Bidding Goodbye to 2020!

 I just thought to bring my blog alive because, why not?  2020 is a year that everyone for sure will never forget.  It is a year that maybe for some, the worse, or maybe an opportunity to boom their business/es.  It is unforgettable for some because they got infected by the virus, others lost their loved ones, and let's not forget, the kids who used to play outside or in the park, wasn't or isn't able to do it anymore because we all have to stay home.  

But, we gotta do what we gotta do, stay home.  Since March 2020, I am working from home, as well as my husband. This is something that we are really thankful for, being able to work in the comfort of our home, being able to earn despite of the pandemic.  I would say, the opportunity of working from home and getting promoted are the best of our 2020. 

Highlights of 2020 --Who would've thought that people will go crazy over toilet paper in 2020?  Thank God for our "tabo", we didn't have to go with the craze.  Made us sing two happy birthday songs while washing our hands.  We had to homeschool our kids.  We have to sanitize before we enter our house, cars, grocery stores, clinics, hospitals etc.  Applying sanitizer to our grocery cart, grocery bags and packages.  And of course.. wearing a face mask.

Photo courtesy of Google

2020 taught us to do DIY, things that we never thought we can do.  I learned to do haircut for my kid and myself (I've been doing my husband's hair cut since he got here, it's the easiest because I only have to shave it😂).  I learned to bake in which my husband ended up buying me a stand up mixer.  My husband fixed our broken stove by himself which could've cost us $250 or so. He also made a plant stand for our free plants from Superstore and neighbour. 

It wasn't as worse as you think, right?  Not until 2 weeks before Christmas that we had another miscarriage.   Two pregnancy losses in a year-- it was horrible, we were devastated.  I am actually frozen right now, I can't even type, I don't even know how I will describe the feeling.  I remember seeing the heart beat, the movement, it is so hard to believe that I lost a baby....again.

But then, that was last year and I can say 2020 made me stronger, that's for sure.  Made me realize that I still have my husband and my daughter who need me and keep me going.  

The pandemic--made me appreciate and cherish my husband, daughter, and our families back home.   Made me appreciate frontline workers.  Made me realize that there are things that we can do by ourselves and not hire or buy.  Made me smarter by reading reviews, comparing prices on different online stores before buying something. Made me appreciate little things, like tabo and reminded me that we can survive even the toilet paper shelves are empty.  

Life is too short to dwell on negative things that happened in the past.  2021 is giving everyone a new hope, a new life, a new journey.  May this year be better for all of us.  

Happy New Year!

Pey's first day at school

I can't believe how time flies so fast and now my baby girl is already attending nursery school! She can actually skip nursery since it's not necessary, yet, we decided to enroll her so she can acquaint with kids of the same age.

As parents, we are so excited to buy stuff for school especially for first timer like us😉  We went to the outlet mall to buy her new clothes, shoes, bag etc.  Believe it or not, I handwashed these clothes because I don't want them to get ruined in the washer and dryer.  I even told my husband that Pey will change clothes when she goes to the day care.  Yup, 2 sets of clothes in a day for our not-so-little girl. 

Photo from Google

We met her teacher a week before the class resumed.  We weren't surprised when Pey greeted her teacher good morning as that's how she is to everyone.  We paid for the supplies, signed some papers and gave our email address to her teacher so she can update us on Pey's activities through the app called "Seesaw".  Pey was walking around while we were talking to her teacher and left a good impression by being curious and showing interest with the educational and school supplies in the classroom.

Her first day went great! She woke up early, as in 6 in the morning (she was sooo excited to go to school), had breakfast, took a shower and took some photos of course!  She was cooperative and even said good bye to us even though the class hasn't started yet. 

We can't wait to see how she progresses at school but for now, we will enjoy the photos and videos that Mrs. Lawrence uploads on Seesaw. 😊

Ice Castles Winnipeg

Winter in Winnipeg is brutal and it's a no old news to everyone :)   Having a -30 to -45 wind chill is not fun at all, but hey! we get nice temperature sometimes too!  That's when we decided to head out on our day off, didn't send the little girl to the day care and went to the famous Ice Castles.

It's the first time that Ice Castles is being held in Winnipeg and it is a hit to everyone.  With the amazing ice forms, it's totally an instagram worthy!  The pictures I took don't give justice on how beautiful they are!

There are caves, slides and mini tunnel that adults and kids will definitely enjoy!  If you have a really good camera, it's better to go at night when they turn the lights on!  If you have kids, make sure you visit the Ice Castles during weekends to see the Frozen sisters.   Who doesn't want to take pictures with Anna and Elsa?  Too bad for us because the husband works this weekend and we went on a Friday but it's ok, our little bunny will meet them next month as we're gonna watch Disney on Ice! Yipee!

Some tips:

Check the weather before getting your tickets
Before buying your ticket, check online for coupon code (who doesn't like discounts?  c'mon!)
Buy tickets online instead on site, it's cheaper! 
Bring sleds for kids, it's not stroller friendly
Make sure you have memory on your phone, because you'll take lots of pictures for sure


It took us 30 minutes to admire the beauty of Ice Castles, it wasn't big as I expected.  So, if you're bringing your car and not planning on staying at The Forks Market, an hour or two is enough for parking. :)

Welcome 2018

2017 was a blast!!! Husband arrived in January and got a job in a month, I was able to go back to the Philippines in August to pick up my daughter and had a sweet escape from the snowy land and most importantly and the highlight of my 2017... my family is now complete! How great is that???😊

My heart is full of joy having my family with me now.  The thing that I was praying for 2 years ago has finally come.  Husband and I have a good job and Pey is loving the day care, what else could I ask for?  (A second baby maybe? LOL just kidding)😊

Now, husband and I are looking forward to more  adventures as a family once winter is over!  I can't wait to enroll Pey too in karate or ballet class and see how she'll enjoy it.  I hope I could write more too this year!

See you around!😉

ALONE NO MORE!

I'm glad to announce that hubby arrived safe on January 20th and started working beginning of March.  I can't contain my happiness knowing that he's here already and everything that I've gone through just went away instantly!  I can see the big difference of being by myself and with him now.  And 1 1/2 months from now, we will be complete again, our little girl is coming!!!!  Sooo excited!


My husband easily adapt to changes, with the weather, means of transportation and the way of living.  It was easy because even though we don't have train here in Winnipeg, anywhere you want to go can be accessed by bus, the bus schedule can be a pain in the a**, yet the Winnipeg Transit is still reliable.  I would say that the challenge for my husband was passing the road test.  For a person who have been driving for a while in a different country, you definitely built a habit which you bring wherever you go, and that was the reason which had him retake the road test.


I would suggest to those who are still on their way here to make sure to get your driving abstract from your country before leaving.  Having this document with you will lessen your car insurance payment as per MPI.  This is what I'll work on when I go back to the Philippines because the document that my husband has is just the Certificate from LTO certifying when he started driving and the MPI didn't accept it.  If in case you were not able to bring this with you, you can ask someone from your home country to process it in behalf of you and email it, they don't require the original copy. :)


Going back to the topic, now that husband is with me now and have a car and can drive anywhere, I'll share with you our adventures on my next posts!  Ciao! :)

VISAS on HAND

There's nothing more exciting than knowing that my husband and little girl received their visas last week!  One of the best Christmas gifts ever!  I thought their application will be approved in February next year, yet God knows how frustrated I am for being alone in this Holiday Season!

Sharing with you their application timeline:

May 17th - Application received by CIC
June 7th - Acknowledgement Receipt from CIC
July 26th - Sponsor's Approval
July 29th - CEM received their application/Acknowledgement Receipt 2
Sept 11th - Medical Request
Sept 15th - Medical Exam
Dec 7th    - Decision made on E-CAS
Dec 12th -  Passport Request
Dec 14th - Passport submission to VFS
Dec 16th - Application approved on MyCIC Account
Dec 22nd - Visas on hand

Everyone at work is excited to meet them, some of them offered me a ride to fetch the husband and the little girl at the airport.  How kind of these people!

My only wish for those who are apart from their families is for them to be reunited soon.  I know how hard it is to be away and I admire all of them for being strong facing all the struggles that came or coming their way!  Just keep in mind, GOD NEVER FAILS!

Apartment Hunting and Apartment Rental Procedure in Winnipeg

Now that I moved in to my apartment 3 months ago, I thought of posting my apartment hunting/rental application experience to give the aspiring and new immigrants an idea on how it goes. We all know that you'll be staying with your relatives or friends on your first few months in Canada but let's admit as well that you can't stay with them forever.  I started looking for an apartment on my 6th month here and took me 2 months to finally found an apartment with "this is it" feeling.

Apartment hunting is fun, just make sure that you're doing it on a Summer because it will be easier to go to places without the rain/snow.  The best way to find an apartment is online, specifically KIJIJI.  There were 7 apartments that I visited and found all of them through that website.  Here are the things that I considered in looking for an apartment:

>Rent price
This plays a big role of course.  I set a budget according to my income and expenses.  I wanted to have all the utilities included in the rent, however upon hunting, I found out that it ranges from CAD800 and up for a 1 bedroom apartment (well, it depends on the location of course).  Here in Winnipeg, apartments in the North End is waaay cheaper than the other ends.

>Location
I preferred a location where is accessible by bus (because I don't have a car yet) and nearby my work.

>Laundry On Site
Well, believe it or not, there are apartment buildings that do not have their own laundry room and it's such a hassle if you're going out to wash your clothes especially on a winter.

>Parking
I'll get a car eventually and I considered this too.  Not all the apartment buildings have their own parking.  Oh by the way, you'll pay extra for parking spot. :D

>Caretaker
Yes!  This is one of the things I considered.  I'll live in an apartment for a while and I want an approachable and accommodating caretaker. :)

Photo from Google

So I found the apartment that met my expectations.  Since I am a new immigrant and no rental history,  I can only submit my application to rent if I have a guarantor.  Though there are Landlords that accept application without a guarantor but most of them don't.  The caretaker asked me to submit the following:

>Damage Deposit
This is 1/2 of the monthly rent.  I gave this to process my application.  My caretaker doesn't accept cash and only accepts cheque or money order.  If in case that the application isn't approved, they will return the damage deposit.

>Filled-out application form of the tenant and guarantor

>Proof of Income of tenant and guarantor
I submitted my employment certificate, 3 months pay stub as well as my guarantor's.  I also provided a bank statement (optional) hoping that it expedites the process which it did. LOL

My caretaker submitted it to their office and I received a call from him 3 days after, telling me that I got approved.  He required me to pay the 1 month deposit, sign the lease contract and provide a void cheque because I opted to have the monthly rent deducted from my chequing account.

Also, during my apartment hunting, I learned some things that I want to share with you. There is so called SUBLET wherein you will finish the contract of the current tenant who will vacate the apartment before the contract expires.  In this case, the tenant will show you the apartment and if you're interested, the tenant has the application form to sublet and he will submit it to the caretaker.

I also learned that "some" caretakers only allow 2 persons in a 1 bedroom apartment.  So if you are a family of 3, whether the 3rd person is still a baby, they will require you to rent a 2-bedroom apartment.  Thank God my caretaker isn't strict and he is really the BEST!

I hope this post will help you in your apartment hunting in Winnipeg. :)