What's with our weather?

It's been stressful for the last few weeks planning the big Sunnybrook BBQ. Imagine, planning a BBQ for over 8000 staff and not knowing who will come. Do we have enough food? Enough tables and chairs? Food? So this morning I anxiously turn on the TV to check the weather and there it was....forecast for rain in the afternoon. Is it possible? We always have it during this time of the year and we've always had wonderful Indian summer weather. What's with our weather these days? I feel like I'm in Vancouver all over again.

Happy Birthday Paul

Charissa invited the whole family to Congee Queen for a surprise birthday dinner for Paul. Paul has been busy with MCATs, school and work so he misses out a lot on our family get togethers which is why Charissa got us all together for his birthday. Afterward we went to Richtree (formally known as Marche) for dessert. Crepes all around! We actually ran into a couple of people there - Vic being one of them. It was so weird because we were just talking about him earlier that day with Ger and Di. Oh yes, I forgot to mention our brunch date with the lovey dovey couple. We went to eggspectation and then went shopping at the Eaton Centre. Di was trying to find that pregnant belly thing you can try on at Maternity/Baby Gap. I guess she wanted to scare Gerwyn away.
Sunday was our day to clean and get my fall/winter clothes out of storage. Wishful thinking. I woke up at noon, watched Jerry Maguire, and then we decided we were hungry so we went to Wah Sing. That's right...Wah Sing. It was as good as I remembered it plus we had left overs to bring home and eat for the next day. Cindy (our waitress) also packed us 2 huge containers of Taho. I was wondering why the take out bag was heavy. I don't really eat Taho but Norm sure enjoyed it. And as usual, she packed me extra fortune cookies. Isn't that nice?

David Usher

Norm's favourite day of the week is Friday so usually we go out for dinner, go for a walk around the city (or the mall =) and chill in front of the tube for the rest of the evening. Well this Friday was extra special since David Usher was throwing a free concert at Nathan Phillips Square. We got there early enough to listen to the other performers which included a steel drum band as well as another alternative artist. Then came David Usher. We stood away from the crowd, singing along, kinda dancing, hands up in the air. Norm was truly in his own little world. Too bad there was no BC bud to accompany his happy mood. I guess you can't have everything.

Passing the Torch

Sunday afternoon was spent at Grandma and Grandpa's house learning how to make Grandpa's famous empanadas. I had made the filling earlier that morning so the only thing we needed to learn was the dough. Grandpa put in 4 cups of flour and then the rest was all blurry. Grandma kept talking to me so I couldn't pay attention to what those two were putting into the bowl. Anyway, after waiting almost 2 hours we had our first taste of Mel & Norm's empanadas. It was delicious, especially right out of the oven. To top it off, Grandpa gave us his Kitchen Aid mixer, rolling pin, and apron. The passing of the torch...make him proud Norm!

Gerwyn's First Crack at Wednesday Night Dinner

So we had someone new join our Wednesday Night Dinner Club. Welcome Gerwyn! He had no idea how serious we were about these dinners: searching for recipes days in advance, preparing parts of the meal the day before, maybe even trying out the recipe before the big day. Well, this was Gerwyn's turn to shine and oh boy did he ever! His appetizer was cho-mai with fancy, schmancy dipping sauce. Then for his main meal we had steaks, spicy shrimp that Ev devoured, and humongous scallops in yet another "Begonia secret sauce". He paired those off with a wonderful, tasty Begonia grilled pepper salad. We were all impressed! To top that off, he spoiled us with a chocolate mouse brownie white chocolate chocolate supreme cake that he had custom made just for us! It was heavenly. Okay Gerwyn, you've proved to be Wednesday worthy.

Oh Mom

So Mom calls me last night because it finally hit her...Hannah's getting married in 2 months! Eeeek! She started to worry about what dress she's going to buy, what shoes she's going to wear, how she's going to do her hair...Everything was about her! She's hillarious! She tried on a few dresses at Yorkdale mall but luckily she didn't purchase any as of yet. She saw two dresses that she really loved. The first one was a chocolate brown strapless gown and the second one was chocolate brown as well but with a criss crossed back. With that she said she would wear blue drop earrings. I started laughing. I told her moms should not really match the bridesmaids and she should instead wear something gold or off white. She said she really looks good in brown, and the lady at the store said she really looked good in the dresses. Of course she did, that's her job! Mom had a good laugh. She said she'll keep looking and that she wouldn't buy anything unless I've approved. Normally, I wouldn't care what mom wears. I have accepted that she is a YummyMummy but for this occasion, I would prefer that she be a bit more conservative. Oh Mom...

Weekend Summary

On Friday, Norm and I walked around Queen W to check out Caban since they were having a huge sale. I guess we got there too late because everything was pretty much gone. Norm managed to get a trunk that was originally $250 for $40. What a steal. Afterwards we ate at Sushi time and as usual, ordered way too much. On our way home we tried to see over the rows and rows of people standing around Much Music waiting for the Stars but we didn't see anyone. We also passed Roy Thompson Hall and it was full of star gazers.

Saturday morning we had to go pick up the trunk Norm bought at Caban. Since we were out we went to Kensington to try Jumbo Empanadas. Gerwyn raves about these all the time so we were dying to try them. They were pretty good and very mexican tasting. It reminded me of when we went to Mexico and how everything...even simple eggs and bacon tasted like salsa. Norm's Grandpa still makes the best empanadas in my opinion. I think Norm is going to learn how to make them in time for his Wednesday night dinner. Watch out guys! For lunch I headed into Pickering to meet up with Jo, Jenn, Chris and Mich. As always, it was nice to catch up. At around 6 we picked up Grandma and headed into Brampton for a family party. It's always nice to get Grandma out of the apartment and she really enjoys hanging out with the Grandkids.

Sunday I tried to sleep in because I was exhausted from the day before. We met Mom, Dad and Father Max at Congee Queen for lunch. Went back to mom's house for mass. Then met up with everyone again at Magic Wok for dinner. Fran, Uncle Vic, John and Tim had a basketball bet going and the winner gets to go to Magic Wok and order anything they want. Not only did Tim order everything, he also invited everyone so in total there were 16 of us. What a sweet deal.

This morning I feel exhausted. I can't wait until Friday...

My Wednesday Night Dinner

So last night we resumed our Wednesday night dinners and I volunteered to be first. The menu was Tapas: Hoisin pork ribs, Bbq chicken wings with a Korean sauce, asparagus, corn on the cob, broccoli and sweet potato wedges. The food was placed in the middle of the table and everyone pigged out. The dessert was simple because the main course was heavy. It was baked peaches with brown sugar paired with vanilla bean ice cream. The eating didn't stop there. The chocolates came out and everyone just kept on eating. Finally, as we were all relaxing on the couch watching TV, Di decides to cut open the watermellon. She's a monster I tell you. She can out eat any of us. The funny thing is she made this rule that she would only eat until she was 80% full. I guess that didn't work out too well. I must say, it was nice having Gerwyn join our Wednesday night dinners. It looked like he was having fun but every now and then his face changed from a smile to a worried look. It's because he's next on the roster to be the Chef and he was a little intimidated by my spread. I guess he had no idea what he was getting himself into. Wait until he sees Di's and Ev's and even Norm's. Everyone puts 110% into their dinners. As Di says, we plan the dinner way in advance and even prepare the night before. It's stressful for all of us to put on this huge dinner and hope it doesn't bomb but in the end it's worth it and it sure is satisfying to see everyone enjoying the meal you made. Gerwyn's theme next week is aphrodisiacs. That will be interesting. I'll be sure to blog about it.

So long summer

Today we started the day off with a venti Caramel Macciato at Starbucks. I know, it's fattening but we only enjoy it on occasion and today just felt like one of those days. We picked up the Dynamic Duo - Di and G and we headed out to the burbs to have dim sum with Sal, Mae and Glenn. Sal was there first (wow!? she must have been hungry because she's usually late as per Diana) and she got us a number. We got there shortly after and after a few minutes I start noticing people being seated before us. We were trying to listen to the numbers but it was all in Chinese. We checked with the hostess and said she had called our number but we missed it. Of course we did, I don't know what 36 is in Chinese! This was truly a Seinfeld moment. Then came the food. The food was good but they came around speaking Chinese. Even when we talked back in English, they would still talk to us in Chinese. Forget it, just show us the food and we'll nod if we want some. My fav was the deep fried shrimp ball as well as Norm's "bocci bocci". No one knew what he was talking about so we figured it was a term Norm's mom came up with. It's the round deep fried dessert with sweet red bean paste. After lunch we had planned to do some grocery shopping at T&T but it was closed. That was a surprise. Pacific Mall was open but we decided to head back downtown and go to the Ex. Norm would usually prefer to ride the subway but for some reason he thought he'd drive. 2 hours later we arrived home - no beavertails, no funnel cake, no 99 cent spagetti, no chocolate bars. The traffic was horrendous and all the parking lots were full. We basically spent 2 hrs in the car touring the city. Anyway, for some reason today feels extra long. We just came back from a viewing. My coworkers husband passed away from cancer so I wanted to pay her and the family a visit. Everytime I go to a viewing I think...

Life is too short. Life is precious.

I'm glad I had that Caramel Macciato.

Saturday Night with the Cousins

Last night we went to Kuya Freddie and Ate Car's place for Carlo's 15th birthday. It turned out to be a great night hanging out with all the cousins and Grandma. We basically sat around the table (or should I say, around the food) and started asking each couple questions such as: How did you meet? When you fight, who gives in first? Who handles all the expenses? It was funny how each spouse had a different version of how they met such as HE called me first...but he would say SHE made the first move. The best part was listening to Grandma's stories of how her and Grandpa met. Grandpa would always follow her when she was in Med school but she never really paid him much attention. You gotta love how girls always play hard to get. But one day Grandpa asked to take her on a horse and carriage ride so when she got up inside the buggy, Grandpa "attacked" her with kiss after kiss. This is the funny part: After making out with Grandpa, she eloped to his house because she thought she was pregnant. Back then, they used to think that you get pregnant by kissing. Boy, I'd be in trouble if that were the case. Her greatest piece of advice was: Respect each other. All of us were quietly listening to each and every word she said. Grandma and Grandpa have been married for 67 years so we have a lot to learn. So far Norm and I are doing pretty good, but they say that changes when you have kids. I think we can tackle anything together, even with 10 kids, so long as we always remember Grandma's advice. Repect. I truly agree.

This is my Godson, Benjamin Joseph.
This was taken when we had family day at Bingemins.
It was his first time in the water and like all kids, he loved it!
It's too bad he lives all the way in Markham.
I would love to see him more often but Norm and I refuse to live that far. At least not at this point in our lives.

I love chubby babies. Especially this one.

I love this picture. This is Seyla and Rayanne, our Goddaughters. Rayanne is 4 and Seyla is 3 - although when you see them together Seyla is actually taller and has bigger feet! In this picture Seyla is sad because Rayanne took her doll "Baby Cole" and would not share with her. After telling Seyla that Rayanne does not have any dolls of her own, Seyla waited patiently beside her...but not without the saddest face ever. Later on she went to "Uncle Nom" and asked him if he can buy Rayanne her own doll.

Kids...ya gotta love 'em!

Happy 88th Birthday

Well, the party was a success. Everyone was impressed, especially Grandpa and Grandma. The food was plenty - which was a concern because people were a little scared that it would not be enough. Whew. The salsa dance was a show stopper. Everyone was impressed that Grandpa, the Ballroom King, had 16 grandchildren who were also dance savvy. Paul surprised the crowd with a last minute seranade which turned into 2 songs due to popular demand. Angelo and his girlfriend also performed a filipino love song that made Grandma cry. It was so sweet. After the performances were all over, it was strictly dancing for the rest of the night. Kuya Boyet was the true reason the night was a success with his DJ equipment and all the latest gadgets.

Happy 88th Grandpa!

On your marks, get set, GO!

It's 8:30 am and I just woke up from a good night's rest. I feel so refreshed and ready to take on whatever it is that comes this weekend. We are to meet at the hall by noon so we can decorate and have everything set up before the guests come at 5:00. Actually because this is a party for Grandpa's 88th birthday, the majority of the guests are 65 and above. Most of them don't have cars so we are meeting about 50 of Grandpa's guests at Midland Station and we'll be driving them to the hall. When the party was first planned, Grandpa did not agree with the location in which we picked because it was not TTC friendly - they would have to walk quite a distance (in old folks standards) to get to the place. That's why we offered to pick up those that did not have a ride. We had no idea it would be this many but he does have quite a few apos to help out, thankfully. Last night we practiced our salsa number and after only 4 tries, we had perfected it. Grandpa will be so proud. Tonight is also my sister's Jack & Jill in Vancouver that I was supposed to attend but she had let me off because of the big expense and because I could only go for the weekend. Sorry guys but I'm sure you'll be too drunk to even notice that we weren't there. I will party in your honour...with the lolos and lolas...party on, dude.

Lets go to the EX ... oh baby..

When the CNE opens it's gates it is a tell tale sign that in 3 weeks the kids will be back to school. It was always an opportunity for me (along with Norm, Has and a dozen of friends) to make some money. We worked in the grand stands where they held the concerts way before the ACC was built. Since we were working, I was always unable to see the actual perfomance which always sucked, especially when Bon Jovi came into town. I'm a big fan. Friday night Norm and I decided to visit "The old Lady" not knowing it was going to be our lucky night. Our first stop was, of course, the food building. While we were deciding what to eat, I was looking at the CNE booklet they gave us that tells us exactly what's going on. That's when I saw that Fefe Dobson was going to perform at the Bandshell. Norm almost flipped out when I told him. We've been Fefe fans ever since Nanaimo when she was supposed to have a concert but later cancelled on us. Boo! But now was our chance so we quickly bought our food and made our trek to the Bandshell. It was an awesome show. Norm and I sat at the back pretending we were old and mature but inside we were dying to go up and party with the young'uns. What a fun night! Afterwards we went back to the food court (we love food!) and got beaver tails, walked up and down the midway and called it a night. We have a lot of memories at the CNE but this one will probably be my favourite!

Mariah

Sunday night I was privleged to see the Diva, live in person at the ACC. Sean Paul was the opening act but we missed most of it because we were dining at The Armidillo Texas Grill. Mariah's songs brought me back...way back to high school and university. It's amazing how you relate certain songs to a time of your life. I remember relying on Mariah to get me through the time Norm left to work in Walkerton for 3 months. I know, it was only 3 months but when you're young and in love it was a huge deal. After the concert, Di and I walked home only to find Norm and Gerwyn in a drunken state. While we were at the concert, they were at Hot House Cafe and drank 2 bottles of wine. Who does that?

Al & Han

So now that we're slowly recovering from Brian's wedding, we're also preparing for Han and Al's wedding which is in 3 months! Gaa-lee! It's a non stop party this year with lots of celebrations. Yesterday Ev sent me the proof for the invitation which looked ready to go. Next we have to think of what her wedding favours will be. And how about our dresses? Shoes? Oh boy, there's lots to do. I better get crackin'.

South Carolina

Well, we're back from South Carolina and I miss everyone already! There was never a dull moment from the moment we woke up to the wee hours of the night when we all fell asleep. There were 20 of us in the house so finding a spot to sleep was a bit of a challenge. It wasn't only the sleeping situation, but eating was also a big mess. The stove was on all the time and although there were only 20 of us sleeping in the house, other guests would drop by during the day so basically we were feeding about 30 people each time. But whenever we went to do errands, we made a stop at our fav...Chick-fil-a. It's a Southern fast food joint that has the best chicken sandwiches! Norm and I look forward to it every single time we go down. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. I got teary eyed when I saw my cousin standing there in his tux waiting patiently for his bride. It was then that I realized that Brian was all grown up. The reception was fun with all the dancing and the drinking. It seemed more like a big Clemson party. The only downside was that it ended at 9 pm. That's a little too early to end a party but that's okay. We continued the party at a bar in downtown Charleston while Kate and Brian went to the hotel to prepare for their early departure to Mexico the next morning. On the way back from the club, we had to drop off the groom's luggage, camera, swimming trunks, etc...all of which he forgot. How can you forget your luggage? Kate was not a happy camper. The following day we had a brunch for the out of town guests and combined it with a bridal shower for Hannah and Allan. Allan has yet to model the red thong that we gave him. Al, Han is waiting! Later that evening...and yes, this is all the same day, we had a pool party for my cousin Avery. The water was absolutely refreshing and it was a great way to end the hectic weekend. On Monday, we woke up early and headed to Myrtle Beach. What's a trip to South Carolina without going to Myrtle Beach? Although Allan loves golf, it was way too hot for him. I guess he will have to make another trip but maybe in the fall when it's cooler. Tuesday was our departure day. I couldn't leave without saying Hello to Auntie Baba, Grandpa and Grandma so we woke up early in the morning and made our way to the cemetary. It was an absolutely beautiful morning. The sun was out but there was this strange wind blowing right at us. It's like you could feel their presence. I miss them very much. That was the only downside to the trip but I know they were there in spirit.

Introducing Mr & Mrs Deni Brian Orara

Is it possible?

Only 2 more days to go before we fly out to South Carolina and Norm gets sick. Is it possible? With the scortching heat, Norm managed to get sun stroke. He had a fever last night and did not have energy to eat. Being the good nurse that I am, I made him cream of wheat so at least he has something in his stomach. I also got up periodically to give him OJ hoping he can pee all of the sickness away. Well, it worked. He's feeling much better today although I've ordered him to stay home just in case. Oh Norm.