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.

T&T take-out food

Ilang weeks na akong nagke-crave ng Chinese food! Kapag natira ka kasi sa Canada, magiging part na talaga ng everyday meal mo ang mga beef brisket, wonton noodles, chow mein, roasted pork, etc. When you're in a mall at ayaw mo ng burgers o pizza, sa foodcourt for sure merong Chinese food stall (ala turo-turo style) kaya makakapag-rice ka. Sa mga Asian groceries, meron din ready-to-eat Chinese dishes na pwede mong kainin doon o iuwi. Relatively cheaper ang Chinese food dito kumpara sa Pinoy, Japanese, Thai o Vietnamese food tapos generous pa ang servings.

So anyway, nag-downtown Vancouver nga kami last Saturday (May 30) para maghanap ng makakain. Pero dahil late na kami nagpunta, nasaraduhan na rin kami ng Richmond Public Market (nagpunta pa kasi kami sa Pampamga Cuisine at 88 Supermarket). I suggested to Ford that we go to T&T Supermarket Lansdowne (in Richmond) na lang kasi maraming food stalls dun. Kaso sarado na rin pala at itong mga for take-out na lang ang meron.

Ito ang mga nabili namin for our dinner. Wala na rin kasing masyadong options. Limited rin kasi ang tinitinda nila dahil hindi pa naman talaga "normal" ang store hours and operations nila.

How much sila?

• Soy chicken with veggies and rice -- $7.34 (Php293.00)
• Fish fillet -- $6.29 (Php251.00)
• Beef brisket -- $6.29 (Php251.00)
• Salmon sushi maki -- $4.03 (Php161.00)

       TOTAL: $23.95 (Php958.00)

Not bad na rin. Kung sa Chinese restaurant kami nag-order for take-out, aabutin kami ng at least $45-50 for sure. Pero dahil 'supermarket food' lang yan, syempre wag na mataas ang expectations hehe. At least nasatisfy naman ang cravings ko.

First Time ni Nathan

May 26, 2019 -- First time sumamang mag-grocery again. After more than two months of just staying at home and in the car, he was able to step foot on Walmart again. I couldn't forget his face -- he was in awe!

In pambahay outfit =)

The past weeks, talagang hindi namin siya sinasama sa kahit anong bilihan. Hindi naman naglockdown dito sa BC at hindi naman talaga ipinagbawal isama ang bata (though may time lang din na ginusto ng ilang stores na one adult person per family lang ang mamimili) pero syempre for our safety, ako lang talaga ang naging grocery/store frontliner ng aming small family. Naiiwan lang sila ng Daddy niya sa car at matiyagang naga-antay sa akin.

But since medyo nag-ease na ng restrictions dito dahil flattened na ang curve (in fact, back to school na rin ang mga bata this June), sige sinama na rin namin siya sa loob para malibang naman. Tutal wala rin naman talagang gaanong tao kasi it was a Monday night.

Ahhh.... toys!

 Nakakamiss din silang kasama sa loob ng supermarket sa totoo lang!

May 30, 2020 -- First time mag-facemask. We went to T&T Lansdowne para maghanap ng Chinese food dahil nagke-crave ako. 

But unlike in western groceries and supermarkets, medyo mahigpit ang Asian stores dito at talagang nagre-require sila ng masks (and sometimes thermal scan) upon entering.

No choice sila but to wear masks. First time ko lang din makita ang asawa ko na nakasuot, ayaw nya kasi talaga.

At 5 1/2 years old, he already knows a lot about corona virus. Nakakamangha ang mga bata, ang dali nilang maka-grasp ng sitwasyon. Kapag hindi kami nagmamask, siya pa ang "nagagalit" at nagreremind sa amin to wear one.

Nahihirapan daw siyang huminga but he never attempted to remove the mask. Ang galing! Great job, Nathan! 

Some Thoughts on Saladmaster

One Hello Kitty friend (way back in Pinas pa since around 2005) who is now based in California messaged me last Friday, asking me if Ford and I could spare 30 minutes to one hour to watch her cooking demo. Kailangan lang daw kasi nyang maka-pool ng 5 virtual presentations for the weekend. No pressure on sale naman daw.

I admit, hesitant ako kasi familiar naman ako sa product niya at alam ko ring super mahal ng Saladmaster noh. Pero dahil I wanted to help, sige na nga tutal eh nasa bahay lang naman kami (at wala ring mae-excuse lol). So sabi ko 3pm na lang ng Sunday, May 31.

My super bait husband, who do not cook, patiently sat with me. Noong una kasi ang sabi ko baka pwedeng ako na lang, to spare my husband of the one-hour ordeal, pero nagrequest ang friend ko na kung pwede kahit sa initial picture ay makasama si Ford. Kailangan daw kasi na mag-asawa ang manonood para sa quick decision-making on purchase (just in case). Hindi naman nga kasi birong halaga ang Saladmaster. I asked Ford to sit with me na lang din sa whole duration ng presentation para mapagbigyan na nga lang din si Hello Kitty Friend.

I won't delve na into the content of the presentation. Usual marketing na yun. Basta nagka-capitalize sila sa idea ng healthy-cooking blah blah.

Now here are some of my thoughts:

(1) Saladmaster na daw ang pinakamahal na cookware sa buong mundo. Grabe nga ang presyo! Yung non-smoke griller na nasa left ng picture, that's around USD1,200+ na plus taxes and shipping pa. So aabutin ng around USD1,400 (or CAD2,016 / Php72,800)! Kahit gaano kaganda ang quality niya, mahirap pa ring lunukin na ganun siya kamahal.

(2) Even if I have money to spare, hindi pa rin siguro ako bibili ng Saladmaster. Hindi naman nga kasi ako mahilig sa magluto. I cook lang out of necessity. In fact, I never cooked in the Philippines when I was living there, never akong nagka-interes. Kaya hindi ko kailangan ng mamahaling mga gamit pangkusina. Ok pa sa aking bilhin ang mga cute na plato, pang-Instagram haha!

(3) My friend Mylene from Edmonton, who has a few Saladmaster pieces, was convincing me to buy din nga. Maganda naman talaga at "sulit." I concede naman na siguro talagang maganda nga (virtual presentation lang kasi ang nangyari sa amin dahil sa pandemic kaya hindi ko nakita nang personal ang products at natikman ang mga naluto) pero a USD1,300-casserole won't give me joy. Bibili na lang ako ng Louis Vuitton, seriously.

(4) If a Canadian is contemplating to buy a Saladmaster, now is not the time to buy. Sadsad na sadsad ang Canadian dollar ngayon, USD1.00 = CAD1.44. Sobrang lugi ka. Antay mo na lang na tumaas uli ang CAD (Oh well, kelan pa kaya?).

(5) During this pandemic, may bibili kaya ng ganito kamahal na panluto?

(6) My Saladmaster friend was aking me for referrals, kung may kakilala raw ako na pwede nyang pag-present-an. I honestly can't think of anyone who will be willing to shell out a small fortune for a cookware.

(7) My husband just 'inquired' about the griller kasi nga mahilig siya sa ihaw. Pero sa totoo lang, hindi na namin kailangan ng ihawan kasi bukod sa outdoor grills namin, meron na rin kaming pang-samgyup at air fryer for indoor use. So aanhin pa yun?

(8) Ang sabi ng asawa ko, for lifetime use na ang mga Saladmaster na yan kaya masusulit din naman nga raw. Susko, ayoko naman gumamit ng isang kaserola na lang sa buong buhay ko. Masawain din naman ko sa gamit kaya ayos lang na hindi mamahalin ang mga kaldero ko para mapalitan ko rin sila.

(9) As much as possible, kapag walang balak talagang bumili, umiwas na lang din sa mga demo-demo. Ang hirap-hirap kasing tumanggi in the end. Kung small amount lang sana, ang sarap sa pakiramdam na pagbigyan ang isang kaibigan eh. Kaso thousand dollars ang pinag-uusapan dito. Yung sulit package na inooffer nila is around CAD5,500! Kahit siguro type na type ko ang cookware eh never akong magpapabili sa asawa ko nun.

(10) Ilang percent kaya ang commission ng mga ahente ng Saladmaster? They must be getting so much kasi nga super mahal ng products nila eh. 


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PS. I have nothing against Saladmaster products ha. Opinyon ko lang po ang mga nasa itaas.

I sincerely wish my friend goodluck sa raket niyang ito. She's been selling Saladmaster for so many years now at mukhang successful naman siya. I politely told her na lang na now is not a good time nga for us to buy and true enough, hindi siya nagpilit. She just smiled and thanked me, at nagrequest na nga lang ng referrals. =)

Online doctor's apppointment is the new norm

I noticed last May 20, 2020 (Wed) that I was running out of Metformin (my maintenance medicine for diabetes). I sort of panicked, I had no choice but to give 'online doctor consultation' a try.

Actually pino-prolong ko talaga eh. Few weeks ago pa dapat ako nagbook ng appointment pero dahil may hesitation ako, I called my pharmacist and asked if they could give me an 'emergency prescription refill.' Pwede kasi yun kung ang request mo eh yung maintenance meds mo talaga. Binigyan naman ako pero good for two weeks lang (normally for 30 days eh), then the pharmacist instructed me nga to get a new prescription via call or video appointment.

By the way, wala na nga pala kaming family doctor kaya floating kami ngayon. Our doctor Dr. Sahil Jain, who I really like and feel very comfortable with, went back to Toronto na yata for good. We thought temporary lang, na magpa-paternity leave lang siya nang medyo matagal, but then the other doctor at their clinic advised me to look for another family doctor na. Hay, ang hirap! Tapos natapat pa na pandemic, nag-semi close ang mga clinics. Nandito na rin kami sa Aldergrove ngayon kaya dapat dito na kami makahanap ng new doctor, kaso nga alanganin pa dahil hindi advisable pumunta sa mga clinics at hospitals ngayon (unless emergency) dahil sa Covid-19.

Hence, the proliferation of virtual clinics. Kahit naman daw sa Pinas uso na rin ang online consultation.

Grabe talaga ang hesitation ko sa online consultation, ewan ko ba. Mas gusto ko syempre ang face-to-face. Pero dahil prescription lang naman nga ang kailangan ko, walang ibang magagawa.

I've been seeing a lot of "doctors online" sites dito sa BC (just google online doctors canada/BC) pero dahil itong VivaCare ang medyo familiar sa akin (dahil nagki-clinic sila sa mga Walmart), sige ito na lang.

Ang dali lang palang magbook. You just need to ready your Personal Health Number (PEN). Pili ka lang ng date at time na gusto mo. Sobrang daming available dates and time, hindi kagaya ng sa physical clinics na pahirapan magbook. I chose a 3:45pm appointment the following day (May 21). I just chose the "prescription" option nga pala tapos nilagay ko yung mga medicines na kailangan ko.

NOTE: If you're not a BC resident, they will charge you $150 pala for the consultation. Shaiks!

 I received an email afterwards, providing me a meeting link.

The next day, I received another email reminding me of my appointment.

And 28 minutes before my appointment, may reminder na naman via text. 

Tapos after aroun 3:35, may nagtext again, saying: "the doctor is available now." I was waiting na rin naman so clicked the meeting link in the email.

I first talked to a receptionist/nurse who just verified if I am indeed Celeste Blanco. Tapos tinransfer nya na ako sa virtual waiting room. A few seconds later, kausap ko na ang doctor, who I thought will be female (kasi babae ang name ng assigned physician sa email eh).

The consultation only took a few minutes. After saying hi and hello, he just asked me kung kelan pa ako nagstart magtake ng Metformin at kung may allergy ako sa mga gamot na nirequest ko (I also asked for my cholesterol meds). He also asked me kung ano ang current blood sugar ko, I answered that I haven't had it checked yet because I am afraid to go to the lab. But I am sure that it is high because I've been eating a whole lot more during this quarantine period.

And it's done, ifoforward nya na raw yung prescription to my pharmacist. I put my pharmacy details nga rin pala when I booked my appointment. I chose the pharmacy located insider our kapitbahay-grocery store Frescho para malapit lang.

Before we hang up nga pala, I asked him if he could access my file kasi may gusto akong itanong about my gallstone surgery (Yep, I have gallstones! Ang daming sakit noh?). Ang sabi nya walang access ang telehealth doctors sa ibang health records namin. Ganun pala yun.

Hay nakatapos din! The experience was not as 'dreadful' as I thought it would be pero syempre mas gusto ko pa rin ng normal face-to-face consultation. Pero baka nga ito na ang "new normal" talaga sa ngayon. But I admit na mas madali ito kung prescription refill lang ang kailangan, ang bilis eh. Walang kahassle-hassle. Very accessible din ang doctors, kahit within the day pwede.

I called on the pharmacy after and asked kung naforward na sa kanila yung prescription ko. Yes daw. I asked my husband to pick up my medicines na lang para hindi na ako lalabas. So easy!

NOTE: We actually don't pay anything for our prescription medicines. Pinapaluwalan lang namin tapos pinapa-reimburse online sa health insurance provider namin. Ia-upload lang ang receipts tapos after a few days, papasok na sa bank account namin yung reimbursement. =)

Property Tax 2020

Hay, another big gastos! We received na our property tax notice two days ago, kailangan ng magbayad on or before July 2, 2020.

This is one of the drawbacks of owning a house, may property tax na kailangang bayaran. Naalala ko tuloy when we were just renting in Surrey, ang dami naming extra money lol. Rent at electricity lang kasi ang binabayaran namin. Naisip ko na nga rin noon, what if hindi na kami bumili ng bahay forever? We can save a lot! Pero syempre at the end of the day, doon pa rin kami sa magkaroon ng sariling bahay. Iba ang sense of ownership eh, parang feeling mo may lugar ka talaga sa mundo. Pero syempre, you have to 'pay' to experience that feeling.

At eto na nga, it's the time of the year again. My husband opted to pay our property tax once a year na lang para isang gastusan na lang. Pwede rin kasing gawing monthly yan para hindi mabigat (katulad ng ginawa namin sa previouse house namin sa Edmonton).

Are you curious kung magkano ang 2020 tax nitong humble abode namin? Sige disclose ko na tutal wala naman gaanong nagbabasa nitong blog lol.

It's $1,841.86 or approximately Php73,000+.  If you divide it in 12, $153.49 (Php6,140) per month.

Actually dapat $2,686.86 talaga ang tax pero mayroong Home Owner Grant dito na tinatawag wherein makakadiscount ka ng malaking amount if you use the property as your primary residence. Kaya ayun, nakatipid kami ng $845.

Nagkausap kami ng friend ko from Edmonton and I was shocked that they are paying $3500+ yearly tax for their single detached home na may value ng at least $100,000 less than our townhouse. Ang alam ko kasi, based sa assessed value ng property ang tax. So ibig sabihin mas mahal property tax sa Alberta kesa British Columbia?

Ooops, by the way, every year we receive din a Property Assessment Notice. Nakalagay dyan kung magkano na ang current "value" ng property mo at dyan din bine-base ang tax amount syempre.

The value of our townhouse decreased by 5% this year. In general, bumaba talaga ang value ng lahat ng properties ngayon due to many factors -- law of supply and demand, government policies in home-buying, etc. Tapos siguro next year mas bababa pa dahil sa Covid?  Pero ayos lang yan, wag na lang pansinin tutal hindi naman ibebenta pa. Tataas uli yan later on.

Looking forward to more pasyal in the future

I first showed you our fridge magnet display here. Pero ni-relocate ko na siya sa ibaba, malapit sa front door, late last year kasi medyo magulo pala sa mata kapag nasa may tapat ng kitchen counter. Hindi bagay sa 'minimalist' interior design ko.

Anyway, my son is currently obsessed with our small (pa lang naman) travel magnet collection. Palagi yan nakatitig sa magnets, kabisado na nya nga lahat. He's into places na kasi these days (he also loves looking at our world globe), napapanood sa youtube at ABC Mouse. Ang dami na nyang alam na countries/cities -- Paris, Japan, Malaysia, Africa, Arizona, India, Indonesia, Mexico, London, etc. -- and he would always ask us kung nakapunta / kelan kami pupunta sa mga yun.

Hay, sobrang sarap na sanang mag-travel ngayon! Nathan is already 5 1/2 kaya mas madali na syang isama at talagang interesado na siyang mamasyal. Kaso naman, kung dati eh time (and budget na rin syempre) lang ang issue, eto ngayon at dumagdag pa si Covid. It's now very uncertain kung kelan ba uli magiging safe ang mamasyal, ang pumunta sa airport at sumakay sa eroplano.

This year, two international travels na namin ang hindi natuloy/matutuloy. We were supposed to go to California last March 20 to attend my sister-in-law's wedding pero ayun at naghigpit na nga a few days before our flight. Tapos this July 8 naman sana ang uwi namin uli sa Pilipinas pero syempre hindi na rin matutuloy. Hay! Kung kelan pasyal na pasyal pa naman ako! Syempre hindi naman na bago samin ang pumunta sa California at Pinas pero I was looking forward to going to places there na hindi pa namin napupuntahan syempre (like Legoland!).

Kahit dito sa nga sa BC, ang dami-dami pa naming hindi nae-explore. Although unti-unti na nilang binubuksan ang mga public parks, ang hirap pa rin mag-enjoy kung nandyan pa rin si Covid sa paligid-ligid.

Tsk, so pano na nga ba? Nathan's very excited pa naman to buy more magnets. His goal daw is to full this whole wall with them.

When this pandemic is over, I will really make sure na mamasyal kami nang mamasyal kahit sa malapit lang. Sa totoo lang medyo tinamad din kasi ako the past years eh, mas ginusto ko na lang mag-mall palagi. Pero katulad nga ng sabi nila, we should invest on experiences and not on material things. Tama naman (pero material girl din talaga ako kaya hindi pwedeng walang shopping hehe). Tapos who would have thought na mangyayari ito, na mare-restrict sa travel ang mga tao. Ni hindi kami makapag-Jollibee sa Washington kaloka! (FYI, closed ang Canada-USA border sa ngayon at kung sakali man na lumabas ka ng Canada, kailangan mong mag-quarantine ng 14 days pagbalik).

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PS: I will buy at least two magnetic boards pa sana sa Ikea soon kaso hindi na available! Waaaaaaaaah! Gusto kong maiyak! Sana magre-stock sila. Sana talaga.

Hearts in our window

Last week of March 2020. One time while walking around our residential complex, I noticed that some of our neighbors have already put hearts on their windows. Naaliw ako. I was already familiar with the concept -- wherein people are decorating their windows with hearts and messages of hope to remind others that we are all in this together -- kaya natuwa ako na may gumagawa na rin pala nito sa community namin.  Syempre kelangan naming maki-join. Unang project ko ito sa gitna ng pandemya. 

At last, nagamit ko rin ang sangkatutak na colored papers na pinagbibili ko dati pa, karamihan mga bitbit ko pa from Pinas. The hearts kasi have to be colorful, hindi puro red kasi magmumukhang pan-Valentine's hehe.

I printed hearts on these colorful papers and cut them perfectly. I am telling you, OC ako sa cutting. Talent ko yan eh.

At syempre dahil kailangan ng rainbow to symbolize optimism that this Covid-storm shall also pass, I asked my son to color a printable rainbow template. 

I can go all out (just like some of our neighbors) but I opted for simplicity. Gusto ko medyo malinis lang tingnan at may pagka-minimalist kaya ayos na ito.

March 31, 2020. Almost 9pm na nang magsimula kaming magdikit ni Nathaniel. Night owls kami eh. I was happy na very enthusiastic din siya sa project na ito.

And here it is! Honestly, we were so thrilled! Nakakasaya pala talaga ng puso ang mga ganito!

Day time look. 

Actually inisip ko pa if we'll add more hearts pero ok na yan. Tipid-tipid din sa papel lol.

We put the remaining 10 heart cut-outs sa back side ng townhouse, sa may sliding door. I let Nathan tape them kung saan nya gusto (with a little guidance, of course).

And taraaaaaaaan! Ok naman din hehe. Again, hindi na namin dinagdagan ang hearts para hindi naman masakit sa mata. =)

It's already May 26, 2020 at almost two months na silang nakadikit sa bintana at sliding door. I have a feeling na magtatagal sila dyan... at least until next year, when the pandemic is over hopefully?

I took pictures of our neighbors decorated windows and I'll post them here soon! If you haven't done this project yet, baka gusto nyong subukan? I am telling you, it's so worth it. =)