Why I hate Sundays

Sunday is over. Here are three reasons why I now hate Sundays:

No Pinoy telerserye to watch. I've become addicted to teleseryes the moment I became an immigrant here in Canada. I am no longer shy to admit that when I wake up in the morning, excited na agad ako sa new episodes ng mga teleseryeng sinusubaybayan ko.

Kaya parang kulang ang Sunday ko kasi nga wala akong mapanood. Boo!
 

My intellectual friends will surely laugh at me when I learn this. But I don't care. When you're living abroad, isa ang TFC sa koneksyon mo sa Pinas eh. I only watch teleseryes and news/current affairs though.


Malls and Stores close early. Hanggang ngayon, di ko pa rin matanggap na ang aga agang magsara ng mga malls dito kapag linggo. Hanggang 6pm lang ang West Edmonton Mall, yung smaller malls hanggang 5pm lang. Late din sila mag-open kaya maikli lang talaga ang mall hours. Ang sabi nila, the Canadian government put so much premium on family kaya ini-encourage nila ang mga tao na sa bahay mag-stay kapag linggo.

Picture taken from the internet (credits to the owner)

Hay, eh kaso Pinoy ako! Sundays = malling, yan ang idea ko haha!

We normally do not go to the mall anymore on Sundays. Nakakabitin lang kasi. We usually wake up at 11am-12noon, then we'll have lunch, tapos ligo at bihis, prepare pa ng gamit ni Nathan, kaya past 2pm na kami nakakaalis ng bahay. Parang naghahabol lang kami ng oras kapag nasa mall kami.

Other stores close early as well. Not that I always shop, ayaw ko lang talaga ng idea na maaga silang magsara. Feeling ko napaka-restricting. Buti na lang bukas ang Walmart at ibang supermarkets.


Ford has work the following day. Just the thought that Ford has to work the next day is enough to spoil my Sunday. Bilang na kasi ang oras ng "pahinga" ko. One week na naman akong mag-aantay para hindi lang kami ni Nathan ang magkasama the whole day. =(

Nathan kissing Dad to wake him up

Whew, Monday na naman! Ambilis ng araw.

Nathan is walking!

Nathan started to take a few steps around second week of January 2016.

And look at him now. It was his first time to explore the world (outside home) with his two feet! And Mommy couldn't be happier!

I honestly thought that he would walk earlier. He crawled and stood up early kasi. Kaya I was a bit disappointed that he wasn't walking yet on his first birthday. Was it because I made him use a walker in the Philippines? Was it because of his 'heavy' weight? Or was it because he was tiptoeing when we were teaching/guiding him to walk (just like me, lagi daw nakatingkayad)?

Oh well, that's irrelevant now. My son already walk and I am now at peace. Good job, Nathan! We love you!

* The videos were taken last January 21 at Lucky Supermarket.

Random Chika # 5

1.  Falling Prices of Oil. This pretty much illustrates Alberta's economy.

Picture taken from the net (credits to the owner)

It's so ironic. When I was in the Philippines, I kept on praying for the price of oil to drop. Our family operates a transportation business so the price of fuel impacts our operation the most. Now that I am living in Alberta, syempre gusto ko mataas ang presyo ng langis para "mayaman" ang lugar namin.

Oh well, again we are having a scary economy here. When will this end?

2.  New Buddy -- Handheld Vacuum.  At long last, may sariling vacuum na ako! Pod has a lot of "big" vacuums (addict siya dun) at ang tagal ko ng sinasabing bilhan niya ako nito. It took a while kasi wala siyang bilib sa akin. Dati kasi nagpabili ako ng walis tambo sa isang Pinoy store dito, hindi ko ginamit. Nakakatamad kasi. Ayun winarningan ako na kapag hindi ko raw ginamit ito eh never na raw niya akong papakinggan sa mga pinabibili ko.

But I've proven him wrong. Sulit na sulit ito sa akin. Nathan loves eating biscuits kaya yung mga kalat niya ang palagi kong vina-vacuum haha! I love it talaga! This is very cheap though. Less than $30 lang yata. When it breaks down, saka na daw ako bibilhan ni Pod ng mamahalin.

3.  Plastic Cover for Dining Table. Haha, this looks so cheap I know! Pero bakit ba kasi hindi uso ang glass na pang-protect sa table? People here use table cloths all the time. Kaso nadudumihan at namamantsahan naman. Even if you use placemats, di pa rin maiwasan na hindi matuluan o malaglagan ng ulam.

The only solution is to put a plastic cover. I bought one at Dollarama, saktong sakto ang size sa dining table namin.

Ford and I have not been using our dining table for a while. Sa counter lang kami kumakain para madaling linisin. But we have house guests now, at may parating pa next week, kaya mapapasabak ang table namin sa napakaraming kainan.

4.  Nando's to Open Soon. We were driving in the south area last Sunday when Ford made a wrong turn. And I couldn't believe what I saw, Nando's! I asked my driver to stop a bit so that I can see for sure. Pucha, Nando's nga! The restaurant is still under construction but by the looks of it, I knew that it is opening soon.

I love Nando's. I would always eat there whenever I visit my BFF Raxie in Kuala Lumpur. Mahilig ako sa grilled chicken eh.

Pero hindi lang dahil sa peri-peri chicken kaya ako happy. Again, whenever a new familiar franchise restaurant opens here in Edmonton, nadadagdagan ang hope ko na mas dadami pa ang makakainan namin in the future. Mas maraming options, mas masaya. Sana someday hindi ko na tawaging "Deadmonton" ang Edmonton hahaha!


5.  Dairy Queen's $7 Meal.  It was my first time to eat  DQ's "fan food." Puro vanilla ice cream cone lang kasi palagi ang binibili ko. But since McDonald's WEM Foodcourt is closed for renovation and I was craving for fries, sa DQ ako bumagsak.

Hmm, for $7, sulit na rin. The sundae in the picture is medium-sized. Dapat small lang talaga pero dahil kilala ko yung server, inupgrade nya haha.


Kaso gusto ko pa rin ng french fries ng McDo.

Celebrating the fourth

We can't do anything special for our fourth anniversary because it fell on a Tuesday. Plus what else can a poor couple do with a toddler in tow? Not that we're complaining lol.

So I just requested a simple dinner at Tony Roma's. The last time we ate there was May 2014 pa kaya namimiss ko na rin.  I chose the WEM location because we had to buy some things pa in the mall.

Since last year, dalawa na ang poging ka-date ko.

We'll always be grateful for this little boy. Mas meaningful na ang wedding anniversary because of him.

Mrs. Blanco for four years.

I ordered calamari for appetizer. Craving satisfied!

Our dinner.

Nathan was already happy with his gold fish and water-na-inistraw. He hasn't been eating solids lately. =(

Because we were too shy to ask our server to take our picture. Parang hindi kasi talaga uso rito ang pagpapakuha ng pictures. Ayan, groufie groufie na lang.

Tumatanda na talaga kami. Almost 9 years of  being bf-gf + 4 years being married. Magkasama pa rin kami. We are living a simple yet happy life. Salamat Po.

Ford and I are not into desserts so we just had a venti mocha frappucino for sharing. Lagi kaming share sa frappucino naman. Unang frapp ko pala ito simula ng bumalik kami last November.

Happy fourth year wedding anniversary to us!

Christmas Tree 2015

It's already 2016, I know! But I have so many backlogged posts so please bear with me.

This was our tree last Christmas. It's simple but I liked it. I went for a yellow green-and-red theme because I have a child now. Para mas pambata.

I bought twenty stuffed Santa Claus and Snow Man (at Php99.75 each) at SM North EDSA because I found them cute. Ford and I were together when I got them and he was a bit shocked with the price.

FORD -- Php2,000 lahat?! Ang mahal naman! Tapos isang beses lang natin gagamitin?
CES -- Haler, ang ganda naman! Ang mahal kaya nyan sa Canada! Saka hindi naman natin once lang gagamitin. Magmimix-and-match tayo in the coming years syempre. It's just that isang set pa lang ang tree decors natin kaya we need to buy more pa.

At syempre walang nagawa ang Coblancs.

I know that changing our tree's decor every year is not practical but I don't want to see same tree in all our Christmas photos noh. Syempre dapat iba-iba. Also, Christmas tree na nga lang ang bumubuhay sa pasko namin dito sa abroad kaya dapat naman gawing special kahit papano. 

Oops, I wasn't able to find a tree topper so I used the Santa hat that I also brought from the Philippines. The red and yellow green balls are from SM, WalMart, and Dollarama.


I was looking for a perfect tree ornament for Nathan and I found it the last minute. A Precious Moment again.

This was the night-time look pala:

Ford wanted to buy blinking Christmas lights but I objected. Ang mahal kasi nun, sabi ko di pa nasusulit yung binili namin last year.

FORD -- Bakit pag ako ang bibili eh kontra ka?
CES -- Live with it.

Hahaha! To be honest, I am not fond of patay-sinding ilaw. Nahihilo kasi ako.

When Nathan and I were still in the Philippines, I asked Ford to buy a smaller tree that we can just put on a side table. Gagalawin lang daw kasi ng bata ang puno, baka makuryente pa. But I changed my mind, ang mahal kasi ng bagong tree. Plus gusto ko talaga ng malaking puno. Bahala na kako si Batman.


Thankfully, Nathan has been very good to the tree. Hindi nila ginugulo. At times when he was tempted to hold the tree, he would look at me as if he was asking for permission. And when I say, "No," he will turn away. Sobrang good boy talaga!

We put up our tree very late (by Filipino standard). December 5 na nang matayo and it took a couple of days more para ma-decorate. November 25 lang kasi kami dumating at talagang nag-adjust pa kami. I hope maagahan namin next year para we get to enjoy our Christmas tree longer. Mas may appreciation na siguro si Nathan by that time.

#CessieLikes: GyuDon (Ajinomoto)

I love love love gyudon!

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If your are unfamiliar with this dish, here is a brief description.

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I think I first tasted gyudon at Yoshinoya. Too bad there's no Yoshinoya here. And there's no Japanese restaurant here (that I know) that serve gyudon that's why I am disappointed.

Then I saw this at T&T Supermarket last week. Natakam ako. I kinda hesitated because I found it a bit pricey ($4.78 plus 5% tax) for its size. Maliit lang kasi ang bowl, for sure nakakabitin.

But my craving for gyudon won. Sige na nga, binili ko na rin. It's made by Ajinomoto so it must be good, I told myself. Super sarap din kasi ng Yakitori nila na nabibili sa Costco eh.

THE VERDICT -- Masarap nga! Gyudon na gyudon talaga haha! Pero dahil nga maliit lang ang bowl, hindi sumapat sa malalaki kong mga bituka. I suggest na kung gusto mong mabusog, dagdagan na lang ng rice. Medyo masabaw kasi ito kaya ok din na haluan pa ng rice para hindi gaanong salty.

By the way, I followed the microwave instructions (4 minutes yata) pero medyo na-burnt na yung beef. I am not sure kung pwedeng less minutes kasi baka hindi naman maluto ang rice.

How I wish meron nito sa Costco kasi medyo mahal talaga sa T&T and Lucky Supermarket. Pero kung wala, sige tiis muna. Sana mag-sale para makapag-hoard ako.

Scary economy

We had dinner at Ate Celina's the other night and we sort of discussed briefly the current economic situation of Canada. It was then that I learned that the current exchange rate of Canadian dollar to Philippine peso is only 32 to 33. I was shocked, ganun na talaga kababa? Wala naman kasi kaming pinadadalhang pera sa Pinas kaya hindi ako aware.

Before I slept that night, I googled. Tsk, ganun na nga talaga kababa ang palitan.

To be honest, I am starting to panic. With this economic slowdown caused by the falling price of oil, syempre damay lahat ng industry. I've heard a lot of job layoffs. What if my husband lose his job? We're a single-earner family, yari talaga kami.

Oh well, praning lang talaga ako. I really can't handle financial stress, baka masira ang ulo ko.

Buti na lang mataas ang EQ ni Ford. During lunch yesterday, I asked him:

CES -- Naku Daddy, paano pag nawalan ka ng work? Paano na tayo?
FORD -- Eh may EI (Employment Insurance) naman. Saka survival job, marami naman.
CES -- Sus, magkano ba nakukuha sa EI?
FORD -- $2,000 ang maximum.
CES -- WTF!!! Eh pano magkakasya yun? Kailangan kong magwork! Kasi kapag nag-odd job ka eh di mawawala pa yung EI mo. 
FORD -- Hindi naman laging ganun. Magkakawork din uli ng maganda pag ok na uli ang ekonomiya.

Whew, such positivity! Pero mahirap maging positive kung may house mortgage, kotse, at sandamukal kang bills na binabayaran noh. It's not as if we live in the Philippines, madaling umutang sa magulang kapag ubos na ang savings.

Tapos tiyak na tataas pa ang bilihin. Canada imports most of our food (80% of fruits and vegetables yata ay from US) kaya tiyak magmamahal lahat. Lalo na for us Pinoys, most of our grocery items are "imported" from the Philippines. Huwag na munang mag-Chippy at Ligo Sardines.

When will this 'recession' be over? Nakakamiss na ang Canada na "rich andabundant" sa totoo lang.

A few days ago, I was making kulit to Ford kung kelan kami pupunta ng California (at his parents' place). He finally decided na sa May, maga-apply na raw siya ng leave. But with my recent learning of the current status of Canadian dollar, parang ayaw ko na muna. Walang value ang pera namin. I am planning to shop pa naman sa mga outlet stores sa US. Tsk, dati almost 1 is to 1 ang US at Canadian dollar. Anyareee?

Hay kasakit sa ulo. I better stop overthinking na nga muna.

Random Chika # 4

1. Siomai Addiction. Ford and I have been eating siomai for so many nights now. It started when I began craving for it last week and my friend Mylene suggested that we buy from T&T. Yung frozen.

At first I wanted to eat at Jumbo Dim Sum and Dining where we had lunch last Christmas and I tasted some delicious pork siomai. Pero ang mahal kasi doon, almost $5 for four pieces. Tapos tax and tip pa. Best option na nga ang mag-steam ka ng sarili mong siomai.

Funny because I never ate siomai in the Philippines. Dito sa Canada, marami akong pinag-aaralang kainin dahil wala akong choice. I have to broaden my palate or else wala akong makakain.

2. Starbucks Edmonton Mug. After dining at Tony Roma's last Tuesday, we proceeded to Starbucks for "dessert" (i.e. venti mocha frappucino). Ford had this Starbucks card that was given to him by a person who did some demo in their office. We've long been guessing kung magkano ang laman, $5 lang pala. I was taken aback when the barista told me that I still have to pay $0.72 for my frapp. Kaloka!

Anyway, while waiting for my drink, I noticed these mugs on the inside shelf. Aba, may Edmonton mug na, hindi nga lang yung old version.

Ford gave me an Edmonton city mug (like the one below) in 2010 noong unang uwi niya sa Pinas from Canada. Since 2012, naghahanap na ako ng ganito to give away to some friends who also collect kaso wala na. Na-discontinue na yata.

Picture taken from the net (credits to the owner)

I find the second version of city mugs nicer. I already have one, a Chicago mug, which was a pasalubong to me by my cousin Cha when they visited us last September 2014.

O sige na nga, kakaririn ko na ito. I left my Starbucks city mug collection (the older version) in the Philippines kaya gagawa ako ng bago dito sa Canada. I already asked my in-laws from Qatar who will be visiting us by the end of the month to bring me one.

3. Nathans' Haircut Certificate. Ang arte ng mga bata ngayon, may pa haircut-haircut certificate pa!

We had Nathan's hair cut last November 13 (Philippine time) at a kiddie hair salon in Trinoma. Pamahiin kasi na bawal pagupitan ang bata ng wala pang one year old so we followed that.

We were asked if we wanted a souvenir certificate for that "momentous event" and of course we excited parents willingly agreed. For an extra cost, syempre pa.

It will take two to three weeks daw before the certificate becomes available so hindi na namin nakuha. Binilin ko na lang kina Mamoosh na kunin. Joanne (our staff) was only able to claim it two days ago.


4. Dinner at Panda Express. I finally got to eat at Panda Express last Sunday (January 10). Ang tagal ko ng gustong kumain dito. Pero parang foodcourt food lang pala. I was disappointed because malamig na ang food at konti na lang ang choices nang dumating kasi (it was only around 6pm).

A plate with two entrees plus rice/noodle is almost $10. Plus tax pa. Not worth it.

5. Edmonchon. My brother-in-law, who is based in Qatar with his family, is requesting for a lechon when they come here by the end of the month. Hindi kasi sila nakakakain ng pork sa Qatar.

A whole lechon costs $250-300 at hindi naman namin mauubos yun (we're only 7 adults and 2 toddlers) so the best option is to buy a Cebu-style lechon belly na lang.  The one being sold by Jeepney Jaytee is "small" and pricey so I looked for an alternative.

Enter Edmonchon. Bago lang, wala pang feedback. I inquired for the price and immediately got a response. $80 daw, good for 10-15 pax. Haha, baka kulangin pa ang slab na ito sa Blanco siblings! Anyway, we'll try it. I'll post a review soon.

Picture taken from Edmonchon's FB page

6.  New Laptop. Ford bought me a new laptop last Black Friday. We disposed our hardly-used desktop (i.e. donated it to Roadlink) because it was so slow. Our other laptop is big and heavy and I couldn't bring it with me anywhere.

I've tried so many laptops before but I always go back to Acer. The very first laptop that Ford gave me so many years ago was an Acer and I loved it.

The color is so nice, noh? And it's a touchscreen! Maliit lang din siya (parang netbook size) so madaling bitbitin (lalo na sa Pinas). I wish though that I could maximize its use. Sa ngayon kasi bihira na akong makapag-computer kasi inaagaw ni Nathan (hay, toddler stage!).

Someday...

I saw this picture when I looked for some wedding photos that I'll post for our 4th wedding anniversary. It was actually just taken last July 2012 in Jasper (also here in Alberta). Ford and I were newly married and I came here in Canada for a six-week visit.

Seeing this picture made me realize that there are lots of things that I cannot do now. Traveling is one.

I have to admit that I've been depressed lately. You see, my life at this moment is clearly non-enviable. All I do everyday is take care of Nathan. Not that I am complaining. I know that I am privileged to have the chance to be with my son all the time, that we can still afford to live here comfortably despite my not working. But I've really never imagined myself being in this situation ever.

You see, I am like a prisoner in my own home. It's winter time so Nathan and I couldn't go out without my husband. Unfortunately, Ford accepted a part-time job when we were in the Philippines (because of boredom) and I couldn't anymore convince him to quit. He works until 10pm on weekdays (he requested for a MWF schedule but it has yet to be put into effect). So from Monday to Friday, I spend 12 hours watching over Nathan and the remaining hours doing house chores (and sleeping). I hardly have time to do craft or blog. Weekends are busy as well. We have to squeeze all our errands and other chores into two days.

I am not a domestic type. I really am not happy with just staying home. I am just doing it because I have to. Because we are in Canada. That's probably the reason why I am still half-hearted in living here. Life in the Philippines is so much easier, domestic-wise. Plus I have mobility there.

Here in Canada, I am fully dependent on my husband. On everything. Whatever happened to the independent and smart Ces?

This is not me. A lot of people used to look up to me, including my husband. I was this pretty (and sexy) UP Professor who's got so much potential. Everyone admired me. Ngayon ako na lang si Ces na asa sa asawa. Napag-iiwanan na ako, yun ang totoo.

When I am feeling bad, I always reason that my life 'deteriorated' because I am now in Canada. Totoo rin naman. I have a one-year old child that I need to take care of. Most mothers here with young children stay at home. Pero sino bang niloloko ko? I have chosen the path of laziness and complacency kaya ganito ako ngayon.

I know that my life has to change or our family life would suffer. I can't be a good wife and mother if I am not happy.

Yesterday, I told Ford that I want to get a driver's license already. It's my first step toward independence. I have to overcome my fear of driving here. Haler, I've been driving in Manila since I was 18, how difficult could driving here be? 

I will be living in Canada for the rest of my life so I better be good. I better stop using motherhood as an excuse for a lousy lifestyle. I am only 36, I can still do so much more.

And oh, I WILL TRAVEL AGAIN. Someday. Hopefully soon. (I have to keep this in mind for extra drive. But of course, I will bring the husband and the son with me!).

4th Wedding Anniversary

Today we celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary.

January 12, 2012 -- Nuestra Senora de Gracia Parish Church (Makati City)

Almost nine years of being bf-gf and 4 years of being married to each other, oh I could say that we really have gone far.

My husband is a very kind and patient man so I give him all the credit. He's my pillar of strength and I owe everything to him. I couldn't imagine being with someone else.

I love you, Dear Husband. This feeling gets stronger everyday.