My 30th Birthday Weekend

First of all, thank you to all those who greeted me during my birthday. I sincerely appreciate your thoughtfulness, and all your warm tidings. I had a blast celebrating this milestone birthday, and here is my uber late story. Have to warn you though of the photo overload! :D

I’ve always loved a good staycation so for my birthday, just as last year’s, I decided to book for one night at Dusit Thani Dubai Hotel. Thanks to my dear cousin who works at the hotel, I managed to get a pretty good deal with the rates, owing to their family member special rate benefit. Not only did I get a fairly discounted rate – i also got a two bedroom suite accommodation with freebies such as breakfast for 2, access to the Club Executive Lounge, and a whopping 50% discount at their coffee shop. What a nice birthday gift, no?

me & hubby at our suite

I was pretty lucky my birthday landed on a weekend here so I was able to have a relaxing day for myself. Hubby and I checked in at the hotel at 9:30 am then went to St. Mary’s Church after dropping our stuff in the suite. Afterwards, we had lunch at Dusit Delicatessen where we ordered their Blue Plate Special. For drinks, I had a glass of a flavorful Strawberry Smoothie.

having lunch - all my favorites in one plate

I dared not let the day pass without taking a trip to the salon. I haven’t been to one in the last few weeks so I took the opportunity to pay it a visit, this time with my bestie Beth. When we finished, hubby picked us up, and we all headed back to the hotel where the husband surprised me with a lovely bouquet of flowers. I knew that he may order flowers for me since he always does that on every occasion but I i was totally surprised when he handed them over to me after we got off the car. I was spaced out that afternoon because I was feeling sleepy so when he walked towards me with the big bouquet in his hand, I was rendered speechless!

bonding time with bestie 

from honeybear

I had arranged a small gathering for my birthday where I invited my cousins, my Pinoy family at work, and a handful of friends to celebrate with me. I prepared a bowling party at Dubai Bowling Centre where my guests and I bowled to our heart’s content for two hours. After making my guests work so very hard at knocking off some ten pins, I treated them to dinner at the nearby Mugg & Bean. The highest score of the night was by Harvey (ni Gracita) who took home a box of Cadbury truffles as a prize.

bowl a strike

an EB (finally!) with my katukayo, Gracita & her Papa Harvs

with the best husband in the world!

at the bowling centre

with my pretty cousins

blow the big 30 candle

cutting the cake

After dinner, we all headed to the hotel for some cocktails and drinks. Here are some more pictures of the night: 

with the girls 

a pose with the drinkers in the house

cheers!

the bar

it's fun being 30!

opening a gift

thankful!

lovely presents

birthday girl

It was a fun party, all in all. I had a great time bonding with my family, and friends plus I got to meet new ones, too. The night was capped at half past three in the morning, I think.

At 9:00 am, hubby and I roused ourselves from our deep slumber to have breakfast at The Californian Restaurant at the hotel’s 24^th floor. Despite the lack of sleep, I was pumped with energy as we were to catch the movie, Kung Fu Panda at the Metroplex Cinema for the 11:00 am time slot, which was exclusively arranged for all of us DIFC Authority staff and our families. Loved the movie to bits! :D

We had late lunch thereafter at the famous home of peri-peri chicken, Nando's in Sheikh Zayed Road. Once we finished savoring their sumptuous chicken delights, we trooped back to the hotel for a short nap. We later on packed our stuff to check out at 6:00 pm but before doing so, we made a side trip to the Executive Lounge for some cocktails before heading back home.

It was a tiring weekend for the me but no complaints.  You only turn 30 only once in your life so best to make the most out of it. In my case, I obviously did! And despite my family being away from me on my special day, it was still extra special because of the guests who took time to come by and party with me.

I used to not believe in happy birthdays but now I do :)

Sweet Snail Mail

This afternoon, I received the best snail mail ever since I moved here to Dubai. I’m sure those of you frequent visitors of Munchkinmommy are aware of the little contest she’d made in celebration of her 3 blissful years of blogging. And whaddaya know, I was one of the lucky winners! Well, I'm not really good at winning raffle contests or anything but since she decided to declare all those who participated as winners, I managed to fish a prize.

Since the announcement of the winners last 9th June, I've been eagerly watching out for the special envelope to arrive. everyday, I always give a hopeful look to our Empost guy who makes two rounds each day in the office to deliver our mails to our desks (oh yes, we're rotten spoiled at work!). It took a couple of weeks for the envelope to arrive, and when it did, I was in total shock. It felt soooo good to see my nickname written in front of the envelope, jotted in my most favorite ink color of all. I was tickled happy! It was exactly the same kind of feeling I used to get when my Dad sends me pop-up, musical birthday or Christmas cards when I was little.

the envelope addressed to moi

I lifted the envelope gently from my desk, and gingerly opened it from the side, careful not to tear it for fear that I might accidentally ruin what's inside. When I held on to the cards, I was totally bowled over! Weng said her cards were a bit on the toddlerish quality. I say NOT! They were perfectly beautiful! Of course I didn't miss reading the message that came with it, which in truth got me teary-eyed. The message was so sweet and heartfelt! Totally made my day! :D

the inside envelope & the extra-special message

cutesy handmade cards

I promised myself that as soon as I receive my prize cards, I will do my best to revive my love for arts and crafts by making such lovely cards from scratch. I may not be as talented as Weng but I do hope I could wring out some creative juices out of me to pay the touching gesture forward to somebody else. I'd like to experience that awesome feeling of giving other people joy through my labor of love.

To Weng, thank you so much once again for the gift! It truly means a lot to me! It's amazing how God works wonders in our lives. My last memory of you in highschool was an accomplished Senior, and an officer I look up to during my Tenderfoot years in Girl Scouting. We were not really friends then, but look at us now...I feel like I've just earned a big sister in you. I am grateful for your kindness, your thoughtfulness, and most of all, for your moral support in all things. You're like my online personal cheerleader! Believe me when I say that you are blessing to people, that's why you are gifted with many wonderful things in life. You make a difference in this world with your own humble ways. You are truly special, and I hope you know that. God bless you and your family always. xoxo!

All Chores Day

Hi folks! I'm squeezing a bit of blog time amidst all the stuff I need to do here at home (i.e., chores). Plus I have to help the husband bake a carrot cake that my colleague ordered for one of her team mate's birthday celebration tomorrow. Well, I'm not exactly baking here...i'm just peeling, slicing, dicing, greasing, and dishwashing, and that's my little way of helping out. It's quite tedious to bake a carrot cake, to be honest so my better half really needs some assistance with these mediocre tasks (unless I want him to finish 'till midnight doing everything, the poor thing!)

Anyway, we decided to stay at home today to finish a few stuff that we have neglected to do over the past few weekends. For one, I am busy stuffing the washing machine with our weeklong laundry, and I'm hoping to finish before the sun's down. I also need to change the bed sheets, and fold clothes that have been ignored over the past couple of weeks (I was busy with my party last week, so I guess I'm excused..hehe!) Listing down all these chores, I am reminded of one post that has been a topic in the n@w forum, and that is the division of chores between the husband and the wife. I was itching to give an answer, but was sidetracked with other things to do. Nonetheless, I am posting it here now.

I know most couples would agree with me that it isn't easy peasy to divide chores between the two of you. When one (or sometimes both) of you isn't used to doing chores at home when you were single, it's really gonna be a bit of a challenge. It will take a lot of adjustments and sacrifice of time to make things work.

My husband is a typical guy who is no fan of doing chores, especially cleaning up. I pick up after his mess like any other wife does.  I do remind him to from time to time, although it gets to a point where I throw my hands up in frustration, too. Men are generally slobs but it's not an excuse when you have a room mate who likes things in their proper places, if not tidy. So there, cleaning the house is obviously my job. One point for me!

Now let's go to cooking. I admit Ryan is a better cook than I am, but it doesn't mean that I don't cook, OR that I can't cook, which is so untrue. There are dishes that I can whip up, which he cannot copy, so if we're up for such dish, he leaves the kitchen to me. Most of the time, it's the husband who does the cooking (except cooking rice, which he doesn't fancy doing) but during weekends, I try to compensate by manning the kitchen. Now that's one point for the husband!

Washing the dishes is a task that we both do. Our rule in the house is that if he did the cooking, I do the dishwashing, and vice versa. Fair enough, right? So that's one point for each of us.

Emptying the hamper is my job. I segregate the clothes that need to be washed by batches. Folding clothes is also my task, although Ryan also helps me but only when I ask him to. Since I am particular with the way our clothes are pressed, I take care of that, as well. The wife - three points!

I'm still lucky because my husband is somehow domesticated, so even if I scored more than him, it doesn't mean that he's not helping me out on the household chores. he does so, but on varied levels, depending on what the situation calls for :) I noticed that he's the type who needs to be asked to do things.

Other than the job of upkeeping the flat, there's also car to maintain, which Ryan is totally in charge of. I leave the driving to him, and all other responsibilities that go with owning a car (car wash, check up, etc.) I think that evens out things between us.

So there you have it a little sneak peek of the 'chores chapter' in our married life. Gotta head back now to the kitchen before Ryan thinks I've forgotten about him.

Happy Saturday, and be safe everyone!

Fully Loaded

Whoever said that summer is the slowest time of the year at the office is quite mistaken! Since the month of June started, piles and piles of tasks kept coming in. Not that I’m complaining but I just find it bizarre that everyone’s chasing one another for deadlines and targets. Isn’t it the season for holiday breaks?

It’s a completely different scenario two years ago. Now, it’s totally chaotic! Dubai has indeed grown so fast paced over a short period of time. It’s like being in Manhattan but sunny (and dusty)-all-throughout-the-year style. I feel like my nerves have gone haywire already from juggling too many things. Sometimes I silently wish I could duplicate myself so that I could easily finish everything that are in my plate. Oh dear! *sigh!*

Have Visa, Will Travel

Despite the scorching heat of the sun, I endured a high noon trip to the Jordan Consulate a while ago to pick up our passports with the visa required for entry to Jordan. Ryan and I will be traveling next week for a 4-day stay at the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as a treat to celebrate our 30th birthday this summer. We’re both excited as we are keen on visiting the Dead Sea, and exploring Petra, which is designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

I just hope it’s not gonna be too hot as walking on Petra alone is going to be rough and tiring…unless I could get myself a good donkey to hop on.

30, Quirky And Thriving!

Cheers! Today is my 30th birthday. There, I’ve admitted the cold, hard fact. I couldn’t believe I'm actually turning this old already! In my heart, I feel like I'm still 12. Ok, that’s exaggerated…make that 16. Tee hee!!

To celebrate the 3 meaningful decades of my life, I’m going to share with you more about myself and walk you through my personal experiences and feelings about my past – from my childhood to adolescence to adulthood.

Time for a little stroll down memory lane...

Let’s start with the year 1978 – the year I was born. Martial Law prevailed that time so imagine my parents’ worries whenever I’d get convulsion attacks. My Dad had to beg soldiers then to let him walk in the streets after curfew just to fetch a doctor. Because I was a very sickly infant, the doctor told my parents I'd be lucky to live longer than 12 months. Of course he was proven wrong.

1980 – My first vivid memory of childhood. It was my cousin’s 2nd birthday party and I was a little over 2 then. I still remember how I had told him and his playmates to eat pancit bihon properly because they were making a mess.

1982 – The year I first went schooling. Call it bizarre but I still remember my nursery graduation day then. The gift I got was a set of colorful building blocks, which I totally disliked, and there are pictures to prove this! Hee hee!

1983 – Because we were was nanny-less, my Mom had to bring me to Dagupan, Pangasinan so my paternal grandma could look after me. I studied at Edna’s School for a year so I picked up the dialect. I could still speak & understand Pangalatoc, although now I admit I need some sharpening up.

1984 – We moved to our home in Novaliches, Quezon City. For me, that’s where my heart will always be. And why not when that’s where I actually spent most of my childhood, which I will never trade for anything else in the world?! Memories of being free to roam around the village, play in the streets, learn to ride a bike, climb over the gates, nurse wounds, bumps and bruises, share toys, books and food, and understand the fundamentals of friendship will always remain precious to me.

1985 – I tagged along with my parents on their second honeymoon in Hong Kong. My Mom & I travelled by ourselves to meet up with my Dad in HK airport. My Mom almost had a panic attack because she thought she lost me in the airport. I remember very well that as soon as I saw my Dad from the other side of the glass door, I scrammed swiftly when my Mom turned her back for a second at the security check. While she and the guards were looking for me, I was already safely carried by my Dad’s arms. Hmmm, naughty girl!

1986 – I discovered the joy of being onstage. No, not singing, silly! Dancing and joining speech contests. Remember I can’t carry a tune?

1989 – Joined a TV game show in Channel 13 called “Campus Break” with my classmate Jinkee during 5th Grade. We won against St. Mary’s College. It was my first TV appearance…LOL!!

1990 – I was so good in Math when I was in gradeschool especially during 6th Grade that I competed in interschool competitions. Now I wonder now where my love for Math go

1991 – Freshman year at UST High. I met new friends and actively participated in the Girl Scouting movement. It was also in July 26 of such year when I had my most memorable flood experience in UST. No kidding but I literally walked all the way from UST Dapitan Gate to Bagbag, Novaliches with my classmate, Len. I don't know how far is the distance in numbers but I do recall that it was a long way. It was the only time I've seen the cloverleaf interchange in Balintawak soaked in flood water.

1993 – The best high school year of my life (III - St. Cecilia). Barkada. Intrams. Cheerleading competition. Puppy love.

1995 – Graduated High School and enrolled as a Freshie at UP Los Banos. It was an entirely different world for me. I thought highschool life was fun but college life was waaayy better. Although I was raised as an independent child, when I went to UP, I felt the real sense of independence. It was a tad scary then because every decision I had to made had an impact on my future but at the same time, it was also exciting because I got to test my self-control. I earned new friends, fell in love with theatre, became part of the Freshman Bloc Assembly, and more.  I also had my second boyfriend during freshman year, which I regret to this day not because he was a total jerk but because the relationship ruined our friendship. It was through him that I met my husband, Ryan.

1997 – The husband & I were classmates in the afternoon Nasci II class. He and his room mate became my official dinner buddies during Friday evenings. After spending so much time together in between classes, my friendship with him blossomed into something more serious. In August of that year, we officially became a couple. It was one of the happiest years of my life!

1999 – Finished school and joined the work force. My first job was at Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance Brokers. By end of the year, I got poached to work for Union Bank’s insurance agency arm.

2000 – I was too old to have braces but had them on anyway because my chompers were just hideous then! Looking back, thank God I did!

2002 – Said bye-bye to my brackets. I learned how to drive shift stick :)

2003 – Started the year with a bad break-up with Ryan but thankfully, we got back together in the end.

2005 – Moved from Manila for Dubai for work. Joined the DIFC. Met bessie Beth. Got engaged (finally!) :D

2006 – Got married twice to the same man (civil wedding & church wedding). He later joined me in Dubai, where we started our journey as husband and wife. This is the most stressful year I’ve lived, both career-wise and wedding preps-wise. My weight see-sawed for like a half a dozen times, but thank goodness I was in good shape when I walked down the aisle! Despite the roller coaster ride I had during this year, I would still say, without batting an eyelash, that it is the most memorable period of my life.

2007 – A year of firsts for me: first promotion at the DIFC, first business travel, first car, and first Christmas away from home.

2008 – So far, everything’s been great. A few ups and downs here and there but managed to keep things at bay. Every pitfall is considered part of the ride; every challenge is faced head on. I find this year quite hopeful for me, and I do look forward towards its end because we will be going home for a month-long holiday this year. Seeing my family is the ultimate gift I could ever receive.

Now that I'm 30, I don't think much will ever change, actually. I'd probably just be adjusting the two-digit number I write on forms but other than that, things will be just the same. Anyway, you are only as old as feel, right? :)

*********

Father God, thank you for another year you have blessed me with. I cannot wish for anything more on this birthday as You already endowed me with so much. I celebrate this beautiful life You have given me, and I promise to live it to the fullest. My wholehearted gratitude for the many things you have bestowed upon me all these years. I embrace what is ahead of me because O have faith that You will always be there for me, and I know that you will never leave me...I've had 30 years of experience to prove that.

Dressy Gracie

Since it’s my birthday week, I got a go signal from the hubby to do some dress shopping. I decided it’s high time I wear dresses instead of the usual jeans/blouse ensemble I strut with during dress down Thursdays and weekends. Besides, summer’s already kicked in so donning a dress is just oh so comfortable!

With my current size, it took me quite a while to find decent pieces that could camouflage my weight gain.  Silly me for forgetting that there’s Promod where I could find all the girly pieces I like - with my size. LOL!

Here are some the dresses I picked, which I hope I could do justice to as they are very pretty (and chic) for my taste:

Oriental tunic dress

Macrame bib dress

Canvass Safari dress

I'm thinking of wearing one of these for my birthday this Friday. I'm leaning towards the bib dress as it is the comfiest one of all not to mention flattering on my ‘curves’, too :-P

Fitness Girl

I'm officially back in the gym!

Ever since we got back last year from our wedding, I’ve begun putting weight on, which I refused to acknowledge despite the difficulty fitting into clothes I used to wear (and love, for that matter). However, I didn’t see any motivation for me to work on losing the extra pounds I gained. Eating out and lazing around has been so tempting! Until one day, I woke up to a heavy feeling – I am big, I am pregnant-looking, and worst of all, I cannot find a decent dress from my wardrobe to fit me. It's depressing! :(

I admit I’ve procrastinated a lot going through the membership procedure. I promised myself I will do it after my US trip but then it took me a couple of weeks to actually register. I’m not going through this alone, of course. I asked the husband join, too. We thought it would be nice to come home to Manila this December looking fit and healthy, not heavy and chunky!

I’ve been seriously working out for 3 weeks already – 5 times a week. Cardio, Les Mills classes, circuit training – the works! I know I could do this because I’ve done this before, and I keep reminding myself of that. Before I left Manila, I had membership at Slimmer’s World for 6 months. I went to the gym religiously, sometimes twice a day even, and when there was an opportunity, I work out 6 times a week. I was a crazy gymaholic then! And now, I wanna gain back that motivation I had. I wanna feel light and energetic again.

Gotta shed off those extra pounds slowly but surely.  I'm trying to eat right these days, minimizing my carbs intake (especially rice), and I've started lessening my coffee intake, as well. No more 2 cups of cappuccino in the morning for me. Oh well, I’ll keep you posted if there’s any progress. I will be meeting with the fitness instructor next week so good luck to me!

Honey, I Shrunk...

...myself!! Look!

ouch, that hurts!

This is an art exhibition called "The Great Ants" at the DIFC by bronze sculptor, Susan P. Cochran. When we first received the invitation to the opening of this art gallery at work, I was like, "Is this for real? An ant colony gallery? In the centre?" But when I saw them a few days later, I realized they were not bad. In fact, they were cute...especially these ones:

It's quite interesting to have them around. I enjoy looking at them on my way to work in the morning, and sometimes, I even bid them goodbye in the evening on the way home. I was tempted many times to name them but decided not to thinking that might insult the artist :D
The gallery will wrap up this June, as far as I know. In a couple of weeks, these giant ants will be moving off to another location. Just thinking about it makes me miss them already :(

Just Graduated

…from the ‘Up Your Service!’ College!

For 2 consecutive days, I attended the Course 100: Achieving Superior Service program held at Sheikh Zayed’s newest hotel to boot, The Monarch. The training was supervised by our company’s ‘Up Your Service!’ internal certified course leaders but had video guidance from the college’s founder, Ron Kaufman. Ron is recognized as one of the world's leading educators and motivators on quality customer service, and is the author of the bestselling "UP Your Service!" books and newsletter.

The course was useful, fun and stimulating! Material is handy and easy to read, too. I’ve attended lots of customer service training in the past but this is by far the best I’ve ever been to. Now I couldn’t help but apply what I’ve learned not just in the office but also outside. I’ve been more critical of the kind of service I get from establishments and shops anywhere I go…especially those that charge me 10% service charge! Ha! *wink!*