Valentine's Day

February 14, 2011

Normally, we don't do anything for Valentine's Day. When Nathan was in school, we'd make Valentines for all his teachers and classmates. Since Nathan's currently not in school, I had just cut out some paper hearts for him to doodle on and that was the extent of our Valentine's day celebrations.

But then I decided, hey, what the heck. Let's surprise Andrew with a cake! So I got Nathan to bake a cake with me. He's been really enjoying spending time with me in the kitchen lately, to the point where he asks when we can do the dishes. I'm going to miss him tons when he starts school.

Anyway, I put the cake in the oven and thought I should use this chance to run down and check the mail while we waited for the cake. I grabbed the boys, grabbed the keys and went downstairs.

I was a little disappointed that what I was waiting for wasn't in the box. We went back upstairs, and that's when it hit me - the keys I had in my hand weren't my house keys. They were Andrew's extra keys that he doesn't carry around because we don't use them. We were locked out!

About a million thoughts flooded my head all at once. Thoughts like:

- I should have brought my phone with me! (I figured I'd leave my phone - less to carry and I'd be back in a second anyway)
- I left the oven on!
- The cake is going to burn!
- How much time was left on the timer? 45 minutes?

I was stuck. I didn't know what to do.

I knocked on all my neighbours doors. No one was home.

I tried all the keys again. Nothing worked.

I had to do something quick, or I'd end up burning the whole place down!

We quickly started walking down the street. I saw a church and thought maybe I could use their phone, but the gates at all their walkways and driveways were closed. I didn't have time to try to figure out how to get in, and if there were even people in there.

We ended up at the hotel at the end of our street. I asked if I could borrow their phone. Unfortunately, I didn't remember Andrew's number correctly. So they sent an email to him for me, but I knew he wouldn't be checking his email - he was in class. Eventually, I ended up taking over their computer and phone, and the receptionist texted Andrew for me, and we got in touch with Andrew.

An agonizing 30 minutes later, Andrew was home. We got inside. There wasn't a fire. The cake wasn't burnt. Everything was okay.

I don't think Nathan or I have ever been so happy and relieved to see Andrew. Ever.

What a crazy Valentine's Day.

It's Raining, It's Pouring

January 11, 2011

And we're still living out of our suitcases...

No doubt, many of you have been hearing about the floods going on here in Brisbane. Luckily, the floods haven't reached us yet but the water levels are rising. They've been warning people in low-lying areas to evacuate while they can. We aren't in the low-lying areas but I've been keeping a close eye on the news to monitor for changes.

At the moment, the rain has stopped but there's still warnings of the river rising quite significantly overnight. Please pray for us.

Despite the constant rain, we've gotten a few things done over the past couple of days including buying a car, meeting up with the 4 friends we know here in Brisbane, having some delicious pizza from Dominos*, visiting UQ and finding a permanent place to stay.

I'll do a more in-depth recount of each of those events once things start to settle, and I really hope that's soon because we're all getting pretty sick and tired of being stuck inside all day in the warm, damp air. I just want to settle in to our new home and relax a little before Andrew and Nathan start school again.


*We were so busy devouring the pizza, I didn't get a chance to take a picture of it. I'll have to order it again soon so I can take a picture for you guys. I know, I'm fantastic.

Another One Bites The Dust...

October 24, 2010

About two and a half years ago, I wrote about my beloved little camera. It was crushed to death under the weight of Andrew's foot.

Tonight, that little camera's replacement fell to its death.

I'm in too much shock to say anything more. Just know that I'm in mourning and will likely not be posting anything (especially anything with new pictures) for the next little while.

Sigh.

Last Full Day of Summer

September 21, 2010

What better way to end the summer than with an hour-long massage and a freshly-made fajita dinner.

Collect, Sort, Purge, Repeat

September 18, 2010

Now that I've given my notice at work, the fact that we'll be having a new baby in the house in a couple short months, and also the fact that we'll be moving to Australia shortly after that is becoming more real.

Already, I've started to pack my clothes because there's no point in me keeping all my non-maternity clothes out. Chances of me wearing all that before we touch down in Australia are slim. Though I plan on losing all the pounds I gained, plus all the extra storage I collected while Nathan was in my belly (hah, hah, hah) it likely won't happen within a month's time.

So far, I've meticulously gone through a portion of my clothes, sorted them by type, folded them neatly and placed them into Ziploc bags... because I would hate for some disastrous flood/leak to ruin my entire wardrobe. I thought the process would be a lot faster but the reality is that I've accumulated a lot of "stuff" over the past couple years. And stuff is hard to get rid of.

(This is one of the downfalls of moving out and having your own family while you're still young. You can't just pick up and move across the world, leaving all your extra belongings at mom and dad's place. Well, you can... but not as much. Otherwise, they might not welcome you back into the house when you return or visit. And we can't risk that now, can we.)

We've still got a long way to go and not a whole bunch of time... so anyone out there who has suggestions of how we can get rid of some of our stuff, or neat ideas of how we can pack all our belongings into 8 suitcases, that would be most welcome!

Things Floating In My Head

May 7, 2010

I don't normally do this, but I feel these random thoughts must be released into the world. Or at least I should occupy myself with something while I wait for Andrew to come home.

Andrew's out getting some McDonald's.

Before he left, he asked me to do the dishes "if I want"... I'm thinking, "noooot really feeling it." So I'm not going to do them.

While waiting for his return, I was wasting some time clicking around on Facebook, reading some stranger's favourite quotes. One of them included a conversation about pizza. Now I want pizza instead of McDonald's (or maybe on TOP of my McDonald's!)... should I call Andrew and tell him?

Maybe not, because it took so much effort to send him out in the first place.

I need to stop reading/thinking/daydreaming about food.

But I wonder if they have McSushi...

What Are You?

May 2, 2010

Breaking news: People at work are starting to realize that I'm Chinese.

At lunch the other day, we were talking about middle names. A Chinese girl in the room mentioned that she has a Chinese name and an English name. She had to explain that her English name had no relevance to her Chinese name. It was not a translation, the meanings are not the same. Apparently, her mom's co-worker chose it for her when she was 5. Typical.

I happened to chuckle at that fact, thinking, I know a similar story about my sister's name (scroll to fact #1). I also happened to chime in about how Chinese names are generally not translations, and that's when they asked if I was Chinese.

"Of course" was my initial reply. Then, I got curious. "What did you think I was?"

All of a sudden, everyone came up with their version of what they thought I was.

"I thought 100% you were Filipino"

"You don't look Chinese. Maybe Filipino or mix..."

And my personal favourite: "I was pretty sure you were Hispanic!"

It was pretty funny hearing what people thought I was. But then it also go me thinking, because sometimes I am confused by someone's nationality. They may look a certain way one day and the next day, it all changes. So how do you go about asking someone their nationality without the risk of offending them, because for some people this is a very sensitive issue.

Nathan Goes To The Hospital

December 20, 2009

I know this post is so overdue but it took some time for me to process and recover from this whole 'adventure'. Plus, it's for my own records, really. In case I forget.


Two Fridays ago, the three of us spent a relaxing night together as a family and headed out to Chapters. It was all nice until the germ-infested spawn of a neglectful parent showed up. He put his germy paws all over the trains and got all in our faces and wouldn't leave us alone. By the end of the night, Nathan started coughing.

For the entire weekend, I was so upset at that awful parent. I couldn't believe Nathan got sick again. The poor guy just got better a week ago and now he's sick again?! I was outraged!

We thought we could just wait it out, it's just a little cold. Then, Monday afternoon, Nathan started complaining about not being able to breathe. The poor thing kept saying, "Oh dear. I can't breathe. Mommy, help me breathe!" I was heartbroken. How could this happen to us!

We brought him to the ER and he was diagnosed with pneumonia. He was later admitted because he wasn't responding to the medication. That was probably the last thing we wanted to hear because all Nathan wanted was to go home. He was bored of being at the hospital. It was no fun and it didn't help make him better. Until...


They stuck him with an IV. My guy was so incredibly brave. Not a single cry was heard as the nurse stuck the needle in his arm, took his blood and taped the tubes down. Not even a whimper. The nurses were so impressed they told a police officer who paid us a visit to give Nathan a special present!

After that point, it was all one huge big adventure with one surprise after another. After a long wait, the EMS guys showed up with a gurney but Nathan insisted on walking by himself. He rode in the ambulance to a different hospital.


When he got to his room and actually wanted to be put into the crib. It was like he was walking into a 5-star hotel room. He was so happy and amazed... until he realized he was going to be stuck in that tiny room for a while. Then, he got bored out of his mind and kept asking when he could go home. And a million other questions. It only got annoying when he started each question with "Mom, ...".


My little genius became a little chatterbox and couldn't stop asking questions over and over again. And when I tried to ignore him, he'd just say "mom" over and over again until I cracked. He's a persistent little one! Eventually we got discharged and got to go home.


We're just so thankful that our little guy is back to normal. (And I'm so thankful we're not stuck in that tiny room anymore. It's nice to have some space...)

First Snow

December 9, 2009

There's something really magical about the first snow of the year. It's so perfect, undisturbed.

Last night around midnight, it started to snow.


It snowed and snowed, and I got more and more excited.

I even tried to wake Nathan up.

I had this whole idea of the three of us sitting in the dim glow filtering in from all of our huge windows, sipping hot chocolate. I pulled up every single one of our blinds. Actually, I made Andrew do it. But all our blinds were open. I wanted to see as much of it as I could.


Nathan wouldn't have any of it. He wanted to sleep.

What's On Your List?

November 5, 2009

I started my final field placement today, so I don't want to do a lot of thinking.

But I love reading lists, so maybe you'll play along?

Show me your lists. Any list!

It can be...

- to do lists
- life lists
- Christmas shopping lists
- Christmas wish lists
- hit lists

Please humour me? Thank you!

Falling In Love With Fall

October 10, 2009

I'm loving...

... the cool crisp air.
... the warm sunshine.
... the colourful leaves.
... the spicy smells.
... the hearty food.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to my Canadian peeps!

Not A City Girl

September 12, 2009

I have come to the very real realization that I am not cut out for living in the big city.

The driving drives me crazy - there's just so many cars, and I have never seen so many people intentionally drive the wrong way up a road to make a left turn, just so they don't have to wait an extra minute. I've witnessed 5 almost-accidents in the past 3 mornings alone! Crazy!

Things are old and diiiiirty - I suppose I've been a little spoiled in the past, living in Richmond Hill where everything was new and clean. But I can't help but expect at least some places, like where I buy my groceries, to be bright and clean! Is that too much to ask?

People are just too competitive - I've been wanting to sign Nathan up for after-school lessons for a while now and I finally had all the programs picked out and I was ready to go. Unfortunately, I forgot to get up at 7am this morning (yeah, a Saturday morning) when the registrations opened. Of course, all the other crazy parents in Toronto didn't forget so by the time I started signing up at 11am, all the after-school swimming programs were full! Like seriously! It's even worse than trying to get into a university course.

Oh man, I need a break. Someone find me a nice big, comfy chair out in the country where I can just live my life at a leisurely pace. This is too much stress..

7 Joys

July 10, 2009

Here's 7 little things that brightened my day.

1. Nathan wrote his name. (Who am I kidding, this is huge!)

2. The last part of my new desk finally came.

3. Good news from a good friend. (This is also huge.)

4. Miraculously feeling a lot less stressed than yesterday.

5. Yummy steak dinner. (This is making me huge...)

6. Yummy steak dinner with background music.

7. Being able to use my iPhone again (with the 3.0 OS - yay!)

Happy May Day!

May 1, 2009

I actually have no idea what the big deal about the first day of May is, just that it has its own holiday name - May Day.

I can't believe April has come and gone so quickly! Where did it go? Anyway, I thought I'd share some random thoughts about my May Day 2009.

1. Andrew got up waaaay before I did, (presumably. I don't actually know when he got up, I just know he was up before me with enough time to...) made me a plate of yummy pancakes and even cut one into the shape of a heart.

2. It's that time of the month (TMI? Don't really care!) and I was in no mood to go out, despite the nice weather. So Andrew and Nathan went to go pick up my new pants from Yorkdale for me! Yay! New pants!

3. Because it was so sunny outside this afternoon, I made Andrew put sunscreen on Nathan before he went out. I love the smell of sunscreen on Nathan's face because it reminds me of summer! Beaches! Yay!

.. So, what exactly do people do for May Day? Are there any special celebratory traditions I'm missing out on?

In Like A Pain-In-The-Neck

March 6, 2009

The other day, I was listening to the radio and they were talking about whether the March weather was going to come 'in like a lion, out like a lamb'.

This isn't really weather related but let me just tell you, my March has started mostly on the lion-chewing-your-head-off side of things.

I just had an interview with an agency which went really well (thank God) but, before I can start I have to get a medical check and orientation/screening done. It's not really that big of a deal except that my family doctor no longer practices as a GP and didn't inform me of this earlier so now I have to quickly find a new guy (and transfer all my files) and I'm scared to death about the training session! It sounds intense and I have to write a test at the end to determine whether or not I can work for them!

Since I'm going to be working full-time pretty soon, I was entertaining the idea of taking one last trip before I become a slave to my work. Plus, Nathan's March Break is coming up so it'd be the perfect time... except that my passport just expired and there are no places hot enough within driving distance. I'd totally apply for a new passport except that I'd like to use my 'new' name, but I can't since I have no ID with my new name because...

Who knew it was such a pain in the neck to 'assume' a name? I finally decided to bite on Monday and get it all done but when I got there, the lady said I had to get a marriage certificate (which is NOT what they give you when you get married). I'd have to apply and wait for it to come before I change anything, which means I won't get my passport in time and I won't be able to go on vacation.

Oh, and it's tax season.

Branching Out

September 26, 2008

Every since moving to Etobicoke, I've avoided going outside as much as possible. There isn't really a logical reason for this. It's just that somewhere in my mind, I decided that it was a sketchy neighbourhood and it wasn't safe for me to wander outside. I suppose it's just because it's different from what I was used to.

Growing up in Richmond Hill, being there before it became so developed, I was used to having space. And since most of the city was relatively new, everything seemed more clean and friendly. It was like a neat little village where Asians weren't necessarily the minority. Living in Etobicoke is like stepping in to a different world for me. It's part of Toronto which makes everything so much more complicated. It's hard to explain.

But slowly, I've started to come out of my protective shell. Slowly, I'm wandering, with Nathan (and sometimes Andrew) by my side, further and further away from home. One of the good things about living here is that some things are within walking distance.

One Week Left

July 26, 2008

We headed into our reception venue today to give them our "final" numbers. I can't believe at this point next week, I will be at the reception hall one last time, partying the night away with hundreds of people!

And of course in true Bernice fashion, my body had to go ahead and fail me one last time before the big day (hopefully one last time). The dentist tells me I have an infection, which is causing all that pain I have been experiencing. She also tells me I have to get my wisdom teeth out but I'm not mad at her. Why? Because she's prescribed me some antibiotics and told me to take 8 a day to "whack that out of there". She also recommended that I "don't be a hero... take as many advils or tylenols as you need". She read my mind.

A Place To Call Our Own

July 25, 2008

After searching high and low, we've finally found a place to call our own. It's not quite as nice as some of the places that stole my heart (the dark hardwood floors! and the beautiful kitchen!) but it's good enough for us to start our little life together.

We're finished signing the papers and all we have to do now is get the keys! It's all so exciting.

And in other news, I just accidentally threw an opened bottle of water to Andrew thinking it was capped. It was not. This is clearly an indication of how I have lost my mind. If anyone finds it, please return it soon. I need it back, stat.

Just My Luck

July 19, 2008

In preparation for our honeymoon, I started thinking of some items that I'd like to bring along. Of course, I'd need some kind of entertainment for the plane ride and for beach days and then, with beach days in mind, it's quite obvious that sun gear, like sunglasses, would follow.

And then what happens? My mom sucks up my earbuds with a vacuum cleaner (she was very apologetic after), but it doesn't just get sucked up. It gets tangled in the rolly mechanism thing and gets mangled beyond all recognition. And the only way to get it out? To cut it into little pieces and pull it out.

Then, without missing a beat, someone steps on my bag with my brand new sunglasses in them. I thought maybe I could repair them so I grabbed some crazy glue and went to work. Of course, the glue for whatever reason doesn't dry where I need it to and instead seaps into the hinge where it conveniently dries there, rendering my glasses completely useless, even if I could end up gluing the arm back on.

Great.

End Of The Tunnel

July 12, 2008

We're nearing the finish/starting line. There are less than 3 weeks left and this morning, I was sitting at home desperately trying to keep my sanity and trying even harder not to throw in the towel.

There have been so many bumps in the road, especially with such little time left. Throughout the whole engagement, I've kept my cool, not letting things stress me out. I thought I was doing a pretty good job keeping on top of things, letting certain things slide. I haven't asked very much of anyone and I'm not demanding a lot so I'm not sure why I'm meeting so much resistance.

There's only one way out and that's to go through this storm, because the light at the end is so worth fighting for.