Sergio

Goodbye, Sergio...we miss you already! We're sorry we didn't bring you to the vet sooner..

*Photo taken when he was about a month old.

Finally!

The good news was delivered by Mia.

High-profile Taiwan celebrity couple Vic Zhou and Barbie Hsu has broken up, according to local media reports.

Hsu confirmed the split via her assistant during an activity in Hong Kong on Monday. Zhou's agent also confirmed the news. Both declined to make further comments.

Barbie Hsu's mother told the media the couple parted amicably.

Barbie Hsu, 31, and Vic Zhou, 26, gained wide popularity through the 2001 hit television drama "Meteor Garden." They collaborated in another series, "Mars," in 2004, and officially began dating in July 2005.

Sorry ka na lang ZZ dahil magpapakasal na ko LOL Pero super happy ako na sa wakas nagbreak din kayo! Wahooo!!!!!

08.11.08

Finally booked the church. Our wedding will be on 8 November 2008 at the Archbishop's Palace, Villa San Miguel.

Color

Last Friday, Rhoda and I went to Carolina's at SM Megamall to look for some tela for my entourage. I already have a particular color in mind so I was happy to see it in shantung. Here it is...wine and aqua. I initially wanted to pair the wine with champagne (gets? hehe) but the colors didn't turn out as lively as I imagined. So maybe we could use the wine and champagne for the mommies' gowns.

When I showed it to my officemates they loved the colors! Yey! Kaso when I showed it to Joema deadma sya. Sabi ko nga lalaki talaga sya e. As in super kabaligtaran kasi ng reactions ng officemates ko who are women..sila they said in glee how they loved the colors. Si Joema NR. Sabagay sbi nga nya I should worry kung super ma-excite sya sa kulay ng tela lang hahaha.

Search for the Church

Yesterday Joema and I went around the metro scouting for the church for our wedding. Thursday before Saturday I already called up Archbishop's Palace (AP) and Sta. Maria della Strada (SMDS). I was heart broken when the contact person in AP told me they don't hold Sunday weddings. Our preferred date is November 16 kasi and it falls on a Sunday. Anyways, I didn't bother to ask the other available dates but was told we can view the church on a weekend but their office is only open for reservations from Mondays to Fridays 10am to 5pm. And then I called up SMDS office and lo and behold Nov16 3pm slot is still open. I was so happy, it felt like an answered prayer. I called up again to block off the date and was told that we had until the following Thursday to pay the reservation fee of P3000 to officially book the date. I texted Joema and told him about it. I even told a few of my friends. Come Friday night, we settled on going to SMDS to book the place and look for a venue around UP Diliman - Chateau Verde, UP Bonsai Garden and UP Balay Kalinaw - the next day. Pero when I woke up Saturday morning it was raining and then nag-brown out. Ewan ko ba basta I had the urge to meet up Joema so that we can take a look at AP. He was supposed to go straight here at the house from work so that he can sleep first before we go to UP. But because I am very fickle minded he came straight from the office when we did our occular.

Kaasar pa coz the battery of my digicam was dying down on me. I have recharged it the previous night pero mukhang di na-charge. Buti na lang I passed by the office and charged it for a few minutes.

Archbishop's Palace - Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong

After breakfast at McDo, we hailed a taxi and were on our way to AP. Of course, I love the place the first time I saw a picture of it on the internet. Joema was a man of few words so I didn't know how much he liked it when we were there. He just commented that the place was just right for 150 guests and that we can have our pictures taken at the garden right outside the chapel.

We also went inside the small chapel just across the main chapel. It was really pretty too. Although it can only fit around 90-100 guests.

Our Lady of Pentecost Parish - Varsity Hills, Loyola Heights

Before going to SMDS, I asked Joema if we could pass by Our Lady of Pentecost since it's already on the way. We were a bit disappointed with the place because it was open to anyone who can enter. But I guess you can request the glass walls to enclose the church. We didn't even pass by the office to ask for the fee because Joema said if he had to choose between AP and Our Lady of Pentecost, he preferred AP. It was good timing that there was a wedding while we were there. Katawa lang when the priest said something and the people started laughing, si Joema said he might consider the church coz the priest was good. He wanted someone who will make the people laugh during the ceremony. I had to remind him we already have a priest (Yes, I have booked the priest first even before the date, church and venue is finalized) and told him not to worry because our priest is really good.

Sta. Maria della Strada - Katipunan Ave., Diliman

It was raining last Saturday but we walked the few blocks from Miriam College to SMDS. If at the Our Lady of Pentecost there was a wedding, at SMDS there was a mass for the dead. Joema was a bit disappointed with the church coz it seems so busy outside. He was worried that the vehicles passing by will be heard inside the church during the ceremony. I love it how he considers the small things that I am considering too. And again he compares this church to AP saying that there we won't be bothered by the noise outside and that no outsiders will come and go (like what we did) because AP is gated.

UP Chapel - UP Diliman

We were really lucky because when we got to UP Chapel, meron ulit wedding so we saw how they set up the place. Although, they were already cleaning the chapel for their 12nn mass pero inabutan pa namin yung couple with their guests taking pictures. Ewan ko basta parang di ko na-feel na okay sa UP chapel. Siguro kasi I read from Tin's supplier rating na minamadali nila yung picture taking because may kasunod nga na mass yung scheduled wedding times nila. Imagine we were there 11:30 but they were already taking out the drapes (tama ba tawag ko?) sa aisle and the floral arrangements). E supposedly the wedding started at 10am (based on the schedules posted outside the church). Of course, Joema commented na atleast sa AP walang magmamadali sa amin to finish our picture taking.

Chateau Verde - Apacible St., UP Diliman

We ate our lunch at Chateau Verde. We were also considering it as a reception venue if ever we get SMDS or UP Chapel. We had their buffet lunch which costs P350. The selections is salad, oysters, Mongolian barbeque and pork and beef steak. Hindi sulit coz konti lang pagpipilian na kainin. But we liked their Mongolian bbq and beef steak.

Anyways, this is were we discussed and weighed our options. Hay naku kakatuwa talaga na si Joema likes Archbishop's Palace. And he was able to enumerate the things he liked na pareho ng in-enumerate ni Jolly (from w@w) without me even telling him about it ha. Gusto ko kasi objective yung maging desisyon nya. Kasi ako biased na talaga ko sa Archbishop's Palace. Nakakatawa pa kasi joke ni Joema "Grabe! Ang hirap pala mag-ayos ng kasal. Sana di mo na ko sinama." Kaya lang kami medyo leaning towards della Strada coz we're afraid we might not find an affordable venue near Archbishop's Palace. We're on a tight budget so we can't just make a decision on the church without considering a venue and caterer. Plus I thought we really wanted Nov16 to be our wedding date. It turns out the ambiance of the church is much more important than the date and we can always look for affordable reception venue and caterer. So yes, we've finally decided to get Archbishop's Palace and will reserve tomorrow. So happy!

The Good and The Bad

Yey! We have music na for our wedding. My cousins Adam and Ariel will play at the wedding. Si Andro sana but he probably won't be here around that time. Ka-chat ko si Adam the other day when I asked him to play at our wedding. (Sorry super haba ng chat namin)

adam : ate patanong nman k jom ung gingawa nya sa mac para daw maclear ung cache,nkalimutan ko eh hehe thnx!!
cris : sige teka itext ko
adam : ok..
cris : oy, pag kinasal kami...sagutin mo naman yung music sa church at venue hehe
adam : pede ako kaso cno pa ung ksma ko?kung and2 c kuya kme na lng hehe
adam : san ba venue nyo?
cris : hay naku oo nga e
cris : sana andito si andro...kaso sa november pa yun
cris : malamang nakasakay na ulit sya ng barko
cris : maghahanap pa kami this weekend e
cris : si ariel na lang...di ba tumutugtog na rin sya? hehe
adam : actually c ariel pede na rin..basta aralin ng ahead of tym ung kanta na gusto mo
cris : uy na-excite ako haha!
adam : oo nman pede na c ariel...
cris : sige sige maghahanap na agad ako ng piyesa ng mga gusto kong kanta para mabigay k na sa inyong magkapatid
cris : haha nauna pa ang music bago ang church at venue ko
adam : binibigyan ko na nga ng raket un minsan eh nagrerecord kc ako lately for rannie raymundo,ung ibang songs c ariel na nagpiano..kumita pa sha sken hehe
cris : eto: option+apple+P+R
cris : intayin mo daw magdalawang start up sound
adam : pero suggestion ko.para maganda mga spot nos. ang focus nten,halimbawa ung bridal march,fahter daughter dance mga ganun lng...
cris : tapos ok na yun
adam : ok thnx...
cris : huh? panong spot numbers?
adam : ung dinner music mo,may option ka na mag cd na lng ung mga fave songs nyo...
adam : cguro mga 2 years nko puro wedding gigs na rin kya alam ko na ung gnagawa...mas mganda may mga special songs dun sa mga part na ganun...
cris : e naku wala kayong kikitain sa kin hahaha...i-gift nyo na sa kin yun :D
cris : ah okay sige pwede pwede
adam : kya nga shempre..
cris : yehey yehey!
cris : sige babalitaan kita pag meron na kaming church at venue
cris : pero i-save mo na yung date nov 16...wag ka tanggap ng ibang gig
adam : basta magmeet tyo ni jom minsan then discuss ung mangyare kc may idea nko kung ano ung mga gingawa,tpos kung may request kyo ok din..
cris : oo sige :D
cris : teka ok na ba yung mac mo? tama ba yung sinabi nya?
adam : uy shet cge wat day yan? regalo ko na un
adam : ah later ko pa try eh pagnagrestart ako
cris : nov 16 sunday yun
cris : wag ka din mag-book ng piso fare flights ng cebu pacific
cris : :))
adam : bakit?
cris : ibig ko sabihin wag ka magbook on that date
adam : buti sunday hehe kc last quarter of the year puro gig na eh hehe...
cris : kasi d ba non-peak season yan kaya during that time yung promo ng cebu pacific sa mga mura nilang flight
adam : hehe d ako magbook nun cguro b4 mag bday ako dis year pede,gusto ko kc singapore kc dun kme tira k tito ramon haha
cris : oo nga
cris : super ok yun kasi ang nagpapamahal yung hotel e
adam : gud!! hehe
cris : actually kami ni joema dapat may plan din magsingapore ng september dahil f1 racing sa sing
cris : kaso dahil sa kasal hindi na lang muna...dami gagastusin e
adam : hmm mahilig ba sha dun?
adam : oo nga tama ka jan...
adam : buti na lng bata pa c cam hehe.cguro ako mga 2 yrs pa...
cris : oo mahilig sya don
cris : haha tama yan..mag-enjoy muna kayo ni cam
cris : syempre iba pa rin yung single kayo
cris : kami ni joema 8 years din kami e
adam : tama bakasyon muna haha..
cris : oo noh...sarap sarap magbakasyon e
cris : ako tuloy ngayong taon wala pang nakaplan na out of town trip haaay
cris : siguro sa honeymoon na lang
adam : tagal na pla kme mag 3 yrs pa lng dis year..tamang tama lng ung 5th yr,kasal na hehe
adam : o nga honey moon na lng..
cris : oo okay na yun..tama yan :)
adam : ako nga may inaabangan na us tour dis year eh un tlga ang pinagdarasal ko hehe
cris : f1?
cris : may us visa ka na ba?
adam : kc dami relatives ni cam dun,kya pede rin sha sumama
cris : si joma kaya gusto sa sing kasi street racing
adam : wala pa pero pag gig kc dun,bahala nman ung pruducer smen hehe
cris : aba ok ah
cris : hahaha
adam : sana tlga...
cris : US tour for promotion nung album nyo?
adam : hinde,manila phil orchestra un..kya magandang gig tlga pati budget hehe,naku sna tlga...
cris : ok sana nga
cris : ang saya non
adam : masarap kc nun,khit magbakasyon kme,d talo kc may pasok din ng pera
cris : all expense paid :D
adam : oo
adam : f ever gagastos lng kme sa airfare ni cam
cris : oo yun lang kaya sulit
adam : naaamoy ko na ung america haha.sbi ko nga for the longest time.khit halos lhat ng pamilya ko eh nagaabroad,ngayon lng ako nagkaron ng interest at excitement tungkol sa states :d
cris : :))
cris : teka kelan ba yan? baka naman masabay sa amin
adam : dont wori around mar-may ko to ineexpek hehe
adam : teka kain na muna ko cge usap tyo minsan

Hay super okay pala magkaron ng kamag-anak na musician harharhar.


Okay around the time na binanggit ni Adam that MPO might have a tour sa US when I realized na maybe I should tell Ms. Benz of Weddings At Work that I have a cousin who is a member of the orchestra. Because the night before that I was browsing the archives of the yg when I came across some bride to be's who got into trouble with the group. I came clean to her and asked her if I should unsubscribe from the group. Unfortunately, I really have to unsubscribe since a lot of the bride-to-be's have MPO as supplier. Mahirap na daw na malagay ako sa situation na may magpost ng review. Conflict of interest kasi. With a heavy heart I sent the email to unsubscribe. Honestly, naiiyak ako nung ka-email ko si Ms. Benz. Feeling ko ang OA ko coz I've only been a member for a few weeks. Pero kasi I know that the group is a treasure trove of information about weddings and at the same time parang support system na rin coz everyone's a bride or groom preparing for their wedding so super nakaka-relate ang isa't isa. Ms. Benz is really nice she even told me to just email her if I need anything. Haaay... Well, I gain some, I lose some, right?

Kwentong Peyups

As part of UP's 100th year celebration, we are putting together '100 Kwentong Peyups', a series of columns which will appear in the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Philippine Star throughout the year. We invite all past students of any of the University of the Philippines' units to submit their stories. Submissions should:

1. Be a maximum of 1,000 words
2. Be a personal experience and written in the 1st person
3. Emotionally engaging---funny, sad, scary, etc.
4. Make the connection between the story and a life lesson that serves you well today.
5. If possible, please include an oldphoto/scanned memento

Please include your name, College or Unit and Course, and year you entered UP as well as your email address. If you remember your Student Number, even better. Send your submissions to 100kwentongpeyups@campaignsandgrey.net. You will be notified via email if your story has been selected for publication or for use in other Centennial celebrations. Submissions will be accepted starting January 1, 2008. Btw, pls. feel free to pass this on to other UP alumni. Thank you very much and we look forward to your "Kwentong Peyups".

On the Left Corner...

Today, Pam and I tried boxing. And I had fun! Boxing is fun! It was just a trial so no payment yet. But we will be enrolling and doing it again next week. We'll probably do it once a week and then the other days of the week I'll have cardio and weight training. I'm getting bored at the gym doing cardio exercises and weight training. Although my program is changed every so often by my trainor it still gets a bit too boring. So for this year I decided to do boxing. Might be a good way to lose some fat in these big arms of mine. So I need to buy those hand wraps and boxing gloves. Since it was just a trial, we only borrowed the wraps and gloves that we used. The instructor said I can buy the 12 0z. gloves. Didn't know those had weights. Anyway, the session was for one hour that includes stretching, warm-up exercises and then the actual sparring which is around 2 minutes per round (Pam and I did alternate sparring with the instructor) and then some ab workout and another set of stretching. My hands were a little weak after the session, I had a hard time writing my name in the "attendance sheet". After a few months of boxing, do you think I could beat Pacman? Hihihi

Pamamanhikan

The blueprints of wedding plans are drawn or made known during this occasion. The pamanhikan is often hosted by the bride's family as the groom and his folks visit them to formally ask their daughter’s hand in marriage and discuss plans for the upcoming wedding over lunch or dinner. This can be an uneasy situation if it's the first time for both parties to meet. The soon-to-weds may feel a little awkward (nervous even) seeing and listening to their parents consult each other on matters like their wedding budget, guest list and the like.

It is customary that the visiting family bring a gift (often, the best home-cooked specialty of the groom's mom) for the hosts. Others may opt to hold the meeting on neutral grounds (a restaurant is a likely choice) or invite a mutual acquaintance to the gathering and help ease the awkwarness of the first meeting. Why do Pinoys bother with all the trouble? We all seek our parents' blessings for a happy and trouble-free marriage. Afterall, pamanhikan is a treasured Filipino heritage which, first and foremost, avoids the embarrassing situation of having the parents see each other as strangers come wedding day.

Source: Weddings At Work

We already had the pamamanhikan on the first of January 2008. We had so much food. My mom prepared ginataang hipon at alimasag, inihaw na liempo and california maki. Joema's family brought lechon kawali, pansit palabok and kalamay. Yum yum yum! It wasn't actually an awkward meeting of the two families because my family went to visit him last year when he had his operation and met his mom and two brothers then. His dad was in the States at that time. Plus we had the best conversation fillers ever...our pets! Of course they loved Mini at first sight. Who wouldn't! My brother on the other hand was late for lunch and slept after he ate. He didn't have enough sleep the night before (New Year's Eve) because he stayed at his girlfriend's. Just a quick explanation why he's not in the picture haha.

As for the wedding details, it was agreed that we'll have a small wedding. Maximum of 150 guests so not all relatives and friends will be invited. We told them that our preferred date is November 16 of this year, but since that's a Sunday we might opt for November 8 which falls on a Saturday. We also informed them that we're looking into the Archbishop's Palace as ceremony venue. But as of writing this blogpost, we are considering holding the wedding at UP. I'll get into that when we have the details already. So there, we had that out of the way and we can now scout for wedding suppliers. Hopefully next week we'll have our church.

Oh Christmas Day

I spent the 24th and the 25th with the family as usual. We attended the Misa de Aguinaldo at around 9pm of the 24th. When we got home from the mass we already ate Noche Buena and then started opening gifts at around 11pm. Di na nakaintay! My parents are getting old they can't stay up late for too long! Joema and I usually give them separate gifts. Pagkasal na kami as one na lang yung gift dapat magtipid na e harhar. We gave my mom two blouses - one polo shirt actually and other blousy blouse. Then to my father I gave him a polo barong and Joema gave him board shorts. My brother naman gave them watches (nung nakabalot akala nila sabon haha!) To my brother I gave two shirts while he got messenger bag from Joema. I actually benefit from that coz now he doesn't have to borrow bags from me. Anyways, Joema and I joke that we should ask our parents (both sets) to have dinner and then they should use their Christmas presents kasi ako I gave his mother the same blouse I gave my mom (same color, same style, different sizes) and then the same polo barong din to his father (different color, same style, same sizes). Naku baka yun ang isuot nila pag namanhikan hahaha! Ako I only opened a gift or two from my officemates which I know are body lotions. The rest I opened on the 25th coz I waited for Joema. After opening the gifts, my parents went to bed and my brother went to his girlfriend naman. Hay iba na talaga pag tumatanda ang mga bata may kanya-kanya ng buhay. Ako naman I waited for midnight. Although I slept around 1am din. Our Christmas celebration is really very simple basta attend mass, Noche Buena and opening gifts ayos na.

The next day, Christmas day, Joema went straight from work to our place. We let him eat breakfast first before we all trooped to my Tita and Lola's house. Ayun he got to meet everyone although he met most of them naman na talaga. We stayed there for a couple of hours making chika and eating again haha. My cousin bought his IMac so he and Joema has something in common to talk about. Not that Joema has one hahaha but he knows the features and other hooplas being a tech support and all. The joke is you should call him kasi he won't be able to help you pag face to face. I borrowed three DVDs from Adam - Stardust, Underdog and I Know Who Killed Me. We watched Stardust when we got home. Sidekwento lang about the DVDs I borrowed. I loved Robert de Niro in Stardust. He was believable na gay ha! Unlike other actors na obvious na umaarteng bakla. And Michelle Pfeifer is beautiful - the most beautiful witch ever! Underdog was okay, movie na pambata. Ika nga ng mga entry sa Metro Manila Filmfest pambata kaya panoorin dahil ang Pasko ay para sa bata. Crazy! But that movie of Lindsay Lohan sucks! I thought it was drama at first and then was hoping na medyo deep yung movie dahil parang Indie film ang dating coz it was kinda dark and the character had conflict. And then it turned parang scifi sya. Now I have to reserach kung totoo ba yang stigmata twin na yan or they just cooked it up for the film. Oopps! I should have done a separate post for the movies. Back to my story: we hadn't finished watching the movie when we ate lunch. Interesting part yung lunch coz my mother and my father told Joema na about the family stories (father side). You see their story is straight out of a telenovela. I don't want to tell it here coz it's not really my business. Kumbaga pag ginawang pelikula e supporting role lang ako. Yung pwedeng wala naman don pero pandagdag lang sa cast hahaha. Very juicy kasi yung details sometimes I can't believe it really happened.

I forgot na Joema and I opened gifts pala before we watched the movie. We didn't have gifts for each other. No material gifts - tama na muna yung pagmamahal at pagkakalinga wahahaha. Sweet talk for no moolah! After all that, Joema had to go home na to be with his family naman. Although pagdating nya sa bahay nila nagtulog lang ang loko. Ako naman I watched the two other DVDs. Next year hopefully, it will be a little different - different coz I will be married but just a little coz we'll surely be celebrating it with our family.

Happy holidays!

Getting Sick during Holidays

Yep, you read that right. I'm sick right smack in the middle of my vacation leave. I was on leave yesterday and was supposed to have dinner and watch a movie with some friends. But I had to beg off because of this f*cking fever. I had chills the night before yesterday but I only thought it was because of the cold weather. When I took my temp it was 37.7. Argh! Tonight my girlfriends and I are supposed to have a slumber party Sharon's house (she's home for the holidays) but I have to tell them I won't be coming. Huhuhu. I'm feeling a lot better now but I have to watch my temp because last night before I went to sleep I was okay, then I woke up at 3am and felt feverish again. This sucks big time. I hope I'm feeling 100% better come New Year's eve.

Santa's Elves

You wanna see us dance? Go here.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Wishing all of you a blessed Christmas! Let's not forget the real reason for this day and share our blessings to our less fortunate brothers. I hope you have a meaningful yuletide season.

Reservations

In our recent travels out of the country like in Hong Kong and Kota Kinabalu, I’ve usually booked our hotels online. What I usually do is I google “Hong Kong hotels” or “Kota Kinabalu hotels” and then search on the different websites that is listed on the search results. Little did I know that Hotel Reservations exists. This is like a one stop shop for travel bugs like me. I can book our hotels from this site. And not only hotels but flights in and out of the country. They even offer vacation packages. Aside from the time you save, you also save money because they offer the lowest rates. Next time we travel I will book from this site.




This post is sponsored.

We're Engaged!

I can't get over the fact that we're actually engaged. Huwaw ganon pala feeling non. We've been talking about getting married pero iba pala talaga when you finally hear those words asking you to marry him. Hay!

Yesterday was supposed to be our housewarming party for Mands. Kaso nag-backout si Steve cause he was sick, then si Jose had practice for their Christmas party presentation, Charline and Allan had to beg off na rin cause super trouble for them to commute from the south all the way to Commonwealth, si Penny nagback-out na rin dahil may family lunch pala sila. So yes my original plans didn't push through kaya I told Joema he can come by the house na lang dahil wala akong gagawin. Ayaw pa nya nung una dahil originally dapat today kami magkikita 16th (kaya pala gustong sa monthsary makipagkita). Anyways, so yon he got here around 2pm dahil he had to meet his brother pa in SM North.

We were kissing and fooling around (haha naughty!) when he suddenly stopped and reached for a red box. Ohmygas! This is it!

Me: Seryoso ko ba? (when he handed me the box)
We hugged then I started crying.
Joema: Marry me. (It sounded like a statement to me, not a question)
More crying from me. And hugging. And kissing.
Joema: Gusto ko palagi na tayo magkasama.
Crying. Hugging. Kissing. Crying. More crying. Exchanging of I-love-you's. Crying still.
Joema: Nililigawan palang kita alam ko gusto na kita pakasalan. (Awwww!)
Crying. Hugging. Kissing. More crying. Crying pa rin. Exchanging of I-love-you's. Buckets of tears.
Until he finally said:
Joema: Hindi ka pa sumasagot...
Cris: Yes (and still crying!)

Tinanong pa nya kung nagustuhan ko yung ring dahil di ko pa agad sinuot. E pano naman busy ako kakaiyak noh! hahaha! The ring was a bit big so I'm earing it now in my middle finger. We'll have it resized this coming week.



In my pambahay after the proposal. Fcuk you!




Watching Vacancy after the proposal. (pangit ng kamay ko!)




Wrapping Christmas gifts after the proposal.




I've imagined of elaborate and grand proposals pero this was just perfect. It's so him and so us. Steady lang sa house and just the two of us.

Messenger gets shot

ALWAYS.

ALWAYS.

ALWAYS.

ALWAYS.

ALWAYS.

ALWAYS.

ALWAYS. ALWAYS. ALWAYS. ALWAYS. ALWAYS.

It's All Good

Last Friday was Tita Percy's daughter's wedding and fortunately we were invited. Lorena and I went to make usyoso haha. It was both our first time to attend a wedding at Fernwood Garden. We left the office at 3pm because the invitation indicated 4pm as the start of the ceremony. We were there at 3:40! No traffic on a Friday from Ortigas to QC! Walastik! E kaso mo late nag-start ang ceremony so tagal namin nag-intay. As usual while waiting picture taking muna.







The procession of the entourage started at 5pm. But the bride walked down the aisle a few minutes before 5:30pm dahil sa dami ng entourage.



It was my second time to attend a Christian wedding but this was different from the first one. Dito, pagdating ng bride sa altar tinanong agad ng pastor yung "Do you accept this man/woman to be your husband/wife?" With Patrick and Heili's wedding I don't remember that being the first part. Or am I really that forgetful. Gosh! That was like four years ago lang nakalimutan ko na agad?!??! Back to the wedding, aside from that sa Christian wedding pala parang wala masyadong role ang principal sponsors. Unlike sa Catholic wedding where the principal sponsors are the ones, together with the parents, bless the union of the couple. Dun sa wedding na yun parang in-acknowledge lang nung pastor yung principal sponsors and thanked them for being ninong/ninang. Aside from the exchange of vows, the couple also said some things to honor their parents. Syempre medyo nangilid ang luha ko when Iriz mentioned Tita Percy.

The reception was fun. Aside from the fact that it was then that we got to eat hehehe, may audio-visual presentation that tells the story of the couple and also yung hotel preps and some snippets from the ceremony and reception itself. They also had games. May "Bring Me" which asks for the guests to bring something related to the love story of the couple kaya medyo madali hulaan kung anong ipapakuha nila. Na-coach ko pa si Lorena na yung next na itatanong was dirver's license because the couple's first date was at LTO hehe. Binigay tuloy nya sa kin yung prize nya. =D They also had "Love It + Hate It" game. They chose 5 couples to participate and the couples had to answer love it or hate it depending on the question pero syempre they have to have the same answer. Tita Julie and Tito Philip almost won.



Sayang! They did not get the last question "Does your wife love or hate whipped cream in bed?" Hate it sagot ni Tita Julie while Tito Philip answered love it. Then Ms. Aggie, being a ninang, said a few things for the couple. She said that their marriage lasted for 30 years (their wedding anniversary is this Dec 17) because in those 30 years, every time they said "I love you" they follow it up with a question "Are you happy?" She said that you should always seek your partner's happiness because in his/her happiness you will find your own. Basta something to that effect which is really true noh. You will be happy if your partner is happy. Sabay giving emphasis to the pastor's sermon na "It's good" kasi daw si Lord when he made this earth (Genesis) at the end of every day he would say "It's good." It's all good. Anyway, when Ms. Aggie mentioned that its also their anniversary, the host asked her husband to get in front and they were asked tokiss each other for 10 seconds. Pero more than 10 seconds pa yon kasi super bagal magbilang 10....9.... tapos sa dulo 2...2...2... di na ata natapos. =P




Here's wishing that Iriz and Don's marriage will also last more than 30 years! I know that will make Tita Percy happy.

SanFo Treats

I've been missing Grace lately. One of the reasons for this, I think, is that I'm envious Joel will be seeing her this Saturday. He's going to the States for a one month vacation. He was insisting that we should throw him a despedida. We didn't cave in although Gary and I met up with him for dinner yesterday. It was supposed to be last Thursday but because of the attempted coup Joel wasn't able to make it.

Anyway last night we parted ways by 9pm. It's either we're all getting old for late night-outs or because it's an ordinary weekday and they (Joel and Gary) both have to go home from Makati to Fairview. With the long ride home and throw in the traffic jam caused by the Christmas rush it was understandable they wanted to go home early. The two hours worth of tsismis was enough to satiate the tsismosa in me hihihi.

Anyways, back to Grace. I bought her a DVD copy of A Love Story. I should have bought it over the weekend, instead of just yesterday during lunch time, so that I could have watched it before giving it to Joel harhar. Joel got a bit worried when he saw it because he will be bringing two copies with him - one for Grace and the other one for his cousin. He said he might be suspected of selling the DVDs there. I hope not. Grace was also asking me to buy her polvoron from Goldilocks but Joel didn't want to bring any food with him. Aside from this, she asked me if I can buy her disposable contact lenses. She gave me her grade as +3.25 and +2.75. The two optical shops I went to told me that they still have to order it (because of the "+") and it will take a week before I get them. When I told her this this morning, she apparently gave me the wrong grade and it doesn't have to be "+". Anyways, she also asked me if she can have my financial calculator. She said that Texas Instruments is not making those models anymore. They are releasing new ones and Grace is not comfortable using the new models. So I will be stuck with the new model and she with the old. I'm okay with that because she's giving me seasons 1 and 2 of Prison Break plus DVD coy of 300. Double yay! I'm so happy! I wish Joel would come back home soon so that I can have the DVDs already hehe. But I'm still envious they'll be seeing each other even for just one or two days. They will be meeting up in San Francisco, that's Joel's first stop in the US.

I should really apply for a US visa. One reason to go there next year is Karen's wedding. Ooooh I hope I have enough money!

Furniture for your Home

At the bank where I’m employed, staff may avail of the housing loan with interest lower than commercial banks. That is after five years of being an employee. So I have 2 more years to go before I can avail of that special benefit. For now, I will just drool over furniture in Furniture From Home. You can choose your furniture by room, by style or by color. And ordering is just one click away. Just choose the furniture that best suit your home and your taste and you're good to go. For me, I like going through the site by room. You can see in full the combination of the different pieces of furniture in one room. I love it! If you can’t afford to pay for an interior designer you can always look at their rooms and then just buy the pieces of furniture there. It’s a complete guide in furnishing your home.

Here at home, we probably should by a new sofa. I so love their recliners. I wonder if I could egg my mom to buy one. They have a lot of options too if you're looking for a bed. I especially like this loft bed with desk. Such a space saver! If you have kids, you have to check out their kid bedroom furniture.

It's so easy to navigate this site. Equally helpful are their Lifestyle Suggestions and Furniture Tips that are located at the bottom right portion of their homepage. Check it out!

It's beginning..

...to look a lot like Christmas. We've finally set-up our Christmas tree this year. That is, after spending a few years without it. I think the last time we had it was in 2000 or 2001. Ever since my parents came back from living in the province, we haven't had a Christmas tree in our home. Christmas has been very different now with five adults (including our help) in the house. I remember when we where kids, we'll be very excited to wait up for twelve midnight and then open our presents from our parents and Santa Claus. Actually, we usually hear the midnight mass then come back home for the presents. When we were teenagers, we have our younger cousins come over to eat with us and open their presents with us. But they eventually grew up too. Now, more than ever, I really that Christmas is for children. It's really not that exciting for me anymore...because I don't get as many presents hahaha! Just kidding! The truth is now that I'm an adult, I feel the Christmas spirit once I buy the gifts for my family, relatives and friends. Because it is really that…sharing what you have. Anyways, aside from the Christmas tree we also bought new curtains and pillow cases to make our home more Christmas-y.

On other news, aside from my tell-tale signs that Christmas is around the corner our unit has also celebrated our Christmas party last Wednesday, even before the Trillanes brouhaha. My “mommy” gave me two books. Yippii!!! I was actually expecting just one in the list of five books that I gave so I was really happy to get two with a bookmark to boot! Oh, and my "baby" gave me Toblerone. =D

How about you, how do you know that Christmas is nearing? Do you attend Misa de Gallo? I was never able to finish the nine novena masses for this. I always end up missing one or two because of Christmas parties and dinner with friends. So I now I just don't go to any of the nine unless of course during the regular Sunday masses hehe.

$ $ $

I need extra cash because I have been saving up for something. Before, I usually help students with their Math subjects as their tutor. But I am not really into that. I only do it if someone asks me to or someone referred me. I don’t really seek out students who are having problems in Math. But now, I think I found an easy way to earn extra cash - while sitting at home in front of the PC and surfing the net. I recently signed up at PayPerPost. I first saw this from some of the blogs I read frequently and some that I just bump into. And all of them are happy with the income they are generating from PayPerPost. The deal is you write stuff about their advertisers and then they review your blogpost and then you get paid if you pass their requirements. You also need to sign-up for a PayPal account. Isn’t that easy? I get to blog and earn money. I guess the easy part comes with the option of choosing which subjects/items I can write about. Of course, I will always choose those things that I am familiar with or am interested in. I am actually excited. As their badge says “Get paid while blogging about the things you love”. Ka-ching!