highschool musical ice tour

High School Musical is loved by our kiddos. We had the chance to watch the Ice Tour at the Big Dome last weekend. Kyle had so much fun. He enjoyed both the music and performance. I guess he's amazed how the artist danced, twisted, and rolled up & down in their ice skates. Truly amazing!
I remembered when my little boy was younger, we'd watch Disney on Ice on Decembers with my parents & siblings. We don't have so much money nor extra cash to splurge for the show so we'd end up getting upper box seats. The Disney characters were so so little from where we were seated. I would end up letting Kyle sit/ stand on my lap for him to be able to better view the show. I remembered saying " promise baby, next time will get the seat in front so you can see Mickey Mouse and kiss him".


I'm happy that I am able to bring Kyle to Araneta Coliseum these days, and watch amazing performances, from concerts, musicals to ice tours. This time, with better seats and with Daddy Jp with us. It may not be the front row seats yet but hopefully in the near future, we'd be able to kiss Mickey & Minnie and be able to watch him up close & personal :)

Kyle and his program souvenir

Late dinner at Pancake House after the show. with my mother in law.

Books & Sunday Cooking

Kyle loves Geronimo Stilton books. He always ask us to buy him one as a prize/gift whenever he gets good grades in school. I'm glad that my little boy's school encourages their students to read books too. The school usually have Book Fairs and Kyle's always excited about this :)


I am excited about this novel.I so want a copy of this book but it was out of stock in Powerbooks or Fully Booked most of the time. Husband bought me The Time Traveler's Wife book last Friday. Thanks! thanks! :) Oh, I learned that there's a movie coming out on December 2008. I'm excited! I hope I can start reading this weekend. :)

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Sunday cooking at home. Ilocano food is really good. I tried making my own version of "dinakdakan". A famous Ilocano dish. This is grilled pork meat marinated in mayo dressing and garnished with lotsa onions and chillies! Genuine Ilocanos usually use pig's brain for marinade but I don't think my husband can handle that. :D My papa taught me to substitute that ingredient with mayo. It tastes good too! Gerry's Grill I think included this in their menu recently.

All-time favorite Ilocano Pakbet. One of the few veggie dishes that my husband loves. It's been months since I last went home to Ilocos. If there's one thing that I miss about the place apart from my family & friends - is Ilocano Food. I miss Ilocos empanada ,bagnet and garlic longganisa from Batac. I miss adobo bagbagis from San Nicolas. I miss kaldo from Mg Opring's kubo beside our house. I miss Dawang's dinuguan and sarabasab. I miss native bibingka from Marsha's Vigan. I miss that special homemade tupig that my mom orders from an old lady in Currimao. I miss inartem. I miss that bbq and isaw that me & my brothers buy in Badoc town every afternoon.I miss our neighbor's kilawin. I miss my mama's igado and kaldereta. Oh food! Naimas latta! :P

Paradise in Palawan

"A tropical Shangri-la nestled upon a coral jewel set amidst Palawan’s sparkling turquoise waters. Comely and idyllic, this island resort is a perfect hideaway for those who seek both relaxation and discovery. Club Paradise is on Dimakya Island, Municipality of Coron. A part of the Calamian Group of Islands, it is situated at the Northern tip of Palawan, the Philippine’s last frontier. Where possibilities are blissful, endearing and endless." - Club Paradise

Our trip to Palawan was planned about 3/4 months ago.We gotta get a breather:D For "alone time", to relax, perhaps recharge and to have some time off from our work:) We invited my husband's cousin Bambi & girlfriend Ria to join us. We had the best time of our lives!
Upon arrival, we were greeted by Ricky, the resort coordinator at the Busuangga Airport. We loaded inside this big jeepney and off we went to a lake for our boat transfer to Dimakya island, where Club Paradise is located.
We arrived at the resort an hour and a half after. The resort employees were all waiting to greet & welcome us. They were so warm & pleasing. There were only about 20 guests in the resort including the four of us already. Talk about privacy and solitude. That was it :)

They served us refreshing drinks upon arrival. The PR officer had this quick orientation. We were accompanied to our rooms thereafter. Everything else is indeed beautiful. We were served buffet meals all the time at the Kamalig restaurant. A fusion of Filipino, Asian and International cuisines were served for lunches & dinners. Really, the food were very filling & satisfying.
After lunch that Saturday, we just lazed & grilled ourselves under the beautiful sun. The weather was perfect. The sun was up and it was windy at the same time. We were able to get that perfect afternoon siesta in a far far away private island :)

We went to an island tour to Calauit early morning of Sunday to check out the Philippines' prime Safari. We were back at the island around lunchtime. Husband and I tried the Detoxification Massage at the Island Spa late afternoon. It's a combination of of swedish & shiatsu massages. It says in the spa menu that this is equivalent to an hour of strenuous exercise. It stresses out elimination of body toxins. Rejuvenating and relaxing! Perfect! They say that a good massage makes you fall asleep. Oh, husband and I fell asleep during our treatment.

We had another perfect dinner on our last night at the island. We surprised Bambi with a birthday cake and the servers sang him a birthday song too!It's his birthday the following day!:) We shared the cake to all the other guests duing dinner time. Some of the resort staffs performed during the cultural show too. The foreign guests had so much fun watching them.

It was hard to leave the island. The island is entirely perfect.There's nothing bad to say. Something that we can really recommend for couples and families to try. We were able to save so much for planning this trip really early. Just so I can share some saving tips, our plane fare to Busuangga, Palawan costs only about php3,400/person. PAL Express had this Book & Buy promo last April so we grabbed that very good deal. We had about three months to plan & save for our resort. Euro Pacific Resorts (Club Paradise & El Rio Y Mar) had this "post-summer getaway promo" for June and July.It's somehow wise to wait for resort promos like this after the summer season. It's a gamble though because these are the typhoon/rainy months already but we figured, Php4,000/person discount is really a big amount that we can save. (Oh btw, the sun was shining so bright the whole time :)) Thanks for families & friends who prayed for good weather :) Our damage was about Php20k/couple and that's already inclusive of the roundtrip airfare, land and boat transfers to the the resort, 3days/2nights seaview room accommodation, full-board meals for the 3days stay, use of all resort facilities and... having the island to ourselves since we went on an off-peak season :)

More about Club Paradise here :)

Kyle will finally meet the mountain kisses & tarsiers on his birthday :)

Calauit Wildlife Safari Tour

We had the hardest time deciding if we should take the CORON TOUR or the CALAUIT SAFARI TOUR. Ria & I wanted to see the giraffes and zebras first hand so we were able to convince our spouse to take this trip instead. :) Our tour started 7am. We still had enough time to enjoy the sumptuous buffet breakfast at the resort. Calauit Island is an hour and fifteen minutes away from Dimakya Island by boat ride. Bambi & Ria slept during the cruise while husband killed time playing PSP. I, on the other hand, enjoyed the mountains and seas while listening to my Jamie Cullum & Maroon 5 favorites :) Ricky, our service coordinator was very pleasant and smart. He told us so many stories & information about the islands surrounding the resort. He was smiling the whole time when explaining this & that. I must say, he was that passionate and sincere about what's he's doing. Admirable. It was worth the experience :) Imagine being able to feed these animals up close & personal. Parang hindi totoo :D The giraffes were so tamed. Lemuel, one of the giraffes who fondly ate all the leaves that we brought for feeding is very very big. At first, he would get the leaves that we tried to feed him and leave. Later on, we saw him sharing the leaves to the other giraffes. Gestures that will really awe you. We had the chance to feed the bearcats & porcupines too. The Calamian deers (Philippine born & raised), zebras & giraffes were freely roaming and it looks so natural & delightful. You'll fall in love with nature :) Not every Filipino knows that this safari actually exists. This, according to Mg Jun (the tour coordinator) was a project of Marcos during his term in 1970's. It's disappointing to hear though that this habitat has not been developed since then. No funds nor attention from the government I guess. As Mg Jun says, he feels sad and worried because he knows sooner or later, it's possible that the country will have to kiss goodbye to this wildlife sanctuary. :( So many stories to tell and so many photos captured. Look at the first row photo of the giraffes above. The giraffes actually do a split when trying to get food from the grounds. Yeah, they have to- for being that tall. I've learned that these giraffes are very picky with what leaves to eat. The zebras, on the other hand, eat either fresh or dried leaves. That's why the zebras are heavier and more " mataba" :) The deer's horn falls off after mating season. And apparently, they use this horns to fight against fellow deers for a doe. They have a celebrity giraffe in the Safari named Athena but unfortunately, we didn't have the chance to see her. We saw this mommy giraffe who just gave birth to a baby giraffe two weeks ago, but look how big it is already? Half day safari tour to Calauit is Php2300/person. This is inclusive of of the safari guide, boat ride from Dimakya to Calauit, safari ride, snacks & drinks. You will leave the resort around 7am and you will be back around 12nn. Just in time for another great buffet meal at Club Paradise. You can make reservations at the resort front desk upon arrival.

random weekend & monday night at home

Our friend Tricia is here so it's get together time for us girls. I wasn't that eager to go anywhere. Common it's Monday! told them to just come over at my house after dinner for dessert/ coffee. That way, I won't be guilty to leave Kyle alone on a schoolday.

Tricia brought cello's doughnuts , I have blushing cupcakes served that I bought over the weekend,Tositos & this superb cheese dip that my mom in law got from S&R. Naomi & tricia tried the leftover pasta from the boys' victory party last Sat :)

These are Naomi's pasalubong from Europe trip. She gave me 2 :) Luvet!

Friendly friends at home. It could've been a desperate housewives night at home if only everyone is married but since they're not, SATC nalang ata! :D it's so fun talking to the girls. stress free monday! we had good laughs till half past midnight. Kyle joined too but he went to bed earlier of course.

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My brother Jc gave me this for pasalubong last weekend. Ano ba? Implying something bro?! :p Sge, we'll see if this one works out. :)

About the book & author here.

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Husband & I watched Wanted with my brothers, Jc & Mico last Sunday.The film is so cool and angry! Angelina Jolie is such an idol!



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Congratulations to my husband and the team for winning 2nd place in this basketball league -that I wasn't able to support & watch religiously. Sorry babe! Kyle was there naman the whole time to cheer on my behalf :)

Saturday night at Bambi's garage! the boys' victory party :)

random dinner dates with friends

It was my friend, pinkmonster's birthday two Saturdays ago. I wasn't able to celebrate with her that day so as promised , we met up for a post birthday celebration five days after. I'm glad we did. Kaka-miss talaga! It's sad that Traffic Power didn't work out but nonetheless,we were able to start a personal friendship apart from our supposed professional relationship :)

We both love to eat so deciding where to have dinner became a little complicated because we had so & so choices in mind. We decided to eat dinner at Cyma, a greek resto in Shang. Sarap talaga ever! Opa!:)

We ordered my ever favorite roka salad. I can settle eating this alone. I love the caramelized walnuts on it. We also ordered beef steak kebabs, salmon with lemon zest and of course skolatina for dessert. We finished everything along with nearly four hours of catching up.

Happy happy birthday Aj! :)

Cyma
Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Cinema Level, EDSA cor. Shaw Blvd.
Mandaluyong City
Tel: (02) 637-3090

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I've read blogs about this quaint restaurant a couple of times already but never had to chance to try it. Our friend Hans was very eager to let us try Angel's Kitchen in Ghills. One of their clients and a family friend owns this restaurant. Pretty much, this is what my husband & I likes when trying out new places.

Ok, we noticed the people there were mostly chinitos! haha! Marielle & I could've left :D (kidding) The place is very relaxed and cozy. Food is reasonably priced (except for the dessert which I think - is very expensive at Php160/slice) & service is ok too :)

My husband ordered salpicao and tomato soup which were both very good. I ordered coffee and this chocolate dessert. My bestfriend Marielle had spicy spareribs which was really yummy & delicious!

Catching up on a Friday with college friends. Marielle, Hans with gf Rachel, Rodel, me & husband. Leejay (who btw, arrived 10,000 yrs after with his girl) :) Missing everyone!

Angel's Kitchen
57 Connecticut Street, North East Greenhills
Tel: 721-8822

Frank

I went to Zambales for a supposedly company outing/team building two Saturdays ago. It was the same weekend that typhoon Frank hit our country. Many people died and it was really sad. Our office rented half of Punta de Uian but it's frustrating that everyone ended up staying inside the rooms waiting for the haevy rain to stop. It was already raining when husband brought me to the office that morning but it became sunny when we were in Subic. The moment we arrived at the resort, it began raining. In the afternoon, electricity was out already & it rained so hard. I missed Jp & Kyle... :( Some of my officemates played outdoor even if it was raining. I, on the other hand, read my book & waited for time. I wanted the day to end and wake up the next morning and go back home to Manila.

The next morning, we still played games before lunch but decided to end early so we can leave and travel back to Manila by lunch. We were advised that it was signal no 3 already. We got stranded for more than 3 hours. bored & worried. We heard bad news here & there. Sulpicio lines ship sunk, a Dagupan bus mishap in nclex, floods everywhere in Manila, Mountaineers lost in Pundaquit (a nearby mountain from where we were staying). It was too much to learn/hear that day. I was really eager and desperate to get back home and be with my family. I arrived home past six already. I was very very tired. Husband and I heard mass, ate dinner really fast & slept. Not my typical weekend.

This photo is a view of the resort from our room. This is the only good photo of the resort that I was able to take. Punta de Uian is a nice place to go to. I still wish to go back on a summer and enjoy the place- hopefully with my family next time.

rainy sunset at Punta de Uian
(photo credit: CJCM)

It was Manila Day yesterday so it's free day for me too! Yahoo! I was able to spend so much time with my two boys. I was a full time mommy/wifey even for one day. I started really early. I woke up at 7am and headed over at AGS for the scheduled PTC. It was my first time to meet Kyle's adviser this schoolyear. My boy is the homework beadle (tasked to check if everyone in class did their homeworks). He makes me so proud. Teacher said he's super behaved & responsible in school. I really pray he remains to be like that even when he gets older.

Finished the meeting at 0830 and went back home to pick up Kyle for his Kumon Diagnostic Exam. Hubby & I decided to enroll him in Kumon class so he can divert extra time in practicing Math skills. Kumon is far from the usual tutorial centers, rather it helps children develop calculation skills without a sweat. The Diagnostic Exam is to check the child's ability & be able to determine his level and start his training from there.


I remembered checking out Kumon few years back when Kyle was still in pre-school. A friend recommended it but at that time, I wasn't that interested yet. Maybe because the little boy was doing very good academically & I felt that he didn't need it anymore. I'm excited for Kyle :) In Kumon, they will be given worksheets of 10 pages each to answer everyday at home and they will have to report at the Kumon center twice a week. The concept is most likely repetition & mastery and the vision is to be able to individually perfect the skills. Kumon offers Math & English programs only.

We went to Rustan's Supermarket after. Kyle shopped for baon :)

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Made Of Honor is really funny. Hubby & I wanted to unwind yesterday afternoon so we ran for a movie date in Eastwood. Ok pala magwatch pag weekday! There were like less than 20 people inside the cinema. There was an old couple pa nga who watched also and Jp whispered to me na when we're old like them, gusto nya we'd still go out on movie dates (blush).

The film was hilarious! It's actually a "My Bestfriend's Wedding" type of film. Patrick Dempsey (Tom) is really a prince charming. I like Michelle Monaghan's (Hannah) simple clothing style in this film. Her wedding gown is like mine except that my lace bolero is short sleeved.

A feel good movie perfect for a lazy afternoon &my dark mocha frap from starbucks :)

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What's for dinner on a Tuesday night?:)

Whole olives and sundried tomatoes in whole wheat pasta

Spicy Salami (hubby's favorite pica pica)

Cheese!

Galileo mode at home.. less the wine...

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Oh, My besty surprised me this morning :) Sweet! Thanks! :)

marielle102983: hey bes!! saw the video??
marielle102983: hehehe
kristine agapay: yup yup super thanks
kristine agapay: naiiyak ako hehe
marielle102983: sabi ko na nga ba..
marielle102983: i had feeling when that you'll cry when you'll see the video..
marielle102983: hehehe
kristine agapay: oo naman haha
kristine agapay: nice pics kakatuwa to reminisce
marielle102983: i know! i had to open certain albums! sa inyo ung katuwa!!
marielle102983: from kids to dating to married to contentment
marielle102983: hehehe

IKEA fun!

My mother in law is a big fan of IKEA. Most of her unique stuffs at home from her US trips are bought from that store. She's fond of shopping stuffs for the house more than bags & shoes. She would brag humbly about what she bought from Ikea and would say " naku tin, if you go there maloloka ka talaga!" . I definitely agree. I love all the stuffs that she buys! From kitchen items down to some items for the bathroom! Very unique, durable and cute! :) She mentioned a showroom/warehouse in Makati last year and we planned to go a couple of times already but have completely forgotten thereafter. We had the chance to visit last Monday after work. We had to kill time because hubby had a meeting till half past eight. I was amazed, excited and awed! I love Ikea products! MIL was right, i'll go "gaga" choosing what items to get. The warehouse is not so full and i'm sure they had limited stocks compared to the one abroad but nonetheless, it was an awesome shopping experience for me. MIL got herself nice shoe rack for her room & she got Kyle a very durable Letten Stool for his bathroom. I got me & hubby a Basisk Floor Lamp that we can use as light when reading before bedtime (or when working on our budget hehe). We're really planning to buy something exactly like the one that I got . I want so many things from the warehouse but I had to behave and choose only what we need for now. I will go back for the other wishlists some other time.

Basisk Floor Lamp @ Php550 (good grab!)

My Ikea Needs & Wants!:)
Trolf Jorden Bag Dokument
Letter Tray S
uperfin Vase
Korral Laundry Bag (for Kyle's, can use as storage for his toys too!)
Burken Jars Rajtan
Spice Bar
Dralla Chopping Board


Ikea shops in Manila here, here & here.

I'll be out of town this weekend. I'll miss my boys :(

Happy happy birthday to my super friendship Aj!!! :) I regret that I wouldn't be able to celebrate with you again this year [I owe you 2 yrs already! :( ] I'll make it up to you next week ok? Let's have dinner & celebrate! Enjoy your day sweetheart! :) I can't wait to see you after the makeover! :)

Far from the Ces Drilon kidnapping headlines, these news are really bothering.

Baby thrown out of cab by teenage mom...
Baby girl dies after being hurled from 9th floor...

What were they thinking? They could've just have the kid's adopted after giving birth. Why kill innocent babies who are so helpless? Seriously, this is insane...

happy birthday mama!

Happy, happy birthday to my beautiful mama! Thanks so much for everything. I appreciate the patience,endearing & unconditional love. Thanks for helping me take care of Kyle. I know things could've been harder if you weren't around. You are my rock :) I know there were moments of pain, but really, it did made me stronger.

I now feel more of you when I got married. As what some titas and friends have said, they felt you became at peace seeing me well taken cared of by Jp. I thank you for loving him too. He super appreciates you cooking his favorite dishes! (tumataba na nga!) I am happy that you learned to accept & love him. I'm happy also that we get to spend more quality time with you now. Ironically, this happened when we are not living in the same house anymore. I guess absence really makes the heart go fonder :)

We always pray for your good health & happiness too. No matter what mama, we will always be here for you. Jp, Kyle & I loves you so much! :) Mahal ka namin :)

Let's celebrate when you get back from Ilocos! :) We miss you!

Watched Hulk movie last Saturday with my husband's cousin & his fiance. Awesome!I was a bit hesitant to watch it. For one, Hulk's face is not so handsome & i'm scared (honestly!). 2nd,I didn't like Hulk in 2003 , found it really boring and dragging. My husband didn't like it too. He got bored as well. Now at least, this film paid off and will cover up disappointments from the earlier Hulk movie.

Liv Tyler is really lovely :)

The battle between the two giants was tiring! too much action! but it was all right & more worth it this time. And of course, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr/Tony Stark) showing up as a surprise on the later wowed the viewers even if it was nothing actually. :)

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I'll be out of town this weekend for our annual company outing. How I wish I could bring Jp & Kyle along with me. I'll miss my boys. :(

And yeah, am looking forward to a reunion with college friends in a quaint resto somewhere in Ghills on Friday. Haven't seen Hans & Leej since my wedding day. In fact the two are exclusively dating already (daw). Marielle & I are both excited to meet the girls.:)

I love Chef Tony's White Chocolate Walnut popcorn. Bought one big bucket last saturday at Pricemart. The toasted walnuts are really tasty, it complements the sweet flavor of the white chocolate. I brought it with me in the office for afternoon snack. Shared it with officemates of course :)

Two more weeks to go!Husband and I will surely have the best time of our lives! Excited! can't wait! :)

Sunday is Jp's Day

...because he's been a good friend & daddy-yo to my Kyle, the man definitely deserves a treat! :) We ate lunch at TenderBob's Promenade to celebrate Father's Day. To make up for our frustrating OUTback experience, TenderBob's is the answer! The two boys were excited since Friday!

My Family on Father's Day. Couldn't ask for anything more. :)

Our usual TenderBob's favorite: ceasar salad (dressing is perfect), potato skin wedges (yummy!), ribeye hungry steak/well done (for the boys!) and I tried this new dish: the Countrystyle chicken with gravy. My mother in law ordered salpicao and onion soup which was superb too!The servings were very generous.Our damage was cheaper than what we spent in Outback but definitely this is what you call "an ultimate dining experience". :)
Time for surprises! My Kyle prepared a greeting card for daddy Jp. He locked himself in his room in the morning when Jp was asking him to freshen up and prepare for our lunch already. The little boy pala is preparing something for him. The letter actually is more of "thank you" than the happy father's day greeting. I guess he is really THANKFUL more than anything else :)

We bought him local chocolates for his sweet tooth and baon at work. We sure promised not to eat it. Hahaha! :D

Kyle watched hubby play basketball late afternoon after our mass while I prepared thai dinner at home. Surprise! Surprise :)

We are trying very very hard not to overeat. Instead of having the Thai bagoog rice buffet style, I served it plated :) We had pandan chicken on the side too! And yeah, tita Bic baked chocolate cake for Jp also. Ended the night with wine and salami at Poncho's house.



Happy Father's day again babe! Truly life is more meaningful with you. I know my Kyle is very happy and thankful to have you in our lives as much as I do. We are both grateful. God never fails to bless us with so many wonderful things and you are one His greatest blessing to us. The missing piece that perfectly fits! :)