Professional Recycler

Dropped boxes at the post office and swung by the grocery store again which was also in the same complex. I noticed an older male clerk replenishing fresh bananas in the display.

He looked at me. I didn't even bother to crack a smile because I was in a hurry to go home and start dinner. The boy was coming home for the weekend.

But I noticed the clerk again when I went to a different aisle where the fresh plum tomatoes were displayed. He slowly walked towards me. I had no choice but smiled.

"Are you Filipino?"

I said yes, and he added he was from the Tagalog region back in the Philippines. I thought he was maybe Vietnamese or Thai.

Then, the short chit-chat turned to....

"What do you do?" he asked. I didn't need to ask him of his. Obviously, he was a stock clerk at the fresh produce.

I had second thoughts on telling him the truth. Most of the time, when people learn that I sell things, they'd recruit me to be in a pyramid networking 'business.' But eventually, I replied.

"I sell very old things online. 20 years old and older. Like those kinds."

Immediately, he replied, "What kind of work is that? Why did you choose that?" He kind of laughed sarcastically.

"That kind of work is uncertain." he added.

"Anong klaseng trabaho 'yan? Bakit ganyan ang pinili mo? 'yang ganyang klase, walang kasiguraduhan yan!"

I was pissed, but still I answered him.

"Aren't most things uncertain? Health! Careers! Our lives! Relationships! Even marriages!"

Good thing his phone rang, and he answered it without excusing himself.

I just gestured to him that I needed to continue shopping.

He caught up with me in the fresh button mushroom aisle.

Oh sh**t! I don't want to chat with him anymore.

"Where do you get your supplies to sell?" he asked.

I told him that people call me to check their closets or sometimes friends drop their unwanted old things for me to sell.

In fact, our neighbor Nancy dropped some of her beautiful old things days earlier.

But with my reply, he wasn't satisfied. He wanted details about where I get all my vintage goods. What kind, the brands, and other processes I do for the business.

Of course, I just tell him that I sell anything old, and that I am a professional recyler.

Why would I tell him everything?

It's my trade secret, and besides, it felt like he looked down on what I do.

I love what I do, and I hope he loves his work too.

I've Been Stalked

It's been a busy day. Started the day at work the moment the mister left the house. I had so many clothing to clean, and shoes to polish, re-check items for flaws prior to shipping, pack, and ship them.

By 3:30 p.m., I dropped packages at the post office. Then, stopped by the grocery store for ingredients for tonight's dinner and tomorrow's breakfast. The grocery store is in the same complex as the post office.

While at the fresh produce choosing which bunch of fresh bananas to put in my cart, I noticed a man pushing his cart near me. I looked up and our eyes met. He was probably about 10 - 15 years younger than me.

He had mildly curly short black hair. He was wearing a light blue pin stripe button down shirt, a black trousers that looked like it's from the 90s. The fit wasn't too flattering. It looked too baggy for his height and his frame. He looked okay, not stylish but decent, but as my eyes slowly looked down down to his shoes...

OMG!

He was wearing an eyesore -- a pair of neon green with white check logo rubber shoes.

It was definitely a fashion don't, but then again maybe he was on a break and was just earning his 10k steps for the day while grocery shopping.

After the fresh produce, I went to the frozen aisle for a box of mini chocolate ice cream drumsticks for the mister. Then, I noticed him there again. He was looking at my direction.

I hurriedly went to a different aisle. I got scared.

Then, I went back to the fresh produce because I forgot to get a big pack of fresh cherry tomatoes, and there he was again.

This time, he approached me.

I smiled at him. I don't want to show him that I was scared.

"Love your shoes! They're nice. Click clack click clack click clack!"

"Oh! Hahaha! Love its deep click clack sound too. Thank you! Ninjas don't wear these!"

Hahahaha.

By the way, I was wearing a denim button down mullet shirt;  light wash denim skinny jeans; and a pair of old leather double buckle ankle booties with 2" wood stacked block heels. This pair.

And yes, he was multi-tasking --- grocery shopping and at the same time earning his steps. He was also new to the area.

Love wearing that boots in concrete and wooden floors. You'll know I'm coming from a mile by the clicking and clacking of my heels.

Beri Gud!

Today, we went to HMart, a Korean grocery store near our home, to buy vegetables for our lunch. Near the entrance, there was an old Korean sales lady calling customers that passes by her small table, and begged them to try sliced fruits.

I didn't pay attention to her, but she kept calling the mister.

"Sir. Sir. Sir. Try dis. It's beri gud!"

And handed him a piece of white fruit on a toothpick.

The mister caught up with me about 2 aisles away where all the bok choys were displayed.

"'lian, try it!" he said and handed me this. (See photo below.)

"What fruit is this?" I asked him.

"It is beri gud! That was the lady said!"

   


P.S. I took a bite of the fruit, and I think it was Asian Pear, and not beri gud. But, it was very good!

Small Feet? Big Problem!

Last Saturday afternoon, I went looking for a dress for the mister's office party. I already have a back-up dress but I was thinking I'd wear a pair of shoes with something gold in it if in case I will not find a new dress.

I dropped by at Payless Shoes store first nearest to our house. I used to work on evenings there back when we first moved here in Frederick. My co-worker, Tirtha, is now the manager. 

I greeted him when I came in, and went straight to the 5 to 5 1/2 ladies' shoes aisle. I didn't find a pair that I like but my eyes caught this 70's inspired black charol Mary Jane T-strap shoes with chunky heels. 

This one.

It was on sale for $19.99 from $34.99.

Me: Tirtha, do you have this pair in a 5 or 5 1/2?

Tirtha: Oh. Sorry, the smallest we have is that one--- a size 6 1/2.

Then he left. I think he was attending to another customer in the men's shoes.

I still tried the shoes on. I was hoping that their 6 1/2 would run small.

Hehehehe.

Of course, that would be impossible! I didn't think a roll of toilet paper would be enough to fill it in.

I felt disappointed but you know, it was still okay. The shoes isn't meant to be mine. I used to wear a 6 1/2 after I gave birth to the boy. It was until I lost some weight that I noticed my feet shrunk.

Then, I realied that there was no other customer but me in the store. Tirtha came back from the next aisle and brought another pair for me try to on. It was a black charol 1-thin strap Mary Jane shoes with about a couple of inch of ballroom heels.

Tirtha: I think this will fit.

Me: But it has glittered heels?!

Tirtha: This is a size 3.

Me: Oh no! It's for kids???

Tirtha: But it fits you perfectly!

O bitaw pod! Sakto siya! (Yes indeed. He's right!)

But no! Thank you!

Hehehehe!

Nangka

I was taking a photo of this fruit at the fresh produce aisle at the grocery store when an old lady with a foreign accent asked me...

What iz dat?

It's a jackfruit!

A what fruit?

Jackfruit!

How big iz da tree?! (showed me her arms, opened them wide to show how big the fruit was.)

It's a tropical fruit.

First time I see this fruit!



She asked me why there was only one for sale, and why there was a pack that was for display only. So, I told her, "I think the staff will cut it for you if you want to purchase a slice."

She was still not able to clearly understand my explanation so I added,

"Ma'am, the fruit has a strong smell. It's not bad, but much more on the sweet side. But since it's too strong, it might be too offensive for shoppers not used to the smell."

I even explained to her how to eat it, and even how to cook the seeds, and then she was more curious of the fruit that she called her daughter on the phone and asked her if she was nearby the fresh produce. She wanted her daughter and granddaughter to see a foreign fruit.

Right when I was about to leave the fresh produce department, she thanked me. She added that this was better than books and Google because, according to her, they can touch and smell the fruit.

I can honestly smell the jackfruit when I went to the bakery. It took me back to the island where I grew up.

This is the first time in my 18 years of living in America that I've seen a jackfruit (aka known in Filipino as Langka, and Nangka in Visayan dialect) in a non-Asian grocery store.

*****

"Ang pag-ibig ko sa 'yo ay parang langka! 

Langka-tapusan!" 

- former Philippine Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago

Shopping Adventures

Since changing my diet to more fresh fruits and vegetables years ago, I spend more time at the fresh produce at the nearest grocery store. Tropical fruits are quite expensive here except for avocados and mangoes. They are sold on sale for $1 a piece, and when not, it's $1.50 to $3 a piece.

Since the big Asian market closed the other year, buying fruits that we used to enjoy in the Philippines is extremely rare. Mangosteen last week was $2.99 per piece. That's about Php139.52 each (based on Php46.66 conversion per dollar). I wished it was $0.29. I asked the sales associate, and he said that it's $2.99.





I just noticed that all tropical fruits are sold for $2.99 a piece. Even the Asian pear, but it wasn't available last week.

Ugh! I really want a mangosteen right now.

Grocery Haul 2

On Thursday, I told the mister that I'd like to eat a hamburger with him. I meant I'll share one with him because I can't finish one anymore. But by Friday, I changed my mind, and wanted to have sushi from our local grocery store instead.

Tadah! I love Saturdays.

The Tailgater's special is a mix of 5 pieces Shaggy Dog roll (with sesame seeds on top); 5 pieces of Dynamite roll (with crunchy Cheetos on top); and 6 pieces of Philadelphia Imitation Crab roll.

The mangoes are imported from Ecuador. The avocadoes are from Mexico. The organic purple sweet potatoes are products of America. I plan to roast the sweet potatotes. The boy and I love it so much in the afternoon after school as a snack. We ate one mango after dinner today.


I'm going to broil the pork steak for the boys, and maybe serve it with a bowl of vegetable bibimbap.


So, how much are these items in your part of the world?

I bought all of these at the Giant Eagle W. Patrick St. Store.

The Bond. Bond Paper!

Before I picked the boy up at his school yesterday, I went to Staples (an office supply store) to buy a few things--bond paper, ink for the printer, and a few rolls of clear packaging tapes. The set up of the store seemed new to me since the last time I was there was probably last year in July.

I just wanted to finish my errand as quick as I could because I don't want the boy to wait long outside of the school on a very cold day. A gray haired tall Caucasian male sales clerk offered to help me with the ink. Thank God because I forgot what was the exact type of ink that's compatible with our printer. He asked me if I needed anything else too, and...

Me: Do you know where's the bond paper?
Him: I'm sorry?
Me: Bond paper! I don't know where to find it in this store!
Him: What was that again?
Me: Bond paper!

Completely clueless of what I was asking for, I showed him a whole piece of white paper where I printed the 20% off coupon that I was going to use on my check out!

Him: Oh! You mean copy paper!



What?! No one informed me that the term bond paper is obsolete already.  Or was the term never used in America back in the day?

Today, I told my daughter about my experience yesterday, she shared that one time her father asked her about xerox paper, and she had no clue what it was. Hehehehe. Now I know that in America it is called a copy paper or a multipurpose paper.

On my way to the counter to pay for my stuff, I saw this camera post-it dispenser. I wanted it, but I don't need it. So, I didn't buy it. When I looked closely at the photo today, that was when I realized it was on sale for a half off.


P.S. The clerk gave me the wrong ink, and I had to come back today to exchange it for the right one. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.

Shopping Adventures: Door Mat

I went Christmas shopping late last week to a store near our house, and the weirdest thing I've seen so far was this, a door mat!



Yuck! ...and it looked real!



Go! Get one for your home at Boscov's! Hehehe.

Shopping Adventures

It has been awhile since I shared my shopping adventures here. Yesterday, the mister and I went grocery shopping at Target. Because I love their generic brand toilet paper, and because we are running out of it, we had to go farther away from our nearest grocery store. There, I saw for the very first time in my 40+ years existence the first green Coca Cola.

Wait!

What?

Yes! No kidding! It's green. Have you ever seen Coca Cola in a different color other than red?



We seldom drink cola anymore. I guess the last time I bought a couple of 2-liter bottles was last Christmas Day when some of our closest friends came over. Occassionally, we drink ginger ale and that's about it. At home, it's coffee, tea, juice and water most of the time. By the way, I am one year Coke clean. I haven't had Coca Cola for a year already. Yey! The other Saturday, I tried a sip from my son's glass of Coke, and I really found it too sweet. So no more Coke for us in the house since I do the grocery shopping, and the rest of the people in the house have no say about that choice.

I guess this company had to change the color of their packaging to stress a point---that they're using stevia and cane sugar as sweeteners, and it has 35% calories less than the regular one.


I guess Cecile of Chuvaness will love this. Read about her love affair of Coca Cola in her latest blog post--> here.

Last year, I saw the cappucino flavored potato chips from Lay's. This one. I didn't think it was good. Last night, there were three different flavors---wasabi ginger, bacon mac & cheese, and the pickle dill. I have no idea if these are new because I only buy the original kind, but sometimes I buy the salt and vinegar potato chips since the young lady loves them.


I do not see these three flavors in the nearest supermarket except at Target. The only variety of Lay's potato chips I like is the cheap version of the Royce' brand. Sadly, it was a limited edition and I haven't seen it around since January.


At Giant Eagle weeks ago, a pointy pear was seen at the organic aisle.


I haven't seen a real black garlic except on this cooking show on TV called Chopped on Food Network. I haven't met a recipe that needed one though.


Ginger roots sold at Giant Eagle are from China, and surprisingly for the first time in my 17 years of shopping adventures in America, they're skinny and small. I had to look twice since at first glanced, I thought they were turmeric.


Moving on to Walmart. I was a shopping buddy for the mother of our close friend, Josh. She was going back to the Philippines, and she had to finish shopping for things she's bringing back home. There, I bumped into Elvis and Batpig.


When I was a child, I remembered how most children I knew had piggy banks or just empty baby-powder-canister-turned banks. Do children still save coins and bills at this present time? My kids had banks in their toddler to tween years until I opened a bank account for them. Yna had a Disney Castle bank that was a gift from our friend, Nits and Jason had the coin-counting money jar. The boy still keeps one in his room for loose coins, but it's not a pig. It's a vintage die-cast truck bank.

I'll make time to share my thrifting adventures from last week. Until next time. I heart you for stopping by.