Holiday Meals With Friends

Josie and Sarah and company invited us to join them in their Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners in their home this year. And so the turkey I had purchased to cook for Thanksgiving - all 18lbs of her - was kept frozen until this past week when Kelly and I offered to host dinner and games at our home.

It was the first time I had ever cooked a whole turkey by myself. With the help of mom's own recipe, and some searching for other "tricks" online, I pulled it off! The bird tasted pretty good! :-D Hahaha... I just wish I had taken a picture of my cooking labour prior to us all digging in.

But here's a picture of our spread after all was had.

And so with this, I would like to return the thanks to Josie and Sarah for making us feel like part of the family, and now, we truly have a family with whom we can play the many games we all enjoy!!! Hahaha.. A sort of belated Happy Thanksgiving in a way.

Here's to many special gatherings together!

Happy 2008 to all.

Feng Shui

This past weekend was all about cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.

Kelly was on call and had to field a lot of patient and hospital calls but otherwise this weekend was devoted to getting our place back in order. After some 5 weeks since we last cleaned (the floors) we decided we had not another minute to lose, and so we got to work.

And so since we were already moving furniture and stuff around to gain access to as much floor surface to clean as possible, I figured I'd go ahead and rearrange the furniture. You know, do a bit of Feng Shui.

What a difference! It always amazes me how much positive energy I receive from viewing (and occupying) our living space with slightly different positioned furniture. Try it!

I started with the living room area and ended up re-positioning all of Noomsie's furniture in his room.

The floors are spic and span, and though not any one method of cleaning floors I find spectacular for the job, I must say the whole "Swiffer" line of products really you should *not* be without. I mean, dust is dust, and sweeping with a broom just does not collect this stuff. You need something that attracts and holds the easily airborne particles. And then a good ol' fashioned mopping is needed. Voila!

And so here's to a safe and happy Holiday Season to all our friends. May the New Year bring you all much blessings.

Jetlagged & Sick

We made it back home! After some 30 hours plus of travel we made it home from Singapore to Blue Ridge. The journey, difficult enough as it is for a single, healthy person, was made that much more daunting for many reasons: (1) Ethan and Kelly were both sick, (2) we lost one seat on the return flights for Ethan and were down to two for the three of us though we paid for three seats, (3) we had 2 huge checked in luggages and 5 (five!) carry-ons (is this even allowed?) plus a stroller, (4) Blue Ridge is still a two hour drive from Atlanta after all those flight hours, and "so on and so forth" :-D

Our colleague, Renea, picked us up from the airport. Luckily she had spoken to our supervisor and colleague, Dr. Tidman, and was told by him that we would be delayed through immigration in Atlanta so to not arrive when our flight arrives but 30 minutes to an hour later. Boy was he right! And we had totally forgotten to remind Renea before we left or even while we were in Singapore that we would be delayed through immigration.

And so, we arrive in Atlanta airport, and are greeted by long lines queueing up for immigration officers. Not surprising, everything takes that much longer in the U.S. and you just can't help but harbour all these negative thoughts and feelings for why the officers take so long to do their job (compared to the many airports we had passed through on this trip in other countries). Lest, finally, it was our turn, and a cue on my passport always signals "special" - for "special registration" that is. And off we were for another hour in a smaller, stuffy room where persons born from certain countries are always detained a bit and screened. Myself, I was born in Iran - probably the *number one* country being flagged these days by the U.S.

But the veteran that I am, now having gone through this NSEERS process half a dozen times or more, I was patient and answered questions briefly and succinctly and in time was granted the stamp I needed to proceed to baggage claim. By the time we had arrived to the carrousels, the place was literally desserted. It had taken that long through immigration for me, that only our lonesomes from our flight of hundreds were left to collect luggage.

And anyone who's flown into Atlanta's Heartsfield-Jackson (??) airport knows how confusing and long the walk from baggage claim to your car can take!!

Alas we meet up with Renea who had been waiting some 30 minutes - though would have been a heck of a lot longer had she not been fortunate enough to speak to Dr. Tidman before picking us up.

Atlanta was 38F, few degrees above freezing. Penang, Malaysia was 32C (90F?). So it was a change to get used to :-P I am the type that enjoys having four seasons. I welcome cool to warm and back, but this was extreme even for my liking.

A 2 hour drive later, and we were home! Lug all our stuff and we were inside our home, but still freezing since we had put our thermostat way down while away. A few hours to warm up the whole house later, then we were fast asleep -- at 4pm! LOL

We awoke at 10:30pm, did some unpacking, ate something, went back to sleep at just past midnight or 1am. Ethan woke up (and so we all did) at 5:30am for good to start our day.

And this patterns has continued for the past couple of days, each getting slightly better and back to our regular cycle though still not right. Two days ago was bed at 6pm instead of 4pm, and waking at 12:30am, back to bed at 2:30am and up at 6am for the day. Last night was bed at 8:30pm, up at 4:00am, and well.. I'm still up and probably will be for the rest of the day today. So sort of getting back to normal, progressing 2 hours a day it seems.

Now it is my turn to be sick. I now have what Ethan and Kelly had the last few days of our trip. Funny, when I am sick and tired, it seems like I just cannot remember the last time I was healthy and without these symptoms. Sniffle, sniffle, cough, cough.

Malaysia

As we did on our '05 trip to Singapore, a major part of our journey was to meet all the relatives on both mom and dad's side of the family, who all live in Malaysia (mostly on the island city of Penang). And so this reunion also, we made our way and met all the uncles and aunts and cousins -- and of course grandparents, Ah Ma and Ah Gong.

A special trip was planned this time (which we did not have time to do in '05) to visit the village in which Ah Ma and Ah Gong live, and where Kelly's mom (and dad) grew up - Pantai Acheh. The journey to this tiny village was arduous, driving through steep mountain passageways, that are both narrow and extremely windy/curvy. Of course this made for some fantastic views of such steep mountain slopes, dressed in dense dense foliage that end only when the land dives into private coves of glassy water. But of course the reason the drive was made that much more difficult was not the mere route we took, but the fact we had a full car load - 7 adults, 3 toddlers. Fun!

And in time, we see the welcome sign to Pantai Acheh, and arrive at a humble home, decorated with lush vegetation and potted plants and flowering trees and shrubs and fruits -- Ah Gong's garden was indeed impressive, of which (no surprise) I admired greatly.

Outside this mountain village home were many fruit trees including one I recognized from my early childhood living in the Philippines -- water apples! The distinctive taste brought back long forgotten memories of the fruit (and climbing the trees) in our home in Cebu. Ah Ma and Kelly's aunts were busy collecting and cleaning the fruits, which were bagged while still on the tree, to prevent from being eaten by the many bugs and insects, but also to aid in their ripening (??).

Inside the home were family portraits and also individual portraits of Kelly's mom's siblings, parents and grandparents (Kelly's great grandparents, Ethan's great great grandparents!~). There was even a picture of Ethan on one cabinet! To think, from "far away" Blue Ridge, Georgia, USA to Pantai Acheh, Penang, Malaysia. I guess there are many evidences these days to show for the "smallness" of our world. But still amazes me.

And so compared to '05 where all I was concerned with was addressing the many relatives by their titles or family positions correctly (in Chinese!), this time around, I really enjoyed myself and evening taking initiative to have photos taken with Kelly's grandparents, and uncles and aunts. I even feel a lot closer to many of them now.

So the 5 day trip (within a trip) to Penang has been the jewel of this vacation. I am glad Ethan got to meet his great grandparents. We were unable though to have a meeting with Kelly's (paternal?) great grand aunt - Kelly's longest living relative, not necessarily by age but by generation. Had we found time to meet, Ethan would have met his great great grand aunt :-D (significant probably only in photo, as Kelly puts it, even she hardly knows her great grand aunt).

Not Much Going On

With Dad, Kelly and Ethan feeling under the weather, little has gone on the past two days. The weather has not been cooperating either, with the sun only breaking today after several days of rain (at times extremely heavy downpours). So, I have found time to sit and post several pictures on Facebook, and also blog a little.

Tonight we have another dinner planned with some family friends. We have done most of our shopping that we hoped to do on our trip, but disappointingly for me, not a lot of site seeing in Singapore -- partly because it is so difficult to get everyone ready to go anywhere (especially with three boys), partly because everyone but me has lived or grown up in Singapore and so the "downtown" or "Esplanade" or certain shopping centers are all but "been there, done that, don't really want to do that for some time to come", but also because of the weather and illness that's been going around. What ever the reason, it is quite a loooooong journey to then be cooped up at home all day, no?

There's always 2010 for the next family reunion?!

Last night, Ethan had another wheezing episode (or few) and Kelly and I had little sleep. Early this morning, mom and dad and Kelly took Ethan to the hospital to get some oral steroids to help with his breathing, as well as a nebulizer since the one we own is not portable, and we did not take with us on this trip. Personally, it has been sad and frustrating to see Ethan suffer so much. And to think this is now likely going to be a part of our everyday and travels. Ethan is doing marginally better now, and Kelly is taking a much needed nap (actually has been napping most of the afternoon now, though not without being disturbed by Ethan who wishes only to be with mama all the time). So not very restful, but at least something. Poor, Kelly!

Mom has now taken Ethan for a walk around the block.

Adeline has been working hard the past two days on completing her Master's thesis corrections.

Yuske and Michelle have been back at work the past couple of days, and the boys to school (pre-nursery for Ryu and nursery-1 for Jun), so they are gone literally the entire day until mid/late evening.

So it is looking like this vacation is coming to a halt far earlier than our return flight to the U.S. :-(

Short Blurb

Hi Everyone!

We're back in Singapore after spending the past few days in Penang (Malaysia). Kelly's relatives met Ethan for the first time. We had many dinners, shopping trips, close encounters with wreckless (Penang) drivers -- or perhaps US driving habits are simply very tame in comparison -- and 499 pictures which are downloading as I type this entry!

With one more week to go until we are back in Blue Ridge, I will be sure to post a lengthy many entries and photos.

Love y'all,
Max

"Vegas, Baby!"

Everyone seems to be saying it. :-D

Next investigator meeting will be in Las Vegas, NV! And this time, I will be able to attend! The last meeting which was sponsored by Roche was held at the Ritz Carlton in Key Biscayne, FL. I missed that opportunity for family reasons. And now, I get to go to the Regeneron meeting which will be at the Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort (Jan 10/11, 2008). Kelly had the opportunity to go since she will be sub-investigator for our site for this study, but someone's got to be with Noomsie. Instead, it will be the boss (Ray) and I.

USD v CAD

The US dollar is back on top! Hahaha... For the first time in nearly two months (the Loonie took over the US dollar on October 4, 2007) the American buck is worth more. The fluctuation of world currency probably means that soon after I write this entry, the Loonie would have edged ahead again, but so be it. At least levels are more or less on par now, compared to a month ago when on November 7th the Canadian dollar was worth more than $1.10 USD!~ (a record high). This does not mean that the US economy is doing any better. At least all the news you hear or read depict a grim outlook especially with the housing market at an all time low, and consumer spending this holiday season expected to be the lowest in years. But I am optimistic a rebound is around the corner! Crazy, but I've been following this currency tug-of-war DAILY for the past two months. Obsessed, I know. I get my world currency rates from www.xe.com which updates every few seconds!

Mountain Medical Potluck

We leave for Singapore in three days, and we have a lot to do before then.

Work aside, we have to: (1) find a new home for Sparky (and permanently since we think Ethan is allergic to her) and (2) prepare to host our colleagues and work friends for a potluck dinner at our home (yes, the night before we leave!). Pretty crazy, I know. But we have more or less packed for our trip already. Toiletries and the usual chargers for cell phones and the like for which we will be using up to the point we leave our home, remains to be added to our luggage.

It will be nice to host our co-workers in our home. Kelly and my contribution to the potluck will be Adobo (chicken) and Islanboli pollo (Persian tomato rice dish -- with green beans, and with or without meat).

Josie and Renea have kindly offered to bring us to and from the airport. So we're pretty much all set to go. Will add photos after we return from our trip on Dec 16th.

More Photos!

A DVD full of photos arrived in the mail! Thanks, Mom and Shar! I have uploaded several onto My Picasa, although it crashed on me several times due to our weak wireless internet connection upstairs. And I have noticed, viewing the pictures that were uploaded successfully, that some others have indeed been missed. I will have to delete some photos before uploading the rest though since I am running out of space on My Picasa. (already used up 90% of 1,024MB). They keep expanding the space given on the these free photo sites but setting a limit is just never a good idea (never enough space I say :-P ). So thanks, Mom, and though some repeat, I hope y'all enjoy!

Sharks! Whales! (And An Emergency Hospital Visit?) -- Oh My!

What a trip. Total exhaustion. It all started with Ethan wheezing early Friday morning. His breathing was so laborious that Kelly was actually worried and wanted to take him in to Fannin's (Regional Hospital) Emergency. We were thinking of cancelling our trip altogether. We had booked into the Glenn Hotel and already had tickets for the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coke museum. But Noomsie was sick.

So we took our time getting ready, to see if Ethan's condition would improve and whether or not he could take a 2 hour drive to the big city. And actually, if he could, then we would rather take him to Scottish Rite, a children's hospital in Atlanta. And so Kelly administered a medication using a nebuliser (a piece of equipment that aerosolizes a liquid medication to be breathed in). This usually helps Noomz with his breathing, and it did the trick, though to last for the duration of the car ride we were not sure.

But with Ethan seeming his usual self and breathing with less "effort" we decided ok we will take to the road.

Just minutes into our trip Ethan fell asleep, but his breathing had returned to wheezing (Kelly had her stethoscope on hand and was checking Noomsie periodically). So our first destination was going to be the ER at Scottish Rite. There, Noomz got a double dose of some steroid and other breathing treatment (again through a nebulizer) and had a chest X-ray taken. He was also given Motrin for his fever which was at 102.2F. His X-ray was clear and so no worries of pneumonia or other. We arrived at the ER around 11:30am and we were not discharged until nearly 4pm. So a good start to our trip (spending hours in a hospital)! But all for Ethan as he is our precious.

His usually smiley self, I couldn't help but take some pictures of him in his baby hospital "gown". I am just glad he is doing better, though still sick, but not seriously, and quite manageable for now. We know he will suffer from asthma (if not these string of wheezing episodes are already alluding to) since both mom and dad have had asthma as kids and both grandfathers currently have this respiratory ailment. But we hare hopeful that Ethan will outgrow it somewhat.

Not taking any chances, we bought an air purifier and a new humidifier for his room.

Once we were discharged from the ER and on our way, we decided to check into our hotel room. The Glenn Hotel is smack in downtown ATL and very close to our other destinations for this trip -- namely the "largest aquarium in the world" (the Georgia Aquarium) and the museum that is all about "happiness", the Coca-Cola museum (or the World of Coke museum).

First we went to the G.A. It was huge, but to be honest, the Singapore aquarium seemed more "grand". For some reason, the G.A. did not really live up to my expectations, though some tanks were downright enormous -- have to be in order to hold whales I suppose.

Ethan was out asleep the entire time we were there, which was unfortunate. He woke up when Kelly and I were nearly through the gift shop on our way out. So we decided to turn back and have Ethan go through one (of the many) section to at least see a few aquatic animals.

After the aquarium we rushed to meet up with my aunt Tita Flong and her friend, Chari, for lunch at the Hong Kong Harbour restaurant. A typical "hole-in-the-wall" type of restaurant, where the quality of food is far more invested than the surrounding decor, we enjoyed dim sum while Ethan made sure to make more work for the restaurant staff by ripping any piece of paper or napkin he could get his hands on.

My camera had run out of batteries but luckily, through eating lunch and waiting some, the battery "recharged" enough somehow to take one more picture before dying again. We new the picture was taken since the flash went off, but we could not even turn the camera on again to check to make sure.

So no batteries and no camera and still had the Coke museum to go to, and Ethan was awake. All in accordance with this trip I suppose -- nothing going as planned that is. And already I have plenty of pictures of fishes and sharks and jelly fish from our Singapore trip of '05. Why did I not save my battery!!! Aahhhh.. so frustrating. So anyways, again waiting to recharge a batter, I managed to capture the large coke bottle on the top of the museum. Check My Picasa.

But totally useless trip in terms of memorable pictures, though it was so nice to see Tita Flong and Chari and to spend time with them, and for them to see Ethan for the first time too! They both agreed Ethan looks more like Kelly.

And so I got progressively ill as the trip went on. Very chilly and damp, and not a great time to be sick and around a lot of people. But heck, trips we seldom take so darn it, we were going somewhere.

We did do shopping as planned, and bought a Zanzibar (safari-theme) small table and two chairs for Ethan -- toddler furniture -- and a toy chest also the Zanzibar theme. We bought tofu for Ah Ma and some other gifts for the boys when we go to Singapore. (which is in 6 days!)

I bought Kelly some Givenchy earings and Dior (Miss Cherie) perfume and gift set from Macy's -- belated anniversary present. And so shopping-wise this trip was as planned. But the crowds and traffic were almost more than we could handle given our congested heads and stuffy noses.

Back at home, we've been unpacking, getting rid of garbage and packaging and now cleaning and going to pack. Let's hope we can kick all this sickness before our flight!

Thanksgiving Dinner With Molly & Cupid

[the giant pumpkin weighs 479lbs]

Dinner this evening was far better today (than last night). We ate around 2PM. Thanksgiving dinner was held at Josie's place, and it was a good old fashioned turkey spread with all the fixin's and even a dash of eastern european flavours. A long dining table seating some 18 friends, gathered and shared grace, good food and better company.

To work off the meal we had just ingested, some of us went down to the barn to visit donkey sisters, Molly and Cupid. Click the link to My Picasa (on right) to find more photos ("Thanksgiving 2007").

It was pretty chilly out today (and damp -- we had several thunderstorms all night last night) and so back indoors we had hot drinks and dessert waiting. We played games including Catch Phrase and Apples to Apples.

What a warm evening shared by a gathering of friends!! Thanks Josie & Co!

Brasstown Baby Bust

Our anniversary dinner at the Brasstown Valley Resort in Young Harris was not exactly what I had hoped it would be. But babies as they have the natural tendency and ability to do, they steal all of your time and attention. And so our dinner was quick and was the typical struggle to feed Ethan (when there were so many other distractions to occupy his interest). Dinner was a buffet, though they did have various salads and entrees and a carving station with prime rib and a desserts station as well. I ate prime rib and salad. No surprise there. But I was in no mood for chicken parmessian, or ratatouille, or italian sausage with grilled peppers and onions (though this latter dish was a bit tempting). But no, I stuck with red meat, green leafies, and tomatoes - litterally all I ate. Kelly ate even less, with her focus being more on what Ethan was (or was not) eating. Dinner was short, few pictures of Ethan were taken. And Kelly was on call at the hospital.

Happy Thanksgiving

[Kelly (and Ethan) on an autumn afternoon stroll]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! One of the busiest (if not THE busiest) time of the year for travel in the U.S., some 40 million folks are expected to travel 60 miles or more, most of them by road. Ourselves, we are here in Blue Ridge, but no longer by our lonesomes (as Kelly had mentioned we would be in her "status" on Facebook). We have been invited to join Thanksgiving dinner at Josie's house (Josie is Kelly's nurse). She has some family and other friends, some 18 people in total I think, will be getting together in a few hours. Dinner starts at 1pm :-D But not all is well. Noomsie is again sick. This morning he had some wheezing and runny nose. I guess his rate of being sick the past month or more is completely expected being with other children all week, and being cooler and damp with winter looming. I just hope he recovers in time for our LONG flight in 9 days :-D

And tomorrow, the shopping begins. Also a time for major "sales", many stores are opening tonight at midnight or early morning hours like 3 or 4am with great deals. A lot of it is hype, and not many great deals are actually found. But as a family we are travelling to Atlanta to do some shopping and meeting up with Tita Flong (my aunt - mom's sister) for lunch (dim sum?) on Saturday at the Hong Kong Harbour restaurant on Chester Bridge Rd. Tita Flong recommended we go to this restaurant since it was a "regular" of Shar's and Babak's and they, too, enjoyed the place a lot.

We wish more family could be around us during this "family" time of the year. But this is a reality that I am slowly coming to accept with each passing holiday. With Kelly's visa hopefully secured during our Singapore trip, we hope and plan to be more mobile and utilize our new found "freedom" to visit some of you as we can.

HAPPY TURKEY DAY, and God bless!

10 Days To S'pore

Less than two weeks and we will have our family reunion in Singapore.


Ohh... could not make it three in a row blog entries.. Noomsie is up!

Today Marks 3

Happy Anniversary, Honey!

Three years ago today, Kelly and I "tied the knot" in good ol' Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club. Oh God, what glorious times those were! (again reminiscing the past - see entry below)

Now we are gaining momentum and refining our ways as we strive to be this well-oiled married machine. Ha!

I love you, Kelly.

And so tonight, Ethan, Kelly and I will celebrate with dinner at the Brasstown Valley Resort.

What a day, the morning being it's usual hectic rush to get out the door. But being Wednesday today, Kelly has her half day in the morning, and I go to to work in the afternoon, each taking turn to look after Ethan (currently napping). And in the rush and through breakfast, I forgot to wish Kelly a Happy Anniversary! And so I sent her a "text" message. :-D

We have a professional photo shoot for work today as well, and so busy all around.

How time just marches on...

Reminiscing The Past

A sort of redundant (entry) title, I have been thinking of the past lately. Not sure how constructive this all is, but nonetheless...

A very dear friend just submitted her doctoral thesis (or dissertation if you will) and though some time still before her defense and the title of "doctor" is bestowed upon her, I can't help but feel nostalgic, and a bit critical of what has happened (to me) after those quite enjoyable days of undertaking a PhD.

It is like, where once you know precisely what must be done to achieve your goal, the next you find yourself simply being "mediocre" and going about your day in the minimal of ways. You still have "goals" but the arena suddenly changes: you are no longer a student! For the first time in nearly a decade, you are no longer working towards a degree, a qualification.

I am telling all of my friends who are pursuing a graduate degree (specifically a PhD) - the same thing told to me close to my (then) completion date - that there really does exist this "post PhD blues" and to be ready for it. For some, this period characterized by the lack of direction and motivation does not begin immediately after the defense. This was my experience however, but I attribute this to the fact that I was far away from home. When you are "done", you hope to surround yourself and "take a break" with your loved ones. And so for me, my blues came nearly immediately. But my colleagues have described feeling this "lull" during the few months after graduation, or later still, well within their next endeavour (usually a postdoctoral position).

Now more than four years removed from these emotionally turbulent (but also exciting) days of PhD completion - and the novelty of being called "doctor" all but discipated - I sit and reminisce and think of how blessed I've been to have so many friends and family who have supported me. Everything my heart has desired I have been given: I am married to a loving, brilliant woman and we have a son.

Enter new arena!

But my lack of contentment will not abate, I don't think, until I obtain what I think I am seeking all this time, and that is some sense of purpose in my daily, professional life.

Congratulations my friend, and may you keep shining.

www.riverbirchresearch.com

My friend Frank is helping me create a website for our clinical research company, River Birch Research Alliance, L.L.C. So far we've managed to register the domain (see blog entry title) for the site, but little else. Still work-in-progress, but I am very excited as this will be one step closer to getting our name out into the wider community, as the current existing website for our research work is not great.

There will be a "home" page that lists all the various tabs/pages, as well as pages for: (1) our company (brief history), (2) our philosophy (mission statement), (3) our team (list of providers, research staff and me), (4) information for sponsors (pharmaceutical companies) and CROs (clinical research organizations), (5) information for patients (how to enroll in studies, etc..), (6) current/ongoing/upcoming clinical trials studies and our past research experience and (7) a "contact us" page.

The site will be simple and clean, with a lot of white spaces and calm nature pictures of the Blue Ridge area, with easy flowing text. Easy enough to envision, but it will probably be a greater task to communicate effectively cross continent with my friend Frank in getting it done just right.

It's exciting! And thanks, Frank, for lending your time, and expertise! I will work to get you justly reimbursed or rewarded for your time.

Miller Time

Baby Miller is here! Born last night, 6lbs 11oz, to proud parents Susan and Kalib, and even more proud, grandparents, Lee and Ray. Congratulations to you all, and we hope to see more of the new addition very soon. Will post pictures too upon approval. And I just heard word that Kelly will be Miller's pediatrician!~ Our love and thoughts with you all :-D

Chamber Of Commerce Banquet

On Saturday, Kelly and I attended the annual banquet hosted by our very own Fannin County Chamber of Commerce.

Considered by many who live and work in the region to be THE most anticipated event of the calendar, this year's event was held at the ultra-posh Brasstown Valley Resort in Young Harris, GA.

Our place of employment (Riverstone MD, PC) is a corporate sponsor of the event, and so we had a table for eight reserved for our group. For dinner, I enjoyed prime rib with roasted asparagus and a ball of mashed potato, while Kelly had the pecan stuffed grouper (fish) with wild rice and grilled vegetables.

Jody Davis, who is the chief financial officer (CFO) of Riverstone, was elected as Member of the Board of the Chamber of Commerce for 2008. It was nice to see a member of our group achieve the position, and Jody was clearly the most junior of the inductees -- he is only 29 or 30 years old. Congratulations, Jody!

Many awards were given out during the evening, and since Kelly and I are new to the community, we only recognized a couple of names. One (name) that markedly stood out to us was that of the Mercier family. The late Mr. Mercier (passed away this summer) and his wife, Mrs. Mercier, were awarded a Lifetime Honorary Member of the COC for their family's contribution to tourism and general support for community life in Fannin County. The Mercier family own the largest (and oldest) apple orchard in Blue Ridge - some 200 acres and thousands of apple trees - and for generations have been a huge attraction to the region. Our family has made a couple visits to the Mercier (store) just outside the orchards and especially love the deep friend apple pies! Yum!

The evening nevertheless was short for us. We essentially ate dinner and left while the live band hired for the evening played their first song. It is not that we were being antisocial, rather, with a 40 minute drive back to Blue Ridge, and Ethan being in Linda's care for the evening, we had to make good time to bring Ethan back home.

Linda Gray and husband Jimmie (?) are just lovely folks, and very caring. Our family will likely return to Brasstown Valley Resort to celebrate Kelly and my third year wedding anniversary, and we will be sure to bring Ethan to enjoy the sights.

More Photos

I uploaded some more pictures of the past couple of months. I am not sure if I have posted these on my blog already, though I know I have already done so on Facebook. I should have more pictures soon, taken with my mom and sister's cameras.

Hallowe'en 2007

This year, Ethan dressed up as a giraffe, thanks to Auntie Shar who provided the costume. Noomz looked so cute.

Here in Blue Ridge, the two main streets of "downtown" are closed to create a "safe zone" for kids and adults to trick-or-treat and to enjoy the festivities of Hallowe'en. It kinda makes sense, with most homes so far from each other and in the mountains and trees (would be hard to go "door-to-door").

And so as a family, we headed down to Main Street. The crowds were already there in the hundreds, forming lines along both sides of the road, collecting candies from the various shop owners who closed their stores early for this yearly event. Other booths were also set up around the downtown strip, advertising their organization, or simply supporting this community event. Our clinic, Riverstone MD, PC was present and doing their part.

There were costume competitions going on while we were walking the street, for categories: (1) child, (2) adult, (3) pet, (4) family, etc.. And some folks went down right all out on their looks. My favourites being the Shrek Family and also the family of vampires. I wish we got there earlier to enroll Ethan in the child competition. He surely would have won with his charming good looks alone (ahem, proud papa what can I say?).

And so I post some pictures - finally! - and also include more in My Picasa album (see right panel).

Fog & Frost

[morning view from our deck]

Chilly! This morning's drive was quite cold. With the temperature hovering just above the freezing mark, and a dense blanket of fog covering most of my drive to Ethan's daycare and then to work, it was sllllloooooooowww going. Still, there were points along the drive when the elevation change put us above the fog and you could see how the dense condensation settled over low-lying vallies. Pretty scenic! But this also means that the warm weather is now fully and truly behind us. We outfitted Ethan with a jacket and a hat (the kind that has the floppy coverings for his ears). The boy is seriously cute.

33 Days To Singapore

Woo hoo! The countdown is most certainly on. Though we may be making plans for the weekend, Hallowe'en even, or maybe for the Thanksgiving holiday, our sights are truly set on the land of milk and honey, of koi fish and orchids, of dim sum, satays, char koay teow, and oodles of noodles. And oh yea, not to mention, family :-p Of course, the main purpose for our trip is family - a big reunion in fact - and Ethan's first international trip and first visit to see his cousins Junnoske and Ryunoske. What a sight that will be to see the three boys playing (more like fighting, crying, teasing...).

But before then, there are many things to look forward to. Actually, just this past weekend, we had a marriage workshop retreat hosted by the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Cherokee County (about an hour away from us). They were in need of a place to hold a workshop retreat on marriage and we said, "Come on to our home!". It was a great meeting. A gathering of friends. And on a much needed topic too, since these days, marriage seems not to last all that long, and approximately 67% or two-thirds result in divorce (and the Baha'i stats are on par if not slightly worse). So we all need to work in maintaining this "divinely ordained institution", this "fortress for well-being". (quoted from the Baha'i Faith)

And tonight, after work, is Susan's baby shower. Baby Miller is due in about a month. Can't wait for Ethan to have another playmate.

We are soon hanging out with the Teskes and then Thanksgiving. We are still without a plan for Thanksgiving. We may go to Nashville or back to Durham or stay in Blue Ridge if friends wanted to make a trip to see us. We don't know yet.

And Kelly and my third year wedding anniversary is coming up (ahem). Just thought I'd make that very clear - November 21st, 2007. Being the day before Thanksgiving, we may be celebrating our anniversary "on the road".

Toddlerhood

Life has been so hectic and irregular recently that I totally forgot to blog about Ethan entering into toddlerhood!

That's right. Ethan is officially walking or toddling around the house :-D It has been about two weeks now since he took his first steps. Quite honestly, one of the proudest moments of being a parent. It is just such an accomplishment, walking, that one forgets ('since everyone eventually learns to walk') how much goes on to learning to first walk.

We have managed to capture on video some of Ethan's early steps, though the videos are a bit dark, and I don't know when I will have time to post them on my blog. (YouTube has just been very unreliable lately for me). We also have so many pictures --- AHHHHHHHHHHHHH -- that I wish to post, but sadly, our camera has now reached the end of its life, and so I will have to wait, patiently, until mom and sis send us a CD of all the pictures we took over the past 6 weeks.

Besides watching with so much pride as a father, my son walking about everywhere he wishes, Ethan has developed other skills equally satisfying (if not more so than walking) to any parent. He can hold his own sippie cup/bottle and even feed himself a Cheerio every now and again. There is something so satisfying beholding my son as he drinks water, for example, with such delight and intensity, and pauses when he wants, and continues when he wants.

Ethan is also teething more. He now has 6 teeth - 3 up, 3 down - with a seventh and perhaps eighth whitie poking through his gums.

Kelly is letting him go up the stairs now, supervised of course. With each step nearly half his height, it is cute watching this determined little man tackle each, and with a great big smile on his face.

Some things to come which, as parents, we don't necessarily wish our child develop too soon are the abilities to run, and climb furniture (or other high places). But those are next! :-D

High Octane Parenting

These past few days have been fun and exciting, though the frazzeling effects of having three cousins under the age of 4 explore their world -- a space, which, many a times seems not quite big enough for them all -- will linger still for a few days more.

Today, our world will return to quiet mountain living. Ethan started with daycare this morning at Linda Gray's home. Kelly and I are hopeful that this situation will be better for Ethan than Kaleidoscope was, since the ratio of caregiver to infant will be essentially 1:2 (compared to the 1:6 State imposed ratio of public childcare facilities) and so he will be receiving more of the attention that he needs (and should be getting).

Sharon and the girls are just full of energy and always on the go. Every activity is a learning experience for the girls, and it is non-stop. As a result, the girls get plenty of attention and are thriving with every opportunity to learn something new.

In my last entry I had written how I was curious to see how Ethan would do with his cousins who are older and therefore more mobile and authoritative in their wants and needs. Well, I can say, battle-tested, Ethan is holding up and has probably learned a lot in the short time he spent with his cousins.

But not to forget the grandparents, who are actually doing parenting upon parenting. It has been a blessing having mom for 6 weeks. A hot lunch ready to take to work every day? Can't beat that. Dinner always ready, laundry always prepared, a house always clean. I list all these things to show my gratefulness, and not at all to say these are things I expect. Thank you, Ma!

And Dad? Well I have already devoted a blog entry on the many things you do. But it is obvious, you make our functional world work. Dad installed track lighting in the dining area, and more recently (as of yesterday) completed phase 1 of Ethan's playground. But I cannot list everything you do. I mean, to do so would involve, for example, putting to words such "improvements" as de-mounting the toilet paper holder off the wall, and reinstalling it to give more width to properly fit a large toilet paper roll, since the original builder had obviously only installed the holder for very tiny rolls. And anyone who has ever sat on a toilet bowl knowing there is a full roll of toilet paper on hand, but later finding the roll does not, well, roll, lending it pretty much useless, can attest to the gratitude for having this (the toilet paper roll width) fixed. For this alone *yay*, thanks, Dad!

High octane parenting, and grandparenting, for sure.

Rain, Yes!

This summer will likely go down as the driest, hottest summer in recent years (if not on record!). There's been much talk on the news of Atlanta running out of water! Period. Not low water, or "please do not put your sprinklers on" type of warnings, but no water at all - drinking, shower, toilet (flushing), nada. Lake levels have been so low their banks have been exposed and bare for months. Atlanta's population "boom" has had a lot to contribute to the general amount of water used, but the lack of the wet stuff ALL SUMMER LONG has not helped. But yay, today, it is *gasp* raining. Wet and gray as can be. And I've never been more welcoming of dreary.

More and more leaves are coming down, and trees are starting to hit their peak fall coloration. Tomorrow should be a great day for photo taking. It is expected to be clear (I think) and should be "fresh" as can be with the rains we are receiving just now. With Sharon and the girls arriving late tonight, I cannot wait until tomorrow when we can go out and enjoy the scenery and take some photos.

Elyse is coming too, and an avid kayaker and general outdoorsy type person, I am sure she will want to make the most of her visit here in Blue Ridge.

I am still trying to download pictures from mom's camera. When I do, I should have plenty to share, dating back to Ethan's birthday party to present.

Have a great weekend... y'all :-D

DIY Dad, Family Fun & Feast

I am looking forward to this Friday (and weekend)!!

We are hosting 19-day Feast for the first time since we've moved to Blue Ridge. It will be a particularly special Feast as well, with my parents, sister, nieces and a dear friend from North Carolina, Elyse, visiting us. The house should be abuzz with the kids - the second time the three cousins Carmel, Ellie Nur and Ethan are together - and the presence of familiar faces, should be a fun time.

The last time (which was also the first time) Carmel and Ellie Nur and Ethan were together, we were still living in Durham, and Ethan was around 4 months old. Not very interactive then, I am curious and looking forward to seeing Ethan interact and play with his cousins. Ethan is just starting to walk now, so it should be a test for him to try and keep up to his more mobile relatives. But I am sure he is very much up to the challenge.

We have also made contact with another Baha'i friend who lives in Cheryll Log -- i.e. not that far away from Blue Ridge. So our circle of Baha'i friends (who live nearby) is increasing by one. :-D

In the two days that dad has been with us, he's been put to work (thank God for handy dads, no?). The first day, dad installed "gutter guards" to keep falling leaves from landing and clogging up the gutters. I was actually surprised that such "guards" were not already installed in our gutters - our house being smack in the middle of trees. Nevertheless, my dad did the job better than others who would have less vested interest in doing it, and all in just an hour or so. Other jobs include adding more lighting to the dining area of the house, small odds and ends, storage solutions, yaddi-yaddah. I can only hope to learn and gain some of my dad's knowledge and skill when it comes to maintaininng a household and much much more.

OK back to work..

A Dose Of Traffic

This past weekend was spent in the big city of Atlanta. With Kelly preparing for her boards (currently sitting the exam actually) and dad's flight arriving early in the morning, we stayed the night in Atlanta. We stayed with Jessalyn, Kelly's friend and colleague from Duke who is a pediatrician and Kelly's study partner for the weekend. Jessalyn, husband Kevin, and 4-month old baby girl, Annabeth, were just a pleasure to be around. They were very gracious hosts to allow all of Ethan, mom, Kelly and I to 'crash' their lovely home for a night. We made our way through some typical Atlanta grid lock to places like IKEA, chinatown, Ponce de Leon street and areas nearby Emory. Quite a fun and scenic drive, with enormous (palacial) old brick homes and beautiful parks and green spaces. Traffic aside, there are so many pluses to being in a big city - nearby shopping, plethora of eateries. Oh ya, we ate dim sum at Oriental Pearl (? or something like that) which was tastey. We got our asian grocery fix at Dinho's and so we are set for another few weeks before we make our way down to the city again. At IKEA we bought some storage solutions for our shoes. Hmm.. that's about it. Kelly should be having her lunch break on day one of two of her peds board exam in an hour or so. I hope the exam is going well so far, Honey!

OK, back to budgets...

Peds Boards

We are spending this weekend in Atlanta. Ethan, mom, Kelly and I are driving down tomorrow (Saturday) and returning Sunday. Dad arrives on Sunday and we'll pick him up from the airport and spend the afternoon together in the big city. Kelly will stay behind for Monday and Tuesday, for her pediatrics board exam which is sat over two days.

Kelly has been studying now for a few weeks/months. I am sure she will be very relieved once this is all over with. GOOD LUCK, HONEY! I am sure you will do very well.

And since she is double specialized/trained in both internal medicine and pediatrics, in order to be board certified in internal medicine she will have to sit the IM board exam which is next year (August 2008).

But first things first.

The peds boards are more demanding also, being a two-day exam (the IM boards "just" one day).

In Atlanta, we hope to do some shopping (IKEA, asian grocery stores, etc..) and eating out, and perhaps meet up with some friends if we can get our act together and coordinate everything.

Only a couple more days to go, Honey. You can do it!

Opportunity Missed

Yesterday at work I was told there was an investigators meeting in Key Biscayne, Florida, with accommodation at the Ritz-Carlton hotel! All expenses paid. Unfortunately, my first business trip was not to be, since the dates coincide exactly to when my sister and family are coming to visit. It is no one's fault. Just really bad timing. We secured the accounts to participate in this study a little too late, and so the fax for registration for this meeting came the day it was also due. I had a couple hours to decide: miss family, or miss a great opportunity to learn, network, and see the sights of KB. I chose family. I told Ray I want 'dibs' on the next meeting, though, knowing me, it will be local (probably in Atlanta or some place near) and certainly not anywhere as fancy as the Ritz. Nah...

Casual Fridays

Today is Friday, and at work they observe casual dress on the last day of every week. To be safe, I did not wear jeans, but did wear a polo shirt instead of a button shirt and tie. It is only my first week, and so I figured I would dress the part well and be on my best professional attire -- that is, until my coworkers really get to know me over time (joking, as if anyone could be fooled, I've been waiting to have a shirt-and-tie-type-of-work for so long, something not expected in the arena of academic research).

So, yea, my first week of work! I can't believe it has already been one week. Well, I did start on Tuesday. But sure feels good to come up to a weekend having been productive. I've managed to organize all our active contracts into one binder -- and if you knew the amount of paperwork I needed to sift through to get all this into one place, you would be impressed I did this in the time that I did (essentialy over just two days). Moreover, I managed to compile some budget data for '06 and what we have so far for '07. I may have to go back to '05 and even '04 (or earlier) to really get the accounts up to date. Thereafter, all new and incoming grants we successfully acquire should be easier to maintain as they will have started on my watch from day one. But still, paperwork inevitably get mixed up from time to time, but this should be a far better situation I feel, when I have some control over things.

Looking forward to the weekend! We are likely going to Dawsonville to the outlet shops while mom is still in town for another few weeks. Oh, and must remember to blog about my fig tree, which, FYI, is currently taller than me!

Have a great weekend everyone!

1-Year Doctor's Visit

Ethan's birthday now a week or so old, he has his 12-month well-child doctor's visit tomorrow at 10:30am. I will be taking the morning off to bring Ethan to the clinic for his appointment. He will get his official weight and height then, as well as many (4 or 5?) immunizations then too. Poor, Noomz. He *knows* when he is about to get an injection too. It may be the cool alcohol swab on his thighs, or even before, when his pants and/or onesie come off. He knows. And boy does he let you know. Humongous droplets of tears, and the most sad cry. I'll be sure to give him extra support and hugs and kisses to get through them all.

Ethan has been enjoying having his gran around. With Kelly and I both at work today for the first time, gran had Ethan all to herself and I bet they had a lot of fun. Noomz is actually changing a lot, and developing so quickly, you can hardly point them all out and say, "Hey, did he just do/say that? Yay!"

He still does not trust his balance well enough to walk, though he is racing through the furniture -- I mean holding on just barely with one hand while cruising very quickly and pushing all the furniture that he can move. He even tests his balance, or forgets he is doing so, one way or the other, and actually stands alone or takes a step or two now.

Speech-wise, well, he seems to be learning more chinese than english. He says "pa-pa", "ma-ma", "deng" (points to the light), and gran claims he's said "toes" and "hello" also. I had noomsie videotaped saying "Allah'u'Abha" when he was only 3-months old though this has yet to be fully repeated :-D

He's been eating well, and then not that well, but on the whole pretty good. He is starting to eat foods we eat (i.e. not just ones specially prepared for him but thicker, chunkier foods seasoned to our/adult liking). And he seems to really like the experience of all the new flavours.

Another tooth or two are poking through his gums, bringing his total "nubbin" count to around 6 (maybe 5 and one not quite poked through yet).

Oh geez, I am a working dad now. I can't be blogging on and on. Must sleep.

Budgets, Contracts, Grants

All confidential stuff!! Hmm.. how can I write this entry in a way to depict what I did today and what my job entails...?

OK, so my first day on the job was pretty laid back. I did the usual admin stuff: (1) payroll, (2) confidentiality agreement, (3) organize desk space and work surroundings, (4) set up computer connection, (5) telephone/direct line, (6) work email address, (7) medical insurance paperwork, etc.. etc..

I met with Ray to discuss plans and what I can get a start on right away and more long term goals. The immediate thing was to learn how the grants all work: how different study grants are applied for, how the billing/payment works, relationship between CROs (clinical research organizations)-pharmaceutical companies (or sponsors)-institution/investigator/site, how patients get erolled (inclusion/exclusion criteria), etc.. etc..

By the end of my first day, I am now pretty familiar with what a standard grant/agreement/protocol looks like. Over the next few days I will be learning a whole lot more, when I get to create my own spreadsheet/system of organizing the various budgets (monies received, etc..), a system for keeping track of all active grants, and also to inform more physicians in the practice (Kelly too!) of what we (the research folks) are doing so that we can enroll more qualified patients in to studies, and thus increase and build this fledgling enterprise.

Ooohhh, it just sounds too exciting. I think I've been craving a challenge like this for some time: refine my management skills (or if any, acquire some more... hee hee), learn a bit of the industry of pharmaceutical science/clinical trials, and get a general sense of business type applications -- i.e. getting as far away from basic science research as humanly possible :-D

That is not all accurate actually, since part of many/all contracts I've seen (today anyway) include clauses for intellectual property and publications. And I for one would like to keep up my skills and experience in writing manuscripts for publications, and this would also be a viable way to get our company name (River Birch Research Alliance, LLC) into the wider scientific community and thus more grants.

More learning. Yay!

My First 26 Minutes At Work (So Far)...

A year and a few minutes later, I am back at a workplace! I am at my new job. Day one. A meeting is taking everyone's time right now, and leaving me to myself for the meantime. I will meet with Dr. Tidman after their conference meeting is over, to hash out a few things that I will be doing I'm sure. I feel a bit out of pace, what with everyone having something to do, some place to be, someone to see. We'll see how robust (or not) my day ends up :-D

Mom is with Ethan at home. Kelly and I carpooled to work together. It was super foggy on the road.

Sparky dug some dirt out of my fig tree's pot, and left this huge mess on the deck. At least I think it was Sparky. It could easily have been this other nocturnal friend - namely this racoon who has been frequenting Sparky's new crib. I hope mom can fix up the mess when Ethan is napping, and cover some of the fig tree's exposed roots as a result. I would have done so myself, but, well, I am all dressed for work!

More later...

Crisp Autumn Mornings

With the overwhelming feelings inherent with great life changes (like moving to a mountain town in rural Georgia) now behind us (well, almost), I am starting to take pleasure in the many "small" things that our current situation provides.

Our home is quite open, and with many oversized, glass, sliding doors. And at any time of the day, the view from any one of these doors is a picturesque display of nature (as if we are in a glass cube smack in the middle of trees). With all the hooplah and stress of late, it was hard to even notice and appreciate this scene. And what a scene! Every day. Just look out and you get a sense of tranquility.

Recently, it has been getting colder. The morning air crisp, reminding me of my highschool days when I had cross country practices, running through neighborhoods and trails nearby my school in the early hours before anyone could be found roaming the hallways. Leaves have been falling down aplenty also, depositing a neat pile along the gravel roadside, and the natural "mess" everywhere else.

Pretty soon, all the leaves will have dropped from the trees, and left in their place, empty branches. Our (few) neighbors' homes will be made visible for the first time in months.

I am looking forward to the "wet season" if indeed winters in Blue Ridge are such -- our first winter here, we don't know yet what to expect. I prefer milder/temperate weather (not surprising growing up in British Columbia/Pacific Northwest) and I find the summers of the southeast gets old in a hurry, especially when it becomes unbearably hot and humid as it was this year.

The afternoons are still in the vicinity of high 70s to low 80s F (mid 20s C) so shorts and t-shirts are still the order of wear, at least for another few weeks, when the trees turn a splendour of colour.

PS. I don't know why the moose picture, just thought it looked "crisp" :-D

What A Year!

It has certainly been a whirlwind last few months, and a fantastic year in all.

Looking back when Ethan was born, at Duke hospital that early morning (2am) on September 21st, 2006, that joyous moment is as clear to me still now, yet a full year has now elapsed. This year has brought so many moments of joy, trepidation, anxiety, uncertainty, trust in God, wonderment, and absolutely everything else in between.

With Ethan's birthday party now come and gone, and a dinner celebration a Longhorns for dad and my birthday also past, things have returned to the more peaceful surroundings of mountain living.

Mom is still with us for a few more weeks which is nice. We've been playing Scrabble almost nightly, with a collective score of 782 set a few days ago with Kelly, mom, dad and me. We're still trying to reach that 800 point plateau (The 800 Club), but it's just fun trying :-D Just last night, I placed the word "service" on a triple word score, and with 50 bonus points for a 7-letter word, it totalled 94 points!

But I digress, and what I really wanted to share with this entry is my gratitude and love for everyone who has helped us along the way. How small Ethan was! It still does not cease to amaze me just how tiny of a human being he was, and how much care and nurturing was needed for him to put on those crucial pounds.

On his birthday, Friday September 21st, 2007, we took Ethan in to Kelly's practice to get weighed. His official 1-year well-child visit is not for another week or so, and so we decided to just weigh him ourselves on an accurate scale (not our home scale). Ethan weighed in at 19 lbs and 6oz, placing him roughly on the 10th percentile for boy for weight in the U.S. He had previously been consistently around the 5th percentile for weight, and his renewed interest in eating the past few weeks (he's been eating a ton!) has really packed things in and it shows on the growth chart. Indeed, still "small", but considering he was as low as 4 lbs 9 oz a few days after birth, quadrupling his birth weight is not exactly shabby to say the least. Congrats, Noomz!

And so we had a ton of friends, family, neighbors around, and we even have a family pet - Sparky the black cat. I have uploaded several pictures of the last month or so, including pictures of our time at Tennessee Baha'i School, Ethan's birthday, Sparky, etc... So many photos were taken with my mom's camera that I still need to download, and these include more pictures with family, boating on the lake (Blue Ridge), canoeing with Vipul and Jessica, dinner at Longhorns, and that's all I can remember for now.

You can follow this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/maxwell.eblaghie/EthanS1stBirthdayPartyTBSMore. Or, click on the side panel under "My Picasa" for photos.

So from our family -- Ethan, Kelly and I -- we say THANK YOU to everyone for making this past year so incredably memorable.

Things we look forward to in the coming year:

Ethan chewing more solid foods, walking, talking; Max going back to work; Kelly establishing her practice; And somehow managing to do it all well enough to have time to visit family and friends.

Love to everyone!

Life Blood

I am sitting in Kelly's office at work after having my blood drawn by one of the nurses on staff. Kelly and I have our "exam" for getting life insurance later this afternoon when labs on our blood work will be available. Buying a house was a huge step towards feeling truly "grown up"... though buying insurance for one's life is not that far behind. I guess Kelly and I both have to think of little Noomz (and any possible siblings for him in the future). Hmmm... perhaps we need to do research on getting wills done soon too.

Speaking of Ethan. Guess who turns ONE in a couple of days or so?

Oh and mom and dad are arriving tomorrow!! I hope Ethan doesn't get too fussy on the drive to ATL. The airport is 2 hours away from Blue Ridge and I have never taken Ethan on a car ride by myself that was longer than an hour. It has always been nice having someone sit at the back with Noomz. We shall see how he does tomorrow!

Our Family Just Got Bigger

I'll just say it now -- NO WE ARE NOT EXPECTING #2.

This is about Sparky (read previous entry).

Well it would seem that Kelly had a change in heart, and although we are still not allowing this stray cat into our house, we have "adopted" it into our family.

Ever since we moved into our home in Blue Ridge, Sparky was out rummaging through our empty boxes and packing material looking for something to eat I'm sure. Then he would disappear for a few days. Other times, I would find tiny paw prints out of mud, dried on our deck. And then all too often, this skinny feline would greet us at our door.

The nights have been getting cooler, and though still far from the temperatures we are going to get in winter, they have been rather chilly for this time of the year. Last night was the coolest so far at 48F and Sparks was found curled up this morning in this tiny ball, exactly where we had said 'goodnight' to him previously. He looked so pathetic. So vulnerable. Pitiful.

I convinced Kelly that I should at least feed it something. The cat has already decided our deck is his home, and so my feeding him would not be the reason for his attraction to be near us. I fed it canned chicken. It was the closest thing we had that we knew the cat would eat. Kelly had to check on some patients in the hospital this morning, and when she was on her way home, she told me we could adopt Sparky! But that he would have to remain an outdoor cat, never to come in our house. (since both Kelly and I are allergic)

The reason for Kelly's change in heart was because a person she had spoken to said that you could indeed keep cats outdoors all year in Blue Ridge, just make some place that it could sleep in some warmth during the winter months. So we bought a few things to set up a cozy home for him and I hope he will soon realize it is safe and use it -- he still opts to sleep alone, curled up, unsheltered on the deck.

I'll post some pics as soon as we can fatten him up a bit. Really, the boney look is not flattering.

Oh, and not entirely sure Sparks is a he yet.

We've only sort of adopted him, providing him with food and shelter, but Sparky can come and go as he chooses, as he does, and we'll probably do very little, provide little else, but for now it feels awfully good knowing he's here keeping guard :-P

Ferber, Plants, Cold Temperatures... And Sparky

A mish-mash entry.

We've started to sleep train Ethan again. Going back to the Ferber method. And it is working nicely, at least for his night time/bed time routine. Ethan had lost most (if not all) of his sleeping routine since we had been co-sleeping with him ever since we were getting ready to sell our house and even before. Only the parents fault to blame, though we did have a lot on our plate and maintaining a good pattern for Ethan was tough so we all just cozied up in bed for his sleep time.

Now he is doing quite well and hopefully is day naps will fall into a routine also.

Plants. Most of my patio plants had to be brought in tonight! It was getting so cold (below 50F) that I did not want to take any chances with them and have them die on me. Not that they would actually, but just to be safe. There are so many of them. And so my fig tree is now inside the house too and I may just as well keep them all in now, though we are expected to have warmer temperatures again before fall weather really sets in.

And so comes the last interesting part of this blog entry.. A stray cat has called our deck its home. I call him Sparky. It is a very scraggly-looking, malnourished, boney, black cat with white-ish paws. It is quite cute, and scary at the same time. He is not scared of anyone and is quite aggressive about winning your companionship! Poor kitty. Kelly won't let us adopt him into the house, and it is going to be so cold outside tonight!

Oh, Sparky.

My Little Fig Tree

Not long ago, exactly two months to the day in fact, we were having movers come and take all our belongings away. That Saturday evening in Durham (July 15th, 2007) our dear friends, the Mostaghimi Family, threw us a going away party. Who knew that we would actually end up staying the night at their place, well, since we no longer had a furnished house to go back to! Hee hee...

Well anyways, that evening, I was personally presented with the best going away gift - a small fig tree. But this was no ordinary fig tree mind you. This tree has some history, not all of which I actually know. Sufficeth to say, this tree has 'come a long way'. And quite literally too! All the way from Shiraz, Iran :-D

The Mostaghimis have this glorious fig tree in their front yard, and some in their back yard too. And the one in the front always produces an abundance of figs, of which we were given some around the time Ethan was born. Three wonderful purple/green figs, one for mom, dad and noomie.

Since then, and perhaps even earlier, I had always "hinted" to Zhila or Parvaneh or Fariba, that I would LOVE to have a cutting of that fig tree to grow myself. Anyone who knows me well knows that I have acquired this huge interest in gardening and in anything that grows in fact :-D

And in only two short months of having this precious plant, it has grown enormously. To be exact, it is well over four feet tall now. An offshoot was growing very well also, until last night's storm, which snapped it off the main plant. This morning, I quickly put potting soil into another planter and stuck this youngling fig into it. I am not sure if this is how to do it, or if I should have placed it in water to root first. Perhaps I should have consulted Mr. Mostaghimi!

But now it would seem I have two fig trees.

Reading some, I found these trees grow quickly (as witnessed personally) and they grow to heights of 25 feet plus! Fariba relayed what her dad had said that I should find a place to plant this tree that is not nearby other trees. If planted too close to other trees it will not bear fruit. I have found a perfect place for my fig tree(s) and I can't wait to enjoy fresh figs from them.

Now, what to do about 'keeping them indoors for their first winter'? Yikes. I hope they don't grow too much more in the next few weeks before I (have been instructed to) bring them in :-D

Amazing Photos

[Sombrio Beach, Vancouver Island; photos taken by Matt Myhre, September 2007]

XanGo!

A friend of mine, Michael, told me about this fruit juice product called XanGo. It is a product of the fruit Mangosteen which apparently has the highest concentration of antioxidants found anywhere in nature. Anyways, not that I know much about this product (or antioxidants for that matter) but I do know that antioxidants help reduce levels of free radicals that our bodies (our cells) face daily. Free radicals break down molecules in your body as a result of being highly "volatile" or imbalanced (due to a lack of an electron). And, well, without getting into too much detail, this mangosteen fruit with its high concentration of Xanthones has apparently been quite effective at lowering people's risk for such conditions as heart disease, migranes, anything resulting from inflammation in the body. In my capacity as a PhD I cannot say the studies substantiate all these claims and that these studies are even good ones, or in well-reputable, peer-reviewed journals. However, if anyone is interested, I can let you know more as I know more, and we can even get into a business venture together trying to sell this fruit juice. I am thinking of forming a group, not a pyramid-type thing, but a group of friends, from which we all benefit from contacts and sales we make. Hey, just drop me an email or comment on this entry if interested. I've never done anything like this before. And it seems everyone is doing a little "something on the side" these days. Holler!

Living By Adopted Families

It has been a very difficult past few months, and my blog entries have reflected that somewhat. We have gone through a lot -- selling our house in Durham (NC), immigration lottery for work visas, and of course the move to Blue Ridge -- but making it all the more arduous has been the apparent absence of family members close to us.

I sometimes regret I ever decided to live so far away from my family, and I know both Kelly and I regularly wish we could have somehow done things a bit differently to have our families closer maybe. But it was just not possible. And, besides, at least on my side of the family, it seems the wish of being with each other is only mine, and not one reciprocated.

Which is why our recent trip to Tennessee was all the more needed. It was so great to be with friends, and meet a lot of new friends whom we hope to get to know better over the coming months.

Kelly and I have lived quite a distance from family for many years. Solely, because we live now in such an isolated place, do we (at least I) finally feel their absence in our lives. Because otherwise, we have always managed to surround ourselves with an "adopted family", be they colleagues, the local community, neighbors, Baha'i friends, etc.. It is a little different now. This support, this adopted family, it seems will take a little bit longer to establish.

I always envied friends of mine who have had a strong presence of grandparents in their lives. I certainly have not had this, with the exception of my paternal grandmother (my dad's mom) with whom I can hardly communicate with due to a language barrier (she speaks Farsi-Persian). I usually see in these friends a stronger sense of who they are, if nothing else from the greater sense of family history passed down by stories through the generations.

Am I repeating a pattern (of distancing myself from my parents) I see started by my father (and perhaps his father) that will ultimately result in Ethan not knowing his grandparents or a family history?

TNBS

We are leaving for the Tennessee Baha'i Summer School this evening and through the Labour Day weekend. We will be back in Blue Ridge on Monday.

The TNBS is held in Monteagle, TN, about 2.5 hours away from us.

With the whole family coming down with a cold (Ethan's second in less than 3 weeks) this trip may just test our endurance. But we are excited to be going, and to meet some friends there. Already I have been in contact with another family, the Doosts (Omid and Jennifer Doost) who live in Cherokee (?) about 30 minutes from us (woo hoo!) with their three children. They also have regular children's classes in their home that Ethan may be able to participate. They are held on Friday mornings, so this will be challenging but doable if we get a nanny.

Falling On Hard Times

If victory follows crisis and indeed come in cycles, I have plenty to look forward to!

Forming Friendships

We had the Teskes (Sevda, Michael and their two children 'Bella and Adib) over to our place for dinner the other night and boy did the kids go nuts. They were having loads of fun, and for once, every single piece of toy that Ethan owns was used. It was with a great sense of joy that I sat and watched the three interact and play and chase each other (of course Ethan crawling as quickly as possible to keep up with his more mobile pals).

I have posted some pictures of our playdate.

I have also been trying to upload some of the more recent videos we've taken of Ethan, although I am having some trouble with YouTube and uploads are not working well (even though my laptop shows full signal strength for the wireless internet). So, Ade, a few more days still for the Noomie vids, ok?

And I am so excited for Ethan's first birthday party on Saturday, September 22nd. I have sent out an e-vite notice to some friends who I thought may be able to make it. If you did not receive this email, I apologize, but most of you live so far it was not necessary to send an invitation (though you are all more than welcome if you can swing it and come on by!).

The "theme" of the party will be a sort of grassroots, picnic/BBQ, equipped with red and white checkered table coverings/cloths, party hats, and bails of hay (joking on this last one). :-D

OK, enjoy the pics of 'Bella, Adib and Ethan, and be sure to check out videos soon.

Ethan Photos: 11 Mo. Old

By popular demand, here are a few pictures we took of Ethan, now 11 months old. Enjoy!

Rain, Rain, Come Again (Please)!

It would seem everywhere in the "deep south" is having some sort of a drought this summer. Nashville, as I mentioned in a previous post, has been setting local records for heat index -- reaching 106F -- a temperature not felt for the past century almost (the all-time record being 107F set in 1890-something). And Atlanta? AKA HOTlanta? The past two weeks it seems have been triple digits, which is no wonder you get this sense, this palpable excitement in everyone when we a brief but torrential downpour occurs, as has been the case the past two days.

Still, we would need this type of precipitation for about a month to make up for all the dry and hot days we've had so far this summer.

Lake Blue Ridge is but a pathetic sight, at least around the bend where Dry Branch Road meets our own (Deer Hunter Road), which we drive daily. Dry Branch Road is SUCH a appropriate name for this road! But if I were to name street names, this particular one would be named Billowing Dust From Gravel Way. It is a gravel road. As is Deer Hunter.

And so it just rained, and already I wish it would rain some more. There is something quite calming about summer storms. I think my sense of peace within myself needed the rain to come as much as did all the living things around us.

Yesterday & Today

Yesterday was Mashi's birthday, and Ethan turned 11 months.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, brother. I hope you had a great day, and we look forward to visiting you soon.

I am writing this in total desperation. I am just so upset. We have no family near by!! And although this is not a new situation for us (Kelly and I have not had family live near us for years and years now) today in particular it is really biting my butt to not have anyone to turn to.

Ethan is getting very very hard to handle during the days. Not all the time. But I'd say most of the time. He eats very little, and even still feeding him is incredibly frustrating since he does not particularly like what it is we are feeding him, and so he opens his mouth by parting his lips ever so small, which would be tolerable if he had no teeth, but his two bottom ones are now acting as a second line of defense for the incoming spoon.

His face then becomes a mess, especially since he now reacts by rubbing his hands on his mouth and then rubs his eyes and hair and so food goes everywhere! His high chair as a result is gross. The floors. Everywhere. And he cries, because he too is not having any fun, that's for sure. And so the feeding stops.

But dad has many other things he can do if given the time. Nope! Noomz is only happy when carried. And even then, he squirms as if he is being held uncomfortably. Put down to play, he cries. Can't win.

And above all, I see many things going wrong with our house that the inspector should have reported or noticed. I seem to have no claim for warranty or anything that backs me, though I am going to request that my attorney look into this to see if I have any options here.

And so I am trapped at home, with Ethan who does little to show his appreciation for what I do for him or what I have to do for him. I notice all the things going wrong with our house that needs fixing and the costs for repairs I feel should be covered by warranty or the builder himself. I feel conflicted with having all these negative thoughts about certain people relating to the whole home buying process, but then come to realize that perhaps these people truly are being negligent and/or not being accountable for things they should. I give people the benefit of the doubt, though not instinctively (but with Kelly's insistance), and then my suspicions are always confirmed.

Just trapped and bogged down in negativity!

ZOO

I opted to upload all our pictures from our recent trip to Nashville (on Picasa) instead of painstakingly posting them here. Click on ZOO to view them.

The Lakhanis

A quick entry -

We are currently staying at the Lakhanis new house in Nashville. Today we went to the Nashville Zoo (pictures to come). It has been triple digit temperatures for the past two weeks here in Nashville, and everyone was out to enjoy the "cool" day today at the zoo - only 98F!

We are having dinner tonight at Eric's place, Carmel's older brother. Eric and daughter, Kiana, were out at the zoo with us today as well.

With all the kids (and mums) napping -- Vipul and I are on our laptops -- we are taking our time and enjoying some downtime and A/C indoors, and we might go the asian supermarket to buy some supplies before we leave for Blue Ridge tomorrow.

Up close pics of elephants, giraffes, macaws and more to come :-D

Country Road (Trip)

We're finally getting out of the house, and out of town!

With the exception of one trip to Atlanta and another to see the Teskes (who live in Jasper) we've really only been in Blue Ridge this whole time and worse, stuck at home for most of the days. Needless to say, we are very much looking forward to our short "road trip" to the home of country music -- Nashville, Tennessee.

This trip is not all pleasure though, and in fact, is mainly for work purposes. Kelly has some seminars to attend and we are being accommodated at the Embassy Suites hotel. We are trying to meet up with some good old friends, Carmel and Vipul, and are anxious to finally meet 2 week old, Leyli Juliet Colgrove Lakhani. Of course, older brother Kavi, who will be two years old the week after our trip (August 23rd) is not forgotten, and we eagerly await seeing how much he has grown.

But not all is for certain, and with Ethan trying to overcome a cold he picked up nearly one week ago now (his first cold), we are playing it cautiously and may have to postpone seeing baby Leyli and family until another time. But we'll see. Ethan's first birthday is coming up also in September, and in the case we are unable to meet up with our friends, we may just all get together sooner rather than later anyways. So it's all good.

We look forward to seeing the sights in Nashville -- the zoo, the Opry, Centenial Park and the Parthenon (?) to name a few -- before heading back home.

And no sooner than a couple weeks later we will be back on the road to TN, this time to attend the TN Baha'i Summer School near Chattanooga (actually in Monteagle, TN).