Bouncing Back from Grief, Jean Yip - A Newly Elected Member of the Canadian Parliament

There was a federal by election last Monday in Scarborough/ Agincourt.

My husband and I have always been active in helping out during election times at home in Canada. We have been involved in election campaigns since the early 1980's.

One riding whose candidate we help out consistently is the Liberal party candidate of Scarborough / Agincourt in Toronto.



Sadly, Arnold Chan, the passionate elected M.P. died of cancer last September, therefore a by election was held last Monday to fill this vacant seat.

We were surprised and happy to see Jean Yip's election campaign signs going up on the lawns of homes in the area.  We decided that we should help her too.

We went door knocking on for the Liberal candidate.

On election day,  after we picked up our folders for two polling stations from our house captain's house, we went door to door. It was a cold evening and the first day of a big snow fall in Toronto. The traffic was slow and the roads were jammed with cars trying to get to their destinations.

We knocked on doors of those identified as Liberal supporters in the riding reminding them to get out to vote. Some volunteers gave rides to voters who needed transportation to the polling station to cast their ballots.

Though the weather was miserable, we persisted in our task trying to get as many voters out as possible.
It was kind of fun as we visited and knocked on doors of many homes. Using my cell, we paused and I took pictures of some houses with beautiful Christmas light displays.

The media were all set up at Jean's victory party on election night

When it was near closing time, we took our folders back to our polling station. When the voting stopped at 9:30pm and the doors were closed, we assumed the role of scrutineers for our candidate and watched the counting of ballots at the designated voting booth.

Jean Yip, the newly elected M.P. for Scarborough

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As each ballot was counted, my heart pounded each time when Jean's main opponent received a vote. In fact, at both my husband's and my voting station, the votes were too close. I quietly prayed for Jean's win.




Win she did! Jean Yip won the election taking more than 50% of the votes.

Relieved and elated, we hurried to the victory party and celebrated with her supporters and volunteers.

Jean  with her family by her side, thanking supporters on her win.

Devastated by her husband's death a few months earlier, Jean inspired many after she picked up the pieces in her life, bounced back  with determination to run for the federal by election.

It was awesome to witness her standing with her three children and family on stage, being declared the winner of the  election.

Jean Yip and her supporters at her  victory party.

Soft spoken, confident, a fighter and hardworking, Jean is a tough person who stands up for what she believes.  She will represent the constituents of the Scarborough/ Agincourt riding well!

Congratulations, Jean! All the best to you in your new role as the federal member of parliament in Ottawa!

R.T.
Toronto  

Happy Birthday to a Three Year Old Girl!

We haven't been to a little kid's birthday party for a little while. Recently, we were invited to a three year old birthday party.






When our kids were young, we usually had our children's birthday parties either at home or at a kids popular restaurant.  As years go by, I have noticed that young parents are getting more creative with their children's birthday parties.

The three year old's birthday party was held at a private gymnastic facility for children. This birthday party was a two hour long event. The first hour, the birthday child and her little friends spent their time in a gymnasium supervised by a coach from the gym.








While the kids were playing, the adults socialized and chatted watching them from outside through an enclosed window.


We missed this part of the birthday but was told that the kids had a good time playing in the gym.

We were there just after the kids finished playing and they were seated at the party table.

I was told that the theme for this birthday party was purple which is the favourite color of the birthday girl.  I was prepared and wore an all purple outfit for this occasion.










Bea, the bithday girl turning three could hardly contain her excitement.















Holding her magic wand in her tiny hand,  with her princess purple dress and little purple tiara on her head, she was grinning from mouth to mouth.















Though three years old, this little girl really knew that this was her day and her moment.


The birthday girl was very happy as she blew the three candles and admired the beautiful cake.

She held up one of her friends' hand and got many pictures taken with the people who came to share this special moment with her.

It was delightful to see all the innocent happy kids getting so excited over a birthday cake and their gift bags.

How nice it is to be young, worry free and loved by so many people!

Happy Birthday, Bea!

R.T.
Markham

Good Toys for a Smart Three Year Old Preschooler

I set up three different toys for my little visitor to our house. 

It is always a joy to be around kids and young people! All my life, I have the privilege of working with and be around them.

We are glad to have some of the young ones from church visiting us often.

Last week, it was a treat for us to have Bea over at our house where I got to practise my skills with young children.

These toys entertained the preschooler and kept her busy.

Luckily for me, we always have toys at home for various ages of children.  When they visit us, they will be entertained and not be bored.


I set up three different kinds of toys for this three year old to play:

1. A teaching box with colourful picture flash cards teaching preschoolers numbers from 1 to 10 and the basic colours.

2. An alphabet teaching pad with pictures of animals and letters that respond to the press of a button by the child. When the child presses the right button to the question, a positive verbal response comes out from the pad powered by battery.

3. A box containing large pieces of six colurful animal puzzles.

This three year old enjoyed playing with the animal puzzles the most.

I had no idea which toy would the little three year old girl prefer and this was why I made sure I had a variety of things for her to play.

This smart preschooler liked the alphabet teaching pad as she was amused by the positive verbal responses that accompanied her pressing of the buttons each time.

She tried hard to get the sound repeating again and again. However, she did get frustrated when the sound she expected did not come through.







This smart preschooler enjoyed playing with the good old fashion puzzles the most.  She loved the different animals and the colourful pictures.  She also asked me to help her and play with her. We spent most of our time together on this puzzle.  It could be that this was an interactive game that allowed me to be a part of her play. We had a lot of fun together.

I love shopping for children's clothing and toys. With my new  young visitors coming regularly to our house, it gives me new incentives to look for age appropriate educational and fun toys for them.

It is fun playing with kids. I have also learned that fun toys do not need to be expensive or digital!

R.T.
Toronto

Interesting Things to See at the 2017 Toronto Christmas Market

Toronto Christmas Market - currently being held at the Distillery District

Toronto Christmas Market – 2017

This was the third year we went to the Toronto Christmas market considered by some as one of the best 10 in the world.

The Christmas market is located in the popular Toronto downtown historic Distillery District. 

We went to the market on a fine warm  afternoon.

We enjoyed our previous two years’ visits so much that we made sure my mom was there this year to enjoy this new Toronto tradition.

The Christmas Market is a popular event

 


Monitoring the weather forecast for the past few days to make sure it would be a mild day, we visited the Christmas market last Friday afternoon. 

It was a good time as we avoided both the crowd and the admission charges. 

Carolers performing at the Christmas market 

 

We took part in one of the carol sing performances where we sang our lungs out at the chorus of Twelve Day of Christmas.

Every year, the  Toronto Christmas Market organizers add some new things to the market so that event goers can always find something new to see.

This year, we saw these new things at the market:

1. The Christmas market people scouted the country finding the best tree for the market square. They found and placed the 50 foot tall tree in the middle of the market and lit it with thousands of lights. A magnificent tree!

2. A big soup company set up a special booth built with half moon shaped shelves. It encourages visitors to bring and donate a canned food so that these shelves can be filled. 

Visitors are encouraged to take their pictures in the booth too.

The donated canned food will be gathered and taken to the food banks to feed the hungry.

3. At the Fondue booth, we saw an enclosed area filled with numerous lights illuminating the area. A bright shiny sight indeed!

Fun activities for kids at the Market!

There are a lot activities at the market for visitors of various ages such as a Ferris wheel, a merry go round.
















Kids love those colourful gigantic snowmen as they could play hide and seek between them.












 



Another thing new this year is the candy guessing game put on by a big candy company.

This Christmas display in the shape as a present is filled with candies.

Visitors busy trying to figure out the number of candies contained in this display

Visitors are encouraged to guess the total number of candies in this box and submit their entries for a prize.

Visitors lining up for free samples of choclates at the Ferrero booth.

We saw a few young mathematicians trying to figure out the numbers while some parents busy counting and explaining their method to their children. It was a real participatory game for many! 





 
The activities my mom really enjoyed were the food samplings at the Christmas market. 

The staff were polite and patient when serving us their free samples of chocolates

At the Ferrero Golden Gallery, people lined up for some free samples of chocolates.

 



Staff working at this booth dressed in smart beige winter outfits.  

They greeted and presented each group of visitors a menu from which we could choose our individual hot drinks and their famous chocolates.

A free hot drink and chocolate samples served to each visitor on a dish

Each of our free hot drinks was made freshly right in front of our eyes. The polite server presented us each with our own plate of hot drink and three types of chocolates on a white dish. Very classy indeed!

The server informed us of the order in which we should taste our hot drinks and chocolate in order to get the maximum flavour out of them. 

Despite of the lineup behind us, we were never rushed at this food sampling station. We could take as much time as we needed to sip our drinks and enjoyed the chocolates. It cost us nothing and was an enjoyable experience!  Kudos to the staff working at the Ferrero Golden Gallery food booth, excellent job!

 

A Christmas tree made out of canned food at the Christmas Market.

 
We love the tradition of  going downtown around Christmas time to enjoy the sight and sound of the season.

A Christmas tree display made out of old barrels.

There are a lot to see and enjoy at the Christmas Market. 

A sculpture of a Toronto Maple Leaf hockey player in the Distillery District.

Besides Christmas and holiday items, there are also arts and sculptures to see at the Distillery District.

Geometric sculptures made out of old locks displayed at the Market

Other interesting art pieces we saw were the 3D geometric shapes made out of old locks.

These old locks were collected and made into creatives sculptures displayed at this year's Christmas Market.

There are places to sit and enjoy some food and drinks too.

This was my Mom's first visit to the Christmas Market.

We were a little worried that visiting the Market might be a little too much walking for my 92 year old mother as this is mainly an outdoor event.

To our pleasant surprise, she did enjoy the event and was able to stroll outdoors, looking at all the exhibits and soaking up the festive atmosphere at the Christmas Market!

 

My Mom and I enjoyed our visit to the 2017 Christmas Market!

Way to go, Mom!

We will continue going downtown and visiting the Market every year! 

The Toronto Christmas Market will be on until Dec. 23, 2017.
Admission for the Market is free for all from Monday to Friday afternoon. Admission fees are charged starting at 5pm, Friday and throughout the weekend.

Merry Christmas, Toronto!

R.T.
Toronto Christmas Market
Distillery District
Toronto

4.  

Toronto Botanical Garden Holiday Market & Open House

A display in the Toronto Botanical Garden Gift Shop

 Week of Nov. 27, 2017





I love flowers, crafts, and anything that are cute and pretty.

Fortunately, for us, living in Toronto, there are so much going on every week that we can always go somewhere to see either an art or crafts/ flower exhibition.

Holiday Market & Open House at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Today, we went to see the Holiday Market & Open House at the Toronto Botanical Garden located at Leslie Street and Lawrence Avenue.

Cute Santas - made out of small pieces of cut branches

Whenever I visit a crafts show, I never cease to be amazed by the creativity of the crafters.


With a little bit of painting and cutting, these cute little Santas were made out of small pieces of cut branches.

Three pieces of small white birch logs tied with a red bow and decorated with a few pine cones.

Viola!

A beautiful centre piece has been created.

A beautiful framed Christmas tree made of old jewellry pieces

I love wearing earrings but am constantly losing one of the two.  I have kept them and have a big jar of them at home. I know I want to create something beautiful and meaningful out of them, but not sure what I would do.












                 Eureka!

These beautiful Christmas trees made out of pieces of old costume jewelry caught my attention at the crafts show.

I would love to make my own shiny Christmas
tree out of my old earrings and necklaces.

The crafters seem to be able to make everything beautiful out of anything.















These miniature winter scenes contained in these glass containers were eye catching.






















We also visited the Toronto Botanical Garden's gift shop and saw a lot of interesting crafts and gift items there.

A shower curtain with green grass and colorful wild flowers design.

One of my favourite items was this shower curtain made out of colourful prints of plants and flowers. Gorgeous and brilliant colour reminding me of a beautiful summer day!

 We enjoyed this special event and I learned something new too!


R.T.
Holiday Market & Open House
Toronto Botanical Garden
Toronto