Random Chika # 8

1. Kidzoona in SM Marilao. OMG! As in OMG! Magkaka-Kidzoona na pala sa SM Marilao! I only learned about it last January 28 (Chinese New Year) kasi hindi ako nagagawi sa parteng iyon ng SM. I am so happy! Imagine, hindi ko na dadalhin si Nathan sa Robinson's Malolos para maglaro.

Akala ko exclusive lang sa Robinson Malls ang Kidzoona. Ini-invade na rin pala nila ang SM.

Too bad sa March 4 pa ang opening. Kung kelan malapit na kaming umalis. Grrr.

2.  Happy Chinese New Year! I urged my mother to buy this. Mahilig siya sa mga ganyan eh.

CES -- Mamoosh, kain naman tayo sa labas to celebrate Chinese New Year.

MAMOOSH -- Bakit, Chinese ka ba?

CES -- Hindi po. Pero lagi akong napagkakamalang Intsik! (Which is true!)

We ended up eating dinner at Chowking (plus Master Siomai!).

3. Jollibee Supermeal. I am glad Jollibee came up with this. Para sa mga katulad kong matakaw haha! Php125 only!

4.  Kiddie Meal Toy Set. I've completed this set in 3 days. Pero mas natuwa pa yata ako kaysa sa anak ko haha!

There was a time in my life when I collected ALL happy and kiddie meal toys that were released in the market. Hoarder lang ang peg. But I am happier now kasi may anak na akong makikinabang haha!

5. My cousin's funeral. Another first cousin of mine died last January 25. The last time I came home, may namatay din akong pinsan (November 2015). Both were in their 50s. Hay, maikli lang yata talaga ang buhay ng mga miyembro ng pamilya namin.

We had to drive to Hagonoy for the funeral. Konti lang ang nakipaglibing because it was too far.

We were all hungry after the libing so we dropped by Pat's Palabok House in Guiguinto before going home. There were 15 of us.

We had palabok and lugaw.

6.  Miss Universe in Pinas. Sa wakas, natapos na rin last January 30 ang Miss Universe. Umay na umay na rin kasi ako talaga. Miss France won.

Naalala ko pa nung unang ginanap sa Pinas ang Miss Universe (1994). Grabe ang hype, Parang sobrang big deal talaga. Parang sa event na yun umikot ang mundo ng mga Pinoy for several weeks. Ngayon parang ordinaryong pageant lang ang dating sakin nito. Baka sa akin lang naman, kasi nga KJ ako.

7.  Balatski's visit. Balatski and her two kids came over to our house for a few hours to visit me and Nathan. They were just here in the Philippines for a week kasi may kailangan silang lakarin.

Balat is like a sister to me and I've missed her so much! The last time we saw each other was in January 2013 pa.

Too bad we weren't able to make chika talaga because of our kids! Ang gugulo nila haha! Sana makapagkwentuhan na kami nang maayos next time.

Pic courtesy of Balatski (It was so hot that day kaya hulas na hulas ako huhu!)

8. Fruit and Nut Chocolate. I am a very boring chocolate-eater. I only eat those plain ones. Yung secretary na lang namin ang nag-enjoy hehe. Balatski never fails to bring me some pasalubong whenever she comes home (they're based in UAE).

9.  Jollibee at 12:30am. I am so thankful that we have a 24-Hour Jollibee and McDonald's nearby. May nakakainan ako kapag tulog na si TanTan hehe.

Sakto one night that I was so hungry, pauwi from work ang pinsan ko. Nalibre tuloy!

Thanks, MackyMacMac!

10. Ten-Peso Ride. I was so happy when I discovered this "ride" in SM Marilao (near the foodcourt). Imagine, two 5-peso coins lang ang kelangan para umandar. At matagal siya ha, around 3 minutes yata.

My little boy was so happy the first time. Naka-two rides siya. Nung bumalik kami after a few days, di na siya ganun ka-happy. Saglit pa lang siya sa second ride niya eh umayaw na.

Nung huling punta namin, nakita nya yung rides pero dedma na. Nahilo yata siya noon kaya ganun.

Sayang. Akala ko nakatagpo na ako ng cheap entertainment for my son. Tsk.

#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!

Random Chika # 7

1. Buck or Two Plus! I discovered this store last week at the Surrey Central Mall. Matalas talaga ang mata ko sa mga dollar stores. I went inside to survey their items. Ok naman, lalo na yung mga balloons nila. Ang daming klase talaga!

When I googled this store, I learned na may ganito rin pala sa Edmonton. Meron yata sa Londonderry Mall! Kaloka, bakit hindi ko alam?!?

Anyway, happy na rin ako. Another wasteland for me!

2. Happy Meal. Whenever Nathan would see McDonald's, ayun magtuturo na. Hindi titigil hanggang hindi kami bumibili ng french fries.

Kaso mas mabisyo si Mommy. Di mapakali pag nakakita ng cute na happy meal toys.

I used to collect happy meal toys when I was in college. As in lahat talaga ng lumalabas eh binibili ko. Now that I have a child, may legitimate reason na ako na mag-happy meal uli haha! Pero mas magandang bumili ng happy meal kapag may coupon, mahal din kasi kapag regular price.

It's my mom who likes/loves Snoopy!

3. Fried Squid Again. We didn't know where to eat dinner last Wednesday night so rushed to the Richmond Public Market again for some cheap Chinese fix. But it was past 7pm already and there's no more fried squid in the stall where we get it. Buti na lang meron pang natira doon sa isa (Captain Wa) or else maglulupasay talaga ako. Masarap naman din, pero mas masarap talaga sa Asian Foods.

4.  Filipino Version. I got so kilig when I saw a Filipino text version of PC Plus' (Real Canadian Superstore's rewards card) ads. Nakakatuwa kasi acknowledged nila ang malaking Filipino community dito.

5. Motorcycle Accident. It was my first time to see a motorcycle accident here in Canada. Kapag summer lang kasi may motor sa Edmonton, kasi nga sobrang lamig doon at ma-snow.

When we were planning to move here in BC, Ford kept on telling me that he would buy a motorcycle because he can use it here all year round. Wala nga kasing snow at hindi kalamigan. Ako man, I want to get a small motorcyle, a Vespa perhaps. Haha, asa pa.

But I am amazed talaga sa rescue system dito sa Canada. Kung sa Pinas ka nadisgrasya, goodluck na lang sa iyo.

By the way, first to rescue daw ang bumbero dito basta tumawag ka ng emergency. Kahit ano pa mang kaso, mauuna ang bumbero kasi trained sila for first aid. It didn't make sense to me, sabi ko sayang ang resources at manpower. Tsk, third world mentality pa rin talaga.

Random Chika # 6

1. Hotwheels. Nathan's always been into "broom broom." Dugong Reyes nga yata talaga. Now that he's bigger, I'd start buying him metal match boxes na. Ok pala ang Hotwheels, made in Malaysia (at
hindi sa China). Mura lang sa ang mga ito sa Walmart ($1.25) at Dollarama ($1.50). Plus tax pa syempre.

2. Goldilocks Cake. We got invited to Tito Harold's "surprise" birthday party last October 7 (Friday). There's a Goldilocks branch in Guildford Mall so we went there to get a cake.

Their cakes are not similar to what are being sold in the Philippines. Ibang-iba ang itsura, di tulad sa Red Ribbon sa US na kamukha talaga (pati ang pastries).

There weren't much choices so I ended up choosing this round choco 'something' cake. It costs $23.25 -- not cheap considering na maliit lang siya. According to the friendly staff, it's a "thaw" cake. Kailangan palipasin ng one hour bago kainin.

They asked me if I want some flower decors for the cake. I was hesitant kasi nga panlalake. But they suggested a 'blue and yellow theme' so sige. Eto ang finished product.

There were many cakes in the party but I was happy kasi yung dala namin ang ginamit for the 'blowing of the cake.' Siguro kasi personalized, saka the guests wanted to taste na rin the cake.

In fairness, masarap siya. Even Ford (who's not into sweets) liked it. Sulit na rin.

Happy birthday, Tito Harold! 

3.  Lakompake Book. This is the very first book na hahanapin/ bibilin ko sa Pinas pag-uwi ko next month. Sana may stock na by then kasi sa ngayon eh nagkakaubusan daw. Haha, tawang-tawa kasi ako talaga kay Senyora!

4. Food Trip sa Richmond Public Market. We regret buying combo meals at one of the food stalls in Richmond Public Market, hindi kasi ganun kasarap. Pero mura ha, $7.50 lang tatlong ulam na.

Pero the best talaga ang fried suid. $8.50 lang super dami na. Hay, I am craving for it now! Makabalik nga dun uli bukas.

5. Aling Mary's Kutsinta. Meron nito sa Edmonton eh, pero di ko pinapansin. Di naman kasi ako mahilig sa kutsinta. Pero dahil made in Surrey ito, sige tinikman na ng asawa ko.

Ang verdict -- hindi masarap! Sobrang artificial ng lasa, ang layo sa totoong kutsinta. I wonder kung meron ba dito talaga na me gusto nito? Oh well, siguro meron nga kasi ang tagal na nito sa market eh.

My husband tried to finish it kasi sayang, kaso di na talaga keri ng powers niya. Kaya ayan, tapon na ang tatlong piraso.

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.

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!).