This blog is a gift to my wife, Renee, and my children, Adele, Athan, Audrey, Anne, Amelia, and Andrea.

Showing posts with label Fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fun. Show all posts

Monday, November 21, 2022

Family Alberta Trip 2021

Spirit Island

 Heaven on Earth: Spirit Island, Maligne Lake

After being mostly cooped up at home for a year and a half after the COVID pandemic started in 2020, we made our first out-of-province trip in September 2021.  The last time Renee and I were in Western Canada was before we had kids, about 13 years prior (although I had been several times in between for work), and we really wanted to go back.  The scenery is quintessential Canada!  I believe that when foreigners think of Canada, the Rockies and its vast beauty is usually what come to mind first.  We definitely wanted to share this with our kids.

Getting There

Flair Airlines

As you may know, I'm a frugal person and the way I travel is no different.  Part of the fun to planning a trip is finding deals (recall the time we flew the entire family to Orlando for $350 USD) and getting my money's worth!  It was no different this time.  Our itinerary was really to go to Banff and Jasper and not visiting the cities; so, it didn't matter which airport we flew into.  Google Flights or Kayak are great tools to help find the best option.  We ended up choosing to fly Flair into Grande Prairie, which is about 4 hours north of Jasper.  The cost for the 7 of us + 1 baby and my parents came to a grand total of $1287, including luggage, or less than $150/seat.  My credit card also has a perk where it provides a $100 reimbursement of luggage fees and so, the costs was even less than that.  Not as good as $75/seat to Orlando, but not too shabby either! The one risk that we did take with Flair was flight delays and cancellations.  Upon reading their reviews, either of those were almost a certainty, but we weren't in a rush to get anywhere so we were happy with throwing the dice.

The flight there was indeed a bit delayed, but certainly within tolerance.  I'm not quite sure why but I feel like Flair purposely split up our seating because we didn't pay to choose our seats.  Our party of 9 + 1 were not seated contiguously and were split up across many different aisles.  That was entirely unnecessary and not the right way to encourage travelers to spend more by choosing seats.  Flair went out of their way to make our trip less enjoyable.

We landed in Grande Prairie in the late afternoon and picked up our 2 Caravans (my cousin Wai Yee, her husband and my buddy Matthew and their son, Ewan, tagged along as well) and started our drive to Jasper.  On the way there, we saw a black bear at dusk, which was a nice treat.  However, once it got dark and started raining, our drive became a bit treacherous.  The only road from Grande Prairie to Jasper was an unlit single lane highway.  Much of the drive was through uninhabited nature with only a couple of small towns in between.  For a few moments, I did wonder what would happen if our van broke down or if we drove into a ditch, etc.  Luckily, we didn't end up having to experience that and arrived safely in Jasper!

First Stop: Jasper SkyTram

Renee, Andrea and I at Whistlers Peak

Our plan was to go up to Whistlers Peak via the Jasper SkyTram the first morning we were there.  The weather wasn't super nice and was overcast. I was a bit disappointed and considered whether we should go up the mountain at a later time.  Renee called and was told that the booking cannot be changed and so I reluctantly agreed to go.  Boy, was I wrong!  I now think overcast skies is the best condition to go.  Since Whistler Peaks is at a high elevation, all of the clouds were actually beneath us when we got to the upper station.  Once we were up there, the skies were clear with an occasional cloud drifting over us (reminds me of Jesus' Transfiguration, but I digress).  The best part was that we stood on top of a sea of clouds!


Maligne Lake: Nothing Bad About This Place!

Us at Spirit Island

Our next stop was Maligne Lake. We had actually been there back in 2008, but unfortunately, it was tremendously foggy that morning and we decided not to take the boat ride to Spirit Island.  It was so foggy that we likely would not have even seen Spirit Island at all.  This time around, we planned as best as we could for better weather.  When buying the boat tickets, we found that the morning trips were less expensive, and we concluded that it was either because of the possibility of fog and also the direction from which the sun was shining.  When we got there, we weren't disappointed!  The view was absolutely stunning and felt surreal.  It was so beautiful that it really felt like heaven on earth!  Having now been to Spirit Island, Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, I would have to say that Spirit Island/Maligne Lake is the most beautiful!

Dinner After Maligne Lake
Dinner After Maligne Lake

Sulphur Skyline Trail: Early Snow

The next day, our plan was to spend a few hours hiking the Sulphur Skyline Trail.  I did quite a bit of research and concluded that with our hiking experience as a family, the 8km out-and-back trail, with 650m elevation was quite doable, given enough breaks.  We would get to the top of the mountain and be rewarded with some really great views.  The last 400 m would be a steep climb to the top, but certainly achievable.  We got to the trail head just after lunchtime and started off enthusiastically.  Before long, we were already 1.5 km into it, which would be more than a third the way up the mountain.  The slope was not steep and everyone was still smiles.

As we continued, we saw a bit of melt water running down the side of the trail and also some snow beside the trail.  We weren't expecting that as per the photos we saw online.  We continued on and as we climbed higher in elevation, there was some wet snow on the trail.  Some of the kids' shoes got wet and we started hearing some complaints.

We pressed on and as we climbed higher up the mountain, the snow also rose higher above our shoes.  The younger kids were now really whining as they slipped repeatedly and got much of their socks soaked.  The group eventually split into two with the faster ones in front (me, grandparents and older kids) and the slower ones in the back.  Our progress slowed considerably, and eventually, the slower group decided to turn back as the going was just a bit too slippery.

We finally reached the plateau just before the summit.  The snow was about 20 cm deep at this point.  We got there after about 4 hours on the trail.  As you can see in the picture at the plateau, not many smiles! LOL!



The grandparents and younger kids decided to take a rest there on the plateau while Adele and I tried for the summit.  Although the trail cut across the side of the mountain, the slope was still very steep, especially with the trail being snow covered.  After giving it a try, I decided against it, as I had Andrea strapped to me and also had to lead the group back down the mountain.  I wasn't about to find out how we would fair if I hurt myself and/or Andrea.

By the time we finished taking some pictures, it was already 5 pm.  Since it took us about almost 4 to get up, I thought it might not be too wise to stay for much longer.  I would hate to be walking in the middle of a forest at dusk.  Who knows what wild beasts would be lurking in search for a nice meal!  We were probably the last big group that descended down the mountain.

Renee, Wai Yee, and Matthew were waiting for at the bottom of the mountain.  After seeing countless number of hikers come down the mountain, they were starting to get worried that one or more of us had gotten hurt at the top.  They were getting ready to call the authorities to get help.  Luckily, it only took us 2 hours to descend the mountain, since we slid down the snowy trail for a good part of the way.  All of us were so happy to come back down all in one piece!

This hike was definitely the most exhausting and treacherous activity of the entire trip.  The kids cried and complained, my dad slipped and fell on a rock hidden under the snow, and I didn't even get to the summit.  However, at the end of the trip, a number of the kids thought the hike was the highlight!  I guess what gives us more joy isn't comfort or pleasure, but rather, accomplishment and persevering through setbacks.

One last interesting note...after the hike, we spoke with some locals and they told us that it was very odd that that much snow had fallen in early September.  Not sure if we can consider ourselves lucky or unlucky.  I'm sure if it hadn't snowed, our hike would have been much easier, but would it have been as memorable?

View from (Almost) the Summit of the Sulphur Skyline Trail

More Sightseeing

The next day, we left Jasper and headed south for Banff.  Over the next 2 days, we saw the Athabasca Falls, Bow Lake, Canmore, and Takkakaw Falls.  The drive between Jasper and Banff, along the Icefields Parkway, was a sight in and of itself.  Ontarians will all agree how boring it is to drive along Highway 401.  Aside from farmland and buildings, there really isn't much to see in Ontario.  The Icefields Parkway is the complete opposite with mountains, rivers, and the occasional wildlife.  Although the distance between the two towns is less than 300 km apart, we budgeted more time since we knew we would make frequent stops to take in the scenery.  Breathtaking and jaw-dropping are adjectives I would use to describe the drive!

Athabasca Falls with Mount Kerkeslin in the Background

Mom and Me at Bow Lake

Mandatory Pic of Kids Lined Up

Mount Rundle and Amelia and Adele

Andrea in Front of Mount Rundle

Enjoying Ice-cream in Canmore

Takkakaw Falls


Emerald Lake: It's Not All About Alberta!

While the title of this post refers to our "Alberta" trip, we did drive over the border to visit Emerald Lake (and Takkakaw Falls) in British Columbia.  The water in the lake was indeed an emerald colour and it was a real treat canoeing in it.  Emerald Lake has become quite popular as compared to the last time we were here.  However, once we got out on our canoe, we got away from the crowds and the feeling was very serene as we took in the beautiful scenery!

Canoeing on Emerald Lake

Emerald Lake: Looks More Like a Painting!


Daddy Time!

What would a trip be without some shopping (insert sarcasm), right?  As Renee and others went shopping in Banff, I took the 4 younger girls to visit the Cascade of Time Garden.  It's a bit off the beaten path as we wouldn't have visited this garden had I not had some time with the kids to myself.  To be honest, we were looking for a playground initially, but ended up coming here after not finding too many choices.  It was actually a really nice garden!  I appreciated the time to bond with them and just simply spending quality time together.  Being in an incredibly scenic place was an added bonus!


Quintessential Banff: Lake Louise and Moraine Lake

Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are 2 quintessential places to visit when you're in Banff.  This is our second time here and we still enjoyed it very much.  Lake Louise is the more popular spot and very touristy.  I personally prefer Moraine Lake.  Although there are still a lot of visitors, Moraine Lake is a bit less developed (i.e. there is no giant hotel sitting right next to it).  You will get great pics at either lake.  We got to Lake Louise first at around 3pm.  As you can see in the photo below, the sun was just above the mountain looking out at the lake, and the mountains were a bit in the shadow.  So, there was a bit to be desired from the photos. Similarly at Moraine Lake, the sun was situated a bit behind the mountains as well.  If you ever go, I would recommend going earlier in the day and perhaps early morning to avoid the crowds.  I did get a few decent shots there and so, wasn't too disappointed. The weather was great...another plus there!

Just a fun little side note.  I brought my Panasonic Lumix mirrorless digital camera that I had bought some years back.  Although I only have the kit lens with the camera, it's supposed to be a pretty good camera.  However, I have to say, my LG Velvet (not even a top tier phone) took pictures that were "better" to the untrained eye. Sure, it's got more post-processing and likely more artifacts upon closer inspection, but the versatility and ease just couldn't be beat!  All of the pictures in the post were taken by my phone camera.  Technology has indeed come a long way.

Athan on the Shores of Lake Louise

Moraine Lake

Glacier and Skywalk

Our last sightseeing day consisted of driving from Banff north to Hinton (town past Jasper).  On the way there, we stopped at the Columbia Icefields where we took a tour onto the Athabasca Glacier.  It was quite a cool experience (excuse the pun), especially for the kids!  The tour also included a visit to the Skywalk, which was built after we visited the last time.  It's got a glass floor lookout that juts out from the side of the cliff.  I really enjoyed that as well.  Again, something that I would recommend doing.

Atop the Athabasca Glacier

Panoramic View on the Glacier

Skywalk


Audrey and Amelia and the Athabasca Glacier

Flying Out (Almost)!

The next day, we drove 4 hours back to Grande Prairie to hop onto our flight back to Toronto.  Typical of Flair fashion, the flight was delayed.  We sat in the airport patiently waiting for the flight to be ready.  Eventually, we realized that the plane wasn't even at the terminal.  At about 7pm, they finally announced that the flight was cancelled.  At first, they said that we would need to get to Edmonton to catch a flight from there to Toronto.  As you can imagine, there was quite a bit of commotion.  The Flair ground crew was pretty clueless as to what had to happen next.  First, they told us we had to find our way to Edmonton on our own.  Then, they said they would provide us a bus ride to Edmonton.  After a few hours of waiting, we were finally told that a plane was going to fly in the next morning to take us back to Toronto.  That was a much better solution than a 4.5 hr drive to Edmonton.

However, that was not the end of the long day at the airport.  According to regulations, the airline must provide us a stay if a flight is cancelled.  The ground crew again appeared to be fairly inexperienced with this.  We later found out that Flair had only started flying into Grande Prairie the month prior and so the crew had likely never encountered a cancelled flight before.  I guess we were the "lucky" ones to experience this.  Eventually, we were sent to a local hotel to stay the night.  That should have been an easy thing, but again, the crew told us that they would arrange a shuttle to take us all to the hotel.  After waiting for an hour or so, there was none to be found.  A lot of people started taking taxis there.  Uber and Lyft were not operating in Grande Prairie, which made it a bit more difficult to order a cab at the same time as 100 other people.  Finally, we got to the hotel safely around 11 pm.  We had not had dinner and everyone was exhausted.  We ended up buying a bunch of instant cup noodles at the hotel pantry and had that for dinner.  The kids didn't seem to mind that at all and I would have to confess I enjoyed it too!

The next morning was quite uneventful.  We got to the airport and saw the plane land at the terminal.  All travelers gave the crew a round of applause.  Everyone was glad that we now had a way back home!  After a few hours we were home and felt pretty glad to be back.  

Would I take another Flair flight?  I think so, but just like we did on this trip, we would ensure that we did not need to be at the destination or home on a tight timeline.  The experience was generally pleasant (outside of the cancellation) and travelers just need to know what to expect going in.  You do get what you pay for.


Athan Reacting to Our Cancelled Flight

Finally Boarding Our Return Flight!

Final Thoughts

I really do enjoy traveling with the family.  It is a lot of work, but it's also a lot of fun and a sure way to make lasting memories.  In everyday life, I feel like I get caught up with everything that needs to be done, whether it's work, getting the kids to their next activity, church responsibilities, housework, etc.  Everything just seems to be a blur and there's little time to enjoy each other's company.  When I'm on a trip, I can be there and present, instead of thinking about the next thing.  We really only have one thing to do while we're on a trip and that is to enjoy ourselves while experiencing something that is new or at least, outside of the ordinary and mundane.

There will come a time when we no longer will be able to spend as much as we have with each other. Whether that is me with my parents or with the kids.  Life changes, kids will move out, and not everyone lives forever.  We really do need to cherish these moments.  I take this as my responsibility as a father, husband, and son to maximize this joy.  Sometimes, we also get to learn a few things when we go on trips - like not underestimating hiking uphill in 20 cm of snow!
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Sunday, April 12, 2020

2019: A Year in Review - Part II: Our Travels

Trip to Tobermory

Before we start...if you haven't read Part I of my 2019 review, go here.

A few years ago, I wrote about the perception of the acceleration of time, that is, that time seems to pass by more quickly as we age.  Since then, I read that this can be explained by our brain activity.  When we were young, everything that the brain experiences is new and the brain needs to process all of that incoming information.  As we age, things start to become mundane and the brain goes more on autopilot.  As a result, time seems to pass more quickly.  This seems like a pretty good explanation to me!

So, a way to slow down how we perceive time passes would be to create new experiences for ourselves.  A great way to do this is to travel.  It doesn't necessarily need to be far away, but just needs to be different from our ordinary lives.  Traveling is also a great way to create memories for ourselves and our kids.  I still remember so much of what we did when we were in Orlando in 2018.  I absolutely advocate going on a vacation each year with the family!  It's much better than spending the money on a certain gadget!


Blue Mountains - June
At the end of June, we went to Blue Mountains for several days.  I actually like Blue Mountains better in the summer than in the winter, probably because I'm a novice skier and can't justify the high cost of skiing at Blue.  In the summer, accommodations are much cheaper and a lot of the places provide access to a somewhat private pool.  The kids don't like swimming lessons much, but they love playing in the pool!

We didn't do much outside of swimming, hiking, and watching movies.  I guess this was a trip more for me than for everyone else! Lol!  I really being able to spend time with Renee and the kids, in a less stressful environment compared to our weekends!  Beavertails were also great!


 


Tobermory - July/August
I've always wanted to go to Tobermory.  For some reason, I'm really attracted to blue, turquoise water!  My parents, my brother Eric's family along with us stayed a week there.  It has recently become an annual family tradition to go somewhere together for a week in the summer.  I really enjoy this time because I get to spend time with Eric and my dad, whom I don't see as often.  You kids out there reading this now...someday, you will grow up and will start your own lives, and you will find that you miss seeing everyday the annoying sibling(s) that you have.  So, treasure the time you have now!

During our trip, we took a ferry to Flowerpot Island that is famous for its flowerpot-like rock formations.  They're pretty cool to look at.  Eric, his sons Nick and Ben, myself, Adele and Athan camped on the island for one night.  There are only a handful of sites on the island so it was quite an experience.

 Flowerpot Rock Formation at Flowerpot Island

Our campsite was close to a dock and we spent some time jumping into the cold water.  Check out the video of my nephew Ben below!

My Nephew, Ben, Jumping Off a Dock into the Cold Water

We also visited the Grotto near Tobermory.  It's one of the more popular attractions there.  The grotto is actually quite treacherous to get to.  To get there, one would need to climb down a rocky cliff.  Aside from a few signs telling you not to do stupid things since people have died here before, there are no stairs, railings, or any other safety measures.  After scoping out the path down, we decided that the grandparents and the younger kids should not go down.

Renee, Joanne (Eric's wife), and the older kids decided to do the climb down, while Eric and I helped get the younger kids settled down.  We brought them with the grandparents to a rocky beach on the other side of the grotto.  Once they were happily settled, Eric and I headed off to the grotto.  Instead of walking back to the cliff and climbing down, we thought it would be easier to swim there.

I wouldn't say it was the worst of ideas, but it definitely was a less than ideal exercise.  We walked along the rocks as far as we could before we had to jump into the water.  Once we jumped in, we realized the water was very cold!  A quick google tells me that the average water temperature in the summer at Tobermory is between 15 and 20°C.  It doesn't sound that cold, but at 25°C, one's breathing starts to be affected by the cold water temperature.  At 20°C, it's considered "dangerously cold" to swim in.  It took us about 3 to 5 minutes to get to the other side, where the grotto was.  By the time we got there, both of our arms and legs started getting numb and it began to be difficult to swim.  Given another 5 minutes in the water, we probably would have drowned.  Once we got there, we were happy to see the wives and kids already in the grotto.  We took some jumps from inside the grotto into the cold water before heading back to the beach.

Aside from these exciting adventures, we also enjoyed movies, whiskey and cigars (the latter two by the men only!).  Overall, this was a great trip and many good memories were made!

Rocky Beach at the Grotto (the Grotto is on the Other Side of the Rocks at the Back) 

The Grotto is at the Bottom


Cherry Beach Resort - August/September
Over the Labour Day long weekend, we, along with Renee's parents, siblings and, her best friend Melissa and husband Danny went to Cherry Beach Resort in Prince Edward County (near Sandbanks).  

The resort is a pretty neat place.  It has a number of different water sports, a swimming pool, basketball and tennis court, and other activities.  The kids got to go on a canoe which was a first for some of them.  Adele, while paddling, hit her own nose with the oar, causing it to bleed profusely in the middle of the lake!  We also spent quite a bit of time playing board and card games, and watching old movies on DVDs (poor internet there).  Adele and I also discovered Sim City on my phone, which we somewhat quickly got bored of.  To cap off the trip, the resort provided a free hot dog dinner along with nice fireworks!  All in all, a really fun trip spent with nice company!

As an aside, Melissa and Danny have a company called ComfyComfy that sells buckwheat pillows, among other things.  If you have neck pain or just need better support sleeping, try their pillows out!  Renee and I have a number of their pillows in our home.  You can also find them on Amazon.  (No, I don't get commissions. lol)

Melissa, Her Daughter Maddy, and Audrey





Finger Lakes, New York - November
For Renee's birthday, I surprised her with a trip to the Finger Lakes in upstate New York.  It was only the two of us who went, thanks to the grandparents who took care of all 5 kids!  I don't remember when our previous "us only" trip was; so this was quite a treat!

Our trip started with a stay at Harbour House in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  Harbour House is one of our favourite hotels in Ontario.  It's super cozy and nice and never disappoints!  They had a packaged deal with a discount on dinner and spa, which was both very enjoyable.  Dinner was at HobNob and our couple's massage the next morning was at Secret Garden Spa, also in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

After our massage, we left for Aurora, NY and arrived at dusk.  We stayed at Wallcourt Hall, which is one of several hotels in the small town, that is owned by Pleasant Rowland, the founder of American Girl.  The town has been revived and has got a nice, small American town feel to it.  There's not much to do there, but it's very scenic and is a perfect getaway for Torontonians who have gotten bored of Muskoka.  The drive from Toronto is around 4 to 5 hours.

Renee Pretending to Read in Our Wallcourt Hall Room 

Our Room Was Really Nicely Decorated

I thought that every Hong Kong immigrant to Toronto has been to the Corning Museum of Glass, since it's one of the stops between Toronto and New York City on the 美東四日遊 (4-day Eastern US bus tour).  To my surprise, Renee has never been there, and since it's been 30 years since I've been there, we spent a day there.  It's a small but very neat museum, and one could easily spend a day there looking at the exhibits and watching the entertaining glass blowing demos.

Corning Museum of Glass

After the museum, we swung by Watkins Glen State Park, hoping to walk on the trails to see the waterfalls there.  Unfortunately, the trails were closed for the season.  We did snap a few pictures at the trailhead.  Maybe we'll be back with the kids in the future!

 Watkins Glen State Park

A few days quickly passed, which to be honest, was enough since we missed the kids.  We were also quite sure they were a handful for our parents.  Thanks again, Mom and Dad!  But before heading back to Toronto, we made a quick stop at Waterloo Premium Outlets which definitely won me some brownie points!  How can a birthday trip not include shopping, right?!

That sums up our travel in 2019.  Although we didn't do any big trips, these small trips were all very enjoyable and they made quite a few memorable moments for us to reminisce on  for years to come!

Stay tuned for my final post on an update on each of our 5 rascals!
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Saturday, April 11, 2020

2019: A Year in Review - Part I: Year Overview

I had tried starting this post before the coronavirus outbreak, but did not get any progress until now.  It's April 11, 2020 and I've been home since before March Break, which would make this the start of week #5.  Not sure if this is affecting anyone else, but I feel especially lethargic from a work perspective, having to stay home all the time.  But I will push through this lethargy and complete this post today!  If you see this on April 11, you'll know I succeeded!

In general, 2019 was somewhat eventful, but it really went by like a blur and nothing stuck out as a highlight.  Perhaps it wasn't the greatest of years as you'll soon read about.  Or maybe, it might be because I didn't have any newborn this year! ;)  But I'm glad I'm going through this exercise of looking back.  Otherwise, the year would have passed and I would not have reflected more upon it.  And isn't being conscious and being able to reflect on past events what separates us from other creatures in this world?

Annual Tradition - Gambling & Eating Steak

This has become a bit of an annual tradition.  It started way back in 2008 (?) when the Great Recession was running in high gear and it seemed like everything was on discount.  Hotels were not the least affected and had some pretty great deals that winter.  Kelvin (Lai Chuen), my cousin and I would enjoy the packaged deals from Four Points Fallsview to stay for a night, get some "free" chips from the casino and coupons from local restaurants (which lowered the cost of the highly priced food back to normal prices).

Isn't gambling not allowed for Catholics?  Well, no, that is not entirely accurate.  Gambling, in and of itself, is not a sin.  However, gambling definitely leads to sin; which is why gambling is often shunned.  I know this first hand.  Many years ago, I lost around $200 at a casino and I lost it and threw a fit like an uncontrollable toddler.  It was an ugly sight.  $200 is not a huge amount but it was enough to turn me into a different person.  "Know your limit" so goes the OLG saying.  Now, I know my limit!  So these days, I get the "free" chips from the casino and play enough so I can cash it out.

Anyway, back to our trip to Niagara.  Kelvin's birthday is in January.  So, we decided to take advantage of the hotel deals again.  But this time, I had a few surprises for him.  I picked up the tab for his stay and even organized a surprise for him.  He thought that it was only the 2 of us + family, but there ended up being around 20 people, including my parents, his in-laws, Jit team.  It was a fun trip...and to spoil next year's "2020 in Review" post, we did it again in January 2020!


Selling the Matrix

This section is quite inconsequential...but thought I'd document this for posterity.  Lol.  Just before Renee and I got married, we bought our first car together.  It was a used 2004 Toyota Matrix.  Over the years, it had served us well.  When we went down to one car after Adele was born, we gave it to my dad to drive.  He eventually got a BMW and passed the Matrix to my mom.  My mom then drove it for probably 6 or 7 years.  Finally, after 15 years of good service and almost 300,000 km, we decided to retire it.  I think we even sold it for $1200 (if I recall correctly).  It was such a practical and reliable car!  It had not broken down once and all repairs were of a minor nature.

For this, I love Toyotas so much!  They're just engineered and manufactured so well and last forever.  However, I'm terribly worried about the company.  They are like Blackberry in 2008...not quite sure what I mean?  Well, the iPhone was announced in 2007.  Everyone knew it was the future, but people like Steve Ballmer just mocked it (you gotta click on this link if you haven't seen the video).  I think you know where I'm going with this.  We know electric vehicles (EVs) are the future.  How can they not be?  But Toyota is just so obstinate!  I don't get it.  They practically started the EV revolution by pioneering hybrid technology.  Why do they have such a pathetic EV roadmap?  When they talk the game, what they mean by EVs are hybrids, and not zero-emissions EVs.  This would have been fine 20 years ago when they came out with the Prius.  They've gone from leader to laggard.  It's truly disappointing and sad.


Mom's Surgery
My mom, Susanna, has been my nanny, cook, educator, and Instacart shopper (lol, this last one is a joke) for the past 10 years.  I'm tremendously grateful for her help.  Without her, I don't think we could have gone past 2 kids!

Last year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  It was actually not her first diagnosis of this terrible disease.  10 years prior, she was diagnosed with the same and had her first mastectomy.  Her recovery back then was not great.  I recall it probably took her about a week before she was able to get out of bed.  Even then, she was not very mobile.  So, this time, we were very worried about what this would mean.  She was going to get another mastectomy, but she was now 10 years older.

To our surprise, while she had the same surgeon and had the surgery done at the same hospital, the surgery went exceptionally well.  She was also able to have a one-night stay at the hospital instead of a day surgery.  That helped tremendously as well.  By day 3, she was up and about and even cooked lunch (nobody can stop her when she's determined)!  We were really relieved!  She fully recovered in 2 to 3 months.  It's been over a year since the surgery and she's been back to her old self.  Thanks be to God!

We also thank you all for your prayers and kind thoughts during this time!

It is important to note...while mom was off on sick leave, Renee did a great job taking care of kids and myself.  She did lose about 5 pounds in this period though! :P


Grandma's Passing and Trip to Hong Kong
In mid April, mom called and told us that she was well enough to come back the following week.  We didn't mind that she took more time off to recuperate but knowing mom, she probably felt it was her responsibility to come back to help when she was able.  That's mom...always going above and beyond!

As fate would have it, on the following day, she got a call from my uncle in Hong Kong informing her that Grandma had been hospitalized.  The situation was not good and so, she booked her flight to go back.  I followed shortly after.  I was glad I did because Grandma passed while I was there and I got to spend her last few days with her.  I wrote about that last year when I was still in Hong Kong.

Not only was I able to spend time with Grandma, I also spent some time with my cousins, whom I had not seen in quite some time.  In fact, it was really my first time interacting on a less superficial basis with my younger cousins, Ka Yue and Ka Pong.  They were born after we had immigrated to Canada and I was glad I was able to get to know them a bit better.  Guys, if you're reading, thanks for your hospitality last year.  It was great connecting with you guys!  I was also fortunate to connect with a few other relatives and old friends, which is always great.  It was too bad I was only there for 1 week...








This trip was also the only time I spent any meaningful amount of time alone with mom.  The last time was probably in 1989 when again, the two of us went to Hong Kong together (wow, some 30 years ago)!  After grandma's passing, we did some touristy stuff in Hong Kong, went shopping, and enjoyed the rest of our time there.  I guess this was the silver lining of the trip.



Family's First Baseball Game

Ainsworth's (where I work) family event this year was a Blue Jays game.  It's been about 30 years since I've seen a live Jays game.  The last time, the Rogers Centre was still called the Skydome (which is what I still call it).  It was a superb game to watch with something like 7 home runs during the game!  Free game, free food - what a great day!  Thanks Ainsworth!


Enjoying Friends' Company
Honestly, God has blessed us with so many good friends that we're so grateful.  I have to say I'm terrible with keeping in touch.  It's never been my strength.  Thanks to all you kind souls; that hasn't kept you out of our lives!

One wintry day, we had a great time with Matt, Jessica, Sophia and Sam at the Science Centre!  They gifted us a membership many years ago and after losing it for a few years, we finally found it.  We gladly invited them to join us.  It was a bit of a hectic and chaotic day, with adults terribly outnumbered (mainly my fault), but we had a blast!

And for all those of you who don't know, the Science Centre has a great reciprocal membership program with other museums.  Within a 8 hour drive radius, you probably have free access to around 10 different museums in Canada and the US.  Definitely keep this in mind!



In 2019, I was also a godfather again!  I'm the proud godfather of everyone in John's family except Joanna!  Their second, Oliver, was baptized and I was so honoured to be godfather again!  Godfather Part III...lol!


In July, we threw Matt (Tsang) a surprise birthday lunch.  The surprise was so good...Matt Siu and I hid in Lai Chuen's pantry and when Matt came over, thinking he was putting up some furniture for Lai Chuen, we scared the heck out of him when he found 2 screaming dudes in the pantry!  We definitely had a good laugh at his expense!


Calvin, Aggie, and their girls Abbey and Alley visited from Hong Kong in December.  We had a great time reminiscing about old jokes like "I...I...I was just saying..."  It was a great way of celebrating Christmas with great, old friends!  Watching Dennis and Calvin shuck oysters was also amusing! :)



Other Highlights
Watching Canada Day Fireworks at the Local Park 

Renee's Grandma Visiting in the Summer 

Starting of a New Family Tradition: A Real Christmas Tree!

Thanks for dropping by!  Stay tuned for more!
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