Valentine's and Birthday Week Highlights

I feel like I just came from a 2-week Valentine/Birthday celebration and thinking about it, I actually did. It felt like Christmas with the tons of love shared, tons of alcohol that went through my system, tons of food eaten, and tons of money spent on shopping (40 pieces of clothes, 8 pairs of shoes, 3 new bags, 2 belts, a pair of earring, new microwave, new hot and cold water dispenser, new electric fans, new bolts for the house). I am grateful to my sponsors, (you know who you are... *wink*) my special angel, and my hubby. THANK YOU, God! I feel so blessed! I absolutely had no intention of celebrating either but I guess the universe had a different plan for me. Sometimes, it really is important to celebrate occasions like your date of birth. It shows how much you value yourself and that you're worth every penny, every ounce of energy, every little thing that goes with the magic of your creation.

If there's one thing I've realized in this 2-week Valentine's/Birthday hullabaloo, it's about being happy, acknowledging the good inside of me and everything around me. I've also realized that I ought to be more focused with the things I want for myself this year.

I am 33 years old. I've accepted the fact that I only have 24 hours in a day, some of which I actually have to use for sleeping. I'm not like an energizer bunny anymore. I now easily get tired unlike before when I can practically go on, and on, and on. My liver also can't tolerate as much alcohol as before, and I need some down time to recuperate. So I have to streamline my activities and prioritize. This means less time blogging, less time on social networks, less time watching mindless DVDs and more time for the following: my projects, my rakets, my freelance work, my books, water sports activities, friends, family, and yes, rest. Health is still a top priority so I can enjoy life longer and be able to do more of the things I want. Oh, and traveling (I actually booked a number of trips this year --- Boracay, Bohol, Siargao, Bacolod, Bangkok and I'm still looking forward to a trip to Brazil which Koryn and the girls planned to do this year).

Anyway, this is going to be a long post but I'll try to just show you the highlights of the past two weeks.

Valentine's Eve - Dinner Buffet at Sofitel

What to do on Valentine’s Day

These places/activities I will be sharing with you are those which I haven’t yet featured on my blog. They all happened a few years ago and I’m thinking for those who haven’t been to these places yet, you can actually make them your Valentine destination this year. These places are better suited for those living in Metro Manila and nearby areas since these are just a few hours’ drive from the city. If you’re the nomadic type and won’t be satisfied with just a Valentine dinner date and yet you don’t really have the budget nor the time to go to exotic and/or expensive places like: 

Baguio (Panagbenga flower festival is coming up!), Bicol,  Bohol, Boracay, Camiguin, Cebu, Davao, Dumaguete, Hong Kong, Ilocos,  Indonesia, Malaysia,  Palawan, Quezon,  Singapore, Siquijor, etc.  then I’m sure these activities would interest you.

Avilon Zoo, Montalban Rizal

When we went here in 2005, we were with my parents, my best friend Mer and ex-bf Mikki. Avilon Zoo has just been recently put up then and I’m sure they have more animals and amenities now.

 

The Avilon Montalban Zoological Park is the largest zoological park in the Philippines, to date. The 7.5-hectare of the zoo lies in the picturesque valley of Barrio San Isidro, Rodriguez (formerly Montalban), Rizal, Philippines.