when the curious meets opportunities…

cross-country skiing

The extremely cold weather has been on a roll lately… our area became the coldest place on Earth in early February. I’m hopeful that the cold snap will end soon… as my series of winter activities posts is coming to an end (for now). 😉 After talking about my amusing experience with snowboarding, skating, winter hiking, and downhill skiing, let’s move on to cross-country skiing.

Growing up in a country that only has rainy and dry season – both of which are hot compared to the freezing weather in Canada – I have very little concept of winter activities, especially cross-country skiing. For all I know, it’s skiing all over the country… literally! 😐 😬

One weekend, Jellybean and I drove to Lost Creek Resort at Prince Albert National Park for me to have a first hand experience on cross-country skiing on groomed trails. To put it simply, imagine a train going along a set of railway tracks… it’s similar to that idea. Cross-country skiing on groomed trails is like skiing on a “railway” track.

I found it restricting at first because it’s not free-flowing like downhill skiing is, you have to stay within the constraints of the track to ski smoothly. It’s important to have enough momentum to make it up the hill and not slide back down. Otherwise, you have to walk funny going up the slope… either walking sideways or “skating” with the skis in a V-shape (similar to reversed pizza move in downhill skiing). It’s just tiny a hill though so there’s no need for a conveyor that would take you up the hill like in downhill skiing.

So far, I still prefer downhill skiing over snowboarding or cross-country skiing. Hmmmm…. What winter activity should I try next? 😊

downhill skiing

We’ve had a lot of bitter cold weather recently (-43 degrees Celsius! 😲) and it’s been getting me down… it’s too cold to go for a walk outside and just thinking of winter activities makes me want to hibernate. 😖 The only winter “activity” I’ll be doing for now is sipping a hot cup of milk tea and watching the snowflakes lazily fall outside. ❄️

Hmmm… Reminiscing the winter activities that I’ve experienced is also another option. So far, I’ve experienced snowboarding, skating, and winter hiking. As I was going through old files, I happened to come across my downhill and cross-country skiing photos.

I had the opportunity to try downhill skiing on a company trip to Table Mountain several years ago. I decided to skip the skiing lesson this time since my snowboarding lesson on a previous trip didn’t go that well; I’m a visual learner, their instructions don’t really help me.

I struggled a bit (Jellybean was no help from his snowboard 😝) and Allan — one of the company executives — noticed and gave me a very helpful tip… that is to remember the “pizza” and “fries” moves. The “pizza” move is used to slow down or stop like an amber or red traffic light. It’s mostly called pizza because the ski position looks like a slice of pizza. While the “fries” move represents green light… green means go… go…go! 🤣 The ski are parallel to each other and looks like fries. 😝

On the bunny hill where the beginners flock together, there’s a conveyor that takes you to the top; on the big hill, they use a chairlift to reach the top. Since I’m a complete newbie, I stayed on the bunny hill.

Going down the bunny hill was a bit nerve wracking at first but the thrill kept me going. My confidence slowly built up as I climbed up and glided down the hill a number of times. Though, still not confident enough to try the big hill as I was still mostly using the ever trusty “pizza” move. 😳

To my surprise, I enjoyed skiing more than snowboarding. I find snowboarding stressful while skiing is more relaxing. It’s probably because I was skiing on a little hill with a “safe” slope. The next step is to join the big kids on the big hill and then aim to sail down the scary slopes of Sunshine Village someday… Fat chance! 🤣

Stay tuned for the next post on cross-country skiing… ✌

winter hiking

Growing up in a tropical country makes me extra curious about winter activities. My first-hand experience in snowboarding and skating got me pumped up to try winter hiking in Johnston Canyon (Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada).

Powered up with a hearty breakfast, we set out on our hike. We hadn’t made it ten feet out of the parking lot when we realized how slippery the trail was. Jellybean, my husband, had to help me navigate the path and kept me from slipping.

I was still on high spirits as we walk passed the sign, but my excitement was quickly overshadowed by my clumsiness and fear of heights. 😱 There were icy patches all over the trail and the treacherous cliff made my knees weak.

To avoid the scary path, I decided to walk in the deep snow which was “conveniently” located up the “hill” from the trail… Lucky me, I made things worse because I had trouble going back to the trail when I reached a dead end. Jellybean had to rescue me and get me back on track. 😅

With all the struggles that I went through on our way up, Jellybean, Mike and Shara encouraged and supported me even though I felt like I was being a nuisance.. 🙁 While I was looking like an idiot, Shara was gingerly walking on the slippery path like it was a fashion runway. 😲

should I go back?

Surprisingly, my fear disappeared on our way back and I managed to enjoy the walk… errr… slide. Learning how to traverse the icy path made a world of difference.

Watcha up to Mike?

The amazing view, the breathtaking winter water falls and the awesome company made the winter hiking a memorable experience.

See you again, Johnston Canyon!

Banff in Winter

With the weather hitting minus 40 degrees Celsius last week, it inspired me to write about our winter adventure in Banff a few years ago.

Around February 2016, my husband and I met up and spent time with friends in Banff National Park, Alberta. The magnificent Rocky Mountain view, beautiful slopes covered with fluffy snow and serene atmosphere made the trip very relaxing and provided an avenue for us to decompress and catch up.

Here are some of the stunning snapshots courtesy of Mike and Shara:

Gondola ride on the way to Sunshine Village

The highlight of the trip? Winter hiking in Johnston Canyon…more details on the next post. 😀

shoebox project

Look at that! Christmas time went by in the blink of an eye. It’s been years since we had our shoebox project through our wedding 2.0 in 2015.

In lieu of the usual congratulatory gift, we encouraged our guests to make a kid smile by bringing a decorated, unwrapped, regular-sized shoebox full of children items.

Much to our surprise, our humble request was met with an overwhelming response. Shoeboxes filled with numerous children’s items were pouring in during the wedding 2.0 event. Some people even gave cash which we used to purchase additional items like toys, school supplies, and personal hygiene products. Our guests were amazingly generous. Once again, our heartfelt gratitude to all of you!

The shoeboxes were intended for the kids in my Barangay (a.k.a. community) back home in the Philippines where we had enlisted my parents, siblings, nephews and sister-in-law to help coordinate and hand the gifts out. Logistics took longer than we estimated, and it became a Valentine’s gift instead of a Christmas gift. 😀

Since then, it has become an annual tradition for my husband and I to participate in the Operation Christmas Child (Samaritan’s Purse) shoebox project. We figured, instead of buying Christmas gifts for friends and extended families, we will focus on the Operation Christmas Child.

Ten (or more) countries are working together to give gifts to children in more than 100 countries… isn’t that amazing? The shoe box not only brings a smile to a kid’s face but also gives hope. Click this link for more details. (Disclaimer: This is a personal advocacy without profit involved.)

Ciao for now! 😉

wedding 2.0

(Note: Wedding 2.0 happened in 2015. I’m just behind with my blogging. 😅)

A lot of weddings are pretty much out of control these days… starting the marriage in debt to throw a fancy event for the entire world to attend is not our cup of tea. Planning a big event is stressful enough without worrying how to pay for it.

Taking the non-traditional route was pretty much a given since Jellybean and I are somewhat unconventional, our wedding 1.0 proved that – intimate, low-key and laid back.

With our wedding 2.0 (a.k.a. wedding celebration) in mind, we stuck to our principles and aimed for a chillax, no fuss, and no frills event.

✔on point venue = boat + river cruise as a memento

✔ quaint = purple yam & young coconut cake + scroll + Mario & Peach cake topper

✔ no frills = cocoon flowers instead of fresh flowers + minimalist decoration

✔ no fuss = “shoebox” project in lieu of gifts + “bubble” entourage

✔ chillax = serene ambiance + chill guests

With our limited budget, it wasn’t possible to invite everyone. 😦 Our sincere apologies. ✌

To our family and friends who sacrificed their time and travelled far… as well as to those who lent their helping hands one way or the other, thank you so much! ❤

Good times! Peace out… 😀

wedding 1.0

Way back in 2011, I ranted about being bugged to get married in one of my blog posts entitled, wedding. Little did I know that I would be meeting Jellybean, the one, and marrying him a few years later.

What’s with the wedding 1.0?

In Filipino culture, siblings are cautioned against marrying in the same year; this overlap of life events is called sukob and it is believed to bring bad luck. Getting engaged in 2014 and with Jellybean’s brother’s wedding planned for 2015, we were left with a difficult decision. Do we marry in 2016 or squeeze it in before the end of 2014? 2015 wasn’t an option.

With the concern that aging grandparents who are in their 90’s might be unable to attend a 2016 wedding, we chose 2014. Knowing it would be impossible to invite all of our family and dearest friends on such short notice, we limited the guest list to the elders and witnesses (Jellybean’s parents).

With eight people in total including the photographer and the marriage commissioner, wedding 1.0 was a perfectly intimate event!

Here are some of the never before seen photos:

Can you spot the difference below between the 2014 and the 2018 photos? Quite difficult to guess, right? 😉

2014

fast forward to 2018 😀

Stay tuned for wedding 2.0 …who knows when… 😀

the one

Have you found “the one”? Or has “the one” got “stuck in traffic”? Whatever stage you are at, worrying and rushing won’t really help. Things will fall into place at the right time, just keep the faith… 😉

Valentine’s day is fast approaching so I thought this story might inspire some people.

I’ve been asked a number of times on how I met my husband and how I knew that he’s the one.

My husband and I used to work in the same company together but we were in different departments and hardly spoke with one another. Come to think of it, I mostly mingle with the people I dealt with regularly.

Here’s how our first meeting went:
I was wandering around the office holding a large envelope when he approached me and asked “Are you looking for me?”. (Apparently, he saw his name written on the envelope.)

With a blank stare, I replied with a frosty “No” and walked away.

After several months, we ended up chatting and learned that we both like to watch anime at some point in our lives. We started talking about Ranma ½, Sailor Moon, Dragonball Z, Naruto, Slam Dunk, etc.. Exchanging emails, chatting and going out for a hot beverage every now and then led to a good friendship.

At that stage of my life, I was no longer interested in entering a relationship and was planning to be single for life. I was already in my 30s and was seriously considering “the back up plan” (similar to the movie “The Back Up Plan”… check it out if you haven’t seen it yet).

Although he had been single for almost four years, he was a bit apprehensive to start dating again after getting out of a draining 5-year relationship.

Cupid probably worked overtime to get us together because it took awhile before the friendship blossomed into a relationship.

Did it go smoothly?
Nope.

The first three months was a roller coaster ride.

On top of all the typical challenges that a relationship has, we also needed to work out our cultural differences and language barrier. Suffice to say, we had some hurdles to overcome; I prayed daily that the relationship end sooner than later if he wasn’t “the one”.

As they say, if it’s meant to be… it will be.

The key to overcoming our differences was communication, compromise, and saying sorry when you’re at fault.

The rest is history.

After two years of dating, we had our wedding 1.0 followed by wedding 2.0. Why two weddings?

Hmmm…. until next post… 🙂

it’s been a while…

I’m back! 🙂

Yup! I probably should change my name from the curious me to the submarine me. Ha!

So… why did I disappear after announcing that I was out of hibernation?

*** The plan was to migrate my blog to another platform before posting a new article. I was looking into it… then life happened and it got placed on the back burner.

I ended up staying with WordPress.Com, changed the theme, and got a premium subscription for a better deal.
It still needs a lot of improvement though and a new logo would be nice. 😀

*** I had to prioritize taking care of myself.

*** Recovering from a major surgery took longer than I expected.

Now that I’m feeling a lot better… I certainly would like to work on the pending blog posts. For those who have been checking my blog site every now and then, thank you so much! It means a lot.

Stay tuned! 😉

hibernation over!

Oopsie! I unintentionally hibernated… again. 😉 I wrote my travel bag post around February 2016 and meant to tweak and post it before the beginning of March but it didn’t happen. Sigh… I know, I’m terrible. -_-

So… what kept me busy? Hmmm… Let’s see…

Hiking

Johnston Canyon Winter hiking + Height phobia = FUN? :8

Philippine Election 2016

I campaigned for Duterte via Facebook. Yup! I’m one of his social media and prayer warriors… To be clear, I didn’t get paid for it. Yeah … yeah… I’m a die hard Duterte supporter (a.k.a. Dutertard)! Deal with it! :p

Why Duterte? Click here to read a very interesting article written by Leandro Legarda Leviste.

(I’m elated that in a short span of time, Duterte has already accomplished a much needed overhaul in the government… It’s a long way to go but I know he can deliver! Duterte surely deals with things like a BOSS!)

Travelling

Went gallivanting around North and South Carolina together with the gigglers (a.k.a. Little Miss Wanderfuls). Why gigglers? Well…find out for yourselves…;)

Want to know more of our adventures? Check out this site -> www.littlemisswanderfuls.com

Game of Thrones

I watched all 10 episodes of Season 6… I must say, it’s one of the best shows ever! Who are my top three favorite? Jon Snow, Arya Stark and Daenerys Targaryen. Oh! I also like Lyanna Mormont. She’s a badass! Need I say more? :p

Jon Snow (credit to the owner)	Arya Stark (credit to the owner)
Daenerys Targaryen (credit to the owner)	Lyanna Mormont (credit to the owner)

Gardening

I’m not a green thumb but my husband is! (Yes, I do have a husband. lol) I’ve been just messing around with the garden. Last year, I was in charge of planting and I might have been too generous with the carrot seeds . -_-

thecuriousme.com

Planning to do a revamp and keep up with the times. My blog looks so 90’s. Ha! I’ve been researching for blog platforms…. It will take some time but I can make it happen. 😉

Baste

Sebastian Benedict is his full name. I’ve been checking his Facebook page almost every day! He’s so adorable! I also like SamSam, his little brother…. 🙂 It makes me smile whenever I see new posts about them. Keep spreading good vibes!

baste-samsam — Baste & SamSam (credit to the owner)

One day…. I’ll be able to post consistently…. One day. 😉 For now, I’ll continue sorting my photos and work on one blog post at a time. Gotta get this going! Aja!

… and I do hear you… I will do a blog post regarding the tidbits of my wedding 1.0 and wedding 2.0. 😀 You’ll be like.. “What? Two weddings?!?” Yes… two weddings. Details soon kiddos. 😉

Appreciate your patience guys! Until next time! 😀

Charles-isms

I first met Charles five years ago when he was almost two years old. He’s such an adorable kid… and I so so so love him dearly! 😀

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Click the links below to read the related posts:
Mr. Anderson Where’s Charles?
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Up to this day, Fritchie (Charles’ Mom) and I still shares a good laugh whenever we recall Charles’ funny antics. 🙂 Here are some new ones that are truly remarkable. Read on!

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SENSATIONAL SPELLER
Charles got an award in school. Sensational Speller

Charles: Mommy, I can spell anything now! My level is grade 3 level… that’s what Ms. Whiteside said
Mommy: I know Charles, you did a really good job in school and we are so proud of you.

(as Charles enters the house…)

Charles: Daddy… Daddy! I got a trophy! I’m the best speller in our class, grade 3 level. I can spell anything now.
Daddy: Ohhhh really? Spell “anything”
Charles: E N I T H I N G

Mommy and Daddy looked at each other stifling a laugh and they both tried to sound out the word “anything”.

Charles: I know! I know! A N Y T H I N G I told you I know!

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BEDTIME
In bed… Daddy was snoring, Charles couldn’t sleep, and Mommy was pretending to be fast asleep.

Charles: Daddy, Daddy… I’m bored… I can’t sleep… Can I have the remote please?
Daddy: Go to sleep
Charles: I can’t. I’m too bored. I wanna watch TV.
Daddy: Count the holes on the wall
Charles: What? There’s holes on the wall?
Daddy: Pretend there are holes on the wall and count it.

(Mommy was trying hard not to laugh because she’s supposed to be fast asleep.
After two minutes)

Charles: But Daddy I can’t see the holes. Can you please turn on the light?
Daddy: Charles go to sleep

(After few minutes….)

Charles: I can’t really sleep. I need the remote.

(Daddy ignored Charles)

Charles: Can I watch TV now Daddy? I will sleep if you give me the remote.

(Then, Daddy eventually gave him the remote)

After ten minutes of watching TV, Charles’ finally fell asleep.

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CHRISTMAS CARD

Mommy: Can you write a card for Mlle. Dorman? We will go out tomorrow to buy her a present.
Charles: Ok Mommy. (then he proceeded to get his markers and paper)

(After 10 minutes, Charles went to the kitchen to show his work of art.)

Charles: Mommy I did it. I even did it in French and I made the letters in patterns like red and green. (He also drew a Christmas tree)
Mommy: (wondering) Charles, how did you know the French words for Merry Christmas?
Charles: Mommy I searched it in Google. Everything is in Google you know, Mommy.

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See??? Isn’t he adorable? 😀 See you again soon!

Boston

Shara, Juvy, Fritchie and I have talked about travelling together so many times but it has never materialized. One lazy weekend… we were chatting about needing a short break to recharge and before you know it we agreed to meet up in Boston in two weeks time! Woot!

It happened so fast that we were scrambling to find cheap flights… a nearly impossible feat! If it weren’t for Aeroplan points, I wouldn’t even have made it. However it wasn’t only flights that were expensive… everything in Boston was!

Thankfully, a generously awesome goddess (code name: Atlantis) covered the hotel bill and two angels named Richard and Julia lovingly prepared and packed a delicious home cooked meal for us. Salamat po (Thank you)! 🙂

What I love most about Boston is the European feel, magnificent tourist spots, awesome food choices (love the Boston cream pie!), and most of all, the superb and friendly Lift drivers.

Would I like to go back? Absolutely! I want to complete the exploration of the freedom trail, take a more detailed tour in Harvard and probably, join the 5K Boston marathon. 🙂

Check out the highlights of our trip:

Hotel Marlowe

chillaxin’	watcha doin? 🙂
lobby	Mickey Mouse Pajama Party!

Cruise

Harvard (my dream school…)

MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) / Kendall Square
My curiosity heightened about MIT when I started watching The Big Bang Theory. 🙂

Downtown



Ralph Lauren shop	Newbury

Lobster Attack!


more vinegar please! 😀

Budding Photographer Mode (My Best Shots!)

The Next Top Mowdelz… (promising right? 😉 )

It’s probably the only vacation that I’ve ever taken that I hardly contributed to the planning of the itinerary. Come to think of it, I didn’t even book my own flight this time. Thanks S, J and F… especially to G and K! You all rock!

Next trip, I’ll borrow the scissor for Fritchie. Promise. 😀 Kitakitz (See you)!

O Canada!

For some odd reason, Canada was not included in my dream destination but fate had other plans for me. I might not have understood it before but slowly, I started to connect the dots.

At any rate, the road to Canadian citizenship is not as easy as people think. Gathering the required documents alone was an extremely painful process.

It took me months to gather the documents and fill out the paperwork and the processing time took roughly a year. In short, the experience was very stressful and costly.

Thankfully, I managed to pass the required tests (English Language Tests and Citizenship test) as well as the short interview. Otherwise, I’d be a goner. :p

The excitement was starting to turn into uneasiness when the wait for the Oath-taking ceremony reached almost four months! It took longer than I had expected. 😦

Anyhow, I was pretty pumped when the day finally came and I even agreed to give a brief message on stage as a new Canadian citizen.

I was under the impression that there would be few of us lining up to deliver a message but to my surprise, I was the only attendee that got called on the stage. It was pretty nerve-racking but at the same time, an unforgettable experience.

A local newspaper even interviewed me after the event. It was definitely the day’s icing on the cake! 🙂

Oh… Did I mention that the oath-taking ceremony happened on my birthday? It’s indeed one of the best gifts that I’ve ever received! Woot! 😀

O Canada… Our home and native land… Until next time! :p

what happened?

Happy 2016! 🙂

It’s been almost a year and a half since my “hiatus” post. It appears that the hibernation took longer than I had planned. -_- Obviously, thecuriousme.com needs a lot of love and some updating…. 😦

Anyway… here’s the synopsis on what happened:

Golden Gate Bridge	Fisherman’s Wharf
Boston Cruise	chillaxin’ in Boston
my folks trip to Canada	my folks… gallivanting
Popsters, guess who? 🙂	catching up on the AlDub fever!
my cross stitch project	Facebook’s needy eh? 😀
wedding 1.0	wedding 2.0

Details on my next posts… Watch out and chillax! 🙂 mmmmmwa!

hiatus

Whoa! Time indeed flies…

I have gone on hiatus (unintentionally!) for the past two months. I was feeling burnt out so I decided to take a few days vacation to rejuvenate and recharge. To my dismay… I felt even more tired after my vacation… It’s crazy! So, I opted to take it slow, relax, and enjoy the rest of short summer. 😀

Now… I feel refreshed! And yes, I’m back! I bet you’re excited what I’ve been up to, right Justin? 😀

Here’s a sneak peek:

See you later alligator… 😉