Im proud of my mom coz at 48 yrs old she was able to finish her post secondary education in Canadian Tourism College. She Graduated with Tourism Management and she’s a Certified Microsoft Office System’s Specialist (hope I got it right). I cant believe a year ago she’s so afraid of computers cant even manage to use the mouse lol!

Anyway, I was like a proud parent when I saw my mom throwing her graduation hat off the air during their closing ceremony. Now I can say she has a much better future ahead of her.

She’s now in Australia having her 3 weeks leisure trip. She went to Adelaide then Sydney and now probably she’s snorkling in Great Barrier Reef (inggit me!)

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J and I went to Futureshop coz our lappie had some problems good thing the warranty is still valid. Unfortunately our files from the hard disk maybe erased grr Ive been ignoring to buy external hard disk for quite sometime coz I find it irrelevant lol!

Good thing J backed up some files especially my pics in our desktop computer. Since where there so I shopped around for some cheapo HD. I opted for 500 GB HD but knowing J when there’s knew in the market and its on sale he’ll grab it, with my blessing of course. And so we bought the 1 TB Lacie HD. Hay where being dependent with technology.

see the big smile on his face. his new toy! price $170 plus tax.. expensive? or good buy?

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In relation to my previous post about OLD AND WITHOUT MONEY , I’ve been restless thinking of ways my grandparents to be productive and be proactive during their retirement years. I advised them to put up a small sari sari store in our compound in Rizal. At first they were hesitant about the idea coz there are some neighbors who tried putting up that kind of business but ended up closing it because they went bankrupt.

Well I told them that if they will use up the money that I sent everymonth to buy things to sell for their store and dont allow loans or pautang from neighbors/relatives they will be fine. And so they use up the garage space and turned it to a store. After a dry run for about a month they were ecstatic! They told me they were earning gross sales of Php 600 to Php 1,200 per day! not bad eh?

My grandfather told me before typical mid month their almost out of money and patiently waiting my remittance for them ( since his pension is during first week of the month), but now they are surviving! yahoo!(for me!)

Since they know now what are the needs and wants of our little community, they ask for another ” I want eh” they need a new Refrigerator. Since their fridge and my fridge I left behind were a bit old and need to retire too, I thought it will boost up more sales if they can sell more cold drinks/alcohol/ice candy/cold cuts.

And so my search starts online until I ended up in www.smappliance.com , my friend bought a ref too for their relatives for pinas and it was deliver within 3 business days. I ended up buying this Samsung 7.0 CuFt Single Door Direct Cooling Refrigerator,
Model RA-21VAAS1/3XTC
PHP 10,819.59 + delivery charge

I heart online shopping! I’m excited for them, I just love the feeling of recieving gifts especially surprise gifts lol!

Kudos to SM Appliance for making Pinoy Overseas shopping easier for our loveones. I hope you continue developing your site to a much wider variety of things we can buy online.

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I got a flickr mail:

I’m honored even if my picture cant make it to the final selection. At least they find it interesting , my 8yrs old cousin took this pic so some credit should go to her too.. LOL! Well she’s very good following my instruction.

note some of my pics for gwen stefani concert in vancouver got recognise too… mmm promising

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I stumbled on this video in youtube about a 82 yrs old retired system analyst without pension. My God I was literally crying buckets of tears, my heart goes to old people without family in canada and spending their remaining days in carehomes, much more with old people who doesnt have money and with family to feed. God bless them!

I had bad times with my grandparents, but things were forgiven and moved on. Plus my father asked me on his deathbed never to forget them. I even promised myself that once Im in Canada I’ll send money everymonth. And I’m doing that eversince, I worked extra hours so the money I earned will be for pinas. As the eldest among my cousin’s my father side, I’m showing and telling them to love our grandparents by helping them out. Not necessarily forcing them by giving money if they cant afford, anything they can like giving them a hand, accompanying them to shopping, cooking for them, cleaning for them . Just make their remaining years easier and less stress. I wish I could help more, I wish I can bring my lola to HK so she can experience travel abroad since she never ride an airplane. Or bring them somewhere together on a nice vacation.

My lolo was a seaman for 30 yrs and he gets $100 a month for a pension. My father was mad at SSS coz they didnt fix or even gave notice thatthere was a problem with his SSS. My lola was just a plain housewife. During his working yrs everything was ok but since they have 8 kids to raised they were not able to save money for their retirement. Until now they try to send 1 cousin in highschool . Im so mad to my uncle for letting them do that, as I told them so many times that its much better to focus themselves to be healthy, buy and eat food for themselves.

In Canada Government and Banks are very aggresive informing people to save and invest for retirement. Their showing us that Goverment Pension are not enough to get you into a comfortable retirement yrs. I met some people here whose getting at least 4-5 pension from different companies they worked with. Or people whose enjoying their money thru interest from their stock market investments.

To sum it up “life is harder without money but to be an old person with no money thats hell”

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Remember in my post I was ranting about my suppose to be cancelled trip in Kelowna. Anyway God pity on me so he gave me a nice blessing. Friday at work I just mention that were planning to visit Kelowna but since were only 4 people willing to go there, we thought to axed the idea coz of the hotel policy of minimum 3 nights booking per room ( I’m reserving a 2 bedroom with kitchen $265 + tax a night) they thought it was crazy! so they offer the house by the vineyard in Kelowna aww! I’m so touched they’re such nice people.

Anyway since I informed my friends that we have a house we decided to go early sunday morning. Coz J and I made plans to watch the Grand Finale of HSBC Fireworks which Canada won by the way and the People choice award goes to China!

So sunday morning off we go to Kelowna a 4- 5 hrs trip. The scenery going there was awesome and breathtaking we made a couple of stops on the way just to enjoy and savor the moment. We saw a couple of deer too! were hoping to see a bear along the way just like what happened in our whistler trip.

Upon arriving in Kelowna we were surprise that its not like an old fashioned province type. You can see a lot of business, restaurants, retail and groceries establishment like Sears, Extra Foods, Winners, so its like youve never left the city after all.

Kelowna is one of the Top Canadian Destinations. Its famous for its majestic mountains, refreshing waters and lush orchards where you can pick fruits and veggies by your self! And did I mentioned Kelowna have a lot of wineries? like Mission hill, Summerhill etc its like our Napa Valley of California.

Anyway we decided what are priorities since were there only for 2 days and 1 night, and these are cruising along kelowna lake, cherry picking, winery hopping, and just relax. First stop of course is to get our things off the car and settle for a bit a rest, we headed for our house I thought its just a small house but we were so happy with what we saw.

A huge house with 180 degree view of kelowna lake, mountain and vineyard! Whoa! plus with a hot tub and a swimming pool. Since it was so hot that day my friends and I jump over to the pool and just chillax. Took some pictures for souvenirs , got a tan, ate some lunch, watch tv a bit.

Then we decided to go downtown Kelowna, take note were lucky we brought with us a GPS Navigator otherwise weve wasted so much time driving around and getting lost. I called a couple of cruise company we want to experience the 2 hr cruise along Kelowna lake. Got a good deal from Princess Cruise for $15 per person + a BBQ steak with salad for $9.50 made by a Chef(good looking ahem!). The cruise was just soothing and relaxing its like taking a massage actually lol! nice boat, nice view, good food and good company what can you ask for more?

So 2nd day after a very good sleep we decided my friend A ultimate wish to do in Kelowna and that is cherry picking. We went to Kempf Orchard its $2.75 per lb minimum 5 lbs I thought I cant fill the buckets with sweetheart cherries but I guess Im wrong coz the experience was amazing and made me remember the days in Pinas picking fruits from the trees when I was growing up. We filled up 2 buckets and our tummies too! lol coz we cant resist eating cherries while picking yeah I know we didnt wash it but who cares! part of the experience anyway we didn’t have bad tummies after that thank God!

Last but not the least of our list was to do some winery hopping we were able to see and drive around famous wineries in Kelowna, then we settle a bit in Summerhill Pyramid Winery we you can dine and drink their wine overlooking their vineyard and the beautiful city of Kelowna. Ahh life what a beautiful life whenever there’s a long weekend wish we can do this everyday. But huh we need to slapped ourselves and move our butt off to the city.

See you again Kelowna… someday!

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The Cheapskate Guide: 50 Tips for Frugal Living

Every Tuesday is Finance & Family Day at Zen Habits.

Confession time: I’m a cheapskate. Some would say frugal, which sounds much more positive, but in reality I can be a real cheapskate.

I am fairly frugal (though not always), but sometimes I take it too far: I have T-shirts with holes in them, I never buy new clothes, we’re shopping for a new couch because our current one has holes in it, and I ran my current pair of running shoes until the soles fell off.

However, I have gradually learned to be frugal in many ways that I would recommend to others. I don’t think you should have holes in your couch, and you should definitely replace your running shoes more often than I do, but there are many ways to cut back on spending and live a more frugal lifestyle.

Why live frugally? First, because it allows you to spend less than you earn, and use the difference to pay off debt, save or invest. Or all three. Second, because the less you spend, the less you need to earn. And that means you can choose to work less, or work more but retire early. Or take mini retirements. You have more options with a frugal lifestyle.

I know what I’m going to hear in the comments, because it’s been done repeatedly with my other frugal articles: I have no life. This is boring. I might as well live in a box. You have to enjoy life sometimes.

All of which you might believe, but I believe I do have a life. A great one. One where I spend time with my family, where I have conversations and read and get outside and do things that are fun and exercise and focus on what’s important and spend my free time the way I want. This is a good life. Read this article for more.

So, if you’d like some tips on frugal living, here are just a few, from a cheapskate. I should note that I do most, but not all, of these tips.

1. Go with one car. Many families have two or more cars. Besides your house, your car is probably your most expensive item. If you can do with one, you should. My wife and I both work, and we have six kids, and yet we have learned to manage with one car.
2. Go with a smaller house. Just because you can afford a larger house, doesn’t mean you should live in one. Live in as small a house as you can and still be comfortable. I don’t mean you should live in a one-room apartment with a family of four … you know what I mean. You can save thousands a year with a smaller house. Many times, if you get rid of a lot of clutter, you don’t need a large house.
3. Go with a smaller car. Again, you can save thousands by going with a smaller car. A car instead of an SUV, for example, is a big savings. Be comfortable, but don’t overdo it. You’ll save a lot on gas this way too.
4. Rent rather than own. This will probably spark a huge debate, as it always does. The thing is, just don’t assume that buying is the better investment. If you calculate the interest you pay on a mortgage, the cost of insurance and maintenance, buying is often much more costly than renting … and if you rent, save money, and then invest the difference, you can actually end up well ahead in the long run. Now, it’s not a given, so do a comparison, factoring in all expenses. Here’s a more in-depth article.
5. Look for used first. If you need something — I mean really need it, not just want it — see if someone you know has one that they don’t use or need anymore. Send out an email to family or friends, or just ask around. You might be surprised. I was about to buy a printer, and then found out my mom just bought a laser printer and didn’t need her old inkjet … saving me close to 100 smackeroos. If no one you know owns one, try freecycle.org or craigslist.org. Then look to buy used, at garage sales or thrift shops. You can find a bargain if you look around.
6. Eat out less. One of the biggest expenses in our daily lives is eating out — the average person spends well over $2,000 a year on eating out. Restaurants are expensive, including fast-food (not to mention the health hazards). It’s much cheaper to cook your own food. Our family creates a weekly menu, then we buy the groceries, and cook dinner (and lunch) each evening. Lately I’ve even been prepping it in the morning, so it’s a snap when we get home.
7. Eat out frugally. If you do eat out, check out these money-saving tips.
8. Brown bag it to work. Instead of eating out for lunch, bring your lunch. More here.
9. Adopt a minimalist wardrobe. This tip won’t be for everybody, but I try for a minimalist wardrobe. I generally wear jeans or casual pants, a T-shirt or Polo-type shirt, and sandals or shoes. Plain, solid colors are my favorite. Everything goes with everything else, and I don’t have too many clothes. This saves me the stress of picking out an outfit, and I don’t need as many clothes.
10. Stop online impulse buys. This was a problem for me before I canceled my credit card. I used to buy online a couple of times a week. Now I buy maybe once every couple of months, using PayPal or someone else’s credit card. I’m not saying you have to go to this extreme, but realize that online buying can be way too easy (you don’t even have to go to a store) and therefore, we make too many impulse buys. Buy online if you really need something and it’ll save you money, but beware the impulse buy. See 30-day list tip below.
11. Don’t shop. Don’t go to the mall or other shopping area or department store to look around and shop. Go to a store if you know what you need, and then get out. Many times people go shopping, with a vague idea of what they want, and get caught up buying much more. Or they go just for fun, as a form of entertainment. That ends up costing a lot. It can really add up. Instead, stay away from shopping areas and find other ways to have fun (more below).
12. Use a 30-day list. To curb impulse buys, create a 30-day list. When you want to buy something, other than a true necessity (medicine or food, for example), put it on this list, with the date you added it to the list. And make it a rule that you can’t buy anything for at least 30 days after you put it on the list. And stick to it. You’ll find that you buy a lot less with this system.
13. Cut out cable. I’ve talked about how I cut out cable before. It saves me money every month (in my area, about $60, or more than $700 a year), and also forces me to do things like read and have conversations and go outside. Win win.
14. Use the library. Instead of buying books, check them out. The library often also has a great selection of DVDs (depending on your area), saving you even more. Now who needs cable?
15. Find free entertainment. Find cheap ways to have fun. Entertainment often ends up costing a lot of money, if you go to the movies, buy concessions, or go out at night, go to the bar, etc. The average person spends about $1,800 a year on entertainment (not including eating out). Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t have fun … but there are cheaper ways to do it. Here are a few ideas. Here’s a frugal family’s fun and cheap weekend.
16. Frugal exercise. Exercise is important, but it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Here are some tips.
17. Stay healthy. Easier said than done, I know, but staying healthy can save you tons of money on doctor’s visits, hospital bills, and medicine over the long run. An ounce of prevention, and all that. Eat healthily, and exercise. Simple and effective.
18. Commute by bike. Even if you own a car, commuting by bike will save you gas, and get you in shape at the same time. I highly recommend it. Here are my tips.
19. Carpool or ride the bus. OK, you don’t want to bike it. So find a friend or neighbor who works near you, and arrange a carpool. Or take public transportation. Simple advice, but something a lot of people ignore.
20. Walk. Often we drive to the corner store, or to a school that’s less than a mile away. Leave a few minutes early, walk, burn some calories, and save gas.
21. Sell your clutter. This is not so much saving money as making it, but the frugal, simplifying cheapskate, like myself, will want to declutter and make a few bucks doing it. Hold a garage sale or sell it on eBay. It’s amazing what some people will buy. See the Simple Dollar’s post on this.
22. Frugal gifting. Gifts can cost a lot of money over the course of a year. Look for ways to do it cheaply. Make a gift, or give a consummable. My family enjoys getting and giving cookies, for example. Here are some ideas.
23. Quit smoking. Not the easiest way to save, I know. It’s hard. But I did it, and so have many, many others. Not only will you save on cigarettes (which are expensive over the long run), but also associated costs (I used to buy a soda or beer to go with my cigarettes) … and of course the huge, long-term medical costs. In less than 2 years of not smoking, I’ve saved well more than $3,000. Here are my tips for quitting.
24. Alcohol in moderation. If you drink one beer or a few beers a day, that adds up to big money each month. Some drink even more than that. It’s expensive. If you can cut your drinking to the occasional party, and once in awhile with friends (not all the time), you’ll save tons.
25. Sweets in moderation. Desserts and sweet snacks give us lots of calories with no nutrition. And we pay a premium price for that, in dollars and in our deteriorating health. Cut back on sweets (don’t eliminate them entirely of course) to save money and cut calories.
26. Drink water. Often we drink lots of calories through sodas, coffee, alcohol, juices, tea, etc. And that costs a lot too. Drink water, save money, save calories. Here are some tips for forming the water habit.
27. Batch your errands. Instead of running an errand or two every day, batch them into one errand day, and plan your most efficient route, to save gas and time. Also do as much bill-paying online as possible, to eliminate some errands.
28. Stay home. Becoming a homebody might not sound like a lot of fun, but it really can be. I love staying home with my family. We can do all kinds of fun things at home. Or I can spend a day alone, if the family is at school, and really enjoy it. It’s quiet and peaceful, I can read or watch a good movie or respond to comments on my blog or write. Staying home can save tons, in eating out expenses, shopping expenses, gas, and incidentals.
29. Stop using credit cards. Credit cards are not evil. And before you flame me, once again, I realize that they can be used to good purpose. If that’s how you use them, then that’s good, skip this tip. For others, credit cards make buying too easy, and end up making them buy too much.Not only that, but if you don’t pay your bill in full each month, they will cost you a lot in interest. The average American with at least 1 credit card has more than $8,500 in credit card debt. Don’t make that mistake. Here’s my story.
30. Cancel subscriptions. With the wealth of information and entertainment online, do you really need magazine subscriptions? With all the news online, do you really need a newspaper subscription? If you can get DVDs for free or cheap, do you really need a Netflix subscription? Don’t flame me if you think you do need any of these — I’m just asking you to consider whether they’re really essential — the answer might be yes. Also consider other subscriptions you might be paying for — I’m not saying you should cancel everything, but seriously consider whether they can be canceled without much loss of value. Read more.
31. Make your own. I won’t go into all the possibilities here, but many times we buy things when really, we could make them ourselves for much cheaper if we get a little creative. Now, this might take a little more time and effort, but it can be fun, especially if you make it a family project. We recently made our own (very simple) bookshelves with only a couple of pieces of lumber, instead of buying them. If you don’t know how to make something, search for it online. You’ll most likely find some instructions.
32. Do it yourself. Instead of hiring someone to do something, try doing it yourself. Sure, it takes some time and effort, but it’s satisfying, and of course cheaper. It’s also educational, if you don’t know how to do it — again, do an online search, read up on it, and give it a go. Frugality freaks are DIYers.
33. Stop paying interest. I mentioned the interest of credit cards, and auto loans, and mortgages. I consider them a waste of money. I’ve talked about how to live without credit before, and I recommend it for a frugal lifestyle. Consider any other accounts or loans where you pay interest, and see if you can eventually eliminate as much of these as possible.
34. Reduce convenience foods. Frozen foods, microwaveable stuff, junk food … anything that’s packaged and prepared for our convenience is not only more expensive than something you cook yourself, but also most likely less healthy. I’m not saying to eliminate these completely, but reduce consumption.
35. Travel frugally. I actually don’t travel (or haven’t for years), but if you do have to travel, some advance planning can save you money. Airfare is most expensive, usually, so look to buy your ticket in advance, and look for deals. Also consider train travel. Shop around for car rental rates, as they can vary greatly (or use public transportation). Look for cheaper accommodations, or stay with a friend or relative. Just a note: I do plan to travel, but not until I finally eliminate all of my debt.
36. Cut the cell phone. This will not be a popular suggestion either. If you don’t like it, move on to the next one. It’s not for everybody. But think about this: 20 years ago, most people didn’t have cell phones. And miraculously, they survived. A cell phone is not a necessity. It’s a convenience. When people needed to make a call, 20 years ago, they either waited until they got to a destination (wait to make a phone call?! omg!), or pulled over and used a pay phone or a phone in a business establishment.
37. Cut your own hair. Again, this one isn’t for everybody. Personally, I use electric clippers to shave my head. It’s easy, it’s cheap, it’s minimalist, it’s care-free. I don’t worry about my hair getting messed up, or having to fix it in the morning. However, I’m not saying you should shave your head. Many people cut their own hair, in many simple but nice hairstyles, long or short. Saves money, and time.
38. Maintain stuff. This is a no-brainer, but we don’t often think about it: if you take care of what you have, it will last longer. You’ll then spend less on buying new stuff. When you buy something worth maintaining, take a few minutes to read the maintenance manual, and create a maintenance checklist that you can attach to the item. For important things like your car’s oil changes or tune-ups, put them in your calendar.
39. Save energy. There are little things we can do to lower our power bill. I don’t use a dryer or hot water heater, although those are a little extreme. Try these tips.
40. Save gas. With the rising price of gas (and no end in sight), fuel has become a major monthly expense for many people. Small things can add up to big savings. Try these tips.
41. Only buy bargain clothing (when you need clothes). OK, so you’re a cheapskate like me who only buys clothes when the old clothes have too many arm or leg holes. But now you need new clothing. I mean really need it. So instead of buying new, look for thrift shops with good clothes. Or buy new, but only buy the stuff that’s 50% off. Look for the bargains, and you’ll save a ton.
42. Telecommute. Telecommuting doesn’t necessarily give you your dream job, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. But in addition to allowing you to work in your underwear (and who doesn’t have that dream?), telecommuting saves money on gas, on eating out (if you eat lunch at a restaurant), and on buying expensive work clothes (all you need to buy is underwear, right? And no, don’t buy used underwear).
43. Plan ahead. Sure, easy to say, hard to implement. But if you make it a habit to think ahead to things that are coming up in your life, you can save a lot of money. For example, if you think about where you’re going to get your meals when you go out to do errands, you can pack a lunch or dinner instead of eating out. If you pack a big container of iced water, you don’t need to buy expensive bottled water. If you know that a birthday is coming up, you can buy a gift on sale instead of spending more at the last minute.
44. Cook ahead. If you have one free day a week (or even a month), cook food in big batches and freeze in dinner-sized portions. I don’t do this all the time, but I have done it and it saves money (buying big can often save) as well as time. You have to plan it out a bit, coming up with a menu and shopping, cooking enough meals for a week or a month. But once you’re done, your meals each night (and for lunch if you like) are quick and easy. This saves you from eating out or eating convenience food when you’re hungry but too tired to cook.
45. Wash clothes less. Some people wear clothes and then wash them, but I’ve gotten into the habit of wearing my clothes more than once if they’re not really dirty. I use my nose as a test — I don’t want to wear clothes that smell, but most times the clothes are still perfectly clean. This saves on washing.
46. Sun-dry clothes. When my parents were young, everyone used a clothesline to dry clothes. Now dryers are ubiquitous, because they’re fast. But if you don’t wash a ton of clothes, it’s not that hard to take a few minutes to hang them up. You’ll save a lot in electricity, plus your clothes last longer.
47. Eat less meat. I’m not saying you have to become a vegetarian (although you could always give it a try), but once in awhile, eat meatless dishes. Pasta, vegetarian chili (see my recipe halfway down this article), vegetarian Indian or Thai dishes, falafels with hummus and pitas and tomatoes and lettuce … there are plenty of tasty dishes without meat. And as meat is expensive (well, the fresh kind is … Spam is cheap), you’ll save money on meatless dishes. Again, I’m assuming you cook with fresh meat, not canned.
48. Save on groceries. For my family of eight, groceries is a major expense. With some simple habits, we’ve been able to save a lot of money. See more here.
49. Frugal Christmas. Christmas is expensive, especially in America (if you live in an area that doesn’t celebrate Christmas with a huge amount of buying, or doesn’t celebrate it at all, skip this tip). People go on crazy shopping gorges. It’s insane. While it makes the retailers and manufacturers happy, it doesn’t make our bank accounts happy. Break out of the cycle and find cheaper ways to celebrate Christmas. Here are some great ways to do that, and here are some more.
50. Eat a cheap breakfast. Here are some great ones.

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I’ve watched this a month ago, got teary eyed. I can relate so much, now were living here in Canada I know I can just ignore my family back home. Coz I thought sometimes if they were in my position “will they remember me?” probably not! Anyway the problem is I just cant, I dont wanna loose in touch with them.

That’s why at least 3-4 times a month I call them, email them, sending some mullah for them no matter I got pissed off all the bad news they’re feeding me. I just love them so much ! and I know I cant be now because of them.

I miss pinas, I miss family and I miss my friends … see you soon!

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After giving us 2 weeks of sunshine this week will be cloudiness and rainshowers again! This morning I felt sudden loneliness when I saw that its raining a bit. Geez I havent enjoyed my summer yet and now rain! I feel lazy to work and just literally dragging myself to get up. I just thought its just all in the mind yoh!

Anyway I missed blogging for a month now, I just cant helped it whenever I saw nice blogs to read hehehe! And I cant blog without nice pictures. Awww I miss taking pics too… I just cant concentrate and appreciate the place lately too much on my mind right now.

This summer we only had 2 out of town trips Whistler and Harrison Hot Spring. Were planning to go to Kelowna but change of plans we cant go this long weekend.

Reason?
1. Cant go if were only 4
2. Trying to book a room with kitchen in a hotel but they required minimum 3 nights , we can only book 2 nights grrrr….
3. My sis whose the prumotor backed out grrr pa!

Alternative Itenerary
1. Saturday whole day just sleep in and hang out around English Bay
Saturday night watch the Grand Finale of HSBC Fireworks
2. Sunday whole day - Go to Capilano Bridge (j’s only wish this summer yay!)
Sunday night watch a movie
3. Monday -Either go and drag some friends to whistler again! or
foodtrip /shopping/ or biking around stanley park

not bad eh?!! but still I’m disappointed !

change topic

I hope before the summer ends my sis and I can go to New York … wahh pls Lord let her PR card replacement arrive before Aug 15 so I can make ask my boss if I can take a week off bwahhahaa… my body and minds needs some refreshing…

I wanna visit pinas but dang.. with all the bruhaha awaiting for me there nevermind…

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If you are from Asia where you were blessed with nice white sand beach with warm water. It will be hard for you to swim in a cold beach water in Canada.

So let me show you how to swim here…

First take a deep breath and run as fast as you can to the beach

Then Dive ! And swim as much as you can…

Breath some air and take a picture like I did!

Then run back as fast as you can if you cant hold the stingy cold water anymore.

Wrap your body with thick towel then expose your body under the sun for 5 mins and voila ! you will want more and more!

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I was quite sick at the time J surprised me with concert tickets of Rihanna and Kanye West at GM Place. So kahit magkakaflu na ako non go parin J knows I’m a fan of Rihanna since I came here in Canada. He even downloaded some of Rihanna’s Video in my ipod.

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Please ignore my voice lol! I was excited when he told me that they will go on live tv. Oh syempre mega ready ako ng camera on hand right away. Buti pa sya na tv na dito ako ilang beses ng pumaparada sa harap ng building ng CTV para mainterview di ko matyempohan lol!

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beluga with the trainer
underwater, they swim so fast you cant get a good pic of them
see the blubber?
my feeling kid moment in the aquarium

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Finally for almost 2 yrs I was able to visit our Vancouver Aquarium which is located 10-15 minutes drive from our place.You can watch the otters and beluga whale live through webcams on their website . But make sure you watch it during daytime here in Vancouver so you can see it clearly.

Out of curiosity I wanna see a Beluga Whale for real. Im not an animal lover but I appreciate seeing diff. kinds all in one place. We were blessed for another sunny weather and made out the most of it.

Here’s some pics

I cant imagine a turtle and shark in one aquarium? oh yeah the shark cant bite the turtle hard shell body lol! when I was watching them the jaws movie flashback into my mind and gave me a shiver.
this fish looks like arowana from afar but its one of the biggest fish in amazon
our pic in front of Vancou ver Aquarium
the adorable dolphins

jelly fish? totally forgot the name but I love this pic
nikki watching the beluga whale
playing otters
jelly fish again?

Vancouver Aquarium http://www.vanaqua.org/home/

Rates

Adults	$19.95
Seniors/ Youths (13-18)/ Students*	$14.95
Children (4-12)	$11.95
Children 3 years & under	FREE
* Must provide current student ID card
Please Note: Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult (19 & older).

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Whenever somebody would ask me if I want to live up to more than 100 yrs old. I told them NO! I dont want to live that long and look old, miserable and be a burden to my family.

But after doing this online test:

christy’s Death Forecast:

It is estimated that you will die at the age of 76 Years Old.

Makes me wanna think… waaahh I dont want to DIE that early !
mmmmm I will eat more veggies with lots of fiber and vitamins, I will exercise more, I will eat less meat and so on and on….

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We had our first installment of summer long weekends, here in Canada we have one longweekend almost every month. It starts from friday night up to monday so you can imagine us planning to go out of town if weather permits.

We had a forecast of sunny weather with a temp. of 30 degree c . So we decided to go to whistler, I wanted J to see it in person how I fell in love with the place last year. But of course I felt half happiness coz he was not around that time.

My sis A and bf P went with us too, I’m happy that their always available to come with us. P can be the 2nd driver when I feel lazy to drive going back home.

On the way up going to whistler J saw Shannon Falls in Squamish BC from afar. Yes you can see that majestic/scary falls from the road. I cant stop right then and there coz I dont know where too in the first place LOL! So I just promised that we will go there on the way back.

In Whistler, it was so hot and humid we felt we were in Pinas. Canadians were all over the place under the sun. We ate lunch in La Bocca and we chose to dine outside, and guess what? we cant tolerate what Canadians do, eating under the sun LOL!

We strolled around whistler village I thought J can appreciate the place but I guess he left his heart in Shannon Falls so we decided to drive back home by 4pm. On the way back we did some photo ops at some of the viewing point alongside of the road and we saw a BEAR just off the highway J’s wish came true!. What I love about here in British Columbia are the lush mountains and blue sea. You can appreciate the simple pleasure of what mother nature can do to you.

In Shannon Falls, I cant believed how big and scary this falls. And yet its so easy to go near the base, I felt bad I didn’t bring my other camera for some nice fancy pics. We tried as much to go near beside it but were getting wet big time because of the spray from the falls and we dont have spare clothes!

After a long drive we went to Pin Pin in Fraser a filipino/chinese restaurant, I cant believed that we need to be in line just to have a table to eat LOL! Well it makes sense that the food there are really good. We ordered like crazy hungry people craving for some filipino food like inihaw, pansit, sisig and halo halo for dessert.

It was fun , busog and dighay to the max that day!

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I love mariah carey, love her more for this song…
For my Papa’s 5th death anniversary

This is for my peoples
Who just lost somebody
Your best friend, your baby
Your man or your lady
Put your hand way up high
We will never say bye
No, no, no

Mamas, daddies, sisters, brothers
Friends and cousins
This is for my peoples
Who lost their grandmothers
Lift your head to the sky
Cause we will never say bye

As a child there were them times
I didn’t get it
But you kept me in line
I didn’t know why
You didn’t show up sometimes
On Sunday mornings and I missed you
But I’m glad we talked through

All them grown folk things
Separation brings
You never let me know it
You never let it show
Because you loved me and obviously
There’s so much more left to say
If you were with me today
Face to face

I never knew I could hurt like this
And everyday life goes on I wish
I could talk to you for a while
Miss you but I try not to cry
As time goes by

And it’s true that you’ve
Reached a better place
Still I’d give the world to see your face
And be right here next to you
But it’s like you’re gone too soon
Now the hardest thing to do is say

Bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye

You never got a chance to see
How good I’ve done
And you never got to
See me back at number one
I wish that you were here
To celebrate together
I wish that we could
Spend the holidays together

I remember when you used to
Tuck me in at night
With the teddy bear you gave me
That I held so tight
I thought you were so strong
You’d make it through whatever
It’s so hard to accept the fact
You’re gone forever

I never knew I could hurt like this
And everyday life goes on I wish
I could talk to you for a while
Miss you but I try not to cry
As time goes by

And it’s true that you’ve
Reached a better place
Still I’d give the world to see your face
And be right here next to you
But it’s like you’re gone too soon
Now the hardest thing to do is say

Bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye

This is for my peoples
Who just lost somebody
Your best friend, your baby
Your man or your lady
Put your hand way up high
We will never say bye

Mamas, daddies, sisters, brothers
Friends and cousins
This is for my peoples
Who lost their grandmothers
Lift your head to the sky
Cause we will never say bye, bye.

I never knew I could hurt like this
And everyday life goes on I wish
I could talk to you for a while
Miss you but I try not to cry
As time goes by

And it’s true that you’ve
Reached a better place
Still I’d give the world to see your face
And be right here next to you
But it’s like you’re gone too soon
Now the hardest thing to do is say

Bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye

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We have Walmart here in Vancouver though I’m not a fan of going there coz they dont have fresh fruit and veggies which we call it here “produce”. But I can say Walmart offer competitive low price to shoppers.

But in the US their store is huge much bigger than our Costco stores.

You can go crazy shopping because once you go home you will not pay tax on groceries at the border. I told my mom maybe we should go back if we will send some bbox package for pinas.

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Vancouverites love US for its value for money shopping. Since its only 2hrs drive away only if you want some credit card damage shopping might as well go across the border.

Anyway my mom asked me to come with them since I haven’t been there I thought that would be fun! You can see the border behind me with tons of cars lining up just to go shopping in the US lol!

When we reached the US Customs I was scolded by an Immigration Officer because I was taking pics lol! I can take pics of the scenery around but not the people and the building . We were asked to go inside and line up again to pay $6 usd fee which is good for 6 months travel in and out of Canada.

So after that we drove again for more than an hour, and my heart gasp when I saw where were heading to

Wowowee! I thought this trip will be boring same old mall just a bit bigger as described by my sis. I was giggling and almost dancing with excitement, it felt like I was in Las Vegas Premium Outlet.

seeing my fave retail shops like

Banana Republic
Coach Factory Outlet though relatively cheap but I find much cheaper in Vegas
Juicy Couture accessories my sis collects bracelets and charms.
BCBG maxazria dresses, prices for a steal!
I thought I can afford to buy a burberry jacket but it’s so expensive even if its marked down
I told my mom to meet every hour because I want to be by myself when I go shopping. I want full concentration since I’m on “cash basis only shopping” just to limit myself with excessive unnecessary impulsive shopping lol!

I told myself I’ll gonna buy something I really like and I really really need(as if!)
So I ended with this

Oh see? I bought it cash! LOL!
Bought it in Sunglass Hut its not the actual sunnies I liked but since I came back in the store for like 4 times, I guess I really like it. Thats my only big amount spent that day.

The rest of our stay at the Seattle Premium Outlet we did buy stuff for families and the rest is eating chinese food and aunti annes pretzel’s

Then off we went to Walmart(nxt post)

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