These Days

The family attended 2 birthday parties last Saturday.  Yup, two!  We always make an effort to attend events because they're opportunities to see and catch up with friends.  It's a good thing the times weren't in conflict so we were able to say yes to 2 Saturday parties. Party # 1: Rylie @ Jollibee - The Fort Rylie is Lester's son and he's 2.  Lester is our friend from Intel.  Richard was not able to attend because he had a meeting.  He just dropped us off and would picked us up afterwards. Happy birthday, Rylie! Balloon fencing with Lance, Paulo and Mona's son, also Neil's classmate. Neil woke up before 6AM that day and he fell asleep before the program even started.... But woke up in time to see Jollibee. Party # 2: Alyssa @ Chef D'Angelo - Glorietta 5 Ayssa is the daughter of Haydee and Jan and she turned 4.  Haydee is my friend from high school.   Happy birthday, Alyssa! Getting a Lightning McQueen tattoo. The...

Valentine's Days. Yes, it has an s . =) On Friday morning, Rich and I went to the WWF office in Makati.  You see, I saw the picture of their merchandise on Facebook and tagged Rich.  I thought he would just ignore it actually, or that I have to convince him to go but he actually took note of the address and suggested we go there!  Yey! We bought a tote bag (which Neil now calls 'panda bag'), a mug and an umbrella.  Better than flowers and chocolates, at least for me! Also on Friday, was the culminating night of iMarriage . On Tuesday, Neil made this for us. Tuesday late night/early Wednesday Rich met me at the office and we had coffee at Starbucks.  Simple lang, but I really enjoyed Valentine's days this year.

On Monday, we had a team dinner at Mr. Jones to welcome a new hire.  This is my second time to eat here  (first time on my birthday ) and I was able to try a lot more selections from the menu, courtesy of my table-mates.=)  One big change from the previous visit is that they have expanded the restaurant.  We were seated outside because we were a big group.  It was also raining so it was nice and cool outside. "Truffled Disco" Beef Gravy and Cheese Fries (P395) This is very yummy!  The beef and mushrooms were tender and flavorful.  We did not bother mixing the gravy/sauce anymore because it was too overpowering.  This is good for 3-4 people. Big Smackin' Slow Roasted Southern U.S. Beef Ribs (P620) This wasn't my order but I was able to try a little bit.  It was ok.  I think it's not worth it though, considering the price.  I think you can get equally tasty ribs (or better) in other restaurants. Char-Grilled "...

First of all, Happy Valentine's Da y everyone! Neil's is 3 and 7/12 today and his biggest accomplishment for this month is... drinking from a cup! Until 3 years old, he was drinking almost exclusively from the bottle.  We've been trying to transition him to the cup even before he turned 3 but he just didn't like it.  We've even gone to the route of not giving him anything from the bottle thinking he'll get thirsty enough but we budge (from worries of dehydration) before he does.  But we persisted and he also started to be more open about trying.  He's not yet an expert but we will get there.=) Here's a sampling of the sippie cups we bought, hoping to find the spout/size/character that he would like.   ******** We recently sold his stroller and carseat.  It was hard to let go but we have to be practical because they take up too much space in the condo.  I hope the new owners will be able to use them as much as we did. Neil used...

Ayala Triangle is one of my favorite places in Makati.  It was especially nice last Saturday because the restaurants extended their dining areas to the lawn and there was a small stage set up for a free musical performance. We were surprised that there weren't a lot of people around, being pre-Valentine weekend.  But good for us, it was a relaxing dinner over good food and conversations. We met Ruby again but this time, Edwin, Caloy and Jong were also able to join.  We dined at Wee Nam Kee with Top Suzara singing in the background.=) We brought Neil's bike so he was entertained while we were having dinner. Good times!

Sweets from the last few days... Red Velvet Cakes from Sophie's Mom .  I bought vouchers for these cakes via Pakyaw .  The website said they're 6 inches in diameter so we bought two for the last night of iMarriage, but they turned out larger.  So we took just one to VCF and the second one was shared with friends during dinner on Saturday. Gigi Gaerlan Custaroons from Mitz and Bombi, our table-mates during iMarriage.  We shared this with friends on Saturday as well. Cupcake from Little Miss OC's Kitchen .  This was from Neil's classmate who celebrated her 4th birthday.  Impressive craftsmanship, no? Cupcakes from Little Cakes .  These were prizes from iMarriage for keeping alive the fish that was assigned to our table.=) Banana cake baked by Tita Vilmi, also from iMarriage.  I took a bite today and it's also good.  Reminds me of the banana cake Papang used to make. Thank you dessert donors!=)

The fourth and last Friday of Marriage Booster is a pre-Valentine event for the couples. Our group: 7 years, 29 years, 3 months and 12 years married.  Being in various stages make for interesting conversations. Each group was asked to dress up the tables and/or dress up according to the theme.  It's great to have sat with couples who are talented at things like this AND know how to make good food. =).   Our table's theme was white and pink, plus masks. Our very pretty table setting courtesy of our table-mates. And equally delicious food! We are so glad to have attended Marriage Boosters not only because of the fellowship with other couples, not only for this great night but also for everything we learned that will help us improve how we relate to each other.  I am thankful for the pastoral team and volunteers at VCF for organizing this and for the attendees who have enriched our experience as well. Happy Valentine's Day!

On Sunday, we met with our good friend Ruby who's on vacation/visa renewal trip.  She's based in Boston and the last time we saw her was in 2007.  We talked over snacks at Milky Way in Rockwell. We spent more time at the mall just to look around and buy groceries.  Neil had fun infront of this mirror at Mango. And we saw this art exhibit entitled Love Letters that includes works by Martin Honasan and Barbie. Check it out!  It runs until February 15.

We saw these flyers at the condo lobby last week - the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra performing at the Salcedo Park.  I filed this in my head as something I would like the family to check out on Saturday night.  And we did go, just a little bit late because I had to finish something for work. Ah, I haven't been to the Salcedo Park at night and it was really pretty!  I love the trees and lights and most especially, the music.  A lot of people were at the park that night.  Food and drinks were also available for purchase.  Great atmosphere! Richard and Neil stayed at the playground while Em and I found seats and enjoyed the music. Just one of the things I appreciate about living in Makati.=)

Richard and I are attending VCF's Marriage Boosters entitled iMarriage.  It's on 4 consecutive Fridays which started on January 20.  iMarriage is actually a program/seminar by Andy Stanley of North Pint Community Church in Atlanta. You can find a lot of info and even the videos on Youtube. So, Andy Stanley did not actually come to Manila.  We viewed the videos on the large screen at church and the pastors lead the discussions and Q&As.  The format works for me.  Andy is funny and engaging and was able to communicate the message really well. It's encouraging to be in a huge room with other couples who want to enrich their marriages.  Pastors and their wives were in attendance and there was even a couple who have been married 50 years! Our table has an interesting demographic.  There are 4 couples at different stages of marriage - 3 months, 7 years (us!), 12 years and 29 years.  It makes for interesting discussions. =) I am documenting...

Neil's class had their field trip at the Kinder Zoo inside Manila Zoo yesterday.  We were there before 9:00AM and had to wait a bit for the rest of the class to arrive.  When you enter the Manila Zoo, the elephant area is immediately on the right side.  There are also a lot of bird cages, even large birds that fly around freely overhead. Kinder Zoo is good for kids since they can pet the animals and have closer encounters.  Tickets are P100 per person, aside from the P40 you pay to get inside the Manila zoo itself. The Kinder Zoo itself  is just a small area so you can see everything at a relaxed pace in an hour or so.  There are turtles, tortoises, snakes, monkey and many birds. Class photos.  I tell you, these were tough shots to get! They spent time at the playground afterwards. We left the place around 11AM.  Even though the zoo could use a LOT of improvements, the kids still enjoyed it. **** Manil...