Janice's journaL

At The Beginning

2010-01-05T17:15:00.003+08:00

Sharing to you our same-day-edit wedding video courtesy of Threelogy Digital Video!:)

Muñoz-Bautista Wedding Video - At The Beginning from Janice Bautista-Muñoz on Vimeo.

xoxo,

FINALLY MARRIED!!

2009-12-28T15:03:00.008+08:00

Yes!!! It's exactly 10 days since our wedding! Been really busy the past few weeks.. but I'M BACK!!!..:) I will now have more time to blog, scrapbook, bake, etc.. ahahaha!!

To start my series of "wedding report" blogs (hehe!), here are some of our photobooth pics:
Bride & Groom

With Paul Vincent & Ayvih (our wedding photographers)

With the Bride's Family

The Bride's Siblings (gorgeous arent they??;))

Check out the whole gallery here! We were really happy our guests seemed to enjoy the booth..:) My only regret was that I didn't take as much photos as I would have wanted.. hehe! I was already too tired by the time we had a chance to go to the booth.. hehe! But then again, we had fun! And I sure love the pics!:)

Super duper thanks again to my bestfriend, Jajah for this cool gift!;)

xoxo,

"Ocho-ocho, ocho-ocho..."

2009-12-10T23:59:00.001+08:00

Today, I'm the "Excited Bride"!;)

In a couple of days, H2B* and I will be flying back to PH*! And the cute (yet scary) thing is, I know 2 other (December) B2B* friends who will be on that same flight! Whoa! I'll sure be praying for a safe journey for us! Hehe!

Updates for today:
1. The new labels I sent a looong time ago has FINALLY arrived in our house! Gosh, it took like 2 freaking weeks to get there!!! Hayz!! I'm really grateful that we have the email and Chikka nowadays, I was able to at least email/SMS my friends to invite them!

2. Already have an idea for the remaining 40% of our wedding dance.. Haha!! Now I just need to discuss it with H2B* and then practice it! Haha!

3. Got the mp3 for our wedding dance!!!;)

4. FINALLY, bought my wedding shoes!! It's not the typical wedding shoes, and I'm sure my mom would react when she sees it.. Haha! But I'm happy with it! At least I am certain I could still use it even after the wedding..;)

5. Had dinner with my w@wie friends, and as usual, really learned a LOT from them! Those last minute tips are definitely helpful!

6. Was able to do a few more pages for our guestbook.. I was also able to design one DIY* that I really wanted to do but thought I wouldn't have time for it..;) I'm praying we could buy the ink refills for our printer tonight so that I can print them already!;)

Not bad for a day's work, eh?...;)

* H2B - husband-to-be
B2B - bride-to-be
PH - Philippines
DIY - Do-It-Yourself

xoxo,

Nine, Siyam, 9...

2009-12-09T09:26:00.002+08:00

days to go from today, December 09, 2009..!

Today, I'm more of the "OC bride" than the "excited bride".. hehe!! There's just sooo many things I'd want to have/do, if only we have enough time.. and $$$.. Hahaha!!

Updates for today:
1. My mom just picked up her gown! Saw the pictures sent by my brother, and I really loved the color we picked on her!:) And the cut of the gown is quite flattering to her figure..;) I just hope she loves it too! Haha!

2. Finished about 60% of our wedding dance choreography! ahahaha!! I'm so happy of what we've accomplished so far, considering we're no dancers..;)

3. Was also able to do some canvassing and inquiries for possible additional souvenirs. We do have the photobooth for souvenirs already.. But we're just considering having one more.. well, only if it's still possible to add one given the time left..

We're having dinner with my w@wie friends tomorrow night! Excited with that! Yey yey!!

xoxo,

10 days to go...

2009-12-08T23:59:00.001+08:00

Oh yes! 10 days left 'til the D-day! And yes, we are still not completely done with the preps! waaah! hehe!

Updates for today:
1. V-Craft Printers emailed us that our missals are ready for pick up! That's a BIG sigh of relief for me because I completely forgot to confirm if they received and accepted my (informal) email as my go-signal for them to start printing! Good thing they did.. Phew!

2. We were able to practice about 25% of our first dance.. ahahaha!! (Good luck na lang to us with the remaining 75%!)

3. We also bought a new set of attire for our bearers. The ones we bought in PH were too big for them, so had to buy again.:( We love the new ones though (looks waaaaay better), although it's way more expensive also.. Haha!

4. Was able to find a nice "prospect" for my wedding shoes.. Again yes, (unfortunately) I still don't have shoes! But I'm still hopeful! Haha!

Not bad for an evening's work, eh?;)

xoxo,

Photobooth!

2009-11-26T12:14:00.005+08:00

It will actually be my first time to try a photobooth at our wedding..:P ehehe!! So for a (semi) cam-whore like me, I'm really excited! ahaha!! I asked Partypics to also provide props, so that everyone could have fun posing for the camera.. ehehe!! We might also bring some of the masks and props we used for the Halloween party.. ahaha!!

We've already finalized our backdrop and layout for the pics. All thanks to Mr. Paul Siochi of Partypics for his creativity and patience!:P hehe!! I think we had like 5 version of the layout and 3 versions of the backdrop before we approved it.. ahaha!! Signs of becoming OC??? Unfortunately, yes.. hahaha!! But he was very accommodating and patient with our requests..:)

Here's our backdrop showing our monograms:

and here's our layout:

Photo used is from our trash-the-dress prenup with Paul Vincent at Hamilo Coast.:)

I really hope everyone enjoys the photobooth!;)

xoxo,

Cotto-Pacquiao fight and our 2 secs of "fame"

2009-11-16T16:12:00.004+08:00

I think most Filipinos around the globe were glued to their television sets last Sunday morning to watch the Cotto-Pacquiao fight.. It sure was a very exciting match! I'm no boxing expert, but I can really see the effort and passion of both boxers in all 12 rounds!! I think people who spent money to watch that fight got their money's worth! We're just happy that Pacman came out on top in the end!;)

Some of our friends decided to watch the game with us at our place yesterday. We availed of the Video-On-Demand from Starhub. We set up 2 TVs in the living room, and watched the game there.. People brought food for our brunch/lunch..;) And then, one friend invited a reporter from Abs-Cbn (Willard Cheng) he met at the APEC summit. They wanted to do a report on Filipinos abroad supporting Pacquiao.. ahaha!! We never thought we'd be seen on TV and in TV Patrol, no less! ahahaha!! Now I'm really amazed at the reach of TFC.. Even my relatives abroad saw us! ahaha!!

Here's a link a friend saw of that segment in YouTube. Kulet namin noh?... ahaha!! And yes, that's my h2b over there, asking for balato from Aling Dionisya! LOL!!!

Congratulations Manny!! You make us proud to be a Filipino!! And I hope you continue to do so (translation: sana wag ka na sumali sa pulitika! LOL!!)

xoxo,

Update!

2009-11-05T11:49:00.002+08:00

Waaaah!! We only have 43 days to go!!... and still so many DETAILS to finalize... Unfortunately, I have been busy with work too.. so I'm really stressed for time.. But hopefully we'll finish everything before the BIG day.... hopefully.... ehehehe..

So for my updates:
1) We were already able to start with our DIY table nos...:) We just need to print it out, and we're done.. Haven't done this yet because I figure printing is not a priority.. as long as we already have files to print, the paper and the printer, then it'll just take say 30mins to finish it.. at least we avoid the risk of losing it or getting our DIYs dirty..:P ehehe!!

2) Some of my girls finally had their 1st fitting!:) And to be honest, I'm really happy with my choice designs (I thought of the designs, and just had it made by a seamstress)..:) My only issue is for my MOH's gown..:( Don't like how the top was made.. the picture/design I gave wasn't followed.. and the fitting is really bad.. Another problem is that my sister is here with me in Singapore so we're contemplating whether to have her go to PH or just have it altered here in SG..:( But I love the color of her gown, and it looks good on her..

3) We've already printed the maps and labels for our invitations and sent them to PH.. And our families received them already..:) Sent email instructions on what they need to do with it..;) Anthony's family also just received our invitations this morning! YEY! Mine hasn't yet, but they should be receiving it within the day too..:) Can't wait to receive our copies here in SG!:)

4) Photobooth - I was SHOCKED to find that the last email bet. me & Partypics was them asking me when our deposit for the downpayment was made because the scanned copy of the deposit slip I sent them was unclear.. that email was sent last MARCH.. and i did NOT reply!! waaah!! Good thing they were able to eventually identify our deposit.. Whew! So we'll now be discussing our layout! I can't wait! I'm really excited!:) It'll actually be my first time to try a photo booth.. hehe!

5) H2B and I have already been discussing our wedding program.. We just need to finalize it, then discuss everything with Missy!:)

6) We are also scheduled to have a "chat" session with our coordinator this Nov. 21 to discuss EVERYTHING!.. We still have a lot of pending items with them, but we hope to finish at least MOST of what's on the list before the "chat".. **keeping our fingers crossed**

I've still got a looooooooooong list of To-Dos... But I'm still staying positive that we can do this! ahaha!! (I sure hope so...)

xoxo,

It's the Moms' time for fitting!

2009-10-02T11:20:00.005+08:00

My mom had her 1st fitting with Jorge Palmos yesterday! Thanks to my youngest sister, Joymari for sending me the pics.. I still haven't heard from my mom if she liked her gown.. the last time I spoke to her she was having doubts about the design.. she wasn't sure it would look good on her... but I definitely love it! Can't wait to see it once it's done!:)

Anthony's mom also had hers weeks ago.. Unfortunately, they were not able to take pictures.. but according to H2B, his mom liked her gown and the fitting!:)

I'm so excited for the Moms!!:)

xoxo,

Our 9-day wedding preps in PH

2009-08-27T18:00:00.004+08:00

This post is way overdue.. Sorry for that...;) I started working on a new project at work right after I got back from my PH trip.. So I've been a little busy, and I'm loving the new challenge!;) But of course, it also meant less time for me to blog and play Farmtown.. LOLz!!

Anyway, like I said, my h2b and I went to PH last Aug 8, and we were there for 9 days... As usual, our days were jam packed with appointments and meetings!.. Even the last 2 days which we thought was our "free" day to meet with friends, turned out to be filled with last-minute appointments.. It was definitely very tiring... But I can say a productive one also..;) Sorry this is going to be a little longer than my usual posts...;) So here goes my wedding update:

Aug 8 - We landed around 6pm, then straight from the airport (NAIA-2), just kissed my mom hello and g'bye.. met my bestfriend (and also my SS*), Jajah there and we're off to Tita Juliet's house for her measurements. On the way we just grabbed a take out at Mcdo for dinner, and picked up my other bestfriend (and SS* also) Debby somewhere near ABS-CBN.. Once there, the girls had their measurements taken.. and then Tita Juliet and I finalized the fabric, design and costs of the gowns.. Also scheduled their 1st fitting, which will be 1st week of October.. After that, we brought Debby and Jajah home.. So how's that for a first day?..;)

Aug 9 - Had our pre cana seminar in our parish church the whole day.. then went to mass in the evening.. somewhere in between, we were able to pass by SM Southmall to drop h2b's shoes for fixing at Mr. Quickie and do some last minute shopping for props for our e-session with Paul Vincent.. then dinner with my family at Monggolian.. Then my sister Joymari, h2b and I watched the last full show of The Proposal at Filinvest Festival Mall..;)

Aug 10 - Had an 8am appointment with our dentist.. Then, we went to Makati for another check up.. Unfortunately, it lasted longer (and costed more) than we expected..:( Then, we went to Wally Gonzales' office in Jupiter St. to pick up our Engagement album and frame!.. After that, Anthony wanted to go home early so that we can prepare for our e-session w/PV the next day, plus I had to drop him off in Cainta pa and drive back home alone to Las Pinas, so he didn't want me driving back too late..

Aug 11 - Our e-session with Paul Vincent!! This took the whole day, since our location was a 3-hr drive from Las Pinas.. We went to Hamilo Coast - Pico de Loro Beach & Country Club, in Nasugbu Batangas!.. The journey was tiring.. but once we got there, it was surely worth the trip! The venue was just picture perfect! I think we all really got excited during the shoot, that we didn't even notice the time.. The clubhouse was supposed to close at 5pm, but we were there 'til past 6pm, still shooting.. Ahaha!! We all really just loved the place! And the staff are all super accommodating!.. I would really recommend this place for e-sessions!:) On our way home, we passed by one of our Ninangs who lives in Silang Cavite to give our STD*/Will-you-be card..:)

Aug 12 - Final food tasting with Josiah's (pictures here). As expected, everything tasted good! I think we were able to pick a good combination of dishes.. Unfortunately, their florist called in sick so we had to reschedule the meeting for the centerpieces the ff. day. Since we finished a little earlier than expected, h2b and I decided to check out Discovery Suites, and good thing we did! We're almost 100% sure we'll be booking rooms here for the wedding preps.. The rooms aren't as elegantly beautiful as the ones in Edsa Shangri-La, but theirs are waaaay more spacious, which is more important for us, since there will be a lot of people during the preps (view pics here).. We also checked out Linden Suites after, but we didn't like it much.. After that, we met Judy Uson to discuss our cake design options at Edsa Shangri-La.. She gave us samples of her cake, and we loved them!.. but we'd have loved it more if it came with fondant topping as well (like Penny's - Jan 2 post) so as to get a better idea of the whole cake taste (not just the bread).. After that, we had dinner at SM Megamall.. Before bringing me home, we again passed by another Ninang's house to give our STD*/Will-you-be card...:)

Aug 13 - Had a haircut and foot spa in the morning.. I try to have these "kakikayan" when I'm back home, since it's a lot cheaper than here in SG. H2B then had his baptismal and confirmation certificate corrected.. his parish misspelled most of the names! Argh! Then we went to Market Market to have lunch, then meet our OTD* Events Manila.. It was during the meeting where our "free" days disappeared! Haha! Rose squeezed in an appointment with our videographer (Threelogy) and our florist (15-58) for the weekend! I got so many assignments from her, haha! (which reminds me I should start working on them!!) After that, h2b & I met (this time) one of our Ninongs for dinner, where we gave him his STD*/Will-you-be card too..:)

Aug 14 - The most tiring day! Started with me driving to Sta. Lucia Mall Cainta, to pick up h2b. Then we went to Josiah's in Marikina again for the centerpiece samples (more pictures here). Unfortunately, the florist didn't wait for us, so we weren't able to talk AGAIN!:( We definitely loved the samples they made, BUT was informed that we need to pay additional Php600/table for it!!?!:( so right now, we know the colors and style we want.. but we'll just need to be a little creative and research for some cheaper alternatives for violet hydrangeas.. (anyone have suggestions?).. then, we picked up MIL* in Filinvest Cainta. Then went to Tomas Morato for lunch meeting with Trina for our invites.. More or less, we have finalized the idea we want for our invites. We'll just be sending her pictures from our e-session, then we'll get samples already.. Then we went to the Makati branch office of Jorge Palmos for MIL*'s measurements (see mothers' gown designs here). After, we brought back MIL* home in Cainta, then went to Threelogy's office in Teacher's Village, QC. There we finally got a copy of our contract and was able to watch a sample of their full video coverage!:) That ended our Friday!;)

Aug 15 - I had my 2nd fitting this time in Jorge Palmos' Alabang branch.. Sorry, no pictures this time! H2b reads my blogs!;) ehehe! It already has beads on it.. the skirt had it's "bustings".. We decided to be a little daring (sexy?) and lowered the back a little more.. Now I really have to lose weight! Haha! Can't wait to wear it once it's finished!!:) After that, we passed by another Ninong's house to give him his STD*/Will-you-be card.. Then we met my friend Grace for lunch in BF Resort.. After that, we met my family for a dinner treat for my youngest sister Joymari (she has been recognized for being in the Dean's List for the whole SY! Sooo proud of you lil sis!) at Red Crab in Greenbelt 3, Makati.:) Also did some grocery shopping for things to bring back here in SG and picked up my test results from the check up (Monday) then..

Aug 16 - flight back home... Phew!!!;)

So that was it!.. Warned you it's gonna be long..;) 'til the next update... Ciao!

* SS - Secondary Sponsor (Veil, Cord, Candle)
MIL - Mother-In-Law
STD - Save-The-Date
OTD - my short term for On-the-day coordinator

xoxo,

The Circle of Friends Award

2009-08-18T17:59:00.005+08:00

To my friend and (scrapbooking mentor ;) ehehe!) Bhane, thanks for this award!

Now I'm passing it to my "girls": Anna, Escie, Khim, Jhan, and Lorna. All you girls need to do is just pass it on to 5 more friends, and that's it!:)

Have a great day everyone!;)

xoxo,

My 1-day trip to Pinas!

2009-07-23T13:39:00.009+08:00

Yes.. I went home to PH for just ONE DAY!.. I was even dreading it days before my departure... I just knew it was going to be a very tiring trip.. and I was right.. But what I didn't expect was how extremely HAPPY I was that day!:)

My main objective for going home was for my 1st gown fitting.. But being my mother's daughter (ehehe! love you Mom!), I had to make the most out of my trip, so I planned to go to 3 more suppliers!.. ahaha!! Yes, I met 4 suppliers in less than 10 hours!! And they weren't exactly neighbors.. ehehe!! I went from Muntinlupa to Visayas Ave.! Ahaha!! Told you it was tiring!;)

So my 1st stop was with Jorge Palmos in Alabang Muntinlupa at around 10am. Good thing this was my first stop, becuase this definitely made my whole day!!:) Like I said at our WEDsite, we've had a few problems with regards to my gown.. First, I couldn't make up my mind what I want!.. Then we had a hard time settling for a supplier.. Then when Ms. Olie and I exchanged ideas about the gown, I knew the gown would be beautiful.... but I was still doubtful if it is the gown for ME.. I wasn't sure if I'd feel pretty and would look gorgeous wearing it.. so still no excitement there..

Then when I was fitting it... WOW!!... for the first time, I got really excited over my gown!!:) I've been enjoying all my wedding preps, many thanks to my (w@wie) friends... I'm having fun blogging about the preps... coordinating everything.. being hands-on to almost everything... but that gown fitting experience was a different sort of "high"!.. ahaha!! now, I really feel that I AM the BRIDE!! ahahaha!! And modesty aside, I felt pretty in it..;) ehehe!! Unfortunately, we forgot to bring a decent camera with us, but thank God for camera phones, we were able to "preserve" those moments..;) You can view more pictures here.

Our next stop was in Makati around 1pm with Wally Gonzales. I was supposed to pick up our Gustbook/Engagement album, and a framed photo... But due to some miscommunication, the items were not ready for pick up yet..:( but my mom and I did see the pages.. it was smaller in size than I expected.. but still nice..:) After that, we had a late lunch at a restaurant nearby.

Then, we went to Tita Juliet, who's making my girls' gowns, in Quezon City!.. We were able to call my cousin Irene to join us for her measurements..:) Another booboo on my part.. I didn't call Tita Juliet to inform her I was going to visit.. I sort of assumed she'll be home.. which is my bad.. so when we got there, we learned that she was at a parlor having a hair rebond! Hehe!! Good thing the parlor was just close by, so we came there with tape measure and all, and had my cousin measured there! ahaha!! At least it wasn't a complete waste of effort and time.. ehehe!!

Lastly, we went to Trinoma (a first for us) to meet Trina of Village Pro'jeKt for our invitations. I had so much fun talking to her! She showed me lots of her previous work, and they were all very unique and classy! She had lots of good ideas, and I can't wait for our August meeting to finalize the design of our invitations!:)

So there goes my 1-day visit to PH.. After that, my family went to dinner at Kanin Club in West Gate, Alabang to celebrate in advance my mom's birthday..:) Happy birthday, Mommy! and super thanks for accompanying last Saturday!:) Had fun "bonding" with you! Love you! Mwah!

xoxo,

Friendship Chain

2009-07-23T09:27:00.004+08:00

Thanks to sis Lorna and sis Kite for the friendship!:)

~~Begin Copy~~

This is the easy way and the fastest way to:

1. Make your Authority Technorati explode.

2. Increase your Google Page Rank.

3. Get more traffic to your blog.

4. Makes more new friends.

Rules :
1. Start copy from “Begin Copy” until “End Copy” to your blog.
2. Put your own blog name and link.
3. Tag your friends as much as you can.

1.Picturing of Life 2. Juliana’s Site 3. Hazel-My Life, My Hope, My Future.4. Jeanne-The Callalily Space 5.My Family is my Life 6. The Simple Life of a Baghag 7. On A Wonderful Day Like Today 8. House Everything 9. The Creativity in Me 10. Travel and Photography 11. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 12. You Are My Sunshine 13.Song to Remember 14. Super Blog 15. Philiippine Tv Marathon 16.Simply Blue 17. Breaking the Boundaries 18. Top Five 19. A Simple Life 20. Simple Happy Life 21. A Great Pleasure 22. Glossa~licious 23. Time Goes By 24. Sweet Nothings 25. Online Mommy's Corner! 26. Me, Myself and Darly 27. Kero's Celebration 28. Me, Myself and I 29. Introspection 30. Janice's Journal 31. You're next!

~~End Copy~~

Passing this chain to Escie, Anna, Shey, Marien, Mitch, Jaycee, Maan and Jhan.:)

xoxo,

Home Soon...

2009-07-06T17:00:00.008+08:00

A little less than a month ago, I listed things I would do to keep me busy while my h2b is away here. Now in less than 12 hours, I'll be seeing my mahal again! Woot woot!! I just can't wait!

But what have I actually done on that list?.. Hmmm.. Let's see:

1. Play my internet games ALL the time - as my besty sis would say "CHECK, CHECK, CHECK!!".. LOLz!! Not only have I reached the last level in RC (level 27) and "renovated" my restaurant, but I also got a level up in Poker: now a 500K Pro..;) AHAHAHA!! Talk about addict, huh?..;)

2. Organize my files (mp3s, movies, pictures, ebooks, installers, etc.) in my hard disks - Hmmm... This one I wasn't able to do..:-S Ahaha!! Was just too lazy to plug my ext. HD.. ahaha!! Guess that's what I get for buying the one that needs to be plugged to a socket.. LOLz!!

3. Exercise - Does swimming for ONE night count?.. LOLz!!! I guess not.. ahaha!!

4. Post-process some backlog photos - I wasn't able to post process pictures.. BUT.. 1) I did a lot of digital scrapbook layouts (you can see them here) and 2) I'm almost done with my first real scrapbook layout, AND 3) was able to download a LOT of stuff for Photoshop, which will be super duper helpful for my DIYs and future dig. scrapbooking!:)

5. (Window) shopping...? - Hmmm.. this one I did.. I almost even bought a dress.. Just backed out at the last minute.. ehehe!

6. Go to a salon for some "pampering" and kakikayan - this one I got lazy to do too..:( I was supposed to go to a salon with my sister, but since she backed out, I was too lazy to go alone and spend hours sitting by myself while they did my hair..:-S

Ahaha!! Guess I wasn't able to cross out a lot from my list.. ahaha!! But 3 out of 6 is not bad, I guess... Hehe! Don't care! Hahaha! I'm just happy my mahal's home soon....;)

xoxo,

Status Report#2

2009-06-22T08:45:00.008+08:00

With less than 6 months to go 'til D-day, here's our 2nd status report:

Church Venue - St. Francis of Assisi Chapel - booked
Reception Venue - Fernwood Gardens - booked and FULLY paid
Caterer (inc. Children's Meal, Suppliers' Meals) - Josiah's Catering - booked; menu selected; final food tasting scheduled this August.
Cake - included in caterer's package but we might also get one from my baptismal ninong. We'll be coordinating on the final cake design on August.
Beverage - included in caterer's package
Flowers (for Chruch) and bouquets - 15-58 Flowers & Styles - booked with DP.
Flowers (for Venue) - included in caterer's package with free upgrade.
Emcee - Missy Ferrer-Litao - included in caterer's package, booked
Musicians (Ceremony) - San Martin de Porres Youth Choir - booked, but to still pick song line up
Photographer - Paul Vincent Photography - booked with DP; prenup on August.. still to finalize theme and location of the shoot.
Engagement Photographer - Wally Gonzales Photography - booked and FULLY paid; received layout proposal for the album. Album for pick-up on July 18.
Videographer - Threelogy Digital Video - booked with DP.
Souvenirs - Partypics - booked with DP.
Transportation - booked and fully PAID, c/o Fernwood.
Wedding Coordinator - Events Manila - booked with DP.
Invitations - picked our supplier and we finally have an idea for the design which we're really, REALLY excited about.. still to finalize the design before we pay for DP.;)
Save-The-Date - DONE!:)
Bridal gown - DP paid, but have yet to confirm receipt with my designer.
Female Entourage's Gowns - paid 50%. Some girls already had their measurements taken. Others to follow.
HMUA - Trial done last May. Booked for bride + groom + 3 heads.
Others:

Dance floor -PAID 6 panels c/o Fernwood
Our WEDsite - done and launched!

And for the to-dos/work-in-progress list:

Officiant - still undecided, we'll decide after we have all our "parish" requirements done
Marriage License and other doc. Requirements - will start collecting by July at the EARLIEST, cause it only has 6 mos validity
Other DIY Stationery (Programmes, Menu cards, Misallettes, etc.) - since we already bought a printer, i'll be starting on this one SOON!;)
Musicians (Reception) - still thinking if we're getting one
List of Entourage - mostly done.
List of Guests - mostly listed.. feel i need to trim down a bit to stick with 200pax
Groom's Suit - undecided...:(
Male Entourage's Suits - canvassed prices in Landmark and SM already.. still to finalize..
Gifts for (Parents, Sponsors, etc.)
Wedding Rings - Have an idea of what we want already.. Just waiting for the right time (and money) before we buy.. ehehe!
Hotel for wedding preps - have already cavassed and did occular for several hotels in Ortigas.. Reserved in Edsa Shangri-La but have yet to finalize that one.. still looking for cheaper alternatives (or Shang coupons!)..;) ehehe!!
Others:

Cords, Veil, Arrhae - DIY and/or get my mom's help and/or included with my gown

I guess that's all for our 2nd status report..;) For regular updates, please check our official WEDsite. Ciao!;)

xoxo,

They say that....

2009-06-18T23:00:00.001+08:00

1st impressions last... so we always try to showcase our best in whatever right from the start...

They also say that a picture paints a thousand words... (Di nga?.. Thousands talaga?.. Hindi hundreds lang?.. Or millions?...) AHAHAHA!!

But seriously speaking... Tonio and I finally received the proposed layouts for our engagement album from the photo shoot we did with Wally Gonzales! And we're just so excited to share it! We made a few comments for revisions here and there, but overall, we love it!... The engagement album might also serve as our Guestbook, but we're still undecided.. the pictures are just too pretty to write on..;)

So for a sneak peek, here's the 1st page of our Engagement/Guestbook Album:

And sooooooo, what are your thoughts?...;)

(Btw, perfect timing also for this blog.. coz from today we have exactly 6 months to go 'til D-day.. ayayayay!.. ahaha!! next blog: updates!!)

*** Other pages are found at our WEDsite.

xoxo,

I Love Your Blog Award

2009-06-18T13:10:00.002+08:00

Again, many thanks to Sis Lorna for this award!:)

This is the J'Adore Tien Blog Award which means I Love Your Blog in French. (O dba, we learn something new everyday!;))

Passing this award to - Jasmin, Sis Lorna (pwede ba?.. ehehe!! e I love your blog too eh?;)), Sis Maan, sis Mei, sis Escie, sis Khim, sis Anna and Jengers

xoxo,

Movie Date

2009-06-11T17:20:00.005+08:00

I still remember the first time Tonio and I met as bf-gf.. It was here in SG.. I still live in PH then, but I came here with my sister.. there wasn't a second of awkwardness between us then.. It felt very natural to be hugged by him as soon as I came out of those glass doors at the Budget Terminal.. (hmm, wait.. did he grab the Krispy Kreme first?) Ahahaha!! Kidding!

Aside from touring my sister around SG (since it was her 1st time then), we also spent a day with just the 2 of us to celebrate our 1st "monthsary"..:) I remember we watched Night at the Museum at the Cathay Theater. This was the first movie we watched together.. I was never a Ben Stiller fan.. but I had fun watching this movie.. maybe it also had something to do with the company I was with...;) ehehe!

Anyway, so why am I actually writing this blog for?.. Wala naman.. ehehe!! maybe because 28 months & a proposal later, Tonio and I watched Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian..! and I found myself reminiscing those first few dates we had..:) and then I also thought of doing this:

Hmmm.. parang we look bigger today..? LOLz!!

Not one of my best layouts.. ehehe! I'll try to make another layout later...;)

About the movie, I think I liked the Part 1 better.. but Part 2 was still a fun movie to watch..:)

xoxo,

Our Save-The-Date!!

2009-06-09T14:11:00.004+08:00

I already posted this actually at my Photos & Scraps Blog.. I just want to share it here too, since this will probably be our official STD..;) I think my NEED to create THE STD for our wedding... a STD that would represent our wedding themes (not so much with the colors though..;)) perfectly.. and our personalities... has been satisfied!:D We BOTH really feel that this is THE ONE for us!!;) and so, here it is....

Comments are very much welcome!:)

Now... if only the same is true with my wedding gown.....*sigh* ehehe!!

** Photos used are taken from our engagement shoot with Wally Gonzales

xoxo,

Things to keep me busy..

2009-06-08T19:44:00.002+08:00

Like I said in my previous post, my H2B* is currently in the US for a month due to work... So while he's not here with me, I made a list of things I'll try to do to keep me busy... so I wouldn't miss him so much also na rin:

Play my internet games ALL the time.. LOLz!!
Organize my files (mp3s, movies, pictures, ebooks, installers, etc.) in my hard disks.
Exercise??? (LOLz!!)
Post-process some backlog photos.. Did a model shoot waaaaaay back, and I was just able to post/share a couple I think..
(Window) shopping...?
Go to a salon for some "pampering" and kakikayan..;)

There's probably more I can and will do.. but this is all I could think of at the moment.. ehehe! Of course, I'll have the occasional meet ups with friends.. and hopefully a LOT of SKYPE-time with my H2B on weekends...;)

*sigh* Oh I really really REALLY wish time flies fast this month!;)

* H2B - husband-to-be

xoxo,

Back to LDR..:(

2009-06-06T13:42:00.001+08:00

Since coming here in SG*, my H2B* and I have never been separated for like more than 2 days MAX I think... We see each other every day... and that is JUST the way I want it!.. We've been in a LDR* for more than a year.. and it was really HARD!... I never wanted to be in that situation ever again...

And then we learned that H2B's company is sending him to the US for a month!!:(

Don't get me wrong.. I am happy for my fiance... at least he'll be able to go to the US.. and this is also a very good experience for him career-wise.. But of course.. it also means a month of not seeing him.. and worse.. unlike when I was still in PH* and he here in SG.. this time, with him being in US gives us a 12 HOURS time difference!:( and there's the H1N1 threat too.. I'm really hoping this month flies by really, really fast..

To my mahal, I'm missing you already! Take care there.. And I know I'll see you again soon!:) Mwah!

*H2B - Husband -to-be; SG - Singapore; PH - Philippines; LDR - Long Distance Relationship
**Pictures taken at the Terminal 3 Airport here in SG..

xoxo,

Facebook Games!

2009-05-26T14:54:00.005+08:00

Maintaining our WEDsite, this blog and my photos & scraps blog... not too mention accounts in Facebook, Twitter, Scrapblog, Flickr, 3 Multiply accounts (pAnts&pJs, jansbautista and FMCC-SG) and others I haven't opened in ages.. you'd think these should already keep me "occupied", right?... apparently not! HAHAHA!!

As if these don't take too much of my time already, I recently discovered (and am addicted to since) two computer games in Facebook:

1) Texas HoldEm Poker

Nice cards I have, eh? A sure win?.. NOT!!! LOLz!

2) Restaurant City

I just started playing this game today, so as you can see,
my restaurant is still pretty small..

xoxo,

2009 Friendship Tag

2009-05-25T15:00:00.001+08:00

Thanks Sis Lorna and Sis Mei for the award and the friendship!:)

Rules:
1. Take your award here.
2. Put the logo on your post.
3. Link the person who awarded you.
4. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
5. Add links to those blogs on yours.
6. Leave a message for your nominees on their blog.

I'm passing this friendship tag to Anna, Escie, Michelle, Kendz, Aileen, Shey, Jeng.

xoxo,

Josiah's Food Tasting

2009-05-25T12:35:00.004+08:00

As I mentioned in my previous blog, we had our food tasting with Josiah's Catering last May 2 at Fernwood Gardens. When we got there, a buffet of different dishes were prepared for us to sample. It was very different from what we've actually expected, which was like just having the dishes we picked served to us in a sort of one plate per dish or something. But what we got was a small serving of each dish that they had there, and then from there Tonio and I chose which one we wanted for our wedding.

Well like I told in my previous entry, we honestly didn't mind this arrangement. And to top it of, Maui just informed me that we'd still have a FINAL food tasting (which I scheduled this for this August), this time of just the final dishes we selected!:) So again, I'm looking forward to that final food tasting, and I promise to blog with more details on that one!;)

But going back, I'd say all the dishes served to us were good... It was a little bit hard for us to choose between the dishes, because we wanted to not only pick for example the best dish for beef, but also to pick a beef dish (for example) that would go well with the pork or the chicken or the fish dish we picked... gets? ehehe!! We tried to make sure there one that's dry and/or fried, and then one with a sauce.. One that's sweet, and one that's a bit spicy... something like that... ehehe!!

Unfortunately, I can't go into the tiniest details regarding the TASTE of each dish, as I was also discussing other things with Maui while eating.. ahaha!! so didn't concentrate much on remembering how it tasted, which dish I liked best, etc. Like I said, I promise to do this on the final tasting.;)

So for now, I'm just gonna show you pictures of the food served to us.. Others we already took a bite from before we remembered to take a picture of it... HAHAHA! Excited!:P Which suddenly reminded me, yes, I did remember something that I really liked: their Mongolian Barbecue! I just love it! I remembered while eating it I was already taking a mental note to remind our OTD on our wedding day to save us a bowl each so that Tonio and I can eat it AFTER the program! HAHA!! Our only request was to add vermicelli noodles to the dish, as they told us the vermicelli was optional, depending on what the customer likes.. and I just LOVE vermicelli! hehe!!

And for our menu, here it is (courtesy of Wedding Paper Divas):

**Note: This is NOT our actual Menu design yet.
This is solely for the purpose of showing you our Menu.;-)

xoxo,

Reporting Day#4 (May 2)

2009-05-11T11:04:00.013+08:00

Since we were not able to look for a hotel for the wedding preps yesterday (explained here), we decided to do it today.

So again, our day started really early. By 7 am, Tonio and I were already on our way to our dentist for our regular cleaning and check up. Grabe, recession is EVERYWHERE na talaga... Because even our gums are in recession daw... AHAHAHA!!! (Tonio didn't want me to post this picture.. nyahaha!!)

Then , we went straight to Fernwood Gardens for our food tasting with Josiah's Catering. At first we were disappointed to learn that they were expecting around 25 clients to come. But Maui (our AE) never left our side until we were done with all our discussions:

menu - the food were great (I did a separate post for this, read it here)!
linens
centerpieces - for the couple's, presidetial and guest tables
back drops
buffet table set up
floor plan - informed Maui that we'll need space for our "stage"
cake - We picked one from Judy Uson's cake selections, but we also we showed Maui the design we want and asked if they can "add" it in... I also have a (baptismal) godfather who's giving us a cake for our wedding, so I asked if maybe Judy and the other cake supplier could talk and dicuss how they can make the 2 cakes look like just 1 cake..:)
other freebies and package inclusions - chocolate fondue, bird cage, emcee, program, DJ, lights...

Unfortunately, I just got word from Maui the other day, and she said that Judy (cake) can not do our request..:( So maybe we'll just ask the other supplier for that..;) ehehe!! I'm almost 100% sure they can do it...;) Maybe this coming August, when we go home again, we'll schedule a meeting with the 2 cake suppliers...;)

For the linens and centerpieces... *sigh* We were able to pick something out then, but when we got back here in Singapore, I saw pictures of centerpieces from wedding sites that I really liked and inquired with Maui if they can do it... but so far, the feedback from their stylist is that it's not possible, unless we were willing to pay additional (which we were NOT!)..:( so now both sides are still working on it... checking our options.. to be honest, we're even entertaining the thought of getting a stylist... but then again, I really don't wanna spend more $$$ just for a stylist...*sigh* Maybe someone could give it to us as a gift??......;) ahaha!!

Anyway, after our food tasting, we went to see Sharon (our AE for Fernwood) to pay for my bridal car and 6 panels of dance floors. She gave us freebies and discounts for that, which we're somehow happy with..:) We're still praying for a good breezy weather on our wedding day, so we still haven't reserved an A/C for the reception..:) But Sharon assured us that she'll try to have an A/C on standby just in case..:)

After that, we visited Tita Juliet again to finalize our prices and pay for the DP..:) Also, another one of our flower girls (Julia) was with us, so she had her measurements taken. I also asked Tita Juliet to make me a dress too, for the wedding(s) we might attend in December, so she took my measurements as well..:)

Then, we went to Ortigas to look for our preps venue. The first we checked was Crowne Plaza. Personally, I liked the interior of their suites. It's very spacious, and comfy-looking. Plus the prices were w/in the range of our budget. But of course, since we were only "canvassing", we didn't confirm anything yet.

Next we checked was Edsa Shangri La Hotel. When we asked people for suggestions, we heard this hotel a lot! But obviously, the prices are way more expensive. I think my dad knows someone with coupons we could use, so if we did get it, then most probably Edsa Shang it is!;) Otherwise.... Not sure yet... ahaha!!

Since we were more or less happy with the 1st 2 hotels already, we decided to just have an early dinner. Tonio and I (for the first time) ate at Red Crab in Greenbelt 3. We just LOVED the food, that we promised to eat there again (and try their buffet) the next time we're back in PH!!:)

After that very satisfying dinner, we went to Landmark to check out prices of RTW suits for our male entourage. Prices of coats ranged from Php2,600 - 8,000 a piece! Waah, really expensive!:( We'll probably buy the suits the next time we're back also..

And then we went to buy some groceries to bring back to SG, like laundry soap (my sister likes the smell of l.soap in PH), corned beef, etc. We're scheduled to fly back early the next day (May 3).

So that's about the whole of my report on our 4-day wedding preps in PH..;) Overall rating: a SUCCESS (more or less)!;)

Now I'm dreading making our August Itinerary...:-S Ahahaha!! Soooo much more to do!!

xoxo,

Reporting Day#3 (May 1)

2009-05-06T18:00:00.011+08:00

May 1 - Labor Day... and hard labor we did! nyahaha!!!

My day started with me, my dad and my mom going from Las Piñas all the way to Silang, Cavite to have (this time) MY measurements taken by my aunt Tita Beth, who will be making my gown.. When we got there, she was still on her way home from CAGAYAN(!?), so we had to wait for her first. While waiting, my mom, my other aunt Tita Dahlie (also our PS*) and I discussed what I want for my bridal gown. I showed them my gown inspirations (see below, mostly taken from Brides.com). After arguing here and there (*sigh*), we more or less came out with something we all agree on. Since Tita Beth is not really a designer, I don't have a sketch/drawing to show you.. But like I said, these are my gown inspirations:

** Pictures courtesy of Brides.com

I told them I really want a "sexy" back (this I get my inspirations from Veluz), and a skirt with "bustings" (term I learned from Christine Go). To be perfectly honest, I'm still not 100% "sold" with the design we picked... but it's really pretty... It's just me.. I don't know what design would compliment my body built.. May pagka insecure lang rin po kasi talaga ako...:( But hopefully I'll have my 1st fitting this July 18, and I'm hoping once I see the gown on me, I'll get more excited and confident with my gown..:) If not, then there's still more time and I can still look for a designer! ahaha!!

Btw, I also brought the gown I bought from Tutuban for a little alteration. So after my Tita took my measurements and noted the alterations needed, we left for our "lunch date" with Tonio's family.

Pamamanhikan is a Filipino custom, where (if I'm not mistaken) the two families meet, get to know each other, and basically discuss all the wedding preparations. Usually the guy's family brings gifts and food to the girl's house. This is also (I guess) the time for the guy to formally ask the girl's parents for their daughter's hand in marriage.

However, since Tonio and I have already started with our wedding preps and are handling almost everything, we didn't have the "typical" pamamanhikan. We just wanted the two families to meet. And since I didn't want my mom to worry about the food preparation and clean up that comes after a gathering, I asked Tonio if we can just go to a restaurant with a secluded area so that we'll have some privacy while we have lunch and talk about whatever...:P ehehe!!

Tonio and I went for ocular inspection and to reserve tables the previous day. At first, we considered Luk Foo, it's a Chinese restaurant, and we both loved the food there. However, they wanted to place us on the main area, with the rest of the other customers. I told them we needed/wanted a bit of privacy. They (almost unwillingly) led us to their 2nd floor, where there are a lot tables empty. I wanted to stay at one of those tables where you can close it, to look like it's a separate room, but they said they can't. Then the place was also a bit dark, because the lights are off. And there were no aircons open. But still, I know the food is great there, and the prices reasonable, so I asked to reserve us tables.

Then, after our shoot with Wally Gonzales, we went to Hula Hula Seafood and Barbque House at West Gate to check the place out. They also didn't have any secluded area, but I was really pleased that they were willing to accommodate us and move tables around just to create a separate space that will give us some privacy. So we called Luk Foo to cancel our tables, and pre-ordered our food. We ordered: Jojo's Chicken Wings for Appetizer, Hawaiian Molo Sensation for Soup, Baby Shrimp Fried Rice, and then for the main dishes: Mess of Steaks, Mess of Fish, and Crab Maritess. Here are some pictures:

After lunch, we all went to my house for desserts. Then, Tonio and I went with his family to Duty Free for some shopping. After that, Tonio and I went back to Alabang for a courtesy call with one of our PS*. My mom and dad went with us. We chatted for a while, and quite surprisingly enjoyed the visit. It wasn't at all awkward nor was there any prolonged silence like I thought there would be..:) We even planned on just staying for 30 mins, and turned out we stayed for more than an hour at the least! After that, Tonio and I went straight to our main photographer, Paul Vincent's house in Quezon City to finalize and get our contract. We paid our balance for the DP. We also discussed our plans for the prenup shoot with him. And of course, again, a LOT of fun fun fun conversation!:)

We were not able to do an ocular check of hotels in Ortigas for our wedding preps venue becuase we left Paul Vincent's house very late already. But before going home, Tonio and I stopped at Amici along Tomas Morato for dinner.

So like I said, it was a LOOOONG and tiring day, but we sure had a LOT of fun and laughter this day!!...:)

For DAY 3, mission: (slightly) ACCOMPLISHED!;)

* PS - Principal Sponsor or more commonly called Ninang sa Kasal for Filipinos

xoxo,

Reporting Day#2 (Apr. 30)

2009-05-06T10:19:00.012+08:00

Coming from a VERY tiring and full day 1, day 2 had a much lighter schedule..:) We only had my trial make up in the morning, and our prenup shoot with Sir Wally in the afternoon. The day started with me being a little irked at Tonio because I thought he's leaving his house in Cainta by 10 am so he can pick me up in Las Piñas by 11 am to go to the salon. It turned out he almost just woke up at 10, so I had my mom bring me to the salon and wait for Tonio there... anyway...

I arrived at Leo Priagola's salon a little past 11 am. I showed him pictures of the hairstyles I wanted during my wedding.. yes, I want a different hairstyle during the ceremony and the reception! ahaha!! Of course, during the ceremony, I want the classy, elegant and sweet look (left picture**). For the reception, I want a more laid-back look (right picture**)..;) For the make up, nothing too fancy for me... Maybe just a little "arte" on the eyes, but that's it for me... ehehe!! Here are some pictures:

Of course, I really made sure our prenup with Wally Gonzales comes after the trial hair and make up so that it's like killing 2 birds with one stone, right?.. ahaha!! Had our prenup shoot in Fernbrook Gardens, and the place is just nice on pictures. Before that day, our (me and Tonio) idea for the shoot is just to do poses and candid shots around the cars and carriages of Fernbrook. Because our outfits are just trendy casual, and we felt that Fernbrook is too grand a place that we'd have to wear formal attire to "match" the place. But when we got there, we let Sir Wally lead.. and we just enjoyed ourselves during the shoot! He was very funny and friendly, and he sure made us do a lot of poses. After the shoot, Anthony and I are just very excited to get a copy of the pictures. And when we did, we loved a lot of them! It was so hard for us to pick just 40 pics for the prenup album..:) Below are a few of the unedited (RAW) pictures that we did not pick..;) Of course, the pictures for the album is a surprise for now..:)

For DAY 2, mission: (successfully) COMPLETED!!!;)

** Pictures courtesy of Brides.com

xoxo,

Reporting Day#1 (Apr. 29)

2009-05-03T16:52:00.016+08:00

Just to share with you guys what we did last Apr 29 - May 2. I won't be able to do it in one blog because it will be looooooong, so I'm doing a blog a day..;) And as promised, there are LOTS of pictures!;)

For April 29, we (more or less) were able to do everything we wanted to do. From the airport (thank God our flight was on time!), we went straight to Divisoria.. or rather Tutuban Center and Cluster Building in our case...;) Anthony's mom and brother were with us so we stuck to the no-crowd, airconditioned places..;) We first had an early lunch at Bodhi Vegetarian Restaurant (Anthony's brother is a vegetarian, so he wanted us to try out this restau), then started with our (window) shopping!;)

I was able to get swatches for the female entou gowns... We were also able to buy a bridal gown for our TTD shoot with Paul Vincent (love the gown, can't wait for the shoot!;) )... I was not able to buy the materials for our DIYS though, because I still wasn't sure what I needed and wanted, but I did look around to check what my options were... We didn't look for the boxes for our invites anymore... and lastly, we were able to get some souvenir ideas, but we didn't finalize/buy anything.. again, still checking our options (and budget!), before we decide on anything...;)

We ran later than expected, so we arrived at Market Market pretty late already. Here we met with our OTD, Events Manila! We discussed some details of our wedding, and asked a few questions.. Basically we just went there to meet Ms. Rose, because we feel it's easier to interact with someone you already met in person, don't you think?:) We were pretty happy with the meeting, even if we realized we still have a lot of pending matters that we need to attend to ASAP.. ahaha!! But I guess that's the whole idea of having your coordinator, right?..;)

After that, we went to our modiste Tita Juliet's house in Quezon City for the girl's measurements. Initially, I only asked my BM's and SS's, I totally forgot my FG's! Nyahaha!! Good thing 2 of them were able to go with us..:) The final quotation for my whole entou was a bit higher than expected, but still quite a bargain!:) Here are some photos taken:

Attendees were: Joymari (BM), Mahal (BM), Ate Risa (SS), Rein (FG) and Julia (FG). And then, Anthony's mom will also have her gown made by Tita Juliet. After the fitting, we treated the girls to dinner at A Veneto Pizzeria Ristorante along Visayas Ave.

So, for DAY 1, mission: ACCOMPLISHED!;)

xoxo,

Friendship Blogger Award

2009-04-28T01:00:00.000+08:00

Thanks to sis Lorna for this Award!:)

The rules are so easy:
1. Place the logo / banner on your blog.
2. Add a link to the blog who gave the award.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Add links to the blogs that you have nominated.
5. Let them know by leaving a message (shout) on their blogs.

I'm tagging the ff. sisses: Candy, Anna, Escie, Shey, Michelle, Sieggy, Zigrid, Khim

xoxo,

Our Apr 29 - May 2 Itinerary

2009-04-27T11:55:00.006+08:00

Anthony and I are going back to PH for a 4-day visit. And our schedule is just CRAZY!

Here's our itinerary:
April 29
1. Divisoria shopping

Materials for DIYs
- Papers
- Ribbons
- Clips/flowers/beads (for embellishments)
TTD gown
Box for invites
Souvenir ideas
Get swatches for Entou Gown

2. 1st meeting and discussions with OTD
3. Female Entourage measurement taking

Attendees: Joymari, Mahal (so far)
Finalize gown designs and quotation with Tita Juliet
Pay DP
Treat the girls for dinner.:)

April 30
1. Trial Make Up with Leo or Staki?
2. Prenup shoot with Wally G.

Venue: Fernbrook Gardens
2 outfits

May 1
1. Bridal Gown – finalize design and measurement taking

Finalize quotation
Schedule 1st fitting
Discuss materials to be used
Measurement taking

2. Pamamanhikan

Venue: restaurant
Discuss/Share wedding plans with the family

3. Visit Paul Vincent

Check album layouts and style
Discuss wedding plans and prenup/postnup ideas
Pay balance for DP

4. Look for Hotel for the preps (along QC or Ortigas area)

May 2
1. Dentist
2. Josiah’s food tasting

Select Menu (check chocolate fondue)
Select flower arrangement (remind flower upgrade)
Select/negotiate cake
Select set-up
Select other items included in contract (check per item)
- Check also with Fernwood: maps, missalettes, dance floor, bridal car, parking pass

**Sigh** I'm really hoping everything turns out well, and that we'll be able to accomplish everything here. Help me pray for a good weather, esp. during our prenup shoot with Wally G..:)

And of course, the #1 thing I should NOT forget... Take pictures, pictures, PICTURES!! ahaha!! I promise to share everything with you all when we get back...;) Ciao!

xoxo,

Having THE wedding dress

2009-04-23T18:00:00.000+08:00

For the past few months, I have more or less decided on a couturier. We are even scheduled to finalize the design and pay the DP when we go back to PH next week!

But then my aunt, who happens to make bridal gowns and would be our ninang sa kasal too, offered to make my gown. And since we are already way over our initial budget, we are grabbing every opportunity we get to save some $$$!;) So now, we're sorta back to 1st base again... I, once again, started collecting gown inspirations, and sent them all to my aunt.

Picking a design was a bit tough for me... Is that just me, or are there other bride-to-bes out there like me? I can't seem to decide which gown I want to wear for my wedding.. Haha! I see quite a LOT of good ones. So how can I be expected to just pick ONE??! Haha!! And like I said in my previous blog, I hate that I'm being fickle-minded these days...:(

And so, while browsing wedding sites to look for gown inspirations, I came across this Wedding Attire Guide from WNC Brides. This guide somehow reassured me that the designs I picked suit my body type.

I hope this article also helps other bride-to-bes get closer in finding/having THE wedding dress...:)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wedding Attire Guide
WNC Brides

Hourglass Body Type:
This body type is marked by wide shoulders, full bust, narrow waist and wide hips.

What type of dress to choose:
Focus on an A-line or Princess dress with a drop waist. Using a sweetheart or plunging neckline (not too revealing) will accent the bodice. Strapless is another option.

Avoid using too much detail on the bodice or skirt.

Pear Body Type:
This body type is defined by narrow shoulders and small bust with wider hips.

What type of dress to choose:
You'll want to choose a dress with a bodice to elongate the trunk, full sleeves to balance out the body, or a Princess like dress that will shrink hips.

Avoid dresses that are very full, heavy ornamentation near the hips, sheath dresses, or high necklines.

Inverted Triangle Body Type:
This body type is defined by broad shoulders, full bust, heavy upper arms, and a narrowing hips.

What type of dress to choose:
Bring the attention below the waist by using an elongated bodice with a drop waist. Spaghetti straps or a scoop neckline will shorten shoulder width.

Avoid puffed sleeves, shoulder pads or halter tops.

Slim Rectangle Body Type:
Here the shoulders and hips are very similar in their width with little definition on the waist.

What type of dress to choose:
Due to a lack of waistline pick a dress that creates the illusion of a waist with a gathered or pleated skirt and a natural or sashed waistline.

Avoid sheath dresses that create a more boxy appearance.

Wide Rectangle Body Type:
Defined as a nearly straight up and down body shape, the figure is a wider version of the slim rectangle.

What type of dress to choose:
Try to elongate the trunk and diminish a broad waist. Choose a dress with a bodice or empire waist and A-line skirt.

Avoid dresses with natural waistlines, tight waists for belts.

**Note: All pictures courtesy of Brides.Com

xoxo,

Status Report#1

2009-04-22T21:02:00.001+08:00

With only 7 months and 27 days to go 'til D-day, here's what my h2b* and I have accomplished so far:

Church Venue - St. Francis of Assisi Chapel - booked
Reception Venue - Fernwood Gardens - booked and FULLY paid
Caterer (inc. Children's Meal, Suppliers' Meals) - Josiah's Catering - booked, food tasting scheduled this May.
Cake - included in caterer's package, will just have to pick our cake this May.
Beverage - included in caterer's package
Flowers (for Chruch) and bouquets - 15-58 Flowers & Styles - booked with DP.
Flowers (for Venue) - included in caterer's package with free upgrade.
Emcee - Missy Ferrer-Litao - included in caterer's package, booked
Musicians (Ceremony) - San Martin de Porres Youth Choir - booked, but to still pick song line up
Photographer - Paul Vincent Photography - booked with DP.
Engagement Photographer - Wally Gonzales Photography - booked and FULLY paid.
Videographer - Threelogy Digital Video - booked with DP.
Souvenirs - Partypics - booked with DP
Transportation - booked c/o Fernwood.
Wedding Coordinator - Events Manila - booked with DP.
Others:

Dance floor - reserved/booked 4 panels c/o Fernwood
Our WEDsite - done and launched!

It looks like we've already covered a lot with 7++ more months to go, right...?? BUT, we have a LOT MORE to do!! Waaah!! And here's our list of to-dos/work-in-progress:

Officiant - still undecided, we'll decide after we have all our "parish" requirements done
Marriage License and other doc. Requirements - will start collecting by July at the EARLIEST, cause it only has 6 mos validity
Invitations - included in venue package, BUT we're considering booking a different supplier.
Other DIY Stationery (Programmes, STD, Menu cards, etc.) - we'll buy materials at Divisoria this May.
Musicians (Reception) - still thinking if we're getting one
List of Entourage - mostly done.
List of Guests - mostly listed.. feel i need to trim down a bit to stick with 200pax
Bridal Gown - undecided...:(
Groom's Suit - undecided...:(
Female Entourage's Gowns - have prospective supplier, we'll meet on May.
Male Entourage's Suits - might just look for RTW, and just have it altered to fit our boys perfectly
Gifts for (Parents, Sponsors, etc.)
HMUA - looking.. might do trial make up this May.
Wedding Rings - looking.
Hotel for wedding preps - scheduled to canvass for hotels this May.
Others:

Cords, Veil, Arrhae - DIY and/or get my mom's help

Not sure if I missed something.. If I did, let me know please..;) For regular updates, you may check our official WEDsite. Ciao!;)

*H2B - short for husband-to-be in W@Wie linggo....;)

xoxo,

Our First Freenup

2009-04-17T13:53:00.005+08:00

For weeks, Anthony and I had been planning and preparing for our "practice prenup" session. Grabe sa dami ng kailangan i-consider!.. and "practice" pa lang yan ha! So what more if it's our actual/official prenup session na?!?;)

The first thing we had trouble with was the date. We first wanted to do it this coming Saturday, April 18. I thought this is so I could have more time to lose a few more pounds! As if! ahaha!! But then, one of our photographer friend is not available then, so we had to think of a new date that is convenient for everyone. We all agreed on April 10.

Our next concern was the venue, which is of course dependent on the concept we wanted for our prenup. I wanted a "beach" concept... I wanted those sunset/silhouette shots...;) We are in Singapore. So naturally we could only think of one place within Singapore with a nice beach... SENTOSA!

Then, there is the time of our shoot... Since we wanted some sunset/silhouette shots, obviously it should be done in the afternoon... maybe 4pm - 7pm?.. But then, suddenly, someone remembered that April 10 is a holiday... So if we go there in the afternoon, we risk having a big crowd in the area, which would NOT look good on pictures... So we changed the time from afternoon to morning... Our call time was 8 a.m.!

Then our outfits... After a lot of researching, window shopping, discussions and arguments we decided on 3 outfits: (semi) formal wear, "beach" attire, and casual attire.

Finally, the day came. We had 4 photographer volunteers: Bernie, Bjorn, Enzo and Joey, 2 PAs: Jasmin and Jajah (ahaha!! love you sisters!;)), and 3 outfit changes. We also did a LOT of research for poses and picture styles, which some my besty sister even printed for us for guide. And we even bought rose petals for props!

And then....... I forgot about the heat and the dirt part of having a shoot in a beach....:( Which means I also forgot to consider my eyes, which swells when exposed to heat and dirt....*sigh* so, after only about an hour of taking shots, one of my eyes was already swelling, that we obviously had to stop our shoot.. unless I want all my pictures showing just one side of my face! ahaha!! We didn't even get to change outfits...:(

But at least we had our "practice".;) Anthony and I at least learned that we are both comfortable doing poses for the photographers. I personally didn't get to take note much my "angles" and practice my smiles ika nga ni sis Escie..;) But we had fun while it lasted.. despite the UBER hot sun! ehehe!!

AND, kahit 1 hour lang yan, we are really happy we got some good pictures! Here are a few from our friend Joey:

So now we're really looking forward to our next freenups!.. AHAHA!! And this time, I'll have my silhouettes!;)

xoxo,

Flowers!

2009-04-15T20:04:00.008+08:00

Just like (almost) everything in my wedding, selecting my flowers is no easy task... And it doesn't help that our wedding colors are blue and purple! Ahaha! *Sigh* And I hate that I'm being super fickle-minded these days... I'm starting to be an OC and a bridezilla.. yikes!:(

As usual, I was browsing the inet a lot for ideas. Here are some bridal bouquets that caught my attention:

Our first discussion with our florist is that my bouquet would be all tulips. I think around 30++ buds. It's something like the 3rd bouquet (1st row from above picture). And then, our florist said he'll add crystals to make the bouquet sparkle in pictures..;) So I'm thinking it's something like this picture on the right, which I saw from Pink Frosting.

But like I said, it's not easy for me to decide on anything these days..:( Much as I love tulips, I want an assortment of flowers on my bouquet. So I'm thinking a mix between the 4rth (1st row) bouquet and the 2nd (3rd row) bouquet, maybe?:) What do you think??

As for my female entou bouquet, I want something like the picture on the left. I found this from DBDE's blog. I'm happy that at least with my girls I know what I want na. Haha!

There's still the church flowers and the reception flowers to think of! Waaah!! So many, lah!;)

*** Bouquet Collage pictures: Top row from left: photo from Bloomery Weddings, DBDE, 88DB.com, the Bump. 2nd row: photo from Elizabeth's Garden, the Knot, Lena's site, Pauline's site. 3rd row: photo from Orange County Wedding Flowers, Annie's blog debut, 4ever florals, and Flowers Wedding Bouquet.

xoxo,

My Wish List

2009-04-09T11:17:00.004+08:00

Like I told sis Sieggy when I read her Top 10 Summer Must-Do blog, I wanna make one too! BUT..... most of my must-dos would be either be wedding preps or work related! ahaha!!So where's the fun in that?! ...;)

So instead, I'm making my WISH list... which I'm probably gonna (try to) get AFTER the wedding na...;) When I have more time (and money) on my hands! ahaha!!! So here it is....

My Top 10 WISH LIST:

learn how to bake (hmm.. I guess this I can do anytime..:P),
go to the US for our honeymoon (still a little wedding-related, sorry.. and definitely AFTER the wedding..;) ),
find a new job SOON (obviously, I this could be before the wedding too)!
find a new source of income (if it'll need a huge investment, then definitely this will have to wait AFTER the wedding),
have more opportunities to improve my photography skills (I'll need time for this),
learn more about photo and video editing,
blog regularly (consistently) this year,
enroll in a dancing class, and/or cooking/baking class,
organize all my files in my computer and HDs,
lose weight!!!

Hahaha!! 11th wish: I wish I get them all the soonest time possible! ahaha!!

xoxo,

Save The Dates

2009-04-08T17:45:00.004+08:00

Learned about the Wedding Paper Divas through sis Maan's post. This site is surely a great find!:)

Here are some of the ones I made from the site:

I like these already.. But if and when inspiration hits, I might do some more "tweaking" to make it more personalized...;)

** Special thanks again to sis Maan for sharing this site!:)

xoxo,

Monograms - Part#2

2009-04-03T09:09:00.006+08:00

I already posted one blog away some of our trial monograms. And like I mentioned there, we really like the 3rd one.. So I did a few changes, incorporating our wedding colors into it, and here's the result:

And again, like I said in my previous post, we're now working on our "initials" monogram..:) Sticking with more or less the same fonts we used above, here are some of the stuff I made so far:

Initials#1 (our first name initials watermarked)

Initials#2 (our first name initials watermarked)

Initials#3 (just our first name initials)Initials#4 (our last name initial watermarked)

Initials#5 (our last name initial watermarked)

Initials#6 (our last name initial watermarked)

Again, your thoughts, comments, suggestions and/or violent reactions are welcome..;)

xoxo,

Just want to say...

2009-04-01T21:31:00.004+08:00

It's April Fool's Day! I got a little paranoid today, looking if someone is planning to do something "foolish"... ahaha!!

Like for instance, sis Anna and I are meeting at Starbucks (still here actually with her.. love free Wi-Fi's!) and she ran a bit late.. I thought she won't show up or something because it's the 1st of April!! ahaha!! talk 'bout paranoia!

Anyway.. I (in behalf of my fiance, Anthony) would just like to greet you all a:

Happy April Fool's Day!!(?!)

hehe!!;) Tc everyone! :)

** Picture was taken from this site.

xoxo,

Some trial monograms

2009-03-31T16:51:00.008+08:00

I've been looking for the right mood or inspiration to start working on our monogram. Anthony and I have downloaded several fonts (both for Mac and PC), and checked out a lot of sites for ideas. Then yesterday, just thought of fooling around with several samples in MS Powerpoint, and here's what we made so far:

This one I made from Adobe CS4:

For now, I think we're going with the 3rd one. I'm proud to say Anthony made that one..;) So now I guess our next project is for the "initials-only" monogram..;)

Please do let us know what you think.:) We'd love to hear your thoughts and votes!:)

xoxo,

Prayer of an Engaged Couple

2009-03-27T17:55:00.003+08:00

Thanks to sis Anna for sharing this prayer:

Father, God of life and love,
together we come before you.
Make us strong in faith and generous in love for you and for each other.
Bless both of us.
May we become more honest and sincere as we try to get to know each other better.
We hear and see so many things around us especially through the media
that convey misleading messages about love between two people.
May we learn your Truth.
May we let Jesus, your Son be our Teacher in learning
about true self-giving and loving.
Help us to resist all temptations and to avoid occasions
that would lead us to sin.
Let your Spirit be our only Guide in knowing your will
and in living it faithfully.
When we would have become ready
to take each other completely
for the rest of our lives,
may we celebrate
through the Sacrament of Marriage
your wonderful gift of love
together with family, relatives and friends.
Amen.

xoxo,

Our caterer: Josiah's Catering, Inc.

2009-03-23T21:24:00.005+08:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, my fiance and I had our food tasting last January 2. From Fernwood's list of accredited caterers we picked our top 2 caterers: Center Table Catering, Inc. and Josiah's Catering, Inc. We got good feedbacks from friends for these 2 caterers that's why we picked them.

The food tasting went well for both caterers. We both liked the food we sampled, although I preferred Josiah's a little more (maybe I'm just biased, because it was my friends who had Josiah's, and Anthony's friends who tried Center Table)..;)

So with food taste out of the list, the decision for us boiled down to the reception set-up, package price and (for me this is really important) the AE...

Regarding the 1st concern, so far, based on our visits in both Fernwood and Fernbrook, we honestly usually notice/like the set up of Center Table more.

For the price, their minimum package rate is the same. Of course, it just differs with the freebies they are willing to give, and what other items are included in the package, like guest book, dove, cake, sounds, etc. On this issue, if ever there is a difference bet. the packages, I was confident I could haggle it from the caterer we choose... so this wasn't really an issue for me...

And for the last, but definitely not the least, issue: the Account Executive.. This for me is really important.. Because we were both overseas, I want to pick suppliers that would require lesser time (and cost) for us to manage... Hands down, I was impressed and got excited with Josiah's AE!.. The person we talked to then was Xarin. She was confident and showed she really knows her job, and yet friendly enough to let us know she welcomes whatever it is we had to say/ask/suggest.. And she gave us freebies, like the chocolate fondue!;)

Of course, those who've already visited our WEDsite would know we already chose Josiah's Catering. When we confirmed with them, we learned that we were assigned a different person to handle our wedding. At first we were worried.. Because she might not be as easy to talk to as the previous AE.. But thank God, we got the BEST AE ever!! Maui is simply godsent! She is very friendly, hard working and most importantly (esp. to overseas couple like us) very accessible! She's almost always online in YM. And we'll be forever grateful to her that she was able to book Missy (our emcee) for our wedding!;)

Missy is a very popular emcee for weddings.. And we were really afraid that she'll be book on our wedding day if we don't book her ASAP. We read in w@w that it's hard to book her thru caterers, so we had already decided to look for her ourselves. Then, just when we were about to book her directly, Maui came back from her maternity leave, and helped us book Missy thru Josiah's (since providing us an emcee is part of our package)! Didn't I say she's Godsent?!;)

We haven't met Maui in person yet.. but we are sooo looking forward to our second food tasting with Josiah's this May, and for us to finally meet our AE in person..:)

I'll post again how the food tasting goes.. and this time, I won't forget to take pictures first before we eat the food!;) ehehe!!

xoxo,

I've never eaten soooo much food!

2009-03-23T13:11:00.011+08:00

January 2, 2009 - to date, I think I can honestly say I've never eaten as much food as I had on this day!.. ahahaha!!

Our day started with a lunch date with my fiance's college friends at Mr. Rockefeller in Greenbelt 3, Makati. I think it's been a while since the last time they got together, so since both Anthony and his friend, Brydon (who's also based here in Singapore) are both in PH for the Christmas holidays, they decided to have their "reunion". The group shared the Hot Spinach Dip for appetizer. And then Anthony and I each ordered a main course (just can't remember now what exactly).

After that, Anthony and I went straight to The Wedding Library at SM Megamall to meet with a cake supplier, Ms. Penny Llanera of The Pastry Studio. We really enjoyed chatting with her!:) Even if she mentioned that she was really, really busy that time of the year, we didn't see any sign from her that she was in any way in a hurry to talk to us. As a matter of fact, it was even the other way around! We were the ones who had to cut our chickahan short, because we had another appointment to go to! And then, she gave us 4 fondant cupcake samples which were really REALLY delicious!!! I've tasted some fondant cakes before, and I usually find it too sweet, so I end up eating a few bites only... But Ms. Penny's cupcakes were just perfect!!! Imagine, we almost finished all 4 cupcakes(remember we just came from LUNCH!)!! Our only concerns with her at that time were: 1) that she still wasn't an accredited cake supplier of Josiah's (which was then one of the caterers we were considering) so if we picked Josiah's (which we did!) then, we won't be able to get her cakes as part of our package... We'd need to get her cupcakes separately.. and 2) the cupcakes were a bit pricey for us.. well, only because we wanted all our guests to have a cupcake each..;) Until now, I still can't forget her cupcakes! And I'm still really trying to fit in her cupcakes in our budget so our guests could try them out too!!:) That's how much I love them!;)

Our next stop that day was in Fernwood Gardens for food tasting with Center Table Catering, Inc. and Josiah's Catering, Inc.!! Yes, food tasting for two caterers! We met with Center Table first. The food they had us sample was good. Anthony liked it already. I, of course, want to taste Josiah's first before I make any judgments..;) ehehe!! Unfortunately, since we've been eating since lunch, we were really only able to sample the food..

Next was with Josiah's. Of course we were uber full and bloated by then that I think we just had one bite per dish..:P Based on the food we sampled from both caterers, the food from Josiah's is a little better for me. Anthony is ok with both. (You can read how we picked our caterer on my next post)

After that... no, the eating doesn't stop there!.. ahaha!! After the food tasting we had to go meet Anthony's HS friend for dinner. We met them at Amici in Tomas Morato. We were not able to eat anymore! Ahaha!! We just chatted with them while they eat.. good thing they were pretty understanding about it!

And then, during dinner, I received a text from my friends, inviting us for a drink somewhere in Makati! Anthony and I still went there.. By then, we were able to have a couple of beers, and a few bites of pulutan!.. and, thankfully, that ends the eating...;) ahaha!!!

What a day, huh?!?!;)

xoxo,

My first EB ever!

2009-03-19T09:04:00.004+08:00

I know, I know.. we're in this "era" where EB* is happening everywhere.. And ngayon lang ako nakipag-EB! Ahaha!! It was with no less than the Singapore-based w@wies!:)

We decided to meet up last Feb. 7 @ Vivo City. I think this was also one of the very few "gimmicks" I had in Singapore that my fiance didn't go with me.. So naturally I was nervous to go at first, but at the same time very excited to meet new friends.. And I was sure I'd learn a lot from them.. And I did!;)

Sis Escie and I were the first to arrive at the meeting place. Then we were happy to see Sis Lorna (because it was her birthday that day and she wasn't sure she could drop by) with hubby Caesar. It was the 4 of us for a while before the others came.. I learned so much from them.. I also received my first ever W@W Calendar from sis Lorna!:)

Then the others arrived... And more kwentos and chickahan happened... Sayang lang because I had prior engagement made na for that night, so I wasn't able to stay long.. But it was definitely fun meeting the new and old batches of w@wies!:)

* EB - defined in the Urban Dictionary as short for "eyeball" or get together. Originated in the CB Radio community. Can be a noun, verb, or "EB party."
** Photos c/o sis Lorna, sis Jhude and Anthony. To see full set of pictures, click here.

xoxo,

Cause of Confusion

2009-03-17T13:02:00.008+08:00

I LOVE the color BLUE!.. so even waaaay before, my dream wedding would always include the color blue...

But browsing different wedding sites definitely shed more confusion than light.. ahaha!! I saw a LOT of really REALLY nice inspiration boards that made me think twice (ok, I admit a LOT more than that!*wink*) if I should change our colors.. and here are the culprits: (hehe!)

The first one is from Snippet & Ink, which is hedge green and raspberry punch. The second one is from Inspiration For A Purple & Pink Wedding website. Loved these 2, so we're now definitely having PURPLE for our second color! we'll just need to choose now the right shades (blue: navy, royal, sailor, sapphire; purple: raspberry, ruby, merlot, african violet) for the perfect color combination!*wink*

Now, this one below is definitely something very different from what I had in mind, but when I saw it, I just loved it that I considered the combination. Saw this from Martha Stewart's Bride's Guide. It's Ivory and Gold with Black as an accent. Definitely glam and chic!

Lovely, right?.. Now, maybe for our 10th/25th/50th wedding anniversary......? LOLz!!!

xoxo,

Fonts Fonts Fonts!!

2009-03-17T10:38:00.006+08:00

Yes, I've always had the habit of collecting fonts.. probably since I learned using MS Word! ahaha!! So naturally, now that I'm getting married, we've thought of doing a lot of stuff ourselves like our save-the-dates, missalettes, programme, menu, etc...

During one of my internet surfing I came across this picture file displaying fonts that are commonly used in weddings. Just thought of sharing it with you guys..;) Hope it helps!

xoxo,

**Note: I forgot where exactly I got this picture, but if your guys know, please inform me, so I can tag properly. Thanks!

Sisterhood Award

2009-03-16T23:12:00.004+08:00

Thanks to sis Lorna and sis Shar for this award!:-)

Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

I'm passing this award to: Aileen, Escie, Shey, Kendz, Jeng, Anna, Nini, Jhude, Ethel, and Jasmin.

xoxo,

Disclaimer muna...;-)

2009-03-06T15:49:00.008+08:00

Since I didn't initially intend to blog about my wedding preps here, I would like to apologize kung ang mga kwento ko ay patalon talon... Hihi!!;) We have our WEDsite for all wedding-related blogs dapat.. but, I got inspired to share my wedding preps in details here when a "Blogging Brides" thread came out in W@W... so here it is... Happy reading!;)

xoxo,

Story behind our venue

2009-03-05T11:50:00.010+08:00

From our WEDsite, I already mentioned that we originally wanted to have our wedding reception at Fernbrook Gardens. And then for the church ceremony, maybe have it at St. James in Alabang (I really fell in love at first sight with this church) or just use the chapel inside Fernbrook. That was my dream wedding...

But then, when we had our occular visit last December, I was surprised at my reaction.. I didn't get all excited as I expected (for people who know me, they know how "excited" I can get when something really made me happy)... For all the Fernbrook brides, don't hate me!;) ehehe!! The place IS definitely grand! You can really see the elegance of the place. Like I said, I was also surprised with my reaction.. Maybe I just got up on the wrong side of the bed that morning or something??... Or maybe I just got a little disappointed when we learned that despite making an appointment, the person we spoke to wasn't there that day to accommodate us?... Or that I couldn't help but notice some parts of the place is yet to be finished? Especially the gondola part which I really wanted from that place... I just felt that the place wasn't "it" for me...:(

The next day my family, Anthony (my fiance) and I went to Bulacan for my family's (post) Xmas party. Since we were already there in the north area, we decided to call Fernwood Gardens and see if they can accommodate us to see the place. They said yes, so we left the party a little early to make it around 6pm to Fernwood.

And just like the first (and only) time I was there (which was during my close friend's wedding way back 2007!) I fell in love with the place.. There's just something there, I don't know what, that makes me feel "excited"..:) Maybe it's that "garden" (paradise) feel of the place.. a little bit mystical.. but at the same time "homey" too... and I just love the hanging ferns! That's what I didn't see much of at Fernbrook: the ferns... Although I just recently read that Fernbrook has already added more plants to the place.. Maybe other people had the same thought as I did..

Just now, I suddenly realized the difference of the two for me: Fernwood is more "paradise", while Fernbrook is more like the "fairytale castle" with its Victorian and Russian inspired designs..;) Again, both are perfect venues for weddings.. it just depends on which "draws" you more..;)

That we were able to save more or less Php40K in choosing Fernwood I guess made the choice a little easier for us! Ahaha!:)

You can check some photos we took during our occular visits here.

xoxo,

P.S. Again, everything here is based on MY own taste and preferences only!;)

What Kind of Bride Will You Be

2009-03-04T09:09:00.001+08:00

Saw this quiz from my friend (and fellow bride-to-be) Jeng. And here's what I got..

Nyahaha!! Soooo true! (oh, wala nang kokontra!) Ahaha!!

xoxo,

My personal wedding playlist

2009-02-27T16:22:00.005+08:00

These are just a few of the songs we want played at our wedding. Just thought of sharing it with you guys.. Enjoy!!:-)

xoxo,

Our WEDsite

2009-02-26T17:50:00.015+08:00

So I was thinking, after the "joining W@W" blog and the 2 articles about "getting married" blogs, what should I next blog about.. (Whew! a lot of "blog" word there.. Hihi!:)) And so I thought, why not about choosing and starting our very own wedding website!;)

The first time I learned of these sort of sites was from an ex-colleague. She was getting married (obviously!;)) and told us about their wedsite. Back then I was already excited of HOW I was doing mine when the time comes... Didn't know that "the time" would be a loooong time from then.. Hahaha!:)

So going back... now that "the time" has finally arrived I was ecstatic to get started!! Little did I know that it isn't as easy as it looks..

First of my "challenges" was choosing our website host. I honestly checked out a LOT, and subscribed to a few! Until my choices narrowed down to the two most common sites: MyWedding.Com and WeddingAnnouncer.Com.

Both sites are free and had their own pros and cons. With MyWedding.com, I like it that they have more variety of themes, which are better looking too. With WeddingAnnouncer.com hands down it has better page functionalities and have some planning tools too, which are very helpful with keeping couples better organized... So which one did we choose?....... BOTH! Ahaha!!:):):)

Well, actually we were able to launch our MyWedding WEDsite first. This will be our WEDsite for everybody. For the WeddingAnnouncer WEDsite, we're still trying to update it. Good thing too, as just recently something happened with their server(s) and lost everyone's pictures!:( Saved me some time and effort re-uploading our images. This site will probably be more for our wedding party and w@wies, since I can protect the pages with passwords..;)

Of course after deciding to keep both sites comes which theme to pick! We also changed themes numerous times, until we finally settled to the ones we are using now..;) And then comes what to post.. To date, the sites are undergoing continuous update.. But I'm enjoying updating it!

And so, that's the story behind our wedsites.. Ahaha!! Ang haba noh?..;) Grabe, WEDsite pa lang yan... **worried laugh** Like I said, it's a lot of work, but I'm enjoying it!:)

xoxo,

Talk It Out Before You Say, “I Do”

2009-02-25T11:47:00.009+08:00

Another article I found from CBN.com. I told Anthony that I want us to answer these (maybe not ALL of it), separately of course, and then compare and discuss our answers afterwards. Would be a lot of work, but I think we'd also learn a lot from this..;)

We're doing this one question per day.. until we finish the important questions before our wedding day.. so far, we've already answered.... ONE! ahaha!!! But I'm hoping we'll do much more soon..;)

Talk It Out Before You Say, “I Do”
By Julie Ferwerda

CBN.com – You’re thinking about spending the rest of your life with that special person. But do you really know them as well as you think? Are there areas you need to know about (or they need to know about you) that you haven’t discussed? The best time to get down to the nitty-gritty with each other is before you say, “I do.”

You need to know what to expect after the wedding day, and to decide if you really want to spend the rest of your life with this person the way they are now. Chances are they (and you) won’t change that much, so if you really want to know who you are agreeing to love, work through these questions together. There’s no hurry—take all the time you need. But there’s one rule. You must be completely, gut-wrenchingly honest! If you misrepresent yourself…they will remember.

PURPOSE

My biggest goal in life is to…
I find satisfaction in…
Before I die I want to…
I am here because…
My dream is to someday…
I will be ready to die when I’ve…

PAST

The best part about my childhood was…
The worst part about my childhood was…
The scariest thing that ever happened to me was…
Something I’m afraid to tell anyone about my past is…
A past situation that could affect my future is…
I’ve had [ ] sexual partners before this relationship.
The way I feel about my past relationship history is…

WHO I AM

My biggest fears in life are…
My biggest needs in life are…
My most frequent mood is…
The thing I hate most is…
The thing I worry about most is…
Three things I want to change about myself are…
Three things I really like about myself are…
My most common daydream is…
I get angry when…
My favorite kind of house pet is…
My overall opinion about myself is…
I think my greatest personality asset is…
My greatest personality weakness is…
I find the greatest enjoyment in…
The sin I struggle most with is…
I’m most ashamed about…
Someone I greatly admire is…
The way I feel about death is…
I think war is…
I feel happy when…
I have no use for people who…
When someone acts rude to me, I…
When someone is unfair, I…
I feel jealous of…
My dream vacation would include…
The things I find the most fun are…
My favorite sport(s) is…
Playing sports in my future is a [ ] on a scale from one to ten.
Watching sports on T.V. is a [ ] for me on a scale from one to ten.
I am disgusted by…
When I am afraid (substitute sad, angry, happy, lonely, tired), I…
My hobbies include…
I spend [ ] hours a week at my hobbies.
What I really want when I am sick is…
The part of my body I am most bothered by is…
The part of my body I am most happy with is…
What hurts me most is…
The best (and worst) thing about life is…
The first thing I notice about someone is…
When someone is angry with me, I…
When someone is disappointed in me, I…
The worst (and best) thing about the opposite sex is…
Being teachable means…
People (including me) should say they’re sorry when…

MARRIAGE

My reasons for wanting to get married are…
I think the keys to a good marriage are…
The biggest mistakes I made in past relationships are…
The area I’ve grown the most in relationships is…
Relationships in the past have taught me…
I’ve always viewed marriage as…
My parents had a [ ] marriage.
I learned [ ] about marriage from my parents.
I think the things in marriage you should be honest about are…
The areas I’m concerned about being married are…
The areas I’m excited about being married are…
Marriage for me will be giving up…
Marriage for me will be gaining…
I think separate vacations are…
Traveling together is…
When having conflict, I like to: cool off by myself before discussing the problem; discuss and work the problem out right away; pretend there is no problem and just move on; analyze the problem as to what it is, why it happened, how to avoid it in the future, etc…
Arguing and or fighting is…
The best way to handle disagreements is to…
What I fear most about marriage is…
What I anticipate most about marriage is…
The role of in-laws in marriage is…
The thing that will make me most secure (and insecure) in marriage is…
Dating (each other) after you are married is…
Love is…
“Till death do us part” means…
I think people should be allowed to divorce when…
For me, divorce is…

SEX

I think sex is/will be…
I think a healthy marriage involves sex [ ] per week or [ ] per month.
I’m aware that real sex in marriage differs from Hollywood in the following ways…
I think being naked in front of someone is…
On a scale from one to ten, sex is a [ ] in importance in a good marriage for me.
What sex means to me is…
Talking about sex feels…
Being spontaneous or creative in marriage sex sounds…

MONEY/FINANCES

I think money is…
Spending money is hard/easy for me because…
The biggest waste of money is…
The best investment of money is…
I have [ ] in personal debt.
I use credit cards for…
I think car loans are…
Saving up to buy big ticket items is…
My savings plan is…
My retirement plan is…
The way I feel about tithing is…
I hope my spouse is a: saver, spender, somewhere in between.
On a scale from one to ten, financial security is [ ] in importance to me.
I want to save up to buy a…
The kind of house I want to own someday is…
Other items I hope to own are…
Charities I want to contribute to are…

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Is my own appearance important to me?
Is it important that my spouse maintains his/her current physical appearance/weight throughout our marriage?
How important is hygiene to me, i.e. brushing teeth, taking showers, deodorant, etc.?
How do I like to dress for special occasions? For church? For dates? For work?
Do I want to be able to have a say in my spouse’s choice of clothing, hairstyle, or general appearance?
Do I care if they have a say in mine?
Is cologne/perfume important to me?
What physical features are attractive to me?

HOUSEHOLD

How clean is a home that is comfortable for me?
What is my favorite thing about home?
What can I not tolerate in my home (noise, clutter, dirt, pets, unmade beds, etc.)?
How many/which jobs do I think I should do to keep my house maintained?
How many/which jobs do I think my spouse should do around the house?
Who should keep the yard maintained (spouse, both, or hired out)?
Who will maintain the cars (spouse, both, or hired out)?
Who will make decisions for and carry out decorating the home (spouse, both, hired out)?
Who will cook family meals?
How many meals do I expect to cook or for my spouse to cook daily?
Who will do the shopping?
Who will do laundry?
Who will do the dishes?
Who will pay bills?

RECREATION

My idea of recreation is…
To me, camping means…
My favorite sports are…
The way I relax on the weekends is by…
What areas of recreation do I want my spouse to accompany me on?
What areas of recreation do I want to do with my friends or alone?
How often will I want to spend time away from the family in my own recreation?

KIDS

I think kids are…
Kids get on my nerves when they…
I love it when kids…
The way I feel about other people’s kids is…
The way kids usually feel about me is…
Kids should be disciplined when…
The way I want to discipline my kids is…
The role of a parent is…
I want [ ] kids someday.
How important is showing physical affection to my kids?
Is telling my kids I love them important?
How much time do I think I should spend with my kids daily?
How important is two-parent interaction and discipline?
I think the bottom line for discipline should be with the (mom or dad)?
How important is it for kids to respect their parents in my home?
When it comes to discipline, I think I will be: lenient, strict, or somewhere in-between?
Where do I want my kids educated (private school, Christian school, home school, etc.)?

HEALTH/HISTORY

Taking care of myself and my health is [ ] important to me.
I think a healthy lifestyle includes…
Physical exercise is…
To me, eating right means…
My idea of a good work out is…
My life fitness plan is to…
My health problems (present or past) are…
I take medication for…
I think life long-term supports are…
People in my family have a history of the following health problems…
People in my family have died at the ages of…

INTIMACY

I feel loved when…
The way I show love to people is…
Which of the following are ways I feel most loved? Time spent with, words of encouragement/praise, gifts, being touched and hugged in a non-sexual manner, when people do things for (serve) me.
Showing affection in front of kids or friends is…
Intimacy is developed through…
I think a good marriage needs at least [ ] hours a day (or week) of focused communication to stay connected.

WORK

My idea of a dream job is…
I think the average number of hours a person can regularly work a week and maintain family commitment is…
Providing for the family is whose responsibility?
My career plans are…
How important is a steady job to me?
What kind of work ethic do I want in my mate?
Where do I draw the line with a job that demands too much time?
My plans for retirement are…

SPIRITUALITY/RELIGION

The way I feel about God is…
I think the way God feels about me is…
On a scale of one to ten, going to church is [ ] in importance for my life and future.
I want to raise my kids in the [ ] faith.
Will God be the center of my home? Why or why not?
If yes, how will I make Him the center?
Prayer is something I do when…
To me, the Bible is…
Other religions besides Christianity are…
Eternal life is accomplished by…
Select and discuss the following. To me, God is: personal, real, distant, vague, angry, happy, loving, harsh, demanding, gentle, kind, good, make-believe, living, powerful, weak, or other.
The way to have a relationship with God is…
For me, including God in my daily life is…
On a scale from one to ten, obeying God and His word is a [ ] to me.
When I die, I…

xoxo,

Getting Married: How Do You Know for Sure?

2009-02-25T11:03:00.010+08:00

I found out about this article from my fiance's schoolmate's blog. It's quite a long read, but a good one too, so I'm sharing it with you. Happy reading!:)

Getting Married: How Do You Know for Sure?
By Belinda Elliott
CBN.com Daily Life Producer

CBN.com – Always a bridesmaid…that is what I thought I would be. As I watched friend after friend walk down the aisle and say, “I do” to their prince charming, I wondered if I would ever be a bride. I had dated several guys who wanted to become more serious, but when they would start talking about marriage I would start backing away – quickly. Marriage was a huge commitment, and I wasn’t about to take it lightly. In all of my relationships I had never felt like I knew for sure that the guy was the one.

How do you know that for sure? I would often ask my friends or spiritual mentors. The reply was always the same, “You just know.” Thanks for clearing that up for me.

What does that mean anyway? You just know. I know a lot of things until I change my mind about them. I just knew that I loved the comforter and pillows that I picked out for my bed – until a year later when I decided I needed a whole new look. I know this is trivial compared to marriage, but the logic seemed the same to me. Even if I was sure now that this person was the one I should marry, would I still feel that way in two years? What about in 20 years? I was signing up to be with the person for the rest of my life; I had to be sure.

So how do you know for sure? I would like to offer some ideas. These are things that helped me when I was facing the same decision.

In my case, I already knew Matt quite well. We had attended college together and had become good friends. We even went on a couple dates, but I was never interested in anything more than friendship. But eight years later that friendship had turned into something more, and we began dating. However, I still wasn’t sure I wanted to marry him.

Ask Questions

What did it take to convince me? A lot of talking. I don’t mean that he spent hours trying to talk me into it. I mean that we had to discuss a lot of things. I wanted to know all about him, his hopes, his dreams, his fears, his expectations for marriage, and anything else I could think of. I wanted to talk about every possible situation that could arise in a marriage and find out how he would handle it.

It turns out there are actually books that already have questions like these for couples. I searched the books and the internet to find suitable questions. When we were together we took turns asking each other these questions. Since he didn’t live in the area at the time, we also asked and answered questions by mail. We agreed in advance which questions we would answer and mailed our answers out on the same day so that the other person’s answers wouldn’t influence our own. We learned a lot about each other and what we expected from a spouse.

The questions covered everything from how many kids we each wanted and where we would like to live to who would do the dishes and take out the trash. You can find many of the questions we used in the book, 1000 Questions for Couples by Michael Webb. Or check out CBN.com's article, Talk it Out Before You Say I Do. Other books with similar questions are The Hard Questions: 100 Essential Questions to Ask Before You Say "I Do," by Susan Piver and 101 Questions to Ask Before You Get Engaged, by Norm H. Wright.

It’s important to remember that some people are introverts and need time to process things before they answer. If your significant other is one of those people, respect that and allow him or her to take the time needed. You don’t have to cover all the questions at once. Spread them out among your other activities and conversations. However, if you find that the person you are dating repeatedly avoids answering questions, or feels that the whole idea is a waste of time, be careful. Even guys (or girls) who don’t like to talk about their emotions should be able to communicate freely with the person they love. If they can’t, it could be a red flag in the relationship.

Meet the Family

If you have "interesting" family members, perhaps an over-protective father or an annoying sibling, having your date spend prolonged amounts of time with your family may seem scary. But when you marry someone, you also marry that person’s family. They come with the package. So it is important for each of you to know what you are getting into.

In addition to spending time with each other’s family, discuss your childhood experiences. The way a person was raised shapes their belief system and who they become as an adult. For instance, how did they spend family vacations? Did they even take family vacations? How did their family handle conflicts? How did they handle finances? What are their holiday traditions? These seem like simple things, but when you combine two people with very different holiday traditions, sparks can fly when Christmas rolls around! If you know these family traits ahead of time, you are better prepared to consider what each of you grew up with and decide which of those traditions you want to keep and which you want to change.

It is also important to know about problems within the family. If there were things like abuse or alcoholism in either of your pasts it is important to discuss these issues.

Consider Your Friends

It is true that love can blind us. Often our friends can see things about our relationships that we can not. Do your friends like the person you are dating? If your friends express concerns to you, don’t immediately tune them out. Take some time to prayerfully consider whether what they say has any truth in it.

Take Your Time

Regardless of what you heart (or biological clock) says, you do not need to be in a rush to get married. It is important to take the time to prepare yourself for such a huge step. Are you emotionally ready to get married? You should question your reasons for wanting to marry this person. If it is to make you happy or relieve loneliness, you may find yourself disappointed after the wedding. Or if you have emotional wounds from your past that you have never dealt with, perhaps you should seek counseling about those issues before proceeding to marriage.

Couples also need to take time to prepare themselves financially for marriage. Love can hold people together through tough times, but it doesn’t pay the rent. When you marry someone their credit history and debts become yours too. Be sure your finances are in order and try to pay off any large debts before you get married.

Prayer

Perhaps, the most important step in deciding if you should proceed to marriage is prayer. God created us and knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows which person will be the best match for us, and He will let us know if we are willing to listen to Him. The key is that we must also be willing to be obedient to what He tells us. We can’t ask God if this person is the right one, then plug our ears because we don’t want to give up the relationship. Surrender your relationship to God from the beginning and be willing to trust His guidance for it.

You Just Know

Once you do all these things, you will have a much better picture of who you are dating and what you both expect in a marriage. There will always be new things that you learn about each other if you do get married, but knowing as much as possible from the beginning will make the transition to marriage much easier.

So how do you know for sure? I think my friends were partially right. In a sense, you do ”just know,” but it isn’t because of some magical feeling that all is right with the world. Just knowing comes from time spent contemplating your similarities, your differences, and how well you fit together. It comes from asking God in prayer if this is His will for you. And it comes from making the decision in your heart that you will remain committed to this person no matter what the future holds. When those three things combine and you sense God’s total peace about the decision, then you can know for sure.

It doesn’t mean that you won’t encounter problems in your relationship along the way. But it does mean that regardless of what those problems are you can look back and know that God brought you together with this person and He will see you through.

xoxo,

Cute Blogger Award

2009-02-23T10:37:00.010+08:00

Sis Macy tagged me, so here's my post:

1. Each blogger must post these rules.
2. Each blogger starts with ten random facts/habits about themselves.
3. Bloggers that are tagged need to write ten facts about themselves. You need to choose ten people to tag and list their names.

So, here are my ten, weird, random, little known facts or habits about myself.

1. I love to collect anything with Coca Cola and or dolphins on it. Click on the links to view my small collection..

2. I love cheese and almost anything with cheese on it!

3. I can sleep faster when it's noisy around me, than when it is quiet.

4. I eat food with milk like ice cream, cakes, cookies, or whatever, but I don't drink milk by itself. There's just something about it's smell that I don't like!

5. The smell of coffee or books usually make me want to go to the toilet! BUT...

6. My ideal "chill" time is hanging at Starbucks reading a pocketbook or just doing stuff with my laptop!

7. It may sound nerdy, but I like to program.. There's just a different kind of fulfillment for me everytime I am able to make a certain set of codes work!

8. I'm not much of a blogger (well at least compared to others that REALLY blog), but I have a lot of blog sites and social networking sites! The few I try to maintain as much as I can are: Flickr (for my photography), Multiply with my fiance, my own personal Multiply, Facebook, Friendster, Blogspot, and of course our WEDsite! I have a few more others that I haven't opened for a while now!

9. I love to sing, but I'm not good at memorizing lyrics or identifying the song with its title or singer.. ehehe! That's why... I also LOVE KTVs!

10. I'm a happy W@Wies engaged to be married to Mr. Anthony Mogan Muñoz on December 18, 2009!:)

I'm tagging the ff. people: Jasmin, Jajah, Jeng, Aileen, sis Candy, sis Grace, sis Ni, sis Lorna, sis Sharon, and sis Aby.:)

xoxo,

Weddings@Work

2009-02-19T15:58:00.012+08:00

Initially, I made this blog site for my personal experiences that I wanted to share with people. But now..

It's STILL about MY experiences, but most probably the next few blogs you'll be reading here would be wedding-related na!;) Here I'll be sharing with you a more detailed kwento of the "proposal".. or of how we picked our wedding date... or what happened during a supplier meeting.. or how we came up with our wedding plans, etc... You get the idea..;)

I still want to keep the "theme" of this blog though, which is counting my blessings. And with that, I am thanking Papa God for W@W (and W@WSG)!:) This community has surely helped us thru the joys and pains of preparing a wedding...:) And of course, many thanks to Sir John and Ms. Benz, for creating this group, which has surely helped lots and lots of soon-to-weds like me.

And of course, for new friends, thank You! Definitely priceless!:)

xoxo,

Year-End Survey (2008)

2009-01-08T05:22:00.002+08:00

I saw this survey from my friend Mahal's site, and thought this is a good way to summarize and share what has happened to me in 2008... and a good "start-up" blog for 2009...;)

So here goes:

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?

Well let's see... *thinking* Starting with the "BIG" things... *thinks again* the only one I can think of is when I took a BIG career risk and worked abroad.. I'm cautious by nature, and what I did last March was like jumping off a cliff w/o any idea what's waiting for me down there... luckily, it worked well for me...:)

Some "minor" stuff: snorkeling (yes, sad to say ngayon lang ako nag-try), photography (which I'm REALLY loving.. cympre before naman nagta-take na ako ng pictures, pero ngayon lang w/DSLR at sasadyain pa talaga para lang mag-shoot!), finishing a 10km marathon (yeah i did it!), paying my own rent (nyahaha!!). ;) etc. etc. etc....

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Hmmm.. I can't remember if I made any... ehehe... For this year.... Maybe I'll try to make one or two...;)

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My bestfriend Debby and highschool friend Jedda.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My lolo Tatang.:'(

5. What countries did you visit?
Singapore (obviously, hehe!) and Malaysia.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Patience?...:P More focus and discipline..;) more self confidence... MONEY!.. ahaha!!!:)

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

March 14 - the day I went to SG.
March 31 - my first day at work in SG.
October 27 - Rawa Malaysia trip..;)
December 7 - Standard Chartered Marathon

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Hmmm.. Finding a good job here in Singapore and learning a LOT sa work ko in a short period time.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not being able to save.. BUT, in all fairness, I believe that it's all money well spent!;)

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yikes!!! I can honestly say that in my 20-something yrs.(;)), 2008 is the year I got sick the most number of times!!:( Pero nothing serious naman..:)

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Hmmm... a LOT!.. ehehe.. But the one thing I love the most is probably the TV we have in our room and TFC!!!:) LOL!! What can I say, i'm a TV-addict!:)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My mahal, Anthony - I'm happy to see how he's improved in handling his finances..;) And for all the support and love and commitment he's shown me this year, esp. since I arrived here in Singapore.

My sister, Jasmin - Living with her here in Singapore for almost a year now... she has taken care of me more than I took care of HER.. ehehe.. Plus, what happened to her the last qtr of 2008 is WAAAAY FAR from being easy, but i'm just D_MN PROUD of her for handling it well... (love you sis!)

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Mine?..*blush* I'm still a spoiled pwincess...:P

Some guy I just recently found out SOBRANG ibang iba pala sa pagkakakilala ko.. what an A$@!#*#!!... masasabi ko lang sa kanya, bilog ang mundo... what goes around, comes around!..

Well, of course being in a different country, esp. one like Singapore where ang daming variety of people (w/ different religion, different culture as ours).. There are a few I come across na talagang nakakapang-gigil sometimes.. ehehe..

14. Where did most of your money go?
waaaaah!!..*blushes* Techy gadgets... Food... Shopping... Family...

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My Mac.. but then, until now I still don't have ALL the programs I need installed, so naiinis na rin ako.. ehehe... I can't enjoy it as much as I wanted to, kasi wala pa akong program that handles MS Office docs...:(

Having a new room - i enjoy decorating rooms. My sister and I loved buying bedsheets, tables, etc. Like I've said so many times, I'm a homebody.. I just LOVE hanging out in my bedroom so I try to make it as pretty and comfy for me...

Going home to Phils for Christmas! - missed my family and friends so much!... Plus of course I was excited to tell them my news!;)

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Ehehe!! Cyempre David Cook's "Always Be My Baby"!!;) Saying I'm impressed with his version is an understatement!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
happier or sadder? Definitely HAPPIER!!!

richer or poorer? BWAHAHAHA!!.. I dunno.. I guess it depends on how you look at it...;) I'd say richer kahit ZERO savings ako.. ahaha!!

thinner or fatter? waaaaaah!! I think I'd say more or less the same lang... no big difference.. *whispers* sana.... ahahaha!!

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
SAVE!...:P Blog!.. Exercise!!!... AHAAHA!!!

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Shop!!..:P Being paranoid and overly conscious of what other people say/think....:(

20. How did you spend the holidays?
Since we flew back to Phils on Christmas day, half of it was spent at the airport and inside the plane.. Then my family just had a VERY late lunch at a Japanese restau in Bluewave. Didn't really like the food, but I enjoyed catching up with my brother and sister.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Hmmmm.. I'd say yes, but with the same man..:) Having a long distance relationship and a "normal" bf-gf relationship is SO MUCH different... Since being here in Singapore, I get to spend most of my free time with him.. And I guess we can both say we've learned a LOT MORE about each other... And it's made our relationship stronger.. It's faaaar from perfect... but everything I learned about him, everything we've been thru, just made us love and accept each other so much more...

22. How many one-night stands?
DUH!..

23. What were your favorite TV programs?
Nyahaha!!! I think this is the year I spent the most number of hours watching TV shows!!..:P
TARA3, American Idol, Heroes, Ugly Betty, Gossip Girl, Prison Break, Grey's Anatomy, 24, The Contender Asia, and marami pang TFC soaps!..;)

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
HATE is a strong word... Parang I don't want to give him THAT much emotion naman.. *evil laugh* Let's just put it at nainis ako, then tapos na... good luck na lang sa KARMA.. bwahaha!!

25. What were the best books you've read?
hmmm...*thinks REALLY hard* just my usual romance novels that I can't recall anymore.. ehehe!!

26. What was your favorite film of this year?
hmmm...*thinks again* Can't really say FAVORITE ko sila.. But I enjoyed watching it:

TWILIGHT (I watched the movie first kasi before I read the book kaya I enjoyed it pa), Made of Honor, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Iron Man, Highschool Musicale, 21, The Incredible Hulk, Sex & the City, Mama Mia, The Dark Knight, Eagle Eye, Transformers, Step Up 2, Vantage Point, Definitely Maybe.

And watched sa VCD ni Jajah: A Very Special Love!;)

27. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
A definite downgrade, as Jajah reminds me too many times...:( I used to wear shoes with heals all the time.. and kinda girly girly style.. now dahil madalas ang lakad (as in walking) dito in SG, slippers(flats) na lang ako... and usually shirt and shorts/pants na lang ang outfit ko.. Plus of course I was only able to bring here some of my clothes from PH.

28 Whom did you miss?
Of course my family and friends in PH!:'(

29. Who was the best new person you met?
I met a LOT of new people... But cympre I'm most happy to have met Anthony's friends here in SG.

30. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
I guess I've known these before pa, pero I can say na in 2008 ko talaga sila "napatunayan" kumbaga.. That there are things in life that are worth the risks involved... And that as long as you think positive and have faith in God, you'll succeed..

31. What was your greatest musical discovery?
dunno....

32. What did you want and get?
A job here in Singapore!:)

33. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
turned 20-something...;) On my birthday, my sister, Anthony and I watched the worst movie (for me) I've seen for 2008... Wag na natin banggitin ang title!. ahaha!! libre naman so buti na lang! AHAHAHA!! Then the next day (also our anniv), had a birthday (karaoke) party at my bestfriend's (jajah) flat.

34. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
hmmmm..*thinks again*

My first thought would be NOTHING. I LOVE 2008! I think it was a great year for me...

Then as an afterthought, maybe if it ended as great for the people I care most about, I'd be happier..

35. What kept you sane?
my mahal keeps me both sane AND insane!.. nyahaha!!!;) And my faith in God.

36. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
hmmm... Patrick Dempsey..?

37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

"I’ve been waiting for my dreams
To turn into something
I could believe in...

Until I let go
Gave into love and watched all the bitterness burn
Now I’m coming alive
Body and soul
And feelin’ my world start to turn ...

I know this is the time
This is the time of my life"!!!:)

xoxo,

Thank You for my new hobby...:-)

2008-10-21T11:35:00.007+08:00

I LOVE to travel!.. And this led to my new hobby - photography. I enjoyed taking pictures of my travels and other special events in my life.. Capturing 1) the places I've seen, 2) the things I've experienced, 3) the people I was with, and 4) the emotions felt at that time.. Trying to save those moments in pictures (or in videos).. and also so that I can share each and every one of them with you..:)

My first digital camera was a Canon Powershot A60. I was able to take lots of out of town gimmicks with that camera. I also used this one on my first ever trip to Singapore last 2004, and the 2nd one in 2005, and my USA trip also in 2005. During the later I first experienced the thrill of getting something SOOO memorable on (digital) cam. Check out my US trip pictures here to know why...:)

My second 2nd digital camera was still a Canon: a Canon Powershot S5 IS. It was a gift from pAnts. He knew how much I loved taking good pictures and was looking for a better camera, so he got me one.. This camera was also able to capture some memorable travels and events like 1) our family trip to Bohol, 2) my bestfriend Debby's wedding, 3) my cousin Jhoanne's wedding, 4) my sister Joymari's school concert, 5) Outrigger Anilao with Grace and Louie, and lastly 6) my "despedida" karaoke party with TSFI friends..:)

When I got here in Singapore, pAnts and I thought of taking our interest in taking pictures to a different level.. It became a hobby. pAnts got us DSLR cameras (Nikon D300/D80/D50).. and now we FIND stuff to shoot.. like landscapes, or models or events (sports). We learned (and still learning) more about photography and photo editing. We want to develop our skills more, and eventually be good at it. Do we want to be pros in the future? Can't say yet. But for now, just enjoying the shoots is more than fine with me..;)

So far, the only travel I made with my DSLR is w/in Singapore.. and our visit to PH for pAnts' bday, where we went to Subic (to view some of my pictures check my Flickr and Multiply account). That is why I am SO looking forward to our Rawa Island (Malaysia) trip this weekend!.. Hopefully, I'd be able to have lots of pictures to share with you guys next week!;)

So, again, stay tuned!;)

xoxo,

Thank You for my new "toys"...;-)

2008-10-21T09:54:00.004+08:00

"Hello, I'm a Mac!" :)

Yes, I watched ALL the TV ads Apple has on their site.. and most of them are really funny.. and true...;) ahaha!!.. The one entitled "Security" (2007) is my favorite!:)

The iPhone 3G - I didn't really plan to get one.. But pAnts was one of those people who lined up at Singtel just to get his iPhone.. and while he was there he called me to ask if I'm sure I didn't want one.. but then, he would NOT put down the phone until I agreed and let him get me one..*sigh* so there goes..:) and he's generous enough to offer to pay for the phone first.. ehehe.. :P

The MacBook - well... I offered to give my old laptop to my brother and sister back in PH (since my mom paid for that one anyway;)).. and decided to buy myself my very first laptop..:) I didn't have any specific model or brand in mind yet.. all I know is that I wanted a BIG RAM.. since I will be using my laptop mostly for photo editing (Photoshop CS3 & Photomatix).. In my old one, it takes a looooong time to do some stuff with the picture, esp. when it has a high resolution..!:(

Good timing because there was an I.T. show that time.. and they have a promotion for Mac.. By just adding a few $$, you can get a RAM upgrade from 1GB to 4GB!!!:D sweet!..:) plus they accept 0% interest installment terms (special thanks to my bestfriend, Jajah for the lending her credit card)..;)

I've read quite a few forums, and some say Mac is really good for photo editing.. others suggested other PC laptops but they were more expensive than the MacBook.. so, i guess it was a pretty easy decision to make..;) hehe! My only (small) concern is that Mac OS is quite different from Windows, so I know it would take a while to get used to the shortcuts and all...:P To date, I'm still learning and adjusting... still installing some programs... and enjoying every minute of it!..

xoxo,

After 6++months... AT LAST!

2008-10-15T13:30:00.011+08:00

FINALLY!!!

After more than 6 months our TYCO project has finally come to an end!...:) THANK YOU, Papa God!:D

I've had so many good and bad experiences from this project... And I guess we can say I've learned a LOT!.. I am just so happy I won't be needing to travel 2hrs everyday just to get to work!...

Of course our last day was last Friday, soooo... NTU lunch!!!..:D Of course, I had my usual Friday meal... and savored every bite... I will surely miss our Friday lunches at NTU!...:'(

AHAHA!!.. Proof of how much I love the food there, I already started eating before I remembered I had to take a picture first... ahaha!!!

And this is where we buy those cheap and delicious western lunch (left picture below):

See that stall on the right corner?..:) And then, just to make the most of our last lunch at NTU, my TL and I bought Mua Chee (right picture above) for snack:..:P

I am hoping that my next project would give me better challenges and experiences!.. and that it'll be located closer to my house...;) ahaha!! I'm really praying for that...:) But for the meantime, I am here at our Head Office in Bugis.. and loving the 30mins travel time!...;) ahaha!!!:)

xoxo,

Thank You for friends...

2008-09-24T12:26:00.005+08:00

Since coming here, I have met a LOT of pAnts' friends and new people from work... The later you have already seen pictures of from one of my previous blogs..

I'm happy that now I have some sort of "social" life.. lol!..:) I get to watch movies in cinemas (a lot!), eat out (a LOT too! that's why I gained a lot of weight since getting here!:( ), go (window) shopping, go to parties, meet up with both old and new friends.. and the best part of it is that I get to do it with pAnts, of course..:)

It gets busy.. and tiring sometimes.. not to mention the strain on the pocket..:P what can I say, I'm a homebody.. i prefer staying in than going out...;) ehehe.. but I'm happy to have met them all..:)

So again, thank You, Papa God for the "social" life..;) Haha!!

xoxo,

Thank You for my "new" home...

2008-09-22T08:25:00.005+08:00

Since arriving here in SG, my sister and I have relocated a couple of times... and it's good to know that (for) now, we've finally settled down..;)

We are currently staying with an ex-colleague from PH.. I definitely like our room!:) It's not a master's bedroom, unlike our previous one (hence we have to share the bathroom with a housemate).. and the location of our condo is not very accessible to public transport.. BUT, it is nice and quiet... and we feel comfortable in it.. even if we, literally, live just across a prison (it was said that Flor Contemplacion was executed there)!.. My sister and I joke that we wouldn't mind a prison break as long as the convicts would look like Linc Burrows and Michael Scofield..! kidding! LOL!!:)

Here are a few pics inside Ballota Park:

Meet our neighbors: Mr. BMW, Mrs. Volvo, Sir Jaguar, and the Benz twins!.. AHAHA!!:) I don't actually know the people who own these cars.. ehehe.. just thought of taking a picture of them.. since they are so pleasant to the eyes...;)

And this is our block...

and the view from our unit..

Nice, eh? More pictures (like inside our unit, etc.) to follow...

xoxo,

Thank You for my work..

2008-09-20T10:50:00.014+08:00

I went to Singapore looking for work.. I know I haven't had a lot of experience as a SAP consultant yet when I left my previous company.. So I wasn't expecting anything... I was hoping to get work in the same field.. BUT I came here fully prepared to take whatever job Papa God gives me..

And then He showed me how much He loves me...

I got work as a SAP Consultant, no less, and in a short period of time.. It's a HUGE blessing from Him, and not for a second do I forget that and appreciate what He's given me...:)

Of course there are both good and not-so-good things about my current project.. And I know I complain about the not-so-good part a few times.. ok, a LOT of times..;) ehehe.. like how my work is 2 hrs away from my house!.. so that's 4 hrs of commuting for me everyday!.. and how because of this, I've never taken so much sick leave in my lifetime as I have this past 6 months.. BUT I still know that I'm lucky to have a job.. And I'm still hopeful that sooner or later, I'll find the perfect employer for me..;)

And there are (of course) good things that came with my new work..:) like I'm happy to get a job in SAP.. and despite the other issues at work , I LOVE the ABAP-related challenges I get.. As early as my 1st month at work, I have learned so much already.. and I am so looking forward to learning MORE!!!

I'm also happy to have met new acquaintances from work..:) Despite the occasional nose bleed.. lol!!.. it's good to meet people from other countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, India), not just the locals here in Singapore... We could model for the united colors of benetton, huh?.. ehehe!!

Our work place is located in an industrial park here in Singapore called TUAS.. So the company I'm currently working for has a bus service taking it's employees to different places everyday to eat for lunch... Usually, I just bring my own baon, and eat in the office.. but I always look forward to Fridays!..:) we eat at one of the canteens inside Nanyang Technology University, where they have this Western stall and the food is great and cheap!..:) I used to order lamb chops for just $4, but then it takes a long time to cook lamb chops, and we have limited time to eat before the service bus arrives to take us back to our office... so I tried ordering chicken chops.. and it was great too!:) so since then, every Friday I have chicken chops for lunch, which costs $3.50 only!.. Looks good, huh?.. it tastes even better..:) Then just this Friday, I tried this dessert called Mango Mania.. Yummy!;) so I think I'll add this to my usual Friday lunch...;) ehehe!

So, that's my "new" work life here in SG..:) well... at least until we finish our project here and I get assigned to a different client... or I find a new employer..;) lol!.. Will keep you posted for updates!;)

xoxo,

I'm back!

2008-09-18T18:10:00.007+08:00

I planned on doing a blog, listing the things I've been wanting to share with you guys since I've been here in Singapore.. But then, I realized the blog was getting very loooooooong (and boring?)..;) and I wasn't even finished yet!..:) And at the rate I was going, I thought it might take me another day? week? month? before I complete it to my satisfaction.. ehehe!.. and so.....

I'm not sharing it anymore... ehehe! just kidding!

I'm writing a lot of small blogs instead...;) at least, it will not only be easier and more fun or you to read (hopefully;) ), but will also be easier for me to write.... since it's shorter... lol!!!:)

And so.... I'm back!!! (",)

After 6 months (yeah, it's been that long already since I got here in Singapore) I'm finally able to share with you guys my "new" life here.. so please stay tuned and will keep you posted... very, VERY soon!!:)

xoxo,

Simple pleasures..

2008-02-17T18:00:00.011+08:00

It's been a while since I've written something in this blog... But I guess right now, I just want to give thanks to the simple pleasures of life..

Every weekend it has become our habit to buy taho from our suki... Simple joys we sometimes fail to notice... I will surely miss this weekend "tradition" that we have... Hopefully, I'd still be able to enjoy simple things and start new traditions in my new "home"...:) I'm praying for the best... Please do pray for me too...;)

xoxo,

my birthday blessings...

2007-12-11T23:36:00.002+08:00

Just turned 28 today! gosh, I feel so old..:( My day didn't really start out so good... but eventually it got better..:)

So trying to stay positive, I'm counting my blessings for today, and here goes (and in no particular order):

1. got my 2008 planners - got really excited because my siblings gave me a Belle de Jour planner for my birthday. Coincidentally, I was also able to complete the stickers needed for the Starbucks planner today... ehehe..:) but i think i'll just be using the BdJ planner... The Starbucks planner may look more "classy" for a working professional on the outside because of it's leather cover, but on the inside, the Belle de Jour planner is more useful, esp. for the ladies. And it definitely has more perks (discount coupons) than Starbucks'!B-)

2. received birthday greetings from special people... I was really surprised (and deeply touched) to receive texts/emails from friends i've lost touch with for a long time.. and for the first time, my "cuz" was able to greet me on time... ahaha!!:) to everyone who remembered, thank you so much guys! your greetings really made my day...:)

3. my driver's license need not be renewed this year..! ahaha!! i thought i'd have to renew it already... i'm very forgetful, so i'm rarely able to keep track of these sorta things.. glad to see my driver's license would expire 2009 pa.. I think it was the first thing that cheered me up today!;) ahahaha!!

4. had dinner with my family at Super Bowl. it was supposed to be at Luk Foo, as i've been craving for the roasted duck wrapped in lettuce for a long time now.. but good thing Super Bowl had something like it also.. Wasn't as good as, but it's ok..:)

5. my mahal surprised me with a cake, c/o my sister... ehehe...:) and lastly,

6. ending my birthday (and of course starting our very first anniversary) talking and having a "blast" with my mahal!..:)

So i guess despite all the negative things that has been happening the past year (2007), i still have some blessings to count..;) and i'm really looking forward to a much better new year (2008)....:)

xoxo,

My bestfriend's wedding...;-)

2007-11-07T12:02:00.004+08:00

Yes, my bestfriend, Debby is getting married this December!... And I'm "sort of" helping her out get started with some of the preparations...B-)

We had our initial "brain storming" last October 6 while having dinner at CPK, Glorietta. We were able to discuss some minor details like the motif, ideas for souvenirs, etc.. I also gave her an excel template for weddings, which I found on the inet.. And a template for the mass booklet..;)

I'm really happy to be a part of this.. To my bestfriend, Debby and soon-to-be hubby Jon, BEST WISHES!!:)

xoxo,

Just a short and simple blog...

2007-10-31T21:00:00.003+08:00

It's been a while since my last blog here... Guess it just shows how I've been feeling lately... I was (and still a bit am) in my "depressed mode" again...:( And because of that, I haven't been feeling "blessed".. But I guess despite all that I am still thankful I am alive (and healthy) today... Hard as it is to even smile sometimes... Guess I'm still more blessed than some people... and just for that, I am writing this blog. Thank you Papa God, for the gift of life...

xoxo,

Another Brazil experience..

2007-10-13T11:50:00.003+08:00

I'm also posting this blog here because I want to thank God for giving my dad 54 good years. And to thank Him for giving us our dad, who has always been a good provider to us. We all pray that He continues to bless him and give him many many more birthdays to come. :)

It was his birthday last Oct. 9, and he requested to eat at Brazil again! It's real proof of how much he enjoyed our first experince at Brazil!:)

Unfortunately, we were unaware that they offer fewer assortment of meats and sidings on regular days, compared to weekend nights (Fri-Sun) and (i think) Sat and Sun lunch. We were a little disappointed about that, but we all still left the place busog! LoL!:P

Also this time, I came prepared..;) Took the name and pictures of all the food offered to us.. And here it is starting from top-left going clockwise then center: porkloin, bananas, chicken thighs, beef brisket, pineapple, liempo, sausage, cuttlefish, and beef hanging tenderloin. There was corn too, just wasn't able to take a picture of that.. ehehe... Got you hungry??!..:P

xoxo,

FMCC girl at work...;-)

2007-09-28T13:30:00.002+08:00

Nah! I'm not working really.. ehehe! Just checkin' out my usual sites...:) Of course, that includes the FMCC site..;) and I actually just wanted to show off my lafy's new "look".. ehehe.. cool, eh?!..;) Nice shirt too..!;) This is one of FMCC's latest shirt designs for the ladies.. I really love the pink print of this shirt.. For more available designs, you can check them out here. There are also new colors for the polo shirts coming soon, check it here.

Also, our second batch of shirts just arrived in SG earlier this week. We'll be posting more about that soon. A lot of new faces in the FMCC-SG family.. So do watch out for that on our Multiply site!

I'm really thankful my boyfriend and I have this "bizz".. It gives us both something worthwhile to do.. And the added "benefits" don't hurt either..;) ehehe! I'm also thankful that a lot of people have been very supportive of us since day 1... Thank you all!:)

xoxo,

My favorite movies

2007-09-26T11:20:00.002+08:00

These are just some of my favorite movies. Movies that I wouldn't mind watching over and over again.... Lucky for me I have either a vcd or a dvd of these, so I get to watch them whenever I want to..:)

Unfortunately, RockYou! doesn't have a database for tagalog movies so I wasn't able to include my all-time favorite tagalog movies;): Got to Believe starring (late) Rico Yan and Claudine Barretto, and 'Til there was You starring Piolo Pascual and Judy Ann Santos. ahaha!!:)

xoxo,

Brazil!

2007-09-12T16:10:00.002+08:00

Last Saturday, my family and I decided to eat out for lunch to celebrate Joymari's birthday (Sept 8) and Jayson's birthday (Sept 10). And since it was a double celebration, I guess my mom was feeling a little generous with the budget (of course with a little pushing from me;)). I was also able to convince everyone to try something new for a change, instead of our usual Japanese or Chinese restaus. Hence, we ate in Brazil! (Brazilian Churrasco) in ATC, Alabang.

It was our first time to eat at Brazil! (except for Jasmin), so we all had no idea what to expect. We were surprised (and pleased) at the variety of food (meat, specifically) they offered us: from chicken (and the thigh part no less! my fave!), to pork (porkloin, pork belly, etc.), to beef (tenderloin, etc.), to a sausage (dunno which one but it was a little disappointing to me considering i love sausages), to lamb (yum!).:P It also served cuttlefish, green apple, banana and pineapple (remembered my friend Jeng when I saw this!). All are cut straight from the skewer and served directly onto your plate as you can see in the picture. And the best part is that you can eat as much as you want (all you can eat format), for only Php 595++ (i think?).. ehehe..:)

We all left the place super bloated and happy with the experience.:) I was glad to see that even my dad, who's usually picky when it comes to food, enjoyed lunch. Can't wait to eat there again! ehehe.. I certainly recommend this place to all meat lovers! *two thumbs up*

xoxo,

HE brought me you...

2007-09-10T23:01:00.003+08:00

(my (belated) birthday blog for my pAnts.. Happy birthday mahal ko!)

January of 2006, part of my New Year's resolution then was to start keeping a journal: to list things I'm thankful for. Same with my blogspot site, I was aiming to keep myself from losing hope and to start being optimistic about my future. And since it wasn't meant to be read by anyone but myself, I was free to write about anything I want, as in ANYTHING! From the littlest things to the really BIG blessings I receive each day, from the smallest to my biggest dreams in life.. Unfortunately, being the im-no-good-at-writing-i-always-forget-to-write me, I think in less than a month, I already forgot about the notebook! LoL!!:)

Then, a few months ago, as I was cleaning my room I saw that notebook again and decided to read it.. At first I was really laughing at some of the stuff I wrote there (sorry, I'm not telling!:P).. then, I saw an entry that really made me smile, blush, hopeful, thankful and happy all at the same time.. there in one of my entries I wrote that I was happy because my bestfriend, Jajah told me that one of her guy officemates thought I was cute..*blushes* LoL!! I know it sounds mababaw lang, but back then, I was really feeling so undesirable, insecure and worthless..:'( so learning that there is at least one guy who thinks I'm cute is already worth an entry in my journal.. ehehe!.. And who would have thought that I'd meet him in person 10 months after that journal entry.. and that even with him being so far away from me (in Singapore to be specific), we're able to build a friendship... and that now I am with him.. yup, he's none other than Mr. Anthony M. Muñoz, a.k.a. my pAnts, and my mahal...*love*

To my mahal: Even before we met, you were already a blessing to me.. Now that I know you, I am even more thankful to Him for bringing you to me.. I really believe that all those loveless years I had (lol!:)) was His way of preparing us for each other.. well maybe more of Him making YOU ready for someone as handful as me! LoL!!!;) Thank you for all the patience, for accepting and loving me for what I am and what I'm not.. Thank you for being there for me.. Thank you for being my blessing.. I really hope God would answer our prayers soon.. I love you..*kisses*

I made a simple video for my mahal, to view it click here.

Here is the lyrics of the song, from the musical play The Little Mermaid:

He brought me to you

Jeff:

In search of my life and my one true love, I pray to almighty God above.
And His masterful voice directed me to the many things I was destined to do.
So I sailed across the mighty sea pursued knowledge of the highest degree
Took to learning new skills, experienced new thrills, felt my life was completely fulfilled.
At the end of my amazing quest, after proving myself by achieving success,
I hope to find the prize so rare, a priceless treasure beyond compare.

For God promised He would bring me love, a love without measure, trusting and true
And behold my dear Sapphire, He brought me to you, He brought me to you.

Karyll:

In search of my life and my one true love. I pray to almighty God above.
His compassionate voice directed me to the many things I was destined to do.
And through my private reverie, I read of lands across the sea
I imagined enchanting hollow and hill, roads beyond my window still.
And through all of these, my fancy quests. I cherished a secret so close to my breast;
I hope to find a prize so rare, a priceless treasure beyond compare.

For God promised He would bring me love, a love without measure, precious and true,
And behold my dear Christian (and behold my dear sapphire) He brought me to you, He brought me to you.

Both:

My heart knew this without a doubt, that’s what destiny’s all about

Jeff:

God promised He would bring me love

Karyll:

A love strong and true

Jeff:

a promise He fulfilled above

Karyll:

He brought me you (2x)

Jeff:

He brought me to you (2x)

Carol:

what is this I feel… is this for real… the longing inside that I just cannot hide…..
…in search of this feeling they all called love.. how could I’ve known somewhere up above
I'd find this rare… this priceless treasure waiting. this isn’t a storybook fantasy..
Its as real as his love for me… the feeling is true…

what I feel for you…and I promise I will come to you…

xoxo,

a text msg from my sis...

2007-08-29T13:58:00.002+08:00

Got a forwarded text message from my sister, Jasmin, this morning and it says:

"Sad animal facts:

ants never sleep ,
pigs can't raise their heads to look at the sky , and
butterflies only live for 7 days...

See, you have 3 more reasons to be thankful for today! Being something always has its ups & downs. Just remember, while you're complaining about your situation, someone could be wishing s/he were in your place...."

Yes, I guess this is something that would benefit us all to remember.. Just thought of sharing it with you guys..
So... let's all (start) counting our blessings.. what are the blessings you received today?:)

xoxo,

Blogthings

2007-08-18T22:12:00.002+08:00

Thank God for blogthings, at least it gives me something to post once in a while.... even if I sometimes don't agree with the results...;) ehehe...

The Part of You That No One Sees

You are unique, witty, and even a little snobby.
You're quite proud of who you are, and nothing is going to change that.
You've paved your own way in life, and you've ended up where you want to be.

Underneath it all, you feel very isolated from the rest of the world.
It's hard to find people to relate to you on every level.
The mundane interests of your friends and family often bore or depress you.

What's the Part of You That No One Sees?

xoxo,

Happy birthday, Debby!!!:-)

2007-08-15T23:34:00.002+08:00

It's my bestfriend, Debby's birthday today! And I just wanna dedicate this post to her...:)

Debby and I met back in college. We were blockmates, S19.. naks! I still remember..;) She's one of those really smart kids in school. Even graduated Cum Laude if I'm not mistaken.. And if there's one thing I will never forget about her during our college years: she was one person I remember who's always calm and patient when she's explaining some of our subjects to me. And the way she explains things really amaze me! It's so well structured and clear. I even remember this one time we had a major exam, and I didn't get to study much and was really panicking already.. But she was just there, so composed, patient and kind, sharing everything she knows with me.:)

We got really close after college na. Jhia, Jajah and I jokingly call ourselves the "charmed" sisters, during the latter part of our college years. I won't explain why now, because like I said, this is all about Debs..:P And like in Charmed, Debby was our Paige. Being the conservative-smart-nice-naive type, people may wonder how she had bestfriends like us... ahaha!! well, i guess you could say that it's been a really shocking experience for her the first few times she went on gimmicks with the 3 of us.. there was a lot of blushing involved.. ahaha!! And now, whether it's good or bad, I think bits of us rubbed on her already.. ehehe!;) And I'm just SO glad to have her as one of my bestfriends, because Debby is one special person. *kisses*

To my sister Debby, a happy happy happy birthday to you!!

I am so thankful to God for having been blessed with a friend like you. Thanks for always being there for me, for us. For usually being the only sane person in the group.. ahaha!! For always lending an ear to listen... For all the great advices... Thank you!*kisses* I pray that God may give you good health and true happiness in many years to come. love you, sis!:)

xoxo,

Thankful...

2007-08-03T12:36:00.002+08:00

I've received this email a number of times already.. and I just thought it really is an email worth sharing....:)

I AM THANKFUL:

FOR THE WIFE
WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT,
BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME,
AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.

FOR THE HUSBAND
WHO IS ON THE SOFA
BEING A COUCH POTATO,
BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME
AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.


FOR THE TEENAGER
WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES
BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME,
NOT ON THE STREETS.

FOR THE TAXES I PAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I AM EMPLOYED.


FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE
BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.



FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.


FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE


FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING,
WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING,
AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME.


FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING
I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT
BECAUSE IT MEANS
WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH..


FOR THE PARKING SPOT
I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING
AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION.



FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I AM WARM.
FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH
WHO SINGS OFF KEY BECAUSE IT MEANS
I CAN HEAR.


FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.


FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES
AT THE END OF THE DAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN
CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.


FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF
IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.


AND FINALLY, FOR TOO MUCH E-MAIL
BECAUSE   IT MEANS I HAVE
FRIENDS WHO ARE THINKING OF ME.

*** special thanks to Vermon, the last person who forwarded this email to me..:)

xoxo,

My bestfriend, Jajah...

2007-08-02T22:42:00.003+08:00

Last night, Jajah, Debby and I had dinner at Capricciosa in Greenbelt 3.. It was supposed to be our pa-despedida dinner for Jajah before she leaves for Singapore this Saturday...:( Debby picked the place.. I think she read it from clickthecity or something.. We ordered the eggplant (something) gratin and ceasar's salad, which were both delicious!:P In the end, Debby paid for dinner.. It's her birthday this August so advance treat na lang daw for me and Jah.. ehehe.. Thanks Debs! mwah!
As I've mentioned, Jajah will be leaving for Singapore this Saturday.. She got a job offer from Barclays.. I will really, REALLY miss her a lot.. I'll miss our Saturday lunch dates... and our Redbox tripping... and going to her house just to hang... but I am also happy for her... I know she has waited for this for a long time, and I'm not just talking about work..;)

To Jajah: you take care of yourself, you hear me?..:P ehehe.. Enjoy your blessings.. Good luck with your new work.. I know you'll do well.. I know we'll be keeping in touch naman.. And i'll see you in September..:) I'll really miss you, sis!.. But I know I'll be joining you and Anthony there soon..;) hopefully, soon.. ehehe!! Don't forget your promise to adopt me ha!?;) ehehe! Love you, sis! mwah!

xoxo,

my 4-day weekend...

2007-07-31T23:00:00.002+08:00

Just spent the weekend with my family and my mahal... My boyfriend arrived here in Manila at around 6 a.m. (delayed) Friday morning.. So after picking him up at the airport, we went straight to SBMA for the weekend.. My family followed the next day, as it's also our "post" birthday celebration for my mom..

And here are the highlights of my long (extended) weekend:

Friday, Anthony and I went to Ocean Adventure to watch the animal shows. Of course, being a dolphin and whale lover, I enjoyed their show. I was also happy to see that my mahal enjoyed it too...

Saturday, we had steak for lunch at Meat Plus! Then, we went to Zoobic Park.. It was a super cool experience and I highly recommend it.. I also think it's more enjoyable if you come in groups..:) We all thought it was a sulit experience for Php350...:P We were also thankful that it didn't rain while we were there at the park...:P

Sunday morning, we went to the beach and tried kayaking.. Then after having lunch at Sakura, we went back to Manila.. Then, Anthony and I watched Harry Potter at Glorietta 4.. He hasn't watched it yet, and I didn't mind watching it again...:D

That same night, we met Franicis M. and the rest of the Francis M Clothing Co. (FMCC) family! We got our first batch of orders and officially became the distributors of FMCC items in Singapore... After that, we had a late dinner at Cafe Breton in Greenbelt 3 with my bestfriend, Jajah.

Monday, Anthony and I had lunch at Hula Hula with my mom.. Again, I get to eat their Mess of Steaks and Island Pork Belly Chops....:P yummmm!:D

It was a looong and tiring weekend, but 4 days spent with my mahal makes it all worth it!.. ;;)

If you wanna see more of our pics, just click here...:)

xoxo,

One down... Two more to go...

2007-07-23T23:49:00.002+08:00

I have 3 reports I have to finish by the end of this week... And I'm really, really having a hard time finishing it... But at least I'm already done with one just now... phew! Thank God! I hope the testing results turn out good because I would really love to move on to another client already... *sigh* I really don't know if I'll be able to finish the 2 remaining reports, but I'll definitely do my best... ;)

It's a good thing I'll be seeing my mahal already this Friday!:D At least that's one thing worth looking forward too....:">

xoxo,

A Harry Potter day!!

2007-07-21T23:09:00.002+08:00

No, I'm not one of those people who lined up so early in the morning to wait for the bookstore to open... but I did get my reserved book today (on the 1st selling day)...:P ehehe! What can I say??.. I am a Harry Potter series fan..;) And I was really pleased when I arrived at Powerbooks in ATC and saw that there was no queue...!:D I just wish I'd get to read it this weekend though.. but have some work to do...:( *sigh*

After that, my bestfriend, Jajah and I watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I liked it. I even find it better than some of the previous movies..:) Or maybe it's because I can't really remember the book very much, except that Sirius Black died, so I wasn't comparing the movie with the book the whole time like I did with the previous HP movies..?:-? Well anyway, like I said, it was a Harry Potter day!:D

Anyway, when I was at Powerbooks, I also bought another book, Being Happy by Andrew Matthews. It was highly recommended by my other bestfriend, Jhia. And because it's like months since I last bought something for myself, I just went ahead and bought it.:P So that's what I'm thankful for today.. Got 2 new books to add to my collection...\:D/

xoxo,

Thank God It's Friday('s)!!!...;)

2007-07-20T22:09:00.002+08:00

Well, here are the 2 things I'm most thankful for today:

is that it's Friday already - this week has really been a busy week so I'm looking forward to some rest and sleep.. though I know I'll still be doing some work over the weekend.. and I know i'll be a whole lot busier and more stressed next week, and that's something I'm not looking forward too.. ehehe! and,
I got to eat at Friday's!... and the best part is that it's for free too!:D All thanks to Grace for treating us.. she just got promoted to buyer.. good luck in your new position.. we believe in you.. and thanks for dinner!:P

Have a nice weekend everyone!!:)

xoxo,

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2007-07-19T20:25:00.002+08:00

It's my mom's birthday today.. So that's one thing I'm thankful for today.. Thank you, Lord for my mom.. For giving her 54 years of good life.. and I know You'll give her many many more happy years to come.. and keep her in good health..

I'm also thankful for my grandparents, who gave us the balut, talaba and alimango we ate tonight! ahahaha!!:) Mwah!

xoxo,

Beginning today...

2007-07-18T22:34:00.002+08:00

A lot of people know how depressed I have been lately.. I've been feeling sad, lonely and more and more of a failure everyday.. But just a few minutes ago, I thought of consciously making an effort to start thinking positively... and start counting my blessings instead of always complaining and looking for things I don't have... I know it will be VERY hard for me to stay positive... but hopefully this site would help remind me of my blessings and this particular moment, where I'm hopeful that things would soon get better, and I will be happier..:)

So to start, here are the things I'm thankful for today:

my family - I thank God for them.. I'm thankful that we are all in good health and that even if we don't always see eye to eye on things, I know they are and will always be there for me..
my bestfriends - Lately, I've come to realize that TRUE friends are hard to find.. And that not because you are good to people, they'll be nice to you in return.. And I'm just thankful I found true friends who can accept me for who I am.. and last but definitely not the least,
my mahal - Everyday I thank God for bringing him to me.. He has been very supportive and understanding, especially during my "bratty" days.. and I thank God for giving me someone to love and who loves me back so much!:)

I love you all and thank you for being my blessings!

xoxo,