OMG

i have totally neglecting my blog..I have not been on this site for a very long time and i think its about time i update you with a couple of things that have happened..Let me gather all my thoughts together and I will post them up shortly..Stay tuned!

OPENING SOON

FYI....

Carl's Jr and Carter's kid clothing is opening Spring 2009...it will be located at 152nd & Hwy 10, Panarama Place!

SuperCentre

so they finally opened the Walmart SuperCentre...same as what the US have but Canadian style...its the BIG Walmart where u can shop for everything in one place...this place is huge...it takes up one side of a complex...if you get a chance to go there its located on 160 st & 24th..check it out!

not only do they have a SUPER walmart but adjacent to it they have a Home Depot and are opening another 60 shops which one includes a Steve Nash Sports Bar...this might be new hangout for all my shopping needs!

weekend in Seattle

on the weekend, i headed off to Seattle/Bellevue to spend some time with my cousin who was visiting her boyfriend that lives in Bellevue. I rented a vehicle and left Friday afternoon. And yes, i went alone, without Al. This was something i needed. I'm the type of person to get into my car and drive off someplace FAR and treat myself to either shopping, food or the SPA. In this case, i spent my time with my family that included food and shopping. I love long driving! Arrived in Bellevue where i stayed with my family and just kinda relaxed for the evening. During my time there we went to Seattle downtown where i shopped till i dropped, went to Ikea (there prices are way cheaper than ours), drove around to find the Gray's Anatomy hospital, the boathouse of Sleepless in Seattle, shop, shop and more shopping. It was a fun fulled weekend with great family! Hmmmmm, where's my next venture...i'm thinking Tofino!

ann & nate in the city

the south carolina and bellevue visitors arrive, my cousin Ann and her boyfriend Nathan..i, along with Al, drove to Bellevue to pick them up Friday night. Arrived in Surrey late evening. During there short weekend stay here we took them to Ikea, bike riding along the Stanley Park seawall, a trip to the 288 flavours ice cream parlour on Venables, a walk along the shops of Robson street, the famous Shabusen and a party that the Tang's were hosting...It was a short stay but well worth the visit. We then drove them back to Bellevue Sunday evening, good enough to be back home so i could get a good night sleep before work the next day!

'take it outside'

have u ever watched the HGTV show 'take it outside'? well, its one of my favorite shows, actually everything on HGTV is my favorite show...anyways, i've been deciding as to how i could finish my backyard...and i've been debating on alot things...should i build a deck, should i just paint over my slabs, what plants i should buy, so many decisions to decide and FINALLY , after watching enough episodes of 'take it outside' i've combined a couple of episodes toghter and created my zen like garden...a few more touches and it will be time to end the summer with an intimate gathering.

my nephew...JR

a clip my sister sent me...JR playing peak-a-boo...he is such a cutie! Makes me want to bite those legs!

Princess Kennedy

today is the day Kennedy gets baptized.

we first headed to the church which was held at St. matthew's Parish

then had brunch at Northview Golf Club.

Proud parents are

Josephine Copon & Brent Bauchop

CONGRATULATIONS

Kennedy Tess Bauchop

The Viaje's

want to wish mr & mrs edward viaje

July 19, 2008

the ceremony was held at IC Parish.  both bride and groom were crying there eyes out but they still looked fabulous.

after the ceremony, some of us came over to my crib to start off the celebration with a couple of drinks and snacks before we heading off to the reception which was held at Kirin Restaurant in New westminster (by the Starlight Casino)  It was a 10 course meal with an open bar and guess who was at the bar 1st? you guessed it...ME!   Alize on the rocks all night long!  CONGRATULATIONS guys and wishing you the best in the years to come!

PUG pup

a co-worker of mine went away for 2 weeks and had asked me to babysit her PUG and i agreed. If i knew what i was getting myself into, i may have changed my mine...well the PUG is still a puppy, not even 6 months old. he was never trained and YES there have been mishaps in my home. He is a cute puppy and I've always told the hubby that I wanted one for myself. I may still get one but I will make sure to train right away. 1 more week to go. Oh yeah, guess his name....DOLCE...don't ask!

The Peggers

finally, my cousin Romel and his wife Becky from Winnipeg finally took the trip down to BC...we took them to our famous sushi restaurant 'Shabusan' and also to a bar in good old Langley, 'Vanilla Room' (we didn't feel like traveling downtown so we stayed close to home).  I am hoping to see them soon as they were thinking of coming down again possibly in the winter time...It was good seeing them even it was for a short period.

long over due UPDATES

so its been awhile on my updates...where do i begin...

On Thursday, my cousins, Francis, Lissette and my niece Malia arrived. They drove from Seattle to our place for a short visit and tour before they headed downtown to check into their hotel. Later on that afternoon, Al and I along with the Sumalings headed over to one of our favorite restaurants, Shabusen and met our visiting guests for some Korean BBQ and SUSHI...

Friday came along and I had met them after work...I took them to Granville Island, GasTown, ChinaTown for the night market and then around Stanley Park. It was late and Malia was passed out in the car so we decided to call it a night.

On Saturday night I took them to another of my favorite restaurants, La Bodega...spanish tapas and sangria...hmmmm!

Sunday was departing day...the Texans are heading home...we met them at the airport and to think we could spend some last minute time with them, they were asked to proceed to the gate...boooo! I think we'll be seeing them next year July 2009...

On the same day, I headed downtown to watch Cirque Du Soleil, which was a gift to me from Michelle T...the show was awesome...great acts and a must see! Afterwards we went for dinner at Lift by Coal Harbor...DE-LISH food! Then the night was still young so we headed to a bar/club, Republik. There was a live band playing some old skool reggae along with the DJ spinning all the new skool...i love my reggae music! The night ended with me coming home very, very LATE..but had an awesome time...Thanks to Michelle and all the AuBar Crew!

Monday, Al's relatives from Montreal came by for a BBQ. The Montreals were here visiting since the first week on June but we were not able to see them until this time...they stayed later through the evening until the traffic died down...We'd hope to spend more time with them when they were here but with all the family and friends they were visiting, it was really hard...Al and I plan to visit them soon, when we go to T.O...maybe we should go during the winter season...hahaha!

Dinner & Drinks

so the night started off with DINNER at Hennessey Dining Lounge...from 8 - 11 we were eating, drinking and mingling...Afterwards, we headed over to AuBar for some dancing and more drinking...And at the end, we ended up at Sui Heng for some good chinese food...the evening went well and am very happy that most of you attended this day with me...Thanks everyone for your company and your most generous gifts...xoxo

BTW, don't mind the pictures on the slideshow...Al was taking them and of course you can see, he is not a photographer...boooo...its bluuuuuurrrry! If any of you took some pics. can i kindly have a copy of them cause i know it won't be like this....

another YEAR

Thanks everyone for ALL your warm birthday wishes...Special thanks to my family from afar...I love you ALL and i'd wish I was there to celebrate with you...like old times sake...

On my special day...i went to work...it wasn't that bad cause work had given me a b-day card, a balloon, a cake and we ALL had lunch at Cactus Club...what else can you ask for...I love my job!

Dinner came along and spent it with some of my special people, my family...uncle rick, auntie yoly, heather, michael and liz with the kids and last but not least my Al...we ate dinner at a chinese restaurant. afterwards, we headed over to the sumalings for some coffee and cake and watched indiana jones...

this coming weekend will be dinner & drinks with good friends...updates will be posted after the night is over...

Special birthday wish to my brother who also has the same birthday as i do but we are 1 year apart...love you BRO!

SEX...CITY

FINALLY, after a long awaiting period...the movie is out...Liz and I went to watch the movie 'SEX and the CITY'...I can't get into details cause my sister has not watched it yet but all i have to say is...AWESOME! Don't watch the movie until you have watched the tv episodes...you won't understand it...ONLY a true 'SEX and the CITY' watcher can see this...hurry up sista, go watch the movie...is goooood!

Disneyland 2008

during our OC trip, we had decided to go to Disneyland...its always a kids dream come true and because I haven't been, it was my turn to become a kid again...with compliments of our friend Marn and her discounted tix. we got to go to the famous DisneyLAND...it was HOT and HUMID...but well worth my time...love you Marn..your the best friend ever...

Next Stop...OC, 2008

so we now boarded the plane and we are off to OC (orange county) to visit our dear friends & goddaughter...Marnie, Carlito and Princess ELA...we arrived in LAX and the first place we went to was Jolly-B for some pinoy food...the palabok was DE-LISH...

Our trip to OC was for ELA's baptism and her first birthday...we are very happy that we were able to attend this special occasion with our good friends...its been quite some time now that we did not see our former BC friend, Marnie. We were also happy to also see another former BC friend while we were in OC, Bernie Llano...and to our surprise, we are so happy for her with her pregnancy...CONGRATS Bern!

Below is a couple of pix. put together of Princess ELA's baptism and 1st birthday celebration...we love you ELA and we can't wait to see you again REAL soon!

Vacay - San Fran 2008

First stop to our mini vacay was to San Francisco...2 days was a short time but well worth the stay! Nothings too short for me, just as long as I'm on Vacay...During our stay in San Fran, my cousin Ann with her friend Johanna were also visitng cousin James (Ann & James are siblings) so it worked out to be good cause we were able to see her and meet her friend...we haven't seen Ann since August 2006 when we were visiting SC. So QT was well worth it.
Below you will find 3 slideshows

This slideshow is our adventures to ILM (Industrial Light and Magic). This is where my cousin James works. Cousin James has been with this company for quite some time now and has put together some movies such as Transformers, Pirates of Caribbean, Star Wars and Indiana Jones...Our family is so proud of him and what he has accomplished for himself. Great job James! BTW, we were not able to meet the man himself, George Lucas but it was a great experience to just even walk through those doors...

The next slideshow is our tour to the famous Alcatraz...The ferry was on Peir 39. We arrived in the island and we took the tour while listening to somewhat a walkman. This device directs you what to do where to go and illustrates what happened inside. Very interesting and a must 'to do list' if you're ever in San Fran.

And lastly, this is just a couple of shots I took of the City itself. From the time we arrived at the SFO airport and the walking we did around town. if some of you have not been to this City...its all about up and down hill...It was good walking down the hill but tiring walking up...Who needs the gym when you have the 'hills' of San Francisco...

quotes to share

home

we are home sweet home from our mini vacay to Cali...updates to come once i get all settled in...

Vacay time

YES, finally, some time off from work...we are off to Cali next week!

We leave from Seattle and travel to San Francisco where we visit with my cousins and friends...then to OC to meet with our other friends...AND of course, we can't leave Cali unless we visit......DISNEYLAND...yes, people, I'm going to Disneyland...woohoo, can't wait!

Anyways, I'll update my travels after my return...

1 year old

today is my precious god-daughter 'ELA' birthday and she turns 1 year old.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart and can't wait to see you next week when we can celebrate with you your baptism and your birthday!

Dinner & a Movie

so we decided to treat ourself to dinner and a movie yesterday but instead of the 2 of us there were 3 of us, Gene.  He actually had '2 free' tickets for the movies so we decided to go and just pay for the additional person.  We started by buying our tickets then we walked across the street to The Old Spagetti Factory...woohoo, i have not been to this restaurant in ages so why not...always good eats!

We had about 1 hour and a half to kill so we decided to head over to Chapters and lounge with the magazines/books till our movie started...

It's 10pm and the movie '21' was about to start...good movie i must say and i'm still trying to figure out how the hell they count the cards...hmmmm!

FYI

CHOO-CHOO

to all you moms out there...

THOMAS is coming and is visiting across Canada

so click on THOMAS to check the dates for your city...

THOMAS

'Red Carpet Massacre'

i went to watch the DURAN DURAN concert yesterday with Liz & Michelle.  They called it their "Red Carpet Massacre' Tour and was held at GM place.  WE had great seats and we had an awesome time.  Some group called 'Your Vegas' opened for them...don't ask me who they are cause we pretty much missed that part.  Some of you might be wondering 'who the hell is Duran Duran'  Well people it was back in my time and they sang great songs back in the day...songs such as Reflex, Rio, Hungry like a Wolf, Save a Prayer & Notorious...and so far there new album has some pretty up beat tunes...thanks to JT!

the show was a success and we all had a great time.  Always good to go back in time when we were still in our teenage years!

And guess WHAT, Boy George from Culture Club is coming to VanCity...What's up with all these groups in the 80's coming back...i'm not complaining, loving it!

The 80's are coming back!  WooHoo!

my big boy

today is my boy's b-day...Hayden Mathew Marquez...I beleive they went out to dinner at a Japanese restaurant with close family.

Having to be so far away, I'm not able to always travel to Toronto to celebrate my brother's kids birthdays...I feel sad knowing that they are growing up so fast and i'm missing out watching them grow...

Hopefully soon we can reunite!

Happy Birthday Hayden...We love you!

THE bustamantes

a beautiful day for a beautiful bride...and the handsome groom!

today was carlo & aleili's big day...

arrived at IC chruch in Delta to attend the ceremony. i went solo to the church cause the hubby had just came home from work (7am) so i just let him sleep so that he will be energized for the evening festivities. the ceremony was amazing...everything was perfect.

the reception started at 5:30pm at the Westin Bayshore Hotel (downtown). the traffic was so bad we did not arrive until 6:00pm. arrived at hotel and found out it was cocktails and dinner was not until 6:30pm...phew, i hate arriving at an event late. the first place i walked to was the bar..i totally needed a drink after that hectic drive to downtown and to my surprise, it was open an bar wedding...yeah-ha! first open bar i've attended to (in Vancouver) other than our wedding. the food was DE-lish, a buffet style and at the end of the buffet table was the filipino tradition food, lechon (roasted pig). it was a very eventfull wedding with plenty to DRINK & lots to EAT. they even had a midnight snack.

the night ended with our drive back home but first a stop to Gourmet Castle (chinese restaurant) to have yet another late night snack.

CONGRATULATIONS to Carlo & Aleili Bustamantes...wishing you both ALL the happiness in the world....we love you both!

Burning down the house

we live in the clayton village area...more and more houses are being built in our area.  when we first moved in, the land in front of us was all trees and in the middle of all the trees there were 2 houses left.  about a year ago the house directly in front of us got torn down along with the trees and now there are lots for sale.  Beside that house in front of us was another house which has been abandoned and boarded up for about a year.  

On Monday I woke up at 2:30 am to sirens of police and fire trucks.  i lied there thinking why does that sound seem so near so i got up to check.  as i entered the guest room, i looked out the window and found the house that was abandoned full of flames.  i went downstairs and straight outside to find my neighbors watching this house go down into flames.  

with all this going on i was not able to go back to sleep until 4:30 am...and i had to go to work that morning.  as i arrived home from work that day, i asked my neighbor what happened and how it started and we all predicted 'sqautters' were in the house and started the fire.

yesterday evening it happened again but at an earlier time.  someone started yet another fire at the back of the house...fire trucks came once again and put the fire out.

as what my neighbor said "what kind of a neighborhood do we live in?"

i wish the city or the person that owns the property would do something.  you're probably thing, why don't they tear the house down.  well, enable to demolish a house, you have to pay to have it demolish and i guess the owner does not want to pay for it.  so i guess he is waiting for someone to buy his lot.  and its a huge lot, i must say.

someone has to do something about this and soooooon!

computer geek

yes i am a computer geek...i remember telling you that I have a new iMac...and i am loving every minute of it. But before i got the Mac my good friend from Toronto gave me his Sony Vaio laptop and for the longest time I could not get it to work...tah rah! Its working now! So now Al and I don't have to fight over the one computer anymore...FINALLY!

celly

so i finally got my own personal cell phone...and yes, i am now carrying 2 phones with me, personal and work...i bought the HTC s720...loving it!

oh yeah, your probably wondering what the NEW # is...i'll text it to you!

income tax

i can't beleive that i waited this long to file for my income tax. i received my T4 and receipts from waaaaay back but for some reason i waited until yesterday to do them. i don't know what's wrong with me this year...everything seems to be last minute lately...

here i go again

we'll i'm doing it again...looking for a dress last minute...i have a wedding i am attending to this Saturday and again, don't have a thing to wear...at least i'm not waiting till the day before...this time its 3 days before the wedding...hahaha...YIKES!

mr & mrs. dela paz

attended Oliver's and Celia's wedding. it started off with a ceremony at St. Matthew's Parish. Very simple ceremony with the ladies dressed beautifully in black long dresses and the flower girls with the white cute dresses. the men were all suited up with their tux and bow-ties.

but of course we can't forget the bride and groom who looked exquisite.

then we headed over to the reception which took place at the River Rock Casino. many guests attended and for some took their luck downstairs at the casino.

the best part of it all was the bride and grooms dancing to the foxtrot...absolutely amazing!

CONGRATS to mr. & mrs. dela paz

RIP

i was driving to work this morning on my regular route (fraser Hwy). As I was driving I was on the phone with my co-worker and BAM!...a Jimmy that was driving in front of me hit an off-white lab dog crossing the street. It was a terrible sight where I had saw the car hit the dog from the front end of his vehicle and to watch the dog come out from underneath his vehicle and to the side curb. It was too late for me to stop cause then I would cause a big accident with the other cars behind me so I decided to follow the vehicle that ran over the dog and take down his license plate. After i got the license plate, I knew I had to report the dog and was unsure of who to call so I called 911 and they were kind enough to give me the emergency number for SPCA. Called SPCA and gave them the location of the dog and provided them the license plate of the vehicle that ran over him. I had told the lady if she can call me later to let me know if the dog was OK and so she did and told me he passed away. I wished there was more I could have done...

Spring Musical

I was invited by the Sumalings to come watch Marcus sing. I attended the Cloverdale Catholic's Spring Musical Event which was held at Pacific Academy in the Chandos Pattison Auditorium. Tickets were $20/person but it was worth watching this musical event.

Marcus was the first group to sing and they sang three songs. During his 3rd song, I noticed his lips not moving but instead his whole body. Next thing I saw him raise his hands to his teacher(keep in mind that the rest of the kids are still singing). Then it hit me...he had to go to the bathroom. So Liz ran up to the stage to grab him and take him to the bathroom. Poor Marcus!

During the show I was able to see two more of my little friends perform, Jaida and Talyssa. They as well sang three songs each.

The event was a success and my three little friends did an awesome job!

GoLf

so i finally bought a set of golf clubs on craigslist for $50. great deal or what. I pick them up on friday. it c/w clubs, putter, bag on wheels, gloves, balls, tees...i'm really excited. As a beginner, i don't believe in buying brand NEW ones since i am just in the learning stages. When I get better at the game, then the NEW clubs will roll in! Right now its the learning stages.

In the meantime, I have been attending the driving range with the hubby to practice on my swing. ALOT of work needed but get there.

A co-worker of mine is a member at the Kings Links Golf and is enrolling me for lessons with a pro teacher over there. Can't wait!

Now, I need to get some ladies to participate in the game...anyone?

last minute

i hate last minute shopping but with work and all, i've been really busy and have not been around to look for an outfit to wear for not 1 but 2 weddings and both weddings are this month and the first one is this coming Saturday...

arrrgggghhhh...totally screwed!

i don't like to shop where i know other people shop at cause i am scared that someone else will be wearing the same outfit as myself. It already happened where I attended a wedding and someone had the same dress as me. luckily i had a shawl so incorporated the shawl to my dress to make it look different. GAY! I need to find more little boutiques in the middle of NOwhere...

i have another wedding in July plus my brothers in December so more dress shopping for me. But since we are going to Cali next month, I am totally going to look for dresses for the other 2 weddings that are coming soon. At least this way, nobody from here will have the same one as me.

happy shopping for me...yeah right!

weekend update

on saturday, i woke up with the sun just beating right at me...rolled up my shades and knew that it was going to be a beautiful day today...20 degrees to be expected...spring is here and summer is right around the corner! yeepee!

I thought of doing some gardening but i knew if i started, i would not finish until the late afternoon...and i had to attend a party so i decided to hold off till the next day (Sunday).




we attended a jack n jill bridal soiree for carlo & aleili held at the bustos residence. its been a while since i've been back at the residence and was really nice to see everyone again. arrived at their home and was ON TIME...2pm, unlike some people. we're always on time or at least i am. i never come any earlier & i never arrive late. its always been like that for me. anyhow, there were plenty of food which Shella and I devoured during the wait for the rest of the visitors...and we became full by the time the main course was served. which again was de-lish!

we played a couple of games which had everyone involved (gents and ladies). the funniest of the games was when the gents were placed in groups and they had to assign a model to be dressed in a wedding gown using 2 rolls of white streamers...(pics and video to come) I can honestly say that group 3 out did the other 2 groups by a mile...hahaha!

the afternoon/evening festivities ended with a game of poker which ended till the wee hours of the morning...

sunday came and woke up late. if some of you know me, i never sleep in. i am such an early bird. but for some reason, today i woke up late but when i did, i didn't find the sun rays beating on me...rolled my shades and just saw the cloudy sky..boooo! so guess what i did? stayed in bed and watched tv...hahaha

my little man

today was my evening with my little man, marcus.  since Al was going to be at work, i thought i would have some company for a change.  he is to come over around 6pm after my prior engagement.  We are to have some bonding time, he is to sleep over, watch his alive and chipmunks movie, go to the playground by my house and maybe hit the chuck e cheese or some ice cream afterwards.

phoned him up to make sure he was still coming over and found out he was sick.  boooo! all because he forgot to wash his hands.  poor marcus!  there'll be more weekends to spend some time together.  feel better!

blogger

i've come back to blogspot cause i got so use to html codes and i was just having a hard time with wordpress codes...so here i am! happy blogging..

??? i wonder how many of you read my stuff and yet you yourself don't have a BLOG...get one already...share your stories...if you have the time to read my blog, then you have the time to set one up and posts some stuff...get on to it!

some thoughts

have you ever been so frustrated in your life that you can't handle it longer? that's what i feel as i am typing this post. it has come to that point where i feel like what i say does not matter. nothing seems to be going right especially with 1 issue i am dealing with. if you tell someone to not do it, then don't do it. but in my case, it was done and need it to stop. everything i had said did not matter and i am not about to lose everything i have worked hard for, for something that someone has pushed the other person in doing. stop the nagging already. it has come to the point where moving will have to be the only option so that i don't have to see their faces again.

i know some of you might be wondering, who the hell are you talking about? hahaha...well, you'll never hear the names from me..only those chosen ones will know...

awww, that was good...always good to vent...until next time!

Earth Hour

today is Earth Hour which was first started in Australia. As i watched the news on TV and saw the different cities that participated i cam across Toronto's Earth Hour details. The CN Tower was turned off as well as ALL business buildings. The only lights i saw was the head lights of the cars and lamp posts...I called up my sister to see if she participated in this and she had informed me that she was actually at City Hall with other spectators and a live performance from Nelly Furtado and other special guests. She had told me it was like New Year's all over again with everyone counting down.

I of course turned off ALL my lights, even my garden light which is on timer. i lit up the candles throughout the whole house. i went outside to see if my neighbours participated and they didn't...BOO to them! Did any of you partake in this Earth Hour? I bet you NOT! BOO to you ALL!

Easter

it was a 4 day long weekend for me & i've decided to do some R & R time to myself...so basically, i slept and watched TV, slept and watched some more...i know, i should have been outside, jogging and doing my exercise...it was a lazy weekend for me and i totally needed that time to myself.  i totally forgot that i still have to use up my SPA gift card i got for Xmas...maybe next weekend!  Got a call from Al's aunt to have Easter dinner at our place and have his WHOLE family over...well, some of you get the picture.  Anyways, it happened and ended.  THE END!

JOGAS

'Just Ordinary Guys Always Striving'..they're back..who you ask, the JOGAS golf team (Randy, Steve, Skip & Allan). it is that time again where the golf clubs are being polished and the men start heading over to Golf Town to see what else they can purchase.  if you are ever in a room with these four men of ours, its all whole lot of laughs. talk about trash talking, texting (allan), swearing, meeting at Timmy's and their male bonding time away from us wives. but, not this year..i've decided to join in with all the fun and learn to play golf.  i've been going to the driving range with Al to get my practicing going but will be taking some professional lessons and waiting for my very own golf set which my hubs will be purchasing for me...i would use his but i'm a lefty!

JR

today marks the day of my nephews baptism..we intended to attend this event cause Al is the ninong but was unable to due to Al being sick prior and for him not able to take some time off after his 3 weeks time off of being sick...and as well because of work. i know my family understands and am hoping to meet this little guy soon...

Happy Baptism to Jeremy Ryan Marquez
aka 'JR'
love youuuuuuu!

Twins

Happy 1st Birthday to Amelia and Lucas Dela Paz

LADIES night

it was long over due that i had a 'girls night out' and damn...i was missing out...the venue started and ended at a place called Century House...dinner, drinks and dancing...it was Risa's cousin b-day...Basically she booked the whole downstairs are of Century House, hired a DJ and we danced to the 80's and 90's...702, Ready for the World, Prince, Michael Jackson and many others. it
brought back the memories...Great night ladies, when's the next one?

shopping for MEAT

when i lived in Toronto, i would always buy my meats fresh and never have to stock up my fridge with frozen meat. for the longest time i have been searching for a butcher shop in BC and i finally found one close to home...they have a wide variety of steaks, chicken, beef, pork and sausages...they even have deli meats, cheese etc. i decided to buy some t-bone steaks for dinner and it was da-lish...the prices are very reasonable and no need to defrost the night before.

next door to the butcher shop is a bakery shop with fresh bread everyday. they were soft and tasty.

this is my ultimate place for meats and bread...but nothing compares to the St. Lawrence Market or Kensington Market in Toronto...oh how i miss that chicken w/ eggplant on panini bread...hmmmm!

good-bye grocery store & hello butcher shop!

'block watch'

we are officially part of a block watch community...our next door neighbour had decided to form a block watch section...when we first moved into this neighbourhood, we got familiar with ALL of the faces and who lives where so pretty much we ALL know eachother, if they have kids, what pet they own and what car they drive...in our block watch section, it consists of about 10 houses, young to middle age group and we all get along very well with one another...when we go away on short trips or long vacations, our neighbours look after our home...

having being here for 2 years, we have experienced a couple of incidents that happened to our neighbours as well as ourselves.

Example:

1) neighbour has placed hanging baskets on her porch.  she left to go to the store and upon her return, it was gone.  in broad daylight.

2) neighbour was installing NEW carpet in her home.  one of the installers was in the house and the other was outside watching the NEW carpet.  the guy outside decided to grab something in his car (5 mins away) and BOOM, the NEW carpet was gone.

3) we had some guests over and instead of having the beer in the fridge, we decided to leave it outside our front basement door (winter time) mind you, we have a gate, the light was turned on and the guys were in the basement playing poker.  Well, a case or 2 was GONE.

This is the reason, we as a community, formed a block watch.

glad to be 'home'

so today was the day the 'sumalings' come back home to Canada.  for some of you that didin't know, my uncle rick and aunt went back home as usual for their yearly vacation and as well for golf.  the unexpexted happened and uncle rick had a stroke, in the philippines.  2 make a long story short, he is back home, safe, doing very well.  after his arrival back, he did not have to be admitted to the hospital, thank gawd.  with everyone's prayers, he fought hard to become better so that he can return home...thanks to everyone for your prayers...

so annoyed

i've been working for my company for about 2 years now. great job and love the people i work with. i basically help bid on jobs (small ones) as well as service calls, as well as service billings and so on. the list just keeps building.

well, to keep the story short, there is this new receptionists and sometimes i wonder about her. when i tell her to do something, she looks at me as if she does not want to do it. example: when i have a package that i need to be sent out (morning) and i hand it over to her to call the courier company and fill out the slip she waits until late afternoon to call them. but when the others ask her, she does it right away. also, when i get phone calls at work and she passes them to me she has this attitude voice. what's up with that...i think maybe because she is young (26) she's still growing and learning or maybe she wants my position, which won't happen... NOT!

WND

i was very jealous of my sister and her friends cause they always do this WND "Wednesday Night Dinner" at each others place. It seemed very competitive. When one has it one week, the other tries to top the last weeks meal and so on until i think someone had said to drop it down a notch...When visiting Toronto we attended one of there dinners and it was great...plenty of wine, tons of food with all the fixin' and dessert. Sooooo, i've talked to one of friends down here and she had agreed with me to have one. I totally can't wait. i think there is 4 or 5 of us...its our 'ladies night wine & dine' in the comforts of our own home....lovin' it!

But because my sister and her friends call it the 'WND' we can't steal their name so i've got to think of our dinner name and what day of the week we should have it on. i guess it all depends of everyone's schedule.

Woo hoo, come on down T.O...Its wine & dine time but BC style!

alone again

so the time has come that Al returns back to work and to tell you the truth, I am so glad.  I can finally have the whole house to myself with nothing to do but just lounge...its been about 3 weeks since he has not worked.  And to top that off, he is on night shift when he returns which means he is gone from evening and does not return until next morning...12 hours to 'ME'.

when we first moved to our house, i kinda was scared being by myself.  i would not walk around the house once it turned dark.  i would lay in bed by 7-8pm, right after dinner and i would watch tv until i fell asleep...hahaha! but its all good.  i've totally adjusted being home alone.

good bye Al and have fun at work!