Quarantine: the face of H1N1

H1N1 now has a face. And the face doesn't look pretty. Looks like really bad bed-head and unshaven for a few days, and halitosis to boot.

How we got it is still not yet confirmed.
But Tresa got it first on Sunday the first symptoms came out. By Monday it was full blown.

On Monday evening, Kieran got it. And the one difference between the regular flu and H1N1 is that it attacks children much harder. Kieran had super high fever of 40+ for 3 straight days. He was burning up and it was a little scary.

But the little jail bird made it through. His high fever has started to come down. He's lost a few pounds from not eating, but he's on the upswing. But it's still up and down.

And Thursday morning, I started to get the symptoms too. I thought I had evaded the flu, but it got me too.
How do we know it's H1N1? Tresa had to go to work to get tested and on Thursday afternoon the hospital called to say it was positive.

We either got the bug from Tresa's work or what we are thinking is that when we went to Cirque du Soleil, there was a little girl behind us and she was coughing up a lung for the whole entire show. I am sure she was the infected little swine carrier.

People should stay home if they are sick. It's like me taking a ride on the TTC just for kicks with no disregard for other's health. There could have been an older couple in front of them instead of us.

After Cirque we headed to Hong's 40th and coincidentally, Scott and Jimin's son Brennan had the flu this week too.

I also think that with this bug, the symptoms happen much faster. We didn't have the diarrhea symptom (Thank God). But everything else is there fever, chills, aches, cough, headache, and severe dehydration. Do you do anything different for treatment? Nah...just rest, liquids and don't go on the TTC.

I put the Halloween decorations up since our neighbour had done it earlier in the week. Gotta keep up with the Jones' you know. I'm thinking of getting a yellow caution tape that says "This house has H1N1" and record some coughing sounds and leave a bowl of candy and see who comes to the door.

I should write H1N1 house in chalk on the porch.
They will probably think it's a joke, until they start getting symptoms. But hey...they were warned.

(Some nocturnal animal was eating the eye out of Tresa's pumpkin.)

We have the best street in the world. I let a neighbour know I couldn't pick up something from his house cause we got this bug. Next thing I knew we were getting emails and phone calls from neighbours and friends asking if they can get us food and stuff.

wow. Who needs take out?

Singing Soul at the Seoul House

Turning 40 again!
That's right....I liked it so much I did again. Only this time I ordered a cake full of Vioxx (TM) to take care of all my aches and pains with turning the big "Four-O-M-G it hurts".



Haha...It's not me. Although I could use some anti-pain all over meds.
We had just come from watching Cirque du Soleil - Ovo and my right hip was aching from watching the contortionists.

Man, I need something with extra-strength written on the box and the pill is no different than what's inside a regular box except a bigger pill and jacked up price.


So we headed over to the Seoul House for Kim's "surprise" birthday for Hong - where I represented the M-section crew. Cause everyone else was away. I even sang Buttercup. Trying to recreate what I did 7 years ago. But I scored lower than the kids. Damit. I tried another song later. What helped was more beers and some mixed drink that Kieran gave me full of other people's leftovers.

You guys missed some good Canadian Idol wanna be's belting it out. You can tell who they are too, because their scores were lower than the drinkers and the Grandparents both singing in Korean and dancing to the Kim Jung Il gangsta videos.


I love Korean BBQ. Never knew this place existed let alone a sound proofed karaoke party room with it's own korean version of the Lowe's push me for assistance button (translator not included).





It was fun. Thanks Jimin and Mike for bringing the kids.
Kieran had a great time with Lexi and Brennan.

Kieran wanted to know why when they sang Happy Bday song they didn't sing ... "are you 1, are you 2, .... are you 4?"
Maybe next time...when people have more time.

Click me for more photos

Here is your next Canadian Idol!


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Thanks Zoo & Chudleigh's

The first weekend started with a birthday party and ended with a birthday party.

Click me for some photos of a 5 year old party where the attendees can sniff out year old halloween candy from under concrete.
These little people are craftier and more determined than skunks and raccoons at finding grubs. I was busy eating so I only took them after every one was already gone.


Thanksgiving here in Canada was last weekend and I'm thankful that I didn't over eat. Mostly a technique I've learned over the years from eating at many Euro banquets and gatherings.

With this technique I can leave the table not wanting to find some dark couch or room with a bed and many pillows.




Also more importantly I don't feel the extreme bloating like I instantly became a brown puffer fish.

I feel satisfied. And I have a little room for dessert. Like a pack of Skittles in a tree. Must have been some sneaky raccoon putting these tasty treats up in the tree.

Kieran wasn't too happy about that.



I'm able to move about without the feeling of a #2 coming down the hatch.

I could lend a hand or two and make myself useful without much trouble.

Click me for photos




Yep. The older you get your body has a harder time not just blowing out the increased number of candles, but the less your body is able to just shed the food you just ate.
Instead the food tends to stop half-way between the belly and the toilet. Which is your love handles or your rump, give or take a tire or two.

At least you save on water and toilet paper.
Click me for photos

So what do we do? The next weekend we sign up for a race.
Tresa had the best number '777'. Could've used those numbers in Vegas. Papa could've bought something new.

The race gives us a time bound goal which whether we like it or not - have to be physically ready. And if not totally 100%, we use a tremendous amount of calories finishing the race anyways.

So start em when they're young and think it's all fun and no work.

Since at the end of the race they get loot bags!
And if you don't like what's in the loot bags. Go back and get another until you do. Most of these athletes are just above knee level and the organizers helped their cause by giving them all the same number. These kiddies are smarter than you give them credit for.


Give them a little bit of refined sugar and the adventure begins. Fear goes out the window as they travel through bush looking for hidden treasures.


It's all fun and games...



Until someone shouts...."The snakes have escaped from the exhibit!
Check all the bushes and shrubs near by!"
Wha? Get outta there!

Click me for more photos of the 2009 Toronto Zoo Run
And we accidentally spill all the fish crackers on the ground as we leave the zoo.


Click me for Chudleigh's discount apple picking.
Don't pick anything on the ground. That's for juice making.
And don't pet the animals if you're allergic.

My Suka ID

Kieran was rifling through my wallet and saw my drivers license and said he wanted it. And he wanted his own card and asked how could he obtain one.

I told him he's still too small to drive a car, because he can't even reach the pedals let alone look over the wheel. Not unlike many seniors and women today.

But he might as well get his application in.
So since we already have one gov't CUPE civil servant in the house we might as well put her to good use and make him queue up and wait like the rest of us, while she went on her break, just like in real life.

So just like at the motor vehicle license office we made Kieran stand against a matte dirty off white background and took his picture. Preparing him for the day he would have to go do the same thing to get his motor vehicle license.

And this is his new ID card we came up with.


Pretty awesome, eh.
I even laminated it so he could carry it around and flash it at the LCBO and The Beer Store and feel all grown up.

Villa Thorne-Frial

Oh no...they're here. Damn...shower isn't done. I figured the weather would keep them away and I'd be able to go kayaking instead. Now I have to work.

After 2 years of a work in progress construction zone with no building permits and 1 pair of steel toe chenelas. We visited the Thorne-Frial cottage. It has all the amenities of a Euro spa. Sauna and a toilet. And traces of seafood on the patio somewhere.

It is a wonderfully quaint place. East of Big Smoke somewhere, on Lake Ontario in a protected bay.
No this isn't it. WE WISH! I was freezing. I slept in the clothes I wore there and more. Ah...but it was a chilly day. Who needs all that comfort and warmth.
This is up the road and belongs to the crystal springs guy that bottles tap water from his home and sells it to you as mountain filtered H2O.

Although the weather wasn't ideal, it was a fun weekend with Paul and Susan visiting from HK and they brought with them typhoon weather and we provided the cold arctic air.
Reminiscing about the good ol' days and who was in jail and who wasn't. Who broke into who's houses. Who peed in who's freezer... I thought a lemon flavoured freezee broke in my freezer. WTF!

How different Brampton/Bramalea is now a days. Gone are the days.

So we enjoyed the day that God gave us. We dropped food on the ground here and there to add a little flavour. We burnt our fingers trying to save 1 shrimp but instead spiced up the the whole skewer with some patio.

And for fun we played a few hands of Texas Hold'em poker.



You never remember who came second or third, only the winner and the loser guy that was out first and forced to watch an 80's horror movie with tacky special effects and no story line or plot and serve for his new masters - good Chaka.




You have to check out the ReStores. You might find something that you can use.
Good work so far. Toilet works well, tiles are nice and straight. Pretty impressed with your handy work. BBQ work...is a different story.
Food was awesome. I'm still stuffed and full of gas.

Thanks for having us over Chaka.

Click me for more photos.
I only selected the best shots, the ones with amazing composition and tell a story - like "you have really incredible morning breath" or "no one saw, just put it back on the grill".

You know the weekend is over when Derrick's exhaust pipe fell off his corolla on the way home on the 401.

PS. Sand...recovery will be fast I know it!