Our Christmas vacation is officially set up. We're spending it with Ian in the UK this year.

Woohoo!

I'm totally excited and mentally/physically preparing myself for it. Christmas is a pigging out season (at least for me, anyway) and knowing my brother's culinary stunts will mess up my resolve for weight-watching, I seriously have to do some prepping for that before I come back like a huge stuffed turkey. I may have to boycott eating altogether because I'm planning on celebrating the holidays in style. You know, pretty dresses + heels + make-up and all that girly stuff - so I'd feel and look like a grown up for once. It's one of the few excuses I have to dress up. I never get to do that that much these days. My life is boring as we speak.

But I digress.

There really isn't much to tell about myself. Unless of course you're interested about my plans on re-vamping my wardrobe. If you look inside my closet, it's a vision of eclectic mix. It's boring, though. Add to that sad and pathetic. Okay, I do have some good stuff, but the majority is pure junk. If the fashion police finally decides to raid my closet, they will definitely chuck everything out and I'll end up snatching my favorites before they notice. I have to do something about that. My thoughts are gearing towards hoodies and colorful cardigans, skinny jeans and sneakers. Maybe get another haircut? Ooh, what about dye? If only I could pull off skinnies. I may have to find me a sharp butcher knife (we don't have one, unfortunately) and slice off a thick part of my thighs because lipo is expensive and this way is a whole lot easier and quicker. Messy but, you know, quite as effective. Haha! Sorry for that gory detail and clearly it was a joke. (Gah, my sense of humor just plummeted. That is if I have one.)

If only I had longer legs though, it wouldn't have mattered.

And, no, before you think it, I'm in no way depressed! I'm practically cracking myself up writing this. I just tend to blabber nonsense a whole lot lately and this is why I thought staying quiet was a good idea. No point subjecting you to mental torture while reading my nonsensical thoughts.

But you're all very sweet and welcoming and probably checking back for updates often so this is the least I could do.

Thank you, my darlings! You make my heart swell. :)

It was a really good weekend of pure relaxation, shopping, dining out and family time. I believe it was the first time we all went out together for that long, and I'm pretty sure that everyone had a great time. At least, I did. :)

Culture

One thing that struck me about the city was, it felt like I was in a different country. The hotel we stayed in was situated on a hill. A hill! Who would have thought there actually is a place like it in the FLAT Netherlands. Add to that the forest-like surrounding that we don't get to enjoy in Rotterdam. There were lots of green and birds were twittering outside our hotel room. It was a haven.

The Golden Tulip hotel is modern with a rustic appeal. They don't have swipe cards for keys, to start with. And, is it a European thing to not have an air conditioner in hotel rooms or am I just used to them in my tropical homeland where air conditioner (at the very least a fan) is a necessity as a heater in the west? It's not very comfortable to sleep in a closed room in a 28-degree room temperature and no ventilation because opening a window welcomes an army of mosquitoes and insects that I, in no circumstance, have no intention to welcome. So I do miss the luxury of an air conditioner as I think all hotels should have, but I guess that's a European thing.



I learned that Nijmegen is the oldest city in the Netherlands. It might have been mentioned by my teacher in my Dutch integration course three years ago but I don't remember if he did. So it's good to learn/re-learn some things once in a while.

We walked through...


de Waalkade..


het Valkhof..


de Grotemarkt ..

and many terrasen where a majority of young people hang. It was fun watching them "kids" being all preppy with their popped up designer PINK shirt collars, curly hair and huge sunnies which was a preferred fashion style by the guys. The girls who looked like they just started high school were typical in their skimpy skirts and tight-hugging tops, and a couple of them wore the same clothes and hairdos. Do they really do that nowadays? Similar outfits from head to toe? I realized later that it's a city of students. No wonder!

Shopping



Something I like about going to another city is checking out stores that are not in Rotterdam. They're mostly the quaint shops in small streets that I'm always eager to discover. They seem like they're hidden in purpose and only the real seeker finds them. The parents gave us freedom to roam around the city on our own for a few hours so we went to home & gift shops, children's store, and bead shops. (I could really get lost in those shops and stay there for hours. Mike was ever so patient.) I got a couple of beads and some little thingies for my future swaps.

We drove to Arnhem for a two-hour shopping on Friday morning and I was so happy we decided to go there. We walked aimlessly around the city and were lucky to find shops that I love and been looking for. Mike saw this side street with an antique store sign that I didn't want to go to at first because I wasn't in the mood for antique window shopping, but the store across it proved to be a star. It got me all wide-eyed and open-mouthed with matching palpitations and serious blushing. I almost screamed when I looked at Mike while mouthing THEY HAVE GREEN GATE!!!!! I tugged at his arms, hugging it would be more appropriate, because I couldn't contain the joy that he pointed me to that direction. It may sound silly but it was a really happy moment. We love that city and we're planning to go back there sometime in the summer.

Drinking & Dining

I would be lying if I say that I didn't enjoy the whole weekend of not worrying about what meals to cook. But we kind of had enough, you know. We miss home-cooked meals and choosing food not on the menu. Mike, who LOVES meat, swore off steak after eating it twice in a row for dinner. It seems like all we did was eat and drink, but I'm not complaining! We were celebrating the good life. 35 years of marriage is a milestone!



We ate our first dinner at the cafe on the corner of the Grotemarkt across from H&M. Forgot the name, well actually, I didn't pay much attention because I was starving but their food was heerlijk and we sat outside in the sun. It was gezellig. The calamares we had for starters was quite good. The only downside is the fries they served in one medium bowl. That serving is good for two but not for four hungry adults. Jammer.



Cafe-Brasserie Vlaams Arsenal - Good food, affordable price, great service, cool and modern ambiance. Their Belgian fries were so good, we ordered a second cone.



Gallische Eetcafe - Good food, okay price, not so much with the ambience and though the service was fast, the waitresses were not so friendly. Their Obelix steak was really good! The chocolatix was also yum.

To DO

We watched Cassandra's Dream in this small theater near the Belgian resto we dined at. First time I stepped into a theater with a capacity of only 25. The movie was okay, not something I'm used to but it was quite entertaining. I'm not so sure if I really like it or not but it was an experience.

There are a couple of museums in the area. Ma and Monique went to the African Museum 20 minutes walk away from the hotel on Sunday. We didn't really feel like going so Mike and I spent the whole afternoon playing table tennis that wiped us out that evening. Mike said I was a fanatic after I won 9 sets out of 10. But he beat me in Chinese poker afterwards. To each his own!

Photos can be found here.

Mama,



Thank you for the love, the never-ending support,
For everything that you have done for me, for Mike, and for the whole family.
I am forever grateful.
When I become a mother someday, I want to be just like you.
I'm ever so proud to be your daughter.
You're the best mom in the world!
I love you, more than words can say.
I love you forever.


Ma,



Ik ben zo blij dat jij de moeder van Michael bent.
Zo lief, zo zorgzaam, zo veel meer..
Jij bent er altijd voor mij, voor ons,
En ik kan je niet genoeg bedanken.
De eerste keer dat ik jou ontmoette,
Wist ik dat wij goed met elkaar zouden gaan.
Geloof me als ik zeg dat jij de beste schoonmoeder bent!
Ik hou van jou.


Nanay,



Eto yung ginawa kong kanta para sa'yo.
Miss na miss kita!

Nung ako ay bata pa
Ako'y iyong pinaghehele
Di nakakatulog 'pag ika'y wala sa aking tabi
Naaalala mo pa ba
Minsan nung ikaw ay umalis?
Katabi ko sa kama ang iniwan mong damit.

Pumapasok sa eskwela
Ikaw ang kasama ko
Naghihintay kang mag-isa sa may waiting shed
'Pag medyo kulang ang baon
Sayo agad tumatakbo
Laging handang magbigay ng limang-pisong papel.

Ngayon at ako'y malaki na
At nakatira sa malayong lugar
Pero 'wag kang mangangamba
Dahil ikaw ay nasa puso ko, 'di yan magbabago.

Dahil mahal kita, yan ang tatandaan mo
Nanay mahal kita
Mahal na mahal, mahal na mahal kita

Kahit san man ako makarating
Iniisip kita lagi
Kahit 'di tayo parating magkasama
Alam mong mahal na mahal kita, diba?

Dahil mahal kita, yan ang tatandaan mo
Nanay mahal kita
Mahal na mahal, mahal na mahal kita
Nanay, mahal kita.


To all mothers out there,

I salute you!

"A mother's love is faithful always trusting
A mother's love will stand the test of time
While others have their fun
A mother's work is never done..
.... a mother's love." - from a song

xoxo <3

Just got home from helping out the sis-in-law with painting her new flat. Will go back there tomorrow and paint the walls pink. We painted white over the dark walls and scraped off wallpaper. :)

May you have more happy and blessed years to come!
I'm thinking about you.
Happy, happy birthday!

With much love from across the world and a big slice of cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream,
Your only daughter

For the past three days all I did was lie down on the couch, watch tv, consume bottle after bottle of water and two rolls of tissue because we ran out of Kleenex. I now officially became a paracetamol junkie after years of not taking it just so I won't miss a movie night with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law which we planned since P.S. I Love You after having seen the flyer that they were giving out goodie bags and free wine. What more could a girl ask for? A chick flick + goodie bag + free wine. You should have seen the twinkle in our eyes when we read about the goodie bag. A vision of nail polish, mascara, perfume samples, preferably girly stuff were forming in our heads.

So I got the tickets last Saturday, only to learn the day after that I might have to miss it because I'm down with a serious cold. It bummed me enough that I told Mike to go in my stead and go home with the goodie bag! But I felt much better when I woke up this morning so I sms-ed Monique that I was going.

We got to the theater half an hour early and cued our way into the hall. It wasn't assigned seating so we had a bit of luck with the ones we got. They were not the best seats but they weren't bad either. I scanned the hall and didn't see a man in sight. Not one! I mistook a particularly tall woman for a man because she had quite a manly posture and a short bob cut. I had to wear my glasses to check. My vision blurs beyond two meters.

27 Dresses was chic and entertaining like what you can expect from a chick flick. I especially like Heigl's outfits and it got me to want to try yoga. There is something about watching feel good movies that makes you want to do things you only dream about or plan to do which always get put aside because there are other things that pop up and you eventually forget that you want to do something else. Like I want to have another wedding and plan everything down to the detail and only invite people who mean something to us than just being blood-related because in some unwritten rule, you are obliged to invite them to your wedding. I don't despise having family on one of the biggest events in my life, but if most of them meet your husband for the first time on your wedding day, that's just not cool. Weddings should be intimate and personal, not a fashion show or parade or a spectator sport. But that's a story for another entry. It's just that the movie was about weddings and family and close relationships.

If I have to rate the movie, I'd give it a 3.5 star out of 5. It was nice, easy and fun.

The goodie bag, however, is a whole different story. It was a major disappointment! But, at least, Mike was happy. I'm really not 100% well but I'm glad I still went. It would probably made a lot of difference if my nose wasn't stuffed and if I didn't have to breathe through my mouth and if I wasn't half deaf and if I didn't have to stifle a cough when everyone was so quiet and if it was in de Kuip, but I enjoyed the evening with the two women closest to me in this strange-weathered flat country that I now call home.

Today is Mike's 26th birthday and the celebration took place mostly around the dining table. We invited the family over for an intimate lunch of sandwiches, sushi, tuna and salmon salads, cake, bottomless tea and hearty conversations. I think we're going to do more luncheons and dinners this year because it's just so good to spend time and reconnect with people who mean something to you. I enjoyed it so much it felt like my birthday!

Shortly after his Grandpa left, I stayed in the kitchen to clear a big stack of the dirty dishes that's been sitting on the countertop for two hours. I wanted to do the washing when everyone else has gone but I couldn't ignore it any longer. It's like a switch in my head was turned and I have to deal with it right away else I have to scratch my brains out to keep the switch from flicking. Obsessive-compulsive? Haha, definitely.


And because I thought that I didn't serve enough food, as is always the case with me, I whipped up a quick cream cheese filled pepper bruschetta while Mike opened a bottle of red wine. I also made a couple of regular mild pepper bruschetta which no one else ate except me because I like it more than the cream cheese filled one. Oh, well.


These are the loot he got for his birthday and he's one happy bunny. (Envelopes with money, Zelda for his DS Lite, books and the anime chess pieces I got him yesterday from the book fair in Ahoy. :)

Now that the weekend is almost over, I can finally relax!