Cancelled Edmonton Visit

I am so glad that our supposedly Christmas trip to Edmonton didn't push through. Sobrang lamig daw doon ngayon.

My husband has a 10-day break this holiday season (their office shuts down from Christmas to New Year) so we had a chance sana to visit our friends (who we consider our Canadian family) in Edmonton. It's been 15 months since we left and we miss them all. Sobrang kinukulit din nila kami talagang magpunta doon kaya umabot sa "80% probability of going" na kami. My friend Mylene was so excited na bibili na talaga siya ng bagong mattress para sa room "namin" sa house nila.

But I sort of backed out the last minute. Nitong malapit nang mag-Christmas, napag-isip-isip ko na marami rin palang dapat inconsider sa pagpunta namin doon.

First, is it ok to drive during winter time? We've done several Edmonton-to-Vancouver trips before pero palaging summer. Parang nakakatakot kasi baka mag-snow habang bumabaybay kami sa bundok. Pero the weeks before Christmas, maganda ang weather dito at sa Alberta. "Mainit" nga daw doon at hindi nagi-snow so medyo nahikayat na rin ako.

Then came the budget issue. In my conservative estimate, we will be spending at least a thousand bucks (or Php40,000+) for a 5-day trip to Edmonton. My friend was insisting na gas lang naman ang gastos at sagot na niya ang pagkain kasi nga sa house naman nila kami mag-stay, pero syempre hindi naman pwede yun. We are not free-loaders noh. Saka I want to bring them pasalubong syempre (Purefoods hotdogs from Seafood City Seattle and siopao from Newtown Bakery). Tapos dahil Christmas, we have to buy gifts for the kids (and adults din). Aside from that, yung mga kain pa namin sa labas at contribution sa mga kainan at inuman. If the weather is bad pa, kailangan din naming mag-hotel in between our trip/s because Ford will have a hard time driving at may kasama pa kaming bata.

To add, wala nga pala kaming proper outfit for Edmonton weather. Well, kami ni hubby meron namang thick coats/jackets and boots/winter shoes kaso nabaon na sa storage. Kailangan pang sobrang kalkalin. Si Nathan ang wala so kailangan pang ibili, kaso nga hindi naman masusulit kasi hindi naman magagamit dito sa Vancouver dahil hindi ganun kalamig dito. At uuwi na rin kami sa Pinas sa January 8 kaya talagang masasayang lang.

Then Ford informed me that if we will go, kailangan na niyang pumunta sa casa para mapalitan ng winter tires yung kotse namin! What?!? Oo nga pala, di kami naka-winter tires dito kaloka. Meron naman kaming winter tires sa storage kaso dahil nasa open parking space kami ng apartment complex, walang lugar na pwedeng pagpalitan. Kaya kailangan pang dalhin sa casa at ibayad. Tapos papapalitan na naman ng regular tires after. Doble gastos pa!

That's when I finally decided na manahimik kami sa bahay. Yep, it was my SOLE decision kasi keri lang naman sa asawa ko kahit ano.

But of course, meron pa ring panghihinayang kasi nga sobrang miss ko na ang mga kaibigan namin. I am sure na mag-eenjoy din si Ford kasi makakainom siya nang todo. Kahit si Nathan matutuwa kasi marami siyang makakalarong bata for a couple of days. But $1,000 is $1,000. I mean, it may not mean that much now, pero by next year when we buy na a place of our own, makikita namin ang relevance ng amount na yan. Ang dami-daming nakaambang gastusin talaga. Saka nag-splurge na rin kasi kami sa California trip namin last November., tapos uuwi pa nga kami ni Nathan sa Pinas this January.

At this point, grateful na rin ako na hindi kami tumuloy dahil nga sa weather doon. Had we gone there, mag-stay lang din kami sa house ng friends namin dahil sa sobrang lamig. I planned on going to South Edmonton Common pa naman to shop (5% lang kasi ang sales tax sa Alberta) kaso open-air shopping area naman dun. Saka delikadong magdrive kung ganyan ka-extreme ang panahon.

Pic taken from a friends FB account

We miss Edmonton pero hindi pa nga siguro time na bumisita kami roon. Who knows, baka sa summer. Kung hindi pa rin (kasi nga balak na naming magstart maghanap ng house by April 2018), yung mga kaibigan na lang namin muna doon ang aantayin naming dumalaw dito.

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.

Thank you, Saskatchewan Blue Cross!

I had my first check-up with a diabetes specialist Dr. Lawrence Lim last August 28, 2014 at the Misericordia Hospital Diabetes Center. I was happy because "my numbers" (i.e. blood sugar test results) were all within the normal range. Sino ba naman ang gustong mag-insulin?

Dr. Lim instructed me to keep on testing my blood glucose level at least twice a week (six times a day). He issued me a prescription for my supplies. They already gave me a free glucometer when I took the diabetes session the week before. Nakakatuwa kasi sa Pilipinas kailangan mo pang bilhin iyon. Dito libre lang pala.

There are so many pharmacies here in Edmonton but we ended up buying the supplies in Walmart Pharmacy. Nandoon na rin naman kasi kami.

When you buy prescription medicines here, they will ask you first if you have an extended insurance. Luckily, we do! My husband's company gives good employee benefits so we are thankful.

Though health care is free, an extended health insurance is necessary for medicines, dental, etc. which are not covered by Alberta Health.

My name (as a dependent) is at the back lol!

We were confident that we could get my supplies for free (or at least we'll just pay 20% of the total cost). But then the pharmacy assistant informed us that we have to pay in full because our insurance does not cover it.

Ha? How come? We've checked Blue Cross Saskatchewan's website and it states there that diabetes supplies are covered. I also remembered that majority of my classmates in the diabetes class have extended health insurance that covers these supplies. Bakit kami hindi? The pharmacy assistant told me that it has something to do with my "non-insulin use" which I didn't understand.

We had no choice but to pay $90+. I was so disheartened. Unexpected expense eh.

My husband told me not to worry. "It's just $90," he said. But he couldn't pacify me. One of the reasons why I like it here in Canada is their health care. We are not supposed to pay $90! My husband is paying so much tax and insurance fees already. $90 is still $90. That could buy a lot of things na for our Baby Chicklet noh.

In my mind, naisip ko na na kailangan kong magtipid sa paggamit ng test strips. Grrr.

When we got home, Ford immediately checked on Blue Cross' website and later filed an online claim. He'll know the results daw in five business days. August 29 noon (Friday).

Yesterday noon while having lunch, I asked Pod kung ano na ang balita sa 'claims' namin. Sabi ko lagpas na sa five business days, dapat my sagot na sila by that day kasi five days na (holiday ang September 1). Wala pa raw.

But then that night, pagdating na pagdating niya sa bahay, he was excitedly shouting: "Sige Bimbim magtusok ka na ng magtusok!" 

He received the refund check na pala for the $90!

Whoaah, that was fast! Agad-agad! And they reimbursed the full amount, not just 80%. We've already tried claiming for my medicines in the past and we had to pay 20% as 'participation fee.'

Now I am at peace haha! Bumalik na ang trust and confidence ko sa magandang health care system dito sa Canada! And I am impressed with the very fast and non-hassle mode of claiming from insurance companies. Kung nasa Pinas ito, aabutin ka ng santo-santo.

Thank you so much for being so reliable, Saskatchewan Blue Cross! You made my day! =)

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NOTE: Next time sa ibang pharmacy na lang kami bibili, Medyo parang kulang sa knowledge and malituhin yung taga-Walmart eh.

Desperately needing workers

Many people are asking me: "Marami ba talagang trabaho sa Edmonton?"

I guess that instead of a simple "yes," I should show them this...

I myself was surprised when my husband told me that there's a job ad near his workplace that advertises this!

This is how desperate employers are in finding workers here in Edmonton/Alberta. With the recent changes in the Temporary Workers (TFW) Program, I bet it will be harder in the coming months.

This is actually the best time to look for work. In almost every big establishment I see, there's a "We're Hiring" sign - which is good only for citizens and permanent residents, take note. For those who are hoping to find work here on a tourist visa, think a million times. Do your research, ask people who will be truthful and will tell you the real situation here. It is no longer easy to get a job here if you are merely a visitor.

First Time at Sylvan Lake

July 26, 2014 (Saturday). Our new friend Joy (who was introduced to us by the Cuencas) invited us to her husband Mark's birthday picnic celebration at Sylvan Lake. This town / lake is about 1 1/2 hours from Edmonton.

It's been raining days before that so we didn't know if we will push through. Then the very morning that day, Cecille called and informed us that the weather there is sunny so we'll go. We were at Meadowlark that time and I was about to take my glucose screening test.

After my test, we immediately went home to change clothes. Then we stopped by at Safeway to buy a cake and some chichiryas.

Sylvan Lake is near Red Deer.

It was our first time there.

Seeing the lake was so calming. Sana lang pwede rin akong magtampisaw.

Since the weather was fine, a lot of people were there... enjoying the sun. Take note, walang entrance fee dito ha. Everybody's free to use the facilities - picnic tables, playground, wash rooms, parking lots.

We arrived at around 2pm already and all the rest have eaten lunch. We were starving. Andami naming nakaing barbeque, pork inihaw, chicken adobo, and bangus.

Our mistake though was not bringing our own outdoor chair and mat. Kanya-kanyang dala pala. 

They even brought their own tents, which has proven to be useful. It was a very sunny day, kailangan din ng malililiman. 

We liked the place. Masaya talaga kapag marami kayo. Mas masaya kung may bitbit kang anak kasi napakalawak ng playground.

Plus the sight of water is always welcoming.

Ford and I are not exactly "shades" persons but we were thankful that we brought our pairs. Nakakasilaw kasi ang init. We wore our shades the whole time that we were there. So kahit mainit, hindi na namin masyadong naramdaman. Hindi naman kasi malagkit dito. Yun nga lang, sobrang umitim talaga ako after.

It was hard for me to sit on this mat. How I wished I really brought my own chair!

By the way, here's the birthday boy Mark and his lovely wife Joy. We are grateful for our new-found friends.

Next time, we'll have our own baby to bring na rin.

It's always fun to have someone in a group who's a passionate cook. Walang problema sa chibog. Obet cooked pancit for merienda. 

Kung merong cook, meron ding taga-kain!

It was a fun day. We've met several other Filipinos, too.

We'll definitely frequent Sylvan Lake in the future. Especially when Chicklet's a bit older and ready for play. =)

Parating na ang spring!

Natutunaw na ang snow. Medyo madumi at maputik na ang paligid. Pero masaya kasi ang ibig sabihin patapos na talaga ang winter at parating na ang spring.

Excited ako. Bagaman naaliw ako sa winter, nakaaatat din na lumabas nang hindi masyadong balot na balot.

Sa unang pagkakataon, mararanasan ko na rin ang tinatawag na spring season. Hmm, ano kaya ang meron?

Flu Shot

I am seeing a lot of FREE FLU SHOT ads everywhere, especially in pharmacies and supermarkets. This is what I like best in Canada - their health services.

I am contemplating though if I will get a flu shot. At 34, I am still scared of needles and injections. Unlike in the Philippines where my mother (or cousin Mylyn who is a doctor) would be with me in every medical procedure I take, I will have to do things on my own here. My husband, though supportive, can never understand my being a 'drama queen' in hospitals and clinics. No empathy nor sympathy whatsoever. Hay!

Anyway, I think I have a couple of days left to decide if I'll avail of my first ever health care privilege as a resident of Alberta. I am lucky because in this province, a newly landed immigrant like me is already eligible for coverage (you have to wait for three months in other provinces).

Courage, courage... where art thou?