Kan anan sa Balsa, Kumalarang, Zamboanga del Sur

Last December 29, going home to Iligan from Zamboanga City the husband decided that we take our lunch at a place highly recommended by the brother-in-law, Kan anan sa Balsa in Kumalarang, Zambuanga del Sur. It is a mountainous 4th class municipality with around 25,000 people. So it was actually a surprised that when we got there, we could not get a table because others have reserved way ahead of time. Judging also from the kind and quantity of parked cars, it has become a destination of choice for eating out considering that it is in a remote, mountainous municipality.

Although it is not the first time that we passed this place on our way to Zamboanga, we always make it a point to stopped by Pagadian City for our meals but apparently, Kan anan sa Balsa has gained popularity over the years. I can't tell you anything about the cooked food though since we were not able to have our lunch there since they were also having their christmas party by 1 pm so they had to close. But i can tell you though that the food is really fresh. I can understand the attraction that the place has to offer since the tables are in canopied rafts anchored at the sides of the large fish pond, and you get to see you meal being hooked right in front of your eyes. Also, it's the only one of it's kind outside of Pagadian City.

I'd post later some of the photos i took. It was raining and the kids were hungering for Jollibee so we had to get on our way. By the way, there really are some nice photos on the web about Kan anan sa Balsa but I can't link to them. I'll make a post on this again when we have a chance to eat there.

Happy Digital Christmas

Have you ever wondered what would the turn of events be had Jesus been born in these times?
Wonder no more, watch this cool video :

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A simple love letter

Let me share with you a love letter i receive from my 6 years old Alyssa:

I put this inside my wallet.  If you must know, my children speaks fluent Cebuano. Since relocating here, they have been learning to speak Tagalog although they still retain the accent that identifies most Bisaya.  But whatever language they may want to write to me, I feel the love.  And did i tell you, she writes to me almost everyday? I have a folder at home intended for letters and cards such as these.  Even Abby scribbles unintelligently, colors it and gives it to me.

Alyssa like most girls, watches disney's fairytales. And so she wants me to be a Queen loved by her King. In her young heart, she knows that happiness at its core really means knowing you are loved.  And I know that I am loved. And I am happy.

Paskohan Village at Meralco Compound

Last Sunday, we were able to roam around town because we sprayed our place with insecticide.  Yup, cockroaches and mosquitoes now abound in our abode. So enough of that icky update, i would rather share with you some of the photos we have taken during our visit to Meralco's Paskohan Village.

Above is the giant christmas tree made of copper wire. Actually most of the displays are made of copper wire. Kudos to the sculptor!

On display also is a train complete with the tracks, i just don't know if it actually runs since it was just stationary when we where there.

The husband carried Maggie whose baby eyes seemed to grow bigger with every display of lights that came to sight.  Christmas really is such a wonderful time for kids!

My girls still full of energy even when it's already nearing midnight.

This photo is a panoramic shot feature of my newly bought digital underwater camera. More on my GECam on the next posts.

HSBC's low home loan rate

These past two weekends we mostly spend on the road checking out houses from as far as Las Pinas to the south and Marikina to the north. I've also combed the net and actually found a house which seems to fit right into our budget and also right in the heart of the city of Makati.  So now that we have found a suitable place to purchase, we were already thinking of how to go about acquiring our dream home.  We don't have a stashful of cash hidden so bank financing is a must. 

First on our list is HSBC. Why, because according to leaflets they are inserting into my monthly credit card statements, they are offering a home loan rate at 5.99% for 1 year re-pricing! Also, i had high hopes that my inquiry would be met with enthusiasm after all, by my standards I have a pretty good credit rating, by way of paying on time even before due dates.  That's not limited to credit card debts by the way, I am also diligent with my other obligations in other financial institutions. So anyway, I called up their hotline and got entertain by a customer representative who initially told me that the 5.99% was monthly rate! Yup, i had to ask him again and again but he still firm on the 5.99% as monthly rate.  Regardless, he told me that a home loan specialist will contact me in 2-3 business days to answer about my particular concern.

The following day, friday I again called up their hotline and inquired about their home loan rate if it's really monthly or annual.  The CS this time told me that it's annual and that she told me that she put my request on express mode to signify the urgency so that whoever the home loan specialist they assigned to me will find ways to talk to me earlier. That was friday. Monday came, then tuesday and then wednesday still there was no call.  By the way, I also filled up their online request form to talk to a home loan specialist but nobody got back to me.  I suppose, they had bigger clients to attend to.  

But I've always thought of HSBC as really up there in customer service. Contrast that with Union Bank and UCPB. When i emailed UCPB for an inquiry about home loan rate, not even a minute after sending that email my phone was already ringing and a bank representative was already calling me ready to answer all my queries.  When I also called up Union Bank-Wackwack branch, I was also immediately entertained by their business manager.  But then again Union bank and UCPB offers 9.75% as against 5.99%.  So I am giving HSBC the benefit of the doubt here.  Maybe they are just swamped with home loan applications that they didn't bother getting back to me?

Megaclinic, Medical Services in a Mall

Yesterday, I had my pulmonary function test and ecg done at SM megamall's megaclinic.  I had my check-up friday evening after work because i have been having periods of dizziness which starts in the morning when i get up. There are times when it lasted all throughout the day although it's not at the point where I can no longer go through my daily function. And then, i also have periods of shortness of breath and discomforts in my chests.  Must admit, that all of these coincided with the fact that i might be loooking for a new employer soon and that the husband and I are looking into buying our own house and lot. House hunting is a joyful experience until you inquire for the price and it's way beyond your means.  It is stressful, I tell you.  And  was once diagnose with PSTD not so long ago in my past but it's another post.

Anyway, megaclinic's services has so far proved to be oustanding, starting from reception until you get what you came there for.  I haven't tried all their laboratory procedures and Heaven forbid that I would, I'd like to stay healthy for a very long time. The staff are nice and courteous enough.  The only thing which would probably make you wait is when you are an HMO cardholder because they will have to call up your HMO for approval.  Other than that everything is smoothsailing. Of course, it is a given that you have to wait for the doctors and lab procedures where there is just too many patients.  Even then, the concept of medical services in a mall where you can bring in the whole family, for them to enjoy the mall's entertainment while you have your medical tests done is outstanding especially today where family time is so eroded with traffic, work and other activities. Another outstanding concept is that you need not go there to get your lab results, you just go to healthonline.com, they already gave you an ID you just ask them what and type in your password. 

Anyway, I really would have wanted if someone was with me when i had my pft and ecg.  It's not a scary procedure, the pft i mean but it did scare me off a bit especially so since you can see the graphical representation of your lung function and whether or not it is functioning at the normal level.  They will give you a mouthpiece connected to a machine where you blow and inhale with force, 3 times to check. Afterwards, you will be instructed to use a nebulizer with ventolin, rest for 15 minutes and do the exhale and inhale test again. I waited a bit longer for the ecg because the technician was still doing a stress test on another patient.  The ecg is very quick, she just told me to unhook my bra, lie on my back, wipe the sites where the leads( not sure with the term) are to be with cotton with alcohol.  I think they put a total of 4 leads on my chest, 1 on each wrist and 1 on each feet.  It is a simple enough procedure but still it is disconcerting that it is a test to somehow determine if your heart is ok. Yeah, it would have been nice to have someone hold your hand after the tests. And yes,  waiting for the results is kinda stressful too.

Pembo, Makati

We checked out a house and lot at Pembo, Makati.  It's a big place but the house is in a bad state of disrepair, from what we saw there was no sign of a caretaker living there.  It is near a creek or a small river not sure which is which. Although from what i've read from mapcarta , Pembo has an average elevation of 19 meters above sea level.  Not sure if it's a comfort though since at the time of Typhoon Ondoy, the water was said to be at knee level. 

Going to the place, we passed by a market place  which really is just a walk away. The houses around the area are of the concrete shanty types although there are several big houses with high fences.  If we get that place, it will be much nearer to the husband's place of work, but way way far from mine. The nearest mall is Market Market.  Right now, i think the husband favors that place more than the others we have seen so far.  The house is a total write off, and i think we have to spend so much on fillings so that the house will be a level higher than the street and we also need to spend on pest control particularly anay. At this point we have not even talked to the owner yet just the niece and we haven't been contacted by a home loan specialist from the bank. Oh well, a step at the time.

Nokia Holiday Rush Sale Up to 70% Off

The web is abuzz with Nokia's holiday rush sale of up to 70% off happening on december 4, 2010 at these nokia stores :

The units up for grabs are the following:

Hurry, stores open at 10am and it's on a first come,first serve basis!