Category Archives: Memories

Flashback Friday, Part 1

Posted in Flashback Friday, Life, Memories, Photos by

Growing up, I was lucky enough to know both sets of grandparents as well as three of my great-grandparents. I know some people grow up without grandparents, or at least not both sets, and never got to know their great-grandparents.

I’ll start with my Dad’s side of the family. I don’t have pictures of my great-grandma, “Granny”, as we called her. My memories of her include her old apartment near Chinatown in Vancouver, which reeked of Tiger Balm, her wig and the fact that she was blind. I remember her touching my face, asking how old I was, what grade I was in. She’d call me a good girl and give me stale cookies.

My Dad’s parents, who we called Grandma & Grandpa Chow (original, right?), raised my Dad and his siblings in my hometown before moving to Vancouver to retire. My Grandpa owned a store, which belonged to his father, back in the day and it was quite popular. “Wing Chong Tai” is what is was called and it’s even in the museum in my hometown, with a picture of him and everything. I remember once, we were grocery shopping while we were visiting in Vancouver and he insisted on buying my brother and I a chocolate bar, even though my Dad told him “No” a million times. (Grandpa Chow won!) After having cancer and a stroke, he passed away when he was 86. (Or at least I think that’s how old he was.)

My Grandma Chow didn’t speak English very well, so I only remember her yelling “Eat!” in this high-pitched voice that demanded respect. Her food was amazing. I remember her jade jewelry. I was only about 3-years-old when she passed away. I can’t remember how old she was when she passed away, but she battled with diabetes. I remember her insulin needles in the cupboard in the bathroom.

This a picture of my grandparents and I when I was almost 1-year-old. They came to visit every Easter, which meant twice as much Easter candy and chocolate. (Also note how Chinese I looked when I was a baby!)

Next Friday, I’ll flashback to my Mom’s side :)

Happy Friday everyone!

Friday Food: Jam-Buster Muffins

Posted in Friday Food, Growing Up, Memories by

When I was little, my Mom used to bake her face off. Cookies, muffins galore! One of my favourites were cornmeal “jam-buster” muffins! Oh, man were they good! Delicious muffins with a jammy surprise? Yes please!

And now, a taste of my childhood!

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups cornmeal
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk
  • 2 ¼ cups flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ¾ tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • ¾ cup butter, melted
  • Strawberry jam

1. Combine cornmeal and buttermilk. (I’ve never used buttermilk before and didn’t realize how awful it smells!) Let stand for 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda (which I forgot to add when I made them — Oops!) and salt. Blend in cornmeal mixture, eggs and melted butter, stirring just until moistened.

3. Spoon batter info muffin tins lined with paper baking cups, filling each just to the top of the paper liner. With a small spoon, shape a well in the centre of each muffin. fill each well with about 1 tsp of strawberry jam. Bake in 400° F oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Makes about 16 muffins!

Now, like I said, I accidentally forgot to add in the baking soda, and my wells were kinda lame, but they still turned out really good! Next time I may fill the cups half-way and add the jam, and then put another bit of batter on top. Also, I used raspberry jam instead of strawberry, since that’s what I had in the house. I encourage experimenting with your jams! I found 20 minutes was the perfect baking time, but my oven is the devil and runs a little hot.

Mine turned out nothing like the picture in the cookbook. Oh well!

Happy Friday ya’ll! :) I’ll have an exciting newsy update for ya’ll sometime next week too!

Also, a little self promoting: Check out my post at In it to Gym it!

Reflecting on the final year

Posted in Education, Friends, Memories, Photos, Reflections by

It has been approximately one year since I finished my undergrad degree. ONE YEAR! It’s hard to believe that I’ve been out here in the real world, doing my thang for a year already.

My last year of university was a whirlwind, to say the least. I started my job as one of the news editors for the university paper, I met Canada’s Green Party leader, I moved in with Kyle, I travelled east for the first time and I partied hard, all while completing my degree!

These photos are from September 2008, when the federal election was going on here in Canada. A group of us went out to practice our die-hard journalism skills, staying up until 1 a.m. to meet and scrum with Canada’s Green Party Leader, Elizabeth May. (The Green Party is more or less the “Environmental” party of Canada) It was also Melissa’s birthday, so we celebrated that as well!

We had a pretty awesome Christmas party for the school newspaper, enjoying delicious tapas and drinks before heading to the boss’s house to play a little DDR and Guitar Hero like the nerds we truly are!

After the new year and barely a week into the new (and final!) semester, the gang from the newspaper ventured to the Canadian Prairies to visit freezing cold Saskatoon for the Canadian University Press Conference. I shall warn you now, the entire trip was more drinking and partying than learning about the paper, but Melissa and I did tour the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, which was pretty awesome, and we saw some odd sights, like a statue of Ghandi. Also, I realized that I know I’m drunk when I start flashing random hand signals and gang signs. In this case, it was “W” for “Wizard”, the nickname we lovingly gave the horrible DJ at the wind up gala.

Finally, there was the Year End party, filled with singing, dancing, drinking and good times. I sure miss these people sometimes but I bump into them from time to time. Oh, and I also discovered I act like a pirate sometimes. Oh, and did I mention horrible U-Brew wine sipped from coffee mugs?

Yep, those were the days! Do I miss school? Sometimes, but somethings are better left as memories :)

TRU Journalism Grads, 2009

Do you ever miss school, if you’re not in it anymore? If you’re not, do you think you will?