A Cheesy, Yet Sweet Pre-Valentine’s Day Surprise

Days before yesterday, I knew our group of Kids for Christ coordinators was going to have a pre-Valentine’s dinner on Saturday night (some wives didn’t, though), but I didn’t know where. But then I saw this tweet from Asiana Hotel yesterday afternoon 

and for a reason I can't explain, I immediately felt or knew that Manila Grill was where the dinner was going to be. Originally, I thought “What will happen to the husbands’ plans if the hotel is closed off?” But after I shared the tweet to our group on WhatsApp, all the wives kept teasing and increased their expectations. The wives who didn’t know anything were saying things like
“Dyan ba ang surprise nyo sa amin?”
“Kaya pala nagpapasama ang asawa ko sa Deira mamaya.”
I even joked “Ang bongga ha! Napasara nyo ang Asiana?!” and “Formal wear ba? Kailangan bang naka-dress? ☺”

Glimpses of My December

The last month of the year is always the fastest, in my opinion, and December 2015 was no exception. There were so many things to do, and so many parties to attend and prepare for, that the month just whizzed by. And before I knew it, we were welcoming the new year with anticipation of more exciting times ahead. The week of December 5th to the 12th was the busiest because every day, I had somewhere to go.

Anyway, I’ll photoblog a bit ok, so you won’t get bored with details ☺

Camping in the UAE Desert

Winter is here in Dubai! Don’t you just love the weather now? Cold weather means winter, which means Christmas and New Year...Hurray! I just love this season. Everyone (err, almost everyone) is so nice and friendly, and everything is just so…Christmassy ☺

Cold weather also means camping. Well, here in the Middle East, it is. The weather is simply perfect for a night outdoors and underneath the clear skies and stars with friends and family. Which is why, when the weather changed and the temperature went down early this month, we planned an overnight camping with our KFC family.

Spa Treat for Our KFC Daddies

When you think of spa treats, you automatically assume women are the ones being pampered. However, last week, as our (advanced) Father’s Day treat for them, it was the hubbies in our group of friends who were taken care of.

Since Father’s Day falls on a Sunday which is the first day of the working week here, we decided to give them their surprise on Thursday night, so that they would really enjoy and relax right after a busy work week and before the weekend.

Current Status: Confused

source

Picture this: There are 2 events happening on the same day, at practically the same time.

One event is a regular monthly activity; but since your office just recently started having all Saturdays off, this will be the first time after a long time you’ll attend. Plus, this time will be a bit different than usual because it’s centred on Father’s Day, so there will be something special prepared by the kids for their dads.

The other is a one-time event that’s expected to be full of fun and learnings, and will be held at a place where you and your kid are guaranteed to enjoy immensely. You were actually referred by someone which is how you received the invitation, and if you turn this down, this will probably be the 2nd or 3rd time you’ve done so. Syempre, nakakahiya. No, erase that. It would be very, extremely embarrassing to the highest level!

Which is why I'm so confused right now.

Our Mother’s Day Surprise

If you think our evening on the 7th of May ended uneventfully after Anne’s concert, think again.  Our husbands had planned something for us that swept us off our feet.  Here's what happened...

When Hubby fetched me, he wasn’t in Pepper. He had walked! His reason? He had been waiting for a while, but because there were so many cars causing a traffic jam in the area, he decided to park the car instead and walk to meet me. I was like “Huh?! Hindi kaya! Gumagalaw naman ah!”

Anyway, so we walked to the place where he said he left the car. On the way, he asked if Bentoya was still open because he was feeling hungry. Since we were going to the airport to fetch his friend arriving from the Philippines, I said we could eat there instead. Still he insisted that he wanted to eat Japanese food, so I just agreed.

Day 26: 17 April - Easter Egg Hunt Preparations

Joined the other PCs and PSTs in stuffing the 500+ easter eggs with candies and chocolates for our monthly activity.

Day 24: 15 April - Unexpected Contribution

Any help (no matter how big or small, whether time, talent or treasure) is always appreciated and will go a long way in making the kids enjoy the activity.

contribution by a Tito for our upcoming activity

Maraming salamat po!

Day 14: 5 April - KFC Fellowship and Performance

Our morning yesterday was spent at Mamzar Park with the rest of the other Parent Coordinators, PSTs and their children of our KFC cluster. As the newest PSTs were the ones in charge of the fellowship, the only things the rest of us had to bring for the picnic were disposable cups, plates and utensils. It was a big spread of sinangag, menudo, bacon, scrambled eggs, tortang talong, dinakdakan, fried lumpia (which the kids hoarded by themselves), dinuguan, fresh mango and bagoong, banana bread, kutsinta, and I can’t remember what else. Everything was so delicious! And when Marlon and Jhan arrived, they brought with them homemade siomai! Happy tummies again!

As soon as everyone had had their fill and rested a bit, the kids and their daddies or nannies walked to the pool area and enjoyed swimming and splashing around. During that time, the mommies had a meeting to discuss our monthly activity. We didn’t let Sophie swim, but she kept herself entertained by chasing the birds and butterflies that she saw flying around the park.

Yesterday night was the CFC Community Mass and Assembly. We reached the venue just as the KFC kids were singing the last few lines of Seasons of Love, making Hubby and I panic and rush to the stage wings because our performance (the one we had been practicing for last Thursday night) was next. I was supposed to be with the group who entered from the right, but because we were in such a hurry, I ended up joining the other group who entered from the left and just blended in with my original group. Good thing I was in the back so I don't think many people noticed. And because of our nervousness, there were a few steps some of us…ok, a lot of us…forgot. By the time Pharrell Williams’ song "Happy" ended and we had exited the stage, we were all laughing at ourselves and from relief that it was over.

Day 12: 3 April - Health Card Renewal, Vaccination, and Dinner

Sophie had a vaccination appointment at the health centre in the evening, and it was a good thing I checked her health card the night before otherwise I wouldn’t have known it had already expired last January! Yikes! Fortunately, one of our company drivers was available on Thursday morning, so with my manager’s permission, he took me to Dubai Hospital. As Caila was also due for vaccination this year, I thought to renew her card as well. However, I couldn’t find her card anywhere so I just hoped her records were in their system and the renewal could easily be done. I forgot to bring their original passports with me, but I did bring the copies, a photograph of each, and their Emirates IDs.

Sophie’s card renewal took less than a minute. However, Caila’s took some time. In the beginning, the lady tried entering Hubby’s and my mobile numbers. No record. Using the passport and visa copy, she tried Caila’s visa number; but since it was new (it was cancelled, then I sponsored her, then we cancelled it again, then Hubby sponsored her again), her record didn’t show. Then she entered her first name. Still nothing. Finally, she tried her middle name (my maiden name) and surname…and, success! Turns out one of the digits on the mobile number was wrong, and Caila’s first names were spelled incorrectly. It was a good thing the staff was in a good mood, otherwise I might have been told that I needed to look for the old card or return with her old passport with her old visa. After paying the charges for the renewals (Dhs110 each), I showed the receipts to the lady and she gave me the cards with a smile. Hurray!

Sophie was ready and waiting for Hubby and me when we arrived home that night. Traffic was a bit heavy so we were a few minutes late for our appointment, and we had to wait a while because there were other patients as well. But because the health centre had a toy, rocker, Little Tikes playhouse and little see-saw, these helped keep our little girl preoccupied. Soon we were called in to the room for the assessment, and then it was time for her to take the oral drops and shots on both thighs. From being all bubbly and smiling, Sophie immediately let out cries when she was given the vaccinations. But to our amazement, unlike the babies before her, she didn’t cry that long at all…less than a minute, I think. She even waved goodbye to the nurse as we left, and by the time we were out the door of the health centre, there were no more tears and she was pointing to her thighs and looking at me and saying “Ow?!” Whew!

After Hubby and I had a quick dinner at home, we headed to Deira with Caila for the KFC practice. As soon as Caila saw the rest of the kids, she left our side and ran to them excitedly. It’s really nice to see how much she’s changed from being a really shy girl who would hardly let go of my leg or hand during gatherings to a more confident one who has several friends. Our practice ended at 10pm, and just as soon as we had got into our cars, the rain poured down. Thank goodness we were able to practice and finished just in the nick of time. As most of our friends hadn’t had dinner yet, we all agreed to meet up at Chowking, Al Ghurair where we occupied 2 long tables (one for the adults and another for the kids). The night ended on a happy note because we had finalized the steps, finished practicing, our tummies were filled, and as usual, the meal was accompanied with jokes and laughter from everyone.

Day 6: 28 March - KFC RCCC

The actual conference of the RCCC.

Beautiful song number by the kids.

Heard many inspirational messages during the sessions:

• Be a “Plaster” Head: Bring people to Christ for their wounds to be healed.

• Being an evangelized couple is both a CALLING and a PROMISE.

• Whoever the Lord owns, He takes care of.

• "Hang on because I hung on for you"

• I am blessed because my wife/husband is beside me.

• Failure is success postponed.

 Sophie’s antics (and her nonstop talking) kept Hubby and me laughing and awake during the journey back home to Dubai.

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.

(slightly) detailed kwento of my busy december

I can't believe we're more than 1 week into the year already! Honestly, where did the time go?! After I posted my last entry a few days ago, I was supposed to start blogging again to share what kept me busy last month...but I just didn't have the time to “collect my thoughts” and now I can't remember all the details of what happened. Gaaahhh!

But I guess I owe you guys some kwento, at least just to prove to you that I really had many things to attend to. And this post is it.  There will be dates where I’ll tell you all about what happened, and some where I just mentioned the event. For those, I’ll try to prepare separate posts because there are more details and pictures and then link them up to this later. So please just bear with me if I forget some specifics. Epekto po ito ng anaesthesia…twice na ako na-CS eh. (hahaha!).

6 December. This was Hubby's birthday and the KFC Coords & PST Family Christmas Party which took place at the Creek Park. We spent practically the whole day there from 8am to 8pm because (1) we needed to secure a good place for our big group, (2) we also had the cluster's annual evaluation and planning, and (3) we had the long overdue farewell and honouring for Tito Del and Tita Madz as well. There was lots of food, several games and prizes, and of course, the exchange gifts for the kids and adults.

 

 7 December. Baptism of my SFC baby’s baby. I was one of the godparents of pretty Agatha Miche, but since the ceremony was in the morning in Jebel Ali and I had work that day, our family just went to the reception venue directly after they fetched me from the office. Good thing the reception took place in the evening. Again, it was a great opportunity to get together with our old friends from SFC and CFC.

family picture without ate caila (because she just didn't want to have her picture taken)

10 December. Hubby and I were invited to attend the Christmas tree lighting at the InterContinental Hotel in DFC. When we arrived, we were immediately offered hot chocolate, marshmallows, and something else I can’t remember. They were delicious and really brought the festive feel to the occasion.

Part of the program was the singing of popular Christmas songs and carols by a group (most probably employees of the hotel) which we all enjoyed.

And after the hotel manager said a few words, upon given the signal, kids jumped on the big switch and we all saw the big tree light up, prompting the crowd to say “Ahhh!!!” and clap their hands in awe and appreciation. After that, we were led to the outdoor part of the hotel’s Vista Lounge & Bar where we enjoyed various dishes while taking in the cool weather and breeze and listening to the music being played from the piano.

We left a while later when we had our fill and felt that the winter air was becoming a bit too cold for us. After we said goodbye to the Sales Manager handling our company’s account, she gave me and Hubby a bag each of treats from the hotel: macarons, gingerbread cookies, an An Badia Golf Club stress ball, and a discount/deal voucher.

It was a great evening and a nice date-night for Hubby and me.

my pogi date =)

11 December.  FS2 Annual Sports Meet.

13 December. We had our Pinoy Mafia Christmas Party that night. As with usual Christmas parties, there were games (I was the game-master/host) and prizes, exchange gifts, and plenty, plenty of delicious food! I was a bit angry at myself earlier that night because I had prepared a big bowl of fruit salad but only realized when we were almost near the venue that we had left it at home. Since we were already running late, I just let it be, transferred it into a Pyrex food container when we reached home, and brought it to the office 2 days later which my colleagues eagerly finished.

14 December. KFC Cluster Christmas Party. Instead of the usual monthly activity, we had the Christmas party at Zaabeel Park where most of the KFC members came to have fun. A thinner-than-usual Santa Claus also made a surprise visit, much to the delight of the kids (and adults too!) even though almost all of them knew his real identity.

That week (from the night of the 11th until the morning of the 15th) was also the time we had some guests stay over at our home: cast members of the Teen Saint Pedro musical (headed by Makisig Morales) which took place on December 13 at St. Anthony Padua Church in Ras Al Khaimah. However, because their group had been busy with rehearsals and meetings since they arrived, it was only that Saturday night when we were able to spend time with Tita Grace and her son Paolo. We went to the Dubai Mall where we had dinner at TGI Friday’s while enjoying 3 amazing shows of the Dancing Fountain. Tita Grace was especially thrilled with the songs that were played: The Prayer, I Will Always Love You, and My Heart Will Go On. After taking pictures in front of Burj Khalifa, The Address, the Festive Castle, and the Waterfall, we headed to Atlantis where they took more pictures.

15 December. First Simbang Gabi Mass. Last year, we didn’t get to attend even one day of the Simbang Gabi. It was a mix of reasons really: we often arrived home late from work, Sophie was barely 3 months old, Mama had rheumatism, traffic, etc. This year, although we wanted to complete the novena, there were things we had to attend to, so we only had the chance to attend the first and eighth nights. From what I noticed, each year the number of people attending Simbang Gabi seem to grow more and more. The parish grounds are becoming full and practically overflowing with Filipinos. I heard on the first night, it was just so full that many just attended mass from the parking area. Wow!


another family picture without caila (well, slight) because of the usual reason

19 December. Parent-Teacher Meeting and Collection of Reports, and Processing Jovy’s Visa. 

20 December. Company Family Year-End Party at Radisson Blu.

23 December. I went to the Philippine Consulate to collect my passport which I had renewed earlier, and then headed to Dubai Media City to collect the prize tickets I won. It was a very wet morning (much like yesterday) and I was really tempted to postpone my errands. But since I wanted to get everything done with, I left the apartment in the appropriate weather gear, braving rainy Dubai.

24 December. Christmas Eve with the Fajarians.

25 December. Christmas Day. We woke up later than usual because of the late night we spent at our friends’ apartment. My sister had called us inviting us to have lunch with her and Gabe and our (cousin’s) nephew Louie. When we arrived at Nando’s in Al Ghurair, they were already there and had already placed their orders. Hubby and Caila joined them, but Sophie and I had to go to the bathroom because she had soiled her diaper and I had to clean her up.

The bathroom in the restaurant was very small so it took me some effort to change her nappy. Fortunately, I managed. But what really pissed me off was a kid who kept knocking on the door. When she tried to turned the knob and found it was locked, I called out that it was occupied. A few seconds later, I heard her knocking. Again I said that someone was inside. Shortly, I heard several knocks again which wouldn’t stop even though I tried to ignore them. When I became fed up from being rushed with the constant knocking, I shouted “Can you please wait?!”

A woman then irritably answered “See, my daughter needs to go to the toilet.”

I answered back “Well, I’m trying to change my baby’s diaper in a small room, so can you be patient?!”

That made them stop. A minute later when I stepped out with Sophie in my arms, I heard the woman mumble “Oh, sorry.”

Hay! Kung hindi siguro araw ng Pasko, baka na-Anne Curtis ko sila. Hahaha!

After lunch, we had dessert at Cinnabon, then headed to St. Mary’s Church to attend the mass. After that, we shopped for groceries at Carrefour in Deira City Centre before heading home. Later, Hubby left to pick up Louie to drop him off at the airport.

27 December. The Erik Santos-Parokya ni Edgar-Eraserheads Concert.

31 December. New Year’s Eve. Unlike majority of Dubai, our family didn’t go out to see any of the fireworks that night. Instead, we avoided the heavy traffic, crowds, and cold weather and stayed at home where we gobbled up the dinner we had prepared earlier and enjoyed the 3 fireworks displays from the best view of all: the television =)

Whew! I told you they were a lot. At least now I’m only slightly backlogged in my posts. But then there are more things that have happened since the beginning of the year and more that will happen in the coming days. Yikes! I guess I've gotta make a move on it then, huh? =)

pc's at cc

1 september 2013
instant get-together
kfc cluster a parent coordinators
treat

kids for christ's got talent

As I mentioned here, the monthly activity for KFC last month was the Star Camp. Our members attended acting, singing, modelling or dancing workshops, and in the afternoon, they presented what they were taught on stage. The hall was decorated to look just like a talent show, and of course there were the 4 special guest judges we invited: Edward Divinagracia from Kidville, Rachel Selinel from TFC, Louie da Costa of Tag 91.1 and Jeff Price who is the founder of Children's Media Network.

First to present were the kids of the Modelling Workshop, where they each wore costumes of their favourite superheroes.

Iron Man and Superman

Next were the Acting kids where they acted out a scene over and over, but portrayed different emotions each time.

Caila was part of the Singing Workshop. The kids sang different versions of “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction, and our daughter sang and strummed her toy guitar with the rock group. Naturally, I was such a stage mother that day when I saw her on stage. She was so cute! Feel na feel nya ang pagiging rakista!


The last ones onstage were the kids of the Dancing Workshop who danced to the upbeat version of “Under the Sea” and were dressed in cute costumes to portray the different sea creatures. Three senior kids represented the main characters Ariel the Mermaid, Sebastian the Crab, and Flounder the Fish who was played by my nephew Gabe. It was my first time for me to see him dance, and I was surprised that he could dance pretty well.

Here’s a short clip of what happened that day.
And to make us even more proud, the activity was reported on Balitang Middle East over the weekend.

Kudos to all the kids, parent coordinators, and service team for a successful event!

kfc star camp teaser

Finally, all our hard work in attending meetings, planning, coordinating, and preparing paid off. The event yesterday was truly a success where all our kids shined and shared their talents...and most importantly, had so much fun.

Of course, the Star Camp itself calls for a separate post (either another video or several photos), but allow me to share first the teaser prepared by none other than Tito John.


Hats off to everyone for such a great event!

fulfilling weekend: kfc lead assembly

Friday morning we had the activity for the Junior kids of KFC. Saturday morning we had the activity for the Senior kids which was the Lead Assembly with a camping-in theme. And because of the theme, the kids came bringing their mats/sleeping bags/blankets and wearing their comfy pajamas and slippers. And to make the camping complete, popcorn was served!

It was a half-day activity held in 3 rooms of the St. Mary’s Church Mini-hall. Each room had a tent where YFCs would give a talk and the kids were grouped accordingly so that all of them had the chance to listen to each one. The first room had the Praying Tent, the second room had the Loving Tent, and the last had the Serving Tent. As you can probably guess, the objective of the activity was to teach the kids to be a praying, loving, and serving leader.

fulfilling weekend: it takes a man and a woman

Friday afternoon (after having lunch and taking a short rest from the Dubai Terry Fox Run), Hubby and I had a group date at Sahara Centre in Sharjah with some of the other KFC Parent Coordinators of our cluster to watch the most awaited Pinoy movie of that weekend. To avoid the rush, the tickets had already been reserved earlier that week, and that morning, we had all given Tita Madz our payments so she was able to buy the tickets on their way home after the Run.

fulfilling weekend: dubai terry fox run

I have yet to blog about the great dinner we had on Mama’s birthday as I still need to copy the photos taken from my sister. In the meantime, though, let me share with you our busy, yet fulfilling weekend, starting off with the Dubai Terry Fox Run we joined last Friday morning.

As I mentioned in a post a couple of years back, except for a few years in between, I’ve been joining this annual event since my first year Dubai back in 2004. This year, there was no excuse not to join, and since Hubby was the Team Head for this month’s KFC activity, we decided to have this run be the Junior Kids’ activity. So Friday morning found our group of parents, coordinators, SFCs, and kids gathered outside the Toys R Us sign of Dubai Festival City, warming up, getting ready and having our pictures taken.

i can...sign!

Every month we have an activity in Kids for Christ. This month's theme was Respect: More the Same than Different, and one of the things we did for the Juniors was teach them a song using sign language.  Allow me to share the final outcome of what the kids learned yesterday. 

Big thanks to Ate Che-Che and Ate Gina of SFC for teaching all of us something new!