my complicated life

i don't have any idea about geisha's aside from what it seemed to imply from reviews that it was some sort of traditional prostitutes. however, after finishing this book, i definitely feel it was far from its assumption. my favorite character is Sayuri because of her innocence, her determination to change the course of her life, her strength to rise from her struggles, her love that kept her going...

the story has vividly shown the traditions and trainings of those that become geishas. the art involve and the discipline required. somehow, it represents that geishas deserve the honor that they are getting from their clients and from other villagers as well.

this book is not a love story but it is a good read to be acquianted with Japan's culture and in understanding the life of geishas. a story that shows how life can turn out positively despite its hardships.

8 P.M., Le Meridian Hotel, Talay Restaurant... this was where we met up to have our Ladies' Night Out with colleagues (me, Jovy, Pilar and Silvia). it was a Thai restaurant. at first, i wasn't too excited about the place since the Thai food i was able to taste back in the Philippines is just okay, but not that grand to actually crave into.

however, for tonight it was something different. the menu list is helpful as it had pictures of cute little chilis beside the name of the menu to guide the picker as to how "hot" the food is. 1 little chili for mild, 2 little chilis for moderate and 3 little chilis for above average hotness... hehe. we had soup for starters. i don't remember the thai name for the soup that i had. but it is a clear soup with prawns, mushrooms, asparagus, bell peppers and brocolli. no chili please! =) it was good! as i finish it up, i can't believe i was able to eat something with garlic! hihi. yep, it has garlic also, but i only notice (and tasted) it at the last portion after i have devoured the rest of the stuffs in the soup. hehe.

for the main menu, we had a seafood grill of all sorts... prawns, lobster, hammour and other types of fishes with butter and lemon sauce and a chili sauce, to choose from. we also had seafood fried rice on the side and mixed veggies to go along with the seafood feast. of course, we ordered a bottle of red wine to go with the carbos. i had a few sips so little baby was kinda tipsy that made him behaved while mommy do some socializing. hihi. overall, the food was just great and the chit-chat was not so bad as well! =)

jhen's hubby, jasper, is on land at this moment (he's usually out in the sea to work, hehe). jhen and i decided to have dinner at home so jasper and marvin could have a little chat before jasper went out to his waterworld again. =)

anyway, for dinner, i prepared my ever delicious caldereta and "laing". it was my first time to cook "laing" (taro leaves) and it wasn't so bad huh! i also invited elyn and josie to come over, so aside from being tonight as jasper and marvn's chat session, it was also a chat session for me and my future "kumare's". yep, the three of them will be my son's godmothers here in UAE being the closest friends that i have on this side of the planet.

elyn also baked scrumptious cassava cake. it was her first time to do some baking and it turned out great already. may future huh! hehe...

the day ended past 12 midnight already. though everyone's still on the mood to chat, we decided to call the day off since some still have work tomorrow. everybody went home with a smile though. sarap chumika talaga in the company of friends! hehe.