Daddy's Birthday

Yesterday, 20 May, was daddy's birthday and he celebrated it Bangkok style. Well, I don't really know how they celebrate birthdays here in BKK but what did I mean when I said Bangkok style? It's a whole day of shopping ofcourse with a nice dinner and ice cream cake!

After breakfast, dad and mom went to the gym for a little exercise, while Yan and I waited at the playground. Dad always starts his day with a morning jog and before he came here, he was worried that he won't be getting any exercise for two weeks so he was happy to know that we have a gym at the fourth floor. I wasn't able to take their photo in the gym so I took their photo by the pool instead.

When we got back to our apartment, Yan surprised her lolo with a birthday gift!

It's a new cap!

After lunch, we headed to MBK for pasalubong shopping. Dad bought himself a new pair of Rayban shades at 30%, and mom got Emporio Armani shades at 50% off! They also bought shirts for my brothers (they liked the vintage shirts that I bought for them during my last trip so they asked mom and dad to buy them more). My sister Angel's one and only bilin was a psp so we also looked around for the best deal that we can get. Most of the stalls in MBK will give the same price for most of the items there (shirts, bags, belts, watches, psp, etc.) so you really need to haggle. Buti na lang expert dad ko tumawad. Not only did we get big discounts but we also got lots of freebies! Galing talaga ni dad! Hehe!

We went back to the apartment for dinner. We had Mom's super yummy adobo, and ice cream cake for dessert.

Yan, lolo Bernie and lola Aple are wearing matching Lacoste shirts.

Happy birthday, dad! We love you!

Our First Visitors are Here!

The original domestic goddess (kanino pa ba ako magmamana?) and my daddykins have arrived, but our reunion was not as dramatic as I thought it would be because we were late! Their plane landed earlier than we thought so poor mom and dad were waiting at the airport for two hours. Yikes! Sabi nga ni mommy hindi pa daw ako nagbabago kasi hanggang ngayon late pa rin ako palagi. Hehe! Nevertheless, we were all happy to see each other. They were probably relieved that we finally got there. Haha! But seriously, when I saw my dad's warm smile from across the crowd, I immediately dashed towards him. I'm just super happy to see them!

First, we went back to the apartment to unpack. Mom brought me pasalubong like magazines -- chismis and Kris Aquino's magazine -- so I can be updated. The only english mags available here in BKK are Instyle and Cosmo but they're expensive! THB300-500. That's like the amount I spend for magazines in a month in Manila! They also brought polvoron -- yum! Goldilocks never tasted so good! Gosh, I miss all the goodies back home. I was thinking last night that when we go back, the first thing that we will do is eat Filipino food like dinuguan, pancit palabok, sisig, kare kare! Mom also brought Yan's supply of cheezwhiz, and I made bilin Kraft cheese as well. Another expensive item here -- one small pack is like THB100, which is like half the price lang in Manila. My bestfriend Pat also sent me grocery bags from Rustan's -- thanks, Pat! I almost bought Baggu or Envirosax online but I was having second thoughts because they're a bit pricey (due to shipping cost!). Yeah, I'm trying to do my part in saving the environment by saying no to plastic!

After mom brought out their pasalubongs, it was our turn to bring out our gift for mom.

Belated Happy Mother's Day, Lola! I love you!

Now, Yan and lola Aple have matching pearl earrings.

After a quick snack (we ordered burger and sandwiches), we headed to Paragon Mall.

I told my brother Jof that dad bought a car here and he almost believed me! Then I sent this pic. Syempre hindi na sya naniwala. Hehe!

Only men can appreciate cars talaga. Nagpakuha rin si Richard ng pic.

And another car here.

Then we went to Paragon Department Store where mom and dad bought shirts at Lacoste.

Grabe, ilang oras pa lang sila dito nag shopping na agad! Kanino pa ba ako magmamana? Hehe!

We also went to the Gourmet Market to buy groceries. Mom will be cooking dinner for us -- yey!! Missed mom's cooking so I'm so excited!

After that, we had dinner at MK Gold.

Happy to have mom and dad here!

Watch out for more pictures of mom and dad's Bangkok vacation!

Surprise for the Domestic Goddess

My husband came home today with a post mother's day gift for me!

Oooh!

Let's see what's inside.

It's a new bag! Yey!! This is the bag that I was checking out when we were at the AX shop at the Emporium.

Richard never runs out of surprises for me. On Mother's Day, he treated me like a queen -- he prepared our breakfast, took me out to lunch at Central World after hearing mass and cooked dinner for me and Yan. He insisted that we go to the Emporium after eating but I felt tired already so we went home instead. So today, he left the office early and went straight to the Emporium to buy me a gift! Thanks, sweetie! Love the bag!

Surprise for Richard

To celebrate my husband's promotion, Yan and I decided to give him a surprise. So, after doing the laundry, we headed to Central Rama 3 to buy things that we need. Even with a sprained foot, the call of shopping is hard to resist! Besides, we have a good reason to shop today -- it's for Richard!

First, we need to get him a gift - something that he can use everyday when he goes to work. I've been wanting to give him a new wallet. I just can't make him part with his old one because he said it's his "lucky wallet". I'd tell him that his wallet might scare the luck away because it really needs to be replaced. Yan and I went to Lacoste because Pat's mom, tita Baby, told me that the Lacoste here is way, way cheaper than in Manila. It is cheaper, but I didn't like the styles available so we decided to go inside the department store and look for perfume instead.

Choosing a nice perfume is a lot harder than I thought! I'd ask Yan for her opinion, but she she likes all of them! Not much of a help there. Besides, Richard can be a bit picky when it comes to his perfume. Aside from his wrist watches and Lacoste shirts, he also collects perfume. Once when we were at the airport waiting for our flight back to Manila, we hung around the duty free shops. I gave him a couple of suggestions for perfumes but he bought a different one instead. So scrap the perfume idea.

Looks like we'll just have to stick to the Lacoste shop to be safe. Besides, I know his size so it shouldn't be so difficult. Yan and I finally decided on giving him a black belt. I remember he mentioned to me the other day that he needed a new one. Great! So we have something that he can use everyday, and it's something that he will like.

Next stop is the supermarket at the ground floor. I'm planning to make cream of potato and leek soup (Richard is a soup person) so I need to buy leeks and chicken broth. I also have pork tapa (I had to maximize the only condiments that I have at home -- soy sauce and vinegar!) that's marinating in the ref and ready to fry. So, tonight's menu will be, cream of potato and leek soup, pork tapa and steamed rice. Yum!

Of course, no celebration is complete without dessert. Yan and I bought ice cream cake at Dairy Queen. Apparently, Thais seem to have a thing for ice cream cake because they have it everywhere you go -- Baskin Robbins, Haagen Dazs. Magkakatabi pa ang mga ice cream shop dito.

Now that we have everything we need, it's time to head back home and wait.

Alyannah fell asleep while waiting so when it was time to give the gift to her dad, medyo may sumpong pa sya that's why she won't smile in the picture.

Thank you, Yan! (may sumpong pa rin)

The smile on his face says it all...

Time to bring out the ice cream cake!!

Looks good!

This ice cream cake is named "cool pizza". It was Yan who chose this one.

Ice cream cake monsters!

It really doesn't take much to please my husband. He's mababaw! Even a small surprise note written by Yan tucked inside his bag is enough to make him happy. But he deserves more than just a note. He works hard for our family, and he always makes sure that Yan and I get the best in everything. For that, he deserves only the best from me and Yan. We love you, sweetie!