Publisher's Note

Publisher’s Note
It was 22 years ago when I arrived in Canada and chose Calgary, Alberta to be my home. Leaving my family and friends behind, it was a new adventure for me to be in a new country without knowing anyone. That was the time I looked for a Filipino community paper and never found any, [...]
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Page added on November 21, 2011

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The Other Side

We have barely had a taste of the real winter and every day without it brings us closer to spring again. No doubt the full force of Mother Nature will be felt before Christmas, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed. We get a brown Christmas instead of white every ten years or so, perhaps 2011 is one of those years.

This past month started off on the wrong foot as I unfortunately was sprayed by a skunk! Skunks are not rare in Canada; however it is usually our pets that are the recipient of their unique aroma. I surprised one of them in our neighborhood and paid the price. After about ten washes my clothes seem to be OK. My wife Ludy will finally come near me now…

We managed to get to the Okanagan area of B.C. and spent a few days relaxing and enjoying an extended summer. This area, which includes Osoyoos B.C., is well known for being a key producer of Canada’s wine but after you’ve been there you will find it is much more! In the week we were there we benefited from the fact that there are not as many tourists traveling which results in lower room rates given that it is the off season. Less traffic means more wildlife along the way and we counted 61 deer and numerous other assorted animals. We did not spot any bears or rattlesnakes which are common there but we saw a five-legged horse! Ask Ludy about it or check out the 1200 pictures we took, on Facebook. If you ever vacation in this area I strongly recommend the helicopter AND the small plane tours. They are well worth the small charge and don’t be a chicken – they are safe and exciting!

Also this month, as guests of the Joy Velasco Family, we attended the Word of Life Christian Church in their joyous 7^th Anniversary celebration. Thank you all for a great time! The Word of Life is a prime example of how our Lord blesses those who believe and put their trust in Him. They are a close knit family of believers that continues to grow.

Another highlight of October was partying with the Tamaraw Seniors Club at their Thanksgiving Gala! Like any well organized group, it is too hard to give credit to just one or two persons. They proved that teamwork resulted in a delicious dinner, non- stop entertainment on the stage and they still had something left for dancing afterwards! Congratulations to our Tamaraw Seniors and those who assisted them! Maybe a few other groups will copy the cohesiveness of this large family of proud Filipinos!

Although the Calgary Stampeders Home Games are over for 2011, I encourage you to consider volunteering at a few football games next summer. My wife and I joined the Wildrose Lions Club for a game recently and had a great time preparing and serving burgers and Spalumbos along with liquid refreshments. I know that some of our Pinoy Times readers may flip burgers for a living and you’ll agree it is not a physically demanding activity. Other than standing for a few hours it is rather simple. Stampeder Fans are a blast and they celebrate Halloween all year! Whether the Stamps are winning or losing, they go to the games to have fun and cheer our team on!

Ho, hum, Manny wins another one. No surprise. He is clearly the number one boxer in the world today. What’s next?

In closing, the Christmas season is here again and I want to wish you all a safe and Merry Christmas. Let’s celebrate the birth of our Lord and I Pray that 2012 will be a great year for us all!

Steve

The Other Side

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