Stuck in Canada!

Winter Olympics Na!

2010-02-11T17:18:00.000-08:00

I'm lucky I dont have to spend a lot of money just to get into 2010 winter Olympics. Vancouver B.C will be hosting it. For years the constructions, preparations, tax money put into it and now its here. Such a beautiful place becoming more and more beautiful everyday chaos aside.

Art from famous artists are scattered all over the city. Sometime I would wonder how safe it will gonna be for the Olympics.
Beside Vancouver Art Gallery.

2 weeks of non stop concerts (mostly free), games, activities etc. Exciting!

Where did it all go?

2010-02-11T17:10:00.000-08:00

One night J checked his T4, it indicates all his earnings for this year. And asked me " where did it all go? "

And these are the reciepts of our last years expenditures.
*edited version*

Wish us luck for a good tax refund. We're seriously saving up for Philippines 2011 grand homecoming;-)

Dear John

2010-02-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

I better put down my new iPhone otherwise my cc will get tons of charges because of the ringtones/apps that are very tempting to buy.

Last weekend the night before we went to Seattle I went out to watched Dear John starring Amanda Seyfried and of course the dashing Channing Tatum.

A week before the premiere, the movie trailer was everywhere on TV. The promotion was very effective especially for a romantic movie sucker like me.

It was very good. For once unpredictable for me and of course they live happily ever after. To be honest all I did was to stare at Channing's face. Fantasizing him, ahhh my new Robert Redford!

Goodbye Samsung! Hello iPhone!

2010-02-09T22:46:00.000-08:00

Thank you for a wonderful 2 years together.....

But I have to let you go and give you to my cousin who will take care of you as much as I did.

Since I renewed my contract with my cell provider they gave me this in a very affordable price I can't resist.

11 reasons why some people choose to rent their house

2010-01-27T19:57:00.000-08:00

by Larry MacDonald, Canadian Business Online
Tuesday, January 26, 2010

"I'm perfectly content renting for the foreseeable future," says Patrick Doyle. That’s because he can rent for considerably less than the cost of owning a house in his neighbourhood. The savings, in turn, can be used to build up a portfolio of financial assets much quicker than otherwise.

"I pay $1,250 per month in rent, including my parking space," continues Doyle, who authors the blog A Loonie Saved. "The monthly mortgage payment on a detached house in my area would be about $2,200. After you add in property tax, repairs, maintenance and utilities, the total monthly payment is at least $2,700. By renting, I can save and invest at least $1,450 per month."

True, his current dwelling is not equivalent to the houses in the area. But his shelter needs are modest; his primary requirement is to be located in that area. Besides, he likes accumulating financial assets that could leave his net worth higher than if he owned a house.

Mike Ronquillo, one of the persons behind the Colourful Money blog, has crunched the numbers to show how it’s possible to end up with a higher net worth by renting. "The rationale is that over the long term, stock returns are better than gains in housing prices. Especially in current times, where stocks have crashed and houses are still near record highs in most places in Canada, this could be a very beneficial strategy for young people to consider," he notes.

In his example, Option No. 1 is buying a $300,000 house for zero down with a 5% mortgage amortized over 15 years. With property taxes, insurance and other costs, the total monthly payment is $2,854. After 15 years, the property "is owned outright, and assuming the home’s value grows at a long-term average rate of 2.5%, the property would then be worth $435,000 at that time."

Option No. 2 is renting an "equivalent house now for $1,200 and investing the difference." Assuming rent goes up 2.5% every year and an average annual return on your stock portfolio of 8%, "you would then have $517,000 at the end of 15 years." That’s $82,000 more than owning a house.

As Ronquillo states, this is not a guaranteed result. It depends on a number of assumptions. In particular, a lower after-tax rate earned on stocks could leave net worth lower than if homeownership was chosen.

But for many renters, that risk is acceptable — especially considering the other benefits they derive from renting.

See below for the top 11 reasons why some people would rather rent than own:

1. Your net worth may end up higher as a renter, depending on the gap between rents and homeownership costs, investment returns, and other factors as mentioned above and elsewhere.

2. Renting avoids the risk of having most of your wealth in one basket. As York University professor Moshe Milevsky writes in his new book Your Money Milestones: "Buying a house for an investment has strong similarities to someone being convinced stocks are a good investment for the long run but they decide to buy only one stock for their portfolio. I don’t care how reliable that one stock is, or how large are the dividends, that stock portfolio is not diversified. The same goes for housing."

3. Housing is not only a "completely undiversified" investment, in the words of Milevsky: it’s also a highly leveraged one, say other observers. While this aspect magnifies gains in house prices it also magnifies losses, so that relatively small fluctuations can wipe out all of the owner’s equity. Indeed, the value of the house could even fall below the value of the mortgage — as millions of U.S. citizens have discovered since 2007. Renting reduces exposure to this scenario.

4. The lack of diversification from home ownership may be even worse if your job is affected by the housing market. This means, oddly enough, that a real-estate agent may enjoy a better risk-adjusted return from renting instead of buying. Another example is a worker in a "one-industry town."

5. You may have a job or career that requires moving around a lot. The costs of moving frequently could eat up the investment gains from housing. Noteworthy costs are the 5% to 6% brokerage fees to buy and sell.

6. The economy is always is a state of flux and we cannot rule out getting laid off from work now and then. The transaction costs of buying and selling several houses could erode gains for workers in cyclical industries, or those in jobs with variable/uncertain income. They are also exposed to the risk of being forced to sell a house at a loss during a downturn.

7. Many persons don’t want to be bothered with mowing the lawn, fixing leaky taps, and other household chores. They would rather spend their time golfing or making more money (another monetary gain that could be added to into rent-versus-buy calculations).

8. House prices in Canada are now overvalued by most measures. Gluskin Sheff economist David Rosenberg wrote in a recent report: "When the price-to-rent and price-to-income ratios are between 15% and 35% overvalued, you know that something isn’t quite normal. Not to mention the fact that mortgage debt relative to after-tax income and homeownership rates have hit all-time highs."

9. Buying now, after the recent sharp run-up in house prices, may not generate much of a return for the foreseeable future. Those recent gains were triggered by abnormally low interest rates, engineered to fight the recession. When the economy recovers, rates should climb back up and could cause house prices to level off, or even slip back.

10. Home ownership carries greater policy risk. To encourage home ownership and boost the economy during downturns, the government has progressively relaxed the conditions for buying a house. For example, the government supports the housing market through the RRSP Home Buyer’s Program and various measures under the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. These polices could be amended in the future in a way that undermines prices.

11. They don’t need the forced-savings aspect of homeownership; they are confident in their own saving and investing discipline. Moreover, they are not overly bothered by having to deal with a landlord (e.g. delays in repairs).

*I posted this for my future reference just in case we decided into home ownership. So far I like investing my money on stock market because the return of my investment went double just for a year. *

The one with the maintenance

2010-01-19T10:18:00.000-08:00

I'm currently blogging while having my car service for maintenance. I dreaded these moments as I have to wait 1 to 2 hrs to kill time. But today I'm prepared brought my laptop and shamelessly asked the owner for any wifi connection. Since I bought segundamano car of course it got some pros and cons. And the cons was given to me awhile ago I need to pay for a tune-up, fuel injection clean up and a routinary oil change want to know the amount? daan daraaannn... $300 canadian lang naman bohohoho. But come to think of it since I dont pay for the car just a regular maintenance, a few hiccups and monthly insurance, still not bad pa din unlike if I bought a new one with a monthly payments.

I like the service here in Minit Tune and Brake Auto Centres, they have wifi, free coffee, and a free pick up and drop off just in case your car will take longer to fix. And hey he just gave me a discount because I'm a regular!

Welcoming 2010

2010-01-02T06:15:00.000-08:00

I made Prime Rib Roast Beef, it was my first attempt since I liked what we had last 2009. Everybody raved for it and asked how did I do it. I can't take all the credits though since my Aunt guided me on how to do it. Well I find it quite easy marinate the Prime Rib overnight with crushed garlic, salt, pepper and rosemary. Pre heat the oven 450 deg then lower it to 400 deg ( types of oven varies) roast it for 3.5 hrs but cover it with foil. Prime Rib costs $15+ per kg I bought 3.2 kg for this occasion since were about 8-10 people.

We had Kare kare from Pips, Ube Macapuno Cake and Brazo de Mercedes of Goldilocks from my Sis, Roasted Chicken from Guests, and I made Macaroni Salad and Mashed Potatoes in addition with the Prime Rib. Oh my what a gastronomic delight we had!

Ang hirap maging bride

2009-12-31T17:21:00.000-08:00

Share ko lang, ang hirap maging bride abroad ang mahal ng wedding gown pati ang alteration almost half ng price ng gown mo! Kung ako masusunod that time wag na lang but my mom insisted you can see from the picture below how hands on she was.
Pero masaya ako that time kasi my MIL from NY was with us during my final fitting. Sarap no my 2 best mothers in my life was with me ;-)

Oh Canada

2009-12-31T17:09:00.000-08:00

Thank you Canada for everything this 2009. We look forward for a very happy, healthy, wealthy and wise 2010.

Reminiscing......

2009-12-31T17:03:00.000-08:00

J requested this shot, even it took him to kneel 15 minutes. Proof daw yan na nagpropose sya yay!

Someone wants me to have a baby

2009-12-31T06:52:00.001-08:00

In God's time, sometime, somehow, somewhere, someday .mmmmm what else?

I wish too!

2009-12-31T06:50:00.000-08:00

Stephos

2009-12-31T06:45:00.000-08:00

I want other people to suffer with me too just by looking at these too die for greek platter

Roast lamb with greek salad, rice pilaf, vege briani

Lamb chops medium rare .

Sex and the City 2

2009-12-25T11:57:00.000-08:00

When we went to New York last summer I saw this .....

Just imagine it made my day to know one of my fave movie was in the works.
And after a couple of months here is the movie trailer yay!

The Best Pies in Vancouver

2009-12-24T19:10:00.001-08:00

Savary Island Pie Company makes the best fruit/meat pies in Vancouver. They are located in West Vancouver and we waited 20 minutes outside just to buy one. With a whopping $25- $27 per one whole pie, people like us drive all the way just to have it for the holidays.

My silver Christmas Tree

2009-12-23T21:10:00.001-08:00

Been here for 3 yrs but finally I was able to put up my own christmas tree. I always rely on my Mom's beautiful gold themed Christmas tree. I decided silver theme would be ok and I thought I bought enough decorations but suddenly we bought a 7.5 ft tree, oh well anyway I will make up for next year's.

Christmas came early for a Rockband Babe!

2009-12-23T21:05:00.000-08:00

Santa came early to deliver this gift for meeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Someone's gonna get a nice gift this Christmas

2009-12-23T20:59:00.000-08:00

Some of the stuff we bought in Tulalip Washington, all for christmas gifts. Lucky people no?

Paranormal Activity

2009-11-02T12:06:00.001-08:00

When I heard the buzz about paranormal activity I was dedma. I'm not a fond of scary movie , I think I'm way past that stage in my life. Since my father passed away Im not scared of ghost stories anymore. If I heard, smell, see anything weird or unsual I would say hello?! or ignored it. Before turning off lights before going to sleep terrified me and even going to washroom in the middle of the night .

So it was Halloween night and it was our movie date too. I tried to convince J to watch MJ Movie but he told me he preferred scary movie this time. It was fun going to the mall and saw a lot of people dressed up for halloween. So we bought tickets and went inside, I got scared a bit when the guy beside me wore a vampire costume well if he look like Edward Cullen probably I would enjoyed it.

I couldn't believed I was scared sh*t, even J who let his eye's closed during the last minutes of the movie. This movie is way better than Blairwitch Project, the camera made me feel dizzy though. J told me he might not get good sleep after watching it since most of the scenes were filmed inside the bedroom. Stupid me to believed my sister it was true to life and the people in the movie were the real ones. Thanks to google and confirmed it was not true and we even watched the interviews of Katie and Micah. Otherwise it would have been an sleepless and frightful night for us.

Wedding, wedding galore

2009-10-28T06:50:00.000-07:00

With all the hulabaloo of Mar and Korina wedding, made me remember my own too. It was really nice to get married to someone you love most and tested through time. My wedding was somehow what I had dream and others were just perks.

1. Small wedding - Coming from a big family where every party was chaotic but fun. I hoped that I would have a fairly small and organize wedding. A simple but yet elegant reception and a very private one. The yacht wedding was a blessing in disguise to have, it was a very elegant, private, all in one venue for ceremony and reception, and we sailed around Vancouver!

Though of course we had regrets that most of our love ones was not there to celebrate with us, but I guess in life you cant have everything. Especially in wedding where you have to compromise things that you want and must have.

2. My wedding gown - I had a designer in mind that will make my wedding gown just in case we get married back home. A long veil train and ton's of bling embroidered into the wedding gown. Maybe you can feel my disappointment when I had an off the rack wedding gown. Since my budget for my wedding gown will not buy me the wedding gown of my dreams here but with the help of my mom and family I found the gown that made me look an elegant, stunning bride I wanted to be.

3. Flowers - Flowers were not the top of my wedding list but it's one of the most important part of the wedding. Imagine a bride without her bouquet? Boy! I was glad I've met this floral designer in time for my wedding. My reception venue gave me a nerve wracking quotation for flowers and it didn't include my bouquet and my entourage flowers. I don't want to go into details but I've got the flower's I love a 100x more without spending a fortune.

Just a tip! Choose flowers that will look good on pictures. White flowers were off my list as I've noticed that it didn't look nice. So I chose yellow and a bit of greens together as per my florist suggested. Calla lilies,stargazer lilies,roses, orchids were used for every guest table, ceremony, corsages, bride's and bridesmaid bouquet, flower girl basket and throw away bouquet.

4. Giveaways - Two months of wedding preparation didnt give me enough time to think of a nice and not so expensive giveaway. Do it yourself giveaway did not interest me, for me its just another stressful job. So I thought about a giveaway that would not go into waste and not be taken for granted . Something they can eat and enjoy during or after the wedding like chocolates! Chocolate could be an additional dessert to your wedding too! Thomas Haas is one of the top chocolate maker in Vancouver, he only have one branch but very famous for his pastry,dessert, coffee and chocolates. His chocolates are famous for event giveaways .The packaging for chocolates were elegant and expensive looking. And guess what? Out of 50+ boxes of chocolates that I ordered nothing was left behind for us :-) Good thing my photographer took a picture of it for me as my remembrance.

5. Food and Booze- Since we're in Canada might as well be Canadian. Since my guest list were fairly small the event planner told me might as well to have a "sit down lunch" meaning food will be serve to the guest. I dreamed about an eat all you can reception lol! with pinoy food and tons of dessert but since we have to think about other guest too whose not Filipino. Anyway I was not able to eat well during the reception. I felt overwhelmed, while J had ate all the food below. The appetizer that I looked forward to didn't reach me as well. I was thankful for our wonderful server who at least never forgot to give me a glass of champagne once in a while.

6. Make up- I'm a fan of "no make up look" and glad I've me Yuki through internet. She made me looked an "enhanced me" not the "different me". Ever since I wanted a look on my wedding that people or even my future grandchildren would recognize my wedding picture that it was me and not a Hollywood look a like.

Whew! what a long post hahaha. Another tip again is to ENJOY your wedding and don't look back about the flaws that had happened. Move on as they say and enjoy life. I'm thankful that I was able to have a wedding surrounded by the people I love.

New Moon Malapit na!

2009-10-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

Hello Twilight Peeps! Konting tulog na lang mapapanood na natin ang New Moon. I couldn't contain my excitement any longer. Everyday I have a "New Moon time" meaning I have to watch the movie trailers or read any updates about the movie. One time during family dinner I announced to my family I will watch it at least twice in the cinema. And J was sure that he's not included in my plan definitely it will be with my sister and cousin. I need some twilight love while watching it!

Got this youtube from foreverbellaswan big thanks for combining the 3 trailers.

Death Talk

2009-10-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

It was a sad time last week for our family. One of our beloved Auntie whose a cancer patient for 10 long years finally rest in peace. I wondered prior to the day she died I cant sleep that much. I blamed it to J who snores so loud but I thought I've been with him for so long that it didn't bother me at all. Or maybe because I'm getting older? So when I learned she died maybe that's the reason.

So even though I'm thousands of miles away, I tried my best to help. Me and my Aunt had a heart to heart talk a few years ago. Since I bought a few memorial lots in a private cemetery for our family primarily for my father and my grandparents(still alive). I know it may sound stupid but we both know since she got cancer, she might die from it. She felt relieved when I told her we will bury her remains beside my father. So that every Nov 1 our family will not be divided from one cemetery to another.

One of the best thing my father thought me was "prepare for the worst, hope for the best". We filipinos ignore the "Death talk" kasi it's bad daw. My father's only wish was that his remains will be in a private cemetery. When he was a kid my lola asked him to visit his baby brother's tomb in a public cemetery to light a candle and he was shocked when he saw that his brothers tomb was gone. Nobody informed them that somebody will pull it out, he went home crying.

Actually even my father was alive pa, we bought the memorial lot. By the time he died it's one less worry for me. Memorial lots are getting expensive every year and you have to think the additional cost of funeral casket, funeral service, food etc. Just imagine the emotional grieve of your family and the financial grieve too. Some relies with "abuloy" which is not enough for a decent funeral.

So after my father died I got myself insured enough to cover a decent funeral and for some miscellaneous expenses. Life insurance in the philippines are expensive imagine I paid Php 3,500 quarterly for Php 100,000 coverage + some money benefits mabigat din sa bulsa no?n Canada for a term life insurance for me $10 a month lang for $100,000. So shop around what's best for you and your budget, believe me it's worth it.

So back to my Auntie, I learned she has SSS and she could get funeral benefits for Php 20,000 and probably some monthly allowance for the kids and spouse. In SSS I think you should at least contribute for minimum 3 yrs to get benefits for the family. Oh before I forget once you have a private memorial lot in addition you have to pay a "hukay fee" pag may ililibing sa lot mo. With our case we paid Php 14,500 now but with my father Php 10,000 as of year 2003 see the cost difference? Ang mahal no? Nakakaawa nalang everytime na meron namamatay na hindi prepared. Hindi mo naman sila masisisi kasi they dont have money to spare para mapaghandaan ang ganitong kalagayan. Buhay Pilipinas nga naman, all we can do from here is to pray and to blog these things so we can learn from it.

Happy 6 years!

2009-10-12T15:26:00.000-07:00

"J teary eyed during my bridal walk"

To my dearest ex boyfriend now husband,

Happy BF/GF Anniversary! Salamat sa pagiging sobrang mabait at maunawain na asawa.
Salamat din sa napakagandang regalo mong ibinigay para sa ating dalawa. At yun ay ang pag quit mo ng sigarilyo. For me that's the biggest thing ever, it means more good healthy life years for us together. I do hope more travel, food adventures ahead for us. Sana matuloy ang ating European adventure (wishful thinking). The most happiest and important moment in my life was I've met and married you.

Steveston Village

2009-10-12T14:11:00.000-07:00

Since we had a sunny yet cold Sunday, J and I decided to go to Steveston Village in Richmond. A 40min drive from our place. Steveston Village is Vancouver so called "mini fisherman's wharf ala SFO".

Things to do in Steveston According from their website:

1.	Receive a warm friendly welcome from everyone you meet.
2.	Have breakfast at one of our great coffee shops.
3.	Phone friends and meet them for breakfast or lunch.
4.	Grab "The Steveston Villager" to find your way around and check the Calendar of Events.
5.	Enjoy the sandy beaches of Garry Point Park.
6.	Charter a boat and go fishing.
7.	Cast for salmon off our public fishing wharves.
8.	Buy all your postal needs at our Museum/Post Office.
9.	Enjoy the new Canning Line Exhibit at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Nat’s Historic Site.
10.	Watch for seals in the harbor.
11.	Visit Britannia Heritage Shipyard and their new visitor centre.
12.	Watch the fishers mend their nets.
13.	Smell the budding cottonwood in the spring!
14.	Visit the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site.
15.	Enjoy the food of over 3 dozen restaurant and food services.
16.	Picnic at London Heritage Farm and their wonderful gardens.
17.	Jog , bike or just walk our trail system.
18.	Please excuse our "construction zones". We're growing!
19.	Visit the Interurban Tram's new location.
20.	Feed the ducks and seagulls.
21.	Visit our Library at the Community Centre.
22.	Toss your troubles away ...anything goes, relax, relax, relax!
23.	Go fly a kite at Garry Point Park.
24.	Go fishing off one of our public fishing piers.
25.	Make dinner reservations at one of our fine dining or casual restaurants.
26.	Enjoy the Japanese Gardens at Garry Point Park.
27.	Look for the lights of our lighthouses at Garry Point park, bringing home our fishers.
28.	Check out our newly opened stores.
29.	Watch the incredible sunsets.
30.	Watch the incredible sunrises.
31.	Try bird watching on the Fraser River.
32.	Stay the night and enjoy Live Music at the Steveston Hotel.
33.	Say a prayer at the Fisherman’s Memorial at the boats and crew that have gone down.
34.	Browse through our fishing supply houses for hard to find treasures.
35.	Get a great Massage before lunch.
36.	Make an appointment at one of our many hair salons or our barber.
37.	Explore our fine art galleries.
38.	Shop our stores for Canadian goods, arts and crafts.
39.	Watch the progress on fish boats built at Britannia Shipyards.
40.	Visit our Fisherman's Mermorial at Garry Point.
41.	Send postcards to all your friends, telling them about this magical place.
42.	Watch the planes come in at Garry Point.
43.	Bring your camera to catch a treasured moment.
44.	Enjoy the salty sea air on your walk.
45.	Sit on a bench and watch our busy harbor.
46.	Check out nesting bald eagles, but don’t harass.
47.	Enjoy food from all over the world.
48.	Our bookstores carry works by local poets and writers.
49.	Avoid big city crowds .. our discriminating shops offer treats and surprises.
50.	Lots of places to eat .. from burgers to award winning seafood.
51.	Watch for street entertainment and music on weekends.
52.	Count the seagulls chasing the Eagles.
53.	Wake up in Steveston and enjoy the hospitality.!
54.	Have a picnic at Garry Point, complete with bonfire.
55.	Check out our fresh farm produce.
56.	Warm yourself with award winning chowders.
57.	Count the number of trollers you can find.
58.	Find the best fish and chips in Steveston it’s really a hard choice.
59.	Enjoy the old photos and artifacts at the Steveston Museum.
60.	Watch the Herons fishing the river in the evening.
61.	Watch the fishing boats unloading their catch.
62.	Take a Cannery Channel Tour or Fishing, Diving, Firework or Sunset Cruise charter.
63.	Have your boat fiberglassed or engine overhauled.
64.	Follow the railway tracks at No. 1 Road and Moncton and visit the Steveston Inter Urban Tram.
65.	Check out our newly added street lights to brighten your way.
66.	Visit our Heritage Sites, we have many see our Heritage Sites home page.
67.	Take a tour of Britannia Heritage Shipyards.
68.	Try beachcombing along the river for fishing net floats.
69.	Play a of game of racquetball at the Community Centre.
70.	Count the number of fishing boats going in and out of the harbor.
71.	Enjoy the smells of Steveston in the summertime.
72.	Check out our "collectable" and antique shops
73.	Find the best in everyday grocery, bakery, deli and vegetable shopping.
74.	Looking for clothes bargains? Try our consignment shops for adults and children.
75.	Take a guided visit to Shady Island, as at Britannia Heritage Shipyard.
76.	Find the best bakery in town, we’ve got many.
77.	Book your travel plans for your return trip to Steveston with our travel agent.
78.	Find the best seafood bargains at our Fisherman's Wharf.
79.	Find out how fresh air feels instead of feeling "malled".
80.	Watch for Herons nesting in the spring.
81.	Cast for fish from our beaches.
82.	Observe the Eagles nesting and feeding their young.
83.	Count the many species of wildfowl on the river.
84.	Find some of the finest world renowned native art in the Lower Mainland
85.	Make plans to spend time at some Salmon Festival events.
86.	Watch your children ..oooh and ..aah at the variety of different sea life.
87.	Take a guided "Walking Tour" of Steveston, handbooks available at the Museum/Post Office.
88.	Take the children to play or swing at Steveston Park.
89.	Bike the dike, or walk the baby carriage.
90.	Brave the element and watch the Santa Claus Parade on Dec. 24.
91.	Enjoy a game of tennis at night at the Community Centre courts.
92.	Take an yoga class at our Serendipitous store.
93.	Take a class at Britannia Shipyard.
94.	Find out why feeding the seagulls is dangerous.
95.	Find the best looking Sweatshirt or Hat in town or have one embroidered.
96.	Take a Martial Arts Class at the community Centre.
97.	Wake up at one of our Bed & Breakfasts.
98.	Make plans to stay the night at our local Hotel.
99.	Don't leave it too long before your next visit check out our travel agent.
100.	Find the best kept secret in Richmond .....Come feel the spirit of Steveston.

Ang dami no? We arrived there around 9am, blame it to J who woke up early. And beg me to go out and have breakfast outside take note. At first I noticed that they still have those small old houses/store but very well maintained. Their Fisherman's Wharf amaze me, its way different from Quay's around Vancouver. Boats by the dock sell fresh frozen fish( huh fresh ba yun?). Well at least hindi commercialized .

I miss Tanay Dike where every morning you can buy fresh, live tilapia,bangus, hipon, galunggong. J freaked out and traumatized when he saw fresh, live fish killed and cleaned up in front of him. Specially tilapia who looked like his flower horn. He sworn never to eat tilapia again.

Anyway back to Steveston, I wish I know how to cook foreign fish. Foreign kasi like salmon, sole,
octopus, sardines, urchins to name a few eh pang fried, sinigang, paksiw lang alam ko.
Which J dont like at all *sigh* ang hirap pag "meatarian" ang asawa mo. The only thing I bought was the BC Spot Prawns. It was funny I asked if it was cooked because its orange already. Eh asian ako eh sanay ako sa Tiger Prawn na kulay gray na pag luto lang nagiging orange hehehe.

Then we went to Steveston Restaurant which according to them they have the best fish and chips. Kahit weird and early morning we ordered 2 coho fish and chips, then 2 pancake,bacon and eggs. The verdict? The best pancake ever! hahaha sobrang laki ng pancake no? kung di lang carbs yan inubos ko lahat hahaha.The fish and chips was good too, J told me hindi sya malansa. My husband is becoming a food critic. Our server was very attentive and told us that their serving is good for 2. Our coffee was always refilled, I think I had 3 cups which the side effect was Im up till 12 midnight.

J had a blast watching the pelican, swans around. He love birds, we stayed long just to get a glimpse of his bald eagle which never showed up. He was jealous of the people who went on a trip for whale watching. Which by the way will cost you $120 to $175 per person for a couple of hours. I love the area of Steveston very relaxing, very SFO type nga. Nice people, good food,fresh seafood, fresh air, very accessible and easy to find. So come and visit na!

A-maze-ing Sunday

2009-10-09T13:35:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Summer! Hello Autumn! For me autumn season is sad, short daytime, cold weather slowly creeping in, falling leaves, rains and more rains. But when its sunny and Sunday, we try to make sure we go out and catch some needed vitamin D.

So we went to English Bay and we found this new street art called A-maze-ing Laughter by Yue MinJun from China. Just by looking at those Bronze Statues, it will perk up your day. The kid inside me was out that day. I had fun goofing around with them. I'll post some of the decent pictures here:-)

Then we went to hunt down some open restaurant which serves breakfast. J's kinda picky when it comes to restaurant. Since its Sunday the only day in a week where we could spoiled ourselves with good restaurant food, I obliged. We ended up with Knight and Day Restaurant it was kinda new, I could tell by the look of the decor/carpet inside. We were seated right away and ordered coffee first. Knight and Day offers good breakfast menu. J ordered breakfast meal consist of 3 pancakes, 2 eggs, ham, bacon and sausage. While I got the 2 poached eggs and ham on an english muffin with the yummy/calorific hollandaise sauce and potatoes.

Wow that breakfast date was one of a kind. Food was yummy, the serving was huge, the price was reasonable,the service was good! J and I praised ourselves that we picked a good restaurant that time. Usually when the food and service was bad, J would tell me "nah blacklisted".

Before our Sunday ends, we went to Ikea. Believe it or not we went there only for the Almond Cake that I was craving for the long time. I was overjoyed when I saw that they sell them in boxes. I thought it was per slice only which is $1 + in their cafeteria. I bought 2 boxes that I hope will last for at least 2 weeks hahaha.

Look what Typhoon Ondoy did to my beloved Tanay Rizal

2009-09-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

I cried, got worried sick when I watched last saturday night video's from the Philippines. I was in panic when I cant get through to my family. Knowing our place in Rizal "bahain" since we live close by the lakeshore. Thanks to my SIL was able to contact them and they are all safe. But the flood got inside our place. Hanggang tuhod daw, worried primarily to my grandparents who chose to live on the ground floor of their house. Walang business, walang pera, walang kuryente.

I get depress more whenever me ganitong calamity. You cant do anything but to pray and send some money. Then I saw this video posted in facebook. I couldn't believe my beloved Tanay now. The bridge I used to pass by whenever I go to our market , damage. And the coop building damage beyond repair. So much mess! I hope all the Tanayan's will get together and unite to help build Tanay again.

7.58 pm- finally I was able to call my family. They told me the flood is still above the knee deep inside the house. Some of my relatives are in evacuation center since there are no electricity and they cant use their own toilets. My aunt told me they need water, food supply especially for the kids. The relief goods are not enough and are not properly distributed to the victims. In short me corruption pa din ... grrrrr!

As of today 35 people dead in the municipality of Tanay. Most of their remains are in Tanay Public High School. My Grandparents resist to leave their house no matter what. My only fear if the flood did not subside soon, dengue and other stagnant water disease will affect them.

Highlights of our New York Trip

2009-09-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

From westcoast meets eastcoast, finally a dream came true! We officially arrived NY Sept 2 which was our 1st month as a married couple. Sweet no? and susyal parang rich lol! Imagine 1st monthsary spent in NY. But let me remind you our trip in NY was not honeymoonish it was tiring as we spent our days, out by 11am then slept at 2am.

Since most of our trips for the past 3yrs Im blogging it was rare I was able to finish a day by day stories of our trip. Well sorry I'm a busy hardworking, no house-help, tv-holic woman. No luxury time to blog and ever since writing was not my passion ( very obvious naman lol!) this blog is meant for my families and friends back home. And maybe someday for my future kiddos, so they would know where their evolution came from lol!.

Highlights: 1. Business class all the way Cathay Pacific - wow sarap sarap! I can get used to it. In business lounge pa lang busog ka na sa snacks,booze, coffee and other drinks. It was funny that before check in I let J ate a lot from the airport food court since we will wait 2 hrs more I dont want a cranky husband. I got used to bad food in economy section, I thought since 5 hours lang naman maybe simple food lang like light snacks will be serve. Eh grabe it was full meal pala and the seats super comfy so both of us were so excited, sa sobrang excited and busog di na makatulog. The service was very good, we're spoiled!
2.Subway moment- at first disappointed ako kasi first subway ko mabaho (ang arte no?) pasensya na galing kaming Vancouver kaya medyo matapang ang pang amoy namin sa mabaho. And sobrang init sa ilalim kasi medyo summer pa totoo nga parang subway ng quiapo yung ilalim sobrang daming tao. In fairness hindi lahat ng subway station like that meron modern and makabago like yung subway station pa staten ferry terminal .Sana lahat ng subway ganun pero imposible kasi sobrang laki ng NY subway to maintain lang parang imposible na.

Anyway back to subway nakakanerbyos pag nasa loob ka na tren kasi sobrang bilis and makalampag sobrang daming bad imagination nasa isip ko at that time. Pero the good thing about it it seems everywhere around NY is possible and gets you there in no time. Because if you'll drive around you will not only waste gas, you will waste your precious time. Imagine NY at 12 midnight traffic kaloka.

Take note J and I conquer subway without J's mom help. One time lang hehehe. Before going to NY try to understand the subway rules kasi sobrang daming tourist dun and tanong ng tanong for direction. Eh waste lang ng time pag nawala ka medyo nakakatakot din or stick with your tourist bus and taxi. 3. Grayline Tourist Bus (for 2 days pass $52 each me tawad pa lol!) - Nag grayline tourist bus kami for 2 days just to get a glimpse of the whole NY NY like tourist and movie spots in downtown, uptown, brooklyn and even a night tour which is a must to do in NY.

Grabe nakita ko yung school ng Gossip Girl and the funny thing was I'm the only one on the bus who reacted when they mentioned it lol! Sobrang ganda ng tour na yun but bring a hat and wear sunblock if day tour. The night tour was awesome syempre di ba ang ganda ng NY sa mga movies pag gabi eh di lalo na pag in person. Yung Brooklyn Bridge palang panalo na eh and that time since gabi medyo cool na ang hangin masarap yakapin ang iyong katabi parang sweet ang moment somehow. 4.Grand Central Terminal- Wow ang laki nya and well maintained . I observed around but parang walang seats sa mismong terminal( parang sa hollywood movies). Anyway me foodcourt underground, affordable and wide selections of foods to choose from. 5.Empire State Building- We were thankful at that time coz less people we were up by less than 30 mins. The view was breathtaking we waited till sunset para makita namin ang NY by nightime I had a feast by taking tons of pictures. Please have in mind no seats there so pag pagod kana baba kana. And wala ding food vendor maybe to avoid crowd staying longer. So make sure you eat first before going to Empire State. 6.Times Square- J and I had so many goofy moments here. This is where the real NY is, too much lights, too many people, too many cars, too many vendors. As they say " this is where all the actions are". We enjoyed it to the point that every night we were there. Eh kasi dun lang malapit yung subway station na alam ko pauwi hehehe. It was a very good idea to put tables and chairs in the middle of Times Square. Cool to hang out and just do people watching. 7.Statue of Liberty- OMG ang laki nya but very fragile pala. If you go there wag na kayo bumili ng ticket to go inside the statue mainit daw kasi walang aircon and sobrang tagal ng pila kasi limited person lang allowed to go inside at a time. Malaki yung park around Statue of Liberty and sobrang mahangin kasi sa gitna ng dagat. If you can bring baon and have lunch there you will have an awesome view of Manhattan skyline. 8.World Trade Center Site - Paid tribute offered a short prayer for the WTC victims. Parang construction site na lang ang dating nya it was like nothing bad happened. Pati yung mga buildings around nya bago na din. Me miraculous church near WTC na hindi na damage, not even a single glass daw. Since financial district area, it was my first time na ma encounter yung sobrang daming tao na makakasalubong mo parang walking stampede. You should walk fast as you can muntik na nga kaming magkahiwalay nun. 9. Watched 9 to 5musical in Broadway - Good thing J's mom treated us to a Broadway show, because usually I took it for granted. I thought we will not appreciate it and waste of money. I was so dead wrong about it. We watched 9 to 5 musical sobrang ganda parang concert din but smaller venue. I think from now on whenever we have famous broadway shows on tour here in Vancouver we will try to watch.
10. Shake Shack in Madison Square Park- Just to get here before closing we decided to take a taxi buti na lang hindi traffic we paid $10 only. Just to order it took us 30 - 45 mins, the line was long and another 10 to 15 mins to get your order. I ordered their famous shake shack burger , hotdog and milkshake (omg calorific!). The verdict ? it was good but our vera's burger is way better according to J whose a burger addict. 11. Grays Papaya- Susmio! we walked like 2 avenues not block just to buy their hotdog. Everyone's talking about it eh, even our tour guide. The verdict? ok sya for the price and I love their pineapple juice and our version of coconut juice( manila calling daw!). 12. Dallas BBQ- What a great find! thanks to J's mom. Their serving was huge and the price was reasonable. I love the BBQ Ribs with shrimp, rice, corn bread while J had a feast on their NY steak. We ate there several times sa sobrang sarap!
13. Feast on Everything NY- NY cheesecake, NY steak, NY hotdog, NY pizza etc. kaloka I gained 4 lbs ata! because the servings was huge. And until now no matter exercise I do, I cant loose the lbs. True about " a minute on the lips, forever on the hips" wahhhh!

14. Cheap Shopping- Since the maraming stores around they offered good price but you better be a smart shopper . Dont get excited when you see sale items, when you look around pa you will see much lower prices. For example souvenir shirts others offered 5 for $10, others 7 for $11. Go to macy's for good discounts for tourist and Soho too. Oh dont forget Chinatown too hahaha!

15. MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art) - I could spend a day or 2 here. It was like a big dept store for me but knowledgeable lol! My dream to see a real mummy in person or anything Egyptian came true. They have a big section just for Egypt artifacts. You can touch some of them. I had a blast just reading all the labels on each artifact.It was so amazing! eyecandy talaga.

They have a European Sculpture and Decorative Arts section which I love most where every room was like a palace of queen's and king's. It was like your in a blast from the past moment. It's not just a imagination from a book it's for real kulang na lang naka princess gown ka kumpleto na hahaha.

Tip: If you want to save some cash.You dont have to pay the entrance admission for every museum. Just tell the cashier you'll just give donation like $5. Of course it has limitation but for me it was ok since we spent only a few hours.

16. Rockefeller and NBC studios - It was our first tourist spot we visited. Since it was in downtown NY, mega na igno ako sa daming building not just building but very tall ones. I was surprised when I saw Dean and Deluca. This is where Today Show being held when they're outside. Sayang we didnt have the chance to go there early morning.

17.Magnolia Bakery- If you're a fan of Sex and the City definitely you'll try their cupcakes. Even a whopping $3 usd each mega buy parin ako lol!

18.St. Patrick's Cathedral- Never forget to visit at least one church if you're traveling. Well if you have a chance to see one. Just say a little prayer for guidance , safe travel and one little wish.
I love this church it's huge and very vatican type.Just be considerate not to take picture's too much. Remember it's still a church that needs to be respected.

19.Central Park - Wow I love it! Central Park did not fail me. It was so green, clean and ton's of benches. Though my romantic carriage ride did not happen. Medyo na me topak lang ako when we went there. But were happy we were able to take a pic with these famous area in central park.

20. Ellis Island Immigration Museum- Sobrang nakarelate ako sa place na to. As an Immigrant, I consider myself lucky today. Of course high tech na tayo, unlike way way back. They have to go through all those manual testing and screenings just to get in to USA.

All in all we enjoyed NY. It was fun, filling, tiring, eyecandy, knowledgeable and humbling experience. NY made me appreciate Vancouver more. NY made me realize that I love museums. NY is indeed one of the best cities in the World. There are so many things to do in NY. I think no matter how many times you visit, you will never ran out of things to do. I would definitely go back to NY to spend more time in MET and hang out more in Central Park. Maybe in 2 years again?

NY here I come!

2009-08-29T06:40:00.000-07:00

Slap me! Slap me! Can't believe Im going to NY for real! Thank you to our sponsor for this trip (J'sBoss) bless you bless you! Thank you also for uprading it to business class in Cathay Pacific so that a 5 hrs trip will be convenient for us.

I remember those days watching Sex and the City and now Gossip Girl or any movie that was filmed in NY. Wishing when can I go there for real? I keep on putting it on hold for the past 2 yrs because for so many reasons. God has been very good to me and I'm thankful for that.

Itinerary for my visit, my wishlist of places I'll probably go to:
1.Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge - remember steve and miranda made up and move on from sex and the city the movie.
2.Time Square- I dont care eventhough my friend told me parang quiapo daw dito sa sobrang daming tao.
3.Statue of Liberty- san ka pa lol?
4.Central Park- will stroll around via horse carriage (cheesy lol)
5.Empire State- who will forget sleepless in seattle?
6.World Trade Center Site
7.Shake Shack- famous burger joint in Madison Square Garden(takaw!)

and the rest will be improptu na lang just surprise me NY!

Go Team Jacob!

2009-08-29T06:10:00.000-07:00

Oh my New Moon's Trailer are getting better and better. Which makes us giddy and more excited, looking forward to November 20! Actually out of the 4 books of the Twilight Saga, New Moon was my least favourite why? because I lost my appetite for 4 days while listening to it(ty audio books). Just imagining Bella loosing Edward *sigh* the depression moments. There was a point that I skipped chapters and chapters looking for any Edward moments again but I thought I'm unfair to Jacob might as well to listen to it and give it a try. This book made love and hate Edward fo leaving Bella and falling for Jacob (taksil!) for taking care of Bella. The best chapter for me in New Moon was Chapter 23: The Truth, when Bella woke up from Italy and Edward was trying to let Bella believe his real and not just a dream. Their conversations were euphoric for me I've never been tired of listening to it over and over.Ok enough of this time to face the real world again.

Official Wedding Pictures

2009-08-27T04:53:00.000-07:00

Finally we got the pictures from our photographer and J uploaded it to our wedsite for our friends and family to see. Take note these pictures were only 150 out of 1,000 so ENJOY!

www.christyandjun.com

My Edward and Bella Moment

2009-08-27T04:40:00.001-07:00

Just wanna share one of my favourite pictures from our prenup session. The location was in UBC (university of british columbia) and Spanish Banks a five minute drive beach from UBC. Vancouver still left me in awe eventhough I live here for 3 yrs so many places I've never been to and these places were one of them. When our photographer Ray Gonzales lead us to the UBC woods I though "wow" I'll gonna have a pic ala "Bella and Edward" so I was game all the time!

Our prenup lasted for 4-5 hours, it was too tiring and were in a rush to get the sunset shot, So many good pics if only I could print them all and put them in a photo frame lol!

The Time Traveller's Wife

2009-08-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

OMG! I love best selling novels turned into a movie! It's like all your imagination/dreams came true. If you want to fall in love, giggle, smile, feel good and at the same time cry buckets of tears watch it! watch it! This movie made me remember about my past about a father and daughter relationship. I wish I have the ability to time travel and go back see/hug him again. Made me appreciate about my present life having a wonderful husband whose always by my side with my loving family. And made me worry about my future how to deal about losing someone you love and made you wonder if you can handle it. Geez! believe it or not whenever I think about this movie I still cry. Worth every penny!

Officially Married

2009-08-17T22:46:00.000-07:00

Today I got our Marriage Certificate from Victoria BC. And today made me realize I'm a married woman now ouch! I must admit during the past 2 weeks after the wedding things slowly went back to normal. And for us whose been together as in living together for 5-6 years as if no wedding had taken place oh except I'm $$$$$ poorer lol!

I'm looking forward our honeymoon in NYC (J's Boss gift!), now Im thinking its not gonna be a real honeymoon because J's mom live there lol! Thanks to my Ex - Boss for the $$$$.$$ wow I was surprise, shocked when I saw the cheque. And to all the donations errr gift cheques pala, it's cool to get married here mostly cash.

So much thing still going on, back to work saving again. Whew! Lesson learned get married only once in your life (try your very best) Planning my own wedding was one of the most stressful time in my life. Would you believed that all I did was sleep for a week after the wedding. That's the product of all the wedding nightmares and lack of sleep for 2 months. I cant imagine those bride's out there planning the wedding for 2 years, I almost got crazy and paranoid thank God it's done and were over it.

Married at Last!

2009-08-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

After 2 chaotic months of wedding planning, were married! It was sunny and not too hot, for me it was a perfect day. Our wedding went smoothly and fast. The only problem I encountered on my wedding day was my wedding bouquet mixed up and the table arrangement . Everybody was telling me how relaxed I am, to be honest I didnt feel any nervousness or anxiety at that time. I just want our wedding to be done and over with lol! To all my family and friends thank you so much!

What a coincidence?!

2009-07-06T14:36:00.001-07:00

This picture was taken place during J's second day in Canada. I brought him to Stanley Park and was amazed by this Yacht. Little did we know were gonna get married here after almost 2 years later.

Our Wedsite

2009-07-06T14:28:00.000-07:00

Presenting our official wedsite http://www.christyandjun.com made of course by my honey J.
Almost 1 whole day spent making this site mabilisang gawa ito ika nga. Since we didnt have enough time I told J nevermind doing a website. But knowing him webdeveloper at heart of course mawawala ba ang website. I was just in charge of choosing our picture, it was tiring since we have thousands of pictures together well imagine 6 years hahaha. And I dont want to put my chubby pictures bohoho but J told me its the only way we can describe our life together for the past years the good and the bad.

It was fun though, I enjoyed working with him choosing pictures and appropriate music that comes together with our slideshow. Medyo maraming na touch ng makita nila ang website especially those who really knows us. Our life together was not like "A walk in the park" its full of dramas, adventures and misadventures. But in the end were still together , strong and still love each other even after 6 years had past.

My Wedding Shoes!

2009-06-30T17:48:00.000-07:00

Finally after so many hours spent looking for not so traditional wedding shoes , with some blings , a sexy looking type and with wow factor according to J (yeah that's my requirements). I found one in the most unexpected place bwahaha Winners! got it 50% off from the retail price. Though it was out of my budget parin :-( well I can still wear them after the wedding. Sometimes when Im bored and stressed out I just wear it around the house (so I can get used to it practice ba!) to make me smile and laugh at myself whenever I trip off or fell out of balance.

Our Wedding Invites

2009-06-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

We have 2 kinds of Invites for the Wedding

1. From thepaperqueen.com - its a unique invites I dont like the typical wedding invites and since were in a rush I decided to have it done around town and in just 3 days voila! done. I did everything online except for pick up.

2.Here's the E-mail Invites made by J - we had good raves about this invites that we decided to have it printed postcard type with map on the back just go to staples.ca very easy and affordable too! We will send this for pinas para at least they will have an idea what kind of wedding we'll gonna have.

Nakakainis lang

2009-06-29T06:55:00.000-07:00

Ayoko mag start ng monday kong inis na inis ako. I dont want to have a melt down so I rather take this out on my blog. I dont care kung me tamaan dito.

I hate it when...

1. nagmamagaling always feeling tama at the end will just messed up the plan.
2. took advantage of the situation when they know you have money and saving for something, and said "dont worry let me know when you need it I'll give it back to you" and now acting deadma!
3. feeling rich! pero pag your asking na to pay up! will said to you " kala ko ba youre doing ok na why you need money pa" HELLO! that's our money were not asking money from you!
4. Will tell to other people "how come di ako invited! eh di nyo sinasagot phone nyo kahit voicemail nyo mukhang deadma kau! mukhang me pinagtataaguan kayo eh.
5. feeling businessman- " Dapat magbusiness na lang dito sa pinas para di mo na kailangan magkatulong sa ibang bansa" and now kinain nya salita nya because nagmamakaawa syang tulungan para maging caregiver. and how come pag your out of money to whom you ask money for help ? kanino pa kundi sa mag nagkatulong mong kamaganak sa abroad!
6.feeling rich or sosyal! " how come you want to migrate pa abroad eh ang hirap ng buhay dun ok naman kayo dito nakita ko hirap ng mom mo dun eh" yun naman pala alam nyo ng mahirap din buhay sa abroad pero how come pag kelangan nyo ng pera dahil di nyo kayang bayaran medical bills nyo dyan eh kanino kayo nag aask ng help kung dun sa mga kamaganak nyong nasa abroad na mahirap ang buhay diba?! ibenta nyo mga kotse nyo mga plastic people!
7.feeling me principyo! kunwari galit sa tao pero pag binigyan ng pera kinukuha din naman.
8.freeloader! ok lang masarap talagang libre ka paminsan minsan pero hello chip in once in a while.
9.feeling patriotic! they dont want to migrate blah blah pero tingnan mo kung saan saan nakikitira sa abroad.
10. selfish! di makaintindi ng situation mo iiyakan ka nalang its hard to say no but you have to! sobra na eh!
11. Backstabber! "asan invitation ko sa wedding nyo?" hello ?! cant you remember you tried messing up with my life when were new in canada? feeling mo I forgot those things na? Dream on dude!

Wedding Photographer Booked!

2009-06-23T22:18:00.000-07:00

I was in a panic mode lately since most of the Wedding Photographer in Vancouver were booked na. Kasi ba naman 2 months prep for wedding is crazy so expect the unexpected. Luckily my sis was browsing some wedding magazine saw an Ad the name looks Filipino. Went to his website http://www.raygonzalesphoto.com/ we like his style and gave him a call and the rest was history.

Grabe sobrang mahal talaga ang mga photography services dito. My dream for a Mimi and Karl was long gone since were getting married here. And the budget I allotted for photo is just good for services only meaning wala pang wedding album hay kaloka lol!

I like Ray he asked me what I want in our pictures told him I want a scenery type because I want my family and friends to see the beauty of Vancouver. And guess what we will have an engagement photo session again! addict sa pic but this time we will choose a place within Vancouver excited!excited!...

As of today wedding date, rings, wedding venue, gowns and tuxedo, wedding photographer booked and done! :-)

New Moon Official Trailer

2009-06-17T13:08:00.001-07:00

Gosh kahit busy ako sa wedding planning, cant help myself checking for new moon update! And finally during MTV awards the Official Trailer came out! I think I didnt breath while watching the trailer and after that I did scream and giggle with excitement. It made my day so beautiful ang babaw . Kahit na master ko na ata ang word per word ng Twilight series, I bought the books and DVD too. Addict talaga...

We have a Wedding Venue!

2009-06-16T22:12:00.000-07:00

Vancouver is a very nice city specially summer and its high peak for weddings as well. Our first choice is of course Philippines but since we have to do it soon for personal reasons but Im not pregnant ok (so many people were asking me). So upon checking online J and I surprisingly agreed on a cruise wedding or a park wedding. J knows what he wants, while me Im always on the balancing side of course you have to think about the budget since were paying for everything. Im not a Bridezilla type cool lang ako so far its J who was almost making tantrums lately when Im holding out on things eventhough I like it too.

So yesterday we spent the whole day checking out with 3-4 reception venue we like so far.

1. sunset bay charters - The only cruise ship we like with all the cruise line offering weddings. It a 110 ft luxury yacht, amazing love love it. Were totaly sold out but the thing is they are booked for dinner cruise on our wedding date but they have lunch cruise open so we discussed the details including the estimated amt ...mahalia jackson in short told J maybe we should think about it and told them to hold the reservation for within day. The event planner was so nice and attentive, answered all my questions and gave me suggestions. Making me feel like dont worry too much we will take care of everything just take care of the bill lol! In fairnes I was quoted with flowers, linens taxes, tips probably that's why it was so expensive na hay kaloka!

2. brock house restaurant - Nakaka dissapoint lang kasi ok sakin ang package nila ampangit and amoy matanda sa loob maybe because of the carpet and since small wedding lang ako they will put me on the 2nd floor which is so panget. Dapat i renevote nila kasi outside ng Brockhouse is the beach and really nice for big gathering only since they have a very nice elegant tent outside.

3. seasons restaurant in queen elizabeth park - I love their restaurant with a view facing downtown, what a very nice view but the thing is the room that I like will not be private for us some of the restaurant customers might pass by when they go to the washroom. And I need to a hire wedding planner,florist, linen rentals, decorator, musicians to make the place more alive though much cheaper sya compare ke no.1 but with all the hassle I think I will end up the same cost I was quoted to no.1

4. wedgewood hotel - a very chic hotel in downtown, rated best in service, best rooms, best in house restaurant and best price too hahaha. At this point J didn't want to listen to me, his totally sold out with the Yacht told me to book them before the day ends almost begging me hahaha.

And so today we signed and booked the slot. Sunset Bay Yacht is our official wedding ceremony and reception on Aug 2 2009 check out the video awesome.

Say YES to the dress!

2009-06-16T21:14:00.000-07:00

At first I'm determined I'll buy a plain white dress and a nice designer shoes like Carrie in the Sex and the City the Moviefor a Civil Wedding. Then I tried some white dress from different retail shops around, pero di ko feel. Wala akong gana in short, feeling ko di ako special hahaha. Then me and my sis went to Bryansbride in Brentwood Town Center it was an amazing experience. At first me drama coz typically they ask when is the wedding date, then they told me I can't Pre order dress I have to stick with what they have in store because my wedding is less than 12 weeks away. I was shocked, I almost cry, upset called my mom kinda blamed her coz she keeps on telling me before just save up some money the rest will be easy. But I guess its never too early to prepare for a wedding. So I composed myself though I was in panic mode but move on and just enjoy the moment.

Every girl needs to experience shopping and trying on some wedding dress even once in there life. The Consultant was very attentive to my needs she let me tried more than 10 dresses. At first she lets me choose dress that I like, of course I love bling haha so just imagine me and my sis picked some dress with so much bling/beads on it. Nakakapagod pala mag change ng ibat ibang gown but with that we figured out what's best for my body type. So I chose 3 gowns and re-scheduled for a new appointment with my mom and sis.

Next day excited lol! My sis, my mom plus her BF came over too! At first I was feeling like "hello for the girls lang ito!" . But later on I've felt he was there because he was there for fun, for the moment, to check every detail, he care and to give opinions which gowns suits me better. I miss my Papa tuloy I remember he was with me when were looking for my Debut gown.

The final 3 gowns I chose was out though we fell in love with 1st gown A line with bling on top but it was a bit tight on me. Though I was hopeful that I will loose some lbs hahaha,but when the my Sales Consultant brought out a gown from their 2009 collection it was plain looking at first for me but what the heck try everything they want me to try and I owe it to her that she knows what's best for me and whe I tried it on everyone gave a thumbs up sign! grabe ang sexy ko dun hahaha and its light a gown with a sweetheart neckline sorry no pics yet after the wedding the lang. J wants to be surprise daw! And guess what my gown was under budget and with a free Tux for J oh diba good deal!

So now wedding date, rings, wedding dress, tux ----done!

Busy bee!

2009-06-05T22:25:00.000-07:00

My whole body is in pain! ang hirap palang mag gym especially pag pressured kang mag loose ng 10 lbs hahaha Ikaw ba naman mag cardio ng 1hr! The usual mental excuse ko..sana noon ko pa ginawa! cramming in short. Its been busy these past few days cramming, surfing the net for any possible venue most of them booked na aysus! But at the end of the day J and I are enjoying the sun, we have fantastic weather. No complains with the heat wave love ko sya kahit magundies nalang akong sa house sa sobrang init.

Almost everyday nasa beach kami, were lucky coz we have tons of beach around just few minutes drive anywhere. Me catch nga lang hindi white sand at malamig pa rin ang tubig. But I love the moments na J and I just walking along the beach, discussing about our plans, joking , talking non sense and ofcourse eating! I have a feeling nga J is messing up with my diet (as if meron).

Just today we bought our rings in Ben Moss my dream Tiffany's wa na! recession!. Since barat ako my plan was not to buy rings kasi we have a pair na but J insists he sacrificed something from the wedding budget, so I gave in (the usual). We plan to look for a plain ring just gold bands, Im not really up to it since I dont like plain things hahaha but just to go with the tradition of no bling bling for a wedding ring because magiging rocky daw ang marriage.

But when visited 3 jewelry store's J ended up buying his wedding ring with a diamond in it and take note canadian diamond pa hay! umandra ang I want I want nya. In fairness bagay sa kanya and since magaling ang salesperson nahanap na rin ako ng nice wedding ring for me with 3 diamonds in it na bagay sa engagement ring ko. Pero mas mahal ke J hahaha bumawi ang loko!
I told him babawi ako nxt year ring bibili ako ng eternity ring ko hahaha. So one down so many to go I can feel the pressure na but still were enjoying the moments oh diba positive pa rin.

Save the date 08.02.09

2009-06-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

Finally we have a date 08.02.09 but it might change since Mr. Sherman Tai a known feng shui consultant from Vancouver who did some works for Holt and Renfrew, some stadiums for 2010 winter olympics to name a few. Gave us some more auspicious wedding dates based on our bdays like the ff:

june 14 2009
july 18 2009
aug 2 2009

Now the clock is ticking pls wish us luck getting spot for either one of those dates. As of now the yatch were eyeing replied to us via email and their booked for the whole month of july! Busy months for wedding talaga hay!

I enrolled myself to the gym this morning because its been 2 years Ive been strugling to loose the last 10 lbs. My target weight is 110 lbs thats it! I dont wanna loose some more weight because it means new wardrobe again. And I dont know what will I do with a closet full of clothes if I change dress size. I'll observe my weight and if I didnt loose some weight for the next 2 weeks I dont have a choice but to enroll myself to BOOTCAMP my biggest fear.

Were getting married this July 2009

2009-06-02T22:44:00.000-07:00

Finally after 6 years were getting married. J's wish for his last bday came true! by the way my bday wish too!. God has been so good to us amidst all the trials we've been through, our life in Canada are getting better everyday. The "thing" that we've been waiting all these months came in surprisingly fast since I had 2 months of laziness, procrastinating and feeling negative about it.

I thought this day will not happen nor too far to reach and now its here and were cramming, nervous, excited, overwhelmed, pressured and cold feet? lol!

Im praying we can pull this off even though just for more than a month tomorrow I will know the exact lucky wedding date for us. I have an appointment to a feng shui master I hope end of july so we can have a little bit more time to prepare and for me to loose some weight hahaha.

Seattle Washington

2009-06-02T22:24:00.000-07:00

So many things goin on right...its all good news anyway...feel blessed ..thank you Lord!
I will be busy this coming weeks so I might post this picture from Seattle during Memorial Day Weekend. We had fun!, sobrang busog and gastos! This trip was mainly for J we went here last year but we were in a hurry to go back home. But I made promise to him will go back and will have fun and we did!

Ride the Ducks "A must" once in Seattle dont worry about the price so worth it. Its a land and water tour around Seattle. I got to see in person the house of Tom Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle Movie. To top of it we had a fantastic sunny weather. We spent 4 hours in Space Needle. J treated me to a nice romantic dinner in Sky City Restaurant its the revolving restaurant meaning its moving 360 degrees in one hour. The service was superb, the food was so american ! hahaha. We did try to ride their famous Seattle monorail... na ok lang kasi meron kaming sky train dito sa Vancouver na mas di hamak na mahaba lol!

And of course if your in the US of A hindi mawawala ang shopping, went to Nordstorm flagship store and ang walang kamatayang Outlet store where J shopped for his shoes and electronics. Ako? wala I went home with extra pounds and a fridge souvenir magnet for my collection.

To sum it up Seattle is one of the most nice/clean cities in US that Ive visited so far. They told me parang Vancouver din naman daw. Big No! Much bigger sya for me... but J still insist Vancouver is much bigger. Anyway I dont wanna fight over it... I'll google it later lol!

Dancing Jai Ho Inmates

2009-06-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

Iba talaga pinoy, at least kahit man lang sa loob ng prison eh me pagkakaisa tayo...unlike ng mga tao sa labas walang inaatupag kundi i discuss ang mga bagay na walang kwenta like sex scandal sa senado?! haller so many national problems that needed immediate attention.

Anyway enjoy while watching this

This what happens when flip flops are $1 only

2009-05-23T16:46:00.001-07:00

I ended up buying 20 pairs lol! Too bad just a few colors left and they have a 5 pairs minimum per person. Buti na lang me kasama akong ka officemate ko at naintindihan nya na para sa aking mga mahal sa buhay sa pinas kaya naka 2 times kaming bumalik sa cashier.Babalik pa sana ako kaso medyo nahahalata na kami hahaha. Nothing for me I have enough havaianas and old navy flip flops that can last me for years. I like old navy flip flops better than havaianas mas comfy sya mas malambot but when it comes to designs walang tatalo sa havaianas. Kakatawa lang me nabasa akong blog na me pinoy na nagbebenta ng same brand for Php 500 per pair grabe no at ang mas nakakatuwa eh maraming nag prepre order.Mga filipino talaga mahilig sa imported.
Di ko pa alam ko para kanino tong mga to size from 5-10 pili na!

2009 LV Stephen Sprouse Collection

2009-05-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

Pretty no? bagay ba? ok di sakin to sa sis ko nahawa na sa kahibangan ko sa LV... mas bongga first LV nya limited edition it means mas mahalia jackson....aysus anyway she deserves it.. pahiram ke ha? lol!

On the lighter side

2009-05-20T20:58:00.000-07:00

Was my day off today, went to my ortho next month they will take off my braces hooraaayyy! after years and $$$ just having this, its worth it he fixed my obtrusive profile and crossbite. My ortho never gave up on me insisting I should wear my elastics as often as I can which I didnt thats why it took me years hahaha.

After that went to filipino store and was surprised that the exchange rate has gone up to PHP 40.80 hay salamat po ! Sent some mooolah for my sick tito, grandparents and for my cousins since its school time. Thanks to my sis for chipping in big time... big help for me too! Happy too since meron kaming graduating sa college oh di ba? parang proud momma lol! Go Bok! Big credit for him too his a working student, wish him all the best and sana makuha kita ( wishful thinking!).

And before the day ends I found myself having a foot reflex in NLT Healthcare Centre in Cap Mall ( 10 mins herbal foothbath and 50 minutes chinese reflexology) worth it,awesome, sarap sarap! After having flu due to change of weather spring to summer I thought I need it and feeling way better now.

Sad

2009-05-19T16:01:00.000-07:00

Lately I feel happy the way things are going in our life here, may mga hang ups but as long as were healthy, working, eating, getting along well ok na ok na for me yun. I'm not looking for a perfect life sanay ako sa twist and turns ng buhay. But what I hate and what put me down is pag me malalang sakit ang mga loveones ko.

My dad was the eldest among his siblings he past away very young age. Very hard for me I'm the eldest among sisters and cousins father side. I have to be tough, independent and be someone who can look up to. Now my tita who has cancer is bed ridden na daw, we accepted her faith its been years she's fighting it, I guess more than 10 years on and off. She's tough maybe for her kids she's trying to beat it but her physical body cant handle it na. My heart goes to my 5 cousins she will left behind.

Now suddenly my sis called me to work my other tito needs dialysis, he was rejected by our provincial hospital "manas na daw" . I asked around some to medical prof. here they told me "delikado na yun pag manas na kahit mag dialysis pa sya very short na chance nya". I'm crying right now, I can feel what my grandparents are feeling right now loosing their kids before them. I wish I can help more what I can afford. I feel sad that the memorial lot that I bought for my grandparents will be for my tito and tita, though were still hoping some miracles. But we have to face reality, like what my father did. When the doctors of Saint Lukes told us just a few months to live he asked me to buy him a private memorial lot which I did because at least when he past away everything was ready.

I just wish they are living here, medical expenses will be their least concern. That's why when J is not feeling ok, I always bring him to the doctor. Dito once a year me physical check up blood, xray, urine etc. Pag women over 40 every six months or once a yr mammogram . Even your employee and with health card in Phils. they have limitations too. I met a lot of them and most of them go back to public hospital when they run out of their health insurance credit kahit mayaman ka pag nakasakit ka nauubos pera mong pinaghirapan. Im just praying to Lord for guidance, enlightenment for our family during this difficult times.

Belated Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-14T20:51:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since the last update. I'm swamped with work no angal mode need moolah to pay off my vegas shopping extravaganza. Anyway my mom deserves a post to my blog. And to all mommies in my life both relatives and in law's (naks feeling kapamilya) Happy Mother's Day! you deserve all the best in the world. As I grow older by the years the more I appreciate my mom and whenever I watched Baby's Birth stories I love my mom more..hirap manganak!

We sent some nice flowers for J's mom, she was surprised and happy tamang tama Mother's Day na deliver. While my mom I thought nakaligtas nako kasi me coach bag syang pasalubong from us in vegas told her 2 in 1 na yun recession kasi hahaha. Anyway since I worked my butt off told her she can pick any resto she wants akong taya... medyo kinabahan ako nun sinabi nya sa Cactus Club at syempre buong pamilya hehehe.. buti na lang me isang Benefactor naki chip in sa gastos.. ayun medyo di naman ako na nerbyos sa bill hahahaha. We had fun! good food, good service "da best talaga hottie pa server", good ambiance, I love my family talaga! Im thankful to God for that wonderful day.

Twilight : New Moon Update

2009-04-26T22:59:00.000-07:00

I thought I slowed down with my kahibangan with Twilight, since lately I was busy working. Damn Im so WRONG! Kilig pa rin ako especially whenever I watch RPatz interviews with his sexy british accent.

New Moon movie will be a great Bday Gift for me better than having a new Louis Vuitton bag (ipokrita!). Ok sige LV parin baka me mag gift sakin eh mag change ng mind hehehe.

Anyway here's the ET exclusive New Moon Update. I promise RPatz Im not gonna scream if we bump into each other here in Vancouver. I just want a nice pic with you that I'll gonna brag with my friends and to the whole wide world lol!

ET New Moon 3
Uploaded by officialspunkransom

Las Vegas Day 1

2009-04-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

Grabe Im so happy to set my feet again in Las Vegas. For me Las Vegas never sleeps parang wala kang karapatang matulog kasi every minute your there you want to savour it. I didnt mind at all that J did not come with me, it's not my loss anyway lol! We did our best to convince him ayaw nya di wag hahaha.

Las Vegas is an eye candy, you will feel overwhelm, happy, busy with all the things you see. 2nd time ko na dun eh pero saya saya parin, we stayed in Planet Hollywood. I love it! iba talaga ang smell ng bagong hotel sa bagong renovate lang hahaha. I love the crowd not too much families it means no kids running around the casinos. I love how they changed our bedsheets almost everyday,this time Im not that OC about leaving things behind I just made sure that my travel docs was the only one secured in the safe, they gave us bottle water everyday, new towels, people magazines, super linis ng room every day, in short I love the service.

My first day in Vegas was spent going to Los Angeles ang weird no? Good thing I came with them coz I'm the one only who can rent a car. KAsi ako ang pinakayoung at least 25 yrs old and has a drivers license. I find it expensive lang compared here we paid $89 for a subaru impreza 2009, unlimited milage etc. Sarap i drive ng subaru in fairness natry ko ng mag drive ng BMW and volvo. Na koconvince na kong bumili ng brand new car hahaha I wish sana 40% off na ko sa car insurance para mura lang monthly insurance ko, hay!

So it took us 4-5 hrs drive to LA I dont think I can do that if Im the only one who will drive. Buti nalang mga bagets din kasama ko I drove for 2 hrs lang the rest of the trip prinsesa na ako hahaha.. where's my drivers? lol!

We went first to Hollywood Blvd. where the walk of the star ba yun? and of course nandun yung Kodak Theater where every year OSCARS being held. Na shock lang ako kasi sa TV parang ang ganda ganda nya then nun nakita ko in person " ay ito na pala yun?!"
We had fun naman kasi warm and sunny madami lang tao. But I had a nice pic with Bumblebee, standout yung costume nya ang ganda talagang custom made. Ang lakas ng raket nila imagine per picture me tip minimum $1 eh sobrang daming tao nagpapapic sa kanila. Ok na work yun ah lol! I searched for Keanu Reeves star and guess what hahaha nakita ko sya katabi lang ni Sandra Bullock. Hay imagine with all those hundreds of stars nakita ko sya where meant to be talaga! joke!

After then off we went to Beverly Hills Rodeo Drive. Ok na ok ambiance dun sosyal! love all the shops there. Emote ako to the max ala Julia Roberts sa Preety Woman. Sarap lang ng feeling dati na watch ko sya sa movie now nandun na me in person. Next time gusto ko balik ako dun pero bibili na ko ng LV hahahaha, sayang di ko pa Birthday ala akong good excuse ke J to spend moolaah there lol!

Then to make sure we did well on a day trip. We decided to watch the sunset in Santa Monica Beach. Yung Santa Monica Blvd palang panalo na... sobrang haba nya and ang ganda ng neighborhood. I wanna live there haha! City Girl ako eh ! I love the local botiques, quaint shops, resto's , activities around at the end of the road beach pa. Yung beach sidewalk parang manila bay side walk minus the pollution. pero yung beach sobrang laki and lapad... nakakatamad maglakad sa sobrang laki hahaha!

We went to the Santa Monica Beach Pier where they have resto's too, mini adventure park na me rides for the kids and kids at heart. We had some pics lang there didnt stay that long, bought some souvenirs and off we went back to Las Vegas.

Going back was always a torture for me, no matter how tired I was cant sleep well. Im always concerned for our safety, I was constantly checking on our designated driver. Baka antok na Im willing to drive, buti na lang ok na ok si pips mag drive we arrived in LV around 1 am.

We were able to have a pic pa with the famous "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign. Which I missed during our first trip.

I dont like United Airlines

2009-04-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

Since masyado akong pasaway, I traveled by myself this time. Medyo nervous but I thought " hey I've been through a lot! chicken lang yan lol!" . Honestly nakakakaba talaga pag nag enter ka ng US para bawal pasaway dito. Sa immigration palang eh, napudpud na daliri ko sa kaka scan nila. Ilang beses ba dapat ka magscan ? grabe naman everytime nalang mag enter kami ng US mega scan sila hmmmpppt para bang disposable ang daliri natin at magchachange over the time.

Anyway ang hirap pag Filipino passport ka di ka pede pag gumamit ng online/fast check in. Kahit siguro masyado mong mahal ang pagkaFilipino mo with all the hassle and stress I guess mas ok na rin maging Canadian Citizen. So ayun mega check in ako sa United Airlines in fairness on time ang aming flight going to San Francisco, I wonder lang bat ako nilagay sa pinakadulo ng plane bwisit sobrang puno pa ng flight, pero siguro eh I did not ask, masyado kasing excited.

Anyway I noticed that I should fly at least once a year alone kasi I forgot how to buckle my seat belt lol! kasi naman spoiled ako pag me kasama ako sila nagbabuckle ng seat ko hahaha... and do you know what? my consolation lang sa trip ko na to eh pogi mga katabi ko As in grabe mga model ata haha sumakit ulo ko sa sobrang pogi nila hahaha. And si pogi no.1 nagbuckle ng seat ko oh di ba ambait, pero siguro naisip nun "ambobo naman nito!". Ok no flirtation happen suot ko ring ko no! And grabe na migrane ko nun kasi I came from work pa that day as in para akong si super woman sa bilis mag work para lang makaget off early.

So upon check in I paid additional $15 for my bag na check in daw halleluah! I paid $410 can for my tickets mas mura panga sa PAL eh kaso they only have 2pm flight. Then buti na lang I ate before the flight kasi kulang na lang pati tubig me bayad! tapos the service sucks pa. I had a connecting flight from San Francisco to Las Vegas and the service was much more panget I asked for a pillow kasi their seats were not designed for a petite like me parang ang rude pa nun stewardess "wala daw" mmmmmpppttt ayaw ko na sa inyo no! Mas ok pa service ng PAL, JAL, Delta and Sky west airlines.

Lesson learned if I'll gonna have a choice I'll rather fly with other airlines. If not with my work sched I should have chose other preffered airlines.. yun lang pow! A

Britney Spears Concert with Pussycat Dolls in Vancouver

2009-04-11T21:42:00.001-07:00

Be carefull what you wish for.....

First day sale of Britney Spears Concert for Vancouver, me and my Sis went online right away. But got dissapointed because of the overprice tickets, grabe naman from $120 - $800 +++ and ang masakit ubos na yung medyo ok na seats na OK sa budget namin.

Were really sad to accept na fact that we can't watch it. I must admit na fan nya ako ever since I had her first album. I think memorize ko pa lyrics ng every song ng album na yun. I played it gazzilion times sa house namin. Kaya sis ko nahawa na rin ata haha.

And how many times we swear that pag nag concert si Britney eh will try our best to watch it. Kaso naginarte naman ang sis ko nun makita nya online na yung available na seats nalang eh sa 2nd level na at mahal parin.So I gave up told myself I'll buy a DVD of the concert na lang parang ke Celine Dion live in Vegas nya.

Last April 8 wed on the way to work, silently I told myself "mmmmppp concert ni Britney ngayon buseeettt di ko mapapanood." It was my day off too but I was asked to work well ok lang OT pay eh lol! It was a long day even worked overtime pa. When I checked my cell J called me up,I thought it was emergency. Immediately called him back "nervous " I was when he told me "Honey I've got 4 tickets for Britney tonight" nakakahiya man tumalon talon ako at napasigaw buti na lang sa parking lot yun otherwise para akong engot lol!

Sa sobrang excited and sobrang late na imagine 2.5 hrs before the concert ko lang na learn na me tickets kami. Hay ngarag galing sa work kesehodang alang make up, change lang ng clothes drive na sa downtown. Grabe pati parking lot me komisyon si Britney ha! I paid $20 kasi me event daw putsa ripoff! haha... anyway OK lang ang saya saya.... kasi another wish came true.

Pussycat Dolls was the opening act... hay ano bang meron ang pussycat dolls ang sarap nilang panoorin. J told me he likes them better than Brit! eh sino bang lalaki aayaw? lol! They had 1 hr show na over sa over ang performance talagang Jai Ho!

Then the Circus Act na mala Cirque de Soliel ang performance, I can say Britney Spears Concert was the Best Concert so far na na watch ko dito sa Vancouver. When it comes to Stage Design, Props , Costume, Dance basta sulit. After 3 songs nagulat kami kasi natigil ang concert yun pala kasi daming nag sisigarilyo sa taas. Pati ako ata nagamoy momoy na eh parang naging cloudy na sa loob. So we waited 15 mins then nagresume again and the rest was awesome performance na. I just wish lang sana she perform a lot of her past hits kasi at least makakarelate ako eh ilang lang yung songs nya from the latest album ang familiar sakin.

And thanks to J for the effort of getting us tickets last minute through his boss, I appreciated it really really hon. You have your own ways of surprising me and making me happy:-) And your my Jai Ho! mwahhh

Loving my nails and the sunny weather today

2009-04-06T17:09:00.001-07:00

I love my day off today, the weather so nice ..sunny and warm. I hang out in my balcony getting as much vitamin D as I can while reading my new buys GQ Mag which RPatz on the cover, grabe ang cute nya! and the Sex and the City the Movie lookbook.

And look at my nails? I love love it! J picked the color. I never like red its too intimidating for me, but it looks good on me pala lol! Hay ang sarap magpa mani and pedicure if only I can do this twice a month kaso ang mahal minimum $40- $80 + tip!

Me and my sis decided to have our nails done in preparation for our Las Vegas trip this week! with sidetrip to LA or Arizona. Im so excited todo na to hahaha!

Teka I never blog about my 1st Las Vegas trip pala, time flies so fast Im on my 2nd trip!

Pocket Edward Goes to Forks

2009-04-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

I thought me and my sister were the only one's who wants to do this.... go drive down to Port Angeles -Forks-LaPush Washington lol! I'm glad were not alone. Actually konting kulit na lang sakin ng Sis ko .. I'll drive 5hrs one way alone imagine..I usually get antsy when I'm driving 2 hrs straight what more 5hrs?

thanks to hisgoldeneyes.com and harper

Urban Outfitters

2009-03-31T23:41:00.001-07:00

My sis love Urban Outfitters whenever we go in this part of Downtown we better go there kahit anong distractions gawin mo sa kanya. Well the style were not really my type but their "changing rooms" I like! Pag ako yumaman ng todo todo.. I want this style as my closet room with matching LV , Prada, Gucci shoes and bags "wishfull thinking" wink wink!

I love these pics cant help to post it

2009-03-31T23:23:00.001-07:00

I love taking pictures. My dream is to pursue photography, what stopping me? its a hell of a expensive hobby. I know someone who have a basic DSLR recently bought worth $4 thousand dollars worth of 1 DSLR a cannon, then with all the equipments and Mac Pro etc etc. Eh kuripot ako noh? I invest ko na lang sa stock market for my retirement.

Anyway when sometimes Im in the "zone" to bring a heavy camera with me. I can take good pics naman. With further photoshopping I guess it will be pretty too. Its a pain naman kasi to bring tripod and heavy gadgets with you on a trip. Hassle and at the same time you need to be careful and keep an eye on it baka mawala.

These pics were taken in False Creek Downtown Vancouver.

Funny !

2009-03-31T23:18:00.000-07:00

= no business lol! I saw it in a chinese restaurant in Joyce.

Addict sayo!(twilight)

2009-03-31T22:35:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot to blog about the Twilight DVD when it came out. I was counting months,days and finally hours! until I can get it on my hands. Excited I went to the mall after office as in tuliro ako the whole day grabe I want mag 3 pm na! I bought the HMV version its a 3 disc set. Sulit!

Im the one who almost gave up watching the whole 3 disc in one seating! I paid $22 with taxes with matching posters and bookmarks for free!. I want to ask more pa nga for my cousin mmmmppp! tama nga ..my cousin asked for it and now I dont have a poster. I plan to display it inside my closet coz J doesnt want to give in na i display ko sya sa room namin lol! I told him naman just beside my dresser eh...hahaha... ok enough!

Anyway with all the Rob Mania .. Gosh his feature in GQ Mag was awesome cant resist buying those...When J saw it in our laying around in our living room... he said: "tsk tsk...too much na honey"

Parking Tickets etc etc

2009-03-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

I love taking public transportation, cheap, reliable, economical, environment friendly and of course you just hop in and hop out anytime you want. But of course nothing beats having a car reliable, fast and privacy. The thing of having a car too with the gas, maintenance and insurance expenses, there's the thing so called "parking tickets and violation tickets".

And lately thats my problem....

1. I was late in school, freakin cold.. I remember I was counting change(coin) in a dim light, I got my ticket. Since I was in a hurry I just tossed the ticket on the dashboard without checking if it was facing up. Parking ticket cost $3 for a couple of hours, when I got back I got a freakin violation ticket for not facing up my parking ticket. Kainis I wanna kick myself that time...bwiiissit talaga! And the cost? $23!

2. I had an appointment downtown and since were in a hurry and believed Ill gonna be there for a short time I had no choice but to pay $3.50 every half an hour and guess what ? It took me 3 hours. I paid $21!

3. My Mom's overspeeding ticket she got in Seattle when she drove us there last year, her statement arrived and being the "nice daughter" I paid for it .. $165 usd = $200 canadian... bohoho! ano ba ito... Anyway I cant complain with her ticket coz she will never get it in the first place if I didnt ask her to help us drive there.

And just this morning I was in a hurry on the way to work .. when I almost hit a car who just showed up out of nowhere.. hay ! too much too much...

edited as of march 31 @ 11.11pm

I recieved a letter for another parking ticket violation (naman!) how much $80 bucks lang naman bohoho..with that money I can buy the 4 hardbound book set of twilight for my future daughter to be lol! The problem was I never saw a ticket on my car thats why I was unaware of the violation. And the date was like a month ago.. I cant figure out what I was doing or if someone borrow my car that day. Hay buhay canada oh!

Hello Spring!

2009-03-10T22:30:00.001-07:00

2 things Im excited about March are Spring and the release of Twilight DVD. Goodthing I didnt buy the Border's DVD version coz some says they will have it by April pa lol! ano yung joke?! So probably I'll gonna buy the HMV version by March 21 excited excited excited!

Good bye freakin winter! hello sunny days.. warm weather...little bit of rain...and more gala...
The pic above were taken in Superstore, were doin a little bit of flower/plant shopping for my mini balcony.

Twilight Cast in Vancouver

2009-03-10T22:05:00.000-07:00

from just jared

Gosh his here!!!!!!!
And most of the twilight cast are usually hanging out in downtown Vancouver. Rob and Taylor was reported so nice to Vancouver fans who wants picture with them. I betcha I needed to hangout a little bit more I might get lucky too and get a pic with them "wishful thinking" lol!

Nostalgic? Homesick? Watch No Reservations Philippines

2009-02-24T13:47:00.000-08:00

Finally the full episode of No Reservations Philippines, I hope they wont take it down in youtube. So nice to watch and feel homesick over and over again. Living abroad makes you lucky if you have filipino restaurants/filipino stores available around you. I consider myself one, my homecooked meals were typical 70% filipino and 30% foreign. But still there are some filipino dishes that are kinda hard to make because of our limited resources like:

1. Papaitan- Kambing/Goats here were quite expensive and you need to buy it by the volume.
2. Lechon - we do have lechons but its not as crunchy when it gets to our table, so you can imagine me drooling over the cebu lechon that was featured.
3. I got teary eyed when I saw Dampa bohoho! That will be my first stop once I landed from the airport!
4. I miss "sisig", Ive tried so many sisig around here but always gets disappointed dont know why but something's missing though.
5. Fish Balls and Chicken Balls straight from the street vendor, I got nostalgic when they dipped the chicken balls from the sweet sauce to the spicy/sour sauce ... I always do that!

Gosh ! I'm feeling frustrated now, I want to visit home but my love ones cant! December for them is a nice idea but it will not be for me .... I wanna cry with frustration... I dont want to go home all alone it seems a boring idea. I just hope and pray it will work out for all of us.

Normal Guy vs Edward Cullen

2009-02-23T10:08:00.000-08:00

got this from heart to heart

A Normal Guy vs Edward Cullen

A normal guy would say: “I love you Baby!”
Edward Cullen would say: “You are my life now.”

Normal Guy would say: “I think I am falling for you.”
Edward Cullen would say: “The Lion fell in Love with the Lamb”

Normal Guy would say: “You hair looks like a haystack; go brush it!”
Edward Cullen would say: “Your hair looks like a haystack but I like it.”

A normal guy would pick a random song from a random artist and dedicate it to you.
Edward Cullen would sing you a song he wrote for you while playing the piano.

If you die, a normal guy would find another.
If you die, Edward would kill himself cause life without you isn’t worth living.

“Well, I wasn’t going to live without you..” He rolled his eyes as if that fact were childishly obvious. “..but I wasn’t sure how to do it. I knew Emmet and Jasper would never help so I was thinking maybe I would go to Italy and do something to provoke the Volturi.”

As you leave the house, a normal guy would say: “Bye, see ya!”
As you leave the house Edward Cullen would say: “Come back to me, love.”

He smiled my favorite smile. “Hurry back to me.”
“Always.”

As you come back to the house, a normal guy would be watching TV and wouldn’t even notice.
As you come back to the house, Edward Cullen would be welcoming you by playing the piano with a song just for you.

“I heard the music before I was out of the car. Edward hadn’t touched his piano since the night Alice left. Now, as I shut the door, I heard the song morph through a bridge and change into my lullaby. Edward was welcoming me home.’

A normal guy would wait for you to make him breakfast.
Edward Cullen would make you breakfast everyday.

While you are both out for dinner, a normal guy wouldn’t keep his eyes off the sexy waitress.
Edward Cullen wouldn’t even notice the waitress was a female.

A normal guy , while driving, would keep one hand on the wheel and one hand on the radio.
Edward Cullen , while driving, would keep one hand on the wheel and the other attached to yours.

While far apart in different places, a normal guy would say: “I miss you.”
While far apart in different places, Edward Cullen would say: “It’s like you’ve taken half myself with you”

A normal guy wouldn’t care or notice if you had nightmares.
Edward Cullen would sing until your nightmares went away.
“Do you want me to sing to you? I’ll sing all night if it will keep the bad dreams away.”

A normal guy does it with everyone.
Edward Cullen only does it with one .

A normal guy buys you flowers and chocolates.
Edward Cullen buys you a car.

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

2009-02-23T09:53:00.000-08:00

Just click the picture to enlarge

Swan and Goose Feeding

2009-02-22T18:11:00.000-08:00

We were blessed of sunny days during these past few weeks, typical Vancouverites goes out and have fun under the sun amidst the chilly temp. We went to Stanley Park drove around until J saw some Canadian Geese, I credit to J that he insisted us to have a look and see. I did have some fun feeding them with Goldilocks Ensaymada lol! And I was amazed to see a swan for real and feed them too aww! they were too friendly to people.

I just love Vancouver, there are only a few places on earth you can enjoy and be with nature so close and yet enjoy the perks of living within a city.

I was in Taho heaven

2009-02-22T17:59:00.000-08:00

After watching some videos from No Reservations Philippines, I craved for Taho big time. I googled, I asked some people where in Vancouver I can get some real Philippines style taho. My sis told me Goldilocks and so we went after almost an hour on the road driving coz of some heavy traffic on the way. It was so worth it! the smell, the sweetness ahhh yummy! after almost 3 yrs being away from home I felt I was home!

Rob and Kirsten Vanity Fair PhotoShoot

2009-02-19T09:24:00.000-08:00

I was dissappointed when they ran out of copies of Vanity Fair last Dec featuring the Cast of Twilight. I guess this video is enough for me to giggle and drool over them. Gosh can you see the chemistry between them? I wonder how Kirsten and Rob felt during the photoshoot or whenever their together. If I were Kirsten I'll probably forget I have a BF lol! (peace J!)

Gosh I'm falling for Rob (giggle!)

5 cents per plastic bag

2009-02-12T15:40:00.001-08:00

This is a late reaction from my part, its late because its only recently I got involved into seriously grocery shopping. And most of the time I forgot to bring cloth shopping bags, typical me I took it for granted until I noticed if I added up all the plastic bags they charged me whenever I shopped thats still a lot!

So now lesson learned I always bring my shopping bags with me. Imagine almost Php 2.00 per plastic bag aysus!

Ang Sweet!

2009-02-12T15:29:00.000-08:00

Lately ang sweet ni J, maybe because of the weather? or maybe I got flu? or maybe since I got flu I dont have the energy to be masungit? LOL!

Anyway, I got home from work today after a week of flu life. I noticed that he placed our his and hers house slippers right beside the front door, so I can wear it right away after taking off my boots mmm sweet! No dirty dishes on the sink mmm double sweet! And zero kalat! halleluiah! everything was well made up before he left for work. Hay how I wish everyday will be like this .. mwaahh for you hon!

A year from now will be 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver

2009-02-12T15:13:00.000-08:00

I cant believe it ! Can you see the picture above? before its 1,049 days before 2010Winter Olympics and now just merely 365 days to go!

So come on guys come and visit us here in Vancouver nxt yr!

What a day!

2009-02-06T20:50:00.000-08:00

Im nursing a flu right now, I think I got it from school ( eating snacks while doing some IT stuff in my computer ewww gross no? What can I do Im so hungry, our professor allowed us to bring and eat food in our Compu Lab. I thought winter will end and I will not get sick since I religiously take lots of vitamins and water.

This morning J did something extra special for me. He made me Chicken noodle soup with spinach, with garlic bread on the side and pineapple juice. Surprise I was and gave me a cheerfull mood eventhough I was clogged up with colds. He gave me a light massage too with Betet (like a tiger balm) last night so I can sleep better. Gave him a hug and say thanks for taking care of me and for having a long patience when Im acting like a Drama Queen sometimes. He told me its nothing and he wished he can give more like material things in life. Told him all I want is to have a healthy, happy and loving relationship in life and the rest will follow. Sometimes small act of love like these are nothing to compare than having/giving material gifts.

Im happy too that before the end of the day my sis force me to drive her to downtown to do some errands. Ofcourse going to downtown I was force to dress up and put some makeup on though Im still a bit loopy with all the meds at least I was able to spread my "virus" around LOL!
Anyway another girl bonding with her were always special for me. We went to LV as always Im drooling I need to save up $1500, thank God I invested my extra savings this year for my retirement plan so I dont have money now spare for another impulsive bag purchase. Then we went to a Salon to have some full face threading, its a good find its somewhere in 51st in Fraser forgot the name but its very visible though the threading did not hurt at all their really good and cheap too. And last but not the least my sis treated me dinner in Pinpin Resto finally I had HaloHalo their the only one I guess serving it in the middle of winter lol!

Now I'm cooking Kare Kare for J's dinner, I'll pick him up later tonight from work and he will be the one driving home! yahoo he passed his Learners License lol! after so many months of procastinating finally he found some time to take it. Now I'll gonna be his driving instructor, he needs more practice on the road coz he tends to drive Philippines style like making unnecessary stops, he loves to use the car breaks. I hope he can get his full license soon I'm tired of driving him around ;-(

The Univited

2009-02-02T19:55:00.000-08:00

We watched last friday night "The Uninvited" staring Elizabeth Banks its about Anna Rydell returns home to her sister (and best friend) Alex after a stint in a mental hospital, though her recovery is jeopardized thanks to her cruel stepmother, aloof father, and the presence of a ghost in their home.

Its a good movie scary for my sister, while its unpredictable for me and j got wide awake watching this. It was film here in Bowen Island just minutes away from Vancouver.

Say anything

2009-02-02T19:40:00.000-08:00

Maybe its our weather thats why Im feeling nostalgic lately, I watched Say Anything staring John Cusack an 80's classic romantic movie. I love it! ah high school love once again and the soundtrack kilig lol!

Just wanna share some clips from youtube so you can get the idea:

Twilight fans can auditioned for "New Moon", Vancouver Casting Announced

2009-02-01T21:22:00.000-08:00

It has been announced that "New Moon" will set up production in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Vancouver Sun reports you can audition too, if you are a native American Indian.

Casting is reportedly underway in B.C. for roles in the sequel to the vampire phenomenon. Aikins/Cossey is seeking Native Indian actors between 15 and 25 years of age in three B.C. casting calls in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna.

Candidates will receive scripts and be asked return the same day to read for a part.

Victoria: Feb. 7, Paul's Motor Inn, 1900 Douglas St., 9 a.m. to noon
Vancouver: Feb.8, Second Avenue Studios, 225 W. 2nd Ave., 9 a.m. to noon
Kelowna: Feb. 8, Delta Grand Okanagan, 1310 Water St., 9 a.m. to noon.

The sequel film, "New Moon" will contain parts for both male and female aboriginal actors. Websites io9 and MoviesOnline are both reporting the news about an open casting call for First Nations/aboriginal actors interested in a speaking part in a major Hollywood production.

The posted Craigslist ad the websites cited as their source used language similar to that of "New Moon" casting director Rene Haynes's recent call for "any Native American teens and young adults" interested in roles in the film.

The ad says an unnamed film will be shot in Vancouver starting in mid-March until the end of May, the same period that New Moon is scheduled to be shooting.

There will be many speaking roles for aboriginal actors according to the Vancouver Sun. Bella is sought by a Native American boy, Jacob, who turns out to be a werewolf. Members of Jacob's first nation often turn into werewolves in the presence of vampires, ensuring plenty of supernatural fireworks when the Cullens return.

Fourteen-year-old Dakota Fanning has confirmed that she is in talks to play the role of Jane, a member of the Volturi vampire clan.

From Monsters and Critics

Magic Jack

2009-02-01T21:02:00.000-08:00

Magic Jack is one of the best way to save money in terms of cutting cost for telephone bill. For only $20 USD for the unit and $20 per year for subscription you can get the ff:

1. Free local and long distance for US and Canada
2. Free directory assistance
3. Free phone numbers (canadian tel nos not available)
4. Free call waiting
5. Free voicemail
6. Free caller ID

Just plug the magic jack to any household phone , then plug the magic jack into any USB port on your computer , pick up the phone and talk for free to anywhere in USA and Canada.

You can use magic jack too in the Philippines, I did send one unit to my family and now we can talk unlimited time! Just make sure that they have a computer and a dsl connnection. Now I dont need to buy phone cards to call them and at the same time I have additional phone line for a cheap price.

For more information or if you want to order click the picture below.

Covered car parking

2009-02-01T20:51:00.001-08:00

Since J and I moved into our new place, Im happy no more snow for "Uno" my car. He got himself a warm and snow free parking inside our building. Yehey for me too because one of the things I dont like about winter is getting your car frozen outside. You need to warm it up for like 15 minutes. Then if there's snow outside it will be a drag to brush them off from your car.

Did you know walis tingting is one of the best "tanggal snow tool" ? LOL!

Sex and the City DVD Complete Series

2009-01-21T22:44:00.000-08:00

This is one of my numerous attempts to get over Twilight, an old addiction of mine Sex and the City DVD Complete Series. Its been almost 3 weeks that Ive been watching it (well not over and over lol!). I just love Aidan(John Corbett) and Carrie(Sarah Jessica Parker) together and I felt bad once again after watching their breakup second time around.

Twilight DVD

2009-01-21T22:36:00.000-08:00

Wohooo! Twilight DVD will be out on March 21 ! Here's the link in Amazon if you want to Pre-Order. Now we can watch Twilight over and over again at home. Geez I must admit Im still not over with it after 2 months I did try my best to avoid listening to it to the nth time but I just cant find a new audio book to replace it.

From Snowy to Foggy

2009-01-21T22:13:00.000-08:00

Here's some pics of our winter:

Taken from our balcony, snow had melted a little that time when I took this pic.

And now foggy in the city, the first time I drove in a thick fog on the way work I felt like I'm in the movie "The Mist" if I didnt know well the road I'll freak out.

Mercury Retrogade Came Early

2009-01-09T14:53:00.000-08:00

FYI about Mercury Retrogade .

1.It started this morning when I woke up and feeling sick it seems all my bones in my body ached. I took meds in 30 mins I was ok and decided to go to work since its Friday. I have a weekend off anyway.

2.I saw my self in the mirror and I didn't like my hair. Though I used hair straighter to make it cooperative it didn't. One side was straight the other side was flipping arrgh! didn't have time to fix it.

3.I gained 2 lbs in 2 days!

4.My carpool called me up says she cant go to work shes not feeling well. Told myself "mmmpppttt me too but Im going to work!".

5.Decided to drive my car to work eventhough the parking still have lots of snow. ( Since Vancouver was snow covered for like 3 weeks I decided to take carpool/public transpo for safety reasons). I was anxious, scared and nervous altogether. Im having second thoughts about parking it in that snowy area but still I did it and what happen?

6.I got my car stuck in snow!

7.It took me a total of 2 hrs alone trying to get it from the mess I did.I burned my 2 front tires a bit . I felt alone trying to be brave and not be vulnerable. I'm thinking of leaving my car and just go back when the snow melts, or call towing service. It was snowing that time too! Can you imagine the panic?

8.I hate calling "my angel" but when Im in hopeless situation I cant helped myself to murmur asked help. Then 2 good souls came and rescue me in less than 30 mins! And parked my car to a better less snowy place.

9.Because of what happen I went home early from work, I was feeling off , tired, stressed of the incident. My pants were soaking wet, my hand felt numb, my hair was totally more out of place and my fave jacket was drenched.

9.My next dilemma was if I can go home safe its snowing , my tires burned a bit, the roads looks dangerous.

10. When I got home my internet keeps on disconnecting, I remember I haven't called up my preferred internet company. In less than 30 mins I got myself signed up for a new internet connection with free wifi router for only $20 a month.

I just cooked Lechon Paksiw for dinner, me and my sis watched Sex and the City Season 1 and 2. When I saw J from work I picked a fight with him, well at least he ignored my mood swings today and now just to get this out of my chest Im blogging these lol!

Pls I dont like these to happen again!

Twilight Part 2 (New Moon)

2009-01-03T22:22:00.000-08:00

According to this site Twilight Sequel New Moon will be filming here in Vancouver wohohoho! My prediction came true! I think they film Twilight in US before because of high Canadian dollar last year which the Canadian movie industry suffered. But now since the value of our money are a bit lower now so Twilight will be here yahooo! I might see them around... mmm maybe I should join a fansite here in Vancouver so I can get a glimpse of them.

My Chickflick DVD's

2009-01-03T21:37:00.000-08:00

These DVD's were the only one's I bought last yr. I'm thankful for these it made me so happy watching it with or without someone with me.

Celine Dion's Concert in Vegas- Biggest regret I wasnt able to watch it her last show was Dec 2007 and we went there Jan 2008. Anyway the DVD made me feel like I was watching her front seat in her concert!

Sex and the City the Movie - Eversince I was a teenager I love the series my mom was freaked out when she learned that me and my kid sister that time watched it lol! The series made me fall in love with NY City and be awared with the labels lol! Hay that's why I feel frustrated that I cant even go and visit NYC. It seems no ones available to come with me :-( .

Mamma Mia the Movie - Big big mistake that I wasnt able to watch Musical Play in Vegas, coz the people with me I think will not appreciate it. Especially J he thinks ABBA's music was to girly lol! Anyway I dunno what's with Greece that most of the movies I love was film there. I love the DVD with bonus disc about the making of the movie and some deleted scenes.

I wish Twilight DVD will come out soon wink! wink!

40" Sony Bravia LCD Full HDTV

2009-01-03T21:19:00.000-08:00

J got what he wanted!

One of my Benefactors gave me certain $$$ budget for an LCD HDTV its like a housewarming gift for us. But since that budget will only buy us around 30 " - 32" LCD HDTV J and I decided to add some more money so we can buy what we really wanted.

Last Dec 24 we bought the 37" Sharp Aquos Full HDTV but apparently J saw this 40" Sony Bravia LCD Full HDTV on sale and knowing guys the bigger the better. If Im not around he must have gotten the 50", I just insisted on him that we must stick within the budget. So we compromised and I agreed to exchange the flatscreen .

But knowing the new HDTV's around you need Blu-ray Players, HDMI cables etc etc. makes me wanna scream how expensive it will gonna be if I didnt resist with all the tempting offers. Prioritize ! Prioritize I told myself.

I cant believe in Pinas these kind of TV's being sold for Php 100 k+ expensive! I heart boxing day sale!

Now I need to buy a new TV stand it looks unbalance with my TV:-(

Merry Christmas !!!

2008-12-24T20:11:00.000-08:00

Were having a white christmas here in Vancouver, with temp. ranges from -1 to -18 c . Its never been like this since 1940's it must be the global cooling eh? lol! At first it was chrismassy feeling but now since I cant drive coz its not totally worth it driving on a thick snow either skidding or being stuck out there in the cold.

Anyways J celebrated his bday and at the same time our family Christmas party altogether since my sis will spend christmas in Winepeg. My mom hosted a dinner in a Chinese Restaurant where we devoured ourselves with BBQ Duck, Sweet and Sour Pork, Dimsum, Chinese Fried Rice, Green beans etc. Then dessert was Black Forest Cake from Whole Foods which I bravely bought amidst the snow storm( just for J!).

We decided to open our gifts early since were complete, it was fun calling out names for our gifts. My mom got a Coach wallet from us. My sis a Coach Bag from me. J got a nice Kenneth Cole watch from my sis. I gifted myself a nice coach wallet and a gold watch which J keep on insisting that's his gift for me lol! I got J a snow boots. Me and J got tons of Black and Decker appliances toaster, coffee maker, flat iron etc since were moving into our new Apartment. Feeling ko nga parang kaming kinasal kulang na lang arinola lol!

I wanna say thanks to my Benefactors for giving me a posturepedic bed, microwave, plates, sofa bed, cooking wares, bedsheets, comforter and a Sharp Aquos 37 inch flatscreen LCD Full HDTV . Were both excited and so stressed out about moving into an empty apartment, before we moved into a furnished place where we just brought in our clothes and personal stuff. Now since we want to start a family soon we decided that we want our own personal space and style but I cant believe how expensive it will be! imagine a bed will cost us minimum $1,000! I just feel blessed and love.

Merry Christmas and we miss Christmas in Pinas :-(

Tom Tom GPS Navigator

2008-12-14T10:04:00.000-08:00

(pic from gps magazine)
We bought this Tom Tom GPS Navigator on a very cheap price, since my pre loved car doesnt have a built in GPS, I find it hard to drive around Vancouver without maps. I always relied calling my mom for directions when were lost LOL! or googling every directions first then print huh too much work. So finally I gave in with J's request to buy one, told him before to buy nalang by spring time coz at least its a good time to do long driving again. As always he won again, my pagiging kuripot always talo whenever J's around hmmmpt. Right on this time his tinkering his new gadget updgrading it putting a lot of chuvacheines in the GPS nerdie nerdie stuff.

First Snow Fall

2008-12-14T09:45:00.000-08:00

Today is the first snow fall of the season, it looks so bright and white outside not to mention cold too. Last night were suppose to watch the movie "When the Day Earth Stood Still" when I noticed that its snowing a bit and I looked up the sky it was so white. So I told J we have to cancel our plans coz definitely it will snow.

Actually I notice that the snow came a bit late this season typical we have snow by Nov. Oh well it doesnt snow that much here in Vancouver might as well enjoy the moment. Good thing its not monday today, definitely it will be a drag and scary to drive to work. I'll take the bus tomorrow just in case the snow doesnt melt today.

Christmas is coming soon... Im so done with my shopping for myself lol! for other's too pala.

The one with the bling!

2008-12-14T08:59:00.000-08:00

J gave me finally the ring that I like/love, its his advance bday gift/enggagement ring for me. Its been a while that weve been looking for it, but I keep on declining his offer. Coz for me when the right time comes I will know it. Probably I got tired of J always dragging me in Jewelry store whenever were in the mall. He keeps on insisting I should were a decent bling on my left hand even though Im wearing 2 of the rings he gave me during our early years together( and its decent naman with a little bling in fairness).
Nice eh? My mom told me one bling is enough and I told her if I can get more why not? lol! Its looks much nicer when Im wearing it lol! I love looking at it especially when there's good light around it sparkles .. canadian diamond eh!

Thanks hon !

I heart Twilight Saga Audiobooks

2008-12-08T19:57:00.000-08:00

I got into listening the audio books of Twilight Saga (1-4), I never thought that I will drowned myself listening to it. Actually I stopped reading novels coz my eyes suffered so much. Thank God for the audio books!

This past week there were so many times that people around me got mad a bit to me. Because every free time I have on my hands I listen to it lol! How many times too that "nabatukan ako" in a funny way naman lol! coz they told me I looked so "tulala" all the time and they cant engage a good conversation with me. I asked for patience in return told them give me a week to finish and get through with this kahibangan with Twilight.

I love the advantage of audiobooks compare to books I just downloaded it into my ipod, I listened to it during mornings, when I drive(though I stopped coz I almost bump into other car), when I go to the washroom lol! when I go shopping, during breaktime at work. Geez my whole world suddenly stop and now Im done with all 4, I felt sad and bitin I'm craving for more. My friend bet with me that I will listen to it again and again. She even gave me the link for 12 chapters of Twilight 5 Midnight Sun which I downloaded into my phone to read hehehe!

Twilight Videos

2008-11-28T10:07:00.000-08:00

Twilight is growing on me lol! This is the only movie that I watched in theater and at the same time watched 5x online. Im loving it, Twilight made me remember the good old days of high school love where " me and you against the world", "I love you whatever/whoever you are" etc etc. It made me giggle again like a teen for first time in years . I remember this feeling in highschool all you think was just studies and crush/love. Now that your grown up all you think first are responsiblities. Anyway Im convinced now that I will find time to read the Twilight books.

Thankful for Everything

2008-11-28T09:29:00.000-08:00

Im not from U.S but somehow I want to celebrate Thanksgiving because of...

1. Getting settled here in Canada.
2. Being Healthy.
3. No more intregeros around.
4. Being Happy with my family.
5. Buying a car (not utang)
6. Getting a much bigger apartment for us.
7. J's papers were ok na
8. Wonderful summer
9. First time in Las Vegas
10. Seattle and Tulalip Washington trip
11. Passing my drivers test and getting a License 5 (equivalent Prof license in Pinas)
12. Slowly going back to school to do my "Upgrades"
13. Kelowna Trip
14. Harrison Hotspring 2x trip
15. Peace Arch Pasaway trip
16. Whistler trip
17. Shanon Falls
18. Never ending Shopping escapades
19. Coach Bags and Belts + a whole new lotsa bags
20. Tiffany necklace
21. 1 tw carat diamond engagement ring
22. acquiring timeshare vacation (got it soo cheap )
23. my new boots
24. my new dresses
25. saved some mullah
26. Horshoebay trip
27. Putting up sari sari store for my grandparents
28. Engagement Photo Session with a Top Photographer in Vancouver
30. Twilight Movie
31. Sex and the City Movie
32. Mamma Mia Movie

at marami pang iba hay its been a long winding road lol ! this year was one for the books in my life. I'll never forget all the happiness, especially the dramas. Looking forward for a new chapter this year.. I'm wishing more travel.. Pinas kaya wink! wink! hoping next December na.

Twilight sequel gets greenlight!

2008-11-24T17:05:00.000-08:00

from yahoo asia news

Photo: Reuters
Click to enlarge

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The makers of hit film "Twilight" said they have given the go-ahead to produce a new movie based on the second book, "New Moon", in the popular series of vampire novels by Stephenie Meyer.

"Twilight," which tells the story of a 17 year-old girl and her love of a teenage vampire, had a blockbuster debut in U.S. and Canadian box offices this past weekend taking in an estimated $70 million.

Summit Entertainment, the film's producer and distributor, said on Saturday it would move forward with a second feature film, also to be called "New Moon.

In a statement, Meyer said she was "thrilled" to be making another movie. "I don't think any other author has had a more positive experience with the makers of her movie adaptation than I have had with Summit Entertainment," she said.

...this is so exciting... Ill gonna buy the 3 books hehehe

Weekly Menu

2008-11-22T23:43:00.000-08:00

I'm trying my best to plan our meals, as I'm so sick of eating out not to mention all the msg, transfats, cholesterol that our bodies taking. Sometimes when laziness strikes in "take out food" or "deliveries" are our only comfort or excuse just to go out after a long day from work.

We live in close to where "authentic" and "not so authentic" Japanese, Chinese, Greek, Persian, Canadian, Mexican restaurants. So we have tons of choice err excuse not to cook at home. But I know its not healthy coz I can see now in J's health, I dont like the way his turning into being "FAT" . The fact that sometimes when his too tired he tends to pig out, even eating late at night then go back to sleep.

Thats why I need to do something and one of them is I'm not buying junk food even popcorn. As in no sugary stuff, I just bought yougurt, fruits if he wants something sweet. Then weekends are the days we can eat out wherever we want to( hoping to stick with this plan)

From now on I'll gonna post some weekly menu plan for us so at least I have a guide and never to forget them.

Sunday: Kare Kare (left overs)
Monday: Hotdog Sandwhich w/ pickles, mozzarella cheese, mustard,mayo,ketchup
Tuesday: Wonton Soup
Wednesday: Giniling na Baka
Thursday: Itlog na Pula with Tinapa (yum!)
Friday: Pansit Bihon
Sat and Sun: Eat out for sure

These are plans only things may change if we have parties/dinners to attend. I'm hoping I can do this from now on I'm trying to be more responsible with our health. And it will definitely start with the way we eat. Ill try to incorporate salads too with our meal so that we have our dose of veggies everyday.

Thanks to all mommy/non mommy blogs who posts their weekly menu for inspiring me to do this.

Twilight Movie Opens in Canada

2008-11-22T08:57:00.000-08:00

I havent read the book but I was curious with all the buzz around like the awesome trailer, commercials and blogs about it. Since last night was the first opening day of Twilight we decided to go and bought tickets online to avoid line ups. Even though weather channel broadcast a "very windy night" with rains go pa rin.

During the first part of the movie parang ang bagal ng phase nya I was like mmmm anu ba ito? I thought "di ka kasi nagbasa ng book" and J was like getting frustrated pang teenager daw. Which were very obvious with all the giggling girls around us in the theater.

But when the middle part of the movie came up na, when Edward admitted to Bella that he is a vampire that got me interested na. And I love how Edward and his family tried to protect Bella from the other vampires. And crush ko yung Daddy ni Edward lol!

Ay grabe we want to do a "Twilight Tour" coz malapit lang ang Washington dito lol!
Basta watch nyo sya I'm an instant fan of Bella and Edward love love them.... me Part 2!

Ann Demeulemeester boots vs Rockport Leiden boots

2008-11-16T20:14:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been dreaming about this Ann Demeulemeester boots. This is so awesome to wear during this boring months. At least having these boots will make you feel a little bit sexier while wearing them. I saw it in sea of shoes blog , I'm so drooling over it I checked online and was amazed how much it will cost me a whopping $1,100 usd ouch! I thought just keep on dreaming C!

And so I went to Metrotown today coz my mom told me that Ronson's are having a 50% off all shoes, it is an outlet are where they sell mostly Rockport shoes. Rockport shoes in Canada are good quality and good price too ahem! And I cant believed that they have the boots Ive been wanting and for 50% off from $240+ tax I got it for $120 good deal yehey! I cant pass on that moment and tried it on and asked my tita, nikki and poy if it looks good on me hahaha! I guess kahit di bagay baka bilhin ko pa rin lol!

I'm a happy camper again......

Old Navy, Gap and Banana Republic

2008-11-16T05:27:00.001-08:00

My japanese friend gave me 30% discount card for multiple use in stores like Old Navy, Gap and Banana Republic and aside from that they are holding a sale too mostly 30% - 50 %off from Nov. 13- Nov.16 only.So its like youre getting a 70% discount in total !

I have been doin non stop Christmas shopping just to save moolah coz most of the time I overspend on each person. So now I get to track my budget and even went below hehehe!

Since its J dayoff he asked me to buy him shoes Again! typically a favourite shoes will last only less than 6 months. And I got him a new casual suit type black jacket, he's into that lately. He told me he looked "formal" and "respected" aysus! And you know how much? only $40 tax included which typically will cost him around $80-$100 or more if you go high end brands.

Today will be the last day of the sale and I got only a red sweater that I will wear for my bday! I need to buy some more arrgh! Anyway my sis and cousin Nikki asked me to drive them today to the mall to check the sale, so this will be my third time lol!. And we will buy a new Wii set mmmm I hope we can squeeze the Wii fit too in our budget.

So goodluck and happy shopping!