Gifts for Daddy Ford (2018)

I don't usually give gifts to my husband. Aside from the fact that I don't have money of my own here (haha, ang corny naman na bilhan siya ng gift out of his own pocket), mahirap talaga siyang bilhan ng regalo kasi wala siyang gusto. Siya na siguro ang pinaka-non-materialistic person na kilala ko, bukod sa ermats ko.

But now that Nathan is bigger at mas nakakaintindi na, gusto kong ma-instill sa kanya ang value ng gift-giving. Gusto ko na hindi lang siya excited tumanggap, marunong din dapat siyang magbigay. I am glad na as early as two, enthusiastic na talaga siya na mag-abot ng gifts sa ibang tao. Kahit nakabalot na regalo o simpleng pasalubong man yan, excited na excited siyang magbigay at tingnan ang masayang expression ng mga taong binibigyan niya.

So for Father's Day, dapat may maiabot kami kay Daddy Ford na kahit ano lang. It's the thought that counts, anyway. Sa Pinas na ako naghanap kasi nga one week lang after namin bumalik dito ay Father's Day na.

I am glad may stock ako ng Marvel heroes gift wrapper (bought in Dollarama), perfect ito for our own super hero. =)

 Daddy Ford was actually surprised when we handed him these gifts.

Na eto lang naman ang laman lol.

• Father's Day card -- from Dollarama, $1.12 (lagi naman namin siyang binibigyan ng card pag Father's Day o birthday niya)

• San Miguel Beer Light bottle opener / ref magnet -- from Blue Magic, Php50.00 (kasi favorite ni Dad ang beer na ito haha)

• Desk Pad -- from Papemelroti, Php149.00 yata (haha, sabi nga ni dad eh para sa akin naman ito!)

• Body Bag -- from Girbaud, Php525.00 yata (Dad doesn't use bag but I felt that he needs one now for an updated "baby bag" lol. Siya kasi ang tagabitbit ng baby bag ni Nathan pero dahil bigger na ang bagets, less things na ang kailangan naming dalhin. At least iyan pang-lalaki haha. And why Girbaud? Kasi "special" sa amin ang brand na yan. Nung panahon namin (i.e. when we were in college), sikat na sikat ka kapag naka-Girbaud ka hahaha! Eh ngayon sobrang cheap na lang ng Girbaud, saka walang ganyan dito sa Canada noh. I am glad natuwa naman siya sa bag. Sabi niya sana bigger daw para magamit niya sa office. Aba me ganun pa siya ngayon!

Ayan tapos na ang Father's Day. Next occasion to prepare for naman is Dad's 40th birthday in September. Dapat medyo bongga naman ng konti hehe. 

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!

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. =)

Christmas Eve 2017

My aunt invited us to spend the Christmas eve with them but I graciously declined. I told her Nathan won't make it till 12 midnight because he's been sleeping quite early lately. While it is half true, the real reason is that I really just wanted to stay at home for noche buena. We may not have the best Christmas decors nor the most delicious food this year but I want to be comfortable with my two boys. Ok na yun.

December 24, 2017. After having lunch with friends, we spent the rest of the afternoon at Metrotown Mall killing time. We shopped a bit and left at around 3:30pm to pick up the cake that I ordered at 4pm. We went home after that and tried to make Nathan nap so he will be awake later that night. But he couldn't sleep. Ford got a call from Grandt Kitchen (a Filipino restaurant here in Surrey) and was requested to pick up the food that we ordered earlier than 6:45pm, so he did.

At around 6:15pm, he's back and complained that he's hungry. So instead of waiting for 10pm or 12mn (my original eating time plan), we had early dinner na. Mabuti na rin para bumaba na ang sugar level namin later that night at nang makakain uli.

Ang hirap mag-isip nang ihahanda for a party of three, lalo na kapag hindi pa kumakain yung isa at diabetic yung dalawa. We just ordered food sa Pinoy resto because it's practical and economical.

Our handa -- pancit canton, beef caldereta, pork sisig, and pork barbeque.

We ate in front of the TV watching news. Our plan was to watch all night.

As expected, the little boy only ate apples. I was hoping that he'll eat pancit kaso ni ayaw tikman. I'll do a review of our food on my next post.

Then at around 8pm I brought out our ultimate holiday cheat foods na. Big time cheating talaga ang plan lol.

We ordered this cake from a Filipina home-based baker. Si Jesus pa ba ang mawawalan ng birthday cake?

Nathan joyfully delivered a birthday song for Jesus.

Family groufie after.

And the little boy couldn't wait to open his gifts! Ang alam nya kasi pagkatapos magblow ng candle ng cake ay gift-opening na haha!

I am thankful that we bought several gifts for him. Enjoy na enjoy siyang magbukas.

Here are his three major gift requests -- "animals,"hugas-hugas," and "toilet." Paniwalang-paniwala talaga siya kay Santa (I don't remember believing in Santa when I was growing up. Siguro kasi poor lang kami noon haha!).

Ford and I also opened our gifts from Juris and Tess. Haha, we didn't have gifts for each other kasi nga wala naman kaming separate money/bank account. Basta I buy whatever I want and tell him gift na niya yun sakin lol.

A little past 9pm, we started watching Seven Sundays na. We rented the movie @TFC.TV for $7.99. Medyo pricey pero ayos na rin kasi I've always wanted to watch this film.

Carbs overload!

Pero mukhang mas nag-enjoy ang asawa ko sa palabas haha. Plus he kept on saying "Ang gwapo talaga ni Dingdong" kaloka!

I think we'll do this na every Christmas eve, watch Filipino-themed movies. Sana lang palaging meron.

Halfway through the movie, nakatulog na ang bagets (not that he was watching lol). Sabi na nga ba eh, hindi nga kasi nag-nap nung hapon.

Pack-up na kami around 11:30pm. I had my red day din that night kaya I wasn't feeling well. It was the husband who washed the dishes, salamat naman.

My major wish that night was for us to have our own place na (be it a condo or a townhouse) by next Christmas para mas bongga naman ang celebration. Pero kahit simple lang ang naging noche buena namin, I was happy and contented kasi kasama ko ang asawa at anak ko. Iyon naman ang pinakaimportante.

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By the way, I am glad that that morning, I was able to talk to my Mamoosh and Tita Oya via Facetime. How I wish na magkakasama kami on Christmas kaso hindi naman palaging posible. Buti na lang talaga may internet. =)

Christmas lunch with friends

December 24, 2017.  We originally planned to hold our Christmas party at Tess' place but we decided the last minute to eat out na lang. Masyadong hassle pa ang ang magluto / magdala / bumili ng pagkain for potluck tapos magki-clean up pa after. Both Tess and Juris are so busy the past days. Tess went back to work already last November (after a one-year maternity leave) and Juris just started her new part-time job this December kaya ang hirap pagtugmain ang schedule nila. I am glad we were able to push through with our get-together bago magpasko.

We agreed to eat at Max's Restaurant since Juris wanted Filipino food. She's married to a white guy kasi and they seldom eat rice haha.

I called Max's the day before for reservation. Buti may slot pa for 6 adults and 4 kids. Their specific instruction was for the whole party of 10 to be present by 11am to avail of the table, or else they have the right to give it away.

As usual, Team Coblancs came early. We were there 10 minutes before 11am. I told the receptionist that we were a bit early and the rest of our companions will arrive shortly. They asked us if we want to sit already and order. I said yes, since the girls and I have already agreed what to order.

Before I ordered, messaged them again to make sure that they are coming haha! Baka mamaya hindi dumating eh aanhin ko ang lahat ng pagkaing inorder ko.

Our order -- 2 fried chicken, 2 pancit canton, 2 liempo sisig, 1 large sinigang na baboy, 6-pcs pork barbeque, 1 chopsuey, 2 large steamed rice. All for $181. Not bad at all. We just chipped in $60 per family.

Group photo before digging in.

Families from Surrey, New Westminster, and Langley

We were all starving. I think nobody ate breakfast that day lol.

The drawback though was that the "party" was over by 12:30nn. Walang masyadong time din for chika because we girls were busy attending to our kids (and our stomachs!). Our husbands were medyo reserved din. You see, it's a bit hard when there's a "foreigner" in a party, medyo nakakailang din. We could not converse well in Filipino for fear that he'll get offended. But though we all can speak English naman talaga, it's still awkward to speak English all the time in the presence of your fellow Filipinos. Kaya nga nagtataka ako whenever I hear Filipinos na slang pa kumausap sa kapwa Filipino (ung mga obvious na hindi lumaki rito ha). Ako kasi nang mapunta ako dito eh parang mas nagtatagalog pa ako.

After eating, we just distributed our gifts to one another tapos kanya-kanyang uwi na. Medyo na-sad nga ako kasi ang bilis lang. Kahit sina Tess biglang nadisplace kasi 2:40pm pa ang next appointment nila sa chiropractor. Nag-mall na lang kami, separately.

Gifts that we gave out.

Gifts that we received.

Hopefully next year, we could plan a better party na. Mas ok nga sa bahay na lang para mas matagal ang kuwentuhan. I am willing to host it kung may place na kami.

Christmas gifts for Nathan

Christmas is 4 days away (or is it 3?) and I am done wrapping our gifts for Nathan. When the little boy saw this this morning, he disbelievingly uttered "Oh my gosh!" Haha, kids!

My son only asked for three 3 particular gifts this Christmas -- "animals," "hugas-hugas," and "toilet" (haha, I'll show these three toys to you later on). I just added a few more gifts so he has a lot to open on Christmas eve. Wala naman kasing ibang magbibigay sa kanya dito ng regalo maliban sa dalawang kaibigan ko.

This is the first Christmas na medyo may appreciation na ang bagets sa pasko so I am very excited. If the hubby would permit, I want to buy more gifts pa nga haha. Kaso gusto na yata akong kaltukan. Nung bata kasi ako wala akong gaanong natatanggap na regalo (mostly pera lang o aginaldo) kaya na-deprive ako. Now that I have a child, I will make sure that he'll have good Christmas memories. At importante dun ang gifts syempre.

Thankfully, my son has high EQ. He's very willing to wait until Christmas to open his presents. Sa ngayon, happy na siyang sumulyap-sulyap lang. =)