M: First Airbnb in Victoria, Vancouver Island

This was how we spent our night in Victoria. House was decent, basic. Land size was decent but the house was small. We all squeezed into 1 room, despite having 4 rooms in total. That's just us. The Penthouse has 5 bedrooms and I'm sure in the coming 2 years or so, it'll be all in 1 room. But I'm grateful for it.

Our first meal in the morning was Mum's liao-ful porridge. The kids played table soccer, collected acorns and threw them on the roof. I let them because just a couple of minutes ago, they were throwing acorns on the neighbour's.

M: Vancouver

Our first day and first time in Vancouver, Canada. This is also our first trip without a helper. We applied for a visa but it was not approved, despite appealing for it. But we’ll, it is what it is. We will cope and manage.

We collected our rental car from Avis and instead of a Dodge MPV, we were given options, including an Audi Q7. First time in my rental history. But alas, our family size meant nothing smaller than a 7 seater MPV. We took a Ford Expedition. It’s like a Kia Grand Carnival, just more plush. Kids were happy, enjoying the ride.

At the airport, we met our new neighbour Bob and their family. They were headed to Bohol, Philippines for a snorkeling trip. What a small world.

M: All That Happened on the Flight to Vancouver

It's our first time taking Air Canada. I appreciate the creature comforts that SQ offers. The seats were more plushed, there were hooks on the seats, better pillows. Food wise, Air Canada's food was tasty but SQ offers Haagen Daz ice cream so SQ wins. But we don't know that SQ is better until we ride on other airlines.

I don't have any photos of the kids handling their daily dose but they did some.