Happy 70th Mom!

One of the criticisms I have of my family is the rigidity and restriction (or conversely, the lack of spontaneity or creativity) with which we live our lives.  The best example of this stiffness is at familial meals, where everyone has a "set" sitting place: the meal is announced, and then either mom or dad directs traffic - "you're sitting beside so-and-so" - until we're all seated.  Incredibly, the slightest deviation from this plan causes stress.  I feel this kind of restraint especially strong when I spend time with my Latin American friends who are more spontaneous and easy-going.

But today's experience of my mom's birthday celebration was refreshingly different.  My aunt (not everyone in our family lacks creativity) organized a surprise birthday party for mom: her 70th.  When I arrived at my uncle and aunts place, the hosts, I found that most of our family and relatives were already there, with the exception of mom and dad.  There was a big, colourful sign strung across the front entrance which read "Rendezvous", the name of mom and dad's favourite restaurant.  

The plan was simple: everyone except mom and dad arrive early and await their arrival.  Dad, in turn, would tell mom that they were going to the Rendezvous, but on the way they would pick up my uncle and aunt.  Once at their home, mom was to go and ring the doorbell and of course, once the door opened, all of us would come out, cheering her on, hugging her, kissing her, and singing happy birthday.

The plan went off without a hitch, and mom was so surprised she was literally speechless.  Full of joy: "surprised by joy", you might say.  Somehow, the tone of joy pervaded throughout the evening, as we celebrated her with food, song, and a 45 minute video/slide show presentation my dad had prepared.  I think mom thoroughly enjoyed the evening.  She felt loved.

Maybe we're not as rigid as I thought we were.

Happy birthday mom!  I love you very much!

Snowshoweing With Vero And Patri

What a wonderful day Patri, Vero and I had at Cypress today snowshoeing!

After attending the usual early morning liturgy, I went home and got ready for our day on the mountain.  At about 10, Patri came with her friend's Explorer, and off we went.  On the way we picked up Vero.  We'd rented snowshoes yesterday, we were all prepped.

Upon arrival at the mountain we paid our $10, and off we went into the woods.  Snow.  Trees.  Fresh, cool, crisp air.  It was actually a typical Vancouver day: partly cloudy, with patches of sun and episodes of light snowfall.  When the sun peaked through the trees, the surroundings were brilliant.  And when it snowed (sometimes while it was sunny not far from us), the whole scenery turned into a winter wonderland.  Just amazing. 

One of the great things about snowshoeing at Cypress is that there are many many trails to choose from.  I think we explored less than half of the available snowshoe trails during the 4-5 hours we spent there.  And there was a peace and serenity that we got while walking in the woods, that someone who rips down the mountain with skis or snowboards probably doesn't get.

So I'm a big snowshoe fan.  If this enthusiasm keeps up, I may get myself some snowshoes.

Here are a few pics, starging with Patri and I, getting ready for our trek:
 

Here you can see that it was both, sunny (brightspots) and snowing (white spots on the tree trunks):

Being silly:

More Caring

Today marked the first day of the new CPE unit, my 3rd (first advanced).

The past 8 months have been very good for me, learning the craft of care-giving to patients in a hospital setting.  This time around our class will be smaller, as there'll be only 3 of us.  But I think it'll be good.

As far as I know, I will still be working in the unit, and that makes me happy.  I don't have to get to know everyone "from scratch", having already developed some good connections with the staff.  The CNL is very good too, task oriented, to be sure, but caring.  From my perspective, the perfect person for the job.

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on the patients!

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on the staff!

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us all!

Uneasy

Man, I felt so uneasy today.

It was my friend Hugh's birthday, a new convert to the Al Watan food experience.  Naturally, therefore, he selected to celebrate his birthday party at this joint.  There were 6 of us.  Problem is, our conversation got really loud (in such a small place), and we were talking about some sensitive themes - Evangelism, among others - which made me feel quite uncomfortable.

I raised the issue with everyone, asking us to quieten down, and I was stunned to find out that people were turned off by my suggestion.  It was really strange.  I have no problem with Evangelism, but surely there's a rightful place and time to talk about it, and surely there's an appropriate volume level too.  It's not the same as talking about the latest Canucks game!

Anyways, happy birthday Hugh!

New Bookshelf

Checking craigslist on a daily basis works!  A few months ago I finally found the Alve desk I was looking for (for about 8 months), and tonight I picked up the Alve bookshelf, which I've also kept an eye out for for the past 6 months or so.  Tomorrow I'm hoping to pick up the last missing piece of the set, a smaller version of the bookshelf (the thin tower).

I'm set now, in terms of furniture.  Maybe I'll get myself a reading chair, but that's not urgent at all.  Maybe I'll even wait 'til next year.

Like Ol' Times

Tonight we had dinner at AJ and Carol's.  It felt like a reunion of sorts, from our university days:

LOTR: All Nighter

I think there's no better way to begin a new year than by watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy all in one go.  That's what we did last night - what a blast.  We started early in the afternoon yesterday, and went until well past midnight today.

We had a very good turnout: Sanjit, Benja, Vero, Patri, Juan, Gina, Jen and I, to name a few.  Not everyone lasted the whole marathon, but I think most watched 2 of the 3 films.

In between, we ate some good food (thanks Benja and Jen for cooking!) too.  Unfortunately, Benja cut himself quite badly so he missed part of the 2nd film at Emergency.  He returned after getting a few stitches - now that's commitment to LOTR.

Well, here's to a new year.  May it be full of blessings!