Little Man's Mustache Bash

I totally understand why parents spend loads of money on a big first birthday party--your kid only reaches this milestone once. But I guess I'm just...cheap practical? I figured A's not going to remember the party anyway, so I just wanted a small family-only thing at home. (On a side note, there's a funny piece called "Down with Big Birthday" about how ridiculous the "Birthday-Industrial Complex" has gotten.) 

I decided on a little man/mustache theme because 1) A really did seem like a little man, and 2) he has three mustache sandos that he regularly wears, so it's kind of his thing. Pretty much everything in this party (if you could call it that) was DIY. Because the holidays weren't hectic enough.@_@ Some photos (some were taken by my SIL): 

My Photoshop/InDesign skills were tested when I made the invitations (our assistant art director Theo made the background). I know everyone does Facebook invites nowadays, but I printed them out anyway. 

I made bunting to hang all around...

...and mixed some with Japanese lanterns that I bought from Divisoria a couple of months before. They're still hanging in our garage (thanks for helping, Ninong Rene!)--A seemed to like them so I decided to keep them.

I hung a big sign at the gate so guests would know where the party was at.

As much as I wanted to cook, I just didn't have room for that kind of stress in my life. On the menu: chicken lollipop and spaghetti made by my mom's helper, and hickory smoked barbecue ribs (my favorite) as well as baked fish with potato gratinee (H's favorite) from Banapple. 

And it might seem silly considering it was such a small event, but I printed out signs for those too...

We had some really yummy red velvet cupcakes baked by GH food editor Roselle. (She baked A's baptismal cupcakes too!)

Some extras: I made A a birthday board with some fun facts. By hand. And considering I have terrible handwriting and have no calligraphy skills, this was a true labor of love! I used chalk on illustration board--I think I'm going to go over it a second time with chalk marker. It's a little souvenir that I'd like to keep in A's room. 

With the board, I put some disposable cameras (courtesy of H's sis) and a bunch of different mustaches, so people could snap away. Our nephews and nieces had a lot of fun with those--but they had to ask us how to work the cameras!

With my BFF (A's ninang)--because she's family

We didn't really have anything planned in terms of entertainment, except for an old-school game with a twist: Pin the 'stache on A!

For the cake, I didn't wanna spend a bundle on something fancy, so I just got a big version of the mini devil's food cake (from Chocolate Kiss) we had for his first-month birthday and decorated it with mini-bunting. (I LOVE this cake. I think I had three slices that day. We ordered two so guess where most of my holiday weight came from?)

For A's outfit, I wanted something that would go with the color scheme and theme. His red button-down shirt had a tiny mustache detail, and he wore it with comfy blue pants. I wore a stache necklace.

In the realm of first birthdays, little man's was small and simple and super casual. But hey, he seemed to enjoy it!

P.S. Need help styling an event? Email me at heretishietishie@gmail.com. :)

Happy Birthday to Me

While it would have been cool to share a birthday with little monster, he had other plans.

Went to see the doc, and it seems this one is quite comfortable in there, thank you very much. I'm taking something that will help hurry things along plus I have to walk two hours a day (!), but if that doesn't work out, we'll have to induce labor.

After our checkup, H and I had a lovely birthday dinner at one of my new favorite restaurants. The past week, I had been so impatient, wanting to get this pregnancy over with already. But the reality of childbirth hit me again, and now I'm perfectly content just waiting--he'll come out when he's good and ready. So I just enjoyed my nice, quiet birthday, the last one that I had my husband all to myself.

I really, really love this man. Even the quietest, simplest birthday is made truly happy as long as I get to spend it with him.

My Last Day on the Calendar

The night before I turned 32 (yes, I'm saying it out loud), Hamil took me to a swanky restaurant, tucked away in a nondescript building in Makati. I wanted to wear something both polished and relaxed, two key words to describe my style in my 30s. (BFF M would call it "effortless chic.")

My birthday suit: Dress by Philosophy; nude pumps by Parisian; belt (not seen), earrings, necklace by WWW; clutch by Aranaz

I pretty much wore H-to-T SM! Haha. Polished doesn't have to mean expensive. (I don't really do expensive. I'd rather spend my money on travel.)

The night before my birthday, I used to really freak out. But birthdays have gotten easier with my husband around. I still kind of fretted for a bit, thinking about jumping off the calendar and falling into the abyss (haha). But I think I've learned to embrace my age.

There are a lot of reasons to love being 32, but for now, let me focus on one: Appreciating the body I have. While I still have a dream body in mind, I love the one I'm already in. I used to avoid anything form-fitting, but I've learned not to hide behind loose clothing (much to the delight of ze huzband). I have learned that gaining five pounds does not mean the end of the world. But beyond that, I have a much greater appreciation for what my body can do, rather than what it looks like--I ran a half marathon. I did 30 days of Insanity. And even with my rickety bones and layer of belly fat, I can pretty much outlast my team when it comes to doing core exercises. The anxieties and insecurities from my teens and 20s are fading fading fading, and some days, I feel quite at peace. I imagine that, the older I get, these days will turn into status quo. (Of course, it doesn't hurt that people always tell me I don't look my age!)

Here's to growing old gracefully!

Happy Birthday, Hubby!

It was a bit of a quiet birthday for Hamil, and a relatively healthy one too. While last year, we feasted on steak at 22 Prime, this year he wanted something lighter. The night before his birthday, we decided to eat at Kai, a Japanese restaurant in Greenbelt 5. (Years ago, the resto was at Greenbelt 2, and there, Hamil had his fill of sake.) The meal was predominantly made up of raw fish; while there was some wagyu thrown in, it was mixed with tofu and asparagus.

The day of, we stayed home and I cooked. Nothing spectacular. He just asked for my fake Conti's salmon, and I also whipped up cream of spinach soup (there was some leftover spinach) and a roasted vegetable salad with portobello mushrooms. Then, because he didn't want his usual favorite ube cake (which would languish in the ref, given that there's just two of us), I surprised him with a birthday mamon. Ube, of course.

We had long conversations over the weekend, and at some point, talk turned to religion. We are both practicing Catholics in that we go to mass every Sunday and say our prayers. But we both have a lot of questions, and constantly talk about our faith and other faiths. This particular talk touched on reincarnation, life's purpose, and the possibility of a passive god.

This last concept was a bit hard for me to grasp. If ours is a passive god, then what is the purpose of prayer? There would be no one to thank, no one to guide us and give us strength. And what I find most hard to believe: A passive god would mean that I merely stumbled upon the most wonderful man by sheer dumb luck or by virtue of my effervescent charm (both of which I do not possess in abundance). No, a passive god, He is not. For me to find the best man, for me to be indescribably happy, there must be a Stronger Force at work. And as Hamil blew out his little candle, I thanked that god for the day my husband was born.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Are y'all familiar with Zsazsa Zaturnnah, the graphic novel (and musical, and movie...) about a fabulous gay hairdresser who turns into a female superhero after swallowing a magical stone? Well, Zsazsa's creator, Carlo Vergara, gave me this for my birthday...

How cool is that? That's me as a superhero named Tornado Tish! (Although my disc nickname, Tish the Dish, would work too!) My superpower: I have a deadly disc that springs forth from my bosom when needed. Hmm, one could argue though that that isn't really a superpower but more of a weapon. So let's pretend I have lightning speed as well! (I do have the ability to spew out an article in half an hour, so...)

I turned 31 yesterday, and I spent the day eating! First at Swagat for some Indian food (with my real, non-Indian family) then at Nomnomnom with my dearest friends. More in a future post!

Thirty was a great age--I got promoted to acting editor in chief, went to New York (one of my most favorite places in the world) twice, experienced my first-ever win in a national tournament, finally went on a long-overdue honeymoon, tried bungee jumping, celebrated ten years with the most wonderful man, and won a good number of raffles. Haha. Not bad at all. But 31, ahh--this one's got even better things in store for me.:)

Some girls might find it shocking that I readily admit how old I am. To be honest, I don't get why people try to convince me to lie about my age, and remain forever 21/26/28. Older women tell me that I'll understand someday. Who knows how I'll feel some years down the line? But for now, I have no qualms about telling people I'm 31. I earned every year, every visible line on my face, every vein on my leg from living, laughing, dancing my way through life. And that's not something I want to hide! I am 31, hear me roar!