Lola Aba's 82nd Birthday

Lola Aba is Joaqui's great grandmother on hubby's side and she is a very sweet lady. She just recently celebrated her 82nd birthday and I am so happy that Joaqui got to know her great grandmother, at least, on hubby's side. I feel that parents or grandparents who get to see their grandchildren are very much blessed, what more great grandchildren. As you know, Joaqui doesn't have a grandfather anymore as both (me and hubby) of our fathers died before we got married. I'm also happy when I see that Lola Aba is happy when she sees Joaqui, and I wish that she will have many blissful years added to her life.

the Agustins in Blue

I was inspired by Concon to wear color-coordinated clothes, so when we attended Alysson's 7th birthday party last Sunday, the family all came in blue. A little girl at the party commented, "Oh the family is wearing the same color of shirt...that's nice." Hehehe...

On a side note, when we entered the clubhouse where the party is being held, Joaqui ran away and wanted to take a walk outside instead. I think he spent half of the time at the playground. Hay. It was when the party ended that he danced up on the stage! That is why I wanted Joaqui to attend as many birthday parties and social gatherings as possible, so that he will get used to the attention and the noise during parties.

Supplier Ratings - Joaqui's 2nd Birthday Party

It has been customary for us n@wies (members of Newlyweds@Work) to post supplier ratings for events that we have had - baptisms or dedications and birthday parties. Supplier ratings from other n@wies have really helped me a lot in planning and choosing the right suppliers. I have also learned budget tips and DIY projects from the other members who have shared their experiences with regard to party planning. This is not to make biased opinions regarding any particular supplier, but just an honest review of their products and services during the event. Rates are 0 to 5, 5 being the highest score.



Venue, Invites, Food, Host, Entertainment: Jollibee Ever Ortigas
Rating: 5

We got their two function rooms as each could only accommodate 100 persons and with our expected number of guests, we decided to get both. They allow it only on weekdays and for a certain amount of food cost. Their function rooms were spacious and it already has cloth swags and some paper banderitas. The hosts during Joaqui's party were good and they had unique games for both children and adults. They also adhered to our specifications with regard to games and program flow. All 5 mascots were "well behaved" because I have attended some Jollibee parties where the mascots make inappropriate behaviors infront of the kids. The only negative point I think is that they should have added one or two more Smart crews for the number of guests we had. They were also supposed to give us gift checks from Toys R' Us worth P1,000 but up to now we have not received them.


Balloon Decorations: Jacque of Party Boosters
Rating: 5+

What can I say? Jacque is simply marvelous. I just specified our budget and we got more than what we expected. The place looked livelier and in a more "party" mood. She even added octopus balloons and these were a hit to our guests that some were taking out the balloons even before the party ended. At the end of the party, no balloons were left except for the two big balloon pillars. I even said to Jacque that it only shows that her balloon arrangements were pretty because everybody wanted to take them out.

Face Painter: c/o Party Boosters
Rate: 5+


We love the face painting! It was not just an ordinary face painting because she had glitter tattoos and body jewels added. The children loved their face painting especially the girls because of the intricate designs of the flowers. They worked nonstop during the duration of the party and there were some guests (including me) who had face painting even after the party (as in the crew were already cleaning up the area). They were also so nice and patient with the kids. Too bad Joaqui wasn't able to have his face painted.

Cake: Layers and Layers in Tiendesitas, Pasig City
Rating: 5+

I have never really tried their cakes, but a good friend of mine got her twins' baptismal cake and birthday cake from them so we've decided to order from them also. They were very easy to talk to and followed our specifications for the cake. It arrived on time and it tastes yummy too. The price is very reasonable. Cake was not allowed to be served at Jollibee and when we got home to cut it, the two-layered cake was really big.

Photographer: Guj Tungpalan of RedSheep Photography
Rating: 5

I heard of RedSheep from n@w and when I visited his web site, I really liked the pictures from the gallery and so I e-mailed him for inquiry, made the down payment and met him during the party. He was already at Jollibee when we arrived. The pictures came out really wonderful. He was able to capture important moments and although Joaqui does not readily smile in front of the camera, he was able to take a lot of shots of Joaqui smiling. His rates are affordable and the package for birthday parties comes with three 8R prints, a DVD copy of unlimited shots and an AVP.

Tarpaulin: IMSI in Cainta Greenland
Rate: 5

This was a last minute decision from us, so we were not able to make a layout of the tarpaulin. I only brought a copy of Joaqui's picture and chose from the available Sponge Bob layouts they have. All in all we were satisfied with the tarpaulin they made.

Loot bags: Divisoria Mall
Rating: 5++

Obviously this was a labor of love from us and Divisoria is still the best place to scout for loot bags and loot bag items. We only have a budget of P50 per loot bag and with that budget, we were able to buy a Sponge Bob lunch bag, Sponge Bob wallet, Sponge Bob sticker books, small Sponge Bob towel and a Sponge Bob blink pen. We bought 60 pieces of each, but just days before the party I had to add more. I had no strength to go back to Divisoria again, so we just went to St. Francis Square instead. We found similar items, but the price was 3 to 5 times higher. : ( The kids liked the loot bags and even some adults wanted to take it home as well. My sister-in-law who works for a Jollibee franchise just ordered Jollibee bag tags from their supplier. We had them put Joaqui's name and the date and place of the party at the back of the tag and we placed this on each bag.

Pabitin: Vente Store
Rating: 5

Again this is another spur of the moment for me. We were not supposed to have pabitin, but when I saw a Vente booth at Robinson's Cainta, I decided to have one anyway. There were lots of toys and craft items to choose from and we just bought 20 pieces for the pabitin. We also have some extra toys and game prizes from Joaqui's first birthday party and used them as well.

We could say that it was a successful 2nd birthday party after all. For us, what makes it successful is that we saw how everyone had fun during the party and even after the party, some of our neighborhood kids were still saying how they enjoyed celebrating Joaqui's birthday. I told my husband Jeff that I have decided that there would be no birthday party next year (sigh) for Joaqui, and we would just celebrate it as a family out of town or somewhere nice. The next birthday party would be when he is 7 years old. But then, that was what I said to him last year.; )

You can view pictures here and here.

joaqui's awesome 2nd birthday party

Everyone had a blast during Joaqui's 2nd birthday party and I was just happy that all the guests went home with a smile on their faces, especially the kids. All our hard work in making this party fun and entertaining paid off. We were surprised by the number of people who came to celebrate with us and it became a reunion for families and friends and indeed it was such a happy moment for our family.

All our suppliers delivered and made a great job in making Joaqui's 2nd birthday party not only successful but also awesome. To all our suppliers, family and friends - thank you for celebrating another of Joaqui's milestone with us. ; )

P.S. I will make another post for my supplier ratings soon.

Photos courtesy of RedSheep Photography

happy 2nd birthday baby!

Today is our Joaqui's 2nd birthday and we had a simple family celebration at home because he will be having his birthday party on the 30th. We started the day by hearing mass and then buying the food that we would serve later that day, nothing really fancy - just pancit, roasted chicken, Arny-Dading's peachy-peachy, cake and my mother-in-law's pork barbecue.

Of course Joaqui had his candle blowing and he knows how to blow the candles from his cake, but mommy has to help him a little bit. It was also his practice for his birthday party on Tuesday.

Joaqui was the life of the party. He played and danced and did his antics and tricks for everyone to see - and he was just happy to be rewarded with clapping of our hands. He ate chicken, barbecue and the yummy chocolate cake.

We are so blessed for having Joaqui and as parents we only pray that he grow up to be a healthy, God-fearing and good-natured person. Happy Birthday Baby! We love you so much!

three weeks to go

And our Joaqui will turn 2 years old! He is having a Jollibee Birthday Party on the 30th and mommy is finished with all the details for the party. Last week we ordered the cake at Layers and Layers in Fun Ranch at Tiendesitas. My friend Arlyne ordered her twin's baptismal cake and birthday cake from them so I've decided to get Joaqui's cake from them also. I just texted my friend Jacque of partyboosters to let her know of my budget for the balloon set up and also booked the face painter from her. Our loot bags are complete - we ended up buying them from Divisoria. At first I was really hesitant to go to Divisoria because I know at this time of the year it is already packed with people, but then nothing beats the cheap prices of items here, especially toys and stuff for loot bags. I was so happy that we went to Divisoria and was able to buy Sponge Bob items for the loot bags. Yipeeee!

We are sending out the invitations, starting with the neighborhood kids. Every morning Joaqui and I take a walk around the subdivision, and Joaqui personally gave the invitations to his neighborhood friends. It's very timely that Joaqui now watches Blues Clues DVD about three times a day and it is always that Blue's Birthday Party episode. He just couldn't get enough of that and now sings "happy bortday to you." He also knows how to blow the candles from his birthday cake from watching Blues Clues. ; )

Thanksgiving Day

Tomorrow, November 27, will be Thanksgiving Day. Celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, it is an annual American Federal holiday to express thanks for one's material and spiritual possessions, and most people celebrate it by gathering at home with family or friends for a Thanksgiving Dinner.

And speaking of Thanksgiving, there was a poll about which celebrity guests fans would most like to spend the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday with and Jennifer Aniston is #1 with more than 3,000 votes. Here are the ten most popular Thanksgiving guests:

1. Jennifer Aniston
2. Tina Fey
3. Ellen DeGeneres & Portia De Rossi
4. Patrick Dempsey
5. Suri Cruise
6. Tyra Banks
7. Jonas Brothers
8. Keira Knightley
9. Beyonce Knowles
10. Robert Pattinson (the Twilight star)

If we will have our poll here in the Philippines of who would we want to be a guest for Noche Buena, my #1 would be no other than...Piolo Pascual. Hahahaha...I love you Papa Piolo!

Who would you want to be a guest for the Noche Buena?

my superhero

Joaqui attended a superhero costume party last Saturday and he went as Robin. Although he was really not feeling well because of coughs and cold and a bruise on his lips (which is another story), he gamely wore his costume except for the mask and the gloves - that would be too much to ask - and did pose for some pictures. He doesn't know Robin and thought he was Captain Wonder from one of the Hi-5 DVDs he watches. He was holding his cape and saying "Wonder! Wonder!" This superhero was very moody during the party and would not want to participate and would rather play at KFC's play area. Oh well, at least he did wear his costume.

hubby's birthday celebration - Dining at Mannang

I mentioned here that we stayed at The Linden Suites for Jeff's birthday celebration. We also had a dinner reservation at Mannang in SM Megamall. Linden has a shuttle service going to SM Megamall, but we missed it. We arrived at Mannang 15 minutes before our reservation time, but our reserved table for 10 people was ready. I was impressed, considering the line of people waiting to get seated.

Mannang serves Filipino cuisine with a certain twist and even if you eat in Mannang, you can also order from their menu at Mannhann. For starters we ordered their steamed dimsum, followed by the main courses: Sinigang na corned beef (which was really super tender beef cooked sinigang), crispy pata, steamed fish in coconut sauce, stuffed tofu (this was soooo delicious), garlic kangkong, dinuguan, roast chicken from Mannhann, Mannang fried rice in beef and pork, and pansit palabok bihon. We find the prices of their food reasonable and their waiters are attentive and courteous.

And that was how we celebrated hubby's 33rd birthday. Everyone was happy with the stay at The Linden Suites and the sumptuous dinner from Mannang. My apologies for not having pictures from Mannang because we digged in as soon as the food arrived. ; )

hubby's birthday celebration - Linden Suites

Since hubby's birthday fell on a Monday, we decided to celebrate the weekend before that by checking in at The Linden Suites and having dinner at Mannang in SM Megamall. We like staying at The Linden Suites because of the homey ambiance of the hotel. Their rooms and suites have a small kitchen where you can cook, and they are not strict about bringing food inside the hotel. Actually this is where we had our wedding preparations when Jeff and I got married and we have been satisfied clients ever since. I also think that they have reasonable rates and so whenever I have a chance, I would buy Linden Suite vouchers. We have also decided that Jeff's birthday celebration this year would be a family affair, so that the family will have more bonding moments. I tried booking for a two-bedroom suite a week before, but they were fully booked. They just informed me that they have an available three-bedroom suite at their new wing, which I can still use the voucher for and just add P3,000. We arrived at the hotel at 3 p.m on Saturday for the check-in. Their new 3-bedroom suite was enormous, but the hallways in their new wing were a little cramped. I liked the ambiance of their old suites better.

(picture courtesy of http://www.swiss-belhotel.com/ - but this is exactly how the living room/dining area of our suite looks like - except for the plants and the flowers)

Our suite had 3 bedrooms - 1 master's bedroom with a queen size bed and 2 bedrooms with 1 double size bed each. There were 2 bathrooms - 1 with a bathtub and 1 with just a shower area. There was a small kitchen with a stove, refrigerator and microwave. The floors were not carpeted compared to the suites at their old wing. I had noticed that there were still a lot of wasted space in the living room - which for me could have been placed with another sofa or a coffee table set. Another downside of their new wing was the view from the windows. All we could see were buildings. When we had our wedding preparations there, our room had a stunning view of the Ortigas Center. I was excited to show Joaqui the view from the window but when we opened the curtains - there was no view at all. Now I know why the curtains were always closed.

The next day, I wasn't happy with our breakfast at all from the new restaurant Taberna Barcelona Tapas y Vinos. We used to have breakfast at the Azzurro and we have always been satisfied with the international dishes served. Well, maybe they were doing a little cost cutting ; ) The breakfast here consisted of plain rice, toasted bacon, scrambled egg, french toast, salad, small burger steaks, some cold cuts, bread, butter, fruits, and 2 kinds of cakes.

The big difference in our stay this time was we spent a lot of time in the swimming pool because of Joaqui. He loves to swim. From the time he woke up the next morning, he would say, "Swimming! Swimming!"

Overall it was a very pleasant overnight stay for us because we celebrated Jeff's birthday with the whole family. But then if we should ever stay at The Linden Suites, we would be staying at the suites in their old wing instead - a second honeymoon perhaps for me and hubby ; )

Note: The dining experience at Mannang to follow.