The Joy of Cooking

I started cooking when I came here to Toronto and lived in an apartment with Os. Back home, we had the cook to prepare the meals for us. When I initially came here, my Uncle/Aunt cooked for us. There was no chance for me to try cooking. Yes, I cook simple things here and there but nothing special. Now I can cook following the instructions in the cookbook. I also attempt to alter some of the ingredients. I can transform raw materials into a meal. Even the simplest ones. Maybe watching cooking shows made me want to cook. When I was younger, I loved watching Wok With Yan. In fact, it was one of my favorite shows as we don't get much TV stations back in my hometown. I remember it showing on Sunday mornings on Channel 5. And we used to joke around the way Mr. Yan talks. Hi hi hi. Anyways, I also tried baking and I really suck at it. The baked good is either too soft, too mushy, too hard, too dry... arrggh. I vow not to try baking again. HAHA. Chinese cuisine is one of my strength. It's stir-fry easy. Guess Mr. Yan inspired me at an early age. I also love cooking pasta. But I suck at lasagna. We've tried once and it turned out too soggy that we decided to eat it as a regular pasta. HAHA. When I watched the show East Meets West, boy was I appalled at how Ming Tsai can mince garlic is a split of seconds. I guess all professional chefs have that art of mincing garlic or anything that fast! That's it.

Nap time

Aeisha is about to take her afternoon nap. Before doing so I told her to pose for me. HAHA. And she diligently obliged. Her naps in the afternoons usually lasts for about 2hrs maximum. Minimum would be 30 minutes or so. Normally, I would let her wear just shorts to taste the coolness we get in the ground floor. But today for no apparent reason, it's way cooler. So I put on some pjs on her but still sando on top. He he.

Bed of Air

This is where Aeisha is sleeping during daytime or when we are on the ground floor. It's so much cooler down here rather than the 2nd floor. There are days when the day temperature is high even that you can actually be cooked had we stayed upstairs. She still prefers her own crib though. I can understand that. So I rock her to sleep before putting her in the airbed. Then she sleeps soundly. He he. This picture was taken when she just woke up from her afternoon nap.

A Walker & A Wagon

We bought a new Walker Wagon combination last Saturday for Aeisha. It was a price grabber so what better way to buy it? First time she used it, she slipped. So now she's scared to use it. Then yesterday I made her sit beside it on the floor. Then let her play with the toys that's attached to the walker itself. Hopefully, she will regain her courage to push it when she can stand on her own. Right now, she stands on our laps then we put her down on the floor and help her stand and make itsy bitsy tiny walks. She loves it! One way to calm her is to put her on the floor and help her walk around. Hehe. But be prepared to stretch after doing so. Our backs usually turn sore after.

Oops.. pardon my feet in the picture. I have to hold the wagon with something!!!

After an Arrowroot

This is what usually looks like after Aeisha consumes an Arrowroot biscuit. She's satisfied with a good sigh. I used to give her just 1/4 piece. Then gradually, I increased it to 1/2, then 3/4, now it's almost 1 whole. It's 2hrs before dinner time so I don't want to give her that much. :)

So far, this is her 8 month menu:

Breakfast: 2 Tbsp. of Barley or Oatmeal cereal (alternate)

Lunch: 3 Tbsp. of Single veggie

Snacks: 3/4 Arrowroot biscuit

Dinner: 2 Tbsp. of Rice cereal, 3 Tbsp. Fruits

Then there's the 7oz. of her Step2 milk when she wakes up and every 4-5hrs. After a day or two from now, I'm going to switch her to Step 2 baby foods.

Growth Chart

This is Aeisha's growth chart so far. We didn't visit the clinic since her last hepa shot. And I haven't weigh her using the mom-carry-baby-minus-moms-weight method either. He he he. I will do that soon. But wait til you can see my arms how big they've grown. Aeisha loved to be cuddled most of the time. Loves to when she's sleepy especially at night time. But during the day, she can easily sleep by herself. I have tried to leave her wailing during the night but I couldn't. I just have to carry her and rock her til she sleeps. And she still sleeps at least 12 midnight. Guess she's really a night lover. Ha Ha

Aeisha's Playground

This is a make-shift playground for Aeisha. Since she doesn't have her own room yet, we allocated this area for her. That way, I can just put her here while I do my work in the kitchen. I didn't include the books here yet. They are activities before bedtime although we often miss it since we are both exhausted for the day. Have to include that back again! She loves to read. She loves it more if you read it to her. He he.

While waiting for Daddy...

One day last month, when the weather was a bit friendly, Aeisha and I went strolling along the neighborhood. We went to the GO Train station to wait for Os. He took the 6pm train. So the train will arrive at around 7pm. So by 640pm, we started strolling. I put on Aeisha's denim hat on her. And boy! it was cool that day despite the sun shining. I had to cover her with a blanket as she was not using the Bundle Me anymore. So we marched along the pathway. To my big surprise, one of the nearby neighbors' dog was playing outside. I knew this particular house always has their dog playing on their front yard, which is in front of the path way. So I detoured and used the rear path. He he he. That's how I don't like dogs. Anyways, we reached the station about 10 minutes before the train is due to arrive. I checked on Aeisha.. and what did I find?? She was sleepy!!! Ha Ha Ha!!! So she loved the stroller ride to the station. :)

Eating Money

Why is it hard to get a driver's license here in Ontario? We have to go through stages in order to get a full driver's license. There are 3 stages actually. First you have to take a written test called the Knowledge test. It's a 2 part exam - Traffic rules & Traffic signs. 20 questions on each part. If you pass this, you get the G1 Driver's license. You then wait for 12 months in order to get the G1 exit road test then you get G2 Driver's license. If you attended an MTO certified driving school, you only have to wait for 8 months in order to take the road test. I let my G1 license expired after 5 years because there is no way I can pass this road test. So I went back to square one. I took the knowledge test AGAIN. And happily I passed it. I was told not to wait for 12 months to get the road test. I can take it right away. So now is a time to look for a good school. So after being G2, you have to take another road test again in order to become G. And that's where it really sucks! One mistake and you fail. You take it again. Another single mistake, you fail again. Each time G2 road exam is taken, it's a big $75. Just imagine, me?! taking the G1 exit road test... it will take me 10x to get this @#$%^$% license. What more to become G? Will I be spending thousands???? GGGRR this system is really eating money!! People's money. It's not that you minimize accidents by having this graduated license??!?! Duh??!?!

Pears

I gave Pears, organic & non-organic, to Aeisha for the past 5 days. And she is neutral about it. I've also gave her rice cereal, oatmeal & barley cereals alternatively. By her age, she should be eating the step2 group of foods. Maybe I'll give her 1 more round of the Beginner's foods then I'll switch to the next group. Tomorrow, I'm going to start Applesauce, then Peach is last. Then I will give her the cereal 2x a day with a combination of veggies & fruits to her menu.

Lost Bib

Last night, we went to TNT for our usual chinese grocery shopping. And guess what? Aeisha threw her bib on the ground. We only noticed it gone when she had tears in her eyes. Earlier the night, Os noticed her trying to take out her bib. Little did he know that she'd already taken it out from her neck. It's velcro, easy to use and take off. Then she threw it somewhere. We never found it. So bye bye Bib#1. For sure there will be other instances of the Lost Bib in the near future. Ha Ha

Our First Ever Crocs

Os and I splurged on $40 (tax included) Crocs footwears today. I've been wanting to buy this ever since it started some 3 years ago. But I didn't since I didn't like the designs that were present then. Now, they branched out their designs and came up not only the classic design, but a variety more. Os opted for the slip in one, called Schutes, with a wide exposing the toes. It looks similar to his Adidas slippers but this has more cushion and he loves it the first time he tried it on. The price for the past 3 years is still the same. So we thought that it will be go on sale anymore. For me, the design I chose is the Athens. I love the color and it's very soft and cushion-y. Crocs footwear is known for its slip resistance and non-marking on the sole of the slipper though it's soft. There are other products from Crocs but I don't see them sold anywhere else except online.

Two Teeth

Ok, so it's official. As my sis would say, Aeisha is now "dalaga". Her two lower teeth has already sprouted. HAHA. Os first found out about it. I guess I wasn't too observant since being around me, she doesn't cry. Her mouth is always closed. Hahahahaha. We went

Banana Blech

Good heavens Aeisha doesn't like banana! I gave her the jarred one from Heinz and she hates it. Actually Heinz didn't store them in jars anymore. Instead they packaged pureed fruits in plastic containers. But I still saw Pears in jars. Anyways, Aeisha gave me a blech face again. Just like when I gave her the Potato before. HAHA. I think she didn't like the sour taste of it. I checked the label and found out that Heinz included lemon juice as preservative. No wonder Aeisha didn't like it. I guess babies don't like sour taste. HEHE. I will give her Pears next as Applesauce might contain the sour taste again.

Last Shot

Today we had Aeisha's last HepaB shot. She didn't cry. She was just irritated as if someone pinched her on her right thigh. The nurse this time was good. She was very quick. Guess she must have much experience with babies as I have seen her since I went there to have my first check up. That was around 2003. Aeisha now weighed 23 lbs. And is 74in / 29cm long. At 7.5 months, I guess she is on the 95th percentile or more. Her two lower teeth are about to sprout! So she won't have a toothless grin now. HEHE

Check your Rx

I'm ranting today because I wasn't able to buy Aeisha's HepaB vaccine. I went to the drugstore and dropped off the prescription. Little to my knowledge that the prescription was for ME! The doctor mistakenly wrote my name on the Rx instead of Aeisha. Geesh! Now, the pharmacist needs to call the doctor to confirm (come from the horse's mouth) that she indeed made a mistake and will authorize them to proceed on with the Rx. It got me so infuriated!! It was almost 9pm that time. Tomorrow is Saturday, no clinic. They won't issue the vaccine eventhough Aeisha has a file with them because the 2nd vaccine (this is the 3rd and last shot) didn't specify that it's a REPEAT. It was only for 1 dose. Tomorrow I am going to try the other drugstore where I bought the first vaccine. I checked my own file and YES! it says that it's a REPEAT. So I just need to call them up and ask for a refill. Hopefully they will allow this. Otherwise, Os has to ask for another half-day off from work! So, lesson learned here... check your Rx after your doctor has written it.

Tooth Fairy?

Last night Os showed me Aeisha’s two lower teeth starting to sprout. Oh boy was I astonished. I just hope that she won’t go through the diarrhea and drooling and the crying stage again. She had this bout when she was 5 months old. But we didn’t see any teeth springing although we saw two small bumps on her lower gums. Then after 3 days, she was ok. Feeding was stable and so is her pooing. So I duno. Maybe she just ate something dirty??? That was hard cz I had to change her soiled diapers every hour. And she wouldn’t want to drink her milk. I had to use a medicine dropper for her milk intake. On Monday, we’re going to the doctor for her third and last heap shot. I forgot to buy her $25 vaccine last night. So I have to keep in mind tonight if we go back to the drugstore. That's it for now.

Peas

Aeisha started peas yesterday. She loves it!!! Maybe because of the sweetness that comes within. The potato is the most blechiest that she ever tasted. HAHA. It's tasteless, no wonder she didn't like it. But she still ate it. :) 5 more days or if the bottle is empty already then I am switching her to Squash. Then it's fruits time. I've got Applesauce, Banana, Pears and Peaches. Then I will be coming up with a menu for her. The more homemade food, the better. A friend recommended boiling some chicken meat or beef meat. Then blend the meat with the broth. I guess I'm going to try that when my 'experiment' is completed.

Today

Today is Papa's 61st birthday. All of my siblings are home in Zamboanga celebrating this special occasion. Only me is not there. Boo hoo hoo. I can't wait to visit them this September. Many are saying why I ain't home since it's been 5 years since I've last seen my siblings. Well, my parents were here last year. One of my friends will spend her maternity leave at home. Me? Nah! I'd rather stay here. In a way, it's more convenient for me to be here although everything is convenient back home. Still, I'd prefer to be here. Besides Aeisha needs to spend time with her Daddy. :)

Pa Pa

Today Aeisha uttered 2 new words -- "Pa Pa". Os and I were both surprised. He he. We asked her to repeat pa-pa after us. But she wouldn't. HAHA. By 8 months, she is expected to know how to wave bye-bye and clap her hands. I teach her that everyday. And she loves it when people starts to clap their hands at her. :)

The Queen

I watched the movie “The Queen” earlier. Without knowing the synopsis of the movie, I can say that the movie was all about the events following Princess Diana’s death and how the Prime Minister Tony Blair, portrayed by Michael Sheen, convinced Queen Elizabeth II, portrayed by Helen Mirren, to succumb to the British people’s plea to pay their respect to the People’s Princess. The movie showed the interaction between the Queen and the PM to reach a concession between what was the tradition and what the public wants.

The Royal family never liked what happened between Charlies and Diana. The Queen exposed coldness in her heart for Di. And I can see the same coldness in her heart towards Camilla. She scoffed with disgust when the movie showed an excerpt about Camilla. It’s as if no one is ever good for the Crown Prince. Now that Camilla is married into the Royal family, I wonder if she gets the same treatment as with Di.

It is only in this movie that I learned that the Queen became the head of the monarchy at age 26. I was surprised that she DRIVES! And a dialogue in the movie revealed that she was a mechanic when she joined the army during WWI. She loved dogs. Got lots of them. At first, the movie showed stringency between her and the PM though the movie ended with them being chummy.

Stealing some free time I had today, I found out that the Queen’s real name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. She married her distant cousin, Prince Philip. She became queen when her father died of lung cancer. She doesn’t have any brother, only a younger sister, thus she became the Queen. Prince Philip renounced his title as Prince of Greece and Denmark before they got married but was later named Prince. I wonder why he isn’t King after marrying the Queen. Anyways, the Queen and Prince Philip have 4 children but I guess only the crown prince is the most popular. So every detail of his life is very controversial and followed by the media. Even his private life and the people involved. Well, as they say, being in a royal family is like being a celebrity.

Milestone at 7

Aeisha turned 7 months yesterday. For solids feeding, she loved barley cereal the most. Then I would say oatmeal then rice cereal. For the single vegetables, I have yet to give her the peas & sweet potatoes. I have already given her potatoes, carrots & green beans. Of which she loved carrots the most. After this I am going to try on single fruits. Then I can combine the cereal, single veggies & single fruits. Not literally combine them but making them part of her breakfast, lunch & dinner. Milk intake is now 8oz. for the first feeding in the morning, and 7oz. for the rest. She still has toothless grin as of this time. My mom said that the tooth fairy usually visits babies on their 7month. So we are awaiting ours. He he. Some babies have their tooth as early as 5 months! Aeisha can sit assisted at 4 months. Sat solo at almost 5 months. We then knew that she was ready for solids then. But I still waited til she reached 6 months before giving her first cereal. She was able to roll on her side from her tummy at 6 1/2 months. And she's been trying to crawl in our bed lately. I just need to give her some leverage on the feet for her to give out her might and move forward. She can also say Ma-mah. But I read that it's just her practising her M-sounds. Not really calling me Mama since most babies say Da-da first. She also likes to move her head when we say No-No and move our head as well. Copycat! haha. She can also seem to recognize our plaque "Christ is the head of this house." above our ground floor closet. Whenever we recite the phrase, she will raise her head up and sort of acknowledge the plaque. I don't know how she does that but it's cute! I'll make an update if there are more. :D

This Sunday, we met some friends of ours. And there is this cute little boy, Jude, son of our friends. BOY! He can walk at 1yr! He's so cute!!!!!!! The other little girl, Hannah, yet another friend's daughter will be celebrating her 1 yr this week. She has so many hair. She even got her 1st haircut already! And she's got lotsa teeth! I can't wait for Aeisha's tooth to sprout. With that, I am going to Walmart or Sears to capture that moment. HEHE.

No More Good Things

I don't have anything good to say anymore about what was once my home country. The system sucks. Everything sucks. I'm 101% glad I made a decision to stay out of it. I pity those who are still there. I encourage people to emigrate. That's the only way to live elsewhere legally. Canada open its doors to me in 2000. And I vowed to sponsor my parents and sister over. That dream came true 2006 when I got approved to be a sponsor. Now, 4 months later, my parents still hasn't submitted their application just because these stupid clerks (SCs) at the provincial NSO made a mistake through their penmanship. When my parents applied for their birth certificates, instead of LIM, that SC's penmanship made it appear to be SIM. What a stupid mistake!! The fault lies first of all in the SC who had a lousy penmanship. Next, the process goes to NSO Manila, another SC who wasn't sure if it's L or S chose to put S so that she can have one certificate done and thousands more to go. Now because of this stupid mistake, my Dad can't get his birth certificate done in time. It will take a good 3-5 months for the attorney to get a court order for the name change in the birth certificate. With that, to add salt to the wound, the application will become void on my part. CIC specifically stated that the application will be void if the PR application wasn't received after 6 months they sent me the kit. Mid-June is the deadline. So if we will wait for the court order, I will just be saying good bye to my processing fees here. What the hell does the system want??? MONEY?!?!?!?! Are they just saying this to my Dad so that he can offer them MONEY??? more MONEY???? I am ranting here because I can't do anything about it. This can't replace the time I spent on the whole application. There are too many people to point fingers, too. And it's like a ripple effect. If one causes this, the effect will be like this. My parents already applied very early but once again, the place being a province, the SC said that they won't ship out the certificates unless they reach a quota number of certificates. What a stupid policy!!!!!!! What if it's a rush order? Their SW (stupid website) boasted of its fast service that it only takes 3 days or 1 week at the most. But how come it took the provinces to receive it after 3 @#$@#$ months?? I rest my case, I can only say no further good things about that country anymore. Everything about it is pointless. Not a good place to live. Others may disagree with me. And I don't give a damn. I don't care what good things they can say about that country.

Started Carrots

I started carrots on Aeisha today. And she didn't give me a frown this time. She just played neutral. I can say that she prefers carrots over potato, but loves her cereals the most. Next I will try on is the squash. I guess I might have to buy the jarred ones because I only need a few handful of scoops, the rest, who's gonna eat it? Not me. HAHA

Feature Weblink for the Day

Granny's Garden
http://www.grannysgarden.ca

This is what I call a hobby turned into a business. Even for Granny Rona, nothing beats out the creativity in you. Armed with her skills in knitting, she was able to make her creativity speak for itself. The products that she is selling are mostly hats for children and also for adults too. She also has booties that are included on some of the hat sets. Granny Rona is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, although she is accepting orders from the US & elsewhere as well. The price range for the items are $22-$25. For a small additional charge of $2.95, she will gift wrapped her creations before sending it to you via Canada Post for a mere cost of $2.50 per hat, or hat and booties sets to Canada and US. She is also accepting International orders. Just drop down a line to her at her email which can be found in her website. One more thing.. I like her website. It's straight to the point and cool to the eyes. Nothing fancy but very informative.

Holly Hobbie

I love Holly Hobbie, she's so adorable! Ever since I was a kid, I love all her collectibles. Then years passed, she's all forgotten until Carlton or I guess American Greetings revived her. I want to start her collection, but being a sane person that I am, there are other priorities that I need to attend to... especially my bag collection. HA HA. Just kidding!

Holly Hobbie has been in existence for the past 40 years already. When I logged into their website (www.hollyhobbie.com), there is a new version of the said character. I don't like it but I guess her creators want to cater to the new generation now.

I got this on the internet:

Holly Hobbie, the charming girl in the oversized, blue chintz bonnet, is a character, who personifies childhood innocence. It was named after its author and creator, Holly Hobbie, and introduced as a character design on a few greeting cards in 1967 by American Greetings Corp.

Holly’s engaging smile and friendly, country girl appeal hide a deeper wisdom and strong, optimistic outlook on life —one she is quite happy to share with others. In a
rustic, early-American setting, Holly Hobbie, her brother, Robby, and best friend Heather, share friendship and happy times together.

Hmm.. interesting. I just loved Holly Hobbie that I didn't know that there exists a brother and a best friend. HAHA.

Bag Craze

I don't know why I am so obsessed with bags. In my closet, I have a big box of bags that was previously 'worn' by me. And I still kept it. I guess there is no bag in this world that will ever satisfy me. HAHA. But I can say that the oldest bag that stayed with me was the Lacoste shoulder bag that my sis-in-law gave me years ago. I must have used it the longest. I use it during weekends as I can't use it at work. Too small. To this day, I can say that I have at least 20 bags in the box ready for storage or in my closet that's ready to be used anytime. He he. Ok, not only do I am crazy about bags.. also diaper bags. HAHAHAHA. I must have bought Aeisha 5 diaper bags up to now. And I want to buy one more. It's an Eddie Bauer blue/brown mini-diaper bag on sale. Half the price. But Os stopped me! I have too many already he said, which is very true. HIHI. I have to stop this obsession else my savings will go down the drain. I must think that there are still other important things to spend my money on than bags. Bu hu hu

Layers

I had my hair cut yesterday. Kept the same length but added layers. They are not that visible though since my hair is not that long. I vowed to go back to the hair salon every 2 months to 'fix' my layers. This will post as a challenge for me since the weather is gearing towards spring and summer. But good thing that I don't need to go out if I don't want to. No obligations to stay outside the scorching heat of the sun. Read my blog from Summer 2006. All I did was to complain about the heat. One day it struck to the 40's and I was out, pretty heavy on the belly and waiting for the bus. OOOOhhh, I don't want to go back to that stage.... i.e. the summer part. HAHA

Wasabi

Today we went to Wasabi with friends. It's been a while since we've been there and been in touch with our friends. It's so nice to have a sumptous meal with them. We spent $19 each for the all-you-can-eat buffet lunch. One thing that I find it weird is that, the washroom doesn't have a change station for babies. I bet there have been comments already about it. But still they are not installed. The last time we went there was on December when the restaurant was fairly new. And we had to use a bench near the side entrance (unused) to change Aeisha's diapers. So, hopefully they can correct this and also cater not only to the 'eaters' but also to babies.

Potato with a Face

I started to give Aeisha potato yesterday and what a grimace of a face I got from her. HAHA. She was scowling on every feed. I prepared the potato the night before. As recommended by a friend, I peeled the potato. Boiled them til they are very soft and tender. Then I pureed it with just plain hot water. Then I set it for a while to cool. Then I put 2 Tbsp of the pureed potato in each cube in the ice tray. For Day 1, I cracked out 4 cubes of the pureed potato. Oh it was too much for Aeisha. So today, Day 2, I just cracked 2 cubes. And she finished it! She still frowned.. giving me her Datu-Puti look. HAHA. If you can picture what I mean. We'll see tomorrow.