I figured I might as well post on our Hongkong getaway before the novelty wears off. We flew back a few days ago and I know if I put off blogging about this travel, I might just end up scratching it off like I did our previous Davao and Bohol trips.
Because I booked this Hongkong trip exactly a year ago, I totally forgot that we failed to have our intended date of coming back, which was originally set on Dec.9. It turned out, the only available date during that time was December 8.
It was only when we have boarded the plane and I was filling out these Hongkong Immigration forms which were handed out by the flight attendant that I saw the e-ticket and it reads December 8. Imagine my dismay! I immediately confessed as I showed the e-ticket to my dear hubby and he solved the problem in an instant. If it were not for December 8 being our official anniversary date, then it would have been okay for us to head back home to Manila. But husband sweetly solved the problem by assuring us that we can head on over to a hotel in Subic where we can extend our 10th anniversary celebration when we arrive DMIA on December 8. How can I not feel so blessed to have such a sweet husband?
My son and I at the plush Hongkong International Airport
Since it was my responsibility to take care of our flights and travel itineraries, I have somehow expected a slight show of disappointment on the husband’s face. He spared me that and instead assured me that this “unexpected” early flight back should not make our 10th anniversary less fun. I knew right there that it was going to be a a lovely 10th anniversary celebration!
A week until our 10th anniversary celebration! It’s crazy how quickly time seem to pass us by. While 10 years might not be a huge number for some people, the double number makes us look back and ask ourselves, “has it really been that long already?”
While we are happily married, we are far from being a perfect married couple just yet. Our clashes make for the very ingredients that would want us to put our foot forward in effort to be a better person for each other. A pile of things to thank God for this marriage. We recently read and finished a book together – Couples Who Pray, which we both vouch for and highly recommend for married couples to read and apply.
When it comes to personalities, my husband and I are opposites. The first years of our marriage are testaments (bickerings, mostly) of living with someone who we are poles apart with. We knew that we complemented each other, sure. But there are just times when the crazies (selfishness) get the best of us. Real life stories are made of that as well.
One of our many differences is that he is sporty by nature. While I’m a bit too comfy on being sedentary. But even if there was no way the husband can have me trek with him, we found a few things that we enjoy doing together.
We learned to enjoy playing badminton before we got pregnant. Then that was it. We recently played again but we can’t seem to get back to the grind of playing on a regular basis. Who would have thought that after almost 10 years of marriage, we will still find something new that we enjoy doing together! Kart Racing! It is probably the funnest thing I have done in a very long while. I was so thrilled that I found myself shrieking my lungs out in the middle of the track as I floored that gas pedal! Adrenalin rush at its finest!
As for the hubby, there was not a doubt in my mind that he was going to excel in this race. A cousin of mine describes perfectly what he does on the streets – no holds barred arcade driving. By nature, he is a very patient person but drives like a mad man on the streets. He will mellow for a while when I remind him. But gets back to his old self after a while. We agreed that this kart racing will have him release his need for speed so he can tone way down when he gets to the streets. Fine by me.
We almost regretted going through the rough Saturday traffic last Oct. 15 to attend the Bloggers Blaze Fun Cup held at City Kart Racing located in Parksquare 1 in Makati. Turned out the race was the best way to express our frustration over the horrendous c5 traffic. It was exhilarating through and through! Jeff went kart racing again thrice that week, while I had to nurse my sore limbs and biceps. Yes, I suddenly developed biceps, would you believe! We’re going kart racing again very soon with our son in tow. He’s past the 4 feet mark, he will try to do a track or two. Even if he’s past 4 feet, we’re still not sure if his motor skills will allow him to race already. He loves cars and racing way before he can barely utter an intelligible word. Now that he’s practically the radio of the neighborhood, he will play Need for Speed Shift the whole day everyday if we let him. We don’t. Just so we’re clear. Haha! Leave him with a gadget for more than an hour and he gets zombified like crazy.
City Kart Racing was introduced in the Philippines in 2006 by Jean-Marc Freihuber (pictured above with the rest of the bloggers), former French professional racer with 15 years of experience with kart track management in Europe and 4 years in the Philippines. They use state of the art racing machines. These alone tell us that we can kart race with confidence. Plus the awesome technology that tracks racers’ stats down to the last nano second is the coolest I have seen to date. And did I mention that they have this Facebook App that posts your stats on your wall every time you finish a Heat? You also get a copy of your race stats over email.
My husband published a more detailed post about the Bloggers Blaze Fun Cup. I wouldn’t dream of beating the hubby in this sport. It’s just not gonna happen. I’m good with that. It’s just fun to know though that I did the best time amongst all the girls that day. My best lap time being 1:0.315. My next goal will be to race under a minute.
I recorded a short clip of the hubby on the track. Real speed is probably ten times more than it seems from this recorded video. Sorry for the shaky capture. We’re excited to go back. The hubby is already looking into getting hold of Compacc.com shoei helmets for us. He brought some of the young men from church to City Kart Racing last week and they all loved it. We’re bringing a couple more friends on our next visit.
City Kart Racing Makati
7th Level car park, Park Square 1,
Ayala Center, Makati City
Open everyday except for Christmas and Good Friday
Monday to Thursday: 3pm to 10pm
Friday to Saturday: 10am to 12mn
Sunday and Holidays: 10am to 10pm
For more information visit CityKartRacing.com
Contact Nos. +(632) 856-9155 or +(63917) 585-9155
Less than two months until our 10th anniversary! As excited as I am, I still have not figured out what to give my husband. From the moment we got married, I only surprised him with a gift twice. While he gives me a minimum of three surprise gifts every single occasion – birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, heart’s day. Name it, he has not missed a single occasion. Yes, not counting the “monthsaries” we used to celebrate when our marriage was brand spanking new. As forgetful as my husband is in all other areas in his daily routine (he almost always needs to come back home minutes after he left because he forgot something), boy am I so blessed to be so loved enough not to have one special occasion forgotten. I actually realized this just now. Oh, the things I take for granted!
For nine whole years and some, he always managed to act that he does not have a gift for me every time. Saying all kinds of reasons. I bought it during the first years but finally figured that I married an award winning actor no less. It is that or I’m really as gullible as can be. Because I totally get surprised every single time still by his gifts I find at random places. It’s like an easter egg hunt for me every time. Except that I try to do it discreetly. Because I always think, what if it’s true this time that there isn’t a gift at all. I don’t know how he does it really. He plays with mind like that.
When my husband and I decided on a whiff to celebrate his 36th birthday at The Boutique Bed & Breakfast in Tagaytay, we were talking about about our cancelled Boracay vacation. We were then in the hospital room where our son was confined for Dengue.
The Boutique B&B was the one place we have been meaning to check out. But for some reason we end up in another Bed & Breakfast in Tagaytay whenever we go swing by. Our son was discharged from the hospital late afternoon on my husband’s birthday. Because my man’s birthday is worth celebrating, I made arrangements as we waited for our clearance from the hospital. We also got our son’s doctor’s approval that it is safe for him to travel. We did realize that it was going to be night time when we arrive Tagaytay but decided to press on even if our B&B stay will not be maximized. This day of celebration was it! We headed home, packed the bags real quick and drove straight to Tagaytay.
The lobby feels of a classic European design, with a quintessential chandelier and a couple of unique box couches.
From the receptionist when I called earlier that day to the staff who accommodated us upon walk in, to the chef who served us our dinner that night and later served us a cake to celebrate Jeff’s birthday, we were very pleased with how they all treated us through and through.
We were led to this quaint powder room as soon as we checked in where we got to choose the scents that we want from The Boutique’s very own “Pamper Me” collection. We chose the scents for our bath soaps, shampoo, conditioner, lotion and room scent. Being a scent person, this totally won me over. And we have not settled in our room just yet!
Our basket of scents
My boys chose Apricot soap and I, Lavender. Lavender for the room scent too, Milk & Honey for Shampoo and Conditioner and Aloe Vera lotion
When I called earlier that day I was told that the “i dream” room is not booked. But we chose the “i desire” room when we walked in because we were told that there is no booking scheduled the next day for this room. This means we can extend our stay an hour longer for free. Before we finalized our room of choice, we got to check out the respective spaces. The only difference of the “i dream” room and the “i desire” room is the wall color. Chocolate for the “i dream” and white for the “i desire” room.
The husband and I have been meaning to go back to playing badminton for the longest time. But because of our respective busy schedules and priorities that need to come first, we only got down to doing it lately. We will try our best to include playing badminton in our Monday date nights from here on out.
Our spanking brand new Yonex rackets. We thought getting ourselves matching rackets will motivate us to finally get to it. High repulsion and ultra-thin gauge. They did, fyi. Got them stringed with BG-66 ultra-thin 0.66 gauge — designed to provide excellent repulsion and shock-absorbing performance. :-)
You see, before our little guy came, we played practically every week. It has been more than six years for me and a little less for Jeff. He continued playing with our friends before he semi-permanently switched to martial arts. I never thought I would ever be able to beat my husband’s ninja like stunts. But I did! 15-13, on our debut after so many years. Let’s just say, he went easy on me.
Sweaty and hearts racing. I’m all smiles after our game. I won 15-13 against my lovey dovey. But then, it never happened again after that night. It was probably just the gentleman in my hubby playing.
Last Sunday, Jeff preached about how God uses our friendships in our spiritual growth. It was yet again another insightful message he shared with us that day. He reiterated how people are wired for relationships and we should nurture our friendships by:
1. Helping each other grow. Romans 12:10 “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love…”
2. Praying for each other’s growth. Ephesians 3:14-19 “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
3. Admitting our own mistakes.
James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
One of the more interesting things I learned that day was about a study made by UCLA. It was discovered that to be a healthy, fulfilled, satisfied adult; we all need 8-10 meaningful touches a day. For me, that’s a real lot! Coming from a family of origin where being demonstrative was not exactly a strength, I’d think I’ll be good with just five. This is in the same principle why some babies who are not caressed fail to thrive. (Failure to Thrive Syndrome)
In our almost ten years of marriage, the truth that all couples have conflicts affirms itself in our regular day to day communication. Sometimes, even the lack of it. The reason behind this is simple. Being human, we see the world differently. During our first years of marriage, the impatient me will so often expect my husband to think the way I do. It is all too common a mistake to try to manipulate our spouse into seeing things our way. But the thing is, inasmuch as something makes sense to us, it does not always follow that it does to another.
God has made us unique, in that sense as well. Resolving conflicts in a marriage requires that we respect our spouse’s ideas. It is then that meeting of the minds take place. It essentially allows for both to work as a team. Compromise is very often met at this point.It saves us loads of heartache than selfishly pushing our way in.Read the rest of this entry »
It is already a given that majority of friction in marriages come when personalities clash. We know this all too well. Our being in a marriage where one is a process person (the hubby) and the other is an action person (me) constantly affirms this truth to us. And the difference does not end there. To say that we need to accept our spouse as they are is one thing. To choose to do this on a daily basis is another. And as my husband and I approach our tenth anniversary before the year ends, we can only say that while we might not yet be experts at it, we are actually doing better by the day. Yay!
Today is our 9 years and 6 month celebration. Six months until we turn 10 years old. I can’t believe we’re turning a decade old! Where has time flown? For married couples, the monthly celebration is a good excuse to just get away from their usual schedule. We were like that during our first few years of marriage. But our drifting away from that practice does not mean that we love each other less. It’s just one of the phases of relationships that happens.
It’s funny how some couples think that getting married is the solution to their problems. Believe those people who have gone there and told you it’s not. You might even think that yours will be better but come to think of it, almost everything happens in a pattern: After the wedding bells, honeymoon, and lots of shared dreams, one day you wake up and saw your spouse in a different way. You start to get irritated with him not fixing his bedding, you put together all the dirty clothes in a bin and he leaves his clothes on the sofa. You both are on the adjustment stage in your relationship. Just when you thought you knew your better half, guess again.
Acceptance is the key. Changing your better half will never make the deal. It will even complicate things, to say the least. Dating will never guarantee that you will understand each all the time regardless of the number of years you have been together. Read the rest of this entry »
While it is clear for couples nowadays to be practical and do the hands-on preparation for their wedding, still some would suggest to let the experts handle the situation. With so much going on for the couple, getting the right dress, following up on some friends and family, running through the wedding invitations, ordering the cake, checking on the bridesmaid dresses, believe me, before their wedding day, they are too exhausted to walk on the isle.
It has been years since I last coordinated a wedding. After recently receiving an inquiry about my wedding coordinating services, I have come to consider maybe accepting one or two a year. The whirlwind of emotion is limited to the daughter but the rest of her loved ones. It is indeed a very exciting time. It can be filled with a lot of details though. Going to the City Hall to arrange the necessary papers for the marriage license can be very tiring, among others. After accomplishing the important documents, they need to have it sealed and notarized.
My husband and I are going through the Love Dare Devotional. It is something we look forward to doing together everyday. We usually make use of Charles Spurgeon Morning and Evening Devotional or just random readings from the Bible. The Love Dare Devotional allows for couples to look closely at their marriage to help strengthen it.
As we move towards our tenth year in our marriage, the tendency for both of us to take each other for granted can be next to normal. This is especially true we are both overwhelmed with our busy schedules.
Devotions for couples can be as important as personal devotions. Why devotions, to begin with, you ask? It is plain to see that we receive faith by reading the word, faith then comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17) This faith will be the one to course us through victory over our flesh. Oh yes, we need that on a daily basis. Left to our selfish selves, we are bound to trip and live a mediocre life. A day gone and will never come back. I have seen this oh so clearly for myself. The day that I forego devotion is the day that I end up later in the day feeling sorry for some wrong choices.
Here’s an excerpt of Love Dare, Day 1:
Love works. It is life’s most powerful motivator and has far greater depth and meaning than most people realize. It always does what is best for others and can empower us to face the greatest of problems. We are born with a lifelong thirst for love. Our hearts desperately need it like our lungs need oxygen. Love changes our motivation for living. Relationships become meaningful with it. No marriage is successful without it.
Scrapbooking is one of the things I have always wanted to get my hands on but never really had the chance to get around to doing. That is, until last weekend when All About Scrapbooking and Hallmark got us to our feet and challenged us to get in our artsy-craftsy mode.
The closest I got to scrapbooking was when I got some photos printed in books via Arts Cow and my wedding album recovery attempt.
