A Sweet Valentine

Celebrated Valentine's with Sweetie and Miggy with a quick visit to Mom. Sweetie woke me up with a bouquet of flowers. He got white and pink roses for the first time. He usually gives me white roses, but mixed it with pink to be different. Miggy cooked us brunch and we had a hearty meal. It fueled us for most of the day. 

Dinner was super late since I cooked tuna spaghetti and taught Miggy how to fry embotido with egg. We ended up sleeping at 3 in the morning since I had a brilliant idea to marinate tapa. It took the three of us to slice the beef and then I took so long preparing the marinade, haha. I can never be a true chef since I'm very slow around the kitchen. I was planning to bake today, but my sleep deprived brain would probably forget to put in an ingredient or two. It happens. 

Looking back at previous Vdays, we usually spent it at home. We haven't bothered going out since the traffic is usually bad and in Singapore everything was always full. It's either we cook our own food or we order a special meal. It's easier and calmer that way. 

Our special meal yesterday was some Lola Nena's triple cheese doughnuts and pichi-pichi. I also got some embotido so we could try it out. We also got our favorite Calea chocolate cake from our ever-indulgent friend Anne (thanks again!!!). I added some extra exercises to burn more calories. Might attempt to use the bike later if I don't sweat enough from gardening haha. 

How was your Vday?

#BeKind #StayHome #VoteWisely

My Modern Day Prince

I was grinning widely when I was waiting for the lift this afternoon. One of my colleagues commented, "Oh you look really happy." I said I was really happy because I had just received a surprise from Sweetie. He mentioned a few days ago that I was going to be surprised at the least time I expected it. I thought though that since I was in Singapore and he was in Manila that he would just surprise me when I'm back home this weekend.

I was wrong.

As usual.

I have been quite busy hopping from one meeting to another (that is my life at work!) in the past week that I had totally forgotten that it's Valentine's. I even had mindlessly scheduled my check-up on Valentine's day (well they say it's "hearts" day so it's just the perfect day to have my 100% pumpin' heart).

I was in a meeting which stretched to about 2 hours and I had been chatting with Sweetie when I left my desk to meet my guest. I briefly saw this photo on G+ -

And I thought, "Awww Sweetie made a card for me!" I told myself it was something I'd look forward to seeing when I got home.

Me being dense.

As usual.

When my guest left I went back to my desk and saw the end of the bouquet -- which I thought was the bottom of a wine bottle! <my eyes fail me even with eyeglasses> I actually felt quite annoyed coz it was on my keyboard! But lo and behold! When I picked it up I was surprised to see that it was a bouquet! A bouquet of white roses! And there's only one person in this world who gives me white roses... with a copy of the home-made card. [Read the link if you're wondering why he gave me white roses, yup it was a FAQ throughout the day].

So I sat there. Stunned. Surprised. Ecstatic. But I managed to discreetly have my moment because I didn't want to disturb my seatmates (who were all not on their desk when I looked around). And then I blushed and tried to contain the warm, fuzzy feeling that was spreading all over me.

It is actually the third year Sweetie and I are not together for Valentine's. 2012 I was in Singapore stuck in a bus for 2 hours with two teenagers making moony-moony eyes with each other (ugh). 2013 I was in ICU and he already had to go home. And now, well here again in Singapore. But every single year we always surprise each other (my surprise this year though didn't work out, boo) and what's important is to make each other feel loved and important (and feel like a princess!).

So who ever said that romance was dead?

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Are You Ready for Valentine's

I just received an invitation from Max's to attend a Valentine's event they have for bloggers. I'm not sure if I'd be able to make it since I'll likely be busy running around Manila on Tuesday (we'll see). The invite triggered a funny memory though.

This time five years ago my now-ninang Janette gave me and Stephanie a public challenge. We had to find a date for Valentine's. Stephanie and I had a bet. The person who won't be able to find a date would have to treat the other to a trip to Boracay. We were both so busy back then (so what's new?), so we eventually both lost. But I think technically Honey owes me a trip to Boracay! Haha.

I mentioned though in my blog post on "Why I Didn't Have a Valentine" that I did have merienda with someone on Valentine's day. We both only realized it was Valentine's when Max's served us a small cake with a tiny heart on it. The person who I had an unofficial date with was... Sweetie! We were just friends back then and it never occurred to us that we'd eventually marry.

And, wow, it's been five years since that challenge to find a Valentine! I had given up on finding the right one a few months after that, but Sweetie came along just before my deadline. Had he not come along I'd probably have a doctorate by now. Haha. It's been a long journey for me, but the best thing I did was to just leave things to God's hands. well I did plead to Him on the way home from the US that my deadline was just 2 days away and I was giving up already. Sweetie proposed a few hours after I got home. Looking back I was pretty jetlagged back then, but that's another story.

More kakiligan...

When God Writes Your Love Story (part 1)
When God Writes Your Love Story (part 2)
The Perfect Proposal
The Wedding Day

Love2Love2Love

One of my most popular posts is about relationships where I ask the question, "Is it better to be single or married?" I wrote this post during the time when I was contemplating single blessedness already since I just couldn't seem to find the right one. I gave myself a deadline back then, if by end of the third quarter of 2007 I didn't have a boyfriend I would enrol for PHD and I'd be single forever. I know it's crazy, but having deadlines keep me sane. 

I was on the plane back from the US on September 28 and I told God, "I give up. It's a sign for me to stay single forever." That was my last thought before I fell asleep. Who would have guessed that my best friend would tell me his feelings less than 24 hours later? I secretly liked him, but I had already accepted that we'll just be friends. Anyway, just-in-time for my deadline and my life totally changed since then. 

It's only today that I found the answer to my question, "Is it better to be single or married?" I think it really depends on you and your "constitution". Commitment is very important and being in a relationship is not all about being sweet and mushy-mushy all the time (ask Sweetie, he's been nursing me back to good health for four months now and I do get really cranky at times).

"My Dad gave this inspirational talk yesterday when he and my Mom joined their friends in a marriage vow renewal in time for Valentine's day. Dad shared this bit over dinner today -

In a few months, my wife and I will be celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary. Now you must be wondering what our secret is for staying together. There are just three things to remember:

One,  put God at the center of your relationship. He is, after all, the best referee there is.

Two, always be together for any problem or situation, be it financially, a physical problem etc. (i.e. if he need to live abroad, then you should go too!). (Mom said, "Laging may bantay?" LOL.)

Three, always put to rest any argument before you sleep. Never go to sleep with ill-feelings for each other. 

That has been our secret all through-out the years."

I get to have lunch and dinner with my parents every single day and I can't help but be envious of them since they've really stuck it out with each other. I never saw them fight and they're still very sweet with each other. They used to be quite formal when I was younger, but now they banter a lot. And Dad still manages to make my Mom blush every once in a while. 

And I hope and pray that in due time I'd just be like them.

==============

For the first time in my life I got to celebrate Valentine's "properly". And one of the bonuses was watching Love2Love2Love at the Araneta Coliseum with Sweetie. MYMP, Freestyle and Side A performed favorite love songs and it was a blast. I have to give it to Jinky of Freestyle as well for being the best performer last night! She brought the house down! And can you imagine Joey G. of Side A raising the roof and doing a Bubble Gang chicken dance? He did! Here's some photos -

Also got to watch Rachelle Ann Go's "Falling in Love" Concert at the Music Museum. I was certainly impressed with her talent. The video on Myx showed last weekend and it does not do her talent any justice. You have to watch her perform live.  

A Valentine Story

I have no valentine story. Not my own. It's been quite a while since I had a valentine and I've been searching for a nice, little romantic, nakakakilig story from my past, but I just couldn't remember any.

One of the best love stories I've heard is that of my Mom and Dad's. Aside from all the romantic stuff my Dad did to win my Mom's heart more than 50 years ago, I could say it's the best love story there ever was. Why? Because it is a success story of what love truly should be.

I cannot simply tell the story here. I don't think I'd manage to string up the words to relate it to you. So, here's a journal entry my Dad wrote about Mom over 50 years ago:

How I Met and Fell In Love with Her
August 1955

I met her once one moonlight night
down at the kiosk in front (of) our place;
and from that time I saw her sight
I always want to look back and retrace.

But then quite suddenly she's lost
not knowing where or when she went;
Quite suddenly I too felt most
unhappy, restless, wishing to find where she went.

Eventless, long did summer pass
And there she was back at that place
Gathering my courage in a mass
I told her of my love and how she gazed!

I thought it was a hopeless case
Because I felt unworthy of
Her love, her beauty, and her grace;
But I just went on hoping for thereof.

Then on September twently one
my hope, my dream, my joy, my all
Did answer "yes" and said there's none
She cares for more "darling" did she call.

The happiest man I thought I was
At last my dreams was all so true
She's mine, She's mine! That blissful lass
Gone were my heartaches and awful rue.

All `round me looked bright, beautiful
So sweetly seemed the breeze to sing
My life became `ol wonderful
All round me looked bright, beautiful
So sweetly seemed the breeze to sing
My life became `ol wonderful
Joy and hap'ness to me my love did bring.

I kissed her once, she kissed me too.
To seal our love, our hope, our joy,
And happy were those days did go.
As if time without an end to enjoy.
The `twas summer season again...

Grabe I'm soooo kilig... My parents will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary three years from now. I never knew that their "anniversary" was September 21! And all along I thought they just remembered Martial Law. Sigh...

What about you? If you were to

share your valentine story, how would it go?