Archive for October, 2008

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Halloween

Friday, October 31st, 2008

What does Halloween mean to you? I was never introduced to Halloween celebration until my first year of university in Canada. Halloween is part of the western culture and a good excuse to PARTY!! Not just that, dress-up party is the fun part. And, and, and… Halloween treats! Trick-or-treating is certainly something that kids look forward to. Children will dress up in their Halloween costumes and go door to door in the neighbourhood with siblings or friends asking for Halloween treats.


The brain cup cakes, yumm…

Halloween decorations.

The Pumpkin Sacrifice is an annual event hosted by the Harrison residence at the University of New Brunswick. I was living in Harrison during my first year of university and have always wanting to attend the event again. What is it all about? It’s a 500 lbs pumpkin plummeting from the roof of the residence!

It’s believed that pumpkin is sacrificed in order to harvest a fruitful academic year. This is the oldest residence tradition in Canada. The tradition started when some Harrison residents decided that it’d be a good idea to throw pumpkin off the roof of the building in 1973.

The ceremony started at 9 p.m. The gigantic pumpkin was carved with the faces of Janus, the two-visaged Roman God of beginnings and endings. It was borne across the quad (in front of the Student Union Building) by ten first-year Harrison students dressed in black, followed by the rest of the first-year residents and ten Harrison alumni in black, with candles held in hands.

Upon reaching the Joy Kidd residence, it was lit with three flares before retracing its steps back to Harrison and hoisted two and a half storey onto the roof of the residence’s lounge.


The gigantic, carved 500 lbs pumpkin.

The pumpkin was borne by ten Harrison students.


On their way to the Joy Kidd residence.


Candles in the pumpkin almost caught a fire?!


The 36th annual Pumpkin Sacrifice at its climax. Three wise people said an invocation before the crashing of pumpkin.


The pumpkin was set on fire before meeting its doom.

This event brought back my memory of residence life. It was an unforgettable experience to be part of the Pumpkin Sacrifice. This year, however, I was one of the crazy bunch of spectators ;)

Posted in Festivities | 1 Comment »

Indian Buffet

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

This is the best Indian buffet restaurant I’ve ever been! Buffet Maharaja is acknowledged as the largest Indian cuisine buffet in North America. With over a hundred food items on its buffet menu, it attracts many Indian cuisine lovers, from within and outside the Montreal city. The buffet section is divided into a few divisions and just to mention some of my favourite dishes:

(A) Appetizers: vegetable samosa, yellow lentil soup, pakora etc.
(B) Meats: Butter chicken, Tandoori chicken, beef curry, chicken curry, chicken korma, lamb sag (spinach), egg kofta etc.
(C) Vegetarian dishes: Chick peas, aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower), begun bhortha (spiced roasted eggplants), lentil curry, sag panir (spinach and cheese) etc.
(D) Rice dishes: Briyani etc.
(E) Breads: Nan bread, papor etc.
(F) Desserts: Golab jamun, carrot halwa, jelabi etc.

Isn’t that overwhelming?! At least I was overwhelmed! If they’re offering such a great variety of food, how much do they charge?? Well, you’ll be really surprised…

Monday – Wednesday: $10.99 for lunch and $14.99 for supper.
Friday – Sunday: $11.99 for lunch and $16.99 for supper.

Where else can you find authentic Indian cuisine that beats the price?? Not even close! It’s a must go in Montreal for sure!!

Address: 1481, René-Lévesque Bld. West, Montréal, Québec H3G 1T8
Tel: (514) 934-0655

Here are pictures taken from this past June during my second visit to Buffet Maharaja. Mom and Dad enjoyed the food a lot too!

My first plate.

Mom’s first plate.

My second plate, with more butter chicken ;)

More?? Yes, my third plate!



My dessert/fruits plate.


Dad’s plate, with his favourite Tandoori chicken.

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致爷爷

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

每次看回这首诗，都有很深的感触。对爷爷，我一直都是又敬又畏的。在异乡的日子，突然很想写点字句送给爷爷。依稀记得当时的确写了一封信寄回家乡，希望他老人家看了觉得安慰。说着说着，好像很久没跟爷爷联络了。是不是时候写封信给他呢？

写于2003年十月的一首诗：

致爷爷

远赴加国求学去
一年半载不相逢
心头满是思念情
不知爷爷可心疼？

秋意正值浓厚时
黄彤一片好景光
眼前尽是绿草地
宛如身置仙境般

忙碌日子不尽数
勤奋求学不言弃
玩乐时刻尽放纵
生活愉快忧尽消

埋头案上执笔书
绘尽心声于纸墨
但愿爷爷永安好
随风飘去诗一首

Posted in 文艺部落 | No Comments »

Bluetooth Headset

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

Arghh… I’ve been having issues with my hands-free. It tangles up every single time I try to put it on. Worse still, I’ve to keep the excessive length of wire aside, possibly hide it under my fall jacket. What’s the matter with it?! It’s driving me nuts….

These issues prompt me to get a bluetooth device, and save the hassles of dealing with the wires! I came to know about the existence of bluetooth technology when I was in middle school, but didn’t pay much attention to it. Nowadays, you can get cellphones, computers, laptops, GPS receivers, game consoles such as Wii and Play Station 3, and much more with bluetooth technology. How cool is that?

At first, I just wanted a regular “businessman” bluetooth headset that hangs on to one ear. I found out later that it’s only used for talking on the phone but can’t play music (otherwise, you’re gonna listen to music on one ear, and noises on the other, huh?).

That was a big let down. Now what? I was looking online for a stereo bluetooth headset but found it pricey (ranges from $50 to $100+), and never got around thinking much about it until I visited the Wal-Mart on the weekend….

Motorola HT820 stereo bluetooth headset.

Hmm…buy or not to buy ($50 after taxes)? After contemplating for 30 minutes, I decided to give it a try. Furthermore, it’s under warranty, in case anything goes wrong…

Gadgets that come with it.

I wondered what’s the use of the headphone jack on the headset at first. Well, maybe you can amplify the music by plugging it to stereo speakers? I didn’t realize until I came across with a review that it can be used to plug to an iPod while connected to a cellphone. Basically, you can be running on the treadmill while listening to songs, and not missing a call!


Wirelessly listen to music and never miss a call on this stylish headset!

It’s absolutely amazing! Great stereo effect, easy control of buttons (on/off, volumes, track change, make/receive calls). It has 12 hours of music time, or 17 hours of talk time, and weighs only 100g. Very cool! Honestly, I appreciate the technology nowadays that makes life so much easier, and of course, more enjoyable ;) Simply loving it!

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The Latte Factor

Sunday, October 26th, 2008

“A latte spurned is a fortune earned”

~ People Magazine
What’s a latte factor?! I first came across with this term while reading “The Automatic Millionaire” by David Bach. Every one’s latte factor varies, it can be lotto ticket, Starbucks coffee, cigarettes etc. It’s something than we invest in, on a regular basis; and yet, we don’t realize the large amount we end up putting into it. Why?? It simply because we feel like it’s costing nearly nothing when we spend on the purchase!

Lotto tickets? $8 a week. A cup of Starbucks latte? Oh well, it’s only $5 a day. But do the math:

Lotto ticket
One week: $8
One month: $32
One year: $416
Ten years: $4,160!
Coffee
One week: $35
One month: $140
One year: $1,820
Ten years: $18,200!

It turns out to be a staggering number! Let’s save up this amount and see what happens…
Assuming 3% interest per annum, compounded monthly over 10 years. Using the monthly compound interest formula, you’ll end up with a value of more than $700 (lotto ticket) and $3,000 (coffee) from the interest alone! Well, perhaps you’re not convinced… you question about inflation: what’s the point of saving up? At the end of the day, it may not mean much after all…. And I don’t mean to boycott the Lotto 6/49 or Starbucks, the message I’m trying to get across is to identify your latte factor and realize how much you can do by avoiding it!
Think about this: the above example is merely a 3% interest p.a., if you invest that amount in something that has a higher return rate, i.e. mutual funds, stock market etc., you’re looking at a return of double or even triple of the above figures. Please bear in mind that lotto ticket or coffee is just an insignificant expenditure in our daily life. Imagine how big an impact would be when you sum up all your latte factors over the years… It’s a stunning figure, I can assure you!
Then you may ask: why are we making life so difficult by saving up? Shouldn’t we enjoy life while we can? Well, it’s important to enjoy life, but do it in a responsible way and sensible manner. Do you know that 18,000 children die everyday because of hunger and malnutrition and 850 million of people go to bed every night with empty stomachs (Statistics from the United Nations, 2007)? We could have used that money to benefit others and spread the love of God!
To be rich, it’s not about how much you earn; but how much you save and how much you’re willing to give. I always admire those who live a joyful and contented live. They may not have the best thing in the world and a lavish lifestyle, but they’re able to savour the goodness of life by avoiding the spendthrift attitude. It’s never too early to start saving for old age, or any financial crisis down the road. Better still, if we can share it with people who are in need.
Money is not the root of all evil, but the love of money is.

“For the love of money is root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

~ 1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV)
It’s never easy to cultivate a desciplined life, especially when it involves finance. It’s just like teaching a newborn child, it requires lots of efforts and patience. Once the child is disciplined, the temperament is going to stay for good for the rest of his/her days. Likewise, we shall make an impact on our future and change the world, as the calling is within us, if you ever pay attention to the small voice deep down the soul…

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Frank’s Finer Diner

Sunday, October 26th, 2008

What kind of restaurant catches your attention? Restaurant shopping is a term I’d use for myself. I enjoy visiting different restaurants and even if I’m back to the same restaurant, I’d prefer trying a different dish! Why? It simply because I love varieties! You never know what you really like until you’ve tried enough to figure that out. What if you made a bad choice? Well, learn from the lesson never to do it again, just like what we ought to do in life, isn’t it?

Frank’s Finer Diner is one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been in Fredericton. It’s unique with its 50’s dining settings and even some waitresses on their roller skates. A homey ambiance, friendly staff, reasonable pricing, and comfortable settings have made this restaurant a success! We had to line up for seats on a Sunday afternoon.

The 50’s restaurant settings.


A nicely setup miniature electrical train and tracks.

The Hot Turkey Sandwich that I ordered.


Dave had this Ham Dinner which offered as the daily special.


Paul had wings, veggie sticks, and a generous serving of onion rings and poutine!


Betty had Chicken Sandwich with salad. A big serving!


Dorrie ordered a Crispy Chicken Wrap with mashed potatoes.

We had a great meal together after the church service. Frank’s Finer Diner is located at the Two Nation’s Crossing, north of Fredericton. It’s opposite of the new Wal-Mart. This is my second visit in one and a half years. The reason for having a Hot Turkey Sandwich? I missed my turkey for Thanksgiving! The house fries were very crispy and delicious. The gravy on sandwich was great too, although I should have asked for whole wheat bread instead of the white bread served by default. The turkey though, could have been better, since it’s mainly dark meat. With an extra cost of $1, you could get all white meat. Nevertheless, nothing could beat the real, whole home-baked stuffed turkey!

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Jubilee Chinese Buffet

Saturday, October 25th, 2008
The Jubilee restaurant that offers Chinese buffet! They claimed to offer over 100 Chinese/ Canadian buffet food items.

Paul, Eric and myself decided to visit the Jubilee restaurant for their super Chinese buffet! The supper buffet was $14.99. The price has gone up quite a bit over the years. It was around 5:45 p.m. when we arrived. The restaurant was crowded. Oh well, it’s buffet, so we helped ourselves with these:


My first plate.
My second plate.


My third plate.

My fourth plate shared with Eric.

Last but not least, desserts!

Food I enjoyed at this restaurant? I voted for the seafood! Fresh mussels, steamed haddock fillets, stir-fry shrimps, yumm…. and of course, I liked the Singapore-style noodles too! We were stuffed at the end of the meal. It was great, but it won’t be a place where I’d visit often, because I lose control of what I eat for buffet, and that’s bad! It’d be a nice treat though, once in a blue moon ;)

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Be a Smarty Pants!

Friday, October 24th, 2008

Wanna outsmart others and be a Smarty Pants? Well, dogs do too! Here is an interesting video…

Hehe…be a Smart Pants? Think twice! *v* It takes more effort than you think ;D

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One-day meal journey in Saint John

Monday, October 20th, 2008
Breakfast

Venue: McDonald’s (near Lancaster Mall)
Menu: Blueberry pies

 

The blueberry pie from McDonald’s which I have been wanting to try. Two for $1.39. It was tasty and value for money.

 
 
 

 

Lunch

Venue: Sampan Restaurant at Lancaster Plaza (640 Manawagonish Rd.)
Menu: Dim Sum +_*

 

Rice porridge with century egg and pork, yau char kuey, and egg plants with stuffed meat. Yummy!

 

 

Steamed buns, pork belly, fried tofu, pot stickers etc.

 

 

My favourite egg tarts with flaky shells! Meat rolls in bean curd skins, squid curry, and more!

 

 

Pork dumplings, pork ribs, shrimp dumplings, and char kuey teow (fried rice noodles).

 

The food was tasty, even though it was rather greasy and fatty. Oh well, “dim sum” is the way it is! It was a Chinese food indulgence that happened once in a blue moon. There were nine of us at the table and everyone was stuffed by the end of the meal. Good food and great time chatting. Nevertheless, “yum cha” (a.k.a. morning tea) should only be taken as a treat once awhile!

 

Coffee Break

 
Venue: Starbucks
Menu: Pumpkin spice Frappuccino (*limited time only*)
 

Green tea Frappuccino and my pumpkin spice Frappuccino (right). They were tasty and refreshing!

 

 
 
 

A drive-thru Starbucks?! Nice!

 

 
 

Starbucks, a place which I don’t visit very often. Why? Well, I don’t usually drink coffee (since caffeine doesn’t work on me) and drinks here are super expensive! I’d rather buy a meal than getting a cup of coffee. Having said that, it was a treat to myself today!

 

Supper

 
Venue: Lemongrass Thai Restaurant (42 Princess St.)
Menu: Tom Yum soup, vegetarian Pad Thai noodles, tamarind, shrimp, Malaysian chicken curry, and chicken green curry.
 
 

Very unique ceiling lamp. A stalk of flower hanging upside down! Very artistic indeed.

 

 
 
 
 
 

Tom Yum soup ($16) with shrimps, baby corns, and mushrooms. Lemongrass, lime leaves, and fresh cilantro added flavours to it! I’d prefer the soup to be thicker and spicier though.

 

 
 
 

Pad Thai noodles ($13) are rice noodles cooked with Pad Thai sauce, peanuts, red peppers, tofu, bean sprouts, green onions etc.

 

 
 

Tamarind shrimp ($17) cooked with mushrooms in the sweet and sour tamarind sauce. I enjoyed the large shrimps a lot!

 

 
 
 

The green curry chicken ($15) cooked with cubes of eggplants. The curry was light in colour instead of green that I expected. Perhaps the word “green” came from the green chili padi they used.

 



The daily special dish, Malaysian chicken curry ($17) which tasted a lot like curry laksa! Yumm…yumm…yummy!!

 


 

Six of us sharing all these dishes. That’s the awesomeness of dining in a group. You get a variety of food!

 

 

 

Our first choice was Suwana Restaurant for Thai supper. It was fully booked when we got there. Apparently, someone would have to make a supper reservation three months in advance!! Oh well, hope I get to try their Thai dishes on my next trip to Saint John.

The food at Lemongrass Restaurant was great, although I was a bit let down by the Tom Yum soup. My favourite dish of all, was certainly the Malaysian chicken curry!

 

Posted in Food, Traveling | 1 Comment »

Saint John

Monday, October 20th, 2008

Saint John is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick (N.B.), with a population of about 70,000, and the oldest incorporated city in Canada. Fredericton, the capital city of this province, has a population of 50,000. On the other hand, Moncton is the most populous census metropolitan area in N.B., boasting a population of 126,000.

Please keep in mind that the largest or the most populated city may not be the capital city of a province or country. For example, Ottawa (population of 1.2 million) is the capital of Canada, and Toronto (population of 5.6 million) is the capital of Ontario.

Anyway, back to my Sunday trip to Saint John! Together with three other friends, we attended the Sunday service at the Main Street Baptist Church. It was a very powerful sermon delivered by the church pastor about the building of a strong community, and how we are dependent on one another to succeed in life.

We met some Chinese friends and the Chinese pastor at the church. We then went to the Sampan Restaurant for “dim sum.” Yumm…I haven’t had it for a long time (well, since my trip home in May)…. The food was great, although I found it too greasy. I shouldn’t have complained about it, because “dim sum” is just the way it is! I was disappointed that they didn’t serve phoenix claws (a.k.a. chicken feet) at the restaurant….
Here is the link to my one-day meal journey in Saint John.

After the meal, we visited a few landmarks in Saint John.

The Reversing Falls at low tide.

Posing at the UNBSJ campus. From left, Mick, myself, Xin, and Quan.

Poster for a thought. It was found on a bulletin board in the Irving building.

A university building located in downtown, opposite of the City Market.

The famous City Market of Saint John.

A neat stall. These products are made from red clay collected from the Bay of Fundy. Each of us was given a piece of the Cape Spencer lighthouse. The stall owner wanted us to own a piece of Canada ;) Very sweet of him!

The downtown of Saint John. There was a big cruise ship, Sea Princess.

Thick smokes emitting from the chimneys of factories can be seen everywhere in the city centre of Saint John. Hmm..not very environment friendly at all.

Besides, we also visited the drive-thru Starbucks and Lemongrass Restaurant for Thai supper. Despite the chilly weather (a few degrees above freezing point), it was an enjoyable and fruitful trip! We had lots of fun traveling in a group.

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Poutine…

Saturday, October 18th, 2008
I’ve heard so much about this George’s stall with its famous poutine. Where can you find them? Well, they’re located right across from the bars on King Street, in front of the Victory meat market. A strategic location! The busiest time would be after the bar-hour. Standing in the cold while waiting for a cab at 2 a.m. after a couple of drinks, most people will be craving for some warm and savoury food (of course, cheesy & fatty too). Poutine it is!!

By the way, I “happened” to be there after having a drink at Dolan’s pub, celebrating a friend’s birthday. Someone who’s new to Freddy and had not experienced the wild nightlife in the city of Freddy!

Poutine with gravy ($4.50) from the George’s.

The George’s stall.

The menu. Take your pick!

It was good that I was given a few napkins to put the bag on poutine on. As you may guess, the bag and napkins were covered with grease when we were done eating. The fries had a strange texture, as you might have noticed from the picture above. Was it from the frying process, or the texture of potato itself? I can’t tell… One thing next though, the poutine was served with shredded cheese instead of cheese curds. It tasted different, in a good way. The fries were crispy despite their strange appearance. Overall, I enjoyed it, especially with ketchup added into it. Nonetheless, I’d still prefer the typical Montreal poutine with cheese curds! It’s more chewy and you get stringy cheese!

Poutine from Chez Ashton in Quebec. Voila!

What else would you do in Quebec city, besides spending a day visiting the old Quebec city? Go look for some great poutine! Where to? Chez Ashton! It’s a fast growing fast food restaurant in Quebec. The poutine was highly recommended by a local friend when I first visited the Quebec city in September 2006.

Chez Ashton is famous for its winter promotion scheme. The price of poutine drops according to the temperature. When the temperature is -30 degrees Celsius, the customers get a 30% discount on a poutine! How neat is that ;) Hence, winter storms may deter people from driving on the street, but they can’t stopped the long line ups for the poutine served with piping hot gravy at the Chez Ashton!!

On top of that, I’ve tried new varieties of poutine served in Montreal. To be more specific, at the la Banquise restaurant located at 994 Rachel Est., which known to have the best poutine in Quebec! What excuse can you come up with for not visiting la Banquise when it’s open 24 hours? I was there with Mom and Dad this past June and ordered the “Elvis Poutine.” Creative, eh?

There’re 25 different dishes of poutine offered, including Matty Poutine, Kamikaze Poutine, Poutine B.O.M., and 3 amigos. They can be eaten as main course as the serving size is large and other ingredients (meat and veggies) added to them besides fries. The restaurant was so busy when we left around 11 p.m. There was a line up for take-out. Amazing! I’d highly recommend this restaurant to those who’re visiting Montreal! Don’t miss it ;)

The Elvis Poutine, served with ground beef, peppers, and sauteed mushrooms.

Resto la Banquise in Montreal. A must go!

Posted in Food, Traveling | 2 Comments »

Tom Yum

Saturday, October 18th, 2008

What’s the first thing come into mind when someone mentions about Thai food? Tom yum it is!! Eric who craved for tom yum so badly, has decided to have a Thai fix! Presented to you, the hot & spicy tom yum soup and tom yum rice vermicelli!

The delicious Tom Yum soup.

Ingredients:

~ 1 kg chicken thighs (chopped into pieces)
30 frozen cooked shrimps
2 medium carrots (1.5-inch pieces)
1 large onion
1/4 lb long beans (one-inch pieces)
5 medium white mushrooms (sliced)
2 medium tomatoes (in cubes)
6 dried red chillies
2 stalk lemongrass
3 piece lime leaves
1/2 can instant tom yum paste
2.5 tom yum cubes

Directions:
1. Chop the chicken thighs into small pieces. Cut the onion into pieces.
2. Cut the carrots, long beans, white mushrooms, and tomatoes. Soak the frozen shrimps in a bowl of water to thaw.
3. Prepare a large pot of boiling water. Add the tom yum cubes into the boiling water.
4. Add the chicken pieces into the pot. While they’re almost cooked, add the rest of the ingredients (except shrimps). Snap the dried red chillies into two pieces before adding into the soup.
5. Add tom yum paste and salt according to taste.
6. Once cooked, cover the pot with lid and let simmer for 30 minutes until the soup thickens. Add the cooked shrimps for the last two minutes.
7. Serve it with white rice. Bon appetit!
The tom yum soup tasted more delightful the next day! And the best of all, it reminded me of asam laksa ;D

The spicy fried tom yum rice vermicelli.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb chicken breast (small stripes)
5 medium white mushrooms (sliced)
1/4 lb long beans (one-inch pieces)
1 small carrot (thin stripes)
1/2 medium red pepper (thin stripes)
1 inch ginger root (finely chopped)
1/2 large red onion
Bean sprouts
1 packet rice vermicelli
Instant tom yum paste
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper

Directions:
1. Soak the rice vermicelli in a bowl of hot water to soften.
2. Cut chicken into stripes and prepare the vegetables.
3. Heat the pan and add cooking oil. Saute the onion and ginger. Pan-fry the chicken stripes.
4. Add tom yum paste to taste. Add the rest of the vegetables into the pan and stir-fry them.
5. Add the rice vermicelli and more tom yum paste according to taste. Add salt and pepper.
6. Add bean sprouts and stir-fry for one minute.
7. Ready to serve!
Very colourful rice vermicelli indeed! Red (red pepper), green (long beans), orange (carrots), light brown (mushrooms), white (bean sprouts) etc. The presentation was appetizing, and the aroma of tom yum was simply irresistible! I certainly went for seconds, so did others!

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My Sentiment for Flowers

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
Have you ever wonder what a magnificent piece of garden landscape could possibly look like? I was never a big fan of flowers, until my first visit to the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, B.C. four years ago. The fragrant flowers, flourishing grasses, chirping birds, and clean air are simply enchanting.
The Butchart Gardens, a must visit in British Columbia!
The gorgeous landscape was showered with delicate flowers and other captivating plants. It required lots of efforts and talents to put these together. The building of landscape was started by Jennie Butchart in 1908. The fifty-five acres of stunning floral exhibition can keep you busy wandering around for the entire day! It was around $26 for admission during my second visit in the spring this year. Not bad eh? You’re welcome to take as many pictures as you wish! Make sure you have sufficient memory on your camera ;)

Colourful flower bed! Red, pink, white, blue, purple… you name it!

Pink tulips looked awesome!


Gorgeous dark pink flowers!

I wished this is my garden at my backyard! Oh well, honestly, Butchart Gardens would be on the top of my list for shooting bridal pictures ;) It was such a peaceful and captivating place. I felt like I could stay there for the rest of my life…..

Flowers have become a symbol of T.L.C. (tender, love, and care). They are given as a message of love to your loved one, sympathy to the person you cared about, or simply to a friend who meant so much to you.

Flowers I received from my parents, Godmom, and Pat on my graduation day :D

The flowers had brighten my day! How can you not smile looking at the blossoming flowers? Hehe…I couldn’t help but smile and being grateful for the best wishes and love showered upon me. Thank you so much!

How about receiving a flower from a stranger?! Hmm…quite unlikely, eh? Surprisingly, this happened to me while walking home from downtown today. A good-looking guy in his early 20’s approached me with a rose.

Guy: (presenting me with a rose) This is for you.

Me: (puzzled for a sec., speechless)

Guy: (with a forced smile) My girlfriend doesn’t want it. She said it’s over. I may as well give it away (still with his arm stretched with the rose in front of me).

Me: (feeling sorry) You can always give it to someone else (what did I just said, huh?)

Guy: (looking at me with a disappointed smile)

Ohh… this guy just broke up with his girlfriend, and now he’s here giving me a rose. An unwanted rose..what?! Well, he looks really sad now, and I can’t break his heart further by rejecting a gift from him. I should consider this a blessing and hopefully, he can get over with the pain soon by getting rid of the gift.

Me: (receiving the rose) Thank you!

I wanted to say more but this awkward scene kept me speechless. I wished to say “take it easy. Your rose brightens my day. God bless you!”

I wasn’t sure what was going on, in his relationship with his girlfriend. One thing for sure though, no matter how pretty a rose, or a bouquet of flowers appear to be, a broken heart can no longer accept the love message from the giver. In other words, flowers are meaningful only when you receive them with an open heart and be grateful for the thoughtfulness of your presenter. Never wait till the last minute to present flowers, hoping to save a dying relationship. By the same token, be a generous giver to cheer up your loved one and build a strong and long-lasting relationship.

The pinky rose I received from a stranger :)

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Kayak Trip

Monday, October 13th, 2008

Is there anything exciting you can do over the Thanksgiving weekend? Of course! If I was sailing in the summer, I wanna try kayaking in the fall! Something different (my favourite saying) ;) We left at 8 a.m. in the morning (another working day?) for kayaking at the Spednic Lake. It’s about an hour’s drive from Freddy, located west of McAdam.

Here we were, getting ready for the big day! Dave took the kayak on the right, and I had the other one. The vivid fall foliage was simply gorgeous! I felt as if I was in a dreamland… The green foliage in the summer has transformed into the autumn palette of glowing topaz, vibrant orange, and blazing crimson! Some turned into dark purple instead. Looking out to the mainland U.S.A. across the lake, I couldn’t believe how close I was from the border! I can literally swim over! Haha..if I try hard enough :P In this case, I’ll paddle the kayak instead ;D

The Spednic Lake encompasses part of the St. Croix Heritage River. Apparently, this lake is also open for recreational activities such as boating, canoeing, fishing (some do ice fishing in the winter, wish I can try out one day), camping, snowmobiling, ATV use, and hiking.

After our first 1.5 hours of paddling, we stopped for an early lunch at the shore. Then, off we went again for another 1.5 hours or so, and landed on the Big Island for a break. There are some cottages that are build individually on an island. How neat is that! Having the whole island to yourself and partying all night! *Sweet*

At last, we spent another hour paddling back to where we first launched the kayaks. It was an awesome day (slightly below 15 degrees Celsius) to stay out, perfect for a fall outing! I wondered how many warm days (-40 degrees in the winter, what do you expect?) left, before I’ve to put on my winter coat…


On our way back to Freddy, we paid a visit to the old railway station in McAdam. The railway station was opened in 1900. As a National Historic Site since early 80’s, it attracts approximately 25,000 tourists each year! The building is 285 ft long and 45 ft wide (with the east and west ends built in 1910 and 1911, respectively). With its unique combination of Gothic, Baroque, and Victorian architectural styles, it’s known to be an important reminder of McAdam’s past.


The railway tracks behind the station. This place is open for tours to the public with a small fee of $3. I could only look inside of the building through the windows since it’s closed for the season. I couldn’t help but to imagine the busy crowd and loud steam trains back in the old days. The benches behind the platform brought back my memories of the fighting scenes in “Wong Fei Hung” movie by Jet Li.

This is one of the places I’d like to visit next summer!

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Thanksgiving Feast

Monday, October 13th, 2008

Thanksgiving celebration without a turkey? Yeah! This was an Asian-style thanksgiving with yummy sushi! Oh well, sushi was one of the many dishes we prepared for the big feast! There were mostly finger food:

Pork ribs with barbecue sauce.
Pork ribs were marinated overnight with barbecue sauce and kept in the refrigerator. Bake them the next day in the preheated oven at 400 F till cooked (about 40-45 minutes). It’s as easy as ABC!

Chicken wings and home-baked fries.
Half of the chicken wings were marinated with ginger sesame sauce and the rest with teriyaki sauce. Together with the pork ribs, they were kept in the refrigerator overnight. Bake them in preheated oven at 400F.

Home-baked fries

Ingredients:
6 medium potatoes
1 tsp red chili powder
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
1. Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut them into long stripes.
2. Place potato stripes in a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and mix well.
3. Spread the potato stripes on a greased cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
4. Cook them in a preheated oven at 400 F until cooked (about 45 minutes).
5. Serve while hot!
*Hint: Fries are best served with mayonnaise + ketchup as dipping sauce.

Sushi with avocado, simulated crab sticks, picked radish, canned salmon and tuna ;)

This special dish was prepared by Paul and Eric. Yummy sushi, best served with wasabi + sashimi soya sauce ;)

The cream cheese blueberry pie from the Happy Baker!

The bountiful food left my stomach with no room to contain this yummy blueberry pie bought by Teck from the famous bakery store, Happy Baker. Located in the heart of downtown Fredericton, it sells fresh and delicious pastries, cakes, breads (you name it) and I just love to be there!

I had to take a two-hour break before indulging into the yummy pie. Smart choice, Teck! Fresh blueberries on soft custard and tasty pie shell, yumm….

Gingerbread loaf from my Lab Manager, Tracy.

I shared this gingerbread loaf on Thanksgiving day with two of my roommates. Apparently, gingerbread is best served with whipping cream. We had it plain and it was tasteful with a strong aroma of spices just the way it was!

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