Daily Musings of a Filipina

Who's gonna die?

2006-06-27T11:08:00.000+08:00

Was browsing the news today and saw this: Rowling to kill two in final Potter book

Yayks! Will she really kill Harry? Hope not! I'm a sucker for happy-ever-after endings!

Let's just wait and see :)

Is the world getting bigger?

2006-06-20T10:25:00.000+08:00

Saw this alarming article over at Yahoo today --> Americans' circle of close friends shrinking

To quote:

Nearly a quarter of people surveyed said they had "zero" close friends with whom to discuss personal matters. More than 50 percent named two or fewer confidants, most often immediate family members, the researchers said.

This quote made me wonder:

People were not asked why they had fewer intimate ties, but Smith-Lovin said that part of the cause could be that Americans are working more, marrying later, having fewer children, and commuting longer distances.

I am seeing the same pattern here in the Philippines, Filipinos do work more now than before, extending more than the usual 8 hours. Most tend to work overtime mainly because of the additional pay it will bring. Most of the bachelors I know also tend to delay marrying, taking care of their finances first, and trying to get themselves stable before finally settling down. And even after marrying, most would plan on having just two to three kids, mostly because of fear of not having enough to support their children. I am speaking of the middle to upper class families here, choosing not to delve into the lower DE population, as it may be a totally different world altogether.

But are we seeing the same case where Filipinos' feel more alone? I am not feeling that right now. Atleast, I still feel that Filipinos' tend to feel at ease with their friends that they can easily open up to them. Communities spring in the office, from highschool and college friends, and even from the Internet. Even in the workplace, you will see the effort to build alliances and cammaraderie among the employees, through parties, sports events and team buildings. Most multinationals also advocate the balanced life principle, where people are encouraged to go home early and spend quality time with family and friends.

Lastly, I think because of our very close family ties, it is almost impossible for someone to have no one to turn to. We value family relationships, we care so much about our family members and make a very big effort to be always there for them. All we need is phone and for sure someone will answer at the other end.

Road Rage Disease

2006-06-08T11:30:00.000+08:00

Saw this latest news over at the site http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au , very interesting discovery. Reminds me so much of that movie Anger Management.

Road rage disease
By LINDSEY TANNER
June 07, 2006
TO you, that angry, horn-blasting tailgater is suffering road rage but doctors have another name for it – intermittent explosive disorder and a study suggests it is more common than realised.
"People think it's bad behaviour and you just need an attitude adjustment but what they don't know is that there's a biology and cognitive science to this," University of Chicago chairman of psychiatry Dr Emil Coccaro said.
Road rage, temper outbursts that involve throwing or breaking objects, and even spousal abuse can sometimes be attributed to the disorder, although not everyone who does those things is afflicted.
Intermittent explosive disorder involves multiple outbursts way out of proportion to the situation, often including threats or aggressive actions and property damage.
The disorder typically first appears in adolescence – the study identified the average age of onset as 14.
The study, funded by the US National Institute of Mental Health, was based on a national face-to-face survey of 9282 US adults who answered diagnostic questionnaires in 2001-03.
About 5 to 7 per cent of the sample had the disorder, which would equate to up to 16 million Americans – more than better-known mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
The average number of lifetime attacks per person was 43, resulting in $A1812 in property damage per person. About 4 per cent had suffered recent attacks.
The findings show the little-studied disorder is much more common than thought, Harvard Medical School health care policy professor Professor Ronald Kessler said.
"It is news to a lot of people, even specialists in mental health services, that such a large proportion of the population has these clinically significant anger attacks," Professor Kessler said. Dr Coccaro said that the disorder involved inadequate production or functioning of serotonin, a mood-regulating and behaviour-inhibiting chemical in the brain.
Treatment with antidepressants, including those targeting serotonin receptors in the brain, is often helpful, along with anger management.
Most sufferers in the study had other emotional disorders or drug or alcohol problems but only 28 per cent had ever received treatment for anger.
"This is a well-designed, large-scale, face-to-face study with interesting and useful results," University of Vermont psychiatry professor Dr David Fassler said.
"The findings confirm that, for most people, the difficulties associated with the disorder begin during childhood or adolescence and often have a profound and ongoing impact."

Descending to the Top

2006-06-05T10:48:00.000+08:00

Three years ago, Mr. Butch Jimenez's commencement address to the graduating class of UP entitled "What's Better Than?" made the email rounds and inspired readers with the practical sense the speech offered. This year, Mr. Jimenez was invited to address the graduating class of Silliman University and likewise, his speech (though he does not have a written one since he spoke only from an outline) and its transcribed form is again making the rounds of email. This is a copy of that speech, with messages on leadership and success and an interesting hook -- Descending (yes, not Ascending) to the Top. Take the time to pause from work and read thru it for a lesson or two and some quick inspiration...

93rd SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES
Luce Auditorium Lobby
March 26, 2006

Descending to the Top

Delivered by

Mr. Menardo "Butch" G. Jimenez Jr.
Senior Vice-President, Retail Business Group PLDT
OIC, Wireless Consumer Division, Smart Communications

It is a privilege of mine to be here. In 2003, I was requested to be the commencement speaker for the graduating class of the University of the Philippines-Diliman. And after I gave that address, I said to myself-and this is true-the only other invitation that I will accept after UP Diliman is Silliman University. I have actually been waiting for almost three years. And I would have waited 30 more years to address you. You may be asking, "Why is that?" It is simply because of the Christian roots and the Christian heritage that this university has; the same roots and the same heritage that my great grandmother, my grandmother, and even my mother have tried to instill in my life.

That is why I am here. So thank you very much for the privilege. I am actually quite excited to address all of you.

One of the questions running in your mind today as you graduate and move forward is, "How do I reach the top?" A fair question and one that needs to be answered. And since I now presently handle marketing for both PLDT and Smart, let me share with you some marketing principles that I have learned, that may guide you on your quest to the top.

A battle for the mind Success in marketing is a battle to be the first in the mind of the consumer. That is the principle proposed in the '80s by two authors, Al Ries and Jack Trout, in their classic book, "Positioning."

Ries and Trout said that success in marketing is a battle to be the first in the mind of the consumer. If you are first in the mind of the consumer, in most cases, you will rise to the top and become the leader or number one. So, the battle is to be the first in the mind.

Let's give a couple of examples. When I say cola, what comes first in your mind? It's Coke. And today, Coke has risen to the top and is number one. When you say beer, the first thing that comes into your mind is San Miguel. They are first in the mind, they are at the top, and they are the leader. When you say toothpaste, in most cases, what comes to mind is Colgate. The same rule holds true. Colgate is at the top of your mind, and they are number one. When you say photocopier, it's Xerox. They are first in the mind, they are the leader, and they have risen to the top. Let's try something more hip for the new generation kids. When you say mp3 player, what's first in your mind. I can actually read your mind. The iPod. They are first in the mind, they are at the top, and today, they are number one.

So, in many instances, the rule actually works. If you want to rise to the top, you have to be the first in the mind.

The second thing that Al Ries and Jack Trout talked about, aside from being the first in the mind of the consumer, is burning an attribute or a characteristic in the minds of the consumers.

For example, Volvo did that. They burned into the mind of the consumer the attribute of safety. If you want a safe car, Volvo is it. iPod, for example, is burning in all our minds the attribute of being cool. They want to drive into our minds that the Ipod is the coolest gadget in the universe today.

So, two concepts we learn from Marketing to reach the top: Be the first in the mind and burn an attribute in the mind. Then, you start rising to the top.

So what does this all mean to you, as you go out into the workplace?

If you guys want to start rising to the top, you have to do the same thing. You have to be the first or the top of mind amongst the people that you work for specially your boss. When the boss needs something done, you have to be the first in his mind. If you're just the third, or the fourth, or the fifth, or the tenth in his mind, you're just like a company that is in third, fourth or fifth position -- far, far away from rising to the top.

But like I said earlier, being top of mind is not enough. You also have to burn an attribute in his mind. Now, a slight word of caution. Burning an attribute in your boss's or co-worker's mind is a double-edged sword. You have to make sure that you burn a positive attribute and not a negative one. Ries and Trout explain that it is very difficult or next to impossible to dislodge an attribute in ones mind once it has been established. If you go into the workplace and the attribute you burn in your boss's mind is tatamad tamad ka (you're lazy), mahirap kang pakisamahan(you're not a team player), or di ka mapagkakatiwalaan (you're not trustworthy) then chances are, that attribute will stick in his mind for years to come and you'll have a hard time rising to the top.

How many classmates do you know have been branded "lazy", "a flirt", "playboy", "cheater" etc. Think about it, no matter how hard they try to change their image, it just sticks and is so hard to dislodge from your mind isn't it? That's how powerful burning an attribute in the mind is, positive or negative.

So, key lessons if you want to rise to the top is, you have to be the first in their mind and you must burn positive attributes in their mind.

Discipline

This leads me to the question, "What attribute should you burn in the minds of the people in today's world?" There are many attributes that I would have wanted to share with you, but in the interest of time, I will focus on two.

The first one is the attribute of discipline. If we want to be able to compete not only with our peers, but with the best in the world, we have no choice. As a person, as a people, and as a country, we have to be disciplined.

Discipline is a very fascinating thing. In the world of competition, you're always competing with somebody else. There is Smart competing with Globe, There is GMA competing with ABS-CBN, there is Sony competing with Samsung, and the list goes on. But when it comes to discipline, you are not competing with anybody else. You are only competing with yourself. And if you lose, guess who actually loses, only you.

A year and a half ago, I went to a leadership conference in Singapore that put together and assembled some of the best speakers in the world. I actually had to pay a huge amount-probably my whole month's salary-just to be able to enter that conference. Al Ries was speaking. Film legend, Francis Ford Coppola was speaking, Rudy Giuliani, who led New York to rise from the 911 crisis, was speaking and Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore was one of the speakers.

I wanted to listen to Lee Kuan Yew and what he had to say. Lee Kuan Yew shared how he built Singapore from nothing to where it is today. He shared that Singapore, barely a generation ago, was far worse than many of its peers. But today, it is an economic superpower. He narrated that when he first started to lead Singapore, he asked his think tank to visit neighboring countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and figure out what they don't have. He said they all came back with one conclusion: These countries lacked discipline. So to differentiate Singapore from its neighbors, he decided to build his country on discipline. This meant that if Singapore promised something to its people, to its foreign investors, and to other countries, it will be fulfilled. A disciplined country and a disciplined people-that's what he built Singapore on.

Discipline is a very important attribute all of us must have to be able to bring this country up from where it is today. If you want to reach your goals and dreams, you cannot do it without discipline.

One of my good friends is the president of Alaska Milk, Fred Uytengsu. I used to see him on the baseball field when he used to coach his son's team and I was an assistant for my son's team. One day, I saw him wearing a shirt that said, "If you don't have discipline, you don't deserve to dream." No matter how harsh it may seem, the point is true. If you're 350 lbs. overweight and you're dreaming to become the next big hunk, but you don't have the discipline to watch what you eat, to exercise, and to make it happen, it isn't going to happen. Don't even bother dreaming, if you don't have the discipline to make it a reality. You'll just get frustrated. That's how important discipline is in achieving success.

In the world of business, discipline is defined as work ethic. I'd like to share with you an anecdote from a great man who epitomized what work ethic is all about. Thomas Alva Edison. At the age of 82, the President of the United States said it was about time he was honored with an award for his lifetime work. So they put together a huge event in honor of Thomas Alva Edison. Being 82, he felt a bit sick that night and fainted. Good thing they were able to revive him and he was still able to go up on stage. Edison upon accepting the award simply said, "I am tired of all this glory. I want to get back to work." 82 years old, and all he can think of is going back to work.

That is work ethic. That is discipline. And that is one of the attributes we need to burn in people's minds if we are to rise to the top.

Execution

The second attribute we should burn is execution. We need to be able to drive in the minds of the people that we work with that we are the "go-to" guy. That if they want to make something happen, you are the guy to go to, because you are the person who can execute. Execution is one of the attribute that will help you rise to the top.

I'd like to quote one of the greatest mentors of all time who said to his pupil: "Luke, there is no try. There is either do or not do." You know who that is? That is Yoda teaching Luke Skywalker of Star Wars one of the most important lessons in life: execution or making it happen.

An icon of execution, of course, is Michael Jordan. He is arguably one of the greatest basketball players that ever lived, but not without getting the ball, taking that shot, and executing the play. Can you imagine what would have happened to Michael if all he ever did was to plan on shooting the ball but never did? One of the things you have to remember about execution though is that it doesn't mean you have to be successful every single time. Part of execution is learning how to fail yet rising up again.

Michael Jordan says this, "I missed more than 9,000 shots in my career and lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions, I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life, and that's precisely why I succeed."

When you go out to the real world, you will realize that there are many people out there who have great ideas and great plans. And that is good. But like I always tell my team in PLDT, what separates the good from the great is execution. We can spend endless hours and tons of money strategizing, planning, team building, and analyzing to come out with a great plan. But until we execute that plan, that's all it will ever be, a plan.

When something goes wrong in a company, the question the leader or the CEO almost always asks is not, "Who has the best grades?" "Who has a diploma?" "Who has all the awards?" "Who is the summa cum laude?" "Who graduated from an Ivy league school?" The CEO just asks one question: "Who can get the job done?" That, dear graduates is the importance of execution.

Let's learn a lesson from Mickey Mouse. Well, maybe not from Mickey, but from his originator, Walt Disney. Walt had four mantras: dreaming, believing, daring, and then doing. Of the four, "doing" is what turns everything into a reality. Walt said, "Dreaming, believing and daring without doing is just like Dumbo, the elephant, without ears. It just won't fly. ABRAKADABRA will never work." Only execution does.

Descending to the Top

In my UP speech, I talked to them about "what's better than," and I juxtaposed what's better than this versus what's better than that. Now, all of us want to ascend to the top. No doubt about it. And we should. We should plan on ascending all the way to the top. But I will pose the same question I did three years ago: "What's better than ascending to the top?" The answer is DESCENDING to the top.

That may actually baffle a lot of your minds. "What is he talking about?" "How can descending to the top be better than ascending to the top?" It is a biblical principle. The Bible tells us that he who wishes to be the greatest must be the servant of all. That is the concept of descending to the top. What I want to share with you is that as you rise to the top, the more you have to be a servant. The keyword is humility. The more you start rising to the top, the more humility needs to become an important place in who you are and in your life.

I want to share with you what happened to Steve Jobs the founder of Apple computers and now the Ipod. We all know what a great visionary Steve Jobs is. But if we chronicle his career, Steve Jobs, as he was ascending to the top, as he was rising towards greatness, forgot all about humility. While he was hitting his peak, all he thought about was how great he was, how fantastic he was, and how the world and his company revolved around him. That is ascending to the top. The higher you go, the bigger your head.

What happened to Steve Jobs as he hit the peak? He was driven out of his company both in failure and in disgrace. Then after having failed in many other endeavors, he started again and went on to make an indelible mark in the entertainment industry, and with the extraordinary success of the iPod, regained his reputation as the "greatest innovator of the digital age". And so Steve Jobs, after having ascended to the top and then unceremoniously booted out, now gets the chance to lead Apple again. But something was different about the man this time. People started to feel Steve had changed. And so in a big conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, there he was, listening to the chants of his people, demanding him to come back and run Apple again. Let me share with you how the new Steve answered the call. No longer ascending to the top, but understanding what descending to the top is all about. And I will quote from the book, "Icon: The greatest second act in business".

For the first time in his public life, there on stage, Steve appeared genuinely touched when the people were starting to ask him to come back and take the CEO position. He wasn't brash or cocky anymore. Maybe his four kids and the complete failure of a company and the near failure of another taught him something. There on stage, he fought back the tears as he mumbled something to make it clear that yes, even Steve Jobs can change.

He had made the transition into a world where feelings and passion could partner with business and technology. Steve Jobs said, "You guys are making me feel funny right now. I get to come to work with the most talented people on the planet at Apple and Pixar. The best job in the world! But these jobs are team sports. I cannot do it alone; I can only do it with a team."

A team sport. Fifteen years ago, it would have been a lie. It would have been all about him and how great he was. But now, everything was different. He now understood that it was really the many others who helped him succeed. He did realize it wasn't all about him. That Apple is a team sport.

That is descending to the top - the higher you fly, the lower the ego.

If you're able to get a copy of Time Magazine's issue where they declared who their Man of the Year was for 20005 you'll see their choice was Bill Gates. But not because of what Bill Gates has done for Microsoft. Not because he revolutionized the computer industry. But because of what Bill Gates has started to do for humanity. If you read that article, Bill realizes that this is probably the generation where if health care were given enough resources, he can actually make a big difference in millions of people's lives. And that has become the man's passion and advocacy, donating billions to uplift the health of poverty stricken nations. This today is what truly defines him; no longer his technological achievements. It is now about serving and helping other people. In other words, descending to the top.

A heart for our Country

Finally, as you rise to the top you should never lose your heart for our country.

I always tell my team in PLDT, that yes, we have a business to run, but let us never forget we also have a country to serve. And that is the same thing I will tell you as you guys rise to the top. You will have businesses to run, you will have your own careers to take care of, and you will have your own dreams to pursue, but never forget you have a country to serve.

You may ask, "How? How do I serve the country?" One way is actually quite simple. I'll give it to you in one word. If you are great, if you are smart, if you are the best, if you have a Silliman education, then, please STAY. Just stay in the country. You would have actually done a great service to our country just by staying.

But if you can't stay, or you don't want to stay, that's fine. If you think you want to make it out there in the world, that's a-ok with me. But I want to ask two things of you.

First, go out there and show the whole world how great the Filipino is. In whatever field you're in, prove to the world how special we Filipinos truly are.

Second, don't just plan to COME back. Plan to GIVE back to the country. If you do that, if every Filipino who goes out there into the world -- and there are millions of us already -- proves to everybody how great the Filipino is, and not only plans to come back, but actually plans to give back to this country, in less than one generation, we will be an even greater nation.

I will end with what I told the UP students in 2003. You must be asking yourselves, "How do I reach my dreams?" or "How far can I go?" I told them this: In the last 42 years of my life, I have realized one thing, "There is no destination beyond the reach of those who walk with God."

So when you go out there in the world, take God's hand and walk with him. Because when you do, whatever destination it is you are hoping to reach, if God walks with you and takes you through, there will be no destination beyond your reach.

To the graduating class of 2006, I will meet you at the top and nowhere else!

10 Hot cities for job growth in the US

2006-06-03T20:01:00.000+08:00

CNN Money has recently released it's list of top 10 U.S. cities for job growth through 2015.

The ten cities are:
1. Las Vegas
2. Orlando
3. Riverside
4. Austin
5. Phoenix
6. Jacksonville
7. Tampa
8. Dallas/Fort Worth
9. Charlotte
10.Atlanta

Here are the cities in order of projected job growth:

Las Vegas
Projected job growth: 35.5%
Median household income: $59,050
Median housing cost: $319,000
Employers to watch:
Citibank
Harrah's
MGM Mirage
US Airways
Wynn Resorts

Orlando
Projected job growth: 28.3%
Median household income: $55,100
Median housing cost: $257,000
Employers to watch:
Darden Restaurants
Hughes Supply
Walt Disney
NBC Universal
Lockheed Martin

Riverside
Projected job growth: 26.7%
Median household income: $55,650
Median housing cost: $400,000
Employers to watch:
AT&T
Kaiser Permanente
Southern California Gas
Harte-Hanks
The Press Enterprise

Austin
Projected job growth: 24.7%
Median household income: $68,600
Median housing cost: $167,000
Employers to watch:
AMD
Dell
Samsung
Toyota
Whole Foods Market

Phoenix
Projected job growth: 24.3%
Median household income: $58,300
Median housing cost: $259,000
Employers to watch:
Apollo Group
Honeywell
Intel
Phelps Dodge
Wells Fargo

Jacksonville
Projected job growth: 20.8%
Median household income: $57,700
Median housing cost: $200,000
Employers to watch:
Bank of America
CSX
Fidelity Financial
Winn-Dixie Stores
Wachovia

Tampa
Projected job growth: 19.7%
Median household income: $52,150
Median housing cost: $214,000
Employers to watch:
Bank of America
U.S. Central Command
Outback Steakhouse
Raymond James Financial
Verizon Communications

Dallas/Fort Worth
Projected job growth: 19.4%
Median household income: $65,000
Median housing cost: $137,300
Employers to watch:
Affiliated Computer Services
Electronic Data Systems
JC Penney
Southwest Airlines
Texas Instruments

Charlotte
Projected job growth: 19.0%
Median household income: $62,500
Median housing cost: $184,000
Employers to watch:
Bank of America
Wachovia
Duke Energy
Nucor
Goodrich

Atlanta
Projected job growth: 18.8%
Median household income: $69,300
Median housing cost: $184,000
Employers to watch:
BellSouth
Cox Communications
Home Depot
SunTrust Banks
UPS

It's funny how the article mentioned that the key factor for job growth in these 10 cities are the new subdivisions, and infastructures to support it's new residents. And that these kinds of work need to be delivered locally so the possibility of it going offshore is minimal.

Comparing that to the Philippines, it's noticeable to see the big difference. For us the life support of job growth are foreign investments (vs. for them being based on housing growth) and that jobs we hold are those that are provided offshore (vs. them who rely on local delivery).

I don't know but that made me think...are we really on our way to economic growth...or is the growth we claim actually the opposite of what successful nations think is growth?

Dowry?

2006-06-02T21:32:00.000+08:00

Have you ever wondered how the dowry originated? If you do read on...

A dowry—the money or property a bride brings to her husband at marriage—was common throughout much of the ancient world, and also flourished in medieval Europe.

In many places around the world, weddings were formal occasions, accompanied by much gift giving and ritual. The practice of dowries apparently originated when a bride's parents gave her presents. As time went on, the dowry developed various functions. A dowry of household goods often helped the newly weds set up their own home. A dowry of property or jewelry would help the wife support herself if her husband died. Generally, the husband returned the dowry to his in-laws if he and his wife divorced or if his wife died childless.

Sometimes, the groom's family paid for the bride, often to compensate her family for the money spent raising her. If the bride had been a valuable worker, her family was sometimes compensated for the loss of her economic support.

Romans, who had complicated traditions governing marriages, had specific dowry laws. Traditional Chinese and Hindu engagements and weddings were also governed by specific rules and considerable ritual.

Today, traditional wedding observances are losing ground all over the world. However, some traditional cultures, including gypsies, many Hindus, and certain African societies, continue to see dowries as a usual part of marriage.

Dinka Perform the Dowry Dance

In the African nation of Sudan, Dinka tribesmen celebrate an engagement with a party. During the dowry dance, men try to impress the family of the bride by jumping as high as possible.

Traditionally, the family of the groom has offered cattle, often as many as 100 animals, to the family of the bride. Families of men competing for the affection of one young woman would try to outdo each other by offering more cattle than their rivals. However, the brutal civil war that has been raging in the Sudan for the past 40 years has so disrupted agriculture that cattle are rarely given. Instead, families pledge to give cattle once the war is over and they are again able to do so.

Gypsies Announce the Engagement with a Necklace

A groom of the Roma people, or gypsies, pays the bride's family for the loss of their daughter. The bride price also ensures that the bride will be well treated by her new family. Negotiations between the families of the bride and groom can become quite extensive, with the bride's father calculating how much his daughter has cost him since her birth, and how much she could be expected to earn during her lifetime.

When agreement is reached, a ceremony, called a pliashka, is held. The groom's father brings a bottle of wine or brandy wrapped in a colorful silk handkerchief and attached to a necklace of coins. He puts the necklace around the bride's neck and embraces her. This indicates that she is now engaged and unavailable to any other man. The wine is drunk, but the bottle is refilled for use at the wedding ceremony.

Hindus Honor Their Ancestors

According to Hindu tradition, a young man repaid his debt to his ancestors by marrying. Therefore, everything surrounding a wedding, including the dowry, was imbued with ritual meaning.

Brides lived with their husband's family and poor families often saw the bride as another pair of hands. Therefore, the groom's family compensated the bride's family for their economic loss. On the other hand, in Brahman, or upper caste, households, the bride was seen as a burden, requiring the support of her husband's family. The bride's family had to pay the groom's family with a dowry for taking her off their hands. Traditional wedding rituals are often followed today in India, especially in rural areas.

Chinese Observed "Three Letters and Six Etiquette"

Traditionally, Chinese courtships and weddings followed complicated traditions, known as "Three Letters and Six Etiquette." The engagement became official when the groom's family presented betrothal presents, also known as "tea gifts," to the bride's family. These might have included a fruit basket, dried seafood, tea, a roast suckling pig, tobacco, and wine. The bride's family sent a dowry—clothes, jewelry, household decorations, linen, or kitchen utensils—to the groom's family shortly before, or at, the wedding ceremony.

Jewish Brides Wore Their Dowries

Historically, Sephardic Jewish brides in the Middle East received gifts of jewelry both from their own and their husband's families. The sole property of the bride, this jewelry was an insurance policy in the event of a divorce or hard times. Well-off women were sometimes literally bedecked from head to toe with hair ornaments, bracelets, rings, toe rings, and pendants of gold and precious stones.

Some jewelry served a dual purpose. Certain designs and stones were also amulets, to ward off disease or evil. Women generally wore their wealth constantly, since it was safer than storing it at home. In public, the jewelry was hidden behind voluminous scarves. In fact, some anthropologists believe the custom of the veil originated because women wanted to hide their finery from preying eyes. These customs generally died out in the 20th century.

Eastern Europeans Painted the Bridal Furniture

During and after the Middle Ages, young Eastern European girls in rural areas typically received a dowry bed when she turned 12, followed by a wardrobe the next year. Furniture was often painted with designs representing family history and specific regions. Brides often entered marriage with enough goods to set up a household. Grooms received livestock and tools, so they could begin farming.

Clear Laws Governed the Roman Matrimonium

The ancient Romans recognized different types of marriage. An in manum marriage meant the bride and all her property came under the control of her husband. If the marriage was not in manum the bride's father controlled her and her property. Dowries were generally agreed upon at the time of betrothal, and paid after the wedding. The bride's family paid a dowry to the groom. The groom gave his bride a gift, often money, and an iron engagement ring, anulus pronubis.

Marry month of June

2006-06-01T21:17:00.000+08:00

It's the Marry month of June...and brides line up churches to get married! Was browsing and found these great trivias about the many wedding rituals we are all familiar with!

Most wedding traditions, like throwing rice and eating cake, started long ago. Here are some of the stories behind the rituals.

Bridal dress
Wearing a new white dress to be used only for a wedding ceremony is a tradition that is only about 150 years old. Before that, few women could afford a dress they would wear only once.
White traditionally symbolizes youth and innocence.
Red and orange are popular in Asia and the Middle East, where they are considered joyful and festive colors.

Cake
Using wheats and grains in the making of wedding cakes is an ancient symbol of fertility.
In ancient Rome a thin loaf of bread was broken over the marrying couple's heads. The crumbs were saved and taken home by the guests as tokens of good luck.
Tiered wedding cakes originated in old England, where the bride and groom kissed over a stack of little cakes.

Canopy
The canopy used in Jewish weddings is called a huppah. The couple and the rabbi stand under the cloth canopy during the wedding ceremony; it is a symbol of the couple's future home.

Flowers
Ancient Roman brides wore bunches of herbs under their veils as symbols of fidelity.
Orange blossoms are symbols of happiness and fertility because the orange tree blooms and bears fruit at the same time.
Roses are the flowers of love, making June, the month of roses, the most popular wedding month.
The early Greeks believed ivy to be the sign of everlasting love. It is still used to trim wedding bouquets.

Flower girls
Flower girls first appeared in wedding ceremonies in the Middle Ages. Two young girls—usually sisters—dressed alike, carried wheat before the bride in the procession. Later on, flowers replaced the wheat and it became customary for the flower girls to strew petals at the bride's feet.

Glass breaking
At the end of a Jewish wedding ceremony a wine glass is covered with a white cloth and laid on the ground. The groom breaks it by stomping on it. This symbolizes the destruction of the ancient Jewish temple. It is a reminder of the seriousness of marriage and that it cannot be reversed.

Honeymoon
This first vacation taken by a newly married couple dates back to very early times when a groom wanted to hide the wife he had captured.
The Teutons, an ancient German tribe, gave the honeymoon its name. After the wedding ceremony, honey was drunk until the moon waned.

Rice throwing
Rice is a symbol of fertility and long life. Guests throw it at the bride and groom as a wish for children and a good life. Other good luck charms are confetti, orange blossoms, corn, barley, chickpeas, and dates and figs to sweeten the marriage.

Rings
Engagement rings originated from the custom of exchanging rings to seal an important agreement.
Rings are circular and without end to symbolize eternal love.
A wedding ring is worn on the third finger of the left hand because it was believed that a vein or nerve ran directly from this finger to the heart.

Veils
Roman brides wore veils 2,000 years ago. Veils were worn as a sign of modesty and secrecy and were removed only by the husband after the wedding ceremony.
The first American woman to wear a wedding veil was Nelly Custis, Martha Washington's daughter. She wore the veil to please her husband-to-be, who had complimented her on how pretty she looked when seen through a lace-curtained window.
In some Eastern countries a veil is placed between the man and woman throughout the wedding ceremony. This ensures that they cannot see or touch one another until after the marriage.

Indonesia Quake

2006-05-30T08:23:00.000+08:00

My heart is aching for the victims of the recent tragedy that hit Indonesia. The latest headline from CNN.com reads: "Indonesian disaster death toll tops 5,100, with 6,500 badly hurt"

Quoting CNN again:

The 6.3-magnitude quake, which struck close to the former Javanese royal capital of Yogyakarta, has so far killed 5,136 people, seriously wounded 6,504 and left 100,000 homeless, according to the country's Social Affairs Ministry. Another 2,081 suffered minor injuries.

This is just around a year and a half after the tsunami that hit the country together with other countries in Southeast Asia, India and even part of Africa.

Was browsing around the net trying to get more info on earthquakes when I found this wikipedia page about the Pacific Ring of Fire, map shown below

I quote:

The Ring of Fire is a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that encircles the basin of the Pacific Ocean. It is shaped like a horseshoe and it is 40,000 km long. It is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, island arcs, and volcanic mountain ranges and/or plate movements. It is sometimes called the circum-Pacific belt or the circum-Pacific seismic belt.

90% of the world's earthquakes and 81% of the world's largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire. The next most seismic region (5–6% of earthquakes and 17% of the world's largest earthquakes) is the Alpide belt which extends from Java to Sumatra through the Himalayas, the Mediterranean, and out into the Atlantic. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is the third most prominent earthquake belt.

The Philippines, including the most of Southeast Asia and Japan is inside this ring of fire. But knowing the Philippines, we do not really take preparation very seriously. I agree with what Alejandro R. Roces said in his article in Philippine Star today, to quote:

So far we have been lucky. Metro Manila has been spared of both typhoons and earthquakes. But it is only a matter of time before one or both disasters happen again. This time we should be ready. We can take the necessary measures to minimize the accompanying damage.

I hope as we send our own delegates to Indonesia to help them battle out this disaster, we do not forget the looming threat we have back home. We need to educate our people again to be prepared, to always make sure we are ready with what mother nature will throw our way. And lastly, I believe on the power of prayer, so that he will always protect us from natural calamities and disasters

State of today's retail, according to consumers worldwide

2006-05-14T08:36:00.000+08:00

Just want to share a reading from Inquirer regarding the current trends on the retail industry...a very good read I must say

Published on page B2 of the May 7, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

AUTHOR and science of shopping guru Paco Underhill recently talked about interesting developments in the retail industry based on his clients worldwide:

1. Cutting edge of retail is generally where money is young.

Underhill stated money is not young in London, Paris, Frankfurt and New York. But it is young in Moscow, Dublin, Sao Paolo, Mexico City, Shanghai, Mumbai.

2. One of the primary motivations of construction is how to control labor costs.

Labor cost is not an issue in places like the Philippines, Mexico and Brazil. "Emerging markets are less likely to look to Europe and North America for ideas. Emerging markets need to start leading."

3. How do I fit into a multi-tasking life?

Underhill stated "value is not just a price issue. Price is not the only factor that determines whether a person will buy a product, consumers are looking at values and merits."

4. The Ma and Pa stores are booming.

Consumer firms acknowledge that these stores will be a major contributor to sales growth.

5. Social stratification of retail is over.

Underhill stated that in the past, the rich do not cross over to shopping in mass-based shops, but today, "Forbes Park residents are comfortable buying a Coke from a sari-sari store."

6. Used is cool.

The popularity of used clothes or ukay-ukay is not just a trend in the Philippines. Underhill said there are stores in Japan that span several floors, selling used clothes, ebay and Craig's List carry second hand items for sale.

7. Finding new ways to sell the same stuff.

8. Lingerie and mobile are the hottest products.

9. Most staff in emerging market are highly motivated, well-educated, and trainable and loyal.

10. The use of shopping carts is declining as shopping missions change. Consumers go to stores more often in the 21st century than 20 years ago. Design for private labels is one of the opportunities in Philippine packaging.

11. Family eating rituals are changing.

12. Shoppers of clothes are two kinds—those who buy for special occasions; and those who buy for everyday wear.

"Many labels fall in love with the Saturday night market but the market is the Monday to Friday."

13. The emerging market innovation is finding ways to get beyond the price. Underhill cited the Roppongi Hills mall which is a shopping complex, library, art museum, commercial office, hotel, residential place in one.

14. Selling to women. Shops have to adjust to the women market in terms of design, amenities and better understanding of why women shop.

15. Design alone is not the answer—the fastest growing retail channel are anti-design.

16. Mall owners need to evolve from landlords to place-makers —owning malls is not just about real estate and collecting rent.

17. It's important for businesses and their staff to be having fun because chances are consumers are having fun too.

18. It is all about solutions—understanding and innovating at the point of sale; learning how to compete with everyone; balancing global needs with local identities.

M.Q. Espino

An invitation

2006-05-13T00:43:00.000+08:00

I have finally decided to buy the domain Maniladailyphoto.com...so come on visit my new home at Manila Daily Photo

Now that I have a new "home" I'm thinking of migrating this old blog over there too...I think it will relatively be easy...let's see :)

The Gospel of Judas

2006-04-14T16:42:00.000+08:00

This is one of my longest weekend so far this year! I was on leave starting Tuesday of this week and through the four days without work (can you believe I am not at the beach!!), the National Geographic has been my constant companion.

I was able to catch The Gospel of Judas from National Geographic last night. I was skeptical to watch it at first, but decided to see it just to satisfy my curiosity. It was a two hour special that discusses...well...the gospel of Judas. The first hour of the program run giving a background on how the 66-page codex was most likely found (they do not know for sure how it was found) and a discussion on it's authentication. At the end of the first hour, it is pretty convincing that the codex is authentic. The second hour then discusses on the contents of the gospel.

I would have to direct you to this site to get more information about the gospel, as I don't think I can explain it in detail as objective as I want to be. What I can only say is that up to some extent, I agree that Judas should not be condemned as he is now because he was just an instrument, so that Christ can fulfil his mission of saving the world. I'm having doubts now that thinking like that may fall conflict to my faith, but watching the show made me realize there may be some things out there worth exploring and worth keeping an open mind on.

Do you believe it?

Skydreamers Events Management

2006-04-08T11:12:00.000+08:00

At last! Last week, we officially launched Skydreamers Events Management. I'm very excited about this! I've teamed up my highschool friend who is also very passionate about events management to put up this new biz! Both of us has put so much time and effort, and brainworks on this so we can help bride and grooms preparing for their big day to have a smooth and hassle free wedding!

And as a special treat, we are treating early bookers to the following promo:

50% Off OTD coordination
Regular Price: P16,000
Promo Price: P8,000

25% Off Semi coordination
Regular Price: P30,000
Promo Price: P22,500

25% Off Full coordination
Regular Price: P40,000
Promo Price: P30,000

I do hope many will avail of this promo as this is really a great deal and will last only until July-2006.

More info for on this below:

ONE-MONTH or ON THE DAY COORDINATION:

This service is done when the Bride and Groom have already signed contracts with various vendors, but would like someone else to oversee the implementation of the arrangements and make sure everything will run smoothly and stress-free

Scope of services:
1. Pre-event meetings with the Bride and Groom 1 to 2 months before the wedding
2. Unlimited bridal consultation starts upon booking
3. Refer reliable wedding vendors
4. Require the client to turn over all final contracts signed by them to GM for review and follow-ups
5. Confer with the client and the vendors on the details of the arrangement, layout, set-up, etc.
6. Instruct entourage of their duties and responsibilites. Wedding rehearsals are optional and must be scheduled in advance
7. Provide advice to the client in dialoguing with vendors
8. Ocular inspection to the ceremony-reception site and coordination with client identified suppliers.
9. Provide inputs, script, direct, arrange flow of reception program
10. Provide client a complete bridal kit.
11. On-the-Day Coordination is applied on three locations (Bridal Suite, Church & Reception)
12. Includes the following persons:

1 church coordinator
1. Coordinates with the church's in-house coordinator/s
2. Coordinates with the musician/singer for the ceremony details
3. Coordinates with the photographers/videographers
4. Receives and lines up the entourage members
5. In-charge of the distribution of the flowers/missalet/other paraphernalia to the members of the entourage
6. Cues the ceremonial participants
7. Transforms to a reception coordinator after the ceremony

2 reception coordinators (including the church coordinator)
1. Makes sure that the layout and amenities are delivered well
2. Coordinates with all the suppliers for the reception (e.g. venue, caterer, sounds, etc.)
3. Accepts and prepares a record of gifts received during the reception
4. Act as usherettes during the reception
5. Makes sure that the program goes exactly as planned
6. Cues the participants
7. Assists the emcee as to the program flow
8. Assists in the distribution of souvenirs
9. Monitors the number of guests

1 event and technical director (Basic Reception Program)
1. Cues the musicians according to the program
2. Directs the entire reception program
3. Prepares and manages all the technical requirements of the reception such as the choices of songs, lcd and avp requirements.

1 bridal manager
1. Makes sure that the bride follows the schedule given
2. Cues the wedding suppliers present regarding their respective schedules
3. Serves as confidante when needed
4. Communicates with the event manager at the church to make sure that she leaves on time
5. Can handle supplier’s payments for the couple

Rate: P16,000

SEMI-COORDINATION:

Reservations and at least 50 % of the details have already been arranged with suppliers. This package includes follow-up calls, additional canvassing, and personal visits to suppliers, on the day management, emceeing and event directing. Starts at least 4 months prior to the event.

Scope of services:
1. Physical presence during the negotiations and contract signing
2. Canvassing and recommendations of the best suppliers
3. Assists in the setting up of bridal registry
4. On the day wedding coordination applies

Rate: P30,000

FULL COORDINATION:
The couple only has a date in mind; we will provide complete assistance from venue, to the minutest details of the wedding. We will assume the position of being a full-time consultant giving you advices or suggestions on etiquette, latest wedding trend while blending with culture, custom and tradition. Includes conceptualization to the program flow, on the day management and directing. Full preparation and planning starts at least 6 months prior to the event.

Scope of services:
1. Assist in budget management.
2. Assist in finding the perfect location: Church or Ceremony Venue, Reception Venue and/or Caterer
3. Refer and set-up appointment with various pre-screened Vendors, Wedding Gowns, Caterer, Printer, Florist, Cakes, Photographer, Videographers, Bridal Car, Sound System and others
4. Assist in negotiations and reviewing contracts with vendors
5. Assist in reviewing wordings, and addressing of invitations and sourcing of calligrapher
6. Assist in composing and selecting readings for the ceremony, misallete or wedding program.
7. Assist in dialoguing with venue manager and caterer for room layout plans, seating and place cards arrangements, floral arrangements, table set-up, musiciians, stage, microphone, audio-visual, dancefloor
8. Assist in selection of music for the ceremony, reception & dinner
9. Recommend and source out gifts for the principal sponsors and bridal entourage
10. Coordinate and confirm with all the vendors chosen in reviewing details of arrangements
11. Instruct all attendants of their duties during the ceremony and reception
12. Assist in conceptualizing Wedding reception program and preparing the wedding day Calendar
13. With Wedding Rehearsal
14. ON-THE-DAY COORDINATION & SEMI COORDINATION is applied

Rate: P40,000

Payment scheme:

50% upon contract signing (this is non-refundable). 50% one week before the wedding day.

Package Conditions:

1. Applicable only for 200 guests and below. There is an additional fee of One Thousand Pesos (Php1,000) for every 100 persons in excess.
2. Applicable for weddings within Metro Manila only. There would be an additional charge for out-of-town weddings. Final package fee is to be determined after considering all factors.
3. Food and beverage is excluded from the package fee. Client shall provide the meals for our team on the wedding itself (4-6 people).

Other related Services:
1. RSVP
2. Emceeing/hosting
3. Photo AVP
4. Bridal shower
5. Despedida de Soltera/Entourage dinner
6. Debut
7. Anniversaries
8. Special parties

You can make your life beautiful

2006-03-26T08:59:00.000+08:00

I am reading this beautiful book by Bo Sanchez. The books is a light read, only about 125 pages, but I find it full of heartwarming articles that really touches me deep down. I especially like that it is written very casually, so that as if the writer is just talking to you personally!

Many of the things written on this book, we already know...like saying "Thank you" often, and doing what your heart desires. But sometimes, due to the past paced world we live in, we totally forgot about these things and take things for granted. We need books like this to remind us that there are so much more in life than our careers, or deadlines, or projects. It reminds us that people around us may not be around tomorrow, so we have to express our love for them TODAY! The book reminds us to stop and have fun, because being happy is a choice.

I like this book because it lets me pause and enjoy the simple things around me...sometimes I forget, I take for granted, but hopefully I will change because I want to make not only my life but the life of the people around me beautiful :)

Gel's website is up!

2006-03-25T13:07:00.000+08:00

Gel's website is finally up! Well technically it's still under construction but atleast it's now running. Come on visit his site

GelMotilla Photography

Best wishes to my dear friend Mona

2006-03-18T22:26:00.000+08:00

And to her husband John Paul! I wish you both all the happiness and success in the world! I am so happy for you!!

The seventeenth

2006-03-17T13:24:00.000+08:00

Wow, can you imagine it's already been six months? They say time flies when you are with the person you love.

Thanks G and Ade

2006-03-10T22:57:00.000+08:00

Gel is really enjoying his photography. I see it in his eyes, everytime he comes home after a full day of shoot, his body looks tired, but his eyes are always shining.

He never gets tired of telling me how satisfying photography is, how happy he is hearing from his clients how happy they are of his work. He takes great pride and pleasure from sharing this one unforgettable event in a couple's life. He would tell me how he remembers our wedding and how he re-live it with our clients own wedding.

And I get a bonus too! These tags came from G and Ade, one of our clients. He took their prenup photos in EK, the same place where our own prenup was shot. Beautiful couple and beautiful tags!

Thanks G and Ade!

P.s. G and Ade make tags as a business, so if anyone of you find these cute tags interesting, just leave your contacts on the comments here and i'd be glad to give you their contact numbers.

I have a type A personality!

2006-02-26T18:39:00.000+08:00

You Have A Type A Personality

A

You are hyper, energetic, and always on the mood
You tend to succeed at everything you attempt
And if you don't succeed at first, you quickly climb your way to the top!

You could be called a workaholic, but you also make time for fun
As long as it's high energy and competitive, you're interested
You have the perfect personality for business and atheltic success

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

I have a type A personality! Yikes...this is definitely not good...not good at all!

We always hear about type A personalities but I have not really understood what it meant, so I researched a bit and found this site. An example of a type A personality follows:

One employee, an astute observer of human behavior, gives the following description of his boss Arthur:

"Arthur talks real fast at the rate of 140 words per minute or more. His voice is grating, harsh, irritating, excessively loud, and just generally unpleasant. His posture is tense with abrupt jerky movement. Every few minutes, he raises his eyebrows in a tic-like fashion. Likewise, every few minutes, he raises or pulls back one or both shoulders in a tic-like fashion.

His tongue is indented due to chronic pressure against the back of his upper incisor teeth. When he speaks, you can hear a click because he has to separate his tongue from his upper teeth in order to open his mouth. You can hear his breath as he continuously sucks in air to speak rapidly. He sighs as he exhales which is not a sigh of relief but a sigh of frustration and emotional exhaustion. He blinks every couple seconds. He frequently exhibits beads of perspiration on his forehead and upper lip even at normal room temperature.

The skin of his lower eyelid has become brown because of a diffuse and permanent deposit of melanin. His facial expression with glaring eyes and lowered eyebrows make him look hostile. His lower eyelid is raised permanently which makes him look like he's staring at you. He looks aggressive and determined because the muscles surrounding his mouth are always tight. His thin lips are slightly pulled on both sides, and a visible bulge is created by tense jaws which make him look angry with an artificial smile. He has a habit of rapidly retracting the sides of his mouth that sometimes bare his teeth."

Arthur exhibits all of the noted physical signs of type A behavior (TAB). In fact, consider Arthur as the personification of TAB. If Arthur does not change himself, he will have a cardiac disaster before the age 65. Note that the prediction of heart disease before age 65 for him is not a mere possibility, it is a certainty.

I have always had the impression that type A personalities are generally workaholic people, but I didn't know how extreme it can be! Yikes! I know i'm nowhere near the description above but thinking about it, I think I really have to make sure I do not develop into something like that!!

Arroyo declares State of Emergency

2006-02-25T17:59:00.000+08:00

I've resisted since yesterday to write about it, mainly because I don't know the ins and outs of it. I tried not to speak out my opinion on the matter, but, it seems i cannot.

Today, February 25, we commemorate the 20th anniversary of EDSA revolution, the peaceful revolution that ousted a 20 year dictatorship. It's just sad that 20 years after, I feel that Filipinos are still suffering from the after effects of those times.

Yesterday too, Pres. Gloria Arroyo put the entire Philippines in a state of emergency, because of threats of insurgency. Below is the full text of PROCLAMATION NO. 1017 DECLARING A STATE OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Friday, February 24, 2006 from the OPS website:

WHEREAS, over these past months, elements in the political opposition have conspired with authoritarians of the extreme Left represented by the NDF-CPP-NPA and the extreme Right, represented by military adventurists – the historical enemies of the democratic Philippine State — who are now in a tactical alliance and engaged in a concerted and systematic conspiracy, over a broad front, to bring down the duly-constituted Government elected in May 2004;

WHEREAS, these conspirators have repeatedly tried to bring down the President;

WHEREAS, the claims of these elements have been recklessly magnified by certain segments of the national media;

WHEREAS, this series of actions is hurting the Philippine State – by obstructing governance including hindering the growth of the economy and sabotaging the people’s confidence in government and their faith in the future of this country;

WHEREAS, these actions are adversely affecting the economy;

WHEREAS, these activities give totalitarian forces of both the extreme Left and extreme Right the opening to intensify their avowed aims to bring down the democratic Philippine State;

WHEREAS, Article 2, Section 4 of our Constitution makes the defense and preservation of the democratic institutions and the State the primary duty of Government;

WHEREAS, the activities above-described, their consequences, ramifications and collateral effects constitute a clear and present danger to the safety and the integrity of the Philippine State and of the Filipino people;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Republic of the Philippines and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested upon me by Section 18, Article 7 of the Philippine Constitution which states that: “The President…whenever it becomes necessary,… may call out (the) armed forces to prevent or suppress … rebellion…,” and in my capacity as their Commander-in-Chief, do hereby command the Armed Forces of the Philippines, to maintain law and order throughout the Philippines, prevent or suppress all forms of lawless violence as well as any act of insurrection or rebellion and to enforce obedience to all the laws and to all decrees, orders and regulations promulgated by me personally or upon my direction; and as provided in Section 17, Article 12 of the Constitution do hereby declare a State of National Emergency.

IN WITNESS HEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the Philippines to be affixed.

Done in the City of Manila, this 24th day of February, in the year of Our Lord, two thousand and six.

SIGNED:

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President
Republic of the Philippines

Changing headers

2006-02-24T19:22:00.000+08:00

Did you notice the graphic on the left side of the screen? Try clicking on refresh, did you see it? No? Try clicking refresh again, i'm sure now you've noticed it already!

Wee!! It changes! Nice eh?! Got it from here. Isn't this neat or what! If you want to do it go ahead! The instructions are pretty easy to follow so I'm sure you won't have any problem...heck I did! And did you also notice the photobucket strip on the top part of the screen? Nice huh? Got it from Photobucket, neat huh! These are all the graphics I used for the header. So if you just want to play around, try hitting refresh a couple of times...I'm sure you'd have fun!

Pictures like this make me sad :(

2006-02-21T14:35:00.000+08:00

My heart aches everytime I see photos like this. I just can't believe that the earth's resources are not enough to feed every single person. I don't believe that people are selfish enough to let a hungry child go hungry again and again. I don't believe that parents have the heart to see their children suffer!

Well that's the optimism in me talking. But day in and day out I continue to see children roam the street begging for a few cents they can use to buy food. I continue to see parents make dozens of children they cannot feed. And I continue to see photos like this...it makes my heart crush into pieces...

This photo made me feel so sad today…

My second inaanak

2006-02-19T17:45:00.000+08:00

Today is the christening of my second inaanak...Bon Mikell Matrimonio. Can you believe that?? This is just my SECOND inaanak! LOL! While all of my other friends complain of dozens of inaanak...I only have 2! I really can't believe it but its true! Here's his picture with his mom:

I have actually already dissected this topic a long time ago...when I noticed all my other friends have weekly binyagan to attend to...I on the other hand had weekly MASS to attend to! LOL! I think its because well, one, most of my friends are just starting to have kids...and two most of my relatives live far away from us either in the province or in QC or further north. Well QC is not far you say!! It is when you live in San Pedro Laguna!

Anyways, here's a photo I took of her with her mommy, my good friend from college, Belle. She has these super long, super curly eyelashes!! That's why we call her pirikit in highschool...well til now!

Mik-mik is her second baby...and a new one is coming too! She is again two month's preggy! Hehe sorry Belle, had to spill the beans! LOL! I said AGAIN because this will be her third baby, and she is just 3 years married! That's one baby yearly! Well her husband is a seaman and everytime her husband comes home she gets pregnant! We were joking her in December that for sure she'd get pregnant again because Mike (her husband) came home in December. She said yeah yeah she won't get pregnant, she even tried using pills I think! But we were right she got pregnant! And no we, her friends are not complaining! We are very happy for her and thinks this is great! Ask me again though after the eight year if we are still happy for her though :)

As the reception was wrapping up we kinday played with him...this photo is my fave!

That's him drinking sparkling cider! hehehe :)
So again Happy Christening Mik-mik! And I promise as your ninang, I will try (and I say try and not will) to be a good example for you and will help your parents to help you grow as a responsible and God fearing individual!

back from a long hiatus!

2006-02-18T22:40:00.000+08:00

I have always been good at multi-tasking. When i was in collage...I can study and watch TV at the same time, and still be able to answer the test questions the next day. So when I opened Manila Daily Photo, I was not a bit worried that I wouldn't have enough time to still maintain this blog. After all I didn't want to throw atleast a year and a half of blogging to trash!

But I have to admit, maintaining two blogs is soo hard! Maybe it comes with age...maybe I can't do as much as what I can do during my younger years. All my attention suddenly was focused to Manila Daily Photo that I "forgot" about this one...

But that will change now! I have updated the look of this site to start fresh again...and I am officially back!!

Coming back I thought I'd post one favorite photo, taken Dec 2004.

Under construction

2006-02-17T22:36:00.000+08:00

This site definitely needs a make-over! I have been working on the "new look" for quite some time now and figured I really have to get this going or i'll lose interest on finishing it altogether! So finally this is the finish product! A one layer blog! I wanted something very simple and very straight forward, one that would just showcase my writing and not a gazillion other links on the side. Now, you can click on the tabs above for the links to whereever you want to go! I'll write up a sitemap later on to show guests where everything is, but for the meantime, this is my finish product. This still needs a lot of work though, this is just the tip of the iceberg! Hopefully i'd be able to finish off everything before I get tired of doing things...CSS and HTML makes my eyes roll!

P.s. if you have any violent reaction with how ths layout is coming along, please do leave a message or e-mail me ok...

Manny Pacquiao beats down Morales

2006-01-22T15:05:00.000+08:00

Wooohooo!! Manny Pacquio won over Eric Morales!! Woohooo!!

Congratulations Manny Pacquiao! Mabuhay ang Pilipino!!

Photo and story from ABC News: read on http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=1530358

2006 - a sneak peek

2006-01-20T19:28:00.000+08:00

I know this post is a little bit late...but i didn't want to let January finish without laying down my plans for 2006.

There are a couple of things that pop straight out when I think of what I want to do or happen in 2006, first and most important is HAVING A BABY!! I definitely want to have a baby this year!

All the people around me and my husband are joining forces to pressure us to already have a baby. As if we are planning to not having!! Of course we trying to have a baby for pete's sake! But for some reason i don't know what it's just not happening!!

Second of course is in support of my husband's new venture, on photography. I have always loved to take pictures in the past...and have heard of compliments too about them, but I really have not thought of going full time with it. But now since my husband has plunged into it, I think it's just fair that I try to learn a few tricks of the trade so I can join him in his new found love. I'm giving myself this full year to learn, learn, learn and learn so that i can hopefully join him next year! I am somehow already starting...by opening my new blog, i'm forced to take one picture a day. I am hoping with this I can develop my artistic eye so that eventually I can apply it to professional photography.

Thirdly, I want to try and focus more of my time and energy to my work this year, last year, I have somehow been a little bit lax with work partly because of my preparations for the wedding. Not that I wasn't able to deliver on expectations, its just that I just delivered expectations. I didn't add anything more, in short I did not shine this year, which is bad I think because I was new to the job and had all the chances of being noticed by the big bosses. Now I realize that, that's why i say that this year, that will change, I want to be more aggressive and more hardworking. I want this to be my banner year at work!

Fourth, I want to improve on my digiscrapping skills too. This is one hobby that really gives me a lot of happiness and it really keeps me levelled off as far as stress is concerned. I will practice more, especially now that i'd have more pictures from me and my husband's photos.

Hmm I guess, this are really the major things I want to do this year, aside from trying to cook more and trying to do some gardening more. I'm hoping I'm not putting so much on my plate...but I know I can do it!

My theme song this year is...I believe I can fly!

neighbor problems

2006-01-15T08:18:00.000+08:00

Can i just rant about our neighbor!! I woke up 5am today, tried to go back to sleep but I just couldn't. So I logged on and just doodled with my new photoblog, anyways, around 7:30, i heard my mom shouting, screaming her tonsils out! I went down to see whats wrong...

Apparently, our neighbor, who is having an event today (christening i think), made a big mess in front of our house. We were having problems with this neighbor because of their "cleanliness" problem and this incident just blew her away! Her temper was waaay out over the top so I went and talked to this neighbor...but after that i wished i didn't! I mean talk about close mindedness and stuborness!! Grrr!! I usually maintain a cool attitude towards them but this time I was waaay out of my temper!! Grrr!! And to think its Sunday morning and I am preparing for church! Grrrr!!!

a photo a day

2006-01-12T08:24:00.000+08:00

Was browsing through the The Top 100 Bloggers Site when i found this blog: Paris Daily Photo. Waht a great site!! I love the daily pictures...plus this blog has links to similar blogs who does daily photos of the writer's own city! I love it!! Such a great idea!

You know what I'm thinking right? hehehe...i'll start a photoblog of Manila too! Well maybe not daily as of yet, as i'm stuck in Makati five days a week! But hopefully I can start a weekly photo, and then see if I can make it daily! Oohhh i hope I can!

Here's the link...

Manila Daily PhotoBlog

not feeling very well today

2006-01-08T11:25:00.000+08:00

i'm down with a flu today...not feeling very well. I feel soo dry all over...my nose runny, my head aching like crazy. I was planning to scrap today but my creativity (if i had any) is just not in sync today. Maybe tomorrow..i hope. I want to eat but my appetite is also down (i think this is the only good thing i get out of this whole sickness experience)!

I have not been sick for a long time...i don't know what or who got me sick this time. I came back from our Batangas trip last friday feeling sick already, but i shooed this away and still went out yesterday with Gel, maybe i shouldn't have and just stayed home to rest. But i didn't want to disappoint him as he was really looking forward to the trip the whole week.

I don't want to go to work tomorrow but i have an important meeting in the morning i have to attend. Maybe i'd take a half day leave and try to rest again in the afternoon. Agghh! Have so many things to do in the office!

Ok i'm blabbering...have to stop typing now...gotta rest...

Ciao!

Pontefino here we come!!

2006-01-05T12:54:00.000+08:00

Yey, we're leaving this afternoon for Pontefino in Batangas for a company teambuilding. Will be back tomorrow evening. See you!!

looking back 2005....yeah it was pretty good year

2006-01-02T11:50:00.000+08:00

2005 is gone, 2006 has just started. I am now back in the office, browsing through e-mails of all sorts, some work, some greetings, some photography related. Back to the "ordinary days" they say. But before I plunge deep into 2006, I can't help but look back to 2005. I know this is cliche but I can't help it.

Looking back, there is just so much that happened this year, many wonderful things, but also some not very good things. Things I'd definitely look back years after and get goosebumps. There are also things I'd rather forget. Whatever those moments are I know that these moments helped define my life in 2005 and my life many years forward.

In 2005, Gel and I got married. After nine years of being together, we finally got hitched! We were hitched at San Agustin Church, September 17, 2005 4:00pm. That day I married my best friend. Everything is still fresh in my mind, all the laughters, the tears, the joy, the ecstasy, who will ever forget their own marriage.

This year I transferred jobs. A job I feel more fulfilling, more involving, but also more demanding and challenging. But over-all I am happy with the change, exactly what I need and want. Gel also made a very important decision to change careers. We just recently launched his new biz, Gel Motilla Digital Photography, to fulfil his long time dream and passion. We are both very happy with his decision! His eyes are now twinkling like a kid whenever we are talking about it! I know he wants this for such a long time and I'm happy that now he is now turning this into reality. I can see his determination and I know he will succeed! I am now his part time secretary, can you belive! I'm taking calls, answering e-mails and updating his calendar...I didn't know how tiring it was to be a secretary before this but I'm happy to be able to help my husband dear!

This year I also took up a new hobby...digiscrapping! Hehe. Got it actually from Tin. I didn't know it is so much fun! I love how it makes me relax...and as an added bonus...I get to create something extraordinarily unique! I love it!!

Now to summarize, here is a layout I made:

And before the year ends another hobby pops my list...photography...of course because of my husband. Who knows maybe after a few years I wouldn't be just his secretary but his partner!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!!

Gel Motilla Digital Photography

2005-12-29T16:16:00.000+08:00

Today we officially launch my husband's very own photography biz! It's been his life long passion...we purchased yesterday his newest Canon digital camera to replace his old professional film cam! We are both very excited!!

So for February and March brides, he is offering his services free. His package includes:

1. Two Prenup shoots in or outside manila
2. Unlimited shots of:
a. Bride and groom's preparation
b. Church wedding ceremony
c. Photo shoot after church ceremony
d. Reception coverage
e. Dancing/after reception coverage
f. Inclusive of:
CD proof in high resolution
VCD format in photo slide show

We have not finalized the ordinary photo package but it would be very reasonable, in the range of 15k-20k for all services mentioned above plus album.

I already e-mailed this package to my co-W@Wies and there are already a few who volunteered! We even have a shoot at Vigan in February!! Soo excited! Of course I would tag along hehehe. As of now I am the official secretary of my husband LOL! But that's ok, everything to support my husband!

The new year is coming up fast...we'll sure be very busy next year!!

12-hour diaper protection?

2005-12-27T09:56:00.000+08:00

I've just remembered just now the Pampers commercial I saw on TV, it was for Pampers All Nights, P&G just recently launched this new line, I think to replace their Baby Dry line. It already uses the new blue cover which is used I think in the US already. It promises 12 hours protection (practically overnight protection) for your baby. Now I don't want to sound critical but even if it does deliver to its promise of 12 hours protection, as a mom, would you really subject your baby to such torture?? I don't think its hygienically safe, not to mention the health hazards it poses. Imagine all the bacteria growing on the diaper, and letting that touch your baby's skin, that is just plain is unthinkable to me, even downright dangerous! I'm not yet a mom but I must say thinking about this makes me shiver with alarm!

remembering the asian tsunami

2005-12-26T19:25:00.000+08:00

Today we commemorate the Asian Tsunami that struck south Asia and India exactly one year from today. Atleast 200,000 people mostly from Aceh, Indonesia died on that faithful day. A total of seven Filipinos also died, almost all from Thailand coast.

My prayers goes to all those people.

Excerpt from CNN.com on the story:

PHUKET, Thailand (AP) -- They came to frolic in the sun and surf, survived a hellish ordeal and now have returned to remember and feel as close as possible to those they lost to the Indian Ocean tsunami a year ago.

"I never thought I would come back. Every day I would cry," said Sharon Kelly, 49, whose husband pushed her on to a wall to escape a mammoth wave that rushed ashore at Patong Beach, in the Thai resort of Phuket a year ago Monday.

Click here for the full story

today is christmas!!

2005-12-25T19:55:00.000+08:00

Today is Christmas day! Who ever said "this is the most wonderful time of the year" is god! Trully this is the most wonderful time of the year. Everyone wears a smile if not laughter on this day. Children roam the streets with gifts on each arm, a pocketfull of candies (and most probably aginaldo) and a smile permanently stamped on their faces. I love the feeling of this day!

As for me, my day started with the traditional midnight mass with family. I have two families now, my "old" family - my mom and dad and sis, and my "new" family - my husband. Its heartwarming to be in the middle of these two, both I love with my all heart, and whom I know love me too with all their hearts. After mass, we raided the christmas tree and started opening gifts. My gifts are a bizzare mix this year, ranging from three sets of lotion, two bath shower gel, two blouses, a watch and a refrigerator magnet clip! Now this one last totally blow me off! I think people do think differently of you once you enter the "Married Life" stage hehehe.

This Christmas is definitely one to remember...not only because of the gifts, but because it's shared with the people I love! Now I can't wait for the next Christmas!!

Gotta go now! Gudnyt ya' all!

P.S. Six days to go and we'll celebrate another holiday - New Year!

dessert anyone?

2005-12-24T15:10:00.000+08:00

I found this perfect recipe for dessert: Glazed Gingerbread Cake from Diana's Desserts.Com. The picture looks soo yummy! Recipe shared below:

Ingredients:
1 cup plain chocolate biscuits (chocolate wafer cookies), crushed
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
500 grams (two 8 oz. packages) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup thickened cream, or heavy cream
200g (approximately 8 ounces) Toblerone chocolate (milk or dark chocolate), melted

Garnish:
Extra Toblerone chocolate (milk or dark chocolate), grated
Confectioners' sugar

Instructions:
1. Melt the 1/3 cup of butter.

2. Crush chocolate biscuits into crumbs.

3. Mix together the chocolate biscuit crumbs and melted butter. Press mixture into bottom of lightly greased 23cm (9-inch) springform pan. Place in refrigerator to chill.

4. Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer for 2 minutes or until smooth.

5. Place the chocolate in a small saucepan or in the top of a double boiler on low heat (water in bottom of double boiler should be at a slow simmer) and melt the 200g (approximately 8 ounces) of toblerone, stirring constantly.

6. Add the sugar, melted toblerone, and heavy cream to cream cheese and continue beating until thoroughly combined and very smooth.

7. Remove cheesecake base from refrigerator and spoon mixture into base. Smooth top of cake with a metal spatula. Refrigerate (in pan) for at least 4 hours or overnight.

8. Before seving, remove cheesecake from refrigerator and release sides of springform pan. Place cheesecake on serving platter and garnish with the extra grated Toblerone chocolate and dust top with confectioners' sugar (optional).

Tip:
The longer you leave the cheesecake in the refrigerator, the firmer it will be; 12 hours or overnight is best.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Today is also the birthday of my dear sister Chet! She turns 24 today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS!!

site remodelling, a new pet penguin and santa game

2005-12-23T22:32:00.000+08:00

I've made a few updates on the right side bar...added some deleted some. I added back the tag-board, hopefully it'll behave this time and not make problems. I changed the flickr badge to a vertical badge, and then added a bucket stamp. I also added a google ads, who knows maybe I can make money out of it. And I rearranged everything so it looks more organized. Hmm come to think of it...I didn't deleted anything....hahaha...LOL!

And I also joined Rice Bowl Journals and Pinoy Top Blogs
...these are Asian blog communities. I realized it's no fun reading only your own blog, its always nice to see how other people see life on another perspective.

If you have time please do scan my new side bar!

My darling husband is sleeping now...gotta join him...had a long day at work and i definitely need some zZZzz's! Gudnyt!!

Ooops I almost forgot...please click on my pet penguin on the lower side bar portion, you can feed him by hitting more on the site :)

One last before I go, I found this cutest game! Come on...you know you wanna play :) Object is to catch the falling gifts, but avoiding getting hit by the anvils. Use the left and right arrow keys to control Santa :) Enjoy!!

santa game from bunnyhero labs

digiscrap and food...sounds fun!!

2005-12-22T13:01:00.000+08:00

Today is my last day in the office, tomorrow i'd be at the plant for a halfday inventory count and i'm off to Christmas! Its been a fun week, shopping for gifts, giving and receiving gifts, and of course work on the side. I did one layout last Sunday I'd like to share with you guys.

I've always loved Christmas...I love all the Christmas lights around, the Christmas trees and decors you see on buildings and streets, its very heart-warming. After a day of hard work in the office, it’s nice to drive along lighted and decorated streets. The dancing Christmas lights makes me relax and think about home cooked meals served at noche buena, smoking hot puto bungbong and bibingka after misa de gallo...hhhmmmm...makes me feel so at home! I also especially love giving Christmas gifts as much as receiving them! I love to see a Christmas tree surrounded by lots of gifts! And I love opening all of the them on Christmas morning!

Hmm speaking of noche buena…I’ve been looking for recipes for our Christmas dinner. I though I’d make soup (most probably pumpkin soup), pasta, seafood and dessert. I found this great recipe from allrecipes.com for the pasta – Alfredo Blue. Thought I’d make this since I like blue cheese so much! Here’s the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 (16 ounce) package fettuccini pasta
1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 clove garlic, sliced
2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup heavy cream
1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
2. Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic in olive oil until golden. Remove garlic, and reserve oil.
3. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine blue cheese, Parmesan cheese, and cream. Stir until cheeses are melted. Stir in the oil from the garlic pan. Season with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
4. Toss sauce with hot pasta, and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Looks pretty easy to me. I’m sure I can handle this recipe. I am also doing one seafood…thought I’d do this recipe I found also at allrecipe.com

Calamari in Red Wine and Tomato Sauce

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds calamari, cleaned
4 cups tomato sauce
1 cup Chianti wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/3 cup grated Romano cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Separate the tentacles from the long body of the calamari, if not done already. Slice the body, or calamari tubes into rings about 1/2 to 2/3 inch thick, set aside.
2. In a saucepan, combine tomato sauce, red wine, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, black pepper, cayenne pepper, basil, and cheese. Simmer on medium low for about 30 minutes to give the alcohol in the wine time to evaporate, and all the flavors time to blend.
3. Add the calamari to the sauce. Continue to slowly simmer for about another 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Calamari is done when it is plump and more opaque. Do not cook on higher heat or for a longer period, as calamari is famous for becoming

Looks pretty simple too! Now my only problem is dessert…now this one needs to be special! I need more time on this...I'll try searching and update you again tomorrow ok! For now I have to go!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

*poof*

officially broke!

2005-12-20T16:06:00.000+08:00

I am 95% finished with my christmas shopping, only gifts left are those for my parents, but my sister is already buying that. And after a total of 3 days of christmas shopping...I am without a doubt officially broke! Gosh! I can't even start to think where my money went, gift for my officemates, my friends, my other friends, and I haven't even bought one thing myself!! Sheeshhh! My only alibi is that its in the spirit of Christmas. Plus of course the fact that the people close to my heart would be happy with the gifts I got them. That's a thought that warms my heart, and burned pocket!

**************************

We are watching SpellBound! My sister is buying the tickets this afternoon...i'm so excited! It's been ages since I last saw a magic show! This one looks really promising as the cast came straight from Las Vegas...I hope we enjoy it! I'm watching with my whole family, my mom and dad, sis and of course my husband! Really excited!!

This is me greeting you all again...MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

what a day

2005-12-17T21:07:00.000+08:00

This has been one looong day for me! It started around 3:30am, hubby and I woke up to attend the Misa de Gallo (did I spell that right??). (Just so everyone is in the same page, misa de gallo is the mass held at dawn which runs nine days before Christmas, it's a Filipino tradition.) Mass started at exactly 4am, yup we were late courtesy of yours truly...hehehe...tell me who can move quickly at 3:30am?? After the mass we drove around our place for about 45 mins looking for puto bungbong, my F-A-V-O-R-I-T-E! My christmas would not be complete without it! There is actually a vendor selling puto bumbong right outside the church but I wanted to buy those that has just been cooked...straight out of the bamboo...so we drove past it and looked for another one. Well we didn't find another one until 30mins of driving around. So much effort for puto bumbong you ask? NO! Hahaha...as i've said...it's my favorite! LOL! Poor hubby driving around so sleepy! But we finally found it and bought bibingka too. We got back to the house around 6am and feasted with the super yummy, super hot puto bumbong and bibingka! Aaahh I can still remember how it tasted the moment I took my first bite for the year! Priceless!

Of course after that hubby and I went back to sleep! Gel woke me at around 8am telling me we will go to Batangas for the Christening of one of our ninang's grandson. I was excited coz I know how these kinds of events are in the provinces, usually they are all out and flowing with food! Mmmm yummy!! With that on my thoughts I hurriedly took a shower and went to their house to pick up his dad who will be coming with us. Before lunch time we were already at Batangas and weaving our way through the loads and loads of food! You name it they got it...menudo...dinuguan...leche flan...fruit salad...and most especially...LECHON! Gosh I can't remember how I was able to gobble down all those food!

Ok by 4pm we were already on our way to SM Southmall to finally start on my christmas shopping. But since traffic was not moving at all along Zapote Road, we decided to turn back and just do the shopping the Festival Mall. Was not expecting i'd find anything as this Mall doesn't really have so much...but was really happy coz I was able to buy about 90% of my list! Yahoo!! That's a feat actually coz I'm super fickle minded about gifts that it usually takes me centuries to finish just one! But this time...I was finish at 6pm! Just two hours! Can't belive it myself until I saw the time! It must be all those people...there must be 10,000 people there...if it can fit 10,000 people! Geeshh! And boy did I got some great finds! Body Shop dropped their prices rock bottom! Was able to buy Dewberry Lotion, Fuzzy Peach and Dewberry Bath & shower gel and a shower gel for men. Greath ey! Plus I found this great combo pack at Zen Zest, a pair of oatmeal soap and hand sanitazer for under 100! Perfect for giveaways! I bought everything, well they had just nine left, will be back tomorrow for more definitely!

Ahh the joy of eating and the pleasure of shopping in one fabulous day! Who can ask for more!

I have not digiscrap to share with you today as i've been out the whole day

Gotta go now! Goodnyt ya all!

friday afternoon and more digiscraps

2005-12-16T16:52:00.000+08:00

It’s a very lazy day for me... forced to take a leave as I need to finish up all my VL credit, I still have 10 days…and I have only 15 days till end of December! If only I can take the remaining days off…but can’t! So much to do…so little time…as always.

I’ve wanted to go out and finish my Christmas shopping today, but lazy me, I didn’t. I still have tomorrow and Sunday…hope I’d be able to do it tomorrow. So without nothing else to do, I went digiscrapping. Or is it that I subconsciously plan everything, taking the leave, feeling lazy to go out, just to digiscrap? Heck I don’t know hehehe…one thing for sure I am happy girl today.

Look at layouts I did today.

This first one is a very selfish layout. Of course it’s one of my wedding pics again, this one taken by Emil Buencamino. I was looking for another pic of darling husband to put on the right side but I couldn’t find the right picture. You see he should be looking at the left side so that it would look like we are looking at each other, but there’s really none – in our 2,000++ pics – could I find a picture of him looking to the left. So to solve the problem…drop him! Hehehe

Second layout are two pictures of my photogs and videographers. The photo on the top part is Kix Tavora, although you couldn’t really see his face as he is turned backwards. Lower picture are Kix Tavora again, Emil Buencamino and CJ or Threelogy. Again you couldn’t see their faces coz their cams are on the way. So this layout doesn’t show anything at all! LOL!

Next layout is a green layout. I really love how the colors came out on this one. And the caption on top is just what I am thinking right now. I’m guilty of being workaholic, I always need to have something to do, that sometimes I tend to pass by the little things that really matters. So this is really a wake up call for me, a reminder to stop, and appreciate life.

Last layout is for the cute son of my friend Abi. I love his smile on this picture, I figured I’d make a layout of it. I used this hearty font I downloaded a couple of days before, perfect for this layout!

Here are two more pics I just played with… not sure if this is can be called a layout as I didn’t use any papers or elements, just added something to it, just want to share it too.

Ok that’s it. Before I go let me just post my credits for the layouts above

Pink and Brown Credits:
The One collection from Angela Barton (Angedawn designs) for all paper and flower cut-outs used.
Font: Scriptina and University Roman

Click…click…click credits:
Shabby Princess Moody Blues Kit
Font: Typewriter

Take time credits:
Chocolate covered mint Kit by Angie Briggs
Sentiment by Daniela Peuss "Simplicity" Kit

Baby's Smile Credits:
Sarah Batdorf Arboretum Guide Kit for the circles paper strips
Sinead Turner Flowergirl Kit for the blue paper
"Simplicity" Kit"By and © Daniela Peuss for the square boarder

Ok good ya all and happy weekend!

a story of love

2005-12-15T08:57:00.000+08:00

A beautiful story I want to share with you. Christmas is just 10 days away! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Freda Bright says, "Only in opera do people die of love." It's true.
You really can't love somebody to death. I've known people to die from
no love, but I've never known anyone to be loved to death. We just
can't love one another enough.

A heart-warming story tells of a woman who finally decided to ask her
boss for a raise in salary. All day she felt nervous and apprehensive.
Late in the afternoon she summoned the courage to approach her
employer. To her delight, the boss agreed to a raise.

The woman arrived home that evening to a beautiful table set with
their best dishes. Candles were softly glowing. Her husband had come
home early and prepared a festive meal. She wondered if someone from
the office had tipped him off. Or . did he just somehow know that she
would not get turned down?

She found him in the kitchen and told him the good news. They embraced
and kissed, then sat down to the wonderful meal. Next to her plate the
woman found a beautifully lettered note. It read: "Congratulations,
darling! I knew you'd get the raise! These things will tell you how
much I love you."

Following the supper, her husband went into the kitchen to clean up.
She noticed that a second card had fallen from his pocket. Picking it
off the floor, she read: "Don't worry about not getting the raise! You
deserve it anyway! These things will tell you how much I love you."

Someone has said that the measure of love is when you love without
measure. What this man feels for his spouse is total acceptance and
love, whether she succeeds or fails. His love celebrates her victories
and soothes her wounds.

He stands with her, no matter what life throws in their direction. He
may say that he loves her to death. But he doesn't. He loves her to
LIFE. For his love nourishes her life like nothing else can.

Upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Mother Teresa said: "What can
you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family." And love
your friends. Love them without measure.

Love them to LIFE.

Oh i'd be on leave tomorrow! Yey! Need to continue my christmas gift shopping...have not completed it yet...but tomorrow hopefully i'd be able to buy everything. Wish me luck!

my weekend...and we won!!

2005-12-11T20:42:00.000+08:00

We had our company Christmas Party last Friday and it was a blast! We won the departmental presentation!! Woohooo!! First time to happen in such a long time…well that was how what they say. But we broke the bad luck this year and took home the bacon!! Woohoo! A whopping THIRTY THOUSAND PESOS! We now have money for our department party! Woohooo! Finance rules!!

Since yesterday though, I’m not feeling very well….i have colds and am coughing a bit….maybe from all that shouting from last Friday hehehe….but we won! Woohooo!!

But today I was able to do some layouts again, between sneezing and coughing I was able to do two pages. Here it is:

Credits:
Chocolate Covered Cherries Kit by Angie Briggs
Fonts: Times New Roman

Credits:
Boarder by Monique van Bekkum aka jomi from Scrapartist
Papers by Nisha Morton from Scrapartist
Flower Boarder by Angie Briggs from Scrapartist
Font used: Scriptina

Sorry but these are all wedding pictures again...i'm not yet over them hehehe so you need to bear with me a little bit more :)

notice anything new?

2005-12-07T08:46:00.000+08:00

Notice anything new around here? Notice the new banner? Hehe I figured I want to make this blog a bit Christmassy so I whipped up the new banner. What can you say? Its crude I know…but at least there’s some color on this blog now!

Speaking of Christmas… its now just 18 days before christmas. Barely two and a half weeks to go! I have not started on my Christmas shopping yet!! Yay! I’ve been meaning to start on the shopping but have not really come to actually doing it…why? Money!! No money!! Hehehe! But promise I’ll start this Saturday! Cross fingers!

Ok gotta go for now…but let me be the first to greet you all MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

back to scrapping for me!

2005-12-06T15:04:00.000+08:00

Gosh at last after about two weeks I am digiscrapping again!!

This past two weeks had been very busy for me, so many things to do...work, house, and so many other things! But after all that I am now back to scrapping!

Here's my two new layouts.

Credits:
Magical Freebie by Whitney Bushman
Snowflakes by Mrs. S

Credits:
Tenderly Love kit by Doro
Fonts: Typewriter, Lucida Sans

two weeks in a row

2005-12-05T13:34:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday we were able to watch the exorcism of Emily Rose. It was a chilling movie, not really horror…but it lingers in your mind. I liked the movie mainly because it is not the usual fairy tale movie where the good always triump vs. evil. In this movie, both Emily and Fr. Moore both was defeated by evil. The only difference is that Emily was dead, Fr. Moore is still alive to retell Emily’s story. I don’t want to make a synopsis of some kind of the movie here but I just want to share my main thoughts on it.
Firstly, my first impression of the movie was that it is rhetorical in fact melodramatic, first the family, being very poor, had no other way for which they can send Emily to college other than a scholarship grant from the University. Second, the priest was like every other priest, very close minded and idealistic, sacrificing his freedom just to be able to tell Emily’s story. Of course the lawyer representing the church must be a non-catholic, indifferent and non-secular lady who do not believe in God and whose only purpose in representing the priest is to get her boss to promote her to being a partner. Quite ordinary right? Even the lawyer of the “the people” must be a catholic, quite ironic as he is persecuting a man of God. But what I really like about the film is how it captures the audience and literally lets you experience all the emotions the characters are going through. I was having goose bumps all throughout the film, and even after!

Next film, Saturday before last, we finally saw Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. As like the past Harry Potter films, I was very excited cause I really like Harry Potter films! I find the past three instalments very enjoyable, I love the three leads so much! This instalment though is a different experience for me. Unlike the past three where the plot is very simple and the theme very light, this one is much more serious, the plot is a bit more complicated, definitely more intense. It centers on a competition that would give the winner honor and respect from all. Unlike the other three, in this movie Harry’s adventures were not shared with his friends, in this film Harry competed alone, without the help of his friends. Of course Harry triumphed as the winner in the end, but that is after three tests which tested not only his skill but also his strategizing, of course you already know if you have watched the movie that he won because of the help of one of the teacher witch (I’m so bad at names I forgot his name!), but that’s already beside the point.

As I said in the beginning I don’t want to make a synopsis of any of the two films, just sharing my two cents!

Till next movie!

negative!

2005-12-01T16:47:00.000+08:00

I am officially two weeks delayed today…I was hoping it’s because I am pregnant so I checked yesterday…but sadly the result was negative. Now I am not sure why I am delayed. I am not stressed, and I don’t think I am sick or anything…hmmm but there’s no baby inside my tummy yet!

emoticons

2005-11-30T13:30:00.000+08:00

I have always been fascinated by those cute faces you see attached to an e-mail… most of the times it’s yellow, but sometimes its green, red in fact it can sport any other color you can think off….

I searched google today for smileys and found this site. It offers various smileys, or should I say emoticons for use by just anybody. The explanation on the difference between a smiley and an emoticon is a bit funny but is also factual. Read on…

I will try to explain the difference between an emoticon and a smiley. Some people believe these are the same, but they are absolutely not. You could use this page as a reference whenever you have this - damn, what was it again - feeling.

The fairy tale: somewhere in September 1982 a college student posted the following message on a Bulletin board. The smiley was invented. A small milestone in modern communication.
19-Sep-82 11:44 Scott E Fahlman :-)
From: Scott E Fahlman

I propose that the following character sequence for joke markers:

:-)

Read it sideways. Actually, it is probably more economical to mark
things that are NOT jokes, given current trends. For this, use

:-(
Pretty cool, isn't it. A simple post on a board and you invented something that millions of people use and see every day. He should be a rich man.

As you can conclude in Scott's post, he defines the smiley as a character. So it is all very simple, a smiley is a group of keyboard characters that take on facial expression to express an emotion in text based communication.

The modern variant of the smiley is what we call an emoticon. Emoticons are graphical little images. Remember the keyword in the previous sentence, graphical.

The use of emoticons nowadays is very widespread. Every forum has it's own set of emoticons. The same goes with instant messaging programs as MSN Messenger, YIM, AIM, ICQ and dozens more.
Special programs have been developed to easily insert those fancy emoticons in emails. It's almost a whole industry.

If I make a summary of the text above it would be something like this:

Smiley :Text character to express an emotion

Emoticon :Graphical image to express an emotion

It's almost too simple, isn't it ;-).

Very informative right! I guess I’d be using more of these emoticons later on. Here are some great samples:

time ticking...literally

2005-11-29T15:00:00.000+08:00

I made this layout Monday of last week, November 21, and planned on uploading it the next day, but I kept on forgetting to post it. Anyways I am posting it here and some background kwento why I made this layout.

We bought this wall clock Friday, November 25, when we were in SM Manila. This was the unfortunate time I had to deal with post-wedding paper works remember. Anyways, we bought it basically because we do not have a clock at our room! Gel is always complaining at having to stand up in the middle of the night to check what the time is. We bought the clock at only Php99.00. Pretty cheap! So it was a good buy really!

But that night, I also learned why its such a cheap buy. The clock ticks sooo loud! As in you can actually hear it ticking! It’s a bit annoying specially when you can’t sleep and you are trying hard to get some…the sound just keeps on going and going! Haaayyy! But my darling husband do not agree…he thinks it’s just ok. Well, actually after about a week hearing it every night, I am getting used to it already hehehe.

Here’s the layout:

Credits:
Robin Carlton
Font: Typewriter

more wedding pics!

2005-11-26T21:23:00.000+08:00

Would you believe that I just got my wedding pic proofs from Emil Buencamino today!? Hehehe...even I can't believe it...imagine 2 months after!! But this is totally my fault. After the wedding, I had been very busy with work that I really didn't have time to pic the cds up from his office. Anyways, both me and my husband are really happy with the pics! He took around 3,000 pics! Imagine that! Now we have to sort through all these pictures so we can give him the list of pics we want to include in our album. Geesh! I hope this doesn't take 2 months! Hehehe, but seriously we are targetting to give Emil the pics before December ends.

Here's a sneak peek of some of the pictures all from Emil Buencamino

Okie gotta sleep now! This would be a long weekend (Monday was declared a holiday) so i have more time to scrap! Can't wait to use the new pics!!

Nyty!

my very own blinkie!

2005-11-25T21:40:00.000+08:00

Yey! At last I was able to finish my blinkie! This is my very first so please pardon the crudeness...but hey I'm mighty pround of it!!

Credits:

Merry Flower by Doro

p.s. i'm especially lonely tonight...having problems i didn't see coming

featured...

2005-11-21T16:36:00.000+08:00

Just want to share…we have been featured by Matus as Couple of the Month. To read the article you can visit Matus Jewelry's Website, click on Couple of the Month at the lower right side.

more on my weekend

2005-11-21T14:15:00.000+08:00

Weee! I am soo happy!! This weekend had been sooo productive and fun! I started off with a Friday away from work. I went to work on my post-wedding documents, read: licenses and various other things that needed to be updated! Ok so I have already finished renewing my driver’s license, as I have posted below. This is what I love about Makati, their government offices are usually more organized so that it is soo much more easier dealing with them. I was in and out in about two hours! Quite a feat if you will compare vs. other government offices!

Ok I was in high spirits after this…I am actually optimistic I would be able to finish everything lined up for the day with some free time late afternoon for Harry Potter. My next stop was PRC license renewal. Good thing my wedding was just two months away from my wedding, this makes it easier to renew everything as my licenses expire almost the same time. Neways I was off to a good start at PRC, was able to finish filling up the forms and getting the doc stamps before their bell rang for lunch (I actually remembered when I was in kindergarten, ringing of the bell would only mean one thing…lunch! Anyways, armed with all of the papers, pictures, photocopies and NSO copy of marriage certificate from Manila City Hall, I proceeded to go about the whole process of waiting and falling in line and paying, etc, etc. Here I am finally finished with everything (including paying around 700 for the whole renewal thingies), this lady who is supposed to get my final paper for processing suddenly tells me my “NSO copy of marriage certificate” is not what they need, what they need is the “NSO certified marriage certificate”. I am like WHAT THE ?#$%& IS WRONG WITH YOU!! WHAT THE HELL IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO??!! Sounds the same to mee!! I mean come on!! After 3 hours and a thousand people flipping these docs…WHY THE HELL DIDN’T YOU TELL ME FROM THE START THAT I HAVE THE WRONG PAPERS!! Talk about mad!! I was infuriated!! Hehehe…the lady at the counter must have seen how red I was with anger that she told me to go their legal services…Atty. I-don’t-even-know-what-is-his-name-and-I-don’t-give-a-f__k and told me to talk to him! Hahahaha!

Fastforward about 10 mins after, this Atty. I-don’t-even-know-what-is-his-name-and-I-don’t-give-a-f__k explained to me the difference, the first is a marriage certificate issued by the local registry in NSO copy while the second is an NSO issued marriage certificate. Haaay!! Can I say anything at this point??? I mean how the hell can anyone figure out this! As soon as I saw an NSO stamp on my doc I assumed this is already NSO!! Can anyone tell the difference between an NSO AND AN NSO!! I don’t even want to answer that!!!

You all must be wondering why did I say I had a wonderful weekend when I am cursing like crazy here. Of course I had to find a way to let some steam off…Hehehe the cure for any frustration? SHOPPING! I shopped that afternoon away of course, this time with balls and Christmas decors for our Saturday date to put up our Christmas tree!

Ok Saturday was soo much fun again! Our whole morning was spent putting up all the Christmas decors including the Christmas tree! Now this one is fun! The whole family including my dear husband was all working. I love this time of the year, it’s a time of bonding with the family. And after the bonding…of course we are left with a beautiful big Christmas tree!

Then, the afternoon was then spent digiscrapping, all my creative juices was pouring like crazy after a great morning. I made a total of four layouts, three are attached here, one is attached in the previous post. The first two is from my wedding pics while the last is a layout of some Bora pics from my last trip there. I am really happy with these layouts, I think I am already getting the hang of this scrapping stuff. I love the different colors that come out in each one. I am still learning though…photoshop is such a powerful tool and it you really can’t learn everything in just one sitting. It needs patience and hardwork!

Anyways here’s a peek of my work this weekend. Hope you enjoy it!

Summer in Boracay Credits:
Aberdeen Freebie Sarah Jones for the stitching
Nantucket Freebie by Susan Bartolini
Daisy Freebie Kit by Kate Teague for the daisy
Font: Typewriter

Silhouette Credits:
Rhonna Farrer of www.twopeasinabucket.com September Free {Pea} Kit
Fonts: Boulevard

This ring Credits:
TCO Gingerbread cookies Kit
Fonts: Scriptina

definitely need some zzzz'z

2005-11-18T22:35:00.000+08:00

Its been a full day for me today...Its been about two month's after the wedding and this is the time I really need to start working on my paper works, change of name and status and update linceses, etc. I went to the LTO to work on my driver's license and it went fairly smoothly, was able to finish after about two hours, then after to PRC to renew and update my CPA license. Now this one needs a separate post. To cut the long story short...I spent close to three hours there and I still left empty handed!! Talk about frustration! ?#@!!#%$

Anyways, as always, after a long day's work, back to scrapping I go...Abi, my friend, sent pictures of her four month's old baby boy Gian. Thought I'd make him the star of one of my layouts!

Lovely boy isn't he!! Looks so much like his mom!!

Now I definitely need some zzz's! Tomorrow is another big day...tomorrow we put up our christmas tree!!! Yipeee!! Very excitd on this one!! Boought several christmas decors earlier for tomorrow! Did I tell you I looove Christmas...specially that time when we put up our christmas tree and put all the christmas lights and decors on! Its fantastic! This year is more even special coz we have a new member to our family...my darling, dear husband! I'll post some pics on this tomorrow!

What's wrong Credits:

Soft Sherbet by Heather Roselli Kit
Shabby Princess Urban Kiwi for the circle stitching
Fonts: Joycard, Typerwriter and box

scrapping away

2005-11-15T19:59:00.000+08:00

After a long day at work...my hands are aching to scrap. I did one layout (yeah only one...just want to destress)...have a peek

Ok gotta go now...nyty!!

Wheel Credits

SARAH JONES Aberdeen Kit
Font: Riddleprint

it's my birthday today!!

2005-11-14T20:15:00.000+08:00

You know.. it's really true that as you get older, your birthday turns more and more to just being an ordinary day. Today is my 27th birthday...contrary to how my birthdays are when I was younger, this day had been a very quiet day. I went to the Palms at Filinvest to attend a company seminar, its actually a workshop on competitive intelligence that will run for two days, today and tomorrow. Later this evening, i had a quiet dinner with my husband. Before going home I picked up a cake which I brought home for my parents and sister.

But even if the day was a bit quiet, I still feel happy because i am surrounded by the people i love, my husband and my family...and i know that even if i do not have the yearly birthday party like the ones i had when i was younger, i know that their love for me will be as strong as ever...and for that i thank the Lord.

But anyways... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

back to scrapping

2005-11-13T16:40:00.000+08:00

Work has been crazy this week! Thats whats keeping me off digiscrapping all this while. Grrr!

Anyways when I got back to scrapping I had so many ideas I want to put down in paper, first off I tried to crop our picture out of the background and use that in one layout, I am posting the layout here, i'm not very happy with it but i'm giving myself time to get the hang of it. I'll probably get better as i practice more.

Next I tried using clean lines, the second pic above, this one I'm very happy with! I think it turned out quite nice, i'd probably do some more layouts using this technique but for now need to rest. Its Monday again tomorrow, time to go back to work!

Laugh with me Credits

Christy Lyle Pacific Solace Paper Pack
Font: Scriptina

Smile in our Lips Credit:

Shabby Princess Moody Blues Kit
Shabby Pricess Sweet Serenity for the Flower
Font: Victorian

Married life

2005-11-05T09:08:00.000+08:00

After more than a month after the wedding I've learned so many new things about my husband, but one thing stands out...He is very OC with his clothes!! From how it is washed...to how it is hanged...to how it is pressed, even to how it is folded or hanged in the cabinet! My golly i believe the amount of effort he exerts just to make sure his shirts are pressed, or hanged or washed! Hehehe...you know its true what they say....you will never really know anyone until you live with them under one roof!

On another topic, I went with my husband's family to his hometown, Tanauan, Batangas. And boy was I in for a surprise! He already told me that the staple food in Batangas every Nov. 1 is suman, "suman sa lihiya" in particular. I love that kind of suman because it is served with this very sweet sauce. Anyways we went to a total of three houses and true enough each house served us, what else but suman! I'm not complaining here but come on, after three houses of around 4 suman each...I just couldn't look at another suman again without cringing!!

Lastly, this past two weeks of long weekends was really a blast for me... I had so much time to scrap! Here are my two favorites:

Wish Credits:

Rhonna Farrer September Kit
Shabby Princess Urban Kiwi
Kristy Nerness for the flower
Font: Victorian

Marriage Credits:

Shabby Princess Sweet Serenity for the bouquet and the letters
Susan Bartolini of ScrapKitchen
TCO Gingerbread for the round letters
Font: Boulevard

That's it for me today...

im on a roll!!

2005-10-28T21:37:00.000+08:00

I can't stop! I can't stop!

Goodnyt all! Have a great long weekend!! Wee! More time to scrap!! Yey!

Credits:
Kiss
Urban Kiwi Kit - Shabby Princess
Calm Breeze - Cristy Lile
Font - Victorian

Enchanted Kingdom
Stiches: GMiller FabFree Minikit
Metal Clip: Cristy Lile Calm Breeze Kit
Beads: Sarah Jones Aberdeen Freebie Kit
Sweet Sprinkles by Shabby Princess

Random 20

2005-10-28T10:04:00.000+08:00

Got tagged by Mik! Hehehe here goes!

1. I’m a scorpio
2. I love eating hotdogs!
3. I usually sleep before 9pm
4. I love rain when I’m at home but I hate it when I’m outside
5. I hate driving but I also hate commuting, so I go with the less expensive option, commute!
6. I cry very easily
7. I drink only around 4 glasses of water daily
8. I am a frustrated lawyer
9. I don’t like to make “tikim” when I am cooking, I ask others to try it out for me
10. I am a homebody
11. I like watching horror movies
12. I am afraid of dentists and doctors
13. I act like I’m not afraid of dentists and doctors
14. I have not been confined in a hospital in my whole life
15. My dream is to have a big house like the houses I see in “Homes across America”
16. I like planting flowering plants (hmm come to think of it even just ordinary plants)
17. I want to buy a farm someday and live in the country side
18. I want to go to Disneyland (US that is!)
19. I am taking my MBA for two years now
20. I love love love love digiscrapping!

Tag your it! Tin

too excited?? hell yeah!!

2005-10-27T20:34:00.000+08:00

My second layout!

Of course you know my husband, thought i'd make him the subject of my second scrap :)

Got to sleep now...till tomorrow!

Credits:
Gina Miller Fab Free Minikit
Gina Miller Earthy Vibe Freebie
Shabby Princess Two Soon
Tracy Lee Blue Eyes

My first layout!

2005-10-27T09:02:00.000+08:00

Check this out my first ever layout!! I call it WEDDING BY THE BAY

Its still very raw but I would say I really like it! Of course love your own!

While doing this I realize digiscrapping is not that easy! It needs practice and a whole lot of patience! Good thing I am one patient girl!

Credits:

Shabby Princes Urban Kiwi Kit
Shabby Princess Shabby Mommy Kit
"Mishmash Collection" Simply Sara
Font: Boulevard

Got my Photoshop, I will digiscrap!

2005-10-26T13:26:00.000+08:00

This is me jumping up and down, all smiles and clapping my hands….I got my photoshop last night!! Have installed it in my PC and transferred all the kits I downloaded from the web to the laptop. All I need to do now is extract the kits and off I go to digiscrapping! Have been reading some PS tutorials and I think I already got the hang of it… weee! Hope I get home early today so I can start! Sooo excited!!

Photo Mosaic

2005-10-25T14:23:00.000+08:00

Just got my period yesterday… so that means no baby yet for us. A bit disappointed but not discouraged at all! There is still next month!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My hunny has been sick since Saturday, he has the coughs, good thing he doesn’t have fever and colds. Hope he gets better really soon!!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I have been intrigued with photo mosaic since last Sunday when I saw Kodak offering this service for P175 per 8x10. I knew that there are softwares that can do this so I figured why would I pay Kodak P175 for something I can do my on my own! So I searched for the program and downloaded it. Its actually very easy and very user friendly. I’ve attached here one sample I did yesterday… a bit raw but I think I got the hang of it. Isn't this cool!!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Waahh i still have not started on digiscrapping! Need to install Photoshop first and i have not bought it yet! Hopefully I would have time this afternoon to buy. My hands are itching to start on it!

Just blaberring

2005-10-20T10:05:00.000+08:00

Hmm this day is really weird…its 9:30 in the morning, I am here at my desk and I have nothing, as in nada, nothing to do! Its quite peculiar…odd really that I can’t think of anything to do! I’ve thought of eating but I don’t really feel hungry, I was tinkering with my blog, changing font colors and sizes and all but aside from that I do not have any work related thing to do and it’s scaring the hell out me! I’m not very good at doing nothing really, I’d rather be dead busy doing things here and there but right now I really, seriously have absolutely nothing to do! Because of that I thought of listing some things I thought I can do for the day:

1. Start researching on digiscrapping, this is one thing I got from Tin, it looks so much fun! She’s been addicted to it ever since she started. Now I just have to install Photoshop in my sis’ laptop at home (since I can’t install anything on this company issued laptop!) and start concentrating so that my creative juices starts to flow… hehehe.

2. I can start cleaning up my files of old wedding related docs and maybe put them in a CD or something so that they won’t clog up my office files.

3. I can start going through the files of N@W and search for new recipes I can use.

4. I can start working on our NSO copy marriage certificate so that I can start working on my change of name and status. Good thing I found Leslie’s site which shares my needed info.

While writing this I was also looking at our wedding pics (sarap kasi magreminisce) and found this super cute picture of my hubee… hehehe just want to post it here.

Hehehe hi hon! I looove my bouquet! Too bad I lost my bouquet, I left it at Manila Pen when we checked out, when I remembered i left it, gabi na so nalinis na daw yung room huhuhuhu!

Supplier Ratings

2005-10-15T08:37:00.000+08:00

Its been exactly a month since my wedding. The whole day went so fast, but a few moments will stay in my thoughts for a lifetime. But enough about the wedding kwento muna and let me share with you my supplier ratings first. Promise next post would be the kwento. This will be a long read but I do hope you enjoy reading this as much I enjoyed writing and reminiscing the most memorable day of my life.

Church: San Agustin Church, Intramuros Manila
Contact Nos: 527-4052
Rating: 10

This was not our first choice for the church. We initially wanted to wed at St. James in Alabang. Aside from the beauty of the church, guests would be very comfortable since it is air conditioned. But we couldn’t quite match the church with a reception venue (kwento below). So we scouted again, this time in Intramuros area. We looked at Manila Cathedral second, of course this is one beautiful church, plus this church is also air conditioned like St. James, definitely a plus. But one thing that turned us off is that the church has no decent parking space. Well yeah you can park at the side streets but even the side streets can be full during Saturdays because of weddings before an after us. So we scrapped it and went to San Agustin, just a stone’s throw away from Manila Cathedral. We instantly fell in love with the church! It was small but the interior was beautiful. Plus it had ample parking spaces. Though it didn’t have air conditioning like the first two, the Intramuros wall right behind the church and the museum at the side of the church were we could take pictures more than made up for it.

We didn’t encounter any problem dealing with San Agustin. The girl at the office is very accommodating. The fees included the church, plus an organist and soloist and basic flower arrangement. We didn’t get their soloist and organist anymore coz we already got Sentimental Groove. One problem with San Agustin though is that everything has a permit with a corresponding fee, the loft, the museum, the Intramuros wall. And lo, even the closing of the door! I didn’t know this until that day when Jody told me the coordinators of San Agustin is asking her for a permit to close the door. I mean come on! Would you have thought that you need to pay to close the door?! This is the only reason why I’m giving them 9.5 instead of 10.

During that day the church was beautiful! San Agustin looks really grand when the chandeliers are open and the church is all lit up! My wedding is at 4pm, already the third wedding that day. I have upgraded the flowers but I was still worried that the flowers would look wilted and ugly since I am the last for the day. I was so happy when I saw the flowers as I walked down the aisle. They were still very fresh! The calla lilies looked beautiful on the pictures!

Reception: Manila Polo Club
Official Caterer: Makati Skyline
Contact Nos. : 889-1029
Rating: 10

When we were initially scouting for a reception venue we were at a loss. I didn’t really know what I want, I initially wanted a garden reception but I know it wouldn’t work because September is a rainy season. We looked at hotels but I felt that they were too expensive, so we looked for other venues. We looked at country clubs next, and Manila Polo is what really caught our eyes. It was not the typical country club, you wouldn’t even feel you are in a country club when you are inside, you’d feel you are in a hotel because of the high ceiling and beautiful chandeliers. I have attended several events there before, mainly company parties and I was always impressed at how beautiful it looked when dressed up. Food was also always splendid. But it was exclusive for members (no they are not like others where banquet sales can arrange for a member to sponsor for you), and you need to find a member yourself to be sponsored. A problem initially, solution - our company is member so I just asked the assignee of the membership to sign the authorization letter with the promise that I will settle everything right after the reception! Problem solved!

We got only food from Manila Polo although they had a wedding package. I’m actually not a very big fan of packages because it is usually very limiting with very little room for changes. So I just got the food from them and took care of everything else. It was big work but hey, whose complaining!

Everyone was raving about the food! Everyone was telling me they had seconds coz they loved the food. During cocktails my mom was telling me that the waiters were bringing in food like non-stop! This is really great news for me since food was really top of our priority; we want our guests to really enjoy the food!

We got their Italian Buffet. It included the following:

Cocktails:
Mushroom and Olive Bruschetta (pass around)
Banana wrapped in Bacon (pass around)
Vegetable Sticks and blue cheese Dip

Salad:
German Potato Salad
Salmon Carpaccio with Chives
Pastrami and Parma Ham
Tomato with Mozzarella (My favorite!)
Spicy Glass Noodle Salad
Insalata de pesce
Mixed Green Salad with assorted condiments (Caesar, French, etc.)

Soup:
Minestrone

Rolls and Butter

Hot Items:
Chicken Picatta
Osso Buco
Pork Scallop Milanese
Baked Snapper with white wine
Vegetable Gratin
Risi Bisi

Pasta Station:
Angel Hair, Linguini & Penne
Sauces: Fruiti de Mare (Yummy!!), Mushroom Pesto

Carving:
Roast Leg of Lam with Rosemary

Two rounds of drink, choice of iced tea or softdrink in can

Plus Kiddie menu of spaghetti, chicken skewer, mini hotdog roll, chocolate cake squares and one round of drink: juice, fresh milk or chocolate drink

Price was also very reasonable. I’m sure if we had the same menu at a hotel I’d have to pay double what I paid at Polo. Kiddie meal was also very reasonable at P275 each. It was really a steal!

They also provided the crew meal for the crew the stylist (Interplay) who set-up the place. It was also very reasonable at P150 per head.

I only encountered one problem with Polo, exactly one week before my wedding, my AE resigned. It was ok though since everything was jotted down in their files, but one thing she missed was the crew meal. It was not on our contract, I read our contract before hand and notice that it was not included but I thought that since the crew meal is not coming exactly from Polo (it would come from a different concessionaire), it really should not be in the contract. We only learned of the problem when during around lunch time that day, Lala (of Interplay) called Jody asking about the crew meal, good thing Jody was quick and just worked with Polo to find a way to solve the problem. Even with this I still gave them 10 since I am really very happy at how they handled my wedding.

Entourage Flowers and Reception Styling: Interplay Flowers
Contact Nos.: 0917-5295831
Website: http://www.interplaycreative.com
Rating: 10

I booked Lala last Sept2004 Wedding expo. Only reason I booked her that time was because she gave me the ceiling swags at a very low price. I got her to do my entourage flowers plus the swags that time since I was also very impressed with her bouquets, I was just not confident enough that she can also pull off the reception styling. I was eyeing another supplier to do that for me. But I encountered problems with this other supplier, I remember posting in W@W, asking opinions if I will drop this supplier I was working with because that time they seem to not have time for me. In fairness to them, I know that they have other wedding bookings plus corporate accounts. I had actually met with them twice already but after that I couldn’t get hold of them anymore. During that time I was already working with Lala on the ento flowers, we were just talking casually when she asked about my reception flowers. By this time my patience with this other supplier was already waning, I told Lala that I am actually working with this supplier but having some problems with them. She immediately told me that she had done set-ups very similar with what I had wanted and that she might be able to help. So I asked her to quote for me. Her quote already included everything from centrepieces, couple’s backdrop, ceiling swags, reception styling plus lights and sounds, exactly how I wanted it to be. The quote was very attractive! After much thought I finally decided to go with her.

I did not encounter any problem with Lala. She is very creative and her passion always excites me. She infuses ideas in times where my imagination fails me. I knew that time that I didn’t want my centrepieces to be the same per table, so she gave me three design ideas that took my breath away! We decided to go with a tropical theme that will combine flowers, fruits, candles, sand and pebbles and even gold fishes. So she combined everything and created three designs that will interchange between the tables so that it creates an interesting sight. She also put ceiling swags and Japanese lanterns to create an over-all tropical mood. The mood lightning she put was also really beautiful with an interchange of pink, orange and green!

I love my bouquet! It was a bouquet of pink Columbian and Holland roses with swarovski crystal inserts! It was really amazing! My friends are all raving how beautiful it was. I also love the bouquets of the moms, calla lilies with pink roses in the middle. I love the pomanders for the secondary sponsors too! My sister’s bouquet of roses, carnations and pink liliums was also amazing!

Orchids for additional décor: ACA Orchids
Contact Nos.: PM me for details
Rating: 0

If I didn’t need inexpensive orchids I would not have worked with this particular supplier! Yes he has the cheapest orchids but customer service sucks! I do not know of any other businessman who would turn a client already paying downpayment away. He said he just needs one week to prepare my 100 potted orchids so I do not need to pay downpayment one month before. But how can I sleep peacefully at night when I know I have this one major element of the wedding still unresolved! I originally wanted to give these orchids away as souvenirs and double it as table centrepieces but because of the problems this guy is giving me, I gave up on it and just looked for other souvenirs items. In the end I still needed around 25 pots for the reception décor so I came back to him to buy. We originally agreed on a price already but when I came back he said he had no orchids costing that price on hand. Come on! He just told me a couple of weeks he can deliver 100 pots at that price and here he is telling me he don’t have 25 pots! In the end I was forced to get the 25 pots at a higher price! Grrr!

Souvenirs: Angel Candle holders from Divisoria
Rating: 10

I had to find another souvenir because of the problems I encountered with the orchid supplier. I went to Divi to find souvenir items I can get, I was not hopeful I’d find something there coz I don’t like the figurine thingies. Good think I found this small candle holders which I think looked really good and just bought it. I then bought sinamay bags to house the candle holders. My guests love them!

On the day Coordination: Jody Liwanag of Events Experts
Contact Nos. 0917-3295198
Website: http://www.events-experts.com
Rating: 10

When I was still in the early stages of my preparations I said I would not need a coordinator, even on the day as I have so much time to prepare everything that I know I’d be able to handle everything. But as I went along preparing and got to talk with suppliers and fellow brides at w@w, I realized I needed someone to over-look the day itself so that I can enjoy the wedding itself and not have to worry about things. One tip though that most suppliers told me about wedding coordinators is that they can either be my heaven sent saviour or my worst problem if I do not choose right. During that time I only had two coordinators in mind: Rita Neri and Jody Liwanag. And since I could not afford Rita Neri, I went with Jody Liwanag. And I believe I made the right choice.

Jody was in complete control of the whole wedding. Since she arrived at around 11:30am, I really felt her take charge. She started briefing me of the things that will happen while I was being made up by Marge. She took care of the problem with Manila Polo with ease. She also took care of the lunch of all 20 suppliers who were at my room during that time. I felt I was in good hands. From the church to the reception everything went smoothly, with not a single glitch. Most of my guests commented that everything was organized, from the registration to the cocktails to the seating to the program. The coordinators knew exactly what to do.

Even before the day, I knew Jody was in control. Every time we meet, all my worries disappear coz she knew exactly what to do. Whenever I have problems, I just tell her about it and she would always have the answer. She has really grown to be an expert in her field and I’m glad to have had worked with her.

Bridal Gown and Groom’s Barong: Joel Bautista
Contact Nos. 758-1353
Website: http://www.joelbautista.com
Rating: 10

Joel is one of my favourite supplier! He transformed this simple sketch to the most beautiful dress I’d ever wear in my life. He totally understood what I wanted right from the start. He made me eight sketches, all equally stunning and all very me…but this one sketch stood out: a sketch of an off-shoulder lace gown. We both agreed that this is the gown for me.

We had a total of two fittings, when I had my first fitting the gown was still very raw, still without the beadings, but when I wore it, I felt like a bride! There were very minimal adjustments to be made after that first fitting. The second fitting was two weeks before the wedding, the gown was already finished! The lace was already fully beaded, same as the detachable train. I was melting when I wore my gown the second time. My mom, who was with me during the second fitting was breathless when she saw me, she was teary-eyed, and was very impressed at how the gown turned out.

Gel also loved his barong! When we paid our downpayment to Joel December of last year, there was this one particular pina fabric that he really liked. Joel generously agreed to hold on to the fabric and not show it to his other clients until after Gel decides, which happened around June of this year already. That's a full 6 months! In the end Gel still got that design. The fabric was pina dupion made in Lumban. Whats great about his barongs is that his embroidery is always one of a kind so you are sure you will not find any other like it.

What I love about Joel is that he is very straightforward. Maybe that’s why we got along, very sincere in telling you what will work and what will not. He is not the usual machika supplier, but he gets things done, very professional.

On the day of the wedding my gown arrived at around 10:30am at the hotel. I melted again when his team assembled the gown on the bodyform. I was still being made-up by Madge while they were assembling it but when I finished and saw my gown, my knees were shaking I had to hold on to something.

Joel did not leave me until after the church ceremony. His assistants took care of putting on and off my detachable train. His assistants also sew a bustle for me so I can walk around during the reception.

Bridal shoes and accessories: Joel Bautista
Rating: 10

Joel took care of all my accessories, shoes, veil and my crystal cord. I loved my veil! Its sparkling against the light! My shoes were also very comfortable! What I liked about it was that it had grips at the underside so I don’t slide while walking. My crystal cord was also amazing! I originally wanted to do this myself but when I saw that he also does this, I just told him how I wanted it to be done and I just let him handle it. Good decision for me since this would definitely take time to make.

Female Entourage Gowns: Ofelia’s Dress Shop
Contact Nos.: 0916-2499204
Rating: 10

We wanted to get the entourage gown maker to be in San Pedro since most of our entourage are from there. Aling Ofelia was such a darling lady, when I first went to her shop she immediately showed me some of her works. We talked about gown designs, colors and swatches. She also gave me an initial estimate based on the design I have in mind. I actually went to another designer in the vicinity, New Creations, which I also liked. But she turned out more expensive than Aling Ofelia so we decided to go with Aling Ofelia to do the ento gowns. And she did not fail us. She did all the entourage and flower girl gowns plus the gown of my mom and sister who is also the MOH. All of them were raving about their gowns. They got their gowns on their first fitting! My mom absolutely loved her gown and I loved it too! It was very simple but very dramatic at the same time. I would definitely come back to her for future gowns!

Male Entourage Barongs: Belen’s Embroidery
Contact Nos.: 833-0062
Rating: 10

We bought ready made barongs for our male entourage based on their measurements and just asked them to have it altered if it needed altering. We got the jusi pina at a very reasonable price plus discount since we bought in bulk (total of seven pieces). The quality was very good and the embroidery was also very good, comparable to barongs sold at the department stores. All our male entourage were very happy with their barongs.

Hair and Make-up: Madge Lejano
Contact Nos.: 0917-8949480
Website: http://www.makeupbymadge.com/
Rating: 10

Madge’s style is very classic, the “like-no-make-up-look”. And if fit me perfectly! I loved how my face didn’t change at all, she just tried to highlight my features like my eyes and cheekbones and that’s it.

I also like her portable make-up table! Its soo neat! She is using white lights and is the most unflattering of all lights so you are sure you look good even with these lights, what more if you are in a beautifully lit room!

Getting Madge must have been the best decision I did. I am very oily plus, I didn’t even know it, but I am acidic! I only learned about it on the day when she noticed the pinks she puts on me turns violet! But she still was able to do my face perfectly. Even my mom and sister were impressed at how well she performed. My face was so clean and so me! I also loooove A! He did a great job with my hair! I love the bun and the small swirls he did on top of my bun.

Madge didn’t leave my side from preps until the end of the reception. Imagine she was touching-up my make-up in front of the church right after the ceremony! Hehehe! She was my constant companion, she stayed with me wherever I go! Before the reception she also helped me with my veil, she didn’t want to take it off coz nawawala daw yung pagiging bride hehehe so they just folded it in half and clipped it below my bun.

Working with Madge and A was so much fun. They are really a great team!

Band: Sentimental Groove
Contact Nos.: 0919-8907580
Rating: 10

Sentimental Groove was without doubt the best band ever! I love how they never get tired of singing!

I booked Sentimental Groove mainly because they are very versatile, really value for money. They are a choir at the church, quartet during reception and a band after reception. They are really an all-in-one band!

What’s great about them is that all of their band members sing and almost everyone plays not only one instrument but two instruments. They are a very talented group. Their repertoire includes jazz and bossa nova which both I and hubby really like. During the reception, our guests loved them; everyone just kept clapping every time they finish a set. I love their rendition of When I fall in Love – which was our first dance. I was teary-eyed while dancing to this song coz it just says everything I wanted to say. I also liked their rendition of Fly me to the Moon and Hear, There and Everywhere.

I never really had a problem dealing with them. I was talking with Kate and she is always accommodating, reminding me of things I still need to submit like list of songs and reception program. There was just one miscommunication on the instruments included in the package but as soon as I brought it up with Kate they agreed to include both violin and flute in my package. The night of my wedding Kate even texted me and confirming my bridal march song.

Bridal Preps: Manila Peninsula
Contact Nos.: 887-2888
Website: http://manila.peninsula.com
Rating: 10

I got Manila Pen’s Pen Membership Club to take advantage of its free coupons and dining privileges. Plus I also wanted to have someone I can call in case I encounter any problem on the day.

I got a total of 1 room on Friday and 3 rooms on Saturday. I checked in Friday afternoon on a Superior room and requested an early check-in next day for a junior suite. I encountered a small problem transferring to the junior suite morning of Saturday since the person at the reception was telling me that that next room would only be available at 12noon! I mean come on! I called the Pen Club office and they gladly helped me sort it out. By 10am I was already able to transfer to the new room in time for the first supplier’s (Madge) call time at 10:30.

Manila Peninsula has always been a favorite hotel. It’s very majestic but the personal touch is always there. Was actually choosing between Makati Shang and Pen but in the end I still chose Pen because I feel totally at ease with this hotel and I have not experienced anything bad in all the times I stayed there. The staff is always very courteous and friendly. Our room, a one-bedroom junior suite is big enough for the 20 suppliers who were in my room that day, plus my family. The bedroom adds more privacy to me since all my suppliers are in the receiving area while my gown is inside the room. It also had two bathrooms, one outside which our suppliers were able to use and the other one inside the room which my family used.

Wedding Rings: Matus Jewellery
Contact Nos.: 0918-9021154
Website: http://www.weddingrings.com.ph
Rating: 10

I loooove our rings! I just sooo loooove our rings! I was raving and raving about our rings to all my friends as soon as I got them around 3 weeks before the wedding. I just showed them a copy of the inspiration pics and they executed it beautifully!

Just one problem though, the ring didn’t fit my finger! When they got my measurements I was supposed to be a 4 on my left hand. But when the ring came, it was too small so they had it resized. When it came back again it was just right on my left hand but still too small on my right. They told me that its ok since you would usually wear your wedding ring on your left hand but alas! the priest asked us to slip the ring on our right hands! Hehehe!

That’s still ok; I’ll just have it resized again!

Invitations: Unifair
Contact Nos.:449-9515
Rating: 10

For those who read my blog, you would know that one of things that I got really OC about was the invitations. It underwent an evolution of sort starting from a simple DIY card, to calligraphy, to pop-up and finally to a simple while card stock with a picture of a couple. I saw this inspiration pin in one of the magazines I bought and just showed it to Shirley Uy of Unifair. They recreated the pic perfectly. We then supplied them of the wordings we adopted from another invitation we saw at Wedding Essentials magazine and voila! We have our invitation. It took them less than two weeks to print all 100 set we ordered. What’s great about them is that they price very reasonably.

Lead Photographer: Emil Buencamino
Contact Nos.: 535-5360
Website: http://www.buencaminophotography.com
Rating: 10

So much thought went into the choice of photographer. As early as Feb2004 we were already scouting for photographers. We saw so many albums during bridal fairs. Honestly Emil was not our first choice. We initially wanted to get Ariel Javelosa coz we both love his album lay-out. But he was already out of our budget so we looked again, that’s when Emil caught our eye. He has I think around 20 years of photography experience but his work is still up to date. He uses three dimensional lightning which supposedly brings pictures more color and life. We also love his coffee table album because of it is very compact and light weight. I also like the free guest book and souvenier cards with our pre-nup pics.

On the day he had so much energy! He was jumping around; he was literally everywhere looking for those beautiful angles. He doesn’t mind going down his knees, or going into difficult positions just to get those shots. His energy is invigorating, even after the reception when hubby and I were just fooling around with friends he was still taking pictures!

Back-up Photog: Kix Tavora
Contact Nos.: 0919-6299299
Website: http://www.photos.ph/kix_tavora/kasal
Rating: 10

Kix delivered more than what I have expected! I love his shots! He arrived at the hotel earlier than his call time and as soon as he came he was taking pictures like crazy! He has a very light personality that I felt instantly at ease with him. Like Mang Emil, Kix has an eye for great angles and beautiful shots. He had been very professional from the start I contacted him. I met him only once when I paid my downpayment, I told him everything I wanted that time, the shots I want him to take and the things I want him to focus on. I wasn’t able to talk to him again even before the wedding because of the things I still need to take care of but during the wedding, he still was able to get all the shots I asked him.

You can view some of our pics here

Videographer: Threelogy
Contact Nos.:0920-9506558 (Bong), 434-4428
Website: http://www.threelogy.com
Rating: 10

We met Threelogy June/July of 2004, during this time they were still starting. I remember they only showed me only one video, and it hasn’t even been finished yet, it’s the video of another W@Wie, Cat Guadana, she was their first client. My hubby, perfectionist that he is, was not impressed since they were only starting that time; he thinks that they lacked the experience we are looking for. I, on the other hand was also not 100% convinced that they can deliver, pardon the cliché but they really had not proven anything yet. That’s why during the Sep2004 wedding expo, I agreed to get Emil Buencamino to cover both photo and video. But I was also not very convinced with Emil’s video, I thought it lacked the personality I was looking for, so we just agreed we will just try to influence them as much as we can so that the final video would look and feel like us.

December of 2004, clients of Threelogy started pouring in; I would see supplier ratings of fellow w@wies raving about them. My heart is crushed every time I see satisfied clients coz I really wanted to get them too. I talked with Emil about the possibility of cancelling our Video but he said we cannot do it anymore coz we got his full package (did I tell you I don’t like packages!). I was even considering the idea of a 4 man video team, 2 from Emil and 2 from Threelogy, but I knew that would be chaos! Until May came, I called Emil again and asked if we can cancel the video. Alas, Marie told me that it has been noted in our paper that our video has been cancelled! I would have been furious given that they didn’t tell me about this, imagine I would have had a wedding without videographers if I did not call them! But I was more than happy to hear her say that coz I really want to get Threelogy. I texted Bong immediately asking if he is still free for a Sep. 17 wedding and they are! (I was texting Bong once in a while trying to monitor if they have bookings already for Sep 17, good thing his answer is always none). The next is history as they say!

Threelogy delivered way above my expectations! I got their 25k package, during that time they didn’t have an on-site video yet, but Bong was telling me that he would be having it very soon. By around July he texted me that they already had on-site video editing and that it can be switched with the free AVP, I was very happy! I told him I would switch it. But while browsing Jason Magbanua’s site, i saw the on-site of Gia and Raffy (Gia is the sis of Claudine Barretto). I like it because it’s not the typical on-site where they show bridal preps to church ceremony, it also included interviews of the couple and pictures too. I called Bong and told him about it and I got very positive feedback from him that he can do it though they have not done it before! What a spirit! So we scheduled the shoot one day for the interview and submitted some pre-nup pics. When we saw the final output during the reception we were so happy! It was fantastic, just the way I wanted it to be! Simple but with true emotions!

You can view a copy of our on-site here

One drawback though I saw on getting an on-site is that you lose Bong during the reception as he is editing the on-site. I’m pretty sure Johnson and CJ can cover for him but I feel that he is quite a loss to the team. I maybe wrong, I hope I am, I would see in the final video.

Wedding Cake: Alex Franco
Contact Nos.: 0917-2769003
Website: http://www.alexfrancocakes.com
Rating: 10

What more can I say about Alex Franco, but delicious cake! I got his five layer cake in different flavours, only the first two layers were eaten though (since I have just around 120 guests) but everyone liked it! My entourage who were sleeping at the Pen that night even went again to my room to eat more cake!

Alex is also very easy to work with. We met with him only once around April this year, he was very humble and very soft spoken. Everything we talked about was carried out perfectly. I not only love how the cake looked but more than anything love how it tasted! Super yummy!

Bridal Car: Adeb
Contact Nos.682-5922
Rating: 10

This is one of the things at the bottom of my priority list. I would have just gotten a Nissan Cefiro if not for my hubby who wanted it at least to be an MB. So we got an MBS320 from Adeb. I was surprised on the day when and MB stretch limo came! They came early at around 2pm, when the call time was at 3pm. The driver told me they usually come around one hour earlier than the call time so as to give lead time to anything that will come up, say heavy traffic, etc.

The car itself was very well kept, very clean. I did not encounter any problem with them when I booked them, I just called their office and asked if they still have an MB available on my date and they said yes. After that I just deposited 50% on their account and then they sent me the completed contract for my signature. I signed it and faxed it again and then that’s it! Very easy!

Emcee: Abi Kho-Floresca
Contact Nos.: 0917-5379054
Rating: 10

Abi was an ex-W@Wie and a blogmate. I would usually visit her blog every morning just to read about her wedding preps, during that time I was still in my early stages of my preparations. As soon as I heard that she does hostings, I immediately texted her asking if she can host my wedding. I met her only once (we were blogmates but we never really met before), about a week before the wedding to talk about the program. She did a great job! She was able to keep the guests attention to the program. She speaks clearly and very professional.

Calligraphy for the invites: Lincoln of Rustan’s
Contact Nos.: 0919-2158135
Rating: 10

Lincoln works very fast. I gave him around 100 envelopes Thursday night and it was already available for pick-up Friday afternoon. He writes very beautiful script and very legibly. He is also very sincere and very soft spoken.

Missalet: DIY

Labor of love, I just used the templates on the w@w archives and had it printed at Copycenter.

Toasting Flutes: Landmark
Glass Etching: Made for U, Glorietta 4

I wanted to have personalized toasting flutes so I bought a four piece champagne glass at Landmark around two months before the wedding. Then I went to Made for U at Glorietta 4 to have our names and date of wedding etched on the glass. It was perfectly done and I love the additional bells I put on top of our names. Costs very reasonable too, it costed me only around Php300 for the etching.

Lala just put some flowers on the lower portion of the flutes and voila! It was perfect!

That's it. I hope this helped a bit those fellow brides and grooms who are still preparing for their wedding.

Wedding kwento to follow soon!

Some wedding pics

2005-10-13T09:01:00.000+08:00

Haayy, i'm home right now, trying to study for my final exams this afternoon, but i can't seem to concentrate. Hehehe instead i am here looking at our pics and reading W@W.

This one is my favorite!

Our rings featured!

2005-10-08T10:22:00.000+08:00

Was browsing our supplier's websites and chanced upon Matus' website. They featured our wedding rings!

Click here to view:

Gel's ring and my ring

At last we are married!

2005-09-24T17:22:00.000+08:00

Wow it really feels great to be married! Its been a week since our big day and I still feel like i'm in the clouds!

Here are some pics of the wedding:

Wedding Pictures from Kix Tavora

Our On-site AVP by Threelogy

We are in the Newspapers!

2005-09-05T18:01:00.000+08:00

Was really excited last Saturday to buy Manila Bulletin, why, of course because of the Wedding Announcements portion! Wasn’t sure if we will be picked since I’m sure there are lots of couples who have submitted their pics, and aside from that I was really excited to see which picture they picked from the pictures we have submitted. I was not disappointed! This picture is my favourite of all! Compliments of Tuyay (so sorry forgot his name) who took this pic last W@W Christmas party at the Gazebo Royale!

Hehehe isn’t the pictures soo romantic!

Our Rings

2005-09-02T11:23:00.000+08:00

Got pictures of our rings already! I’m really proud of these babies! I loooove how it turned out! These are both in 18k white gold, mine with eternity diamonds while his is just on plain band. Sneak peak below:

Some more wedding ring pics:

Pre-wedding jitters

2005-09-01T16:39:00.000+08:00

Been having these stomach pains since Monday, starts as soon as I get up from bed and lingers till I get to the office… disappears around 10am then comes back after I eat lunch and then stays until around dinner time. Last time I had this kind of stomach cramps was right before I took the boards in 1999.

All signals point to only one source….anxiety over my barely two weeks wait till the big day. My emotions are running high and low for the past week, one minute super duper high, the next plummeting down to lows unforeseen even by me. It’s really been a roller coaster ride.

On the side I am very happy and proud that I am in any way pressured or agitated because of things that still needs to be done. About 99% of everything has been sorted, planned and worked on already. The remaining 1% just accounts for the last minute preparations for the big day. Thanks to almost 1 ½ years of planning with W@W. I’ve been a w@wie since Q1 of 2004, have seen my batchmates’ wedding pix and supplier ratings, have seen them graduate and move on to N@W. I can safely say that I have been witness to atleast 2 batches of brides at W@W.

As I look at my wedding check list now, almost all boxes are already checked. I feel a bit of sadness, every lunch time I think of what still needs to be done but see that there isn’t anything to do anymore. I think I just have to relax and enjoy the last few days of planning and preparing.

Honestly right now while typing I feel so much emotion well inside me… sadness, happiness, excitement, fear, I feel an outpouring of love to my husband to be, to my parents who have always been there, to the new family I will start.

I guess everyone goes through this stage.

More Accomplishments

2005-08-29T18:56:00.000+08:00

I already have gifts for the principal sponsors! I will be giving red wine to the male sponsors and small Mama Mary figurines for the female sponsors. Bought wine bags for the wine at Divi and it fits just right! You can see pictures of the gifts here:

I was also able to finish the candle holders which will be our souvenirs for the guests. Pictures are here:

Mini Update

2005-08-22T12:31:00.000+08:00

It's barely a month to go before my big day...checkmarks are slowly crowding my checklist....everything seems falling into place.

Yesterday we picked up the last of the ento gowns. My mom's gown came out fabulously! She was soo happy when she fitted it...the gown made her look 20 years younger!! My sis, who is my maid of honor also picked up her gown yesterday and it was equally beautiful! Picture to come :)

Souvenier packing is now underway, thanks to my ever helpful mom. We bought the candle holders two weeks back...and she readily took on the responsibility of packing them. Picture again to come!

Sponsors' gifts are also bought, ready for packing, again by my loving mom!

This Friday i'll have my food tasting at Manila Polo, really excited on this one!

This coming Saturday would my final 2nd and hopefully final fitting for my wedding gown by Joel Bautista. Fiance has already fitted his barong and he looked gorgeous in it! Kudos to Joel for a job excellently done!

Rings are also for pick-up this coming Saturday from Matus, hope the ring turns out beautifully!

Invitations are now being distributed, missalets done.

San Agustin requirements all submitted, fully paid.

Wow...

Something not wedding related

2005-08-19T12:14:00.000+08:00

This morning I went to the relaunch of Kotex at the Baywalk, in front of Aristocrat. It is the relaunch of the all new Kotex Pads and Liners, with its new hip, funky and fresh packaging and an all new product, with double anti-leak channels that work better than the leading brand to prevent leaks and stains. Here's a sneak peak of the old design:

and the new design:

The relaunch at baywalk was a success! It was covered by all major channels: ABS, GMA, Channel 23 and Myx TV. It will be featured in Magandang Umaga Pilipinas, Unang Hirit Wassup Wassup and MTV Myx. A 30x32 feet Kotex floated towards the Manila Bay to signal the relaunch of an all-new, all-better product Kotex! There was free breakfast too! Here are some pics:

Pardon the quality these were just taken from my cell. But even with this you will notice how big the Kotex pack is!

So go na and buy Kotex, the new and better pad!

Bridal Registry

2005-08-16T12:58:00.000+08:00

I was able to finalize yesterday our Bridal Registry. Should our guests wish to use a wedding list, one is being held at the following:

Rustan's
(for kitchen items and other housewares)

The Landmark
Ayala Center, Makati City
(for kitchen items and other housewares)

Automatic Center
Alabang Town Center, Alabang Muntinlupa
(for appliances)

Rustan's can accomodate purchases in all its branches since all branches are online. The Landmark has only one outlet in Ayala Center, Makati. Automatic Center on the other hand, is not online so guests are requested to advise the customer service that the couple is registered in another store if you will be purchasing from branches other than Alabang Town Center.

The rings that will symbolize our bond

2005-08-10T13:58:00.000+08:00

Last Tuesday, Gel and I met with Alain Siscar of Matus Jewelry to have our rings made. We met him at Edgar Allan’s shop in Glorietta. Before we came in we already have a design in mind, I saw this in one website I was browsing early in the morning. I liked it coz it was simple yet very elegant and very unique. Matus also said they have not done this design yet but they were already toying with the idea. I love the eternity ring design and the two types of 18k white gold finish, matt and shiny. Mine will have diamonds of course while Gel’s would be plain. Here’s a picture of the final design.

They said it’l be ready by August 27th! Yay!!

Prenup Pictures

2005-08-03T20:08:00.000+08:00

We had our prenups last July 17 at Enchanted Kingdom with Emil Buencamino. I must say when Joel told me that Mang Emil drives a BMW, I was really impressed. But I didn’t expect he uses the car as his service vehicle, hehehe, but he does! As soon as we saw his BMW both Gel and I agreed we really need to get an MB for our bridal car (we were initially planning to get a cefiro or something para mura sana) or his car would look more of a bridal car than ours!

Anyways the shoot was fun! This was my 3rd time in EK, the last around 6 year ago! Mang Emil was very patient with us, telling us what to do, hehehe camera shy kasi kami pareho ni fiancé. Hehehe but it turned out great! Take a peek at our shoot here at our webshots link.

My invites at last

2005-07-21T11:36:00.000+08:00

At last I’m able to upload the pics of my invites! The one thing I was very OC about, that went through an evolution of sort, starting from calligraphed invite, pop-ups, and then to this…

I must say both Gel and I very are proud of this baby! Thanks to Unifair we were able to put our thoughts into reality

Here are some pics:

Main invite and reception card

Main invite, Entourage page and envelop plus envelop

The whole set

You can see more in my webshots album

On Vanity

2005-07-19T12:02:00.000+08:00

Gel and I went to Joel Bautista last friday for my first fitting, was kinda nervous while going there. My heart was pumping really fast...hehehe really can't explain why.

When we got there I saw Paolo, Joel's assistant and former schoolmate and Joel himself all smiles, my heart stopped a bit, these are the people who is now helping me create the most expensive and most beautiful dress I will ever wear!

They were surpised to see H2B, i guess you would usually bring your mom or MOH during fittings but I chose to bring H2B. Plus Joel is not availabe anymore Saturday when my mom and sis are both available. Anyways, it was not a problem.

I already had a peek of the gown when we went there last week for H2B's barong, and at that time it already took my breath away. I just loved how it looked like! But this time, it looked more, uhm, bridal hehehe with the peticott and the train! I love the lace he used! He said its the second best to Chantilly lace, then was the fitting...i literally had goosebumps while manang was helping me get in the gown! It was huge with the peticott and all!

The gown needed just some more tweekings and it will be perfect, a work in progress! I'm already excited with the beadings Joel will do with the lace, he already showed me the sample and I really liked it! I'm really glad I chose Joel!! He always made me feel like a bride!

Then last Sunday we had our prenups with Emil Buencamino. Was at his office at around 1pm for my trial MU with Toto Bagamasmad...what can I say he is also a W@W favorite! Super loved my make-up and the curls Ruben made with my hair! I loved how I looked like! Will post pics as soon as I'm able to upload them! I already got the CD from Emil, will probably have some time within the week.

Really weddings are the height of vanity for women, imagine all the pampering and the little details you demand from people around you, specially from those who will help you look your best on the day! Haayyy :)

To share our first meal together

2005-07-18T11:33:00.000+08:00

I went to Festival Mall last Saturday to look for something I to wear for my prenups yesterday, but I couldn’t find anything so I just walked around, looking for anything wedding related I can buy. I chanced upon this beautiful cake server, the detail of the handle is simply charming!!

Now the only thing missing in my cake cutting and bridal toast will be the knife I will use to cut the cake, hmm I’ll just have to keep looking. Here is a picture of the whole set I got:

The flutes I will use (the set includes four but of course I’ll use only two):

The plate where I will put the cake:

And the cake server:

Cake server with the plate:

Here’s a picture of the whole set:

I have to start looking where I can have this personalized.
personalized.

Our weekend

2005-07-11T17:25:00.000+08:00

We were at Joel Bautista’s shop last Saturday to finalize the design of my H2B’s barong when he told me he can already show me my gown, without the beadworks of course. Can I just say I had goose bumps when I saw it! Goooossshhh!! Really beautiful! The lace he used was really beautiful! And I love the belly area, hahaha sobrang galing to hide me bumps! He was actually teasing me to try it on, but I couldn’t, I just couldn’t! I still need to psyche myself, I told him hahaha! I’m not yet ready to try it on!!

We met with Sentimental Groove also last Saturday, met with Randy their production meeting director. I don’t know but I felt kinda weird talking to him. Seems he is a little bit sick…hehehe. But all went smoothly with the meeting. We were already armed with the list of songs we liked to incorporate and we have already decided what kind of feel we want to have even before we went so I guess there’s nothing left for them to do but to add on to our ideas. Kudos to my H2B for this… he really worked on this, researching for the songs, looking for the lyrics and even buying cds! Great work hon!!

Before we went to Joel and Senti last Saturday we passed by our Parish to submit our marriage banns (H2B and I have the same parish). I knew that I will be paying for the permit and for the banns but I was not expecting I’d pay as much! P500 for the permit (this is permit to marry in another parish) and P100 for each week the banns will be read (total of 3 weeks). That’s 800 bucks right there! Gosh what happened to charity!!

Last Wednesday I met with Jody Liwanag for our first meeting (I got her for OTD Coordination). Gel was really amazed with her. He jokingly said she sounds like Kris Aquino. And really its true, no dull moment with her. She handles her clients very well. I think it comes with experience, since she’s been doing this for quite sometime now, I’m sure she already knows the tricks of the trade. She has a list for everything! Soo organized! I love her!!

Last Saturday, on our way home, H2B and I was talking about our problem, its still up in the air, but at least we have a plan B now. I’m praying though I don’t need to go to plan B.

Problems problems problems

2005-07-07T16:59:00.000+08:00

Haayyy… I just have to vent this out… my heart is breaking! We’ve started planning our wedding about 2 years ago… we thought it will be easier since we have more time… but it has not been. Since Sept of last year we were bombarded with sooo many problems! Haayy and now with just around 2 months before the big day the problems has not stopped coming!

I really feel down today. I have class this evening but I don’t think I have the energy to go.

Our Invites

2005-06-27T16:40:00.000+08:00

At last our invitations are now in production! We have finally approved the drafts last Saturday! As you would have remembered, our invitations have been on the works since March, we’ve visited at least three suppliers before finally settling with Unifair. Both Gel and I want to inject our personalities in the invitation, plus since this will be like a preview of our wedding, we want it to speak of the celebration that is to come.

I’ve scoured through thousand of pictures from the internet and from magazines looking for the “One”. I would have wanted to find the perfect sample but I couldn’t! Until I found one that invite with a picture of a couple which really striked me. The couple in the picture looked very warm and affectionate. I fell inlove with it right away!

Needless to say, from that day until last Saturday so many changes happened, but that picture was the one thing that didn’t change. The format changed, we wanted the invitation to be a bit informal, but it got a hands down from my parents. The wordings also changed, made more beautiful by my husband to be. The format changed, from a folded invite to a two-page invitation. But I’m very happy with what I had seen last Saturday. The invite was formal but not stiff, it is very warm and very affectionate. Just how we want the reception to be; a celebration not a show and the joining of two families.

Belgian Fondue Tower

2005-06-21T15:32:00.000+08:00

Had received an invitation from a former officemate sometime last week for a chocolate fountain taste test. She is very new in the wedding business and is offering the tallest chocolate fountain the country, a towering 44’ high choco fountain!

Too bad I wasn’t able to come due to supplier meetings I had to attend, but she sent me some pictures and it is absolutely stunning! It is really very high, see that guy on the second picture at the right of the fountain, he is also a former officemate – hi Joel! – and he is atleast 6 foot tall (right Joel?) but the fountain stands even higher. I am more or less as high as the girls on the left – also my former officemates (so sorry guys I am a sucker at names!) so I imagine if I am to get this fountain I’d look like that during the reception, about half as tall as my fountain!

I’m still thinking of renting this fountain, its relatively cheap compared to other fountains in the market today and is twice as high as the tallest I have ever seen, but with a ballooning budget as I mine, I’d probably be closest to it in my imagination! Haaay… you can’t have everything!

For additional info on this fountain you can visit her homepage : http://www.belgianfonduetower.com

The perfect Videographer

2005-06-14T10:29:00.000+08:00

Did you notice the update on my supplier’s list? I’m sure you do! I finally booked Threelogy!! We visited them in their new office yesterday to pay the downpayment. Did you know I’ve been communicating with Bong since around July of last year! I really, really want to get them. When we met with Bong at Starbucks 6750 around August last year, they didn’t have an office then, their portfolio was only that of Cat Guadana, a fellow W@Wie who was their fist client. Even the samples they showed me were still bits and pieces of their coverage of her wedding. Maybe that’s why my H2B was a bit hesitant, apart from being very new in the business, they didn’t have a wide portfolio as of yet. So we decided to book Emil Buencamino photo and video at the Sept04 Wedding Expo at the NBC tent. But I guess Threelogy was really meant for us. I knew I will not be able to cancel the video coverage of Emil (we got 2 camera coverage from them) so I had to find extra budget to cover Threelogy. I was able to find “extra money” so I told H2B and he finally agreed, maybe because of me constantly bugging him! I called Bong again to ask if they are still free on my wedding day and they were! I was sooo happy! So yesterday H2B and I was already at their office by 10:00am! I think Jon was still sleeping when we got there! This time he showed us around 4-5 samples of past coverages, including AVPs, photos and interviews. It was really amazing! Syempre Gel was impressed this time! They really are amazing!

And did I tell you I called Emil Buencamino last week to see if I can haggle to cancel my video coverage? I was supposed to talk to Marie, the girl in charge there but she was on leave that day and was able to talk with Marge. She confirmed that yes we can cancel and asked us to e-mail them na lang! She even told me that it was already notted there that the video coverage will be cancelled. . Syempre I confirmed this with Marie when I saw her at the bridal fair in Megamall and she said yes, it will be cancelled! So that means my “extra money” is really extra now!! Yey!

Haay great weekend talaga!

Very first Update

2005-06-08T16:13:00.000+08:00

I just noticed today is just 100 days before September 17,, 2005! And I can't be more excited. Its really been a roller coaster ride, and it still is. There are still a lot of things to accomplish so I have to keep the momentum going! Ok let me try to put everything in paper now so I can see what I am missing:

Church: San Agustin Church
Package already includes the church, flowers and an organist and soloist. Downpayment paid, 50% to be paid at the canonical interview in July 14, balance to be paid 1 month before the event (that makes it August 17, 2005). Additional charges of around 2k to be availed for photo shoot in and around the church. Will have to check if flowers are presentable naman, if it is we will not upgrade the flower package na. Disappointed nga lang ako coz meron na nag-book ng 3pm slot, we are booked on the 4pm slot but we want sana to move it a little bit earlier to give us more picture taking time in between ceremony and reception. But all is well, we’ll just serve cocktails na lang para maprolong ng konti yung photo shoot time namin.

Reception: Manila Polo Club
Reservation fee paid. Need to choose menu so we can already pay 50% in July. Need to schedule a meeting with the representative from Makati Skyline to discuss details of set-up, chairs and tables, linens, plates, flatware and glassware to be used. Medyo particular lang kasi ako here coz it all play an important part on the over-all mood and feel of the reception. My plan is to have very simple cocktails around 5 to 6 or until around 6:30 while we are having our photo shoot. Manila Polo agreed that I can use Willow Tree room for free, it’s a room on the left side of the ballroom facing the large soccer field. I’ll ask Sentimental Groove to provide music na lang during this time. I am also planning to put up a small photo exhibit at the entrance part of the ballroom.

Long tables for the reception: None yet
I am planning to combine long and round tables in the reception to add interest and depth. I'm having a hard time though coz Manila Polo only has round and square tables. I'm now thinking of renting, if my budget will still permit i'd definitely rent, if not then i'd just have to make do with the squares and rounds.

Marriage License: For pick-up on Monday, June 13, 2005
Family Planning seminar: done
Birth certificate for marriage purposes: both done
Confirmation certificate for marriage purposes: both done

Photo: Emil Buencamino
Booked Emil Buencamino, paid downpayment. Our original package includes 2 cam set-up, actually one cam lang and I just added an additional cam. But after much thought, we decided cancel this and book a separate videographer instead. Need to schedule Pre-nup shoot. Need also to schedule a meeting with him to discuss shoot list.

Secondary Photographer: Kix Tavora
50% paid. Balance on the day. Will need to schedule a meeting with him again to discuss shot list, etc.

Video and AVP: Threelogy
Booked Threelogy, downpayment to be paid. Sobrang busy kasi itong sina Threelogy kaya di kami makapag-meet for the down. Will try to make kulit with them para mafinalize na. I’d get their 3-cam set-up with AVP. Shot list needs to be discussed.

Bridal Gown and Barong for Groom: Joel Bautista
33% paid, another 33% to be paid during the first fitting, final payment to be paid upon delivery. Bridal gown currently in production. Groom’s barong, need to finalize the design (burda). What I like about his barongs is that they are one of a kind, the fabric he uses are not mass produced.

Veil: Joel Bautista
Included in the package, will probably upgrade. I saw this picture of a veil with swarovskis and cut glass, super ganda. He said he can do this, much like Assunta’s veil when she got married. I’ll most likely have him make me something like that.

Shoes:None yet
Will scout na starting this weekend.

Hair accessories: Joel Bautista .
He have these really nice swarovski hair pins that I really love!

Cord: Joel Bautista
Have seen the cord already made of swarovskis, not 100% happy with it. I’ll talk to him about the things in between (not sure what its called), I want sana something else.

Secondary Veil and Garter: Joel Bautista
Included in his package. Will talk to him to put the excess lace from my gown in the secondary veil, para mas maganda!

Wedding arrhae: None yet
I’m thinking of buying old coins from Banco central minted on the years of our birth (1978 and 1976) or the year we got together (1997)

Wedding bible: None yet
Will start looking for this pa, probably at St. Paul's.

Female Entourage Gowns: Ofelia’s Dress shop
50% paid. All ento measurements taken, flower girls measurements to be taken this Saturday, June 11.

Male Entourage Barong: Louie’s Embroidery
For measurement and production in July

Ento flowers and reception décor and styling: Interplay Flowers
Reservation paid, 50% to be paid by June 18, 2005. Her package includes ento flowers, table centrepieces, couples and presidential table décor, cake table décor, stairs décor, ceiling drapes, ceiling lanterns, stage décor with framed LCD screen, lightning and lightning direction and sound system.

Cake: Alex Franco
Met with him yesterday, June 7, 2005 to discuss cake design and flavours. Design already agreed (flowers and fruits plus gold beads on the 5-layer cake), flavours to be finalized this Saturday, June 11, 2005.

Flutes for wine toasting: Oneida 4-piece champagne flute
Will have our names and date of wedding etched on it.

Cake server set: None yet
Still looking for this, I have a design in mind but I can’t find it. All I see are those wooden or plastic handles. I want sana kahit silver plated. I also want to engrave our names on this.

Ceremony and Reception Music: The Sentimental Groove
25% paid, 25% to be paid during the production meeting sometime this month, balance to be paid on the day.

Wedding Rings: Matus Jewelry
Reservation Fee paid, production schedule in July

On the day coordinator: Jody Liwanag of Events Experts
50% paid. Will meet with her around middle June to discuss wedding details. Need to discuss reception program.

Wedding Favors: Orchids
I want to give out something alive kaya I chose orchids. Still looking for other suppliers for this though. Have already talked to one vendor but di ako convinced sa orchids nya, still looking for others. If di na ko makakita baka dito na lang sa original.

Invitations, souvenier tags, missalet cover: Unifair Printing
Lay-out still finalizing

Guestbooks: Karton
Purchased 2 albums for this. Planning to buy either Polaroid so I can stick pictures agad on the albums and have them write their wishes on the bottom part. Saw this done using Adesso Albums kasi but its so expensive.

Guestbook pens: None yet
Still looking for pens to use. Have no idea pa how this will look like.

Reception Host: None yet
Thinking of letting my bridesmaids handle this.

Calligrapher for the Invitations:most probably Lincoln of Rustan’s
Though I have not talked with him yet. He is very famous at W@W and everybody seems to be raving about him.

HMU: none yet!
The one thing I have not started on. Yayks kinakabahan ako just thinking about it!

Bridal Car: None yet
Will hopefully book in one of the bridal fairs coming.

Accomodations: None yet
Choosing between Shang and Pen since Westin is under renovation.

Missalet: Not yet finalized
Have the soft copy already, just need to print it and submit to SAC for approval. Then for mass production na.

Gifts for the principal sponsors: Not yet finalized
Choosing between Vanda orchids for femal sponsors and wine for male sponsors. I’m having second thoughts though sa wine, I want kasi sana something they can keep eh.

Ento gifts: Not yet finalized
Di ko pa napag-iisipan ito. Baka Vanda orchids na din or a plant.

Seating and escort cards: Not yet finalized
Contemplating on doing this myself.

Table Names: Lincoln of Rustan's
Have the names na, will probably give to Lincoln for calligraphy.

Honeymoon: None yet
Hmm may budget pa ba for this? Hehehe

Thats it. Medyo mahaba, but i hope i covered everything.

What we’ll use on our first meal

2005-06-08T13:29:00.000+08:00

I was walking around Landmark this lunch when I found the perfect flutes for our wine toasting! Beautiful Oneida Capri collection. Its a four piece crystal flute set perfect for the wine tasting ceremony. I'll just drop it off Personalize It one day to have it etched with our names and wedding date and it'll be perfect! It looks a lot like this picture:

Now I am looking for the perfect cake server set. Been looking for one for two weeks already but all i see are either those with wooden handle or the plastic ones. I want sana to get something like this:

Anyone have any idea where I can find this? I'm thinking maybe Rustan's?

The making of the cake

2005-05-30T17:23:00.000+08:00

I talked with the famous Alex Franco yesterday and we agreed to meet on June 7 to talk about the cake. Did I tell you he was one of the first supplier I booked? I think after we booked San Agustin and Manila Polo. Hehehe excited ba! This man’s reputation precedes him, I have not heard of any bad feedback on this man! Very impressive! Not so many can keep his name clean, but Alex can!

Anyways, a few posts back, I said that I don’t want to put flowers on top of the cake, but I want to put our monogram “AMA” embellished with swarovskis. Something like this picture. My only problem is up to now I have not started on doing the topper. I thought of doing the topper a little bit differently, I will not use flat alphabets like this, but most probably just use a combination of pearls and swarovskis or even gem stones on copper wire. I hope I can do it, have been thinking a lot about it. I’ll talk with Alex on this and hopefully get feedback if this is something doable or not. Baka naman he cannot accommodate my topper, but hopefully he can. Wish me luck!

Secret....

2005-05-27T08:13:00.000+08:00

I have a big secret I can't tell! Its a surprise to H2B. But I'm sooo excited!!

Got it? :)

My invitations

2005-05-15T13:40:00.000+08:00

I was telling Gel yesterday that second to our church and reception venue, the invitations is where we definitely have put so much effort! The reason is because we want to put our personality on the invites, so much like the rest of the details of the reception, we want it personalized and of course elegant and timeless. I've surfed thousands of sites, reviewed tons of magazines just to find the right fit. I found a picture in the Modern Bride magazine but I couldn't find it anywhere in the net. Let me just explain how it looked like. It looks something like this picture without the gray backing, just the white and pink.

I'll put a something like a swirling border and then put a picture of a couple like this on top.

I want it to be clean, not cluttered look so i'll probably have a separate reception card and RSVP card. I love the picture of the couple! It looks timeless and romantic.

I think La Elegar can pull this off, they are a small printing press, priced very reasonable (imagine for around P85 i'll have the invites, the thank you cards plus missalet covers pa! and embossed pa yun ha!). Really great find. :)

When I find the picture of the exact invitation in the net i'll post it, or maybe i'll just scan it and post again. Will do next time :)

Its starting...

2005-05-15T12:45:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I met with Joel to talk about the design I chose for my gown from his total of eight sketches! So many sketches, so may choices, but of course I can wear only one gown. Until I was in his office I have two sketches I have in mind, still can't seem to decide. Of course the ever reliable Joel helped me to decide, telling me the pros and cons of both. And finally I was able to choose! I'll hold off muna the picture of the design, not that I didn't want to show, I just want to put a bit more excitement in the whole preparation process. :) He already took my measurements yesterday and told me not to be surprised if one day I get a text from him that my gown is ready for the first fitting! My gosh my wedding is really starting to take its shape now.....

Anyways on my invitation naman, Gel and I visited this one printing press near us, actually its in Muntinlupa who I think can execute my design, I was able to talk to him yesterday and is around 90% sure already that i'd get him. The 10% remaining is when I see another printer who can charge lesser hehehe...

Thats all this weekend, next Saturday i'll have my confirmation :)

I love you mama!

2005-05-09T12:27:00.000+08:00

Hit a major snag this weekend on the preparations. Ok you all know how OC I was with our invitations, I wanted it to have the “umph!”, it started with calligraphy, then to pop-ups and then finally to informal colourful invites from Printed Matter. Last Saturday, eight thirty in the morning we were already at Printed Matters’ office in Q.C. (our meeting is at 9:30 am) to see our drafts. She works fast, remember I first visited her last, last Saturday and after a week the drafts are already complete. I asked her to make me two drafts, one folded and the other booklet type. She first presented the folded invite, almost the same as the inspiration copy I showed her. I was already swooning when I saw it! It was really beautiful, not the ordinary invite you’ll see. I really, really loved it! Because of my fascination with the first one I didn’t pay that much attention to the second one anymore, me and Gel both agree that we already have the perfect invitation.

After that we proceeded to Manila Polo to meet Lala for the ocular. It was such a productive meeting coz we were able to talk about how the over-all look will be. I was walking in the clouds after that meeting knowing that the day had been a very fruitful day!

As we went home I was so very excited to show the draft invites to my mom. Syempre at the back of my mind I want to get her approval. That’s when my almost perfect day started crumbling. She didn’t like it! She said it’s like an invitation for a children’s party! I can’t believe it! It is anything but that! Its different yes but not cheap!

I was angry, mad coz she, of all people! I thought she would be the one who would support me on this. I’ve always told her that I want to inject something different, something out of the ordinary to my wedding. And she did agree with me!

Anyways, I just went to my room and rummage through my stacks of magazines again, hoping that I will find the perfect invitation, formal but with a touch of personality. After about an hour of going through the magazines which by the way I already memorize from cover to cover, I found something I like. It’s a formal invitation, white card with brown fonts, with a beautiful boarder that I really, really like. It is lined by another paper in pink which gives the illusion that the invite is framed. I think I like this one. I showed it to my mom and she liked it too, so does Gel. Now I’ll just have to find a printer who can execute this for me. I’d probably go to a printing press this time coz my mom want the fonts to be embossed which of course Printed Matter cannot do 

Yesterday, my over-all feeling was frustration, frustrated because I couldn’t do what I want to do. But looking at it again after my anger toned down a bit, I see that my mom only wants the best for me. She has done this before during her own wedding, and she has attended a million other weddings. She knows what’s proper and what’s not, what will work and what will fail. She has been there to support me since day one of my preps and I know she will still be there even after the wedding, as supportive as she is today. Yesterday was mother’s day and yesterday I understood that being a mom doesn’t mean you give everything what your child wants, its about balancing what is right and what is wrong. Mom I haven’t shared with you my blog yet but when that time comes, I hope you smile when you read this. I love you mom.

Panic Attack!

2005-05-06T07:37:00.000+08:00

I was in panic last night! I was looking at the quotes for the lightning and sounds and I just can’t believe they are charging this much! I’m not lightning the whole Araneta Coliseum for god’s sake! And I am not running a concert either!!

Then I remembered reading something about stage lightning from Lala’s quote so I hurriedly looked for it again. And whala! It is included in her package already! Syempre I texted her to confirm that it is and she said it really is. But I think sa stage lang and not the whole place. I’ll confirm with her again tomorrow when we meet at Manila Polo for the ocular. If the lights included in the package is just for the stage, I’ll just ask her to add it in our package. Hopefully it will not pull up the prices though.

Did I tell you I love Lala! Hehehe

Lights and Sounds

2005-05-05T17:59:00.000+08:00

Grabe I’ve called about three lights and sounds suppliers today and I didn’t imagine they’re expensive pala! Huhuhu there goes my budget again!

Raves, raves, raves!!

2005-05-02T13:40:00.000+08:00

Oh my gosh I am sooo happy today I want to jump up and down!! This 3-day long weekend was really fulfilling for us! We accomplished so much! Let me tell you all about it:

First the reception décor: I just had another meeting with Lala of Interplay today and I must tell you she is really a sweetheart!! She sent me her quotation last Thursday and when I got it, I was really happy! Sobrang within budget sya plus everything I wanted was there! From the fishbowls, to the fruits, to the ceiling treatment down to the stage décor and to the stair entrance arrangements! As in sobrang detailed! I was really very surprised! So syempre I texted her and asked for another meeting so we can talk about it again. Kanina, we met at ATC Seattle’s Best. She was a bit late but I didn’t mind coz it gave me and Gel time to really think about how we want the reception to be. We want it relaxed, fun, conducible to guests roaming around and not just stay seated but of course elegant and welcoming. When she came we started brainstorming on the whole concept. I liked how she handles clients, she is very professional and straightforward, not the super chika kind of supplier where we spend almost half the time talking about so many other things except about the wedding. Syempre my last question was how we can still bring down the cost (this is given that the cost now is really very reasonable na!) We talked about what we can take out and she is very open naman. We decided to do an ocular next Saturday at Manila Polo so we will all have a better perspective. Over-all I am one very happy client and I am really looking forward to a beautiful reception because of Lala at a very reasonable price!

Next, my gown: I went to Joel Bautista last Saturday to pick-up the second set of gown designs. I wasn’t able to talk to him coz he had a client pero when I saw the designs I was amazed! He gave me three extra sketches, two of which I really, really liked, but one just stands out! It is the one I was telling him about, an off shoulder A-line gown with a lace upper body. I loved it! The back part though is something I want to talk to him about again. I want drama kasi on the train part eh, and medyo simple pa kasi yung likod ng gown. Hehehe yun na lang and I think my gown is final na!

Then the invitations: Before going to Joel last Saturday we went to Printed Matters in Q.C. Boy is it far! Pero when we saw Phoebe’s samples I was take aback! These are the kind of invites I was looking for for so long na! Not the usual engraved, ecru card you usually see. This is full colour, personally designed cards! She first showed me her samples, and explained to me her costings. Grabe she has a P20 invitation card! Imagine that! After she showed me all her works both me and Gel agreed that she is the girl who can put my ideas to life in terms of our invitations. So we quickly asked her to make a design for us. I showed her a picture of an invitation card I saw in a magazine; it’s a folded invitation with a drawing of a couple in front. She said she will design me something like it and will show me next Saturday how it will look like! Grabe super fast!! I’ll just have to e-mail her this week the data, entourage lists and all, and she can proceed to make the mock!

Lastly, the reception: After Joel Bautista we proceeded to Manila Polo to pay our security deposit. Got to talk with our AE about some other concerns we had. She seems really nice and very helpful. Hopefully she’ll stay nice until our wedding day hehehe.

Oops meron pa pala: Yesterday, Sunday, the remaining half of my entourage has finally gotten their measurements taken. I was really happy when Ofelia showed me the fabrics she has already bought. Seeing the actual fabric made me more excited than ever. Hopefully next week I’d be able to bring the flower girls in for measurement so she can start on the gowns na!

Haaay! Didn't I tell you that this was such a beautiful weekend! :)

At Last I'm Back!

2005-04-29T17:49:00.000+08:00

Oh my God! I sooo missed blogging! I wasn't able to blog for close to one month! Geessh! Why? Long story, i'll save that for another entry, I want to dedicate this post to the wedding details!

Ok let me just tell you how stressful this week has been. Did I tell you that H2B's dad is a seaman? Ok not yet I think. So that is where the problem started and ended. He was supposed to come back late July or early August just in time for our Sept. wedding. But alas! H2B got a phone call from him last week telling him that he will be coming back last Sunday! That's atleast 3 months earlier than planned! I thought at that time that we wouldn't have any problem, of course he can work something out so that he'd still be here on Sept. Imagine my dismay when Tuesday evening, here comes my fiance telling me we need to move our wedding atleast 3 months earlier to June 25! Hollyy...! Hahahaha! But as they say, what will not kill you will only make you stronger. To make the long story short, we tried to move the wedding to June 25 but Philippines is such a wedding factory! So many people are getting married! San Agustin is fully booked on that day plus Manila Polo is fully booked all Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays of June and July. We tried, but we just could not do it. That day also, Wednesday, his dad went to his office and told his boss he will not go until after the wedding. Of course his boss said yes. (Can you just imagine how many saints I thanked after hearing that his boss said yes!) Hehehehe :)

Ok enough about the problems lets get to the updates:

Wedding Gown: I will get another set of designs from Joel tomorrow afternoon, hopefully i'll get to decide within the week.
Ento Gowns: Half of them already got their measurements taken about two Saturdays back, half tomorrow.
Reception: Will go to Manila Polo tomorrow to pay the security deposit. I think around end of May we'll pay 50% na after signing the contract.
Flowers: Got to talk to Lala of Interplay about two Saturdays back and we have already pinned down the flower choices for the bridal boquet and the entorage. This is where I am having second thoughts because I want to have a crystal bouquet. I love the idea that I can get to keep the crystal bouquet even after the wedding. I'm still deciding on that. Did I tell you about this girl Lala, she is such a darling! She is very easy to talk to! Very accomodating!
Reception Decor: I am working with Balay Kandila and Interplay on this. I already have Interplay's quotation but Balay has not gotten back to me yet. If I don't get the quotation by next week i'd probably proceed with working with Interplay. Interplay naman looks pretty promising. Lala has so many ideas, and I like the things she want's to incorporate in the wedding. Hopefully things work well with her coz her quotation is really promising!
Souveniers: I was able to talk to one supplier of Orchids regarding this and he has given me a reasonable quote naman. I'm still deciding though if I'd give orchids or small plants on the wedding. I'll have to visit Manila Seedling so I can look at my choices. I like the idea kasi of using the souveniers as certerpieces muna on the tables para double purpose. Saves me money pa!
Invitations: I'm working with Amis now since they gave me the lowest quote for the invitations I want. Problem with Amis is that they are fully booked! Imagine my meeting with them is on June 8! Thats like more than a month from now! Geessh! But I really love this pop-up invitation I saw in a magazine. I gave up on my calligraphy invites already! Instead I chose something fun and playful, just the mood I want to have on the wedding day itself.
Church requirements: I'll have my confirmation on May 21.
Legal requirements: Have not started anything on this yet. Baka June na lang.
Photo-Video: Went to Emil Buencamino's studio last Saturday, I was having second thoughts kasi about his video eh, I want to get a separate videographer. I wasn't really impressed when we watched his sample video's. Hopefully I have enough extra money pa to get a separate videographer.

So far these are what I have been working on the past month i wasn't able to blog. With so many changes happening to me right now, the new work and all, its really hard to still keep my focus. Hopefully I'd be able to stabilize myself again soon!

I have so many more kwentos but i'd leave that to another post ok. For the meantime, i'll park muna and rest. :)

Save-the-date Cards

2005-03-26T22:18:00.000+08:00

Atlast! We have finaly finished our save-the-date cards today!! Here's a sneak peak...

You can see more pics Here

It really feels great to be able to strike out one more item off our list! :D

We have also visited our the first pair of our principal sponsors again, Mr. and Mrs. Federico Hermoso, we visited their house over at Pandacan to formally invite them to be our ninang and ninong. Of course they were delighted! It was a very pleasan visit :)

Next we visited Nancy Oxales, which we fondly call Aling Nancy. She has been a very close friend of the family. I was really excited when she agreed to be our ninang, when we got to her house (which is just a stone's throw away from ours), she gave us Royal and indian mangoes to eat. A little odd at first but hey, I love indian mangoes and I love Royal!!

Over-all it was a beutiful day...tomorrow... Easter Sunday!! Hope everyone have a very happy Easter to all!!

Something not related to my wedding - Again

2005-03-19T13:20:00.000+08:00

I've stumbled on this internet site and decided to take the test..The results were pretty amazing :)

Ultimate Personality Test

Analie, you're a Millionaire!

Your personality is actually determined by two personality sub-types - your primary, or dominant sub-type, and your secondary sub-type. You are a Millionaire which means you are a Success / Thinker Your primary sub-type is defined by "Success" characteristics and your secondary sub-type is defined by "Thinker" characteristics.

That means you're very ambitious and personable, and you've got a great sense of humor. Chances are you care a lot about how you look. You're bursting with self-confidence, and people admire you for your achievements and determination.

Tickle's Original Inkblot Test

Analie, your subconscious mind is driven most by Sexuality

The world is a sexy place for you — your erotic self leads the way. Whether this is because you're presently in a great physical relationship or simply want one, you are much more aware of the sexual undertones in situations than most people.

This heightened focus, coupled with your vivid imagination, can make you more likely to have original — at times risqué — interpretations of things that other people might see as innocuous.

Your subconscious is telling you that you are very much alive, and have a great deal of passion to bring to life.

Come on guys try this site Web Tickle

Something not wedding related

2005-03-19T11:09:00.001+08:00

This is really not wedding related... just want to rave about it so here it goes...I was awarded University Scholar by UP. This is given to students who enroll on a minimum of nine units or three subjects and maintain a certain grade point average (which I actually do not know). This is for the 1st semester of my Masters of Business Management(MBM) course. There were only three of us who got the award among the whole batch of MBM students.

I was really not expecting it, but it feels good anyways to be recognized like this :)

Now I feel like I won the Oscars!