Summer in Canada vs. Summer in the Philippines

some people claim that they prefer summer in the philippines than summer in canada.

what do i think?

summer in the philippines is hot. humid. and sunny. summer in canada is hot. dry. and scorching.

last year when i didn't realize that summer was about to start, i was surprised to see my son come back from school 2 shades darker than when he had left for school.

the sun is so hot in canada that using a sunscreen is absolutely necessary. in fact, i normally start to put on sunscreen on my children towards the end of spring. i put this on them everyday before going to school. if we think we'll be under the sun for a period of time, we always put on sunscreen to protect ourselves from the damage that the sun's rays can do to our skin.

in the philippines, i never felt the need to put on sunscreen. the sun isn't as hot and scorching as it is here. in fact, i think that the only time i do put on sunscreen in the philippines is when we go to swimming. other than that, i don't have much use for it.

one thing that i like better here is that it is not humid. i hate the sticky feeling that summer has in the philippines. as long as i'm in the shade, i think i'd prefer summer here if only to avoid the sticky, icky feeling.

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Coping with Stress

when a relative of mine found out that we were migrating to canada, she was very adamant that i shouldn't go. she said that life in canada is difficult and that i will not be able to handle the stress.

the stress of being away from my family and friends. the stress of not having any helpers or nannies (yayas as we call them in the philippines). and the stress of doing everything by myself - cooking, dishes, laundry, etc. for someone who doesn't do any household chores, the stress of having to learn everything may be too much to handle.

some people do cope. as we have. and some people don't.

those who have difficulty adjusting find themselves getting stressed out. and this is obviously not good. articles on stress management indicates that constant stress affects our health and our well-being. managing our stress is very important.

if you find yourself being constantly stressed, do take it easy. there is nothing more important than your health. the stress institute offers great stress reduction tips that you should read about. they have prominent physicians and professionals whose expertise in stress management and achieving work/life balance can help you live a stress-free life.

if living in canada stresses you out, the stress institute is just a click away.

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Questions

got tagged! thank you Live It Up. appreciate it much!

1. what date is it?
:: July 18, 2008

2. what time did you wake up?
:: 9:00am

3. did you go somewhere yesterday?
:: yes went to the drugstore

4. what did you do there?
:: bought OFF for my kids' trip to the woods

5. how old are you?
:: too old!

6. are you mature or immature?
:: hmmm... i can be both!

7. what do you call your mom and dad?
:: mumsy and puffsy... hahaha!

8. are you an only child?
:: nope.

9. where do you go shopping?
:: new jersey! hahaha!

10. do you like school?
:: yes

11. do you like books?
:: yes!

12. do you want to get married?
:: i am married

13. with whom?
:: with hubby

14. are you spoiled?
:: i could be...

15. what's the most flattering compliment you ever got?
:: hmmm...

16. only girl/boy in the family?
:: nope.

17. if you were to marry a celebrity, who would it be?
:: can't think of any

18. would you like to meet Josh Hartnett?
:: not really

19. where do u think ur bestfriend is?
:: in the philippines

20. when was the last time you talked to your bestfriend?
:: this week

21. you think she/he needs you now?
:: not now

23. what do you want for your birthday?
:: a loooooong, relaxing bubble bath

25. if you were to buy a car, which car would it be?
:: i'm not particular with cars. any car with 4 wheels will do.

26. a duet with heart evangelista?
:: uh... anyone else?

27. do you wear make-up?
:: rarely

28. what lip balm do you use?
:: nivea

29. would you get a tattoo?
:: only a henna tattoo for me

30. belly pierce?
:: hahaha! funny...

31. how many kids do you want?
:: 4

32. do you have any homework?
:: yes. tons!

33. any song that you're listening to?
:: none

34. do you believe in spells?
:: no

35. where do you want to go now?
:: my bed! i'm sooo sleepy...

I am now tagging Manilenya, Mariuca, Memories by Jenn, Mommy's Little Corner and My Big Dreams. Enjoy the tag guys!

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Allergic Reactions

allergy is something canadians take very seriously. and with good reason too. as reactions to allergies are sometimes fatal.

a lot of the people here in canada are allergic to something. in schools, students are required to bring peanut-free snacks and lunches because a lot of the students are allergic to peanuts. this serves as a preventive measure in the event that the student decides to trade their snack or lunch with someone else.

when friends of my children come over, i also make it a point to ask the parents if their child is allergic to anything. with so many allegies here, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

in comparison, we filipinos tend to take allergies lightly. when someone is allergic to something, more often than not, we encourage him/her to "eat a little" to "cure" the allergy.

i experienced that when i was in college and would go out with friends. despite the fact that i tell my friends i'm allergic to alcohol, i still get the big, encouraging, "come on, just one sip. it will cure your allergy."

my sister, apparently, is allergic to shrimps and i only found out about it recently. i see her eat shrimps all the time. so, imagine my shock when i found out that she's actually allergic to it.

i also have friends in the philippines who are allergic to eggs but would "eat a little" every so often. in the philippines, to "eat a little" is okay and is not deadly. and in some weird cases, it even "cures" the allergy.

in canada, people with allergies do not do that. they do not "eat a little" to "cure" their allergies. it is simply not done. it is dangerous and could even be fatal.

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A Sad Goodbye

i attended a wake last night. my grandmother's bestfriend passed away due to cancer.

and though i have only known her for the past year and my interactions with her are limited, i couldn't stop my tears from falling down. in the short span of time that i've known her, she has touched my life with her kindness and unconditional acceptance.

she was the kind of person who was always willing to help others. to comfort others. to feed others. even when she was sick, she would always encourage me and hubby to take a break and leave the kids with her. when i remind her that she needs to rest, she would always dismiss it saying that she is ok. and despite us not taking on her offer, the mere fact that she offered herself was very much appreciated.

i have to admit that i have never seen so many people cry during a wake. everywhere i look, i see people crying. people reminiscing about the goodness of her heart. everyone had the same story to tell. she had a big heart and her kindness was incomparable.

i am glad to have met her no matter how short our time was together. and to her, i say, thank you for your kindness. it was much appreciated.

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Buying and Selling A House in Canada

buying and selling a house in canada is very different from buying and selling a house in the philippines.

i find that the process of buying a house here is easier, more organized and a little bit more exciting. it is a very different experience from our experience in the philippines.

when we bought a house in the philippines, we were in contact with a lot of real estate agents who have different house listings. in canada however, you are legally obliged to deal with one agent only. this works well because all agents in canada have access to all houses for sale.

the only houses that they do not have access to are the houses which are for sale by owner. while majority of the people sell through real estate agents, selling privately is another option that people take to eliminate real estate agent fees.

those who take this option normally enlist the services of an FSBO private real estate marketing company to reach buyers. they usually enlist the services of privaterealestate.com which provides home marketing services online, offline and on the seller's street. and aside from saving 3 to 7% of the sale price, the seller also gains exposure to interested home buyers.

having all these in place makes the process a lot easier for both the seller and the buyer. i will discuss more about our experience in buying a house next post.

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Ultimate Blog Bloom

This new tag is from mckhoii. Thanks, mckhoii!

This tag will give you 2 techie points per successful tag. The rules are:

1. Copy and paste the URLs (ALL OF THEM!) on the list and add them to your blogroll (this gives your buddy one techie point).
2. Add your name according to the alphabetical sequence of the list.
3. Link your webbie to your name in the list (the second techie point opportunity).
4. Add your URL next to the linked name…
5. Voila! just do this, tag as many as you can and wait until your techiepoints grow exponentially! Don’t forget to linkback… in your case link back to Filipino in Canada.

THE ULTIMATE BLOG BLOOM LIST
Filipino in Canada - http://www.filipinoincanada.com/
Mckhoii - http://mckhoii.com
Nursemagic - http://nursemagic.blogspot.com/

*add your entry in the right alphabetical seguence*

I am now tagging:
Charmed Blossoms, Of Colors and Styles, La Vita: Aller Là-bas, Latest Trends!!!!!!, Le Bric a Brac de Cherie, Le Kulitszie Familie, Let's Talk About "MJ", Life Away From Home, Life Has A Lot To Offer, Life is Good and Beautiful, Life's Lessons, Lisgold, Live Each Moment, Live It Up, Live Laugh Love, Live Love Life, Living and Learning, and LizELement.

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Traveling Between US and Canada

a friend from san francisco recently visited us.

they took a plane from san francisco to buffalo. contacted a car rental company from buffalo and then drove to toronto from there.

since we migrated here in canada, i have known a lot of people who have done that. and it goes both ways too. people from the US travel to buffalo or michigan and then drive over here while people from toronto drive over to buffalo or michigan and then fly to their US destination.

the reason a lot of people do this is because the airfare within the US is cheaper than the airfare between US and canada. so i guess it makes practical sense to fly to the border and then drive over.

and with a lot of car rental companies offering special deals and promotions, it even makes it more appealing to rent a car than to actually use your own car for road trips.

advantage.com offers up to 50% discount on luxury and convertible car rentals. now that is one deal that's definitely hard to pass up on.

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Shoes Off Please

taking off your shoes when you enter a house is a common practice here in canada. and coming from the philippines, i have to admit that it is something that i am not used to. walking barefooted on bare floors was something that i had to get comfortable with.

prior to coming here, i bought a lot of thick, white socks for us to use. when we got here and realized that we'd be using those socks to walk around the houses we visit, i realized that i should have brought black socks instead.

filipino homes, more often than not, have slippers for their guests to borrow but non-filipino homes would not have those.

so it took awhile for me to get used to it. i have to admit that it is only this year that i got comfortable walking barefooted.

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Birthday Party with Cinderella

my daughter had her birthday last saturday.

she was pretty excited about it because cinderella was coming. and apparently, all her friends who knew that cinderella was coming, were pretty excited too.

the children were treated to an afternoon with cinderella. or should i say, the girls were treated to an afternoon with cinderella.

the boys just couldn't be bothered. sure, they all rushed up the stairs when they found out that cinderella has arrived. but after the initial awe of being with the princess, they all moved back to the basement where the playstation and air hockey was waiting for them.

so cinderella had the girls with her. she did story telling. of course, what better story to tell than her own story of how she met her prince.



she put on makeup on all the girls.



she taught them some songs.



they had some games.



she gave each one a picture of her with a personalized autograph.



and they ended the afternoon by singing happy birthday to my daughter.



it was a great party and my daughter couldn't be happier. she said it was her best party ever.

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A Hands-On Birthday Girl

my daughter's birthday is coming up soon.

if you have a daughter like mine, you would know that party preparation could be quite tedious. my daughter is only 5 and yet, when it comes to her parties, she is very hands-on. it was on her 4th birthday that she started expressing her interest in being involved. she likes being involved in everything - the invitations, the food, the games, the loot bags, and would you believe even on what plates and utensils to use?

she has a list of what she wants done and would constantly remind me. she would say, "mom, we need to give out the invitations by this date. have you started it?" yup! she is the boss of me. :)

when i was not as busy as i am now, i didn't mind the little details. we would make her invitation together and would really customize it according to what she wants. but now that things have been hectic, it has been a struggle to attend to the little details.

this year, we have hired cinderella to come and join her party. she is extremely excited about it and can't wait to be the princess of the day.

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Buying a Domain Name

since getting my own domain, a lot of people have asked me where i got it and how i did it. so for those who would want to know, i purchased my domain directly from blogger.com.

sure, there are other companies who offer it at a lesser price than blogger does. but i like the convenience that blogger offers. and for that i am willing to pay extra.

prior to purchasing my domain, i did my research. those who personally know me know that i never jump with my eyes closed (at least one eye has to be open). i like knowing what i am getting into and i like knowing what is out there before i make my decision.

as you probably know, blogger is owned by google. so when you decide to buy your domain from them, they will take you to the google apps domain purchase website where you will check whether the domain name you want is still available or not. from google apps, i was taken to google checkout to purchase my domain. the process was very simple and everything went smoothly.

sure, i may save a couple of dollars buying elsewhere. i can even buy directly from godaddy or enom where blogger registers the domain you buy from them. but i didn't want the hassle of configuring my settings. i also didn't want to risk leaving my readers behind.

buying from blogger ensures that my domain is up immediately and ensures that my readers are not left behind.

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Arte Y Pico Award

i got this award from 2 great blogger friends - Of Colors and Styles and Anne Loves Will. thank you guys. really appreciate this. :)



The rules of this tag are as follows:

1) You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4) Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y Pico" blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award. http://http//arteypico.blogspot.com/ .Make sure you visit the link above.

I'd like to share this award with Batanggenyong Online, Aspiring Entrepreneur, Anything Goes by Marzel and Girls Dig Games Too.

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