Hello!

Yey, I am back! I really am, promise!

I can't believe it's almost a year na since my last entry post. Grabe! Sa totoo lang, gustung-gusto kong magsulat, lalo na ngayon that we're in the midst of Corona virus pandemic at stay-at-home lang kami all the time, pero one thing hindered me -- my very slow laptop! Nakakainis siyang buksan kasi ang bagal-bagal nya. We really regret buying it sa totoo lang. But anyway, more than 4 years na rin naman yun (although it still looks new ha, bihira nga kasing magamit) kaya ayos lang na palitan na. The other big laptop that we have is already 8 years old kaya matitigok na rin soon.

Kaya eto na nga, bumili na ang asawa ko ng bagong laptop. Sayang, we were deprived of the thrill na pumili sa store. Ford attempted to go to Costco last night pero sobrang haba raw ng pila kaya hindi na lang. Nag-online purchase na lang siya sa Best Buy tapos pinick-up niya sa store.

I am so happy! Ang laki ng laptop na ito kaya ang bilis! I swear, makakapag-blog na uli ako nang madalas nito.

Ooops,  by the way, this book was my Mother's Day request from Ford. Maganda ang feedback sa book na ito, sana magustuhan ko. I have so many bad habits that I want to break eh.

O siya, it's almost 1am and I need to put Nathan to bed na. Yep, dahil walang pasok, back to being night owls uli kami. Another bad habit tsk.

Bye, for now! Please come back again soon because I'll be blogging a lot again from now on. Ciao! =)

I am back for the nth time.

Hello! Yep, I am still very much alive!

Courtesy of Bitmoji

Sobrang daming ganap sa buhay ko the past 6 months kaya I wasn't able to blog. Pero katulad nga ng dati, kahit ilang beses ko mang gustuhing dedmahin na lang ang blog na ito forever eh hindi ko magawa. Babalik at babalik pa rin ako sa pagsusulat dito.

I wanted to blog na sana starting January kaso hindi talaga kinaya eh. Aside from health issues, naging busy rin talaga ako (hanggang ngayon) sa paga-ayos ng bahay. Kaloka, more than 2 months na kami rito pero talagang wala pa sa 50% ang kaayusan ng bahay. Ang dami kong gamit, narealize ko lang.

Look at my sample kalat. Super dami pang kailangang ayusin talaga.

January 27, 2018

By this time, medyo 75% ok na ang bagong "Me" room ko kaya nga eto nakapagsimula na uli akong magsulat. Ang sarap magkaroon ng sariling space sa bahay! Sobrang namiss ko ito. More than two years din akong nangulila sa ganitong privacy eh.

Anyway, I promise (for the nth time) to write again as frequent as possible. Masaya kasi ako talaga kapag nakakapag-blog.

I also promise to tell you the reasons why I've gone missing. Just give me a couple more days para maisulat yun.

O siya, matutulog na ako. It's past 2am and we're going to Whistler later so TanTan could play with snow.

I really hope you're still there, my very few readers. =)

So freaking slow!

One of the my new year's resolutions is to blog often. I intend to do that (even if it's hard to write when you're on vacation), but there's a huge hindrance -- our very slow internet connection! Waaaah!

We've had DSL internet connection since time immemorial. It's what made my LDR with Ford worked (we were on LDR from May 2003 to November 2013). As far as I can remember, ok naman ang internet namin dati.

But instead of further improvement, our internet situation now is getting worse. Sabi ko nga, pabagal nang pabagal ang internet namin kada uwi ko. I feel so hopeless, ano pa bang ibang options ang available? Puro bad feedbacks din naman sa ibang internet service providers and naririnig at nababasa ko.

Ang hirap hirap mag-adjust sa ganito kapag nasanay ka na sa super bilis na internet. Well at least for me, this is only temporary. I'll have fast internet again in April. I just feel sad though for the people living here, bakit ba kailangan magtiis sa ganito? Kahit ang nanay ko nahihirapan akong kausapin sa Facetime kasi paputol-putol ang koneksyon hay.

I really wish na matuloy ang pagpasok ng ibang telecom players sa Pinas (kaso wag naman sanang mga chekwa) so we could have faster and cheaper internet. We Filipinos deserve that.

Kaya yun, please bear with me. Don't worry, plan ko namang igapang ang pagba-blog kaya stay tuned ha.

New Year's Resolutions 2018

Parang di pa rin nagsi-sink in sa akin na 2018 na. Ambilis talaga ng araw!

Anyway, I made a list of my new year's resolutions. I actually stopped making resolutions a long time ago, ngayon na lang uli. Wala lang, para may pang-reckon hehe.

1. Continue with weight loss. I lost 18lbs since August 16, 2017. Medyo napako na nga ang weight ko recently (lalo na this holiday season) kaya kailangang maging conscious uli sa pagkain at paggalaw-galaw. I am still overweight and I need to lose more pounds.

2. Take better care of self (especially skin). I am now on my late 30s (huhu) and sadly, my physical appearance has deteriorated na rin talaga. Obvious na obvious na na #TitaOfVancouver na ang peg hay. Hindi rin kasi ako maalaga, lalo na nung nagka-anak ako at naburo sa bahay. I used to have great skin pero dahil iba nga rin ang weather at water dito, grabe na sa pagka-dry (and I became dark huhu). I am hoping na mahabol ko pa na madelay ang inevitable aging ko.

3. Dress well again. I was never a fashionista but I can objectively say that I dressed well during my dalaga days. Gusto kong bumalik sa dati. I want my husband and son to be proud of me. I sort of lost my interest in dressing up din kasi when I gained a lot of weight, syempre wala nang bagay na damit. Pero ngayon nakakatuwa kasi nagkakasya na uli sa akin yung mga ibang damit na nakaliitan ko na.

4. Be more mindful in spending. I am naturally magastos. Sobrang hilig kong magshopping at bumili ng kung anu-ano. But this year, I'll try to be more careful sa paggasta, lalo na since we are planning to purchase a place already. Iwas muna sa unnecessary spending.

5. Start purging. Since I shop a lot, I naturally have a lot of things. Ang problema is that I never let go of them. Would you believe na yung mga damit ko noong 20s ako ay nasa closet ko pa sa Marilao? Kung hindi kami na-Ondoy last 2009, kahit mga gamit ko mula pagkabata ay tiyak nandun pa. Dito sa Canada, ang dami-dami naming gamit sa storage na hindi na naman namin kailangan yet hindi ko malet-go. My husband is telling me na dahil sa mga "kalat" ko, nagbabayad kami ng mahal sa storage. I really need to do something about it. I'll dispose all those things na. For sure, we will be moving to a smaller place later on (smaller than our previous home) so wala na talagang space for them. I will declutter and purge.

6. Be a better wife and mother. With all honesty, I will admit that I wasn't able to give my best to my mag-ama the past year. Siguro dahil na rin nagkasakit ako at mas napagtuunan ko ang mga sarili kong concerns. Saka naging too complacent din ako because I know that they love still me even if I am not lovable at times. Ahh basta, babawi ako sa kanila.

7. Document more. I love documenting, orientation ko rin kasi yan as a Sociology graduate. This year, I'll try to "save more memories." I'll produce photo books and get back at journaling. I'll take more photos and videos (especially of my son who's growing up too fast) and share them with my family and friends in social media (what's the use of having all those kung hindi ishe-share lol).

8. Blog as often as possible. I love blogging because this is one form of documentation. Online diary ko ito eh. So I will try to blog as often as I can. Hahanapan ko talaga ng time at energy. I also promise (to myself) na hahabulin ko pati backlogs ko kasi andami-dami kong hindi pa napopost dito. Kumbaga, kulang-kulang ang istorya ng buhay ko kaya dapat buuin.

9. Be grateful always. Bukambibig ko ang salitang grateful pero kadalasan hindi ko rin naiinternalize talaga. More often than not, I dwell on the negative, nakakalimutan kong magpasalamat sa kung ano ang meron ako. I will aspire to develop a grateful heart from now on, yung mas nakakaappreciate ng kahit maliliit na bagay o pangyayari. For sure magiging mas masaya ako.

So there! I will look back at this list a year from now and see what happened.

Kayo, anong new year's resolution ninyo? =)

Project: Blog Back-Up

It just occurred to me yesterday that I have no back-up for my blog. Yes, I've taken this back-up thing for granted. Bakit nga ba?

I really do not know. But what I know for sure is that I have to do something now. This is my online journal and I've invested so much of my time and emotions here. I will go crazy if someday I find out that all my entries are gone. It happened to me in the past na eh. I used to have a hello kitty blog in (the now defunct) Multiply which was quite popular that time (circa 2007-2009). I woke up one day and all my pictures and blog entries were missing. I suspect that a kitty friend who I trusted so much (that I've given her my password) deleted them out of envy. Oh well, I should have learned my lesson.

Obviously for Mrs. CB in BC, I am using Blogger and not hosting my own weblog. Hence, I have no control of certain things. I really have to have some kind of a system for backing it up. [By the way, I love Blogger because it's easy to use and free. Unlike other bloggers, I don't earn anything from my blog kaya wala akong pambayad ng .com (dot com) haha!]

I did my research on how to back-up blogs but they were too complicated for me. I am not a techie gal, Tita of Vancouver na nga ang level ko, kaya lalo akong naguluhan. So I've decided that I'll do it manually na lang.

What I am doing now is that I am copying every entry to MS Word, edit the size of the font and pictures and spacing, then save. I also save it as PDF para kapag pinrint ay hindi magugulo.

It's not easy. I really should have done this from the very start. Not now that I almost have 400 entries. But I'll try very hard to finish this project before my Pinas vacay on January.

I am (still) old school so medyo skeptic pa rin ako sa computer back-up. What if masira ang laptop o ang external hard drive ko?

Kaya naisip ko na maganda kung may print-out pa rin. At first, I thought of having it printed and turned into a "book." May mga ganyang blog printing services eh. I registered in one company Blog2Print.com and tried kung ano magiging itsura ng blog ko kapag pina-print ko sa kanila. Ayun, labo-labo haha. Naiba ang arrangements ng text and pictures kaya magulong basahin. Also, because I have almost 400 entries nga, each with many many pictures, libo libong pages aabutin yun. Haha, that would cost me a fortune!

So sige, balik sa dating-gawi (UP style). I'll print na lang each entry sa printer namin (black ink nga lang) tapos ipapa-photocopy ko sa UP (for additional copies kasi nga praning) tapos ipapa-hard bound ko. Ayan, parang book na rin! Kaloka, our laser printer ran out of ink pa nga so my husband ordered a toner online that's just compatible. Ang mahal naman kasi ng original. Dagdag gastos pero keri lang.

I really need time and patience for this. Sana talaga mapangatawanan ko. My blog may not be extraordinary. Like what I said before, ni hindi ko na nga ma-check ang grammar at spelling dito kasi talagang sinisingit ko lang ito sa buhay ko. But I love it because it documents my experiences, feelings, and sentiments at a given time. Masarap balik-balikan later on ang alaala nakaraan, di ba? Kaya dapat ma-preserve ko talaga lahat ng naisulat ko. Para na rin mabasa ng anak at apo ko (that is, kung makakaintindi sila ng Tag-Lish haha!).

PS. Kung pano ako magsulat sa blog na ito, ganun din ako magsalita in person. =)

Back from California!

Hello! I am back!

Sorry for the lack of posts. We just got back from California last night (November 14, past 10pm) and I am still so very tired! Ngayon ko na nararamdaman lahat ng pagod since November 3. Kaloka, I need a vacation from that vacation!

We just finished unpacking our bags. Ang dami-dami naming dala. I am not a light traveller, you know. Dagdag pa yung mga gifts for Nathan. But except for my two new purses (yebaah!), wala naman kaming gaanong binili sa California kasi meron din naman usually ng mga items dun dito sa Canada. Mataas din ang conversion ng US dollars kaya hindi wise mag-shop talaga.

Anyway, I have so many kwentos and I hope I find the time to write soon. Basta stay tuned ha. =)

A fresh start -- Mrs.CB in BC

Whew, I haven't blogged since we got back here in Surrey. I honestly didn't feel good about it. I missed documenting.

I am not a writer nor I intend to be one. I am not that good with words. Plus I do not have the time to constantly check on my grammar. I blog primarily because I want to document. I want to have something to help me remember someday the life that I had.

This is not my first blog. I've been journaling, in many forms, since time immemorial. And prior to this blog, I was maintaining one too, albeit in private mode.

I just decided to make a new 'public' blog when I immigrated here in Canada. As a person starting a new life in a new place, I felt that I have so much to share (and document). There is a scarcity of Filipino blogs about 'living in Canada' and I thought that I could contribute even a bit. I wanted to write in a 'jologs' way, using a not-so-profound language that many could understand, as I was tired of reading scholarly-type articles describing the Filipino diaspora in Canada. I just wanted to tell stories. Simple stories of my everyday life.

But yeah, I failed. I wasn't able to write as much as I wanted to. From getting pregnant (just a few months after immigrating), to nursing a baby, and now to raising a kid -- life has become a bit busier for me. I've lost my precious "me" time in the process.

Many times I've decided to quit and just leave this blog permanently. But in every single instance that I think of that, a random comment from someone would pop out and make me change my mind. Whoaaah, may nagbabasa rin pala ng blog na ito! Those few readers encourage me to go on.

You see, I never 'advertised' this blog among my family and circle of friends. It's a sort of silent blog, bahala na kung sino ang maka-discover. To be honest, ayoko ngang may makabasa nito na kakilala ko. I wish to preserve my privacy pa rin kasi kahit papano. I don't want to be conscious too of what I would write. I want to be "free" as much as possible.

That is why I am truly surprised whenever I check my stats. Indeed, there are some random few who find my stories interesting. Bumabalik-balik sila.

As I have mentioned above, I didn't feel good when I was in blogging hiatus. Ewan ko ba, parang me kulang sa buhay ko, seriously. I feel that in my life right now, ito na lang ang magagawa ko para sa sarili ko.

Hence, I want to start blogging again. Keeping in mind the purpose of this blog, i.e. documenting and sharing, I am hopeful that I'll do better this time.

But first, let me change this blog's title because I don't think it is still appropriate.

Goodbye, Ces in the City! 

I adapted "Ces in The City" from my favorite TV series "Sex and the City." Bukod sa ka-rhyme, I was still childless then and very excited to live in a city (Edmonton) for the first time. I wanted to explore the place, eat at its various restaurants, participate in all the happenings. I sort of wasnt't able to accomplish that because motherhood took over my life.

Now I am changing the blog's name into: Mrs.CB in BC -- A Filipina Mom's Life in Metro Vancouver (British Columbia). I believe this fits my current status as a stay-at-home wife and mother here in Surrey.

I am looking forward to posting frequently. To do that, less time on facebook and instagram na, lol.

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NOTE: CB = Ces Blanco / BC = Bristish Columbia

Hello from the Philippines!

Hello! Hello! We're still alive!

Sorry if it appears that I neglected this blog. You see, my greatest mistake in coming here in Pinas for a long vacation is not bringing my own laptop. I thought I could use the old one that I left here but for some reason, it's just not here anymore. Right now, I am just using Ford's old netbook (that he dumped onto me in 2012) and it's sooooo slow!

Anyway, I'll be back in Edmonton in less than a month and I am hoping that I could blog often again (is that possible if you have a very active toddler?)

Whew, Nathan's first birthday is fast-approaching and I am in toxic mode. But we are very excited of course!

Oh, here he is now! So cute, I know!

Oops, I've got to go back to party preps.You'll hear from me again soon!

My first Mother's Day Pandora charm

Oh, I can't believe May is almost over! Time flies so fast!

I have to admit something. I am so tempted to abandon this blog already. I am now very busy taking care of my 6-month-old makulit na baby and I feel na ang dami ko ng na-miss isulat. Ang mga recent events ng buhay namin, sa Instagram ko na lang nado-document. To be honest, finding time to write is so difficult now.

But I realized that I was sad the past weeks that I am not blogging. Feeling ko kasi ito na lang ang private space ko talaga, iyong akin talaga. I don't care if nobody reads my entries. Masaya lang talaga ako na may "online journal" ako.

Anyway, I promise to write more for myself. Para marami akong balikan later on.

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Oops, I have a new Pandora charm nga pala. I now love the month of May -- kasi may another occasion na na dedicated for me. MOTHER'S DAY!

To commemorate my first ever Mother's Day, my husband told me to get a new charm. My husband is not the type who will personally go to the store and choose something for me. He'll ask me exactly what I want then he'll buy it. He's so afraid na ma-okray ko, wala raw kasi siyang taste. Medyo totoo naman haha! Now that we're living together (we used to be in LDR), he would just tell me to buy whatever I want (using his money, of course). Ang praktikal noh? Where did romance go? Hahaha!

I wanted a different "mom" charm pero hindi available sa Pandora West Edmonton Mall. I just settled for this one. Thank you, dear husband!

This is my 7th Pandora charm. I wonder kung kelan kaya mapupuno ang bracelet ko.

Happy New Year!

Hello, hello! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Picture taken on new year's eve

I am sorry I haven't blogged in a looooong time... I am sure you understand that I no longer own my time now. My son's so demanding and I am finding it hard to find some "me" time and blog.

I owe you a lot of kwentos and I promise to make it up in the coming days.

But for now, I just wanna wish you a very very blessed and prosperous new year! Oh, I still can't believe that it's 2015 already!

I'll be back!

Hello!

Just wanna say that I won't be able to post in the coming days as I am already scheduled for birth induction tomorrow (November 13).

Baby Chicklet Blanco @ 39 weeks and 5 days

And that makes me really scared!

I admit, just thinking about it now makes my blood pressure soar high. But I am trying to be positive. There is no way Baby Chicklet will come out on this world without me experiencing some pain, right?

I went to my OB last Monday (November 10) and she told me my cervix is still closed. That's why I'll be induced. I have gestational diabetes so we cannot delay the delivery and wait for normal contractions.

It'll only be and my husband who'll go to the hospital tomorrow. My doctor told me we'll meet there before 7am, but I have to still wait for the hospital's call to check on the availability of room/staff. Hay, it will be a very long day tomorrow (and/or the day after). Please pray for me and my baby.

Anyway, I promise to return as soon as I am back on my feet. I am going to miss this blog terribly, I know!

See you! =)

I am back -- with a baby! =)

Hola! I can't believe it's been four months since I last blogged!

Obviously I have an excuse. I AM PREGNANT! 22 weeks and 2 days by this very day.

Picture taken on June 14, 2014 (19 weeks and 2 days pregnant)

The past months and weeks have witnessed so many changes in my life (and my body!) and all the more that I should have blogged to document everything about my pregnancy. But I just didn't have the energy to do so.

But hey, I can still catch up right? I'll try hard to (so that Baby Chicklet can have something amusing to read on later).

Hay I've missed blogging! I still have almost four months before I become "really" busy (I am due on November) and I hope I can still manage to write when there's already a baby demanding my full attention. I never intended to have a "mommy blog" but I guess it's inevitable now since my life in the coming months (and probably the next few years) will just revolve around the baby, the hubby, and our Casa Blanco.

New phase in life, new adventures. I am excited. I am definitely back!

Introducing my new blogging area

Hello! I am pleased to introduce my new blogging area...

I never planned on having a desktop computer in my work table (the husband wanted us to have one in my 'Me' Room so we no longer have to move the laptop from the first floor) so half the space was consumed. But I realized that it's ok. Less space, less clutter right?

Speaking of table, this was bought in Ikea. I originally wanted a bigger white table but I had to consider the size of the room so I settled for this simple and petite one. We also got the chair from Ikea. It is technically a dining chair but I felt that it's a perfect accent to my white-themed 'Me' Room. And it's very comfortable to sit on!

I have yet to figure out how to use this new computer (and Windows 8) but I'll get there. I am glad that after four months, I now have a computer of my 'own' again.

I'll show you the rest of my 'Me' Room as soon as I am done organizing it. Hope it turns out well! =)

I miss blogging...

I really miss blogging.

Picture taken from the net (credits to the owner)

Here's the reason why I haven't blogged in a long time:

• We just moved in to our new townhouse and up until now, we still do not have internet connection at home! Telus promised to install the net and cable by February 24 pa (yep, one month after our move! imagine that!).
• My in-laws are vacationing here in Edmonton (from January 30 to February 20) and I of course have to spend time with them.
• I started working last February 1 so I am not as free as before.

There are times when I thought that I should stop blogging. There's Instagram  that can serve as my real time mini blog, anyway. But my desire to document my boring life wins.

I am not a good writer, I know. But I want to write. I want to share my stories. I want to have something in the internet that could hopefully be online forever. 

I promise to write more in a few days. Too much backlog, really.