the day I caught a ball

I've never been to a baseball game before.
It turns out, it was lot more fun than I had imagined.

Before heading to the Rogers Centre (I really liked Skydome better than Rogers Centre)
CC and I stopped by the Canada Trust Tower,
just cuz we've never been in it before.. lol






I usually try to avoid hollow floors, such as those or CN tower glass floor or even subway vents. I just can't step on them, it's too weird. I always feel like I am going to fall down. And mean CC tried to make me walk on it, though he know I hate them ;-0






so we arrived at the game, and Phillies were just getting warmed up.





it's always funny to take pictures of goofy moments.. lol..



And the game began...
I don't really like or know much about baseball, but it was really fun to watch the game, for sure. Phillies were first, and they scored 4 in first inning, with 3 home runs. wow.




At the very top of the bleachers were a small group of Phillies fans. They had something up but I couldn't clearly make out what it said. Everytime Phillies would score one, they'd get up and dance. It was so funny.

Our seats were right behind a row full of Phillies fans. They were really excited.
I first thought to go and cheer for Jays, but I couldn't help it but clap along with the Phillies fans as they got really really really excited. And the Phillies won 10:0. poor Jays.



Sometime after the 5th innings, the cleaning crew came out and started cleaning as quick as they can, and running back as fast as they can. It was quite entertaining, actually.




Turns out, our seats were just above the bullpen for the Phillies. No wonder we were surrounded by Phillies fans :-S Despite the lack of interest in baseball in general, I hoped to see one guy at the game that day, Chan Ho Park.

He's the pitcher for Phillies and is a sensation in Korea because he was one of firsts to play in MLB as a Korean, I believe...... Apparently he got injured during the game, the one before this one and was not going to pitch. How sad...... BUT!




I did get to see him in the bullpen!!!!!!! He even looked up at me 0_0
If you are a Korean, then you know Chan Ho Park. OMG. This was so HUGE! I never expected to see him so close, or even see him at all. This was amazing. truly.

He pointed his finger at me, signing me that he's gonna throw me a ball and then he did. So I caught it, well the guy next to me caught it and gave it to me actually, but still! I GOT IT!!!! wow I couldn't believe what happened. I am still in shock and awe. CRAZY. Good thing I went to the game. I almost felt like not going, thinking it's gonna be boring... well.. because of that one ball, it just made my day :-D



After the game, CC and I took a picture to remember, forever!!! Too bad the ball wasn't signed, but with or without, it is still a memorable treasure to me. lol.




The ball's even all beaten up, shows it was actually used rather it be during practices or in the game. I just couldn't stop smiling that day. lol.

Next time, maybe I'll go catch a puck at a hockey game ;-D

z o o

Saturday June 13.
It was a perfect day for a trip to the zoo.
The sky was gorgeous... perfect!



CC and I went to the Toronto Zoo for the first time
Yes..
I've never been to Toronto Zoo.
As far as I remember, last time I went to the zoo was when I was about 5.

With a great excitement and hope to see lots and lots and lots of animals, we arrived at the zoo around 2:30.



Maybe I was just too excited and expected much out of it, but when I actually got there, it didn't seem all that exciting. Lot of the animals were kept alone in their 'homes'. I heard the rhino keeper saying they prefer to be alone as they do in the wild. But what about the other animals?

The time we arrived must have been a nap time for all, or most of the zoo families. They don't seem very active and were all sleeping. Wonder what they are dreaming about...?



The thing about zoo is..
People may see it as a cruel way to keep animals, cage them as they become showcases. But as long as animals are kept well, taken care of, well fed, mostly importantly, loved, it provides a great opportunity for children and adults to learn about animals, especially that are foreign to the country. Personally, I feel bad for the animals, especially seeing them all tired and alone. It just seems unnatural.

I wish Toronto would have an aquarium.
Probably difficult to manage, since Toronto isn't quite near the ocean, but I'd love to see giant turtles swimming above my head... for sure!!!!



CC especially wanted to see elephants. He seemed so eager about it...
but...........!!!
There was a sign that read 'elephants are not on display today'
I thought maybe they are doing some makeover in their habitat, as many were temporarily not available that day. arg!!!

Couple days later, CC told me the reason elephants were 'not on display' (I don't really like the sound of 'not on display' makes them seem more like a show). Turns out, the elephants were in mourning. This case show how greed can ruin your life, or end it.


"Tessa, the 40-year-old elephant who lived at the zoo since its opening in 1974, lived with four other elephants in the five-acre enclosure. On Saturday afternoon, the elephants were outside being fed when Tessa fell to the ground and couldn’t stand up again." -National Post-
more at National Post


This is so sad..
The zoo staff members must have been enormously heartbroken by this.. I can only imagine.
Losing someone is always hard. It makes you think how precious life is and that you should try best to live to the fullest. I don't want to think of how it would be like when someone I love passes away. It hasn't happened yet and definitely not looking forward to hearing any sad news.

Despite the absence of elephants, I got to ride an elephant that day.



Well... not quite the real elephant, but close enough.... lol


So.....
The trip to the zoo was.... good!
I don't know if I want to go back anytime soon. Maybe when I have kids, I will bring them to teach them about animals. Until then, I hope the animals at the zoo don't have to face another tragedy as Tessa did.

a new friend

Finally,
it's warm enough to say summer has arrived in Toronto.
Though, I had a dream that it snowed in June..... I'm glad it was just a dream.
Along with the hot sun, a new member has moved in to the gallery.


The new home (where the red arrow is)


It freaked me out at first, and still does...
A pile of dust was on the gallery floor last Saturday when I opened the gallery.
I found it strange, thought the ops were swiping the floor and forgot to bag the dirt.

After a while, I heard scratching noise coming from above.
I looked up, and there was something up there.
I took a closer look at the ventilation system...
and found out that the pile of dirt was actually a piece of a nest.




thought it was a bird's nest at first....
So something has moved in to our gallery's ventilating system.
I didn't know what it was at first,
but was quite relieved to find out it was a squirrel.








A squirrel crawling around... hmmmmm... Can't be too good.


Thank god it wasn't a raccoon,
that would have been very freaky, indeed.
I don't want anything falling of the ceiling onto my head while working.
I've noticed the security about it, and it is still living in the gallery after a week.
It just freaks me out once in a while when the squirrel is moving around.
It hasn't fallen, yet, or dropped anything, yet.

As long as it doesn't drop anything on me, I think I'll be able to manage it living in the gallery.
Though, I think the nest should be removed soon.
We don't want a whole family of baby squirrels running around in the most busiest times of the year.

Personally,
I think it's funny to watch squirrels quarrel for food and chase each other up the trees...
Gardeners hate them for digging up their gardens,
but they are just not intelligent enough to figure out where they hid the food last winter, or a day ago for that matter.

There isn't much food in the gallery, so I don't know what it's doing here.
well, as long as it stays up there, I'm good.