PYP Conference in Bangkok May 2008

foot massages after a long day (one hour for $12.50)
Steve and I having a drink

A night out with everyone
An ice bar with vodka shots
Jen, Christina and I out for a lovely dinner

Jen, Christina, Edna and I at Cabbages and Condoms for dinner Steve and Jen

Bangkok
We went away last weekend to Bangkok for a conference, I went to a reading and writing and Steve went to a Science and Social Studies. We arrived in Bangkok on Friday night and went out to a few nightclubs. This was fun because we never get to check out the nightlife in a new city because we have Madison . But several friends were with us on this conference, so it was great to go out and explore.
Saturday morning came way too quickly but off we went 8:0 to 4:30, all day Saturday, Sunday and Monday! Saturday after the conference we were able to go to a night market and check a few things out and then I enjoyed a fantastic dinner with some girlfriends while Steve went out for another night in Bangkok with a few friends.
Sunday after the conference was much the same, shopping, great dinner and then a wonderful foot massage, all the while drinking Thailand ’s amazing fresh juice and cheap beer.

Monday after the conference we headed to the airport and flew out at about 8:30, arriving in Singapore after midnight. Tuesday morning at 7am we were up again for a full day of teaching…oh my!But, all things considered, it was a great weekend and well worth going, it is not often that one gets to say that they are going on conference in Thailand ! The farthest I ever got was Toronto !!
Anyway, that is it for now, four more weeks of school and then summer school and Japan and Chiang Mai and then HOME!!! YIPPEEEEE!!

Still missing everyone lots and looking so forward to seeing you in 8 weeks!!!

Madison!

Family shot in Macau
Madi and Mommy
Steve and Madi playing at the airport
Totally wiped out after a day of exploring in Macau
On the bus with Dad in Singapore

Bath time!
Madi and Mommy hangin' out

Madi is so good at pretending, she is feeding George the Monkey
Madi helps mommy grocery shop

Madison

She is getting so big and learning so much, I know I say that every time, but it seems that as the weeks go by she is able t do so much! She is really focusing on talking these days, which is so fun! As of today she is really trying to say words, by syllable, not always with success, but she is adorable trying. Her list of words keeps growing! She is making such an effort to communicate, I think by summer she will be real little chatterbox!

Elton John

Elton John came to Singapore !! A One night only show! We were a bit surprised that he was coming and even more surprised that we were able to get tickets. We went with several other people and enjoyed a fantastic show by a true legend.

Macau May 1-4

Yummy, baked on the spot, Macau almond cookies!

Madi on the streets of Fisherman's warf
Fisherman's Warff
We found a play area for Madi, it was a fun break
A mini roller coaster!
So cute!

Madi was having so much fun trying on Katie's hat!



Family shot

Madi and I in front of the Wynn Casino
Madi helping Daddy eat lunch in the Venitian
The Olympic torched passes through Macau while we were there and we got to see it!

Having fun at St. Paul's Church. madi was a HUGE hit with the Chinese people
Daddy and Madi in the hotel room
Out for dinner with Aynsley and Katie and Katie's family

The Wynn, just like in Vegas

A Church in Senado Square
St. Paul's chuch...or what is left of it
Madi eating one of the famous macau portugese tarts
Madi and I climbing the steps to the top of St. Paul's church
Madi meets a friend

Our first night there, enjoying Italian pasta and portugese wine, that is what you do in China right?
Madi trying Soda water for the first time, so funny, she thought the bubbles were hilarious!
Walking around Senado square, the cobble stone streets were lovely
The fisherman's warf...very chinese??

Another trip to China ! We had four days off and chose this destination purely on the cheap flight. Once it was booked we figured out what it had to offer. Macau is a little place in China , near Hong Kong that was settled by Portuguese people a long time ago. So when you are there it feels a lot like a little European town plunked in the middle of Asia . There were cobblestone streets and cute cafes. But then there was also the other part of Macau , it is considered the Las Vegas of Asia. They have the MGM Grand, the Venetian, which is HUGE. They have the Wynn and several other big name casinos all over. We did not end up doing any gambling because they would not let Madi in any of the casinos…not sure what they thought an infant was going to do, but they were pretty adamant that she not go in…under the age of 18 and all. Oh well, it probably saved us lots of money!We spent our days walking around checking things out, it is pretty small so we had lots of time to explore and relax and enjoy. They are famous for cookies, tarts and candy type things, so we indulged in some of that. We were also very fortunate to see the Olympic torch pass through while we were there! So fun.
We were able to meet up with some friends from Singapore , they have parents that live in Macau and they were very kind to include us in a few really fun things, so that was great.
The only thing that was disappointing was the lack of shopping, no markets, or anything. Oh and accommodation of quite expensive, but other than that, it was a great four days to hang out with Madison and Steve and explore a new place.

Girls Weekend Away April 25-27

Our huts
The beautiful beach, palm trees, white sand and warm clear water
Some of the girls having a cocktail

Apparently every year there is a girls weekend away at the end of the year to toast the year and those that are leaving. So about 30 of us went to an island in Malaysia for the weekend to an island called Sibu, we have been there before and it is beautiful! Pretty rustic, but a total piece of paradise. It was great because there was nothing to do but relax, swim, and chat.

The Canadian Ball

Julie, Jos and I getting ready to go
Julie, Charla and I at Charla's about to leave for the ball
It was a masked Ball...the masks did not last long, I got my mask from a girl in a pizza hut in Beijing...
The Girls, Calico, Carrie, Julie, Kendra, me, Ansley, Trish, Jos and Charla

On Saturday April 19th I went to the Annual Canadian Ball…Steve was in KL in Malaysia for the weekend on a golf outing with the boys.
I went with the girls and we had a great time. We did all the good things to get ready, the dress shopping, pedicures and the hair done.
The event was really nice, an evening of free flowing champagne and delicious food. Everyone looked beautiful and we all had a great time.