transparent visions

what made my 2011

2011-12-31T18:58:00.000+08:00

Some friends say that 2011 wasn't a good year for them. For me, it was a mixture of the good and the bad. I may have expected too much of this year, and so I have resolved to just keep my expectations for 2012 in check. Still, I have a lot to thank for, and I choose to count my blessings, for they still trump the unpleasant things that have happened.

1. Our new home
Until now, I'm still thrilled over the fact that Francis and I have a place to call our own. This is such a big blessing for us. The holidays found us so busy fixing the house and decorating it for guests, and so far, we like what we've accomplished. Our small abode is still a work in progress, though, and we're taking our time to make it as cozy and Baguio-ish as we want it to be.

2. Baguio trip with mom
It was two (or was it three?) years in the making, but I was finally able to bring my mom to my favorite city last July. Unfortunately, my sister was not able to join us because of her work, but it has been a fun experience with mom and hubby. I was finally able to share with mom why I love Baguio so much, and based on the pictures (she became an overnight camwhore in Baguio, haha), she had a great time as well.

Mom looking out Vocas' window

3. My first out-of-the-country trip
An opportunity to travel out-of-the-country presented itself when Francis was assigned to Vietnam for almost two weeks last August. Though we've planned to really fly out of the country on the latter part of the year, Vietnam was hard to pass up. So we took a peek at our finances and decided that it won't hurt if I follow him in Ho Chi Minh. It was a fantastic trip, what with all that rich history, delicious food and to-die-for coffee!

Taking in and documenting the flurry that is Saigon

4. Ovarian scare no more
Had a little health problem that involved a functional ovarian cyst. Thank the Lord it was nothing serious and it resolved itself a few months after, so there was no need for another invasive surgery. It was such a relief to hear the good news from my OB, considering what I've gone through last year with my ectopic pregnancy. (Speaking of which, that ugly feeling still crops up whenever someone I know gets pregnant, but I hope this year will continue to heal me so that I can finally rid myself of that ugly, nasty feeling.) It was another scary health issue, but the Lord answered our prayers; had it continued swelling, I would have gone under the knife again. But after two weeks of observation, a miracle happened and that swelling went kapoof!

5. Real Living's 101 Great Condo Ideas and Makeovers
I've worked so hard on this project, which was assigned to me by RL's EIC, and I have nothing but thanks for the oppotunity. Working on the book kept me sane from all the stress that my day job brought. What made this endeavor more fun and fulfilling to do is the fact that the team I've worked with is such a nice bunch of people. This book definitely made my year.

This is still available in all leading bookstores,

so go get a copy for only Php120!

6. First holiday in a new nest
Like I have mentioned, this holiday season is extra special because it's the first one we've spent in our new home. Despite the chaotic schedule of cooking, cleaning, organizing and entertaining, this season is one of the best yet!

Our humble abode

So when you think this year didn't really make it to you best list, count the blessings--big and small--and things will take on a new perspective.

Happy New Year, dear friends! I pray for an abundance of blessings for the coming year!

ho chi minh part 1: a gastronomic affair

2011-09-27T23:08:00.000+08:00

Before my trip to Ho Chi Minh (formerly known as Saigon), I've already heard a lot about how good the food there is. I just didn't have the idea that I'd fall in love with one of their staples there: iced coffee with (condensed) milk, locally known as ca phe sua da.

But before I get carried away and rave about my new caffeine fix, let me take you to a rundown of some of HCMC's dining places, all in which ca phe sua da is a fixture, alongside other more famous Vietnamese delicacies. Let the foodie trip begin here!

ho chi minh sneak peek

2011-09-05T19:06:00.002+08:00

Because I still haven't gotten around to writing about my four-day experience in the city formerly known as Saigon, let me share first a few photos.

A more decent post will be up soon!

this little girl is super giddy and excited!!!

2011-08-18T00:48:00.001+08:00

I have a confession to make: I haven't traveled out of the country yet. It's a shame. But at least somehow I've already gone around the country (but not yet enough). Anyway, before I further digress, I am super happy and giddy and excited to announce I can cartwheel right at this moment that I finally am flying outside the Philippines! Yay!!!!

Where to? Here are picture clues:

(All photos from wikipedia.com)

Another item in our bucket list will soon be ticked off! Praise God for this marvelous blessing! I'll definitely make sure to indulge all my senses in this city! Yayayay!

back in baguio

2011-08-01T22:19:00.012+08:00

So I went to visit my Cold Lover again, this time with my mom, who's a first-timer. We left Manila early Friday morning; since Francis still has work and can't afford to take a leave (like I can), we decided that he'd just follow on Saturday.

Anyway, instead of going through the details of the trip in words, let me allow pictures to speak. These photos were taken using my phone's RetroCamera application. I'm not really a fan of lomo photography, but I couldn't help but use RetroCamera to capture my favorite Baguio City in a different light.

So here's another Baguio story...

counting my blessings

2011-07-07T13:07:00.007+08:00

Because I can foresee that the following weeks will be crazy busy, allow me to reflect on happy, blessed things that happened recently/is happening/will happen soon:

Ice Cream Assassins with UR Face Radio DJ Sick James;
that's me and hubby, screen cap courtesy sis (thanks, Sis!)

1. After two years, our pseudo-band reunited again for an exciting radio guesting last June 21! We were all so stoked about the prospect because the last time we got together was for our wedding. The one-day-only practice had been a breeze, and the guesting itself was fun, fun, fun despite the downpour! Like I said, it's so good to have been back on the mic again.

Many, many thanks to UP Music Circle, our ever beloved college org (yes, I'm one of the founders, and yes, I am that old but shut up, haha!) for inviting us; and of course, to UR Face Radio for letting us crash and do our thang. Do listen to a collection of songs from Music Circle's bands here, and don't forget to check out Ice Cream Assassin's Coffee Dew (that's us!)!

2. There's this book I'm working on, and I can't say yet what it is so as not to preempt things. But here's a clue: it's going to be pages and pages of coooool ideas about nesting! My team is busy completing the whole thing, and I do hope we can manage to remain on schedule. I can't wait for the launch, which is going to be on the latter part of this year!

3. Every day, I am so tempted to skip work because of the sleepy weather and our cozy, cozy home. As mentioned in my previous entries, our dear nest still needs a lot of work and sprucing up, but I'm so, so in love with it already. I probably wouldn't mind staying in and just being lazy all week long. Happy sigh!

4. Hubby and I have become responsible adults recently when we decided to take a leap of faith and plunge into investments. It's not much, but it's a start. We hope and pray that we'll be blessed by it so we can share the blessings!

5. One word: Baguio. There's a trip coming up soon, this time around, hubby and I will be bringing my mom along. I promised her a Baguio trip two years ago, and it's about time that I keep true to that promise. So I'll be packing scarves and jackets and boots again real soon. Hurrah! (Plus, a Baguio trip is well-deserved after the chaos I'll be going through the next few weeks.)

Well, it's true that when things are looking down, you just have to count your blessings. I look forward to counting more (minus the things-that-are-looking-down, haha!)!

welcome to our home: part 2

2011-05-29T23:37:00.006+08:00

Once the unit improvement of our little home was finally done, Francis and I were so raring to start sprucing up the place. But we already know from the get-go that making our home magazine feature-worthy (yes, that's a shameless ambition of ours) isn't going to happen overnight. We know that we shouldn't rush things if we really want a nest cozy and pretty enough that makes us excited to go home every single day.

So we're taking baby steps into "Baguio-fying" our 40sqm unit. And here's what we've started on so far...

Our building's spacious hallway

The pretty pillows which we recently snagged from
Mandaue Furniture--AND THEY'RE ON SALE...

...and the "preggy" vase, which was originally an accent of our dining table.
(say hello to the scaffolding! We're having something repaired
so forgive its unsightly appearance.)

I wasn't able to resist that woven table runner from Landmark,
and so there it is. The center piece was sitting pretty in our living area,
but we decided it looks better on our dining table.

Detail of the drop light hanging above our dining table.
We really love how ethereal the design looks!

This is our own version of a messy kitchen. Haha!

The cute wooden owls I scored from Sabado's in Baguio,
when I went there with the Real Living team for a writing assignment.
This corner is their temporary nest, amidst the blue vases
which kinda don't fit our color scheme, haha!

There's still a lot of stuff to buy--extra seating for the living area, outdoor chairs and table for the balcony, shelves, storage boxes, bedroom side tables, etc; and many things to do--print, frame and hang my photos of Baguio, find the perfect spot for Francis' indigenous musical instruments, go to Baguio for more Baguio stuff, have our bathroom improved and do a lot more organizing. So because our humble abode is still a work in progress, this entry shall come in a handful of installments (see part one here)--and I'm looking forward to sharing every one of them!

the truth about recipe books

2011-05-14T23:06:00.004+08:00

Since I got married, I discovered that I can actually cook, and that the dishes I prepare are actually edible. In fact on some good days, I'm able to whip up scrumptious meals.

I usually "play it by ear", so to speak, when I prepare food--no recipes to guide me. More often than not, I just come up with a nameless dish whose ingredients all depend on what's in our fridge and cupboard. But on days when I run out of ideas, I consult recipe books. The other night's dinner, for instance, was the result of one recipe: chicken satay. I'm proud to say I did a pretty decent job.

And then there was last night's stuffed tomatoes, which was a...

HORRIBLY INEXPLICABLE DISASTER!

Apparently, scooping the seed-laden flesh of tomatoes isn't as easy as the recipe made it sound.

IT WAS ALL A BIG LIE!!! *fist in the air*

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year 31

2011-04-26T16:49:00.013+08:00

An orange rose from le hubby, given a day in advance because
flower shops were closed on my birthday

I dreaded my 31st birthday. It’s like a screaming signboard that says I’m no longer young, that I have to step up to what being 31 should be (what should it be?). I guess that fear is somehow a subconscious reason why I decided to celebrate it simply. Well, aside from the fact that I’m also watching my spending these days for something I’m saving up for, I wanted my birthday to be quiet.

I was initially planning to celebrate it at a fancy restaurant, but I scratched the idea. Besides, my birthday fell on Maundy Thursday, which means there are no establishments open. I could see no point in putting the celebration to a later date. And so I decided to go for something really simple and quiet—an afternoon picnic with my husband in UP.

After the morning chores, which included cleaning the house and organizing our many stuff (finally, our contractor finished their job and we’re now able to put everything in their proper place; more on this in a future post), cooking lunch and doing the laundry, I finally got around to preparing our humble picnic fare—freshly brewed Monk’s Blend coffee from Davao and a half roll of mango cake from Red Ribbon, plus a bag of tortilla chips. And when I was done making sure that we have all the other things we needed, we were off to UP at the stroke of 3:30PM.

Finding a nice spot in Lagoon wasn’t that difficult, but making sure we’re at a safe distance from other picnickers was a challenge; I didn’t want other people encroaching our spot. We finally settled to lay the sarong-turned-picnic-mat under a large tree, and set out to devour our fare. Our hushed conversation was punctuated by peals of laughter from nearby kids playing and the chime of the Carillon. (I felt giddy hearing the bells tolling to the tune of UP Naming Mahal, albeit being out of tune, haha!) When the sunlight was threatening to fade, we decided to move camp to Sunken Garden.

Walking along the University Oval on a weekend or a holiday has always been a calming experience. We were greeted by shafts of late afternoon light while we were on our way to lagoon, and on our way to Sunken Garden, more than a handful of joggers and cyclists were already occupying the traffic-less lanes.

We sat at the “rim” of the famous university landmark, not daring to come down any further for fear that a stray soccer ball or disc might hit us, what with the many groups of families and friends engaging in the sports. So we just sat there talking about mundane things—a mom looking tired from playing soccer with her husband and kids, which among the four boys were her kids, how a toy dog (was it a dachshund?) not far away from us can bark so loud, how we badly want our own dog but can’t (condo rules, boooo!), our future kids getting used to hanging out in UP every weekends especially now that we live nearby, and many other things we found interesting at that moment. When it was almost 7PM, we got up, packed our things and headed home.

Looking back at that simple celebration, I can’t help but think that I was so silly to have been terrified of turning another year older. If every year will be as peaceful and wonderful as that afternoon, I can get used to turning over a new leaf after another.

now you see me, now you don't

2011-03-18T18:07:00.003+08:00

Hullo!

I haven't been blogging lately, I know. That's because our new pad has been my greatest pre-occupation lately; add the fact that our contractor still hasn't finished working with our unit improvement (40 square meters is taking more than two months to finish! Que horror!). Hubby and I are stressed enough about it, and I don't want to go into the stressful details. I just wish that by next month, I can finally blog about and post pictures of our new place.

Also an impediment to my regular blogging is the fact that we still don't have a DSL connection at home. Sure, I can blog away at work, but I prefer the convenience of doing it at home sans the interruptions. I do hope that PLDT lines will soon be up in our condo, so that I can surf and blog and post to my heart's content.

Excuses, excuses, right? Haha! Well, that's Internet life for me these days.

Until my next post (crossing my fingers that it'll be soon),

Shine

lights, camera, action!

2011-01-18T23:24:00.010+08:00

As the scheduled date of our move-in to our new home draws near, Francis and I get more and more excited. The fruit of all the stress and hard work will soon be "unveiled", so to speak. By stress, I mean this:

I recommend clicking the image above for a bigger picture
and a better idea of what we went through. Hahaha!

These are the many, dizzying choices we had to put up with while searching for the perfect drop light for our dining area--and that's just the dining area. Why that much effort for that particular nook? Because that's the first area that will greet us as we enter our new home, and we want a piece de resistance that will greet us as we come home from a stressful day. And so the weeks-long search ended when we saw this at Alton Lights in Ortigas Home Depot the second time we went.

Francis and I were so, so happy and elated to have finally found the perfect lighting fixture that's a cross between modern (something to offset the woodsy feel of our Baguio-meets-Zen home) and ethereal (the intricate details still has me mesmerized! The design kind of reminds me of the Tree of Gondor in LOTR, haha!). What sealed the deal was the very affordable price: we got it for less than P3,500, as it came with a 10 percent discount! The moment I set my eyes on this, I knew I was in love and would not have been convinced otherwise.

As for the other lighting fixtures, this one from Wilcon-Quirino goes to our kitchen...

...and this one from Bell's Lighting in MC Home Depot is for our living room.

We were also able to purchase two more for our bedroom and the (future) kid's room, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to take photos of them.

Most of these lights will be white, with the exception of the "Tree of Gondor" drop light, which will be warm white. But of course, we didn't fail to consider having warm, mood lighting in the form of LED (more eco-friendly than CFLs!) pin lights. As for the bathroom, our architect advised us to just go for two medium-sized down lights that will be installed on opposite sides of the area (one on the left and the other on the right).

We were originally planning to have one or two organic-looking lighting pieces, but we opted for those that have a modern feel for fear of being horribly redundant. With browns, woods, twigs and a hint of indigenous items that will be used as accents, we don't want our home looking like an old Baguio cabin resthouse.

Francis and I really can't contain our excitement, especially when we saw the progress of our unit improvement! We hope that the next time we pay a visit a few days from now, our lovely lights will have already been installed. Yaaay!

P.S.
Yes, there will be more home updates in future posts, so please bear with me!

because DMB says "you and me together, we can do anything"

2011-01-05T23:43:00.005+08:00

We can always look back at what we did
All these memories of you and me baby
But right now it's you and me forever girl
And you know we could do better than anything that we did
You know that you and me, we could do anything
-- Dave Matthews, "You and Me"

The new year found us "updating" our couple song (yes, we still buy into that). The original, which we will still cherish of course, is Lisa Angelie's The First Time I Loved Forever (from The Beauty and the Beast TV series). We fell in love with the lyrics, which is the same thing that happened with Dave Matthews' You and Me. Here's the vid.

Francis found the song beautiful, and so he told me about it one night and I immediately fell in love. And because we do want to create lots and lots of fun and magical memories as Mr. and Mrs., as the lyrics say, we have created our first-ever bucket list. Here, I share the 2011 Bucket List of Mr. and Mrs. Funa, in no particular order:

1. Travel out of the country - maybe Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia or Thailand--I don't mind wherever because it will be my first time, so yay!
2. Go back to Baguio with my Mom - I promised her this last year. Now we need to make sure we stick to that promise.
3. Have gigs again - because WE MISS IT.
4. Eat one foreign dish a month - we love to eat, though my frame will tell you otherwise.
5. Observe quiet time daily - with all the blessings that the Lord has showered us, it's just but right to have a daily communion with Him. And of course, reading His word together strengthens our relationship with each other and with Him.
6. "Re-launch" Our Yellow Room - which is our small business (we sell home decor items). We had to halt "operations" after I had my, um, operation.
7. Have photo taken with a known politician - just for kicks.
8. Check-in overnight at a five-star hotel - again, just for kicks.
9. Get really wasted at home - just the two of us, because we never really drink alcohol.
10.Watch a play.
11. Buy a bike and bike regularly - I'd rather this than jog because I'm lazy that way.
12. Ride the Pasig River ferry.
13. Ride the PNR train - maybe we can also pretend to be in a period movie while chugging along the old, old railroad?
14. Go to Mt. Pinatubo - the adventure seems really cool!
15. Sit-in in a UP class - we hope our prof friend allows us to do this.
16. Watch a John Lloyd movie - simply because we rarely, if at all, see Pinoy films; much more Pinoy mushy films. Again, this is just for kicks.
17. Observe the vow of silence one Saturday - with a Php5 per word penalty fee, the sum of which will be spent for merienda.
18. Attend a well-known festival - we tried Panagbenga but failed; maybe we'll be more fortunate with another festival.

Let's see which ones get ticked and which ones get carried over to next year. Of course, we hope to cross out all 18 items, and we'll do our best to make that happen.

So what's in your bucket list?

2011, i am so ready for you!

2011-01-01T22:22:00.004+08:00

I believe I am going to be this happy this year...

For some weird reason, I can really feel that this year is going to be great and full of blessings. You know how it feels when you're so sure that something is going to happen? That's how I feel. It's not just me thinking positively--I feel it in my gut.

Maybe it's because I was able to find fulfillment in most of the goals (if you can call them that) I've set for myself the earlier part of last year. I've been successful in becoming less of a worrywart; I was able to make things happen, and let go of those that I have no control of; I complained less and became more grateful for all the blessings--even the trials--that came my way; and I have learned to trust the Lord more and cast every care I have upon Him. Being able to realize these goals made me more courageous to face this new year. I just need to work on really working for Him, and so this year, Francis and I pray that we be instruments for His glory.

Though I've ticked most items in that list, I still have to work on a few: writing more (what with the additional notebooks I got this Christmas) and taking more photos (I must work on my photo website, which my husband is helping me with). In addition, I have resolved to be more driven this year in everything and anything I do. I am going to do my best in everything I put my heart and mind to. I am going to make more things happen. (Oh, and I shall also devour more books!)

I know this is the year that I'm going to soar high. So 2011, bring it on! I am ready for all the wonderful and magical things you have in store for me.

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things that thou knowest not. -- Jeremiah 33:3

prepping for the big move

2010-12-30T01:08:00.004+08:00

Packing loads and loads of our stuff for the big move-in officially started this holiday season. The first one to get packed: our shoes. All our shoes are now stuffed inside a big balikbayan box, and guess whose pairs took up 99% of the space? Yes, mine. Next up would be all our reading materials and then our clothes. This is gonna be hard work!

I'm down to these pairs for
the next two or three weeks

Francis and I are both nervous and excited about the whole process of moving out from this 60-square-meter pad that became our home for almost two years, and moving in to our smaller unit but a place we can truly call our own. The unit improvement already started last week, which means we already have to start organizing all our stuff to see which ones we should keep, donate, throw and sell.

Yesterday, together with our architect/friend, we canvassed for lighting fixtures, paints and wood at Ortigas Home Depot. Of course, this part got me excited, but we didn't buy yet because we still have to check out other home stores to compare prices.

The many choices for pin lights. We're going for the small ones with LED,
as they are more eco-friendly than CFLs, so yaaay!

Crucial for us when it comes to lighting fixtures are the main lights for the major rooms. I saw these pretty drop lights perfect for the dining area.

The first one looks like a good repro of a Cobonpue piece, which will fit perfectly with our design in mind; the one in the middle looks like a futuristic spider web sans the scary factor; the last one is like a giant ball of candy hanging from the ceiling!

Aren't they nice? Unfortunately, neither of these is The One yet (but if it were down to these three, I think we'd go for the Cobonpue knock-off). Buying this kind of home furnishing is like buying shoes--I need to fall in love with that piece that won't let me sleep until it's in my arms. Good thing we're not really rushing to purchase main lights because installing them won't be necessary until the latter part of the unit improvement, when all the divisions and painting are already done.

So far, this is how our unit is transforming.

Me by our soon-to-be pseudo-walk-in closet

We can't wait for the new year to find us in our new home. We can't thank the Lord enough for this really, really wonderful blessing!!!

holiday ho-hos

2010-12-28T21:27:00.010+08:00

Happy holidays from me and Francis!!!

As expected, my favorite season has been busy with Christmas dinners and get-togethers.

Before I took a two-week holiday, my friends and colleagues from work had a simple Christmas dinner at Amici in Megamall. But before I was able to sit down and savor my spinach cannelloni, I had to first do a quick shopping for a few more gifts and, um, a pair of shoes that haunted me until I bought it (more on my recent shoes streak in another entry).

Francis and I spent last year's holiday season all by ourselves holed up in our pad (because it was our first Christmas together), so this year, we spent the Christmas Eve at Francis' place in Novaliches. Despite my bad colds, which almost escalated to fever had I not drank medicine on time, the simple celebration had been nothing but fun!

For a change, we had Buddy's pancit lucban instead of the usual pancit palabok (haha!). My sister-in-law whipped up a delicious carbonara (which Francis, the ever bully big brother that he is, incessantly teased her about). I, on the other hand, made some blueberry cheesecake, which my sis-in-law absolutely loved (thanks, sis-in-law!). Come 12MN, we all gathered 'round the Christmas tree for gift-giving/receiving. Francis and I got personalized mugs with Flat Tops as bonus, a cute yellow alarm clock (I already have a spot for it in mind in our new home!), and a nice cotton tee for him and a shower/body lotion set for me from my sister-in-law. As for hubby's gift, I opened it the night of the 22nd because I'm that excited (I have low EQ, I know)-- it's Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue perfume. I absolutely fell in love with the scent! It's citrusy with hints of light floral--no overpowering sweetness that makes me choke--just sweet enough for my taste. Methinks I'll buy another one when my first bottle runs out. Yay!

I also gave hubby his gift in advance, because he already needed it--a nifty pair of Sanuk Pick Pocket (already his second pair from me!). I like this new pair better, though, because it looks more street-smart than the rugged Kingston.

Kingston vs. Pick Pocket

Anyway, before we left Novaliches on Christmas day itself, we visited my mom-in-law's grave to pay our respects. I bet everyone missed her this holiday season, because she's usually the punong abala whenever there's a special occasion. I missed my grandparents, too, because they used to add cheer to an already cheerful celebration. Oh well, I guess the holidays make us more sentimental this way.

I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas celebration, and didn't lose focus on the real meaning of the season--when Jesus came to us to be our Saviour.

Now let's look forward to the coming New Year!

this is my december

2010-12-05T22:24:00.009+08:00

The last month of this year seems to be the consolation for everything depressing that happened the earlier part of 2010, and I am very grateful for these blessings because I know the Lord used these to help heal me. As Og Mandino said: “Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward the life that God intended for you with grace, strength, courage, and confidence.”

So here I am, counting my blessings.

1. Last week, I had a reunion with my best college girl friends, thanks to the non-working holiday. After so many years, the four of us had a fun dinner at Cafe 1771 in El Pueblo, then coffee right after at Cafe Breton in Podium. Six hours of chikahan still ain't enough! It was really terrific seeing friends you've known through the highs and lows of college. It's really great to have reconnected.

2. Real Living December issue is already out, and its pages have not just one, but four of my articles--and they're all about Baguio! Because of this assignment, I experienced my favorite city like I never did before: I was given the opportunity to do an ambush interview with National Artist BenCab, we had a bonding moment over coffee with another known visual artist Ben-Hur Villanueva, I was able to explore other shopping spots for home decorating, and I had the chance to experience the very cozy ambiance of PNKY Bed and Breakfast. It is one of the best Baguio trips I've ever had so far!

3. Aside from RL, my piece on where to bring balikbayan friends and relatives this holiday season is also out in Good Housekeeping December. My photos also accompany my article, and I'm really, really thankful because my prayers to have my photos published have been answered this year.

4. Speaking of photos, Summit's newest addition to its websites, TravelBook.ph, also carries a couple of my photos of Baguio and Bolinao, as well as some of my blog entries on traveling in my other blog. It's just really fantastic!

5.The unit improvement plan for our new nest has finally been approved (after a week of delay). This means that the next few weeks will see the construction of our unit's partitions, etc., and we'll soon start packing our stuff in preparation for our move in by January. It's gonna be a new year in a new home that we can call our own! My husband and I really praise God for this big blessing because aside from finally having our own place (after renting a studio unit for two years), the preparations for the big move have made us closer.

December is really proving to be a great blessing, and I can't wait to add to my list. I hope everyone also has blessings to count!

P.S.
Please grab a copy of Real Living and Good Housekeeping December!

this is what 12 years look like...

2010-11-27T11:36:00.005+08:00

Grotti's fare

12 years look like mushroom bruschetta, frutti de mare pasta and triple sausage pizza.

And, well, 12 years also look like these two hungry people who rained on their own anniversary celebration because of their terrible headache, and so they just went straight home right after dinner and slept soundly.

On a serious note, being together for 12 years is just..AWESOME!!! We can't thank the Lord enough for keeping this relationship stronger each year!

busy saturdays

2010-11-21T22:28:00.003+08:00

Mi mama strangling me, hahaha!

Since our unit in Sofia Belleve was turned over to us last week, our weekends (and sometimes even our non-working holidays) are now pretty packed with plans and arrangements for our unit improvement. Our architect friend, Renan, has also been busy coming up with layout permutations that can best maximize our small space. Just yesterday, we met again with him so we can submit the (almost) final layout of our unit--floor, electrical and plumbing plans. We're giving it a week for approval and then construction of all the necessary partitions and everything else shall commence. Francis and I are really excited because if everything proceeds as planned, we'll be able to move in to our new nest come the New Year.

We invited my mom to tag along with us yesterday because we know she's kind of excited, too. We showed her our bare unit and the model unit as well so she can better appreciate the new home of her panganay. Teehee! We also showed her the lounge fronting the swimming pool, and I think she seemed happy with what she saw.

Because we finished late with our errand in Sofia, my original plan to cook lunch at home got scrapped. We ended up dining at Chocolate Kiss, which I can't really complain about because it was hubby's treat. Haha!

Hainanese chicken for me and mom

Come the time to settle the bill, we were quite annoyed when the attendant told us their credit card is offline. Before ordering, we actually asked them if they're online and we were told they were. So because our cash wasn't enough, Francis had to find an ATM asap, which left me and mom bawling over because we found the situation really funny. We were already imagining washing all the dishes as punishment for not being able to pay. Yes, it's so shallow but that's how we are, haha!

Mom in between guffaws

While we were waiting for the rain to stop,
mommy got busy checking out the ongoing art class

We weren't able to go home right away because of the downpour, so we waited it out for a while before hailing a cab back to our place. Mom was excited because we told her that we already have a Christmas gift for her, and that we'd be giving it to her that afternoon. We're glad she loves the dress we got for her. We had to give it to her in advance because we know she needs a new one for a wedding. We spared her the trouble of buying it herself.

I'm really happy to see that my mom is proud of us and our new place, even if she doesn't say it. And Francis and I are very much thankful to the Lord for giving us a very wonderful blessing in the form of our own home, considering what we've gone through early this year.

welcome to our home (part 1)

2010-10-26T15:12:00.015+08:00

That's our building in front of the clubhouse!

The long weekend has been such a fun one mainly because we already got to see our new pad! Well, we've already seen similar units for turnover, but it's different if it's your own unit you're asked to inspect.

Saturday morning was our schedule for our condo's orientation, where we were acquainted with a handful of other unit owners and were given a run-down of rules, privileges and everything else that comes with being a unit owner. Francis and I were very much interested on the part about home improvement, because we definitely have to hire pros that will construct partitions for our now bare pad. We plan to copy the layout of the model unit for our 40-sqm nest, which we plan to decorate in a Baguio-meets-zen style.

We were presented with two options: either we go for the in-house contractor or another contractor referred by our agent. We really didn't like both so we opted to meet with Francis' high school friend who is a licensed architect. We sat down with him yesterday and laid out all our cards--the look we want, our budget, etc. So now we're just waiting for his proposed plan and see what we can do from there.

With the limited budget that we have for now (we're praying that we get enough provisions for more improvements real soon), I'm strapping myself up for sacrifices. I bet I'd have to choose between one thing over another, and just that thought is really keeping me on the edge of my seat. Of course, if we had all the money in the world to spare right at this moment, we'd go all out. But we'll take our architect friend's advice: never rush. It's just that my head is so full of so many plans that it might break my heart a little if we can't have everything in one go. Still, I'll be patient. I know that if we want our house magazine-worthy (and our pockets not left empty), we shouldn't hurry things.

So there. But there's another issue: I think Francis is confident enough with my taste that he actually wants me to play the ID for our place, since, he said, I already know exactly what I want. That, and we're hiring an architect anyway, so he said designing the pad shouldn't be a problem. Now that I'm mulling over the idea, I think I may be able to do it, considering the style we're going for isn't really something complicated. I mean, how complex can zen be? Plus, I am such a Baguio lover that I think (think is the operative word here) I know what Baguio elements should be incorporated. Still, I am nervous about it. Maybe I can ask a friend from RL to help me out? Let's see.

Anyway, here are some photos of our place. If everything goes smoothly as planned (we're praying everything will!), the new year will find us in our new nest!

The small playground and the pool. Hello, night swimming!

The unveiling of the windows, haha! Francis and a technical personnel inspecting the kitchen sink. Now the kitchen needs a lot of improvement, and I'm so excited about it!

The hideous pipes that need to be cleverly concealed,
and the bathroom sink that will be made over in the future

It may not be our top priority now, but in the near future,
we'll have to re-tile the bathroom. In the meantime,
we'll repaint the walls to a warmer color to set the mood.

My husband looking excited and
nervous at the same time, hahaha!

Oh my, oh my, oh my! Adult life can really be exciting! Thank You for this big blessing, Lord!

korean madness

2010-10-17T20:30:00.006+08:00

As the samgyeopsal sizzles...

When I suggested to my friends that we next eat at Woo Ri Jib, an authentic Korean resto along Kalayaan Avenue, I thought it was just one of those plans that would remain just a, um, plan. So when Archie brought it up again, I was quick to set a date--a payday weekend.

So last Friday, me, Mems, Dit, Archie, Jen and of course, Francis excitedly trotted to Woo Ri Jib. It took us a while to figure out which Korean dishes to actually order, but we ended up with the usual fares Francis and I have whenever we're there--kkanpunggi (spicy chicken wings in special sauce; we made sure to have it mildly spicy) and hae-mul pajeon (Korean pancake made of egg, spring onions and seafood). Plus, we had to try the famous samgyeopsal--pork strips fried in their own fat using a hot plate. We had fun wrapping the cooked strips in either lettuce or shiso (sesame leaves).

Of course, we had to try soju; but being a non-drinker that I am, just a sip of the alcoholic beverage made me crumple my face. Haha!

The soju shot glass

After the filling dinner, we headed to Nice Mart, a Korean convenience store on our street that resembles Mini Stop (hello, yellow-and-blue theme!). Each of us grabbed some ice cream on stick for dessert and took our time with photo ops as if we were in Korea for real, it was crazy!

An-nyung-ha-se-yo!

Then the gang endured climbing up to the 5th floor sans an elevator to briefly hang out at our place. I always love having friends over our small pad. But after an hour or so, they had to go because for one, Archie still had a morning flight to Cebu to catch, and it was getting late already. Oh, but he and Mems didn't go home empty-handed. When they saw the home stuff we were selling (check out Our Yellow Room's website), Arch and Mems immediately bought one each. Now we only have one item left before we re-stock! Haha! (Up to now, we haven't really gone full-blast in this little biz venture of ours since I had the operation. We hope to get back on track come next year, though.)

After another stressful week at work, it had really been an extra fantastic and blessed Friday!

this feels really good!

2010-10-13T17:10:00.006+08:00

Take control of your spending habits now!

You know that feeling that you're doing a lot of things but you find joy in doing them (no, I'm not referring to my day job, hahaha!)?

Like I've mentioned in my previous entry, I've been very busy lately with things that I love doing: writing and taking photos. I feel so blessed to have been given a number of opportunities to have my articles and photos published. In fact, the October ish of Cosmo Philippines has my photos and a major article (yes,this is me urging everyone to grab a copy!). Yay for October!

My Baguio and Pangasinan pics; images for the books
Heart of the Matter & The Carrie Diaries, plus Powerhits 2010 and
Recovery CDs are mine! Weee!

Other than this, I have something else being cooked up. I can't divulge it now so as not to preempt things, but I'm really excited about it. I'll spill the beans as soon as it's official.

Thank You, Lord, for all these blessings! To You be the glory!

there is nothing else but gratitude

2010-10-10T10:00:00.001+08:00

I am relishing this weekend because after about three weeks of being busy at work and with my moonlighting (as a contributing writer and photog), I finally have a couple of days to rest.

I am not really complaining. I actually feel very grateful to the Lord for throwing me blessings in the form of writing and shooting stints, and there's been a lot these past weeks. It's such a wonderful feeling to be doing what I really love--monetary compensation a plus, of course!

Oh, and as if the past weeks' blessings weren't enough, my long-awaited passport has been delivered yesterday! Well, I really didn't have to wait long. DFA made good with their promise of delivering it 20 days after my appointment at their office. Now I feel like my world has just gotten bigger, and adventures will soon come rushing in! I can't wait to travel outside our beautiful country and explore the rest of this beautiful world!

Also, I think hubby and I will soon be moving in to our new home, perhaps by the end of this year (or by January next year, the latest). Though that means bigger expenses, we're both excited about our own home and how we're to decorate it. We know that the since God gave that to us, He'll also help us with everything we need to make it our lovely nest.

October is proving to be a month full of blessings. I hope it's also the same with everyone!

our future baby boy will become a gigolo

2010-10-09T20:54:00.003+08:00

Early this day, while we were strolling at the mall, Francis and I saw a booth selling Halloween costumes. And so...

Me: Pag may anak na tayo and nag-school na sya, ano kaya Halloween costume nya?
Francis: Pag lalaki, gigolo!

(Me: When our future baby's already in school, I wonder what his/her Halloween costume would be?
Francis: If he's a boy, he'll go as a gigolo!)

Um...okay...That scared me.

byline whore...and then some

2010-09-29T01:22:00.004+08:00

I have been churning a handful of write-ups lately, most of which, I am happy to say, have my byline. I am already on my third article, and there's one more to go before this week ends.

I admit it's not really an easy task, especially when I get distracted by the Internet. Boo. Actually, the hard part there is getting distracted in the middle of transcribing an hour-long interview. I hate transcribing. Anyone who says it's fun to do can get my share. But the writing part is very much welcome. It's weird, but I feel...happy when I write. There's a certain challenge to it that brings me this awesome fulfilled feeling after I've typed (or edited) away the last few concluding words. And of course, there's a byline. In my job at a semi-ad agency department, nobody cares about credits because, well, there's none. Most of the time, though, that works because at least no one would know you did a mediocre material based not on your own concept but on the one who pays you to execute their concept. So you see.

Anyway, it's good to be able to write a decent piece of article. It keeps my brain alive. (And it's also good to know that someone else is cramming to beat deadlines, i.e., my husband. He's not writing, though; he's trying to map out river basins, whatever that means.)

Before I ramble on some more, let me get back to my deadline.

a sneak peek

2010-09-27T22:59:00.006+08:00

I was finally able to bring my Sanuk to Baguio!
This is me waking up at 7am to lounge and read at
PNKY's garden before embarking on a long shoot day.

I have been terribly busy this week--so busy that I am barely blogging. In fact, I was horrified to discover that my last entry in my other blog was two months ago! (Well, I just updated it, so there.) My aim to regularly (as in weekly) blog seems to be failing. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I blame work.

Anyway, I've been busy lately mainly on things I love to do. Just recently, I went up again to Baguio on a writing assignment, and it was fun, fun, fun! Because I am not yet allowed to divulge the details, let me just say that my recent trip is one for the books. Why? Two names: BenCab and Ben-Hur. These photos will prove that I've rubbed elbows with these two art maestros.

Me with the crew and National Artist Ben Cabrera

While Ben-Hur was happily regaling us with his stories
and lessons in life, I just had to have a photo op!

That's all for now! Imma get back to transcribing my BenCab interview (which was on-the-spot, I barely have prepared questions; but more on that when I'm already free to talk about the details of the trip). I'll come back with more stories to tell as soon as I beat my deadlines.

my books will now be happy!

2010-09-06T22:05:00.005+08:00

Finally, after almost a week of waiting (yes, that's already a long wait for me), I am now a proud owner of an Aklat Eklat leather book jacket! I am so happy! Now, I no longer have to pressure myself into (plastic) covering my books before I even read them--no more fraying the covers!

The label comes with care instructions at the back.

I used to feel very uncomfortable reading an uncovered book; thanks to Aklat Eklat, I can now immediately devour books (I am sounding like an endorser here, I know!). But of course, I'd still wrap them after reading in case someone else wants to borrow my treasures.

My initials (yay!) and the built-in bookmark.
Isn't that convenient, not to mention cute?

I'd definitely buy another one in a bigger size and a brighter color combination. For now, I shall read in peace and with panache, as Aklat Eklat says!

P.S.
Now where can I buy a leather protectant for my book jacket? Any ideas?

yes, i am all for immediate gratification

2010-09-02T15:28:00.002+08:00

So last night was almost a downer if not for Despicable Me. Two things: First, Aklat Eklat made a mistake with my initials so I had to return the item and wait for a few more days for the correct one. It's just weird that I had a feeling something might go wrong with the book jacket I ordered, and something did. Bleh! But Aklat was kind enough to promise me the new jacket will be ready within this week. Good thing they have one more of the color I chose; otherwise, I'd have to wait for three weeks--and that's torture for me! I want my book jacket asap, before I go to Baguio for a writing assignment. I want it with me making my book feel all cozy and snug in that cold, magical place.

Second, I forgot to use my Citibank "coupons" to avail of a movie discount. I totally forgot that I have receipts worth a Php200 discount, all because I was so stoked about my book jacket. So hubby and I ended up paying the full price for the movie. But since we just opted for a regular showing (no 3D for us for this one), we didn't have to shell out a lot.

Now my night would've ended in such tragedy if not for Despicable Me. It is such an adooooorable movie! The overflowing cuteness made up for the so-so plot. It made me forget how upset I am. And to be honest, I think the Minions upstaged Agnes when it comes to cuteness overload.

If you don't find the Minions cute, then poor you!

tonight, i have a plan

2010-09-01T17:48:00.005+08:00

In a few minutes, I shall zoom past the office lobby door and rush to SM The Block to:

1) watch Despicable Me with the hubby

"Does this count as annoyin'?"
(Image from michleong.blogspot.com)

and 2) get my super awesome leather book jacket from Aklat Eklat!

Image from aklateklat.multiply.com

I am so stoked!

Then maybe tonight or tomorrow, I shall blog about my Aklat Eklat purchase. Then I will read and read and read and read. Yay!

i am so sorry to be this selfish

2010-08-25T23:04:00.004+08:00

After my ectopic pregnancy, I do not deny that there are things that changed. These changes, no matter how subtle they are, creep up on me when I least expect them. Like when a friend announced she's pregnant. Or when a former colleague posted pictures of her newborn baby. Or when another friend tweeted about a home pregnancy test that came out positive.

I cannot bring myself to be sincerely happy for them. I cannot bring myself to even pretend I am and post a comment on their Facebook pages.

I feel guilty for being selfish this way. But my reservations to rejoice about the happy news of bringing forth a bundle of joy can only be explained by my body's betrayal. My body betrayed me. Me. My own body. No matter how I force myself to see it otherwise, to remember that my failed pregnancy is not the end of everything--that I can still conceive--I still feel the pain. I still feel betrayed. I still feel that tiny pang of frustration and hurt. I still feel envious of other people's happiness in the form of a tiny baby. There's this little voice in my head that says "You should have been experiencing her joy, too. You should have been going through that crappy morning sickness now. You should have been shopping for cute baby clothes now. BUT YOU ARE NOT. You are here wallowing in self-pity. You are here trying to deny the pain. You are here trying to push these thoughts away, but you know very well that these thoughts will always haunt you, nag at you, until that day you become pregnant again--and normal."

So forgive me if I can't rejoice with you. Maybe soon I will have enough courage to be sincerely happy for you, dear friends. For now, allow me this.

because i am hot

2010-08-24T17:50:00.003+08:00

Honest. Open. Trusting. Those were three of the many ideas we learned during our seminar on coaching for effectiveness last Thursday-Friday. Despite the 8am call time (I made it earlier than that, hah!), the two-day seminar proved to be a really great learning experience on how to be an effective coach (not boss!) to one's partners (not just mere subordinates!). And so during the whole of the seminar, we were asked to be H.O.T., and be hot was what 15 of us became.

After that, I did feel hot...and out of breath. It was the weekend when me and hubby were to sleepover our house in Taytay as "guardians" while mom and sis were away having fun in Cebu-Bohol. Hubby thought of just staying home, but I cannot just leave our house in Taytay (and of course, our dogs there) to abandonment and neglect. Besides, I miss our dogs.

The two-night-three-day stay found me in bed most of the time. I'm glad the fever did not persist, and I was able to borrow my aunt's nebulizer to shoo away asthma. Unfortunately, I had to take a sick leave from work since yesterday just to make sure my ill health does not worsen (and also to rule out dengue). We left Taytay last night, and it made me sad to leave our dogs again. Good thing mom left food with my aunt (neighboring relatives FTW!) so Ginger and Clapton won't go hungry today.

As of this writing, I'm still not in tip-top shape. I hope to feel better real soon so I can go back to work tomorrow and drop by the mall to pay my credit card bill before the due date. And of course, I pray for sis and mom's safe trip back home.

no rest for the wicked

2010-08-14T23:45:00.007+08:00

Crepe, crepe, hooray!

Last night was a fun night with good friends Archie, Mems and Dit. A failed salon date for me, Dit and Archie (blame our hairstylist who went MIA yesterday) turned into a fun dinner date at Orchard Road in Megamall. Of course, with a bunch of crazy, cool friends, dinner was peppered with lots of laughter, after which it was off to dessert courtesy of sweet Archie.

The crepes we had at Crepes and Cream were huge, it was a hearty dessert indeed! Thanks again, Archiekins! *hugs*

I'm thankful for the great company, as it preceded a busy weekend for me. How busy is busy? This busy:

I have to finish a 2,000-word article due early next week (heck, I had to ask for a little extension so I can get more necessary data) and come up with enough hair accessories to sell at my sister's office tiangge. The latter started from a newfound hobby, and I'm still not sure where it will take me. So far, I find making these dainty pins fun and therapeutic (I found my hubby disagreeing to this when I asked him to help, haha!).

And so I hope to finish everything on time. I do hope everyone's having a great weekend!

P.S.
I stumbled upon this really adorable and amazingly creative blog, thanks to Kat. Who can resist to follow? Not me.

why i will not drink coffee for a week or so

2010-08-08T20:49:00.005+08:00

The liberica coffee tree, where Batangas harvests
their famous kapeng barako

Last Friday, I had the caffeine overload of my life.

I went on a photoshoot assignment for (let's call it) M magazine, the pet project whom I have a love-hate relationship with (love trumps the hate in most cases). My crew, consisted of art director Con, contributing writer Zy and our driver for the day, plus me of course as photog/managing editor, drove to Lipa, Batangas to feature the city's OTOP (One Town, One Product) as well as other industries thriving in the area. Lipa's OTOP is kapeng barako (liberica coffee). We had a shoot with two of the forerunners in the business, and yes, we did sample cupfuls of kapeng barako in all its strong, unadulterated flavor. The first entrepreneur on our list came up with the idea of instant coffee in a tea bag (that's Xandro's coffee); while the second one, Cafe de Lipa, can give Starbucks a run for its money.

Art director Con saying hello while styling
the Pinoy-inspired brownies of Cafe de Lipa

We had free brewed coffee, frappuccino, Pinoy-inpsired pastries (like pili nut and tablea brownies) and even a bag of Cafe de Lipa ground coffee!

For only Php200, you get a bag of Cafe de Lipa coffee
with this very pretty gift box!

On the way home, us three girls were all hyper and palpitating, we had to stop over at a gas station to buy bottled water so we can flush away all the day's caffeine from our system.

So now for fear of extreme palpitation, I shall do my best to avoid brewing coffee every morning for a week.

P.S.
I blame some of my colleagues for giving us a coffee maker as a wedding gift. I seldom drank coffee before, but because of that coffee maker, I've become a frequent coffee drinker. Now, I find brewing coffee therapeutic. Haha!

frustration is eating me

2010-08-05T00:17:00.005+08:00

I am a person who is usually in high spirits. But there are days when things get to me, and the past weeks have been really stressful, and it's not even physical stress. Lately, I feel like every time I go to work, I should always be strapped up for some battle.

I've been in this job for almost five years now, and this is the only time I've felt this frustrated. Sure, I've had a fair share of frustrations for the past years that I've been working, but it's different when you're frustrated and let down by people who you rely on to come up with fair and sound decisions. It's like a slap in the face.

It makes me feel guilty for feeling this negative towards others, and I hate myself for feeling that way. I was told that I have the right to how I feel, and I know I do; it's just that as much as possible, I don't like harboring ill feelings. Still, I remind myself that hey, I am entitled to feel this way especially because I know I'm right (and that I'm not the only one crying foul) and because I am seriously affected by all the crappy things happening.

But I'm already tired--of feeling frustrated, of trying to get the point across. I'm tired of barking at the wrong tree. It's all futile. What is the point of raising my voice if it falls on deaf ears? Worse, if those same ears only hear the voice they want to hear?

I feel bad for those who feel the same way as I do. But as for myself, I guess the only thing left to do is to embrace indifference. That, or ride the wave. I guess I'm more inclined to go for the former. So from now on, I'll do my very best to leave these behind and just surround myself with happy, fuzzy things. I can only rant so much. Now it's time to find serenity in oblivion.

days like this are meant to be cherished

2010-07-31T20:37:00.002+08:00

Weekends are like an oasis in an immense, scorching desert, offering some respite for the weary.

I particularly love lazy weekends, when my husband and I only wake up to prepare and have lunch, wash the dishes, watch a movie, then sleep again. The rain even makes it a lovely prospect to just stay in and lounge around.

I do not take weekends for granted, especially after a stressful week from work. But to make weekends special, I make sure to leave all the stress behind the moment I step out of the office.

So tonight, with a mug of hot tea, I shall relish this cool, quiet Saturday evening and offer a prayer of gratitude. I do hope everyone's also having a wonderful weekend.

and so it seems i can't stop

2010-07-24T00:47:00.002+08:00

If this continues over the weekend, I shall then declare that I'm officially hooked on making these pretties.

as good as new

2010-07-23T01:54:00.004+08:00

I have a dandy, new blog look!

At first, I was afraid to upgrade my template; but then I told myself, "What the heck, let's do this!"And then I found myself mixing and matching background and font colors, up until now (it's 1:58 am already). So far, I am liking what I'm seeing. It's like I bought new clothes and wore them right away for everyone to see. Haha!

Maybe tomorrow I'll polish my other blog, too. Yay!

let the DIY project begin

2010-07-22T22:16:00.007+08:00

I had to pass up work today (for reasons I shall not divulge as they only give me headache), and found myself inspired by this creative, pretty momma. And so I headed out and bought a fresh supply of glue sticks and some rags. Unfortunately, my old, trusty glue gun is already a goner, so I made do with a candle to melt a glue stick; and with just a few hair pins and wooden beads from an old necklace, voila! DIY mania began...

My first attempt at making a hair pin.
I'm not really happy about it, but hey, I tried!

Now this one's more like it.

And look, I even had the guts to spruce up an old, plain tank top! I can say I made a pretty decent job, don't you think?

Now let's see if I can make something more out of this new "talent".

never trust a man to buy you accessories...

2010-07-18T00:27:00.005+08:00

...unless you give him a peg, which I did. That made the job easier for Francis when I asked him to buy me accessories as pasalubong from Davao. But mind you, I have to give it to my husband; he has been patient enough to scour Aldevinco (a souvenir haven in Davao) to find the perfect tribal necklaces for me. While I was on the way back to the office from a shoot in Pampanga, Francis was busy sending me MMS just to get my approval. Honestly, I was impressed by his efforts, and so were my shoot crew.

My pretty ethnic bib necklace

My husband's labor of love paid off, because ever since he handed me his pasalubong, I've been wearing it almost every day this past week. I've been getting a lot of compliments, too (for both my necklace and my sweet hubby)! I say my husband really has good taste. Haha!

This one, I have yet to wear soon.

playing pretend

2010-07-06T21:39:00.002+08:00

I've finally discovered a way to somehow teach myself to get used to being home alone whenever Francis is away on a field work (not that he's often away), aside from asking my sis or sis-in-law to sleep over our place--I've learned to play pretend.

The idea came to me this afternoon at work. I thought that maybe, if I pretend that I'm really living alone, like I'm in college and I'm away from home renting a place near my university, maybe I can get by without missing Francis too much.

And so when I got back, I popped in some CD, turned up the volume a bit and proceeded to prepare my late dinner while swaying to the music, all the while imagining that I've been doing this for a year or so now. Well, of course, I still had to go online and Skype with Francis, but that's beside the point.

Anyway, the only problem with this scheme of mine is going to bed. I find it really difficult sleeping alone in our place. It's just different knowing that I'm alone in our bed. Don't get me wrong, I've grown used to sleeping alone in my room in our house in Taytay, especially after my beloved lola passed away (we sleep in the same room but on separate beds; better that way so there's someone with lola in case she needs something at night). This time, it's just...weird, like there's something missing (well, there definitely is someone missing). So that part I don't know how to get around yet.

Maybe I can pretend that I'm an insomniac and not sleep until dawn? Come to think of it, I already did that before.

reminder

2010-06-29T11:30:00.004+08:00

About a month ago, I wrote these words.

...be less of a worrywart. I need to realize and remember that there are some things I have no control of, and that I can't stress myself to death worrying about those things. That's what faith is for, isn't it? I can't just offer everything up to God and then worry about them after. That's not faith.

...make things happen. For those things I can control, then I will take charge. And then I will let go. I will do everything I can and set my heart on things I really want, and once I've done my very best, if they're meant for me, they'll be mine; they will happen.

Now I need to go back to these words and put each and every single one to heart.

"waiting is a form of imprisonment"

2010-06-29T00:17:00.005+08:00

I thank my friend Sam for sharing this essay by Lance Morrow. Bear with me, this is a bit long.

Waiting is a kind of suspended animation. Time solidifies: a dead weight. The mind reddens a little with anger and then blanks off into a sort of abstraction and fitfully wanders, but presently it comes up red and writhing again, straining to get loose. Waiting casts one's life into a little dungeon of time. It is a way of being controlled, of being rendered immobile and helpless. One can read a book or sing (odd looks from the others) or chat with strangers if the wait is long enough to begin forming a bond of shared experience, as at a snowed-in airport. But people tend to do their waiting stolidly. When the sound system went dead during the campaign debate in 1976, Jerry Ford and Jimmy Carter stood in mute suspension for 27 minutes, looking lost.

To enforce a wait, of course, is to exert power. To wait is to be powerless. Consider one minor, almost subliminal form. The telephone rings. One picks up the receiver and hears a secretary say, "Please hold for Mr. Godot." One sits for perhaps five seconds, the blood pressure just beginning to cook up toward the red line, when Godot comes on the line with a hearty "How are ya?" and business proceeds and the moment passes, Mr. Godot having established that he is (subtly) in control, that his time is more precious than his callee's. (Incidentally, the only effective response to hearing the secretary's "Please hold for..." is to hang up without explanation. After two or three times, Mr. Godot himself will place the call, as he should have done at the start.) But the "please hold" ploy is a mere flicker in the annals of great and horrible waiting. Citizens of the Soviet Union would think it bourgeois decadence to complain about such a trifle. The Soviets have turned waiting into a way of life. The numb wait is their negotiating style: a heavy, frozen, wordless impassivity designed to madden and exhaust the people across the table. To exist in the Soviet Union is to wait. Almost perversely, when Soviet shoppers see a line forming, they simply join it, assuming that some scarce item is about to be offered for sale. A study published by Pravda calculates that Soviet citizens waste 37 billion hours a year standing in line to buy food and other basic necessities. To bind an entire people to that kind of life is to do a little of the work of the Gulag in a different style.

Waiting is a form of imprisonment. One is doing time—but why? One is being punished not for an offense of one's own but often for the inefficiencies of those who impose the wait. Hence the peculiar rage that waits engender, the sense of injustice. Aside from boredom and physical discomfort, the subtler misery of waiting is the knowledge that one's most precious resource, time, a fraction of one's life, is being stolen away, irrecoverably lost.

Americans have ample miseries of waiting, of course—waits sometimes connected with affluence and leisure. The lines to get a passport in Manhattan last week stretched around the block in Rockefeller Center. Travelers waited four and five hours just to get into bureaucracy's front door. A Washington Post editorial writer reported a few days ago that the passengers on her 747, diverted to Hartford, Conn., on the return flight from Rome as a result of bad weather in New York City, were forced to sit on a runway for seven hours because no customs inspectors were on hand to process them.

The great American waits are often democratic enough, like traffic jams. Some of the great waits have been collective, tribal—waiting for the release of the American hostages in Iran, for example. But waiting often makes class distinctions. One of the more depressing things about being poor in America is the endless waiting it entails: waiting for medical care at clinics or in emergency rooms, waiting in welfare or unemployment lines.

The waiting rooms of the poor are forlorn, but in fact almost all waiting rooms are spiritless and blank-eyed places where it always feels like 3 in the morning.

One of the inestimable advantages of wealth is the immunity that it can purchase from serious waiting. The rich do not wait in long lines to buy groceries or airplane tickets. The help sees to it. The limousine takes the privileged right out onto the tarmac, their shoes barely grazing the ground.

People wait when they have no choice or when they believe that the wait is justified by the reward—a concert ticket, say. Waiting has its social orderings, its rules and assumptions. Otherwise peaceful citizens explode when someone cuts into a line that has been waiting a long time. It is unjust; suffering is not being fairly distributed. Oddly, behavioral scientists have found that the strongest protests tend to come from the immediate victims, the people directly behind the line jumpers. People farther down the line complain less or not at all, even though they have been equally penalized by losing a place.

Waiting is difficult for children. They have not yet developed an experienced relationship with time and its durations: "Are we there yet, Daddy?" There can be pleasant, tingling waits, of course, full of fantasies, and they are often connected with children: the wait for the child to arrive in the first place, the wait for Christmas, for summer vacation. Children wait more intensely than adults do. Sheer anticipation makes their blood jump in a lovely way.

Waiting can have a delicious quality ("I can't wait to see her." "I can't wait for the party"), and sometimes the waiting is better than the event awaited. At the other extreme, it can shade into terror: when one waits for a child who is late coming home or—most horribly—has vanished. When anyone has disappeared, in fact, or is missing in action, the ordinary stress of waiting is overlaid with an unbearable anguish of speculation: Alive or dead?

Waiting can seem an interval of nonbeing, the black space between events and the outcomes of desires. It makes time maddeningly elastic: it has a way of seeming to compact eternity into a few hours. Yet its brackets ultimately expand to the largest dimensions. One waits for California to drop into the sea or for "next year in Jerusalem" or for the Messiah or for the Apocalypse. All life is a waiting, and perhaps in that sense one should not be too eager for the wait to end. The region that lies on the other side of waiting is eternity.

It's like Lance Morrow can read exactly what I am feeling right now when he wrote this, especially when he said that "To enforce a wait, of course, is to exert power. To wait is to be powerless." And when I got to the part where he wrote "People wait...when they believe that the wait is justified by the reward", I can't help but wonder: will this waiting that I am going through again finally be justified this time?

i felt like i'm in elementary again

2010-06-28T12:07:00.008+08:00

I have more than one reason why I love writing (the editorial kind, that is). For one, I get to travel and meet new people, like in last Saturday's assignment. Well, fine, it wasn't like I flew to Cebu to feature a posh resort or something; nevertheless, I was still excited about the trip because it brought me to this big bottling company in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, and it felt like I was having a field trip back in elementary. I saw assembly lines of bottles being filled with sodas and juices, I got to wear a hard hat and this reflective vest, and learned a lot about the process of how a bottled iced tea is made.

Here was how that day went, in pictures.

the week that was...so far

2010-06-22T21:48:00.011+08:00

Before I go on to write about my first day of school, I mean, my first day back at work, let me first rave about my trip to the CD/DVD sale last weekend.

Sure, Francis and I promised ourselves to be more careful with our spending especially now that we'll soon be paying for our new unit's equity (down payment). But who in their right mind can resist a sale where original CDs and DVDs sell for as low as Php20 (CDs) and Php150 (DVDs)? Definitely not us.

And so we went crazy and went home with these:

This isn't our first time to hoard. Last year, we went to the same sale by Universal Records and got home with loads of CDs. Majority of my selection were CDs of indie Brit bands, most (if not all) of which I'm not familiar with, but I did not regret buying them. This time was the same, though I bought more DVDs (last year had less good choices) than CDs. So now Francis and I would listen to new albums every night, or watch a DVD that we feel like watching (as of writing, Massive Attack is playing).

If you're envious (haha!) and are raring to go, wait until this weekend (and until this weekend only--Friday, Saturday, Sunday, from 10am to 7pm; the sale has been ongoing since the first weekend of June) then rush to the 10th floor of Universal Tower along Quezon Avenue (that's near Parco). But if don't have time, don't despair; Universal Records usually holds a yearly sale (sometimes even twice a year!), so there's still another chance to hoard. Just be on the lookout for an announcement in newspapers or check out their Facebook page. I'll also post here as soon as I got wind of another sale.

Now on to my return venture into the work force. After two months of leave, I got back to work yesterday. I actually sneaked back in without most of my co-workers noticing me, in the hopes that I can remain unseen so I can pretend I'm not at work yet. But of course this isn't a fantasy world so they noticed. Sure, I was touched when they told me they were glad I'm back. Still, I can't help but feel a tad sad that I'm already back to the grind.

If there's one thing I realized during my "vacation", it's that I'm ready to leave my desk job. I wouldn't be saying this if I were writing this entry three years ago. Back then, I didn't feel ready yet to be a freelancer; I wanted to belong to a team and be able to have summer outings and Christmas parties. It's a funny reason to want an office job, I know; but since there are really no summer outings and Christmas parties have become rare, then what's the point right? Or maybe, I've already grown mature enough to embrace the idea of having all of my time in my own hands. That way, I can control the stress level in my life. Now, I can imagine myself working on a deadline in our cozy pad, without me running like a headless chicken (answering emails, entertaining AE requests, printing documents, replying to a supplier's text message and conceptualizing special executions in my head--all happening at the same friggin' time).

But in life, mature people have to make choices according to their priorities; so I chose to go back to work and try my very best to still put my best foot forward; nevermind if I'm wincing while doing so. I know it's not the best attitude, but that's the least I can do to prevent myself from going jobless and broke (hello, monthly amortization!). And if there's anything I've gleaned from self-help career guide articles I've read, it's this trick to keep one's mind sane at work when mulling over printing that resignation letter: find something you really like to do to distract you from the stress and distress. In my case, that would be photography, music and writing. Staying in my job got me closer to opportunities related to these three (photography and writing, especially). If only for that, I am very thankful. So yes, Imma stick it out a little bit more and wait and see. I've waited for the past three years already, so what's a year or so? Like I have written in a previous entry, I shall grab every opportunity that comes my way and let go of things I have no control of. I'm tired of hearing myself whine without me really doing anything; this time, I will do something and just see what happens next.

On a lighter note, I found it funny when Francis and my mom asked me how my back-to-work day went yesterday, as if it was my first day in school. Where's my allowance, mom?

of christian bautista and tales of a domesticated life

2010-06-17T20:47:00.005+08:00

This is my second time to interview a celebrity. The first one was actor JC de Vera for Cosmo mag's Man on Fire section last December. This time, it was singer Christian Bautista, for the same magazine and section, which is due this coming August.

I'm not a big fan, but I must admit he has a swoon-worthy voice. He's really cute, though, and very nice and witty. When he saw my list of questions, he was shocked to discover that I have 43 items on my list. I bet he thought it would take us forever to finish the interview, but I assured him that all 43 questions are "fun" ones, which means he wasn't expected to give lengthy answers (the section is just a Q&A anyway).

So if you're a fan and you want to know more about this hunky singer's opinion on love, marriage, women and many other things, wait for the Cosmo August issue and grab one as soon as you see it on the newsstand. Oh, and Christian will also be in the September issue, so wait for that, too! (haha, shameless promotion!)

In the meantime, here's a sneak peak:

On the way to the shoot venue in Antipolo, Cosmo's managing editor Camille, formerly my co-editor in our department, and I were talking about our frustrations about renovating/improving our respective homes that we're just currently renting. Then we talked about how Francis and I found the unit in Sofia Bellevue. The conversation spun to other domestic concerns--floor vinyls, house cleaning woes, cooking, etc. We both laughed when we realized that it wasn't so long ago when clothes, bags and shoes dominated our conversations; now it's mostly about being (happily) married.

i'm so excited and i just can't hide it!

2010-06-16T11:30:00.003+08:00

The suggested floor plan for a 40sqm unit,
which we'll most likely adhere to.
Oh, and ours has a balcony, so weee!

I have a good motivation to work hard (yes, despite my ranting in my previous entry). In fact, right now, my head is so filled with plans for our new--our own--home in Sofia Bellevue.

The dining area/living room and bedroom of the model unit

We weren't really actively looking for our own house. We just made it a habit to drop by those clusters of agents and scale condo/house and lot models frequently found in malls. Francis and I would collect flyers and then sift through them. Then we came across this flyer of Sofia Bellevue, a cluster of mid-rise condo buildings in Capitol Hills. Seeing that the price won't make us empty all our savings in the bank (well, hopefully that won't ever happen), we got in touch with the agent whose name was stamped on the flyer.

The kitchen (my turf! I love the frosted cupboard doors!)
and a sneak peek of the bathroom

Long story short, we saw the model units for a 36sqm and a 40sqm. The latter has more room for two bedrooms, and so we decided to wait for a slot whose monthly amortization we can afford. The more affordable ones were already all sold out; the only option left was either to wait for a slot to be re-opened or wait for the official selling date of the ones in the newest building (there are five buildings, and there's only one building left to be constructed). However, if we were to go for the new building, we'd risk breaking the bank, so Francis and I agreed to just wait for a slot.

Unfortunately, after a month of two of waiting, our agent never got back to us. Well, she did, but every time she does, she always insisted on the new building despite the many times we've told her we can't possibly afford it. Good thing our couple friend, who already bought a 40sqm unit last year (and they're probably busy moving in this week), referred us to their agent, Lawrence. They said he's very diligent and is trustworthy. Seeing there's nothing wrong with trying, we told Lawrence what we wanted, and he assured us that he'll just give us a call or send us a text message if there are any developments. We prayed for it and waited.

The site development plan. Our unit is housed
in Woodridge building.

Then the good news came (story here). We really praise God for saying "yes" to our request. Not only did we get the deal we wanted, we also got a unit that's strategically located--it's on the sixth floor and has a balcony which overlooks the clubhouse and a golf course!

And so now, I am preoccupied with all the design plans possible. Since the actual unit is bare (all of the units are), we have to first erect divisions for the two bedrooms. Then it's down to the interior design. I am super excited because Francis and I have agreed to go tropical/modern zen, with hints of Baguio, since we are so enamored with that place (think Café by the Ruins with a dash of Vocas art gallery; writing about this actually makes me feel all fuzzy!). I'm here wrecking my brains as to how to incorporate Baguio elements--wood, greens, nature, strawberries (this, we have down pat, thanks to the strawberry scented oil we have, haha!), coziness--and everything in between. I guess it's wise to heed the advice of home magazines: make a mood board. So we shall!

I so, so love the feel of this peg! This will definitely go in our mood board.

Oh, oh, oh, I really cannot contain the excitement! It's just really fun and wonderful to finally have our own place that we can decorate and spend time (and money) on. I bet I'll lose sleep just thinking about the many possibilities!

(All images are from the web.)

i shall be back

2010-06-14T01:42:00.002+08:00

This is the last week of my leave. After two months, I shall again be back to the grind; and in more ways than one, I feel sad.

Yes, I did miss doing something, but that does not mean I missed my work. I never missed anything about my job, except for my office friends. I never missed the stress, the deadlines, the clients.

It's funny that I missed shooting (as in me behind the lens, not work shoots) more than getting back to my desk. I missed writing for our magazines. These things make me feel much more fulfilled at the end of the day--shooting and writing. I learn from them.

Still, I am thankful for my job; it pays the bills. Yet I'm hoping there's something more...

it was indeed a baguio bliss

2010-06-13T20:14:00.020+08:00

It seems like happy things follow me whenever I'm in Baguio. My husband proposed to me there, and this recent trip, our prayer has been answered.

It was our last night in the City of Pines when we got the good news from our broker. We weren't even expecting to get a slot, considering all the 40sqm units in the mid-rise building we're eyeing have already been sold out. So when I got the text from our broker that a unit was opened for sale, I knew right away it was meant for us; and the news was made even sweeter because we were in our favorite city.

This recent trip is more special, actually. Aside from that answered prayer, it was during that four-day stay when I learned how to embrace spontaneity. I learned how to let go of being in control; I just let every day take me wherever it wants. It was really emancipating. I got to spend almost three days of loitering around Baguio alone (while Francis got busy with his convention), taking in the sights, sounds, smell, everything, and being thankful for each and everyone of them. The happiness I felt during my stay was different--it was deep. It's this kind of happiness that was enveloped with the repose I needed.

I went to Baguio to find peace from the past months' events, and I found it. I knew I would. God was gracious enough to hand it over to me, generously.

Looks like I have more and more reasons to come back.

***

Here are the trip's highlights:

(From top) The tunnel that tells me Baguio is barely 30 minutes away already; surprisingly, I even love the traffic in this city; Francis and I got gutsy and tried civet cat coffee--twice! First time in Cafe by the Ruins and second in BenCab Museum (Francis tried cupfuls; I only dared teaspoonfuls); the cozy and budget-friendly Brentwood Apartelle, which became our home for four days; Vocas Art Gallery, which houses Oh My Gulay restaurant, never fails to liven up the senses; another sensory overdrive in BenCab Museum along Asin Road in Tuba, Benguet; An interesting creation by Anna Varona (the time is read counter-clockwise); the picturesque view from the museum's balcony; the very beautiful garden at the museum

unplanned happiness

2010-06-06T12:25:00.009+08:00

On the roads of Pangasinan, a few hours from Baguio

This is my second day here in Baguio, and this stay is one of those rare occasions when I deliberately have no concrete plans as to what I'm going to do here. If there are plans, all are sketchy. So yesterday went something like this.

Husband registered for his three-day convention
in Teacher's Camp, then...

breakfast of waffles at Volante along Session Road
before hubby went back to his convention.

Met up with friend Mari-An, hunted for books and had late lunch
(that's Talong Parmigiana for me) at Oh My Gulay resto

Came back to our hotel with these reads

Dinner with the hubby at Ayuyang

And then we capped off the night with a yummy blueberry
cheesecake at Vizco's on Session Road

I feel like I'm Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation, only that I'm not lost here in this beautiful city that's saccharinely familiar. I like that I still don't have concrete plans for today's solo jaunt. All I know is that I'm going to have late lunch somewhere in SM Baguio, and then come what may.

Spontaneity is so emancipating!

dainty streak

2010-06-03T16:30:00.000+08:00

Anything dainty has always fascinated me (but not including the color pink and heart images, except if they're really irresistibly dainty). So naturally, when I saw these, I was not able to resist buying.

A makeup kit

A bag hook

A fan

Yes, the makeup kit has a touch of fuchsia on it but it's just too pretty for me not to grab. Then I found the perfect bag hook with such a beautiful peacock/floral design. I'm never really a fan of bag hooks because I think it does bags more harm than good--they put more pressure on the straps/handle, depending on the material they're made of. I'd rather put my bag on my lap or on the floor (should be clean) in case there's no more room for it. But then a bag hook can also be useful, especially for my sturdy bags and for hanging a dripping umbrella. (Both the makeup kit and bag hook are from SM Megamall department store). Then, there's that exquisite fan I saw in Landmark. I left my (old) fan, which is a favorite, with my sister; and since she keeps on forgetting to bring it whenever we see each other, I opted to buy a new one. It's suicide not to have one in this humid weather!

Oh, shopping--even for small stuff like these--makes me feel that I'm really back on my feet somehow.

flashback

2010-05-30T10:30:00.004+08:00

A conversation between me and my Maker, a few hours before I went under the knife that fateful day of 23 April (what I recall, that is):

Me: Lord, natatakot po talaga ako ma-operahan. Sana po maging maayos yung operation. Pero in case po may mangyaring hindi maganda, please help my loved ones accept it. Let them know how much I love them, especially my family and my husband. Hindi po ako natatakot if time ko na. Pero Lord, gawin Niyo pa rin pong maayos yung operation kase madami pa po ako gusto gawin. Bahala na po Kayo. Amen.

(Lord, I'm really scared of the operation. I pray it will go well. But in case something bad happens, please help my loved ones accept it. Let them know how much I love them, especially my family and my husband. I am not afraid, if this is already my time [to go]. But Lord, please make the operation successful because I still want to do a lot of things. Your will be done. Amen.)

And then a couple of minutes after that, the medicine kicked in and I passed out.

gloomy morning, must write

2010-05-28T08:57:00.005+08:00

Last night, I resolved to wake up early today so I can whip up some decent breakfast for the hubby. And I did wake up early (woohoo!). And I woke up to this gloomy sky that made me wish it will rain again to ward off the unbearable heat of this summer.

The hope of rain made me more excited to prepare some French toast and bacon. It's also my way of greeting hubby a happy wedding monthsary (haha, cheesy). So after breakfast and the morning chores, and after sending hubby to work, I decided to put to writing some thoughts that played in my head last night before I went to sleep.

After the major events that have happened lately, I have resolved to:

...write more often, about anything and in any way I can--blogs, poetry, lyrics--anything. I have more than enough pretty notebooks that are wasting away because I haven't been writing as often as I should. In fact, there have been some decent ideas that are now forgotten because I did not scribble them down. Boo me.

...be less of a worrywart. I need to realize and remember that there are some things I have no control of, and that I can't stress myself to death worrying about those things. That's what faith is for, isn't it? I can't just offer everything up to God and then worry about them after. That's not faith.

...make things happen. For those things I can control, then I will take charge. And then I will let go. I will do everything I can and set my heart on things I really want, and once I've done my very best, if they're meant for me, they'll be mine; they will happen.

...complain less and appreciate more. I'll really do my best to become less of a whiner and just focus on the good things that surround me. I shall make it a habit to count my blessings, and hopefully, be able to share them with others.

...take more pictures, especially of things and events that make me happy and (my mom and hubby will strongly agree to this) have special pictures developed. It's about time I really start scrapbooking, even if it's just really a collection of photos sans those scrapbook trinkets easily bought at bookstores (well then, that makes it a plain album. Haha!).

...take photography more seriously by taking pictures more often, like I said above. I've already started building my folio, and I will continue to do so.

...serve Him more. The Lord has been more than gracious to me since I can remember. He deserves my zeal. And although I have not been active in serving Him, I pray that I be given the resources to put my faith into more action. This may seem difficult, since I now live far from my mother church; but I want to do things I can to become more active in His service.

So there. I guess when life throws not-so-good things our way, all we have to do is move forward in faith and resolve that once these things have come to pass, we emerge as someone better.

munch, munch, munch

2010-05-27T18:12:00.003+08:00

The trip to the grocery store last night has been a wonderful breather. It's one of those chores that makes me feel, um, normal again. Doing such chores make me feel like my fabulous domestic life is back on track. Haha!

A favorite section in Landmark's supermarket: the foreign goods aisle. And these are the loot that hubby and I can't get enough of!

But the Want Want we got from the local goods aisle

The yummy norimaki rice crackers

The Norimaki rice crackers is my favorite. It's got a dash of spice to it, complemented by the distinct taste of nori.

Grocery shopping is never complete without these goodies!

let's get ready to tumble!!!

2010-05-26T09:58:00.008+08:00

So I gave in. I am now happily Tumblelogging. But not to be redundant, my Tumblr is more of a photoblog, where I post mostly my own photos coupled with my own caption or a quote from a song/book, or music. I want to believe it's more creative that way, and I'm happy because I get to express myself in writing, music and photos--all in one platform.

That is not to say that my new blog is self-serving. When I see other tumblelogs I find really interesting (mostly photos), I re-blog them.

Now I wonder why I didn't do this before. Haha! Know more about Tumblr here. Or better yet, create your account and let's follow each other!

(Abby, I think you'll like it there, especially since you post a lot of media. Lemme know if you decide to tumble!)

to tumblr or not to tumblr?

2010-05-25T16:17:00.002+08:00

So here I am seriously mulling over whether I should jump into another blog or not: Tumblr. I'm actually supposed to do some work-related stuff while doing the laundry, but what am I doing? Thinking of adding another blog when I can barely keep up with the two I already have.

I need cool reasons to Tumblr. Can anyone give me some?

a repose in the mountains is a beautiful idea

2010-05-17T20:47:00.004+08:00

I never had the opportunity to visit Baguio--not even once--last year. I terribly miss it.

Usually, the opportunity comes in perfect timing, say after a very stressful week from work (more often than not, that's the reason). This time around, the timing again is perfect, but not because work stress is killing me.

Francis has a three-day seminar he has to attend in Baguio, which is a great excuse to tag along. It's actually more than great. With our house in Taytay almost catching fire for the second time around, my ectopic pregnancy and the emergency operation I had to undergo, and now, someone dear is not in, um, good shape (which is such an understatement), I have reasons to believe that Baguio is heaven-sent; it's like God had just patted my back, saying, "After all the crazy things you've been through, I'm giving you this opportunity to find repose. You deserve it, my child."

And so here I am, two weeks and a couple of days before I go up the mountains, so stoked that I've actually drawn up a mental list of what clothes to wear even before the trip was confirmed. Now all I have to do is plan where to go and what to do while the hubby is busy with the seminar. I've already imagined myself sitting at the veranda of Oh My Gulay resto/Vocas gallery one nippy afternoon, with a perfectly brewed cup of coffee beside a plate of tasty eggplant parmigiana on a wooden table, as I pour over a good book. I can pass my time there as I wait for Francis' seminar to finish. We can just cap off the night at Cafe by the Ruins for some dessert and hushed conversations.

Whatever I plan to do and wherever I decide to go, I'm sure I'll enjoy my alone time taking in the city's beauty while I let it soothe my soul. The prospect of exploring Baguio alone--first time for me--makes this trip more exciting. Baguio shall be mine and I shall be Baguio's for 3 days. I shall surrender myself to the cold as it gives me the repose I so badly need.

to organic or not to organic?

2010-05-12T21:50:00.006+08:00

Organic on the Table by moi!

Know more about organic products in the May issue of Good Housekeeping! Grab your copy now!

i am on maternity leave but…

2010-05-07T18:51:00.004+08:00

I have gone back to reading lately. My 60-day “maternity leave” leaves me with no choice but to try and find something worthwhile to do.

I wouldn’t really mind being on leave from work for two months. Who would? But labeling this leave as “maternity” doesn’t really make the whole “vacation” fun because, to begin with, there’s no cuddly baby to take care of.

There’s no changing of diapers, no waking up late at night or early in the morning to feed the hapless infant, no cooing, no drool dripping on my shoulders.

Exactly two weeks ago, my husband Francis rushed me to St. Luke’s’ emergency room because the symptom we’ve been warned about made itself present in my abdomen—and it was such a painful symptom. My ectopic pregnancy, which was diagnosed last April 17, suddenly ruptured. I had to immediately go under the knife to save my tube and prevent more internal bleeding.

I never even knew I was pregnant, and it’s not because my husband and I have been irresponsible. We took pregnancy tests when my monthly monster didn’t show up on time, but the tests came out negative. And so we thought my monthly monster just decided to change schedule because after almost a week of absence, it came knockin’. It was only until after I was bleeding unusually (sorry, too much information there) when Francis and I finally decided to see my mom’s OB. But before we went on our way, I just thought of using the last home pregnancy test stashed in our first-aid kit. Imagine our surprise when it came out positive. Francis was ecstatic; I, on the other hand, was half-hearted about it because I knew there was something wrong. If indeed I was pregnant, I shouldn’t be bleeding. To ease our minds, we made an appointment with my mom’s OB in St. Luke’s before we met up with my mom and sis to celebrate mom’s birthday that afternoon.

After some tests, my OB concluded that there’s a possible ectopic pregnancy. She required us to come back two days after to repeat the test, and we did. It was confirmed. The ectopic pregnancy was lodged in my left fallopian tube; but it appears to be resolving itself, so my OB decided to just put me under observation for two weeks.

I was expecting to feel distraught right at that moment, but the feeling didn’t come instantly. Just when I thought I felt okay about the whole thing, I found myself crying for two nights just before I went to sleep. I feel like that “growth” inside me, which was slowly resolving itself as the doctor said, also meant that my tiny baby can’t come to term and must be flushed from my body. I felt pity—no sympathy—for him/her. I was already imagining: What if it’s a girl? What if it’s a boy? What if…Francis could only tell me not to lose hope because the doctor said that a normal pregnancy is still very much possible.

The two weeks of observation wasn’t even up when I felt an excruciating pain in my abdomen that traumatic Friday morning. It was so excruciating that I wouldn’t be surprised if I roused our neighbors with my screams. I was feeling faint and nauseated. I thank God that Francis hadn’t gone to work yet. I wouldn’t know what to do or how to drag myself from our pad on the 5th floor—sans an elevator—to the hospital had he already gone to work.

The operation was successful. I was discharged from the hospital two days after it. My left tube isn’t badly damaged. My OB told us that she just had to remove my fimbria where the growth ruptured on its way out of my tube. (I have yet to ask her on my next visit the real cause of the ectopic, and other questions that bug me to no end.) And since it was a major operation, I was advised to go on leave from work for 60-72 days.

A lot of friends and loved ones have been very supportive; comfort came with the words “Your body just went on a test-drive” and “At least you guys know you’re able to “assemble” a baby”. For those words, Francis and I are thankful. We are also thankful because we were spared from more pain: had we known earlier that I was pregnant without knowing it was ectopic, the pain of losing the pregnancy would’ve been more palpable. Still, it hurt us, nonetheless. But we know the Lord has plans. We only have to trust Him and be strong for each other. God has been gracious and merciful enough to see us through this trial, providing us with everything we needed, so we’re sure He will always see us through.

For now, all I can do is make the most of my leave, even if there are days when boredom drives me nuts. We decided to stay at my in-laws’ place for a month so I’d have people to look after me while on house arrest, recuperating (our pad is not an option, what with it being on the 5th floor with no lift; my mom goes to work so staying at our house in Taytay is also not a good option).

Francis said that I should take this opportunity to do things I haven’t found time for to do, like, um, blogging. There’s also photography on the side (which, for now, is limited to his guitar stuff since I can’t really go out and shoot to my heart’s delight, can I?). And although I cannot completely shut off myself from work (I still do some paper works, but I make sure I don’t stress myself with them), I try my best to make time for reading, which I have failed to do the last couple of months. I’ve already grown tired of watching Animal Planet/National Geographic/Discovery Channel (yes, the geek in me has not been anaesthetized!) almost every day during my first two weeks of post-op. Of course, I can’t wait to be told by my doctor that finally, I can already indulge myself in watching movies in theatres, and not just on DVD at home.

If there’s anything positive that came out from this harrowing experience, it’s the comfort and affirmation of my husband’s vow when we got married.
I witnessed how he took care of me during my time at the hospital—, bringing the spittoon whenever I feel nauseated from the anaesthesia, helping me sit up, making sure I was always comfortable. He still is taking very good care of me—running errands for me, minding all the paper works needed so we can file for SSS benefits, reminding me every meal of every day to take my medicine; and most especially, squeezing my hand to assure me that there’ll be a next time and that I should not be afraid. I feel very thankful to the Lord for such a beautiful revelation.

I told my husband that if mommy Susie were alive to see what kind of husband he is, she’d be proud of her son and how he’s grown to be a responsible and loving man. And even without saying it, I know my own mom has found assurance that she “gave away” her eldest to a man who’ll take good care of her.

P.S.
I also feel blessed to have friends and loved ones who have expressed their sincere concern. Your love has been greatly felt. Thank you so much.

when it rains, it pours...and then it lets up

2010-03-14T12:19:00.003+08:00

On our first day: we're not even halfway done yet

See how cloudy it was?

The past week was hellish for me. My anticipated beach shoot turned sour, and it all began when our Brazilian model backed out the last minute. We had to find a replacement model, but it turned out even she had a previous engagement the afternoon of our first shoot day. Since we had no other choice, the team just decided to push through with the shoot (all was set already) and just reschedule the shoot setups.

Just when everything was looking good the second (last) day, it rained--hard. To think that all our setups that day had to be outdoors. I was already on the verge of drowning myself had it not been for the fun crew we had with us. It was so hilarious we forgot that we're already all ngarag. But thank God that before lunch time, we saw a hint of sun. We grabbed the sunny opportunity and eventually, we were able to finish everything. Sadly, though, we weren't even able to take a quick dip. I suppose that's because we were all tired and were not willing to just take a quick dip--we needed more than an hour to wash away all the stress from our system.

Long story short, I got home feeling super exhausted (physically and mentally). I just had to check my Twitter account before hitting the bed, and lo and behold, a surprise greeted me.

It was as if God was saying "Hey, cheer up! Here's one reason for you to." Even for just a few minutes, I felt exhilirated. Indeed, God has His ways of making things better after a bad, bad week.

get ready for the tunic project

2010-01-31T22:15:00.003+08:00

My reliable assistant!

This shoot was a few months overdue. My office friend, Jen, needed more time to fix her tunics and dresses after Ondoy; but the wait is over. Very soon, Jen's lovely, lovely tunics will be up for grabs online. (Meanwhile, her items will be available in the upcoming bazaar at the Rockwell Tent this Feb. 6 & 7.) I volunteered to shoot her stuff in my quest to seriously build a photography portfolio and learn more about photography (particularly landscape, product and food) so I can seriously pursue the craft and well, earn extra from it.

I actually enjoyed shooting all those pretty clothes, and I'm so proud of Jenny for her new business. Acting as my assistant/reflector man was my ever-so-patient husband. We started the shoot a little before lunch and was done by around 4pm.

A few days before the actual shoot yesterday, Jen showed me her peg. I was adamant if I could really pull it off. With no lights (yet), I decided to make do with ambient light; fortunately, I'm satisfied with the results. Using available light taught me patience, and I wish to play with it some more in future shoots. Still, I'd have to buy lights soon so I won't have to perpetually rely on the sun.

Thanks a lot to Jen for trusting my novice skills; to her family for warmly welcoming us into their home and serving yummy lunch and snacks (Marikina puto FTW!); to Iya, Jen's adorable niece, for the funny entertainment; and to Cindy, who despite being so agitated about the late delivery of her new bed, still managed to drop by for some chika.

I can't wait for Jen's Tunic Project to be up and running real soon!

't'was a Christmas of mixed emotions

2009-12-29T23:37:00.003+08:00

A blessed holiday season from the Funa household!

This past Christmas eve is something I'd never forget. For one, this was the first time I spent it away from my family in Taytay. It was a bit strange not waking up late in the afternoon to see my mom busying herself in the kitchen for the midnight dinner. It was weird that this time around, it's me who'd be busy in the kitchen! And second, it's because it's the first time in our 11 years that Francis and I spent Christmas eve together. So of course, we had to make it special by celebrating it with a simple Noche Buena--cream dory fillet in cherry sauce, penne pasta in red sauce and chocolate fondue for dessert, all complemented with red wine.

Prior to the Christmas eve celebration, Francis decided to just dine out for the usual 7pm dinner. We headed to the neighboring Alex III resto and ordered a little too much for our tummies--lengua with mushroom and pinakbet sa bagnet (mixed veggies with chunks of deep fried pork). The bagnet was to blame for making us so full.

Anway, a few hours before midnight, I had to prepare our meal. It wasn't as taxing as when I had to prepare dinner for 10 people during our pad's dedication. Our Christmas eve fare was actually exciting to prepare because there's not much slicing and frying to be done. Before long, everything was ready. A few minutes to 12mn, we changed into more decent attire because the dinner also served as a Christmas eve date, complete with candle lights.

As we uttered our prayer of thanksgiving, I was surprised to actually find myself crying--I was so full of joy and I felt so blessed for the life I have now that I cried with happiness. I could not thank the Lord enough for all the blessings He's been showering our way. As a colleague noticed, "marriage life does me well", and I can't help but agree. Being with Francis in this binding relationship made me a better person, and is making me want to become even better than better. Paradoxically, being away from my own family in Taytay has, in a way, made me even closer to them. This whole, new life has changed me in more ways than I had imagined-- it has made me more appreciative and thankful to Him who made these things possible. Some would probably say that I can afford to be grateful and all cheery because this is just the first year of marriage and that there are more challenges in store as the years progress. Sure, I know there are; but I also know that with the Lord as the center of our relationship, and with our family and friends around us who continue to rejoice with us and support us, our marriage life will always be a blessing--and that thought is more than enough reason to celebrate this Christmas season and the many others to come.

we gonna take a boat to the end of the world...

2009-10-20T20:20:00.004+08:00

A few minutes ago, Francis excitedly showed me this video of one of our favorite bands, Dave Matthews Band. The song is titled "You and Me".

Aside from the vid, my husband also made me read the lyrics, found here.

On an ordinary day, what my husband did may seem mundane. On an ordinary week, the song may not even mean anything special to me. But during this time of despondency (on my part) enough to drive the sanity out of me, that song, that simple act from my husband, meant a lot. Not only because I badly need to unwind far away from the city (the lyrics apparently speak of traveling--physically and romantically), but also because I just need some time to escape so I can think clearly. Thinking and analyzing things have been my preoccupation as of late; and I tell you, such preoccupation drives me insane.

Anyway, after listening to the song and reading the lyrics, I now declare this to be our official travel song. We may not travel as often as we want to as many places we desire (though we're working on setting a reasonable "travel frequency"), but I'm sure that in any journey, we'll always be together, with the Lord walking with us.

And to my husband: I cannot thank you enough for the many, many times you've picked me up. Yep, "You and me together, we could do anything."

on a day-off

2009-09-11T07:50:00.003+08:00

For two consecutive long weekends, I was out on a shoot. It sucks. I feel like such a loser. Haha! So now I took a day off to make up for loss time at home. Ahh, home.

I never thought I'd be this attached to our (relatively) new place. I always look forward to going home, never mind if the main chore waiting for me every day is cooking (which I enjoy, anyway; we eat out every once in a while--hurrah to that!). There's something about starting a new life and living in a new place that make going home exciting and special. Of course, I still have some adjustments to make; but all in all, I'm loving this place--how it's relatively near to everything (malls, hospitals, my workplace, my hubby's workplace, UP, etc); how a small community on our street exists sans the horrid busyness of the metropolis. Sure, it gets busy every weekend, but it's nothing we can't stand. How can we complain if there's Starbucks, South Star Drugstore, Eunilane, Nuat Thai Massage and more than a handful of restaurants just a stone's throw away from our building?!?

But of course, I still miss my home in Taytay--everything and everyone in it. I miss hearing the soles of my shoes softly pound the pavement whenever I go home late and there's practically no one on the street. I miss seeing and hearing rowdy kids playing on a Saturday, as they agitate our dogs who would, of course, bark at them, waking me up. I miss my mom's cooking; she even texted me yesterday saying that she feels for me for no longer being able to bring baon to work. She usually prepares my baon. I had to assure her that it's alright because I still bring baon sometimes, whenever there's some extra food left. (Awww, my mom went all senti yesterday, I bet.) I miss small talks with my sister. I even miss our fights. I miss playing with my dogs (and so it really broke my heart when mom told me one of our dogs passed away. It broke my heart so much that I cried to sleep that night). I miss sitting by the table at our indoor garden/lanai. I miss the smell of rain in that house. I miss my mega messy room. I miss it all so much. That's why I'm excited every time my mom and sis announce their unplanned visits to our new place. I enjoy the company a lot. I visit them, too, of course. And it's at these frequent visits when I realize I miss them. Indeed, it's true that proximity can make a big difference--you come to appreciate the ones you love better when you don't see them often. You bond more when you see each other.
And so as I spend the rest of this day alone in our own place, I think of my home in Taytay--but it's a thought that's not sad at all. It's a thought that makes me feel more loved and missed. And that thought is more than enough to make me feel all fuzzy inside in this gloomy, rainy weather.

i am an engineer's wife

2009-08-18T19:28:00.003+08:00

Francis pouring over Lonely Planet's Singapore

guide while I'm being all sentimental

Francis and I have talked about what entails his being a geodetic engineer for numerous times. One major concern--I think it's the only concern--is that there are out-of-town, even out-of-the-country, assignments that may span a couple of days to a number of months. The longest we've been apart was when he was assigned (for the second time) in Cavite. He was there for five months, and this was during the time when we were preparing for our wedding. In fact, that assignment made me panic and question if he can really be hands-on on our wedding preps. But because it was just in Cavite, Francis was able to go home to Novaliches every weekend, giving him more than enough time to really help in our wedding preps. And I can say he did a great job, what with all the excel files he prepared just to make sure our wedding logistics are in place.

Although I am well aware of his possible far-from-home/far-from-me assignments, I still can't help but worry and whine and cry every time such work demands present themselves (of course, I pray they don't come often; if they do, that they be not too far and long). I know it's never easy for Francis to break the news to me. In fact, and more often than not, he exerts some effort to cushion the blow, so to speak. He'd usually treat me to a fancy dinner--a sign that he's about to break such news. (Hence, I'm a bit wary of fancy dinner invitations from him. Haha!)

***

Today is Francis' first day in Singapore. It's also my first day to learn how not to worry too much about my husband who's abroad for the first time. If I only had enough sense to fix the papers I needed to get myself my own passport way before this trip was even a possibility, I would've been there with him. I wouldn't be stuck here writing this blog (but thanks to my sis-in-law, who'll be keeping me company for 4 days that her brother's in Sing.). Yes, I'll be mushy: I miss my husband terribly. It's the first time we're this far away from each other--in our almost 11 years of being together. But I know this is how God teaches us to give more importance to each other, how to grow more fond of each other. This is God's way of teaching us to trust in our prayers, in Him. This is one of His small ways that tell me that after praying for my husband's safety, I have to learn how to lay my cares down and let Him do the job. I've always been a worrywart, and I know it's never helpful. What's the sense of praying if I would only keep on worrying even afterwards, right?

But I'm still really wishing and hoping and pleading for time to fly so fast that it's already Friday evening, when I'd be on my way to NAIA Terminal 3 to pick up and welcome back my wonderful husband. But I know that four days of being apart can spell a sweeter difference in our relationship. Plus of course, I know Francis is enjoying his time in Sing. Why, he already went gaga over hard-to-find CDs, and was ranting about how he might run out of cash hoarding those CDs (the lamenting about how expensive they are relative to the prices here came first before the ranting)! And knowing that he's enjoying his short stay there makes me happy, too.

goofy grammatical glitch

2009-07-22T21:04:00.001+08:00

On our way out of the mall, after having dinner with my sister-in-law (who turned a year older last Tuesday), we saw this ad.

I had to look twice to see if I read the words right. Was it " sHAVED", as in "We SHAVED..."? But no, it's better than that.

So I suppose the branch moved twice. Past, past tense.

our first mag appearance as h&w, weeee!

2009-07-09T00:38:00.001+08:00

Thanks to my friend, Bubs, for volunteering me and Francis--a newly married couple--for GH's section on financial concerns. Not that we're in a financial crisis this early into the marriage--God forbid that ever happens! The article is about various money concerns from different individuals with different backgrounds.

So go grab July Good Housekeeping pronto! There's a money trick (or two) to learn.

P.S. Thanks also to Alona for scanning the page! And to Eugene for making our photo the biggest one in this feature. How vain can I get, hahaha!

so what makes an ideal wife?

2009-06-24T19:06:00.001+08:00

My colleague asked me to ask Francis if it's okay with him to answer some questions about his take on an ideal wife. Francis said he's just fine with it. So when he checked his email a while ago, he was surprised to see just one question: What makes a good wife?

His (not serious) answer, which he said out loud?

"Maliit, maingay, mahilig maglaro ng computer games, late matulog, matigas ulo, mahina kumain, minamasahe ako."

(Small, noisy, likes to play computer games, late sleeper, stubborn, picky eater, gives me massages.)

Hahahahahah!

my husband made me cry last night...

2009-06-09T12:37:00.005+08:00

...But it's not because we fought or anything like that. It's like this.

You see lately, I've been thinking about selling my Canon Powershot A620 to get myself some brand new P&S camera. Beren, my Powershot, has served me well and has witnessed my beginnings as a novice photographer (not that I'm a pro now). It's not just a Point-and-shoot cam; it's actually a prosumer camera that has manual settings. Beren was there to replace my very crappy Olympus camera (my first digital cam), and he was also there to witness how I first tinkered with aperture and exposure settings. In other words, Beren is sentimental to me. And much as I hate to sell him, I can already feel the need to, especially because I already have Ken'ichi, my 400D DSLR. I just need a simple P&S for blogging and snapshots purposes (but one that already has a higher resolution and can produce better image quality). I'm just hoping that someone I know would buy it from me so I can still get to see Beren every once in a while, see how he is (and how his new owner is treating him. haha!)

Since Francis knows how sentimental I can get--and how annoying I can be just wondering out loud how Beren is in the hands of his new BFF--he thought of a very bright, über sweet idea: he'd just buy it from me to spare me from missing and worrying about my cam. That way, he gets to have his own camera (as if mine is not conjugal!) and he won't have to hear me whining. Hahah! But seriously, his idea made me so happy and I was so touched I couldn't help but cry!

I super thank God for giving me such a sweet and thoughtful husband that's beyond what I imagined...

P.S.
But Francis is still not thrilled about my plans to buy an iTouch. I guess I'd have to put that off. Haha!

japanese cravings

2009-06-04T19:38:00.003+08:00

No, I won't be talking about my Japanese boy crush, Ken'ichi Matsuyama. Haha!

This is about a yummy biscuit that Francis brought home from their office. Whenever a Japanese colleague comes back from Japan, there'd always be some Japanese goodies. Good thing Francis grabbed 2 packs of these, now I'm craving for it (the half-moon shaped biscuit is goooood!)

Can someone tell me what they're called and if they're locally available? Puh-leeez!

this ain't happening to me...

2009-05-30T08:52:00.001+08:00

The other week at the office, a colleague came up to me and she seemed to have an urgent matter to discuss.

O: Muther shine!!!!
Me: Yes po?
O: Mamu, may bilbil ka na!

At that very moment, sana bumuka na lang ang lupa at nilamon ako...

i just need to test this...

2009-05-24T21:28:00.003+08:00

My other blog here on blogger is automatically cross-posted on Multiply, which I don't want happening. So let me test if the html code for not cross-posting specific entries will work. Pardon me.

extending the bounds of my musings

2009-05-23T12:03:00.001+08:00

I am currently working on another blog that I hope to maintain religiously. It's quite different from the ones I already have. To know what I'm talking about, follow me!

http://musingsunderthesun.blogspot.com/

"so how's married life?" i am frequently asked

2009-05-11T21:59:00.001+08:00

I'm married for almost three months now.

Surprisingly, I didn't go through that difficult adjustment phase some newly married women experience. I mean, sure, I do miss my family back in Taytay; heck, even my dogs (they're family, too!). But I never had to wake up feeling awful about how everything has suddenly changed after saying "I do". On the contrary, that waking-up-married-for-the-first-time moment was, how do I say this...beautiful. All the anxiety and fears I felt before walking down the aisle were but funny, little worries now.

But here's the "dilemma": I'm going on a 4-day, 3-night trip to Naga/CamSur this Wednesday--the longest I'll be (so far) away from my husband and our cozy home.

I never imagined married life can make me this attached to things. I worry that Francis won't be able to eat well while I'm gone. I'll miss cooking (yes, I can cook! a talent I discovered during the first week of being married). I'll miss coming home to our cozy living room which we just decorated with zen-ish ornament, complete with scent diffusers that smell of sweet strawberries. I'll miss climbing five flights of stairs. It's funny to be actng and feeling this way because I'll only be gone for just four days, but four days seem too long for me.

I have to admit that I was tempted to not go to that trip (work-related). But Francis urged me to. Perhaps I just don't want to admit, until now, that being away from this new home--this new life--is one (if not the only) of the main reasons why I refused out-of-town shoots before, which were scheduled after I became a mrs.

It's weird. I can only surmise that this new-found attachment surfaced because everything now feels new--new surroundings, new neighborhood, new home, new sofa, new dining table, new address, new route--almost everything. It's like relishing a new bag that you always want to use because it's new. But in this case, I'm hoping I'm not acting all mushy just because things around me are new. Deep inside, I wish to remain this sentimental, though of course I hope not to be too sentimental that I'd cripple myself.

Sure, maybe this is still the honeymoon phase I am experiencing; but I do hope this lasts for years because I still can't shake this awful feeling of having to be away from my new home for more than a day.

Ack! I'd really miss coming home to our place. And for three nights, there'd be no Francis to welcome me home and hug me to sleep. I hope I can survive.

going back to that happy place where we grieved

2009-04-12T00:41:00.019+08:00

It was Sunday, 4 o’clock in the morning, and my husband and I were already awake. We had barely two hours of sleep after an evening—make that a day—of celebrating perhaps the most momentous day of our lives: our wedding.

Our flight to Bohol, where we were bound for our 4-day, 3-night honeymoon, would leave at 8am. Not wanting to be late or start our honeymoon with frazzled nerves from rushing to the airport, we arrived at the NAIA Terminal 2 at 6:15.

Because we availed of seats promo (ours was PAL’s Econolight), we didn’t have the luxury to choose our seats; consequently, we risked being seated apart. But perhaps it was because we were on our honeymoon, and we were probably that obvious that we were honeymooning (no, there was no smooching or any grave PDA), the check-in counter personnel had a big heart to fix our seats.

Hubby enjoying a cup of hot choco

With more than an hour to spare, we slumped onto Delifrance’s wicker chairs and took our time enjoying our breakfast. About 20 minutes before our scheduled flight, an announcement said that ours would be a little delayed. However, to our delight, barely 10 minutes passed when passengers bound to Tagbilaran were instructed to form one line in front of the loading entrance.

The white watch on my left arm said 8:10am. We were off to lovely Bohol, expecting to land on its humble airport before half-past 9.

***

A yummy concoction of orange juice

At two in the afternoon, we were still in bed trying to catch as much needed sleep as we can. Yes, we were aware that we just wasted half of the first day of our honeymoon not honeymooning but snoozing. We didn’t mind, really. Six months of happy stress finally took its toll on our bodies that we had to find a way to at least recharge for a few hours.

Still groggy and squinting from the early afternoon sun’s glare, we made our way to Amorita Resort’s restaurant pride, Saffron. Their website did not lie. The restaurant is indeed a perfect place to fulfill one’s gastronomic cravings while giving one’s senses the treat they deserve.

Fronting the open resto is the idyllic infinity pool. A dip or some laps really does rejuvenate the body, what with a breath-taking view of the Panglao beach just in front of your eyes—pristine, clear blue-green waters very slowly rushing to meet the powdery shore. The high tide in the morning makes for a refreshing, cool dip; while the afternoon’s low tide calls for guests to wade in the semi-exposed shoreline. And that was just what we did after our late lunch.

Taking in the late afternoon heat, my husband and I strolled along the beach, unmindful of the many Europeans who were basking on their mats, hoping to get the tan they so covet. Surprisingly, that time of the year, there wasn’t much Asian guests in Panglao, mostly Caucasians, a handful of Koreans and few of our kababayans. When I was last in Bohol, Koreans were everywhere.

***

Dinner was served a bit late than we expected. We didn’t really mind. Amorita’s staff have been very polite and accommodating from the first hour we arrived, so it was somehow snobbish to complain. Edward, one of Saffron’s attendants, was kind enough to talk us up while we were waiting for our free dinner (the package we availed includes one). Unfortunately for Francis, he was served the same food he ordered for lunch—mahi-mahi fillet with almond. His consolation? Turones de Bohol for dessert. I had to agree with him—it was de-li-cious!

***

At about 11:30 in the evening, my phone registered a missed call from my sister-in-law, Sugar. I didn’t have time to call her back when my phone rang again. On the other line was Sugar, her words I could barely make out. All I understood was that she wanted to speak to her kuya. Right then and there, I understood what was happening, what had happened.

Mommy Susie had passed away. After almost two years of battling with breast cancer, which eventually metastasized to her bones and brain, her body became too weak to fight some more. For us, the timing of her demise was touching. It was as if she just waited for her beloved son and I to get married. In fact, after the previous day’s reception, we headed straight to Novaliches to visit her and say hello, and of course, to show her that we have finally tied the knot. It was sad enough not to see her with us on our precious day, but we’d rather that she stay in bed to rest. That night was my first time to see her so weak. A week ago, she was still able to utter comprehensible words. That night, she can barely whisper. But we were all happy, including Daddy Edwin who begged off from attending our wedding so he can be by his wife’s side in case of emergency. We didn’t really realize that it was already her last day. But yes, if we were to believe (and we did) that she just waited for us to get married and be done with that day’s festivities, then we are definitely grateful to her. We know Mommy Susie tried so hard to fend off that dark cloud, perhaps pleading to give her a few more hours until after her son and her daughter-in-law walked down the aisle, before she succumbed.

Francis and I thought of cutting our honeymoon short. We even thought of canceling the next day’s dolphin watching trip to give us more time to grieve, but we were told that that would incur us a 50 to 100 percent cancellation fee. So we just decided to go through with it.

***

Kuya Gilbert says "hello"

Kuya Cris on the lookout for dolphins

Kuya Cris and Kuya Gilbert made sure we had our electronic gadgets locked safely in a small, yellow Pelican brief case provided by Bohol Aquatic Adventures, Amorita’s own dive shop. The sun had barely said good morning to that side of the planet as we waded our way to the small rigger boat that would then bring us to a bigger banca. It was a glorious morning, yet we let last night’s news dampen our spirits. We felt it wasn’t right to feel so giddy and absolutely happy when back in Manila, the funeral for Mommy Susie was being arranged. Still, it was a glorious morning; and despite not spotting any dolphins (all bancas who set sail to dolphin watch were unfortunate not to see any), the two hours at sea had been a refreshing break for us newly married.

Filipino food + cereals = perfect morning

We got back to the resort in time for our buffet breakfast. Aside from the dolphin watching included in the honeymoon package we availed of, as well as the sunset cruise scheduled late in the afternoon of the same day, we were also happy to have a daily buffet breakfast. In between mouthfuls of rice, Francis got busy with calls to and from Sugar, fixing whatever needs to be fixed for the funeral.

***

The sunset cruise boys

At 5:30 pm, just before the sun set low in the horizon, we were off to the same rigger boat that took us dolphin watching that morning. It was still Kuya Cris who accompanied us, together with Alfred, our “personal butler” who brought along a free bottle of white wine, two flute glasses and a bucket of ice, and the boats “driver” (unfortunately, we failed to commit his name to memory). About 150 feet or so from the shoreline, our kuya boatman killed the boat’s engine as Alfred politely poured some sparkling wine into our glasses. I’m not really a fan of alcoholic drinks, nor is Francis, but a refreshing glass of wine was a warm welcome to us. We silently watched the sky break into many different colors that kept on changing every few minutes. That was also the moment we let each other know how we’ll miss Mommy Susie. We know she’s already in a safer and painless place, yet I can’t help but feel cheated—I was so looking forward to having her as my mother-in-law, now made official. My mom, whom she considers her best friend ever since we formally introduced the two of them, felt the same. My mother had been so excited when Mommy Susie finally retired from working, because they had an agreement that they’d travel together. I bet my mom felt the same way we did when I broke the sad news to her. And it was in those times when I heard my own mom utter words of shock that I wish it were all a bad dream.

***

A few weeks back, I told a colleague friend how I felt about all that was happening just before Francis and I got married. I was surprised at my own honesty, but I was confident that since the person I was talking to is also about to get married, I instinctively knew she’d understand how I was feeling at that time. I remember telling her over late lunch how I was so afraid—afraid of what might happen to my mom-in-law. It was just a matter of time before Mommy Susie’s body gives up. The doctors already stated that fact—that we be prepared for the worst. Radiotherapy’s goal is to just extend a cancer patient’s life, not save her. I was so afraid, I told my colleague, that I’d have to see my husband be torn with happiness and grief—regardless of whether that would happen before or after we got married. It was somehow selfish of me to be afraid, to not want to see him suffer. Moreso, I felt guilty for feeling so weak during the time when Francis needed me to be strong for him. All that was left was to pray and hope for a miracle.

Yet even if that miracle didn’t happen, Mommy Susie’s demise gave us something we never expected. The bond between me and Francis got stronger, and so has the bond between him and his sister.

***

The whole of Tuesday was spent traveling around Bohol, uncovering its many historical and natural wonders. Since we didn’t avail of the package that includes such trip, we just rented an Altis to get us around the province. Good thing it was the same car and driver that had fetched us from the airport when we arrived two days ago. Though our driver, Sherwin, is not the type who’s generous with words, he had been kind enough to let us into a handful of tidbits about the places we visited.

At the Chocolate Hills viewing deck. Not so sunny that day

Which is the tarsier? Be my guest to guess. Haha!

The Blood Compact site was the first stop; next was the Baclayon museum and church, the second oldest church in the country. Then it was off to the magnificent Chocolate Hills. The dull weather didn’t allow for postcard-perfect pictures with the well-formed hills as background, but seeing that natural wonder (first time for Francis and second for me) still never failed to make the 30-minute stopover unforgettable.

Our cruise faring Loboc River

Lunch at the Loboc River aboard a cruise was next on the itinerary. For only 300 pesos per head, we got to have a buffet Pinoy lunch and a one-hour ride on Loboc River. Our cruise was composed of a fair mixture of Pinoy and Korean tourists, with two or three Caucasians who also shared in the fun.

Entertainment care of the locals

The more entertaining part was the 15-minute stopover on the way back to the dock, when us tourists got to mingle with the locals to enjoy their music and dance. With a rondalla ensemble, the locals entertained us with their rendition of OPM songs as well as tunes in the vernacular. There was also a tinikling showdown, where tourists tried their luck in the folkdance while hopping in between two hitting bamboo poles. We then had a short side trip to one of two certified tarsier "houses". Those small primates never fail to let the giggle out of me.

After the cruise, Sherwin proudly drove us to where Prony is housed. Prony is arguably the largest python in captivity. Just how big is it? Together with some fast facts tacked on a bulletin board greeting visitors is a picture of the huge python taken a few years back, happily feeding on a whole piglet. Yes, a whole piglet!

Of course, an out-of-town trip is never complete without a jaunt to the nearest pasalubong haven, so it was off to pasalubong hoarding after we said goodbye to Prony.

After about two hours of spending money, it was back to the resort.

We capped off the night with what's left of the white wine from the sunset cruise. We decided to linger a little while near the infinity pool, beside a tree well-lit by yellow lights. It was a relatively quiet evening spent with us being silent, with just the canopy of tiny lights above our heads.

***

Our last day at Amorita started with another heartwarming eat-all-you-can breakfast. We then rested for a while before heading off to the beach to take a swim (or a dip, if it’s more fitting). The water was cool, and the sand so divinely fine it can give Boracay a run for its revenue. No kidding.

The spectacular sea view from Amorita

Once we got tired of the beach, it was time to take a dip into the infinity pool. We first had our romance with Amorita’s popular pool on our first day, and that was late in the afternoon. The view was spectacular. But this time around, with the sun almost at its zenith, the view changed—it was more spectacular, as if we were seeing the beach for the first time or from different pairs of eyes. The sunny sky, with a scattering of fluffy cotton clouds, provided a perfect backdrop for the two-toned sea. It’s as if we were in a little pocket of the Caribbean. Glorious. Magnificent. Perfect.

***

The good thing about Panglao beach is that guests are not tied down to eating meals exclusively at the resort they’re booked in. Wanting to taste a variety of foods, not to mention being practical (some dishes at the Saffron Resto are pricey for their taste), we again scouted the many other resorts lined up at the beach front for a good last lunch.

After a serving of sizzling squid, a platter of sweet and sour prawns, and two glasses of chocolate shake, Francis and I headed back to our resort. Realizing I had no souvenir buy for myself, I immediately grabbed a pretty woven bag big enough to carry the rest of our pasalubongs. It’s also a nice native bag for overnight trips.

***

For the past three days of our stay, the sea was calm; but during our last day, Nature decided to change her mind and made the sea throw waves at the shoreline. On our way back to Amorita, we heard the locals remark on how turbulent the waters were that day. We can only assume that it was something unusual for the usually calm sea. Somehow, it was a relief that the sea decided to become unfriendly during our last day.

On the ride to Tagbilaran airport, I silently reflected on how refreshing and blessed our honeymoon was, despite knowing a loved one just passed away. At the same time, I realized that maybe, just maybe, the whole trip had been a happy one because Mommy Susie wanted us to be just that—happy.

And we know that she is, too.

twilight zone

2009-02-13T11:57:00.001+08:00

Last Saturday, just before we went hunting for twigs, Francis kind of decided already that we're to eat in CASAA. Since he looked so bent on it, I didn't disagree.

While we were deciding on what other food to buy because the pasta we ordered didn't fill us up:

Me: Meron dun na lengua. P50 lang!
Francis: P50?!?! Ang mahal naman!
Me: Huh? Mahal? Hindi ka na kaya student. You're already working, hello?!
Francis: (pouts and looks embarassed of what he just said)

So cute. Hahaha!

hunting day

2009-02-08T10:25:00.003+08:00

Yesterday was another busy day for me and Francis. First on the list was to hand over our invitation to our ninong Omar, my mom's super nice boss. It's been years since I last saw him and his family, and it was really surprising to see how grown up their kids are now. Made me realize I'm old. Ew.

Next was a trip to my former workplace, Vibal, to claim a long overdue raket check. Unfortunately, their accounting can't find that precious piece of paper so I resolved to just leave an authorization to a friend who works there and proceed to UP, where Francis and I, together with my sister and her beau, would hunt for twigs.

Yes, twigs. Instyle Weddings has this whimsical idea on place cards with the use of twigs. And since we're having a garden wedding, I found the idea perfect. Little did I know the actual work of gathering twigs is so tedious and tiresome. (As of this moment, we already had three trips to UP just for that. Good thing we already have more than enough number of twigs to clean and varnish.)

Next stop was at The Banquet to pay for the sound system we're renting. I've also decided to source my entourage flowers from them. The group is just soooo nice we can't help but be amazed. We're also renting the bridal car from them. At first, we thought it must be part of their selling strategy--being nice and very accommodating. But thinking we're only making use of some--not all--of their services for them to bother selling themselves to us, we then knew they were genuinely nice. Bombet, one of the coordinators, even helped us find a hotel where we'd stay the night before the big day. Because the hotel we were eyeing--Seameo and Sulo--are already fully booked, Bombet recommended that we try Rembrandt and Imperial on Tomas Morato. Since Rembrandt only has one (relatively) affordable room available, we went straight there to check out the room. After the 5-minute tour, it was a go for me, so we had it reserved. Then we were off to Imperial. Their rooms are A-okay, so Francis also had one reserved (though he's still on a lookout for a cheaper one).

And then the most exciting part of the busy day's work: claiming our wedding bands. At past 8pm, we were already at Suarez in Gateway anxiously waiting to fit our rings. Once the attendant carefully placed the beige box before us, Francis and I did not waste any moment trying the lovely bands on. They were a perfect fit I can't help but want to just keep mine on! But of course I can't. I had to remind myself that it's only a matter of weeks before I get to keep that ring on my finger. We have decided (well, it's more like I charmed Francis into deciding) to get a white gold pair in a simple yet elegant design, but a pair that's out of the ordinary ones usually seen in catalogues.

Haaay. Moments like these really make me all the more excited for our big day. And for a bride like me, there's nothing more heartwarming than hearing my groom whisper how overly excited he is, too--with matching (manly) kilig.

a great lesson learned: saying goodbye to 2008

2009-01-01T09:34:00.002+08:00

Last year, my first blog entry was about how Francis proposed to me in Baguio. Seems like a very good way to start off 2008. And now looking back to the year that just waved goodbye, I can say that yes, it was a pretty good year for me--perhaps not that fab--but good enough for me to say there are no regrets.

Of course, there have been ups and downs, but generally, 2008 fared better than other years. For one, the year was busy with wedding preparations--how can that be not exciting, right? Then, there were those many work-related out-of-town trips that really made me realize how I want to travel more and appreciate how beautiful this country is, how fun it is to immerse oneself in a different environment even just for a day or two (that Benguet trip was the best of it all). These trips also allowed me to have my photos published--to my delight.

But perhaps the best experience that 2008 gave me happened during my OB trip to Albay. It has been a great lesson taught to me by God: I need to wait it out some more, and that good enough is never good enough. It was a lesson well-learned that I had this desire to share it to other people, and I thank the Lord for giving me that opportunity when I was asked to testify during our Thanksgiving Sunday at church last November.

I was so close to finally reaching my dream of writing--just writing. I mean, sure, my present job gives me the opportunity to write with byline; it's just that it was never part of my job description per se. It just so happened that I get to write as a side job (being in a magazine publishing industry and all; which reminds me, this year brought in a lot of writing stints on the side!), but writing with byline is never part of the deal with what I'm doing right now in our department (we're sort of an in-house ad agency). So when that dream opportunity came knocking at my door, I grabbed it without really thinking. And just when I was that close to finally getting it, I had to turn my back not because I want to but because I just had to. Some people, like I said in my entry before, may not understand why I did it, why I turned my back to it. But in the bigger scheme of things, I know that if I took it, if I took the easy road and said yes, in the end I would've regretted it. I had to turn my back because there are certain things I can't compromise. It was hard. It was shattering. It was that one point when I questioned God why He should make me wait some more as if the waiting I'd done wasn't enough. Why wasn't this His will? I could've just ignored that small voice and just went in for the big thing, but the voice, albeit tiny, was loud enough for me not to ignore. Apparently, the decision I made didn't come with immediate peace.

But now, looking back, I know I've already made my peace with that decision. God didn't took so long to give me the calm I asked for after He said "no" to me. And until now, when I go through what happened in my head, I am so happy to say that I did make the right decision. There are still times when I ask myself where I would be right now had I decided otherwise--I could perhaps be doing what I've always wanted to do, but I know I won't feel the peace I have now.

Indeed, there are no regrets for 2008. And I look forward to a brand new year as I saunter into a brand new chapter of my life: that of being a Mademoiselle Funa.

busy, busy holiday

2008-12-29T20:30:00.002+08:00

In between last-minute holiday shopping and all the holiday preparations, Francis and I got so busy ironing out a couple more items on our checklist before we get to say "I do" two months from now. Thank the Lord for making my asthma go away fast, we only had to deal with a one-day delay in our schedule of wedding prep activities.

Dec. 20 was our pre-cana seminar in UP Parish, where we had to seriously consider and tackle serious marriage issues to ensure that we really are marrying for the right purpose. A week before that, we had to drop by the Taytay church to have our wedding bann posted (to make sure no one "hinders" our marriage. Haha!). Then just before the long holiday break started, we've already booked our flight to our honeymoon destination--Bohol--as well as our hotel there, Amorita. Isn't the place oh-so-lovely?!?! Then today, we had our invites printed and our purty wedding bands ordered (was supposed to do these yesterday had it not been for my asthma and a slight fever). Before work begins next week, we're hoping to book the bridal car, check the invitation sample print, fix the seat plan, and search for a house we can rent for a few months/years. (But of course, we're still hoping to find a great deal for a house and lot that we can purchase within our first year as hubby and wifey).

Just a couple more items to check: my shoes, the reception program, the band, the choir from our church (I'll let my maid of honor, my sis, take care of this), my pastor's sermon during the reception (I need to remind him about this), wedding vows, wedding cake, place cards, table names, thank you tags for the favors, and a meetup with our caterer to finalize table and reception venue setups. Oh, we also need to meet with our emcees, our good friends Ate Jha and Chad; and also with our reception organizers, siblings Jai and Jael. And of course, there are some more expenses to settle. Whew! But we're so glad we're already done with the major details of the wedding. I am especially looking forward to the first week of January as I'll be fitting my wedding gown already! Weeee!

Best of all, I'm so happy I can cartwheel with joy to know that my groom is as excited (if not more than) as I am. Every day that brings us nearer to THE date only brings us closer, making me realize how blessed I am to be marrying him.

P.S.
We're still contemplating if we're still to have our pre-nup photo shoot, what with all our photos spanning 10 years! And if ever we decide to go for it, we're looking at Baguio. And if we're to go to Baguio for the shoot, it better be this January...Hmmm...

pay it forward to Mang Milton of UP Palma Hall

2008-12-29T19:01:00.003+08:00

May the Lord bless Mang Milton...and to those who didn't pay their loans, please have a heart to at least visit or help out Mang Milton in whatever way you can.

Story HERE.

a happy, happy day!

2008-11-29T21:06:00.005+08:00

Three wonderful things happened today.

Last night, on the way home after watching Twilight with Francis, Cindy and her friend Mel in Robinsons Galleria (was disappointed by the movie, by the way), I realized I didn't have my Starbucks planner with me--which means, I must've left it somewhere, either in Podium or Galleria. But then again, when I tried to recall real hard where I probably have left it, I don't remember ever having it with me when we were in Galleria. That must mean I left it somewhere in Podium, in the 2nd level comfort room, if memory serves me right. So early this morning, I immediately called the Podium administration to report what happened, and they were very kind enough to accommodate my dilemma. A certain Mr. Gomez entertained my call. He got my name and contact number, assuring me he'd endorse the issue to their secretary, Michelle. I called them at 8am; come 10:30, our phone rang and my sister called for me, saying someone from Podium was calling. I was so happy to hear from Michelle that they did find my planner! It was pure joy! That planner contains 11 months of my 2008 life, so I prayed really hard that I'd be able to find it. So before meeting with Francis tomorrow for our "official" anniversary date, I'll drop by Podium to claim my beloved planner.

Then this afternoon, my sister and I went to Divisoria to check on the color of the fabric for my entourage. I was worried that the couturier would really have a hard time finding the perfect fabric in the perfect shade of plum we want. But lo and behold, after an exhausting walk to the couturier's stall, they found a better one! Wooopee! Happy bride I am!

And since we were in Divisoria, we made most of the time by scouring the place for the perfect wedding favor, which is the only thing unchecked in our list. Francis and I were hoping to find something musically themed. After minutes of walking and pushing around amid the crowd, sis and I were disappointed to see that the many wedding giveaways there are the ordinary ones that didn't really suit our taste. We decided to just head home, as my sis still has to attend choir practice by 7pm. She decided we take a short cut, hoping to find an easier (and less crowded) way back to where we can hail a PUV to the LRT station. Unfortunately, it was a bad decision; we found ourselves squished among a stream of busy shoppers, and I had to scold my sister for insiting we take that "short cut". Good thing there's this sidestreet with less people (but a tad crowded with mechandise). And just before turning another street, we passed by this quaint store, Grandway Commercial, housing lots of figurines and other house decor. I dragged my sister in to see if we can find something nice. We were barely in the store for five mintues when I found these cute steel figurines holding various musical instruments! It's like I was meant to find them! Such serendipity! Not wasting any time, I took a picture of one figurine, sent it to Francis, and hurriedly called him to ask his opinion. I wasn't disappointed--he loves them! Therefore, I haggled for a more reasonable price and told the sales clerk I'd be back as soon as I can to finalize my order. It's been a blessing finding that store! They also have lots of wonderful, quirky pieces that'll spice up any home--cute salt and pepper shakers, a beehive container (yes, a beehive!), antique-looking oriental chests, and other wonderful stuff.

Thank the Lord for a blessed day!

this is our first decade together

2008-11-26T01:50:00.002+08:00

Dear Francis,

Forgive me for writing at this hour; this is my little way of consoling myself for losing to you every time I try to beat you to greeting us a “Happy Anniversary”. This is also me anticipating losing to you (yet again) tomorrow. I’ll try so hard not to, because I won’t get to greet you a “Happy 10th Anniversary!” in person until another 10 years has gone by. Anyway, I just want you to know that…

When we’re old and grey, I still need you to intertwine your calloused fingers with mine.
When we’re old and grey, I still need you to plant soft kisses on my wrinkled forehead.
When we’re old and grey, I still need you to strum your guitar and accompany my hoarse melodies.
When we’re old and grey, I still need you to tell me those outdated jokes—and I will still laugh like they’re the best jokes ever.
When we’re old and grey, I still need you to call me silly names that make me want to slap your flabby arms.
When we’re old and grey, I still need you to make up stories that I would believe as if they’re history.
When we’re old and grey, I still need you to wrap your arms around my frail shoulders.
When we’re old and grey, I still need you to listen to my endless chattering.
When we’re old and grey, I still need you to remain calm while I throw a fuss like any old woman would.
When we’re old and grey,
I still need you.

Happy 10th Anniversary to us, Pangga. I can’t wait for another decade spent with you— blessed by the Lord. Another decade and another and another and another…

i shall flash

2008-11-23T00:27:00.004+08:00

Flash me!

I thought Francis won't be giving me the flash I've been pining for for our 10th anniversary, primarily due to budget constraints (we're still in for a lot of wedding spending!). And I never would've minded it, really. But the Master of Surprises pulled another hat trick and voila! a Canon Speedlite 430EX II became mine for the taking. Never mind if I failed to comply with our be-at-work-by-9am-at-the-latest-for-two-months deal. The sacrifice, though, is our celebration on the 30th (the 26th day of this month is our official date)--we may not have that grand date we were planning, but who cares! I'll just take tons of pictures of us two. Hahaha! Nah, I'm sure we can cook up an extra-special date that doesn't require breaking the bank.

Pangga, THANK YOU!

But there's only one thing that displeases me: now that iPod indeed pales in comparison with the flash. Hmf!

P.S.
Cos, thanks again for helping Francis. Hahaha!

license to wed

2008-11-18T15:40:00.003+08:00

Fresh from the QC Hall, Civil Registry, Window 10

Wooohoooo!!!

You know those moments when you're just utterly at lost for words? That was how I felt when I finally held those precious papers that legitimize our intention to marry. I may have looked like a weird, little girl with a silly smile plastered on my face when I stepped out of the Civil Registry building, making my way to the DOH building to briefly meet my dad.

Of course, I was again running late. Took a half-day off from work to run to QC Hall for our marriage license. I was afraid I'd never make it on time and would have to wait until after lunch for office hours to resume. But I was right on time--40 minutes before lunch. I only had to wait for about 10 minutes before "Funa" was called. I promptly stood up, refraining myself from dashing to Window 10. Wow. I stood up at the call of "Funa". Wow. Wee!

So there I was, beaming as I held the license. The moment was surreal but magnificent.

Well, I bet every moment of February 28, 2009 will be surreal. In fact, I think every day thereafter will be...

wedding mania

2008-10-23T23:22:00.004+08:00

It all started one or two weeks back.

Seems like my waking moments these days (hello, even in my dreaming state!) are very much pre-occupied with the thought of getting married--starting from the big day itself to the days and months and years and decades after that.

I admit that having my weekends devoted to wedding preparations is tiring, but I find joy in it. We decided not to hire a wedding coordinator because Francis and I know we can handle everything (aside from the fact that hiring one costs A LOT! But we're getting one for the day itself.) In fact, I enjoy having to mind the nitty gritty. Maybe I have to thank being in an industry that calls for close attention to details.

At this point, we already have a printer to make our invites; and we've already found a couturier to make the gown, barongs and dresses. It's just a matter of finalizing the entourage so we can set a date for the measurement and get the sewing machines rolling. I'm a bit anxious about this as we only have less than three weeks in order to keep to our schedule. Measuring (is that the correct term?) has to be made by the second week of November at the latest, so we can have the fitting by the end of December or first week of January. I'm so excited!!!

Then, when before I used to ignore billboards of condos and houses, now I pay more attention to them. Just the thought of moving into a new nesting place come first quarter of next year makes me all giddy. But before that, there's our honeymoon. We're looking at two options: Hong Kong or Bohol. Given enough moolah, we'd choose the former. But then again, I think that even if we do, maybe I'd (my sole opinion here) go for Bohol because 1) I fell in love with it--it's fantastic! My first (overnight) trip there made me crave for a longer stay; and 2) I'd rather that we save the extra money for a good place. Where we sleep after the honeymoon is far more important, right? I'm sure Francis shares the same sentiment. But definitely, we'd be saving up for an out-of-the-country future trip in case our Hong Kong dream gets junked. It's just that if we're to go on a honeymoon a day after we say "I do", we need to start booking our flight and accommodation by as early as next month. That means we need to make up our minds before October ends! Whew!

So anyway, that's it for now. I just reall, REALLY can't wait to get married. It's the start of a new, fantastic life with Pangga! Woohoo!

P.S.
There's another wedding expo this weekend at the Megatrade Hall, where we'll scout for the perfect wedding band! We actually saw a very classy pair at Suarez in Gateway, and I immediately fell in love with them. We just need to make sure if there are better ones out there.

i found a new addiction

2008-10-15T23:07:00.006+08:00

I guess I'm someone who's always believed that writing notes on paper trumps the techie way of pressing keys--on a laptop, a desktop computer or a Palm Pilot. I've always found novelty in using good ol' pen and paper. I prefer keeping track of my schedule with my moleskin Starbucks planner (looking forward to a new one this holiday!). I enjoy taking notes of sudden bursts of creativity on a notebook. So it's no surprise that when I stumbled upon these wonderfully pretty notebooks by Paper Blanks, I was smitten.

Fast forward to a few weeks, those lovely notebooks are still on my mind; and yesterday, I have made up my mind to run to the (relatively) new Fully Booked right beside Shangri-la Hotel after work and fulfill my notebook fantasies. And as if destined to happen, our payslip reflected no tax deduction (hence, more money to spare/spend), so there was more motivation to pursue my mission. Cindy, who also went gaga over Paper Blanks, was easily coaxed into buying with me.

Fast forward to a few hours, Jenny, Cindy and I found ourselves entering the kingdom of Fully Booked, with only 15 minutes left before the store closes. Cindy and I were really running around like two headless chickens, not sure which design to buy. Good thing for her, Cindy found the design she first fell in love with. I, on the other hand, had to settle for a notebook bearing the same design that I like but of a different color. Yet fate was kind to me that night: just when I was about to pay for my purchase, my eyes hovered on this revolving acrylic shelf carrying these other notebooks, and there I found my love--a slim, Smythe sewn pad with Lyon Floral design and a magnetic strap enclosure. I jumped with glee! The lovely thing shall serve as my official wedding notebook!

And as if one notebook wasn't enough, Cindy and I couldn't resist the others on display as well. They were of another brand, and a couple of hundreds cheaper than Paper Blanks (I got one by Teneues in a Breakfast at Tiffany's artwork!). So there: Cindy and I ended up panic-buying, while Jen reserved some notepads/sketchpads for her revived sketching passion.

Without further ado, I present my precious buys:

Smythe sewn Paper Blank Journal in Lyon Floral design (slim), P777,
(3 1/2 x 7, 176 pp., with a memento pouch and ribbon page marker, acid-free!)

Teneues Line Journal, small (10 x 15cm),
with garter enclosure and a memento pouch

This one is for a future purchase. I just hope by then, this is already locally available.

Smythe sewn Paper Blank Journal in Good Dog (Darn Itch!) design (5 x 7, 176 pp., with a memento pouch, magnetic strap enclosure and ribbon page marker)

sometimes i wish i were a tactless beyotch

2008-10-11T00:16:00.005+08:00

There are some things I can live with--snide comments I can let pass and just ignore for my own peace of mind. Or some misconceptions about me by some people who easily judge my being loud as a sign of, say, having loose morals, as absurd as such judgment may sound. I mean, what would I get from convincing you otherwise, right? It's not like I'm in showbiz trying to act prude and all that just for publicity. Duh.

Then again, there are other misconceptions about me that get to me. Case in point: I am a talkative person; I never run out of stories or things to say, and some of my friends find that nice because at least I don't bore them to death. Some people, however, misconstrue my being loquacious for my being untrustworthy--as if I would announce to the whole world the dear secrets they'd tell me. Some would even go to lengths as to subtly accuse me of spilling their beans when in fact, and to begin with, the information does not even pass the criteria of being a secret; there was not even an agreement to keep mum about the information anyway. (Analogy: would you actually consider having a new watch a secret when people would eventually notice you're wearing it? COME ON!) Well, hello--I may possibly know more secrets about them than they maybe aware of; and if I were the blabbermouth they think I am, they'd probably be more than embarrassed/ashamed by now.

Which brings me to the point: At times when I feel insulted because some people nonchalantly pass such judgment on me to my face, I just keep my mouth shut. I push away that need to retort back, thinking that if I did, I might go overboard and end up stepping on someone's foot. I have this annoying tendency to just let it all go and pretend that for the next few minutes of the conversation, I was not offended. We're still all good friends; on to happy chit-chat. I tend to try to ignore it, and to my dismay, I usually succeed. I may have succeeded at ignoring and letting it all pass for so many times now that this is the only time I've actually opened up about the issue.

So yes, sometimes I really wish I were a tactless b*tch who doesn't care if I hurt other people's feelings, for as long as I've defended myself from their harsh judgments.

Maybe today I should start becoming one. It's pretty tiring to be Ms. Nice all the time.

coffee dew (acoustic) at 9 Mile

2008-10-06T23:43:00.001+08:00

At the Songwriters' Night last Sept. 30, 08

Coffee Dew (acoustic)
Lyrics: Sunshine Selga
Music/Arrangement: Francis Funa

after we fall (acoustic) at 9 Mile

2008-10-06T23:41:00.001+08:00

At the Songwriters' Night last Sept. 30, 08

After We Fall (acoustic)
Lyrics/Music/Arrangement: Francis Funa

when art imitates life

2008-09-15T15:34:00.004+08:00

Another article out in Cosmo Sept. ish! This time, it's all about wise spending. So I guess this is life's way of telling me that I should seriously learn to save and budget for my future family life. Hahaha!

--

Q: What's your romantic bonding ritual?

A: (Please click to enlarge) Teehee!

(On a mushy note:) A few weeks back, Sam (Cosmo's Managing Ed) told me she read this snippet of mine in Cosmo Feb ish. I totally forgot about this one. But I remember Leslie (former Cosmo Managing Ed) asking me a question about me and my fiancé's romantic ritual. Am so glad my answer came out! Yey!

japanese boy guitar prodigy yeah!

2008-09-14T23:38:00.002+08:00

Oh my, this kid is amazing!!!

my name is Shain Chain

2008-09-14T23:21:00.007+08:00

Hello there, Shain Chain!

Yesterday at Starbucks in Tagaytay, I got a a brand new name for meself: Shain Chain, also spelled as Shean Chai.

With our orders in hand, Francis amusedly told me that the barista had a very difficult time pronouncing my name. I thought, "How can that be? What's so hard about pronouncing 'sunshine'?" Then I foudn out as soon as our cups landed on the table: On mine was written "Shain Chain". And as if one new name isn't enough, on Francis' Java Chip cup read "Shean Chai". I can only imagine how puzzling it was for the poor barista to pronounce those two names! Hahahah! Now where's Dao Ming Si?

Anyway, I was so excited about last Saturday because for the first time ever, I went on an out-of-town trip ALONE, commuting. Ever since Francis was assigned to Cavite (since his first assignment there last year), he had been nagging me about not visiting him there. Bad me. So this time around, I resolved to give him a visit, never mind the 4 grueling hours of trip it entails, and the possibility that I'd get lost. But good thing I did not. I may not be that good in directions, but I'm thankful I have a good memory when it comes to landmarks.

Having left home at around 8:30, I finally got to Cavite whole at around 12:30. And because Trece is such a "happening" town, we ended up having lunch at Jollibee. Now don't get me wrong: comparing the old Trece (last year) with what/how it looks now, there really are good improvements. When last year there were just 7-11,Chowking and Jollibee for dining options, now there's Red Ribbon. The once bare road is now busy with tiangges. I'm sure the place will be on it's way to more developments soon.

After lunch, we headed to Tagaytay, which is another first: it was our first time to go there commuting. Good thing there are airconditioned buses faring the road to Tagaytay.

The funny/annoying/freaky part was, upon alighting from the bus, there were these tricycle drivers offering us their services (they'll tour you around the place for a price, of course) left and right. However, there was this annoyingly insistent driver who first blocked our way that we had to skirt close beside his trike in order to pass the road. He kept on following us and stopping to block our way. After 3 more irritating tries, I could already feel the anger rising to the surface. I had but to blurt out "Kuya hindi nga e! Ang kulit mo!" (We said no! Stop being persistent!). We thought that ought to make him stop. WRONG! He still kept on hounding us. By this time, I was already freaked out. So in order to lose him, we stopped by 7-11 to buy a bottle of mineral water, hoping that by the time we step out of the store, annoying driver has already gone to bug other people. WRONG AGAIN! He was still there, bent on persuading us. Unfortunately for him, a jeep came along and we hurriedly got in. That dude really scared me!

Anyway, we just chose to hang out in Starbucks for a couple of hours. had we not eaten lunch, we would've given in to our craving for The Boutique. I was already imagining their generous serving of this seafood dish swimming in heavenly delicious white soup (I forgot the name). Even while waiting for a bus to Manila, Francis can't help but pine for The Boutique. Wah!

Next time we hit Tagaytay, we'll definitely visit The Boutique again. And we'll make sure to bring a car so we can make a longer stay. (Francis, on the other hand, upon discovering how easy it is to commute from Trece Martires to Tagaytay, announced gleefully that he'll come back whenever he feels bored. He can only have so much of Jollibee/Chowking/Red Ribbon.)

(More cam-whoring here.)

speculating on changes that are spankin' good

2008-09-11T15:34:00.005+08:00

I've hardly been receptive to changes, especially the sudden ones. Like when Francis would suddenly decide to just meet some place else when I'm already headed to the original meeting place, or when there's an impromptu client meeting that wasn't listed down in my planner. Such ruin my day, albeit varying in degree.

Getting married is definitely one of these changes--a big one--yet I do not find myself disliking it a bit. In fact, I feel a sense of peace and solitude when I think of the many other big changes that would come crashing down on my lap after we walk down the aisle. I find it amazing to actually be looking forward to something like this--something that would force my life to make a 180-degree turn. The mere possibility of changing careers even makes me grin, because definitely, I would soon be considering whether I should still keep my present job or wave hello to other (hopefully greener) pasture(s) (If you ask Francis, he'd gladly tell you his take on this issue--the latter). It's weird, this feeling. I have never been this happy nor excited about such a big shift that would affect my whole life. It's like after getting married, I have all the excuses in the world to change, too--some things I may not even have control of (like how big my belly would get because of a baby bump; I would finally be getting fat!).

Of course, it's not all wonderful butterflies in my tummy. I'm also scared. I wouldn't know how I can handle all those 180-degree turns, or what would come next, or if making decisions and coming up with the answer would be as easy as choosing between wearing flat shoes or stacked heels. But the Lord will be my fortress. OUR fortress. And I shall be with THE man He gave exclusively and generously to me.

I never thought that having to face many looming major changes in my life would be this deliciously exciting!

slasher alert!

2008-09-10T00:01:00.009+08:00

Poor bag of mine...

On my way home from a whole day shoot at Daddy Ocs', my bag got slashed in a PUJ. I was with Cindy, and we were pre-occupied with yakking that I hardly noticed my 1-week old bag getting slashed. I was just annoyed by this burly man crowding me that I passed it up as something normal in a public vehicle jampacked with tired people all wanting to go home and get out of the rain. So yadda, yadda, yadda, and then good thing I glanced at my bag, only to see this burly man's hand reaching for something on my lap. Then I saw it: about 3 inches of a gaping slash marring the bottom of my grey, patent leatherette bag (seconds later, I saw there's another longer one opposite it)! That's when I panicked and went rummaging through my things to see if that jerk got hold of my valuables. During this time, I was already half-shouting that my bag got slashed, and seeing that my phones, wallet etc. weren't stolen, I went on to tell Cindy (and the rest of the passengers) that the man beside me is the culprit. By this time, too, the man was in a hurry to alight from the jeep. He flagged the PUJ at Ligaya, and I was somewhat battling with myself whether or not to grab him by the arm and make everyone know he was attempting to steal from me, or just kick him on the butt while he made his way out of the jeep. I really can't remember now what I was planning to do that moment--only that I wanted to be violent towards that jerk who took advantage of me. Thinking about it now makes my teeth grit in anger!

Still, I had to be grateful that none of my valuables were stolen. Cindy was making me calm down, saying that it's okay and that the worst thing that could have happened (aside from my things getting stolen) was me making a scene and the man hurting me with whatever sharp object he used to slash my bag. Yes, good thing nothing bloody like that happened. I just couldn't imagine what I would've done if he was able to steal anything from me. Maybe I would've done something stupid to make him give it back before he could even alight from the jeep (there was ample time to make me do it), and it could've turned ugly. (Sometimes, I tend to react without really thinking.) So yeah, after calming down, I was thankful to God that nothing worse happened.

And to forget the incident, I resolved to mend my bag. I couldn't wait for tomorrow to bring it to Mr. Quickie to have it repaired. Anyway, I think I made a decent repair.

Hay. All is well that ends well. Thank You, Lord!

P.S.
Thanks to Cindy for calming me sane. Haha!
And to all commuters, be extra cautious when riding a PUV along Katipunan. My sis also got her bag slashed when she rode a jeep in the same area. Beware also of a burly man who'd suspiciously crowd you--or any person for that matter!

"just don't think our anniversary is the 10th of may. it's the 9th...of march"

2008-09-05T00:37:00.004+08:00

Because I need to get my mind off things...

Thanks again, Pat, for sharing about Def Poetry.

"...where ideas kiss similes so deeply that metaphors get jealous"

2008-09-03T23:07:00.003+08:00

Poems and poets like this make me green with envy.

P.S.
Thanks to Pat E. for sharing. Miss you, my dear!