Lunch at Gerry's Grill

My BFF Raxie came over here in Marilao again last Saturday (January 20) to spend time with me and Nathan. But because I don't want to hassle Mamoosh (since we've had late lunch already), I asked Raxie to just meet us at SM Marilao first so we could just eat lunch there.

Raxie arrived first so she called me and asked where I want to eat. She mentioned Max's which I instantly negated lol. Umay na ako sa Max's sa Vancouver haha! I suddenly remembered that I haven't eaten at Gerry's Grill in SM Marilao yet since it opened around two years ago so I suggested it. Oks daw. We both love sisig and calamares kaya ayos.

We waited for a couple of minutes before we were lead to a booth table. The receptionist was nice. Overly nice na nga eh haha.

Raxie didn't want to order a lot, kasi baka di raw namin maubos. Both of us are watching our diet kaya kelangang magigil sa pagkain.

We just ordered calamari for appetizer.

And pork sisig and inihaw na liempo as main dishes. Plus one cup of rice lang since I'll be eating Nathan's leftover pa kasi Jollibee chickenjoy ang lunch nya (na tinake-out ni Ninang Raxie for him).

Raxie ordered green mango shake din pala kasi init na init siya.

Nakakamiss din kumain sa Gerry's. But I might not dine there again in the near future haha. Ang liit na ng servings nila. Or baka nasanay lang din ako sa malalaking servings sa Canada? Haha, bitin ang food. Buti na lang nga may leftover pa na chicken si Nathan. Hindi na kami nagdagdag ng order kasi nga it will take a while, baka wala na rin ang momentum namin pagdating ng food.

This was our bill. I made the mistake of thinking na walang service charge kasi I looked on the lower left side -- VAT sales, 12% VAT, at Total lang ang nakita ko. I didn't know na may VAT din pala ang service charge? I gave the Php50 bill plus the coins as tip.

Tataasan ako ng kilay sa Canada (at lalo na sa America) kapag nalaman nila yan. Unacceptable haha. Kasi at least 12% DAW dapat. I guess Pinoys are just kuripot in giving tips kasi nga mahirap ang buhay dito. Kumbaga, niraraos lang din ng karamihan sa atin ang pagkain sa labas so masyadong malaki ang PHp95 pesos para ibigay lang (on top of the service charge). And no, hindi dahil balikbayan ako eh dapat generous ako haha. Kasi nga jobless naman ako sa Canada noh, humihingi lang din ako sa asawa ko.

The kuripot side of me was really nanghinayang. Naisip ko sana we ate somewhere else na lang, baka mas nasatisfy pa kami. Namamahalan na rin akong kumain sa mga restos dito sa Pinas, fast food gal lang talaga ako. Feeling ko kasi ordinary lutong-bahay lang naman ang food ng Gerry's.

By the way, I saw this stamped notice at the back of my receipt. Hindi ko mareconcile sa utak ko kung bakit kailangang issurender ang receipt in exchange of a free item. Hindi ba pwedeng ipakita na na lang? What will they do with the returned receipts? Hindi ide-declare?

New books from Raxie

I stopped buying books when I migrated to Canada. Pricey kasi ang books doon, hindi afford ng jobless self ko. Saka I really have this reluctance to buy things na alam kong makukuha ko ng mura sa iba, kaya hindi talaga ako bibili hangga't maaari.

So I took advantage of our Christmas wish list para makapag-request ng books na gusto ko sa friends ko dito sa Pinas haha. Mas mura nga kasi ang mga libro dito.

Sa Sunday (January 28) pa actually ang super late Christmas party naming girls but Raxie already handed to me her gift last Saturday.

That my son excitedly opened!

I now have an official gift opener. =)

And taraaaan, my new books!

Yey, My Crazy Rich trilogy is complete! My bilas actually gave me a link of Rich People Problems so I could read it online pero mas happy talaga ako magbasa ng actual book. I am old school that way.

Philippine Price: Php795.00

This book is not included in my wish list naman kasi nakalimutan ko. It was only later that I told Raxie about it, sabi ko dagdag sa listahan ko. Meaning, pwedeng isa sa mga options niya na bilhin. But my ever-generous BFF can't be stopped, talagang binili nya yung dalawang books na request ko haha!

Philippine Price: Php695.00

Thanks so much, Raxie! Super happy ako! Ang problem ko na lang ngayon is to find time para makapagbasa nang hindi iniistorbo ng batang makulit. =)

Better late than never

August 1, 2017. Ford handed me this postcard the moment he stepped in our apartment. I got confused. I was actually expecting a postcard from my BFF Raxie but not that soon (I just sent her my address the previous night).

When I looked into the postcard, it was indeed from Raxie (who else?). But the card's not from Japan (where she was that time) but from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Huwhaaaat?!?!

I already thought that it could be one of the two postcards from Raxie that 'didn't make it.' But hello, that was two years ago! As in 2015 pa!

I checked on my IG posts and found this:

Itong Chiang Mai post card nga na dumating ang isa sa mga missing. Nakakaloka! Raxie sent it to my Edmonton address in August 2015 pa (I was vacationing in Pinas that time).

TWO YEARS LATE. Posible palang dumating pa ang letter/card after two years! Di ko talaga ma-reconcile sa utak ko haha. Even Raxie was so shocked! I have to idea kung kaninong 'fault' ba ito, sa Thailand o Canada Post. Oh well, better late than never.

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So how did this postcard still reach me now that we're living in BC?

I would have to commend my husband for subscribing to Canada Post's mail forwarding service. At first I didn't know na meron palang ganito. Pero dahil uso nga dito sa North America ang pamove-move ng tirahan/province, eto na nga.

My husband subscribed for a year and paid $104.25. It was a good decision because we didn't have to worry anymore about our incoming mails, especially those job-related ones (like T4 from previous employers, etc.).

I was very impressed with the service. Ang efficient kasi. We received our first redirected mail on October 5, 2016 (we arrived here on October 2).

Too bad our subscription is about to expire on September 28, 2017. So I have until that day to wait for the last missing postcard lol.

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By the way, I finally received the Japan Postcard the other day (August 9). It only took 8-9 days to arrive.

Thank you, my BFF Raxie, for always remembering me during your travels!

Four cards

We only received four Christmas cards this year. They are from Mels, Raxie, Ate June, and a client of Ford's firm.

I know that it's not good to expect but I was really wishing we'd receive a bit more. When you're living in a faraway winter wonderland, a greeting card is the only tangible gift that you can receive from your loved ones.

This is another reason why I am already discouraged to send cards. Maybe people really are not into cards anymore. Perhaps they don't appreciate it as much as I do. Mailing cards is probably just a waste of time, energy, and money.

I don't know what will my feelings be next year. Let's see.

Remote meet-up with my girls

I "left" my four girls when I immigrated here in Canada. We've been together since college and I've become so dependent on them for the most part of my adult life. Yes, we are the 'Sex and the City' girls-like, in its truest sense. We would always meet-up, dine, and talk about life, love, and relationships. They are my sisters from different mothers. I truly miss them.

We are now in our mid-30s and things have changed. Two of us have gotten married, one became a single mom, and the other two are still enjoying their single life. Raxie and I went abroad (she's been working in Kuala Lumpur since 2007) while the rest are in Pinas. Different fates, I tell you, but we've remained loyal to each other. We may have become occupied with our respective daily toils but the friendship and the 'time for the girls' will always be there.

Last September 20, S014 - Saturday at 9pm, (September 21, 2014 - Sunday at 11am in the Philippines and Malaysia) we all agreed to an online meet-up. Because I am pregnant, they adjusted on my available time. The Pinas girls went to Buffet 101 in Libis for lunch while me and Raxie were at home. We used Hangouts as our medium.

The remote meet-up was so fun! I haven't talked to the three Pinay girls in 'web cam' for a very long time so I missed seeing them 'in action.' They are not very techie eh haha, we would only just communicate through our Facebook group. It is only Raxie who I often talk to in Facetime.

Lalin and Mitch

Atty. Mels

Queen Raxie

My girls

Picture courtesy of Raxie

I hope we could do this more often. As adults, we have more responsibilities now so scheduling a common free time could be a bit of a challenge. But if there's a will, there's a way right?

I love you, my girls! Cheers to a lasting friendship!

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Oops, before I forget, I would like to congratulate my Parang Mels and her husband Wahid because she told us two days ago that she is pregnant again! Haha, we were shocked! She's just given birth to her second son last November 30, 2013 eh. Oh well, a baby is always a blessing! Yebaah, kuya na rin si Chicklet! =)

Raxie's Day

My BFF Raxie is celebrating her birthday today (yesterday actually in Malaysian time)...

And because we are thousands of miles apart, we couldn't celebrate this special day together like we always used to (since we we out of college). But nevertheless, I am with her in spirit!

I am glad she received the birthday card I sent her ON TIME! I was quite worried that she'll receive it late because I was only able to mail it last July 31.

Happy happy 34th birthday, my friend! You are indeed one of my life's greatest blessings so I'll forever be grateful!

Looking forward to celebrating our birthdays again together soon! Mwah!

Will miss traveling...

I finally received yesterday the Maldives postcard that Raxie sent me last month...

Oh, how I miss Raxie! And I miss our travels, too!

My BFF Raxie's been my constant travel buddy since we were out from college. We've been to many places, experienced many things together. Last August, for my last hurray before I migrated, we went to Iloilo-Bacolod-Guimaras to celebrate our birthday. She even came back to Pinas (she's currently based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) just to travel with me. I love her to bits!

How time flies! From being a carefree single gal, I am now traveling to a different path - motherhood. Raxie, on the other hand, is having the time of her life. With a good career and disposable money, she can continue going places!

I am so looking forward to traveling with Raxie again, but I know it won't be easy. With Chicklet now present in my life, I am not as free as before. I also am not working (blame it to Chicklet again haha!) so budget will be a concern. With mortgages and other bills continuously coming in, expensive travels won't be a priority as of now.

I guess I just have to contented with what I have. I'll just wait for more postcards (and ref magnets) that Raxie will be sending me haha!

Thanks again for this, Raxie! Travel more! I'd be with you in spirit! :)

My Girls and Abram

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

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

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

Picture courtesy of Mels

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

Picture courtesy of Laling

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

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

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

Christmas Cards 2013

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

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

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

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

I am happy na nakarating before Christmas ang mga cards.

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

Then it was Raxie's turn to receive.

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

Then my friend Lalin...

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

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

Our Christmas 2013

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

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

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

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

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

Here's our main handa:

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

BAKED SALMON. Another favorite of ours.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Friday Night = Chicharon Night

The first time I came here in Canada (and that was June last year), the Immigration Officer at Vancouver Airport asked me if I brought some corned beef and chicharon (yep, she prounounced it with a slang!) with me. Knowing that we are not allowed to bring anything meat or with meat in this country, I confidently said no.

Filipinos have obviously become notorious in bringing in these two goods here in Canada. Although I understand that we want to take a part of 'home' with us when we go to another country, my stand is that we should put premium in FOLLOWING the rules of the society we are heading to. Tayo ang maga-adjust, hindi sila. And don't ever argue that you are not aware of what the rules are, it's your task to know.

Anyway, Pinoy chicharon lovers in Canada need not worry because supermarkets and grocery stores here also sell chicharon! Yep, even Walmart! Hindi nga lang gawang Pinas pero ok na rin, kasing-lasa rin naman.

More Pinoy-looking chicharons can of course be found in smaller Filipino stores. In fact, we discovered so many chicharon variety at Empanada Convenience Store last Sunday but we have yet to try them.

We bought this particular pack at Lucky 97 Supermarket. It costs $3.14 (tax included) or around Php129.00. Not bad huh.

Anyway, last Friday (November 22) was "chicharon night." We were not able to prepare something nice for dinner because I asked Ford during lunch time to drop me of at West Edmonton Mall so I can window shop for the rest of the afternoon. He then picked me up after work and we just had some Chinese meal at T&T Supermarket.

When we got home, we tried the Hangouts apps and (video) called my bestie Raxie who's currently based in Kuala Lumpur. It was already Saturday morning there so she was available for some online kulitan.

We deliberately munched chicharon (dipped in sukang maasim with sili)  in 'front' of her to tease her. Malaysia is a Muslim country kaya deprived ang kaibigan ko sa chicharon hahaha!