0708-0709 - belief

as said there's a sudden turn of weather in vancouver, and even the forecast was not so optimistic. as lululu & matt has booked us a little road-trip to the winery region okanagan, everyone's been kinda worried.  

i somehow had this belief that things would turn out fine. of cos i m no god, but what can be ruined if friends & family can meet even when we live miles apart? during our 4-hr drive, there's been heavy rain, lighter rains, leaks of sunlight from the thick clouds, then heavy rain again ... and the moment we got off our cars, mr sunshine is there for us! if it hadn't been for the rain to chill a bit of the heat, the winery region might be too hot to dine outdoors! 

another pleasant surprise is the people mix. my cousin mel who also lives in vancouver has decided to join us for the trip. when strangers meet, sparks ain't guaranteed. but god's little work must be at the backstage somewhere. 'cos mel, who is a nurse, has just been transferred to working at the maternity ward for the past few months. and lululu is a mother with a new-born baby! with these 2 experts coming from different ends, i hv been blessed with a chance to speed-learn on pregnancy & motherhood & the healthcare systems across different countries of the world! 

on our drive back, it started raining again, but we could see sunlight in the far distance. and after a few miles of driving, there was a stunning scene - 2 rainbows cutting through the highland mountains - which ends our roadtrip beautifully ...

0707- vancouver

after the mid-west, it's the west coast - 1st stop VANCOUVER! renowned for its great weather, i was so looking forward to wearing shorts & flip-flops, but we were greeted with rain & chill & 12C .... apparently it was still 30C the previous day!

nevermind the weather, this trip is all about people. it's the same couple, lululu & matt, who gifted me the reason to visit vancouver 3 years ago - i was honoured to be the bridesmaid for their wedding. this time i can't wait to meet their 8-mth old handsome creature - baby ethan (and in return, show-off my new handsome creature, uncle panda :p)

lululu has been keeping a blog on homecooking for the past years, so we were really looking forward to gaining a few pounds. as it turns out, we might need to shop for all new clothes in even bigger sizes, 'cos even matt is another magician in the kitchen. so we'd been having full breakfast in mornings. and home-made dinner would have signature dishes of 5-star restaurants like beef carpaccio and short rips! for BBQ the couple have all these tricks to making even the best meat taste like heaven. and i have not mentioned dessert and snacks yet!

chats & laughters are the best companion for great food, and there has been plenty. so i guess   the weight-gain is just so happily inevitable .... thank you lululu & matt :)

0705 - family portrait

family holiday can't be complete without a family portrait! given that it is virtually impossible to get baby gemma into a steady state while awake, we have decided to do it while she is asleep :p

it's our last day here in indy. we can't really picture what life will be like when we gather again next time. so we are grateful for the chance to spend time together - hunting for that extra 30% discount in GAP from one mall to another; eating out a KFC family meal in less than 10 minutes; gossiping about the hk entertainment scene; walking on fresh green grass; singing and dancing to the crying baby ... so until next time, take care and miss you all!

0704 - independence day

4th of july is independence day, aka the national day of the USA. from a week ago when i arrived, i started seeing homes decorated with US flags. and at night, there would be bomb sounds in the neighbourhood - which soon i found out being household fireworks! wow! it does feel very much like chinese new year many years back ...

then i started noticing US flags in all sorts of designs. the bow design is especially cute. and the fireworks - they come in GIANT packs again, each pack costing some USD200! though expensive, when i see kids in the neighbourhood gathering around to light up the fireworks, and when i get to experience fireworks so up-close-and-personal, the celebration is very much in the air. 

it kinda triggers me to compare 1st of july and 1st of october in hk - when can we really celebrate as part of a nation, and not ride on the days as chances to complain about the government and the chinese-national identity crisis?

0702 - gigantic supermarkets

one thing i hv been doing everyday with the family is to go shopping in supermarkets, or should i say mega-markets or giant markets. one thing about the US is the size of things - it is all a cycle really. you have giant supermarkets selling giant pack food, then food are served in giant proportions, so you end up with giant-size people.

back to supermarket shopping ... it is very tiring, 'cos the shop size is so huge, you have to walk at least 2 minutes to get to the right aisle for the right stuff. and you end up spending a lot of time inside, 'cos there are unlimited free tasting of almost everything - again, even free tasting are served in giant sizes! my gang got this turkey burger in 1/4 size of a normal burger, coffee size of a starbucks tall, 1/8 portion of a steak, and endless stream of fruit, snacks & drinks.

well everyone was happy, esp my mother-in-law who insists that we try every single item. so don't blame me for my big tummy :)

0701 - the tennis bear

an interesting observation i hv this time in the US - you either see people who are severely over-weight, or you see people of all ages active in exercising. as it doesn't turn dark til 10pm, from our patio we'd see endless stream of people exercising every evening - couples walking their dogs, singles jogging with their iPods, or people simply taking night walks. 

if our dinner finishes early, we'd take night walks around the neighbourhood too. but one other exercise we love most is to play a daily hour of tennis. there is an open-to-all tennis court at this village, so we'd just walk across and hit our heads off.

mike's my best tennis mate. to compliment his commitment to playing tennis, he has been rewarded with this polo tennis bear tee. he's loving it :)

 

0630 - lunch outing with baby gemma

in just a few months i hv become, first 姨媽 with the birth of my sister's son brandon, then 舅母 with the birth of michael's sister's little girl gemma. personally i hesitate a bit with the title of 姨媽, it just sounds older. and here i m in indianapolis to try to be a 舅母 and see if it feels any younger :)

the routine for this week is to take baby gemma out with us for lunch to different places, so she can get to see & feel more of this world.

according to the mother, this little creature is typed "active baby", as she is always very restless. she wakes up around 5am, afternoon nap will only last around 1 hr, then she doesn't sleep until 1am! and during her waking hours, she demands to be carried AND walked around 80% of the time. against her will, the scream will start. and once her wish is granted, the fake cry stops right away and you can see that "winner" look in her eyes. no kidding! we gather that maybe she is born to a genius dad who finishes uni at 15 and PhD at 25. so the brainwork just starts a bit earlier than most of us.

but she does enligthen everyone's lives, esp that of her grandparents. so 芝麻小姐, you win!