Restaurant Review: Dragon Boat Fusion Cuisine

It's been awhile since I posted anything.  Maybe I've just been too busy - or perhaps nothing's been worthwhile enough to post.  I'll start with a restaurant review today.

Dragon Boat Fusion Cuisine is tucked in a far corner along East Beaver Creek where about two dozen other restaurants are located.  At last I found a dim sum restaurant I can finally recommend without having to add a 'but...' - as in: "The food is good but the service is horrible!", or "They have huge portions and it's cheap but the dishes are chipped and the chairs and carpets are really stained!", which is actually a lot of the Chinese restaurants in the Markham/Richmond Hill area.  Dragon Boat is not new, and I've actually been here a few years ago but never returned and I'm not sure why!

Today's visit was all around excellent in terms of taste, presentation, value and service.  The menu has a lot of dim sum favorites with most of them presented and/or cooked with a twist.  My brunch party of three today ordered a table full of food (so much we ended up with 3 take out boxes to bring home).  Steam Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow), Steam Pork Dumplings (Siu Mai), Steam Beef Balls, and Deep Fried Sticky Pork Dumplings of course are the must haves.  The noteworthy dishes we tried today were Steamed Seafood Dumplings in Soup, served in a fancy heated bowl and an excellent value for $2.80/each; Deep Fried Pumpkin and Sweet Potatoe in Spicy Salt, great batter mix which was not overly greasy/oily; Steamed Rice Noodle Roll with Fried Dough, served with the sauces on the side so it doesn't get soggy (wish more restaurants would so that); and Baked BBQ Pork Bun on Pastry, which is a Char Siu Bau/Pineapple Bun hybrid!  Everything came out piping hot within a few minutes of ordering.

The restaurant was bright and nicely appointed.  The simple white tableware was a pleasant change from some of the more gawdy/gold accented decor that many Chinese restaurants in the Richmond Hill area seem to favour.  Even though there was a line up when we arrived we only waited about 10 minutes before we were seated.  From being seated, to ordering, to getting the check, the service was friendly and efficient, just the way it should be in a busy Chinese restaurant.

The fact that the parking in this commercial plaza is terribly lacking can get somewhat overlooked by their great brunch special pricing.  All Small, Medium, and Large dim sum dishes are $2.80 each if your order is placed before 11:00am (this includes weekends) but payment must be in cash.  There is ample parking behind the building and parking is allowed in the adjacent lot by The Keg but this can be very inconvenient if it is raining or snowing.

Today's visit came to $48 (taxes & gratuity included) for 11 dishes.  I will definitely be returning with the hubby and kids soon.

My Little Big Girl

Yesterday was M1's birthday.  She turned 10 and since she hit double digits, she's a big girl now, right?  The wife asked her if she wanted a special birthday present.  Her response was that she wanted to sleep between Mommy and Daddy.  I was hit with a wave of emotions - difficult to describe but they ran the whole spectrum from happy to sad.

Recently I've been asking her to "grow up" quite a bit.  I asked her to help clean the house, set the table, babysit M3, and take care of M2.  While she doesn't always listen, she has come through most of the time.  I need to remember that she is only 10 years-old - she's still just a little girl!  I was sad that I was putting pressure on her to grow up.  But I'm happy that I got to hold her to sleep last night.

Big Oh

Restaurant Review: Milestones

Big Oh's birthday was last week.  Celebrated with a free birthday dinner at Milestones  in Markam (Hwy7 & Warden).  We usually stay away from these types of restaurants on Friday/Saturday evenings because we don't like the crowds, but surprisingly this restaurant took reservations and it really wasn't all that busy.

When dining with 3 children speed of service, "family-friendliness" of the restaurant, and value for our dollar are the main criteria for choosing a restaurant - which is why we frequent Swiss Chalet and Pizza Hut most often.  But we were pleasantly surprised with Milestones this evening.

This restaurant took reservations and our 6 entrees and appetizers were brought to us in a reasonable amount of time - can't emphasize enough how important this is with 3 children!  Although the restaurant lighting was a bit dark for our tastes, the seating was comfortable and we did see other tables with young children. Our server didn't seem to mind that we were dining with a "birthday entree free" coupon and that two of our children were sharing an entree (we had to ask for extra side plates).  In fact, he was very pleasant and attentive and brought us an extra plate of fries because he thought the ones that came with one of the entrees "didn't look very good" (we didn't ask, or even notice for that matter)!  Price-wise is what I'd expect at a place like this - which is comparable to The Keg, Kelseys, those sort of chain restaurants.  Other than the child entree (gotta get M2 to try foods other than chicken fingers, grilled cheese, or pizza) the meals were good portions and tasted good.  The entrees we ordered were Bistro Half Chicken, Chili Crusted Tilapia, Shrimp Jambalaya, Grilled Salmon and Grilled Chicken Breast.

In My Daughters' Eyes

So you know that song by Martina McBride called, "In My Daughter's Eyes"?  Most little girls think of their dad as a hero (as the song says).  Someone who is big, strong, has no fear, can beat up a bear, maybe even Superman.

I wonder what I am in my daughters' eyes.  Well, I wrote back in July about how M3 told the neighbour's kid that I was only a little bit strong and I wore glasses.  This weekend I was goofing around with M2 and she asked if she could wear my glasses.  When she put them on the first thing she said was, "Do I look like a nerd?"

Perhaps I should consider wearing contacts.

Big Oh

Good Reads

Recently a friend of mine posted on FB a list of  10 books that had an impact on her.  And it got me thinking about some of the books I've read.  I wanted to come up with a meaningful list but I think my books are better described as just a few of my favorite reads.  Almost all of them I've read more than once.  I wanted to include some children's books that I've gotten to love since having my kids, but I decided to make a separate list of those.  And speaking of lists...this exercise has motivated me to make a few more "favorites" lists which I hope to share later on.  So here are my favorite books (in no particular order):

1. The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck
2. The Memory Keepers Daughter - Kim Edwards
3. Roots - Alex Haley
4. Waiting - Hai Jin
5. An Astronauts Guide To Life On Earth - Chris Hadfield
6. Flowers In The Attic - V.C. Andrews
7. Tuesdays With Morris, The Five People You Meet In Heaven, For One More Day - Mitch Albom
8. Harry Potter & Philosopher's Stone; Chamber Of Secrets; Prisoner Of Azkaban; Goblet Of Fire; Order Of The Phoenix; Half Blood Prince; The Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowlings
9. The Godfather - Mario Puzo

Y.C.

Back To School

First week back to school is done!  Yeah!  I was very happy to be home with the kids this summer but I won't lie - I am even happier that that they are finally back in school.  I know that my kids are happy to be back too.  Last week was almost a blurr - it went by so fast!  My youngest, M3, started JK and although she was excited to go, carrying her backpack all the way to school herself, and walking hand-in-hand with her older sisters, when it was time to go into the gate, she had a complete meltdown!  I guess it was too much for her to handle all at once.  So M3 gave all the parents waving off their little ones on the first day of school quite a show.  It first started with a little whimpering and "Don't leave yet..." but quickly turned into a full fledge wail with tears, "I wanna go home!  Don't leave me!"  while clutching my leg as I am trying to walk away.   The teacher meanwhile trying to pry her off me.  Fortunately, this was only on the first day.  By Friday she was all good, waved a goodbye and headed off to line-up herself!

I think it'll be a while before M1 or M2 posts anything to this blog.  They did a good job in writing some entries and I didn't even have to force them (most of the time) this summer!  Hopefully if they have time during the school year, and when some exciting events happen, they'll feel the urge to write it down and share it.  But if not, there's always next summer!

YC

It Ends With a Whimper

Back in July I wrote about how I fell in love with The Big Bang Theory.  I'm proud to say that I was one of the first viewers amongst the people I know to discover the show.  I was watching it before it became popular.  I guess it's lucky for the show that at the same time, Marvel superhero movies were taking off, Comic Con was becoming mainstream, and geeks were even setting fashion trends.  You could see more and more people wearing superhero and sci-fi t-shirts.

But sadly my love for the show began to dwindle after season 3.  I think it coincided with Leondard and Penny getting together.  I felt it was too early in the series.  There were so many storylines left to explore.  The writers didn't need to resort to that so soon, did they?  Many times, Leonard gets close to Penny, only to see her go off with another guy.  Usually this is done in a comical way, but at the same time the audience feels Leonard's pain and agony.  It gives us more reason to root for him in his attempt to woo her.

As the guys start to get girlfriends, I feel the show is losing the very essence of what made it popular.  I want to see their "geek" problems - and the main geek problem is the inability to get girls.  So if Howard gets married, Raj can now talk to women, and even Sheldon has a girlfriend, then this sitcom is now just like all other sitcoms out there today - mainly focusing on s?? (my daughters may be reading this) and relationship issues.  The unique geekiness is gone.  They don't talk about superheroes and sci-fi as much as they used to.  Now Howard has marital problems with Bernadette, he feels awkward connecting with his father-in-law, etc.  These storylines may still be funny, but they are not what The Big Bang Theory is about.  It's like if Wheel of Fortune stopped using a wheel and instead used a 20-sided die or a dartboard!  How would you feel if the 2 Broke Girls won the lottery?

The worse thing to ever happen was Howard getting married.  His character was so funny before.  Watch any episode from the first 2 seasons and I would say you have a 95% chance of it being better than any episode after the 3rd season.  I expected that Raj would one day learn to talk to women and actually looked forward to the day Sheldon would get a girlfriend (perhaps in season 6 or 7) but Howard getting married was not necessary.  It has rendered his character useless.  He was so funny before, with his rude and obnoxious comments.  But now those days are gone.

Now the writers are trying to make Sheldon more normal, too.  He's starting to care about others, have feelings of guilt, and he even kissed Amy!  The worse part was that the writers used an episode about National Star Wars day to have Bob Newhart appear as the ghost of Obi-Wan to tell Sheldon that he's wasting his life with his geeky ways.  That's a kick in the face to geeks everywhere!  The people who supported the show at the very beginning are now being insulted by the show itself.  I know the show was built on poking fun at the geek lifestyle.  But the difference up to this point was that they were showing how geeks were happy with their lifestyle, as strange as it may be.  We choose to live this way and we love it!  But now I fear Sheldon is going to come back from his summer road trip a changed person.  He will slowly shun his geeky and anal ways in season 8, thus, making the show lose even more of its essence.

So is this how my love for The Big Bang Theory ends, not with a bang but a whimper?

Big Oh

Niagara Falls

Last Thursday August 21st I went to Niagara Falls with my family.  We stayed at the Fallsview Casino Hotel.  In our hotel room we could see the falls and Marineland.  We went with my grandparents and my cousin's family.  We went to the swimming pool at my cousin's hotel because it had a waterslide but I wasn't tall enough to go on it.  My cousin brought a shark and a fish toy to the pool and they swim underwater so we had to find it.  Then we went to the Midway and we got a few jackpots at the games and by Saturday we had won enough tickets to get a giant Gutsy Smurf!  The next day we went to the wax museum and got a wax hand made of my own hand!  My sister M1 got one too, but M3 was too little to get one done.  On the way back home we went to visit my uncle who lives in Burlington.  When we got there, M1, Big Oh, and I played fuseball and then we had lunch.  And that was my trip to Niagara Falls.

M2

T.M.N.T.

Last Saturday I watched Teenage Mutant Ninga Turtles.  I went with my friends.  The turtles name were:  Leonardo,  Donatello, Michaelangelo, and Raphael.  My favourite is Michaelangelo because he's the funniest.  The turtles were fighting a bad guy named Shredder.  My favourite part was when they played buck-buck.  My least favourite part was when their master Splinter got hurt.  I liked the movie.

M2

It All Started with a Big Bang

Back in July, I wrote about the Golden Age of Sitcoms and how Seinfeld and Friends were the last sitcoms I enjoyed.  Even though Friends lasted until 2004, it had lost its lustre or "Jumped the Shark", as they say in the business, in the early 2000s.  So for a long time I had nothing to watch on TV.  Then one day in 2007, I was channel hopping and I saw Kaley Cuoco, whom I liked from 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Daughter.  So I decided to watch for a bit.  I was delighted to see that it was a show about a bunch of geeks.  They would sit around and debate silly concepts from the world of sci-fi.  This was like Seinfeld but with a geeky twist.  Finally, some main characters that I could identify with.  And that’s how I became a fan of The Big Bang Theory.

The show has many references to Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, physics, and other geeky/science stuff.  Somehow the writers were able to make the jokes funny even though the audience probably didn’t have enough “inside information” to fully get them.

I must admit I don’t know all the references they make to sci-fi shows all the time but when you do fully understand what they are talking about it just makes it that much funnier.  And when you can personally identify with what they are doing, it’s even better.  So when Sheldon was trying to come up with his friendship algorithm and got stuck in an infinite loop, I laughed so hard I cried.  If you ever took a computer programming course you probably got stuck in an infinite loop once in a while.

My favourite episode is when Sheldon uses Schroedinger’s cat to explain to Leonard whether or not he should go on a date with Penny.  I love this because I had the exact same conversation in high school with my good friend JW.  I wonder if he sold this idea to the writers of The Big Bang Theory.

Big Oh

Restaurant Review - Royale Fine Dining Banquet

Time for another restaurant review.   Recently we went to a Chinese restaurant which opened this summer - Royale Fine Dining Banquet.  It took over the premises of Star Walk Buffet in Scarborough.  The new owners did a complete make-over to the restaurant to make it more upscale & fine dining; more on my opinion on that later on, but first let's focus on the food.

The menu had a lot of the usual Cantonese fare which my family enjoys.  We had 13 people and wanted some of our usual favorites like: Sweet & Sour Pork, Beef Tenderloin With Onion, Crab Meat & Egg White With Broccoli (Choi Pong Hai), Seafood & Veggies In Bird's Nest, Crispy Chicken, and Cantonese Chow Mein.  We also ordered a Stir Fried Lobster In Garlic & Onion Sauce, a Chinese vegetable (tong choi) and a fancy fish dish recommended by the manager.   With 6 bowls of rice, tax, and tip the bill came out to be $280.

Let's start with the quality of the food.  The food was very good - not spectacular - but good enough that I would recommend this restaurant.  My family likes trying new restaurants (especially Chinese ones).  Whenever we do try a new restaurant there are a few dishes that we always order to "test" the chef, namely the ones I mentioned above.  The Sweet & Sour Pork needs to be crispy and tender and the sauce and the garnishes need to be fresh and in just the right proportions - this dish here certainly passes the test.  The Crab Meat & Egg White With Broccoli (Choi Pong Hai) is a favourite of the the 3M's when done perfectly because it is a great dish to accompany a bowl of white rice - the egg whites must be scrambled light and fluffly with pieces of shrimp & scallops that are just the right size (not to big and not too small) - this one passes too.  I liked the way the presented the Cantonese Chow Mein with the sauce on half the plate and the fried noodle on the other half - this way the noodles don't get soggy sitting in the sauce.  The Crispy Chicken was good and it came with shrimp chips that weren't soggy or stale - pass & pass.  Unfortunately the Bird's Nest wasn't made with shredded taro (I'm not sure what it was made with) - taro is really the best way to do a bird's nest.

This is suppose to be a "Fine Dining Restaurant" so I would expect a certain level of service - which I did receive.  My one complaint is that I felt they were too pushy with their "Chef's Recommendations".  The manager came by and tried to get us to order all these expensive seafood delicacies - things like sea cucumber, fancy fishes, shark fin soups, abalone, and other weird Chinese stuff that my family really doesn't eat - we ended up ordering a fancy fish dish which costs $38.  I know that these delicacies cater to a certain Chinese clientele.  People from China and Hong Kong seem to really enjoy these types of foods, but part of me wonders if they really do - or is it just a status thing?  Going with the fine dining theme the decor was a lot of large chandeliers and gold accents - why do all Chinese Fine Dining restaurants go this route?  But the restaurant was clean and the waiters/waitresses did speak English well - you would think that this is a basic requirement, but not so in many of the restaurants in our area.

Obviously you can get a good Cantonese style dinner for 10 people in this area for half the price of our meal.   But if you want to treat you and your family for an atmosphere a little more fancy, with staff a little more attentive, and food that not only tastes good but is presented well then definitely go give this restaurant a try.

Y.C.

Fresh Intensive Dance Workshop

I went to a dance work shop this weekend with M2. It was really fun. Well, some of the classes were; some I didn’t really like because they were a bit weird. If I could rank the classes I would rank,

1. Improv. I liked improve. It was my favourite because we got to be crazy and it was teaching us dynamics like when we were walking around the room we could choose our path, direction, speed and height.

2. Contemporary combo. I liked it because we first got to do improv and dance whatever we want. Then we did a combo to let it go and it was really fun.

3. Jazz. I liked jazz because they were all really easy moves but the teacher was treating us like babies.

4. Jazz. This is another jazz that I did but it was more musical theater and it wasn’t me at all, it was like a broadway show.

5. Hip hop. I liked hip hop because it was fun and it wasn’t too hard and it wasn’t too easy. I also liked it because we had a dance battle.

6. Jumps and turns. I liked jumps and turns because we got to do our favourite jumps across the floor. I didn’t like the turns because I wasn’t used to the preparation, but my mom says to try new things.

7. Lyrical. I liked lyrical because the combo was fun. But I didn’t like it because it was partner work and I was partners with someone I didn’t even know.

8. Group improv. I liked it because we got to copy one another, but what I didn’t like was that my group was mostly 6 year olds and they wouldn’t let me have a turn.

9. Contemporary tech. I liked it because it was new and it seemed fun, until the dance part. The choreography was so hard!

10. Ballroom. I liked it because we got to learn it but I thought it would be like dancing with the stars ballroom.

11. Floorwork. I didn’t like it because our teacher was a bit weird and she said we were babies and at one point she said “I’m so proud of you, you can finally walk!

Well, I really liked the workshop and I’ll probably go back next year.

M1

A Second Chance

Around the end of July, a TTC driver was caught on film running a red light and swerving before nearly hitting a pedestrian.  The TTC fired this employee.  A few days later I saw a segment on CP24 where people were interviewed about whether or not the employee deserved a second chance.  Most people thought the TTC's reaction was too harsh and she did deserve a second chance.  Many thought a more fitting punishment would be to have her not drive for a period of time and have her be a token collector.

If I was asked by CP24, here's what I would have said ...

"Well, if we as a society give murderers, rapists, and pedophiles many chances to commit their crimes over and over again, we can surely forgive this lady for running a red light."

She didn't actually hit anyone so her only crime is running a red light.  Okay, I know, the police may charge her for running a red light but it was her employer that chose to fire her for being careless and potentially causing harm to a pedestrian.  But in the end there was no harm, so maybe the TTC could have said, "No harm - no foul".

Let's look at a comparable incident one week later.  A pickup truck driver crashed into the Burlington Skyway, causing lots of damage to the bridge.  Traffic was jammed, more so than usual, and the Skyway was shut down for the long weekend.  I would say this was a lot of harm - a serious foul.  In the end, it was determined that the driver had a high blood alcohol level.  I don't know if he lost his job, but he was charged with impaired driving and his license was suspended for 90 days.  In my opinion, the punishment for impaired driving should be a minimum of a 2-year suspension for a first offense.  For the 2nd offense, it should be a lifetime ban from driving.  When that happens, then we can talk about punishing this poor lady that ran the red light but caused no harm to anyone.

One final note - I believe the TTC fired her because the incident was caught on camera and they felt they needed to react that way or there would be a lot of public backlash.  If there was no video evidence, but her boss happened to see it, the incident would most likely have been swept under the rug.  Poor sacrificial lamb.

Big Oh

Ripley's Aquarium

On Sunday my family went to Ripley's Aquarium.  It was downtown.  We went with my cousins and aunts and uncle.  First we ate at a French restaurant.  After brunch we went to the aquarium.  My favorite place was the Dangerous Lagoon.  You stand on a conveyor belt and fish, sharks, and sting rays swim on top of you.  I want to go back.

M2

Funny things happen

My parents have a good friend - I'll call him Uncle Vader, a lot of funny things happen to him. In this blog I am going to describe a couple of funny things that have happened to him.

Once Uncle Vader went with his family to buy a bike for his daughter. Now, Uncle Vader is really tall and his daughter is 9 years old. So, he did not want to put it in his car and drive home because he thought that was ALOT of work. So, can you guess what he did? He rode his daughters bike home! And I bet you can guess what happened after, he had a butt ache.

Another thing Uncle Vader did when he was going out somewhere he got outside of his house and he was trapped by a family of raccoons! So he growled at them but they just came closer!  He didn't want to go back inside because he was afraid they would follow him in. So, he started to run around screaming and flailing his arms like a hillbilly hoping his wife would let him in, but no, nothing.

Anyway that's just some funny things that happen to Uncle Vader.

M1

7,305th Day Together

Eight days ago, my wife posted a blog about her 40th birthday.  Well, four days after that, we celebrated our 20th anniversary (dating, not wedding) together.  Now, another four days have elapsed.  So why is this significant?

Today marks the day that my wife has been with me for the same amount of days as the number of days that she has not been with me.  We started dating when she was 20 years and 4 days old.  She is now 40 years and 8 days old (with 5 leap years conveniently situated in either side of those time periods).  This means that from this day forward she will be with me for longer than she has not been with me.

I can't take credit for this observation.  My brother, Kaka, first pointed this out when the date with his wife arrived.  My co-worker also mentioned this, but he was talking about the number of years in the working world vs. not working in his lifetime.  Yeah, I mainly associate with nerds.

Big Oh

Dance

I am a dance mom.  Not one of THOSE dance moms.  Not the kind you see on that silly television show.  And yes, my kids do watch that show but we know that isn't "real", at least not our reality.

Our reality is that although my children love to dance, it isn't their whole life and we certainly don't run our family and household around their dance schedule.  But it does take up a significant amount of their extra cirricular time for 8 months of the year.

At the start of every season they are excited to see who their teachers will be.  Once choreography is started they can't stop singing and practicing their routine.  They get excited when they get their first fitting and love trying on their new costumes.  As soon as the competition dates and times are set they are pouring over it to see their own schedules as well as their friends.  All this culminates to the days of the actual competition when they get on stage and preform their routines which they have been practicing for months.

Competitive dancing has given The Big Oh and I lots of teaching opportunities for our kids.  Early on they knew if they wanted to be good at something it would require practice.  They also learned that practice didn't just mean one night or one week - some techniques and tricks have taken my children months to learn.  They learned not to give up.  They learned the importance of teamwork.  They learned to time manage and to make wise decisions - do your homework before your dance classes or you'll be up 'till 11:00 pm trying to finish it.  Dance also taught them to be gracious losers and modest winners (at least out in public).  One of the hardest lessons they had to learn is that sometimes life is just not fair - even though they feel they've given their all and worked 110% and feel they deserve recognition for what they've accomplished, they might not get it.

Hopefully they stick with dancing for a few more years.  Besides all these life lessons it's great exercise, and I just love watching them dance!

Defending My Honour

The other day I was pushing M3 and the neighbour's kid on the swings in our backyard.  I always told M3 to be careful around swings and not walk in front of one or else she might get kicked in the face.  So this time she told me to be careful as I was pushing them.  Here's how the conversation went.

Big Oh: Don't worry.  Daddy won't get hurt.  Daddy's big and strong.
Neighbour: My daddy is really really big ... and he is SOOO strong ... and he doesn't wear glasses.
M3: My daddy is a little bit strong and he wears glasses.

I'm glad I can count on her to defend my honour!

For the record, I've seen that kid's dad.  He's puny.

Big Oh

Happy Birthday

Today is my 40th birthday!  Happy birthday to me!  I'm getting a lot of love today.   I have a regular group of friends and family who always call or email on my birthday, but this year the birthday wishes have been especially meaningful to me.  Maybe it's because it's the big 4-0?  I feel blessed. I feel grateful.  I feel strong.  I feel healthy.  I feel loved.  I really FEEL all these things.

Sometimes we go through days on autopilot.  We wake up and do our usual morning routine - get the kids breakfast, out the door, go to work.  We're at work all day and rush out at 4 or 5 to get home to do more routine - dinner, wash up, driving to one kid's activity or another.  Then off to bed to start another day more or less the same way.   It is not easy to take some time to just slow down and enjoy everything around us.   Recently I have learned to take the time to appreciate everything that I have.  My birthday wish is for all my friends and family to be happy and healthy and to take a little time everyday to just slow down and to feel blessed and grateful for everything they have in their lives.

Y.C.

Board Games

My two nephews are at my place for babysitting this summer.  So along with my three kids that makes five of them  - my very own summer camp.  It's actually not too bad, they are close enough in ages that they will play with each other.  Of course they enjoy their time on their own electronic devices but I have also noticed them playing games!  Yes, good old fashioned board games!  This summer my kids are playing Clue, Monopoly, Chess, Checkers, and Password. They are also learning to play Mahjong. And you know what?  They love it.  Sometimes they actually PREFER playing these games over their electronic games.  I prefer them playing these games.  I like to see them interacting with one another.  I love seeing them talking & laughing with one another.  I even like it when they start arguing over the game, and I don't mind one bit when it ends with someone in tears because someone "cheated" or wasn't being "fair".  Because the alternative might just be every kids glued to their own laptop, iPad, or television for hours each day.

Of course there are merits to all these electronic devices.  And I agree there are plenty of educational apps and games out there to stimulate our children which my kids play with too.  But I am happy that my children also find enjoyment in a simple game of Checkers with each other.

Candyland

Yesterday I went to Candyland.  I went with M1 and M3.  I also went with my friends.  When we went there were 4 birthday parties going on.  So it was really crowded.  I went on four different rock climbing walls and I reached the top of all of them.  I went on 2 slides.  The blue one went in circles and the red one just went straight down and super fast.  My favourite was the red one.  There was also a basketball area and I played.  There was a place where you put balls into a hole and it sucks it up into the top and the balls fall down.  There was also a place where there's a handle and you have to jump up and grab it and it brings you to the other side.  I want to go back.

M2

Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets vs Prisoner of Azkaban

Since my last blog I have been spending most of my time reading the second and third Harry Potter. In this blog I am going to compare them.

          Chamber of Secrets                                                        

The basilisk and Aragog really freaked me out because they were oversized monsters. I didn't really like when Draco called Hermionie a mud blood because he should be the mud blood! I found it really exciting when Harry could speak Parseltouge and he could open the chamber to save Ginny. I was really shocked when Tom Riddle was actually Lord Voldemort. I really liked this one because it was so exciting.


      Prisoner of Azkaban

The movie was my favourite movie because it explains everything about Harry's life, like how he has a godfather and how his mom and dad got killed ( Peter Pettigrew was a double agent - the secret keeper for his parents and working for Lord Voldemort.) The most exciting part was when Malfoy got hit by Buckbeak.


If I had to choose the Prisoner of Azkaban was my favourite because it explains everything.

M1
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
                                                                                           

The Golden Age of Sitcoms

My Dad asked me, “Why are there no more good English shows on TV anymore?”  Why don’t they make shows like Three’s Company, Brady Bunch, Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman?  I think there are a lot of good shows on today.  It’s just that there are so many channels I don’t know where to find them.  My girls are watching Treehouse or Disney or Family Channel.  The wife likes documentaries and reality shows, which are nothing like the reality I live in.  No wonder my father thinks there are no good shows on TV.

So that got me thinking about the “The Golden Age of Television”.  I hear the term quite often but I don’t know exactly when it was.  Was it during the 60s and 70s where there were shows like MASH, All in the Family, The Bob Newhart Show, Bonanza, Green Acres, The Jeffersons, I Dream of Jeannie?  Perhaps it’s different for every person and just depends on what you like to watch.  My sisters liked prime time soap operas like Dallas, Dynasty, and Falcon Crest.

For me, I love sitcoms.  When I was growing up, I felt I lived during the Golden Age of Sitcoms.  There was always something funny on every day of the week.  I first started watching Gilligan’s Island, Different Strokes, Happy Days, Mork and Mindy, and Three’s Company.  Then there came Who’s The Boss (Alyssa Milano can be my boss anyday), Growing Pains, Family Ties, and the Cosby Show.  They gave way to Cheers, Night Court, and the Simpsons.  Some that I didn’t watch every week but still enjoyed every now and then: Laverne & Shirley, Married with Children, ALF, Full House, Facts of Life, Taxi, Silver Spoons, and Perfect Strangers.

By the time I was an adult (based on my age), it seemed the only sitcoms left for me were Seinfeld and Friends.  Even The Simpsons was starting to get less funny for me.  Based on that, I knew I was getting old and out of touch with pop culture because The Simpsons is all about pop culture.  Well, then I had kids and after that I realized I couldn’t really watch TV because it was never my turn.  So the next best thing is to reminisce about my favourite shows.  I hope you enjoyed this stroll down memory lane as much as I did.

Big Oh

Last night M3 and I were looking at photos on my tablet.  We were in bed and had already read a bedtime story but she asked to look at some pictures so I said yes.  After a few "last one's" I finally turned off the tablet and said "No - time to sleep".  Well she didn't want to and she just lost it on me.  Complete with wailing and screaming "I'M NOT DONE YET...I'M NOT TIRED!" and flopping around in bed like a fish out of water!  Of course she's tired - it's already past her usual bedtime.  But it's summer holidays and we don't have to get up early.  It would have been so easy to give in and let her have her way even though I had already said no but I stood my ground.  I lay beside her and watched her, and after a few minutes her eyes started to get droopy and her crying had quieted a bit - she was falling asleep.  I wiped her wet cheeks and gave her a kiss and told her I loved her.  She asked with her eyes closed "Can we look at pictures tomorrow?", and I answered her yes - but I'm not even sure she heard me.

Saying "Yes" to children is so much easier for parents.  It's fast.  It makes the kids happy.  It makes them LIKE you.  On the other hand, saying "No" requires energy and effort.  No is usually followed by some crying, pleading, wailing, or negotiating depending on the age of the child (sometimes all of the above).  It also requires explaining.  I've learned that I just can't say "No".   I have to give them a reason/explanation (and "Because I say so" doesn't work).   Doing this legitimizes my no and in turn it makes it easier for my children to accept it.  It also lays groundwork for future requests.  My children respect my decisions.  And as I see with my older girls, they respect and love me, even though I say no to them.

Symposium

Today for brunch my family went to a new restaurant called Symposium.  I had a grilled cheese sandwich and fries.  The grilled cheese sandwich was good but the fries were not very good.  I had a little bit of my sister's ice-cream and it was good.  I want to go back to try something else on the menu.

M2

I Read Harry Potter!

During the past few days I have been reading Harry Potter. A few days ago I finished reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.  During the first few chapters I thought it would be boring, but once I got to the middle of the book I couldn't put it down!  And I probably finished it in about 3 or 4 days.  After I read the whole book I watched half of the movie with my mom, my dad and M2 and M3.    I watched the other half of the movie with my mom and my cousin.

My favourite part was when Harry was playing in the Quidditch tournament as the seeker and  caught the golden snitch and got the Gryffindor House 150 points. All of my least favourite parts was when Draco Malfoy kept saying mean things about the Gryffindor House and good things about the Slytherin House. The most exciting part of it in my opinion was when Gryffindor won the house cup! The scariest part of the movie in my opinion was when Professor Quirrell took of his turban and Harry killed him!

Now that I am done reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone I am reading the second Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

The Big Kahuna (M1)

Comments

I wanted to thank our friends & family who have been reading our posts.  Especially thank those who also took some time to send us a txt or email in regards to some of the posts.  M1 & M2 loved reading the comments.  Because of this we have decided to allow comments on each of the posts - just click below to leave us a message.  Like I said, M1 & M2 love reading the comments and will definitely be encouraged to write more because of them.  I've also added to the left a place where you can put your email address so you can get notification when one of us posts something!

Y.C.

The Not So Beautiful Game

My brother told me, “If you don’t have anything nice to say about someone, don’t say it”.  My other brother told me, “If you criticize someone, you should start off with a compliment first”.  Well, soccer is not a person, but I did write an earlier blog about how it was “The Beautiful Game”.  So now I’m going to write about what I don’t like about soccer.

As I said in my earlier blog, I like to see goals being scored.  After all, that is the object of the game, right?  You need to score more goals than the other team.  Another way to say this is that you need to allow fewer goals than the other team.  I think the latter view is how soccer must have been thought up when the rules of the game were being created.  Why else would it be so difficult to generate offense and so simple (relatively speaking) to play defense?  And make no mistake, it is the rules of the game that hinder offense and promote defense.

First, there is the offside rule.  It is very restrictive and prevents any degree of goal-sucking.  In hockey, you can at least float around the blue line waiting for a breakaway pass.  Second, there is the lack of a more severe penalty for kicking the ball out of bounds.  In hockey, it’s a 2 minute penalty for shooting the puck over the glass in the defensive zone.  Third, there is no rule that pressures you to generate offense.  In basketball, there is a shot clock and the over-and-back rule.  (Okay, so I’m comparing soccer to other sports, but hockey and basketball have the same basic objective – put the ball /puck in the opposing team’s net – so I think a comparison here is fair.)  In summary, when playing soccer you can pass the ball back and forth, never attacking, then kick the ball out of bounds at the first sign of trouble.  When the match ends in a 0-0 tie, your team will be commended for possession of the ball.

This may not be so bad if there wasn’t a penalty kick shootout at the end of a tied game.  Then, it’s a total 180.  Now offense is needed so let’s make it difficult for any kind of defense.  The goalkeeper must stay on the goal line until the player kicks the ball.  The kicker is 12 yards away from the goal line.  How can you not score?  I don’t have the stats but I would imagine the success rate for the kicker is above 75%.  The reactions of the fans, players, and coaches say it all.  When the kicker scores, they let out a sigh of relief – it’s expected.  When the goalkeeper makes a save (by sheer luck), the fans are euphoric.  Further evidence is that the goalkeeper doesn’t even know which way the ball is going.  He just picks whether he wants to jump left, jump right, or stay in the middle.  Many times he jumps one way and the ball goes the other way.  So I guess it’s the first kicker who makes a mistake that loses.  Is that how FIFA wants the most important sport in the world to have its matches decided?  (Imagine if Final Jeopardy involved a series of addition questions and the first guy to make a mistake loses.)

A simple solution would be to move the kicker further out.  Players are now stronger and can kick harder so while 12 yards would have been slightly reasonable in the 1980s, it might make more sense to move the kicker further out now.

Big Oh

Wonderland

Yesterday I went to Canada's Wonderland with my cow-fu & cow-mo (that's my uncle J.L. & my aunt T.L).  I went on  rides and my sister went on  rides.  My favorite ride was Timberwolf Falls and I got soaked!  I also went on White Water Canyon, Wilde Beast, The Fly, Dragon Fyre, and on a Trampoline.  I did Timberwolf Falls and White Water Canyon for the first time and I had to wear my cow-fu's XX-Large shirt because I got so wet.  I got a cherry mixed with blue raspberry icee.  And we got Tiny Tom's donuts.  For lunch we had Manchu Wok.  We had noodles and beef & rice & sweet & sour pork & vegetables.  It tasted good.  At 1:30 we saw an acrobatic show.  They jumped off a tower and bounced off a trampoline and did flips in the air.  I like hanging out with my cow-fu and cow-mo.

M2

The Beautiful Game

So I’ve been watching some of the FIFA World Cup and there seems to be a lot more scoring this year than in tournaments past.  This is good for me because I grew up watching North American sports and over here, scoring is entertaining.  It's important and it's what sport is all about. Passing a ball back and forth, then kicking it out of bounds is not entertaining.

I’m enjoying the World Cup because I’m liking how it’s bringing people together.  It brings together communities like Little Italy, the Danforth, Korea-Town etc.  It brings together people at work when they participate in pools.  It brings together friends and family who gather to watch the matches.  It lets us forget the troubles in our lives.  One day, let’s hope the most watched sport in the world can bring together nations to forget their hostilities towards each other.  (But we might still have to deal with the occasional soccer riot.)

The game itself is called “The Beautiful Game”.  And now I know why.  When a goal is scored, the play that generates the goal is usually a pretty passing play.  A header to cap off the play just makes it that much more beautiful.  The celebrations are also quite the spectacle.  I predict the last team celebrating will be Argentina.

Big Oh

Harry Potter

It was about 14 years ago when I first read Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone.  I can't say I discovered it on my own before all the hype - in fact, my copy is part of a box set which includes the first 3 books so I was probably introduced to it because I wanted to see/read what the big deal was about.  But after reading the first book I remember totally being  a part of the whole Pottermania deal.  As a reader in my mid-twenties at that time, I remember being really excited about the books.  I remember the feeling of joy, anticipation and just plain fun when reading and talking about the books.  I just had to tell as many people as I could about Harry Potter - I credit myself for turning my then 8 year old niece into a Pottermaniac (which has lasted into her twenties). I was sad when I read the very last page of Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows - I think I was in Harry Potter withdrawal for days!  The Harry Potter books represent to me a time in my life when I was crossing the bridge from my carefree teenage/early-twenties years into adulthood and along with that came all the adult responsibilities.  I had recently gotten married and bought our first home, I had a steady job and was paying bills. But whenever I got a new Harry Potter book (and even the days/weeks before a release) I would revert to child-like excitment.  I would talk non-stop about it.  I would devour the book and then re-read it immediately afterwards in case I missed some small detail.  Since then I have read many more great books that have touched me, made me think, and even made me cry.  But I have not gotten the same "Harry Potter Feeling" again.

This summer I hope to have M1 start reading Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone.  If she'd like, I'll even read it to her and M2.  Or she may want to discover it on her own.  Fortunately she loves to read - I'd love to see what kind of experience she has with these books - a child's perspective.  And if I'm lucky enough I may get to share in her joy & excitement in meeting Harry Potter for the first time.

Y.C.

Taste of Asia

Today I went to the Taste of Asia. It was a bit crowded because other than food stands they had rides. Although the bad part of Taste of Asia is that it REEKS with stinky socks! The whole time M2 was holding her nose. Big O pointed out that there was a stand that said stinky tofu and one other one I found said stinky fries. The only thing I ate there was potato chips and taro chips swirled around a stick. I really liked the taro chips but not really the potato chips because there was too much grease. The taro chips did not have ANY grease at all. All the food there had total grease on it. So, we just got the taro chips the potato chips and some ice cream from an ice cream truck. I didn't get ice cream I got a blueberry slushie. So after all that we sat in my car trunk and ate our food. If anyone that works at Taste of Asia is reading this, next time no grease. It just gave me bad poo.

M1

My Sleepover

Yesterday I had a sleepover at my cousins C.E. & N.E.'s house.  We played a game called Tiny Town.  And then we had ice-cream at 10:00.  And then we played some more.  We went to sleep at 11:00.  I woke up at 7:00 because I heard my cousin N.E. screaming!  Then we watched Kung-Fu Panda while we ate breakfast.  And then we played Tiny Town again.  When my aunt woke up we got ready to go to a picnic Milne Park.  At the picnic I had a hot dog for lunch.  After lunch we had a water gun fight.  And then we played four games.  They were 3-Legged Race, Sponge Race, Water Balloon Game, and a Water Dunk Game.  My favorite game was the Water Dunk Game.  And my team won a McDonald's gift card.  I had fun.

Ultimate Heroes

My first blog.  Ever.  I want it to be about something special and significant in my life.  Everyone knows that my family is the most important thing in my life.  They shaped my life, my morals, and my way of thinking.  The second most influential group in shaping my life would be my friends.  From the title of this blog, you might think that I would be writing about my parents, siblings, or good friends.  However, I’m not going to blog about any of these groups because I don’t think this is the right place to get all sentimental.

Being a Chinese person who grew up in Canada, I was lucky enough to enjoy the best elements of both cultures.  In particular, Chinese TV shows and hockey provided me hours of entertainment each day throughout my childhood (which lasted well into my 30s).  So it should come as no surprise that many of my childhood heroes come from TVB and the NHL.  But who are my “ultimate heroes”?  I would pick Wayne Gretzky (not my favourite player, though – that honour belongs to Wendel Clark) and Guo Jing (main character of the Legend of the Condor Heroes).

Wayne Gretzky was the best hockey player when I was growing up, perhaps of all time (debatable – possible subject of a future blog) and Guo Jing was the best fighter in China.  Each sport has its “best player” but what sets these two apart from the other “bests” is their humility.  They didn’t go around telling people how good they were.  But everyone would line up to tell them how good they were.

They both knew in their heart that they were the best but they would use that knowledge and their skills in a good way.  They would not act as superior beings to others because of their superior skills.  A good example is how Gretzky never thought he was bigger than the game.  He knew that he needed to play well for his team to win.  He knew his responsibility as the best player was also to be an ambassador of the game.  And he did that by helping the game to grow in the US and Europe (hockey camps and friendly tournaments).  He also contributed whenever Hockey Canada came calling.  After all that, he always had time for reporters.  When did you see Gretzky ever get mad at a reporter or refuse a question?  Don’t bring up the famous rant of 2002.  That was a planned move by The Great One (possible subject of a future blog).

“The Great One” is the nickname bestowed upon Gretzky by the media and his peers.  As I said, when you are truly great, others will compliment you.  As with Guo Jing, everyone called him “Dai Hup”, which means great hero.  He spent the majority of his life defending China against the Mongolians and earned the respect of everyone in the country.  One of my favourite scenes is at the end of Return of the Condor heroes when Guo Jing was given the title of “Ultimate Hero”.  Of course he said, “I am not worthy of this honour.”  Then his nephew, Yeung Guo (who by this time had become a great hero and top fighter himself) said, “Uncle, if you cannot be called a hero, then no one in the world can be a hero.”

These two ultimate heroes give me a chance to teach my daughters the lesson of modesty.  You don’t need to tell anyone that you are good at math or soccer or dancing, or anything at all.  If you are truly good, others will see it.  If you brag, people will just think you are a hot shot.  But when others compliment you, then it is much more meaningful and special.

Big Oh

My Last Day

Today was my last day of school. I delivered to my science teacher a present from one of my friends who came to Menchies with me. Anyway, I was going to give it to him when my friend said, "Put it on his desk!"  So I did, and he asked me, " What did you give me?".  I said, "Nothing,...", and he said, "Thank you for giving me nothing", when really it was from my friend.

After that most of the grade 2,3,4, and 5 classes went to the park. I saw M2 and my cousin C.E. We didn't play but I got so hot I went to the splash pad to get misted. All my other friends were soaking wet! I went the second time and got a lot more wet! My cousin in Gr. 5 was waiting with me and M2 to go on a baby swing that some girl was taking forever on! We all had a super fun time at the park! When we were walking back to the school my science teacher told me to tell the girls behind him to stop poking him so I said, "Stop poking me!" because he told me to say that.

When we got back to school we started to sign each other's yearbooks. My science teacher signed mines and my friend's, and he wrote to my friend to never stop smiling because it's infectious. I had a great last week of school and last day, and tomorrow I have a sleepover with my cousins C.E. and N.C.

Almost Time

Its almost time till school's out and I'm half sad half happy, for all those teachers out there reading this. Today my class had an ice-cream sundae party and was nice enough to share it with two other classes. We also watched The Lorax, and in my French class we watched The Cat in the Hat in French (obviously). We also started watching The Lego Movie which you've probably heard of. But what I'm most exited about is my teacher M.K. said that we could go to the park tomorrow morning if there was good whether. I can't wait for summer because I'm going to Niagara Falls and I have a dance workshop to go to. But I'm really excited to spend time with my family. So, schools out tomorrow and were basically just signing each others yearbook. The boys usually go cray cray writing phone numbers on each others arms not in the yearbook.

Why Am I Doing This?

So why am I doing this?   Why blog now?  I think the majority of blogs out there want to share some useful information they have.  Perhaps teach something, or bring light to a cause they are passionate about.  Maybe even to sell something and make some money.  Really for me it's none of the above.  I just have a some free time on my hands and want to do something to 'exercise' my brain.   I also think it is a great way to have my kids read and write during the summer holidays in the name of doing something 'fun'.  It's worked already - see previous post by M1!  But my friend L.W. did point out that writing  is cathartic (is that the same as therapeutic?).  So maybe that's why.  Regardless the reason I hope you enjoy reading these posts.  I purposely did not allow comments but the hubby wants me to allow it, so we may change that in the future.  I figure if someone I know  wants to comment on something you'll know how to reach me.  The hubby said he will post something soon....and he doesn't want to be referred to as O.C. in our blog.  So what does he want to go by?  Big O, of course - so stay tuned.

MY DAY AT MENCHIES

Today I went to Menchies with two of my friends and my family. I got red velvet fro-yo , gummy bears, chewy dolphins, strawberry tapioca balls and roasted almonds. I didn't enjoy the roasted almonds.  The reason I got them is because my friend and I made a bet in probability and I lost, so I had to eat roasted almonds. Then, we made a bet again and I won, so he got the same punishment. They had pretty good service besides the place being packed, but you know you can't blame them for being packed. Its frozen yogurt after school!  Anyway, if you ever want a sweet treat I recommend Menchies! (: M1       
                                                  

Restaurant Review - Casa Deluz

I'm going to write my first restaurant review today.  We had dim sum at a new Chinese Restaurant in Scarborough - Casa Deluz.  Located at McCowan & Finch. This huge place has gone through at least 3 make-overs in the last 15-20 years.  In fact, hubby & I had our wedding banquet here 15 years ago (under a previous name).  It was busy for a Tuesday but we were seated within 20 minutes.  Placed our order for some dim-sum must haves plus a few items we thought would be worth trying.  Took about 15 minutes for the first dish to arrive but everything else came out promptly afterwards.  Excellent ratings for the shrimp dumplings (har gow) - very large by Chinese Restaurant standards - and the Bean Curd Wrap (seen jook guen) - steamed just right without the gooey sauce so many restaurants serve it in.  I would also give an excellent rating to the steamed beef balls, almond pudding, papaya infused cake, beef short ribs, Chiu Chow Dumplings, and the Fried Shrimp Wraps With Thousand Island Dip.  Everything else I would rate good except for the Pan Fried Turnip (Lo Bak Goh) - this dish was too doughy and not enough turnip taste.  The cost was reasonable with 12 plates costing $60 (this is with taxes and tip) with no discounts.

The decor was good and the staff was attentive even though it was busy.  I would definitely go back to try their dinner menu.

Two More Days Left

Today is Tuesday.  Only 2 1/2 days left in the school year.  Summer vacation.  Going to be lazy this summer.  No summer camps/school planned for the kids.  Cicumstances have enabled me to be off work for the entire summer.  Going to sleep in everyday and do whatever we feel like without too much planning.  Shouldn't summer vacation be like that?

We do have a few fun things planned already though.  There's a tea party hosted by Auntie H.H. in her beautiful garden.  I have paint nite booked with H.H., L.L., and N.L.  And I think a brunch is being planned by LQ.L.   Of course we have Canada's Wonderland a few more times - we do have a season's pass, you know.

I've said it before.....it's always nice to have fun things to look forward to.  It certainly makes the time go by faster and it keeps my mind on all the positive people and energy I have in my life.

My First Blog

Yes, I am  a mommy.  But M.O.M.M.Y is also a nice acronym of my family's first names.  So all 5 of us will be contributing to this blog.  Hopefully you'll be able to tell which one of us has written each post based on the content. So that's it for now....Stay tuned for our first "real" post.