Post vacation blues
Summer came and gone. And what we have now is rain, wind and dark days. Not really the days made for photography… unless you are adventurous.
We spent 10 days of fun, tiring, a little stressed up vacation in So. Cal. The kids got out from school for 8 days and spent their birthdays each in Disneyland and Legoland. It’s our first time to So. Cal and what’s not to like about there except the crazy freeway traffic and exepensive food in the parks. Weather-wise, every day was perfect except for the last two rainy and windy days. I didn’t mind it so much as long as the sun is up again and temperature hits the high 20s.
I’ve been spending time laundering (wished it was extra money but it’s all dirty clothes from vacation), cleaning the house, and getting the kids to finish up 8 days of homework over the long weekend.
Time to have some coffee (too bad no Cheesecake Factory Upside Down Pineapple cheesecake – have you guys tried it? Isn’t it out of this world lovely??) and quiet time before the kids are back from school.
I go hmm…..
As everyone know, summer came late so all of our family activities were squashed in the last 2 weeks of August. It was a pretty good 2 weeks and now with the kids back to school, I’ve gotten pretty lazy. It’s usually after I have my run in the morning. For the rest of the day, I just laze. I’m not sure if I have frequent readers of my blog but if you are, thank you for staying with me.
These days, businesses tend to go all out with not just a website, a blog but on social media like Twitter, Facebook and whatever. You can see that I neither have a Twitter or Facebook of my business. I do have my own personal accounts. So what does that say about me? For one, I’m not good at expanding my business. My arguement is I’m not looking to expand. I just like doing what I do – take pictures when any one wants my service. I take up projects that interests me (I’m announcing one later!). Sure! If my family had to depend on me for money, we would be probably out on the streets. I don’t cheapen my rates just because I don’t photograph as frequent as someone who fills up their days with lots and lots of cheaper sessions.
I’m good at what I do and that’s what I charge.
Not sure why I’m ranting about that. I guess that issue has been buried deep within me, something or someone triggered it and I’m getting it out.
Water for Elephants
I haven’t read the book or watched the movie but Reese Witherspoon’s Vogue shoot with Tai the elephant is just GORGEOUS!! The shoot was done by Peter Lindbergh. Now I need to find myself an elephant 
More at Reese in Vogue
A little dessert for a monday afternoon — japanese purin
I regularly frequent food blogs to get ideas or new recipes to try. A food blogger was talking about japanese purin they bought from a store in Port Moody and decided to try making it themselves. I decided to make it today as it’s very easy to make with regular ingredients which you have in your pantry & fridge all the time.
It’s similar to flan and it’s a bit too sweet for me. I like the smooth texture with caramel. But it’s not something I would want to eat every day
If you are interested, here’s the receipe from About.com. Japanese Purin
Another weekend…
another something from my kids.
As previously mentioned, my son had some tummy probs. Then, the next weekend it was my daughter’s turn. Lost her appetite in the afternoon and threw up at night. For her case, it was two days. By the 3rd day, she was feeling for a McD nugget. So I guess she got better then. At the end of that week, I was joking with her teacher that another weekend, hopefully nothing more.
How wrong I was.
We went for dimsum with my father-in-law and Metrotown Fortune House on Sunday. After we were done, we all walked down the stairs (the one from the skytrain level to the bus level) and my daughter did her 2 steps jump, slipped and landed wrongly. She went “It’s ouchy. It’s very ouchy.”
One thing you should know about my daughter’s cries is that it provokes you to laugh. I’m serious. Even when she was a baby, the way she cried just made us laugh. There are some babies or kids whose cries just make you feel so sad and you just want to cuddle and comfort them. But my daughter’s…..
Anyway, the ankle swelled. We tried to rent a crutch for her but the major ones (like London Drugs or Shoppers Drug Mart) didn’t have shorter ones. On Monday, I scrouged medical supplies stores. One of them helped me to call a pharmacy he knows in Langley (Valley Evergreen Pharmacy) and yes, they have one. But it was raining so hard and I didn’t want to drive there. So, I called places, drove north and then south to those places to let my daughter tried it. Finally, we hit jackpot! Pharmasave at 16th Ave. Thank goodness.
So, if the need arises and you need to rent a pair of crutches about 37″ long, go to Pharmasave. Their rental is the cheapest too. $20 deposit. $5 a week. $15 a month.
The girl is at school being mobile and showing off her crutches.
Another weekend is coming and 2 weeks of spring break. Fingers crossed.
Time flies. It’s already the end of February.
First off, if you have been here before you would have noticed that I’ve changed the theme of this blog. Really like this one. Alas, I have to sacrifice my logo banner because it doesn’t seem to support it. I also have to sacrifice my 900 px width (i.e. large) pictures. I’ll see how this goes but this theme is really darn stylish.
I think this weekend’s snow would be the last snowfall for this winter. Can’t wait for spring. But, those poor snowdrops and crocuses which are already out….
My boy was sick from some stomach virus and threw up several times yesterday.
He seems to be back to his old self now.
Today is Kuch’s birthday. He’s 12. My first dog, Bengy who is with my mom just turned 13 this month too. Kuch is getting to be some grouchy old dog at times but everyone thinks he’s a puppy. The birthday boy got his bath today and he didn’t like it at all.
But see how clean and fluffy he is now.
I’m going to start blogging more again. I’ll talk about anything photography-wise or just mindless rants. It’s my blog I have been photographing for the school a bit but I can’t show the pictures here. Too many parents to ask permission from but then, it’s the school project. It would be nice to show my work here too though.
Sunday is still young. Have a good rest.
Seattle
After living here for over a decade, I’ve never gone to Seattle. Can you believe that? No wait, I haven’t even been to Bellingham until two years ago and after moving to South Surrey, I have went there two more times. I’m such a bad border shopper.
So when my friend Phoebe visited me end of July and we were playing with the idea of doing a long drive with our kids. I mentioned I haven’t been to Seattle and she said, let’s do it. And we did.
The kids were excited at the start and as kids they grew restless and bored after a while into the ride. We were pretty happy we finally saw the Space Needle.
We didn’t plan on going up but the kids wanted to. (We should have bought the citypass but we didn’t expect to do much in a day trip)
This is me doing a self-portrait. You can see Phoebe (in the background) threatening to throw her son’s toy out of the tower, LOL!!
So sad. We were caged up there.
Seattle in the summer smog.
After walking around for 15 mins and spending over a hundred bucks, we got out of there because the kids were whinning that they were hungry. Phoebe went to get her car while we walked to the nearby McD.
After lunch, we drove to the wharf and walked around.
We finally found the famous Public Market after a while. No one was throwing fishes around though. 
The first Starbucks coffee shop. It was so crowded inside and outside because this is the FIRST Starbucks that started it all. Did I say that already?
We went to the Aquarium too and then early dinner at The Cheesecake Factory (I know, I know. I love Cheesecake Factory). The Cajun Jambalaya Pasta is out of this world!!!!
Before heading home, we drove to view point Kerry Park. It was a whirlwind trying to find our way there. We asked two locals. One said it’s up on a hill so basically just drive upward (huh?). Another said he has no clue. But we found it via google map on my iphone (again, I didn’t go for the special data roaming package and finding Kerry Park costs me over $100 this month phone bill!)
This is me and Phoebe.
Downtown Seattle from Kerry Park. Beautiful.
It was a great long drive. Thanks Phoebe.
What a busy summer….
Wow! I can’t believe the kids will be going back to school in a week. I’ll be having a 2nd Grader and a 5th Grader this coming term. Time flies.
Surprisingly, I took up my husband’s invite to join him in San Francisco early this month when he had to there for work stuff. My kids finally said, “Ok mommy. Who is going to take care of us?” Instead of, “I want to go too!” and my mom-in-law finally said, “Sure.”
Those four days were the FIRST time in TEN YEARS (Yes, 10!) hubby & I went on vacay without the kids. It was a wonderful change from a family vacation. I loved it and welcome it. I bet the next time we won’t have to wait 10 years again for a twosome holiday.
And where did I first go?
Google’s campus!!! It was huge and I had fun driving around.
I’m not going to bore everyone with all the places I went to. A few highlights include: driving on the Golden Gate Bridge. I was as excited as a 5 year old.
@Vista Point:
Muir Woods. Ok, not very exciting – at least to me. Similar to the rainforest in North Van except you have to pay to go in. Tip: eat lunch before you go. A free range egg sandwich costs like $6!
Crissy Field. You have to go. I heart this place. Great place to take a stroll and look at the bay view. You can see downtown:
The Bridge:
The Rock:
We walked down Lombard (the crooked street) but I wasn’t impressed. But the view towards Coit Tower was really good.
Places I didn’t go:
Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcratraz or Sausalito. Didn’t take the cable car either.
Crazily, I did enjoy Sunnyvale and Santa Clara/San Jose. And of course, what’s a visit to a US city without eating at The Cheesecake Factory? I went to the one at San Jose and at Macy’s Building across Union Square. We stayed at the Handlery. It wasn’t bad at the Premier rooms.
Union Square from Cheesecake Factory’s patio.
Some street scenes:
After checking out from Handlery, we went to Twin Peaks but the fog was rolling in. It was cold too.
That’s my little excursion. Love it after not travelling for some time. The next week, my friend & I drove our kids to Seattle for a day trip. Wowza! I’ve missed travelling and am glad I got to do some this summer. What about you?
In another life, not so long ago…
I used to photograph weddings. This is one of my favourite pictures. Did a poster and gave it free to the bride and groom. They framed it and it’s now hanging in their house.
Been busy…
Since the kids went back to school, I’ve been busy. Added to that stress, I am looking for a bigger place. With all those 500k homes, there is little left to choose.
One of the things I had been looking forward to in September was the Pet Shop Boys concert on 19th. I’ve been a fan since their first album “Please” came out. I sweared Chris Lowe would fall in love with me (I didn’t exactly know “what” was “really” happening then) but 25 years on and I’ve finally met him, there was nothing! On my part or his!! He’s this goofy guy who can really talk a lot. He’s a genius at the keyboards and looks fantastic in his designer clothes.
My friend & I were lucky to take a picture with Neil Tennant. Apparently, taking a picture with either one of them (Chris doesn’t do pictures anymore) is a miracle!
The concert itself was pretty energetic. I didn’t have high hopes of the production being very techy (like Madonna’s); they had collapsible boxes piled up as background and 4 dancers dressed in boxes. But it was a good party. I enjoyed being a teen again and I had a fantastic front row seat right in front of Chris ( stared at him when I wanted to).
Next in October… Black Eyed Peas and U2!!
3 more weeks till school!!
Yay!! But the downside is that I have to start waking uo at 7am again.
Early August, we took a coach trip to the Canadian Rockies. On paper, it sounded wonderful. 4 days 3 nights. From Vancouver to Kamloops, Banff, Jasper to Calgary to Kelowna and back. In reality, it is one tiring journey. We decided to take this tour because (1) 2 other families we know were going (2) we didn’t want to drive because my kids especially our daughter always whine when she’s gonna get there and how bored she is every 5 mins. That drives us nutty even when we only drive to Maple Ridge. (3) we took the discounted package (less meals)
Sitting on a “luxurious” coach has its advantages. We are seated high up and the AC’s great. The down side to it are you can’t really photograph the scenery as reflections appear on the windows and too much information on minor stuff but still I learned a lot about the Fraser River and the mountains and how important everything is. Rightly so. And secondly, the driving takes about 2 hours from anywhere to somewhere.
Here’s a map of our route.
Day 1: Kamloops for lunch at Tim Horton’s. Earlier we went to a ginseng factory. We weren’t that interested in the process. My mother-in-law requested me to buy 2lbs of cut ginseng for her but the price was exorbitant! Then off we went to Spahats Falls. It’s a bit impressive to me – the sheer height of the ridge. My daughter will tell you that there were too many mosquitoes chasing after her. It was a surprise to see someone you know from the city visiting the same Falls.
Then it’s another 2 hours to Valemount for the night. The next morning, we had to be at the bus by 7:15am. We drove a short way to Mt Robson Visitors Centre. The early morning cloud was shrouding the top of Mt Robson but it was a beautiful morning. (pic below: Mt Robson on the right)
Then, we drove again to Athabasca Falls. I am more impressive with his fall because the water was like thundering down crazily from a very lazy river. I guess like macho waterfalls.
Atabascha Glacier is next. The last time, I was there in 2001 it was November and bloody cold. Now, in summer it’s pretty warm. What hasn’t changed is how bloody touristy it is over there and the food is still as expensive as ever. Nevertheless, as much I like to groan about it, I like sitting on that snowmobile and being on top of that glacier.
Top Pic: Panorama of Atabascha Glacier.
Left: Going up the glacier.
Below: My kids on the snow mobile.
To be continued.
Where did the pics go? Doh! It’s my fault.
I immigrated my old blog back here from a server and the pics don’t show up anymore. I just learned that xml files don’t carry images and I have to manually add all the images again. Hmm… not sure if I want to do that because I have hundreds of pictures in my old blog. So, please stay with me patiently while I revamp this blog including finding a way to showcase my work in a gallery. Maybe more time in September when the kids are at school. (YAY!)
Anyway, this will be a more personal blog than my photography business. I still photograph and if you are interested for a session, email me and we will talk.
Update: I manually uploaded pictures to several posts till Oct ’08. I’ll save my wordpress storage space for new pictures instead
Congrats to my good friends and neighbours…
Marcin and Liisa for their new baby named Mia. And guess what? I have a session date with the baby. I’ve photographed both Marcin and Liisa individually but not together. Strange.
When my daughter was born 5 years ago, Marcin used to remark that if he ever has a baby, he wants a girl just like my daughter. Guess what, eh? Wishes do come true!
Trying to catch up with things.. lots of things
While Hawaii was fun, trying to catch up with everything when we are back home is not! Two days after we were back, I went for a newborn session. Chauffering my kids to their after school stuff isn’t fun either with this kind of rainy fall weather we are having. I hesistate to say “promise” but I’ll do my best to update this blog with pictures.
I have to deal with our dog’s diarrhea for the past three days. Definitely NOT FUN to clean up. Thank god he only does his business in the kitchen (when he really, really, really has to go) or else, he whines and looks at you saying “I really, really, really need to go!”
Now, I have to get ready to get the kids to school and then get my car serviced in Richmond.
California Dreamin’
All the leaves are brown / And the sky is grey / I’ve been for a walk / On a winter’s day
I’d be safe and warm / If I was in L.A. / California dreamin’ / On such a winter’s day
My Mini-Me is 5!
After the windy yesterday, there were so much leaves on the ground. And what a great surprise to see some sunshine today.
Happy 5, baby-girl!! mmmmmmmm…waaaaaa.
I want to squeeze and squeeze my head….
for the past few days, felt Something was coming. Throat felt dry, slight headache, tiredness and this morning woke up with my head feeling like lead. Achooo!! Uh-oh….! I went to Save-On to get some All-In-One Tylenol but I didn’t eat any. Instead, I had a minor workout on the Wii-Fit (it was under the couch, neglected for 84 days It tells me when I checked-in my Mii to start “training”). Felt slightly better but now I just want to sleep. It’s going to be 3pm soon and I have to pick up my kid from school and then math tuition at 4pm.
Lovely weather we are having this week, eh?
It’s October already…
and it feels like summer is still here. Haven’t the past two days been glorious? Beautiful blue skies and wow, did someone say “hot”? Forecast says we still have one more day of good warm weather before the rain comes again. Let’s enjoy it.
My kids played with a rolled laminated board and I decided to have some photography fun from the other end. The leaves on our street have started turning their colours. Time for roll in the leaves sessions.
My baby is 8 today!
Our personalities clash, he gets mad, I go crazy, he throws tantrums, I punish, we keep silent, he says sorry mom, i say sorry baby, we hug, i kiss my baby, he kisses me, we love — this is our mom and son relationship. he can’t choose a more perfect mom, i won’t choose another son. we’ll help each other foster a better and greater mom-son relationship as time goes by.
Love you baby.
Coming out from a funk
Boy, what a week!
We renewed our mortgage. Each time I signed that dotted line, I feel like I am signing my life to the bank over and over. Then, on Monday my son was snarled at by our neighbour’s huge dog. Its teeth scratched my son’s face somewhere between the eye and nose bridge. I know -scary! So near the eye… [shivers]. It supposed to need a stitch but we only went to the doctor’s the next day and the wound has closed up. The next day, it’s hubby’s birthday and his father treated the family for dinner. On Wednesday, my daughter woke up with a fever. Treated her with Advil Fever and she went to school. After school, she started having the chills and her temp shot up. Each time the drug wears off, the fever is back. On Thurs, she was pretty stable and I thought, “Hooray” but on Friday she woke up with a 40 deg temp and I hurriedly took her to the doctor. Of course, by the time the doctor saw us her temp was normal (drugs and more Advil drugs!) but he said there’s a virus going around in school and most probably, the fever will stay till Saturday. Friday went pretty well and I took her off the Advil/Tylenol combination recommended by my doc. But of course, this morning she woke up with a 39 deg temp. Sigh. So, now she’s back with the 2 hours interval of Advil and Tylenol.
So, that’s my week in a nutshell.
We welcome autumn with our vancouver special of rain and fog. At least, it’s not that cold.
Happy 10!
Yes, 10 years of marriage — to the same guy. LOL!! Wow, hubby & I have finally reached this milestone and it seems like yesterday we’ve just met. It sure has not been easy but it takes two. What I’ve learned so far is that you must not be too proud to say, “I’m sorry.”; whether you are the right or the wrong party.
Last night, we went to Janet Jackson’s concert at GM Place. The headline I will give to the show is: “Janet got swallowed by the bass”. We felt the show was visually appetizing but the crowd wasn’t really into it except for those closed up within the perimeter of the catwalk. I wished she sang the full length of her hits instead of the medley. You can tell when the crowd go crazy hearing, “Black Cat” or “Rhythm Nation”. But I am glad she started the show with medley of her 80s hits starting with “Pleasure Principle”. Lovely! And the heart thumping bass. Whoa.. it seriously drowned out her voice.
Me & hubby at the concert. We needed the light from the stage to illuminate our faces. Taken with a camera phone.
Me & hubby today.
My “bro” is in town….
and bunking on my couch for two nights. Imran whom I’ve known for 10 years (we started as online Pet Shop Boys fans) is now living in Edmonton but he once lives at Metrotown area. Yes, ladies, he is available at the age of sweet 31.
My son was in a good mood in posing for us.
On the side, I’ve been watching this dragonfly nearby. The last one is my favourite shot. I am in the mood for TLR, hence its colours.
Tiramisu… the most sinful dessert
Whisk egg yolks with sugar until creamy smooth. Add mascarpone cheese and set aside.
Beat heavy/whipping cream till stiff peaks.
Whisk in mascarpone mixture.
Mix kahlua & espresso — heavenly combination.
Dip ladyfingers into kahlua & espresso mixture. Line them in your tray.
Spread half of the cream mixture on top, then another layer of espresso soaked lady fingers. Finally the balance of the cream mixture. Chilled to set. Easy, right? It’s easier to eat them too. Hence, you don’t see any pictures of the tiramisu, LOL!!!!
Twilight
So, I’ve finally finished editing and post-processing my latest session from this past weekend late last night. I decided to reward myself by reading the last few chapters of Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight”. Let me say that I was ignorant about this vampire series because one, it’s a young adult book. Two, well… there’s no two. I was just plain ignorant about this. I was browsing Amazon for cupcake books when on the front page (or nearly every page), they were promoting the fourth and final title for this series… “Breaking Dawn”. Being curious, I thought I will read the first book.
Let me say that, the writing is not as intense as say, Anne Rice’s… the other vampire series author. I guess being a young adult book is vastly different from one written for adult. Twilight has more than 200 pages but it only got really exciting in the last few chapters. I was about to give up on Bella and Edward (no matter how good looking he is supposed to be) when the “tracker” appeared. After the climax, it felt downhill again. Will I read the second book “New Moon”? Most probably if I can’t find any other books to read. But heck, give this series a try. They say Eclipse (the third book) is much better. Have to read to find out.
