Voyage de la Vie

Each time we go to Resorts World Sentosa, we always passed by the grandiose sign near the Casino which bears the title "Voyage de la Vie". I knew back then that it's really impossible for us to watch the show because one, it's a bit pricey and two it is pricey. So I was ecstatic last Friday when dadi came home showing me this 2 complimentary tickets from his basketball team mate. And he said the guy is giving out 1 ticket for each member and dadi refuses to accept at first because he said "wag na lang mainggit si misis" har-har. Good thing there were members who were not either interested to watch the show or too busy to go out on a Sunday. Yay!

 

So on with the show. Voyage de la Vie or "journey of life" in french is really amazing. Honestly, I was expecting the show to be a bit more of "Phantom of the Opera" kind of thing. I guess I was too excited about the idea of watching the show and not the one I was going to watch. We were surprised that our seats are on the third row and not third row from the back seat! Although, it's good to see everything in front, we couldn't see the entire stage and numbers on the stage. It doesn't matter though. Being in front makes us feel like we are part of the show. And we were which you'll find out later on.

The Story (taken from the brochure and review from CNA)

The Boy (Jonathan Leong, Singapore Idol runner up) who feels trapped in a 9 to 5 desk job *strangely familiar isn't it?* met the Game Master (Kevin Carpenter) who introduces him to the mysterious Lantern Keeper (Viktor Kee) who becomes the Boy's guide on a journey through his imagination. The Boy encounters many extraordinary characters like Love, Temptation, Conflict, Life and Death.

 

Photo taking is not allowed but I managed to stole 2 shots using my phone but it was really blurry as I don't want any warning from the attendants. I did enjoy the show - so much - so I'm hoping my words will give you enough notion of the beauty of the show. But it's really impossible for me to put into words what these amazing people can do. They had entertain us to the maximum level and made our hearts stopped from the dangerous acts they did. I know they enjoyed much of what they're doing but it seem to be pretty tiring for me with all those movements and all. Plus the fact that even if I started practicing those things, I know it'll eventually end me on an encased cot or hospitalized.

 

The Marvelous Acts

The Game Master (Kevin Carpenter) who is a contortionist who moves as if there is no single bone attached in his body makes me hold on to my seat. The valet dance performance made me feel like I've been wanting to do this dance since I was a child even if it never crosses my mind before. The trapeze act (Aurelia Cat) makes me hulky green with that lean body of hers and not feeling dizzy at all with all those hanging from the high ceiling using her butt or feet to hold on to the bar. The rope aerialist (Lina Aunola) made us all think that it's fun and it's not dangerous at all to swing several meters off the ground. The Juggler (Viktor Kee), who juggles the balls, all 7 of them, as if they're all attached to some string and moves like a wind along with the time he throws some of the balls makes me yearn to do it and try which of course I would never be able to do even with a single piece of ball. And what I'm highlighting here is the best act, in my opinion, of all these remarkable stunts. The Death (Martti Peltonen) with a crossbow in hand hitting the red cloth held by the girl looks monotonous in the "circus" world isn't it?  How about a piece of playing card again held by the girl but this time, the Death is facing opposite his target with only a tiny mirror in hand? What about him hitting the target with the crossbow on the right hand and a simple piece of wood on the left hand, only to realize that the target he hit is another crossbow that will release a bow to hit that piece of wood he's holding? But what made me utter a simple safety prayer *hahaha* and putting my bag in front of dadi *if he hits his head, then it's really time lol* is his final act. A round line up of cross-bows with one main in the middle with the bow lit up just in time to release and hit one of the many targets and then hitting another target again until the final bow hits the apple placed on top of the Death. The apple maintain to intact it's whole facade inspite of that "hole". We know because it was given to us as a souvenir. We throw it after we took a picture of it :) His geometry teacher must be so proud of him. Oh, by the way, there were barriers placed around the stage to keep those arrows from hitting anyone from the audience. Right, we felt really really safe. They are all dangerously crazy and astonishing and to simply describe them in words will be injustice to them.

 

The show lasted for almost 2 hours and it's enough to entertain us. We both loved it and we certainly recommend it for anyone to watch it. The best seat I guess is in the middle where you can appreciate everything that's happening on the stage. The cheapest ticket is $68 and the most expensive is $128. Not bad for a show like that. And we were lucky to be given a complimentary tickets, I know. And I'm really grateful to our sponsor. The shows are From Wed to Sunday, 8:30 PM. They are now selling souvenirs at a discounted price because I read somewhere that this show is ending on 31st March. I managed to get myself some goodies to add it in my collection *our most prized collection are the shot glasses and pencils/pens which we've collected over the years of being blessed to travel to places*

 

There's not much photos so don't bother scrolling down :D Just go and book your tickets now! :D

 

 

  

 

OCBC Cycle 2011

A first for Dadi hooray! We didn’t managed to watch though as it’s too early :p
It was held yesterday and he left home at 7AM.

Cheska @ Gymboree

Last night was bebe's first time to play in a "kid's haven" at Gymboree at Harbourfront. Sadly, there were only about 4 kids there and all of them are busy playing by themselves with all the toys around. Cheska's so happy with the things she could do. When one baby was trying to reach her ball, I was surprised that she handed it to the baby gently and was not "madamot". I was hoping to enroll her so she could learn to interact more and learn her alphabets and numbers and shapes but I'm not sure if enrolling her is a good idea. I don't want her to feel the pressure of school yet or dreading through the time she was in there that some kids might bully her or worst she bullying them :D. We might try this per session thing first and then we'll see from there if both of us can handle it. I think she enjoy the whole hour of playing there. Well, she should :p. It costs us $20 bucks lol. It's only $12 for members but membership will cost us another $50.

 

 

50 Books to Read Before You Die

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - J.R.R. Tolkien
1984 - George Orwell Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
The grapes of wrath - John Steinback
To Kill a mockingbird - Harper Lee
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
A passage to India - E.M. Forster
The Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Hamlet - William Shakespeare
A Bend in the River - V.S. Naipul
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
The Diary of Anne Frank - Anne Frank Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes
The Bible - Various
The Canterbury Tales - Geoffrey Chaucer
Ulysses - James Joyce
The Quiet American - Graham Greene Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
Money - Martin Amis
Harry Potter Series - J.K. Rowling Moby Dick - Herman Melville
The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
His Dark Materials Trilogy - Philip Pullman Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-Time - mark haddon On the Road - Jack Kerouac
Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
The Way We Live Now - Anthony Trollope
The Outsider - Albert Camus
The Colour Purple - Alice Walker
Life of Pi - Yann Martel Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
Men Without Women - Ernest Hemingway
Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift
A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe
One flew over the cuckoo's nest - Ken Kesey
Catch 22 - Joseph Keller
The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden The Divine Comedy - Aligheri Dante
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

JP Collection

Others may not share the same passion I have for JP’s stories, and even after hearing bad reviews on his books, I still am much engrossed with him. So here I am, still trying to do my best to complete my JP collection. But I felt like each time I managed to check off the list one book, there’s another new book coming out. Sigh. Sana tulungan ako ni santa makumpleto ito. Book sale please MPH!

ALEX CROSS SERIES

Along Came a Spider (1992)

Kiss the Girls (1994)

Jack and Jill (1996)

Cat & Mouse (1997)

Pop Goes the Weasel (1999)

Roses Are Red (2000)

Violets Are Blue (2001)

Four Blind Mice (2002)

Big Bad Wolf (2003)

London Bridges (2004)

Mary, Mary (2005)

Cross (2006)

Double Cross (2007)

Cross Country (2008)

Alex Cross's Trial

I, Alex Cros

Witch & Wizard

Worst Case

9th Judgement (2010)

 

WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB

10th Anniversary
The 9th Judgment (2010)
The 8th Confession (2009)
7th Heaven (2008)
The 6th Target (2007)
The 5th Horseman (2006)
4th of July (2005)
3rd Degree (2004)
2nd Chance (2002)
1st to Die (2001)

 

MICHAEL BENNETT
Tick Tock (2011)
Worst Case (2010)
Run For Your Life (2009)
Step on a Crack (2007)

 

MAXIMUM RIDE
Angel
Fang (2010)
Max
The Final Warning (2008)
Saving the World & Other Extreme Sports (2007)
School's Out-Forever (2006)
The Angel Experiment (2005)

DANIEL X
Demons and Druids
Watch the Skies (2009)
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (2008)

WITCH & WIZARD
The Gift (2010)
Witch & Wizard (2009)

 

OTHERS

The Thomas Berryman Number (1976)
Season of the Machete (1977)
The Midnight Club (1988)
Hide & Seek (1996)
Miracle on the 17th Green (1996)
See How They Run (1997) *in 976 as The Jericho Commandment*
When the Wind Blows (1998)
Black Friday (2000) *in 1986 as Black Market*
Cradle & All (2000) *in 1980 as Virgin
Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas (2001)
Beach House (2002)
The Jester (2003)
The Lake House (2003)
Sam's Letters to Jennifer (2004)
Santa Kid (2004)
Honeymoon (2005)
Lifeguard (2005)
Beach Road (2006)
Judge and Jury (2006)
The Quickie (2007)
You've Been Warned (2007)
Sundays at Tiffany's (2008)
Sail (2008)
Against Medical Advice (2008)
The Murder of King Tut (2009)
Don't Blink (2010)
Private (2010)
Postcard Killers (2010)
Cross Fire (2010)

Cheska @ 19 Months

Main highlight: Not yet eating rice or ulam. Still into milk/biscuits/bread kind of thing. I was advised to try to force so you'll get used to the idea of eating rice. We tried last night but you screamed like crazy and we were so embarassed with all our housemates. You are funny and makulit. Going home to you each day seems to be the most awaited time of my whole day from work. Playing with you and tickling you and you making mami and dadi laugh at your jokes in your own little way washes away the tiredness we felt from working 8 hours in the office. I love how you and dadi fight over TV when it's basketball season and you screamed "bahney" on him. Who won? Of course no doubt, it's always you! Whenever I look at you and thinking how fast time is flying by, I always thought of just staying at home and teach you alphabets and numbers and shapes. We will always fight from time to time and I will always lose my patience *i have a very thin line when it comes to patience :)* but I know that we will always have a great time bonding and spending time together doing things and making sure you're on the right track of learning what kids your age knows these days. But I have to work. And I know and trust that God has given you enough wisdom to learn them one by one. I love how every night we make it a habit to pray before going to sleep. Thank you for this joy little one. Now I understand the happiness and joy of being a parent.

Church of St Mary of the Angels

Last night was our first time to go to church of St Mary of the Angels *given that it’s in Bukit Batok hehe*, as we attended a seminar on baptism where dadi will be one of Chelsean’s  (naynay’s new little prince) ninongs.

To be honest, when I first came in, I don’t feel like I’m inside a church. It’s weird because I didn’t see any crucifix or images of Mary to think that the Church’s name is St Mary. it’s really a huge place with a high ceiling. The only image you could see is that huge image of Jesus Christ hanging in mid-air which scared me at first *maybe because of the book I just read*. Dadi and I was wondering if it’s really a catholic church although they are providing baptismal service there.

When the priest started on the seminar, explaining us about baptism and the structure of the church, I’ve never understand some of the details in baptism better that how he had explained it. Either the priest is really good or God just showed me that where I am is still a house of God no matter how “modern” it looks. I am looking forward to this Sunday to go back to this church.

I took the liberty of borrowing these photos from the church’s website.

it’s really rare to see a priest from Singapore who looks like really enjoying his profession and could explain everything to people without losing their attention

 
In the middle of the church was this “baptism pond” where the baby can be dipped. beside it was another bigger version for adults’ baptism.

Trial by JP

This book makes me fell in love with JP again. he's truly a remarkable story teller. I felt all the anguish and pain of the story as if i was there seeing everything that's happening. books are really interesting when you know that you're learning something that you've never know existed.

Lynching in 19th century is really sad. I’m glad I’m living in this generation. There's too much fear and sadness and death that's too much to handle.

This is a really good read even if you haven't read any of the Alex Cross' series. I don’t actually think this is related to Alex Cross at all. :) Still, please include this in your must read book list.

Panaginip

From the recent events happening in Libya, and continuous updates through texts from my Nanay, I can’t help but feel worried about my Tatay. He’s our very dear uncle whom I’ve always looked up to. He’d been the father that my dad never was. From the last update, Nanay sent me sms that Tatay is already safe and away from the danger in Libya. I don’t know how far or near he is from where he stays and sometimes or most of the times, news doesn’t give specific details. But it was a big relief when I learned that he and other fellow kababayans are in Malta now. Last night, I dreamt about Tatay. He was not alive and a friend was the one continually texting Nanay pretending to be Tatay as requested by him. It was not as vivid as any other dreams but the “thud” on my heart was still there when I woke up. I prayed intently to God that He won’t take another love from our life. Sometimes, it’s best to dream about these kind of things because you were given a chance to pray for them that they’ll be safe. Unlike with baby nathan where we didn’t have any clue that he will be taken away from us. Tatay is now only waiting for a ticket, apparently from the philippine government so they can go home but after 3 days, still nothing. I hope he will be able to go home sooner.

Cheska's First Time to Singapore Zoo

It was a long time plan since bebe C was able to recognize animals from the pictures and could able to say some of them. The plan was finally realized yesterday. We arrived at the zoo past 2 already but we still enjoyed the "family bonding". No yaya and we survived! I can't put in words the happiness I felt seeing Cheska with so much joy that time. It's really priceless. The shriek of glee whenever she see familiar animals that she only see in the pictures and TV is undeniably invaluable. When we watched the animal friends show she literally jump for joy when she saw the dogs closely. After the show, we let her touched the dogs she loved them! The kids playground inside the zoo is superb :) Even I, enjoyed the look and feel of the place. For Cheska, she wasn't afraid of the dogs, the cat, the horse and the goat but she is strangely scared of the bubbles lol. We let her play in the kid's area where there is a mini pool for the kids. I don't know where this kid get her energy but my guess is from the thrill of the new experience she had. I hope she will always be a kid at heart - one who easily enjoys the simple beauty of life. We felt so tired physically but the exhaustion is nothing compares to seeing her beautiful smile :) We ended the night having dinner at Nando's at Plaza Singapura. Thank you dadi for spoiling your girls.

 

more photos at her multiply site.

God wants me to know…

On this day of your life, Faye, we believe God wants you to know ... that there are no accidents. What you think of as accidents are simply your conversations with God that you haven't yet been able to understand. But take heart, all happens in God's will and every conversation has deep meaning for you.

 

Is this the “answer” that I’ve been waiting to hear from you?

Just go with it

When we watched movie, we never check out reviews or recommendations from anyone. We watched what we feel like watching. Because for us, some movies that are so funny for other people could be just ok for us and vice versa. Movies were appreciated by people with different taste. So whenever someone asked me if a particular movie is good, I say my own verdict of the movie.

Any Adam Sandler movie makes me laugh. The kind that I get teary eyed because I don’t want to laugh hysterically. When habidadi bought the ticket, I had no idea it was AS’s movie. Adding up Jennifer Aniston made it more enjoyable. I’d love to watch it again and again. Plus it has some kilig scenes. Sometimes, if you want to enjoy the movie, don’t bother looking into the details of the story. Have fun laughing at the jokes and be in love with the cheesy lines. It’s like enjoying a Friday night out with your friends.

Heart’s Day

So as not to make this blog feel the melancholic of the departure of our little angel, mama faye will still continue blogging about everything. Know that you’ll always be here in our hearts, bunso. Always be remembered. Happy heart’s day our little cupid.

For years that Mr. A and I had been together, it’s rare that we go out on valentines day itself even when we were just starting. First, we wanted to avoid the crowd. Secondly, we don’t want to do the very cliché valentines date, no offense to those who do. Thirdly, I hate seeing flowers everywhere I look. Honestly, I don’t like flowers. They wither. They are exorbitantly pricey *here in Singapore*. And they are good for few weeks but afterwards they are good for nothing but trash. But here’s the big BUT. I “ooooh” whenever I see guys taking the effort to buy and bring and give them to their partners. I smile whenever I see heart shaped helium balloons or one single red rose or a teddy bear. It always brought me back to my high school days. :) I like the idea of flowers on a valentines day on other people. And I like seeing the imaginary little hearts floating in the air every 14th of the second month of the year :)

Anyway, we went out last friday and went to Que Pasa - our used-to-be hangout place – to have a little date. Our feet just took us there. We were glad to found a vacant place outside because we love to do people-watching game. We were ecstatic to see that my favorite beef stew is back! Hooray!

As for today, V day, we were home by 9, had pinoy style bistek and watched “Gullivers Travel” *thanks ami!* with baby C and it was the perfect valentines date for me. Well, until she got bored *after only 15 minutes!* and took out all her toys. :D A perfect date is not about the fancy restaurant or the beautiful bouquet but the person or the people you’re with during this time of the month.

Happeeeee V Day everyone! Spread the love!

Baby Nathan’s 2nd Week

I never thought I'd dreaded Saturday in my entire life. It has been my favorite day of the week for the past years. It's the 2nd week now since I got that call which I wish never happened. Whenever I was asked before if ever there were any regrets in my life that I have, I always answered that I don't want anything to change in my life may it be good or bad because they all have been a factor of where I am and what I am now. But this is one exception that I so wanted to go back to. I will do anything to make our angel go back again. To make sister A not feel the pain and whatever she's going through now. She's strong, I know that. And I may be miles away from them for a very long time and Im aware that I don't know them well enough but I know when they're hurting. I know how painful it is to lose someone. To lose a child. Honestly, I really don't care whatever plans He have for her right now. I just can't stand knowing my little sister is hurting.

 

We miss you Biboy. We miss the idea of planning your 1st birthday party. I miss the idea of planning on buying baby stuff for you. I miss the idea of knowing that you're just around. Our life goes on. But it will never be the same. Losing you will always crept up in our minds while having fun or when we're being idle. I wish you will recognize Mama Faye when we see each other again. I wish I could tell you so many things that I never got the chance here on earth.

 

For now, I will try to accept the fact that there is a greater reason why you were taken back early.

Baby Nathan's 9th Day

Today marks our little angel's 9th. My heart is still aching for losing him. It's aching for I know how painful it is for my sisters and mamu who've been taking care of him since day 1. It's aching because I can't imagine how sister A is surviving each day. The suddenness of what had transpire in our family is too much to bear. I haven't totally mourn for his loss because I know the people he had left behind needed me to be strong for them. My bereavement is focus on uplifting their already dampen spirits. But I'm not strong. And I haven't accepted the fact that he's gone. But I don't want my family to know that. I have to show them that life goes on, even if I, myself believe, that it will stop eventually, at least for a while.

 

Of course all of us believe that GOD has reasons why certain things happen but I want to know why. My heart is filled with questions that I know won't be answered by anyone or anything except GOD. I am accepting the fact that a little angel has to be taken away from us because he was not ours in the first place. He was only loaned to us from above. But I want to know why he was lend to us and be taken away only after 2 months? Please don't judge me or be mad at me for asking questions. I know and I believe that only you have the power to give and take things rightfully. I'm only asking now to let me try to understand why so I can fully give my strength to them.

 

I'm sorry Baby Nathan. I hope I'm not making you worry too much about us down here. I know you're playing now happily in heaven. No more 24/7 tummy ache. We missed you so much. And I know your mom and mamu and mama kris and mama kendz and ate ayesha and daddy do a lot more than I do. Please help to ask Papa Jesus to heal their aching hearts. Your mom is a strong person - way too strong to go through a lot of things in life that I know I can't handle. But even superman gets weak with the kryptonite. So I'm hoping that this kryptonite moment of her life will eventually pass.

 

I love you sweet angel. Thank you for letting me hold you for few days. Thank you for waking me up on that few days to sing you to sleep and touch your tummy so it won't hurt. Thank you for holding on to my thumb when i touched your hands. Thank you for letting me feel the warmth of your small frail body. I wish it wasn't that soon but some things has to be done. Please keep on guiding your mom and dad so they will continue to go on with their lives and make things right. Please keep on guiding your tita's and lola so they will be able to accept that it is not their fault why we lost you. Please keep on guiding your ate ayesha so she won't cry and hold on to your picture till she gets older although keeping the memory of you will make her stronger. Please keep on guiding me so I will find my way to my why's.

 

After office, I went to Novena church to at least pray for Baby Nathan. I didn’t know that it will be a place for me to relieve some of the heavy burden in my heart. I guess the prayers we asked our friends are more for me and my family especially sister A than Baby Nathan. Maybe because we all know that he is in heaven now.

Precious Angel

If I see you in another lifetime,
would you know who I was or who we were?
would you know how much we have anticipated your arrival?
would you remember how wide our smiles when you came?

If I see you in another lifetime and you didn't recognize me,
would you spend a little moment to listen so i can tell you
not much but enough to help you remember some of it?

I was glad that for a while you made me happy when I first carried you in my arms
Would you even have a recollection of the song I sang to you
when you couldn't sleep because of your tummy ache?
It was a few days but all the while made me fell in love with you

But when I had the chance to meet you again,
i will tell you how much happiness you've brought us
how much our hearts were broken when you left us
how much it aches to have lost you forever

We will miss you so much our sweet angel
As you rest in Gods care
We will rest too
Knowing that Jesus is watching over you

We love you so much!

 

 

Precious Child - Karen Taylor Good

In my dreams, you are alive and well
Precious child, precious child
In my mind, I see you clear as a bell
Precious child, precious child
In my soul, there is a hole
That can never be filled
But in my heart, there is hope
'Cause you are with me still

In my heart, you live on
Always there never gone
Precious child, you left too soon
Tho' it may be true that we're apart
You will live forever... in my heart

In my plans, I was the first to leave
Precious child, precious child
But in this world, I was left here to grieve
Precious child, my precious child

In my soul, there is a hole
That can never be filled
But in my heart there is hope
And you are with me still

In my heart you live on
Always there, never gone
Precious child, you left too soon,
Tho' it may be true that we're apart
You will live forever... in my heart

God knows I want to hold you,
See you, touch you
And maybe there's a heaven
And someday I will again
Please know you are not forgotten until then

In my heart you live on
Always there never gone
Precious child, you left too soon
Tho' it may be true that we're apart
You will live forever... in my heart

What Our Airport has to Offer… Not!

Reposting from chuvaness site. Very good read.

Do you care about our airports? Please sign up on this Facebook page.
Let's get the numbers to let the President know we mean business.
Here's a letter sent to me by Anna Oposa:
"My dad and I sent this letter to Mr. Jose Angel Honrado, head of the Manila International Airport Authority, this morning. We ask MIAA to review the inefficient check-in procedures, and a financial report of the terminal fees, among others. I've also reposted this on my blog and tweeted it to travel bloggers to generate more buzz and put more pressure on the MIAA and other agencies concerned.
I wanted to send you a copy of the letter as well, just to let you know that private citizens are trying to do something about our (crappy) airports."

We are TWELVE!

Last night was our 12th BF-GF anniversary. We went to Osteria, Mozza at Marina Bay Sands for dinner as we thought of changing our usual course of buffet dinner. We were choosing between Wolfgang Puck and Osteria but Wolfgang is waaaaaayyyyy expensive and beyond our budget lol. Anyway, Osteria had so many options in the menu and the place is really posh. I feel like I'm going on a date for the first time with habidadi hihihi. Osteria, by the way, is the first Italian restaurant in Singapore which I later find out has one also in Los Angeles. The waiters are very attentive and I have never seen so many staff in a SG restaurant than here where you can always find one for assistance. After we have placed our menu, one westerner guy, probably a wine connoisseur, helped us in picking our red. He gladly explained each kind that is around our budget hihihi. Let me start with the photos because pictures speaks a thousand words :D

In case you run out of ideas to dine with your best friends or dates, this place is a must. A SGD$150 budget will suffice for 2 person and you will feel so full like you had on a buffet. Below are what we had from their menu and they are all a must try. I have listed below the full menu they have just in case you wanted to check it out before heading down there. I'm no food critic. I just love blogging about the things that makes me happy :) And something that makes me happy makes me unstoppable in recommending them to anyone :)

 

[Foradori Teroldego - $26 per glass]

For drinks, just because it's a bit affordable at first and very well explained by the handsome guy hihihi, we had this one by the glass. 

 

[Lurisia Still Water – free]

I was never a fan of sparkling water unlike habidadi so we ordered this still water instead of the sparkling one. Only when we were billed out, we found out that the water is free :)

 

[butter lettuces with hazelnuts, bacon, gorgonzola dolce and egg - SGD$21]

For starters or Antipasti we both shared a salad. The dressing is a  bit strong leaning on to the vinaigrette-y flavor and I'm not really a fan of anything with vinegar-y taste in it. I thought I won't be able to finish it but mixing it with the salty taste of flavor and hazelnuts, it makes the dish absolutely divine and yes we finished it right away ;D. I felt full already with the salad alone.

 

[toasted bread with ricotta cheese – free]

I thought habidadi was a bit exaggerating after tasting this small dish that's why I was having second thoughts on trying it. Besides, it's a family of cheese and I don't trust him when it comes to cheese because he adores the kinds of cheeses with the foul smell lol no offense with those who liked it really much. We even put the small amount in the free rye bread :) I want ricotta cheese from now on!

 

 

[orecchiette with sausage & swiss chard - SGD$25]

[grouper - SGD$32]

For secondi, we had orecchiette and grouper. They first served orecchiette in 2 separate dishes. It looks like calamari with sauce though but this is a kind of pasta with spicy tingling sensation. Will it be too cyclical if I say this dish is divine? Like I said, Im no food critic so pardon my lack of food verbs to describe how delicious one dish is. I didn't finished mine though because it's really spicy for me. Few minutes later, they served the grouper. And with that heavenly smell, we can't help but dig in right away even if it's still oozing hot. The crispness of the fish with the sauce around it is fantastic. I pat myself on the back for having a good choice this time. 

 

I dont have any negative comments on this place. Being our first, it made us even want to come back again for the next occassion. Oh, they also have a pizzeria beside the resto so if you're not feeling the fine dining thing, you can opt for that. And I'm sure it will be delicious since they have wood fired pizzas! We will and hope to try that next time!

The only thing but not really a big deal is they don't have any special for couples celebrating anniversaries :) Others we went to either gave us a free bottle of champagne or a cake :D

All in all, this night is truly remarkable. Tenchu habidadi for making our twelfth really memorable. Tenchu for the lovely dinner and the surprise "daily serving of chocz" and of course the coach bag you gave me. Thank you Lord for the 12 wonderful-and-sometimes-not-so-wonderful years. Please give us more love for the next coming years in our life.

 

[the remarkable OSTERIA MOZZA]

 

                   

[shuweeeeetttt]

 

[dadi’s surprise gift to mami – my “daily serving” of chocz]

 

[dadi’s gift to mami]

 

[mami’s gift to dadi]

Young Love

I called it as it is not because of the age of the people involve in that four letter word that runs the whole world. "Young Love" pertains to that feeling that's just started. It is the sweetest and most romantic place any person of any age would agree to either reminisce or loved to share.

I love listening to stories of beautiful beginnings. We all have been on the same boat at some point in our life but it's so "kilig" when you realize how each story sways you and makes you high. Haven't you realize how many romantic movies you have seen but each time you watch one they put a smile on your face and makes you "kilig"? Have you ever paid a huge amount in a class/session where you know will bore you to death and doesn't interest you at all but you know that he/she will truly enjoy? How about turning your back to the world and enlisting yourself to a home just so you could personally take care of your wife even if the dementia makes her forget who you are? Or simple things like getting up in the middle of the night to make a peanut butter sandwich for him/her without complaining? What about spending a fortune for a cab ride back home almost everyday at 1 or 2 AM in the morning just because you want to spend more time with him/her? Have you gone an extra mile like planning ahead of the place and dinner and people involve to make sure everything is perfect for your marriage proposal? Or proposing and/or saying yes to someone you just knew for a week? Have you fallen in love with someone who's forever tied up in a wheelchair? Or dance someone in the rain without any music at all? If I list everything I remember and asked everyone I know, the list will be endless. Isn't it worthy to at least try and see for yourself how beautiful young love is?

We all do love beginnings and fret so much about the endings that most of the time it let us messed up what we have at the moment. We put inhibitions before the good thing even began just because we are so afraid of hurting in the end. Believe it or not, either way it still does hurt so we might as well have a good taste of something beautiful than live in the cliché "what-if". Let's not cynic about everything that didn't turn out good. Everything in this world deserves a chance to prove its worth.

Basta Driver, Sweet Lover

It's a common slogan back home especially on the public transports. My dad used to joke about this with my Mom before. When he packed his bags almost two decades ago, I knew this slogan is not just a slogan :D. It does seem to have a connection with the male's narcissistic way of boosting their ego. Why am I bringing this subject? Lol. Well, few days ago, we were home for vacation and one time we took a cab, we had a chat with the cab driver. I was with my mom at that time and baby cheska. I can't remember how the conversation dive into the subject but what I can't seem to forget is what he had told us. He said he love his family and he will never leave them for any other girl. But he admits that he's "babaero" and occasionally *and casually* saying that every month he would go to a bar to take out some girl and release the heat. Then casually saying this and I hope I remember it correctly.

Driver: I'm already 60 and let's admit the fact that no matter how many expensive perfumes my wife uses, she will still smell like dirt or in tagalog "amoy lupa". I want to feel a young girl's skin and smell the scent of a young one that's why every month I go out to get one. Anyway, I'm always protected so I don't have any worries of having any "accident".

My mom's smiling maybe for being polite but me, deep inside I was thinking if this is really what "marriage" will happen after 3 or 4 decades of being together. I blurted out after sometime that I don't want to grow old and they both laugh. I know and I hope that habidadi is a lot different than this man but the truth really hurts. You grow old together but they still want to live their life in the past as if it's normal. Scary. Really really scares me.

On another note, there's a short gag from youtube about couples saying goodbye on the phone in three different stages. first is married couple of about 10 to 15 years, 2nd is old couple and third is new bf-gf couple.

MARRIED COUPLE

wife: love you honey. i miss you. see you tomorrow!

husband: love you too honey and i miss you a lot. see you tomorrow. bye!

*click*

OLD COUPLE

husband: love you honey.

wife: ok bye.

*click*

NEW BF-GF COUPLE

girl: i love you so much. i miss you already. blah blah.

boy: i love you more honey. i miss you terribly. blah blah.

girl: o cge honey baba mo na. i love you.

boy: mauna ka na honey. i love you.

*after long hours*

girl: honey baba mo na may naririnig na kong tilaok ng manok. i love you.

boy: oo nga honey eh cge na mauna ka na. i love you too.

I was laughing at the show because I have been guilty of that too. When relationships are new it seem like there's no tomorrow. As if you wanted to be with the person forever. But as relationships grew older, everything changes. According to experts, it means love is stronger as the relationship grew older. There's more trust and comfort that the person you love will be there forever. Is it? Really?

I'm just thinking why do we have this "overflowing" romantic and cheesy side when we're falling? But everything diminishes each year we're with the same person? Love getting less is really out of the question because once you've planted love on one person it will always be there. Even if you separated ways, yes I guess in some other way the love is still there. Maybe on a different perspective. But the cheesiness is what makes love even stronger and a happy place. Why does it fade over the years? I'm sure there's a better explanation to this. I just hope relationship works the way I picture it and not the way reality takes it place nowadays.