I’ve just returned from a wonderful bash held in The Bellevue Manila, Muntinlupa. It was the wedding of Sean Si and Apple Co last Saturday where “I will’s” were exchanged as declarations instead of the usual “I do’s.” Their marriage vows, Christian testimonies and love story touched me and made me almost cry big-time!

Sean and I belong to one college barkada, and Apple became our friend when she was introduced to us in December 2010 (see group photo below). My relationship with them grew as I joined SEO Hacker in the following year. They both are very down to earth, professional at work, and so I respect them deeply. We get together with friends to update about latest happenings in life especially career-wise. Of course, we were thrilled upon learning that they have decided to keep a covenant and follow Christ’s blueprint in marriage.

In several instances, I have attended similar ceremonies and have also participated as part of the entourage in my aunts’ and uncles’ weddings. But maybe because of the self-detachment that I do to release underlying emotions each time, I was never wired to get emotional at weddings. This time, it was different.

Thanks to G and her driver, we arrived at The Bellevue Manila in Muntinlupa early and saw Apple walking down the stairs. We said hi and were happy to see the bride wave at us back. Soon, our other friends found us and we headed to the wedding ceremony proper. In the function room, the backdrop was dashing. The flowers in the aisle provided a cool, romantic and modern vibe. 

The couple looked absolutely radiant and incredibly happy. The groom shone in white suit and the bride was breathtaking as ever in her gown. The bridal bouquet consisted of orange and yellow flowers in bloom. Members of the beautiful set were all so elegantly dressed in apple green and orange.

A few minutes later, the ceremony began. I thought it was going to be boring like usual weddings whereby guests have to wait a while before the pastor finally announces the couple as man and wife. It turned out to be livelier and more moving than I expected.

Pastor Dennis Sy, Senior Pastor of Victory Greenhills, was present to give an inspirational preaching about marriage. And when it was the groom’s and the bride’s turns to share their messages with parents and their stories on how they became Christians, I saw many people in tears. Theirs were the greatest words I’ve heard at a wedding. Needless to say, their union was an emotional moment for everyone there.

The reception was held about one and a half hours after. I was seated with friends near the stage where the band played and where significant people in the couple’s lives also went up to tell stories and read their messages. All were true to heart and we were touched once again. The wedding couple also performed with no holds barred. They sang the Tangled theme song “I See the Light,” and the sense of energy in the entire room was almost tangible.

Come dinnertime, Chinese lauriat food were served to our table. I didn’t bring my DSLR that day because I believe the professional photographers’ “pro shots” were enough to cover the details of the wedding including food. I also didn’t intend to review the dishes but can’t accept not taking photos of them at least for my own documentation.

It was funny that my friends turned the lazy Susan in their own accord to face the food to me. I guess they really know me well. Tralalala… 😛 The menu was superb! We had: Assorted Cold Cuts, Roasted Peking Duck, Braised Shark’s Fin Soup with Shredded Meat, Hot Prawn Salad, Cha Misua, Braised Sea Cucumber with Chinese Mushroom and Abalone, Fried Rice with Salted Fish, Steamed Lapu-lapu with Soya Sauce, Two Variety Chicken Kung Po and Stuffed, Masachi Roll and Chilled Mango Sago.

I felt honored to have witnessed the Si-Co Wedding. Running separate lives and in different backgrounds, Sean and Apple met each other by serendipity. It took them signs to discover it—but we’re so glad they did. And like in a fairy tale, we hope they stay happily ever after. ♥

Our reservation at Gumbo for dinner was only 30 minutes away, after work hours. Desperate to catch it on the quickest time, I walked briskly (almost ran) until I reached my first stop: Chocolat, SM Mall of Asia, where I bought a red velvet cake for my parents’ wedding anniversary. The night, after all, was all about celebrating this wonderful occasion.

My parents hit their 26th this year. *Big congrats!* It’s our first time to dine in at this branch of Gumbo (read review of Gumbo at Robinsons Place, Manila). Funny it’s located exactly beside Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant, where we celebrated our parents’ silver anniversary last year. We were led to our seats and before we knew it, the food arrived.

Celebrating Our Parents’ 26th Wedding Anniversary at Gumbo (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City)

It’s already more than a decade when Gumbo opened its first branch in the Philippines, but it already feels like longer. Featuring New Orleans cuisine, this restaurant is considered as iconic an institution as any of the high-low, smart-fusion, upscale-casual restaurant archetypes that have redefined how we eat. Its menu reflects a melting pot of different cultures. A decade later, the crowds are still here. Gumbo branches are all spacious and thus serve as great venues for celebrations and parties.

For the food, we opted with the tried-and-true classic, Gumbo’s Spaghetti Puttanesca (PHp 375, Petite; PHp 575, Grande). It consisted of spahetti pasta, tossed in pomodoro sauce with fresh basil, capers, balck olives, artichoke and anchovies. With flavorful and aromatic sauce, this version of spaghetti is a comfort food favorite that’s rich and satisfying. The best thing about it? It’s free from meat and is completely vegetarian! At least for our family, it’s a timeless dish that’s ideal for any day’s supper.

Like Burgoo American Bar and Restaurant, which is also owned by Specialty Restaurant, Inc., Gumbo gives customers the liberty to choose up to four pizza flavors on the menu and make them into an order of one pizza. We had the following:

• Jumpin’ Shrimps – all fresh-shrimp pizza with pomodoro and mozzarella
• Quattro Formaggio – mozzarella, parmesan, cheddar and bleu cheese
• Pomodoro and Cheese – pomodoro sauce topped with mozzarella cheese
• All-Meat – a hearty combination of pepperoni, Italian sausage, grilled chicken cube and andouille sausage

Gumbo’s pizzas are so good that I’d want to eat a slice every day, but then my diet would be doomed.

Lastly, this wedding anniversary celebration wouldn’t be a feast without us ordering the Family Feast (PHp 795, Petite; PHp 1395, Grande) plated with the best of everything. It had the combination of honey-grilled chicken, Bourbon-style barbecue ribs, batter coated cream dory and shrimp kebabs and grilled skewered veggies (zucchini and mushrooms). We generally agreed that each viand was a pleaser. The balance between the seasoning, sauce and smoke of the seafood, meat and veggies had captured the subtle complexity of what we regard as good food.

After eating, our attending waiter quietly offered to serenade us with a song and at the same time serve the cake. I said okay and they waited for my signal. Shortly, all of Gumbo’s staff (yes, including the chefs and kitchen assistants) arranged themselves in a horizontal line and sang “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” in front of our table. It was such a joyous moment that we wholeheartedly appreciated.

My sister gave my parents a handmade heart-shaped letter and personalized couple mugs with prints of their name and faces. These things are not anything monumental or life-changing but enough to make my parents that know and feel they are loved and cared for. We then exchanged sweet nothings, enjoyed wearing Gumbo’s hats and took pictures with their lovely background and cozy ambiance for the rest of the night. 🙂

Every year since I was in secondary school, I make a self contemplation about marriage. Looking at how my parents live life together, I learned that seriously loving someone is not much about having butterflies in the stomach or having extravagant gifts to exchange every day. Rather, being together is more about the day-to-day co-existence. It’s more about living simply—smiling when a message is received from the partner, laughing at inside jokes, cooking meals, serving food, watching shows, telling stories and setting directions.

When one is sad about life, unmotivated to wake up in the morning or when one is ready to give up on everything, the other should give purpose and excitement over again. I told myself I should remember all these. I must take pictures and write about them, so I’m reminded how great my parents are with everything that goes on around them.

Happy 26th Wedding Anniversary, Mommy and Daddy. We love you, always. ♥

Last two weekends ago, I took my family to SM Aura. After window-shopping, we headed out to Silk Road Thai Bistro (Bonifacio Global City) for dinner in advanced celebration of my sister’s 21st birthday.

At her age and with her limited interests, I wasn’t sure what to give as a gift. The safest present must be FOOD and bonding time, so I treated them to dinner in a place I consider one of the best now in the metro. For the material thing that shouldn’t be missed, I got her a pair of shoes and you’ll know more about the story below. 😉

Treat to My Sister’s 21st Birthday – Dinner at Silk Road Thai Bistro

Gosh, I didn’t want to turn this post into another food review, but the thought of sharing my descriptions of the taste and presentation of the food just can’t stop the food blogger in me. So this is to share how we found Silk Road’s offering for the night, briefly:

I didn’t make any reservation but we were lucky to find free seats at once. The restaurant staff still recognized me as one of the bloggers who dined in there last time. The manager was extra helpful still in giving us recommendations of food from the menu. We occupied a smaller table and later transferred to a more spacious set as the previous customers left.

While waiting for our orders, we watched the crowd ebb and flow in the room and took pictures with the enchanting backdrop. I’m glad my family liked the place as much as I do. Silk Road Thai Bistro is where beautiful people spend money to nibble and drink. 😛

We started with Tom Khai Gai (PHp 300) which consisted of chicken, coco milk and galangal soup. The taste was something that resembled laksa—sour, a little spicy but really good. As an appetizer, it deserved a gold star.

The next dish—Black Pepper Soft Shell Crab (PHp 395)—was something I wanted to try for the longest time. The caramelized soft shelled crabs were cooked with tomatoes, onions and spring onions. Every part of the crab was edible so you don’t have to worry about chewing and swallowing everything into your mouth. Layer upon layer of delicate seafood it’s a winner, even though a teeny tiny bit of extra chili in the mixture might have made it even better. Maybe a sip of wine will make all ails go away—and have you coming back for more! 😀

To complement the strong taste of the crabs, the Silk Road Signature Rice (PHp 330) made with mixed vegetables, lemongrass, egg, pork crispies and Thai chorizo came fittingly through the table. The ingredients did not stand out though, so it was like eating plain white rice. Anyway, the rice was fragrant and I have no other complains.

For Daddy, we skimmed through the Vegetarian section of the menu tons of times until the restaurant manager told us those viands still contained a bit of meat and eggs. He suggested the Tofu Wrap Vegetarian (PHp 320) which originally was “Siam Chicken Wrap” on the menu. The kitchen staff amended the star of the recipe from “chicken” to “tofu.” And the result? A reasonably tasty, reasonably healthy, and reasonably priced alternative.

Lastly, we had the Chiang Mai Khao Soi (PHp 305), a pride of North Thailand. We didn’t realize that it was another soup. Although made with different ingredients (chicken curry with two types of egg noodles) as compared with the Tom Kha Gai above, we thought they were very much alike so we should not have ordered it. Oh well, at least now we know.

It can be overwhelming walking into Silk Road Thai Bistro again, staring at the bevy of yummy options on a spread of their menu, and finally ordering. Any self-contained dish seemed palatable and okay in my book. 😛 Everything was well worth the money for the effort of this restaurant and it’s virtually impossible not to leave full and happy.

Other Gift: Celine Shoes

When we were back at home, my sister opened her presents—shoes (from me), shoes (from my mom) and shoes (from my dad)! And they’re all of the same brand: CLN. 😀 (The shoes are meant to be shared as my mom, sister and me happen to have the same size.)

A Sole-ful Birthday: Why Shoes for Someone Who Turned 21?

Obviously I’m not following our Cantonese feng shui when I bought the shoes from Celine. FYI, shoes in Cantonese is “hai” which sounds like a sigh. Some people depict giving of shoes for a birthday as giving sorrow in life and expecting the recipient to have a great deal of bad luck or “sha chi.” In other Chinese belief, giving shoes means breaking up or ending friendship. 😯 Aiyoo, I don’t care about these and I had to stop thinking about the meanings because my intention was way different.

Since she’ll be working as a corporate trainee next term (hopefully after passing her thesis at the end of December 2013), I figured one of the best things is to introduce items from the corporate wardrobe. We got her platform heeled shoes to make her feel comfortable; the colors (black and brown) are versatile enough to be paired with any clothing.

The good thing about these shoes is that they’re not classified as “designer shoes” that probably won’t last longer than a season. At the same time, they’re not made from cheap materials that could leave our feet blistery and sweaty. CLN shoes are the perfect compromise.

Best of all, the price is just right. At PHp 800-1500 per pair, we know we got solid, well-made kicks that will last well for the next two to three years or until we get tired of wearing the same design. Our shoes at home do not have a “shelf life,” but if we do decide to ditch them, we won’t feel like wasting a fortune.

Wrap Up

For most people, turning 21 is an ultimate birthday, a commitment that is taken seriously. Why? It’s a coming-of-age milestone that marks that a person is now “all grown up.” But no, it’s not going to be the best and biggest birthday of one’s life—because every birthday could be celebrated in whatever grand way you choose.

We celebrated my sister’s birthday with a rather simple but happy family dinner and loaded her with shoes that fit appropriately to the career life that optimistically would be meaningful and productive. 🙂

It’s odd how every year seems to go faster as you get older. Here I am, almost a year later feeling blind-sighted by the entire 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8765 hours, 525,600 minutes and 31,556 seconds that made up this year. Amazing how a day becomes only a blip in our lives!

So I just turned 24. I can’t believe it. When I was in my early teenage years, I thought 24 were far too old to be having fun in life. But now I feel like it’s just the beginning of my enjoyment. I get to travel, pig out and experience the world – without worrying about school assignments and deadlines left behind.

More Blessings, More Joy

I remember last year when I defined “greetings by colleagues” a bonus. It was my eighth day at my new workplace, and I had lunch alone on my birthday. Oh, scratch that. The truth is, I shared a table with people I don’t know and pretended I was with them so I won’t feel much alone, in our wide-spaced office cafeteria. I quickly finished my food, held hands and prayed. I knew that moment that loneliness would not creep in any longer because in any moment I try to escape sadness, I sing praise songs in my head – and I see Jesus. 😥

Lunch arrangement was the same this year; I was alone at my table. However this time just got better. My teammates surprised me with a birthday cake and a gift after high noon.

I realized more blessings come my way as I begin to open up to more circles and let other know what I can offer. I have the people whom I share laughter with and receive hugs and kisses for all nourishment. I have great jobs that pay the bills and get special invites to events while enjoying the perks of being a blogger. So despite that there are occasions where road blocks fall on the map of my dreams, I’m still pretty well-off with joy in my heart. 😀

Where I Celebrated My 24th Birthday

One of our favorite buffet restaurants in SM Mall of Asia is Buffet 101, and Mom thought it’s the best place to celebrate the occasion. This was my third time to eat here so I’m already quite familiar on how to go about eating almost everything I want without feeling too heavy and full easily.

My sister and I usually scout the buffet together and get food by section while considering healthy choices that won’t put guilt right on our chests. On a clean canvas of plate, what we get all the time are mini-tasting proportions of the expensive stuff. We don’t take even a small portion of rice, bread, pasta or potatoes and drink lots of liquids because these are guaranteed to take up valuable real estate in our stomach. We went home feeling so full. Obviously, we had a blast.

Moment for Gratitude

To everyone who’s been a part of my twenty four wonderful years, I cannot be thankful enough.

多謝晒. 非常感谢. Thank you so much. Maraming salamat! 😛

I look forward to making more memories, deeper friendships and meaningful existences with you.

And yes, it has been a very happy birthday today. 🙂

Also, since it’s the half of the year, I’m done with warm-ups! I’m more prepared to dig my claws into treats and adventures worth blogging for, especially now that I’m driving. Only one question: Which restaurant or travel destination would be in line for my next review and which reader is next to get inspired?

The dice in the board rolls.

The Dice in the Board’s Birthday Giveaway

To give away a token of appreciation, I’m glad to announce my first-ever giveaway here. 🙂 Prize is a PHp 3000-worth of gift certificate that’s good for four (4) people, for a lunch or dinner treat at Hacienda Isabella.

How to Join

1. Be a fan of iHeartSpills on Facebook
2. Follow me on Twitter: @rochkirstin
3. Tweet this giveaway by using the plug-in at the bottom of this post.
4. Add me to your circle on Google Plus
5. Comment below your name, email address, Twitter handle, link of your tweet and reason why you want to win (can be a simple short sentence).

Notes

1. This is open for Philippine residents only.
2. The giveaway raffle will run from today until July 4, 2013, 11:59PM so this gives you three weeks to stand a chance and win! 😀 The winner will be chosen via Random Picker and will be contacted via email on July 5, 2013 (the following day).
3. Failure to do any of the above requirements will be subjected to disqualification.
4. Failure to reply/acknowledge the notification email sent to the winner within 48 hours upon receipt of notice means forfeiture of the prize and Random Picker would be ran again.

Good luck to all! 😀

***
Updated July 5, 2013: Winner is Nicole de Dios! Congratulations to you! Hey Girl, I sent you an email. 😀 Please respond immediately!

My mom asks many times in a day why we love her so. My sister often jokes, “because you tell us ‘I love you’.” I try to give the same answer. Unfortunately, my mom says it’s invalid as it was already given. So I have to think of unique replies only to quit her questions.

I came up with a list of the top 100 reasons why I love my mother (and I better write this as if I’m speaking to her). As you read them, you can probably relate to some. Maybe pick one or a couple that struck you most and share your thoughts in the comment section below? (｡◕‿◕｡) Anyway, here goes…

 Top 100 Reasons Why I Love My Mom

1. I love you because you prepare breakfast for us every day. This may sound simple to readers of plain text, but this means so much more when done. Included here is the act of waking up early at 6AM without fail only to make sure that everything is ready before I leave for work.
2. I love you because you prepare lunch for us every day. Again, this may look like it’s easily done, but the thought is really what counts. Apart from cooking for breakfast, you have to think of creative recipes that are both eye-appealing and mouthwatering to serve for our meals. Thank you very much for this because then I can save my PHp 20 to buy lunch in our canteen.
3. I love you because you prepare food for my afternoon snack. I am blessed to be born to you. #FrugalityPays
4. I love you because you prepare dinner for us every day. After a long and tiring day’s work, I look forward to food. Know that I think of you as soon as I exit through our office building’s main door.
5. I love you because you always think of buying food for us whenever you’re in a grocery store and you endure to carry groceries even if they weigh more than 10 kilograms. For someone who stands 5″3′ and medium-built, that’s tough.
6. I love you because you slice fruits for our desserts.
7. I love you because you cook something up very quickly when we suddenly crave for food at night. You never allowed us to go hungry.
8. I love you because you research and watch YouTube videos of new food recipes to try and cook for us.
9. I love you because you are not getting tired to take calls and messages from my anonymous buyers who are also not getting tired to haggle and ask for more discounts and for information that’s already posted on my ads.
10. I love you because you tie my laces or fix the straps of the shoes or sandals I’m trying on in a store.
11. I love you because you subscribed to my RSS feeds and are updated to each of my blog post. That’s what I call support from a mother who’s an avid reader and fan of my writing.
12. I love you because you promote my blogs to our friends and relatives. Your words make me sound like I’m a big/celebrity blogger when I’m not.
13. I love you because you cry with me and empathize with my sad feelings thus making me feel understood. You always comfort me or give me a shoulder to cry on when I need it.
14. I love you because you buy me new variants of powdered milk tea and they’d magically appear in our kitchen cupboard.
15. I love you because you pay the fees charged by customs and post office on my behalf and claim items I bought online.
16. I love you because you spare a slice or two of pizzas for me when you order pizza for dinner and I was out somewhere during the day.
17. I love you because you have pictures of me in your wallet.
18. I love you because you still want me to be accompanied by wushu friends who can walk me home after training at night, and if they cannot, you would always fetch me from the place.
19. I love you because you came to my first running event at Rizal Stadium and cheered for our team. #StageMom
20. I love you because you speak praises of me in events and parties and introduce me in good faith to new people we meet.
21. I love you because you bring life and light to our home. Seriously without your lively voice, we would only hear dead air (and probably the beep from the aliens).
22. I love you because you always allow yourself to be pranked or made fun of.
23. I love you because you arrange family trips and in addition plan for our budget for all our convenience.
24. I love you because you follow my workout routines and enjoy the exercise even if this means looking weird especially when clad with your usual workout outfit. (Let’s keep the appearance of the outfit hush-hush.)
25. I love you because you spend painstaking efforts in bidding for items on eBay just to win the “best buys” for our family’s use. Add to this are the nerve-racking moments and feelings when you open multiple tabs loading the same page to monitor the status of the winning bidder by the second.
26. I love you because you follow my advice not to cut your hair because it’s long and nice as it is. This means respect and trust for my opinion.
27. I love you because you rode the car when I first drove it and experienced my driving style as a beginner.
28. I love you because you buy vouchers from online merchants to avail of items at a discounted price for us to try out different things we have not tried before when we could not afford them (e.g. food, services, products, and travel).
29. I love you because you took persistence in collecting Globe reward points for bill rebates and for us to get movie tickets for free.
30. I love you because you spent time finding me the car I want. This means walking in car selling centers through the long thoroughfares in QC and commuting to the BDO warehouse for foreclosed automobiles that was too hard to locate.
31. I love you because you bargained for the parking space for me.
32. I love you because you clean the toilet every time we get it messy.
33. I love you because you take effort in calculating the prices of shampoos, conditioners and liquid detergents versus the volume and choose the winning items to save money. #WiseBuyer
34. I love you because you entertain my curiosity when I ask how it’s wonderful that we can understand each other while speaking even when our eyes are closed, how it’s amazing that a baby is formed inside the mother’s womb, and who would have thought that we’ll grow and change appearances, like this for example: ◠‿◠ Ta-da!
35. I love you because you understand my randomness.
36. I love you because you wash my bedtime gal pals and keep them clean and nice-smelling.
37. I love you because you stick with Daddy through the rough times, help him be a sane person during those hard days, and never back down from a challenge.
38. I love you because you are not so much of a kiasu parent. You let me go and allow me to explore the world and learn about myself.
39. I love you because you taught me to be independent and autonomous, two traits I hold to dearly today.
40. I love you because you participate in role-playing with our dolls and imitate our little voices as well like kids under five years old just having fun.
41. I love you because you encourage me to strive to get what I want and make me believe that I can have everything I deserve in due time.
42. I love you because you have always come to support me in my hosting gigs, especially on the time when I was ill and still have to do the job.
43. I love you because I feel very much appreciated whenever you thank me for finishing tasks to write mails, translate documents and explain letters.
44. I love you because you have a great conviction that our incredible dreams and visions for our future will come true — one day. “We just have to help each other out,” is what’s instilled in my mind.
45. I love you because you choose clothes that you think will fit me. This means that you think of me when you go window-shopping. I deem you now as a slight expert when it comes to judging designs which match my unique preference in style.
46. I love you because you found a way to fix my broken epilator after going to several hubs and asking technicians what’s wrong with it.
47. I love you because you’re like BDO. You find ways. And you’re Nido, because you’re my number one. 😛
48. I love you because you process my papers and documents that are required for employment, for travel, for joining a corporation, for opening accounts for investments, for applying for credit cards, for registering my car and student driver’s permit, etc.
49. I love you because you help me think of gifts to buy for my friends and wrap the presents because I can’t do it myself.
50. I love you because you give me good advice, even when I don’t exactly think that it would work.
51. I love you because you heartily donate reliefs to the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation to help other people. This means collecting “trashes,” arranging them in neat piles and waiting for the foundation’s representative to arrive at our door every month.
52. I love you because you listen intently to my stories related to work and try to understand them no matter how complicated they are — and I hope this is not only to score high in the “graded” recitation that comes afterwards.
53. I love you because you are never too busy to make yourself available for me and push the other million things you have to do aside.
54. I love you because you pay for transportation fare when we’re out to adventures together.
55. I love you because you make us laugh when you tell jokes that originally come from the person who shared it first. If laughter is medicine for the soul, then we in the house must be a few of the healthiest living people.
56. I love you because you take my photo at least two to three times until you get it clear.
57. I love you because you massage my back longer than I massage your back in return.
58. I love you because you shave my eyebrows into good shape and insist to draw them before I go out.
59. I love you because you water my ashitaba plants every day.
60. I love you because you wait for me before you watch a movie or ask me first if I want to join you before starting on a new Koreanovela.
61. I love you because you put our shoes and slippers back in the shoe cabinet in order.
62. I love you because you kill the cockroaches that bother me in the bathroom and bedroom.
63. I love you because you drink the water and eat the food I can’t finish.
64. I love you because you can juggle everything you do at the same time and accomplish so much in a day.
65. I love you because you get medicine when we’re sick and take care of us until we’re well — even if this means taking away some sleep time for you.
66. I love you because you carry my things inside your “wonder zebra-print bag” which can fit almost anything.
67. I love you because you think differently about your potential in the world and act in shaping outcomes in our spheres of influence.
68. I love you because you have the heart that burgeons with inexpressible joy with every milestone we reach.
69. I love you because you listen to the things I dream of no matter how weird they sound like. I really appreciate that.
70. I love you because you are still tracking the scammer for me and hunting the person down with your incredible investigative skills.
71. I love you because you push me to wear makeup for special occasions when I don’t want to — and I only realize later that indeed, it was appropriate.
72. I love you because you know what’s best and what’s right — except in pronouncing some words such as “badminton” (patminton), “spinach” (spenaK), “fish” (fes), “change” (cheinz), “challenge” (challenz), and your favorite expression “buwisit” (boysit). Mistakes in pronunciation happen once in a while, but I admire you for correcting and changing lifestyles for the good as this matters more. You know how to live life. Thanks for seeing things now through optimistic lenses.
73. I love you because your tongue finds it hard to differentiate between “L” and “R” and you can’t successfully speak out “ruler roller rural” more than once at regular speed — and you just laugh about it. “Girl” becomes “gir.” Likewise, you think that there is no difference between ㄓ (zhi) and ㄔ (chi), ㄕ (shi) and ㄙ (si), ㄗ (zi) and ㄘ (ci) and ㄐ (ji) and ㄑ (qi). Wa liao! You are hilarious. It’s a good thing that I didn’t turn out that way. 😛
74. I love you because you queue up and save us free taste of food and drinks being offered in stores during promotions.
75. I love you because you instantaneously hate those we hate.
76. I love you because you would let me wear your new clothes, which I decline. Why? I know that being the first wearer of your own new clothes means so much to you, and I didn’t want to take that sentiment away because you rarely buy new clothes.
77. I love you because you are efficient in being a full-time mom, a full-time wife, a full-time employee, and a part-time runner/delivery girl for our business. If you ever want to stop working, you might want to consider being a standup comedienne as an alternative.
78. I love you because you can answer almost everything. This makes our house like a call center as people trust you with their problems and inquiries whether it be regarding real estate, loans, deposits, accounting, relationships, food recipes, housekeeping, raising a child, homework of primary to secondary school students, news and current affairs, etc. So who’s the real nerd? #NotMeThisTime
79. I love you because you daringly tried anything that we find exciting. We will be surfing and playing frisbee soon!
80. I love you because you are an epitome of dreams coming to life.
81. I love you because you are selfless, especially for your family. You are always thinking about other people and how you can help someone else out. You live how 1st Corinthians 13 tells us how: by showing selfless love.
82. I love you because you are fearless in confronting things and people head on. If something doesn’t work then you try to find a new way to make it happen right mostly by bringing out your tongue and speaking out  (e.g. complaints for intermittent Internet connection, errors in credit card transaction, wrong orders in a restaurant, etc.)
83. I love you because you can piggy back ride me until now and hug me till you carry my whole weight.
84. I love you because you always remind me to put on sunblock lotion and moisturizer before going out in the morning and before going to bed at night.
85. I love you because you have your agenda set for every day. You serve as a living example of how we should manage our everyday life living with drive and purpose.
86. I love you because you have raised us in a secure home. Yup, we don’t live in a mansion or in a luxurious home yet we always felt safe and at ease.
87. I love you because you have the ability to make us smile and/or laugh in simple ways. The most recent one was showing us your “witch teeth.” WAAA 😛
88. I love you because you wrap sushi, shrimps and cupcakes from a buffet restaurant while “no one is watching” to save them for another meal or to bring home for Daddy. That’s a thoughtful gesture, yes.
89. I love you because you are willing to exchange shoes, slippers or sandals when ours are broken while walking in the streets. The time when you wrapped your feet with plastic bag to move to the nearest mall and buy new shoes is really unforgettable. That’s major humiliation yet one you didn’t mind because you’re okay to take it than your child. May we never forget it. Amen.
90. I love you because you sweep the floor many times in a day for cleanliness. You know that my nose is allergic to dust.
91. I love you because you know me. More than anyone else in the world, you know me and you accept me just as I am; flaws and all.
92. I love you because you are “the hope that moves me to courage again.” Oh yeah. ♫
93. I love you because you are bold to share your weaknesses and humble enough to find and learn how you can be better and stronger.
94. I love you because you gave me something that cannot be bought and taken away: great memories.
95. I love you because you have been very instrumental in all of my successes as you gave me the right foundation for a good future.
96. I love you because you supported me in almost every BIG decision I made in life.
97. I love you because you fill in the missing gaps and make me more complete.
98. I love you because you are you, my mother. Thank you for being every bit of you that you are.
99. I love you because you are the best.
100. I love you because you first loved me.

Happy Mother’s Day! I love you. ❤

For as long as I can remember, I have always been searching for “the one.” I guess I’m not the only one who take inspiration from romance novels, Disney fairy tales and Hollywood chick flicks, putting images of white knights in the head and prince charmings that do not realistically exist. Alas, the hopeless romantic that I am keep her eyes peeled in case one magically walked through a magic mirror into this world…

until I met this intimidating classroom seatmate six years ago. His name is Louie, my boyfriend for four years now.

We celebrated our fourth-year anniversary last May 1 (Labor Day) in Greenhills Shopping Center. He can never be without food to feed the “little dinosaurs and cobras” in his stomach, so our first stop had to be a restaurant. He had snacks at Mexicali and we went window-shopping while waiting for the movie to start later that evening.

Watched Trance (2013)

All of Greenhills Promenade cinemas were showing Iron Man 3, except for two others which opened for Identity Theft and Trance. Since there was not much of a choice, we watched Trance without even knowing what the plot was about. I just read some Facebook status messages of friends saying that it’s like Inception, a psychological thriller/action movie. Surprisingly, we both liked the story. 🙂

Dinner at Chili’s Greenhills Connecticut

There’s aplenty of sumptuous dishes offered at Chili’s, but they are mostly and largely for meat lovers. Where’s the beef? It’s rightfully here, baby — stark opposite of my preference.

On past occasions, I have tried their pasta and fish and chips. This time though I wanted to eat something quite out of the ordinary. Only one called my attention: Southwestern Eggrolls.

This crispy flour tortilla was filled with smoked chicken, black beans, corn, and Jalapeno Jack cheese. The dough was at the right texture, appropriately crunchy and chewy where it needed to be. There was also the flavorful avocado ranch dressing which proved to be the ideal complement for the heartier red peppers and spinach. These Southwestern eggrolls made me get reacquainted with my liking of breads, as the taste of the put-together dressing and ingredients was fulfilling as it was interesting.

I had about 3.5 pieces before my palates grew tired of it — and Louie had to take over with the rest. Nonetheless, it was a good choice for the night. 😀

Louie ordered a set of Chili’s Big Mouth burger and fries for himself. The burger was, at heart, a humble creation. I got a mouthful of his food and I can tell it was cooked fine. I cannot describe further, but I’m happy to report that nothing about it disappointed.

Gift Exchange

Before food was served at the table, we relished a moment of exchanging gifts. He gave me a golden box that contained a necklace with a pendant sparkling with gold and silver. Accompanying it was a short manuscript couched in a language that I could not comprehend as it wasn’t in English. It must have come from Spain. THANK YOU, Louielove. ♥

I, on the other hand, gave him a Polo Ralph Lauren leather belt that can be reversed to black and brown sides with a simple twist of the buckle. This present took me a long time to think about. Gifts for men are really the hardest to find. Forums and websites I’ve flipped over suggest the usual — trips and getaways, tickets to some concert or play, and other expensive stuff for an anniversary gift, but I still chose something for practical everyday wear.

The belt might be clichéd or boring, yet it represents togetherness and while worn, it would make him remember me at any time of the day! 8)

Wrap Up

And so we have reached another anniversary. Sometimes it feels like it’s only been a few days and sometimes it feels like it’s been a lifetime! It’s amazing how we’ve grown and changed in the last four years. I feel like I know him most, as he’s someone I can talk to, share things with, confide in without fear of ridicule or disinterest. He just might be the best partner for adventures that we’ve yet to uncover. 😉

Chinese New Year is held on different dates each year. This year of the Black Water Snake, it fell on a Sunday: February 10, 2013. Most families begin preparing a month or more in advance for celebrating Chinese New Year, but we bought food and prepared for the festivity only on the day before.

I was surprised that Ongpin Street in Chinatown, Binondo was way TOO CROWDED not only with Chinese people but also with Filipinos. (It took me almost an hour in the line to pay for the mushroom zongzi and peanut powder in Eng Bee Tin.) 😯

How We Celebrated CNY 2013 in the Philippines

Like other Chinese families, we stuffed our tables with seafood, fruits, glutinous rice, lumpia, noodles, etc. However, unlike most of them, we didn’t decorate our home with red ornaments and lucky charms, didn’t offer a sacrifice to the Kitchen God, didn’t play mahjong until the sun comes up the next morning, didn’t set off chaotic fireworks and firecrackers and didn’t even bother to watch them explode in the sky. 😛 In sheer contrast to these traditions, we only stayed at home and slept early on New Year’s Eve.

On the first day of the New Year itself, we had lunch in my paternal grandparents’ house and gave thanks to the lord through prayers for all the blessings we have received. Food brought by all of us (potluck):

Held on February 17, 2013, our second celebration still consisted of none else than enjoying festive food in Shangri-la Finest Chinese Cuisine, West Triangle, Quezon City. I didn’t manage to get pictures of the food though, because we were seated in a circular table with people we’re not familiar with. It was embarrassing for me to tell them I had to take a shot before they can get food to their plates. 🙁

There were games for both adults and children, and we had fun collecting prizes from random raffle draws. The program’s host made sure that each person didn’t go home without taking a prize and tikoy for every family. And as usual, single men and women took “lucky money” enclosed in red envelopes (红包 “hong bao”) given by the most senior female and male members of the association.

Our latest celebration was last March 3, 2013. With maternal relatives, we had some truly superlative 10-course Chinese lauriat food service, family-style entrees, for lunch in Mandarin Sky Seafood and Shabu-Shabu Restaurant (Banawe, Quezon City) and won monetary prizes from raffle draws sponsored by officers of 旅菲南海九江同郷会. Mandarin Sky is a good place to gather with friends and family over a satisfying meal before moving on (with a full stomach) to the rest of the day or evening.

Getting to a relationship is rather easy. The beginning part has all mushiness and excitements every single day. This is when you carry the thought that he or she is the one. But staying and keeping the relationship alive through the years is what’s complicated and challenging.

In a blink, you seem to know this person and consider him or her the other part of yourself, part of your world. In another blink, you’d share your gravest secrets and lean on to his or her shoulder a little more. A bit later, you’d be surer that this would be the person your future children would call “Mom” or “Dad.” But certainly, there will be a point when you’d experience fearing if the idea works out and fear more when it doesn’t. You just have to take the risk and see how the rest performs next.

Sticking to marriage for life is another feat that’s hard to keep up with. Many marriages now, like businesses, fail as early as its first three to five years. The risks each has to take and the reasons for failures vary per case and family but let’s not go to that. What I’m just trying to say is that really, being married isn’t easy. My parents are together for 25 years now and this definitely is a big milestone that well deserved an unforgettable celebration.

Let me share with you how we celebrated our parents’ silver wedding anniversary last Friday. 🙂

It all began when Mom and Dad went to Buffet 101 (Mall of Asia) with Auntie Chit and Uncle George for lunch. It was all their first time to this grand buffet restaurant. Of course, they were all in awe of the food, torn between trying something they have not tasted before and craving for the food that had them decide to go there in the first place.

Mom had a lot of Chinese dim sum, and she regretted it, not because they were not any good but because she was so full that she had not tried much of the flavorful and colorful food in the desserts section.

Dishes in Buffet 101 were completely transforming, and it’s not until you go through every section that you will discover what you were missing. They spent about two hours filling their stomachs with sumptuous indulgence.

Their next endeavor was window-shopping around SM Mall of Asia. Cheap thrill, I know, but if you’re one who has not been to this one of the biggest malls in the whole world for years (like Daddy), you would be just as ecstatic. Dad happily visited his favorite stores: Ace Hardware, SM Appliance Center and Astroplus.

There were staff who recognized him and asked where he had been in the past two years. By this, you would sense that he truly frequented these shops as staff do not usually know the faces of customers and remember them unless they’ve built some special impression on them. Dad went on with his story, while Mom dozed off in one of the massage chairs in the store for an hour.

At around 8PM, I met my sister in Tous Les Jours to buy a strawberry cake shaped like a heart for our parents. I saw posts about this Korean bakery online and was thrilled to learn that their cakes come in unique designs, far from the usual squares, rectangles and rounds offered in Red Ribbon and Goldilocks.

We chose the red big heart and asked the bakeshop staff to write on our message with the icing: “Happy 25th Wedding Anniversary, Mommy & Daddy!” Then off we headed to WATAMI Japanese Casual Restaurant where we planned to have dinner.

While walking to WATAMI, my sister saw Mom and Dad walking toward us and we immediately shifted our direction and changed our speed to second gear! We wanted to arrive at the restaurant earlier, as we had to surrender the cake first to have it stored in their refrigerator. We were successful in our plan and our innocent parents followed suit after five minutes. They alighted from SM’s car for senior citizens and the physically challenged, as if Cinderella and Prince Charming descended from the pumpkin carriage!

Watami is one of the many Japanese restaurants in SM Mall of Asia, a must visit stretch of pavement for any culinary globetrotter. Inside, the dining room was unassuming, agreeable and clean, with  comfortable seating for groups. The ambiance of the venue deserves to be awarded with five stars. As a critic, I can sing all good praises for this restaurant.

Watami’s salmon sashimi a la carte, beef and kimchee rice in stone pot, thin-crust pizza topped with teriyaki chicken, and deep fried tofu with tempura sauce in stone pot seduced our tasted buds the right way. Prices of meals were affordable. Members of the service team were super friendly and fast. The hospitality has been indeed genuine.  And what made our experience in WATAMI truly special was the unexpected…

When we were handed with the bill, we whispered and requested the cake to be taken out. I thought that they will return it as it was nicely fitted in the box and the surprise gift would be enough. Rather, the waiters and waitresses went an extra mile. They approached our table in cluster and serenaded us to the chorus of Barry Manilow’s “Can’t Smile Without You” and greeted our parents a happy wedding anniversary! We were all caught in surprise. 😛

The night ended with us four riding a cab home. Mom was elated to receive a dozen of red roses and she immediately arranged the flowers in our new glass vase.

I had terrible colds and flu last week and I didn’t get the time to shop for a gift for them. At the last minute, I gave them the time-tested formula to happiness: food and surprises.

Their 25th wedding anniversary celebration was not a giant party with all our relatives and friends. There was no renewal of vows in a church setting, with flowers and all artsy and cutesy decors. There was no second honeymoon or romantic trip. But everything went perfectly well that night. It had been pretty simple but the meaning and memories behind it, I hope, had been significant. Being together and staying in love is what really counts, anyway. ♥