Miss Saigon on Broadway

I really want to blog about this while everything is still fresh in my memory. So, here I am at midnight, on the last few days of my summer holiday here in France, jet-lagged and all, but I find enough energy to write about this experience. I have just been to see the musical for the first time ever last Monday, 10th July. I have always been a big fan of Miss Saigon for obvious reasons -- because Lea Salonga was in it, and also being in my pre-teen years the first time it came out, I had a predisposition to crave sappy, romantic love songs.

I almost saw this musical back when they were doing it in Manila. It was in the early 2000's. My best friend from the university invited me to see it with him for free! Unfortunately, it was at the same time I had to go to a very important job interview. Had I known I would not have passed for that job, I would've just seen Miss Saigon. It would've been sooo nice to see it with Lea Salonga (I think it was her) playing Kim.

Anyway, fortunately enough, Miss Saigon is again on broadway at the same time as hubby and I were in New York. I booked well-ahead in advance a very nice seat, third row from the front on the left side facing the stage and right next to the aisle so nobody would bother me. It was such a fantastic seat! There were only six seats in our row. From there, I could see everything -- the pores, the sweat, the tiny microphones, and even the tiny spittle of saliva from the actors' mouths.

Toulouse Visit 2017

It's been a week since I've arrived in France for the Summer Holiday. I spent the first week eating, drinking, visiting the fresh market, enjoying the first few days of the Summer Sale, getting a hair cut from one of my friends, and hanging out with them!

Place du Capitole de Toulouse at sunset

Romantic Lunch Date at Rhubarb Le Restaurant

Rhubarb Vanilla Ice Cream at Rhubarb, Le Restaurant

There is nothing more pleasantly distracting than a surprise romantic lunch at a Michelin-starred French restaurant on a busy Monday. Hubby chose a cozy restaurant called, Rhubarb, Le Restaurant. We figured the owner must've been really obsessed with this plant, which a decade ago would've been something very unfamiliar to me. I now know for one that Rhubarb Pie is one of my husband's favorites. And I quite like it too, for its tangy and citrusy flavor. We tried the restaurant's Rhubarb Vanilla Ice Cream at the end of a three-course lunch menu, and found it deliciously refreshing, especially with the popping sugar bits.

Mothers' Month 2017

Last Mother's Day -- hubby treated me to a lovely lunch at a nice restaurant.

While I am thankful that a lot of the hassles of taking care of a small baby have gone away with the passing of time, I could never really be whole-heartedly grateful to dear old time, as I realize that the more my daughter grows the less she will be needing me. I know this is too early to start worrying about when she will become a teenager and will be wanting to leave her parents' care... but this is the stuff that mothers do. And I can't help it. I'm deep into it now. Especially since I have been a mother for already half a decade now!

But worrying aside, I am very happy to see how she has grown... what mother wouldn't?! She is very beautiful. She loves to dance a lot, and she sings all the time. She is always cheerful but she is also quick-tempered like her mother... and very makulit like her father.

Here are some of my favorite snaps taken during the past year that make me appreciate being a mom every time I look at them...

Unicorn Theme Birthday Cake

Although I promised myself I would never again organize a big birthday for my daughter, I just couldn't help but do it again this year. This time around, I tried to keep the size of the party a little bit smaller than last year. I also tried to do less stuff so I wouldn't stress myself too much. But what I always fuss about the most is the birthday cake. I just think that it's very central to the celebration. It's what the celebrant and the kids attending the birthday party really look forward to. I wanted to make a special cake for my daughter for her birthday but I just became really busy this year to do it all from scratch. It was a very lucky coincidence that I stumbled upon this cake decorating workshop where I can take home the cake, and that the workshop fell on the day right before my daughter's birthday party.

Believe it or not, the workshop took five hours (half the day) to finish. Prior to attending, I was wondering why it was that long, but during the workshop I immediately realized, it's not really enough time to do everything, actually. I had fun decorating this cake, although it was a lot of pressure to make it look really beautiful and not mess it up because I'd be using it the day after for my daughter's party.

Hanami

This spring, I finally got the chance to visit Japan for Hanami (Cherryblossom Viewing). I went with my family to Kyoto, Lake Kawaguchi (Kawaguchiko) and Tokyo. This is my second time to Japan but it's my first time to see Mt. Fuji in all its magnificence right in front of our lake-side hotel.

Details of my trip on escapecapades.com.

My Awkward Experience at the Sumo Stable in Tokyo

Sumo Wrestling has always been one of the interesting things about Japanese culture that I have always wanted to see and experience in person. And so, when I recently came back to Japan with my family this month I tried to book for a ticket to watch an actual match, but it was fully booked for the month. But then, I found out I could instead book for a Sumo Practice Viewing at the sumo stable.

I tried to book via Viator (a company owned by TripAdvisor) for three people... but I found out kids are not allowed. And that I could only book for one person on the dates that I prefer. So what I did was book for myself on one date and book for my husband on another date.