Montreal Trip: Day 1

We haven't gone on a vacation since Mommy left us and I can tell you that doing things for the first time that we used to do together is particularly difficult.  But this got easier for me as it progressed.  I ended up having a nice relaxing time and I think my girls did too.  Because M2 and M3 went to school right up until the 23rd and I have to go back to work on the 3rd, we couldn't go on a long vacation.  So we decided on going to Montreal for 4 days.

First the planning - M1 is 18 now and she took care of 98% of the planning.  That's good news for me since I have never really planned a vacation in my life.  My lovely YC always took care of that.  (Also, I had never gone on a vacation where I had to get on a plane until our honeymoon.)

We bought our train tickets back in early November when we first decided to go.  I didn't want to drive in case there was bad weather.  Well, there was bad weather, but it came a few days before our departure.  A tree fell on the tracks on Christmas Eve and all the trains from Toronto to Montreal were cancelled for at least 2 days.  We were leaving on the morning of the 27th and VIA gave us the option to cancel our tickets for a full refund.  So we did just that because the weather was forecasted to be nice for the week.

Day 1: The drive to Montreal was smooth.  We left at 8:40 AM and got there in just over 6 hours, which included 2 stops - one for lunch and another one for a rest.  Our first stop was the Notre Dame Basilica where M1 had booked a tour and light show for us.  It was near Chinatown so we also walked around there for a bit, taking pictures in front of the arch.

One thing I learned from YC is to have an open mind when you do something.  When she plans activities for us she would read the reviews and find activities she thinks we would enjoy.  Then she would tell us not to go in with any pre-conceived notions or expectations.  Just go experience and learn, then make your judgement afterwards.  The basilica was a religious place of worship and while we aren't religious, we toured the basilica (no pre-conceived notions), absorbed the culture, reading the blurbs by each of the displays, statues, and figurines.  I really liked the stained glass windows which were very beautiful when complemented with the lighting.  The light show was very spectacular too.  Different parts of the basilica would light up, highlighting the architecture, art work, and figurines.

For dinner, we wanted to try Montreal's famous smoked meat.  M1 found the most popular place in Montreal but the line up was too long and they didn't take reservations.  It was almost 8:00 and we were hungry.  We went to a restaurant near our hotel and while they had smoked meat as well, only M3 ordered it on Mac'n Cheese.  M1 got a mushroom sandwich, M2 got a short rib, grilled cheese sandwich, and I got a prime rib sandwich.  It tasted pretty good but not great.

After dinner, we walked to our hotel, checked in, and retired for the night (i.e. stayed on our devices until we fell asleep).

Big Oh

It Lived Up to My Expectations

Today (September 17th) I had my 12th birthday party with 5 of my friends. I had so much fun!

I made a google slide with lots of games prepared. When I finished making the google slide I was very excited and couldn’t wait for my party. Then my sister and my dad told me not to get too excited, in case my friends didn’t want to play. "Oh, you know people at this age don’t like to play games like this, they just like to watch movies and stuff," they said.

I still went on with what I was doing and I was still excited.

We ended up doing the google slide and everyone liked it (at least that’s what I think). After we did the google slide we went to the park. By the time we got back from the park it was time for dinner. After dinner we had a cake and I opened all of  my presents. At the end of the night we played Heads Up and Apples to Apples until it was time for everyone to leave.

I had so much fun and my party lived up to my expectations!

M3

A Different Kind of Graduation

This past dance season was M1's final year at her dance studio. In addition to graduating from high school she "graduated" from the dance studio.  A variety of factors came together to make her graduating year extra special.

First, there were nine girls graduating.  It's more fun to have a larger group for celebrations.  Last year there were 4 graduates, which is a good number, but COVID got in the way.  The year before that, there were two graduates.  These two were duet partners for a few years but in their final year, they got into an argument so that made things kind of awkward.  The year before that there was only one dancer graduating and before that my girls were probably too young to be invited so I don't know what kind of parties there were.

Second, these nine girls truly enjoy being with each other.  I think all of them have been with the studio for over 10 years.  M1 and 3 other girls have been in the same group since they were 9 years-old.  She's had the same duet partner since 2016.  Over the years, they've formed really strong friendships.  So as they danced this year, they realized that this would be the last time they would compete together on stage as a team.  There was so much emotion.  The girls cried as they danced on stage.  The parents cried in the audience.  Dance judges acknowledged the graduating dancers and noted it was clear that these girls had been dancing together for a long time.

Third, COVID.  Of course, COVID is part of everything these days.  Because of COVID, this was the first time competing in person since 2019.  Counting the non-graduating dancers, there were 19 girls on the team (M2 included).  Having missed two years of competition, these girls took nothing for granted.  They cherished their time together - not just dancing, but hanging out together afterwards.  They went for dinners, ice cream, Starbucks, Go-karting.  And they made it a point to celebrate the graduates.  There were so many parties - in hotel rooms with parents, cake from the studio owners, slide shows with pictures of the girls showing how they grew up in the studio over the years.  They even had a mini-prom in the studio for dancers who got sick and missed their actual high school prom.  There were lots of gifts too, including a framed team photo for each graduate, signed by all their teammates.  M2 put together a yearbook for each of the graduates, which she will distribute at yet another sleepover party next week.

This culminating experience, with so many great memories, has truly made all the time and money invested in dance over the years worthwhile for my girls.

Big Oh

Grand Finale

Last Friday was Canada Day and it's been a few years since July 1st fell on a weekend - or on a day when I didn't have to work the next day.  I thought I would take the girls to see fireworks at Canada's Wonderland.  (Don't worry - we have a season's pass.)  I also thought about buying fireworks and setting them off at a local park.  It's been a while since we did that and M3 does not remember the last time so I especially wanted to do it for her.  But there was a thunderstorm warning and we did neither.

When nightfall came, there were no thunderstorms, not even a tiny raindrop.  So we drove to a park nearby and watched other families set off their fireworks from our car.  There were lots of neighbourhood spectators like us.

This reminded us of the many firework exhibitions we've seen over the years - from simple ones that I purchased to semi-professional ones at a local park to Blue Mountain, Niagara Falls, Disneyworld, and Ottawa.  As you know, the fireworks start off simple and get more spectacular as the show goes on.  Then the final one would have lots of colourful explosions in quick succession.  As each blast got more intense, YC would always say, "That was the grand finale."  But then there would be another one following that was even more spectacular.  Then she would say, "Okay, THAT was the grand finale."  The girls would laugh at Mommy as this continued a few more times before it was the actual finale.

So this time when we watched the fireworks and any time there were loud explosions with lots of colours, we would say, "That was the grand finale."

Big Oh

Graduation #3

This past Monday was M1's high school graduation.  I didn't think it would be emotional for me, but it was.  I came to the realization that my little girl is growing up.  I guess with her getting her driver's license, preparing for university (I might be in for more emotional ups and downs in a couple of months), and applying for summer jobs, I have been getting little doses of her growing up.  But it sometimes takes these milestones for the moment to really hit you.  Then there's always that tinge of sadness that YC isn't sitting beside me as our daughter walks across the stage to receive her diploma.  It's supposed to get easier but I'll let you know when I get there.

This was the school's first in-person graduation ceremony in two years.  So I would have thought the production would have been better.  There were close to 400 graduating students and the ceremony took place in the school's gym, with a make-shift stage.  The stage was small - only had the principal, two vice-principals, two trustees, and two emcees.  There was a small table for awards.  The music was pre-recorded by the school band - not live.  Perhaps they could have tried to get a bigger venue.  M1's Grade 8 graduation had the school band performing live - ironically, in this high school (but there were a lot less students).

Nevertheless, the students enjoyed it, as they should.  It was their night.  It was a huge milestone in their lives.  And given that they had two years of on-and-off pandemic lockdowns, I think they were all really happy to be together with their classmates to experience this ceremony in person. M1 had some friends over before the ceremony to take pictures in our backyard.

A nice moment was M1 winning the Principal's Award - for academic achievement (she is an Ontario Scholar) and exhibiting potential and responsibility.  Congratulations M1!  Mommy and Daddy are very proud of you.

Big Oh

The Tradition Continues

Today is YC’s and my 23^rd wedding anniversary.  It seems I have started a tradition of posting a blog on our anniversary.  And I guess the blog will be about memories I have with YC.

My wife likes traditions.  She feels they give our children a sense of certainty – something to count on and look forward to.  They know that we will have “family reunion dinner” at Chinese New Year.  We will put up our Christmas tree after M1’s birthday; we will open presents on Christmas morning.  We will go to Menchie’s after dance recital.

Well, COVID-19 put a wrench in a few of these traditions (the Menchie’s we normally go to closed down).  But YC is also very flexible.  She doesn’t let the traditions force her to do things.  She partakes in them because she enjoys them.  If something changes, she will change the tradition, maybe start a new one.  She told our girls, “You will also start new traditions with your children.”

One tradition that YC is very rigid on, though, is apple picking.  We went every year that I can remember, since M1 was old enough to grab an apple.  Sometimes we went with friends, sometimes we went with cousins, and sometimes we just went with our own family.  One thing you can be sure of is that when Thanksgiving approached, we would go apple picking.  There was one orchard where we got to take a wagon ride and children were able to run around on haystacks.  But eventually it got too pricey.  YC found other orchards, one as far away as Mississauga.  There were some good ones in Stouffville where we also bought fresh apple cider that tasted very good.  One time we tried baking an apple pie with the apples we picked, but it didn’t turn out that well.  The important thing is that we had fun.

The one thing YC enjoys most about apple picking is taking pictures of our girls – picking apples, funny poses, just having fun.  This actually leads into another tradition of YC’s.  That is our family calendar.  YC makes a calendar each year with pictures of our family (and friends’) events throughout the year.  She loves the apple picking ones.

I’m happy to report that during the past two years, we did not let COVID stop this tradition.  We still went and picked our apples, drank apple cider, and took nice pictures that made their way into the family calendar.  YC, my love, I hope you enjoy reminiscing about our apple picking memories.  Happy Anniversary.

Big Oh

A Different Kind of Dream

Some time ago I decided my intention for this blog would be to share memories of YC, memories from a long time ago.  I wanted my daughters to see how Mommy was before she got sick.  But my "I Had a Dream" post a few days ago was about me and how I was feeling.  In a moment of weakness I pressed the "Publish" button.  Afterwards, I regretted it somewhat because I didn't want my girls to know how I was feeling.  Some of you who read the blog sent me an email to cheer me up and I want to thank you for that.  It's okay to feel sad sometimes.  We learn to cope.

So this blog is going to be about me again, and how I cope.  Those visions I wrote about in the prior post can be quite disruptive when they appear between 4:00 AM and 7:00 AM.  When that happens, I almost never go back to sleep.  So I learned to "change the channel" and dream about a different kind of dream.

I think about past Stanley Cup Playoffs and how they should have ended. Calgary should have beaten Tampa Bay in 2004, San Jose could have won in 2008, and of course Toronto should have won in 1993.  I think of how certain goals could have been scored, who made the pass, what the commentators would say, what the headlines would be in the papers the next day.  Then at some point, I fall asleep, before the final game plays out in my mind.

Let me give you a recent example (non-hockey fans can skip to the end).  In the 2021 playoffs, Ilya Mikheyev should have scored into the open net in the dying seconds of Game 5 against Montreal.  The Leafs would face Winnipeg in Round 2 and the commentators would be saying both teams just won 4 games in a row.  Who will extend that streak?  Well, it's my dream so the Leafs extend their winning streak to 5.  But they haven't really been challenged to that point so they ease up a bit mentally and fall behind 3-1 in the series.  Captain John Tavares somehow finds the determination to play after he suffered a concussion and knee injury 3 weeks ago.  The Leafs win the next 3 with Tavares getting the OT winner in Game 7.  Next up is Tampa (Montreal played Vegas next but the seeding would have been different had the Leafs won) and somehow the Leafs win the first 3 games and the series in 5.  But everyone agrees it was a tough series that could have gone either way as 4 games went to OT and the fifth was sealed by Zach Hyman's empty netter.  In the finals, we face the Big Bad Bruins again.  Having been through 2 tough series, the Leafs are now battle hardened and take a 2-0 series lead.  Boston takes Game 3, prompting commentators to point out that the Leafs had won 3 consecutive games in every series but will not be able to do so this time.  The Leafs win in 5 and Joe Thornton gets the Cup winner in OT, against the team that drafted him first overall.  Jack Campbell takes home the Conn Smythe.

Now that I got that off my chest ... sweet dreams.

Big Oh

I Had a Dream

Shortly after YC and I started dating, I had a dream - a life goal, if you will.  It was a simple dream.  There were visions of myself and YC getting married, raising a family, having dim sum, attending parties with family and friends.  As my dream progressed, I pictured ourselves being lazy on a Sunday afternoon, sometimes we played in the park with our kids, played MJ with our relatives.  Then when we retired, we would take walks in a mall and eat at the food court, take the bus to the casino, watch Chinese dramas at night. Then maybe we'd go on a trip once in a while.

I didn't think this was too extravagant of a dream.  I wasn't asking for a lot.  I've seen many relatives and family friends live out this so called "dream".  I wasn't asking to be a movie star or celebrity or to travel the world.  I just wanted to grow old together with the woman I love.  But now I won't be able to do that.  And that is what eats away at my soul.

Big Oh