Everyday Life

Crochet Anywhere, a Wedding, and a Makeup Class #TheWeekThatWas

October 25, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 11 Comments

Confession: I am writing this on a Sunday and backdating it to yesterday. So let’s pretend for a bit that it’s still Saturday, kay? 🙂

My week started with my usual Sunday morning crochet, coffee and breakfast combo with MrC at Starbucks Ayala Alabang. This quickly became a weekly habit that I’d indulge in during Little MrC’s football class. It was the last of my crochet anywhere Sunday mornings for a while though, because Futbol Funatics goes on break for a couple of weeks. The kiddo is actually still deciding if he wants to enroll in the next camp, so I’m not too sure what our weekends are gonna look like towards the end of this year. As if it won’t be unpredictable enough with all the holiday parties coming up, right?

My happy Sunday morning ritual. #CrochetAnywhere #LikeALola #Crochet #gantsilyo #instacrochet #handmade #wip #StarbucksPH

A photo posted by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan (@mrspcuyugan) on Oct 10, 2014 at 6:11pm PDT

My relaxing Sunday was followed by a work-filled week, which was okay coz I was on a self-imposed 4-day work week. Friday was reserved for my cousin’s wedding, something that we had all been looking forward to all year. If my count is right, we are 19 cousins on the delos Santos side of my family, and as each of us is starting to get married and have kids our family is steadily growing. The more we are, the more fun it becomes, and we are all very happy and excited to have Monica in our family now.

Congrats, Chab and Mon! — Congrats, Mon and Chab! Babies next, guys!

Saturday was spent with my ABC Loves, plus a couple of other blogger friends from the south. My old friend Tina offered to teach us how to apply makeup on ourselves, and it was so much fun playing with her brushes and palettes! She brought a lot of fun toys to our small makeup class (as in 2 suitcases worth of makeup!), making my teeny tiny box of makeup look so small and lacking. Must go shopping soon. Lol!

My friend @itstyn is teaching our Alabang blogger group how to apply makeup today! #MakeupByTina A photo posted by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan (@mrspcuyugan) on Oct 10, 2014 at 10:29pm PDT

I shared a few tips and tricks I learned from the class on my Instagram page, along with the silliest looking photos of myself doing makeup. Also gonna be writing about the class soon. Oh, and I can’t wait to share my wedding hair, makeup and gown from Chab and Mon’s wedding with you guys, too! I rarely write makeup and fashion posts, but I really felt so pretty that day that I just have to write. #GGSS hahaha.

Okay that’s all for now. Here’s hoping we all have an amazing next week!

New Clients, New Challenges, and Plans for the Future #TheWeekThatWas

October 11, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 7 Comments

Technically, this post ought to be hashtagged “The Weeks That Were” because it covers this past week and the one before it. After going though a super active blogging week, I had a practically post-less one because October decided to start super strong. New clients mean new challenges, and new challenges mean schedule reshuffling. That’s just what I did over the first 10 days of October, and I’m happy to say that things feel “in place” for me now.

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Out of Alabang today for a series of meetings and errands. First stop, #StarbucksReserve in Makati. Reminds me of my time as a Valero working girl. #Breakfast muna.

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My busy week began here, at Starbucks Reserve in Makati

Today was spent with my Manila Workshops team, planning for 2015 and beyond. I’ve moved on from being one of the Workshop Directors of the team to becoming the Digital Marketing Manager. I’ve actually held this post for a few months now, but it’s only now that my duties and responsibilities are really clearer and more structured, at least in my mind. Lol.

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@mcdo_ph #Coffee Float-ing on a Saturday night coz I have lotsa writing to do. MrC is off to an out of town bachelor party and the little boy is about to sleep. Work mode, on! #WAHMLife #NoGimikForMe View on Instagram

Third coffee drink to cap off this insanely busy Saturday

I remember saying last year that I didn’t want to do social media jobs anymore, but lo and behold these are the ones that fate has been presenting me with lately. Guess it’s where I’m supposed to be headed. At the same time, I’m also aiming to pump up my own blog and brand’s (naks, brand!) social media, simply because I know it makes a real difference.

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2nd stop, #StarbucksReserve in BGC. First meeting with a new client. Yay for work. #StarbucksHopping #WAHMLife

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My first meeting with my new client (who has me thinking and writing like a suave, handsome man) took place here, at Starbucks Reserve in BGC

I also want to do better as far as blogging goes, and so I signed up for Jeff Goins’ Intentional Blogging Challenge, despite the chaos that is my daily life. Our first assignment was to create or update our About Me pages, and I want to ask you now to please visit mine and tell me what you think about it.

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Let the staycation begin! Thank you for having us this weekend, #F1HotelManila! I love the cutie detail you put into our itinerary 🙂 View on Instagram

I’m so loving how this little blog has allowed me to do such nice things and build such wonderful memories with my boys. Our recent staycation at F1 Hotel in BGC was one of those amazing gifts that blogging has given our family

Like I said, these past two weeks have been eventful. In one day, I visited two different Starbucks Reserve stores. I’ve done back to back meetings in one morning to maximize my Makati trips. I’ve checked out two different co-working spaces and one virtual office site. I’ve taken another fun staycation with the boys. I’ve cooked and eaten an assortment of food. I’ve made future plans for myself, my family, my blog, and even my clients. I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot, and that is most definitely a good thing.

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My gorgeous office for the day. @O2space #WorkMode

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I really cannot wait to spend another Makati day at O2 Space

To be honest, this is a boring post with me just unloading my brain. It’s been a while since I’ve written such a random brainfart as this, and it kinda feels good. Blame it on all the coffee I’ve had today, and the cookies on my table that I am trying not to eat right now. And with that, I bid you all good night. Hope you guys have a great weekend.

October is for Chasing Dreams

October 8, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 16 Comments

I feel I owe you guys an apology because I haven’t blogged in well over a week. October started off real strong for me as far as work goes. Lotsa new projects came in, and all at the same time, too! It’s taken a while for me to find my footing, but I think today is a lot better compared to my first few October days. And so I have found time to blog. This is just a short one, because I really just felt like touching base.

So, at the end of August a long-time dream of mine started coming true. MrC and I have finally chosen our first home! Yay! It’s gonna take a few more years for it to come to full completion, but the excitement and anticipation is enough to see me through til then. This is also something that we are both gonna have to work our butts off for, and that explains why I am suddenly super loaded this month. It’s a happy problem, and super worth it, too. Plus, if I’m smart about my time management, I won’t sacrifice any family time at all. So far so good, I’m happy to report. I only hope that I can keep up this structured schedule that has fallen into place just today.

And with that, I leave you with this afterthought, a small bit of inspiration that I picked up on my short first visit to O2 Space (which I will be writing about soon, along with a host of other things I’ve been up to). Nothing great ever came that easy.

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Words of wisdom on my work desk. #coworking #O2Space #WorkMode @o2_space

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Here’s to hard work and chasing dreams.

Backlog Busting, a Garage Sale and a Girls Night Out #TheWeekThatWas

September 27, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 4 Comments

It has been a very long and full week. A lot of it was spent in the kitchen cooking breakfast, baon and dinner. I really enjoy cooking for the family, even though it really tires me out. I’ve also been remembering to post my kitchen creations on Instagram, and that is a good thing. One of my winner dishes of the week was Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs. These are the meatballs. The rest of the steps are on my IG page!

Another thing that kept me busy this past week was our batch garage sale. Little MrC’s batch will be having their First Holy Communion this coming school year, and this was one of the fundraising projects that the Parents Association put together for it. It was fun working with the other moms, sorting and pricing the items for sale. The kiddo also enjoyed playing with the other kids who hung around while the moms worked. THe best part of all this was that I got to get rid of some of the things we no longer use at home. Yay for finally starting on my purging project! I did buy some cook books and cooking magazines, though, but those I’ll be able to use for sure. And I got all of these for only 200Pesos!

I happily capped off this crazy week in the best way ever, with a girls’ night out with my ABC loves and our significant others. We spent the evening at Century City Mall in Makati, which was nice and clean and spacious. It was my first time there, and I already told MrC that I want to go back and go shopping. Soon. We had dinner in what I now fondly think of as Kessaku’s cousin who lives in Makati, Yumi Japanese Restaurant. I’ve gushed over Kessaku several times here on the blog, and you can look forward to a blog post gushing about Yumi real soon.

After dinner came drinks at 12 Monkeys Music Hall and Pub. It has been forever since MrC and I went to a gig, and so I was really happy to be at 12 Monkeys. I can’t wait to catch one of my favorite bands there coz the sound in the place is really good. It’s nice and comfy, too, with amazing food. Perfect for me, as I am quickly becoming tanders (aka old and boring). Blogging about this experience soon, too.

My greatest achievement this past week was posting every day and significantly cutting down my blogging backlog. Yay!!! Here’s a roundup of posts that came out this week. Please read them?

And with that, this tanders is going to bed. Hope you all had a fab week, too.

On Losing A Friend and Gaining an Angel

September 12, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 20 Comments

I remember when I first started driving. Mica and I would often take my car (an ancient Vanette) to run errands back and forth from Festival Mall to Westgate. Every time we’d get stuck at the stoplight along Bridgeway I would freak out. I mean hello, new driver + old car + hanging + honking cars behind us. But she would always tell me, “Go lang girl, kaya mo yan.”

Setting up for Valentine’s Day 2012 at Westgate

I found out on my birthday last February that she was sick.

I didn’t get to see her much over the last few months. I was afraid to bring her germs (since the kiddo and I usually pass cough, colds and fever back and forth between us during school season). I would message her randomly on Facebook to say hi, good morning, I love you. It was my turn to say “Go lang girl, kaya mo yan.”

We’d known each other for less than 5 years, and yet it feels like we’ve been friends forever. She was like a sister to me. Now that I think about it, she and my ate (who died two days after birth) are both named Michelle. They were both born in 1981, too. That coincidence alone makes me feel like we were really meant to be friends. I’m glad that fate worked its magic so that our paths and our lives crossed.

It’s always a fun foodtrip with these guys

She and I shared countless secrets, giggles, stories, good days and bad ones, and several takas red velvet cake slices at UCC in the middle of random work days. I’m godmother to her daughter. She celebrated with MrC and I on our wedding day. Sadly, I missed hers. Missing her wedding is the one thing I regret about my time with Mica. I should have made that extra effort. I wish I did.

I lost my friend yesterday. It’s sad, but I am happy that she is in a better place now. She fought hard and now it’s time for her to rest. I wasn’t planning on writing about her because it still feels so unreal. But then, the moment I sat down at my computer, the words came out.

Haynako Mica Girl, I won’t even begin to list all of the things I will miss about you. I promise to take care of Chloe in whatever way I can. I promise to never forget you. Have fun in heaven. Oh, and please kick my butt if you see from up there that what I’m doing is wrong. But go easy on me, ha? You know I’m duwag. Lol. I love you forever, Ganda. I miss you already.

2 Tagaytay Trips and 3 Seasons of Mad Men #TheWeekThatWas

September 6, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 12 Comments

My week was literally half work, half play. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were super productive work days for me. I was able to submit a couple of articles, script edits, write a few blog posts and attend our PH editorial meeting for theAsianParent.com. Thursday and Friday were partly spent doing some house chores, but mostly I watched Mad Men. From late last week til the end of this week, I managed to watch all of the first three seasons. Yep, I’m hooked, obviously.

I think that the highlights of my past week came on the two Saturdays that bookended it. Both were spent in Tagaytay, my favorite quick escape. Last Saturday was spent discovering the gorgeous QiWellness Living Tea House and Bath House with my ABC loves (as in Alabang Bloggers Club – you will be reading a lot about this fun group in the coming posts), our significant others (or what I like to call the Prince Charming Crew), and a few other blogger friends from the south. We were treated to an amazing 8-course Yin Yang dinner, complete with Asian-inspired cocktails and glasses of wine. What a treat! It was just the date night that we mommies needed.

QiWellness Living's Ken, Jeff and Rita with bloggers, Ging, Mish, Jane, Joei, MrsC, Kaity and Helene — QiWellness Living’s Ken, Jeff and Rita with bloggers, Ging, Mish, Jane, Joei, MrsC, Kaity and Helene

This Saturday (as in today) was spent with MrC. He and I went on an early anniversary lunch date at Taal Vista Hotel. If you’ve been visiting this blog for a while now, you’ll remember that we celebrated our 2nd anniversary at Taal Vista last year. We had the chance to catch the opening of Culinary Gems, a series of special lunch and dinner buffets to celebrate the hotel’s 75th year. Over the next few weekends, featured guest chefs will put their spin on local favorites as part of the buffet offerings.

I was beyond excited to meet Chef Fernando Aracama. Oh my gosh I just love this man’s cooking. Love with a capital L. I know for a fact that I will be dreaming about his Beef Adobo sa Tuba.

Blogging about both amazeballs Saturdays soon. I actually missed posting a few stories I had lined up for the week. Confession: It’s because I chose to watch Mad Men instead of writing. Maybe I should treat myself to an episode AFTER I finish publishing or adding a post to my queue. Sounds like a pretty good idea to me.

How did you guys spend your week? Any interesting stories?