ever since i was a child, i always had a thing for twinkly or glowy lights. they're just so magical.
i decorated my bedroom ceiling with glow in the dark stick on stars
i loved going to the planeterium, sitting in the dark and watching the galaxy unfold above me
i hung white twinkle lights around a wood ceiling beam, above my wrought iron bed and behind a drape of chiffon fabric. made for some sweet dreams
i had a home planetarium set but the projections weren't very far-reaching. this one called homestar by sega toys however, could be fun. if only it was not so expensive.
i floated in a pool at midnight, in the desert, to view the stars in all its brilliant glory
on day, i would love to....
...lie in a field, watching fireflies dance above me
...marvel at all the glowworms (and hope that none of them fall on my head) in the waitomo caves in NZ
...dip my toes in the watery aurora of gippsland lake in australia
speaking of auroras....
i'll be flying up to whitehorse at the end of march to view the aurora borealis! a birthday present to myself!
for as long as i remember, i've always wanted to witness the northern lights. and it seems like it's a good time to go. according to NASA, solar activity started to increase in 2011, after an 11 year cycle. scientists are calling 2012 a period of solar maximum and that solar activity will peak in 2013.
so i thought, why not go this year? to give myself the best chance of viewing the aurora borealis, i avoided booking my travel during the full moon, instead opting for the darkest nights of the month - the new moon phase.
i hadn't shot a bow and arrow since last spring, so i was a totally excited to get back into it last week. the meet up group i'm in took a bit of a hiatus but started up again this past january.
it felt great reacquainting myself with the 20 lb recurve bow. i was afraid that would totally suck, but that's the good thing about muscle memory. i did use to go regularly.
it felt like home lining up at the 18m line (the furthest distance), nocking your bow into your arrow, aiming and letting it fly towards the targets. i remembered my footing but forgot to turn my bow arm straight a couple of times, which meant the string struck my inner forearm a couple of times, leaving a black and blue mark by the end of the night. even when i was wearing my arm guard.
we shoot 3 arrows each time we're on the line. on my fourth time up, and my 12th arrow, i finally got a bulleyes. not just hitting it in the yellow circle, but a true bullseye. dead centre! i was elated to say the least.
the 12th arrow
then a treat. the manager of the gallery asked if we wanted to try our hand at shooting at a 3D target? sure! that's when he rolled out bambi, which kinda made die a little on the inside. i JUST saw some cute deer a few weeks ago for my birthday.
bambi as target practice. *sad face*
we were only allowed to shoot 1 arrow at the deer each time we're up at the line. our other 2 arrows we could aim at the paper targets. i was conflicted about shooting bambi but got over it by looking at it strictly as a 3D target only.
3D target. 3D target. 3D target.
we had 3 opportunities to shoot at the deer before it was trucked away. here's how i fared:
1st shot at a 3D target
two out of two
3rd and last shot. not even close. grrr.
and i still haven't tried my hand at outdoor ranges yet. i'd need to buy my own bow and arrow for that, as you'd have to have your own equipment for outdoors. and moving 3D targets.
i'm not saying i'm superstitious, but i'm not willing to risk a year of bad luck. i mean, there are 365 days a year. (and that's a heap load of days for bad luck) which is why there are certain things i observe in preparation for chinese new year:
* not washing my hair on new years day (otherwise you'll wash your luck away) * making sure the house is spotless and clutter-free prior to new years (all the better to invite good luck in) * have a good luck animal charm to ensure blessings for the year
according to chinese feng shui, seems my sign's buddy friend has been and is the tiger. for sean's sign, his buddy is the rooster.
so when i came across these cute animal keychains at voodoo palace at aberdeen centre in richmond, i just couldn't resist picking ours up.
my cousin kat, her hubby, kids and my aunt came for a visit last week. it was so great spending time with them. i hadn't seen them since 2008 when i visited san francisco with peggy.
here are some pictures of their visit from my iphone:
mom and auntie lisa
7 year old devin already knows what he wants to be when he grows up
kent and his shadow
a girl and her ipod
mismatched socks. apparently, all the cool kids are doing it nowadays
sisters
$32 for a 12 pack of heineken?!, exclaimed kat when she saw the prices up here
all tuckered out
thanks everyone for coming to visit! will try to come down to san fran soon.
not a huge kasabian fan, but i do like their newest single, "kiss goodbye". apparently in the 8 years of making music, they never released a ballad. there's something familiar and nostalgic about this song, like an alan parsons project melody.
and then there are the drum set tambourines and violins in the song. i'm a sucker for classical instruments in pop songs.
oh, memes. when they make the rounds, they really make the rounds. just a couple of weeks ago, there was one circulating on the interwebs called what people think i do/what i really do. i saw friends post up ones on being a stay at home mother, unemployed, a DJ, a teacher, a photographer and a writer.
here's mine:
community manager at EA:
social media manager at VO:
and i got to say, it's not that far off. especially the community manager meme. i feel like face-palm picard most days.
one thing that always brightens up our day, even if it's cloudy out, is to hang with the animals. it's been a while since sean and i hit up maplewood farm, so a visit was in order.
but this time, there was a surprise in store for us. the farm had new occupants: 5 baby lambs were recently born, 3 of which were just born a couple of weeks prior to our visit. so adorable. and so teeny tiny.
in a couple of weeks, the farm will have a new baby goat.
and just like the last time, sean was like dr. doolittle with the goats. he especially captured the heart of one certain white goat, who followed him around for pets everywhere.
and of course, who could forget the adorable bunnies?
we even got to pet and see the gigantic belgian draft horses up close, as they were led to the barn right before closing. and as we made our way out, this little pot-bellied pig ran up to me and posed for the camera.
see? day brightener. mood lifter. we'll be back soon. gotta see the baby goat!
for more pictures of our day at maplewood farm, press play or click here for my flickr.
i've always been cagey about my birthdays. more so the past few years as my impeding birthday was, in my mind, monumental. now that a couple of weeks have passed since the big day, i find myself at a more accepting place, even serene about it. i've crossed over to the other side and it's not so bad.
when i was in high school, i couldn't wait to be in my 20s. when i was in my 20s, i looked forward to my 30s. when i hit my 30s, that's when the anxiety started to set in. there's something about the following decade that has most people running for the hills. except for 2 certain ladies i know.
maybe it's because when we were little and we looked at our parents at this age, it just seemed so very old. but my generation is not how my parents' generation was. i'm not where my mom was at this age. (good and bad). i don't feel that old. and i'm told i don't look my age, which i'll come to appreciate more and more with each compliment received.
so this is me at 40.
or 4.0. cuz i'm geeky like that.
after i took my annual birthday photobooth pictures, i decided to take another set. one with a bit of humour. this time of my "reaction" to turning 40, which would also serve as a reminder to myself to shrug it off. it's just a number. one which you can defy.
i had a fabulous 30s and hope that i have set into motion things that will make my 40s even more amazing.
and now that i'm officially in this club, (which a lot of my friends are also joining this year), my friend's susie's words resonate even more with me:
"the 20s were for having fun. the 30s for learning from your mistakes. the 40s are for buying the drinks!"
i'll tell you one thing...unlike turning 40, i've always looked forward to turning 50. mid-century baby! and i know that when i hit that milestone, and am still looking and feeling fit, i'm going to throw myself one helluva birthday party.
val and her cutie of a daughter, gigi, took me out for birthday high tea this year. it took place on the weekend, so technically it was a pre-valentine's high tea at secret garden tea company.
the special sweet heart high tea offered a set menu:
* cranberry cocktail * a special concotion of cupid's blend tea flavour * musical selections from their harpist * valentine high tea menu including a decadent dark chocolate and hazelnut nougatine patisserie
we felt fancy. and we got to play with gigi's disney princesses collection.
gigi even coloured me something special for my birthday. it turns out that charlie liked it too.
that's what happened for my birthday getaway. seems when life throw you curve balls, it may have been for the best.
sean and i headed to the ferry terminal the night before my birthday. he had really wanted me to wake up somewhere other than vancouver for the actual day. (bless, he knew how much i was stressing out about that)
but it seems that fate had other plans cuz as we were about 50 feet away from boarding the ferry, his truck lost all power. like 50 feet away. the ferry terminal workers were so great. they went above and beyond helping us. they tried to jump our battery. no go. they tried to give us a kickstart push while we were in first gear. no go. times three. and even if the truck had started, we were not going to be allowed to board that ferry, as there are no tow trucks on the other side, in case the car lost power again. and while we were waiting for a town back into town, they bought us some complimentary hot chocolate.
i found it all too funny and was less disappointed than sean was. when all efforts to revive our car didn't work, the ferry guy said to us, although this unfortunately happened, that this incident might have saved our lives. that is EXACTLY the way i think. there a reason that we did not make that ferry. we were not suppose to catch that ferry. daft, i know, but that is the way i think.
and it may saved, if not our lives, our sanity. when we went back to the ferry terminal the next day in my car and over to galiano island, we found out that:
a) the island is pretty rustic b) there really is no tow truck service on the entire island and only one gas station c) when it dark, it's so pitch black that you have to drive with high beams on d) you can drive for 15 minutes without ever seeing a car in either direction e) the unpaved path to the cottage is quite narrow and is cliffside. i tried to concentrate my gaze away from the sheer drop outside my driver's side window.
so it could've been a disaster if we made it in sean's truck, only to be stranded once on the other side without any help. in the dark.
once we arrived to galiano the next morning, we headed to cliffhouse and checked out our digs. what a tranquil retreat! the best feature was the floor to ceiling windows on one side of the bedroom, opposite the bed, with a panoramic view of the ocean. and the quiet was absolute serenity.
the picture window in front of the bed and beside the jacuzzi
we unpacked and then headed back to the ferry terminal, as the island's handful of businesses and the main drag were all located there and had breakfast at the grand central emporium. i ordered the meatless wonder: 2 eggs over easy, fried tomatoes, toast and homestyle breakfast potatoes. sean ordered the pesto veggie eggs benny. we were entertained by the obviously, "regulars" dining there. it was as if we were watching an episode of northern exposure, minus the alaska.
we grabbed some snacks from the one market on the island and headed back to chill at the cottage. watched a couple of dvds and that's when sean started to feel ill, most likely from the eggs benny. and as the last ferry already left, (there are only 2 ferry departures a day), our concern was what if he got worse and needed medical attention? there are no hospitals on the island, only a small health centre. luckily, he slowly started to feel himself again late that night.
deer sighting!
the next morning, we ate at the hummingbird pub, on the recommendation of our hosts. we were once again entertained by all the barflies nursing their drinks and the keno numbers displayed on the TVs. and oh, look! wasn't that lady the same lady that was dining at the grand central emporium yesterday? why yes, it is! galiano is definitely the place where you know everybody and everybody knows you. and they care. they even have a converted school bus now drunk bus to take one home.
after lunch, sean and i checked out the galiano cemetery, located cliffside by the ocean. it was very small but very quaint. surrounded by forest and overlooking the pacific is not a bad choice for a final resting place.
we relaxed at the cottage before heading back to vancouver. although we had some curve balls thrown at our way, we rolled with the punches because really, what can you do? you can't get mad at something that was completely out of your control. you just to shrug your shoulders and try to laugh.
reflecting back, i think this may have been the universe reinforcing a lesson for me. i had been so stressed and anxious my birthday. and as sean is so sensitive to my worries (bless), he did his utmost to deliver a memorable birthday. but best laid plans don't always work out the way you want them to, but that doesn't make it any less special.
we pulled over when we saw a family of deer in the trees. although blurry, you can see the joy in sean's face
i had a very good birthday because:
* we got to stay at a gorgeous cottage * we came across a lot of deers! * we saw 3 bald eagles on our getaway (a good omen). one even flew right in front of us when we were taking in the view on the balcony. * all the people we had encountered, from the ferry workers to the islanders, were so friendly and helpful in making sure we were taken care of, that my faith in humanity went up a notch. * i have the most wonderful human for a partner
my birthday takeaway reminders: don't take things for granted, there's a reason why things happen the way they do and count one's lucky stars, it could always be worse.
for pictures of my birthday getaway, press play or click here for my flickr.
continuing my tradition of taking photobooth pictures on my birthday, here's what i looked like on the cusp of this year's special day. and what i looked like last year. still recognizable, non?
although a scary thought, i'm curious to see how this vanity project turns out. will i wake up one day looking like i've aged 15 years overnight? how long do the good genes hold out? when can i kiss the last vestiges of physical youth goodbye? will how young i feel inside show on the outside as i age?
and why on earth do i want to do this to myself? as much as i am vain, i guess i'm just a bit more curious. but then again, so was pandora.
hopefully the years will continue to be kind to me. and if not, well, i guess i can always stop posting birthday pictures online.
part of the reason why i was stressed about my impending birthday was that i had no idea what i wanted to do for the "big day". and everyone asking me, "what are you going to do on your big day?" was driving me bonkers. at first, my instinct was to board a plane and get out of dodge. i did that for my 30th birthday many moons ago. i skipped town and went to los angeles to visit my friend, who had also turned 30 a week before i did.
but work, finances, timing and a case of the "eyes are bigger than my stomach" syndrome when it came to picking a place to escape to was keeping me from making the big leap this time around. can you believe i had my eye on jetsetting to either cambodia or morrocco for my birthday?
but then i realized what's the point of celebrating at these exotic locales if i didn't have sean by my side? what fun would it be if i was halfway around the world without the most important person there wishing me happy birthday?
so i decided to shelve those big trips for a future date, but still had to wrestle with the feeling of inadequacy about being in vancouver for the big day. i couldn't stop myself from thinking, any other year but this year. and i was starting to feel more and more anxious about what to do.
which is why i'm so thankful that i have such a wonderful fella. sean, being so sensitive to my agitated state, came up with a plan to whisk me away, so i didn't have to wake up in vancouver on my birthday. and he's taking me to somewhere we both haven't been to before - galiano island. although it's still in british columbia, we'll have to take a ferry to get there. galiano island is secluded, idyllic and romantic. everyone that i know who's ever been there has immediately fallen in love with it, even so far as wanting to buy a cabin and give citylife the big heave-ho.
we may be feeling the same way cuz just check out where we'll be staying!
i changed my facebook over to the new timeline just so i could take advantage of moo's facebook cards offer now. more hip than regular stuffy business cards, these moo cards are sure to stand out when someone asks you for contact details. the front of the card is pulled from your timeline cover photo while on the back, you can put down a favourite quote that reflects your personality.
i have a few favourite quotes in my back pocket, but decided to go with lewis carroll for my first batch of moo cards. the phrase "why is a raven like a writing desk?" is from one of my favourite childhood stories, alice in wonderland.
it's one week before my birthday. and like a fool who would jump out of a purrfectly sound plane, i was alittle nervous. actually, i was super stressed last week. but thankfully, i have a wonderful fella who's doing everything in his power to cushion that blow.
