awhile ago, we got our zoo membership newsletter which gave us an opportunity to view the new panda bears and exhibit the day before they were to greet the public. i jumped at this opportunity since it would mean that we wouldn’t be competing with the usual zoo crowd.

i was even more pleasantly surprised when i went online to choose our 30 minute session that there were no additional fees – just a perk for being a member!

er shun (the female) and da mao (the male) were just adorable! but man, do they eat a lot of bamboo!

da mao, leaning and eating

saturday morning, doug and chaeli surprised me with ‘tea for two’ (or three in our case) at one of my favourite haunts, the old curiosity tea shop. the food is still amazing and the tea – yeah, good stuff!

tea for two, please!

that same afternoon, we finally got a chance to see iron man 3 and i must say, it redeemed itself from the 2nd movie. not that i hated the 2nd movie – but it’s my least favourite of all iron man movies and even all avenger movies.

sunday morning, doug cooked up some fluffy pancakes – as usual, i had to have some berries to go with my brunch. the black berries and strawberries are not in season here just yet so we caved and bought some that came from the states. not my ideal choice – i would rather buy frozen canadian berries to support our agriculture but a whole month of frozen berries has done me in. i was craving the fresh stuff.

we didn’t want to waste such a beautiful sunny day so we piled ourselves into the car and drove to the rouge valley for a hike towards the wetland area. upon passing the zoo, we immediately were relieved to have had a chance to see the panda bears when we did. as saturday and sunday was the opening weekend for the panda exhibit, even the over-flow parking areas were almost completely filled up.

little miss in the little creek

our hike lead us to the rouge creek and back. hobbes had a great time walking mostly off-leash. as it was his 3rd birthday this past weekend, he also got treated to a couple of t-bone steaks (just the bone part).

we missed doug on monday since he had to work. it’s not so bad because i know he’s doing something he loves for a living – and helping people out there.  but of course i still wished we could have had him for the entire long weekend.

still, it was a wonderful time spent with one another. after i spent the early morning working out and then going through chaeli’s summer clothes (and collecting all the clothes we wanted to donate – 3 garbage bags; most of it were chaeli’s old clothes), chaeli and i spent most of the afternoon watching a series of romantic comedies – maid in manhattan, back-up plan and 27 dresses. i have to admit that this is a very fun age – she’s got that perfect mix of geek and girl-fun. from comic books and superhero movies to chick flicks and manicures!

as she gets older, i hope to introduce her to vampires.

it was a very nice, albeit cold, weekend. friday night, we went to oakville to hang with ada and hoa. they took us to a burger restaurant known for their 100+ choices, which was just in walking distance.

a good thing – we needed that walk back just to help digest those crazy burgers! the chain is called the works. and while it’s a carnivore’s heaven, there’s the option of subbing the beef burger for chicken. and a huge selection of vegetarian options (especially the ones featuring a portobello mushroom as the core).

sunday morning, i was prepared for the feasts (yes – plural) ahead of me so i woke up to start my workouts (yes, once again, plural) at 7am. i started with the p90x strength circuit training, chest, delts and triceps, and after a 15 minute rest to re-hydrate and take hobbes out on his potty break, i finished off with a really strong ashtanga vinyasa / power yoga session. i was half way through when doug came home from his shift.

with flowers and fresh berries from the store on the way home, him and chaeli made me a cinnamon bread french toast and breakfast sausage brunch. with blueberries and my favourite, blackberries! oh… and very good coffee!

later that day, we went up to my parents’ place and basically, ate some more. i also treated myself to THREE gin & tonics.

apparently, there’s more, though. while sunday at my parents place was nice for all, i really needed a day for just the three of us and was a bit bummed not to get it. especially as i had a very early morning Monday – had traveled for work to the states – coming home later than usual to boot.

they’re taking me out this weekend. i’m not being told where… just whether i want my brunch on saturday or sunday. so… i suppose there will be a post-mother’s day celebration to follow.

it’s been a very long time since we returned to one of my childhood haunts, silver snail, and in fact, the last time i was there was at their old, orginal location with chaeli. she was quite young at the time. the visit was also very short – not knowing how to read (or the importance of the comic book world and superheros), she wasn’t that interested in what the store had to offer.

but she’s twice the age as that last time. and she now totally gets the whole superhero universe. so, after sleeping in, stretching out with some gentle, vinyasa yoga, we drove to the library to drop up some books and pick up ones that were on hold, then drove to the subway station to take the tube downtown.

first, we stopped at mr. greenjeans for lunch where i fulfilled my craving for a light, seared, tuna sandwich (sushi grade so kept nicely rare inside). then out to the streets we went where it didn’t take long to find the new location of my beloved comic book store.

waiting for fries!

unlike the last time, chaeli was totally mesmerized. she went right to the newly released section and started to flip through a comic book right away. i took a photo of her (below) to email to right there and then.

a geek in training

she ended buying five teen titan comics and well, i have to admit that i miss the old pricing from back when i was her age. at an average of $3.50 per comic book, i was looking at close to $20 for those five after tax!

we also looked around at all the toys hanging on the walls. we stopped at a miniature gremlim.

“what’s that?” she asked.

“oh… it’s a gremlin,” i answered with nostalgia, “it’s from this movie from when i was your age… they stay cute like this but turn into that if you don’t take care of it properly.” i said this last part while pointing to the evil gremiln at the bottom row.

“what do you meant?” what do you do to turn it into that?”

“umm… don’t feed it? or something like that…. no water… or light… i think it’s that you can’t feed it…”

“don’t feed it after midnight,” one of the young, male store employees interjected.

“that’s right… you can’t feed it after midnight! thank you!” and to myself, i’m thinking, how does this guy now? he wasn’t even born when the movie came out!

but it didn’t stop there. store employee girl #1 said, “you can’t get them wet or they will multiply…” and store employee girl #2 added, “and they don’t like like – it hurts them.”

then the two girls went into a discussion about how the light kills them but the first girl said that it only hurts them. yet, apparently as explained by girl #2, in the sequel, it kills them.

at this point, i’m thinking, there was a 2nd movie?

and these people are all half my age.

at the same time, their friendliness, willing to help and total geek-like nature made me just love them all! while my knowledge about all things 80′s-geek is a bit rusty, i had this feeling that i was right at home.

[note to my friend, B: if you ever go to silver snails don't ever admit you have no idea what a flux capacitor is! you'll make the entire place fall into a deep silence. they might have to ask you to leave the store.]

it was a very cool little adventure with my little miss. she’s reading her very first comic book now. and is already asking when we’ll be going back for more.

sunday morning, chaeli and i woke up at an ungodly hour in order to get doug across the city so he could join wah for their very first half marathon (and marathon of any kind). ada was there too. and i have to admit, i probably would not have dragged myself out of bed at 4:45 am if it weren’t for the fact that ada would be there to kill time for a couple of hours.

after the guys went off to check in, ada, chaeli and i went to a cora’s close by the start line. one thing about cora is that it opens early – but even still, we were waiting in the parking lot for about 10 minutes for it to open at 7am. but we got the early bird special! can’t say i’ve ever had that before (you need to order before 8am to take advantage of this marked-down menu – and seeing as how i usually only go to cora’s on a weekend, there’s no way i would get there before 8am voluntarily).

we then went to park our car at a community centre just 3 km from the finish line. the idea to take the shuttle bus didn’t seem appeasing to either of us so we walked down (note: my only exercise for the day – no guilt, either, as my husband was in the middle of his 21 km run).

i’ve never been to a marathon of any kind before so it was quite exciting to walk along the lake shore next to the path of runners – we arrived just as the first group of them started to breeze through. the spirit and excitement was exhilarating!

both wah and doug came below what they expected as far as time. wah at 1 hr 42 min and doug at 2 hr 10 min. doug wasn’t going for time as much as just wanting to complete his first 1/2 marathon. we were all very proud of both of them. completing it is an amazing feat – one i’ll never do!

afterwards, as we accompanied the guys slowly to the shuttle buses, we were all looking forward for some food. brunch for the two runners and well, as ada, chaeli and i already had breakfast type food, lunch or snacks for us gals.

we ended up at this really neat little cafe called Kerr Street Cafe. i ordered their fish burrito and it was heaven. served with my favourite type of salad leaves – argula with a light lemon vinaigrette, the burrito was quite large and the fish was quite hearty. yet, i wasn’t left feeling overly full – it was a perfect amount. i also had been craving some type of fish taco or burrito, too. at around the same price, i could have satisfied my craving at Mucho Burrito, close to where i live, but their portions are tiny and the amount of fish is quit small in comparison to what i got at Kerr Street Cafe – plus this cafe’s ingredients were fresh.

the coffee was to die for. i got this type of coffee known as “long black” which is sort of like a reverse americano in how it is prepared. the flavour was both strong and smooth – not always an easy combination to achieve. a lot of people think of strong coffee needing to have a really harsh edge to it. not at all true if you’re going for the quality stuff – it can be very smooth in taste.

all in all, it was a beautiful weekend. the sun was out and the days were long. it actually felt more like summer than spring – especially as both weekend afternoons had that lazy-patio feel.

i said, “i guess he does. i think he looks better in them!”

“i don’t like him in glasses.”

“did you know that auntie cathy loves adam levine?”

“i like him too!”

“yeah, but auntie cathy thinks he’s SEXY**!”

*surprised look from chaeli*

“what… you think he’s sexy, too? do you like him the way auntie cathy likes him?”

“ah hahahha! nooooo… ha ha ha!”

“oh… you’re embarrassed. that’s okay, we can talk about it later.”

“hahaha! i don’t want to talk about it later! hahaha-haaaa!”

chaeli was laughing so hard she almost had trouble breathing.

i continued teasing her as she went up the stairs to get ready for bed. she had to lie down until she was able to contain herself.

it was awesome.

then she asked, “did you want to marry a SEXY man, mommy?”

i replied, “i did… i married daddy!”

“ah ha ha ha! daddy’s not sexy! ewww… that’s gross! hahaha!”

**it should be pointed out that in no time, did my friend cathy, ever admit to thinking adam levine is sexy – perhaps just a small crush on the man but that is all. i added the whole ‘sexy’ bit because i knew it would make chaeli uncomfortable. and it makes for a better blog post.

just a few days before the memorial for our dear, long-time family friend, known as uncle DY to me, he had a massive stroke. everything happened so quickly – both the shock accompanied by man different types of emotions were making it a difficult week for all.

in the end, all i can say is that we lost a great family man and amazing friend (my father’s best friend for 50+ years). a lot of people were at his memorial and chinese dinner reception afterwards. i know the gathering of so many people who’s lives were touched by uncle DY, would have made him very happy. he would not have wanted it any other way.

as the week went by, i found myself thinking about uncle DY quite a bit.

while still sad that he left us so soon and unexpectedly, i draw on his words of wisdom to help myself be more patient and hopefully, to be a better friend, parent and family member. his aim was to basically have a “fat life” and to be a good person.

no doubt, he achieved both of those goals. and i believe his spirit will live on strongly through our own practice in the philosophies he followed.

it’s been three years since she’s been back at my gym but yeah… she still remembers me.

i was working out on one of the cardio machines the other day and she took one of the same ones two down from me. thank god she didn’t plant herself right beside me.

i wasn’t sure if it was her or not. it’s hard, actually, not to miss her. but like i said, i haven’t seen her for 3 years so i didn’t completely trust my memory.

and if it weren’t for the fact that she would turn to stare at me, just like before, at least 7 or 8 times, i would have assumed it was just some one else that resembled her.

in the change room, i undressed and wrapped my towel around me as i made my way for a quick rinse. as i turned, i heard, “you’ve lost a lot of weight.”

oh no.

i didn’t have to turn around to know it was her. all doubt of whether or not eddie-the-stalker was back went out the window right there and then. i was so desperate not to have to talk to her that i actually looked around hoping the comment was made to anyone else there. but the fellow gym-goers just smiled back at me as if to say, “yes… she’s talking to you. and congrats – some one noticed you’ve lost weight. isn’t that nice?”

and i so wanted to say back to them, “oh my god please help me i don’t want to talk to this lady!”

so i mumbled a thank-you and made like i was in a rush. in my mind, i was also thinking, yes. i know you’ve noticed i’ve lost weight. you used this tactic 3 years ago when you last tried to befriend me.

eddie then proceeded to ask the exact same questions as she did the very first time she tried to talk to me. like before, she wanted to know my secret. she wanted to know what else i did, if i used weight watchers.

she wanted to know if it was just coming to the gym that worked for me.

i felt like saying, “well for starters, i come to the gym CONSISTENTLY rather than every 3 years!” but no. i don’t want her to come to the gym consistently.

so i said something to deflate any hopes that she can even begin to do what i do and said, “nope. i workout at home. military-style training. really hard. this is just to pass time.”

i heard her say, “oh” as i was turning to go, sounding disappointed.

guilty pleasures no. 60.

ahh… my summer friend. he’s coming for a visit in a couple of weeks. right as the weather gets warmer

read more about this refreshing guilty pleasure…

i was very tempted in ordering this but my gut instinct was to give their smoked trout omelette a try. and i was not disappointed at all. in fact, i don’t recall such a good omelette!

we’ll be heading back to this restaurant again… and again! the aim is to try everything on their menu at least once.

view from their seats

the husband of our friends, who happens to be my director, had two company tickets for the next day – toronto blue jays versus the new york yankees! doug and i have had these seats a couple of times in the past so we fully knew the view was going to be outstanding. but as there were only two tickets, i told doug to take chaeli since she’s been wanting to go for the past couple of years.

new blue jays fan in the making

luckily, chaeli’s first game resulted in a win for our team – 8 to 4. and daddy could not resist buying her her very first team baseball cap. he got one himself and i’m trying to forget that we now have $60 less in our pockets (not including the cracker jack, cotton candy, water and beer – all these things are so much more jacked up in price at a game!) but it was a great day and chaeli scored amazing seats for her first game.

to just back-track a bit, doug, chaeli and i also took hobbes back to high park after brunch with our friends, since barque was only a few minutes away. it gave hobbes a chance to burn out some of his canine energy and for the rest of us to walk off our brunch. the day was windy but the walk along the leash-free trail was nice. plus chaeli got another chance to visit the high park zoo.

as mentioned the other day, we had moose steak for dinner. doug’s had moose meat before but it was a first for me (and chaeli… and yes, hobbes, too). i have been wanting to try moose meat for awhile now. i’ve tried many other types of meat such as reindeer, elk, alligator, snake, frog legs, shark (not fins – actual shark meat), sea turtle (farmed, not the endangered type), bison, buffalo, ostrich and chocolate covered cricket. moose was definitely up their on my priority list.

it was a great way to end another wonderful weekend.