When Somebody loved me...

I love the song from the movie Toy Story... it reminds me of a time when I had the best friendship there was... It just so sad that time and distance force us to lost touch with each other... but there is still time to mend those broken bridges...Miss u best-est!

When somebody loved me,
Everything was beautiful
Every hour we spent together lives within my heart
And when she was sad,
I was there to dry her tears
And when she was happy,
So was I
When she loved me


Through the summer and the fall
We had each other, that was all
Just she and I together,
Like it was meant to be


And when she was lonely,
I was there to comfort her
And I knew that she loved me


So the years went by
I stayed the same
But she began to drift away
I was left alone
Still I waited for the day
When she'd say I will always love you


Lonely and forgotten,
I'd never thought she'd look my way
And she smiled at me and held me just like she used to do
Like she loved me
When she loved me


When somebody loved me
Everything was beautiful
Every hour we spent together lives within my heart


When she loved me

Makeshift Gym

K loves to pushup before going to bed... Kimi watches and tries to copy daddy :)

When that wasn't enough, she tries to join in ...

PR Photos...

The letter for an appearance with regard to our application for sponsoring spouse and dependent children has arrived! We are now fulfilling the requirements for the said appearance which will happen on March 5th, 2009 :) Yey! I can almost smell the pollution of Manila! I miss it....the honk of the jeep and the foodssss!!!!!!! Jollibee, here we come!

Like everything here in Canada, there are several (lots of!) guidelines for the photo required for the PR Card.

***Permanent Resident Card photos are not the same as passport photos.
• You may wear non-tinted and tinted prescription glasses as long as your eyes are clearly visible. Make sure that your eyes are not hidden by glare on the lenses. Sunglasses are not acceptable.
• A hairpiece or other cosmetic accessory is acceptable if it does not disguise your normal appearance and you wear the accessory on a regular basis.
• The photos must clearly show your face. If you may not remove your head covering for religious reasons, make sure your full facial features are visible.
• Photos must have been taken within the last 12 months to ensure an up-to-date likeness.
• Photos may be either black and white or colour.
Date photo
was taken
Notes to the photographer
The two photos must:
• show a full front view of the person’s head showing full face centred in the middle of the photo;
• be clear, well-defined and taken against a plain white background without shadows;
• be produced from the same unretouched film or from the same file capturing the digital image or from two identical photos exposed simultaneously by a split-image or multi-lens camera;
• be original photos (not taken from any existing photo);
• measure between 25 mm and 35 mm (1” and 1 3/8”) from chin to crown;
• have a 35 mm x 45 mm (1 3/8” x 1 3/4”) finished size;
• be on photographic paper that has a backing which accepts and retains the date. Photos without this backing are not acceptable;
• be on prints that are well-fixed and washed to prevent discolouration;
• bear the date the photo was taken (not the date the photo was printed) directly on the back of one print (stick-on labels are not acceptable).

Taking all of these into consideration, we decided to choose a studio that does PR Card photos...just to avoid the hassle of having our photo being denied and spending another day just to go back to submit the "right" photo.

* * *
Star Photo
4700 Kingsway
Burnaby BC V5H 4M1
(604)431-8494

* * *

A day at the Farm

A great day to have an animal adventure...


It was our 2nd time at Maplewood Farm, I am more excited this time because Kimi can finally walk and explore on her own and not strapped onto her stroller like before...

Our favorite was going inside the goat pen. There were more goats this time than the last time we visited. The number of them almost doubled from what I've seen before. There were even small goats that stood as high as little Kimi... Kimi was looking at the animals, a little bit scared of when they mov. The goat moved towards her and Kimi backs up little by little into mommy's legs to seek protection... he he he!


There were cute chickens roaming freely outside the cages and both Sophie and Kimi watched with fascination as they peck on the soil for their food.

At the Rabbit area, Kimi looked at the little furry rabbits with both hands on our pants as if to keep us from going off without her. She didn't dare touch the rabbit... maybe for fear what the harmless rabbit might do to her little fingers :)

Shopaholic: Seperated at birth?

Saturday movie date night @ Silvercity, Metrotown was jam packed with young and olds who fell in line to relax and watch a movie. Being there at 7pm, we have only 5 minutes to spare before the beginning of our movie. We looked at the zigzag line that seems to have no end with a grimace and realized that there was no way we could catch the start of the movie if we buy our line the old fashioned way. It was a good thing that there was a fast lane machine wherein you can purchase ticket with the use of a credit card (whew!)

After purchasing the ticket and the popcorn through the machine. We have to go through another line, the bar, wherein we also have fall in line like the rest of the guys who are paying to buy some treats (I thought there was a claiming lane for food!). We decided to go in and find ourselves some seats and K would go out and claim the food after I am settled down. It was a close call because we got the last 2 seats that were together. There were a couple of scattered single seats which I thankfully don't have to make use of. :)

The movie, Confession of a Shopaholic, was based on a book by SophieKinsella. There were a lot of difference between the movie and the book. As for the character, I couldn't help but notice the similiarity between Isla Fisher, the one who played Becky and a local ex-actress in Manila who goes by the name of Cristina Gonzales... the movie was so-so for me.

ISLA FISHER
(inset) CRISTINA GONZALES

Little Encounter: Sisterhood

Finally! Kimi and Sophie together in one roof...

The last time Sophie went here for a vacation, Kimi was too small to play with her. Now, Kimi can walk and follow Atchie Sophie, observing her and following whatever Sophie does. She looks adoringly at Atchie Sophie and even follows her up to the bedroom when little Sophie goes to her room to rest...

They also have this love-hate relationship wherein the other baby can get jealous when their mom dotes on the niece. The baby immediately goes to their respective mommies (or daddies) and pushes the other baby away (ha ha ha!). In the end though, the love is developing between these two cousins. They utter each other's name when the other one is not around... Sophie looks for "Imi" and Kimi, on the other hand, looks for "Ata" , her special name for Sophie...

Happy 30th Anniversary...

That title just gave away my age! hehe!There is more to celebrate as the years go up on a relationship. It means that they have surpassed more trials and experienced more life with each other. And if those same couples, do so with a stronger love between them after all those years, then it would be a double celebration.

To a double celebration.... I LOVE U MOMMY and DADDY!

A ride around the block...

An ideal weather to go out and have a ride on my umbrella stroller.


Fully attired to combat the cold wind, I snuggled under my blanket for added warmth and enjoyed myself being pushed around the block to the nearby community center and park for a long overdue outing :)

Tickled Pink

A day before my birthday, I got a very sweet gift from my loving hubby. He surprised me with a mini laptop which he managed to purchase without my knowledge. I instructed him the night before to charge my laptop when he woke up in the morning for his early work. Imagine my surprise when I went to the bathroom and saw that there was a small box atop our dining table with a pink ribbon and a birthday card! A new laptop! Aaaaw!

I couldn't believe it! He never fails to surprise me... not just on my birthday but sometimes even when there is no occassion at all. I love you Karl :) you and Kimi are my life.

Breastfeeding Consultation at Eastburn

I was pretty surprised that there was a Free Breastfeeding Consultation at Eastburn Community Center and decided to go and check it out.

I started breastfeeding Kimi from the day she was born. After my normal delivery at St. Luke's Medical. I went to the nursery and changed at the small dressing room for a nursing gown. The nurse handed me my newborn, Kimi. It was my first time to breastfeed and I was really unsure of how to hold a baby this small and fragile and wonder if she will know how to suck, I bare a breast ready to ask the nurse what to do next when she immediately latched her little mouth and sucked hungrily. It just felt so natural, I am officially a mother! I am so overwhelmed with emotion. This little baby is getting her nutrients from me. I felt the bond right then and there and decided that I would do my best to breastfeed her as long as I can.

Fourteen months later, I am still breastfeeding my little girl. I tried pumping breastmilk to a bottle so that K can assist me in feeding her some times. She decided, at 6 months, that she would not have the bottle and get her supply of milk right from the source, ME. I have asked friends who also breastfed just how long they persevere with it and most of them did for just up to 6 months, if not, never at all. Their reason was that they have a very small supply of milk. I think that everyone starts with small amount of milk on their breast when they just give birth it is with breastfeeding continuously that you will be able to have more supply of milk. It is just sad that because of lack of information, they lose the confidence and turned to formula right away. I am really lucky that K was very supportive with my breastfeeding Kimi, and having a lot of time in my hands and being with Kimi all day long doesn't hurt either. My pediatrician, Dr. Roslyn Dychiao, in Manila was really a Godsend to us also, she was there to boost my confidence when I asked her about my low milk supply ang convinced me that whatever I supply is very much what my baby needs during that time. I guess being a parent also help her understand just how overwhelming being a new parent is and she was there to guide us through the first 5 months, she was the reason I got through the awkward months of being a new mommy.

It was such a relief to be able to find a center here and just inquire about anything regarding breastfeeding to a certified nurse. She really listened and gave a lot of sound advise from breastfeeding to Kimi's pattern in eating. I am really glad that I did stop by when I did and decided to sit and make time to ask questions. I was thinking of stopping but the nurse assured me that it is better if I can do it for a few more months...preferably up to 2 years of age. I tell myslef that a few more months will be easy, I am more than halfway there :).

Pretty Chic

You are never too young for furs... :)...
Kimi looks really good with the ottoman with zebra print from Homesense :)

Out of Reach...

When the baby gets too active, the breakable items got nowhere to go but up to have it safe and sound. Nothing is safe from this baby's curious eyes and hands... She climbs up the entertainment table and grabs the center decor of balls and before i knew it, the ball were already bits and pieces scattered all over our carpet.... Argh!


... how i wish now that she didn't get this active early hehe!

The Art of Dishwasher Arrangement

Coming from Manila, it is easy to forget that there is such a thing as a "dishwasher", unless it is a person who does them which we call "helper". Up until now, using the dishwasher at home is so scarce that we can count it in both hands just how many times it was operated. We have officially decided to make use of it atleast once a week, preferably on Mondays just so we can make use of it before it is out of warranty.

With scheduling out of the way, I realized that arranging the items inside the washer requires me to look at the instruction manual as well. I didn't know that there is a way on how to arrange the items inside with places for glass, small plates, bug plates and bowl as well as pots and pans... Oh well... It also takes time to arrange those plates the first time and I mentally calculated that I would have washed all those dishes by the time I read the instruction and finish arranging them inside the machine. Ha Ha! More practice!!!

Steve Martin...A Movie date, atlast!

The first movie date with K back in 2004 was watching Cheaper by the dozen at Rockwell...


The first movie date this trip in Canada... Another Steve Martin movie once again, Pink Panther 2 :) We went to Empire Theater to enjoy the movie, Pink Panther 2. It was really hilarious from start to finish...

The Empire Theater is not one of the best theaters I've seen here in Canada. I love the Silvercity in Metrotown. The Facade of the theater is like the typical old movie houses I've seen on film with light bulbs lighting up the titles of movie showing. There is a staircase and escalator leading to the common area one flight down where the food and drink bar is located as well as a common restroom for the moviegoers. The interior of the theater was nothing to rave about. Huge Tarppouline of a movie ad is the main decor for the common area.

EMPIRE THEATER

601-650 West 41st Ave Vancouver, BC V5Z 2M9

Phone: (604) 263-1450

A Lunch at Moxie's

K decided to take us to Willowbrooks Mall at Langley. It was less than an hours drive (without traffic) from Burnaby and the opposite side of the malls we usually go to.

We got out of the house at 10:30am and arrived at around 11+ then decided to have lunch at Moxie's Classic Grill...

The interior was a little bit dark. From outside, you can't see the interior from the one sided glass that serves as their entrance. The place is divided into two parts: The dining area and the bar area on the other side of the restaurant. There is an outside dining as well with a stone fireplace for cold days. The bathroom was really nice which they decorated with dim lighting and an LCD TV.

For my sweet tooth

STRAWBERRY MILK SHAKE

BROCOLLI w CHEESE SOUP
this is so yummy...

CLUB SALAD

BEER BATTERED FISH & CHIPS
w FRIES

***

MOXIE's CLASSIC GRILL

19777 Willowbrook Drive
Langley, BC
Tel: 604-539-9491

***

Inflatable Ball house

K and I bought a new inflatable for Kimi to play with. We were more excited than Kimi that we tried inflating the house with a ball pump which pumps air through a small needle. We exhausted all our efforts but the inflatable house was still flat.... :(

It was the next day when we were able to borrow an electric pump from K's cousin and got it up and ready for playing :)

SQUEEZING INSIDE THE INFLATABLE

Kimi basics

Kimi signs out what she wants to say...

Finally... extension approved!

My extension of visa application got approved. Just when I was about to plan the Seattle trip with K, we realized that his was about to expire and that my visa doesn't validate re-entry....Sheesh!

Better luck next time!

Confessions of a baby shopaholic

There is a Rebecca Bloomwood in the making...

Starting at an early age... she doesn't even notice mommy calling her as she scans rack of baby clothings from H&M...