There are no Purefoods hotdogs in Canada

For the record, THERE ARE NO PUREFOODS TENDER JUICY HOTDOGS IN CANADA.

Kailangan kong isulat ito kasi napansin kong ito ang pinaka-popular kong post so far. Katulad ko dati, marami ring gustong makaalam kung saan puwedeng makabili ng paborito ng lahat na tender juicy hotdogs.

Again, Canada won't import meat products from the Philippines. Very strict kasi ang standards nila, takot sa mga sakit na puwedeng madala ng mga karne from other countries. Kaya I doubt it kung magkakaroon man ever ng processed meat products sa Canadian grocery shelves (kahit nga canned sisig man lang sana).

Anyway, when we were still in Edmonton, Filipino-style hotdogs became available in the market. Gawa ng mga Pinoy na taga-Calgary. I was so happy, kasi talagang mahilig nga ako sa hotdogs. Pikit-mata akong bumili ng one pack noon kahit na around $20 siya sa Lucky Supermarket. Kaso  hindi ko nagustuhan ang lasa. I wasn't expecting naman na maging kasing-sarap siya ng Purefoods, pero hindi ko talaga type eh. Kahit yung asawa ko hindi rin gusto. Ni hindi namin naubos yung pack kahit na nanghihinayang ako. Sabagay, to each his own naman yan. But heaven knows, I really wanted "us" to work (lol!) kaso di talaga swak sa panlasa ko.

When we moved to British Columbia, ayun solved na ang problema ko. I've heard that Seafood City (a popular Filipino supermarket in the US) now carries Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs. We now live 20 minutes away from the Canada-US (Washington) border (plus around 2 hours more to Seafood City) so we could go there anytime to hoard the yummy hotdogs!

I've forgotten the exact price of a pack of ten hotdogs (kasi walang naka-display sa shelf) but it was only US$2-something (naka-sale yata). I'll check again next time. Basta mura siya for me. There were many other Filipino-style hotdog brands din kasing available (like Martins which I also like) kaya may competition.

The drawback though is that these Purefoods TJ hotdogs were made in the US and not in the Philippines. Licensed lang sila kumbaga ng Purefoods Philippines. Look at the turkey ingredient.

The hotdogs don't actually look like their Philippine-counterpart. Medyo pale ang color at iba ang texture ng balat.

At syempre hindi talaga 100% na kalasa. Around 80% lang sa tantya ko. Pero sobrang ok na rin. Satisfied na ang craving ko for Purefoods! Seriously, isa ito sa mga naging considerations ko sa pagdecide na mag-move kami sa Surrey haha.

How I wish magkaroon na rin nito sa Canada, tutal made in the US naman. Kaso mukhang malabo. Di bale na nga, cross border lang naman ang katapat nyan.

Oops, by the way, the Canadian border authorities are not strict naman pala with grocery purchases from the US. Pinapalampas na nila ang food at hindi na usually tinatax-an kahit less than a day ka lang outside Canada. Basta i-declare mo lang para hindi ka magkaproblema.

Passport Renewed!

We've been here in Pinas since November 8, 2016 and one of my biggest mistakes was not booking a schedule for passport renewal early. I forgot that I had to renew my passport (as it is expiring on November 2017) and only remembered it after Ford has left.

I immediately took my laptop and went to the DFA website. Getting an appointment online isn't new to me as I have done it before. However, that particular night, I encountered so many errors that I wasn't able to secure one. Maiyak-iyak na ako talaga. It must be the internet connection, napuputol-putol kasi. Ang haba ng fini-fill out tapos hindi naman "makakapasok." In every attempt, palayo ng palayo ang date na available. Puro last week ng March na.

January 5, 2017

I tried again the following day and  was able to get a March 20 appointment in Marquee Mall. But because our flight back to Canada is on April 16 already, I cancelled it. Alanganin na talaga even if ipa-express ko. Province pa kaya mas matagal. Tapos magho-holy week, baka mabitin pa.

My solution was to walk-in na nga lang in Robinson's San Fernando. The problem though with walk-ins is that you have to be there as early as 3 am to be able to secure a slot. I have no problem with that as I have a car, kaso si Nathan. Ayaw niyang humiwalay sa akin eh, magigising yun at iiyak kapag wala ako. Sobrang kawawa naman kapag isinama ko ng madaling-araw tapos ang tagal pipila.

I can still fly back to Canada with my current passport since sa November pa naman ang expiration but I don't want to renew my passport there. Bukod sa mahal, matagal kasi. Ayaw ko ng idea na hindi ako makakalipad anytime. What if may emergency? Wag naman sana.

Anyway, I was about to lose hope (haha) when my husband Ford checked again the DFA website. Luckily, he found a February 24 slot. Yun nga lang, sa Robinson's Novaliches. Bago lang yata ang DFA passport renewal center dun kaya hindi pa ganun kadami ang nagre-renew kumpara sa iba. Saka nga hindi strategic. No choice, we had to grab it. Si Ford na ang nagpa-appointment sa akin because he has faster internet.

February 24, 2017 (Friday). My appointment was at 1pm but we left the house at around 8:45am to be sure. We didn't have a kasambahay back then so Joanne (our ever loyal secretary) accompanied me and Nathan. We just relied on GPS to get there. Thankfully, we arrived safe and early.

We proceeded to DFA and I checked with the staff at the door if my name's on their list of people with appointment. I said my appointment's at 1pm, she said yes and told me I could go back at 12noon.

We had 1 1/2 hours to kill so we ate and went around the mall. Luckily, there was a play area for kids where I can leave Nathan and Joanne. Solved na ang problem ko kay Nathan kasi tiyak malilibang siya doon and he wouldn't look for me.

I was back at DFA 10 minutes before 12 and they let me in without asking for my appointment time. Grrr, I realized that they are not particular about the time pala! Basta nasa list ang name mo, papapasukin ka na. Tsk, sayang ang oras na nagpalakad-lakad kami. It was a busy day Friday so mas maganda kung makakauwi kami ng maaga kasi may mga trabaho pa si Joanne.

Anyway, I was hopeful that I could get it done in less than an hour. The first steps were fast, saglit lang talaga. Kaso sa last step nagtagal -- kung saan ka kukunan ng picture and finger prints. There were only 2 active staff that time, lunch time pa rin kasi. You'll be given a number and you have to wait for it to be called. One hour akong naghintay.

By the way, I chose "Express" processing for Php1,200 (regular is Php950). Seven working days daw. Kelangan ko kasing magsigurado kasi nga baka magkaproblema pa eh me flight ako ng April. I had it shipped to me for Php150.

After being a bit worried because I was expecting it to arrive sooner, I finally got hold of my new passport last Saturday, March 11. If we start counting from Feb. 27 Monday (because I renewed in the afternoon of Feb. 24 Friday), it took 10 working days before it landed on my lap.

I am so happy to have my passport renewed! I just do not like my picture hay. I  heard that soon, Philippine passports will have 10 years validity na, which is very good especially for Filipinos living/working abroad. Sayang nga lang hindi na ako umabot.

This could be my last Philippine passport as I will be applying for Canadian citizenship once I meet the residency requirement. It'll be a sad day, changing passports. But to be honest, I am excited too. A blue passport is a powerful passport. It will mean mobility. No need to apply for visas and all.

Hello, Miniso!

I "discovered" Miniso in Instagram where one blogger I follow posted something about it. I instantly stalked Miniso's IG account and learned that they'll be opening soon in SM Marilao. Bigla akong nabuhayan ng dugo. Sa sobrang boring ng buhay ko dito Marilao, a store like this is very welcome.I love love love kawaii things! Kaya nga sobrang fan ako ng Daiso / Japan Home, Dollarama, Dollar Tree, Target Dollar Spot, etc. Yan ang mga tipo kong tindahan talaga.

So yun nga, for so many days, I waited for the opening of Miniso. Sobrang excited ako. Php99 daw mostly ang products. Mas mahal kumpara sa Daiso pero naisip kong keri lang kasi nga "Japanese designer brand" naman daw.

February 28, 2017. Nathan and I were there at around 6pm and I was shocked with the crowd that greeted me. Nagkakagulo ang mga tao, grabe! Akala ko pa naman hindi gaano considering that it was a Tuesday. Pero suweldo rin kasi kaya maraming tao sa mall.

Nathan was on a stroller and I was tempted to leave right away. Ang sikip nga kasi ng store (stores in the Philippines are not stroller-friendly). Pero nanghinayang naman ako sa effort ko na pumunta doon. Saka low EQ talaga ako, parang di ko kayang mag-antay pa ng ibang araw lol.

Sa sobrang dami ng tao at sikip ng space, hindi ko talaga na-enjoy ang first Miniso visit ko. Idagdag pa ang isang batang makulit. I wasn't able to inspect the commodities one by one (haha, seriously) but I noticed na relatively "konti" lang ang 99-peso items. Mas marami pa nga yatang 149 eh.

Just for the sake of buying (at dahil gusto ko ng souvenir sa unang punta ko ng Miniso), I bought these:

Chicken stuffed toy -- Php149 / Kid's backpack -- Php299 / Coin purse -- Php99

I super love their stuffed toys! Ang lambot kasi tapos mura pa. I am contemplating kung bibili ako ng mas malaki. I also like their water bottles / tumblers, super cute kasi ng design.

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By the way, we went back the following day and without a stroller na. Nathan was literally pulling me out of the store, na-trauma yata sa experience namin the other day haha! Buti na lang napilit ko rin.

Their toys are reasonably priced.

 Again, super daming tao sa store. I realized na hindi lang pala ako ang adik sa mga kung anik-anik.

I think Miniso in SM Marilao is "small" as compared to other branches. Parang ang konti lang kasi ng plushies.

I only bought a blusher (ang ganda kasi ng case, may mirror and brush pa sa loob) and a paper sticker set nga pala. Ang gusto ko na lang balikan dun ay yung cute hand towels.

Php99 each

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Anyway, because I was sad to leave another "nice" store here in Pinas, I did some research and found out na magkakaroon na rin pala nito sa Canada.

It's sad though because they were not able to open up a store last December 2016.

I am keeping my fingers crossed. Kelangan ko ng additional entertainment pagbalik ko sa Canada.

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NOTE: As of now, I like Daiso more. More cutesy items eh. 

This is love

A lot of people are wondering why I am staying in Pinas for so long. Nathan and I have been here since November 8, 2016. We are scheduled to return to Canada on Easter Sunday (April 16, 2017).

This is my answer.

Mamoosh is the sole reason why I cannot fully live in Canada. She's living alone here in the Philippines at hindi ko siya matiis. Right now I have two homes -- one in Canada, with my husband and son, and one in the Philippines, with my mother.

I am grateful for an understanding husband. He is willing to sacrifice his own time with us (me and Nathan) so that I could be with Mamoosh.

I pretty have everything right now. My only wish is for my mother to have a longer life so she could see Nathan grow up. And I need her, I will never stop needing her.

Accidents happen

We are deeply saddened by the recent tragic accident last week (February 21, 2017) in Tanay Rizal. A Panda Coach tourist bus carrying students from Bestlink College Novaliches lost control and hit an electric post, leaving 15 people (including the driver) dead.

Picture taken from the net (credits to the owner)

My family owns a small tourist bus company and we've been operating since 2005 (or probably earlier than that because we also operated commuter buses prior to tourist buses). I would like to reiterate that we are "small", because majority of the tourist bus companies in the Philippines are just as small as we are.

Up to this time, we are lucky because in the many years of our operation, we have not encountered any major (i.e. death-causing) accident yet. We are continuously praying that we don't experience what the owners of Panda Coach are going through right now.

Because of this accident, The Department of Education and The Commission on Higher Education have issued a moratorium on educational field trips. This, of course, will affect the whole tourism industry, including us. Ganyan naman palagi kapag may naaaksidenteng tourist bus / students sa field trips, damay-damay lahat.

We've been updating ourselves with the news on this accident and sadly, most people are blaming the school and/or Panda Coach for this tragedy. We cannot blame them. When something bad happens, it has to be somebody's fault. But as a bus operator myself (albeit inactive as of this moment), I just wish to give a bit of my perspective on this matter.

Accidents happen. That's a fact. People would argue that the company should be properly maintaining their fleet to avoid road mishaps and I agree. No bus operator would want to receive a call in the middle of the day (or night) learning that their unit got involved in an accident. We are fervently hoping for a smooth trip every time a bus leaves our garage. But experience tells us that it is nearly impossible to guarantee a 100% hassle-free trip to our customers. Again, a lot of things can happen on the road. And no mechanic, now matter how experienced he is, could assure us that no mechanical problem would arise during the trip. Especially since the buses are not really "brand new" to start with.

And this leads to another argument against the bus company -- why are your buses not brand new?

A brand new tourist bus would cost at least six million pesos. There is no way that we could ever recover that amount with the rate that we are being paid with for our services. For a field trip within Metro Manila, we only get paid around Php9,000 to Php10,000 gross. Try to do the Math, factor in the trip expenses - fuel, driver's salary and food allowance, toll fees (since we are from Bulacan), washing. We are lucky if we are left with Php3,000. Oops, that is not net income yet. What about the wear and tear of the vehicle, salary/benefits of employees, spare parts, business taxes, franchise fees, and other operations costs? Tapos mga lagay pa sa LTO, LTFRB, DOT, MMDA, pulis, etc.

Contrary to what many thinks, the bulk of the field trip fees that the schools collected from their students go to the "middle men" -- yung laway lang ang puhunan. Many schools get charterers (i.e. tour operators) to organize their trip. It is them who earn a lot from from the trips. Saka pala yung mga school officials na may commission per pax. We are at the bottom of every transaction. Whatever that's left from the sharing, yun na lang ang binabayad sa amin.

Why can't we charge higher rates? Competition. Colorum buses killed us. They lowered their rates, too low that we who operate legally are having a hard time to keep up. Kaya nga madalas wala kaming biyahe, nasusulot kasi may mas mura raw. Unlike commuter buses, our buses don't run every day. We have to rely on charterers to survive (majority of our trips come from them). Hence, sila ang nagtatakda ng presyo. This is the reason why small tourist bus companies remain small.

Tourist bus companies also get blamed for getting "inefficient" drivers. Yes, the Management is certainly responsible for its employees. But like any business owners or HR practitioners would know, many employees will surprise you later on. You hired them because you've had the impression that they were ok, pero hindi pala sa kalaunan. Or in some cases, your employees are generally good pero nagkakaproblema din syempre paminsan-minsan which affects their performance.

No bus operator would intentionally hire a "bad" (kaskasero, barumbado, adik) driver. That will be business suicide. But because the drivers work "on their own," we cannot observe them all the time. And we can't just fire an erring driver, mind you. There's DOLE that we have to answer to.

I have to be clear, I am not saying that the bus operators are faultless. The school,  the tour operator, the bus owner, and the driver involved have their share of responsibility (and liability) to that accident in Tanay. Even several government agencies can take some blame. To condemn just one party is certainly not fair.

Thousands of field trips are being conducted every year and a single accident does not represent the whole. Accidents happen, whether we like it or not.

Jollibee in Edmonton (Waaah!)

Six months before I migrated to Canada, I wrote this "wish" in my previous (private) blog:

I can still remember Ford laughing that time, "Haha, asa ka pa!"

Pero grabe, in four years nagkatotoo ang wish ko! Imagine, sa may tapat pa ng West Edmonton Mall siya tinatayo (na super lapit sa bahay namin) at magbubukas this 2017.

Yun nga lang, wala na kami sa Edmonton. Asar-talo tuloy ako!

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I have reasons to be bitter, I swear. When we were contemplating to move in BC, Jollibee in Seattle was put into consideration. As in seriously. Isa siya sa mga pros. Naisip namin na 3 hours lang na cross border, makakapag-Jollibee na kami. Hindi na kami made-deprive kasi pwede na nga kaming magdrive lang para makapag-chickenjoy. Iniinggit ko pa ang mga kaibigan ko, at tinatakam.

Who would have thought na kung nag-stay lang sana kami sa Edmonton, less than 10 minutes away na lang ang Jollibee! Ang saklap talaga!

As of now, wala pang balita kung kelan magkakaroon ng Jollibee sa Vancouver area. Mukhang matatagalan pa kung magkakaroon man. Kasi nga raw aside sa mataas ang business costs dun, meron naman sa Seattle kahit papano. Saka although maraming Pinoys sa BC, mas marami pa rin ang chekwa kaloka!

Pic taken from the net (credits to the owner)

Fine, sige I'll be happy na lang for my friends in Edmonton. At least sasaya ang buhay nila doon.

And for me, eto na lang uli:

             WISH: Jollibee in Surrey / Metro Vancouver

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NOTE: The first Jollibee in Canada opened in Winnipeg last December 2016.


 

No girl, thank you.

I posted these pictures in Facebook a few days ago. Nakatuwaan lang namin ng pinsan ko na gawing girl si Nathan (using apps lang naman).

I was surprised with the comments that I got. Most of them "suggested / advised" that I "make" a girl na since gusto ko ng anak na babae.

I know that those people meant well. Common comment / reaction lang naman yun. But still, I was a bit pissed. Everytime I hear people telling me na mag-anak na uli, naiinis ako. Lalo na pag sinasabing gumawa ng babae. Haler, napipili ba ang gender ng anak?

I would have to admit na kung madali lang sana, mas ok nga din siguro na may kapatid si Nathan. Pero hindi na nga kasi feasible yan sa family situation namin.

I am really tired of explaining to all why I have no plans of conceiving again:

• Iam already 37 1/2 years old right now. Ayaw ko ng magbuntis kasi high risk na talaga.
• I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with Nathan. Alam kong mas malala kapag nagbuntis uli ako.
• It's only me and Ford in Canada. We have no one to help us with Nathan kapag nanganak na ako. Kahit nga habang buntis pa lang (I couldn't imagine taking care of a toddler lalo na sa first at last trimester ng pregnancy).
• Nathan was born via C-Section. Ayaw ko ng magpa-hiwa uli. Sobrang tagal ng recovery.
• I am done with taking care of a baby. Ayaw ko na uli ng sleepless nights, etc. 
• I want to upgrade my credentials to be able to find a good job in Canada. The sooner, the better. I am not exactly young. I want to work asap.
• I am already exhausted in raising one child. I am not physically strong. An additional child will put so much toil on my body.

Some friends jokingly call me "selfish." Ayaw ko raw bigyan ng kapatid si Nathan (by the way, Ford wants one more child). Pero I need to preserve my sanity for Nathan din eh. Aanhin niya ang kapatid kung "baliw" naman ang nanay niya?

And for the record, I NEVER WANTED TO HAVE A BABY GIRL. #sorrynotsosorry

When I first learned that I was pregnant, I secretly hoped for a boy (although for sure magbabago din naman ang stand ko kung naging babae ang anak ko). "Boys are easy," sabi nga ng mga Canadians na nakakuwentuhan ko. Low maintenance. Saka Mama's boys.

I don't know how to care of  baby girls. Hindi ako marunong mag-ipit o magtali ng buhok. Ayaw ko din mag-effort masyado kasi girl nga (aka fragile). Saka seriously, ayaw ko ng competition sa pamilya haha. Akin lang ang Louis Vuitton! Gusto ko ako lang ang girl, ako ang center. Siguro kasi nasanay ako na only daughter din. Oo na, selfish nga talaga ako.

In my more than 2 years of being a mother to a boy, napatunayan ko na less effort nga ang kailangan in taking care of them. Hindi kailangang masyadong makinis, hindi masyadong pabebe ang approach. Tamang harutan lang, lol. Plus happy na talaga ako na may magdadala na ng apelido ng asawa ko (so cliche!). Tama na yun.

So there, no more baby girl Blanco. I hope I made myself clear. Nathan is destined to be an only  child. Period. And he won't be kawawa. Ang daming only child sa mundo noh.