W@W Christmas Party and then some...

The WaW Christmas Party held at Villa Immaculada (at the back of Manila Cathedral) last Friday was a huge success. Dionne and Joven, Dulce (supplier - emcee, who's also getting married next year), Jon and I arrived early at the venue, claimed our loot bags and strategically seated ourselves near the stage.

The venue was just lovely. The table centerpieces were of calla lillies and small roses (which i got to take home later that night) on vases of different sizes and small candles. The seats were creatively adorned with leaves (of what tree, i don't know).

The party started two hours later with a group game. The 4 groups were to make a wedding gown based from the designs made by Veluz (who, incidentally won the supplier of the year award later that night), using only the materials provided to them (tissue papers, cash register tape, scotch tape, scissors, thumbtacks). Who could ever imagine that Jon and the other 4 grooms-to-be would win over the OC brides 2-be, the men suppliers, mostly photographers, who've seen hundred of wedding gowns before, and worse, the women suppliers who were mostly designers themselves! haha!

Dinner was sponsored by Tamayo's (who also provided the venue, and table centerpieces), VS&F and Josiah's Catering. Entertainment was provided by a choir group, string ensemble, band, Paolo Clemente (of the Tux), and even Mr. Steve Tamayo himself (plus 3 of his waiters - more of this on Joven and Dionne's blog). Cake from Mr. Alex Franco (yup, our cake maker). There was even a chocolate fountain which we were eyeing even before it was set up. Heheh! ;) Really really goooood fooood.... yummmmm.

Another game which I joined this time was the Cinderella-like game. I'm sure from it's name, u'll know how the game goes. Prize was sponsored by Solea - 4 pairs of shoes. I was among the first four girls who lined up to try one pair of shoe on. When the host opened the box, i thought it looked perfect for me. It looked small and u see, I'm a size 5 1/2 - 6. But when i tried it on, unfortunately, it was about half an inch smaller for my feet!!! Like the evil stepsister, I tried my best to force my feet to fit the shoe but to no avail.... grrr!!! sayang!!!! :p

Jon, on the other hand, won another game (this time, joining forces with some grooms-to-be and photographers) and his name was even called during the raffle. kaswerte! Di bale, swerteng misis ren ako... hehe.

We saw our photographer Chito Cleofas in the party and although he wasn't among the top 10 this year unlike the previous years, he was still the number 1 supplier for us. hihihi! During the party, he caught me off guard (staring into space) and captured a shot from his camera.... haha!Anyway, we talked briefly during the party and he mentioned that he was an official photographer for the SEA games. Galing... 'di lang pang-wedding, pang-sports pa!!! :D

Before the party was over, John and Benz Rana announced that they (in collaboration with Jason Magbanua and Dino Lara) prepared an on-the-spot presentation of the party and showed it before the hundreds of guests... and what do u know, i appeared on 2 slides!!! Hihihi! You can view it here.

Apart from the food and the entertainment, I'm just so happy with our loot!!!! We got...

Starbucks mug (exchange gift)
cloth from North Road (another dress, yay!)
picture frame from Dino Lara Photography
earrings from Angel's Wink Production
w@w pocket calendar
magnetic address book
wedding ring case from Chu-u-yen Events
gift certificates from Meza Bar & Resto
w@w button pin
beeswax pastilles from Liwanag Candles
altar bound, 2006 w@w desktop gallery
ref magnet from C & C Creative Concepts
picture magnets from Konsepto
brownies from Alex Franco
apple walnut cake from Gervy's Amazing Cakes

christmas tree chocolate from Chocolate Confectioners
white chocolate from OA Sweets
something sweet (chocnut-like) from C& C
tie-dyed sleeveless shirt

jar of hot choco (the one they serve at Mcdo) from Da Capo

butter sponge cake

Thanks to John, Benz and to all the suppliers for making this event possible! =)

pics can be viewed here.

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Saturday after lunch, we went to Greenhills with Aion and Yna in hopes of getting some items for our Christmas gifts. Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of good finds. Most stuff were from Divi anyway, and i'm sure, it's much cheaper there... so we'd rather go there on a different day. Another 168 adventure? Wheeee!!! :D

We had dinner at Burgoo at the Promenade and had lots of fun doodling at the table. Hihihi. There wasn't a clear space left when we were through. Haha! Although still full, we just had to taste the cream puffs of Beard Papa (which Aion claimed was the best cream puff he's ever tasted - and i have to agree on that). Choco marble cream puff equals yummmeeeh!!

Sunday, Jon and I were so happy to have a huge sale at the EPZA trade fair where we stayed for six straight hours. Tiring, yes, but worth it. =)

Monday (holiday) was spent at my old place for the double celebration of my sister and my nanay's birthday. An uncle from abroad went home that afternoon and it was also a sort of reunion at home.

Jampacked weekend, eh?

Tweeh Things and a Wedding

i've been tagged by Jera.

three things i HAVE to do:
1. get at least one item crossed out on our Christmas list... :D
2. research and make an itinerary ;)
3. diet!

three things i WANT to do:
1. shop
2. travel
3. shop some more

three things i read in the newspaper lately that put a smile on my face:
1. "arrovo" :p
2. uhmmm...
3. 'la na.

three things i'm crazy about right now:
1. spa
2. iPod video
3. Jonskie. =)

three things i wanted to but wasn't able to blog about:
1. my wedding and honeymoon stories
2. ..
3. ..

three things i'm really looking forward to:
1. transfer of my boss to another department... hehe.
2. Holidays --- gifts, parties, reunions and get-togethers, vacation!
3. our first wedding anniversary!!!


...owkaaaay, that being done, I just have to blog about yesterday's wedding. I mentioned in the previous post that this is the first wedding i'm attending since forever. And yes, that's quite an exaggeration, of course. :D But really, i was so excited that i even bought a new dress, (found a nice shawl that will complement the dress 2 days before - not only that, i needed it for cover-up...hehehe), scheduled a leave and made an appointment at the parlor the night before... *kikay laugh*

*vanity* :P

Jon and I made it to Fernwood Garden 1 at exactly 5:00p.m. Proceeding to the chapel, the first thing we saw was the bridal car. At first, i thought that the wedding had started already but as we neared the Benz, Jon saw the bride still inside. Whew! I was also a little surprised when she opened her car window and greeted us. I probably should explain at this point that she is Jon's high school classmate and we, well, we've never met before... although i've seen her profile in Friendster. Even before, I knew she was pretty (she looks like Rachel Leigh Cook), but when i saw her yesterday, she was such a vision!!! Hay. =) Anyway, she said that she browsed our wedding pics and mentioned that she made gaya some things from our wedding. I was so flattered, of course.

Anyway, the wedding took place at the chapel of St. Francis. And as expected, I had my crying moments... especially when it was time for the bride to walk down the aisle and when the couple read their own vows (i could vividly remember my own "walk", and the vows we made for each other)... hay ulit.

Reception followed and we marveled at the beautifully decorated and romantic garden setting. The program was short but sweet, nevertheless. It was a nice wedding and I'm truly glad we came. =) Looking forward to the next wedding... (Ey's wedding on dec 29 at Tagaytay City -which i'm currently co-planning). 'Cited ulit!

More wedding pics here.

And now, i'm off to the first Christmas party for the year... the WaW Christmas Party ! =) Happy long weekend, all! =)

FSS

you know the drill... here's a rundown of my friday, saturday and sunday...

Friday afternoon, took the half day off to do some errands, and proceeded to Glorietta to look for a formal dress for a wedding Jon and I will be attending this Thursday (soo excited, it's the first wedding i'll be attending since forever ;) ). Midnight madness sale was ongoing and it took a lot out of me NOT to stray and make some unnecessary purchases... *wink* Jon and I scoured the mall and after four hours, found the perfect dress at Sari2. I just wish i was a couple of pounds lighter, though. Oh, well...

We walked to Greenbelt and made reservations for another office party at Red Box scheduled on December 2 (Pasay City day - a holiday for us). Too bad the billiard room is already taken. Anyhoo, we decided to have some snacks, at well, the snack bar outside the GB cinemas (i forgot the name, but we ate small burgers and a corndog. After which, we went strolling and found a new ice cream bar, the COLD ROCK. I remembered weeks before, while chatting and discussing business with Jeff, a friend from San Jose, California, it was mentioned and naturally, I got curious. So, we went in to give it a try.

First, u pick the size of ur cup... Then, choose ur ice cream flavor (maximum of 2), Next, choose from the variety of candies, candy bars, chocolates, nuts, fruits which u wish to mix-in your ice cream. Then, watch as they smash and combine everything in a cold rock. And, voila!

Aussie choco chip ice cream with strawberries and gummy bears

We were strollin around Glorietta again when Jon received a call from my in-laws and found out that they were in the area too and so, we met. After a little shopping, we had coffee at Bo's and had a nice time chatting with them until we parted ways (they were home-bound and we had dinner at Dencio's).

We had Harry Potter reservations that night and we were just in time for the previews when we went in the cinema. Aion and Yna followed minutes later just as the movie was about to start. Great timing! Hee!

Okay, so i was disappointed. :( The boys loved it though but for one fan (I even reread GoF days before), i truly had mixed emotions coming out of the moviehouse.. Maybe i just expected too much from it since out of the 6 books, this was my favorite installment. I mean, why change a lot of things and miss out on some important parts? Barty Crouch in Harry's dream (wtf?), Dumbledore portrayed as a violent man (tsk tsk), Neville giving Harry the gillyweed and not Dobby (i miss Dobby), Sirius Black in coals (that's just not the way it should be!)... and where were Mrs. Weasley, Ludo Bagman, and yes, Winky (and S.P.E.W)??? I could go on and on... but then again, I think these HP movies are just NEVER going to be as good as what goes on in my imagination while reading the books.

But i have to admit that i still enjoyed watching it. I even cried when Harry brought back Cedric's body... i didn't cry in the book but i was shaking during that part. Oh and Ralph Fiennes! He is just the right man for Voldemort. Red eyes or not, he's just perfect.

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Saturday morning, Jon and I drove off to Del Monte Avenue, QC for a badminton session with officemates. We were an hour late (Saturday morning traffic? aaaarggghh!) but managed to work out a sweat for an hour and a half more. Ace Water Spa was just a stone throw away so we went in to take a look and make some inquiries right after. Really niiice.... I've heard a great deal bout this place and now that i've actually seen it, i would really want to try it some time. *hint hint* We had a hearty lunch at Savory before heading home.

Catched up on my Zzzs and when i woke up, it was time for my appointment at Bioessence. Jon dropped me off and went to Southmall to buy some computer stuff and picked me up afterwards. The rest of the night was spent in front of the TV, PC, and PS2.

~*~*~

Sunday, we excitedly went to Chito Cleofas' office to pick up our wedding album. Even though i've seen the layout already, seeing the final product was enough to bring tears to my eyes once more. *sigh* Uh oh, with barely 3 weeks left before our first anniversary, i guess supplier ratings are in order... *note to self*

view the entire album here. =)

After we settled our balance and got the beautiful (and heavy) album with carrying bag and the 2 parent albums, we had a very nice surprise coz Chito promised to cover a half-day photoshoot for free when we aready have a baby. Isn't that sweet? =) Thanks, Chito, we're definitely going to count on that. =)

We had lunch at my old place (we gave one of the parent album already) before going to EPZA for the trade fair. Jon and I manned the booth for five hours and had a modest sale. On our way home, we dropped by the marketplace to buy fruits for our mommas.

That's how my weekend went by.

various moods and modes

It has been a fun week at work, no doubt about it. One of our boss is out-of-the-country again for three whole weeks and everybody is just in a jovial mood. =D Petiks days are here again... hahah!

Friday, in particular, put us into uncontrollable party mode because the other boss is out for the day and we were gonna celebrate the birthday of one of our officemate, Irish, that night. The fact that the office didn't have water supply for the day and add to that, we just couldn't wait to go out already, we decided to have lunch at KFC at Blue Wave with Jon joining us.

We were counting the hours and minutes before the designated time.., and finally, it was 5pm! We all trooped to the van and proceeded to Greenbelt where we met with Irish's hubby, Dionne's hubby-2-b, and Ara at Big Buddha where we had buffet dinner. We were so full afterwards but that would never in a million years, have stopped us from having a grand time at the main event of the night... VIDEOKE at RED BOX, baaaaby! =D

All of 10 of us sang, danced, and partied the night away... My throat hurt from all the singing, screaming and laughing that night. It was soooo much fun!!! There will definitely be a part 2! Pictures can be viewed here, here and here. =)

~*~*~

Saturday, Jon and I woke up early that morning and started with the Christmas decorations already. The tree was a delight to do, but putting the Christmas lights outdoors was a more challenging task... fortunately my husband and I got the job done and were through a couple of hours til sundown. Definitely tiring but seeing the house in a Christmassy feel made up for everything. It put us to good spirits and almost made me burst into Christmas carols suddenly... well, almost. =)

Pampering mode. Having rested and showered, Jon and I went straight to Bioessence. We went there to avail ourselves of the discounts they were offering that weekend. I was there just last Wednesday (celebrating our 11th monthsary all alone... hehe) and my therapist told me about these offers. I availed of the body scrub package (lasting for 2 months, i think) and got 30% off it. Great deal! While I had my first session, Jon had a whole body massage and foot spa. (We both) felt really good after a tiring day. *contented sigh*

~*~*~

The following morning, we were off to EPZA (Cavite) for the start of our biz. Helping us set-up our tent were my Tito Arthur, my bro Peng, K8's bf Erick, and of course, Jonskie. =)

It took us almost five hours to set-up and decorate our tent (IMHO, it was the prettiest and most kikay-looking booth there :D ), and for a couple of minutes (we were beat so we decided to close early), had our initial sales of almost a thousand. Not bad, eh?! Can't wait til it's my turn to man the booth this Sunday. Wish me luck! =)

Two Long Weekends...

The long vacation was spent NOT at the beach or some other out-of-town destination, rather, it was whiled away on a lot of errands, a couple of dinner dates with my husband, some gimmicks and family bondings, and tending to my sick dog. Not that i am complaining though... It was still a nice vacay... and i can't imagine having a grand time some place else while my "bitch" is at home, without anyone caring for her. Some other time, perhaps...

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After we've been to Market! Market! that Sunday afternoon (30Oct), dinner was at Dayrit's (Magallanes) with my hubby, Yna and Aion. Finally! I got to satisfy my cravings and curiosity about this resto. I was able to taste the famous roast beef and the one-of-a-kind "ghettis". There were many items in the menu which i wanted to try but settled for these...

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The morning of All Saints' Day, my family visited my daddy at the Ossuary Garden at the Nature's Church where we placed flowers, lit some candles and prayed. Hay. I miss my daddy...

~*~*~

I got another biz! This time, partnering with my sisters for a bazaar space at EPZA which will start on 11Nov and end on 23Dec... We've been to Divi twice this vacation already and we've started sorting and pricing our items with Jon and the whole family helping us in time for the opening. Our merchandise comprise mostly of toys, books (learning is fun), and small gift items. Although I'll be able to go there on weekends only since i have work, it makes me feel excited nonetheless! Wish us luck... =)

~*~*~

Got really stressed over the past week because SONIC, my 81/2 year old mongrel (askal ;) ) is sick. :( She's been having difficulty urinating and when she does, there's a lot of blood coming out of her. She wasn't eating and was very weak and i thought for sure that that was it... but i wasn't gonna give up on her that easy (although i must admit that euthanasia crossed my mind...shame on me! ). Four visits to the vet (Pampers played a very important role on these trips *wink*), 7 kinds of medicines that we're making her take, and a lot of TLC seemed to pay off coz she seems okay now, she's been eating and going round the house already. But of course, her sickness (she has cystitis, kidney problem - i'll spare u the details, though) still require continued medication and I hope and pray that she gets well very soon.

~*~*~