Jessica Lee .ca

Spent the First Weekend of 2013 with My BFFs in Midtown Manhattan, New York City

During Boxing week, I came across WestJet’s promo and decided to give mom a New Year’s gift!  As we counted down to 2013 and saw the crystal ball drop in Times Square on TV, I surprised mom with the news that we were going to New York the next weekend.  She was so thrilled!  She has never gone on a spontaneous trip and she has never been to NYC.  She had always wanted to visit the Big Apple but life got in the way.

 

Highlights of our weekend:

 

Friday/Day 1:

 

We arrived at the Andaz hotel on Fifth Avenue around 11 am.  They upgraded us to a suite because it was Mom’s first time in New York City!  How nice!  This is the view from our large suite's floor-to-ceiling ceiling window.  You can see the public library, Empire State Building and the crystal ball in Time Square!

 

Mom had her first NYC pretzel on Fifth Avenue.

 

We had lunch at a popular Japanese Ramen Noodle Shop just off Fifth Ave.  We all ordered the same dish – delicious Hakata ramen noodle soup, which has roasted pork, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, and pickled ginger in the rich, pork-bone-broth-based soup!!!  YUM!

 

After lunch, we took Mom to Tiffany’s.  We got Mom a little souvenir silver necklace with a cappuccino cup and saucer pendant at Tiffany’s.  It totally has the “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” feel! 

For Mom’s first night in New York, we took her to Corton in Tribeca.  Cher found this place after watching the HBO documentary “A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt (2011)” on Netflix.  We had the Chef’s tasting menu.   It was a good thing that I asked if we could take photos inside and found out we could as long as we didn’t use a flash (which is normal in most high-end restaurants).  The food was amazing!   The dishes were beautifully presented and delicious!  No wonder Chef Paul Liebrandt was the youngest three-star Chef the New York Times has awarded (in 2000) and Corton holds two stars in the New York City Michelin Guide!  We were impressed!  We will definitely come back! 

 

Saturday/Day 2:

 

We walked to Grand Central Station.  We had lunch at the world-famous Oyster Bar downstairs.  Lunch was superb!  We’d come back for sure!

 

After lunch, it was shopping time at Saks Fifth Avenue!  Mom bought her first pair of Chanel flats here!

 

We went to Times Square.  Mom was very excited to see all the buildings that she had seen on TV on New Year’s Eve just a few days before. 

 

Mom’s first Broadway show was Spiderman!  “Spiderman on Broadway” was awesome!  It was fun to hear mom say “Ah…” “Wow” throughout the performance.

 

The cool thing about New York is that most of the shops open until 1 am.  After the show, we did more shoe shopping at Sketchers.  We saw those Sketchers with the hidden wedge on stage and loved them!  Some styles were not available in Canada yet.   

 

We finally felt a little hungry around 11:30 pm and took a cab to Korean Town for dinner before we walked back to the Andaz.  Mom did a lot of walking during this trip and she was okay!  We were very pleased to see that!

 

--

Sunday/Day 3:

 

We had a 2-hour fabulous tasting menu lunch at Jean Georges located at the Trump International Hotel & Tower near Columbus Circle.  Jean Georges holds 3 Michelin stars – one of only 7 NYC restaurants that currently hold this accolade.  We come here every time we visit NYC.  It never disappoints us.

 

We went on an one-hour pedicab tour in Central Park – Mohammed was a great tour guide!

After Central Park, we took a cab to Rockefeller Center in the center of Midtown Manhattan.  We were lucky and got to see the day, dusk, and night views of NYC from the Top of the Rock.

 

We were very lucky!  We didn’t time the events since we wanted a relaxing weekend.  As we were walking around on Fifth Avenue, we saw the holiday greetings light show on the side of Saks Fifth Avenue, across from the famous Rockefeller Center’s Christmas tree.

 

We walked back to the Andaz hotel.  We tried to walk as much as possible when Mom was feeling fine because we were wearing FitBit and we wanted to track as many steps as possible!  Diana came over to visit us and we had a delicious dinner with her at the hotel.

 

Monday/Day 4:

Mom even got new luggage at the airport before we left New York.

 

The best thing about this weekend in New York?  Spending quality time with my best friends!  :-)

Some photos:

 

Cher & Tom's Wedding in Maui

Cher and Tom got married! :-D It was a beautiful celebration with friends and family in the lovely Maui! Here's a short video of it: http://vivacova.com/Blog/2012/03/tom-cher-got-mauid/

Some more photos:

Looking Back to Look Ahead - Best Memories of 2011 & 2012 New Year Resolutions

 

It's the end of the year - the best time to review what you have achieved, what you have learned, and if you have become a better person.

 

 

There have been ups and downs. I'm the kind of person who doesn't suppress my feelings; but luckily, I can't remember any bad things shortly after - it's a gift! :-)

 

Here's the Highlights of 2011:

• Chris and I had a great Spring Break in 2011! We visited friends, museums, Google, Apple's headquarters, a NASCAR race, and even a haunted house in California. Then we went to Las Vegas for the food and the shopping.
• To kick off summer, Cher and I took a last-minute-decision kind of trip to Montreal, QC, on July 1. It was an awesome girl-power trip! We were able to meet up with Sonia, Amelie, and Philippe there, too!
• Stella got 98/100 at her first Rally Obedience trial in July (held by the Evelyn Kenny Kennel & Obedience Club). In the Alberta Kennel Club Summer Classic (Fri, Jul 29, 2011 to Mon, Aug 1, 2011), we got many ribbons and both pups got their titles. Harry also got his first perfect 100 and it was a Rally-O Advanced (off leash) run.
• Later in August, Chris and I visited our family and friends in Vancouver. We also went to the Abbotsford Airshow and the night market in Richmond.  Cher and Emily were able to meet up with us in Vancouver for a weekend.
• In November, I went on another trip with Cher. She got her wedding dress and we had a great time with friends in NYC. We even got to attend an advanced screening of a Taiwanese movie -“Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale” (賽德克巴萊) at MoMA!
• I donated my time and photography skills for Pawsitive Match to raise money for the rescues - we had lots of fun sessions, including photos with Santa!

 

Hmmm... I just realized that I won't need to do this (recall the highlights) again in 2012 since Facebook will have Timeline feature and you'd be able to see everything if you are connected with me there.

 

 

 

Well, it's time to move on!  

 

2012 New Year Resolutions:

• Career:
  • Challenge myself to the next level
• Learning:
  • Pass PMP exam by July 31, 2011
  • Learn basic French
• Vivacova:
  • Publish a blog post per month
  • Engage in a discussion topic per week
• Health:
  • Do more exercise (it must be on everyone's list): run on eliptical trainer daily and go to hot yoga every week
  • Lose weight (isn't it on everyone's list too?): drop 10 lbs by June 30, 2011
  • Eat less carbs and sugar
• Fun:
  • Keep in touch with my family and friends on Facebook and Twitter
  • Take on another 30-day photo challenge
  • Volunteer with a rescue group, pet visitation, and the PMI-SAC conference

I want to try new things.  I will work harder and challenge myself even more.  I will, of course, pamper myself with occassional indulgence as encouragement.

My Precious - A Chocolate Diamond Ring

When I got the ring, I wanted to scream "I do!" to Danielle, the saleslady, as she handed it to me because I was so happy!  I totally didn't pay attention to whatever Danielle and Chris were saying after I got the ring on my finger.  "Precious, precious, precious!" I cried. "My Precious! O my Precious!"  LOL!

After 13 years of marriage, we finally found the ring that's totally ME!  Well, we didn't just find it; we created this unique ring from scratch!  

It took a long time because we wanted a natural colour diamond and not many stores have natural brown diamond rings and even if they do, the colour and quality of the brown diamond is not what we desired.  So, we had to get the diamonds specially imported for review. 

We looked at a few brown diamond stones but this one was our "love at first sight."  It's just perfect - the colour is even and it's natural fancy dark orangey brown - not too yellow, not too green, not too dark, not too pale.  It has a subtle rich chocolate glow with the light reflection.  The quality of the diamond is amazing and it's in the most romantic cushion cut!  The size is not too small and not too big - it was "just right" for my finger.  It was magical!

After we decided on this chocolate diamond, we had it sent to GIA for inspection and certification.  Meanwhile, we were looking for the ideal ring setting for the perfect chocolate diamond.  It was a challenge!  There are thousands of designs out there!  Danielle at the Alberta Diamond Exchange helped us narrow down the ideas.  We decided to get a custom setting that has many clear diamonds that form a halo on the top and an elegant arch design from the sides.  This glamourous setting makes the chocolate brown diamond stand out even more!  

Look at it!  My totally unique and the most precious - chocolate diamond ring.  It's a chocoholic's dream come true!  I totally believe in "Happily Ever After" :-D

Some "action shots" of "My Precious" - it's catching the light at every angle - soft and sweet as it glows.

 

A tip for the natural colour diamond buyers:

If you are interested in getting a natural coloured diamonds, you should always see the stone in person before you buy it.  The text describes the general idea of the stone but the exact shade of the colour cannot be accurately seen on a computer monitor or imagined based on the text description.  If the store asks for a refundable deposit to import the coloured diamond for your review, that's fine.  But, you should confirm if the deposit is refundable or not first! 

Notes from the GIA Library:

“Chocolate” is another name for brown.  “Chocolate” is a marketing term and we do not use marketing terms on our reports. We do issue reports for brown diamonds.

Brown diamonds can fall either into the D-to-Z category or may be considered a fancy color.  Until we examine your diamond, we cannot tell you which category your diamond falls into.

For colored diamonds, there are nine color grade terms: Faint, Very Light, Light, Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Dark, Fancy Deep, Fancy Intense and Fancy Vivid. We do apply these terms to brown diamonds. 

If the diamond is brown, starting with the letter K, we will add a colored diamond term.

D, E, F, G, H, I, J: the diamond is assigned a letter grade only. Within these higher color grades, we will not state whether the diamond is picking up more yellow or more brown.

K, L, M: letter grade is assigned plus the term “Faint Brown”

N, O-P, Q-R: the letter grade plus the term “Very Light Brown”

S-T, U-V, W-X, Y-Z: letter grade plus the term “Light Brown” 

If the color is more saturated than “Z”, it will no longer be assigned a letter grade but will now get one of the other color grade terms as noted above. 

If the brown diamond falls into the D-to-Z category, there are two different grading reports that can be issued: the GIA Diamond Grading Report (also referred to as a full report) and the GIA Diamond Dossier.  If you choose a Diamond Dossier report, laser inscription of the lab report number onto the girdle is included in the fee.  The Dossier does not include plot diagrams of where the inclusions or blemishes are located on your diamond.  The full report includes the plot diagrams but laser inscription is an additional fee.  To see what these reports look like, please go to the following link:http://retailer.gia.edu/rm/laboratory-services/anatomy-of-a-diamond-grading-report.htm

Dossiers can be requested for diamonds .15 to 1.99 ct.  Full reports can be requested for any size diamond.

If a diamond falls into the colored diamond range (beyond Z), the lab issues two different colored diamond reports: 1) the GIA Colored Diamond Grading Report and 2) the GIA Colored Diamond Identification and Origin Report (CDIOR).

1) If a colored diamond is submitted for a grading report, it must be unmounted.  The following information is included on the GIA Colored Diamond Grading Report: laser inscription registry if applicable; shape and cutting style; measurements; carat weight; color origin (natural vs. treated), color grade (example: fancy yellow), color distribution (example: even); clarity grade; polish; symmetry; fluorescence.  This report also includes a plot diagram and the GIA Colored Diamond Scale. 

2) For the GIA Colored Diamond Identification and Origin Report, the diamond can be mounted or unmounted.  If the diamond is unmounted, the report gives a bit more information. The following information is included for an unmounted fancy colored diamond: shape and cutting style; measurements; carat weight; color origin (natural vs. treated), color grade (example: fancy yellow), color distribution (example: even). 

For the GIA Colored Diamond Identification and Origin Report, if the diamond is mounted the lab/lab report cannot provide as much detail.  The following information is included for a mounted fancy colored diamond: a description of the stone (for example: one (1) transparent blue cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant measuring approximately 6.71 x 4.32 x 2.70 mm set in a white metal ring) and a conclusion (example: diamond, fancy light to fancy blue, natural color).

Trip Photos: Jan. 29 - Feb. 17 Vancouver - Taipei

I took photos of almost all the food we ate during this trip.    I took the point and shoot G11.

I drove in Taiwan for the first time!

Timeline:

Jan. 29 - eating with friends in Vancouver

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623347485338/

Jan. 30 - Vancouver Parks, Sushi dinner at Tojo's

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623223424839/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623348139214/

Jan. 31 - visiting Chris's parents - they live in White Rock (about 40 min from Vancouver)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623348174836/

Feb. 2 - (arrived Taipei) family dinner

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623223761903/

Feb. 3 - My brother's pets and dinner (I drove that day - first time driving in Taiwan)  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623348536790/

Feb. 4 - traditional market and food

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623263912943/

Feb. 5 - rice petty burger, the Grand hotel, the Marty's Shrine (for the falledn heroes of China's wars), ferris wheel (went to see a Chinese movie, Monga)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623395207320/

Feb. 6 - traditional breakfast, traditional market, saw a dog in stroller in the bookstore  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623405579260/

Feb. 7 - famous unagi (bbq eel) don (rice bowl) restaurant, fireworks, traditional market, the newest massage method, and food

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623281101385/

Feb. 8 - fashion mall/Balla Vita, Afternoon Tea, Taipei 101 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623406152820/

Feb. 9 - National Palace meseum, Dim Sum in the meseum, Very Thai dinner

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623406660766/

Feb. 10 - be a tourist in Taipei whole day (including the places as seen in the movie Monga)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623282257165/

Feb. 11 - hiked up to a temple

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623283067545/

My Mom's dogs - 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623407701954/

Feb. 12 - afternoon tea (that place has a wall decorated with tea bricks) with my junior high friends and then sushi dinner with them

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623299736405/

Feb. 13 - (Chinese New Year's Eve) dinner at home, fireworks after dinner (with my elementary school friend)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623308449533/

 

Some video clips of the fireworks/firecrackers we played:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TStC1bkjsQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfbiqXvB4EE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbz-wIQp3k8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsD6Bf848_I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02FGmt5OoAE

Feb. 14 - lots of sugar that day... donut breakfast outside Mr. Donut with my parents and their pups, chocolate cake looks like a Maltese dog, went to see another Chinese movie (14 blades - think Chinese ninjas) with my parents

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623307967833/

 

Feb. 15 - hotpot dinner with more junior high friends - mini reunion 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623439678116/

 

Feb. 16 - more food photos since we had dinner with some other friends who just got back to Taipei and missed the hotpot dinner from the previous night

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623322495893/

 

Feb. 17 - sushi dinner before leaving Taipei - saw rescued dogs at TPE - they were moving to Vancouver!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623348257269/

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157623472793170/

 

Happy Chinese New Year 新年快樂

祝大家福虎生風，虎年行大運！

 

Jag Goes to Rainbow Bridge

Jag passed over the Rainbow Bridge this morning at 3:30am MT.       :'-(

Happy Thanksgiving Long Weekend

Technical Support:

Friday night, Chris was not in the house when I came home from a facial appointment.  Our dogs were loose in the living room and the front door was not locked.  It was very strange.  It turned out that he got summoned to be tech support for the old Chinese ladies next door - setting up their laptop on the Internet.  Our neighbour was on the phone with tech support, but she didn't know enough about computers to understand what he was telling her to do... so she told the tech support guy that she'd get her neighbour to help... and came over.  She had a sense of urgency, so he went straight over.  Once Chris was on the phone with tech support, the guy said he was looking at Google Street View to see how far away this neighbour was while he waited.  :-) 

Our neighbour came over again this afternoon asking for help with her computer/Internet.  She said "You have time now? Come." It was kind of funny - because I was still in my pj's.  She didn't remember how to log in to her new laptop - she typed in the user name and password but didn't know what to do next.  I pretty much just pressed the "Enter" key for her and I was a hero!  Then, she thought since I was there, I could show her how to log into her Gmail account and how to reply to e-mail messages.  Her home page was Google and she'd enter Gmail.com in the search box, but she didn't know how to click the link.  I changed her home page to Gmail.  After 30 minutes or so, I think she got it.  She was taking notes, so I hope her notes will help later.  She's also taking a class.

Technology and the Internet bring people closer for sure - we had hardly ever talked to them in the past 10 years or so.  We usually just wave hi/bye when we see each other as we leave/enter the garage.  Now, we are sure that we are their favourite neighbours on this block!  ;-) 

Turkey Dinner:

We had a big Thanksgiving dinner last night!  Chris spent Saturday night and Sunday cooking - he cooked a juicy 16 lb. turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, fresh cranberry sauce, and crème brûlée with vanilla beans!  6 of us couldn't finish the food.  Where was I when Chris was cooking?  I was watching Vampire Diaries on the PVR. I still prefer Twilight. :-)

After sparkling wine and Bailey's Irish Cream (mint chocolate flavour Bailey's on the rocks with chocolate shavings on top), somehow, we ended up looking up addresses on Google Street View (hooked my laptop to the big screen TV).  Hahaha... strange, eh?  ;-)  It guess it was because Calgary just went on Street View in the middle of last week.  When we looked at our guests' house, it looked like there was somebody in their front window!  We were trying to figure out who it was.  Too bad we don't have CSI-type photo enhancement capabilities.  The party ended past 1 a.m. today.

Photo Shoot:

We had some fun this afternoon.  The Traveling Woofburys - Stella (American/vocal) & Harry (British/guitarist/vocal) - totally rocked the house!

 

Happy Halloween!

My Favourite Memories of Grandma Fang

I got a text message before noon, from my brother Sam in Taiwan, that our favourite grandma just passed away in the hospital - at 1:35 AM on Aug. 25, 2009, Taiwan time.  

I talked to grandma over the phone on Saturday around 6 PM.  She understood it was me.  She called my name.  The last time I saw her was in November 2007.  She was sick in bed but in good spirits.  She was a fighter!

Her health went downhill about 6 years ago.  She underwent a few tough surgeries.  My parents and uncles asked for a lot of favours to get the best doctors in town to help my grandma.  Even one of those doctors said (exact quote) "I have to treat this dead horse as a live horse and see what happens..."  I was so angry at that doctor when I was standing there listening to this cruel comment.  I thought he was an arrogant jerk!

My grandma was a culinary genius!  Her everyday cooking was better than my special occasion cooking.  The best memories of her were either in the kitchen, in the traditional market or in the dining room.  Well... and maybe in the salon, getting a manicure and pedicure too.  She always had perfect nails and hair.  She said to me "女孩子要入得廚房，出得廳堂!"

She was fearless and had a strong personality.  She was born in a rich family and they owned a lot of land.  She saw her dad and uncle get beaten to death by a communist-incited mob during the war.  She escaped and later she married my grandpa, who was in the Nationalist army.  My grandpa had to move to Taiwan with the army and left her and their kids behind.  She single-handedly brought my mom and her siblings to rejoin him in Taiwan from China via Hong Kong.  Many people told her to get rid of the female child (my mom) since it would cost too much for transport and bribes, and it was more dangerous for her to travel with too many children.  Sons were considered more valuable, as they wouldn't "leave the family" when they got married.  She argued and fought to keep my mom with her.  She taught me, "Never give in!"

I remember going to the traditional market with her - picking the freshest ingredients.  I recall that she bought live frogs and skinned them in the kitchen.  She would stretch the frog skin on a steel cup to make a little drum for me to play.  Yeah... that helped me a lot in high school biology class - I was the only girl not afraid of killing a frog for a lab experiment.  

She made delicious house wine... it was sweet.  She would let me try a little bit of it for Chinese New Year dinner and then I'd pretend I was too sleepy to go home so I got to stay at grandma's after the big dinner.

She was super good at mahjong, too.  Even though I never learned how to play mahjong (because my dad disapproved of gambling), I hung around the mahjong table when they played.  She gave me tips when I helped serve tea and snacks while they played.  Mahjong was her favourite thing to do.  She played "mental mahjong" to keep herself mentally alert and sharp.

 

I miss her!

  

Puppies

Puppies got a few visitors on Sunday:

Busy August Long Weekend

We were at the dog show on Saturday and Sunday. It was a pretty big show - pretty noisy and lots of happening. It was hot (32c+) too.  So, there were many stressed people and dogs.  Harry and I were nervous on Saturday and we couldn't stay "focused" to get a qualifying score.  But, after a good night of sleep and playful practice, we are better today (Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009).  Harry earned a qualifying score of 85 in the morning and earned his Rally Novice title.  Bob took some photos for us:

We finally met Shelley & Bob in person today after about 10+ years of friendship over internet! They visited Harry at the show and then came to our house to meet Stella.  We had a good time! :-)  I totally forgot to take photos!!!  

Puppies and Babies

Ellen and Justyn took us to visit puppies this morning. This is the first time we met Stella and her siblings.

In the afternoon, we had a mini high school reunion at Ellen's with Melody, Rebecca, Amy and her three kids. Everyone looks the same - even prettier! We think Amy is slimmer than before she has kids! Rebecca's hubby CAN COOK! Yummy food! Amy's kids had so much fun that they decided to sleep over at Ellen's tonight.

Calgary Stampede 2009

Tiffany, Roy, Chris and I went down to the stampede ground this afternoon. We saw rodeo, Super Dogs and we had chicken fingers, corn dogs, pizza on a stick, deep fried jelly beans and kettle corn - of course! :-)

Some snapshots from Roy's camera:

Stars On Ice 2009 @ Pengrowth Saddledome

Tiffany, Roy, Chris and I went to see Stars On Ice on Friday night.

We had east side floor seats (centre ice)!  They allowed compact camera without flash, so Roy and I took some photos with his Canon G10.

The whole show was awesome!  All skaters were great!  Shawn Sawyer did back flip a few times!

My favourite skaters are still Jamie Salé & David Pelletier!  Jamie was hanging on to David only by her ankles around his neck while they were spinning - no hands!!!

情人節快樂 Happy Valentine's Day

Wishing everyone a happy V-day!

祝媽咪生日快樂

媽咪都是過農曆年的生日。今年六十大壽踫巧和我生日同一天。

柏慶，Tiffany, Chris, 和我在Calgary祝妳生日快樂!

Back in Calgary

We are back!  Chris, Harry and I were in Vancouver for a week - visiting family and friends. We drove. Correction: Chris drove us there and back. :-) I offered my help but he turned it down.

We had a great time with Harry.  We spend most of the time with Harry when we were in Vancouver. He got to go to so many different places with us. He met many people and dogs.  He even went to see Stephie's softball game. He was the lucky charm for her softball team - they started winning when we arrived and they ended up winning the tournament at the end of the day!

On the way home, we saw lots of animals near Highway 1 - a few black bears, 1 wolf, a moose, a couple of deer, a couple of mountain goats.

Harry & Jasper

Harry & Jasper
Originally uploaded by malteserus

We were in Vancouver when Harry met Jasper for the first time! They were playing nicely together.

Jasper and Harry chased each other - Jasper was crawling pretty fast! Harry even didn't mind sharing his toy with Jasper (we didn't like Jasper put it in his mouth - of course). They had lots of fun together!

Harry and Momi

Harry and Momi
Originally uploaded by malteserus

Momi is a 11 years young Pekingnese. He had a tough time trying to catch Harry in the back yard.  Cady and the rest of us thought it was funny.  :-)

At a softball game this afternoon

Stephie and Harry
Originally uploaded by malteserus

Stephie's team started to play better when Harry arrived. They ended up winning the softball tournament. She thinks Harry is their lucky charm!

Amelie and Harry
Originally uploaded by malteserus

Amelie played with Harry in the Sunnyside Park, Surrey, BC.  She adores Harry!

Harry's 1st Birthday

Cake
Originally uploaded by malteserus

We had a Princes and Princesses party. Harry's birthday was a great excuse for us to have fun! Most of us dressed up - check out some of the photos

Prince Harry

Rocking out at Tiffany's

20080120-P1000696
Originally uploaded by malteserus

We finally got to play Rock Band! It was lots of fun! Jag was cheering for the Rock Band as we played.

We took turns playing guitar, drumming, and singing. Roy is the most energetic singer - he even lost voice after a few songs. Tiffany has a natural talent for the drums. Chris is by far the best guitarist among us! :-)

Merry Christmas!!!

Have you been good this year?  Was Santa good to you?  :-)

Santa visited us last night and brought us lots of goodies!

Chris made turkey dinner and we played Wii with friends the whole night.

Christmas Photos

 

Replicon X'mas Party

JessChris-2007Replicon Xmas Party
Originally uploaded by malteserus

This year's (2007) Christmas party is at Banff Centre. We had a great time. Check out the photos.

Happy Halloween!

Whitebeard (a.k.a. CoCo) went to work with me today. We were pirates for the day. He was one sleepy pirate who slept the whole day on my desk:

Then we went home and handed out candy. Whitebeard was very popular with the kids. Some other Halloween photos this year:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157602526719441/

Dinner and Mahjong at Cher's

Each of us brought some food. Most of us played Mahjong for the first time! Sonia and Philippe won at least 4 times!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/1692940466/in/set-72157602610358850/

CoCo's 14th Birthday Party

We had a party today! A pirate theme party for CoCo's 14th birthday celebration.

This is the email invite we sent out a month ago:

Here are some party photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jelyea/sets/72157601680540343/

Girls' Night at Sonia's

Sonia invited us to her house for a girls night dinner. We went to T&T supermarket selected a live crab and a live lobster for girls' night dinner.

Tiffany had to hold it with both hands! It's very heavy.

Sonia steamed the crab and boiled the lobster.

It was very tough to crack the shell of the lobster claw.

That was a very delicious fancy dinner we had!

Roy's graduation

Roy's offical graduation ceromony was held today at MRC.

Happy Birthday Sonia!

It's Sonia's birthday today! Happy Birthday to you~

Chris' birthday - trip to the museum

For Chris' birthday, we went to the military museum. It's near downtown and we drive by it all the time, but we never went in there to visit until today.

Here's Chris' story:
"It's my birthday and I'm finally old enough to enlist."

"I can take these guys all by myself!"

"Into the trenches!"

"Being a foot soldier is okay, but being mechanized is better..."

"...especially if you get to drive!"

"Getting to shoot is even better than driving! A little target practice with rush hour traffic?"

"Anybody call for *really* close air support?"

"Armour and air support, now we're talking!"

"Make some room in the garage, this is the best birthday present ever!"

"And that's how I won the war!"

Gifts from cats

What kind of gifts would you get from the cats after you visit them for a few days?!

LOVELY Maltese breed French soap - so fancy! It'll be going into my display case. They also gave me cat butt gums and a box of fancy chocolate truffles!!! How can you not like these cats!!!

Thanks to Lafite and Bingley!

Jag's birthday!

Jag turns 10 today! He got another toy and lots of loving attention.

Amelie's birthday party

Roy's birthday party at Let's Bowl was so funny fun. Sonia decided that we'll go to Let's Bowl again for Amelie's birthday.

Easter dinner at Sonia's

Sonia and Philippe invited Tiffany, Roy, Chris and me to their house for Easter dinner on Saturday.

Amelie dressed like a princess.

Roy's birthday celebration

Tomorrow is Roy's birthday. Today, Sonia, Phiippe, Amelie, Tiffany, Roy, Chris and I went bowling (at Let's Bowl). We had lots of fun. The ball was too heavy for her, but Amelie hit her first pin even without the border guard! After two games, we went for a Peking Duck dinner. Later, we came home to have cake.

Welcome 2007!

Wishing you all a healthy, joyful, prosperous and happy new year!

Jeanna, Mei-Mei, Sonia, Amelie, Philippe, Roy, Tiffany, Jag, Chris, CoCo and me were at our home for the count down. We had a big dinner with chocolate cake and Tiramisu. After dinner, we also had ice wine and some sparkling wine for the midnight cheers. We also had some shots of B-52 to welcome 2007.

Turkey dinner and pretty beans!

Philippe made turkey dinner this year. It was delicious as always.

Sonia's mom gave me a big bag of these pretty beans that they grew in their garden. They are so pretty! I'm going to save some to be planted next year.

CoCo is 13 years young!

CoCo turns 13 on Aug. 24 - tomorrow! We had a Luau party for CoCo's birthday last Sunday. Everyone was dressed in Hawaiian style and we had lots of yummy food. Pups had chicken liver cake and people had mango mousse cake.

Cowboy CoCo

On Saturday, we took CoCo downtown to take some photos. Afterwards, we went to Prince's Island Park for a walk. CoCo loves the crowd!

Happy Birthday to Jaguar, Sonia, Chris and Jeana

Grab Life By the Throttle!

I designed and ordered this birthday cake from Cake Works. We had a BBQ dinner on Saturday to celebrate birthdays for Jaguar, Sonia, Chris and Jeana since their birthdays are very close together.