It's been 3 years.
10 years ago
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? =)
Monday, March 31, 2008
i felt so accomplished today. medyo marami na rin akong natatapos for Lance birthday ek-eks... hehe.
1. AVP - i have finished one of Lance's AVP! i am still working on his photo slides AVP though. so happy ako sa background music ng first AVP ko. not your typical AVP song at sobrang swak for a birthday. :) here's the link for the video: Lance the Great. i'd like to thank one of my GT sis (sis muahmuahmuah - so apt diba?) for sharing this song title and artist with me.
1. AVP - i have finished one of Lance's AVP! i am still working on his photo slides AVP though. so happy ako sa background music ng first AVP ko. not your typical AVP song at sobrang swak for a birthday. :) here's the link for the video: Lance the Great. i'd like to thank one of my GT sis (sis muahmuahmuah - so apt diba?) for sharing this song title and artist with me.
2. Cake - i have ordered a 30x40, 2 inches chocolate-vanilla cake from La Bagette in Khalidiya. i gave them my theme and small M&M figurines to use. i hope they make something special, beautiful and yummy out of it. hehe.
3. Invites - printed and distributed. yep, i distributed the last pieces of invitations last night for the GFC folks.
4. Lootbags & Souvenirs - all filled up and tagged. awaiting for distribution na lang on the day itself. =)
5. Outfits - i was able to buy a reddish-orange shirt for me already. yun nga lang, yung celebrant wala pa. =( hindi kasi bagay sa kanya ang dark green. i saw one lime green shirt in Mothercare the other day however his size is not available already. hay, nakakainis! ganda pa naman.
so far, so good na rin naman with the latest updates. what i haven't finalized still are the food and decorations. however, i will be meeting sis mitch for the tarp (which hopefully i could get na) and sis gihan for the food tonight. then i'll buy folder for the coloring books and finish this DIY project. i'll try to squeeze in to buy the transparent balloon this week and also have my haircut, syempre. haha. i'll probably go over the venue area this weekend, too.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
it's been awhile and i guess, i owe my readers (if i have one...hehe) some update on how the birthday preparation for my son's birthday is coming along. i barely have 2 more weeks and i still have lots of things to do. cramming na talaga ito! hahaha!
1. Venue - Al Muhairy Center it is. i have paid the reservation already but i still plan to visit the venue a few days before the party to make sure that my piñata, balloon burst, tarp and program will be accommodated. the AVP is 80% done. i just need to add a background music and save the font files used in it. the problem is, i haven't edited the music pa. gosh. i am also waiting for a surprise video clip from my friend nina. hopefully she can get me one (crossing my fingers, hehe).
1. Venue - Al Muhairy Center it is. i have paid the reservation already but i still plan to visit the venue a few days before the party to make sure that my piñata, balloon burst, tarp and program will be accommodated. the AVP is 80% done. i just need to add a background music and save the font files used in it. the problem is, i haven't edited the music pa. gosh. i am also waiting for a surprise video clip from my friend nina. hopefully she can get me one (crossing my fingers, hehe).
2. Decorations - my tarp hasn't been printed yet. i'm still waiting for mitch to come back from UK. sigh. the mere fact that i am just waiting ay nakaka-strees na huh! hopefully she won't leave me hanging in mid-air. i also need to check out balloon sticks for the kids. i might add some if the budget permits. i am wishing i could have balloon pillars and baloonderitas as well. DIY???!! kaya kaya ng powers ko yun?
3. Food - no food provider yet. we still need to decide whether to get a caterer or have someone cook for us. in short, it all depends on the budget! ngehehe. we have shortlisted our supplier between a pinoy cook and a chinese cook. haha.
for the cake... no final supplier for this yet. the toppers i still need to clean it this weekend. we are still to attend another birthday get-together to taste one confectinery's product. =)
as for the chocolate fountain... well, we have tested and tasted it! hihi. so far, so good. i also have the serving bowls for the fruits already. shortlisted the fruit choices to be: kiwi, melon, grapes and strawberry. yummy noh??! =) however, a fellow mom suggested that addition of cocoa butter substitute (CBS) will do wonders in preventing the chocolate to solidify again. the problem is, i dunno where to get that here in UAE. waah!!!!!!
as for my plates... i have bought yellow, blue and red disposable plates already but these are the small ones. i'm not happy with it. =( i wanted something bigger. i need to check out other stores for that as well as for red spoons that is not available in Carrefour. however my cups, fruit picks and other colored cutleries are complete.
4. Invitation, Gift Tags - this is the tricky part. i haven't done it yet! the venue provided me with invitation cards but it's not a personalized one. the layout that i made was not yet put into printed copies. however, the softcopy is for sending out today. i was able to print out some tags but still not finish. even marvin helped with the cutting of the M's. hehe.
5. Games & Prizes - yippee! i'm done with my piñata and i now have the glass jar for my guessing game. i need to cut one more M and put double-sided tapes on my "Pin the M" game accessories pa. hay. i have bought small balloons and a manual pump for my balloon burst DIY project. however, i still need to buy a big clear balloon and curling ribbons. got the balloon burst ideas from my GT sisters. thanks!!!
my M piñata
with the balloon shaper still intact. at the moment, i have popped the balloon already and filled it with goodies.
DIY'd m&m magnets - i will add this up to my prizes goodies.
6. Music - i tried to burn the selected songs but it's too late to know that the first song is faulty. kainis! nasayang tuloy yung blank CD. i will try to download a good file of the first song and then burn another dance music CD.
7. Lootbag / Give-aways - my lootbag and give-away items are complete already! i still need to fill it up with goodies though and finish putting tags on them. the give-away items are salt/pepper shakers that come in four (4) colors. i will fill it up with m&m chocolates inside. here are the snapshots of my DIY items:
the m&m pouch bags...
our give-away... the m&m shakers...
the empty shakers @ front view - showing the 1st tag
the empty shakers @ front view, showing the 2nd tag
an empty shaker up close, showing the 2nd tag
8. Outfits - marvin now have his blue polo shirt for the party. who says i can't make him wear this color??! haha. eh Gap ba naman yung tatak eh. anyway, we'll shop for lance and my outfit this week. lance will wera something green and i will have the red color. sabi ko nga, kay ate bel yung yellow color eh. hihi.
Friday, March 07, 2008
i was promised that marvin will allot time to listen to my sentiments that is why i have headed my pride, speak to him and somehow agreed to go to dubai with my cousins. somewhere along the way, i felt that i was mislead. anyway, i had to go with the music and pretend to be enjoying the day. magaling na akong pretender ngayon eh. i can usually get away with it.
we left abu dhabi at 9AM and reached dubai at 11AM. sunduan pa, ayun tinanghali tuloy. sigh. i know it'll be like the old days wherein i had to force myself to smile for people around me.
we were able to reach Ras Al Kaimah's Dreamland Aquapark past 1 PM. the resort was like Wild Wadi but bigger. however, i rate it second best to the latter because the water in this park is quite cold. Wild Wadi's water is lukewarm. due to this cold water (even in children's pool!), lance wasn't able to enjoy the trip much. patingin-tingin lang siya. wawa nga eh.
here are some photos taken at the site:
the gang... kheigh's not here coz she's the one who took the photo
hanggang sa picture-an, nagkukulitan pa rin
yiippee!!! umayos din! hehe
Thursday, March 06, 2008
a long time ago, i was one of those who claimed the ever famous phrase, "alone but not lonely". this time it's different... i am not alone but i feel so lonely. how ironic!!! yeah, yeah, so i like the I'm So Lonely rendition of Alvin and the Chipmunks but who says i want to sing it???!!!
i feel so lonely because for the first time in my life, those whom i used to confide my innermost feelings and who are genuinely listening has moved on with their lives. my mom, some very close friends...
i feel so lonely because the person whom i expect to be sincerely concern just wouldn't want to listen. couldn't even stand to listen.
i feel so lonely because i am now inactive in doing the things that used to be my outlet for venting out.
sigh. life. i guess, i am best left alone with all my hurts and grudges or else the whole world becomes as dim as my world. right now, i am just a floating person trying to be present in the real world, struggling to remain in the surface yet slowly drowning. my responsibilities are creeping to my consciousness. telling me to stay. so i am physically staying, though my mind is somewhere else and my heart longs for a home.
i feel so lonely because for the first time in my life, those whom i used to confide my innermost feelings and who are genuinely listening has moved on with their lives. my mom, some very close friends...
i feel so lonely because the person whom i expect to be sincerely concern just wouldn't want to listen. couldn't even stand to listen.
i feel so lonely because i am now inactive in doing the things that used to be my outlet for venting out.
sigh. life. i guess, i am best left alone with all my hurts and grudges or else the whole world becomes as dim as my world. right now, i am just a floating person trying to be present in the real world, struggling to remain in the surface yet slowly drowning. my responsibilities are creeping to my consciousness. telling me to stay. so i am physically staying, though my mind is somewhere else and my heart longs for a home.
;;
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