Dear baby

My Love,
You are God's blessing to us. An answered prayer. For 2 years, we've patiently waited for you. We trusted in God, that He will give you to us at the right time. Thank you for bringing joy, even when you're still inside me. I love you and we're all excited to see you.

Last March 16,2019, we had the Congenital Anomaly Scan. You were very confident in showing us your gender, but darling, you were hiding your face from us. We are indeed the product of a Master Designer. You are so beautiful. Seeing you inside me is already a miracle in itself.

We pray that we would be good parents to you. We'll do our best to shower you with love, just as how the Lord loved us.

When it's time to come out, please don't be shy. Your dad and I will be waiting for you with our arms wide open. We love you. See you soon.

Lots of love,
Mommy

Finally, Boracay!

March 10-12, 2016

Finally, I have stepped foot on the white, fine, powdery sands of Boracay island. I booked this trip last June 12, 2015, and it was a dream come true.

Greetings!

March 5, 2016

A lot has happened for the past year. I couldn't believe that it took me over a year to update this blog.

Highlights from the start of the year:

> Got to try restaurants at UP Town Center: Silantro, Mad Mark's, and Casa Verde. I must say they lived up to all the good reviews. Looking forward to Silantro's quesadillas!

> Got to try Rita's and ordered a Blendini. For me, it was nothing special since I'm not really a fan of ice creams.

> Got to try Friuli Trattoria at Maginhawa. I didn't know that their pasta servings were good for two people. Their pizzas were good too!

> Got a new beautiful shaped puzzle! This specific puzzle is from Sunsout. Though the quality of their pieces are not that good compared to that of Ravensburger's pieces, their designs are extraordinary. Moreover, I loved that it's not the normal rectangle-shaped puzzle. It gives you that extra difficulty. I really wish some of these will be available locally. The photo below is a 1000-piece puzzle.

> Most especially, I got engaged! :)

Lost in Singapore's Universal Studios

January 17, 2015

This was when the Pope was visiting the Philippines. It was a good thing that the Pope was on his way to Tacloban that morning so our flight need not be cancelled.

We stayed at YMCA at One Orchard Road which was near the Dhoby Ghaut station. Since I didn't file for leave on January 20, 2015, I have to maximize my stay at Singapore. I have been to this country 5 years back when Universal Studios was just about to open. That's why we had to plan our itinerary in a way where we could visit USS, Legoland and Hello Kitty Town on the 18th and 19th since my flight back was at the early morning of the 20th.

In the evening, we went to Lucky Plaza to have our dollars/pesos exchanged to SGD, hoped that we could book an all-in trip to Hello Kitty Town and Legoland the next day, as well as Universal Studios for the 19th. Unfortunately, the all-in trip to Malaysia was more expensive than we expected so we ended up buying tickets to Universal Studios to be consumed on the 18th. We just hoped that we would be able to book a cheaper Malaysia tour via the hotel's partner tour agency. After canvassing for tours, we headed to the food court for dinner. I was surprised when there was a Jollibee food stall. My 3-yr. old niece didn't like the roasted pork that was bought for her so she ate the noodles ordered by my uncle and fries from Jollibee.

January 18, 2015
 

Universal Studios rotating globe landmark

Candy trees

We had a buffet breakfast at the hotel and we booked the Legoland tour at the lobby. We were advised that 30 ringgit will be enough to pay for the cab going to Hello Kitty Town. And then, we went on our way to Universal Studios.

I was traveling with senior citizens and a child, so I've decided to explore Universal Studios on my own. I thought it was a huge theme park that's impossible to finish within the day. Surprisingly, you could finish it in half with time to spare to tour around Sentosa.

Since I decided to go around the park alone, I thought that I was brave enough to try all the rides. I was really looking forward to trying The Revenge of the Mummy coaster ride.

I spent time with my family at the Madagascar Zone and arranged to meet up at that zone for lunch. So off I went to zone Far Far Away and tried the Enchanted Airways-a junior roller coaster. I was not used to riding alone, let alone I was at the rear end, so even when I tried to control myself from screaming, I did it anyway. After that, I proceeded to the Shrek 4d Adventure. As soon as I was picking a place to sit, lo and behold!, I saw my uncle, aunt, and dad. We enjoyed the show and after that, I immediately went to the Ancient Egypt zone to avoid the long lines to my most awaited ride. Warning! This ride is not for the fainthearted.

Revenge of the Mummy ride entrance

 

Optimus Prime and Bumblebee mascots

When I got there, it puzzled me why small bags should be left inside a locker while it was permitted at Enchanted Airways. I panicked at the thought that I have to pay for the locker rental. I was so relieved that it was free and you would only be charged if you leave your things there for more than 45 minutes. Their self-service locker registration was really cool. After that, I proceeded to the entrance and was delighted that they have lines for single riders. I imagined that I'll be riding alone but it dawned on me that single riders were fillers for empty seats. Alas, I was seated. This is it! The time I've been waiting for! The ride started and later on I realized that I had underestimated the term 'high-speed'; I almost fell from my seat! That ride had used up all the bravery I've stored up for the other rides. I didn't have the heart for riding alone another coaster ride so I went on ahead to spend the rest of my time taking pictures at the Ancient Egypt and Sci-Fi zones before walking back to Madagascar zone to meet my family for lunch. While waiting for them, I rode the merry-go-round and took pictures with the Madagascar Penguin mascots and the Hippo mascot.

We had lunch near the Jurassic Park zone and proceeded to queue at the Canopy Ride right after eating. I enjoyed that ride even when I was seated at the back, and again, I screamed my heart out. After watching the street show, eating a big cotton candy and a big slice of pizza, and after buying souvenirs, we headed out and decided to spend the remaining time at Palawan beach.

Overall, I enjoyed my Universal Studios Singapore tour. Sorry for the misleading title. I was not really lost. Peace!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

3-yr old niece: "Auntie, you like to draw with me? I'm huggable, I'm squishy, come right over here."

Merry Christmas to everyone and have a blessed year ahead!

Girls' lunch out at Kichitora

December 20, 2014

There were a few girls in our batch at my second job - 4, to be exact -  so I initiated the invite to have a lunch date with them at Kichitora at Megamall. This is going to be a short entry since all of us ordered the same ramen - Paitan Ramen Zenbu No Se.

Gyoza

Went well with the dipping sauce. I liked it. I think it will be good with rice. ^_^ 

Gyoza - 150php

Paitan Ramen Zenbu No Se

It has a really rich, flavorful broth. Without the lava egg, you can have the ramen at 360php. With a generous splash of spicy sesame oil, this will definitely fill your tummy.
Note: It's a really large bowl.

Paitan Ramen Zenbu No Se - 420php

Chicken Karaage

Really tender. I think the part used here was the thigh. I think it'll also be great with rice. 

Chicken Karaage - 150php

I've managed to finish my ramen (except the soup) and my colleagues managed to eat half of theirs. So you can imagine my eating capacity is the same as a boy's. Hahaha! Just kidding. Anyway, I can't say if it was better than the other ramen establishments since I have only tried 2 ramen restaurants aside from this. Bottom line, it was a filling experience.

More Curry Please..Onwards to Izumi Curry!

November 22, 2014

I've been wanting to try this for the longest time. I'm fond of curries and I'm really curious on how different is the Japanese curry from the other curries. Finally, I had a chance (and the fund) to purchase two vouchers from CashCashPinoy. I bought one US Pork/Chicken Katsu Plate voucher for my date and one US Pork/Chicken Katsu Curry Meal voucher for me.

 

The Restaurant

Izumi Curry and Grill is located at the 5F The Podium. I didn't get the chance to take a photo of the interiors. It's a cozy place and could easily seat 25 guests. The servers were attentive and accommodating. Sidestory: I printed the two vouchers in one paper to save mother earth, only to find out that they should've been printed on separate sheets. I almost panicked--I thought they wouldn't honor my vouchers. End of sidestory.

The Food

Note: My date and I preferred to have pork. The iced tea included with our meal was just your typical lemon iced tea. If you explore their menu, they also offer saké.

US Pork/Chicken Katsu Plate

This includes the Pork Katsu and a side salad, a bowl of rice, and 5 pcs. of gyoza. This is your typical katsu. The gyoza was a little on the salty side. There's no need to dip it in any kind of sauce. 

US Pork/Chicken Katsu Curry Meal

US Pork Katsu Curry - Front

Ta~dah! The one I've been waiting for. I asked some people on what do Japanese curries taste like, and they say that it's usually sweet. So when I had my first bite, it was really unexpectedly spicy! Haha! But it was a savory kind of spicy and I loved it! It's not like the straightforward spiciness that you get when you eat chili sauce with your dimsum, it's a bit hard to explain but there were a lot of flavors in that curry. I liked the way they filled the plate with curry sauce.

US Pork Katsu Curry - Back

Side salad

This meal includes a hefty serving of the salad. With regards to serving size, they didn't disappoint. I'm not really a fan of salads, especially the ones with cucumber(like the one below). But I really loved the dressing and I don't typically waste food so I ate it anyway.

This ends our delicious meal! Thanks for reading!