from finally HITCHED to the chronicles of a newbie mommy...!

bring me to life :)

2011-05-27T10:09:00.000+08:00

it's been more than a year since my last post here. needless to say, i have been kept busy by my dear Chloe. it has been a pretty exciting adventure for me and zayd.

to share...

we experienced the colic episode for one night. actually i don't think i can qualify this as colic? maybe more of hunger pangs? haha! she was only two weeks old then and was feeding her 1oz milk every 2-3 hours. she cried non-stop and would only stop when fed. i cried because i wanted to sleep and she cried because she was hungry. we still were not co-sleeping with her and she was on a crib next to me. luckily, zayd took over and i fell asleep. we all woke up at around noon the following day. my mom suggested that we co-sleep with her because she thinks Chloe needs my warmth (and smell haha!) beside her. so I did! and if I may say so, that was the best advice ever! :-) would you believe at that young age she would sleep at least 6 hours straight? my pedia also suggested feeding her an ounce or two more before sleep, since that will buy me more Zzzz's.

we also had a nice evening ritual that signals it's time to sleep. i read this at babycenter.com.ph -- establish a routine. i give her a sponge bath, sing to her, dim the lights (yellow light works best!), and then poof! i have a sleeping baby! that same routing carries on until now. maybe the only difference is that we play now! i'd hide behind the clothes hamper (as if I really can hide there!) and she'd smile once she finds me. zayd and i try to tire her down, but in the process, we too get tired :)

when she had her ears pierced, I was only with yaya. zayd had work and could not sneak out. dear pedia Empress did the honors. i think i was more afraid of the procedure than Chloe. she cried just for a short bit but i think i was stained for life! i swear, the next girl i have, zayd will need to be the one to take her!

she also loves the camera! for a time i shifted back to my trusty Sony Ericsson K810i (the Cybershot phone) from the Sony Ericsson X1 (first Xperia out in the market) -- that for some reason, the LCD stopped working and it was a dang touchscreen phone -- anyway, back to my story; she figured out a way to take a picture of herself. she'd open the shutter, click on the joystick button, then turn the phone/lens to her direction! viola! her first picture!

amazing how kids are more techie these days.

on her seventh month, i had to go to Singapore for a month-long project. i had the separation anxiety. i left Chloe and yaya at my mom's and zayd's mom alternately -- para walang tampuhan hehe! anyway, my mom asked me to leave an article of clothing. ewan ko if successful. so ako din i brought along her blankie haha i ended up crying every night. i could not catch her online kasi when i got home, she was already asleep. anyway, the one month was a breeze, i ended up shopping a lot for her haha!

i also had her passport taken a few months before her first birthday! it was a good time then! we were on a priority lane and it was a breeze if she did not fall asleep in the middle of the picture-taking. we should have been done in 30 minutes. nevertheless i am still thankful. this is my second good experience in dealing with a government agency. anyway, we were able to use her passport twice already since January. we went to visit Tita Beng and Tita Elaine in Singapore. fun times!

zayd gave me an ipad for my birthday last year. guess who owns it now? yesssireee! Chloe does. my ipad now has tons of Nick Jr. cartoons. she just loves Team Umizoomi.

parang lahat masaya ano? haha! i don't want to dwell on the bad stuff, i am just so thankful she is healthy and smart. sometimes i wake up in the middle of the night and i just kiss her. (oh by the way, she knows how to kiss now!) i think i have never loved anyone as much as i do her :)

sigh. dati cheesy lang ako kay zayd, now kay Chloe na bwahaha!

my long overdue birthing story

2009-11-25T19:05:00.012+08:00

i have been out of commission for GKW (God knows when). well, the reason for that was i already gave birth to Chloe, last Oct. 17, 2009. i was on my 39th week and 3 days.

on my 37th week, my blood pressure shot up. i immediately contacted my OB. i was told that i should prepare myself for delivery and was asked to see her the following day. called up my mom and told her i might be giving birth soon. (side story of my mom and ninang conspiracy to follow in the next post)

following day -- i was asked to take aldomet again to control the blood pressure, urinalysis, and a Biophysical Profile Score (BPS) just to check if baby is okay. if the urinalysis showed high content of protein, i am in danger of pre-enclampsia. a BPS result of less than 7 means that baby is under stress. both Zayd and I were nervous. fortunately, i had low protein levels and I got an 8/8 score on the BPS. we decided we can wait another week. i was also experiencing minor contractions. this went on until my 38th week. my cervix still was not dilating, or if it did dilate at 1cm it would not progress and would even close!

on my 39th week, i was again asked to do a BPS. the point of concern was now the baby's estimated weight. on the first BPS, she was already measuring big. if she reached the 3.4kg marker, this would mean i might have a difficult labor -- plus the fact that my cervix seems "hesitant" to dilate. Zayd no longer wanted to wait till my 40th week so we decided to go into trial labor that same night; if it does not push through, i would undergo c-section.

that same night, October 16, i was admitted to the hospital. i was induced, but to no avail. i was already at 1cm but when the nurses IE'd me, my cervix closed! since my BP was posing a risk, I was scheduled for CS at 8am the following morning.

at precisely 8am of October 17, 2009, they prepped me up for the caesarian operation. i was already shot with something that made me so sleepy - thank God, coz I was not able to sleep the night before. i was too nervous, preoccupied, and praying that Chloe was alright.

flashes of memory now follows.

i remember them wheeling me in to the operating room. i remember the anesthesiologist asking me to curl up so she can inject the anesthesia on my spine. after that everything was a blur. i remember hearing music -- it was Sailing by Christopher Cross.

i remember dra. david (anesthesiologist) asking me if i can feel anything, i tell her no. then i suddenly remembered my friends' horror story! she told me that when the doctor asks if you can feel her pinch you, they were already actually cutting you up! OMG! i said a prayer to my guardian angel that he watch over me and Chloe starting now. i prayed and i prayed hard.

my next memory was seeing a nice, long, and very white baby. well pinkish. i heard tita baby saying, "Weng, ang puti ng baby mo!" i looked at her and all i could muster was a murmur and a smile. and i was out. i could not remember if they let me hold her or what.

my weirdest memory now follows. i am being wheeled out of the operating room, i saw some big guy waving at me and a small person behind him crying. it turns out that it was Zayd and my mom.

i woke up about three times in the recovery room. the nurses were asking me to wiggle my toe and raise one leg. all i could think of was that i wanted to be back in my room with Zayd and my mom and most of all see Chloe!

i woke up on Saturday afternoon, Zayd was beside me. i heard voices of my family and friends who visited me but i was still knocked out. when i woke up Zayd, showed me pictures of Chloe and she was soooo cute! he was telling me i did a good job in keeping her inside me and that all was well. APGAR was perfect. i was not allowed to talk yet, so Zayd and I communicated through SMS (but not actually sending them hahaha)

the next day i was already out and about. considering i am a CS patient, this was a breakthrough. i went to the nursery to try and breastfeed Chloe. i cried when i saw her. she was so beautiful.

Thank you Lord for helping me make it through 39 weeks and 3 days!

here is Chloe's first picture ever!

and here i am, walang kamuwang muwang that i was gonna experience all these in the next 12 hours or so... at nag pose pa talaga sa kama hahaha!

6 more days till we're full term!

2009-09-24T18:30:00.005+08:00

we are on the homestretch people!
i am currently on my 36th week and 1 day. which means that i am 6 days away from being full term. which means that Chloe can already come out!

imagine, from an EDD of October 21 it can now be as early as September 30!

i've already packed my hospital bag last weekend, arranged all my medical files and SSS/Philhealth forms.

the only thing i am lacking now are diapers (i don't know what size to get and how many) and maternity pads (i can't seem to find one!)

our room in BF is being prepped for the arrival of this little princess and this weekend (OUR ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND!!!!) Zayd will be putting some of our stuff in the room already. I will be watching by the sidelines and cheering him on (or maybe walking just for exercise hehe)

my officemates also threw me a surprise baby shower last Tuesday at Gerry's Grill at Insular. i was on emergency leave that day (oooppsss sorry boss!) but still made it a point to be there for dinner since i promised my team that we will be having our quarterly dinner. much to my surprise, a lot of them showed up bearing gifts. stupid me -- well, more like blind! -- i came inside the restaurant and the staff was busy preparing this long table with cupcakes and such, i did not notice the cupcakes had some text on it which read "It's a girl!" hahahaha! I arrived earlier than they did and i was just too pooped to even bother taking a closer look hahaha!

Chloe got a nice Winnie the Pooh comforter -- which matches Erin's pillow from last weekend (*hugs mare!*) -- and a nice grooming kit -- which was actually part of the list i was supposed to buy this weekend.

thanks again you guys! i am deeply touched!

so that's it for me, i do hope Chloe still listens and stays for six more days then we can finally cuddle and kiss her! :)

Chloe smiles "Hi!"

2009-09-06T09:27:00.000+08:00

Taken at Im My Womb, Glorietta :)

things i wish i knew prior to my pregnancy

2009-09-03T19:23:00.003+08:00

let's face it, knowing that you are pregnant really is exciting. think of all the clothes and other neat stuff you can buy for your baby. it's like having a real-life baby doll!

however, there are still things i wish my married friends told me prior to having a baby... like:

... how a transvaginal ultrasound works.

... having to pee every so often, including waking up in the middle of the night just to do it. luckily i only experienced this a few times, the problem is, i find it very hard to go back to sleep!

... the "pamahiins" that go with pregnancy (some are really outrageous I tell you!)

... you cannot go and have a facial anymore. same with massages and hair treatments. in short, you will be ugly hahaha! (hope that the old wives' tale when you are carrying a girl, you still look pretty will apply to you)

... all the lab tests you are required to take to ensure that you and baby are okay. the top of my most hated tests is the OGTT. (think: save the cheerleader, save the world!)

... attend a breastfeeding fair or seminar probably in your first or second trimester; though it is okay to do it in your third, the uncomfortable feeling is there already, i.e. you have to pee all the time and baby kicks more often now. the person beside you looks at you as if you are a crazy person every time you feel your baby move and you wince to yourself. better bring your husbands :D haha!

this is all i have for now :) will probably add more when i think of something

i am on my 33rd week now :) Chloe and I have made a deal already, since she kicks so effin' hard nowadays like she's raring to go out. i asked her to wait 5 more weeks, when it's safest for her to go out. i just hope and pray (HARD!) that she listens to me :)

only girls allowed this year

2009-08-20T09:35:00.002+08:00

I mentioned in an earlier post that our baby is expecting cousins. As of today, Zayd's cousins, Aeesha and Chyla, have given birth to two cutie girls, Amelie and Desiree, both in Chicago.

My cousin Joy, is expected to deliver any day this week, Louise. *my inaanak apparently :)

Cousin Jacq and Dennis are expecting their little girl in late September.

I will be next in October, with Chloe.

Then come November, cousins Racq and Jill, are also expecting a girl. They are based in California.

I told my mom that there will be a shortage of boys this year with all the births happening in the last quarter of the year hehe. She's not complaining, but I bet she looking forward to the noisy, messy, and fun holidays in the coming years.

BTW, my little heartbreaker Mohan will be the official "tagapagtanggol" of these girls too. Am I excited!!

Our 3d Ultrasound Experience

2009-08-19T19:09:00.002+08:00

So last Saturday I took my BPS at In My Womb in Glorietta. It was a truly pleasant experience! At first, Zayd and I were very worried since a BPS is not really a required procedure for preggies to undergo. My OB last month mentioned that we should take one just to be sure that the baby is growing as expected. She may have been worried since I do not look at all like a 30-weeker. I look slimmer now than I did pre-pregnancy. I did not go on diet, but was very conscious of what I ate. I turned to apples, mangoes, avocados, oranges (for like a week), oatmeal, milk, ampalaya, kalabasa, and all the healthy stuff. My usual Big Chill afternoon was retained but I had the syrup removed and replaced with yogurt. I lost 10 lbs. at first, then gained 3. This week's checkup, I gained 0.2 lbs. amazing!

Anyway, we are very happy to share that our baby (then 30 weeks and 3 days) had a size of a 32 week baby. She (yes! We're having a girl!) weighs approximately 1.6 kilos already. And I think she looks like me!

Of course both our parents were happy with the pictures. But, man! I can't wait to get hold of the video! She was one malikot baby during the procedure. She even smiled, yawned, and cringed at us. I can feel her moving now as I am writing this – can she hear my thoughts? J

I am on my 31^st week today, officially I have about 9weeks maximum to go. I am scared but more of excited right now. I pray every day that things will go well come D-Day and that our baby will be healthy.

50 Reasons to be glad you're pregnant

2009-06-02T22:31:00.003+08:00

1 Relishing the early weeks when only you and your partner know your special secret.
*yup!*

2 Knowing you've got nine whole months to plan, dream and fantasize.
*oohhh yeah!*

3 Choosing maternity clothes -- they've never been more practical or more sexy.
*it came to a point that I had to buy at least 1 item each weekend...*

4 Now you've got the perfect excuse to pamper yourself -- spending hours in a scented bath, enjoying a massage, or rubbing soothing lotions into your growing bump.
*the last massage i had was on Feb 14. the same week i found out i was pregnant*

5 All your contributions to your SSS and Philhealth that are taken out of your salary are put to good use when you claim your maternity rights.
*FINALLY!*

6 You can join a childbirth class and find a whole new bunch of friends (and don't forget our BabyCenter Philippines birth clubs: another great way to meet people due at the same time as you).

7 For once in your life you need to get heavier -- pregnancy is nature's way of making you feel good about putting on weight.

8 If this is your first baby, enjoy the next nine months sleeping late at weekends: you won't get many chances later on.
*hell, yeah! i don't wake up till noon*

9 At last you've got the bust size you've always wanted, which means you also have...

10 ...a great excuse to buy lots of pretty new bras.
*NO COMMENT*

11 You'll have a healthy glow without the packaged blush.

12 At last you'll have something more than potted plants and your cat to care for and nurture.

13 Suddenly, you'll find you're getting lots of extra attention from parents, friends, aunts and uncles, not to mention your partner.

14 You may find you develop a closer relationship with sisters, cousins, or friends who are parents themselves. Congratulations, you've just won free admission to the parents' club.

15 Telling your mom, dad, sister, brother, aunt, dog the good news and watching their faces light up.

16 New talents -- whether it's knitting booties or assembling a crib, you'll suddenly find yourself trying out all sorts of new skills.

17 Suddenly you'll feel a new appreciation for your own mother and all she went through having you.

18 Decorating the nursery: one of the most exciting things you'll ever do.

19 Feeling those first fluttering kicks and thinking, "Is that what I think it is? Or is it just wind?"
*i've been called hallucinatory because of this. what the heck, at least i felt it...*

20 Feeling perfectly at ease when you send your partner out for mushroom pizza followed by double-choc chip ice cream.

21 Your parents digging out your old crib, toys, and clothes, which they've kept safely all this time "just in case."

22 Going for healthy walks with your partner and getting fresh air in your lungs because it's good for you and good for your baby.

23 Enjoying the extra-vivid dreams you get in late pregnancy -- and laughing about them with your friends.

24 Feeling a little pair of heels prodding under your diaphragm and knowing you'll soon be meeting the little person they belong to!

25 Choosing baby clothes -- or just strolling through the malls planning what you're going to buy.
*i love love love doing this*

26 Writing a pregnancy diary for your baby to read in the future.
*hhmmm i think i'll start one today*

27 Getting someone to take photos of you smiling over your enormous bump so that, one day, you can look back and be amazed you were ever that size.
*hehehe! good thing that someone is Zayd*

28 Finding out how many people there are out there ready to care for you: doctors, nurses, midwives, birth coaches, lactation consultants.

29 Lying in bed with your partner's arms around you and your bump, knowing that love has created a new life.

30 Enjoying indulgences, such as evenings out, weekends away, slept in mornings, and anything else you might not be able to do so easily once the baby arrives.

31 Knowing that from now on, whatever happens, you'll never be bored again.
:)

32 Making new friends whenever you go shopping -- everyone has a pregnancy story to share.

33 You can spend whole evenings debating whether to call your baby Ysabela or Marianne, Jose or Richard... (don't forget to try our Baby namer if you get stuck!)

34 Imagining what he or she will look like. Your sweet little ears, of course, and his sexy eyes.

35 Dreaming about, "My daughter the president/movie star/brain surgeon."

36 Looking at your growing bump in the mirror and realizing there's a person in there!

37 Making out a squirmy outline on the ultrasound monitor. Asking for the pic to take home and pinning it up next to your work station, or just keeping it in your bag to sneak looks at.
*hahaha! sounded just like me~*

38 The expression on your partner's face as he sees the test strip turn blue, looks at your growing bump or feels the baby kicking.
*i cried (out of happiness) when i told him*

39 Buying that first little cuddly toy for your baby, not somebody else's.

40 Making that phone call to your partner to tell him that -- we're off! -- labor has started.

41 Trying out all those exercises you learned at childbirth class and finding out that they actually work.

42 Being held and supported throughout a contraction by your partner/doctor/nurse/labor companion and knowing that you can trust them totally.

43 Finding out, as the contractions get tough, that your repertoire of swear words is far more extensive than you ever realized!

44 Making an informed choice about pain relief and finding that it's right for you at that stage in labor.

45 That huge rush of pleasure and relief when, suddenly, all the pain and effort stops.

46 Looking into your newborn's eyes and falling utterly in love.

47 Watching your partner kiss the nurse, the doctor, cleaning lady, delivery man and anyone else he can find because his joy and pride are overwhelming.

48 Opening a bottle of bubbly to celebrate, whatever the time of day or night.

49 Making all those phone calls to announce the arrival. Telling everyone the news and hearing the excitement in their voices. Posting newborn pics on all your online social networks.

50 Waking up to see your baby sleeping next to you and thinking, 'Wow! This is real. I'm a mom!'

from Babycenter.com.ph
http://www.babycenter.com.ph/pregnancy/antenatalhealth/50reasonstobeglad/

hello, cousins!

2009-03-25T18:05:00.002+08:00

this year is gonna be a baby boom for both our families....

Choppy is expecting 2 batchmates from my side, and 1 from Zayd's :)

isn't this exciting?!?

Our Little Blessing

2009-03-05T18:04:00.002+08:00

Since we do not yet know the gender of this baby, we'll call him Choppy J

Here is Choppy Carag at 6 weeks and 1 day J

Why Choppy? I sometimes call Zayd Porky J (well, the AEP guys know this anyway) and his fave food is porkchop J so there!

My Current LSS: Say It Again (Marie Digby)

2009-01-19T18:44:00.001+08:00

The thing about love
Is I never saw it coming
It kinda crept up and took me by surprise
And now there's a voice inside my heart that's got me wondering
Is this true, I want to hear it one more time

Move in a little closer
Take it to a whisper
Just a little louder

Say it again for me
Cuz I love the way it feels when you are telling me that I'm
The only one who blows your mind
Say it again for me
It's like the whole world stops to listen
When you tell me you're in love
Say it again

Thing about you is you know just how to get me
You talk about us like there's no end in sight
The thing about me is that I really want to let you
Open that door and walk into my life

Move in a little closer
Take it to a whisper
Just a little louder

Say it again for me
Cuz I love the way it feels when you are telling me that I'm
The only one who blows your mind
Say it again for me
It's like the whole world stops to listen
When you tell me you're in love

And it feels like it's the first time
That anybody's ever brought the sun without the rain
And never in my whole life
Have I heard words as beautiful as when you say my name

Say it again for me
Cuz I love the way it feels when you are telling me that I'm
The only one who blows your mind
Say it again for me
It's like the whole world stops to listen
When you tell me you're in love
Say it again (x9)

When you tell me you're in love...
Say it again

Ohhh... Ohhhhhh

The first dance song…

2008-11-10T08:31:00.001+08:00

*special thanks to Daniel for singing J

When I First Saw You (Jamie Foxx)

When I first saw you, I said, oh my

I said, oh my, that's a dream, that's a dream

I needed a dream, when all seemed to go bad

Then I found you

And I have had the most beautiful dreams any man has ever had

When I first saw you, I said, oh my

I said, oh my, that's my dream, that's my dream

I needed a dream to make me strong

You were the only reason I've had to go on

You're my dream, all the things I ever knew

You're my dream, who could believe it could ever come true

And who could believe the world would believe in my dreams too

There comes a time when a child's got to grow

There comes a time when the woman's got to go

Mama said I am special

She said I've got to go

I'm just as good

I'm even better than

That's what you would say

Shall I need to say

I'm not gonna say

You're my dream (Now I've got dreams of my own)

All the things I could ever be (Dreams you never know)

You're my dream

They'll never take my dream from me

When I first saw you, I said, oh my, oh my

That's my dream

Dream Team contact info

2008-10-27T14:04:00.001+08:00

Go4Flowers - Maybelle Focasan

http://go4flowers.multiply.com

+63 918 937 9115

+63 916 671 2397

Nice Print - Charisse Tinio

http://www.niceprintphoto.com

+63 917 7964549

Solemn Vows - Cerruby Yap

2nd Level, Market! Market

+63 917 819 2367

mailto:solemnvows_0506@yahoo.com

CSM Events - Cecille Maglalang

+63 917 533 8045

mailto:ceciliamaglalang@yahoo.com

Holly Paraiso (Harpist)

+63 918 261 2709

http://www.hollyparaiso.net

Card Prints

www.cardprints.com.ph

Robinson's Galleria

Merlyn Padagas (HMUA)

+63 915 636 5599

Nurture Spa

www.nurture.com.ph

chilLine T

www.chilline.com/tagaytay.html

wedding day trivia

2008-10-27T09:38:00.006+08:00

So I promised a couple of wedding kwentos before… so here goes…

En route to T
I was cramming for my missalletes; I had them DIY’d but then our printer ran out of ink. I was so confident that I could do it on my own. Waaah! I rushed to SM Taytay to look for a good quality printer who can deliver in four hours. Good thing I found one and had them printed out immediately. The girls were raving about how it looked and could not believe I did it on my own. I just wish I had done this sooner rather than later. Oh well.at around noon, I started my way to Tagaytay (yes, alone!). my car was packed with all my stuff – the gown, 1 box of accessories, my luggage, and fourteen bottles of wine. I picked up DJ at G4 at around 130pm then headed straight to T.

Arrival at T
When we arrived, I saw my cousin, Daniel. All he could say was “Rowena, this place is soooo UGLY!” he was speaking ironically though since he was smiling. I later learned that he asked the caretakers if he could buy it. Haha! (Go ahead and buy it and let me borrow it a couple of weekends a year!) My family was already there when we arrived (DJ and I made a couple of pit stops along the way and traffic was bad even on a Friday afternoon with the construction going on.)

The Night Before
Zayd and I went night swimming  haha! We figured tonight was our last night at T so might as well enjoy the pool. It was cold though! After that, Zayd, Beng, Neil, DJ, and I watched Ex-Men… Zayd was so addicted to those videos up on YouTube that he compiled everything into one movie! I was busy reading *work* emails and making audio cd copies of all the songs I want played during the reception. Oh, and did I mention we opened one bottle of wine that was meant for one of our ninongs? Hahaha! We knew he wasn’t showing up so we decided to take matters in our own hands 
When it was time for bed, zayd and I were texting each other pa. We were both so excited we could not sleep!

Wedding Day Morning
I was up really early. Di naman ako excited gaano no? I wanted to do a webcast of my wedding preps but the wifi signal was very weak in my room  I had a hearty breakfast, in anticipation of my loss of appetite in the next few hours.
Merlyn was the first to arrive among my suppliers. They had a good look around T and fell in love with it. By 11am, I was already being “detailed” on by her. “Detailed” was a term Zayd coined, which likened me to a car. Hmmft! 
My tita Bang kept on peeking inside my room and see how things were going. At one point, she just stared at me and then suddenly ran towards her room crying! My mom was alarmed so she immediately talked to me asked what happened. I did not have any clue! Later on, we discovered that tita Bang was having thoughts of: “Baby ko ikakasal na! and she looked really pretty!” Awww. *sweet*
I did not get to see much of Zayd that morning.

“Delubyo” at T
Two earthquakes hit Tagaytay on September 27, 2008 – while Merlyn was doing my make-up. I jokingly told everyone in the room that it was God’s way of asking me if I am really, really sure I wanted to go through with the wedding. Hahaha!
However, the real delubyo was when everybody who arrived Tagaytay early decided to stop by T to take a peek at me and Zayd! We almost ran out of food haha! and parking space!
My mom was nowhere to be found during my pictorials. She was running about errand after errand. Hay naku! She missed a lot of pictures and video shots when I finally saw her, her make-up was almost gone and she was sweating! Arrgh! My dad came in ready for the cameras when I noticed that he only buttoned the top button of his barong. Oh my :)

I’m off to get married!
Zayd’s family went to Caleruega at around 2pm as tradition dictates, the groom’s family should arrive the church first to meet and greet all the guests. My coordinator suggested we have some light snacks and refreshments ready for everybody who arrives at the church. It was a hit and everybody who got one was touched  buti daw naisip naming yun! Hehe.
I left with my bunch at around 230pm and yes, I did take the main entrance  it was quite a cardio activity, I tell you!
One of my flower girls, Bea, arrived just in the nick of time. Two weeks before the big day, Patty was not sure if Bea could walk down the aisle with me because of a sudden case of allergies and she had to be confined for *I think* more than a week. With God’s grace, she was able to make it! Yay!

Bless the Broken Road
As tita Beth began to sing my bridal march song by Rascal Flatts, a weird child’s voice suddenly filled the room:

“Daddy! May nagtetext sa yo! Daddy! Daddy! May nagtetext sa yo! Babasahin ko ba?”

Horror of horrors it was my dad’s message alert tone! He forgot to silence it and everyone was laughing! I did not know whether to laugh or cry but I laughed first! I was so tense and I really wanted to cry. I was thinking

“This is it! The moment I’ve been preparing for, in the past seventeen months! I hope I don’t trip! I hope Zayd is smiling!”

Though it was going to be a short walk, I took my time. I let my dad finish texting haha before I went on my way.
Caleruega was so crowded with family and friends who mattered to us. And ouf course with flowers hehe! I could not get a glimpse of Zayd as I was walking. When I finally arrived at my parents’ side, that’s when I saw him. He was smiling! Actually smiling! :)
Fr. Lolo Bobby was really cool. Everybody loved his homily. :)

We are hitched!
Heading out to Nurture Spa, Zayd and I could not believe we pulled it off. Now, we silently prayed that it does not rain.
The weather was typical Tagaytay – cool. The grounds at Nurture were damp though. The ambiance was very romantic and they did a great job playing around with my three-color motif.

Funny moments include:
Dove release. I am really freaked out with claws. I only held the dove in like 2 seconds and when it moved.. eeewww I had to let it go.. with a shrill shriek (yeah it’s redundant but this is the perfect description!) Zayd had no choice but to let his dove fly on haha!

Bouquet and Garter Game. One my my bridesmaids, Gayle, admitted to not listening to the instructions. So she ended up with the bouquet. Haha! It was a simple, Trip to Jerusalem-like game only that the bouquet and garter were being passed among the single ones.  Zayd’s cousin got the garter, who was up on stage, with his Chucks!

First Dance. Daniel sang our first dance, which was the song from Dreamgirls, When I First Saw You. It started to drizzle at this time.

Group Pictures. Zayd and I ran out of wacky poses :)

Crayola Mode

When the Niceprint team was ready for the on-site video, I held my breath. It was so fantastic! Not that because it was our wedding in it, but it did capture every moment, every emotion that happened that day.

Tita Bang prepared a really nice speech for us which ended up with me in tears. I love you Tita Bang!
Tita Leonie stressed how we both were blessed.
Mommy and Daddy gave short but sweet messages for us, also asking for a granddaughter.
Mom and Dad, told us about how Zayd was a miracle baby and to take care of each other and for a grandson.
(we’ll probably shoot for twins haha!)
The night ended with everybody posing for the cams.

More pictures are uploaded at http://wengerts.multiply.com

The Dream Team

2008-10-23T14:49:00.004+08:00

Supplier Name	Rating	Comments
Church: Caleruega	1.0	In all the times I've been there, whether to attend a friend's wedding or just out of walang magawa, it has never failed to amaze me at how beautiful it is. The church is small and is perfect for intimate weddings. If they can make further improvements pa, I would suggest paving the roads and making the place more handicap-friendly.
Officiating Priest: Msgr. Bobby Olaguer	1.0	We went to the NBP (yes, the bilibid prison!) a year before to tell him about the wedding to make sure that he does not double-book! He also enlightened us on how to go about a mixed marriage, not only with how the ceremony should go, but also on the possible "repercussions" it will have once we have our own family. He even suggested an unconventional way of doing the rite of marriage :) which we did but without the funny element to it. [It was supposed to go like: "Weng, do you take me to be your lawful husband?" "Yes, I do." then the bridesmaids would go "Owwwws?"] Fr. Bobby is actually my lolo and the dad's side of the family were all excited since I was the first grandchild to be married by him.
Reception Venue: Nurture Spa	1.5	The ambiance was perfect for a simple garden reception; what was even better was that it was really affordable too! Inclusions of the package were: 5 hours inclusive use of the venue, smoke and bubble machine, luminaries, floral drop arrangement, sound system, and cake. They provided tents at no additional cost too. The only problem was that it rained a few days before our wedding, so the ground was soft. My gown ended up having a chocolate brown train at the end of the night. The staff were really friendly and reliable. Food was great (though we did not eat as much with all the excitement happening around us!) and the guests loved it. Too bad I did not get a piece of the mango crepe L L L
Photo/Video: Nice Print	1.5	Charisse was very easy to talk to. This actually led me to pencil book them immediately. My first AE was Jane but sadly she left… and I only found out about it when I scheduled my prenup pictorials in August. I did not get the famous guys like Bernie and Rupert. I was assigned to Dennis. On our way to Antipolo (where we held the prenups), all three of us bonded on one topic: CARS. Suffice to say, we had a blast during the pictorials. During the wedding, I was a bit disappointed because they arrived around two hours late. So I was almost done with my make-up when they came in. the team sent to me was quite a young team! Which turned out to be great since they were all makulit and we had fun! Even the guests nakikipagkulitan sa kanila. I availed of the on-site video and was very happy at the finished product. The guests were amazed ambilis daw nila nagawa. I got the raw pics after 10 days. True enough, the best yung pictures!!! They caught all the drama and the emotion! We are very happy with their output. What I do not like about Niceprint is yung office personnel nila. They need to improve on customer service talaga. You can't get a straight answer from them, as if they are always clueless.
OTD: CSM Events	2.5	Ate Balu is really great. We already had a gameplan months before the wedding and it was executed naman. Not as I wanted it to happen, but it was okay, I guess. I guess the clincher for me was that they arrived an hour late.
HMUA: Merlyn Padagas	1.0	I LOVE HER! Make-up was very simple and I loved how she did my eyes.
Bridal Gown and accessories	1.0	My gown was very simple, tube gown with beading on top. May 3 stripes lang sa back. I bought this in a quaint bridal shop in Minneapolis. It came with a secondary veil whose beading was the same as my gown's. The veil was ordered at eBay, customized; I never really liked the long ones so I opted for the elbow-length veil lang. My purse was bought at David's Bridal in San Jose, it is the same one as Katherine Heigl had in the film 27 Dresses at the start of the film! The shawl was matched to the bag so I immediately bought it too.
Entourage Gowns: Solemn Vows by Cerruby Yap	1.0	Tita Ruby is very easy to talk to and very honest. She worked within my budget and she worked really fast! Without sacrificing quality, mind you. I only have good things to say about her and her shop. Highly recommended. BTW, I had to make adjustments to my gown since I bought it more than a year before the wedding. Syempre I gained weight ;-) haha! But she charged me very minimal lang as in I can't believe it. Considering she had her hands full trying to figure out the intricacies of the gown, but she did say she learned something by doing it.
Music: Holly Paraiso	1.5	This was another early booking :) Again, most of my guests raved about her. Sobrang galing daw… well she is! I gave her music sheets only a week before the wedding and viola, she learned it. The only drawback was she did not know how to download music sheets and she has no printer. Hehe. Good thing I lived near her so it was okay to just print those out for her. Limited lang din yung playlist with her. But it's okay as long as you have a fallback audio cd at hand. She was very accommodating din when I brought my singer to her house to practice. She really does find time for you.
Flowers: Go4Flowers	1.5	The flowers were beautiful, especially mine hahaha! The only problem was that the aisle flowers were supposed to be on pails hung by the pews. With the size of the aisle at Caleruega, kumusta naman nung nakatayo yung flowers?! Ayun, di kami kasyang tatlo ng parents ko. Laki kasi namin hahaha! But it was beautiful talaga!
Invites: Cardprints	1.0	Easy to talk to and they did deliver naman what I asked them to do. Although I've heard some bad feedback about them, I guess you just have to treat them as regular printers who won't do any grammar or spell checks for you!
Cake Topper: Precious Moments musical cake topper	1.0	I got them on sale at Megamall and it complemented my cake perfectly. I plan to have my future kids use them in their own wedding :) sana gumagana pa sya by that time haha!
Souvenirs: Heart-shaped Measuring Spoons from eBay US	1.0	Very unique daw sabi ng guests. Grabe I got them from eBay as well and you guys can imagine gano kabigat yung maleta ko when I came back. The NWA folks were like "What's in these luggages?" When I told them they were measuring spoon souvenirs for my wedding they gave me a free pass!
Rings: Ultra Diamond and Whitehall & Co.	1.0	Zayd had a simple titanium wedding band with three diamonds, while I had a sort-of eternity ring made in 14k white gold. My ring complemented my engagement ring too. It was basically a steal when we got the rings; the saleslady was very helpful and maxed out the discount she could give us. I guess she saw the disappointment on my face when she said my ring would cost around $335 sniff there goes the budget We managed to lower it down a wee bit more until it reached an acceptable limit ;-)
DIY: Kissing bells, candles, cord (by MOH), missallete	1.0	LOVE YOUR OWN. And of course, the labor of love from my ever-creative MOH, DJ. The cord was really heavy (laki ng beads e) very nice it had a prism effect nag iiba iba ng color :)
Shoes: Abbylyn's	1.5	The first beadwork they did, my shoes looked like pink. My motif was purple. So what I did was I asked them to re-bead everything to silver na lang then accent on purple pearls. PERFECT na!
Preps Venue: "T" chilLine Tagaytay	1.0	I found this through the web while I was scouting for a nice hotel for my preps and my family who will be staying over the day before the wedding. I found that hotels were more expensive, since at that time, their weekend rate was 50k -- that's Friday to Sunday. We paid for the house even before we had to ocular it, relying mostly on pictures from the web. So a week before the wedding, we decided to swing by and take a look at it. WHEW! The view was breathtaking and the house! $&%*! It had four rooms, 2 of which had the nicest view; kitchen, ref, utensils, towels, pool, sauna, and a jacuzzi. Oh, and did I mention this was where For the First Time was shot? Gotcha!
Gifts for Principal Sponsors and Parents: Wine Depot	1.0	Wine Depot is really the place to snatch good deals for wines! Very affordable prices.
Cebu Pacific	1.0	This was my first time to take Cebu Pacific on an international flight. I was dreading it actually because of the bad feedback I've been hearing.. However, it turned out okay naman. Yeah, they're not your typical PAL, NWA, etc. But what the heck, they have good prices and I did arrive alive and all my stuff with me. They even arrived earlier than estimated. Beat that!

does this look familiar to you?

2008-10-15T18:28:00.001+08:00

this is the view from my room at T

i really am in love with this place. i can't wait till i rent it again haha :)

it was worth the wait

2008-10-06T14:45:00.002+08:00

from other weddings, i saw the onsite video played on the early part of the reception. i can't remember when they finally played it and when i saw it... damn! it was worth the wait.

thanks to niceprint for sending a team of really young and makukulit peeps!

so another one bites the dust...!

2008-10-06T14:26:00.003+08:00

it's been more than a week since the wedding.. we've already spent 4 fun-filled days at HKG for our honeymoon and now it's back to reality... i.e. time to make linis the apartment, buy stuff, and so on.

i have lots of kwento but am at a loss of time. i am back at my parent's house, just packing my stuff. zayd is busy watching tv hehe. i promise to post more kwento next time.

anyhoo, here are the UNOFFICIAL pics from cameras from all over hehe.

dahan dahan maglakad dahil baka madapa! (saka maikli lang yung aisle ng caleruega)

the night before...

2008-09-26T23:08:00.002+08:00

i woke up early today to finally pack my stuff for the wedding. i have been "ejected" of my room for the past week because of Daniel *peace ulit! i love having you here!*.. so as soon as he got up, i spent an hour getting my stuff out. with that out of the way, i went through my list of stuff to bring.

i was all ready in 2 hours. everything was stowed in my car -- the trunk was full of wine, the backseat was stuffed with my gown, accessories, and so on.

i picked Dj up at Glorietta 4, and headed off to tagaytay. traffic was kinda hard so it took us about 2.5hrs to get there from makati. the weather was still uncooperative, though it was really scattered and short.

my family loved T. it was breathtakingly beautiful.

when zayd arrived at T, we went on to Nurture spa to check things out. the tents were in place and they were working on the tables na.

all my toxicity suddenly went kaput when i saw the place. maski raw pa, it felt really romantic. *i kissed zayd*

so why am i still up? :)

vanity is my favorite sin

2008-09-24T22:16:00.002+08:00

guilty as charged.

i just had my eyelash extension this evening. man it hurt like hell!! all the while i was lying, i just kept on thinking "this is the downside of vanity" the aesthetician did mention though that it was doing to hurt. what she failed to mention was that it was gonna hurt AFTER.

so there. my eyes were bloodshot red, i was crying all over. when i arrived home, everybody was "what happened to you?" which really translated "did you and zayd have a fight?" hahahaha! all i could answer them was "why wasn't i born with long lashes??" my brother has these :( talk about unfair!!!

only 3 days left :) i haven't packed by stuff hehe i could not get decent time with my room hahaha :) peace out daniel :) you know i love you for coming home for this very special day :)

the weekend before the big day

2008-09-20T00:51:00.003+08:00

a couple of friends threw me a bridal-shower-cum-dinner last wednesday. i had 5 of my close friends with me and it was fun. chickahan lang. i did not feel as if it will be my last night out with the girls after i get married. but it sure was fun seeing mich, gayle, and shelly again after a long time. errr... maybe not gayle :) haha!

so we had dinner at italianni's at GB3. so ayan picture taking na. akalain nyong, may waiter na umepal. as in nag pose ng mala-mr. pogi. i'd post it here if i had a copy. haha! super nakakatawa. we asked for another picture to be taken, this time wala na sya. the waiter was apologetic naman. pero it gave us more reason to laugh.

it's almost 1am and i am still up. yes. i'm backing up my files so that my boss can borrow my external hard drive for a week. :) that's what you call -- for the love of... :D

here is a list of what we need to accomplish, yet again, this weekend :) so far, so good.

- go to Pinong's wedding
- get my hair fixed *i hate RED SALON! they practically ruined my hair. to think i told them i was getting married and they do this to me! grrr. never ever go there girls. lesson: JESI MENDEZ IS THE BEST SALON IN TOWN!!!*
- move the bravia from my room to our apartment in Pasig *sniff*
- pack my stuff for the wedding weekend
- pack my stuff for the honeymoon
- get Holly the music sheets for the wedding vows :)
- get nails done
- go to tagaytay :)
- go to niceprint to settle the 30% :)

yan lang. *lang!*

i really hope i can update this blog everyday... haaaay life :) i'm so excited :D

*i lost another inch hooray haha but is it really hooray if i lost it at the chest area? hmmm*

accessories

2008-09-19T15:01:00.007+08:00

we accomplished a lot of stuff over the weekend:

super duper top secret souvenirs

the bears Bea, Gian, and Gwen will carry instead of flowers

our symbol of wealth -- not your traditional one but these are coins from places around the world

personalized napkins -- ilalayo ko to kay gran kasi baka di gamitin and itago na lang nya hehe

our kissing bells proudly DIY'd by yours truly

will post more pics of the cord and hair vine, DIY'd by MOH DJ *kiss mwah hugs*

prenup! prenup! prenup!!!

2008-09-03T02:02:00.006+08:00

a few realizations during my prenuptial pictorials:

i've always FANTASIZED of being a model, now i realize it's really very hard. for a couple of reasons
- you need to wake up early to prepare
- you need the perfect set of clothes to change into
- if you are doing an outdoor shoot, you need to stay tuned to the weather forecast. it was raining -- errr drizzling -- when we had our shoot so it was kinda humid. it was better than having it in the usual hot weather.
- you must know which angle gives off the best shot
- SMILE! SMILE! SMILE!!!

after the shoot, zayd was all simangot. he says his muscles hurt due to smiling all the time for the cam.

here are a few of my favorite shots...

mahirap talaga sya pangitiin :'(

syempre dapat kasama si vio... na dahilan bakit nagkaganito!!! bwahaha!! :D

this long weekend was a great one!

2008-08-18T17:57:00.002+08:00

haaaay! i never thought i could accomplish all my tasks during this long break.
i already wrote about the saturday and sunday activities (see previous posts).. so here's the hot update for today..

without my dad knowing (sorry dad! *kiss*), we went ahead and had a "working" breakfast with our officiating priest, lolo bobby. we arrived late at his home and we were already kind of worried that he may have gone off elsewhere :( all the activity over the weekend was really tiring. good thing was, he also had the same kind of weekend. so when we arrived, he was still fast asleep.

zayd and i went out again for some jollibee breakfast, took 'em out and shared with the rest of the guys in lolo's house. by the time we got back, lolo was awake and happily ate the breakfast we brought. :)

so there, while we were having breakfast, i went ahead and asked for his advice on how the ceremony should go. if i haven't mentioned it already, this is going to be a mixed marriage, so it requires a different format. we went through a couple of sample missalletes and a really old book -- a 1982 edition -- discussing and describing how mixed marriages should go (including muslims!). he was about to lend it to us but since it was really old, he decided to make copies of pages of the ones that applied to us :)
we even had the readings nailed down! :) *YEY!*

so now i have to start typing and looking for a printer hehe :) wish me luck guys!

2 inches!

2008-08-18T00:04:00.002+08:00

yesireee that is the magic number [and UOM] this weekend!

everybody -- INCLUDING ME! -- had adjustments of 2 inches ;) yeyeyeyey!!! all the dieting and gym finally paid off.

now the tricky part... 1 more month to maintain...!!!

me, myself, and i

2008-08-17T14:25:00.003+08:00

i am off to market! market! again :) every weekend na lang haha

but today will be different.

i am going there to fit my gown :) *awwwww* zayd will also be there to fit his barong and slacks. i got a peek at it last night and it was a nice mocha color.

i am almost tempted to call in a priest and get married right then and there! kainan na lang next month! hahaha :D

i promise we won't see each other's fittings later so we don't ruin the moment. too bad i can only post pictures of it after the wedding... (it will take a WHOLE lot of will power for me)

i swear if the fitting goes well today, i will reward myself with a nice dinner at conti's :D

waaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!

SHOESness

2008-08-17T13:39:00.001+08:00

at six weeks...

2008-08-16T22:48:00.002+08:00

almost all of my entourage gowns are done. yipeee!!

and today, we went shoe shopping at the shoe expo in cubao :) with my future mom- and sis-in-law, beng.

if you have been in the area, this is a small [two] strip mall where you can find good and bang-for-buck shoes. we went to abbylyn's where i had mine custom-made (will post pics later). it was my third time to go there since last week when i was supposed to pick it up, they have mistakenly put in PINK beads instead of light purple ones. i had them replace it with silver instead and to accent, a few light purple pearls. it turned out very nice! *gush* (purple is in every sentence now)

it was weird that all three of us had the same shoe size. and i was waaaay taller than them. as in waaaaaaay taller. i left my mom's shoe size back in high school so i never had a chance to really utilize the shoe-swapping-with-family with her, even with my extended family.

so after two gruelling hours of trying out a few pairs, stretching the entrada, and all. we were all set. we were able to buy 4 pairs of shoes and 2 clutch bags for both moms. total bill was 1.7k -- NOT BAD!! (zayd paid for it hahaha!)

off we went to gateway for an early dinner while waiting for anne, one of my bridesmaids, who was a cousin of zayd, coming in from tarlac.

soon as she arrived, we headed off to market market for beng and anne's first fitting. it is amazing that ALL of my bridesmaids lost weight. (huhu kelan kaya ako magiging ganon) and their dresses looked nice as well. (really great job for tita ruby, two thumbs and toes up!)

and.......

I SAW MY GOWN ALREADY!!! *clapping*

it still is perfect, and am still in love with it like i was the first time i saw it in chanhassen, minnesota.

chanhassen... *cry* now i remember my good friend bhabes who went with me to try the gowns at that store. she passed away this week. the same week i was about to give her a call and ask for her home address since we made a deal that she will come home for my wedding. i am saddened by the loss of a really good friend -- one who took care of me while i was away from my family and friends for a good six months on my first visit to the US. *i am crying as i am typing this* however, i do know that she is in a better place now, happier than ever and surely she will be there come my wedding day.

little bells

2008-08-03T14:39:00.003+08:00

as promised...

here is my inaanak, Bea:

here naman is my inaanak Gian and her sister Gwen:

i've always had high expectations on how the flower girls' dresses would come out. glad it turned out fabulous! :)

overall i loved how all the dresses came out. i did not see DJ's though kasi she arrived earlier than i did haha!

the invites also turned out beautifully. it was very simple and they also asked if they can display our invites at the next bridal fair hihihi!

panic mode

2008-07-30T06:19:00.003+08:00

i am officially in P-A-N-I-C!!

tita ruby (of solemn vows) texted me yesterday. first fitting of the entourage gowns will be on saturday! yahoooo!!!!

i am really excited to see how the flower girls' dresses come out. will post pictures this weekend!

so anyhow, just a quick rundown of my to-do list:

1. Church (Caleruega) - fully paid na yey! :D
2. Reception Venue (Nurture Spa) - food tasting done :D will need to coordinate with Rosell for next plan of action
3. Music (Holly Paraiso - harpist) - finalize playlist
4. Ento gowns (Solemn Vows) - first fitting due on Saturday
5. P/V (NicePrint) - pre-nuptial pictorials scheduled in August (inulan kami this weekend and we had a schedule conflict -- well mine of course)
6. HMUA (Merlyn Padagas) - taken care of na!
7. Souvenirs (secretong malufet) + Personalized Napkins - hahanapin ko pa sa bodega baka daw natabunan ng sobrang daming boxes nila bro and sis
8. Kissing Bells (proudly DIY'd) - 50% done, i just need to glue gun the flowers sa bells :D woo hooo i stayed up till 2am sunday just trying to finish the handles. 30 bells for P529 is pretty darn good!
9. Cake Topper - done c/o Precious moments
10. Rings - with my mom for safekeeping (thanks ma! *mwah!*)
11. Flowers - all taken care of courtesy of Maybelle of go4flowers
12. Invites - are due to be out this week! yey! i hope cardprints did it great.. *fingers crossed! i am such an OC pa naman*
13. my gown - ayun nasa operating room hahaha panic mode ako lalo :D

watch out world! my little heartbreaker is home!

2008-07-21T19:16:00.003+08:00

after more than two months, my little cutie nephew is finally home! yey!

i took this pic while he was sleeping :D

the nose!!! argh. (wala ako nyan kaya ganun na lang ang inggit ko hahaha!)

our last tagaytay trip

2008-07-21T19:09:00.005+08:00

have you ever noticed the weird signs getting to Tagaytay?
this one is my second favorite:

why is this funny?

who would look for an ostrich??? (naalala ko tuloy si mickee! hahaa i hope you're reading this!!)

so anyway, we went to tagaytay (again! second time in a week) for food tasting at Nurture Spa (www.nurture.com.ph) and MAN!!! isa lang masasabi ko... my guests are darn lucky.

so close!!!

2008-07-19T03:39:00.002+08:00

this is a long overdue post :(

things have been really, really busy since my last post. almost every weekend, zayd and i had tons of stuff to do. to top it all off, i have been working nights so essentially my normal 2-day weekend turns out to be just 1.5.

anyway, we have accomplished all documentation requirements for the church. we just spent the whole day on Wednesday in Tagaytay for our canonical and pre-cana seminar. man it was tiring! especially for me, since i came directly from work then straight to Tagaytay (and it was raining!). by the time we arrived Manila, it was almost the start of my shift! so i was up for more than 24hours since Tuesday.

zayd and i also happened to chance by SM Megamall last week. we were scouting for stickers to put on our souvenirs when we passed by one stall (forgot the name) that sold Precious Moments collectibles. there was a 40% off cake topper on sale!
yey! needless to say, we bought it. our original budget for the cake topper was at 5k. we got this one for less!

advance wedding gift

2008-05-25T22:40:00.003+08:00

hhhmmm....

so my Vio's 25k PMS was due since last week but we had to go to zayd's cousin's wedding. so this saturday, it was make up time. as soon as my shift ended on saturday morning, zayd was already waiting for me up front the office. we went to breakfast at chowking (the fort) and then headed straight home. while i slept, he took care of bringing my baby Vio to the casa.

to kill time, he went to the nearby SM mall and looked around. and there it was...

he was all so excited. like a kid in a candy store! :) i did like the idea that once we move in to our new home, we'll have a really nice entertainment system. :)

it is now installed in my room. grabe. the tv is too big for my room. para akong nasa sinehan! super cool! as in, we got a very good deal for it *i won't tell you how much! just visit your nearest SM Appliance Center!!!*

some revelations:
1. i need a large family room for this tv
2. i need a nice tv rack (or should i hang this on my wall?)
3. i can now buy a PSP3!
4. all my stuff are (almost) all Sony-based

wedding preps update: i finally booked my gown maker for my entourage. next sunday na yung sukatan nila. bait bait kausap ni tita ruby of solemn vows. she reminds me of my tita bang! :)

errr.... it's May...???

2008-05-06T03:08:00.003+08:00

where have i been??? :(

i just realized that my wedding blog has been inactive for more than a month now. isn't it ironic that i am able to actively update this while i was in the US? i used to think that i have more time in my hands in manila.

errr. i was wrong.

so just to give you an update on how things are coming along....

on my first weekend back home, i just slept. i had a slight flu due to the significant change in weather (from very cold -- in my standards-- to VERY hot!) it is actually nice to know that i have not lost my capability to sweat! mind you, even without moving!

most of my weekends thereafter was all fuly booked. i had a heart-to-heart talk with my soon to be in-laws. man! no amount of prep work can ever be done for this. i ended up crying on my way home and feeling lost :D seriously, i had a strange feeling that this wedding might not push through.

you see, zayd and i have different religions. though i understand where the in-laws are coming from, i just wished i knew it sooner rather than in april 2008. i have no one to blame but zayd and myself for going as far as we have in the preps without really involving his parents :) BUT! just yesterday we had it all worked out and things are now going back to the way it should. *whew*

we finally booked go4flowers to do my flowers. yey!!! we compared how the rates may vary if we opted for a supplier already based in tagaytay. turns out -- NOT MUCH! maybe 500-1000 diff! :)

i also had a chance to spend a weekend with zayd's extended family in tarlac. really nice! sarap ng hangin parang very conducive to sleep!! (jason mraz: sleep all, sleep all day... well sing it for me!)

that same weekend, my sister in law delivered my nephew a few months earlier than expected. she had to deliver since the baby might be in danger... the doc says enclampsia. omg. i wanted to fly back to taytay (from tarlac) just to be with the family but unfortunately i couldn't. so my little mohan was born and incubated (till now) at medical city on april 26th. it's been a rollercoaster ride from then on at home. one day everything is fine, then one morning i see my mom crying. my sis-in-law is back at home, minus mohan, but they do visit him everyday. only the parents are allowed inside the NICU so nobody has seen this very loved little boy. sheng says that he looks a lot like mel. at this point, i would like to ask you to include little mohan in your prayers, that he will surpass this phase and come home to his loving and waiting family. i do believe miracles happen and he is our miracle!

i'd like to think he's excited to be in my wedding.

The Secret to a Lasting Marriage: Embrace Imperfection

2008-03-31T09:30:00.002+08:00

this was posted at Weddings@Work and thought to pass it on to you guys...

The Secret to a Lasting Marriage: Embrace Imperfection
Deb Graham

When I was a little girl, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner
every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made
breakfast after a long, hard day at work.

On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and
extremely burned toast in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if
anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my mom,
and ask me how my day was at school.

I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him
smear butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite! When I got up from
the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for
burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said: "Baby, I love burned
toast."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he
really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Debbie,
your momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And
besidesa little burnt toast never hurt anyone!"

In bed that night, I thought about that scene at dinner...and the kindness
my daddy showed my mom. To this day, it's a cherished memory from my
childhood that I'll never forget. And it's one that came to mind just
recently when Jack and I sat down to eat dinner.

I had arrived home late...as usual...and decided we would have breakfast
food for dinner. Some things never change, I suppose!

To my amazement, I found the ingredients I needed, and quickly began to cook
eggs, turkey sausage, and buttered toast. Thinking I had things under
control, I glanced through the mail for the day. It was only a few minutes
later that I remembered that I had forgotten to take the toast out of the
oven!

Now, had it been any other day -- and had we had more than two pieces of
bread in the entire house -- I would have started all over. But it had been
one of those days and I had just used up the last two pieces of bread. So
burnt toast it was!

As I set the plate down in front of Jack, I waited for a comment about the
toast. But all I got was a "Thank you!" I watched as he ate bite by bite,
all the time waiting for some comment about the toast. But instead, all Jack
said was, "Babe, this is great. Thanks for cooking tonight. I know you had a
hard day."

As I took a bite of my charred toast that night, I thought about my mom and
dad...how burnt toast hadn't been a deal-breaker for them. And I quietly
thanked God for giving me a marriage where burnt toast wasn't a deal-breaker
either!

You know, life is full of imperfect things...and imperfect people. I'm not
the best housekeeper or cook. And you might be surprised to find out that
Jack isn't the perfect husband! He likes to play his music too loud, he will
always find a way to avoid yard work, he watches far too many sports & play
the whole night with warcraft. Believe it or not, watching "Golf Academy" is
not my idea of a great night at home!

But somehow in the past 37 years Jack and I have learned to accept the
imperfections in each other. Over time, we have stopped trying to make each
other in our own mold and have learned to celebrate our differences. You
might say that we've learned to love each other for who we really are!

For example, I like to take my time, I'm a perfectionist, and I'm
even-tempered. I tend to work too much and sleep too little. Jack, on the
other hand, is disciplined, studious, an early riser, and is a marketer's
dream consumer. I count pennies and Jack could care less! Where he is
strong, I am weak, and vice versa.

And while you might say that Jack and I are opposites, we're also very much
alike. I can look at him and tell you what he's thinking. I can predict his
actions before he finalizes his plans. On the other hand, he knows whether
I'm troubled or not the moment I enter a room.

We share the same goals. We love the same things. And we are still best
friends. We've traveled through many valleys and enjoyed many mountaintops.
And yet, at the same time, Jack and I must work every minute of every day to
make this thing called "marriage" work!

What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's
faults - and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is the one of
the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting marriage
relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good,
the bad, and the ugly parts of your married life and lay them at the feet of
GOD. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a
marriage where burnt toast isn't a deal-breaker!

Rascal Flatts

2008-03-30T05:40:00.000+08:00

the official wedding colors

2008-03-30T04:49:00.003+08:00

i've always loved purple and all its different variants. it's not surprising that i'd make it as one of my wedding colors.

i initially started with a lilac and silver motif. now, when i was thinking FLOWERS.. hhmmm wala naman silver na flower!!! white meron pero... hmmmm i think i need to spruce it up.

then i came across Metro Weddings. i was inspired by the purple, sage, and sky color triad. it was perfect for a garden venue!

so, without further ado... here are my colors:

special thanks to: http://www.colorsontheweb.com/colorwizard.asp

what boredom does to people... like me

2008-03-30T04:39:00.004+08:00

for some weird and crazy reason, i was able to secure my wedding gown even before i booked all my local suppliers... yes, wedding dress muna bago ang simbahan! tama ba yon?!?!
for the benefit of those who haven't heard this story...

i spent a weekend at Minneapolis around May (?) 2007. out of boredom, my very good friend Bhabes and I stopped over one of the nearby bridal shops. my intent then was to look for a nice color motif. yeah, and maybe try on a few gowns hehe.

so there it was, my size in a rack, scanned through the dresses and then one gown caught my eye. Bhabes was really excited and wanted me to try it on. (i won't even describe it at this point!) so i snuck in the fitting room and put it on. *SHRIEK!!!* i never wanted to take it off!!! Bhabes joined me inside the room and snapped some pictures. i went out and took my turn in front of the 360-degree mirror and viola! i wanted to cry. hahaha! the store owner even said that it seemed that the dress picked me ;) *bolera ampf!*

i asked the lady if she can put it on hold for me until tomorrow. she immediately agreed.

we went home, i called up zayd and told him of my recent escapade hehe. Bhabes was really intent on getting that gown for me so she took a chance and grabbed the phone from me so she can talk to zayd.

needless to say, i was back at the bridal store first thing next day! :)

p.s.
yes, i hand-carried my wedding gown from Minneapolis to St. Louis and then back to Manila. my mom could not believe her eyes when she saw me holding the gown. that's when it actually dawned on them that this wedding was a go. hahaha!

zayd still hasn't seen my gown.

bed, bath, and beyond

2008-03-23T11:31:00.004+08:00

so zayd's mom asked me to buy flat sheets this weekend. since Good Friday was a non-working holiday, we decided to temporarily shutdown our brains and go out.

it was a test -- i think. i went bedsheet shopping with my tita mona back in september for my granny. i was too busy looking at the pricetag and kept pointing out the cheap ones. hehe. she then gave me the low-down on picking the right bedsheet :)

1. know what kind of bed needs the sheet - king, queen, twin, and single. unfortunately walang single dito sa tate hehe.

2. does it have to be fitted or just the flat sheet - in Manila, usually it's just one but in the US, may fitted na, then may flat sheet pa sold as a set. since this is going to be used in Manila, i opted to just get the flat sheet and not the packaged one (na may kasamang pillowcase)

3. know the fabric - i saw tons of fabric at BBB! satin, cotton, egyptian. i kinda liked the thought of satin. but naisip ko it will get hot and sticky sa skin during the summer (which is NOW!). cotton is most common. but i remember after some time, magninisnis sya.

4. thread count - the higher the number, the softer it feels.

taking these into consideration, i spent an hour inside BBB hehe. almost everything was on sale and had additional discounts taken at the counter. i had all the time to waste in the world since my friend and i won't be meeting till about 5pm. prior to BBB, i looked at the price ranges of the sheets at Burlington and Marshall's. i already had my eye on the Nautica sheets I found in Burlington but that was cotton i think, for about $30.

it was at BBB i found myself satisfied, and decided to get the 500 thread count clay-colored flat sheet. i even got a nice and matching beige-colored pillowcase too which was a steal.

satisfied ako with my recent escapade. actually, i was very excited hehehe. i can only imagine pag house na namin yung bibilhan ko ng stuff!

i just wish we get that house started na. ngrrrr!

on the lighter side of TV:

i caught Warren Beatty's version of Love Affair on Friday morning. haaaay. inlababo na naman ako hehe.

then came: He Said, She Said. darn. Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth Perkins. nakakatuwa sya. but too bad di ko natapos huhu kasi we had to leave na. i am trying to catch it at Oxygen this weekend. haaay. i wish i can finish that movie. i wonder how it ends...

another classic on TV: When Harry Met Sally. this is a funny movie talaga. basically explains why a man and a woman can never be just friends. hhmm. let me rephrase that: there is a high probability that men and women can never be just friends. it will take whole lot of will (or should it be don't?) power.

shout outs:
i miss you zayd! it's a shame na we don't get to chat as much over the long break but i do understand you have to be with your family in tarlac. i just miss you so much! ngggrrr! thank you for calling me everytime you wake up :) i feel you miss me too! hahaha cheesy!

ge! i know you are always reading my blog hahaha! i hope you liked Ice Castles! stay happy girl!

deeej! i'm so happy for you! love yah girl!

i miss my family. i wonder what's for easter lunch? hhmmm. i am so excited na to get bac home. i have been given the go signal to shop for my up-and-coming nephew: Aaron Mohan. i already bought him a cutesy nike rubbershoes. yeah, i know. never buy shoes for kids since madali daw lumaki ang paa nila. but, wth! (as in what the heck!) this is my first pamangkin and i will splurge on him if i want to ;) well i know my brother will preserve this pair like my dad did mine.. which is an adidas that till now is displayed inside my room :)

figure skating?

2008-03-19T12:53:00.003+08:00

i was stuck at home this last weekend, trying to resolve the serious performance issues we have encountered in our server. so anyway, i worked in front of the tv with 2 laptops :)

come 5pm, i was on ABC Family. viola! Cutting Edge marathon weekend pala!

Cutting Edge starring Moira Kelly and DB Sweeney. I swear this is one of my all-time fave romantic movies while I was growing up. i remember using this line on zayd: "just remember who said it first" hahaha!

then it went on to Cutting Edge 2. i didn't really like it as much as the first one. apparently, it was a continuation of the original one, so yung main na skater was the daughter of the characters in CE1.

and then! eto pinakamalupit! ICE CASTLES!!! OMG! umiiyak ako while watching! as in. buti na lang wala si ka-PBB haha! kadireh. i so like the plot. as in. i suggest you watch it. this was filmed in 1978 and also had the main soundtrack of "Looking Through the Eyes of Love" -- when you watch the movie, you'll definitely understand why this is the song. super ganda. i wish they made more films na ganyan nowadays.

come sunday night, it was cutting edge 3! it was a better offspring than CE2 if i must say so. the plot and storyline was kept pretty close to 1 and the characters have no direct lineage to the original one. their coach though, was the daughter of the couple in CE1. the pamchenko move was also revived in this movie. which was amazing. and the guy! OMG. to drool for. hehe. he looked a lot like josh hartnett.

wala lang. i felt so in love with zayd nung weekend. pero may sakit sya eh. no pansin ako huhu. pero okay lang. okay naman kami :)

*my gosh, it just dawned on me na it's just 6months away till the big day! i can't wait to get back home...*

my bet for AI season 7

2008-03-03T10:04:00.002+08:00

my heart just always goes out to the rockers...

first it was Bo Bice..

then Chris Daughtry...

now it's Carly!

what our names mean :-) really cool!!!

2008-03-03T10:00:00.004+08:00

Zayd
There are 9 letters in your name.
Those 9 letters total to 41
There are 3 vowels and 6 consonants in your name.

What your first name means:Muslim Male Superabundance.

Your number is: 5

The characteristics of #5 are: Expansiveness, visionary, adventure, the constructive use of freedom.

The expression or destiny for #5:
The number 5 Expression endows with the wonderful characteristic of multi-talents and versatility. You can do so many things well. The tone of the number 5 is constructive freedom, and in your drive to attain this freedom, you will likely be the master of adaptability and change. You are good at presenting ideas and knowing how to approach people to get what you want. Naturally, this gives you an edge in any sort of selling game and spells easy success when it comes to working with people in most jobs. Your popularity may lead you toward some form of entertainment or amusement. Whatever you do, you are clever, analytical, and a very quick thinker.

If there is too much of the 5 energy in your makeup, you may express some the negative attitudes of the number. Your restless and impatient attitude may keep you from staying with any project for too long. Sometimes you can be rather erratic and scatter yourself and your energies. You have a hard time keeping regular office hours and maintaining any sort of a routine. You tend to react strongly if you sense that your freedom of speech or action is being impaired or restricted in any way. As clever as you are, you may have a tendency to make the same mistakes over and over again because much of your response is glib reaction rather that thoughtful application. You are in a continuous state of flux brought by constantly changing interests.

Your Soul Urge number is: 3

A Soul Urge number of 3 means:
With the Soul Urge number 3 your desire in life is personal expression, and generally enjoying life to its fullest. You want to participate in an active social life and enjoy a large circle of friends. You want to be in the limelight, expressing your artistic or intellectual talents. Word skills may be your thing; speaking, writing, acting, singing. In a positive sense, the 3 energy is friendly, outgoing and always very social.

You have a decidedly upbeat attitude that is rarely discouraged; a good mental and emotional balance.

The 3 Soul Urge gives intuitive insight, thus, very high creative and inspirational tendencies. The truly outstanding trait shown by the 3 Soul Urge is that of self-expression, regardless of the field of endeavor.

On the negative side, you may at times become too easygoing and too optimistic, tending to scatter forces and accomplish very little. Often, the excessive 3 energy produces non-stop talkers. Everyone has faults, but the 3 soul urge doesn't appreciate having these pointed out.

Your Inner Dream number is: 11

An Inner Dream number of 11 means:
You dream of casting the light of illumination; of being the true idealist. You secretly believe there is more to life than we can know or prove, and you would like to be provider of the 'word' from on high.

Weng

There are 11 letters in your name.
Those 11 letters total to 56
There are 5 vowels and 6 consonants in your name.

Your number is: 11

The characteristics of #11 are: High spiritual plane, intuitive, illumination, idealist, a dreamer.

The expression or destiny for #11:
Your Expression number is 11. The number 11 is the first of the master numbers. It is associated with idealistic concepts and rather spiritual issues. Accordingly, it is a number with potentials that are somewhat more difficult to live up to. You have the capacity to be inspirational, and the ability to lead merely by your own example. An inborn inner strength and awareness can make you an excellent teacher, social worker, philosopher, or advisor. No matter what area of work you pursue, you are very aware and sensitive to the highest sense of your environment. Your intuition is very strong; in fact, many psychic people and those involved in occult studies have the number 11 expression. You possess a good mind with keen analytical ability. Because of this you can probably succeed in most lines of work, however, you will do better and be happier outside of the business world. Oddly enough, even here you generally succeed, owing to your often original and unusual approach. Nonetheless, you are more content working with your ideals, rather than dollars and cents.

The positive aspect of the number 11 expression is an always idealistic attitude. Your thinking is long term, and you are able to grasp the far-reaching effects of actions and plans. You are disappointed by the shortsighted views of many of your contemporaries. You are deeply concerned and supportive of art, music, or of beauty in any form.

The negative attitudes associated with the number 11 expression include a continuous sense of nervous tension; you may be too sensitive and temperamental. You tend to dream a lot and may be more of a dreamer than a doer. Fantasy and reality sometimes become intermingled and you are sometimes very impractical. You tend to want to spread the illumination of your knowledge to others irrespective of their desire or need.

Your Soul Urge number is: 2

A Soul Urge number of 2 means:
With the Soul Urge number 2, your motivation is centered on friendships, partnerships, and companionship. You want to work with others as a part of a cooperative team. Leadership is not important to you, but making a contribution to the team effort is. You are willing to work hard to achieve a harmonious environment with sensitive, genial people.

In a positive sense, the 2 Soul Urge is sympathetic, extremely concerned and devoted. The nature tends to be very sensitive to others, always tactful and diplomatic. This element in your nature indicates that you are rather emotional. You are persuasive, but in a very quiet way, never forceful. You are the type that makes really close friendships because you are so affectionate and loving.

If this number is over-emphasized in your makeup, you may be over-sensitive, with a delicate ego that is too easily hurt. You may be timid or fearful, too easygoing for your own good.

Your Inner Dream number is: 9

An Inner Dream number of 9 means:
You dream of being creative, intellectual, and universal; the selfless humanitarian. You understand the needy and what to help them. You would love to be a person people count on for support and advice.

FAQs

2008-02-18T13:00:00.002+08:00

Guest Etiquette by John & Benz Rana (MB, 03/12/05)

I got an invite but have no plans of attending; should I still send a gift?
First thing's first. If you won't be able to attend for whatever reason, please RSVP. A big chunk of the wedding budget goes to the reception and it will be utterly inconsiderate to just give up a reserved seat without letting the couple know. Give them the chance to assign that seat to another guest in their "waitlist." Having that out of the way, let's get to your question: YES, it is customary to still send a gift.

The envelope bears only my name. May I ask if I can bring a date
Don't bring a date unless your invitation specifically says "and Guest." Bringing unexpected guests is very impolite. Neither should you ask the couple's permission if you may bring one or not. Don't put your friends on the spot. We Filipinos don't really like turning down people. So how would you know if their "Yes" means yes or not? Spare them that trouble.

The invite says "Mr. & Mrs." Could we bring our kids?
Never bring the kids unless "& Family" is indicated. Soon-to-weds don't usually invite children for a good reason. Kids get bored or cranky during hour-long masses. Their tantrums might disrupt the solemnity of the ceremony. Weddings are usually formal events typically not appropriate for the little ones. To be blunt about it, inviting a child at the reception means added two mouths to feed - the kid's and the yaya's.

But my son/daughter is the bearer/flower girl. I'm sure it's understood that my other child is invited.

Which part of the answer above didn't you understand? Seriously, if the couple wanted to invite your other kid, they would have specified that on the envelope.But I'm breastfeeding, I'm sure my friends will understand, won't they?
Granting that it's an infant and he or she won't eat at the reception - let's even assume that your baby won't wail at the church - the answer is still NO! Not even if you've perfected the art of being a cow in a long gown. Four words: Breast Pump and Babysitter!

I don't have a clue what gift to give them. Any ideas?
The average Pinoy soon-to-wed would always prefer monetary gifts more than any other gift. It is the unspoken fact. We're telling you now to make it easier for them to let you know what they REALLY want; unless they indicated that already in their invites which, by the way, is a very tacky thing to do.

If you're not comfortable giving cash, you may ask the couple where they are registered (Gift / Bridal Registry) and choose from what's listed under their names in the store. You can also ask them where they're residing after the wedding and take the cue from there. If you know that they'll be migrating abroad or living with their parents for the time being, a ref or another oven toaster may not be the most practical and logical gift.

I'm convinced. So how much cash should I give them? I don't want to give too little or too much.
That's a hard thing to answer. It's really a case-to-case thing. Try to put yourself in the couple's shoes. How much should a guest of your stature give you without being branded a cheapskate? Also consider your relationship with the couple. If you're good friends of the couple's parents, you'll probably shell-out more than if you were simply the bride's Girl Friday.

Could I skip the ceremony and head straight to the reception?
You can. BUT you shouldn't! You are invited to THE wedding -- that's the part where they exchange their "I dos." The reception is where the Receiving Line is. You can't be 'received' if you are already seated in the hall, right? "Patay-gutom" is too harsh a word and we assure you that it's by no means what anyone would think if indeed you decide to go straight to the reception. But admit that it struck a nerve just mentioning the word in that context, isn't it?

Speaking of the Receiving Line, what should be the proper greeting?
Here's the rule: Say "Congratulations" to the groom and "Best Wishes" to the bride. The reason behind is that "congrats" implies that someone has caught something or won a prize, and it is rather improper to imply that the bride "caught" the man who married her. If this rule gets mixed-up in your head come wedding day, just say the two phrases together and look at both of them. That usually works!

Likewise, saying "Good Luck!" no matter how pure your wishes are will also sound very inappropriate for obvious reasons.

Nice try, but what if the couple makes a Grand Entrance and left the Receiving Line to their parents? What then should I tell them? Note that I don't even know which sets of parents are whose.
Didn't we tell you already not to skip the ceremony? The bride and groom usually walk alongside their respective parents at the very start!

Anyway, make your pleasantries short and sweet. Shake their hands and say "Hello! I'm (your name) and I went to school with (name of bride/groom) in (school's name)/an officemate of (name of bride/groom) at (name of company)." They usually respond with "Nice meeting you." Just smile, nod politely, and move on to the next person. If one replies "Hi! I've heard so much about you!", simply smile and nod just the same. No lengthy conversation; just make small talk at most. If you can't find the words to say, just smile again, nod politely, and move.

During the banquet, is there anything I need to know?
Nowadays, the Reception Program usually have the guests on each table stand up and have their picture taken with the couple before being led to the buffet. This is done to resolve two issues of past weddings: (a) for the couple's convenience and skip the tiring Table-Hopping ritual just to have their picture taken with all their guests; and (b) for the guests' convenience so they won't have to wait very long for their turn in the buffet line.

Keep in mind that Buffet is NOT synonymous with "Eat-All-You-Can." Do not pile your plate full. Be courteous of those who have yet to be served. Don't worry. You can easily go for seconds.

the perfect Valentine's song for us

2008-02-14T11:30:00.003+08:00

Without You

It feels like a lifetime,
A thousand days have passed by
Since I held you close to me
If I could see that smile from my friend
I know that I could live again
I need you here with me

CHORUS

Heaven knows what to say
Even though for right now
you’re so far away
I hope and I pray
Somewhere in your heart I’ll always stay
Girl, lately
my sun doesn’t shine without you
Never noticed
what it feels like to be without you
Feels like I took my last step
And my last breath and my life ended
Had to say just what I was feeling, girl
‘Cause my sun doesn’t shine,
Sun doesn’t shine without you

VERSE 2

This is more for me than for you
Girl, I finally see there’s no substitute
For what we have
Do you know how much I love you?
And what we’ve shared
I can’t forget
Girl, a love like yours
I’ll never let just slip away
Just promise me that you’ll stay

CHORUS

Heaven knows what to say
Even though for right now you’re so far away
Gonna tell you and show you
Do whatever I can do to get back to you
Girl, lately
my sun doesn’t shine without you
Never noticed
what it feels like to be without you
Feels like I took my last step
And my last breath in my life ending
Had to say just what I was feeling, girl
‘Cause my sun doesn’t shine,
Sun doesn’t shine...

BRIDGE

Have you ever seen a flower that never blooms
See a starless night without the moon
Well that’s me without you
So come back and turn my night into day...
...cause lately,
my sun doesn’t shine without you...

‘Cause my sun doesn’t shine,
Sun doesn’t shine without
you

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nobody should be away from their better half during this time. Napapasenti tuloy ako huhu. Then sakto pa, Paolo Santos on my iPod... I miss my hubby...

zayd is taking over! :-)

2008-02-10T12:16:00.000+08:00

arrgh. it's february already. time does fly!

i haven't moved an inch since december on my wedding preps. well -- i can probably say half an inch. i found one potential florist on Multiply. problem is, she hasn't responded to my email. arrrgh. but i did have one officemate, Richelle, meet up with her.

Che is getting married in May. i have been, in a way, helping her get her suppliers and get everything prepared. i referred go4flowers to her and she immediately went to their manila office and booked them. i guess i will have to wait till Che's wedding to see their work hehe.

thank God for the internet. i have been googling for bands and wedding singers for my wedding. i am still looking for that distinct male wedding singer who can pull off "So Close".

which reminds me, i haven't sent Holly any mp3s yet. omg. i hope she can still learn the songs i want when i come home in April.

zayd has been really helpful in terms of taking over the preps while i am out of the country. would you believe he is going to the wedding expo next weekend? how weird will that be?!?! i have given him specific suppliers to watch out for and of course the budget for each. i hope this will turn out well.

ttfn! i've got a lot of googling to do!

American Idol Season 7

2008-01-16T19:35:00.000+08:00

"Signed, Sealed, Delivered"

Like a fool I went and stayed too long
Now I'm wondering if your love's still strong
Oo, baby, here I am, signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours!

Then that time I went and said goodbye
Now I'm back and not ashamed to cry
Oo, baby, here I am, signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours!

Here I am baby
Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm yours
(You got my future in your hands)
Here I am baby
Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm yours
(You got my future in your hands)

I've done a lot of foolish things
That I really didn't mean, didn't I?

Seen a lot of things in this old world
When I touch them, they mean nothing, girl
Oo, baby, here I am, signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours!

Oowee baby, you set my soul on fire
That's why I know you're my heart's only desire

Here I am baby
Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm yours
(You got my future in your hands)
Here I am baby
Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm yours
(You got my future in your hands)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I heard this song from a girl who auditioned in American Idol. I particularly liked the chorus which she sang beautifully.
I realized this is perfect for Zayd.

hectic weekend

2008-01-06T21:01:00.000+08:00

haaay grabe. this last weekend was really hectic for us. to recap:

Friday

We went to the LTO to renew Zayd's driver's license. Malas of all malas, nag overheat yung laminating machine so the 20-minute wait (or so they claim!) turned into more than a day. We'll come back for it on Monday.

We then went to Market! Market! and met up with our couturier. I booked Solemn Vows to do my entourage's gowns. Zayd and I are still contemplating on whether we should buy his barong from here...

Dinner with my Stella Maris friends at Conti's The Fort. I soooo crave for their Baked Salmon and Callos!

after dinner we went for coffee at starbucks then decided to wait out Zayd's birthday at midnight. so we went for a drink at Friday's.

Saturday

A day of pampering at Garden Spa. Haaaay :) (di pala kami busy netong day na to hehe) We went out for dinner to celebrate Zayd's birthday at Hap Chang in Makati. I soooo love their Honey Lemon Chicken.

Sunday

This has got to be the most exciting day so far. My dad wanted to go to my lolo Bobby to personally ask him to be our priest sa wedding. (Yes, my lolo bobby's a priest -- as a matter of fact, he's the parish priest of the New Bilibid Prison! -- so that's where we were)

Chika chika lang muna sa house nya then he had to go kasi he had two masses daw. Sakto di pa kami nagsisimba. So we went. Eto catch! The first mass was at the maximum security prison of the bilibid; the second was medium security. He invited us to come. So we did. Pero may disclaimer sa first mass -- "amoy pusale dun!" -- sabi to ni lolo!

anyway, to make the long story short, we went. it was okay unlike what they portray sa movies... na rambol dito, etc. (yes may bading sa loob) the mass was very lively and kengkoy si lolo bobby.

here are some pics:

and then when we got home, zayd finally replaced my not-so-old pioneer 6850 with my dream head unit alpine 9855 :) we also got the iPod connector working :)

tibbles, chers, and partee nids

2008-01-01T23:01:00.000+08:00

ano daw?!?!

i prepared a mixed drink for zayd on New Year's day (bailey's and almond oil -- side note: finally nagamit ko na din ang shaker. feel ko talaga mag bartender hehe i just wish i had the body of a bartender. oh well! all in due time -- i say!) then i had a glass of red wine. we both raised our glasses and said -- CHERS! (this is how you would say CHEERS in matigas na dila way hehe)

then he asks me, have you ever seen those signs nailed on the lampposts that read Popoy's Tables, Chairs, and Party Needs?

we both laugh.

we raise our glasses once more and say:

Tibbles, chers, and partee nids.

*gulp*

Welcome to 2008!

New Year... a challenge and an inspiration

2008-01-01T03:08:00.000+08:00

2008 na!!! 2007 was a rough and a challenging year for us, but inspiring occassions such as you mentioned in your previous post gave me a thinking of why should I use these to boost our morale and surpass all upcoming obstacles for year 2008. You think I'm being too optimistic? or a pessimist? You know me honey, I'd rather think of all the worries just for you to be worry free.
On the other hand, our plans are already set, a timeline has been formulated, kumbaga e naghihintay na lang tyo ng oras para sa hinihintay nating araw hehehe! But I really wish that that specific day could be today so we can celebrate our love with our families and friends.

This year, new challenges will come... and I know that we can only surpass these tests if I am with you. There is no way in hell that we could be separated from each other. I will take care of you (like I always do) and protect you from people who want to hurt you and most of all, to ruin our relationship (burn in hell losers!).

2007-12-31T21:52:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year Graphic Comments

some pics...

2007-12-31T13:40:00.000+08:00

dinner at northpark @ market! market! after a tiring day in tagaytay...

from my trial hair and make-up with Merlyn. i immediately booked her for my wedding :)

a recap of the year that was...

2007-12-31T12:16:00.000+08:00

another year is coming to an end. looking back, here's what happened to zayd and i this 2007:

January - first birthday with Zayd :) it was memorable for both of us!!!

February - first Hearts' Day celeb. Cheap date lang Reyes Barbecue sa Fort and then coffee at Gloria Jean's.

March - wedding ni bro! then Galera ;)

April - i had to leave for St. Louis for 3 months :( but the day before i did, zayd and i went out to buy promise rings. we had it blessed at Sta. Clara (in Katipunan) then said our vows inside my car :) then Kopi Roti after.

May - when he learned that he will be going to Atlanta for six months, he decided to tell my parents of our plans to get married. it was a Sunday and he was banking on my grandma to help him out talking to my parents. but lo and behold! mas nahirapan sya kay gran. parang interrogation daw sa FBI. so in essence, he asked for my hand in marriage to my parents and grandparent na sya lang mag-isa! TIGAS di ba :)

June - i went to Atlanta to see him after two long months!

July - i went back to Manila from STL :( buhay YM and skype na naman kami

August - i booked Caleruega for my Church ceremony and Nurture Spa for my reception venue. Busy month itoh. Ay, in addition pala, i also booked Nice Print Photography for my P/V coverage and Holly Paraiso for my music.

September - i went back to STL with two teammates. Zayd drove over to STL :) see my post for September. We also celebrated our first anniversary at Olive Garden :) we had Pinot Grigio, baked salmon, and chicken marsala! :)

October - we visited each other for a couple of times. We also met up in Chicago where I met his aunts, uncles, and cousins. pretty cool family! (sarap magluto ni tito!).

November - i spent my birthday with him in Atlanta :) he gave me a very nice Alpine 9855 head unit (for my car) and a matching KCA420i for my iPod so i can hook it up to my car audio.

i cooked my birthday eve dinner (carbonara, chicken) then he bought Pinot Grigio ulit. it was fun. on my day itself, we went to watch Enchanted. ganda :) i loved the soundtrack so i ended up buying one at Target.

December - he came home and we spent Christmas together. we also went to tagaytay so he can see the church and the venue. i am happy he liked it. (nag 50% downpayment na din sa venue. sabi ni zayd: "mahal pala magpakasal!" hahaha!)

i would say, of all the stuff that has happened, what he did in May wins as event of the year.

my current LSS

2007-12-20T07:34:00.000+08:00

i've been listening to this song from Enchanted the whole day today. di pa ako nakuntento nilagay ko sya kay K810i and kay iPod (yes i have an iPod... a long story i will tell you in my next post.. bakit late bloomer ako pagdating sa kanya!)

c'mon sing with me!

You're in my arms
And all the world is calm
The music playing on for only two
So close together
And when I'm with you
So close to feeling alive

A life goes by
Romantic dreams will stop
So I bid mine goodbye and never knew
So close was waiting, waiting here with you
And now forever I know
All that I wanted to hold you
So close

So close to reaching that famous happy end
Almost believing this was not pretend
And now you're beside me and look how far we've come
So far we are so close

How could I face the faceless days
If I should lose you now?
We're so close
To reaching that famous happy end
And almost believing this was not pretend
Let's go on dreaming for we know we are
So close
So close
And still so far

if you've heard about this song, and know someone who can sing this as close as the original artist does... PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP!

Happy Anniversary...

2007-12-08T22:27:00.000+08:00

to my parental units! :)

(not in picture: me)

Today marks their 30th year together as husband and wife. Grabe! how fast time flies!

I came home around 6am today and greeted both mom and dad as soon as i saw them. i was not able to get them something special (well mom did last week *wink*) so i decided i'd order in lunch from that place my dad raves about ("sarap ng pansit dun!")... had a quick breakfast with them then slept for around 3 hours. syempre i had to be up for lunch noh! baka maubusan ako ng food! grabe it was sooooo good!!!

then we all went to Dencio's Eastwood for dinner. treat naman ni brother dear. grabe! itoh sobrang grabe talaga! now lang ako nalibre ng kapatid ko!!!! (as in i am not over acting pero just being honest) hehe buti na lang anniv!

at dinner, i looked at my parents from across the table. dad ko ang kulit to the point na sometimes irritating na pero my mom would always just laugh at him -- cute na makulit kasi e... naisip ko, relationships talaga is not 100% based on love. kelangan din may 50% (guess-timate lang yan) na action to make it work. at this point, i am thankful for my mom and my dad for being the perfect example of what i would expect of married life. i know i don't say it as often as i should but i really love you guys... (waaah naiiyak ako as i am writing this hehe)

it is exactly 24 hours na lang till zayd comes home. i can't wait to see, talk, hug, and kiss him...

the missing blue ring...

2007-11-27T09:13:00.000+08:00

i spent the long thanksgiving break packing my stuff. hay grabe! ang bulky ng mga winter clothes ko.
so anyway, friday night i was all set na. i just finished dinner then i got my dear toshi (my new laptop) then suddenly, the adapter fell on my right foot.
ouch!! @#$%^&!

i noticed my left ring finger was missing that old familiar blue sparkle.

hell, yeah! i lost my ring! my engagement ring.

i was too scared to tell zayd but then i decided to tell him agad. no sense in putting it off. though i know sobrang tense na to pag hinalughog ko ang room ko. granting na sa room nga sya nawala. (wwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh i went to the mall on friday afternoon. last hurrah for the black friday event)

zayd tells me "dapat kasi di na naghihiwalay yang si blue ring saka si promise ring eh"

hayyy. oo nga naman. ang kulit ko kasi e.

so to cut the long story short, i spent the entire night looking for my ring. yes, nakipagbeso beso ako sa sahig. sa carpet na di pa navavacuum for the longest time. ayan. nagkakuliti tuloy ako. kaines!

wala sya sa room ko. oh no! three things left for me to check: my 3 luggages. huhu! i just finished packing. so mag uunpack ako ulit. huhuhu i spent two nights packing my stuff.

then, in the midst of my kaantukan, i saw that familiar blue sparkle trapped in the net of my pink luggage. it must have gotten caught when i was shoving my stuff inside huhu. im so happy i could cry. i immediately sealed the blue ring with my promise ring. vowing that the two rings will never be apart from now on.

ang ganda ng analogy of the engagement and the promise ring sa min ni zayd. one should never be far from the other.

these are the times when i really -- i MEAN REALLY! -- crave for one stable thing in my life... and it actually satisfies me...

my birthday's tomorrow na... i wonder what he has planned for me? hehe :)

meet the fockers ;-)

2007-10-31T08:02:00.000+08:00

my friends and i drove to chicago last weekend. i met zayd's titas and really nice and cool cousins. here is a pic of all six of us...

when God answered my prayer...

2007-10-26T10:19:00.000+08:00

this is from my other blog
http://elektra.blogs.friendster.com/my_blog/2005/07/independence_da.html

whew! i had a really really busy weekend last week. long weekend at that.

saturday we went to duluth. that's where lake superior is. it is debatable if this lake is indeed a lake or an ocean. as far as i know, large boats (i.e. oil tankers) cannot dock on lakes. i even saw a photo of the Normandie at the museum. and if i am not mistaken this was the same ship my dad took me to when they docked in Batangas in 1997 (?). and yes, i did miss my dad when i saw the ships and the orange lifesaver... senti shit!

and did i mention that it was a 150-mile drive? ONE WAY??? good thing my car had a cd player and my tita let gave me a couple of really nice cds... cruisin' cds. ;)

and then we headed out to albertville. outlet shopping. i could have enjoyed it if i didn't drive more than 300 miles. and i could have helped the US economy (that's my way of saying i'm splurging).. not that it needs helping though.

then sunday we took empress to the hospital. di ko pa nababawi ung tulog ko. deym! i received a call from rizza that empress fell on the stairs of her new apartment. that crazy girl. later that day, i found out she called me first but i didn't answer -- she knew i wouldn't be up coz the sun wasn't out. she's one observant girl. anyway, its good to know that the baby's fine.

monday -- independence day -- well.. rizza and i went to watch the parade along kerber road.. nothing spectacular. then we went on to watch the fireworks at lake ann. then dito ako nasenti hahaha. lech. here are a few random thoughts (as far as i can remember):

1. sarap siguro may kaakap na guy sa blanket under the stars and watching the fireworks.

2. pwede ko kayang gawin to sa pinas on new year's eve? hahaha. asa pa.

3. next year kaya makanood ako ulit ng ganito on july 4th on a different state? AND/OR matupad si #1?

4. kelan ba ako uuwi ng pinas?

5. magkakaboypren pa kaya ako? hahaha. yan po ang million-dollar question.

wag nyo na sagutin yung mga tanong na yan. pag nag comment pa kayo eh mga wala kayong kwentang tao. hehe.

piz out!

July 08, 2005 at 09:31 PM

see items 1&3.
i was able to do that last weekend with my hubby to be :)
it just amazes me that sometimes, God answers our prayers a bit too long than we hoped but when it happens... MAN! i tell you. it's deja vu.

to think i almost passed up on this one kasi i was too lazy to get up...

Moving from EST to CST in a 5 minute decision... crazy huh?!

2007-10-14T09:32:00.000+08:00

September 21, it was a sad friday. Subsob sa work and I felt so lonely. In my mind "One week pa lang since huli ako nagpunta sa kanya, pero bakit parang antagal na, missed ko na sya :(". Then I told her "I missed you hon, do you feel the same?", she answered "Ewan ko". That was 4:45 in the afternoon. By 5:00pm, I made up my mind, pupunta ako sa kanya; and that's is more than 550mi away. I don't know pero iba ang adrenaline ko that time, sobrang excited and high in spirit. Co'z I know in just a few hours makikita ko na naman yung mahal ko; ay mali. 9hrs nga pala ang travel sabi ni mapquest :(, ay bahala na. 5pm I went out of the office. Uwi muna to get my stuffs. And sa kakahalungkat ng things ko, may nakita akong 2 sachet.... Extra Joss!!! Buti di pa expired, pwede pa hehehe! Tamang tama to para di ako antukin sa byahe hahaha!!! With that, I forgot to take my dinner. Ok then, larga na!!! I headed as fast as I can to I-75 Northbound, this is the first challenge, this will be a more than 100mi long drive in a 65-70mph speed limit. Then I-20 Westboud for 318mi. It's already 10pm, aba nagtetext na sya, isip ko "Naloko na, sigurado yari ako nito. Ah basta miss ko sya... bahala na pag nagalit, importante sa akin makita ko sya kundi mababaliw ako sa lungkot". The first text message shows anxiety, the second is anger, the third is mixed anxiety and anger. Then I decided to call sa house nila para ma-assure ko na may magbubukas sa akin ng pinto. I just hoped na di si kumander ang makasagot. I pulled over in the nearest gasoline station, looked for the phone booth and dialed the numbers. Then someone answered, buti na lang di si kumander, I said "Uy Paul", Paul said "Uy Zayd!!!!"...... I answered "Anak ng!!!! wag ka maingay!!!! Narinig ka ba?", He said "Di naman, bakit ba?"... I said "Just be quiet. I'm on my way to your place, I'll be there in 1 and a half hour". He answered "ok". I'm now in I-57, this will be a 55mi drive, then I-67, this will be 88miles... and now I'm now in I-270... the last phase of my journey, only 5mi left to meet my baby. I knocked at their door twice, nobody is opening the door, I thought Paul could have slept while waiting for me. Then I knocked again, finally he opened the door. What a relief. I went to Weng's room, then I saw her innocent face, sleeping. Stress is washed away by my happiness, the happiness to se my girl again. I approached her silently, slowly hugged her. But to my surprise, nagising sya, and akala e rapist ako. She was pushing me away as hard as she could. Then I said to her, "Hey it's me, honey it's me". Then she looked at me, then we hugged each other. After that I apologized to her for me not saying my plans of going to her place. I know that she will be worried about me travelling during night time. I apologized and said that It will not happen again. I just want to surprise her. And I missed her so bad. Then Saturday, we had a good time together ;-D

I know it's crazy, and everybody tells me that it's crazy. But I don't care, I just fight for what I feel for her. I'm so in love with this girl...

my current LSS: When You're Gone

2007-09-21T11:13:00.000+08:00

when i first listened to this song (in traffic along I-70 E) hay nako
naalala ko yung last weekend ko with zayd
he drove ulit from atlanta to st. louis just for the weekend.
come sunday afternoon when he had to go, ayun he came back sobrang sad ng face. he wanted to stay pa daw and never leave me. eh di naman pwede un. he has work pa next day... so i made him go and locked myself up sa room.
a few minutes later, paul (my officemate/housemate) knocked sa door ko. andun daw si zayd.

hayun. napapayag na ako. sige stay. pero sana wag sya antukin when he leaves ng very early morning next day.

so i woke him up at 2am. prepared breakfast for him. then un tagal namin hug sa doorway. i never wanted to let him go then. kung pwede lang sana talaga... hay

this one is for you, my husband ;-)

When You're Gone Lyrics
Artist(Band):Avril Lavigne

I always needed time on my own
I never thought I'd need you there when I cry
And the days feel like years when I'm alone
And the bed where you lye
Is made up on your side

When you walk away
I count the steps that you take
Do you see how much I need you right now?

When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you're gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day
And make it ok

I miss you

I've never felt this way before
Everything that I do reminds me of you
and the clothes you left, that lie on the floor
And they smell just like you
I love the things that you do

When you walk away
I count the steps that you take
Do you see how much I need you right now?

When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
And When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too
And When you're gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day
And make it ok

I miss you

We were made for each other
Out here forever
I know we were
Yeah yeah
And all I ever wanted was for you to know
everything I do I give my heart and soul
I can hardly breathe I need to feel you here with me Yeah...

When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
And When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too
And When you're gone
The words I need to hear, will always get me through the day
And make it ok

I miss you...........

at the beginning...

2007-09-09T10:57:00.000+08:00

my story:

i met zayd through Auto Europa (www.autoeuropaph.com) in June 2006. i was a newbie at car clubs since I acquired my baby Vio just a few months before. i did not meet him then but we were already chatting over YM and i was constantly BRB'ing him then because he was so makulit. we planned to meet up for a beer or coffee. at one point he did ask me to meet up at Starbucks but i made up a last minute excuse to cancel :) *yes, and i really regret it now when i think about it*

unfortunately, this did not materialize since i was sent off to Italy for a project.

we'd talk everyday over IM and became fast friends.

i ran up a bill with Globe for text messaging. hehe.

when i got back in Manila, i met up with him immediately. there was something undeniable between us, the afternoon was bitin and i know we still had a lot to talk about.

the rest is history.

his story:

i saw her avatar at AEP and was interested. i notice it because her forehead was oily. i added her up at YM and started talking to her. i found out we had common friends. we were both in IT and my previous team lead was her seatmate during their graduation.

i asked her to meet up at Starbucks RCBC before she leaves work (she was on midshift then) but at the last minute she cancelled on me.

a few days later, she told me she was going away for three months for a project in Italy. i was sad and disappointed. to compensate, we'd IM and text each other. she was a delight to talk to.

when she got back, i made sure i'd take her out on a date. we clicked and we couldn't get enough talking about anything and everything. we had a lot in common and though i was younger than her, we complemented each other.

i knew i'd found the one i wanted to be with...

the best weekend of my life

2007-09-09T10:46:00.000+08:00

on an impulse, Zayd decided to drive a full 572 miles from Atlanta to St. Louis to spend Labor day weekend with me.

Saturday morning i woke up with a really beautiful blue topaz ring on my finger.

he asked me for the nth time: will you marry me?

i say yes.

and i still get the shivers when i think about it.

God Blessed the Broken Road

2007-08-20T19:22:00.000+08:00

i came across this song from my very good friend gayle. now that i am in the course of planning for my wedding, i realize that i can relate to this song...

logging back on to blogspot just today, after three years, well -- i can say i have grown and changed -- compared to that other person. that was me THEN. now i am different. to an extent i have numbed myself, then adjusted so and so, until i've come to terms with who i am and until i've met my match.

i'll post some stuff about zayd and myself on the coming ones.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true

Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you