May 2012 Monthly Roundup

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
- Re-read Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
- Life is What we Make it by Peter Buffett

What movies and/or TV shows did I watch this month?
- MIB 3
- Knocked Up

What special days did I celebrate and how?
- Labor Day!
- Mother's Day
- Ate A's Classmate's Ysabelle's 6th Birthday
- Parents-in-laws's Anniversary

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
- Pamper fund from the Hubby for Mother's Day

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
- The girls had fever after our trip to Singapore

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
- Went to Singapore with inlaws
- Outing at Pansol, Laguna with the Twitterafia
- Ysabelle's 6th at ActiveFun, Ortigas
- Movie date (MIB3) with Dad and my sister

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
- My Kitchen in Paco, Manila
- ActiveFun, Ortigas
- Crispy Noodles from Northpark
- Pizza and Pasta by Brooklyn Pizza
- Cyma
- Vikings Dinner

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
- No big purchases this month

What were this month's disappointments?
- Summer is almost over!

What were my accomplishments this month?
- Surviving while the other Yaya is on vacay

Wednesday Happy Thoughts

Happiness is...

1. MIB 3 in 3D! Woot!
2. Dinner at Cyma - Roka Salata, Chicken & Seafood Kebab, Grilled Pork Chops. To Die For!
3. 2 hour naps last weekend
4. My Mom who takes care of the kids these days
5. Buffet Dinner at Vikings
6. My family
7. Online Tasks
8. The Treadmill!
9. Brewed Coffee
10. Instagram!

To know how this started and credits of the header, click here.

Our Super Delayed but Safe Flight to Singapore

The kids were very excited for our trip to Singapore. They've been looking forward to this trip for weeks! So it was not surprising when they woke up as early as 3AM for our 6:30AM flight. We quickly dressed up and pack our things before our ride to the airport arrived.

After a few minutes, we were already at the Terminal 3 for check in. The line wasn't too long so we still had time for breakfast. Options were not that much at the Terminal 3, so we just decided to go with the first one we saw - Raku.


After a quick breakfast, off we went to the boarding gate.


The nice thing about this trip was that we were traveling with the whole family so my kids were able to bond with their cousins. They had a great time!

We boarded on time but the thing is, our plane had technical problems so we stayed inside the plane for 2 hours.



Good thing the kids were so excited, it didn't dampen their moods.

To sum it up, our flight was delayed for 3 hours. It could have dampen our mood too considering that we weren't able to go to Sentosa Island anymore (because we were too tired) but we were thankful that at least we had a safe flight and we didn't have to look for another flight.

We finally arrived Singapore and we went straight to Orchard Parade Hotel, our home for the weekend.

The Little Girls' Quick Trip to the Salon

I noticed that the girls badly need a haircut lately. So we decided to head to the nearest salon.

Look at them...



They were well-behaved when they had their haircut. These days, they always look forward in going to salons. I guess they now know that it's fun being a girl! ♥♥♥

A Night of Wonderful Music at The Prive

Last Friday night, we were invited by a friend to witness a wonderful music at Prive, The Fort.


This is our second time to go out with the same group. Our first was at Opus.


But this time, we were expecting a different experience. Since this is an all member club, we were expecting a laid-back-type-with-a little-groove type of music. In short, my kind of music. So off we went to Prive.

True enough, we all had a wonderful time. The DJ's did a great job in mixing the songs. We went dancing and were swayed by the music for a couple of hours. We didn't even notice that it was already 1AM! Way, way past our bedtime.


I'm definitely going back to Prive one of these days. Not only did I love the music, but the drinks and the place were unforgettable.

Reunion with my Cousins

Right after the Holy Week, my cousins and I planned to meet up for a get together. We haven't seen each other for a year and since my Mom is also here, we decided to give it a go.

We had a grand time, as always!






It was nice meeting all my cousins. It was one of the highlights of our summer.

See you again soon! (*wink*)

Missing our Sumptuous Lunch at President's

Our last lunch at the President's in Binondo was already 4 months ago, but I still couldn't forget how good our lunch was!

Well, who would forget the yummy Yangchow Rice, Hot Prawn Salad, Fried Chicken, Chinese Soup and very tender Pork Tenderloin.







Boy, it was definitely unforgettable! Hopefully we find time to go back there one of these days. ♥

My Little Girl's Grad Celebration at Sambo Kojin

My little girl graduated from preschool last March. It was a moment that was REALLY worth celebrating so we invited the whole family to have lunch at Sambo Kojin.


I've heard a lot of good reviews about Sambo Kojin so we decided to give it a try. True enough, the service was really good, the food was overflowing, our guests were quite impressed.






The sushi and salad bar were fresh and the service crew were very attentive. I definitely recommend Sambo Kojin for special occassions such as this. And look, my little girl even got a free toy!


Looking forward to eat here again one of these days.

Wednesday Happy Thoughts

Happiness is...

1. Dinner at Fely J's
2. Mom and Dad are here!
3. Planning for future trips :)
4. Surviving while one Yaya is on vacation
5. Home cooked meals
6. Life is good
7. Blessings are never ending!
8. Dance songs
9. Gift of family
10. Kisses and hugs by my girls

To know how this started and credits of the header, click here.

What I ♥ about Bicol?

There are two major things that I look forward everytime I'm in Bicol.

First, MAYON VOLCANO.


Everybody would agree how marvelous Mayon Volcano is! It never fails to take my breath away.

Second, DJC's Halo-halo.


I will never leave Bicol without eating the best halo-halo! YUM!



Meet up with a Friend in Legazpi Airport

On our last day in Bicol, before our flight, I met up with my good friend D, her hubby and her kids.






We decided to meet at the Legazpi Airport hotel and avail of their lunch buffet which was very cheap, it was around P299. The choices weren't that much though but the food was very tasty and I had the opportunity to eat more Bicolano food before heading back to Manila.

It was a good lunch and great conversation with my friend, D. She even brought some food and stuff for us! Will blog more about it soon. Thanks again D! (*wink*)

The Kids' Easter Egg Hunt in Sorsogon

Good thing our flight back to Manila from Bicol was in the afternoon so the kids had time for easter egg hunt!




Lolo and Lola prepared one Easter egg each for the kids, so after having breakfast, they searched the house. And they got it in a few minutes!

IMG_5052

It was FUN! ♥ Thanks Lolo and Lola!



Checking Out Bacon Port in Sorsogon

While waiting for the Friday Procession when we were in Bicol, we decided to check out the Port of Bacon first. The last time we went to this area/port was when Ate A was still a baby. So off we went to the port and took a few photos.





It was so refreshing knowing that the air was clean. It was nice to see the locals of Bacon too, just hanging around the port, taking advantage of the great weather. I kept wishing that we have something like this in Manila. Yup, just a wishful thinking. (*grin*)

Wednesday Happy Thoughts

Happiness is...

1. Celebrated Mother's Day weekend with my fave Mommies!
2. God provides, everyday!
3. Kids are better now
4. Lovely weekend in Laguna
5. Lunch at the in-laws
6. Happy thoughts
7. Dinner with friends, Farrah and Ercs
8. Loots from my cousin who came from the US
9. Looking forward to a relaxing weekend
10. Kids are excited to go back to school!

To know how this started and credits of the header, click here.

The Beautiful and Serene Island in Sorsogon.

...and this island is called Paguiriran Island.


We were surprised that there is a beautiful island just 30 minutes away from our place. I'm sure you will agree after seeing these photos...





We stayed in the island for just a couple of minutes but the kids really had a great time. We wanted to check how it looks during high tide but too bad, we weren't able to go back here again.

But since I know that we'll have a lot more trips to Bicol, we will definitely go back to Paguiriran Island again.

Went to Mateo's Hot & Cold Spring Resort on our 5th Day in Bicol

I was supposed to meet my friend Diane on Holy Wednesday but the in-laws planned to go to Mateo's Hot & Cold Spring Resort. We didn't have a ride then, so we decided to join them instead.


I'm glad we did, because the kids had a great time at the hot spring pool. My Mom and I loved it too since our backaches were somehow healed by the super hot water.


We highly recommend that you check out this resort when you happen to be in the area. It is very therapeutic and relaxing too.



I've noticed that the resort were very much improved since 5 years ago that we were there. Shower rooms were installed and were pretty clean too. I'm glad they did something about the shower rooms!

We will definitely go back here and maybe next time we will bring lunch so we could stay longer. ♥

Happy Mother's Day!

When I was still single and doesn't have kids yet, Mothers' day wasn't too special for me. Of course I would give my Mom a gift or treat her somewhere but I haven't appreciated this day until I got kids on my own.

Now, I would always thank these two Moms on Mother's day for their love and sacrifice that they have made for us.


My Mom on the right most and my MIL on the left most. ♥♥♥

Happy Mother's day to all the fab Mommies in the whole world! Let us celebrate our special day! Cheers!

Our Church Visit to Observe the Holy Week

To observe the Holy Week, while in Bicol, my Mom and I visited the Church nearby to have a confession.


It was quick so we were still able to take a few photos before going back home for lunch.



I was so glad we were able to visit the church even for just a few minutes. It was a great way to reflect for the lenten season.