Holidays
Sep 07, 2026
Matt Damon was asked what his favourite smell was by Stephen Colbert on his show. He said his favourite smell was coffee and bacon.
He explained that on work days he often skipped breakfast, so the smell of coffee and bacon was a sign that he had slept in and was enjoying a holiday.
Today is Labour Day in Canada. It marks the end of a long weekend and the end of summer holidays for students, teachers, and people who work in the school system.
Both of my kids are going back to school.
It is also the end of the summer season. I don't know anyone who is happy about this. Kids don't want to go back to school, I don't want the summer and its long days to end, and we all dread the sad drama of fall and the depressing cold of winter, despite the cheerful Christmas festivities.
I enjoyed the Labour Day long weekend.
On Saturday, the four friendly neighbour families had a get-together at the Tien residence. All four of us moved onto the same street around the same time, sixteen years ago. We became friends and often had meals together at each other's houses. After a few years, one family moved 20 minutes away, and a few years later, another moved to a different city two hours away. We still kept in touch, and about once a year we get together for dinner.
On Sunday evening, my cousin's family and my sister came over for dinner. We talked about the weather, the kids, vacation plans, and other ordinary topics over noodles, soup, tofu, cake made by my wife, and two takeout items from our favourite Hakka restaurant (Phoenix Pan Asian). Everyone in the house brightens up whenever my nieces show up. This time they had a funny joke for me: I broke my uncle (a play on the word "ankle"). To which I am supposed to reply, I broke my knees (a play on "niece").
I have enjoyed the summer in general.
East Coast Road Trip
We had an 8-day road trip along the East Coast of Canada in July.
My cousin's family of four, my sister, my daughter, my wife, and I drove 4000+ km in a minivan for 8 days, changing hotels every night.
Main stops:
Toronto → Montreal → Edmundston → Truro → Halifax → PEI → Shediac → Rivière-du-Loup → Quebec City → Hawkesbury → Toronto.
While we saw many attractions for the first time and enjoyed some great meals, what I will remember most is the journey itself. I had never heard my cousin Li Moi laugh as loudly as she did while playing imposter in the car. Being around the two cute nieces for a week was a lot of fun and brought great joy to us all. Listening to my daughter's over-the-top review of the water pressure in the shower, the excitement of arriving at a new hotel (and, in some cases, the disappointment that followed), and the debates over breakfast offerings at various hotels, lunch, and dinner restaurants all make for memorable stories.
We ate lobster at a few places, had Chinese food when we craved rice, and even had one Indian takeout dinner.
We talked about doing this road trip many times before, but the long drive had always been a major deterrent for me. Thanks to my brother-in-law, who was my driving partner, the drive was not as exhausting because we took turns daily.
Pickleball
I played pickleball weekly at the newly created Birchmount outdoor courts all summer. There is a group of us who keep in touch via WhatsApp, and we play together. They were welcoming of me and have given me a social life I haven't had. The Birchmount pickleball court has become my third place.
As the weather gets colder, it will become harder to play outdoors (fall leaves will be the immediate first problem), so I will likely move back to indoor play either at the club nearby, where I learned to play, or at one of the indoor community centres with our group. It won't be the same.
If it were not for my sore heel, I would have played more frequently.
India
The year started off with a trip to India to visit my parents, brothers, and relatives. My brothers got a new flat, so I stayed there most of the time I was in Kolkata. I got to see a different side of Kolkata. I also managed to fit in a 3-day trip to Shillong to meet my brother-in-law's family. On my return home, due to the US-Iran war, the Qatar Airways flight was cancelled, so there was a bit of drama on Sunday morning when it was unclear if and when we would be able to return to Canada. Eventually, we got tickets on Biman Bangladesh Airlines for Wednesday and got a few extra days in Kolkata.
Disney
We have one more trip planned for the last week of September. My kids wanted to go to Disney again (we were there nine years ago), so we made a one-week plan to visit three theme parks. The four of us haven't been on a holiday trip together for a few years, so I am looking forward to it.