Cherry Blossoms in Singapore

Hello! If you're following me on Instagram, then you know we just got back from sunny Singapore & Malaysia a few days ago. But don't you sometimes feel like you need a vacation from your vacation? Haha I know hubby and I do, especially after traveling with the kids. To think we didn't even take Skyler along because at 2, I don't think he'll even remember the trip. And I honestly don't know how we can travel with all 3 kids without a yaya or other family members to help. Just Miley and Sabe were a handful! But enough about that for now, I'll be sure to blog about our many adventures in the coming weeks. :)

Anyway, most people were on vacation during the Holy Week and a lot of those I saw online were in Japan, enjoying the cool weather. And I'm sure more people will be going there since it's cherry blossom season! This is definitely something that is on my bucket list, and I guess I was one step closer since I was able to see cherry blossoms... but in Singapore!

Gardens by the Bay: Flower Dome

I've been to Gardens by the Bay in Singapore before, but wasn't able to enter the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest attractions. Good thing my friends haven't been here as well, so this was on the top of our list during my visit last July 17.

Did you get flowers on Valentine's Day?

Because I didn't.

But that's because I've told my hubby countless times through the years NOT to give me any. Of course he showered me with flowers and all kinds of gifts when he was still courting me and during the early parts of our relationship. He even gave me a giant teddy bear that was almost as big as me one year back in college. I swear, he must have looked so silly lugging that thing around in the mall after he bought it. People were probably thinking "ang cheesy naman" hahaha!

The thing is, I appreciate the gesture. But then I would always feel na sayang lang un money. Flowers are beautiful but they are expensive and eventually wilt. Being the practical person that I am, I would prefer that he get me something I really like and can use. That's why I always go with him when he buys me a gift or simply tells him specifically what I like (where to buy, size, color, even the price haha!). Yes, there's no element of surprise but hubby prefers it too since he doesn't need to play guessing games anymore.

And it was the same for this year too. I told hubby not to buy me flowers or anything. Ako na bahala sa gift niya. So I went online and bought a couple of outfits I really liked. So thanks hubby haha! ;p

Nagkataon lang talaga na red ang color nun dress. And no, I did not wear this on Valentine's Day ;p

But then Valentine's weekend came and I started seeing all these pictures on my feed of people showing off flowers and gifts they received from their significant others. At first, I was thinking how corny... But then after a while, parang lahat may flowers ha! I kept showing post after post jokingly to hubby and he was like "gusto mo din ba ng flowers? pwede kita bilhan" To which I was like "wag na, may gift ka na nga sakin diba? un Zalora!"

We also avoid going out on Valentine's Day because we know how traffic and full all the restaurants can get. We did go out on Feb. 13 and had dinner in probably the most unromantic restaurant ever - CHOPSTOP in SM BF! But it was fun for us since we ended up drinking (well I had one beer, my first ever for the longest time!). And I will get cheesy and say that it doesn't matter where we are, as long as we're together that's what counts. (eeeek corny but it's true hihihi!) ;p

Hiyang-hiya daw siya sa Valentine's date namin hahaha! 14 pa talaga un table number e! ;p

After, I saw a post a friend made on Facebook. It was something like how he didn't like Valentine's because if you're single, you feel bad about not having someone special. If you're in a relationship, you feel pressured to take part in the commercialized frenzy. He then goes on to say that shouldn't we make our loved ones feel special the rest of the year as well? He's newly married and apparently he didn't give his wife flowers or make any dinner plans... which led to her making tampo (uh-oh).

A lot of people commented, some agreeing with him while others saying it was unforgivable haha. One person said "Piece of advice lang... Just buy the flowers... It will turn out to be a bargain whatever price you bought it for..."

And now, after doing some soul-searching (naks), I have to say that I've turned a new leaf and sort of wish I'd gotten flowers on Vday. It doesn't have to be a super expensive bouquet, a single rose would work for me (or even from the garden pwede na rin, chos!). But I guess what I'm saying is that deep down, every girl wants to feel special, appreciated, and kilig once in a while. Especially for couples who've been together for a long time, it's important not to forget these little romantic gestures matter as well.

So will I be getting flowers next Valentine's? I guess we will just have to wait and see... :)

DIY Flower Crown

I had a vision for my maternity shoot and I knew I wanted to wear a flower crown for that boho, free-spirited look. Luckily, all the materials came together and I was able to make one which I completely love! :)

I got all the artificial flowers from Uniwide for a steal:

long flowers: P29 each, purple flowers: P15 each, white flowers: P49

I also got these floral stems from National Bookstore to hold all the flowers together:

Can I just say I'm so happy I found these flowers with the long stems! Without them, I don't know what I would have used for the base. They're made of wire so I was able to bend and shape it into a circle to fit my head.

I just used masking tape to connect the ends together:

I then pulled apart the other flowers to put on the crown:

Then, I used the floral wire to attach the flowers to the crown. Just keep wrapping them around the stems tightly and layering on the flowers to your liking:

And here's my finished crown! I just placed the flowers halfway since it won't be seen in the back anyways. But you can go ahead and continue everything the whole way.

And there you have it! I think it totally completed my look for my maternity shoot don't you think? :)

4 Weddings & a Preggy Me

I think hubby and I got married quite young 5 years ago at 26, since during that time, we were one of the first out of all our friends and batchmates. It wasn't until about last year when the wedding boom started for us, with people started getting engaged and married left and right.

I attended a total of 4 weddings this year and they were all held during the last quarter of 2013. Which means a very pregnant me! It really is so much fun attending weddings, because you know for sure there'll be drinks and people are there to really let loose and get wasted (at least my friends are haha!). But since I'm preggy, I can't really par-tay so that just means more drinks for everyone! ;p

We're also one of the first to have kids in our group so what's good is that they're almost always guaranteed to be part of the entourage (yey!). But it also means we can't stay out too late since we'll be dealing with temper tantrums and sleepyheads as the night goes on (booo!).

Anyway, here's a glimpse into each of the 4 weddings we went to. :)

Wedding #1

This was the wedding of my brother-in-law which was held in Cebu. We were all part of the entourage - hubby was the best man, I was a secondary sponsor, Miley was the flowergirl, and Sabe was the ringbearer (although he refused to walk!).

ceremony was held at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral

reception was held at Shangri-La Mactan

super yummy everything

Wedding #2

This was the wedding of one of our college barkada and it had a Parisian theme. It was honestly one of the most beautiful receptions I had ever been to with all the gorgeous flowers and overall set-up.

I got my dress from Miss Selfridge at 70% off!

Rizal Ballroom, Makati Shangri-La

loved the photobooth set-up!

Wedding #3

Another wedding of our college kabarkada, this time held in Tagaytay. This wedding was held on November 9, the day after typhoon Yolanda hit! Everybody was really anxious the week before just reading the news about how this was the biggest storm ever (especially the poor couple since their reception was going to be outdoors!). We were all just praying that the weather wouldn't be that bad on the day itself. But lo and behold, the sun actually shone that morning and there was only some slight rainfall before the ceremony. :)

Sabe was the coin bearer, and again he refused to walk so I had to carry him down the aisle! Hope he gets the hang of this soon though, since he'll be the coin bearer again for my cousins wedding in January. ;p

got my dress at 50% off from a store called Mags in Southmall!

Reception was held in Angelfields, Tagaytay. They had the whole place tented up last minute!

silly faces for the photobooth ;p

Wedding #4

The last wedding was my high school barkada's and I was a bridesmaid and Miley was a flowergirl again. I really loved our dresses and all the colors of the entourage! And all the details down to the reception was just lovely. :)

Being able to be part of all these celebrations is just so wonderful. Especially seeing and feeling all the love in the air (naks!). I kept joking hubby that it was a good thing we already got married because it would be so much pressure for me if I had to plan a wedding now with all those gorgeous ideas to compete with haha! I think there would definitely be some things I'd change if I could get married again now (like getting an on-site video done!!! grrr, my biggest regret!). But of course, each wedding is beautiful in its own way and when I look back at the pictures from our special day, the main thing I'm reminded of is that was the start of our lives together. I can only wish the same happiness for all the couples in this new chapter in their lives... :)

Fresh flowers

I usually say no when people ask me to take home flowers from table centerpieces after a party. I always felt like it will just wilt after a few days anyway so no use adding more garbage around the house.

But after attending a friend's wedding, I just couldn't resist taking home some of the flowers since they were just so beautiful. I wanted to get more but nakakahiya na (if only I had a plastic bag haha!) ;p

I don't know if you can tell, but the flowers were really big

gorgeous

I wish I could have brought home more of the roses...

And yes, they did wilt after a few days, but at least they added some life to our home even for just a little while. Now if I can only afford to have fresh flowers everyday...

Shopping at Uniwide

One of my happy shopping places is the Uniwide Sales Warehouse Club, which I discovered about 2 years ago. So I was so surprised when I read on Mommy Maqui's blog a few months ago that they were closing! NOOOOO!

I used to go to the Coastal Mall branch back when we were still living with my mom but now, the Sucat branch is much closer to where we stay. I've since passed it a couple of times since I read the news and thankfully it still looked open. So finally, I found time to check it out a few days ago. :)

This was my first time to visit the Sucat branch and it is definitely much smaller than the Coastal Mall one. Although everything looks and feels the same (still dusty and hot!), you will definitely find more choices in Coastal Mall. But still, that didn't stop me from going gaga over all the cheap and fab finds! Just seeing all those red and yellow signs screaming SALE made my heart pound 100x faster haha! ;p

With Christmas just around the corner, you'll find lots of decors, trinkets and ornaments up for grabs.

My 2 year-old son Sabe is obssessed with superheroes and they have all these action figures on sale. Of course, don't expect the same quality as something from Toy Kingdom (for example, Superman's face looked weird and Ironman was color green haha!). Although there were also some that looked great (like the Batman and Spiderman toys) which I bought for Christmas gifts.

There's also lots of toys for little girls...

I LOVE these owl ceramics! I've actually seen some of them being sold in the mall for more than double the price.

Cute ceramic piggybanks that you can also use for display...

Ceramic balls...

Assorted ceramic and melamine products which you can buy per kilo.

Assorted wine glasses...

More ceramic products...

jars

containers for herbs and spices

vases

cups and mugs

salt & pepper shakers

oriental style vases and jars

I like buying these plastic plates in assorted designs for the kids, but they had very limited choices on hand. In the Coastal Mall branch, they had hundreds to choose from.

 More decorative items for the home in metal finish...

Faux flowers as well...

And to complete your Christmas shopping, you can also buy these assorted paper bags for gift wrapping at just P150 per kilo!

Well, I don't know if Uniwide will still be closing anytime soon but I just hope that this shopping haven is here to stay forever!

Just a few reminders:
- Wear something cool and comfortable since there's no aircon. I was sweating so much within 5 minutes of entering the place! You can also bring a fan or a small towel to wipe your face or back.
- Bring baby wipes / tissue / alcohol to wipe your hands since everything's so dusty (I was sneezing so much too!) My fingers were so black after holding the merchandise.
- Check all the items you buy carefully since there might be defects or cracks, especially the ceramic items.
- You can use your credit card to pay so no worries if you didn't bring enough cash (although with everything so cheap, you can buy so much with just P500!)

Can't wait to share what I bought next! Stay tuned. ;p