I got to meet baby Kimberly!

Speaking of Goo Por, surprisingly Isaac likes her and Goo Jeung Gung a lot. Maybe there's this Grandpa-like vibe?

神藥

2009-10-28T06:09:00.000-05:00

Daniel: 嘩! 原來世界上真係有神藥! 就係奶奶!
Cindy: 係呀﹐咩唔舒服唔開心﹑失眠﹑撞親跌親﹐總之有病醫病﹑無病強身!

First week in Hong Kong

2009-10-23T22:38:00.000-05:00

I have been in Hong Kong for a few days now, but I can't believe I haven't walked inside a Giordano or Bossini or G2000 or really, any clothing stores! I live right in the heart of TST! There's even a Giordano right below me!

Other things I haven't done/places I haven't visited: 美心快餐/大家樂/大快活, Kowloon Park (which is across the street from me), 大排檔, have seafood (which is a no-no now), meet up with (most) friends...

So what have I done? I went dim sum two days in a row, had McD's, went to 茶餐廳, had egg tart and pineapple bun and HK style tea, had Yoshinoya, had 廿四味, shopped at $10 store and Jusco (for Isaac's stuff), visited some relatives, cooked baby food and cooked a meal for ourselves.

Unlike our trip to Greece, Isaac has serious jet lag issues this time. His longest sleeps are in the afternoon, which affected pretty much all of my plans. And unlike in Greece, he wouldn't fall asleep in the baby carrier this time, because there are too many things going on around him to catch his attention. As a result, he was up for more than 6 hours and was totally horrible yesterday. Hopefully it pushed his biological clock back a bit so I can at least have my afternoons back.

Daniel's working hours seem to grow longer and longer each day. He even pulled an all-nighter last night and is sleeping now. Since I don't know when he'll be up, I haven't planned what we can/should/will do today.

香港之行第一天

2009-10-21T02:47:00.000-05:00

既然回歸祖國﹐點都要用中文打番篇野先似樣。

今日一早就安排去幫肥比比搞身份證﹐點知入境處話佢太細無身份證﹐而且因為父母都有外國籍﹐要住滿七年先有居留權。求其啦﹐又唔係真係要貪你個香港公民身份﹐無咪無囉﹗不過就白行一轉。開左張八達通同電話之後就返左屋企﹐肥比比一覺訓左三個幾鐘到而家都未醒﹐搞到我無lunch食鬼咁肚餓。仲諗住約人見面添~ 希望今晚佢唔好精神得滯唔訓~~~

今次趕頭趕命咁返香港﹐唔好話想好好地執行李﹐就連落腳地方都係臨尾先搞掂﹐差D以為要一家三口露宿街頭。好彩而家住晌尖咀Shama呢個咁正既地方。

肥比比今個月真係勁﹐一歲人仔都未夠就周遊列國﹐飛過完大西洋今次又飛太平洋。爸爸就更加係驛馬星動﹐一個月內飛歐洲再加兩次香港。

話時話﹐肥比比呢排拉長左﹐無咁肥喇﹐再咁落去唔可以再叫佢做肥比比~

Why am I in Hong Kong??

2009-10-20T23:38:00.000-05:00

Seriously, I'm still in system shock state and still asking myself this question. This is from someone who thought (and still thinks) flying transpacific to Hong Kong with a baby is a crazy idea and vowed not to do it.

Back story: On the Friday after we came back from Greece (we touched down at YYZ on Monday), Daniel called home from work midday--something he doesn't normally do--and asked, "Do you want to go to Hong Kong?"

Me: "WTF?"
Daniel: "My company is asking me to fly to Hong Kong. I was given the option to go there for 4 weeks with you tagging along, or 2 weeks if you don't go."
Me: "Errr.... but I'm going back to work in 4 weeks... and going to Greece was hectic enough... I'd pass."

Later that day, Daniel forwarded me an email with his traveling dates. I noticed it was not just a 2-week trip, but *TWO* 2-week trips, a week apart. The requested traveling plans would have him traveling on, and effectively erase, his 30th birthday. It would also mean he will miss Isaac's first birthday!!!

After giving it some thoughts, I told him (not before he already booked his flights though) I would go to Hong Kong with him instead. He made sure we traveled on the day after his birthday too, so he at least had some celebration, even though the day was mostly spent packing.

Packing for Hong Kong was a little easier. I just finished unpacking when we decided to go, but at least I have an idea what I really need on the flight. In hindsight, I would have packed less luggage and just buy the baby stuff in Hong Kong (we had 3 full suitcases and a playpen). But then, I wasn't really thinking straight, given the short notice.