Earth Hour 2009 at the Fourth

Did you take part in the march 28 lights off for Earth Hour?  

We did... :-) 

Taal and Me and the high-ISO photo.  Sorry, the sanyo digicam is not that sensitive.  Besides, it was really dark and only had the candle as the sole source of light inside the house. 

The candle was only lit for 30minutes.  Too scared for possible sunog. :-)

The street lights in our subdivision was also turned off, but its either our clock was too early or the subdivision switched it off too late.  We were already lights off for 20 minutes when the street lights finally turned off!  

Femme a la Mode

Check my store here.

The store is still being filled up so please bear with us.  For now, we are coffering Ellana mineral make up.  

Order here.

The grad party

I cant believe my youngest sister is all grown up... She had her elemetary graduation yesterday and we had a little eat-out celebration last night.   Dinner at Rosemary Chicken at Pergola then ice cream at El Fav for dessert!  We had the Beer Ice cream which tasted so yummy.  Taal ate half of it! And their Bailey's ice cream is also good! 

the gang waiting for the other food to arrive.  

The graduate with her complimentary pesto and ice cream meal.

Dessert and sungka in El Fav.  

A snapshot before we went home and said our goodbyes for the night.  

It was fun.  Too bad half the gang's not around.... 

Irresistably Cute

This is what I had to leave at home this morning.... Mag-tatay nga sila! 

SAPATOS para sa LP

Ako ay isang tao na di mahilig magsuot ng saradong sapatos. Mga sandalyas at tsinelas ang hiyang sa paa ko.  Isa akong ma-tsinelas na tao, na di umaalis ng bahay na walang dalang tsinelas, suot ko man ito o nakatago sa bag ko. 

Pero itong sapatos na nasa litrato, ay isa sa mga sapatos na nasusuot ko nang di masyado nagrereklamo ang mga paa ko.  Pero may limit lang yun hanggang 6 na oras, pag lampas ng 6 hours, pinapaltos na ko. 

Litrato na kuha nung kami ay namasyal sa Pergola kasama si Taal at ang aking asawa, Marso  16, 2009.

I'm not a closed-shoe person.  I am more of a slippers/sandals, open-toe kind of gal.  I never leave the house without a pair of slippers, whether I'm wearing it or kept in my handbag. 

But the pair of sneakers on the photo is one of those pairs i can wear long enough without my feet screaming to take them off.  But with a 6-hours-maximum wearing time, after that, i would already get cranky because of pain. :-)

Photo was taken last March 16, 2009 in Pergola, BF Homes. 

Taal in Taal

It just came to me.  We haven't formally intrduced Taal to the lake taal.  Oh my my.  We should do this soon.. Would love to visit Tagaytay....

Married Away on the 24th of March

Its been two years...  The year 2007 was quite busy for us. Since the wedding announcement August of 2006, I was already engrossed with the whole wedding planning for the March 2007 schedule.  You wanna know a secret though?  This is something, I think i never shared with anyone else... Why I chose March 24 as our wedding date.

These are the 5 main reasons:

1.  Start of summer means fat chance of a no-rain day.  We were gonna have the wedding in Tagaytay, who would want rain for that day?

2.  Its was Saturday a week before the sweldo, meaning, my work friends (store managers etc) can take a leave for that day and attend my wedding.  And they did.. :-) well most of them. 

3.  The original sched of our Business Planning off-site presentation that year was supposed to end by March 16, so the March 24 event would be perfect time to relax after a hectic week. In Tagaytay!

4.  No more classes for the kiddos and for Kei :-). Ada's prep graduation was March 23!

5.  And lastly, that was the closest saturday to my "safe" period.   I have always had regular menstrual cycles so keeping track of my hormones was quite easy. I wanted to enjoy our Palawan honeymoon! 

So there! secrets' all out. A supposedly Normal, uneventful Saturday turned out to be a date we will forever keep as special... 

So little time so much to do...

I daydream. 

Everyday. 

When i see an old happy couple.

When I see a good looking young man.

When I see a dainty chinita.

I think of me and my Ga.

I think of Taal 10 years from now.

I think of my Ada all grown up.

Every night when the shuttle passes by skyway and i see the cocndo units in magallanes.

Every time a dream car overtakes us.

Everytime i see a lovely mid-aged lady all dressed up.

I imagine owning a unit.

I imagine cleaning my favorite car (amongst a lot)

I imagine getting old but very fit.

When I read my blogger friend's entries.

When I chance upon good photos in flickr.

When I check my favorite seller's new items in Ebay.

I dream of being better-off and settles in another land

I dream of spending days and days with a good camera in a perfect shoot set up

I imagine being a succesful business person.  

Brewing it up

I've been working and planning on it.   Will start a small business soon.  Kakikayan and stuffs.  Its been months since i have started narrowing my list and so far i have contacted the top billers.  Reasonable terms and i think kaya ko. 

Basta.  malapit na.  I hope you would all support me :-)

MOre pressing matters...

I was writing something about our upcoming wedding anniversary... but something came up that needed my attention more. 

Change is coming and im not sure if its something i can embrace.  

As if i can do anything about it.  Its just too much for now. 

It blew my mind. BIG TIME.  Boom! 

Alahas para sa LP

Ako ay isang tao na di gaanong nahilig sa alahas  namamahalin.  At kung sa paborito lang, eto ang aking paborito.  Ang aming singsing nung KAsal namin. Bnili namin ito isang taon bago kami nagdesisyon na magpakasal nung kami ay nagyaman-yamanan at nagbakasyon sa Baguio kasama ng pamilya ng aking asawa.  

Maligayang Huwebes sa lahat! 

Don't Worry, Be Happy

While trying hard not to let my worries eat my day and ruin it,  I just had to google it up. Thanks to Wikipedia and About.com for the informative passages. 

Worry is an emotion in which a person feels anxious or concerned about a real or imagined issue, ranging from personal issues such as health or finances to broader issues such as environmental pollution and social or technological change. Most people experience short-lived episodes of worry in their lives without incident; indeed, a moderate amount of worrying may even have positive effects, if it prompts people to take precautions (e.g., fastening their seat belt or buying fire insurance) or avoid risky behaviours (e.g., promiscuous sexual relations or cliff diving). However, about one in four people, have chronic worry, an anxiety disorder which requires professional treatment. Chronic worry can cause heart attacks, high blood pressure, ulcers, gastrointestinal problems, muscular aches and pains, skin rashes, eczema, respiratory problems and asthma.^{[citation needed]}

Here are four biblical reasons not to worry from About.com

1. Worrying Accomplishes Absolutely Nothing.
   

   Matthew 6:27-29 
   

   Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. (NLT)

2. Worrying is Not Good for You.
   

   Worrying is destructive to us in many ways. It becomes a mental burden that can even cause us to grow physically sick.

   Proverbs 12:25 
   
   Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. (NLT)
   

3. Worrying is the Opposite of Trusting God.
   

   The energy that we spend worrying can be put to much better use in prayer. Here's a little formula to remember: Worry replaced by Prayer equals Trust.

   Matthew 6:30 
   
   And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? (NLT)
   
   Philippians 4:6-7 
   
   Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (NLT)
   

4. Worrying Puts Your Focus in the Wrong Direction.
   

   When we keep our eyes focused on God, we remember his love for us and we realize we truly have nothing to worry about. God has a wonderful plan for our lives, and part of that plan includes taking care of us. Even in the difficult times, when it seems like God doesn't care, we can put our trust in the Lord and focus on his kingdom. God will take care of our every need.

   Matthew 6:25 
   
   That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? (NLT)
   
   Matthew 6:31-33 
   
   So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (NLT)
   

   1 Peter 5:7 
   
   Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (NLT)
   
   

   
   

My favorite chuurch song - Anima Christi

Because I've been praying extra deeply these past days... and that this song just keep playing and playing in my head....

Soul of Christ, Sanctify me

Body of Christ, Save me water 

From the side of Christ

Wash me, Passion of Christ

Give me strength

Hear  me Jesus

Hide me in Thy wounds

That I may never leave Thy side

From all the evil that surrounds me, defend me

And when the call of death arrives

Bid me come to Thee

That I may praise Thee with Thy saints

Forever. 

Amen.

Credit Card control

I used to have 4 credit cards. Until I realized it was eating me alive. So as of the moment, I am currently not using any.  Since I have been working on my boss' US trip arrangement for months now, i realized how online boooking made my life easier and i could not ahve done this without a credit card.  This made me think that maybe, i do need one after all. 

I chanced upon this site wherein someone needing a card can get most if not all of the info one needs. The site explains well the different offering each credit card company offers. DealsForCreditCards.com is a credit card comparison site that provides users with news, information, and the most comprehensive list of credit card offers on the web. Consumers can use DealsForCreditCards.com to research credit card offers, calculate balance transfer savings, and compare terms and conditions of cards side-by-side.  They even have articles on news and current updates.  It even does an online computation of payments and interests. (balance transfer credit cards)

If i do get one again, I think i will get the one with the earning miles, see article here.  An excuse for me to travel :-) But then again, another thing to learn to do is to control control control. 

FUN in FUNny

THis is just too funny. Watched it more than 10 times already and it still makes me laugh...

FLASH UPDATE!

So the report i was working on last week, we finally got to send it Friday afternoon. Final result? SW have lower or almost the same prices than SM but more expensive than PG. The outcome of the SM vs SW prices somehow surprised me.  I guess, SW already have lowered their prices in most, if not all of their top-selling products.  Don't belive it?  I have proof and receipts to prove it! (huh! figure it out yourself)

Now what's keeping me? Am working on some numerical reviews and its eating up a lot of time as im working on a per store basis.  

The office recently bought a digital camera.  Not some SLR that ive been drooling on.  But a SANYO VPC 870, which is, for everyone's info, is currently on sale at all SW branches at a very low low low price of P5,595.00!

Basic features are: 8.1 MP, 2.4 inch LCD, 3x optical zoom and 5x digital zoom, face detection, red eye removal, and anti blur technology

I put the camera to test last weekend and will post some of the results in my multiply soon.  

OK. now what?!

Some family update, my relatively new  Yaya, (she started jan 09) went home to Mindoro and we told her not to come back anymore.  She's got some issues anyway and right now, we are waiting for a new yaya to come aboard.  So my husband is in charge of the kids and the house since Thursday. When I get home, i do the cleaning, the washing of the dishes, the tidying-up of the whole house, etc etc.

Last Friday, i had to beg off a night out with my LB brods and sisses.  I was already at home by 630pm and really had no intention of going.  As much as I'd love to join the fun and laughter, i guess family comes first.  

Saturday.  "Losyang Mommy Ana " woke up 8am.  When i got out of the room, i was disgusted to find hundreds and hundreds of red ants lining up going somewhere i dunno. Must be the cookies or something the kids ate. I had to clean it  up pronto! Swept all 3 floors and did some mopping in the first and second floor.  Ada was scheduled to go out with my parents and youngest sister to watch Ballet Philippines' Neo-Filipino in CCP.  I cooked omelette for breakfast, which ada did not like so much so i packed it up for her to bring for my dad.  My dad loves omelette's. I also made her 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as baon. 

I wanted to go to a park and spend time with Taal.  Bring the camera abd do a little shooting.  But the nearest park to us is a memorial park!  So we decided to just return a defunct DVD that the husband bought in BF Ruins some weeks ago.   After Ruins, we spent some time in the Pergola playgound.  Its pretty obvious Taal had a blast! 

  

We then had a snack in El Fav.  Taal finished up a shot of strawberry ice cream. 

Sunday was reserved for Masikap.  Bea's in town for the weekend so we have a reason to celebrate and fill in our stomachs with MEAT.  The husband took care of the grilling and it was good.  He's the expert griller.  Really, when it comes to grilling, nothing gets it done right but him.  Especially the burgers and the steaks.  Ate Lulu also bought some Bangus which got my attention the most.  I think i finished half the fish!  

I always look forward to spending time with my husband's family.  Its always fun and productive.  We talk about practically the same things everytime:  For fun, we mock kyan and observe taal and his new tricks.  Productive because we discuss what we need to do to get get filthy rich, we build our dream houses (imaginative way, ofcourse), we talk about manila's pollution, and where we should spend our next vacation (as if we even had one before!).  My camera ran out of battery so i did not get to take  some pictures.  I will just wait for Bea to post the pics she took. 

We were home by 5pm.  Cooked dinner, the Lumpiang Sili for the husband and Lumpiang shanghai for the kids and Wilson. The husband and I did some cleaning while Ada took care of Taal.  We were discussing that maybe, we can get used to this lifestyle.  I mean the no-yaya lifestyle.  

I bet he totally disagreed when he had to finish a map and slept 6am the following day (which was already monday)  and had to wake up early and take care of Taal. Surprisingly, when i got home from the office last night, the  dishes that needed some washing were not as many as the days before.  The husband actually found time to clean up! he's really getting the hang of this... 

Look at him go!!!

The little boy's already walking!!

Whew!

I'd like to think my day was productive enough... 

Im 80% done with my report, just waiting for some additional revisions.. And I cant finish my finala analysis without the revisions.  What Im doing is actually interesting.  A known blogger wrote about this some 2 years ago and i was surprised to read a lot of comments and how his readers showed interest in the outcome of the "experiment".  As much as I'd like to share what i'm working on, it may be a ground for my Boss to fire me.  I still like my job, thank you very much.

The invites for my boss' daughter, is now ready for pick up.  I felt the pressure of finishing it TODAY.  You should have seen my boss' face when he asked me about the status of the invites before he left after lunch.  

Anyway.  Its not much.  I made a photo mosaic of the kid and wrapped it nicely.  I had to walk the afternoon sun to National Bookstore to buy the materials.  Sharing with you the outcome...

The wooden heart paper clip as an accent 

I made 15 sets, 12 sets with personalized tags and 3 extra with no name

The colorful recycle paper and the garterized ribbons to keep it in place.

I really don't mind making favors like this for my boss.  I actually love doing it.  Its just that, my boss' daughters birthdays  happen to be during 2 of the the busiest months of the year. March -business planning and November - start of peak season (Christmas), plus my daughters birthday too.

Anyway, I'm just waiting for the additional info to wrap-up my report.  Then tomorrow, its another day.  

BUzzy as a beee.....

I  really had to find time to write.  Been extra busy the past days and will even be busier these coming days.  I just want to breathe before the day eats me alive.

The Boss will be gone for a month, his first long break in 6 years!   And since he's got only 3 more weeks before he leaves, I think he's starting to panic  and rushing everyone for our pending and on-going projects.  Which then disrupts my own schedule.  Am suppose to finish a report  and Im already 2  days behind...  Plus the birthday invitation I have to finalize and print.  Yes its also for my boss' daughter.  Hay. 

Oh what to do first?  Anyway, Gotta start on something.  

Sh*t, he's calling me again! 

2009 Chinese Horoscope for people born in Sheep years

OMG! Nothing good at all for us Sheeps. This explains the major booboos... :-)

2009 Chinese Horoscope for people born in Sheep years: 1907, 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003.

If your birthday is before February 4, then your astrological sign is Horse, not Sheep. (Verify Your Sign) Sheep people had a better luck than most of people in 2008, year of Rat. All career, money, love and health had good news to them last year. However, the year of Cow will be different. This is because Cow and Sheep have fighting relationship, which could bring things turbulent. Sheep people need to pay attention at work, at home or traveling to avoid argument, lawsuit, blooding, accident or money loss. In general, they have to spend lots of effort to overcome many hardship in 2009.

Career: Since the fighting relationship between Sheep and Cow, Sheep people shouldn't have great career performance in 2009. There is no Lucky Star appearing, but many Unlucky Stars coming to career area in year of 2009. This is very unfavorable to your job position. Your job duty will be heavier. The difficulty level of the task will be higher. The schedule of the project will be tighter. Unexpected obstacles will come to you. The progress of the plan will be slowing down. You will be losing trust from your boss. Also, you will involve the issue on company personnel coordination. Then, you cannot concentrate on your daily business. Therefore, you don't have the chance and time to show off your job ability. If the company has financial trouble, then you have to find a way to save your position.

Money: Career is always the major factor to determine the money luck. If your career luck is poor, then you shouldn't expect any extra income from your job. There is a Broken Star in the money area. That means it's hard to accumulate the wealth in this year. You might lose money since gambling, wrong business deal, risky investment or accident. Whatever you earn, you will spend it at the end and you won't have any extra savings. Therefore, you need to think about balancing the budget before spending money in 2009.

Love: Neither a Love Star nor an Unlucky Star is coming in love area this year. Therefore the love fortune for Sheep people is fair this year. Your partner will complaint about your attitude on your love relationship because of your constantly absence of mind. Maybe the pressure from your job, you don't have good temper like before and lose your passion in love. In order to keep your love relationship, you need to pay attention on your words and deeds.

Health: The fighting relationship between Sheep and Cow always brings something to trouble people. Too much worry could bring people illness. If you are senior, then you have to watch for your health this year. Whenever feeling uncomfortable, you need to visit the doctor and don't let a tiny illness become a serious disease. If you are a young Sheep people, you need to make sure you have good sleeping quality. No enough sleep at night lets you lose energy during daytime, impact your working efficiency and then affect your health and your job.

Fortune: Because your career luck and money luck are unstable in 2009. You have better to keep your profile low. You need to bear the challenge and endure the trouble, stick on your position and must avoid changing your job. If possible, you also have better not to travel to long distance, not to attend funeral, not to visit the sick people, not do home improvement or redecoration. Your health should be fair. If you have a long term disease, as long as you pay attention on it, you can keep the same health. In general, Sheep people must not show off themselves and don't try to be a hero in 2009. They should only focus on their job responsibilities, then they will have a safe and peaceful year of Cow.

And since METAL is my lucky element...

When the Metal is your lucky element

• Monkey and Chicken are your lucky animals.
• Years of Monkey and Chicken are your lucky years.
• Months of Monkey and Chicken are your lucky Months.
• Fall is your lucky season.
• 15:00 - 19:00 (3 P.M. to 7 P.M.) are your lucky hours.
• Western direction is your lucky place.
• It will bring you luck to live in a house that faces west.
• You should choose a bedroom on the west side of the house.
• It's good for you to keep the west side window(s) open.
• When arranging the office desk, you should sit facing the west.
• A metal bed is good for you.
• Your lucky color is white.
• You should wear white often.
• Driving a white car brings your luck.
• Wearing jewelry will bring you luck.
• It's a good idea to wear golden rings.
• Take care of your respiratory system - Lungs, Nose and Skin

My mom?

Chinese Fortune-Telling Calendar

Understand and Confirm Your Lucky Element

Time Zone: 8 city Longitude: 120 Gender : Female

Birth Year: 1979 Month: 11 Day: 22 Hour: 5 Minute: 30

The following is your birth chart. You are Black Snake, born in the year of Brown Sheep. The first character in DAY represents you. So you are equivalent to Water.

Hour (kids)	Day (you)	Month (parents)	Year (ancestor)
Female Wood	Female Water	Female Wood	Female Soil
Green Rabbit	Black Snake	Green Pig	Brown Sheep

Your birth chart was generated using the Chinese Stem-Branch Calendar system. The Stems, upper row in the chart, are Five Elements which are Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth. The Branches, lower row in the chart, are 12 animal names which are related to Five Elements. The following Five Elements distribution chart is produced from your birth chart.

Five elements	Water (you)	Wood (kids)	Fire (money)	Soil (job)	Metal (mom)
Total	100	199	27	41	7

Here we select an element from the Five Element chart as your Lucky Element. The Chinese Yin-Yang Five Elements describe the BALANCE. When the Five Elements are balanced, they are in harmony and you will be lucky. When they are out of balance, they are in conflict and cause you trouble. So your lucky elements are the ones that bring the Five Elements into balance. Usually the lucky elements are the ones with a lesser weight (score). Here we want to pick Metal as your lucky element, because your Five Elements have a better shape when the weight of Metal increases. 
Now you need to remember your lucky element - Metal, go to find your lucky times and places or find your best years.

Wanna know yours?  get it HERE

Summer summer summer

I wonder if i will even get to feel that summer breeze this year.

My feet being massaged by the white sand as I walk along the shore.  

I miss our yearly outings.

I miss the mark of lighter circles around my eyes (ha! figure it out)

I miss getting drunk and throwing up along the shore line. 

Gotta get to a beach soon... 

I miss taking photos and complaining about too much sunlight.  The only pictures i get to tak nowadays are that of taal and ada inside our room!

I miss my outing buddies! kanya kanya na talaga tayo?  ganu naman kalungkot yun... 

I will have another night out again with some friends from college, mostly my husband's friends.  Im sure those Joe Kalbo days will again cross my mind.  And I will miss you again.

Bakit ko 'to sinusulat. Si kei kasi nag post ng Bolinao pictures! 

This is for you.. Francis M.

Because we all danced to your mga kababayan song...

Because somehow, we felt sad everytime we hear your "Cold Summer Night" song...

Because we believe that "every color or every hue, is represented by me and you"

Because you are the master rapper...

Let me offer this post to Francis M. - a great man who will surely be missed. 

Even if im not a member of you fan club, even if i never watched any of your concerts or shows.  

I am a fan.  I actually believe that you're one of the coolest musicians ever.

Bag ng Buhay: para sa LP

Kinain din ang 30 minutos ng aking araw ngayon sa paghahanap ng litratong may kinalaman sa tema ngayong linggo.  Hanga't naalala ko ang isang gabi na pinaglaruan ko ang remote control ng camera nung pinag-dadalang-tao ko pa si Taal....

Ito ay mangilang araw bago pumutok ang aking "waterbag" at kasalukuyang naghahanda ng lumabas sa mundo si Taal.  Labindalawang oras akong nagtiis ng sakit bago ko iniliwal sa mundo ang aming anak na lalaki.  Unang lalaking anak, unang lalaking apo.  At sa ngayong, nag-iisa pa ring lalaking apo. 

Heto ang aking lahok sa tema ngayong linggo.  Ang "bag ng buhay".

Morning Beauty

Woke up 20 minutes earlier than my alarm.  I was having a bad dream.  Bad because I was sobbing when i woke up. Pressed my coffee, took a bath, dressed up, put on some make up, etc. etc., the usual morning routine. I fell in line for the shuttle to Makati, took me only a good 5-7 minutes in line.  It usually takes 10-20 mins waiting time.  Aside from waking up early and the faster line movement, it was the same old routine.  Until I boarded the van....

I chose to seat on the 3rd row  window seat.  And this made all the difference.  I noticed how extra beautiful the clouds were laid-out and good thing i had a camera with me.  Even if it was just my phone, it somehow captured what i wanted to share....

    

    

I even called home, asked the yaya to wake ada up, and told her to go out and see the clouds.  The start of the day seemed extra-special.  I felt peace inside so I decided to close my eyes and reflect.  I was half asleep the whole trip as I tried to recall the details of my dream earlier.   My Lola was there, my husband was there and some friends.  Something to do with a group of punks kidnapping us and playing with our cameras... I guess i had too much of CSI-NY last night...

I finally stopped the mind wandering, only to wake up 200 meters away from where i was supposed to go down...  day dreaming is bad.  That's the effect of the cirrus clouds over Metro Manila this morning....  or is it stratocumulus?

Brewed for Life!

One of the events during our weekend was attending Koy and Hanna's wedding last Saturday, Feb 28, 2009.

The ceremony was held in St Jerome Emiliani in Alabang, and reception was in Portofino Clubhouse in Daang Hari.  The emailed invites said the ceremony will start 330pm.  We got to the church 345pm to find some other couple being wed.  Which made me doubt if we got the date and the church right.  We decided to sit and have coffee in Almon Marina.  Then I dialed directory assistance to get St Jerome's office number to confirm if indeed, there is a Payongayong-Batin wedding set for that day.  The church office personnel was actually hesitant to disclose the info that she had to ask me how we were related to the bride/groom.  I politely answered "Umm, friend po?".  Only then dis she confirm that there is one set at 4:30pm.  

After the coffee and a few photo clicks, and a visit to SW!TCH for some mac window shopping, we then headed back to the church to check on the wedding.  It was already on the first reading part.  Orange was their motif.  Sadly we knew no one else in the crowd.  No other people from LB.  The only people we knew, JC and Nikki Aniban who confirmed to attend will only make it to the reception, as JC  had a class until 5pm.  One word to describe the whole ceremony, Solemn.  We did not see Koy and Hannah;s face until before the "you may kiss the bride" part when Koy, naughtily waved his hand in full throttle that made the crowd shout.  This was the only moment when the seriousness of the event broke and I finally got to breathe normally.  

This was another traditional and stick-to-the book kind of wedding.  Aside maybe from the color motif, there was nothing in the ceremony and in that church that represented the couple's personality.  I started to talk to my husband about this when we were in the church but he made me stop talking and said it was impolite to make such comments.   

So  since there was no way i can exchange and share comments about it with my husband, who was the only person I know at that time aside from the couple currently being tied-up in front, I dwelled on this thought on my own.  I like out-of-box kind of weddings.  And believe me I do (check my wedding site)!  Its never to get more attention but to make everyone who share that day with you feel and know the couple by some or more of the details of the wedding.  To make everyone feel the happiness that both of you feel that day.  Not just by feeding them good food, but to make sure that they are comfortable and relaxed.  And I think this was an objective that was met during our own wedding. 

As i found out later, so did Koy and Hannah, but there were violent reactions from the elders who were kind of old-fashioned  and into traditional weddings.  And I guess most parents are like this.  And one reason why a wedding couple's idea gets held-up because its just too "out-of-the-box".  Plus the fact, that a chunk of the payable will be for the parents' tab... well, who can argue with that?  

The reception venue was very nice. Portofino Clubhouse had this Mexican/Mediterranean motif and the orange and tangerine walls really got my husband's attention.  

The food was great! Thanks to Center Table Catering.  My personal favorite was the fish fillet and the baked cheezy potato.  

The program was fun and they had a good party host.  She got my attention that i actually remember her name Malerie, its like Valerie but with an "M". 

The fotobrew station also added to the fun.  here are some of the results. 

the newly weds, Koy and Hannah Payongayong

My personal favorite, when Nikki tried to "steal" the scene.  Our shots with the Bride, Hannah. 

Another set with the bride...

And one set with the groom, Koy. 

The plan was to leave a few minutes after the dinner party but we had too much fun that we were one of the last to leave.  Seemed like the boys still wanted more time together that we went to their  lovers suite in Parque España and stayed with the newly weds and some other friends until 3am!  Besides, its nice to take a break once in a while...

Good food + lovely venue + good friends  = GREAT TIME. 

But the best part is that the "lady who slipped" will forever be part of Koy and Hannah's special day. And that's for me to know  :-)

My time with Myself

We had an eventful weekend which started Friday...  And I may have to write 4-5 different entries to cover everything that happened...

The husband arrived Thursday night from Leyte and I insisted on picking him up from the airport. Mainly because: 1.)  i love picking people up from a long trip, 2) the NAIA 3 airport is really nice; and 3.) i did miss him  :-)

Their flight was delayed for 30 mins or so and before they could board the plane, I was already in the airport and having my Jollibee Chicken Joy dinner at the 3rd floor food area. 

I then decided to spend the rest of my waiting time in Figaro (1st level, Arrival meet-up place).  Got a 16oz Latte, (which i regretted after)  and 4 different magazines.  I like alone moments like this.  It makes me think and converse with  myself.  I honestly believe this is not a crazy exercise. I have learned most of my lessons in life during those moments with myself.  Like long trips alone.  Or even short trips.  I have made it a practice to take down notes in my cellphone during these "fruitful" moments. And it surprises me when I try to read it a few days or weeks after.  Some even sounded to serious and too poetic that made me say, "Did I really write this?" Here is an example:

Fake Smiles: "When I try to dig deeper into my soul, its not sadness I see but disappointment.  I was disillusioned into an environment I thought was real.  But the reality as it turns out is full of cracks that's slowly being filled with overpowering depression.  The reality that is LIFE.  MY life as I struggle to be a person that I thought was slowly building up its own name but now is slowly being stained with emotionally straining truths of life.  But I did start anew, or I thought so.  I should have realized long ago that the start was not from zero but beyond it in the X-axis.  A negative digit I cannot fathom to imagine and balance out... It may be just materially degrading, but in the world I am in, its dragging me to a pit."

Don't get me wrong.  I am not that depressed.  It was just one of those moments that I had to breathe it out and the only way is to write it down.  I felt 100x time better after writing that.  And when I got to where I was going, I somehow got over the "problem" and went on with my day.  I'm like that.  I try hard to leave all my worries behind so I could work on what's in front of me.  Rarely do i let my personal problems affect my work.  But sometimes, my personal life gets affected by my work.  That is something I have to work on.  I have this thinking that my family or my friends would understand more than my boss or co-workers.  But that's true right?  

My weekend was great.  It was a great bonding weekend with my husband and the kids.  One of those times that you'd like to remember and dwell on when depressing days, such as the one I had above, takes place.