Airport Send Off

The time has come. We’re at the Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Melur, Arman and Mommy have checked in their bags, and they’re getting ready to leave on their flight back to Malaysia. We’re just hanging out at the terminal, outside Burger King (which is the only thing open at this time of night). The flight leaves at 2 am, and it’s around midnight.

I hope the kids will enjoy their time in Malaysia. It’s a lot warmer than Vancouver. And I’m guessing their Aunties and Uncle will pamper them silly. They enjoy swimming outside, good food, and good family fun, and all without me. Hopefully they’ll remember me. I’ll definitely be thinking of them over here. Good luck guys. Have a safe trip.

It’s the weekend…

It’s Sunday, to be exact. I thought I’d take some pictures and enjoy the weekend with the kids. This is the last weekend before Mommy and the kids head back to Malaysia. **SOB** **SOB**. I’m going to miss them. I usually make a special breakfast on the weekends (since I have a little more time to cook), and then we hang out for a little bit in the living room. I love to tickle the kids. They're so.... 'tickle'-able, if there's such a word. They seem to enjoy it... in general. The house will be so quiet without them.

I recently bought Arman a used bike from a garage sale at the commons block. It’s approaching winter, so people don’t usually bike outside. But since it’s only CAD10, I thought I’d just get it. It’s a little small. We can get Arman a larger newer bike (like Melur’s) in the spring when it’s warmer.

In any case, it looks like he really enjoys the bike, even though it’s used. Here you see them riding the bike in front of the house. They’re kind of disturbing this couple trying to play badminton. But it was only for a while. They’re heading back to Malaysia soon anyway, so soak it up.

Arman needs a bigger bike

Happy Birthday Papa

So Papa’s birthday is finally here. I made it all the way to White Spot after work to meet up with Mommy and the kids. As you probably already know, we go to White Spot on special occasions, since it’s not too expensive, and it has a nice family atmosphere. I’m looking forward to a nice, somewhat quiet, evening with the family.

Dinner was good. After dinner, we had cake of course. And then Mommy brought out the gifts. Per my request, Mommy got Daddy some guitar accessories. Since Daddy’s been playing in a lot of gigs with Gardenburst, he could use some new stuff. The kids also gave Daddy a picture frame each (one from Arman, and one from Melur). They were hand decorated. Aww… These will be sitting on my desk at work.

We forgot to bring the camera, so we had to use the camera phone. The quality isn’t so good, but the evening was still memorable. Thank you Melur, Arman and Mommy for a beautiful evening. I love you guys!

Making Gifts with Candice

Tomorrow is Daddy's birthday (Arman likes to call Papa 'Daddy' now). And today, Arman is making a gift for Daddy with Candice, the baby-sitter. Arman has a baby sitter almost every afternoon after preschool. We have a few baby sitters who kind of rotate through the week. Candice brought some material from the Dollar Store today, and Arman (and Melur) will be making something special for Daddy.

Mommy took this picture. Mommy is planning something special for Daddy tomorrow. We’ll all be meeting at White Spot for dinner after Daddy finishes work. Daddy is looking forward to some quality time with the family. I wonder what else Mommy has in store for Daddy. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.

Remembrance Day at Zeller’s

It’s a long weekend. And since we didn’t do much on Saturday or Sunday, we decided to head over to Zeller’s this Monday afternoon, on Remembrance Day. The kids need some new clothes anyway. We made our way to the bus stop. It was already getting kind of cold, but still no sign of snow. Everyone was in high spirits. I like going out with the family, shopping for new clothes. It’s a sign of change… even if it’s only a change of clothes. Change is good.

We got Melur some new pants. We also saw this really cute 4-piece outfit perfect for Arman. We just had to get Arman to try it on. What do you think? Isn’t he adorable?

Well, we couldn’t resist. It rarely get Arman all dressed up. It really is a lot easier to do that with Melur. So we took this opportunity to get Arman looking cute as well.

We just missed the bus leaving Zeller’s at 5 pm. We had to wait another 30 minutes for the next bus to UBC. And as you can see, it gets dark around this time. But we made it. The kids were really tired by the end of it, but it was still a fun-filled day.

Black Out!

Another one this year….

Last year, we had a few black outs, mostly because the UBC grid was running close to or over capacity. But I think black outs in Vancouver are not too out of the ordinary. The winds get rather strong towards winter, knocking down trees and branches, which then take down the power lines. But the city is quick to resolve these matters.

And today, we had another blackout. I was home alone with the kids when it happened, and we took this opportunity to relax and take some pictures. The kids are always so happy, no matter what happens. These little surprises make life a little interesting. And the blackouts don't usually last that long. I think they enjoy having candles light up the house.

When the flash goes off, it looks like the lights are on, but believe me, there aren’t any lights. Here’s a picture Melur took of Daddy and Arman:

And here’s a picture Arman took of Daddy and Melur:

And that was that. Mommy should be coming home soon now that there’s a black out. Come on home, Mommy!