The Sweetest Thing 2013

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For over a decade, I can only count the times hubby and I go on a formal date. We go out for a quick coffee  or dessert fixes, occasional dinners or even margarita nights but we never had a date on a Valentine's day. It wasn't really his thing I guess and I find it really baduy (back in college) going out on the exact date. I've also mentioned here before that flowers don't really flatter me, in fact, I can trade it for a box of J.Co donuts in a blink of an eye. But now as married couple, things have changed and I felt that a relationship becomes healthier if you put an effort to find alone time with your partner. It doesn't matter if it's expensive or not. Just spend the night together eating good food with a perfect choice of background music. 

I'll leave you with these set of pictures to describe what a romantic night we had last Thursday at the Rockwell Tent. I truly wish that you received a wonderful surprise from your other half or special friends and had a lovely celebration. ♥

Our lovely table set up with that night's menu. Bizu prepared a three-course meal and couples were serenaded by Manila String Machine quartet. Lucky winners of a raffle received free Rockwell Cinema tickets and Moschino perfume.

{ Bread service: Focaccine, Sesame seed soft roll and butter }



{ Oriental salad with grilled zucchinis, carrots, pineapple and aubergines tossed with mesclun and special oriental dressing topped with crisp vermicelli and black sesame }



{ Main course: Duo of 10-hour US roast beef belly with demiglace sauce, cobbler fish with mushroom and spinach cream, grilled vegetable brochettes and mashed potatoes }



{ Dessert: Opera cake, calamansi and raspberry mousse trifle and fresh fruits with syrup }



On rare occasions like this, the white wine made the evening more special for us. Everything was perfect - the music, the venue, the food and the whole experience.

An unforgettable dinner date.
 Will definitely have our seats reserved again next year.

 

My special thanks to Ms. Ingrid for the The Sweetest Thing 2013 invitation.

xx,
OneGutsyMom

Happy Heart

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"When you finally allow yourself to trust joy and embrace it, 

you will find you dance with everything."

source: http://www.inspirational-quotations.com

Last night was a glass full of sweetness..

A happy heart indeed. 

xx,

OneGutsyMom

Happy Love Month at Power Plant Mall

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Celebrate the Brazilian culture as Power Plant Mall brings back Brasilipinas for the fifth consecutive year! Enjoy two days of high-powered capoeira and samba workshops on February 6 to 7 and an exuberant Carnaval party on the 8th to culminate the 10th year of EscolaBrasileira de Capoeira in the Philippines.

Both East and West celebrate the Year of the Water Snake starting on February 8. Push your luck because you might win exciting freebies when you get fortune cookies or Ang Pao from the Fortune Tree. Enjoy festive cultural performances from the Hoc Kian Chinese Opera Group on February 9 and a spectacular Dragon and Lion Dance around the mall at 10am on February 10. Appreciate the craft of lantern making and live Chinese painting on this special day as well.

The weekend of festivities doesn't stop there as the mood changes from dynamic to romantic. Experience The Sweetest Thing: A Valentine’s Picnic Dinner at the Rockwell Tent with your loved ones on February 14, and indulge in a sumptuous 3-course meal served by Bizu. Let the Manila String Machine entertain you as you create dreamy moments as you watch Valentine’s Day, the movie also at the Rockwell Tent. To cap off the night, the Power Plant Mall will give away exciting prizes and giveaways!

Visit http://www.facebook.com/PowerPlantMall or call 898-1702 for more details.

This Year's First His and Hers

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Just want to share the best purchases we've first made to start off this year. Admittedly, hubby and I are both gadget geeks. It's a good thing that I've now learned to resist reading gadget reviews for over a year and it saved me a lot from a wholly expensive lifestyle. Hubby, along with his interests on mountaineering equipment, still managed to check some reviews on YouTube. One thing strongly remained though and that is our loyalty for Apple products. And if you're one of us, you definitely knew that iPhone5 was released during the last quarter of 2012. Manila finally announced its release last December 14. Yes, I was one of those who ordered on line to have the latest iPhone on my hands on the exact launching date, but fate was not with me. There was a bit of inconsistency, perhaps the lack of anticipation on projected sales. Anyhow, it finally landed to me on January 2nd.

I was in a very frustrated situation that morning. As much as I'd like to attract positive vibes at least for the whole week, there are some people who are just so good in dragging you to the negative side. They must be that old to perfect that hideous attitude. Oh well. Anyhow again, I was on my way to Shangrila Mall to dose myself with caffeine when I thought of dropping to Globe business centre. I was gladly assisted after an hour or so of waiting time and my re-contracting reward was finally processed. Well, my positive ions were right away replenished with this good news! Hubby was still at work that time so as soon as my unit was released, I headed straight to CBTL for my macchiato. It was really beautiful that I'm scared to hold it without a protector! Truly an amazing Steve Jobs' legacy! 

Fast forward to January 19 - hubby's unit was also then released and he chose the black edition. I thought, this was the best his and hers since we got married. What's good about it is that we didn't need to shell out a huge amount as this was part of Globe loyalty rewards. I'm with the network since 1999 and had my postpaid line in 2007. I'm just so happy that we both have our dream gadget almost at the same time.

Being 24/7 connected on social networking sites, I've explored a bit on the free apps such as Insta Place. This is somehow a good replacement for Foursquare? I also love taking photos on Instagram as a sort of stress-reliever. Follow me @Onegutsymom. :)

And with the recent 6.1 iOS update, who am I to deny that Internet speed has been this fun! See stats below. Our location made it possible to personally experience it day or night. LTE is available on selected areas at the moment but this is entirely something to look forward to. Our country deserves this and most importantly - the subscribers! How was your first purchases so far? Hope you enjoyed it much as we do..

xx,

OneGutsyMom

My One Great Hair Day

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One of the first few things I'd like to happen this year is to cut my hair short. It's not easy to decide on this having such a round face and note that my double chin is almost always appearing. Though I really welcome a sort of transformation from my last year's look, it's also to prevent my rapid hair fall.  I've tried so many shampoos promising hair fall control just to maintain a long hair but none of them ever helped. Honestly, nakakatakot talaga ang buhok ko after giving birth! And I can't be more frustrated looking at my fallen hair from the bathroom floor and even in the office carpet, everyday. So as much as I want to retain the length, regardless if it's terribly messy in the morning, I ended up saying hello to scissors. Off to David's Salon!

 

The nearest branch is just outside our building. Stress-free from commuting just to see a hairstylist. That day was probably my first visit that has a number of customers. Well maybe we should give credit to new year's resolution for that. One thing I liked here is that waiting time doesn't have to be that long plus they do have enough space to accommodate their clients. Don't you just hate it when you could hardly walk inside going to the hair salon sink? Tipong baka maapakan mo pa yung nag-pe-pedicure? That really happens right?