25 Days in Canada

Today's song is: Born to be Yours  .. Kygo and Imagine Dragons

We are approaching our first month in Canada and things are going well. It would be nice if Ottawa returned to normal March temperatures but as I have told Thavorn, this is a bad winter and will linger on. regardless, Thavorn amd Jaidan have no problem going out for walks while the sun is shining and the wind is minimal.  Thavorn has quickly learned the wind chill factor is the key.

We were going to head out on OC Transpo today but decided to stay in and do about 3 loads of wash and cook up a pork loin roast in the Instapot.

My driver's licence has arrived and I am good to go to rent and drive and will do do soon and take Thavorn and Jaidan on a tour of Ottawa.

I met with Jordan and his childhood buddy and business partner Luke and helped them create a new website for their of 'School of Fitness' business. I hope it pans out for them.

That is about it for this post  .. time to share a beer with Thavorn  :-)

Jordan and Luke  ..they would be rock stars in Bangkok  :-)

TTYL

Saturday in Canada

Today's song is: Shallow .. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper

Saturday in Canada will be much different than Saturday in Bangkok. In Bangkok it is the best night to go out and party. Not so much in Canada where older folks have no place to party.  I would guess it is a supply and demand issue where the older folks in Canada are waiting until the 'end of time' (Meatloaf's by the dashboard light) whereas in Bangkok older folks are making the most use of the time they have left.

I have been looking into kindergarten for Jaidan and the 50% French is turning me off. Only 4% of the world's population speaks French but the political climate in climate in Canada shoves it down our throats, especially in Ottawa, the nation's Capitol. In education we used to joke there was no french immersion west of Renfrew. Not a big concern this year but something I will have to address next year for 5 year old kindergarten.

The temperature will climb to zero today and creep upwards as we move into March break.  It will be fun to get out and explore more.

Jaidan is enjoying his floor puzzles and they get him off his tablet which is a good thing.  Between more physical activities and getting outside I anticipate more learning for Jaidan. On Wednesday, I ride free on OC Transpo, Jaidan rides free, and only Thavorn pays so I think we will head out exploring, perhaps starting at the Rideau Center and then over to parliament Hill.

Jordan is starting up an after school and summer fitness program for 13 to 16 year olds and he will be visiting Sunday to work on his web site.

Jordan and his partner Luke

TTYL

Amazon Prime

Today's song is: All of Me .. John Legend

I am using the Amazon Prime free 30 day trial and may continue it when done, for a number of reasons.

I used to subscribe to Google Play Music service at $13.95 a month which was a rip off. I prefer Amazon music offering through Prime which is include in the $7.95 Prime subscription cost per month.  Prime also gives me Prime video and 1 or 2 day free delivery.  All in all, becuase I do not have a car, Amazon and Prime will become a mainstay for me.

I order a mortar and pestle for Thavorn yesterday and it will arrive today, courtesy of Intelcom Courier, which seems to be the best Amazon delivery partner. I have also seen Amazon delivery and it seems 2nd best. Running a last choice is, you guessed it, Canada Post. They seem to be anal in delivering. I missed them yesterday and they did not leave the package, despite my building having large enough mail box containers.  Somehow, I am not surprised. Blame unions and monopolies.

My Instapot has arrived from Amazon and my first attempt was successful at cooking Basmati Rice. Easy peasy to use and the results are great. Next meal up is beef stew which should be more challenging.

It is a beautiful sunny day but a little chilly at -11 degrees so we will wait until the afternoon to go for a walk and get some cooking supplies.

A main stay in Thai cuisine.

I expect to use this Instapot a lot.

Thavorn is making great use of LINE video to talk and share experiences with her Mom, sister, children and friends in Thailand. The internet makes staying in contact so easy.

TTYL

Bank Account Done

Today's song is: See You Again .. Charlie Puth

We had a 10 am appointment at the Royal Bank (chosen because it was within walking distance) to open an account. Canada is very multicultural these days and we had a lovely young lady (late 20's) from Dubai open Tavorn's account. Now the account is open, we await a mailing from the Royal bank and then we head off to OHIP again to register Thavorn for coverage.

We decided to have a breakfast sausage sandwich at Timmy's and Jaidan had a honey dip donut.  Afterwards we decided to try the shortcut back to our condo. It was only 5 mins and a beautiful walk back.

Some pics  ...

So far so good  ..it just keeps getting better. The weather is supposed to be more like spring starting on the weekend when we climb above 0 degrees. 

TTYL

Getting Things Done

Today's song is: Uptown Funk  .. Mark Ronson

I had breakfast with Julian Hanlon yesterday and it was good to get caught up after seeing Julian and Claire in Bangkok.

My printer arrived by Amazon and I was able to get our application off to Sudbury for the Canada Child Benefit. We also made an appointment to open a bank account for Thavorn. It is needed to deposit the Canada Child Benefit into as well as a document required (Ontario Address) for applying to OHIP. We need to get one account statement sent to our address in order to prove to OHIP that Thavorn actually lives in Ontario.

On our way back from mailing the application it started to snow and Thavorn and Jaidan enjoyed the flurry.

Thavorn and Jaidan are fascinated by snow.

TTYL

Out in the Country

Today's song is: Young Blood ..

Yesterday we headed off to my sister's log house on the Quebec side.  Besides the beautiful country side, the dogs and Jaidan were interesting. Ann has some rather large dogs and Jaidan and Thavorn had never seen large dogs.

Jaime, Elaine, and Thavorn

Bill and Jordan

My sister Ann, our host  :-)

The visit was lots of fun. Jaidan was initially overwhelmed by the dogs, but once they quieted down all was good. The meal was excellent as always as Ann is a great cook!

TTYL

Home for the Next 6 Months

Today's song is: Puff the magic Dragon  ... Peter, Paul, and Mary

A bit of whimsical  ...

We made the move from my sister Ann's condo to the airBnB that we will stay in for the next 6 months.  I like it as it meets all my needs and Jaidan seems to like it as well. Not so sure about Thavorn but she was spoiled at my sister's condo.

We are a 5 minute walk from Harvey's, Swiss Chalet, McDonalds, Farm Boy, Shoppers Drug Mart, the Beer Store, and the Royal Bank.  Everything I need is close by.

Bill, Ann's husband helped us make the move and did 3 trips between the 2 places and then stopped at McDonald's for take out. Thanks Bill!

I have my laptop, monitor and VOIP phone unpacked but realized I can't plug in the phone, and the monitor because they have Malaysian and Thai plugs.  Guess I will have to find a hardware or electronics store to get an adapter. The power bar I brought from Thailand takes any plug, but it has a Thai plug on the input end. I obviously did not think that through.

My toner cartridge arrived from Amazon Canada today (next day delivery) and my 3-in-1 laser printer arrives on Monday or Tuesday. I took the 30 day PRIME trial and it looks like a good fit for me.

Pics tomorrow ...

I decided to check my internet speed  .. I can live with it.

TTYL