Goodbye 2020

 2020 is a year most of us have a mixed emotions. When it started a year ago, a lot of us hoped that this year will be the best year ever! A lot claimed that 2020 is their year.

January came, series of bad news and events worldwide came... Australian forest fires and volcanic erruption in the Philippines that covered majority of the Luzon area with ashes.

Then of course, Covid 19 came. It was in March, when it was declared a pandemic. Countries around the world struggled. The world paused. We cannot travel leisurely outside our country. Restaurants and bars closed. Schools closed. Most of our plans were halted.
People started to dislike the year even more.

But inspite of the bad news, good news are also rising. People are still helping people. More non-profit organizations helped others. Despite of the bad news and the bad situation, good things are still coming out.

Yes, 2020 is a very crazy year. I personally had a roller-coaster ride this year. But I don't want to forget this year.
This year, when the world stopped, we look on the things that are essential in our lives. We learned to appreciate what we have.

I am actually thankful this year for the following reasons:
🔹️ rest (months of not working)
🔹️ a lot of time in my hand to do what I want (read, watch movies, write on my blog)
🔹️ i was able to connect to more people this year.
🔹️ I'm thanful for the different ministry opportunities. I was able to have bible studies with different groups of people this year.
🔹️ spend more time with my family
🔹️ prayers are still answered
🔹️ babies are still getting born. I know a lot of people who got a baby this year. It brings so much joy to me.
🔹️ people are still getting married
🔹️ for the life that I still have
🔹️ God's sustaining grace and mercy
🔹️ God's faithfulness to His word and promises

Really, a lot of reasons to celebrate and be thankful.

It's my prayer, that next year 2021, I will be a better individual, better person than what I was this year. I will be more conscious with what I eat and drink. I will be kinder, shows more love and extend more grace to others.

I am thankful to God for His sustaining grace this whole year 2020. I am what I am because of Him. I am also thankful to my family and friends who's been a part of my 2020 year. I'm thankful for my prayer warriors who prayed with me and for me. May the Lord continue to bless us this coming year. 

I am healed by His wounds

This morning, I had received a news that makes me cry. I haven't been very open to everyone about my health but I'm not 100% physically healthy for a year already.

I'm trying to live a healthier lifestyle but sometimes, laziness and stubborness affects me to make right decisions.

Today, I had received a news that will definitely will change my lifestyle and everything.

I cried when I received that news. I was emotionally down. But, I still opened my Bible and read my daily advent reading. Today, we read in Isaiah 53 then Luke 5:17-25.
What a timely reminder.

With all the health struggles I had for months and years, I know that only God can heal me. I have this hope in healing because Jesus,  God in the flesh, allowed Himself to be wounded and be crushed because of my iniquities.

And lastly, I know that one day, my body will be healed forever. No more sickness, no more pain (Rev. 21:4).

Right now, I can find comfort in His word. I know that He is in control of my life. (Psalm 115:3). He is my good Father. He loves me and not sickness nor pain can separate me from His love(Romans 8:35-39). And whatever circumstances I am right now, I know His plans for me will still prevail. 

I can also change my lifestyle, eat healthier food, do exercise, sleep early, drink more water. But only God can heal me here on earth, if He wills. If not, then I'll just be waiting for my glorified body in heaven. 

Korean dramas: reviews

 I love watching movies. I remember I wrote a blog few years ago about some of my favorite movies. 

Here is the link: https://bimmy27.blogspot.com/2017/09/my-10-favorite-movies.html?m=1 

But throughout the years, my preferences and movie genres changes too. With Netflix, I've enjoyed watching tv series and shows. Recently, I've been hooked with Korean dramas (Kdrama). On this post, I'll be sharing the Kdramas I've watched recently and I will also give a short review.
The list is chronologically ordered to which kdrama I've watched first to the most recent.

 1. Crash Landing on you / CLOY (2019- 2020)

Well, for months I've been seeing memes and posts about this Crash Landing on You. It was a kdrama craze in the Philippines. So, I gave it a try.
The main characters Hyun Bin (Captain Ri) and Son Yejin (Seri) are really amazing actors. I loved them. They portray their roles very well.

I did some research on them and realized that I've watched two earlier movies of Son Yejin. She was also a cast in The Classic (2003) and a Moment to Remember (2004). I like her. She's really a good actress.

The movie genre is good for everyone. There's some drama, comedy, romance and a little bit of thriller. It also gives a glimpse of the contradicting lives in North and South Korea.

I love that it's only 16 episodes. I've watched this twice. I love not only the two main characters but also the supporting characters. They were given an amazing story line and their characters were developed throughout.

I cried and laugh all the way watching this series. I learned to appreciate the simplicity of life in North Korea and appreciate what we have. This is set in both Korea and Switzerland. 

I would really recommend this movie to anyone. ❤

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crash_Landing_on_You

2. Memories of Alhambra (2018- 2019)

I watched this next because of Captain Ri of CLOY (Hyun Bin). He is one of the main character here. It's a thriller series. If you're a gamer, you will like this one. I'm not a gamer but I appreciated the story.

I like this one. I like the thriller part of the story and twist of the plot. It's very unique and creative. The movie is also set in both Spain and South Korea.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memories_of_the_Alhambra

3. Something in the rain (2018)

I watched this because of Seri (Son Yejin). She is one of the main character here. This series is just a light romantic comedy movie. But on the later part, there are some things that causes tension in the story. 

This series is just fine. It's not something that I would recommend immediately because there are other good kdrama series.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Something_in_the_Rain

4. Reply 1988 (2015-2016)

This kdrama is something that is so hard to move on to. I love this equally the same as CLOY. 

It is set in 1988 South Korea. It revolves to the story of 5 friends and their families. This is not just a typical love story/ romantic comedy show. It touches the themes of family struggles, parents' sacrifices for their children, friendships, and even fate and missed opportunities.

I super love this one. I've watched this whole series twice already. The first time I've watched this, I was a bit hesitant and was thinking why is this show like this. In my opinion, the first 3 episodes are a bit corny but maybe thats just how the director wanted it to be portrayed. But after the first episode, I had a little idea of what to expect.

Also, the more you watch this, you will definitely love each character. Their stories also developed along the series.

I cried a lot of times in this series. But it's definitely worth watching this one. ❤

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reply_1988

5. Reply 1997 (2012)

This is the first of the Reply series. The 1988 one was the last. I gave this a try because I'm still so hung up with the 1988.
I'm currently watching this one. Each episode is shorter than the 1988.

It still has the same theme of friendship.  Although stories about their families were not emphasized much compared to 1988. The series started with a reunion and then flashes back to their memories when they were in highschool.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reply_1997

As I write this blog, I'm still in episode 14. I don't know how this will end. But hopefully it will end well.

So, I'll be ending my blog here for now. I'll be writing more of my reviews about kdrama or any shows next time. 

My 34th birthday

It's my birthday last sunday. I turned 34 on that day. I always celebrate my birthday in one way or another. For me, it's important to remember God's goodness and faithfulness throughout the year.

This post is just about God's goodness to my life.

Sept 2019

During my birthday week, we were able to visit Montana, USA. God's protection was manifested during that one week of drive, road trip in the US.

Last year on my birthday, we were welcomed by a blizzard here on Alberta. It was only God's protection that we were able to return to Calgary safely.

October 2019

Thankful for my churchmates, family and friends. I celebrated my 8th thanksgiving day here in Canada.

November 2019

I finally got my teacher's interim certificate. I am now licensed to teach here in Alberta.

December 2019

A meaningful Christmas celebrated with churchmates and family. We celebrated our first Christmas service in our new church location.

January 2020

Grateful to the Lord for this new year! He is faithful. Despite of everything happening around the world, forest fire in Australia and volcano eruption in Philippines, God is still in control.

February 2020

God is still in control. God is so good.

March 2020

We had our first covid case in Alberta. After few days, our daycare closed and I'm temporarily laid-off. But I'm grateful for this opportunity to stay at home and spend more time with Emma.

April 2020

Grateful for Emma's 5th birthday and Mike's 34th birthday.

Thankful for free time to spend at home, read more books and listen to more podcasts. God is good.

May 2020

I'm thankful for the bible study opportunities given to me. I've been studying more of God's word. I've had some friends where I start to study the Bible together. I've been growing in God's grace and knowledge these past few months. I'm in awe of what He's doing in my life.

June 2020

It's getting back to normal here in Calgary. We're back to worshipping indoors. I've had more opportunities to hike and go out in nature. We've been more active and exercising more.

July 2020

God has been giving us more opportunities to hike and spend outdoors. Also, our church moved to a new bigger location.

August 2020

We celebrated our church anniversary. God has been good to our church family as well.

September 2020

We were able to enjoy God's creation in Jasper and in Canmore.

This year, I've been growing more with my walk with the Lord. I've been spending more time with Him. I told Him that I don't want to go back to my pre-covid life. This pandemic was a blessing in disguise. I've been reading books, listening to christian podcasts and did a lot of new things in my life.

To Him all the praises and glory in my life.

If you're interested to watch what I did on my birthday, just click on the link below:

Birthday celebration 2020 part 1

Birthday celebration 2020 part 2

Vacation in Jasper

 I've been here in Canada for 7 years already. But it's my first time to really explore Jasper. I've been to Columbia Icefields and tried the Skywalk in 2014. But this is really our first time to go check its' town and the nature around. 

Summer of 2014

Jasper is about 5 hours drive. We left Calgary at 9am. We had so many stopover. We stopped first at Canmore for a pee break. Then, we went to Takakkaw falls. It's a little farther from Lake Louise. It's already part of Fields, British Columbia. We had a short hike going to the falls. It's one of the tallest falls in Canada. It's really beautiful and majestic.

Takakkaw Falls

https://youtu.be/zL54597fpDM

After Takakkaw falls, we went straight to Columbia Icefields/ Athabasca Glacier. The glaciers is where water from Banff and Jasper is getting from. We did a little hike walking closer to the glaciers. Going up, there's signs from where the glacier was before. It's really getting fewer and lesser glaciers. The hike was just short but it's very rocky and so it's not a very easy hike.

 https://youtu.be/m_piC7n5OHc

From there, we went straight to our hotel. By the way, this trip to Jasper was organized by Mike's colleagues and friends.

This is us at Columbia Icefields 

They did camping at Wapiti campground. We're supposed to stay in the tent too, but in the last minute we've decided to stay in the hotel. We stayed for two nights at Sunwapta Falls rocky mountain lodge. It was 40 minutes away from the campsite.

https://youtu.be/Nvq43Wg5O2I

We've visited a lot of beautiful places in Jasper. We've checked out Sunwapta falls. It was 1 minute drive from our hotel. It was really majestic and beautiful. We went there early and really appreciated it's beauty. 

Sunwapta Falls 

https://youtu.be/kqeUpbvmJN8

On the second day, we also went kayaking at Pyramid Lake. Emma took a dip on the lake. It's really cold but she doesn't seem to mind. After kayaking, we went to Maligne Canyon. 

https://youtu.be/m1VcXRDxiHA

Maligne Canyon is the deepest canyon in Jasper. It has 6 bridges (I think). And the 2nd bridge is the highest point of the canyon. It's about 50 meters above the water. I kinda feel shaking when I got there. It's very interesting to walk and checked the canyon. The rock formation is very beautiful and the falls/ water rushing is also very majestic. I really love this place. 

https://youtu.be/s43JGwFU5c8

On our last day in Jasper, we walked around the town. We also visited a small lake. Then before heading to Calgary, we passed by and checked Athabasca falls. This one is also one of the must see in Jasper. It's very majestic. It's also a combination of falls, canyon and river. It's really nice there.

https://youtu.be/MwY-oyZqsBY

After Athabasca falls, we started going back to Calgary. We passed by Saskatchewan river crossing to stopped for a dinner. Then, we go straight to Calgary. We just stopped by to a washroom along the way.

It was really a long and tiring drive. But it was really worth it. I'm planning to go back here next year. There's still a lot of places to discover in Jasper. They have a lot of hiking places, lakes to discover and canyons and falls to check out.

 

We discovered Stanley Park

 In Calgary, there are 5200 parks. We just need time to discover more places. I already wrote a blog about my 3 favorite parks in Calgary. You can check it here on this blog.

This year, with the pandemic forcing us to stay in Alberta, we have no choice but to really explore our backyard. We've been to different places and parks here in Calgary. I was suprised that we just discovered Stanley Park. 

Stanley Park is located in 4011 1A St. S.W. It's in the middle of the city, its near downtown. It is 21 hectares in area. They have 2 parking places, an outdoor pool, playground, a lawn bowling area, tennis courts and an access to the part of Elbow river.

 We visited on a Friday, it was about 30 minutes away from us. We arrived at 11am. There's still a lot of places to park. It's a huge place and not a very busy one when we came there.

When we arrived, we park on the side near the lawn bowling. There's a playground for children, a green space for them to run around. We also like the washroom on this side because it's clean.

Emma played there for about 30 minutes. When we went there, she was the only one playing. She played with the swing, slide, seesaw and even asked me to play XOX with her. She had fun.

 After on this side, we walked a little bit more and found their outdoor pool and wading pool. It was close though. In few meters away, there's another bigger parking area and playground. On this side, there's also an access to the Elbow river. There's also a lot of picnic tables for the whole family. One thing I really appreciate when we went there is that there are circles on the grass that would encourage families to social distance.

We stayed there for another 30 minutes because we didn't really plan to go there.
Emma enjoyed playing in the water, throwing some stones in the water and just splashing up and down.

We're planning to go back here some other time and maybe have a picnic here. 

Hiking to Lake Agnes teahouse

 We've been planning for weeks to go to Lake Agnes tea house. I've first seen the teahouse being promoted in the Bring me Instagram page. I'm curious as to how far is it, how cool the tea house and how popular is the place. 

We left our home at 6.15am, we arrived 8:30am at the Lake Louise Fairmount hotel. As early as 8:30, the parking is 80% full and we parked on the upper side.

We took some pictures in Lake Louise and started to walk towards the start of the trail. 

The trail going to Lake Agnes tea house is 3.4km one way. On the way, you'll pass to Mirror Lake it's in 2.6 kms. This was considered to be a moderate hike and can be finished in 1 or 2 hrs depending on your health status.

We've been hiking on the easy trails. We've finished Upper Grassi Lakes trail and Troll Falls trail. They're very easy for the beginners and good for the whole family. So, the trail to Lake Agnes is something that we really pushed ourselves to finish. 

We brought 6 water bottles, boiled eggs, cookies, and cheese for the snacks. We also used walking sticks to help us on our trip. Going up was really a hard inclined. On the first 30 minutes, I was really catching my breath to climb. I am honestly not in my best shape when I took the hike. I was not very active and not exercising days prior to hike. It took us about 2hrs to reach Mirror Lake. We stopped couple of times to breath, to relax, to drink water and to eat our snacks. 

After Mirror Lake, we continued our hike to Lake Agnes tea house. It only took us 30 minutes to reach the place. At the bottom of the tea house, there's a small waterfall. We were able to wash our hands there, relax a bit and have our pictures taken. Then, there was a stairs going up the teahouse.

In the teahouse, we enjoyed a cup of tea and light snacks. The tea was really good. We tried the Alpine meadow tea and Lake Agnes wildberry tea. Both are herbal teas. They are both so good.

There's no garbage bin there so we have to pack away all our garbages. We spent for about an hour and a half at Lake Agnes. There's a couple number of people going there. It was kinda busy but there's a lot of place to sit and relax.

Going down is easier, because it's all downhill. It took us an hour and 15 minutes going down and we only had few stops. Also, the blueish Lake Louise is one of our landmark. While we're going down, we can see it. So, it motivates and encourages us that we're near the bottom. 

Overall, the hike was good. It was really exhausting especially to us because we're not really that active. The whole round trip hike, it took me 24,000+ steps. Eventhough it's tiring, it's still good for the whole family. The pathways are generally safe for kids and adults alike. 

Are we going back here again? Yes we will, but not this year, maybe next year or so. Are we recommending this place to other hikers and families? Yes we do. It's really a good experience for everybody.

Strawberry picking experience

Emma loves strawberries so much. So, we've decided to try this The Jungle Farm strawberry picking experience. It was suggested to me by my friend Kahlile. She mentioned that her family went here few years back and tried this.

So, I googled it. I found the address. It is located in Inisfail, Alberta. It's only an hour and 10 minutes away from home.

We went there today. It was not too busy today when we arrived at 11am of a Saturday. There was a short line-up of going to the farm. They have good protocols with regards to social distancing and Covid awarenes. There was a sign in front of the entrance of the things we should do. It's like a waiver but a sign. 

When it was our turn, we asked for 2 baskets. The lady told us to just go and go to the guys in the field. They were wearing maroon shirts like a uniform. They instructed us of what to do and where to pick strawberries.

I appreciate this part because they assigned us rows where to pick the strawberries. And they will assign another group of family to a different row to maintain the 2 meter social distancing.

The baskets are almost full

We spent about an hour to pick up the strawberries and filled our baskets. After picking, we went inside the little house by the entrance to pay for the strawberries. Actually, you can also pick some vegetables if you want. But we are already happy with our strawberries.
The price of strawberries is $4/ lb. We have about 10 lbs. They only accept debit cards or cash. 

The staffs are nice. They gave clear instructions and know what they're doing. Also, when we left at 12 noon, there's already a line up of people going inside the farm. I think in my opinion, it's best to go there earlier so you can pick the fruits or vegetables you want earlier. Also, always check their facebook account for the updates with regards to schedules or hours of operation.

We didn't linger there any longer, after paying we went home already. We can't wait to try the strawberries. When we reached home and tried them, I can say that they're so good, sweet and juicy. Emma loves it so much. She also had fun doing our strawberry picking. She kept saying "This is the best day ever."

I'm just so glad that we found a farm that is fairly near us and has really good strawberries to pick. We'll be definitely coming back here.

Exploring Kananaskis Country

I've been in Canada for 7 years already and haven't explored much of Alberta province. This Covid pandemic pushed us to stay in the province and explore it. Like what they said, "explore your backyard".

We've discovered 4 new places. They are all in Kananaskis Country.

1. Elbow Falls
It is located AB-66 Bragg Creek Alberta. It is a good place to walk, hike a little bit, play with the stream. The walk to the falls is just short. It's really a good place for family of all ages. There are some benches to sit down and relax. There are no picnic tables though. If you want to go picnic, just bring your mat. 

We went here twice. The first day was a Thursday and the second one is on a Saturday. We've noticed that on weekends, it is so crowded and so busy. So, if you want to come, you should really arrive there early. Also, there is no mobile network, so you can download your map ahead of time or use your GPS.

2. Forget-me-not pond
This pond is very near to the Elbow Falls. It's about 7 minute drive. It's also a very popular place to have picnic. They have picnic tables and a place to have a barbecue. There are a lot of children and adult kayaking here because the water is so still.

When we went there, we had to walk around the pond. It was a good exercise.

If you're planning to go here, come on a weekday when it's not very busy or come very early on a weekend. We went there on the weekend after Canada Day. It was jam packed. It was crazy, we were not able to find a parking place and cars were parked on the road already.

3. Troll Falls
We also discovered a new hiking place. It is about 3km walk. There are two directions going on the falls, the plain one and in the mountain side. We walked on the plain one going to the falls, and used the one with the little hike going back to parking lot. This is an easy hike for family of all ages.

Us before the hiking

There is a mobile network there but there's no washroom on the site. I would suggest that if you need to go to the washroom, there's an Esso about 20 minutes away before the Troll Falls. Also, we saw a lot of wildlife there like deer, skunk, and some squirrels.

Nice view at the upper part of the hike

4. Mount Lorette Ponds
This is about 5 minute drive from Troll Falls. It's a popular place to have picnic, so make sure to arrive early to get a nice picnic spot. We went there around 11am, we were still able to find a picnic table. It's not close to the pond and no shade. It was 27oC when we went there so it was really a bit hot.

You can go fishing there but there's some limit. The view is also very picturesque.

My general recommendations are to come early to find a spot for parking and a best picnic spot, to bring extra clothes and water, wear your most comfortable shoes and finally take a lot of photos.


I'm so excited to explore more places here in Alberta. ❤

10 Facts about Canada

Happy Canada Day! We're so blessed to be here and call this our home. This year, it was a bit different celebration compared to what we had in previous years. But still, Canadian spirit is still here and everyone celebrates this day in their own simple ways.

I would like to share some 10 fun facts about Canada.

1. Canada became a country on July 1, 1867. We don't have a president, instead we have a Prime Minister. Queen Elizabeth II is the Canadian Head of State.

Queen Elizabeth II 

2. There are 10 provinces and 3 territories. The capital is Ottawa, the second coldest capital in the world after Moscow.

3. Canada has two official languages: English and French. French is being taught in school. Montreal, Quebec is the world's second largest French speaking city after Paris. 

4. Some famous Candian foods are poutine, maple syrup, bacon, Timbits and double double (from Tim Hortons) and Hawaiian pizza. Quebec manufactures more than 77% of the world's maple syrup. Hawaiian pizza was invented in Ontario. 

5. Twice a year, we have to change time because of the Daylight Savings Time. It usually occur at March and November. Only Saskatchewan doesn't change its' time. 

6. Calgary receives the most sunshine in all the cities. We received the average of 2,300 hours a year. It’s Canada’s sunniest major city.

7. There's no provincial tax in Calgary. We only pay 5% or the tax on Goods and Services. That's why it's so good to shop here.

8. You can hear people say "eh" at the end of the sentences to confirm, to agree or to question. And we often say "I'm sorry". 

9. Some Canadian words: tuques for hats, loonie for one dollar, toonie for two dollars, pop for soda and Canuck for Canadian. 

10. We produced some famous musicians and actors/actresses. Some of which are Robbie Amell (Green Arrows), Michael Buble, Justin Beiber, Jim Carrey, Celine Dion, Nelly Furtado, Ryan Gosling, Carly Rae Jepsen, Avril Lavigne, Rachel McAdams, Shawn Mendes, Cory Monteith (Glee), Ryan Reynolds and etc...

From Justin Beiber's instagram post.

Resources: narcity.com, google.com

All pictures are not mine. 😊

Happy Canada Day everyone to everyone!