Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

My beautiful and precious nieces, and Ethan's cousins, Ellie Nur and Carmel.

My sister and the girls are all about fun and learning. And by the looks of many pictures I have seen of them, they especially love to dress up.

This week the girls, mom, dad and grandma, are going to Australia (Sydney) to see some friends. Then, in only two short weeks, grandma and papa joon will come and visit us and meet their very first grandson for the very first time. How exciting for Ethan - having all four of his grandparents visit him (God willing).

I hope to post more news and pictures of my fabulously talented young nieces in the future.

I do, however, need to come up with a better way of calling Shar, Babak, Kelly, myself and all grandparents involved. We all seem to share the names "mom" and "dad" and my blog entries are likely confusing to everyone but me :-p So, from here on in, I will be using names as much as possible, with all respect to everyone of course.

Happy and safe travels dear ones in far-off, beautifully exotic, New Zealand (tisk tisk)...

Auckland Marathon 2006

Congrats to my sister who completed the Auckland half-marathon. HIP HIP HOORAY!

Shar completed her run in under 3 hours (which was her goal for the event). She was congratulated at the finish line by mom, Babak, Carmel and Ellie Nur. This was Sharon's FOURTH half marathon - she also ran in Delta (British Columbia, 1999), Atlanta (Georgia, 2001) and Toronto (Ontario, 2004).

Keep it up!

BOO! (Noomie Coming Through!)

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN!!

Ethan dressed up as a baby tiger... for all of five minutes while mom and dad helped me take pictures of him. Ethan was much happier out of the costume than in, but he was a good sport through it all. Afterwards, he was rewarded with some play time in his floor gym.



Tonight, we went out for dinner at Red Lobster - Endless Shrimp was still on the menu and so you know dad and I just had to partake. We just kept the plates coming, neither of us backing down, both holding our own, until, agreed by us both, we concluded with a final plate of fried shrimp, and the feasting came to an end.

I must say, had dad gone on to another plate, I probably would have weakened. Phew! The man can eat! (but I offered him pretty stiff competition too). :-p



And to finer palates. The ladies (mom and Kelly) wanted none of the all-you-can-eat nonsense. Instead, mom decided on Grilled Salmon and Jumbo-Shrimp-On-Skewer in a sweet and spicy pineapple glaze, and Kelly went for the no-fail Fish-n-Chips (aka Flounder with a bit of broccoli and tartar sauce) - oh how my many British friends would cry. But Kelly has this ability of making anything she eats, seem better than yours, and quite honestly, my popcorn shrimp seemed less and less appealing compared to Dr. K's Flounder over there.



Back at home, we managed to get a couple brave little trick-or-treaters. We didn't really plan Hallowe'en all that well this year, and so we really missed all the young children in the neighborhood in their costumes asking for candy. Now, we are left with about 5 pounds of candy, which will likely remain untouched until next year.

Transporter 2 (the movie) from Netflix arrived. Perhaps dad and I will wind down the night watching this movie, while Kelly (actually already fast asleep) and mom will prepare for a quiet evening with some much needed sleep.

Mall Ratz

Today, "the fam" went out, on a brilliantly sunny and mild day, to the Streets of Southpoint, to hang out at the mall. Here are some pics we took today. Dad and I hung out at the Fork In The Road cafe while mom and Kelly made their way to the Family Restroom to feed and change Ethan. Apparently, the FR at Southpoint Mall is quite posh. (at least compared to the one at Cary Town Center mom and Kelly used yesterday).

Dad and I were doing a bit of research ourselves. At the FITR cafe, employees hand out free samples of their menu items to mall-go-ers, luring them. We observed that roughly 6/10 persons who try a free sample from a given food vendor end up giving their business to them. Quite a good tactic actually. That value (60%) would be higher if Dad and I bought anything after sampling a few items ourselves. :-) Well, to our defense, we did just eat at home, and so we bought a drink instead (dad, a coffee; myself, a Sprite).













Later in the evening, Scott and Rosa dropped by to say hey, and to catch up. Mom cooked up some green bean pudding for dessert. Not sure Scott really appreciated the unique flavour ( :-p ) although he was very gracious and polite. Instead, I hooked him up with a fool-proof, double-churned, vanilla ice cream with double chocolate and caramel syrup. Yea that hit the spot, right, S? Rosa was more than used to asian desserts, and finished her helping pretty happily.





Amani was also in the neighborhood and dropped by to see us... ahem... Ethan.

Tomorrow will be even warmer than today. We may go to Maple View Farms for some made-from-scratch ice cream (if they are even open this time of the year).

Mr. Cranky Pants, Mr. Fussy Pot

Lately, Ethan has been pretty colicky. Crying, whining, until and unless he is carried and rocked and sung to :-) I mean, who wouldn't want all the love and attention? So, we've cheekily called him by two nicknames: Mr. Cranky Pants and Mr. Fussy Pot. Still, he is so noomie you just want to eat him up.

Today, Ethan's social security card arrived. So, Dad and I went to the bank to open a savings account for Ethan, and dad also managed to do some shopping at the local asian store. It has been pouring all day, so we tried to keep our outdoor errands to a minimum, and we hurried back home.

Oh yea... one other nickname we use for Ethan is - Mr. Tomato Head. We call him this name because in his effort to poop or pass gas, his face becomes completely contorted, and his whole head a dark red. Yea, I even call him, Mr. Gassy Man, sometimes.



For lunch, Kelly's mom cooked Kung Pao chicken. It was really spicy. Dad and I got our butts kicked with the red chilli peppers, while mom calmly removed the seeds from within each chilli, and ate only the roasted skin for flavour. Kelly played it safe and put all the chillis on her plate to the side.

Our next Netflix movie will be Transporter 2. Hopefully it will arrive by Monday.

Akeelah And The Bee

Yea, cool, feel-good movie.

Expected Due Date

October 26th. Today was supposed to be Ethan's expected due date. Instead, he is now nearly 5 weeks old. And he weighs near 8lbs. He is also 2 inches taller - now 20". Still, he only just barely makes the growth chart for boys here in the U.S. (bottom 5% percentile). But mom and dad are not complaining. Ethan is growing just nicely.

So not much else going on today. This is not true for my sister, who this weekend is going to run in a half-marathon in Auckland (NZ). This will be her FOURTH at this distance - Delta, Atlanta, Toronto and Auckland! I am so proud of you! Perhaps I will use you as motivation to train for one myself. Funny, I was always the runner in the family, but I have not run in any distances longer than 10k. And I could barely run 5k without stopping right now for sure. So, things are going to have to change.

Lots of things to look forward to in November though!

November 11th - Birth of Baha'u'llah Celebration
November 13th - Max's parents in town
November 21st - Kelly and Max's 2-year wedding anniversary
November 23rd - U.S. Thanksgiving

And in December, we have my mom coming back for a couple months (until Feb), Shar, Babak and the girls (Carmel and Ellie Nur), Kelly's younger sister, Adeline, and maybe even cousin Ah Chiet, all will visit us in December, hopefully. How exciting!

Rolly Polly Baby

[anonymous, rolly polly baby]

So Kelly was closest. No surprise there.

Well, actually, Kelly's mom was off by a hair (for a draw). Ethan weighed in at 3545g or 7lbs 13.2oz. Kelly's guess: 3500g. Mom's guess: 3600g. But I was there. I witnessed the weighing. And the scale teetred back and forth between 3545 and 3550 grams before setting on the former. If it were not for the diaper change BEFORE the clinic visit, Kelly's mom would have won! :-p

Dad and I were far, far off. Not surprising again. So Ethan's not exactly rolly polly by any means, yet, but gaining weight well.

Ethan's next visit - his two month check up - is on November 20th. Any guesses now, for what Ethan will weigh then?? Hopefully close to, if not more than, 10lbs! (again perhaps too ambitious)

To Capture A Smile

Ethan is all smiles in this picture. But it was not always so. And an equally difficult feat to capture his smile in camera. I took about a dozen photos in a span of 40 seconds to get this one. Kelly's dad has an even better one that I will download from his camera.

Tomorrow, Ethan has his one month checkup. Already one month old (and some change), Mom, Dad, Kelly and I are trying to guess his weight. Below are our guesses:

Dad - 3800g (8lbs 6oz)
Mom - 3600g (7lbs 15oz)
Max - 3720g (8lbs 3oz)
Kelly - 3500g (7lbs 11.5oz)

FYI I guessed my 3720g before Mom and Dad made their guesses :-p

We shall see who's closest... hopefully, it will be Dad (we all want Ethan to gain as much as possible these days)... although realistically, Kelly's or Mom's estimate is likely closest...

Dad is now saying, "weigh him after a nappy change" ;?)

Sympathy Weight

[Kure Beach, North Carolina, 2004]

I think I may have put on some weight. (a collective "no, really?" from the family in the background... gee thanks!) This picture was taken over two years ago, when Kelly and I were still dating, and I probably weighed around 165 lbs. The belly was still in check. Barely. Some have six-packs, I had (have) a one-pack. :-)

But ever since Kelly was pregnant with Ethan, I have put on even more weight. Some call the weight gained by the partner of a pregnant woman "sympathy weight" - a way of saying to your (pregnant) partner, "look, I'm getting bigger too".

Well, nearly 5 weeks since Ethan was born, Kelly has already lost upwards of 20 lbs. And she is going to lose more since the natural physiological reaction of the body to breast-feeding is such. (plus Kelly does not eat nearly as much as I do).

So can I ask some sympathy weight from others now? Probably not. I am probably on my own here, huh? Kelly's dad is even resorting to making me "Chinese Tea" to help me lose weight :-) Thanks, Dad. Appreciate it!

So just how heavy am I? Not anything ginormous by any means. I weigh in, at my heaviest, at a hearty 178 lbs. Being only 5 foot 8 inches tall (on a good day :-p ) this means my BMI (body mass index) is 25.8 (I think) - making me "overweight". (BMI >30 is considered obese).

Kelly attributes my weight gain to three main things: (1) portion size, (2) food choices and (3) empty calories from juices/sweet drinks. I would be first to agree to those, but also tack on a (4) decrease in physical activity.

With the holiday season yet ahead, I would only be setting myself up for disappointment by pledging to reduce food intake. (it's hard enough to just drink water than flavoured liquid of sorts). Hopefully, I can start with slowly curbing my juice intake, and work my way to portion size and food choices, all the while increasing my physical activities again.

I went for a run this afternoon to get the ball rolling. Not a great day for a run. It was so chilly that my face, ears, throat, and lungs were just aching from the cold air. Never an easy task to get going with a personal plan to change one's lifestyle. I will keep this up hopefully.

And perhaps, with the Baha'i month of Fasting (fast) approaching - ok that was cheesy - I will make more headway in my attempts to tackle (1) and (2).

Baha'is fast from March 2nd to the 20th (19 days in total), where we abstain from food and drink between daylight hours (between sunrise and sunset each day). March 21st marks the begining of the New Year (Naw Ruz) and also coincides with the start of Spring.

Mummy The Chef

Yesterday was a pretty crummy day weather-wise, and so for the most part we stayed indoors... Or at least Kelly, Ethan and I stayed indoors, while Mom and Dad braved the inclement weather and went for a 2-hour walk down the American Tobacco Trail to the Southpoint Crossing shopping center.

Having gone to the Grande Asian Market the other day, and Sam's and Kroger days before, we had A LOT of food at home that we needed to consume. Not to worry - although Kelly was already freaking out about the sheer amount of food that we (I) had amassed and that would go to waste if we did not start eating 'em all - we had a real chef right here at home.





I cannot even accurately remember when what dish was cooked first. I do remember Uncle Mike dropping by to say hello and see Ethan. We then had a late lunch with Mike enjoying Char Kway Teow (Malaysian - specifically Penang - flat noodle dish) and another dish with Glass Noodles, both care of Kelly's mom of course.

That evening (last night) we watched 7th Heaven on CW and had Sago pudding with Gula Mulaka and coconut milk sauce (home made!) and fried plantains with brown sugar for dessert. The tapioca pearls used for the Sago pudding were not the ideal small ones typical for this dessert - the GAM did not have any in stock. Instead, we bought an Indian (Indonesian??) alternative that totally expanded in water, so each pearl was really really huge.





OK so that was all last night.

This morning, for lunch, Mom was cooking up a storm. OK, quite literally. Every inch of counterspace was used for finely chopped ingredients in bowls all ready to be perfectly added to a dish being cooked. The entire house smelled like garlic and chopped onions and other Chinese herbs and sauces of which I do not know the names. But hey, you put up with the sniff, if you want to have the yum. (I just coined that saying - copyright!)



And yum.... ohhh... yum, was truly had. Dining out, it seems, has taken a back seat to dining IN. And Kelly is pleased we have managed to use a huge portion of the groceries we bought this past week. And when mom (Kelly) is happy, everyone is happy, right, Ethan?? :-p

We had a fish (Pomfret) dish with Shitake mushrooms, Chinese greens (Gailan) in Oyster sauce with spring onions and fried garlic for garnish, and Silken Tofu (I know nothing more of this dish, so need to ask Kelly's mom).

Although chilly, Kelly's mom and dad are now going out for a walk. They are quite good about walking it seems. Perhaps I will end this blog entry now and go for a walk with them.

Mom is already talking about cooking curry chicken for tomorrow! :-)

One Month Old

Last night, Kelly's dad arrived in Raleigh-Durham, after a trip that started in Haifa (Israel) exactly 24 hours prior. There was some mix-up and delay with Dad's connecting fiight in Newark, but all baggages (and Dad) arrived safely - rather, Dad (and all baggages) arrived safely :-)

Well this morning, Ethan turned one month old. He had some early visitors. My co-workers Hiromasa and Ying came by to see Ethan. They brought with them gifts of toys and clothes. (many thanks!!!) Ying just absolutely adored little Ethan, always repeating "so cute, so cute". Athough he was a bit cranky at first (sleepy), he quickly warmed to Auntie Ying, and feel asleep in her arms. Uncle Hiromasa was content to just watch as Ethan made his little noises, and slept some.






Later for lunch, the family (Mom, Dad, Kelly, Ethan and I) went out to the Grande Asian Market. This was a treat for Dad also, who we were celebrating a belated birthday, since good Chinese food is hard to come by in Haifa, and where in Singapore he normally can get his fill just about anywhere, and in walking distance. So we celebrated Ethan's first month, and dad (grandad's) 60th. Coincidentally, both are Dogs (in Chinese calendar), and both are also Virgo. Only time will tell what special bond grandad and grandson will have.






After lunch, we did some shopping, and bought some veggies, fish, ingredients for sago pudding and gula mulaka, Chinese sausages, and other grocery items. We also went a bit crazy on the pastries which are really awesome and soft, and you just cannot find them any where closer to where we live than this (GAM) - which, in Cary, is about 30 minutes drive from us.

At the GAM we bumped into Jianwen (my former colleague in Brigid Hogan's lab) and his wife. They were there for the same reasons we were - a good lunch and some shopping.




Just before leaving the parking lot, Ethan decided that he, too, needed to have (a second) lunch, and so he was fed before we could proceed home. Hey, a happy Ethan is a happy Family :-) Those T-shirts that have messages like "I may be small, but I'm still the BOSS" are simply stating a fundamental truth of life.

Now at home, seems everyone has just resigned to their rooms for a much needed afternoon nap.

Dad? Mom? Kelly?? ... ... Ethan? ... .. Oh well, I guess I will try and get some sleep now too...

Boys Night In

Kelly and Mom went to the Durham Intercommunity Baha'i Center for the birthday of The Bab celebration. So, for the first time, it was just me and Ethan, dad and son, at home, without the women.

I can say we did just fine :-p (although I made sure Kelly brought her cell phone "just in case"). But I did not have to call her, right Ethan?

Mom and Kelly were out for a couple of hours. In that span of time, I fed Ethan twice, burped him some, changed a nappy, put him to sleep, and consoled him when he woke up 49 minutes later, cranky, and hungry :-)

With beads of sweat manifesting on my forehead, and my cell phone with quick-dial to Kelly's phone just an arm's reach away, a key was inserted into the front door of the house - Mom and Kelly were home.

My son and I bonded in these two hours. I can say we have a greater appreciation for one another. Yup, male bonding. Awesome.

NC State Fair

So we didn't partake of the Deep Fried Coca-Cola. Still, three hours and well bloated bellies later, the evening was a success.






Krishelle was particularly strategic in her game plan. First it was roasted corn (number 1) - naturally. Without missing a beat, it was chicken kebab (on skewer, not pita, for the latter is simply a filler). Genius! This maneuver made room for the funnel cake with chocolate syrup and icing sugar. Yum! Then it was roasted corn (number 2), deep fried twinkie, finished off with a deep fried onion blossom, and washed down with freshly squeezed lemonade.





Not to be outdone, Kelly and I shared in all of the above, except the twinkie, instead substituting for a deep fried Milky Way chocolate bar :-)

Jessica was bee-lining for anything salty and savoury - I approve of the Italian sausage and grilled onions! Something about it just warms the belly. And to Jessica's credit, she did have some of the funnel cake.






Thank goodness we only do this once a year. And unlike last year, we spared ourselves from viewing the freak shows like "the world's smallest woman (20 inches tall)" or "the world's largest rat (36 pounds)".

And before our evening came to an end, we stayed to watch the fireworks for a few minutes, being mindful of the traffic and crowds and thus leaving a little bit early to get to our car. We have certainly learned a few things about the State Fair, and this year, our game plan was executed superbly.

Autumn Colours

Reunion Details

Speaking of high school... I just received the details for our Class of 1996 reunion:

Terry Fox Senior Secondary School
Class of 1996
10th Year Reunion

February 24th, 2007
Carnoustie Golf Club
533 Dominion Avenue
Port Coquitlam, B.C.

6:30pm to midnight
Appetizers will be served at 7:00pm

$35.00 per person

Contact:
Erica Cardas
(604) 460-9524
foxgrad96@hotmail.com

Deadline for reservation is December 15th, 2006

Class of '96

Reading my friend Shannan's blog I couldn't help but feel nostalgic myself and compelled to blog about our high school years some. I can hardly believe it has already been 10 years since our class took our first steps into the "real world". And thinking back on my two years at Terry Fox Secondary, and earlier, my three at George Pearkes Junior (now Minnekada Middle School), I can say I had a good (high school) experience.

Now, one only ever hears about "this shooting" or "that shooting", or a "gunman opened fire at...". And this could not be further from the realms of possibility when I was in high school. I can't believe, even for our Class of 1996, I can say those days were "simpler" - sounds like something you expect your parents to say of their high school days in the 60s! But they were! I remember, the biggest "shock" or reason for mourning that ever took place may have been the sudden passing of a friend from a car accident or an unexpected suicide.

But I enjoyed reading Shan's blog entry, because it brought back a lot of memories. "HAGS" or Have a Great Summer, was as easily dispensed by friends in their yearbook comments, as were french fries for the many I knew (including myself) who worked in the fast food industry for after-school and summer jobs.

I can smile when I think of my close friends on the Tennis Team. We had a legecy didn't we?? I for one feel we (Class of '96) placed Terry Fox on the BC provincial high school tennis map. Wins were not always easy, but the sport and camaraderie we all had made for memories I will take with me forever. (oh and of which I cannot wait to share with my son when he is a bit older) :-p

But tennis was only just a part of my experience. Multicultural Club, where y'all at?? Holla back! Ha ha ha ha.. good times! And of course there was Art class and Biology and Math. Many great teachers. I wonder how they are all doing now?

Those days, I can remember truly looking up to the students more senior to me. Those were the days where students, for the most part, respected teachers, and each other. One memory I have was when my sister, Sharon, two years my senior, was a junior at Terry Fox (I was still at George Pearkes Jr.). I was roaming the halls of Terry Fox one weekend during a basketball tournament. I could hear sounds of the referees whistles, squeeking rubber shoes on the gym floor from players jostling for position, a generally low rumble in the stands, and the occasional buzzer sound from the scorer's table, all at a distance while I walked the dark hallways, not feeling alone (far from it), looking up at portraits of past years' sportsmen and women lining the tops of the lockers. I can say I looked up to those student athletes.

Looking ahead, I feel a bit uncertain for Ethan. I wouldn't mind enrolling him in schools like Terry Fox or George Pearkes, but do such schools even exist anymore? Should I consider home-schooling with the current state of our public schools? What is Montessori, and is this truly a better approach to teaching your children? Lots to read and plan about for sure.

But I look forward to hearing of a 10-year reunion. It is unlikely I will be able to attend, but there are more than a few people I would wish to hear from and know of their whereabouts.

They're Grrrrrrreat!

Today has been a pretty quiet day. Night or day, doesn't really matter. Time simply revolves around Ethan's schedule :-)

I started my day out going to Sam's and buying a few grocery items. I had to go to Target to pick up a few things not sold at Sam's and I couldn't help picking up a cool Hallowe'en costume for Ethan. Can't reveal what it is (although the title to this blog entry should give a clue). Also it is not really Hallowe'en yet, so no pictures either. (but, yes, we dressed Ethan in the costume to see just how much cuteness he oozes in this thing).

Kelly and Mom also got out today and walked around the neighborhood. The temperature these days are now more consistently chillier than usual and the air is crisp and fall-like. I did manage to take this picture of Ethan sleeping in Kelly's arms while we were walking around.

This evening was Feast - Baha'i Nineteen-day-feast. It was good to see the friends again. Everyone was hoping to see Ethan. But only I went. Kelly, Mom and Ethan remained at home. It was my first NDF in a while. I missed the past 4 or 5 due to all the travelling in August for Kelly's job interviews, and then early in September because I had to attend a regional Baha'i conference in Nashville, and then of course most recently because of Ethan's birth. Still, the friends were just shining tonight, and something about the environment at Feast - multi-racial, multi-ethnic, cross-generational - that is like no other. Truly an embodiment of what Baha'is believe in - that humanity is one family.

Then later when I got back home, I ate (a late) dinner... which (not surprisingly)... was exactly what Ethan was in need of too... like father like son :-)

'Till tomorrow...