Some Thoughts on Saladmaster

One Hello Kitty friend (way back in Pinas pa since around 2005) who is now based in California messaged me last Friday, asking me if Ford and I could spare 30 minutes to one hour to watch her cooking demo. Kailangan lang daw kasi nyang maka-pool ng 5 virtual presentations for the weekend. No pressure on sale naman daw.

I admit, hesitant ako kasi familiar naman ako sa product niya at alam ko ring super mahal ng Saladmaster noh. Pero dahil I wanted to help, sige na nga tutal eh nasa bahay lang naman kami (at wala ring mae-excuse lol). So sabi ko 3pm na lang ng Sunday, May 31.

My super bait husband, who do not cook, patiently sat with me. Noong una kasi ang sabi ko baka pwedeng ako na lang, to spare my husband of the one-hour ordeal, pero nagrequest ang friend ko na kung pwede kahit sa initial picture ay makasama si Ford. Kailangan daw kasi na mag-asawa ang manonood para sa quick decision-making on purchase (just in case). Hindi naman nga kasi birong halaga ang Saladmaster. I asked Ford to sit with me na lang din sa whole duration ng presentation para mapagbigyan na nga lang din si Hello Kitty Friend.

I won't delve na into the content of the presentation. Usual marketing na yun. Basta nagka-capitalize sila sa idea ng healthy-cooking blah blah.

Now here are some of my thoughts:

(1) Saladmaster na daw ang pinakamahal na cookware sa buong mundo. Grabe nga ang presyo! Yung non-smoke griller na nasa left ng picture, that's around USD1,200+ na plus taxes and shipping pa. So aabutin ng around USD1,400 (or CAD2,016 / Php72,800)! Kahit gaano kaganda ang quality niya, mahirap pa ring lunukin na ganun siya kamahal.

(2) Even if I have money to spare, hindi pa rin siguro ako bibili ng Saladmaster. Hindi naman nga kasi ako mahilig sa magluto. I cook lang out of necessity. In fact, I never cooked in the Philippines when I was living there, never akong nagka-interes. Kaya hindi ko kailangan ng mamahaling mga gamit pangkusina. Ok pa sa aking bilhin ang mga cute na plato, pang-Instagram haha!

(3) My friend Mylene from Edmonton, who has a few Saladmaster pieces, was convincing me to buy din nga. Maganda naman talaga at "sulit." I concede naman na siguro talagang maganda nga (virtual presentation lang kasi ang nangyari sa amin dahil sa pandemic kaya hindi ko nakita nang personal ang products at natikman ang mga naluto) pero a USD1,300-casserole won't give me joy. Bibili na lang ako ng Louis Vuitton, seriously.

(4) If a Canadian is contemplating to buy a Saladmaster, now is not the time to buy. Sadsad na sadsad ang Canadian dollar ngayon, USD1.00 = CAD1.44. Sobrang lugi ka. Antay mo na lang na tumaas uli ang CAD (Oh well, kelan pa kaya?).

(5) During this pandemic, may bibili kaya ng ganito kamahal na panluto?

(6) My Saladmaster friend was aking me for referrals, kung may kakilala raw ako na pwede nyang pag-present-an. I honestly can't think of anyone who will be willing to shell out a small fortune for a cookware.

(7) My husband just 'inquired' about the griller kasi nga mahilig siya sa ihaw. Pero sa totoo lang, hindi na namin kailangan ng ihawan kasi bukod sa outdoor grills namin, meron na rin kaming pang-samgyup at air fryer for indoor use. So aanhin pa yun?

(8) Ang sabi ng asawa ko, for lifetime use na ang mga Saladmaster na yan kaya masusulit din naman nga raw. Susko, ayoko naman gumamit ng isang kaserola na lang sa buong buhay ko. Masawain din naman ko sa gamit kaya ayos lang na hindi mamahalin ang mga kaldero ko para mapalitan ko rin sila.

(9) As much as possible, kapag walang balak talagang bumili, umiwas na lang din sa mga demo-demo. Ang hirap-hirap kasing tumanggi in the end. Kung small amount lang sana, ang sarap sa pakiramdam na pagbigyan ang isang kaibigan eh. Kaso thousand dollars ang pinag-uusapan dito. Yung sulit package na inooffer nila is around CAD5,500! Kahit siguro type na type ko ang cookware eh never akong magpapabili sa asawa ko nun.

(10) Ilang percent kaya ang commission ng mga ahente ng Saladmaster? They must be getting so much kasi nga super mahal ng products nila eh. 


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PS. I have nothing against Saladmaster products ha. Opinyon ko lang po ang mga nasa itaas.

I sincerely wish my friend goodluck sa raket niyang ito. She's been selling Saladmaster for so many years now at mukhang successful naman siya. I politely told her na lang na now is not a good time nga for us to buy and true enough, hindi siya nagpilit. She just smiled and thanked me, at nagrequest na nga lang ng referrals. =)

#CessieEats 6

1. Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken. Ford and I rarely like the same food. Incompatible talaga kami. But this popcorn chicken of Yougo Chicken (Aberdeen Centre Foodcourt) is our mutual love. Lagi namin itong inoorder kasi ang sarap talaga, albeit medyo salty (kaya kailangan ng Diet coke).

2. Crispy Pata and Caldereta. After watching the Santa Claus Parade in downtown Vancouver last December 3, 2017, we went to Aling Ening Restaurant in Fraser Street to have late lunch. Aling Ening is a turo-turo restaurant. Wala ng gaanong food nung dumating kami kasi past 3pm na yata nun, wala na kami halos mapili. We ended up with one whole crispy pata (cooked na, ininit na lang) and caldereta. Masarap naman ang caldereta, sobrang konti nga lang. Ok din ang crispy pata kaso walang sauce na kasama. I just made my own by mixing soy sauce and vinegar. We paid $23.65 for these, including 2 cups of rice.

3. Taho. Halos katabi ng ng Aling Ening ang O! Taho so we bought na rin 2 liters of taho for take-home. We paid $12.

It's August pa since we last bought taho so talagang nasabik kami. Ang sarap! However, we realized na sobrang nakakataas pala ng sugar kaya dapat konting-konti lang per meal (na ang hirap gawin). My husband didn't eat the remaining taho that I left for him, natapon ko tuloy.

4. Fresh Slice Pizza. I know that I am not to eat pizza pero kapag wala na talaga akong makain for dinner at ayaw ko ng rice, I would end up buying a slice of all-meat pizza sa foodcourt ng Guildford Town Centre (the mall just across our place). I've tested my blood sugar level at hindi naman tumataas kapag one slice lang. Also, whenever I eat only this for dinner, bumababa ang weight ko kinabukasan haha.

5. Mother-and-Son's late Lunch. I was too lazy to cook lunch last Thursday (Dec. 7) so I brought Nathan to the foodcourt of Guildford. As usual, KFC fried chicken for him and 1 slice of pizza for me.

Too bad, sayang ito. My son only eats the chicken eh (ayaw niya ng fries ng KFC). Di ko naman makain kasi nga carbs ito. If only I could just order chicken, kaso meal yan eh.

6. Some greens, finally! We've been eating a lot of meat lately, di ko na talaga ma-take. I am getting old na talaga, di na ako ok sa puro karne. I only had pechay (bok choy) in the ref kaya I cooked nilagang pork neck bones. Tsk, karne pa rin.

7. La Meza Grill's Sisig. I have yet to find sisig here in BC that I like. Hindi ko masyadong type ang lasa nito eh, pero gusto naman ng asawa ko (sabi na eh, magkaiba kami ng gustong pagkain). Pero $9.95 lang ito (plus 5% tax and tip) kaya ok na rin na pamatid-craving.

Thanksgiving Day 2016

And I thought this year's Thanksgiving Day will pass without us doing anything.

As I've mentioned before, I am a fan of celebrating occasions. Gusto ko lahat talaga sine-celebrate kahit papano. That's why when I came to live here in Canada, natuwa ako. Nadagdagan nga kasi ng "Thanksgiving Day" ang listahan ng mga dapat i-celebrate.

I've always had this vision of a  'sossy' Thanksgiving dinner table (complete with all those autumn trimmings) pero di ko pa nae-execute. My first Thanksgiving here in Canada was in 2014 , I was pregnant kaya simpleng celebration lang. Last year naman (2015), Nathan and I were in Pinas. This year, lalong hindi feasible. We just moved here in Surrey last October 2 and we are practically living in mess (as in until now!). Our things, including the furniture, are still in storage.

Anyway, happy pa rin ako because Ford came home last October 10 (Monday) with a pot and portable burner! Tapos may mga ingredients na. Haha, hindi na niya talaga napigil ang craving niya. Napabili na talaga siya ng pang-hot pot!

So ayun, we feasted na. Ang sarap, bagay sa rainy weather.  Happy Thanksgiving to us!

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Ooops, before I forget, these are the things that I am majorly thankful for this year:

• I was able to help Ford even in my little way (too vague ba haha!)
• We were able to sell our house (despite Alberta's real estate situation)
• We were able to move here in BC (na matagal na naming pangarap)
• I've made a lot of new good friends in Edmonton (who I will cherish in my heart forever)
• My bond with the "Cuatro Hermosas in Edmonton" have strengthened and they will always be my core group here in Canada despite the distance
• All of us in the family are in good health and we are happy

Marami kaming challenge na hinarap, hinaharap, at haharapin pa this year but we are grateful. Test of strength namin yan eh. 

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!).

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!

The puto that made me happy =)

I am so happy! I finally made my first ever puto -- thanks to White King Puto Mix!

I actually bought this pack almost a month ago but it was only last night that I was able try it. I've been craving for puto for so many weeks now and I am glad I was able to satiate this yearning.

It took so long though because I had no puto molders. I searched online and the best substitute for those classic aluminum molders are the silicone ones. Silicone molds are expensive pala. I was able to buy two packs (12 molds/pack) at Winners for $5.99 (+5%) each. Bite-size lang.



Each box of White King Puto Mix contains two 200g packs. I only tried one pack first because I only have 24 small molders.

Basically, I just followed this direction. Very simple!

A puto won't be complete without cheese on top, ayt? I chose Eden Cheese instead of other "foreign" brands. Haha, I always play safe. I only want what's familiar.

Pardon the mess. It was my first time haha!

And since we don't have a steamer yet, I just used our rice cooker in steaming. I thought it would take about 15-20 minutes to steam but to my surprise, my mini puto were cooked in less than eight minutes! Siguro kasi maliliit lang sila.

Because my rice cooker-steamer is small, I made two batches.

First Batch. I put the cheese when the puto was almost cooked.

Second Batch. I included the cheese on the mix. This came out better. Next time I'll try grated cheese and quick-melt cheese naman.

POD -- Ba't hindi nag-melt ang cheese?
BIM -- Eh haler, hindi naman kasi quick-melt yan. Eden Cheese yan.

My husband is not familiar with Eden Cheese. For him, pare-parehas lang na keso yan.

The Result: 27 pieces of mini puto!

I wasn't able to eat much because I am watching my carbs-intake. After I give birth, talagang magpapakasawa ako. :)

I really find the puto delicious. Gusto ko talaga ang lasa. Even my husband liked it (although ang sabi nya lang ay "pwede na"). No need to put grated coconut (I always eat puto with niyog in Pinas), enough na talaga ang cheese.

Again, I was so thrilled because I can already make puto for merienda anytime. For a person like me who doesn't really know how to cook, an additional easy-to-do recipe is always a delight. At least may bago akong alam na "lutuin." And it's cheap. A box of White King Puto only costs $2.50 or around Php100.00.

Now my resolution is to buy a proper steamer and bigger molders. Silicone molds are okay, I realized. Madaling tanggalin ang puto at madaling linisin. Mahirap nga lang ilagay sa hot steamer kasi you need to use your hands (not tongs) kasi malambot pa bago iluto.

My attempts in making the best crispy pata in Edmonton

Modesty aside, my mother cooks the best crispy pata in the world. And as her only daughter, she has to pass onto me this great gift of cooking crispy pata, right?

Her recipe is actually very simple. Just boil the pata with salt and garlic.

Which I did last night.

Unfortunately, my version tasted bland. It looked appetizing though. Plus I never had a hard time frying. To my surprise, there was no dreadful 'tilamsik' at all!

This was actually my second attempt in mimicking my Mamoosh' crispy pata. My first was last January. But instead of frying, we oven-cooked it.

Matabang din siya. Saka di ko nahiwa para mas mabilis maluto at mas lumutong ang balat. And though cooking via oven is safer and healthier (no more cooking oil plus the pork's fat will drip pa), nothing beats a crispy pata that's traditionally cooked syempre.

But I won't give up! I bought two more pork hocks the other day from Lucky 97 and I will try again. This time, I won't be scared in putting more salt. That's the problem with me, I am so afraid to use salt (obviously not a risk-taker haha!). I wish my mother knows the exact measurements of all her recipes. That would make my life easier hay!

Someday I will come up with the best crispy pata in Edmonton. Can't wait!

Veggie, why so expensive?

I was still in the Philippines when I saw a post in Facebook that Lucky Supermarket now offers veggie mix pack. I was so happy that I even showed in to my mother. Asian vegetables kasi are pricey here in Edmonton, plus they come in huge packs. This hinders me in cooking sinigang or kare-kare or even nilaga often, sobrang mahal kasi aabutin because of the vegetables. Ok sana kung malakas kaming kumain ng gulay ni Pod, kaso hindi (we're such bad kids!). Marami talagang masasayang. Vegetables also wither easily (probably because they were imported and not that super fresh) so storing them for long is not a good idea.

I really thought veggie packs is the solution but I was wrong. Sobrang mahal pa rin pala. Around Php500 na agad ang gulay pa lang ng kare-kare.

Same with sinigang.

I've never appreciated the freshness and "cheapness" of vegetables in the Philippines until I moved here. Though one may argue that people here earn dollars, the price of Asian vegetables (plus all the other ingredients that a complicated Filipino dish requires) I guess is still high by Canadian standards. Kaya mas malaki ang grocery expenditure ng Filipino immigrants kesa ordinary Canadians eh, kasi puro "imported" (from their home country) ang gusto nilang kainin syempre.

Oh well, tiis-tiis muna nga kami ngayon na walang kare-kare. Pag-uwi na nga lang sa Pinas kami magpapakasawa.

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NOTE: I thought it was best to just eat kare-kare in a Filipino restaurant but I was wrong (because of this and this experience).

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!