29.2.04

welcome tina.

[vancouver]
before i forget, welcome tina to the world of blogging. keep it up because i want to keep up with all the happenings in my favourite city, the city by the bay!

whistler.

[vancouver]
just got back yesterday from spending a few days up to whistler, and needless to say it was fantastic. from conquering my speed fear, to hanging out with aimee, my bro and the gang, to getting pulled by a t-bar (don't ask!), i had a great time, a much needed break. sometimes i regret not taking up snowboarding a bit earlier, but then i'm glad that i finally did, and it's good because i'm hooked.

greg took some great pics from when we were up on the glacier...i'll have to post those later -- truly awe inspiring. until then, here's some pictures from the trip, courtesy of aimee's digital. click on the photo for more.

22.2.04

"nanny tv?"

[vancouver]
...i really thought this article was a joke, one of those spoofs of actual real news sites when i first read it. as oliver puts it, it is "demeaning, ignorant, offensive, and just plain stupid." stuff like this makes me both irrate and definitely think that we have a long way to go.

for the record, all the filipinos that i know are not nannies (actually i don't know any). plus, my nanny was polish, or maybe better yet, canadian.

what do you think?

21.2.04

the fun begins...

[vancouver]
...well, last night, aimee's first night (or early morning) was a blast. here are some pics from last night...she has a digital camera, so we'll be posting pictures as we go.

20.2.04

whew.

[vancouver]
...whew! what a week. so glad it is the weekend. aimee comes in to town tonight, so it'll be good for us to catch up. it's funny how there are some friends, even though you never see each other very often, you always manage to be 'in tune' with each other. aimee is one of those types of friends. plus i always like when i have out of town guests because i end up doing things i don't normally do, so i too feel like a tourist.

hopefully she'll have a digital camera so i can post some pics of her trip here while she's in town!

15.2.04

"tree" run.

[vancouver]
just got back from whistler, another great day for improving my skills on the slopes for me. everytime i go up with my brother and oliver, i tend to go with oliver's decision on "which way to go" thinking that he's safer and less aggressive than my bro. however, following oliver today led me to a tree 'run' (read: mounds of snow in amongst trees on a very steep slope), so i think i've learned my lesson. we set out the day with the goal of conquering and focussing on whistler, and at the very least did a pretty good tour of it, making it all the way up to the peak. even though the visibility wasn't so great today, the sun came out to play for a little bit -- i'll tell you one of the best times i've had so far riding was today when we hit a whole bunch of fresh powder and the sun was behind us -- there is nothing that beats that.

i'll have to make sure i bring up a dispoable camera for my trip up with aimee in a couple of weeks.

14.2.04

happy valentine's day.

[vancouver]
ah...february 14th...a day especially for lovers. as i was out and about today doing some errands, i saw signs of it everywhere, from couples holding hands, to people hawking roses with baby's breath, to some guy waiting at the skytrain station with a bunch of hellium balloons and an overflowing bouquet of flowers, all wrapped up beautifully in cellophane. commercialization aside, i started to feel a bit disenchanted with the whole thing, the public displays of affection -- i mean, shouldn't every day be for lovers?

remember in grade school when you would exchange christmas cards and valentine's cards with your classmates? in grade three, i can distinctly remember that our teacher told us that if we were going to give out valentine's cards, it would be nice (and fair) if we would make sure to give one to everyone in the class. and so, with my teacher's instructions, i did write out a little card for everyone. however when i saw the different types of cards that some of my classmates would receive, with some of them a bit more 'special' than the one that i got, and the reaction of the those both giving and receiving the cards is when i understood the real meaning of valentine's. that it was different from a birthday card or a christmas card. that it was having someone special. that signing the card 'from randy' was distinctly different from signing it 'love randy'. it was a valentine's day card.

february 14 would be just another day, and would come and go for me without ever having a valentine. each year, i imagine what it would be like to have that someone extra special in my life. the more that i grow and mature, the more i continue to believe that being in love is both a privilege and a gift, that is cultivated by both passion and hard work. and so, i realize that maybe one day out of the year, a day especially designated for lovers, isn't all that bad.

...and maybe, just maybe, i'll be the dorky guy holding balloons and a bouquet of flowers waiting for someone next year.

11.2.04

cabbage patch kid.

[vancouver]
these pictures were taken at lauryn's, my god daughter's birthday. in my arms is talyssa, steve and lisa's baby girl. talyssa made sure that she got in a good picture with her uncle randy because as her mom tells me, "she really wanted to make my blog spotlight". and why not, she's so cute!!!

9.2.04

i wonder if there is any skiing done.

[vancouver]
each year i intend to go up for this, but it just didn't feel right because i didn't ski or snowboard. now that i know how to "board" and the true meaning of apres ski, maybe i'll actually make it up next year (and hopefully i'll have enough $$$ by then to do it right).

8.2.04

dance with me.

[vancouver]
spread the word, if you know anyone that is interested in auditioning for KP, our folk dance and music workshops begin on february 22.

6.2.04

comment away.

[vancouver]
for those of you who have a thing or two to say, i've now installed a comment feature, courtesy of haloscan.com.

i look forward to your thoughts about my random musings.

goodbye noel.

[vancouver]


this picture was taken at rugby (a good place, i've forgot about it since i haven't been there in a while) for noel's good away party. noel has just gotten a job in st. thomas (yes the carribean), for at least 4 months with the possibility of staying longer if it all works out. i know he will do well.

i've been friends with noel with since we were kids, and even though we've been out of touch lately, it has been good to know that we will always remain good friends. even though he'll be far away, i know he'll still be close by.

good luck noel.

p.s. rugby has hot wait staff -- that's always good (and not just the girls...)

3.2.04

random thought.

[vancouver]
you know when things with your friends have "changed", not when they all start getting married, or buying a house and moving to the 'burbs, but when they announce to you that they are pregnant with their second child and they start planning what year they should all take their kids to disneyland together ("at five, or six?").

discuss.

1.2.04

i miss you.

[vancouver]
it's pretty incredible for me to believe, but february 1st marks six years my mother passed away. it is a filipino tradition, at least in our family, for our family and friends to get together to remember and celebrate her life. today we will have great food prepared by her sisters and friends (who were like sisters), catch up with those we haven't seen in a while, and exchange stories and memories of my mom. my mother would not have it any other way.

it is often said that when someone passes, everyone needs time to grieve in their own way and in their own time. but i can say, at least for me, that the feeling of loss, while maybe less painful and acute, never does really leave you. you basically move on to a new way of living your life, a life without that important person. i wish she had the chance to see me as i am now, how i've changed, and what i have become. i wish she could be with us today, sharing and exchanging her own stories, bringing life, lightness and honesty in a way that only she could do. i wish she could still be here to hug me and tell me that everything has and has always been okay.

mom, i miss you, and i love you.