...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.