Life’s Ideas

A trip from Canada to the Philippines entails a lot of spending. The fare alone already costs a lot of money. You also need to book your plane ticket way ahead of your trip because you might have a problem with the availability later because Christmas is peak season in the Philippines. This is the reason why balikbayans (returning Filipinos) would always make the most of the trip.

My husband and I are considering a visit to the Philippines before this year ends. Nothing is final yet but it is best to think ahead. Our old folks are still living and it is always a pleasure to have them around. They don’t want to travel so we really have to visit them whenever our budget would allow us to.
To make the most of our trip, we would like to visit local attractions and it’s Palawan this time. It will be our first time there and we are already very excited about it. We are both nature lovers and so Puerto Princesa Subterranean River is a must-see for us. It has always been our wish to be able to visit Palawan even before we left the country but we never had the budget then.

Philippines is a beautiful country with many unique scenic spots. We do not want to be strangers in our own country but travelling is expensive and oftentimes, when we have the money to spend, we don’t have time to go. For most of us, lost time also means lost income. Going on a vacation is a pleasure with a price but also inspires us to do more. This makes us feel better, think better and live better. Going on a vacation need not be expensive. I’m sure there’s always a good place to camp nearby. What’s important is that you take a break once in a while, take time to smell the flowers and appreciate what life has to offer and be grateful for it.

Tags: Palawan, Philippines, Puerto Princesa, Subterranean River, vacation
Posted in Living and Loving, Thinking Out Loud, Travels|Vacations | No Comments »

Flowers are so irresistible to women. Men use flowers to earn precious brownie points from their wives and girlfriends. There are even certain types of flowers and different colors considered fit for every occasion. There’s always a flower for every season and every reason. In fact, our hunger for flowers is causing an alarming rate of depletion of the world’s water resources.

Flowers make us feel good and loved. Flowers smooth over women’s disappointments and frustrations. Oftentimes, flowers make us give in to our partner’s wishes and requests. Men use flowers as a powerful tool when dealing with women. Flowers delivered by the giver himself at the recipient’s office or workplace conveys a stronger message than when delivered at home. We like to think that for men, carrying a bunch of flowers is like stepping outside their comfort zones. When you think that your man has to go through that, it just melts your heart or simply takes your breath away.

My husband gave me a dozen of red roses last Friday after our grocery shopping and for no reason. He was not trying to win me over something; he just wanted to give me flowers. We both had a long day and he definitely made my day a whole lot better. It also made him very happy seeing I was overjoyed with the flowers. Oh boy, I just love receiving flowers for no reason. What I’m really trying to say is that I love receiving something for no reason. It could be chocolates or something else, does not really matter. You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving.

Tags: flowers, red roses, roses
Posted in Living and Loving, Points to Ponder, Thinking Out Loud | No Comments »

The picture best describes my state of mind today. I’m cooking lunch and will eat alone, which happened only twice, so far. My husband left the car at Canadian Tire. The winter tires need to be replaced with the regular tires. There are also other maintenance work that needs to be done. This means hubby can’t drive home for lunchtime. So, why the big fuss? I’m not really sure. 

Tags: image, mood, picture
Posted in Living and Loving, Thinking Out Loud | 8 Comments »

It’s the middle of spring and it’s so nice to be outdoors. Since it’s my first spring here in Canada, I feel the need to explore my surroundings. Get to know the neighborhood, the community and the city in general. Going around on foot is alright but you can only cover a small area. I’ve been hiking the Wascana Place and it’s always such a joy.

Suddenly I miss our life in the Philippines. We only had a motorcycle as our service vehicle because we could not afford to buy a car. That’s not the only reason though. Traffic was so bad in Cebu city, where we lived and riding a motorcycle is a great advantage. Traffic does not hinder a motorcycle from going to places. A motorcycle driver can just work his way to the road sides to beat the traffic and best of all, it is so economical.

My husband misses his motorcycle too. We did a lot of joy riding with the motorcycle. He was even considering buying a motorcycle at one time. If we want to push through we know where to go. For those lovers of motorcycles out there, now is a good time to check out the site that sells honda motorcycle parts. Every motorcycle can have a unique personality with their range of products and not just for the motorcycle but for the rider as well.

Tags: CruiserCustomizing, joy riding, motorcycle
Posted in Living and Loving, Shopping and Products, Thinking Out Loud, Travels|Vacations | 4 Comments »

I am a fish person. I love to eat fish and would prefer fish over other kinds of meat but this does not mean that any fish will do. I like shallow water fish the best, the ones that live in coral reefs. I like my fish meat to be really white, fresh and the smell, not so fishy.

I remember in the Philippines, I used to eat leather jacket fish. It has a very thick skin that you can remove just like a jacket and inside is a very thin plastic-like layer of second skin that holds together the meat of the fish. In our town, we call the leather jacket fish with the thick skin still intact as saguksok. When the skin is removed, it becomes baknit and this is what you can find in the local fish markets. My mother buys leather jacket fish whenever available because it is very cheap. I like this fish because it meets my criteria. I don’t really mind the appearance of the fish as long as it passes my standards. My mother usually fry baknit and cook it again
with a little oil, garlic, onions and black beans. This is my favourite way of cooking baknit. It is like fish paksiw (stew) with a twist.

Last Friday, I bought a pack of dressed leather jacket fish. I missed eating this fish so much. I cooked it for dinner today exactly how my mother used to do it. It was almost like being home in my parents place once again.

Tags: fish, fish stew, leather jacket fish, paksiw
Posted in Food, Cooking and Dining, Living and Loving, Thinking Out Loud | 1 Comment »