14th Anniv @ Chili's

It's funny how the husband and I celebrate our BF-GF anniversary instead of our actual wedding anniversary. Though it's not usually done in a hotel or a posh restaurant, we make it a point to go somewhere we've never been together. We usually pass by at Chili's in Megamall and Greenhills but have never attempted to get in! I remember going to Morato branch with ex-colleagues years and years ago but only for a glass of Margarita. It looked pretty expensive from the outside only for us to find out that it is indeed expensivo! You can compare it to some hotel buffet price sold in Deal Grocer.

I am not familiar with the food but for appetizers we got Triple Dipper Php495. This is a combo of Southwestern egg rolls, buffalo wings and Chicken crispers. It was really really good! I can still imagine the taste of the egg rolls, there's a twist in between tangy and spicy. Although I munched the celery whenever the oiliness kicks in, that made me fed up a bit. I think this platter is quite heavy for an appetizer so be careful not to be overly excited.

We also got Grilled Chicken Sandwich Php375. This was supposedly my main entree but the Triple Dipper satisfied me too early! We just took this home but of course I had to check and there was a thick slab of grilled chicken between those buns. About more than half an inch thick to be exact and the veggie slices were not that far either. I couldn't recall the actual taste when I ate it the following day so I believe it was just so so while my daughter nibbled the fries.

The Mind Museum: Two Years of Wide-Eyed Wonderment

 

The Mind Museum marks two years of science, exploration and creativity this month with adventures that have taken kids and kids-at-heart on an unforgettable journey. Together with my daughter and Mom, we got invited to participate this year's Media Family Day. It was our first to visit The Mind Museum and on our way to the venue, my 3 year old daughter could not contain her excitement when I told her we will be seeing a big dinosaur. I, on the other hand, was really curious to discover what this Science museum has to offer for an adult like me.

 

Upon entering the premises, the robot Aedie welcomed us which made my little girl more enthusiastic. I guess she was in awe to see a real one in person, aside from the cartoon shows she's often watch. Today's theme is Wide-Eyed Wanderer's Exploration.

 

As we wait for the program to officially start, we were handed passports that entitles us to delicious treats from their partners - Kyle's Lab, Sophie's Mom, Uncle Cheffy's and Sebastian's Artisan Ice Cream. The food were wonderfully presented that prepared the kids (and kids by heart) for an energized afternoon of Science exploration. I personally liked the Salted Butter Caramel of Sebastian's!

Western Union Pays Tribute To Mother’s Love

United Kingdom, March 17, 2014 – Ten Filipina working moms in the United Kingdom (UK) will get to spend a special Graduation Day dinner with their child in the Philippines as a reward for their unwavering dedication to providing a better life back home, The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU), a leader in global payment services, announced today.

 

Rewarding Filipina moms with the chance to celebrate Graduation Day with their child back home

Through the Western Union® Mother’s Pride contest, the top ten Filipina moms in the UK who post their sweetest picture of themselves and their graduating child on Facebook (www.facebook.com/WesternUnionUK), Twitter or Instagram (#Wumotherspride) and collect the most votes, will be rewarded with two Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 tablets each to stay in touch with their loved ones, starting with a specially prepared “online dinner” to celebrate their child’s graduation.

With the POEA estimating at least 220,000 Overseas Filipinos and a growing need for nurses and caregivers in the UK, more and more Filipinas every year are making the choice to leave the country to create a brighter future for their loved ones back home.

Education is consistently a top consideration for migration among most working Filipina mothers.  Research shows the allocation of monthly remittances include paying for tuition fees, and other school related expenses like  baon or allowances1.

“Filipinos are a close-knit community. We value our family ties more than anything in the world. As a full-time working mom who needs to travel frequently, I know the hardest part for a Filipina in working overseas is being away from family and kids.  And to a mother, there’s nothing more fulfilling and telling of one’s hard earned success than the graduation of her child,” said Patricia Riingen, senior vice president, Southeast Asia & Oceania, Western Union.

“Western Union ‘Mother’s Pride’ aims to amplify this affection.  It is also our tribute to a mother’s love,” Riingen added.

The Western Union® Mother’s Pride contest runs until March 24, 2014.  For more information, please visit www.westernunion.co.uk/WUmotherspride.  Terms and conditions apply.

About Western Union
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, to send payments and to purchase money orders.  As of December 31, 2013, the Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services were offered through a combined network of over 500,000 agent locations in 200 countries and territories and over 100,000 ATMs.  In 2013, The Western Union Company completed 242 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $82 billion of principal between consumers, and 459 million business payments. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.

100 Happy Days

Yes, I am currently on day 18 of the trending #100happydays pictures on Instagram. Although some people I know highly criticize this because in reality, you can't be a happy person in straight 100 days. Of course, there will always be someone or something that can absolutely ruin a one fine day. 

But that is only IF you allow it to.

To tell you honestly, I am not in the best situation right now. I will share more about that on a separate post when I am ready. Reasons to be unhappy and worrisome are trying to corrode me slowly. But realizing that some people out there are suffering just to fight for another day in their lives, then who am I to complain? We can't just shrug off this fact.

I am not claiming to be an ambassador of good vibes here but at the end of the day, no matter how gruesome the situation we are in, happiness can always be found in one corner. And  I choose to believe that when you are happy, you are also thankful to Him.

This is one of the main reasons why I take these pictures that serve as my personal inspirations of my #100happydays. Once I complete this, I'll have something to remind myself that life is here to give us hundreds if not thousands of reasons to put that beautiful smile. :-)

Molding A Child's Confidence

I just finished watching UAAP Season 76 Women's Volleyball. Congratulations to the Lady Eagles for bagging this year's trophy. I only started watching the finals last week and Alyssa Valdez was the consistent best player for me, she deserves the MVP Award. Such strong hands!

Aside from the God-given talent in sports like hers, the parents play the most important role in this achievement. That kind of confidence and strength will never be there without the first-hand support from the parents. It definitely helps one to stand out. We've known local athletes who did not belong to well-off families, financial issue is the number  one hindrance, but still they made it big time because of the huge amount of emotional support from the parents and the rest of the family.. and even the extended families! It boosts you more just knowing they support you in every possible way they can.

During my teen years, I had always dreamt of performing in school. I loved to dance ever since and to represent your alma mater on inter-school competitions was one of my high school dreams. I also dreamt of being a writer for our school paper but just thinking of my Mother's reaction when I tell her this already made me super sad. There were a lot of restrictions imposed mainly because of religion. Albeit sad and low, I fully submitted to her request.

As I look behind, I see a young lady with an almost poor confidence. It was four happy years in high school but I know I could have done more, especially being in the top class where everyone compete for academic ranking and extra-curricular activities. Who knows I could've been a varsity player too? But most of the time, I felt so awkward about so many things around me. But hey don't get me wrong, I don't blame my Mom for this. I may not have the ability to fully understand back then but I know she only wants what's best for me. Besides, it could have been a totally different story if I had Dad's presence all those years.
                     

My little girl is soon-to-be a pre-schooler. I don't want everything to happen so fast but I know sooner or later, this same chapter in her life is bound to happen. And when the time comes, I want to be the first person to support her all the way to her personal achievements and be her number one fan. And I pray that I'll always have the heart and time to listen to her. 

While she is pursuing her dreams, I want her to understand that's it is OK to commit errors and to learn to stand up whenever she stumbles. I want her to be a smart fighter and at the same time manage self-control. That she will bring out that inner courage and know when to decline. That she will fulfill her dreams in her own pace without any hesitations. I'd also like to instill in her heart to never forget to return the glory to our God. Really, I just want to be that proud mother for her and be her source of inspiration. I want her to enjoy the journey so she could build better and happier memories. 

To be a part of her thank yous will strongly characterize how her Dad and I equally did an awesome job as parents. May God bless these promises for our child.

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Bizu + New Blog Design

First of all, do you like my new blog design? I've been skeptic about it for a while because I had so much memories with my first customized design. A few of my readers even sent me compliments on how how dainty it looked. But I guess, most bloggers would agree to a blog revamp. We all need it, at least not every year. Besides, I am so embracing change at the moment. So I chose a design that best describes my personality. Yes, this is me - less complicated, fairly simple yet out of the ordinary.

 

Anyway, two or three weekends ago, hubby and I visited Greenhills to have our phones undergo a little repair. How lucky can we get, our units were both outside warranty! My back camera lens acquired a small dirt that annoys me to the highest level! I'm a lady who's always behind the camera so this thing is really important to me. I honestly don't know how it get there and tried all the possible means to get rid of it. I found out that iPhone5 has the most cosmetic issues amongst other models and camera dirt is the most common.

So when a friend, who happens to be the best iPhone technician in Greenhills according to his colleagues, finally took off the dirt, of course it calls for a small celebration! I want that best Instagram pic, thus, the above photo. Really delighted to see these stunning macarons. It's also my #day1 of my #100happydays. *teehee*

 

More than just being relieved from distress on my iPhone, I really wanted to try the luscious Macaron de Paris of Bizu. My last visit was posted here and had no chance to order them so this time, I made sure I'm taking home a box of 8 (sold at Php435) of these yummy macarons! They also sell it per piece for Php55/each and luckily, all my favorites were available that night!

 

They were too pretty to eat.. and I don't even want to remove the hot pink ribbon! It was perfectly crunchy from the outside and soft in the inside. It's definitely a small piece of heaven! Keep it refrigerated so it doesn't melt on your first bite. Among my favorites are Raspberry, French Earl Grey and Almond, Blueberry and Hazelnut and White Truffle. So, yeah I finished half of it in two days! Ha ha!

Bizu Patisserie & Bistro has different locations now so make sure to visit the nearest branch posted on their Facebook page.

Wedding Fashion

Sharing a few snapshots we took from our good friends' wedding last year. It was our first to attend a wedding with black ensembles and it turned out very sophisticated. Ladies and girls were asked to match black with a statement color so my princess and I paired it with hot pink! We seldom dress up like this so allow me to present our first family OOTD (outfit of the day). :-)

  

On Daphne gown: Modern Princess, shoes: Chicco, watch: Hello Kitty, 

head piece: SM Kids, bracelet: Pink Box

  

On Mommy dress: Xara, bag: Coach Peyton Tattersall, shoes: Unlisted, 

accessories: Forever21, watch: Casio

  

On Daddy clothing: Van Heusen, shoes: Jordan 1 Retro, watch: G-Shock

Oh, it's fun to do this! I wish we asked someone to take a picture with all three of us together. Nevertheless, it was a solemn and memorable wedding as the groom happened to be more emotional when he finally saw his blushing bride walking down the aisle. I was in tears too! *kilig*

Anyway, have you recently had your family OOTD? Share it with me!