"We want more guarantees. We want to believe that we're not going to get hurt and that bad things aren't going to happen and they are, and there is a guarantee that nobody talks about and that is that if we don't allow ourselves to experience joy and love we will definitely miss out on filling our reservoir with what we need when those hard things happen."
Just got back from a road trip down to see my brother and his family. It was a long drive but worth it.
I went with my sister's family and my mom. The two kids were so good on the car ride. They didn't complain at all. While we were at Sam and Steph's, we spent some time with his family and did some retail therapy.
Sam's kids were under the weather and were coughing. I don't get to see them that often so I wasn't about to stay away from my nephews and niece.
On the last day of our stay, I caught the sore throat. :(. The drive home was hard on my body. I started to warm up and was woozy. I haven't been this sick in a very long time. I am literally bedridden because I'm so tired.
I practically lost my voice and two days later, I'm still not recovered. I hope to be better by Saturday for Francis' wedding.
- Posted from my iPhone
To all Moms and Moms to-be:
Happy Mother's Day! Take the day off and let the others do the work for today.
- Posted from my iPhone
Well .. I mentioned in my last blog post that I had signed up to play in my first badminton tournament - OU Smashfest 2011. It was a lot of fun. I played mixed doubles with Justin Ngo. He and I have played together at the badminton club before and we make a good team.
At first, Justin wanted to play pure mixed - me at the front, while he covers the rest of the court. We lost to a really good team at the start but we had some good shots. The second game .. I don't know why but I felt a bit more nervous than the first game. I thought we could have won the second game but unfortunately we lost that too . Since we were guaranteed three games, I wanted to play doubles' strategy for our third game - just in case it is our last game. That's when everything started to click.
We started playing better and won the next two games. We ended up in D finals against a much younger team - they were practically kids. I really tried my best and it paid off. We ended up winning 2-0. I'm a much stronger player than I was a year ago. I used to not run as much and give away points .. now I actually hustle and I have good shot placement. My friends were so proud of me - first tournament, first win. To celebrate, we went out for Korean food. Yumm.
I'm exhausted but I'm good. Next is the Mark Grantham team tournament but I won't be around to play or take pictures. It will be Chinese New Year weekend.
P.S. thanks Shirley for giving me a great door prize - Hello Kitty pyjamas!!! :)
Friend of mine sent me this article from the Wall Street Journal. I thought it was pretty interesting. Can any of my Asian friends relate to this???
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html
On the eve of my Christmas/New Year's holiday in Toronto/Markham, I am sad that my trip has come to an end. I am leaving for Ottawa tomorrow morning. I had the best time and a much needed vacation. This was my first week long vacation of 2010. As you can see from my Year in Review post, it was a busy year for me and there wasn't much time for vacation.
On Christmas Eve, I came home just in time for family dinner. It was great to see my parents, my siblings, brother-in-laws, and all of my nieces and nephews. I missed the Christmas Eve all-you-can-eat sushi lunch but I was there in spirit. I even called in to say hi to the gang. I was told that I didn't miss much though - many of their food orders were ignored or fell on deaf ears and in the end, they left with little food in their tummies. :( Not good for an AYCE sushi place.
Christmas Day was great. Justine & Dickens made a turkey dinner with lots of side dishes. I brought the stuffing and cranberries. It was everything I expected it to be and more. I really missed spending Christmas with my family last year and I got my wish this year.
On the days in between, I got to spend time with my parents. My sister, parents, and I spent a few afternoons playing mahjong. I could tell my dad really enjoyed it. When I'm not home, there aren't enough people to play. So while I was home, we played quite a bit. It was nice to see that his skills are still sharp. Sometimes I worry that they are getting old but my parents are still pretty good. I think laughter helps a lot.
After spending a few days with family, I got to have lunch with my friend Chris L. Chris was a good friend from university. He told me about an unfortunate family incident that happened earlier this year and I was quite sad for him. I hope 2011 is a year of change for him.
I also got a chance to meet up with Larry, Vicky, and CoKa .. but all on different days! :) That just means three different nights out. It was fun hanging out with each and every one of you but next time, we're going for one big lunch together because I won't have that many days to spare. Haha .. :)
Tonight was hot pot at Joyce & Samuel's house. They recently bought XBox360 with Kinect and they ordered Dance Central! Guess who's addicted to that game now? :) That's another first for me .. a dance video game? Me? I'm usually really shy about participating in video games because I'm such a newbie at it .. but I didn't care tonight. It was a lot of fun. Should I get one? ;)
Wow. The year went by so fast! It's that time of year where I recap everything that I have or haven't accomplished this year. Back in April, I had created a to-do list of things that I wanted to do over the summer. It was a long list as is .. and during the fall and early winter, I started adding more to my to-do list.
Let's see ..
To Do #1 - Continue taking yoga on a weekly basis. - COMPLETED
Instead of taking yoga, I started taking pilates at the gym every Saturday afternoon. I love this class and I know I will continue taking it into the New Year. I have to look for a class elsewhere because my current instructor is pregnant and so she will no longer be teaching the course at my regular gym. :(
To Do #2 - Take the Wilton Cake Decorating I course. - COMPLETED
Course 1 was completed. I enjoyed it and will likely take course 2 & 3 in the New Year.
To Do #3 - Take up tennis again - Did Not Complete.
Instead of tennis, I continued to play badminton. I have met a few friends who are avid tennis players so that may happen next summer. We'll see.
To Do #4 - Experiment with different recipes - COMPLETED
I manage to cook at home every night and I don't mean instant ramen noodles or tv dinners. Every night, I try to make a starch, a veggie, and a lean protein. I also try to bake every once in a while. Some of my best baked goods - mini cheesecakes. My worst? The pear crisp I blogged about. That was embarrassing! :)
To Do #5 - Catching up with friends. - HALF COMPLETE
Every trip back to Toronto, I have made it a point to meet up with my former co-workers or university friends. If I don't meet up with them, I have made a phone call or two to keep in touch. I still have so many people to reconnect with .. I know what you're thinking .. just move back! :) I'm gonna try .. seriously.
To Do #6 - Badminton - HALF COMPLETE
My secret goal was to be good enough to play in the Mark Grantham team tournament this year. Unfortunately, the tournament will be held on the weekend of Chinese New Year. I will be in Toronto that weekend because CNY is important to my family. However, a friend of mine recently asked if I would play in the University of Ottawa tournament in mid January. So even though I won't get to play in the tournament I was hoping to play in, I got asked to play in another. It's funny how things have worked out. :) I have to rest my shoulder as there is a bit of tendonitis that needs to be 'fixed' before I can continue to play on a regular basis. I give this a 'half complete' because the tournament is in 2011.
To Do # 7 - Rediscover my hobby of photography. - COMPLETED
I have always loved photography. And the last few years, I didn't have much time for it. In the fall, I decided to pull out my camera again and start shooting. I almost forgot how much it made me happy. I get to be creative and it challenges me artistically. I've been shooting tournaments as practice. In 2010, I shot two tournaments. This is another thing I will keep doing in 2011.
To Do #8 - Take the Christopher Leadership Course - COMPLETED
This was another fall/winter goal of mine. I had heard about this course and I decided to take it in the fall. It was an 11 week commitment about gaining leadership skills through public speaking. This course has helped me on a personal and professional level. I started off shaky and for the first four weeks, I kept wanting to drop out. But I stuck with it and I got better and better. I started to see what the course was about and I saw the change in my attitude, mindset, and outlook. I am very grateful for what I learned in this course.
To Do #9 - Try something different food-wise - COMPLETED
I tried my first shawarma! :) It's Lebanese food and in Ottawa, there are lots of shawarma eateries. The best is at Shawarma Palace. I went there with friends after badminton one evening and the line up was so long! You know that's a good sign. My friends told me I had to try the platter. Wow. The platter was huge. It was a dinner for two. It came with salad, rice, potatoes, pickles, chicken shawarma, and the most garlic-loaded garlic sauce. That garlic stench lingers for days but it's soooo good.
I also ate at St. Hubert for the first time. It's like Swiss Chalet. I can say I've been there, done that. It's not bad but Swiss Chalet fries are better than St. Hubert fries.
To Do #10 - Make health a priority - COMPLETED
Funny how this to-do comes after my blurb on shawarma and St. Hubert. :) My health has been a priority of mine. I hardly eat out now because eating out isn't always the healthiest. By not eating out, I have learned to cook healthier dishes and try new food items. My new favorite food is avocado. I only buy these every once in a while because they are pretty expensive. When I want to treat myself, I buy an avocado. :) I've also committed to going to the gym twice a week. I notice that when I don't go to the gym, my energy level drops. I always feel good when I'm finished with a workout. When I am home for Christmas, I will likely spend some time at the gym.
Whew .. not bad for a whole year, eh? :) I must say, I had fun doing everything.
With 2011 starting soon, I'm already thinking of what should go on my next to-do list. Hmmm .. what adventure should I try next? Snowboarding? Ice skating? P90X?
What is your goal for 2011?
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