This past Saturday we went to Mall of Asia for the afternoon. We saw the movie Planet 51. Which is a CG film. It was a twist on alien invasion- because the human lands on the alien planet and thinks he is the alien. It was pretty cute.

F.B. wanted to get me new Havaianas sandals but the store at Mall of Asia had a really long line just waiting to get into the store. We checked after the movie to see if it would be shorter and it was actually longer! I got a cute purple t-shirt at SM Department store and some new pearl bracelets at Kultura.

We also had Starbucks again… of course, lol! Though I’m trying to behave before the wedding, so whenever we go I order a tall nonfat coffee. I discovered you can also get light blended frappucinos for 100-200 calories instead of 400-500 calories. I had a tall Mocha light blended frapp the other day without whipped cream and it’s just as good as a regular frapp. I decided to try non fat iced Peppermint Mocha when we were at Mall of Asia… (Can’t wait until after the wedding to try it as a frappucino!)

Since Mall of Asia was really crowded on Saturday we went to Robinson’s Galleria for dinner. We tried The Old Spaghetti House. I got a dish with salmon and rice, but it wasn’t the best meal I’ve ever had. Kinda bland and the cut of salmon wasn't very good. I think I ate more of our appetizer, calamari.

They had a sign on the table with ads of their newest dishes and I thought this was kind of odd... I like peanut butter and banana sandwiches… but peanut butter, banana and BACON?!?! I dunno!

We saw this funny sign down in the parking garage. From our angle it looked like it said; “leave valuables inside your vehicle.” The “please do not” was covered. Hehe!

Sunday morning we were surprised to find F.B.’s Christmas gift had been delivered. We had it scheduled to be delivered Monday, but it came early. I got him a new cell phone. It was a belated Birthday/Christmas gift. (I had ordered him a phone for his birthday but with the flood, I had to cancel the order during the clean up.) Here’s his new shiny Nokia 2630, I ordered from Filgifts.com. It even came with headphones and has a radio built into it!

We went to Ayala for the day to Glorietta Mall. We got to check out Glorietta 5 one of the new areas. Just went to National Bookstore while in there to get a magazine and playing cards. I taught F.B. to play the game ‘war’. Hehe.

We went to ‘All Flip Flops’ to get my new Havaianas sandals. I really like them; they are super shiny, haha! They were my Christmas gift from F.B.

Starbucks at Glorietta Mall and me with my light blended mocha frapp! (No whip!) F.B. got a Coffee Jelly frappucino but it wasn't so good.

We headed back to Robinson’s Mall near F.B.’s house so we could stop at the grocery. Then we went to Sta. Lucia mall for dinner. We went to Yoshinoya which is like a Tokyo Tokyo. I had a rice bowl with chicken teriyaki and vegetables. F.B. had a beef and rice bowl. We also had these dumplings with crab called, Kani Shu-mai.

After dinner we were heading back downstairs when the Guess store distracted me. I saw this really cute pink t-shirt with butterflies that wasn’t even in the window so we went to check it out… P990 though! (Almost $20). I think that’s the most I’ve paid for a t-shirt, lol. I usually get mine on clearance in the USA. But it was too cute to pass up.

F.B. and I browsed the “Louis Vuitton” bags after the Guess store. He haggled the bag I wanted down to P900, which is a bit more than we paid for my last bag but they originally wanted P1200. ($24). I love it, it’s really big inside. I told F.B. he will have to take me to all the “rich” places now with my “Louis Vuitton” bag, my Guess t-shirt and Havaianas sandals, hehehe!

The weather hasn’t been too bad here. It hasn’t rained yet and it’s been very cold at night to me. F.B. laughs at me because he lives here year round and I’m the one cold at night in the Philippines. I’m also the one the heat doesn’t bother so much.

Next Monday we get to pick up our marriage license at the Cainta municipal hall and we may be going to the Manila Hotel this coming Saturday to confirm our reservations for the wedding dinner on 12/19!

NOTE: If you are getting married in the Philippines and you are a US citizen these requirements from the US Embassy in Manila Philippines, will be helpful: Getting Married in The Philippines.

Missguided Mommy started this game and I wanted to play along. It's called, "What's in my bag"

Here's my bag: It's a Converse One Star tote bag I got at Target and it is HUGE. I also have one in black. This is actually the 2nd silver bag I've gone through. On the outside of my bag I have 2 keychains from the Philippines. One is the Philippine flag & the other is the bible verse 1 Corinthians 13:4 'Love is patient, Love is kind."



















Now inside... is my life... I'm not even kidding! Bet you didn't think anyone could have so much stuff in their purse! Now I'm embarrassed, haha!

(Click on photos to enlarge.)



















What are we even looking at here? I try to keep things organized by putting some of my stuff into smaller bags, instead of everything inside my purse. There are 3. One is a silver makeup bag from Watson's drugstore in the Philippines. Another is green & white Clinique bag and the other a small grey mesh bag. I will go over what is inside them later.

To the left: Pens, Makeup, My checkbook & calculator. To the right is my 80GB Video Ipod, Monkey Gloves, Hairbrush, Eyeglass cleaning cloth, my keyring with all of my keys, keychains & tags for stores. Down at the bottom is my real Louis Vuitton wallet (I got on ebay ages ago.) to the left of my wallet is Philippine & Hong Kong money... I don't know why I carry these in my wallet all the time along with my american money... but I do. Hehe. Such a mess. Let's look at what things look like when it's more organized in my bag.

Here's what is inside my makeup bag:
















1 Eyeshadow Applicator
1 Makeup Brush
2 Makeup Sponges
1 Comb
1 Clean & Clear Oil Aborbing Sheets
1 Eyeliner (Avon Glimmersticks: blackest black)
1 Maybelline Concealer (Ivory)
6 Lip Balms (Carmex, Watson's Mint, Watson's Lemon, Watson's Tinted, Burts Bees, Dr. Pepper Bonne Belle.)I confess... I am addicted to lip balms!
1 Lip Gloss: (Victoria's Secret Aphrodisiac)
2 MAC eyeshadows (Naked & Jardin Aires)
2 MAC powders (Medium & Light Blot Powder)

Here is my bigger organizer bag it's from Clinique. Inside is:















My hairbrush, Vaseline Lotion (Cool & Fresh), Bath & Bodyworks antibacterial hand gel (Honeysuckle). 1 1/2 Mentos Mints (addicted!), Orbit Gum from the Philippines. A Cherry Push Pop because I was feeling nostalgic one day. A little purple notebook I got in the Philippines, my checkbook & calculator, tampons & tissues. This great styling stick from Bench that I also got in the Philippines. Its keeps flyaway hair down.

My little gray mesh organizer I've had for years. On the outside is a key chain that says 'F.B. & SLC' that F.B. had made up. The other side has our picture. Inside is:















3 pens. (Bic Atlantis, Black, Blue. 1 Silver Parker pen from F.B. with my name 'Sarah' engraved on it.)
1 Tupperware pill case, (ibuprofen & aspirin inside.)
2 Kopiko Coffee Milk Candies. (From the Philippines! Love them!)
1 Blue 256mb Flashdrive (gift from F.B.)
1 Revlon nail file.
1 Purple Rosary. Gift from a co-worker years ago. (I'm not Catholic, I'm Christian, but I keep in it my purse like some people keep rosaries or angels over their rear view mirror. I feel it keeps me safe.)
2 Safety pins.
1 backup Blackberry battery for my cell phone.
1 Clear Eyes eyedrops.

With everything in my purse it's pretty heavy! I had the idea to weigh it and see how heavy it was on my postal scale. Since Misguided Mommy is doing a giveaway with her post, I am also going to do my first giveaway here on my blog!

If you would like to enter the giveaway all you have to do it post a comment and tell me how much you think my purse weighs. Whoever gets it correct or guesses closest wins! I will pick a winner next Sunday night. (If there is a tie. I will do a random drawing to see who wins.)

I have 2 prize sets & the winner will get their choice of 1. (I thought this idea would make it different since some of you might like a good book over makeup & vice versa.)

1st Set is a Makeup Set. With 4 brand new items.

1 Clinique Mild Facial Soap
1 Clinique lipstick in: Raspberry Glace
1 Clinique Mascara in: Black
1 Eyeshadow set from: Jasmine La Belle. (5 colors)














2nd set is:

2 Yankee Candles: (1.75oz) Scents: Buttercream & Vanilla Cupcake
1 Book: Elizabeth The Queen by Alison Weir. (Also titled as: The Life of Elizabeth I.) Non-Fiction, Paperback Biography.















The winner will also receive with their prize a brand new bag of Kopiko Coffee Milk Candies, I brought back from the Philippines in December. They are amazing!



















Good luck! (Remember, anyone can comment. You don't have to belong to blogger.com!)

If you play 'What's in my Bag' on your blog, leave a link in my comments!

Last Saturday we had overtime at work and I worked 8 hours. I was exhausted by the time it was Friday. Lucky for me Monday is a holiday and we aren't having any more overtime for awhile, so I get a 3 day weekend, yay!

My Valentines was okay... I started with another cold this week a sinus head cold and by Friday I was feeling worse and F.B. & I had a misunderstanding and I was upset with him so I just slept in on Valentines Day and didn't meet up online with him for our "date". This morning I didn't either, but I was just feeling so sick I took some NyQuil and went right back to bed and didn't get up until the late afternoon.

F.B.'s mom had some personalized sheets and pillow cases made up for my parents and a set for me too. They arrived on Valentines. F.B.'s Dad had mailed the package. He's a ship captain and happened to be docked in PA so he mailed the package while he was in the USA. My sheet set is purple. The 2 pillow cases match the sheets.











I texted F.B. and told him they arrived and then I got a text message back from him later asking if there had been anything from him in the box. I hadn't noticed it way at the bottom of the box under the sheets. Turns out he had enclosed a package in the box with my valentines cards and a letter as a surprise. He even sent me San Mig coffee & lemon mint Closeup toothpaste in sachets and a Watson's mint lip balm, because he remembered I just ran out of mine. That was sweet of him, I wasn't expecting a package. Too bad I didn't look in the bottom of the box until Sunday morning! I would have gotten my Valentines gifts on Valentines Day, haha!













Cinnamon turned 1 years old today. She's had such a full year. Getting to know her sisters Sugar & Spice, getting an emergency spay in May, losing her sister Spice in December and gaining 2 new sisters Ginger & Nutmeg. We had a little party for her, I bought ice cream cake for the family and the ratties enjoyed a slice too for Cinnamon's birthday, they really enjoyed themselves!

















































Saturday I also gave my new car a wash and discovered some scratches along the front of the hood... like someone almost brushed against it by walking by with something or I don't know what! There's 4 actually. 2 were very light and came out when I rubbed compound on it and then wax. The other 2 are quite deep and look like 2 fine white lines against the black paint. I'm hoping it's not very deep but it's not coming out with rubbing the compound with my hand and the white scratches are distracting against the black. My dad has to get a new pad for his buffer & is going to try buffing it out. I guess if it doesn't come out I'll have to take it to the dealership for repair. Sigh. Saturday after I came out of work from overtime someone has scraped their door against mine and there were 2 big scratches on it then! I had to use the compound on that too, but it was just in the wax coating. What the heck?! I don't make any payments on my car until March and it's already getting scratched by morons in parking lots! Arrgh!

For my “Thanksgiving” in the Philippines, F.B. & I went out to our favorite restaurant, Gerry’s Grill. We had our favorites, veggie rice, grilled squid & lumpia (spring rolls.) I also ordered a margarita, but it tasted more like tequila than lime, haha. We shared a brownie with ice cream for dessert. We also saw the Disney movie ‘Bolt’ earlier in the day.






















Later that evening at home we had a snack of KFC mashed potatoes and the Martinelli’s sparkling apple cider we got at the grocery. My family always has Martinelli’s on holidays, so I was really happy to find it in the supermarket here in the Philippines! I also got to call home around 1am. It was 12pm on Thanksgiving in the USA! The 13 hour time difference is so crazy! (Because of Daylight Saving time, spring forward is a 12 hour difference and fall back is a 13 hour difference between Philadelphia & the Philippines.)

Saturday we headed to Greenbelt in Makati City to see a play. We saw ‘A Christmas Carol’. It was the musical version of the play though; we both thought it was just okay.

Sunday there was a family reunion get together for F.B.’s father’s birthday. (A belated birthday party.) We had a buffet style lunch here at the house. (The liempo was our favorite!) F.B. & I aren’t really “party” people, so after we made an appearance we hung out in his room the rest of the afternoon. I also packed a lot of my stuff on Sunday, so Wednesday night I just have to put in last minute stuff.

Today (Monday) we headed out to SM Marikina Mall. Stopped at Watson’s drugstore to pick up some stuff I wanted to take home. Then we went to Starbucks where I picked up a gift for F.B.’s sister. (I got her a Starbucks mug, Starbucks gift certificates & a makeup bag with Clinique makeup as a thank you gift.)

After that we headed to Robinson’s Mall to stop and get some VCD’s for F.B. (Shallow Hal, A night at the museum & Kung Fu Panda.) We also stopped at the grocery to get some peanut brittle to take home for my dad and some snacks for us. We had Chow King for dinner. (Love their corn & crab soup!) After dinner we stopped at Red Ribbon bakery to pick up a blueberry cheesecake for F.B.’s parents as a thank you gift.

Tomorrow we are just staying home to relax. And Wednesday is my last full day in the Philippines. We’ll be heading to Mall of Asia for my last day. We’re going to spend the whole day there. We want to see another 3D IMAX movie and maybe a regular movie.

My flight is at 6:30am on Thursday. I think F.B. & I are just going to do an all nighter on Wednesday. We did that in January and I was able to sleep better on my 15 hour flight from Hong Kong to Chicago. All together my flight home will be 24+ hours! Not looking forward to it.

I’ve been here in the Philippines 2 months now. It’s been really nice spending so much time with F. I’m really sad to leave him… even though it will be nice to be home again too. Just wish we could be in the same place! It will be a whole year before I’ll be heading back here again.

F.B. & I will be getting married next December here in the Philippines. I’ll probably be arriving around the end of November. Once I arrive, I’ll have to get a special affidavit from the US Embassy in Manila that says I am allowed to marry. Then we will file for our marriage license and make an appointment for our civil ceremony. We really haven’t decided where we will have our honeymoon yet since our wedding isn’t even a planned date! We’ll figure everything out once I arrive next year. After we are married we'll begin the immigration paperwork with our lawyer so F.B. can come to the USA.

Here are some silly pictures from the other day. F.B. went out back to get our towels off the clothes line and his bedroom window is right there.

F’s a “Peeping Tom!” Haha!

I’ve been in the Philippines 6 weeks now. Saturday night we left for Baguio. November 16th was F.B.’s Dad’s birthday and the whole family went to Baguio for his birthday. F’s parents, his sister & her boyfriend and F and I. F.B.’s father paid for the whole trip, which was very nice.

We left the house around 10pm Saturday night. We rode tricycles to the front gate of F.B.’s village where we could get a taxi cab. In the Philippines another form of transportation is the tricycle. It’s basically a motorcycle with a metal covered sidecar. (I’ll have to get a picture of one!) F.B. & I rode in the covered part and F.B.’s parents on the back of the motorcycle behind the driver. Pretty crazy!

UPDATED: Here's some pictures of the tricycle:





























We got a cab at the front gate to the bus station. F.B.’s sister & boyfriend followed us to the bus station. There was a lot of traffic getting to the station though. Our bus left for Baguio at 12am. It was a 4 hour nonstop drive. F.B. & I watched movies on my ipod and listened to music, we couldn’t sleep. The type of bus we were on was like a Greyhound bus. I’ve never taken a travel bus before in the USA but they sure drive crazy in the Philippines! Picture speeding down a narrow mountain road with lot’s of sharp turns with the bus driver driving in whatever lane he pleased. At some points you would see headlights coming at you and the bus driver would change lanes.

We got to Baguio around 5am. It’s much colder up there since it's way up in the mountains. (Still no snow though, haha!) We had to put on our jackets and hoodies. We took a taxi to a local church. The service was in another Philippine dialect though. There were a lot of birds flying around up near the ceilings of the church because it was an open church. One landed on a pew close to us.

After church we went to breakfast. Here are some pictures of F.B. & I at breakfast; you can see we are all bundled up because it was cold.