...our invites

at last, we're about to give out our invites this weekend.. matatapos na rin!


here's the box.. it's just paper but it looks and feels like wood..given to us by Tita Penny.. she manufactures boxes among other stuff..



and here's what's inside the box.. just a brown ribbon so they could easily lift the inserts (sorry for the puny image quality, these are just taken from my camera phone)


a closer look at our inserts.. we had them made at recto (for only 25 bucks per set)


and our maps, made by Pangs.. this is from the Ceremony Venue


this is for the Reception Venue.. sabi ko nga keh Pangs, meh picture pa uh! lol!

we also made a small RSVP card.. but i don't think my camera will do justice to it,hehe.



and here's our principal sponsor gifts.. wooden lamps made by ArtFinds


and our tokens.. coasters, also made by ArtFinds


last night we attempted to buy entourage gifts.. gosh, everything is so damn expensive in the mall.. i'm keen on buying the puppets we found for the kids but Pangs says it's too expensive (175 bucks.. eh 6 na bata!) so we'll look later sa Sta.Lucia na lang.. meh Blue Magic dun eh.. sa guys ndi ko alam.. probably sa buong entourage (10 sila), items na lang din ni Marge.. para asa theme parin hehe. (tsaka mura!)

ayun, just wanted to share. feel so accomplished. L O L. as if.

p.s.
meh party poppers na kami! c/o my cousins and Auntie at Sta.Mesa.. they bought at Divi, 2 big ones and 3 dozen small ones, all for 468 bucks. plus they also got my Baptismal Certificate for Marriage purpose (YEHEYYYY!) 'cause the parish is in Sta.Mesa too. TG for relatives!

...more prenup pics

my flickr account's already reached it's maximum quota for the month so i'm just uploading some of the pics here in blogger..

just a couple more that i like:

i like the Malinta Tunnel shots.. we were basically just goofing around.. i think Jaime didn't get the first walk so Pangs had to carry me back again.. syempre enjoy ako, lol!


i'm a sucker for this type of shots..only because we can't do it ourselves, lol!


the classic "turo-turo kunwari meh tinitingnan" shot. can't possibly leave corregidor without this shot.

...quiz time

Your 2005 Song Is

Feel Good Inc by Gorillaz "Love forever love is free. Let's turn forever you and me." In 2005, you were loving life and feeling no pain.

What Hit Song of 2005 Are You?

I was thinking more of a Franz Ferdinand song, but this will do. ehehehe.

...merry christmas!

okay, so belated na, better late than never. Ang Pasko Ay Para Sa Bata.. i think they should add Pati Sa Mga Tanders.. you know, old people like your parents,ninongs, aunties.. i think my Mom got more gifts than some of the younger people, hehe.. Christmas Day is more like an Errand day for me now.. Go to Caloocan for lunch, Go To Sta.Mesa for gift-giving.. it was a bit different (more exciting!) this christmas 'cause Pangs went to our s2b house with my s2b in-laws.. ang lapit na matapos ng bahay! the bathroom walls have tiles.. the electrical stuff are in place.. kulang na lang water.. and gamit.. eheheh. speaking of gamit, we bought our very first kitchen appliance yesterday.. it's a gas stove.. check it out..


it's just a 3-burner stove but i think it'll do.. we bought it so they could install it already in our kitchen.. (and they would know if the kitchen tiles we bought are enough) ganda noh? ahahha. i don't know why i'm so excited over a gas stove, as if magluluto ako. hahaha! that's 10k gone again, more expenses to come i'm sure.

Anyway, back in Sta.Mesa.. we played (i forgot the name) a game where you have to guess what's written on the paper stuck on your forehead just by asking questions and your teammate would just answer by saying "oo", "hindi" and "pwede". I had a difficult one, they stuck me with "2006".. i should've guessed that it was a number when i asked "english ba?" and they hesitated and there was much debate on whether it was english or not. i didn't get it, i asked "haa? french ba?" lol! i should've asked if it was a "DATE" i might have guessed it. also.. after that we played charades and i picked out Enteng Kabisote. It was so funny 'cause on my mind i thought the Tagalog for Mushrooms was Kabisote so i was trying to show them small mushrooms and eating it.. when someone shouted "mushrooms!" i pointed to her and made the "T" sign meaning Tagalog and when she said "kabute!" i was like.. teka.. erhmm.. yun ang pinapahula ko uh bakit mali parin? L O L! napakamot ako sa ulo ko. Enteng Kabute? *sighs* and i thought charades was MY sport. tsk.

My Wedding Countdown Clock says "24" and I am NOT happy about it. LOL! Pangs has done most of the wedding stuff and i'm feeling guilty about it. Sometimes, I'm just assigned a simple task and i STILL forget about it. watda? i think i should start looking at other people's list 'cause i might be forgetting something. We weren't able to give out the invites this Christmas (yeaah, waatttttttt u say? eh sa hindi natapos eh! lol!) 'cause no one in the EAST side of our country sells a brown organza ribbon. demmit. I STILL haven't seen my dress (the altered state.. it's so far off from the original design 'cause as you know.. i don't look good in a white dress!! @#$#$%@) we don't have a misalette yet (though Pangs is in charge of this, hihihi) and I STILL don't have my marriage certificate for wedding purposes.. (we do have our weddings banns already).. i'd have to remember to call my mom about that.. maybe she has free time to get it at Sta.Mesa.. (sarado po pag Monday, okay?) The Rest is just following-up on suppliers.. hmmm.. and a LOT of delegating.. eiii.. come to think of it.. I think the Misalette's about it.. just the wrapping of the Principal sponsors' gifts.. and buying of entourage presents.. and seating arrangement.. (i think we'll probably do zoning.. 'cause from other bride's stories, it is plain HELL to do table assignments in our country..people are confirming/cancelling on THE day itself! wtf?) my shoes, of course (pero sabay kami ni Nanay Siony bibili.. probably on the 7th of January) .. the following-up i'll definitely delegate to Ate Ging. forgot to give the guest list to ate chary. i think she's organizing my bridal shower, hihihii. i said i didn't want any male dancers or any of that stuff.. i want a SPA themed shower.. i think it's going to be a treat for my female friends too.

*breathe in, breathe out* i think we're going to be okay.

we had our prenup pics taken last (i forgot already) time at Corregidor! okay, so Jaime, if you're reading this.. (our photographer..) just realized i have only 1 (as in isa lang okay?) angle and it's full faced front.. no side shots, stolen shots on the side.. angle or whatever.. LOL! arrggh i'm so not photogenic. hay. si Raymond kakainis, gaganda ng kuha hahah! ang galing pang ngumiti. arrggggh. *mwahmwah Pangs* anyway, here are some of my favorites..













i don't know how i'm going to survive the wedding photoshoot. harharhar. maybe i should hire a proxy, lol! in fairness to Jaime, i don't think he could've done a better job with us jumping out and around the tour.. we only had like a few minutes every site and by the end of the tour, we were getting mean looks already from the foreigners in our tour group..our tour guide even said "Filipino Time" ehihihi. kakahiya. that's why we didn't have the lighthouse shot.. nahiya na kami ni Raymond magpahuli.. anyway, here's my favorite photo of my Pangs.. so pogiiiii (walang kokontra!)


*kiligs ol ober* lol!

12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country

i just read this on our yahoogroups and it's a very inspiring story by the columnist, Max V. Soliven about his encounter with a certain Alex Lacson, a writer with this book (as titled in this blog) about what every filipino can do to help our country..

as a Filipino, I am proud to say that I haven't had a single thought of leaving our country and working abroad.. my friends could attest to that, wala akong ambisyon umalis ng bansa.. feeling ko talaga, meh pag-asa pa itong bansa naten.. But I am ashamed to admit that after watching Dubai (hahahaha jologs) parang gusto ko ng umalis dito at lumipat dun.. pero after reading this, i think, it's a sign from God to remind me to love my country.

excerpt from Alex Lacson's book:

1) Follow traffic rules. Follow the law.

2) Whenever you buy or pay for anything, always ask for an official
receipt.


3) Don't buy smuggled goods. Buy local. Buy Filipino. (Or, if you read
the
book, he suggests: 50-50).

4) When you talk to others, especially foreigners speak positively
about us
and our country.

5) Respect your traffic officer, policeman and soldier.

6) Do not litter. Dispose your garbage properly. Segregate. Recycle.
Conserve.

7) Support your church.

8) During elections, do your solemn duty.

9) Pay your employees well.

10) Pay your taxes.

11) Adopt a scholar or a poor child.

12) Be a good parent. Teach your kids to follow the law and love our
country.

These are the 12 things every Filipino can do to help our country. At first blush, they seem simple. When you study them more closely, they are difficult to do. But all of us, together can do them.

Full Article is here.

rockers and hip-hoppers and april girl

rockers and hip-hoppers and april girl
Originally uploaded by geWi.

hehe.. kamukha ni susie si april boy.. di mashado kita pa yung eye-make up ko eh, tsk. lol! i've got a close-up on roni's cam.. i'll post that one (pang friendster siya, pramis haha)

l-r.. me, jen, mich, ronigirl, raymond
below.. susie, bel and our PM, melai

...christmas hell week

i know, i might be committing a mortal sin just putting those two words together.. but i can't freaking help it! it's absolutely been 4-hour-sleep-a-day and a whole lieu of nasty stuff like a terrible dance number and a boring christmas party. all i've got to console me is listening to The Killers whose lyrics don't make sense.

i've got soul but i'm not a soldier... whaat?

i haven't been blogging 'cause 1.nakakatamad (which is sooo unlike me) 2.busy daw! pero really, before, even in my busiest days i would always find time to write.. i don't know if it's semi-writer's block ('cause i really am not a writer so i can't have writer's block) that's causing this or i have just been so dead tired and terribly tense this month that even writing my blog has become extremely taxing.

it's 30 days to go before our wedding and 4 (whatttt 4 nalang!) days til christmas and i haven't crossed out a single to-buy item from my christmas shopping list.. my inaanaks will kill me.. i worked out a budget of sorts for my christmas shopping and i had to downgrade my budget for my inaanaks.. tag-500 bucks na lang.. waaah.. dumadami kasi eh, dati 2 lang ngayon 4 na then sabay-sabay gastos with wedding and house renovation.. parang, i don't know where to get the money from my measly salary.. (how i wish contractor's salary parin ako).. can't believe how much money goes to income tax.. okay.. so i was a delinquent tax payer for more than 2 years but really, it's just so depressing seeing your hard-earned 10k go to taxes..(and i don't have to tell you where it really goes)

i'm hoping i could get some shopping done after work today.. that's why i came to work early, even though i went to sleep at around 1am because it was our (sucky) company christmas party last night. okay.. i just have to enumerate the sucky parts 'cause i might go on and on and on if i don't

1. our group presentation was a disaster. the freaking DJ didn't play the right song.. you see our dance (and song, we have excellent singers in the group) was a medley so we didn't know it was the wrong song 'til the middle part.. we were like.. "Watdaaaaf*ck? asan na si Britney! Bakit si Mariah parin!" lol! (All I want for Christmas is You and Santa Can you Hear me yung mga kanta).. Watching the video was hilarious. When we were expecting the Britney song, you could see Mich (one of the dancers) scratching her head, Michael just plain-standing and a lot of us looking at each other trying to figure out what to do with the dance.. i wanted to die that moment. hay. one for the books.

(had a flashback of our "Re-Rewind" dance number back in college. Nagski-skip yung music, kakatawa kami, trying to dance with a skipping background. pirated amputs)... freaking dejavu huhu

2. the food was so-so. to think we had our christmas party at the New World Renaissance Hotel. hmpft. I thought i was anorexic for a second 'cause I couldn't eat a damn thing.

3. when it was dancing time, (at the end of the program proper) the DJ played "Pinoy Ako." WTF!? i thought he just missed Pinoy BB and was reminiscing but the next song he played was Achy Breaky Heart. it was a signal to go home. and i was so damn prepared to dance the night away. huhuhuh.

4. walang pamigay! walang ham, walang groceries, walang khet ano. demmit. Ang kuripot ng kumpanyang ito, leche! (namiss ko Radix tuloy. yung Christmas party lang. khet sa office lang ginagawa, at least hindi boring tsaka meh libreng Ham and groceries! lol!)

5. and lastly, no booze. need i say more?

i'll post some pics later (we had a rocker,hip-hop, bohemian theme..syempre rocker ako) when i get a hold of Roni girl's camera.. absent ata siya, wala pa eh, 11:39 AM na!

ayun. *whew* i feel a looot better now. i really shouldn't stop blogging. it's so much better than a grievance committee.

...arrrrrgh

i'm fighting with Raymond, fighting with my Father, pissed off at my officemates and have work load up to my neck.

This is what my 'PMS' sign says today:
I have one nerve left and you're getting on it.

what. a. day.

...tiles and toilets and basins and a bit of corregidor

wala munang mashadong corregidor stuff.. ala pang pictures eh.. pero all in all, super enjoy kami ni Pangs..tapos si Jaime, yung photographer namin, is super friendly tsaka parang madaling gumaan ang loob namin sa kanya.. (main reason also why we got him) nakakatawa super magposing-posing.. kakahiya pa lalo! wahahah! as in! gusto ko pang magkwento pero pag andito na pictures para mas masaya! eto muna sneek peak, pero ako lang kumuha nito sa aking measly phone camera.


this morning we went to Wilcon Depot tsaka sa iba't iba pang stores kasi we needed to buy the tiles na for our bathroom.. sana ndi na kami umikot, nagaksaya lang kami ng pagod eh puro mas mahal naman sa Cathay tsaka sa Federal.. anyway, i love the tiles we bought..asian na asian ang dating pero hindi outlandish, just right.. tapos we bought the basin, (i love our basin! will show the picture next time) yung toilet.. (2k yung basin, 3k yung toilet) tapos yung sandamakmak na tiles (syempre nagpacompute kami kung ilan dapat) and a whole slew of stuff like the sink faucet, shower valve, etc.. total cost.. (are you ready?) 18,605.75 bucks. omg. ang mahal! pero hindi pa nga mamahalin mga binili namin eh, isipin nyo 5k lang ang toilet and basin.. yung tiles siguro, mahal, 10k lahat. anyway, maganda naman eh hehehe! excited na ako makita ang finished product! pero dami pang gagastusin.. yung PVC door ng bathroom tsaka yung heater. tapos yung lalagyan ng soap and toilet (which we forgot to buy today) .. tapos sa labas yung kitchen countertop, yung sink, yung bar na gusto namin.. wahahaha. total budget namin for the renovation is 100k, sana umabot.

the house has the sockets and switches na.. tas ginawa na rin yung butas na grill (ang galing, kuhang-kuha, as if nothing happened! hehe!) tapos natanggal na yung old tiles sa bathroom and the itsy toilet..nalipat na rin yung circuit breaker sa kitchen.. next focus namin is the kitchen.. dapat 30k lang ang total nun..


yun, babay muna! til the next update! eto pala yung gusto kong bar sa meh kitchen..

...43 days to go?

whattttttt?! 43 freaking days to go and our To Do list only gets longer, feels like we haven't done a thing! my organizational skills are close to zilch so my Pangs is doing much of the legwork.. following up on our suppliers, going to Recto for our Invites, setting up our prenup pictorial and a lot of stuff that i can't handle.. i don't know what's wrong with me!!

for my sanity, i have to list again the stuff we have to do for The day:
1. Get my baptismal certificate with annotation "for Marriage purpose" <--siyet wala parin ako, demmit!
2. magPirmahan sa Swan. (plus contact them for the Reception Bond)
3. Get our Wedding Banns (waah since Nov. 21 pa pwedeng kunin toh eh)
4. Draft a Misalette
5. Meet our Principal Sponsors (on Raymond's side) -- gagawin namin sa Nov. 16
6. Buy wedding shoes (me and Pangs)
7. Get and Distribute Invites (have a copy na, pumalpak na eh, too long a story and too aggravating to even tell it here)
8. Wrap the PS gifts
9. Finalize contract with Reception Venue.
10. Entourage Dinner (tentative date on January 7, 2006)

hmm. yun LANG ba? i'm sure hindi. hahaha. yun lang maalala ko. putiks.

meh bago akong design keh Tet, my body is so damn beautiful kasi, walang bumagay saken na style ahahhaha. hay. lech. anyway here it is:




now i don't know if i should have the sleeves changed to 3/4s or ganyan na lang. so thin arms kasi eh arrggh. inggit ako sa malalaki braso :( huhuhu.

meh accomplishments na rin kami..

1. have emcee na. decided to hire Melissa Ferrer (recommended by w@wies)
2. siya na rin gawa ng Program (program, check!)
3. nakita na namin Invites. hay. kasi naman wala daw yung paper na kinuha namin so without telling us they decided on Yellow. Bright Yellow. (mustard yellow ang original) tapos palpak pa ang cut. hindi pantay pantay. tas hindi malinis ang pagprint, meh maliit na spatters. hay. grrr. nag Recto pa kasi kami.
4. Listening Session ng TSG sa wakas nangyari din
5. nagFinalize na rin kami ni Lala sa flowers.

ayun.. please God, sana hindi umulan tomorrow. or kung umulan man is ambon lang para matuloy kami sa corregidor.

yun lang muna!

p.s. may naalala pa akong "What i love about Pangs"
1. Sumasama siya sa mga lakad ko with my friends. He even makes an effort to befriend them.
2. He can shop with me all day. and it seems na nageenjoy din siya! hehe!

...the things i love about my Pangs

...he has the cutest eyes and smile (in my opinion)
...i can stare at him and not get bored
...he lets me sleep even when he's bored at the shuttle
...he always has this wonderful "good morning!" greeting, it really makes my day
...he commutes from Antipolo to Bulacan everyday just to make hatid(did i say everrrryday?)
...he does a mean "totoy bibo" dance
...he's so patient with me. even when i'm cranky.
...he puts up with my brattiness
...he's such a gentleman. who said chivalry is dead? he opens every door for me, crosses the street on the danger side while holding my hand, he carries my baon bag every time (he'll carry my shoulder bag if i don't stop him)
...he makes an effort to make me smile on my bad mood days
...he prays with me every night over the phone
...he's respectful to my mother and father
...he has wonderful parents (hehe, sipsip ako!) but it's true... i feel so lucky to have wonderful soon-to-be in laws
...he's a faaaantasticcc *ehem* partner (lol!)
...he smells so good (kaya ako dati nagkacrush sa kanya. ang bangu kasi!)
...he's so henyo. super idol na programmer. like a walking MSDN
...i can depend on him on difficult decisions.
...he makes me feel like i'm the most beautiful girl in the world (love is blind! lol!)

yun muna, 5:31pm na. gtg to my Pangs' christmas party. babay!

...pms warning.

arrgggh. kakainis. maybe because I brought my sister's PMS thingie catalog in the office with sayings like "I'm not in a bad mood. Everyone is just irritating me" that it really has affected me. bwiset na Equitable PCI yan. they badly need a process engineer, keh laos ng telebanking nila uh. imagine, staying on the phone for 20 minutes just to pay your bill! arrrggh. i had to do it twice kasi dhel nagpause lang ako for like 1 second, nagsabi ba naman "Your call is now being redirected to our representative." i was like "Noooooooooooooo. Don't transfer meeeeeeeeee" This was after pressing all these sort of numbers just to get to PHone banking. "Press 1 for chuva.. Press 2 for chuva.." gaaaaad. asa loob na loob yung pagbayad ng bills. arrrgggh. siguro 3rd menu pa. tapos paulit ulit pa to confirm. EVERYTHING. you have to confirm everything twice. demmit. Example: "Please select an Institution" (ako, press "248" for Citibank") sasabihin nya, "There is one institution with that Code. Press 1 for Citibank or Mastercard. (ako parang, watt? ano ba sinabi ko kanina?) hay bwiset.

ANYWAY... sabi nga ng sign ko na "I'm not in a bad mood, Everyone is just irritating me." eh hindi naman talaga ako bad mood. arrggh.

grabe, i looked at my Wedding Countdown Clock and it's 43 days to go. demmit! ayoko na tuloy tingnan, ang lapit na pala, huhuhuhu so many to do. waaaaaaaaah.

yesterday i was teaching my ex-opismeyts at Pramerica how to do "Baby one more Time" and it was hilarious and exhausting. Tapos meh kanta pang "Always" by Erasure, wahaha, sumakit hita ko kaninang umaga sa sayaw na yun.

putik. THURSDAY pa lang? tinatamad na ako. lech.

...gastos weekend

so what else is new, right? saturday morning dad, ate chary and i went to Divisoria.. first stop was the infamous 168 Mall that is truly, overrated. it was damn packed with shoppers and i couldn't wait to get out of there. after ate chary bought her glass coasters, tea lights, etc.. we went back to Tutuban Mall (mas maluwag! lahat ata asa 168) and met Pangs at Max's.. kain kain muna then back to shopping. Dad, Pangs and I went to Soler, to buy the electrical stuff for our house. ("our house" hihihi. still gives me the shivers) outlets, sockets, switches and a circuit breaker.. cost us 3,700 bucks. i was enjoying the Soler experience a lot.. with the sauna heat and smelly people, it was okay by me 'cause there was so much to see (and to buy!).. too bad we still don't have money, haha.. we could buy our water pump there, all kinds of light fixtures, pvc doors, narra doors, water closets, basins.. it was awesome.. babalik talaga kami ni Pangs dun..

about the house, Pangs and I fought a lot with our different opinions...what goes there, what goes here.., but we've dialogued about it and i hope we'll do much better in the future "fights".. when we're not fighting about it, we are so freaking excited about the house.. it's sooooo huge (in our perspective, ok!? hehe).. kasi wala pang gamit haha.. there's one room that doesn't have a divider so parang pwede kaming magpantintero dun ni Pangs haha (among other things *wink*) it's still pretty dilapidated but it feels like a mansion to us.. parang iba nakikita namin sa kanya.. we see the space, the potential to be great.. hihihi.. we've got a big front yard and a space for a car.. (no car yet! haha) then at the back.. a big space,big enough for a table tennis hehe.. (must have namin yun! lol! mauuna sa sala set, hehe jk lng Pangs) ang saya sayyyaaaa.. there's still a lot to do, electrical stuff, the water system, the security (fix a few grills, the gate, etc) but we're taking it one step at a time and trying to enjoy every minute of it (though we fail most of the time haha!)

anyway, 1pm-10pm ulit ako today.. got my AKT with Bruce Hendershot.. last night was with Maggie Chan and it went well.. she's a fast speaker but very friendly..

oh, and my Mom's back from the states.. her pasalubong to me were a sketchers sneakers and a ralph lauren shirt.. (factory outlet! hehe!) .. both v.cool.. daming kwento ng Nanay ko, kakatuwa ring makinig..

anyway, back to work again. Babay!

...the APCI Team group pic

CAI-STA - 2005 12 01 - 3 - APCI Team group pic
Originally uploaded by geWi.

here's my teammates..

standing from L-R.. manix, my TL Liz (and yosi mate), my Remedy partner Ronie, Mike, Bel, Jen (d ofismeyt who said panget ang entourage gowns ko.. bwahaha..meh grudge?), my PM Mel and Mich my seatmate.

sitting from L-R.. roni macaroni, Cath (the songer), me and Susie

...goofing around

CAI-STA - 2005 12 01 - 2 - goofing around
Originally uploaded by geWi.

pacute na, patay na. hehe.

...birthday bash

at wok in
Originally uploaded by geWi.

the team decided to treat the birthday celebrants of the month instead of the other way around.. (yey for now!) so we ate at Wok In this lunch.. here's me with the Team

...surbiy ageyn

tagged by harbie (yung dance steps uh hehe)

1.What time did you get up this morning?
--- 7:30 am.. muntik pa akong maleyt sa 10:30 cut-off

2. Diamonds or pearls?
--- diamonds

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
--- Harry Potpot! ang gandaaaa

4. What is your favourite TV show?
--- madami, t.v. addict ako eh. Amazing Race, Pinoy Big Brother, The Apprentice, The OC, Alias, CSI, 24, at marami pang iba.

5. What did you have for breakfast today?
--- honey dip dunkin donut

6. What is your middle name?
--- Yumul

7. Favourite cuisine?
--- japaneseeee. i like it raw. ehehe.

8. What foods do you dislike?
--- kalabasa. taba ng baboy...yung tipong meh mamantika pa. eww.

9. Favourite drink of the month?
--- Selecta Moo! hihihi. meh baon ako everyday. pagkainom ko, najejebs ako. (hehe too many details)

10. What is your favourite CD at the moment?
--- ndi CD eh, pero love ko si Howie Day ngayon. kumanta ng Collide. and Dishwalla. collide din ang title. ehehe.

11. What kind of car do you drive?
--- meh car ba ako? pero meh driver's license na ako! woohooo! humanda na keyuu!

12. Favourite sandwich?
--- yung ginagawa ko lang, lettuce and cheese only.

13. What characteristic do you despise?
--- maarte. yung feeling close kagad.

14. Favourite item of clothing?
--- boleros. hihihi. love em. pwede ko ng suutin mga sleeveless tanks ko

15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation where would you go?
--- japan! (Oh, tokyo!) tsaka gusto ko Mediterranean Cruise.

16. What colour is your bathroom?
--- Dark Red sa taas.

17. Favourite brand of clothing?
--- hmm. di kasi ako matatak eh. kahit ano.

18. Where would you retire to?
--- Kahit saan basta kasama si pangs. (sipsip!)

19. Favourite time of the day?
--- sleeping time!

20. What was your most memorable birthday?
--- Last birthday. kasi andun kami ni Pangs sa Isabela. tsaka etong last birthday ko. Kasi alalang-alala ko pa eh hihihi.

21. Where were you born?
--- QC. Delo Santos hospital. Kabirthday ko yung doctor ni mommy. kaya libre.

22. Who do you least expect to send this back to you?
--- yung hindi sasagot? si erlyn siguro. tamad yun eh. (lol!)

23. Person you expect to send it back first?
--- i dunno. yung tinatamad magwerk like me.

24. What fabric detergent do you use?
--- waat? ewan!

25. Are you a morning person or a night person?
--- hmm. i'm neither. i'm more of a lunch time person. ehehe.

26. What is your shoe size?
--- 6 usually

27. Do you have any pets?
--- meron! si Maimai and si Muymuy!

28. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with friends and family?
--- May bahay na kamiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. maglilinis na ako ng banyo!!!! (eh?)

29 . What did you want to be when you were little?
--- doctor. feeling doogie howser ako dati.

30. How often do you get a haircut?
--- naku, usually madalas eh leche nagpapahaba ako kaya last time ko is august pa.

ayush! hehe. i'm tagging.. pangs!

...birthday weekend

i had a very interesting weekend.. hehe.. it's a combi of expensive food, flat tires and great music.. i'll start my story when i got a call last Friday, Nov. 25 around 3:00 pm here in the office.. the guy on the line said: "Ma'am Gretchen, may padala po sa inyo dito." and with me saying "Saan ba yan?" hehe.

anyway, i got this:




ooooooohh ang sweet talaga ni pangs. with matching card na "Happy Birthday Pangs!".. feeling beauty queen ako dhel meh flowers hihihi. (inggit officemates kong girls, hehehe) anyway, Pangs and I met halfway in Ayala and we walked and walked and walked until we reached this..




it's a small japanese restau with over-the-top food prices.. hehe.. I know Pangs just wanted me to have a very memorable birthday but I honestly feel it was sooo mahal there. The food was okay, the green tea ice cream exceptional and so was the Tempura..

there was an aquarium at the entrance of the restau, and i couldn't help taking a picture of the orange fishies.. waah, they were so cute..



cute nohhh? anyway, Pangs had another suprise for me.. waaaaaaaaaah. ang ganda ganda! here it is:



it's a fossil watch designed by Philippe Starck! if you don't know him, he's a modernist designer.. you could see his watches at Avant and his chairs are there as well..basta.. waah, thank you Pangs! I love you! (Jane, pink eh, ehehehe)

nagpaadjust lang kami because of my patpatin wrist sa Glorietta.. after nun uwi na.. the next day, was our wedding preps day again.. we first went to Exclusively His for Pangs' barong..here's a sneak peek



nakapolo shirt pa kasi siya sa loob tsaka meh buntot pa (yung Tag).. pero it fits him really well and malinis ang pagkatahi..

next stop was Recto for our invites.. okay din, we meticulously proof-read the invites and gave the go signal to print the final product.. we'll be able to get our invites this Saturday (yahooo!)

after that, Enterprise naman. Pangs had to go there for some kind of training support pero hindi naman naabutan. pagbalik sa parking, waah flat tire ang naabutan namin. kakatawa kasi yung tool na ginagamit ni Pangs na pagtanggal ng screw sa gulong eh meh extension so he could only do half turns everytime so inis na inis na siya hehe. tinatry ko siyang icalm down (which i think i successfully did) and eventually, napalitan din nya yung tire.

after that uwi na kami (a quick stop sa vulcanizing shop for the flat tire) and i was soo tired i fell right to sleep.

on the day of my birthday, (Sunday) it was just my Dad and I who went to Mass (ate ging, asa thailand, ate chary is nag overnight sa ibang house).. mineet namin si Raymond then we ate sa all-time family favorite Don Henrico's. hehe. wala kaming inoorder dun kungdi Carribean Salad tsaka Oven-Baked spagetti. hihihi. tried and tested. After nun, balik bahay kami kasi 5:00pm pa naman susunduin si Ate Ging sa airport. We watched Grimm Brothers at home (i fell asleep) and after that, off we went to the airport. Pangs got off at Robinson's tas umuwi na siya. Nung dumating na si Ate Ging (kinita din namin si Ate Chary sa meh airport) we all had dinner at Gerry's Grill in Libis. Kita ko si Camille Pratts. kakatawa nga eh. sabi ko keh Ate chary, "Nakita mo si Camille Roxas?" eheheh. Pratts nga pala.

ooh, ate Ging gave me a L'occitane (i forgot the spelling) lotion set (yahoo!) and Ate chary gave me this:



yeheyyy, meh pang-Bohol na ako! Balak ko ring bilhan si Pangs para terno kami, hihihi.

Monday na susunod, mineet ko sina Meltuts and Chekay. waaah walang pinag-bago si Mel lolz. Mas meh binago pa si Sistah kasi Long hair na ang lola mo. ayun. sa susunod ko na pakita pics, di ko pa nadodownload from my camera. anyway, chika-chika, burgoo tapos kape. After nun punta naman kami ni Pangs sa Sentimental Groove.. for our long-awaited listening session which turned out to be great. Good thing magaling talaga yung banda.. hay.. sabi ni Pangs nahiya daw siya dhel mega palakpak ako nung kumanta yung singer naming si Aubrey. hihihi. galing nya kasi tlaga eh. She sang "Nearness of You" and "Lovely Day" galing! tapos our Boy singer also did a great job. He can sing our Barry White songs with ease. Yehey! Listening Session, check!


SOS with our singers, Aubrey and TJ


ayun lang,.. yun muna ang haba na eh. babay!

...TGIF! oh, happy day! hehe!

System Time: 11:18 AM
grabe,so happy.. been listening to Yahoo!Music and just recently discovered a "90s Alternative" station.. (been listening to just "Alternative Station") ..woohoo! i feel like i'm transported back to my highschool days when i was just beginning to embrace the wonders of alternative rock, hehe! i just love it.. they're playing The Rentals, STP, Foo Fighters, Pavement, Red Hot.. katuuuwaa.

last night, we met Lala of Interplay.. she's one of my fave suppliers, simply because her ideas sync with mine..she gets what i want and i love listening to her ideas.. sabi nga nya, excited na daw siya sa theme ko.. secret muna mga pinag-usapan namin, basta makikita nyo kung pano papagandahin ni lala yung Auditorium namin..

System Time: 1:54 PM
yahooooooo! i just finished my Final Exam for Remedy Tool.. 95%! *talon talon* yipeeeee!

System Time: 2:24 PM
Pangs lost his phone while walking with me on the walkway. grabe ano. we were together and walking and someone got the phone from the back pocket of his backpack.. (bakit kasi andunnn ehhh lol *mwah* Pangs) hayy.. gastos na naman! *akap Pangs kow*

mamaya meh surprise sa akin si Pangs, dahil birthday ko sa Sunday! yipeeeeeee! (i love suprises!) galing nga ni Pangs eh, usually ndi nakakatago ng secret yan eh, nagmatigas ngayun hihihi. *excited nuh ko!*

anyway guys, have a nice weekend! punta kami Recto this Saturday to proofread our invites and sa Mango Farm for the free food tasting. bwahahaha! nagfu-food tasting pa anu, ang kapal! lol!

...wooh, keh hirap

that's my title 'cause i just showed my entourage dresses to my officemate here, (jenny) and she flat out called them panget. hehehe. it's too much to take. so comments are okay, call them panget, walang dating, whatever. but please, give me suggestions okay? i'd really appreciate it.

Take note that most of these are not yet finished.. most will still need beading and more cloth (like my s2b MIL's)

here is my sister's, she's the MOH:




here is Akel's, she's the Bridesmaid:




here are my Secondary sponsors, Anshe and my cousin, Nina.. (Gracie couldn't make it)


Nina, my cousin


Anshe,my college Kada (my Thesis partner)

here is my s2b MIL's gown.. it's not yet finished (plus she's wearing a bra)


and my flower girl's dress.. clarice will have spageti straps, Eloisa will have the one shown here.. little ribbons will still be added on the bands



that's it.. i can take your comments, violent reactions, suggestions.. I'm mostly wondering about the Secondary sponsors' dress.. yun daw yung panget. Waaah! hindi ko talaga nakita na panget siya, huhuhu. I wanted simple, classy gowns and I thought I achieved that. And Pangs said they were great. And my sister didn't say a thing. lol! arrrggh. Nahihiya lang ba sila Nina and Anshe? comment keyu. I'd probably remove the green thingie crossed straps at the SS dresses.. but what do i replace it with? help please! and what about the flower girls' dress? para daw pangsimba lang? iniisip ko kasi tlga, simple lang, less beadworks.. 1. cost 2. meh flowers and head dress pa sila. hay. help please! S.O.S. !

distressed,
Geri

...pictures, pictures!

hi guys! wanna show you the food that i was talking about in my last entry..

here's the appetizers: there's the asparagus, salad, smoked salmon, canapes, mini-sandwiches..haaay parang gusto kong bumalik.. ehehe




and here's some of the main courses.. i wasn't able to get most of the spanish stuff (paella, etc.. i was too damn full already! i had 2 rounds of "appetizers"..and i wanted to eat the desserts!) there's tuna sashimi, california maki, prawns, oysters, mashed potatoes (ganda ng combi ko noh), mussels and chicken yakitori




and syempre, the desserts.. si Pangs, meron din, iba ang kinuha nya..parang matikman namin ang lahat..brazo de mercedes, some muffin at the top with strawberries, creme brulee, gelatin with kiwi, grapes, mangoes in it, mango crepe, and dipped melon and marshmallows from the chocolate fountain!




and here is my pangs who is grinning from ear to ear nung umpisa. after eh he had this spaced-out look 'cause he was really full..think we outdid ourselves




ang saya ano? nagutom na ba keyu haha! anyway, more pictures here.. it's my mom's trip to San Francisco and i'm just posting her "table" in the Buy Pinoy.. i'm so damn proud of her, sana makabenta siya ng marami eheheh!






oha, mega posing pa hehe!




more of her products.. ang galing ano! siya lang lahat gumawa nyan hahaha!



anyway, yun muna.. mamaya meh AKT,.. sabi naman ni Roniboy wag ako kabahan, so hindi ako kakabahan hehehe! magpapraktis na naman english ko.. ayush! babay! wish me luck! sana wala na akong "analysyst" situation, lol.

...2nd week

it's my 2nd week here in CAI-STA and i'm expecting to see Roni Macaroni here as well.. first day nya ngayon! (pero bakit wala parin siya? hmm? late shift?) anyway, we went to Circles (Makati Shang) last Friday night and it was definitely a night to remember. We were so full from the buffet we could hardly walk! It was my first time to experience a buffet in a hotel and i didn't imagine it could be that grand.. for appetizers i had smoked salmon, salads, canapes, and other stuff i can't name.. i had sushi, makis, oysters, prawns, crabs, yakitoris, dimsum, prime rib, etc... and who could forget the dessert! waah they had a chocolate fountain, multiple cakes, and lots of other desserts that are so elegantly presented it's a shame to eat them.. basta, ang saya! (just don't ask about the price, mah goodness! i know, first and last ko na dun! haha!)

I just loooooooove eating out with my Pangs. Ginagahan nga akong kumain pag kasama siya eh! Super busog talaga kami last Friday, bumalik pa kami sa office para you know.. ahahahah! anyway, andito na si Roni Macaroni! and first day palang nya, ang dami na nyang narinig na negative about the company. ahihihihi. we just got back from our HR orientation and to tell you frankly, it was not good news. Magkakaincrease lang daw kami pag January. pag Regular ka na. so that means, 2007 pa kami magkakaincrease! bwahahhaha! so sad..

last Saturday naman i went to Bulacan to visit my S2B MIL.. ang bait talaga ni Nanay Siony! una eat kami, tapos mega kwentuhan sa taas.. i love their house.. old filipino style house yung sa kanila, ganun din kasi ang gusto namin pero a bit more modern, pero i can see that we'll incorporate a lot of stuff in their house in ours.. like the capiz stuff, stoneworks, wooden furniture.. SPEAKING OF HOUSE.. meron na kaming house!!!!!!!! *talon talon talon* yipppppppppppppppeeeeeeeee!! ang nabili namin is yung old prospect namin, the one near a chapel.. it's a 240sq.m house and lot for only 1M! very good buy talaga, sa pagiikot namin, wala talagang pumantay sa kanya.. bungalow house lang pero malawak yung house, more than 78sq.m ang floor area.. this Saturday, maglilinis na kami dun! yeheyyyyyyyy!

ayun, sa wedding preps, walang updates! (huhuhu) nakakalimutan nga naming magpunta ng recto for the invites.. tas sa emcee, huhuhuh ayaw na ni erlyn. nabawasan pa yung accomplishments namin at nadagdagan ng To Dos. waaaaaah. Erlyn, baka pwede mag-appeal. Baka matype-an mo si Xavier, your supposed-to-be partner, ehihihi. Gwapo daw yun sabi ni Pangs. ehehe *iwas sa batok ni Erlyn*

hay. ganon talaga buhay, meh good news, meh bad news. tomorrow is my first AKT session. AKT are a set of documents for a program that we have to do to enable other IT personnel to understand how a program/system works. I have to do like 6 AKTs.. it kinda sucks 'cause i absolutely hate documenting but it's inevitable for a programmer to do stuff like this so, ayun, gawin na lang habang maaga pa at excited pa akong meh gawin dito, hehe. it's to take place every 8pm-9:30 pm (mga 7am sa kanila, yung iinterviewhin ko).. okay lang kasi it means i can go to work at 1pm but there's a I.T. meeting i have to attend on 8am tomorrow din kaya mukhang 8am - 10 pm ako.. wahaha! Melai said that i can offset naman some other day so pwede na rin. Dami kong 8am this week. huhuhu. Naalala ko yung nabasa kong quote.. tamang tama sa akin.

"Not a morning person doesn't begin to describe me." hehe.

My sis and I have been watching the DVDs for Jewel in the Palace which in our opinion, should be changed to 'Jewel in the Kitchen' 'cause it's about the politics inside the Palace's kitchens.. it's very entertaining and engaging.. and so fun to watch without the commercials.. (only food breaks! hehe)

anyway, malapit na ako umuwi. yipee! mga 6:30 ako uuwi, 9:20 na kasi ako dumating eh. ayun, paalam!

...25 things

System Time: 1:43 PM
it is too damn boring to read CAI's Systems Development Cycle so i decided to answer Harbie's Tag for 25 facts about me. (or something like that)

1. i'm an internet junkie. if i can get away with it, i'm perfectly fine with bloghopping, downloading, blogging for a whole day.

2. i don't wear shorts in public. lol! i have hideous legs.

3. my all-time dream is to reach 110 lbs.

4. i love all sorts of music. and i do mean ALL. i'm mostly a rocker (only listen to NU107) but i like pop,r&b, hiphop, oldies kind of music too. ooh, but not Jazz. i don't get Jazz.

5. i like reality shows.

6. i now work as a programmer/analyst here in CAI-STA (it's my first day!)

7. i'm the first to get married in my family, ahead of my elder sisters. (i'm the youngest)

8. i love shopping for makeup. (it'll come as a shock for some people) i think it's my Ate Ging's influence, after her trip abroad, she went home with a bag (a big bag) full of origins, clinique, prescriptives stuff. it was love at first sight.

9. i'm a Daddy's girl. i start most of my sentences with "Sabi Ni Daddy..."

10. i am so loving my PC here at work.

11. i met the love of my life at work.

12. i'm not much of a texter, but that has changed since I met Pangs. Now i dream that my phone is ringing and sleep with the phone under my pillow.

13. I love our 2 mainas. (dunno the spelling) si MayMay at si Muymuy. lol! Maymay can say "What's your name?", "Hello, Che Che", "Anong pangalan mo?" in 3 different voices. Muymuy is still a baby.

14. i love eating out. i feel a thrill looking at a restau's menu and picking a whole course of food. i start with a salad, a main course, and a dessert. pareho kami ni Pangs dito which is one of the things i love most about him.

15. i have a permanent scar on my forehead. (ala harry potter, haha!) i got it when i bumped into a post on my way out of a shuttle. my sister and i walked to the nearest hospital while i was bleeding profusely on the head. hehe. freaaaky.

16. i don't have any "adult skills" as my sister would say. I don't know how to cook, carry a baby, iron clothes, wash clothes, etc.

17. i just downloaded 15 songs right this moment thru limewire. mabuhay ang CAI-STA!

18. i'm can be a pretty stubborn, bratty person. Pangs can attest to this.

19. i can type at least 60 words per minute.

20. i want a house with a "music" room where i can put a kick-ass drum set.

21. i'm starting to run out of things to say

22. i miss my pangs as my officemate.

23. i never owned a nokia cellphone. ever.

24. i don't like to conform.

25. i'm a w@wie. it's what a group of brides-to-be call themselves for being a part of the weddingsatwork.com yahoogroup.

...first day!

System Time: 10:39 AM
first day at work! i have my own desk but no phone of my own, tsk tsk tsk. i do have a new email, it's Ann_Gretchen_Espinosa@compaid.com *whew, haba* .. do email me uh! first day na first day, i forgot to bring my cellphone.. it was super ultra difficult for me to get up this morning at an ungodly hour of 5:30am.. hindi na ako sanay! anyway, i've met 3 new employees today, and so far, so good.. there's Roni, Jen and Kathleen.. si Roni ang ka-team ko, okay siya, machika. Pati si "Ate" Jen, pareho silang matoka. I have a feeling it's gonna be good here. But as expected, i'm already missing my Pangs, and my desk in Pramerica. I'm so used to having Pangs who was previously only a "kalabit" away.. *sighs*

anyway, good things:
1. we all got new PCs. Dell pcs, with a whopping 75 gig!
2. have internet,though i have only peeked at my blog
3. have my own 'corporate' email account
4. new friendships
5. new project

bad things:
1. no Pangs behind me
2. elevator sucks here at PBCom Tower
3. PBCom Tower sucks
4. boring first day (i guess all first days are pretty boring)
5. no watsons, mini-stop, starbucks in the building. grr.

di ko pa pala nasasabi keh ms. melanie yung 'scheduled' leave ko.. maybe later or tomorrow.. i heard we're going to have training in Singapore! it's not yet confirmed but i heard it's going to be on January (uh-oh) so i better tell ms.melanie ASAP.

i only got a week of vacation,but i wouldn't exactly call it that 'cause i was still pretty busy.. monday was my 4th fitting with Tet. i was with my mom and she practically changed my dress design. (don't wanna talk about it) We were also able to attend the family planning seminar and have our marriage license processed.. the seminar was weird 'cause it took one whole freaking day (unlike other w@wies who said it only took an hour or so) ..pa-Bibo siguro yung Antipolo municipal kaya nagpapaseminar na 1 day, buti natapos ng mga 3:30 kaya nakahabol pa kami sa Munisipyo to file our marriage license. we were also able to submit the wedding banns to my parish. (cost us 700 bucks! gwabe!) so the only requirement we have left is my baptismal certificate, annotated for marriage purposes which is relatively easy.

anyway, i'll blog this, baka mabasa ni Pangs, hindi nya chinecheck email nya eh. hmpft! hehe iloveyou!

and thanks guys, for your support especially nung naga-apply pa lang ako dito.

...yeeeeeeeeeeehaww

Everything is moving so fast that I hardly have time to write my blog. (ndi dahil mashado ako nag-enjoy! *sapok jane and harbie*) I’m doing my turnover for this week and tomorrow will be my last day here in Pramerica, then I have a one whole week of rest, yahoo! A bit of kwento about our Discovery Suites day, I liked Linden better. But we did have a better room and a bigger bathroom which we fully enjoyed, thanks to the big bottle of bubble bath soap we brought. I can still feel my bump at the back of my head from lying in the bathtub. *ouch* I liked Linden better because of the breakfast buffet, we were ready to go PG mode (patay-gutom) but they didn’t serve any food for breakfast that is worth getting gluttonous for.  At Linden, they had bacon, Danish pastries, donuts, waffles, pasta, and lots of mangoes and other fresh fruits. I think Discovery only had better juices, they had watermelon, dalandan and orange juice but overall, mas masarap sa Linden.
     Uwi na kami ni Pangs, it’s been a busy and tiring day. Today was our employee get-together and I.T. was the host. Our theme was western and I got the chance to wear my sister’s boots and be a cowgirl for an hour. I’ll post some pics if I feel like it. hehe. Bye all!

...wedding update, 91 days to go!

System Time: 2:12 PM
i am soooo tinatamad so i'm going to post my second blog for the day... i got in the office around 10:30 a.m. (think i keep on beating my personal record for tardiness) and i caaan't believe it's only two-f*cking-thirteen.. haay, it's gonna be a looong day. since i can't think of any other subject, i'll write what any other bride-to-be will write about, the wedding day preparations. I've never actually realized that i would be such a "high-maintenance" kind of bride, i've always thought that i would like simple stuff, ergo, cheap stuff. but as we go along the preparations, i'd read about loads and loads of ideas that i would find irresistable and i had no idea weddings could become so commercialized. Chocolate Belgian Fountains, Tiffany Chairs, Gazebos, Wedding Artbooks, all kinds of stuff that i've only heard of since the preparations that are so damn hard to resist (i'm proud to say we only succumbed to the gazebo part) .. the items go on and on (butterflies, live bands, personalized flutes, personalized cake servers, personalized everything!) with the idea that each item will make your wedding a truly unforgettable event..i go on thinking it's only one day and then you think, that's precisely the reason why you want it to be oh-so-special.. i'll only get married once (hopefully, haha!) and why not get those cutesy butterflies flying over your church as you walk down the aisle.. i honestly tried to determine which ones i want to splurge on (wedding cake, make-up, entertainment) and which ones to be a tad bit budgeted (gown, venue, caterer) but will still make guests wonder how much we've spent on them..

when we were looking for a church, i only said one thing to pangs. I want a small church, 'cause i've always wanted a 'A Walk To Remember' kind of wedding where the chapel was full. i don't want to walk down the aisle with empty pews. I don't remember how we went to NSDG, or when we decided to go there. i think i only showed it to Pangs because i know that it's only a small church and i've attended my cousin's wedding there before. but i have only truly appreciated when pangs and I went there together, and it remains beautiful and quaint, and so photogenic. Plus it only costs 10k to rent it! i love it!

Initially, we wanted a garden wedding so we just booked the garden beside it so that guests could conveniently walk to the reception area after the ceremony. But when Raymond's parents saw the place, they didn't like it. It was a shame they didn't maintain the place in between weddings, so it was difficult for us to convince the oldies that it will look good once it's all dressed up. The search for a reception venue was a difficult one, because we already had a caterer (more on that later) and we only needed to book a place, not their food. (hotels are definitely out!) My cousin (the same one who got married in NSDG) had their reception at the PSE Auditorium and i was adamant not to have ours there 'cause who wants to become a copycat? i want my wedding unique! so we searched in all other places, Kasalikasan at The Fort ('no good' sabi nga ni MIL, malamok daw sabi ni Ate lala, pagumulan, super putik), Lepanto Penthouse (too small for our 200 guests, no dance floor, no room for our band), Bramante Poolside in the Renaissance Tower (mataas, wala pang elevator!, kalat-kalat ang guests) then Palladium Clubhouse in Shaw (plain ugly).. i had to concede, we went to PSE Auditorium and it was perfect. a Large square place, carpeted with a hotel-like ambiance with it's modern chandeliers.. no wonder Ate Lala chose this place. So there and then, we booked it and the search for our reception venue is over.

We knew that half of our budget will go to the food, so i emailed, got flyers, called, got faxes of every single caterer that i could talk to until my file got a foot thick. We had wonderful and pathetic experiences with food tastings but our experience with Swan was the one that we really liked. We got lucky 'cause our contact person is Irish, a frank, honest employee in Swan. Honest in a way 'cause she would tell us "Wag na kayo kumuha nun, mahal." or "for 150 persons na lang, wag na 200, kasya na yun". We didn't want to get Swan initially, because there menu is quite limited. We just decided to go there for the heck of it and for the free food. When we got there, they served us from the appetizers to the dessert. The whole damn course. I still dream of it 'til today, hehe. The food was surprisingly delicious considering it's very affordable price. We booked it, a week after our food tasting.

Ever since, I wanted a band for our wedding. I want Filipinos to learn to dance after the program, not eat and run like the usual. This is the part where Pangs really indulged me, by getting Sounds of Science, a group handled by the Sentimental Groove. I've seen their profile at kasal.com, and told Pangs about it day and night until he agreed to go to a live demo. We loved SOS! they were an upbeat jazz type of band, just the kind we want. We booked them on the spot. I've been having troubles dealing with their management, but i'm still hopeful that they won't disappoint us on the day itself.We already had our production meeting and I just have to constantly bug them for our listening session, one that is sooo delayed already. BTW, Pia, our contact person for their production team has resigned. Hay, problema na naman.

We initially didn't think we'd avail of any other wedding cake, since the available from Swan is already okay, it doesn't look like it's free and part of the package (unlike other cakes we saw from other caterers). But i've been drooling over a particular Judy Uson Cake since i started collecting the Metro Weddings magazine and found it in one of their back issues.. I was EXTREMELY surprised when Pangs went with it and in the end, he was just as excited for it as me.. it was a big whooop up our budget but i truly, truly believe it's gonna be worth it.

Tet Hagape has been a family suki, especially by my sister who has always been a bridesmaid for her friends' weddings.. (at least MOH na si Ate!) I had no other couturier in mind and am still happy with my dealings with Tet. She's so unbelievably cheap! Imagine, just 28k for my entire entourage including my bridal gown. And i didn't have to deal with the traffic and long journey (baka malasin pa ako sa makuha kong mananahi) to Divi for this! I have my fourth fitting on the end of this month. My entourage's fitting is on November 19. She sticks to the schedule and so far, we're waaay ahead of it. I'll probably have my gown ready by December!

Lala (of Interplay) is an angel in disguise. I swear, I love dealing with this girl. She's so full of incredible ideas and I've seen her work through the many w@wies who have booked her. Malapit pa sa Dangwa presyo. We'll be getting her for everything! The bridal bouquet, entourage flowers, church flowers and the reception. This is one aspect we're not the least bit nervous about. We're confident Lala will deliver.

I first heard of Madge Lejano from Jho, a pramerican who recently got married and got her for her makeup. She got rave reviews from her and she simply looked the part of a radiant bride on her wedding day.. She talked about how Madge uses corrective lighting, how she doesn't put makeup on the neck but blends the makeup really well.. how she likes no-make-up look makeup.. i was sold even before i had my TMU. the TMU was just a formality and I had it in Harbie's wedding. it had my makeup done by 3pm, and it lasted til midnight! I didn't like my hair though, haay, but the bottom line is i better gain weight 'cause i look so prikin payat. (lampayatot!)

hmm.. it's 3:56 PM, i managed to kill about an hour.. "uwi" na kami ng 5pm.. hihihi..

I had no idea a wedding can be so complicated.. i'm trying to accomplish the details too, 'cause i don't want to get frantic and frazzled by the minor details.. misalettes, program, tasks to do, delegating stuff, scheduling, etc.. i'll be starting my new job on the 7th of November and as always, pa-impress dapat muna. Bawal mag-absent, bawal ma-late. I try to insert any wedding prep on weekends, i'll probably start looking for the perfect wedding shoes next week. We've also completed our set of ninangs (yahoo!) so we'll hopefully have the invites finished by November. I still love looking at my wedding countdown clock 'cause I'm still amazed that it's a two-digit number already. Ang tagal kong tiningnan na 3 digit yun uh! A while ago I told Pangs "Pangs, let's talk about the wedding preps, I miss talking about it." We talked for about 10 minutes and the conversation moved to our still-missing-but-soon-to-be house. I also love talking about that, our future abode. Pangs basically tells me his ideas about the renovation, and I just tell him if i don't like a particularl idea, but overall, he has full rein with the house. We both want a modern asian house and we've been collecting 'Our Home' and 'Real Living' magazines and cutting out stuff that we would like to have. Malapit na namin mabili, just need a bit more patience and pretty soon, it'll become ours.

yessssssss 4:07 PM na. just less than an hour to go. Babay na.

p.s. Maraming salamat sa mga nagbasa. ang haba, ano? hihihi. Minsan lang ito. hehe!

...feeling rich again!

I’m all set! Sir Jojo finally found someone to replace me and he’s going to start on Monday. But as usual, it’s not all good news. Unfortunately, Sir Joel (Pramerica I.T. Manager) requested that they will only pay one consultant during the turnover, which means, I’ll be going to work next week for free! Gaaaah! *sighs* At least Pangs told me that I have his blessing to report for work for only half a day.. good news na rin at least makakatulog ako ng mas matagal, yahu! I’m already preparing all the documentation for my turnover. I’ll be passing a LOT of errors (kala nya madali dito, uh, hehe!) for my current project that’s only halfway done.  I don’t think I have enough time to finish everything by Monday so at least I’ll have the papers ready.
     Been watching 24 in DVD and I’m already on the 4th disk. It’s so freaking addicting, I can’t wait for the long break so I can watch it and watch it until it ends. I’m also currently reading The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I’m only halfway thru but I can say that it is simply brilliant! It’s chaotic and orderly at the same time. You’d have to read it to understand what I’m saying but I love how Henry transcends thru time and meets the love of his love thru his travels.  I’ll tell you more about it when I’m finished.
     Today is our Discovery Suites day. Woohoo!! So exciteeeeeed. Pangs and I bought a huge bottle of bubble bath (we’re now prepared, bweheheh) in the hopes of enjoying a long luxurious bath later  (and you know what, hihi).  I can’t believe Pangs is indulging me in these expensive suites, it makes me feel rich, even for just a day, lol! I can’t wait to go jumping up and down the bed again and watching Pinoy Big Brother in T.V. and eating in the bath tub, hehe!  Ultimate ka-jologans. *wiggles in my seat, excited na ako!*
     It’s only 12:36 pm so I still have time to finish a chapter of my book. Ay, also finished reading Jane Green’s new book, The Other Woman.  It was okay, nothing spectacular, but again, I do believe that Jane Green’s endings are getting better. Anyway guys, hope you’ll have a splendid weekend, as splendid as mine will be, BWAHAHA. Bye all!

...super poop

Last Saturday, I had my pre-employment medical exam at ICARE for CAI-STA… I had a gross encounter with my poop again, so I can give it to them for stool examination.. Pangs and I made up a super hero while walking on our way to the building (it’s a long walk from Enterprise Building, it’s on Legaspi St.).. he’s no other than, “Super Poop!” (original namin, noh?) hihihi. Pangs would hold my plastic bag with the poop inside and jokingly threatened to throw it at anyone who would stand in our way… “Beware of Super Poop and his poop pellets! Put-put-put-put! ” bwahaha. Also had to fill this huge container with urine for the drug testing. Dapat wiwing-wiwi ka para mapuno mo yun kaya mega hintay talaga ko. When I felt ready, it was so funny (and v.v. gross) to try to shoot my freaking wiwi to the itsy-bitsy opening of that damn bottle. My hand was covered with wiwi and I was scrubbing my hands for 3 happy birthday songs. (you know, you have to sing a whole happy birthday song while washing your hands, I did 3 just to be safe) anyway, after that, we went to NSDG to get our wedding banns and sample misalette. Was also approached by a w@wie there, Christine (tama ba?) and she said she recognized me from my blog. Hi Christine! Was nice meeting you! we got to talk to Kuya Melo, their in-house florist and he gave us this insanely high price of 7k for upgrade of the flowers. My golly, ang mahal. Good thing Pangs had the good sense not to give a downpayment already because he wanted to ask Lala (Interplay, our florist) how much it would cost her, if we ask for the same set-up as the one we saw. It was all white calla lilies on the stands, and white calla lilies on the aisle floor. She gave us a rate of 5k (yahoo!) and sabi nga nya, mahal yung sinabi ni Kuya Melo. Gotta remember to ask Arlene because I think I saw her name in Kuya Melo’s notebook and will ask her how much Kuya Melo charged them. Here’s our lovely, lovely church again.. ang ganda talaga! (sorry for the poor picture quality, these were just taken from my Motorola razr v3)

facade of the church.. ang photogenic diba?


keh ganda ng ceiling!


altar naman


pangs, the photographer



if there's one thing that i don't regret about in the whole wedding preps, it's booking this church. i swear, it becomes more beautiful each time we visit it. After we decided to drop by PSE Auditorium, in the hopes of taking pictures of the venue so we can show it to Lala.. Unfortunately, bawal daw (grrr, sinabi ko pa kasi hehe!) but there was also a wedding later that night so they were busy preparing the Auditorium. ang ganda! Manila Catering ang caterer.. they had tall topiaries of white flowers and it was sooo elegant and beautiful. Maybe white is back! ganda talaga! bagay sa place and tall centerpieces because of the high ceiling and chandeliers. It also had a long, long table in the middle for the principal sponsors so perhaps, we would do that too. Anyway, ikukwento ko na lang kay Lala and hope we could go there with her too.

Sige, paalam na, Monday-Daming-Errors day eh.

p.s. Happy Birthday, Khristine Reyes!