Ciao 2009 . . . Olá 2010!

As we leave 2009 behind, with all its joy and sadness, triumphs and defeats, comfort and grief; may we never forget the lesson it taught us along the way. May we always remember the people who have touched our lives one way or another; the poor souls who have lost their lives under the hands of inhuman and barbaric beings and those victims of devastating tragedies. 2009 indeed had been kind of harsh to a lot of Filipinos; but the genuine kindness of our fellowmen transcends every adversity. And to that, I salute each and every Pinoy!




I pray that 2010 will be a joyous, auspicious and peaceful year not only for the Philippines but for the rest of the world! And I guess we owe it to ourselves to do and be better than what we have done and what we were in 2009. All the best for all of us!

Cheers to a blessed 2010!

Gorgeously . . .

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B Is Back, We Packed And Go

. . . to Surfer's Paradise in the Gold Coast for a few days of relaxation and to celebrate the coming 2010! Can't wait to frolic on the beach and enjoy the amazing New Year's Eve fireworks display, just like what we did last year!

Gorgeously . . .

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Lollipop's Playland And Cafe

We've got a leaflet in the mail about Lollipop's Land's school holiday program where you can leave your child for a morning, afternoon or an all day play. They supply the meals and the kids will have art and craft, games, face painting and just play all day!

Lollipop's Playland and Cafe is an indoor play area where kids can jump, climb, slide and just have fun! As the children play, the parents can rest and have a cup of coffee and a slice of cake or a sandwich, as they have a good cafe too. They can also be a party venue with a fairly good package.

The said establishment just opened a new branch near our place so we checked it out and enrolled the Little One for a whole day of play. He was so excited as we lined up to get in. I stayed for a bit as he settled in and started to go on the slides.

Here's what will keep the Boy busy today . . .

I bet Kaiden is having lots of fun as I'm typing! I will pick him up by 1700H this afternoon. I am just having a quiet day here at home after spending a couple of hours in the mall. Just passing up time as the Husband comes home tomorrow.

Gorgeously . . .

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Rain, Rain, Go Away!

It has been raining here for days now. Good thing the sun showed at Christmas Day. Though some parts of Australia celebrated it with a very wet weather, and some got flooded too! They say it will rain all week. It doesn't shower non-stop but it comes every now and then, giving us that dusky feeling because of the gloomy atmosphere.

I won't let the lousy weather get to us so I'll take the Boy out today; to have fun on the mall's covered play area, maybe get him a toy and just hang out together.

Have a good last Monday of the year!

Gorgeously . . .

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We're Back Home!

The Little One and I flew back here in Oz, the early morning of Tuesday, the 22nd around 0400H. Kaiden was very good on the flight, though complaining of how old the plane was. He is used to having his own TV right in front of him. We boarded a not-so-new Boeing plane where the TV screen was at the center wall. He never liked Qantas, as we normally fly with SQ, CX, EK, KL; though the most he remember are SQ and CX.

Anyways, the Husband was waiting for us as we went out. B gave the Little One a Christmas stocking filled with sweets and I got a big hug and kiss! We stopped by at McDonald's to have breakfast. Then our Boy's non-stop gabble started as he talked about the things he did in the Philippines!

I was kind of weary when we got home but I could not sit still knowing I still have things to do. So I unpacked our luggage. B forced Kaiden and I to hit the sack and have hours rest before lunch. We did as we were told and woke up at past 1400H. The Husband prepared our lunch, we ate, had a shower to freshen up and went to the mall!

The next 2 days before Christmas were all spent shopping (as if I haven't had enough shopping in Manila!!!). Shops here opened till late at night and some were even 24 hours non-stop! How I wish they can do it everyday and not close at 1600H or 1700H.

We had a very nice Christmas day. I'll do a separate entry for that.

Boxing Day was kind of busy for us as we prepare for a post-Christmas Dinner for some relatives. There were a total of 7 kids in the house including Kaiden. Oh, the Boy had lots of fun playing with them, who were mostly boys! They ran around in the yard like crazy and just had a good time!

When I was giving the Little One a bath last night, he told me that he wanted to have a playmate and asked why I could not get pregnant! I could not help but laugh! I told him that Dada and I were trying but maybe it's not yet time. He said he wish to have a baby sister to take care of! How sweet! The Husband and I better work hard for it! LOL!!!

B went on another trip last night. He drove to the airport and I drove back home. It was my first time to drive that long and late at night, not to mention that it rained too. We got home safe as Kaiden fell sound asleep in his car seat. B's flight was at 0100H.

Now it's just the Little One and I again for 3 days as the Husband fly home on Wednesday morning. So here I am back to blogging!

Gorgeously . . .

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Season's Greetings!!!

From our family to yours, here's wishing you a . . .







Gorgeously . . .

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Manila . . . 3rd Time In 2009!

The Little One and I went back home to the Philippines in the beginning (January), middle (July) and now, the last month (December) of the year! Lucky us, hey!

The Husband and I were just talking about it over the phone. Being this the Christmas season, prices of everything go sky high. So I said it would be better that we plan our Manila trip by next year. Then I got a surprising email from him and Qantas . . . our E-Tickets! B said he looked at plane fares online and got us a fairly reasonable price, obviously not that cheap! LOL!


Kaiden's last day of school was yesterday and we'll be flying out on Sunday. Sadly, we won't be spending Christmas in Manila. It will just be a 2 weeks vacation and we'll fly home by the time the Husband comes back from overseas as well. We will still be celebrating Christmas here in Australia, a very quiet Christmas.

I hope I get to carry out the things I wanted to do in 2 weeks! I want to do a bit of shopping, see my friends and of course, be with the family! For sure places in Manila will be crowded like crazy, with everyone busy with Christmas shopping. So we'll see . . .

Gorgeously . . .

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Busy Month

I have been out of the loop for weeks because my dear Husband came back home for a month! We got busy doing things everyday and just spending time together.

We had movie dates . . .

Dined out as always . . .

Made the most of the time we had before the Husband move to another continent.

You would think that I will have all the time in the world since B left. But no. Our week is always occupied. I take the Little One to his swimming lesson once a week after school, I go out almost everyday and the same on weekends.

Busy . . . busy . . . busy!

Today, I made sure to find time to make a post and blog hop; so here I am!

Gorgeously . . .

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Immensely Tied Up

. . . with stuff here and there. Time ticks hastily that days and weeks have already gone by. It is the month of November now and soon enough, another year had passed as we all face a new calendar term.

Been so busy these past weeks. I will try to update as soon and as often as I can.

Hope you all are doing great!

Gorgeously . . .

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Our 2-in-1 Celebration . . . Deuxième Partie

This post is way, way behind from it's contemporary that was posted HERE.

On with the continuation . . .

When we were done with Q1, we walked along Surfer's Paradise and looked into flagship stores for another birthday gift. I still could not decide on what I want so we'll come back some other time. We walked around for some more to pass up time and took some pics.

Update: I still could not make up my mind with what I want; so the Husband can still keep the moolah for my birthday present! LOL!

Then we decided to head down to Marriott Hotel for our dinner reservations at Benihana. I am a big fan of Teppanyaki that's why I chose to go there.

We were about half an hour early so we waited at their seating room. It was only the 3 of us, so surely we'll be placed with another group to complete 1 Teppanyaki table.

This is Alvin, our Filipino chef, confirming our orders.

I was so engrossed with our Chef's show that I only got a few shots.

This was Benihana's famous 'volcano' . . .

Their version of a rice cake and a Father's Day greeting . . .

Chef Alvin's 'Thank You' note . . .

And a souvenir photo with him . . .

Our Little Prince loved the Teppanyaki show, every bit of it! The other group in the table was fascinated by the Filipino Chef's humor. They laughed at his every witty jokes.

I have only been at 3 Benihanas: London, Dubai and at the Gold Coast. The best one I had was in Dubai, with a Filipino chef as well. I was of course with B and Kaiden plus some friends. We could not stop laughing from the moment the chef introduced himself till he left our table. He was so funny that the Husband could not help but laugh even when it was a Tagalog joke.

Anyways, Kaiden got introduced to eating crispy prawn tails. He actually liked it! He thought it was so cool when the chef made him catch prawns with his mouth. He did not catch any so Chef Alvin just gave him lots of it. B and I could not finish what was in our plate because we were so full. There won't be enough space for dessert. But we left very happy and satisfied with the service. A nice teppanyaki experience here in Australia.

Over all, it was a good Sunday being with the 2 most important men in my life!

It was a memorable Father's Day . . .

And a lovely Birthday!

Gorgeously . . .

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Trip To The Science Museum

Since the Husband went away, my friend Melanie was my constant companion. In fact, she is my only friend here in Australia since 2003. I have mentioned before that we both have 1 kid who were born 4 months apart. I am glad that since we settled back here, the 2 boys are starting to get close and really bond.

We met on the 2nd Saturday of the Little One's Spring Break at the Brisbane Science Museum. Melanie was with her only son Jacob and husband Mark.

As soon as the 2 boys saw each other, the naughtiness started! They ran around like crazy and yelling like there's no tomorrow!

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The museum had shows and we watched one of them about Liquid Nitrogen.

The kids enjoyed it and stayed quiet all throughout the show.

There was another place on the ground floor for the children to see but us parents decided to leave the museum because Kaiden and Jacob were getting uncontrollable! One follows the other. They will behave for a short while, but back to being playful a few moments after! We actually could not keep up with them! 'We're getting old!'

The only shots I have with my Little Prince, where I had to beg just for him to stand still!

We then walked to South Bank. There was a small carnival-like area were the kids played a little while.

As we were walking to find a place to eat, we saw a busker or a street performer. The lady's act is she'll stand still but moves the moment you put money in her trunk. The boys were surprised when she moved and laughed!

As we passed by the pool and beach area of South Bank, the kids wanted to have a dip and play in the water. Both Melanie and I did not bring any towel nor extra clothing. We just let them play in the playground.

We had lunch at Decks.

And had these . . .

Our group photo

We all had a fun but tiring day!

I hope these boys will grow up close . . .

Like us!

Gorgeously . . .

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