Richard's Birthday!

Lunch at Orchard in Paradise Park

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I'm back sooner than I thought!  This day is too special, I can't let it pass without saying something :)

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It's my man's birthday today!  But unlike me, the hubby doesn't want to make a big deal out of his birthday.  I've been bugging him since April with what he wants for his birthday but he would always tell me he doesn't want anything.  I ought to be ashamed because I always start window shopping for my birthday gift at least a month before the big day.  And whatever the occasion may be, if he would ask me on the spot what gift I want, I can easily enumerate three or five things on my wishlist.  Haha!  Anyway...

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I got frustrated with this gift issue thing a couple of days back -- he doesn't want to tell me what he wants and I just can't let his birthday pass without giving him something! -- I almost ran off to Central Chidlom to buy him a new watch.  Good thing I received his text message before I left the house.  He finally gave me a wishlist but he wants for us to shop together.  Sige na nga :)

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So what's the moral of the story?  #1 I'm not ashamed for being more materialistic than the hubby.  That's how I roll and I'd like to believe that he has long accepted the fact that he married someone who loves to shop.  Hahaha!  #2 Don't ask the hubby anymore for a wishlist because he won't give you any (unless you twist his arm!).  So if you really want to buy him a present, get something that you can eventually borrow so it won't go to waste in case he loses interest later on.  Heehee!

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But seriously, one of the things that I love about him is that he always tells me that he doesn't need anything else because he has me and Aly.  I hate to admit it, but I didn't really buy it.  But now I do because it's ok for him not to have any gifts for his birthday/Father's day/Christmas, but when it comes to me and Aly, he will NEVER hesitate, no matter what the price (ok, maybe not something that will completely wipe out our bank account).  He's that kind of family man.  Aly and I are very lucky to have him.  We love you, sweetie!

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Lord, thank you for Richard's birthday.  I pray that he will have good health, more years and more blessings to come.

Richard's Work

My man, THE man :)

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Friends on Facebook are posting stuff about Thanksgiving today and I was inspired to make one for our blog because we have a lot to be thankful for -- on top of which is Richard's work.  If you've been following this blog, you'd notice my numerous posts about Aly, her antics and my cooking/shopping adventures...not a lot has been said about the hubby -- I know, my bad!  In reality, Richard prefers to just watch me and Aly from the sidelines.  He would always say that he's happy knowing that Aly and I are happy with whatever we're doing.  But it's time that he step into the limelight.  He is, after all, the reason why we're here in Bangkok.  

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Since we moved here to Bangkok, I have witnessed the many blessings and great opportunities that Richard had with his work: his promotion, the many business trips that he took (some of them were on an overnight basis only just so he could represent TMAP-EM in a meeting); the rare opportunity to shake hands with the grandson of Toyota's big, big, boss and #1 man, Mr. Toyoda; pats on the back and praises from the Japanese for a job well done...and just recently, another extension on his assignment here in Bangkok.  Most Intra-Company Transferees (ICT) like him are given two-year contracts and if I'm not mistaken, he's the first ICT to be given a four-year contract so I'm really proud of the hubby :)

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We are truly blessed and grateful for Richard's work.  He's gearing up for another big meeting which made him miss having dinner with me and Aly on several occasions, but I always tell him that we should be thankful for more work because more work means more opportunities for him to prove his worth to the company (not that he needs to, but that's coming from me, his #1 fan). His workload has significantly increased and he is now working longer hours but Richard rises to the occasion, always exceeding the expectations of the Japanese.  With his passion, drive and commitment to work, I know that he wouldn't have it any other way :)

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The other night, as he kissed me good night, I told him that I'm really proud of him and his work.  All these blessings and opportunities that have come our way, he deserves them.  I know he's going to make Toyota history someday :) -- his goal is to become the first non-Japanese president of Toyota Philippines.  His Japanese boss couldn't help but smile when said this during his interview for Bangkok.  He probably smiled because he was surprised with Richard's statement and his sheer guts.  Who knows?  It may happen.  As Richard would always say, "dream big!"

  

Richard's Day

Richard's birthday this year fell on the same day as Father's Day so last Sunday's celebration was a double whammy.  What made it even more special was for the first time in the two years that we've been living in Bangkok, we are celebrating his birthday with his family.  My in-laws flew in last week.

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Last Sunday, I prepared a simple Filipino-themed lunch.

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Spaghetti with meat sauce and rice.

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Lumpia and chicken pastel using my mom's recipes.

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Lechon a.k.a moo yang. 

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The birthday boy.

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With tita Tess, Mama Lila and Lani.  We're happy that you're all here to celebrate Richard's birthday with us!

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Richard opening Aly's gift.  It was a small Lexus :)

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No birthday will be complete without a cake!

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You gotta love this!

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Cheers!

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The birthday lunch was a success!  I'm proud to say that I prepared all the dishes myself and I am grateful for my in-laws who made my job a lot easier by helping me with the preps.

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Happy birthday, Sweetie!  We love you!

  

Richard's Wedding Proposal

Three years ago on this very day, Richard proposed to me over dinner at the Philippine Plaza (now Hotel Sofitel) poolside.
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This is the only photo that I have to remind me of that night.
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I still get kilig everytime I think about it :)
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Read all about the proposal kwento here.

My Happy Thought

This never fails to make me smile:

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Aly and Richard dancing to Michael Jackson.
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aTrying to do that famous anti-gravity lean from Smooth Criminal -- with the help of daddy, of course. (Pardon the blurry pics, my camera skills are getting rusty. Need to practice more!)
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aAly's got the moves!
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aBig hug from daddy.
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aShe can't stop dancing!
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Richard and I were pleasantly surprised at how good Aly was at dancing! Gayang-gaya nya talaga ang dance steps ni MJ. No surprise there, since she watches her MJ DVD's practically every single day.
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It was a fun night. It's my happy thought and it still works like magic :)

Single Parent for a Week

The hubby is away on a week-long business trip. Sigh...this is going to be one hell of a week for me. You see, Richard's usually in charge of weekday mornings. He gets up early, prepares breakfast, and wakes up Aly as well. He only wakes me up at the last minute when Aly's ready to take a bath. Mornings are going to be tough for sure.
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I'm proud of my husband and his work. I just hope he doesn't have to go on these business trips too often. I know this is all for the best. I also know that this it's not easy for him to leave me and Aly behind, but it's one part of his job that we all have to endure.
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When Richard told Aly during breakfast last Saturday that he will be going away, she cried. Poor Aly was looking at me in such away that it broke my heart. It was like she was telling me to do something about it; to not let her daddy leave. But I couldn't. I just told her that daddy will be back soon. I also had to explain to her why her daddy had to leave. I also told Aly that she should be proud of her dad; they're sending him on these trips because that means he's very important to the company.
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It wasn't easy having to comfort my little girl while trying to hold back my own tears. Eventually she got over it, or at least we thought she did, because that night she asked her dad: "when are you going to stop working?" I guess what she really meant by that was, "when are you going to stop going on these business trips?" Heehee!
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Anyway, as a treat for our little girl, Richard told me to take Aly out to the mall for lunch on Sunday so she won't feel so sad. So after hearing mass, we headed to Central World Mall. Her restaurant of choice was Pepper Lunch. "It's my favorite restaurant, mommy!"
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Aly and Mommy. She got the burger steak. She said it reminds her of her favorite Jollibee Burger Steak. Heehee!
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aI usually get the Hitokuchi cut steak, but I wanted to try something else naman so I got the Beef Pepper Rice. It was yummy!
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Ofcourse, it wasn't the same without Richard, but at least Aly got her smile back. I wish Friday would some sooner.

Richard's Magic

The best coffee in the world :)
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Richard makes my coffee every morning. I don't know how he does it, but his brew is the best! I make my afternoon cup myself (naturally, since dear hubby's at work!), but it doesn't taste the same. Hindi ko talaga makuha yung timpla nya. He won't tell me how he does it. All he'll say is it's made with lots of love :)
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Oh, well...I guess having my own in-house barista who does more than make my morning coffee (he gives me shopping money as well! Haha!) is not so bad. But seriously, thank you, sweetie for making me the best coffee every morning. I always look forward to it and it always sets my day right :)
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Now, that's what I call masarap magmahal. Heehee!

Jonas Pares and My First Time with Richard

Don't get the wrong idea; this is a wholesome kwento. Family blog ito so I will not post anything naughty or dirty.

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When Richard and I were running some errands in the city last Monday, he took me to one of his favorite restaurants. He used to go here with his barkada when he was in highschool.

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Jonas Pares somewhere in QC. Sorry, I don't remember the exact location, but it has to be somewhere near UST.
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aJonas Pares...
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...with almond gulaman. Sana sago't gulaman na lang.
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Richard's fave is the mami, we were super hungry when we arrived so we ordered pares. This was my first time to eat pares (aaahh, kaya pala ganun yung title!). Pares pala is beef stew with fried rice.
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The food was ok. Don't expect any food reviews here because I'm still a pares newbie :) Besides, I'm just happy that my husband shared something from his childhood with me.
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Btw, I used my old Motorola SLVR phone for the photos. It's old and seldom used but I'm proud to say that it beat Richard's newer and more high-tech Nokia phone in taking photos. His camera won't work and we couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. My Motorola saved the day. Just one click and voila! Photos for my blog.

Richard's Birthday Gift

At long last, our gift hunt is finally ovah! :)
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We went to the Comart X Gen fair this weekend and this is what we picked up.
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Lenovo Ideapad.
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aRichard chose gray.
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aA spanking new netbook for my dear hubby :)
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Sa wakas, we don't have to take turns in using our old laptop anymore. That means, Richard can play Mafia Wars longer and I can also drool over the massive designer bag collections at The Purse Forum with no interruptions. Oh yeah, and Aly too. Kaagaw na rin pala namin sya sa pag-gamit ng computer. Haha!

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aEnjoy your new toy, sweetie :)

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!