Yoshi's Tiramisu

While sentimentality is par for the course for Valentine’s Day, there are indeed genuinely touching reasons in the case of the picture below:

Probably the most significant is the slice of tiramisu.  On the evening that we found that Tess was pregnant with Gabe - in S&Js’ Banff - apartment we celebrated this life changing news by having a slice of tiramisu at the Second Cup in Cascade Mall.  The funny thing I realized is that we have not had a slice since.

I willingly confess that she does way more than I do to take care of my son.  It is no easy task especially in light of the fact that her body took a beating during his birth. For almost a week she battled the effects of spiking high blood pressure due to pre-eclampsia before braving a caesarian birth to give our son the gift of his first breath. Her body still has not fully recovered and there are challenges ahead for her.  But she soldiers on.  I am humbled by her.

For now the drama of last summer has since subsided and we have healthy, happy, and talkative boy who makes each day an exciting challenge filled with hugs and slobbery kisses. I never truly understood the power of a child’s smile till my son. Each smile makes the struggle worth it.

The Green Yoshi, like its Super Mario brother counterpart is much like my son, just beginning.  Just getting started. Vulnerable yet with so much potential.  The amazing thing is that Gabe was not that much bigger than this stuffed toy when he was born. That is why Yoshi is here.

I am lucky to have them in my life and I'll be damned if I don't work my ass off to make sure they are taken care of. I guess this is what being a Dad is all about...

The Long Winter Night

Winter has finally hit Banff with full force.  I just pulled up the temperature reading on my iPhone and it reads as -25 degrees C (-14 degrees F) and with the wind chill, it feels like -36 degrees C (-33 degrees F). Just to put things into perspective – exposed skin at these temperatures for less than 10 minutes will freeze solid. 

Tess and I have been blessed with a condo that requires no heating other than the heated pipe system that runs around in under our place.  Hence we do not need to turn any extra heating on.  Because of this, I found it hard to gauge how cold it was out this morning.

Less then 30 seconds outside and I knew how it felt.

Winter is not my season.  I live in probably one of the most beautiful towns that is built around the winter season.  There have been countless opportunities to participate in ski culture in one of the world class hubs on the plant but I have not taken anyone of them.  I am just not a winter person.  I digress, I do like Christmas.  But that is over and we stare into the abyss of winter night.

Counting the days till..

So here I sit on my couch watching Shaw On Demand and playing with my iPhone 4s.  I do have some plans to get activity and exercise going early but it all depends on available finances. I count the days when I can spend time on my bike cruising through and around Banff and even Canmore.  This has always my only sport.  I enjoy the solitude. I enjoy the pain. I enjoy the speed. For those of you who ride. You know what I am talking about.

Till then, I wait.  I press on.

InstaMagic on InstaGram

A strong indication that 2012 is off to a hectic start is that I started writing out this blog entry as a New Year's greeting for friends and family. Well it is now halfway through the month of January so those sentiments seem obsolete now. But I do wish everyone in my life a blessed and prosperous 2012 where I hope you take steps forward especially in taking care of  yourself and your families.

Those of you who follow me on Facebook have been witness to my recent obsession with the iPhone software simply called InstaGram.  I've been a fan of photography all my life and even took some creative courses in university. Things have always come up that prevented me from investing in a high-end digital SLR and so I have contended myself with pushing what was possible with point and shoot as well as cell phone cameras. 

There is an album hidden in my Facebook collection where I highlight pictures shot on one of my earlier cell phones: a Sony Ericsson. This was a lowly 2 mega pixel camera but I was so impressed by the pictures it took.  The only drawback is that it shot pretty flat and I would have to take images taken in camera and upload them into my computer to manipulate them in Photoshop. This was quite tedious and it also took time to upload each on to Facebook.

Shot on my Sony Ericsson

We know that the expected life of most cell phones is about two years give or take.  Sure enough my SE had to go and I graduated to a BlackBerry Curve.  This cell phone was great for what I truly needed it for and that was communication. One of the disappointing things about this smartphone however was it less than stellar camera. Pictures always came out fuzzy and flat.

Enter the new iPhone 4s (careful to say this because the iPhone 5 is just around the corner) with a full on 8 mega pixel camera and in camera editing capabilities through InstaGram.  What used to take a bit of time in Photoshop can now be done on the fly in the camera.  Plus you can now instantly (get it InstaGram - "instantly"..ha ha..) upload your work to Facebook for all to see especially if you are privy to a good WiFi connection. 

Yeah I cheated a bit and assembled this in Photoshop CS sumthin.

Who do I have to thank for making me aware of InstaGram? Ms. Dark Angel herself: Jessica Alba.  She is actually on Facebook and is a friend of mine. No joke.

It really shows my age but does anyone remember this two season show?

Anyway my moments of peace are done as I hear my son stirring in our bedroom this lazy Sunday morning.  Dad duties will soon call.

We press on.

Thoughts on the fight...

After an extremely long hiatus I am finally working on my blog again.  Our PC has been down since before our move into our new place and during the move I misplaced the power chords and mouse!  Thankfully, some spares were found by friends and now I am back in business.

Friends were over last night to watch the Pacquiao and Marquez fight.  It was a close fight. The key being that Marquez knew how to respond to the Pacquaio. He counterpunched.  When  you went into Pacquaio's corner you could see that the Filipino star was getting worn down by having to truly defend himself from an "equal" fighter. 

When it was all said and done, Filipinos around the world rejoiced because their man had once again triumphed.  I too agree with the judges decision.  Manny maintained his confidence, balance, and aggression till the very last moments of the fight.  Marquez, misled by his corner in earlier rounds, must have believed  he won the fight and did not press till the end. He could have very well won the fight had he escalated the fight to a higher level.  He needed to as the contender. A statement in the last three rounds by Marquez would have brought an end to reign of one of the best fighters of all time but alas punches were traded and Manny systematically responded in kind.  The numbers are there.  Manny threw and landed more punches.  He won.  When you are the reigning champion all you have to do is keep a guy from dominating. 

However, this fight revealed much.  There was a way to keep Manny at bay and the key was be equally defensive and aggressive.  You need near perfect timing and you need to counterpunch him.  This knowledge could prove decisive in the now upcoming Mayweather fight.  And as a former coworker dared to comment on Facebook, "Floyed may very well be the person to dethrone Manny's dominance of the sport of boxing. For sure his camp is watching and taking notes."

In my eyes Marquez can go into history as being the man who found the chink in Manny's armour.  What fans saw last night was a guy who was able to stand toe to toe with the best and hold him off. It clearly was not enough, he wanted to win.  His fans wanted him to win. He may just have wait to see someone else finish the job he started...

Enough about boxing...

I was able to sneak in a short 20 minute ride through the backroads beside our condo early this morning.  Winter has been relatively mild so far and as long as there is no ice on the road I am able to stand a quick sprint here and there till my nose freezes.

I hope to keep riding as long as the weather permits and once I can't, an indoor trainer is on order so that I can work on being fit even through the winter. 

Plans within Plans...

If there is something that I have neglected to do lately is update people on my blog or a Facebook note. Life has been crazy ever since the dramatic arrival of our son into this world and we've struggled to establish a routine of sorts. Alas, it seems that every day has brought unique challenges that hamper this goal. I honestly don't mind. I am just glad both Tess and Gabe are here and together we have a family.

My parents were here this weekend because of Gabe's child dedication. [very similar to a Baptism in other Christian faiths.] My Dad passed another milestone in the life of a grandparent who also happens to be a minister - dedicating another grandchild. There was a sense of rightness and fufillment for that reason alone throughout the service.


I must confess that the entire service itself was a blur because my thoughts were on my responsiblity as a new father and also the future of my family. The birth of a son has been sobering for me. He has arrived but I know that big decisions need to be made now to give him his best chance at a good future.

I was extremely comforted with the presence of my parents. In my gut I knew that they were having the same thoughts that I have been having. They've had some conversations with my other siblings and I could see that a master plan for the future security of our family was in place. With this visit anda brief conversation with Tess and I, they revealed the role they would like me to play in this plan. And I agreed.

I will leave it at that for now. Suffice it to say that I am once again in awe of the intelligence, masterful insight, and love that my parents have for my siblings and I. My prayer is that this plan work out so that as they stand on the threshold of their older years, they can be content in the fact we will be established and thriving...

*** it is belated but I want to wish my younger sister a happy birthday and many happy returns. Even more so that ever before, I admire her as a parent, a woman, and soldier. I know the struggles that she has dealt with especially in this past year and I also know that she will overcome!

Sibling, stay focused, stay driven, and keep your eye the ball. Everything else is an annoyance and a temporary setback. Embrace the stories of Moses and Joseph who had to wait on the Lord many a time before God established them. 40 years in the wilderness for Moses. Joseph in the prisons of Egypt. Now, more than ever don't let go.

That is it for now. God bless you all. Thank your for your inquriies into our well-being. Pls know that all the love is much appreciated. One thing my son needs to be surrounded with is love and he is...

Of Transfomers and Baby Strollers

After weeks of neglect, I am finally doing a post on here.  Those of you who keep track on facebook know that a lot has transpired since my last entry on my blog.  My family has grown and in such a dramatic way.

As I write this baby Gabriel is sleeping peacefully beside me.  He is swaddled quite tightly in his baby blanket. He doesn't seem to like to keep his hands in the blanket and we often find him with them raised as if he is directing a choir.  Apparently many people tell us this is healthy.

Mom is upstairs sleeping.  It is my turn to keep watch over the little one. Mom deserves this rest.  She has been the one taking care of him when I've been away at work and also during the late evenings as I catch up on sleep for work.  Summer is great because we can get around fairly easily if needed.  It sucks because busy season brings a lot of demands at work.  We deal with it for now...

Thankfully I have two days off straight starting with yesterday.  I spent most of the afternoon yesterday in Calgary trying to find the partner stroller to our child safety seat.  After looking at several stores I finally found the standalone unit and was happy to find it at a reasonable price.  When mated to the seat it sure is intimidating.  Kinda reminds of those Transformers that were formed by joining a few smaller units. 

More than meets the eye.

As I pulled into Banff last night I snapped a picture of my ODO breaking 10,000 ks.  Wow.  To think in the beginning of May we had barely over 1400.  God is good.  He timed the demise of the Nissan perfectly so that we would have a new ride in play just before our whole need of it over the past 2 months. There is no way our Nissan could have handled the abuse. Our Corolla simply went through a thorough break in period and now she runs quite smoothly.  

Milestone reached. Oh what a feeling!

Everyone tells me that nothing can prepare you for this stage in life and you can use all the help you can get.  God keeps sending people that have been such a blessing and indeed help to us.  We never repay them for their kindness and generosity but we are so grateful.

So there they are.  Some random thoughts regarding the times. We press on. I look forward to going for a short ride today in celebration of the ongoing 2011 Tour De France. Go Garmin-Cervelo and Leopard Trek!  I hope the best man wins this year!

Filipino Fighter, Fighter Mom

Yet another victory for the Pacman over an aging Shane Mosley in fight that paled in comparison to Manny's sound defeat of Antonio Margarito last July.   After going down in the 3rd round, Mosley went on the defensive as could be expected from a boxer on the tale of his career who was unwilling to tile his exit with a knockout.   While the fight with Margarito was a chance to showcase Pacquiao's abilities, Mosley's turtle like style of fight post round 3 left the Filipino Wonder very little to work with although there was a burst of aggression after what I would call a 10th round "trip" and miscalled knockdown by referee Kenny Bayless.

Although we were unable to watch the fight in HD because of technical difficulties, we were able to watch on the large screen at the Espelitas last night.  A fight should not be watched alone because half of the entertainment is the reactions of the people around you. I have learned that my wife's enthusiasm at a Pacquiao is something to behold.  Her vocal reactions carry as much impact as a well connected punch.  Everyone present enjoyed hearing her.

I was happy to see her in a good mood.  She has been handling a lot lately with the pregnancy and news from the Philippines concerning her Dad's health.  While opinions are indicating that he is not suffering from colon cancer, he does have several complications in his kidney, gall bladder, and other areas.  I empathize with her dual level concern. 1.  His health and quality of life. 2. The cost of treatment and medication.  Health care is costly in the Philippines.

God has been good to us and blessed immensely the past few months.  A baby on the way is a blessing in and of itself.  But therein lies the challenge and we have recieved multiple acknowledgements that God will be there to provide for us so that we can give this child the best life possible.  I am humbled when I think about all that has been provided already.

This is life.  There is an ebb and flow. Lots of good.  Lots of challenges. 

On this Mother's Day 2011 I want to remember my wife.  I want to acknowledge her spirt.  I know there are times when things don't go smoothly.  I know I drop the ball.  With God's help, I will be better.   I hope that I come back to this blog and recognize the deeper sentiments that surround the writing.

In the blink of an eye we will be parents.  In a instant she will be a mom. 

This is for trying harder.

For living fuller.

For believing more.

For trusting fully.

I love you so much!  Happy Mother's Day!