Supermodel Dream

My previous post seems to have some sad undertones which I would like to take back. Today I woke up at the right side of the bed, started my day in good mood. :) In general, I just want to appreciate whatever comes my way and dont want to take the past 4 years worth of blessings for granted. Here's an entry to offset the vibes :)

2006 Shanghai, the first time I was approached randomly in the streets whether I wanted to join some modelling agency. (It should be among my very first few blog entries). I was on business trip then, didnt have much time to tinker with the idea to attend an interview. (I was partially afraid someone might ask me to strip off :p, well yeah in a place like China, I dont know)

So after 4 years, I was approached again randomly in SG by some agent, handed a namecard in the streets. She asked me for my age in Mandarin, I said 二十九. She clarified, 十九? I said no, 二十九. She was shocked and told me I didnt look like it. I was too shocked to be happy, come on, it was too much, I wanted to cry. :) Translation: she took off 10 years from my actual age.

p.s. I dont wear make-ups and I dress lousily when I'm strolling alone, and people my age here would normally dress up prim & proper, complete with make-up and false eyelashes - so probably that's why the confusion, the fortunate misleading confusion

It was Dec 18 Sat (the day when most of my friends are rushing home a week before Christmas, I was there rushing to go to this so-called agency). Before going, I've already researched online that this agency exists and they have wholesome clients from telco, food chain, insurance, banks, schools, etc, but there were reviews that they are quite notorious in their marketing schemes, or some call it modus operandi -and that is to make their candidates pay for their own training and pictorial fee which is an amount of like 1.2k (approx 36k). In a safe place like this, I am almost 101% sure that nothing really can happen to me, sa liwanag ng araw. Curiousity kills the cat. Ok I can kill an hour's time to hear what they have to say to me.

I was there, and then a lady in her 40's came up to me and did the usual business-as-usual money talks, I have to stress that it's in a 'cold' way. You know people here are so good in selling anything. They explained that I have to invest in myself as they invest on me. I have to pay this 1.2k to have them take photos of me, of which will be used by them when they advertise me to their clients who source models from them for print ads. I'm really awed how good this business is, they earn 1.2k from their models and then again another few hundreds or thousands from their prospective clients

Ok here's the fun part. I wounldnt go there without 'bala' right. I brought those glam shots that I have. I showed them a few samples and told them, cant these be counted as your portfolio pics? This lady finally stood up, adjusted her eyeglasses, and became very warm and friendly. She told me 'hey you have very nice shots'. - Her expression is worth a million, hah! Pagkatpos mo akong taasan ng kilay ha. Wow kahit papano, barely pasado ako for her consideration. :)


In general, I dont like it when people are too sigurista! Well it's supposed to be a mutual trust and collective effort of teamwork and taking risk together. Nothing is certain, so it's a bit strange to be put at the loose ends from the beginning.

Still she did some convincing powers to persuade me to sign but she didnt waive off this 1.2k. She said that I could earn that back anyway if I get picked for any ads.

Maybe if I am extremely bored, papatulan ko lol, I'm not. But then again, I dont want to be tied everyday hoping some company would pick me so I could recover my investment. Pano na mga weekends ko, matutulog pa ako, maglalakwasta. So goodbye to you.

http://www.createtalentsandmodels.com/

Here ends this fun dream of being a supermodel. Even if its totally insane, nobody dies from trying. :)

p.s. Ganon na ba kalayo in person and from the pictures! Ok ok I concede. It's not me. Fine. :)

Let's Dance

It has been decades ago the last time I did some videogaming.

I'm so barbaric, never thought gaming would have evolved so efficiently nowadays. Never did like dance revo btw. This one's quite unique, your movements are detected by the sensor and it makes sports/dances quite interactive, everything's touchscreen, no need for remote control. I wouldnt be surprised if one day, we can do virtual reality at its best. (or bka meron na in the market?! ndi ko lng alam)

I think playing these games at home regulary would help a lot in keeping fit or losing weight! - Xbox Kinect rocks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QovXC-gEa6I

I Feel Like A Celebrity!

At the ripe age of 29 :p, I feel like a celebrity for the first time. :D

My photographer friend and I have been planning for a photoshoot for quite some time. With the numerous chinese movies and series that I have watched, I've always been curious how I would look like in the olden times of China. So here is the unique theme I have chosen: cheongsam! :D

This is a serious shoot with effort, I went for professional hair and make-up. Setting is at Chinese Garden.

I probably have never been this dolled up all my life. It was a holiday and there were a few tourists in Chinese Garden. While my friend was changing her lens and adjusting lights, a few of the tourist went up to me and asked to be taken photographs with :p. One from China told me 'hen piao liang'. Whew it's the first time I heard that compliment. :)

When I was doing another set for modern theme near the grassland, there was a leisure photographer taking scenery who suddenly change his theme from nature to me. We just let it be. Weird and unethical guy who didnt bother speaking to us for chitchatting or asking permission, basta na lng naki-shoot (nang matagal) at umalis :p.

Another couple asked me 'are you from a modelling agency'.

There were some rain drizzles and fortunately, my friend still managed to capture some good shots for me. Here's a teaser again :)


The shot ended well and I treated my friend for dinner (of course back to normal daily wear). The power of false eyelashes - it is quite strange to be stared at, including a guy on a date with his gf beside our table who kept on glancing every so often. This guy needs some serious spanking!

Everything felt so surreal. I know I am not really pretty or slim, but I am glad for once in my lifetime, I feel like a celebrity! :)

The Last Lecture - fave quotes

It's so rare for me to pick up a book and start reading.. that I have to note them down everytime I do :) .

Here are some of my fave quotes taken from 'The Last Lecture'. There are actually too many that I stopped taking notes before halfway finishing the book. Hence these lines can be found in the first half.

We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand

Just because you’re in the driver’s seat, doesn’t mean you have to run people over

Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome

If you’re screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they’ve given up on you. You may not want to hear it, but your critics are often the ones telling you they still love you and care about you, and want to make you better.

Brick walls are there for a reason. They give us a chance to show how badly we want something.

I’m going to find a way to be happy, and I’d really love to be happy with you, but if I cant be happy with you, then i’ll find a way to be happy without you.

A Different View on Birthdays

People who know me probably would know how I used to fancy birthday greetings and birthday parties and all. Being a person who claims to have passion for life, I’ve always considered birthdays as a blessing. It just happens once a year, it wouldn’t hurt to celebrate no matter how busy I am or how lack of money am I running through. Actually to be precise, I have witnessed the lack of it, and so I do cherish it more. (I am not a party animal either)

This year, I finally seem to relate to people who prefer to be low-profile on birthdays. I have a close college friend who took out all his birthday reminders registered online. I even asked him ‘mamatay ka ba pag binati ka’. He replied, ‘hindi naman, hndi ko lng feel, pero gusto ko rin malaman kung sino tlaga nakaalala’. I answered back with a joke, ‘hindi pa rin yan accurate, malamang naalala ka lng dahil may reminder sa cellphone. Khit ako bka makalimutan kitang batiin kung nalowbat ako kasi hndi ko memoryado ang bday mo!’. It was just a whim, what he said actually has a point, khit ba na celphone reminder may effort pa rin.

True, or should I say sadly, in the gadgets and dotcom world, no one remembers birthdays by heart anymore.

I don’t know what air brings me to this realization this year. It suddenly makes sense. I disabled all the reminders that I can remember to have registered online: facebook, friendster, yahoogroups, etc. I am not thirsty for greetings, but I can be honest to admit that I am still probably dying to hear sincere birthday greetings from a few bunch of people who really matters to me (say probably 10). And I really do appreciate people who remembered. Childish, but a fun gambling game.

And yes, to my disappointment there were like 3 or 4 people who still missed it! Better late than never, but I still appreciate people who remember on time. May konting kirot pero ok lng, it makes it easier to filter out which people takes a conscious effort and which don’t. hahaha. Just for a change. :)

Kidding aside, I guess at this point in time, this is what I can say in my blog:
The hardest person to lie to … is not other people, but rather, myself.

Have a blessed everyone, this year and all the nexts!

For the Love of Singing (2)

And here's the English song..

As I listen again now, I suddenly get to appreciate the nice sound system of the new branch of Kbox in Scape, it comes with the new touchscreen ipad-sort of monitor for choosing songs. I'm impressed that there is a screen for handstroke writing to choose songs apart from the usual singer/song/category selection, as well as some poker games icons for those who want to kill time while others are singing. *unpaid advertisement* :)

For the Love of Singing

I’ve always been fascinated with singing, though no one seems to really know :p

After photography, I’ve also met another guru, this time in the field of music. It’s the first time I know of anyone who actually sings in a pub in Sg (ok used to be one of my crazy dream jobs!). He’s the same Filipino guy (married) who referred me to my current job. I was curious about his singing antics so once and for all, we decided to go to KTV. Yeah he is quite good. He told me this: usually there are only 2 kinds of people who are KTV addicts:
1) Those who have a voice
2) Those who sing very lousily and are just going to KTV to shout with friends

After hearing me sing, his verdict: I belong to the first type! Yey! And he did point out my problem: ‘namimili ng kanta ang boses mo’. True enough, I can only sing comfortably in songs of average ranges, the easier ones to manipulate. I can barely sing a fast song or rock for that matter. Unlike him, he seems to carry any types of song, any genre so well. Well that’s a ‘paid’ voice, so it is expected. I’m just a leisure singer.

For the past few years in SG, I’ve been to KTV several times, but most of them were with 1 or 2 friends only. I enjoyed every moment of it. Before it is just a sort of a stress outlet, but later on I realized it’s something I love to do and wouldn’t mind wasting time on.

Recently I went to KTV with a group of new friends. Because I have a member card promo which I feel is a waste if I don’t get to use frequently, I asked them to tag along. I have long forgotten the feeling of a lot of people in a KTV room, last one being in Redbox 3 years ago during some teambuilding I guess.

More people attending actually means less chance of singing actually.

Other people singing uberly bad is ok, sometimes people can still carry it through with a cute attitude. Cute is subjective though :p

There are people who can sing very well and who seem to confidently overflaunting it by raising the key to 2 or 3 notes higher. It doesnt seem necessary too? Or maybe it's just me, I'm just a leisure singer after all. :)

The more unpleasant:
*If people who don’t hold a mic prefers to shout along and sing his/her own, I guess everyone’s eardrums are nearing hemorrhagic bleeding. I don’t find it funny or enjoyable.

*Coming across ‘buakaw’ people continuously queuing 10+ consecutive songs, shows lack of consideration!

*Personally I don’t finish the whole song (perhaps I will stop the song at the end of the first chorus, to give others a chance, besides, repeating the whole song is quite boring. I only finish the whole song for a few favorite songs) – Anyway, I didn’t know some people could consider this ‘bastos’ not to let them finish the whole song.

*And one person asks me how many people have confirmed attendance, I said ‘I think 3 or 4’ – she answered ‘maybe we want to postpone it some other time, because the more the merrier dba’. Is 3 or 4 considered too small a crowd for KTV?? Seems like nowadays, majority of people equate KTV to group singing and shouting sporadically.

Perhaps that is also the reason why some guys don’t like going to KTV to accompany their girlfriends. I suddenly pity those who are forced to participate in such mini-chaos.

And I was laughed at when few people knew I had gone to KTV alone for a few times before. Well all I can say is we all have different satisfaction levels, especially for people like me and kumare. Buti na lng, two of a kind. And I did stop doing so, nagpa-apekto naman. :p

I would still consider my best KTV moments as those with my kumare friend. It makes KTV more enjoyable when both of you know the songs each one is singing (I guess we have the same preference and follow the same artists). Strangely our chemistry is extremely good, unspoken agreement and yet we seem to jive well. Rules don’t have to be explicit at all, else it lacks the fun and excitement! If everything is told to you, then it's a waste. The key is just to be responsive and sensitive and spontaneous.

As mentioned a couple of times already, I always prefer quality over quantity in terms of crowd! But of course, on certain occasions, I don’t mind going to KTV in large groups of close friends, I wouldn’t mind the chaos if the company is worth the few bonding hours.

Ok enough of the talking, here’s a few sample clips from yours truly (kapalan na ng mukha!). Disclaimer: I’m not good, just tolerably average. Have a nice weekend everyone as I sing to the world. Let's toast to that. :) No, I am not drunk.

A chinese song:


An English song:

My Fan's Club

My fan's club has 4 members now! Cheers!

Ironically, in my generation, we were deprived of males. Now the next generation are all naughty boys.

And yes kagwapuhan runs in the blood! oops :p

P.S. My friend and I were humorously talking about medical benefits of our respective companies. Paid maternity leave goes up to 4 or 5 months for us. Geesh too bad if we dont get to use it! tsk tsk

Bonding with Family & Univ Studio peeks

Finally had some quiet time to blog again.

My family came over end of April to early May, and this time even the kids tagged along! I already expected a mini-circus kind of thing going on everyday. Luckily, it all ended smooth and well.

I find it amusing to have my 7yr old nephew asking me about the aquarium. The house I newly moved in has an aquarium, unfortunately fishes died a few days after we moved in (oops talk about improper care/negligence :p). My nephew clearly told me this in a serious tone 'yi-yi, next time dont overfeed the fishes, take care of them and they will grow biiig, then you buy vitamins and then you can sell them...' I was surprised he knew so many things. Then he added 'You can check my fishes in Fishville'. :p This is a winner!

The highlights of the trip would be Universal Studios. It's also my first time there. I seem to have this funny fancy feeling about going to theme parks and carnivals. It gives me a sense of security and simple happiness. The warmth of family I guess (I didnt have a lot of such carnival memories in Manila when i was younger) Anyway, the best rides would be Rapids adventure, Shrek 4D, Revenge of the Mummy (just go google to see what they are).

Other places that we visited are the usual Sentosa, Esplanade/Merlion Park, Orchard shopping, gadget shopping in Funan, zoos. Foodtripping is, of course, a must, a priority. :)

As it was Mother's day then, I have been wanting to give my mom a surprise long back, the OSIM back massager. I know she will scrimp over the price of anything so I better let her try it before buying it. The moment she tried it on in the mall, I can see the glitter in her eyes. That's it, sold. And now back in Manila, she seems to be enjoying it almost every night. :) Hmm this is an unpaid advertisement but I do welcome people to keep hitting this post to increase my Google adsense points. :p

http://www.osim.com/

And also, look at what she got for me. Gifts are not about price tags all the time. The best. :D

Side note:
This is probably the first time I have to send my family back to airport. (earlier ones either I joined them in the flight back, or we parted some other place). I think I have become quite immuned about 'me leaving' (over the years I have been flying to and fro anyway), I didnt know sending someone off in the airport is rather saddening. Add to it my nephew asked me something I wouldnt expect to hear from a kid. I was waving at them as they crossed the immigration, smiling as they waved back. Till I got to mrt, I seemed not able to hold back. There goes depression for one or two days thereafter.

Data Checks (2 of 2)

Some more tips on analyzing incoming source data (referred as IFS in the telco project that I handled). Datawarehouse in a Nutshell: garbage in is garbage out. From a quality standpoint, throw away all the garbages before any app moves to production. The earlier it is detected, the less headaches, the cheaper. This again is part of the KT manual I created.

1. Most common issue is PK/integrity checks.
If there’s only one PK (natural key) stated in IFS specs, then IFS should not have two entries with the same natural key, this would result in Oracle constraint error during loading.
Product Code Desc Product Type
1 Class A 001
1 Class B 002

Possible course of action:
1) It could be source issue. Ask for Regen
2) Recheck data model. Maybe there’s a need to check whether natural key is defined correctly. There’s a possibility to explore addition of another new column, (eg. Product Type) which should be part of natural key to determine PK.


2. Not null columns.
Whatever primary columns or columns defined as not null in IFS specs, these columns should not be null in IFS.
Product Code Desc
1 Class A
Class B

Possible course of action: Ask for Regen


3. Unknown codes in Fact Tables
Logically, whatever codes submitted in Fact files should be present in Code tables, or else this would result to lookup failure:

Fact IFS:
Month Product Code Amount
200910 1 500
200910 3 400

Code IFS
Product Code Desc
1 Class A
2 Class B

Possible course of action:
1. If unknown code in Fact IFS is valid (product code = 3), then Code IFS should have regen.
2. If unknown code in Fact IFS is invalid, then Fact IFS should have regen.
3. Or customer can decide that it is ok to keep it as is.


4. Different Cases/Forms that cause mismatch during lookups
As pointed in above point#3, logically, whatever codes submitted in Fact files should be present in Code tables, or else this would resolve to lookup failure. However there are times that manipulation is needed in ETL side to make the join to be successful. Eg: functions like: UPPER, LOWER, TO_CHAR, LTRIM, RTRIM, SUBSTR, ABS, etc.

Fact IFS:
Month Product Code Amount
200910 101a 500
200910 000203B 400

Code IFS
Product Code Desc
101A Class A
203B Class B

Closely looking at the values, the values do exist but not exactly in the same form. This should tell you that these are not really lookup failures.

Possible course of action:
1. Agree with client who should change which and what should be handled in ETL in their side or our side. Other than the agreed things, then whatever that still fails lookup is considered ‘valid’. Revisit the logic when more data has been loaded. Document such to have reference in the future.


5. Volume of Data
The volume of data should more or less be consistent. If a fact file contains 3M records on a daily basis, then it shouldn’t fall too low, eg 100k records. For additional info, data volume is tracked for several other purposes. This is usually checked in SIT.

a. One is for tracking performance: comparing ETL processing time against different IFS files having different data volume.

b. Another purpose is for is tracking compression (in comparison to aggregated tables), this is to check whether compression targets are met or not. If targets are not met, then there is a need to revisit design. Some columns might not be suitable to be part of the group by clause.

Possible course of action:
If IFS file suddenly has too low rowcount, it has to be informed to client to check from their source. This might need IFS regen from M1.


6. Other Common IFS Issues:
• Duplicates - same entry of exactly same records are sent twice.

• Default values. Default values as indicated in IFS specs are not followed. There are also cases where agreed values are Y or N, but in actual IFS, it is showing null values, X values, etc.

• Missing footer record. ETL program from M1 side has to be completed, and thus trailer record will be populated.

• Column length too long.

• Missing or Additional column in IFS

• Extra spaces for data some columns in IFS, special characters.

• Invalid filename

The Kite

Dont know anything about fancy editing.

Tweaked the pic I took with just MS Picture Manager, it looks good.

I like the effect of the kite.. artsy, hovering on the orange-tinted clouds. And the flyer too.

One lazy afternoon.

Kikay-ish

I just met with leklek yesterday. Because he has been inviting me to his hangout place (read: gay bar) for quite some time, finally found the chance to accompany him. My first time to a gay bar, gays there arent so loose as I expected them to be, in fact conservative. It was a bar cum public KTV place, I sang 2 or 3 songs that night (keber kahit na public) and I was told that I can sing well and exudes a different appeal while singing Mandarin songs. haha whew that made my night (I do believe them :p, no point of any b.s. as I'm not a prospect at all!) I guess I have another fallback career hmm.

Anyway, I will be forever grateful to him because he taught me one of the biggest kikay lessons - and that is it's mandatory to smile showing teeth. Goodness, I havent widely-smiled for the last 20+years of my life (cause I dont know how to!) and finally someone insisted that I should change it. I think I look more human from 07 onwards. haha thanks sis.

Sometimes I'm afraid to see my old pictures hihi. This was my typical look, with glasses that is :p. Taken while crossing a hanging bridge in Bohol, 2005. Guys and girls, you must really like me for bearing with me hehe. I miss those good old days.

Quote: Once in a while, we all need to seriously look at the mirror and go for a make-over. :D Life is a continuous journey of self-improvement.

Food Lab: Something New

Life is a journey of continuous exploration. A little spice breaks the monotony, the boredom.

So is with my cooking. It's fun to try something new once in a while.

Go Pinoy: Daing na Bangus & Kare-Kare

First time to try daing, it was quite ok.

For kare-kare, you can do away with some instant mix (no need to reinvent the wheel). It doesnt look appetizing though (kare-kare always look a bit yucky right)




Pica-Pica: Tempura and Fish , Pan-fried Dumplings

My first successful attempt of tempura! Prawns are not big enough though.

Fried Fish fillet is so-so.

My version of pan-friend dumplings (kwo-tie).

Chicken Galore: Grilled Chicken & Chicken Pandan

Got this grill idea from a hausmate: thyme, basil, pepper, wine, etc - my version of andok's :p.

And lastly, my trying-hard attempt to make chicken pandan. Tastes like the grilled chicken haha, someone should be supplying me more spices.

P.S. I am not really a big fan of frying. Not because of avoiding oily food, rather I dont like washing so many messy oily pots and pans! See what happens to my hands after each 'session' :(. I always have to go for a lotion overload right after! I need a dishwasher.

P.P.S. This is the only cooking pose that I have. Taken 2 years ago in a potluck party, sole evidence that I can cook.. and fortunately, food is edible. :)

Island Cruise

Yet another adventure to share. Kusu island conquered. This year's summer is fun.













Onboard the pagoda. Sailing. Cruising. Till we reach the island.












Make a wish. Throw a coin. Away from the hustle and bustle of the citylights. Buildings are far from sight.














Like the turtles, bathing in the sun.










(hey the impromptu lines rhyme a bit :p)

P.S. Trip courtesy of a friend's bday gathering.
Pwede pala yun, pupunta ng ibang island para lng sa bday. Cool! :)

Sandwiches and the Doves

Last Dec when I was assigned to the client side for the bank project, there's this nice view in Raffles facing the river. I thought of relaxing there for my lunches. I prepared sandwiches (piled as high as what you see in the picture), ate them and fed the doves with the leftovers. Flocked by the doves, again so Europe-ish.

How to prepare the sandwiches:

grilled meat, tomato, lettuce, cheese, egg, mayo

... and yet I was still not full, I cannot thrive on sandwiches alone :p

Home Shopping

My house contract got renewed early March at a good price. Whew I can continue staying in the comforts of this house. I like the location, Bishan being one of the prime residential estates, and also anything I need is just across the street.

Finally got the time to go for a round at Ikea. I didnt know the main branch in Tampines is that BIG! It even has showrooms for bedrooms, kitchens, sala, etc. The warehouse concept is superb, honesty policy. And the prices are quite cheap when they're on sale.

(*these pictures are from the showroom, not my home :D)

I went there mainly for buying a mirror. Good enough for a whole body view and convenient enough to carry around (3 squarish sections).

My typical Sunday look at home. Jersey with shorts, comfy! hihi.

Macau Macau

Macau is one of my fave vacation spots so far, nice scenery, nice food.

Quite amazing how they manage to make it so Europe-ish. and my 2nd 'fake' gondola ride. One day I will be trying the real one!

Quite crazy to be trying new things.. boots! and some of the hair and neck burloloy stuff which I cant use in SG nor in Ph. My companion was even more prepared with her kikay get-up. One of my best travel buddies. Imagine few hours before the flight, we had early check-in of our baggage (with a minimal fee) just to go to a beach few kms away from the airport. And we survived by just commuting (bus). That's what I call 'madiskarte'!

Casino-hopping is one heck of an interest. Money can disappear in seconds. It's literally burning money. Despite recession, the casinos were full of people! I tried my luck, no good. :p

Some good food: suckling pig, porkchop bun (ju pa bao) and Portugese clam dish. Sangria wine is another must-try.

The hotel we stayed in is definitely a good choice in terms of proximity to tourist spots, it's in the middle of the city. We highly recommend it for travellers who prioritize convenience and value for money. However not for honeymooners, stone-like mattresses hehe.

I love the weather. It allows some vents for vanity :)

Lastly I again dont like the culture of the Chinese there, I am disappointed over those who take advantage of tourists. I cannot understand Cantonese but I can somehow guess a few phrases. I hate the typical situation where people hard-sell you into something and once offer is declined, they'll talk so rudely in a foreign language. Same goes in China or HK. Sad to admit, countries with the negative side of the ancient Chinese culture are really a turn-off. Good thing somehow SG people are a bit more refined (or at least they are ethical enough not to vent out loudly). I would have left earlier if this is the case. :p

Birthday Cake

I recently went to Macau for a short Vday vacation :p ....too bad it wasnt with a guy though lol... but with my kumare. Macau is definitely a nice place for sight-seeing, foodtripping and of course picture-taking. I'll blog about those separately.

My mom and her parents are good friends. I bumped into her Dad last December in Shopper's Mart (Binondo) during my vacation. Her dad was asking me about our vacation plans for Macau. It's actualy my friend's bday also. He was thanking me for being a 'maalaga' sister to her daughter. Then suddenly he took out some money from his pocket and asked me if it's okay to ask a favor that I buy her daughter a birthday cake in Macau. He wanted to surprise her. Awww that's very touching. I suddenly missed having a dad :(((

I didnt want to take his money, I smiled and said it's okay I'll find a cake and pay for it. But he insisted so I just took a small portion just so he wont feel embarrassed. I asked him 'do you know what does she like?' He answered 'actually no'. He suggested that maybe I can try asking her in a not-so-obvious manner.

On our flight back (we actually had the same flight then to Manila). So I started telling her that I just had so much cake because my sister brought home a lot blah blah. And pa-simple asking, how about you what flavor do you like. She answered 'Sans Rival'. I was quite puzzled, where in the world will I find a Sans Rival in Macau or even in SG? hehe I think it's only available in Phil. Haha I was expecting an answer like chocolate or black forest, a 'safe' mass favorite. Then I said 'anything else'? I think she answered 'Brazo de Mercedez'. hehehe another puzzling one. Lastly she also mentioned chocolate cakes, coffee cakes, etc.

When we reached Macau, we were always together and I had no idea how to sneak out to buy a cake in secrecy. I'm not a good surpriser (if there's such word). But I did keep an open eye to find where the nearest bakery to the hotel is. Okay fine I was running out of time that day as we still had to go to Venetian. We were about to go back to hotel then I said 'wait, I have to buy something'. I tagged her along (good thing I remembered where the bakery was), and I said I wanted to buy a cake, 'okay choose which flavor do you want hehe'. Anti-climactic as it may sound, but hey at least I'm sure she'll get something she really wanted :p. She was surprised and thanked me. We were both bursting into laughter. She chose this nice cake topped with strawberries and layered with fruit bits and crispies. And oh btw, two miss piggies managed to finish the whole cake in 2 days.

After paying for the cake, I did tell her that part of it was her dad's idea. And related to her the conversation that her dad and I had. Suddenly I saw her in tears and she was quiet for quite some time. I was also silent. Then she called home to thank her parents.

For me, it was a warm touching moment. Family values are such important things in a person's character. If I do have a family in the future, I also want to pass that kind of warmth to my kids hehe. Really such things in life are priceless, and you dont get to see it everyday.