You know who you are…

Posted on June 2, 2009 by adminjol501

To my mentor in blogging, this is for you. We used to be side by side with each other for we were once officemates and volunteers for the same organization before. Then we became neighbors because we lived in the same area of the city. Next thing I knew, we were worlds apart because you left for the States. Now, we are living in neighboring countries. Isn’t that what makes our friendship so interesting? Near or far, we still connect with each other. The only thing lacking in our friendship is that we have not quarreled yet. Well, I’m sure we both don’t want to fight. Really, I just want to thank you. That’s all.

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Picture Me!

Posted on June 2, 2009 by adminjol501

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. 

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How A Bedroom Should Be

Posted on June 2, 2009 by adminjol501

 

Before I arrived in Canada, my husband rented a one-bedroom apartment and was just using a queen sized sofa bed for sleeping. The sofa bed was quite comfortable. He chose to use the sofa bed instead of a real bed because his job requires him to move in wherever the next contract would take him. The sofa bed is so convenient for this purpose because it can be folded.

When I joined him last year, we moved in to a new two-bedroom apartment. We had a deal before that we would only choose our proper bed when we’re together but I procrastinated. We’re still using his old sofa bed. Yesterday, I noticed that the sofa bed is starting to make a noise with sudden movements. I took it as a signal for us to consider buying our proper bed as soon as possible.

park-regents-suite-p

I found  some  Bedroom Sets  to choose from and they’re absolutely gorgeous. They can be ordered online at spacify.com and shipping can be free. If  I were living alone, I would definitely go for something feminine but since we’re a couple, our bedroom should  reflect who we are as a couple. I would also like our bedroom to be balanced on both sides like having a nightstand and lamp on each side. The headboard should be very sturdy and there should be space under the bed to let the air go through it. This is required in feng shui and for very good reasons. The bedroom is the couple’s ultimate sanctuary and should not be taken lightly.

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My First Bus Ride in Regina

Posted on June 1, 2009 by adminjol501

I had my first bus ride here in Regina last Saturday. Since I don’t have a driver’s license yet, I would need to take the public transportation from time to time. There is a bus stop right in front of our place so taking the bus won’t be such a problem really.

We took the bus to the downtown mall and we asked for a transfer ticket just in case we could make it back within an hour. When we got to the mall, I decided I want to do some shopping for clothes so we stayed there for more than an hour. After shopping, we had mexi-fries at the foodcourt. We were not really hungry, I just wanted to sit down for awhile coz my feet got sore from walking around.


This bus passes by our place (Photo taken from wikipidia)

From the mall, we walked to Victoria Park and he showed me several bus stops there and where I should wait for the bus should I need to go to certain places. We stopped by the park and enjoyed the scenery for awhile and decided to walk back home instead of taking the bus. We thought we needed the exercise.

It was a nice experience. We spent time together, enjoyed each other’s company. Walking from Victoria Park to Wascana Park was so relaxing. I suggested to him that sometime, we should buy a pair of badminton rackets so we could play there. The wide area of green grass near our place is just perfect for outdoor sports like badminton.

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Missing Our Motorcycle Joy Rides

Posted on June 1, 2009 by adminjol501

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.


Spring and Summer are the best times to stay outdoors

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.

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Our Friday Night Movie – Night of the Museum 2

Posted on May 31, 2009 by adminjol501

As I said before, Friday night is our movie night. Last Friday, we watched the Night at the Museum 2 – Battle of the Smithsonian. We did not exactly plan for this one. We had three films in mind before then, Angels and Demons, Drag me to Hell and the one we finally decided to watch.

I did not feel like cooking for dinner that night. We went to Wasabi, our favourite Japanese restaurant for dinner. It’s situated just a few steps away from the movie theatre. Unfortunately, we were told that we had to wait for forty minutes for our order. We were so looking forward for a Japanese meal so we agreed to wait.

After placing our order, we went to the theatre to buy our tickets. We checked the schedule and we opted for Night of the Museum 2. It was the only one our schedule could allow. We would run in late if we chose any other film. From there, we walked around to check out the place. We found a supermarket inside and we bought some glazed donut bites. We ate some then returned to Wasabi. We were just in time for our orders to be served. What a sumptuous dinner!

When we got to theatre, it was almost full mostly of children, about 75%. The movie is for the whole family. We were wondering if they were a spill over from the UP movie which was also showing. It could be possible that the UP movie was already full so some children had to watch Night of the Museum 2 instead.

The Night of the Museum 2 stars Ben Stiller as Larry Daley . If you liked the first Night of the Museum then you would surely enjoy this one. Larry Daley has moved on with his life after the museum. He was no longer the night guard at the museum. His business took a significant turn and so he now can fully provide for his son. One day, he came back to museum and found out that most of his friends will be transported to the Smithsonian Museum for permanent storage. One time, Jedediah Smith, played by Owen Wilson phone him and Larry thought his old friends needed his help so he went to the Smithsonian Museum. His son was giving him directions on how to locate his friends at the museum using a computer at home. Then the fun begins. The old residents at the museum did not welcome the newcomers.

At the end, Larry realized Larry had to go back to his old job as a night guard. He is at his happiest there, doing what he enjoys most.

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Finding an Old Favorite – Leather Jacket Fish

Posted on May 26, 2009 by adminjol501

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.


Leather Jacket Fish

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.


Dressed Leather Jacket Fish – without the skin

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.

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Is Commercial Cleaning Really Necessary?

Posted on May 26, 2009 by adminjol501

As a stay-at-home wife, I am expected to do all the household chores like cleaning and cooking. This is not because my husband demands it from me but because I have all the time in the world to do just that. This gives me absolutely no excuse to have a dirty house. Even if I have been doing household chores for almost all my life, I admit, I’m still not an expert when it comes to cleaning the house.

As I was searching the internet for cleaning tips, specifically how to remove stains, I came across a website for Commercial Cleaning for homes and businesses. I was amazed at how informative their website is. Even if their business is commercial cleaning, they still give valuable tips on cleaning. It’s like the chef giving off his secret recipes. Well, not really. They also have an online form you can fill up for a free quote, schedule an appointment, avail of their cleaning services and unbelievably, expert advice on all your needs.

I think the greater part of COMMERCIAL CLEANING is not the how-to-clean part but the energy-to-do-it part. I’m sure everybody will agree that carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning and air duct cleaning are the most difficult to do. You don’t do this very often but they have to be done and you can’t just settle for clean, it has to be very clean. Cleanliness is not just for beautification purposes, it is also crucial to good health. Having said that, I am going to avail of a Commercial Cleaning service soon. This is because the carpet upholstery and air duct needs thorough cleaning once in awhile. I don’t think my own cleaning would suffice. Also, I’m allergic to dust and I can’t stand prolonged exposure to dust and dirt when cleaning. Sounds like an excellent excuse to call commercial cleaners.

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A dependable computer staff is a must in every office!

Posted on May 26, 2009 by adminjol501

My husband was a software developer in the Philippines before we migrated in Canada. He did LPS and Accounting for parishes, HR, Accounting – Payroll, Manufacturing and customized software for companies and government agencies. In bigger projects, he had a partner but for small and medium ones, he usually does the programming from conception to completion. I was usually well-oriented with his software and in many cases; he made me do the training and orientation for the would-be users. Sometimes, he would also send me to do maintenance and troubleshooting jobs for his clients.

Last night, I had a chat with the cashier from the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Cebu Philippines. She told me that people from Sacred Heart Parish have been looking for me to ask for assistance regarding their Liguori Parochial System (LPS). This software is to handle their registry records electronically. They bought a new computer and they need to transfer the program to their new computer.


The Interior of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes

Originally, I installed the software to two computers at Sacred Heart Parish which are being networked. They reformatted one of the computer’s hard disk and they want the new computer to be mainly for LPS. The last time I visited their office, I trained one of the staff on how to do maintenance and setup the program in case something happens to the current computer they were using.


Inside Sacred Heart Church

This is always the problem in small offices. They usually have nobody to take care of their software and hardware maintenance problems. I always train at least one of the staff whenever I do installing and training for new programs but they always don’t know what to do every time a problem comes up. Many times I wonder, perhaps I made everything looked so easy to them that they thought it was really that easy. They don’t even bother to take notes during the orientation. They tend to forget that I was not part of the staff so I would not always be around every time they need me.

Now that I’m a world apart from them, it is hard for the client to ask for assistance from me. I am not working about the same stuff here in Canada and my memory about the different software is fading. Clients should be gaining independence from the software programmer unless they require updates. This is a lesson hardly anyone can learn. Well, if worse comes to worst, there are other programmers willing to do new customized software for them. Question is, are they willing to go through the process of requirements gathering, software development, encoding data and spending a lot?

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Driving Lessons with Mi Amor

Posted on May 25, 2009 by adminjol501

It’s been a while since I got my student driver’s license and still I don’t know how to drive. Actually, I know how to drive but not properly I think. I barely had an hour of practice before yesterday.

I kept bugging my husband to go with me and practice driving but it seems I really need to force him first. I just cannot compete with his Online Warcraft – Lich King. Every weekend, all his efforts are geared towards achieving his Warcraft goals. He would usually tell me to just call the driving instructor instead and have my lessons scheduled. The way I see it, a 75 dollars an hour for basic practice is a waste of money. I wanted to practice driving with hubby first so I will be more or less confident when I spend time with the licensed instructor later. I am required 6 hours of driving lessons with a licensed instructor and I want to spend those 6 hours for more difficult driving issues like the city traffic, the provincial laws and different ways of parking.

Thank God, yesterday, hubby gave in to my constant bugging. He finally agreed to spend an hour with me driving every weekend. We started yesterday. We went to the public parking lot nearest to our place and I practiced just turning and turning the car. I gained a little bit of confidence with the wheel. I can now drive in a straight line, turn the car smoothly and most of the time, stay in the right lane.


The parking lot where I practice driving

I admit, I’m a slow learner when it comes to physical activities like driving. My motor skills are not perfect but I did very good. If it would be possible to practice driving alone, I would have done so a long time ago but as a student driver, I can only practice with someone authorized to supervise me.

We had a fun yesterday, I was able to practice driving. After the practice, we walked around the park, took pictures of the lake and the wild geese there. Then we had lunch at KFC because I was dying to try their barbeque ribs. Time well spent indeed.

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