I hate wasting rice

We had lunch yesterday at the food court in T&T Supermarket (Guildford) yesterday. T&T is an Asian supermarket so all the food stalls there sell either Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Indian food. No Filipino stall, unfortunately.

Food at T&T is relatively cheap, although we paid $27.95 (or Php1,118.00) rin, so hindi masyadong nakaka-guilty (we've been eating out a lot and that takes up so much of our monthly budget).

But I really felt guilty for not eating all the rice.

Growing up in the agricultural-country Philippines where "rice is life," it really breaks my heart to see this much rice going into waste. Just like what all Filipino mothers say to their children, "maraming ibang batang/taong nagugutom." Nakakahinayang talaga.

But what can we do now? My husband and I are diabetic -- and white rice is our number one opponent! As Pinoys though, we cannot totally give up rice, of course. We just watch our intake, making sure that we don't eat beyond 1-2 cups a day (1 cup per meal). At home, we eat brown rice because it has lower glycemic index than white rice and doesn't cause blood glucose levels to rise as rapidly.

Kaso most Chinese restaurants here serve a lot of rice in their meals. I think that's one of the reasons why I gained more weight din when I lived here. Malalaki talaga ang servings nila dito, be it pasta, burgers, pizza, etc. As a wife and mother, naging role ko na rin ang magsimot ng pagkain kasi nga nanghihinayang akong magtapon. Pero sabi nga ngayon ng asawa ko: "Sayang o patay? Nanghihinayang ka sa pagkain pero sa sarili mo hindi?"

Oh well, may point naman siya.

I just wish there could be a way para lang maiwasan ang wastage. Sana pwedeng umorder ng half cup noh? Even in Filipino restaurants, malaki ang cup nila ng rice eh.

As much as possible naman, hubby and I share na lang sa isang rice meal. Tapos magdadagag na lang kami ng ibang ulam/side dishes. But there are times din naman na magkaiba kami ng preference sa gustong kainin (that's why we often eat sa foodcourt) kaya ang dami-daming rice na natatapon. I am tempted na nga sometimes to tell the vendor na bawasan ang rice, kaso sobrang hassle naman because most of them are Chinese who cannot understand and speak English well. Matagal na diskusyon pa. Saka siyempre style nila ang maraming rice para magmukhang marami ang isang order.

Hay rice! I love you but I hate you at the same time. Pero kahit may love-hate relationship tayo, ayaw pa rin kitang nasasayang talaga.

Padala from Pinas

I got so lucky! Last week, I saw in Facebook that Ate Lody was in Pinas and will be coming back here in a couple of days. Ate Lody was our neighbor Lolomboy (my mother's home barangay) and she used to sell lutong-ulam at suki niya si Mamoosh. I was actually surprised because their family just went home last June for her mother-in-law's funeral. Their son got married pala this time and they really kept their return a secret because many would expect (or rather, demand) that they'd be invited to the wedding lol.

Anyway, I messaged her quickly and asked if they could carry a tarpaulin for me. She willingly agreed and I was so happy. Nagre-regret kasi ako na hindi ako nakipadala sa kanya ng tarpaulin last June for Nathan's birthday. I never expected that I'll have a chance again! Unlike in the Philippines, hindi uso ang tarpaulin dito for birthday parties. Kung meron mang gumagawa, sobrang mahal for sure. Mataas ang labor costs dito kaya pricey magpa-personalize.

I excitedly called Mamoosh about the tarpaulin. Joanne (our very reliable secretary / Mamoosh's assistant) and I made the design. It's very simple actually because it was rush na. Saka ayaw ko din ng tarpaulin na nagsusumigaw ang mukha ni Nathan lol.

I asked them to bring the tarpaulin to Ate Lody's house immediately after printing, para maka-secure na ng baggage space haha.

Picture sent by Joanne

About two days after that, Joanne messaged me and asked what else I want because Mamoosh saw Ate Lody pala in the market and she (Ate Lody) asked her kung bakit tarpaulin lang daw ang ipapadala. Pwede pa raw magdagdag.  Mamoosh knew that I am running out of conditioner so she asked Ate Lody kung pwede raw yun. Ok daw!

So here's what I requested:

The four bottles of conditioner should last me until January (kasi ng uuwi kami uli sa January 9), kasi meron pa naman akong konti dito. The hot oil treatment cream (in orange tub) is so good, pinabaunan ako noon ng BFF ko eh. Tamang-tama kasi ang dry na ng hair ko dahil na rin sa hot water. The small bottles of shampoo and body wash are for our California trip this November. Para hindi mabigat (I still have a small bottle of conditioner here).

One friend in Australia asked me kung wala raw bang Filipino store dito (she saw my post of the picture above in Instagram). Well, marami. Meron namang nabibili ditong mga Sunsilk at Creamsilk (and other Pinoy toiletries) pero masyadong mahal. Around $10 (plus tax pa) ang isang 200ml bottle. Hindi siya sustainable bilhin, especially kung malakas kang gumamit. Tayong mga Pinoy pa naman ay naliligo araw-araw lol. That's why palagi akong nagdadala ng supplies pagbalik ko rito (including facial wash, feminine wash, Safeguard soap, etc). Yun nga lang, syempre mauubos din. And by that time, no choice na but to use "local" products here that are way way cheaper and come in uber big bottles.

Now why am I still using Pinoy toiletries? Kasi talagang ibang gamitin ang Filipino products, Asian nga kasi tayo. The first time I showered in Pinas after living here in Canada, ay grabe ang sarap sa pakiramdam! Kaya every chance I get, I will really use the products na nakasanayan ko na. Natatapangan nga kasi ako talaga sa mga shampoo nila dito.

**********

Aside from an aunt (and her family), si Ate Lody lang ang talagang kilala ko rito sa Metro Vancouver before we moved. That is why I am grateful kasi iba pa rin ang feeling na may kababayan ka na nandito. At ako lang naman din daw ang kilala niya rito na taga-samin. Most of our barangay-mates are in Saskatchewan kasi.

Ay she gave me these three red ribbon slice cakes nga pala.

A taste of home

Thanks so muchie, Ate Lody and family!

Christmas tree dilemma

I am really excited for this coming Christmas. May appreciation na kasi si Nathan ng Pasko ngayon eh. Kanta na siya ng kanta ng Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Palagi niya ring sinasabi na gusto niyang mag-play sa snow. At nag-aaya siya sa "Christmas," na kala niya ay isang lugar (Disneyland lang ang peg) kasi napapanood niya sa Youtube sina Santa Claus at ang mga reindeers.

Hay, kaya I really want him to have a nice Christmas tree this year -- just like our 2014 and 2015 trees in our Edmonton house (we were in Pinas in Christmas 2016) -- para mas maging enjoyable sa kanya ang holidays. Kaso lang we are living in an apartment now na mas maliit ang space. Our tree is 7ft tall and bulky, alanganin na gamitin namin ngayon.

Kung tutuusin, our place naman has a decent size. Medyo malaki naman (mas malalaki talaga ang mga old apartments/condos kumpara sa bago) kaso oversized ang mga furniture namin (dahil nga bigger ang bahay namin dati) kaya sumikip. Pwede pa rin namang isiksik ang malaking Christmas tree if I put some of Nathan's toys in the storage. But the question is, where is our tree? Mahirap ng hukayin sa storage yun pati na ang mga decors.

The easy solution would be to buy a new smaller tree for this year. Noong una naisip ko nga mga 2ft lang sana, yung pwedeng ipatong lang sa table. Kaso saan ko naman itatabi yung mga gifts namin for Nathan? So sige 4ft na lang na medyo slim.

I saw this pre-lit LED 4.5ft tree at Costco for $79 (plus 12% tax) yata at namahalan ako. I searched at Amazon.ca and I found a somewhat similar tree for only $39 (free delivery pa).

I was determined to order a tree already but I changed my mind the last minute.

After Christmas, where shall we put it? Yes, may storage pa naman. For now. But what if we move already to our new place that for sure has a limited storage space, paano na? Nakakahinayang naman idispose. Ngayon nga lang hindi ko na alam ang gagawin sa napakarami naming gamit eh, tapos dadagdagan ko pa. Sabi nga ng asawa ko, ang dami ko ng kalat.

So now I am faced with a dilemma -- to buy or not buy a tree? It may sound trivial I know but I am one person who really loves to "enjoy" every occasion, lalo na ang pasko. Kaya big issue talaga sa akin ang Christmas tree. Kaso nga lang talagang iba ang situation namin ngayon eh.

Oh well, I have a few more weeks to decide. Pagbalik namin from our California trip ko na lang.

TanTan: Ang Masayahing Bata

Yesterday afternoon before we left for the mall, I asked Ford a question.

CES -- Kung bibigyan ka ng chance, papalitan mo ba si TanTan bilang anak mo?

Of course, I was expecting a "no" answer. I was just curious on his reason.

FORD -- No. Eh kasi hindi siya malungkutin. Tingnan mo palagi siyang masaya, palaging nakangiti. 

Haha, natawa talaga ako! Ayaw pala niya ng malungkuting bata lol!

But seriously, I love it that my son is one happy boy. Nakangiti ang default face niya (unlike me na nakasimangot). Palagi siyang humahalaklak, palaging bumubungisngis. Born comedian pa. Naiisip ko talaga, kanino ba ito nagmana? Mas sa tatay niya definitely.

My wish is for him to stay that way. Hope he continues to be a ray of sunshine not just to us his parents but to others as well.

Ang hirap magpalaki ng bata, pero kung ganito ba naman ka-cute at ka-bibo ang aalagaan mo, sulit! #proudmomlangpo

#CessieShops: Muji Pens

Muji opened its first Vancouver store in Metropolis at Metrotown last August 26, 2017. As expected, hundreds of Asian-British Columbians flocked this minimalist Japanese store on its first day. Pumunta kami after a week and the line to get in was still very very long. Three weeks later, wala ng pila pero napakarami pa ring tao sa loob, as in siksikan. We went out kaagad kasi nakaka-suffocate.

Finally, lumuwag na rin nung bumalik kami last September 29. I was able to buy ballpens na lol.

Yes, ballpens lang naman ang binibili ko sa Muji, even when I was in still in Pinas.

Excited na excited ang mga taga-dito about Muji pens (nababasa ko sa IG). For me, ordinary lang naman ang pens Muji. Mas maraming magandang ballpens sa Pinas noh. Siguro nakakaaliw lang talagang magtesting-testing ng sulat at bumili ng paisa-isa. Iyon din ang nami-miss ko eh. Dito kasi usually naka-pack ang pens, hindi mo pwedeng isulat-sulat muna. Ibang-iba sa experience sa National Bookstore.

Muji pens here cost $1.50 to 2.00 each (plus 12% tax).

I only bought four pens. Nagtimpi talaga ako kasi takaw-mata lang naman ako, di ko naman talaga nagagamit ang ballpens ko. Natutuyuan lang ng tinta.

It felt good though, to be reunited once more with things that are familiar.

In my opinion, Muji items are pricey for the standards of average Canadians. Kaya nga napapansin ko wala naman gaanong namimili ng "big" items dun. Pero sabagay, sobrang daming Asians (most especially Chinese) dito who are familiar with the brand and with so much disposable money. Baka nga sila ang magpa-patronize.

October 20 is our lucky day

I know that it could be purely coincidence but I choose to believe that there days that are just so lucky for some people. For us, it is probably October 20.

October 20, 2016 (1 year ago). Ford received a job offer, with a salary that's more than what we were expecting! We were so grateful! Less than 3 weeks of moving here in BC and he's got a job already. It really felt like everything was falling into place.

October 20, 2013 (4 years ago). After almost a year of stressful wait, we finally received an email from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) that a decision has been made on our spousal sponsorship application. It meant one thing -- that after 10 1/2 years of being in a long distance relationship (bf/gf + husband/wife), we will finally be together! You will never imagine how happy and excited we were!

October 20, always be good to us ha! =)

The Boys' Haircut

Daddy's Haircut -- $12 ($10 + 2 tip) @ a shop inside T&T Supermarket in Surrey Central City

October 8, 2017 

Ford is so happy because there's $10 haircut here in Metro Vancouver (no tax pa ha, baka included na). Sa Edmonton, sobrang mahal ang services eh. Twice a year lang siya kung magpagupit doon. Dito every three months pwede.

By the way, there's a Filipina hair cutter in this shop. Akala ko nga noong una pang-lalaki lang dito eh, yun pala pwede rin ang babae. Susubukan ko next time tutal hindi naman ako maarte sa gupit. Matabasan lang ay ok na.

**************

Nathan's Haircut -- $28.75 ($25 + 12% tax + 2.50 tip) @ Sparky's Kut for Kidz

October 13, 2017

We've tried to convince Nathan to get his haircut on a regular barber shop / salon na lang para cheaper but he's not ready yet. "No" daw. Kahit i-bribe namin siya na ibibili namin ng toy yung matitipid namin. Kaya no choice kami kundi bumalik sa Sparky's (where he had his last buzz cut last June 25) kasi aliw siya sa mga "cars" doon. And true enough, when he saw the cars, sobrang na-excite agad umupo at magpa-"massage" ng hair.

Pero naman ha, masakit sa loob gumastos ng $28.75 for a 5-minute (or less pa nga yata) buzz cut. So I swear, this will be the last time that we'll be spending that much on his haircut. Kailangan ma-train ko siya sa Pinas pag-uwi namin na magpagupit sa cheap na barber shop. If he resists, Ako na mismo ang magre-razor sa kanya. It is one skill that I ought to learn because my son's hair grows so very fast, mamumulubi talaga kami sa kakapagupit. Uso yun dito eh, kanya-kanyang gupit sa anak / asawa.

Disheartened home-seeker

My husband is not a fan of second-hand, be it on cars at lalo na sa bahay. We are not on the same page nga when it comes to house preference. Ok lang sa akin ang hindi bago basta maganda ang loob (renovated as much as possible) at ok ang location. I've been trying to convince him na kumausap na ng realtor pero talagang gusto niya ng bagong gawa. Kahit maliit, basta bago.

There's this new townhomes development in Cloverdale (Surrey) na namataan niya. He was positive na within our budget ang price doon so we signed up. It took a few weeks bago nila na-email back sa akin ang presyo (nag-finalize pa raw kasi sila). To Ford's dismay, ang pasok lang sa budget niya ay yung 2-bedroom - 1 bathroom 990-sq ft unit (the cheapest unit). Expected ko na yun kaya hindi ako nagulat. Binigyan ko na lang ang asawa ko ng "I told you so" look.

To give you an idea kung gaano ka-crazy ang housing market situation dito sa Metro Vancouver, take a look at this brand new 3,990 sq ft house in Las Vegas. Yan ang kaya naming bilhin  sa budget namin. Seriously.

So disheartening noh?

Ok na sana ang buhay namin dito sa Metro Vancouver eh. Bahay na lang talaga. Pero hindi "lang" yun, di ba? Napaka-basic sa buhay ng tao yun kaya no wonder many people are relocating to places na affordable ang bahay.

Bakit naging ganito kataas ang presyo ng bahay dito? Kasalanan ng mga foreign buyers (mostly chekwa) yan. Yung pera nila from their country, dinala nila dito at namili sila ng namili ng properties. Tapos fini-flip nila, pinapataas ang presyo. Hanggang sa dumating na sa point na hindi na ma-afford ng ordinaryong Vancouverites ang magkaroon ng sariling bahay. It is now nearly impossible for ordinary workers to own a laned/detached home, lumang townhomes at condos na lang ang mabibili nila. Luma, as in 20 to 40+ year old units. Objectively, hindi malaki ang sweldo ng mga tao rito ha. Marami lang Asians na may mga baong pera from their respective places of origin kaya may disposable money sila.

Nakakalungkot talaga. Paminsan-minsan sumasagi pa rin sa isip namin na bumalik sa Edmonton kasi nga doon pwede kaming magkaroon ng malaking bahay. Or we could just buy another townhouse (tulad ng bahay namin dati) and have more extra money for travel and other leisure things. Kaso nandito na kami eh, mahirap na uling bumalik doon.

Ayoko na. Sabi ko sa asawa ko mag-condo na lang kami. Mahal din pero I want a slightly bigger space than 990 sq ft. And we need at least 2 bedrooms + 1den just in case may bisita. Pumayag na rin siya, basta bago. The other day, he informed me na may project sila na itatayong condo malapit sa office nila sa Langley, abangan daw namin. He already checked the site plan at malalaki ang units. We already signed up kaso by spring pa raw sila magrerelease ng presyo at magsisimulang magbenta. Ford heard from their office na March daw to be exact. Oh well, let's see. Baka mamaya ma-disapppoint na naman kami. But just in case magustuhan namin at bumili kami, ang drawback is that we would have to wait for another year bago ma-turn over. Hay, parang ang tagal pa. Kaya ko pa bang mag-antay??? =(

Thanksgiving Dinner 2017

Our original plan for the Thanksgiving weekend was to do a staycation somewhere. Naaliw yata ang husband ko sa Victoria trip namin last August kaya gusto niyang umulit, pero dapat daw two nights na para hindi nakakapagod. Ang mga choices naming puntahan were Kelowna, Seattle (again!), Oregon, and Whistler. But after giving it much thought, I convinced him na huwag na lang. Hindi rin naman kasi biro ang gagastusin sa plano niya. We are scheduled to go back to California this November 4 to 14 na to celebrate Nathan's third birthday kaya sabi ko masyadong maraming gastos na. Buti at pumayag naman (as if may choice siya haha).

Around mid-September, my aunt invited us to join them for the Thanksgiving dinner on October 9. Ayun, problem solved. May gagawin na kami for the weekend lol. Ford was just a bit "sad" though because the dinner was on a Monday, may pasok kinabukasan. Technically kasi, second Monday of October talaga ang Thanksgiving day dito but Canadians may celebrate on any day of the long weekend. So pwedeng Sabado o Linggo.

-------------------------------

The dinner was at 6pm so we spend the afternoon at Guildford Mall muna. Then we went to Henlong Supermarket to buy some fish (haha, namalengke pa talaga). After that, we picked up the cake that I ordered from a homebased Pinay baker. I couldn't think of anything else to bring eh.

We arrived at Tita Che's house at 6:25pm. Maganda ang weather, buti hindi umulan.

Kami na lang pala ang inaantay so start na agad ng appetizer pagdating namin.

Trust my aunt to always have the best food presentation. Very impressive.

Instagram-worthy talaga. No filter needed.

This is the 4-in-1 cake that we brought. Haha, napadpad sa table ng appetizers.

Peechur peechur before eating.

Picture taken from Tita Che's Facebook account

And look at the long table that they set up para kasya kaming lahat. Bigla ko tulog na-feel ang essence ng Thanksgiving.

My aunt is currently into all things dainty. And she's started collecting pretty teacups since a few years back.

There were just 13 of us -- I, Ford, Nathan, Tita Che, Tito Harold, Angel (my cousin), Raf (Angel's husband), Blessi (my cousin), BF of Blessi (I forgot his name), Johnny (my cousin), Tita Bing (Tita Che's bestfriend), Rosabella (Tita Bing's daughter), and Allison (Tita Che's ward).

Very western ang dinner namin that night.

My cousin Angel cooked everything. She took her cooking skills from Tita Che. Too bad she forgot to bring out the soup from the basement!

This is my first Thanksgiving with a whole Turkey. Sumaya talaga ako, feel na feel ko.

The turkey was soooooo good (even the gravy)! I loved the pasta too kaso nga Ford and I are watching our carbs-intake.

Pero nang dessert time na, di na ako nakapagpigil sa cake. Ang tagal ko ng gustong tikman yun eh. Ang sarap nga grabe! Thankfully, hindi naman tumaas ang blood sugar ko (kasi nga turkey lang naman ang dinner). The chocolate cake was perfect, kung wala lang kaming diabetes eh oorder ako uli agad ng one whole cake at uubusin namin ni Ford.

Picture taken from Tita Che's Facebook account

I love nice table settings talaga. When we have our own place again, mag-iipon ako ng maraming gamit.

Picture taken from Tita Che's Facebook account

Thank you for having us, Tita Che and family!

----------------------------

Oops, I would have to commend this little boy nga pala for being so behaved the whole time. Nakakain kami nang maayos ng daddy niya.

Dahil yan sa toys that Tito Harold always lends to him whenever we are at their house.

I am extra grateful to Tito Harold for being so nice to my son.

Nathan has loosen up na rin. Hindi na siya shy and intimidated to other people. Ayan nga oh, nagpapapicture na with his titas and titos.

---------------------------------

What are we grateful for this year?

• Our son is healthy and happy
• Our parents are ok (despite their respective health issues kasi syempre may mga edad na)
• We are living comfortably (thanks to Ford's new job!)
• We have gotten used to living here in Metro Vancouver (naka-adjust na kami kahit papano) 
• We were able to travel (California, Seattle, Victoria)
• We have more scheduled travels (California, Whistler, Philippines, etc)
• We've met new friends -- Juris and Tess and their families
• We've managed to maintain our friendships with our Edmonton family
• Though we got diagnosed with diabetes, at least our disease is manageable 

Ang dami-daming challenges as usual, pero kinakaya naman. My major wish for now is to have our own home so we can have a place to celebrate Thanksgiving day na. =)

First Uniqlo in (Metro) Vancouver

We were at Metropolis at Metrotown (or simply, Metrotown Mall) last Saturday (October 14) so we finally got to "experience" the hype on the newly opened, first ever Uniqlo in Vancouver.

This store is actually not in Vancouver but in Burnaby. But I read somewhere that they are looking na rin for a Downtown Vancouver location na may malaking space at di gaanong mataas ang rent (haha, meron kaya nun?).

Anyway, I like Uniqlo. I used to buy shirts and a lot of fleece jackets from there before. Gusto ko rin ang tela nila for kids' shirts. Kaya natuwa talaga ako nang malaman ko na magkakaroon na sila ng stores dito sa Vancouver. Ang alam ko may dalawa na silang naunang stores sa Greater Toronto Area eh.

I was so excited to look at their merchandise kaso sobrang dami talagang tao, nakakahilo! Kasama ko pa ang mag-ama ko kaya hindi ako makadiskarte. I want to compare prices din kasi, kung mas mura pa dito o sa Pinas. Ang hula ko ay sa Pinas, cheaper labor and business costs.

No doubt na dadagsain talaga ang Uniqlo kasi napakaraming chekwa and other Asians dito who are familiar with the brand. Parang wala akong gaanong napansin masyado na Caucasian.

Pinaikot ko lang ang mata ko sa prices and my conclusion -- MAHAL! Mahal sa standards ng Canadians/Westerners na sanay sa outlet stores at sale items. Kung taga-Pinas ka at gusto mo ng winter jacket kasi magta-travel ka, bibili ka sa Uniqlo kasi saan pa ba? Pero kung taga-dito ka, andami-daming pwedeng bilhan ng jacket noh. Nandyan pa ang pang-masang GAP at Old Navy.

Oh well, marami nga palang mayayamang chekwa dito. Siguro sa kanila, kebs lang ang presyo haha. pero sigurado ako, mamamahalan ang mga puti sa Uniqlo.

October 6 lang nagbukas ang store (one week pa lang when we visited) so talagang nandun pa rin yung hype. I wonder kung hanggang kailan kaya. Parang nung nag-open ang Muji, ilang weeks na pipila ka sa labas bago makapasok.

I'd probably go back on November na to further 'observe' lol. Maga-antay din muna ako ng sale bago bumili. As far as I know, ok naman ang prices nila kapag nagse-sale.

#LatePost: Nathan's First Halloween (2015)

Halloween is just around the corner and I am so excited. Then I realized that I haven't posted Nathan's first and second Halloween experiences pa pala. Sobrang dami kong kailangang ipost, kailangan lang ng time haha. So please bear with my #LatePosts every now and then.

Anyway, we were in the Philippines on October 31, 2015 and I wasn't happy. Mas masaya kasi syempre ang Trick-or-Treating sa Canada, mas authentic kumbaga. Hindi naman kasi uso ang celebration ng halloween noong kapanahunan ko sa Pinas eh, medyo recent lang sine-celebrate due to western influence. Kung nasa Canada kami, we would have had a lot of fun because I have so many friends there with kids. Sama-sama kaming rarampa at mangongolekta ng M&Ms at Snickers.

I regretted din not getting a nice Halloween costume in Canada before we went home (on July 2015).  Konti lang kasi ang choices sa SM. I didn't look anywhere else kasi SM girl lang talaga ako.

I remember getting Nathan a cute french fries costume which was on sale but he refused to wear it. Nang makita pa lang, nagwala na. Nasayang tuloy, buti na lang Php150 lang. My son wasn't the type to wear anything "bulky" or "weird" so I had to look for something that has a 'normal feel' for him. When I saw this pumpkin outfit, sabi ko pwede na ito. Maiisip niya na sando at pajama lang ang suot niya. Di ko na maalala kung magkano ito pero basta namamahalan ako, parang Php600-700 yata. Eh very simple lang naman ang cut at tela.

No shoes or slippers because he was naiinitan. Mainitin si Canadian boy!

Objectively, Nathan wasn't looking at his best that time. His hair was too long na but we couldn't cut it yet because we were waiting until he turns one (his birthday is November 13). Alam nyo naman, wag daw papagupitan ang bata kapag wala pang isang taon. Sinunod na lang namin kahit hindi naman talaga  kami naniniwala.

Also, three weeks before his first birthday, sinimulan na siyang atakehin ng lamok. Ayan ang dami-dami niyang insect bite marks sa face hay. Talk about timing talaga.

To be honest, hindi ito ang na-envision kong first halloween ng anak ko. I wanted a very fancy costume for him that will match his cute flawless face. Oh well, things do not always go as planned. Pabayaan na nga lang.

We live in the province so we had very little choice on where to celebrate Halloween. In fact, sa SM Marilao nga lang talaga. I know that there are places in Manila that held fancier celebrations (like in hotels, for a price of course) but TanTan was too young then so naisip ko keri na sa SM na lang (saka super trapik pa noh at wala rin kaming kasamang ibang bata). Basta mairaos lang namin ang Halloween.

We were at SM na by the time it opened. Sobrang daming tao. Talagang kinakarir na rin ng Pinoy ang pagti-trick-or-treat.

Some shops were giving out candies. Syempre pinagkakaguluhan. My son was so serious the whole time, nakapa-oblivious sa paligid haha. Mas ako pa at si Ate Lani (our kasambahay who helped me take care of TanTan) ang na-excite haha. First trick-or-treat din kasi namin lol.

There were so many kids who were in costumes, pero marami ring hindi (and I could see envy in their eyes). How I wish all Filipino kids could be whatever they want to be during Halloween. Ang saya kasi nun sa pakiramdam di ba.

 The ambiance at the mall was very festive. Naisip ko, ba't nga ba walang ganito noong bata ako?

Nathan wasn't walking yet so he was in the stroller the whole time.

The lines to the stores that hand out treats were very long. Pinakamadaming tao sa Jollibee, as expected. Hindi na kami pumasok kasi siksikan talaga. Hindi ko na tuloy nalaman kung ano ang meron sa loob haha.

If only Nathan could already recognize candies that time, bibilhan ko na lang siya para mapuno ang basket niya haha.

SM Marilao isn't big at hindi lahat ng stores ay nagbibigay ng candies kaya ilang piraso lang talaga ang makukuha ng kids. Sobrang dami pang bata kaya talagang malaki ang demand sa maliit na supply kaloka.

I seriously had this thought pa nga -- sana bumili ako ng maraming candies tapos umupo ako sa may foodcourt at nagpapila ng mga bata. Pwede kaya yun?

After going to just a few stores, hindi na kami nakigulo. Nag-window shop na lang kami. 

Buti kasama namin si Ate Lani or else hindi ko kakayaning mag-isa.

We got hungry after 1 1/2 hours so we searched for a place to eat. Kaso sa sobrang dami ng tao, wala na halos kaming makainan. We ended up at Wendy's na lang.

Lalong dumami ang tao later that noon. I felt bad for kids who came in late, lalong wala na silang naabutan. If your are going to 'public places' like SM for trick-or-treating, dapat nandun ka na agad pagbukas pa lang.

change-outfit na :)

I know wala pang appreciation ang anak ko sa Halloween that time pero kaya nga may pictures naman. Someday, he will go through all these photographs and and learn that once in his life, he became a little pumpkin. :)

And if you are curious, here's what Nathan took home from his trick-or-treat adventure. Three candies, toink! Awang-awa tuloy ang daddy niya haha. Even his Ninang My felt bad for him that she promised to fill his bag/basket the next time they see each other haha.