Supplier Rating: Cake

Kitchen Krafts c/o Darla

One of my inspirations for having an M&M’s theme is the cake I saw from a photographer’s site. I showed the picture to Darla and asked her to find a supplier for Klaire’s cake. Now I was not too particular about the design and did not set a high budget for the cake because I believe that cakes are not exactly the highlight of a party. We ended up with Kitchen Krafts because the first cake maker that Darla approached was too professional to copy the design ;) KK was not the first choice because I knew their cakes can get expensive but they worked within my budget and I was still satisfied with how it looked. Only, I just realized now that Abi’s cake looks like a cheap-o version of Dom’s cake, LMAO!

Only the top tier was edible coz I didn’t plan on serving the cake anyway. It was made of chocolate and we enjoyed it at home that weekend. The cookie-topper was not as edible as we thought it would be, matigas masyado! :) The bottom part, I gave to Darla coz she said she wanted to display it in her showroom :)

Rating: 5 out of 5

Jollibee Party for the Bebot Kids

As if spending the entire day Friday with the Bebots was not enough, most of us trooped to Jollibee Bluewave to have another party the next day!

 

It was actually a surprise birthday party by Glo for Aggie but no one was able to take it back anymore when Martha played her birthday girl role very well :) The kids had fun, but the mommies had the time of their lives, LOL!

It was the first time that Klaire met Jollibee and I am happy to report that she was not afraid at all. Good girl, Abi! Now I ask all my friends to throw a Jollibee party for their kids and invite K so she can have the experience over again :)

Destination Weddings

Just the other day, my mommy-friends over at Twitter were discussing about renewal of vows (most of them are nearing the fifth year mark!) and how they wanted it to be held in a beach resort. Well, I also dream of destination weddings, that I think I already mentioned here that my wish is to get married again in Monterey, CA. But a beach wedding would be nice too. How about the Riviera Maya in Mexico? I heard Karisma Hotels offer one-stop shop wedding packages that clients and their guests will surely enjoy. They promise a memorable event for everyone and I guess that’s what a destination wedding is all about. Now if only we’ll have enough money then…

Bebots’ Grand EB at Astoria

 

 

On Friday the 19th, I literally took a day off from work and Mommy-duties, I was out of the house for 12 hours! And I still believe it was time well-spent with online turned real life friends :) Glo and Trin were in town from abroad, and when I learned that Zanne and Diane were also flying in from the province, I knew the day will be memorable. It was a day full of kwentos and chikas, eating, laughter, and gift-giving :)

It was nice seeing all of you ladies! Until next time!

Supplier Rating: Entertainers

I honestly forgot their names already, LOL! I knew I should have written it down! Anyway, we could not afford the more known hosts and magicians so I let Darla do her job and hire who she thinks will deliver. Our main concern was to keep the kids entertained and have someone who can adjust well to the guests. The Magician (left) did a scene a la Tina Lennert (find her in youtube) and a little puppet show. She was dull at some points and even forgot who hired her, Stars and Rainbow (kinda embarrassing if you ask me, when she asked on the mic for Darla’s name, que horror!). But the kids stayed on their seats the whole time, so I guess she was still effective. The host on the other hand was lively and got everyone to participate.

Overall, I am satisfied. But I know that there is someone better than them (Like Kuya Shay, who we hired for Jack’s birthday in ‘06) so maybe I can ask Darla to try someone else for us next time :)

Rating: 4 out of 5

Setting up a store

A friend is setting up her store but she mentioned that her store space is pretty much limited. I knew she wanted to maximize the space because rent is never cheap in the city. I am sure she will find a way around because she has great organizational skills. I suggested these pop displays I saw in the internet so instead of using floor display glass cabinets, she can use the floor space more effectively.

Posts in Line

Yeah, I know i am not done yet with the supplier ratings. See I got really busy with work last week, plus I needed to rush things so I could enjoy my kind of long weekend. So I had two parties on Friday and Saturday, then my family went out on Sunday. These deserve separate posts of course. Then because my weekend was too eventful, I caught the colds virus and had to rest some more. That explains the long break in this blog :)

Anyway, I hope to blog as much as I can tonight. Stay tuned! :)

Almost done!

I am almost done with work for this week. I am thankful that blessings came my way. Even though I lack sleep, I would choose that over doing nothing (although I promised myself to yank mojo to return and scrap again by next week). I also noticed that assignments would have been more plenty if my sites are popular. I am thinking of doing directory submission, and see if that will help at all. But I am setting that aside for now.

My weekend will start early. I expect a fun-filled weekend with the Bebots! :)

Supplier Rating: Balloons

c/o Darla

Inclusions: Table Toppers, Balloon Drops, Stage Balloons, Stage Pillars, Floor Flowers and Balloon Pull.

Darla just showed me pictures and I pointed what I wanted. I was just particular about the colors: red, blue, green, yellow, orange and a bit of pink. I wanted to import M&M Character mylar balloons because it was on sale. However, they were too cheap that even if I ordered 50 pieces and some other stuff, I wouldn’t be able to fill in the minimum $50USD requirement. It would be impractical to insist on that. And looking at how the balloons turned out, there are no regrets anyway :) They were really nice. I particularly liked the floor flower balloons. The guests wanted to take them home even before the party ended.

Notice that we did not have balloon burst? In place of that, we ordered balloon pull, that one that says ‘1’ in green. Strips of paper are taped at the back and the kids get prizes for the balloons :) Safer than balloon burst, if you ask me. Plus, it is not yet very common in kids’ parties :)

Rating: 5 out of 5

Blood Donation

They say donating blood is a win-win situation. You get to save lives and your body gets cleansed as it produces new blood. Years ago, I conquered my fear of the needle by donating blood. It was for Daday’s papa. And it felt good to have helped.

I want to do it again. But I heard in the news that people who are already taking meds for hypertension are not qualified to donate anymore. Sayang.

Investing soon?

If you have the extra money now, and don’t know what to do with it, why not buy gold bullion?  For the last two weeks, did you know gold is moving as it peaks to its highest value? Especially so that the dollar is weakening, which makes this precious metal as a promising alternative. Most investors see this yellow metal as a more believable and stable currency. While many ignore this and do not consider this a viable asset, I am sure you would not want to regret it in the future. Experts say that gold has a clear future, so why not grab the opportunity, right?

That familiar voice

Ane got himself a new phone, a Nokia e72. He installed Garmin GPS system and it works. I am glad for him since he is really bad with directions! It is just funny that he uses GPS even when he knows how to get home from work. LOL! Sige na nga, he’s just testing if the instructions are accurate. So far, so good.

I am not sure if I’ll be able to get used to it. Hearing “Recalculating” and “take the roundabout and exit at second” feels weird, especially from the “lady”. As Jack said, “ Oh the lady is talking to me!”

Simply freaky, and yes, annoying too, LOL!

Stalling

We were out the entire day (almost) that I cannot be blamed when I say I am tired. I’ve been online for about a couple of hours now and I have not done anything productive other than answer emails and check what needs to be done. I still have to write 3 more articles and lots of blog entries.

And what do you know? I am watching TV at this moment! Bad, bad, bad…

Stressed Out

My stress level at this moment is pretty high. You know, that level where you are just way too stressed you would need to find energy boosters from www.bestmultivitamin.org, hoping that everything becomes normal when you wake up the next day? And yet there are things I need to finish tonight (work-wise) and will have to ignore other things for now.

The baby is finally asleep. Will try to work now.

Supplier Rating, Caterer: Jojie’s

Jojie’s Catering, Makati City

c/o Darla Dela Cruz

Menu for Adults: Fettuccini Alfredo, Garlic Bread and Rice, Roast Pork Loin with Gravy, Chicken Barbecue, Cocktail Sausages, Potato Salad (no picture), Cream Puff (no picture) and Chocolate cake with icing (which looked like brownies to me), 2 rounds of Iced Tea/Juice.

Menu for Kids: Spaghetti, Monte Cristo, Chicken Lollilop, Cupcakes with icing, Juice. Free small chocolate fountain.

I was considering another caterer, one which is pretty popular within my e-group because of affordability and quality of food. However, the quote did not include seat covers. They charge additional for that. I also thought of bringing our own seat covers, but my Mom pointed out the impracticality of doing such. So Darla suggested another one, Jojie’s. She said that she hires this caterer for her own events and she is satisfied.

The food was delicious! We didn’t have food tasting before the event (they don’t do that for kiddie parties so I just took Darla’s work). But the food did not disappoint. I only heard good comments.

We reserved for 140 adult guests but the head server said there were only about 100 adults. As expected, there were so much food to take home! When it was time to clean up, we were told that they do not have containers to put the remaining food in. So how were we supposed to bring them home? Darla took care of it and demanded that they buy foil or containers and we will wait. We were told that they do not bring containers anymore, as a company policy (must be issues with previous clients). Then they should have informed us beforehand, I think, so we could provide our own.

Other than that, we are a satisfied customer.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Disappointed

Sometimes, your day does not end up like you want and planned it to be. I needed to work today, read some reviews on adipex diet pills, write some articles. But you guessed it right! It is 830pm and I have not done anything. And I did not even notice the time until now! I think I will need to pull another all-nighter tonight and spend the day outside tomorrow for some errands. Plus, when I have already planned out my week, I get announcements that I cannot get on as planned. Good luck to me!

Update: Supplier Rating on Venue

I am changing my rating of the venue from 4 to 3 out of 5. The day after I posted the rating, Darla said the refund is already available. Fine. Ane only got to drop by the office today to claim the check. Klaire and I were napping so I missed Ane’s calls while he was still there. Turns out my name is misspelled on the check and he didn’t know what to do, so he just went home with it. Now I need to return the check and wait a few more days to get the countersigned one. Smells hassle, right? Believe me, Ane got a piece of my mind and we got into an argument because of that. I cannot blame him though.

I am pissed that the admin office did not even double check their records. It is very unlikely that I would misspell my own name, right?! I am pissed at people who care less about things as important as this. I am pissed, period.

Today is not turning into something I imagined it to be. Sigh.

Supplier Rating, Party Planner: Stars and Rainbow Events Management

STARS AND RAINBOW EVENTS MANAGEMENT

Darla Dela Cruz

in Multiply | in Facebook

Darla was one of my High School classmates with whom I reconnected via Facebook (isn’t FB wonderful?!). In my previous supplier rating (venue), I mentioned that we already booked the place as early as July 2009. But that was it. Weeks passed by and I still only had a venue and a theme (Care Bears because our Abi is Klaire Bear, hehe) in mind. Sometime in late August, she posted her rates in FB. I automatically got interested because I figured, her rates are totally within the budget I set. I actually didn’t have plans of hiring a planner but I knew I needed help, I didn’t know how to move on. Darla came in the picture at the right time.

We met in October, exchanged ideas via email and we finally and officially  signed in December (because that was when I paid the DP hehe), with her assuring me that we have ample time to do everything even if the holidays were approaching. Even before she became my official planner, she did not fail to inject ideas and she made herself available when I needed answers to questions. She would always snap me into reality and kept me focused. See, there was so much I wanted to do and have at the party. Darla would point out what is important and what are the things we can do without. Smart and practical, eh? :)

She had me covered and kept me sane, I tell you! She got me good deals. She tagged me along when she went shopping for prizes in Divi (and showed me how to haggle, LOL!). Her team (Carina, Lindsay, Karen and the rest) was amazing, friendly, efficient and organized. They listened to  what I had to say. I can freely say that I was a relaxed Mommy during the party, I was able to eat! :) And Darla? She saved me from a major outfit booboo and lent me a blouse!

SREvents is pretty new in the party management industry but I am quite sure, by how well Darla handled Klaire’s party, that it will go a long way. I am  proud to say that I was there when the team is just starting out and I will still be proud when they make it big someday.

Rating: 5 out of 5!

Welcoming some cousins

Last week, we had balikbayans in the house. It has been a few years since I’ve seen my nephews (cousin’s sons). One of them, definitely did not need a testosterone booster because he's all grown up now (this is in an exaggerated tone because he’s just 14 years old, LOL)! He’s got deep voice already and his body is well-toned. Time sure flies fast! :)

Supplier Rating, Venue: Acropolis Clubhouse (Libis, QC)

As early as June 2009, I was already researching on venues for Klaire’s party. You might think it was too early, but an OC mom needs to do what she’s gotta do :) I knew I didn’t want to have the party in some fastfood chain but I had to convince Badong. Obviously, I was researching without his knowledge so I could be armed when I needed to defend my ideas, LOL!

My criteria for the venue include:

• affordability (of course)
• accessibility to the guests who are coming from Manila (west), North and South areas.
• parking.
• space – I did not want a cramped area and I was looking for a place in which everyone can still roam around the party. And I was foreseeing that our guest list just might balloon so we need a venue that can fit everyone, just in case.

Among the clubhouses in San Juan and QC, the one in Acropolis Village caught my attention.

Information I gathered said the space can accommodate up to 200 pax and there is ample parking just outside it. So I called and inquired about our date and alas, it was still open! I finally sold the idea to Ane and we went to book the venue in July, about a couple of weeks after my inquiry. I was afraid someone already booked it on our date because we did not call before going there.

I believe it was destiny that Klaire’s party was held in Acropolis. When we told the secretary that we were there to pay the DP and refundable security deposit, she showed us their booking folder. Much to my amusement, the slot was already blocked (as well as all other weekends in January) but the client cancelled it a few days before we went! We signed the contract and you bet I was smiling :)

The secretary was easy to talk to except that she failed to inform us that we were supposed to pay the full amount at least a month before the event. It was also not in the contract I signed. I do not remember being told about this because if I did, I would have noted it down in my notebook so I would not forget. Imagine my horror when my planner told me, less than a week before the party, the people in the admin office threatened that they cancelled the booking because of the oversight! My planner put her foot down and insisted it was not in the contract so we were allowed to pay on the day of the party, before the set-up of decorations and stuff. Whew!

On the day of the party, the venue was clean. The washrooms were also clean, had hand soap and tissue. We also did not hear complaints about the guards, so that is nice to know.

The refundable security deposit was supposed to be returned to us seven days after the event but it is still not available at this time. My planner is doing the follow-up. Days after the party, they said the computation was not done yet. I already know they will deduct an amount for the extra electricity we used. I wonder when they will be done computing?!

Ever since I turned over the preps to Darla my planner in December, I was not directly corresponding with the admin office anymore. I did not hear complaints though from Darla (except for the balance payment of course). I guess all is good :)

Rating: 4 out of 5 (This may change depending on the refund issue)

Klaire’s Birthday AVP

While I rack my brains to make it organized enough to finish the supplier ratings, let me share with you the AVP I created for our princess. This was shown during the program before we blew the candle on the cake :)

Klaire's First Birthday AVP from Kaje Salvador on Vimeo.

 

I spent sleepless nights creating this one. The layouts were made from scratch using Photoshop, therefore I designed them myself (contrary to what someone said that I just downloaded stuff off the net. True, I had the papers & elements as freebies while some were purchased…but you know what I mean?! No hard feelings, though ;)) Labor of love, eh?

Thanks for looking!

Moving out

A friend is moving out from her apartment to find a bigger place with her soon-to-be husband. See, they are getting married in two months and they would like to prepare the new place and move-in immediately after their honeymoon. I pointed her to a link where there are houses for rent in the listing. I heard they are going to do some ocular this weekend. I am so excited for them!

More than a week (and some bits)

That’s how long before I am able to post again. No excuses this time. I sit and think, then close the Writer, many time over in the last few days. I simply caught the dunno-where-to-start syndrome again. Hehe.

 

Anyway, as most of you already know, Klaire celebrated her first birthday last week. The party was a blast! Wait for my supplier ratings, okay? (As if it matters, ha!)

Our princess literally grew before our eyes. As I said in my thank you speech during the party, it was an amazing year and I am looking forward to more years I get to spend with dear daughter. She knows a lot of tricks already (beautiful eyes, dancing, clapping after every song, kissing etc), so adorable! She also discovered shadows and cracks up every time we play with the “black ones”.

We visited her Pedia today and she was given the a-okay stamp. She is now 9 kilos and her height is 27.5 inches. We were also given the signal to change her milk to regular ones like Nido or Anchor.

Klaire likes it very much when she sees a lot of people around her (especially kids running and playing!). But gets really cranky when other people try to touch her at all. She would smile and wave hello & goodbye as long as she is left untouched.

On Badong, he scared me yesterday when he went home feeling so weak. I feared he had some stomach bug and I honestly thought we’d spend the night in the ER. He got better today, thankfully. But if he still cannot go to work tomorrow, then I will have to drag him to the doctor and find out what’s wrong.

As for me, I had blood extracted a few weeks ago for the monitoring of my cholesterol. I was able to return for the results and consultation with my Internist yesterday. Bottom line is, my numbers are all within range yet are not impressive. The bad cholesterol level is two points shy of being beyond the normal range so I should look out for that, continue my maintenance meds. I was also advised to lose some weight.