Starting a New Life in Canada

To our delight, the day we arrived in the country was also the first day of snow in Langley.  Having never experienced it before, Hubby and our girls were so excited, they headed out immediately after breakfast the next day without wearing their jackets. Talk about "The cold never bothered me anyway." Hahaha!

How We Moved from the UAE to Canada

Even before we came to Canada for a vacation back in 2015, Hubby and I already knew we wanted to move here eventually.  We tried applying for Permanent Residency through Express Entry and looked into other options, but unfortunately our points were either not enough or we weren't 100% decided with the choices available.  So, Hubby checked vacancies that were posted on the internet and applied for positions that were similar to his current job. Also, we included it in our family prayer every night for God to allow us to work and live in Canada.  This went on for more than two years.

My Colonoscopy and Endoscopy Experience

Last month, I had to undergo a colonoscopy and an endoscopy. For those of you who don’t know what these are, a colonoscopy is a procedure where a doctor (usually a Gastroenterologist) inserts a long, thin tube inside the patient’s rectum. The tube has a tiny video camera which is connected to a screen where it shows the live images, and this is used to look at the colon (aka large intestine) for any abnormalities. An endoscopy is pretty much the same thing, but this time the tube is inserted down the patient’s throat to look at his or her digestive tract.

How to Get a Papal Blessing Parchment

Years ago, I told Hubby that I wanted us to have a renewal of vows for our tenth wedding anniversary.  I wanted to have another wedding, complete with an entourage, with me wearing a beautiful wedding gown and hubby wearing a tux, and reception dinner, Unfortunately, we never set aside any budget for it nor did we actually sit down and plan anything, and since our anniversary is in three months, you can be sure that that idea won't be pushing through.

Viral Ball: The Souqpinoy Slimdown Challenge Press Launch

I admit I’m not a fit or athletic person. I don’t go to the gym and the only exercise I do is walking and jogging around the neighborhood park. And although I’ve been trying to watch what I eat lately, I’m far from what you would describe as health conscious. So imagine my surprise when I received an invitation to the press launch of The Souqpinoy Slimdown Challenge. I was sure I wouldn’t fit in (pun intended ☺), but since I honestly wanted to know more about it, my family and I headed to The Coach Academy in Al Muneera Gym last Friday.

How to Get Travel Insurance for People Visiting UAE

Back in November last year, my siblings and I made a sudden decision for Mama to have a 3-month vacation in Dubai. We applied for her visit visa through a travel agency, received it on the fifth working day, and proceeded to buy her ticket online.

Since we were running out of time, we didn’t go to the Philippine Consulate to get an Affidavit of Support & Guarantee anymore. Why? For one thing, Mama is already a senior citizen. For another, my sister would be travelling with her; she could answer any questions if they asked why she didn’t have an Affidavit. We weren’t sure if it was needed, but we just took the chance and hoped that the authorities at NAIA wouldn’t request for the document. Luckily, they passed through Immigration uneventfully and Mama happily boarded the plane.

A Rant and Reminders from a Mom Who Blogs

I am very angry!

A picture I took and shared in this personal blog of mine was used without my permission. And what’s worse, it was my youngest daughter’s UAE Residence Visa and the one who used it was a man advertising his company’s visa processing services!

That’s the thanks I get for sharing helpful information, huh?!

How to Apply for a Schengen Visa to Austria from Dubai

You’d think with the free time we have during Ramadan, I would have blogged more, right? Well, I really wanted to, but I opted to spend the time with my family more…until it was too late and the blogging part of my brain couldn't form a simple sentence to start a post ☺  Anyway, here I am pushing myself out of my blogger’s block to come up with something that will make up for my silence this past month.

And since our family is going on a trip out of the country very, very soon, it was only fitting that I share our experience on how we applied for our Schengen visas this time.  Yes, this time because before this one, I had already applied for three Schengen visas to two different countries (Germany in 2005 and 2014 and Switzerland last year). 

So, here’s how you can apply for a Schengen visa to Austria from Dubai:

How to Get a Personal Nol Card for Students

Since February, because Hubby often has errands to attend to or has to work on Saturdays, Caila and I have been commuting more frequently during weekends when we have to go out.  This led me to find out how to apply for a personal Nol card for her because students get a 50% discount on the original fare!

Fortunately, the steps to get one are pretty easy.

Applying for a Schengen Visa to Switzerland in Dubai

And I’m back in the sandpit!

Actually, we arrived yesterday morning. While my sister went home and had the day off (lucky her), I headed to the office directly from the airport and went straight to work. Not a good idea, I tell you. Since I had been travelling for around 16 hours (via train and plane), and taking into consideration the difference in the time zones, I felt tired, dizzy, and groggy. Thank goodness my work load was manageable and there weren’t any major deadlines to meet. Now, I’m still a bit jetlagged, but 9.5 hours of sleep somehow helped.

Of course you can bet I'm still over the moon from my recent trip.  Switzerland is truly a place that everyone should visit at least once. I’d definitely want to go back there with my family. I’m so excited to share all the details, but my blog posts about this vacation will have to wait because I still have to sort out the photos...plus I haven’t finished blogging about our Canada trip yet! Augh!.

In the meantime, here are the steps I followed to apply for the visa…you know, just in case my posts in Instagram, Facebook and Twitter inspired, tempted, and/or convinced you to visit this beautiful country ☺

#GPinCanada: Secondary Investigation at the US-Canada Border

Visiting Seattle in the US was part of our itinerary that week, but Kuya Boy suggested that we do a quick visit to Bellingham on Monday night (the same day we visited Whistler) to get the Secondary Investigation over with so that we would be able to cross the border easily when Ate Evelyn and Salman were with us (they’re Canadian citizens so they don’t have to go through Secondary unless the officer suspects something). So right after dinner, the five of us headed to the US-Canada border at the Aldergrove-Lynden Crossing.

Before our vacation, Hubby and I watched clips and episodes of Border Security: Canada’s Front Line on YouTube, but even though we were “clean and innocent” and had a general idea as to what usually happens, I still felt nervous as we approached the border.

Applying for a US Visit Visa in the UAE

When we received our passports with the visit visas to Canada, my brother suggested that we also apply for a US visit visa. He and his family have taken road trips to the nearby American cities, so they thought it would be great if we could experience the same during our vacation. Naturally, I thought it would be a great idea! This would be our chance to set foot in the home of Uncle Sam! Who wouldn’t take advantage of the opportunity, right?

So on the 10th of May, my husband and I completed our online applications for our family. Unfortunately though, when we paid the fees and checked the appointment schedule of the US Consulate, the earliest one we could get was July. However, when I checked the US Embassy schedule and found they had available slots for June, we immediately prepared new applications (this time choosing Abu Dhabi as the location), called their customer service to request to transfer our details in the appointment booking site, and we set the appointment for the following month. Fast forward to the day of our appointment, Hubby and I woke up earlier than usual to prepare, and then set off to Abu Dhabi. We arrived at the Embassy a little after 8am and left approximately 3 hours later…relieved and very thankful that our efforts and money did not go to waste ☺

How to Get an International Driving Permit in Dubai

Since my brother said we could use their car sometimes when we visit them in Canada, we figured that we needed to get an International Driving Permit. I was glad to know that the requirements and process was very simple and didn’t take long at all.

Here are the steps we followed:

Applying for a Visit Visa to Canada in Dubai

When your child starts going to school, family vacations always need to be planned around the school calendar. Unfortunately though, in Caila’s school’s case, the holidays they have don’t exactly fall on ideal dates for us to go to the Philippines. Their school break, for example, falls between June and August which are the rainy months in our home country. Term breaks are December to January and March to April, wherein flight tickets are priced unbelievably high because of the peak seasons (Christmas, New Year, Graduation and Holy Week).

Repost: Disclipline and Being a Nagging Mom

Throughout our childhood, Papa was very strict with us. Having had training in the military, he made sure his 4 children grew up disciplined and well-mannered. We were raised to always do what we were told, never complain, carry out our errands, respect our elders, and never, ever disobey them. If any of us displeased Mama and/or him, you can be sure there would be shouting and tears at home. 

My siblings and I all had our fair share with Papa’s belt on our butts. None of us were exempted. However, before I was born (or maybe when I was still a baby), he also punished my older brothers and sister by making them kneel on monggo beans, squatting for a long time, and hanging one of them in a sack until that person fell from struggling.

How to Renew Your Child’s Residence Visa in Dubai

Most residence visas and Emirates IDs are valid for 2 years in the UAE, so every other year, parents need to go through the process of renewing their children’s documents (unless they’re lucky to have their employers do this for them) to ensure their stay is legal.

Parents’ and maids’ visas, on the other hand, are valid for 1 year. You can read here how we applied for Mama’s visa, and when we renewed our maid’s visa 3 years ago.

Sophie recently turned 2 years old, so this was our reminder that we had to renew her visa and Emirates ID. It took us about an hour and a half for everything to be done; this includes the waiting times and walking from one place to the next.

Here’s how you do it:

1) Gather all the requirements: child’s original passport with existing visa, child’s photograph, child’s existing Emirates ID, copy of sponsor’s (usually the father) passport and visa page, copy of sponsor’s labour contract (should be attested), copy of tenancy contract
2) Go to the typing centre and say that you need to renew your child’s Emirates ID and Residence Visa
3) Pay the fees: Dhs410 for Residence Visa and Dhs240 for Emirates ID, plus a few extra dirhams for the typing centre. There’s an additional charge of Dhs100 if you want the visa processed urgently to have it issued right away. Normal processing takes 2 to 3 days.
4) You will be given two printed forms: one for the visa that has all the attachments, and one for the Emirates ID. Keep the paper for the Emirates ID to monitor the status. Usually it will automatically be delivered to your PO Box.
5) Check the information on the Visa form. Again, it was a good thing I did because the mobile number was wrong. They amended it right away, and after making sure everything else was correct, Hubby signed the form and we headed to their Residence Department (Room 4 of the main DNRD office along Trade Centre Road)
6) Show the form to the person at the Information Desk and he will give you a number; then wait for your number to show on the screen
7) When it’s your turn, give the documents to the officer at the counter.
8) If everything is ok and you requested for Urgent processing, the officer will stamp CANCELLED on the previous visa, stick a new one in the passport, and hand it back to you. If you opted for Normal processing, you can expect to receive the passport after a few days.

Our tenancy contract was in my name, so we were ready with a copy of my passport, visa, and our marriage certificate just in case the officer asked for them. He didn’t, but at least we were prepared with all the documents that could possibly be requested (originals, copies, Sophie’s birth certificates in English and Arabic, and her medical insurance card). We learned this lesson the hard way a few years ago.

Just an update for the Emirates ID…
2 days later, Hubby received an SMS saying that Sophie’s application needed modification. I checked with our PRO and he took the corresponding application paper, Sophie’s original passport with the new visa, her existing Emirates ID, photograph and Hubby’s Emirates ID to the typing centre.

By the time our PRO returned to our office and gave all the documents back to me, Hubby had received another SMS saying that the application had been validated and the ID card issuance was being processed.

So now we’re just waiting for the Emirates ID to be delivered.

How to Get a Police Certificate in Dubai

I had to apply for a police certificate this week and fortunately, it was a fairly simple process. For those who need to get one, here are the steps you should follow:

1) Prepare all the requirements: original and copy of passport with visa, photograph, original Emirates ID

2) Go to the Police Department. I went to the one beside Al Qiyadah metro station (in front of Al Mulla Plaza), and proceeded to the Reception of the Criminal & Investigation Department

3) Get a number and wait for your turn.

4) At the counter, present the documents and when the officer asks, say that you want a Police Certificate for so-and-so purpose (work, study, immigration, marriage, etc.).

5) Pay the amount of Dhs210.

6) The officer will give you a receipt mentioning when you can collect the Certificate (mine was after 2 days).

7) On the collection day, go back to the same place, give your receipt to any of the officers behind the counters, and wait.

8) When you hear your name called, approach the officer, get the receipt, and go to the room that releases the Certificates and Permits. Where I went, this room was at the next building so I had to go through the scanning machine and walk a short distance. The room was on my left side when I entered the building

9) Give the receipt to the person and he or she will give you the certificate.

That’s it!

Oh, one simple piece of advice: Make sure to check the information on the certificate (a copy of your passport will be attached, which they will retain before giving the certificate to you).

It was a good thing I did because the place of birth they stated was Philippines. I pointed out to them that it was supposed to be PNG (as stated in my passport) or Papua New Guinea. They immediately corrected it, and the kind CID Director promptly signed the amended certificate, wishing me the best of luck before giving it to me. So nice!

I’m not sure if the same process is followed at the other police stations, but the above is what I went through.

Hope this helps!

Breast Self Examination Demonstration

Women have been reminded time and time again the importance of having breast self-exams at least once a month. The 15 minutes one spends regularly to check her breasts can really save her life.

Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to do a self-exam properly…me included. All I knew was to feel around and look if there were any changes or lumps. It would take me just a couple of minutes.

I think the reason why I didn’t know how was because the only information I got was through words and pictures. I needed something with an actual person actually demonstrating how to do it.

Thanks to YouTube, I came across this video and can now make sure I’m doing the self-exam properly. I strongly encourage all women to watch it as well. I personally think it’s the most helpful and informative breast self-exam I’ve seen so far.

    

Next month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Let’s be more aware of the disease and do our best to ensure that we’re all free from this type of cancer by setting aside 15 minutes of our time each month to examine ourselves.

Lessons Learned on Enrollment Day

It was time for Caila’s enrollment over the weekend. We were given the notice of schedules and corresponding amounts before school closed for vacation last June, but of course, being the procrastinator that I am, I didn’t start preparing the cheques until Friday night.

Enrollment day was Saturday and I had to prepare 6 cheques: 3 for the tuition and other school fees, and another 3 for the school bus.

My first panic moment was when I couldn’t find the chequebook. I found an old one that wasn’t valid anymore, and another one whose cheques I had already used up. But I couldn’t find the one that I last used for the apartment PDCs which was way back in December last year. I searched everywhere I knew where it could possibly be, but nothing. I had to interrupt Hubby’s phone conversation because I was already panicking. And just when I was getting desperate because it seemed he couldn’t find it either, Hubby tossed the chequebook at me with a smirk on his face.

My relief was short-lived, though. Because I immediately realized that there were only 3 cheques left. Gaaaahhhh!

There was no other choice. I prepared the 3 cheques for the school and we decided to pay for the transportation in cash. No way did we have the money needed on hand, so off I went to the nearby ATM to withdraw cash. We were going to have to adjust our budget for a while because of this sudden chunky expense, but, well, what to do?

So Saturday morning arrived and Caila and I headed to her school while Hubby went to the KFC activity. Upon getting our token/number, the lady gave me a list of additional books and sets of uniforms we needed to purchase. When I took a seat to wait for our number to be called, I looked at the amount the lady wrote as the Grand Total and I was horrified to see that I needed to pay almost Dhs6,500. 

WHAAAAAATTTTT?!?!?!

I checked my wallet. Apart from the payment for the transportation, it had only a few hundred dirhams in it which was just enough for the additional payments. I was thinking if there was an ATM nearby and figured there wasn’t one. Then I told myself to check again.

In the notice and breakdown of payments, it included the list of required books. The list of books she attached had the same amount, plus 2 additional books. Okay. Good.

Then I added the amount for the uniforms. And voila! The Grand Total was the amount of everything included in the first payment. So the cheques and cash I had were sufficient. Wheeewwwww!

It was a good thing I didn’t attack the lady and demand an explanation for the outrageous amount when I first saw it. For sure I would have ended up shamed for my stupidity. Not that I would have done that, though. Although I might have if I was stressed and/or it was that time of the month. Kidding! =)

Lessons learned: (1) Order a new chequebook as soon as you notice that you’re down to your last 10 cheques, (2) For any big payment, make sure you have sufficient cheques and/or cash before the deadline, and finally (3) Don’t panic and don’t worry; clear your head, READ and UNDERSTAND.

In short...

Cupcakes That I Made From Boxed Cake Mixes But Tasted Like Homemade

I know I still haven't finished sharing the details of our Germany trip, but I just wanted to share this amazing discovery =)  I promise, I'll blog about the rest of our trip later...even if it takes me until the end of the year (hopefully it won't take me that long, though).

Since the day of our KFC activity this month fell on a working Saturday for me (ergo, I wouldn’t be able to help out on the day itself), I was given the punishment task of baking cupcakes. Simple and easy, right? Wrong. Because the activity for this month focused on honouring the daddies and there was a special program planned, the number of cupcakes needed to equal the number of kids who would be participating; and on average, the attendance is usually 70 kids (sometimes more)! And then there’s the birthday celebrants of the kids and the service team, so I had to make approximately 100 cupcakes. Yikes!

Even if I worked on them the entire day of Friday, I knew I couldn’t bake that many, so I asked other mommies in KFC to make 3 dozen. And to make my task a bit easier, I got the help of ever reliable Betty Crocker. Good thing there was a sale in one of the supermarkets last week =)

Although it’s not a requirement that they had to be homemade, I just felt like I was cheating somehow because I was going to use boxed cake mixes. Please don’t judge me, though. I’m no expert in making cupcakes, I’ve never made money by selling them or accepting orders, and I’ve never made that many at once, so you can imagine how desperate I was.

But surprise, surprise! The ones I made actually tasted like they were made from scratch! Seriously! They taste way different than the normal ones that are made by using the ingredients asked for in the box.

When I made a batch of vanilla mini-cupcakes to practice, Caila finished 5 at once (and then a couple later that night), Sophie finished 2, and the 30 pieces (I think) that we brought for a meeting on Friday was wiped out in minutes! Then on Friday night after they arrived at our apartment, Gabe ate 3 regular-sized cupcakes, plus 1 on Saturday morning before I left for work. And when I asked Mama if she could tell that they weren’t made from scratch, she was really surprised because they were “malasa and moist” and “hindi ma-crumbs” (her words). Hurray!

What did I do? Here’s my secret. Actually, it’s not my secret. You can check the internet for all sorts of tips; and believe me, there are a lot! But these are the ones I tried and tested to be very effective in improving the taste of the vanilla and chocolate cupcakes I made.

• Add 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
• Replace the vegetable oil with melted butter
• Add one more egg to what is asked (if it needs 2 eggs, put in 3; if it asks for 3, use 4 eggs)
• Use fresh milk instead of water
• Instead of water for the chocolate cupcakes, use 1 cup chocolate milk and 1/4 cup chocolate syrup
• Add 1/3 cup of sugar for vanilla cupcakes, and 1/4 cup of sugar for chocolate cupcakes
• For the vanilla cupcakes, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla
I also mixed in chocolate chips to the batter, but the cupcakes were also fine without them.

And to make sure no one would even think they were made from boxed cake mixes, I topped them up with frosting made from scratch.

Don't they look delicious?!
(L to R) Chocolate Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Vanilla Cupcake with Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting, and a plain Chocolate Cupcake

Try it and let me know how yours turn out. I guarantee you’ll be tempted to use boxed cake mixes when you feel the need to cheat *wink*