if all evenings could be this simple

It was a good evening. I felt very peaceful and satisfied. I wish every evening could be something like that.

Eating out is not a luxury the Hubby and I can afford as often as we want to, but we get to every now and then. Thanks mostly to his Mom and Dad who love eating out and bring us along sometimes.

Just the other evening, the Hubby and I decided to go on a little date. My place of choice, he said. We hadn't gone out with just each other this month yet (I think), so it was a real treat for the both of us. It was in fact a good ender for that week in which I mostly stayed bored and depressed at home.

I wanted to try a place we hadn't yet eaten at. I don't know that many restos, so I Googled. I clicked on the ones that seemed interesting and showed them to the Hubby.

We finally decided on a Japanese place a few minutes' drive away from where we live. That resto's already been around for a few years; I've heard of it before but have never tried it prior to that evening. Their food tastes nothing like the usual Japanese restaurant fare - it's so much better in flavor, presentation, and serving time. I went home very satisfied.

What I like about Japanese cuisine is that it generally has less grease, and the servings aren't too humongous. I was glad to have room for dessert, because the green tea ice cream tempura was a wonderful washdown.

We walked around a bit after dinner, like we were teenagers on a random stroll. Luckily I wore my flats. We were kinda dressed like teenagers too; we didn't have company so there was no pressure to appear all presentable. Just semi presentable.

Since it was an early dinner, we were home before 9pm - a good, healthy time to start winding down. I settled down in front of the TV with my sketchbook and let my brain numb to the cotton candy comedy I watch every night.

I got this from Chris and I wanted to join in and blog for a cause...

Show the world you care! Be a part of the "I Blog, I Care Movement." Here are the rules on how to join:

1. Copy the "I Blog, I Care" badge and the rules (1 to 6) on this page.
2. Post these in one or all your blogs.
3. Tag/invite your other friends to join by sharing this with them.
4. Leave your post URL here: The Twitterer (http://thetwitterer.blogspot.com/2010/01/i-blog-i-care-movement.html)
5. For every fifteen (15) blogs joining the I Blog, I Care Movement, a $1.00 donation will be given to the International Committee of the Red Cross. You can also donate directly here: http://www.icrc.org.
6. Spread the love and show you care.
   

dinner and a power duo

Had dinner with the Hubby's parents, sibs and cousins at a fancy noodle place. Too bad all I could eat was chicken congee, because I'm still swollen from my wisdom tooth removal surgery.

Dinners with the in-laws are kind of a common occurrence, but what was special about this evening was that we ate at one of the restos surrounding the casino at Resorts World in Paranaque, near NAIA terminal 3.

I've never been to a casino - so this being my first time is significant. But anyway, the casino isn't even the interesting part; we aren't casino people, so no one played or anything. We mostly just sat around and watched the performance - let me get to that in a while.

There was a 360-degree bar at the center of the large, open hall, right smack in the middle of the field of card tables and slot machines. Bar 360, it was called; pretty unique. On top of it was a stage where performances were held. Dad seemed to have been anticipating those production numbers, and i think we went there specifically to watch the entertainment.

The waitresses there were so cute. They were entirely in black.
Cameras were not allowed inside. Sketch by me.

There was a band that played '80s tunes, and I enjoyed that. I love '80s music. I could sing to everything they played last night.

The band moved out around 9pm and gave way to some Russian performers - the highlight of Daddy's night. They were a troop of dancers, including an exotic pair and a pole dancer (not the stripper kind, okay).

But the most impressive performance of the night was what was called the Power Duo - these two Russian guys with unbelievable muscle strength. You have to watch it to appreciate it. Cameras were not allowed in the place, so I had to nick this video from you tube.



(The lady in there is the pole dancer - she was pretty amazing too)

One of the other ideas I appreciated last night was how the human body can do amazing, beautiful things - a mark of the genius of Creation. Even as the hubby and I drove home, i couldn't stop raving about how awesome the body is.

Another happy thawt. I sat with Kuya R, the Hubby's cousin who came over from the U.S., and we talked about how nice it was to just have time for laying back with family once in a while, doing nothing but sit around and sip drinks while watching some decent entertainment (Not necessarily glitter-and-neon production numbers though). It's totally right.

how else can i help haiti?

I'm pretty sure that by this time most everybody who has access to some form of media knows what happened in Haiti recently. Or rather, what happened to Haiti. The devastation is so severe, I can't ignore the urge to do something.

And I don't want to just contribute prayers.

The first impediment is that I'm miles away. Also, I'm well aware that I'm not a doctor, not in the military, not in any government or humanitarian organization, and I have no training or background whatsoever, so I can't be sent out there. I'm struggling with my own expenses, so I don't have much to give. I don't have a credit card or bank account of any sort, so I don't even know how to give.

I'm therefore really glad about how citizens have created easy ways to contribute to Haiti relief efforts, that average janes like me can be a part of this somehow.

There is first of all that convenient way to send donations to Red Cross via text. We are told that every little centavo helps, so I'm not too ashamed to give a small bit at a time. I may be able to give more after the next payday - I'm sure it'll still be needed then - but for now, I give what I can.

Quite a number of bloggers have devised a way to raise funds through their blogs. I'm not sure how that works, but they tie-in with some organization, and for every comment received, x number of dollars goes to that charity. I was quite skeptical about this, but then again I had nothing to lose by participating. Most of them have links to other blogs doing the same thing, so I clicked around and left my comments.

Other bloggers have chosen to host contests on their sites, and the giveaway is a cash donation to Haiti relief ops in your name. Awesome, huh?

Other citizen bloggers and online shops have opted to donate a portion of their income for this specific time. Others have decided to give the income they receive from the ads, so merely visiting their pages and /or clicking the ads helps. Yeah, I did some of that too.

I'm also quite impressed at how one of the most popular Facebook games, Farmville, has used its easy access to FB users as a way to raise support. With a few clicks and a PayPal account (so that ultimately means real money), you can effortlessly give a donation while acquiring a cute, new item for your virtual farm. I actually have neither a Farmville farm nor a PayPal account, but the Hubby has both. Now a lovely fountain stands in the middle of his virtual hacienda as a receipt for our humble donation.

Of course I would love to do something more direct, more concrete. Maybe I should volunteer for an organization? I'm still clicking around to see in what other little ways I can help.

cute blog: fifi lapin

I've been following Fifi Lapin's blog for some time. Her ultra-cute site combines some of my likes: art, fashion and bunnies.

Image property of Fifi Lapin.

Fifi is an heiress with long, silky ears and a fashion icon. According to Elle Magazine, she is "the world's most stylish bunny". She posts charming fashion reviews and runway photos, but the most attractive part of her site (in my opinion) are those sketches of herself wearing designer clothing - with posh accessories to match!

Image property of Fifi Lapin.

Her flair for fashion has made her so famous, that lately there have been Fifi Lapin lines of postcards, T-Shirts, greeting cards and LeSportSac bags (I received a Fifi Lapin print purse or case of sorts for Christmas from my friend L. I was so thrilled!)

Fifi has a shop where you can purchase her prints. She also hosts contests every once in a while with cute Fifi stuff up for grabs.

how sweet it is to be apologized to

I love the feeling of receiving a sincere apology, especially one that is expressed in an effort to save a valued relationship. When the sorry is sincere, there hardly is any need for explanations.

Which is why I post a little celebration in receiving one of the most sincere apologies I've received in a long time. Salve of joy. It's so healing, especially after wearing a stake through my soul about it for a long time.