It's been 3 years.
9 years ago
Friday, February 29, 2008
we were supposed to go to Dubai today but marvin failed to get a rent-a-car vehicle that's why the original itinerary was cancelled. my cousin and aunt, together with a friend, opted to travel to Abu Dhabi instead so that we all could go to Lulu Island together.
they arrived sometime after lunch but before we headed for the island, we had our lunch consisting of fried chicken and adobong squid. doing this, we only have to bring snack which is composed of a medium-sized pizza, the super-yummy special cassava cake* that i baked, a bottle of cola and water to drink.
we headed off to the island around 4 pm. taxi fare cost us 6.50 AED from our home to the boat ride station. the travel by boat lasted for only about 10 minutes. nope, no fare was collected for the boat ride. even babies were allowed to board alongside with their strollers (sayang nga eh, we could have brought Lance's stroller. anyway, there's always a next time). lifejackets were provided for all the passengers during the course of the trip.
when we have reached the destination, a ticket booth can be found right after getting off the boat. the entrance fee for the resort is only 15 aed per person (children excluded), which includes a ride to and from the main gate to where you wanted to get off. bus stops and canopies are strategically located on the island. you have to tell the driver where you wanted to get off! aside from a bus, a train ride can also be availed of for 5 AED per person. like the bus counterpart, the train will also tour around the whole island.
they arrived sometime after lunch but before we headed for the island, we had our lunch consisting of fried chicken and adobong squid. doing this, we only have to bring snack which is composed of a medium-sized pizza, the super-yummy special cassava cake* that i baked, a bottle of cola and water to drink.
we headed off to the island around 4 pm. taxi fare cost us 6.50 AED from our home to the boat ride station. the travel by boat lasted for only about 10 minutes. nope, no fare was collected for the boat ride. even babies were allowed to board alongside with their strollers (sayang nga eh, we could have brought Lance's stroller. anyway, there's always a next time). lifejackets were provided for all the passengers during the course of the trip.
when we have reached the destination, a ticket booth can be found right after getting off the boat. the entrance fee for the resort is only 15 aed per person (children excluded), which includes a ride to and from the main gate to where you wanted to get off. bus stops and canopies are strategically located on the island. you have to tell the driver where you wanted to get off! aside from a bus, a train ride can also be availed of for 5 AED per person. like the bus counterpart, the train will also tour around the whole island.
in our case, we decided to get off in the pool area. interestingly, lifeguards are also within the vicinity to oversee the tourists. the water in the pool is clean enough (hehe) and the temperature is controlled. if it hasn't been a chilly afternoon, we surely had a dip. yun nga lang, it's freezing still kaya picture-picture na lang muna. hehe.
here are some of the pictures taken during our short but fun weekend escapade.
here are some of the pictures taken during our short but fun weekend escapade.
mga turista sa sariling lungga
the girls
mga babae sa batuhan 1
mga babae sa batuhan 2
man-made island at the back
katatapos lang maglaba...hehe
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
i am having terrible headaches and eye discomforts lately. i haven't been able to see an eye specialist yet kasi tinatamad ako and honestly, a bit scared. anyhow, i have been to the driving license office and i was not allowed to open a file for driving license due to uncorrected eyesight. hay. that means, i really need to see an eye doctor. i had no choice but to convince myself to see one as soon as possible.
on the contrary, life's been the same as usual. work-home-work routine. i sleep late, yet still wake up in the middle of the night to cuddle lance, i still eat a lot, still loveless, still envious for those that gets a church wedding, still undecided whether to help somebody who doesn't deserve helping, still bitter to those who have hurt me, still regretful for people i let go but shouldn't have, still suffering for holding on to someone who should be set free, still blaming myself for someone else's unfulfilled dreams, still lonely, still bored, tired yet still fighting, still daydreaming, still afraid, still hoping for happy endings, still believing that fairytales do happen... to some folks but unluckily not for me, still wishing to find unexpected happiness, still being still.
Friday, February 15, 2008
we went out and had dinner in Talay, a Thai resto inside Le Meridien Hotel. we had a sumptuous dinner actually and the evening was breezy. it was a family affair and everyone behaved well. marvin shelled some prawns for me and helped me disengaged the lobster's meat. yeah, yeah, so the food was great. i love seafood and we were seated right next to the sea. so that makes the food and ambiance goes together.
after an hour of eating and being so fat (the bill and us!), we paid the bill of 730 aed (PhP 8,000+!!!!) and headed for home. yeah, we need to rest as we have spent more than we should for a month. haha. anyway, once in awhile lang naman yung ganitong pagkakataon. i guess, this is his post-valentine's treat. okay na sana eh. if not for being so masungit when we were watching TV. hmp.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
yep, it's valentine's day. it is something being celebrated here in the UAE by expats, including pinoys. as for me... well, i spent my valentine's day at work. i was in the office til 8 PM because i still have an equipment installation going on. actually, the supposedly Thai resto dinner is not something i'm looking forward to. honestly, i don't look forward to valentine's day anymore.
the day's been busy and gloomy. one thing that made a difference lang is a friendster message from a long lost friend who never fails to remind me to take care and take it easy at work. buti pa siya, kahit hindi nya nakikita physically how hard i work, alam nya how i devote my energy at my job. i missed my friend. i missed being called "dear". i missed being reminded to smile.wala lang. happy valentines sa lahat ng inspired.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
i am not fond of yoghurt... well, not until today??!! i tried to eat it twice on separate occassions long way back but both attempts failed to get me hook into it. then marvin get hooked on it lately and he used to give me a spoonful or two each time he consumes one. now, i am infected with the yoghurt madness!!! hahaha. now, yoghurt becomes a part of our grocery trolley. even lance gets his own yoghurt for kids! =) i like the layered fruit yoghurt. i am having one right now with blueberry. yummy!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
i made a few changes on my Save the Date card layout as suggested by a co-forumer. :) lance's picture used to be a watermark but now, i had it pasted as normal. it looked better, i may say. if i run out of time, i plan to have the save the date cards be used as invites. ngi! tinamad! hahaha. anyhow, i've been working now on his AVP and i have made the M&M stickers for the envelopes, too. Last night, i also tried to bake the M&M cookies i found over the internet and it tasted so good! hehehe. i might make it as pica-pica stuff. i also started on the first layer of my pinata. i used the spoiled baking flour as paste. may silbi rin! hehe.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
despite having no nanny for 5 days, i'm proud of my first accomplishment amidst taking care of Lance and his dad. yeah, yeah... para akong may 2 anak when they are together. both needs to be fed on time, watch out for and iligpit ang lahat ng kinakalat nila! ooopps! na-a-out of topic na ako..hehe.
going back on track... as for the birthday preps, i was able to make two layouts! one's for the save the date cards and the other's for the tarpaulin. the save the date cards will have soft- and hardcopies. softcopies are for those with emails and outside the emirate (para tipid! hehe) and hardcopies for those who are located here in abu dhabi and primitive (meaning walang emails...hehe). i plan to have the save the date cards printed on 3R size photopapers then seal in red/blue/green envelopes with an "m" self-made stickers para ma-emphasize yung theme. as for the tarp, i am not sure how big it will turn out but based on my layout, less than 5 ft wide lang ito. i tried to make a 5ft wide tarpaulin but the M&M graphics i was able to download were not high-resolution enough. hay.
by the way, the save the date cards has 4 pm as timing nga pala because marvin prefers that time instead of 8pm. that i still have to arrange with the venue folks if it's still possible to change. hopefully i can have it change this week or else, ulet na naman ako! hehe. anyway, all's well that end's well so just view my accomplishments' snapshots below. =)
save the date card front 1
save the date card front 2
save the date card back
tarpaulin layout
Thursday, February 07, 2008
a few more days to go and it'll be my baby's first birthday. hectic nga eh at wala pa akong accomplishment besides conceptualization on how it'll be celebrated. anyhow, as for the plans here goes:
1. Venue : Al Muhairy Center (tentative). i had it pencilbooked on April 10th between 8-11 pm. the other schedule's 4-7 pm and considering that it's a workday for some, i deemed it'll be better if we'll have it on a later time. the advantage of this venue is that there would be no need for fuss on decorations anymore as the place is prep up already. a plus, is the availability of a projector and a widescreen excellent for an AVP.
2. Decorations : i might add a few balloons to suit my theme. a few red, blue and green balloons would do. i inquired from a balloon shop and it'll be 4 aed/pc. i might ask other shops for a cheaper find. i miss balloon pillars... sigh.
3. Food : i might have it catered. i don't have anyone on mind yet as to from whom. but i'll surely have a chocolate fountain and a chocolate cake! the choco fountain supplier i still have to get from mitch and the chocolate cake... hmm, i might bake one nalang as what my hubby suggested. if i find the guts to do this, i'll just put the M&M characters na lang that i bought online as toppers. hahaha. astig! however, i dunno how to make the icing wording nga pala... need ko yata mag-crash course on cake decoration pa. hehe. perhaps, to make my life easier and my guests lives safer, i'll have to order a cake from Ms J na lang. hihi. lastly, i need to buy red, blue and green paper plates and colored cutleries to go with them pa pala!
4. Invitation:
- save the date - i have a layout already and some wordings to go with it. am not sure yet kung okay na yun. anyhow, ito na yung final layout talaga. the back would say:
Melt or roll, run or crawl
Please grace Lance Ralen's
1st Birthday and go out of control!
Have your party hats readyFor it'll be a fun M&M's party
for our little baby!
- invitation - no layout yet. i might go with M&M cut-outs and printed photo of Lance to go with it. DIY lang.
- note card / gift tags - no lay out yet. however, it'll have the same contents as the invites na lang siguro.
5. Banner & Tarp : i have no layout yet. i am now working on the tarp, however i couldn't find a high resolution M&M clip art over the net!! grrr... i was able to crop out Lance's photo though and had it positioned on a 5x3 feet blank sheet. thank God for PhotoImpact! as for the banner, i am thinking of making a welcome banner which has Lance's 12 months' pictures. i have spoken to Mitch regarding her friend who's willing to print this out. hay, heaven sent talaga!
6. AVP : yep, i should do this! sayang naman yung venue kung wala nito. nope, wala pa akong nagagawa. perhaps, i'll make one in powerpoint na lang since i'm cramming already.
7. Games : Bingo, Guess How Many M&M's inside?, Pin the Tail on an M, and Dress Me Up! i need to make the M&M for pinning and have ate bel make the M costume pa! pressure!!!! i have 6 types of prizes for giving, although i secretly want to keep one. hehe.
8. Music : I'll have Lance's favorite CD played na lang siguro... hehehe. though i have downloaded some dance songs as well courtesy of Limewire. i still have to streamline the song lineup and have it burned on a CD. cramming!!!
9. Loot bag/Souvenir: i might have an M&M bag na lang filled with goodies for the kids. then for adults, i'll have shot glasses with M&Ms. for the loot bags, it would be nice to have M&M coloring book sana inside each bag but i couldn't find a downloadable print over the net. kainis!
10. Outfits : we don't have yet for now. pero it'll be nice if we could get a blue colored shirt for marvin, green for lance and red for me, just like our M&M characters. hehehe.
hopefully, i would be able to pull this off! iba na ang OC mom! hehehe.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
marvin called around 8:30 pm and invited me to go out. he said he wanted to unwind and suggested we go to Tambayan and have a few drinks. straight from work, he fetched me around 9:00 pm and off we went to the bar to chill out. while on our way, he said "see how small my world here in UAE is. i only have two friends at ikaw pa yung isa". of course, it's just a description but it did make me laughed. somehow, it's nice to know that at least, i am one of his friends and in times like unwinding, i get on the list to be invited. after two hours, 2 bottles of beer for him and a rum for me over a platter of calamares and fries, we headed for home and went fast asleep.
;;
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