We used to have trouble deciding on housewarming gifts for friends and family until we found a great and reasonably priced  lg home theatre system to buy and wrap as gifts.  You see with us Asians particularly the Chinese, we need to buy something not only useable but substantial  – meaning – the gift has gotta be good enough – so we won’t lose face (if you know what i mean).  So yes, a home theater system would never go wrong right?  after all, every home needs one.   Even if the host don’t like electronics, she would still want a home theatre system just for watching her movies or listening to her morning radio.  So from now on – we get them a good and reasonably price home theatre system and I’m always proud to present it to them – not like Tupperware or a bread warmer.

Last year the oldest just went to college in the city and we had bought her a 2nd hand car to help her go from her apartment to the campus but since gas is so expensive we decided to let her scoot around the city in a scooter instead of a car.   So we went hunting for a 2nd hand scooter and found one online – but have yet to decide since it was a little more than what we want to pay for.  On top of the scooter – we still need her motorcycle helmet and of course, she needs to go for a training class – which would cost us another few hundred dollars.   And don’t forget that road insurance too.   I know the spouse would ultimately get the scooter for her – since she will be in college for another 4 years or more.   So she will use the car when the weather is cold like now and on warmer days and the road is good – she will have to scoot around in her scooter/motorcycle.  How many of you let your 19 yrs old ride on a scooter?

A few weeks ago, we did a little re-organizing of the home office to make space for the children to use our home office and also because it was Chinese New Year and a tradition in our home to clean up.   We also bought the kids their own printer with extra  ink cartridges so that they can’t say that they run out because of the other siblings.  These days we only get the real cartridges for the printer and not the generic type for it does seems that we get to print more out of the cartridges and it doesn’t get dry up fast and ruin the head of the printer.   I’m not very good at changing printer cartridges when the spouse isn’t around – so for the price I am paying for real cartridges – I think it is worth it.   Now that we’ve re-organized the home office, everyone is happy and there should be no more fighting for printer time no more.

We have a summer lodge by the lake in Ellenwoods and i’m so excited today because I found some log beds that i’m so in loved with – it fits the theme of our summer lodge perfectly.  Our lodge was bought – so that during the summer, the kids and their extended family – the cousins from PEI and Ottawa can come stay with us at the lodge.  We had always wanted log furniture for the lodge because it just fits the entire place.  And who can resist this arty looking piece of furniture right? I can just imagine – making our rooms to be like a jungle theme -  i can’t help it – i really want the kids to feel like they are actually doing something outdoors – and enjoying all the fresh air and not on the computer all the time.

I’ve had an old back injury for the longest time – I think more than 20 years now.  I was moving to a new home and a new office simultaneously and hurt my back accidentally.  But I had seen a chiropractor for the longest time  and even though it helped a bit – it didn’t really cured my back.  When I moved to Canada – the spouse had bought a very expensive king size bed that supports back injury like I did but after so many years now – I’m waking up with a very bad sore in the morning.  So we figured it was time to either look into a back surgery laser kind – that is less invasive or look for another bed that might work for a few years.

I read that a laser spine surgery can correct an injured spine and any spine abnormalities – and it’s like a day surgery – so instead of buying another bed for my back problem, I’m checking this laser surgery for spine out first but of course, I think I need to change my mattress – my old one is about 7 yrs old now – so time for a change – but if I did the laser surgery for my spine – I just gotta get a good mattress and not a more expensive one – just for sore back.

Many of my friends are still renting a home – because rental houses are so cheap these days – you can get the entire house for less than $1000 – and for those who’ve just migrated – I strongly recommend you rent and don’t buy a house till you are all settled and know where you actually want to live.   Unlike in Hong Kong where I come from – houses or apartments are not as expensive and if you can get your house or home – from the owner itself – you don’t even have to pay a real estate agent any commission.

Houses and apartments in the West are a plenty – so don’t be worried about not getting a fair price – make sure you check everything out before renting and that you have all the papers done correctly.  Landed immigrants are so eager to buy a home but let me tell you – it’s not the best decision to make especially if you don’t know the place well.  I’ve lived here for more than 15 years and still haven’t really found the best place to recommend my friends – so i strongly suggest they rent first and get to know the neighborhood before settling down and putting so much money in the investment of a house.

While others decorate their home with primitive decoration from gift shops – I loved to decorate my house with crystals or this kind of Himalayan Salt Crystal Lamps because I hear it brings calmness and harmony just like when I am wearing the Swarovski Crystal beads – these are always supposed to bring me good luck and good health.  A home is so important to me – and I would do just about anything to keep the flow of the home good, most people wonder why I don’t buy diamonds instead – but what good is a diamond if they don’t bring you love and good health?  So if you are thinking of re-doing your home or moving into your new home – think of these Himalayan Salt Crystals as well as real Swarovski crystals for yourself.  All my daughters have a pink in color crystals and the son who is in college – he has a black one.

My brother-in-law is very good with his hands and since retiring he has been doing projects of home made decorations for fun and some for sale to friends and relatives.  He has his shed for doing this and one day while visiting him – I saw some of the work he did and decided that this Christmas I should buy him some micrometers to work on some projects that needed them.  Every Christmas I find it so hard to get him anything for he is a man with just about everything – I’m glad I stumbled into the shed the other day – and he was talking about the micrometers.  Hopefully, with the new micrometers, I too can get him to make some home made decorations fo my home – I love these kind of decor.