Jernie's Hub

Loreto, Dinagat Islands (November 2009)

2010-06-17T14:12:00.032+03:00

From Surigao City, we had to take a boat cruising along Dinagat Islands to the northern tip of the island where Loreto lies. This trip normally takes 4 hours, non-stop.

Click on the picture to view larger

The boats cruising around the islands:

My hometown Loreto:

Our Ancestral House

with my Mother

Dinner with friends

my Uncle

San Miguel Beer, Herbert's favorite beer in the Philippines

Going around Loreto:

Get-together with my relatives and my high school mates:

Surigao City

2010-03-11T08:59:00.022+02:00

My hometown Loreto is at the northern tip of Dinagat Island. From Manila, we had to take a domestic flight to Surigao City then another 4 hour boat ride to Loreto cruising along the stretch of Dinagat Island. The weather can be harsh especially in June-July and November-December. Though it was mid November when we got there, the weather was really good except for the heavy rains in the morning. The sea was so calm. It was such a big concern for us because we didnt have time and we cannot afford to be stranded there for days. I know that nasty weather could even run for weeks there, no outbound and inbound trips. Oh no! we could be trapped there.

For more information about Surigao City check-out below link: http://www.surigaocity.gov.ph

Click on the photo to view larger
The red arrow is the flight route and the blue arrow is the boat route.

on flight to Surigao City

Mayon volcano as seen from the plane

The town of Loreto (tip of dinagat Island) as seen from the plane.

Gibusong Island situated right across the town of Loreto.

approaching over Surigao City
Surigao City airport

The Philippine Airlines Express, flying to Surigao from Manila and back everyday. Check-out their website http://www.philippineairlines.com/destinations/the_philippines/surigao.jsp

Tavern Hotel service, free pick-up and drop-off of guests from and to the airport.

A glimpse of Surigao city

The Tavern Hotel . We chose this hotel due to its proximity to the city center and to the port where boats enroute to Loreto are docked. The hotel was under renovation. In my book, it is not a high standard neither a fancy hotel but it is reasonable. I would say the food is really good.

View from our hotel suite.

I so love this tricycle. The main public transport around the city of Surigao.

At the hotel lobby

Here's more of Surigao:

Around Metro Manila Part2

2010-02-12T06:56:00.035+02:00

Tagaytay City

Tagaytay city is a popular tourist destination because of cool climate due to its high altitude. It is situated on top of the Tagaytay Ridge, which is about 2,100 ft above sea level. The city belongs to the province of Cavite, about an hour and a half to 2 hours drive from Manila. . The city itself is a tourist attraction to the local and foreign visitors because it offers a verygood view of the Taal Volcano and Taal Lake in Batangas.

Since we leave in Cavite, a drive to Tagaytay City normally takes only 45 minutes depending on the traffic. Our favorite place to spend a day or an afternoon is the RSM Restaurant. The place is nicely decorated, they offer really good food and their outdoor area overlooking the Taal Volacano and Lake is very well landscaped. They used to have a cultural variety showbut the last time we were there, they didn't have one but a singing group who would serenade the guests.

Spending the evening in Tagaytay is also highly recommended. There are really good places to hang out and will enjoy the night view of the place. I really love it there.

Shangri-la Plaza It is an upscale shopping mall located in Ortigas Center, was my favorite mall during the 90s. It offers a good variety of places for shopping, dining, entertainment, events and services to customers. Parking space is not at all a problem here. In my recollection, this place was much more elegant, in order, spacious and clean before than today. I paused for a moment try to figure out if this is the same place that I used to visit before. Anyway, we roamed around the place, watched the Korean Food Exhibition, did some shopping, took some photos with their Christmas decors and off we go. Visit their website http://www.shangrila-plaza.com/

The Grand Escalators

Korean Food Exhibition

Grandiose and beautiful Christmas Tree

view from the rooftop parking area
The Mega Mall and the skyline behind

The Mega Mall as viewed from the rooftop of the Shangri-la Plaza

Entrance to the parking area

Greenbelt Center and Glorietta Mall

These are located in Makati City. It is said to be the country's first premier lifefstyle center that offers to the customers high end shopping, specialty shopping, entertainment and dining. The outdoor offers a beautifully landscaped garden on which the restaurants and coffee areas around have a very good view. This place is really awesome: from the high-tech parking system, to the posh boutiques, really beautiful interior decorations then out to the garden, its small park leading to the chapel and the restaurants and coffees shops around. I would say, this is one of the best few places in Metro Manila to hang around not only during daytime but evenings as well. The photos below say it all.

Visit as well this website that I came across which shows a 360 degrees view of the place.

http://www.360cities.net/image/manila-makati-greenbelt-2009-philippines

The Chapel

Inside Cafe Havana
Guava Pie and Banana Split

The walk bridge connecting Greenbelt Center to the Glorietta Mall, Landmark
and SM

Greenbelt at night

Inside the new Greenbelt 5

Outdoor Restuarants at Greenbelt 5

Havana Cafe evening

Glorietta Mall

It is another huge mall in Makati City Center, connected to the Greenbelt Center by a walkway bridge. Like the Greenbelt center this is dividedinto 5 areas as well, Glorietta 1 to 5 which houses many shops and restaurants, as well as cinema screens, a gym, arcades and a large central atrium often used to stage special events. It has an activity center, located at the heart of the mall. It is also integrated between Greenbelt Mall, SM Makati, Rustan's Makati and The Landmark, a department store.

On Oct 2007, there was a bomb blast here which reportedly killed 8 and hurt more than a 100 people. When we were there, an area of the mall is restricted to shoppers. I guess for renovation purposes.

Visit Makati City Center, it is highly recommended. You will certainly love it!

Our home in Manila:

with the family at home

at the rooftop

Nice time in Manila...

Going around Metro Manila

2009-12-15T07:32:00.021+02:00

Having cold weather for quite some time in Canada and in Germany, 30 degrees in Manila was for me, heaven! It was fantastic! I was so excited to go out with my sandals. On top of it, being November, I was so excited to see the Christmas decorations all around Metro Manila. Here are some of our shots around and about Manila.

Filinvest Corporate City in Alabang

This is our favorite place to go around. We dont have to go far, everything is in this place, shopping malls, restaurants, supermarkets, banks, home furnishings departments stores, open air coffee and restaurant areas, nice hotels, etc. This place is very nice, surrounded by greens, nice landscape, not crowded, not much traffic, very clean, and most of all , it is safe. Since we live in the south, it saves us a whole lot of time to do our things, instead of driving to Makati City.

There are 2 very nice hotels in this area, the Vivere and Bellevue. We have been to both and it is certainly a beautiful place to cool off and to have some peace after shopping. Bellevue's coffee shop at the lobby is so cozy, one of our favorite place. Check out for more details, http://wikimapia.org/62854/Filinvest-Corporate-City-Alabang

Alabang Town Center

Around Alabang

At Bellevue hotel, Alabang

At the Mall of Asia :

SM Mall of Asia (MOA) is a shopping mall owned and developed by SM Prime Holdings, the largest mall developer and owner in the Philippines. SM Mall of Asia is the second largest shopping mall in the Philippines and the 4th largest shopping mall in the world[citation needed] . It has a land area of 42 hectares and has a gross floor area of an approximate 390,193 m² (4.2 million square feet)[1] and 407,101 m² of total area. The mall is located at Bay City, Pasay City, Philippines just near the SM Central Business Park, the Manila Bay and the southern end of EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue). The mall attracts a daily foot traffic of 200,000 people. (source: wikipedia)
Visit the official MOA website http://www.smmallofasia.com/

This place is enormous! You can be lost inside. If dont know how to spend your day, this is the place for you. You can find everthing in here. Since, we dont have that luxury of time to spend, each time we come to this place, we plan what exactly we want to do and where we want to go. One thing I would stress out is that, during the weekend - Saturday and Sunday,this place is packed as in packed with people. I dont really like it, so crowded, so noisy.....very stressful. Go there during weekdays so you will enjoy it.

Manila Bay view

Lunch at Via Mare

Herbert with his favorite San Miguel Beer Pale Pilsen and I have my fav buko juice as well

St. Paul Sisters convent in Pasay City

Sister Lourdes, a childhood friend, best friend and my constant partner in the church back home had just celebrated her professional vow with close friends and family. Since we are seldom in the Philippines, each time we are there we try to visit her. Fortunately, she is currently assigned in Pasay City, so we had a very good chance to visit her.

Sister Lourdes' professional vow.

Congratulations, you've made it!

children's playground inside

The Power Plant Mall

Malls are widely popular in the Philippines, must be hundreds of them are spread all over the country. In Metro Manila, there are a few 'posh' or high-end shopping malls and the Power Plant Mall is one of them. It is located at the Rockwell Center in Makati City. It is a four-level complex which carries specialty brands, signature boutiques local and international, a wide range of themed restaurants, supermarket, cinema and bars. Moreso, at the parking level, there is a driver lounge, so if the driver wuoldn't wish to go with you, they won't be bored at all because the lounge is equipped with a television set. It was quite a relief for us so at least we dont have to worry if the driver is bored or not and if we ask him to join us, we know exactly where to find him.

When we were there, the place is adorned with beautiful Christmas decorations. It is such a beautiful place to hang-out and have fun. I would highly recommend to give this place a visit when you are in Manila.

beautiful Christmas decors

with my niece and nephew

with my mother and sis

the Christmas market inside the mall, looks like very much in Europe

the signature shops

themed restaurants

Check-out their official website http://www.powerplantmall.com

to be continued..... keep checking.

Holiday in the Philippines

2009-12-03T08:58:00.007+02:00

After a long flight from Toronto to Frankfurt, a 15 hour flight to Manila is not that exciting. It was the longest flight I had. I just can't wait to arrive Hongkong then Manila. Although we had a big concern about the weather in Manila due to a series of typhoons and tropical depressions hitting the region, we were so lucky to have a very good weather during our entire stay.

It was raining when we touched down NAIA but it was really warm. I couldnt believe we were in Manila already. I was so happy and curious as we passed by the Duty Free outlets at the arrival area, they brought back happy and unforgettable memories during my time in the Internal Audit Div. of Duty Free Phils. I was looking for the rondalla group, they used to play at the arrival area but they were not there. I took some bags of chocolates at one of the outlets then off we went to the passport control area then collected our luggage. My family came to pick us up then we proceed to the Mall of Asia for lunch.

There after we went to Alabang where we usually do our grocery shopping at the Makati Supermarket in Alabang Town Center. We like this place not only because of its proximity to our home but it offers a really good variety of local and international items. Also, the place is not so huge, not so crowded and we know already where to find things so it is easier for us to shop.

Check this link for deatils of Alabang Town Center.

http://alabangtowncenter.multiply.com/

Back from a long break!

2009-12-03T08:41:00.004+02:00

I had been off for quite a long time.- leaving Canada for good, flew to Frankfurt, Germany for a 3-day stay then off to the Philippines for a 3-week holiday. And now we are back in Germany.

Though it is winter time, it is not as cold as I have expected. I just hope it will stay that way for the whole winter period - wishful thinking.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T23:10:00.003+02:00

Spending Time with Relatives and Friends

2009-10-13T21:39:00.014+03:00

Since we are leaving Canada for good, we just spend time with our relatives and friends. We do treasure the time we spent here in Ontario.

Ocabas and Wolfes visit to our place: Ovation in Mississauga

Bowling night at our place.

The girls went swimming and spent time at the sauna bath after bowling.

at the pool garden
having fun at the garden

A birthday celebration given by our dear friends; the Wolfes and Ocabas.

Mariezl's visit at our place

Bowling night with the Natividads at our place.

Dinner at Thelma Luib's home

Birthday celebration at my cousin's home (Gellera family) in Scarborough

with Bouy and Beth Luib

with Thelma and Lito

with the Wolfes and Ocabas celebrating Arlene's birthday

At Niagara on the Lake.

Just finished watching the stage play "Born Yesterday". It was really fantastic.

The trees in the neighborhood.

Join birthday celebration for me and Jacob part 2.

Having fun with the kids

Maya with Mom Lyn

We will be meeting more friends before we leave Canada for good.

Great Weekend at Severn Falls

2009-08-21T20:44:00.013+03:00

This is our third time to be in this place. Nothing new to say about the place but I do love to share these wonderful photos.

View from the cottage deck, very serene....
Kayaking with Stacia

On our way to tubing

Tubing was so much fun! I love it...

I did it well, didn't flip over hahaha..
birthday celebration
cheers to the celebrant!

Set for cruising around the Severn River

kayaking is soooo relaxing...
Herbert still waiting for his catch..
Lilies we picked at the river while kayaking..

the neighbors...
this is where we had our party...
cruising up and down the river...so beautiful!
tubing...
another beautiful cottage
what a wonderful day
enjoying the cruise to the max

Big Chute Marina

The big Chute, transporting boats

our very nice hosts
a boat house
kids jumping from the bridge, so scary

beautiful scenery of Severn Falls
so relaxing

water skiing
that looks exciting..

We truly had a wonderful weekend. Thanks to our very warm and hospital hosts, Rick and Stacia.

Day Trip to Niagara with Friends

2009-08-18T15:13:00.017+03:00

We took a day trip to the Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake. We left from Mississauga around 9am; the weather was not ideal though. We arrived at Niagara Falls at around 10:30am. Parking was not much of a headache. We found a spot right next to the Sheraton on the Falls Hotel which costs Canadian Dollars 15 for the whole day.

We went straight to the Welcome Center to secure "The Adventure Pass Priority Access" which is priced at CAD 40. This includes the Maid of the Mist, Journey Behind the Falls, White Water Walk and Niagara's Fury, as well as 50% discount coupons to the following:

Butterfly Conservatory
Sir Adam Beck 2 Generating Station Tour
Whirlpool Aero Car
Old Fort Erie
McFarland House
Laura Secord Homestead

The Adventure Pass also includes a 2-all-day transportation ticket with People Mover. There is a tip though if you don't want to park close to the falls. You can park at the Butterfly Conservatory then take the People Mover transport to the falls and around then back to the conservatory. Take note that the last trip is 5:30pm.

You can check more details about the Adventure Pass in this website:

http://www.niagaraparks.com/nfgg/discountpass.php

At the Welcome Center we bought the passes and made right-away reservations for every activity. Since our friends had only a day, we just did the four main activities.

We headed right-away to the Maid of the Mist and followed the queue to the elevator to take us down to the port. We donned plastic rain coats while waiting for the ride. Once on board, we opted to stay in the lower deck. We drove first to the US side of the falls, I could feel the rage of the water and the view is really spectacular. Then to the Canadian side of the falls. As we got closer to the foot of the falls, the drop of the water is incredibly loud and powerful. I couldn't see much because of the mist but the thunder-loud of the raging water really made me scared. But it was such a great experience, awesome.

U.S. side of the falls

Canadian side of the falls

From the there we walked towards the Table Rock for the next attraction, Journey Behind the Falls. We stopped by a restaurant to take shelter from the pouring rain and had a light lunch.

Due to their insufficient signage/directions, we walked way far up for a good 10 minutes because couldn't find the place at all. We had to ask a number of people to point us to the right direction. Anyway, we found it seconds short of our reservation time. We donned our plastic rain coats again while waiting for the lift to take us down to the tunnel. It was a bit crowded so we had to wait for our turn. We went along the tunnel and took a peek at the window which is technically behind the falls but there was really nothing spectacular about it. There were some information and photos about the falls but nothing else. We went to the viewing deck to see if there are more to see and experience but there was nothing else. We were quite disappointed because we were expecting more to it. For me, it is as good as watching the falls from the outside, it is not worth the money.

One of the view windows of Journey Behind the Falls

The next attraction is the Niagara's Fury. We roamed around the souvenir shops while waiting for the call to the Niagara's Fury. Again we were given rain coats, so we expected it's gonna be a water activity. As the doors opened, we went inside the hall. They were showing a 4D short film about the Niagara Falls. Thereafter, another set of doors opened and there was a hall, a platform with grip handles/posts for us to hold on, and above was a 360 deg screen. Then the show started with some snowy, windy, stormy effects and a very good audio treat. The platform moved a little bit and I was so expecting more motion but it didn't come at all until the end of the show. My jaw literally dropped and said "that was it!". Oh no, what was that? It was nothing.

I do remember when I went to the Disneyland in Paris, I went to the similar thing Armageddon. At least there I felt something was going on but the Niagara's Fury was merely watching a film. Surely it will be fun for the small kids but not for adults. We've got another dose of disappointment. So our expectations were dropping from one attraction to the next.

Well, the last one in our list was the White Water Walk (WWW). By then, we were not expecting anything interesting anymore.We were advised to take the People Mover Transport and we will be dropped at the WWW station. This time we were not given a rain coat anymore, we took the elevator down and walked down the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel was a viewing deck and a boardwalk along the Niagara Rapids which they said one of the most dangerous one in the world. It was ok. It was pleasant to hear the gushing sound of the water and the greens around. Yes, it was quite relaxing. We didn't walk until the end of the boardwalk because we were running short of time.

tunnel going up to the rapids

The boardwalk

My take on this "Niagara Falls Adventure Pass" is that, if you have not much time to spend at Niagara Falls then just only take the Maid of the Mist. Otherwise, if you have time and you want to do something then the last 3 attractions can be worth seeing.

We drove back towards the falls and got off in front of the Hard Rock Cafe. By then the storm made its touched-down. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe for some drinks and bought some souvenirs.

Thereafter we headed back to the parking lot and drove to the Niagara on the Lake to meet Aunt Rosie, as usual we were welcomed with a really good coffee and so delicious cake. Later on, we took our friends around the old town and by the lake area. I can't stop praising this beautiful and graceful little town. We were so lucky that the weather got better.

Beautiful houses in the neighborhood

At around 7pm, we drove to Alfredo's Restaurant at the nearby town of Virgil. We treated ourselves to a really good pizza evening. Thereafter, we drove our way back to Mississauga.

I just hope our friends enjoyed their stay here in Ontario.

Around Toronto with our Friends

2009-08-14T01:31:00.022+03:00

Our friends from Germany came over to visit us. Since they have a limited time to see Toronto and Niagara, I opted to go with them and showed them few attractions of Toronto.

During the week, we relied solely on the public transport and during the weekend we had our own. From where we live, GO Transit Bus Terminal at Square One Mall is just a few minutes walk away. GO Transit have trains and buses (called Train Bus) serving the Greater Toronto Area. http://www.gotransit.com/PUBLICROOT/en/default.aspx It is a very effective means of transportation.

GO train buses leave Square One terminal on specific timings. Schedule can be found thru their website above, thru their brochures and at the terminal. It is pretty convenient. If you have no ticket on hand you could pay cash in the bus. Tickets are available in their designated ticket offices/counter. One can buy individual or multiple tickets. One thing one must note though, buses and trains leaves on time. From Square One Mississauga to Union Station at downtown Toronto takes just 45 minutes, almost the same time you'll cover if driving a private car. After 4pm until 7pm, there are no buses commuting to Square One but train to Cooksville station. From there, one can take a normal bus to Square One by just paying 65 cents for the ticket showing your GO ticket to the bus driver.

One day when it was raining heavily, we took a taxi from Duke of York Blvd, Mississauga to Bloor Street downtown Toronto for around 60 dollars.

On the first day, we roamed around the downtown area: from the Union Station, to the old Toronto Area (St. Lawrence Market Neighborhood), then to the Financial District, to the Eaton Center, Nathan Philipps Square, down to the Entertainment District then we took the PATH (underground shopping complex) back to the Union Station..

The Allen Lambert Galleria, sometimes described as the "crystal cathedral of commerce". Designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, it is one of the most photographed spaces in Toronto's financial district. As pictured above, the interior illustrates Calatrava's signature organic style, with a vaulted ceiling that is intended to evoke an avenue of trees.

Old Toronto Area: above is our apartment last year at Front St; right below is the St. Lawrence Market

Hard Rock Cafe at Dundas Square

with friends

Graffiti Painting at Dundas Square

At the Nathan Philips Square

Ray Thomson Hall

Canadian Walk of Fame

at the lobby of the Royal Fairmont Hotel

On the second day since it was raining hard, we decided to spend the day to visit the museums at the Bloor Street. We visited first the Bata Shoe Museum, then had lunch, went shopping and subsequently my friends went to the Royal Ontaio Museum.Since I have been there before, I opted not to go in but spend my time around the shopping area of Bloor while waiting for my friends. Not long after, they called me that the ROM was closing early that day. So we continued on scanning through the shops of Bloor St.

The Bata Shoe Museum

The Ancient Egyptian shoes
The Ancient Roman shoes
Ancient Chinese shoes

The space shoes

The Cinderella shoes

shoe sculpture

The next day, the weather was great. My friends went up to the CN tower and I went to the Broadcasting Building to see CBC mini-museum. Subsequently, we met up for lunch by the Harbour Front.

CBC Museum

Harbour Front

Linda Lou Super Yacht behind me. You can details about this in this website. http://www.charterbrochure.com/lindalou/

Later on we took the subway up to the Bloor St. for my friends to visit the Royal Ontario Museum (http://www.rom.on.ca/) and I went to the Gardiner Ceramic Museum (http://www.gardinermuseum.on.ca/index.aspx). It is strictly prohibited to take photos inside the museum.

The Royal Ontario Museum

The Gardiner Ceramic Museum

The ceramic museum was awesome. There was an exhibit of the fine ceramic painting during the Renaissance period. I was in awe looking at the very fine display of items. I don't have a deep knowledge about ceramic paintings but just looking at those paintings on display really impressed me. The place is not that big but it took me a good 2 hours to complete the round. A tip to those who are planning to visit the museums in Toronto, if you have time it is better to go there in the evenings as they offer 50% discount on admission fees.

The posh shops along the Blooor Street

There are a lot more city attractions but we opted to see the few which interests my friends. Toronto City Guide booklets are available in the information centers around the city. There is also a bus sight-seeing tour around the city. Below is a link to the city visitor map http://www.toronto.ca/torontomaps/pdf/visitor_map_page1.pdf

Toronto Islands is also a nice place to see but at that time it was closed due to the city workers' strike but it is now open.

Loretonians of the US & Canada (LUSCAN) 20th Reunion

2009-07-14T20:58:00.018+03:00

LUSCAN was created in 1989 by Loretonians who migrated to the United States with the intention of keeping in touch with each other. The organization is concerned about the communities of their origin; Loreto and Tubajon, Surigao del Norte, Philippines. It is also committed in bringing goodwill by contributing to the educational and cultural needs in the communities of Loreto and Tubajon. Check out their website: http://www.loretonian.org/

I have been in touch to some of the members but never had a chance to attend any of their reunions. They would choose a venue for their annual reunion in different places in the United States and Canada, This year was here in Toronto, Canada; a perfect opportunity for us to join them.

The event started on Friday (July 10, 2009) with a welcome evening and a business meeting in North York, Toronto. Watch the video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elcOvqBZ-qc

Saturday (July 11, 2009) was a free day. Everyone went out to explore the city of Toronto, GTA and Niagara. In the evening we had a "Dinner and Dance" party held at the Adult Centre Hall of Square One Mall in Mississauga. Since the venue is just opposite our place, we didn't have to rush. It was around 6:30pm when we got there. We did our registration, bought some souvenirs and joined everyone for the "meet and greet" session. Of course the picture-taking kept everyone busy. We were introduced to the people around and I was ecstatic to meet my friends, relatives and fellow-Loretonians whom I've never met in my life. Cameras are everywhere, flashing almost every minute until the party started. I couldn't even believe it was real; we were part of the LUSCAN reunion. I was so grateful for such an opportunity. The party ran until midnight.

The Canadian Hosts

Message from the LUSCAN President from L.A. California

Dinner time

Philippine dessets prepared by the Canadian members

so yummy...!

cassava suman was the first one to go.....even before dessert time..

Baked by Christine Galido, nice huh!

dancing the night away!

raising fund..., well done girls!

The next morning Sunday (July 12, 2009), we convened in North York, Toronto for the prayer service and lunch. The food was fantastic, mainly Filipino dishes. One thing I loved the most was the salted fish and some native sweet delicacies from our hometown, Loreto. After lunch, they voted for the next year's reunion venue which is Beverly Hills, Florida. We spent the whole afternoon singing some folk songs, exchanging jokes and enjoying each other's company. At 4pm we said our goodbyes to everyone and last minute picture-taking.

lunch time
singing Visayan Folk songs

folk dancing

the Escobido clan

North York, Toronto

It really was a fun and wonderful experience. Unforgettable!

Wasaga Beach

2009-07-08T21:46:00.016+03:00

Wasaga is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is situated in Nottawasaga Bay at the southern end of Georgian Bay. Wasaga Beach is nestled in and around 14 kilometres of white sandy beach approximately two hours' drive north from Toronto. I was told it is the longest fresh water beach in the world.

The beach is divided into smaller beaches with the public beaches numbered 1 to 6 sequentially from east to west. Its position on the waters of Nottawasaga Bay means its summer temperatures are moderated somewhat by the water, so summer days are much more comfortable than Toronto's scorching days, but the same winds off the water trigger very heavy and intense snow squalls in the winter. As such, snowmobiling, skiing, and other winter sports are extremely popular along the beach. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/)

We spent the long weekend at the Wasaga Beach with our friends, the Wolfe Family. They used to spend a week or two in Wasaga Beach every year. We opted to join them for the weekend as we haven't been to this place. They made a reservation at Tony B's Place cottage.

We drove up on Friday morning. There was not much of food preparation required as there are enough supermarkets and restaurants there. While waiting for the Wolfe’s, Herbert and I drove to the Manila Bakery at Hurontario cor. Dundas St. Mississauga to pickup my favourite Pan de Sal and some other Filipino delicacies. When I stepped into the bakery the smell of freshly baked Pan de Sal made me so hungry. I can't believe it; we got them fresh from the oven. I took 3 dozens of those and some packs of Sapin-sapin (Filipino delicacy made from glutinous rice flour). While driving, we couldn't resist the Pan de Sal, it was really delicious.

We met up with the Wolfe’s at the Shell station in Hurontario and drove up north along the Highway 10. It is our first time to drive along the country roads because we usually take the highway going north. The country side scenery is fantastic: the green fields, farms, fields covered with flowers farm houses are so beautiful. It took us two hours to get to the cottage. Tony B's Place has seven modest cottages. We took the cottage right next to our friends.

Our cottage has 2 bedrooms, a washroom, a living room and kitchen. It is not luxurious but a reasonable place to stay. It could have been cleaner. The first thing we did is to wash the dishes, glasses, cups and utensils and clean the floor. Outside our cottage, the ground is not well-kept but at least there were tables and chairs around.

Once we were settled, we went out to Wal-Mart supermarket to buy food and drinks. Our friends are right, no need to bring food from home; everything is very much available there. In the evening, we had dinner together and had our usual long conversation. The cottage has no internet connection but our friends bought their wireless internet stick along. We managed to connect but the signal is low which is just enough to support chatting and emailing, no calls can be made let alone browsing the internet. We called the night off at around 1am. Oh, I didn't expect it was that cold. I was wondering if the weather won't change, then going into the water will be impossible.

The next morning, we had breakfast again together. Our friend Zeny (we call her Inay), prepared a delicious fried rice. We had so much food on the table. After breakfast, we went out to kind of explore the place. We were advised by the cottage owner that there is a farm market nearby. Since it was a little bit cold and windy, we decided to go instead to the farm.

After a few minutes’ drive along the Highway 92, we found the Valley Farm. The place was quite busy and the market has locally produced honey, steaks, sausages, bread as well as freshly harvested vegetables. There was a long queue of people with baskets full of lovely strawberries. So we went to pick strawberries as well. It was really fun. When we got our baskets full, we walked back to the market to pay. They were charging $3.99 per basket, not bad at all. The freshly baked cinnamon was so delicious; it was so soft and not so sweet, yummy. All of us loved it. Also the asparagus was so good. It really tastes different if it's fresh.

In the afternoon, our other friends the Ocaba’s arrived. The girls went straight to the beach and I was the chosen one to give them company. The weather was so nice then, we took a mat and swimming gadgets. While we were in the beach Herbert initiated the grilling of the meat, his ever favourite activity with his favourite German and Philippine beer alongside. I was so happy to be at the beach. It has been a long time I haven't sat by the water on a warm sunny day. I didn’t go into the water because it was not that clear and it was rough. I was better off at the beach enjoying the sunlight and the beautiful scenery. I couldn't help but imagine my hometown in the Philippines where the beaches are natural, clear blue water, fresh air, and the beautiful sights of the island.

After an hour, we went back to the cottage, can't wait for the grilled meat. We had a really good lunch together. Then the gents and the girls played volleyball while the ladies were busy chatting.

Late in the afternoon, the Ocaba’s drove home and we took a stroll along the beach. It was getting cold so we had to wrap ourselves. The sunset was awesome. I was amazed to see young children swimming in a cold and windy late afternoon. Whew! it was too much for me. The Seagulls flocked at the beach, they are so beautiful.

After we had dinner, we watched the movie "Angels and Demons" together. We had to pause the movie to give room for our never-ending snacks (the Filipino Midnight snacks).

Sunday after our breakfast, all of us went to the beach. The girls were really enjoying the water while the adults were just sitting at the beach. Because the weather was so nice, more and more people, mostly families came. I enjoyed the time watching the kids swimming and running around. The beach was nearly full. At 12nn, it was too hot so we went back to the cottage and geared-up to go for a stroll at the shops along the beach area.

There, the streets were too busy, music so loud, the beach area was literally full. Most of the people were just enjoying sun-tanning. There were some going wild with the speed boats and jet skis. We had been to most of the shops but I didn't find something for me. Then we went to Harvey's for lunch. The girls couldn't wait to get to the Harvey's.

Later on, we went on shopping again at the Wal-Mart and went home. It wasn't so hot anymore, so I joined the girls again go into the water. However not long after, the weather changes again, the sun was out and it was getting cool. I hanged around with the girls and later on got out of the water and back in the cottage.

After our dinner, we started to load our things in the car. It was time for us to hit the road back to Mississauga. We took the Country Road 124 down to the Highway 10. The scenery was awesome.

We were caught in a slight traffic after Orangeville and we arrived in our apartment around 10pm. It was such a wonderful weekend we had.

Back in Toronto

2009-06-23T08:20:00.012+03:00

Part of our itinerary during my parents-in-laws' visit is Toronto. The last time they had been here was in 1992 as part of their North American tour by which they've visited 12 states in the U.S. and Ontario, Canada. Since then, so many things have changed. Although they were not keen to stroll around the busy streets of Toronto, one thing they shouldn't miss is the climb up to the CN Tower. After a long wait for the nice weather, we finally had the chance.

Since I already covered the CN Tower and Harbour Front in my previous blog, I will just post photos during our visit.

The Rogers Center: venue to baseball games and concerts

The CN Tower

CN Tower Lobby

Observation Deck of CN Tower

The Portlands Power Plant: Herbert's Project Site

Toronto Downtown and Financial District

Queens Quay and opposite is the Toronto Islands

Harbour Front Marina

Toronto Islands Airport

Viewing Deck of the CN Tower

view straight down through the Glass Floor

The Glass Floor of CN Tower

The Horizon Cafe of CN Tower

Had a break
at the Horizon Cafe'

at the Harbor Front

Harbour Front Center

Harbour Front

The Kajama on sail far behind

Toronto is certainly a wonderful place to see and experience.

Family Get-Together

2009-06-16T02:51:00.026+03:00

We spent the weekend at the Niagara-on-the-lake to celebrate Herbert's 40th birthday. It was Friday afternoon when we hit the road to Niagara. The weather is not ideal but manageable. The landscape was beautiful. The vineyards are coated with greens and the houses are adorned with colourful flowers. We were so delighted to see the front garden of Aunt Rose as it was beautifully landscaped with flowers. We were welcomed and invited to her back garden.

A few minutes later, we were invited to the usual German cake and coffee afternoon with some German friends in the neighbourhood. We spent the good hours catching up on things. It was certainly a good opportunity to brush-up with my German language. Subsequently, we decided to take a walk to the lake area. Since it was getting cold, we had to tug along our jackets. Oh my, how long do we still have to wait to get rid of our jackets? It's just been too long.

There are many beautiful houses and villas in the neighbourhood. We were truly amused with the well-kept, beautiful gardens. Those vintage and luxury cars in the neighborhood are really awesome.

In the evening we had supper and resumed our usual conversation until almost midnight. Then we retreated to our respective bedrooms.

Saturday morning after we had lunch, Ron and family arrived from Barrie. We were so glad to be with the kids again. Shortly after, we dressed-up for our lunch at the Sheraton on the Falls. The weather was nice. On our way there, there were many groups of people in their bicycles and some people hanging around at the parks. What a beautiful day! As we were approaching Niagara Falls area, the streets were getting congested. The used to be quite place during the winter has turned into a busy and lively place. We parked at the Crowne Plaza Hotel parking area. It is a very good location but as expected it comes with a price, $18. It wasn't so easy to find our way to the Sheraton. We had to walk through a path going to the casino area, then took the Hard Rock Cafe walkway, took the stairs down, and finally to the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel. Fallsview Restaurant is located technically at the 13th floor but they call it FV floor, must be the Feng Shui aspect of it.

(photo source: Sheraton on the Falls website)

Even though we reserved our table way early, I was surprised that we still had to wait for our table to be ready. It made me wonder how things work there. Nonetheless, we were seated by the window with a beautiful view of the falls as requested. Not all tables were occupied maybe because we arrived a little bit late. The food was ok but really there's nothing special about it, kind of mediocre. I was expecting more than what we got. But no doubt about its location it is really nice. You will enjoy the sight of the falls while having your food and drinks. I read a lot of good reviews about it before I made the reservation. Initially, I considered the Grand Buffet at the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort but they require diners to be at least 19 years of age and we had kids and a baby with us.

After lunch, we didn't feel the need to go to the falls area so we decided to just stop by at various viewing areas. Then we headed back to Niagara-on-the-Lake and spent the whole afternoon at the garden. We had so much fun just to be around with the kids. We also had our dinner at the garden. It was really a wonderful day for the whole family.

Sunday was Herbert's 40th birthday. We had to keep all our wishes and gifts for Herbert until Sunday because in German culture they don't greet/wish anyone in advance because it could be a bad luck. After breakfast we took a stroll around the historic old town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. I love those boutiques and shops at the town center specially the shop which sells Christmas items all year round.

After the stroll we drove back to Aunt Rose's house and lunch was ready. After lunch came out Herbert's birthday cheese cake prepared. He did the usual ceremony: making his birthday wish, candle blowing, cutting the cake, eating the cake (hmmm, it was delicious!) then giving and opening the gifts. It was certainly a wonderful celebration surrounded with family and his parent’s presence made it so much more special.

Later on, Ron and family were mobilising to hit the road back to Barrie. We stayed a little bit later; we watched our photos on TV and subsequently drove back to Mississauga.

We went back to Severn Falls

2009-06-03T14:24:00.013+03:00

Last Sunday we drove up to the Severn Falls. The day was forecasted to be 13 deg Celsius and sunny. It was a nice sunny morning in Mississauga. As we were approaching the township of Coldwater, the weather started to become funny. The thick dark clouds and cold winds begun to clothe the place. Oh no! Not again. We were lightly wrapped for that kind of weather. Herbert called Rick to take something to shield us from the cold when driving with the boat.

At the Severn Falls Marina, it was so quite. The shops and restaurant were closed so we had no place stay away from the chilly winds. After just a few minutes Rick and Stacia came to meet us. We board the boat and braced ourselves for the ride. The moment we got into the cottage, came the strong winds and snowfall. Unbelievable, snowfall at the end of May! This really is Canada (lol).

Set for the drive to the cottage
it was freezing cold

the pretty tiny cottage on an islet

inside the cottage

it was snowing

We had tea and some snacks while chatting away the time, waiting for the sun to come out. Surely enough, after an hour the sky was clear so we decided to go out to the deck. Oh, the sunshine was lovely. At least it kept us warm a little bit. While the ladies were busy chatting, the gents enjoyed themselves playing the "horseshoe".

behind are Herbert & Rick playing the Horseshoe

enjoying my Margarita

waiting for the chipmunk to climb up to my legs to get more peanuts

the cottage

at the deck

Later on, we drove to the Big Chute. We were so lucky this time to see the marine railway at work. It was in the process of transporting several canoes to the other side of the river. The view was awesome. We spent sometime in the area and drove back to the marina.

sunny but cold, brrrr!

the marine railway, just dropped off canoes

beautiful

canoes

at the Big Chute

the rapids

cruising Severn River

Stacia and Herbert

It was time for lunch so we went to Waterfront Restaurant. The place is perfectly situated at the marina giving us a good view of the river and the port. It looked to be a clean and decent place. As we scanned through the menu, it was quite surprising to see some German dishes. At least my Parents-in-Laws have something to eat. We find the food really good and reasonably priced but the portion is quite too much. After lunch, we had to drive back to avoid heavy traffic.

docking
The Waterfront Restaurant behind

view from the Restaurant

happy to be out from the cold winds

cozy place

I am glad that my Parents-in-Law enjoyed the day.

My Parents-in-laws' Visit

2009-06-03T13:59:00.006+03:00

They arrived last Friday from Germany. It was such a nice weather in Toronto. The last time they were here was in 1992 as part of their North American tour. They had visited 12 states in the U.S.A. and Ontario region in Canada. Surely, so many things have changed. I'm pretty sure they would enjoy their stay here.

The next day we drove to Barrie to meet Herbert's cousin Ron and family. We spent the afternoon at the Waterfront and subsequently retreated for lunch at the East Side Marios Restaurant.

at the waterfront with adorable Thayia

Run Thayia run!

behind us is the Lake Simcoe

with Ronjoy and family
at the Georgian Mall Complex

waiting for the food

Lynne and Mom keeping Thayia busy

Thayia with Maya Chloe Nicole

Late in the afternoon, we drove back to Mississauga.

Long weekend at Severn

2009-05-20T20:15:00.030+03:00

Last May 18, Monday was "Victoria Day". It is a federal Canadian statutory holiday celebrated on the last Monday before or on 24 May, in honour of both Queen Victoria's birthday and the current reigning Canadian sovereign's official birthday, and is also considered an informal mark of the beginning of the summer season.

We were invited by Herbert's friend Rick to spend the long weekend with them at their cottage in Severn, about an hour and a drive north of Toronto. The township of Severn is situated at the heart of the so called 'cottage country'. Initially, we have planned to spend the weekend in Montreal but the 6 hours drive going there is not so inviting. Hence, we opted to go somewhere closer. Finally, our long-time-plan to spend time at a cottage is going to happen.

I was watching the weather forecast so closely so we have an idea what we could do when we get there. It was not ideal but acceptable: Saturday - scattered showers at 18 deg C, Sunday- sunny but 13 deg C and Monday- sunny 13 deg C. On Friday, I got almost everything prepared: barbeque meat has been marinated, our favourite garlic sauce and salad sauce have been prepared, and our clothes were ready. Saturday morning we made a few calls to Germany and Philippines, then we had breakfast and off we drove. It was quite cloudy and a little bit chilly. I was so delighted to see the greenery around; the very long winter is over finally. We stopped by at the town of Coldwater to refuel. That was also a small but beautiful town. I was so amused looking at the residential houses adorned with blooming flowers.

When we arrived at the Severn Port Marina, we were met by Herbert's friend Rick. We parked our car and immediately board the boat to get to the cottage. I had a quick look around; there was a restaurant, a convenient store with LCBO and Beer Store concessioner, and a gas station. It was quite chilly and windy, far from the 18 deg Celsius I was expecting. But the beautiful sights we passed by was overwhelming, certainly a beautiful place.

Severn Marina

View of the river from the cottage

In no time, we arrived at the cottage and were greeted by Rick's wife Stacy. She took us to our room and took us around the cottage and gave us a little bit of orientation. The cottage is certainly nice and situated directly at the river bank.

The cottage we stayed in.

Trying to cut the wood but it was too hard.

Rick and Herbert got themselves busy at the dock taking the boat into the water.

Herbert and Rick test driving the boat
That is awesome!

These are just few of the hat collection they have in the cottage.

Later that afternoon, we went across the river to meet Rick's friends, had some drinks and subsequently got into the boat and headed to the Swift Rapids lock.

Gary and Maree's cottage at the opposite side of the river.

Trillium flower I got from Gary and Maree. (Trillium is Ontario region flower)

with Stacy at the deck

Sunset shot

On our way to the swift rapids.

Herbert with his Warsteiner beer from Germany.

The Swift Rapids

It has a lift of 14.2 meters making it the highest lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Constructed in 1964-65, it replaced a marine railway which had been in operation since 1920. A vertical lift gate (2) was installed outside the lower gates during construction. This gate is high enough to keep out the water of the lower river when the lock is de-watered, inspected or repaired. The outflow valve (4) allows water to be ejected outside the lock approach area via an underground tunnel. The turbulence of the escaping water is visible in the river beside the lower entrance. The lock chamber requires only eight minutes to fill with 6,819,000 litres (1.5 million gallons) of water. Twin sets of radial gates at the upper end of the lock are an added safety feature. Should the lock gates fail, the outer gates, acting as sector gates, can seal off the Severn River. The gates can be operated through manual hydraulic pumping in the event hydraulic power fails and can be opened and closed even while a head of water roars through them.

I could really feel the power of the raging water. It was quite scary as we drove closer to the dam. From there, we drove back to the cottage and spend the whole evening. Friends and neighbours came over; we had dinner, drinks and a great time together. They are indeed wonderful, warm and fun people to be with. I was told that they have been very good friends since their childhood days, spending their summers together in this little paradise as I call it. I was so delighted to have an opportunity to experience such a lifestyle of the families in the area. I have nothing but only words of appreciation about this place. I love it. Apart from its beauty and serenity, it is not far the city. Certainly, Severn is a perfect get-away destination from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The next day the weather seemed to be better. After our breakfast, we geared-up and drove to The Big Chute Marine Railway. In the boat, it was terribly cold. I was so grateful to Stacy for lending me one of her jacket. Otherwise, I could have been frozen. I was in awe seeing those beautiful sights while cruising the Severn River. Riding the boat cruising up and down that huge river is a fantastic experience. I was constantly reminded of my beautiful hometown in Dinagat Islands, Philippines.

A nice Sunday morning at the cottage.

One of those beautiful cottages in the area.

I love this power boat.

Heading to the Big Chute Marine Railway

What a fantastic experience!

The Big Chute Marine Railway

The Big Chute Marine Railway carries boats over a 17.7m height of land on a giant travelling carriage. Boats, floated on a partially submerged car, are cradled by a variety of slings. A unique double track uses an offsetting cam principle to keep the carriage nearly level at all times, save for a slight tilt to facilitate loading and offloading. The larger Big Chute Marine Railway was installed to carry the increased size and volume of traffic using the Waterway.

The railway was closed when we got there. So we just went around for a while reading some interesting facts about it and subsequently headed back to the cottage.

In the afternoon, we met another neighbour and friends of Rick. We had a karaoke session the entire afternoon, it was so much fun. In the evening, we retreated to the deck area and had some drinks. Rick's daughter arrived with the girl friends. Though it was so cold, they seemed to be enjoying sitting on the dock. I freaked out when I saw them coming out of the sauna and going into the water. Oh no! It was so cold. But I guess they are used to it. We waited until it gets dark for the fireworks display to celebrate the Victoria Day.

Herbert's favorite spot, the grill area.

Rick our host.

at the deck

Samantha singing

At around 9pm, we went over to the neighbour’s cottage for the bonfire and to watch the fireworks display. Other families were there too. I couldn't stay away from the fire. Rick and his friend James tugged the platform to the middle of the river where they would set-up for the fireworks while the girls settled in the dock getting ready to set their fireworks too. Then the fireworks display went on, I tried to capturing it in my camera but it didn’t work. I guess it was too dark to do it. It was nice. Thereafter, we stayed for a while by the river and went back to the cottage. The girls were still very much up and awake, having their shots of tequila and had so much fun. We opted not to join them and retreated to our bed.
bonfire at the river bank

The following morning, we stayed late in bed. We prepared a good breakfast and packed our things. At around 1pm, we had to say bye to everyone and Rick drove us to the port.

I'm gonna miss this place.
the restaurant at the marina
weekend is over

It was quite busy, people started to leave the place. I took a couple more photos and we drove back to Mississauga. The weather was a lot better and the countryside landscape was so beautiful.

The Sheeps

One of those farms we passed by. Lovely isn't it?

Driving back to Mississauga

For more photos, click on this website link

http://jernietravel.multiply.com/photos/album/11

All I can say is that, it was such a wonderful and unforgettable get-away. I would love to go back to that place again, surely in the summer.

Spring time is here!

2009-05-11T18:14:00.005+03:00

The above photos were taken around Niagara-on-the Lake. Check on the link below to see individual shots:

http://jernietravel.multiply.com/photos/album/10/Spring_2009_Canada

Have a wonderful spring season!

Great Wolf Lodge Resort in Niagara

2009-04-27T18:07:00.017+03:00

We had our weekend get-away at the Great Wolf Lodge Resort with our friends, the Ocaba family. It was also in time for their daughter Trisha's birthday celebration.

We booked a family suite in advance to avoid the last minute rush. Since it was our first time in the resort I took the liberty of browsing through the internet for any information and tips about the resort. I have been a fan of Trip Advisor for some time now. I find their reviews and photos very helpful especially to the first-timers. Most of them mentioned that although there are restaurants there, it is advisable to bring food as the suites are equipped with microwave, coffee makers, refrigerator and a dining area. Generally, the reviews are positive except for the long queue during check-in. We planned and arranged to bring our own food and drinks. Likewise to avoid the big crowd during the weekend, we opted for an overnight stay on Friday and Saturday, instead of Saturday and Sunday.

Instead of us driving in two cars, we opted to take one car and left our friends' car at the Visitor's Parking in the condo complex. I had to get a permit from the Security Office, it was quick though. We started off our place at around 2pm and arrived at the resort at around 3:30pm. The weather was so nice then, lucky huh! As we approached the front desk, there was no queue at all and we got in to our suite quickly.

The Facade of Great Wolf Lodge Resort.

The Family Suite is reasonably big enough for a family: 2 separate queen beds, a living room, a small dining area, a pantry area (with microwave, refrigerator and coffee machine), a vanity sink, a safe, a washroom and a balcony. As soon as we were settled in the room, we had our Filipino snacks called Palabok (courtesy of Lovely). It was certainly delicious. I thought Herbert wouldn't like it but he really did. Thereafter, we geared-up for the water activities.

The Suites

The Family Suite. Check this link for other types of suites:
http://www.greatwolf.com/niagara/suites/suites

We were all so excited when we had a glimpse of the water park from the elevator area. We first stopped to collect our towels and proceed to the park area. The place is amazingly beautiful and huge. We had to deposit our cameras in the lockers provided inside the park so we could all go together for the rides. There are quite a number of activity areas around and every area has a dedicated Life Guard who looks after everyone. They give the parents the freedom to enjoy the activities instead of watching their kids. But of course the toddlers cannot be left alone.

Visit their website: http://www.greatwolf.com/niagara/activities/waterpark

Fort Mackenzie. A 4-story interactive treehouse water fort.

The Rainbow Lake ( a wave pool). I love this, it is so much fun surfing with the waves.

Recreation Pool. The family can enjoy basketball games and other fun activities here.

Kiddie slides area.Grizzly, Eagle, and Bobcat Falls- the Three tube slides covering 1,100ft. Twisting inside and outside the Lodge before dropping into a plunge pool below.

The bar by the Rainbow Lake.

Kiddie tube rides

The Canada Vortex, this ride though short but exciting. You will go around three times before you will be dropped into the water.

The Niagara Rapids Run - is a roller coaster ride. So far the best of all rides. Highly recommended.

We are not so happy with the long wait to these tube rides. The queueing time is definitely a lot longer than the ride.

At 8pm, the guests are invited to the lobby for the story-time.

The souvenir shop at the lobby. There are not many interesting stuff around.

The Restaurant

It is very important to note that during breakfast time there is a very long queue in this restaurant. It was already past 9am but still guests are on queue. I learned that some suite rates include free breakfast. Certainly, not a good idea.

The Northern Lights Arcade - where you can enjoy video games and redemption games.

The Forest Friends Show

At the Lobby - I love the theme interiors.

The Facade

After check-out, we drove to Lundy's Lane where a popular Canada One Outlet Mall is located. It was not my first time here. This time, there were not really good deals as last year. We scanned through the boutiques but we didn't find much interesting deals. Subsequently, we headed back to Mississauga. The weather was so great, it felt like summer. However after just few hours, an unexpected storm hit us. Fortunately, we were already home. It was such a wonderful weekend for us. I do recommend it for families especially during winter when the outdoors don't offer anything to do.

Good Friday and Easter Sunday

2009-04-16T14:20:00.013+03:00

Friday morning I walked down to the Christ the King Catholic church behind our building. After a series of call to the church I couldn't get hold of anyone. So I had no idea what time was the mass. I was constantly checking from our balcony if people started arriving at the church. There were just few and it was already 10pm so I decided to just go. The notice board shows that the mass would be at 12:30pm. Alone, I just did the "Way of the Cross" and recited the "Rosary". There were a number of families who were doing the same. It brought me back memories of the "Holy Week" celebration in my hometown.

Good Friday is a holy day for us. Apart from the fasting that we usually observe, we were also pre-occupied with religious activities. It would start with the morning mass then a procession around the town to commemorate Christ's 14 Stations of the Cross. Then at 1pm, we would all go to the church to hear Christ's Seven Last Words. Later in the afternoon, we would again convene at the church for another procession around the town remembering Christ's death. In the evening, there would be a vigil at the church. Black Saturday is a quite day. I remembered that we were strictly prohibited from playing any music at all from Good Friday until early morning of Easter Sunday. On Saturday afternoon, we used to prepare a sort of stage where the re-enactment of Jesus Christ's and Mother Mary's meeting at Sunday early morning will be held. Children done their angel attire with their wings and would sing songs in Latin. The men would take Christ's statue from one direction and the women would take Mother Mary's statue from opposite direction and subsequently would meet at the stage where the angels were singing. The moment they met, the Angel would sing and take the black veil from Mother Mary and the rest of the angels would throw flower petals from their baskets. I was once an Angel who sung during this event but at that time we had to do it inside the church because the rain poured endlessly. Thereafter, everyone would go to the church for the Easter Sunday mass. After the mass, we would have a good breakfast and would be in a festive mood celebrating Christ's Resurrection. The children in the angel attire would be going around town, singing at every house-hold. We would give them some amount of money. For the rest of the Easter Sunday, we would spend time with the family. I had never celebrated Holy Week and Easter Sunday solemnly but in my hometown.

Anyway, when I get back to the apartment we had breakfast. No fasting at all. Thanks to the Pinoy TV channel, I had the chance to watch "Christ's 7 Last Words'. Late in the afternoon, we headed to our friend's house for a small get-together. On Saturday, we drove to Niagara on the Lake. Herbert's cousin and family were there. We had a fantastic time with the children playing games and doing some crafts. It was also a good time to catch-up on many things since we haven't been together for some time. We missed the children's activities on the Easter egg hunting as we arrived there at lunch time.

with the kids playing domino

We did some of their crafts. Our Easter crowns looks nice, isn't it?

Nice bags, eh?

Thayia busy with her puzzle.

Sunday morning, all of us went for a brunch at the Hilton Hotel and subsequently parted ways.

The weather was so nice that day. While driving along the Ontario Lake, we enjoyed the fantastic view of the lake. We could even see Toronto and Mississauga skyline from the opposite side of the lake. As we were approaching Mississauga, we decided to drive south to take a walk by the lake. We ended up at the Port Credit. There we spent good hours of the afternoon. It is a beautiful place.

Beautiful sights from the lake side.

I loved listening to the sound of the water as it rushes to the the shore. I took a really deep breathe, trying to imagine that we were in Loreto (my home town in Dinagat Island).

Nice apartment, at its perfect location. We were wondering if there are some units for rent. It is a lovely place to stay during the summer.

Get-Together

2009-04-14T13:39:00.009+03:00

Since the weather doesn't allow us to do much outdoors. We spent the past few weekends getting together with friends and relatives.

At the Gellera's places in Scarborough (North-East of Toronto). Since the very popular Filipino Restaurant "Remely's" is just a few minutes drive, we treated ourselves to authentic Filipino dishes. Being a Saturday, no wonder the place sa packed. We run through quickly to the food on display and placed our take-away orders and drove back. For a moment, I felt I was in the Philippines. You can check their website for their menu. http://www.remelys.com/welcome.htm

with Baby Tristan

Dinner at Annalou and Erich's home in Burlington. We were treated to a sumptuous home-made dishes. Annalou's family is our neighbour back in Manila.

with the Natividad's at our place

With the three girls around, we had a blast the entire time. Roselle and Ian are both my ex-colleagues in Dubai.

A wonderful afternoon with the Wolfes. After a great lunch, we headed to the Lakeshore for a stroll.

A view of Toronto from the Lakeshore.

Oh my! I wish it's cholesterol free. Nevertheless, we enjoyed it.

A get-together with the Ocabas and Wolfes at our place. We spent the afternoon at the recreation area. Too bad the swimming pool and the bowling alley were closed then for maintenance.
Lunch at our place.

Oh, I will surely miss these kind of gatherings when we go back to Germany. It really felt like we're just in Manila. There's just a little room for homesickness in this part of the world.

On Computers...

2009-03-17T14:40:00.018+02:00

I was quite disappointed with my 1 year and a half Samsung R70 Despina notebook. It was running perfectly but one fine day it showed a hardware problem message and I just switched it off and booted back-up. It worked fine for a couple of hours but later on gave-up, I got nothing on display at all. I sensed it was either a video card problem or my display mechanism because the hard disk was showing activity. I feared if its the video card as it might call for a mother board replacement which most of the time means buying a new one. Since, I don't have the right tools to conduct further test, I took it to a computer service center. Not long enough they confirmed it's the video card problem. On the other hand, the technician was asking where did I got my notebook as it is not available in Canada. True, Samsung notebooks are marketed only in Europe. I am disappointed because I was expecting more from a Euro 1,200 (almost CAD 2,ooo) notebook.

I was quite surprised because the first Samsung notebook we had never gave us a problem. We just replaced it after 2 years when the computer case fell off from the baggage cart and rolled down the elevator. A piece from the computer flap came off. But it never had a major down-time. That's why I opted for Samsung R70 which really had a good specifications, sleek design and light. Out of curiosity, I browsed thru the internet to check what really was the problem, was it isolated to the video card or the specific model as a whole. There I came across with online forums discussing the same issue and problem I have. I then verified the warranty of my computer and it carries a 1 year international warranty and 2 years local warranty. I logged a complaint at the Samsung service center if there is a way for my computer to be fixed here in Canada. I was impressed with their response time but not so with the solution they are offering. I had to send my computer to Germany and they will fix it but they won't be able to send it back to me here in Canada. So with this situation on hand, I got no other option but to send my computer for repair and get a new one here in Canada. Well then, I got DHL on the line for the mechanics and details of sending a computer to Germany.

So, what options do I have now? I don't even know how long will it take for my computer to be fixed. Although my husband has his private computer (apart from his business one), he didn't welcome the idea that I will share with his notebook because I am notorious in setting-up the computer my way and we will be on top of each other who can use it. So, my husband was insisting to get a new one. We drove to Heartland commercial complex where two major computer and electronics shops are located: Future Shop and Best Buy. We looked at the notebooks/laptops on display. Sony, Toshiba and Dell are the ones in my shortlist. Considering my requirements, the Dell Studio notebook met the closest: 4GB RAM, 250 GB hard disk, Dual Core processor, though its not centrino but its ok just for the mean time), with wireless N network adapter, with HDMI port, slot loading disc drive and good size.

When I have decided to take the notebook, I was asked if I would like them to setup and optimise the computer and if I would want to have a recovery and utilities software CDs for CAD 99.99. Well, I want to do the setup myself but I do want the CDs. Although, the recovery program is in the hard disk (Partition D), I would still prefer to have the CDs and of course, for that I have to pay CAD 70. I was shocked for a moment, but quickly realised that I am in a different part of the world. As far as I know, when I buy a computer the Operating System and Utilities CD are included and I don't have to pay for it. And here's another blow, the international warranty again is not included. So, I have to decided to take 2 years or 3 years coverage. I needed a few moments to grasp and understand what am I going to do. So I asked the Salesperson to give us some time to decided. Whatever marketing strategy or technique they have, I couldn't understand why do they have to do this. If I am a buyer, I want to buy a complete package. It's like buying a cutlery set, with a certain price, then you will be asked you want also to have forks along with the spoons then you have to pay this more, if you want to have knives too, well we have to add this much on top. Isn't it that these things belong together?
I was expecting that if I buy a notebook, the computer has been set-up already at least the basic operating system, the software CDs should come along with it for repairs and maintenance purposes, and of course the warranty should also be there at least a standard 2 years. Then I will look at the price. It's a lot simpler. That's the system I know so far. Anyway, while I was discussing things with my husband the Salesperson came. In fairness, she was thinking if she can be of help. She told us that we could also buy the unit thru financing)/instalment scheme. Politely, I told her thanks for your concern but that was not an issue. If we buy things like these we always get them thru outright purchase. I asked her further on the warranty terms and policies and later on decided to take the 2 years coverage. Also, since the CDs alone would cost me CAD 70 dollars so I might as well pay the 30 for the set-up and optimisation. So, we settled everything and was told to wait for another 2 hours for the setup.

Later on, I realised I made a mistake, I missed to request them to make a separate partition for my data. For me, it is always important to have my data files in a separate partition for a certain level redundancy. If I needed to reformat the C: drive where the Operating System and the program files are, I don’t need to touch my D: drive. But what they do, they just made a D: partition enough to house the recovery program. So, I had to reformat and repartition my hard disk. So, I paid the 30 dollars for nothing. See, booboo again.

Anyways, I got my new notebook and started setting it up tailored to my needs and likes. We'll see how this Dell notebook performs and I hope I wouldn't have to test or experience the Dell post-sale services too soon.

Some things I would like to advise computer users is that before buying a computer, you should know first how are you going to use it. Then you will have an idea what specifications of computer you would need. From there you can search the kind of computer you would want to have. In this way, you can avoid paying a lot more than what you really need and use. There are entry level users who don't need a high-end computers, some users need for gaming and multi-media applications, some are those advanced users who need more computer resources. Also, it would help to check for forums on computers you are eyeing to get. Some people may have good or bad experiences with it just to have an idea.

Furthermore, computers, electronics and technology devices are driving to have a very different approach than before. I remember few years ago, we used to prefer to buy expensive computers because we thought it will last long. It is worth the money when it stays up and running for a long time. But now it's different, technology develops and rolls fast. Even if the computer still runs but it doesn't have the new whistles and bells which are coming up in the market so, we had to dispose it and get a new one. The same thing applies with the printers, we used to buy good printer so it will serve us long all we have to buy are the consumables like inks. But the marketing strategy has taken us to a different direction. They sell the printers now at a low price and it comes with the inks. However, if we buy a replacement ink alone it will cost almost the same as the printer. So why would I buy an ink? I could also but a new printer with the ink the same price. And this brings me back to a very good example at home. My husband has a very good Onkyo music system in which he invested a few thousand of Euros then. It is still in top condition after more than 20 years. Yes, we can still use it doesn't have the new technology i.e. 5.1 surround system or 7.1 speaker system. On the other, we can't easily get rid of it because it is still really good and it coasted a fortune. But it is time to let go of it. To sum it up, it is not advisable to invest on the highest-end and most expensive stuff because we know that technology changes and we can't keep it forever. Unless, of course you have a budget to invest on these ultra-expensive things and still have the capacity to replace it every few years.

Buy things wisely.

Living in Mississauga, Ontario

2009-02-25T18:45:00.025+02:00

From the busy environment in downtown Toronto, we now moved to Mississauga. It is a city in the west of Toronto with a population of 750,000. It is just about 20 minutes drive from downtown Toronto.

When we came back September last year, we stayed in a hotel for a few days while we were searching for a fully-furnished accommodation. We have decided to take a place around the City Centre area simply for convenience. It wasn't difficult at all to find a good place in this vicinity because there are quite a number of high rise condominiums complex surrounding the area: The Ovation, City Gate, Monarchy, The Capital Condos and more. This is a prime location in the city. Here you can find the City Hall, the city public library, the Living Arts (a cultural centre), the very popular Square One Mall and most of all, the bus terminal hub which is right next to the mall. It is pretty convenient to travel to nearby cities.

The Square One Shopping Mall

The City Gate

The Ovation

The Public Library, The Capitol Condominiums and the Mississauga City Hall

We find our place pretty much quick. I just browsed through the internet then I short-listed a few agencies and gathered a little more information online. To make things easier, I have made a list of our requirements, concerns and questions prior to getting them on the line. The first agency I made contact with, showed us their units available in the Ovation Condominiums. The first few units are not really very welcoming, the furniture and the units layout did not meet our criteria so I asked them to show us more. The last unit we saw immediately got my attention. I like the size and the layout. Subsequently, we were taken around to see all the facilities in the building which includes a good size of indoor swimming pool with spa, a huge dry sauna bath room, fitness gym, aerobics room, mini-golf, billiard room, cards room, bowling lane, a movie theatre and a party room. Amazing! It is a perfect place to be in, especially during the winter season when it is difficult to go out. We then went to their office and sat down to discuss and agree on the details. Since I did have a list of requirements, it didn't take us long to come up with a decision.

The Square One, viewed from our apartment

View from the balcony, far behind is the Ontario Lake

Toronto skyline as seen from the apartment

The swimming pool ans spa

When we moved-in, I run through my list and communicated with the agency everything we want to be addressed. It was not at all an easy ride; we had lots of frustrations and nerve-wracking situations dealing with the agency. One thing is for sure is that, their service is sub-standard. The most frustrating thing is that when we request or complain something, we always get a 'Yes' but no one tells us when it will be addressed. They left us hanging in the air. There were many of those issues that I couldn't enumerate anymore. Considering the monthly rental rate, we are expecting a very good or at least a reasonable service. Until one day our patience has reached its maximum elasticity point. It was about the retouch painting in the walls because there were lots of black lines and scratches all over. It has been more than a month that they haven't done anything about it, let alone telling us if they ever have a plan of doing it. It was then when I got them on the phone and blasted them. I asked them to tell us if they would ever do it or not at all so we could plan to pack-up our things and move out. Only then things moved, quickly they sent someone to do the painting. Is this how things work? Well, whatever it is it worked. Later on, I observed that there services has improved. I don't know if it is because their utility man is a fellow-Filipino whom I could explain the customer's expectations and I gave him some tips as well on how to deal with them efficiently. To cut the story short, we stayed in that unit for three months. Jokingly, I told him why you don’t hire me to improve your services (lol).
Since we had to leave the country for the Christmas Holidays, we were contemplating if we will stay in the same place or not. So, I started to contact few agencies again to check if we could find a better place. I had viewings but at the end of the day, I still prefer the layout of the current unit. We then decided to stay in the same place but will demand for a better service.

Evening view

Evening view from the balcony

Inside the suite

The living room

We came back here end of January, to our surprise we have another unit exactly the same layout with the previous one but it is newly and nicely furnished with brand new furniture and utensils. Still there were missing items, again I made a list for them to address. Funny enough, when the utility guy got my list thru email, he said 'Oh, she is back!' (lol). Surely, their service has improved. I would like to think that they must have learned it from us. They even provide a weekly maid service instead of once a month as they previously offered. I am delighted to have fellow-Filipinas to do such service. Apart from them really doing a good job, it is also heart-warming to have them around. Somehow, we managed to have a better relationship now. I hope it will stay that way and will extend to their other and future customers.

In getting around Mississauga, they have a very good transport system. The Mississauga Transit offers a comprehensive network of bus routes throughout the City. Route maps can be obtained online or in print form from the Transit Terminal. You can their route planner online -
http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/publictransit

In travelling to the areas surrounding the Greater Toronto Area, Go Transit is providing efficient services. Check their website - http://www.gotransit.com/publicroot/en/Default.aspx
Because of the weather conditions, I haven't gone much around Mississauga. On foot, I have been just around the City Centre area. The public library and the Square One Mall are just across the street, as well as the Catholic Church which is just behind the complex. Hopefully during spring and summer time I will be able to go around the city conveniently.

For our basic needs like groceries, we drive to various places. That's the benefit of living close to residential areas because we are closer to the supermarkets and most of all to the Asian Supermarkets where we can buy our well-loved and craved-for food.

Unlike in downtown Toronto where I went around most of the time on foot; here in Mississauga, though we are living in the City Centre area, it is less busy. To go to other shopping areas we have to drive or take a bus because it is quite far.

Certainly, it is a different environment and a different way of life.

Mannheim City, Germany

2009-02-05T17:04:00.053+02:00

Mannheim celebrated the 400th city anniversary in 2007. It is the second largest city after the capital Stuttgart in the region of Baden-Württemberg with over 300,000 inhabitants. Mannheim is situated at the confluence of the rivers Rhine and Neckar. It is unusual among German cities in that its central area is laid out in a grid pattern (called Quadrate, squares). Each block is labelled by a letter, kind of strange.

You can check here for larger view : http://www.gis-mannheim.de/mapserver_mannheim/index.php

On sights:

Mannheim is dubbed to be a city of arts and cultures. There are numerous galleries and museums around the city namely: the National Theatre, the municipal Art Gallery, the Reiss-Engelhorn Museum, the Planetarium and the State Museum for technology and labour. Ironically, I have never been to any of these museums. I will visit these places once we stay in there for a longer period of time. A city tour would be a great thing to do when in Mannheim.

The Main Train Station (Die Hauptbahnhof) - was built in the years 1871 to 1876.

The Mannheim Castle - The Kurfürstliche Schloss (Electoral Castle) was built during the years 1720-1760 under the Electors Carl Philipp (1661-1742) and Carl Theodor (1724-1799) and is the largest self-contained baroque complex in Germany. This remarkable seat of residence reflects the political ambition of the Palatinate-Wittelsbach monarchs. The extensive palatial buildings and grounds are indicative of the status of their constructor, the sovereign imperial prince

The Water-Tower (Wasserturm) is Mannheim's most famous landmark. It dominates the Friedrichsplatz and was built in 1886 according to plans of the then only 24-year-old architect Gustav Halmhuber. The construction is made of yellow sandstone, has a height of about 60 metres, holds 2000 cubic metres of water and is built in the Roman monumental style. The top of the Water-Tower is adorned by a statue of Amphitrite, the wife of the god of the sea, Poseidon. Bronze groups of mermaids and tritons adorn a small pool and two groups of centaurs made of stone can be found at the big pool. The park at the foot of the Water-Tower was designed by Bruno Schmitz (1901-03). The semicircular arcades made of red sandstone, together with the Festival Hall and the Art Gallery, which face each other across the park, were a model of modern urban development even before World War I.

The Rosengarten - One of Mannheim's most famous and impressive buildings is the Rosengarten culture and conference centre. The name Rosengarten hints at the original use of this area, but whoever now expects to find themselves somewhere far off from Mannheim's city centre, is wrong: the culture and conference centre is part of a unique art nouveau complex, the Friedrichsplatz, and lies directly across from Mannheim's most famous landmark, the Water-Tower.

The Christ Church - The city's largest church, situated not far from the Friedrichsplatz, was built 1907-11 by the Mannheim architect Christian Schrade and restored after the war. The neo-baroque rotunda with its low transepts and narrow, 65 metres high, copula has the twelve Apostles grouped around it. It is crowned by the statue of St. Michael sounding his trumpet. On the main portal and in the mighty pediment above it, reliefs by K. Albiker and L. Habich are to be found.

The Mosque - built by the Islamischer Bund (Islamic Society) Mannheim e.V. and the largest mosque in Germany to date, was officially opened on March 4th 1995 in the Jungbusch, a district of Mannheim, after two years of construction. It has a capacity of about 2,500. Mannheim itself has approximately 20,000 Moslem inhabitants. The building cost about 10 million DM, which was donated by Mannheim Moslems. The site on which the mosque stands incorporates an area of 1,209 square metres. Aside from 50 underground car park spaces there are 6 business premises, one executive room, facilities for young people and women, a picture gallery, an Institute for German-Turkish Integration Studies, as well as an ornate ritual washing-room with a fountain.

The Observatory - The Jesuit Christian Mayer was the first astronomer in the Electoral Palatinate. He asked the Elector Carl Theodor to put up a new building in Mannheim instead of the temporary observatory in the castle in Schwetzingen. At first the plan was to redesign the tower near the Jesuit College. But this plan was rejected because of the bad condition the "old tower" was in. The observatory was then built according to the plans of Johann Lacher west of the Jesuit Church from 1772 to 1774.

The Jesuit Church -was built in the years 1733 to 1760. The plans for the ecclesiastical building were modelled upon the mother-church Al Gesu in Rome and were designed by the architect Allessandro Galli da Bibiena from Bologna. The foundation stone was laid in 1733, the topping-out ceremony was celebrated in 1748 and in 1760 the prince-bishop Joseph von Augsburg consecrated the church, which is over 100 metres long and can hold up to 3,000 people, in the presence of the electoral court. According to the foundation deed of 1728, the "Patribus of the Societas Jesu" - the Jesuits - were supposed to be the owners of the then Great Court Church for "all time", but only 13 years after the consecration Pope Clement XIV. abolished the order of the Jesuits.

The history of the church in photo, before the World War II, during ang after.

The Mannheim National Theatre has had a very eventful past, as one can see by its many different and contrasting buildings. The historical National Theatre in B 3, for instance, underwent a number of reconstructions, the changes by Joseph Mühldorfer 1853-55 being the most noteworthy. The famous theatre designer and decorator, architect and engineer entirely changed, among other things, the exterior form of the building by constructing a fourth floor and roofing over the courtyards. These traditional features, however, were completely destroyed during World War II. (September 1943).

The Reiss-Engelhorn Museums- Those interested in art history and city history should go to the museum for art, city and theatre history in the Reiss Museum. The museum puts on a varied programme of exhibitions, lectures, symposiums, concerts and educational events. The basis for all activities are the extensive and valuable collections, which cover the wide spectrum of archaeology, nature study, ethnology and art, city and theatre history. The Reiss Museum's exhibition area of 7,500 square metres is located in the former armoury in C 5 and contains the museum for art, city and theatre history. The new building in D 5 contains the museum for archaeology and ethnology. In 1997 the new building in D 5 also became the home of the museum for nature study, which is now a part of the entire complex.

At the heart of the Planetarium lies the dumbbell-shaped projector, weighing 2.5 tons and with a height of 5 metres, on its hydraulic lifting platform: the only one of its kind in Germany apart from those in Stuttgart and Hamburg. It is able to project 9,000 stars of the northern and southern firmament as well as the sun, the moon and the planets, in all their complex motions, onto the domed ceiling. Since 1997 laser show interludes are possible. Since its opening in December 1984, 1.5 million visitors have passed through its doors.

The State Museum for Technology and Work is not only remarkable for its unique architectonic exterior, but also for its experimental, unconventional exhibition programme and design. The visitor is led through 16 stages, structured chronologically and starting at the top of the building, which display and narrate the technological and social changes of the last two and a half centuries. In 1992 it was awarded the European Museum of the Year Prize for innovation and creativity. Some of the exhibits on display are working models and the visitor is given a demonstration as to how these function. Some have been reconstructed from scratch, others have been translocated in their entirety, such as a weaving mill, a paper mill and a Porsche manufacturing unit. The museum provides a unique chance to see fully functioning machines and manufacturing processes as well as quality control and safety procedures. The visitor is aided on his "journey" through two and a half centuries by relevant contemporary images and quotes which flesh out the historical situation

The Art Gallery on the south side of the Friedrichsplatzes contains one of the most important 19th and 20th century collections of paintings and sculptures, the main focus being France and Germany.

The two municipal parks, the Luisenpark and the Herzogenriedpark, are firm favourites with the public, even beyond the city limits. With an area of 41 hectares, the Luisenpark is the bigger of the two. Its history stretches back to the time before 1900. It was laid out between 1892 and 1894 according to the plans of the Siesmeier brothers, Frankfurt landscape gardeners, and was named after the Grand Duchess Luise.

Source on Sights: http://www.mannheim.de/

On transportation:

The main public transportation in the city is Straßenbahn (street cars) and some buses. Every streetcar stop/station has a route map, as well as the timings of arrivals and departures. Many of the stations have automatic ticket dispensers. Tickets can be used in both streetcars and buses. On board, passengers should insert their tickets into the stamp machines located in various points. Controllers are checking for the tickets randomly. Failure to show a ticket will cost the passenger 40 euro. Monthly and yearly cards, as well as individual route maps are also available from the respective transport line offices. I was advised that the passengers with pets should have a license and must purchase a ticket for their pets as well.
A very comprehensive public transport planner is available online. http://efa9.vrn.de/vrn/XSLT_PS_REQUEST2?language=dethis includes various types of transport i.e. streetcars, buses, trains ... When the desired trip is completed, you can print the plan to take with you during the trip. I am personally impressed with its versatility in providing relevant information.

On Shopping:

The city offers a wide range of places to shop: sophisticated boutiques, large chains, small specialist shops and exclusive department stores. There are no vast shopping malls like the ones we know in Asia. One of the things I love about Europe is the atmosphere: the beautiful buildings around, the ground with cobble stones, the outdoor restaurants and coffee bistros, delicacies stalls and the outdoor sitting areas. It's really beautiful! It is important to note that currently the value added tax in Germany is 19%. The prices already include the taxes. So, when an item is costing Euro 20, then you have to pay the same amount. One more thing is that, there are not many Sales Personnel around the shops. It is always a chore to get someone to help you. Somehow it explains why my husband is the last person to ask for assistance. Sometimes it frustrates me when we couldn't find an item in the shop and he refuses to call a sales person for assistance. He would rather spend time trying to find the item than asking for help.

On Dining:

Mannheim offers a diverse range of cuisine, from fine dining to fast food chains. Of course, one thing which one should not miss is the German beer and sausages. Smoking ban in public places is on.

Christmas Day in Heidelberg

2008-12-29T20:28:00.022+02:00

We drove to Heidelberg for the Christmas Day Mass. When we came out from the parking area, we were greeted by the Christmas Market. I thought it was over. We headed straight first to the Roman Catholic Cathedral and subsequently, went around the old town of Heidelberg and finally dropped by the Christmas Market.

Heidelberg is relatively small with a large Pedestrian only Zone (Fussgänger Zone) in cobble stones. A big number of residents here are non-Germans giving this place a cosmopolitan atmosphere. The English posters/ads around the town serves as a proof to it. It is said that approximately 1 in 5 of the population are students.

Most of the visitors spend time around the old town which is the center for shopping. There are also a number of restaurants, bar and bistro around. That day being a holiday, the shops are closed except for the souvenir shops, restaurants and coffee shops.

(Click on the photos for a large view)

Going to the cathedral.

The Jesuit Church

The Altar

The Manger

Around the old town

Souvenir shop
Festive window decors
at the town square

Haus zum Ritter (Knight's house),the oldest private house (1592) in Heidelberg, now a hotel. Built in the renaissance style

The Old Bridge Gate
at the Old Bridge

By the Neckar River

The Heidelberg Christmas Market, above is the Heidelberg Palace

People enjoying the winter drinks

Potato Pancakes, one of the German Delicacies

kind of steamed mixed vegetables....

Though it was 4 degree Celsius, but certainly it felt a lot colder than that. In as much as we wanted to hang-around longer but the freezing cold was too much to bear. Definitely, a must visit place.

Mannheimer Weihnachtsmarkt (Mannheim Christmas Market)

2008-12-24T17:33:00.010+02:00

Weihnachtsmarkt is a traditional street market associated with the Christmas celebration. I had been there once with my school friends and it was really a great experience. For me, the highlight is the Glühwein (winter wine). It is a warm alcoholic drink traditional made available during the Advent through the Christmas time.

Yesterday was the last day for the Weihnachtsmarkt at the Wasserturm in Mannheim City. It usually opens to the public from 11am until 11pm. We drove there around 8pm and parked right below the Wasserturm. Coming from Canada, we expected the night to be really cold so we wrapped-up warm enough. However, it turned out not to be that cold.

The place was well-lit with the lavish festive lights. It was quite crowded but manageable. The market showcased a wide variety of products and quite a number of fast food and winter drinks stalls.

Here are the scenes I captured.

The Glühwein Stall

Enjoying our sip of Glühwein

People chatting while having their Glühwein

Miniatures of German traditional houses

Desing candles

For more information about Europe's Traditional Christmas Market, visit this website

http://www.christmas-markets-germany.de/

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-19T15:19:00.002+02:00

We will be off to Germany for the Christmas Holidays. Have a wonderful celebration to everyone.

This morning's view from the balcony...

2008-12-17T15:38:00.001+02:00

It was snowing all night long!

Niagara by Night

2008-12-16T01:35:00.013+02:00

We spent our weekend in Niagara on the Lake. We got there in the afternoon and were treated right away with the German traditional 'Kaffee und Kuchen' (coffee and cake). Her home radiates the Christmas spirit inside and out. I was so delighted to see the 'Plätzchen' (Christmas cookies) packed in Christmas wrappers.

At around 3pm, we drove to the theatre to watch the movie 'The Band's Visit'. I wasn't expecting much from it because I haven't even heard about it before. But in contrary, it turned out to be a wonderful with subtle humour and a very charming movie. It depicts two very different cultures: Arabs and Israelis; that shows they are both ordinary people with ordinary hopes, lives and disappointments. It's worth watching. From the theatre we headed home for dinner.

Later in the evening, we decided to drive to Niagara Falls which is just about 20 minutes drive. On our way, I was pre-occupied watching the Christmas lights and decorations illuminating the streets and the neighbourhoods. It was truly overwhelming.

It wasn't quite easy to find a parking space close to the falls. Hence, we ended up walking a distance. Though it was just 0 degrees Celsius, it felt much colder due to the wind. I was concerned that I wasn't wrapped-up warm enough to stand the cold. It was great wandering around the place, the Christmas lights and decorations bring so much life to the place. Not long enough, I started to feel my toes getting numb. It was freezing cold! Nevertheless, it didn't cease my desire to stroll by the falls, enjoy the gushing sound of the water and enjoy the beautiful sight of the falls. In between, I had to take refuge in one of the shops there to warm me up because I could feel my feet frozen and the pain in my hands.

On our way back to the car, nothing could be better than to fetch ourselves a cup of Tim Horton's coffee. While enjoying our sip, the Ferriswheel in front of us seemed so inviting however, Aunt Rosie can't so I opted to just let it pass.

We then later on hit the road back to the Niagara on the Lake. It was around 10:30pm when we got home. That long walk combined with the freezing temperature took us to bed early and gave us a very sound sleep. After our brunch the next day, we headed back to Mississauga making a two-hour stop at the Fairview Mall in St. Catharines.

Christmas Holidays Coming Soon

2008-12-02T13:53:00.011+02:00

Christmas spirit is everywhere. The shopping malls are now well-decorated and busy with shoppers criss-crossing the place. Since we will be spending the Christmas Holidays in Germany, we are not putting-up Christmas decors here. It's going to be a rush by then: setting-up Christmas decors and run for the Christmas shopping. Thankfully, my Mother-in-law has baked for us the traditional 'Plätzchen' (German Christmas cookies). We usually start baking Plätzchen middle of November. It is one of the Christmas family traditions that I always look forward to. You can check-out this website for some recipes. http://www.huettenhilfe.de/rezept-linzer-tortchen_105.html

Meanwhile, I have been to few shopping malls here in the Greater Toronto Area and I do love the Christmas decorations. I was in Yorkdale yesterday but I completely forgot to take a photo shot of the Christmas decoration. Anyway, here are the few shots I made.

Square One, Mississauga, Ontario

Eaton Center, Toronto, Ontario

The Swarovski Crystal Christmas Tree

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!

Photoshots around the City Center

2008-11-15T20:30:00.007+02:00

The first snow fall in Mississauga, Ontario.

AC/DC Concert in Toronto

2008-11-11T22:32:00.017+02:00

I have never known the rock band AC/DC until I met Herbert. Though I used to listen to some slow rock and to very little hard rock music but not one from the AC/DC. Herbert is fanatic to the hard and metal rock bands, among those are Judas Priest, Metallica, The Doors, KISS and of course AC/DC. He has a wide collection of materials from these bands.

When we heard over the radio that AC/DC band is going to have a concert in Toronto, Herbert had decided right there and then that we are going. But I wasn't keen to this band so I told him that I'm not going. But later on, we learned that our couple friends are going too. So, I decided to go as well. It was also an opportunity for me to experience such an event for the first time.

Our friends took the liberty to purchase the ticket online. I never thought getting one requires speed and brilliant technique. As Christine recalled how she got the 4 tickets, she had to call an I.T. person to help her do it. They set-up two computers right next to each other, they had to access the ticket website parallel because in just a matter of seconds the desired seats will be gone. By the time one fills-up the form and click submit/confirm, seats could be taken away by anyone of the thousands of people online. Fortunately, she managed to get us four tickets. It's unbelievable that all tickets were sold out in just four hours, considering the capacity of Rogers Centre to be a whooping 60,000 seats. Due to the high public demand, AC/DC is going to have another concert in Toronto in January.

Came November 7th, we drove to Toronto. Knowing that parking is always a concern at the downtown, we decided to park quite a distance from the Rogers Centre. As we walked our way to the Rogers Centre, the Front St. was busy. Large groups of crowds were heading to the concert. As we get closer to the venue, the pedestrian lanes were jammed and the crowd was loud, screaming AC/DC. We met our friends at the main entrance. We first headed to the gate where merchandise is being sold to get ourselves some souvenirs. Herbert got a nice T-shirt and I got an illuminated pair of horns.

As we settled in our seats (had a good proximity to the stage), I was in awe to see the place was literally full from the ground level to the highest level. That was amazing! Never did I expect that AC/DC fans range from various generations. I was really wondering how did those young ones (must be 10 years old and above) came to know about this band which took-off way back in the 70s. May be I was just living in a different world then (lol).

There was supposed to be a front-act band but for some reasons it was cancelled. At around 8:30pm, the band came-out and played. The crowd went crazy and the band played on and on and on.

That was really awesome! I would say it was pure rock music with extremely beautiful audio visual display, lightings and pyro technique display. There was no break, no adlibs and no props acts. Again, it was just pure music. If I may describe it in graph, when they started playing it went straight-up to the climax level and stayed there until the end. It was a good 1 hour and 45 minutes show. It was truly, a great and unforgettable experience.

Though we had some ear-plugs just in case it will be too loud to bear but we didn't need them at all. The venue was packed but going out was not a problem at all. It was slow but in order. The crowd was still screaming AC/DC.

The spirits were still high for the night; people were heading straight to the nearby bars. We scanned through some bars but we failed to find a place. Then we walked further down to the east and finally we found one. We spent sometime to cool down. At 12:30mn, we called it off and parted ways to head home.

Well if I would ever get a chance, I would love to watch an AC/DC concert. They are touring the U.S.A. For more information, check-out their official website: http://www.acdc.com/

An evening at the Woodbine Horse Racing Track

2008-10-27T23:35:00.019+02:00

"No experience required, just bring your money." This is the advice we got from our friends. We got a dinner reservation at 7 pm in the Favourites Restaurant last Friday evening. Since it was our first to be in this place, I did a little bit of reading thru their website on how to go about the betting but it is complicated.

The Standard bred horse race commenced at 7:40pm and there were 12 races for the night. Because of its close proximity to where we live, we didn't have to worry about the usual traffic jam. The Woodbine complex is vast. There was no problem at all to find a parking spot and most of all it was free which is quite surprising here in Toronto.

We met our friends at the lobby and we headed together to the second floor where the Favourites Restaurant is. We had a very good location giving us a very clear sight of the race track. As soon as we were settled, we started to scan through the race guide. The race information and the statistics figures presented were overwhelming. With the limited time we had, we decided to call the staff who gave us a very quick explanation on how to go about it. Though we didn't really grasp all the mechanics and techniques on how to pick our bet, we decided to push the button.

Favourites Restaurant

The Horse Race Track

The odds for the race 1

Referring back to the guide, there were 8 horses for the first race. Among the many information and statistics provided, we just looked at the recommended probable favourites, the ranking from the previous 6 races, the running time from the previous 6 races, the horse’s background info and finally the Race Computer Analysis.

There are various types of bets but as a beginner I opted to stick to the basic ones.

WIN : You must select the winner of the race.
PLACE : Your horse must finish first, second
SHOW : Your horse must finish fist, second or third.
EXACTOR: Select the first two horses in exact order of finish
TRIACTOR: Select the first three horses in exact order of finish

EXACTOR BOX: Box two, three or more horses - your ticket is cashable if two of the boxed horses finish first and second
TRIACTOR BOX: Box three, four or more horses - your ticket is cashable if three of the boxed horses finish 1st, 2nd, 3rd, in any order.

To make things simple, I bet to WIN, $3 for the horse no. 8 AIR MCNAIR. As soon as I got the ticket, I waited anxiously for the race to start. No pressure, it's just for fun. Then the race went on....and guess what? I won! I got $18.

My horse finished first. I won!
Race 2 is on.

I was ecstatic; it made me really excited to bet for the following races. My friends were telling me, I should have bet for $100. Well, it's too late. We bet more and more but my lucky charm has quickly disappeared. I never won again.

The Buffet

Talking about the buffet dinner, it was ok but nothing really special about it. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful experience. I would love to go back there again with friends one of these days. It was really fun!

For more information about Woodbine, visit their website http://www.woodbineentertainment.com/woodbine/index.html

Flying over the Niagara Region

2008-10-14T01:20:00.013+03:00

We did bravely fly the skies of Niagara in an airplane to see and photograph the sights of Niagara-on-the-Lake, The Welland Canal, the mighty whirlpool rapids and hydroelectric generating plants, and did then continue the flight to magestic Niagara Falls.

At the Niagara-on-the-Lake Airport

with the Pilot

All set for take-off

The Niagara-on-the-Lake vineyards.

Niagara-on-the-Lake and far behind is the Ontario Lake
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Niagara-on-the-Lake
The U.S. side

The River flowing to the Ontario Lake

It's really nice up there!

Approaching the Niagara Falls, the Friendship Bridge. Left side is New York State U.S. and the right is Canada

The mighty whirlpool rapids.

The Niagara Falls
Left is the U.S. side of the falls and right is the Canadian horseshoe.

Spectacular view of the falls!

Canada side

The Rainbow Bridge (Falls View Bridge)

The U.S. side of the falls.

The two man made reservoir supplying the hydroelectric generating plants.

Flying away from the falls area.

The Welland Bridge

The Welland Canal

landing

It was a fantastic experience with the Niagara Air Tours.

To view the complete photoalbum, click here

http://jernie.myphotoalbum.com/slideshow.php?set_albumName=album12

I highly recommend to do such tour if you're visiting Niagara Region.