These Days

Congratulations to me!  For the first time ever, I completed a whole month of the photo-a-day challenge.=)  It really helps to have a challenge list and family/friends who are doing it as well.  Here's the May recap. And the challenge list for June, again from fatmumslim .

Richard and I had were at Phat Wong Asian Cafe  yesterday for a late lunch date.  I bought vouchers in February and it's expiring in 2 days so we had to eat out.  It was good to do something out of the ordinary on a weekday even if it's just lunch around the neighborhood. Phat Wong is located at the LRI Design Plaza along N. Garcia St. in Makati. Nice interiors Bar Most of the tables were occupied when we got there.  Those customers had expiring vouchers, too.=)  That first photo was taken when most of the lunch crowd has left. We had the grilled baby back ribs tocino, halo-halo, and this banh mi roll that we took home because we were already full. The verdict: Food was good.  I liked the roll a lot.  A little more tenderness on the tocino would have made it even better.  The halo-halo had a gingery taste which is from the ' kaffir lime leaf-scented coconut ice .'  Strange taste but good. We stepped insi...

I am a late-bloomer when it comes to skincare.  Thankfully, I haven't had serious skin issues so visits to the dermatologist were non-existent for most of my life.  Even when I started working, I did not go for facials or what-not.  I've stuck to a very simple skincare routine - exfoliating facial wash, moisturizer and added sunblock fairly recently.  I still don't have brand/product loyalty at this point because I just like trying different things. Richard, on the other hand, is the veteran.  He encouraged me to have regular facials (I know, I'm a lucky girl) but I've been resisting it (he's a lucky guy) because they're not cheap, no?  I would rather get a massage than a facial... Last year, his suking clinic offered discounted rates for prepaid services so we bought a package.  That was the start of my almost-regular facial treatments.  I do not really notice the significant aesthetic improvements but doing something for yourself does feel nic...

This is the second part of my Photo-a-Day project for May.  Please see Part 1 here. May 16. What you're reading. May 17. Snack.  My usual midnight snack - cereal and milk. May 18. Something you made.  I made a new blog header.  Same photos but changed up the grid layout. May 19. A favourite place.  Home.=) May 20. Something you can't live without.  Family. May 21. Where you stand. While waiting to cross the street. May 22. Pink.  My pinkish strawberry-mango shake. May 23. Technology.  The 'ugly' side of technology. May 24. Something new.   After 2 months of being carless, we closed the deal on this second hand car.  Previous owner is our friend from Intel. May 25. Unusual.  The P10 coin I picked up from the ground on the way home yesterday.  Pang-kape. May 26. 12 o'clock. Midnight. May 27. Something sweet...

After reading The Happiness Project, I reexamined my reservations about keeping a journal.  I mean the offline kind, writing unedited thoughts on paper for an audience of one.   I have never formally kept a journal which is uncharacteristic for someone who likes notebooks and pens and writing a lot.  I would sometimes write random stuff down but throw them away afterwards, after tearing the pages into little pieces to make sure they are unreadable. The closest I've probably come to journaling is my old blog on blog-city, in the early 2000s.  I was a lot more open and carefree with what I posted then and was undaunted even if I knew friends read them.  Then blog-city became a paid service and I discontinued it. So, what about this blog? I censor myself here and really prefer to keep the site mostly drama-free.  So it's not the whole picture.  We have a normal life and by that I mean we have struggles, disappointments, and not-so-good days, too, ...

We attended the 7th birthday party of Rich's colleague's son in QC on Sunday.  This was the afternoon of Balik Bukid , and we just had a short rest at the condo before heading out the door again.  It was a fully-booked Sunday because after the party, we also dropped by Eastwood to visit Rich's mama. Here are a few photos from the party. The most fun part for Neil was the mascot dance.  He was on stage imitating Chickboy's (?) moves. Family picture! We have a growing collection of these photobooth pictures. Neil's first time to do the photobooth alone.  He moved too soon in the first photo with the elephant hat but did so well with the rest. These things are overpriced but what can I do?=)

We went to Balik Bukid last Sunday!  It's a country fair at Sta. Elena, Cabuyao, Laguna.  I first heard about the event from Daphne's blog and although I really wanted to go, we did not have a car then so I dismissed the idea.  Last Saturday, I saw the event notification in Facebook again and yey, we already have transpo (story next time) so we were able to go. SLEX on a Sunday morning.  So relaxing.=) We are here!  I am excited to take Neil to events like this because it's not usual that he gets to see the bukid.  We were psyching him since Saturday that we were going to the farm to see the animals. The entrance. Close encounters with the animals.  This is the rabbit enclosure were kids can feed the rabbits with carrots. Horseback riding.  I look scared in the first photo, which was true!  See how tight I'm hugging Neil?  We just got on the horse and it was disorientating to be on a moving animal with not...