NO Slippy Hair Clippy

Finally found a clip that won't fall off Kimi's fine hair...with little rosebud trimmings to match her jacket at home.I couldn't help it... I just had to get it for her :)



She won't be mistaken for a baby boy when she wears this pink clip...

Home Foot Massage

When daddy get tired from a whole day's work, there's nothing better than a hot foot spa while watching the telly... :)

Kimi decided to join in the fun and sat on the step stool for a bit of the action.

After a few minutes, Kimi decided to mess up the carpet and splashed the water all lover the floor :(. The foot spa is finally over.

An early love of books

I decided to go for a stroll with Kimi to the nearest library. I bought my netbook and decided to try getting my own library card for myself as well :)

I brought the new blanket and zipped them up to keep little Kimi warm. She was snuggled happily warm as a toast inside her blanket moving her feet up and down happily as I pushed her on our way to the library.

ALL WARM

In the library, I found a book nook with a built in chair with colorful pillows for added comfort. The yellow brick wall added to the homey feeling inside the warm interior of the public library. Kimi made her way toward the nook, went up into the built in and made herself right at home with the discarded book that was left on top of the seat.

AT HOME INSIDE THE LIBRARY

Good Times with Mo, Mojo and Grace

When I asked a close friend of mine in Manila what would be the interesting things to listen to or check out... she suggested Mo's Good Time. I decided to check them out and search for an audio sample of their show.

During college, we used to listen to Chico and Delamar at RX 93.1. The Good Time show is the grown up version of that Famoous RX show...

The no nonsense show that talks about anything and everything... Freedom of Speech... And they do step on a lot of toes because of how honest they are on what they say on air...

SAMPLE

MULTIPLY: http://goodtimeswithmo.multiply.com/

I hope I can find a site where I can listen to the updated version everyday...

Pinoy's For the First Time

K and I decided to watch a Pinoy movie that we downloaded recently. Our choice? The movie starring Richard Gutierrez and KC Concepcion.

I am not really keen on watching this film as I am not a fan of both actors although I have to admit that they are one of the best looking young actors in the Philippines. They do make a striking couple and I was skeptical as to how they would be portrayed in this particular movie.

It started off with KC, as Pia who doesn't like Richard, as Seth which was the playboy who dated every one of her friends and ended up breaking each of their hearts. Pia, working for her dad, went for a vacation at Santorini, Greece to unwind. I soooo love the setting of Santorini, it was so simple and the lifestyle there was so relaxed.

There they met again and despite their difference and Pia's initial reluctance began to feel something between them. Richard and Kc were so right for each of their respective roles... I wouldn't want to ruin the story by telling it all here, just watch and breathe in the spectacular setting :). I'd love to go here sometime in the near future ;)

Snacking, Jap style

After trying out several brands of seaweed snack, we finally found the one that fits the budget and does taste quite good. Even little Kimi loves munchkin on these green paper-like snack. Whenever she hears the ripping of it's package, she goes to whoever is holding them and sticks out her hand to get her share he he!

SEAWEED SNACK

Welcome Spring!

We welcome Spring with a visit to our nearby park. Grandpa took her two princess for a stroll at the park. With heavy jackets to keep them warm, they head off towards the vast green grass and played contentedly walking back and forth.


Kimi can finally big enough to enjoy the slides... She had her turn going down the slide while grandpa waited below to catch her...

Midnight Sun

When I heard about the story about Edward's side of the Twilight Saga, I can't wait to get a hold of this book. I learned eventually that a copy of a draft got leaked and that it was on hold indefinitely :(...Too bad. So I googled for some information on the said title. I stumbled upon Stephanie Meyer's official site with an unedited draft of the first chapter...

A teaser for the Twilight Fans out there!

I surely hope that the wait for this book won't be too long....

Makeshift Daycare

With 4 Princesses in our home, the Chua residence is transformed into a makeshift daycare with Sabrina as the pre-school teacher. She made used of her training from Gymboree and gathered the kids with a Welcome Song.

The kids formed a semi-circle and act out each songs as Teacher Sab's sweet voice resonated the whole room. The kids, for once, were all calm and contented :).

CLASS PICTURE

VARIOUS STAGE OF PRE-OCCUPATION

Lunch was special for the day as well. We had party menu for lunch which both the grownups and kids love: Freshly Cooked Rice, Chicken strips with gravy and Fruit cocktail for dessert.

The day ended when it was finally time for the kid's nap and promised to do this again next time... :)

Justin's Baby Shower

Last year, I met a fellow Gracian (from Grace Christian high School) while waiting for K at the downtown food court. I was still carrying Kimi then and she only had 1 child, Kalen.

Now, she is celebrating her 2nd baby, Justin :).

THE BABY CAKE
with OH SO CHARMING BOOTIES TOPPER

MOMMY GLENDA w JUSTIN
MOMMY MEL w KIMI

KIMI FOUND HERSELF A NEW PLAYMATE,
KALEN THE BIG SISTER

GLENDA's CHUMS
Fr HSBC n GRACE SCHOOL BUDDIES

Congratulations :)!!!

NoodleMakers Chinese Bistro

Friday night and a date without the baby all the way at North Vancouver... We went there to buy a carseat which I have reserved earlier that morning for Kimi. We had to wait after 6:30pm so we can leave Kimi with K's mom.

We arrived at Capilano Mall almost dinner time and had to make a run for the Sears department store to get the reserved item and finally to have dinner at one of the restaurants inside the mall.

935 Marine Drive
North Vancouver, BC
Tel: 604-982-0833
Fax: 604-982-0811

The Sign out front was quote confusing because of the name, "Noodle Makers", we were expecting great selections of Noodle dishes to choose from. We were quite surprised that the menu contained just the typical sort of selections a Chinese Restaurant would have had.

The interior of the restaurant reminds me a lot of Manila's Little Asia with red walls and a great influence of Asian details throughout the area. They also have asian window details which they hanged near the stairs which is also the same as Little Asia's T. Morato branch.

The food was all quite tasty. Being famished during that time maybe help with the taste also he! he! The wait for the dishes was quite long, it was good that soup was served really fast though.

SEAFOOD and BEAN CAKE SOUP


PEKING STYLE SPARERIBS

CLAM w/ BLACK BEAN SAUCE

Afternoon Movie Delight

Having my sister in law, Sabrina, makes watching movie in the afternoon much more fun. Sophie and Kimi entertains themselves as we try to block off their noises and concentrate on the movie playing...

MOVIE #1
THE ACCIDENTAL HUSBAND

MOVIE #2
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
- there were so many settings that looks so good on screen. I would love to go to Barcelona with K someday... Such a romantic

After the PR Confirmation...what's next?

After getting the PR confirmation. The things that are yet to be done seems longer than when I was just waiting for the PR letter.
During the start of the appearance for the confirmation of PR Card, we were informed that the first thing we should do once we get home was to xerox several copies of our confirmation and keep the original one at a safe place, this piece of paper will be important for official stuffs even if we did get our PR card or even become a citizen a few years after.

# 1 Their tip was to do our Health Care Card first.
So I googled for a form and instruction on what to do to obtain this since I have learned firsthand just how expensive medical checkups here (FYI: I was pregnant with Kimi when I last came to Canada and had no care card, I had to pay CA$60+ for every normal checkup... and even now, for Kimi's checkup).

To Apply

What I included was the copy of both our confirmation of PR Card and a copy of my husband's health card.

#2 The SIN Card
I am currently at this stage of my list. I am hoping to get this done so I can have a shot at checking out what kind of work is waiting out here for me. I am hoping that I can get a good job without any Canadian education and if not, I am willing to take short courses before I go home so I can explore the working opportunities with an added oomph to my resume when I come back at 2010...


#3 Driver's License


I am a bit scared at taking the knowledge test and the road test. Eventhough I was already driving back home in Manila. I am not that confident with my parking and doesn't know the first thing about driving an automatic car. I am currently browsing through the "Roadsense for driver" which is basically the thing to read to pass the knowledge test... There is also a practice test at the ICBC site. 80% is the passing mark for the knowledge test.

#4 Updating CCTB Application

I know that CCTB (Child Care Tax Benefit) application should be done when the applicant is a PR card holder or a citizen. In our case, my husband was the applicant, which the call center from CCTB assured was fine so that I can have the application sent in early because they can only back pay for 11 months. I was hoping that they would be able to process them while we wait for our sponsorship application to be done. Now that we did have a confirmation, I have to call and give them the new status of our application and hope that these new development of our resident status would speed up or at least help us in not delaying the payment for the CCTB.

... that's the important ones, plus more small stuffs to do and with all the daily tasks required to be done in a world without nannys... this would take forever to get done (he! he!)

Downtown Date...

A date in the afternoon with just Sab :)... No Babies to worry about for the whole afternoon.... Whew!

First off, we decided to have lunch at Milestone Grill Bar. The interior of the restaurant was cozy with lots of different textures applied to the walls. The steps from the ground bar to the 2nd floor dining area was textured ceramic tiles. The chairs for the dining area was of different styles creating an eclectic look. We chose a grill with the intention of veering away from the Italian dish we just had a few nights ago but ended up having pasta and strawberry lemonade for drinks.

GRILLED CHICKEN ASIAGO

After the wonderful meal swapping stories and just enjoying each others company, Sab decided to have sweets at Cafe Crepe. She was able to lure me into the little cafe to eat a whole crepe with a full stomach...Talk about persuasion!!... and the wonderful aroma of the crepes being cooked... I was defenseless and ended up 2x full at the start of our date. Sab has a reason of being pregnant to eat more, while I, had none... :(

NUTELLA CRAZY!
Strawberry Nutella for Sab and Little Ang
Banana Nutella for MeL n MeL

Enough (food) is Enough! Or perhaps time was finally running out. We have to rush to the theatre at Tinseltown Mall for the 4pm showing of the movie, "He's just not that into you...". We went into the movie with a full stomach and after 2 hours went our still half full... :)

FEET PROPPED UP
READY TO ENJOY THE MOVIE

... Till the next date!

The Appearance..

Finally! After 6 months off waiting... the letter for a request to appear finally came. It was scheduled for March 05, 2009 at 877 Expo Blvd. Vancouver.

LITTLE KIMI

K decided to go with Kimi and me for the appearance. We drove all the way to Beatty St.(where the parking spaces were located),early for our 12:30 appointment. We had lunch at the nearby cafe called Cafe des Art...

HOMEMADE MEAT LASAGNE n CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
@ CAFE DES ART

The wait for our turn at the Immigration was long. Kimi was well behaved all through afternoon. She walked back and forth, happy with the huge space the room has to offer for her to explore. Almost 80% of the people attending was Filipino. I learned that it was no use to go there early because there was a number on the right upper hand of the letter which would indicate when you will get your turn. Ours was #39 and #40...It was well past 2:30pm when it was finally our turn. It was a casual meeting with the interviewer asking us whether the paper they gave us earlier contained all the right information then they gave us a list of numbers to call with regards to other concerns like Care card, SIN... The whole meeting was only around 10mins... Atleast, it was finally done and over with... :)


Now, I can go to the next step... The waiting is almost over. I can finally look into driving...working... and finally, gooing home to Manila for a vacation at the end of the year... YEY!

Practice makes...better!

The first attempt...

Better!?

Little Angels...

Grandma's Prayer

Granddaughters are Gods special gift

To let every grandma know
That the Lord has set aside a special prayer
For when you’re feeling low.

I’m not sure if I have all the words
But they came straight from Gods heart
To let each Grandma always know
They’re loved right from the start.

Dear Grandma when I awoke today
And saw that great big sun
I knew you put it in the sky
So we could go out and have some fun.

And when I heard the robins sing
And listened to their happy tune
I remembered how you sing me to sleep
I hope you show up soon.

And when I saw that yellow butterfly
Land upon my window sill
The beauty I saw in front of me
Reminded me of Grandma, I know it always will.

I got up then and knelt and prayed
To our Lord Jesus in the sky
I thanked Him for all these beautiful things
But I had one more prayer before I said goodbye.

Dear God, when you see Grandma
Send an angel to keep her safe from harm
Then send her here to play with me
I feel safe inside her arms.

Amen

~© Donald Hayes~

MOVIE DOUBLE DATE NIGHT...CANCELLED

We were supposed to watch the newest download before Brian leave for Manila... A film about the end of the world starring Keanu Reeves.

I honestly don;t know the title of the film but was looking forward to having a night just for relaxing...
But with 2 kids between the four of us, an arranged plan can easily get cancelled :(. Till next time...