Visit to Dubai Miracle Garden with Friends

Woke up extra early one weekend with Marlo and two of my friends from high school (Archie and Rian) to visit this year's Dubai Miracle Garden, and I have to say it's so worth it. I think this year's flower showcase fared really well compared to last year. It's also a good thing that the place wasn't as crowded when we came so we managed to get some pretty decent shots. Here's a few photos I took from that fun sunny day:

Mary Lennox really made an awesome comeback this year! The team behind Dubai Miracle Garden obviously upped the creativity factor this year with all the new designs they came up with. This gigantic Happy Birthday flower letters were one of my favorites. That's my friend Rian, just a few days before she celebrated her birthday.

Never thought I could ever appreciate orange and yellow flowers until now. They look so gorgeous! I could happily stare at them for hours. This pink-roses-fan-since birth is now officially a convert.

And because it was an impromptu trip, something had to go wrong of course (like always). My camera's battery decided to die on me way before we got to finish touring the entire place which was a complete bummer. Typical Aizzing. What can I say? That's just me letting excitement rule over again. :)

Those pink flower pots and colorful umbrellas look incredibly pretty.

I'm already planning to go back there in a couple of weeks with my parents who are flying from Manila this time around, so I have another opportunity to take more photos. I know. Flowers overload at its finest indeed. Can't get enough!

Hope your week is off to a good start! :)

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Brandnew books for Snow White

To say that last Christmas was extra generous to my Snow White bookcase with all the new books I've received from friends and loved ones would be an understatement. I got not only one, but seven amazing books in total! Looks like I have more than enough reason to put on my reading glasses and give time for my favorite hobby this time around. :)

This A Little Course in Baking book would have to be my favorite from my books loot this year. It's been quite a while since the last time I put on my imaginary baker's hat and I've really been itching to get back into baking soon to whip up sweet treats again for my loved ones.

I couldn't help but do a little excited squeal when I got these two babies (Sophie Kinsella's I've Got Your Number and Can You Keep a Secret?) from my girlfriends. Kinsella is an all-time favorite chic-lit writer extraordinaire of mine. She's always been my go-to author when I need to unwind and not think about life's everyday stress and worry. Her books make the best light reads, are super funny, and very relatable too. It's like watching a feel-good rom-com movie, but a whole lot better of course.

George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire's series looks oh so fancy-schmancy nestled in my bookcase, don't you think? So happy that I finally got my hands on this series. The boyfriend got me the first four books and I can't wait to devour them.

Just found out the other day that my sister and brother-in-law are already bent on naming their first baby Daenerys (supposedly after one of the coolest Game of Thrones' characters) and I simply don't get it. Not even sure how to pronounce the name correctly to be honest. I know. I'm really THAT clueless! Haha! Way too late to get into the hype for sure, but better late than never, right? Even my minions look victorious on the photo.

What are your favorites from all the gifts you received last Christmas?

Hope you're all having a fabulous weekend! :)

 

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Wishlist Wednesday Special: 2013 Highlights

Happy Wednesday, everyone and Happy New Year! I'm extremely thankful for this year and beyond excited that we're welcoming a brandnew year again. So in the tradition of Wishlist Wednesday, I've thought of doing a different version of it today. Instead of listing down wishes like the usual, I would be sharing some of the major things on my wishlist that have actually come true in 2013.

Was able to finally fit into my bridesmaid's dress and attended my bestfriend's wedding in Sunny Manila last June. Truly one of the most beautiful and heartfelt weddings I've ever been to! I was the happiest friend.

On the same month, I also went on a short vacay to the Philippines and enjoyed sweet quality time with my family and closest friends, especially with my nephews and niece who keep on getting more and more awesome everyday.

Landed myself a job at one of my dream companies on May, and started a new cool chapter in my career on July. There's still so much I have yet to learn to be honest (barely 5 months!), but I'm really glad I've made this decision. So far so good. :)

Flew back and forth so many times also this year: Dubai, Muscat, Manila, Hong Kong and Tbilisi. There's just so many beautiful adventures out there waiting to be experienced! I just hope I'll have more opportunities to travel next year and be able to discover more places and learn more about different cultures.

Celebrated my birthday in a foreign country (Georgia) and got to play in the snow for the first time ever. I gotta say it's really one of the best moments in my life this year. It felt seriously incredible to be able to act like a kid again and not worry about grown-up problems for a day or two. Exactly the kind of escape I needed.

Falling in love again and again... always with this same man. As cliche as it may sound, but I'm really lucky I'm inlove with my bestfriend. There's just no better set-up! :)

While our family may have gone through a couple of major tragedies, 2013 actually did pretty amazing as a whole for me. Personally, a huge part of 2013 was all about adjustments, self-discovery, family, and just all-out gratitude. I'm so grateful that I managed to cross out so many incredible goals on my list this year and have made a lot of my dreams a reality.

So that's the year that was for me. How about you? How did your 2013 go? I hope you're just as lucky. Here's to wishing that 2014 will bring us tremendous amount of blessings in life and love. Happy New Year again! :)


 

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