30 Years Young: Starting the Decade Off Right!

You are all well aware of the fact that I don’t really believe in doing anything small, especially when it comes to milestone birthdays.  All it took was 5 months of hinting on my part before Nick caved and graciously agreed to host a 30th birthday bash for me (against his better judgment).  And what fun we had…

But before we go into all the juicy details of the night, let’s first explore why 30 is such a big deal for me.  Now, I find birthday conversations a bit frustrating at times because most people expect you to be depressed about getting older.  You see, that’s never been a fear for me.  Actually, for as long as I remember, I’ve wanted to be an adult.  This goes back as far as age 10 when my parents would be hosting dinner parties and I’d sneak down and put my ear to the wall of the adjacent room and revel in the adult conversation.  In high school I remember leaving the party in the basement and going up and chatting with the host’s parents (yup, I was a full-fledged dork).  Dare I say I even preferred talking to adults over my peers.  It was a sad day when mom sat me down and told me I need to spend more time with people my age!

I thought the 20′s would finally get me into the “adult club,” but it always seemed to elude me.  I still found that more senior adults disregarded my opinion because I was a 20-something or questioned my ability to coach them because of my lack of life experience.  And that proved to be insanely frustrating because what I’ve known for a long time is that is that age is irrelevant –  I just happen to be an OLD SOUL…..who now has the digits to back it up!  No more writing me off as a mistake-making 20-year-old because 30 is the REAL DEAL.  30 is maturity.  30 is baby-making time (a very grown-up thing to do).  And 30 is above-all-else, not the 20′s!

And so I’m sure you can see now why this was such a HUGE DEAL.  This was my débutante ball, my adult coming-out party and my day of birth all rolled into one.  Happily, the hubby came through big time on this one!  He started by surprising me with my gifts the night BEFORE my birthday.  This is unheard of in the Novak family, I might even go so far as to say it’s prohibited.  And since I believe in opening a gift as soon as it’s given, you can imagine that this has created some tension in our newly-joined family.  So imagine my delight when he proposed that I open it early!?!  YES PLEASE!

Again, I need to fill you in on some background details.  Being that we’re traveling like mad this year, we both agreed that we’d just spend $100 on birthday gifts.  Being the rule follower that I am, I stayed perfectly within the budget for his 30th birthday last December.  He got some very cool sandals, a fab new briefcase and an electronic helicopter (okay, it even sounds pathetic when I write it – but I swear, it seemed very adequate at the time).  Well, imagine my surprise when I unwrap my gift and discover a beautiful new phone (for texting, of course – I do now live in the texting capital of the world) that was well above the limit.  I was tickled pink and only feeling mildly guilty until we’re laying in bed later that night and he mysteriously pulls out another package.  Yup, you guessed it, that little punk totally broke the rules and got me the most gorgeous new long-range camera lens (a 55-250 mm).  I couldn’t decide whether to be pissed or delighted, as this was totally and completely unexpected (and inappropriate).  He looked so excited about it though that I just melted and buried my shame at giving him such crap gifts (stupid rule following – never again)!

Fast forward to my actual birthday: I decided to take a nice ‘n easy Manila pampering day since the evening was going to be very people-filled.  I managed to fit in a manicure, lunch out and a massage (of course).  Nick had rented a place called Nicotina’s for the evening.  It’s a favorite hang-out of the Embassy folks that we were introduced to earlier this year.  I immediately fell in love with the open-air setting, good food and live band!  When Nick suggested it for my birthday, I knew that was the perfect spot.  Here’s what it looks like inside:

The venue was AMAZING to work with.  We had about 30 RSVP’s, so Nick had pre-ordered 10 pizzas.  They allowed us to bring in our own cake as well, which was really nice.  Best of all though, Nick arranged the opportunity for me to sing with the band!  Talk about dreamy… that’s 1000 times better than regular karaoke!

Traffic was bad, so people trickled in throughout the night.  We started with lots of eating, drinking and dancing.  Once I was sufficiently relaxed I was ready to rock (I get insanely nervous when I haven’t soloed in awhile).  I started with my signature Karoake song, Alone by Heart.  Nothing like a classic 80′s ballad to belt out.  Once I was feeling good, we moved into some duets (with the band’s lead singer).  We took on Hopelessly Devoted To You from Grease and One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey.  To close down the set, my friend Jen came up and dueted with me on Alison Krause’s When You Say Nothing At All.   What you’ll notice as you watch the progression of these pictures, is that I’m getting more and more into it with my ENTIRE BODY.  Hands, eyes closed, head back – I brought it, diva-style!  :)  I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect night!  Thanks to everyone who made it so magical….

PS- Nick was on picture-detail for the night, so check out his work at SMUGMUG.

Bring it on 30, I am SOOOO ready for you!
It’s going to be a fan-frickin’-tastic decade ahead!

Party Like It’s 1999!

Turned out to be a BIG party weekend for this girl.  Felt like I was back in my early 20′s, not 1 month away from the big 3-0!  Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I went out for both Friday AND Saturday (Does that mean I’m getting old or just pitiful?).  I guess this was long overdue.

The fun began on Friday night when I ended up back at Redbox singing Karaoke for the second straight Friday in a row!  A new tradition perhaps?  I could definitely handle that.  Too bad I’d have to drug Nick to get him to go there.  Oh yeah, did I mention I flew solo both nights?  I felt like a single girl again (that fiercely independent one that I used to be).  It was all good.  I managed to rock the mic again, performing a perfectly selected mix of show tunes and 80′s hits.

The highlight of the night for me was dueting with one of my favorite gal-pals, K.  We took the house down with our rendition of “Total Eclipse of the Heart”.  Sadly, it was her last weekend in Manila so we won’t be singing together again for quite some time.  In the foreign service we never say goodbye for good though, because we always assume that we’ll be thrown together again!

K and her husband B managed to draw quite a crowd for their going-away bash, so we were able to get the mega-party room at Redbox, complete with a pool table!  Seriously, this concept needs to come to the US.  Karaoke at the VFW is so 90′s.  Anyone want to be my angel investor and bring this to MN?  :)

And that was just Friday night!  Saturday involved a glam girls night out with dinner and a showing of Sex and the City 2 (hereafter referred to as SATC2).  Now, I cannot be considered an avid fan of the show, but I love a good excuse to gather with the girls.  In fact, I wasn’t so hot on the movie.  But oh did we have a good time though!  I wore way more make-up than my husband likes, pulled out an old bar-going top and found a little shimmer.  In staying true to the movie, we knocked back a healthy number of Cosmos and even had a contest to see who could pull off the highest heels (I was never going to with that one!)

Check out these monster heels!  If I would have attempted these, I would have ended up back at Makati Med with a broken ankle.  I’ll leave it to the pros, thank you very much!

I can’t tell you how thankful I am that we have such a robust, welcoming expat community here.  It has never been easier to make friends (shocking considering that I came from MN)!  The groups that have embraced me have modeled the most wonderful example of hospitality, something I know that I will carry with me for the rest of my Expat life, especially when I’m a ‘Veteran Expat’ down the road.  Cheers to Global Friendships that know no physical boundaries!

Still Rocking the Mic after all these Years

Those of you who have known me a long time know that Sarah & Singing just plain go together.  I think the best way to explain it to you would be that I have my own “Pandora” station that plays in my head (we’ll call it WSLN for simplicity sake).  At any given time on WSLN you’re most likely to find one of the following playing: Show tunes, Church Songs, anything by Celine Dion, the latest top 100 hit from the pop charts or a nice acoustic singer/songwriter piece.  The key is that the voice is emphasized over the other instruments, because I’m ALL ABOUT THE VOICE.

Where I get into trouble is when I think WSLN is just playing in my head but then all of a sudden I find myself singing out loud with it (the music is just so damn good!)  During my Target Corp. years I got a lot of crazy stares for being that “Elevator Singer”.  I didn’t mean to, it just kind of happened as I was in my own world… Alas, some things are just a part of you.

For those who have only known “Foreign Service Sarah”, I’ll give you a brief history on my musical background to build my credibility (so at least you’ll think I’m a DECENT elevator singer!)  Here goes: Started church choir in 3rd grade, started soloing around 6th grade, took 6 years of voice lessons from 7th-12th grade, sang with a choral group and soloed on a Christian recording that was released when I was in 8th grade, did musical theater and choir all through high school, soloed in church in my early 20′s, currently choir-less and trying to identify the role singing will play in my overseas life.

So why am I even writing about singing today?  Well, on Friday night I took my sister out with a group of friends to a place called Redbox, which is basically a Karaoke club.  The thing is, it’s nothing like Karaoke in the States.  It’s not in a bar or VFW where you’re singing in front of a room of strangers.  It’s an intimate, social affair where you and your favorite peeps rent an appropriately-sized room to rock out in.  There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 different rooms that you can rent out, varying in size from 2-4 people all the way up to 35 people.  The largest rooms have both an area for singing and an adjacent area for pool or poker.  That way the people who don’t like to sing are entertained as well.  It’s a brilliant concept, I tell you, because even non-singers are more inclined to come.

Okay, so not only did we have a blast, but it also stirred up all this longing to be singing more regularly (translation: in a choir).  I love using my voice in that way… I can access this part of me that’s just so free and ALIVE.  The simplest way to put it (the thing I think I’ve always known) is that the best part of me, my HIGHEST SELF, shows up when I’m singing.  It’s like I get a direct connection to the divine because in those moments when I’m singing, I know that everything’s going to be fine and that I am MAGNIFICENT.

I can’t believe I’ve never been able to articulate that up until now, but it’s true.  Who knew it would take a night of karaoke singing to get me in touch with that?  So now that I’ve shared, I’m curious, what’s that one activity you do that connects you with your BEST, MOST ALIVE self?

An Idyllic Afternoon in Bulacan with my Carewell Friends

Life doesn’t get much better than spending an afternoon in the country with my new-found Carewell friends.  And although the gathering was set up “just because,” there ended up being much to celebrate that day, including a cancer-free scan that had come back for one attendee!

Isn’t their place adorable?  I should start by saying that this is not at all what typical houses in the Philippines look like.  It reminds me more of a MN cabin than anything I’ve seen here… maybe that’s why I took an instant liking to it.  My absolute favorite part of the house was the SECRET BATHROOM, which was hidden behind the closet.  Ingenious space saver for the main floor!

And allow me to begin by introducing you to our gracious hosts, Remy and Danny (pictured above).  Remy truly was the “hostess with the most-est,” serving us a table full of Filipino delights.

And yes, that’s Kuya Rudy (our driver) partaking in the delicious fare.  On a side note, Rudy recently told me (with pride, mind you) that he is the second oldest expat driver (the 64 year old driver beat him out).  We couldn’t be more proud Rudy!  Enough of that… back to the party!

Filipinos love their food and they are MAJOR food-pushers.  Just as you’re about to puke, they’re kindly offering you another plate that they made up “just for you”.  I’m starting to set down some serious rules because a girl only needs so many calories a day… good thing I had a chance to work it off as I rocked the karoake mic for a solid hour!

I tell you, these women (and Danny) are pure joy to hang out with each week.  They have taught me so many lessons about gratitude, spirituality and living life to the fullest.  I mean, look at these pictures – would you guess that they all have cancer (with some even in stage 4)?  I think not!?!  They are vibrant and alive, eeking out every last moment until their final breath (whenever that may be).  Suffice to say, it’s intoxicating to be around them.

What I now understand is that you may not be able to control your circumstances, but you can ALWAYS control how you’re going to BE WITH your circumstances.  They may not have the full range of options on the table (no chance of getting that breast back), but they live each day as empowered individuals committed to living.  It is amazing to see how much power resides in letting go of the outcome and just focusing on being in the here and now.  Powerful lessons for this 29 year old…

To see the rest of this BEA-U-TIFUL gallery of pictures, head on over to SMUGMUG!

When Blogosphere Friends Become Dinner Guests

Have I mentioned how much I love you, my blog-reading public.  Last week we reached a new high, with over 550 of you visiting in one day!  Thank you for the L-O-V-E… I know you have many things you could be doing with your time and I appreciate it!

Since I started blogging 2 years ago, I’ve been shocked by the number of connections I’ve made online via social media channels.  I never would have thought it possible to develop solid relationships with strangers, but I find myself doing it almost daily now.

One of my favorite stories regarding online-friendships happened just last month.  I was spending the morning at the local equivalent of the Farmer’s Market when someone shouts out, “Hey, this is a strange question, but are you MinnesotaGal?”  I was totally floored but managed to respond that I did write a blog of that name.  She then proceeded to tell me that she’d been following my blog for several months and “absolutely loved the way my chaise turned out” and “thought my Cambodia photos were spectacular”.  I was completely taken aback by the one-way nature of this conversation and thinking how crazy it was that this woman knew so much about my life.

But then I realized that I had invited her into my life by putting myself out in the Blogosphere…AND wasn’t it cool that she had connected with so many of my stories?  Technology is truly creating a whole new way of being in relationship with people, and I must say that I like it.  Yes, it can start out a bit one-sided sometimes, but there are always chances to rebalance it.

For example, once I got over my shock, I managed to ask for her contact info.  We then proceeded to invite Rebecca over for dinner this past Saturday and I am now thrilled to say that I’ve gained my second blog-reader-turned-friend.  Turns out she even lived in MN for awhile when she went to William Mitchell Law School!  Love how small the world is… we even have common friends!

So my challenge to you today is to stretch the ways that you’re allowing new relationships to come into your life.  It was only because I was pulled out of my “MN friend zone” that I really forced myself to look for new ways to make connections.  That’s the thing, you just never know– your new best friend may end up being a faithful blog reader or a Twitter pal!

PS- I don’t think this trend is going to end anytime soon.  I just heard from another blog reader named Jessica who’s moving to Manila in April.  She and I are already discussing when we’re going to connect.  Too cool…

Gettin’ My Baby Fix

I really like the Chinese concept of “Year of the …”.  I think that fits well into everyone’s lives and allows us to concentrate on key priorities for that year.  For Nick & I, this is the Year of Travel and we’ve committed to getting a minimum of 10 trips in.  Given that big goal, it means that the Year of Baby needs to be tabled for a bit.  Thankfully, there are babies available for the holding every way I turn.

Big-eyed babies, chubby-cheeked babies, Asian babies – no shortage in Manila!  Which means that any time I need a baby fix, I just call up one of my favorite recent moms and invite them for a coffee date (with baby in tow).  They get to sip their latte while I satisfy my baby craving.  It’s a win-win for everyone!

I have to admit, even I was a bit overstimulated when I showed up at a Brunch this Saturday and found not 1 but 2 three-month old babies!  Which one to hold first???  Eva, on the left, is brand new in town, so we were just getting to know each other.  Leni, on the right, is my long-time pal.  We’re so tight that she even reserves a few of those adorable smiles for me……So I did I resolve this dilemma?  I just rotated back and forth!  What a good problem to have!  And as you can tell, this is a friendship in the making – that hand holding was organic, not orchestrated.  Isn’t that cute???

Some Real Manila Treasures

We had the pleasure of being invited to a Worst Gift Exchange Party on Thursday night.  The objective was to bring the worst thing you had in your house and wrap it up for someone else’s pleasure.  The thing is, I’ve been to these parties before and instead of trying to offload something, I actually try to “win” the worst gift possible.  Check out the great things we came away with this year.  They are like nothing I’ve seen before!

First up is this artichoke statue/love plaque.  This item was hand-made in the Philippines and gifted from an employee to his boss originally.  It was NOT gifted a joke.  Very solid craftsmanship, but not sure what to make of the “I love you” message.  Pretty bizarre.  Nick has claimed this one for his work desk.

Treasure # 2 was also a Filipino handicraft.  It was also given as a serious gift from a mayor of a town to a businessperson.  We’re not sure what to make of it either.  It’s going in the bedroom for now…very romantic with a candle on top, don’t you think!  Watch out Manila friends, this is definitely going to be re-gifted when you least expect it!  We must let you enjoy it’s beauty too!

How about you?  Tell me your best (“worst”) white elephant gift that you ever gave or received?

Beautiful Bohol!

Just got back from 5 glorious days in Bohol, an island in the Southern Philippines.  As you know, my friend Rachel is visiting and we wanted to take her somewhere that would give her a feel of the island life (versus the chaos of Manila).  Bohol had been high on our list for awhile, so we decided a trip over New Year’s was the perfect time to go.  This was our first time to one of the islands and Rachel’s first tropical beach getaway.

If we weren’t napping, suntanning or swimming we were most likely eating.  And eat we did!  Food was fabulously cheap, so we indulged.  The Philippines is reported to have the world’s best mangoes – I think Rachel would concur, as she managed to make Mango a food group in every meal she indulged in.  YUM!  Our favorite dinner ended up being a beachside BBQ.  We selected the delicious red snapper pictured below and had it grilled up with corn on the cob and baked potatoes to round out the meal.  Nothing better than selecting from fish that had all been caught that morning… very unique (and fresh)!

We did do one day of intense touring.  It was an 8 hour island tour and we had a private car and driver (insanely better than being on a tour bus with a microphoned guide!)  Highlights of the day were the following:

1.  Seeing the Tarsier Monkey, the world’s smallest monkey, found only on Bohol.  Fun fact: each eye is as big as its brain!  No touching though because they have suicidal tendancies.  It is rumored that human touch causes them to begin banging their head against the tree until they die… not good at all!  They were beyond cute, but I kept my hands to myself.

2.  Next up was the infamous Chocolate Hills, named for the Hershey Kisses they resemble.  These mounds are naturally-made limestone formations that are (once again) only found on Bohol.  They stretched as far as the eye could see and were extraordinarily beautiful despite being oversized anthills.  Definitely a must-see for anyone visiting the Philippines.

3.  Our day ended with a trip to the Bohol Bee Farm.  This organic farm blew my mind.  Not only was there a bee-raising operation, but a full organic garden, a restaurant, a handmade goods operation and a small resort.  It was a mini bee-centered world and I’m 99% sure that Nick and I are going to come back to Bohol just to stay here.  Not only did we sample the delicious organic food at the restaurant, but we took the farm tour and each got to hold the “friendly” honeybees!  Can’t say I’ve done that before… happy to report, no stings!

As I mentioned above, the rest of our trip pretty much centered around relaxing.  We did partake in a great beach party on New Year’s Eve, in addition to diving and snorkeling outings.  Plenty to do in this relatively undiscovered paradise.  Already looking forward to returning!  If you like what you see, check out the 150 shots at SMUGMUG.  Definitely some of the best pics I’ve ever captured!

The Mis-adventures of Nick and Sarah’s First Manila Christmas

I swear, we tried our best.  There was a solid plan, we stuck to it steadfastly and yet…nothing quite turned out right.  Guess we’ll just chalk it up to that old adage “The best-laid plans oft go awry.”  In order to prevent you from making similar mistakes, we’d like to share the Top 5 Things We Learned:

Learning #5:  The 3D showing of Avatar on Christmas Eve will NOT have tickets available.  Plan accordingly.

Oops.  So much for getting the day off to a good start.  We watched the depressing movie “The Changeling” instead, in the comfort of our air-conditioned condo.  Not quite the same.

Learning #4: Minimize your expectations for the most grand and glorious hotel in the city when paying $50 a ticket for your meal.  The Peninsula’s buffet is still subject to cold food and lack of options.  Don’t go hungry.

A $50 meal here is pretty much the equivalent of a $250 meal in the US, so we were expecting it to be good.  Not so much… thank goodness we had wonderful company and amazing ambiance or I would have been really bummed.  Rudy was right, that is too much money for a meal in Manila.  Guess we should have listened…

Learning #3:When going to mass on Christmas Eve at a Catholic Church in the Philippines, understand the risk you are putting your life in.  Fire codes are non-existent and in the case of a fire, you would most likely perish.

10 PM Mass was crazy and chaotic, in typical Filipino fashion.  We managed to get two of the last seats, but were astounded when we turned around and saw that the passageways were 15 people deep with NO room for exiting.  Add to that the 200 people outside the church and it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.  And so much for the “English” mass – the entire homily was in Tagalog.  At least I could sing along with Silent Night though!

Learning #2:When people say they “might” come to your open house, it means they mean there’s a 1% chance they’ll show.  Plan food sparingly.

Christmas day was mellow and fun.  We skyped with our families, who were enjoying Christmas Eve in their time zone.  I was surprised to find that virtually bringing ourselves into our state-side family’s Christmases wasn’t nearly as weird as I thought it would be.  Gotta love technology.  We watched everyone open our gifts to them and then opened ours in exchange.  We even shot pictures of each other on the photo screen.  So bizarre.  Happily, I could feel the energy of my sisters through the screen and it was just like being there (almost).  Pretty cool…

We opened our presents and then began preparing for our Christmas open house from 1-5 PM.  We had loads of food and lots of maybe responses (with one firm Yes).  You guessed it, only our good friends Andrea and Brian showed (the firm Yes).  Thankfully, they are delightful company and saved our Christmas Open House from becoming a disaster.

Learning #1: People WILL surprise you.  Delight in the unexpected.

Despite everything that went wrong, I was humbled by the people that really came through for me.  First and foremost, my AMAZING husband Nick, who practically put on a circus for 2 days straight, trying to keep me from bursting into tears.  He was wildly successful and I can honestly say that I didn’t shed a tear for my beloved MN Christmas.  Pretty amazing that I could have such a great time with just 1 other person – it’s incredible how much you come to depend on your partner when you’re in a situation like this.  Thankfully, he keeps coming through time and time again.

I was also profoundly touched when Rudy showed up at our door at 4 PM on Christmas Eve to bring us a Christmas gift.  We know how hard it is for most Filipinos to find money for gifts and we would NEVER have expected a gift.  We were so touched that he took the time to travel to our place (never a short trip in Manila) and get meaningful gifts for us (unique pen sets).  Nick and I decided that was our favorite memory of the two days because it was so completely unexpected.

Also, to our wonderful parents as well, who spoiled us with more gifts than we could have ever imagined opening… a thousand thanks!

And finally, a shout out to Andrea and Brian who have become dear, dear friends and (as mentioned above), saved my Christmas Open House from being a failure.  We are so blessed to have them as friends and already love their little 3 week old Leni to pieces!

The End.  As always, lots and lots of pictures on SMUGMUG.  Peruse them at your own will…

Merry Christmas from Manila!

More Tea Parties & My Very First Ornament Exchange!

I know you remember the horrible “biscuit” faux pas I made at my last tea party – well not this time!  I knew a scone when I saw one and dabbed it with clotted cream and jam.  Now that’s progress!  This holiday tea party and ornament exchange was put on for the members of the American Women’s Club of the Philippines.  It was a wonderful morning but please remind me to never host a tea myself, it looked like an INSANE amount of work!  There were little things to nibble on and 10 types of tea and beautiful decorations all around.  The host did such a marvelous job!  Check out these wonderful photos I got of the event:

Nick’s 30th Birthday Party

Sadly, as seems to be the case with our family lately, sickness rained on Nick’s birthday parade.  :(   Not exactly how you want to spend your 30th.  It was just stomach issues, so we decided he could survive a small party (we refuse to let this ongoing illness ruin all our fun).  We invited over 5 of Nick’s friends for a little Buco Pie (buco = young coconut).  The best pies come from South of Manila, so we sent Rudy on a wild goose chase to find the perfect pie.  6 hours later he returned with 5 pies (for 7 people).  Kudos to Rudy for finding the needle in the haystack.  It was worth it!  The attendees liked it too because each couple got to take home a pie of their own!

Nick couldn’t stomach the idea of beer, so two of his pals kindly volunteered to “test drive” his new San Miguel mugs.  How kind!

Our dear friends Andrea and Brian finally had their baby.  We were just enamoured with this 10 day old pumpkin!  She was the hit of the party.

Check out this great picture of Nick!  He looks completely unsure of what to do with her (support the head, support the head!!)  I was so proud of him for giving it a shot though… he’ll be a great Dad someday!  He was very attentive.

And here’s one last must-share picture of beautiful Leni.  Isn’t she stunning!?  Already looking forward to the next time I get to hold her…

Amazing IMAX Wows the Kids…And the Adults!

As I lay in bed writing this post, I can honestly say that after 5 hours with 35 eleven and twelve year olds, Nick and I are officially exhausted.  But it’s a good exhaustion, one of those moments of exhaustion where your body has given out but you can’t wipe the smile off your face.  Because I’m pretty sure that today was bigger than Christmas for these kids…. And we all know that it doesn’t get much bigger than Christmas in the eyes of a kid!

As most of you know, I’ve been volunteering at Friendship Home since October.  It’s a home for children and also an after-school latch-key type program.  Our group goes every Wednesday from 4-6 PM and plans some activity to do with them.  Apparently it is tradition to do an extra holiday event each year, with all of the Embassy volunteers chipping in to fund it.  The event this year was a kid-tastic Mall of Asia Spectacular – Lunch at Jollibee (the Filipino version of McDonald’s), some playtime at the mall and a 1 PM showing of The Christmas Carol in 3D at the IMAX Theater.  But most importantly, I finally got to introduce Nick to these great kids!  I may have been just as excited as the kids!

When we arrived at Jollibee at 11 AM, the kids had already arrived and were broken out by table.  We were assigned to a group of 6 of them (pictured above), whom we were in charge of for the entire afternoon.  Lunch was a bizarre mix of Spaghetti and Fried Chicken, which I have yet to understand the appeal of.  The kids were in heaven though, biting every last piece of meat off that bone.  I opted for a Cheeseburger, which came with a strange mayo/thousand island mixture on it instead of the normal fixings.  Hmmm…not understanding the appeal of this place yet.  All that really mattered though was that the kiddos were happy.  Eating out is a very rare occurrence for them, which is hard to fathom coming from the US of A where that can often be a daily occurence.

After lunch we had a good hour to kill before the movie, so Nick and I rounded up our group and decided to go burn some energy out on the playground.  The Mall of Asia sits right on Manila Bay and there happens to be a little playground near the Boardwalk.  Thank goodness, because that’s exactly the type of thing that we needed!  They had a blast, even though in my opinion the playground was pretty crappy – basically it consisted of outdoor exercise equipment.  Very odd.  Didn’t matter though – they would have been content playing with a stick.  Lucky for us, they play amazingly well together.  They act just like brothers and sisters (except they never fight and have crushes on each other, as we learned today).  It’s really quite adorable!

You could feel the anticipation slowly building for the kids.  For many, this would be the very first movie they’d ever been to in the Theater.  And then, on top of that, it was 3D too.  It was all too exciting to handle and manifested itself in the form of non-stop bouncing.  They were wired!  10 minutes before the show we were all handed our goofy glasses and allowed to proceed into the theater.  The kids jaws dropped open as they took in the two-story-high screen.  The excitement just kept coming, as Nick and I surprised them with popcorn next.  The bouncing just kept on going!  :)

At last it was time for the show to begin.  We all put on our glasses and settled in.  The 3D effects were fantastic.  They really added a new dimension for those of us who are intimately familiar with the story (I was quoting the lines along with it, having acted in it 4 years in a row in high school).  They were awed by the things zooming at their faces and stuffing their heads in their shirts when the ghosts came…all in all, it was a heart-warming, fantastic experience.

I am really learning a great lesson here in Manila about how much joy I get in return when I give of my time and financial resources.  I have experienced it in Minnesota as well, but the poverty here really magnifies the impact.  My wish for you this holiday season, is that you will experience a “giving experience” that is equally as heart-warming.  Because all I know is that it doesn’t get much better than this!

P.S. – LOADS more adorable pictures of these kids at SMUGMUG.

Baby on the Way!

On Sunday we attended a baby shower for our good friends Andrea and Brian.  Nick and Andrea trained together in Washington, D.C. and have been inseparable ever since.  Andrea and Brian are also immensely likable because they are fellow Minnesotans, having lived in St. Paul before joining the foreign service!

I had assembled a Baby Care Package for the family that included a MN Monthly Magazine, An Alvin and the Chipmunk’s CD (the singular most played record of my youth) and various baby clothes.  Norma took over the assembly of the care package and when I tried to step in to help she told me that I was doing it wrong and would prefer to just finish it herself so it all looked the same.  It swear that I used to be able to wrap gifts on my own before I had a Norma…. Perhaps I’m regressing?

Suffice to say, the party was a heck of a lot of fun.  Made me want a baby – ALMOST.  Maybe we’ll just borrow theirs for a few nights and test the waters.  :)  All the pics are on SMUGMUG.  Otherwise, here are a few of my faves:

Our Perfectly Packaged Gift courtesy of Norma

These Guys Sure Take Their Cake Seriously!

Last night was a big one for the Novak family – our first ever Marine Ball!  Just to give you a little history, the Marine Corps Ball is an annual event that is celebrated each year on the Marine Corp’s Birthday.  This year happened to mark its 240th birthday and celebrations will be going on at each post around the world within a week’s time span.  The reason that this event is so closely linked to the Embassy community is that, quite simply, the Marines are the ultimate protector of the Embassies worldwide.  This celebration is a chance to honor them for the commitment they make to keeping our Embassy community safe!

In the Embassy world, this is the biggest day of the year to get dolled up.  Women start early – getting hair, make-up, and nails done throughout the day.  Over half of my friends were also having their dresses made.  They started back in August and worked with a local designer to come up with their creation.  As some of you know, I really wanted to get one made but Nick forced me to choose between getting the Chaise Lounge or the new dress.  We all know which won out.  I still think I made the right choice… So when the afternoon rolled around, I confidently slipped up my 11 year old Senior Prom Gown to storm the ball!  Added in an heirloom from the wedding (my flower) and I was all set to go…

Thankfully, I have the most skilled helper EVER and in a previous life she trained to be a nail technician.  This is a shot of her doing my manicure, after finishing my pedi earlier in the day.  Note the awesome beach chair, which has never actually seen a day at the beach yet, but works amazingly well for nails!  :)  Norma is also getting lots of photography lessons from me so that she can feel comfortable shooting pictures of us with the SLR camera.  She’s making great progress!

I’ve gotten many requests for a picture of Rudy – so here it is!  Rudy, is our dashing chauffeur.  He fills in as an excellent grandfather-like figure as well, passing me a hard candy every time I get in the car.  We feel so lucky to have him!

Here’s a shot of Nick and I before we left for the ball.  There was a 6 PM reception, a 7 PM program, 8 PM dinner and then dancing until 1 AM.  We were a bit  pathetic and bowed out around 10 PM due to flu recovery but we still feel like we got the essence of the evening.  And it doesn’t feel quite so critical to stay when you factor in that we’ll be going to this event for the next 20 years!

This was the formal ceremony part.  The color guard marched in and honored Ambassador Kristie Kenney, the honorary guest of the evening.  Then there were speeches, movies and the pinacle of the event – THE CAKE CUTTING!  I have never seen anything like this cake cutting before.  It started when they pushed in the largest cake I’ve ever seen in my life.  The thing is, it reminded me of a casket procession – they were completely stoic as they guided the wheeled cart in and flanked each side.  I couldn’t stop giggling (very undiplomatic of me).  The strange ritual continued as a Marine pulled out his sword and began to slice the cake.  I think my mouth dropped open here.  The Ambassador got her piece of cake first.  No sooner had she taken one bit than a Marine whisked it away from her.  The next part of the ritual was where the oldest Marine in attendance took a bite and then the youngest Marine took a bite.  (BTW, the youngest marine in attendance was born in 1988 – WHOA)  What floored me was that the whole thing was done with sharp turns and salutes and crisp arm movements.  It was hard to fathom that we were watching them eat a Birthday Cake!  (Sadly, more giggling on my end).  At the end we all shouted HURRAH! and then there was more marching to finish our celebration.  Definitely an experience to remember!  Here’s a picture of the wheeled cake being cut with the sword:

Finally, here’s a shot of my hubby looking just as good as the day we got married!  :)  I sure love seeing him in a tux!

Didn’t think I looked to bad myself.  The slit was a bit higher than I remembered and required some strategic napkin placement during dinner.  But other than that, I felt like I rocked the 1998 Prom gown!  Uh huh- I am 29 and feelin’ fine!  As always, LOADS more photos on SMUGMUG!

Good Times at the Hoedown!

It was a big weekend folks.  My first dress-up, large-scale event in Manila.  And it was not just any event, it was the Annual Hoedown put on by the American Women’s Club of the Philippines.  This event unites the expat community (men and women alike) around down home cookin’ and country line dancing.  And where else would you expect a Hoedown to be held other than the Sofitel, Manila’s best 5 star hotel.  Makes me laugh, as it’s so representative of the strange dichotomies that exist here.  It was a fine venue though and fit the crowd of 300 well.  Just silly to see chandeliers mixed with patriotic bunting!

Many of you know that I love a good theme party, although I must say that a Hoedown has never been on my “must-attend” list.  I embraced it 100% though and had a tailor design me an honest-to-goodness cowgirl shirt!  I felt like the real deal with my blue jeans and heeled Madden boots.  Next year I’ll be adding a hat to change it up!  I’m glad I went all out because people were definitely decked out for the night.  Who knew a Hoedown could be so classy?!?

The night was split into several parts.  The Chili Cook-off was from 5-7 PM.  Fifteen expats showcased their finest chili recipes for all to try.  This guy’s (above) was my absolute favorite.  It had taken him 15 hours to make.  Now that’s someone who’s serious about chili!  After the Cook-off it was time for a dinner that included: Ribs, Brisket, Corn on the Cob, Coleslaw, Mac ‘n Cheese, Root Vegetables and Manila’s best attempt at apple pie (only so-so).  I was so full from all the chili, that I just skipped right to the dessert table.  Mmmm!

The line dancing started around 8 PM.  There was even a live country band that played all night.  I was totally shocked that a country band exists in Manila!  Who’d have thought??  That seems so random to me… and although I was too busy socializing to dance, plenty of other people did.  That floor was packed!  The mechanical bull was my hands-down favorite.  What a hoot!  

The AWCP did an amazing job with the event this year.  I was not expecting anything of this magnitude, which was a nice treat!  I had a wonderful table of ladies that I went with, which was a blast.  My husband was crushed that he couldn’t go (yeah right!) but has promised to attend next year.  Can’t wait to put together his outfit!  :)  YEE HAW!

High Tea at the Peninsula

Ahh, some days my new life amuses me.  Like today, when I was invited to “High Tea” at the Peninsula Hotel.  Can’t say I’ve ever been to “Tea” before, let along “High Tea”.  This brings up a whole series of questions like:  What does one wear to tea?  Should I eat a light lunch that day, assuming there will be lots of food?  Do you stay at your table or move around with your tea?  I could keep going for quite a while here folks… suffice to say that I wasn’t really sure what I was doing on this one.  But as I’m so rapidly learning, one must act like you know what you’re doing!

The fun part about this tea was that it wasn’t just the American Diplomatic Community.  There were Diplomatic Spouses of all kinds including Brits, Aussies and Canadians.  I tell you one thing, Brits and Aussies especially know their tea.  I was educated on the most common kinds of afternoon tea as well as how to identify a perfectly-made scone.  I made the mistake of asking someone if we were supposed to put the jelly on the biscuit and she pointedly replied, “Yes, you put the JAM on the SCONE.”  Oops – my bad.  In Minne- SOH-ta we only use jelly. Some people are mighty sensitive about those scones…

Don’t these pictures below make it look like we’re going to a wedding or something?!?  I mean seriously, all of this for TEA???  Makes me want to burst out giggling.  Which I would if I wasn’t trying so hard to be proper!

Oh, and did I mention that a “High Tea” food spread is really like a mini dinner?  Mini sandwiches and crab cakes and fettuccine alfredo and fruit and a whole bunch of desserts.  Forget the tea and scones, I’ll just do the desserts please!  And so a lovely time was had by all.  I can now say that I have a diverse new cross-section of foreign national friends (who thankfully speak english too – makes it so much easier!)  I also have my first “High Tea” over and done with and won’t make the same mistakes at the next one.  Silly Sarah, you must work on your protocol!   SIGH.

Dinner Parties, Manila-style!

Nick and I hosted what I would consider our first Manila dinner party.  Well technically it was lunch but we served enough food for an army.  An Army of 12, that is!  We invited over our long-time friends (we met in January 2009) from Nick’s training class, along with their families.  I swear, all we did was eat for 3 hours straight…. Norma and I had worked long and hard on the menu.  We ended up doing a compilation of our favorite dishes from her first 3 weeks with us.  The menu was as follows:

Rice (of course – no meal is complete without rice)
Vegetable Balls (vegetarians in attendance)
A Vegetable Medley
Thai Basil Chicken Curry
Sweet and Sour Pork
Mango Chimichangas and Fruit Salad for Dessert

I know I’ve extolled the wonderful virtues of my helper beyond what I’m sure you wanted to hear.  Her performance today was again nothing short of spectacular. I stood at the kitchen in awe watching her stir one thing while cutting another and so on.  That level of cooking multi-tasking is just not in my genes…. I can’t lie, it was pretty fantastic to have the benefits of having people over without the downside of cooking and clean-up.  What I didn’t really think about though was how much my role as hostess would change.

You see, in my past life, one of the things I most prided myself on was being a SUPERB HOSTESS (part of the Miller family etiquette training program).  Additionally, in the world according to Sarah, we believe: “A good hostess is a busy one.”  Translation: You should be running around throughout the entire party and if you’re not then you’ve failed at what you were socialized to do!  So imagine my surprise when I found myself paralyzed during the party.  What was I supposed to DO at the party if I wasn’t cooking, serving or busing dishes???  I’m sure all the guests thought I was a bit off my rocker, walking around straightening up decorations and refilling glasses when they were already quite full.  I even ran out to the grocery store quickly when Norma realized we were missing an ingredient (it made me feel very useful).  I know, I am seriously messed up!  It was far more difficult to just sit and enjoy the party – in fact, I found myself quite conflicted throughout the entire thing.  Please let this be one of those things that I adjust to over time…

The hit of the party was the new glass “flip-flops” that I debuted.  A perfect 3-in-1: Functional, Decorative and Buzz-worthy!  They were a birthday gift from my fabulous sister Beth.  There was much sadness when all 4 were claimed early on.  Thankfully the boys had some local San Mig beer which couldn’t use a flip-flop!  Check out the rest of the pictures from the party on SMUGMUG!

A Night on Cloud 9

We must be feeling comfortable here because we’re starting to venture out beyond a 3 block radius of our condo.  Last night we were offered the opportunity to join a group of people heading up to a restaurant/bar called Cloud 9 in the Manila suburb of Antipolo.  If I heard our host explain it correctly, this is the highest point from which to overlook the city.  As a budding photographer, you can imagine that I used this opportunity to bust out the tripod and shoot some night pictures at low shutter speeds.  And just in case you’re wondering, night photos don’t seem to be my thing, as they all turned out pretty blurry.

We had rented a van and driver for the evening since none of us have our vehicles yet.  And when I say we ventured far, remember that in Manila, that’s all relative.  This trip, for example, was 10 miles and took ONLY 40 minutes!  Our host said it usually takes 60 to 90 minutes so we were all thrilled.  Ah Manila traffic, how I love thee!

The view was well worth the drive.  I posted one of my better panoramic shots above.  It really gives you a sense of the magnitude of this 12 million person city, huh?  The evening went quickly as we enjoyed classic Filipino dishes and tipped back some drinks amidst good conversation.  Not much else to report, other than that I’m grateful for all the invites we’ve been getting along with the chance to make new friends.  The foreign service community is incredibly welcoming (just like Minnesotans).  Here are some pictures from the evening: