A Weekend in Calgary: The Blizzard and the Birthday

Stuck inside after a blizzard.

I hate blizzards. I hate the cold, the blowing wind, the snow, the zero visibility and the white-knuckle driving. On the other hand, it's Mother Nature's way of bringing your life to a standstill so you can catch up on whatever things you've fallen behind on. It's also an opportunity to invite your neighbors over for food and drink. And afterwards, you can make your front yard into a mini ski hill. Whatever you did during and after the blizzard, I hope you spent your time safely and had fun.

Cooked up some Laksa on Friday night as the storm raged outside.

I have been a winter driver here in Calgary for over 20 years, in all sorts of vehicles. I've had my share of scary moments where I've seen my life stand still, where seconds turn into eternity as my nails dig into my steering wheel and I wonder, "When am I gonna stop?" Driving in situations like this have become a part of life. You just have to remember to have common sense, leave a lot of extra space between the car ahead of you and drive slow.

Friday evening, I picked up the kids and stopped at T&T Supermarket to get some food for the weekend. During that time, I made another "Trip to the Asian Supermarket" video for the YouTube channel and picked up ingredients for the Laksa cooking video. I felt very productive. Earlier that day, I took advantage of the approaching storm to record a nice video greeting for BusanKevin's Xmas collaboration video.

Once dinner was sorted out, all we had to do was sit around and chill out. I drank wine and surfed the internet as the wind blew.

By Saturday morning, the wind had stopped blowing and I was already bored of being stuck inside. The street outside was alive with neighbors shovelling away the snow from the previous night, carving out paths in the huge drifts so they could get to their vehicles, also buried in the white stuff. I had to get out. My friend, Sue had invited some neighbors over for food and wine so I knew what I had to do.

Poutine: Canada's single most glorious contribution to food.

After a little lunch, I picked up some wine and made my way to Sue's place. Upon my arrival, I saw the neighborhood kids having a great time sledding in the front yard. Sue made two huge mounds at the top of the front yard for the kids to drop in from, sliding all the way down to the street. Tried my hand dropping in strapped to a snowboard. Results were not so good.

Sue's improvised 'Ski Hill'

Drinking lots of wine is a great way to warm up

Had a great time with Sue's neighbors. Drank wine and rum and cokes, using ice we made out on the deck. The kids played all evening upstairs, then came down later to watch a dvd. At the end, they were asleep on the couches til morning. A wonderful evening.

Sunday was my birthday. It was of course, cold. The kids bundled up and hit the 'ski hill' again before we went for a trip to Value Village for some shopping. After picking up a retro track jacket, we said our goodbyes to Sue. Went home later and took a nap as the kids played games. I was awoken by a phone call at about 5:30 pm. It was Kim reminding me of the dinner she had cooked.

I  dropped off the kids, and made my way to Bridgeland. I had forgot about Kim's dinner, seeing as we had only talked about it briefly on Friday on the phone. I thought it would be a nice way to wind down a nice weekend. So I get to her place, take off my jacket and walk into the kitchen, like I always do. I notice that in the livingroom, there are appetizers on the coffee table. Hmm. I'm thinking that it was nice of her to make a special dinner on my birthday, so I walk into the livingroom.

Surprise...

A smile comes across my face as I come around the corner and see my closest friends sitting on the couch. With Kim starting to laugh, Kaori, Sue and Miyuki start to laugh at the look on my face. Food, good conversation and more wine follow.

Happy Birthday to ME!

As much as I hate the thought of getting closer and closer to 40, I still think that the best years of my life are ahead of me. I have great friends, I am independent, creative and I love my kids. What more do I need in my life?

A Trip to Texas: Part II

As promised, I bring you part 2 to "A Trip to Texas". Enjoy!

A Trip to Texas

Imagine my delight when my mother asked me to come visit her in Texas for Thanksgiving. Its been 7 years since my last visit to her place, so of course I wanted to go! As a bonus, my aunt and uncle from Toronto were also visiting, so it was a family reunion of sorts.

Tommy Bahama's, The Woodlands

 

I got off the plane, realizing that I hadn't eaten anything since the morning so we ended up going to the Woodlands for some dinner at Tommy Bahama's. The restaurant sits in a beautiful town square-esque part of Market Street. I could write about the delicious Tuna poke with fresh avocado, or the southern crab cakes, the roast chicken with asian vegetables or the fish tacos, but I'll just show you the pics.

Tuna Poke with Avocado

 

 

Roast Chicken with Asian Vegetables

 

 

Fish Tacos

 

Southern Crab Cakes

Nighttime in Woodlands, TX

The next day started with my uncle waking me up at 7, asking me if I wanted to go play golf. Golf in November is a rare treat for someone that's used to putting away his clubs in October and not taking them out til mid-April. That is the life of the Canadian golfer.

Quick 9 at the Village Golf Course

An afternoon of shopping for the kids made for a full day. Of course, it was time to eat again. This time, we saw a brand new resto near the interstate beckoned us... Mama Juanita's. It was time for some TexMex.

The Customary Tortilla Chips and Salsa

Cheese Stuffed Poblano Pepper

Normally, I love stuffed poblanos, but this one suffered the wrath of good old American gluttony. An over-the-top, oversauced, over-cheesed monstrosity that would go better with a Big Gulp.

The Combo Fajita

I was pleasantly surprised after that poblano of what was to come next. I followed the owner's suggestion and ordered the combination Fajita platter. It was a platter of 4 kinds of meat: pork, steak, chicken and shrimp, served on a sizzling platter on a bed of caramelized onions accompanied by your choice of warm flour or corn tortillas. Fajitas are always dramatic, wherever you order them. They are preceeded by their telltale sizzling sound as the server approaches the anxious diner. A trail of steam and the charbroiled aroma of meat follow as this signature dish is delivered to the table. Mama Juanita's fajitas were sublime. I won't try to describe the taste. Fajitas do enough talking on their own.

The Cancer Survivors Plaza, Museum District, Houston

My last day in Texas was simple. I went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. There were a couple exhibits in town that were worth checking out. I'm also a sucker for the giant dinosaur skeletons and shrunken heads.

Oooooh, dinosaurs...

My favorite parts of the museum were definitely the Rainforest exhibit and the Aztec artifacts. There were also some pieces from the Famous Jeweller to the Tsars, Faberge...not BRUT by Faberge, but the one that made all the eggs. Anyways, the rainforest exhibit was filled with tribal pieces, textiles, tools, weapons, art and photographs of daily tribal life. The pinnacle of this exhibition were the shrunken heads, which I haven't seen since a childhood trip to the Smithsonian in DC. The Aztec artifacts were also very interesting to me, since I have always wanted to see the ruins in Mexico. I think museums are the best way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon, especially when you travel to other cities. There are a few great museums in Houston and I hope to visit the others when I return.

So my weekend was relaxing and fun, filled with a bit of culture and great food. It was short-lived, but I was starting to miss my friends. As I conclude this entry, I am already thinking about my next big trip...Manila! Take care and enjoy watching the video. Thank you for your support and please don't forget to rate, comment and subscribe! Until next time...

Part 2, coming very soon!