photography

i want to share a quote from a photographer (sorry, i can't remember his name) but the quote came from an enroute magazine, you know, that magazine that comes in the pocket of the airplane seat in front of you.  he describes travel photography like this, "it's a bit like a visual mediation.  it helps you experience the place you're in."  i totally agree.

when i return from vietnam, i will share with you some of our travel experiences. south china sea, here we come...

image from http://www.terragalleria.com/vietnam/

a girl? really?

while at the post office today, the cashier asked kai if he was a little boy or girl.  kai responds that he is a boy and the cashier proceeds to tell him that he is really pretty for a boy.  when we leave, kai and i laugh out loud and cannot stop ourselves.  this is a frequent question we get asked.  kai says, 'at least she asked first'.  usually, people just assume he is a girl.  he is used to it by now, it's been the case since he was born, especially as a toddler, and he has never really been bothered by it as i try to make fun of it.  it is pretty ridiculous but i am flabbergasted by it as well. 

snowboarder

kai has taken ski lessons for a few years and, if it's okay to brag for just a moment, he is usually one of the top students in the class.  kai's papa is very proud of his fearlessness on the slopes.  his mama, not so much.

because stefan snowboards, kai has been asking if he can take it up instead of skiing. today was the day for him to try it out.  he loved it.  i was a little worried he would be disappointed because apparently learning to snowboard is more difficult than learning to ski and can be a frustrating process.  his instructor said kai was a natural and that his years of skiing actually helped in the lesson. 

i'm not sure i'm ready for him to abandon skiing for snowboarding but am happy to indulge with a lesson from time to time.  kai, however, may have other ideas...

after being on the mountain, a stop to mink cafe for hot chocolate, chocolate, or/and chocolate fondue has usually been in the plan, and today was no different!

a medal

today was the last soccer game of the season. kai was very proud to receive his very first soccer medal.  honestly, he is deserving of it.  he started the season chasing imaginary butterflies or playing air guitar in the middle of the field.  so, it was very cool to see him progress.  he loves playing soccer.

sometimes, when he falls, he likes to fake injuries, like a good italian soccer player

kai's very first medal (+ trophy for a first place finish) came from his participation in a 'car race' when he was 5 years old.  it is an event hosted by the friends of ferrari via the italian cultural centre.

crossing the finish line first






buon compleanno

today is my mom's birthday.  i wish her continued health.  she doesn't let anything keep her down.  what is the saying, 'healthy as a horse'? at 82, this is impressive.  she doesn't cease to amaze me with her energy - walking, cooking, gardening in the summer (she maintains a brilliant vegetable and flower garden), and she has been known to be shovelling the snow in the winter!

kai and i sent her a few dishcloths we knitted.

i covet...

visit shopjohnmurphy.com for dreamy-like photographs.  the photographer sells the photos within incredible hand finished frames.  i especially like his poppy photos.  he also sells collage images. i am loving the elephant. i want.  

superpower

samantha stevens (played by elizabeth montgomery) from bewitched has always been a role model.  i dream of twitching my nose and having things magically happen, like being transported to a different country or change things around the house.

image unknown

i am thinking about samantha these days because of our upcoming trip to vietnam.  i am a nervous airplane passenger.  i get anxious and imagine all of the possible catastrophes that could happen when flying.  since i cannot simply twitch my nose and voila be in vietnam, i believe if i think about all the very bad things that can happen in the air then they won't.  you see, i am powerful in that way. didn't you know? wink.

what superpower would you most like to possess? 

afar

i recently subscribed to afar, a travel magazine.  it's a magazine to inspire and guide its readers toward authentic travels around the globe. there is so much content packed into this thin magazine. the photography is stunning.  one of my favourite features is their 'spin the globe'.  they send one of their staff members to a destination picked only 24 hours prior to departure by literally spinning a globe.  it's a different kind of travel magazine worth checking out.  it'll feed your travel curiosities.  and i have many!

from the website, "Travel is changing. The world has grown smaller, more accessible, yet homogenized and less exotic. Today’s travelers want to get beyond the superficial, the mass-produced, the mass-consumed, and the mass-experienced. They look for the authentic in people, places, and things."

kids koncerts

the vancouver symphony orchestra presents a series of concerts for children that are quite fun and educational.  kai and i have attended a handful in the last year.  today, we listened/saw roald dahl's red riding hood show. 

image from the vancouver symphony website

before the show, the children can try out different instruments. i think this is kai's favourite part. he patiently waits in the long line-ups for his turn.

if i had a girl

isn't this the sweetest rug?  it comes from oliver yaphe and is called the family tree rug.  perfect, i think, in a little girl's room.

and this print, found on etsy, is just adorable.

hip hop

kai's school brought in a hip hop educator, jheric hizon of harbour dance, to work with each class everyday for one week.  jheric taught and choreographed the routines for all the classes, quite an amazing feat! 

i watched one of kai's practises and it was very cute.  although i probably should use another word, i am thinking cute and hip hop don't go together. anyway, kai chose to do the 'coffee grinder' as his solo piece.  he executed it quite well.  he insisted that he wear his skinny jeans to the practises because they were 'cool'. too cute (oops, there's that word again, i can't help myself). i should mention that the hip hop educator wore skinny jeans too.

future much music dancers were in the group!



i love the pout, very cute cool kai



i covet...

well, i was coveting faux antlers/stag head but no longer because stefan brought me back an awesome prezzie from the uk.  finally, i get my stag head!  i am a lucky girl.  this patterned, wooden, quirky stag head comes from the v&a museum in london, england.  apparently the pattern is taken from 18th and 19th century italian textiles.  i do love it.

mikey

introducing mikey, the manx, our other cat.  mikey is not your typical cat and i think this is why he is adored by many of our neighbours. actually, i think he thinks he's a dog. he plays fetch. he is not afraid of anything - he stands his ground and he will not move a muscle when a dog (or raccoon!) approaches, he will either swat at them or want to play. mikey is very playful. he isn't much of a cuddle bug but when he does choose to cuddle, it's intense and involves lots of drooling. and, mikey urinates in the toilet (we didn't teach him, i swear). 

 

the first few days home with us

mikey received his name when kai declared, with mikey in his arms as we were leaving our friends home (they foster kittens for vokra and how we got loki too) that 'mike' would be coming home with us:

image from 2008