It's been 3 years.
9 years ago
Monday, April 28, 2008
michelle threw out a post-birthday dinner in Chillis Khalidiya with me included in her guest list. =) of course, nandun din si jihan and jeff, the sparing partners sa kalokohan. hihi. anyhow, it was a night of kwentuhan to the max. what's nice with Chillis kasi, the staff sings a birthday song to the celebrant with matching candle lighted on a small birthday cake. hmm... that gives me an idea... hehe.
i went home around 11PM and only then that marvin discovered that i was outside. nauna kasi siyang umuwi kaya nahuli ako! harharhar. kala nya siya lang may karapatang gumimik huh! hehehe. somehow it is relieving to have friends who reminds you that life is good. =) thanks guys for the wonderful night and happy birthday again mitch! mwah!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
yep, i have an issue right here and it's making my head go nuts!
i just couldn't find the right answer to my archiving problem. huhu. i found some html codes regarding collapsing and hiding posts but i couldn't find one that will specifically solve my template requirement. naiinis na talaga ako huh!^&%^((#%
i was able to hide and show the archiving portion but it hide and shows the entire archive!! aarhhg!!! ano ba yan!!! anyway, better than nothing. pero hindi ko pa rin tatantanan ito. grr ulet...
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
when does my heart goes soft?
- when i hear lance's chuckles
- when i see lance's smiles
- when i see lance crawling towards his dad
- when i watch lance and his dad sleep --- with his dad embracing him or lance embracing his dad or when they embrace each other =)
- when i see lance and his dad cuddle in the couch together with lance rocking his dad's tummy
- when lance kisses his daddy or daddy kisses lance
- when lance calls his daddy
- when lance bites his daddy (and his daddy couldn't complain, hehe)
napakalambing ng baby ko. hehe. mana sa mommy nya talaga.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
the story below recaps Lance's M&M-themed first birthday party. i also included the cash involve as well as pogi and not-so-pogi points of each. hehe. the party was not glitch-proof. marami pa ring bagay that i wished i could have done. but then again, marami pa namang parties to organize and practice makes perfect. =)
ang mag-mommy, before the party starts
1. Venue : Fun World, Al Muhairy Center
Cash Outlay: 500 AED for 3 hours
+ they provided the sound system and projector system
+ the party hall was prepped up already with banderitas therefore minor decorating nalang talaga.
+ they also provided a host for the party and 2 helpers who assisted us with all the set-up and whatever things we might need
+ mascot appearance, by the name of Dooby, was also included
+ they provided me with a long thread and helped me set-up my piñata
+ they're a blessing because they provided me with a pampalo for the pinata and at the same time, the pin for my balloon burst. take note, the pampalo was also nicely covered pa huh! hehe. so, winner talaga!
+ they have microwave in their kitchen and they melted my chocolates for the fountains
+ they gave us a musical candle (which the cake provider forgot to include) that is also blue in color!
+ eventhough i only came to speak to the host that same day, she was able to carry out the games i prepared
- the customer service personnel sucks. i went to the venue a day before to discuss with them my party programme but she said that it's not allowed that i have a program of my own and that the host can only stay for 30 minutes
- they did not give the special gift for the birthday celebrant (and i forgot to remind them!)
- sinunog nila yung white chocolate ko for my chocolate fountain. sigh.
- their PC cannot play Windows Media Player file therefore we have to bring our laptop to play the video file that i made
- they did not have the additional games that is originally on their own programme, played by the kids
lance, pasting the greeting in his welcome board
lance and mommy
lance, daddy and mommy on stage
the stage
Dooby, the mascot, with lance looking
Dooby, the mascot, greeting the guests
Family picture with Dooby
2. Food : Montreal Catering & Me!
A. Montreal catering
Cash Outlay : 920 AED + tip
Menu : Beef BBQ, Sweet Chilly Chicken, Chopsuey, Palabok, Sweet & Sour Fish Fillet, Calamares, Chicken Corn Soup
+ they were prompt and were able to set-up the food table in time
+ they provided chafing dishes to keep the food warm and serving spoons. although the warmer cannot keep up with the temperature of the party hall
- not all the food were excellent (palabok) however, the beef, chicken and fresh lumpia were excellent for its price.
B. Myleen's Dishes
Cash Outlay : Was not able to track, hehe. maybe around 300 AED
Menu : Spaghetti, Cassava Cake, Chocolate Fountain with fruits, mallows and Stick-O as dips
+ labor of love
- i forgot to take the cassava cake out of the fridge kaya nung dinala sa venue ay matigas, hehe
- ngarag ako especially the night before since i have to make the cassava cake in advance
- hindi ako nakapag-blower ng hair ko because i am still making the spaghetti a few hours before the party
- we forgot to buy the drinks! naalala lang namin during the party na. hehe.
- we only got to serve the dark chocolate kasi nasunog yung white chocolate during the melt inside the microwave
the chocolate fountain
the M&M-colored utensils
3. Cake: La Baguette Catering
Cash Outlay : 300 AED
+ they were able to leave up to my expectation with the taste and the look
+ the cake's so big and tasty. sweetness is just right.
+ a 30x40cm cake with 3 inches height (minus the icing pa yun huh!), so it's really a huge cake!
- they did not provide the candle which they promised they would
- we had to pick up the cake from their bakeshop since their driver left the party hall when there was no one to meet him
M&M Cake
lance so amazed with the light from the birthday candle
cake-cutting with daddy & mommy
Yummy ng cake ko ah! - lance
4. Pouch bags : DIY (c/o ate bel)
Cash Outlay : Approx. 50 AED
i am the brainchild of the design but ate bel executed the stitching. =) the children loved it.
the pouches
the pouches with tags
5. Pouch bag contents : Carrefour, True Value, Emirates General Market, Abu Dhabi Co-op
Cash Outlay : Approx. 100 AED
candies, bubble gum, pencil, eraser, M&M chocolates, toy car, sharpener, hair accesories, color
boys' pouches & contents
girls' pouches & contents
6. Coloring Book Give-Away : DIY (mai)
Cash Outlay : Approx. 35 AED
the M&M pages were printed online as a downloadable file. i just xeroxed a few copies and made a personalized cover.
some of the sheets were printed & xeroxed sa aming paaralan. hehe.
the M&M coloring books
7. the tarpaulin : courtesy of michelle
Cash Outlay : Freebie pero may kahalong stress sa paghihintay? hehe
this is the first party item that i designed. however, i was able to get the finish printed product from michelle, a week before the party and lance destroyed it a few minutes after i received it. buti na lang, the smudge is not that visible... sa bulag. haha. we still hung the tarp sa isang side ng hall.
- the tarp was not water or saliva-proof. therefore when lance saw his photo, ayun natuwa at binugahan ng laway nya. with that, his face dun sa tarp ay nagka-damage.
Cash Outlay : Freebie pero may kahalong stress sa paghihintay? hehe
this is the first party item that i designed. however, i was able to get the finish printed product from michelle, a week before the party and lance destroyed it a few minutes after i received it. buti na lang, the smudge is not that visible... sa bulag. haha. we still hung the tarp sa isang side ng hall.
- the tarp was not water or saliva-proof. therefore when lance saw his photo, ayun natuwa at binugahan ng laway nya. with that, his face dun sa tarp ay nagka-damage.
family picture with the tarpaulin behind
8. Games : Pin The M on M&M, Dress 'M Up, M&M Treasure Hunt, Balloon Burst, Pinata (all DIYs! by Mai, Ate Bel and some friends)
Cash Outlay : 100 AED (?).. not tracked actually
i have to make the game pataphernalias as early as 2 months early because the pinata has to be dried every layer, the M&M circles has to be cut and intricately glued. ate bel stitched the M&M costume, a week before and the balloon burst i have to make it a day before
+ my games were still based on my theme
+ the adults have a good time also. even the audience have fun watching the players! hehe
- i was not able to have all the games that i prepared played (Guess How Many M's & Bingo)
the young-at-hearts waiting for the Dress 'M Up game instruction
busy sa pagsuot ng M&M costume
fixing the M&M shoes
kaya mo yan...hehe
the great piñata
piñata bursting with bulilit #1
piñata bursting with bulilit #2 with Sree looking
piñata bursting with bulilit #3
agawan na 'to!!!
si lance, nakikiagaw
pin the M on M&M
9. Souvenirs : M&M Salt & Pepper Shakers (DIY ni mommy mai!)
Cash Outlay : Approx. 100 AED (shakers @ 1.50 aed/pc, M&M packs @ 5aed/pack, tag)
+ i got inquiries where i bought the shakers (both from online GT forumers and from the guests)+ i got numerous comments as to where i got the idea, galing ko daw at ang cute daw talaga ng give-aways. hehe
10. Photos : c/o Jihan and Jeff
Cash Outlay : Freebie, labor of love ni Jihan & Jeff
Great friends, so helpful, so supportive, so talented... need i say more? hehe
11. AVP : DIY (mai)
Cash Outlay : Labor of Love
the photo slides have "With A Smile" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" as music background while the video has "My Wish" as background. i say, both were fantastic because it has my baby boy as bida. hihi.
12. Balloons : DIY (mai & friends)
Cash Outlay : Approx. 50 AED
bought the balloons at 8AED/pack of color while the manual pump costs around 12AED. the water balloons is around 5AED/pack.
+ i have great friends who helped in inflating the balloons (thanks Ellen and her BF Rayos!)
+ all the pillars & centerpieces took less than 45 minutes to construct
+ the single balloon burst took around an hour to build! grabe, ang effort namin dito huh. hehe.
- it was difficult to transport the balloons. this should have been done on the venue na pala. hehe. anyway, there's always a next time.
- some of the balloons popped during tranport. no time to fix anymore at the venue.
- the pillars were supposed to be identical, but the balloon on one of its top burst that night palang. so, i was left with no choice but to use other color.
- we forgot the table centerpieces at home! hahaha.
- we forgot the table centerpieces at home! hahaha.
the balloon burst
the centerpieces
the pillars
13. Prizes : DIY and some bought from Ebay
Cash Outlay: Approx. 200AED ($45 from Ebay)
i cannot say much but i hope that the kids loved the prizes that they received. not much, but i made it an effort to look for M&M stuffs online.
14. Outfits : Giordano, Red Tag, Baby Shop
Cash Outlay: Approx. 300 AED
marvin changed his mind about the shirt to wear. instead of wearing the Gap shirt we bought, he opted for something lighter instead, his Giordano light blue shirt na lang daw. the celebrant wore a lime green colored shirt and polo. the incredible mommy wore a fuschia pink shirt. =)
15. Guests
the guests were not that many as i expected. however, i still have wonderful guests who are so understanding and participative. =)
the list goes as: Genteroy family, Jihan, Jeff, Rowena and her 2 kids, Ate Emma and her family, Kathy, God's Flock Choir (Shirley, Dennis, Neneth, Bong, etc), Dante and family, Sree, Jalil and wifey, Jovy and Miggy. too bad nga lang, we forgot to take photos of each guest or at least a photo per table. sobrang busy kami with everything kaya na-missed naming gawin ito (or busy sa pakikipag-chikahan si sis jihan kaya hindi kami nakuhanan ng pic?? hahaha).
my officemates & their kids
the great couple
our neighbor, ate emma and her family
the other invited guests just sent their gifts instead. okay lang din. hehe. too bad nga lang that jay-jay, jovy's bunso and lance's bestfriend, was sick that day so he missed the fun.
here are some gifts that lance received:
the party at Al Muhairy Center ended at 7PM. we still have some visitors at home, tess and some Circle of Hands choir members and my second cousin kuya tony. marvin and the boys continued the celebration infront of some alcohol and finished up at 3 AM. do fathers always need to have a post-celebration ceremony. haha.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
i don't know why i am always misunderstood. i don't know why he just couldn't get it that once trust, my trust, is broken it will take more efforts than winning it the first time. but i couldn't make him understand that because for him, his actions or his thinking are more acceptable than mine. i will never ever feel guilty or sorry. why should i? hindi naman ako ang may kasalanan in the first place. hindi naman ako ang sumira sa usapan... at lalong hindi naman ako ang paulit-ulit na nagkakamali. duh... go to hell or to where he wants to be. the nerve to cursed my kid pa. why not cursed his daughter and his long-lost love interest!!! gggrrr....... i know i will never be at peace not until one of us will be let go of forever. when will he get that???!!!
sigh, ang energy ko nasasayang na naman. anyhow, the day's gonna be long and busy. i have my driving class in the evening which actually started last night and i also have to pick up lance's tarpaulin later on from mitch. one stress gone! hehe. one good thing that's worth looking forward today. =) thanks so much, mitch! asan na pasalubong from UK? =)
;;
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