New Years Eve

We will be having Norm's cousins over for New Years Eve - 10 adults and 3 kids. Last night we were rearranging our condo so we can all fit comfortably. We moved the dining room table to the den so that our living room will be more spacious. We won't need the table since we'll be going out for dinner (whew!). I think the plan is to go to the Keg for 5pm. I know it's early but the Keg does not take reservations and we don't want to wait 2 hours for dinner - especially with 3 kids. After dinner we plan on heading back to our place to hang out and play some games. If it's not too cold we will head over to Nathan Phillips for the free concert and the countdown - since I'm a bit sick, I'll stay home with the kids and watch it on TV.

For 2007 I plan on learning how to swim; doing more scrapbooking; filling my walls with art/pictures; losing the 5 lbs I gained over the holidays; or maybe getting pregnant and gaining 30 lbs.

I look forward to what 2007 brings.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Christmas 2006

Norm's family spent Christmas at his cousin's place in Brampton. It's probably the biggest house in the family that can accomodate the 43 members of the Barrientos clan. It was also nice because it forced everyone to sleep over or at least stay for the whole party. We didn't go to bed until 3:30 AM that morning. The party started with Grandma and Grandpa giving out the insane amount of gifts under (and over) the tree. At around the same time Mr. Carlos Primeros made an appearance which made the party much louder than ever. (I didn't think it could get any louder). Down in the basement they had dancing and later karaoke. Upstairs we sat around Grandma listening to her stories. The next morning we (Norm, Fran, Trae and myself) were in charge of breakfast so we whipped out the tocino, longanisa, garlic fried rice, ham, cheese, pandesal and 3 dozen eggs. I love breakfast so this was a nice treat. Shortly after we had to speed home in time for the Marquez family Christmas at our place. Mom and Has & family came over for lunch and some stayed for dinner, too! The next day was Boxing Day and even though I was exhausted I managed to get to the mall for 7:30AM and found some decent sales. That night we went to the Cruzada's to visit our Godchildren and to spoil them with hugs, kisses and oh yeah, the gifts. The day after Ev treated us to a Raptors game. Can't beat the service and the 3rd row seats! Thanks Ev! What a nice Christmas treat.

Right now I'm fighting a cold that I managed to get from one of the kids. I am hoping to feel better soon because I am hosting New Years Eve at my place.

Happy New Year everyone!

Ahhhhhh.....

What a wonderful feeling to be off at last. Yesterday was my last day of work and although I had to stay until 8pm to finish my work, I am happy that I don't have to go back until January 2nd. Yahoo! So what do I do now? I think I'm going to hit the malls to see what deals I can score. I guess I should also prepare my dishes for Christmas. This year it's going to be at our place and I will be serving roast beef as requested by Flo. Usually I make Mom's roast beef but this time I'm going to make my mother in law's roast beef recipe for a change. I will pair it up with roasted potatoes, green beens, carrots and rice pilaf. Mom is taking care of the appetizers and Flo will bring dessert. The only thing we're missing is... Han & Al! C'mon guys...join us!

Weekend Review

On Friday we took Seyla to see Santa. She's terrified of the big guy but I managed to talk her into taking a picture with him. It's way too late to send her letter so she had to hand deliver it. At first she handed him the letter and ran away but somehow this Santa managed to get her back and put her on his lap quickly enough to take a picture. Yay! Mission accomplished

The next day was a BIG day for us. We've been planning Mom's 65th birthday for the last couple of weeks. In the end, it turned out to be the most perfect day. For lunch we went to Star Walk buffet. She thought it would be just the 6 of us but when she came into the room there were 42 family members waiting for her. Surflies! And out came the happy tears! After lunch we went to the Barrientos household and had yet another surprise waiting. Norm had worked so hard to make a cake for mom but not just any cake...mom's coffee cake! Mom was so touched by this. More happy tears. She has always made cakes for everyone but no one has ever made her a cake, let alone her coffee cake! After coffee, cake and presents she headed home just in time to get ready for church but no time to rest just yet. The last surprise was 2 tickets to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at the Hummingbird. She loved it and Dad had a comment or two about the beautiful kicking legs. We ended the night off at Congee Queen where we had a late dinner with just the 4 of us. How perfect was that?!

Yesterday we went to Sherway with our Wednesday crew - Ev and Di. We went shopping and Norm went to the bar to watch the football game and had a few drinks. Later we headed out to the burbs where Bruce and Harita were hosting a Christmas/Housewarming party. It was nice to end the weekend off with good food and great friends. Cheers everyone!

Scary Santa?

It took a lot of convincing for Seyla to visit Santa. She simply said, "I'm scared" and I don't blame her? You've got this man in a red suit and a red hat to match and most Santas have funny looking fake beards. I told Seyla that she has to tell Santa what she wants for Christmas and this was her response: "I don't want presents. I will buy Santa a present". Isn't that the sweetest thing? Anyway, a couple weeks passed by and I kept working on her. She finally agreed to see Santa if I promise to stand near her. We took her to the Santa located at the Bay. Its a little hidden secret up on the 6th floor next to Christmas Street. It was great...no line ups! And even better, Santa had a real beard and he didn't look as scary. At first Seyla quickly gave him her letter and started to run away but he asked her a couple of questions and she eventually made it on his lap.

Santa is coming to town

So Christmas is almost here and that means good ol' Saint Nick will be making his rounds. Have you finished your shopping yet? I went to the mall early Saturday morning when it was quiet and the stores were still neat and tidy. It made such a huge difference. Anyway, like Floree, I got sidetracked and found myself going into stores and trying things on. I should have really stuck to the plan and finished my shopping but how can you just bypass the SALE signs at Banana Republic? Floree just bought yet another jacket at Old Navy for 50% off. What a steal! Diana emailed me tonight to see if I wanted to go shopping with her. I would have loved to but going shopping with a friend is even worse. Imagine trying on that beautiful jacket at French Connection and having Diana convince me that I have to buy it. I'll just wait to see what Santa has for me. I hope I'm not on his naughty list.

Day 11

So what do we want to do on our last day in Vancouver? With no hesitation we went to Shabusen for a late lunch. Allan has been craving sushi and it was only fitting that he share this craving with Norm. This was our favourite hang out during the summer months when we lived in Nanaimo. Sometimes we'd ride the ferry over, eat at Shabusen and head back to Nanaimo. Crazy, I know, but we will travel far for good food. I guess it's because our mother's are such great cooks so we're big food critics. We're still trying to find a good cantonese chow mein in Vancouver. You would think that in an asian dominant city there would be some good noodles. Toronto still has the best chinese food but Vancouver has the best Japanese without a doubt. After dinner we walked along Robson and it started to snow. Heather got a little frightened by the snow so she went to Roots and bought a scarf and a hat. In hindsight, that was a good call. Before heading back to the house, we stopped by at Goldilocks. By the time we got out the snow had gotten worse. No worries, we've got a Toronto driver behind the wheel. Allan was certain the snow would stop and everything would melt. "It never snows in Vancouver and when it does it doesn't stick". Well, we were lucky our plane left that night. It was difficult driving to the airport because our van was not equipped with winters and all the signs pointing us to Richmond/Airport were covered in snow. The next morning we arrived in T.O and as we walked outside the sun was shining and the weather was mild. In Vancouver, Han tells me it's now 30 cm of snow. Poor Rihini.

Well, that's our trip out west. As usual it was fun filled and way too short. We would like to revisit soon but first we have to save up for yet another wedding. Houston, here we come!

Happy Birthday Hazel

Just wanted to say Happy Birthday to my beautiful niece Hazel Marie. I love the way you have grown up to be such a lovely little lady. Just like your Aunts!

Day 10

We came home at 6AM after a whirlwind shopping experience in Seattle. As we all were getting ready for bed, Norm was getting ready to go to his Pharmacy conference. Allan drove him to the sky train but Norm had no idea it would take 25 mins just to get to the sky train so Norm was late getting there and he also went to the wrong hotel by the time he was downtown. In the end, the conference was "boring" (I think he was just tired) so he made his way back home via skytrain and went to sleep. Later that evening Norm, Rohani and I made our way back to the States to Bellisfair mall which was only half an hour away. The malls were still crazy but it got us into that holiday spirit. After a little more shopping, we were finally satisfied so we went home and packed. Only one more day to go. (sigh)

Day 9

On this day we had dinner with Allan's family - The Umlas. Prior to dinner Auntie Yolly was so adamant about taking us out to eat so we had appys at White Spot. By the time we got to the Chinese restaurant, I was ready for round two. I don't normally eat like this but hey, I'm on vacation! Uncle Rey ordered the whole menu it seemed - rice, noodles, hot & spicy wontons, crabs two ways - creamy or with ginger and onion, sweet pork, seafood birds nest, soup, squid. It was so nice of them to take all of us out. We really enjoyed the food and the company. After dinner the Umlas came over for some majong. The "kids" went to bed to prepare for midnight madness shopping in Seattle. We thought we were ahead of the game by going this early but by the time we reached the outlets, there were barely any more parking spaces left! Line ups were everywhere - especially for Coach and Puma. The deals were great but we couldn't stay long because Norm had to be back for a conference in Vancouver the next morning. Let the Christmas madness begin! Happy Thanksgiving to our neighbours down south!

Day 8

Today we leave the island and head back to the mainland. In the morning we had breakfast with Norm's old boss. I can tell he wants Norm to come back but yet he was the same guy who scheduled Norm to work nights and weekends while I was home alone. I think that was the hardest part of our venture out west. After breakfast we had an appointment with our Accountant. That's right, we still use the same accountant. Had we more time maybe we could have seen our dentist as well! The weather was truly that of an island. It was so sunny one minute and the next minute it pouring pigs and cows! So with that, we grabbed the 3PM ferry which got us into Vancity right during rush hour. No problem, we'll just hang around downtown until the traffic dies down. Heck, let's eat at Shabusen again! And so we did.

Day 7

This morning we decided to surprise our former coworkers so off we went to the Vancouver Island Health Authority and next door Norm went to the Superstore. My coworkers were surprised to see me and asked if I was coming back. It didn't take me long to answer that one. But retiring on the island is an option! For breakfast Norm and I went to our favourite restaurant, Ricky's. It was nice to be able to take our time especially knowing everyone else was working. This is what I call vacation baby! After breakfast we went to Nanaimo's only good mall - Woodgrove Centre. Norm always found great deals at Winners and this time was exception. He bought 3 pairs of shoes, one for his brother of course, a pair of jeans and some boxers. I could have easily bought a few items but I decided to save my money for shopping in Seattle. We made our way back to the resort to sit in on a 1.5 hr schpeel on timeshares. Yadda yadda yadda, we're not intersted - but thanks for the $99 special for 2 nights! Later we drove back into Nanaimo for dinner. This time we tried a new restaurant called Sushi Eh and it was awesome and the prices were cheap! We ate our faces off (c'mon, we're on vacation) and instead of going to watch a movie as planned, we went to Chapters to grab hot chocolates and headed back to the resort. As Norm got caught up with his CSI's, Vegas, etc. I went to bed. What a nice, simple day on the island. Except that it was raining for most of the day. Boo!

Day 6

It's 3AM and we were awaken by luggages rolling down the stairs of the house. South Carolina was getting ready to leave in order to catch their 8AM flight home in Seattle. There were 9 of them leaving this morning and they only had a 7 seater van. Norm and I decided to drive them so long as Han & Al take care of James whose flight was not until 8PM also in Seattle. It took us three hours to drive them to the airport and three hours to come back. After all that driving I think we deserve Shabusen. Off we went the all you can eat sushi and kalbi and we were just in time to catch our ferry at Horseshoe Bay. Nanaimo, here we come! Instead of going up to the deck Norm and I decided to stay in the van and sleep. It must have been the driving...and all that food.

1.5 hours later we were "home". The sun was shining here on the island. Funny how the weather can be so different here. We went straight into Parksville where we checked in at Pacific Shores Resort. It was a little hard to find because it's tucked away along Craig Bay. We dropped our luggage in our room and quickly went back to Nanaimo to grab a late dinner at Blue Ginger, our favourite restaurant. It was nice to be back.

Day 5

So here I was enjoying the nice duvet covered king size bed at the Marriot when my brother calls at 7:30AM...that's right 7:30AM to ask if we can pick them up and head over to the house. I slowly get out of bed and vow to hit him when I see him for waking me up at such an early hour while I'm on vacation. Luckily we stop for Starbucks beforehand. My caramel macciato. My hero. We pick up the family and head over to Hannah's house for one last horrah with the South Carolina people. As we watched Russell Peters, Mom and Auntie prepared lunch for the guests coming over for the gift opening party. Again, Norm is at everyone's beckon call: he drove Auntie to T&T for last minute food items for the cooking fest; drove Has and family to the airport as they flying home today; and drove Wendel to return his rental car. When he came home, he quietly snuck upstairs to get some rest. After all, he was probably going to drive cousins Kate & Brian to the Seattle airport tomorrow morning. I, too, called it an early night as I've never felt this exhausted in a long time. G'nite!

The Wedding Day

Notice how I didn't mention the picking up of the bridesmaid dresses in my prevous blogs. That's because we picked it up this morning at 9AM. Everyone's dresses seemed to fit perfectly, except for mine. It was a little too big and the straps kept falling off everytime I would raise my arms. The back of the dress was supposed to dip down like a little v but mind ended up being a big V. I would even call it backless. But, this was my sister's big day so I got over it quickly. There were so many things going on in different areas of the house. In the kitchen, we had a flower making sweat shop. After so many weddings and other occasions, our family has perfected the making of the boutonnieres. The only problem was, there's no way you can do this ahead of time because you want fresh looking flowers. It was pretty quick to do - considering we had a dozen helpers. Upstairs, Floree was setting up shop and Rohani was her first customer. Floree did an amazing job with our makeup. Thank you to Rennie for providing the MAC makeup. While she was taking care of makeup, I somehow got stuck with hair. I enjoy playing with Hazel's hair because it's exactly like mine. I mean, it was like mine before I got the Japanese hair straightening. With Kate's help, the flowergirls looked simple but elegant. Just what the bride wanted. Downstairs in the living room Hannah was getting her hair done by her hairstylist and friend, Jeff. He did our hair for free. Now that's what I call a friend!

It's now 12:20 and we're all searching for the car keys for the Yukon - the bride's chariot. The wedding was at 1:00. Eek! After calling in a search party, I finally located the keys in Hannah's robe pockets in her closet, in the hamper. That's right, I went into their hamper. Now that's what I call love!

1:00 It's showtime. Everyone was lined up ready to walk down the isle. Remember, there was no rehearsal so everyone was a bit confused as to where they stand. I went back to the car and there's the bride, smoking wtih Floree. Although it wasn't picture perfect, I say give the bride whatever she needs to get through the next hour. She was as cool as a cucumber...at least that's what I thought. Once I brought her into the church, out they came. Tears just rushed down her face as Floree was trying to save anything left of her beautiful make up job. I guess it finally hit her. ...she's getting married! It is quite emotional once we got into the church. There's just something about it and believe everyone should experience it. We also knew Dad was right there, beside her. Later she told me she felt his presence as she was walking down the isle. I don't doubt it.

2:00 Horray! It's officially Mr & Mrs Almero.

Before we headed to White Rock for some picture taking, we passed by the graveyard to visit Allan's mom. I know, it's a little weird to be going to the cemetary in your wedding dress but once we were there and saw how much this meant to Allan, it was a good call. Pictures were taken at Whiterock and although it didn't rain, it was freezing cold. Luckily I stayed under Han's cape to keep warm. It quickly turned dark so off we went to the reception.

Let the party begin...

The whole night was amazing. A couple of us booked rooms for the night so it was a great place for us to crash. Especially for those who went to the casino last night and did not get home until 6AM. Ahem. Highlights of the wedding were as follows: My whole plan of dancing to Sexy Back did not work out because of my dress. I was afraid it would fall off completely. Speeches were good - I tried to make mine humorous knowing the others would be tearful. My brother almost broke down. He said it was bittersweet because he gave away his last sister but he has also gained another brother. And now there were 3! Hannah was a little upset that she lost her speech but she did a good job at winging it. At the end of the night, Floree and Katie were dancing like no one was watching. It must be the effects of the open bar. Floree also got all emotional on me. Again, the effects of the open bar. It was priceless.

As I kicked everyone out of our hotel room, Norm and I enjoyed our duvet covered King sized bed. It's been awhile since we've slept in a normal bed. This was actually the best sleep we had during the whole trip. Thanks Han and Al...for the open bar!

And for those of you who keep asking me to put my speech in my blog, here's part of it. My blog for today is long enough...

...As a big sister Hannah was always the one giving us advice but since I've been married for almost 5 years now, this is my chance to share with you a few tips in marriage:

1. Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight
2. If you fight, get naked.
3. The best way to remember an anniversary is to forget it just once.
4. Road maps are a good thing. GPS is even better.
5. Make sure to share everything together, including housework.

I wish you both a wonderful marriage. Allan, welcome to our family.

Please raise your glass for Hannah & Allan:

To Love
To Laughter
To Happily Ever After

Cheers!

Day 3

I cannot seem to recall eveything we did this day. It's all a blur. Han and Al were busy running around so Norm and I were in charge of entertaining everyone. So guess where they wanted to go? Chinatown! South Carolina is deprived of such things. They have one store that sells Chinese/Filipino products so they went crazy here at Vancouver's Chinatown. The kids enjoyed the Chinese bakery where Norm made them try all sorts of pastries. Who can resist the coconut bun? After shopping, Norm and I took some of them to the downtown core. Our goal was to eat at Shabusen but Norm got lost. We ended up at Hons and had a nice lunch. We wanted to finish it off with a nice Starbucks coffee but Starbucks was not serving any hot drinks because of the water advisory. Why even bother staying open? No one goes to Starbucks for cold milk. We headed home with a van full of sleepy passengers. Back at home the power was now working so let the cooking fiesta begin! That night we worked on the wedding favours, programs, centre pieces and more wedding favors. As the night wore off, so did our helpers. In the end, it was just Floree, Han and myself. Norm and Uncle drove into Seattle to pick up 3 more South Carolinians. They didn't get back until 4AM. Once again our sleeping arrangement changed. Floree, Has, Hayden and Hazel stole our bed so Norm and I had to regroup somewhere else. The joys of a house with 21 people!

Day 2

With no power and therefore no food, the four of us (Al, Han, me and Norm) drove to Tim Horton's to try the biscuit breakfast that Hannah was bragging about. She tried to convince Norm that it was just as good if not better than the breakfast McMuffin and Allan was concerned that it wasn't big enough. Well everyone had the same idea...the line up for Tim Horton's was huge! I guess this is what happens when there's no power. It was hard to get around because the lights were all out but we had no choice but to try. We only have 2 days left. We looked everywhere for white roses and when that was hard to find we opted for anything white! Mental note, November is not a good time for flowers in general. After all the running around, our last stop was to pick up the rental SUVs for the wedding. Sweet. While Al and Norm took care of picking up Has and family at the airport, Han and I went to Michaels to buy some last minute things only to rush back home, get fitted for my dress and then head to the wedding rehearsal. There we were, waiting in front of the church only to realize the priest was a no show. Reason? The secretary failed to book him and instead he was at a conference. Let's just hope he shows up on Saturday. Upward and onward, we did what we do best. Eat! All of Han and Al's closest friends and family gathered at a local Chinese restaurant. An hour later South Carolina joined us after flying into Seattle and driving 6 hours (bad traffic) north to Canada. In the end we all gathered at the house and got cosy with each other. I was exhausted but this was just the beginning.

All I have to say is: When it rains, it pours!

Day 1

As we got off the plane we were greeted by Michael and Allan. Although we rented a car, Allan suggested it was safer for him to come home with us because parts of BC did not have power. This meant dark roads and hard to read signs. The tsunami in Japan brought heavy rain and strong winds as can be seen by the fallen trees scattered on main roads. It's true, it would have been hard to find their place in pitch darkness. Once we got home, we went straight to bed. We were freezing by the time we woke up so we rushed down to sit in front of the gas fireplace. Looks like everyone else had the same idea. Squish!

The Great Escape

We're back from Vancouver and normally we would be sad but this time we're a little relieved. Norm and I just escaped Vancouver's big snow storm. As we drove ourselves back to the airport there was already 10cm on the ground. All the signs were covered with snow so we made guesses as to which road to turn on or which ramp would lead us to the airport. We also had concerns as to whether our flight would be delayed or even cancelled. In Ontario, this snow storm would be normal but in BC it's un heard of. Despite the bad storm, our flight was smooth sailing. Gosh, I have so much to blog about. Stay tuned!

Introducing Mr & Mrs Almero

Running Around

This weekend was reserved for all the last minute things we need to do before we leave for Vancouver. It didn't take me long to find my shoes. I knew Nine West wouldn't let me down. I bought a nice pair of brown patent leather heels. The funny thing is right when I was going to buy them I noticed that on the box it actually said "dark red". That threw me off for awhile. The sales lady said it's a deep, deep red but I saw it as brown. Oh well. I bought them anyway. They look brown to me.

Off to the Bay to find Norm a shirt and tie to match his navy blue suit. I can't believe all the choices these guys get. There were rows and rows of ties and stacks of shirts to match. How much easier can it get? Well, finding a tie was pretty easy but the shirts are so confusing. There's a size for the neck and then a size for the length...kinda like pants. And if you want to try the shirt on, there are so many pins on it that you don't even want to bother. In the end, Norm went with a crisp white shirt and a brown & blue tie. He will match me perfectly.

My most favourite part of the weekend was meeting with Rennie and buying a bunch of makeup at MAC. But did you know that Chelsea has been discontinued? The nerve! So then I bought Photo. Renn says it's too dark for me but sometimes you need a lipstick that pops, especially for mornings like this when I'm tired and still fighting this stubborn cold.

Now all I need is a haircut.

The Keg

Yet another birthday celebration at the Keg with my coworkers. I think that should wrap up my birthday for 2006. After dinner we went shopping. It was awesome because usually we try to cram shopping in our 1.5 lunch hour. Yes, that's right 1.5. Our clock starts once we get into the car and considered back from lunch once we get back into the Sunnybrook parking lot (as opposed to our desk). HR...gotta love us. Anyway, back to shopping. Our main goal was to find shoes for me to wear at my sister's wedding but to no avail. Has anyone seen a pair of chocolate brown, sexy closed toed heels? I had no luck although I did find a pair of chocolate brown ballet slippers. As ya'll know, I love flats! I guess I'm just getting old but I'm all about comfort. Besides, I can probably dance to "Sexy Back" better in flats. Apparently that's the song Han has picked for me to dance to at the reception introductions. I don't know how sexy ballet flats can be...but wish me luck.

Countdown begins...

Only 9 more days until my sister's wedding!

Still sick

Yesterday I went into work but was quickly sent home. I should know better since I work in Healthcare. So today I didn't even try. I woke up and moved to the living room just in time to watch Regis and Kelly. After that I caught up with Marilyn Dennis on Cityline. Yesterday I went on MSN for the first time in a long time and chatted with my cousin Liz. I'll be seeing her next week but it was so nice to chat and see pictures of her kids. What I love most about being home is that mid day nap. I can hear the busy street downstairs and can see the people directly across my building working away but me? I'm just lounging around and dosing on and off while watching trashy TV. I can't remember the last time I've done this. Usually when I take a day off, I usually cram it in with errands, Doctors appointments, visit the Dentist, etc. I don't really know how I got sick but I think it's a sign that I need to slow down and take it easy which is sometimes hard to do. In Nanaimo, it was all we did but that's because we were alone on our island. I guess I just need to learn how to balance. Right now I have no problem balancing writing this Blog and watching the Cosby Show at the same time. Looks like I'm on the road to recovery.

Happy Birthday Auntie

Happy Birthday Auntie (Nov 3). Not a day goes by when I don't think about you. Thanks for always being near us. We can feel your presence and it's comforting to know that you're not very far. We love and miss you!

Happy Birthday Mary & Jared

This weekend was reserved for Mary's birthday and her son, Jared. On Friday we celebrated Mae's special day at Canyon Creek. It's nice that we still find time to celebrate even though she's got a lot on her plate - preparing for Jared's 2nd birthday and on top of that she's 8 months pregnant. Geez, she truly is an inspiration. We ended the night by giving her an i-pod nano from all of us. She apparently really wanted this. I assume it's so she can block out all the noise coming from Glenn, Jared and soon to be Andrew. Smart lady.

On Saturday we stayed home and entertained Rachel, Hannah, BJ, Francis, Trae, Seyla and Grandma. Rachel was determined to finish a whole chicken and eggplant sandwich from the market. She succeeded but only with a 10 minute break in between. Way to go Rach!

Sunday was Jared's 2nd birthday at Mae's house and she invited the whole world. It was a zoo full of family and friends. In my opinion, it was totally a fire hazard to have us all in there but it was fun and well worth the risk.

Today, I am home sick. I guess too much action for me this weekend.

Just wanted to say Hi to my cousin Liz. I just found out she reads my blogs. Hi Liz!

Seyla Moments

Seyla has this makeup case with lipstick and eyeshadow. She asks if she can put lipstick on me and of course I agree. She then puts lipstick on herself and smacks her lips together. She then says to me: "We're so stylish, right?" Oh boy. I did not know that this stage came so soon. She's only 3!!!

The other night she had her hair in a ponytail. She pulls the rubberband out of her hair, shakes her hair out and puts her bangs so that it forms a side sweep and says, "See, I'm like you!" ...and then again the "We're so stylish".

And then starts chanting: "Girls are smart, girls are fun, hit them hit them, Number one!"

I don't know where she got that chant but I assume it's daycare.

Again, she's only 3...but in January she's turning 16. =)

Silly Seyla.

Engagement Announcement

My cousin April from Houston, Texas got engaged and is planning a wedding on May 19, 2007. We're all so happy and excited for her. Looks like the plans are under way. Her rehearsal dinner will have a Houston flare: jeans mandatory, cowboy hat and cowboy boots optional. yeee-haaa! I can't wait. Houston, here we come!

Congratulations April and Brotha John!

October Birthdays

We had our usual potluck get together to celebrate the October Birthdays: Christine, Michelle, Elaine and me.
This time we had it at Elaine's place to give Jo a feeling of "going out". These mothers don't get out much but that's because they're so amazing at being mothers that they forget about themselves. This time the boys were allowed to join us so I had a chance to meet Mark - Christine's boyfriend and soon to be father of her child. As usual, it's always nice when we come together. Tonight we were in stitches talking about the colours of lipstick we all used to wear. Toast of New York was a popular one. We all shared lipsticks back then. Even coloured contacts. We had no clue how bad it was to share those type of things. How fun would be it to be young again!

Go Fish

Gerwyn's turn to cook dinner last night. He decided on Di's favourite things: fish, mushrooms, and mango tasting ice cream. We all enjoyed it - the fish was perfectly cooked with a touch of the Begonia spice. The fish was paired with basmati rice and grilled veggies. The appetizer was a croissant with prosuitto, lettuce and olives. Delicious but way too big for me to eat as an appetizer. The grand finale was a bowl of mango indian ice cream. That was fitting because I know how much Gerwyn loves mangos. Di only likes the "real" mango, not mango tasting stuff. Don't worry Ger, I loved your dinner.

I await the cheque you put in the mail.

Weekend Review

Since last week was so hectic, we decided to bring it down a notch. This weekend Norm's cousins took me out for my birthday. This birthday thing has turned into birthday month it seems. But I'm not complaining. We were supposed to head down to Grove City but after I spent $200 on getting my hair straightened, I just couldn't bring myself to spend more. Besides, I was looking online and saw that they are going to have a huge Thanksgiving sale in the outlet malls in the US. So Han, Can we PLEASE hit the outlets on Friday? Puleeze!

Oh yeah, back to my weekend review. We also met up with Cindy, Marcus and Jarez at Fredericks (again for my birthday). Fredericks is a hole in the wall restaurant but their food is so amazing. Luckily Cindy is Hakka so she did all the ordering. Did you know that when you order "Hakka noodles" you won't get the same thing as when you order the same thing but in Hakka (Pho Me Mein). Weird, I know. But the noodles are totally different. It's sweeter and a little spicy. For my birthday Cindy gave me a small Coach purse....I know!

On Sunday Has and his family came for a visit. Ev also came to drop off Kaluha while she entertained clients at the game. As you can imagine, the kids loved Kaluha! I didn't want Ev to take her home. She's so precious!

I forgot to mention, I bought myself a pair of shoes with the gift certificate I got for my birthday. At first I was looking for a pair of boots but I couldn't find one I liked. I then ran into these cute patent leather ballet slippers at Nine West and immediately bought them. With the remaining balance I bought a leather pouch at Roots. Thanks guys!

Good Ol' Roast Beef

It seems like I'm always blogging about food...but I guess that's one of my favourite past times: cooking and eating! Anyway, last night was my turn to cook dinner and I made Mom's good old roast beef and paired it with asparagus and a rustic mashed potato. The rustic mashed was basically small red and white potatoes that were roughly mashed so it has texture and we left the skins on for colour. It's something the Barefoot Contessa does but I think she's just lazy. Everyone enjoyed the dinner. Diana was still recovering from her gastroenteritis so she said she did not want to eat much. Yeah right...once dessert came she had 2 servings, but who can resist a chocolate skor trifle? Layers of chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, whipped cream and skor bits. Norm also stopped by the chinese bakery and picked up some Boji balls (?) and I packed those up for Ev to take home and gave the chocolate loving couple the rest of the chocolate skor trifle. Who knows what they did with that last night?! Crazy kids.

Vancouver, here we come!

We bought our plane tickets to Vancouver and now I'm getting excited. There's so much to get excited about: first off there's the actual wedding. Allan will officially be our brother in law. Who could ask for anything more? This trip is also a family reunion since we'll be able to see our South Carolina family again as well as the Sumalings who I have not seen since leaving BC. In saying that, this will also be a chance for Norm and I to revisit the island...or as Norm puts it, our island. We've been wanting to go back to visit but our busy work schedules did not allow us to. This is our chance so we're spending a total of 11 days in BC and we're going to enjoy every minute of it. It's just too bad that Junior couldn't be with us.

Hannah's Weekend

As you all know, my sister was in town so this weekend was dedicated to her. It was funny because just as Hannah stepped off the airplane, Buffalo was blowing some weird weather our way. I'm convinced Mother Nature was just trying to give Han some early snow since they lack the white stuff over on the West Coast. On Saturday we were supposed to get an early start but Han was out the night before and did not come home until 6am that morning. We picked up Ashley and Allyssa but not before going into their new house and catching up with Em, Alexis and Lyn. How fast time flies. After searching for Jr. Bridesmaid dresses, we took the girls out to lunch and hurrried back home to get ready for an early dinner with Han's friends. But somehow I managed to find time to run (literally) to Eaton Centre to buy Godiva give aways (couldn't resist...the boxes came in her colours. It was too perfect) and to buy some prizes for some games we played at her bridal shower. The dinner party was held at Autogrill and we were all to meet up later that night at Tangerine. WELL...both my siblings showed their true age and were both too tired to go out. Understandable. But that didn't stop us from partying without her. It was a lot of fun but it would have been fitting if Han was there since she was the one who introduced me to House Music when I was in grade 8 and just came from South Carolina where house music was obsolete. Anyway, we made our way home and I prepared for the following day events. At 10AM on Sunday we had a Bridal Shower brunch at Richtree. Sorry Has, girls only. It was non stop eating, games and more eating! After the shower Hannah headed straight to the airport and made her way back "home". I myself went home and took a quick nap before going to Big Daddy's for a birthday dinner with the gang. The following evening on my actual birthday, Norm took me shopping and then dinner for two at the Keg. Sweet. Tonight as I type this blog my eyelids feel like they weigh 20 lbs. I worked until 8pm tonight since tomorrow we have Salsa, Thursday we have Wednesday night dinner, and Friday to Sunday hope to get away for a few days. Gosh, I feel like the energy bunny that keeps going and going and going....

Thanksgiving at Ev's

Last night we had Thanksgiving dinner at Ev's place. She was so nervous and stressed about the whole thing but in the end everything was perfect. She had a 10 lb bird, sweet potato mash, peas, potatos, stuffing and biscuits. Her dessert was her very own home made apple crumble pie. Everything was delicious! I think we were all affected by the trytophan because we were all sleepy and did not have the energy to move.

Kahlua on the other hand was trying to get our attention by going poopy on her poopy pad but then eating her very own poops. How gross is that? I guess little Kahlua has still lots to learn. She's only a baby. A very cute baby.

I think my sister is in town...has anyone seen her?

Wings and Kahlua

The long awaited St Louis Wings opened up near Ev's condo so we made plans to meet last night not only to eat wings but to also meet Kahlua. Let me just say I've never seen a cuter puppy than Kahlua. She's half shih tzu and maltese and she really is the cutest thing. She's only 3 lbs and will grow to maybe 5 but that's about how big she'll be. Mommy Ev is doing well. She's a bit tired from the early morning crying but she's doing well and looks like Kahlua has changed her life already. I called her at 5:30 and she was actually home...not at work, not at the mall, not at Costco's...she was actually at home. I think Kahlua is going to change Di's life as well. She has always wanted a dog and now she can share Kahlua and maybe even steal her on the weekends. Afterall, Gerwyn has a pet lizard to play with Kahlua. The lizard is probably bigger though.

Welcome home Kahlua...and cheers to St Louis Wings! Half price Tuesdays...yipee!

Thanksgiving weekend

On Saturday we went to the Cruzada housewarming/retirement party for Uncle Ray. There were tonnes of Karoke freaks singing until the wee hours of the morning. Both Tim and Paul made an appearance. What are the chances? Finally saw Marie - she just came home from Cali that morning. The gang decided to choose a wedding date for her. We decided on October 6, 2007. Cali...here we come!

Sunday was Mom and Mike's birthday. Went to the Santos' household for Mikey's birthday / Thanksgiving. I think there were too many of us in the house but it kept us all in the same room and we were forced to play together. Yes, we like to play games (don't tell Di)....so out came the Jenga! How nerve-wracking. Soon after Francis brought out the colouring books and it was time for a colouring contest! This is how the parents kept them busy and quiet when they were younger. Ate Queenie always won the contest so Francis wanted a rematch. I coloured with Grandma and we won 2nd prize! Yay! (Ours is the one of Ernie walking behind the tree) The prize was a bowl of belou-belou. ha ha!

Today is Monday and we are off to brunch at the Barrientos' and later dinner at Has and Flo's. Thank goodness we're not in charge of the turkey but I still woke up early to cook the roasted pepper and potato soup and a vegetable casserole.

Am I exhausted? Absolutely. But is it worth it? Absolutely.

Early morning trip to the market...

This morning we woke up early and headed to the market. At 8:00 am it was already busy, bustling with families shopping for all sorts of stuff to put on the table for Thanksgiving dinner. The vegetables were so beautiful, so many colours! I was tempted to buy one of each. I have a little red buggy that I find so useful but once that's full, it's time to go home. I bought leeks, carrots, cauliflower, red and yellow peppers and zucchini. We also bought roast beef and fresh bread...who can resist fresh bread? I was tempted to buy butter tarts and fresh croissants but I'm trying to lose weight for my sister's wedding - or should I say, I'm trying not to gain more weight. It's going to be hard this weekend, that's for sure.

Deeleecious Dinner

Last night it was Di's turn for Wednesday Night Dinner and as expected she turned it into a game. Guess the theme was the game. Well, to start she had stuffed mushrooms. They were enhaled in 2 seconds. Her main dish included stuffed chicken and a stuffed tomato with rice paired with a simple salad with asparagus (not stuffed). For dessert she blew us all away with profiteroles stuffed with ice cream with chocolate sauce, strawberries and hand whiped, whipped cream. Di decided to combine the left over whipped cream and chocolate sauce together and eat it right from the bowl. Who does that? Well, Gerwyn joined in...but other than these two weirdos, who does that?! Like that wasn't enough, Di put down her spoon and started using her fingers to lick the bowl clean.
Oh yeah, back to the theme...can you guess it? That's right: stuffed everything.

It would have been a perfect night if Diana had decent cable TV. Can you believe we missed the first Leafs game? We tried to watch it from afar - someone across her building had it on a massive TV. It didn't matter because we lost anyway...but I'm convinced it was because we were not supporting our team. I'm watching tonight and so far we're winning 4-0...that's right....ZERO. Sorry Di, your team is choking once again.

Go Leafs Go

Vancouver Island, here we come!

We're starting to plan our trip out west for my sister's wedding and we were thinking of tagging some days in the end for a mini vacation. We had thought about Vegas as well as San Francisco but last night during dinner Norm mentioned our island. Vancouver Island that is. We both had such busy summers and really did not have a real vacation since last December when we went to Disney World. Sure, we went to South Carolina for my cousins wedding but that was more a weekend thing and everything felt rushed. When Norm suggested hanging out on the island I was so happy. It's a perfect idea. We started looking into accomodations and Norm got a little excited in the planning because his itinerary included Victoria, Nanaimo, Tofino and then off to Whistler for some skiing. I don't mind where we go but I'd like to spend at least 3 days on the island. How relaxing does that sound?

Lucky Me

Jeans is one of my favourite items to buy but it's also the hardest. I went into Gap and checked out all the different styles. I thought, for sure I'll find one here. I started off the the long and lean (although I'm neither) and they didn't have my size. I then moved on to the curvy (I'm kinda curvy) and can only find a size 2. So by now I'm just looking for anything in my size but everytime I found size 1 I couldn't find it in ankle (a nice way of saying short). After at least 20 minutes they told me ankle only starts at size 4. That was news to me. So off I went to other stores in search for jeans. We ran into a new store called Lucky that just opened up in Canada. I walked in and picked up the first pair of jeans that I saw. Thirty seconds later a fella comes up to me and asked if I wanted to see jeans that would actually fit me...length wise. Oh my gosh, he's a mind reader. Off we went to the back of the store where he showed me two pairs. One is the popular skinny jean and the other a sexy weekend jean. It was like he made the jeans himself...so full of information. So I try them on and they fit like a glove. I didn't know which one to buy but Norm was quick to point out which one my butt looked good in. Pig. I think I've found my new favourite store to buy jeans. So I'm spreading the word...check out this store. You may get lucky!

What's with our weather?

It's been stressful for the last few weeks planning the big Sunnybrook BBQ. Imagine, planning a BBQ for over 8000 staff and not knowing who will come. Do we have enough food? Enough tables and chairs? Food? So this morning I anxiously turn on the TV to check the weather and there it was....forecast for rain in the afternoon. Is it possible? We always have it during this time of the year and we've always had wonderful Indian summer weather. What's with our weather these days? I feel like I'm in Vancouver all over again.

Happy Birthday Paul

Charissa invited the whole family to Congee Queen for a surprise birthday dinner for Paul. Paul has been busy with MCATs, school and work so he misses out a lot on our family get togethers which is why Charissa got us all together for his birthday. Afterward we went to Richtree (formally known as Marche) for dessert. Crepes all around! We actually ran into a couple of people there - Vic being one of them. It was so weird because we were just talking about him earlier that day with Ger and Di. Oh yes, I forgot to mention our brunch date with the lovey dovey couple. We went to eggspectation and then went shopping at the Eaton Centre. Di was trying to find that pregnant belly thing you can try on at Maternity/Baby Gap. I guess she wanted to scare Gerwyn away.
Sunday was our day to clean and get my fall/winter clothes out of storage. Wishful thinking. I woke up at noon, watched Jerry Maguire, and then we decided we were hungry so we went to Wah Sing. That's right...Wah Sing. It was as good as I remembered it plus we had left overs to bring home and eat for the next day. Cindy (our waitress) also packed us 2 huge containers of Taho. I was wondering why the take out bag was heavy. I don't really eat Taho but Norm sure enjoyed it. And as usual, she packed me extra fortune cookies. Isn't that nice?

David Usher

Norm's favourite day of the week is Friday so usually we go out for dinner, go for a walk around the city (or the mall =) and chill in front of the tube for the rest of the evening. Well this Friday was extra special since David Usher was throwing a free concert at Nathan Phillips Square. We got there early enough to listen to the other performers which included a steel drum band as well as another alternative artist. Then came David Usher. We stood away from the crowd, singing along, kinda dancing, hands up in the air. Norm was truly in his own little world. Too bad there was no BC bud to accompany his happy mood. I guess you can't have everything.

Passing the Torch

Sunday afternoon was spent at Grandma and Grandpa's house learning how to make Grandpa's famous empanadas. I had made the filling earlier that morning so the only thing we needed to learn was the dough. Grandpa put in 4 cups of flour and then the rest was all blurry. Grandma kept talking to me so I couldn't pay attention to what those two were putting into the bowl. Anyway, after waiting almost 2 hours we had our first taste of Mel & Norm's empanadas. It was delicious, especially right out of the oven. To top it off, Grandpa gave us his Kitchen Aid mixer, rolling pin, and apron. The passing of the torch...make him proud Norm!

Gerwyn's First Crack at Wednesday Night Dinner

So we had someone new join our Wednesday Night Dinner Club. Welcome Gerwyn! He had no idea how serious we were about these dinners: searching for recipes days in advance, preparing parts of the meal the day before, maybe even trying out the recipe before the big day. Well, this was Gerwyn's turn to shine and oh boy did he ever! His appetizer was cho-mai with fancy, schmancy dipping sauce. Then for his main meal we had steaks, spicy shrimp that Ev devoured, and humongous scallops in yet another "Begonia secret sauce". He paired those off with a wonderful, tasty Begonia grilled pepper salad. We were all impressed! To top that off, he spoiled us with a chocolate mouse brownie white chocolate chocolate supreme cake that he had custom made just for us! It was heavenly. Okay Gerwyn, you've proved to be Wednesday worthy.

Oh Mom

So Mom calls me last night because it finally hit her...Hannah's getting married in 2 months! Eeeek! She started to worry about what dress she's going to buy, what shoes she's going to wear, how she's going to do her hair...Everything was about her! She's hillarious! She tried on a few dresses at Yorkdale mall but luckily she didn't purchase any as of yet. She saw two dresses that she really loved. The first one was a chocolate brown strapless gown and the second one was chocolate brown as well but with a criss crossed back. With that she said she would wear blue drop earrings. I started laughing. I told her moms should not really match the bridesmaids and she should instead wear something gold or off white. She said she really looks good in brown, and the lady at the store said she really looked good in the dresses. Of course she did, that's her job! Mom had a good laugh. She said she'll keep looking and that she wouldn't buy anything unless I've approved. Normally, I wouldn't care what mom wears. I have accepted that she is a YummyMummy but for this occasion, I would prefer that she be a bit more conservative. Oh Mom...

Weekend Summary

On Friday, Norm and I walked around Queen W to check out Caban since they were having a huge sale. I guess we got there too late because everything was pretty much gone. Norm managed to get a trunk that was originally $250 for $40. What a steal. Afterwards we ate at Sushi time and as usual, ordered way too much. On our way home we tried to see over the rows and rows of people standing around Much Music waiting for the Stars but we didn't see anyone. We also passed Roy Thompson Hall and it was full of star gazers.

Saturday morning we had to go pick up the trunk Norm bought at Caban. Since we were out we went to Kensington to try Jumbo Empanadas. Gerwyn raves about these all the time so we were dying to try them. They were pretty good and very mexican tasting. It reminded me of when we went to Mexico and how everything...even simple eggs and bacon tasted like salsa. Norm's Grandpa still makes the best empanadas in my opinion. I think Norm is going to learn how to make them in time for his Wednesday night dinner. Watch out guys! For lunch I headed into Pickering to meet up with Jo, Jenn, Chris and Mich. As always, it was nice to catch up. At around 6 we picked up Grandma and headed into Brampton for a family party. It's always nice to get Grandma out of the apartment and she really enjoys hanging out with the Grandkids.

Sunday I tried to sleep in because I was exhausted from the day before. We met Mom, Dad and Father Max at Congee Queen for lunch. Went back to mom's house for mass. Then met up with everyone again at Magic Wok for dinner. Fran, Uncle Vic, John and Tim had a basketball bet going and the winner gets to go to Magic Wok and order anything they want. Not only did Tim order everything, he also invited everyone so in total there were 16 of us. What a sweet deal.

This morning I feel exhausted. I can't wait until Friday...

My Wednesday Night Dinner

So last night we resumed our Wednesday night dinners and I volunteered to be first. The menu was Tapas: Hoisin pork ribs, Bbq chicken wings with a Korean sauce, asparagus, corn on the cob, broccoli and sweet potato wedges. The food was placed in the middle of the table and everyone pigged out. The dessert was simple because the main course was heavy. It was baked peaches with brown sugar paired with vanilla bean ice cream. The eating didn't stop there. The chocolates came out and everyone just kept on eating. Finally, as we were all relaxing on the couch watching TV, Di decides to cut open the watermellon. She's a monster I tell you. She can out eat any of us. The funny thing is she made this rule that she would only eat until she was 80% full. I guess that didn't work out too well. I must say, it was nice having Gerwyn join our Wednesday night dinners. It looked like he was having fun but every now and then his face changed from a smile to a worried look. It's because he's next on the roster to be the Chef and he was a little intimidated by my spread. I guess he had no idea what he was getting himself into. Wait until he sees Di's and Ev's and even Norm's. Everyone puts 110% into their dinners. As Di says, we plan the dinner way in advance and even prepare the night before. It's stressful for all of us to put on this huge dinner and hope it doesn't bomb but in the end it's worth it and it sure is satisfying to see everyone enjoying the meal you made. Gerwyn's theme next week is aphrodisiacs. That will be interesting. I'll be sure to blog about it.

So long summer

Today we started the day off with a venti Caramel Macciato at Starbucks. I know, it's fattening but we only enjoy it on occasion and today just felt like one of those days. We picked up the Dynamic Duo - Di and G and we headed out to the burbs to have dim sum with Sal, Mae and Glenn. Sal was there first (wow!? she must have been hungry because she's usually late as per Diana) and she got us a number. We got there shortly after and after a few minutes I start noticing people being seated before us. We were trying to listen to the numbers but it was all in Chinese. We checked with the hostess and said she had called our number but we missed it. Of course we did, I don't know what 36 is in Chinese! This was truly a Seinfeld moment. Then came the food. The food was good but they came around speaking Chinese. Even when we talked back in English, they would still talk to us in Chinese. Forget it, just show us the food and we'll nod if we want some. My fav was the deep fried shrimp ball as well as Norm's "bocci bocci". No one knew what he was talking about so we figured it was a term Norm's mom came up with. It's the round deep fried dessert with sweet red bean paste. After lunch we had planned to do some grocery shopping at T&T but it was closed. That was a surprise. Pacific Mall was open but we decided to head back downtown and go to the Ex. Norm would usually prefer to ride the subway but for some reason he thought he'd drive. 2 hours later we arrived home - no beavertails, no funnel cake, no 99 cent spagetti, no chocolate bars. The traffic was horrendous and all the parking lots were full. We basically spent 2 hrs in the car touring the city. Anyway, for some reason today feels extra long. We just came back from a viewing. My coworkers husband passed away from cancer so I wanted to pay her and the family a visit. Everytime I go to a viewing I think...

Life is too short. Life is precious.

I'm glad I had that Caramel Macciato.

Saturday Night with the Cousins

Last night we went to Kuya Freddie and Ate Car's place for Carlo's 15th birthday. It turned out to be a great night hanging out with all the cousins and Grandma. We basically sat around the table (or should I say, around the food) and started asking each couple questions such as: How did you meet? When you fight, who gives in first? Who handles all the expenses? It was funny how each spouse had a different version of how they met such as HE called me first...but he would say SHE made the first move. The best part was listening to Grandma's stories of how her and Grandpa met. Grandpa would always follow her when she was in Med school but she never really paid him much attention. You gotta love how girls always play hard to get. But one day Grandpa asked to take her on a horse and carriage ride so when she got up inside the buggy, Grandpa "attacked" her with kiss after kiss. This is the funny part: After making out with Grandpa, she eloped to his house because she thought she was pregnant. Back then, they used to think that you get pregnant by kissing. Boy, I'd be in trouble if that were the case. Her greatest piece of advice was: Respect each other. All of us were quietly listening to each and every word she said. Grandma and Grandpa have been married for 67 years so we have a lot to learn. So far Norm and I are doing pretty good, but they say that changes when you have kids. I think we can tackle anything together, even with 10 kids, so long as we always remember Grandma's advice. Repect. I truly agree.

This is my Godson, Benjamin Joseph.
This was taken when we had family day at Bingemins.
It was his first time in the water and like all kids, he loved it!
It's too bad he lives all the way in Markham.
I would love to see him more often but Norm and I refuse to live that far. At least not at this point in our lives.

I love chubby babies. Especially this one.

I love this picture. This is Seyla and Rayanne, our Goddaughters. Rayanne is 4 and Seyla is 3 - although when you see them together Seyla is actually taller and has bigger feet! In this picture Seyla is sad because Rayanne took her doll "Baby Cole" and would not share with her. After telling Seyla that Rayanne does not have any dolls of her own, Seyla waited patiently beside her...but not without the saddest face ever. Later on she went to "Uncle Nom" and asked him if he can buy Rayanne her own doll.

Kids...ya gotta love 'em!

Happy 88th Birthday

Well, the party was a success. Everyone was impressed, especially Grandpa and Grandma. The food was plenty - which was a concern because people were a little scared that it would not be enough. Whew. The salsa dance was a show stopper. Everyone was impressed that Grandpa, the Ballroom King, had 16 grandchildren who were also dance savvy. Paul surprised the crowd with a last minute seranade which turned into 2 songs due to popular demand. Angelo and his girlfriend also performed a filipino love song that made Grandma cry. It was so sweet. After the performances were all over, it was strictly dancing for the rest of the night. Kuya Boyet was the true reason the night was a success with his DJ equipment and all the latest gadgets.

Happy 88th Grandpa!

On your marks, get set, GO!

It's 8:30 am and I just woke up from a good night's rest. I feel so refreshed and ready to take on whatever it is that comes this weekend. We are to meet at the hall by noon so we can decorate and have everything set up before the guests come at 5:00. Actually because this is a party for Grandpa's 88th birthday, the majority of the guests are 65 and above. Most of them don't have cars so we are meeting about 50 of Grandpa's guests at Midland Station and we'll be driving them to the hall. When the party was first planned, Grandpa did not agree with the location in which we picked because it was not TTC friendly - they would have to walk quite a distance (in old folks standards) to get to the place. That's why we offered to pick up those that did not have a ride. We had no idea it would be this many but he does have quite a few apos to help out, thankfully. Last night we practiced our salsa number and after only 4 tries, we had perfected it. Grandpa will be so proud. Tonight is also my sister's Jack & Jill in Vancouver that I was supposed to attend but she had let me off because of the big expense and because I could only go for the weekend. Sorry guys but I'm sure you'll be too drunk to even notice that we weren't there. I will party in your honour...with the lolos and lolas...party on, dude.

Lets go to the EX ... oh baby..

When the CNE opens it's gates it is a tell tale sign that in 3 weeks the kids will be back to school. It was always an opportunity for me (along with Norm, Has and a dozen of friends) to make some money. We worked in the grand stands where they held the concerts way before the ACC was built. Since we were working, I was always unable to see the actual perfomance which always sucked, especially when Bon Jovi came into town. I'm a big fan. Friday night Norm and I decided to visit "The old Lady" not knowing it was going to be our lucky night. Our first stop was, of course, the food building. While we were deciding what to eat, I was looking at the CNE booklet they gave us that tells us exactly what's going on. That's when I saw that Fefe Dobson was going to perform at the Bandshell. Norm almost flipped out when I told him. We've been Fefe fans ever since Nanaimo when she was supposed to have a concert but later cancelled on us. Boo! But now was our chance so we quickly bought our food and made our trek to the Bandshell. It was an awesome show. Norm and I sat at the back pretending we were old and mature but inside we were dying to go up and party with the young'uns. What a fun night! Afterwards we went back to the food court (we love food!) and got beaver tails, walked up and down the midway and called it a night. We have a lot of memories at the CNE but this one will probably be my favourite!

Mariah

Sunday night I was privleged to see the Diva, live in person at the ACC. Sean Paul was the opening act but we missed most of it because we were dining at The Armidillo Texas Grill. Mariah's songs brought me back...way back to high school and university. It's amazing how you relate certain songs to a time of your life. I remember relying on Mariah to get me through the time Norm left to work in Walkerton for 3 months. I know, it was only 3 months but when you're young and in love it was a huge deal. After the concert, Di and I walked home only to find Norm and Gerwyn in a drunken state. While we were at the concert, they were at Hot House Cafe and drank 2 bottles of wine. Who does that?

Al & Han

So now that we're slowly recovering from Brian's wedding, we're also preparing for Han and Al's wedding which is in 3 months! Gaa-lee! It's a non stop party this year with lots of celebrations. Yesterday Ev sent me the proof for the invitation which looked ready to go. Next we have to think of what her wedding favours will be. And how about our dresses? Shoes? Oh boy, there's lots to do. I better get crackin'.

South Carolina

Well, we're back from South Carolina and I miss everyone already! There was never a dull moment from the moment we woke up to the wee hours of the night when we all fell asleep. There were 20 of us in the house so finding a spot to sleep was a bit of a challenge. It wasn't only the sleeping situation, but eating was also a big mess. The stove was on all the time and although there were only 20 of us sleeping in the house, other guests would drop by during the day so basically we were feeding about 30 people each time. But whenever we went to do errands, we made a stop at our fav...Chick-fil-a. It's a Southern fast food joint that has the best chicken sandwiches! Norm and I look forward to it every single time we go down. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. I got teary eyed when I saw my cousin standing there in his tux waiting patiently for his bride. It was then that I realized that Brian was all grown up. The reception was fun with all the dancing and the drinking. It seemed more like a big Clemson party. The only downside was that it ended at 9 pm. That's a little too early to end a party but that's okay. We continued the party at a bar in downtown Charleston while Kate and Brian went to the hotel to prepare for their early departure to Mexico the next morning. On the way back from the club, we had to drop off the groom's luggage, camera, swimming trunks, etc...all of which he forgot. How can you forget your luggage? Kate was not a happy camper. The following day we had a brunch for the out of town guests and combined it with a bridal shower for Hannah and Allan. Allan has yet to model the red thong that we gave him. Al, Han is waiting! Later that evening...and yes, this is all the same day, we had a pool party for my cousin Avery. The water was absolutely refreshing and it was a great way to end the hectic weekend. On Monday, we woke up early and headed to Myrtle Beach. What's a trip to South Carolina without going to Myrtle Beach? Although Allan loves golf, it was way too hot for him. I guess he will have to make another trip but maybe in the fall when it's cooler. Tuesday was our departure day. I couldn't leave without saying Hello to Auntie Baba, Grandpa and Grandma so we woke up early in the morning and made our way to the cemetary. It was an absolutely beautiful morning. The sun was out but there was this strange wind blowing right at us. It's like you could feel their presence. I miss them very much. That was the only downside to the trip but I know they were there in spirit.

Introducing Mr & Mrs Deni Brian Orara

Is it possible?

Only 2 more days to go before we fly out to South Carolina and Norm gets sick. Is it possible? With the scortching heat, Norm managed to get sun stroke. He had a fever last night and did not have energy to eat. Being the good nurse that I am, I made him cream of wheat so at least he has something in his stomach. I also got up periodically to give him OJ hoping he can pee all of the sickness away. Well, it worked. He's feeling much better today although I've ordered him to stay home just in case. Oh Norm.

Bingemans

The long awaited "family day" was on Saturday and this year we went to Bingemans which is an hour north west of Toronto. This is the same place Norm and Francis went when they were kids so really I think they were the most excited out of the bunch. They started with some batting cages and then cleaned off their sweat in the pool. Gross. The kids had a lot of fun up and down the water slide. There were about 3 different types of water slides but Rayanne and Seyla preferred the more simple, smaller one. On to the wave pool, a smaller version of what they have at Wonderland but the kids didn't seem to notice the difference. For lunch we went all out and had BBQ, rice, salad, veggies and fruit while onlookers watched as they ate sandwiches. When it comes to food, there's no other way but to do it filipino style. It's also a lot cheaper with 5 kids. To end our day we went to A&W where Norm and Francis enjoyed a 10 piece chicken bucket with the left over rice from lunch. Luckily we found a seat outside. How embarassing.

Happy Birthday Di!!!

Happy Birthday DeeLee-cious!

Congrats to Norm

Just wanted to say Congrats to Norm for wowing the people at the Toronto CCAC who interviewed him for the home care Pharmacist position. He was offered the job yesterday so we celebrated with Chinese food and wine!

Cottage Country

Early Saturday morning at 6 am we picked up Sally, Di and Gerwyn and headed up to the cottage. It was rainy and muggy in T.O. but the further north we drove, the sky cleared and the sun was hot! Later on that morning Mae, Glenn, Jared and Huddy joined us. It was a full house! As usual, Wendel and Mom enjoyed the company of us young'ns. Here are a few highlights: Glenn was the first to step up to the plate when it came time for water skiing. His confidence made it seem like he had done it before but once the boat tugged on the rope, he fell face first into the water. Norm was next...but not successful. Huddy followed suit and after the third try, he succeeded...for maybe 5 seconds. To us, that was a big deal! Then there was the double dog. Di and Gerwyn got on and immediately fell off. They tried again and they were doing so well until Wendel started picking up speed and on a tight turn, there was a huge wipeout. At night we had a nice bon fire where we toasted up marshmellows and Di made smores with graham crackers. The stars were so beautiful and the lake so calm. Best part of all...I didn't get one bite! The next morning we were all awaken by the fire alarm. No one knew why it went off until Gerwyn confessed that it was him...boiling water. Who does that?! He couldn't work the water cooler because it was child proof. Who are you?!

All in all, it was a great weekend with great friends and of course, great food!

Maybe we'll have to make this a yearly thing. Until next year ...

Carlos 1

Carlos 1 (aka "Carlos Premiero") is a brandy that Uncle Vic got from the Philippines. Norm and him decided to drink a little while eating fried pork fat with a vinegar concoction (ew). It apparently goes down smooth but what Norm failed to realize is that it was 80 proof. Luckily we caught Timmy before he escaped for the night. His girlfriend Louise came in to say Hi and before we knew it, she was sipping a glass of Carlos Premiero. Francis Baguio also stopped by to drop off cherries from his cherry tree but soon he, too, had pulled up a chair with drink in hand. Tita came home shortly after and was happy that the gang was still around so she ordered pizza. It was a really fun night with lots of laughing and talking and of course, drinking. This is a perfect case of "the best plan is no plan". Norm and I just came to visit and all of a sudden it's a party...with Uncle! But none of this would have happened had it not been for Mr. Carlos 1.

I love weekends

What's great about this week is that it was short so the weekend came pretty darn fast. The sucky thing about it is that I have a lot of work to come back to but who can think about work when the sun is shining outside and it's 30 degrees! It's Saturday morning and Norm is on his way to the market to grab us some chicken & eggplant sandwiches as well as some Empire apples. Today we plan on driving an hour northwest to Elora Gorge and having a little picnic. In Nanaimo, we always explored different areas of the island and it was always a lot of fun, not to mention cheap. So why not do it in Ontario? It's just as beautiful. We will probably stop along the way because Norm is always adventurous, or shall I say, nosey. I hope we come across some cherry picking, not that I'll pick because Lord help me if I see a caterpiller, but I'll just buy the ones already in a basket. I love cherries, especially with salt. But most of all, I love weekends!

Epic

First off I would like to say that I love long weekends! The heat and the humidity is a true sign that summer is here baby! The highlight of the weekend was Sunday buffet brunch as Epic. Epic is located at Royal York hotel and if it looks poshy at first...that's because it is. We enjoyed the usual breakfast items as well as sushi (real sushi, not just california rolls), lobster, crab, shrimp, oysters, chicken, pasta, an assortment of salads but the kicker was the chocolate fondue. Everything tastes better with chocolate...especially marshmellows. As most of you know, I suck at buffets but this time I ate everything! But don't worry, that was the start of my one month diet. My cousin's wedding is a month from tomorrow and I plan on toning and losing 3-4 lbs? Is it doable? I don't know...I love food but most of all, I love going out to dinner with Norm. Last night we had salmon and salad and for lunch I have packed the salmon and veggies. That's a good start.

Happy Anniversary

Today is our 4 year anniversary and according to the books, we are to get each other "silk". This morning Norm left a card as well as a Chinese silk wallet - you know, the ones you get from the dollar store or Pacific Mall. When I saw it, i smiled...that's my Norm. We were supposed to go out for dinner tonight but Rennie's boyfriend is here from California and she wanted to hang out with us. There goes our quiet dinner but oh well. At least someone can take a proper picture of us. Just wanted to say Happy Anniversary to US. We've been together 16 years now... and still lovey dovey as ever.

Wishing you all the happiness I found when I met Norm...

Happy 30th Ev

We celebrated Ev's Birthday at the Branthouse last night. She looked all pretty with her pink dress and pink stillettos. Norm said her dress was too short. I think what he meant was it was too revealing in the chest area. I say, shake what your mama gave ya. Unfortunately my mama gave me the wrong things - huge hair and long toes but hey, I'm not complaining. It was really nice seeing Age, Bruce & Graham. Still the same old party boys. Except now Bruce had to leave at 1:30...he's a dad now you see. Another great addition to our party was our great old friend, Gerwyn. We've been friends with him since highschool so sometimes it feels like I'm 16 all over again. Especially when he busts out the house moves. And then there's Ms Tan who graced us with her presence. Norm was so impressed that she drove all the way from Montreal and still had enough energy to put her party hat on. What a friend! The only one missing in action was Mary who is always flying away on last minute deals. The last time she did that she was pregnant. Hmmm.

Happy Birthday Evie!

Baby Boom

Last night we went over to Jeff's place not only to celebrate his 30th Birthday but also to celebrate the announcement of their little bambino on the way. Jen is 13 weeks pregnant and may is due around Christmas or Boxing Day. I don't think anyone can ask for a better Christmas gift. And as for Jeff's birthday...he's in denial. He thinks he's still 19. When his boys are around, I also feel as if I'm 19 all over again. It's always nice to see those Neil boys and it doesn't surprise me that they're still so close.

Happy Birthday Jeff & Congratulations on your baby!

Swiss Chalet

Tonight we went to Swiss Chalet for dinner. You can never go wrong with good old, Canadian Swiss Chalet...although I'm unsure of why they call it "Swiss". Sally always talks about St. Huberts and how it's so good. Oh yeah? Does the chicken taste so good that you don't even need the sauce - although what person doesn't like Swiss Chalet sauce. Does St. Huberts offer the little bowls with lemon that you can wash your fingers in? Now that's what I call ingenius! And during holidays, does St Huberts offer the Festive Specials? How about the toblerone bar? You just can't beat it Sal. Swiss Chalet rocks! Best part of all...it's only $6.99!

Another Barrientos on the way

Congratulations to Kuya Freddie & Ate Car who are expecting a little baby early next year. They moved to Canada 2 years ago hoping for a better life for their son, Carlo, who is now in high school. Carlo has always wished for a sibling. I'm glad his wishes came true...15 years later.

Woofstock

This weekend was Woofstock along Front Street where everyone from near or far brought their best friends, their dogs! Unfortunately I didn't have Zoe or Cisco to show (they don't like big crowds) but I did go down to dog watch. My favourite dog was a huge St Bernard that I saw playing with the tiniest of chiwawas. No niocitrin around his neck though. Norm's fav was the English bulldog - the one with lots of rolls and wrinkles. Seyla's favourite were...you guessed it...the ones that looked like Zoelicious. Apparently this is the biggest Woofstock in Canada. I just hope everyone scooped their own poop. Just one pet peeve of mine.

Happy Birthday Monsters

Happy Birthday to Han & Has - my twin siblings, kinda. Both born on June 10th but exactly one year apart - what are the chances? Celebrations are under way in Vancouver for my sister's house warming/ birthday party. Wish we could be there but I am saving my vacation for your big day, when you'll need me most. As for Has, he is dropping his kids at my place and going to paint the town red with Floree. They will be enjoying a steak dinner at Hy's. Don't worry kids, I made steaks, sweet potatoes and orzo for us at home. We're going to have our own party. Better run, I have to Hayden proof my condo.

Happy Birthday guys!

Blog Worthy

Okay Di, here it goes.

We had our Wednesday night dinner at Di's place last night and she has definitely raised the roof. Although we've been trying to "bring it down a notch" we seem to be challenging each other with dishes you would only see at the fanciest of restaurants. Since it was such a beautiful night we went up to the rooftop patio where we were greeted with Toronto's majestic skyline. When ever I see that, I think...it's nice to be home. Di started off with grilling two huge tuna steaks only 2 minutes per side. Once they were done, they were placed on top of our nicoise salad. As a side dish, she also made cheese gougiere, or as Norm calls them - cheeseburgers. Man, talk about fancy. What really made this dinner special was Di's special table cloth. It's the small things that make a difference. I'm sure everyone on that patio was hoping we would invite them over. For dessert we went back to her suite and had angel food cake with marinated strawberries and whipped cream. Can it get any better than that? We'll see. Stayed tuned for Ev's Wednesday night dinner. No pressure Ev.

My Sisters Wedding

At last, I have some time to work on my sister's wedding invitations. I cannot believe her wedding is in 5 months. First of all, I am so happy that she's marrying Al. When we moved to BC, we had the chance to get to know him and my first impression was ... this guy is funny. Put Norm and Al together, and you have a comedy club. But aside from being the joker that he is, he's very caring and giving. On the down side, he doesn't like to be waken up early when I call my sister T.O time. We can't help it if we're early birds. I also remember him being neat. I can only imagine how their house is. I'm sure they each have their own ideas on decorating. I'll save the rest for my speech on the big day but all in all, we love Al! As long as he takes care of my sister...that's all I ask.

Stay tuned for the wedding invitations.

Sunny days ahead

He's here...he's home! I'm happy to announce that Norm is now recovering at home. I was reading my last blog and realized I left out an important person. Tita Nieves works at St Mike's (25 yrs of service) and we were lucky to have found her working that night. She came to Emerg and made it known to everyone that this was her nephew. After that, we were treated like royalty. Soon after a room was made available after waiting 9 hrs. We thought the operation would not be until the next day but 2:30 am we were awaken buy a team of surgeons ready to take in Norm. The next day we were greeted by the Charge Nurse (filipino of course) whom Tita Nieves had told to take care of Norm. She not only took care of Norm, but treated him like her own child. What I remember most is pacing back and forth in the room waiting for Norm to come back from the OR. I was scared and I couldn't sleep. Tita Nieves appeared and kept me calm and reassured me that everything would be okay. Norm said it best when he said, "It was like having my own mother there". Thank you Tita Nieves. Are you our guardian angel?

A long night at St Mike's

It was Thursday night after dinner when Norm started feeling pains in his stomach. We thought it must have been something he ate. Friday morning he went to work even though the pain persisted (stubborn boy) because he is dedicated to his patients. Luckily, his second patient cancelled and he made his way to the Dr's office. By this time he had diagnosed himself with having appendicitis because of the sharp pain in his lower right abdomen. The Dr confirmed his diagnosis and ordered him to go to ER. I met him in ER at 3:30 pm where they took blood work and monitored his pain. They were not convinced that it was indeed appendicitis because he was missing symptoms such as fever and vomiting so they decided to give him a CAT scan. Poor Norm. While we were waiting for the results to come back, I was close enough to the nursing station to hear everything. I heard the phone ring and someone asked to speak to the Doctor...it was radiology on line. I knew it had to be about Norm even though Emerg was fully packed. The Dr got on the phone and after a series of "yeah, uh-huh, yeah" she got off the phone and asked the nurses to call OR for "bed 17". I looked to see what our bed number was. It was 17. My body went numb and although I didn't want to show my fear, Norm can read me like a book. We weren't prepared for an operation. We were hoping it would be just gas and they would give him drugs and send him home. Instead, we were preparing for an operation. It was almost 12 midnight and we're still in ER. There were a lot of traumas that came in that night and were seen as more urgent so Norm was pushed back a couple of times. Soon they found us a room on the 9th floor so at least we can get some piece and quiet and so Norm can rest. We get to our room, get comfy, turn off the lights and try to sleep until we were awaken by the surgeon at 2:30 am. It's showtime. They wheeled him up to OR as I paced back and forth in the room. 5 o'clock came and at that time I went to the nursing station and asked why he wasn't back yet. She said he was probably in Recovery and they would bring him back up once his vitals are okay. You probably can guess what I was thinking - his vitals? does that mean he's not okay? At 5:30 I heard the elevator doors open and saw him waving from his bed...I got teary eyed. The worse part was over. I let him get some rest but I still couldn't sleep. The nurses said he had to practice on his deep breathing and start walking otherwise his lungs may collapse. Did I really need to hear that? Anyway, I'm happy to say he's doing well and is being released today. I'm getting ready to go there but first, I have to make a quick stop. I need to go to church. I have a lot to be thankful for.

Curves

So I joined Curves 2 months ago and thought it was a great idea. You only have to work out 3 times a week, half an hour each time. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. With a schedule like ours, it's hard to fit in dinner alone. Today was my first day at the gym this week. It felt really good. I love that it's only half an hour. I love that I don't have to think about what body part I will be working on that day. I don't even have to wait for the machines or share them with sweaty men. Does it actually work? I think so. There are women at my gym that have lost 8 lbs in 2 months. That's pretty impressive but I'm not there to lose weight. I just want to stay fit and healthy. They say exercise is key to preventing diseases. If that's true, at least I'm on the right track. And forget 3 times a week...I'm aiming for 4.

A Cougar Birthday

Last night we celebrated Foxy Tan's birthday at Bar Italia...30 yet again. It was nice for us to get together since Sally lives in Montreal and Mae has gone over to motherhood in suburbia. It's weird how we're all in different stages of life. I, for one, am overdue to have kids but I hang out with Ev and Di, the singletons. Sal has had a boyfriend for over a year now and although she loved the diamond earrings he gave her last night, she would probably prefer a diamond for her finger. And as for Mae, she's got the kid and moved about 45 mins outside of Toronto so needless to say, we see her only on occasions. But here come the birthdays and hence all the get togethers. Last night was fun. We bought Sally a lululemon outfit and signs for Ron's car for when they go to the Bluffs. Next up is Ev's birthday. She was hoping to fly us to Chicago to watch Oprah. Plan B is Montreal. Let the good times roll...

Just thought I'd share with you my favourite photos. This is Seyla Ryan, my goddaughter.

Ki

Last night was Ev's turn for Wednesday night dinner but instead of cooking she took us out to Ki. Ki is a contemporary Japanese restaurant that has a cutting edge design that incorporates a high profile bar as well as a lounge area and dining rooms for parties as small as 2 but as large as 30. Norm has been dying to try out Ki so we were planning on going on his birthday - which isn't until February. Ev takes her clients out there all the time and tells us it costs approximately $160 for just two people. This is why Norm and I were saving it for a special occasion. Anyway, we started off with drinks - martinis for the ladies and Norm had beer. As an appy, we had edamame (kicked up a notch with cayenne and salt) as well as sweet potato wedges. Then came the main meal - dynamite rolls, lobster rolls (yes, lobster), butter fish rolls, spicy tuna, and korean short ribs. While I was eating I was thinking, man - i can't believe Di is missing out on this. For dessert we had the trio cheesecake - my fav was the Matcha cheesecake. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks to Ev for a wonderful dinner. It's Norm's turn next week. I think he's going to bring it down a notch...roasted chicken anyone?

Take the lead...

On Tuesdays, Norm and I take salsa lessons. We have completed level 1 and will begin level 2 starting next week. We were thinking of taking a break for the summer but realized all of our hard work may go down the drain if we break for the summer. I must admit, I love taking the lead. When Norm's grandpa gave us ballroom lessons, he taught me the moves and Norm just followed my lead. With salsa, it's a whole new ball game. It is truly a man's dance...where the man uses the pressure of their hands to spin and move us any which way they please. During the last couple of classes, Norm really impressed me. He had me spinning all across the room. As it turns out, it's kinda fun not having to be the one to lead.

Welcome Back Summer

This weekend we went up north to officially open up the cottage to prepare for those endless summers of fun and sun. I actually took the wheel in Barrie and the drive itself was beautiful. It reminds us a lot of BC but instead of huge mountains, we have tiny little hills. When we got to the cottage, the black flies were out in full force but later in the evening the wind blew them all away. Thank goodness for Off spray or they would have eaten Norm alive. Other than that, the cottage is always a nice get away from the big city. Looks like we can have both Toronto and Nanaimo living afterall.