here comes the bride... and groom.... AGAIN!!!

yep, yep.... the event we were making all those truffles for.... the one that got me busy with flowers pretty much all day yesterday.... Lyn & Shaun's wedding reception is TODAY!!!
This is the third (and last!), reception for the weeding.... mostly for the couples Taipei colleagues who were not able to come to the Nantou and Kahsiung receptions.... what was supposed to be about 50 people, quickly went up to 100, then 150... at last count, it will be 17 tables of 10... so 179!!! YIKES!!!

anyway, it will be at 12 noon today, Sat the 28th.... but of course, we need to be there at least by 10AM to get all the decor out.... which means, we will be pretty much, all too occupied, today....

who will buy these beautiful flowers....

This morning was spent at the Taipei Floral Market.... we spent a good couple of hours picking out flowers for tomorrow's wedding lunch reception -- yep, still Lyn & Shaun's... I was recruited at the last minute to do the floral arrangements...
and what do I know of floral arranging for wedding receptions???
GOD Help Them! GOD, help Me!! hahahahahahaha
(Fresh Daily... oh yeah, the flowers, too!)HAPPY WEEKEND Everyone!!!

Oh Me, Oh My....

Just came across this photo which is a fashion editorial for some Men's Fashion Magazine and I was stumped... can anyman (everyday or even the oh - so - trendy ones) really wear these???

Though they are reminiscent of some of the things I dared to wear in the 80's, am not sure that I really buy into these once again... well, maybe if they are marketed to come with the male models... LOLS!!!

Look who just turned 50!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Barbie!!!

Can you believe, Barbie is 50 already.... and she just groove with the times and never gets old or outdated... the fascination and love for this Vinyl Goddess (by young and adult collectors alike) just keeps getting stronger...

Finally... somebody listened!!!!

PENELOPE CRUZ Wins An Oscar -- and I could not be HAPPIER!!!
as I blogged about the her movie -- Vicky, Christina, Barcelona -- Hollywood finally got it right, and put Penelope Cruzin a movie that showcases her raw talents, instead of the usual, pretty girlfriend roles -- something that Pedro, Almodovar (check out Volver, where she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar & All About My Mother) and other foreign directors (see Jamon, Jamon & Abre Sus Ojos), have always known and done so...

Happy Birthday, Ace!!!

22 Years Old!!! ...you are getting old, like your uncle.... hahahahaha... not to fret, as like me, you will forever be young at heart -- I KNOW!!!

Happy Birthday, Ace!!! And CONGRATULATIONS for landing that job in the US for your OJT!!!! Glad you get to do it in San Francisco - you can be with your Dad for a bit... and you will not be alone... am sure you will do well...

I will be sad not to see you during my trips in Manila for a while - but will be HAPPY knowing that you are doing something great for your future... and knowing that soon, we will have plenty more time for our get - togethers when you are already graduated and working - and most of all, IT WILL BE YOUR TREAT!!!! hahahahaah
GOOD LUCK and lotsa' luv!!!

...time is eternal but we are not....

""TIME HEALS ALL WOUNDS... BUT TIME IS ETERNAL... WE ARE NOT.""

something I already know but now and again have to be reminded of... recently I was, once again, reminded -- this time by my brother, Kuya Benjie...

as I previously blogged - it took us (my brother and I) years to see each other again... somehow with him becoming a US Military man, and me finding myself going where the wind blows me -coupled with all the family dramas we have gone through - we really did not get to see each other for about 20 years... we were brought together again by my Dad's passing, a couple of years ago... then all was well once again...
(with our cousins at my Mom's province)...

well... almost... this I say because I have not spoken to my sister for a couple of Xmasses now... as it is with most families, now and again siblings have a falling out == as did my sister and I... My brother has been trying to talk me into letting bygones be bygones and talk to my sis... as he does not want us all to wait another TRAGEDY before we can be together again - the three of us, brothers and sister... and he reminds me of everything else that has been happening: my Mom's health and age; his own recent bout with health issues (MY MAIN CONCERN, at the moment); and all of us getting on in our years, basically... (the first three in the left are my brother, me and my sis -- this is when she first arrived in the US, and we picked her up... my Dad is at the very end)
WHAT TO DO? WHAT TO DO? Believe me, it is not even Pride that is holding me back.... if only life can be simpler - with a lot less family drama....

DREAM MALL - real dreamy!!!

Over Chinese NY, while in Kaohsiung, I dragged the bois to come and check out the newest Mall that had just opened - DREAM MALL... it was dreamy alright... sooo big... lots of great shops.... plus a FERRIS WHEEL on the roof... just like the one in Taipei that I so love, Miramar....

Forget the brand name shops -- we went straight for the food and play areas.... the bois were kind enough to humour me and play the various games at Tom's World - so that is always a treat... Then there is the CHINATOWN section... one restaurant after another - all just as ornate and pretty... will have to keep going back to try them all - for sure......

Check out the rest of the FUN PHOTOS HERE.

Day Hike @ Shoushan (Monkey Mountain)

Shoushan is located on the western edge of the City of Kaohsiung, this area attracts a wide variety of birds, squirrels and of course, monkeys. One can walk side by side with these friendly creatures... all tame and cohabits with the humans quite naturally... and that is just what we did over the weekend.... it was extra fun for me as I just love these monkeys - remembering how we used to have a couple as pets growing up.... These monkeys seemed friendly enough as they walk about, sit around, play with each other - as people walk on by... they were not even bothered by the presence of Lala, and they will even sit with you if you are brave enough to sit close by....

A morning hike here is truly refreshing as at the top, one can see the whole harbour and city of Kaohsiung. Photos Here.

Happy Lantern Festival, 2009

Hope that those of you who do Celebrate this Festival - got to have a lot of fun!!! This was our quiet celebration...
Susie enjoys the Lantern Festival with a papaer lantern, welcoming the year of the Ox, from Mitsukoshi Department Store.

CI Boys by Red Magic

First time I ever came across these vinyl cuties was through one of 7-11's Premium program a few years back.. at the time I found them very cute but did not or could not find out anything about them.... Flash Forward to Jan of this year, one afternoon, David and I decided to walk around and just window shopped at one of Taipei's more happening areas - right behind SOGO at Chung Hsiao East Rd.

What an area... hip, happening, with lots of cool unique shops, beautiful people, and toys shops that evokes those found in Tokyo & HK... one of the shops I was sooo happy we have stumbled over is CI Boys @ Red Magic Shop
The CI Boys are vinyl characters produced by the Hong Kong based company, Red Magic. They are claimed to be pranksters. They are destructive little monsters, who who were once humans? Their dissatisfaction with the world caused their evolution -- and now they’re everywhere, demolishing everything they hate with unique Death-ray Cannons. And we are warned: "Take a closer look – they could be right beside you!"

You can go to the Red Magic's direct site find out more about them and the various lines.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

sending off my wishes now, as am sure most of you will be bizi, or should be bizi, this weekend with your special someone(s), significant other, date, or blind date... ENJOY and SWEET LOVE to you all...
Sharing 3 of my FAVE QUOTES -- 2 from E.M. Foster's book, Maurice, which I have read a millionth times... and a brand new one from the movie, SIKIL:

-"I was yours once till death, if you cared to keep me."

-I should have gone through life half awake, if you had the decency to leave me alone."

-Hindi ko alam kung ano ako. Ang alam ko lang may kung anong putang inang ugat sa Puso Ko na tumitibok lamang para sa iyo."

***GOT ANY OF YOUR OWN TO ADD? JUST SEND ON THROUGH THE COMMENTS SECTION...

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weThink weShare #3 - 2 sides of LOVE

what's Your Take On Love???

so how do you kill the one you love most???

with Valentine's day fast approaching... I was reminded of this passage.... According to Oscar Wilde:
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Yet each man kills the thing he loves
By each let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!
(Ballad of Reading Jail, 1898)
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hmmmm.... *scratches head*

"Tito, you're fat!" - Ameera Speaks!

"SAY WHAT!!!" exactly my reaction when my niece, Ameera, uttered those words to me one afternoon, as we stroll Shangrila Mall last week... I actually turned red of embarrassment as she tells me this loudly - with people around us. She went on to explain: "I do not mean FAT - I mean PHAT!". and again I say, "what the hell is that?" To which she explains:
"you are Pretty Hot And Tempting..." LOLs!!! (I laughed soooo hard!!!)
What A Line! Anyway, Ameera has always been a source of information for me... teaching me the art of texting in short cut, Pinoy forms.... or basically doing the texting for me - she, as according to her: "if there was an emergency and people depended on you texting for help...everyone would already be dead before I can even hit the SEND BUTTON"... to which I AGREE completely... hahahaha... Incidentally, Ameera turned 17 Feb 9th - Party Photos Click Here!

She has also translated or explained, I should say, numerous emails, letters, Tagalog movie dialog's, and yes, even BADING slang... haaays where does she learn these stuff... don't matter... am just THANKFUL as a day with her is never boring....
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Sharing a few pick up lines, learned from Ameera, that I found really funny... and maybe, just maybe, will get me slapped -- if I ever use them, that is:

-Would you mind taking off your shirt -- so I could see how Angels cover up their wings."

-Can you give me your number, Or should I just call you mine? (Are you not tired? Because you keep running circles in my mind!)

-Hindi Ka ba napapagod? Dahil takbo ka ng takbo sa isip ko...

OPM Galore!

OPM stands for ORIGINAL PINOY MUSIC, Pinoy being a nickname for Filipino... So much about it just draws me in... the simplicity of it... the sappiness... the heartbreak... the joy.... and all other emotions that comes from listening to it...

Maybe it is the fact that I grew up in the US and besides, an occasional Gary Valenciano CDs, brought over to me by my sis during her many trips, I really did not get my fill of Pinoy music... so now I am making up for lost time...

Each and every visit to Manila - i tend to listen to the radio more when am home, hardly turn on the telly.... I try to listen and discover old and new faves... sometimes when am in the car, i would here a song that will strike a chord with me and I have to find out right away who is it by.. and try to see if anyone I know has the CD so i can listen to the rest....
I have sooo many faves... mostly male singers with pure manly voices... Mark Bautista, Ariel Rivera, Rico Blanco, Basil Valdez, Martin Nievera, Ogie Alcasid, and of course my ultimate fave, Gary Valenciano. Others like Jed Madela & Christian Bautista, though I admire their singing styles, I tend to pass up on as their voices register higher than the manly voices I prefer... but now and again, i discover someone whose voice, albeit higher, just oozes with so much emotion and sweetness, that registers in me and I end up liking - Nyoy Volante is one of the newer discoveries for me... his original songs and covers of timeless oldies are just too sweet and heartfelt... thus making him a new FAVE of mine... so it was such a treat for me, like hitting the jackpot, when my family gave me a few CDs this time around, knowing that I would love them all...like winning in the lottery...

Almost Paradise... NOT!!!

One of the outings over the Chinese Holidays was at the Bade Forest Paradise, where Todd's GF is working during the Chinese NY Holiday Break... about an hour's drive from the City of Kaohsiung... we were sooo looking forward to a day of fun filled with exciting rides and beautiful sceneries, etc....
well, it was not much of a Paradise -- it was old, a bit falling apart... the rides are truly strictly for kids -- and I mean 5 years old and below... LOLs!!!

In my opinion, it was neither a forest, nor was it a Paradise -- but the entertainment was fun and hot.. loved the family from Thailand where everyone had their own special talent.... very entertaining, especially the kids -- and really cute, too!!! there there's the dancers -- 3 men and about 5 women -- and they did about half an hour's worth of multi ethnic dances -- change costumes in between as well... they were quite a talented and entertaining bunch... To view more photos - pls Click on the Links Below.
Bade Forest Paradise
The Entertainers

Birthday, Bithday, Birthday -- Oh My!!!

okay, while most will in a frenzy over what kinds of chocolates and flowers to give their special someone -- I will be scratching my head once again, as February means too many BDay's to worry about(August, as well!)-- my nephew Ace and nieces, Ameera & Nicole's BDay is here again!!! It just gets harder and harder each year as they get older and older... that is why BDay's should be outlawed once someone turns 21!!!Photo was taken during their combined BDAY party last year... the girls both turned 16, while Ace turned 21 -- which in my book, am FREE of my BDAY obligations with him.... (Do you hear that, Ace?)HAHAHAHAHAHA.....