East meets West

"Oh, my wife"

2012-02-12T13:23:00.030-07:00

That's the exact words from my hubby when I asked him to setup a disco ball in our living room. Yes, a disco ball. It was in preparation for our pre-valentine dance party. And.... last night was the night! It was a blast! Everybody had fun (I hope :)). For sure my hubby had fun as he hit the dance floor :).

It wasn't a bad idea after all. After eating, we turned off the lights and turned our living room into a dance floor! We even had 2 rounds of dancing. We got tired the first time around, then we re-fueled and rested for awhile then got up and shake our buns :) Hmmm, what else can we add? Strobe lights? :)

NPYD's Anti-Terrorism

2012-01-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd place this one here after visiting NYC. It's a bit long, but you'll be amazed at what the NYPD chief did to counter terrorism.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T09:00:00.007-07:00

We got back from NYC Friday, December 30th at night. We spent our New Year's Eve at the Absin's. Here's my video of our NYE revelries last night. Enjoy and here's to a prosperous New Year!

Barangay Lehi 2012 New Year's Eve from Eduardo Lu on Vimeo.

Back in SLC!

2011-12-30T21:21:00.010-07:00

Wow, I miss SLC! Great to be back today. We noticed there were no snow unlike last year when we got back from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Hopefully, we'll have some soon.

Last day in NYC

2011-12-29T21:00:00.089-07:00

This is our last day in NYC. After a week of walking, our legs are feeling the fatigue and pain. Most of our travels in and around the city had to do with walking - going to and from the closest subway terminals to our destinations! My hubby and I are thinking if we'll ever go back to NYC? Well, that's for you to guess :)

Our itinerary today was the Empire State Building. After the long wait in the line outside the building, then another line inside the building - we thought "is this still worth it?" But since we already got the tickets online, might as well proceed with the plan. We think you'll be better off with the Top of the Rock tour (Rockefeller building), includes NBC tour, instead of the Empire State Building tour. Also, you don't need to go to the 106th floor (another $) since that's a small and cramped observatory and it's surrounded by glass anyway. The 86th floor is the best place and that's where popular movies were shot anyway.

From the Empire State Building we rode a taxi to Brooklyn to eat at the famous pizza house in NY - Grimaldi's. We weren't the only one thinking of doing that since when we arrive at the place the line already stretches like a block outside Grimaldi's. So off we go to our Chinatown instead :)

We stopped by Brooklyn Bridge (another walking :( )by the way before heading to Chinatown.

In Chinatown we bought stuffs to bring back to Utah :) Then we head back to our hotel to start packing. After we're done with packing, we head down for today's evening cocktail then hit Time Square one last time. Fortunately for us, Ryan Seacrest is there checking out their stage for the NYE celebration.

8th Avenue, on the way to Time Square (NY Times)

After taking more pictures and walking slowly (really tired already) back to our hotel, we said goodnight and goodbye to NYC!

Washington DC

2011-12-28T23:51:00.016-07:00

Being spontaneous - keeps my hubby on his toes :)

Since we're already in NYC I thought why not drop by Washington DC. That's just what we did today. Woke up early in the morning and then took Amtrak's 4:45AM train ride to Washington DC.

Since we only have a day to spend, we decided to book ourselves another guided tour. I think it was a wise decision since the tour enabled us to visit the major attractions all in a day.

Metropolitan Museum of Arts

2011-12-27T17:28:00.044-07:00

Today we headed straight to New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Arts. Its located at Central Park in Manhattan. You'll have to visit the museum early to get ahead of the crowd. This place is huge. One day is not enough. Every year, 5 million tourists visit the museum. Wow, 5 million!

Van Gogh's painting - Cypress in the meadow something (I forgot the name)

Weather didn't cooperated today. We had showers and our trip to the top of the Empire State Building will have to be postponed tomorrow or Thursday. We headed back to our hotel and had cocktails. The hotel has a daily free cocktails (Monday - Thursday) for its guests. They serve cheese, biscuits, and different hors doeuvres. They likewise have white and red wines. For today, they offered cheese and chicken wings.

Grand Central and Rockefeller

2011-12-26T22:19:00.021-07:00

I thought I'll have a separate blog for Lady Liberty. After our tour of Liberty and Ellis Island, we went to see New York's Grand Central subway station. From South Ferry station we headed back north to Grand Central. It was a grand station indeed with its ornate decor of columns, stairs and painted dome.

Rockefeller center was full of people! It brings back our good old days back in the Philippines while shopping for bargain stuffs. Wow, NYC is really something.

Lady Liberty

2011-12-26T21:41:00.061-07:00

Today we visited Lady Liberty. It was a beautiful day befitting a beautiful lady who symbolizes freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I recommend getting the audio tour when you're in Liberty Island. I had shivers as the audio tour narrated the history of Lady Liberty. The musical scoring of the audio tour (personal audio device, with headset and all) made it dramatic and so surreal as you gaze at her magnificent statue.

"What does the Statue of Liberty means to you?", the audio tour asks. Then it goes on with audio clips from the different visitors from around the world, all were here to get a glimpse of Lady Liberty. "Why am I here?", "What does she symbolizes?", I ask myself.

Ellis Island

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T21:17:00.044-07:00

We attended Christmas day mass at the St. Francis of Assisi near Madison Square Garden in NYC.

After the mass we went straight to our scheduled NYC tour. We figure to start our week long vacation in the Big Apple with a tour so that we'll get pointers and see highlights of what the city has to offer for its first time tourists!

The tour was not a bad idea after all. We're able to get some insights from some of the tourist attractions in New York. Here are the attractions included in the tour: Time Square, 50th and 5th - fashion street, WTC, Central Park, Flatiron building, Wall Street, Rockefeller to name a few. The tour even had a ferry ride that takes you underneath the Brooklyn Bridge and close to Statue of Liberty.

All in all, it was a wonderful way of spending the day.

Nope, we didn't go inside this one. My hubby was disappointed. It was closed for Christmas day anyway.

Long day today

2011-12-24T21:56:00.053-07:00

Wow, today's a long day for us. Started last night with a red-eye flight from SLC to JFK airport. We left SLC airport at around 11:59PM Friday and arrived at JFK at 6:00AM Saturday the 24th local time. I didn't had any problem sleeping but I feel bad for my hubby, he said he only had a light nap.

With still time to kill (too early for our hotel check in in NYC), we went straight from the JFK airport to Philadelphia and visited its historic sites and landmarks. We visited the Liberty Bell Center, National Constitution Center, Independence Hall and even saw George Washington's president house. It was awesome! We even dropped by Atlantic City in New Jersey. It had similarities with Las Vegas. The main street is an easy access to the different casinos and premium outlets.

By the time we headed back to our hotel for check in, it was already 5PM. My hubby dropped me off at our hotel and he headed back to JFK to return our rental car. After settling in our room and freshen up, we headed out and hit Time Square at night. We ate first at a Korean Restaurant - Hanbat for our dinner then stroll Time Square. We were amazed by the huge crowd in this area and to think it was Christmas eve. My hubby and I looked at one another thinking "Welcome to New York!"

Liberty Bell:

At the National Constitution Center:

George Washington's President House at Market Street and 6th:

Atlantic City Visitor Center:

That's me, delighted about our Korean dinner:

December 24, Time Square:

Thanksgiving Photoshoot at Art's studio

2011-11-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

Pictures from Art's studio taken on Thanksgiving day 2011.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

As always, we celebrated our Thanksgiving with our friends from Barangay Lehi. Art hosted the party this year. It was a fun filled event. We're able to break-in Art's studio. Unfortunately, I don't have the photos from the studio photo shoot. We'll get a copy from Art and post it separately.

We're very thankful for the blessings, friendships and good health. Happy Thanksgiving!

September morn'...

2011-09-18T11:31:00.000-06:00

Has it been that long? Wow, with facebook, summer campings, concerts and outings, things can get really busy around here.

So this month is my birthday! It's a good way to follow up my last blog with another birthday then :). My hubby surprised me with a macro lens for my DSLR. It was awesome! I never thought it'll be that hard though as i go through and capturing small stuffs. Below are some of my photos. Hope you have fun and I'll definitely be back here. :)

Birthdays and 5K

2011-06-12T10:07:00.013-06:00

My hubby ran his 2nd 5K yesterday morning at the Utah Valley Marathon - 5K event. That same afternoon, we hosted a party to celebrate his birthday as well.

He ended up finishing 3rd in his age bracket - I call his bracket - the not so old bracket :)

In the afternoon, we hosted a party to celebrate his birthday. We even celebrated our friends' birthday for the month of June - Abbie, Aly, Beng and even Robin (not the robin from my other blog) who's visiting from Boise.

It was a wonderful day indeed yesterday. Sadly it was our way as well to wish the Mangibin's good luck and best wishes for their relocation to Austin, Texas. In a small Filipino community here in Lehi, it's really sad to see somebody go. But that's life, we're still solid here in Lehi and it the friendship keeps growing and deeper.

Look Who's Here...

2011-05-31T21:20:00.023-06:00

My hubby noticed this today while he was inspecting our backyard and watering our tomatoes:

Yup, we have visitors in our backyard. This made its way in one of our pear tree. It had 3 eggs in it and it's colored blue/green so far...

Is it a robin?

Bruno Mars in Utah

2011-05-30T23:15:00.017-06:00

We had a chance to watch Bruno in Utah Valley University tonight. He's very talented and gets the crowd all fired up during the concert.

Our next concert - Kathy Perry! That's this coming July.

Mapleton Trail Hike

2011-05-28T21:20:00.032-06:00

This morning my hubby went on a hiking trip with a couple of his officemates at Mapleton. The base of the trail is at Whiting campground in Mapleton, UT. Boy, he was really tired when I saw him from the hike this afternoon.

They made it through two thirds of the hike. They had to stop due to very thick snow/ice. They were using snow shoes as snow started showing up as they went high in elevation.

The base of the trail started at approximately 5000ft. They ended up at 8600ft in elevation. Here's the view, with my hubby in the foreground, from the top of the 8600ft (a mile short from their peak destination):

We really need to upgrade our 7Megapixel camera with low res movie capture :) This is their warmup for the Timpanogos hike. They better postpone their plan of hiking it this June as there might still be snow. Probably in the next 2 months will do.

U2 360 Concert

2011-05-25T09:35:00.022-06:00

Last night we watched U2's concert at Rice Eccles Stadium in The University of Utah. It was an awesome experience. The stage was gigantic and it was very beautiful specially at night.

My hubby was awe-struck again as he watched Bono, The Edge, Larry and Adam play his favorite songs. I kinda' describe his face similar to that of a kid in a candy or toy store :) - all smile/grin and eyes wide open in amusement :) He was standing, dancing and singing the entire U2 concert. You might be able to hear him in the video below :)

Here's his favorite song:

Next stop - Bruno Mars at UVU on the 30th. We even have Kathy Perry and Taylor Swift's concert tickets :)

This year is concert year for both of us :)

Manny Does It Again...

2011-05-08T21:07:00.026-06:00

Yesterday Manny Pacquiao defended his title against Mosley. As usual, we used the event as a reason to get together. We also have several other reasons to celebrate and get together, namely: going away get together for the Mangibins, welcome party for the Cruz's and Art's house warming :)

Mosley didn't give a good fight as he keeps retreating and doesn't want to fight toe-to-toe with Manny. At the end of the 12-round bout, Manny won by unanimous decision. Mosley, by the way, was knocked out via Manny's left hook during the 3rd round. He managed to getup and got the mandatory 10-counts. From then on, he was hesitant and would retreat at the onslaught of Manny's 1-2 combo punches. A win is a win. I just wish Manny would retire now. He already have 8 titles from different weight divisions. I'm not a boxing fanatic, but I think that makes him a unique champion.

By the way, we decided to have a pajama party :)

Thanksgiving Point 5K Race

2011-05-01T07:46:00.000-06:00

It was my hubby's race day yesterday morning. They braved the cold morning temperatures - snowed overnight and even briefly snowed before the race.

Results were encouraging, his first ever 5K and he finished 96th among the 521 runners who registered and run yesterday. There were 600 registered runners for the 5K and 1000 for the half marathon.

My hubby before the race (at home, strategizing or trying to wake up) :)...

The 5K runners at the starting point:

Unfortunately I didn't get my hubby's picture crossing the finish line. I was looking for the best position amidst the crowd when low and behold I suddenly see him coming and crossing the line - I told him we'll just buy the sponsor's photo if there's one :)

But I did manage to take this :)

For details of the race, kindly refer to this Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon site. Also, here's my hubby's Garmin summary of his run:

His next race is on June 11 in Provo.

First Outdoor Run

2011-04-17T09:37:00.001-06:00

My hubby's training for his first ever 5K run and yesterday was his first outdoor run.

Above is his run. He fell short of his target 3 miles. He started off very quick for the first mile, ~8min/mile, and that took it's toll for his entire run. He has to pace himself next time. Hopefully weather will cooperate next week as he starts taking it outdoor. Enough of the treadmill runs and from his own words, running outside is different compared to the treadmill. The only thing he's missing out are the movies being shown in Gold's gym gigantic projection screen in their cinema cardio :) Good luck sweetheart!

Windy Wednesday

2011-04-13T20:28:00.000-06:00

This is what welcomed my hubby going home from work today:

Our neighbor's trampoline made it's way in to our driveway due to strong winds this afternoon. And I'm not talking about right beside our house kind of neighbor. They're like 2-3 houses away in front of us. Good thing there's no broken glasses or windows. Only a dented rain gutter.

One panel of our backyard fence gave in as well to the force of the wind. Boy, Chloe and Murphy will surely be excited to go out during their free time :)

I think I understand now why others install their trampoline at under/on the ground. Other than safety reason, it is to keep it from flying into your neighbors' driveway when there's strong winds :)

My hubby pulled it into our garage momentarily to limit the damage that it can cause since the wind is not yet tired and as I write this blog, I can still hear the wind whistle outside.

Spring's here... almost!

2011-04-03T09:20:00.000-06:00

My hubby forwarded these picture to me (I'm currently in Singapore for a business trip):

He woke up sunday morning with snow. As forecasted, it started snowing saturday evening or early morning sunday. He already started working on our backyard last saturday, good thing he didn't overdid it. Well, it's almost there, lucky for me it's like 80-90F here in Singapore :)

Bon Jovi Concert in SLC

2011-03-22T23:50:00.023-06:00

After seeing Lady Gaga's concert last saturday, we watched Bon Jovi this time. Lady Gaga's concert was great, but Bon Jovi was awesome! The stage was awesome, they have small LCDs that move around the stage, and when I say around the stage - I mean everywhere - above, behind, side, in front of the stage. And these individual screens combine to form one big, actually giant, screen. It was way too cool and it's dynamically changing every songs and sometimes within a song.

My hubby is a big fan of the band. He kept on telling me that he's been a fan since college (just imagine how old this band is now :) - just kidding hon'). That explains my hubby's grin from start to the end of the concert. He's even singing and dancing with Bon Jovi and bought a t-shirt as remembrance from the concert. Wow, can't wait for our next concert in May - U2. Another favorite of his.

Spring's here!

2011-03-13T14:53:00.001-06:00

What a better way to welcome spring by biking!

We did just that today. My hubby bought a GPS-enabled watch and he used it today, unfortunately, he's only able to start it at our first stop - Wines Park in Lehi. I believe he only managed to record 2/3 of our trail. But not too bad, below are the details of our trail. Next time honey, read the manual :)

Garmin Connect - Details

Snowboarding Day

2011-02-26T19:18:00.014-07:00

We just had a snow storm here in Utah and my hubby thought it would be nice to go out and play. This morning he and our friend Art, who moved from Virginia to Utah, saddled up and went to Brighton Ski Resort.

Traffic piled up going up the mountains - Little Cottonwood, as they clean up the road. They had to close it from 8-9AM. They joined the line at around 8:30am, so not bad. Exactly 9am they allowed cars to go up the mountain and their fun begin :)

This time they hit the green slope instead of the bunny hill, a good progression from their class last season :). My hubby will definitely need to bring his Hero helmet cam next time to get HD videos, below are some of his pix and vids. At least with the Hero helmet cam, he'll be able to capture his snowboarding feat! :)

Now my hubby's a happy camper :) He's been itching to go snowboarding since December - but his schedule can't cut it and he has nobody to go with. He's tempted already to go by himself. I can't go - bad knees :(.

With Art around, hopefully he'll go more often.

That long...

2011-02-20T12:17:00.001-07:00

Wow, has it been that long :)

Between facebook, ksl.com, korean soap operas (believe me, stories are great), exercising and taking care of my hubby, I find it hard to blog now. But, I think there's a reason. It's still cold outside and we really didn't have that much of the going here in Lehi, Utah. Can't wait for spring. I'd love to go out and hit the road again with our tandem bike! We got good mileage from it last year and we can't wait this year.

Anyway, my hubby just got back from his business trips from Folsom, CA and Boise, ID this weekend (starting Feb 2). He did went home every weekend and before his trip he decided to upgrade his drum kit cymbals. Now, they sound great. He upgraded to Paiste's Alpha Rock cymbals. They sound really great and sort of up'd his drum kit sound to a different level (yeah, I'm his #1 fan - who else? :)).

Here are some of his photos of his new cymbals.

Happy New Year...

2011-01-01T01:00:00.003-07:00

We waited for 2011 at the Quijana residence. We had a blast - that Kinect by XBOX is awesome! Everybody ended up dancing and following the steps of Lady Gaga's Poker Face (Dance Central game).

Here's to a fruitful and abundant New Year to all...

Back to Reality...

2010-12-31T10:39:00.010-07:00

We are definitely back in Utah. This is what my hubby wake up to this morning:

Lots of snow... He had a hard time plowing through using our snow thrower - some of the snow has turned into ice... His patience and determination later on paid and he's able to clear our driveway... Good job sweetheart!

Goodbye Cabo...

2010-12-30T07:30:00.023-07:00

Our flight left at around 3PM today. We arrived at SLC at around 6PM. It was a 2Hr and 45mins flight.

We had great fun in Cabo. It was a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the office. We'll definitely be back.

We were welcomed at the tarmack by the cold winter wind (pilot annouced temperatures in the 20s at SLC). A great reminder that vacation is over :)

Airport's parking area is covered with snow. Hmmm, I wonder how our driveway will look like :(

Muy Bien...

2010-12-29T07:27:00.023-07:00

This is our last day here at paradise.

We woke up early today to go to the gym - 6AM to be exact! We hit the treadmill and elliptical. Then I headed out to the shoreline for a little brisk walking. I found out today that as early as 7AM, people are reserving spots on the beach so I figure why not do the same thing for us to get the perfect spot later - good plan!

I waited for my hubby in the beach area - reserving 2 perfect spots with umbrella. Upon his arrival we decided to have an early breakfast. After breakfast we stayed in the beach reading, people watching and sun bathing. Later we had lunch - club sandwich and pizza with corona and diet coke. We spent the whole morning up to middle of the afternoon worshipping the sun (my hubby in particular). Once in a while we would swim and brave the chill of the ocean. It wasn't that bad at noon time where it starts to heat up.

Once the late afternoon wind chill starts blowing, we decided to get clean up. My hubby wanted to get another massage before we leave tomorrow.

We capped the night (after a very good massage) with a light dinner. Wow, I felt spoiled already, if only I can just stay here:)

Dos Personas, por pabor...

2010-12-28T20:09:00.049-07:00

My hubby has been practicing his little spanish while we're here in Mexico. As we lined up for (yup, you guessed it - buffet) brunch, he went on and spoke - Dos personas, por pabor (for 2 please). The receptionist tested his spanish and replied - como se llama? He replied Ed. Next thing we know he was speaking in straight spanish with us which caught my hubby by suprise :) I guess he meant, "would you like a table in the shade or out the shade" and "come follow me please". In any case, we just followed him. Later that afternoon, he remembered my hubby and sharply greeted us with a smile - "Ah, senior Ed".

That afternoon we went and checked out Walmart. Yes, there's Walmart in Cabo. There's even Costco and Sam's Club. And they're right across from our hotel. You can see them, but it's a mile or 2 away. But, heck, if you plan on visiting and staying here - you'll be all set with these stores :)

In the afternoon we just ordered a medium pizza and we we stayed on the beach. My hubby had fun in the cool beach water, while I worshipped the sun and all it's heat - before it gets colder back in Utah :(

We spent the rest of the afternoon in the beach. With books, margarita, beer, the sand, and sunset - life's good!

Que Hora Es?

2010-12-27T22:11:00.029-07:00

Today we spent with the time share presentation. It's the consequence of getting the great value for the all inclusive 5N/6D (~$750 for 2!) vacation here in Cabo. :)

Right after saying NO. We went for a sunset cruise later that afternoon. We were introduced to - Los Arco. The famous symbol/landmark for Cabo. They served fajitas and drinks together with the cruise package. We were on board a big boat - similar to a Catamaran. It was a double decker. While we were romantic on the first floor. The second floor is where the party's at :) Music, DJ and shouting :) Welcome to Cabo!

Hola...

2010-12-26T18:20:00.064-07:00

It's our 2nd day here at Cabo San Lucas. After a hearthy buffet dinner last night, with Brazilian mood, we hit the gym early this morning.

Last night's stage for the performer with the Brazilian theme

The buffet table

I spent an hour in the eliptical while my hubby ran 2mi in the threadmill. He finished it in 15mins, then he hit the weights after.

You'd start thinking about the phrase "It's a small world" when a couple in front of you in line for the breakfast buffet are also from Salt Lake City :) After breakfast, my hubby and I relaxed near the pool and read.

View from the pool looking into the beach side

We had a late breakfast so instead of hitting the buffet lunch (yeah, you probably noticed that everything's buffet around here) we decided to hit the downtown. It was a mile walk from where we're staying but we didn't mind. The weather was pleasant for a walk anyway. The streets were void of people - since it's Sunday (for a moment there, we miss Utah). But not until we reached the heart of downtown where people congregated in different restaurants, shops, bars and the famous marina.

We ate at Maro's House of Shrimps. Mr. Maro himself greeted and welcomed us on our way in. It was a highly raved must-see-eat local restaurant in Cabo. My hubby loved Mr. Maro's concunction - The Bulldog. It's tequila mixed with lemonade and corona beer! I had a sip as well and it's really delicious. But it's this kind of drinks that you'll have to be carefull - delicious, yet potent! :) (based from my hubby's personal experience). He had a couple of servings. He's a bit unused with a lunch time tequila/beer drinking so he controlled himself :) But from his facial expressions - it was awesome!

We ordered shrimps and lobsters. Those are the house specialties.

After the late lunch at Maro's we started walking back to our hotel but this time we stopped by the marina for sight seeing - private boats/yachts.

Then we gave the US$24.00 massage a try. Not that bad for the price. It was our way of relaxing and cooling down after the walk anyway.

Going back to our hotel we decided not to eat dinner (yup, you guessed it - buffet dinner:)) and just hit the tub for another round of relaxation (no pictures :)). Wow, we're really on vacation.

By the way, in case you visit Cabo in the future - be careful with this day care :)

Viva Mexico...

2010-12-25T08:45:00.049-07:00

We're off to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico today. We'll be staying at the Villa del Palmar beach resort and spa for 6D/5N.

We arrived at the Cabo airport at around 2pm, local time. It was a decent 30mins ride to our resort.

At the exit of the airport, guess what caught my hubby's attention - people lining up, not for tickets though but for refreshing and cold Coronas :)

Our hotel from the outside:

From the inside:

This is going to be a great vacation... :)

Merry Christmas...

2010-12-24T20:34:00.017-07:00

Today's a lazy day for both myself and my hubby :)

We just want to relax today. We survived the holidays. We delivered our last gifts this morning and spent lunch and afternoon in a movie theater - we watched Narnia in 3D. It's been awhile since we watched a film. My hubby was all smiles since he's a fanatic of movies - not just DVDs and BDs but really watching them in theaters. He likes the smell of popcorns, the seats, the ambiance, and the people. Like the rest of the movie goers, he's all smiles coming out of the theater.

Then we went home and opened our gifts. These are some of my hubby's bokeh shots. It's Christmas so I let him use my SLR :) Mind you, these are SOOC shots. I'd say not bad (don't tell him I said that) :)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Party 2010

2010-12-19T13:47:00.024-07:00

Last night was barangay Lehi's christmas party. This year we celebrated it at the Tiglao residence. We at the barangay Lehi already knew where the big celebrations are going to be held. We instituted a process of drawing it a year prior the dates, that's how dedicated we are ladies of the barangay. :)

It was a blast last night. We started at noon and finished like before midnight. Kind'a like a stay-in, haha... :)

The party was kicked up a notch with the presentation from different families. With the christmas season theme, each family sang, played their instruments, danced and even created multi-media graphics to get prizes.

As always, there were parlor games and lots of gifts. I will definitely be a happy kid from the party. There were lots of gifts for the kids! It's great to see children happy with the gifts they receive from each of the families.

Cheers and Merry Christmas to everyone.

Busy as a bee...

2010-12-12T17:35:00.001-07:00

Been busy lately - as you've noticed with the absence of any blogs since last month. We've been busy lately filling up our gift lists. As always, my hubby and I have a tradition of listing down 3 wishes/gifts for Christmas. I got one of my wish list last Friday - a gift certificate for a facial and massage!

But instead of using it for myself, I asked him to join me instead. So off we went to Sanctuary Day Spa and Salon in Sandy yesterday. My hubby's so excited that you can actually see his face lit up during and even after the session. We had the couples package. We received a 60 minute relaxation massage performed in one of their beautiful couple's rooms. Followed by a relaxing soak in their unique soaking tub, while enjoying refreshments. The service was great, we enjoyed the massage and the place is very soothing and relaxing.

Now that's a great way of ending our saturday night.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

We hosted this year's thanksgiving dinner for our Filipino friends and families. We actually started at around noon last thursday and finished sometime around 11 at night.

We're very thankful for all the blessings this past year. Here are just some of the photos during the gathering.

Bored?

2010-11-26T07:09:00.002-07:00

I don't think so.

Here's what happens when you're stuck in the house with a blizzard and 2 dogs:

I tried to capture the storm outside but it's too dark in our backyard. Below is a glimpse of our tree though. We decided to have an artificial one this year. It's 9ft tall.

One more day before the long weekend. Hopefully my hubby will make it through our black friday shopping. Like I said last time, he had a flu after our more than 12hrs of shopping. It's forecasted to be in the single digit this friday. I'll have to think of something to keep him warm. For starters, I'm thinking of just going into 1 store this year. I haven't made up my mind though, maybe just a couple. Ok, a handful... :) Wish me luck.

Last night's snow...

2010-11-21T07:45:00.001-07:00

Snow was pouring hard last night as forecasted and we woke up this morning with this in our backyard:

It's suppose to get colder until Thanksgiving. Hopefully, my hubby will make it through our Thanksgiving shopping. Last year, he succumbed to a flu after shopping for more than 12 hours. Blame it all to me, the shopaholic wife (but only on Thanksgiving day, OK) :)

It's Official...

2010-11-19T20:29:00.001-07:00

For one straight week, we didn't go to the gym. We're not sure if it's the weather, or just plain being lazy this week :)

But we kept our routine every morning. We hit the scale first thing after relieving ourselves, and guess what? We kept our weight at check. It's a good practice to know your weight so that you can balance your intake for the day.

But we'll definitely go back next week in preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday feast. :)

Good Job Manny!

2010-11-14T02:53:00.000-07:00

We just came from our Filipino party (at Quijana's residence) and we watched Manny Pacquiao vs Antonio Margarito's fight from Dallas Cowboy Stadium (PPV) in Arlington, Texas. The fight was for the vacated WBC Super Welterweight title.

Manny did great, although Antonio was a good fighter nontheless as he fight it out with Manny inside the ring.

http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=ki-boxearly111310

All of was were nervous before and during the fight as Manny slug it out with a much bigger opponent. In the end, Manny's quickness and combination punches proved to be too much for Antonio. Good job Manny!!! We're proud of you!.

Great weekend, cold weekday ahead...

2010-11-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

As weekend's about to end (sad face), took a shot of this wonderful sunset at our backyard. My hubbie's playing fetch with both Chloe and Murphy when I took this shot:

How can you not admire this beauty:

So serene and yet tomorrow (up to wednesday) we're expecting a storm to hit Utah. Temperature's expected to drop by 20 degrees (60F to 40F) :( Hopefully, nothing serious. Winter's just around the corner.

Cool Canon Lens

2010-10-24T20:54:00.001-06:00

My hubby just bought a cheap Canon fixed focal length lens yesterday - 50mm f1.8. It was so awesome. Just like what the review said - cheap yet very dependable, crisp and great f-stops (whatever that means) - ask him and he talks about nothing but mambo jumbo to me :) Anyway, so long as I get my food shots lookin' great :)

Flowers from Walmart...

Picked up Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" in paper back...

Preparing carrots in the kitchen for our dinner...

Ingredients for our dinner yesterday...

Starting to simmer...

Yeah, I'm lovin' our new lens...

Now that's weird...

2010-10-21T04:11:00.002-06:00

Woke up early today due to a weird dream. Can't fall back to sleep so might as well blog while my hubby lay asleep upstairs. I'll recount my dream to him and I bet you he'll find it weird as well.

Anyway, the other day my hubby came back from his photography class with some portrait pictures. They're already in their last 2 classes and they're talking about studio lighting. Their instructor had models as well. Sample picture -

Ok, need to brew coffee and let Chloe and Murphy out... Good morning world.

Winterize and grooming

2010-10-17T16:30:00.000-06:00

Weather was cooperative today and so we're able to finish our tasks. Winterize our travel trailer and grooming time for both Chloe and Murphey.

Winterizing didn't take that long, my husband used up 3 gallons of winterizing fluid to ready the plumbings of the trailer. I helped out by sealing any exhaust, opening up all cabinet doors inside the trailer and dressing up the wheels.

My husband climbed on top of the trailer and put on the cover. We were done in less than an hour. We're really getting better with RV'g. :)

Then we head up to Costco while Chloe and Murphey enjoy their salon experience :) Then we pick them up from Petsmart.

Chloe had ribbons from Petsmart. Murphey ended up with nothing, poor boy.

Throwdown Results

2010-10-17T10:47:00.001-06:00

Now we know why Bobby Flay lost the throwdown. The challenger's recipe really stands out in terms of flavor against Bobby's. You can actually taste the recipe's intense flavor right through the meat. My husband commented that Bobby's recipe tasted like pesto. It had flavors, but it lacks the kick like the challenger's recipe had.

I'm checking to make sure we're at the right temperature. We used our portable electric grill, which also works as a griddle, and good for making panini sandwiches.

End result, sliced up and plated...

Storm in the Horizon...

2010-10-17T07:34:00.000-06:00

Looks like it's going to be a windy and rainy Sunday.

We're suppose to winterize our trailer today, so let's see what happens. Chloe and Murphey have an appointment as well with their groomers. But first things first - going to church at 8am.

Jerk Rubbed Rib-eye Steak Throwdown

2010-10-16T23:38:00.000-06:00

As a result of watching Throwdown with Bobby Flay in Food Network, we decided to have our own challenge. So, we scoot to Walmart immediately after the show and got ourselves each ingredients. My husband worked on Bobby's while I take on the challenger's side.

So, at around 10pm we were busy working our recipes in the kitchen for the marinade. For my husband, steak is as simple as salt n' pepper and the grill. This time let's see if a marinade really helps.

Cleaning a glove of garlic.

Measuring the spices...

and mixing it all...

This is my husband's green onion ingredient...

his garlic...

and his mixture... There were other ingredients for the marinade. You can actually download it from Food Network. Just search for - Jerk Rubbed Rib-eye Steak.

The rib-eye steaks... Looks yummy even without the rub...

With the rub this time...

Let's see who's cuisine reign supreme. Hold on, I think I mixed up 2 shows there :)

Ballroom

2010-10-15T22:24:00.000-06:00

Yup, ballroom dancing...

My husband and I have been wanting to join a class since Fire & Ice opened up near our place (like 5mins from our house). And we got our wish :)

We just got out of our first class tonight (8-10pm). It feels good, the instructor was great. Within 5mins we can't believe we were dancing already. Everybody's wearing a wide grin. Specially my husband :)

We'll have to keep on practicing, right. :)

Weekend's almost gone...

2010-10-10T20:34:00.000-06:00

I felt kinda sad that my husband wasn't in yesterday's 6K walk. First, I didn't get any pictures what so ever and second he's not there to greet me at the finish line. But, as I was having fun walking he was engrossed at school though so I can't complain. In fact, he had several errands he has to finish right after his class at UofU - change oil for our truck, grab drinks and a cake for last night's birthday celebration for Maureen. Lucky guy :)

Today, after our sunday obligation we went straight to Snowbird and attended their last Oktoberfest festivities. It was kinda a weird seeing folks with a pitcher of beer in their hands walking around and having fun...

Anyway, that's our weekend. Can't wait for the next one.

TGIF

2010-10-08T05:53:00.000-06:00

Yippeeehhhh... FRIDAY!!!!

My husband has been looking forward for this day, and why not. We get paid today, I'm going for a walk tomorrow in the Wasatch Woman's Love Your Body 6K/10K, he's going for a new class starting tomorrow at UofU (it's sad though since he'll be missing my walk), and we'll both go to Snowbird's Oktoberfest on Sunday.

So yeah, TGIF...

New House Plants

2010-10-03T08:28:00.000-06:00

My husband loves seeing plants inside the house, in fact even in our yard (he takes care of our roses!) and so we dropped by IKEA and bought four.

Since he's the one taking up Digital SLR classes, I've requested him to use MY digital SLR and take pictures of them. Here are just some of his shots. Take note, everything's taken in Manual mode (he specifically want that written here in the blog).

I'll probably need to take up photography classes pretty soon if I still want to use MY camera.

Puto Bumbong and Bibingka

2010-10-01T23:30:00.000-06:00

A native Filipino all time favorites - the puto bumbong and bibingka are just some of the deserts we enjoyed eating in San Francisco. Wow, these are special since these were homemade specially for us when we visited our relatives in Union City.

Puto Bumbong

Bibingka

Already missing Philippines... :(

Biking Golden Gate Bridge

2010-09-23T07:09:00.000-06:00

By the way, here's my husband's video of our biking right in the GG bridge:

He got the Go PRO HD video right before our trip to San Francisco in the hopes of capturing our white water rafting in the Middle Fork American River. Unfortunately, we're not able to squeeze it in our trip and the only open schedule we have (Tuesday) didn't had any participants - just the 2 of us. They needed at least 4 to go on a trip. Oh well, there will always be a next time.

Back from San Francisco

2010-09-22T20:56:00.000-06:00

Back home today at 3pm. It was a hectic yet enjoyable visit to friends and relatives these past 5 days. It was surely worth it.

I'll hit on the highlights from our trip. First off, we visited old friends in Folsom. Met with Pierre's family and Norman then spent the night with one of my old time friend (way back in Intel Philippines) - Alma. It's a suprise to see how big the kids have grown now!

Then off to San Francisco. We headed straight to my cousin's place. It was a long 10 years since we saw each other. We'll definitely need to visit often. We spent 3 days in their place. We brought our tandem bike with us so we can go visit the GG bridge - biking.

We spent 2 days biking in the GG bridge area. First day we did the most popular trail - The Bridge to Sausalito trail. Here's the trail from the map:

It was a great ride, although by the time we hit the bridge and back it was already foggy/cloudy right on the bridge itself :) But nonetheless, it was a great riding experience.

Then we went back to my Irene's house to celebrate her birthday with her families.

The second day, we hit the streets of Embarcadero, Bayshore, Polk and back to the GG bridge trail. This time we stopped by Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39/41 area and the Palace of Fine Arts. We went up and down the slopes of Polk street as well in search for a restaurant - Swan Oyster Depot. It was a difficult and tiring ride, but worth it when we hit the oyster bar of the famous restaurant. There were only like 20 bar stools available. People are lining up the sidewalk to get in. Good thing we made it in before the lunch time peak.

After biking, we went and watch the 49ers vs Saints game at Candlestick stadium. Now that was an awesome game. The Saints won but the 49ers gave a great fight - something that they can still improve with the new found QB. The Saints did a good job though.

We went back to Irene's house again and this time to celebrate my birthday. Yes, my cousin and I had almost the same birthdays. Isn't that awesome!

We'll definitely be back in San Francisco.

Ready and Set to Go...

2010-09-16T21:13:00.000-06:00

We're all packed up and ready to go for our 5-day California vacation.
We'll be leaving at 3pm tomorrow. See ya'.

Californication...

2010-09-15T21:17:00.002-06:00

Two days to go!

Sunday Specials...

2010-09-12T18:47:00.001-06:00

Welcome Sunday with coffee and yogurt for breakfast. It was a slow start for our day. My husband prepared for mowing the lawn as I prep up our brunch - grilled ribeye steaks, burger patties and sausage. Nope, we don't have a party at our house. It was in preparation for the coming week - our lunch special for the work week to come :)

I did the grillin' at our backyard while my husband mowed our lawn. The dogs helped out by being lazy beside the grill.

Then we head out for a haircut and dropped by Best Buy and Walmart (again). Then at around 530pm we went for a short bike ride in the trail behind our house. Logged distance - 11.55km/7.18mi. Nothing like a fast beating heart before the start of the work week. :)

This is the view from the end of the paved trail:

Starting my countdown for our California vacation - 5 days to go!

Lazy Saturday? I don't think so...

2010-09-12T09:01:00.003-06:00

As much as we like to wake up late during weekends, we never really can't. Here's why. First, we've been going to the gym for the past 2 years now at around 6am, so we've basically trained our body clock to wake up at around 5:15am everyday now. Second, we need to get both Chloe and Murphy relieved every morning to do their stuffs :) so we never can't really wake up late on weekends.

Anyway, yesterday was a blast. I get to use my present from my husband and practice (I haven't blog it yet, but i got an advance birthday present from my husband. A Canon 7D DSLR! Awesome!).

Started off with capturing my husband's weekend routine with both Chloe and Murphy. My poor husband, looks like he's starting to loose his hair now :)

The dogs just adore my husband.

Then my husband cooked egg omelet for our breakfast. We're getting into protein diet lately. We planned on biking at 10am but after breakfast, we went for a nap instead and end up waking up at around 12nn. Now that was a great rest. Just right for the upcoming biking.

We ended up biking the Provo River Parkway at around 130pm and finished around 330pm. It took us awhile to finish the trail simply because i have my new DSLR with me and started taking pictures at every stops. Here are some of the photos:

you can actually hike near bridal veil falls (notice the hikers on the left of the falls resting)

After biking we went to the Gold's gym for a relaxing jacuzzi and steam sauna. Just right to soothe those aching leg muscles. Actually, my husband's leg muscles. I love our tandem bike!

Then had early dinner at Beto's then proceeded to attend the saturday 530pm mass at St Peter's Church. We even dropped by Walmart for some errands and walking - that helped in getting those mexican foods digested, uh those are awesome.

Can't wait for our San Francisco get away next week.

Yard Updates

2010-09-06T20:08:00.001-06:00

Eduard finally conquered our side yard! He finished the clean up, the landscape fabrics and now the mulch!

This will surely be a big help in keeping the weeds out of our side yard. Good job hon'! I love you very much!

Now, get on finishing the rest of the backyard! :)

Labor Day Tandem

2010-09-06T15:12:00.000-06:00

Distance logged this morning: 20.32km/12.6mi

We headed back to Provo River Parkway at around 8am this morning. It was a chilly ride at start. After 10mins though, it started heating up as we hit the uphill traks of the trail.

People are having breakfasts at Glen Canyon Park when we hit our first stop. Second stop was at Vivian Park then we head back for a downhill path. We were cruisin' at 34kph and it was an easy trail going back since it's mostly downhill for the return direction.

Same routine, after the morning bike we proceeded to Gold's gym in Orem for a soothing jacuzzi and steam bath.

Happy Labor day to everyone. Back to work tomorrow!

Sunday Tandem

2010-09-05T09:31:00.000-06:00

We had to catch up with our biking for today.
Started at 730am, finished 9am.
Logged distance 21.22km

Bummer!

2010-09-04T20:54:00.000-06:00

This one spoiled my husband's afternoon. After our massage and Macy's shopping, he noticed this long scratch/dent on our truck in the parking lot. The moron didn't even left us a note or contact number!

Upon reaching home, he immediately called up AMFAM insurance for a claim.

Weekday biking...

2010-09-04T08:26:00.000-06:00

We're really getting into tandem biking :)

Last Thursday, we went for a bike ride after office and stopped by the Lim's house.

Distance logged: 14.5km

Provo River Parkway

2010-08-28T20:12:00.003-06:00

No rain can stop me and my husband this morning from conquering this trail. Showers welcomed us at I-15 but we pushed ahead. My husband's optimistic attitude paved the way for a great 1.5hrs of biking at the Provo River Parkway.

Here's the description from utahmountainbiking.com: Paved foot, bike, and rollerblade trail extends from downtown Provo up Provo Canyon past Bridal Veil Falls. Mostly shaded, good views of canyon walls. Easy technical, but good bike control required for youngsters to avoid collisions with multiple trail users. Season March through November.

We intercepted the trail at the base of the canyon (where Subway is at) and headed northeast. We passed through Canyon Glen, Nunns Park, Bridal Veil and ended in Vivian's Park then back. Our bike computer logged a total of 22km.

Our first stop is at Canyon Glen park. Below, my husband. Very thirsty after the warmup phase. Notice the perspiration. Hmmm, looks like my pedaling works for him :)

Our second stop is at Bridal Veil. This is a great place to stop while enjoying the views and sceneries - wafer fall and the giant mountain views.

Just some of the views from the trail. The path is mostly shaded and with the overcast weather, cooler than usual summer temperatures - which was kind of cool (no pun intended) and perfect for biking.

Our halfway stop is at Vivian's Park. We ate breakfast - hotdogs, pears, almond nuts and water then headed back.

Since Gold's gym is along the way going home (Orem), we headed straight for it for a jacuzzi and steam/sauna.

What a great way to kick off our weekend! We really love our tandem bike!

Biking in Tandem

2010-08-22T18:05:00.000-06:00

We've had this tandem bike for almost 3 weeks now and we're very much enjoying it since. We've used more than 5 times already and this is the first time we're able to get some pictures.

For today, we rode it for 20.13kms. in less than 45mins. We went to our backyard bike trail, through Willow Park, Thanksgiving, Maverick gas station, Spring Hill Hotel, through State and Main Street Lehi all the way through the roundabout and back to our house. It was hard, exhausting but definitely fun! Bike computer says 20.13kms.

We really love our tandem bike!

taken at Maverick in Lehi roundabout

The King and I at Lehi High

2010-08-16T20:49:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday night we watched Lehi Arts' presentation of The King and I at Lehi High. We were suprised to see a live band (symphony) for the show and they sounded awesome!

As always, the casts' acting and singing are great. We had a great time watching the show. We went to the nearby McDonald's for some post show burgers and fries :)

Weekend at Strawberry Bay

2010-08-10T06:56:00.001-06:00

Provo River Rafting

2010-07-31T22:06:00.002-06:00

Barangay Lehi Picnic

2010-07-25T12:38:00.003-06:00

The whole barangay went for a picnic party at the Timpanogos cave - Swinging Bridge picnic area. It was a timely celebration as the state celebrated Pioneer Day last Saturday.

It was a nice venue situated about 0.2 miles from the Timpanogos Cave National Monument/Park. We'll definitely be back to finish the trail going up the caves (finished half way only).

You can actually see the valley during the hike.

Vacation Philippines - pics

2010-07-04T00:02:00.000-06:00

Boating and Crawfish...

2010-06-27T16:22:00.001-06:00

These were the highlights of our camping at Strawberry Bay this weekend. Three families shared the expenses in renting a boat at the marina for half day. None of us actually have used/driven a boat before, but as the saying goes 'there's always the first time'. Although we didn't caught any fish, the boys love driving and cruising with the big boat.

Got away though :(

As for the crawfish, we caught them from the shores of the marina with chickens as bait (legs, thighs and breast). We got the baits from the folks that just finished their fishing (crawfishing), they handed us their baits after showing us their 2 big buckets full of crawfish!

The Quijana's

Wow, that was one great weekend. Beats doing yard work as my husband would say :)

Wester Family BBQ

2010-06-24T22:25:00.000-06:00

Held again at Wines Park, this is the second year we attended this gathering in Lehi. We loved the band - Crossroads. For $4 you get pulled pork sandwich, coleslaw, beans, a cookie and a soda. Add to it the band, the inflatable slides, local boutiques and some fun attitude you get a pretty good evening to relax and end the day.

We'll be back next year. The event is part of the week long celebration here in Lehi. We'll be skipping this year's rodeo (we've seen it in a row for 2 years) though. We're off camping this weekend to Strawberry Bay.

By the way, you can catch the Crossroads band at crossroadstheband.com .

Love Anniversary Roses

2010-06-19T18:40:00.000-06:00

Eduard surprised me with 2 dozens of lovely red roses for our wedding anniversary. We have 2 wedding dates -- June 5th (civil) and June 20th (church). A friend asked why we have 2 weddings - on the same year. No special reason, we just want to be wedded or married twice. Possibly we will have another wedding 2 years from now. Eduard told me he's going out to get a haircut but i told him, he can get a haircut on Sunday, no reason to go out today and we can watch TV and then have an afternoon nap. He cannot find a good excuse so he told me, he's going to pick up the roses that he ordered - that is so sweet of my lovey, dovey.

Bear Lake Camping

2010-06-17T19:22:00.000-06:00

We got rained down during our first camping last weekend. It gave us an opportunity to rest though and sort of break in our tent trailer for this year's camping season. We've had the trailer since 2007 and we enjoy going camping on it. We spent 2 nights at Bear Lake State Park.

We'll definitely be back to check out the lake.

Check out who's chillin' out while we're travelling:

Emergency - 911

2010-06-10T20:54:00.000-06:00

This was the scene a few minutes ago in our neighborhood. Hopefully she's alright.

Coron, Palawan

2010-06-09T22:02:00.000-06:00

We spent our last week in the Philippines at Coron, Palawan. Coron is noted for shipwreck diving (WWII Japanese tankers and destroyers sunk by Gen D. McArthur) and island beaches. Eduard insisted that we blog this video of him while diving, after all it's the most decent UW video of himself. Martha (instructor/guide) did a good job in capturing my husband underwater.

This is Banol, one of the island beaches in Coron:

And this is the view from atop Kayangan Lake entrance:

Vacation's over and we're back to work this week already. Looking forward for the next one though :)

Happy Birthday Sweetie

2010-06-08T19:50:00.002-06:00

Eduard celebrated his 38th birthday. The fun started in the Philippines with triple celebration - kuya Jim's birthday, Eduard's birthday and sendoff party. Back to work on the 7th, Eduard had pizza lunch with his friends at Santa Monica's and then dinner with the Lim's. The celebration ended with phone calls from relatives from the Philippines and of course the traditional birthday cake.

Cool Baguio...

2010-06-01T04:11:00.001-06:00

Literally cool!

We went up the mountains of Baguio last Friday and we were confronted with a thick fog (or clouds). Visibility was like 20ft and it was raining. For us it was a pleasant sight - coming from the hot valley temperatures. Although at some point, we were concerned about the road conditions since the road going up is all winding (zigzag) road.

We spent 2 and a half days in Baguio, enjoying it's sights, sounds and most specially it's cool temperatures.

Taken from Mines View Park

Real, Quezon

2010-05-26T20:31:00.002-06:00

This is our third blog for the same day. We didn't had the chance to blog, both due to time constraint and at the same time unavailability of WIFI. But anyway this will be the last for the day.

Last activity for our second week was visiting Shirley's relatives in Quezon. They have a beach front resort - what a timely coincidence -- Beach again :)

This is our first time to go to this region - Quezon. The place was just off the main highway and it's fronting a rocky beach. We spent 2 days here just playing in the beach and reconnecting with lost relatives.

We visited the market place for fresh sea foods, Eduard barbecued - blue marlins and squids. Everybody stuffed and happy.

Real Star Beach Resort

They have a rock island in front of the resort where you can hangout and enjoy the ocean splashing through the rock's crevices

Eduard and Shirley in front of the rock island facing the ocean.

Shirley, still in the rock island

By the way, you can check out this website: Real Star Beach Resort

Hmmm, so where to next? :) We're planning a trip to Baguio this Friday and spend the weekend there to meet Eduard's relatives. We thought it's timely since temperature there is 10degrees less (higher altitude).

Diving in Sabang, Mindoro

2010-05-26T19:39:00.000-06:00

Eduard finally exercised his diving skills. The day after our pool fun, we headed down south of the Luzon island to the port of Batangas and took the next ferry to the island of Mindoro.

This is our first time to use the public transportation system - Pier. We were amazed how convenient it was. We normally ride the private bangkas/outrigger of the resort everytime we go to Mindoro but thought why not use the public one. We used the park and sail facility of the pier. It was a pleasant experience.

As usual, Eduard dove the sites of Sabang, Mindoro while Shirley took advantage of the time to rest. It was sort of a reset for both and a time for ones self as both did their own thing while in Sabang.

aboard the outrigger at the pier of Sabang, Mindoro

beach fronting Atlantis Dive Resort

Pool fun...

2010-05-26T19:10:00.001-06:00

After our Boracay stints, we headed back to our favorite hideaway in the private pool of Villa Felicidad in Silang, Cavite. An hour drive from our home base is this secluded pool resort with lots of trees and a huge family room - similar to like a barracks :)

There were like close to 30 of us enjoying the cool waters of the pool in the midst of the summer heat. We (specially the kids) left the pool only to eat and sleep :) That's how hot it is currently in Philippines.

We spent 3 days here at Villa Felicidad. Shirley's ex-Intel friends dropped by on the first night and enjoyed the pool as well.

There were pool fun, bingo, bring-me, pinoy-henyo, and how well do you know games. Everybody had fun and left with memories to cherish. Come to think of it, we've been going to Villa Felicidad since we can remember when - the kids actually grew up already loving the place (from youngsters/toddlers to teenagers)! It's like our private hideaway.

Island of Boracay

2010-05-20T04:00:00.002-06:00

We spent our next 4 days in the island of Boracay.

It's been 13 years since our last visit (our honeymoon) to the island. A lot of things have changed but one thing never did → the 7km stretch of beach, the white powdery sand and the clear water . Last time we visited, the place was not that crowded. The beauty of Boracay has lured both tourists and the business minded people - investments in the island have grown. Resorts and commercial establishments have more than quadrupled.

We arrived Monday around 5pm. We had buffet dinner near the beach enjoying sushi, salad, seafood grill, Mongolian barbecue and a lot more. After dinner there's a fire dance show - and as the dancers twists, sway their fire chain we can see various sizes of fire rings -- it was spectacular! Eduard even had close experience with the fire dancers.

Eduard, Shirley, Kuya Orlan, TiOying and Nanay Benny

We had the opportunity to try parasailing as well. The view from above is awesome - you can see the whole island with it‘s lush sceneries, the calm sea with it’s light to dark blue waters and the boat which looks so small from above. It was so refreshing - enjoying the sights and the fresh clean air. It was truly an unforgettable experience.

Eduard was able to do para-sailing twice (lucky!). Once with his lovely wife Shirley then another one with Kuya Orlan. The second time around he brought his camera with him (even if it was against the will of the guides - he might lose it while in the air). Fortunately, Eduard didn't. So Eduard ended up with this videos (take off and landing).

We likewise went to an island hoping tour with snorkeling and beach checkout. Puka beach was a great place to spend a walk (and of course a swim) in the beach. It was far from the hustle and bustle of the main beach, but the beach has it's own charm.

puka beach

No diving for Eduard in Boracay. He has reserved the diving to the real deal (places like Mindoro, Coron or Apo Reef - at least that's the plan).

Amidst the busy commerce, we'll still be back to the island of Boracay if given the chance.

Mom's birthday and reunion with friends

2010-05-16T16:21:00.002-06:00

It's been a busy 2 days for the both of us as we prepare for our mother's 76th birthday celebration and house blessing of Kuya Orlan's house. Shirley's thankful for her mom's birthday and would like as much as possible to spend it with her.

We joined in cleaning the house, setting it up for the party. We even went to a nearby market to buy flowers.

We bought roasted pig from Cebu's best - CNT's lechon! It flew in from Cebu in the morning of Sunday for the party. Shirley's brother-in-law from Cebu gave us another one as a present - so we ended up with 2 roasted pigs! It became the center piece of the party. We're thankful for all the blessings that we've received and would like to share it with our family and friends.

Our good friends from the seminary also dropped by. Fr Ruel who's visiting from Australia (he finished his priesthood in Australia) celebrated the mass.

Shirley's college friends visited her as well. They kept their friendship and communication for so many years - unbelievable. A lot of trips down memory lane happened last Sunday. Another batch of ex-Intel friends dropped by as well. It's good to know that they're all doing great.

All in all, it was a successful celebration. Friends and family were all happy. Shirley's family were complete during that day as well- all of them are present - Kuya Orlan came in from Australia for their mother's birthday celebration.

A good way to end the day was this one - Venus aligned herself with the moon. Thanks Betty for letting us know.

It's good to be home!

At home at last...

2010-05-14T01:16:00.000-06:00

Touched down in Manila at around 930AM Friday ( that's 730PM Thursday MST). Temperature's in the mid-90s today. Had lunch with the whole family. It's good to be home.

Tonight, we're meeting up with ex-Intel friends (now Numonyx) over dinner in Alabang at TGIF.

SLC Airport Terminal 2

2010-05-12T20:57:00.000-06:00

Beng, our good friend, took us to the airport this afternoon. Checked in luggages, weighed in at 50lbs each! Right to the maximum limit. Not that much people at the airport at this time of day. We're used to the chaotic state everytime we leave - holiday seasons.
We're like 3hrs early- yeah, that's how excited we are! Had dinner at Burger King. For some reason, burger and fries are very tasty - we're so excited, even our taste buds are super sensitive :) Anyway, we're 30mins from boarding. This is the first leg - SLC to SFO.

Eduard enjoying is double whopper with cheese

Shirley saying goodbye to her aunt from Whidbey Is, Washington

D-Day!

2010-05-12T18:08:00.000-06:00

All bags packed up and ready to go.

Our flight's leaving at 945pm today.

Stop by San Francisco then to Taipei then Manila, Philippines.

We are so excited to go home!

One more day...

2010-05-11T21:53:00.000-06:00

Yes!... last day tomorrow!
We're off to the Philippines tomorrow night.

Special Breakfast

2010-05-09T21:47:00.002-06:00

Eduard prepared nice yummy breakfast today as his Happy Wife's gift to Shirley. It was very cheesy omelette prepared with loads of love. Cooking breakfast is better than any gift in the world.

Mother's Day and Birthday Celebration

2010-05-09T20:48:00.003-06:00

We got invited to a birthday party of somebody we have not yet met and we've only heard the name from some of our Filipino friends. After a number of phone calls and text messages, so we went there to meet and greet Noy who is celebrating his birthday and to celebrate Mother's Day. Just like any gathering, there are lots of food, there's singing and dancing. It was chilly at around 7PM and there's work the following day so we headed home early.

It was fun meeting fellow kababayans.

Countdown starts...

2010-05-09T13:45:00.000-06:00

Three more days left then we're off to the Philippines! We can't wait. Almost all of the luggages have been packed. We're so excited.

Got Help with the Backyard

2010-05-08T14:18:00.001-06:00

This huge cement mixer is in our driveway. Eduard decided to hire professional help to do the unfinished backyard and the quickest way to do it is to cement the open space. He left at least 8x8 feet for Shirley's future garden -- which Eduard will have to work on, if not this year, next year.

Cake Decorating Session 4

2010-05-04T21:34:00.000-06:00

Tonight's class is our last session for the Wilton Discovering Cake Decorating. We even receive certificates from Wilton. Now we're certified (now that's scary :)).

We had fun during and outside the class. It was more like bonding time for the both of us during weekends when we had to bake and ice cakes and cup cakes. Thank you B-Jo, we'll definitely go for the fondant class next month!

Shirley's Lesson 4 cake

Eduard's Lesson 4 cake

Cake decorating class prep works...

2010-05-02T22:11:00.000-06:00

We baked and iced 2 sets of cakes yesterday for our last decorating class this coming Tuesday. Eduard created dropped flowers with a swirl in preparation for the cake. They need to dry so that we can just drop them on the cake.

Looking forward for the last class. We're thinking of going for the fondant classes as well :)

It's going to be a long day...

2010-04-27T04:03:00.000-06:00

We had to sleep early last night since we're tired from watching last Sunday's Jazz/Nuggets game at the Energy Solution. Early is 830pm. We ended up waking up at around 130am today. I guess our body had enough sleep already - body clock of 5-6hrs. After tossin' and turnin' for almost 1.5 hrs, we decided to just start our day. We're on our way to IHOP for early breakfast, then proceed with our morning gym at Gold's. My lucky husband is off from work today. But he got a list of honey dews to work on. Smart me.

Wilton Cake Decorating Course 1 - Lesson 2

2010-04-20T22:27:00.001-06:00

Ok, here are our cakes after lesson 2 of the Wilton's Cake Decorating course #1.

Shirley's cake

Eduard's cake

We both had a great time decorating and seeing our creations come alive right in front of our very own eye! Lesson 3 next week will get us going on character piping and another installment of creating a rose.

Bonding time

2010-04-19T22:25:00.001-06:00

Shirley and Eduard decided to enroll in cake decorating class. Bought all of the required stuff needed for the class and Saturday and Sunday both of them did their assignments for the Tuesday class. Around 8 pounds of confectioner sugar were used during the weekend in preparation for the Tuesday assignment.