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.

Fridge Magnet Display

We've been living here in our new townhouse for 3 1/2 months already and still, para pa rin kaming bagong-lipat. Hindi pa rin talaga namin naayos ang mga gamit, many of our stuff are still in boxes na nasa garahe.

If you will ask why, sige ang primary reason na siguro talaga ay katamaran. Nakakatamad talagang maghalukay haha! Kung tutuusin, we are ok na with all the things that we are using now kaya parang nate-take for granted na namin yung ibang gamit. Tsk, saka parang nire-remind lang ako ng mga yun sa engagement ko to excessive counsumerism. Ewan ko ba. Oh well, crammer naman ako. I have one month pa para mag-ayos kami ng bahay bago kami umuwi ni Nathan sa Pinas so I'll make sure na gagalaw na ako in the coming days. Ayaw ko namang abutan pa ang mga ito pagbalik namin sa August noh.

Anyway, since hindi ko pa maipakita sa inyo ang bahay namin, unti-unting parts/areas na lang muna. Let's start with our fridge magnet display. Haha, sa Pinas we call it "ref magnets" pero dito kasi they use the word fridge. I remember when we were in a shop in Squamish, I asked the salesperson for a ref magnet tapos hindi niya gets kung ano yun. Since then, sabi ko fridge magnet na nga ang magamit na term.

So eto na nga ang display boards ko ng fridge magnets. As I have mentioned in this post, nag-start na uli akong mag-collect ng travel souvenirs, including magnets.

I still have more magnets, di ko pa lang naa-unearth hihi.

Noon pa lang naga-apartment kami, sinabihan ko na ang asawa ko na gawan niya ako ng something similar to this (in white frame). Nakita ko kasi na may ganyan din sa house ng in-laws ko sa Califonia na ginawa daw ni father-in-law. So syempre oo lang ang sagot ng dyowa ko. Ayun, nitong nakalipat na kami eh narealize ko na aabutin siguro ng siyam-siyam bago ako magkaroon nito kung siya ang aasahan ko. Aside sa kulang sa time (syempre marami pa kaming dapat unahing gawin at ayusin dito sa bahay), eh hindi naman talaga crafty ang asawa ko. He's good with the usual manly fixings and repairs pero sa may mga kailangan ng creativity, medyo sabit siya lol.

Credits: www.leesheatac.com

Buti na lang I found this white magnetic memo board noong naglalakad-lakad kami sa Ikea. Naisip ko agad na pwede na ito for our fridge magnets.

We bought two muna for $22.39 (tax included) each. Shaiks, almost Php1,000.00 na pala haha. Maliit siya sa totoo lang at parang konti lang ang malalagay. Naisip ko na magdadagdag na lang ako ng boards habang papadami ang collection ko.

White as usual ang theme ng house namin kaya perfect siya.

This is a temporary location, I guess (patay, yari ako kay hubby!). Kapag nagdagdag ako ng boards, malamang ililipat ko sila. We have limited wall spaces so baka sa may bandang stair na lang.

We actually have a bigger refrigerator now that can accommodate lots of magnets kaso ayaw ko naman ngang maglagay doon. Some magnets are fragile (especially yung mga ceramic type) at tiyak magkakandahulog kung palaging nagagalaw. Tapos ang hirap pang linisan ng ref kapag maraming nakalagay. At ang kalat pang tingnan.

O siya, I hope to be able to show you more parts of our house soon. Please stay tuned. =)

Unexpected Gift from Ate Hilda

Nathan and I went out with Tita Dap (hubby's cousin) for her pre-birthday treat. To my surprise, she handed me a gift for me from Ate Hilda, her friend who became my friend na rin for the past 14 years.

I honestly love receiving gifts. I grew up not receiving gifts kasi haha. Very few people give me gifts now. Kahit asawa ko hindi na nage-effort, binibigyan na lang ako ng pera pambili ng gusto ko.

Pero syempre masarap makatanggap ng mga bagay na galing sa ibang tao. Kahit gaano pa yan kaliit, naa-appreciate ko talaga. Nakakataba ng puso.

Super thank you, Ate Hilda. Sayang hindi na tayo nagkita sa uwi naming ito. Di bale, sa susunod na lang.

This capiz shell will surely find its place in the new Casa Blanco. Hopefully soon.

A Dollarama Christmas

I was in Dollarama WEM yesterday and was happy to see that they are already starting to bring out their Christmas merchandise. Ahh, "the most wonderful time of the year" is coming!!!

If only we could skip halloween haha! I love halloween but this year, I am associating it with the anticipation of painful childbirth so sana Christmas na nga haha!

Last year, I feel that I was Christmas-deprived because we were living in Pod's small studio-type suite and we couldn't even put up a tree. So I had high aspirations for Christmas 2014. I even started buying Christmas decors as early as December 26, 2013!

We have all the ingredients to have a special and memorable Christmas this year -- we have a new house, my parents-in-law will be spending the holidays with us, and Chicklet will finally be here by that time! I am just not sure though if we can decorate the house fully because aside from not having a budget anymore for whimsical stuff (shopping for Chicklet already cost us a fortune!), I might not have the time and energy to do so.

But one thing is for sure, we are getting a tree. I want our son to have a picture by our Christmas tree every year.

I better start scouting for cheap Christmas decors now or else I will lose my chance. With a limited budget, thankfully there's Dollarama. You can find nice and sosyal-looking decors naman in dollar stores so doon na lang muna siguro ako bibili.  =)

Our (still bare) guestroom

We've already had a total of three sets of visitors since we moved here in our town home six and a half months ago (January 24, 2014.) First, were my in-laws Daddy, Mama, and Cecille last (January 30 - February 20), then Tatay, Tita Che and Ally (June 4-8), and just recently Auntie Ely (August 7-11).

And they of course stayed in our guest room which still looked the same since day 1 haha!

We have three bedrooms in the house so we have a spare room for the guests. Too bad I still wasn't able to fully furnish it. Pregnancy happened, you see.

As of now, the bedroom only has an Ikea bed, side table, and lamp. I originally wanted a 'grander' set of furniture for this room but then my in-laws arrived just six days after me moved in so we had no time to scout for a better bed. We can't let them sleep on the floor, right?

Though very simple, I still like how our guest room turned out. I'm very fond of 'white' furniture nowadays because it gives the illusion of space. Maaliwalas pang tingnan.

I am hoping that we can make a bit of improvement in this room before we accommodate our next visitor/s (which I doubt). I am planning to add curtains, accent chair, wall frames, and a bit of other decorative pieces for it to look homey.

Haha, plans... plans! Andaming plano! I am praying for more energy, enthusiasm, and money! :)

What a long Thursday night!

Ford picked me up at around 5:40pm this early evening and we headed to Westmount to get that most dreadful flu shot. Last November ko pa gustong magpa-vaccinate pero umatras ako dahil takot talaga ako sa injection. But with the latest news that many Albertans are getting the H1N1 flu strain (and at least 10 have died already), I panicked. I don't want to get sick. I told Ford we have to get immunized.

Too bad na sobrang haba ng pila kanina sa clinic. As in the longest line I've seen here in Edmonton! It was past 6pm already so we decided not to queue anymore. I've heard that they are running out of flu vaccines already. Alberta Health has been offering this flu shot since October 2013 yata pero ngayon lang dumagsa ang tao. Very few Albertans availed the flu shots before. Ngayon dahil sa takot, ayan talagang pumipila na.

Di bale, I am sure the government will do something about it. Hope makapagpasaksak na rin kami ni Ford soon.

Our next stop was at Pier 1 Imports in the north area. I've browsed their website and I found so many interesting house items, particularly accent chairs.

I like the feel of the store, sari-sari eh. It reminded me of Regalong Pambahay in Pinas. There are so many decorative pieces. Babalik ako doon definitely pag kailangan ko na ng abubot sa bahay.

Hay, if only their chairs are less expensive, andami ko na sanang nabili! I am into accent chairs nowadays, ewan ko nga ba.

This chair costs $700+! Ford asked me if I want it, I said yes. But I do not want its price noh! Bye bye, chair!

This one is a bit cheaper. $284 if I remember correctly. This would look perfect on our guest room kaso sobrang mahal pa rin talaga.

But I won't give up. I will have nice chairs at home PERIOD. Hanap hanap uli ng ibang stores.

And since we are already in the north area, we ended up having lunch at Beijing House again. Kakakain lang din namin dito last January 1 kasama si Ate June.

When you're hungry, better na talaga mag-buffet dito. We paid a total of $36.85 (with tip na yan ha) and we were so full. I remember us paying $38+ at a Pinoy restaurant na dalawa lang ang ulam (na hindi pa masarap).

At dahil busog, we of course wanted to go home immediately (the hubby had to do some 'releasing' lol!). But we were surprised when we saw lots of firetrucks near our building.

Ford instantly said: "Nakow, malamang sa building natin yan!" I got so worried, inalala ko kung naiwan ko bang bukas ang kalan or something. Nang matapat kami sa building, we looked up on the 12th floor, mukhang tahimik naman yung unit namin kaya nakahinga na kami.

We parked near our building and observed. Mukhang di pa rin naga-alisan ang bumbero kaya sinabi ko kay Ford lumapit na kami. I hate the idea of not knowing things, especially if it concerns me/us.

Bumaba si Ford ng sasakyan at medyo lumapit. I was waiting for some news pero mukhang wala siyang balak magtanong. Bumaba na rin ako at sakto nakita kong bitbit bitbit ng isang fireman/security ang isang babaeng tenant na nagpupumiglas. Ayaw yatang mag-evacuate sa building so she was carried in her pyjamas!

I approached one Security and asked what happened. He said there's fire in the dumpster area. Again, I was relieved. At least malayo sa unit namin. We were worried because many of our important documents are there. And aside from cash, nandun din ang engagement and wedding rings namin!

The Security informed me that a bus is coming to keep the tenants warm while waiting for the go signal kung kelan makakapasok sa loob. We are thankful kasi we have our car with us, hindi namin kailangan makipagsiksikan sa bus. Uso pa naman ang flu virus ngayon, nakakatakot. Saka sa totoo lang, marami sa kanila ang may di kaaya-ayang amoy (kaya ko ito Tinatagalog!) kasi tamad na tamad silang maligo pag winter kaloka!

Anyway, Ford suggested that we go to Walmart para magpalipas ng oras. Walmart is open until 11pm so pwede!

It's so difficult to kill time pala in a supermarket. Ayaw na ayaw ko pa naman ng hindi bibili. Hindi ako mahilig magwindow shop. We are still fully stocked so we don't need any.

After 40 minutes of loitering, nag-diet coke and sundae cone na lang kami sa McDonald's.

It was my first time to eat sundae cone here in Edmonton. Mahalaysia din, $1.46 (or approximately Php60.00) siya! Sabagay, lahat naman dito eh mahal kaloka!

Keep calm and eat sundae cone.

We left Walmart at 10pm hoping na makakapasok na kami sa building. Swerte naman at ok na.

Or so we thought.

Akala namin we'll have a good night sleep na when Ford learned that there is no water in the bathroom. Yari! When he asked the Management, ayun 4pm pa raw bukas magkakatubig kasi nadamay pati yung main water line. OMG! A day without water!

I panicked immediately! How can we survive without water??? That's one of my daily fears, ang mawalan ng tubig dito. Unlike in Pinas na maraming kapitbahay o kamag-anak na mahihingan ng tubig o mapagpapaliguan, dito wala. Kaming dalawa lang dito eh. It was so frustrating! And how will Ford go to work? Hindi pa naman yun sanay ng hindi naliligo twice a day.

The hubby sounded desperate too. He suggested that we go to the nearby motel. I refused, saying that aside from it being so magastos, how the hell will I check out if he's at work? Hassle pa magpack tapos sandali lang din dun. Sana kung parang motels sa Pinas na 24-hour ang system, kung 11pm ka magchecheck-in, kinabukasan ng gabi ka pa rin pwedeng lumabas. Yun ang sulit.

Ang sabi ko makiligo na lang siya kay Ate June pero ayaw naman niya. Thankfully, he was able to google (yep, we rely on google all the time) a "Truck Stop" near his office where he can take a bath. He called and was informed that it'll cost 8+ bucks. Not bad. Hay, problem solved!

Now ako na lang ang problema. How can I survive the day? The good news was that meron daw water tank or truck sa baba where we can get water. Pero wala naman kaming maraming container. We only have one small pail and two empty 10L distilled water container. Pwede na rin kesa wala.

So there, nag-igib si Ford at 11pm!

A PEng's life -- taga-igib! 

Ford was worried for my lunch tomorrow. Haler, I can cook and eat with minimal water. Sakto na ang naigib niyang tubig, titipirin ko na lang. I am just keeping my fingers crossed that water will be back by 4pm tomorrow. Or else yari na talaga.

Hay it was such a long night. I called Mamoosh and relayed to her this night's incident.

I am tired but I don't wanna sleep yet. I want to wake up late tomorrow (since Ford won't be having lunch here of course) para di ko maramdaman ang kawalan ng tubig bukas. Sana meron na paggising ko.

Shopping EARLY for Christmas decors

It was so fun shopping for Christmas decors on the 26th of December! Everything came at 50-80% off!

Ford and I were at South Edmonton Common yesterday for the 'Boxing Day' and I couldn't help but grab some Christmas tree decors. Honestly, I was so overwhelmed with the many possibilities of Christmas themes next year. Sa dami ng nakita kong Christmas tree designs in Facebook, na-lost na ako!

While at Michael's, I tried to remember my 2014 Christmas tree peg so I got variations of yellow greens and pinks and blues. Pero walang white! Hmm, mukhang malabo ko ng ma-attain ang blanco-themed tree for next year ah.

Anyway, I was happy naman with my color choices. It's a deviation from the traditional red and gold trimmings that I always dress our Philippine home with. Yun nga lang, hindi na ako pwedeng magbago ng isip kasi nakabili na haha!

I observed that many Canadians were shopping "early" for Christmas ornaments, too. Akala ko ako lang ang interesado because deprived ako ng Christmas decors this year because we haven't moved to our town house yet. Walang space dito sa maliit na lungga namin.

We're going shopping again later this afternoon after our bank appointment.I am hoping to find more nice and cheap Christmas decorative pieces. At sana makabili na rin kami ng tree haha! =)