A VERY MEMORABLE JULY 1

I will remember July 1, 2005 as one of the more memorable days. Being a statutory holiday, it could have been very easily spent just vegging around, maybe sleeping in. But my day started at around 6 a.m. It didn't end until my head hit the pillow at around 2 a.m.:

- saw Brian, Janet and their China team off at the airport; was treated to an authentic Korean drum troop (after seeing the long line ups, I thought that it was just a bunch of bored ochestra people that busted out their instruments to kill time!)
- Hong Kong style breakfast with my parents; honestly, the stuff we ate wasn't as good as what my mom could make (memories of Saturday post-Chinese school lunches served by her once my sister and I got home), but it was nice (especially for my mom) not having to prepare it
- played tennis with my aunt; she got me a pair of Prince tennis shoes from the tennis pro that she lives beside - they're cool because they have orthodic supports built right into them!
- helped Tammy and Clinton out with the "Guo Dai Lai " ceremony (where the groom-to-be brings a whole bunch of gifts to the bride-to-be's family as a betrothal); lots of nicely wrapped gift platters; Norman and I got to carry the pig!
- dashed off from the ceremony to meet with my parents for dinner; they let me choose, so I suggested The Outback; had delicious prime rib and shared a Bloomin Onion with my parents
- got a call from my sister in B.C.; she also sent me the book "Guns, Germs and Steel" by Jared Diamon - will make for a good read over the next little while
- saw The Symphony Of Fire fireworks down near the harbourfront; thanks to Norman who showed us a spot on the harbourfront which was relatively secluded from the mobs of people; dang, lived there for 4 years and didn't even know about this hidden treasure! I've noticed that fireworks are getting pretty sophisticated: there was one that blew up to form a star and another that formed a happy face (or maybe it was just the random way the wind blew these explosions!) - perfect timing as we arrived just as the show started!
- drinks with Tammy, Clinton and Norman after the fireworks at The Bier Garden; actually just one drink, a lovely blonde from Belgium named Leffe (I'm talking about a beer). We had a great time just chillin to live music (it was supposed to be jazz, we ended up paying a cover to listen to a band that covered everything from Kylie Minogue to Cher!)

Really, the day was already enjoyable because I spent a portion of it serving others. The other events were a nice icing on the cake for me and truly made it special.