Early Valentine's Date

I spent the first day of February by going on an early Valentine's date with the two special men in my life -- my husband and my son. We had dinner at the newly re-opened Spiral restaurant at Sofitel Philippine Plaza. Some of you may remember that back in September 2011, Spiral was devastated by a storm surge that flooded many establishments in the area. Spiral was submerged in waist-deep flood waters. Sofitel was forced to temporary close their flagship restaurant because of the damages brought by typhoon Pedring. The renovation of Spiral took more than a year to finish. It finally opened its doors again last Nov. 8, 2013.

It was our second time at Spiral. We enjoyed our first lavish buffet experience. The three of us had no doubts that our second experience would be equally great.

We went down the familiar grand spiral staircase leading to the elegant restaurant below. Lovely ladies welcomed us to the newly refurbished Spiral. We were seated just across the back of the grand staircase with a view of gentle, flowing water. It was perfect!

The food was as great as we remembered. We were glad to see our old favorites and there were a lot of new dishes added to the sumptuous buffet. For my family, it's the best buffet in the country. The abundance of food is simply overwhelming. The new Spiral is actually divided into 21 dining ateliers.  I don't think it's possible to try everything in one night.

Some of my husband's personal favorites include crabs, shrimps, crayfish, steak, bulgogi, beef short ribs, lamb chops, and the Asian pulled noodles. I love the Peking Duck, Chinese dimsum, Korean noodles, and skewered seafood. My son, Yohan love their salad, pasta, and freshly baked pizza.

I was surprised how my little man turned out to be quite a cheese connoisseur because he enjoyed trying out the different types of cheese at the Cheese room.   The three of us share a liking for Japanese, Chinese, and Italian food.  We also loved their freshly baked bread that we dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Yohan preferred butter and pesto on his bread.

After that sumptuous feast, we barely had room for dessert but I knew I would regret it if I missed their delicious creme brulee. Sadly, they don't serve those melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chip cookies like before. I think Spiral should really consider bringing those heavenly cookies back. Yohan enjoyed the candy bar and the chocolate fountain. The three of us tried the Creamery which serves different types of ice-cream and toppings. Sadly I was too full to try their chocolates, truffles and pralines.

I had a fantastic time with my family and I'm so happy because on that same evening, I met a dear old blog friend in person. It was a pleasure seeing Kathy of Life is KulaYFul! She is sweet and charming in person as she is on her blog.

 

Weekend Snapshot #61

To join this weekly meme, click here.

Valentine's Family Date

On Valentine's Day, my hubby, son and I had dinner at TGI Friday's. It was a romantic evening. I saw a lot of young ladies carrying bouquet of flowers. I didn't receive any flowers but I don't mind. Spending time with my family was more than enough.

Here is Yohan in red. If you notice, he recently lost his front tooth. He was pleased with the money the tooth fairy left under his pillow (which he immediately put in his piggy bank).

Corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, mushroom, chicken and a misplaced fish fillet (explanation below).

My hubby couldn't wait to take a big bite on his burger.

I called the attention of the waiter regarding the misplaced fish fillet on my Chicken Mushroom Chicken order. The waiter came back with the manager. She was very sorry for the mistake in the kitchen and offered to change my food. I already waited for my food for 20 mins and I couldn't bare waiting for another 20 mins so I declined the change. The manager said she will just waive my order from our total bill. It seemed tempting to just say yes but I said I will just let it go since it was Valentine's Day anyway. The manager was very happy and thanked me for being so considerate. She gave us this chocolate cake after our meal.

A complimentary Valentine's cake from the manager.

Love Meter :)
Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day celebration.

Happy Hearts Day!

Happy Hearts Day to all! May you have a sweet day ahead. I'm on my way out to spend the day with my family.

I'm sorry I couldn't come up with a Photo Hunt entry this week. I'll make it up on the next one.

Aloha Friday #58

Rules: Post any question on your blog on a Friday, share your answer and sign Kailani's Mr. Linky. Then have fun answering the questions of fellow participants by visiting their blogs.

Share something rewarding you've done recently?

I helped my son make little Valentine tokens for his classmates, service mates and teachers. Yohan helped me make Bear Valentine cards with wiggly eyes and sewed on heart pendants.


We wrapped gold chocolate coins in multi colored papers with cut out hearts. Yohan distributed them in school.


The sweet smiles and words of gratitude from the recipients made this a rewarding experience.

3 Word Thursdays #14

meme rules:
*photo must have 3 words in it
*post your photo on your site with a link
back to Ma Vie Folle (or grab button)

I found this cute bear graphic online and thought of using it as a card that Yohan can give to his teachers on Valentine's Day. Yohan helped me add wiggly eyes and I sewed a heart pendant on the bear. I also added Yohan's name inside a heart. It's a simple card that I hope his teachers will like. We made a couple of bears for tomorrow's pre-Valentine celebration in school.

Aloha Friday #18

Rules: Post any question on your blog on a Friday, share your answer and sign Kailani's Mr. Linky. Then have fun answering the questions of fellow participants by visiting their blogs.

What did you do on Valentine's Day?

This year, I noticed how Yohan seemed very excited about Valentine's Day, which happened to fall on a school day. The night before, Yohan asked me to help him make a card for his teacher and classmates. My son's teacher requested the students to wear something red on Valentine's day. Yohan brought a box of Munchkins (donut balls) that he could share with his classmates. Everyone brought snacks to share and they had a cozy Valentine celebration in the classroom.

After class, I was very happy to receive a heart-shaped Valentine's card from Yohan. He eagerly showed the card to his Dad when he picked us up after class. The three of us had lunch at H Kape, a nearby restaurant/coffee shop. We enjoyed a simple meal consisted of Clubhouse Sandwich, Chicken Kiev and Pork Spareribs.


To make Valentine's Day a little more special for our son, we gave him a Valentine's card and a small gift ... a Winnie the Pooh Valentine VCD. Yohan kissed me and his Dad to express his gratitude.

Happy Hearts Day!

Wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! Love is in the air ... tell the people dear to you how much you value them. Have a wonderful time.

I'm off to Yohan's school in a while. The teacher asked the students to wear something red and to bring snacks to share with everyone. I think they will have their own Valentine's Day celebration in the classroom. :)

Thursday Thirteen : I Love You in Different Languages

Valentine's Day is just a few weeks ahead. Romance is in the air so I was inspired to do some research about different ways of saying I Love You. I found the following on the internet. Just in case you found one that is not correct, kindly let me know. If your country is not included, I'd love to know how you say I Love You in your country.

Thirteen Ways to Say I Love You I love You. - English Mahal Kita. – Filipino Je t'aime – French Ich liebe dich – German Aloha au ia'oe – Hawaiian Szeretlek – Hungarian Ngo oi ney or Wo ai ni – Chinese Ik hou van je – Dutch Saya cinta padamu – Indonesian Ai shite ru or Kimi o ai shiteru – Japanese Sarang hapnida – Korean Gwa ai lee – Taiwanese Seni seviyorum - Turkish

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Simple Pleasures

Jules got home late in the evening so we weren't able to have dinner together. I didn't really mind. I was more anxious to know what happened at the hospital. He said that all the necessary lab tests were done to my mother-in-law and the results will be out in a day or two. We'll be praying for her and hoping that it's nothing serious.

Thank you to everyone who left kind notes and offered prayers. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude in behalf of my family.

Jules didn't forget Valentine's Day. In fact, he went home with wonderful surprises. He knows how much I love baked goods from Becky's Kitchen so he brought home a box of Food for the Gods. Yohan was happy because his Dad gave him Jollibee Kiddie Meal (counterpart of Mc Donald's Happy Meal in the Philippines). You could see Yohan beaming with joy because he loves the green Tyrex that came with meal.

Simple pleasures that mean so much to the heart. Thank you Jules.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day celebration. Take care!

Valentine's Day Message

I also wish all my blog friends a Happy Valentine's Day! May you have a romantic day with your loved ones.