birthday surprise in the making

9/5/06

I love surprises. Really really really love. I, however, don’t get surprises that often. Once a year maybe? Well I don’t give that much surprises too, anyway. The last I remember was b’s birthday last year when I prepared a candlelit dinner for him at home. Now that I mentioned it, b’s birthday is just around the corner and I was thinking of surprising him again. Occupied with organizing this weekend’s overnight with friends, maybe I’ll think of something over then.

9/10/06

I had such a great weekend with friends. Pretty tired and swamped up with less than a total of 8 hours sleep for 2 days. I’m still troubled as to what to give b for his birthday. He has always said that he wanted to spend the whole day with me in a hotel, just the two of us doing our fave thing - hanging out and doing just about anything. But with my parents around, the probability of that happening is zero..as in nada. What if I tried to talk them into it? I think that would be a great surprise for b!

9/14/06

Still building up the courage to tell my parents that I’ll be spending the night with b on his birthday. frankly, I don’t think I can do it. Sometimes it can be so nerve-wracking for a 26 yr old woman to still be asking permission from parents when faced with situations like this. At this age, I’m supposedly able to do whatever I want. but I just can’t. I’m still under their roof so I have to live by their principles. I can choose to live my own life the way I want it but that would mean hurting the people I love most.

9/16/06

Somehow, I was able to construct a perfect image on my mind. dinner at a very romantic place with violins playing in the background. Just before the dinner ends, waiters will serve a birthday cake specially made for b while singing happy birthday. simple but sweet.

9/19/06

I have this romantic place in mind. Chef Laudico’s in urdaneta makati. I first saw it in cosmo magazine and I really loved the setting. This day, I just did some research on the net. Apparently, many proposals have taken place here. Even I was entranced by the photos alone, what more if I was there being proposed to. Hahaha.

As I was looking up chef laudico’s, I came across a number of restos which are also good candidates for my surprise.

1. lolo dad’s – setting aside it’s amorous quality, i’ve read great comments about the food.
2. ilustrado – its old world charm sets the mood for some loving.
3. lemuria – as recommended by one of my fave blogs.
4. tita moning’s – fine dining in an ancestral home. I’m intrigued but I have to rule this out coz I know b isn’t really much of a “classical” person, so to speak.
5. orchidarium – i’ve always liked nature so i loved the idea of dining amidst lush surroundings.
6. the old spaghetti house – a romantic dinner doesn’t have to be expensive. Any place with dim lighting appeals to my passionate senses.
7. sanctuario spa – not actually a resto but a spa. I’m thinking of giving b some pampering he deserves.

9/21/06

Now that I have a lot of choices, I’m confused. Every place I come across with seems impressive. Think, think, think. I still have a number of stuff to accomplish.

9/22/06

I made my choice. Early morning I called chef laudico’s for reservations but sadly they only accept a minimum of 10 persons in urdaneta as the chef’s other resto, bistro filipino, is already open at the fort. Bad day! =(

Back to choosing a place. My 2nd choice is orchidarium but I’m quite worried if it rains. So I did another round of researching. This time I read forums at pinoy exchange and girltalk and I came up with a list of new candidates yet again.

1. café ysabel – greenhills is a long drive from our place and I just don’t wanna tire b on his birthday.
2. m/v tennesse – dining aboard a cruise ship seems exciting. Thankfully, I found some pics and when I saw that checkered cafeteria-like tablecloth, I was under the impression that the ambiance isn’t really that charming.
3. jumbo kingdom – I’ve long wanted to go to this place.
4. l’opera, parallel 45, le soufflé – highly recommended spots.

9/23/06

B has a client meeting that I chose not to go to. Ever since the meeting was set, I saw it as an opportunity to go out alone (meaning w/out him) and buy a gift. Incidentally, my brother didn’t go to work so he accompanied me to the malls.

First stop is moa. I already knew what I wanted to buy so gift shopping was a breeze. 2 gifts in hand – an izod polo shirt and Gillette blades for his razor. btw, why does a 4pc pack of blades costs as much as a new razor?

Then we traveled all the way to atc to order a computer-decorated cake from Art Cakes. There, 2 things off my list.

9/25/06

5 days away and still undecided on the resto.

9/26/06

Called up The old spaghetti house for reservations and some special requests. For the 2nd time, I was denied of my wishes. They don’t reserve tables for 2 since they always have room for walk-in guests of 2. I raised my other concerns but the person I talked to said that I just settle everything on the day itself. What a way to handle customers!

However, my mind’s still made up on this place. Maybe I’ll just think of ways to hide everything from the birthday boy.

9/28/06

I stayed at home and watched typhoon milenyo’s fury blow the trees on our backyard. At this time I still ignorant of the disaster it inflicted on the whole city and nearby regions. It was blackout all throughout Luzon. I heard in the radio that it will take hours, days even, to restore all power lines but I was confident that there’ll be electricity the next day.

9/29/06

The day I planned the dinner and there’s still no power in the city. So this is why I was denied of my reservations in the restos I like. Wow, everything really happens for a reason.