More of Richard's Birthday Weekend

Okay, so the birthday gift can wait, but I had to make sure that Aly and I had something to give to Richard on Father's Day.
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We bought him cards and a little something from Kinokuniya.
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aA new book!
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But that's not all. We still had another surprise waiting. Heehee! I asked Yan to watch over her dad and make sure that he kept his eyes closed while I retrieved the surprise gift from my secret hiding place. Actually, the hiding place is not so secret, but my husband doesn't really snoop around the house (like I do!) so it's very easy to keep things from him. It can be right under his nose and he will never notice! It's that easy! Haha! Anyway, here's the other gift...
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Magaling talaga magbantay si Yan! See how Richard really kept his eyes closed? Heehee!
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aIt's...
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a...a new pair of shoes! Again! Hehe!
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aI got him a pair of Kenneth Cole shoes for work.
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aRichard must be in shoe heaven! Talagang umulan ng sapatos that weekend!
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Only the best for the #1 dad!

Richard's Birthday Weekend

Richard's birthday was on the same weekend as Father's day so it was a two-day-long celebration for my dear hubby -- er, make that a week-long celebration because the festivities started earlier pala when he went on a business trip to Manila on that same week. It all started with dinner at Kanin Club with mom, dad, my brothers and tita Lori; and dinner with mama, his brother Eric and his wife Tata at Dencio's.
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My family also prepared a small surprise for Richard when they brought him back to his hotel -- he received a load of gifts from mom, dad and my brothers :) He was so thrilled when he got them, he called me right away! But I actually knew about the surprise already because mom consulted me for gift ideas.
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Richard's loot from Manila. He didn't open them right away; he said he'll wait till he gets back so we can open them together. Isn't that sweet?
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aOpening gift #1.
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aA pair of Chucks from Mick.
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aPerfect fit!
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aGift #2.
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aSanuk from mom and dad.
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aGift #3.
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aHavaianas from Jof.
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aAnd a sweet note from my favorite 2nd brother :)
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To dad, mom, Mick and Jof, thank you for the gifts! Richard loved all of them and they fit perfectly :) He was really touched by the gesture and you made him very happy! We love you!
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I'm ashamed to say that as of today, Aly and I still do not have a birthday gift for Richard. Heehee! We've been hunting for possible gifts weeks before his birthday, and though we've already marked a few prospects, we still haven't found something that we think my husband will really like. Asking him what kind of gift he wants is useless because he won't cooperate much. He always tells us that we (Aly and I) are his greatest gifts and he doesn't need anything else. I still try to make him pilit but with no success. Hay...but I'm not giving up! Hopefully we'll find something at the tech fair that we're going to this weekend. A new netbook, perhaps?
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Since I didn't have any gift, I tried to make bawi by preparing a special lunch. I baked him a chocolate cake.
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aI know I said before that I won't make chocolate cake anymore because the frosting always comes out wrong. Well, I decided to give it another try...and it still came out palpak. Haha!
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aThe taste was ok, but the consistency of the frosting was not perfect so I had to take a photo before it started melting. Sayang, I used Royce chocolates pa naman.
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aI also prepared chicken with 40 cloves of garlic. Got the recipe from Yummy magazine :) I am also proud to say that I learned how to truss a chicken (thanks to Google and Expert Village Videos)! That's why the chicken still looked nice after roasting for more than an hour in the oven.
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aOfcourse, no birthday will be complete in the Valdez household without noodles (or in this case, pasta) for long life! Here, I prepared a spicy version of my Grilled Sausage Pomodoro Pasta.
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Merienda will be at Jianna's birthday party, but we also brought chocolate chip cookies and brownies, which I baked. Guests were asked to come in kiddie costume, but Richard and I didn't have any so we just decided to come in a group costume. Our inspiration: Aly's play clothes. Hehe!
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Valdez family in matching pink shirts, cut-offs and Chucks :)
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aWhen we returned, there was a cake waiting for us courtesy of Oakwood.
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aMake a wish, sweetie!
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aA kiss for the birthday boy :)
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What a nice ending to a great day! Happy birthday again sweetie! May you have more years and many more blessings to come. We love you!

Craving for Inihaw na Baboy

Gosh, I miss eating inihaw na baboy! Good old, salt and pepper seasoned, char-grilled inihaw na baboy dipped in suka with sili. Samahan mo pa ng sinigang na baboy! Hayyy...
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To satisfy my craving, I prepared inihaw na pork chop for lunch one time. Since bawal mag-ihaw sa apartment namin, I just grilled the pork chops in my oven. The pork chops here are huge! And they're thick too, not like our pork chops back home.
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Oven-grilled pork chops with stir-fried veggies.
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aSeasoned with salt and pepper.
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aTo be dipped in spicy suka.
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aStir-fried veggies with chicken breast.
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The verdict: Richard loved it! The pork chops were really big, we didn't eat rice anymore. But we both agree na iba pa rin yung inihaw sa uling. It has more flavor kasi. Next time I will try liempo and see if it's better but I will definitely ask ate Gelyn to include prepare this for us when we come home next month!

Aly's Preschool Graduation

The NSIS Pre-school graduation, which was held on 10 June 2009, was a simple ceremony which lasted about 30 minutes. It was not a big event; no elaborate set-up, no fancy clothes and other froufrou.
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aThe school seal.
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aThe K3 class getting last-minute instructions from their teachers.
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aA brief intro from James Murphy, pre-school coordinator.
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aThe K3 class.
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aOur Aly.
She's trying to hold back a smile because according to her, the teachers told them they have to be serious hence no smiling. Haha!
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aAly and Ms. Sharon
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aFinally, a smile from our girl.
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aHappy graduates.
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aGraduation song: I Have A Dream led by Manolia and Vincent.
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aDance number: Thriller by Michael Jackson.
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aLook at Aly! She's right in the middle!
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aEversince they started practicing for this number, Aly couldn't stop talking about Michael Jackson! He's her favorite singer daw. Haha!
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aRRRAAAWRR!!
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After the dance number, they changed back into their togas for more picture taking.
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aAly with Manolia and William.
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aAly and her girlfriends Isya, Lisa and Malinee.
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aI'll be in grade one soon!
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aWith the proud daddy.
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aAnd the proud mommy.
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After the graduation ceremonies, the K3 parents sat down with first grade homeroom teacher, Justin Brooks, for a brief orientation. Gradeschool is a totally different world from pre-school and it's not just the kids who will be going through these changes, but the parents as well (especially the mommies!). So we were given a Welcome to Grade 1 Guide as well as a few pointers on what to expect in the big kids school. For one, the uniforms will be different, classes start earlier (pre-school starts at 7:45am, while gradeschool students should be in their classroom by 7:30), they will also start having homework and exams. Another big change is they get to choose their own food for lunch compared to having their food served on a tray in pre-school. Note to self: gotta start practicing Yan on how to carry a tray so she won't spill her food in the lunchroom!
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Hay...our little girl is really growing up fast! She'll be in gradeschool na in a couple of months! There's no doubt about Aly's readiness and eagerness for big school. I think she's pretty much independent for her age, and she's very smart too. I'm sure she will do great in gradeschool! I can't wait to see our little girl in her new school uniform -- plaid skirt, white polo and blazer. Will keep you folks back home posted on Aly's new big school adventures!