Here is my new cozy little corner at 36, 000 feet above the ground starting from the first of this month. It comes with 8 private suites, fully flat beds, a room service call button, dine-on-demand service, Dom Perignon, a 20 000 Php bottle of red wine, a Beluga caviar meal that costs approximately 5 000 Php per tablespoon at a retail price and of course, an onboard massage, not from me, thank God.

From the very first day that I wore that famous red hat and smeared that tube of naughty red paint on my lips, I just knew that this is where I belong–in First Class. And I am not moving anywhere else for a very, very, very long time.

 

MY SWEET CORNER

Seat 2k

Inside the suite.

My favorite feature–the vanity mirror.

The middle seats with the divider down.

The works…

My niece’s latest painting. It’s amazing how a brush and a skilled hand can let you see the world a little bit more differently.

 

4′ by 5′ oil painting

The model, a friend of hers.

Painting away by day…

Painting away by night…

I haven’t received a love letter for a very long time despite my occasional hints and sometimes violent nagging.

Today, is a change. An angel must have heard me.

I got this from my Facebook wall. My heart melted one more time.

I cannot stress enough how lucky a mother I am. I am usually not lucky in so many things, but at least in being a mother I hit the jackpot. I have the sweetest, most caring, most loving, respectful, brilliant, funny and hyperactive little boy. A little mischievous at times but still very adorable.

Years from now, you will be a grown boy. Things will definitely change. Most likely you will love another woman more than you will love me. You will spend more time with her or with your friends than be with your aging mother in the house. That will hurt me, of course. I will get jealous. Just give me a little love note like this and I will be a happy old woman again. Still jealous but happy.

As I grow older too, I will be less reasonable. I will be more annoying.  I might be stricter. But I want you to know that once upon a time in your old Mama’s life, a tiny bundle of joy came kicking and screaming into her world. This little boy is loved dearly as much as his mother is blessed so much to have him. You have given me, as well as the people around me, this wonderful gift of making our lives a little bit…more. More laughter. More warmth. More reasons to smile. More ways to love. You are our gift that keeps on giving.

Years is a long time to be sure about anything. But my love for you is too strong to measure that I am very confident it will stay as strong throughout the years. I hope yours is too.

Today, is indeed, a Happy Mother’s Day to me.

I love you so much, son.

All I ask is for you to take care of yourself because I cannot be there for you as much as I want to. Nothing else can make me happier than knowing that you don’t cough anymore or have fever or have that have that perennial runny nose every time I see you. Every suffering in your fragile little body leaves two stab wounds in my heart.

See you soon, my angel. All my love, hugs and kisses from this very lonely land.

My first smile with Lola Conching.

My godmother, Lynnette.

Phoenix holding Mommy Sharon’s baby picture.

Phoenix helping Lola Conching make macaroni salad during Christmas in Dubai.

On our way to our desert safari.

His first gingerbread man cookie during our HKG airport camping.

Years from now when you google your name, Phoenix Janne Dumagat Paras, hopefully you will stumble into this.

Charlize Theron stopped heartbeats at this year’s CinemaCon. She wore a little black dress with some sexy cutouts by Dion Lee.

I would definitely kill to own a dress like this. Won’t you?

the front

the sexy back

the hot, strappy heels. Ankle straps are perfect for skinny ankles like mine.

Also last April, Kim Kardashian was seen flaunting with diamond-studded gold earrings with Kanye West’s initials. I am in love with how they are very personalized and very unique at the same time. I would love to make my own when I have extra money.

When Newsweek came out with a very stirring cover this month, the Press is bound to follow up with a similar question from other famous personalities.

obama-newsweek-first-gay-president-thumb

When the Philippine’s very own hero had a sit-down with the National Conservative Examiner, not surprisingly, he was asked regarding President’s Obama’s stance on same sex unions.

The self-confessed pious Pacquiao quoted the Bible as his answers.

” If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.” – Leviticus 20:13

He continued:

” God only expects man and woman to be together and to be legally married, only if they so are in love with each other. It should not be of the same sex so as to adulterate the altar of matrimony, like in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah of Old. “

On a later interview with the Philippine press, Pacquiao defended his controversial comments:

“I only gave out my opinion that same sex marriage is against the law of God. I’m not against gay people…I have a relative who is also gay. We can’t help it if they were born that way. What I’m critical of are actions that violate the word of God.”

In fairness to Pacquiao, I believe he is a man with a naturally good and kind heart. He has always been generous to the fortunate and less fortunate alike. He may have been dancing with the Philippine political circle that is filled with crocodiles and all sorts of greedy bestiality, but I believe that, unlike the rest of them, he joined politics with the desire to be of service to the people.

This unfortunate interview was just another case of talking without thinking. Let’s admit it. Manny is not the brightest crayon in the box. He may have the best intentions but he is a man who is easily influenced by other people. Sometime last year, Manny became a very devout Catholic. Very religious Filipinos tend to have this tendency of thinking that they are better than the rest. They seem to believe that those who are not like them, what I mean is those who are not religious like them, are not very good people, to say it kindly.

I hope this is only a phase for Manny that is passing. Just like this one.

Manny Pacquiao rocking the duck face.

MANNY, YOU KNOW YOU ARE BETTER THAN THIS.

Today is a special day. I want to greet all the mommies out there for a job well done. There is no job more noble than sustaining the human race, right? So happy Mother’s Day to all mothers, who are basically every woman I know, except for one, my sister Maricon who is most likely a man in secret. Peace.

I don’t really give too much fuss to Mother’s Day. With a family this cute, every day is a celebration. Let’s run away again to somewhere very far, please.

A few snapshots during our trip to Hongkong and Macau around 3 years ago. Our little baby started traveling very early. He is going to grow up like, Mommy. Forever restless in one spot.

I greeted the dawn of my 5th year of Mother’s Day celebration I don’t know how many feet above sea level. But it was very high up for sure because I was looking down at the Himalayas, most probably at similar mountain range where Mount Everest is located.

This was how the sun rises above the world’s tallest peaks.

17 hours later into the flight, we touched down at DFW in Dallas where the I know the softest bed known to me is waiting. It feels like sinking into a bed of baby feathers and dreaming of marshmallows and pink unicorns.

I have two double beds just for me at Marriott. We should have Marriott in every ultra long haul flights. We deserve sleep therapy after a long day’s mental and physical challenge.

I was supposed to go to the mall with Shuang, my colleague from China, but the two alarms that I set in my phone did not go off for some reason. Shuang did not call me either. I am starting to have a bad feeling for this room. Hahah!

So I followed the sidewalk to the right of the hotel. Three blocks away later, I did not find anything. My stomach monsters were growling like desperate lionesses on a prowl. I told myself that I would take the first restaurant that I would find. I did exactly that.

This was my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Of course, a pot of gold does not come cheap. I paid my dinner with my hard-earned blood and sweat. Hahah! But it was a delectable dinner. And it always feels good to be surrounded with people who dress up for dinner. The men came marching in with their suits and pomade in their hair. The ladies sashayed into the room in long dresses and high heels and some vintage pieces here and there. About 85% were senior citizens. That was how I know that I was going to have good food tonight.

I ordered the Lawry’s cut prime steak. The serving was humungous. It made my heart cry for the hungry people. It was weird to feel guilty with a very satisfied stomach.

The evil sauces. I tried first the one on the right. It tasted like a sour soap. The one on the left was like wasabi with a friendlier face. It attacked my nose and mouth like a Samurai warrior that I had to spit it out into my black colored table napkin.

I had buttered corn on the side which was simply heavenly.

My food was delivered by the chef in this cart. He cut my meat right in front of me.

Even an order of salad was a show. The chef would come with a cart to your table and would do some culinary action of salad mixing before delivering the plate to you.

A reserved table.

My imaginary date in front of me. Cheers to this lovely mother who was brave enough to take herself out on a dinner date.

Lawry’s prime rib waitress in the 50′s.

Lawry’s Prime Rib in Chicago.

That is all, ladies. Cheers and good night!

January 14, 2012

Table Mountain, South Africa

This was just one of those days when I feel so blessed to have a job that rewards me to do something fun and exciting every time I sign off from work. I get to do many things for the first time. Not only that, I also get to do them at different places all around the world…for free! Or sometimes for a puny amount. With the whole world as my playground, the ideas are without limit.

Today was the day that I get to conquer the fabled Table Mountain. It took me four years and a half to finally do this. A trek to the top of the Table Mountain is a must-do when you go on a trip to South Africa, but with a country this beautiful, you cannot help to have pit stops along the way.

But before all that, I had to have a taste of Capetown, literally.

One beautiful afternoon with the Lion’s Head Mountain in the distance.

Getting ready for my dinner date. False lashes never run out of style.

Went out with a girl friend for dinner and had the best tasting seafood in my life. They had wide selection of seafood in a platter with a special Robata sauce which my Japanese girl friends don’t even know how to make. It tasted like a specially marinated soy sauce with honey and something else. The wine tasted like water but it didn’t matter. We left the restaurant very satisfied with cheeks more flushed than normal. And that is usually a good thing.

Early birds catch the worm so we started early to do as much things as possible.

This was only a sneak peek of what to come.

Visitors can have the option of taking this long trek to the top of the mountain…

Or do what we did which was to take the cable ride both ways.

This rocky cliff gives the visitors a very solid welcome.

Adventure starts here.

These early birds were not early enough for the juciest worm–which was to have a hot breakfast and freshly-brewed coffee while waiting for the first rays of the sun to break out from behind the sweeping mountainous heights in the distance. If we came two hours earlier, we could have enjoyed an outdoor breakfast from this cozy, little hut.

As you get closer to the edge of these safety barricades from the rocky plunge below, the wonders of nature will make your heart stop for a moment.

Behold the new member of the 7 Wonders of the World–the Table Mountain in Capetown, South Africa. And no, Paris Hilton. South Africa is not a continent. That is the country’s name.

Table Mountain is a soaring plateau that overlooks the entire city of Capetown.  The rugged feature of its beauty is largely contributed by the sharp-edged cliffs that are as perilous as they are beautiful. Seated on the west side is the Lion’s Head and resting on the east side is the Devil’s Peak.

By the way, Table Mountain, is also the only landmark to give its name to a constellation in the sky, the Mensa or the Table. These group of stars are found below Orion.

The treacherous edges of Table Mountain which have claimed a few lives of the unwary.

Click on the photo to see bigger size.

This is a wonderful spot to view the city.

The Lion’s Head

The Devil’s Peak

The Signal Hill, the Olympic Stadium and the city of Cape town 3, 000 feet below.

Say a little prayer to the not so lucky adventurers.

Up ahead…

A trailer’s trail…

The best part of the trip–heaven in my fingertips, I could almost taste it!

While taking my photos over here, the wind suddenly snatched away my return trip ticket. If you wanted me to stay, you did not have to make me lose my ticket. You only have to say the word.

PS: Thank you to my lovely French girl for taking this picture-perfect snaps.

From this viewing post…

This is probably the best spot to view Capetown.

You can see this.

Those are the Lion’s Head, The Stone Hill, The Olympic Stadium, The City Bowl and the Devil’s Peak from left to right.
*Click on the photo to see larger size.

My favorite photo of this trip. The hardly visible mountains from afar and the varying hues of blues in the background made this photo almost magical. It could be from the pages of Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter or some Chinese mythical story. Anywhere but the real world.

The rest of the photos.

So we said goodbye.

But not without doing this. Smile!

Capetown, thank you for the hospitality. We really appreciate it.

P. S. If you think Table Mountain is stunning during a fine day, wait until the clouds roll over it. A cloudy day could not get any better than this.

*I stole the photo from thestar.com

Not unless you have conquered the greatness of Mt. Pulag in the Philippines. It would not be beautiful. It would not be mind-blowing. It would be out of this world.

Mt. Pulag, Philippines
*I stole the photo from youtube

*Photo stolen from camzandthecity.com

And that would be another fantastic album in my travel tales.

Sarkozy just lost the French Presidential race. That means no more Carla Bruni. Princess Letizia now stands alone in fashion face-offs. Remember this famous photograph? That is Princess Letizia on the left wearing a layered body-hugging dress by a Spanish designer, and that is Carla Bruni on the right wearing Christian Dior from head to toe. Did you notice the famous red sole? I did. I noticed the sole but I did not even realized that Michelle Obama was in this photo until three years later. Gosh!

This must be the first time in her life as First Lady that Carla Bruni met her match. And she was very well got upstaged big time by the Spanish princess. But not so much like Michelle Obama. That is Michelle Obama in a sorry looking white and raspberry dress. I thought she was a personal assistant or something like that. I felt really bad for Michelle. So much for learning your lesson the hard way.

That is Michelle Obama on the far right. If were her, I’d crawl up to a cave and die. LOL.
Today’s lesson: You get the exact amount of attention that you give to yourself.

Kate Middleton, the world needs you now more than ever!

Thank you so much Shanghai underground market for my very significant finds. This should be one of a girl’s bestfriends.

This is the clip-on fringe that I was talking about.I can get a fierce hairstyle in 5 seconds.

Fringe on

 

Fringe off

 

My fringe during a windy day.

 

With Renee

 

On Renee

 

Me and Zac

 

P. S. Don’t watch The Lucky One in Dubai. They cut anything that was sexy. Grr! I have to watch it again somewhere else. Argh! We are two disappointed ladies.

 

My feet in high heels landed once again into Dubai, very fresh with pleasant encounters from the largest city in China only two days ago. That would be Shanghai, in case you did not know. I came home with my cutest purchase so far–my little bumblebee’s, Buyugix, first pair of cufflinks.

And what spells royalty more than a horse in a turquoise background color?

Surprisingly, I found them in one of Shanghai’s underground market. That is the place to buy imitation products and kill for your dear life just to get the best bargain with your haggling skills.  A friend of mine told me that the trick was to pretend you are really interested into the product. Then whatever price they will give you, agree only to half of that. If they refuse, say no thank you and leave the store. The owner will always call you back and give you the price that you want. It works 99% of the time, believe me.

Personally, I hate going to any bargain markets. I have no patience with haggling and I prefer quality over savings at any day. But for the love of some kinky wigs and clip-on fringe, I marched to the market with my girlfriends at ten in the morning.

That day was absolutely mine because I found the clip-on fringe too. I paid 30 Yuan only and I am quite happy. Forget about the wigs because they made me look 15 kilos heavier on the face alone. Eww.

So after I was done with my shopping, some cute tweed ensemble for little girls and boys on the window display caught my eyes. They were absolutely the cutest and poshest tweed outfits that I have ever seen, complete with leather and metal details and Burberry silk linings. Each coat was around 1,300 yuan each (6, 000 Php). I could imagine Victoria Beckham’s baby girl wearing those clothes. They were not the mass produced Chinese clothes at all! Whatever that shop owner was thinking of putting up a shop in that area, it was beyond my understanding. But I was glad he was there at the same time I passed by.

I immediately rummaged through the boys’ shirts on a 50% discount. They were pricey. But for a reduced price with an additional 50% discount, I paid only 200 yuan (1, 000 Php) for each shirt. I usually pay 80% of that amount for a crappy kid’s shirt from H&M so I was more than satisfied with the deal.

Here is what I bought. The attention to detail was impeccable. And it is a shirt with cufflinks. Seriously, where can you find kid’s boutique that sells shirt that has cufflink holes? It would be very rare. Perhaps if you go to Armani or Gucci then you might find them.

It has several pleats at the back for a better fitting.

The cufflink on the shirt.
By tradition, cufflinks are worn only when the man is over 30 years of age. But recently, as long as you have fun wearing them, do as you please. Too bad for my husband, the store owner, who also made the clothes himself, only make clothes for kids.

I only had an embarassing amount of Yuan currency with me, but I just could not resist to buy this white shirt on the hanger.

Up-close, you will also notice that it has a dedicated space for the necktie. That is why I love the tailor so much. His attention to detail was very amazing.

He only uses shell buttons, never plastic.

I even found the hood jacket that I really like inside his store. But it was not for sale. He said he was not proud of it. He needed to make adjustments and will later on add some leg straps which are necessary for horseback riding. He told me that the clothes that he made were designed for those of Royal Blood. The details on his clothes were consistent with traditional gentleman clothing. His brand’s name, Esquire, in fact, meant a boy training to be a gentleman. While he was packing my purchase, he was also giving me lessons on how men should wear their suit 101. Told you he was the most fascinating boutique owner ever.

Before I left, he gave me something extra for my husband. That is a top secret at the moment. Will tell about it later.

By the way, we have moved to a new hotel in Shanghai. I hope the reason was not because the previous hotel kicked us out. We now stay at the Jumeirah Himalayas. Prepare to be awed. This has got to be my most favorite hotel facade so far. It is a piece of art on a grand scale. No wonder, it is owned by a company from Dubai.

photo is grabbed from destinasion.com

Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel - Shanghai at night

Sky lanterns at the ceiling of the lobby.

Reception desk

Very chic lobby furnitures

Updated Chinese furniture design.

White carpet moment in my bedroom. Hubby will love the wood floors, for sure.

This very stylish chair has balls on four corners so it glides smoothly on the floor.
Anne Hathaway gave me the creeps.

The closet matches the furniture theme of the room.

Opaque view of the bedroom from the bath.

It was no less than love at first sight.