Lapita Hotel Staycation, Legoland, and Motiongate at Dubai Parks & Resorts

Back in August, a friend mentioned that their company was offering a summer deal for stays in Lapita Hotel. For a very budget-friendly price, the package included half-board (buffet dinner and breakfast) and tickets to Dubai Parks and Resorts Legoland, Legoland Water Park, Bollywood, and Motiongate for 2 days. Since the only plans we had for Sophie’s birthday was for her to celebrate it at school, Hubby and I decided to take advantage of the deal and book our family, my sister, and her son for a night’s stay on the last weekend of September.

Happy Emojis for Sophie's 5th Birthday

Ever since we received the news that Sophie was accepted in her big sister’s school, I immediately knew she would celebrate her next birthday there. And after speaking to her teacher during the Parents Orientation to make sure it was ok to have it on the date of her actual birthday, I set to work in planning and preparing.

Anniversary Staycation at Grand Hyatt Dubai

Since we had already tried the food at Andiamo! and Peppercrab, and our girls told us during Grand Hyatt Dubai's Christmas tree lighting that they wanted to spend a night there, the 5-star luxury hotel located at the edge of Dubai Creek was a good choice for our anniversary staycation this year.   So taking advantage of their corporate rates and summer promotion, I booked our family for an overnight stay last weekend.

Arriving at 11am on Friday, we were promptly taken cared of by the valet, bellboy, and reception.  Now even though we've visited the hotel a number of times already, the lobby of Grand Hyatt Dubai always impresses me.  It's just so...grand!

#GPinCanada: St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and Maru Sushi Japanese Restaurant

Since we didn’t have the chance to attend mass on our first Sunday in Canada, we made sure that on the following Sunday, we would visit one of the local churches. So on the morning of the 26th of July, while my brother and his family left to attend their church, we borrowed his other car and headed to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church which is just near Fraser Highway.

The pews were full (although not as full as what we’re used to at St. Mary’s Catholic Church), but we noticed that most of them were from the older generations. And unlike in Dubai, the voices of the congregation weren’t as loud when singing the hymns. No biggie, though. That’s just something I noticed.

I can’t remember the priest’s name, but we enjoyed listening to his Homily. One of the messages he shared that struck me was this:

Lunch at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse on our Family Day

It’s our family day today! And when I thought back to what we did last month to celebrate it, I also noticed that it’s been a while since I shared one of our dining experiences. So, here goes…

A few months earlier, I received a gift certificate from Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, which also served as their invitation to try out their dishes. What better way to use it than on our family day, right? And that’s what we did on the 27th of December last year.

Our Anniversary Dinner at Boardwalk

Years ago, we used to dine at Boardwalk occasionally for breakfast on weekends, but we’ve never gone there for lunch or dinner. This year for our anniversary, we decided to return and try their dinner menu.

When I made the reservation earlier, I had asked for a table outdoors so that we could enjoy the view of the creek as the weather had been predicted to be cool and breezy, but in the car on the way to the restaurant, Caila fell asleep and she seemed to feel warmer than usual, so we opted for a table indoors instead. Baka kasi mahamugan at matuluyan ang naguumpisang lagnat nya.

Overnight at Marriott Executive Apartments

As I mentioned in my previous post, Ate Ning booked a 2-bedroom apartment in Marriott Executive Apartments on the night of Caila’s birthday. The birthday girl called it “a wonderful surprise,” and truly it was. Of course the bonus part was that all of us got to enjoy the surprise as well =)

I'm not sure if it's only with MEA or the same with other Marriott hotels, but the way they number their apartments was a bit confusing.  You see, we stayed at No. 1145. Ordinarily, you'd think our room was on the 11th floor, right? But at MEA, the floor number was the second and third digits (14), the fifth was the room number (5), and I don't know what the first digit represented...probably the block or building? Anyway, moving on...

A Play-Doh Themed Birthday Party

When we asked our eldest daughter if she wanted to celebrate her birthday at school again this year, Caila said “no.” What she wanted was a party at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, and to invite all her classmates from school and friends from the KFC community.

Authentic Emirati Food at Al Fanar Restaurant

It was the 27th of the month last Thursday, so as we always do, we went out for dinner to celebrate our family day. We hadn’t been to Dubai Festival City for a while, and since UAE National Day is coming up, Hubby and I opted to go Emirati and try Al Fanar Restaurant.  I’ve read and heard good reviews about it, so I was pretty sure we wouldn’t be disappointed.

The canal and surrounding areas were under renovation but fortunately, the DFC branch of the first and only local Emirati cuisine restaurant in Dubai (according to their website) was open.

We were in awe as we walked through the restaurant with life-sized statues depicting scenes of traditional Emirati life. It gave the restaurant a more authentic ambience.

Choosing the majlis-style seating, we had to remove our shoes before settling down on the cushions. It was a bit weird at first, but the girls instantly found it fun and interesting…mainly because it was different from sitting on chairs.

The waiter was friendly and helpful, and within a few minutes of ordering, we were served bowls of complimentary chickpeas.

And a few minutes later, our food was served.

Sophie caught on camera!

Robyan Mashwi (grilled jumbo shrimp)

Samak Magli-Shaari (fried shaari fish, which was served with rice)

Tekat Deyay Emarati (chicken kebab marinated in Arabic spices with yogurt)

Khoboz Wagafi (bread) which came with the Tekat Deyay Emarati

We all found the food delicious…even Caila and Sophie who particularly enjoyed dipping the bread in yogurt…making me wonder for the nth time why we never thought to try Al Fanar Restaurant before then.

The food was really good, and the diorama-like theme surrounding it was entertaining and educational as well. See for yourself how Sophie amused herself.

Now that we’ve tried Al Fanar Restaurant, I’m sure we’ll be back one day soon. It was definitely a great choice for us for Emirati food.

6 Years Ago and Today

Day 5: 27 March - Family Day and the RCCC

Our family day! The 27th of every month is always a reason for us to celebrate.

Amused by Sophie’s antics during the ride to Al Ain.

First day of the Regional Couple Coordinators Conference at One to One Hotel & Resort.

The spacious villas were a very nice surprise.

Enjoyed watching the creative presentations of the various delegations.

Thank you and farewell to the Gamboa couple.

Hilarious pics taken by our brothers shared in Whatsapp.

Even more hilarious initiation of our cluster’s new Parent Support Teams.

the erik santos-parokya ni edgar-eraserheads concert

A concert where Parokya ni Edgar and Eraserheads perform back to back is definitely one for the books. So of course I was absolutely thrilled when I won a couple of tickets to this rare event. Although we liked both groups, I was more of a PNE fan while Hubby favoured the E-Heads more. Still, it was a great opportunity to watch them live, so in the afternoon of the 27th of December, we headed to the Meydan Racecourse for our date.

It said on the tickets that the gates would open at 4pm, but we were only let in more than an hour later. Good thing the weather was still cool. While waiting, Hubby and I took pictures.

And since the RJs of Tag 91.1 were also hanging out in that area, we took pictures with them too.

Finally, the organizers started letting the people in. We first had to queue in separate lines (men and women) according to the area specified in our tickets, have our bags checked, and were each given concert paper wristbands.  Then we took pictures again.

We were getting pretty hungry by the time we entered the grounds, so we went to the NKD Pizza booth to order pizza and bottles of water for ourselves.

my date while waiting for our pizzas

 After we had our fill, we headed to the area which had the perfect view of the artists who would be performing…right in front of the stage!

We didn’t have to wait too long because a while later, Louie Da Costa, Maria Maldita, Chikay, and Bob Kebab came out and started entertaining the crowd with their conversations and jokes. And then shortly after that, Erik Santos came out. I’m not a fan of Erik’s, but that night I realized that he actually has a nice and powerful voice. Sorry naman; I don’t get to watch ASAP kasi. And in fairness, ang gwapo pala nya! Hahaha! Being a balladeer, he mostly sang love songs and a few upbeat ones as well. My favorites were Miss You Like Crazy and Sana Ngayong Pasko. Nakakakilig lang.

When Parokya ni Edgar performed on stage, that was my favourite part of the evening. Chito was really funny and accommodating, singing most of the songs that the crowd asked for. He sang Bagsakan by himself, the original of which was sung with Francis M. and Gloc 9, and he also gave in to a fan’s joking request and sang Elesi, which we all knew isn’t theirs. Hubby was disappointed that they didn’t sing Ang Parokya, but I guess they didn’t have enough time to sing all their hits. Anyway, I really liked that Chito was game and entertaining, talking to the crowd in between songs, making jokes while lightly referring to his recent scandal, and thanking his fans for all their support.

Of course, the Eraserheads were the final performers of the night…well, the last ones that we watched. Compared to PNE, they were able to sing more songs in the time they were given onstage. I guess the major reason why is Ely didn’t really talk that much to the crowd. They mostly sang and played their instruments. Suplado masyado, but I heard that he’s really like that. Oh well. Basta kami, nag-enjoy kahit papaano.

In between the three Filipino artists, MC Jin (an American Chinese rapper) and Lira (a South African singer) also took the stage and entertained the crowd. Lira sang mostly soul and jazz music; and although it’s not particularly my cup of tea, she was ok. I also don’t fancy rap songs, but surprisingly, I enjoyed MC Jin’s performance. He was pretty cool and most of the messages in his songs had sense and meaning; not just about cars and the beach and other trivial things. He mentioned that he had starred in 2 Fast 2 Furious with Paul Walker, and rapped some lines as a tribute. When his crew were giving away his CDs, I eagerly managed to get one of them. That’s another advantage of being in the front =)

And to top it off, I won another treat from Tag that night! Some time in between performances, the RJs were playing the Bring Me game, asking the crowd for different items. Chikay was sitting on the barrier about 2 people away from me when she asked for a picture of at least one Tag RJ. I immediately whipped out Tisay, opened the Gallery folder and quickly showed her the picture of me with them which we had taken earlier. Panalo agad! She jokingly commented that they didn’t look like RJs because they didn’t have enough make-up on and they looked haggard.

our loots

Falling in love again, jamming, singing, and winning…all in one night. What a great way to celebrate our December monthsary.

 

when they turned one

The other day, I searched our files for the first birthday pictures of Caila and put one of her solo shots beside Sophie’s.

Caila (left) in February 2010
Sophie (right) in September 2013

So cute!

typg #2: yesterday’s accomplishments and lafayette gourmet

Another 27th of the month, so another chance to dine out and celebrate. However, our monthly tradition wasn’t the only reason to celebrate yesterday. Hubby was able to get 2 things done on the first day of the work week: Caila’s passport renewal and our new nanny’s Employment Visa. Hurray!

It wasn’t easy, though. We didn’t have an appointment at the Philippine Consulate, but since Caila’s visa would be expiring in December, and her passport in April, we had to process the renewal ASAP. And since she didn’t go to school yesterday (she was still recovering from a fever), it was the perfect time to go. So yesterday morning, Hubby and Caila headed to the Consulate where they had to wait a looooooong time several times. Initially, they were rejected and told to get an appointment for a later date, but after explaining the situation about her visa and passport, they were finally allowed to complete all the procedures.

In the afternoon, Hubby waited several hours (again!) at DNRD. With the Immigration, it’s always nerve-wracking while you wait for the Officer’s decision whether your application will be granted or not. As he or she looks through the papers, you never know if the documents you have are complete…and even if they are, he or she might ask for something else. Fortunately, everything went pretty smoothly. The Officer asked Hubby a few questions, wrote on the application, then told him to pay the Deposit (Dhs2,020) and Entry Permit Inside the Country charge (Dhs680) at the payment counter. After Hubby did these and presented to him the receipts, the Employment Visa was finally issued.  Whew!

Since we were in the vicinity, we headed towards Dubai Mall for our traditional monthsary celebration. We’ve been meaning to try out IHOP for some time now, but Hubby wanted something more filling (all the waiting made him hungry!), so we decided to eat at Lafayette Gourmet. It was a good idea too because we had an Entertainer Voucher that we could use.

Walking around the store, we saw a grocery and various sections offering all sorts of food items: meat, seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, coffees and teas, pastries and desserts, and many more. There was even a separate pork section. We saw diners enjoying their food at the area with the wooden tables, but since we wanted to sit back and relax, we opted to eat at the area with the soft red chairs. Here’s what we ordered:

Hubby's Pomegranate Iced Tea (left) and my Berry Blast (right)

California Roll
This was on the menu so we couldn't miss this

Hubby's Lafayette SLIDERS

I found the stamped BURGER on the bun pretty cool and unique

my Traditional Crispy Duck with hoisin sauce...

...and pancakes

Unfortunately, we were too full to order any dessert. Ok, I admit, the dessert selection just didn’t seem to have anything that tempting…even for take away. So we just settled for what we had already ordered. Not that we were disappointed, though. The food was actually really good and very tasty. Except for the California Roll…it just seemed too ordinary.

In spite of this, I’m sure we’ll be visiting Lafayette Gourmet again before the year ends…because it would be a shame to not take advantage of our 2 remaining Entertainer Vouchers at such a nice restaurant that offers so many international cuisines in their menu.

Thank You and Praise God for the day’s accomplishments and another opportunity to spend quality time with Hubby.

sophie's rainbow birthday party (the actual party)

In an earlier post, I shared the things we did to make the party fit the theme. However, I wasn’t able to share how the party went. So, here goes…

Since ours was the first event of the day at Chowking, we had enough time to check the set-up and arrange the cakes and cupcakes. Guests began arriving at 10:15am, and by 11:30am, the Chowking host started the program. Sophie’s Ninong Eugz said the opening prayer, everyone sang Happy Birthday, and the games began immediately after.

For the first game, all the kids were each asked to say Happy Birthday Sophieeeeeeee for the longest time possible.

The next game was a team relay, again for the young kids, wherein they had to balance a small object on a spoon in their mouths.

What followed next was a trivia game where 2 teams (men vs. women) had to answer the most questions correctly. The questions were mostly about Sophie and our family; it was fun to know who really knew us and the birthday celebrant. Naturally, since all players were adults, the game was a riot. Puro asaran at kulitan.

with the winners

While waiting for the food buffet to be set-up, the walang kamatayang Bring Me game was played. However, I made sure the items that we asked for were not that common: an insurance card with dental coverage, key-ring with the most keys, mobile phone with the oldest sms, any object that started with the letter S, etc.

Finally, it was time for lunch and Mike Y., another of Sophie’s godfathers, lead the thanksgiving prayer.

During this time, Sophie had fallen asleep, so it was a good time for Hubby and me to eat and mingle with the guests.

When we noticed that most of the guests had had their fill, the host called for another game. This time the kids had to fix up their moms’ hair, and the mom who had the best-looking do (judged by the rest of the guests’ applause) was the winner.

After that game, everyone’s attention was on the birthday celebrant as we all sang Happy Birthday again, helped Sophie blow the candles, say a few words and wishes, and cut the cake.

all of us blowing the candle...except the birthday girl herself

Mama sharing her wishes for Sophie...and the little girl listening closely

Sophie may not be able to remember that day, but as they say, the first birthday is usually for the parents…and I definitely had a good time that day.