Good food and T13

In celebration of hubby's birthday, we went to eat at Sumo Grill Japanese Restaurant. It's hubby's favorite food!

This is our first family dinner in a Japanese restaurant [ever]! And I'm glad to say that it was worth it! Kids loved Japanese food. My son enjoyed Sushi like his dad... and my daughter loved her Tempura like me. And though I don't like Sushi, I loved my Yakiniku Beef. I believe this is my first time to eat Tempura in Canada too. Gosh I missed it so much... I am already thinking of celebrating my birthday there next month!

Here's what we ordered:

Terriyaki Chicken and Yakinibu Beef


with Tempura and Sumo Love Bridge
[Sushi, Sashimi and Maki rolls]
Pardon the Sushi tray, I forgot to take the picture of the Sushi before hubby and Patrick dig in... we were all very hungry already!

I was quite hesitant to eat in a Japanese restaurant before because I feel like they are way too expensive. I saw this restaurant as I was doing my shopping for hubby's gift earlier that day. I decided to check out their menu and prices.

The place got ambiance, the service is excellent and the price is reasonable. It is almost the same price as I would pay if we eat at Chili's or Applebee's or Red Lobsters or Friday's.

...oOo...

Thursday Thirteen #25: Movie Marathon #5



13 Movies I've watched recently
Movie download on the internet is back online again. Or should I say, hubby found the new domain. And so our movie marathon continues...

1. Police Story 4 - Jackie Chan *****
   [A must see! For me, this is the best of the series.]
   
2. Music and Lyric - Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore *****
   [Love it! I can't believe Hugh was singing and dancing in this movie!]
   
3. Shrek 3
   [Love it!]
   
4. 007's Casino Royale - Daniel Craig
   [Pierce Brosnan is still the best for 007's role.]
   
5. Premonition - Sandra Bullock and Julian McMahon
   [I didn't like the ending of this movie. I always believe in happy endings.]
   
6. Perfect Stranger - Bruce Willis and Halle Berry
   [Movie was good until the end... I didn't like the twist of this movie.]
   
7. Ocean's 13 - George Clooney and Brad Pitt
   [This is better than Ocean's 12.]
   
8. Spiderman 3 - Tobey Maquire
   [I'd say the effects are far better than part 1.]
   
9. Night at the Museum - Ben Stiller
   [Hilarious... my kids loved this one.]
   
10. Fantastic 4 Rise of the Silver Surfer
    [I like the first one more.]
    
11. Sign - Mel Gibson
    [So-so.]
    
12. The Contractor - Wesley Snipes
    [Interestingly, it's a good movie.]
    
13. 300 - Gerard Butler
    [Another good movie but not my type of movie.]
    

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My Best Friend, the Best Hubby and the Best Dad

I wasn't able to write something about Father's day... so this entry is a combination of the best dad, the best hubby and my best friend!

THE FIRST TIME WE MET, he was my first partner when I decided to work part time in school as Student Assistants [SAs] in the computer lab. We became very good friends. You can say we were "lab" partner that later on become "love" partner.

THE FIRST TIME HE PROFESS HIS LOVE FOR ME, I had to turn him down. We were still in College and I feel like it will only interfere with my studies [naks]... at the same time, I know that he will not be accepted in my family. Sad to say, he failed one subject because of me.

FIRST SIGN OF LOVE. The first gift I ever received from hubby [then friend only] was 3 yellow roses on my birthday. It was also the first time I ever received flowers in my whole life... He was such a "torpe" that he had to ask somebody to give it to me. I still have one of the yellow roses... its in one of my scrapbook.

OUR FIRST "UNOFFICIAL" DATE. McDonald's in Harrison Plaza... we then discovered that we both eat our burgers plain [no ketchup, no mustard, no pickles... just the bun, the burger and a slice of cheese].

FIRST CHRISTMAS GIFT. When I was in college, the craze that was starting then were pigs... He told me that he looked really hard to get me 3 different sizes of pig stuff toy. And again, because he was too shy, he had to ask somebody to give it to me. Hehehe... I still have the smallest pig with me which was inherited by my daughter. She knows that she needs to take good care of it as it has sentimental value.

FIRST VALENTINE's GIFT. It was a children's book entitled "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. My son brought that book one day for his show and tell, and he said that the teacher even read the dedication that was on the first page. Hubby is really such a giving person.

SECOND TIME AROUND, we had a mutual understanding but no commitment. This was already 3 years after graduation. I left for the US then and wasn't sure if I will be coming back. I would received a letter/card from him every week [emails were non-existent to me then]! But then, I did came back and he patiently waits for me to be ready for him. He was a shoulder to cry on when I went through the most difficult time in my life.

SECURE. He's not the jealous-type!

GOD-FEARING. Because of him, I started attending Sunday mass. He is a devoted Catholic! He doesn't mind our racial differences, nor our difference in opinion at times... what's more important to him is that we share the same religion.

LOVING AND CHEAP. Whenever there's a special occasion, his favorite gift to me is "pagmamahal" [lots of love]. And whenever I ask him for his wish list for birthdays or Christmas, he would answer "pagmamahal" [even though he got plenty of this already]...

THE BEST HUBBY.
On the 37th week of my first pregnancy, I was having some difficulty walking already but since I know I wasn't due for at least 2 more weeks, I allowed hubby to make one last trip to La Union and Baguio [he was always on the road due to the nature of his job then]. That day he told me "don't give birth yet, I will be back in 3 days." He left 7am, and I left for the office as well. By lunch time, I knew something was wrong, so I decided to take the rest of the day off and see my OB. Due to my high blood pressure, my doctor advice me to check myself in. I couldn't get hold of hubby then, so I called his parent's house and left message with the maid to get in touch with him or at least tell my inlaws. I got hold of hubby around 7pm, I told him not to come home that night since I know that I am not ready to give birth yet, I was just under observation. Come 11pm, he walked into my room! Imagine, he drove 4 hours from Baguio to Manila just to be with me!

AND THE BEST DAD.
My daughter wrote in her journal -- "I love my dad because he plays with me and read me bedtime stories."

• He takes the kids to the park for biking and playing.
  
• He plays chess, monopoly, cards, sungka [etc] with them.
  
• He reads them bedtime stories almost every night.
  
• He also prays with them every night.
  
• He's in charge of the kids every morning and on weekends [since I started working].
  
• and sometimes sit with the kids to do their homeworks.
  
• He spoils them by bringing them to Burger King or McDonald's for some fun in the play area and some snack
  
• and by letting them play computer/gameboys/nintendo even without cleaning their rooms [which is always my condition/requirement].

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
HUBBY!!!

WE LOVE YOU
VERY MUCH!!!

Waterton Lakes National Park

As I mentioned before, I don't have any weekends since I started my job at the airport. But when I went to my 5-day training, I asked for one day off, and they gave me last saturday... so rain or shine, we went on a road trip.

It's a 3-hour drive south of Calgary. This is also near the border of Montana, USA. There is actually a cruise that will take you to Montana, but the other family with us don't have US visa. I guess we will just have to do this some other time.

It was a bit cloudy that day... and it also rain in the afternoon... but overall, we still had a great time with tons of pictures to remember it by! This was our advance Father's day celebration.

If you can't see the slideshow above, please click here.

Waterton Lakes National Park borders Glacier National Park in Montana to the south, and together they make up the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, the first of its kind in the world. A place like no other, the uniqueness of Waterton Park is a blend of unusual geology, mild climate, rare wild flowers, and an abundance of wildlife. It is a scene which has remained unchanged for centuries.

Waterton Lakes National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an International Peace Park, and a Biosphere Reserve! The only park in the world that has these three designations!

Proud to be a Pinoy!

June 14, 2007. I called my next passenger, an elderly, to walk through the metal detector... and as soon as she got in front of me,

She said: "Are you from the Philippines?"
ME: "Yes Maam."
ELDERY: "Come and give me a hug." [She then proceeded to hug me, and I have to lean downward as she is a very small lady to return her hug.]
ELDERLY: "I just came from the Philippines. Lovely country. And you people take care of your parents... you don't put them in nursing homes."

And before I could say anything, she walked away to get her stuff.

...oOo...
Job Update:

I just finished a 5-day intensive training.

I take back what I said about this job being a "no brainer" job! It is definitely NOT!

Training week was really stressful. We need to be certified before we can go to the next level... and each level has more [heavier] responsibilities... mistake cannot be tolerated, it could mean termination.

The written exam was ok, I only made 2 stupid mistakes and 2 wrong answers resulting from questions/procedures that wasn't very clear to me.

But the practical exam was the stressful part. We need to remember each and every step! If you skip one step, you're out! If you didn't find the hidden weapon, you're out! And even though we've been practicing the procedures from day 2, we didn't have any trainor to really look at how we're doing until it was day 4. And day 5 was the practical exam day!

I volunteered to be the first for the practical exam [11 am] as I don't want to prolong the agony of waiting and waiting all day long. I feel that I did pretty good, but the result wasn't given until 3 pm. It was a very long day!

After only 1 month on the job, I am now on level 2. This also means an additional $1/hour increase in salary. I guess I'm lucky, because some people have to wait 2-4 months before they reached level 2.

This job also gets more interesting as you go up... but its riskier too. There is no job security here. As I said, one mistake could lead to termination.

Thursday Thirteen #24: Must read stories

My other blog is a collection of beautiful stories and poems from mostly unkown authors... here are some of my favorites...

Thirteen Must Read Stories!

• Diary of the Unborn Child [Say NO to abortion]
  
• When You Thought I Wasn't Looking
  
• Puppies for Sale
  
• ASAP means Always Say A Prayer
  
• Take Hold of Every Moment [Stop Procastinating]
  
• I Loved You Enough
  
• Be Thankful
  
• Dinner Date
  
• How Much Do You Make an Hour? [Always take time to spend some time with your kids]
  
• Mean Moms [I know I am a "mean mom," are you?]
  
• A Mother's Path of Life
  
• Things My Mother Taught Me
  
• Desiderata

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On childcare

I am organizing my daughter's 7th birthday party which will be held in the Philippines. And coming up with the guest list is not easy.

Here, when my son gets a birthday invitation, he is the only one invited. So we have to drop him off and then pick him up after. The adults [meaning the parents and aunties and uncles of the celebrants] will be the one to look after all the kids. It was so hard to explain to my daughter why she can't go. Except when its a Pinoy's party, of course we all know that the whole family is invited.

In the Philippines, as I am making my guest list, I have to ask if they are bringing yayas [nanny] to the party. Yes, yayas play a very big role in children's party. Some families would even bring 2 or 3 yayas if they have 2 or 3 kids under the age of 5.

Now that summer is here, and this will be the first summer that I will be working full time, I need to make arrangement for my kids. I have 2 options: summer camps or babysitter. Obviously babysitter will be cheaper than summer camp.

So for the first 2 weeks of summer, I will have to leave them with a babysitter which will mean that they will spend their time watching TV and playing GBA and DS.

For the third week, despite putting a big whole in our budget, I decided to put them in a 5-day summer camp. This will be a first for both of them as there was no need to send them to camp before.

Patrick will be in the Future Links Golf Camp [$275/week] while Patricia will join the Crazy Campers [$161/week]. For now, I can only afford one week of camp for both of them.

Future Links Golf Camp (Age: 8Y - 14Y)
Get into the swing of summer at Harvest Hills Golf Center. The morning is spent at Cardel Place swimming, doing crafts and playing sports. The afternoon is spent at the golf center where Maximum Golf School instructs them in the Future Links Junior Program. We end the week with a 9 hole round at McCall Lake Golf Course. All kids must bring their own clubs and balls. Transportation is provided between the golf center and Cardel Place.

Crazy Campers (Age: 5Y - 12Y)
Before the days of TV, DVDs and video games, children were free to explore their imagination and discover a world of adventures. Those days are back! Crazy Campers is a week to remember, filled with thrills, drills, sports, crafts, outdoor play, creative expression, cooking, dance, swimming and more! Each week has a unique theme and a common denominator - electronic gadgets are never missed.

The rest of the summer will be spent back home...

Photo Hunter #5: Shoes

November 2003
My MIL usually send us packages that contains kids clothings and shoes [lucky me, I rarely buy stuff for my kids]... at one time, without realizing it, she has bought 5 pairs for my son [top row] and 6 pairs for my daughter [bottom row]!

Honestly, my kids, individually, have more shoes than I do!

My MIL loves to shop! Usually families abroad send packages for their families/relatives in the Philippines. But for us, we are the ones receiving packages from Beijing [where my MIL is based] two or three times a year! ",)

Click here to join Photo Hunt

The Amazing Family Race!

We finally made it to The Amazing Family Race!

My kids' school always held a carnival before the school year ends, but I have never thought of going... until this time... the theme of the carnival got my attention. Of course, I am an Amazing Race fan!

Here's our clue... to find 5 letters in each challenge to form a word. There were 15 challenges, but we only need to do 5 in order to get all our clues. The kids had so much fun that we did most of them. Patricia found 4 of the clues, she's really into it.



Rock climbing challenge, 30 feet high.
A first for both of them...



and they were not afraid!
They did it in less than 2 minutes! Bravo!



The pit stop.
They get to spin the wheel to get their prize.

June 1, 2007

...oOo...
I would like to thank Raquel for sending me some goodies from the Philippines. THANK YOU very very much!!! Hope you are having a grand vacation there!

An interview by Rach

Tag # 15: Interview me

Here's 5 interview questions from Rach.

1. Do you believe in miracles? If you do, have you personally experienced a miracle (big or small) that you would like to share?
   
   I think miracles are possible... but no, I have not personally experienced one. Unless giving birth to my 2 adorable kids count as miracles.
   
   
2. Do you carry or bring something with you that you believe brings you good luck or keeps you safe from harm? If yes, please describe it.
   
   No.
   
   
3. Name something (could be an event, situation, thing or person) that gives you a natural high.
   
   Flowers from hubby and/or my kids... I know that flowers die and to some, it just a waste of money. But to me, its a sign/expression of one's love.
   
   
4. When life seems unfair, when plans don't work, when things go wrong, what do you do? Who do you turn to?
   
   I turn to GOD. I pray for guidance... I try to look positive... I know that things happen for a reason, we may not like it, but we have to deal with it.
   
   
5. Fill in the blank : _______________ brings out the best in me.
   
   Hubby brings out the best in me.

Your turn. Here are the interview rules:

1. Leave me a comment saying “Interview me.”
   
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions. [Please don't forget to leave me your email address]
   
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
   
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
   
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.