Lalin's Birthday Treat (2018)

February 18, 2018 (Sunday). We were supposed to do an early morning picnic at Quezon City Memorial Circle (Lalin will bring all the food) but we changed plans the last minute. There's no way that Raxie and I could make it before 9am so masyado ng mainit. Kaya yun, kain na lang daw sa new favorite mall ko -- UP Town Center.

I told my friends that I can only go/drive to Manila on Sundays kaya naging linggo na talaga ang meet-ups namin.

We were the first to arrive so pinakain muna namin si TanTan sa Jollibee (kasi chickenjoy lang ang gusto nyang kainin kainis). I brought our kasambahay Ate Charry nga pala kasi na-trauma ako the last time I met up with my girls na kami lang ni TanTan. It was so hard! Grabe ang pagod at hirap ko kasi nga ako lahat.

I was thankful because his Ninang Atty. Mels brought something for him that would keep him busy the whole day.

We didn't want to pressure Lalin into spending a lot for us (she's the breadwinner of her family) kaya ayos lang samin ang Rodic's tapsilog. Ang importante magkasama-sama lang kami. But she insisted that we look for a nicer place naman. Raxie suggested Silantro. Sakto naman because Mels wanted to try their food din daw.

Sobrang puno ang restaurant. I didn't expect that we'll wait for almost an hour to be seated. Ang tagal naming tumayo sa labas. Medyo tinotopak na nga rin si Nathan dahil sa inip.

Finally, nakaupo rin! We were all starving!

Truly a "cantina-style."

Here's their menu. Very concise. At affordable nga.

We had...

Beef Nachos

Dinamita

Grilled Pork Chops

Grilled Marlin

Silantro's Pork Ribs

Paella

We liked the food, medyo bitin nga lang because we were all very hungry haha! Hindi na kami nag-order ng additional kasi ang tagal mag-antay eh. I think Lalin only paid around Php1,600. Not bad at all. I want to bring my husband there kapag nagbakasyon siya sa Pinas.

As usual, direcho sa Starbucks after kumain.

While lining up, ito ba naman ang nakita ko -- my two favorite cakes in Starbucks! Waaaah! Pero talagang tiniis kong hindi mag-order hay. #ihateyoudiabetes

My girls with my boy, such a pleasant sight.

Haha, hindi payag ang anak ko na wala siya sa picture.

I am so happy whenever I am with my friends. They are my people. We don't see each other as much as before, but I know they're just there.

Ooops by the way, nakahabol pa ako sa Starbucks planner! Haha, nag-extend kasi sila ng promo duration. Special thanks to Raxie!

And because katatapos lang ng Valentine's Day, Atty. Mels gave us a little gift. We would always give gifts to each other kasi dati kapag araw ng mga puso. Medyo na-guilty nga kami kasi hindi namin naalala haha. Among us, si Mels talaga ang mahilig magbigay ng kung anik-anik.

Thanks, pare ko! =)

So there, another birthday has been celebrated. I am looking forward to two more birthday treats before I leave -- Mich's (super late na kasi last November pa ang birthday niya) and Mels' (sa July pa ang birthday niya pero iaadvance na niya habang nandito pa ako).

I love you, my girls!

#CessieEats 7

Hello! Yep, I am still alive! I apologize for the lack of posts the past week or so because of some health issues. Nakakaloka, ang hina na nga yata ng immune system ko dito sa Pinas kaya kung anu-ano ang naging sakit ko.

Overall, medyo tumataas ang blood sugar level ko dito sa Pinas. When I was in Canada, sobrang controlled ko na talaga eh. Hindi naman ako gaanong nagkakakain dito pero tumataas talaga. In fact, I think I've lost around 3kgs pa nga in the past month. Weird talaga. Hay ayoko na nga munang isipin. Pero dahil usapang pagkain na rin lang, eto ang mga nilapang ko nitong nakaraang mga araw.

1. Reyes Barbeque. Habang nasa Kidzoona si TanTan kasama si Ate Charry (our kasambahay), inaya ko si Mamoosh na kumain sa Reyes Barbeque. I love their pork barbeque (na lumiit na nga lang ngayon) and boneless bangus so I ordered a combo. Nakakamiss din kumain ng Java rice, pero dahil nga lalong sangkatutak ang carbs, hindi ko inubos.

I noticed that they are now selling bottled barbeque marinade and peanut sauce, isipin ko kung magu-uwi ako sa Canada para matikman naman ng asawa ko. Kaso ang tamis din nun eh.

2. Leche Flan from Tita Oya. Hindi ako mahilig sa mga minatamis (thank goodness!) at leche flan lang talaga ang kinakain ko from its kind kaya dinalhan ako ni Tita Oya nito noong bagong dating ako (she bought it from a second cousin). Sobrang nakakamiss talaga! Pero konti-konti lang ang kain syempre at baka tumaas ang sugar. As of now nga pala, wala pa akong alam na bilihan ng masarap na leche flan sa Metro Vancouver. Isa yan sa mga kakaririn kong hanapin kasi gusto ko laging may leche flan kapag media noche (and noche buena na rin).

3. Jollibee Chickenjoy. Umay na umay na ako sa chickenjoy! Nung mga unang araw namin dito, everyday talaga na nagchichikenjoy si TanTan. He doesn't like to eat fried chicken anywhere else! Ang kaso yung laman lang naman ang gusto niya, ayaw niya ng balat or any part na may matigas kaya ako ang tagakain ng mga tira niya kasi sayang syempre. Kaya nga siguro tumataas pa rin ang sugar ko kahit di ako nagra-rice. Buti ngayon every other day na lang kami nagja-Jollibee kasi kumakain na siya ng tinola at fried galunggong sa bahay. Madalas si Mamoosh na rin ang kumakain ng tira niya (which is bad because my mother is diabetic too hay!).

4. Pinoy Breakfast. Kung pwede lang talaga, I would eat this kind of breakfast everyday! Ang sarap sarap ng sinangag sa umaga talaga. Kaso I am limiting my rice intake to once a day lang talaga (minsan lang talaga mag-twice).

 5.  Sinigang na arahan sa miso. Itong mga ganitong isdang may sabaw ang miss na miss kong kainin talaga. How I wish meron nito sa Canada.

6.  Starbucks mocha frappuccino light. One big difference sa pag-uwi ko ngayon kumpara sa dati ay ang frequency ng pagpunta ko sa Starbucks. Syempre bawal na nga kasi huhu. Pero twice na akong nago-order ng mocha frappucino light (na hindi ko na alam kung ilan talaga ang carbs and calories) kasi hindi maiwasan na mapa-Starbucks when I'm with friends. Tambayan nga kasi namin yun. Ang gastos din nga pala kasi I have to order a separate regular frappucino for TanTan kasi favorite niya rin yun.

Oops, if you are wondering kung ano ang lasa ng light frappuccino... mas masarap pa rin kesa regular mocha frappucino sa Canada! I swear!

7. Back to Brown Rice. After noticing na tumataas nga ang sugar ko dito, I told Mamoosh na kailangan ko na talagang mag-brown rice uli. Actually bumili na ako ng brown rice sa SM Hypermarket noong bagong dating ako (around Php60 pero kilo) kaso nakakatamaran kasing iluto. Ako lang naman nga kasi ang kakain (although I was convincing my mother na magswitch na rin). Pero talagang number one enemy ng diabetic ang white rice kaya dapat iwasan.

True enough, when I tested my blood sugar after eating brown rice for lunch (with the same ulam before na katerno ng white rice), mababa nga. So hindi talaga joke lol.

Nga pala, I like the brown rice here. Basta nasasarapan ako na hindi ko napapansin na brown rice pala yun. Tapos ang bilis pang maluto.

8. Andok's Lechon Manok. Dahil umay na nga akong pakainin ng chickenjoy ang anak ko, I tried buying lechon manok naman sa bagong Andok's na malapit sa bahay namin. Sa Canada kasi kumakain naman siya ng roasted chicken.

Hindi ko na pina-cut kasi nga naisip ko sanay naman si TanTan na makita yung buong manok. Kaso nagtatatakbo nang makita ito. Ayaw daw niya! Kahit anong pilit ko, ayaw talaga.

Ang sunog naman daw kasi sabi ni Mamoosh. Tapos hindi pa masarap as in! Nanghinayang ako, sana sa Baliuag Lechon Manok na lang ako bumili. Ang mahal na tapos ang liit pa. Never na uli akong bibili sa Andok's talaga.

Mocha Drizzle

One of my addictions in life is Starbucks' mocha frappucino. I am not a coffee drinker. Hindi rin ako mahilig sa ibang matatamis na beverages. Basta mocha frappucino lang ang gusto ko from Starbucks. Sa Pinas noon halos araw-araw bumibili ako nito, kaya naman grabe itinaba ko lol.

Anyway, when I came here in Canada, nabawasan na ang pagkatakam ko. Kasi ba naman ang tabang ng frappucino nila dito! Oh well, sa lahat naman ng bansang napuntahan ko eh natabangan ako sa frappucino. Iba talaga ang lasa sa Pinas, masarap talaga. Biased nga siguro ako (kasi sanay ako sa frapp ng Pinas) but my friends have the same opinion din eh. Kaya nga I consider Starbucks as one of my big sacrifices din sa pag-migrate ko dito lol.

But aside from the taste, I also noticed na di naglalagay ng chocolate syrup (they call it mocha sauce) ang mga barista sa may whipped cream. Ang corny di ba? Pero may ilang stores (konti lang as in) na naglalagay din naman. Basta in general, wala talaga.

Sometimes, when the baristas aren't busy, I would ask them to put some syrup on my frappucino. Then I would see shock on their faces. Weird ba talaga yun?

The last time I asked a barista, he told me to request it at the counter the next time I order. Ang sungit naman.

Eh di ginawa ko na nga. Ayun, "special order" with matching label sticker pa talaga. At "mocha drizzle" ang tawag.

Trust me, the drizzle makes a lot of difference in taste. Plus I learned that you have to actually mix the whipped cream to the beverage for it to taste better (dati kasi hindi ko hinahalo, kasi nga there's so much calories on the whipped cream di ba). Kaya ngayon masarap-sarap na ang frappucino dito sa panlasa ko.

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Oops, another thing I learned din nga pala sa Starbucks dito, if you want water, tell it in advance. Sabihin mo kasabay ng pag-order mo, or else pipila ka uli. Some stores are generous sa cups, ilalagay talaga nila sa cup ng frappucino with lid pa.

Random Chika # 2

1. Cecil's 34th Birthday. Napilit namin si Cecilia na magpa-pancit sa birthday niya. Wala talagang plano because her husband's still in Fort McMurray working (20 days work, 10 days off). Pero dahil bored kami, kailangan may kainan.

Joy and I ordered a chocolate cake from Julie's Bakeshop. It costs $20.99 + 5% tax. Ayaw namin ng ibang cake kasi masasayang lang. Iba talaga ang cake ng Pinoy eh.

Gusto kong himatayin when I saw the writing! Ang pangit ng sulat kalurkey! Too bad it was an impromptu celebration kaya wala akong time mag-customize ng decor. Buti na lang may candles akong stock.

I was so full! Simple ang handa pero ang sarap! We had mais con hielo too because it was too hot.

Happy happy birthday, Cecilia!

2. Cooking Pancit. I promised myself that I will learn how to cook pancit in the Philippines. I think it's a must. Masyadong mahal ang pancit kung palaging oorderin lalo na kung may celebration.

Obet's pancit canton

3. Canada knocked out by England at FIFA Women's World Cup. Not that I am interested on this sport but Ford was watching this early tonight. I felt sad for Canada. Little by little, nagiging Canadian at heart na rin ako.

4. It's so hot! Today is Saturday and I never had an inkling to go out. I stayed in our airconditioned bedroom and just went out to cook, eat, and clean the dishes.

I made lambing to Ford, sabi ko nagke-crave ako sa Starbucks frappucino. He went out and bought a venti for me. Thanks, dear!

5. It'll be hotter tomorrow! Oh my! We'll fetch Ate June pa naman from the airport tomorrow noon (she vacationed in Toronto) and we'll have lunch. Then we're going to a barbeque party in the park in the afternoon. Allan, one of the Noralta pips, invited us eh. Goodluck samin sa init!

Free birthday drinks from Starbucks

I received an email from Starbucks a couple of days before my birthday 'reminding' me to redeem my free birthday reward from them.

Whoaah! I almost forgot this reward! I haven't been drinking Starbucks na kasi since January. In fact, my Starbucks card (that Pod has given me when as part of my 'welcome gift') is still loaded. Even prior to my pregnancy, I kinda stopped drinking mocha frappucino na (I am an ADDICT in Pinas) because I find its taste here to be bland. Wala pang chocolate syrup or mocha sauce on top.

Anyway, I checked my Starbucks account online and confirmed that I indeed can claim a free drink or food on my birthday. I was so happy! I miss getting freebies haha!

Unlike in the Philippines where you can claim just a free cake on your birthday (and you have to BUY a drink), here you have to option to choose a drink - which is more sulit because it's more expensive than any other pastry. You also can also get any size you want.

After my birthday dinner at River Cree, Ford and I claimed my free mocha frapp at the nearby Starbucks.

POD -- Oh bat ang laki naman? (referring to the venti size)
BIM -- Syempre naman noh, sayang free lang naman hehe!

I took a few sips (three I think), which is bad because I promised myself "zero sweets" until I've given birth. But it was my birthday naman, so I gave in haha! Ford consumed the rest of the drink.

Thank you, Starbucks!

Mr. & Mrs. Blanco, Year 2

Our second year wedding anniversary celebration was quite modest as compared to last year (we went to Taiwan for 4 days) but it's nevertheless as memorable. We are now together here in Edmonton and we are grateful.

Inasmuch as we want to travel, we are preparing for something big in less than two weeks so we opted to save our energy and resources for that.

Our anniversary this 2014 fell on a weekend and we were glad that we had lots of time to spend together (sabagay, palagi naman!). To be honest, I was quite unsure on what date to celebrate our anniversary with. The Philippines is 15 hours ahead than Edmonton and we got married there, hence my inclination to celebrate on Philippine time. But of course, we now live in Edmonton so we have to also 'respect' the date and time here. Oh well, sige na nga... isang mahabang selebrasyon na lang!

We spent the Saturday eating out, malling, meeting up with a friend, and video chatting with our BFF Raxie. It was a fun day.

And on Sunday, kaming dalawang lang. We woke up late and we were starving so we went to Pinoy Grill for a cheap Filipino lunch buffet. We went home after visiting a furniture shop and slept again.

In the evening, we headed South for our anniversary dinner.

Ford has always been curious about State & Main (located in Southgate Mall) so we wanted to give it a try. He's read so many good reviews daw. Also, we are steak lovers so all important occasions in our lives must be graced by presence of some steak lol!

We always choose different entrees and we share.

The Empire State

Kansas City Back Ribs

We are happy that the food and service were good. We liked the atmosphere too. Thankfully I had the guts to ask our server to transfer us to another table. We were originally seated in a not-so-nice area of the restaurant and I wasn't comfortable. It felt like we were isolated. When you dine in a restaurant, you also pay for the ambiance so you better assert your rights.

One of the things I've noticed here in Edmonton is that very few people are taking pictures. When I asked a server to take our picture, he was a bit surprised. In the Philippines, all waiters and waitresses are used to requests of diners to take their pictures.

This was our one and only decent picture of the night. State & Main is a bar so medyo madilim.

I asked Ford to pose for me outside. Kaloka, parang walang katao-tao noh? And it was only 8pm!

After dinner, where else would we go but Starbucks?

I promised myself that we will have a yearly cake to commemorate our anniversary but I wasn't able to plan it well this year. Lipat-bahay mode na kasi ako kaya nakalimutan ko talaga. Si Ford pa ang nag-remind sa akin.

We dropped by Saved-on-Foods to buy a small cake but we ended up buying chocolate cupcakes na lang. Sayang kasi ang cake, walang kakain. Ford and I are not into those types of sweets eh. Ironic, I know. I love looking at cakes but I don't like eating them.

And so just like that, January 12 is now officially over. Ahh, I still couldn't believe it na nakadalawang-taon na kami!

I am blessed to have a very good, responsible, and gentle husband. I couldn't ask for more.

Cheers to our two years!

Welcome gift package from the Husband

This is such a late post. But it's better late than never, right?

I arrived in Edmonton last November 6 and when we reached my husband's place, this warmly welcomed me...

Isn't my husband the sweetest? We have no other family nor friends to help him welcome me here in Canada so he did everything by himself!

Let me briefly enumerate (and explain) the contents of his welcome gift package:

• PURPLE BALLOON. Balloons make me happy. I prefer balloons over flowers. He chose a purple one because it was our wedding motif. This color eventually became our official couple color.

• LOUIS VUITTON WALLET. He bought this wallet a couple of months ago (when he thought my visa would be released already) and had my initials CRB engraved on it. He said that since I'd be starting a new life here, I will be needing a new wallet to carry my new cards, etc. LV is my favorite luxury brand, by the way. 

• MICHAEL KORS BAG. He purchased this bag weeks ago at Cross Iron Mills in Calgary. I am a bag-lover and a purse never fails to thrill me.

• BMO CREDIT CARD. Ford is not only sweet, he is uber generous as well! He made sure that I'll have my own card (albeit an extension of his card) the moment I arrive. 

• STARBUCKS CARD. The Starbucks card was a recent phenomenon in the Philippines and I was sad that I wasn't able to enjoy it fully yet (I am a self-confessed Starbucks addict). Ford got me a Canadian Starbucks card to wipe away my bitterness haha! 

• DOLLARAMA GIFT CARD. Dollarama is my wasteland! I fell in love with this store last year when I came here in Edmonton for a six-week visit. Haha, my husband knew I would do some Dollarama shopping the moment I arrive so he bought a gift card for me. Aaaaw! 

• SHOPPING MONEY. I didn't have any winter clothes and boots prior to my coming here so the husband promised me some shopping money to buy what I need -- a sort of clothing allowance lol!

• HELLO KITTY COIN BANK. The coin bank actually came from the Philippines (I am a kitty addict, too!). When he went home last January to attend his brother's wedding, he asked me to give him a coin bank so that he can "deposit" a hundred dollar (which later on became two hundred) every pay check. This would be my bag fund, according to him. The day I arrived, that kitty coin bank already contained $4,600! I was amazed! 

• WELCOME BANNER. My husband is left-brained and never creative. Therefore this simple banner was already an effort for him. I can never ask for more.

Thanks so much, Dear! I really really appreciate this! 

I love you and I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you. Mwah! 

Starbucks + Tim Hortons = Happy Cessie

My new favorite snack combination -- Starbucks' Mocha Frappucino and Tim Hortons' Chocolate Dip Donuts!

November 17, 2013