Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
what's up
it has been awhile since i logged in at my blog. i do apologize.
after the kitchen has been renovated, the commander in chief and i went to a southern caribbean cruise. we flew to san juan, puerto rico last may 10 and went around the place. there is similarity with the old quebec to san juan. during our short stay in san juan, we passed by a souvenir store by the tourist area and bought t-shirts. the proprietor of the store was half pinoy. she was born in the philippines but her parents are from india and her husband is the same too but was born in the mountain province. we were surprised when she started telling us in our language about the prices of the items in the store. we were caught off guard.
we started sailing may ll with royal caribbean adventure of the sea and we did stay on the 8th floor of the ship overlooking the promenade. we started sailing to the farthest scheduled port of our tour which was barbados. monday was spent at the sea. we docked at barbados, tuesday morning. we went to st. lucia on wednesday, antigua on thursday, st. maartem on friday and last, st. thomas on saturday.
st. maartem and st. thomas are the places you want to go if you want to go shopping especially on jewelry.
before anything else, during our absence, there were people whom we would like to extend our thanks. these people were the one who looked after our place, the two dogs and fishes. thank you christie, frankie, norm, mel, tracy, loiuse and of the course the duo of tim and francis.
i did propose to norm and mel that even though that i have seen most of the southern caribbean island that i don't mind going back as long as we go on a cruise next year as a family group. it will be a wonderful experience as a family. i don't have any idea if everybody could join but one thing for sure, the umali's are geared for that.
it was an enjoyable cruise. we were bunch of pinoy from scarborough and mississauga. the total attendees were close to fifty. we were able to request the head waiter to cook for us adobo, pancit and "shrimp" sinigang aside from our scheduled dinner meal.
we arrived home 1am. monday. since it was a public holiday, we just stayed in bed for the rest of the day.
since my scheduled holiday was for two weeks, i started painting the living room and the hallways. as of writing, i'm almost done with my painting except the basement area and rooms.
there are so many things to do but you could only do it after work and weekends. hopefully, i will be able to finish some of it before the hot weather arrives.
thanks to francis for helping me. he did paint parts of the living room and then he fainted for two hours in our computer room bed. life in the big city.
tim moved to their new house a week ago. it is big. it looks like the christmas gathering for this year is set at major mackenzie and bathurst.
i will try to update my blog whenever i could. i don't want to be stuck at the "amidst of gift". i'll try to keep in touch as much as i can. again, sorry it took awhile.
after the kitchen has been renovated, the commander in chief and i went to a southern caribbean cruise. we flew to san juan, puerto rico last may 10 and went around the place. there is similarity with the old quebec to san juan. during our short stay in san juan, we passed by a souvenir store by the tourist area and bought t-shirts. the proprietor of the store was half pinoy. she was born in the philippines but her parents are from india and her husband is the same too but was born in the mountain province. we were surprised when she started telling us in our language about the prices of the items in the store. we were caught off guard.
we started sailing may ll with royal caribbean adventure of the sea and we did stay on the 8th floor of the ship overlooking the promenade. we started sailing to the farthest scheduled port of our tour which was barbados. monday was spent at the sea. we docked at barbados, tuesday morning. we went to st. lucia on wednesday, antigua on thursday, st. maartem on friday and last, st. thomas on saturday.
st. maartem and st. thomas are the places you want to go if you want to go shopping especially on jewelry.
before anything else, during our absence, there were people whom we would like to extend our thanks. these people were the one who looked after our place, the two dogs and fishes. thank you christie, frankie, norm, mel, tracy, loiuse and of the course the duo of tim and francis.
i did propose to norm and mel that even though that i have seen most of the southern caribbean island that i don't mind going back as long as we go on a cruise next year as a family group. it will be a wonderful experience as a family. i don't have any idea if everybody could join but one thing for sure, the umali's are geared for that.
it was an enjoyable cruise. we were bunch of pinoy from scarborough and mississauga. the total attendees were close to fifty. we were able to request the head waiter to cook for us adobo, pancit and "shrimp" sinigang aside from our scheduled dinner meal.
we arrived home 1am. monday. since it was a public holiday, we just stayed in bed for the rest of the day.
since my scheduled holiday was for two weeks, i started painting the living room and the hallways. as of writing, i'm almost done with my painting except the basement area and rooms.
there are so many things to do but you could only do it after work and weekends. hopefully, i will be able to finish some of it before the hot weather arrives.
thanks to francis for helping me. he did paint parts of the living room and then he fainted for two hours in our computer room bed. life in the big city.
tim moved to their new house a week ago. it is big. it looks like the christmas gathering for this year is set at major mackenzie and bathurst.
i will try to update my blog whenever i could. i don't want to be stuck at the "amidst of gift". i'll try to keep in touch as much as i can. again, sorry it took awhile.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
NEW KITCHEN
after 6 days of messy surroundings, our kitchen is now renovated. relatives and guests who had seen my kitchen before will somehow be surprised. from the flooring up to the last coat of paint, it was the commander-in-chief taste all the way. my role is just to bank roll the project. it is good thing that c.i.b.c. is trusting me with their money.
the next move is to put back all the things in its proper places. while doing so, we are planning to repaint the walls of the dining room, living room and the hallways so it will blend to the color of the kitchen. looking at it now, i have to do section at a time. i don't think i could get away from just painting the color on top of the existing paint since the paint that is now on the wall is somehow dark and one that is coming is lighter.
if frank will be able to extend his hands, he is now an expert in remodelling and painting, this task will be a breeze before our scheduled holiday.
it will be nice working hand in hand with him. there will be no dull moment while we are doing the task because of his singing. i'm pretty sure that trae had an earful when they had their condo repainted.
the next move is to put back all the things in its proper places. while doing so, we are planning to repaint the walls of the dining room, living room and the hallways so it will blend to the color of the kitchen. looking at it now, i have to do section at a time. i don't think i could get away from just painting the color on top of the existing paint since the paint that is now on the wall is somehow dark and one that is coming is lighter.
if frank will be able to extend his hands, he is now an expert in remodelling and painting, this task will be a breeze before our scheduled holiday.
it will be nice working hand in hand with him. there will be no dull moment while we are doing the task because of his singing. i'm pretty sure that trae had an earful when they had their condo repainted.
Monday, April 14, 2008
renovation
september is the month that we are all anticipating for. people from the west coast are planning to attend timmy's bachelorhood ends. since most of them are coming, we have decided to make some changes in our place before september comes.
one of the changes that we are intending to do is to renovate the kitchen. since we moved here last july 1988, the kitchen has been always the same. we just changed the paint of the cupboards and walls.
we were able to hire the contractor that was referred to us by john and queenie. the price is just what i'm hoping for and i'm pretty sure that by the time we started cooking on our new range and putting our cooked food in our new fridge it will be more. it will take at least two weeks to finish. so in two weeks it will always be "take out" dinner everyday for us.
do i hear anybody inviting us to come over for dinner? we will not be so selective and the invitation has to come from the heart.
one of the changes that we are intending to do is to renovate the kitchen. since we moved here last july 1988, the kitchen has been always the same. we just changed the paint of the cupboards and walls.
we were able to hire the contractor that was referred to us by john and queenie. the price is just what i'm hoping for and i'm pretty sure that by the time we started cooking on our new range and putting our cooked food in our new fridge it will be more. it will take at least two weeks to finish. so in two weeks it will always be "take out" dinner everyday for us.
do i hear anybody inviting us to come over for dinner? we will not be so selective and the invitation has to come from the heart.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
odds and ends
it has been awhile since i touch my blog for updates. it is not that bad considering that the last time that i blogged was march 15. frank, one of the blogger police, reminded me the other day that i'm due.
today, there will be a surprise party for my brother jojo. it will be his 60th birthday. it will be held at his daughter's brampton home and the place will be rocking at 4pm.
jo, as i call him, is the second to the youngest in the family. since i'm the youngest, we did have an ups and downs relationship which is normal during our younger- younger years. while we were growing up, we did have our differences, i'm always right and he is always wrong. he settled down at an early age of 17. he and my late sister-in-law nelia, had their first child, poleng, after 5 years of waiting. anna and christie followed soon.
they immigrated in canada in early 80's. now the three daughters have a family of their own.
jo is the side kick of his common law wife, lynda who is an insurance representative. his main task is to be a designated driver and input in the computer the necessary info regarding pertinent clients. i do admire and respect my brother from what he had accomplished so far considering the education that he attained.
hoping he'll have many more birthdays to come and we wish him the best of everything.
as i predicted, our fil-american contestant in american idol, ms. malubay, finally got voted out last week. truly, there are so many contestant that are better than her. point and case, the lady with tatoos on her right biceps is one of the hurdle she has to overcome. knowing the filipino community, they will embrace her for what she accomplished during her stint in the american idol. i'm just wandering when will an asian american be an american idol champion? whenever it is , the cell is still in the bag and by that time it happens, i might be 6ft below the ground.
going back from the audition until the magic 24, i don't see any korean, japanese and chinese participants. with the exception of william hung couple years ago, it is always us "flips" who always in there. i guess, we filipinos loves to sing even in times that we are mad. i know a woman who makes her own tune and sing the words she wants to blurted out to her husband. the neighbors thinks that she is just singing an opera. what a way to disguise as long as the husband is taking it all in. it is called SPONTERANEOUS singing.
before i end, written or verbal comments are appreciated especially if you are a blogger or non-blogger who is a silent participant.
the snow is starting to melt and warm weather is almost upon us. pretty soon, backyard bbq is an open season. time to go to the park and enjoy the breeze of air of summer.
today, there will be a surprise party for my brother jojo. it will be his 60th birthday. it will be held at his daughter's brampton home and the place will be rocking at 4pm.
jo, as i call him, is the second to the youngest in the family. since i'm the youngest, we did have an ups and downs relationship which is normal during our younger- younger years. while we were growing up, we did have our differences, i'm always right and he is always wrong. he settled down at an early age of 17. he and my late sister-in-law nelia, had their first child, poleng, after 5 years of waiting. anna and christie followed soon.
they immigrated in canada in early 80's. now the three daughters have a family of their own.
jo is the side kick of his common law wife, lynda who is an insurance representative. his main task is to be a designated driver and input in the computer the necessary info regarding pertinent clients. i do admire and respect my brother from what he had accomplished so far considering the education that he attained.
hoping he'll have many more birthdays to come and we wish him the best of everything.
as i predicted, our fil-american contestant in american idol, ms. malubay, finally got voted out last week. truly, there are so many contestant that are better than her. point and case, the lady with tatoos on her right biceps is one of the hurdle she has to overcome. knowing the filipino community, they will embrace her for what she accomplished during her stint in the american idol. i'm just wandering when will an asian american be an american idol champion? whenever it is , the cell is still in the bag and by that time it happens, i might be 6ft below the ground.
going back from the audition until the magic 24, i don't see any korean, japanese and chinese participants. with the exception of william hung couple years ago, it is always us "flips" who always in there. i guess, we filipinos loves to sing even in times that we are mad. i know a woman who makes her own tune and sing the words she wants to blurted out to her husband. the neighbors thinks that she is just singing an opera. what a way to disguise as long as the husband is taking it all in. it is called SPONTERANEOUS singing.
before i end, written or verbal comments are appreciated especially if you are a blogger or non-blogger who is a silent participant.
the snow is starting to melt and warm weather is almost upon us. pretty soon, backyard bbq is an open season. time to go to the park and enjoy the breeze of air of summer.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
AMERICAN IDOL
i have been following the american idol lately due to ms. malubay who is among the remaining 11 contestant vying to be the american idol for 2008. i want to see how long she will last.
the first filipino-american by the name of jasmin lasted to the top 3 and about two years ago a male filipino american lasted not that long.
one thing i seem to notice, filipino-american contestant seems that their choices of songs are not compatible to their voices. they seem to fell in love with the slow tempo. i know that filipinoes love to sing songs that are romantic and in one way or another that the messages that the song brings has attachment to them. i guess their parents has an influence in their selection of songs.
there was a filipino canadian girl who got in to the magic 12 of canadian idol. every week that i watched, ballad after ballad. she has a beautiful voice, just like my wife when she is taking a shower (just inside the shower where her voice really has volume and it echoes as if celine dion is performing her last show in las vegas. as always, i'm staring, standing up and applauding because of her body not the song). what i'm saying , the judges and viewers, never saw how well her voice is if she step away from doing slow tempo music. she didn't last that long too.
i think, these contentants should hire themselves a music coach who can advice them on what songs to sing. they can also advice them if the song can be re-arrange in such a way that it will be accepted. they should go to" frank- talanday's voices unlimited".
these filipino-american-canadian contestants have one thing in common, they are all 6-footers. if they are standing on a 2 foot stool. it reminds me that ms. malubay has a similarity with "things in life" eyes and the height of the "lady lonely traveller and daddy's princess".
now, if you will excuse me.... i would like to sing "ip the fictures faints"..........
the first filipino-american by the name of jasmin lasted to the top 3 and about two years ago a male filipino american lasted not that long.
one thing i seem to notice, filipino-american contestant seems that their choices of songs are not compatible to their voices. they seem to fell in love with the slow tempo. i know that filipinoes love to sing songs that are romantic and in one way or another that the messages that the song brings has attachment to them. i guess their parents has an influence in their selection of songs.
there was a filipino canadian girl who got in to the magic 12 of canadian idol. every week that i watched, ballad after ballad. she has a beautiful voice, just like my wife when she is taking a shower (just inside the shower where her voice really has volume and it echoes as if celine dion is performing her last show in las vegas. as always, i'm staring, standing up and applauding because of her body not the song). what i'm saying , the judges and viewers, never saw how well her voice is if she step away from doing slow tempo music. she didn't last that long too.
i think, these contentants should hire themselves a music coach who can advice them on what songs to sing. they can also advice them if the song can be re-arrange in such a way that it will be accepted. they should go to" frank- talanday's voices unlimited".
these filipino-american-canadian contestants have one thing in common, they are all 6-footers. if they are standing on a 2 foot stool. it reminds me that ms. malubay has a similarity with "things in life" eyes and the height of the "lady lonely traveller and daddy's princess".
now, if you will excuse me.... i would like to sing "ip the fictures faints"..........
Thursday, March 6, 2008
MOMENT OF TRUTH
last night after watching the ladies edition of the american idol i was able to see portion of the new reality show called "moment of truth".
the object of the show is for the contestant to answer question truthfully and could win $500,000.00. it sound so easy and simple but after the watching the contestant answered the first six questions right, in which she won $10,000.00 and moved on to the next series of questions with another price bracket, i turned off the tv.
the contestant immediate family were part of the show and acting as a coaches for her. the six questions that were asked, i consider them as a touch and go questions even though it was inclining to a more personnal note. the higher the pot is, the more personnal it gets or put this way, the higher the jackpot the more you will air your dirty laundry and one wrong answer will ruin all your winnings.
life in this world is not filled with bed of roses. everyone of us has its share of dark moments. not everyone will ever know the truth about you except for you to divulge. in my opinion, participating in this kind of reality tv show is just putting yourself in a position you want to be. how low could you go?
the object of the show is for the contestant to answer question truthfully and could win $500,000.00. it sound so easy and simple but after the watching the contestant answered the first six questions right, in which she won $10,000.00 and moved on to the next series of questions with another price bracket, i turned off the tv.
the contestant immediate family were part of the show and acting as a coaches for her. the six questions that were asked, i consider them as a touch and go questions even though it was inclining to a more personnal note. the higher the pot is, the more personnal it gets or put this way, the higher the jackpot the more you will air your dirty laundry and one wrong answer will ruin all your winnings.
life in this world is not filled with bed of roses. everyone of us has its share of dark moments. not everyone will ever know the truth about you except for you to divulge. in my opinion, participating in this kind of reality tv show is just putting yourself in a position you want to be. how low could you go?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)