Phantom of The Opera Date

Finally, 3 years after our first show experience at the Dubai Opera, my friends and I were able to watch yet another classic.  "The Phantom of The Opera" is in Dubai for a limited period, and we're so happy we were able to score seats on a whim!

Now if you know me, you'd realize by now that I have a soft spot for theatre.  While I did not major in theatre back in college, I earned a few units in my theatre classes and loved every minute of it.  So any excuse to watch a show is always exciting especially when you're in good company.

Dubai Opera as a venue never disappoints.  I am impressed with their acoustic design -- the sound is always crisp and pleasant to the ears.  The orchestra's beautiful music was given the justice it so deserved.  Hearing Andrew Lloyd Weber's famous "The Music of the Night”, “All I Ask of You”, “Think of Me”, and“The Phantom of the Opera” sung ever so perfectly is just incredible!

We got in right on time and were able to settle in 5 minutes before the show started.  The Act I was stupendous! I had goosebumps all over just hearing Christine sing.  Claire Lyon was perfect for the role! 

During the 20-minute intermission, we helped ourselves with a glass of Möet & Chandon because sipping bubbly and opera do go together, don't you think?  The phantom would approve! :)

Act II was even better, and I think the entire cast really gave their all until the show concluded.  The lights, the sounds, the stage design, the actors, the orchestra -- they were all incredible!  I just had to give them a standing ovation for their remarkable performance!  

You still have until 9th November to catch The Phantom of The Opera.  Tickets start at AED 350, and are available from Dubai Opera, Virgin Megastore & Platinumlist.

Lexie's Lowkey Birthday Celebration

Celebrating your birthday on a school day is fun!  You get greeted by the entire class, and your closest friends will be able to wish you a happy birthday.  But the downside of it is that you can't really do much on a week day.  By the time you clock out from class, more than half the day is already gone!  This is exactly how Lexie celebrated her 6th birthday yesterday.  Poor thing was left with no choice but to just make do with a simple celebration at Sugar Factory in Dubai Festival City.

I know Lexie was looking forward to a fun afternoon spent with the family so we chose the most whimsical restaurant we could think of that is closest to our home.

Lexie has always been fascinated with Paris ever since she stepped foot in the city of lights last summer.  When we got seated to our booth in the restaurant, the first thing the birthday girl noticed was the drawing of the Opera Palais Garnier Stage which was the last thing she's seen before leaving for CDG airport.  She even highlighted how lovely the boxes are in the balconies -- the very same ones she had physically been to when we were admiring the Opera's theatre area.  The restaurant's vibe is that of an American Brasserie with Parisian elements.  The art deco styling is love!

We ordered a plate each of Spaghetti Mix Seafood Newberg and Prawn Penne Louisianna Style 74, a Meat Factory Pizza and The Signature Sugar Factory Burger and added a goblet of Berry Bliss which we loved!  It looked like a magic potion with a dash of bright color and sweetness, and surprisingly, it was really good!

I also made sure Lexie got served a nice dessert so I picked out The Brownie, a gooey fudge brownie sandwich with vanilla ice cream in the middle and topped with candied walnuts drizzled with hot fudge sauce.  The Sugar Factory Team were so sweet they delivered it to our table with a fancy sparkler and birthday message on the plate.  

After our meal, the wonderful birthday doll asked where we'd go to next for more celebration.  When we said we'll head home after our early dinner, she replied with a "that's it??!!!" that made me and hubby feel guilty so we promised we'd take her to Legoland and Motiongate over the weekend.  

We capped the day off with a special birthday cake ceremony at home.  Dear daughter requested for a homemade chocolate cake and I happily obliged.  She was so happy she actually planted a big kiss on my cheek and thanked me for making her a cake she super loved!  My heart just melted.  

Avery's 3rd Birthday

I  can't believe our youngest child turned 3 this week!  Where has time gone?  It's as if we just blinked and poof, he's now a year older.  Our baby is surely growing so fast.  I honestly can't keep up!

To celebrate Avery's milestone, I baked two dozens of his favorite banana muffins and placed some animal toppers to decorate it with.  My trusty cupcake tower which I got from Manila was pretty useful for the occasion.  So colorful and celebratory!

We also waited for Avery to turn 3 so we can get our family our own Dubai Parks & Resorts Annual Pass.  We are super thrilled that we finally have our own passes to access all the parks -- Legoland, Legoland Water Park, Motiongate & Bollywood.  For their promotional price of AED 525/person, I really think that is quite a steal!  And we are super happy we now have a place to take the kids when they're bored!  Wee!!!

We collected our annual passes at Legoland so each one of us got to keep a cute Lego ID card with an iconic lanyard to boot.  Thankfully, I had the sense to get our online-bought annual passes activated in Legoland Guest Services!  We activated our cards at the Legoland Water Park which was where we really wanted to spend the day.  Our birthday boy even got a birthday sticker the moment we passed through the turnstyle gate.  So sweet!    

We all then got changed to our swimwear, slathered on sunscreen, rented a large locker & scrammed to get to the water.  The kids were so excited, I tell you!  

The most fun part for Avery was the Build A Boat section where he squealed and giggled building his boat and testing it in the water.  He had loads of fun watching his boat move!  

Lunch was at the Bricks Bites for some pizza, chicken nuggets and potato wedges.  It was all a blur as the older kids couldn't wait to head back to the water so quickly.  

By 5:00 pm, we called it a day.  We took a few snaps of our birthday boy before finally making an exit.  

What a great way to celebrate the birthday of a little boy we love ever so dearly!  The family had a fantastic time, and we will definitely come back. 

Travel Diary: Tbilisi, Georgia

2014 was the year of the horse, and I claimed it as my year as soon as it started.  I knew in my heart many wonderful things were in store for me, and it didn’t disappoint.  I have received so many blessing last year that I could only but dream of.  God has been so very generous to me and my family, and I cannot be happier.

After waiting for many years of getting back on the road again, finally, I was able to make good trips in 2014.  The first one was a trip with my BFF to Tbilisi in Georgia which kick-started my travels for the year.  And you might say “Tbilisi what?!?!!”  I know, I know, it sounds like a place in the middle of nowhere but believe me, it is a lovely capital of a country that sits nicely in the Caucasus region of Eurasia.  Georgia used to be part of Russia until they decided to break away (several times!) and gained independence in 1991.  Their history is colorful you should hear it from the words of their locals.

This trip was actually a super belated birthday present from my bestie for my 35^th birthday last year.  We just never got around to planning it because of work schedule but finally, we were able to push through with the plans last summer.  My ultimatum was we had to make the trip before I turn 36, and so we set the dates in stone – first week of June.  Yes, the nerve of me to make demands, haha!!  Dear husband was okay for me to travel without him because really, who says no to a free trip?!?!!  Bestie booked the air tickets and hotel while I chose which tours to take.  Our stay was for 4 days, and it was really glorious!

We flew via Fly Dubai, the budget sister airline of Emirates and checked in at Terminal 2.  Our flight was after midnight and was just about 3.5 hours long.  The plane wasn’t full so we were able to sleep and stretch our legs with the free rows towards the back part of the plane. We landed at about 5:00 am, and bought our visas upon arrival.  Passing through the immigration was a breeze and only took us less than 10 minutes.  Although the airport transfer we booked didn’t arrive, we managed to get to our hotel by hailing a cab.  We had to bargain with the cab driver though because the initial price they quoted us was ridiculously expensive.  Good thing we knew about the tariff so we avoided getting ripped off.

We got to Hotel Elesa just before 6:00 am but since our room wasn’t available yet, we decided to leave our luggage first and get ourselves some breakfast to kill time.  Luckily, our hotel is right smack in the middle of the old town so everything was reachable by foot.  We took advantage of the quiet roads to take photos and explore the nearby orthodox churches that presented a lot of Byzantine and neo-classical influences.

Our hotel is a small, bed and breakfast type of family-owned accommodation.  Apart from location, the service is just impeccable.  We booked the standard room with balcony that has a view of the Kura River and Cathedral of Saint George.  Every night, Beth and I would sit in the balcony and drink Georgian wine to wind down.  Breakfast was served in the attic which has a homey kitchen. The old lady of the house made sure we were full before we leave for our day's adventure.

our quaint hotel is right behind a monastery

Day 1 was spent checking out the Old Town and the Rustaveli Boulevard.  It is amazing how Tbilisi is accepting of religious diversity.  Proof of that is the existence of a mosque, a synagogue, an Armenian Orthodox and Georgian Orthodox Churches within 500 meters from each other.

beautiful morning in Tbilisi's Old Town

the 4th century fortress, Narikala just behind our hotel

lovely view of the Old Town

Sameba Cathedral (Holy Trinity Cathedral) on a peaceful Sunday morning

BFF with the cable car station in the background

Bridge of Peace, a pedestrian bridge that crosses the Kura River

Norashen Holy Mother of God Church built in the 15th century

The Great Synagogue

we had our late lunch at Entree, just a few meters from our temporary home

Meanwhile, Day 2 was the most exciting part of the trip where we explored the Eastern side of Georgia and tried their local wine.  We also met a couple of locals who made their traditional bread.

Day 3 was a trip up the Northern Region.  The mountains were beautiful and serene.  I had a moment with nature and felt God talk to me.  Really, the place is that peaceful.

Day 4 was spent exploring more of the Old Town surrounding our hotel.  We also took the funicular to go up the Mtatsminda Park which overlooked the capital. We also went to see Kartvlis Deda up close and took the cable car.

So grateful for the chance to travel again, and hopefully, this is not the last for me and bestie.  

Avery's Birthing Story

I regret not writing about this sooner.  I could’ve done so during my maternity leave, but no.  Fail.  So much has happened since, and at that time, I couldn’t find the energy and will to do it not because it’s unimportant for me but simply because there was no extra time on my hands to compose a cohesive post.  I was a scatterbrain after the delivery of my third child. Three kids vs. me and my husband.  We officially got outnumbered!

But here I am, finally sitting down and writing about it.  While it has been a couple of years after his arrival, I do think this is the perfect time to reflect on the beautiful birth of our youngest who finally fulfilled our dream of a family of five -- an ode to an unexpected baggage in Europe that tuned out to be our lives’ most pleasant surprise. 

Unlike my two other deliveries, Avery’s birth is planned.  It was not a C-section but an induced delivery, and for the second time around, a natural birth was in the plan.  A couple of weeks before the D-Day, my OB had fixed the schedule for my delivery at Mediclinic City Hospital with him ringing the maternity ward himself.  It was set on 3^rd April, a Friday. 

My last day at work before I went for maternity leave was the 31^st March.  As soon as I was done with my handover, my mind shifted automatically to Mommy-mode.  I checked every bit of stuff I needed at the hospital for me, hubby and the baby.  I spent a good amount of time with the two older kids, too, and made sure they had a lot of cuddles and kisses from me as I know I would be away from them to spend a couple of nights at the very least in the hospital.  When Friday finally came, I was prepared and ready to welcome a new baby. 

Hubby and I left home at about 7:00 am to get to the City Hospital by around 7:15 am.  Dade & Lexie were left with their grandma to sit and wait for news about the arrival of their new baby brother.  I had a light meal while the midwife hooked the fetal monitor and IV and ensured that I was nice and comfy as I settled in for the delivery. 

A couple of hours later, Beth came to check on me and take photos of Avery’s arrival.  My OB was pretty much familiar with her as she was also there when I delivered Lexie.  

Everything progressed so fast.  Before 3:00 pm, Avery was out! It was the easiest and fuss-free delivery among the three.  And because it was so quick, my bestfriend missed it because she left for a while expecting that I would take longer like the others. So much for her bringing her camera & gear, haha!

Avery was such a beautiful baby.  So calm and peaceful.  Latched so quickly, didn't fuss a lot, and was just a cute bundle of joy that we couldn't stop admiring.  And even though he did develop jaundice like his big sister, Lexie, we didn't spend that long time in the hospital. Two days worth of photo therapy and he was cleared for discharge.  No dramas & definitely no tears for this tired Mom of three.  He made it so easy!

This last delivery, uneventful that it was -- thankfully, is something I would remember forever.  Avery coming into our lives completed my & Ryan's dream of a family of 5.  We cannot be happier!