a garden of flowers

I woke up to a garden of flowers. Waking up a bit disoriented due to a weird dream, I went through the motions of preparing for work - brush teeth, change clothes, comb hair. I was still in a semi-sleep state when I walked downstairs with my mom. As i rounded the curb in the stairway, 5 baskets of flowers lined up the staircase. And below the staircase, on top of the piano, were five beautiful bouquets, each lined with a different colored lining. The bouquets had lovely lavender sprigs :) And there was D, waiting in the kitchen. And so my birthday started.

It was a lovely way to start the day, with all those beautiful flowers. Had a quick breakfast of citrus green tea (from Ni's canada trip) and vegetarian misua (thanks to mommy). D also gifted me with red velvet cake from ucc, which i've been craving since two weeks ago hehe. I just love the cream cheese frosting.

Work was work. One of our clients asked us for our orchids so that she could replant them in her garden. Apart from that, the day was every bit of regular.

Had dinner with the family at Peking Garden, where Ni entertained us with her funny antics and booming voice, acting how she'd answer the phone when one of Ai's "best" friends called. We also laughed about the eel being the largest predator, an inside joke from Ai's biology test.

After getting home, I managed to put all the bouquets into a big vase. Then I placed a few flowers in those Starbucks coffee bottles. They make such a bright addition to any room, flowers in a vase.

And so ends my birthday. It's a bit more subdued with all that's happening, but am super grateful to my family and D for making this day special. Oh, I got a Lumix x5 too! :D New toy hehe. Thanks ni :)

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Watched Stomp at CCP last night. Got there a few minutes late so we weren't able to sit at our chosen seats but we still got okay seats. The show was unlike any show I've ever seen. It didn't have a storyline, and it was just basically a show where they created melodies, noise, and sound with the strangest of things - sticks, tires, drums, plastic bags, sinks. It was great seeing how all the different sounds tied in. My favorite parts where the hanging scene, where the cast were hanging on wires and banging on all sorts of stuff on the metal chain fence. Great sounds! Also loved the lighter scene. The lighters went on and off so fast, it created such optical illusions. At some point, they looked like Christmas lights, then digital advertisements where the text just goes around and around (like the news flash text on tv).

Ended the night with dinner at Dencio's and apple ginger beer (yum!).
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I can feel the weekend just around the corner. It's been a trying week, but it's been a great one nonetheless :)

peter pan

Tired as I type this post, but a happy tired as the weekend ends and a new week begins.

I watched Peter Pan at the Meralco Theatre with my family on Saturday. Congrats to D and his friends for a successful show :) I liked the comedic touch to Captain Hook's character. My cousins enjoyed the show as well, laughing over the actors' antics. It's nice to see them appreciating musical theatre. Of course, they were happier when they found out they could take a picture with Sam. They also managed to get autographs.

Played a dice game today at Greenhills. Had poor luck so I ended up only with a few prizes - chips, juice, etc. D and I dropped by Tea Tap Cafe along P. Guevarra afterwards. The place is spacious and cozy, although I find the drinks to not really stand out from Serenitea or Chatime. I had the wintermelon milk tea while D had the Fuji apple milk tea. Both were yummy and had chewy sago balls. Prices are also in the same price range. I have to say that it does win hands down for ambiance.

Headed off to BC's afterwards then had dinner with D's college friends at Ermita. Busy day of socializing :) My head spun from all the computer jargon, but it was interesting how professional they all sounded, each knowing what the other was talking about interfaces and servers and what-nots. I don't think I've ever sat down discussing psych theories after graduation :| 

cookbooks

These are some cookbooks that have caught my eye. I shall get them when the pocket is willing.

1. Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

I'd love to try my hand at their White Cake, as blogged by Sweetapolita here.

2. Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented 

3. Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy
    I love how the cookie recipes are arranged according to texture so you can easily search for the cookie you're craving for. I often find myself craving something gooey, although other times I prefer something crispy. And this cookbook makes it so much easier to satisfy cravings :)

October, Hello!

Kicked off the first October weekend with dinner at Wabi Sabi with D. Their Vietnamese sandwich is comfort food :)

On Sunday, accompanied Ni and participated in her gown designing meeting. Afterwards, we played lazertag with Nielle, Matt, and Sherisse, together with Ni, H, and Zel. Thanks to D! It was fun after not having played for some time, and it was fun targeting the kids in the other group, a fact which the kids from the other group lamented with a scornful "Adults!" Haha

Looked around furniture shops afterwards. We spotted a wonderful white sofa/recliner which would look great in a media room. My cousins loved the bunk bed and the built in side shelves in the lower bunk. The furniture store was a nice source of interior design inspiration.

Ended the Sunday with dinner at Choi Garden and a pretty crazy game of A to Z.

punch balls

D surprised me with a bouquet of flowers today :D he says it's a reward for my two weeks of hard work haha. sweet :)

Spent a quiet saturday night at greenbelt. Had dinner at Mesa then dessert at Qoolai. Dropped by Le Petit Artisan to get chocolate croissants. They have a buy one take one offer starting 8pm or 9pm. I tried their walnut loaf before but found it a bit dry, but I read somewhere that they have good pandesal. I was still reeling from my pain au chocolat from Paris Delice weeks back so I couldn't resist getting a couple of chocolate croissants/danish breads. Oh, D also got us punch balls - little balls filled with ganache according to the salesperson. It comes in three variants - dark chocolate, white chocolate, and green tea. We got the green tea variant so as not to overload on chocolate. I have yet to eat it but I'll share my verdict :)

Ended the night with a bowl of blueberry, NY cheesecake (nice flavor!), and green tea yogurt.

Listened to a few songs from the 80's on the way home. I've never been a big fan of old songs, except for Peter Cetera and Richard Marx, but this song could be a contender as one of my favorites.

book fair

I was in book heaven today :D
After lunch and pwa tiong chiu in Valenzuela, D and I headed to SMX for the last day of the book fair. Believe it or not, it was my first time to go to this annually organized book fair. Except for the crowds, it was pure happiness.
I got myself a vegetarian cookbook, a desserts cookbook, and a children's cookbook :) I also got a Laughter is the Best Medicine compilation of those funny anecdotes from Reader's Digest. Lastly, I got a few back issues of showbiz and entrepreneur magazines. Saw some music books also but nothing really caught my eye.
It would've been cool going there as a student as a lot of the books were reference books - lots of good psychology books.

To add to this interesting day, there were lots of people dressed up as anime characters at SMX. I think there was an anime event on the upper floors. It was cool seeing all sorts of costumes and lots of kids were pointing out their favorite characters. Of course, I couldn't name any of the characters, but D recognized a few from Naruto.

There was a kid dressed as Sun WuKong (at least it looked like he was from the lower part of his costume) with a matching monkey tail, and his playmate was pulling him by tugging on his tail. It was a hilarious sight. Some people commented that the costume would be handy when taking your kids out haha.

After all the book browsing, we headed off to MOA. Got to try Chatime (D had the grass jelly roasted milk tea and I had the oolong tea mousse). The drinks were just okay. My taste buds prefer serenitea.

And so ends another Sunday. I shall strive to survive another week without Nini at the office. At least, I can read a couple of funny stories in my Laughter compilation after a long day. Nothing but laughter to rejuvenate the mind and senses. Reminds me of the Tumblr post I chanced upon the other day. "Smile. Happiness looks gorgeous on you." Super love the last line.

tired

after clocking in 12-hour work days for the past week or so, i am starting to feel a little tired. my bed has never looked more inviting, but ironically, i can't seem to sleep as easily. i think it's because i feel i have to do some "me" things to compensate for all that work time. so i surf the net,  i read a chapter or two of a book (currently reading The Three Weissmanns of Westport), watch tv. Routine. Monotony. I think i'll get the hang of all this after a week or two. But by then, Nini would be back :)

Books

It's been a while since I've curled up with a good book. Here are a few books I've read over the past two weeks. I especially love the last two books as they invoke a certain feeling of comfort.

What Alice Forgot struck me because I could see myself in Alice. It reminded small things can have a domino effect until it explodes into big problems and arguments, problems that often started because of pride. It was a wake up call as well, as to how different one's point of view can be in a span of 10 years, and how important it is to listen and to understand others. Reminds me a bit of The Little Prince. It does us good to keep a bit of childlike wonder in us.

- Sarah Dessen - What Happened to Goodbye 
- Liane Moriarty - What Alice Forgot
- Allison Winn Scott - The One That I Want
- Erica Bauermeister - The School of Essential Ingredients