The Big Move

Moving is never easy, particularly in the wee hours of the morning... I still have a huge headache from the sudden leasing of my aunt & sister's condo. I've been managing our rental properties for ages but this one's really something else.

I had to move stuff out of the apartment to get it ready for the tenant in just four hours! Good thing a neighbor rents out her 7th floor unit for 1800 php/night so we had somewhere to place our stuff before I accepted our new condo three floors up.

It was not a pretty sight at the studio apartment. I'm just thankful that I had people working at my kiosk who are also my distant cousins. So I have people who cares about me & were there to help  no matter how late it was. 

At least I've got the new aircon & the shower heater installed now. I find I didn't mind not having a proper bed yet as long as I have a/c & hot water. I did a double take with the 2500 php installation fee though. Ugh! That hurts.

Now I'm waiting for the architect to do his thing. A condo this small needs an expert to decide where everything should be. Though I'm absolutely dreading the bill. :(

Canada: To Apply for a TRV or not

My mother and I are in a tizzy right now. We were sent an invitation to visit by my sister--who is a permanent resident in Canada--the statutory declaration says that she & her husband will take care of everything we might need while there. Who wouldn't want that, right?

Certainly, this travel junkie is all excited and salivating at the thought of seeing the Canadian Rocky Mountains up-close! But the timing is awful... I'm in the middle of a permanent move from my Valenzuela apartment to our newly-acquired Makati condo.

It's just a total mess right now and I also have work to contend with. To add to the confusion, Mama can't stay past the summer season in fear of her joints acting up in the cold. That's really our main concern, that she enjoy her 75th year... The year of visiting all her kids & grandkids scattered about in Canada, Australia & New Zealand.

We're both excited to see my brother & his family in Ontario, some of his kids we have not met since they were born. We also can't bear to disappoint my sister's kids in Alberta. The eldest, 17-year-old Jian, worked at KFC so he can save for his grandma's plane ticket. 

Aww... this is hard. Should we go through with the Temporary Resident Visa application? I just hope we get approved (or not) while it's still summer there.