week 89_another Birthday in Taipei!

Another year gone by, and (yep) I'm already another year older!

This year, for the third time in my life (2006, 2011, 2012) I spent my birthday in Taipei, Taiwan! It's actually a great location for celebrating ~ whether you're looking for big city glamour or an ocean side vacation, it's all at arms reach from where we're sitting.

I know my birthday celebration(s) last year were fun and festive [remember last year's adventures: here, here, here, and here! <<< What can I say, I like to stretch the celebration as much as possible AND I try to do the same for the hubby :) ]

This year was no different than any other, so we lined up a few festivities to celebrate my growing old ;)

Special Delivery:
Flowers from my Mom & Sister 

Moved these to a vase ~
they make my desk much more cheerful! :)

For the actual day -a Wednesday of all days- I was, of course, working! It still turned out to be a nice day though. Complete with a flower delivery to my desk from Mom & Sis, a special lunch with my teammates at Macaroni Grill (a splurge for us at lunch, but delicious!), and an extremely posh dinner with the hubby after work.

For lunch at Macaroni Grill we had:
Fried calamari (much fresher than you'd be served in the States),
their signature Rosemary bread with olive oil & vinegar (looove),
and I ordered the Pick 3 lunch with Pumpkin soup,
Orzo/Chicken/Citrus salad, and a pasta similar to Chicken Marsala,
a glass of Aranciata San Pelligrino (sparkling water)
PLUS the Chocolate Birthday cake ~ so rich and delicious!
(since birthday cakes in Taipei usually have a different flavor...)

For dinner, the husband and I dined at a gourmet restaurant, Marco Polo, on the 38th floor of the Shangri-La Far Eastern Plaza Hotel. We chose the place based on some reviews, and we were not disappointed! We knew the restaurant would be "nice" but it is now on the list of top 10 fanciest dates we have ever been on AND this weekend we also enjoyed a day at BaiShaWan Beach together (this was what I had told the husband I wanted for my birthday this year, no gift wish list). Visiting the ocean always makes me happy.

More posts to follow with details and pictures :)