Full Circle

It's funny how some things in life come to a full circle.  There will be a huge Yoga Convention in Vancouver the weekend of October 1st, which I don't plan on attending as that is my "graduation" weekend for the 200-hr teacher training program.  In any case, I was browsing through the catalog just to see what is being featured when I came across a name and face that looked so very familiar.

One of my old yoga and pilates teachers from Philadelphia is teaching a couple workshops at the convention!  I find this to be so strange as she was one of the reasons I became interested in yoga.  Her teaching was so distinct that I remember her 11 years later.  I just recently learned how to teach Anuloma Viloma, (a fairly complex alternate nostril breathing exercise) and she is the only teacher that has ever taught it in a class that I've been to.  I discovered her specialty is the Prana Flow Hatha Yoga that I am learning now.  Pretty crazy how things in the past turn up like that.

The same thing has happened with work.  One of my old contractors that I used to hire for meetings emailed me on Sunday.  It turns out she and her husband live in Vancouver for part of the year and have a business here.  She heard through the industry grapevine that I moved here and wants to see if I'm interested in working with them.  Anyway, I'm meeting with her on Sunday to find out more details, so we will see, but again, very weird how things like that happen in life.

Be nice to your co-workers.  You never know when one might end up being your boss.

Organics

I knew this would be an eventual entry as I have pretty strong feelings about it...

Time Magazine just had an article about Organic Food in a recent issue and the beginning annoyed me a bit, but then it got better, but just wanted mention a couple points.

Before I start, I completely agree that  food choices are totally a lifestyle choice.  It's just really important to know the facts.

The main reason to eat organic food is NOT because the food is supposed to "taste better" or "have more vitamins".  I think that is a common misconception people have.  Food tasting better may be a "side effect"; however, the more important reason is that it is chemical, pesticide and (whatever else) free food.  Also, it's better for the planet.  Up to 10 million tons of chemical fertilizer per year are poured onto fields to cultivate corn alone - scary!  The toxic runoffs are poisoning the Gulf of Mexico.  Beef  raised in industrial conditions are dosed with antibiotics and growth boosting hormones, leaving chemical residues in meat and milk.  Melvin recently asked my why I bought organic butter.  Um, well, what do you think butter is made of?

Also, the fact that you can find 'out of season' foods available in all seasons means that crops must be grown in one place and are flown all over the world to those demanding year-round strawberries, plums, etc.  This leaves a major carbon footprint on our Earth.  I was very surprised to find clementines available in the summer last year.  They used to only be available in November (and maybe October) when I was growing up.

Some other misconceptions:

"All-Natural" does not equal pesticide or antibiotic/hormone free.  It is just like "low-fat" means it is 3 grams OR LESS fat than a regular product.

"Farmer's Market" does not equal organic.  It is nice to support local farmers though.

"Grass-Fed" does not mean the animal was able to graze grass through their lifetime.  If you are interested in eating "free" animals, you want to look for "Grass-Finished" meats.

"Free Range" is a very abused term in the market. It simply indicates that chicken are not in cages, but doesn't mean they are outside of the "building".  Those that saw Food, Inc. know what I'm talking about.

I could go on, but I won't.  I don't eat ALL organic, but try as best as we can for most of our foods cooked at home.  It is just way too hard to know the source of the foods served at restaurants.  I have to say the main reason is for our kids (Julian eats better than we do).  As a parent, there is just that need to protect them from everything...including pesticides.

Food for Thought

Here are some of my favorite ideas, findings and quotes from my yoga teacher training so far.  I just randomly listed it but would love to talk more in depth about this stuff to whomever is interested in a deep conversation.

We can perceive only from what we know (i.e. the world is flat)...and what we know creates our reality (i.e. if you ask a child to draw a monster, they will only draw body parts that they know but how they perceive a monster to look - like a monster with one eye).


There are no muscles whatsoever in our fingers & toes...so I guess I really DO have fat fingers!

Tantric Yoga - did you know this yoga practice stops women from getting their period and teaches men to make love without ejaculating??  Crazy stuff, huh?  Let's see if Melvin will let me pay to take this workshop.  LOL

Lotus Flower - it is the symbolic flower of yoga.  The roots of a lotus flower are in the mud and it blossoms above water.

Quote: Some bamboo are short and some are tall. What do you think this means?

Quote: We search for unconditional love because we don't love ourselves.


Quote: Freedom is letting go of the small self.


Quote: Realization is so hard to grasp because our mind is so complicated.


Quote: Suffering is a result of the perceptions of the mind.  When we identify ourselves with something lesser than us, suffering arises. (For example, our name, our gender, our nationality, etc)  This is one of my favorites and it is such an interesting concept.

Finally, Yoga is NOT a practice of self-improvement...it is about radical self transformation.  The essence of what you are, not form.


One of the most important things I've learned during my course thus far is that yoga is NOT a workout.  It is about the practice of "stillness" and "finding your inner bliss".  Again, the biggest challenge that most people have, including myself, is being still and being in the present.

Toons for Toddlers

We took Julian to his very first movie today.  Canada has this program called "Toons for Toddlers" where they have specific showings targeting his age.  Anyway, the movie was called "Thomas & Friends: Misty Island Rescue" and some of the things they do to keep it toddler friendly are:

- Keep the lights dimmed so kids and parents can get to the washroom
- Have space available for strollers at the front and back of the theater
- Keep the sound lower so not to scare the kids
- Keep movies under 60 minutes long to avoid restlessness

It was really great and he loved it.  Melvin and I took full advantage and both took naps, during the movie, after we all shared a large popcorn.

Spirituality

...has been a huge topic in my yoga teacher training classes, particularly the "meaning" of it - to you, to others, to everyone.  Deep stuff, my brain hurts.


The most magical and spiritual place I have ever experienced is Bali.  Tonight, we watched a movie (book turned movie) called Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.  I knew there was no way I'd enjoy the movie more than the book. The concepts and ideas are way too deep to be portrayed visually.  Instead, the reason we chose to watch it was to be reminded of the beautiful landscapes, glistening water, humble people, and peaceful island called Bali, within Indonesia, that is often misinterpreted because of its location. It was our honeymoon spot and best vacation ever (R & R - you are going to LOVE it).  Of the 14,000 islands called Indonesia, it is probably the island where its people have the most tolerance.  You'd have to have that tolerance to exude the essence of spirituality the way it does.


Spirituality: Elevating ourselves above our evolutionary roles of animals serving evolutionary functions. 


Food for Thought: Are our choices "authentic" or a result of our programming?

Mindfulness

I've been learning a ton at my yoga teacher training classes.  It is such a wonderful experience for me and my teacher is one of those worldly, all-knowing (even though there's no such thing) people.  Today was my fourth day and I feel like I could write a book about some of the topics that have come up in class, but I'll spare you.

Here are some things I've walked away with thus far.

Mindfulness - Shakti (my teacher) says it's not healthy to be TOO pure.  For example, she is okay with smoking as long as it's "mindful" smoking....drop everything, pick up that cigarette, breathe, enjoy and be mindful of the moment (don't smoke while walking, eating, driving, pooping, etc or else it'll just be a habit).  I discovered that I do not know how to "mindfully gamble" after I lost $200 at the casino last night.  Whoops.

Running Kills Your Body - We've been covering a ton of anatomy and I realized how much training for a marathon a few years ago killed my joints, tendons, spine, internal organs, etc.  Scary.

Yoga Philosophy - I could write a book about our lesson this afternoon, but I learned that everything that we do has not changed from the ice age.  We just do things differently.  This could be a very interesting discussion over wine and cheese another time.

Gender Matters -  men and women are all wired so differently - again reference to the ice age.  Women, don't try to change your husbands.  It ain't gonna work!

Quantum Physics and Yoga are very much the same - don't even ask, I'd have to refer to my notes

I could go on and on but it's only the 4th day.  Today, I also taught my first asana to a class of 10 people.  It was completely invigorating and I loved it - more than I thought I would.

Chinatown Night Market

This weekend is the last weekend of Vancouver's Chinatown Night Market, which is about a 2-minute drive from our place.  We checked it out tonight and guess what I found?? 

...decent Hong Kong Cake!!!  I don't want to dwell on this, but seriously, it is hard to find.  I was ecstatic and of course Melvin finally admitted that "they are good".  Still not like Cecilia Tam was on Mosco St. (NYC) - just to pay her more homage than I already have, check out this Appreciation Thread I found.  Kudos to the foodies out there that know when to recognize innovation.

I was disappointed to find out that this particular vendor only sold their cakes during the Summer Night Market, so I guess we'll have to wait until next May to indulge again.  That may be a good thing.

So, the night market was rather disappointing after growing up going to NYC's Chinatown and having been to Hong Kong twice. It just doesn't compare to either, but the fact we are minutes away makes up for the disappointment.

I have lots to update about my yoga teacher training, which I LOVE, but will have to do it another night.

Living Social

I haven't mentioned that I've been helping a friend market her new business out here in Vancouver.  As I mentioned in my "Asana" entry, I'm unable to "sit" or "be in the present" for too long...that being said, my time as solely a stay at home mom/housewife was pretty much non-existent.  Anyway, my friend's business has been really fun and a place I could escape to when I need a break from the kids or when I need something to jolt my inner juices.  I've met some very cool people in the process.

Anyway, I managed to get them a feature on www.livingsocial.com yesterday!  It was extremely successful and yesterday was exhilarating watching the numbers climb and exceeding my expectations.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that feeling of success!

694 units sold = CHA-CHING!!

Asana

I had my first yoga teacher training class today at Prana Yoga College.  It was loads of fun and I'm loving it so far, except for the fact I had to pump every break we had, rather than socialize with the students.  I found though that people kept me company while I pumped under my Hootie Hider (a necessity for breastfeeding moms).  One minute we'd be eating and chatting and then I'd hear, "What's that sound?"..."It's my freakin pump, got a problem with that?"  Just kidding, I didn't say that (but I was thinking it)."


Asana (or posture): "to sit" or "be present" 


Hmm...I'm not sure I'll be good at this.  Many of you that know me well know that I cannot sit still, nor live in the present moment.  I guess I'll have something to work on :)


PS - sorry in advance for the yoga talk, but that is my life for the next month!

Poutine

Last night, Melvin and I took in a movie with another couple.  Afterward, we indulged in some Poutine for the first time - it is so bad for you, yet so good.  I thought it was from France, but it's actually less exotic and was created by French Canadians.


POUTINE -  dish consisting of French Fries topped with fresh cheese curd, covered with brown gravy and sometimes additional ingredients.


Now, I'm getting ready for my first yoga class, hoping last night's indulgence doesn't screw me up today.  Poutine at 11:00pm and downward facing dog?  Not a good mix.

It's down pouring today...

...and I get to rock my brand new Michael Kors rain boots!


Just trying to look at the brighter side of things :)

Five Years...

...and counting!

This past weekend, Melvin and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary.  It is amazing how many changes we've gone through in half a decade - Melvin changed jobs, we bought our first house, I changed jobs, had a baby, left that job, experienced the death of a parent, had another baby, sold our first house, and moved to another country!  Mind you, 5 of these life altering changes happened this year, but still lots of changes we've experienced together.

To celebrate, we took advantage of Abuela's visit and left her with the kids.  We took a bus/ferry/bus combo to Victoria, B.C.  for two days.  It was as gorgeous as I remembered it 6 years ago (damn, I'm old) when I went there for the first time.  During this visit, we ate plenty of seafood (as usual), saw a Gray Whale, lots of Orca (Killer) Whales and a Humpback Whale - our guide said seeing three types never happens, so we were very lucky!  The highlight of the trip for me was High Tea at the Fairmont Empress (love scones and clotted cream!) and Melvin's highlight was his first seaplane ride back to Vancouver (a quick 35 minutes)!

Here are some pics from our whale tour on Aug. 28th - Melvin's head blocked a few of the pics.
http://5starwhales.blogspot.com/

Funny moments included my pumping breast milk in the hallway of our hotel when our room wasn't ready....then, passing it off to the bellmen (awkward!) to store it in the hotel freezer...it did not get easier each time I did this, but it was quite amusing.  As we were leaving, watching the bellman run down the hall with my breast milk and throwing it in the cooler as fast as he could gave us a good laugh!

We got some great pics, so check out our Picasa Album.

Mommy's Guilt

...never goes away!!

We are leaving for our 5-yr anniversary weekend very early tomorrow morning.  As much as I've been yearning for a break from the kids, I feel horrible about leaving them.  Also, I know I'll miss them terribly and wish they were coming.  It's such a Catch 22.

I know it is something that will never go away!

Thoughts?

...just curious...

What are your thoughts about the Islamic Community Centre and Mosque being proposed to be built by Ground Zero?  Feel free to email me privately or to make things interesting, post in the comments section of the blog.

If you choose not to comment about the above, what do you think of that flight attendant that caused all the commotion on that Jet Blue flight?  I found it funny.

I am in need of some US, specifically New York, drama...I mean, "news".

Aberdeen & Hong Kong Cake

When I think of Aberdeen, I think of Hong Kong and its floating village on Aberdeen Harbour.  Today, we went to Aberdeen Centre, which is Canada's biggest "Asian Mall" in Richmond, B.C. (near the airport).  It's pretty crazy as all the stores are Asian brands.  We read that they are going to start making it more diverse to attract non-Asians, but right now it encompasses a market, as well as store brands from the Philippines, Korea, China, Japan, etc.

Well, if you could only imagine how this food court was....I was in heaven.  The food court had Korean, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Szechuan, Indonesian and many more eateries.  I ate BBQ Duck over rice, my absolute favorite.  For dessert, I indulged in "hard to find" Hong Kong Cake.

You New Yorkers SHOULD know what I am talking about when I say Hong Kong Cake...Do you remember the Hong Kong Cake lady that sat in a makeshift red shack on Mosco & Mott Streets in Chinatown?  Her name was Cecilia Tam (read about her, she's fascinating) and she was located around the corner from Hop-Kee.  She had that secret batter recipe and lines would round the corner for her delectable Hong Kong Cake, which was $1 for 15 balls/1 bag.  Each day, she brought her milk jugs of batter and when they were gone, she would close.  She put her kids through college with that money earned and then she retired, without passing on the recipe (SO WRONG).

I grew up going to Sun Lok Kee (which moved to Flushing due to high rents in Chinatown) almost every weekend and then a trip to the red shack, rain or shine, no matter how long the line.  I've had these Hong Kong Cakes from fake vendors in NYC, vendors in Hong Kong, and now Vancouver and nothing compares to the ones from that red shack on Mosco Street.  Man, do I miss her.

Random + Glowbal Grill Review

Throughout the day, I always find myself thinking "I need to blog about this"; however, when I get to the computer, I forget what I needed to blog about.  Annoying!

Here is what I remember at the moment...wanted to mention this stuff before I forget:

- There are stores here that are so similar to what we have back home.  The fonts and signs are so similar that I wonder if they are under the same companies. 

Home Goods = Home Sense; Magic Cuts = Super Cuts

- I'm very excited to discover a fellow mom of two that is taking the yoga program with me.  She is from Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada) and is leaving her 3-year and 3-month old for five weeks!!  I no longer feel so (or as) guilty about leaving the kids full-time again. Maybe I'll have company while I pump during my breaks?

- We booked our 5-year anniversary trip to Victoria, B.C.  Taking the ferry over and will take a seaplane back to Vancouver....Will blog about it after we go!

Glowbal Grill Review:

I want to continue reviewing my dining experiences at the more notable restaurants in the city. Glowbal Grill was pretty damn good.  It's a pretty trendy, loungey place and it was Friday night, but I was determined for some upscale dining and the mushroom risotto.

We took the kids and braved the after-work, happy hour, yuppy crowd that Yaletown (our neighborhood) is known for. I was extremely prepared and brought a coloring book for Julian, carried Amélie in the Bjorn and had the car seat on the other arm "just in case" and looked at the menu online and ordered before Melvin even met us there.  They sat us in the back next to an older couple from Louisiana and the hostess & waiter were extremely accommodating.

We had the following satays: short rib, sablefish, kobe meatball, tiger prawn - all of which were to die for, with the exception of the short ribs, which were mediocre. We also got a calamari appetizer, which melted in our mouths (similar to Sanafir's calamari) and got creamed spinach and mushroom risotto as sides.  Delectable.  I look forward to returning.

T&T

Tonight, my friend took me on a field trip to T&T Supermarket.  It was awesome!  I was looking for a reasonably priced, non-ghetto Asian Mart, where I could get the essentials for satisfying my Filipino/Chinese food cravings.  When my friend told me about it, I thought of International Food Mart in Spring Valley (you Rocklanders know what I'm talking about) and the thought made me shudder a bit.  It was very far from that!!  This place was a clean Chinatown on steroids with a variety of foods that is indescribable.  There were tanks of fresh seafood and the bakery was really cool with fresh baked goods from many different Asian countries.  There were not 10 or even 20 brands of frozen dumplings, but more...best of all, I found frozen Shanghai soup dumplings (aka Xiaolongbao)!!!  How exciting!


I also came home with some Tocino, Bangus (yum) and Beef Tapa - all very important to the traditional, unhealthy Filipino breakfast that I can't go too long without.  In addition, I had a unique find - frozen scallion pancakes.  Can't wait to try them! 

ICBC Strikes Again!

I had previously blogged about ICBC (Insurance Corporation of British Columbia) and their monopoly on every type of insurance in this province.  Well, we just finalized our car insurance and it is so ridiculous - there is no Geico, no State Farm, no MetLife to provide competitive rates and "I can do it better than you" attitudes.  Instead, we're stuck with the girl at Yaletown Insurance, that clearly hates her job, to provide us with the one and only insurance this province has to offer.

From reading my above rant, you can probably guess that we did not get a good deal.  Believe it or not, we went to the insurance office FOUR times just to get the proper documentation and get the premium as low as possible.  We provided our clean records from the States, letters from past insurance companies and information about our car usage (i.e. not used to go to work, parked in a garage, etc). We got a 30% discount, which sounds great, but isn't good enough!  AND we had to "surrender" our car title and won't be getting it back!!  Can you believe that?  They've taken away our licenses and now title!

Now, we have a B.C. title, registration and brand new plates, which Melvin installed today.  He held our New York plates up proudly and stated that it was a sad day.  We'll be fed-exing those bad boys off to the DMV tomorrow - tsk, tsk.

Heatwave

It is blazin' hot here (probably nothing compared to the East, but still) and none of the buildings have air conditioning (including most hotels)!!  It does not help that I've also been slavin' in the kitchen in preparation for Abuela's arrival next Wednesday.  Melvin's mom will be visiting for over a month from Aug. 25 and flying back to NY with us on Oct. 5.  I asked her to take care of the kids while Melvin & I go on our 5-yr anniversary trip and while I'm in classes the month of September.


I'm starting an intensive 200-hour yoga certification program at Prana Yoga College on September 1st, so it'll be full time with only Thursdays/Sundays off.  If I successfully complete the program, I'll be "graduating" Oct. 3rd and will be certified to teach yoga.  My intention was never to be a teacher, but I thought this program would be great for me not only physically, but mentally and spiritually, as well.  My goal is to just get through it.  So, we'll just see how things go and see whether I like it.  More about that later...


Back to my preparations...I've been cooking and freezing food, so Melvin's mom can just heat up meals during the day for her and Julian.  I'm sure she'll think I'm totally weird and anal, but I don't think she realizes how hard it'll be to cook homemade food and snacks with the two kids in tow.  Also, it's my way of making sure Julian is getting well-balanced and healthy meals, instead of eating platanos on a daily basis.


So far, I've made or bought/prepared the following.  Thanks to Janey and Kristen for the great website and personal recipes.


- Two dozen blueberry muffins
- Two dozen vegan banana chocolate chip muffins 
- Turkey & Vegetable Chili
- One dozen Potato Codfish Cakes
- Salmon Marinade
- Chicken with Thai Curry 
- Garlic & Cheese Bread
- Approx. 75 oz of breast milk


After all that work, I realize that the above will barely last us 3 days (not counting all the muffins, of course).  AND, I'll need to start pureeing foods for Amélie next month. Ugh. I question how people can afford (time and money) to feed big families these days.  No wonder people head to McDonald's.


I would love more recipe suggestions if any of you have some "freeze well" meals.
...gotta get ready for the beach now.  Until next time!

Busy, Busy Sunday

...Checked out Kitsilano Farmer's Market for the first time - amazing organic produce selection and cuts of grass fed beef

...Played family soccer at Roundhouse Community Centre's "Picnic in the Park"event

...Scoped out Vancouver's Latin Summer Fest in East Vancouver and discovered Dominicanissima Dance Group , which was a nice surprise for Melvin

...Took the Aquabus to Granville Island's Water Park, also known as North America's largest free spray park (it was a blazin' hot day)

...Cooked some dinner, ate, and put the kids to bed!

WE ARE BEAT!

Howe Sound

This morning, we packed up a small cooler, and the kids, and took off for Horseshoe Bay, which is located in West Vancouver approximately 25 minutes from downtown (on the way to Whistler off the Sea to Sky Highway).  Our plan was to rent a 15' foot boat for a couple hours, explore Howe Sound, have lunch and then head back for naps.  It's very rare that plans work out perfectly, especially with kids, but it was one of those days when it did!

We had an amazing ride with a very nervous Captain Mel.  As I told him, it's perfectly fine to be nervous because the lives of his family were in his hands.  The water was a bit choppy this morning, so they upgraded us to a 17' boat, which was perfectly fine with me.  We stayed south to avoid the choppy waters and missed out on the island up north with the sea lions, but hopefully we'll have another chance to explore the islands a bit north of West Vancouver.  Instead, we headed in the direction of downtown and saw some multi-million dollar homes along the coast, some beautiful islands, fishing boats with fishermen hoping for some salmon, Snug Cove at Bowen Island, a float plane coming in for landing, and some huge ferries taking Vancouverites to the many island destinations surrounding the city.

At the end of our ride, Melvin received a compliment on his wonderful parking job at the dock.  Then, we headed to Troll's Restaurant for their famous fish n chips.  We ordered the catch of the season, Basa Fish (type of catfish, super tasty), and it was definitely the best fish n chips I ever had.  This is coming from one that lived in London for 6 months, so kudos to Troll's!

We headed back for naps, then went to Stanley Park to take some professional family pictures in the afternoon.  I am hoping they turned out well and will be sending them out to friends and family in the upcoming weeks.  Stay tuned...

Afghan Horsemen

Tonight, I went to my first Afghan restaurant ever and the food was AMAZING. My ride to the restaurant was on a very peaceful boat across False Creek to Granville Island. I looked around at the towering buildings, people riding bikes along the seawall with their kids in their bike trailers, and the sun hitting the water in such a way that is indescribable.  I realized that it will be very hard to leave this place, if we choose to do so in the future.


I went to dinner with a few girls I met here and it was just really nice to have a meal with others and not be discussing children the entire time. I love my kids, but I can't remember the last time I went a whole night without talking about them.  I realized how important it is to surround myself with friends of all different life situations.


Anyway, that is not the point of my post...The restaurant was called Afghan Horsemen and we sat on the floor at these low tables and had pillows all around.  A belly dancer came out for a performance around 8:45pm and showed us some skills by balancing a sword on her boobs and head (while I laughed in her face).  I learned this is the first and only Afghan restaurant in all of Canada.  I found the cuisine to be very similar to Greek, Turkish and even Lebanese food.  Excelente!

I am so going to bring all our visitors to this place for a night out.

Here are some more...

My last entry was so well received that I decided to include some conversations we've had with some of the locals.  Mind you, I hope they never see this blog.

Conversation #1

This conversation transpired in our garage between our neighbor (very nice people) who is a cop (very important detail) and Melvin.  The names of these people have been purposely altered to protect their identities.  =P

Melvin: Hey Man

Man: Hey Melvin, how's it going?  Did you manage to get your car insurance and all that set up yet?

Melvin: Nah, I need to get an inspection first.

Man: Oh well, you really should remove the tint off you car's front windows.

Melvin: Really?  Why?

Man: Well, you know, it's illegal because only gangsters really have tint on their cars.

Melvin: Ok,..

Later on...Melvin says to me: "Gangsters? I haven't heard that word since the '80s"

LOL - much to Melvin's dismay, we were forced to have our tint removed as it is actually illegal here.  BOO!

A WEEK LATER

Man's Wife: Hey Coleen, how're things going?

Coleen:  Oh, things are going well.  Tell Man we had our tint removed finally.

Man's Wife: Yeah, that's a good thing because the gangsters here really took the tint to the next level.

Seriously, it sounds so much funnier in person.

Conversation #2

There is a certain someone Melvin encounters on a regular basis and apparently he's extremely anti-American.  Melvin doesn't really care for him.  Here are some comments he has made.

Annoying Man: Gosh, Americans are so fat, the food portions there are ridiculous.  I worked there for 10 days once and gained 15 lbs.  (this man is like 300 lbs)

Melvin: Oh ok, whose fault is that!  (he didn't really say this but was thinking it)

I was actually about to write more comments Melvin had shared with me, but decided I don't want to piss people off or leave a bad taste in your mouth regarding Canadians.  This guy is actually the first one we've met that has this attitude about Americans.  It's actually quite interesting to hear people's stereotypical thoughts.  Often times, Americans are the ones stereotyping others.  It is almost fascinating to hear the other end of it.  Here is one example that I encountered.

Conversation #3

Coleen: I'm having a hard time finding organic meat here and I'm noticing that there is no organic yogurt for babies.

Fellow Mom: Yeah, you have to go to certain specialty shops to get more variety and I don't think I've ever seen organic yogurt for babies.  Are you sure the labels are legit in America though?  I mean, when they say organic, does it truly have proper guidelines to be classified as such.

Coleen: Um, yeah!  (in my mind, I was thinking the same thing about Canadian products.  Go figure.)

Conversation #4 - this transpired when we were opening our mailbox in Washington State in Blaine, WA.

Coleen:  Are you familiar with this town?

Woman: Yeah, kind of, are you looking for something in particular?

Coleen:  Just a place to grab lunch.  It doesn't look like there's much around here (we were right over the border and it was a VERY small town).

Woman:  No, not much in Blaine.  You'd have to drive 15-20 minutes south to find more things, but there is a Subway that they just opened and there's a Little Caesar's pizza shop here.

LOL - remember Little Caesar's?  Pizza! Pizza!  love it.

Funny

Conversation #1
Julian: Look what I got from school mommy! (holds up toy dinosaur)
Coleen: Julian, you know that belongs in school. We'll have to return it on Tuesday.
Julian: Ok


Next Day: Coleen enters Julian's room and finds 10 toy dinosaurs


Coleen:  Julian, where did these toy dinosaurs come from?
Julian:  From school!
Coleen:  Sigh (he's been putting one in each pocket and bringing them home for weeks)


Conversation #2
Melvin: How was your day?
Coleen: Pretty good, you know, usual tantrums...
Melvin: Cool, what should we have for dinner?
Coleen: I don't care, what are you in the mood for?
Melvin: OMG! This guy just took all his clothes off on the 2nd floor of that building! (hands over eyes)
...gotta love floor to ceiling windows!


Conversation #3
Julian:  I have to go pee pee mommy!
Coleen:  Okay, let's go.  Do you want to try peeing standing up?
Julian: No, I don't want to pee pee standing up.  I'm a girl.  Big girls pee pee sitting down.
Coleen: Sigh
Update: Julian started peeing standing up this past Sunday!  PHEW!

Shiatsu

I had an amazing discovery on the next block from our apartment - a clinical training center for the Canadian College of Shiatsu Therapy.  What does this mean exactly?  It means that they offer 90 minute massage treatments with student masseuses for $40!  There's also an option for a professional therapist at a higher price, but you can't really beat that deal.

Off I went for a much needed break from the kids and a relaxing treatment yesterday.  I also signed a petition to add Shiatsu Therapy to the national healthcare plan, as there's been a movement to add it, so fingers crossed.  Our national coverage starts on September 1st, so looking forward to the world of "no co-pays" pretty soon.

WTF!!

We just ordered Chinese food and it didn't come with rice!! ARRGGHH!  I know there is a rice shortage, but who does that?  


That's like going to an Italian restaurant and not getting bread at the table or going to a Thai restaurant that doesn't have Pad Thai or going to a biergarten and ordering wine or ordering a Filipino Vegetable Spring Roll that has pork in it...oh wait, that does happen. 

Which Address Do We Use?

The clouds have moved in a little bit and there is a 20% chance of rain tomorrow, so we're rescheduling our boat rental from Horseshoe Bay and trip to Bowen Island to next weekend.  Instead, we're going to do a road trip to Washington State to (very exciting) open a mailbox, so we have a U.S. address.

We're doing this for a number of reasons:

1) Packages - if we want to shop online, shipment to Canada is SOOOO expensive compared to the U.S.  This way, we can continue to shop on gilt.com, ruelala.com, and wherever else, guilt free :)

2) If you have over a certain amount of money in your U.S. bank account and have a Canadian address, the U.S. will send your interest earnings to Canada and double tax you.  Since we're taxed enough, we will be giving the Washington State address to our U.S. bank.

3) Washington has no state taxes, so this will further decrease our shipping charges when we shop online!

4) People won't have to pay for Canadian postage, if they are feeling really cheap, and want to send us a letter.

5) Some online U.S. systems/accounts don't recognize Canadian addresses (i.e. Verizon)

Some of you are probably wondering how far our mailbox will be from our home.  It's only a 45 minute drive, so no big deal...It's just like going to Garden State Mall in NJ on a Saturday afternoon....and we can visit Tar-jay (Target) while we're over the border :)  

Anyone going to be in Seattle this Saturday?

Restaurants in Vancouver

I can't believe we've been here for over a month and I have not rated any of the restaurants we've been to!  All I have to say is that it's a good thing we have kids that follow a bedtime; otherwise, we'd be broke eating out at all the wonderful places to dine here.

It still feels like we're on vacation and don't actually live here, so sometimes I get this frantic feeling of "I have to try this place, we have to go here, why haven't we seen this place yet, etc."  I need to take a step back and realize we have plenty of time and this is not NYC, so I "might" be able to keep up and try a majority of the really good restaurants here.

In the meantime, let me write about the noteworthy ones we've already checked out.  If any of you are planning a visit, take note of the places you may want to try, so we can take you there!

Coast Restaurant - The epitome of seafood heaven (for those that know me, know I could live off seafood if it were affordable, especially peel n eat shrimp!) - located in the financial area of downtown.  The ambiance was nice and felt new/trendy; however, you could feel that most were paying for their meals with their corporate cards. The New England Clam Chowder tasted SO fresh, it was more on the broth side rather than creamy and deserves 5 stars.  We shared the Signature Seafood Platter, which included B.C. cod, wild sea tiger prawns, sockeye salmon, Qualicum scallops, fried Brussels sprouts & potato gnocchi.  AWESOME and the Brussels sprouts were surprisingly amazing.  Of course I had the bread pudding for dessert, which couldn't touch Blue Ribbon Bakery's, but was good enough.

Sanafir - Part of the same restaurant group as Coast, Judy & I had an interesting meal here.  It was all "tapas" sized plates, but was a mish mosh of flavors - North Africa, Asia and Middle East.  Judy felt the menu was "confused", but we definitely enjoyed our dinner.  The decor was Moroccan themed and since it was a Monday night, we were the only ones there, but were not rushed at all.  In fact, our server was great (I think he was drunk/tipsy by the end of the night) and gave us our calamari and tea for free.  I would return.

Sandbar Granville Island - We actually went with the kids and had an amazing view of the water.  Melvin ordered several appetizers for he and Julian and I got 1/2 a Dungeness Crab (wanted a whole one but it was expensive).  What I REALLY wanted was this: Mussel Mania! Every Day 4-7 p.m. in the Lounge $10.00

Fresh mussels & frites with a pint of Granville Island Brew Tomato Provençal, Thai Curry or Vindaloo style

BUT, we were with the kids and not in the lounge, so I'll have to return for that.  Who wants to join me?

Milestones - one of the more popular chain restaurants...they did a good job.  We got their  "famous" hot artichoke & spinach dip, which was fine but nothing to rave about.  I got a seafood salad, which was really good, as well.  We would return for a casual dinner, possibly with the kids.

Provence Marinaside - We went here the first time we used our babysitter and had a date night as it is only a block from our apartment.  With that being the reason, we didn't expect much, but this was one of our better meals.  Very, very good, but for some reason, neither Melvin or I can remember what we had.  We just remember liking it a lot, so we'll have to go back.

Boathouse at Kitsilano Beach - We couldn't have asked for a better table - on the patio, over the beach and during the pink sunset glistening off the water.  The food, on the other hand, barely subpar.  I had another seafood salad and I think it is what made me feel sick after and the bread pudding was a disappointment.  I would go back for another view of the sunset, but would probably stick to wine and a few appetizers, not a full meal.

The above doesn't include the pizza place we frequent, or take out/delivery places we've tried, but I just wanted to document the above as they reflect my first impressions of eating in Vancouver.

Olympics Fact:  Vancouver opened over 40 restaurants in preparation for the Olympics, so we came at the right time!

British Columbia Day...

...was yesterday, August 2nd.  We spent the long weekend in Whistler, B.C.


Unlike New Jersey's claim to being the "Garden State", it is quite clear why the plates here say  "Beautiful British Columbia".  It was a blast and we hope to explore more of the province!

What's in a name?

This past Friday, we had a family BBQ at Julian's pre-school.  It is far more multicultural than we ever thought it could be.  There are kids from not only of Canadian descent, but of Japan, China, Turkey, India, England and I don't even know where else.  It is definitely a different dynamic than Julian's class from New York; I'm not really sure how to describe it nor do I have the energy to analyze it right now.  Anyway, in case you are expecting a child any time soon and need some name ideas, here are a bunch from Julian's school that I found rather different.

Cairo, Caelum, Kai, Kenzo, Piper, Pepper, Teah, Talullah, Heston

DMV

Today was a sad day...we had to "surrender" our New York State driver's licenses for our B.C. licenses.  I have no idea why this is a requirement, but after 90 days, we are required to have a B.C. license, so off we went to the ICBC.  This is what they call their DMV here - it stands for Insurance Corporation of British Columbia.  Apparently, it's a provincial thing.  We officially have our first Canadian I.D.  Scary!

On a similar traffic topic, we learned a very interesting tidbit.  You know those construction people holding the stop signs on the street, controlling traffic and pedestrians?  Well, we noticed they are all women in Vancouver for a very important reason.  Vancouver has saved this job for single moms...Apparently, they make a ton of money and have flexible hours and it's a job guaranteed to single moms only.  Crazy, right?

So, for any straight, single guys out there planning to visit us...you can start with the women holding the stop signs on the streets of Vancouver =P

Long Weekend

This coming weekend is a long weekend, with Monday being British Columbia Day.  We've been asking everyone what people typically do around here, before making our own weekend plans.  I would hate to be stuck in any kind of Hamptons-type traffic or even worse, Jersey Shore traffic on the NJ Turnpike, with two kids screaming in the back.  Mind you, we have a 2-door GTI and I'm usually sitting as far up as the seat would go with my face practically leaning on the windshield, so all these things need to be considered!  We figured, if anything, we could avoid any large crowds and unpack the last two boxes we have or hang up some picture frames or something...

Anyway, that's not how they do around here...Apparently, everyone spreads out and (gulp) goes camping.  Those that know me know the likelihood of me going camping would only come close if I could pitch a tent on the lawn of a Four Seasons Resort.  I say that now, but things may change after a few years of living here, so I won't say never though.  =)

With that said, we decided to book a hotel room in Whistler Saturday night.  Before I continue, I just wanted to say that it's so weird to me that Whistler is no big thing here, being that it's so close.  It's like saying, we're going to the park or we're going to the playground next weekend.  Makes me feel like we have much more exploring to do and there may be bigger/better things out there!  For now, we'll start with Whistler though.

Anyway, today came a very fun invitation...a couple moms (plus kids and hubbies) I met are going to one of their vacation homes in Whistler for the long weekend and invited us!  Well, that's a no-brainer - I cancelled our hotel room with the quickness.  We're SO excited!

I hope to have some pictures and stories (hopefully good ones) early next week.

Happy Birthday in Heaven, Mom

We sang Happy Birthday to you during lunch today and even in the middle of a tantrum shortly thereafter, Julian goes, "Nana is my friend".  I showed him pictures of the surprise birthday party we threw for you last year.  It's amazing how many changes only one year can bring...It is so great we got to celebrate with you and I am so happy Julian remembers you.

You are probably having your best birthday yet, possibly reuniting with old friends and making new friends in heaven.  I picture you playing Mahjong, just as you would over here, feasting on your favorite foods - palabok, bangus, halo-halo and even lanzones, which you could never get in America!  We have them here in Canada and when I pass them in the supermarket, I think of you.

Anyway, I know how you worry, but don't worry about us...we are doing great, living life the way you taught us how to.  We'll make sure Julian and Amélie know who you are and we'll raise them well.  Promise...

Random updates

Yesterday, we had an atypical Sunday as we chose to be the ultimate tourists and ride the hop on/hop off bus.  Note to Self:  Do not do this again with 2 kids, while hungover.  Let's just say, Julian had fun.  It was good to see other parts of the city like Gastown and the main part of Chinatown.  We've already covered the rest of it already on our own, so if anything, it was a good way to occupy Julian for 90 minutes. =)

I met this Filipino mom, who is a native Californian, awhile back.  She and her hubby had moved from NJ two years ago - he is from England, but his family resides here, so here they came.  She's been super helpful with the ins and outs of relocation, good doctors, tricks over the border, cheap supermarkets, etc.  A plus is her kids are the same ages as our kids, so instant connection.  Anyway, they live up in North Vancouver (15 minutes away, 2 blocks from Capilano Suspension Bridge) and we had dinner at their house last night.  It was nice to BBQ and they are fellow hospitality majors, so food was guaranteed to be good =)  It is interesting that only 15 minutes from downtown, they have bears climbing into their backyard!


Amélie had her first major milestone today (Monday) - rolled over from back to tummy (right side) and now she does it every time we lay her on her back.  Sigh.  I remember when Julian used to do this in the middle of the night, get stuck on his face and woke himself up...Boy, I can't wait for tonight.


Oh - and Julian knows how to blow his nose now!  The things in life that excite us as we grow older :P