Ballet Recital芭蕾公演

Fiona's ballet recital in June. 

6月，孟田芭蕾學校的期末公演。還好服裝是她最愛的淺粉紅。(有些其他班的服裝，我實在不敢恭維)

Back to the blog重回部落格

I think I still like blogging better than FB. But it's been a long while, where should I start? 

It's been more than 2 years since we moved to our own home in Hidden Valley. The space is smaller, the backyard is much smaller, but we have 2-car-garage instead of 1-car garage and a walking closet in our bigger master bedroom. After all, it's our own house!

This is Emilie, our next door neighbour. She's been Fiona's BFF (best friend forever) since they moved in Feb 2011. Aileen, Emilie's mom has become a good friend of mine as well. Two and half years older than Fiona, but Emilie plays very well with Fiona. We love her. 

This was back in June, a hot Sat. Gareth and I took Fiona and Emilie for a bike ride to Riley Park. Fiona loves the park mainly because there's a wading pool there (even if the water is always cold). 

我還是比較喜歡部落格。可是荒廢了這麼久，要從哪裡開始呢？

搬進Hidden Valley 的房子已經2年多了。家裡空間變小，後院變小，但是有了一個2個車位的車庫，和可走入式衣櫥在我們變大的主臥室。不管如何，畢竟是自己的房子。

這是Emilie，隔壁鄰居的小孩。2011年2月搬到隔壁之後，成了Fiona的最好的朋友。她比Fiona大2歲半，但是和Fiona玩的很好。我們都很喜歡她。我和她媽媽也成為好朋友。

這是6月的一個炎熱(好啦，攝氏25度而已啦，但對這裡已經算熱了！)的星期六。Gareth和我帶著兩個丫頭騎腳踏車到Riley Park。Fiona很喜歡這個公園，因為裡面有個淺水游泳池。

Yes, this is Fiona in the exactly same pool 6 years ago. We came to Calgary to visit in 2006 summer. 

沒錯，2006年Fiona大概8個月大時，我們回卡加利玩，留下這張照片在同一個泳池。

What's in a name? Mengkai (孟楷), Chiachien (嘉倩) and Mengtian (孟田)

In case you were wondering about some of the characters on the banner of our blog: 孟楷 = Mengkai, Gareth's Chinese name. 嘉倩 (Chiachien) is Vivian's Chinese name. 孟田 (Mengtian) is Fiona's Chinese name. I have also taken to using Mengkai in my email address, my Twitter handle and elsewhere online.

The Meng (孟) comes from Mengzi (孟子) aka Mencius, the famous Chinese philosopher to follow Confucius (孔子). Meng is phonetically similar to Morgan, both starting with the M sound. Since I took a philosophy minor in university this is suitable. I can be a thinker at times, so it is an appropriate name on many levels.

The kai (楷) character denotes the "modern" style of Chinese calligraphy (楷書) developed around 200 AD. Kai is a fitting name for a writer and editor like myself. The other meaning of kai (楷) is model or pattern (楷模), which in other contexts can be used to describe clarity, detail and orderliness. There is a personality connection here for me too.

Vivian's Chinese name is Chiachien (嘉倩). Chia 嘉 is an auspicious character, and can be loosely translated as excellence or honor. Chien 倩 means lovely or beautiful, a popular character for female names.

Fiona's Chinese name is Mengtian (孟田). The tian 田 character means rice paddy or field. 田 is one of those forgiving pictogram characters that actually looks somewhat like the thing it represents. Mengtian as a spoken name evokes the poetic metonymy that makes Chinese enjoyable to hear and contemplate. Without seeing the characters one could think that Mengtian = a different Mengtian: 夢田 or 夢天, "dream field" or "dream heaven" respectively.

New video: July - November 2009

Poor neglected blog. Though I spend more time on Facebook and Twitter these days, I would like to do more blogging and video editing. I also have a large backlog of digital photos to review and print out. Who has time for all this stuff?

Nonetheless, I recently found time to compile a video of highlights from the latter half of 2009. Some are from home in Calgary, but some are from our summer trip out to the BC coast: Boating in English Bay, walking through rainforests to a natural hospring near Tofino, and chasing pigeons at Granville Island. Enjoy.

Road trip to Vancouver Island August 2009

On August 1 we hopped into our van and embarked on our summer holiday: A road trip from Calgary to Vancouver Island and back. We stopped in the Okanagan valley both ways, enjoying some delicious orchard fruit and wine tasting. In Vancouver we visited a few familiar old sites, plus reconnected with my old friend Jan from jr. high school. From there we hopped a ferry north to the Sunshine Coast, staying with relatives Ray and Kit in their wonderful seaside home. Then it was up and over to Vancouver Island, with stops in Black Creek, Nanaimo and Tofino before heading home. About 3600km by the time we got home -- what a journey!

A few highlight pics are below, but many more are available for viewing here. Enjoy ~~ ^__^

Searching for starfish and other sea creatures at low tide
Good times with family on the Sunshine Coast
Tofino, on the west side of Vancouver Island. Beautiful long beach, fine sand for writing
Family photo taken at the Mission Hill Winery, just outside Kelowna
Picking fresh apricots off the tree in the Okanagan Valley

露意絲湖一日遊Lake Louise day trip: the big hike

星期天終於看到失蹤好幾天的太陽，約了新搬來卡加立的Greg和Amy一家去班夫和露意絲湖。

Gareth想去爬湖邊的一座小山。他上網找了資料，從網站資料上看起來不難的健行，卻快要了我的老命。Gareth也很厲害，背著Fiona爬完全程。Fiona走了一小段，但是路真的很陡，兩條小腿很快就累了。我十分能理解，因為我自己也想找人背我。

到了終點湖邊後，Gareth竟還要往上爬，只有Greg的大兒子Eric願意跟著走。留我們五個人在湖邊苦苦守候，我還得看著在湖邊玩水的Fiona，免的她跑到湖中央。

It was nice weather last Sunday, so we all took a day trip to beautiful Lake Louise in Banff National Park. What an outing!

Just after arriving at the lake. See the snow still hanging on the plain of 6 glaciers in the background.

We took some friends on this trip: Greg & Amy Sun and their 2 kids, Eric and Karen. Greg and Gareth used to work together at ORTV. In June Greg moved the family to Calgary to start a new life as Canadians
View across the lake, and up towards our hiking destination, 3.6 km away: The Lake Agnes Teahouse, via Mirror Lake, and possibly a trip up to the top of the Big Beehive... if we have the stamina
這是走了80分鐘後的第一個小湖：鏡面湖，看到透明的水了嗎？

First stop, 80 minutes later: Mirror Lake. Emerald water, crystal clear. Fiona wanted to go for a swim! Gareth weary from carrying Fiona in baby backpack. She is 14 kg now
The Big Beehive looms above. Will we scale it?
Karen Sun, Vivian and Fiona. Karen has only been in Canada for 3 weeks and is still pulling out the rabbit ears for every photo, Taiwan style -- we think it's cute
Another Sun family photo. The view keeps getting better and better the higher we go
The Canadian Rocky Mountains are taller, steeper and more dramatic than in Taiwan. And the bigger ones have snow on them year-round. The peaks are so barren and cold that no trees grow there, leaving only bare shale and rock
終點站Agnes湖流下的瀑布。

Cooling off at the waterfall just below the teahouse
終點站Agnes湖，有累又餓。

Mission accomplished -- we relax at Lake Agnes, pull out our sandwiches and enjoy lunch
A new friend: Mr. Chipmunk also takes lunch (right out of hikers' hands)
The view over the edge of the waterfall, down into the valley
湖邊還有個茶館

Lake Agnes Teahouse. They really do serve tea in there. We overheard other hikers talking, saying that the staff stay up here for several days at a time, bunking in a little cabin in the trees. Imagine that for a summer job
寧靜的Agnes湖。

A quiet Lake Agnes repose, looking across more crystal waters to even taller mountains
Teahouse and waterfall from another angle
Gareth和Eric開始遠征，又爬了1.6公里。

Lake Agnes is great, but we can't see Lake Louise or the Chateau from here. Some of us have the energy and ambition to press on. Yes, the Big Beehive must be climbed! Gareth and Eric Sun embark on the last 1.6 km up this steep but rewarding mountain
到了山頂後往下看路易斯湖，Gareth覺得不虛此行。

...and what a reward it is! Canoes ply the milky blue waters below, and clouds drift across the valley toward the Lake Louise ski slopes. That's Mirror Lake in the foreground, where we stopped on the way up
The Chateau, beautiful Lake Louise and surrounding mountain vista. Totally worth the climb
Taking the switchback down the Big Beehive, back to Lake Agnes and the rest of the party, who are probably wondering where we are. This is a steep trail
Back of Lake Agnes, walking back to the Teahouse
回程Fiona累倒在爸爸的背後，我也累的只能很勉強的在鏡頭前擠出笑容。

The journey down, about 3:30 in the afternoon. It's Fiona's naptime, so she is konked out in the baby backpack Gareth is wearing
夏日週末的露意絲湖失去原有的寧靜

Back down at lake level. The canoe shop is doing a booming trade in rentals, and some people are even bringing their own boats to row their dogs about in
So peaceful and idyllic. Next time here we may rent a canoe and paddle about. There's the Big Beehive in the distance
到班夫必遊之地，弓河瀑布，就在班夫旅館的後面。父女兩看的出來的累。

We stopped in Banff for dinner, visiting the Bow Valley Grill in the Banff Springs Hotel. Afterward we drove down to Bow Falls before heading home. What a great day, one to remember

Photos of Fiona: April and May 2009

Road trip for Easter: We drove out to Windermere BC with Mum, to visit our relatives Mike & Siri Tilling at the Village Inn Motel
Stopped in Radium on the way, went for a little hike. Fiona is just about too large for her baby backpack now 
Stopping at Marble Canyon along the #93 highway. Although it was dry in the city, up in the high mountain areas we still saw lots of thick snow 
Fiona after leaving the Radium Hot Springs 
Back at home: playing with the nurses's outfit she got last Christmas. She knows what the various instruments are for, and can pretend to check blood pressure, add bandages, listen for a heartbeat and give needles. Isn't she cute!  
Fiona's favorite trick lately: Almost pulling on a shirt, then running to the mirror to see her own funny appearance 

Fiona's third birthday

Fiona turned 3 years old on November 3rd. My how the time flies. For her special day we invited some little friends over for a party. We made some crafts, played games, had snacks and cake, plus opened several presents. Thanks to Mackenzie, Anna and Maya (and their mamas!) for coming over to enjoy the special day with us. Vivian also worked very hard making the food, plus special Princess costumes for everyone, to go along with the Princess party theme. Gareth decorated the house with baloons and streamers (Fiona is really into pink these days).
Modelling her Princess dress -- handmade by Mama
Trying on princess shoes
Happy day!
Four little princesses: our party guests Mackenzie, Anna and Maya
Sitting down for some snacks
Birthday cake from Cinderella
Enjoying a sweet treat
Group photo. Thanks everyone for coming to our party!


Here's a little video of party highlights. Includes music from Fiona's new personalized CD!

The following day we had more guests: Nai Nai and Ye Ye (Fiona's grandma and grandpa, a.k.a. Gareth's parents), plus Vivian's college friend Heidy and her family: Felipe, Philip and Dylan. Another enjoyable party, with more presents!
Vivian cooked up a bounty of dishes
Fun times with Dylan and Philip