Our temporary study area

I just want to show you our temporary study area now that Nathan's not going to school (physically). We live in a 3-bedroom townhouse that's big enough for us three but we don't have an extra place in the main room para gawing study area other than this. Ayoko sa sala kasi nga nandun ang toys and TV. Ayoko rin naman sa taas (in my 'me' room/office) kasi hindi ako makakapag-multitask doon. I spend most of my time in the kitchen kaya mas ok na dito na lang kami sa dining area para nga makagawa ako dito sa baba while Nathan is doing his homeworks.

We also temporarily put the new printer here para hindi na aakyat kapag magpi-print. But we'll bring it up once the school year is over.

Buti na lang hindi ko pa nabibilhan ng "something" (a cabinet, plant, or shelf) yang side na yan ng dining area. Naghahanap na talaga ako nang ilalagay dyan bago nagka-pandemic eh.

By the way, that teal cart is from Ikea (Raskog utility cart). It's one of the first things na pinabili ko kay Ford when I immigrated here in Canada kaya matagal na sa akin yan.  Super sulit talaga.

Here's my super kulit student.  Nakow sana talaga ok na ang lahat by September para makapag-normal schooling na siya uli. Hindi ko na kaya 'to hahaha!

A reminder for someday of today

I saw something like this in IG kaya ginaya ko. Just a simple reminder for someday of today.

We are still in the midst of Corona virus pandemic. Sana pwedeng ifast forward na lang ang mga araw at buwan, para pwede ng ilook-back na lang ito.

Stay safe, everyone! Unti-unti na uling binubuksan ang mga lugar at establishments not because the virus is gone but to save the dwindling economy. Let's all remember na nandyan pa rin sa Covid, patuloy na umaatake. The first wave is not even done yet pero nandyan na ang banta ng second and third wave. Basta let's be vigilant. This too shall pass.

#stayathome
#practicephysicaldistancing
#wereallinthistogether

Mother's Day 2020 Celebration

May 9, 2020 (Saturday). To continue our previous Mother's Day steak tradition, syempre nagpa-steak si Mayor Coblancs noong Mother's Day weekend. Walang steak for the past two years kasi nasa Pinas kami. Ngayon lang uli naulit.

I would normally prefer to eat out na lang when we need to celebrate para iwas-luto at ligpit na (saka masarap kumain ng hindi mo niluto, aminin!) kaso naman... nasa kalagitnaan tayo ng pandemya! Sarado ang mga restaurants.

But still,  dahil may okasyon nga, sa "labas" pa rin kami kumain lol. Thankfully, maganda ang weather. By the way, Sabado night na kami nagcelebrate para walang pasok si Dad kinabukasan.

My only request to Dad this Mother's Day was that chocolate cake. Ilang weeks na nga kasi akong nagke-crave sa cake na yan. Hindi siya mura at $40 (I bought it from my suking Pinay baker) pero keri lang... Mother's Day naman eh! Mother's Day! Haha!

Aside from (well-done) steak, we also had mussels, macaroni salad, and buttered veggies. Busog na busog na kami at sobrang sulit. Mas mura talaga kapag sa bahay lang kakain.

Sa totoo lang, sanay naman kami sa social/physical distancing haha. Lagi namang kaming tatlo lang ang magkakasama. Pero talaga, I am grateful kasi I am blessed with a small but happy family.

Thank you, Daddy Ford and Nathan! I love you so so much!

My 6th Mother's Day! I am far from being a perfect mom pero alam kong alam ng anak ko na mahal na mahal ko siya. Mama's boy nga yan eh! =)

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Here's the 'steak tradition' I am talking about:

To return or not to return?

My friend Juris called me this noon, asking if I will allow Nathan to go back to school this June 1. She got a call daw kasi from her daughter's school, nagtatanong na daw kung papapasukin si Zoey.

Hay, I don't know! I was actually surprised when they announced last May 15 that BC schools will already "open" this June, but attendance is voluntary.

March 13 pa huling pumasok sa school sina Nathan. Last day talaga yun ng school before their two-week spring break. Pero yun nga, hindi na sila nakabalik ng March 30. Nagtuloy-tuloy na na walang pasok because of this pandemic.

I was so heart-broken. Nathan's in kindergarten at first time nyang school (no preschool). He really enjoyed it so much. Tapos yun nga, na-cut short bigla. Six months pa lang siyang pumapasok tapos wala na uli.

After some time, natanggap ko na rin na hindi na nga sila makakabalik this school year. Malungkot but we have to move on. Lahat naman apektado ng Covid-19 at kailangang mag-adjust.

Kung kelan naman nga ok na, saka naman sasabihing pwede na silang bumalik uli sa school, albeit twice a week lang.  Waaah, binigyan pa kaming mga magulang ng problema! Paano na nga ba?

Kung tutuusin, hanggang June 25 na lang naman talaga ang school year so ilang araw na lang din silang papasok. Many parents tuloy are mocking the BC Government, bakit papapasukin pa kung matatapos na lang din?  Ako naman, there's part of me that wanted closure for my son's kindergarten class. I still want him to spend time with his teacher and (some) classmates. He's bored na rin dito sa bahay and he really wants to go back to school. I also feel na hindi naman siya talaga nakakapag-aral nang maayos dito sa bahay via remote learning (I'll write our experiences about this in a separate post) kaya mas ok kung pumasok na lang siya uli.

Pero hindi nga ganun kadali, di ba? We are still in the middle of a pandemic, hindi pa rin nawawala ang virus. We're lucky kasi hindi ganun kalala ang Covid cases dito sa BC (only 2,467 cases and 149 deaths as of today) and na-flatten na nga raw ang curve, pero syempre hindi mawawala ang fear. Pababayaan ko bang mag-isa na lang sa eskuwelahan ang limang taong gulang kong anak samantalang nandito lang naman ako sa bahay? Health and safety is our utmost priority syempre.

Hay, Juris and I still have ten days to think about it. Kayo, ano sa tingin nyo? :(

Jollibee in Vancouver?

In the midst of the Corona pandemic, one "good" news put a smile on my face -- magbubukas na raw ang Jollibee dito sa Vancouver!

This was posted by pinoy-canada.com last March 23, 2020:

Apparently, the first location will be in Grandville Downtown Vancouver daw and they will open around winter time.

I was a bit skeptic so I continued googling and found out that they indeed were starting to recruit people na for certain positions at the store.

I posted this on my IG Stories last March 24, 2020

Grabe, I was so happy! I am a Jollibee girl at talagang I planned on eating at Jollibee every weekend. Never mind that it's in Downtown (about one hour from home), keri na yun. At least hindi na kami magko-crossborder para makakain lang ng chickenjoy. Every weekend kasi kapag lalabas kami, we don't know where to eat anymore. Hindi nga kasi kami foodie, we don't like experimenting with food. We'd be happy na to eat palabok, spaghetti, yum burger, and chickenjoy alternately on weekends. Hindi healthy, I know, pero ano bang pwedeng kainin sa labas na healthy talaga waaah. Please don't suggest salad lol.

So yun nga, looking forward na talag aka sa winter. Kaso at the rate things are going with regard to the virus, kinakabahan ako. Most businesses today are in crisis. Tapos nabasa ko pa ito:

Ayan, derailed by virus daw hay. Mukhang mauunsyami ang Jollibee ko. Ang taas ng cost mag-business sa Vancouver sa totoo lang at parang hindi wise ngang magbukas ng restaurant sa ganitong panahon. At hanggang walang vaccine, ipa-practice ang physical distancing for sure. Kaya hindi makakapag-operate ang restaurants in their full capacity. Tsk.

Bakit nga ba ganun, kung kelan abot-kamay na saka naman mawawala uli. Paasa. Sana si Covid na lang ang mawala forever.

My heart is still hoping though, na magkakaroon na talaga ng Jollibee dito sa British Columbia. My friends in Edmonton have long been enjoying chickenjoy and yum burgers na eh, saka kami rin dito.

$300-Ayuda from the Government

We're fortunate to be living in a first world country during this pandemic period. Maraming naging tulong ang gobyerno para sa mga nawalan ng trabaho, business owners, renters, students, etc. Kapag nababasa ko ang hirap ng mga Pinoy para makakuha ng ayuda sa gobyerno ng Pinas, di ko maiwasang maikumpara syempre sa naging sistema dito. May program nga dito na tinatawag na CERB (or Canada Emergency Response Benefit) kung saan makakapag-apply ng financial assistance ang sinumang nawalan ng trabaho dahil sa Covid-19. That's $2,000 per month ($500 per week) for up to 4 months. Anyone, as in ANYONE, who applies will be approved. Kahit obviously hindi eligible ha. Kasi nga wala na raw silang time magcheck at magverify, gusto na nilang maiparating agad sa tao ang tulong. Honor system na lang muna daw, later na sila mago-audit.

Luckily, hindi naman namin kinailangan talaga ng tulong mula sa gobyerno kasi hindi naman nawalan ng trabaho ang asawa ko. Sa totoo lang, noong bandang March-April ay nag-worry rin ako kasi nga baka magclose din ang office nila temporarily kasi hindi naman talaga sila "essential" business eh. Thankfully, hindi naman nga. 

The only "ayuda" that we are entitled to during this pandemic is the one time Canada Child Benefit (CCB) payment increase of $300. Dito kasi sa Canada, we receive a monthly child support from the government, depende sa income ng parents. They decided to give an additional $300 per child for the month of May to help families during these difficult times.

Noong una nga akala namin hindi fixed na $300, na maximum na yun at hindi namin makukuha ng buo. Katulad ng sentiments ng middle class sa Pinas, may bitter feelings din kami paminsan (normal naman siguro yun) na puro na lang lower class ang pinapaboran ng gobyerno samantalagang ang laki-laki ng tax na binabawas sa sweldo ng asawa ko. One income family lang kasi kami at marami ring gastusin buwan-buwan. Pero buti naman nga at across the board naman pala ang $300. Kaya ang swerte nung maraming anak haha (4 kids x $300 = 1,200!).

Anyway, I just checked our account online kanina at pumasok na nga ang $300 (every 20th of the month ang CCB payment). I am so happy!

Anong plano ko sa $300? Actually nagastos na namin siya kahit hindi pa dumarating lol!

We badly need a colored printer kasi nga nago-online schooling si Nathaniel ngayon, syempre may mga kailangang iprint. Bibigay na ang 6-year-old laser printer namin kaya kailangan ng palitan.

Pero ang mahal nito ha, inabot ng $337.67 (tax included) kaya paluwal pa kami kaloka.

Salamat sa ayuda, Canadian Government! Malaking tulong rin ang printer na ito for my sanity! I have a lot of projects in mind na sana magawa ko hehe.

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Ayuda = assistance

Mamang Sorbetero in Canada

It was around 7:30pm last night (matagal na uling lumubog ang araw ngayon), nang may marinig akong parang maingay sa labas. Nathan was biking with a neighbor friend and Dad naman was grilling burgers in the balcony.

Lumabas ako sa balcony to ask what was happening. Ayun, may ice cream truck daw. Kaya pala nakarinig ako ng ingay ng mga bata. Ang unang naisip ko, "Talaga, may ice cream truck na dumaan dito?"

Pagsilip ko sa baba, itong itsura ng anak ko ang bumungad sa akin. Dad told me na sinabihan daw nya si Nathan na wag ng bumili kasi ang dami naming ice cream dito sa bahay (kabibili ko lang kasi talaga ng marami last Saturday).

Knowing my son, hindi naman yan magpapabili. Inunahan lang ni Dad na wag ng bumili. But I know him so well, matiisin lang pero syempre gusto nya rin. Ang dami kayang batang bumibili kaya nakakaengganyo. I asked him kung gusto niya. Syempre tumango ang bagets.

Medyo sinermonan ko ang asawa ko. "Hay naku, hindi naman ice cream ang bibilhin mo dun eh! EXPERIENCE!"  Nahimasmasan din naman agad ang tatay at dali-daling kumuha ng cash sa wallet nya para mahabol namin ang ice cream truck.

Kaloka, mas excited pa yata ako kay Nathan sa pagbili eh!

Sa Pinas nga kasi ako lumaki at sa batang edad pa lang syempre eh sanay na sanay na akong bumili sa mga sari-sari stores at street vendors. Part ng culture natin yan eh. Minsan yan ang iniimagine ko dito, yung lalabas ka lang ng bahay mo tapos lalapit na sayo ang mga tindero. Nakakamiss talaga!

Nathan is already 5 1/2 years old pero hindi pa nya naranasan bumili talaga on his own, using cash. Wala namang canteen sa school eh, wala ring mga nagtitinda sa labas. Parang feeling ko tuloy kulang na kulang ang life skills nya at this point.

Nagmadali talaga kami kasi baka umalis na ang truck. Haha, nag-uwian pa talaga ang kids para tawagin ang mga nanay nila para magpabili. =)

It was my first time din to experience a food truck na dumaan sa area namin (usually sa mga events lang). Sabagay, we were in Pinas noong ganitong month last year. The previous years naman, sa apartment building kami nakatira.

Medyo kinabahan ako sa presyo noong una (lol!) pero ayos lang naman pala. $5 ang pinakamahal, $2 ang pinakamura. Akala ko talaga lalampas ng five dollars eh.

As usual, hindi nya alam ang pipiliin hehe. Wag na raw drumstick kasi puro ganun na ang kinakain niya sa bahay.

I ended up choosing for him kasi alam kong di niya magugustuhan yung Oreo na tinuro niya. Like me, plain lang ang mga trip nya eh. Gusto ko man siyang maging independent at pumili on his own, sayang ang $4 hahaha!

This one's only $2.50. Shaiks, pag kinonvert pala eh halos 100 pesos din! Sa Pinas, limang piso lang pwede na eh. 

 Parang bigla kong naisip na gusto ko ring magtinda ng ice cream! Ang laki ng tubo eh!

Yung playmate niyang Pinoy, kasunod din naming bumili. Kinarag din ang nanay haha. Ang mga bata nga naman!

Ayan, happy boy na siya! Nag-additional thank you pa sa akin kasi I made a good choice daw. Naks.