I saw RED

I've been partial to red nail polish eversince I can remember. I have a favorite red shade for each nail polish brand I've tried so far. Today, I had my usual mani-pedi-foot reflex package at the Nail Loft and again, I asked to see all of their red shades.

This one's my new favorite!

Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails

Xtreme Wear in Cherry Red

It's the brightest and perkiest shade of red I've seen and I am loving it.

Good thing Sally Hansen isn't hard to find locally.

I'm definitely getting my own bottle.

Today's simple pleasure

My afternoon meeting got cancelled today. Having heard that, Sabine insisted that I ride in the car with her to school. On my way home, I decided to ask the driver to take a short detour to Wilson Street so I can grab some Serenitea...

My default order: a large Hokkaido Milk Tea with pearls and TWO extra order of pearls and their super yummy Chicken Chops!

So glad there is a Serenitea branch nearby

(along J. Abad Santos Street, just off Wilson Street in Greenhills)

Do I Love Weddings?

No, in general I don't. I've reached an age where dressing up and getting primped is no longer something I look forward to. I'm a shopper but the one thing I haven't invested in is evening/cocktail pieces. I always end up running around like a headless chicken a week before a formal event, looking for a dress plus shoes and a bag to match. However, this is the only part about weddings I don't enjoy.

Last weekend, one of my younger cousins (about 10 or so years my junior) tied the knot. I don't even remember the last wedding I went to. But I have to say, I haven't had this much FUN at a wedding in a very long time. The day began with a salon appointment for myself and the girls (the downside of not having sons, ang gastos! :D). By 330pm, we were off to the church.

The Nuestra Sra. dela Gracia church in Guadalupe is small but one of my favorites

Reception venue : The Jade Pavilion of Blue Leaf, McKinley Hill

This wedding was all about

LOVE ... TOGETHERNESS ... THANKSGIVING ... HOPE ... FUN

and most importantly

F A M I L Y

Neal and I

The bride's father, my Tito Manny

My (not so) baby brother

Cousins, Aunts, Uncles and our kids

My cousin, Patty, the blushing bride

My Sabine and the flower girls

My not so baby girl, Anissa

And the baby, Sabine

Catered by the famous Bizu

I feasted on their Macaroons plus the Cream Puff Tower

My sweet tooth went home a happy camper!

CONGRATULATIONS, Mr and Mrs Obag (Buddy and Patty)!!!

We wish you a long and happy marriage filled with God's abundant blessings!!!

These photos (and more) were all taken by Anissa

My girl's got talent!

Twister Time!

Just like the Starbucks sticker promo which only happens once a year, there's one other thing I look forward to during the "ber" months.

McDonald's Twister Fries!

Noticed though that they're slightly thinner this time, which is just the way I like my french fries. I was never too fond of potato wedges precisely because I don't like them thick. This one is just perrrrrrrrrfect!

Here's why we love DEC

Clockwise from top left : Sharksfin Siomai, Hakaw, Special Siomai, Salt n Pepper Spareribs and Sweet and Sour Pork. This was dinner last night, c/o our favorite neighborhood Chinese store DEC on Wilson Street in Greenhills. It's always our "go to" place when we feel like having dimsum or small side orders. It's just so convenient. We're in and out of the store in about 15 minutes because everything is right there, packed and ready to be taken home. As you can see, we didn't even bother to take them out of their original containers, to avoid having to wash too many dishes. Anissa had a friend over last night, which is why we decided to drive by DEC before going home after picking them up from school.

I love that it's not too painful on the pockets. Everything you see here cost us less than P1,000. And the best part? We have leftovers for today.

Hello Conjunctivitis!

This should be a first for Sabine, who woke up with swollen eyes and lots of discharge too. Good thing our Pedia has clinic today at 2pm, so I can have her eyes checked. Although she hasn't complained much since she got up, it really looks like Conjunctivitis (aka sore eyes). And it's no surprise because a lot of people are getting it nowadays. I hope it's the mild kind though and it goes away over the weekend. Otherwise, we'll have to stay holed up at home tomorrow to avoid infecting anyone else. Bummer.

Get well soon, baby girl!

I Smell Panic Buying - the 1st ever F21 Sale

If fashion maniacs braved the crowds on the first few days of Forever21 Philippines in SM Megamall, I am 100% sure they'll do the same this weekend. Already priced reasonably, how can anyone resist a 50% off sale??? I know I would find it so hard to do, ignore the urge, that is. But then again, I've never even been to the store since it opened. I just can't imagine waiting in line for hours just to shop. Those days are over. Let's see.

Good luck to all of you who have mapped out your weekend and included this in your agenda.

Have you seen the new Immigration card?

Feast your eyes on this blatant display of a lack of ethics.

It's been said that a foreigner's first impression of a country happens once he steps into the airport. Well in this case, trust the first impression to be formed a lot earlier than getting off the plane. Good luck to us all.

Lessons from the Chile miners' rescue

The rescue effort is far from over. As of this writing, only 4 out of 33 trapped miners have been pulled to safety. But already, the lessons one can learn from this are all around.

First off, I truly admire (that's actually an understatement, I don't have the exact word right now) the way this is being handled by the Chilean government. The entire world is watching and I'm sure everyone feels the same. They are extremely organized. This whole effort is obviously well-planned, to ensure that nothing goes wrong. There's the absence of the usual media hype we would normally see in a similar local scenario. Everything is very straightforward and you don't see any hidden agendas...just the safety of all 33 miners who have been down there since August 5.

The human spirit is indestructible! Thank you, Lord for being with these brave men all throughout their ordeal!

Teenage Parental Syndrome

They weren't kidding when they said how challenging these years could be for a parent. In my case, the challenges have just begun and I'm certainly not enjoying them. My only consolation is that there are other parents everywhere who are going through the same experience. I am not alone.

My guiding principle as a teenager's parent? Hate me now, thank me later. I can't avoid being the "bad cop". I can't bear the thought of not raising my child the way I know how. I may be overly-critical at times (I'm sure she'll say this is an understatement) but I would rather be that way than see her do the wrong things.

Here's something I saw and would like to share to all other parents out there...

They're only little once.

Grant me the wisdom to guide them down the path that their feet should take.

For I know that they can never turn back and walk those paths with me again.

Give me the wisdom to guide their feet
so that someday they'll be able to walk alone.

They're only little once.

Give me the time I need to enjoy them.

For I know that after they're grown, I'll never have another chance

to tell stories and pretend at those tea parties.

I'll never have another chance

to watch them in a school play or sing in church, or to see them catch that first fish or score that first goal or hit that first home run ball.

Give me the time in life's busy schedule
to have fun with my children.

They're only little once.

Let me be a loving parent.

Let me correct and not just punish, explain and not merely scold.

Let me know when to correct, and how often, and when it's best to just look the other way.

Help me be patient and give me a gentle hand to mould them into better people.

They're only little once.

Let me be a good teacher and an even better example.

Give me the right words and deeds to teach them.

Help me to teach them about You and how to walk in Your ways

so that when they are old they will not depart from Your ways.

For they're only little one time,

only innocent and trusting and pliable for a space of time, one minute in an eternity.

Let me do my best for them while I have the chance.

Amen

~~ Author Unknown ~~

Back to Pantene

For a while now, I've been a loyal Sunsilk user. But all this talk about the new and improved Pantene line made me want to try it out. So while I was killing time at Shang Mall last Tuesday, I decided to go to Mercury Drug and ended up buying these...

I've only tried the shampoo and conditioner so far. I love the fruity scent and they've kept my hair extra soft until the next day. Today, I'm trying out the treatment in that cute little tub. Smells good, too. I think it's safe to say "buhbye" to Sunsilk for now.

More on Soiree Salon

I did say I would go back, this time for a haircut and much-needed rebonding session. I didn't get to capture the actual experience since I was all alone and was too shy to ask the salon staff to take my photos. Suffice it to say, I went home a happy camper after almost 4 hours of sitting on my butt.

I had this photo taken just the other day, a few days after my trip to Soiree Salon. Needless to say, I love the results. For my hair length, I only had to pay Php 4K (haircut included).

The same day this photo was taken, since we were already somehow in the area, I decided to bring Sabine in for a haircut, too. I didn't bother to check if Ken was around but thankfully, he was.

Success!!!