my gown designer recommended 5-inch heels with platform. this will be the design of my shoes for the ceremony - in champagne color. kaya ko kaya? i'm still not used to 2-inch heels. she says i could wear anything i like during the reception but she highly recommended i wear 5 inches for the ceremony. sige go! whatever. i'm getting married only once. i might as well try out everything outrageous!
oh oh my my! this is it! i'm going home on the 9th for the one-month-to-go countdown!
here is how i want my face kolorete to look like. tarush ang pretty ni ate! hahaha di siguro achievable ang kagandahan factor pero i'm after the super natural look. i like the lip color too. i've proven that pinkish lip shade doesn't look good on me. i like it more on the darker side.
ewan ko, i have no idea how i want to wear my hair. siguro like the one on the left then have the 2nd look for the reception. tarush ang gaganda talaga nila. sana pag nagbigay ka ng picture sa HMUA, magaya nya pati mukha at overall factor! bwahahaha!
super late post. when mami was here, we wanted to treat her to something nice so we decided to have an overnight stay at mbs. thanks to my cousin who's working in a hotel in macau. one of the perks that she enjoys is having discounts to global sister companies. mbs is one of them and we had a tumataginting discount for the accommodation. neat? neat!
this is a nice thing at the ceiling :)
view from our room. road leads to lau pa sat.
it was so funny! we scouted for a place where we could have dinner. there were signs that said "food court" but we couldn't find it! apparently, it's still under construction so we had no choice but to eat either at one of the restaurants in the hotel or have room service. we were so scared of the prices hahaha! tell you, we are no rich people and we could not splurge so much like the rich people do! lumevel ba?!? when we checked the prices, we got confused: are we trying to have dinner or are we trying to have a heart attack? hahaha! well, nakakahiya mang sabihin, i suggested that we buy take-away food from lau pa sat instead! and so kuya and i went to lau pa sat to buy at mang kiko's! kay sarap! walang pagpapanggap. i was a bit scared maybe the guys at the lobby will stop us and confiscate our chipips food! hahaha. ok naman, they didn't seem to care what we had in our cheap plastic bags. dinner is served! ang sarap! we were all laughing while eating our dinner... staying in a luxurious hotel but eating take-away food in styros from a hawker! hahaha! weh bakit?!
view from our room. road leads to suntec.
the little girl sleeping like a queen while the father went to the casino with his friends. the grandma, the mother, and the auntie are making chismax.
the bathroom.
for breakfast, just to experience room service, we ordered bagels. it's the cheapest on the menu at 11 sgd each! my gally, ayoko nang lumakbay pa papuntang lau pa sat please lang! so sige na. umorder na tayo. for just 4 bagels, they arranged the setup as such. so groovy! complete with orchids pa! imagine how a dinner setup will look like. so romantic siguro! inferfer, masarap ang sour cream spread. bagels, parang monay lang na matigas. bagels bagels pa monay lang.
view during day time. look at the dots on the roof. these are actually workers! so dangerous! i think they have harness naman. :)
my feet! at mga ugat na nagngangalit! sheesh. what can i do about my varicose veins?
and finally, the infinity pool. we brought swimsuits. the thing is, we didn't wake up early so we ran out of time for a good swim. sayang. the water's too inviting! the weather was perfect for a swim but we had to checkout at 11 :( the funny thing here is that the lifeguards are constantly making pito at people who are going too far at the edge of the pool. hello, manong. infinity nga e! hindi mahuhulog yan! toinks.
learnings:
remember when i posted about the pinakamasarap na siopao sa balat ng lupa? well, i know about the pinakamasarap na pansit sa balat ng lupa too! again, it could be found in suntec! as usual, i don't know the name of the stall but if you'll allow me, i could take you there - it's at the suntec food court!
my favorite side dishes are luncheon meat and egg. i'm not a big fan of the squid-ball-like stuff but i'm gaga over maling... and eggs! the bee hoon is fried to perfection - not too limp, not too stiff, not too salty, but the flavors are very good and distinct. there's also steamed cabbage, not too overwhelming. the browned onions and green chilis are superb too! everything just blends into an unbelievable magic in your mouth, later in your tummy, and later still, in your toilet. ok, let's not dive into that. eew.
when i'm not stressed, i could eat a whole packet! carpenter style. but when i'm under pressure at work, i could eat 1/2 only, or 3/4 max. yes, no matter how divine the food is, i can't be forced to eat when i'm stressed.
cheers to good food and good life!
ps: i don't like red chillies on my bee hoon.
i miss my mom.
as a kid, i din't grow up to an affectionate family. we weren't the type who would cuddle and snuggle in bed. i kissed my parents before going to bed and before leaving the house but it was more out of respect rather than affection. we didn't hug. we weren't vocal about our love. i love yous were only seen on our greeting cards and we didn't say it freely or randomly. it's something sacred and we professed it only on special occasions.
now, i testify that all these are not true measures of love - at least for me. look at us now. we have the greatest relationship with mami. i could tell her everything and truly, time, and not affection, molded what we have now. i used to keep secrets from my mom. as old as it may sound, moms know best. i don't need to explain further. now, i consult with her for matters as trivial as which vitamins to take, to things as grand as taking new jobs. she's my adviser. she sees 2 steps ahead and 2 steps behind.
oh, can i just say that with what we have, affection is now a bonus? we now say i love yous out of nowhere! hugs, not so much, but we're getting there!
here are some random pics taken when i had a good walk and good talk with mom one empacho night.
i loved the "greenness" of these plants! they're in a wonderful shade of lime green, so vibrant!
i loved this walkway and the nice lighted canopy!
when mami was here, we went to the sky park. mike asked me to promise him that i won't go there unless we are together, but if it's the family then i could go. hehe. it's with the family, so it's fine!
this is the "thorny" decor - view from the ground floor. it's really majestic. i don't understand how thorns or grass or whatever this is became art dahil hindi ako sosyal :p it's not an eye candy for me but it's amazing.
we went straight to the queue for the sky park. it's a long queue but it didn't take that long. this is the view of the hotel from the sky park queue.
and the view from the grounds of the ship-like sky park. not really awesome on pic but it is when you see it live na live worldwide. wow.
here's the little woman patiently waiting for her turn. she likes to play with her foot.
and finally, we made it to the top. 57th floor, is it? here's the flyer.
sky park talking to the singapore flyer: "so you're not so great now, eh? asan ang tikas at angas mo ngayon?" hehe. we have one arrogant structure here.
here is the helix bridge. suntec towers can also be seen near the trapezoid-top building.
i don't know what this lotus-like structure is. hehehe.
sunset snapshot :)
and some donya poses!
bahay ng mga dwende - that's how we fondly call the new home of the two lovebirds, erika and wawin. it's a small one-bedroom unit in makati, just right for "lovers" living together but quite small for a family. with one baby? can do but no room for yaya.
i'm way too advanced. why am i talking about babies at this time? i'm writing about the home, not about the family.
ok, so we went to ikea to shop for some home stuff for the 2 kids - some stuff to adorn their lovely home and also to get cool ideas from the showroom.
we loved the black shelves, the ones kuya's pointing at. since it's a small unit, bins or cabinets won't be advisable. they need all the floor area that they could get. we thought of using shelves instead to save floor space. we got the bigger version of these black shelves.
i loved this kitchen area. we got the red clock and a different model of the steel plates rack. the dwendes are also considering this type of stove. nice :)
we also loved this dining set. it's a super space saver plus the design is good. converted to PHP, it would be around 11 to 12k. we didn't get it. it's a bit bulky to transport and they could probably scout for some more in manila.
we loved this idea for the tv. a tv rack is out of the question so we're thinking of having the tv mounted on the wall and enclosing it for added effects. the shelves that we bought are similar to this one (above the black boxes).
it's so exciting to shop for home stuff! i wish i had my own home to decorate :)
lessons learned:
@ always appreciate the little things
@ be a child at heart
@ it's ok to be silly and foolish sometimes
@ your real friends and family will love you despite point 3 above
@ it's wonderful to be remembered on your birthday
@ thus, make your friends feel special on their birthdays
@ honey is good for the heart (and for the bear)
@ i want to have my own christopher robin!
@ don't steal baby kangaroos from their mum
@ travel with your friends
when keyla starts to understand things, i promise i'll read this book to her :)
the other two, i downloaded out of curiosity. i think i have read wuthering heights but you know me, i'm old. i'll find out later.
paanong nangyaring minultiply lang? at may nalalaman pa syang pag-iwan kay 3! at pinaka naloka ako sa pag dibaydibay 2! di ko talaga alam yun! wala akong matandaang ganyan! either my memory is failing me or kakaiba na ang pag solve ngayon! haays.
may i divide a thousand times ako!
ayan sa baba ang answer ko. naka box pa. naks!
sa suhestyon ni jan, bumili ako ng aklat na ito. practice in mathematics. sabi sa harap ang persyir hayskool raw. cool! siguro naman kaya ko...
my face has always just hit the sack right away after my laaaate night showers. no moisturizer, no toner, just my pillows :p hello wrinkles! hello dark circles! hello blemishes!
now i'm cramming... like i always do. oh! and i have some dark rashes on my rib area! i have no idea what they are but they are pretty ugly and alarming. i self medicated but later on (last sat) consulted a dermatologist just to be sure it's not cancer (as i always predict [talk about paranoia]).
so here's what i have been making pahid on my skin like crazy for the past week:
1. l'oreal facial scrub
2. l'oreal toner
3. l'oreal moisturizer - this one's a day cream but i don't get the point of using a different cream during night time (read: ang mahal kung bibili pa ako ng night cream)
4. anti- itch cream - for the hideous rashes (which didn't help, btw. so it's one wasted crap)
5. nivea cream - i feel i have super dry skin, thus the rashes. i love this cream! i replaced my lotion and i really like the effect :) it somehow helped to soothe the rashes an the dry skin.
so there you go! so far so good but i think i need a follow-up post for some other items after the derma consultation. sana lang makatulong!
they look so cute: holding hands with their partners so they won't get lost. listening to teacher's instructions while walking.
they may be little but they are great! all children are :)
this is us video chatting
this is us checking out our phone apps
this is us umaarte
cut! hehehe
i love it how keyla plays with my hair.
yup, i know my hair is dirty.
and she shouldn't play with it
'cause she'll put her hands in her mouth later.
but she'll grow up soon
by then she'll be less fascinated with small, silly stuff.
life my hair!
keep the fascination alive, baby girl!
you'll grow up soon :(
i love it how keyla listens to every word i say when i talk to her.
as if she understands
as if she digests and processes the words
as if she's ready to fight the world equipped with what she was just taught
as if!
grow up to be a good listener, baby girl!
grow up to be a good learner, baby girl!
not so much with the academics, but with things that really matter in life :)
i love it how keyla wraps her legs around the arm of the person feeding her.
we have no idea why she does that.
"you are not going anywhere! i need my dede!"
baby, don't do that so much... you look like a lechon.
but a very cute lechon! :)))
i love it that keyla now knows how to hold her bottle (sometimes).
she now knows that if she kept the bottle still, it will give her what she wants.
she has these pink bottle handles and those are so useful!
sometimes, she accidentally pulls the bottle out of her mouth.
and she attempts to bring it back.
only, the bottle goes straight to her nose or to her eyes!
almost there, baby girl!
you are growing too fast.
we were so happy with don m's birthday surprise party at kbox that we didn't want the night to end. as in! we were possessed - not with evil spirits. we were intoxicated - not with alcohol. we were high - not with drugs. nothing worldly, only good company and laughter. and it was enough to keep us happy for how many hours.
from kallang, we wanted to do something different and bold. take note: it was past 10pm then. we thought of going to the night safari, sentosa beach bars, or sentosa bonfire, or go to a cozy hotel and have coffee and lots of talk. we ended up going to fort canning park! we didn't find any tambay spots there but, believe it or not, we hiked at fort canning part at the wee hours of the night! we didn't have anything but our funny remarks. wala kaming napala. we kept on searching for this bar but we didn't find it. in the end, nauwi rin kami sa...
kallang leisure park where there's mc do 24 hrs! sinapian talaga?
so there we were, we ordered coffee and chocolate drinks courtesy of don m.
here's my choco cup! i love how it smiled back at me. it almost hurt me to consume the happy face... but that's life. he had to go.
and a thousand and one fries! masarap bagong luto.
we stayed there until around 5am! we were just telling stories, funny ones and serious ones. i will never understand why we always choose to "stay together" for soooo long every time we meet. misteryong malupit... bizarre... pero masaya kami :) all the time!
noong lumipas na kaarawan ni don marco (sya kasi ang pinakamayaman sa aming samahan), naisip naming sorpresahin sya ng salu-salong may kantahan. bakit kamo? dahil mahilig syang kumanta. yun lang hehe. naisip din naming maging sporty sporty tulad ng swimming, bowling, dahil mahilig din sya dyan. pero pilay si mike kaya kantahang walang patid ang nagwagi. di na rin kailangan mag-abalang magluto dahil may kainang wantusawa! so solved na ang mga chikiting.
magaling si anne. nadala nya si marco sa kbox sa kallang leisure park. sa kabila ng pagsusungit ng matandang, mayamang, matagal pang mamatay na si don m, nasorpresa naman sya :)
heto't masdan ang sampol sampol ng mga pagkain galing sa buffet. ok na. masarap naman at nakakabusog. maki lang ang napicturan ko pero kumpleto naman mula pampagana hanggang disyerto (wow disyerto ang tagalog ng dessert? hahaha nabuhangin lang). busog ang lahat sa pagkain at inumin.
'di lang sa pagkain busog ang mga bagets, pati sa kantahan. ay! wag ka, walang nota at letrang pinalagpas. sulit na sulit ang bayad namin! ayos kasi may mga opm! galing talaga. enjoy. patok ang lady gaga songs lalo kay mike!
so... happy ang lahat! sayang hindi nakapunta yung iba pero masaya pa rin naman :) sa sobrang saya, mistulang buntis ako sa picture. asus!
maligayang bati, don m! iba ka!
my favorite dev manager was here last week with his wife. they had a holiday in australia and on their way home to switzerland, they dropped by sunny singapore. i was really excited to see them because his soul is one of the gentlest souls i've ever met. i call him "marco the great".
he never raises his voice no matter how ugly the project situation may be. "we do our best" - this is what he always says and i love that line. it invites no further arguments or questions. he values and respects every member of the team and so he unknowingly and indirectly earns respect as well.
when i had to move to a different project, i was devastated because i love this project in the same way that i love working with the team members... but nothing is ever permanent.
marco and his wife, bea, are so perfect as a couple. they have been married for so long but they are still being mistaken as honeymooners :) how lovely. bea doesn't know that much english. during our dinner, marco was bea's translator. how sweet. :) if i could, i'll get them as ninong and ninang hahaha!
was a good night. they had many stories to tell from their australia adventures, cultural differences, and a lot more other wonderful stuff. that plus this australian tea as keepsakes. wonderful couple. lovely souls.
i was so tamad today so i decided to go for a quick run para mabuhay naman ang dugo. i haven't done this for sooooo long.
wow pati pag jog may picture :p
so nice the afternoon skies :) these lovely sights one won't see on a treadmill :)
i'm not getting any younger. i know i owe my body so much for not exercising for a very long time. too much work :( if only i could make a dedication to jog for at least 30 mins a day, it would be perfect. the more stressed you are at work, the more you need to exercise!
note: after this run, i bought ruffles cheddar and sour cream and regular coke and i devoured on them! what a life! :) life's little rewards. ah, eh... hello? :) how lame.
during our first singapore trip (dec 2006), we asked cecil what she wants for pasalubong. she excitedly exclaimed, "habanyas ate!" mommy and i were clueless and speechless for a few minutes until we finally figured out she was referring to havaianas!
wow chochal! from then on, we also call havaianas "habanyas". and no, we didn't get her havaianas for pasalubong :p
lookie look! here is keyla's first pair of habanyas! so cute! it's still a bit big for her and it's not as if she could walk already! so it's just a porma pair. hahaha!
last weekend, we attended 2 birthday partehs and our toka was leche flan. i only have 3 lyaneras so to make 9 leche flans, i had to make 3 batches. boy, i was so tired. i will not be in the mood to make leche flan in the next 20 years! i just found this recipe on the internet. nothing fancy but i think it's pwede na :) super daling gawin. 3 batches - ibang storya yan harharhar!
10 egg yolks
1 can condensed milk
1 big can evaporated milk
for the caramel:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1. to make the caramel, combine water and sugar. bring to a boil until it caramelizes.
2. pour the caramel into lyaneras.
lesson learned: i feel this is a better technique --> instead of adding water and caramelizing in a pot, use only sugar. put in lyaneras and "burn" the sugar by putting the lyaneras over fire - this one's faster! i'll do this next time :)
3. mix the egg yolks, condensed milk, evaporated milk. beat until well blended. pour into the lyanera with caramel. steam for about 20 minutes. you'll know it's done if you pierce it with a knife and the knife comes out clean!
my lola floring (bless her) used katya to filter any impurities but i haven't tried this yet - thus all the impurities! hahaha!
and finally!!!!! here's the finished product:
acheche! walang pic :) hehehe. well, you know what a leche flan looks like :p that's all folks!
