Booked: December 2021 Flight to the Philippines

Oh my, I can't believe I am blogging again! It's been months since my last post and I know I kept on promising that I will keep on posting but couldn't fulfill it. It is so easy to totally abandon this blog and I've been meaning to do (especially since I mainly post my life in Instagram now) that but I I just can't. Ewan ko nga ba. Bumabalik at bumalik ako dito.

Anyway, it's almost a year now since the historical pandemic 'lockdown' and I know all of us are itching for things to go back to the way they used to be. May vaccine na and all we have to do is wait for our turn. Here in Canada, our Prime Minister promised us that by September of this year, all adults (those who want to) could have been vaccinated na. Those of us who are in the 40s bracket can be scheduled by July. Whew, medyo matagal pa pero keri lang. At least we can already see the light at the end of the tunnel. Konting tiis na lang.

Anyway, the reason why I blogged again is because I couldn't contain my excitement. Last night kasi, we were able to book na our flight to Pinas for December 2021!

 

I am telling you, I've never been this excited in a long time! 

It happened so fast kasi. Last Tuesday, my friend sent our group chat a link on Philippine Airlines PAL's 80th anniversary sale. $700+ lang daw ang Vancouver to Manila. I was disinterested at first kasi nga pandemic pa. But then she said that they're considering to go home by December pa. 

It got me thinking, matagal pa ang December. Come to think of it, medyo maluwag na nga ngayon pa lang ang ibang countries tapos dire-diretso na nga ang vaccination programs. Siguro naman by December eh medyo ok na ang travel situation (or else bagsak na bagsak na ang airline industry nun!). 

I texted Ford while he's at work, sabi ko nga mura ang tickets. His original plan was to visit Pinas in December 2022 pa (seriously) kaya hindi nya naman ako sineseryoso. But after sending him a screenshot of $900+ plane ticket for a December travel, namurahan na rin siya. I told him that this is our chance to vacay in the Philippines during Christmas time na mura. For sure, presyong ginto na next year when the world has finally recovered from Covid.

When he got home, syempre he checked on PAL's website agad. But to our disappointment, $1700+ ang price ng ticket! Mali pala ako, one way lang pala yung nakita kong $900+ (I used my phone in browsing lang kasi kaya hindi mabistahan nang maayos). Kaya nawalan na agad ako ng pag-asa. I messaged Levy and she said na mura sa Japan Airlines. Ford was super skeptic pa, mahal din daw for sure. I insisted that he check kasi sabi ni Levy, $2800 lang silang apat.

And voila, mura nga! It would cost the three of us around $2400 lang! Nagkapag-asa uli ako kasi we just had a refund of $2116.54 from our cancelled PAL July-August 2020 flight last Saturday kaya konti na lang ang idadagdag namin.

But of course, may hesitation pa rin. Because just in case may pandemic pa rin by this December (or may iba pang mangyari at hindi kami matuloy), may penalty na $200 each for cancellation. Niloloko pa ako ng asawa ko na ako ang sisisihin niya pag nagkataon lol! Oh well, I am not a gambler pero sige na nga, I am willing to risk $600 for this one! Kaya I'll be praying hard na matuloy!

The husband asked the office for permission yesterday and pinayagan naman siya. So go na! We booked the tickets last night. We had to use two laptops because we decided that we'll go a week earlier para mas masulit ang pamasahe, tapos sabay na lang kami pabalik. Medyo stressful ang naging booking process because we had to make sure that we get the same flight back to Vancouver. Medyo nakaka-praning. We paid a total of $2382.58 for three tickets, not bad na noh?

Another exciting part pa pala is on our way back to Vancouver, we have a 22-hour layover in Japan (Narita Airport)! Ito ang nagpa-sold kay Ford eh, ang makatapak kami sa Tokyo haha! Kakain lang daw kami ng authentic ramen at tonkotsu! 

Hay, 9 months to go! I am sure this trip will make my mother very happy! Inasmuch as I want to go home this July kasi (Nathan's summer break), alanganin. Wala pa kaming bakuna at medyo di pa rin siguro ganun kaayos ang sitwasyon sa Pinas. I have to consider everyone's safety, lalo na ang Nanay ko na may edad na at talagang immunocompromised. Kung hindi kami makakauwi this December, imagine by July 2022 pa pwede. Hindi ko na kaya yun. I can't bear the three years of not seeing my mother. Ngayon nga lang eh hirap na hirap na ako eh.

Before I end this post, I really just want to thank my husband Ford. Magastos umuwi ng Pinas (and to think wala naman na siyang uuwian doon kasi nasa abroad din ang parents and siblings niya) lalo na kapag pasko but he generously gave in to desire na makasama ang Nanay ko this December. I love you, Dear! =)

Balikbayan Program: One Year Free Stay in Pinas

For those former Filipino citizens like me who would like to return/travel/stay in the Philippines, the government has this Balikbayan Program that allows us a one year "free" stay. Upon arrival, the Immigration officer will stamp (or write) a one year permitted duration of stay in the Philippines.

My son Nathan, who's a Canadian citizen at birth, was also given a free one year stay because he's traveling with a "Balikbayan" parent (this also applies to the spouse). If he's traveling to  the Philippines alone, he will only be given 30 days.
=(
The one year free stay can be extended daw for another 1, 2 or 6 months but the Balikbayan and/or immediate family of a Balikbayan would have to go to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to apply for such extension.

According to BI's website, a balikbayan may be required to provide proof/s that he/she was born in the Philippines (like birth certificate, old Philippines passport). But in our case, hindi na hinanap kasi nakalagay na Canadian passport ang "place of birth." Hindi ko lang alam sa ibang foreign passports.

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Side Thought -- Ang lungkot din pala na may "limit" lang ang (free) stay mo sa bayang sinilangan mo. Basta, iba sa pakiramdam. #SentiCessie

Cheap Airfare to the Philippines

Jetsetter daw kami sabi nung isang kapitbahay namin nang makita kami last Holy Week. Sabagay, ten months ago lang nang huli kaming nandito ni TanTan sa Pilipinas. Tapos last March, nakita niya rin siguro sa Facebook na nagpunta kami sa Caifornia for a few days.

Pero syempre kapag sinabing "jetsetter," may connotation yan na sosyal. At ang layo namin sa pagiging sosyal noh! Haler, super mura lang kaya ng plane tickets na binibili namin palagi!

Here's how much we paid for our roundtrip Vancouver-Manila plane tickets this year:

That's just around Php53,000-56,000 for two pax, depende sa conversion.

Hindi na masama kasi naalala ko dati, sobrang mahal ng pamasahe sa America. Ang dami kong kamag-anak na taga-doon at talagang bihira silang makauwi ng Pinas noon dahil mabigat nga ang pamasahe. Ngayon dahil sa competition at proliferation ng budget airlines, affordable na ang airfare kahit paano.

This is actually our (Nathan and I) fourth time to go home in Pinas. Noong una (2015), Nathan was only 7 months old so we flew via Philippine Airlines (PAL) para direct flight na from Vancouver to Manila. We were still living in Edmonton then kaya we needed to fly pa to Vancouver. We paid a total of $2068.81 (around Php83,0000) for those flights. Take note, wala pang bayad si Nathan noon kasi baby pa siya. $319.50 lang ang charge sa kanya for taxes and other fees.

In short, ang mahal ng PAL! Kaya I told myself na di na ako uulit sa PAL kahit na mahirapan ako. Sayang kasi ang perang matitipid, panggastos na rin yun sa Pinas.

We were already living in Metro Vancouver sa pangalawang pagbabakasyon namin sa Pilipinas (2016). While looking for cheap flights, my husband learned na mas mura pala kung magdi-direct booking sa airline company mismo. Nasa Vancouver na kami kaya posible yun, hindi na kailangan ng "agency" na katulad ng CheapOAir. So yun, he booked us a flight on China Airlines for $1379.74 for two pax na.

For our third vacation (2018), sa EVA Air naman siya nakatagpo ng cheap flight. He paid $1445.40 para samin ni Nathan.

So yun, ang two cheapest airlines so far na nakita niya ay China Airlines at EVA Air. Both have layovers at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. Halos pareho rin ang time ng flights nila.

For our latest flight, hubby asked me kung ano ang preferred airline ko sa dalawa. Sabi ko kahit ano, parehas lang naman kako, basta kung ano yung mas mura na lang.

China Airlines won this time. Cheapest na talaga sa ilang araw na pagbabantay ni Ford ng rates online. Nagfa-fluctuate ang  fare prices so medyo kailangan ng tiyaga sa pagbabantay at pagko-compare. Contrary to popular belief na kailangang matagal pa dapat ang flight sa pagbu-book para makamura, hindi naman talaga. Chambahan lang din kasi talaga ang pagbu-book. In our case, Ford bought our tickets less than two months lang before our trip.

That's our plane!

Ang drawback lang talaga ng cheap airlines ay ang layover. Pero two hours lang naman usually going to Manila (4 hours going to Vancouver) kaya hindi naman masyadong matagal ang ipag-aantay. So may additional 4 to 6 hours ka lang sa buong trip mo. Not bad given na sobrang laki ng matitipid mo.

Nathan in Taiwan

Recently, may promo daw ang PAL na $800+ lang for Vancouver-Manila roundtrip flights. We checked it out kung totoo. Olats, parang joke lang. the cheapest we found was $1200+ (we tried all the dates). At yan din ang complaint ng ibang Pinoys who were trying to book, nanloloko lang daw. Hay naku, never na nga akong aasa sa PAL tutal may China Airlines at EVA Air naman.

Overall, I was satisfied naman with our recent flight. The plane was new (Airbus A350-900) and the food was good. Naprioritize kami sa pagpasok sa loob (Vancouver to Taipei) dahil sa bata (but not in Taipei to Manila kasi less than 2 years old lang daw ang may priority). Hindi rin naman sila ganun kahigpit sa carry on bags (or else yari kasi andami naming dala at mabibigat pa). I was happy, too, kasi malapit na yung gate for our connecting flight, unlike dati na kailangan pang mag-train at maglakad ng malayo kasi nasa dulong-dulo ang gate.

Heavy Travelers!

We've had a very smooth flight and I have to give credit din to my well-behaved son. Imagine, 25 hours ang total trip namin (from our home in BC to our home in Marilao) pero hindi siya tinopak man lamang. Such a trooper, my boy! =)

Guarding our bags dutifully. He was such a great help to Mommy!

It's hard to travel with a small kid pero "pro" na nga yata kami in flying. Kaya I don't mind kahit hindi kami direct flight. =)

Pinas Vacay 2019

Hello, hello! As I have mentioned in my last posts (matagal-tagal na rin yung huli), Nathan and I are going home in Pinas again at eto na nga -- nandito na kami!

We arrived on April 9, 2019 (Tuesday). It was a tiring 25-hour trip all in all but it was so worth it. Ang sayang makita ng bahay namin!

My cousin Sandoc/Mylyn volunteered to pick us up at the airport

Anyway, we've been here for sixteen days already and there are times na nagsisisi ako kung bakit nga ba umuwi kami ng summer haha! Dagdagan pa ng El nino! Nakakaloka ang init grabe. Oh well, wala ng magagawa. Wala rin naman akong choice. Nathan will start school na this September 3 so if I want to stay here in Pinas nang matagal-tagal, kailangang agahan namin ang uwi. We are flying back to Canada on August 15.

But I am really bored. Literally, ang ginagawa ko lang dito ngayon ay kumain at magpalamig sa aircon. Sobrang init kasi kaya wala akong magawa. Ni hindi ko na nga maasikaso ang anak ko (lol), buti na lang Mamoosh and Ate Charry (our house angel) are here.

Oh I can't wait na matapos na ang summer para may magawa naman ako. I want to enjoy my last long vacation here in Pinas. 

Please stay tuned. I will be blogging a lot in the coming days. Kasi nga bored ako hehe.

Measles Vaccine

Uuwi kami sa Pinas soon (late March or early April) and I am somewhat scared because there's currently a measles outbreak there. Nakaka-praning. When I was still living there, hindi ako bothered sa ganyang mga isyu at balita pero ngayon, talagang naga-alala ako. Una, may anak na ako. Pangalawa, medyo nasanay na rin kasi ako sa first world living (walang halong kayabangan, sadyang pagpapakatotoo lang) kaya medyo "umaarte" na.

Naalala ko noon, naaartehan ako sa mga kamag-anak kong from the US na nagbabakasyon sa Pinas kasi nga masyado silang worried sa safety and security nila. Ngayon naiintindihan ko na na natural lang pala iyon kasi nga sa ibang mundo ka na naninirahan at hindi ka na sanay sa pamumuhay sa Pinas.

Anyway, dahil nga natatakot ako sa tigdas, hinanap ko talaga ang immunization record ko dito. I remembered kasi na noong time na pinababakunahan pa namin si Nathan, pati kaming mag-asawa ay tinusok na rin. They saw something in my blood daw (when I was pregnant) that I wasn't immune to something (I forgot what it was) so kailangan ko din ng bakuna. At dahil wala nga kasi kaming immunization record sa Canada, they want to make sure din na hindi kami makaka-acquire ng sakit na makakahawa sa anak namin. I am confident na kumpleto ako sa bakuna noong baby pa ako (my mother is very responsible) pero wala namang mawawala kung babakunahan uli para sigurado. Wala daw over-dosage sa ganyan.

So eto na nga, nakita ko na. I am so happy! At least kampante na ang loob kong uuwi sa Pilipinas kong mahal hehe.

But before kami umuwi, kailangan ko pa palang pasaksakan si Nathan ng booster shots (including measles). Sinasaksak daw yun kapag 4 years old and above na. Noon pa ako nagpapa-schedule sana ng vaccination kaso they asked pa for Nathan's immunization record from Alberta para ma-enter nila sa system nila. Ganun kasi dito eh, hindi centralized ang health records, by province talaga.

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Another kwento. Noong unang uwi (or pangalawa ba?) namin sa Pinas, gustung-gusto kong pasaksakan ng Dengvaxia si Nathan. Kasi nga natatakot ako sa dengue, tapos kagatin pa talaga ng lamok ang anak ko. Kahit sa mall kinakagat siya ng lamok. Ang laking pasalamat ko talaga na hindi ko siya natuloy pabakunahan nun hay!

Currently, walang nirerecommend na dengue vaccine ang Public Health Agency of Canada kasi  daw"although advanced research is underway, there is currently no approved vaccine or medication that protects against dengue fever." Hindi nga rin pala present sa mosquitoes ng Canada ang dengue virus.

Swim time at home

Ang init init na sa Pinas! Nag-fullblast na ang init after Holy Weeek at parang gusto ko ng magsisi sa page-extend namin dito haha. Ang sabi ko pa naman last year, hinding-hindi na ako magsa-summer dito, kaso eto olats! Sapul na sapul namin ang buong tag-init kalurkey!

Anyway, I am so sorry for the lack of posts for the past month. I have no excuse, sadyang tinamad lang ako. Parang wala lang kasi akong masulat, ewan ko ba. Pero I am back at magkukwento na uli ako.

We were in SM BF Paranaque last April 7, 2018 (Saturday) to attend my friend's son's birthday Party in Vikings. We were such early birds so tambay muna sa mall. Nagawi kami sa area na ito and I saw how excited my son was upon seeing so many inflatable pools. Bigla kong naisip, ba't nga ba hindi ko bilhan nito ang anak ko? Meron siya kasing maliit na inuwi namin last year na once nya lang nagamit kasi nagka-ubo siya after. Since then, hindi ko na siya pinasawsaw sa tubig. Yep, 3 years and 5 months na siya pero hindi pa siya talaga nakakapagswimming. Hindi kasi kami mahilig ng asawa ko sa swimming (saka taga-Canada kami at walang paliguan masyado), that's why.

I saw somewhere in IG na mura ang pools sa Shopwise kaso hindi na kami nakadaan after the party kasi ginabi na kami. Kaya sa SM Marilao na lang ako bumili the following day.

I chose this swimming pool kasi malapad siya at hindi malalim, perfect for a toddler. Fifty percent off daw kaya Php2,000 na lang (pero feeling ko yun naman talaga ang regular price). Ayos naman ang price, ang problema Php1,000 electric air pump waaah! No choice naman ako kaya pikit-mata ko na ring binili.

In addition, I bought some floaters din and goggles for Nathan.

Ang dami-daming bumibili ng pools! Sa sobrang init ba naman!

Syempre atat agad ang bagets na gamitin ang pool. Medyo nakakanerbyos lang ang dami ng tubig na kailangang ilagay kasi nga ang mahal nun kaso sige na nga rin, hindi lang naman kami ang may inflatable pool sa bahay lol.

This is Nathan's very first swim wear. Ang mahal rin pala ng mga ganitong panligo ng bata. Parang Php800 yata ang bili namin dito sa SM Store.

The little boy was so happy! He was so thankful sa akin for buying him daw a pool. Super sulit ang pagkabili ko kasi sabi ko nga kay Mamoosh (I had to justify it to her lol!) hindi naman kami naga-outing noh. Dito lang talaga kami sa bahay kapag summer. Hindi nga rin kasi ako mahilig talaga lumabas dahil sa sobrang init. Saka talagang hindi ko trip ang mga swimming swimming na ganyan. Pang-indoor lang talaga ang beauty ko.

Ang ironic nga kasi we are so busy kapag summer dahil we rent out tourist buses (yun ang family business namin dito sa Pinas) pero kami mismo hindi nga naga-outing. Haha, boring kami!

By the way, syempre join din ako kay Nathaniel sa pool kasi nga malaki naman. Nag-enjoy din ako kasi nga ang init at masarap magtampisaw sa tubig. At dahil bihirang-bihira kaming tumambay sa second floor balcony ng bahay namin, feeling ko nasa ibang lugar na rin ako hehe.

Mental note -- enroll him to a swimming class soon!

What a fun bonding activity for us! =)

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May kulang two months pa kami rito sa Pinas so masusulit pa talaga ang pool na ito. The past nights, puro night swimming ang ginawa ni TanTan. Wala kasing bubong sa balcony grabe ang init kapag hapon (we wake up at noon so hindi pwede ang early morning swimming).

Another mental note -- buy more swim wears for the little boy haha!

Haha, for sure sobrang laki ng water bill ni Lola! 

A new home for us

Hi, guys! I just want to share with you a very happy news -- we already bought a townhouse! Oh, I am so excited! After being "houseless" for one and a half year, we are finally moving to our new home this September 2018.

March 4, 2018

Ibang-iba ang pakiramdam na sa wakas, magkakabahay na uli kami. Mas masaya kaysa noong una kaming bumili sa Edmonton. Dati kasi bumili lang kami ng wala kaisyu-isyu. When I already decided to follow my husband in Edmonton, ayun naghanap na siya ng townhouse na mabibili para pagdating ko may matitirahan na kami (he was just renting a studio-type apartment then). Walang problema sa budget, the real estate situation was normal. Ibang-iba sa situation ngayon na talagang nakaka-stress bumili ng bahay kasi nga napakataas ng presyo. Lakasan na lang talaga ng loob at sobrang pagtitipid ang kailangan.

Iba rin ang pakiramdam ngayon kasi nga na-experience namin tumira sa apartment namin ngayon. It is old and truly uncomfortable. Napaka-humbling tumira doon kasi nga galing kami sa isang bago at mabangong bahay haha. Even my son hated living there. Ayaw na nga niyang bumalik sa Canada eh.

Kaya talagang looking forward kaming lumipat na. Yun nga lang in half a year pa kasi ginagawa pa (yes, it's brand new!). Pero di bale na, iba yung may tinatanaw na, hindi ba?

Ooops by the way, we'll be extending our vacation here in Pinas. Instead of returning in Canada on April 13, sa June 8 na. Thankfully walang rebooking fees/charges sa EVA Air. Since wala rin naman kaming gagawin pa sa Canada (no more house-hunting kasi nga nakabili na), we might as well maximize na lang our stay here. Para less time na lang ang ipag-aantay namin for September. Saka to be honest, malaki ang natitipid ng asawa ko sa pagbabakasyon namin sa Pinas haha! Sponsored kasi kami ni Nathan dito ng ermats ko kaya wala syang gastos lol. Eh syempre ang dami-daming magagastos sa paglipat namin (lawyer's fee, moving expenses, new things for the house like washer-dryer, etc.) kaya dapat magtipid lol. My mother doesn't mind, syempre mas gusto niyang nandito kami kahit nagagastusan siya. Kung gusto nga raw namin eh wag na kaming umalis.

I'll share more details of our new townhome soon! =)

So freaking slow!

One of the my new year's resolutions is to blog often. I intend to do that (even if it's hard to write when you're on vacation), but there's a huge hindrance -- our very slow internet connection! Waaaah!

We've had DSL internet connection since time immemorial. It's what made my LDR with Ford worked (we were on LDR from May 2003 to November 2013). As far as I can remember, ok naman ang internet namin dati.

But instead of further improvement, our internet situation now is getting worse. Sabi ko nga, pabagal nang pabagal ang internet namin kada uwi ko. I feel so hopeless, ano pa bang ibang options ang available? Puro bad feedbacks din naman sa ibang internet service providers and naririnig at nababasa ko.

Ang hirap hirap mag-adjust sa ganito kapag nasanay ka na sa super bilis na internet. Well at least for me, this is only temporary. I'll have fast internet again in April. I just feel sad though for the people living here, bakit ba kailangan magtiis sa ganito? Kahit ang nanay ko nahihirapan akong kausapin sa Facetime kasi paputol-putol ang koneksyon hay.

I really wish na matuloy ang pagpasok ng ibang telecom players sa Pinas (kaso wag naman sanang mga chekwa) so we could have faster and cheaper internet. We Filipinos deserve that.

Kaya yun, please bear with me. Don't worry, plan ko namang igapang ang pagba-blog kaya stay tuned ha.

Low conversion rate

If you are a Canadian or Canadian resident vacationing here in the Philippines, you will feel sad because the value of your dollars is (still) low and very much lagging to its US dollar counterpart.

As of last January 14, CAD1.00 is only equivalent to Php38.44. Obviously, hindi pa rin nakakabawi talaga ang Canada from its economic crisis in the past years. Pero kahit paano nag-improve na, dati umabot pa sa Php31.00-32.00 lang ang conversion eh.

TIP: If you are going to the Philippines and will, of course, be spending money here, better send money through remittance na lang to a bank account here. Mas mataas ang conversion kaya mas malaki ang value ng dollars mo kahit na magbayad ka pa ng remittance fee.

We're in the Philippines (again)!

Hello, hello! Did you miss me? Oh I can't believe that we've been in Pinas for more than 9 days already! Ambilis ng araw, before I knew it, pabalik na naman kami ng Canada kaloka!

Anyway, saka ko na iisipin yun. One-tenth of our vacation pa lang naman ang nako-consume namin ni Nathan so enjoy enjoy muna.

I have so many kwentos that I don't know where to start. Pero in the almost 10 days na nandito kami, wala naman talagang major ganap. We stayed mostly at home tapos the usual short trips to SM Marilao lang.

Picture taken last January 11, 2018

My major problem though in this vacation is that Nathan had stopped drinking milk. I never thought that I'd have problem with milk since he loved Anchor Fresh Milk when we were here just nine months ago. Ngayon ayaw na. We made him try other brands, kahit yung Holly Fresh Milk from Laguna (na pinakamalapit na ang lasa daw sa fresh milk sa Canada), pero di niya talaga gusto. Good thing that he's eating solids naman, unlike in Canada na 80% yata ng daily food diet niya ay milk, kaso pumayat na rin siya talaga.

He understands na walang milk dito na kagaya ng sa Canada (kasi nga walang Walmart o Superstore dito) so he stopped asking for milk na on our 3rd (or 4th?) day. Zest-O tuloy ang ginagawa niyang "dede," which is not good kasi nga matamis yun. Pero di bale na nga muna, tutal three months lang kami dito. Kesa naman hindi kumain (he always eats snacks with Zest-O).

Speaking of solid foods, he's only eating rice kapag Jollibee Chickenjoy. Kaya everyday, at least once, bumibili ako sa Jollibee para may maipakain sa kanya. Ang gastos, two-piece chicken pa dapat kasi nga ayaw nyang kumain ng balat (or any part na may matigas). Nakakasira rin talaga ng ulo. But my mother, the kunsintidor lola, tells me na pagbigyan na. Bilhan na ng Jollibee araw-araw kahit magastos, basta makakain lang. Hay ang hirap if you have a picky-eater child. Pero sabagay kanino pa ba magmamana ito eh di sa amin din ng tatay niya.

O siya, it's past 11pm na and I am sleepy. I promise to blog again tomorrow. Ciao!

PS. Masarap pa rin talaga sa Pinas. I am so happy to be home! =)

We're flying tomorrow

Hello! Sorry if I've been MIA since Friday. Super busy lang because we're flying na tomorrow, January 9 at 12:50am (Vancouver time).

Nag-online check in na kami kaso ang malas, sa dulong-dulo ba naman ang upuan namin! Ang tagtag kaya dun kakaloka! Pero dahil wala ng magagawa, sige isipan na lang ng positive. At least malapit sa washroom. At least wala kaming katabi ni Nathan kasi dalawahan lang. At least mauuna kaming magboard kasi dulo (ang dami naming handcarry!).

It's almost 2am na at ang dami ko pang nililigpit. As usual, excess baggage na naman ako kaya kailangan magbawas. I told myself na konti lang ihahand-carry ko pero eto, sandamakmak na naman. Tsk, wala talaga akong kadala-dala. Goodluck talaga samin ng anak ko bukas.

O siya, I'll try to be back as soon as I can. Tomorrow will be a very long day, me doctor's check-up pa ako sa tanghali.

See you soon, Pinas! Sana maging smooth ang biyahe namin.

#CessieEats 1

This is one of my favorite chocolates in the whole wide world. But too bad, wala akong nakikitang ganito sa Canada. Puro yung creamy milk chocolate with almonds lang. Nakakapagtaka lang talaga considering na made in USA naman ito.

I craved for mocha frappucino a couple of days ago kaya gumora ako sa Starbucks SM Marilao at past 9am (kahit na I have sore eyes and cold). Kilala pa ako nung isang barista doon (halos araw-araw ba naman akong bumibili dati).

Grabe, ang sarap talaga ng frapp sa Pinas! Ternuhan pa ng Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream (na wala rin sa Canada!). Wala na, wala na akong pag-asa talaga pumayat!

What I like most about my life here in Pinas -- I have a scooter and I can drive around at night (when Nathan's asleep) to find some food!

I've read about this McCormick Palabok in one of the mommy blogs here in Pinas. Eh syempre madali akong ma-sway kaya sinubukan ko. Medyo pricey siya at Php127+ per pack ha.

I honestly wanted "us" to work. I planned on bringing a lot sa Canada pagbalik ko kasi mahilig talaga kami sa palabok ng asawa ko. Kaso FAIL! Hindi masarap. Pero marami siya ha, good for 4 servings talaga.

Ahh! This sisig is heaven! Medyo pricey nga lang. Php100 for such a small serving. Presyong pang-resto na.

They actually have a restaurant here in Marilao (that I have yet to visit) but it's good that they put up a small stall across SM Marilao for take-out orders.

I'll try their other dishes too soon!

Just a few minutes ago, my cousins dropped by to bring me mocha frappucino. They went to the wake of Ate Merly (also our cousin), tapos nag-Starbucks sila. I wasn't able to go with them (and the rest of the family) because of TanTan. Gabi na rin kasi, baka makakuha pa ng sakit.

Salamat sa frapp!