What did Sir Isaac Newton, Ludwig van Beethoven and Van Gogh have in common? They all have bipolar disorder. The first time I heard of Van Gogh is bipolar, I had to check my textbooks if they were referring to the same person I had in mind. Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated mood.

Well, this post isn’t about that disorder but rather about our CNY’s eve slash Valentine’s family date. I was looking for a new dining place where we could have late dinner on a Saturday till midnight and where kids are allowed. I stumbled on a review about this Van Gogh is bipolar restaurant, which serves all natural and authentic happy-hormone-producing foods. It got me so intrigued! Not to mention they have selection of tea! (A little trivia: I eat once a week at Hap Chan because that’s the only place that serves hot tea near our office. Pathetic huh.)

I was the one who had the red wine that goes with this order.

I was eating halfway when I remembered to take a photo of this.

We left the place satisfied, full and HAPPY!

~~~
A little trivia about the owner, who by the way talks to the customers personally before and after preparing the food. He is a travel photographer by day which is the reason the restaurant opens only at 5pm and till 12:30am.

Location:
van gogh is bipolar
living art space • cafe
inner courtyard of 154 maginhawa st.
(behind “Redbucks cafe)
sikatuna village

Christmas is so much fun! I love that I was able to give gifts. What amazed me this year was I love (ok, some I just like, but at least not I hate) all the gifts I received!

They’re not as luxurious as Ferrari parts, some are so simple that I actually been meaning to buy for myself only I was too busy to. At least a friend or relative had done it for me, without me telling, or even hinting I need one.

Thanks everyone. It was really a Merry Christmas.

It is my mom’s birthday today. She opted to just cook and bake and invite everyone at home. My sister told me they are bringing cake so I thought I’d bring Pansit Malabon without asking / telling my mom. Guess what? When we got there, I saw my mom Pansit Malabon in her dining table. Oops!

Anyway, my aunts and uncles came (after visiting the cemetery) too to celebrate with my mom. It was fun watching them bond. The women were like teenagers gossiping about the best weight loss pill, while the men were chatting about politics with my dad.

I ate the white forest (for the first time), and I definitely prefer the blackforest over it. Why? You see with blackforest, the sweetness of the cherry syrup is balanced with the bittersweet taste of black chocolate. While with the white forest, it’s too sweet. For me, it was like eating milk powder with cherry syrup. Well, that’s just me.

Before I continue researching on the cheapest way for the family to go on a cancun vacation, let me share with you some more photos on our Macau trip.

I remember reading in one of my favorite forums that it is nice to eat lunch on the Fisherman’s Wharf. We didn’t because we’ve just taken few photos when it started to rain. Argh!

At least, we were able to capture that nice red yacht in this photo.

On day 1 of our vacation, we went to Macau. We got there via ferry. We got a tour van with a contract of only 2 hours for the entire tour. Unfortunately, it rained!

I actually liked streets in Macau. It looks like Italy to me. I was sort of waiting to see manufactured homes but what I saw were small (same-looking) houses lined up on a sloping street, floor of which is made of old bricks. Looks very European to me.

My husband had been planning to bungee jump on the Macau tower, but the waiting line was too long. He was told he had to wait for another 2 hours. We just decided we’d go back to Macau some time in the future.

I bought some goodies for family and friends just at the foot of the ruins, right side.

We did not go to Venetian anymore. I guess the rains had dampened our spirits. It was hard to appreciate the place and take lots of photos when we are holding multi-colored umbrellas.

Oh well. Next time.

I just received good news from my sister. She’s joining me and my mom in our Hong Kong trip on the 14th! Hihihi. I’ve been worrying lately how to entertain myself while my mom and aunt do their 50-plus-year-old-women stuff.

For one, I plan on checking another hotel for our October trip (with my in-laws). I need to check how big a standard room is, if there are walk in tubs and if there’s free wifi. ^-^

Well, we plan on going to Macau but I bet the ladies won’t be able to appreciate the place. Although my mom might decide to play in the casino. I sure hope so.

Oh, and I plan on meeting Caryl too! We agreed on probably having coffee, and do some photoshoots together.

Now that my sister is coming, I’d definitely have a night life in Hong Kong!

My daughter had a BLAST this morning playing at Active Fun, located at the 3rd level of SM North Edsa. At first, she didn’t like to go inside. I kept showing her the giant slides which I knew she’d love. Still, she refused.

After 30 minutes of watching the other kids, she realized she wants to join the fun.

And she’s back…

An hour and a half later, she didn’t want to leave!
Any kid would definitely enjoy this fun-filled place! Visit them now!

Click on the thumbnail below to see a wide-angled view of the place.

You can read about their price list here and their party packages here.

More photos will be uploaded to my Facebook and Flickr soon. Stay tuned.

I have been busy looking more information about my research, treatments for Mesothelioma, that I forgot that I should be concerned with the family health too.

“Prevention is better than cure.”

This morning, BG’s school held their first Family Fitness Fun Run of the year. My daughter was too sleepy as the registration was at 7am. She was so used to getting up at 9am.

I actually had more fun during the 30-minute warm up session where a fitness instructor led the parents and kids. We stretched and danced in preparation for the run.

Daddy took this that’s why he wasn’t in the picture. I have no pictures of us while three of us were running together. I sure hope the teachers post the photos they took during the run.

Friday: while I was working
– Mom called saying my brother was rushed to the ER of FEU hospital due to extreme stomach pain.
– I called mom and was told that my brother was under observation.
– Mom called saying they went home. Doctors said his white blood count was just low. That’s all.
– My other brother called and told me they rushed my brother to the Kidney Center. He was shivering and his fingers were bent hard and could not straighten them out. {panic}{panic}
– I called mom and was told that my brother was under observation.
– Doctors advised that my brother be admitted.
– I called mom and was told that they went home for some stuff. Dad was the one with my brother in the hospital.
– The youngest brother called. Our brother was in the Operating Room for Appendectomy {PANIC!!!}{PANIC!!!}
– I planned on going to the hospital once BG falls asleep. But what happened was, I fell asleep before BG. {BOOO!}

Saturday:
– Woke up at 7:30am and was so shocked to have fallen into deep sleep.
– The operation went well. Good thing that it was discovered that he had appendicitis just in time.
– We visited him (without BG of course).
– We fetched BG and went to Greenhills for some shopping. SHOPPED! (while the boys went to Time Zone)
– We later went to Trinoma to watch G.I. Joe. I did not enjoy the movie, but enjoyed Taters nachos. :p
– BG rode the carousel, and we played at the TimeZone (again) while waiting for the movie to start.
– We brought BG home. (I wish to stay too — my migraine was working overtime — but I promised hubby I’d go with him)
– Husband and I had a full body massage.

Sunday:
– Sunday mass
– brunch
– groceries
– heavy snack (rice, 3 dishes, siomai and soup) OMG!
– tried to rest but worked instead. tsk, tsk, tsk!
– party! (brother-in-law’s birthday celebration) BG and I decided to sleep at midnight… yet, I’m still up and blogging.

WHAT A WEEKEND!

I’ve been having those horrible migraine attacks again. They are probably due to too much time spent staring at the laptop monitor. That, or because of too much thinking. It made me think if I should start browsing for Outer Banks rentals so that the family could go away for a vacation.

Anyway, I decided to spend more quality time with the family. We were supposed to watch Harry Potter but BG slept all throughout the afternoon, we decided to let her sleep and cancel our date. :p

Fine. Harry Potter could wait.

We’ve been house hunting. Honestly, we are not decided yet whether we’d like a condo unit, a townhouse or a house and lot. In fact, we even thought we could just buy a lot then construct a house later on.

We checked this old but nice house located ideally near both my and hubby’s parents. The amenities in the area also meet our expectations. The only thing that bothered me is how old the house is. Healthwise, it scares me. Well, the house looks sturdy. I know old houses are built with full cement (not hollow as opposed to new ones). But it looked to me that anybody who will sleep in the attic will develop mesothelioma. So we crossed that one off our list.

Then we saw this medium-rise condo. I honestly fell in love with it. But still, husband suggested we still keep looking till it really feels right for both of us. Not a bad idea.