A Birthday Party in NH

This is already a long-over-due post. I have been too lazy busy doing tons of stuff here and there and just knowing that alibi fact made me feel guilty beyond reasonable doubt. I've promised myself again to be more active on blogging but I guess I'm set to fail again one way or another. Hey, the sayings "History repeats itself" was coined for a reason, wasn't it?

Anyway, last September (tons of Older-Posts-Coming-Soon ALERT!) Medy tagged me along to a Filipina friend's birthday party in New Hampshire. I was a little reluctant to go for 3 reasons. 1. I only know a couple of people she mentioned that might be there. 2. I'm on a strict diet. And 3. I don't want to drive.

But Medy knows how to talked me out into doing things I don't want to do. 1. She insisted that I should come since the birthday celebrant Mhel asked her to bring me with her and that she will introduce me to other Filipinas there. I have been here in the U.S. for over 6 years now and I only know a handful of Filipinos whom I consider friends. I get invited to parties and get-together a lot of times too but I usually turned them down because I'm usually busy during the weekends due my races. Good thing I have no race that weekend.

When Filipinos get together, no matter what part of the world they are... parties will not be the same without food. Well, yes any race or nationality for that matter when it comes to parties food is always involved. But we are not talking about hotdog, burger and ice cream here. 2. We are talking about TONS of FILIPINO FOOD. A whole table of deserts of all kinds (high sugar level ALERT!). A long table of Filipino dishes that I craved for so long. And another table for additional dishes that kept on coming and kept on cooking. In short, all the food I miss so much!

And 3.  New Hampshire is a neighboring state. It's pretty much like Maine in almost all aspect except in "taxes". Yes, we love to go shopping in NH because - no taxes on goods. wink* The venue was about an hour drive from Maine. And Medy said the magic word - You are not driving! She knows I hate driving and she knows that the only way to convince me to go anywhere she badly wants to go to is to NOT make me drive. Poor Richard, good thing he is kind enough to drive us to NH. We got there just in time for lunch.

Well, we had fun eating, chatting, laughing, singing and crooning to our hearts desire. We all enjoyed belting our lungs out to a popular OPM (Original Pinoy Music). But the American husbands beat us in points singing TAGALOG songs. That one was really funny. We all had a laugh and enjoyed listening to their American accented version of Filipino music.

And of course, it will not be the same if we are not going to have a group photo. wink* We Filipinos are very camera shy. LOL.

So yeah, that was one fun weekend that I had last month. I went to a birthday party and glad that I did.

Window Shopping with my BFFs

Last weekend, Lerna - a Filipino friend from Massachusetts came for a visit. Medy, Lerna and I were kinda tired of just hanging out at home cooking and eating Filipino food so we decided to go "window shopping" in South Portland.

Since Medy nor Lerna can't drive, I assigned myself as the official driver of the day. And since I am the only one who knows South Portland (where most of the stores are) by heart I was also the official Tour Guide.

Our first stop was the Nordstrom Rack. We browsed all the designer brand items but there was nothing we really liked. Or shall I say, there was nothing our purses liked. But Medy was happy to find out that they got our shoe size there - 4, 4 1/2,  and 5. We didn't buy anything and that explains why we went out of the store without shopping bags on hand.

Next store was Target. Since it was literally just a stone throw from Nordstrom Rack we decided to check it out too. Medy and I liked a pair of red boots but we were not too crazy about it. So we left the store without shopping bags too. We were so proud of ourselves. Two stores in a row and we were still in control.

From there I drove straight to the Mall but we didn't go in the Mall. We went to TJ Maxx which is right outside the Mall. We met some Fiipinas there browsing on some clearance racks too. And no we didn't get anything too so no shopping bags either.

From there, we went to visit TJ Maxx's big brother, Marshalls. We spent another 30 minutes browsing and checking out clearance racks too but we didn't find anything worth spending our money on. So no shopping bags too.

Then off to the Christmas Tree Shops. We didn't spend a lot of time there but we did buy something. I bought  Pringles and a pack of cough drops. Lerna bought tea and Pringles too. Medy didn't get anyhting but at last we finally left a store with shopping bags.

We ended our window shopping galore at Marden's. Lerna found a nice backpack-style bag and did not have second thoughts on buying it. She purchased that baby in a heartbeat.

She paid $2.99 for that cute thingy. Woohooo!!! We got a great bargain. Mission accomplished. And we left the store with shopping bags.

It was indeed another day of shopping adventure. On our way home we planned for our next shopping escapades in another shopping town. wink*

My 1st Football Game ever

I learned to love football when I came here in Maine but I have not watched a real football game till a couple of weeks ago.

Maya, Medy's daughter is in the cheering team and that gave us an opportunity to watch a real football game.

Maya is cheering for the Hawks. It was indeed fun to see the cheer leaders doing their routine in their blue and white cheering outfit. I think they are cute.

The game started with a brief ceremony with the National Anthem being sang.

The game started and we watched how the players tackled each other. It was an intense game but not as intense as the way the professionals do.

But for my Filipina friends and I, we were more excited for Maya and not for the game. We enjoyed watching Maya did her routines. She was a natural in the field.

The Hawks had a hard time with this game I guess. The ball was was intercepted a couple of times during the first quarter. And they remained zero point till the "half time".

Still Zero for the Home Team.

My friends getting bored watching the game. LOL

Maya with Mom - Medy.

Maya with Me and her Mom, Medy.

My Filipina friends.

We didn't finish watching the game. After Maya's presentation we left to... what else - eat! LOL. It was fun though. Too bad Hawks lost to whoever it was they playing against with. Yeah, we didn't bother to ask who their opponent was. We were there for Maya only, so why bother. wink*

-------------------------------Maine Attraction-------------------------------

 

This is a SPECIAL POST for MAINE Attraction... a regular blog that features everything and anything about my home - Maine.

My $1 Shopping Spree

Nothing gives me a real thrill than finding a real-honest-to-goodness bargain at the store. Just imagine yourself walking in at Nordstrom Rack and being greeted by this amazing collections of designer sunglasses at 75% off. Good right? No! These designer sunglasses cost range from $85 - $125 a pair.  So I just walked away.

But that incident did not dampen my spirit a bit. I just continued browsing and checking things out and viola! I found an entire rack of active wear on clearance.

I did not have second thoughts. I grabbed what I can handle and splurged. For everything on it was on 75% to 98% off.

So would you pass on that kind of opportunity? I won't! So let's have a little fun here. Or shall I say - Let me brag about it!

1. Marika Dri Fit Top: Original price - $42. Clearance - $1. Savings - $41. (I bought 3 of them in different colors.)

2. Nike Tennis Sports Dress: Original Price - $50. Clearance - $1. Savings - $49.

3. American Buddha Yoga Tops: Original price - $42. Clearance - $1. Savings - $41.

4. American Buddha Yoga Sports Bra: Original Price - $42. Clearance - $1. Savings $41.

Let's do some Math. Yeah, I hate Math but this time, I love it. This is the only kind of Mathematical problem that I love to do. Seriously! LOL

Here we go.

So, you don't have to be a Rocket Scientist to figure this out. I spent $4 (plus Maine taxes) on 6 items which would have cost me $260 if they were not on clearance and had a total savings of $254 since they were on clearance. 

Now, can you blame me for being a shop-a-holic again? Don't judge me! LOL.

Californication Foodies (Part 1)

My California vacation in 2010 was one of the most memorable vacations I had. The highlight of the trip was basically food. Well, that and - shopping!

From the day I flew in from Maine to the time I was about to board the plane out of LAX... food was involved.

So to give you an idea of my food experience I decided to present my food-opportunity-of-sort with matching photos to drool on. LOL.

As soon as my cousin Joey and her most loyal boyfriend JV picked me up at the Union Station, JV drove us straight to Salu-Salo Restaurant where I had my first Pinoy food in California.

The next day, I had a hearty meal at a Thai Restaurant near Joey's condo unit with Carmen - one of my favorite students (shhhhhh) in High School.

After 4 years of being in America, I finally got the chance to have my favorite siopao from Chowking when I met up with my long time friend Ate Emz whom I have not seen for over a decade.

And during this vacation, I finally met in person 3 amazing "virtual" friends I met through blogging. My TSS Sistahs are no longer "virtual", they are for real and our friendship grown stronger and deeper.

Yes, this is only a partial treat of my food adventure in California. As the title says... Part 1 - therefor, you are in for more tasty treats as I will give you 4 parts of this tasty adventure of mine. Chow!

This is one of 'MERICA Posts Series. A regular post dedicated to my HOME away from home.

Read more about my 'merica HERE as I share my experiences in this land of amazing People, Culture and Traditions.

My New BFF

I am a great cook... not! Well, probably I am, in my own right, that is. I'm not a "cook-cook" but I can cook. My Sweetest loves my cooking or probably he is a good eater and doesn't care much about the taste of the food. LOL  My brothers love my cooking. Some of my friends love my cooking. And most importantly I love my cooking. Of course.

But since I don't have much time to cook, I would rather have someone cook for me. However, since I discovered my new BFF, I now enjoy cooking again --- the slow way.

Yes, meet my new "best friend forever"... the slow cooker.

And here is one of the dish I cooked with it - Pork Ribs with Onions and Pepper.

For recipe... click here.

Maine Shopping Attractions

First of all, I am a recovering shop-a-holic. LOL I really don't know if there is such a thing but whatever. Shopping for me is not really my main priority. I just shop on "if-need-be" basis.

Second of all, I don't really post anything about my shopping spree online for fear of being tagged as a "brag or show-off". But I think I need to write about my shopping experiences now for "if-need-be" reasons.

Who doesn't love bargains like this one?

Well, I have noticed on several blogs that most bloggers are now writing and posting about their shopping escapades. A lot of them are mostly product reviews and tips on where to find bargains and sales to help shoppers. Some of them are giving helpful alternatives to shoppers to choose wisely. But a few of them are using these kind of posts for online monetizing reasons. And in that case... I am joining the band wagon.

And who doesn't love the thrill of acquiring "on sale" stuff like these?

So, whether you like it or not. I will be posting stuff about shopping, bargains, clearances, discounts, on sale items, 75% off, 90% off and whatever "off" there would be around Maine.

And I will be giving tips and ideas where to find some cool items at discounted prices. I will also write some reviews of products and stores. Note however, that my reviews are all 100% mine and they will not in any way be influenced by the store or the product manufacturers. Just to be clear, I have it written in my disclosure policy about my views on specific things that I am writing about. So you can check it out HERE.

So here is a short list of MY Maine shopping attractions. These are several of may go-to-stores that I where I am having if-need-be shopping moments. Just to let you know, they are not paying me "right now" for writing and  mentioning them here in my post. But I will be happy to write about them and get pay for it in the near future. So watch out! LOL

1. Walmart. It's the happiest place on earth. wink* This is where I go to to find practically anything and everything and I do pay less here. This was the very first place I drove to when I got my license. LOL.

2. Big Lots - They got lots of cool stuff on discounted price. I usually get emails from them every week to let me know what items are on sale. Yeah, where kinda close, you know. hahaha

3. Marshalls - This is my shopping haven for designer goods and I don't pay full price for them. Going to Marshalls is always a good shop-portunity. And on certain days you will get lucky to get items priced at $1.

4. Hannaford - This is where I do my grocery shopping. There are items that are priced low here on certain days. I love their organic produce because they are reasonable priced.

5. Dollar Tree - Yeah, just what the store says - everything here is a "buck". From food to toiletries, from diner ware to party supplies... everything is a dollar. This is where I get most of my party planning supplies.

6. Goodwill - This place is where you can find rare treasures. This is a thrift shop but I do find some brand new things here too. This is where I bring my old stuff too for them to sell. This is a store for all the good reasons. 

Photo Credit: From the internet.

7. The Christmas Tree Shop - Yes, it's Christmas all year round in Maine. This is one of the best places to find anything at discounted price Christmas or not.

Photo Credit: From the internet.

8. Target - Lots of cool items here at low price too.

Photo Credit: From its Facebook Account... Here

9. Marden's. Oh I tell you, when you find an item here that you really really really like... buy it because if you don't you will regret it. As the song goes - "you should have bought it when you saw it at Marden's!" Yeah, that's how it is because I learned my lesson hard here.

Photo credit: Kendra

10. Nordstrom Rack - This is my newest go-to store for one item... shoes! Oh yes, they got my size. They have sizes 4, 41/2, 5, and 51/2. And they got them in stilettos too but not in stilettos-high price.

There you go. Those are the places where I go when I need to relax, recharge and spend some "me-time". But be aware too that when I go to those stores... most of the time I don't buy. I just want to check items and dream about them. So don't judge me! LOL.

Sometimes, a woman just needs a place to relax... a hobby... and a sports.  For me, it's walking in the store. wink*

-------------------------------Maine Attraction-------------------------------

 

This is a SPECIAL POST for MAINE Attraction... a regular blog that features everything and anything about my home - Maine.