Blips in Leila's Day

2009-10-24T09:49:00.002-05:00

We are at the place we were meant to be

But don't you find life surprising?

Parts of the future you thought you could see

Are the ones that don't end up happening.

So who is to stay what is up ahead

and what is just beginning?

For every day you live your life

Is a choice that affects the ending.

But the fact that so much is yet to be

Isn't that what makes life exciting?

I'm happy that my future's not cast in stone

It's what makes each day worth living.

It's Christmas at our home now!

2007-12-02T20:24:00.000-05:00

Coldest Canadian Winter in 15 Years

2007-12-02T20:11:00.001-05:00

... aren't I lucky?!?!

Today, Vineet and I had a symbolic winter day. There was a snow storm last night which left about 15-20 cm of snow so we started off the day by shoveling our backyard and our part of the back lane way. I must admit, you don't feel the cold when you're working up a sweat shovelling. I told Vineet I was happy to help him since it was still a novelty for me... but to expect that he'd be doing it solo for the rest of our lives! Even Joey had so much fun in the snow and we made our first snowman! (I just realize from looking at the picture now that I completely forgot to put a mouth on the snowman! =))

What did I learn from this whole experience? Wake up early to shovel snow in the laneway. It was easy to shovel the snow in our backyard which was untouched. But outside was much more difficult. We had gotten up after noon and vehicles had probably already driven over our part of the laneway.. so the snow was packed solid! Oh well.. we'll probably only have 1-2 more dumps this season =)

525,600 minutes in Canada...

2007-10-20T00:26:00.001-05:00

What a year.... so much has happened since I came on October 19, 2006! I look back and sometimes I feel it's gone sooo fast... then I think of all that's happened and then I feel that it was ages ago when I arrived at the Pearson airport!

Of course, when I look back on the year, getting married to Vineet tops the list of things to celebrate and be thankful for!! (you probably don't want to hear me go on and on about this =D) In second place, would be a related one - the wedding itself and getting my whole family together as well as friends who travelled from all over to be here with us (THANK YOU!) Tied for third would probably be buying our house that's so near the beach (my childhood dream!) and getting Joey (my baby!). Next would be the 9 months I wasn't working (needs no explanation... I know it makes some people green with envy... there are DEFINITELY days when I miss it). Then that would be followed by getting a really good & challenging job (and I must admit I still can't get over the half-day Fridays).

But thinking about the past year in Canada also makes me feel sentimental about "the past". First, I miss my family more. I know it's not as if I saw my mom or nephew & nieces every week when I was in Singapore but now it'll likely be every other Christmas or something. I also miss friends in both Manila and Singapore... some of those friendships I know take years or a very unique situation (like that we had in Singapore) to build. But I guess these aren't really "in the past" cause I do try to keep in touch (although I've been remiss in my blog the last 2 months). But I do miss you guys!!!! So if you read this... tell me when you're next Toronto visit will be!

"Undefeated in Ultimate Frisbee Playoffs!"

2007-08-31T09:49:00.000-05:00

The summer Ultimate Frisbee league we joined has just finished! I'm pretty sad to not have the Thursday game to look forward.. the only time in the week I get a good cardio workout. But I'm glad to say we were "undefeated in the playoffs!"... hehe.

The reason I say that in quotes though is because that is just a function of the marketing person in me pushing for the most aggressive claim. The reality is we actually lost ALL games in our regular season (about 10 of them =)). But since it was a recreational league, everyboday makes the playoffs. And the "playoffs" consisted of one game to play for 9th place!

It was still nice to end the season with a win though. We were a group of 13 people who signed up as "individuals" but eventually became better at playing as a team. Our first few games the score would be in the range of 19-1; 19-3... but our last few games of the regular season were, 19-16, 17-13, so not too bad!

The other thing that struck me though is how a win really brings the team together. The energy after a win just gets so infectious and brings out the lighter side of people. So we all headed out for drinks and agreed to have a barbeque at our place to celebrate our claim of "Undefeated in the Playoffs!" =)

Looking forward to the fall league of Volleyball that Vineet and I signed up for now... and seeing what claim we could make then =)

Missing Big Bang sa Alabang...

2007-08-26T11:52:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, after going to a barbeque with people from work, Vineet and I decided to go to the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) which is in Toronto for 2 weeks. It reminded me so much of Big Bang sa Alabang!!! The fair games, the slightly chilly wind, the super greasy food options, the "tiangge" areas.... haaaayyyy. Yon lang. =)

Full G!

2007-08-19T05:35:00.000-05:00

I passed my test! =)

After a month and a half of not being able to drive the car without a fully licensed driver, I am now free! No more (unless by choice) going to the office on a combination of taxis, trains and buses!!!

It was so annoying because I had been driving in Canada since I arrived in Oct-06. It was legal cause I had an international driver's license which they would honor for a year. But since I got my work permit, I had 60 days in which to secure an Ontario license. What I didn't anticipate was the moment I took the written exam and got issued my G1 license (equivalent of a learner's permit), they would treat me as a novice driver. Even if I was still within the 60-days grace period which any newcomer to the country would drive!!!

Thak God the examiner didn't ask me to parallel park on my exam.. thata was the only part I was worried about ;-)

HOME AT LAST!

2007-08-06T11:04:00.001-05:00

Thankfully, we moved just before a long weekend. That on top of half-day Fridays helpes us settle into our new home. All the stuff we brought is in the right place now BUT our storage room is a mess, we haven't really vacuumed or cleaned and we're still waiting for our new furniture to come. The place is quite liveable now though! We LOVE our master's bedroom - which now feels like a master's bedroom, we LOVE cooking in our new kitchen and have room to peacefully cook together now, we LOVE our backyard where we've had a fair amount of meals and where we read the paper and we LOVE being right across the beach!

We had guests over on Saturday (just our 3rd day in the house!), We met up and walked over to the beach (with Joey in tow for the first hour cause it began to get too hot for him) to get some sun and watch Terry compete in the provincial beach volleyball tournament (they emerged champions in their class!) Then we went over to the swimming pool to cool down before heading back home. Pasz & Mel, Terry & Carla stayed over for dinner after which we walked over for some Baskin * Robbins on Queen St.

Unfortunately, no pictures of the house to share cause I dropped the camera on the beach.. and the and's so fine I think it got into the lens and ruined it =(

Moving Time again...

2007-08-01T09:30:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting at our dining table watching movers take out box after box (and furniture too.. I'm running out of chairs to move to!) and am getting sentimental about leaving the condo. Vineet wonders why I'm getting sentimental when I've only been living here for 9 months and he's had this place for 4 years and is just happy to move on!

Well, first of all, I get sentimental whenever I leave places I've lived in no matter how short or long. (I was hugging the post of the bunk bed I used to stay at in the condo in front of La Salle during my last year of college!) And what he doesn't realize is that in total I've spent more time in this condo during my bum months after moving in Canada,

Even Joey is feeling a bit out of sorts and whimpering.. cause of course he doesn't understand what's going on.

But then again.. I'm also getting excited! In about 2 hours, we'll be at the new house. We hope to get settled in ths evening (the movers are unpacking till 9pm and then we're on our own!) and finish up on Friday afternoon so that we can enjoy the long weekend ahead! =)

Here's some photos from the brochure of the new house we're moving to at the Beaches!!

Gay Pride Parade 2007!

2007-06-27T21:08:00.000-05:00

The downtown core streets shut down for the Gay Pride Parade festivities! We initially went down to the Bay & Gerrard intersection but there was already a huge crowd and I couldn't see a thing (being the tall person that I am...). We were about to give up but decided to give the Yonge & Gerrard intersection a try. We were in luck cause they kept the intersection open for the floats to park at the end of the parade so we got a great view! Here are some of the pics!

What a Week!

2007-06-25T02:16:00.000-05:00

The past week flew by so fast cause there were so many things going on.

First, the week was significantly busier given that I started working again! On top of that, we bought a house! That would pretty much have kept our days and nights occupied but we also had to keep prior commitments on Tuesday night to watch Russell Peters (!) and then on Thursday night to play Ultimate Frisbee.

And this weekend, we didn't let up... Saturday was spent at Canada's Wonderland! Then on Sunday we watched the Gay Pride Parade and then hopped on a ferry to spend the rest of the day at Centre Island.

Now, am just taking a breather, having breakfast before I head off to work and start another week. Will definitely post more about the house, how fun the Russell Peters show was, the funnel cake at Canada's wonderland and pics from the Parade!!

Visual DNA.

2007-06-15T00:18:00.001-05:00

Saw this on Sumeet's blog, who saw it on Nitin's.. who knows where Nitin found it? =) Apparently, this is my visual DNA... cool exercise though =)

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Wedding Pics!

2007-06-13T21:16:00.000-05:00

This is my first blog entry as Mrs. Leila C. Mehra =) So first of all, thank you to everyone who made it to our wedding! It really made it uber-special for us having everyone there. Thanks for taking the time to come and join the event-filled (literally!) weekend.

Our "official" wedding pics aren't in yet but thank God for friends we're seeing pics already for immediate gratification. These ones are by Vic Icasas - and when Vineet saw them he was asking me, "Why did we hire a professional photographer again?!?" =) Hehe. I have been looking at them over and over and over again the past few days so I thought I'd post them here to share.

Again, thanks to those who came and to those who sent their best wishes... THANK YOU!

Niagara Falls with my Fam!

2007-05-23T23:28:00.000-05:00

First installment in the arrival of the Castañeda family with my mom, Ate Diane and her family (Andy, Andrea and Sophia) coming in on the evening of May 17th. Vineet wasn't here when they arrived but he came back on the 20th and we decided to take advantage of the Victoria Day holiday on May 21. So we rented a van and made a day trip to Niagara Falls!

P.S. Joey's a big hit with Andrea & Sophia & my mom!!!

Did you see the AI Final?

2007-05-22T23:13:00.000-05:00

.. I just watched my recording of American Idol. I'm so sleepy but I just had to say.. that final song choice was soooo pro-Jordin and so not meant for Blake. Oh well. I'd like her if she didn't stop making those heart signs on her chest.

The Condo is Sold!

2007-05-15T21:22:00.000-05:00

The condo's sold!!!! We just put it on the market last Wed afternoon and held off on offers till Tuesday night. We got SEVEN registered offers, which is quite a lot for a condo! And it allowed us to get an offer higher than list price with ZERO conditions and we've already got the certified cheque in hand.
It was quite an experience going through the offer process... I didn't think it was going to be as intense as it was! I had just come back from a walk with Joey thinking it was going to be a one hour thing. It turned out to be a 3.5 hour process! I was sad to see the faces of agents when their offer had been rejected in the later rounds, and sad to think of some of the potential buyers I had gotten to meet... but it was great talking to the final buyer. He seemed really nice and his wife / girlfriend (not sure) was also nice. She loved Joey so much that I am making a mental note to keep Joey out of the condo when they come for their "access visits" to measure, etc. She might take him!!! =) hehe.
This experience though was a great orientation into a multiple offer scenario - in case we end up in the same situation with us being on the buy side. So will still keep on praying everything works out!

The Condo's on Sale!

2007-05-14T12:17:00.000-05:00

The condo went up for sale last Wed afternoon. So far, there have been 22 viewings with the agents and we're holding on offers till tomorrow. Hope everything goes well!
Here are some of the pictures of the condo that were posted on the brochures and online sites:

Betty turns 1 year old!

2007-05-02T21:07:00.000-05:00

Betty has had a tough year. She has survived a nasty fall which required surgery. She had to have a heart replacement. And she had to move all the way across the globe and get used to a new home. But she's still here with her dents and scratches that "add character". I couldn't imagine life as a bum without baby Betty by my side! For those of you that don't know... Betty is my Mac Powerbook =)

Spring Changes...

2007-04-29T18:11:00.000-05:00

It's a beautiful spring Sunday and EVERYONE is out! I've never really lived in a country with seasons so it's interesting for me to see the changes that come when the weather really begins to warm up. Aside from the sudden foot traffic on the sidewalks cause veryone wants to be out in the sun, here are some things I've noticed.
1. The restaurants re-open their patios. And a lot of the restaurants or coffee shops actually remove/open the glass walls.. I've never seen that feature before in Asia!
2. People are already pretty nice in Canada but everyone just gets nicer and more cheerful. People actually talk to you when you're stopped at a traffic light!
3. Speaking of traffic, all the convertibles suddenly come out! In Manila, thought he weather is good, you'd die of pollution if you kept your car top down when driving in the city or on the highways.
4. I see legs! I realize that I haven't seen people's legs except in the hot tub at the condo. =) Now, it just gets a little warmer and the shorts and skirts are out with a vengeance. (It's still a bit too cold for me to do that though).
I see the point though... after many months of trying to stay warm indoors, it is a pleasant change. So we tried to enjoy it too! Here's a picture Vineet took of Joey and me when we went for lunch and a walk by the lake.

Cakes, mini-cakes and cookies!

2007-04-27T21:17:00.000-05:00

I'm exhausted! I attended an Introduction to Cake Decorating Course at Bonnie Gordon's Cakes. It was the "intensive" version which meant that classes were conducted over 3 full days. It was extremely tiring cause:
1. I'm not used to waking up at 8am.. and not having my afternoon nap =)
2. You only get a 20-min break for a quick lunch.
3. You spend a huge part of the class on your feet.
4. You spend more time on your feet since you have to bake a cake, layer and mask it as part of "homework".

It was really fun though and am looking forward to the next occasion I'll make a cake again... currently planned for my puppy Joey's first birthday in July! Hope I've moved to a house with a big kitchen by then!!!

Here are the things made from the 3 days of class! If I can't fit into my wedding dress, you'll all know the reason for it! =)

Raptors win Game 2!

2007-04-24T21:14:00.000-05:00

... YAY! Raptors win vs. New Jersey Nets in Game 2. Their last playoff win was in April 2002!

Niagara-on-the-Lake.

2007-04-24T10:25:00.000-05:00

Vineet's always wanted to go away to Niagara for the weekend. And this weekend he convinced me cause:
1. We were going to Terry and Carla's housewarming at Burlington anyway. From there it's just 45 mins more to Niagara.
2. The weather was gorgeous! It was just going to be sun, sun, sun and going to a high of 26 degrees!

On Saturday night, we played Black Jack at the Casino for a couple of hours. Then on Sunday we went to a wine tour at Peller Estates. We went through about 6 different wines at wine tasting (2 in the tour and got 4 complimentary at the wine bar) and found out we had cheap taste in wines! Without knowing the price, the one we liked best was their Heritage series Muscat at just $11.95 a bottle. =)

After the wine tour and wine tasting, we ditched our reservations for lunch at Peller Estates and decided to go back into the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. First stop, I bought a hat cause the sun was beating down hard... I got a straw cowboy hat in preparation for summer at the lake / beach =D. We asked the shop girl for a recommendation on an outdoor patio restaurant and were directed to Zee's on the other end of the strip. It was just so so peaceful sitting there on the patio. The sun was bright but the breeze was so cool (since the wind cools over the Lake which is still very, very, cold). Then we headed off for some dessert... Vineet got a mint chocolate chip ice cream (his usual) at Cow's.. and I tried my first candy apple from Rocky Mountain. Candy apples are yum! Super sweet candy coating and crunchy apple underneath =) Then we bought a gift for Joey, a cute red harness that would be easier on his tiny neck & body. (Took him on a walk yesterday and he got lots of props on the harness!).
Then it was time to go... We passed by Mississauga to meet up with Pasz & Mel at Pasz' parent's house to pick up Joey. They had been so nice to take care of Joey for the weekend. All in all, it was a great relaxing weekend which I felt was just a preview of summer here in Canada!

Raptor Red.

2007-04-23T09:58:00.000-05:00

Vineet and I have enjoyed watching the Raptors regularly this season since we had purchased an Eastern Conference game pack. But going into the stadium for the playoffs, the atmosphere was crazy. Each person had been given free red Raptors t-shirts, so the stadium was completely red! We got in and the game was already underway and noticed something unusual though... Raptors were in white jerseys and it was the Nets that were in red. The media, care of long sarcastic quotes from the Nets' Richard Jefferson saying they had never had that much support on their away games, picked up on it in the coverage after. (arrrgh) That basically rubbed salt to the wound because yes.... the Raptors lost.

They just weren't playing the same. They're usually a quick team that moves the ball a lot. But this time, they were completely off. Shooting was bad, hardly any assists... I guess they were nervous being such an inexperienced playoffs team? the game was still fun though as they had spurts where they seemed to put up a fight... like in the 4th quarter when from a 14-point deficit, they eventually got the Nets lead down to 1-pt so the entire stadium was on it's feet cheering their hearts out. And of course, you can't help but enjoy the "BOOS" and chants of "Carter sucks" whenever the ball touches Carter's fingers. There was even a blow-up doll wearing a Carter jersey that people were passing around and beating up. It was eventually confiscated by security though. All this must have had some effect on Carter (as it usually does) cause he got 4-fouls quite early in the second half and had to sit it out for a while. Unfortunately, it didn't help the end result.

On a brighter note, we got really good seats for the playoffs! And these seats are the seats we will regularly have for next season. We shared season tickets with our friend Thad and got better seats than we had this year. The seats have a great view and we finally have cup holders! Also, waitresses come around with PDAs to take your orders so you don't have to bear with the uber-long lines at the concession stands.

Oh and before I forget... the Raptor is the cutest NBA mascot. Here is the newly launched CHOMPER RAPTOR version. He basically "argued" with a NJ Nets fan and chomped him down in his big mouth! Hehehe.

Playoffs...

2007-04-19T20:13:00.000-05:00

... YAY! We got seats for the NBA playoffs, Toronto Raptors vs. New Jersey Nets. The last time we watched them go against each other Jason Kidd wasn't there so I'm really looking forward to seeing him! Also, it's fun when Vince Carter is at the dome cause the Canadians love booing him cause of how he was when he used to be with the Raptors!

WEDDING UPDATE: Church Change!

2007-04-08T21:21:00.000-05:00

For the past few weeks I've been trying to sort out a minor hiccup in the wedding planning. Our church is getting renovated! So we've been on a hunt to find another available Church that was downtown, available on June 2nd and that we liked. We actually spent one day just driving around churches that I had Googled to see if they looked nice. And with the help of Fr. Mick we are now all set to be married at St. Paul's Basilica (instead of St. Patrick's Church). For details on our new Church, please go to our site: www.mehra-castaneda.com!

Singapore Lah!

2007-04-07T20:53:00.000-05:00

It started with hawker-like Chinese food yesterday and now the weekend is turning into a Singapore-like weekend. To be honest though, it's mostly about the food than any other experience.
After the dinner at Pacific Mall yesterday, Vineet was craving dimsum. I had saved an article about the top 10 dimsum places in Ontario so we decided to visit the top-rated place. Lai Wah Heen is supposedly the best dimsum in North America. We had been to the restaurant before and loved it (you should try the moo shu... to die for!) - but we had gone at dinner time so dimsum was not available. We decided to go to their sister restaurant Lai Toh Heen since it was in the Mt. Pleasant area, where there were other nice shops to visit.
The dimsum was amazing!!!!!!!!! They had the "typical" hakaw and siew mai which was really good quality but it was their specials which you order by the piece which made it really unforgettable. Two that we particularly liked: Stuffed Tofu Brick fried in Spicy Sea Salt and Bacon-wrapped Shrimp in Strawberry Wasabi sauce.
The food was so good that I'd definitely come back even though the service wasn't all that great. In fact we joked that it completed the "Singapore experience"! ;-)

The Real Chinatown!

2007-04-06T20:32:00.000-05:00

What is recognized as Chinatown is actually just 10 minutes away from where I live. Today though, I found the real Chinatown -- MARKHAM!Looking at the people in the cars in Markham, about 70% of the passengers were Chinese (and the remaining 30% were mostly other Asians - Indians, Filipinos, etc.). And as you gradually kept on going on the road, there was an increasing number of signs in Chinese.

We went inside Pacific Mall - which was less of a mall and more like a giant building with row after row of stall-like stores typical of those in Asia. Upstairs there was a section selling Chinese cheongsams, trinkets, decor, it remineded me of our shopping adventures at the Silk Market in Beijing!

Then we hit the foodcourt. YUMMY and very affordable Chinese food to satisfy Vineet. He ordered food enough for 4 people even though it was just the two of us. I took a picture of the foodcourt cause it reminded us of Newton Circus or the other hawkers centre in Singapore.

Looking around me it was pretty hard to remember I was actually still in Canada.

YUM!

2007-04-06T13:48:00.000-05:00

Buttery Apple Tort...

2007-04-05T16:52:00.000-05:00

...is in the oven, let's see how it turns out! =) Got the recipe from my sister Del's blog which is full of yummy recipes. Showed the recipes to Vineet and he already wants to try the pork chops with black currant jelly and dijon mustard!
On a related topic (it's related to food!), my refrigerator looks like it needs to get repaired... and the guy can only come in next Tuesday! So much food will go to waste.. maybe we should just have people over for lunch tom and cook everything?

Happy Birthday Pat!

2007-03-26T10:58:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Mr. James Patrick Santos! =) Wish I could've been there for your "surprise" 12am greeting with the Family. Instead, I'll just reminisce and remember last year when we almost surprised you while you were in the.... never mind! =)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! - From me, Vineet and Joey.

Boubker Ait El Caid

2007-03-25T21:42:00.000-05:00

Just finished Babel. Really interesting movie (and significantly better than my last 2 movies this week - Marie Antoinette and Rocky Balboa). But what impressed me a lot was the casting of Boubker Ait El Caid as Yussef - the Moroccan kid who accidentally shot the American tourist, played by Cate Blanchett. Among the characters, he was one of those that really stood out for me.
I just look back at the Oscars and all the acclaim given to Abigail and just feel that some of that should been thrown the way of Boubker Ait El Caid. I mean I do think that Abigail is a great little actress and she was great in Little Miss Sunshine (a movie I enjoyed immensely) but I think that Boubker's performance was so much more deeper and was still as a very critical supporting role in the story. And it's just a shame that you can hardly find pictures of him on the site, and I don't think he was even mentioned in the Ensemble cast winners (where the Japanese cop and dad were included - if you ask me, he played a much more important role than they did!).
Oh well. Just thought I'd write about him.

Sunday Brunch

2007-03-25T17:20:00.000-05:00

Sunday brunches are one of my favorite things. It's always laid-back, relaxed and for some reason, EVERYTHING seems to taste great at Sunday brunch places.
Today though I started off with higher expectations than normal because the restaurant we were going to was tauted as one of the best brunch places in Toronto. True enough, the food was fantastic! It's a place on King West called Bistro & Bakery Thuet. It's a French restaurant (with a bakery) owned and operated by Chef Mark Thuet. The place was packed and we were happy to have only a 5-minute wait for a table for two.
I ordered the "Seared smoked pork loin, Quebec maple syrup, Thuet brioche French toast", which was heavenly. I haven't ordered French toast for myself in over 2 years now (although I have been known to occasionally pick off other people's plates) because the quality is so erratic. There are some places it turns out too rubbery or too soggy or too something. But this one was heavenly! It was so light and fluffy (probably cause bread was always freshly made since they were a bakery), the maple syrup was just right (not too sweet, not too maple-y), and the smoked porkloin made it all filling enough for brunch. Vineet ordered "Omelette au jambon, fromage et fines herbs". An omellete with ham, cheese and fine herbs is relatively simple right? But this one just had the right balance of taste and was nice and moist inside.
To make this a fair review though, I do have to say that the service was so-so. The hostess was very nice and acommodating but the waitstaff seemed so harrassed and left much to be desired. But the food was definitely good enough to make us come back and give it another go!

Conehead.

2007-03-23T13:02:00.000-05:00

Poor little 5-lb Joey! Had not been fed for 21 consecutive hours, had blood work done, was under general anesthesia, was neutered (ouch!), was micro-chipped in between the shoulder blades, had 2 baby teeth pulled which required 2 stitches on his gums... and on top of that he has to be a conehead for 5 days so he doesn't lick and infect his wounds.

It's not the same...

2007-03-22T11:13:00.000-05:00

Joey is at the vet for the whole day for surgery. He is getting "fixed" The house is really not the same without him =(

Spring is here!

2007-03-21T20:00:00.000-05:00

March 21. Spring officially starts today!! And the high and low forecasts for the next ten days are all above zero! =)

Kuya Cheech!

2007-03-15T11:34:00.000-05:00

While Vineet and I were in Alberta, Payal and her dog Cheech kindly took on the task of pampering Joey for 6 days. This was the week that Joey realized he was a dog. He came back home a changed man... I swear, he looks bored to be with me now and just looks forward to his walks when he can play with other doggies. Here he is pictured with Cheech, who I think he sees as a kuya (older brother) cause he just kept following whatever he did (including learning to pee with one leg up!)

Alberta Mini-Vacation

2007-03-08T23:42:00.000-05:00

A friend had told us that if we were going to Alberta, we just HAD to stay at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. I'm definitely glad we did!

The lake was perfectly positioned against a backdrop of 2 mountains, meeting in the middle of the lake. And from the opposite side, the Fairmont was perfectly perched on the edge of the lake. The lake was frozen over and the effect of the snow on the frozen lake, mountains and trees was amazing -- and we enjoyed it even more with a sleigh ride around the lake! I am definitely looking forward to seeing it again in a different light in summer... maybe next year =)

The next day we went to Banff, which is a nice, relatively quiet ski town. It was amazing though how much variety of cuisines was available in such a small strip! The highlight of that stay though was a trip to Banff Upper Hot Springs! It was cool to be out while there was snow all around, but it appears that hot springs and/or hot tub outdoors is a very critical part of the skiing lifestyle =)

V-Day!

2007-02-14T12:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!! =)

Got a call from the concierge that there were flowers waiting at the front desk so I just put on jeans and a jacket over my PJs and went right away.

These roses look so elegant! I have to go look for a vase that will do these flowers justice now. Unfortunately, I don't think I have anything long enough for these roses... and I don't want to cut their stems too much cause they're so nice and long!

55 pins...

2007-02-10T21:46:00.000-05:00

This is what 55 bobby pins look like. That's right, it took 55 pins to hold up my hair. This was part of the trial wedding hairdo that I had last Friday at the salon.

SuperBowl Squares

2007-02-07T21:54:00.000-05:00

My first time to watch a whole football game... well, almost whole cause Vineet and I came late to Thad's place.

Vineet and his friends have a Super Bowl tradition of playing Snow Football before watching the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, this year was uncannily cold at -30 degrees (without wind chill) that they had to forego their game and ended up playing basketball at the condo. The rest of the tradition continued on though when we went to Thad's place to watch the game.

The picture attached is part of the traditional betting on the last digit of the by-quarter scores. We didn't walk away with anything but at least we got food and drink =) Matty K was the big winner, getting 3 out of the 4 quarters... I figure he deserved it since he had the longest drive to join in the tradition. He came all the way from Kitchener just for this!
It must be noted though that I fell asleep in the last 15 minutes of the game. It doesn't really reflect the quality of the game or my interest level, I was just plain tired!

Joey Speaks...

2007-01-30T17:10:00.001-05:00

WinterCity Festival

2007-01-29T14:22:00.000-05:00

Toronto must be the city of Festivals. Although it's not at its craziest (that usually comes in the summer), there is still something happening on most weekends. This past weekend the WinterCity Festival opened so Vineet and I spent our Saturday at Nathan Philips Square. Yes, the weather's been below zero for the past 2 weeks and people still go out.. oh well.

We went through the American Express Gallery where they featured "Paintings Below Zero", abstract paintings made of ice (and gave away free coffee / hot chocolate from Starbucks), watched the skaters on the ice rink (but didn't go cause we weren't sure if Vineet could keep me up given he's been out of practice and I have zero skills on ice - except for the 2 or 3 times I went to the SM Megamall rinkin high school!), saw the world's largest SnowGlobe, took in the free concert (we were able to hear the Jon Levine Band - really liked their song HAPPY - listen to it on Jon Levine Band Home Page) and the free side shows (see Gustavo the Impossibilist in the pic).

Move over Martha Stewart...

2007-01-24T12:52:00.000-05:00

... well, not quite. But thought I'd share the "Stepford Wife"-ly things I've done the past week.
First, I made blueberry cheesecake which was a hit with Vineet. It was almost from scratch - except I used pie filling for the topping =) He claims it's the 2nd best cheesecake he's had... unfortunately, the one we had in Boracay still topped it. But hey, not bad for a first attempt!

Second, I crocheted a sweater for Joey! It's been cold here and I couldn't find a sweater for Joey that I liked so I made him one. Vineet now calls me Granny Leila =)

Surreal.

2007-01-20T21:24:00.000-05:00

That's what Delia said when I talked to her over the phone and I agreed. She was the one who told me the unfortunate news that our house in Manila caught fire!!!!!!

Luckily, no one is hurt. However, the damage is significant enough that my mom, my sister and her family and my lola had to move out and rent a house to stay in.

It's weird when big accidents like this happen. You always think they never happen to you, nor do they happen that close to home. As Del said, surreal.

I swear....

2007-01-18T23:20:00.000-05:00

Joey (my puppy) farts. And for such a small (4lb.) dog, his farts quite a bit of a stinker. Just thought I'd share that.

Snowing in TO!

2007-01-14T22:14:00.000-05:00

Today was the first day that I woke up and it was snowing in the city. It was nice to wake up and look outside the window and see snow! So I put on a jacket over my PJs and went out on the balcony to take this pic. You can't see the lake in this one, cause of the snow falling. The "real feel" temperature today was -13 degrees!

Mont Tremblant Pics

2007-01-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

Check out http://www.db798.com/pictobrowser. Thought this was a cool way to share our Tremblant pics over Christmas =)

Toronto Sunday

2007-01-07T17:39:00.000-05:00

Just to give you an idea of what we do on a Sunday in Toronto when we just want to relax...

1000: Let Joey out of his crate so he can "do his business then go back to bed for a bit more shut-eye
1115: Eat Dunkaroos while watching TV and playing with Joey
1200: Shower
1250: Vineet and I go for "street meat" just outside the condo since we need a quick lunch cause we're walking to the Air Canada Center to watch the TO Raptors vs. Washington Wizards.
1315: Raptors win by 7-pts (sad given their lead was 21 pts. early in the 4th). We then say bye to our usual "seatmates" at the Raptors game... since we got the East Coast pack
1530: Pass by the Video rental store since it's on the way home. I got "teen movies" of course. Hehe.
1600: Pick up Joey at home to bring him to the park. He made lots of new friends!!!! And he was "off-leash" at the park for the first time. A moment to celebrate as his dad Vineet was finally able to "let go"! =)
1700: Vineet plays XBox while I play with Betty and catch up on email

That's the day so far... =) Now, we just have to figure out what to do for dinner.

Ski Shot from my Instructor Yvon

2007-01-03T11:27:00.000-05:00

More skiing!

2006-12-30T22:22:00.000-05:00

After the 1 hour group lesson and a bit of practice with Vineet on the bunny hills, my instructor took me straight to the top of the mountain! And the next day, I was able to go on my own! (Well, with Vineet following me of course =)) It was great fun.. and one of my few achievements during my stint as a bum... maybe I'll become a ski bum!

The pics below aren't of me skiing though... it was waaaayyy too cold for me to bother to remove my gloves to take pics. But my instructor said he'd email the pics and videos (to show me what I was doing wrong =)) so I'll post that some other time.

First Day Skiing!!

2006-12-26T10:32:00.000-05:00

Vineet, Saral (his brother) and I are at Mont Tremblant, Quebec. We decided to spend Christmas here and go on a 5-day vacation. So while Vineet and Saral hit the slopes yesterday... I went to ski school! =)

Tremblant is really beautiful.. all I imagined a ski village would look like. Here's a picture of the village taken from the gondola.

And here are some pics of me at ski school! We were taught how to slide on the skis, walk with the skis and snow plough to break and slow down. Thank God they had adult classes so I didn't have to join the 3-year olds =)

Looking forward to private lessons today... and taking even prettier pictures cause it just snowed last night! =)

Condo Storage Space... AARGH!

2006-12-21T12:59:00.000-05:00

Anyone living in a condo can probably relate to the fact that storage is one of the biggest problems. We just accumulate so much stuff through the years! That was the problem I had which was why for the past 2 months, there was no accessing the master's bathroom as it was piled from floor (and bathtub) to ceiling that you can't even open the door!

For me, one of the biggest considerations is shoe storage. Shoes you can't simply pile up... and you cant' just stack up boxes cause they'll be harder to find or to access. And my problem is I brought 2 big boxes filled with shoes (on top of the ones I brought in my suitcase and the ones I donated already). It simply would not do so I've decided to live with about 20 pairs for now and left all the open-toed stuff (which is the majority) in storage. Vineet says I should now adopt a one in-one out policy on shoes.. yikes!

Then there's the bulky stuff! The linens (of which we still shipped about 8 complete sets) and sweaters & jackets (about 2 boxes). It's crazy how much space these things take up!

Then there's the clothes... have you seen the size of closets in condos? Unless you get one with a walk-in, you really wonder how everything can fit! I guess it didn't help that in Singapore, when Micey moved out, I filled all 3 bedroom closets + 1 3-drawer chest with clothes.. hehe. The thing is 6 out of 7 days, I'll still stare at my closet and say I have nothing to wear! Because some things you just end up keeping even though you know you'd never wear them again. =)

Then we come to the bags... and apparently I shipped1 1/2 boxes of bags. I have a bag tree (a highly recommended solution for bags) out but decided to still leave 1 full box in storage cause it was just too much. And speaking of bags, where can I keep the 3 huge suitcases I brought over.

And not to mention the ornaments, picture frames, books (which you'll probably never touch again), old electroninc devices, vases, etc. etc.

So we conceded that it was a physical impossibility to put everything in and subscribed to a self-storage facility. For $75 a month, you get this 5'x5' space to stack boxes to your heart's content (or at least to 8' high).

The problem is getting the stuff there... it took the whole of Sunday to get the stuff out of the bathroom, sort it, bring it down to the condo loading area (it took about 8 elevator trips), load it to the u-haul, bring it to storage and unload (thankfully they had a better dolly and it took 3 trips), return u-haul, come back home and bring empty boxes and trash to condo recycling area, and clean up the condo. That took the whole Sunday but 3 days later my body still aches!.... Thank God the master's bathroom is clean now (courtesy of Molly Maid =)) and I can soak in a hot bath. ;-)

Before & After

2006-12-10T21:46:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe it's the same dog? =)

The Tree is Up!

2006-11-26T21:11:00.000-05:00

The deadline was set at Dec 1. If we hadn't bought or put up the Christmas tree by then, I didn't think it would be much use anymore. But we got it up with almost a week to spare! And what's great is we found some capiz Christmas decorations too... from Walmart of all places... but they're made in the Philippines! =)

I am the Sun... apparently =)

2006-11-24T11:54:00.000-05:00

Since Cyn so nicely pointed out in an email to me that my posts are not at all "somewhat daily", I felt pressured to post. And since I couldn't think of anything to post, I promptly lifted off her blog and took this test.... and I found out I am the Sun.

You are The Sun

Happiness, Content, Joy.

The meanings for the Sun are fairly simple and consistent.

Young, healthy, new, fresh. The brain is working, things that were muddled come clear, everything falls into place, and everything seems to go your way.

The Sun is ruled by the Sun, of course. This is the light that comes after the long dark night, Apollo to the Moon's Diana. A positive card, it promises you your day in the sun. Glory, gain, triumph, pleasure, truth, success. As the moon symbolized inspiration from the unconscious, from dreams, this card symbolizes discoveries made fully consciousness and wide awake. You have an understanding and enjoyment of science and math, beautifully constructed music, carefully reasoned philosophy. It is a card of intellect, clarity of mind, and feelings of youthful energy.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Am I the sun or the lion? Not really sure with these pics!

Happy Halloween

2006-10-31T20:26:00.000-05:00

Thought it's appropriate to post this greeting with a pic of my very first carved pumpkin (created with Pio and Mai). I actually only drew on it... Mai did most of the carving =) And she has the cooler picture with the candle in it.

Meet Joey!

2006-10-31T20:20:00.000-05:00

He's our new puppy! He's a Yorkshire Terrier - Pomeranina mix. So far, he's super tiny! He only weighs 1.8 lbs but will get to about 5-7lbs. max =)

The Internet never ceases to amaze...

2006-10-24T08:51:00.000-05:00

Having just moved to Canada, am just getting into the groove of things so still have a bit of time on my hands. And am still a bit jetlagged. Today I woke up at an ungodly hour (630am is ungodly for me... and for most people I know) so I got a glass of milk and a magazine to lull myself to sleep. However, the magazine I picked up (Business 2.0) kept me wide awake with it;s featured article on "The Next Disruptors". These were technological innovations that would obsolete current industries / technologies and would give rise to other new opportunities. I got so curious I've just adopted 2 of the internet-based gamechangers.

The first is www.jajah.com. It allows free phone calls over the Web with no down;loads, headsets or adapters. It could change the game for telecoms companies and Voice over IP services like Skype, which is what most of my friends use.

Calls are free from mobiles / landlines between US, Canada, China, Hongkong, and Singapore (yay for me!) and frm landlines of most European countries. You just put in your number, the number you wish to call, click on the site... and you get connected on your phone within minutes! I used it today to bum a free call to greet Ate Dits in Singapore (it's her birthday today!). For other places, there is a bit of a charge.

I hope the service lasts. They're depending on people to adopt a "fair use" policy - which is max usage of an hour a day and to use some of their paid services like scheduled calls and videoconferencing.

The second is www.netvibes.com. It allows you to create a highly customizable Web Start page - moreso than other personalized portal pages like My Yahoo. They have a HUGE variety of feeds you can put on your site depending on your interest and it is idiot-proof to use. Just click, drag and drop!

There were other sites which is really interesting like www.zopa.com - which is a peer to peer lending site that allows both lenders and borrowers to get good rates. Unfortunately, only UK residents can participate. Plus other innovations which are non-internet based like EESTOR, which is a ceramic power source for electric cars that can charge in 5 mins to drive 500 miles at a cost of $9 (vs. equivalent $60 cost for a regular car. And supposedly, unlike the current crop of electric cars, this one's power and driving capabilities are expected to be much better - just have to wait till 2008. =P

Am I really part of the "old" group?

2006-09-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

The past months, there seems to be more emphasis on my age.. more comments.. more teasing. I guess hanging out with a group with people that are anywhere from 3-8 years younger than you can have that effect.

Yesterday was the last straw though.

I was walking on Orchard and was stopped by a guy who was taking a survey. He was nice enough an he said he gets a dollar for every form completed so I said yes. One question on the form though asked age group... and there were only 3 choices: "16-19" "20-24" and "25-55". What the?!?!?!

Yeah, I know that at 29 years old I'm well within the 3rd group.... but they just lumped me up with the 50-year olds? *sigh*

Forcing Open Mic Night!

2006-09-19T12:58:00.000-05:00

Hard Rock
Originally uploaded by leila_hc.

Here's the gang that forced an Open Mic night, even though it had long been cancelled in Hard Rock Singapore...

Who would have thought...?

2006-09-19T12:55:00.000-05:00

Butter Factory
Originally uploaded by leila_hc.

... that I'd actually agree to go out to a dancing place. And more so, that I'd actually stay up dancing (or at the very least standing and tapping my feet) the whole night! This used to be the norm when we first moved to Singapore but it's been such a long time!

Here's a pic of Eshan, Trisha, Emman, Me!, Kaisy and Kate getting the night started at Butter Factory...

Sentosa Sundays - 2 in a Row!

2006-09-11T10:28:00.000-05:00

KM8@Sentosa - 9/10/2006
Originally uploaded by leila_hc.

The last time we went to Sentosa (barring the company offsite) was in October 2005 and I had posted "Sentosa Sundays"... but now we've been back the last 2 weeks... hmmmm... wonder if it will go on?

Lucky Girl!

2006-09-09T23:57:00.000-05:00

Look at what this lucky girl got today!... Thanks Vineet =)

See you soon Vineet!

2006-08-21T10:07:00.000-05:00

Aug 21. Just took Vineet and his 3 HUGE suitcases + 2 carry-ons to the airport. The guy at the check-in counter was nice though and didn't charge him anything. Anyway, that isn't the point.

Am sad that he's gone.. and that it signals that am closing on one chapter of my life. Life with him in Singapore.

But at the same time the goodbye wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Cause I know I'm following soon and I know pretty much when. I imagine the trip to the airport would have been so much harder if the future and the time we'll see each other again was still open-ended or uncertain.

But I know that soon I'll be in Canada too!.. and that's something I'm looking forward too!! (Yes Del, I'll call you this week to make kuwento =))

Hope you have a safe flight Vineet!.. posted this just in case you get online access on the plane or on your Frankfurt stopover.

Let's do the CanCan now!

2006-08-08T22:08:00.000-05:00

Just putting a selection of Canada vacation pics!

ENGAGED!

2006-08-08T08:50:00.000-05:00

I'm engaged!!!!! and look at that pretty ring on my finger! =)

Must-Have Beach Accessory

2006-04-20T10:34:00.000-05:00

What's a beach trip without a good book? It's an absolute must-have right? That's how I feel so I was desperately browsing the bookstore at the Changi airport when my friends and I were on my way to Bali. Took a risk with 2 books that I chose after just 3 minutes of browsing on the shelf and they turned out great!!!

The first is "Freakonomics - A Rouge Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. It's an awesome collection of quirkly little findings on how the world operates - but backed up by data. (Like a good P&Ger, I always say Data is King! - damn, what a Proctoid I've turned into =)) It's an especially good book for the times when you don't have several hours straight to hunker down and read... cause each chapter is about different topics. It also gives you time to kinda reflect on the crazy facts that he points out. A seriously entertaining MUST-READ.

The second is "The Chairman" by Stephen Frey. Ohmigod.. as I was writing this I just realized all the books are written by Stephen/Steven! Anyway, back to the point. While John Grisham specializes in law stories and Robert Ludlum in cold war, Stephen Frey focuses on suspense/thriller in the world of business... specifically the world of private equity. Turns out he does have authority to write on this as he s a principal at a Northern Virginia private equity firm. He previously worked in mergers and acquisitions at J. P. Morgan and as a vice president of corporate finance at an international bank in Midtown Manhattan! Good timing for me to stumble onto his books cause I've just about read all the Jeffrey archer (my fave!), John Grisham and Dan Brown books. Apparently, he's published 7 other books so I think I can schedule more beach trips now!

ZeeZeeLand!!!

2006-03-15T11:01:00.000-05:00

Yeah, yeah.. so I'm cheating. I'm posting this 4 1/2 months after the fact... I'm a fake blogger!!!... SUE ME.

I was just printing out this picture (on my new Canon MP500 that I bought on sale at the Singapore IT fair this weekend;-)) and it reminded me of how much I enjoyed my New Zealand trip last October. For me, this picture captured the feeling throughout that vacation... just happy, giggly, enjoying life without a care in the world...

But I didn't really want to talk about it anymore... but will just let a couple of pictures show the wonderful vacation which showed the many facets of New Zealand. In just 10 days, you see so much: endless road, clouds, mountains... farms & castles... lakes & beaches... GLACIERS... and get to do so much: feeding the lambs, attempting a hot air balloon ride, cruising along the fjord, shooting down the rapids. Awesome.

Sentosa Sundays

2005-10-02T08:45:00.000-05:00

Trapizza@Sentosa
Originally uploaded by leila_hc.

Man, I've missed this. Sentosa Sundays used to be a regular thing with the beach volleyball crowd. Now, a few of us ventured to Sentosa again - beach volley with Yugoslavians and then Ultimate Frisbee. (By the way, Vineet, Chrys and I beat Pat, Emman and Mai 5-0!... hey, which reminds me... they owe us drinks! =))

Sundays outdoors is really the way to go. I love being out in the sun! Don't know if this will happen again or will turn out to be a regular thing... all I know is I feel great now, and sleep tonight will be oh so nice and well-deserved.

Let's get retarded..... !!!

2005-09-20T12:01:00.000-05:00

Some impulse buys are worth it... the last minute purchase of Shankar's abandoned BLACK EYED PEAS ticket from scalper Emman proved to be worth it. Hehe. They seriously have got some of the most amazing songs... one favorite is definitly "Let's get retarded" with it's addictive chorus. And of course "Where is the Love?" where they closed the lights and asked everyone to wave their phones -- sad thing was MaiMai had to lend me her phone cause I just lost mine that day =P

Amazing concert though... with a great crowd.. far cry from the Enrique Iglesias concert previously where people would ask you to stay seated and guards wouldn't even let you dance in the aisles! Alas, it's a "school night" .. have to sleep!

VINEET - you missed an awesome concert! Have some videos to show you when you're back!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUSS!

2005-09-18T10:29:00.000-05:00

Desserts galore at NYDC to celebrate Russ Piczon's birthday!
Happy bday Russ! We'll miss you!

On and on and on...

2005-08-07T11:01:00.000-05:00

Great Wall of China
Originally uploaded by leila_hc.

Oftentimes, you get bored when you keep seeing the same thing over and over again. We always look for what's new, what's different to retain our interest. But not with the Great Wall.

The Great Wall will keep you hooked simply because it's unbelievable how it goes on and on and on. It just never ends.

You walk past each brick, past each bend, past the many stairs and outposts and you can't help but wonder how much effort it took to create it all... and what kept them motivated to continue with such an overwhelming task ahead of them?

At the edge. A different kind of edge.

2005-07-24T11:03:00.000-05:00

At the edge of Preikestolen, Norway
Originally uploaded by leila_hc.

Work has been really tiring and was feeling at the edge. But now am on the last few days of my much needed break - a vacation in norway to visit my sister Delia and her family, Vegar & Hanne.

The picture here shows me on a different kind of edge. =) Am sitting at the ledge of "Preikestolen" or "The Pulpit Rock"... much to the dismay of Delia who felt this was too dangerous a position. Hehe.

To see some pics from the trip, go to my my flickr site!

Travel... Business or Pleasure?

2005-07-03T03:29:00.000-05:00

Business or Pleasure?... I find responding to this question, when asked by an immigrations officer, really hilarious. Especially, when I respond.. pleasure. There's just a hedonistic quality to saying "pleasure" -- or is that just me?

Anyway, I've always been fond of travelling...probably cause I got exposed to it when I was really young, due to our family's assignment to Nigeria. There's just something about the "smell of the place" as you visit different countries that gets me excited... and that humbles me. It makes me realize how HUGE the world is and how my life, my world is just a speck in the whole scheme of things.

Travelling used to be one of the things I loved about my job. "Used to" being the operative term. Now, it's something I almost dread... I think of it as a necessary evil. I know I have to do it to do well at work but how I wish I didn't have to. Not that I don't like any of the countries I travel to... most places I go to I just LOVE the food and even just feeling the different vibe of the places. But, it's just not the same when you travel for business with jam-packed itineraries. And it's just not the same when you don't travel with your partner or closest friends... every new sight or experience, you find yourself thinking "I wish he/she were ther to see this" or alternatively "I would have been better off at home with ______".

Looking ahead, I see trips lined up ahead of me... am sure I'll be out more than 75% of the next 5-6 weeks! This is probably the only downtime I have at home with Betty (my Powerbook) and unfortunately no Vineet (travelling for work as well!) so am a bit pensive and trying to recall the collection of words I put together to articulate how I feel....

Everytime I fly away
Be it for a week or only for a day
There's a sad song that creeps into my heart
Why oh why are we worlds apart

For with every goodbye
The sad look in your eye
Asks me why we have to spend time apart
I wish it didn't start

I guess to sum it all up, what I'm saying is: Travelling for business? It's no longer a pleasure.

Ever played "Sim City"?

2005-06-19T10:03:00.000-05:00

Putra Jaya, Kuala Lumpur
Originally uploaded by leila_hc.

Have you ever played the game "Sim City" on your computer? It's a game where you basically build your city from ground up and run it as if you were the mayor. I remember my friend Jan was addicted to it in college and she was really good at it. I, on the other hand, sucked. Really sucked.

I'd try to build cities but the inhabitants of my city continuously complained, the upkeep was bad and all my roads would always end up with potholes!

Some people who have settled in Singapore sometimes compare it to that game - Sim City. 'Cause everything seems to have been planned, well thought of and organized.... a bit too organized for some in fact.

Recently, we had a company offsite in Kuala Lumpur (which was good times but that's another story =)). Vineet and I visited Putra Jaya while in Kuala Lumpur. It's a city whose full plans will be completed in 2012 and it's designated to be the future capital of Malaysia. Amazoing what they've done to the place!

Architecture is modern but clearly influenced by Malay / Muslim culture. They've built a man-made lake that creates a "central island" for the main government buildings. The lake will be a future site for yachting, rowing, etc. And what's interesting is that they're really promoting this locally with boats (airconditioned / non-airconditioned) that take you around the lake.

Talk about Sim City Extreme! Funny though, Jan's Sim City also had a lake with a central island...but if I remember correctly, she made the central island a jail. :-O

Mommy meets Vineet!

2005-06-14T11:54:00.000-05:00

Mommy in Singapore!
Originally uploaded by leila_hc.

My mom just came over for a 2-week visit to Singapore... and she's finally met Vineet!

Am happy. Enough said =)

Koh Samed Dinner on the Beach - Literally!

2005-05-29T04:10:00.000-05:00

Koh Samed Dinner on the Beach - Literally!
Originally uploaded by leila_hc.

This was one of the best dinners I've ever had! Wish I were having dinner again here tonight... but oh well, will find a nice substitute place to go to in Singapore for now... Bye!

Auntie Leila =)

2005-05-28T02:58:00.000-05:00

I was never a huge fan of kids before... not that I hated kids.. but kids never favored me and I never favored them. But that changed when I became an aunt. Once my sister's started having kids and I got first-row seats in watching them grow up, I quickly became a fan.

First to arrive were Matthew and Andrea - the twins born to different mothers. They were born on February 6, 2000 about 30 minutes apart - but Matthew was born in Singapore, the son of Ate Dits and Simeon while Andrea was born in the Philippines, the daughter of Ate Diane and Andy. It was interesting to watch them grow up. To see their eyes widen and sparkle and you know they're just like a sponge, absorbing all the new things around them. Now, they're both 5 years old and they just seem like they're growing up so fast! These days, Matthew has taken to wiping his lips after giving me a kiss!

The next one to arrive was Sophia, Andrea's younger sister. She was born on June 16, 2001 to be the playmate of Andrea. Funny though how 2 kids can be born to the same parents, be raised in the same household and yet clearly develop very, very strong personalities of their own. Sophia, at a very young age, began to have very definite views about how she dresses. She loves dresses and skirts, matches her own clothes and shoes - and at times can reduce an adult to tears by refusing to wear a new dress that doesn't meet her standards! On the other hand, there's Andrea who loves her shorts and rubber shoes! This is just one example - but you clearly see the differences in their preferences on many, many things. Nice to see though that while they have they're differences they are still sooooo sweet to each other especially at night when Andrea shows off her reading prowess by reading Sophia a bedtime story. The picture below is of them during their recent Singapore visit.

Then came Hanne! My godchild and niece born to Delia and Vegar on April 30, 2004. She's half Filipino, half Norwegian and is likely the most documented child on this planet! Delia sends out monthly newsletters and DVDs to let us know how fast she's growing. Luckily, I'll get to see her this July! =) Here is her picture wearing some of her 1st bday gifts - Hello Kitty from me, hat from Vineet.

The best time to start?..... NOW!

2005-05-24T11:33:00.000-05:00

Am sure we've all gone through this before. The feeling that you want a change, you want to start something new... yet you always seem to find reasons to postpone it. Everytime you think that you're really going to do it this time... your mind starts thinking of another reason to wait. So that it's a "logical start".

Take this blog for example. "I'll start once I think of a theme" then it was "I've been thinking of getting a Powerbook - I'll just start it then" then it was "I'll start once I've adjusted to my new job and have more time".... and in my head I've rationalized all of these as good excuses.

Well at least this is a start. This is officially the first entry in this blog (let's see how it lasts.. the last blog I started had a grand total of 6 entries over its short-lived 5 months... but that's another topic altogether.. hehe). Am writing this blog with Betty, my 2-week year old Powerbook who I try to play with every night =) Hang on.. just checking her birthday on the iCal...oh! she's already 3 weeks and 2 days old! Will get around to attaching her picture here soon once I get my camera connections all sorted out.... but see! not having the picture did not stop me from starting this blog now!

Ok, before I continue raving like a lunatic, I better wrap this up. After all, it's sleep time!

Seriously though, am sure you've been there before. You, like me, must have found yourself wanting to do something in life but you oftentimes catch yourself waiting for the "logical start"... and for sometimes it almost feels like the chances to make a go of things are passing you by. Let this be a small reminder to myself and to you that the best time to start might just be at this very moment.... NOW.