Atlantis - A Beautiful Venue for a Wedding Reception

Ryan's wedding at the Tyndale Chapel

It was a warm sunny afternoon. A perfect day to get married!

We attended Ryan Tong's wedding at the magnificent Tyndale Chapel in north Toronto.

Ryan and Juanita exchanging their vows 

It was a beautiful wedding ceremony attended by many people. The church was packed!

Proud parents of the groom

The proud parents looked on full of pride and joy as the bride and groom signed the wedding registry in front of friends and families.

Atlantis Restaurant, Ontario Place, Toronto 

The wedding reception was held at the Atlantis Restaurant, right by the Ontario Place in the waterfront area of downtown Toronto.

Looking out from Atlantis Restaurant to downtown Toronto; CN Tower is in the background

Lake Ontario

On one side we could see downtown Toronto with the CN Tower in the background.

Overlooking part of Ontario Place

On the other side, we could see Lake Ontario.

Wedding reception at Atlantis, Ontario Place, Toronto

We were at Atlantis for a banquet before. This was our first time here for a wedding reception.















There was a cocktail reception before dinner was served.

Since both the bride and groom work in the medical profession, there was a pill box filled with sweet little treats at each guest's setting.

How cute was that?









Dinner started at around 7:30 pm when there was still sunlight outside.

Sitting inside the restaurant, guests could enjoy the sunset view of Lake Ontario and the city.

As the dinner progressed, we noticed the lighting and the scenery outside also started to change.




It was a gorgeous sunset!

















When we looked up, we saw the new couple having their pictures taken on the roof of the restaurant with shimmering lights reflected off the lake and the CN tower as the background.

What a spectacular scenery!

Parents of the bride and groom gave their speeches and shared their happy moments with the guests.

Mother of the groom

Ryan T. and  his new bride

The parents' speeches were touching. Mother of the groom recalled vividly in detail some precious and tender moments between her and her son when he was a small boy.














She also talked about how she taught her son about tithing by giving him a dollar each week so that he could give 25 cents to the church each week as his offering.

It was clear that the parents instilled great Christian values in their children during their most impressionable age.

The new couple listening to their parents' speeches at the reception

I would never forget the story of the pajamas bought by the groom for his mother and how she used her tears as an object lesson to teach her son about God.

Father of the groom

The parents' excitement and happiness of their grown children's joyful union was evident on their faces.

 I wish I had done that for my own children when they were young.

 How Much Do You Know Each Other Game at the reception

At the wedding reception, we enjoyed the beautiful scenery from sunset to evening!

Night view of Toronto from the deck of Atlantis' 

Aside from enjoying a great wedding reception, guests were treated to beautiful scenery by the Toronto's waterfront.

There is no greater joy than witnessing your children grown up and being united with their soulmates and establishing their own families being embraced in God's love and the love of family and dear friends!

We were glad that we were a part of the wedding and shared our friends' happiness with them at such a memorable occasion in their lives!

R.T.
Celebrating R. & J.'s Wedding
Atlantis Restaurant
Toronto

Discovering the Trails in Milliken Park, Scarborough, Toronto

Milliken Park, Scarborough, Toronto

The weather  did not look good at all. The forecast for today’s weather was gloomy,  rain highly possible in the morning to thunder storm in the afternoon. 

We were supposed to take part in a fundraising walkathon in one of the parks in Toronto.  We were not sure if the event would be a go or not.

Autumn flowers  in full bloom!

We arrived at Milliken Park, located in the north eastern part of the city of Toronto, in Scarborough, at around 9:am. 

Black Eye Susan - a beautiful flower in the fall season

The rain seemed to have held off a little bit.

We discovered this beautiful park for the first time!

Though having driven by this park numerous times, we have rarely stopped and hiked on the trails inside the park.

It is funny how we are so used to being in our neighbourhood that we normally do not venture out to the other part of the city which is simply just a little out of our way.

Milliken Park, Scarborough, Ontario

         However, when we do, we can discover so much beauty around us!

This Saturday, we took part in a fundraising walkathon event trying to raise fund for the CCM community centre. 

Some warm up activities were planned for participants who wished to do some stretching exercises prior to their walk.

There was a gathering of all the participants underneath a park shelter with people leading singing followed by announcements.

We discovered beautiful trails in the park

After the opening exercise, each participant was given a disposable raincoat. We started our walk on the trails as designate by the CCM event organizer. 

A perfect picture taking spot!

We discovered bridges, colourful wild flowers, passed by fountains, ponds and green field full of wildlife.

Though the Milliken Park is located right in the city, it feels as if it was miles away!

Swans doing their communal cleansing rituals

We saw ducks lingered on clusters of rocks while swans congregated for their communal cleansing rituals.

Not far from the park, cars were zooming by yet the animals and walkers were taking it easy in this quiet tranquil setting.

Though it started to drizzle, walkers took their time to take in the awesome beauty of this park!

We walked with W. and enjoyed the conversations and sharing on the way.

W. has a lot of experience and was willing to share with us his wise insights on many things in lives. 

Being outdoors enjoying the sweet fragrant of the colourful flowers, getting some much needed exercises while sharing life's moments with great friends, we felt blessed!

R.T.

CCM Walkathon

Milliken Park

Scarborough, Ontario

Sept. 10, 2016

A Celebration of Life for John Rogers of Mississauga

On our way from Waterloo to Mississauga

It was a gorgeous end of summer and the start of an autumn day!


We were in Waterloo this Sunday but ended our visit early as we wanted to attend the memorial service of John Rogers and honour his life.

Life is precious and fragile; it can end suddenly taking with it the ones we love with little forewarning.

A memorial service for John Rogers

As we were driving to John's memorial service, I thought of John Rogers and images of his friendly face kept coming back to me.

Unfortunately, I did not have the privilege of  knowing John on a more personal level. What I knew of him was through a few encounters at some family gatherings.

 A humble person, John never bragged about his numerous community involvements, valuable contributions made to the city he loved and the medals he was awarded for his community services.

A successful business man who opened and ran a business for many years in the city of Mississauga, John still  found time to volunteer in public service.

Credit Valley Golf and Country Club, Mississauga

The memorial service was held at the Credit Valley Golf and Country Club where John and his beloved wife, June, have been members for years.

The place was packed with guests who wanted to celebrate John's life

We got there shortly after 5:30pm and the place was packed with people who wanted to honour and celebrate his life, a tribute to John's down to earth personality, his open, and warm welcoming approach to everyone he met.

M., John's son paying tribute to his dad

I remembered well the first time I met John. It was at a co- ed wedding shower for his elder son, M, and his bride to be, J.

The shower was held at the backyard of our humble abode and the guests were mostly young people, friends and families of the bride.

John and June hardly knew anybody at the party save their son and his betrothed.  There were some obvious and subtle cultural differences that John experienced for the first time at this party.

However, John did not feel uncomfortable or awkward in this unfamiliar setting.  He did not just sit back and kept to himself talking only to people he knew like so many of us tend to do. He made an effort and talked to others he didn't know, genuinely enjoying the party.  He was a good sport and he took part in all the games and activities which we planned for the soon to be married couple and guests.

We had a really fun time together!  As I am writing this piece, I vividly recall the good laughs we had bringing a smile to my face.

As in the movie " The Big Fat Greek Wedding", John's son's wedding was a big fat Chinese wedding. John and June made an effort to get to know his new in-laws and other extended family members.

Though we are not immediate family members of John's daughter-in-law,  my husband and I and other family members were invited to John's house for a lovely luncheon.  My brother and his wife, John's new in-laws were invited to their cottage and other events long after the wedding. I often heard my brother talking about their pleasant visits with John and what a great time they had together.

There were many tributes and interesting stories shared at John Rogers' memorial service including Hazel, the former mayor of Mississauga.
I learned of John's wonderful contributions and services to his community and the tremendous support he gave to the young people through  tributes paid by fellow guests. I wished I knew him better.

A reception followed after guests paid tribute and celebrated John's life 

I read once somewhere that it is not important how long one has lived on this earth but by HOW one lived and how much one accomplished in his/ her life.

John has lived a good blessed life and he was dearly loved by his family and friends. His life has touched many and impacted numerous.






Farewell, John, till we meet in heaven one day. I will make sure I'll get to know you much better in the eternal life!

R.T.
Toronto