Littlebunhead

2007-06-28T15:43:00.000-06:00

Downtown Calgary

(I zoomed in during the shutter opening to get the 'spinning' effect)

2007-06-16T17:02:00.000-06:00

Kids

I had an amazing afternoon shooting kids (photo shoot, I meant). They are adorable.

2007-06-02T13:01:00.000-06:00

'LOVE is not a spiritual gift. Otherwise we'd all conveniently claim not to possess it. Rather, LOVE is a priority calling.'

-- Beth Moore

2007-05-30T23:56:00.000-06:00

Happy Day

Beautiful people and a beautiful wedding.

Congratulations, Karen & Brian.

To view more photos from the wedding, visit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlebunhead

2007-05-11T23:31:00.000-06:00

Empty Starbucks

This is perhaps my favorite Starbucks in all of Calgary, located in the heart of downtown. It was closed for the day. Boo.

2007-04-25T16:42:00.000-06:00

Alrighty, more photos from Taiwan are now up on my Flickr site.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlebunhead

2007-04-24T19:54:00.000-06:00

Sweet Taiwan

Stay tuned for more photos from my trip to Taiwan...

2007-03-28T22:07:00.000-06:00

Key Lime Treats

I saw these key limes the other day at a grocery store. They looked so irresistably delicious so I bought a bag of them. Since then I had been experimenting with different dishes; for example, I had made 'key lime cranberry punch', 'fettuccine con calce', and 'key lime seafood vermencelli'. Today I made 'Key Lime Fried Chicken'. It was surprisingly good, despite the fact that my kitchen got so smoky that it set off the fire alarm in my apartment building. I was quite embarrassed but glad that the fried chicken turned out well.

2007-03-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

Calgary, city of lights

2007-02-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

Photos from my Panama Trip

If you'd like to view more photos from my trip, feel free to visit my Flickr site at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlebunhead/

2007-02-10T16:22:00.001-07:00

I am off to Panama !

2007-01-27T22:33:00.000-07:00

2007-01-27T22:28:00.000-07:00

New template for a change!

2007-01-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

Nose Hill Park

2007-01-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

My Nose Hill Adverture

I was craving for solitude yesterday and so I grabbed my camera and went for a walk on Nose Hill. Not a great idea. A ton of people walked their dogs there and most of them were off leash.

I am absolutely terrified of dogs and I think they somehow can sense my fear from 10 miles away. There was this particular one that I encountered yesterday. He must have thought the camera I was holding in my hands was some kind of weapon or threat. He ran towards me, at which point I immediately turned away to avoid eye contacts with him and I froze hoping that he would just walk away. But no, he stood at about 2 feet away, barked and growled at me for what felt like 10 minutes before he gave up. (The dog owner pretty much did nothing about it. She just kept saying: 'Come on. Don't be silly. Let's go.')

I have decided that I will never ever get a dog.

2007-01-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

The Sunset

I took this photo today while I was out taking a stroll around my neighborhood. It was a quiet and peaceful afternoon.

2006-12-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

Rebuked

I was feeling miserable today until I met this old man at the gym...

He was in a wheelechair. I could tell he was trying really hard to get all the workout he can even though he could only do very little. He went around the running track a few times in his wheelechair. Initially I thought it was just his legs that weren't functional until he came close to me, hesitantly, and said: 'Excuse me, will you please help me open my water bottle? It's just that my hands don't work very well.' Neverously, I walked over and helped him twist open the cap of his water bottle. The bottle was quite dirty and it felt sticky. I wonder when the last time was it got washed. Maybe it's because he wasn't physically able to wash it himself. All of a sudden I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness, and then I felt ashamed because a moment ago I was totally consumed with misery by some little things in my own life, which seemed so trivial compared to what this man had to go through everyday of his life.

'Thank you so much', he said.

'You're welcome', I mumbled without looking into his eyes. I quickly turned around and walked away. The feelings of sadness and shame turned into tears. I felt like I had just met with Jesus.

It was first of all a rebuke for me to stop being self-centred, then a reminder to be thankful and content with all that God has blessed me with in life, and a call to give and serve with what I have.

2006-12-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

Old Photos

I found these old photos dated in the 80's. They reminded me of my hometown, Taiwan. As a kid I loved running around the rice fields especially during the harvest season when everyone in my extended family was out working together. I used to get this terrible itch after a few hours out in the field (The itch was probably from the dust or the rice husk. It's not an allergy because the itch usually goes away after I take a shower.) My mom used to say that my skin was too delicate for hard labour work.

My favorite memory was the outdoor family BBQ we used to have during the 'Moon Cake Fesitival'. We would BBQ a ton of meat (we used charcoal to get real good flavours!), eat, laugh, watch the full moon and sip some freshly brewed green tea.

The highlight was when all the kids came together to make lanterns from scratch using tin cans (It's really easy. You take the lid off and use a hammer and a thick long nail to punch holes around the can.), and then the older kids would take us the little ones into the dark to 'explore'. I remember it being terrifying but a ton of fun.

2006-12-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

Home Sweet Home

I am back in sweet, lil' Calgary.

As soon as the airplane landed, I noticed that the pace of life is definitely slower here, a huge contrast from the crazy efficient Toronto.

- People got up way more slowly (I figured there was about a 10-second delay) to get their luggage.

- There are no huge lineups at Tim Horton's.

- Buses only come every half an hour or so, or longer if the weather is bad.

- People talk at bus stops.

I talked with this old guy who just came back from his vacation in Mexico, whom I'd like to name: 'Mr. Smiley', because he's got a permanent smile on his face, the typical happy Latino grandpa you see on the travel channel. He obviously wasn't dressed appropriately for the Calgary weather. He complained about the cold and was bragging about the warmth and heat in Mexico. I could tell from his sun tan that he wasn't lying.

My bus driver took his time eating his supper at every bus stop with newspapers in his hands. Finally, 2 hours later, I got dropped off at the doorstep of my home.

It's good to be back!

2006-11-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

Burrrr...

I learnt an important lesson today on 'basic home maintenance'.

The baseboard heater in my apartment had been down for awhile, probably since I moved in this past summer. The fact that I hadn't been getting any heat didn't bother me until this last couple of days when the average temperature in Calgary dropped down to between -22 C and -32 C (there's going to be a wind chill of -40 C tonight). I started to put on layers of clothes and used an extra blanket on top of my down comforter when I slept. It worked. I slept through the night and didn't feel cold at all. I thought I could probably survive without the heater until this morning when I noticed a thick layer of ice had started to form on the inside of my windows. I called the management office and explained my situation. Within 30 minutes a mechanic came in and fixed my heater. Before he left he looked at me and said in quite a stern tone of voice: 'Do you realize if the water freezes in the pipe it could cause a lot of damage to your home? Next time you NEED to call right away!'

Caption: Ice on my window

2006-11-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

A Race to Remember

Top left: Tim; Top right: me ; Bottom left: Brave kid; Bottom right: shorts?!!!

Calgarians are nuts when it comes to the outdoors. Some friends and I decided to run an 8 km trail race on Saturday. It was quite an experience running on slippery snow, up and down the hills and trying to breath the -7 C air. I got frozen sweat all over my eye lashes. It was a ton of fun though. I loved it. I'll probably do it again!

2006-10-28T22:20:00.000-06:00

In Love with the Mountains

Today we went on "possibly" our last hike of the season. It was very windy, cold and slippery at some points, but the views from the mountaintop made it all worth it. I am going to miss the mountains!

Barier Lake, Kananaskis Country

2006-10-23T22:56:00.000-06:00

A Weekend of Rest in Vancouver

This past weekend I got to spend quality time with some of the most amazing women of God. We went whale watching, ate the best fish & chips in town, played 'things in a box' and laughed the whole time. It was so refreshing connecting with one another and praying together. I feel so privileged to work alongside them on the campus. And oh how I love their babies. They are some of the most gorgeous babies in the whole universe!

2006-10-11T18:20:00.000-06:00

How many babies can one have?

I recently read a story about this Russian woman from the 18th century. She gave birth to 69 children of whom 67 survived into adulthood.

She was able to do this by giving birth to 16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets along the way.

Incredible. Not that I'd ever want 69 babies though.

2006-10-07T11:05:00.000-06:00

No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth, for those of you who are wondering.

Life has been quite full. I am craving for 'rest' and closeness with Jesus. The long weekend has come just in time. Thank you, Jesus.

I'm off to the mountains!

2006-09-09T06:44:00.000-06:00

Most Secret Desire

I have been pondering on this quote lately. It cuts right through the heart.

"If each of us were to confess his most secret desire, the one that inspires all his plans, all his actions, he would say, 'I want to be praised.' "
--- E. M. Cioran

My motives are never pure. I am reminded of how much I need the Spirit to guide, direct and cleanse me. In the end I want my life count for God.

2006-08-27T21:08:00.000-06:00

Sunday Picnic at Peter's Drive-in

Cheapest and fastest fast food I've ever had.
We ate too much.

Check out the size of Lydia's fries. (j/k, it was for all of us, but this is how much they give you for a large fries. )

2006-08-22T17:57:00.000-06:00

Where you'd find me on a Saturday morning

This is one of my favorite spots in Calgary. It's on top of a hill near the airport. I could sit there for hours just reading, journaling, reflecting and airplane watching.

It was 10am on Saturday and this place was packed. Apparently this is one of Calgary's oldest and best breakfast restaurants since 1866. I was sitting at an outdoor cafe right across from it, people watching.

2006-08-17T10:58:00.000-06:00

My Apartment

So I live right across from a mall that pretty much goes dead after 6pm ish, which I am really glad about, and I am only a 10-minute drive to the university, which is a huge change from living in Toronto where I commuted, on average, 2 hours/day. The pace is much slower in Calgary but the strange thing is I keep hearing people complain about how busy life is in Calgary.

2006-08-12T22:02:00.000-06:00

Just moved !

I just moved to Cowtown.
Top 3 things I love about living here:

#1 Calgary is super biker-friendly. You can bike everywhere and I love the challenges of hilly roads. Riding by Bow River (the river that runs across the city) is my favorite pastime.

#2 It's always sunny! (Well, on most days. It hailed the past two days. )

#3 Lastly and my favorite: the mountains. This picture pretty much says it all.

Caption: Galatea Lake, where I had my quiet time this morning ( Mountains are only 1 hour away! )