Workout Sessions with Trainer Jordy

1:03AM, Monday, June 30, 2008
The Redden's Residence

My entire body is sore…
I don't think I walked as much in Taiwan as I have in the past few days in Vancouver. Spent the entire afternoon on Jericho Beach with Jacqueline last Friday. Jac, look how gorgeous you are, girl!








Yesterday after the Jazz Fest, Lisa made me walk from Science World back to her place on the Drive along shadeless Terminal Drive. That walk was borderline unbearable, especially with all the cars zooming by right next to us. Jordy wasn't really "walking", but even he got exhausted from being under the sun for so long. I will never let you forget the agony you put me through, Lisa Martin!










Aside from walking, I've been working on my arms as well through lifting Jordy up and down. At 7 months, the biggest frustration in life is that he's not entirely mobile yet. Consequently, he just LOVES being vertical, and he LOVES bouncing around when he's vertical. That's when aunt Katie comes in. She's part Jordy supporter part funny noise maker. Jordy always cracks up when he's being tossed around, so my arms get a wicked workout whenever I'm holding Jordy upright.
To all the moms our there, you have my deepest respect. Holding a child is tiring; playing with a squirmy child is real hard work.

6:00am June 23th, 2008
The Redden's residence, Vancouver, Canada

I was deep into the Lego Indiana Jones game when Scott brought Jordy into the living room this morning. He was only half-dressed (Jordy was) and he was all happy and bouncy (Jordy was). Scott practically dumped his son in my arms before I had time to react. Next thing I knew, I had Jordy in my arms drooling like a leaking faucet and studying my face like I was a creature from Mars. "It's the glasses," Scott offered an explanation for the mixture of horror and fascination on his son's face, "He's never seen anyone with glasses on." I felt this sudden rush of affection and my mouth moved, "And da straight hair 'n it'sth BLaaACK! Bet you've never seen a lady with black hair. Different eyez 'n nosth 'n a different faceth 'n…." Oh my! I Came to my senses and heard myself speaking with a put-on lisp in a high-pitched voice. I was dooin' da baaby talk.
Lisa and I spent the whole day catching up. That girl was so devoted to the baby and so sleep-deprived that she fell off her train of thoughts every couple of minutes. Jordy was fast asleep in the carrier. Everything was perfect. It was sunny and breezy. Lots of kids were playing in and around the lake, and people were sunbathing or jogging.
I took a nap in the afternoon and had very adventurous dreams (the NDS game of Lego Indy I've been playing definitely had some influence). After Scott got home, we had dinner and headed out to a beach. It's their family tradition to read Dr. Seuss on the beach on the longest day of the summer. We had wine and cheese, and Scott read "You're Only Old Once, A Book for Obsolete Children". On the way home, I asked how they started this tradition. They only remembered that it started in 2002.

At 7 months, Jordy is already an adrenaline junky. He loves height, speed, and rough play.








12:00pm June 24th
Kitslano, Vancouver, Canada

The owner of the corner store near Lisa's place is an older East Indian dude who moves and talks very slowly. From behind the counter, he answered, "No, we don't sell bus tickets here." (silence) I prompted, "Can you tell me where I can get a book of tickets around here, sir?" (silence) "Shoppers on Broadway," he replied lazily.
I couldn't remember if I was supposed to put the ticket into the machine when I got on the bus or if I should wait till I got off. It was a #99 B-line to UBC, which only stops at major intersections along Broadway. I waited to see what other passengers did and ended up taking a free ride. Oh well, I spent 12 bucks on the book of tickets, so technically I paid.
On my walk down to the beach, various passersby smiled and greeted me. It reminded me of how I felt during the first few days after my very first arrival in Vancouver in 1994. I remember being impressed with how friendly people were here. Some things never change and, as far as I'm concerned, it's good that they stay the same. Got a grande iced hazelnut latte from the Starbucks at Kits Beach, and it tasted different from the ones in Taiwan -- I could actually taste the coffee in it.










The Kits area has and will always have a great significance in my Vancouver for many reasons. The foremost and most important reason is that it was the first area I lived in, which in turn shaped my first impressions of this wonderful city. It is also one of my favorite spots in the city because it's absolutely beautiful and always has a positive vibe. People in Kits are healthy and happy. Over the years, it has attracted a lot of organic food lovers and young buffed university kids. What I noticed on this visit was that there seemed to be a lot more couples jogging or taking a walk while pushing a stroller. Nonetheless, the fact that people in Kits were beautiful and fit totally inspired me to get off my butt and start working on my body.

Midnight Sunday, June 22nd
Taoyuan Airport, Taiwan

We're still not movin'.

The itinerary clearly states that the flight was scheduled to take off at precisely 11:55pm. It's now almost ten minutes past midnight, yet we haven't even taxied out to the runway. I requested for a seat at the bulkhead when I checked in, thinking I'd have more leg room, Unfortunately, the seats on EVA Air are so narrow and small that it really doesn't make a difference where you sit. Not to worry, however, I had a Good look-around and got a couple of things figured out during the 10-hour flight. I'm gonna request a seat at the emergency exit on the way back. Those guys at the Exits got to put their legs up on the bulging lower part of the emergency exits, and they got their own little movable TV screens that came right above their fold-away dinner trays. Those of us at the bulkhead, on the other hand, had to stare at the big TV screen that showed only the weather condition and flight info the whole time. We didn't get to see any of the in-flight movies.

I passed out soon after take-off and pretty much slept the entire way through. The flight attendant woke me up to fill out the declaration card to enter Canada. With foggy eyes (from dried out contact lenses in my eyes) and a foggy brain, I managed to scribble in the correct information in the right boxes. The older Taiwanese couple (around 70 years old) sitting next to me, however, looked puzzled. I eavesdropped on their argument and found out: (1) the husband is an old soldier from Mainland China that came with the KMT government during the war, (2) he's literate but he only speaks Mandarin, (3) the wife is illiterate and she only speaks Taiwanese, and (4) this is their very first time on a plane, and at this moment they had no idea what the card was for or how to fill it out.
By the time I finished filling out the declaration card, I was wide awake. I offered the Taiwanese couple my help. While I was filling out the card for them, the wife filled me in on their family history. I got to know how many children they have and how many grandchildren each child had. I learned about the only 3 years of primary education she received during the war, and how she picked it up again and went to night school from the age of 48 to 51. When I asked her to sign on the bottom of the declaration card, she carved each stroke slowly and carefully but it still came outside of the signature box. She looked up at me apologetically and said, "I haven't practiced writing much since my first grandson was born, which was also the time I graduated from night school."

7:20pm Sunday, June 22nd
YVR Vancouver International Airport, BC Canada

I choked up and got watery-eyed as soon as I got a whiff of the carpet cleaning detergent. Not because it was pungent but because it smelled exactly the same as the one I used in my first apartment in Vancouver. In mental-association terms, it was the smell of a clean home.

As a visitor, I noticed a few refreshingly interesting things. What astonished me first was the very first living thing that greets visitors at YVR is a blue tank of jellyfish. I thought it was a bit odd when I walked by the tank of jellyfish the first time. I was about 6 steps away from the tank when I decided to turn back and get a picture of it because it seemed so out of place. It was like this totally random thing that the airport designers threw in last minute just to fill a big hole in the wall.



Generally speaking, the whole concept of the interior design was built around the First Nations art and the lush wilderness that Vancouverites take pride in. It was no surprise to see a few totem poles or wood carvings of whales. There is even a manmade stream with a few fake logs over it inside the atrium of the departure terminal, so travelers can enjoy the soothing sound of running water while they wait for their flights




The second pleasant reminder was how nice Canadians really are. When everyone was inching forward in the huge line-up at the Customs, neighboring strangers initiated and picked up conversations here and there to kill time. As soon as a handful of travelers shared their anxiety and/or fear of missing a connected flight to the next destination, people at different points of the long snake-like line offered to let those travelers cut in so they'd get to the Customs officers faster. What was so nice and refreshing was the fact that people acknowledged my existence and they looked me in the eye when they talked. Though it was a pain in the butt to be waiting in line for an hour to get out of the airport, everyone managed to remain civilized and patient. Even the Customs Officers were nice and polite.

The conversation with the Customs Officer

CO: "Good evening, Ma'am."
K: "Hi there. Busy night you've got here."
CO: "A lot of international flights all came in at once. That's why we've got a bit of a congestion here. Nah~ I wouldn't say it's particularly busier than other nights. It's…uh…"
K: "Kinda like rush-hour traffic."
CO: "Exactly, and it will disappear before you know it. Are you traveling by yourself, Ma'am?"
K: "Yes, I am."
CO: "And when was the last time you were in Canada?"
K: "3 years ago."
CO: "You're a Canadian citizen. And what took you so long to come home, Ma'am?"
K: "Cancer and a whole lot of things."
CO: "I'm sorry, Ma'am. What do you do in Taiwan besides battling cancer?"
K: "I teach."
CO: "How long are you staying this time, Ma'am?"
K: "About 18 days."
CO: "And what will you be dong while you're in Canada?"
K: "Visiting friends and simply relaxing."
CO: "Good plan. Did you by any chance purchase any alcohol or tobacco as gifts, Ma'am?"
K: "Nope. Would you like me to show you what I got?"
CO: "That won't be necessary. You have yourself a relaxing trip, Ma'am (wink)."

Two Sleeps Away

"I'll see you on Sunday," I said to Lisa at the end of the international phone call I made this morning. It felt surreal. The last time I was back in Vancouver was summer '06, right before all the medical stuff took place. A lot has happened during these two years, and I've longed to be back .

Finally, I'm heading home.

After the phone call thing morning, I made a list of the things I want to do: I wanna take walks on the Drive, along Kits Beach, and perhaps around UBC campus. I'm gonna spend the afternoon at Douglas Park, at the Water Front, and on 4th Ave. Of course, Lisa and I won't miss the Vancouver Jazz Fest. Also, I started thinking about all the people I want to see, but I quickly realized I may only have a handful of friends in Vancouver left.

It's always been easy for me to meet people and make friends. However, I've also been selective and kept a small social circle since I was a kid. In high school, my mom told me that one should consider oneself lucky with one or two life-long friends. I didn't quite understand what she meant then, but I learned to draw a clear distinction between acquaintances and friends after a few melodramatic adolescent falling-outs I experienced. I learned the number of friends one has is meaningless. In fact, I find it hard to completely trust a person who boasts how many friends s/he's got.

Coincidentally, just as I was reminiscing, I received a text message from work about a colleague's resignation. It wasn't a surprise 'cause she told me about it in private last night at a friend's farewell party. It's been like the Domino Effect since Christienne went back to the States to do a Master's degree. One after another, three of the good friends I've made in the past four years I've been in Taiwan are back in the U.S., and now another one is heading back to Ireland in a week. My social circle in Taiwan is now so small that, if I think about it seriously, it's already diminished to a single dot.

I guess it's normal for people our age.