First step towards driving here in Canada

A lot of people ask me why I don't drive here in Canada (since I am driving naman in Pinas) and here are the reasons I would normally give:

• I don't need to drive since I am "just" a stay-at-home mom (Where will I go? Nathan rides the school bus to and from school)
  
• Our car is manual transmission and I only know how to drive automatic
• The moment I get a driver's license, our car insurance will automatically go up with the assumption that I will use it (even if I won't since it's manual)
•  For me to be able to drive here, we need to buy a new car (gastos!) and the cost of insurance will cost an arm and leg.
  
• The husband is really masipag in driving so I have no problem with mobility
• I am naturally a tamad driver (I won't drive if there's someone who will drive for me) 
  

Seven years! I've lived here in Canada for more than seven years and it is only recently that I had the urge to drive. Medyo naiinggit na rin kasi ako sa new-found friends/amigas ko (haha!). Plus Nathan's asking me na rin kung kelan ako kukuha ng license so I can bring him to school sometimes (naiinggit din siguro sa classmates). Ford's also decided na to buy a new car kaya may magagamit na ako. We'll be selling our old car Subaru since hindi na rin naman gaanong nagagamit (Ford's been given a company car). Nanghihinayang talaga ako kasi kung automatic lang yun, matagal na rin siguro akong nagda-drive dito.

Anyway, the plan of driving here was just a plan until I accidentally watched a youtube video about a fellow housewife who suddenly lost her husband last December. As she was totally dependent on him, ang hirap talaga. Ni hindi siya marunong mag-drive!

Shaiks, the story of my life! The seven past years, naging totally dependent din ako sa asawa ko! To the point na pati driving nga na ginagawa ko since I was 18 eh "kinalimutan" ko na. Narealize ko na paano na nga kung may mangyari? Kawawa talaga ako pag nagkataon.

That very night of February 25, 2021, ayan nag-book na kami ng knowledge test sa ICBC! Sa May 15, 2021 pa ang test schedule but at least meron na.

After I pass the test, pwede na raw akong magdrive basta may under supervision of a qualified driver (i.e. my husband). Bigla akong na-excite! After practicing, Ford will enroll me daw in a driving school para mas maging prepared ako sa road test.

I just wish that ICBC accepts my driving experience in the Philippines kahit na more than 7 years na nga ako dito. I will argue na lang na umuuwi naman ako sa Pinas every year (except last year because of Covid) and I still drive there. In fact, I still have a valid driver's license (which will expire nga lang this August 2021). Naku goodluck talaga sa akin!

It might take several road tests bago ako makapasa. Normal naman yun dito kaya I am not expecting na makakakuha ako kaagad ng driver's license sa first try. Natataranta pa naman ako kapag may nagge-grade sa akin (sino bang hindi?). Pero I will keep on trying. First step ko rin kasi yan towards independence. Kapag nagda-drive na ako, there's a better chance na makahanap ako ng part-time job. May option na rin ako na makapag-aral uli sa actual school dito. Kaloka ang daming plans! I am keeping the faith. 

I'll update you sa susunod the driving adventures ko. Ciao! =)

Booked: December 2021 Flight to the Philippines

Oh my, I can't believe I am blogging again! It's been months since my last post and I know I kept on promising that I will keep on posting but couldn't fulfill it. It is so easy to totally abandon this blog and I've been meaning to do (especially since I mainly post my life in Instagram now) that but I I just can't. Ewan ko nga ba. Bumabalik at bumalik ako dito.

Anyway, it's almost a year now since the historical pandemic 'lockdown' and I know all of us are itching for things to go back to the way they used to be. May vaccine na and all we have to do is wait for our turn. Here in Canada, our Prime Minister promised us that by September of this year, all adults (those who want to) could have been vaccinated na. Those of us who are in the 40s bracket can be scheduled by July. Whew, medyo matagal pa pero keri lang. At least we can already see the light at the end of the tunnel. Konting tiis na lang.

Anyway, the reason why I blogged again is because I couldn't contain my excitement. Last night kasi, we were able to book na our flight to Pinas for December 2021!

 

I am telling you, I've never been this excited in a long time! 

It happened so fast kasi. Last Tuesday, my friend sent our group chat a link on Philippine Airlines PAL's 80th anniversary sale. $700+ lang daw ang Vancouver to Manila. I was disinterested at first kasi nga pandemic pa. But then she said that they're considering to go home by December pa. 

It got me thinking, matagal pa ang December. Come to think of it, medyo maluwag na nga ngayon pa lang ang ibang countries tapos dire-diretso na nga ang vaccination programs. Siguro naman by December eh medyo ok na ang travel situation (or else bagsak na bagsak na ang airline industry nun!). 

I texted Ford while he's at work, sabi ko nga mura ang tickets. His original plan was to visit Pinas in December 2022 pa (seriously) kaya hindi nya naman ako sineseryoso. But after sending him a screenshot of $900+ plane ticket for a December travel, namurahan na rin siya. I told him that this is our chance to vacay in the Philippines during Christmas time na mura. For sure, presyong ginto na next year when the world has finally recovered from Covid.

When he got home, syempre he checked on PAL's website agad. But to our disappointment, $1700+ ang price ng ticket! Mali pala ako, one way lang pala yung nakita kong $900+ (I used my phone in browsing lang kasi kaya hindi mabistahan nang maayos). Kaya nawalan na agad ako ng pag-asa. I messaged Levy and she said na mura sa Japan Airlines. Ford was super skeptic pa, mahal din daw for sure. I insisted that he check kasi sabi ni Levy, $2800 lang silang apat.

And voila, mura nga! It would cost the three of us around $2400 lang! Nagkapag-asa uli ako kasi we just had a refund of $2116.54 from our cancelled PAL July-August 2020 flight last Saturday kaya konti na lang ang idadagdag namin.

But of course, may hesitation pa rin. Because just in case may pandemic pa rin by this December (or may iba pang mangyari at hindi kami matuloy), may penalty na $200 each for cancellation. Niloloko pa ako ng asawa ko na ako ang sisisihin niya pag nagkataon lol! Oh well, I am not a gambler pero sige na nga, I am willing to risk $600 for this one! Kaya I'll be praying hard na matuloy!

The husband asked the office for permission yesterday and pinayagan naman siya. So go na! We booked the tickets last night. We had to use two laptops because we decided that we'll go a week earlier para mas masulit ang pamasahe, tapos sabay na lang kami pabalik. Medyo stressful ang naging booking process because we had to make sure that we get the same flight back to Vancouver. Medyo nakaka-praning. We paid a total of $2382.58 for three tickets, not bad na noh?

Another exciting part pa pala is on our way back to Vancouver, we have a 22-hour layover in Japan (Narita Airport)! Ito ang nagpa-sold kay Ford eh, ang makatapak kami sa Tokyo haha! Kakain lang daw kami ng authentic ramen at tonkotsu! 

Hay, 9 months to go! I am sure this trip will make my mother very happy! Inasmuch as I want to go home this July kasi (Nathan's summer break), alanganin. Wala pa kaming bakuna at medyo di pa rin siguro ganun kaayos ang sitwasyon sa Pinas. I have to consider everyone's safety, lalo na ang Nanay ko na may edad na at talagang immunocompromised. Kung hindi kami makakauwi this December, imagine by July 2022 pa pwede. Hindi ko na kaya yun. I can't bear the three years of not seeing my mother. Ngayon nga lang eh hirap na hirap na ako eh.

Before I end this post, I really just want to thank my husband Ford. Magastos umuwi ng Pinas (and to think wala naman na siyang uuwian doon kasi nasa abroad din ang parents and siblings niya) lalo na kapag pasko but he generously gave in to desire na makasama ang Nanay ko this December. I love you, Dear! =)

Halloween 2019: Firefighter Costume

Not the most fascinating Halloween costume, do you agree?

It's so generic, so common, so boring...

Pero syempre nabigyang justice nya naman haha! He's the cutest little firefighter ever! #proudmomhere

We saw this costume at Costco and he liked it. He was a police officer kasi the previous year (I haven't posted it yet) and he kinda decided that he'll be a fireman naman the following year. So nang makita namin yang outfit na yan (mind you, August pa lang noon ha), binili na namin. Plus it was cheap -- $33.59 lang, (tax included). Mas mahal ang bili namin sa mga previous costumes nya.

The costume came with complete accessories na. May hat, hammer, etc. It's a little big for him kaya tinupi pa namin. But it's ok, magagamit nya pa naman uli ang costume na yan sa school this year. May Halloween dress-up sila every year kaya he'll wear what he wore the previous year para twice naman magamit hehe.

 PS. Bawal palang labhan ang outfit na ito! Buti na lang ipinapatong lang. kaso naman, dudumi pa rin syempre.

Halloween 2019: Our first ever pumpkin

Simula nang mag-migrate ako dito sa Canada, aliw na aliw na talaga ako sa mga pumpkins na binebenta sa grocery stores kapag fall. Wala nyan sa Pinas eh.

October 6, 2019. At dahil may bahay na kami at big boy na si Nathan, time na para magdecorate kami ng aming first-ever pumpkin! I was able to buy that big pumpkin at Save-On-Foods for $3.99. Medyo mahal pa nga, may mas mura pa sa iba lalo na kapag sine-sale na.

But the problem was -- Ford and I didn't have any carving skills. Again, lumaki kami sa Pinas kaya malay ba namin dyan noh! My husband is the most uncreative person in the universe kaya wala talaga kaming mapapala sa kanya sa mga ganyang bagay. At lalo namang hindi ko keri ang mag-carve, tapos ang messy messy pa after.

Buti na lang may reliable na Dollarama. They have this pumpkin decorating kit for only $1.25 (plus 12% tax = $1.40)!

Nathan was so excited to decorate!

Pero syempre ang nanay din ang tumapos lol! Cute naman hindi ba?

We placed it in our frontyard. Biglang sumayang tingnan ang bahay. =)

Medyo nagregret lang kami ng slight kasi the following week, we went to a pumpkin patch (first time din!) and we brought home three more pumpkins. Kasama na pala sa ticket yung pagpili ng pumpkins. Naisip namin na sana hindi na kami bumili. Tapos nag-field trip pa rin si Nathan sa apple barn at nag-uwi ng isa pa. So we had five pumpkins all in all. Oh well, magsisi pa raw ba sa $3.99 lol!

Halloween 2019: Treats

Sorry for the many Halloween posts. Nasa Halloween-mode na kasi talaga ako. Also, ina-aspire ko talaga na madocument lahat ng important happenings sa life namin sa blog na ito kaya marami akong hahabuling posts. Please bear with me.

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Guess what we gave out last year to trick-or-treaters... our extra happy meal toys and books!

I was cleaning our garage a few days before Halloween and realized that I won't be able to bring these toys in Pinas naman na (kasi mabigat at may iba akong valuable items na pwedeng paggamitan ng baggage allowance) so I came up with the idea of just giving them away on October 31st.

I counted the toys and books but I forgot na kung ilan. Medyo madami kasi nga simula naman ng 2 years old si Nathan yan. We had a lot of extras kasi nga usually isa lang naman ang available na toy sa McDonald's kaya hindi ka makakapili. Madalas tuloy nadodoble.Yung iba naipapalit namin kaso medyo hassle din kasing pumunta ng ibang branch para lang magpapalit.

As expected, happy ang mga kids sa toys!

The only trick-or-treaters who came in our frontyard.

When we realized na sa garage side nagpapamigay ng treats ang neighbors namin, sinabihan ko si Ford na tumambay na lang sa garahe. Hindi kami prepared sa garahe (ang dilim pa naman kasi sira ang mga ilaw ng townhomes sa gawi namin that time) kaya sabi ko sa sarili ko na paghahandaan ko talaga next year. Kailangan may maraming pailaw hehe.

Ford didn't take pictures, sayang. Buti may ilan pa akong nakunan. But he said na sobrang happy ang kids pagkakita sa toys. Syempre naman.

Hindi kami nakaubos. May ilang books na naiwan. Bukod sa medyo "late" na kasi kami lumabas sa garahe, nagpack-up na rin si Dad nang umuwi na sina Ian (and family) para sumunod sa amin ni Nathan sa pagti-trick-or-treat. Still, I was happy kasi medyo nabawasan kami ng kalat at hindi na kami bumili pa ng chocolates.

This year, we only have a few happy meal toys and books at baka hindi ko na ipamigay. Now that Nathan has friends and classmates, I might use them na lang later on for birthday goodie bags, etc.

Halloween 2019: Frontyard Decor

September 17, 2020. I was feeling bored as usual so I walked to Dollarama after bringing Nathan to the school bus stop. My agenda really was to buy a couple of cheap decors kasi nae-excite na talaga ako sa Halloween. Imagine, one and a half-months to go na lang pala. Nakita ko rin kasi na may decor na yung isang neighbor namin kaya medyo nainggit ako haha.

I ended up buying "pumpkins" (or Jack-o'-lanterns) so I can stick to my Halloween "pumpkin patch" theme last year. Ayaw kasi namin ni Nathan ng scary decors, yung mga cute lang dapat.

By the way, Dollarama has tons of Halloween stuff kaso dapat medyo ingat lang kasi mapapagastos ka rin talaga. Items range from $1.25 to $4.00 and before you knew it, napasubo ka na lol.

I plan to buy ng paunti-unti kasi nakaka-guilty rin mag-splurge sa mga "nonsense" stuff ngayong panahon ng pandemic. Kaso naman, kailangan ko rin ng spice sa life ko. And Halloween really makes me happy. Saka sa dollar store nga lang ako namimili eh. Kung may budget lang ba ako talaga, magfu-fullblast ako at sa Homesense mamimili.

Oh well, sige na, let me show you our simple Halloween set-up last year. Minimalist lang ang peg ha. Last minute ko na rin kasi nilagay, October 28 na. Ulan kasi ng ulan that time at noon lang tumila (we were lucky to have a 'dry' trick-or-treating, sana this year din). Ayaw ko rin kasing masira ang decors ko kasi I plan to reuse them sa mga susunod na taon. Sayang naman kasi.

The pumpkin patch theme was inspired by our first ever pumpkin patch experience on October 12, 2019. Parang ang cute kasi ng idea ng "farm"for our frontyard.

It was our first Halloween here in Roundhouse and my first time to decorate a house for Halloween. Naaliw ako nang sobra! I had very few decors (kasi nga noon lang uli kami nagkabahay) kasi nga ang mahal din kapag namili ng isang bagsakan pero naisip ko that I'll add up na lang every year.

Here are some shots on the actual Halloween.

By the way, the three pumpkins on the left were from the Richmond Country Farms (where we went to). The small one in front was from Nathan's field trip at Taves Apple Farm. The decorated one was bought at a grocery store. Since we don't know how to carve, nilagyan na lang namin ng mga stick-ons from Dollarama.

View from the inside.

I am actually faced with a dilemma this year. You see, our house is facing the highway. Hence, it is not strategic for trick-or-treaters. Hindi rin kasi gaanong dinadaanan ang harapan namin. Our neighbors gave candies in their respective garages (para facing the inside of the complex) kaya wala ring naging silbi ang decors ko (except for a few minutes of enjoyment for us) kasi nga wala namang nakakita. 

So ang tanong, shall I decorate the frontyard this year o not? Sa garage side/driveway na lang ba ako mag-aayos on October 31? We have a narrow driveway kasi at dinadaanan siya ng car kaya hindi pwedeng ayusin in advance. 

Oh well, let's see. Kahit ano pa man yan, may pandemic man, basta I'll surely enjoy this year's Halloween. Kailangan ko yan para maaliw naman.

First Day of Fall 2020

It's the first day of fall! Ang bilis talaga ng araw grabe!

 Autumn is actually my favorite season. Cooler temperature, gorgeous colors of the leaves on trees, pumpkin patches, Thanksgiving, Halloween -- what is there not to love about fall? There's also no fall in the Philippines so this season is something (still) new to me, hence the unexplainable excitement.

But this particular year, the transition to fall has given me mixed feelings. Parang nalungkot ako. Parang biglang nag-worry. Well maybe because we had so much fun last summer with our new-found friends kaya I felt bad na natapos na. For the past weeks, medyo nakalimutan na rin kasi namin ang Covid-19. Nawala ang takot, medyo naging complacent. Our kids had so much fun outdoors. Nathan got so good at biking.

But now we are faced with uncertainty once more. Covid cases are rising (we are on the second wave na raw), children are back at school, flu season na rin. Hay, indoor life na naman. Tapos baka magspread lalo ang coronavirus dahil sa cold air. Tsk.

I am choosing to be optimistic. It was winter when we first heard of Covid-19 (then called NCOV). We surpassed spring and summer well, sana ganun din this fall. Winter will surely be harder, pero at least after that may natatanaw na tayong pag-asa na matapos na ang pandemic na ito. I really can't wait for things to go back to the way they were.