Unforgettable School Year

This school year was so unforgettable! Even though this year was virtual, I learned a lot and had fun. I think I had a better teacher than I normally did in person and I also had less distractions at home than at school. We also did many fun activities this year like Countdown to summer, played games, sang songs, watched movies, and I can name so many more. I also got to sleep in a lot more.  

This year was not just great all the time; there were some cons. I didn’t get to see my best friends every day, but I still Facetimed them every so often. I also got tired/bored easily in virtual school. I think it’s because I am just sitting all day and don’t get up to go to the different classes.

Even though this school year was so different/unforgettable/weird, it wasn’t so bad, but it still wasn’t the best.

M3

That Time in Your Life When Your Friends are Your Family

A few weeks ago I watched the Friends Reunion.  It was very emotional for me for a couple of reasons.  First, it was nice to see the cast again and the scenes from the show.  It was very nostalgic.  Second, YC and I watched Friends every week.  It was one of the few shows that we watched together religiously.

The producers described the show as "that time in your life when your friends are your family".  This struck a chord with me because, coincidentally when YC and I were watching Friends, it was during the time in our lives when our friends were our family.  Friends started in 1994 and aired for 10 seasons until 2004.  YC and I started dating in 1994 and M1 was born in 2004.

In 1994, YC and I were still in university.  But we graduated soon after, started working, and hung out with our friends every Friday.  We watched movies, gambled, went out for coffee, and cooked various dishes for potlucks.  There were trips to the cottage, Halloween parties, Christmas parties, New Year's Eve parties.  Sometimes we were so bored but instead of going home, we just played silly board games into the wee hours of the night.  I remember one time we played wood tag in a playground at a public school at 3:00 AM.

These times were special - especially for YC, for two reasons.  First, her relationship with her family was not the greatest, so her friends truly became her family.  Second, I was writing professional exams from 1995 - 2001 and that took up 6 months of my time each year.  (The exams were in November so I missed out on quite a few Halloween parties.)  During the times when I was busy studying, YC hung out with our friends.  She would then come back and tell me about all the good times they had - the laughs, the drama, the sharing of dreams and what their futures would be like.

 YC always told me that it was during these times that she forged the strongest friendships in her life.  These are the "sisters she got to choose".  She is extremely thankful for them.  And I must agree, this is a special group of friends.  (I was a fringe member in this circle of friends but they made me feel welcome every time we hung out.)  And it is this group of friends that came forward to help take care of YC and me and my daughters when YC got sick.  They helped with groceries, cooked meals, babysat the girls, and accompanied YC to appointments when I couldn't.  Most importantly, they were just there for us when it wasn't our day, our week, or even our year.

So thank you, friends, and Friends for bringing back these memories of our 20s.

There were times when I would see something on TV and I would cry because I know YC would want to watch it and I should be watching it with her.  But during the Friends Reunion, I did not cry - mostly because my nieces were there, but maybe it's because I knew YC is watching with me.

My love, I hope you enjoyed the Friends Reunion and all the memories it brought back.

Big Oh

Our First Date

Today is YC's and my 22nd wedding anniversary.  She always says that she doesn't have as good a memory as I do and can't remember dates, milestones, or details of events.  She likes it when I remind her and then she says she has some recollection and the memories come back.  So my anniversary present to her this year is to remind her of our first date.

I actually don't remember the date of our first date - so much for me having a good memory.  We hung out in a group of friends for a few months before we started dating.  The date we celebrate for our dating anniversary is July 29, 1994 because that day she agreed to be my girlfriend.  But we were out with friends and this occurred at the end of the night when I took her home.  This was not an actual date but we considered it the beginning of our relationship.

Logically, our first date should have occurred the next day or shortly after.  We went to watch a movie at the Eaton Centre - when they still had those small screens.  The movie was Forrest Gump - of course it was her choice.  I don't usually like movies like that but I was just happy to watch a movie with her.  Tom Hanks won the Oscar for Best Actor and the movie won Best Picture.

After the movie we walked to Chinatown (Spadina) and had dinner at a Chinese restaurant.  This was my choice because I wanted to show her this restaurant that I was raving about.  I would go there for lunch as I was attending U of T at the time.  I called it "The $3.50 Place" because for $3.50 you could get a plate of rice with meat and vegetables (good portion size), plus hot and sour soup and a spring roll!  It was an amazing bargain and it tasted good too.

What the hell was I thinking?!  Trying to impress a girl by bringing her to the cheapest restaurant I could find???  The $3.50 Place was great for university students on a tight budget but for a first date, it's probably the worst choice ever!  But she acted like she didn't mind.  We enjoyed each other's company and we had a fun dinner conversation.  I remember laughing a lot and I remember talking about each other's families.  Subconsciously, I think we wanted to learn about each other's families because that might be an important part of our lives in the future.

Later on YC did tell me that the restaurant was a stupid choice on my part.  But she still stuck with me all these years after I took her to the cheapest place on Earth.  And I knew she had to be the one after she agreed to go on a second date with me even after that poor restaurant choice.  I smartened up and we went to dinner at the top of the CN Tower for our 3-monthiversary.

YC, my love, I hope you enjoy this memory.  I will cherish it always.  Happy Anniversary.

Big Oh

First Ever April Break: The Final Weekend

Day 8

I got 7.5 hours of sleep last night, the most I've had in a while.  So the day got off to a good start - I had lots of energy.  M2 made crepes this morning.  She loves crepes and a few years ago YC bought a crepe maker.  M3 cut the strawberries and bananas that we would put in our crepes.  And of coursed M1 slept in.  I made baked potatoes and somehow our breakfast morphed into lunch.

A few days ago I ordered a game from Amazon called "Taco Cat Spelled Backwards" for M3.  It arrived yesterday and we opened it today to play.  It was quite fun, with some strategy involved.  It's only a 2-player game so while M3 and I played, the two big girls went to Swiffer their rooms and tidy up for school next week.

Unfortunately, I couldn't break my habit of working on the weekends and I did about an hour of work while the girls were couch potatoes.  But we did get out to play a game of basketball again.  Then I went to pull some weeds from the garden because of my obsession of making progress with household chores.

For dinner we had a Burmese dish that my sister Selina made for us  It was a bit spicy for some of us so we supplemented with BBQ pork and rice.  After dinner we hung laundry and then watched the newest episode of The Mighty Ducks.  It was still early so we thought about playing a game.  Everyone was too lazy to actually get a board game so we just played those YouTube games where you name the song or Disney show, etc.  Because the songs were not 80s Cantopop, I got zero answers correct.  The girls felt bad for me so the next category was hockey players.

Day 9

Well, there's school on Monday so we all have that "Sunday feeling".  We tried to get rid of that feeling by making food.  I made French toast for breakfast.  M2 and my mom then made my mom's yellow cake recipe, which my girls like to have for breakfast before school.  M2 is getting good at this and can do this pretty much on her own, even though she used to complain that Grandma doesn't have a fixed recipe.  She just adds more sugar or flour or eggs based on how the batter looks. M3 and I made kale chips.  I put too much salt but we know better for next time.

The rest of the day the girls just moped around, being couch potatoes, and dreading school the next day.  I was able to pull some weeds, Swiffer and mop the kitchen, clean my bathroom, and do a little bit of work-work.  I also played Taco Cat Spelled Backwards with M3.

So all in all, I think it was a nice week.  The girls got a break from school, which was the main goal of this break, I guess.  They also got to play some games, do some activities outside, watch TV, and do some cleaning.  There was good food, baking, and a birthday celebration along the way.  Let's hope for the next break we can spend some time outside our bubble with more uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends.

Big Oh

First Ever April Break: Day 7

I worked most of the day again today but outside of work, it was a good day.  We got to enjoy a nice sushi lunch, courtesy of grandma's casino winnings.  When my mom wins money and treats us to a meal, we have to let her.  If we don't and she doesn't win again, then it's our fault.  She believes that if she wins and if she shares the wealth, she will win again.

After lunch, we had a nice virtual playdate with Auntie Tenderheart, her daughters Anita and Ariel and nephew Nathan.  We played Pictionary and Family Feud.  I liked Family Feud but the kids seemed to like Pictionary better, probably because I can't draw, and it's so much harder using that mouse pad on a laptop. Ariel also read us a story - it was like those old "Choose Your Own Adventure" books that I grew up reading.  In the end, I think I was supposed to get some money, so I need to remind Ariel about that when I see her next, after this lockdown is over.

After the online game session, I went back to work and the girls baked a cake for their cousin Addison's birthday, which is today.  It was a triple layer cake with lots of icing.  It was a bit sweet but it tasted pretty good.  It's kind of a family tradition that the birthday boy or girl has a drumstick to eat on their birthday so Pepe went to get Church's chicken for dinner - that seems to be becoming a tradition too.  By the way, Pepe lives next door to us so we have been in each other's social circle this whole pandemic.  Still, he is very careful and although we share food, we don't eat together.  But after dinner, we did go over to give the cake to Addison.  We all wore masks but did have to take them off to eat a slice of cake.  Addison's sister, Pearl and her boyfriend, Jimmy joined the celebrations via Face Time.

My mom did not join because she was going to play her online casino, in hopes of a repeat win like yesterday.  Or so we thought.  I mentioned before that she is a clean freak.  So with no one around to make sure she rests from her shingles pain, she decided to clean the bathroom on the main floor!  It was on my to do list for the weekend but she claims she was feeling better today so she cleaned it.  What kind of a person cleans the bathroom on a Friday night after dinner?  Anyway, that's my mom.  Sometimes I find it stressful to have to race her to do stuff around the house.  But she tells me to take comfort in the fact that she still has energy to do housework.  And if she is doing work that means her shingles pain is getting better.

The next thing we did was play Codenames - Lockdown edition.  This was created by mainly M2, with ideas from M1 and M3.  They came up with their own words - all related to the pandemic.  Some examples include virus, sanitizer, mask, and Doug Ford.  This actually proved difficult because most of the clues given could apply to more words than intended.  It was still fun, though.  It's a nice thinking game - teaches you to think about what other's are thinking.

Our final activity was to watch The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, which has become a constant in our Friday night routine.  All in all, it was a good day with lots of fun activities.  But now the girls realized that the April Break is effectively over.  It'll be just like any other weekend and they have to go back to school.  But I think I will do another blog to wrap up the week.

Big Oh

First Ever April Break: Days 5 and 6

Day 5

Once again I was able to eat lunch with the girls and I worked to about 3:00.  This time I did not go back to work right after lunch.  Instead I sat in with M3 on her virtual field trip to the zoo.  It was a trip through the African rainforest and we saw giraffes, snakes, lizards, hippos, and more.  I think I liked it more than M3 as she doesn't really like animals and told me before that if her class goes on a field trip to the zoo she would not go.  But I thought she would enjoy a virtual trip.

Later on, the girls and I were able to go outside and play some basketball.  Other than that, M1 and M2 have been couch potatoes, binge watching Modern Family.  M3 did get some finger knitting done again today.  After dinner, we couldn't decide what move to watch so M3 and I played Monopoly Deal while the two big girls just did their own thing.

One funny thing that happened today was that my mom learned a new English word and started using it.  I received a silly text from someone regarding an NHL trade and I said, "What an idiot!"  My mom asked what is an idiot and we explained it to her.  Then she started calling the girls idiots.  "Hey idiot, turn on casino for me."

Day 6

Not much going on today - I worked most of the day.  I did get out at lunch time to bring home some McDonalds.  The girls and grandma had a craving.

To avoid being couch potatoes (the girls are saying that phrase a lot this week) the whole break, M1 and M2 actually did some homework that was assigned to them over the break.  They also started preparing the frosting for the cake they are going to bake on Friday, along with M3.

After dinner we watched the hockey game and the Leafs lost again - tough week for them.  It would have been a ho-hum day but something exciting happened just before bedtime.  The girls usually sit with grandma for a bit before they go to sleep, especially if she's playing her on-line casino games.  I was in my room with M3 and M1 was watching grandma play.  We hear some cheering and my mom saying, "Again! Again!"  So M3 goes over to see what's happening.  Then there's more noise and M2 goes over.  Eventually they call me over too.  My mom kept getting free spins - first she got 10, then before the 10 spins were done, she got another 10, then again and again.  In total, she got 40 free spins on a 60 cent wager.  She won $132 on that spin and ended up winning over $300 for the day.  So she said she would treat us to sushi lunch tomorrow (Uber Eats, of course).  The girls like sushi and the game she was playing was a sushi game where her free spins came about because she had three shrimps in a row (or something like that).  Nice to end the night on a positive note again.

Big Oh

First Ever April Break: Days 3 and 4

Day 3

I worked a full day today so nothing eventful from my side.  I did manage to eat lunch with the girls, which is nice because we rarely get to eat lunch together on weekdays.  M1 & M2 usually eat at 11:30 and I eat with M3 at 12:30 because they have different schedules for on-line schooling.  My mom just eats whenever as she spends her mornings talking to her siblings, in-laws, and/or other children about the latest COVID numbers.  Her shingles pain was bothering her again so the girls just put a frozen chicken pot pie in the oven.

In the afternoon the girls told me they were just being couch potatoes - watching TV or YouTube.  M3 did manage to paint a little bit, making use of the corner that was cleared for her on Sunday.  M2 also got in her 1/2 hour of daily exercise that she rarely misses.  Later on she also knitted a small stuffed animal (stuffed with cotton balls) that was a whale.  Knitting is a new hobby she picked up during the pandemic.

After dinner we watched the hockey game.  The Leafs lost.  M3 skipped the 3rd period to set up the Escape Room game that she had been working on for two days.  M1, M2, and I played in 3 different rooms to see who would be able to make it out first.  The clues were the same for all of us.  I was very impressed with M3's setup of the game as the clues led from one to the next and they involved items that were present in all three rooms so there was no advantage for anyone.  The clues were clever and made sense.  M3 said she got the ideas from the internet.  We all needed hints and it took us about 20 - 25 minutes to get out.  M1 was first, M2 was second, and I was last (but I think I used the least hints - that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it).  That was definitely our highlight of the day and it was good to end the day on that note.

Day 4

I tried to take the afternoon off today but still had to work a little bit.  I stopped at around 3:00.  Again, we all had lunch together and grandma was feeling better so she made noodles and vermicelli.  In the morning, M3 finger-knitted some stuff and I'm not sure what they are for.  She said they can be used as a keychain or just some kind of decoration.

After I stopped working I went to the grocery store to buy stuff for the girls so they could bake.  The list had ingredients for their cousin Addison's birthday cake which they would bake on Friday.  They also listed ingredients for lemon squares which they started working on when I got home.  This time it wasn't as peaceful as the Sunday night when they baked cookies.  There was some yelling but not too serious.  I didn't do too much and only helped squeeze lemon juice when M3 got bored of it.

While the lemon squares were baking and the two big girls were getting ready for dinner, M3 and I went out to the driveway to play a little basketball.

M1 called us in when the lemon squares were done.  But M2 didn't want us to eat any yet because they were supposed to cool down first and then be chilled in the fridge.  This is how their different personalities can sometimes lead to arguments.  M2 always follows the instructions.  M3 is very impulsive, excitable, and wants to do things right away.  M1 just wants to eat.  So M1 and M3 ate a few pieces of lemon squares while they were warm.  M2 and I waited until after dinner.  They were very good.

We also watched the Leaf game after dinner.  They lost again but at least they got a point in overtime.  After that, M1 and M3 watched This is Us, their weekly routine.  M2 and I played a Burmese card game that we call "Hollywood".  It's similar to Gin Rummy.

Big Oh

First Ever April Break: Day 2

Today was not as good a day for me as was yesterday.  It was more of an up and down day but (spoiler alert) it ended on a positive note. I tend to get that "Sunday feeling" now.  It's like that feeling you get in school after the Christmas holidays and you don't want to go back.  I feel like that almost every Sunday - I'm all lethargic and I even feel sad about going to work on Monday.

After breakfast, the girls decided to clean a portion of the living room where we kept M3's toys and M1's and M2's old dance costumes.  First M1 cleared out some stuff in her closet so that the costumes could be moved there.  All this cleaning was done to create an area where M3 could paint when we sign up for her art class.

Next M3 and I baked mozzarella sticks, coated with crushed Cheetos.  M3 found the recipe from YouTube.  Neither of us are that skilled in the kitchen so we made a big mess with flour and eggs all over the place.  The finished product did not look like it did in the YouTube video but it tasted alright.  I would say it was a 7/10.

M1 and M2 had online dance classes today - separately - so they danced in separate rooms after a brief mini-argument about who gets the bigger space in the basement (M2 got it because she called it first).  During this time I did some work (I need to stop working on the weekend - maybe that's what gives me that Sunday feeling) and M3 wrote in her journal.  She doesn't do this a lot so I was pleased she was doing it during the holiday.

I was able to run on the treadmill in the afternoon after not doing so for over a week.  Since the first lockdown last March, I've been running almost everyday - until about January.  As I said before, that's when I got really busy at work.  It became 3-4 times a week of running.  Then only on the weekends.  In March I even started skipping my weekend runs.  Hopefully I can get back into it.

My mom got shingles last month and she is still in pain on some days.  Today was not a great day for her so M1 helped her with her laundry and I was able to clean her bathroom.  My mom is a clean freak and normally does not let anyone clean her things but now she has no choice.  After cleaning her bathroom I also cleaned the girls' bathtub and shower stall.  So I was getting things done again and that made me feel a little bit better.

After dancing, M1 and M2 watched a movie - Lemonade Mouth.  It was an old Disney movie that they used to watch over and over again for a period when they were younger.  But now they were watching it so that they could make fun of how cheesy the acting and dialogue was.  They just kept making jokes about how silly the movie was and how it was crazy that they used to like it so much.  I didn't watch with them, except for one song in the movie that they made me listen to.  M3 didn't watch either as she was busy making an Escape Room game for us.  She's not done yet but we'll probably play it some time this week.

After dinner the girls had a sudden urge to bake cookies.  So they did, at 9:30.  I went to check emails and do some work and also start this blog.  I thought I would join them when they started fighting, which normally happens when the three of them try to do something together.  But this time there was no fighting.  And the cookies tasted really good!  They looked nice too.  Usually they are a blob or are burnt or are missing some ingredient.  But to paraphrase M1, "Wow, this is the first time we did it perfectly!  We didn't fight and the cookies taste and look like they're supposed to."  So we had milk and cookies at 10:30 PM.  Most days that would not be good but when it's the first ever April Break, anything can happen, and this is a wonderful ending to the day.

Big Oh

First Ever April Break: Day 1

Whenever we went on vacations, even mini ones like to Niagara Falls or downtown Toronto, YC liked to blog about what we did each day.  We obviously can't go on any vacations under the current Stay At Home orders (lockdown, shutdown - whatever you want to call it).  But the pandemic has given us our first ever April Break, so I'm going to try and blog about our daily events.  I did not take the week off work as I am in the middle of quarter end reporting but I might try to take some afternoons off.  I might not blog every day, maybe I'll combine a few days into one blog.

When is the official start of April Break?  It's probably Monday the 12th, but for the purposes of this blog, I'm going to say today is day 1.  Today was a nice, relaxing day - something I haven't had in a long time.  Why?  Because I have been extremely busy at work since January (maybe even December but the Christmas break helped).  Also because I feel I have so many things to do.  My brother Pepe keeps telling me to enjoy the moment, enjoy the journey.  Don't view my life as a series of goals that I need to accomplish.  Today was a bit of both.  I enjoyed the moments and I also felt I got some things done.  So here's what we did.

9:00 AM - Had breakfast with M2 and M3. - Enjoyed the moment.

10:00 - Took M2 to a chiropodist appointment.  She has a flat arch and is going to get orthotics.  We talked about insurance fraud. - Got stuff done and enjoyed the journey.

11:00 - Came home and saw that M1 was helping my mom cook lunch (simple stuff - pot stickers and leftover pizza from yesterday's takeout).  I was happy that M1 is growing up and taking care of the family.  She knew that M2 had a virtual dance class at 12:15 and needed to eat lunch early. - Enjoyed the moment.

11:30 - I went to Shoppers Drug Mart and took advantage of the promotion to get $65 for redeeming $50 worth of points.  Do you know how hard it is to spend $65 at Shoppers without buying cosmetics?  So I ended up buying some face cream to bring my total to $67. - Got stuff done and enjoyed getting a discount.

2:00 PM - After lunch I vacuumed my room and the hallway. - Got stuff done.

3:00 - M1 cut my mom's hair and mine.  Her salon skills have improved a lot during the pandemic.  A year ago when she cut my hair for the first time, it was so bad that M2 cried. - Got stuff done.

4:00 -  M3 is taking an interest in painting and her work looks better than mine, although that's not saying much.  M1 found some on-line classes for her and we browsed through them.  We didn't sign up yet but we will. - Enjoyed the journey.

4:30 - Answered some work emails and pulled out some weeds in the garden.  Even though it was only about 15 minutes for each task, I felt I accomplished something for work and made some progress in the garden.  I know I need to stop doing this or feeling stressed if I don't do things like this.  But nevertheless, I got stuff done in this half hour while waiting for the girls to get ready for biking.

5:00 - Went for nice bike ride my my girls. - Enjoyed the journey.

6:00 - Played basketball with M2 and M3 while M1 went to help my mom peel some potatoes for dinner. - Enjoyed the moment.

7:00 - My mom and Pepe prepared my favourite Burmese dish for dinner. - Enjoyed the moment.

8:00 - Watched the hockey game with my daughters.  The Leafs won. Auston Matthews got a hat trick and Jack Campbell set an NHL record for most consecutive wins from the start of the season (11) - Enjoyed the moment.

10:00 - Watched the latest episode of the Mighty Ducks TV series with my daughters. - Enjoyed the moment.

I hope there will be more "enjoy the journey/moment" moments and less fretting over "getting stuff done".

Big Oh