Just Another Me

I was like reviewing my posts here. Time flew so fast. I wanted to edit every single post and arrange everything but heck, leave it as that, to make me remember how basic I knew of blogging back then. And besides, it will take too much of my time editing every single photo or post right?

So yeah, I will be back and maybe update this blog once in a while but you will also see me in my other blogs. Just refer to my Contact Me page. Tatah!

How are you? I didn’t post anything for the past few days just because I used up all 50 pictures, the uploadable limit here. Yes, a disadvantage of this free subscription at Friendster blog. I didn’t want to post a blog without pictures to backup my story, it’ll be boring to just let you read, read and read… right?

Our swimming party last July 22 — We were tired preparing the food but we had no choice since it’s dad’s blowout party for our relatives because of his promotion but it was all worth it, the party turned out to be a BLAST. Not everybody attended b/c some of my cousins had school and work, and some were lazy to come because of the rain. Yep, storm Glenda was felt that day, though not strong yet, it poured several times making it more inviting to take a dip in the pool. The whole place was reserved only for us and the two pools were so big for the kids and even for the kids at heart. LOL. Hubby told me that he will not swim and just take pictures all day but I guess the pool was so irresistible even to him. Hubby’s nephew was in the pool all the time, aahon lang when we had to feed him spaghetti. The food were overflowing, grilled bangus & tilapia, grilled liempo, chicken and pork adobo, tahong, spaghetti, laing, kilawing isda, buttered shrimps, macaroni salad, fruit salad and cake. Our stomachs were contented too. All in all, it was so much fun! Here are some of the pictures.

After the swimming party, Hubby and I had to drive all the way to Sucat to attend my childhood friend’s birthday, Jac. She’s 27 (nabuko ba kita Jac? LOL.) and her boyfriend threw a dinner party over his place for her. It was nice seeing my close friends again, it was May of this year when we last saw each other, though some weren’t able to come due to their busy scheds, seeing some of them always warm my heart. Here are some pictures.

Then, we visited my in-laws’ and took pictures of Daniel, before they leave for Cabanatuan after spending the weekends at my in-laws’ place. Pictures here.

And Monday, it was a non-working day for us because of GMA’s sona. I woke up early to prepare for work and mom told me the good news. Ha! Music to my ears. Went back to bed but I can’t go back to sleep so I just opened Hubby’s laptop and connected on the net checked my email and studied Wordpress, another blog hosting site and got the idea of collage pictures posted on a blog from Angie’s wordpress site, I find it so cool to upload pictures once, I hope you don’t mind Angie, of borrowing your idea, you’re my inspiration… I will save up my 50 pictures limit here at Friendster. Thanks Angie! Monday was laid back, we had the chance to rest after our busy weekend. Hubby and I did this marathon, watching the remaining 3 dvds of “My Girl”, a koreanovela that we are fond of. We started watching it last week, one dvd per day. I don’t fancy on koreanovelas that much, we have so much drama around us that watching such makes me puke already. Sorry to koreanovela addicts.  But “My Girl” and “Full House” were so funny that I had to make an exemption. Sila lang ata ang pinagtyagaan kong panoorin, at shempre andian na rin ang walang kamatayang Meteor Garden, the one which started it all.

Heavy rains outside woke us up early Tuesday dawn. I was able to sleep again but Hubby didn’t, too bad for him. Kawawa naman. We were so lazy to go up for work but we had too. We were praying for a non-working day again but I guess it was already too much to ask for. Abusing Him up there is too much. LOL. Buti pa ang mga bata, wala pa ring pasok. I miss being a student, dati konting ulan lang suspended na ang klase. Iba na talaga pagtumatanda pagnagmamature na anuh?!? Hay. LOL.

I am trying to bring back my scrapping mojo but I am just enjoying myself seeing my scrapping divas LOs instead of me thinking of my own creations. I also changed my mind in applying for a credit card, yes, til now I still don’t have my own credit card and since I’m on a tight budget, I asked my sister if I can use her credit card if I want to purchase a scrapping kit online and she gladly said yes. That way, I can control myself from spending so much, I also have my sister to look after me and remind me if I am using her credit often as I should. *winks*

Anyway, I made this LO for my sister who will be celebrating her birthday this August 7. “I love you so much Soy. May God shower you more blessings and may all your dreams come true. God bless you, Soy.”

Credits:
Papers:
Shabby Princess’ SS aqua squares, MB light blue
Embellishments:
Shabby Princess’ SS yellow flower, SF dot frame, Splendid strips floral & MB striped ribbon
Shabby Princess celebrate brown stitch
Alphas:
Shabby Princess’ Sweet Serenity & Splendid
Font:
Miss

And I also did these LOs just the other day. My scrapping fire is igniting. LOL. Just can’t wait to do more soon {using my soon purchased kits}.

Credits:
Papers:
TBankston country sofa 2
Zazou full hearts
Shabby Princess sweet sprinkles heart swirls
Elements:
DSP ribbon lace
Andrea Burns mother’s miracle metal brad
Helen Parkinson music hearts changed opacity
Shabby Princess stamped heart corner
Lauren Bavin pink satin ribbon
Faith True straight white stitch
Font:
Amber

Credits:
Papers:
Sweet Mindy autumn blossoms papers
Kim Liddiard torn paper
Embellishments:
Atomic Cupcake perky tied ribbon
Stephani Whetsel brad and ribbon
Tia Bennett wordart changed to color gray
Angie Briggs stitching & flower doodle changed opacity
Faith True alpha, silver element & number
Debbie Fisher square bracket
Font:
Honey I stole your jumper
1942 report

Oh, we applied for an internet wifi last weekend. And Smart informed me that they will install it on Thursday. Right now, I am window shopping, browsing on all the sites for freebies and for future purchases for my scrapping. I am so excited that I will have tons of speed and few minutes for my downloadables. I am so thrilled and anxious. I just hope Smart wifi will give us the satisfaction that PLDT vibe failed to give us.

As I speak, or should I say, as I am posting this entry, rain is still pouring, for days now actually. Last week, it was storm Glenda, a very strong one I should say and as of the moment, storm Henry is still doing it’s work on the Northern parts of the Luzon. I love the rain, it’s nice to cuddle with Dee at night. So chilly and inviting to sleep for more hours than the usual but work hasn’t been suspended and  we have to force ourselves to get up every morning. We are planning to go to the laundrymat for some paid services… we don’t have a dryer {which is not a common appliance in a Pinoy home}, so the best way is to have them washed and dried in a laundrymat. I just hope sun will come up soon, b/c on Saturday we have this baptism to attend to and Hubby will be a godfather.

The days that had been in my side of the world. What’s your story? I would love to see your world too. Take care and God bless.

Oh yes, FINALLY my Photography blog is up at Wordpress. It’s been weeks now since I filled out the free subscription at Wordpress and experienced confusion and questions on how to customize my blog. Patience is truly a virtue and it paid off. Just yesterday afternoon, I figured out how to at least customize the blog, maximizing it’s features even with a free subscription. Now, though only a few posts yet, it’s starting and hopefully I will meet new friends who share the same interest to that side of my world.

Having two blogs now, I am keeping myself busy, aside from Hubby, photography and scrapping… I have something more to enjoy, a far cry from doing nothing at work. Rain totally stopped today, the sun is now showing it’s strength… hanging clothes will soon be dry, cars can be cleaned now without the problem of getting it all messy b/c of wet roads, flip-flops can be worn without getting your feet all wet & dirty and of course, Hubby and I can pursue our trip to the park to take photographs…. FINALLY! Just hope it won’t rain this weekends.

Anyway, If you want to check it out and you might want to link it up if you’re interested in photography too, feel free and thanks in advance. The link is up there on my upper right sidebar. Don’t hesitate to leave a message at any post or leave a comment on my Flickr photos.

Some albums and links here will be deleted though and I’ll be organizing this blog, probably — totally switch to Wordpress if I find the time to import everything from here and since I have my blog only for photography, this will only be dedicated for the other parts of my world including my another loved hobby… digital scrapping.

SIDE TRACK — I just want to greet my college close friend, Riza! i love you and always take care of yourself! I’m always here for you, you know that. God bless you with more happiness and best of health.

Till, then… See you when I see you. God speed!

Yeah I am definitely back to my old self again… or should I say to my old work again. Same old, same old… BORING JOB!!! Darn! A month and two weeks of enjoying my work at my mom’s workplace is way over. Last Friday was my last day, feeling so sad and a little angry {don’t ask why} but I know I have to let go or else I will just give myself a burden — which is so not worth it. All I have to do is just be patient. PATIENCE is a VIRTUE —  definitely, and I will be tested on that, big time. Most of you may have a HUGE question mark in your heads as you are reading this so better stop this bull before I give you — or myself, a headche.

Back to regular programming…

You will be reading more posts here… AGAIN. Since work will not take much of my time anymore, I will be back blogging, clinking my DSLR and scrapping my heart away. a.) I will be needing more internet hours again DL-ing free kits and reading my blog sistahs’ sites. b.) I will be needing more practice in clicking "nikkie", reading sites and tutorials about photography are not enough in improving this craft. Practice makes it perfect. c.) I will be using Hubby’s laptop most of the time, taking away his time doing his flash works… AGAIN! Poor Guy. LOL. Buti na lang mabait si Hubby. d.) I will be having more time in making our bedroom spick and span, planning on cleaning Hubby’s closet, organizing my scrapping materials, throwing away some unimportant receipts, papers, etc. Actually I already did most of that last Sunday. Changed the sheets, cleaned my closet and packed stuffs that we don’t need anymore and will give it to our needy relatives in the province.

From my observation, since working at mom’s workplace, I’ve been physically pumped up… maybe it’s because I love my job there and that I don’t feel tired even with tons of workload at the hospital I can still gladly do my wifely-daughterly-sisterly chores at home. Returning in my old job, doing nothing, can seldom practice my profession is even more tiresome that I sometimes bring my "katamaran" at home. I love multi-tasking, and sitting for hours at work gets me in a rotten mood. HECK! I have to keep myself busy, hence, blogging, photography and scrapping. Nowadays, I try looking at the brighter side of things, it makes life easier. We have to help ourselves… with this gruesome scene in our country, Filipinos are still one of the happiest race in the world {FYI} and I am a Filipino so better be a happy one. LOL. Enough of looking back at my happy and contented experience at FBGH, it’ll only make my present job a lot miserable. I will only keep it as a learning experience. To my mom’s friends at FBGH: Thanks mga Titas for welcoming me with open arms. For being the best company… I will surely miss the chikahan at tawanan during lunch hours… kahit walang nap time okay lang kasi buhay naman dugo ko kakatawa sa mga kwento nyo.

Di pa tapos ang post ko… Kala nyo ba tapos na? LOL.

Last Saturday was my busiest Saturday this month. We accompanied mom at Quiapo to buy some stuffs. We left home early since parking is always a hassle at downtown. When we got there, we were busy bees. I was worried with Hubby. He looked so tired and still sleepy from waking up so early. But knowing Hubby, he never complains and just kept quiet. We attended mass at 10 am then went with our busy schedule. His mood changed when he bought the dvds — yes, we buy pirated dvds kasi we can’t afford buying all the originals — Sorry. Tapos we ate at Ongpin. Good thing, my uncle and his sidekick were with us, they helped us run some errands and made our trip at downtown a lot faster. We were there at 9 am and left at past 2 pm. The weather was hideous, it was hot next thing you know, the rain was pouring. On our way at my uncle’s place, traffic was sickening. I volunteered to drive but hubby won’t let me — as usual. After dropping my uncle and his sidekick, we dropped by Cherry to pick up our dry cleaned laundry. Tapos traffic na naman. Gawd! Kainis na talaga ang traffic sa Manila. When we got home, we rested for a while and decided to go to SM Mall of Asia to watch Superman at IMax.

We got there at 5.30 pm and we were planning to catch the 6 pm screening. It was so funny, Hubby and I were rushing, looking for a parking space, brisk walking, asking a couple of Manong guards where IMax was, only to find out that the 6pm, 9pm and the midnight screenings were all sold out. Geesh! We were sweating like hell, all for nothing! Phew! I was so disappointed. A security manong from IMax told us that if we don’t want to buy tickets in advance for their weekend screenings, we have to watch it on weekdays. Para wala raw pila. So probably, we will watch it this week. Hopefully, hubby will be up for it this week, if not, sana next week.

So my trip at SM-MOA became a "clicking" trip with Hubby. We brought "nikkie" with us and it ended up Hubby taking more great pictures than me. I shy away from clinking it with lots of people around. It felt awkward carrying it. I am truly a shy person and I have to deal with that if I want to take great pictures of different subjects or I will be confined with flower photos forever! LOL. After the clicking escapades, we ate dinner at Teriyaki Boy then headed home. Indulged ourselves on watching Tokyo Drift instead of the planned Superman Returns at IMax. The cuddling made me feel giddy all over, not seeing the Superman 3D wasn’t that bad at all. *mushy*

Sunday was a bit laid back. Hubby and I attended mass at 7.30 am — as usual. Then helped my parents in cleaning stuffs from the market, cleaned our room, ate a sumptuous lunch then I rested — siesta time while I left Hubby so into his work sa laptop nya, the next thing I know, katabi ko na siya at nainggit ata sa akin at tulog na rin. When we woke up, we decided to watch Final Destination 3 on dvd after which, I prepared dinner while doing the laundry and fixing our pressed clothes — multi tasking again while Dee left for a while to visit his family and he returned home in time for dinner. I just love weekends, it gives me more time with my husband and my family. Hay! Now as I am typing this blog for posting, I just can’t wait for this coming weekend, we will be having a swimming party {yes, kahit maulan dito ngayon} with my family and my relatives in celebration of my father’s promotion. You bet I will clink my heart away with "nikkie" and post nice photos {I hope} next time.

By the way, I would love to share photos right now but I already used my 50 photos limit this month, so I will be posting more photos next month. I have some photos in my Nikkie’s Snaps album if you want some sneak peak.

Have a nice week at work and Take Care!

I have been wanting to rate our suppliers for the longest time and it took me 7 months before diving into the task. I was so into blogging about my married life, my life in general and my hobbies that I set aside to post this post. This post is solely from our judgment and with the little rants we have, please be informed that we were still very much satisfied with all their services. We wouldn’t want our wedding in any other way.  Our ratings were done just to help others, who are thinking of taking “THE LEAP”, prevent tiny disappointments in their own celebration in the future in case they’ve decided to hire one of our suppliers.
(Being 10+++++ as the highest, go and read our ratings.)

Church — St. Ignatius Cathedral
Location — Capinpin Avenue, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City
Pay Out: 5,000 Php (additional 2,000 for the air conditioning)
RATING: 10++++

Since Denon and I are both government employees working at Camp Aguinaldo, we automatically got a 2,000 Php discount from the original price of 7,000 Php. We considered Hubby and all our men entourage who will be wearing suits at shempre ang guests na rin. We both wanted everybody to be comfortable, so we, of course, opted for their A/C services so additional 2K. The ceremony was even special because Fr. Simon, our friend officiated our wedding, Thanks Father!

Raves:
a. The Cathedral is perfect. Beautiful. Spacious.
b. The air-conditioning was cold. Enough to sustain the people inside.
c. The staff were friendly. They guided us really well in completing our requirements {kahit makulit na ako minsan}.
d. The Pre Cana Seminar was good. It was short but meaningful. It was so personal since only 3 couples {including us}. Denon and I were expecting a priest to officiate our seminar but a seminarista appeared in front of us instead and in fairness, maganda naman ang mga sinabi nya. The seminar took only an hour, if I can recall it right, it’s not the best seminar but who am I to judge eh first time (–and last–) lang naman ako nakaattend ng pre cana di ba?

Rants:
a. We asked the management if we can put flowers and trimmings on the chandeliers to make the Cathedral more magical but to our dismay, we were not allowed to pursue that idea. Wala raw kasing magliligpit after ng wedding, since a Wednesday mass will follow after our wedding, kaya di daw pwede.
b. They didn’t allow love songs to be played in the ceremony. Standard mass songs lang daw ang allowed. I didn’t know why, ang ganda pa naman ng naisip namin for my bridal march, sayang at di na-play ang “Forever More”. But I had to let it go. My march was perfect pa rin naman.

For the Preps and after the Wedding – Linden Suites
Location — San Miguel Ave. Ortigas Center Pasig City
Contact Number — 638.7878
Website — www.lindensuites.com
Pay Out: 2-Bedroom Executive Suite for  2 nights — 15,691 Php (the 2,000 is refundable as you check out if you didn’t consume anything from their items or used the phone for outgoing calls from your hotel room) RATING: 10+++++

Check in time was 2 pm/ Check out time was 12 noon. One word: Satisfied. I had the nicest experience when I checked out the hotel. A man who was on duty that time behind the front desk was so accommodating. He was always smiling and very willing to answer all my questions. He even gave me a very friendly staff who accompanied me and my sister to see the rooms.  When she over heard my sister asked me where the indoor pool might be, she nicely butt in and told us that she will show us the indoor pool after we see the rooms. To my dismay, there was no 2 bedroom suites ready for viewing that time so we just settled to view the one bedroom of the executive suite and the one bedroom of the standard suite only but I still booked for the 2 bedroom suite anyway.

Raves:
a. This is one of the best hotel suites I have ever been to. You can easily be deceived from the outside since it’s facade is like an office. But the minute you step in, things are way better. Very well maintained and very elegant. Then I also asked the guy who booked me to give us a suite with a nice view of Ortigas and when we checked in, nakuha ko nga ang request ko!
b. The staff were pretty friendly, except with the lady who was behind the front desk when we checked in.
c. The room was astounding, with the huge living room, dining room and kitchen, I can gladly live there forever. It was so cozy and elegant. The bedrooms were huge enough to fit my family during our preps.
d. The A/C was comfortably cold. It felt like winter inside our suite since we adjusted the A/C almost to the max.
e. Their free buffet breakfast was also great. The food tasted really good. And the services were even better.
f. People assisted us nicely when Hubby and I checked out the next day.

Rants:
a. The lady who was behind the front desk when my sister and I checked in looked so snobbish napakaPretty pa naman sana nya (sayang). She was never accommodating unlike the others we met when we viewed the rooms. And she made us wait for almost 2 hours just because she told us that our suite was not ready yet and their making it up pa raw, cleaning it and stuff.  They knew that someone who booked months ago pa was coming and still they made us wait that long for our reserved suite. Hay!
b. The cafe where they have their breakfast buffet is a bit small. Hubby and I experienced sitting in the smoking area at breakfast since the non smoking area was full of people already. Di tuloy ako nakaConcentrate sa pagkain kasi parang nalulunod na ako sa usok eh ang aga aga pa nun. Another, Hay!
c. The parking was hideous. 1. You must need some good old school parking skills to go in that mala-zigzag Baguio nilang parking space. 2. Dapat wala kang nerbyos sa pagmamaneho kasi feeling mo mababangga ka na every time na may makakasalubong ka sa turns ng parking nila. I had the experience na when I was going down, may paakyat namang Pajero. Susme talagang tumigil ako kasi Rav4 for ang dala ko at napakaliit nya, feeling ko magkakaroon ng head to head collision eh. 3. You should have the patience in figuring out where the hell is their elevator since parang magpapanic ka na sa sobrang lalim na ng narating mo tapos di mo pa alam kung saan yung way up sa hotel. LOL.

Make-Up Artist — Jasmine Mendiola
Website — www.jazzmendiola.multiply.com
Contact Number — 0926.744.2778
Pay Out: 10,800 Php (original price of 12,000 — 10% off from Bridal Fair promo) inclusive of Bride+3 heads hair & make up and the bride’s retouch before the reception
RATING: 10+++++

I availed the promos Jazz had during Bridal Fairs. I attended one at Rockwell when she told me via email about the perks on attending Bridal Fairs. I was a lil disappointed that I already booked most of my suppliers before going to a bridal fair, I didn’t know that you can meet tons of suppliers who give promos there. Luckily, I had my make up trial during that event which gave me 50% off from the 2K price she had and that 1K is even deductible from the package and you have 10% discount for on the spot booking which I did. Jasmine was so friendly. She is very concerned on how the bride feels and she asked so many questions like, What’s the wedding’s motif? What hairstyle do you like? What look do you prefer the best? etc. etc. She even writes it down so she remembers everything. Galing. Truly a professional. I didn’t like what she did on my first trial make up just because we had a tiny bit of miscommunication and she was nice to hear my comments and when she retouched what she did, I was surprised. I really looked nice during my trial. My face is definitely not perfect, with all my pimple scars and freckles, I was worried but she definitely did magic for me. She never failed me during our wedding. Her promise of dolling me up was truly done. My Mom, Tita and sister who were dolled by Jasmine were satisfied too. Our family, relatives and guests said praises on how I looked that day and thanks to Jasmine and hairstylist Felicity Son, I was picture perfect.

Hair Piece — All About Beads
Location — Cinderella, Megamall
Contact Person — Liezel Amoncio
Contact Number — 0917.535.0825 / 926.3257
Pay Out: 1,500 Php
RATING: 10++

When I attended the Bridal Fair at Rockwell, I saw her creations and I instantly loved it but I wasn’t prepared that day and didn’t bring extra money so I ended up keeping her card so I can buy my hair piece from her. I texted her and she answered my messages nicely. Good thing that she sells her creations at Cinderella where I can buy the piece any time.

Here is my hairstylist Felicity Son who Jasmine tagged along with her and he was just amazing. He styled my hair as I requested, clean and elegant!

Bridal Gown — RCRW Bride & Groom Fashion
Location — 84-A Salomon Bldg. Kamias Rd. QC
Contact Person — Cornelia Romande
Contact Number — 436.7307
Pay Out: 19,800 Php (inclusive are headdress, veil, cord, 2 cushions, garter lace & gloves)
RATING: 10+++

I never had problems with Ate Connie regarding my gown. She gave her comments and advices when I was telling her about the design I wanted. She liked the idea that I already have with me a picture of the gown. I asked her to copy a gown from one of the designs of Oleg Cassini that I fell in love with the moment I saw it. The beadwork  and accents of the gown were wonderfully done. My gown was one of the things in my wedding that received a lot of praises. The one thing that I wasn’t that happy with was the ecru belt that I requested as a piece of accent on my gown. I was not satisfied with its length, I wanted it to be as long as my train eh parang napaiksi kaya di mashado napansin.

Gown for Mother In Law — RCRW Bride & Groom Fashion
Pay Out: 3,800 Php
RATING: 10

Gown for Maid of Honor — RCRW Bride & Groom Fashion
Pay Out: 3,200 Php
RATING: 10+

Gown for 2 Bridesmaid — RCRW Bride & Groom Fashion
Pay Out: 2,700 Php
RATING: 10++

Gown Rental for 3 Secondary Sponsors & 2 Flower Girls — RCRW Bride and Groom Fashion
Pay Out: 5,100 Php with 2,000 bond
RATING: 10+++

L to R: Our 3 Secondary Sponsors & My 2 Bridesmaids

Mannequin Rental — RCRW Bride & Groom Fashion
Pay Out: 800 Php
RATING: 9.0

As to my entourage, I had no problems and Ate Connie was so patient discussing the details. She copied the gowns from our pictures really well and added tiny accents that made the gowns more elegant yet simple, as I would wanted it to be. There was this only thing when my aunt from the States ordered a gown from them. When I accompanied my aunt at the shop, Ate Connie’s assistant faced us and it appeared to us that she understood what our requests were but my aunt was so disappointed when we went there to fit her gown, luckily Ate Connie was there that day and they had this deal to alter the designs. My aunt is on the XL side and after the alterations, the gown was perfect for her BUT Ate Connie added additional amount from it’s original price which disappointed me. Nakakahiya kasi sa tita ko. Sabi nya sana sa Divisoria na lang daw sya nagpagawa kasi baka mas naging mura daw ang binayaran nya. But we were in a rush then and we had no choice but to pay that gown. About the rentals, everything was prepared nicely for us with no problems at all. We had a flower girl Sum, my inaanak who’s size is around XL and can’t fit into any of the available gowns in the shop so Ate Connie gladly made gowns for our 2 flower girls and we just have to pay a lil more than the original price for that first to use rented gowns.  All in all we were satisfied.

Rental of Suits for our Male Entourage — Gardini Fashion Center
Location — 1557 Tayuman St. Cor. Anacleto St. Sta. Cruz Manila
Contact Person — Tess Canlas
Contact Number — 314.5786
Pay Out: 5,400 Php (inclusive of 9 coats, pants & ties)
RATING: 6.50

Raves:
a. The coats and pants were in good condition.

Rants:
a. They have a shop at E. Rodriguez, nearer from our place but the problem was, their suits are limited so we have to drive all the way to Sta. Cruz several times with our entourage in tow for the fitting, the pick up and return of the suits.
b. They interchanged some of the suits of our entourage which was why one was wearing a tight suit while the other guy had to settle for a loose one. Hay. Good thing mababait ang entourage namin at di nagreklamo. Tapos si Dee had to go there the night before our wedding day kasi he had to accompany one of his groomsmen bco’z Edison’s suit was tight and he had to change the suit to a bigger size, yun pala we realized lang nung wedding day namin na nagkapalit lang pala yung suits kaya yung secondary sponsor naman namin maluwag naman yung suot. Biro mo napuyat si Dee dahil lang sa pagiging di nila organized?!?
c. Lastly, this is the worst reason why we had to give them the lowest rating. We were supposed to return the suits, 3-4 days after the wedding which was fine but Ms. Tess called me before my wedding and she was practically begging me to return the suits, all 9 of them the next day! Tama ba naman na December 8, eh nagkoko-collect kami ng suits? Kasi daw may kukuha daw ng suits ng December 9 kasi wedding nila ay 10 naman! OMG!  I told them, why did they commit to that couple when they have a contract with us, and now we are pressured to do a favor for them eh kami ang customers!?! Nakakainis di ba? Ms. Tess even suggested na baka pwedeng kamag-anak na lang namin or somebody can do that for us eh sino ba nakakaalam ng mga bahay ng entourage namin… Kami lang naman dalawa ng asawa ko. Grabe di ba? She even ask me to return it before lunch kasi idaDry clean pa raw nila. Duh. I told her sobra naman yun eh nasa hotel pa kami ng ganung oras, 12 noon nga check out namin eh. I told her na I will return the suits on December 8 pero in my time not hers kasi she was the one who broke the deal. Kaya ayun magsi-6 pm na ata namin naibalik lahat kasi we have to get the suits pa one by one from our entourages’ houses.  Pasalamat pa sya and we were nice clients kungdi eh baka sa 9 pa namin yun binalik at para natuto sila ng leksyon. Grrr…

Groom’s Suit — Mang Claire’s Tailoring
Location — Bayani Road, Bonifacio Taguig City
Pay Out — c/o My Dad (Thanks Daddy!)
RATING: 10+++

Mang Claire was nice to talk to. He managed to make the suit in a small amount of time and was nice to use beautiful materials for the attire. My husband looks pogi na (walang aangal, asawa ko to nuh! LOL) and the suit just enhanced his pogi looks lang. *winks*. Si Hubby matipid,  yung shoes nya, from greenhills tiangge, ayaw magMendrez kasi mapapamahal pa raw. Kaya ayun nmakatipid kami since 600 Php lang bili namin.

Reception Venue — AFP Commissioned Officers Country
Location — Camp Aguinaldo, QC
Contact Persons — Mr. Elias Gapas / Mr. Joebert Subong
Contact Number — 995.0298 / 911.6001 local 8537 & 8015
Email — reservations@afpcoc.org
Pay Out: 16,500 Php (additional 1,500 for the electricity b’coz we had a band)
RATING: 10+

Yan ang lobby

The Huge AFPCOC dolled up by Dexie’s Catering

Raves:
a. Very spacious and there is a lobby before the main hall.
b. The washrooms are clean.
c. A/C is well maintained and cold enough for the event.

Rants:
a.  We still have to apply for the Chief of Staff’s approval so that they can allow our caterer in the clubhouse. Since AFPCOC has their own catering service, they don’t allow other caterers that often. Good thing that time, they were not so strict yet unlike now, I heard that outside caterers are strictly prohibited already. And the Chief of Staff then was one of our Ninongs. LOL.
b. We still have to pay for the electricity, akala ko kasama na yun sa 15,000, eh rental lang daw ng place yun kaya kelangan pa ng 1,500 for the band. Hay.

Caterer — Dexie’s Catering
Location — 10 Corona St. Cor. Colby Brookside Hills Subd. Cainta
Contact Persons — Dexie / Arnold / Ging
Contact Numbers — 655.5867 / 655.7496
Website — www.dexiescatering.com
Pay Out: 95,000 Php (inclusive of the buffet table, gift table, cake table, presidential tables, dining tables and chairs w/ seat covers & ribbons, all catering utensils & services, gazebo & red carpet, flower dress-up venue, sound system, emcee, 4 real fondant cake)
RATING: 8.75

Our Gazebo

The Cake

Raves:
a. The  reception was magical. I’ve always attended parties at AFPCOC but I’ve never seen it so made up. Flowers were everywhere and I really love how they set up the tables.
b. The food was delicious. That’s given already since Dexie’s catered my brother’s wedding, so I am sure that their food will taste great, which was the main reason why we hired them.
c.  The people who worked with us through the preparations were friendly, too friendly nga eh. They even served us meriendas whenever we visit their office.
d. Enough staff were there to serve the guests.
e. Their emcee was good. He had the initiative to think of mga “palabok” sa traditional program sa reception. Except sa maling pagsabi ng pangalan ko (di nya ata binasa script nya or nahirapan lang syang sabihin ang real name ko kaya nag-imbento na lang sya ng name na madaling sabihin), na kinailangan pang lapitan sya ng sister in law ko or else baka the whole event ay akalain ng mga bisita na ibang babae na ang pinakasalan ni Denon.  And besides, he sang very well during our first dance, akala namin cd ni Janno Gibbs yung tumutugtog when we were dancing yun pala sya yung bumibirit.

Rants:
a. We bought artificial sunflowers and put strings and name tags for each of our ninongs and ninangs, we asked Arnold if they can put it in each chair of our principal sponsors but to our dismay, wala yung mga pinaghirapan namin nung reception. Badtrip.
b. Another request was to put our souvenir cds on each table since may gift tags na each cd… But when we got there, we never saw a single cd on the table. Pati yung thank you gifts namin for our whole entourage wala sa mga tables nila! We have to ask the head waiter twice or thrice pa nga ata before we saw that our guests were receiving their gifts. Kakadisappoint.
c. The cake. I remember it so well that it was not the design we chose and it was in the contract that it should be 4 REAL layers of fondant cake. So happy na rin kami ni hubby when we saw the cake kahit di na yun ang gusto kong design. So shempre yung cake after the wedding, one layer went to my dad’s office, another went to our family then the two layers went to hubby’s family… ito… nakakahiya sa mother in law ko when we asked her how was the cake… sabi nya “eh styro naman yung nandito eh” we couldn’t believe what we heard… two layers were dummies. Eh it was so clear kasi nasa contract pa nga sya. Di ata nila binasa. Nakakainis talaga. This is the reason why I’ve decided to give them 8.5! We paid for that. This wedding naman pinaghirapan namin ni Hubby kahit pa sabihin mong it was a small amount for a fondant cake… sana lang siningil na lang nila kami ng mas mahal basta real talaga at tutuparin nila pinag-usapan or better yet sana sa ibang supplier na lang kami nag-order ng cake.

Photos & Video — Greyward Photography
Location — 7441 Bernardino St. Guadalupe Viejo Makati City
Contact Person — Mr. Jun Grecia
Contact Number — 789.8599 / 0906.202.5901
Pay Out: 32,000 Php for the Digital Package (inclusive of Photos: unlimited shots, 8×10 40 pages in magnetic album in digital LO, 16×20 portrait, photos in studio set-up, 5×7 coffee table album, albums w/ case / Video: MTV style / non linear editing, DVD copy + free use of their benz bridal car)
RATING: 10+++

Our First & Last Pages of our Album

At first, we thought Mang Jun was so unfriendly, not smiling and a man of few words but as we get to know him, he was friendly and was so nice to give us his promo even at the last minute. He even agreed to let us use his bridal benz for free, kahit tapos na nga ang promo nya. He doesn’t have his website and he is not a popular photographer like the others but known couples like Christopher de Leon & Sandy Andolong and Paolo Abrera & Suzi Entrata trusted him for their weddings and us trusting him was never a mistake.

Raves:
a. Friendly and accommodating.
b. A man of his words, with much kindness to extend his promo for us.
c. Fantastic layout of our album. We were really satisfied with how our album turned out. Even our video was beautifully done.
d. Mang Jun was even nice to hold my balikabayan Aunt’s camcorder to take our video from the church to the reception.

Rants:
a. Medyo installment basis nga lang ang album pick ups. Una yung malaki naming album tapos after a while eh dumating na yung portrait namin tapos just this June yung coffee table album namin and til today we’re still waiting for the album case for our 2 albums.

Band — Los Caballeros
Location — Philippine Army, Ft. Bonifacio
Pay Out: c/o My Dad (Thanks again Daddy!)

This band was just awesome. Magaling sila, naaliw kami at ang mga guests namin sa mga love songs na tinugtog nila at kahit sa Pinoy Big Brother na tinugtog nila nung uwian na. Nagtawanan ang mga guests na nakarinig. Wala kaming playlist but the songs they played were just fit sa ceremony namin. Buhay na buhay ang gabing yun dahil na rin sa kanila. And I heard na talagang nakuha ni Dad ng super discounted ang Los Caballeros basta with dinner sila and free ride papunta at pauwi kasi marami rin ang equipments nila eh.

Bridal Bouquet & Groom’s Boutonniere — Holland Tulips
Location — Dangwa, Manila
I LOST THE RECEIPT — so no contact numbers
Pay Out: c/o My Mom (Thanks Mommy! The tulips were beautiful!)
RATING: 10+++++

I was happy with my bridal bouquet and hubby’s boutonniere. The tulips were fresh and the designs I had in mind was what they really did. I was a bit skeptic about it since I didn’t bring them the exact picture of the arrangement that I wanted but they understood what I explained and I was happy.

Our Entourage’s bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres — Dangwa Flowers for All Occasions
Location — 1370 Dos Castillas St. Sampaloc, Manila
Contact Person — Osang Trinidad
Contact Numbers — 742.1691 / 0919.446.2758
Pay Out: c/o My Parents (Thanks Daddy and Mommy… you’re the greatest!)
RATING: 10++++

Osang was so makamasa. So friendly and very much accommodating. She exactly did everything that we asked her at shempre her prices were way cheaper kasi asa Dangwa sila mismo.

Flowers for the Church — Dangwa Flowers for All Occasions
Pay Out: c/o My Parents (Grabe ang parents ko! Thanks so much!)
Church Flower Arrangements — My mom’s ka-sisters sa church
Pay Out: gift na sa amin ng mga ka-sisters ni Mommy
RATING: 10+++++

The church was very simple yet very beautiful. It was what we wanted, very simple and minimalist. I am also very grateful sa mga churchmates ni Mommy, for putting so much effort for our wedding without expecting anything in return. They accompanied us in choosing our flowers at Dangwa then they woke up so early in the morning of our wedding day just to start the arrangements sa Cathedral. Seeing their tired faces at the reception made me feel so grateful that Mom has nice friends like them. Our church ceremony wouldn’t be complete without their help.

Wedding Bands — Mrs. Ramirez, jeweler
Pay Out: 14,000 Php (half c/o My Mom -Muah Mommy! and half kami)
RATING: 10++

Mrs. Ram is a long time friend of Mom na kilala na rin namin ever since bata pa kami. She made our uniforms since elementary til college then had ordered RTW’s din sa kanya. Recently she also included jewelries sa business nya. I just gave her the picture of the design what Hubby and I wanted then ginaya na nya. The bands needed a little polishing lang, yun lang naging rant ko but other than that na nasulusyonan naman ay we were happy with our wedding rings.

Wedding Paraphernalias — Wedding Library
Location — 5th Floor, SM Megamall
Pay Out: Wedding Bible — 895 Php; Arrhae — 350 Php; 2 Snow Sprays — 110 Php

Ribbons for our Thank You Gifts for our Entourage, Church Readers, Mga Ka-Sisters ni Mommy; Unity Candle & ceremony candles; Invitations, etc — Michelle’s Ribbon & Lace Center
Location: Tutuban Center Divisoria
Pay Out: 2,200 Php

Wedding CD Souvenirs — DIY
Materials from CD-R King
Creativity — Hubby
Tagabalot — Ako
Pay Out: 2,000 Php

Wedding Invitations — DIY
Materials from National Bookstore & Michelle’s Ribbon & Lace Center, Tutuban Divisoria
Dry Seal — Fernando Dry Seal & Rubber Stamp, P. Paterno Quiapo, Manila
Effort & Creativity: Hubby & I
Printing: Hubby’s PC
Pay Out: 2,800 Php

Wedding Thank You Gifts for Our Entourage & the People who helped us — Tutuban Mall, Divisoria & SM Megamall
Pay Out: 2,500 Php

Bridal Shoes — Rossanna Pena
Location– Marikina Shoe Expo, Riverbanks Store
Pay Out: 700 Php
RATING: 10++++

We saw the same shoes at Megamall after purchasing the one I bought from Marikina and what I got was way cheaper. Lucky us. Di na ako naging masyado mapili sa shoes since di naman yan makikita sa haba ng gown eh. I was jokingly saying nga na magsneakers na lang kaya ako para comfortable but, of course alam kong makikita rin yun one time sa pagkuha ng garter kaya I opted for the common bridal shoes na lang.

Some reminders to future brides and their grooms, no matter what happens on YOUR DAY… little disappointments are normal… just always think that your wedding is perfect no matter what… basta may love kayo, talagang perfect yun! Oh and attend bridal fairs nga pala, lagi may mga promo dun! LOL.

So there you go. Our ratings. For comments or suggestions feel free to leave a message. Sa mga soon to be brides, if you have questions leave a message na rin. I would be happy to help you. Thanks.

It’s My Turn

Early this year ito ang scene

And yeah baby, it’s my turn! *wide grin*

First of, Mom and Soy arrived yesterday. Hubby and I waited for quite a few hours. Daddy and my brother fetched them at the airport while we waited at home. I even had a few minutes of shuteye since super antok na ako kagabi. Madaling araw na sila dumating. Hay. So I have to call work and tell them that I’ll be coming in late, actually, half day nga kasi groggy pa ako paggising ko ng umaga dahil past 2 am na kami natulog. Here are some photos, spare my PJs, di na ako nagbihis.

Digging In

Looking for some pasalubong?

Yes, this is what I am waiting for {Thanx for the help again, Tina!}

Thanks to mom & jheli for this watch…

Notice the signature down there… yeah my own signature, first shot I did using THE TOY Nikkie! I still have a long way to learn this new hobby and hopefully, be a way to earn a little more in the near future. This is a start.

Thanks for reading this long post. Have a nice weekend! God speed!!!

Hey! How have you been? It’s been quite a while huh?!? I wanted to blog for mom last June 28 since it was her birthday but the internet was going haywire and it gave me a headache just consuming all my time connecting. So I ended up just surfing with the turtle-like connection. The same reason why I also procrastinate in posting my suppliers’ ratings. I am planning to buy a prepaid internet card so I can post that without having a headache. It will be up and ready for my frequent readers prolly next week.

So back to my mother, who is presently having a relaxing vacation {that she totally deserves}, BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You are truly the best & we owe you our lives and who we are is all because of you {and Dad — of course}. May God shower you with more birthdays to come, best of health and happiness. We love you Mom.

Speaking of my mom and my sister’s US trip, Jheli left a message on my friendster inbox saying the good news that they already received our Nikon DSLR. YAHOO! I am so thrilled after reading her message and just so excited to use it soon. Til then, I’ll just let myself imagine the feeling of holding our very first dslr. Anyhoo, Tina sent me tons of pictures of my mom and my sister. We actually miss them so much and seeing them having a great time in the States made us even miss them more but we are also glad that they are having a blast. Well, Mom calls me once in a while and Jheli texts me too, thanks to technology, it’s like their just a few blocks away. Mom told me about their Six Flags Theme Park trip {which I haven’t been to yet}, rode trains to go to Downtown Chicago several times, attended my 2 cousins’ grad party, did tons of window shopping and prolly a lil spending too. I think they’re already in LA, Cali visiting our Tatay (Mom’s Dad) as I speak {or should I say, as I blog. LOL}. They might have a trip to San Fran or Vegas. Wherever their feet take them. I have no idea since they haven’t called us since Monday. I just hope they will take a lot of pictures, I am a sucker for photos. So here are some photos from their trip, I just wish the next US trip, we’ll all be going.

Si Bunso, picture perfect in Downtown Chicago!

Yan si Sis, wala pa sa Vegas yan but trying her first luck, kasi nung nagUS kami dati wala pa syang 21!

Mom with Tita Milet

Yan ang sister ko, so bubbly, still having a great time even without us! huhuhu!

Jheli with our cousin, Tina, who was responsible in helping us get the Nikon that we are dreaming of! TO YOU TINA, congrats on your graduation day. You are a bright young lady and we are so proud of you! We miss you and thanks again! Hope to see yah soon!

On another story, last June 24 I went to Cabanatuan with FIL, bro in-law, Dave {hubby’s nephew} and Hubby to attend Dave’s younger brother, Daniel’s Christening. Ninong kasi si Hubby, so there’s no reason to say no even if we have to travel early for 3 hours. Dave’s parents and younger brother live in the province while Dave lives with my in-laws’ because he studies here in Manila. So you can imagine how excited the kid was to see his parents and brother. Hubby and I dated for years but few were the times that I had the chance to get to know his family. I always tag him along during my family trips even when we were just dating plus he is my brother’s HS barkada which is why I think he is closer to my family than me to his, and it makes me glad to have trips like last Saturday. I had a nice time, we were tired but I had the opportunity to know his family better that’s why I am glad. Here are the photos.

Bagay na bang maging Nanay?!?

The very happy Dave seeing his brother again! Sorry malabo ang photo, but I still captured the moment! *happy grin*

Yan si Hubby-licious ko, bagay na rin bang maging Tatay?!?

I have to tell something about work. As you all know, I am now reporting at Mom’s work to replace her temporarily while she’s on leave. I must admit that I am very much enjoying my work at Ft. Bonifacio. I can practice my profession more and that I don’t have to answer to anybody since I have my privacy because I have my own room to receive my patients which is way better. It’s such a wonderful feeling that you hear patients saying thank you because I somehow help them. Mom’s friends from work even welcomed me with open arms, well some knew me since birth, one is even our Ninang sa Kasal. Changes like not going online during lunch break or not eating lunch at home in exchange to my busy work is all worth it. Well, this will only last til my mom comes back to work which is 2 weeks from now, I think, so I have to make the most of it, helping people who seek my aid. Thank God, He gave me this opportunity to help more people even for just a month and a half.

I wanted to watch Superman this week, sa IMax sana at Mall of Asia, I heard it’s in 3D which is way cooler than anything. Parang kasama mo si Superman di ba? Hmmm… me superman naman ako sa tabi ko any time of the day. Mushy. I bet there will be a very long line in all cinemas be in IMax or somewhere else this weekend so I guess we have to give a raincheck on that and maybe watch it 2 or 3 weeks after it’s first day of showing. I have to go shopping though and buy new leather boots for work, my 5 year-old boots from Celine just bid goodbye and spending a thousand moolah for it was already so worth it di ba? I guess investing on a very nice pair of shoes is a wiser decision than buying cheaper shoes and needing to buy another after just a few days of purchasing the new shoes.

Speaking of Mall of Asia, we went there last May 28 pa, we went there straight from NAIA after picking up Dad from his trip to New Zealand. Super crowded dun, parking was terrible tapos nung kakain na kami, ang hirap humanap ng resto na di puno at walang waiting, sa sobrang gutom we ended up eating at their foodcourt! Tapos pasyal pasyal ng konti… sa sobrang laki, naumay kami! We just decided to go home after a few pictures were taken… practicing my skills… feeling!

Taken at the Olympic size Skating Rink. L-R: Dad, Mom, Dee-licious {LOL}, Mhine, Ian & Jheli

Feeling model asawa ko!

Ang makulit kong pamilya! LOL. Ayun si Mom, humabol pa, di tuloy nakunan ng buo! Si Dad di na nakatakbo! {kasi busog? LOL.}

Last note, it’s my parents’ wedding anniversary yesterday, June 30. I am a honeymoon baby, FYI so they are now in their 30th year. Too bad mom’s away, but still we celebrated. We just ordered to go at Mann Hann Wilson and received a surprising phone call from mom after dinner. They actually went to Vegas already and no good news of winning the slots there. Sayang! They’re back in Cali now and will probably go around LA to meet up with our relatives there before they go back to Des Plaines then back here! Anyhoo, I pray for more years of anniversaries for my parents full of love and happiness. I pray best of health, long life and success to any endeavor that they still wish to take for both of them at sana mabigyan na namin sila ni Denon ng apo soon! LOL.

I love you Mom & Dad!!!

Have a nice weekend guys at ingat sa pagpila at pagtatya para lang mapanood ang Superman. Wag muna ikwento sa mga blogs nyo ha at manood pa kami ni Hubby pagtapos nyo lahat manood! God bless!

… took place last May 31st. We were full force in supporting our Dad that day. Mom, Brother, Sister in-law, Hubby and I took our day offs while Bunso, luckily, had her weekly off duty from St. Luke’s that day. The event was a whole day affair, it was tiring but we had fun, it was definitely an experience.

The day started at around 7am, we had to wake up early for breakfast and dress up for the event since we had to be at PA’s clubhouse at 9am or so, for an early lunch with the rest of the promoted generals with their families. Upon arriving at the clubhouse, we had no idea na may photo ops for every family dun. So ayun, suklay dito, retouch doon. Me? Di na ako nag-ayos, bahala na si Batman… wala na mababago sa face ko eh kaya yaan ko na lang. So here are the photos…

Formal Pose yan

Yan, laid back pose na. Sayang di ko nascan yung wacky shot eh.

Then after the "i-thought-endless" poses, we headed to the buffet table and boy we were stuffed. The food? Delicious… Mas naging masarap pa sya kasi gutom kami. LOL. At around noon, we settled inside our assigned ride and off we went to Malacanang for the oath-taking with the President.

We had a very fast & traffic free ride, halos 30 mins lang ata namin binaybay ang Fort Bonifacio to Malacanang since the 7 mini buses were accompanied by securities in motorcycles and a pick up ata yun with even an ambulance for back up. First time that we experienced this kind of VIP treatment, ganun pala ang feeling ng mga VIP sa Pinas… oh well, at least we got to experience it even just for a day.

Anyhoo, when we arrived at Malacanang, security was very tight. They didn’t allow us to use our cameras or even our cellphones to take pictures inside the palace. We had to rely on their official photographers for our souvenir pictures.

After more than an hour GMA came in and the ceremony started. It was quick and very systematic. Our dad took his oath together with the rest of the AFP generals beside GMA and of course pictures were taken. Then we had to fall in line again, each family will take turns to have that souvenir photo with the President. While waiting for our turn, meriendas were served. Lasagna, Corn Dogs and Fruit Salad were in the menu, cooked and served by the Palace’s Chefs. Sosyal. Ay ang sarap ng Lasagna, it melts in your mouth talaga, mukhang sosyal ang ginamit na cheese. LOL. Tapos our Dad’s name was called so we rushed and posed beside GMA. Daming kislapan, we didn’t know which camera to look at. Basta smile kami ng smile, bahala na ulit si Batman. Sana lang di ako nakapikit. Tapos before going down from that mini stage, we shook hands with GMA, she looked so tired already. Her smile, parang plastered na lang sa face nya without warmth. Parang may tali na lang sa magkabilang gilid. LOL. Yun pala earlier that day, she met the Everest mountaineers, sila Romy Garduce (di ko kilala yung iba eh kapuso kasi ako. LOL). She showed them the palace at sa mga offices doon kaya siguro super mukhang ngarag na sya when she faced us. Kawawa rin. I wonder why they crave for that position para syang si Ligaya, ang babaeng walang pahinga. LOL. After posing-posing bigla naglaho parang bula si GMA pero kami? We were just halfway through the day pa lang pala. Before the other kwentos, ito muna ang yung souvenir photo…

After Malacanang, we went to Camp Aguinaldo for the generals’ honor. Marcha-marcha sila sa initan at saludo dito, saludo doon habang kaming families nila eh nakatingin. Tapos we went to the Chief of Staff Conference Hall for the Courtesy Call to the Chief of Staff. Konting speech ang representative ng mga Brigadier Generals, ng mga Major Generals at ng mga Lieutenant Generals at shempre nagspeech din ang aming poging Ninong, si General Senga. At sa dami ng speech and giving of tokens, nakakapagod na ring makinig. Tapos kainan na after that. Parang busog pa kami… pero sige para di na magdidinner at para tipid since 7pm na rin.  Pika-pika, bbq, egg rolls at kung anu-ano pa. The whole day event ended past 8pm. We were exhausted not to mention my calloused feet from walking in high heeled shoes all day! Pagdating sa bahay, bagsak kami ni Hubby sa kama. ZZZZzzzz kaagad. Kapagod rin pala ang ganun but it was worth it.

So how was your week? Post ko long overdue na eh June 17 na ngayon anuh? Coming yung suppliers ratings ko. I’m almost done. Side kwento lang before I go… si Hubby laging puyat doing this website thingie, anyway, I was asking him to sleep early since he needs to wake up real early tomorrow for some important errand… ay naku ayan nasa tabi ko nakikipagsabayan sa puyatan. Grrrr… Men! Osha tulog na ako. I really need some shuteye or else baka windang ako bukas paggising ko. Have a nice weekend. Hope we can watch, Lakeshore (tama ba yun?) tomorrow. Yung movie ni Keanu at Sandra. Mukhang maganda eh. Chick flick? I hope so. LOL. Bye.

… since I last visited my own blog. Well, it’s been a very hectic week both at work (yes you read it right!) and at home. Boy! I have tons of stories to tell you, our visit to Malacanang Palace and having the chance to shake the hand of GMA is one (pictures aren’t scanned yet, di kami allowed to bring a cam at the Palace, may official photog kasi dun so the photos were just given to us) and my mom & my sister left last June 8 to the US (buti pa sila!) which means I might be getting my Nikon this July (yahoo! sana lang mabili nila) plus I am cooking up something for our wedding suppliers, the much awaited "suppliers’ ratings". It’s way long overdue but I still want to post it since some blog readers here may find it very helpful when they too, decided to finally walk down the aisle.  But since, I am now busy at work, I should find time to squeeze in the task of finishing my "wedding suppliers’ ratings" draft and finalize everything before posting it, I am almost halfway done after all the scrambling over receipts and contracts, so prolly in a week or two it’ll appear here already.

Anyway, how was your week? I’ll be coming back with a long post and photos soon. But til then, just hang out and linger over my Archives if you have time… thanks. Hubby’s sleeping soundly beside me and I think I want to join him so til then… Have a restful long weekend. G’Night.

I have been dealing with a lot of thoughts about so much these past few days and I don’t even know where to begin. Words are just overwhelming inside my head and I know I have to blog about it or else. LOL. This will be a long post, that’s for sure.

On Pregnancy

To my regular readers, you might have read in one or two of my posts that Hubby and I are trying to get pregnant. Our original plan is to get pregnant next year. We’ll just enjoy a year of "only" us and then start a family. But then, when we got married, we planned on getting me pregnant September of this year. But then again, on our 5th monthsary, we’ve decided to just let it be. What the heck!? Let’s try now. I am not getting any younger and with stories about women having a hard time conceiving… No more waiting ’til September for us.

I am now in a state where Qs like — am I capable to get pregnant? am I really prepared not just financially but physically and emotionally? is hubby prepared? is it really the right time? But when is the right time? How will we know? The reason why people get married is basically, to start a family, and that family will never be complete without having a baby, so why wait? Why plan? But we have to, right? Because if we don’t it’ll be so irresponsible for us to bring somebody into this world and not prepare his/her world for him/her. But excitement also persists… How will our baby look like? Is she going to be a she or is he going to be a he? How does it feel to have your offspring?

Right now, we’re still trying but we’re not to the point of "kelangan talaga ngayon na". It’s not like we’re banging every night. LOL. It’ll be tiresome naman. We’re taking it slow but no more looking at my cycle beads if we want some tonight. LOL. Go lang ng go, if a miracle comes then thank you {shempre naman}, if di pa sya dumating this year then again, in His time, we will wait. So in the mean time, I am preparing myself by reading blogs of my pregnant blog sisters, sites for pregnancy, reading magazines and eating healthy. I know no such book or magazine will really help me and hubby prepare for that but experience and ’til then we have to settle for the second best.

On Career

My job is killing me these past few months. I am bored to death at work. I always look forward on weekends where life is busier and time is blue streak. I hate sitting down for hours without doing nothing, waiting for patients to come and rarely they came. I feel like my screws need tightening already, I’m going crazy! I’m hungry for knowledge and practice of my profession. I love dealing with people and me being a shy person, I am most comfortable dealing with them through my profession. It’s the easiest thing for me to talk about something that I’m good at to somebody. My Mom and I have the same profession, I look up to her and I have been dreaming to work with her since I was a kid. But "talangka" people had been a hindrance ever since. It’s a long story why I have my job now but came May 2006 when a certain Capt. Patrimonio saw that my Mother has tons of workload on her shoulders and she needs all the help that she can get. So she asked my Mom if she can recommend anybody that can assist her and so I came into my Mom’s mind instantly. I was ecstatic when Mom told me that Capt. Patrimonio is doing everything that she can to get me from my unit and transfer me at my Mom’s workplace. I was glad and excited as well. I don’t look at how much I earn, it’s secondary since my priorities are 1.) my patient’s satisfaction and cure 2.) the practice of my profession, but since I am starting a family of my own, earning money is somehow important now and I can get all three priorities from my Mom’s workplace unlike in my present job. Through all the bumps and disappointments, I am now transferred {just reported yesterday actually} and is now working with my mom temporarily, I just hope people from her work will help me get a position there permanently. Sana naman! Since my mom will be going to United States this 8th of June, I’ll be on my own. I just hope that I will not fail people who are expecting so much from me since my mother set high standards as their Optometrist for almost 30 years now. Hay so help me God.

On Digi-Scrapping

I am trying to apply for a credit card. I’m completing the requirements for that. Yes, til now I don’t have one. I never liked having one, never planned to til I learned about digital scrapbooking. I have lots of kits that I really would love to purchase on the web but I can’t since credit card is needed for that. Hubby on the other hand approved on the idea that I apply for one. We hate credit cards and promised not to apply for that since it sometimes leads to overspending but then again maybe he knows that I manage our money well so then he said yes. Right now, the anticipation of purchasing my very first kit is killing me. I am planning to purchase my very first kit from the creations of my favorite designer Sweet Mindy. Anyhoo, I found this really nice developing shop for my LOs and I developed 4 LOs already and planning to develop more soon — if I have extra budget for that, shempre!

On High School Friends

My mom cleaned their room last last weekend and she saw old pictures from my high school graduation. I reminisced on those days. How high school was so much fun with the company of friends who I still hold dear. Some of them, I still have communication with til today but some I never heard from for ages. Here are the photos.

yan ako, mukang geisha girl {puti ng face ko nuh?}! LOL. trying hard maging straight hair, kahit wala pang rebonding noon!

On Childhood Friends

Last May 26 was my Best{est} Friend’s birthday and we had a little party over her place. It was so refreshing to see old familiar faces in addition with a new one, Kiara, Tata’s 1 year old daughter. When we were kids til college, we often hangout since we were all neighbors but when we had our separate ways, had careers and families of our own, we seldom see each other but when we do, we always had a blast like last Friday. Lookie my precious childhood friends with our husbands/boyfriends and a daughter. Our barkada is getting bigger every minute and I love the thought of all of us having our husbands & kids in tow having a blast someday. Never na kasi kaming nakompleto eh. Such Happy Thoughts.

Best(est), tama bang pumikit?

On Marriage

Married life for 6 months now is so far so very good. Hubby is one loving husband. I am lucky. I sometimes feel like I’m a spoiled wife already. We always do the house chores together. I sometimes feel like he pities me when he sees me multitasking in the house after work. He knows that I am tired because of boredom at work so when I multitask at home, I am happy but still he knows I’m tired so when I am cooking, washing the dishes and doing the laundry. He steps in and do the laundry for me, the chore I hate the most. LOL. I can never recall our last argument. When we were boyfriend-girlfriend, we always fought, had petty fights here and there but when we got married, seldom are the arguments and we know how to forgive each other easily. I guess it sinked in already that we are bound together for the rest of our lives so I guess we should know how to love and forgive each other. He has been understanding too. A man who knows when to shut his mouth when I am having a bad day. I just hope and pray that he will never change come the kids, the wrinkles and the gray hair. I just feel so lucky, period.

On Photography

Another frustration I have. Yes, I’m into photography but I don’t have the needed resources right now. As you all know, photography is a very expensive hobby. I am saving up for a Nikon dslr that I am eyeing for, for months now. And luckily, my Mom and sister will be visiting our relatives in the US this June 8 and hopefully it’ll push through since dslr is way cheaper there. Hopefully, oh pretty please, hopefully, by July I’ll get to see and touch my dream dslr and use it — of course. Hay! I have so many subjects in mind and using that dslr will be a blast. I am seeing myself practicing, will be out of the house most of the time and maybe take up photography class someday. I’m so excited just thinking about it.

On Business

Hubby is learning Micromedia Flash for months now, and I think the progress is very good. I admire my Hubby’s enthusiasm over anything he wants to learn. Made me strive to learn about Adobe Photoshop CS2 more. I’m so happy to hear from him that I am even better in CS2 than him to think that he taught me the basic. He sometimes asks for my help when he needs to do something using CS2. *hehehe* In addition to that, we are investing on a very expensive camera {and to needed lenses — someday} and these things that we are learning, investing and striving for right now are not just because of our hobby but we are planning to put up a small business. I believe that in putting up a business, the reason shouldn’t be just the money but the most important thing is that you will enjoy making that business succeed. To date, I am still convincing hobby to start to think of a concept so we can start the business as soon as we get the Nikon this July. I feel that he is still hesitant to my idea that we will invest on a business that we don’t have the experiences at but I guess life is certainly a gamble and the more that you’re afraid the lesser you’ll succeed right? We are planning to practice first, doing creations for our families for free and if it’s successful then we will slowly cater for friends, offer our services to people we know that will trust our abilities at a small price. This will be a long and slow process but we are willing to be patient, trial and error ito for sure and anyway, we’re still young and we know that we still have a long way to go. I am just praying so hard that this will push through, with God’s help sana matupad. So how does SPEEDTEK CREATIONS sounds? That’s the name of our business. Catering on photography services for small gatherings like baptisms, conferences and birthdays, photography for web-masters and creations like websites/ads using flash. Hope hobby can finish the website soon.

Hay ang haba anuh? Have a nice weekend!

… blogging my heart out. How was your week? I am trying to post every week {if you noticed} since I am not that busy at work tapos sa bahay naman, life is busy but not that super mala-showbiz busy para di ako makapag-post every week. Just the usual wifely-daughterly-sisterly chores I have everyday, and yes, blogging is my stress releaser.

First off, Cynch tagged me!

Instructions: Name ten of life’s simple pleasures that you like the most, then pick ten people to do the same. Try to be original and creative and not to use things that someone else has already used.

So here are my ten simple pleasures:

one {hearing hubby say "i miss you" — even if we just saw each other 10 minutes ago & shempre ang walang kamatayang "i love you"}

two {california maki or nai-cha or any starbucks frapp or a tiny mint chocolate or blueberry cheesecake — heaven!}

three {hitting a high note in a song even if i can’t really sing}

four {a pimple free face — oh pretty please! how i wish!}

five {tama si Cynch — messages from my comment page or tagbox are such wonders, pag-ganun, you know somebody cares}

six {hearing my mom or anybody in my family tell me that i wrote a really nice journal}

seven {waking up in the morn, seeing hubby sleeping soundly beside me… asawa ko na talaga sya — minsan di pa rin ako makapaniwala eh}

eight {shopping or pag wala sa budget kahit malling lang — window shopping}

nine {after weighing — "ay nag-loose ako ng 10 pounds o sige na nga kahit 5 lang okay na" — diet kasi ako ngayon eh}

ten {seeing hubby and my family pig out over something i cooked for them, while hearing them say, hone/ate wow ang sarap!}

So, I think I should tag 10 people too.

What’s your 10 simple pleasures, Aggie, Angie, Jhari, Faye, Jannah, Jasmine, Nette, Claudette, Mindy, and Jacq?

Anyway, last weekend, we watched Mission Impossible: 3!!! It was one heck of a great movie. I totally loooved it. I think it’s the best Tom Cruise movie ever. Not to mention that my fave actress, Keri Russell is in it too {A lot of you might not know her, she was Felicity Porter in the now de-funked tv series "Felicity"}. It will make you sit up straight and hold on to your seat once in a while. I was that while I was watching it. I also loved the story, lahat ng mind boggling sequences. Yung akala mong okay na, di pa pala. Yung akala mong patay na pero buhay pa pala. Yung akala mong kakampi pero kalaban pala at yung akala mong masama tapos kakampi pala. The story is simple, actually di sya ganun kahirap intindihin, you don’t have to concentrate just to understand the lines. May love story din kaya nagka-heart yung movie kaya siguro di rin naging boring for me kasi nag-tackle din sa buhay ni Ethan Hunt as a husband and as a mentor yung story kahit puro action pa sya. Yung scene na nag-mala-pendulum si Ethan sa isang building at nagpakagulong-gulong sa ni-landing-an nyang kabilang building, yun matindi. Sabi naman ni Hub… "Ang galing ng stuntman nya ha. Magkanu kaya binayad nila sa double nya?" HAHAHA. Me balak pa atang magsideline as stuntman. Ako? Isa lang masasabi ko… Swerte ni Katie! LOL. Packed with action and suspense from start to finish, our 160 Php per seat was all worth it. It’s a must-see movie. Here are some Tom & Keri MI:3 scenes for sneak peek.

There, I hope I didn’t bore you at all. To my frequent visitors with or without leaving a message, thanks!

Enjoy the rest your weekends!