HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCAS!!!

Happy 21st Birthday Lucas

Last night we all went to the Marine Pub in Burnaby for Lucas' Birthday. It was an awesome time! Thanks to everyone who came for making it a great night!

All the boys: Alex, John, Lucas, Cam, Sean, and Phil

Christmas 2006

Christmas Morning!!

I got my favourite drink from Scotland in my stocking; my Irn-Bru with the tree in the background; Lucas and David tackle their lego; Mum and Lucas at their best

Candy enjoying the present opening festivities; Mum finishing the trifle with Lucas in the background; David still working on his lego; the Christmas ornament I got for Mum and pepsi hoping to be in the photo.

Christmas Dinner!!

Dinner was amazing! I love the look on Lucas' face upon his first bite of Mum's fabulous lamb; Me and Mum with the traditional cracker hats on; Brittany and David enjoying dinner conversation; Mum and Adrian laughing.

SCIENCE WORLD!

Lucas and I took his little brother Michael to Science World yesterday and we all had so much fun!! Lifting hippos, playing harps with no strings, sliding through garbage, and testing the abilities of the human body. Science World is so much fun, it actually gets better as you get older I think.

December Nights

December is turning out to be a great month. I love this time of the year for spending time with the people you love the most. Over the past few weeks I've done such fun things as having a night out downtown, a Christmas get together with my best friends, and wrapping presents with my Mum. I can't wait for the rest of December, it's turning into a wonderful Christmas time!!!

Lucas, Mandi & Me in gastown and at the Irish Heather, ooo good times (don't order the bread)

Thursday night I had a Christmas get together. Thanks to everyone it was a wonderful time!

Last night Mum and I wrapped presents, it was so much fun we've decided to make it a tradition!

Stop All the Fighting

I am unbelievably disappointed at the fighting and the anger I am witnessing this Christmas season. We are all taught from a very young age that Christmas is a season of joy, laughter, warmth, love, caring, generosity, and compassion. With just over a week until the big day, the apparent lack of all these things is quite troubling.
Last night Lucas, Mandi, and I were coming home from a wonderful night downtown sharing pints and a few good laughs. While waiting for Brandon to come and pick us up, a young man (no doubt very intoxicated with drugs or alcohol) came up to Lucas and proceeded to pick a fight with him. The reason? Lucas looked at the young man momentarily as he stumbled up the stairs of the station. I am still very proud of how Lucas handled the situation, staying very calm and responding with no anger or frustration to the young man's comments. This in turn gave the man nothing to be angry with and he eventually stumbled off.
Tonight, again, at the skytrain, Lucas and I witnessed a heated argument between a cab driver and young man on a bicycle. We don't know why exactly they were screaming at one another but it was unnecessary I'm sure. It ended with them both exclaiming that the other should return to "their country". I was shocked (and honestly at the same time not shocked at all, sadly) at their racism.
These examples are just two out of a hundred I'm sure. I've witnessed useless bickering in the malls. Unfathomable rudeness. Complete lack of consideration. No kindness. Utter unthoughtfulness. Hate. Racism. Anger. Stress. Scowling. . . The list could go on. And quite frankly I am disgusted. What has happened to this season?
Start switching the channels through the old Christmas movies on television right now and you see beautiful scenes of towns coming together to help a man in need, little girls realising that miracles really are possible, happy families laughing around a piano sipping eggnog, or hilarious families realising the true meaning of Christmas amongst a deranged extended family and enough Christmas lights to light a small town. What has happened to this Christmas that we love to watch on television?
I know that we all have our own ideas of what has caused this and for this reason I will not preach all of my beliefs. I only ask that you think about these things. And try to be one happy person in that store this week, a kind driver to people who are just as desperate as you to get to their destinations, or a smile that a grumpy old man may need in order to find it within himself. This season, do not be one of these rude, ungrateful people, realise what this season really means to all people of all races and creeds.

DONE for 2006

This week I finished my last exam and I am officially done my second to last semester ever! how frightening! Because this was my last winter semester I took my camera up and took photos of the trees that they decorate with lights every year up at my school. They look so beautiful! That night I went to the pub with Mel (that's us in the centre) to have a final drink which was always great fun. The other pics are of last night, when Lucas, my Mum and I decorated the house for Christmas with the help of our favourite Christmas drink!

Kid's Christmas Party @ Mum's Office

This past weekend my Mum's office had their Kids Christmas Party. Mum and I were there to work at the different stations, and Lucas brought Micael along to participate in all the crafts and games. It was so much fun! It was so neat seeing all the kids excited to see Santa and make different crafts. I was so impressed with the staff that had put the party together (Mum included!), this kind of this is such a wonderful thing to put together for the kids. I was almost in tears seeing all the kids react to Santa arriving, they were all so excited! It reminded me of when my Grandad used to take me to his work Christmas parties and Santa would be there, and I would have so much fun!

Clockwise: Michael decorating his loot bag; me sitting at my station, kids came to me and had to sing a christmas carol in order to get their ornament and some candy, it was so adorable watching little kids sing 'jingle bells' and 'rudolph' especially when they were too shy to sing and I would have to help them; Santa arrives with gifts for everyone; the kids sat patiently waiting as Santa went down his list of names.

Mum had a great time calling bingo numbers; Michael won a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figure from bingo; the three of us at the end of the party; Michael receiving his basketball from Santa, and good job Santa, Michael had actually asked for a basketball this Christmas!

Happy 1 Year Anniversary to me!

At this very moment last year I was sitting in a hospital emergency room with a growth the size of a baseball on my left ankle. I had been snowboarding that day and fractured my ankle. I will never forget sitting after my xrays waiting for the doctor to come and tell me that I would need a cast and that I would be going home some time that night. Unfortunately, instead of telling me this he came to me to tell me that I would need surgery as my fracture was a spiral fracture and would require a plate and 2 screws to hold it together. I laughed and asked if he was joking, turns out he wasnt and two days later I left the hospital with metal in my leg. And it is still there today. And it is still super annoying! Luckily the surgery is set to happen this month to take it out. Also lucky for me, I'll get to give my arms a wonderful workout once again with those wonderful crutches I loathe so much.
Anyway, the moral of the story... Snowboarding is not my thing, buy expensive boots, and cherish the fact that you can walk on Christmas and that you do not have metal in your ankle that feels like someone is holding icecubes to your skin in the cold!!!

The Last King of Scotland

In even just thinking about writing about this film I am at a loss for words. . . . It was simply incredible. The Last King of Scotland is a movie about Idi Amin, the genocidal dictator that ruled over Uganda in the 70's and his relationship with a young Scottish doctor that visits Uganda to make a difference and break out of his boring routine at home. They meet by chance and develop an immediate relationship due to Amin's love for Scotland. This scene is quite funny because originally Amin thinks the young Scot is British and Nicholas quickly corrects him by showing him a Scottish football jersey and Amin laughs and asks for the shirt for his son Campbell. Amin exclaims how he loves the Scottish, that if he were not Ugandan he wished he were Scottish (except for the red hair he says). The next day he invites the Scottish doctor to be his personal physician and with some reluctance Nicholas accepts the offer. The movie follows their relationship from the good moments to the very very bad moments.

I think what was most interesting and equally disturbing for me was seeing all these atrocities surrounded by Scottish traditions. Amin had two sons named Campbell and Mackenzie, he wore a kilt at times, had african choirs singing Scottish folk songs, and had bagpipe processions in Ugandan streets. I had heard stories about his fascination and love for Scotland but did not expect what I saw.

I also must talk about the acting in this film. I was in awe of Forest Whittaker who plays Amin. What a performance. Again, I am at a loss for words here. I was literally scared of him, not once was he out of character. I could have been watching Amin on screen. If he is not nominated for an Oscar I will be shocked; I'll be equally shocked if he doesnt win it. James McAvoy, from Glasgow, plays Nicholas Garrigan and also does a wonderful job.

I strongly suggest seeing this movie to everyone, all those here in Canada as well as in Scotland. It was a very difficult story to watch at times but the story is worth knowing. If you dont like watching these types of movies on the silver screen at least remember to rent it when it comes out in a few months. (Just for those who aren't familiar with it, this story is based on true events and people)

Papers & Exams

My friend Joseph sent me this wonderful photo in trying to describe how he's feeling with all the papers and exams at the end of the semester. I thought it was such a perfect picture to describe this that I had to share it. Luckily for me, the worst is over after today. Nevertheless, I know a lot of us are still feeling like this right now. Good luck to everyone! And remember (as corny as it may be) WW always wins against all these bad guys and we will too!

Casino Royale

Last night Lucas and I went to see the new Bond flick, Casino Royale. We were so impressed. We are both Bond fans and were looking very forward to seeing how the new man in the job would do, and let me tell you, he was AWESOME! We were so impressed with him! Daniel Craig makes the shoes look easy to fit into. He does James Bond proud, I think. He is handsome, rugged, smart, and funny, everything a man needs to be a womaniser and the most famous spy in the world. Who cares that he has blonde hair!

The movie was great, there was a lot of really entertaining action, the kind of action that is intelligent, that you're not sitting staring at and thinking "yeah right". The story line was also very entertaining. I loved the villain, he was everything a Bond villain should be, scary looking yet handsome with an eye that wept blood. And the Bond girl lived up to standards as well. She was beautiful and smart. I have to say I didn't like the heavy make-up on her, she looked far more beautiful in the scenes where she was wearing very little, more natural looking make-up.

One of my very favourite parts of Bond films is the opening. Casino Royale also delivered in this. Chris Cornell wrote the song (which Lucas and I have mixed feelings on) and the animation was great.

And of course, what is a Bond film without the cars!

Dion Takes Liberal Leadership!!

Today was the final day of the Liberal leadership race and Stéphane Dion has won. As a card carrying Liberal I was able to vote for delegates to attend the convention and vote on my behalf for the leader. I was supporting Michael Ignatieff and am sad that he has lost. I am however happy that Dion was the one to win over him. He was my second choice and I do believe that he can become the next Prime Minister and I look forward to that day and wish him much luck in the days to come.