Cheers to a Great Father!

January 1 is not just an ordinary 1^st day of the year but it is my father’s day too. It’s been two years since he celebrated his birthday without me and my sister I know he misses us as much as we miss him.

When I asked on the New Year’s eve about his plans on his birthday, his reply seems so lonely (I know there is no emotion in text messaging apparently he’s not using emoticon as well J) but I can feel it. Little did he know that my other siblings and their families were already in my brother’s place 1 kilometer away from my parents’ house preparing for a surprise birthday party for him.

He was surprised when they came home serenading him. They also prepare speeches which make the family emotional according to my mother. Although not complete as he wishes but they surely made his special day a memorable one. Hopefully, next year I’ll be home for his birthday.

Cheers to a Great Father!

To our role model, 

who never failed to give us teachings in life.

To our great provider, 

besides hardship in life you were able to 

find ways to give us what we need.

To our loving and caring father, 

you might not be showy to your feelings

 but don’t worry we know you love us.

To our great father.... 

my gratitude for everything.

Happy birthday and I love you!

... cheers to you!!!

Priorities to Master

I just withdrew $100.00 from Social Spark and bought some polymer clays out from it. I still have balance of more than a $100.00 and I’m thinking of buying some theme for my blogs. But looking at the theme made me think that what If I’ll purchase a Genesis framework and I’ll do the designing instead. I know I can do it though I don’t have the knowledge in coding. I just want to learn how to do web designing specializing in designing blogs.

However this made me realize that there are so many things in my mind that I want to accomplish but none of these are being implemented. I should act before I realize that I wasted so much time thinking what to accomplish in life.

Here are some top priorities in my mind that I want to master:

1. 1.       Polymer clay arts – many suggested that I should go in to business after they saw my creations. Hmmmm... poly clays are now on its way actually. Can’t wait!
2. 2,       Blog design – need to purchase framework, need to learn coding, and need to practice Photoshop.
3. 3.     Autocad – I know I need this skill in the future if I’ll apply a new job here in Ca.
4. 4.      Electronics Circuits – yup! It’s been long forgotten but I miss it. I really want to practice my degree.
5. 5.    Business/earn more money – Never been satisfied with my earning. I know money is not what makes life complete but admit it or not it’s a big contributory factor that makes life easy. I blog to earn more, I want to do poly clay and web designing business because I want to earn more plus it’s my passion, and I want to learn engineering skills because I want to have big salary.  

.... and so on. This is a very long list actually but I opt to write the top 5 only.

I think if I can’t do multitasking, considering that I am a full time worker too, then I should pick what’s close to my heart; or discipline myself in doing those in the list one at a time by making schedule. For now I’ll focus myself in number 1 since it’s the closest to my heart.

Reminiscing Christmas

I was browsing some Christmas pictures in my FB account hoping that I captured one of the decorations in our house - a ceramic angel with dress made out of ribbon. I am planning to make similar to it since I found a ceramic head and hand in the local thrift store.

I totally forgot about the angel because I was so engrossed browsing at the pictures of my family. I felt homesick looking back our yearly Christmas party at home. But I can’t help smiling when I saw pictures of my nieces and nephews. It was just like yesterday.... time goes so fast. They were so little and innocent then, now they are all grown up, even bigger and taller than me.

This year would be my second year celebrating Christmas without them. And Christmas won’t be the same without my family... I do hope I’d be able to go home next year.

By the way, I finally found the pic of the angel I mentioned, unfortunately it’s blurred. I have to play my imagination for my project.

Goodbye Ate Iyay...

Last Wednesday we received a text message that our cousin, Ate Iyay, passed away. It was devastating news yet on the other hand it is a blessing - her agony was finally over. She was sick for several years and I know besides her failing health condition she had been through a lot of emotional turmoil in her life.

I remember her as a very gentle yet a very strong woman who welcomed the challenges in her life with grace and acceptance. When I visited her, I cannot see pain in her face instead all I can remember is her genuine smile, a smile that I saw in her when I was still a young child until before I left Philippines... a smile that will never be forgotten in my heart.

Ate Iyay, I may not be present in your wake but you will always be remembered... may you rest in peace.

Beiber Heart Pillow

Just a clarification, I am NOT Beiber fan; I blogged about it actually. It’s my niece who is so crazy with him. Before I came here in Ca her wish is to have a Beib’s memorabilia thinking that Beib is from Canada. LOL.... Thus everytime I chatted with her I teased her that I met Beib and even hug him, which of course unbelievable.

Anyways, I bought this Beib’s heart pillow through an Avon dealer. I didn’t hesitate buying it as soon as I saw it in the brochure though it’s costly. I know she’ll like it though she told me once that she’s no longer a Beib fan. But I believe receiving this pillow will remind her that she was once inlove with Beib.

Unfortunately, we already sent the “balikbayan box”. And mailing it will just cost more not to mention that the service of post office back home is not good. Just imagine we sent pictures and it took more than three months before it arrived. So most probably we’ll send it next year when the boxes are full or when I go home. Hope she didn’t outgrow her love for Beib.

When Water Heater Breaks...

I can’t start my day without taking shower. Even if it’s my day off. So when my sister told me that there is no hot water. I had to wake up as early as 4 this morning to boil water.

Back home my bathwater is always lukewarm; how much more here in CA and especially during winter season. Actually my 2 pots of boiling water were not enough to make my bathwater hot. However it helps.

Good thing that I grow up using “tabo and balde” to take a bath....

Insurance Hunter School Zone Safety Survey

This post brought to you by Insurance Hunter. All opinions are 100% mine.

Recently a Grade 6 girl died after a minivan crashed into St. Paul’s Racette Junior High School. It was reported that the driver who was charged in the incident had been having seizures for several months and is now faced with three counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, resisting arrest and possession of controlled substance.

 Who would have thought that this kind of accident will happen in the school zone. I believe there is a strict traffic rules yet no matter how strict it is if drivers are negligent and will not obey rules then accident like this would likely happen.

According to Ontario School Zone Safety Survey, more than three-quarters of parents polled witness drivers break the law in school zones. Furthermore, of those breaking traffic laws, almost three-quarters (74%) have witnessed people driving faster than the speed limit; 68% report drivers talking or texting on a cell phone while driving; 37% report drivers not stopping at a cross walk; 20% report drivers not stopping for crossing guards; and 19% report drivers running red lights.

Another problem sited in the survey is that there is no drop-off/pick-up designated area in some school. And although some school has, there are incidents that parents will break rules for some reasons like: area is full or they are in hurry. For any reasons traffic rules SHOULD ALWAYS be followed. School administrators should communicate with parents and students and emphasize the importance of traffic rules.

The result shown in Insurance Hunter’s survey on driver safety in school zones is alarming. This should be studied and from it, concern people should draw some precautionary measures because I believe a school should be a place where children can learn, grow independently and safely.

 

About Insurance Hunter

InsuranceHunter.ca is an online insurance brokerage which provides comparative quotes for home, travel and auto insurance for Ontario residents. It`s a three way step to get the best insurance company according to your needs and budget; that is Compare – Choose – Save.

Support Ideas at Aviva Community Fund

This post brought to you by Aviva Community Fund. All opinions are 100% mine.

Looking around there are many things that we can do to build a better community. It takes one idea to start and just like domino effect I believe everything will follow; with empowered members of community hand in hand they can make a difference.

I know one of the constraints of making this idea to realize is the budget. One possible resource is by submitting your ideas to Aviva Community Fund, an annual charitable event, funded and supported by Aviva Insurance. Through their annual contest, who knows you might win the budget allocation for your idea.

Currently, the contest is in 2^nd qualification round (there are three qualification rounds) but they are still accepting ideas. During the qualification rounds all you need is to get votes for your idea. Top 98 highest voted ideas will be qualified in the semi-final. Voting is still required during this phase and only top 30 with highest votes will get into final rounds. The semi-finalists will then be judged during the final rounds.

There are so many ideas to choose where you can give your support. The good thing is that you can support as many ideas as you want. You can cast 15 votes during each of the three initial rounds and another fifteen votes during the Semi-Finals at any time within each round, but you can only  vote for idea once a day.

Voting is open to all Canadian citizens who are registered on the Aviva Community Fund Website. You can also register using Facebook connect and vote directly through their Facebook App. Like Aviva Community Fund and Follow @Aviva for updates and more information.

Marry Me

I’m not proposing to anybody… I’m not that desperate to get married. LOL… It’s just that someone sang this song to me…. “Marry Me”

"Marry Me"

Forever can never be long enough for me
To feel like I've had long enough with you
Forget the world now we won't let them see
But there's one thing left to do
Now that the weight has lifted
Love has surely shifted my way
Marry Me
Today and every day
Marry Me
If I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Together can never be close enough for me
Feel like I am close enough to you
You wear white and I'll wear out the words I love you
And you're beautiful
Now that the wait is over
And love and has finally shown her my way
Marry me
Today and every day
Marry me
If I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Promise me
You'll always be
Happy by my side
I promise to
Sing to you
When all the music dies
And marry me
Today and everyday
Marry me
If I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Say you will
Marry me
Mm-hmm

Well, my answer is yes I will….

Let it Snow!

I can’t believe first snowfall for this year’s winter season is early. I’m afraid winter will be worst this year as predicted. I haven’t experience the knee-high snow as what they told us because last year wasn’t a heavy one. Plus the -50 degree Celsius weather... Oh, how I really hate the winter season.

Nonetheless, I love looking the snowfall ‘coz it brings magical feeling in me... Truly there is the so-called “winter wonderland”.

Make a Difference with Aviva Community Fund

This post brought to you by Aviva Community Fund. All opinions are 100% mine.

Aviva Community Fund is a yearly charitable activity funded and supported by Aviva Insurance. Their goal is to encourage Canadians to make a positive change in their local communities. There will be a competition of different ideas and the winners will share the $ 1,000,000 fund.

If you are a passionate Canadian citizen or resident who has the vision to make a positive change here is your chance to do it. Just submit your idea to Aviva Community Fund and invite Canadian citizen or resident to vote for your idea. Be sure to get more votes on the first stage to move to the semi-finals, then to the final round where top 30 will be judged. By the way, don’t forget to use social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ to name a few. Keep it on the buzz in your community and encourage everybody to promote the idea as well..

There is no specific category as long your idea will make a positive and long lasting impact to your community. It could be for the youth, for the elders, for the environment, for the culture, for health, education and so on. There are hundreds or countless of ideas to help your community. Start brainstorming now or choose one that is close to your heart.

To keep you guided if your idea is right for Aviva Community Fund competition, consider the following: action oriented, well budgeted using $150,000 or less, completed or well underway by 2013, and ideas should be implemented within Canada.

To get more updates and ideas Follow @Aviva and Like Aviva Community Fund.

Where’s the maple leaf?

Time goes by so fast. I can’t believe its fall again. 

But where’s the maple leaf? This is my second fall but never seen the famous maple leaf of Canada. I thought I can find it anywhere I go here since it’s the country’s emblem. Maybe the government should do about it, like requiring every town to plant some maple trees.

 LOL... who am I to say this. Anyway just a thought; a tourist like me would love to hold a maple leaf with a big grin on the face. 

 My sissy took this photo at Vancouver

Fall Season

Each season has its own beauty. But I guess I love most the fall season (especially the early part of it) because of the beauty of the surroundings. Almost every leaves turned to golden yellow with some specks of red and green. Of course not to mention the cold weather is just right for me although it gradually gets lower and lower each week a sign to say hello (thick) jackets and booties. 

 See how happy my sissy and our friend?

Insurance Hunter

Post brought to you by Insurance Hunter. All opinions are 100% mine.

Early July of this year I received a phone call from my bank informing me about insurances and if I am willing to enrol in their accident insurance. As a depositor of the bank I have complimentary insurance from them. The call agent tries to read to me all the terms and conditions of the insurance which is hard to absorb and understand everything what she was trying to convey. By saying yes or okay it means I agree with it. Although I said okay I insisted that I have to read the terms and conditions first. So the agent sent me all the copy of the terms and conditions as well as the certificates of insurance.

To my surprise they were four insurances sent to me including the complimentary insurance. When I read it was clearly stated that my chequing account was automatically deducted for my payment of the insurances. True enough when I check my account it was already deducted. I know the importance of insurance but I felt the burden of paying it so I canceled it.

Lesson learned: I should listen to what the agent says, and if it’s not clear it’s still wise to read all the terms and conditions first before agreeing or I should go to the local branch of my bank to get clarification. And I should check other companies offering same insurances, to check if other companies has similar program with better packages.

Looking for insurances, like life insurance, house insurance, Auto Insurance, and other type of insurances is hard. Sometimes choosing the right insurance can be misleading just like what happened to me. Thus it’s important to do research and compare insurance companies first.

I know this is an overwhelming task but there are sites that can provide you the right insurance according to your preferences by undergoing their assessment like the Insurance Hunter for Ontario residents, an insurance brokerage. It is online thus it is accessible 24/7 in your convenience. Plus the process will take you only for minutes. For example if you want to find a company to get Car Insurance then the only thing you need is provide the answer in each question: your basic information, driver information and vehicle information. And they will provide you the insurance company that fits the result of your assessment. This is the best feature of Insurance Hunter, making your task of looking for best insurance easier. Try it for yourself and see the result.

Although I canceled the insurances from my bank, I still want to get insurance too. We don’t know what surprises may life bring and getting insurance ensures the future of our family. But this time I have to compare companies and get the insurance that fits to my preferences.

Blog Stat

I know how precious the statistic of a blog is: good stat = task = money! And it’s frustrating when you see your stat falling, Alexa rank soaring high and PR seems to be stuck in just one rank for moooonnnttthhhsss! Whew! 

I need to update my blogs daily or at least thrice a week and invite more readers. There are so many post topics running in my mind but once I started to type it seems that words are stuck in my finger. Really frustrating!

Wish Granted!

I woke up this morning feeling so tired. Imagine I woke up as early as 12 midnight and can`t go back to sleep. And all I can hear is the ticking of the clock.

It`s been like this for several days. And my eye bag is a clear evidence that I look so stress, not to mention the big pimples that just keep on popping on my face.

This morning, I wished that I`ll have long days off. I just want to sleep and do nothing. Maybe I am just to tired.

Then, when I arrived at work around 5:15 am, I am surprised to see the schedule,my boss gave me 4 days off including the holidays. And I was alarmed, that`s too long. This means I have no income for that 4 days – NO WORK, NO PAY! Suddenly I remember my wish this morning. Wish granted!

Seagull the Mugger

I and my sister we’re busy taking pictures of different flowers outside. We didn’t notice that a flock of seagulls we’re attacking our grilled halibut. Perhaps the smell is so enticing.

Though we scared them away one bird was so persistent of having a share of our meal…. Of course I can’t let this moment pass without documenting the second attack of this seagull.

 

The bait

 

Ooohhh walking slowly… slowly… Yes, walking like a cat

 

Almost there….

 

“Peek-a-boo” – see his devilish smile? well, this time I have to chase him

 

The bird is really persistent… maybe at this time he’s planning how to attack our meal.

 

Woosssshhhh…. not working eh?

 

To the left …. to the right…. Yap, this bird is ready to attack!

 

Unfortunately (for him), the fished is already cooked. But we spare a share for him… Hope he’s satisfied….

The Fate of Siopao

It's finally my day-off. After a long week of working so hard I can finally sleep longer and do nothing. But somehow doing nothing is boring. So I decided to go out and walk. Besides it's so nice outside and I want to discover more flowering plants that I have never seen before.

After a short walk, I came home hungry. I'm not in the mood to cook. I want instant food!

I found the monggo-stuffed siopao that was sitting on the fridge for months (in my estimation). I got one and put it inside the microwave, I thought 5 minutes is enough. So I grabbed my laptop and browse some sites when I notice something smells burning. I ran to the kitchen and it was filled with smoke. Then I immediately press the stop button of the microwave and ... charanggg.... here's my poor siopao.

I was scared honestly I can't imagine if it caused fire.

I know I'm ignorant...LOL... Well you can't blame me, we never owned a microwave oven before. All I know is that we can't put metal in the microwave oven as stated in the instruction in the label.

Well, thank God the microwave oven is still working but until now we can still smell something burning when we are using it.

By the way, I end up eating nothing that evening... I lost my appetite.

Review: Firmoo Sunglasses

I don’t wear sunglasses before. For me it is just a fashion accessory. But as I am exposing in the sun I find the need of the sunglasses. The glare of the sun is hurting much my eyes.

The first pair of sunglasses I bought was last year; it was my mom who insisted me to buy one. But I barely use it because it seems that it changes the view; like sometimes the elevation is too high or too low than the actual and I got stumbled. I don’t know if you experience that. Perhaps because of the lenses or it’s just me, not used to wearing it.

I am planning to buy a different pair, but so timely when Firmoo gave me three pairs of prescription sunglasses. Each pair is provided with plastic cases, there is also one black pouch and extra screws in case one of the screws loosens.

The designs that I picked are simple yet fashionable which just suited my preferences. It`s sturdy and I don`t see any distortion of object when I wear it. The style and fit are just perfect for me! I can wear it when the sun is too glaring and even during winter where the presence of snows all over makes the surroundings too bright to see.

Now I am wearing the sunglasses not just for fad but for protection. Thanks Firmoo!


The Firmoo Sunglasses models. Taken last June 4, 2012 at 9:00 PM…Yup PM! The sun is still high here


Disclosure: Three pairs of sunglasses were provided to me by Firmoo. No payment was received by me in exchange for this review nor was there an obligation to write a positive one. All opinions are 100% mine.

Who Cut the Tulips?

I made a blog post about the little buds that were slowly growing and spring time finally arrived last April 11. And early this month the tulips started to bloom. As my first year here in Ca, I am excited to see flowers that I only saw in photos and tulips are one of those.

We have a bed of tulips along the driveway at home and each flowers that bloom gives us excitement especially that it comes in different five colors.

But today as we arrived from a 6 hour drive we discovered that all flowers were gone. We are all upset especially when we saw the flowers  and petals scattered on the road. Some are stamped by feet that looks like the one who did it have so much hatred with the flower. One tulip was even uprooted!



I would feel better if they cut it and give to somebody to cheer up a person. But seeing the petals in the road is disappointing.

I found three cut flowers that are still good and put in a glass with water. Somehow we can see the beauty of it for more several days.



Who cut the tulips? It remains a mystery for us…