~ The Big 28 ~

Wasn't it just yesterday when I turned 18 and I was celebrating with my friends at my parent's restaurant? And they gave me a book where each of them wrote how they met me, what they love about me, a pet peeve about me and full of pictures of them with me. That was one of the sweetest gift ever. Then, I went over to the gas station and purchased my first cigarettes with my friend Conrad. No, I don't smoke. It was for him.

10 years later, and I....look the same! :D Ok, I am just kidding. I had short hair back then so that's different :D Here's a picture of me and my mom on my 18th birthday.


Here she is a few days ago. She's traveling and can't be with me on my birthday but it's ok. She always calls on my birthday. I think she remembers very well that she was in labor for 24 hours 28 years ago. Thanks Mom! O yeah, I think she looks better now than when I was 18 :)


So, yesterday, my friends and I went to Niwano Hana for dinner. There was a small mixup with the location. Sorry to my two wonderful friends who went to the wrong place and had to drive around!!!! But, dinner was great! The owner (I think...) stood up on a chair and took a group picture of us. He's so funny!


I like to think he was trying to match with me :)


The third take outside the restaurant. It was warm, then got really cold.


Then, we went off to karaoke. I love karaoke with my friends. We are all good performers!! We sing some Mariah Carey, Madonna, Britney, and more!



Check out those hot red shoes!


My fiance got me the most awesome cake from Stella's Bakery. It's tiramisu and it's seasonal. I went in September to get one for him, but they said they don't make it till it gets colder.


Thanks to everyone for celebrating with me and for all the wonderful presents! I wonder what my birthday celebration will be like when I am 38......gosh that looks like such a scary number right now....

~ Tag Heuer Link Automatic Chronograph ~

Yay, it's here! After shopping around for a little bit at the mall and online, I found that Amazon has the best deal on this watch. I was so surprised! It was fast shipping too.


I even wrapped it since it is a birthday present.


I don't know much about watches, but this one is a little bit thick! Supposedly, it's because it is automatic so it has that extra stuff on the back.


Look at that...box within a box.


And what's with this thick manual? It's just a watch!


Looks nice doesn't it :D

The only down side with ordering online is that we have to figure out how to take extra links out because it's way too big as is. He says he likes it though and that's all that matters.

~ Big Fish, Small Fish, Tiny Fish ~

My dad has always been fascinated with fish. Ever since I was young, we had at least one fish tank. He even maintained a gorgeous salt water reef tank for over 10 years! It was doing so well, that some of the corals were having babies (somehow) and he had to give some away.

When he moved in with me, he had to give it up for a while. He always thought about having a fish tank, but I wasn't so sure. Our house isn't that big and we already have Momo. But, his friend was selling her fishtank for really, really cheap so he got one. And the adventure begins. We started with a few fishes...


Then, he got my fiance obsessed with fish too! Now we have six tanks~! Each tank has fish from different age. We have some baby fishes, some toddlers, some teens and some adults. A typical evening at our house involves me making jewelry and them analyzing each fish tank. Now they are into taking pictures of the fish, so I thought I would share some with you.

He put the conch shell in the tank. Isn't it pretty?


This is my favorite one at the moment....


Lots and lots!




The pictures of baby fishes didn't turn out as nice. My brother bought my dad a DSLR for Father's Day, so they will be taking lots more pictures soon!

~ Paradise Trilogy: Part 2 ~

Day 3:
Day 3 was a rainy day. We had to check in to our resort and it was beautiful!!! We got a 2 bedroom suite and we ended up at the "Pent House" floor. The view was gorgeous. We could see the pool and the beach.



After we settled in, it was time for lunch at the Conch Shack by the beach. Conch is a local specialty. At the Conch Shack, the employees grab the conch from the waters right in front of you. They even let you go get one yourself if you like. It was raining though so we thought we wouldn't get to do that.


After we ate though, the rain let up and a few of us went into the water with the guy who went in to harvest the conch. It's cool! There are so many there! He didn't even really had to go underwater, because it was very shallow.



Then, he showed us how to hammer a hole into the shell, stick a knife in there to detach the creature from the shell and yank it out. He also showed us the "penis". It's this clear, noodle thing that you can eat right then and there. And he did eat it. So did a few of my friends. Ewwww yeah. I wasn't brave enough to try it.


From the Conch Shack, we were each allowed to take 2 conch shells from the property. They have a boat full of them in the parking lot. My dad took 10. There were enough of us, but no one but him wanted some. Well, I guess I wanted a couple too :) They are very pretty.




We were afraid there will be nothing left to do since it was raining. But, it stopped so we headed to the beach and did some snorkeling. It was my first time and it was so much fun!!! I was completely in awe. My dad used to have a thriving salt water fish tank, so reef fish and corals are not strangers to me. But it is different because of the sheer number of corals and fishes there were down there! I wish I took pictures...but I was too busy looking at the stuff. See the dark patches in the water? There are fish there!


Relaxing day, ended with a relaxing dinner at the restaurant at the resort. The food was decent. Nothing spectacular again, but we were eating close to the beach.

Day 4
The next day, we went snorkling again. This time with more people. I actually went around the reef with my fiance holding hands. It was romantic... to me anyway. He said it was "aite". He told me he saw a sting ray but I totally missed it. Then, it was chilling at the pool, drinking at the pool bar and more relaxing. I was surprised that we were basically the only ones there.





We headed back to my brother's villa for a bbq later on that night. When the tide was going out, we all went outside to check out the beach. The sand was so unbelievably soft!


Am I artistic or what? hehe


Clear water :)



I think my mom likes us together... she was dancing 'cause she was so happy right?



We found a few of awesome sea creatures again. Is this edible?? I dunno, there was only one, so we let it go :)


Have no idea what this is....



If only they have crabs there, the bbq would've been perfect. But, it was great. We had fresh mango and conch salad. Where are pictures of the food you ask? Well, we were all too busy eating to take pictures. :)

Exciting stuff right? Getting sick of my bragging yet? Watch for the last part of the trilogy tomorrow! The actual wedding!

~Happy Cloud's Love Story~

Warning:  Extreme sappiness and amateur writing...

Once upon a time, a girl was born in the tribe of Fragrant Harbour.  She was named Happy Cloud, for her smile can melt even the coldest hearts.  She was an ordinary girl, destined to live an ordinary life as a worker bee in her tribe.  But, her fairy god mother saw more in her and wanted to give her a chance to be something spectacular.  

One cold, winter night, fairy godmother took the girl and flew to a land far, far away.  There, in the Windy City, Happy Cloud grew up to be a girl who's strange but special, 

A most peculiar mad'moiselle

It's a pity and a sin
She doesn't quite fit in
'Cause she really is a funny girl
A beauty but a funny girl............

 

Happy Cloud had a simple dream:  to get away from the land of ice and snow and move west to warmth and sunshine in the City of Angels.  And, find a prince charming, of course.  A prince who is tall, and wise, and speaks the language of her tribe.  Sounds so simple, but such a prince was nowhere in sight.

Happy Cloud trained very hard at the School of Champaign, to become a master of enchanted boxes.  But, she could not find a job at the City of Angels.  One day, she passed by the market and kind gentleman offered her a fortune cookie.  She took it and chitchatted with the him through the evening.  He said to her, "My elders are looking for a girl with your skills.  If you are willing to move east to Columbia's District, my elders will treat you well."

Happy Cloud didn't want to go.  Columbia's District is only slightly warmer than the Windy City, and even further away from the City of Angels.  But, she found out that she must go.  Her fairy godmother didn't have enough powers left to support her anymore.

Her fairy godmother put all her belongings in her pumpkin carriage and took her to the east.  Happy Cloud was far from her dream, but she figured she will be strong and find a way to reach her dream soon.  "Forget a prince charming!  There are plenty of those in the City of Angels, just wait!"

Fairy godmother needed her pumpkin carriage back.  So together, they headed to the market to get Happy Cloud a brand new carriage.  Along the way, they passed by a shop with a bright yellow, shiny carriage.  Now, Happy Cloud has been obssessed with the color yellow even as a baby.  She must have that carriage.

A tall, handsome boy waved to them from the shop and they went to see the carriage.  To her disappointment, the yellow carriage was out of her budget and the boy would not lower the price.  She was so disappointed, that she barely noticed that this boy, the very first boy she met in this new town, was tall, and wise, and spoke the language of her tribe.  She left empty handed that day.

The boy, whose name is Wise Walker, was upset that Happy Cloud didn't buy the carriage.  He already gave her the best price that he could.  But, her smile made up for it.  He called on her the next day to offer her assistance since she's new in town.  For many months, he helped her with her new cottage and showed her around town.  She visited his shop often with homemade food from her tribe.  They started to spend more and more time together.

Happy Cloud had a dilemma.  Should she give up her dream of moving to the City of Angels and stay in Columbia's District with Wise Walker?  Is he really her prince charming?

On the night of her first birthday in this new town, Wise Walker planned a big fiesta with all her new friends.  It was a wonderful party.  At the end of the night, when it was time for Wise Walker to go home, he looked into Happy Cloud's eyes and gave her a soft kiss, the most memorable kiss in her life.

One kiss changed everything.  On March 12, 2004, as spring creeps into town, Wise Walker professed his love to Happy Cloud.  Miles away from her home tribe, miles away from her dream city, Happy Cloud found her prince charming and they lived happily ever after.

~The End~

Thanks for reading this far :)  Today is our 4-year anniversary.  I thought I can be just a little bit corny and sappy.