Ziv's birthday party: the deets!

More than a month has passed since Ziv celebrated his first birthday and I realized I haven't done a post about it yet! So here goes.

Ziv's lolo daddy took care of the catering and the entire setup so all ze hubby and I only had to handle were the invitations, balloons and cake. I started a Pinterest board a few months back and after collecting inspiration from all over the web, I've decided on an UP-inspired, balloon-themed party. We love the movie and Ziv loves balloons!

Back in January, I asked my Photoshop master brother Miko to draft an invitation design for me. I wanted bunches of balloons in the sky. The initial design he gave me had that but after two or three revisions and several days of thinking, I ended up with this design, which we distributed to our guests:

After that was settled, I picked a cake design. I had these as pegs:

And here was what we had on the party:

Cake by Gem See, same lady who made our wedding cake

The cake was delicious! The top layer was vanilla while the bottom layer was in chocolate. We chose to have boiled icing instead of fondant since it was cheaper. The only problem was the balloons almost fell off during transport because the icing couldn't hold'em!

No party is complete without balloons! I have exchanged e-mails with my high school classmate turned businesswoman Dang regarding balloon decor possibilities. She had lots of great ideas but we just didn't have the budget so I ended up just getting about two dozen helium balloons from her. They were in metallic rainbow colors and were so vibrant!

At first I thought two dozen balloons wouldn't be enough, but on the day itself I was pleasantly surprised that the caterer put a balloon centerpiece, albeit a simple one, on the tables. Had my dad told me there would be centerpieces, I wouldn't have worried!

While scouring Pinterest, I found this and I thought it would be nice to have one for Ziv's party:

Celebrant's faces through the first 12 months

Since we had a balloon theme, I decided to stick Ziv's faces on balloon shapes cut out from felt paper. Here's how my DIY project turned out:

I originally wanted to have gold helium-filled microfoil/mylar balloons to spell Ziv's name but Dang didn't have them. I found a supplier in Singapore but I discovered they were a bit complicated since they had to be heat-sealed. I didn't want to bother myself with such hassle so I just cut out Z, I and V out of carton and wrapped them with gold foil. Turned out okay to me!

I wanted rainbow colors to be prominent during the party so when I found this online, I knew I had to do it:

 

I bought crepe paper in red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet then cut them out into strips. With the help of my tall hubby, I stuck them onto our garage's arch on the day of the party. Here's how it looked like:

Overall I was satisfied with the look and feel of Ziv's party. I dreamt of having a well branded party, like this, but I am happy with how Ziv's party turned out. It was us--relaxed and festive!

*****

I wanted Ziv to smash a cake when he turned one. It's an American tradition we first heard of when our nephew (ze hubby's sister's son) Jake turned one. I thought it was a fun photo opportunity. However, I didn't want Ziv to do it during the party itself since one, it would be messy and two, I wasn't sure how the guests and Ziv would react to it. So we did it on Ziv's actual birthday.

I just bought a ready-made cake from Gem's, and ordered a bunch of balloons from Dang. I set up the scene at our lawn using a blue blanket as background. I tied the balloons onto an IKEA house shape sorter (UP-inspired kasi) then laid the cake on the ground. We then waited for Ziv to wake up from his nap.

It looked like it was going to rain so when Ziv woke up, we immediately undressed him and put him down on the set. He was confused and didn't understand what was going on. He started to play with the balloons and didn't pay any mind to the cake. In an attempt to get things going, we put his hand on the icing but he wouldn't have any of it! He began to whine and asked to be carried.

I guess we shouldn't have hurried him but it was about to rain! My SIL also mentioned we should've had a rehearsal with a cupcake so Ziv would have known what to do on the day we were taking photos. Oh well. I'm glad I managed to get some cute photos though. Those would be a great way to remember the day he turned one.

do what you love

Source: cdn.shopify.com via Erin on Pinterest

After sister left, I was scheduled for two job interviews. Ironic, right? Haha. Good thing ze hubby could work from home so we didn't have to worry about childcare.

One interview I had was with a big media company here. I already took a qualifying exam a few weeks ago and was already scheduled for an interview. A few days before the appointment, HR called me and told me the post is closed and has been offered to someone already. I was disappointed but I let it go. A couple of days later, HR called again, told me there was a "problem" and they wanted to invite me for an interview again. I accepted the invitation and prepared.

Fast forward to the interview proper, I was surprised that the editors seemed to have no idea about my qualifications. They were taking glances at my CV on the spot and then went on to tell me I seemed too junior for the role. Said they were looking for someone with more experience. 

I answered their questions to the best of my ability, even selling my skills to them but it seemed they made up their mind about me. I tried to be polite and mask my dismay but I was thinking what a waste of precious time and resources it was!!! So rude! They're a big and important company here but they should probably take a look at their hiring process. Hiring managers should review CVs first before they call candidates in for an exam or interview.

One good thing that came out of the experience? I realized I don't want to work for them. Maybe it was God's way of leading me to the right path. It could be His way of saying, this isn't for you sweetie.

*****

This job hunt has once again made me think real hard about what kind of job I want. If it would be based solely on my skills, then I'd still probably be in an editorial function. But the right job isn't just about what fits ones skills. If it were, then the search wouldn't be half as hard as it is.

The right job, for me, should sit well in my heart, not just my brain. It should be aligned to my values. It should be meaningful to me and something that I'm truly interested in. I want my job to not just be a means to an end but an end in itself. I want to wake up each morning (or at least most mornings) excited about the work day ahead.

That's the reason I haven't undertaken a resume blitz. I choose the positions I apply to because I want to find a job that would make spending time away from my son and leaving him in someone else's care worthwhile.

Is that too much to ask for?

family times

My sister was here from the 7th to the 15th. I ordered asked her to come over because we needed someone to be around just in case I was called for a job interview. Ze hubby's boss from the US was in Singapore that week as well and it was not possible for him (ze hubby) to work from home and hold the fort in case I had to leave the house.

Lia and Ziv sharing burger and fries

Well, that week passed by without any interview appointments for me, which was alright. My sister, Ziv and I spent a couple of afternoons at the malls, which was fun. But unfortunately, Ziv caught a viral infection midweek. It was good sister was here to help out because ze hubby had a lot of after-office social engagements that time. My sister cooked, washed the dishes, helped me take care of Ziv and put the house back in order at day's end. Having support is wonderful.

My sister's stay here made me think of just going back home for good. I thought how fun it would be if I had family at my beck and call. Sometimes I just feel I'm spread to thinly. If I had family (and our trusty household help) around, chores could be distributed and I could have more time focusing on Ziv and ze hubby and myself.

Aside from that, I think Ziv would benefit from having a close relationship with his uncles, aunts and grandparents. Long distance is just not the same with face-to-face interactions. I know because I have lots of memories of the good times I had with my lola and lolo, aunts, uncles and cousins. I feel kinda sad that Ziv could miss out on those. It would be good for him to know that a lot of people love and care for him. It's not just mommy and daddy.

I don't know how but I'm sure ze hubby and I would make sure Ziv gets to spend time with his extended family.

*****

Ziv napping in the family bed

After several days of colds, fever and rashes, Ziv finally got completely well towards the end of last week. While he was sick, we let him sleep beside us. We all got used to the arrangement that even now that he's okay, he's still sleeping with us. 

Co-sleeping has become the new normal for our family! I thought I wouldn't like it because I might not be able to rest well, but it has been great so far. It's comforting and sweet for all of us. We all wake up happy.