Christmas Wish List (Exchange Gift with The Girls)

Since Nathan and I will be going home in the Philippines this January 8, I suggested to 'the girls' (my college barkada and my core group in Pinas) that we make a list of what we want to get for Christmas para may guide kami sa pagsha-shopping. Barkada tradition kasi namin talaga na mag-Christmas dinner then exchange gifts.

I know na tapos na ang pasko pagdating ko so sabi ko ihahabol ko na lang ang gifts ko. But they said aantayin na lang nila ako. Na-touch naman ako.

Usually pare-parehas ang binibigay namin to all the girls but I thought that it will be more practical if we give (and get) something that we want/need/like. They all agreed naman. Haha, partida nga pala sa akin yan kasi I have a lot of time to shop lol. Mageenjoy pa ako sa paghahanap!

By the way, we don't give expensive gifts to each other nga pala kapag Christmas. Though they are all earning well (ako lang ang jobless kaloka!), syempre may kanya-kanyang family responsibility na kami. Kaya usually "token" lang talaga ang inaabot namin. Cliche as it may sound, it's the thought naman talaga that matters di ba?

So you want to know what their requests are? Paper weight, blanket, USB, Johnson's Baby Lotion, ref magnet, clothes travel organizer, bath/hair towel, travel bag tag, Human Nature Night Cream / Sunflower Beauty Oil, lip balm, scotch tape dispenser, continuous ink refill for canon, pencil sharpener. Ang sisimple lang di ba?

Eto naman ang wish list ko:

• Rich People Problems book  -- meron nito dito pero mas mura sa Pinas haha!
• University of the Philippines (UP) mug -- medyo nahihilig ako sa coffee mugs ngayon kasi paminsan-minsan ay nagkakape nako
• Bento-making tools -- marami nito sa Pinas at usong-uso
• Cute post-its, note pads, stickers, washi tapes (planner paraphernalias) -- marami rin nito sa Pinas 
• Pastel Stabilo highlighters -- dream ko magkaroon nito, as usual wala dito at meron sa Pinas
• Universal USB socket -- gustong-gusto ko ring magkaroon nito kahit mukhang di ko naman magagamit dito sa Canada

I am so excited sa exchange gifts namin haha! It will be fun to know kung anu-ano ang mga nahanap namin for each other. Parang bata lang kami uli. I'll surely post later kung ano ang mga nabili ko. =)

#CessieShops: Muji Pens

Muji opened its first Vancouver store in Metropolis at Metrotown last August 26, 2017. As expected, hundreds of Asian-British Columbians flocked this minimalist Japanese store on its first day. Pumunta kami after a week and the line to get in was still very very long. Three weeks later, wala ng pila pero napakarami pa ring tao sa loob, as in siksikan. We went out kaagad kasi nakaka-suffocate.

Finally, lumuwag na rin nung bumalik kami last September 29. I was able to buy ballpens na lol.

Yes, ballpens lang naman ang binibili ko sa Muji, even when I was in still in Pinas.

Excited na excited ang mga taga-dito about Muji pens (nababasa ko sa IG). For me, ordinary lang naman ang pens Muji. Mas maraming magandang ballpens sa Pinas noh. Siguro nakakaaliw lang talagang magtesting-testing ng sulat at bumili ng paisa-isa. Iyon din ang nami-miss ko eh. Dito kasi usually naka-pack ang pens, hindi mo pwedeng isulat-sulat muna. Ibang-iba sa experience sa National Bookstore.

Muji pens here cost $1.50 to 2.00 each (plus 12% tax).

I only bought four pens. Nagtimpi talaga ako kasi takaw-mata lang naman ako, di ko naman talaga nagagamit ang ballpens ko. Natutuyuan lang ng tinta.

It felt good though, to be reunited once more with things that are familiar.

In my opinion, Muji items are pricey for the standards of average Canadians. Kaya nga napapansin ko wala naman gaanong namimili ng "big" items dun. Pero sabagay, sobrang daming Asians (most especially Chinese) dito who are familiar with the brand and with so much disposable money. Baka nga sila ang magpa-patronize.

Christmas Cards 2014

I am so fond of all those personalized greeting cards. Mahilig talaga sako sa anything personalized eh. That is why when I finally had a child, ang sabi ko sa sarili ko: "Yehey, makakapagpa-print nako ng Christmas cards!" Uso kasi yun dito sa North America.

But since I just gave birth last November 13, I ran out of time for it. In the first place, Nathan was too young for a studio photo shoot. We had to send the cards on the last week of November kasi para umabot sa Pilipinas. Winter na rin kaya mahirap siyang ilabas. Also, I had a c-section so imposible rin talaga na makalabas ako agad. So I decided na ako na lang ang kukuha ng picture then I'll have it printed.

Nathan was only 12 days old when we took this picture on November 25, 2014. He was not in the mood obviously. We had him wear the Christmas onesie that was given by Ate Celina. We were surprised kasi halos maliit na sa kanya. Newborn ang size kasi.

At 12 days, the little boy still wasn't smiling much. After hundreds of shots, I gave up (and I was still in so much pain that time). I just settled for this one.

I asked Pod to have it printed at Costco. Twenty-five copies at $0.29 each.

I was just disappointed because the red border was cut in printing.

I bought a pack of cards at Walmart. It's so cheap, 40 pieces for only $6! It's not that 'grand,' but nice enough (with matching glitters!). It's also light weight so minimal lang ang postage fee.

I taped the picture inside the card. Thankfully, sakto ang size.

Writing on the cards was a struggle. I couldn't sit straight yet then. But I had to do what I had to do. I wrote very short and generic messages.

The fun part though was writing this...

Yehey, tatlo na kami!

By the way, I sent a different card for our parents - Mamoosh and Daddy Jaime/Mama Elsie. I bought these cards in 2013 pa at Dollarama haha!

We were able to mail the second batch of cards nga pala a week before Christmas. We sent a total of 23 cards, I think.

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I really enjoyed sending the cards. Especially when we started receiving sweet messages of thanks from the receivers.

But sadly, only 8 among the 23 acknowledged that they received their respective cards. Honestly, I am already discouraged in sending cards next year. Baka sa Facebook na lang ako babati hehe.

Going nuts with nutcrackers

Whew, I couldn't contain my excitement. Why, it's only 99 more days before Christmas! Christmas mode na talaga ako haha! I was even listening to Christmas songs yesterday.

Anyway, I think I made up my mind. I am done with Santa Claus. I will now be collecting nutcrackers!

My interest in nutcrackers started last January 8, 2014 when I saw these "Nutcracker Fashionistas" at Shoppers Drug Mart in WEM. Haha, they look "ugly" and "gayish" I know but I was really drawn into them! I asked Ford to buy one for me (the one with the red bag and beanie) tutal sale naman.

Nutcrackers are not that "uso" in Pinas. This is my very first nutcracker item.

And then we were at Michaels (South Edmonton Common) just last Saturday. I found these nutcracker stuff in the $1.50-bin and I felt so happy! Gusto ko pala talaga ng nutcrackers!

Ayan, nagsisimula na naman ako! Sabi ng ni Pod, ang lahat ng equivalent ng ideas ko ay gastos haha! But what can I do, I have a manic tendency to collect anything and everything I fancy. It gives excitement in my boring life eh. But again, with limited budget (and now that I am about to become a mother), I know it will take time before I could build a nutcracker collection.

Loots from Michaels

If there's one store that I miss the most in the Philippines, that would be NATIONAL BOOKSTORE. I am a self-confessed stationery addict and I would go to National almost every day (no kidding) just to buy pens and other supplies.

Here in Edmonton, I feel so deprived. They do not have National Bookstore-like store here. Nope, Staples won't suffice. National is different. There you can buy ballpens piece by piece, here in packs. Plus there's so much variety of anik-anik, so many items to choose from -- at affordable prices!

Stationery here costs a lot, I noticed. That I why I told myself that when I go home in Pinas I would hoard as much stationery as I can. I will really splurge!

So for the mean time, I would have to make do with my "cheap" finds here. You can get the cheapest office/school supplies at the following: Dollarama, Dollar Tree, Target (look for the Dollar bins), Walmart...

and occasionally, Michaels...

Michaels is an arts and crafts store that sells anything and everything for one's creative needs. I actually love their merchandise, except that I find them so pricey! I still convert dollars to pesos that's why.

I can only actually afford Michaels if they are on sale. My tip is never to buy their items for a full price. You may subscribe to their newsletter and they send out coupons all the time. You may also check out their clearance bins for items that are up to 90% off.

These were my purchases last Saturday. I was happy kasi parang sa dollar store lang ako namili. At $9.45 or approximately Php380.00, still not cheap though. Pero pwede na.

Someday, if I win the lottery, I will put up a stationery shop here in Edmonton that will sell items na tingi-tingi, katulad ng concept ng National Bookstore. I will import so many Asian stationery which I am sure Canadians will like. Feeling ko deprived din sila eh, hehe.

Unconditional Love for Hello Kitty

There's been a worldwide fuss lately about hello kitty "not being a cat." Many people who know that I love hello kitty began messaging me about this controversy...

And my reply:

"Hello kitty may or may not be a cat. Others may accuse her of being a 'fraud.' But still, I love her. Nothing can change that."

Now that's unconditional love haha!

My 2014 Planners

In my attempt to become a more organized person this 2014, I plan on using these three daily.

A stationery lover that I am, I admit to always having a new shiny planner (Starbucks planner for the last few years) at the beginning of every year. However, I normally end up abandoning it even before the second quarter starts. Yes, nakakatamaran ko na. I am sure many can relate to this.

Well I realized that at 34, I am not exactly young. Admittedly, I tend to forget a lot of things already. Sumasabog din tuloy ang utak ko. I have so many plans for this year so I better list everything (I am non-techie so an electronic planner won't work for me).

My three 2014 planners have different purposes:

The Red Planner/Journal will serve as my diary where I would write everything that happened on each and every day. Again, makakalimutin na ako. I have to start documenting my 'everyday life' again (because nobody else will). I can not blog everyday so  mas kumpleto ang documentation sa written diary.

The Hello Kitty Monthly Planner will be my "everyday bitbit" planner. It's small and thin so I can bring it anywhere. It will serve as my scheduler and "quick look" reminder. It obviously lacks space so I will just use post-its for extra notes.

The Weekly Desk Pad Calendar will be placed in our kitchen area (that is, when we move to our town house later this month) which I will share with my husband. This is where we'll put everything that we have to be reminded about - menus, things to buy, house repairs, bills payments, social activities, etc.

By the way, I bought the first two planners in the Philippines. The red one in SM Department Store and the Hello Kitty in National Bookstore. Bringing these planners was a good decision because I found it hard to find a nice but cheap planner here. I am not sure if I am ready for Filofax na (I am not sure if I am a Filofax girl).

I bought the desk calendar at Target. I had to get it because it's 50% off (haha!) and I love its floral design and colors.

I am keeping my fingers crossed na mapanindigan ko ang mga planners na ito this year. Goodluck to me!