Category Archives: Canadian roots

All Those Family Trips

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I’m usually pretty happy with how I’ve planned trips for the family over the years, but this year when I was planning our trip to Halifax for the holiday, I really regretted something. Something that I think could really add meaning to the time spent together.

achievement blur charity collaboration

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

All these years of tripping with the kids in many kinds of places, I should have built in a volunteer experience, or even planned a volunteer trip. It’s not too late to still do this, of course, but I really should have thought the purpose behind some of the things we were doing when away. I fully support vacationing to unwind, be somewhere else and just enjoy the new location. However, I’m also not one to pack too much into the trip for fear that everyone will be disgruntled by a timetable (myself included). We will tend to experience the highlights of a place, but we also like to venture into the local scene. To me, part of being a local is understanding the community you are visiting – and sometimes it isn’t pretty. Every community has it’s woes and challenges and if we are going to spend time there, shouldn’t we do something helpful because spend money in the local coffee shop (which is one of our favorite things to do).

I think it just really came to mind this year because we were planning a trip in our home country over the holidays and holiday time is often when volunteers are needed to help at dinners or pack toys and such. I’ll keep this in mind for the next trip.

Thoughts?

 

Break Time

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It’s winter break, a time span of three weeks between semesters one and two. A time to recharge and replenish. And I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. This semester was such a highly intense time of so many things on different levels that I found myself running low on patience too often.

But now it’s the time for me to seriously “break” for a few days. Normally Brett and I would leave right away and go somewhere near or far, to detach as soon as possible. But this year Brett left for North America a couple of days before my semester ended, so I’m here in Sing on my own for a few days of winding down and getting the last bits of organizing done in the new apartment.

At first, I found myself quite uncertain about not joining Brett on the trip to North America. I wouldn’t be seeing my family or his this holiday season otherwise, but now…. now, I’m a bit relieved to have been absent from the whirlwind of driving to see as many people as possible in the tiniest amount of time. Brett has really jammed a lot in the few days he is there, so he is really taking one for the team this time around! Had I ventured on this trip with him, I don’t think I would have been the best version of myself, on so many levels. I just don’t think it would have been good for me or anyone to go right away! Seeing my family and friends virtually will do until 2017.

bestversionofmyself

I really needed some nothing time before escaping during this break. I’ve had three days and I’m still not to the nothing part, but I’m getting there, and let me tell you – it feels glorious! Shouldn’t be long until life is sorted and before I know it, Brett and I will be headed to Bali for some quiet time, amazing food and rejuvenation.

Just what we both need.

 

 

Five More Hours

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It’s 7pm on NYE and I could just head to bed and go to sleep.

Brett and I had a nice late afternoon lunch and beer stop at an Aussie place here in Robertson Quay. I was quite impressed with the food and happy to see a Boston vs Detroit hockey game on the TV.

And now we are home… at 7pm on New Year’s Eve. This is not new; we aren’t New Year’s Eve people. But for today we said we’d have a nap and head down to the pool later, hoping to see the fireworks at Marina Bay.

We will see if that actually happens!

Have fun tonight, whatever fun is to you!

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Guess Whose Birthday Is Tomorrow?

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Chances are.. not yours right? Nope! But let me tell you a story first before we talk about this birthday.

So, I was out with Monica (friend/co-teacher) and her daughter at their summer club, Bay Terrace Country Club, in Bayside Queens today. We played some tennis, swam around in the cool water of the surprisingly mostly unpopulated pool, laid on the chairs, chatted.

As Monica and Savannah went for a second round in the pool, I sat under the umbrella reading and listening to the voices around me. Voices that are quintessentially Long Island voices. Italian. Nasally. Semi-loud. Voices that make me chuckle a little.

As I listened and read, watched people jump in the pool or walk for their frogurt, I was transported to the setting of the movie Way, Way Back that I saw last summer with my movie buddy Tina. I thought about the boy who took a job at the summer club to escape his mother’s horrible boyfriend. For some reason I could relate to him. Not because I was escaping my mother’s awful boyfriend, or even a hard-to-deal-with family member. It just made me feel like a typical American on summer vacation. You know, the family (or some of them) goes to the country club, they enjoy their time doing summertime activities day after day. Days filled pools, beaches, reading books, playing cards, bonfires, late nights outside, enjoying the perfect weather.

But alas! I am not American! I am Canadian! And although I have been enjoying American summers for several years now, these summer days are different from my summers in Alberta. Not good or bad different, just different.

Yes, I enjoyed my share of lake days with Jill, boating, playing cards, drinking, dancing, walking in the river valley, attending festivals, and so on. And today, sitting there, at the poolside of a summer club in Bayside Queens, listening to those nasally Long Island voices made me think of the celebrations that proud Canadians will be attending tomorrow. Wearing their red and white, eating poutine, drinking a double-double, a clam-eye or a Caesar or maybe Molson. And I want to be there… but I’m not… so enjoy my fellow Canadians!

It’s Canada’s birthday.

blog.tedactive.com

blog.tedactive.com

 

#tbt21 – ’80’s Toys

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A field trip to Liberty Science Center today sent me back in time. To the ’80’s. Why? Because of the Rubiks Cube exhibit!

Many...

Many…

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…many…

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… many cubes.

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Luxurious cube – diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires!

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Wall of cubes

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This kid could maneuver that cube with one hand!

So of course I went in search of some of my favorite toys of the ’80’s!

Etch-a-Sketch was a nice linear drawing tool. I think the shaking was the most fun.

Rubiks Cube was a good challenge, could get one side the same color but that’s about it.

Definitely loved my view finder. My favorite was Disney’s Fantasia.

Simon Says I was pretty good at. Maybe that’s why my number memory is so strong…

retro-specs.deviantart.com

retro-specs.deviantart.com

I kind of miss my Snoopy Snow Cone machine.

followpics.co

followpics.co

I had one CareBear. And that’s all I wanted was the one. The yellow one.

Ah! This calculator! I used to use this and my moving adding machine when I played office.

Loved, loved, loved my Strawberry Shortcakes. Still love the smell. Yes, the ones at my mom and dad’s still smell.

I was obsessed with Cabbage Patch Kids. In fact, my first one looked like the boy on the bottom left except with light hair. His name was Oscar Florian. And I had one had that looked like the girl on the top left. Her name was Delta (something…). I guess I shouldn’t even say were or was… since I still have them. They are at my mom’s too.

nameberry.com

nameberry.com

And finally, my favorite Barbie. Peaches & Cream. Joc and I would set up all the Barbie furniture and then be done with it. The setting up was the funnest part (yes, I say funnest).

nurseglory.com

nurseglory.com

What were your faves?

May the Fourth Be With You Dad

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Yes, that’s right! My dad is a May the Fourth baby. So today’s post is a shout-out to him.

My dad. Let’s see.

  1. He’s funny. Me too.
  2. Mellow. Me too.
  3. Hard-working. Me too.
  4. Tolerant. Me too.
  5. Easy-going. Meeee tooooo.
  6. Friendly. Yep, that’s me!
  7. Ukrainian, but looks Italian or Mexican when tanned (good skin tone). Nope, not me.
  8. Knowledgable. Yep, me too.
  9. Loves music and movies. Mhmm.

Thanks Dad, for being my dad. You are the funny, mellow, hard-working, tolerant, easy-going, friendly, Ukrainian, knowledgable music-loving dad that millions of people don’t have. I got some of my greatest qualities from you, as noted above. (And yes I got some from you too, Mom. 🙂 )

Happy birthday! And May the Fourth be with you!

Playin the old Elvis on record player!

Playin’ the gold Elvis LP on the record player!

 

Three Years Later

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Yes, it took me about three years to read a book.

Why? I don’t know.

Which book, you ask? Before I tell you, you have to know that it was a fantastic book. I don’t even think the word “book” does it justice. It’s a well-crafted piece of literature. A must-read.

The story well-written, expertly researched; the characters complex and deep; the ending what I wanted it to be.

I’m not going to tell you what it’s about, because you must read it, and you can look it up anyway. It’s literature that takes you to a monumental time when treating others horribly was the norm, and society was far worse than it is now. Although it is a work of fiction, it is based in research (as mentioned), and reflects history closely.

It’s called Someone Knows My Name (in the US) and The Book of Negroes (in Canada), written by Lawrence Hill, an amazing Canadian author. Read it.

Just don’t take as long as I did to read it. I’m sure you won’t!

books-2books

 

 

 

#tbt #12 – Before HD

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I’m watching the Simpsons the way we used to watch it at the end of the ’80’s and all the way through the ’90’s and the ’00’s before it was HD – and yes – I said the ’80’s! Omg, the Simpsons have been part of our households for 25 years.

When I first started watching HD, yes I thought there was better clarity to the picture, but I didn’t think it was that different. Well, it is! When all you watch is HD for some time, and then you go back to regular old TV, it is quite different. It makes me think I need to wear my glasses to watch it!

I’d say that was a worthwhile advancement in TV technology. Thanks, smart people.

en.wikipedia.org

en.wikipedia.org

#tbt #10 – I Was Born Today

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But actually in 1975. On a Thursday though.

So that means in 39 years you will celebrate your birthday on the day of the week you were born.

Well, it won’t be the first time, but it might be the first time you remember. Like me.

Happy birthday me! And the rest of you who were born on March 13th!

#tbt 9 – Grape Happy Pop

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Love Pop Shoppe!

Love Pop Shoppe!

I was excited to find Pop Shoppe pop at Bed, Bath & Beyond’s new specialty foods area. Not that I’ll ever buy it, but it was a fun memory.

I used to love the grape Happy Pop, in the stubby bottle of course. Even now, I still love the smell of grape pop… unfortuntely it’s just too sugary for me to handle a couple of decades later. But every once in a while, a little grape pop is all a person needs.