Bummer weekend and another Wedding

I was sooo drained and sooo damn tired last week at work that i was just really anticipating the weekend... But i guess all that stress caught up with me coz i had "sumpong" during those days... and i think that may have ruined it altogether... :( Jon and I had another silly serious silly fight that lasted the entire weekend before we kissed and made out up. ;)

oh well... the *toot* more than made up for it naman... bwarharharhar!!

a little side story...

I was surfing the net Sunday morning when i saw this on top of our PC...

i was still so pissed so i separated "us"

later on... i found this... (i just had to laugh out loud..hahah!)

so anyway, this is "us" moments later... nyahahaha!

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Anyway, i've got some BIG news! I wasn't able to blog about it last week coz of work but now that i've got the chance...

my mom's getting married again!

now, isn't that exciting??? :D

Talked to my mommy via YM the other day (she left for Australia last Jan 15 after Ray stayed here during the holidays - she'll be back before Valentine's Day), hoping to get more juicy details but she refused to give any. She said to wait until Ray comes back on summer and we'll talk then... hmmmmm, mamamanhikan??? ;)

oooh... and get this. i'll get to coordinate two more weddings in the family ( my younger sister Kate is the other one ) at a discounted rate, of course... nyahahaha! ;)

Weekend Pics... plus Singapore Anniversary pics.

Friday night, we celebrated Dulce's birthday at our favorite hangout, Red Box at Greenbelt 3. Just like the previous times, it was a blast. 'nuff said. =)

pics here and here.

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Saturday was Jason Mraz' concert. Aion, Yna, Jon and I had light dinner at The Fort Strip before going inside the NBC Tent. We had good seats so taking pictures of the geek in the pink was a breeze. The acoustic concert was truly an enjoyable show and after more than 2 hours or so, i had a new crush... the adorable Mr. A-Z himself. Hihihi!

After the concert, we dropped by the newest carnival in town, Eurostar. But since it was almost midnight when we got there, we decided not to go in anymore... sayang lang yung entrance fee. Some other time, maybe. We saw some of the extreme and heart-stopping rides and although i am 100% sure i won't be getting in any of those crazy rides, i'm sure going there with friends again would still be a whole lotta fun...dun na lang ako sa mga pambatang rides... nyahahaha!

We were all famished coz of the light dinner we all had so we headed to Carlos' Pizza, a new pizza place at BF which we had been planning to try since it opened. Funny, no one even ordered pizza... heheh. I loved the ribs though. Definitely comin' back.

Pics here.

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I just remembered that i still haven't blogged about our Singapore Anniversary trip. In the meantime, here are our SOME of our photos and i'll let the pictures speak for themselves. :) When i have the time, i'll write the detailed kwento... sana sipagin ako... :(

some of the Singapore pics here.

Weddings and me

There's always something about weddings that fascinates me... whether it be the bridesmaids' dresses, or the little boys and girls who are all dressed up for the occasion, or all those beautiful flowers and bouquets, or the bride's stunning entrance... i could go on and on...but i guess, ultimately, it's the magic of the entire occasion which celebrates LOVE above all else... (I'm such a romantic, aint I?) =)

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I attended a high school friend's wedding at Caleruega with Jon yesterday. it was a very nice and intimate celebration, with the venue contributing to the romantic ambience. Some instances brought tears to my eyes, as expected... Maine's closed-door entrance and the couple's personal vows. =) Reception was held at Josephine's and Jon had a nice time practicing his shots. You can view pics here (some were taken from my digicam, though.)

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{MnM}
I have finally accepted a friend's request to be her wedding coordinator...

Ever since Jon and I got married, i have not yet been able to take it entirely out of my system and I can honestly say that i miss wedding preps (yes, even the stress that goes with it). When Jezz txted me 2 months ago, it was really flattering that she wanted me and yet i have been aware of the tremendous responsibility that i will be getting once i accepted the job. But... after weeks of contemplating bout it, i've decided that i can, and I WILL do it. =)

A budding career? Hmmm... not sure about that just yet, but for now, i am accepting coordination only for close friends and relatives, and I guess i'll take it from there... ;) Wish me luck.

Tagaytay Weekend Getaway

Since our calendars are jampacked last December, Aion, Yna, Jon and I decided to have our Christmas slash New Year slash Costume Party last january 7-8 at Tagaytay City.

Yna and I have been researching for a good yet cheap place to stay a few weeks before but never really booked one yet since we wanted to have an ocular first. So, we decided to leave early Saturday morning hoping to find a nice venue for our "party".

And we did... after 3 tries (first was Club Estancia - the place was OK, but didn't have separate rooms, 2nd was Viewpoint Inn - which had a verrry nice view and veranda, had separate rooms, but, very small), we found our home for 2 days... at the MC Mountain Home Apartelle. We had 2 big adjoining rooms with kitchen and verandas. Really, it was the perfect place to be. :p

After we've settled in our rooms, we went out for lunch at Josephine's. The view was very nice there so we had a short picture taking session after eating. While at it, I was surprised to see Maine (high-school friend) who was checking out the reception set-up and was scheduled for their food-tasting that day (she'll be having her wedding reception at the same place next week - which i'll be attending, of course).

Before going back to our place, we dropped by the Mahogany market and bought live tilapia, vegetables and some supplies we needed for dinner and breakfast the following morning. Of course, we also bought BULALO (cooked) which will be our main viand for the night! uhmmmm, yummmeeeh!

We rested for a few hours and then, we prepared dinner. We had bulalo (added more veggies), pinaputok na tilapia and papaitan. Ansarap! Perfect for the cold weather outside.

After freshening up, it was time for the parteiiii to start. We had beer, vodka and wine... Videoke, and yes, we even had a game --> Pinoy Henyo! It was a gurls versus boys game and each team had 6 words to guess... This was freakin hilarious! Needless to say, us gurls won over the boys. Hihihi! :D

Of course, the night's main event... where we dressed up as Japanese school gurls... this called for a looong photoshoot! ;)

The following morning, we woke up a little late and prepared breakfast. The weather was very nice and we opted to have breakfast at one of the verandas. We had yakisoba, tortang talong, fried egg and corned beef plus the tocino and pineapple chunks (from the free set breakfast from the place). Pretty heavy breakfast, eh! That was the best "home-cooked" breakfast i had in months! =)

We rested for a couple of hours more (we requested for a late check-out) and then, it was time to go. We're definitely coming back here for future parteeeis... ;)

Next stop was at Taal Vista Hotel where we enjoyed the magnificent view of Taal and had a photoshoot once more. After about an hour, we were asked to leave the area because there's a wedding that will take place and so, we had merienda at the cafe' inside the hotel while I waited for the wedding to start.

I took shot after shot at Jon's camera while witnessing a very romantic wedding. Yna and I both cried during the bride's march. It was truly something else.

When the wedding was through, the four of us came back to the view deck for more tambay and picture-taking.

We headed home at 5pm, bought fruits and other pasalubong along the way, ate dinner at Rai Rai Ken somewhere at SSH, and got home at arnd 9pm. It was a vacation well spent. =)

Hundreds of pics here and here. :D

After one year of being married...

Due to the nth honeymoon euphoria and the holiday frenzy, this post has been one-month delayed... (warning: PG13 :D)

Jon and I have been together for (exactly) 8 years before we got married, and in those years, you'd think that we'd already know each other like the back of of our hands. Well, almost. Surprisingly though, there are still lots of things we discover from each other in our day-to-day lives, some funny and some are.., well, not-so-funny. :D

The period of adjustment was relatively smooth and easy. We had our own share of fights and tampuhans but most of them were over silly stuff (but enough reason for a mind-blowing make-up sex... haha!).

So anyway, lemme just reminisce and make a recollection of what it has been like... being married for a year...

... As you know, Jon and I are living with his parents, and this, i must point out, is by choice. And for reasons only the family can comprehend. Oh, we can move out if we want to... but everything has its perfect time. Besides, living with them is not in any way difficult, and it even gives us the liberty to splurge on our wants in life and allows us to travel every now and then.

Although i must admit that it does present some problem from time to time... like for example, (and this happened just recently), i got a text from a friend that night asking if we were already sleeping coz she had just called and my mother-in-law answered the phone... she said that after a while, my MIL came back to the phone and told her we were already asleep...but u see, we were NOT sleeping and we didn't hear her knock on our door either... hehehe. go figure. We had a good laugh after. nyahahaha! :D

... I did say there were a lot of discoveries... and some of them are really weird ones... especially when he is sleeping... like that time that it was blackout, and when electricity was restored, he sprung from the bed, turned on the lights, saying, "yes, yes, may ilaw na!" and then went back to sleep... or this other time when, i turned to face him to give him a hug, and he suddenly punched me! (not hard nman) ... turned out he was having a "maaksyon" dream! he was very apologetic nman after... :D

... We've settled into a routine during weekdays. I get up ahead of him since I go to work early, I wake him up when it's time for me to leave and he drops me off at the bus station, he goes home and gets ready for work. He calls or texts when he's about to leave home, we work the whole day, he fetches me in the afternoon and we go home. We eat, watch tv/tinker with the computer, and then we sleep. I sometimes sleep early but not without him making meme me... hihih!

... Waking up on mornings has never been the same again... although it's particularly hard to get up during work days. Cuddling is something we always do on weekends... yes, morning breath and all...

... Household chores are divided between us according to our "expertise" ;) But, grocery shopping is something we love to do together.

... We found surefire ways for destressing... going to the spa, movie marathon at home, shopping (yes, Jon's becoming a shopaholic now :P) or travelling. Boy, do we love to travel!

... Some would think that living together means no more surprises. But the truth is, it just makes making or planning surprises a lot more challenging. You just need to get your creative juices flowing! ;)

... I am way comfortable with my name now... and yes, my new signature. I love it!

... We still cannot fart in each other's faces...Okay, that's gross... i mean, presence. :D

... We still can't get enough of each other and I love him more than ever...

... And after a year, we're now ready to become parents... and we're praying for a baby girl... but as I've said... in HIS perfect time... =)

'TWAS the Season to be Busy... (part 2)

warning: long read + pictures overload

December 24.
My mother in law put me in charge of the noche buena at home and since i was so preoccupied with a lot of things lately, i figured that the simple the menu, the better. I soon figured out that however simple the menu was, all the preparation still left me exhausted! But hey, don't think i'm complaining... i think of it as a practice for the coming years... ;)

The menu consisted of baked ham, spaghetti, caldereta, barbecue, fruit salad... I'm not going to take all the credit coz Jon helped a great deal. It was a nice experience, and i couldn't help but imagine the time when we already have a family and a house of our own. =)

We attended the 9pm mass and afterwards, had a light dinner at home and went to my old place. It was a tradition that we always have our noche buena there because right after, we all sit around the living room, and we distribute our gifts for everyone. It was particularly special this year because we had a guest, Ray (mommy's Aussie friend). =)

My Christmas loot at home consisted of a Guess bag (from Jon), Celine blouse, Body Shop body butter, shower gel, loofah, and body scrub gloves(?), and a big grocery basket. Jon was also surprised when I handed him his Armani black code perfume. He also got Arrow socks, Ralph Lauren hankies, and a Lacoste polo shirt from my family.

Speaking of gifts, there were lots and lots of them this year and i love every single one of them... hihi! I guess I've been nicer than naughty this year... ;-)

December 25.
Christmas morning was spent in bed trying to restore energy lost the previous day. Lunch time, a friend with her two children (godchildren of ours) visited us and we gave them their gifts. After that, more time for r&r. My MIL recently bought the latest Magic Sing with 2000+ songs and in his excitement, Jon bought a Tagalog Chip with more songs days after... Jon and I spent the entire afternoon trying out the songs in our room... yup, we're certified videoke addicts!!!

And... it doesn't stop there! When relatives arrived that night, Jon set up the videoke at the living room and we all had a grand time at our very own videoke bar... complete with beer (vodka for me), chips, chocolates, and other pica-pica. :D

December 26.
My mom's birthday. Jon and I first went to Hidalgo St., at Quiapo, where we looked for a standard lens for Jon's spanking DSLR, the Nikon D70s (which he got from Singapore). We found a good deal there and my hubby was a very happy man as he took shot after shot on his camera on our way to Makati.

Shopped for a few hours at Glorietta (got back my capital from the tiangge + additional 70% earnings! wahooooo!) then made our way to the first World Pyro Olympics at the Esplanade Bay just beside the SM Mall of Asia. The fireworks display from China and Australia was just spectacular!

Pyro day1 pics here.

December 29.

Asheley and Bang's Wedding. I was up at 5am and met a friend at the salon at 6. By 830 am, we were on our way to Tagaytay. In a way, it was my first wedding coordination assignment and Jon's first wedding to shoot... hihihi... cge na nga, practice pa lang... ;)

view entire album here.

Right after the wedding, Aion, Jon and I went home, changed clothes and waited for Yna to pick us up and we went to the 4th day of the World Pyro Olympics which showcased the pyrotechniques of U.S.A. and South Africa. If Jon and I had good seats the first day, we had an even better place this time around. We were by the edge of the Manila Bay where we ate our Jollibee take-out food on top of the rocks. Saya! =)

Pyro day 4 here.

December 30

Reunion and 10th year anniv party with 4Agirls (high school classmates). Being one of the organizers, I was one of the few earlybirds that evening and helped in the food preps (cocktails only) and decors (tables/chairs and balloons courtesy of JS2K -> my family's biz -nag-plug pa! hehe). It was a fun-filled night as we reminisced on the good ol' high school days.

Hat party pics here.

December 31

We went grocery shopping first thing in the am. As usual, the place was packed with people. The same goes at the fruit stand where we bought Jon's usual gift at my old home, the seedless jumbo watermelon. =) We dropped this off before going home.

Every year, egg rolls (recipe at my food blog) were always incuded in the menu and this year was no different... (bilog-bilog = pera! :D ). It was kind of a reunion at home because Jon's cousins (7 of them) and other relatives are celebrating the New year with us so the food preparation this time around was a breeze coz we had lots of helpers around.

Around 9pm, everything was ready... and everyone was just counting the hours til midnight. Earlier, i learned that ate's family are celebrating the new year at my old home (first time with the kids), and i got kinda sad coz Jon and I wouldn't be able to join them in the celebration... But that was to change coz when we visited them before the putukan, I couldn't bear to leave especially since both my niece and nephew were really excited bout the fireworks display they would see that night and... when my younger sister's boyfriend PROPOSED to her that night... we had our crying moments, of course. =)

So, as a result, Jon and I both celebrated the New Year at my old place and had a grand time as usual. =)

January 1

Spent the first day of the year sleeping, tending to visitors, and having a concert at home. By nighttime though, we were off to the first party of the year at Charrie's condo. It was a blast meeting new friends and reconnecting with old ones. =)

New Year party pics here.