Went to a dinner party last night over at Kumare's (Geraldine) place, together with members of our household and some Filipino friends.
That was actually the second dinner party that she had hosted in the last couple of weeks. The first one, she said was intended for Anekh and I, as her thoughtful way of wishing us a happy wedding. I had not been able to put up the photos of that event here, but, I did compile them in an album on my Facebook account.
Here are some of the photos taken last night.
L-R: Tia Pusing, Mhine, Geraldine, Winnie, Vivian, Kuya Lito
I still can't get enough of the fun and experience I had earlier with the Mini Cooper convertible. I am an avid fan of cars, the ones I don't quite often see on the roads on a day-to-day basis, one reason why I opted to have a Jaguar Mark V 1947 model as my bridal car.
Lulette, our friend here and previous landlady, recently bought this totally awesome baby, which she now officially calls "Gwapa". Been asking her to come by since we got back in Albany, purposely, for me to take some shots. Finally the long wait was over. Almost dropped my jaw at the first sight. When the roof was being retracted and folded away, I couldn't afford to blink for a second. I had only seen that on movies.
Recently got myself a post-paid plan under Virgin Mobile - a Samsung Galaxy S. I actually wanted an iPhone 4 but due to its runway success over the last couple of months since its release, most of the shops have currently run out of them. I was advised that it might take a few months or so for the new stocks to come. Being an impulsive-compulsive buyer as I am, I can't afford to wait that long. It's now or never.
Galaxy S is likewise powered by Android. Most of the high-end android phones are similar to each other in terms of hardware. This one even looks like an iPhone. I guess that's an understatement. I have yet to discover much of its features in the coming days.
Briefly, the build quality of the phone is pretty cool. It has a 4-inch Super Amoled screen and weighs an amazing 119 grams. It is extremely light and very handy. Certainly nothing to worry about running out of free space because it comes with 16GB internal memory. Texting has never been easier with the new Swype typing method. Simply swipe finger over the letters and let go when the word is done. Samsung has also pre-loaded the phone with quite a few applications, most of these can be downloaded directly from Android market or Samsung Apps store.
This phone truly exceeded my expectation, far beyond my imagination. I look forward to new and exciting ways to use this much better.
Don't you just miss this mouth-watering indulgence?
I must admit, I've been insanely craving for this especially on scorching summer days back in Albany. Even the best selling smoothie from Wendys or the most expensive espreski from Dome will never taste this good.
On our first trip to SM F'view, we didn't let the moment pass without having a visit to Chowking for a scrumptious merienda feast of siomai, king's congee, siopai and of course, halo-halo topped with 2 scoops of ice cream.
How could I forget Changi Airport? Certainly not. It will always remind me of the thrill and excitement of my first time to fly to Australia. Back in November of 2008, I was traveling with Winnie then and everything about the entire journey seemed new and daunting to both of us. It wasn't my first time to board an aircraft and go overseas but the unrelaxed feeling was a bit unlikely . It only passed off when we had our stopover at the massive airport. We would have wanted to see places and shops around but we didn't have much time to, since we only had 3 hours to spend.
But this time around, would 14 hours be enough to explore this huge airport? I don't think so... I still wanna come back for more
This is my second time on this very same spot.
It does look like a huge shopping mall
I so love these power foot massager!
Greens at the airport
Isn't it a good morning after a good and sound sleep
He was starting to get tired of taking photos of me..
This has been a long overdue task. I haven't been able to visit this site for ages, in fact, I nearly forgot owning one.
Our recently concluded wedding have taken most of my time that until now, I still haven't finished uploading photos for our families to see.
Perhaps most people who are connected with me on Facebook have read about this experience of us during our much-anticipated journey back home. The title best explains how it went. I'm just gonna give some highlights here so as to begin my other posts to come soon.
On our way to Perth, a 6-hour travel by land via Transwa coach. We left Albany at 3PM on Sunday the 6th of June.
At Perth International Airport. This was taken around 10PM. We had to stay overnight at the airport for scheduled flight was in the morning.
This was my cabin bag which also served as my pillow. I had to sleep on the bench, covered my face with a cardigan.
That gloomy morning, Monday 7th of June after being denied boarding. Unfortunately, AirAsia did not allow us to go due to Anekh's passport validity. We were left with one best option - to get a new one-way ticket to Manila with Singapore Airlines. That way he'd be allowed to travel.
After sobbing over our denied boarding, I somehow managed to lighten up and just enjoyed our stay at the airport.
Breakfast at 8AM while waiting for ticketing office to open.
The clock says 12:40PM, we had been at the airport for over 12hours already. Our new flight schedule was 4:45PM
Today was meant to be part of my two-days off from work, but apparently, I needed to work. I was asked to because one of the juniors had called in sick. And after about a couple of months of not doing Thursday close, it brought me a feeling of anticipation and thrill.
I know it seems weird when almost everyone at work despises it? I used to get all closes during my first and second trimester of working, but never did I whine or utter a word of complain. I had learned to be more enduring and flexible since I got here in Australia, I believe so. Being with a bunch of people with different perspectives and ideals has coherently transformed me into the person that I am now. And I mulled over that as an improvement on my character growth. I had drawn closer to embrace the new world that I chose to live in. I don’t live with so much expectation, that way I won’t bother feeling thwarted when things don’t quite go the way I expect them to be.
What we do at the store is pretty much repetitive and monotonous in general. It doesn’t entail much technical skill; as compared to my previous jobs back in the Philippines. Nonetheless, it didn’t make me less competent and productive in any way. I managed to carry out my duties and responsibilities beyond what they expect from me.
So, what do I like about doing closes? Actually there is a myriad of reasons why I don’t seem to find it objectionable. For one, it gives me more time to sleep, without having to worry about waking up very early since 2nd shift normally starts at 10/11am on regular days and 2pm on Thursdays. Second, hubby gets to sleep more as much as he wants to. Just so you know, I haven’t gotten my driving license here yet and consequently, he has to drive me in. You had no idea how difficult it has always been for him to get complete hours of slumber. He barely has 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep due to his sinusitis. Third, it exempts me from any chances of getting sent home early on idle hours at the store, which they usually do particularly on dull weekdays. Fourth, it appears to drag time a bit more imperceptibly because it makes me feel occupied, full of activities. Fifth, it brings out my forte, my specialty – setting everything in an orderly, systematic, organized manner. I must admit I’m a bit of a perfectionist in some aspects. I always want to see things in perfect order and exactitude. It gives me a certain feeling of fulfillment and accomplishment which they providentially acknowledge.
But I haven’t been getting any close lately and somehow I miss it…
Made two cakes today for two special occasions. One for a lovely young girl who is also celebrating her birthday. Her name is Diana Maranan, daughter of our friend couple Edna and Rodel.
Of course the other cake is for myself.
I did not plan to have anything special on this day because we were supposed to have a joint celebration on Tuesday, since hubby's birthday is on the 7th of August. We then decided to make it as one.
Bought this chocolate fondue from a garage sale few weeks back, but only had the chance to try it this afternoon. I was so thrilled looking at the chocolate flowing endlessly then resembling an image of a clay pot. Other times it would look scattered then I would just add more chocolate sauce in it. Wish I could just leave it on for days so I can have a sip whenever I want to.
Unlike every Fridays that I could barely recall, today is
possibly one of those “extraordinary” days that I would not fail to
remember even in the next couple of years. I have been staying here in Albany for the last six months and since then I had never felt this freezing coldness that would awaken me before the crack of dawn. I instantly checked my online weather indicator – an astonishingly 2° Celsius. Oh my, and it’s not even winter. I got Goosebumps all over. My hands and feet turned stone cold and I shiver uncontrollably. I guess this is how people respond to extreme low temperatures when not in fact used to the cold.
For
the last 3 days, we have been experiencing torrential rains and strong
winds brought about by severe storm and bad weather conditions. From our window, I could hear the strong wind gusts and rowdy sound of the leaves and trees outside. The dripping rainfalls on our window glass give me a melancholic mood. There is something very bizarre about rain or when it rains. There’s so much symbolism to it that you can relate to just about everything in life. And right at this very moment, I feel a certain twinge of solitude. I feel so alone, so far, far away from my comfort zone.
This photo I have attached was taken from our window view of the outside blustery weather. The picturesque skies now hovered by gloomy clouds. A depressing vision of what was usually a "Thank-God_it's Friday" day of the week.
This is my second attempt in fondant making. It’s another birthday cake as a present for a bubby girl by the name of Charish.
I decided to make some trendy modifications with the cake arrangement. I wanted to have a two-layered cake but in two different colors. So, I made butter flavored on the bottom then topped it off with chocolate flavored. Voila! It looked just as appetizing as those you probably buy at Goldilocks.
However, I am quite discontented with the outcome of my finished product due to some reasons. First, the coloring was inefficient. I nearly stained my hands but still I wasn’t able to achieve the right hue I wanted to have. Second, I only got barely two hours to complete my cake since the party will start at 7 o’clock. You see it’s pretty difficult to concentrate on your craft when under time constraint more so for a starter like me. And managing the fondant takes a lot of patience and passion.
Apparently, I run out of ideas in my design plus the fact that I still haven’t got those cutter-with-shapes thing so I once again used my scrapbook cut outs.
The birthday girl loved the cake same with everyone at the party. It’s probably the most rewarding remark I had ever received.
My life revolves around what I call priceless treasures - my family, my job, my dreams, my passion for cakes and my penchant for photography. I get bundles of joy from petty details that each day brings. It makes a whole lot of difference when I get to learn a thing or two from matters that are often taken for granted.
