Live in the Philippines

July 18, 2013 by feyma

Reconnecting friends from over a decade of friendship!

Yesterday I went to see again a friend that Bob and I knew for over a decade now. We knew them through the net. Her name is Effy, she now lives in Texas with her husband John and their 2 kids Jessa and little JP. Now joined by Effy’s mom Ate Ermie.

We met her just not long after we arrived here from the States in early 2000. At that time we used to live in GenSan. Effy just graduated her college and got engaged to her fiancee John from The States. At that time Effy was still the shy girl. Just talking and interacting with her I remember my days with her before meeting Bob and before my days going to the States. The typical Pinay, so shy and timid. Effy really is every parents dream to have for a daughter. Bob met Effy and John when Bob came to Davao for a business trip. John came here to see Effy for the first time. Bob and John had been communicating on the net for awhile. John decided to visit GenSan. We’re so happy to show them around, we brought them to Lake Sebu and Isla Parilla and other nice places there.

The long time friends

We still got in contact with Effy after John went home. One day we had some business to do here in Davao. We then proceeded to Tagum to see Effy. I think at that time she’s working at the hospital there. It happened to be her off day at work, we invited her to come with us to Davao to have lunch. We brought her to one of the restaurant here. I think that was Don Henrico’s Restaurant near Gaisano South. We ordered foods and one of the things we ordered was onion rings. That was the first time Effy tasted onion rings and she really like it a lot.

John came back few months after and they had pre-wedding celebration here in Tagum. Bob and I were invited. It was really a nice and beautiful celebration. Effy’s mom Ate Ermie who is a fabulous wedding planner, she prepared the whole thing. It was grand since her lovely daughter would be married in a few weeks in the States. The party here was for the family of Effy who can’t attend the wedding in the States. We were sort of the grooms family during the pre-wedding. Our friendship did not end after we atteneded the pre-wedding. John and Effy went to the States a few days after the pre-wedding celebration. Effy first lived in Seattle for a few years before settling to Texas until now. John is a chef at RainForest Restaurant.

Aaron and Jessa

Even when Effy was already in the States I am still communicating with her mom. Then when Effy visit her family here after living in the States for a few years. She came to our house and just catch up with our friendship. Then a few years ago Ate Ermie’s went to States. We still continue on our friendship. Thank goodness for Facebook and the telephone. We continue knowing each other activities through there. I can see now that Effy is a very busy mom to her daughter who happens to be modeling. She’s traveling to have shows on some other areas in Texas.

Effy and her mom Ermie also do some wedding planning and flower arrangement on the side for wedding in there area in Texas. Effy also accepts Balikbayan Boxes shipment for the Philippines. If ever you want more info just email me on that.

To Effy and Ate Ermie, little JP and Jessa. It was really nice seeing you guys. Thank you so much for visiting. Thank you for the gifts too. I hope to see you guys before you head back home. Have a good visit with your family here in the Philippines. Have a good trip home.

July 11, 2013 by feyma

The eye popping show!

Been watching shows on TV. One that caught our attention was the show “Restaurant Impossible” by Robert Irvine. The show really is about drowning in debt restaurant owners and asking help from Robert on how to make their restaurant better and more profitable. What Robert will do he will renovate the restaurant and improved the menu for 2 days with the budget of $10,000. He will have help from his few different designers and his builder Tom. Both Bob and I really like the show and the people that help Robert. A lot of time we would be in awe of the outcome of the renovation. I also learned a few menus from him.

Robert Irvine of Restaurant Impossible

It’s really puzzling to me how could any owners let there restaurant be filthy, disgusting and so much gunk. Just watching the show makes my stomach turn upside down. Lots of time my eyeballs just about to pop out just watching those people when picking up the equipment in the kitchen and it’s filth every where. I felt that the workers just didn’t care and I guess the owners too. Too many OMG came out from my mouth in every episode that I watch of that show. It’s just mind blowing that the owners don’t have a clue how disgusting their restaurant has become. Like Bob and I were always commenting while watching the show, why can’t the owner start cleaning when they try to reach out for Robert before he come there to see their restaurant? At least when he comes to visit the resto it is partly clean already. Geez, if I would be the owner I would be embarrassed seeing my restaurant so filthy. Most of the restaurant that Robert would visit he always say its like a pig sty. And I totally agree with him.

Now since watching that show. My gosh, I was telling Bob that I felt like not eating at any restaurant now here in the Philippines, unless it is a newly opened restaurant. If the restaurant in the West goes like that so filthy and so disgusting, to think they had people from the government checking the restaurant regularly. What will be the restaurant here? I am not sure if they have regular people from the government checking the restaurant or do they have strict regulations on maintaining the restaurant here.

When going to the restaurant now all I’m thinking when ordering if the drinks and ice dispenser the inside is it clean? Are the cooking pots and pans cleaned? Are there mice crawling all over the restaurant during the night? Are the meats and veggies cleaned before cooking and serving? Gee, too many questions now in the back of my head. I mean I am not saying that the restaurant be super, super clean. Really it would be nice though if it would. But I would like it to be at least everything’s clean and the plates that were clean be covered that no bugs crawling in. No mice inside the kitchen running all over.

I don’t mind eating and drinking at some other good known restaurants here. Also right now I don’t mind eating at S & R since they just opened and some other restaurant that just opened recently. I know that the drinks & ice dispenser still in good shape.

Have a good eat everyone!

July 4, 2013 by feyma

“Brigada” the new requirements!

The new requirements now to enroll a kid here in the Philippines in a public school for grade school and high school are to do a Brigada. The “Brigada” or also known as Bayanihan. To work together to do something useful for the classroom or the school. It’s mostly and effort of the teachers, parents, students and member of the community. It is actually a week or 2 week long work in school. But you don’t have to work at the school the whole time. One parent or both can go there to the classroom and work there for an hour or more depending on how long you are willing to help out. I guess if ever few kids in the family goes to the school, the parents can do the brigada thing once and they can choose what grade level they want to work with, it surely depend on the parents on that.

Brigada Eskwela

With these efforts some volunteers were so attuned that they also give out or donate I say like paint, brooms, school supply, decor for the classroom, could give curtains and also helping putting them up, can give other stuff that needed there. The volunteers that help out will clean up the whole classroom inside and outside before the school starts. Parents and children will work side by side to paint the classroom or fix the chairs that’s been broken or other stuff that’s needs to be done. It also a good start to know the other parents and the teachers better. If you have some extra stuff in your house like cleaning products you can give it to the teacher-in-charge for the of used of the product.

Sending your kids to public school here it’s really similar to the States that almost everything is free. From the school tuition to the books. The teachers here would not even ask the parents for donations. They will just say that if you want to give you can, but you are not oblige to give.

Some schools they starts asking volunteers early (like the whole summer) to help out especially if lots of major repairs needs to be done like with the ceilings or some broken chair, teachers desk and bathroom leaks or smooth up the concrete walls. They also asked local businesses for assistance that will participate with the brigada.

I just heard that brigada recently when our wash lady was asking for an off day during the week for her to go for the brigada thing. She could tell that I had no idea what she was talking about, so she explained to me. Then I also asked my sister about it. Really it is cool to have it. I think they started the brigada thing during the mid 90′s to late 90′s. I’ve never experienced that when I was in grade school or in high school. It will be good start knowing the other parents especially later if your kid wants to spend the night at the classmates house. At least you already had an idea who they are with.

Feel free to share your Brigada or Bayanihan experience. School just started here, hope everyone is ready. Hope you guys had a good summer. For the folks in the West your summer just started. Have a good one there.

Mabuhay!

June 27, 2013 by feyma

The S & R fanatics!!!

It’s been a few weeks now since the opening of S & R. We’ve been very happy with it. I’ve been rarely going now to the other grocery stores here. When going there I’ve been eyeing some stuff there, coming back a few days after and its gone. Just for example I want a purple colored towel, good for our girls here in the house. I was telling my daughter that we will buy that next time we go there, I had some other stuff in mind to buy that day. Few days after when we came back it’s gone already. They still have other towels there, but the color that I want were gone already. Been going there a few times since then but no towel of that color yet there. So I will just have to wait. Or should I say Jean will have to wait for that color to come back there on stock then. For now I bought her a different color of towel.

Plenty of people at S&R, it’s always crowded!

We like the ribs

Other stuff that the kids were eyeing there was the gigantic trampoline. See we used to have trampoline that we brought with us from the States. It was overused for a long time. Time to get a new one. The only problem our old trampoline the size it’s 10 feet in diameter. The one they have there at S & R was 15 feet in diameter. No matter what angle we are measuring on our yard that trampoline just don’t have enough space here. Big sigh for our kids and us. Bob and I both know that our kids enjoyed having trampoline. We are waiting if they will have the size that we want later. We are hoping for it though.

Other craze for the kids there was the pop-tart and Dr. Pepper soda. Can’t buy every time we go there. It will blow my budget away. Ha ha ha. . We also like the cooked babyback ribs there. It comes with one bottle of 2 liter soda with it. Really sometimes when me and Aaron and my niece Glenda take our daily walk, sometimes we would stop at S & R. Just like to walk around inside and just see what new stuff they have there again. That’s the new place to be for our family now.

Inside S&R – looks just like Costco!

Since the opening we hardly shop at the other store. We now buy our meats and other stuff there. Just little stuff we would buy from the other grocery store. Good thing it’s just a walking distance from our house. That’s really a plus for us. One thing we saw there that we used to buy in Costco in the States was the king crab. Gee it’s just too darn expensive. We just have to turn our heads away when passing that aisle. LOL. For Thanksgiving I am already looking at their whole turkey there. It’s butterball brand too.

I had a friend that I brought there. She’s living part time here in Davao. She want’s to get the membership but she’s not sure if she will be here by the end of the year or next year. She might be in the States the whole year. So I told her just don’t get a membership right now, to just let me know when she wants to buy something at S & R. Day before yesterday I brought her there. She’s wanting some medicines that she’s used to buy in the States. They had there at S & R, so she bought that with a bottle of lotion that she likes from there too.

After she bought the stuff we ate our lunch there. Good food and affordable. She’s just amazed with the place too.

Want a drink – unlimited refills!

All in all, so happy to have the S & R here and especially it’s really near to our house. I know some of you would say that you will not buy something from a place that you will pay for a membership. But for us it’s just so worth it. I found stuff there that my family were so happy to have it. At the end that’s all that matters to me and Bob.

Happy shopping everyone!

Hope to see you at S&R!

June 13, 2013 by feyma

Going abroad using different name!

I’ve been hearing stories here about people borrowing other people’s name or should I say identity to apply to get work abroad. Like some people loaned to their cousins/friends their identity. I mean they get everything the birth certificate, bio-data and picture and etc. Then they will get passport and all the necessary papers to go to work outside the Philippines.

One of the stories that I heard lately: It’s really a dilemma for a person on how to go back to the US of A!

The lady borrowed an identity of her cousin to go to the USA. This happened like over 15 years ago.The thing that baffles some of her friends why on earth is she using her cousin’s name they are kind of a well off family. So anyway she went to the States with her cousins identity. Don’t really know her reasons behind using cousins name. She’s been living in the States for a few years and didn’t take a vacation to the Philippines yet. Until one day one of the family member called her up and told her that her dad was seriously ill and he’s in the hospital. Without thinking she went to the travel agency and booked her ticket to come back to the Philippines.

Immigration fraud?

Well by not thinking she booked her ticket using her real name. She didn’t realize it until later. I guess she was arrested and sent back to the Philippines immediately. Not sure if she married her husband on her cousins name. Her and her husband had one son. After she got deported the husband brought their son to the Philippines to live with his mom. I guess the son continued his studies here until he graduated high school. Soon after high school graduation the son returned to the States. He is now living in the States with his dad. The mom was left here in the Philippines, hoping that one day she will be reunited with them there. The husband have been trying to bring her back to the States after the incident, but to no avail. As one of my friends told me the term they used to name the person if not allowed to enter the other country again was “blocked listed”. So I guess she was one of those people that was blocked listed.

The sad part for her now, some of her friends think that the husband already has family there of his own in the USA. I mean another ladylove, they even said he already had a kid with the other woman. Some friends of the first wife advice the husband to build a house for her here and buy a vehicle for her. Which he did wholeheartedly. I guess for the past few years he was coming here to visit his wife and son when theirs some special occasion for his son. I think he interacts less with his wife when visiting. Friends were kind of worried with her now because she’s kind of paranoid now. She will not go out of her house, she’s just wanting to stay in-front her computer waiting for her husband to Skype her. Friends were already worried about her.

Really, I just don’t have any knowledge regarding this matter. Any advice from you guys will be highly appreciated:

My questions to any of you now:

Do you think the wife can still enter the USA someday soon?
Is there like a limit of number of years for her to be out from the States before she will be able to enter the USA again?
Is she going to be banned in entering the USA or other countries?
Can the kid petition the mom to come to the USA if he is a US citizen?
Can her son petition the mom using her original name?

Thank you so much guys for your help.