proud to be canadian!!!

i am so proud of my homeland. thanks to team canada they brought the entire nation together to celebrate a fabulous win in men's hockey. the women did just as great but what's with the 'in your face' champagne celebration? we're a far more humble nation, that's for sure.

i had the honour of being a part of the celebration last weekend as i caught a few hockey games and the men's aerial qualifying event. although we had more of a spring olympics, they managed to patch in enough snow for the events at cypress and the weather in the city was phenomenal. what a great way to showcase vancouver with crystal blue skies and the sun poppin' out in the daytime.

i wish i hadn't forgotten my camera (idiot, that i am) but anne managed to take this hilarious shot when i was at the switzerland vs norway ice hockey game.

i just love canada!!!

me jamming? wtf?!?!

i must go dig deep within and find that inner fire and confidence to be a bad ass on the track. last season, i was always in fear of the jammer panty and was exhausted getting knocked down and having to quickly pull myself back up - it was like being tossed around in a washing machine - literally. so this season i will put my body and mind to the test and be challenged when i'm called upon to jam for my team.

this is going to be an interesting season.

wish me luck.

CHRIS BOTTI IN BOSTON | "Emmanuel" w/ Lucia Micarelli | PBS

went to his concert sat night and was touched by all the performances....

i want to gobble you up....

my secret life....

my heart is smiling....

i am sitting in this paradise bakery & cafe in surprize, AZ while my folks are having a 'gay ol' time at some active 50+yr community living space where they're playing golf with good friends. i'm glad they're having a great time even though i'd hate to think that i'll be at a place in my life where grass on steroids and a nearby community center with geriatrics exercise will do it for me. but life is about striving for happiness so if my folks are having a great time, i will encourage that however best i can.

i have a bunch of stuff to get done for our season opener at the key and will hit the ground running shortly but thought i'd share a few things with you that made my heart sing. i was killing time at a barnes & noble and finished off this great flick by sam mendes. if you haven't had the chance yet to see it, go rent 'away we go'. i loved the story, the soundtrack and the beauty of two people awaiting (yet scared) for the birth of their daughter and the interesting people in their lives. i adore the way burt loves verona. it made me think that instead of focusing on the unknown and my crazy little back up plan, that i need to be ready to love again. to open my heart to the possibilities that i will once again fall for someone and that i could be someone's verona....

anyways, upon finishing the flick and trying to figure out where to go next in the little town of surprise....this sweet pixt message arrived in my inbox. thank you so much for loving my little stinker and for taking care of him, uncle d. i literally went from this charming flick to seeing my little baby playing in what he would call heaven - aqua.

so on that note, i thought i'd post a bunch of pix that will forever keep my heart smiling...

elias maybe joining me one day....

on the road!!! :)

merry christmas to me...

so i backordered this off amazon and it didn't arrive in time to pass 'em out with my 'let it snow' cd. however, i managed to bake a bunch of pizelle cookies on christmas day and i think the little guy is now hooked.

until next year folks...

priceless

poor little jackson doesn't look happy...

getting ready for xmas '09

so the plan this year is to have my folks in town and i'll be roasting the bird....shall it be via cooks illustrated or martha stewart? i think i'll opt out of martha as i've been watching some of her xmas shows and she's too much of a spazz. i've made my annual selection for my mookie xmas cd - 'let it snow...' so some of you lucky folks will be receiving it in the coming days.

bye bye myrens

i used to think kids hated me.

prior to meeting odinn, i had never experienced a kid running from across the room to give me a kid's version of a bear hug. it could be because at the age of three little odinn probably thought, me being asian, that i was the perfect target to use his karate kid moves. but in time, whenever i paid the family a visit he was always happy to see me and to show me his latest talent, whether it be flips on the sofa or high kicks in the air. and them came, thord....born on his own mother's birthday. i hadn't spent as much quality time with odinn's little brother but i could see the same little spunk in this kid and knew that the two would be great companions for life.

well, a few years have passed since brynja returned from iceland and her job at the us consulate and now she's decided to go back 'home' to pursue her business degree. i'm sad to see the myren's go again but i know that this will be an amazing opportunity for her and her family. and selfishly a good excuse for me to hit the blue lagoon and visit her in 2010.

good luck to you lady as you hit the books and struggle with exams and hard deadlines. and odinn and thord, be good to your mother and enjoy the amazing opportunities that a lot of little kids your age would never have....

love you to bits - xo.

sweet little ones....

how could you not love his precious little face?

okay, so maybe this is only a face that a mother can love (?!?!) but i can tell you that i'm a proud auntie for sharing pictures of my girlfriends' darling little kids. after seeing ker's sydney bird pose for her first class picture, i caught myself giggling inside at how sweet she looked and felt the need to exploit some shots. i share with you a lovely little pose by sydney, an angelic shot of joshua and a regal shot of elias, who was dressed in a traditional korean costume (fitted for a one year old) which had been passed down by three generations.

a leap of faith....

i was uploading some photos tonight and came across 

this shot when we were camping on salt spring island.  

this takes me to a happy place....

sweet little j

drew's fun little commute

hello, dolly!

oh, dearest dolls - thank you for being my lovely friend...

we can be millions of miles apart and may not have the opportunity to converse on a more frequent basis but i want you to know that i think the world of you.  remember that international relations class with the instructor that stuttered?  i think that's the first time i met you and i was intrigued by this interesting asian gal who reminded me of my 'jocky' self who had this fun little spirit about her - perhaps the spirit of moose jaw?

well, much time has passed and many memories to look back on (and many that we can hysterically laugh at ie. ubc varsity basketball tryouts...aahhh hummm). and i thought this would be a great way to tell the few who tap into my blog about how wonderful i think you are and how grateful i am to have you as my friend.

after my short little visit this past week, i wanted you to know how happy i am for you.  to witness you now as a mother, and to see this precious little being that is now a part of you and drew - joshua samuel- makes me realize how beautiful life can be.

i don't think i've ever told you this but that visit i made back in '06 did wonders for my spirit and put my life into perspective.  planning our trip to the cote d'azur and taking that rental car through the streets of monaco to lake como, made us fearless back then. i laughed my head off, challenged myself for driving in unknown territory, laughed at your silly suggestions towards the handsome french captain, to eating fine foods and gelato galore.  thank you for renewing the spirit in me and making me smile again.  i will also never forget the night you and drew took me out to the wolseley for my birthday and for surprising me, not once, but twice with little blue boxes of sweet surprises.  that night, you and drew touched my heart in ways that you will never know....

so move forward three years later, when we had lunch at 'bar des theatres'  and you shared fond and intimate details of your childhood and stories about your father.  it made me want to honour you for just being you and for realizing how much love you have for everyone around you.  and when you made that comment about even having my brother stay with you in france? that's so typical of you dolls, always looking out for those that you love.  

i will forever cherish our friendship and can't wait to see where the journey will go for both you and i.  joshua is going to grow into being a fine young man, i guarantee it.  and i will laugh myself silly when i see all the dolly-isms in joshua's character. you make me proud, lady!

until we meet again

love you to bits

hematoma

DEFINITION--A collection of pooled blood in the thigh within a relatively constricted area. Thigh hematomas probably accompany all serious contusions of the thigh, but they are difficult to diagnose because of the large muscle mass in the thigh.

i heart water

moto 2009

pix will follow but until then take a look at this....

pat finally ties the knot...