Goodbye, Old Casa Blanco.

Now that we're moving to a new home, my husband told me: "O ayan makaka-move on ka na sa dati nating bahay." 

Admittedly, whenever I feel depressed kasi with our current living situation, palaging yung dati naming townhouse ang bukang-bibig ko. Hindi nga talaga ako maka-move on. Half of my heart wanted to go back to Edmonton, where we can afford an even bigger dwelling (yung hindi lang townhouse). Hanggang wala kaming bagong bahay sa BC, feeling ko hindi pa kami talaga taga-doon.

Ngayon I can finally say goodbye to our old house. Our first home in Canada.

Ang since it's throwback Thursday, allow me to post pictures of our Edmonton townhome. Para na rin may reference kami someday. Saka para makita ni Nathan later on (since this blog is my personal diary/journal na rin).

These were the official photos used by our Realtor in selling the house. He commissioned a professional photographer to take the shots. We decluttered the house syempre before the photoshoot kaya ganyan.

FRONT EXTERIOR. Ours was an end unit.

FRONT DOOR. Bad daw sa Feng Shui ang stairs facing the door, kaso naisip ko hindi naman kami Intsik haha. 

LIVING ROOM. We had a very spacious living room. It's good though that I wasn't able to put up yet the photo frames that I was collating for that huge blank wall.

Yes, I love white. Our new place will be white again.

DINING AREA. That bench will always be memorable to us haha. It cost us $900, would you believe?

KITCHEN. It might be 'small' but I learned to cook from there.

POWDER ROOM. I loved this room. It was so big.

MASTER BEDROOM.  Our first room as a family.

The door on the right side was for the closet. 

MASTER BATHROOM. It wasn't that big but the size was just perfect for me.

GUEST ROOM. Several visitors have stayed in this room in less than three years that we lived in that house.

MY "ME" ROOM. My favorite place in that house. I was thankful to the husband for giving this to me.

That white couch is a bed, too.

MAIN BATHROOM. This was Nathan's.

BALCONY. This big balcony compensated for our lack of backyard.

I will always remember lots of barbecue sessions that took place here.

GARAGE. It was deep and spacious.

BACK EXTERIOR. Simple but functional.

Now it's really time to move forward. Wag nga raw dapat magpaka-attached sa bahay sa North America kasi hindi naman yan forever sa iyo o sa pamilya mo. Pero sadyang senti lang talaga akong tao siguro.

In the coming months, about New Casa Blanco na ang ipo-post ko. Excited na ako.

A new home for us

Hi, guys! I just want to share with you a very happy news -- we already bought a townhouse! Oh, I am so excited! After being "houseless" for one and a half year, we are finally moving to our new home this September 2018.

March 4, 2018

Ibang-iba ang pakiramdam na sa wakas, magkakabahay na uli kami. Mas masaya kaysa noong una kaming bumili sa Edmonton. Dati kasi bumili lang kami ng wala kaisyu-isyu. When I already decided to follow my husband in Edmonton, ayun naghanap na siya ng townhouse na mabibili para pagdating ko may matitirahan na kami (he was just renting a studio-type apartment then). Walang problema sa budget, the real estate situation was normal. Ibang-iba sa situation ngayon na talagang nakaka-stress bumili ng bahay kasi nga napakataas ng presyo. Lakasan na lang talaga ng loob at sobrang pagtitipid ang kailangan.

Iba rin ang pakiramdam ngayon kasi nga na-experience namin tumira sa apartment namin ngayon. It is old and truly uncomfortable. Napaka-humbling tumira doon kasi nga galing kami sa isang bago at mabangong bahay haha. Even my son hated living there. Ayaw na nga niyang bumalik sa Canada eh.

Kaya talagang looking forward kaming lumipat na. Yun nga lang in half a year pa kasi ginagawa pa (yes, it's brand new!). Pero di bale na, iba yung may tinatanaw na, hindi ba?

Ooops by the way, we'll be extending our vacation here in Pinas. Instead of returning in Canada on April 13, sa June 8 na. Thankfully walang rebooking fees/charges sa EVA Air. Since wala rin naman kaming gagawin pa sa Canada (no more house-hunting kasi nga nakabili na), we might as well maximize na lang our stay here. Para less time na lang ang ipag-aantay namin for September. Saka to be honest, malaki ang natitipid ng asawa ko sa pagbabakasyon namin sa Pinas haha! Sponsored kasi kami ni Nathan dito ng ermats ko kaya wala syang gastos lol. Eh syempre ang dami-daming magagastos sa paglipat namin (lawyer's fee, moving expenses, new things for the house like washer-dryer, etc.) kaya dapat magtipid lol. My mother doesn't mind, syempre mas gusto niyang nandito kami kahit nagagastusan siya. Kung gusto nga raw namin eh wag na kaming umalis.

I'll share more details of our new townhome soon! =)

Addicted to diamond painting

Hello! I apologize for 'abandoning' this blog for the past three weeks. I became so busy kasi with diamond painting haha!

You see, I got so stressed out with the idea of house-hunting in BC so I deliberately searched for a new hobby to keep my mind off it. At para na rin malibang ako dito sa Pinas kasi sa totoo lang, bored na ako. Sakto naman na nakita ko ito sa posts ng isang IG mom that I stalk. Yep, whenever I am left with free time, I stalk people in IG. Mga random, ordinary people lang, because I am curious on how they conduct their daily lives. Siguro I will always be a Sociologist kahit hindi na ako practicing.

Anyway, I originally wanted to go back to cross stitching so I can produce some works that I could hang in our future house. Kaso wala ng nagtitinda ng cross stitch materials dito. Hindi na yata uso? I actually have a lot of unfinished projects pero nasa Canada naman, pinadala ko when I was pregnant kaso hindi ko naman nahipo. Pero yun nga, I learned na itong diamond painting (or rhinestone art) na pala ang "in" ngayon.

I had no idea where to buy a kit so I googled. Ayun, sa Lazada pala may mga nagbebenta. Naka-experience na akong bumili sa Lazada last year so alam ko na how to order. Cash on delivery naman. For my first diamong painting project, I chose a small but colorful design. Baka kasi hindi ko magustuhan kaya subok lang muna.

My package had arrived in less than 2 days. I was so excited that I started doing it right after I opened it. Finigure out ko pa nga how. It was only after finishing it that I realized na hindi ito ang design na inorder ko. It's a "spring" tree and I ordered a "summer" tree.

Tsk, nainis talaga ako. Kasi there are sellers na nagbebenta nito ng Php399, sa ibang seller ako bumili kahit mas mahal ng Php10 kasi nga may summer tree siya (na wala sa ibang sellers) tapos iba naman pala ang ipapadala. Out of stock na malamang kasi siya na lang ang nagpo-post ng summer tree eh. So there, lesson learned pag nag-order online -- icheck talaga ang item kung tama ba.

Anyway, I finished my first ever diamond painting in less than 3 days (pasingit-singit lang yun ha). They say I was fast, pero siguro sanay lang talaga ako magcross stitch kaya madali na para sa akin. Diamond painting is definitely so much easier, super addicting din. Talagang naaliw ako.

I immediately placed another order for a bigger design. Sobrang big nga, in fact, 4 feet by 2 feet siya. Namurahan kasi ako, Php1,169 lang (free shipping pa) eh ang mahal nyan sa iba.

I was so happy when I received it kasi nasa magandang box talaga at kumpleto sa gamit. My mother was so skeptic na matatapos ko. Ang dami ko raw kasing sinimulan na cross stitch na malalaki na hindi ko tinapos. I assured her na kaya ko, pero malamang na sa Canada na. Tamang-tama kako para sa bago naming bahay.

But because I knew na mahilig din si Mamoosh sa mga ganyan, I told her igagawa ko siya ng mas maliit (at realistic tapusin agad) ng konti. Ayaw daw niya kasi nung pink tree ko (the first that I made) kasi hindi niya maintindihan. So I showed her several designs so she could choose. Inorder ko uli sa Lazada (Php598, including shipping fee).

Kaso ang palpak naman. Hindi pala siya fully beaded. Yung four flowers lang ang lalagyan ng beads. Waaah asar-talo kami ni Mamoosh, sayang ang pera! Dapat ipapa-frame ko na rin ito tulad nung pink tree kaso I couldn't force myself to pay for another Php500+ para sa pangit na diamond painting na ito.

Another lesson learned -- make sure to know all the details of what you're ordering. Hindi ko kasi inalam kung fully beaded nga ba ito o hindi. Walang nakalagay sa site so I should have messaged the seller, tsk. Saka sana inalam ko kung pwede pa bang isoli. Ginawa ko kasi agad hoping na maganda pag natapos.

To make it up to Mamoosh, I told her I'll finish this na lang tapos iiwan ko na dito sa bahay. Kaya kinarir ko na talaga. Sabi ko alagaan nila si Nathan para matapos ko haha!

And here it is, done in two weeks (from February 24 to March 12, may days na hindi ko nagalaw). I am so happy because it turned out really nice. Mas maganda at makinang talaga siya sa actual. I can't wait to see it framed and hanged on the wall. We'll bring it to the framer later today.

Kaya yan po ang dahilhan ng kabusy-han ko the past days lol. The thing is, nagwi-withdrawal syndrome ako ngayon. I am itching to start another project again but I want to rest my eyes muna. Saka hindi ko pa alam kung anong design ang gusto kong gawin next. Sadly, walang masyadong choices sa Lazada. Maraming maganda pero hindi nga fully pasted. I researched and may mga sellers naman sa Facebook kaso out of stock din ang mga gusto kong designs tapos super pricey pa. Oh well, bahala na nga. Relatively new pa lang kasi ang diamond painting kaya  konti pa ang suppliers and designs.

O siya, I have so many kwentos na naipon. Stay tuned ha!

"Me" Room and House-Hunting

Ahhhh, how I miss my "Me" room! Right now, I am still trying to reconcile myself with the fact that I'd probably won't have my own space anymore in Canada.

This was my special place in our previous townhome in Edmonton.

There's a new townhouse development in Aldergrove and my husband has an appointment to view the sample units on March 4. He registered on their website a couple of weeks back and eventually received a notice that phase 1 homes are already ready for selling.

You see, the prices of new townhomes and condos in Metro Vancouver have soared so high that ordinary residents like us can no longer afford them. Hence, Ford suggested that we try to look farther. That's when the idea of living in Aldergove came in.

Medyo malayo na yung place (trivia: the Kent farm in the TV series Smallville is a working farm in Aldergrove), mga 35 minutes to Surrey and about an hour to downtown Vancouver. Boundary na rin ito ng BC at Washington, US. To be honest, ayoko talagang tumira doon. I don't drive in Canada yet so feeling ko maa-isolate ako, but this is our last shot in owning a brand new townhouse in BC. If not, we'll end up in small-sized condos or 30-40+ year-old townhomes in Metro Vancouver. As I have mentioned on this post, my husband wants a "new" home. Hangga't maari, ayaw niya talaga ng luma. Kung sabagay, mahirap bumili ng old townhomes kasi kahit na sabihing renovated, wala na rin yun value later on. Lugi lang kami.

Pero kung kelan naman ok na sa akin na tumira doon, saka naman parang naging imposible. Among the 30+ units that will be sold, dalawa lang ang kasya sa budget namin. Two-bedroom lang yun ha. My husband is scheduled on the second day of viewing (at sa bandang hapon pa) so I am not expecting na maaabutan pa niya. Yes, parang hot pandesal lang ang peg ng pagbili ng bahay dito. The prospective buyer has to make up his/her mind the very moment na ma-view niya yung units and issue a check for reservation. Unahan talaga. Ready na rin ang units for turnover by April kaya mabilisan na.

Sabi ng asawa ko, "kung para sa atin talaga yun eh makukuha natin." I agree, kaso nalulungkot pa rin ako. I want to move na and really start anew. Ayoko ng magtagal sa current apartment namin. For sure, hindi na rin namin magiging option na antayin ang ibang phases 2-4 ng townhomes kasi tiyak tataas na ang presyo dahil sa demand. Hay, to give you an idea, halos doble ng halaga ng dating bahay namin yung target namin ngayon.  Two-bedroom lang yun ha.

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So there, imposible na nga akong magkaroon ng panibagong "Me" room. I'd probably set up an area na lang in our future bedroom for my stationery/arts and crafts stuff.

Pero sige, ok lang. I just want to have my own house again.

Valentine's Day 2018 (in Pinas again!)

Time flies so fast! I can't believe it's almost a week now since Valentine's Day. Kaloka, malapit na naman kaming bumalik sa Canada!

February 14, 2018. We went to Malolos after lunch because I promised my balikbayan aunt-ninang that I will help her fix her SSS pension that was stopped in 2014 pa because she failed to update with SSS. But before we left, we Facetimed Daddy for our mandatory VDay family picture lol.

I haven't been to Malolos (my father's hometown) in a long time. The last time I visited was in November 2013, a few days before I migrated to Canada, to say goodbye to my grandfather. That was the last time I saw him because he died three weeks before I gave birth to Nathan. I deliberately avoided going there na after because of some familial issues. I chose to stay away because I wanted peace.

Hindi ko lang talaga matiis ang ninang ko (who's been so good to us when I was still a baby) kaya bumalik ako to help her. Kaso hindi pa rin namin naayos ang SSS niya kasi ang dami pang kailangang gawin. Hay, bureaucracy!

After going to the SSS, ayun simula na ng drama. Sabi ko na nga ba magkaka-issue na naman. My cousin kasi is getting married in church this February 25 (kaya nagdadatingan ang mga balikbayan kong kamag-anak from the US) and I opted not to attend to avoid some people. I don't want to be put in an awkward situation sa event na dapat happy happy lang. Basta ang seryoso ng sitwasyon kasi. I explained myself to my cousin and asked for his understanding (which he gave naman when we chatted). Pero ayun,  isyu pala sa tito ko. Basta me dramahan pang nangyari. Napunta pa sa "invitation" issue kasi hindi nabigyan ang nanay ko. But I am glad I was able to air my side. Bahala na sila dun.

Before going home, we dropped by another aunt's new house beside my grandparent's. Retired na yung tita ko na yun (pati asawa niya syempre) sa California kaya pabalik-balik na lang sila sa Pilipinas. Among all my aunts and uncles (my parents included), they are the luckiest. They have lots of money (and houses!), their 4 children are all educated and successful, they are in good health, they have inheritance, they have so many friends, and they love each other dearly. Napaka-ideal talaga. #Relationshipgoals kumbaga.

My aunt (the one I helped with SSS) just recently divorced and is in currently in limbo on what to do with her life. She said the formula for my lucky aunt's good life is that he found a good and responsible man who truly loves and adores her. That's my opinion, too. Madaling maging successful ang marriage ng Pinoy kung devoted ang lalaki kasi culturally, hindi naman magloloko ang babae kung maayos ang pamilya niya (although this trend is probably changing na rin haha).

We went home a few minutes before 5pm at nagsisimula ng maging busy ang paligid. Valentine's Day nga kasi. When we reached the Bocaue exit (of NLEX), I called Mamoosh and asked her to get ready because I wanted to eat out to celebrate the day. Haha, like what I keep on mentioning on this blog, I like all occasions to be celebrated kahit simple lang.

And because of traffic, I was afraid to go far na. Puno na rin ang SM Marilao for sure kaya ayaw ko ng makipagsiksikan. Ayaw ko rin naman mag-Jollibee o McDonald's kasi umay na umay na kami dun. I am glad there's a newly opened diner sa kanto namin (along McAurthur Highway), pwede na dun. Super lapit lang niya, lalakarin nga lang haha.

It was only past 6pm so hindi pa gaanong maraming tao when we came. Marami pang vacant tables. Self-service pala sila.

Medyo malaki yung diner (dati itong bar) at may segregated areas. My booths sa gilid, merong parang pang-Japanese style na upo lang sa sahig, merong bar-type tables, at meron ding 'normal' tables.

I realized, sana may ganito na 2 years ago when we threw a grand party for Nathan's baptism and first birthday. I would seriously consider this place for reception kasi nga enclosed, may aircon, at may play area pa ang kids. Ang laki pa sana ng natipid namin.

By the way, meron din silang area for kawaii merchandise. I was surprised kasi ang cheap ng items nila. May pagka-Korean fanatic yata yung dalawang girls na may-ari ng place.

Here's their simple menu:

I find the prices ok, pero syempre dito sa probinsya eh mahal na yan hehe. Lalo na kapag di ka sanay kumain sa labas (like my Mamoosh lol).

My mother let me do the ordering. And I made bad choices.

I order calamares (na favorite ko)...

Sweet and sour pork...

And fried chicken (because di ko matiis na hindi i-order si Tantan).

Waaah, puro may balat! Yung 3 dishes na yan plus 3 cups of plain rice and 1 can of coke zero already cost us Php930. Mahal kasi di kami nabusog haha! Sana nag-Kenny na lang kami (kaso nga lang malayo at punuan).

The diner was self-service so I paid right after I ordered. Mano-mano lang sila (parang soft-opening pa lang kasi sila) and I forgot to ask if they honor the senior citizen discount.

The owner-cashier handed this to me together with my change. Oh at least nagka-flower pa rin ako ng Valentine's haha.

Mamoosh and me.

I made the greatest mistake of ordering fried chicken. Php365 for 10 pieces. Small pieces lang talaga sila na may makakapal na breading na sobrang tigas.

Hindi rin gaanong nakakain si Nathan because he was so distracted. He wanted to go back to the play area na.

Failed man ang food, at least happy naman ang bata! This play area was actually the main reason why I wanted to eat there. Nakikita ko kasi palagi sa labas.

Seeing them like this gave me so much happiness. I love my mother and my son dearly and equally. Sabi ng marami, ang pinakamamahalin mo raw na tao sa mundo ay ang anak mo. Ewan ko, pero parang pantay ang pagmamahal ko sa kanila, I swear.

Pero dahil sya ang bata, every occasion is now for him.

For his happiness.

Buti na lang may batang sobrang likot na dumating at natamaan ng balls si Nathan sa ulo kaya when Mamoosh told him (Nathan) na aalis na kami, dali-dali namang sumunod ang bagets. Ayaw niya ng batang magulo eh haha. Si Mamoosh naman medyo "napikon" din sa kalikutan nung bata kaya ayaw ng pag-stay-in pa dun ang apo niya.

By the time we left, sobrang punong-puno na ang diner. May mga umalis na nga rin dahil wala ng tables. Konti lang ang servers nila so sobrang ngarag na sila (wala pang tip kasi nga pay as you order nga). Wait time for food was at least an hour already. Marami talagang nagse-celebrate ng Valentine's hehe.

I ordered mocha frappe pero paalis na kami ay wala pa rin. I cancelled na lang. TanTan was expecting it so I just suggested that we buy ice cream at Jollibee na lang (nag-drive thru kami). Gustong-gusto kong magpunta sa Starbucks kaso nga ang dami namang tao siguro.

I texted my husband that night and demanded that they (he and Nathan) give me gifts na next Valentine's. Mahirap na lumaki si Nathan na hindi ako nireregaluhan haha! Sayang kasi nga dalawang Valentine's Day na kaming nagcelebrate dito sa Pinas. My husband jokingly said na dapat may gift din ako sa kanya. I argued na girls lang naman usually ang binibigyan ng gifts sa family. Uso lang bigyan ng gift ang lalaki pag bf-gf pa lang. Pero as I observe sa FB news feed, puro wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters lang naman ang may gift from their family members.

We were about to sleep na when I realized na wala pala kaming selfie ng favorite boylet ko. Game na game talaga siya sa peechuran. =)

And just like that, natapos na naman ang isang araw ng mga puso. Pang-apat na Valentine's Day ko na ito with TanTan. =)