McKinley

Recently, I find myself frequently thinking about my old job when I was still in the Philippines. I don’t miss my job there. What I miss is the location of our office building in McKinley Hill Taguig. The first thing that comes to mind is the nearby Starbucks. I miss it. I don’t drink coffee, but I love sweets. So when sugar cravings hit, I would just go down from the 7th floor, walk a few minutes, and head to Starbucks to buy myself a chocolate chip macadamia cookie (my favorite) or banoffee pie or cakes or brownies. It’s just so convenient. When I have to get that one missing ingredient or need to buy laundry detergent, I can just go to the nearby grocery store and do a little grocery shopping. And also, that grocery store is inside a mall; so you can just imagine what else I can do during my lunch break or after work hours. Again, very convenient. There’s sugaring and hair salons too. I forgot the complete name of the mall but we just call it “Venice” or “Canal”. The mall was designed to replicate the Grand Canal in Macau and it looks okay and it’s Instagrammable so it’s mostly crowded.

If I crave pizza, ramen, sushi, or milk tea,  no problem. Just a few minutes walk and I could indulge myself. Before coming here in Canada, I can’t imagine myself missing McKinley. I thought this place would be — better. Better restaurants, better hangout spots, better atmosphere in general. Unfortunately, I was kind of disappointed. If I would to describe this place, it’s bleak and quite boring. Sorry Winnipeg. I noticed most businesses here don’t care about presentation or aesthetics and design. And that’s one of the things that I miss because Taguig has such a cool and creative vibe. Here, not so much. Yes, they try to have fun events and festivals but — it’s just different.

Maybe that’s why I thought (or still thinking) about moving to a bigger city like Toronto or Vancouver. To get that similar vibe again. And since we don’t know a lot of people here, moving to a more attractive place would make up for the home sickness a little bit. It would somehow distract me from missing my relatives and friends. Good for my mental health, I guess.

When I daydream, like winning the lottery, my immediate thought would be to go back to the Philippines and buy a condo in Taguig. Or if we finally retire and have lots of savings, I’ll think of moving back to the Philippines and live our final years there. Anything that involves having lots of money, I’ll initially think of going back to the Philippines. Maybe we should just go back? Ditch the dollars, say goodbye to free health care and every good thing this country has to offer? UGH. Maybe I’m just feeling extremely home sick. Let’s give it a few days.

PS:

Meron pala kong previous post na sabi ko hindi ako naho-home sick. Ano ka ngayon.