"Maligayang Pasko, Vancouver!" 2021 organized by the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver

Event Name: Maligayang Pasko, Vancouver!

Where is "Maligayang Pasko, Vancouver!" 2021?

St. Patrick's Recreation Center at 2881 Main Street, Vancouver BC V5T 3G1

When is "Maligayang Pasko, Vancouver!" 2021?

December 11, 2021, starting at 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Is it free to attend "Maligayang Pasko, Vancouver!"?

Yes! Admission is free. Proof of Vaccination is required upon entry at the Recreation Centre.

What to expect?

• Christmas Market
• Christmas carols
• Christmas parols (lanterns)

List of Vendors

New Vendors

Alala Books	Bayong Canada	Beatriz Boutique
Eat Kanadiyan	Gigil Clothing	Hablon Styles and Hues
Heritage Baking Vancouver	Link and Chain Jewelry	GMA Pinoy TV
Malaya Handcraft	Mabuhay Supermarket	Siopao de Langley
Summit Kids

Returning Partners

Bukobaba	Ensaimada Moment	Goldilocks
Kape	Kasama Chocolate	Kaye Bakes
Kiligraphy	La Glace	LBC
O Taho	Pampanga's Cuisine	Plato Filipino
The Khaykery	Max's Restaurant	Maligaya Travel
Philippine Airlines	Potato Corner	Shameless Buns
Tourmasters Travel	Win-Win Chick-N

List of Carolers

• Jono Hilario and Jonathan Tamondong
• Ed and Salve Dayao
• Kylie Fonacier
• Flavo (the Holy Cross Band)
• UPAABC
• Joey Albert

Activities for Kids

• Parol-Making Activity: Vancouver-based visual artists Bert Monterona and Mylene Paredes will be giving out a total of 125 parol kits and conducting parol-making lessons every hour beginning at 11 a.m.
• Pinoy Story Time: Ms. Erie Maestro of Tulayan-Bridging the Filipino Diaspora will lead the Pinoy Story Time at 1 p.m
• Pabitin (A traditional Filipino party game for children): There will be two sets of the Pabitin, one in the morning for kids aged 3 to 7 years old, and the other in the afternoon for kids 8 to 11

Philippine Airlines Raffle

Win a roundtrip ticket to Manila from Philippine Airlines Buy from participating food and non-food vendors, and visit service vendors to join the raffle. The winning ticket will be drawn at 3:45 PM. The winner is not required to be present during the raffle draw to be eligible to claim the prize.

Photo Booth

This year’s photo booth services will be provided by EM Sager Photography.

Donation Drive for BC Children's Hospital

Bing a new, unused, and unopened toy for boys or girls on the day of the event. A box for the toys will be set up under the Christmas tree on stage. The toy drive is being undertaken in partnership with the Table Tutors DJ Academy.

Filipino Community Mass

The Philippine Consulate General will be sponsoring a Filipino community mass at the St. Patrick’s Church at 4:30 p.m.

Please check the Philippine Consulate General website for more details.

Update!

After buying a lot of food, we left and enjoyed it at our apartment in South Granville. At around 4:00 PM, my mom received a call from my dad telling us that my younger sister won int he raffle. She's the only one who entered. I asked my dad how he found out, and he said that one of his friends are in the event and called him right away.

My younger sister won a Fiesta Pinapple Ham.

Sari Sari Mini Pies from Hapag Restaurant | Magkasama Christmas Market 2021

The Sari-Sari (assorted) Mini Pies from Hapag Restaurant include Salted Caramel Yema Tarts, Banana Langka Turon Pie, and Buko (Coconut) Pie Pockets.

Buko (Coconut) Pies, Banana-Langka Turon Pie, and Salted Caramel Yema Tarts from

Salted Caramel Yema Tarts

I haven't had yema in so long, and I am glad that these tarts are just bite-size; otherwise, it would be too sweet and too much.

Banana Langka Turon Pie

One of my favourite Filipino desserts is turon (banana rolled in a thin spring roll wrapper, dusted with brown sugar, and deep-fried). The same ingredients on top of a pie crust surprisingly satisfy any turon craving I may have.

We haven't tried the buko pie. I'll do my best to update this post once we have enjoyed it.

Buko Pie update

The crust is flaky, and the pie is filled with coconut. Can I have more? If they offer the same thing next week, I'll be happy to order both pies again. It's so good.

Chocolate Crinkles from Craving Crave | Magkasama Christmas Market 2021

Of all the items sold at Magkasama Christmas Market 2021, hubby only requested one, and that's chocolate crinkles. I am not a fan of chocolate crinkles. It was my younger sister who LOVES the cookie.

10 pieces Chocolate Crinkles from Craving Crave

This is our first time buying Chocolate Crinkles since arriving in Canada, and I love how the powdered sugar just goes everywhere. It's so fun to eat. The cookie itself was moist and soft. However, hubby said it's not as sweet as the one back in the Philippines.

Check out Chocolate Crinkles and Macarons from Craving Crave.

Taho from Sago To Go | Magkasama Christmas Market 2021

The Christmas season is truly here! We picked up our Magkasama Christmas Market haul at Shameless Buns today. We ordered many items from many different vendors, and the first one we enjoyed was Taho from Sago Togo.

Sago Togo has been on my "radar" for a year now, but they're all the way in New Westminster, so I am incredibly pleased to have the chance to enjoy their taho.

Two 20 oz-cup of Taho

Growing up, taho is served warm, perfect for breakfast. I even remember buying taho from the manong before heading to the office in Makati when I was working at the RCBC building. Because I want my taho warm, I decided to put it in a microwaveable bowl and reheat it for one and a half minutes.

Taho from Sago Togo

It was not as sweet as the one from the Philippines, and I think that's awesome for health reasons. Hubby was looking for more arnibal (syrup). It might be fun to get each component in separate containers and have us (customers) "assemble" it, like how ramen is delivered with noodles and soup in individual packaging when delivered.

Lunch from Shameless Buns

Today has finally arrived! It's the day we pick up our Magkasama Christmas Market goodies, but before I enjoy and write about each store, here's a little post about Shameless Buns and what we ordered today.

It'd be a crime if I went to Shameless Buns without ordering my favourite Sinigang Fries and trying new things.

Lunch from Shameless Buns

Limited Time: The Double "Spamwich"

Imagine the famous KFC double down (two boneless fried chicken as buns instead of well, buns), but rather, the "Spamwich" are two slices of Spam covered and fried with panko. Between the panko-covered Spam are spicy mayo, chicken adobo, caramelized onions, chipotle cheese sauce, sriracha mayo, crispy shallots, and green onions.

The Double "Spamwich" Combo with Sinigang Fries

Based on the description and as expected, it was salty. I have a pretty low salt tolerance (that's why my favourite chips are the less salt ones - I know, I'm weird). 

Closer look of The Double "Spamwich."

Up close and personal with The Double "Spamwich."

Don't get me wrong, the crispy outside and salty Spam would be impressive with rice (because that's how we roll, my Filipino blood is too pure 🤣 or has too much rice in it). Or even champorado (sweet chocolate rice porridge) or even between pandesal that crispy panko-breaded Spam will be excellent. But with adobo (which has soy sauce), it has become one-note. The "Spamwich" might also be good with the Jackfruit Coconut or Embutido inside; both have a sweeter flavour profile than adobo.

Main Squeeze: Jacked Up Coconut

With the Jacked Up Coconut today, I am halfway through trying all the Shameless Buns Main Squeeze. I said this before, I love their version of ginataang langka. I'll be happy to buy it as is and enjoy it at home with rice. I surprisingly prefer the Jacked Up Coconut with the pandesal than on top of the fries.

Jacked Up Coconut
Jackfruit Coconut Adobo (Ginataang Langka), garlic calamansi aioli, tomato, green onion, and fried garlic

This is my favourite Main Squeeze (so far - will update when I tried the adobo, tapa, and embutido ones), followed by The Little Sausage, then Sir Spam-A Lot.

Side Chicks: Fili-Pino Cheeze Steak Fries

Aha! That's why the fries seem flavourful. It's their Palabok Fries topped with Tapa (Marinated Fries). It's delicious, especially the bite covered in their Chipotle Cheeze Sauce, but the Jacked Up Coconut Fries is still my favourite. I will order that every time, but I am on a "quest" to try everything on their menu and decide which one I like best.

Fili-Pino Cheeze Steak Fries
Crispy AF Palabok Fries, Tapa (Marinated Beef), caramelized onions, chipotle cheese sauce, chicharon, sriracha mayo, and green onion.

We haven't tried two remaining Side Chicks - the Adobo Fries and Sausage Party.

#TimBiebs SOLD OUT Lunch from Tim Horton's

Today is my first day off with the whole goal of running errands. I woke up an hour later than usual,, which is such a luxury.

The day started with breakfast at home, then to a nearby LifeLabs for a blood sample. Afterwards, I had an 11:00 AM appointment to get my haircut after 14 months at Suki in South Granville, but I had 10 minutes to spare before that,, so I spent that time in line at RBC to get two rolls loonies for the laundry.

I love my hair, but I don't show my face or upload my picture in Smooch Food. So, before heading home, we went to Tim Horton's to buy and try #TimBiebs and whatever Dream Donuts they have available. Unfortunately, both are sold out, so we ordered our usual chilli and two farmer's market wrap for lunch because there's a promo.

Happy lunch from Tim Horton's

I will make a new post as soon as we have tried a new Dream Donut and/or the TimBiebs. Happy Friday!

Reunion Holiday Dinner at The Wicklow Pub

It was cold but surprisingly clear skies this evening in Vancouver when I met some of my former colleagues. Since moving to Canada six years ago, I don't have any friends, and the best place to make a social (and professional) connection is at work. That's why every year (except last year), I organize a reunion dinner around December to gather everyone and catch up.

I had a fantastic time catching up with my friends about career, recruitment, housing, mortgages, cryptocurrency, falling buildings, even the Marcoses. I laughed so hard at the jokes and banters, and I was food coma from the delicious food.

Super thank you, The Wicklow Pub, for hosting us. They allowed us to use the private room exclusively, meaning we could talk and laugh as loudly as possible. I miss these guys and the fun we have at work, but I am more than happy to keep organizing these events to see each other once (maybe twice) a year.

For tonight, I finished the nachos myself and got peer pressured to order yam fries because everyone has it.

Nachos

Yam Fries

I am sleepy now, so I'll edit and maybe add more details tomorrow. Maybe.

Thank God for giving me beautiful friends in Canada and keeping them all safe and healthy in the middle of the pandemic.

• May A, Jo, and Ja find employment and work soon in a place where they'll be appreciated and supported.
• May everyone else continue to grow and bless their current employers.
• Keep them and their families safe, healthy, and happy today and every day for the rest of their lives.