Hong Kong - Day 1 (Novotel Citygate)

Toilet & Bath for Matt & Kyle, originally uploaded by gratitude.

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Fashion Watch

I don't really consider myself a fashionista. In fact the closest I'd get to being one is when you see me browsing some fashion magazines or watching makeover shows on Velvet or Lifestyle channels... You can say I'm not the type to want to be first in sporting the latest trend since I'm already comfy in my jeans and shirt and basic footwear.

So... when I received an invite for Fitness.Fashion, at the Waterfront Hotel (Lahug), I was confused. Hahaha. What do I wear to such an event??? The dress code said: "Wear something chic". Right... What's chic these days? That's very ambiguous.

After deciding on a top I already had and a good pair of jeans (yep, dark skinny denims) and stilletos, off I went with my friend Dahlia.

The show was a mixture of collections from several designers, the likes of Joey Samson, Louis Claparols, Tonichi Nocom, Protacio Empaces, Jun Escario, Rajo Laurel, Philip Rodriquez, Vic Barba, Rhett Eala, Arcy Gayatin, Randy Ortiz, Cary Santiago, James Reyes, Lord Maturan, and Edwin Ao (list of designers lifted from StyleCebu.com).

There were really nice clothes on the ramp but Dahlia and I, along with our other lady-companions on the "green section" were aww-ing and ahh-ing at the buff and lovely (male and female and Cebu celebrity) models more than the collection. Hihihi.

So much for fashion watching. It was a new experience for me and taught me a bit about style (which needs to be put to practice I suppose). I hope I don't see myself in pictures with a blacked out face and labelled "what not to wear to a fashion event" or "caught by fashion police". ;)

Touring Terraces

We've been frequenting the Terraces for the past few days until the last weekend. It's a nice venue to take my Manila-based parents to. They're impressed that there's something like Greenbelt or Glorietta in my Cebu home-base. Hehe... For city-dwellers like them, malling is a staple activity. Yep, I should know. :P



Here we are, enjoying Yellow Cab pizza and calzone a few hours after a filling lunch at Big Mao (both at Terraces)

Playing Catch Up (1) - Mama Sol's Birthday

The past weeks have been busy for me at the homefront with my youngest and me getting sick one after the other, like a tag-team of sorts. Then to add to that, we also had major movements and changes at work. Think, paperwork and tighter coordination among all groups.

To cut the chase, I'm posting pics of other events that happened in between. So this is part 1:



We got invited to Mama Sol's (aunt's) dinner party at the Marco Polo where we were served a fusion of Japanese, Italian, Chinese and native food. Yummm! However, the al fresco dinner was mildly rained on and prompted most of the guests to wear the table napkins on their heads ala "hat" party. Wehehe... I guess that was what caused me to get sick for a week. :P


When the mild drizzle stopped, the dances began. One of the dance numbers was from a belly-dancer, to the men's delight. As the music commenced, I threw side-glances at my teenage boys who seemed to enjoy the serpentine moves of the curvaceous dancer. Ah boys... My Papa Lalo (uncle) was regretful of the fact that he left his eyeglasses home! Haha! That was amusing and definitely good news for my Mama Sol!


Since it was a Tuesday, with work the following day (my sons were on school break), we left at about 930pm. That was when most of my uncle and aunt's contemporaries started boogie-ing and chacha-ing the night away...

LP: Liwanag (Light)

Kung ikaw ay nakarating na sa Manila Ocean Park, kapansin-pansin ang lugar na kung saan nakapuwesto ang mga kwadradong upuan na ito na gawa sa plastic. Madilim dito at ang nagbibigay ng bahagyang liwanag ay ang mga upuan na merong ilaw sa loob. Ang maganda, nagpapalit-palit pa ng kulay ang ilaw ng bawat isa. :)

Ayan, nagkaroon ako ng lahok para sa linggong ito. Teka, tingnan naman natin ang ibang klaseng liwanag na ibinahagi ng mga ka-litratista sa Litratong Pinoy?

Litratong Pinoy: Luma Na

Ang Coloseo ang isa sa mga kilalang lumang istruktura na magpahanggang ngayon ay nakatayo pa. Ginawa noong AD72 hanggang AD80 (ayon sa nakatala sa internet), ito ang ginamit na arena ng mga Romano para panoorin ang paglalaban ng Kristiyano at leon o kaya naman ay mga "gladiators".

Taong 2003 nang makita ko sa unang pagkakataon ang pamosong atraksyon na ito sa Rome at tunay na kamangha-mangha ang tanawin na aking nakita. Pakiramdam ko noon ay parang nagbabalik ako sa lumang panahon ng mga Romano.

Sana nagustuhan ninyo ang napili kong ilahok sa linggong ito para sa Litratong Pinoy.

Litratong Pinoy: Puti at Itim

Ilang Huwebes din akong napahinga sa pagsali sa lingguhang Litratong Pinoy. Mabuti at may konting oras para makapagblog bago maging abala ng tuluyan. Ang tema para ngayong Huwebes ay "Puti at Itim" at sa aking paghahanap ng litrato sa aking koleksiyon, nakita ko ito...



Litrato ito ng kamay ko, ng aking kapatid na si Junnie at ni Jake OR Zia sa ibabaw ng umiilaw na upuan sa Manila Ocean Park. Sa katunayan, "colored" ang shot na yan kaya lang against the light kaya naging parang anino ang kulay ng aming mga kamay. Puede na rin di ba?

Dalawin natin ang ibang lahok sa Litratong Pinoy dito...

SM Horror Story/ies

Last Sunday, as soon as I plopped myself on the couch after our Manila-Cebu flight, my cellphone rang. It was Ma. She was just checking on us if we arrived safely home and on time. But right after I replied, she proceeded to blurt her horror story.

She lost her wallet in SM Mall of Asia! Argh! And as she was speaking on the other line, she was close to hysterical. She narrated that Pa looked for a place to sit down while she went to nearby Celine. She was just a few minutes inside Celine, picked an item she wanted to buy and proceeded to the counter. She noticed nothing unusual, except that the mall and the boutiques were jampacked with people. It was a weekend sale after all.

At the counter, when she unzipped her bag, she found her long wallet gone! Her cards, cash, senior citizen's ID, everything... gone!

I could feel her anguish. Along with the cash she lost was the cash gift I gave earlier that day for her birthday... I was even joking about it, telling her I couldn't afford to buy her an LV Speedy yet (to replace her Lacoste bag), but the amount could be her 1st installment.... *Sigh*

Sad thing is, this wasn't the first time it happened. Earlier this year, she also lost her wallet from inside her bag while in SM Southmall with Pa. Same story. The thief seemed to have used some "sleight of hand" trick for Ma not to feel anything. Grr.

Let this be a warning to all to please be careful with your bags or wallets. SM is not immune to these petty criminals. Hard times... There's no telling when and where the thieves would strike again.


Ma, enjoying the empty (newly-built) Northwing of the SM City Cebu last January...


At SM City Cebu - Jake (with Pa), Matt, me, Pa and Ma... That's how she normally carries her bag while malling...

Timeline: 31 hours in Manila

SATURDAY
8:00 AM flight to Manila

12:00 noon @ Recipes (Greenbelt)


2:00 PM @ Mocha Blends (Las Pinas)




4:00 PM @ Cafe Breton (Westgate, Alabang)


7:00 PM Dinner @ home
9:00 PM Coffee @ Starbucks, Madrigal (Ayala Alabang)

SUNDAY
8:00 AM breakfast
10:00 AM Skype video call between family in Manila and Junnie and Mitzi in Canada
12:00 noon lunch at home
3:00 PM (after 31 hours in Manila) flight back to Cebu.

Happy 70th Birthday Ma! :D

@ the boys' Jesuit-run school

Matt, Jerry & Kyle in front of the statue of Jesus..., originally uploaded by gratitude.

August 23, 2008 was the inauguration and blessing of the newly installed statue of Jesus at SHS-J...

In photo are hubs and our 2 elder sons - proud of their Jesuit school/alma mater, all three!

Moooning

I didn't misspell the title of this entry. That's just playing with the name of this new place at the Walk. It's a Mexican fusion resto-bar named Mooon.

It's open (almost) 24/7. And on some Sunday afternoons, my family and I lug our macs, psp, gameboy, and the newspaper and spend time doing our own thing there while sipping Mooon's fruit cooler.

I like that it's near enough to my workplace that I could actually get wifi signals. Hehe... Perhaps on some days, this could be an extension office for when I need a change of scenery....

Well, just maybe...

Saturday in Makati

I used to work in SGV Consulting in Makati in late 1989 up to 1992. Spending most of my waking hours in that area from Monday to Friday familiarized me with the ins and outs of "old Makati". Why do I say old? Since moving to Cebu 16 years ago right after getting married, a lot in the place have changed. Every year that I got to visit Makati, a structure got renovated or torn down and replaced by another. It's sad that I didn't have photos of how the Makati I knew looked like.

Last Saturday, Jerry and I strolled down memory lane as we tried to recall the old places. I couldn't help looking for Gibson's where I usually took colorum mini-bus or jeepney rides to Las Pinas back in those days. Now, Jerry tells me it's already part of Park Square. I asked him where the Tia Maria Mexican bar/resto we used to frequent is located, and he tells me it's actually Max Brenner now. Larry's Bar, San Mig Pub, and Max's Fried Chicken, the resto where my parents and siblings once ate to celebrate a grade school graduation is now GB5! I couldn't help but shake my head... Haha! Ganun??? I'm feeling lost...and old! :D

Even the SGV Development Center along Perea and Dela Rosa Streets, where Jerry and I worked and met in 1989 is no longer there. In it's place is a high-rise condominium.

Change happens so fast it's dizzying...


With Pa, Ma, sis May, niece Zia (Pics taken at GB5 and Glorietta)

Liwaliw

View from Greenbelt 5 (GB5)

"Mall" agad ang pumasok sa isip ko sa temang liwaliw. Tamang-tama. Ang litratong aking lahok ay kuha ko habang ako ay nasa loob ng Greenbelt 5, sa parteng malapit sa bagong mamahaling boutique na Adora. :D

Nasa Manila kasi ako noong 080808 para sa opening/blessing ng aming opisina. Kaya noong sumunod na araw ng Sabado, inilibot ako at ang aking hubby ng aking mga magulang at mga kapatid sa bagong GB5.

Maganda... Kumain pa nga kami sa Travel Cafe kung saan unang natikman ng aking Ma, Pa at sis ang coffee alamid, ang isa sa pinakamahal na kape sa buong mundo. Sa Pilipinas lang yata ito nakikita. Sa umpisa nag-atubili akong subukan pero nang matikman na, masarap pala.

Kakaiba ang naging pagsubok ni Ma. Sa una, sarap na sarap siyang lagukin ang coffee alamid. Parang capuccino daw ang lasa. Pero di maipinta ang mukha ni mader nang malaman nyang galing pala ito sa dumi ng alamid. Nai-imagine kasi nya na pusa ang alamid kahit ito ay mas mukhang "mongoose". Hahaha.... Makikita dito >>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4896230.stm ang karagdagang kaalaman tungkol sa pinagmulan ng sikat na coffee alamid.

Eto naman ang litrato naming mag-anak na kuha ni hubby habang nasa Travel Cafe.... bukod sa napakalaking halo-halo na di namin naubos, Coffee alamid ang hawak ni Pa sa kuha na ito.



Saan kaya nagliwaliw ang ibang sumali sa Litratong Pinoy? Puntahan natin...

Cebu Pacific and NAIA 3

On my recent trip to Manila last 080808 to 081008, I flew via Cebu Pacific with a P3800 roundtrip ticket (heh, budget traveler, I am). Thus, I had the chance to be in NAIA 3.

I was expecting delayed trips and / or long queues at the terminal after hearing horror stories quite recently. However, none of these happened to me (must be the 080808 phenomena, hehehe). In fact, my flight from Cebu departed 15 minutes and landed in Manila 30 minutes ahead of schedule! Same thing happened on our flight back (Jerry flew with me from Manila to Cebu). No delays = pleasant surprise!

And at the NAIA 3, the directional signs were enough to guide you where to check-in and board at. Without these, one would easily get lost in that monstrosity. So how did the NAIA 3 look? Here, see for yourself.

Now if only the airline ground personnel would call the attention of those sleeping passengers who are lying down and occupying 3 seats while waiting for their flight/s....

Litratong Pinoy: Dalampasigan

Ang dalampasigan ang isa sa paborito kong "subject" para kuhanan ng litrato. Sa lahat ng aking mga kuha, bakit ito ang napili kong isali sa Litratong Pinoy para sa linggong ito? Simple lang. Bukod sa maganda ang dalampasigan na ito sa Panglao, Bohol, huli sa litrato ang tuwa ng dalawa kong anak na lalaki habang naglalaro.

Sana naibigan ninyo....



Eto pa ang ilan sa mga paborito kong litrato na aking kinuha...

[slideshow id=360287970207497002&w=426&h=320]

Kung nais pa ninyong makita ang iba pang lahok na galing sa iba-ibang lugar, paki-click rito.

Maligayang Huwebes sa lahat.

Sa Gawing Kanluran

Okay. 530PM na. Puede na akong mamahinga ng konti at sumali sa lingguhang Litratong Pinoy.

Ang Italya ay nasa gawing kanlurang bahagi ng mundo, kaya napili kong isali ang litratong kinuha ko sa Piazza San Marco sa Venice. Romantiko talaga at "old world" ang dating... Kung hindi lang sa datestamp sa litrato na ito (at sa kasuotan ng mga tao), iisipin kong parang nasa ibang panahon kinuha.



Hay, sana makabalik at makapasyal ulit kaming mag-asawa dun...

Sunday at the Park

A better, cheaper, stress-free alternative...

The Walk

The Walk, originally uploaded by gratitude.

It took more than a year, if I remember right, for this small patch of food / entertainment space to open its doors to the public. Now it's a new destination for food-lovers who want a change of scenery. There's Figaro, Mooon, Pier One, Shakey's, McDonald's, La Marea, Casa Verde which are sure to satisfy anybody's craving.

During Junnie's short visit, we included it in his itinerary. Pics were taken after a filling fusion lunch at Mooon, one bright day in June...

Manila Ocean Park

Sunday afternoon of June 8, 2008, we braved the hundreds upon hundreds of people waiting in line to get inside the Manila Ocean Park. We waited for at least an hour for our number to be flashed before we were allowed in... P400/person is quite a stiff price to pay but since we were in Manila for the weekend, and we wanted to see something we haven't seen before, we decided to splurge a bit....

Enchanted Kingdom