Ayala Triangle at Night

I have been itching to watch the dancing Christmas lights at the Ayala Triangle ever since. A couple of Decembers came but we never set foot with my little girl. It's not far from where we live so it's really strange why we never go there. I'm blaming it to the worst traffic condition we have in Manila every time the holiday season kicks in. So difficult to hail a cab, even taxi apps can't help you during rush hours, so yeah, that could be the main reason why we opt to stay at home at night.

Exactly two weeks ago, my cousin together with hubby and 2 year old boy visited us one evening. Our chikka was bitin when we met during the Hi 5 event and since they were just within the area that night, they chanced upon to visit our place. I love being visited by relatives and friends. The thought of making an extra effort to visit you at home is really something to me since I became a Mom. We invited them to Policarpio Street where the kids had fun at the House of Santa Clause. After checking out the last house, Cha's hubby Ryan suddenly thought of going to Ayala Triangle, and that we still have enough time to watch the final show. It only took him less than 30mins to drive to Makati. Good thing we all fit in in their spanking new Chevy SUV!

The kids were too excited and Daphne kept asking where are we heading to. We arrived just in time for the last two shows as they are open until 10PM. I'm glad we made it without making any plans ahead. The lights were so festive plus the chilly wind made it more perfect to settle down and watch. I'll let the photos speak for now. If you're not convinced, I suggest you see it yourself and tag your kids along because I'm very sure that even kids at heart will enjoy the shows. :)

    
Please excuse my no make-up look. Biglaang lakad talaga, hehe!

     

YakitoriOne

   
 


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Chili's x Hi-5 Family Day

After a heavy week with a series of not so good news here and there, we eventually had the chance to break the negative setbacks that weekend. It was only a few days before the proper event when I learned that Hi-5, the famous Australian children's musical group, will be coming over to perform at SM Megamall. I felt giddy and excitedly shared the news to my daughter who's as ecstatic as me. In fact, she did her own countdown until that Saturday. 

We arrived a bit early as we need to shop a certain amount first to get the free passes. But as soon as we stepped in the mall, I knew we couldn't make it. Hubby confirmed if there were slots available but unfortunately, everything were sold out until Sunday's event. We also found a very long queue on one side of Bldg B - these people successfully got their tickets but need to wait like that until the event starts. It must be tiring for the kids but I'm sure they loved it.

If only I had the chance to go to the mall before the event, I'd definitely shop earlier to ensure my daughter's tickets. Maybe next time. They will be having a concert come December in Resort's World Manila but tickets are way too expensive! I'd rather spare it for our travel funds next year. Instead of feeling low and guilty, we headed to Chili's for our late lunch. It was the little girl's first time to eat there and she liked it. Here's our orders:

Bottomless Iced Tea P105


Little Chicken Crispers and Fries P190


Beef Salpicao P595


Chicken Enchilada Pasta P440

We definitely enjoyed the food. I'm proud that my little girl finally joined us with the orders. No more fast food take outs this time! If you read this old post, hubby ordered the same food though he said it might be a whole lot different if he was served plain rice only. Pinoy na Pinoy talaga! :) I on the other hand loved my unique pasta dish.

Soon after we finished our food, we came back to the venue and it was jam-packed! I even saw my cousin's family who's there too for her son. In all fairness, Hi-5 has a huge impact on toddlers. When Daphne was almost two years old, I felt slightly sad because she doesn't appreciate the show. She'd rather watch Barney on her iPad. I remember her seated on her high chair watching it.

But a little before she turned 3 years old, her mornings wouldn't be complete without her singing and dancing with her favorite Casey. Sayang, the group had new casts na but they were equally talented as the old members. 

When the host finally introduced the group, the crowd went crazy! Kids were dancing as they sing along, so fun to watch them! Even older people (particularly women) went wild screaming for Stevie's name! We stood at the right side of the stage, just few steps away from them. 

Here's my daughter showing off her Hi-5 pose! Kudos to Daddy who's strong and eager enough to carry her the entire duration of the show. Mind you, she's really heavy and busog pa so I'm sure hubby went slightly numb! LOL. Here's the funniest part, my daughter wasn't quite satisfied just watching them. She keeps telling us "Mama, I want to go there, I want to talk to them!". Oh dear daughter, anything for you, you know I would if I could! I promise next time, we'll make it to the meet and greet session. And I'll make sure to like the official Facebook pages talaga so I am well-informed about any upcoming events, especially for kids.

Have you watched the Hi-5 show too, mommies? How was the experience? :)

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When life hands you lemons..

If I were still single today, I'd definitely respond "where's the Vodka?". 

Glad these times have changed and now I have a pretty and smart daughter who uplifts me all the time when I am low in spirit. Mind you, if she sees that I hardly smile one morning, she would always ask "are you sick, Mama?" or "are you OK, Mama?". Yes at nearly 4 years old, she's very sweet like that. 

Of course, that changes the mood as I genuinely feel someone is very concerned with how I feel. Lately, she preferred calling me Mama which makes more music to my ears. Feel na feel ko ang personal touch. 

Life is tough these days but I'm grateful that we still manage to go on. At night, I devote ample time to have some quiet time with God. Despite some not so good news received lately, I have my daughter and my family who encourage me to see things in the most positive way. They helped me accept that things really happen for a reason, and what more could be happier when relationships are rekindled after certain turn of events. 

 

So if someone throws me this phrase again, I now respond with.. "Take it and be glad. Let's make a lemonade!". Besides, look at this picture above, isn't that a perfect example that life is beautiful?

I hope we all have a blessed and well-spent weekend! x

Mama's 57th

My Mom celebrated her 57th birthday last October and being the person who never observed birthdays, we decided to fill her day with a sumptuous lunch in her favorite pizza house no less than the Pizza Hut Bistro. That morning, I checked online their latest dine-in menu. I wanted to try their meal set 9 so I made sure everyone is hungry enough before leaving home. 

 

I didn't know that the Mega B branch recently renovated the place which made it more homey and well-lit. I think the place was perfect for this special treat for Mama dearest plus we spotted a free couch in the corner. Look at my poor daughter who's still healing that time from her eye infection. 

Their meal set 9 is comprised of mushroom soups, two family pan pizzas, a plate of carbonara and  a garden salad for only Php899. Not bad at all, though I personally believe that this set is only good for a group of 6 "on diet" persons or maybe "not-so-hungry" people. *wink*  

We started off with the Crab Salad Rolls for appetizers (not included in the meal set). This has been our staple order ever since it was introduced. They were kind enough to refill our dip. I can guarantee the freshness and crispness of these rolls.

The pizza can be upgraded to the latest flavors of the world offering with no added cost, so we tried the American Roast Beef pan pizza. By the time our pizzas were served, our table went literally crowded! I even asked not to serve all 6 of the mushroom soups because aside from the obvious that we were just 4, there was no space left in our table. Probably I was in the "ayaw ko magkulang ang pagkain" mode. LOL! Maybe Pizza Hut should work on table sizes or provide a separate pizza stand.

I loved their spaghetti carbonara, not so thick but still creamy. This was the highlight for me though I just wished they used linguini. My daughter's not a fan of white pasta but she was voted out this time. Hehe!

We capped off with a Dip-licious for dessert. My daughter definitely enjoyed squeezing the fluffy mallows before dipping. It was indeed a highly satisfied lunch time with the family. More than this feast, I also prayed and wished for Mom's continued good health. We love you so much Mom and thank you so much for helping us in taking care of our small family. I also hope you never get tired looking after your uber active apo. :)

PIZZA HUT

LGF SM Megamall B, 

Mandaluyong City

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The emotera Mommy attacks

When stress level go up above your nose, you can't help but wish for an impromptu makeover just to help you breathe. Or sometimes, in my case, just take me to the nearest mall where I can shop or sip a warm latte. Today, I feel like I can't do any of the above and my social life has decreased as weekend meet-ups no longer happen. I haven't seen my good friends for a while although we never lost touch naman.

Perhaps I just needed a real holiday, as in an out of town vacation and lounge in the shore.  It was long overdue. I miss travelling! I miss how life used to be when you're a little careless. Not that I hate where I am now. Maybe I'm just overwhelmed and WORRY too much. Pasensya naman emotera ako ngayon. Alright, I'll call the hubby immediately after this post and ask him out. So anong connection ng picture ko below? Well, I just want an #OOTD similar to this. Nakaka- good vibes kasi eh. Kaso I don't have new outfits lately. Mukang shopping talaga katapat nito, ano?

Enjoy the rest of the weekend! x

 

Jumpsuit Forever21, bag Coach, specs Morgan de Toi, watch Casio, Ipanema flip flops

Cafe Mary Grace

Hello there! Grabe it's been a while since my last entry and I really apologize for the lack of posts. Work has gone wilder these days as bigger clients came in. It was months of chaotic preparations before going to production. If you or anyone you know are into software development then I'm sure they can relate how "ngarag" can you get before going live. Plus my daughter has been getting sick recently and caught eye infection. I never had a me-time as I need to switch from career mom to Nanay mode to keep things balanced and orderly pa din. In fact, I had to cut my hair really short so I can do things quickly and efficiently. Iba na talaga pag motherly levels! Haha!

Anyway, last month, when hubby joined his mountaineering group somewhere in Tarlac, I brought Mom and Daphne to SM Aura. It is now my favorite date place for our family Sundays as most of the time I'd like to avoid bigger crowds. Unless of course if there's a BIG SALE going on. So I wasn't really expecting that this mall was quite full that weekend. At almost 2PM, I could hardly find a free table for us even in Cafe Mary Grace.

Ginza Bairin

Last weekend, the hubby and I escaped for a quick date. I remember Daphne almost ran out of pj's (she literally outgrew everything we bought in the last 6months) while hubby needed new dry-fit shirts. For hubby's clothes, our shopping venue will always be in Trinoma. I don't know but he sort of have everything he needs in that mall. Good thing he seldom shops! LOL. 

What's going on?

It's been 4days since typhoon Glenda (Rammasun) struck Metro Manila giving us the inconvenience of having a total black-out. Wednesday morning, I was still sick and couldn't sleep at 3am so I keep checking if there were leaks on our first floor. You could already hear the wind howling during those wee hours. I checked tweets every now and then to monitor the typhoon's location and to take note of important phone numbers as well in our area. 4am power went off.

When PAGASA declared that storm will hit Manila by 7am, well, it was closely right on the spot! My husband insisted to go to work at past 8 as he was very upset of his site project's situation but it only took him less than a minute to return home. I forgot how a storm signal number 3 feels like only to be reminded that it was that dreadful! Around 9am the rain started to pour non-stop and wind started to get intense and violent. I've seen this huge mango tree, two houses beside ours, swayed left to right and back n forth, waiting to get uprooted. Literal nakipag-buno sya! Good thing it remained standing still and no one was harmed in the neighborhood. Even so, the sight of our street was really scary.

So Glenda left but I still couldn't get that "regular" sleep. It's starting to get crazier by the day. What makes me more sad now was that I couldn't get my domain back. Huhuhu! It's like losing something so valuable. My domain is my space and now I don't even know how to earn it back. I can register an almost similar domain but I still want my dot com... but how??? I already Googled all the possible means but for now I can only wait until it's open for public registry. It cannot even tell an exact period when it will be available.

Ang saklap!

I'm thinking of creating a new domain but One Gutsy Mom is my own reflection. It describes me a lot and my mommy journey. Should I go for a dot net or dot ph? Help please? :(

A Mutual Decision

Just recently, about 70% of my Facebook timeline was about parent's sending their toddlers to preschool. A lot of these kids were first-time preschoolers and of course, these co-Mom's were too excited to see them wearing school uniforms. Some of them had to share captions like waking up before 7am to prepare for day 1 of the new school year and some having difficulties to doze off and they needed to wake up really early. Though I cannot relate on this situation just yet, I share the joy and fulfillment of these Moms. After all, sending kids to school to equip them with the proper education is a parent's biggest achievement.

Some of my friends asked if Daphne will be going to a formal nursery school this year as she is now 3years old. Yes, I want her to and yes I am very eager to! In fact, I already did my school research within the area even before her 3rd birthday. But just as the title says, we as parents came up with a mutual decision and that is to wait for another year.

F1 Hotel Manila

We decided to spend a city staycation for my birthday weekend. F1 Hotel Manila has been my first and last option because of two main reasons. First, I want an easy access to almost everything (malls, coffee shops, restos, parks, etc.) and second, they got three pools which my little girl will truly enjoy. We didn't get a chance to go to the beach this summer but I don't want to end the season without dipping in the water.

I booked directly through F1 Hotel Manila's official website. They allowed early check-in starting 12noon instead of the usual 2PM. Check-in was a breeze and the reception staff handed me two key cards plus the wifi password. You need to use the key cards to access the floors except for the reception lobby and pool area. Note that they will also require you a Php3,000 deposit during check-in which will also be refundable upon check-out. If you notice, the hotel lobby has a minimalist design and it definitely looked pretty neat to me. On that day, we saw two beautiful brides with their own photographers.

OneGutsyMom @ 33

I still couldn't believe I am officially 33 years old since yesterday. It was never my thing to deny my age but this time, it seems I am the one suffering this self-denial. It's not in a bad way though, I just honestly feel I am still on my late 20's... no kidding! Well, except for the fact that I found a few grey hair sprouting here and there.

Anyway, I didn't plan anything fancy on my exact birth date. I usually don't, actually. But this year is rather special because I have a same digit age. It only happens every after 11 years and my next would be 44 (and my daughter would be teenager by then!).

Although I woke up a bit cranky yesterday and needed to take an emergency leave (sighs), my husband took an extra mile to end my day positively. He surely knows how to melt my heart even with the simplest surprise. I was too tired so I took a quick nap at 6PM and he woke me up by saying "Be, may gift sayo si Daphne". 

 

My daughter was waiting for me downstairs and when the hubby cued, she started singing her cutest version of happy birthday song. It was fun blowing the little candle with her because she was sucking the air instead of blowing it! Haha! I JUST LOVE YOU BOTH!!! Thank you for the surprise loves and thank you for picking my favorite Red Ribbon cake - the Tiramisu Meltdown! ♥

 

After less than 30mins, two of my good guy friends started to sing beside our window. Nakakaloka nakapasok sila kahit walang susi! Hahaha! They were looking for a candle lighter! Haha! I got really, really surprised! They keep saying they are now "upgraded" as they can now afford Contis' Sans Rival, which by the way tasted so good! Hello, sugar level!

As usual, the little girl kept them entertained and volunteered to blow the candle again. Haha! You guys were epic and I truly appreciate the effort! THANK YOU!!! ♥ Little things that make me feel extra special is way above than buying any expensive gifts. (though I already bought another Coach bag as an advance self-gift, hihi!)

And to my Facebook friends, thank you so much for posting your kind greetings! Buti nalang talaga nauso si Facebook! :-) #proudtobe33 

Kumusta?

I'm on blog hiatus once again and I feel sorry for this. Aside from the extreme humidity that makes me want to stay inside our room and turn the aircon on for 24hours, our home internet has been acting up every night. As in every night! I had to call the broadband guys just to have it checked every after day. That also means I need to be proactive with follow throughs or else nothing will happen. It's so hassle without internet. Even if work requires me to stay in front of my laptop, I still wish to use the internet when at home. Tanggap ko na yan!

Anyway, OA talaga ang init ngayon. As in "ang jinit napoles" sobra and I heard Manila will have the hottest temperature tomorrow. Pero sa totoo lang, I'd rather have summer than rainy season. Either way, we can't complain. We only have less than two weeks til June and I feel bad we haven't gone to the beach yet, not even in a private resort with pools.

But then again, we still have exactly 11 days. Let's see if makahabol pa with a quick summer escapade. For now mga sis, I'll see you in Instagram because my feed is more updated there. Follow me @onegutsymom :)

Pandora

Just this February, my sister-in-law from Australia told us that the Pandora branch near them will be on a holiday sale. Although I wanted to respond quickly "yes, please get me one!", I tried to contain to my excitement hoping someone would humbly offer it as a gift. LOL! I've posted my birthday wish list last year here so the hubby surely had an idea how much I'd love to own this charm bracelet. Imagine how my heart melted when he asked if I'm interested to have one as my early Mother's day present. Oh my, isn't it the perfect occasion? The search for the perfect design immediately started.

Hello, April!

Can't believe this is my first post for the month and that I've almost forgotten what my password is! I really miss blogging but these days are divided into work and family time. Not that I'm complaining. I actually love it so much! Being busy is healthy and that means you're being productive in a lot of ways.

There were a couple of adjustments and/or changes that had to be done lately, but to sum it all, I'm very thankful that life has been so pleasant. Well, except for the loud videoke machine in the background now and that one voice who's been singing the last 5 songs, I think. :-)

Anyway, haven't you noticed that Manila weather is getting bipolar recently? It's summer or dry season to be exact but why are we expecting rain showers and even typhoon in April? If it gets hot naman then it's definitely humid all night long! Makes me wanna drag my family to the powdery sand of Boracay Island and swoon! I really miss this place so I can't help but Google some images as my old pictures don't give justice.

photo credits: goldenphoenixboracay.com 

I wouldn't mind waking up one weekend with this scenic view. I wouldn't mind also having Jonah's shake for breakfast, lunch, merienda and dinner!

photo credits: boracaycoupons.com

Earlier on the news, Boracay shoreline looked terribly mossy but I don't care. Boracay sunset is still the most amazing sunset I've seen in my entire life and I'd like to witness it again with my family.

Hay. Pwede bang now na? :-)