Chris' Aussie Birthday

17 September 2008

Since it was Chris' first time to celebrate his birthday in Sydney, I gave him an Aussie birthday celebration.

I took him to Featherdale Wildlife Park so he can finally see a Koala and experience feeding a Kangaroo.

The reason why I love bring "tourists" to Featherdale is because you get to at least touch a Koala and feed Kangaroos in this zoo.

It was a whole morning of communing with animals. Too bad Chris wasn't able to see a Tasmanian Devil...it didn't want to come out. But we saw the penguins, wombat, an albino kangaroo, a mother kangaroo with an albino baby kangaroo inside its womb, and my favorite the colorful Peacocks.

For the first time, I was able to see a Mother Koala cuddling her baby Koala. I told Chris he was very lucky to see it on his first visit to the zoo here.

After our zoo adventure, we went to Blacktown for lunch at Hog's Breath Cafe. Syempre Aussie lunch din, so we had steak.

For dinner we ordered Chinese take-away and celebrated at home with our relatives. For his cake, I got a Freddo Ice Cream Cake which we ate for dessert. :)
For more photos, please click here: Chris' Aussie Birthday!

Pre-Birthday Korean Dinner of the Husband

16 September 2008 (on the eve of the Husband's birthday)

I decided to give Chris a Korean Birthday Celebration since we're both into watching Korean TV series and I love Korean BBQ so I want Chris to experience it as well.

As soon as I get off work, I met up with him in Chinatown and took him to two shops that sell Korean DVDs. As one of my birthday pressies, I let him choose a Korean TV series that he liked.

After that we went straight to Charcoal Mine Barbeque House in Parramatta where we had Korean BBQ buffet. We ate lots!!!!


It was also our first time to try Sojo, Korea's native drink which was 20% alcohol. It's like drinking gin, quite strong. We didn't finished it, we were too scared to get drunk hehe.

After dinner, we hung out at some artsy cafe called Mars Hill and had green tea coz we were too full. Very very cozy ambience.

We ended the night at home watching what else but the first episode of the Korean TV series that Chris got for a present.

For more photos, click here: Chris' Pre-birthday Korean Dinner

So I Thought I'd Get To Rest on Sunday

...but no, because on Sunday morning, our desktop computer died on me. Dead. Gone.

Our laptop, for sometime now, has been dead too. It needs repairing but since we still had the desktop, we can still survive but less time on the computer for both me and the husband.

So we had to assemble a new computer two days ago. We just attended the morning mass at 10:00am, went home to check the cause of the desktop's death, had lunch, then off we went to the shops. At 2:30pm, we were back home, putting in the new motherboard, processor and power supply in. Husband did most of the work while I did laundry on the side and I fed him Pancit Canton and Vcut.

It would have been non-urgent had we not been doing photography. Nowadays, having a computer is an integral part of our lives...we simply cannot do without it. There's always photographs to download from our cameras. Plus, when your computer dies on you, you have this paranoia that your photographs may have been affected (of course it's not but you're paranoid nga eh).

Oh well, it's over and done with. We now have a new computer at home. Bittersweet moment because we're not really financially ready to buy computer stuff but at the same time relieved that the computer is up and running--and faster too.

20/20

20 September 2008, our 20th wedding monthsary, our golden month.

If there's such a thing as a golden year (it is when your birth date is the same as your age for that certain year), I'm making our 20th month on the 20th of September our golden month.

Last Saturday, the Husband surprised me with a movie :). After our lunch party with friends and afternoon tea by the lake, the Husband insisted that we stop by the shopping mall before going home. I thought we'd just have our usual weekly coffee date.

Before we went to the cafe, I exused myself and went to the ladies' room and when I got out, I found the Husband still outside the cafe and said "Let's watch WALL-E, it's starting in 5 minutes". I was like, "No kidding!!"

So that's how we celebrated our 20th month. :)

And because it is our 20th month, let me answer Nikki's question a couple of months ago: "How did you two meet?"

Ours was the classic story of enemies turned friends. We used to work in the same bank in Makati, he from the Marketing Support Dept and me from Training Dept. In 2001, Training Department was the only department that had a multi-media projector (MMP) and so all departments, including Chris' department, borrowed from us. At that time, I was also in-charge of training facilities and equipments so whoever needed to borrow an equipment should coordinate with me.

Everytime Chris' department borrows the MMP, he would ALWAYS drop by our office during lunchtime---and of course, that made me hate him. And so everytime he would disturb me in the middle of my lunch break, I'd lend him the MMP but I would be very hostile (as in nagsu-sungit ako ever) to him. Basically, that's how we interacted at the office. And everytime we passed by each other, deadma ako!

In February 2002, I got invited by one of the Marketing Support's guys whom I'm friends with. Ojie said "the gang" will have drinks at Decades (in Makati Cinema Square) after work. I asked, "Sino yung "the gang"? and he replied, "Tayo-tayo lang na taga-Head Office." And so I went. Lo and behold, Chris was there. Eto na.

Me: Bakit nandito yan?

Ojie: Barkada yan.

Me: Kaaway ko yan.

Ojie: Okay lang yan. Bandido, si Ibyang. Ibyang, si Bandido.

And that was it. We HAD to be friends.

Celebrating our 2nd SyotAnniversary in Baguio (December 2004)

Eventually, our gimiks became a regular thing so little by little, Chris and I became good friends and each other's confidant. We've seen each other get over heartaches at work, life and love...shared milestones, frustrations, dreams, childhood memories, kalokohans and office tsismis. From kwek-kweks, fishballs, KFC, McDo to Starbucks sessions. Before we knew it, "magic" happened. So here we are today, now husband and wife, but still the best of friends.

Marriage is a challenging thing, it is never easy...there are hurdles that will take you sometimes by surprise. Everyday you learn something new about your partner. One moment you're fighting with each other, then kissing and making up the next.

It is crazy...it is one great bumpy ride...but it is fun when you have your best friend and partner holding your hand thru it all.