Thursday, July 31, 2008

Father's Day

I have always missed celebrating Fathers Day because either I'm busy or he's busy. But the main reason why I don't celebrate Fathers Day with my dad is that he and I have some serious issues going on that's why we couldn't get a long.

But since you could never choose your family and he could also be good at times, I'd love to make it up to him by giving him something special for the next Fathers Day. I have searched in stores and online for something special that I could give him but I guess that I am running short ongift ideas right now.

Well I've found this website called DadShop.com.au and this is a great place for ideas. It's lgreat to find a store that specializes in gifts for dads. How cool is that?


Google's Magic Wand

After my other blog Grim Angel suffered the fate of having it's page rank (PR) demoted from 1 to 0 I pretty much lost my interest in trying to pull the PR up. I guessed that Google must have cursed me for having the "Three Big P's" on my blog and labeling my old blog as a blog mainly used for blatant advertising. This of course isn't true because I use that blog for my rantings once in a while.

But nevertheless, I might have just been on Google's good side as they have decided to award my blog with a PR 4 while also giving my homepage a PR 2. Isn't that great?! I didn't do anything special to be noticed by Google's bots so I'm still kind of surprised with all that is happening.

Oh well at least I know that more doors will be open to me and my blog now that I'm a PR 4 but I better be careful because one false move could mean that Google might just demote me with one twirl of the magic wand.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Starting My Financial Life

I can't believe that I'm already doing something about my financial status. I mean I've just went to my bank today and just got my self a credit card. Yup I was approved instantly (because I invested $500 as a security deposit) and I am now on my way to make a credit rating.

A good credit rating means being approved for future loans and a bad one means goodbyes to your dreams of buying a car or house. Well you could always pay in cold hard cash but having a credit card thus have its benefits.

One of my reason for having a credit card is that I want to buy stuff over the internet which I could never do with my debit card. And if ever I need cash immediately the credit card can help me with that department.

But I should be wise in using my credit card because it's like a double edged sword. If I over use it I could end up under debt and this will not look good on my credit history.

Posts Worthy to Read

It occurred to me that my posts are becoming more and more shallow as the days passes by. Maybe it's because I don't have time to blog anymore or maybe it's because I'm having difficulty maintaining two blogs at a time. But what ever excuses or reasons I have they are not good enough to justify why my posts are slowly losing value and worth.

Or maybe there isn't anything special happening in my life lately and that my life now is plain redundant and well... boring... well why not make my blog into an online journal right? Well it sort of has been an online journal except that I can't write my thoughts the way Meredith Grey of Grey's Anatomy or the way Carrie Bradshaw of Sex and the city expresses their thoughts.

Well many has happened in the past days and I guess that it's not worth sharing them anymore because they are already old and stale.

One Cause of Bad Breath


I really hate it when customers with bad breath bends closer to me to tell me their order. I can't help but step back a bit. Some of you may think this is rude but I'm just being cautious. One cause of bad breath is not just because of tooth decay or of someone forgot to brush their teeth. One cause of bad breath is a congested digestive tract. Yup, people believe that the main cause of bad breath is the mouth but the truth is as more waste accumulates with in the colons (because of a slowed peristalsis or the like) bacteria accumulates and where there is bacteria they produce toxins which causes not only a bad odor but also compromises one's health and immune system as these toxins kill of good bacteria and the death of good bacteria gives opportunity for bad bacteria to accumulate.

One solution to prevent this from happening is to have a colon cleanse especially if you are constipated. A compromised digestive system means a compromised immune system because overpopulation of bad bacteria could lead to serious superinfection therefore maintaining a fiber rich diet and regular exercise is necessary. Fiber and exercise increases peristalsis so therefore the colon will be cleansed.

Messy House = Messy Life

Aah! I am so tired of trying to clean things up and make our house look neat and decent but it seems that my parents (especially my brother) doesn't give a damn on how our house looks like. It's not that I want our house to look extravagant or anything, I just want to come into a home that is clean and decent looking because no one wants to come home tired from work and see dirty dishes lying on the sink and papers and trash scattered everywhere in the living room.

Well I thought that my own room would be immuned to all the clutter and mess because it's my personal space but it's not. It's as equally cluttered and messy as the rest of the house. At least my bed is clean and neat so I can sleep comfortably.

Do you know how it is to live with someone who has a "Sayang" or "Such a Waste" Mentality? Well it may be good in some occasions but keeping trash and use them for decoration is not. My father has a habit of collecting junk and hiding it. He hides new stuff and uses junk because using new items would be such a waste. This is what he did back in the Philippines so when we moveed to Canada all the things that we never used were left behind and who benefited from those items? Definitely not us.

It's so hard living with clutter bugs... grrr!!!

On Home Improvement

I really miss my old house. It may be small and needs a lot of improvement but never the less it was my home where somehow I found some peace of mind and where I felt safe.

I really pity the people who bought that house because it needs a major improvement. And one improvement that they have to face are the windows. Yup they need professionals to fix our windows, they need Window Replacement Contractors.

Yup they need professionals to the job alright because the house is totally in bad shape. The roof needs fixing too especially the rain gutters. Boy, good thing we sold our old home cheap because the new buyers would need more money fixing it. But if I were them they should contact a company like ContractorsUSA so that they could get a free estimate of their expenses in fixing the house and so that they can be assured that the people that they are hiring to fix their new home are professionals and know what they are doing.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Sharing Some Songs I Now Like

Well I actually have a lot of songs that I like but I kind of don't know their titles and artists since I just hear them over the radio. But here are two songs that I really like right now. Why don't you guys check them out. ^_^





Wednesday, July 23, 2008

My Wish List

The week after next week is going to be my next pay check so I'm kind of thinking what I would want to buy with my hard earned money. Well here are some of my wish list:

1. A new gamer's laptop. Yup I want a new laptop that is fast enough to run PC games. Well my lappy can play games but I want a laptop that has a fast processor like a dual core with 4 GB or DD2 RAM and a 250 GB. I'm looking for one that is less than Canadian $1200.

2. A PlayStation 3 Game. I want a fantasy and action genre game.

Well my wish list is quite short hehehe. I don't want to buy anything else. I did manage to buy myself a bike, wireless router, printer, and I did help buy this week's groceries so I guess I spent money wisely. But good thing though that by this week my mom's bank drafts would be cleared so we'll have money again because right now we don't have money but we were able to afford to buy our necessities and some wants like a Playstation 3 just from my brother's and my jobs. And applying for a credit card wasn't that hard either. It just proves that living in a first world country is great. You get to buy things that you want because the cost of living is not that high.

Monday, July 21, 2008

She Quit!

I have written here that I was training someone to replace me for my night shift because I really didn't want to work at night shift and the promise of a night differential or premium for my paycheck is not that a motivator.

The Night Shift (11 pm to 7 am) is super tiring! Why? Well I have to serve customers at the cash register (till) by myself and clean the tables, sweep the floors, refill and restock the papercups, cream cheese and anything else that needs filling.

Well I think my manager got the point that I don't like night shift so they didn't even bother asking me if I want to go back to night shift and now I'm back at my normal shift at 3-11 pm, the evening shift.

But I do pity the two Indians who will work 7 days this week to fill up my spot. Hmm... well not really hehehe. Because one of these Indians always complain that we evening shift don't do our jobs and this is entirely untrue. Oh well on with our lives. ^_^

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Philippines: The World's Texting Capital

There is no denying it the Philippines is the texting capital of the world! Why? Well the Philippines is the only country where:

1. Almost everyone has a cellphone (It's like a part of a Filipino's hand).
2. Cellphones are considered a need and not a want. A Filipino who could barely have food to eat would still have a cellphone and money for air time credits.
3. The Philippine market for cellphones is HUGE! Offering different kinds of cellphone models which are renewed every month.

I only realized this because here in Canada the cellphones are well old... they don't have the latest Nokia phones that we have back in the Philippines. The high end phones here are mostly Blackberry's and Iphones but the selection is very limited.

That's why when I use my Sony Ericsson W960i touchscreen phone someone would compliment my phone and ask where I got it. And I always answer that I got it from the Philippines and it always raises eyebrows. Like how can a third world country have such hitech phones right? Well that is also a mystery to me.

Edmonton Police Service

Back home in the Philippines the general image of the police are corrupt and they are of no help at all with regards to solving crime cases. Just like the whole justice system in the Philippines, the police will only work for the ones with money.

But here in Canada you don't have to fear the police because they are very friendly and approachable. And unlike in the Philippines where traffic enforcers will make up offenses so that they could squeeze money off you.

Here in Canada your traffic offenses are recorded using cameras and other stuff (hehehe) but I do know for a fact that your speeding ticket is mailed to you with instructions on how to pay your fine.

So why on earth did I bring this up? Well the previous tenant of our apartment received his speeding ticket so thought I'd blog about it hehehe.

I don't like comparing my old home with my new home but there are things that we should all be aware off so that we could be able to do something about it. Although there are still drugs and other bad elements here but they're mostly concentrated at the night life areas so I still feel safe.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Is this the end?

I have so many thoughts in my head that I want to share and express but I seem to have no time to blog at all. Well I do have time but they were used up with setting up our wireless internet network, playing PlayStation 3 games, and yeah my job.

I ask my self... is this really the end to my blogging life? Well I hop not. I won't let that happen. Well anyway, I have a day off tomorrow so I can definitely work over time tomorrow and make more future-dated posts so that even if I don't get to blog things will still appear here. hehehe...

I miss all my blogging friends already. If I have the time tomorrow from blogging I'll be sure to give them a drop and say hi. But for now no more new posts yet... well... that is if you don't include this one.

Yeah I haven't been earning a lot from blogging anymore but since I already have a stable job that's ok. Oh my! I still can't believe I have work. Like I hate working... huhuhu... well have to work again tonight... yeah night shift sucks but at least I get paid more for it.


Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Nursing Life Flashback

Here are some pictures my Clinical Instructor sent me and I wanted to share it with the rest of the world. Again, thank you Ma'am Asne for these. ^_^

Monday, July 14, 2008

The Filipino Channel

I have been surfing through my TV and from the 999 channels I couldn't find The Filipino Channel on it. I tried the channels with Pay Per View and searched the ones I need to subscribe to and I still don't see The Filipino Channel anywhere.

Oh well... but I sometimes ask myself why I want to have a subscription to the Filipino channel when I don't even watch Philippine shows even when I was back home at the Philippines. Well, maybe I'm getting a little bit of homesick. But I'm already home here. I'm an Edmontonian and a Canadian...

...but I am also a Filipino...

FINALLY!!! The Internet is HERE!

Hahaha! Up yours TELUS! Sorry for that. It's just that I'm so frustrated with Telus because they had to make us wait for several days for them to install our TV Cable + Phone + Internet Bundle. But they never came and they had the nerve to make us wait for another several days. But good thing for us Canada is home to more better service providers such as SHAW!

Yup SHAW only made us wait for three days (which could only be a day if we called after and not before Saturday and Sunday) to install our utilities. And I am loving SHAW! Their Pay Per View service is excellent, the phone service is excellent, the internet speed is excellent, plus the customer service is excellent. It makes me want to say SHAW = EXCELLENT!!!

Plus our Shaw bundle does not only saves us a lot of money it also comes with a free Shaw Secure software ($90 for non-Shaw internet subscribers) which protects us from viruses, spyware, identity theft, spam, and pesky pop-ups.

Our subscription also comes with 10 free e-mail addresses and web pages. Having Shaw is one good reason to move to Canada hehehe.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

I Got Tipped!

Well, I should have included this in my list of reasons to stay at Tim Hortons. One reason why I don't want to leave Tim Hortons is that I have met several great regular customers. And they sometimes give me tips too! I could have gotten almost $10 now if I didn't play a role of a martyr and as a good employee by placing my tips in the till (cash machine).

But I've learned my lesson. I've realized that I'm not actually being paid much (maybe I'm being too demanding here hehehe) and that the customers gave those tips to me so it should be mine.

So how do I know if the customer tips me? Well they say "This is for you". But what if they say "Keep the change". That means I literally keep the change right? Well, we were told that we should place the change that the customers leave in the Tim Hortons Camp donation box but maybe I'll just keep the Loonies ($1) and the Toonies ($2) and the rest of the coins goes to the kiddies at camp hehehe. But they have video cameras set up at the till so it would be better if I don't get the change. But if the customers hand the money to me after I closed the till then I sure will get it hehehe.

Library In a Mall?!

Yup I'm in a library right now and guess where it is located. The Mill Woods Town Center. It's a mall. But having a library in a mall is quite convenient really. So if you want to go to the mall you just tell your parents, "Mom, Dad... I'm going to the library!"

Well the library here has a huge collection of books, CD's, DVD's, magazines, and the sort. I haven't really browsed because I'm only here for the internet hehehe. Evil little me. Well this is just temporary though. I won't be visiting the library anytime again soon because this Monday we will finally have our internet connected. Well we still don't have our own phone and cable TV services connected yet but we already have access to the telephone and cable TV since the previous owner didn't have his utilities disconnected. If we were evil we could have called our friends over the Philippines and the cost would all go to him because his account is set to automatically deduct his fees from his bank account. How convenient (for us) right? But I'm going out of my topic right now.

Well I have ot go home and call my bank. I can't seem to enter my bank account through the internet.... I wonder if someone hacked my account already... oh no... That's why I have to hurry home.

Friday, July 11, 2008

I Hate Telus

Yup this is another episode of my rantings so you better stop reading right now but if you are intersted and want to hear (or read) my ranting then read on ahead.
Well I was so excited yesterday because Telus was supposedly scheduled to arrive at our apartment yesterday to install our Cable Tv, internet, and phone but they didn't come. it seems that they called us up at the lobby and since no one answered they just left with out even checking with the main office of our building to perfom the other installations outside our apartment. The thing is calling us would really not work because we first of all don't have a telephone line yet so the one they were calling was the previous owner. You see the door phone was programmed to call the previous owner and not us. My mom informed Telus about this and even gave her phone number so that we could let them in the building if they arrive but they didn't have the initiative to call 0r what so ever.
My mom called Telus today and they said that they were sorry and they would come again next week. NEXT WEEK??? We've been waiting for 2 weeks now and they want us to wait next week? The operator was not that even nice when we called the other day asking why the Telus installers weren't around.
So my mom terminated our account with Telus and set-up a new bundle with Shaw. Shaw is better indeed as it would only take them 1-3 days to set-up everything. It seems that the stupid previous owner didn't bother disconnecting his utilities so we used it for a while hehehe. Shaw said that they will contact the said owner and will take care of disconnecting and transfer of ownership or what so ever. I'm really impressed with Shaw.
And you kniw what Telus said when my mom said that she'll look for another service provider? "Customers always come back to us..." How cocky can you get?

I'm Going to QUIT

Well I'm not going to quit at my job at Tim Hortons anytime soon. But I am sure tempted to do so. There are so many reasons for me to quit but there are only a few reasons for me to stay (how melodramatic hehehe).

Ok here are my reasons to leave:

  • I was placed at night shift (11 pm to 7 am) and the pay is bad (no premiums for me) and I'm the only one at the storefront and I do everything from sweeping, mopping, throwing away the garbage, dishes, restocking, and for again a bad pay. Why do I say bad? Well I used to work at 3-11 pm and I'm only assigned one task and there are more of us on the job so I could afford to goof off during my breaks.
  • Morning is hell! There are so many nasty, cold-hearted, cocky, and hard-to-please customers! I honestly broke down and cried (but I hid of course).
  • There's a job for me that's nearer to where I live with a higher pay and the job is less stressful.

Reasons for me to stay:

  • I was "highly recommended" by a Filipino supervisor that's why I landed the job immediately.
  • I love my co-workers during my 3-11 pm shift.
  • I need to last longer so that this could serve as a good "Canadian Experience" for me.

But I have weighed things around and I have decided that if they still will place me on night shift next week even after my several talks with my manager showing my extreme discontent and unhappy self then I will quit.

I know that I should persever more and all but I love my self to much to go insane from working to hard! Imagine, whenever I fall asleep all my dreams includes working at Tim Hortons and serving customers. I have to remind my self several times that this is just a dream and there is no Tim Hortons at our house...

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Google Adsense Move

I'm glad that my Google Adsense has earned me around $80 now and I am going to cash this out as soon as I reach the $100 mark. But I still have some issues regarding the payee address (my address) because I can't seem to change my Country in the Payee Information. But I've already sent a request form to Google about the change in address so I guess that everything will be ok for now.

I've been a very bad blogger these days since I'm always out of the house and all but once we get the internet connected I guess that everything will work out. I'm actually using the library public pc right now since my brother wanted to use my laptop instead and I wonder why...

Anyway, I'll leave blogging for another day.

The Blogger Police has Gone Bad

I have been tagged as a "Blogger Police" before but I guess that that name doesn't suit me anymore because I have gone to the opposite side of the force... the dark force...

I have become... an ABSENTEE BLOGGER! Yup I don't want to be absent all the time from the blogging world but I can't help it. Under difficult circumstances the blogging gods has cursed me and I don't have internet access at our new home still and I have to walk to the library to go online. It has been a long while (and I mean looong) since I've been online. It's because of my stupid job and such hehehe.

But here I am now blogging with an agitated brother because he wants to use the laptop because I guess he too had been long gone from the internet world. But since I am kind and understanding I will allow him to use my precious laptop and use the public pc which I don't know why he doesn't want to use... technology scare I guess.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Sleep Deprived

Oh my... I swear, if I continue to be on night shift (11 pm to 7 am) I will go insane! I am so sleep deprived and I feel like quitting. But since our money is still frozen and still in the process of being cleared by the Philippine bank (which will take very long as usual) I have to work so that our basic needs will be met. My parents do have jobs already but my brother and I have started working earlier so therefore we get our paychecks first. Oh we did already get our paychecks and it was because of my paycheck that we already got our magnetic key cards using my debit card (my first transaction too).

Oh well. I love working to earn money but I have to ask my manager if I get a premium or a higher pay during my night shift. If not then I'll request that my time slot be transferred to a 3 pm to 11 pm. If they don't let me then I'll just gracefully quit. Working alone in the wee hours of the day is no fun at all especially when grouchy newly-awakened customers start stampeding in.

Our New Apartment... Our Home

These are some pictures of our new apartment. It still has no furniture though... Just some Whirlpool Appliances like a dishwasher, stove & oven, microwave, refrigerator, and washing Machine & dryer which all came with the apartment. Hope we could move in this week already.

I really love our apartment, it seems so cozy and it's just near the mall and the transit center so life is pretty easy. I just hope that July 24 could come already so that our money from the Philippine banks could already be cleared so that we could fill our apartment up with more accessories and decorations so that we could truly call it our home... do you know what I mean?

Anyway I still have work so I'll cut it short here.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

My First Pay Check


Canada Day was very memorable to me indeed. It was not only the very first Canadian Holiday that I have experienced but it was also the day that I received my very first paycheck! Yup all my hard work was finally paid off.

Although I still have thoughts of quiting my job, getting that paycheck is like a motivation to me. Besides, what else would I do at home? I'm an Out of School Youth so I'd rather do something more productive right?

Oh yeah, I also have my own debit card which I already used by the way. I used it to pay for the electronic key cards for our apartment. You see our money is still frozen as the bank is still waiting for the banks in the Philippines to clear our bank draft.

I just hate having no money. I feel so low that's why I'm working to supplement our income. Although my parents have jobs already it would take a while for them to get their paychecks so my brother and I are kind of the bread winners for now. We do have money that my mom brought but it's not that much because she didn't expect our bank drafts to clear that long.

My First Canada Day

Last July 1, 2008, I experienced my first Canada Day. Canada Day is Canada's Birthday as this was the day when Great Britain allowed the parts of Canada to join together and form one government.

At that time there were only four provinces (Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick). Today there are 10 provinces and 3 territories.

Canada Day was sure very busy as people were out watching the fireworks and guess where I was? I was at Tim Hortons working! And boy was it busy!

Anyway I'm starting to love Canada already and so as to pay tribute to my new home here is the Canada National Anthem:

Official Lyrics of O Canada!

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

If you want to listen to the mp3 of the song you can visit the page of the Government of Canada here.


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Picture Credit to WikiPedia