Carmina is traveling to the United States to spend time with her family. My dad planned a family gathering for Mother's Day at their favorite Pinoy restaurant . Since reservations aren’t possible, we arrived an hour early to ensure we could get a table for twelve before everyone else showed up. As my dad approached Isla Grand , the branch we visited in Pleasant Hills, California , the host at the door said they could prepare a table for twelve at five o'clock. Later, the server called my dad's name and guided us to our table. The place was bustling with people enjoying meals and celebrating Mother's Day. On our first visit to Isla Grand, I was captivated by the décor, noticing many native items that gave the place a fancy yet authentic Filipino feel. They usually have a live band, but unfortunately, there was no entertainment the night we went. My family had spoken highly of Isla Grand and encouraged us to try the Filipino dishes we’ve been missing from back home. Lech...
While on the last few days before Mom Violy and Carmina are set to leave the United States just out of curiousty I wanted to know how someone not being in the Philippines can make an appointment at the DFA located in your home town. Carmina went to Passport appointment to schedule Mom Violy while filling her application online having her Filipino Passport and birth certificate with me. I was able to schedule her the month of August. The only problem is the payment became an issue not having access to pay through credit card the one used in the Philippines. Since we're consider roaming the OTP couldn't be retrieve since we put our international phone on flight mode to prevent excess charges on our trip. Mom Violy didn't want to use the credit card in the United States there will be a foreign exchange rate charge. I decided to go on off the counter payment and paying it when returning back to the Philippines since it gave me enough time until my deadline was due on July 14 ...