Sunnysideup Thank you series: My Pixie Cut

This week I had a haircut. It's a pixie cut reminiscent of my hair in college (albeit a bit updated). For 2 years I've been postponing this haircut since my hubby discouraged me; he always wanted me to keep my cut feminine and flowy. :) Good thing though, he now approves and likes my new pixie cut. Otherwise, I would never hear the end of it! :P

But since I saw the cut of Ginnifer Goodwin last week in an OMG news, I could no longer hold it off. I did it. I finally chopped my hair off and I'm sooo happy!

Ginnifer's cut which I saw via Yahoo OMG news.

My college hair

My hair now

Missed having super short hair - it's so manageable! Now I'm wonder til when I'll keep this and what's the next cut I'll try.

How about you, what's you fave hair cut?

Sunnysideup Thank You Series: My Top 10 Happy Food Thoughts

As I mentioned in my post a few minutes ago it's harder for me to smile and be amused but just a few minutes after posting I realized that there are food brands that do make me smile. These are my favorites. These are food brands that I can't get enough of and look forward to visiting. Truly the best way to get to a man or woman's heart is thru their stomach.

(Note: These are my personal favorites and I was neither paid or coerced to write these. :P)

10. Thin sliced Pizza Margherita (Pizzeria and Deli in Ya Hao Fang, Zhongshan, China)
9. Jamba Juice California
8. Hotpot near Scenic Hotel in Zhongshan. Unfortunately I don't know the name I only know how to go there.
7. AH-2 (My Milk Tea shop in Zhongshan China. I usually go to a franchise in Hua Bai Xi Chang owned by a very nice lady and her fiance.)
6. Comebuy (Milk tea shops I never fail to visit when in Macau or Gong Bei)
5. Korean Restaurant in a mall in Xing Wa, Zhongshan, China.
4. Sambokojin Eastwood
3. Chicken Bonchon Libis or Ayala Triangle (Medium or Small Combo of Wings and Drumstick. I like it Spicy!)
2. Serenitea Eastwood (I am addicted to Milk Tea)
1. Starbucks (My third place and home away from home)

Sunnysideup Thank you series: Happy 3 Years!

It's our wedding anniversary today, 3 years to be exact. To celebrate we:

- ate at our favorite restaurant (Sambokojin). This is our current celebration resto and I celebrated by eating so much Salmon! So so love Salmon :)

- conducted our on DIY photoshoot to document who and where we are on our third year together. I practiced my amateur photography and styling skills.

Here's one of our pictures, the "photoshopped" version. The concept for this photo is documenting "us" - the fashionista and the football jock. I'm taking Fashion workshops while my hubby is now playing football in one of the teams of Arenaball Phils.

Happy 3rd year to my babe - my bestfriend, hubby and love! :)



***Acknowledgement to Nike Wallpaper which I used as background for our pic. There's no great gridiron field here in Manila so I borrowed this instead :) Thank you Nike! You are our favorite sport brand for rubber shoes and gears.

Thank you series: I Love Talks with my Dad

No matter how old I get, I will always value the time and talks I spend with my Dad. Sometimes I just rant, sometimes I just listen, and sometimes we work on errands together. It's just so refreshing really.

When I was single and under my parents wings, it was always convenient. We were always together and I had easy access to his love, protection, and wisdom. Now that I'm married, life has gotten busier so time for serious talks are lesser and more precious.

Today was one of those special days. I accompanied my Dad in some of his errands and we've managed to make today - a stressful day - into a special father and daughter moment.

Thank you God for today. :)

Thank you series: A New Blog Header

For the longest time, I've been planning to change my blog header. This is actually the original plan I had 2 years ago but only now did I get to make it. It's a very simple look - a photo of me capturing my quirky side with my blog title on the side.

Scroll to the top of the page. . .

That's me with pink feathers, oversized sunglasses and a star-sparkly head band? What do you think? :P

Thank you series: Friends hold your hand as you chase your dream

Especially since the day I got married, the one constant in my life is change. Not necessarily bad or tragic but change anyhow. When I was single, I had full control of my life, my career and decisions. On a hindsight, it was convenient and easy. It was more about ME.

As I got married, opportunities for change came pouring in. Some exciting, some scary. One of the major changes included our relocation to China. With that move came my chance to become a fulltime expatriate housewife with part-time work as an English Tutor/Teacher.

It was a pivotal moment where I decided to jump face forward in the unknown. This is just one of but the many changes and "growing up lessons" of my life.

I won't go into too much detail, I just want to basically say that aside from my husband and family, my childhood friends, were with me through the years. No matter how busy, moody, or unavailable I was; they were there. They were there to push and hug me (at just the right moments). They were there to always hold my hand.

My friends were always there to hold my hand. Just as I, will always be there to hold their hand because that's just how we do it. We hold each others hand - whenever and even if.

Thank you series: Refreshed from a 3-day weekend with hubby

Simple things make me happy. Like:


- a feel good friday night relaxing while watching a feel good movie
- a drink of wine while overlooking a great view
- going out on our 100peso (equivalent to 2 USD) challenge dates. That means getting to spend just that much on a date and focusing more on the company rather than the environment or things.
- a cup of vanilla ice cream (sugarfree of course)
- a hug from my hubby
- a compliment from a friend
-drinking my favorite coffee or milk tea
- a comical moment with my dog



and of course,



- a long holiday weekend that provides quality time to reconnect and talk and relax. Something I just had last weekend. It was refreshing :)



Hubby knows how tired I was so he cooked and helped me clean the house. Thanks babe. I'm now fully charged for the week ahead. :)

Thank you series: Happy Birthday Daddy!

It's my dad's birthday today, and he's turning __! He said he's now over 40 hahaha :)

I wish him a long and healthy life of bliss and blessings. May God bless you always!

This is me on top of my dad's shoulders.

This is me as a - flower girl - on his wedding. :)

Love you Daddy-kins! You're the best! I'll see you in Manila soon.

Thank you series: Canon 450D

Wahoo, I finally got my Digital SLR yesterday! :) Finally moving up from my Manual SLR and Digital Point-and-Shoot. My hubby and I went to an authorized Canon distributor in Macau to search for my first DSLR.

It has always been my choice to get a Canon. I'm so used to Canon's buttons and didn't want to adjust. I also like the idea that Canon's body is versatile and to accommodate even other lens brands. However it took a long time for me to decide between getting a 40D or 450D, I like both. I think it was fate that led me to 450D. Canon 40D was no longer available, all the shops said that it is no longer available.

It's ok though; I'm very happy with my new camera. Got a good deal, warranties, and I even got freebies with it - 4G memory card and a Lens cleaner set. Even my hubby is so excited with it. I think I've influenced him into being a photo enthusiast himself. Now, I need to play with my camera and all it's features.

PS. I also love the camera bag we got. It's a red Crumpler called 'The six million dollar home'!

Sunnysideup finds: 7 Tools of Happiness

I'm subscribed to Bo Sanchez' blog and mailing list, and today I read an article about happiness on the my mail. My blog is all about happiness, and that is why I want to share this with you.

Bo Sanchez said:

"Pleasure is an outside job. But happiness is an inside job."

"Happiness isn’t an emotion either. Happiness is a way of life."

He also came up with a list of seven great things He see's in extremely happy people. He calls them the 7 Tools of Happiness. Here they are:

#1. Happy people create their destiny
#2. Happy people like themselves a lot
#3. Happy people nurture connections
#4. Happy people find delight everywhere
#5. Happy people embrace change
#6. Happy people trust deeply
#7. Happy people work their purpose daily

Choose to be happy everyone! :p

Thank you series: Homemade Pizza

My hubby and I love to eat! If you see our current body and compare it with our wedding photos a year ago, you'll agree! :)

And so, I have so much fun cooking here in China. I just think that food is a lot cheaper here as compared to Manila. I just can't get enough of the fruits and vegetables. I also think I've adjusted perfectly to the food choices here: Noodles, Hotpot, Seafood, Fresh Fish. Fresh Vegetables and Fruits.

Once in a while, when we do miss donuts, fastfood and pizzas, we create our own. Thing is the fastfood, pizza or pasta's sold here are not quite the same. Here's a sample of our homemade (none oily) pizza!

Close up

Full view of 1 slice ( we were able to make 2)

The Crust (we bought from the grocery for 3RMB or 21Pesos or 46Cents).

The bread we got was superb! One thing, I've noticed here in China is that their bread is always good. So far, I've never been disappointed with all the bread I've eaten.

As for our sauce, it boiled a bowl of tomatoes with onions, spring onions, garlic, pepper, and a little tomato paste. The tomato paste is use for thickening the sauce. I no longer added salt because I'm sure the cheese would contribute enough saltiness to it.



Note: For donuts, we just stack up and buy during our trips to Macau and Manila. Unfortunately, we don't know how to maje this yet. If you have the recipe, do drop us a note and share it with us :)

Thank you series: 1 day old puppies

I got a great morning surprise yesterday, March 8. Our dog, Champagne, gave birth to 6 cute puppies. It was such a pleasant surprise, afterall, it was day 2 of our three-day trip to Manila. I woke up with a text message from my dad telling me about my new problem; I had to come up with 6 new puppy names inspired by alcohol.

You see our family has decided have a theme for all our dogs names. At my stepmom's house they use the alcohol theme while at our old house we take the Asian sounding names.

As two households merged, so did our dogs. Here's a run down of our dogs names (arranged like a family tree).

Our dogs
Yuri (male)
Miki (male)


My step mom's dogs
Whisky (female)
Brandy (female)
Vodka (female)
Rhum (male)


Miki and Brandy gave us 3 puppies
Champagne (female)
Lilo (female)
Juno (male)


Miki and Vodka gave us 5 puppies
Bud (male)
Miller (male)
Sake (female)
Tsing Tao (female)
Scotch (male)


Miki and Champagne gave us 6 puppies (names are still under deliberation)
Cali (female)
Gilbey (male)
Bailey (male)
Mojito (male)
J.D short for Jack Daniels (male)
J.C short for Jose Cuervo (male)


Do you have suggestions? Let me know :P

Thank you series: Best Wishes PJ and Joy

The lovely couple!

Last January 23, I hosted and attended a wedding. It was PJ and Joy's wedding! :)

PJ and Joy were my colleagues and I was lucky enough to witness their love bloom. We were all working night shift. I was new, Joy came in a month before me, and PJ was a senior employee. The spark was definitely there and it took me a few weeks to notice it. One thing is for sure, they are meant for each other.

To Joy, my friend who introduced me to Starbuck's Iced Caramel Machiatto, and PJ, my friend with whom "I get along", thank you for sharing your life and 'secrets' with me.I wish you the best in your journey together! May life bring you continued happiness, love and success! God bless.

More photos of their wedding here.

sunnysideup finds: Cute Chihuahua video

I'm such a dog lover. I regularly watch dog videos on Youtube and Yahoo. One of my favorite video/s is a documentary of two dogs, Ramsey and Pablo. Ramsey is a Doberman while Pablo is a Chihuahua. I just can't help but smile everytime I watch them, well specially Pablo.

Here's a sample video.



They also have a blog updated by their owner. Check it out!

Thank you series: Will be on vacation in Manila

Although I dread the traffic and pollution in Manila, I am soooo excited to go back and visit my home town. I can't wait to:

• see my family
• meet my friends
• eat in Jollibee, Gerry's grill and The Old Spaghetti House
  
• play with my dogs and new puppies
• feel warmth. I need weather that averages 20 - 30 degrees.
  
• watch cable and local TV shows that use the two languages I can understand - Filipino and English
• take a road trip to Tagaytay, Quezon or Batangas

Before I left I took this photo that shows our gate, the street village and my two dogs (posed like gargolyes hahaha)

We are flying tomorrow so please expect a temporary lull in my blog. Since I will be on vacation, wahoo! :)

Thank you series: It's my Hubby's Birthday

Today my hubby turns 28!

Happy birthday baby :) Your are my gift from God and here is my (amateur video) gift for you!

sunnysideup finds: Hello Kitty on a wedding car

Here's a unique wedding car design. :)

When we visited a church in Macau a wedding was about to take place. I spotted the wedding car with Hello Kitty. I noticed in China and Macau wedding cars are decorated with lots of ribbons, flowers - and sometimes with cute toys like this.

sunnysideup perspectives: Reform and Opening Up

I woke up this morning to a TV news on China's Anniversary Celebration - 30 years of successful Reform and Opening up. It just struck me that their opening up anniversary is almost the same age I have. So recent, so young yet so vibrant! I just find it amazing that in just a span of 3 decades, the changes in their country occurred and are so obvious. Just this year we've witnessed China host the Olympics and send men to outer space. They've also been more active in Global forums and meetings with country leaders.

Their current and resounding battle cry is Reform, Change and Open Up, something I am really witnessing firsthand. Their focus on education, labor and development is so apparent: Buildings are in construction here and there, roads and highways are well maintained, English schools and centers are thriving. In fact, I am meeting more and more Chinese people who are able/or learning to speak English. Times are hard now but I have no doubt that in a few more years, this country will grow further and attain more success. I congratulate them in advance for a job well done!

In all of this the main realization and learning that we can get is 'change'. That we all need to be open to change and adapt to our fast evolving world. It's a learn, adapt or be-left-behind world. Those who move, win!

sunnysideup perspectives: Always a Child at Heart

I don't think I will ever grow up. Well not in a negative way! I just mean that I don't think I will ever grow tired of enjoying the simple things of life. :) I guess that's why my husband and I get along sooo well. It's just because we enjoy both the small and big things that life brings. Sometimes I catch us talking about the silliest things while laughing hard. I thank God for that!

I thank God that both of us find joys in many things. I also pray that as we won't lose it as we both grow old in our marriage.

This weekend we had fun with the game Jenga. I also remember playing this as a child. I think back then it was Uno Stacko I got to play. Well this game is both enjoyable and good for manual dexterity. I think we played for an hour or two. I lost in all the games but it's ok. I had so much fun! Maybe it's also because I was taking too many photos. :) I just find it soo cute how focused my hubby is.

Thank you series: More old friends from Manila

I had a blast last week. Why?

1. Because I felt Christmas and had a pre-celebration
2. Because I got to spend 5 great days with one of my bestest-bestest friends
3. Because I found a community

It's just 3 months since I left Manila and I'm pleased to see one of them here. It's also funny how my friends never got to meet each other since I left. Isn't it ironic that I met one of them first, in Macau, when all of them are based in Manila. :) Gosh these girls!

Anyway this was truly a blessing from God. Last month, I was chatting with my friend Jill. She was saying how she wished she could go to Macau while I was saying I wished to have a community ( a way to serve God). Guess what about three weeks after our chat she buzzed me again to say she had to go to Macau for an event. Even better, she asked me to help her. What a blessing! Truly God's ear and heart is BIG to hear us always :)

So there we were, serving God while enjoying the time together with our husbands and a community.

Here are some of our photos during their visit.

BFF's


BFF's near a Temple


Pretty Jillie :)


Jill and Jon (cable ride)


Kuya Obet and I (Cable ride)

Surfing!!!

Jill, Jon and an ... anchor

Me with my baby on event night.


Christmas Tree of Pledges


Group Picture :)