Birthday Celebration at Cabalen Plus

We recently attended my Uncle’s 90th Birthday Celebration at Cabalen Plus. Wow, 90 years, 9 decades old, 1,080 months old, 4,692 weeks old, 32,850 days old, 788,400 hours old, 47,304,000 minutes old, and 2,838,240,000 seconds old. It is indeed a milestone kasi sa panahon ngayon, parang ang ikli na lang ng buhay. Yung Papa ko nga hindi man lang umabot ng 70 years old.

It was funny because when I posted this on my Facebook Story, some people thought that it was my grandfather’s birthday. Hehehe! We had a huge age gap kasi. Actually, his first grandchild was my classmate when I was in Kinder. Oh di ba, ka-age ko lang pamangkin ko sa pinsan.

The invitation said 12 to 12:30PM yung waiting time but we arrived past 11AM so nag-ikot ikot muna kami sa mall before we went to the restaurant. We just went to the restaurant past 12NN na and konti pa lang visitors. 

I also heard that my one of my uncles was there at 11:30AM pero hindi pa daw pwede kumain. So I don't know kung same sa Cabalen na may time limit yung buffet. Yung difference ng Cabalen and Cabalen Plus is, that there are additional Asian cuisines on their menu. 

We started eating around 12:30PM nung dumating na yung pinsan ko na nagpareserve. As expected, konti na lang servings ng food so hindi ko na kinunan ng picture yung iba. Nagkakaubusan nga sa dessert station. Buti na lang birthday party ito at hindi ako nagbayad kasi hindi ko talaga nasulit yung buffet.

But I am happy naman sa nakain ko, I am satisfied naman sa lechon kawali, kare-kare, dinuguan, bopis, biko and sweet saba. Pero yung iba na food na nakita ko sa vlogs, hindi ko nakita sa buffet spread or naubusan ako. My husband likes the sisig meal. Anyway, if ever we will eat here again, aagahan namin ang punta.

I brought cake and a birthday cake topper for my uncle. Unfortunately, wala akong picture nung cake + cake topper during the celebration but here is the 90th birthday cake topper that I made.

Cabalen Plus Buffet Rate 

Adult

Monday to Thursday: PHP598.00

Friday to Sunday & Holiday: PHP628.00 

Kids 

Below 3ft: FREE 

Below 4ft: 50% 

Above 4ft: Regular Rate 

Cabalen Plus 

Ayala Malls Manila Bay

Lunch at Marugame Udon

Life is hectic so I have no time to blog. I am busy with lab test, check-up, errands, and crafting projects for birthday celebrants and teacher’s day. How I wish, nakakapayat yung pagiging busy. Hehehe!

Anyway, last weekend after my laboratory test we went to SM Sta. Rosa for lunch. We ate at Marugame Udon, ang tagal ko ng nacucurious diro sa restaurant na ito kasi laging ang haba ng pila so when I saw na wala pila, dito na lang kami kumain. 

I did my research and found out that Marugame Udon opened its first branch here in the Philippines in year 2017 and now they have 50 branches. This restaurant is known for udon and tempura. But I don’t like udon so katsu na naman order ko. 

We ordered Katsu Curry Rice PHP310, Beef Ontama Udon PHP240, Pork Samurai Udon PHP230 and Gyoza (3pcs on stick) PHP125. 

I was surprised when my husband came with our food na so parang fastfood pala ito. Ang bilis iprepare yung order. My katsu curry rice was so big so pinaubos ko sa kasama ko. My husband and son finished their udon naman.

Farewell and Retirement Cards

Saying goodbye to coworkers is not easy, it is a mixed emotion of sadness and happiness. You feel happy if they take new opportunities or move to greener pastures. You feel sad if they get laid off or retire after years of service. Whatever the reason, giving them a farewell party or gifts is important. 

Last year, out of the blue, my husband asked me if I had a Retirement Card. I said “Wala, but I can make one, kailan mo ba need?”. He said, today. Waah! Kaloka di ba, so I was cramming to make a retirement card for his boss bago pa siya pumasok ng office. And because of that, I don’t have a picture of the card that I made.

So now, I make cards in advance for my future needs, para hindi na ko mastress sa paggawa because crafting should be fun. I’m sharing my finished farewell and retirement cards. 

Retirement Sunflowers Card

Retirement Butterflies Card 

Goodbye and Good Luck Flowers Card

Hot Air Balloon Farewell Cards 

I can’t decide on a color combination for this Hot Air Balloon Farewell Card again so I made three variations. I will give these cards to my husband for his staff na aalis na next month. 

Birthday Craft Projects

I love making birthday craft projects because I know I will use them. Sharing the projects that I did last month. 

Happy Birthday Cake Toppers 

I found these Happy Birthday SVG files on Cricut Design Space so I cut them. This is a good beginner’s project if you are just starting to make cake toppers. 

Happy Birthday to Me Cake Toppers  

This is the cake topper that I used for my birthday. I made two using different color combinations. Font is Fat Kat. 

Thirty Onederful Cake Topper

I made this cake topper for my youngest sister, “Thirty-Onederful”. The font is Sugarberry. 

3D Birthday Gnome 

I cut and assembled this 3D Birthday Gnome, even though I did not get a clean cut. My grey cardstock is not cooperating. 

Birthday Gifts and Balloons Card 

The Birthday Gifts and Balloons Card is supposed to be a pop-up card but I like the layered card only. The design is from Craft with Sarah website. 

Happy Birthday Flowers and Bird

You can attach this paper-cut project to a 5x5 card base. I cut this using white cardstock and used Ohuhu Markers and Distress Oxides for the color. 

Happy Birthday Flowers and Butterfly

Another paper-cut project. I used Distress Oxides for ink blending. 

Julia Gift Tag

A layered gift tag that I used for my goddaughter. The font is Girl.

Happy Birthday Yanna and Sam Cake Toppers 

Happy Birthday Cake Toppers for my two goddaughters. Font is Billion Dreams

Abbie is 18 Cake Topper 

Cake topper for my goddaughter. Font is Lost Treasure

Moonchild Baked by Lea Sawali Chocolate Cake

 “Reunions are a chance to pick up right where we left off and make new memories that will last a lifetime.”

It is hard to plan for get-togethers because we all have busy lives but sometimes we need to make time because life is short. So as much as possible, we should meet our friends habang may energy pa and wala pa bawal na mga food so we can still enjoy reunions. 

As usual, ang tagal na naman namin nagplan for our get together pero in the end, hindi pa rin kami complete pero push pa rin. Last year, we had get-together at Borro + Kandle Cafe but last weekend, I volunteered our place if willing sila bumiyahe sa probinsiya. Hehehe!

My friends suggested na instead of potluck mag-order na lang daw ako ng food but I told them na, Amber lang ang okay dito. They approved Amber naman so mukhang matitikman ko na yata ng lahat ng menu nila. For six adults, 1 teenager and 2 kids, I ordered Spaghetti P750, Lechon Kawali P1,080, Kare-Kare P850 and Pichi-Pichi P300.

Last Mother’s Day, Amber’s required us to pay in full but this time, they only asked for 50% downpayment. Pero kung common yung order mo like the Spaghetti and Lumpiang Shanghai that I ordered last July during my friend’s visit, pwede Cash on Delivery. 

Anyway, the delivery rider arrived 40 minutes before the scheduled time, ang aga naman. I was expecting na nakatupperware yung Kare-Kare kasi may sauce pero hindi pala. In fairness, okay pala ang Kare-Kare ng Amber’s. Unfortunately, dahil gutom na kami hindi ko na nakunan ng walang cover yung food. 

For dessert, I prepared buko salad and my friend brought Chocolate Cake from Moonchild by Lea Sawali. He lives in Mandaluyong pero dinayo pa niya ito sa Las Piňas so it means, there is something special about this cake. It was a simple cake with smooth chocolate ganache. The cake is good and the taste is similar to the Chocolate Truffle of Cafe Mary Grace. 

I also made cake toppers for my friends na ginamit na rin nila kasi may cake kami. Hehehe! For this cake topper, I used Birthday Verygood Font. 

Where to Stay in Da Nang Vietnam: Sheraton Grand Da Nang Resort

I am about to blog about our quick getaway in Davao last year but I just realized that I haven’t finished my Vietnam series. We visited Da Nang, almost two years ago and I hope I can still remember what happened. Hehehe! 

We had a 5-day trip in Vietnam and stayed at Sheraton Grand Da Nang Resort. When my husband said that this would be our accommodation, I was looking forward to our trip because it is a five-star luxury resort and according to our tour guide, this is one of the best hotels in Da Nang so we would enjoy our stay. 

Read: 5 Days Trip in Da Nang Vietnam 

Of course, before our trip, I already knew what to expect but when we arrived, napa-wow pa rin ako, true to its name, the resort is grand. I’ve been to a few Sheraton hotels or resorts and this is the biggest that I visited so far. If you are in Vietnam, you will notice that their hotel or resort rate is much cheaper compared to the Philippines rate. 

Read: Sheraton Manila Hotel

Sheraton Manila Bay Hotel

Sheraton Mactan Cebu Resort

Sheraton Towers Singapore 

Since we arrived late, the connecting room was no longer available so yung 2 reserved rooms namin, magkaiba ng floor; one room on the second floor and one room on the third floor so we ended up staying in one room. Ayaw maghiwalay sa pagtulog. I think once lang natulog si hubby doon sa isang room, nung nag dinner sila ng colleagues niya. Ayaw ko na kasi bumangon para magbukas ng double lock ng room. And para hindi kami hintayan sa bathroom na may bathtub, nagpupunta si hubby sa isang room. hehehe!

After check-in, the staff ushered us to our room via golf cart so medyo malayo-layo rin ang lakad from our room to the lobby. 

Sheraton Grand Da Nang Resort Deluxe Rooms 

This is the room on the second floor with a partial sea view. 

This is the room on the third floor Deluxe Pool View King. The two rooms are pretty much the same, we have a king-sized bed and the bathroom has a separate shower, bathtub, and toilet. 

Table 88 Restaurant 

The room includes complimentary breakfast at Table 88 but since we stayed here for 5 days, I will share our breakfast meals in a separate post. I already blogged about our International Dinner Buffet at Table 88 before. 

Since the weather was not good, we were too lazy to go out so we just ate at the hotel for lunch and dinner. (room service). There are few restaurants inside the hotel, there is La Plage, Table 88, Poolside, Tea Lounge, and The Grill. 

Things to do at Sheraton Grand Da Nang Resort 

This resort is nestled on Non Nuoc Beach so you have a beach and pool. But during our stay, we were not able to swim on the beach because of the bad weather. 

Sheraton Grand Da Nang is popular for its infinity pool because it is the longest pool in Da Nang about 250 meters long. Sa laki niya, pwede nga magkayak. 

If you have kids in tow, there are classes that you can join like a cooking class, pizza-making class, lantern-making class, and others. There is a mini water park and playroom too. 

Fitness, spa, and golf are also available but we did not visit. 

Read: Day 1 in Da Nang Vietnam: Hoi Ann Tour 

Pasalubong from Vietnam  

Vietnam Airlines Experience

Watch the video here

Sheraton Grand Da Nang 

35 Truong Sa Street, Hoa Hai Ward, 

Ngu Hanh Son District, 

Danang, Vietnam, 550000