My 33rd Birthday

For my birthday, I told Richard that I only wanted 2 things: a day of pampering at the spa and a new bag.  He offered to take us on a weekend getaway but my heart was already set on my birthday wishes.  An overnight stay at a pool villa by the beach didn't interest me.  All I wanted was a 90-minute massage and a mani-pedi.  I didn't want anything else.  Oh yes, and the bag, ofcourse :)

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It was a simple celebration -- no birthday banner, no decor...but the lack of birthday decor and ambiance was made up for by Richard and Aly's surprises.  And they really made sure that everything was perfect for my birthday.  They were waiting for me when I woke up and gave me birthday cards with the sweetest messages ever.  I was definitely treated like a queen!

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All dressed up for my birthday :)  Aly said we were wearing special clothes because it was a special day.  Heehee!

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Look at my big girl baby!  That skirt is actually a dress that she's never worn.  The top part was a bit tight on the chest so I made her wear a shirt and cinched it with a belt.

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I love that she's wearing black, which she doesn't normally wear but since it was a special day, she didn't object to it when I chose her outfit.

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The hubby doesn't need any guidance from me.  I always thought that he's a good dresser -- one of the things that I love about him :)

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One more photo from the waist up to hide all that we need to hide.  Heehee!

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On our way to Gaysorn to pick up my new baby a.k.a Richard + Aly's big birthday gift.

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It was a quick shopping trip because #1 my feet were starting to hurt -- haven't worn heels in a long time!  But that's ok because I had a "tired feet" spa treatment scheduled later in the day, which brings us to #2 the spa awaits!

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Dressed down for the spa.  

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I wanted to try out the other spas in Bangkok, but I still ended up with my suki, Green Leaf Spa, since it's just an elevator ride away.  I didn't want to waste precious time by getting stuck in traffic.

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I got a pedicure...

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...and a manicure with paraffin dip.  Special talaga dba!  But my hands needed that -- badly!  Overworked na kasi.

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Tried on metallic nail polish for a change...channeling Chanel's Graphite nail polish.   

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Flowers from Richard (top) and from our S.A Khun Waraporn (bottom).

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Birthday cake and card from Chatrium.

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Terno sa card!

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Birthday cupcakes from Cupcake Love.  We got ultimate chocolate (for Aly), red velvet, carrot and white chocolate macadamia.

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Aaaaannd my new baby :)

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Prada Tessuto Gaufre Nero

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It's #32 in the LA Times 50 Signature Bags list.  Oh, if I could have at least 5% of the bags on that list, I'd be one happy cow. :)  Sweetie, if you're reading this, please refer to the list for future gift ideas.  Heehee!

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It was a great birthday!  Thank you to friends and family who greeted me on Facebook.  Big hug to Richard and Aly for making my birthday extra special.

A Little Bit of Home Improvement

Lately I'm more into buying stuff for the house than for myself.  Dedma na muna ang Zara at Mango sale!  I seem to be more attracted to the home section than the women's section.  But fret not, I am still the same person that you've always known.  I will be back to clothes/shoe/make-up shopping soon.  Maybe starting tomorrow?  Haha!

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Anyway, I was finally able to hang our photos on the wall, just like in our old apartment.

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Trying to be methodical by using scratch paper, but in the end I just crossed my fingers and hoped that they are not tabinge.

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Guess it turned out ok.  Who knows, a few months from now I might just wake up and have the urge to rearrange them.  This will do for now.

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I have issues with kalat -- like with our remote controls.  I wish we can have just one, but we need all three: one for the tv, the popcorn player and the sound system.  I also hate having to look for something when you need to use it.  I want all three remote controls within easy reach when watching (tamad kasi!).  So I placed all of them in a tray to make them look a bit "organized".

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Before: nakapatong lang sa placemat.  Ang kawawa tignan!

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After: on a tray that I bought from Chatuchak.  Mas ok na tignan.

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I've always wanted to do something about our growing collection of perfumes -- actually, they're mostly Richard's.  I tried to get one of those trays from Muji, pero ayaw ni boss.  Magmumukha daw cheap yung dresser namin.  Good thing they fit in this black tray that we got from Central Chidlom.

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Buti na lang kasya.  Husband approved pa!

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While shopping at Central Chidlom, Richard and I spotted this:

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Resin horse.

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Richard got this for me to add to my growing collection -- ok, it's not really a collection just yet because so far I only have two.  Heehee!  Why horse?  Because I was born in the year of the horse.  Aly was asking how come we don't buy a pig (Richard's sign) or a sheep (Aly's).  Sabi ko, when they find a nice, decorative pig or sheep that's not pa-cutesy or cartoon-y, sige we'll buy.  Good luck na lang!

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All that's left for me to work on is this area:

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My "vanity" space.  Notice my train case?  This is where I do my make-up because this has the best natural light at home.  Or so I think.  

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Soon, my train case will have to make room for an accent chair, a ceramic stool or perhaps a wooden chest.  Any of the three, as long as I can put big, picture books on them.  I'm not in a hurry, though because I know it's going to take a while to find the perfect piece at the perfect price.  Hope the hubby is game for some furniture hunting.  Or better yet, I hope he's game for furniture funding!  Haha!

Random Stuff

I was organizing photos yesterday and I found these.  I don't really know how to put them all together in one post so I will just write the kwento as we go along.

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Aly's Last Hirit at Jollibee
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My dad and my brothers know the drill: Aly needs to get her Jollibee fix as soon as we land so we drive thru the nearest branch on our way home from the airport.  In our first week, she probably ate Jollibee every other day.  Now don't hate me for feeding my daughter fastfood because it wasn't always the case.  We also had our share of good, home-cooked food lovingly cooked by ate Gelyn :)

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Anyway, before we left, Aly had to have her last hurrah at Jollibee.

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My happy little bunny.

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One thing I love about NAIA3 are the restaurants -- they have Pancake House, Jollibee, Shakey's, Yellow Cab, Dimsum and Dumplings, and others that I don't really bother to check because I'm already happy with the first two.  So while Aly was having her Chickenjoy fix, I was enjoying a plate of bacon waffle from Pancake House (thank goodness for kind waiters who allowed us to eat Jollibee in their restaurant).  Which reminds me, I wish Jollibee would put more chairs and tables in their area because they have a severe lack of eating space being the most popular eatery on the entire floor.

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I had to stop myself from buying a bucket of Chickenjoy to bring home to Richard for fear that the entire plane might smell like chicken!  Note to self: buy those big Lock n' Lock containers next time :)

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Rainbow Nail Art and the Cutest Pair of Fitflops

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I knew that my little bunny wanted her own pair of Fitflops the moment we spotted those kiddie sized pairs at Central.  Richard and I promised to get her a pair in the Philippines because Fitflops are cheaper there.  The moment she slipped her feet on a pair, her eyes grew wide and she told me, "mommy, they feel good on my feet!"  And that was after purchasing our matching pink Havaianas.  Never mind the buttery-soft Brazilian rubber!  Fitflops daw are better.  I knew there was no turning back.

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Aly's all-pink Fitflops are soo cute!  I love her rainbow nail polish too!

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She had her rainbow nail art done at Nail-a-holic Spa in SM Dasma.  I gave it to her as a treat since I was getting a mani-pedi there anyway.  She loves it when we do spa/salon things together but this is the only thing that we're allowing for now (aside from haircuts).  The rest will have to wait until she gets older :)

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My Favorite Souvenir

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...is actually a gift from my cousin Kokoy.  I love it because it's handmade and because I know that it's from the heart.

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We use it for knick knacks (mostly Aly's) and I placed it beside the laptop so I see it everyday.  I like how it reminds me that I am loved.  I think I must be doing something good to get this kind of love back.  Thank you, Koy!

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A Little Bit of Arts and Crafts: Dressing Up Ref Magnets

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These ref magnets came free with the August issue of Martha Stewart Magazine.  It's mostly in Thai but I still buy it because it's a lot cheaper than the English version -- including local fashion magazines like Elle and InStyle  (Thb90 for Thai vs Thb400+ for English).  I just look at the photos.  Heehee!

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The ref magnets before...

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...and after.

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I tried to paint the frames with nail polish but it wasn't so great.  So I wrapped them with scraps of ribbon instead.  I think they look better and neater.  Heehee!

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Getting Ready for School

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I was preparing Aly's stuff for school when I felt a little nostalgic.

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Printed out labels and wrapped her notebooks in plastic.

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My big girl is now in Grade 3!!  Sigh...She's growing up too fast!  Literally (old teachers and friends told us that Aly grew taller) and figuratively (she is now taking a more active role in taking care of me and her daddy in her own little way).  I noticed that she was extra patient last weekend when we were looking for my birthday shoes.  She went through the racks with me and asked me what I was looking for.  I realized then that she really wanted to help me find the perfect pair.  We weren't successful, though, but I enjoyed the hunt.

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So there you have it: bits and bobs of the past few weeks in photos.  Thanks for dropping by.  Till the next post :)

Back to Normal

Hello!  I'm back :)  Aly started school today (sniff!) and I miss her already.  Anyway, now that my little bunny's back in school, that only means two things:  #1 vacation is officially over not just for Aly, but for me as well.  Now I have to take my household chores more seriously.  I've been feeling a little guilty about feeding my family with takeout and food delivery because I was too lazy to cook in the past couple of days.  I will try my best to be a more responsible housewife.  Heehee!  In fact, the washing machine is rounding up its rinse cycle as I type.  (Pats self on the back)

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#2 I also have the computer all to myself (on weekdays at least), which means I will be a more responsible blogger from now on.  Heehee!  But more on that later.  Meanwhile, here are snippets of our month-long holiday:

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Aly's playdate with her cousin Eli.

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Coron

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Funtime with ate Gab and kuya Moe.

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Baby Eli's 10th month birthday.

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Dinner dates with my cousins.

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Movie, shopping and dinner date with my three kulits.

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Swimming date at Splendido.

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Spa date with my girlfriends.

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Discovered a new Italian place in Tagaytay with the sibs.

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Super fun weekend with the cousins in Laiya.

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More kwento and photos in the coming posts.  I have some cleaning up to do.  Oh yes, things are definitely back to normal here.  Whoopeedoo!

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Later...