The Dance of Life

Well, we have finally found an apartment after long weeks of hunting.  This one is a bit far from town and it’s not the best one but it will do for now.  We can’t be too picky now since we have to move in 2 days.  It has, actually, a nice park outside, very cool wilderness outdoors.  There’s a hill there too, not too high to climb and once you reach the top you can see the whole of Victoria, very nice view.  It’s the best part I’ve loved so far. 
When we went to see the apartment, the old tenant was still there, packing, and of course it was a total mess, but I’m sure it will all be cleaned up before we move in.  One thing I observed about the building was the hallway being a bit dark and a little tight.  I thought it was creepy but once you’re inside the apartment, it’s bright so it’s good.

So today, we have started packing because we have quiet a lot of stuff to pack and a lot of cleaning to do, it’s a must before you leave the apartment.

It’s also hubby’s birthday today, the number is adding up but he still very young :)  Happy birthday to you, Mike. A KISS just for you, click here to get it! I hope you’re not stressed out now that we’ve found an apartment.  Now it’s time to pack up again, it really never ends, isn’t it?   But well,  here in Canada, it will be our first so I guess the number of times we moved in the Philippines and Cambodia doesn’t count, right?..LOL.
Happy birthday again, honey.  We love you >>> from Helena and me.

We have been hunting for an apartment for weeks now and it seems that every apartment/condo/house/suite we call and looked at’s been rented so quickly.  I have been wondering why we couldn’t get one even after submitting rental applications but just this morning, one of the real estate/rental agencies called and told us what’s been and probably, holding us from getting an apartment.  Well, got disappointed a bit and sad, we’re all so stressed out already and running out of time……….. so .. I decided to forget thinking about it this afternoon and work on something else.

Have been planning to sell products on ebay but never got chance to work on it.  I thought about it this afternoon and found a way to let off steam and started working on it.
So I’m done with my first try out on ebay and it’s now up and running, yay!  Check out the link to make searching easier for you.

Click here >> My first product for sale on ebay.ca   

I took the personality test today and I thought I’d share the result.  Click on the link below to view the result.

I’m a 065-C86-E64-A92-N22 Big Five!!

You should try it too!

I’ve had my first taste of cigarette back in my high school years, and started buying my own packs in college.  They said that when you’ve been smoking for a long time, it’s hard to quit.  What’s amazing though is that when I got pregnant I’ve totally stopped, no difficulties at all, in fact, I came to the point that I hated the smell of it.   So can we say that pregnancy is an exception?..LOL.  That was more or less 18 months of not smoking and I did it.  But that wasn’t the end of it, really, because after I had my baby and  everytime my friends come to visit, I found myself missing the smell of it again.   I, once again, joined my friends smoking, after breastfeeding. 

What’s hard to understand sometimes is that smokers know that smoking is bad to your health, believe it or not, they know all the effect of smoking to our health, but regardless of that, they still smoke anyway.  My sister has given up on me about that, she used to lecture me about not smoking, that it’s bad and nothing you can get out of it, and I believed her, I still do.  And to my sister, if you think that I’ve ignored all your lecture to me, I might have not done anything about it but I was listening to you all the time.  Not only my sister, but the whole family.  I just want you, guys, to know that.   

I’ve always told myself that as long as I have money to spend for cigarettes and as long that I’m not seriously ill, nothing or no one can stop me from smoking….LOL.. my bad!
But now, I am here, in Canada and I’ve never worried about smoking until I ran out of cigarettes that I bought with me from Cambodia…. until I’ve learned how much cigarettes cost, here.
Well, since I have no more marlboros from Cambodia and from the states, I have to buy here, right? I bought my first pack yesterday and it costs me 8$, f***** 8$, man!!!! damn!  A pack is only a buck in Asia, around 4-5$ in the states, and here is like… 8$?! Whoa! It’s shocking to me!  And I seem to find it a bit ridiculous…hahahaha, but it’s not, is it?  It’s actually good because, in some way, it discourages smokers to smoke more.  Well, I must say, this trick of the Canadian gov’t works…lol (maybe not to some smokers but, somewhat, it is to me), especially now that I am broke…LOL

I’ve made my decision and it’s time to try the patch.  I’m encouraging my brother-in-law, Rick, to join me too (he actually did, before), although he said it’s more expensive than cigarettes… oh my really? well then if that’s the case, let’s just buy the cigarettes..hahahhaha.  Nah, cigarettes will still be more expensive because you will be buying every now and then, right? But the patch you only buy once or maybe twice.. Well, let’s give it a try and we’ll see then.
I just can’t imagine myself spending a fortune just for what my mother-in-law said once to me, "a disgusting habit". (yeah, i can hear smokers say, including me… "yeah, right!" or "yeah, disgusting my ass").. hahhaaha but well, accept it or not, it is, indeed, a disgusting habit! (just see what smoking’s doing to you and I bet your ass you will agree, too).

Being a good housewife

I’ve been in Victoria for a month now and everything
seems to be going well as planned.  Mike got a new and even if he’s still
a trainee, at least, the possibility of him being regular later is
promising.  We also bought a car 2 weeks ago, it’s a white plymouth sundance, 1990.  It’s not brand new but in great shape, very smooth to drive.

We still have yet to move to a new apartment, we have seen lots and applied to some and now we’re just waiting for them to call us back. We should be in our new apartment by 1st of September.

Well my experience here
so far has been great, a little bored since I am not working as I used to in Cambodia

but I am starting to feel how
it’s really like to be a housewife.  I find it hard and a little boring
but phew! how much more if I don’t have a daughter to play with? That might
bore me to death..hahaha.  I haven’t done much of house chores and
housewife stuff ever since I got married and when

Helena was born but it’s a good thing my
mom taught me almost all I need to learn about household care.  It makes
it easier for me. And what I’ve learned
some from Mike’s mom, too.  It’s also helpful that my daughter, Helena, is
now able to help with some things.  She’s 4 years old and love to help mommy.
She’s very sweet.  She can be very naughty at times but she’s a happy kid
and what a darling!  We have a lot of fun at home.  She still talks a
lot about her school and friends in

Cambodia, how she’s missing them and it’s sad
but it’s amazing how she’s handling it and how she’s coping up with things
here. 

We are both adjusting
very well, and even though our friends are far away, Helena and I enjoy the
company of each other and we’re happy just like this for now.  I’m sure it
gets better as we move along.  We’re still new and just starting to settle
so………   

July 23, 2005

We took the ferry from Victoria to Vancouver and the bus to California. On the way I didn’t see much of Seattle. It was when we were in Portland that scared me a bit. Lots of weirdoes. (But the again weirdoes are everywhere, right?).

I’ve seen bits of Washington State, Oregon, and of course California. Our trip took 30-32 hours. Very tiring, we were almost in Los Angeles when Helena and I started to complain…
We arrived at terminal safely and Rey came to pick us up. I finally met Lynn, Rey’s fiancée; she’s pretty and a very nice girl. We stayed at their place and we enjoyed our stay with them.

July 24 - Venice Beach
Rey and Lynn brought us to Venice Beach, oh it’s beautiful. We took some pictures and they will be available for viewing very soon. Lynn and I took Helena for a swim while the boys played hoops. We all met up after an hour and did some shopping. It was great!

July 25 - Disneyland
We drove to Disneyland and spent the whole day ‘til they closed at midnight. Oh my god, since it was my and Helena’s first visit there I found it all so overwhelmingly beautiful: the rides, the parades, the fireworks! Oh the fireworks – the most beautiful I’ve seen. Can’t describe how happy Helena and I were! Fireworks were all over us! It was amazing!

Disneyland is enormous; it’s like a whole city with strollers as main transportation. It was the parade that hit me, tears were falling from my eyes as I watched and took pictures. I was so elated! Helena was in front, happily cheering and dancing and clapping as she watched. We enjoyed the parade; it was something we’ve never experienced, definitely better than any parades we’ve seen in the Philippines.

Helena got an autograph from Winnie-the- Pooh, Eoyeor, and Tigger. I met the wicked witch from Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs. She was creepy!

Here are the rides we went on and other things we experienced in Disneyland in order:

Tea Cup - Row ride - Pinocchio - Carousel (with May Poppins and her penguin) - Storybook - Watched Snow white and the 7 dwarfs live - Watched the Parade
-> Small World
-> We took the train to New Orleans
-> Pirates of the Caribbean ride (this is one of my favorites)
-> Splash Mountain (my favorite ride… awesome ride!)
-> Winnie the Pooh (Helena enjoyed this so much)
-> Honey I shrunk the Audience (funny but a bit scary)
->We had dinner at the Hungry Bear Restaurant.
->We watched the Fireworks
-> Had a ride at Space Mountain (this was awesome, it’s like really in space but I felt a li’l dizzy)
-> Indiana Jones ride (amazing!)
-> We visited the Haunted Mansion last and if I don’t see it again next time it’s really fine by me, lol.
We enjoyed ourselves tremendously, I’d love to go there again and bring Helena again. She was the happiest, it made me cry!

July 30: Lynn and Rey’s Wedding
Lynn looked lovely in her wedding dress. She’s simply beautiful, exquisite, stunning bride! The chapel where they had their wedding ceremony was very nice and pleasant, it has the ocean view. So beautiful, reminded me of Victoria with all the green colors, the serenity of the ocean and the weather. Cool, breezy and nice. Everything was perfect just the way it should be.

The limousine ride was another wonderful experience. It was long but we didn’t mind it. We had champagne and lots to drink. We talked and laughed all the way to the venue. It was gratifying.

Lynn and Rey’s reception was delightful. Helena danced a lot with her new friend, Ariel and a few other kids. They had a blast, we all did!
I am so happy for you, Rey and Lynn. Congratulations again to the both of you! I wish you all the happiness and joy a married life brings. Cheers!

I’d like to congratulate you, too, on your new baby! Welcome to pregnancy and motherhood, Lynn. There will be pain but you will love it, I’m so proud of you!