Celebrating Luna's 4th and Tala's 3rd Birthdays

29 November 2015

Today, we attended the double birthday celebration of Luna and Tala at McDonald's Blue Ridge.
I was a little worried that we couldn't attend the girls' party because Dylan had been sick in the past few days.  I hate backing out when I've already said we would be attending. But when Saturday came and he was a little better, I knew that we would make it.  

I was also a bit apprehensive because we would be going to the party without Patrick since he usually drives and is more knowledgeable about going to and from places (in other words, driver! haha)  If we took a cab, the driver might drive us around in a circuitous route and I wouldn't even notice.  So, I asked our P4 family if we could hitch a ride with them in going to the venue.  Yay! We could! Problem solved.  It was easier going to P4 since I'm more familiar with the route.

So, we three immediately set out for Cubao in the morning.  We took the LRT-2 train because it was faster and more comfortable.  They had a new ticketing system where you just tap the card at the turnstile.  Before, you have to insert the card and get it back before you could enter.  Dylan was very excited to ride :)

In Cubao, we walked around Farmers Plaza in search of a plaid shirt for Dana and some gift ideas for friends for Christmas.  We had lunch at Karate Kid and we tried out their new Mura Ito meals, P99 for chicken, fish, pork, squid with teriyaki sauce and rice and a drink.  I knew Dylan was still recovering because he couldn't finish his meal.  Dana enjoyed the chicken.  I chose the fish and it was good too.

After this we went to P4 at 3PM.  We didn't want to be late and cause them to be late too.  By the time we got there, they were still preparing :)

On to the party!  We arrived at McDonald's as they were setting up so we just sat down at one of the tables.  The younger kids immediately went to play in the activity area so the mommies and the daddies had time to talk and catch up.

 Bito gave some welcome remarks :)

Then everyone sang Happy Birthday!

The guests participated in the games.  A hilarious "Hep Hep McDo" game got everyone with stitches on their sides.  "The longest belt" was a competitive yet funny game that revealed who wears the longest belt hahaha  The kids were also asked to bring the "Most Beautiful Mommy" and they ended up singing the "Lupang Hinirang".  The picture below was the game "Arrange Yourselves according to..."  It was such a fun game as you can see from the photos.  The guests were asked to sort themselves according to waist line figures, number of ex-bf's and ex-gf's, first letter of their first names and then last letter of their last names, and then finally their ages.  Everyone had a blast! 

After the games, everyone got seated to eat.  There was so much food!  We were all served Chicken and McSpaghetti, McChicken sandwiches, Quarter Pounder and French Fries, Drinks (Soda and Orange Juice) and Sundaes so thick you can turn them upside down and they won't drip! Yummy!

Everyone became excited when Grimace came out!  Sole especially loved him coz he was so soft hahaha

We had so much fun because we were in the company of family and friends.  The party continued on at P4 with the younger kids playing in one room, the teen-aged kids in another and the adults just drank wine and beer.

Happy birthday Luna and Tala and Thank You for inviting us to celebrate with you.  Love you both!

Happy 21st Anniversary!

15 November 2015

Patrick and I reached our 21st year of togetherness last November 13.  Yep, Friday the 13th yet again! But that didn't bother me except for the fact that our DVD player went kaput that time haha But that was more coincidence and inevitability than anything else :)

21 years! You've gotta give us credit .  That's 10 years of being a couple and then 11 years of being a family.  With no breaks or cool off periods.  Of course, just like any other relationship there are ups and downs and we've had our fair share.  We just go with the flow.  Do we fight? Heck yes! But do we decide to let go? Hell No! Arguments, discussions and disagreements are as much a part of being together as the good times.  The bad parts actually make you stronger for being able to overcome them as a couple, as a family.  The kids are right there with us. We don't hold anything back.

You know that you've been together long enough when you're in sync.  We often think about the same things at the same time.  It happens more often now, I've noticed.

Patrick has also gotten more grumpy and I teased him about it saying he's beginning to be like the man in the movie UP haha He actually acknowledged that observation and agreed with it! hahaha

But anyway, here we were on Sunday eating at our favorite burger joint, Charlie's Grind and Grill.  We've been craving for this for so long! (finances have been tight recently so we consider this bit of luxury).  This was our Anniversary Special ! hahaha

After a very filling lunch, we headed to Cubao to do some grocery shopping at Shopwise.  While walking around the area, I told Dana that when they're older, they'll be the ones telling their kids how they used to walk with us in Shopwise just the way that we tell them how it is with our parents.  Patrick and I have that in common - going to Cubao for shopping and entertainment when we were kids and we often tell Dana and Dylan what we used to do with our parents while in Cubao.  Dana remarked, "There might not be a Shopwise by then Mama" hahaha She may be right hahaha

We also went in search of a new DVD player and there's really not a lot now, funny enough.  But we did also find great toy bargains at the Farmers Plaza.  At the ground floor, there's a Toy Kingdom sale.  We were able to buy some for Christmas gifts but ssssshhhh no one's supposed to know yet hahahaha'

We went home after, and nobody wanted dinner yet because we're all still full.  Near Sta. Mesa, near the Illumina condominium, we got caught in traffic which was unusual since it was a Sunday and normally the traffic wasn't so bad.  Finally, we found out that there was a fire and that further on, traffic wasn't moving and we were advised just to turn around and go back which we did.  The route that Patrick took, the Kalentong way, was also at a standstill and we had to make a U-turn again and he decided to just go the Aurora Boulevard route.  It took us around 1 hour and a half to get home.  Dylan was already snoring in the backseat haha

Well, so ended the day.  Tiring but fun because we're together.  Here's to more years!!! :)

The Launch of Adventure 4X Magazine at the 2015 Manila Auto Salon

14 November 2015

Last Saturday, we all attended the launch of the country's first and only off-road adventure/lifestyle magazine, Adventure 4X, at the 2015 Manila Auto Salon held at the SMX Convention Center in SM Mall of Asia.

Trying out the Lucky House Lumpia and Fried Chicken restaurant along A. H. Lacson Street

02 November 2015

Today was not a holiday even though the country was commemorating All Souls' Day.  Dana's school though made it a holiday so she didn't have to return to school until tomorrow.  It was a regular day spent doing household chores.  I should have gone to the cemetery to visit my Mom but as she is buried in the US, I couldn't and just thought about her during the day, as I always do.

But time really flies when you're doing something and then it was evening and we didn't have anything to eat.  Patrick suggested we try out the Lucky House Lumpia and Fried Chicken restaurant along our street.  We passed it before on our way home one time and we were intrigued because it was new.

Biometrics Registration for the 2016 Elections has ended

Yesterday, as of 9:01 PM, marked the end of the registration period for the 2016 Elections.  What's so important about this registration period compared to the previous ones?  Well, for starters, every eligible voter who wants to vote during the 2016 Elections must have his biometrics information captured and plugged into the Voter Registration System.  Biometrics information, in this case, refers to the photograph, fingerprints and signature of the voter.  What this means is that if you were able to vote before in previous elections but have not updated your records with your biometrics information for the upcoming elections then you will not be able to vote.  The Commission on Elections has established "No Bio, no Boto" as their tagline for the 2016 Elections.

#MadForMonsters at Krispy Kreme

After a very educational trip to UST Museum (click here for the post), Dana and I brought home the #MadforMonsters Halloween doughnuts from Krispy Kreme.  We actually ate at Subway first but we forgot to take pictures haha

Dana's trip to UST Museum

Today was Dana's last day of exams and start of the Undas break in school.  We thought it was the perfect time to visit my friend Maita at the UST Museum.  We've always planned on going especially since Dana wasn't able to go the first time Dylan and I went there.  This time, Maita also had special gifts for Dana in the form of My Little Pony goodies which were more than an incentive for us to go.

Celebrating Orvin's birthday

It's the tail end of October and we we had another event to go to.  It was Orvin's birthday and he specifically mentioned in his invitation that it will be a videoke party.  The kids were so looking forward to it and we made it a point to arrive early.

Grayson Lucas' Baptism

17 October 2015

Another event to fill our October weekends is the Baptism of Grayson Lucas, the son of my cousin Joann and her husband Gabz.  The christening happened at the St. Peter Parish in QC while the reception was held at the King Bee restaurant in Commonwealth.  It was a simple gathering of family and friends with lots of sumptuous Chinese food.

Dana's Dance with Dengue

When the kids have a fever, I have this recurring fear of it being a dengue infection since our experience with my niece a few years back.  Nowadays, I've noticed that regular fevers take at least 4-5 days to dissipate compared to the 1-2 days when I was younger.  Dengue, as I know it, usually has the same onset but with a higher grade of fever.  When Dana was diagnosed with it, I was surprised to say the least and I'll tell you why.  None of the usual dengue symptoms that I knew about were true for her and that's what's scary.  Let me tell you about it.