Life on Manitoulin

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Where did the week go?
2007-09-30 16:41:00
We boarded the MS ChiCheemaun for a day trip on Friday. We spent the day in Tobermory, walked about, went shopping and sightseeing, and had a meal over there. Tobermory is such a delightful little place. It's just so quaint and inviting.Here's a pic of the gang lounging on the deck, enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. Ren and Sharmander - Remember that famous scene from Titanic? LOL! The girls- Hamming it up for the camera.We went to Shipwreck Lee's for their "All You Can Eat Fish and Chips". Actually, only the boys had all you can eat fish and chips. The girls couldn't stomach that much fish and chips. We opted for the shrimp and fish dish on the lighter side. The "lighter side" wasn't that light either! The portions were quite generous and everything tasted delicious. It's not often we eat fried food! (Thank goodness!) We enjoyed our meal immensely, but I think I've had my fill of seafood for a while!British Lion and Ren enjoying their meal. In this photo, the two were on ...
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Catching Up
2007-09-29 21:40:00
I haven't been able to blog in almost a week, so here goes!10 Good Things:1. My cousin, "Ren" and his girlfriend "Sharmander" came to visit us on the island for almost a week.2. My friend, "British Lion" is here visiting us for two weeks (and I've coerced him into staying even longer)!3. My student is absolutely wonderful and we just adore her!4. I've done whackloads of pickling in the past week! I've made pickled beets, dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, chili sauce, relishes and I've even made apple sauce, tomato juice, tomato soup...tomato everything!5. We've gone to the beach, on a boat trip, and we have just been enjoying ourselves immensely.6. Hubby has been enjoying having a full house and having so many people around.7. Chance's coat has grown in and he isn't so exposed.8. The kittens haven't had any accidents on the floor in weeks.9. The fall colours are at their best right now. All the brilliant reds, yellows and oranges are just beautiful.10. Hubby's birthd...

The British are coming! The British are coming!
2007-09-25 04:19:00
My wonderful Brit friend, British Lion has decided to come visit me on the island. He traveled from the UK today and arrived in Toronto at 4:50PM. Because I had previous engagements this week (Island Singers on Monday night, teaching Mon-Fri, and library meeting Thurs...just to name a few), I could not pick him up at the airport in Toronto. The poor guy had to get from the airport to Union Station, where he will take the bus to Espanola. The bus leaves Toronto at 1AM and arrives in Sudbury at 6AM. He has a 1 hr wait until he get his connection and will arrive in Espanola tomorrow at 8:20AM. He reminded me today on the phone that he will have traveled 30 hours just to get to see me.British Lion, I am sooooooo sorry I couldn't pick you up! You still love me, right? :) We'll see you in the morning and I promise the next two weeks will be superb! You'll enjoy hiking, the fall colours, a boat ride, horseback riding, fine dining and time spent with your good mates here in Canada :) Can...

Hahaha!!!
2007-09-23 22:19:00
Once again, I've been doing a poor job keeping up with the blog. It's been crazy busy here, but I'll do my best to post every few days. I'm sure in the winter I'll be posting more! ;)We were in Espanola the other day when I saw this sign. I had noticed it a few months ago, but the store owner still hadn't changed it. I thought it was funny (okay, it was in poor taste, but it was funny) and even picture worthy. You'd think that the store owner would have noticed it, right?

Happy Days
2007-09-21 13:30:00
I realize I have been quite lax with the blog in the past few weeks. I also haven't had much time to read or leave comments on my favourite blogs. My newest student and I have been quite busy and for some reason, this September has been the most popular month for us having friends and family visit us on the island.My aunt and uncle were up for nearly a week and they just returned to Montreal yesterday. Today, some friends are coming up for a few days. Sunday, my cousin and his girlfriend are coming from Montreal for a week. Monday, a friend of mine from England is coming for two weeks. The day after my friend from the UK leaves, one of my dearest friends from college and university will be coming up. Though I'll be teaching during the day, I'm sure we'll all have a lot of fun. I just love having company. Don't get me wrong--I love having "me time" and doing my own thing, but I certainly thrive in social gatherings. There's just something so warm and happy in having a house ful...
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Throwback Thursday #14
2007-09-21 03:51:00
If you grew up in the 1970's and 1980's like I did, you'd probably remember birthday parties that included lots of balloons, birthday games and prizes, McDonald's birthday cake (I remember thinking it tasted like sawdust or cardboard!) and that really watered down orange drink that they had at McDonald's. There were birthday clowns (and to this day I still have a clown phobia...No joke!) and there were loot bags to take home when the party was over. Those were the days!!! Now it seems that many kids get super expensive presents and a birthday party that costs half of the price of a wedding! Okay, I'm exaggerating here, but the money spent on birthday parties now just seems to be a little on the insane side.Anyway, in this Throwback Thursday photo, Middle Bro and I are hamming it up for the camera. I don't remember whose birthday it was, but it was a typical birthday celebration for us. Good times. How I miss those simpler days :)

Does Anybody Know...
2007-09-19 14:10:00
how to get to the island from Pearson International Airport by bus? I've got a friend from the UK who is coming to visit us next week. The only problem is that I am unable to pick him up in Toronto. Does anyone know if there is a bus service that goes from Toronto airport to the island?

Goin' to the market
2007-09-18 14:18:00
One of the things I enjoy about living on the island is going to the Farmers' Market . One can find everything from local organic produce, to handmade sweaters, baked goods, jams, jellies, soap, pottery, and all sorts of crafts. It's a fun way to mingle with your neighbours as well as support local vendors. Here's a link for all those interested in going to the market: http://www.manitoulinfarmersmarket.com/ . Photo of organic baking (Maja's Bounty) from the Manitoulin Farmers' Association website.
More About: The Mark , Goin

If this isn't cute, I don't know what is! ;)
2007-09-15 03:09:00
Okay. I may be biased here (since he's my nephew), but this kid is the cutest little turtle I've ever seen! Isn't he ADORABLE??? I just love my little nephew! LOVE him!!!
More About: Cute

Throwback Thursday #13
2007-09-13 15:39:00
Yay! It's Thursday ! You know what this means! It's Throwback Thursday time! Make sure you check out the Pinks and Blues Girls' blog too. They're the geniuses behind these weekly walks down memory lane.This set of photos are pretty special to me. I often post old pics of my family on my mom's side. The reason for this is because I don't have too many photos of my dad's side. We are all separated geographically (Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec, New York, Trinidad, and the Dominican Republic). It's hard to get together on a regular basis. Growing up, I lived just around the corner from my cousins on my mom's side, so we saw each other all the time.In the first photo, I'm with my cousins from Toronto and the Dominican Republic. Now, some of them are in their 20s and the rest are teenagers! I cannot believe how fast time flies! I don't know why, but both my brothers are missing, along with my two cousins from New York and my cousins from Ottawa and Quebec. Here's a family photo with ...

You know you're an English (as a second language) teacher when...
2007-09-13 04:15:00
1) You get a kick out of Engrish and laugh for hours about a funny sentence or word.2) You can understand your students when no one else can :)3) You love doing grammar activities with your students!4) One of your favourite websites is http://www.engrish.com/. (Photo from engrish.com)5) Your dreams are filled with dipthongs and dangling modifiers.6) You know that "iJa Ja Ja!" means "Ha ha ha!" in Spanish, "Chusok" is Korean Thanksgiving, "Ohanami" is the Japanese cherry blossom festival and "Caipirinha" is Brazil's national cocktail.7) You keep a book of all your favourite quotes from students.8) Your students are some of the most important people to you.I actually do have a book of quotes from students. I take out the book and read some passages when I need a pick-me-up :) Some of the quotes are so endearing and just so sweet. Take for example:*"I love to eat octopus balls." *"I hate he!" *"Time flies like arrow." *"I am confusion." *"I like to play with my boyfriend on weekends."
More About: English , Language , Teacher

I'm a Geek...and I know it!
2007-09-11 16:53:00
The CBC aired a show the other night that was intended to "Test the Nation" on our language ability. It was a very clever show and you could take the interactive test while watching the show on TV or log onto their website and take the test there. I often comment on how upsetting it is for me to see many basic grammar rules misused (subject and verb agreement, the use of double negatives, dangling modifiers, etc) and it sometimes irks me when people make very basic spelling mistakes (to/too, who's/whose, there/their/they're). I hate to admit this, but I am pretty uptight when it comes to these things. I blame this on me Majoring in English in university and teaching advanced grammar in the ESL schools I've taught at. Of course, on the blog and in e-mail and Facebook messages, I try to be a little more relaxed about writing and language. I am trying to let the blog be my place for free-writing and stream of consciousness-type writing. I do try to turn a blind eye if I spot mistak...
More About: Geek

Freaky
2007-09-09 15:54:00
It seems like everyone is on Facebook now. My entire family is on Facebook. Yes, even my mom and dad are on Facebook! There are many things I love about Facebook, like how it has enabled me to get in touch with long lost friends from elementary school, high school, college, university and from my work overseas. Without Facebook, we would probably not have otherwise been able to find each other. The social networking service also helps me keep in touch with family and friends regularly by us leaving messages for each other.One of my aunts recently sent me a message that really alarmed me. A friend of hers wrote this e-mail to her:"I have never gone near Facebook because it is one mechanism used by "bad" people to find out information about someone they want to do an "identifty theft" on - the more they know about someone, the easier it is to impersonate him. So I'm not sure if being on facebook is a good thing or not...I feel complimented, but wary..."This is actually not the first ...
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You Hairy Beast
2007-09-07 01:53:00
"Please, Mommy...Don't do it!!!" is probably what my poor pooch was thinking when he saw me walking towards him with a pair of grooming scissors in hand.I love my dog. I really do. I've even been told that I baby him too much. He's got a zillion toys and a fluffy bed, an insulated two bedroom dog house with a roof that flips open (that he rarely even sleeps in!), and he gets to go on road trips and regular trips to the beach. I can't help it. Chance has been my baby for five years. He is my first baby. I remember getting him when he was a tiny little thing. He fit into the palm of my hand and weighed about 4 lbs. He loved taking baths in the bathroom sink. He was the cutest, funniest, sweetest puppy ever. He's been my companion, my buddy, and confidant through many good times and some not so good times. When I lived in Toronto, Chance used to get groomed twice a year. I'd drop him off at the groomer's and a few hours and nearly $100 later, I'd come back to be greeted by a sh...
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It's Here!!!
2007-09-06 18:55:00
It's finally here! After much anticipation, my book has arrived! Imagine my excitement when Hubby walked in with the mail. I love, love, love getting stuff in the mail! Wait, let me rephrase that. I love getting stuff in the mail that isn't in the form of a) bills or b) junk mail.I've been reading Diesel's blog for over a year now. He is a really funny guy. If you haven't seen his caption contests, you simply must take a peek! In his posts, there is a touch of wit, charm, humour, and a good poke at the absurd. When he said that he was coming out with a book, I just had to check it out! Since the book is somewhat of a compilation of the things you'd read on his blog, it truly is an Antisocial Commentary. Can't wait to delve into the book! Thanks Diesel! PS. I love how the personal inscription is written upside down! For some reason, it seems quite fitting! ;)

Throwback Thursday #12
2007-09-06 17:45:00
Every week, I look forward to posting my Throwback Thursday s and checking out other blog members' photos and stories. It always amazes me how this wonderful trend (which was initiated by the girls at Pinks and Blues) has become such a large part of many people's blogs around the world.In this set you will find some of my favourite photos. The first one is of Dad feeding me when I was only a few days old. I was only 5 lbs. 6 oz when I was born and my poor Mom was in labour for almost a day! I had jaundice and I was colicky. Being first time parents, sleep deprived, and having to deal with a baby that cried all the time because of colic was just so hard on them. They survived though :) My grandmother lost a few pounds and dropped a few dress sizes when she came to help my Mom with me! I love this next photo of Dad and me. Check out the glasses! Dad and I were buddies when I was little. We even wore matching tees! Fast forward twenty years (OMG...it sounds scary to say that! It make...

The F-word!!!
2007-09-04 23:41:00
When I was 13, my youngest brother was 2 years old. Back when VHS was still popular, we had the habit of renting lots and lots of movies. Every Friday was "family night". We popped popcorn in our brand new, fancy microwave. Ooooh, la la! Microwave pop corn! What a novel idea back then! I have no idea why, but my dad had rented a bunch of Richard Pryor movies. Apparently, he had no idea that there was so much swearing in R.P.'s movies! We grew up in a very strict household, where absolutely no swearing was tolerated! In one particular movie, Moving, we were all howling with laughter because despite the film's poor choice of vocabulary, it was a funny film. Well, every second word was F-this or F-that. F*** everywhere. We were laughing and my baby brother was giggling too. He went up to the huge aquarium we had and tapped on the glass and said, "F-you, fishies!!!" We were shocked and were silenced for a moment...and then we broke out in laughter. Mom was not impressed.Baby Bro then ...
More About: Word , The F Word

She Came Bearing Presents...
2007-09-03 04:09:00
My dear friend, Curiosity Killer is a thoughtful person. She traveled from the other end of the globe and brought some pressies for us. Included in my loot were: *a bag of Milk Chewy candies- They're little, chewy, milky sweet candies. They remind me a bit of that Chinese White Rabbit candy.*a box of cracker-type sticks that look like pretzel sticks. I don't know what they are called because I can't read Chinese. I should have asked CK what they're called. Hubby and I haven't tried them yet, but they look yummy. From the picture on the box, it looks like it's vegetable flavoured.*a box of Lovely Puff cookie thingies. It looks like they're little chocolate-filled cookie puffs. You've got to love Asia. Most Asian countries have amazing snacks!*a few packages of crackers. They remind me of a Japanese snack I used to eat when I was teaching in Japan. It's hard to describe the taste. The crackers are both savoury, yet slightly sweet and at the same time, a little salty. Does th...
More About: Presents , Bear , Resent

Curiosity Killer's World Tour- This Stop: Canada
2007-09-02 00:59:00
This post is a joint effort between Curiosity Killer and yours truly. Photos by: CK and C (but mostly by CK). Check out CK's post in a few days. She'll be posting after she returns to Hong Kong and perhaps after she recovers from jet lag!Many of you know that my gal pal, Curiosity Killer is in the final stretch of her Canadian Tour . After partying, visiting with her friends, shopping and enjoying her time in Toronto, she concluded her North American visit with a trip to the Island.CK and I were friends in Toronto, but have surprisingly grown even closer after we both moved away. Thanks to the Internet, e-mail and blogging, we've been able to keep in touch.There's no doubt that when CK said she'd be coming up to the island, I was excited! I just love this girl! She's so much fun, she's crazy like me, and she is intelligent and super talented! She's an accomplished pianist and a piano teacher, a fantastic cook, and is just filled with creativity and imagination. She's been on...
More About: World , Canada , Stop , World Tour

Throwback Thursday #11
2007-08-30 16:04:00
It's become a weekly ritual now to post Throwback Thursday s. I am so thankful that Sharon, Audrey and Jane initiated this project. It's so neat to take a walk down memory lane. It's also interesting to see other people's Throwback photos and read about their memories of childhood, adolescence and growing up. After being back on the Island from a few days in Montreal with my family, I realize more and more just how homesick I am. I'm not homesick for the city. I just miss my family. I spent my childhood growing up with my cousins. Our houses were all walking distance (or biking distance) from each other. We spent our summer vacations together playing in the park, building forts, swimming, and getting into all sorts of trouble together. In the winter, we'd go skating, sledding, skiing and have snowball fights together. One winter, we built this massive ice fort in our frontyard. Dad even made a skating rink in our backyard for us. Good times!My aunts and uncles were like parents...

Aren't They The Cutest???
2007-08-29 17:13:00
Just a cute video of the kids studying parts of speech. The kids were doing a warm up where they were given nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. Later on, they had to use the parts of speech to form sentences.They're so sweet. Can you tell I miss them already?
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Pure Sweetness
2007-08-29 04:52:00
I luuuuuuuuv my little cuddle bunny! So sad Kingston is 9 hrs away from the Island! :(
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He loves me!
2007-08-28 00:13:00
Feeling slightly down, due to empty nest syndrome (I've been really missing my students and they only left three days ago), Hubby has been such a superstar at cheering me up. The students will begin their new school semester back in their country, but will hopefully return again within the next year. I totally got lucky and had amazing students. They were dream students and so very polite and respectful! I was blown away!Since I've been sad that they are no longer with us, Hubby took it upon himself to do some really, truly sweet things for me. We went for a walk in the bush to open up a gate for the cattle and I enjoyed some quiet time amongst the trees with Hubby and our pup, Chance. It was a nice excursion. On the weekend, we had some friends over from Ottawa and I needed to get the house cleaned after our whirlwind suitcase packing session with the students the night before. As I was cleaning the kitchen, dear Hubby shocked me by...cleaning the bathroom!!!OMG! I have never eve...

Oh, how we love thee
2007-08-26 16:01:00
If you live on Manitoulin Island or are thinking about moving here, there are two people I think you should meet.I may sound like the biggest groupie ever, but I cannot stress enough how amazing and talented Dylon at Current Thoughts is. Not only can Dylon make the most beautiful and unique jewelry, but he can also solve any of your computer problems! Dylon's also a writer and has published a number of books already. I get to buy fabulous jewelry and get my computer fixed! How lucky am I?Thanks, D! Hubby was impressed! After you left, he got on the computer to check his e-mail and said that the computer is running twice as fast as it did before and we're not having any of the problems we did before. Yay! Another person I think you should meet is the wonderful Wiky Lion at Our Manitoulin. He is the man to go to for info or resources on the Island. He has a website that showcases all of the Island businesses and events. The thing I applaud the most is that he does this all because h...
More About: Love

This is why I love my family
2007-08-23 17:43:00
Here's a video of my zany brother and some of my cousins. At Edwin and Amy's wedding, guests were to dance in order for the couple to kiss. Here is their performance. They just love, love, love dancing to Britney Spears! LOL! Trust me...It's a really funny video!PS. Does anyone know how to edit a video so that you can make it brighter? It's soooooo dark! Ah well!Baby Bro, Ed3, RDP and True Numperor, you guys were hilarious! Thanks for the laughs! xo
More About: Family , Love , My Family

Throwback Thursday #9
2007-08-23 06:10:00
In keeping with the Pinks&Blues tradition, here is another walk down memory lane.Once there lived a boy and a girl. They were brother and sister. The girl was a year and a half older than the boy, but many people now call him the older brother. Many years later (nine, to be exact), another little brother was born. In the beginning, long before Baby Bro entered the world, Middle Brother (aka Older Brother) and the sister were joined at the hip. They were the best of friends, until they started to grow up and become adolescents. They did everything together, including brush their teeth together. They grew apart, but would do anything for each other because they are familia. I luv you, Bu!Their family used to go on lots and lots of family vacations. Road trips to New York and Florida and camping trips to Algonquin, Gatineau, New Brunswick and Virginia were yearly adventures the family made together. They even traveled with their cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and close family fr...
More About: Throwback , Thursday

An Affair to Remember
2007-08-23 01:58:00
I come from a very closely-knit family. All of my cousins are like brothers and sisters to me. Naturally, being present at each other's weddings is a must. On Saturday, my little cousin got married. The happy couple exchanged their vows at a beautiful church located in Montreal. They had a traditional filipino wedding, which included the Ring Ceremony, Arrhae/Coin Ceremony, Veil Ceremony, Cord Ceremony, Candle Ceremony and the presence of the couple's sponsors (a bit like godfathers and godmothers). Two of the most remarkable things about this wedding were that a) my cousin, Jey sang at the wedding ceremony and b) the priest who baptized most of us and who has seen my family through nearly 20 something years, was the one who officiated the ceremony. It was a nice touch and very special. We joked that Jey is now officially dubbed The Wedding Singer since she sang at all her cousins' weddings so far. She's no Adam Sandler though! Hubby, Mom, and yours truly. You can't really see...
More About: Affair

Home
2007-08-21 02:21:00
We're back from a wonderful weekend away. Too bad the cattle didn't behave themselves while we were gone! Urgh. Sometime this week I'll be posting more about the wedding we attended in Montreal. All I can say is that it was one of the best weddings we had ever been to. The venue was perfect. My cousin, being the artsy, intellectual, unique guy that he is, chose to hold the reception in Old Montreal. This is perfect because my cousin just loves Montreal and this really expresses how he feels about the city we call 'home'. Okay, more about the wedding in my next post.This post is yet another 'promo' for someone I hold in high esteem. Not only is my cousin, Jey a talented songstress, but she is also a wonderful make-up artist and hairstylist. I failed to mention that she's also a true fashionista. Everyone often jokes about how Clinton and Stacy from What Not to Wear need to watch out, or else Jey might steal their jobs from right under their feet! I needed a new look for the w...
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Brief Hiatus
2007-08-15 23:52:00
We're off to Montreal for a few days. Hubby and I don't get to leave the Island much because of the farm, so we're hoping to make the most of our little get-away. I can't wait to catch up with family and see some friends I have reconnected with via Facebook. Some friends and I have made plans to try to meet up while I'm back in Mtl. I'm so excited! The primary reason for our trip to Montreal is this... My wonderful cousin and his beautiful bride-to-be are getting married on Saturday. The wedding is to take place in Old Montreal, and by the sounds of things, it should be a memorable event! My cousin always does everything in syle! I love that guy!Oh, and another reason for our visit... I get to see my little Cuddle Bunny, Kenny! My, he's getting big! I love this pic! He's got that "Ohhhh...Life is tough!" look on his face!Throwback Thursday #9 I'm posting my TT a day early, since I'll be en route to Mtl. tomorrow. This pic is of our high school grad back in '93. We look so...
More About: Hiatus , Brief

There is Nothing in Life as Sweet
2007-08-12 00:55:00
as this...Mmmmm... Fresh Sweet Corn!Ohhhh...okay. Maybe this...Or this... I don't know if you can see, but Fred is actually feeding her babies in this pic.Hmmmm...Or maybe this! Oh my darling! Oh, my darling! Oh, my darling Clementine!!!Or this... Hubby and Elie (our friends', Dina and Gavin's son). Honey, I "borrowed" this from your Facebook photos!Oh, okay...maybe this!Or this...Or this... My little nephew, Kenny! I can't wait to see him in 5 days! I miss my little cuddle bunny!!!
More About: Life