The Canada Day Parade started at 4 p.m., with the theme “Colour me Canadian – A Celebration of Creativity and Diversity.” It was known to be one of Canada’s only “Green” parades. Various organizations and cultural associations from the community were involved in this event.
Happy Canada Day! Despite the overcast weather for the most part of the day, Canada Day celebration turned out to be a joyful and memorable one. July 1st… I could hardly believe that summer is here!
I’m amused by the identical weather on Canada Day for the third year in a row (at least); overcast during the day, and some rain during or after the parade which usually starts at 4 p.m. I couldn’t help but thinking: Is it coincidental or being planned for? Even though it wasn’t a hot sunny day, I was contented with the cool and dry weather.
Canada Day celebration kicked off in downtown Fredericton at noon with the “Civic Pride Block Party,” which also known as Canada’s largest Block Party. Meanwhile, the Royal Canadian Artillery School presented the “Twenty-one Gun Salute” (deployed from the Carleton Park). The opening ceremony took place at the Officer’s Square downtown, at 2 p.m. The public was invited to participate in the singing of national anthem “O Canada” and cake cutting ceremony.
Canada Day Cake Cutting Ceremony.
The Officer’s Square.
Across from the street, there were food vendors with their food stands set up by the riverfront. Besides that, fun rides for the kids and game stalls can be found there too.
Mini Ferris Wheel for kids.
Hmm…cotton candy? Popcorn?
The game stall.
The riverfront at downtown Fredericton.
Canada Day tattoos!
A little kid on a big truck.
It was Sugar Bush weekend on Mar. 21st and 22nd this year. Special events were held at the Kings Landing Historical Settlement, which generally opens to the public only during the summer and fall seasons.
The busy crowd has taken me by surprise when I arrived with a group of friends around 10 a.m. last Saturday. There were long lineups to purchase admission tickets. After standing in line for fifteen minutes to pay for the ticket and breakfast, it was an hour later before we were being seated for breakfast. The busy crowd was unbelievable. I had been there in the previous years and it was usually quiet in the morning. Everyone decided to be there early to beat the crowd this year, I supposed. Unfortunately, things are unpredictable sometimes.
The pancake and maple syrup breakfast is an annual fundraiser event organized by the York Sunbury Search & Rescue. A hearty and delicious breakfast. It was worth the wait!
The volunteers in orange shirts were busy serving the crowd.
A generous serving of breakfast; two pancakes with maple syrup, toast, two sausages, two strips of bacon, baked beans, and scrambled eggs. Yummy!
Horse-drawn wagon rides were offered to visitors.
Maple sap was boiled in iron cauldrons over an open fire, as a demonstration of maple and sugar making 150 years ago. A lady in costume was scooping out some piping hot maple syrup to make maple candies.
A sweet treat of candy-on-the-snow was sold for $2/stick.
The making of candy-on-the-snow: pour hot maple syrup on snow, and roll the slightly harden candy with a stick when settled.
The super sweet maple candy. It was a nice treat!
How much maple sap is required to produce pure maple syrup? The ratio of maple sap needed and pure maple syrup produced was a stunning 40:1!! The making of maple syrup is highly weather-dependent; slightly above freezing point during the day and a few degrees below overnight is perfect for maple sap flow. The harvest season again, is weather-dependent; usually about three weeks. Pure maple syrup is costly.
A demonstration of wool processing with a spinning wheel.
An iron cooking stove/oven in a farmhouse.
A close look at the ancient cooking stove/oven.
A sampling of buckwheat cake was offered.
Subsequently, we made our way to the Joslin farm to visit some animals; sheep, chickens, pigs etc.
Sheep in the barn.
The grist mill and frozen stream.
Winter view at the waterfront.
I’ve been participating in the Sugar Bush weekend for the past few years and truly enjoyed it. It’s a must-see for those who like to experience the welcoming of spring in a traditional New Brunswick fashion.
It was St. Patrick’s Day yesterday. Go GREEN with a big GRIN!! Wearing a green shirt, putting on St. Paddy’s costume and accessories, and drinking green beer are some of the ways to celebrate this Irish national holiday. It’s widely celebrated in many places around the world; North America, England, Australia, and New Zealand.
This special day was celebrated in local Irish churches during early 17th century. It’s an annual feast day (usually Mar. 17th) to celebrate Saint Patrick (c. AD 385-461), a patron saint in Ireland. St. Patrick is believed to have used shamrock (a three-leaved plant) to explain Holy Trinity to the Irish. St. Patrick’s Day is known as a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics in Ireland. It’s a major celebration for those of Irish decent, with an increasing number of non-Irish people participate in the celebration each year.
Besides some exciting parades held in different cities worldwide, Chicago river (Chicago, Illinois) is dyed green annually for this special occasion. Furthermore, Calgary Tower in Canada replaced its top exterior lights to green compact fluorescent lamps in conjunction with St. Paddy’s Day celebration this year.
Looking for a special treat for St. Paddy’s Day? How about a slice of yummy chocolate cake, coated with incredibly delectable ganache and sprinkled with candied shamrocks? Best of all, it contains a secret ingredient which has a lot to do with Irish! Guess what? Two cups of Guiness stout in this cake! Surprisingly, I didn’t taste the beer at all. A very “chocolatety” cake, loved it!
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! Valentine’s chocolates, candies, and soft toys have been put on shelves at various stores, more than a month ago; basically after the Christmas and New Year’s celebration. Scratching your head what to get for loved one?
Chocolates?
Soft toys?
Why not consider something else? Something unique for your special one. Instead of chocolates, soft toys, or flowers, spare some time & effort making some baked goods! Melt your valentine heart with some thoughtful and delicate valentine cookies and/or cupcakes. Yumm…
Wishing everyone a Happy V-Day!!!
I’m obsessed with picture taking of overhanging ice lately :P Pictures are best taken under the sun, at the right angle. The overhanging ice varies in length and thickness. It is a result of melting snow from the rooftop when temperature rises, followed by dripping water from the roof edges; and finally, freezing of water in the sub-zero climate. There forms the overhanging ice!
Even though they are nice to look at, be aware of falling ice as you walk pass these buildings. Don’t take the risk parking your car close to them! I can’t picture what would happen if the ice falls on someone’s head…
Of course, there is always pretty snow in the winter that we shouldn’t miss!
Have you had a chance to take a close look at the snowflakes? The gorgeous snowflakes don’t come by easy, depending on the temperature, humidity etc. These snow crystals are formed as a result of water vapour condensation, which leads to the creation of ice. This process takes place in clouds. The growth of crystals contributes to the unique pattern of snowflakes. You’ll be amazed to find out that there is no two snowflakes that look alike! This is comparable to the DNA profile of human beings; snowflakes have individual identities! How neat =D
There are many customs and traditions in the Chinese culture during Chinese New Year; food symbolism is one of them. Why is a certain dish served during the festive season? What does it symbolize? The list below shows some common food items served during the Chinese New Year celebration.
Steamed whole chicken: unity of family (whole chicken symbolizes completeness), and purity (light colour of cooked chicken).
Fish: prosperity. In Mandarin and Cantonese, “鱼 (yu)” is homonym of the character “余” which means remaining or in excess. Hence, there should always be some leftover of fish, which symbolizes abundant wealth.
Noodles (long and uncut): longevity.
Black moss: prosperity. In Cantonese, “fatt” in “发菜 (fatt choy)” means good fortune.
Dumplings: wealth (shaped like the yuanbao ingot). In Mandarin, “饺子 (jiao zi)” is homonym of the characters for coins “角子” used in the olden days. Besides, it has the meaning of cohesiveness.
Sweet glutinous rice balls: unity, completeness. “汤圆 (tang yuan)” in Mandarin, is prepared with either ground peanuts or sweet azuki beans filling, in sweet broth. The suspension of glutinous rice ball in the sweet broth when served, looks identical to full moon in the sky. The sweet taste implies sweetness of life.
New Year’s cake: cohesiveness and advancement. In Mandarin, “nian” in “年糕 (nian gao)” is homonym of the character “粘” which means stickiness; “gao” is homonym of the character ” 高” which has the meaning of tall, and hence understood as high achievements. “步步高升” in Chinese characters.
Pineapple: wealth and good fortune. In Cantonese, “wong” in “黄梨(wong lai) ” is homonym of the character “旺” for good fortune.
Mandarin oranges: gold. In Cantonese, “柑 (kam)” is homonym of the character gold “金”.
Peanuts: fertility, prosperity, and longevity. The Chinese characters “花生 (Hua sheng)” indicates growth, which can then be translated as continual growth of offspring or wealth. Peanuts also referred to as “长生果(chang sheng guo)”, which literally means long life fruit.
Ground peanuts: wealth. The ground peanuts that are yellowish brown in colour, resemble golden sand. In Chinese characters, “金沙满堂 (jin sha man tang)”.
You’d probably reazlie that most of the Chinese New Year wishes, or food symbolism in this case, has a lot to do with wealth and fortune. Why is it so? This can be explained by the active involvement of Chinese in trade and business for centuries. Nowadays, these good wishes can even be addressed to investments that someone has, career advancement (higher position = wealthier) etc. Thus, it’s considered a high compliment to someone who receives wishes in the context of wealth and good fortune.
These fascinating believes can be rather interesting, and certainly spice up the celebration of Chinese New Year. So, be sure to feed yourself well for a happy and prosperous year ahead of you!
A very Happy Chinese New Year to everyone!! When it was ox year, 12 years ago, I was excited to claim that it was “my year”! The 12-year cycle went through rather swiftly, I’d say. Looking back these years, I’ve gone through different stages of life, traveled to different places, tasted different flavours of food, and enjoyed different excitements in life. I’m looking forward to a great year ahead of me; to explore what life has in store for me and savour the goodness of life in the years to come!
So, back to the topic. How did I celebrate Chinese New Year of year 2009? I had my “reunion dinner” two days before the first day of New Year with six other friends. It was a decent size group. We had fun preparing food together and enjoying the feast!
Appetizers: Chinese dumplings and steamed buns with pork filling.
Main course (from top left, clockwise): BBQ pork (a.k.a. char siew), roast chicken, sushi, and Shanghai choy with shiitake mushrooms.
Desserts: Tang yuan (glutinous rice balls in sweet broth) with barley, and cheesecake.
The meal went really well. I was glad to have my friends over to my place for the special occasion. If we get to have a fun meal for the special occasion, why not do it together? It’s worth the time and effort preparing for the feast (four of the dishes). I ended up spending an equivalent amount of hours in kitchen that day, as I was in bed the night before ;) The remaining hours? I had some fun of course!
Rest + Work + Fun = 24 hours. What a nice equation of the day!
* Stay tuned for some yummy Chinese New Year recipes!
Chinese New Year is just around the corner. Yea! Hmm… come to think of it, I’m going to miss the Chinese New Year celebration at home for the sixth year… Do I really miss it that much? Of course! The elegant and colourful new year decorations, joyful new year tunes, exciting lion dance performances, yummy food; and best of all, I get my bright red “ang pau” (monetary gift in a sealed red packet) from Mom, Dad, Godmom, Granpa, aunties, and uncles!
I missed my “ang pau” and favourite snacks: pineapple tarts, beehive cookies, BBQ dried meat, just to name a few….
Celebrating Chinese New Year in Canada is a brand new experience. Having reunion dinner on new year’s eve with friends can be lots of fun; we prepare new year’s dishes to satisfy our taste buds, hang around in a group to avoid being homesick, chat and joke around to make everyone feels at home.
This is what I considered as the “royal” treatment on my first Chinese New Year spent in Canada. I admired the fancy dishes my friends came out with; it was just the way they cooked!
The eye-appealing food presentation was fantastic! The aromatic and delicious home-cooked meal was simply astonishing! It was truly a gastronomical feast!! I cherish the friendships I have, that makes me feel at home when I’m alone in this foreign land. Thanks a bunch!
Wishing everyone a wonderful Ox year ahead! Happy Chinese New Year!!
The town of Drumheller is the dinosaur capital of Canada, with its richest fossils and dinosaur bones in North America. The world-famous Royal Tyrell Museum is one of the many tourist attractions. It’s 90-minute drive from Calgary, and about 3.5 hours drive from Edmonton (West Edmonton Mall to be exact).
From left (clockwise): Scenic drive to Drumheller, the entrance of Royal Tyrell Museum, dinosaur display at the museum, and the world’s largest dinosaur.
It was a cold evening. The temperature was well below -20 degrees Celsius. We stood around the bonfire with a cup of steaming hot chocolate. I was glad to be there despite the cold :)
Gingerbread house is fun to play with during Christmas. I considered myself a kid at heart;) Gingerbread cookie pieces are stacked together to build a solid ground. Snow patches are drizzled all around the house, and it was then further decorated with colourful candies.
I imagined myself as a gingerbread man living in this pretty home, staying cozy sitting beside the fireplace, taking sips of hot apple cider and listening to the Christmas carols, while watching the peaceful snowfall outside the windows…..
A very Merry Christmas to all!!
It’s hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner. Christmas Eve is a week from today, bizarre… Soon enough we’re going to bid 2008 goodbye… Oh, let’s not go that far, back to Christmas. What do you think about Christmas? Exciting? Joyful? Stressful?
I remembered being a little kid going to bed on Christmas Eve with great anticipation, dozing off when I finally couldn’t keep my eyes straight from staring at the Christmas stocking hanging by the bed… Waking up early on Christmas morning with great excitement and contentment, holding my stuffed Christmas stocking, even though I realized that Santa doesn’t exist…
Should you tell your kids that Santa is unreal? This remains as a controversial topic. “If you believe there is, then there is,” is a nice way to avoid shattering the Santa dreams in the little souls. Truthfully, there’s no need to hide the truth from kids. The sooner they find out, the less disappointment for them later on. I remembered little sis came home one day, when she was four, asking “is Santa real? My classmate’s parents told her that Santa doesn’t exist. Is that true?” Stunned by her unexpected question, I was speechless for a minute. Mom & Dad then explained to her that Santa is indeed, unreal. The older we grow, the more we know; or rather, the older we grow, the more we SHOULD know. That’s always the way it is!
I was carried away by the whole idea of Christmas celebration. Mom would prepare a fancy Western meal, with Dad serving us sparkling juice. The best meal of the year, besides the big meal during Chinese New Year. We never had a turkey for Christmas dinner. Why? It’s simply because turkey is not commonly found in Malaysia, and it could cost a fortune (exaggerating) to get one!
Thus, I was delighted to have a turkey dinner on my first Christmas in Canada! Since then, I’ve always been looking forward to a turkey dinner on Christmas. On top of that, white Christmas has always been wonderful in North America. It gets more meaningful when I learned how to cook the bird myself. Secret recipe, shh….. Despite the time and effort putting into preparing a cooked turkey, I enjoyed having fun in the kitchen and everyone’s great big smiles when savouring the delicious turkey ;)
Now that I don’t get surprise gifts in my Christmas stocking, I’m nice to myself occasionally by getting myself some Christmas gifts.
The Christmas Advent Calendar, supposed to provide you with ideas of daily activities from Dec. 1st to Christmas Eve. It’s something that I always wanted to check out. A piece of chocolate a day!
The first Christmas card (in blue) I received this year and a self-made 3D-Christmas card. Isn’t that cute? Of course, chocolates are always the highlight. Lindor chocolates in orange (orange flavour), red (milk), black (dark), yellow (white), and brown (hazelnut).
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.
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 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.
The cookie dough ice-cream cake from DQ (Dairy Queen). What a surprise! 
KFC with a candle on blueberry muffin in the middle :) Whose idea was that?
Homemade whoopie pie with Quiddler cards on the side.
What does birthday mean to you? Someone thinks birthday is not a big deal, some tries to avoid it because it makes them feel “old.” To me, birthday is a day of celebration with loved one. When I was little, I had birthday cakes on birthdays without fail. The whipped cream and icing used to be my favourite! Not so much now…
Birthday is a moment of joy to be embraced by warm wishes and showered with love. My 23rd birthday was full of surprises. First of all, my Lab Manager had the radio DJ sang me a birthday song which I missed (radio wasn’t turned on, argghh…), a yummy whoopie pie to go with the Quiddler game that we play during break time at work, as well as a birthday card. I was touched by her sincerity and efforts in giving me surprises. Thanks, Tracy!
A birthday card from home finally arrived on my birthday! I got it from the mailbox when I reached home in the evening. The moment I entered the apartment, Paul got some candid shots of me using multiple shoots on his camera that accompanied with glaring flashes. Eric, on the other hand, surprised me from behind the door with the wonderful dish of KFC and muffin ;)(haha…didn’t I baked that muffin yesterday? Why did I get my own creation as a birthday gift?)
Of course, the best is yet to come. The ice-cream cake was a hit! It was simply flattering! Even though I didn’t get the full surprise because I found the cake by accident :P I’m totally spoiled by the surprises I got. It’s gonna be hard to beat this. Nevertheless, I’m really grateful for all the birthday wishes and surprises. It’s very much appreciated, guys! Lastly, I want to thank Mom for the gorgeous birthday gift. It’s one of the most precious gifts I’ve ever received.
The smart phone!
Fried rice with fried egg and sliced cucumber. A splash of tomato ketchup completed the meal ;)
Fried rice, baked potato fries, mashed potato, and Rootbeer float for our “candlelight”dinner.
I don’t use a cake mix very often. I decided to give it a try for a surprise birthday cake. A chocolate cake with chololate icing and chocolate wafer sticks. It shall be called the “ultimate triple chocolate” cake. Thanks to Betty Crocker, the cake turned out to be rich and moist. Yumm…
It took me some time to come out with the decorative idea though. It looked plain with just the icing. Hence, I had chocolates (with nuts) around the cake and wafer sticks sheltering the birthday candle, made it look like a camp fire when the candle is lit. Sweet…
It certainly saved some time using the cake mix and the instructions were easy to follow. Besides the cake mix, only milk, eggs, and oil are required. The batter was separated into half for baking. The two cakes were then stacked together and coated with Betty Crocker “instant” frosting.
The fried rice was prepared by Eric with Maggi fried rice seasoning. It came in handy. Together with chicken, chinese sausage, carrots and peas, the fried rice turned out great and colourful! The birthday supper for Paul was so special that we even had Rootbeer float. Of course, he wasn’t greeted with birthday wishes until we brought out the birthday cake with lit 24 candles (oops…did I just say that?).
Paul, hope you had an enjoyable birthday celebration. Presented to you by Adeline & Eric :)
: Hi Adeline, I stumbled across your blog while I was looking for Tim Hortons pictures using Google Image. I'm interested in using one of the photos [...]
: Sze Hwei, of course I remember! Thanks for your compliments ;) Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
: Hello Adeline!! Remember me?? Lee Sze Hwei, the girl who lives in USJ4 also when we were studing in Chong Hwa. Found your blog accidentally when I [...]
: Jet Swan, welcome to my site ;). I'm using a Sony A300.
: Hi I get to know you thru your lovely dad haha.. would like to inquire what camera are you using right now?
