October 4, 2023

27 thoughts on “Annual Amber Box Celebration

  1. That lot was for sale so it would make some sense for a big outfit like Mickey D’s to snatch it up.

    1. Yeah, I’m not a big Micky D’s fan, but I do like their breakfast food and fries. If they have it like stateside, I’ll probably get some of that breakfast food. I don’t believe that the Philippine McDonalds has those McMuffins though. I could be wrong, I haven’t looked that close. I’ll have to limit myself on the fries though. I need to cut down on the salt intake, so my #1 thing to go is those bullion cubes I use, evidently, too often.

      1. It was posted in the FB page of CalbayogCity Samar.

        The McDonalds I go to in Angeles City has the McMuffins. I usually meet friends there in the morning and have the sausage McMuffin with egg, no hash browns and an upsized coke zero for 98 pesos. The hash browns are an extra 15 pesos if I remember correctly.

        1. Found it. They also talk about a pizza factory on Magsaysay Blvd. That Calda’s looks great. I’ll be there too much if they build it though.
          Close also counts in hand grenades, but I’d rather it be slow dancing or horseshoes. I wish I had some stakes for my horseshoes. I’ll bet I can find something sturdy enough here somewhere. I bet I could get someone to try it while at the beach.

  2. That is one good looking family you have pictures of in this post….well, at least the woman and child. The guy looks a little suspicious to me. 🙂

    Have you read the post in Facebook that says McDonalds is coming to Calbayog? The post said it will be located in front of PNB. I commented that I would believe it when I see it. Later someone else posted that a lease for the land has been signed. I know you are not a Mickey D fan as much as I am but I look forward to having one in town.

    The post also said that a Caldo Pizza is planned but I have never heard of them. Have you or Lita ever heard of Caldo Pizza?

    1. Yeah, I’ll have to agree that the woman and child are much, much better looking than the guy. A shady looking character.
      No, I have not seen anything about that in Facebook. Whose Facebook? I already started telling people about it, so I hope it is right.
      I never heard of Caldo Pizza. If I haven’t, Lita hasn’t either. I hope it is a stateside franchised pizza place and they get all their ingredients from the US and they make all their pizzas stateside style.
      I’m going to look it up on the net to check it out.

      1. oops..it is Calda Pizza, not Caldo. Close but close only counts in horseshoes and slow dancing. It will be located on Rosales Blvd. They also said there would be a Pizza Factory on Magsaysay.

        1. More information on Calda Pizza.
          http://www.caldapizza.com/

          It is based out of NY State. There is also a FB page, Calda Pizza – Philippines which states that they are an Original Creation from Cebu! I wonder if they are part of the group out of NY State or if they are truly a Cebu creation. I see from their FB page that there is one in Tacloban.

  3. Actually quite a large Filipino community here of which we found after moving here in 1993. We moved here from Virgina Beach which is loaded with Filipinos, so when the Navy in all their wisdom decided to send me to Tinker AFB for my final tour of duty, I’m thinking they must have me mixed up with someone else cause I’m in the Navy, I do aircraft carriers and tail hook aircraft not golf courses :). So low and behold we get here in the middle of a winter ice storm, the asawa is freezing to death and ready to go back to virginia and we don’t know a single person here. A few months go by, we buy a house in a good area, settle in and within 6 to 8 months we had more filipinas at our house than ever before. So now we have like 4 different balikbayan box companies here and 5 or 6 rather large Filipino associations. The only thing missing is some good ole san magoo. Back in the day, San Miguel known as San Magoo to us sailors was the only beer you could get in the Philippines, no Red Horse or anything else, except that formaldehyde U.S. beer the military sold on the bases.

    1. Well it surprises me that there is such a large Filipino community in Oklahoma, but I guess it shouldn’t though. With the amount of OFWs throughout the world, they are probably abundant in every state in the US and just about every country in the world. Even in the Belton, Temple, Harker Heights area there are a lot. Not only because of Ft. Hood either. There are a lot of Filipinos there that are not associated with the Army or any part of the military. But the Philippine Store in Killeen is the only place that I know of that you can ship balikbayan boxes.

  4. Ok fellas, here’s one for ya! Laughed at this when i found out, so had to share. It seems there has been a rash of break in’s and robberies of all kinds in the philippines targeted towards white folk or non-asian folk. This intel was received from none other than the reliable(yea right) bamboo grapevine and now has the asawa on edge thinking that we’ll be beheaded by the asian cartel. I assured my asawa that nothing has changed there except modernization and the news can now report these items where’as before during marshal law no news was ever reported unless it was good news for the administration. But of course, the chismis grapevine will overide all actual reliable sources of intel :). So to ease the lovely asawa’s mind I bought her a new Kindle Fire HD 7 (poor mans version of the ipad)to rattle her brain as she tries to figure out how to use it. So in a few days all will be well again as the chismis grapevine will have a new more important intel by then (like maybe wow wow is coming to oklahoma)…WHAT?…it could happen 🙂

    1. Rumors galore. Those things are always flying around here and 90% of them them are false. I have not heard of these rumors at all and I’m closer to the source.
      As for Wow Wow Wee coming to Oklahoma, well don’t hold your breath. I’m guessing that they don’t have a very large community of Filipinos there. Even if they did, it took them a long time to get to Houston, with a huge Filipino community, and they have only been there once. But it could happen.
      Maybe her plan all along was to just get a new phone though.

  5. Sorry John I’ll catch you in the next box. Just let me know ahead of time and I’ll try to get what you’d like. That other problem is probably just me being paranoid but seems I’m always the last to know. I may drop you a line about that as more information comes to light.

    1. I was just kidding man, you don’t have to send me anything. Let me know about that other problem though. I hope to be able to somehow help out if it turns out to be a problem. I hope it is not.

  6. Your exactly right UJ, they knew the others would be fighting like rabid dogs..and I didn’t care either way. So they all just about crapped their pants when they found out I was executor and everything was left to me to distribute as I saw fit. But I’m ensureing it’s divided equally among all. Both my parents were not old school, they frigging taught it…so it must have rubbed off on me…old and stubborn. I will for sure go by and have a burger at Crow’s, take the 6th St exit off 35 and go about 2 blocks north and it’s on the right. And yea ok I guess Red Horse and chicken will do…but there’s nothing better than san magoo and monkey on a stick :)…hahahaha.

    1. I doubt I would have to deal with something like that with my siblings, but you never know. Since I’m in the Philippines though, I think my sister (2nd oldest of us) will end up being the executor anyway. So I see you already know about Crows, but after you exit I35 you’ll be going west and it’s the 3rd right and there is a big gap between turn #1 and turn #2. It sounds like you’ve been there before, but it must have been awhile.
      Thanks about the Red Horse and chicken. I prefer the Red Horse over San Mig (aka San Magoo) and fried chicken is more to my liking than the pork (aka monkey on a stick). I know I’ve mentioned it several times in the course of doing the blog, but I’m a picky eater.

  7. Thought I was done dealing with their estate back in May of this year…but oh noooooooooo…plus having to deal with 3 other siblings that think they are entitled to or deserve more than the rest of the family is like a pain in the a$$ on steriods. I would rather have a hot cattle brand stuck in my eye that deal with them :)…hahahaha

    1. I suppose that is why they made you the executor because they probably knew the others would be that way. I know it’s a pain in the a$$ enough just dealing with people, but when they are relatives it’s 10 times worse, usually.

  8. UJ you da man, all the san magoo and fishheads are on me..hahaha & no dang PBR’s :). So you know the feeling as well Mark,,makes a difference in your life when you just know it’s right.

    As for waiting to retire and getting outta dodge…both my parents passed away within 50 days of each other last year there in Harker Heights…they made me executor of their estate so i’m still dealing with that for another year or so till it’s all done. So I still occasionally have to go down there in person to handle issues that arise cause I’m to cheap to pay a frigging lawyer down there to do it for me. Plus if I do it, I know it will get done the way my parents wanted. Once that is finished, the downzing will start, balikbayan boxes getting filled and dreams of going to home to the motherland will come to fruition. 🙂

    1. Ok, but is it okay if I have Red Horse and chicken instead? No PBR to worry about here.
      Well I guess that is a good reason for not being on your way here. If you know how to do such things, then it is best to do it yourself. That way, as you say, you know it gets done right. Next time you are in the area, you might want to stop by Belton and go to Crow’s Burger. It’s on Charter Oaks road. It’s right behind the Shell station on 6th St (the one across from Golden Chick, not the other one). I love to eat their burgers with jalapeno’s on them. Just a suggestion because I’m thinking about them too much recently.
      I remember when we had to wait also before moving here. It’s not an easy wait, but a necessary one.

  9. I can sympathize with you John D. I can’t wait to get back. The Philippines is the only place I felt I ever really truly belonged. My wife and son are there so that complicates matters, too. I used FOREX to ship things this last time, still waiting for the box to arrive but it should be any day now. A little bit of something for everybody there; toys for the kids, DVDs clothes, some fishing tackle, etc.
    UJ that Pabst Beer cracked me up. I had to share with my work colleagues and they all got a chuckle out of it too. I like your sharing of photos and I’m always scanning the local ones to see if I recognize anyone. Feel free to borrow some of mine if you want. Ingat.

    1. I can understand wanting to get back because I feel the same way when I’m gone. I didn’t think that while I was back in Texas I’d be ready to come back, but I was wrong. I guess home is where you make it. So Mark in your Forex box if you have a little bit for everybody, what did you get for me?
      I like that Pabst Beer one too, that’s why I put it on there. I was sure that someone else would like it also. If y’all haven’t seen it, it’s at the end of the post that these comments are on.

  10. Ah yes the Balikbayan Box, and I can’t believe you didn’t pack all 3 boxes with of cases of lip smackin, slap me up side the head delicious Chili to go with a few san magoo products. The lovely asawa and I were in the Philippine Store there in Killeen the last week of May this year when we were in Harker Heights closing out my parents estate. I’m surprised we didn’t cross paths there.

    Atlas is a pretty good shipper as I’ve used them in the past and also encountered shipments being split up upon delivery to final destination. But then again I’ve also used just about every other balikbayan shipper out there as well and had the same results so I guess their all about the same except for one in california that i won’t name but forwards to manila also. Nothing but delays and lost boxes and always uses the blanket excuse of it got delayed by the port authorities.

    I’m just started packing up 2 boxes to shipout the last week of March so we’ll have a few of the items we enjoy when we get there in May 2013 such as, Lots of CHILI :), 1 bottle of kentucky’s finest – strictly for medicinal sipping purposes :), dark roast yuban coffee etc etc and what ever else the lovely asawa wants to make her happy. As long as I got 3 hots and a cot somewhere, along with a few san magoo products, the lovely asawa is happy, spend time with my lovely nieces and great nephews and in-laws I’m pretty much good to go. I miss the philippines so much, how I wish the days to May 2013 would hurry up and pass 🙂

    1. Well when we first arrived here we sent 32 boxes via Forex and we did have plenty of chili in those boxes, along with beef stew and several other things that we already knew we couldn’t get here easily or at all. I suppose I should have packed some chili, but I don’t know about cases of it. We didn’t have a lot of money to use on just sending boxes this last time so we had to ship things that we would otherwise have to burden others with first. On our next trip back, I’m going to talk Lita into letting me have 1 box just for me, to ship back.
      It took our 2 boxes about 11 weeks to get here, but that was probably due to the excessive bad weather. Just saying in case you want to ship it a little bit earlier to be sure it’s here when you arrive. Of course you are going to Luzon, so maybe yours won’t take so long.
      C’mon you know how it works. The days will drag and the last few days will be the slowest. Once you get here in the Philippines, the days will fly by and before you know it, it will be time to leave again. How much longer did you say before you are ready to retire? I remember that you said this next trip is partly for prepping for retirement.

      1. Yes Sir, our trip this comming May will be our initial pre-planning, we know what town we’ll be retireing to, but we’ll be trying to isolate down to a specific local area to make our final move. I could fully retire now with 3 retirement incomes,,,but to young to get social security as of yet 🙂 And your absolutey correct in that the days here just seem to drag on forever waiting until May, but then they will zip by so fast after I get boots on ground there :(. Either way we’re excited like a kid in a candy store to getting back to the beautiful Philippines. Growing up in the Killeen & Copperas Cove & Belton & Temple area, I never thought I would love another place as much until the Philippines. I’ve come to feel more at home while there than I ever did here in the states..:) Only in the Philippines 🙂

        1. So why in the world are you waiting for you social security? You can still get that even if you are living here. It wouldn’t take much to get it accomplished either. I’ve still got about 8 years before I can even think about social security and I’ve only got 1 retirement income (2 counting Lita’s social security, but it ain’t much). We live okay with not house payment or high utilities. With 3 retirements you could be doing very well. When the social security kicks in you can save that to do whatever.
          Living in Belton during the 60′ and 70’s was super cool and I think that still beats living here in the Philippines. I guess also because I was a kid and had little to no responsibilities (except some chores), but also because times were simpler then. I sure do miss the Hamburger King that was downtown though. The closed it years ago, but I still think about it. Crow’s Burgers in Belton is the best place around these days.
          I hope that when you finally do decide to move here, I’ll get to see you. I’ll let you buy me lunch and a beer. No, no it’s okay. You don’t have to thank me.

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