We could see parts of the highest fireworks tonight. Oooh Ahhhh Ehhh Oh! We went to Pho Hoa to eat about 11pm. We were going to go to Gourmet Castle but after listening to the radio figured there would be too much traffic coming back home. When we were at Pho Hoa it got busy closer to midnight and Kingsway was really busy. I guess that was fireworks traffic.

Well, I'm glad our little heat wave is over. My hayfever became a lot better once the heat wave started last weekend. No more itchy eyes!!! Yee ha! Now it's just the odd stuffy and runny nose along with the odd sneeze. My nose still gets a bit itchy but that's not a big deal.

I've been to physio 3 times in the past week and a half. I had to get an SI (sacroiliac) belt to wear around my hips. Apparently my pelvis has rotated and that along with my back are unstable. It's been bothering me for a few months but was getting really bad. As a result one leg gets longer than the other so my physiotherapist does some stretching and manipulating and makes my legs the same length again. Playing badminton aggravates the SI joint so she recommended not playing for a week to see if my pelvis stabilizes. I asked her what would happen if my pelvis doesn't stabilize. She said it could cause disc damage. Oh, I thought to myself - that sounds serious. I guess I'd better take her advice and not play for a week.

I wasn't planning to play on Wednesday anyways as N is over on the Island now and will be coming to Van. She'll stay at my place a few nights and we'll go watch the fireworks on Wednesday night.

I went to L.A. Weight Loss twice this week as I'm in my 2nd of 6 weeks of stabilizing my weight loss. Can't wait until the 6 weeks are over and I'm in maintenance for a year as I will only need to go once a week.

Ray and I had dinner at a restaurant in New West where we hadn't been before. It was New Westminster Garden, a Chinese restaurant. The food wasn't bad but there was MSG as I was sooooo tired shortly after eating. Oh well, that will be the last time going there. Plus it was soooo hot and stuffy in there and I guess since it's a Mom and Pop type of restaurant their 2 kids play at the table by the bar and run around a bit making noise. We got there about 10pm. The whole time we were there no other customers came so we had the place to ourselves. The little boy brought out a take-out order but no one showed up to pick it up. The kid must've only been about 5 or 6 years old. Child labour.

It was so nice to sleep a lot today. I woke up around 11:30 am after getting 11 hours of sleep. I went to L.A. Weight Loss around 1pm, came home, had a snack and then lied down at 2pm. The next thing I knew it was 6pm when I woke up. Ahhh, 15 hours of sleep. I was only sleeping about 5 to 6 hours during the week so it's nice to feel well-rested.

Well, gonna go eat something and watch some more Y&R.

Whew! It's been so hot this weekend. We went and saw Pirates of the Caribbean # 2 yesterday. Neither Ray nor I thought it was any good. We were both very disappointed as the first one was so good.

We went for dinner at TGIF after the movie. Their air conditioning had broken down on Saturday so it was soooo hot in there. Speaking of air conditioning breaking down - IHOP's air conditioning broke down today. I guess it's too hot for these Burnaby air con units.

N should be driving out from Calgary this weekend some time but don't think I'll see her.

My Calgary trip

Tuesday, July 11/06

I had a great time in Calgary last week. Right after I arrived on Tuesday N and I went to the Deerfoot Outlet Mall which was close to the airport. I had checked online and if you show your out-of-town ID you get a free tote bag and coupons for mall discounts. There was a Payless Shoes 15% off, Dairy Queen/Orange Julius 10% off, a cosmetics one, perfume one and a souvenir one. I got a pair of lilac mule shoes at Payless. It was nice with the 15% off, no PST and only the new 6% GST.

N had S and A over for dinner and made yummy Callebaut chocolate fondue for dessert. We were all so full. Good thing we ate so much as we went dancing at the Whiskey Nightclub my first night there as we were given tickets for a corporate event at the last minute. We danced pretty much non-stop for 3 hours from 11pm to 2am. It was great music. All my favourites from the late 80’s/early 90’s like Strike it Up, Rhythm is a Dancer, Rumours in the Heart, Pump up the Jam, Madonna, Michael Jackson, as well as classic Thunderstruck and other songs. There were also country songs in between where some people were 2-stepping. A lot of people wore their cowboy attire – cowboy hats, jeans and boots. I learned after last time that it’s way too hot dancing with my cowboy hat on so I didn’t bring mine. Guys aren’t afraid to dance in Calgary. A few joined us and it’s no big deal guys dancing together – doesn’t mean anything.

Wednesday, July 12/06

We were supposed to go dancing again Wednesday at the Ranchman’s but decided not to go as we were too bagged from dancing the night before. N’s two other friends still were going as some of the Calgary Flames were supposed to be there as well as Wide Mouth Mason. We found out the next day that no Flames showed up - how disappointing for the fans. We ended up going to the Deerfoot Inn and Casino for dinner. We coincidentally bumped into N's friend C in the washroom and she invited us to the corporate function in another room. So we went and sat with her and her friends for a bit. Then I taught N how to play poker on the slot machines. We had dinner at the Mohave Grill which had really good food. I had my first Atlantic salmon baked on a cedar plank. It was really good. After dinner we went and watched the live country band where some people were dancing.

Thursday, July 13/06

We went to Stampede on Thursday. I did rides for awhile with N, S and A and then N and I went and watched the Superdogs. I went shopping and looked around while they continued on with more rides. N & A did the log jam ride 18 times. This was a record for N but a tied record for A. I pity the people who sat on the chairs after we got off the CTrain as N and A’s seats were soaked. S managed to lure them away from the log ride to go on a different roller coaster and apparently her plan worked as they were only able to do 18 log jam rides before it shut down at 1am!

Friday, July 14/06

I wore my cowboy hat and jeans on Friday. N and I went to Ranchman’s as C (who we had seen at the corporate event at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino on Wednesday) invited us to the Corporate Tent. We got in for free. We didn’t actually go inside the club as we would’ve had to pay but there was a live band playing in the tent. My friend, L met us there and we ate before N and I had leave for the Chuckwagon Race/Grandstand Show/Fireworks at Stampede. I was surprised that veggie burgers were on the small menu.

We saw one guy fall off the mechanical saddle in a matter of seconds before we had to leave.

By the time we left Ranchman’s and headed over towards Stampede it was getting close to 8pm which is when the Chuckwagon Races started. We had to go quite a ways away from the Stampede grounds to find parking as all the lots were full and there wasn’t any street parking to speak of. We finally found a cheap $2 parking lot at a school and started walking. I had been wearing my cowboy hat and jeans and it was quite a warm day. So it was quite cooling to wear my new lilac KoolLizzy Bandana that I bought at Stampede the day before at the Roundup Centre. It’s a scarf filled with water absorbing crystals which cool your body by evaporation.

Anyways, the entrance to Stampede was packed due to the Our Lady Peace concert to be held at the Coca Cola stage. We trekked around to the other side of the Stampede grounds to the Olympic entrance and by the time we got to our seats it was close to 9pm. I figured I could always watch another show another year but there were still 3 heats of Chuckwagon Races that hadn’t happened yet. So I got to see some races after all. 3 were enough. I don’t regret not seeing the other races as I could see it getting boring really quick. N's 2 cousins, her aunt, uncle and 4 of her friends also were there as N had booked all our tickets at once.

The Grandstand show and Transalta Lights up the Night fireworks were really good with a helicopter flying back and forth with a huge Canadian flag when the patriotic part was on. Here’s the blurb about it from the website:

http://cs.calgarystampede.com/chuckwagons/eveingshow.html

“The 2006 Grandstand Show brings over 100 years of Canadian history to the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. The magic of the Calgary Stampede, together with the spirit and passion of this great country, brings together a vivid and powerful entertainment experience in celebration of the unique multicultural spirit of Canada.

The Grandstand Show is packed with excitement that will connect Canadians and international visitors alike. This year's show features a cast of musicians, singers, dancers, comedians and entertainers from the screen and stage in a production that has earned an international reputation for quality and impact. International visitors frequently say that they have never seen anything like it, and Calgarians continually look upon the Stampede Grandstand Show as the place to show their guests what Calgary is all about.

The $6,000,000 TransAlta stage has been completely refitted for 2006 and will provide an incredible setting for our cast of nearly 500 members. This custom designed theatrical environment features sightline vista seating, panoramic video projections and surround sound, to offer visitors a heightened entertainment experience.

Internationally renowned singer Susan Aglukark will pay tribute to the millions of Canadians as guest stars from Cirque du Soleil and singers, dancers and musicians from across Canada join the Young Canadians of the Calgary Stampede in a spectacular commemoration of the spirit of Canadian unity.

The Stampede's commitment to youth and community is reinforced through the Young Canadians as they celebrate their 38th year. This scholarship-based training program is a vital part of the Calgary Stampede's initiative to connect with all Calgarians as we grow together into the 21st century.

The finale will feature a special musical tribute to Canada as TransAlta, our presenting sponsor and sponsor of the TransAlta Lights Up The Night Fireworks Finale, will light up the Calgary skyline with a spectacular fireworks presentation. Performers will join in a chorus of "This is our home" and "O Canada" as fireworks burst overhead and we salute Canada and the rest of the world.”

It was neat when the patriotic part was on as a helicopter flew by a few times with a giant Canadian flag hanging from it.

Saturday, July 15/06

Ugh, I had to get up early Saturday morning at 10am after only getting 5 or so hours of sleep. N had to go downtown to pay for her sushi class she and her friends were doing on Monday.

We met up with L at a restaurant she recommended called the Wildwood. The food was really good. We had a good visit and then went to my cousin S's place. We went with S, M and E along with their dog for a walk to get ice cream. After that we walked back to their house and visited for a while. In a span of only a few minutes of standing outside of their house I managed to get 5 damn mosquito bites – 1 on the front of each knee, 2 on the back of my right knee and 1 on the back of my left knee. I put Afterbite on them right away but they all swelled and were sooooooo itchy and inflamed. That night and the next few days I iced the bites as well.

I walked over the Cambie Street bridge last week. It's amazing how different the view is when on foot! I've been over the bridge so many times but have never walked over it. I walked on the east side and saw so many things I didn't realize were there. I.E. the police dog stables and obstacle course, all the police cars parked there, the barge for the Celebration of Lights Fireworks and the urban beach for v-ball. I'd heard about the beach but didn't know where it was.

I stopped in at the Edgewater Casino for a veggie burger and after my Dan-D Pak enlightenment before saw that they sell mini-paks of different nuts. What an experience! I coincidentally bumped into my friends and their son at the Plaza of Nations who were at Science World and wanted to find a quiet place to feed him so went for a walk. I ended up chatting to my friend for an hour and barely made it to Winners in time to get a refund on a pair of sandals I bought.

Am catching glimpses of the Calgary Stampede parade as it's on TV now. I think the parade was on Friday. Hopefully I'll be able to see it live some day as it looks really good.

Last night I picked up some wedding stuff I had loaned to Angela and Michel. It was great to have a visit since I hadn't seen Angela since their wedding which was in March. She noticed right away that I lost weight. Will have to get together with them again as our visit was too short.

I bought a pair of very comfy Brooks S257 shoes at the Foot Solutions store on W. Broadway a few months ago. None of the New Balance cushioning shoes fit me anymore. I had no idea Brooks made high-end runners. When I was there before I tried on some MBT shoes (Mosaic Barefoot Technology). I had seen a pamphlet about these shoes in my physio's office. If you have back problems these shoes relieve any type of back discomfort as I found out when I tried them on. They felt sooooo good. But the only thing was they cost over $300!!! The shoes didn't fit me properly but the sandals did. Man, I was dreaming about them for days! These shoes are also good to correct your posture and give you a bit of a workout too.

Anyways, I was on my way to the Foot Solutions store and had to stop at the Dan-D-Pak market. I had no idea a market with so much Dan-D-Pak stuff existed. I've seen a few items before in Save-On like their rice crackers. It was so cool walking around in there. I stocked up on unsalted almonds and peanuts :)

I wanted to buy another pair of the Brooks runners but they've already changed that model! I had to get the guy to stretch the current model before I bought the pair. Darn, I should've gone there earlier. This always happens to me as I find a pair of good shoes and then the next model gets changed and doesn't fit as well.

Just got back from lunch at U-Grill at Metropolis. Ray and I had our usual veggies and tofu on rice.

Went to L.A. Weight Loss today for my tri-weekly visit. Will start stabilization soon after Calgary since I'm not going to try and lose more weight. Went to the lab to get blood tests done for cholesterol, glucose, potassium etc. I think I get it done every few years. It was quite relaxing to have Ray sitting in the chair across from me. There was also a Hershey's Kiss stuffed doll smiling at me :)

Well, it only took 2 months to lose 15 pounds through L.A. Weight Loss. This is the weight that I gained after not being able to exercise for a while after the car accident last year. I thought I would try and lose 5 more pounds but it hasn't happened over the past month. I got down to 19 pounds last week but then came back to 15 pounds when I didn't exercise. I think I'll stick with 15 pounds off instead of 20 pounds for now. I'm sure once I'm walking and training for the marathon I will lose a few more pounds.

Check out the photos of me and my fat pants on the right side of my blog. I wore these jeans in March. I had so much flab that they fit then! I had to borrow a belt from a co-worker when I started to lose weight and my pants were falling off as I don't own a belt for jeans. Hard to believe I've lost over 10 inches of fat in my hips, thighs, chest and waist! L.A. Weight Loss doesn't measure my arms but they aren't as flabby either.

My hayfever has been really bad this week. This is the worst year ever for it!!! I've had to use Visine Allergy eye drops all week as I normally try not to use it unless I can't stand it. I've been so wiped out all week that I've been too fatigued to play badminton or go for any walks :(
My glands in my neck have been sore and I've had the itchiest eyes and nose ever! A few mornings when I woke up my nose started running right away. Sneezing and blowing my nose all day. Woe is me! WAHHH! Luckily I have some Dristan nasal spray as I was so plugged up the other night and couldn't sleep by breathing through my mouth. So far I've managed to survive without taking any antihistamines although I found a box of Reactine in the back of my cupboard that doesn't expire until Oct, 2007. I've never taken Reactine before. A few years ago I tried the Claritin non-drowsy pills but felt too jittery and shaky so haven't taken any other non-drowsy antihistimines since.

Actually today is the first day that it's not so intense, although I sneeezed 4 times in a row at work and it took a few minutes to recover from the exhaustion. I always have to rub the left side of my nose as it's irritated and makes a neat clicking noise when I lift my nose up for temporary relief.

Mom came over on Monday for the Il Divo concert. We planned to go out for dinner at the Edgewater Casino. Curtis and Eliza surprised her by coming to my place before we left. She thought she wouldn't be seeing them this trip. It sure was hot that day. Good thing GM Place was air-conditioned. Quite a difference from the sweltering temperature at the Madonna concert in L.A.

I felt so young at the concert. The majority of the audience were white-haired and elderly. We were in the 16th row on the floor in the centre so had great seats. Someone screamed at me to sit down when I stood up to take a photo. I guess that person thought I would remain standing as she didn't scream at me again for the rest of the concert even though I stood up numerous times. It was weird to be on the floor and not smell any pot.

These photos are from my cell phone so the quality isn't that great. But I must say there are some great shots of my finger in some of the photos!

We just got back from Boston Pizza after playing badminton first. Since I'm off Monday I could stay up later.

Ray and I ate at the U-Grill at the Metropolis Food Court on Saturday. We both had veggies and tofu on rice. Ray added noodles as well to his. I had brocolli, cauliflower, bean sprouts and water chestnuts. This is the 2nd weekend in a row we've gone there to eat and I've gone to Langley Farm Market. I love going to the Langley Farm Market in the mall as their strawberries are really good and are a very good price! Yum!

We went and saw Superman Returns last night. I really enjoyed it and thought the new Superman did a good job reprising the role Christopher Reeve made famous. He even got some of the mannerisms down. The red colour in the cape and costume were a deeper red than before. We saw the movie on screen # 1 which is the biggest one I think. It was well worth it going to the theatre to see this movie. It was 2 1/2 hours long. Good thing I went to the bathroom right before the movie.

I thought I would celebrate Canada Day by doing the HBC Run for Canada's 3km walk. It was to raise money for Canadian athletes for the Olympics. The 10km run started at 8am and the 3km walk started at 10am. I registered online last week for $20 and picked up the shirt and goodie bag at the Oakridge Bay on Thursday. I haven't learned, when my alarm went off and I snoozed it a few times I just ended up going back to sleep. Plus my back was bothering me. From past experience exercise on Saturday mornings doesn't work for me. Oh well, it was the thought that counts.

Thursday was a very sad day. It was the funeral for 3 year old Makoda Suen. You might've seen her story on the news or in various newpapers such as the Burnaby Now and the Vancouver Sun. Her parents adopted her a few years ago from China. Ray went to high school with Dave. In June of 2005 Mak was diagnosed with leukemia but went into remission last year. She had a rare type of leukemia and her parents were trying to find a bone marrow donor here as well as in China where she was from. Unfortunately it came back this year. Mak had her bone marrow bioposy and the leukemia was still present in 50 to 60% of her bone marrow. Complete remission would have been less than 5%. She wasn't given much time to live in this condition. She had underone chemo last year and this year. The make-a-wish foundation granted to Disneyworld in May and then she passed away on June 22.

There was a lot of media outside the funeral home with their cameras. I guess this was a high-profile story. There were a lot of touching videos of Mak as well as eulogies. I've never been to a funeral for someone who was not elderly so it was very sad. I've also never been to a cremation. After the funeral home service we went to the cemetary for the cremation. I had no idea what to expect. I asked another friend about it but he hadn't been to one before either. When we went inside the building it was just like the funeral home with rows of pews. They told us that if you didn't want to view the cremation you could wait here.

We were then led into another room that had a curtain drawn across a window. The door of this room said it was the witness room. My first thought was the witness room you see on TV when someone is watching someone on death row being executed. We passed by Mak's casket which was on a gurney and I placed my hand on it and said goodbye to her. After everyone was inside the room they closed the door and the curtain was opened. The parents, 2 other people and one employee were down below where there were 2 big metal machines. We couldn't hear what was being said but it looked like he was giving instructions on what to do. Mak's casket was wheeled into that room on the gurney and then pushed through the opening of the machine. I guess it was an oven. Dave and Joyce clutched each other for a while sobbing. It was so heart-breaking to watch their pain and sadness in saying good-bye to their little girl. I was crying so much that my tears were just dripping on the floor. Many people in the room were sobbing a lot too. Finally Dave pressed the button on the oven, I assume this must've started the fire going. It's hard to explain the emotions I was feeling then as my heart reached out to them in this very traumatic and heart-wrenching moment. They came back into the room as they composed themselves and Joyce managed to squeak out a few words that everyone was invited to the restaurant.

There were 4 tables at the restaurant. All of Ray's usual high school friends and their wives were at our table except for Simon and Ly who went back to Victoria after the funeral and another wife who had to go back to work. One couple came down from Salmon Arm.

I volunteered after work on Tuesday at the SPCA’s launch event for the Paws for a Cause Walk. There was a silent auction, hors d'oeuvres served, fruit, cheese, bread etc. There were some SPCA merchandise at a few tables. The M.C. was Randene O'Neil from one of the news broadcasts. The launch was for the SPCA's sponsors, VIP's and volunteers. Quite a few people worked at the humane society and the SPCA.

I was at a table giving out free Royal Canin Medi-Cal dog and cat food, Modern Dog magazine and TV Week magazine. Some people brought their dogs so that was neat. This year there will also be cat teams where people can raise money for the SPCA on behalf of their cats. Obviously the cats wouldn't come to the walk since they'd be surrounded by dogs so the guy suggested bringing a photo or something.

I really enjoyed volunteering and being around so many animal lovers.

We went to a badminton friend's wedding in Richmond last Saturday. Both the ceremony and wedding locations were places I hadn't been to before. The ceremony was at Minoru Chapel and the reception was at Kirin's. I went to the L.A. Weight Loss Center in Richmond that day for a quick weigh-in.

I was looking forward to going to Minoru Chapel as I knew it was a poplular wedding location. Another friend wanted her wedding there a few years ago but didn't book in time so didn't get it. The chapel was really nice and was air-conditioned!!! The grounds were beautiful and they had photos taken of everyone outside.

Went to Nanaimo on the Saturday before Father's Day. Yogi is still a baby under a year old. Went to dim sum on Sunday for Ray's dad's Father's Day get-together. Then went to Joe Fortes for Curtis and Eliza's engagement celebration dinner. There was a lot of eating out that weekend but I didn't gain any weight :)

Wow, I can't believe June is over already! Where did the month go? Let's see, here are some of the highlights from the past month.

I had a very successful fundraiser on June 10 at Revs, the Bowling and Entertainment Centre. I raised about $400 that day and about $300 in donations resulting from people who couldn't make it. Besides the bowling I sold some wallet size first aid kits and Arthritis Society bracelets there. Thanks for your support everyone and for helping me surpass my minimum fundraising requirement of $4500 for the Arthritis Society's Joints in Motion Training Team!!!