A Few Thoughts On My Recent Trip Back Home

Going back home for the holidays last November/December/January was an experience I will always treasure.

It was the first time I came back to visit my family and friends in Manila since deciding to move permanently to Canada. Although it was only 7 months prior that I did move to Canada, the thought that I have uprooted myself and moved here makes me miss everything back home so much more. When I used to stay in Canada for 3-6 months a year, I didn’t feel like I was missing a lot from back home. But now, there’s just so much more to miss, and at the same time, appreciate.

Living abroad permanently gives you a better sense of appreciation of everything – this could be family or friends that you may have taken for granted, or things that you hated about Manila but in fact, missed so much as well (the irony!).

Such  a blessing it was when my manager allowed me to stay put in Manila for an “extended” vacation of 6.5 weeks (includes 3 weeks of actual work). I had to burn the midnight oil for my work though, but who cares. It gave me another 3.5 weeks to spend with family and friends.

Aside from the pasalubongs that I brought home with me, I also brought back to Manila my new and improved (but still not good) cooking and baking skills! So of course I had to show it off to my family! I cooked siopao, spinach gratin, mushroom stuffed spinach and cheese,  chicken and broccoli, and some other. I baked my favorite banana bread, and made two apple pies! Funny thing is, my mom had this new oven toaster that’s still in the box, never been touched, never been used for a few months! My mom was so happy someone finally took it out of the box and used it!

For some reason, I loved cooking and baking for them, even though my dad almost never ate anything I made unless I forced him to do so. I fondly remember cooking my spinach stuffed mushroom and preparing apple cider (Christmas eve) and baking my apple pie (New Year’s eve) where in my guests of honor were required to eat and drink everything I prepared. :) Fortunately, the family gladly obliged.

This was just one of the few things that I enjoyed doing for them and with them. The gatherings for lunch and dinner together - spending time with each other made my trip more memorable. As I live far away from them now, I have learned to appreciate the time that I have been given with them even more. And with the younglings around, it’s just so much more fun! Take a look at the picture below!

 

I have to mention that friends also made my stay in Manila much more enjoyable. The chitchats and gossips, what more can I say? So worth it!

As dramatic as this post may sound, what I want to share is that I am one blessed person. I love the life I am slowly building here in Canada, and yet, I also and still have a wonderful life back home in Manila, which will always give me something to look forward to each year, that is, going back on another trip to a place I call my home.

some random thoughts

The thing that I really miss the most about the Philippines is my family and friends. To be honest, there are times that I feel sad because I know I am missing a lot of memories from there. Events like, birthdays, parties, or even just regular get togethers with the family and friends.

But whenever I feel sad, I try to focus on the positive side of things.

I think about how blessed I am to be here. I think about how I can walk around here without much stress. I think about how I can run around the neighborhood, how I can ride my bike for 30 kilometers within the busy city and still feel safe. How about the outdoors here? Beautiful. Traffic here is nonexistent in comparison to Manila’s horrid traffic. There’s so much more to say.

Aside from these, the friends and family that I have here reminds me that even though I am away from my friends and family back home, that I still have people here who I can enjoy and have fun with.

This summer was extra special too (and jam packed). I got to attend a few bridal showers, plus just last Saturday, I got to join a few friends for Lechon, Vancouver style!

 

Things like these remind me of how blessed I am.

It does help too that I’ve been here a few times for the past five years so home sickness is really not something I feel every now and then.

Not that I don’t miss home. It’s still a place I terribly miss. But thanks to technology, I can still feel close to the family back home.

Things are different from before because of technology. Now we have Whatsapp, Skype, Hangouts, email, you name it. We even have a whatsapp group where I chat with my family regularly. You can send photos too! Which is why I’m always updated with how the nieces and nephew are. And don’t forget about skype too. When the family recently had a small get together to celebrate my sister-in-law’s birthday, I got to be in the photo too! Digital anyway! Pwede na! This is proof that technology can still keep us together even if we’re continents apart!

 

And how about sending post cards to people back home? It gives me a smile just thinking about how surprised my friends were when they got the cards (at least I hope they were!)

Being away from home can be quite challenging. And it never ever helps to sulk about the situation because thinking of the glass half full, instead of half empty is the much better perspective on how to look at any situation. I can’t say things are perfect here either. But I choose to be happy.

And of course, it does help that I have something to look forward to in a few months time!

Oh, and how about passing my road test exam yesterday? I am now officially a licensed driver here in British Columbia!

Starting a new chapter

Around 5 and a half years ago, I got a call (or was it an IM message) from a guy named Gerald asking me if I was interested in applying for an opening in their company for a Java developer. Unfortunately at that time, I couldn’t entertain it because I still had a few months left in my contract. I told him that and he said, ok, I will give you a call back in a few months.

A few months later, around March 2008, he did call me back and asked if I was open already to apply for the job, and I said yes.

Fast forward 5 years later, a new change. I’m now moving to Vancouver to continue working there.

Around July last year, my boss offered me a permanent job in Vancouver. It took me a week or so to even decide on it and say yes. I used to say that I am happy with the way things are right now, but then again, as I thought about it more and more, an opportunity like this is not often offered to anyone, anytime. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity that has been given to me – more of a blessing. I think God made sure that I stay put here, just because he has something bigger planned to me, and lo and behold, two years after my attempted escape from that company, I’m about to start something new.

To be honest, my mom was hesitant (but supportive), while my dad said go (considering that he used to be an immigrant there decades ago and went back here to Manila). A few friends said go, a few friends asked why. I think hesitations are normal when making a decision like this. Aside from telling them that this is a great opportunity, I also let them know, that it’s always better to have tried, than never to have tried at all. I say that in the most sincerest way that I can (even though sigurista ako pagdating sa pag-ibig).

So the time has come for me to pack. I am flying off to start this new chapter of my life this coming Saturday. An event like this brings about a mixture of excitement and sadness. Excited because it’s a start of something new. And sadness because I am leaving the place I’ve called home for the past 29 years. I will miss my family and friends the most. I will miss Grant and the twins. I will miss having my mom and dad who are always there when I need something. I will miss my friends who has always been there for me through my ups and downs. However, I will definitely not miss the traffic and the very very very hot summers here. 

Amidst all the anxieties and troubles of preparing for the move, I found out that I am just about the most blessed person in the planet because I have my family and friends who loves me so much. So much so that they even surprised me with free lunches and a few memorabilia for me to bring to Canada.

Parting Gifts

My wonderful friends threw me a wonderful Tong Yang despedida party a few weeks back. I thought it would only be the ladies, but I was surprised that my wonderful friend Leda invited a few more folks to join us for our hotpot lunch. Not only did they treat me for lunch (my favorite place, by the way), but they even surprised me with a beautiful scrapbook of various pictures and letters that symbolize our friendship over the years. It was so much fun looking at those pictures. I love it so much that I couldn’t keep the smile off my face every time I open it and sift through it. My mom said that I am very blessed to have such wonderful friends.

And my brother and sister in law also surprised me with a nice little sling travel pouch (not in the picture) for my future travels, plus a beautiful Holy Rosary and a framed picture of the whole family taken during their wedding last February.

My parents and sister surprised me too - with a new cellphone! This has a funny story attached to it. I was going to buy a new cellphone just so I can bring it over to Canada and I can go on roaming for my globe number. My current Nokia phone is too cheap, thus not a tri-band phone. I told my mom I was going to buy it on Tuesday. That same day, my brother sends me a text message telling me that I don’t need to buy a new cellphone, he will just give his old phone to me… for free. Yehey! I was so happy that I wanted to get it from him that same day. When I came home that night, I saw a paper bag in my desk with… notes and words that said that it’s a gift from my mom, dad, and sister. And to my surprise, it’s a new galaxy phone! Yey!! Apparently, my mom went on panic mode after I told her that I was really going to buy a new phone that day and quickly called my brother to do everything he can to stop me from doing that. They ended up going to SM Annex to look for a cellphone – no model in mind, which is probably why it took them forever to get the one they gave me. 3 hours I think. Haha they went back and forth to various models. Nahilo na daw sila.

Nevertheless, I would’ve been very happy already with the time I got to spend with my family and friends before I leave. But having these thoughtful gifts showered upon me is such a blessing indeed.

I may be far away geographically, but my family and friends will always be in my heart all the time. And with technology these days, it’s very easy to keep in touch! Sabi nga ni Leda, pwedeng pwede mag “E-numan”!

Di-e + Nephew and Nieces

 

Two weeks ago, my sister asked us to babysit her three kids because she was going on a week long vacation to South Korea. Naturally, we said yes, and my mom couldn’t have been more excited!

The twins are now walking! We brought them out of the house every afternoon and we try to do walks around the village. Grant joins us too. At least that way they get some exercise outside. After the first time we went walking outside, the next day, Grant already looks forward to our afternoon “pasyal”.

And, we also got Grant to go with us during Bisita Iglesia! We went to visit 7 churches all in all!

So that one week was spent taking care of the kids. They took over most of the house as they had along 4 maids with them! LOL! Grant took over the computer every night and watches youtube videos about transformers and all other cartoons.

I tried carrying the twins (quite heavy now!) together, hence the picture. Poor Gail had this red mark in her forehead the whole week!

Kongkong

A month ago, my grandpa fell down and was brought to the hospital. After a few days, he was discharged.

A week or so later, my aunt, sent us a note that he doesn’t seem well. He’s having a hard time moving around. He can hardly get up from his bed. His right side seem to be really really weak. That same day, my aunt informs us that she and my grandparents won’t be coming to Manila next year for my brother’s wedding anymore.

He had a ct scan scheduled a day or so later. After few further tests here and there, apparently, he actually suffered a mild stroke. There was a blood clot found in his brain but thankfully, no surgery is needed. Since then, they’ve been in the hospital. It is actually a blessing in disguise because my aunt and my grandma can no longer manage to take care of him at home. Now that he’s in the hospital, at least able bodied folks, who knows what they’re doing are taking care of him now.

Around a week ago, he was transferred from VGH to UBC so that he can work on rehabilitation and therapy. His transfer here is a good sign, because now he is better, and he only needs to get the strength and mobility back.

Ever since this whole ordeal, my aunt has been giving us a day by day account (via our yahoogroups). My aunt’s a pretty good storyteller. Here’s one that cracked me up, but at the same time, if you reread, it’s quite sad actually.

Today he looks better but is not himself.  He told Mother that tomorrow he is facing the firing squad.  He told us to phone Edward.  We ask why are we phoning him.  He said to tell him that he is facing the firing squad tomorrow.  Skyped with Meya. He was watching his Pao Ching Tien.  I asked him do you want to talk to Meya. He said tell her I am going to die. Dinner time, we got him out of bed and sitting in his wheel chair.  Actually he asked it.  Then Malabon phoned, we asked him if he knows who he is talking to.  He said Ton which is correct but when he came to Edward, he said Chiang Kai Shek but later he recognized him and Di-so. 

…

I forgot to mention that the other day when we arrived and saw him being wheeled back in the room, Mother asked him where he went.  He said "chua ki tai tau"  (brought him to be beheaded).

Papa said that it sound like he wants to die already, that he might be having a really hard time now. Papa talked to my Amah (grandma) earlier via skype. They had the video on so my dad clearly saw how sad my grandma is. Kept wiping her eyes while they were talking about my Kongkong. Naawa sila kay Kongkong kasi he’s clearly very week, and very much out of his comfort zone and routine at home. You see, Kongkong is a very routine driven person. Him being in the hospital, not being able to stand up, and do what he usually does, is a very sad and discouraging feeling.

Although he is already 86 or 87 years old, we always saw him as this strong person, only limited by his weak legs. They just went to the Philippines early this year. They even have plane tickets already for their trip early next year for my brother’s wedding. And now, what a sad affair. I guess as they always say, nothing really prepares you for the worst. We’re still hopeful that he’ll recover. But you know, to be honest, death seem to be looming around. He may have a few more years ahead of him, maybe not. But the thought that he is weak, and saying all these things, it’s just strangely sad and worrying. I say strange because I have never been in this situation before wherein someone close to me is nearing his end. I may have had before with my lola, but I was very young back then and didn’t understand a thing of what was going on.

And you know what’s worst, my Amah. I cannot even imagine what she’s feeling right now. You see, my grandparents were one of those many people who had arranged marriages back then. Typical Chinese culture. But see how they turned out. After decades of marriage, their love for each other is clearly very strong. My Amah was the typical lady brought up to be the housewife she was obliged to be. And obliged she did. Oh how I see her selfless service to my grandpa. Now, many of us are even more worried about her, than my Kongkong.

I guess, each one of us goes through a little something like this every now and then. Things and events like these gives us the opportunity to rethink about what’s important in our lives. I know I did, and I still am realizing things here and there.

Hot Pot!

Our family loooves hot pot. Thus, to celebrate my twenty-nth birthday, I decided to treat my family to the wonderful world of Tong Yang Shabu Shabu.

Usually, we have hotpot at the comforts of our home. But to try out something different, I brought the whole family to the fairly new Tong Yang @ Eton Centris.

What I love about Tong Yang is the variety. There are rows and rows of ingredients to choose from! In fact, the pictures I have below are just two of four rows of ingredients that are available. You have your unlimited choices from the thinly and beautifully sliced meat section (lamb and beef), to various types of fishes (they even have fish heads) and shells. Of course, there’s no hot pot without the shrimp balls, lobster balls, etc. Endless. You wouldn’t even know what to get with the many choices there are!

Below is our soup pot. You can choose from their different types of soup. We got the Spicy and Chicken soup base. The waiter said the spicy was their “best seller” but I find the chicken soup base better, considering I am fond of hot and spicy food. The plate with shells is probably my Dad’s as he looves shells.

 

Aside from the hot pot, Tong Yang also has a grill… similar to Yakimix. I loved cooking the thinly sliced meats here.

Another thing I like about Tong Yang is that everything is unlimited. You know how buffets like Heat or Circles, you have to pay extra for the drinks. Here, everything’s free and unlimited. And for those who don’t like hot pot food, they also have a few “cooked food” choices. When we were here, there was Yangchow fried rice, and even crab! The dessert area wasn’t so bad either. I ended up eating two bowls of halo halo. Couldn’t help it. If only I had some space left in my tummy… I would have eaten more. The service wasn’t bad either. Maybe because the restaurant wasn’t full, but my mom didn’t have to stand up to get her drinks. The waiters got her what she wanted all the time. I guess the waiters thought that she was the one to pay the bill. Hmmm… too bad for me then! haha

Now if only I am willing to spend 600 pesos per meal, I would definitely go here all the time. But still worth the money. Everyone had fun, everyone enjoyed the food, and no regrets paying the huge bill I got after the festivities.

Naawa yata dad ko, kasi when we got home, even though it was just November 02 that time, he gave me ampao at once. Hahaha

Happy Birthday to me!

Weekend at Baguio

The family and I had a spontaneous weekend getaway to Baguio last weekend! Baguio has always been a nice place to enjoy the lovely cool weather and that’s exactly what we got and more!

My brother, while riding the bus last week, saw an ad some where (in one of the buses, I think) that was advertising discounted rates for the Manor at Camp John Hay. Upon checking the website (and after my officemate willingly covered for my on call work over the weekend), we booked a one bedroom suite plus an extra bed… all for the grand total of 5000+. Not bad at all! 50% discount.

It was definitely worth the price because the room was great! Two baths, two LCD televisions, a spacious living room and dining area, plus a nice cozy bedroom. Impressive. Without the discounted rates, we’d probably end up paying 8000 pesos – 10000 pesos for this room! Thanks to my sister, the pictures below are the only two good ones we have of the room! The rest are no good!

Of course, discounted rates are there in the first place because it is the rainy season after all. Thus, we couldn’t walk around the surrounding areas, but in return though, we did enjoy nice bonding moments while eating and hanging out together (even if it’s just within the confines of the Manor).

There’s really nothing much to see in Baguio these days, however, we did discover a new and highly rated place to go to in Baguio - BenCab Museum. BenCab is National Artist for Visual Arts. This, I would say is a really really nice museum, well maintained, has a clean look, and I can say, world class. 

The museum features various painting and art works from different Filipino artists. These were really good. And since it’s located by the hillside, you actually start from the top most floor, going down a floor at a time until you reach the base (which I believe is 4 levels down), where you are greeted to a nice quaint Café with a nice view of the mountains. Unfortunately, it was raining so we couldn’t walk out the open area. Fortunately though, we see the national artist himself down there and so we couldn’t resist not taking a photo with him.

The museum though, has an entrance fee of 100 pesos which for me, is pretty good price with what you can see around the museum.I find other Baguio attractions and Baguio’s beauty to be deteriorating so this was definitely a breath of fresh air. Beautiful and well kept. It has this high class feel to it. We definitely need more of these well maintained attractions in the summer capital of the Philippines.

All in all, the trip was amazing! Although it was only an overnight trip, I realized that family time is really something we need to set aside time for. Nothing beats hanging out with the family!

Quick Pampanga Trip

We were thinking of doing something different to celebrate our parent’s wedding anniversary last May 27. They were suggesting going to Baguio, but that’ll entail a couple of days off which our schedule (mostly mine and my brother’s) won’t permit. But they didn’t want to just have lunch wherever in the city, so for a change, we decided, why not go to Pampanga and try out their food there? It’s supposed to be a haven for food lovers anyway! And thus, after a few google researches, we decided on a few stops in Pampanga.

Aling Lucing’s Sisig in Pampanga

Located in Angeles City, this small carinderia eatery is known to be the origin of our favorite and very popular dish - sisig! It’s supposed to be a must go to place in Angeles City. Although, we did warn our parents that this is not your typical restaurant and not to expect too much. From the pictures we found via google, it looks like a simple carinderia.

Aside from sisig, they offer different foods as well, but no order necessary. As in a typical eatery, you pick your choice of food from whatever’s available in the buffet food warmer containers. I think my mom picked a few from there but our main goal was to try out the sisig. If I remember correctly, a plate of sizzling sisig will cost you around 170 pesos.

My verdict? It was good alright, but I missed the crunchiness that perhaps, a Gerry’s Grill sisig would have. Nonetheless, this is probably still a place that you’d still want to drop by to due to its historical significance. After all, it’s supposedly where sisig originated!

Kabigting’s Halo Halo

We were thinking of either Razon’s or Corazon’s but we ended up at Kabigting’s. It’s located in Marquee Mall (Ayala mall), just by the NLEX Angeles exit.

Pampanga is known for their halo halos. According to what I read on various blogs, although there are various popular halo halo shops across the province such as Razon’s and Corazon’s, all of them share the same concept which is different from other halo halos. It is that they limit the sahog to roughly around four different ingredients only. The simplicity makes everything way better.

In my opinion, what makes this halo halo quite different from the other halo halos I’ve tasted is because of its pastillas ingredient. It is good, but it made the treat a little bit too sweet and creamy for me.

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Aside from just eating, we were planning to visit a few cathedrals and churches in the province too. Unfortunately, I had a terrible headache, and it was way hot anyway, so we just decided to go home and just save those for our next trip there. Based from my research, there’s still a ton of places to visit in Pampanga. Can’t wait for the next trip!

Twins at 2.5 months old

I haven’t really been in the mood or even inspired to write here in my blog for the past weeks or so, thus, I will simply write about two of the N things that are making me happy these days…

Last March, there were two new additions to our family, Gillian and Gail. And how fast time flies by, they’re now almost 2.5 months old, and getting chubbier by the minute. I can only imagine how fun (and probably annoying as well – dahil sa kakulitan nila, just like their big brother Grant) when they grow up.

No favoritism daw but Grant insists he loves Shobe Gail more.

Angie and Vince’s Wedding

It’s really exciting to see one of your closest friends finally getting married! It was the first wedding of a close friend that I’ve attended. I find that it’s different if you’re just attending a wedding because it’s a family friend or relative who you’re not really close with, as compared to attending a wedding where the bride and groom are really dear to your heart.

My friend Sheila and I were a teeny bit late for the church wedding, half of the entourage already walked down the aisle before we got there. At least though, I still saw the beautiful bride make her wasy down the aisle, looking beautiful as always. And since we were in such a rush, we forgot to bring the camera to the church. Wala tuloy ako pictures sa Church!

The church wedding was held at Santuario de San Jose at East Greenhills (airconditioned!) and reception followed at New World Hotel in Makati. I didn’t realize the food in New World would be really good! I loved their hot shrimp salad (It was a laureate serving, by the way).

Here are a few snaps I got during the reception. The girls are looking very pretty!

And here’s how the ballroom was setup. Beautiful too.

It was kind of annoying that I ended up sitting right in front of the sound system. I cannot talk to my seatmate without having to either shout or speak close to their ears!

And you know during weddings, there’s always this part of the reception where they call in the single gals and guys? I ended up getting called up there, at bigla akong giniginaw sa stage ah! It was a nice game though. An envelope was passed around the the folks and when the music stops while you’re holding the envelope, you have to perform the consequence written on the note inside. And as the game progresses, the consequence gets tougher and tougher.

Lo and behold, for the first round, I ended up getting the envelope! I was so nervous, opening the envelope, so good thing, the consequence was easy – “give a message to the bride and groom”. Whew, that was easy, I have no problem making speeches! haha at napahaba pa, the host even told me that we should have had a toast to go with it! Ang daldal kasi!

As the game progressed, there were to more consequences, kiss someone on the nose, carry a girl for 10 seconds. And the last consequence ended up with this girl, who was asked to pick a guy. Sa sobra niyang kaba, hindi siya makapili. Finally, napilitan pumili ng isang guy. And well, it was a nice surprise because her consequence was actually “a congratulations as you and your partner just won an ampao worth 5000 pesos each!” A total of 10k! Why didn’t the first consequence contain that instead?? Haha great game though!

Overall, the day’s event was really great. Bride wore two gowns – her wedding gown during the church wedding, and her red gown during the reception (I guess to coincide with the chinese new year!). I had fun, and the reception did not drag on until midnight (which is good!). Good food, good friends, good laughs!

Oh, and I got to have Pat Dy take a photo of us, using my camera! That’s almost worth a hundred thousand pesos! haha

Wong-Ng Wedding October 20, 2007

I miss my sister already.

It's been just a day when my sister got married, and here I am, in my room, and no big sister around.



Yesterday was the big day that everyone prepared for for almost a year. My sister got married yesterday at Manila Cathedral and reception followed at EDSA Shangri-la hotel. I guess the reality that she won't be sleeping in our room last night only hit me when I gave a speech for her and her husband. I wasn't expecting to cry there right in front of the whole crowd of 500 guests! I had to cut my spontaneous speech just so to prevent myself from crying a river there in the stage.

I guess my younger sister said it best: "nakakalungkot, pero masaya pa din naman ako para kay achie."

And as I write this short entry down, I can't help but feel so lonely and sad. I miss my sister already.

5 more days...

My sister's getting married this Saturday. Wedding ceremony will be at Manila Cathedral, followed by the reception at EDSA Shangri-la.

On another note, today will be the "moving in" day. There's a Chinese tradition wherein the girl buys and prepares all these stuff that she will be bring to their new home. My parents and grandparents have been busy the past weeks buying these lanterns, tubs, tea set, etc etc. I don't know how these Chinese people came up with these traditions, for it sure is expensive! In addition, my sister also has to have new shoes and bags to match it. Surprisingly, she somehow managed to prepare 6 sets. That's 6 new shoes and 6 new bags altogether!!! Since today is when these items will be brought to their new home, only guys are allowed to bring it in. This is another one of those traditions in Chinese that we all have to follow. My brother will be leading the pack (He took the day off just for this occasion, of course, and it won't hurt that the "kargadors" will get their share of ampaos!).

If I'm not mistaken, the groom to be will have to sleep in their new house tonight, with a relative who's supposed to be born in some year. What the heck! Who cares?

Chinese traditions are surely mind boggling.

After this, we all get to dress up for the big day this saturday!!

My sister's the first grandchild to be married in a Chinese tradition way which is probably why my grandparents are all so involved in this whole process (they even went all the way from Canada just to attend!).

Need to take care of what I eat this week... need to fit into the dress.