Mama's 75th Birthday (Part 1): Complete Family

And I’m finally blogging again! Hurray! ☺

I know I owe so many stories from January (plus the pending kwento of the rest of our Canada trip), but first I want to share Mama’s 75th birthday week. Why? Because even though there were so many great things that happened during the past 4 months, this was simply the best. And you’ll find out why later.

It all actually started last year a few months after Mama turned 74. My siblings and I wanted to do something special for her next birthday, and since she’s never had a grand birthday celebration her whole life, we started planning for a bongga kind of party…you know, like a debut. But we wanted it to be a surprise because if she knew about it, for sure she’d say things like “Hindi na kailangan!” (There’s no need) or “Sayang ang pera!” (It would be a waste of money). So we started looking around the internet for ideas, caterers, venues, and other suppliers.

Hiatus Break

Hi everyone! I'm back! Well, not quite, though.  This post is just to update you guys that I'm still here, but I've just been really, really busy.  Well, at least you can be sure that when I do find the time, I'll have a lot of things to blog about, right?

Why have I been quiet since February?  Well, first there were the preparations for Caila's 7th birthday, then Hubby's side of the family visited for 3 weeks.  Of course during that time, there were places to take them to.  Then there was the excitement of getting my photo taken with the Bae himself!  In between of course, there have been the plannings of the monthly KFC activities.

A week after the in-laws left, my side of the family arrived, and they'll be here for a month.  Mama's 75th birthday is coming in a couple of weeks, and we're planning to give her the happiest birthday ever.  So again, life is busy, busy, busy!  Still, it's all good.

Couple Time at Zen the Spa

Hi everyone! How was your Valentine’s Day?

Mine wasn’t anything other than normal. Since early this month, Hubby has been working at their site office somewhere in Jumeirah, and he’s been working longer hours than usual, so he usually arrives home late, hungry, and very tired. Naturally, you can expect that yesterday wasn’t any different. I didn’t mind though, because he more than made up for it the night before. I was still on a high from what the KFC hubbies did and the lyrics of their harana kept playing in my mind, anyway ☺

And fortunately last week, we were able to get a little bit of couple time when we went to Al Ghurair Rayhaan to attend Zen the Spa’s Pre-Valentine event. We were late and, to my dismay, we practically missed the entire program because I had gone somewhere earlier and traffic was really heavy; but luckily, Ferry was nice and understanding. Later, he called Anna, one of the spa’s therapists, and they gave Mauh (of Blessed Days in Dubai), me, and our hubbies a private tour around.

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? ☺”

Review: Chocolate Spa and Hot Oil Treatment at Queens Beauty Lounge

Last week I was contemplating on visiting the salon near our home. Nine months after having my hair rebonded, the curls and waves were already showing, and because of this, my hair was in the early stages of frizziness. Plus, my nails were in desperate need of cleaning because it’s been months since I’ve had a mani-pedi.

So just when I was wondering if I had time to visit the neighborhood salon that weekend, I received an invitation in my inbox from no less than Sakshi Nath to try the services of Queens Beauty Lounge. Hurray! The heavens must have heard the cries of my nails and hair! ☺ Of course I grabbed the opportunity and booked an appointment right away.

#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.