Livin high and takin it easy

My mother, looking good despite the chemotherapy sessions for the past eight months, celebrated her 61st birthday last night with her husband and all four of her children and her children’s children.

My brother bought this cake but we didn't have anything to light the candle with so my mom is just pretending to blow the candle..

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Unlike the wedding in 2006 when we did every single little thing ourselves, from sourcing suppliers down to writing on the invite envelopes, I did not want to deal with anything DIY for Lia’s birthday. Not because we can afford it but because we could not afford the time, all the effort and energy needed to do it all ourselves. Or even do it all MYSELF since this party was my idea anyway and it was what mothers did for their kids. So I looked all over the internet for kiddie party packages and stumbled onto the Cinco de Mayo Events site on Multiply. Out of all the packages Google got for me, from Metro Manila all the way to Cebu(!), Cinco de Mayo Events had the lowest kiddie party packages with almost everything I needed or wanted.

This was the package I got my eye on More

This is a photo of my father taken for his high school graduation book. I believe he was sixteen in this photo. Today, he is sixty-one. Happy birthday Pops!

I found a photo of us taken on the day of my wedding. I wish I have a better photo of us two.

Father and daughter, October 2006

Our party planner, Cinco de Mayo Events, booked this photo booth supplier for us. It was just our luck that Funshots Booth was having a promo for April to June 2010 bookings, that we got our 3-hr photo booth for only P6,000 instead of the regular rate of P8,000.

I would like to extend my most heartfelt thanks to my U.P. Rep family who sponsored this photo booth and made this [dream] possible. Thanks so much! The best gift you guys could have ever given! (Love you guysts!)

Ryan, Angku and Lia

Beryl, Alliana, Asi and Adi

My sister Jasmin and her son, Sean

Abet, Hasmin and Euan

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49th Floor (Roof Deck) One San Miguel Avenue Building
San Miguel Avenue cor. Shaw Boulevard
Ortigas Center, Pasig

This was mainly organized by Cinco de Mayo Events, who took care of talking to the caterers, cupcakes and cake supplier and the photo booth supplier.

Events handling: Cinco de Mayo Events
**(view related blog entry here)

Caterer: Baby Nathan’s Kitchen
**(view related blog entry here)

Photo booth: Funshots Booth
**(view related blog entry here)

Photo documentation: Cheekay Torres and other friends

The cake, cupcakes and decors as well as face painting and ice cream cart were also handled by Fats Roxas of Cinco de Mayo Events.

Today was another day for a meeting although its not work-related (That was yesterday and tomorrow). I met with Lia’s First Birthday Party planner at Starbucks in Eastwood City Walk and now have a clear overview of how the party will be. Now there is a venue, a caterer, a cake and almost everything else! I only need to finalize the menu and the final head count before signing the contract. One less (huge) thing off my mind, thank God for that!

Acknowledgments to Lia's event organizer

While Ryan was inside the cafe chatting with Fats and going over the details, Lia and I went for a walk outside. Lia kept coming into the People Are People store and had her eye and her hands on a shiny, sequined, all white top. I had to tell her that we were in a store for people like Mama and Papa and that we would go to a store for babies like her later on.

Gosh, my baby looks so tiny there!

Lia: "Look Ma, they don't have shoes on either!"

We ended shopping for her birthday party dress instead at Baby Fashionistas in Eastwood Mall. We had our eyes on a particular dress the last time we were at that mall but we said we had to have Lia with us so she can pick out a dress she likes and have her fit it.

We went into the store and had her try that dress on. She loved it so much that she objected when she had to take it off. We told the store keepers we will go to another store on the other side of the mall before we make a decision.

But Lia had already decided. So we left the store Periwinkle empty-handed and came back out of Baby Fashionistas with a shopping bag and P1,400 poorer. She loves that dress though and that is enough to put a smile on my face.

The dress second from left is what Lia picked out.

After three hours of painstaking yet exciting (big smiles all the way) efforts of searching the internet for images, figuring out how to layer and basically work my way around Photoshop CS4, I finally finished Lia’s “Save The Date” card.

I was actually supposed to go to bed early, like 9:30 pm early, but I sat down one last time to look at some clipart images and I just found myself working until the entire card was done. I couldn’t have picked a better first Photoshop CS4 project on my new Macbook Pro. Hooorah! Hoorah! I feel like a pre-schooler who just finished her first hand painting project. Hoorah! Hoorah!

The card is actually already kinda late. I should be working on the actual invite. After all, the event is a month away and yet I have not done anything to prepare for it. Nothing at all yet! Dang, pressure is building up! Haha!

Now that I have this little card done, I can go to bed with a smile on my face. Aaaaah, the feeling of accomplishment, I have forgotten what that is.. until today. Big smiles all the way!

For my pretty, chic, always-fresh-hair friend and my best bud Nicki’s better half… I love you.

To more coffee and chats. To more laughter. To more years of fun, carefree and no-pressure friendship. You are one of the few gems college gave to me.

New Year’s Eve Eve was spent with my Rep family, on what was dubbed as the 2010 Kick Off Party, complete with countdown and “fireworks”. As Nick said, “Genius!”

Happy New Year Repists! To 2010 Barkadismo and beyond!

The real New Year’s Eve was spent with the Sorita family at the Sibal IV building along Bonny Serrano avenue. We have never seen that much fireworks in our lives, ever. Left, right, front, back, from early evening until past midnight!

My daughter and I

My nephew Sean and my sister Jasmin with my daughter Lia

My niece Marielle, my sister Girlie and my brother-in-law Manny

My brother-in-law Voltaire and my sister Jasmin with the New Year fruits!

Sean doing artwork with his Tito Ryan

Marielle blowing on her art pen

Putting lil New Year polka-dotted baby to sleep

Bonny Serrano avenue from the roof deck of the Sibal IV building

Start of fireworks.. New Year countdown

We believe this is over the Katipunan avenue area

More fireworks.. as smoke begins to build up..

It felt like in-your-eyes fireworks!

More fireworks and more smoke.

By the time we went home at about three in the morning, the entire city was enveloped in smog, with very low visibility. At least those were just fireworks. I remember when I was a child, we always found the streets on New Year’s morning all white, covered with the paper from the firecrackers the night before. Firecrackers are so much more dangerous!

Photo credits by the way, all photos with me in it and of the fireworks were taken by Ryan. I took the rest. We used both the 50mm and the 18-135mm. Love that 50mm!

Some of the photos taken at Roma and Jay’s belated joint birthday bash last December 11 at Ten 02 Bar in Sct. Ybardolaza, Timog, Q.C.

I was not too fired up to go because I was still reeling from the emotional crash hoolabaloo that happened that week but I thought, heck, I need some form of distraction. I need a party!!! So off I went though uber late.  Looking at the photos, you wouldn’t know I was not feeling too good about myself from how huge my smile is.

Happy party Abeth

Nicki and Abet, I love you two here.

Girls, girls, girls

Bagets (pa rin kayo para sa amin kahit di na naman talaga)

Dan Ramon Geromo and Jerico Placido (I go for complete names)

Jma, Amrei and (cool) Dan

Jay and Amrei... best buds!

Partying out in the street

Big smiles, everyone!

Photo-op with Kagawad Babit de Luna

Outside the bar

Bida ang Shell gas station

Kamusta ka naman Manuk?

Maraming salamat Jma sa focus sa aking hikaw

Yellow is the color

Beerday boy

Anjo, its your turn to shine!

Eshei, mapungay na mata much?

Jma's new textmate, er friend

MJ is that you?

Ito ang idea ng "cute" ni Bheng

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If you’re wondering where exactly this bar is, click here to get an idea.