Afternoon at Deer Lake

One of the nearer parks in our home is the DEER LAKE PARK at Burnaby. We spent an afternoon strolling the park with the babies... Sab and I pushed the matching strollers while Grandpa and nana walk ahead enjoying the view and the air. Hand in hand it was a sight to see while each of us held on to each of our strollers pushing our little girls from behind.

Two pink strollers and two adorable babies just enjoying the park...

The Picturesque setting...


Sitting pretty...
Mommy meL and cute Kimi...

ID Please...

Getting a BCID is especially important if you don;t have a driver's license. BCID cards are typically used as identification in any situation where you might use a driver's licence.


Children under 12 year of age are not required to get a BCID. Getting one is quite easy. Just bring a primary ID and a secondary ID to any BCID office and have your picture taken. Fee for a BCID is $35. Process time is from 4-6weeks. :)

Brazil Brazil!

It was a different cuisine for this week. Brazilian Steak house located downtown called SAMBA :)

Meat Meat and more meat!!!

Interior: Dim. No live band for that lunch time... They have a huge floor to ceiling glass cabinet with brazilian dolls and decors.

Kimi, right at home in the plaid banquette seatings...


Meats delivered right to your table...

the 4 princesses...

I was quite full eating meat for lunch but we just can't resist getting frosty desserts despite the chilly wind outside.

Baby to Little Girl's Bed

Our little baby is now a little girl. She looks so out of place in her crib that we decide to upgrade her crib to a little girl's bed and train her to sleep on her own little by little. We decided that the bed will be safer for her since it is quite low and she can climb up on her own and enjoy her little niche in her own room.

CRIB...

...TO BED

After the slight adjustment, the room looks bigger with a chunk of the cribs height out of the way... Kimi quickly went up and test her new bed :)

3 in 1 Casserole

I love YUMMY MAGAZINE. I have brought some of their issue to Canada as my reference for a pinoy taste, easy to make dishes. My choice for the week... the 3 in 1 casserole.

The ingredients:

500g fettucini
1 can corned beef, saute seperately
1 cream of style corn
1 can campbell mushroom soup
1/2 cup butter (softened)
250g cheddar cheese

Pre heat oven at 375, make fettucinni in a seperate pot. Saute corned beef at a seperate pan. Put half of the creamed of mushroom at the bottom of the oven safe container, put half of the fettucine on top of the creamed of mushroom. Put half of the creamed style corn and then half of the cheese. Repeat the process (cream of mushroom, fettucinni, cream corn, corned beef then rest of the cheese). Scatter softened butter on the top for added taste. Bake for 30minutes... ENJOY!

Getting Ready to drive

The next step after getting my PR Card is finally being able to take the knowledge test at an ICBC Centers for my Canadian drivers license. There are two types of tests you need to pass before you can get a license.
1. The Knowledge Test which basically is a bunch of questions with choices. You have to read the book Road Sense for Drivers from cover to cover in order to pass this test. It is not as easy at it looks. Some of the answers may seem too obvious, but still, I get it wrong... Practice test online before going to the real knowledge test.

2. The Road Test is the practical test which requires an ICBC personnel to grade you based on the practical errors you commit during the road test. It is better to enroll in a driving school to get the Canadian rules into your driving before taking the test because failing may be costly...and finding another slot for a road test is a long wait.

... Good luck to me :) Ta da have to familiarize myself for my knowledge test debut ;)

Pittsburg Stop

It was a full day for Sab and me. She had a sccheduled appointment with Dr. Ross which I went to with her then after a long wait, Dr. ross suddeny had to rush out for a delivery... sheesh! It was finally our turn when the call came through for her to go to the hospital for her patient... We were asked to have lunch and come back after an hour.

We were both famished and went for the nearest restaurant... our choice? The Pittsburg Restaurant along Kingsway caught our eyes with all the pasta pictures on their menu which was plastered on the glass front. We hurriedly went for aseat and to our utter delight, they also serve HORLICKS which we were craving for that day....

HORLICK... It was good until the ice diluted
the flavor got lost along with the melted ice :(

I was happy with my pasta...
maybe because I was sooo hungry at this point.
Kimi seems to enjoy the pasta as well

Lunch date @ Joey's

My sister in law, Sabrina bought me along for a lunch date with her friend, Nico. I was ecstatic to be out of the house even if it means we have to push our babies out for the day.

The lunch place we agreed to meet up on was called

Joeys Broadway

1424 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC, V6H 1H4
Phone: 604-732-JOEY (5639)

It was an ideal day to have a baby's day out and we went out early to meet up with Nico for 12:30 lunch. We had to take 2 buses and a skytrain with two umbrella strollers and a bunch of changing stuffs and baby lunches...

The Interior was dimly lit with chocolate brown and lt blue motif... There were no highchair for the babies... just goes to show how grownup these lunch place was... :) he he!

THE INTERIOR

THE YOUNGEST EATERS

The Restroom consists of two floors, loft type style with the ground floor acting as it's foyer...

What's for Lunch?

...the Lunch Grill. Cap top Sirloin, Watercress Salad and a side dish of crispy fries...


It was a day away from home. Cheers to friendship! and getting away from home at all cost...babies included...

Got Milk?

Finally! The Child Care Benefit and Universal Child Tax Benefit that I've been applying for has been approved :). With backpay too!!!!!!!!!!! It is what we normal people call "MILK MONEY" he! he!

One of the best things in Canada... is the benefits.


No doubt that the government really does set a lot of money to aid the low income family, which, at this point, fit us perfectly. One parent working and the other parent a full time mom... the CCTB and UCCB is a God-send for us :). It is a monthly add to Kimi's account :) It never is too early to save for her future :).

A Matter of Perspective...

Sometimes life just doesn't go as planned, we may get frustrated, it is just human nature. Weep for a few minutes, and just focus on the blessing of another opportunity that have arisen from that.There is no use dwelling on what went wrong but what good results from that wrong... the problem sometimes happen when those people around you can't seem to let go of the negative and make a big hill out of an anthill...

... It "IS" really just a matter of perspective... breathe... 1, 2, 3..... Aaaaaah.

Easter Digiphoto

Easter fun

at Bear Creek Park

Britain's Got Talent shocks judges....

Why does people sometimes judges a person on how she looks...? This is probably the norm, but it is quite refreshing someone who looks rise above the judgement and awes a room full of cynicals....
Watch her video and get awed!

CLICK HERE

Tooth Fairy

I never believed in tooth fairy when I was a kid... but here? I had one... Dra Siongco :)

She was a God-Send to me when I had a toothache that needs immediate attention... She gave me temporary remedy for FREE so that I can wait for a job that would cover my dental insurance or better.... I just had to pay for the checkup which was relatively cheaper than what I should have paid if she charged me for what service she really did.



Thank you Dra. Siongco

Back to school?

Now that I finally got my PR Card, the opportunities are closer than before. I can finally think about things that I can finally do because I am considered a resident... I have been playing at the idea of upgrading my degree in Interior design and have already inquired back in 2007. The amount for the tuition was quite high since I was just a tourist, but I was hoping that I can look more closely on this route now that I am a resident card holder. I hope that by doing so, a good job is just as easier to get with this added diploma.

I finally scheduled for an appointment with Art Institute of Vancouver, their office and downtown campus was located at West Georgia. I was on time for my interview. I hope that they would be able to credit some of what I have already took up back in Manila and I just had to get a few courses and....VOILA! a diploma....


...but things weren't that easy! There was an interview wherein they inquired about what I did back in Manila. If I do have a portfolio and showed me a couple of presentations before we got down to what I was aiming for.... THE COST and THE TIME it will consume before I finished the degree....

THE COST?- still enormous... higher than the first school I inquired at back in 2007 but maybe because this is because of the school? It is the first one I have actually looked into so I am not an expert on what school for Interior is the best here. The solution? FINANCIAL AID! Uhmmm... I am a little doubtful of getting one because I am thinking of minimum output at this stage since I have a baby and I am at the stage wherein I am not yet sure how much time I can put out on work so spending a huge amount of money on a degree I already have is quite...pointless. Another thing is that the interviewer said that there is also a way to lower the cost which was to challenge the subjects but I have to pay $50/ subject. Pretty expensive still plus it was a long time since I graduated, and the measurement here is different from where I came from. (Manila = meter, Canada= feet)

THE TIME?- I need to commit full time... hmmmm

I might check out other schools and try to find work. Good luck to me with the recession ongoing :) he he!

Easter at Bear Creek

Our Easter celebration was done on a Monday.

Our plan for the Sunday Easter at Bear Creek Park was cancelled due to the bad weather.

EASTER BUNNY PICTORIAL....

I was happy that we were able to pushed through with the Easter train ride at Bear Creek Park, Surrey.

TRAIN RIDE

There was a fee for each kid ($3.50) and adult ($4.00). We gamely took pictures with the Easter bunny. Kimi was pretty cooperative and didn't cry when she saw the bunny.

She enjoyed the cool weather and the freedom to walk around the huge park. There were a lot of rides to explore in this huge playground and Kimi was not scared to try her hand at each ride that was vacant for her try on...

PLAYGROUND HIGH BACK CHAIR

There was a nice cherry blossom tree isolated from the playground.

CHERRY BLOSSOMS

Our last stop was the Deer Lake Garden...

BEAR CREEK PARK

Canada and US...

I can't believe it! Everything is finally coming into place...

The US visa Kelvin and Kimi was planning to apply for was finally granted. We were $131 poorere but atleast we were granted 10 YEARS!

YEY!

...and just when I thought that it was a good day, the PR Card for both me and Kimi arrived in the mail.. double WOW!

I can finally start something here in Canada... I can finally call myself a RESIDENT/ LANDED IMMIGRANT... :)

A step up from what I am before... "just a tourist..."

Income Tax Angels

This year, I was given the task to do Kelvin's income taxt for the first time. I learned that instead of just making one income tax, I had to make one fro myself as well. I decided to pore over the guide book for income tax that comes with the form but after a few minutes of speed reading, I was way more confused than when I started it. There were so many forms and I didn't know which form to start with. Mine was easier though with no income and benefits to report, I had a grand time putting "0" almost all throughout the form...


Kelvin's income tax was a different matter, there were T4 and T5 to consider. US investments that need to be computed to Canadian equivalence and an additional baby to add to the computation for refund.

It was a good thing that Canada came up with a program as Income tax volunteer at the community centers all throughout Vancouver... It was a huge weight off my shoulder. I don't have to worry if I did it right because the volunteers are all trained and under supervision so mistakes are probably kept to the most minimum. The best part? I don't have to pay a lot to get it done. They accept donations of any amount. I soooo love this particular program. Keep it up!

Italian dinner

I tagged along one Friday night with Sab and her friend for an Italian dinner at Anducci. I was so relieved to veer away from the usual Asian cuisine.

The whole atmosphere of the restaurant is young and modern.

The food was huge and I did like my order of BAKED POPEYE THE SAILOR which was basically Roasted chicken, fresh spinach, roasted almonds, and mozzarella cheese in a
creamy tomato sauce

It was great to get away from the house and the hustle bustle of motherhood to a restaurant talking with grownups instead of babies... :)

Summer Package

Getting stuffs online is really fun. I just love getting packages and opening them up...


Buying online is a costly hobby so I decided to control myself even with all the online stores that I check out for our online baby shop :)

I couldn't resist getting some items for Kimi and Sophie though. My friend, Honey, decided to magnify the items that I bought and fill up a small box with goodies (... to my utter delight)

...she even manage to include a Philippine-made specialty tuyo for us to try :)
YUMMY!

Thanks HON!