Time really flies and this is already the second week in 2011! I am so amazed when I looked back at what I did in the last two weeks. Maybe this typical hustle and bustle of city life that makes people busy all the time and yet have no time to think.
Unlike the last Boxing Day, in 2009, this year my wife joined my son and me to get up 5 o’clock in the morning to line up outside the Wal-Mart before 6 a.m. There were about 20 people before us even though the store would open only at 7 a.m. It was freezing, with temperature at -10°C but felt as like -17°C with wind chill. Everyone seemed to be well equipped to stay warm and I heard the first one in the line had got there around 5 a.m. which means he must have had to get up at 4 a.m. You could see some people in the line came with their well-planned shopping list and some were on the phone talking to their friends or family members who were queuing at other stores e.g. Best Buy, Future Shop, Staples.
One could not believe a big store like Wal-Mart could have no crowd-management system. By 6:45 a.m. some people started to cut the line for various reasons. I would never forget when the store entrance opened at 7 a.m., hundreds of people kept pushing from the back and it was fortunate that no one fell in the stampede. Once people entered, they dashed to different sections to look for their items. We rushed to the computer game section to look for the limited-supply XBOX 360 console. My goodness, it was so chaotic at checkout with no line and everyone claiming to be first in line. At that moment I strongly believed Wal-Mart should have been a lot better prepared for the inevitable. Thank God that and we managed to get our stuff even if we had to return it within two weeks of purchase. It was about 10 a.m. when we left the store, went by Toys-R-Us nearby, and found an even better deal without having to line up. We were so frustrated and swore never do this crazy shopping on Boxing Day ever again.
The next holiday after Christmas would be New Year’s Day, which was on a Sunday this year, and therefore the subsequent day was also a holiday. We and another family had gone skiing on the New Year Day for the last two years, and this year we planned a trip to the Blue Mountain Resort, north of Barrie. However, we were forced to drive back 30 minutes after we started from Markham due to the extremely foggy weather. We ended up spending the rest of the day in the other family’s house, playing Wii, XBOX games and singing karaoke. We finished dinner early as we had to start early the following morning to continue on our ski trip to Blue Mountain.
The weather was much better the next day with a sunny sky that helped us take more lovely pictures for this trip. It was our first time to the Blue Mountain, well known as one of the top ski resorts. However, the place was a bit packed on the day we went as some ski trails and associated amenities were closed due to insufficient snow on the previous days. Nevertheless, the place is so spectacular with different facilities that suit different needs. We may think of spending a night there next time so we can really relax and fully enjoy the day. Well, only the kids really skied this time and they purchased the $37 package that included a 60-minute lesson and whole-day access to some restricted lifts. We parents hung out at the restaurant watching the kids, took a stroll and did some shopping. It was around 6 p.m. when the kids were so exhausted and eventually agreed to leave. It was a wonderful ski trip and we really enjoyed ourselves, especially the kids who for sure would love to come again. Our trip ended with a late dinner back in Markham.
I am not sure if we will have the same team–mates for the ski trip next year, when my friend’s son and my daughter have started university this fall. They may be too busy with their studies to prepare for the examination. No matter which university or college they will go to, they will probably stay in the dormitory as a first year university student. Therefore I will always treasure every family event and spend the time together.
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