My Natal Day

Another year added, another year to cherish and to be thankful for. Sometimes I forget just how lucky I am.. No, lucky isn't the right word. I am blessed. I'm very happy to be blessed with awesome people in my life. Life is good and God is great!

Yesterday I turned 25, and my Facebook wall was flooded with lots of Birthday wishes from families, friends and online friends even some of them I don't know and haven't met personally which is overwhelming. Birthday wishes started coming as soon as the clock struck 12mn and I was still awake at that time. In fact I already slept past 3 then woke up around 5am when Jaear arrived home from work.

Jaear didn't sleep right away so I took advantage of it and slept some more while he looked after the kids. I overslept and woke up 12nn already, still feeling sleepy and exhausted but cooked something easy for lunch. But J fell fast asleep so it was just me and the kids who ate lunch. He woke up later that afternoon then immediately prepared and left for work. So we didn't get the chance to celebrate my birthday, it felt just like an ordinary day except that I am getting lots of birthday wishes.

But before J left for work, I planned on cooking spaghetti so he could eat before leaving but he's already in a hurry. Then my in laws called and told me not to cook anymore as they will be taking home some foods.

My in laws took home some Pancit, which I really missed,

and a whole lechon manok/roasted chicken.

A Chocolate dedication cake and Leche Flan rolled cake from Red Ribbon

Incomplete, wish you were here.

After singing "Happy Birthday" blowing of the candle!

No one is too old for this :)

Ayan nauna na si Athena takaw :)

Just when I thought my day would end up like any other ordinary day, it turned out to be a special one. Thanks to my in laws who made it possible, indeed I have lots of amazing people in my life. Just too bad Jaear's not around to celebrate with us and also times like this I miss home, my family back in the province whom I used to celebrate with. Actually my parents did celebrate my birthday too, my mom also cooked pancit for me, thoughtful no?

Even though my birthday isn't a grand celebration, in fact it was just very simple what's important is that for me it's special, though I'm not with some of the important people in my life physically I'm already thankful that they took some time to wish me the best on my special day and for making me feel that they are just there for me, even just virtually.

I feel blessed!

I almost forgot about this. Here's what Jaear got for me, he knows me so well!
And Yes, I intentionally did not remove the price tag, where else can you buy chocolate during dawn? 7-11!
Simple things make me happy, as long as it's done from the heart. ♥

Sunday Funday + Mom in Laws Birthday

Here's another long overdue post. Just a quick post about some happenings 2 weeks ago, my mother in laws birthday celebration.

October 6, first Sunday of the month and my mom in laws birthday. We decided to have her birthday lunch at Yakimix SM Mall of Asia branch. But again we left home late, so when we arrived at Yakimix around 1pm there was a very long queue already. There were 16 people on the list which made us on the 17th spot, so that's a long wait. Their lunch buffet closes at 2:15pm, considering the long queue, the time, and that we are all so hungry we decided to eat somewhere else. 

We decided to have seafood so we drove straight to Seaside Macapagal or Dampa, they have "Paluto" wherein you get to to buy fresh seafood from the market and have it cooked at any restaurant of your choice. My in laws chose to have our "Paluto" at Yatai Ramen, they've been here before already as for me it's my first time. I've been to Dampa 2 times before but to different restaurants. As soon as we arrived we were seated right away, since it's already past lunch time the place isn't that crowded. 

While waiting for our food...

 It aint complete without photos taken.

 Baby Athena checking on the Menu :)

 My in laws, happy birthday Ma!

Sis in law with cousin Rizza

It took a while before the food was served, which made us even more hungry.But of course again, we wont miss taking a good shot of the foods before eating 'em!

 We had 2 plates of this savory Garlic shrimp

 Garlic Rice

 Snapper in Sour broth or Sinigang na Maya maya

 Calamares

 Baked Mussel/Tahong

 They had, Pineapple, Green and Ripe Mango Shake

While I chose Coconut Shake :)

I really thought I'd eat a lot since I was very hungry, I even ordered an extra serving of rice but didn't finish it. We even had some left overs which we took home. (I'll be making a separate review post about our dining experience at Yatai Ramen.)

After eating, we went straight to SM City Manila to avail the 3,000 voucher I won from Mendrez Shoes and Bags Facebook Giveaway. I decided to use it to buy a gift for my mother in law, and we are just right on time because they were having a Sale so instead of just 1, I was still able to buy for myself. 

 My mom in law chose this bag because it matches her uniform.

Mine!

These 2 bags are originally priced at 1,999 each but with the 20% discount we only got it for 1,599.20. So it's 9,198.40 in total but we only paid P198.40 for the 2 bags since we used the 3,000 voucher.

(After shopping )Although i'm full, still got some room for Dairy Queen's Blizzrd :)

Afterwards, we drove back to Las Pinas but Jaear and  I went straight to SM Center Las Pinas. Because a day before Sunday, I got lucky once more for winning 1,000 Shopping Gift Certificate from SM which I can only claim unitl Sunday and we used it right away since we are already running out of stash and pay day is still a week after. 

Here's what we got for 1,000 GC

At home my mom in laws birthday cake which was bought by my sister in law awaits us. In fact it's the only thing I had for dinner, because I' still full from what we had for lunch.

 Blueberry Torte.

So that's it, a fun Sunday it is with family. I also feel blessed that I am able to share with others my winnings from being an online contest fanatic. Being a full time mom who doesn't have a source of income somehow I am still able to contribute, even in small ways. Imagine aside from getting free stuff for me, I am able to share it to others. Isn't it cool? 

Pregnancy Update: 32, 33 and 34 Weeks

I can't believe it, I'm already on my 34th week of pregnancy, 6 more weeks or less I will be having our third bundle of joy! I posted an update during my 31st week however this past weeks had been busy that's why I wan't able to post any blog entry. Also my baby girl is kind of having an issue whenever I'm in front of the computer (papansin hehe) which I find sweet.

So during this weeks, my unborn baby is continuously developing her organs. She now has fingernails, toenails and hair. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. At this point a baby can already be delivered, although preterm as long as they don't have any health problems they will be fine but may need a short stay on the neonatal care.

By the way, after my prenatal check up last September 13 I was supposed to go back on the 27th but I wan't able to go that day. I had it postponed for a week due to time conflict. Jaear just started out with his new job and had a lot of things to accomplish that week. So I was able to visit my OB last last week October 4. I had my shot of Tetanus Toxoid and my OB checked on my unborn baby.

The heart beat was normal, but still my baby hasn't turned to Cephalic presentation which is ideal for a normal delivery. So it's still hard to determine the gender. My OB also gave me a heads up that if my baby wont turn before my expected delivery, I might undergo a Cesarean Section.

I had my 2 kids via normal delivery so as much as possible I would want this to be that way for the following reasons:
Shorter hospital stay
Quicker recovery time
I can breastfeed immediately
Decreased risk of maternal hemorrhage, blood clots, and damage to internal organs.
Decrease risk of illnesses for my baby.
Less expensive.

As a nurse I do have knowledge about this and I also made some researches already. Both have their Pro's and Con's but I still prefer to give birth the natural way.

My next visit to my OB is on the 18th right after my birthday. We will be repeating the ultrasound once more to check my unborn baby's position, hopefully by that time he/she's already on Cephalic.But based on my readings, at this point my baby doesn't have enough room to maneuver inside my womb because his bigger now. But I'm still putting my hope up,well I am also eager to know the gender, I really haven't picked out a baby name yet haha!

Can you suggest any good names for both boy and girl? I'm open for any suggestions :)

Yabu: House of Katsu Review

Disclaimer: This is my first ever Restaurant Review, I am not a food critic and all opinions expressed are of my own personal experience. The restaurant has no foreknowledge that I would write this review.

I have been reading a lot of good reviews about Yabu, which made me wanna try it. And I just got lucky because recently I won a Yabu GC worth 2,000 from i am dekaphobic blog which means I'll get to try Yabu for free, yey!

If you know me that well, I am certified foodie and I love trying out new dishes, and Japanese food is no exception. 

Knowing my in laws food preference I was doubting weather they'd enjoy Yabu, but still hubby and I offered to use the GC with them. It's also their first time hearing about Yabu which made them curious and accepted our offer. So last Sunday September 22nd which is also my father in laws birthday, we went to Yabu SM Southmall. I was expecting a long queue based on the reviews that I read, but as soon as we arrived there we were seated right away. Well maybe because we arrived there around 1:30pm which is already past lunch time. 

First thing that I noticed was the ambiance, it was very cozy. Each table has a set of condiments, Himalayan Pink Salt, Tonkatsu Sauce, Salad Dressings and Japanese seasonings. As soon as our orders were taken, a small dish with sesame seeds and a pestle was served. Since I was reading reviews prior I already knew that the sesame seed needs to be ground and the tonkatsu sauce to be added next which will serve as a dipping sauce for the katsu, even before the server informed us about it. 

Kuya Tantan having fun grinding the sesame seeds

The fruit Shake was served next, and mine was Watermelon Shake. The price ranges from 90-100

Surprisingly we found a strand of hair on J's Mango Shake right before he was about to take a sip, so we had it replaced right away.

And finally, after few minutes of waiting our foods was served.

I ordered the Kurobuta Pork Set 120g (575.00)

Me and my son shared this order, since he only eats a little.

"Kurobuta, also known as the black Berkshire pig, is the world's FINEST pork. It is also called the "kobe beef of pork" due to its rich marbling, softness and flavor."

Jaear ordered the Chicken Katsu Set 180g (360.00)

He never gets tired of chicken lol!

Creamy Dory Set 180g (375.00) for my Mom in Law 

Seafood Katsu Set 1 (485.00) for my Father in Law

Chicken ans Seafood Katsu Set (475.00) for my Sister in Law

Each set of Katsu is already served with unlimited Japanese rice, Miso Soup, unlimited shredded cabbage, Japanese pickles and sliced fresh fruit for dessert. However on top of the price of each Katsu sets, there's still a 5% service charge. Our bill was around 3,000 plus, I'm too lazy to do the math lol, but since we have the 2,000 GC we only paid 1,000 something. Not bad. 

The Experience: 

Did I say I love the ambiance? The lighting, the interior design and all are very cozy. On the way to the Rest Room ,there's a huge mirror on the wall. Outside and inside the Rest Room's wall are filled with posters about what celebrities and bloggers have to say about Yabu. However there's only 1 rest room for both male and female. We didn't get to experience long queue since we arrived late, the Staffs are all approachable and kind. But I just didn't like the fact that there was a strand of hair on J's mango shake, but so far we didn't find any on our foods.lol! My in laws didn't enjoy the food as much as I did, again as I said our food preference is different. The Katsu was really crispy yet very tender, however it just didn't meet up my expectation of it being juicy, I am basing this on the reviews that I read. J didn't really liked the sauce with sesame seeds in it but according to him the Chicken was kinda dry and not that tasty which made him dip his chicken. They also didn't like the miso soup. But again, I wouldn't question that, this is not their kind of food, but of course they still enjoyed it somehow and we all got full. Well as for me I really enjoyed it, I even had 3 rice refills and a refill of the shredded cabbage. 

Will I go back for more? Yes I will, because there's still other set that I wanna try, and the next time around I'll try to bring along my friends who also loves Japanese so it's not just me who's enjoying. lol!

SM Southmall Branch

Ground Level, SM South Mall

Alabang-Zapote Road, Almanza, Las Piñas

Metro Manila, Philippines

Phone Number

(+63 2) 800-0447

Sundate with the In Laws

After Kuya T and Baby A's birthday,the party isn't over yet, because my Father in Law celebrated his birthday last Sunday, September 22nd. Instead of celebrating at home we decided to eat out. J and I offered to use the 2,000 GC for Yabu: House of Katsu which I recently won from [i am dekaphobic blog. Yabu has lots of branches but we decided to go to SM South Mall since it's the closest one and besides it was also raining. It's our first time to try Yabu, neither one of us had tried it before. And knowing their food preference I was kinda doubting weather they'd enjoy the foods as for me, I go for anything.  We went out late already and as soon as we arrived at South Mall we immediately looked for Yabu.

Here's the story of what happened that day, through photos.

Kids OOTD. Before leaving the house.

It was around past 2 pm already so it was a late lunch and snack at the same time. We were seated right away and while waiting for our foods we took some photos.

My In laws. Happy birthday Papa!

Mother and Sis In Law

While waiting for our order

In laws with baby Athena

Water Melon Shake for me!

Drinks were served first, together with the sesame seeds for the sauce..

Kuya Tantan grinding his sesame seed