My Girls and Abram

I was so happy to see my three remaining best girl friends in the Philippines together again. Medyo nainggit nga lang ako kasi ako ang palaging present dati sa mga get-together namin hehe.

December 30, 2013 @ Kowloon House West Avenue -- Picture courtesy of Laling

Abram's Aqiqah is just one of the many occasions in our barkada life that I will not be able to take part with physically. Our friend Raxie has been 'away' since 2007, tapos ako naman ang sumunod. Hay, senti na naman ako!

Picture courtesy of Mels

Anyway, I am glad that Atty. Mels has given birth to a healthy and cutie boy -- ABRAM! Sayang nga lang at di ko na naabutan. But Abram (aka Bam Bam) is such a good boy, pinilit niya talagang lumabas ng November 30 so that he will be a living reminder kung kailan ako nag-migrate dito sa Canada hehe. Pang-reckoning talaga!

Picture courtesy of Laling

Congratulations, Pareng Mels, Wadz, and Kuya Amir! Your family is happier now that Bam Bam is here!

And Bam Bam, I promise to bring you a nice gift when I go back to Pinas. I can't wait to see you!

I miss you, girls! Medyo dalasan ang pagkikita ha! And I am designating Laling to be my substitute photographer! I love you all! Mwah!

Christmas Cards 2013

And now that Christmas is over, I can finally show you the Christmas cards I sent to some family and friends this year.

I have to admit that I am feeling so much guilt right now. You see, I wasn't able the second batch of cards because of some personal circumstances that I cannot disclose here. We were supposed to send cards to our family in the US around second week of December pero hindi ko na nagawa. Tsk, I am so sorry. I promise to really make it up next year. I'll start preparing as early as October na talaga.

Anyway, I had a hard time choosing for the "right" Christmas card this year. I ended up choosing this design kasi this is the first time I've seen and experienced snow. Para memorable. We bought a pack of these cards at Michaels (my new favorite store).

In buying cards, I learned that you only need to choose those regular-sized ones. Para hindi overweight and you won't be charged extra. Ok lang sana kung isa lang ang papadalhan, pero kung marami it would be too costly. As I have mentioned in my previous post, around Php80.00 na pala ang pagpapadala ng card sa Pinas (and other countries). It's not cheap if you'd be sending 10 or 20 or 30 card. Mabigat din sa bulsa.

I am happy na nakarating before Christmas ang mga cards.

If I remember correctly, my cousin Jennifer who's in UAE received their card first. She gratefully posted this on my FB timeline.

Then it was Raxie's turn to receive.

My cousins also posted these on Instagram. Haha, nakakatuwa naman!

Then my friend Lalin...

As for the rest of my friends, I have no idea if they already received theirs. I haven't heard from them eh. I really wish they did!

I really enjoyed sending out cards (hindi ko nga lang nakumpleto). This will be a yearly thing na I hope. In this day and age of online social networking, I know that many people will still appreciate a traditional card with personalized handwritten greeting.

Thursday night unspecial

December 19, 2013. One Thursday night, Ford and I were already starving to death so we decided to just eat out. We were in the South area and I remembered that there's a Filipino restaurant there that we haven't tried yet. When Pinoys go hungry, you bet that nothing can beat a delicious rice meal.

Ang layo pa pala ng restaurant na yun so lalo kaming nagutom. We were surprised na walang masyadong tao sa loob, pang-tatlo lang kaming diner.

When we browsed their menu, we of course thought of not ordering what we usually have at home (like liempo, lechon kawali, bistek tagalog, afritada, etc.). I am a pork sisig fanatic at di pa uli ako nakapag-sisig simula nang tumuntong ako sa Canada so it was really my first choice.

Ang pinakamadilaw at pinakamatabang na sisig na natikman ko! 

Then we added kare-kare. Inasmuch as I want to try cooking this at home, masyadong mahal aabutin sa dami ng ingredients (mahal pa naman ng mga gulay dito). Dalawa lang kaming mag-asawa sa bahay kaya hindi sulit. Kaya dapat orderin na lang ito sa labas.

Maasim, maalat, mamantika, mahirap ipinta

But what we hoped to be a good dinner turned out to be a big disappointment.

Sa totoo lang, HINDI MASARAP ang pagkain. I am just not sure kung yung inorder lang ba namin ang hindi masarap o ang lahat ng tinda nila. But we were certain na yung nakain namin ay malayong-malayo sa dapat na lasa ng sisig at kare-kare. Tsk.

The worst part, we spent $38.16 (or Php1,564.56) for these two ulam plus rice. Ni wala kaming soda nyan ha.

I felt cheated. $38.16 is hard-earned money here, we deserved something better.

I used to eat out almost everyday in the Philippines but I cannot do that here in Edmonton. It's too expensive and I am not earning yet. Hence, we could have spent that $38.16 somewhere else. In a Chinese restaurant perhaps, where food tastes great at malaki pa ang serving.

I really couldn't forget this awful experience and Ford was wondering why. Masyado raw akong bitter.

More than the money, I felt kasi that those Filipino restaurant owners are doing injustice to their fellow Filipino customers. Kung Pinoy ka na nagtatrabaho sa abroad, comfort mo na na makakain ng lutong Pilipino sa totoo lang (lalo na yung hindi mo niluto). And with the amount that you are paying, you deserve to be served something good.

Tsk, natikman na kaya ng owners yung putaheng sine-serve nila? Hindi kaya sila nahihiya na nagput-up sila ng restaurant yet hindi naman sila masarap magluto? I am a newbie cook at hindi pa ako nakapagluto ng kare-kare sa buong buhay ko. Pero sa tingin ko, kaya ko namang gumawa ng edible kare-kare, yung lasang kare-kare naman kahit papano.

I guess only good cooks can make good restaurant owners. Never engage on anything that you are not passionate about or else you are doomed to fail. I'd be happy to see this Filipino restaurant close down. There are many other deserving Filipinos here in Edmonton who can take-over.

I've been to a few Chinese restaurants here and I was impressed with their food. Masarap na, decent pa ang serving size. Kaya marami silang non-Chinese diners eh, lalo na Caucasians. Sa Filipino restaurants, puro Pinoy lang talaga ang dumadayo. Hindi talaga maka-keep up ang Filipino food sa international market. Siguro kasi nga maraming Filipino restaurants abroad are serving mediocre-tasting (and even below average) dishes. These restos pa naman ang "representative" at "front-liners" natin sa ibang lahi. Kung sa atin ngang mga Pinoy eh hindi pasado ang lasa ng mga pagkaing sineserve nila, sa mga foreigners pa kaya?

I was so traumatized by our horrible experience that I no longer want to eat at any Filipino restaurants now. Siguro if I am craving for something, pag-aaralan ko na lang lutuin. I know my husband feels the same.

VDay in December -- only at Dollarama!

I went to Dollarama last December 23 for my last-minute Christmas shopping (lol!) and was shocked when I found out that they were selling Valentine's Day items already! Nakakaloka ha! Ni hindi pa nga tapos ang Pasko hahaha!

I love Dollarama though. Dito mo pala makikita kung ano ang next big occasion for Canadians. I wonder what's next. Pang-Easter naman siguro? Abangan. =)

Our Christmas 2013

We were supposed to stay at The Sutton Place Hotel last Christmas eve but I changed my mind the last minute so I asked Ford to cancel our booking (we've booked it last October pa when I was still in the Philippines and was depressed upon learning that our town house won't be ready yet until early next year). I realized that it will be too much of a hassle to pack just to stay less than 24 hours in a hotel that's just a 5-minute walk from where we're currently living. Saka nanghinayang din akong bigla sa $200.

I guess the idea of staycation is really not for me. My theory is that some people who love to stay and spend on hotels are those whose homes/rooms are not as nice and comfortable as those luxury suites. I have a relatively big and pretty bedroom in Pinas (oh how I miss it!) and I wouldn't trade it for any hotel room in the world. In the first place, nandun na lahat ng kailangan ko. Hindi ko na kailangang mag-pack at ma-stress kasi may nakalimutan akong bitbitin. Familiar na rin ako with everything, like the bathroom, so hindi na ako mangangapa. Kaya plano ko talagang pagandahin ang upcoming bedroom namin ni Ford, para hindi na naming gustuhin pang matulog sa iba lol!

Going back, since we were no longer staying in a hotel room and dining out on Christmas eve, we had to come up with a noche buena. I just recently imigrated and wala pa nga kaming bahay so kaunti lang talaga ang kitchen and dining things namin. I had to make do with the few stuff that we have (almost all of which I bought nang paunti-unti sa Dollarama at Walmart haha!).

I am glad our simple table setting came up nice in picture! Kunwari sosyal hahaha! I made a promise to myself that next year, our Christmas eve dinner will be so bongga na talaga.

We didn't wait for 12midnight anymore. I think we ate at 10pm, we were hungry na kasi.

Here's our main handa:

STEAK. Pod and I are steak lovers. This is a perfect handa kasi easy-to-cook na, sossy pa!

BAKED SALMON. Another favorite of ours.

BUTTERED GARLIC SHRIMP. It was the first time I cooked shrimp in my life and I was happy! Ford doesn't eat shrimp though so ako lang ang umubos niyan.

And for desserts, we had chocolates, Selecta ice cream, and leche flan (that we bought at Panciteria de Manila).

We were so full! I hate wasting food so I insisted that we finish everything. Pero di talaga namin kinaya. In fact, my tummy ached so bad that Pod was the only one who cleaned our after-meal mess! Now isn't that the greatest Christmas gift ever? A very good and understanding husband haha!

We spent the rest of Christmas eve talking to our BFF Raxie (who's based in Kuala Lumpur) via Hangouts. I honestly missed her all the more this Christmas. Palagi kasi kaming magkasama tuwing Christmas season, madalas din kahit sa mismong araw ng Pasko. We've been doing that for more than a decade. This year, hindi siya umuwi sa Pinas because 'I am not there.' Hay! I love you, Friend!

Anyway, we woke up really late that following morning. We dressed up and drove to St. Albert to pick Ate June (Ford's distant cousin and our only family here) so we can do Christmas lunch.

Edmonton is really "Deadmonton" pala on Christmas day. As in parang walang katao-tao and most of the establishments (even malls and restaurants) were closed. Malungkot, really.

We ended up eating at Taipan Cafe, one of the many Chinese restaurants here in the "China town area" of Downtown. Bilib din talaga ako sa mga Tsino, walang holi-holiday basta negosyo!

We were so hungry so lapang na naman kami. Chinese restaurants here in Edmonton are generally good (by our standards) and we wondered why Filipino restaurants can't shape up. Oops, that's for another post na lang.

One souvenir shot of our Christmas lunch. By the way, Kuya Rodel joined us nga pala. He is Ate June's trusted friend and helper (mechanic/driver/errand person/etc). He's here on a work visa and we learned that since Canada has this new policy of limited stay for foreign workers, he's going "home" na in 2015. Tsk, we are hoping though na maayos ang papers niya and maging PR (Permanent Resident) siya.

We drove Ate June and Kuya Rodel back to St. Albert after lunch. Ate June was invited by a choir mate to a Chrismas dinner naman so she bought a cake.

I will forever be grateful to Ate June for being such a good 'insan' and companion to Ford here in Edmonton...

I was so touched when Ate June handed us a gift. Haha, ito lang ang kaisa-isang regalong natanggap ko/namin this Christmas! Except syempre sa gifts ni Santa Ford sa akin.

Again, we have no other family and friends here YET kaya walang gift-giving activities. Someday sana magkaroon, I enjoy wrapping gifts kasi. Plus it's always a joy to give (and receive)!

Too bad wala kaming gift for Ate June. I really wanted to get something for her kaso di ko talaga alam kung ano. Next year na lang talaga, when we are more settled na in our own home para mas organized na ang thoughts ko. I also promised her that we'll be having Christmas meals na at home next year.

Thanks so muchie for the lunch and gifts, Ate June! Highly appreciated talaga!

And because we were so full, we immediately went into sleep upon reaching our humble suite. We woke up at around 8pm and Pod was craving for some pancakes. We knew that the nearby Humpty's was open (nadaaanan kasi namin) so we dressed up (again!) and went there.

Di ako papayag na wala kaming maayos na couple pic this Christmas so mega picture uli. This was the most decent one.

We regret spending our Christmas dinner at Humpty's. Sana sa Denny's na lang. Their food doesn't look nice at all and their store was somewhat untidy. Oh well, lesson learned. No more Humpty's from now on.

If there's any consolation, maganda ang color registration nila sa Iphone ko. Haha, I was able to take my official Christmas 2013 selfie! And thanks to iPiccy, naging flawless ako haha!

Christmas may not be as fun here in Edmonton as in the Philippines and Ford and I may not have done something really really special for the holidays but at least we were together and that's all that matters. It was the very first time we've spent Christmas with each other's physical presence (would you believe) and we were grateful.

Cheers to the many more Christmases we'll be celebrating together!

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The only regret I had was that we weren't able to attend mass on Christmas. Promise, sa new year talaga!

Shopping EARLY for Christmas decors

It was so fun shopping for Christmas decors on the 26th of December! Everything came at 50-80% off!

Ford and I were at South Edmonton Common yesterday for the 'Boxing Day' and I couldn't help but grab some Christmas tree decors. Honestly, I was so overwhelmed with the many possibilities of Christmas themes next year. Sa dami ng nakita kong Christmas tree designs in Facebook, na-lost na ako!

While at Michael's, I tried to remember my 2014 Christmas tree peg so I got variations of yellow greens and pinks and blues. Pero walang white! Hmm, mukhang malabo ko ng ma-attain ang blanco-themed tree for next year ah.

Anyway, I was happy naman with my color choices. It's a deviation from the traditional red and gold trimmings that I always dress our Philippine home with. Yun nga lang, hindi na ako pwedeng magbago ng isip kasi nakabili na haha!

I observed that many Canadians were shopping "early" for Christmas ornaments, too. Akala ko ako lang ang interesado because deprived ako ng Christmas decors this year because we haven't moved to our town house yet. Walang space dito sa maliit na lungga namin.

We're going shopping again later this afternoon after our bank appointment.I am hoping to find more nice and cheap Christmas decorative pieces. At sana makabili na rin kami ng tree haha! =)

Merry Christmas!

So this marks my first Christmas here in Edmonton. And our very first Christmas together in all the (almost) eleven years of being a couple.

We are grateful for the gift of love and friendship.

Have a blessed Christmas!

Gifts from Santa Ford

My husband is feeling extra-generous this Christmas (o sige na nga, palagi naman) and he granted my two bag wishes: Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 (Damier Azur) and Michael Kors Hamilton!

I am overwhelmed! It was only last month when I received a welcome gift from him, tapos eto uli! I am such a lucky lucky wifey!

Thank you so much, Dear! You are such a spoiler and I love you very very much! Ikaw na talaga ang nag-iisang Santa Claus ng buhay ko!

Merry Christmas! Mwah!

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PS. Again, utang muna ang regalo ko sayo this Christmas ha. Alam mo naman, currently unemployed pa. Unless you want me to get you something na ikakaskas ko ang credit card mo? Hahaha! 

It's Christmas in Pinas!

The Philippines is 15 hours ahead than Edmonton so they are already celebrating Christmas now. I can't help but feel sentimental. This is my first Christmas away from 'home.'

For the past so many years, my mother and I, together with Tita Oya and other relatives, would attend the December 24 10pm mass in Lolomboy (my Nanay's home barangay where I grew up). Then after, we'll head straight to SanDoc's house for a simple noche buena.

I am lucky because in this day and age, we have all these technology in the world to connect with our loved ones who are so far away. Nakakatuwa kasi kahit ang misa, mapapanood na live online!

The Roman Catholicism is really shaping up!

Ang saya ko kasi hindi ko pa rin totally na-miss out ang mass na dinadaluhan ko taon-taon.

I wasn't able to finish nga lang because I had an abdominal ultrasound appointment at 8:30am (Edmonton time). Pero hanggang sa sasakyan, I was watching.

And after my appointment, when I turned on my Iphone, this was what I saw. I knew that my cousin Cricket posted this for me. I used to be their photographer.

On our way home, I contacted SanDoc via Facetime and I was able to see my family at home, feasting! Really, I've never been this grateful with technology!

I spent the last two hours scanning my FB, making usi on how my friends and relatives spent their noche buena. It was fun, feeling ko kasama ko na rin sila. Postmodern na talaga ang celebration ng Pasko ngayon.

To everyone in the Philippines, especially to my family and friends, Merry Christmas from us here in Edmonton!

Picture courtesy of Bitstrips

My lunch, his lunch

Ford usually (as in 95% of the time) comes home every lunch time to eat with me. And often, I am extremely 'pressured' on what to serve him for the 15-to-20-minutes that he'll be staying here. Ford is kinda 'difficult' to feed eh. Though he would non-complainingly eat everything I cook, I know na merong mga hindi siya type. As a couple, we have lots of differences when it comes to food preferences so it's really hard to decide kung ano ang iluluto. I can't cook different dishes naman kasi dalawa lang kami, sobrang hassle and magastos pa.

Anyway, I was honestly happy when he told me last night that he won't be eating lunch here because he has to go out-of-town with his boss today. Yebaaah, another "me time" for me!

And so for my lunch, I finally got to fry the herring fish that we bought at Superstore last week. Ang alam lang kasing fish ni Ford ay salmon at tuna, he's not into galunggong or tilapia or sinilyase (which I super like naman). He doesn't like non-sossy fishes lol!

The fried herring was not that good. It was dry and bland. I was disappointed, I badly wanted it to taste delicious para hindi naman puro karne ang kinakain ko dito. So far, ang pasadong non-sossy fish pa lang sa akin ay yung daing at tinapang bangus that were imported from the Philippines and can be bought at Asian Supermarkets like T&T and Lucky.

Namimiss ko talaga ang sariwang seafoods sa Pinas. I kept on telling Mamoosh that when I come 'home,' ang ihanda niya para sa akin ay puro isda, tahong, pusit, at hipon. Ang sarap mangarap!

I was still contemplating on what to eat for dessert when Pod viber'd me his meal. Waaah, ang sarap naman! My fish fillet pa siya! I never expected him to eat rice for lunch since his boss is 'puti' and they usually eat burgers lang talaga pag tanghalian.

Ayan, nainggit tuloy ako!

It's almost Christmas...

... pero hindi ko pa rin ma-feel dito sa Edmonton.

Pic courtesy of Bitstrips

This will be the first Christmas I'll be celebrating away from "home" and I am feeling a little low. I guess I should avoid looking at Facebook's News Feed at this time. All I see are photos of Christmas partying, mindless shopping, gift wrapping, and food indulging in the Philippines. Those merry making activities make me miss Pinas (and my family and friends) all the more. I am envious. I am jealous.

I guess my 'depression' is a bit justified because at this point, my life here in Alberta can be objectively described as 'boring' (not complaining, just saying). I have no family (except for hubby), no friends, no job, no money (of my own). Heck, I don't even have a Christmas tree to celebrate the holidays with! I have tons of new clothes but I have nowhere to wear them. This season sucks!

I can't wait till the holidays are over. Haha, I've officially become the Grinch!

Thursdate with Ate June (XS Cargo + Boston Pizza)

November 28, 2013 (Thursday). A few days before the Black Friday Sale, Ate June texted Ford and asked him if we are available that coming Thursday. She said she wanted to buy something at XS cargo and so that we can meet na rin. I haven't seen her yet since I arrived last November 6 eh.

By the way, Ate June si Ford's distant cousin who's working as an LPN in St. Albert. I think she came here a year before Ford and it was only in 2011 when they learned of each other's existence here in Edmonton. Ford learned from his aunt that Ate June is also working in Alberta. Ford called Ate June and they met. Since then, they became food buddies. Ford never went out with anybody else except her lol!

Since Ate June doesn't know how to drive, we had to pick her up. But the last minute I told Ford to drop me off already at XS Cargo (which was on the way to St. Albert) so I can do some shopping ahead haha!

But that was a mistake. I was surprised to discover that that shop wasn't that big and there weren't many shoppers. Akala ko pa naman sangkatutak ang mga tao at naga-agawan sa sale items lol!

I think XS Cargo sells surplus items / old stocks at cheaper prices syempre.

I was able to see the whole place in five minutes. I got so bored waiting for Ford and Ate June! #atatkasi

I suddenly missed my nephew Lucio when I saw these toys. I haven't seen him in a year. He must be a big boy by now. =(

I easily found our target. We saw this Cuisinart cookware set from XS Cargo's online flyer and it was kinda a good deal. We bought it for $49.95 + 5% tax. The original price I think was $149 something.

Ford is being so maarte about our future house. He wants everything in it to be 'branded' daw haha!

There, we just bought the cookware set and one small chopping board.

They brought Ate June's car. The irony is that she has a brand new car but she doesn't know how to drive! Living alone, she has so much money to spend haha!

We couldn't figure out where to eat. I told Pod I don't like Pinoy food anymore. I am not a fan of Japanese or Vietnamese cuisine and buffet is not sulit for Ate June (she eats so little) so we ended up at Boston Pizza. It was my first time there.

Here's what we ordered...

Now this is Busog-Lusog Trio Version 2.0 (Bimbim-PodPod-June). The orig version is Bimbim-SanDoc-Cricket (which is Pinas-based hehe!).

The food was ok (I am not good in describing food haha!) . I honestly think that eating in sit-down restaurants here in Edmonton is more sulit than in fast food chains or food courts.

Ate June could pass as my "daughter" haha!