Santa Claus Box

Today we went to northern Scarboro to give gifts to underprivileged children for Christmas. The Toronto Star has a Christmas Fundraiser where companies and people donate gifts such as book, board games and toy. They also donate clothing like sweaters, mittens and scarfs. Then they send it in a box so that the scouts can deliver them to the children.

The Toronto Sun Santa Claus Fund was founded in 1906 by Joseph E. Atkinson who knew poverty first-hand when his father passed after a tragic accident and his mother had to raise 8 children all alone.
As an adult living as a prosperous publisher for the Daily Sun, Atkinson felt obliged to help relive the agony facing many of Toronto's poor at the start of the 1890s depression.

In Joseph's report he found 198 families (472 people) living in one-room dwellings. In visits to 4,696 house, health inspectors found 45 tuberculosis families, 390 houses were absolutely unfit for life, 1,348 homes without drains where waste and slop were thrown into yards, wall soaking wet and overflowing outdoor 'privies'.

The inspectors also found unlit, airless rooms and one where a family of 11 would crowd into 3 dank rooms  with 3 dogs and chicken

When Joseph was a child, he went to a frozen pond and watched children skate, when an woman came over and asked him why he wasn't skating and the told his sad story. So the woman went and bought him a pair of skates and he will never forget the warmth of getting a gift from a stranger. So when became the founder of the Toronto Star in 1892 he made a promise to himself to help the children in poverty like he was.

It was a great experience and I am so grateful that my dad has a good job and can support our family from Singapore.

The end.

Winter Sports

Yesterday, we went to Play it Again Sports to get some winter gear. Because I'm growing there's no point in buying brand new equipment only to not be able fit in them the next year. So when we where at Play it Again Sports i got a secondhand K2 snowboard and Burton boots and I also got a pair of skates.

After Christmas we plan to go to Quebec with Papa, Mama and DeMille to snowboard and ski, I think at Mont-Tremblant, and also there is a ski hill near my uncle's farm called Dagmar Ski Resort. It will get used quite a bit.

For skating, there is a skating rink at Sherboure Commons which is ten minutes from our condo. We also can go to Ted Reeves Arena because they have a public hour. We could go to my Nonno's house because there is a homemade ice rink at the park nearby.

I can't wait for it to start snowing heavily.

The End

Remembrance Day

Yesterday, it was Remembrance Day. Remembrance Day is a day where we remember those who have died in the wars. At scouts, we had one of the scout leader's brother, who is a soldier and he shared what Remembrance Day meant to him. He also talked about his time in Afghanistan and how to pack a bag efficiently. We also sang 'In Flanders Fields' and gave a moment of silence.

It was very nice to have a soldier come over for Remembrance Day. Here are some pictures.

The End

   

Nonno

Today I am going to write about my 3 fun experience with Nonno.

1.  The Birthday Surprise for Papa.

For Papa's 40th, Nonno setup a birthday surprise for Papa when we went to Bangkok. He got all of the cousins and friends to come to our hotel room and Nonno got an ice cream, merengue, whipped cream and strawberries.

2.  Watching Movies With Nonno.

Whenever we watch a movie with Nonno, he falls asleep and then wake up half way through and asks us to explain what happened which I find very funny. But he loves watching movies so we take to the Cineplex.

3. Going to K&B Sushi

A few weeks ago, we went with Nonno to this sushi restaurant that had terrible service and the most confusing ordering system. So, what they have is an iPad instead of a menu and the once you have pick your food, we had to call a waiter so that they enter a password so that we can order the food and then half an hour later, our food would arrive.



Now I will do an acrostic poem about Nonno.

               very Nice 
             super Organized
     constantly Napping after lunch
terrible at his Navigational skills
              very Outgoing at times


I am also going to write about 3 things grateful for about Nonno.

3. I am grateful that we can spend time with Nonno.

2. I am grateful that he can cook delicious meals.

1. I am grateful for traveling with Nonno before he couldn't travel anymore.


The End

Canon T6

Next week I will be in San Francisco and they have some cool landmarks and I want to take pictures but the problem is that my iPad is bulky, not convenient to use and it has low storage space. So I found a fairly cheap entry level DSLR camera called the Rebel T6. It comes with a detachable lens and is on sale so that's good. It has a 18 megapixel image sensor to take a better resolution picture.

The End

Hallowe'en

Last night, it was Hallowe'en. I was a UN Peacekeeper and my brother was a magician. We went to my friend Alex's house and he was dressed up as David Bowie. We went up Silverbirch then up Willow and then we went back down Willow and Silverbirch.


It was a quick night but we got a lot of candy!!!!

Then End

Ikea (DeMille Style)

5 hours ago, we went to ikea. It was really fun.
Then we went home and the pets were so cute.
We had to walk the dog in the rain. I was mad and wet.
My shoes were soaked and then we went to the pet store.
We looked at atomatic kitty litters.
And the we left and went home to take a bath.
We ate DeMilles stew and it was good.
Now I am typing this blog and then I will do my ukulele.

the end