Less than 1 month to go till..

Till little Jonathan is 1 years old! See how he's standing next to the suitcase.. aunty Caroline is currently visiting.. he is spoiled to bits at the moment!

An up-market espresso machine vs Dyson..

I haven't read a book from cover to cover for a long long time. But after I read this extract from "Single Father, Better Dad", I was tempted. The story is tragic (not that I'm particularly into tragedy) and the writing of the author is compelling. I'll let you read for yourself here..

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/love-sex/10371037/The-three-words-that-ended-my-marriage

Angelic smile

Jonathan, remember this moment as you grow up. I can't recall what made you so happy and satisfied but life is not that complicated, happiness is indeed all around us, and within our reach, always.

Jonathan - almost 9 months

Danielle took a picture of Jonathan today while I was working in the hospital. This has to be one of the best photos of him.  He is a week shy from 9 months and he is already turning into a confident toddler with eyes beaming with joy, ready to take on the world! (at least in my mind..)

As I look at him, I wonder what sort of world he'll be growing up into. No matter what it looks like, I hope and pray that he will lead a fulfilling life.

Happy 5th Anniversary

European Stroke Conference 2014

4 days of "work", followed by 3 days of "holiday", is the perfect recipe for a short overseas trip. The latter part of the trip is of course crucial, for what's the point of even going far away if it's just for work? I do have that luxury, for now anyway. Look around my seniors, "work alone" travels certainly dominate their schedules. 

Nice was "nice". Milan was even better - food, travel, everything but their seemingly legit but rather shady money exchange shops..the 14% commissions defy the purpose of us bringing hard currency from home. Might as well use credit cards and put up with their transaction fees (28 degrees issued by GE in Australia is the go-to-card with no foreign transaction fees). 

There is always this strange post-holiday fatigue that sets in right after you return home. I got hit quite hard this time with almost daily late afternoon headaches for 2 weeks..  the high altitude of Calgary might be to blame. 

Well, until next time...

Limbic encephalitis

This is a story that could have otherwise gone horribly wrong. It could have been headline news.. if the young girl died, rather than in the "lifestyle" section of the paper/website.

A nicely written piece on limbic encephalitis. 

Vila Joya

I haven't blogged on food for a while. I think both me and Danielle had "enough" of the fine dining scene and we have "moved on" to just be happy with "good food", at home or from anywhere in the neighbourhood. Dani might say it is just an excuse for me to be frugal....

That's not to say news release like "the best restaurants" doesn't catch my attention. I have a lot of respect for the people in the restaurant trade. One thing I think I know for sure is that it is not easy to survive in the era of urbanspoon and the torrent of food blogging sites.

I'm glad that we did dine at Vila Joya during our Honeymoon in Algarve - ranked number 22 this year. Since none of the Calgary joint features on the list, might have to think hard about where to go for our 5th Anniversary dinner?

Dedication @ Westside King's Church

Dear Jonathan,

We love you very much and you are truly a gift from heaven. We pray and hope that you will know God one day yourself. May you grow up wise and healthy, to love and to serve those around you and be a blessing to many.

 Mummy and Daddy

Being smart...

Yesterday, Alison Redford resigned as the premier of Alberta. I don't know much about local party politics here, but it appeared similar to how Kevin Rudd in Australia got knifed a few years ago. The people voted them in, then their approval ratings went down for whatever reasons, and their party wanted to get rid of them.

Don Braid, a columnist for the Calgary Herald summed up his analysis as "Whatever comes next, Alberta will move on without a premier who was probably the most intellectually brilliant in the province’s history, and the most politically flawed."

Indeed, both Mr Rudd and Ms Redford may have suffered from the same trap - your neighbour John down the street felt he couldn't "connect" with them any more.