Is it normal to have a friend rub you the wrong way or get on your nerves so many times over a period of a few days?
Hehehe.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
A love entry for my room
OK, three weeks to go til the big day! I realized a few days ago that one of the biggest things I'll miss after I get married is my room. I think it's the best symbol for my single life - it bore witness to those late-nights of studying for classes, movie marathons and hours and hours on the phone with Dennis. It houses all of my (precious and not-so-precious) possessions, and things that I have to show for my almost 7 years of working. It's my "safe place" for the past 27 years of my life, and it's where I go to unwind and relax and just "be" after a long day. I'll miss the routine I have every morning after waking up and every night before going to bed. I'll miss the silence and the occasional noise created when one of my brothers or parents burst into the room with some piece of news or kuwento to share. I'll miss all those times I had this room all to myself, because 24 days from today, I won't have a room all to myself anymore.
If I could just hug my room, I would. :p Hehehe.
If I could just hug my room, I would. :p Hehehe.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Home Stretch!!!
I know we've been engaged for more than a year, but it's like I blinked and suddenly, we're one month away from the BIG DAY! OMG!
Glad to report though that most of our action items have been accomplished already:
- Condo just needs to have furniture delivered by Sept 8 and then we're complete.
- All big items in the wedding preps are done. Invites are also given out already. Just need to :
(1) Create and finalize seating chart (2) Print misalettes & menu cards (3) Have final fitting (4) Meet Li and Karen when they come home and go to fittings with them (5) Buy bible (haha I almost forgot about this item)
- Dowry stuff is more or less ready. Just needs to be wrapped.
I'm pretty proud of myself. Definitely NO 3-week panic.
Can't wait for 9/19! :)
Glad to report though that most of our action items have been accomplished already:
- Condo just needs to have furniture delivered by Sept 8 and then we're complete.
- All big items in the wedding preps are done. Invites are also given out already. Just need to :
(1) Create and finalize seating chart (2) Print misalettes & menu cards (3) Have final fitting (4) Meet Li and Karen when they come home and go to fittings with them (5) Buy bible (haha I almost forgot about this item)
- Dowry stuff is more or less ready. Just needs to be wrapped.
I'm pretty proud of myself. Definitely NO 3-week panic.
Can't wait for 9/19! :)
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Project Home Wrap-up!
Glad to report that Project Home is now 99% done! Save for : (1) delivery of maid's room bed and cabinet ; (2) replacement of insect screen of guest room ; (3) overall general cleaning of the condo, we are done! Yahooooo!!!! It's such a great feeling and an overwhelming sense of accomplishment - to know what we started with and see how far we've come! I also learned so many lessons along the way, which made for good practice for the time in the future when we'll build our house.
1. Cheap is good but ain't always the best way to go, especially with people : We've been blessed with a good contractor- someone who's honest, straightforward and very easy to talk to. She not only takes the time to explain details to me, she also makes it a point that we work within the budget we have yet still get the best options available. She also has "malasakit" which is 100% important when you're doing anything construction-related. Since we're not experts in this field, having a contractor that genuinely wants your place to be as good as it can be is probably the most critical factor.
2. I am proud to say that I know so much more about construction that I did coming into this project. I now know how waterproofing works, what kind of tiles work best, how bathroom fixtures are installed, how lighting should be distributed, etc. We also learned the hard way that there are many possible materials to use for furniture and not all are of good-quality, even if they may appear to be so. Lessons learned.
3. You can't go wrong with classic. If in doubt, go for simpler or plainer designs. You won't regret it. Just like with fashion, I guess. Coz you have to live with your place every day, all day, so make sure you won't get sick of that design or that color scheme :)
That's it for now. I'm so happy with how Project Home turned out. And let me take this chance to say a huge THANK YOU to You Up There for showering us with the means to put together this project and make it happen. I'm also so proud of us for having pulled this off on our own. We did have a bit of help here and there from our parents but the bulk of it is off of our blood, sweat and tears, and while we're coming out of this definitely poorer (and with credit breathing down our backs), I'm so proud of this home that we can proudly call ours. OURS. You and me.
Hope I can post pics sometime. Let's see, where's my camera??? :p
1. Cheap is good but ain't always the best way to go, especially with people : We've been blessed with a good contractor- someone who's honest, straightforward and very easy to talk to. She not only takes the time to explain details to me, she also makes it a point that we work within the budget we have yet still get the best options available. She also has "malasakit" which is 100% important when you're doing anything construction-related. Since we're not experts in this field, having a contractor that genuinely wants your place to be as good as it can be is probably the most critical factor.
2. I am proud to say that I know so much more about construction that I did coming into this project. I now know how waterproofing works, what kind of tiles work best, how bathroom fixtures are installed, how lighting should be distributed, etc. We also learned the hard way that there are many possible materials to use for furniture and not all are of good-quality, even if they may appear to be so. Lessons learned.
3. You can't go wrong with classic. If in doubt, go for simpler or plainer designs. You won't regret it. Just like with fashion, I guess. Coz you have to live with your place every day, all day, so make sure you won't get sick of that design or that color scheme :)
That's it for now. I'm so happy with how Project Home turned out. And let me take this chance to say a huge THANK YOU to You Up There for showering us with the means to put together this project and make it happen. I'm also so proud of us for having pulled this off on our own. We did have a bit of help here and there from our parents but the bulk of it is off of our blood, sweat and tears, and while we're coming out of this definitely poorer (and with credit breathing down our backs), I'm so proud of this home that we can proudly call ours. OURS. You and me.
Hope I can post pics sometime. Let's see, where's my camera??? :p
Saturday, August 07, 2010
it's really happening!!!
Holy crap, the invites are here, and my first reaction: OMG the wedding is really happening!!! :)
Hahaha! I know it may sound weird, but it was unexpectedly one of my biggest kilig moments throughout this planning process. Apart from the dress fittings, this is one of those rare times when the wedding seemed so "real". The other stuff just seems like normal planning moments for something "in the future" or "far off".. The invites arriving today in two huge-ass boxes just made it solidly real.
It's really happening! As Dennis frequently says, I can't wait to get married. To you. :)
Hahaha! I know it may sound weird, but it was unexpectedly one of my biggest kilig moments throughout this planning process. Apart from the dress fittings, this is one of those rare times when the wedding seemed so "real". The other stuff just seems like normal planning moments for something "in the future" or "far off".. The invites arriving today in two huge-ass boxes just made it solidly real.
It's really happening! As Dennis frequently says, I can't wait to get married. To you. :)
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
tradition shmadition....
Most days, I love my culture and all its richness, but today is not one of them. I was just informed that, in order to maximize and preserve the "good luck" that we'll receive as a newly married couple, after the wedding, I am NOT to wear black AT ALL for a significant period. Like six months.
WHAT?!
D ko gets.
Hay.
WHAT?!
D ko gets.
Hay.
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Realization
I had an epiphany today- It's usual perception that the toughest part of the marriage vows to adhere to is one of these three: (1) "for better or for worse" - because life does have its healthy (and sometimes unhealthy) share of difficulties, and sometimes it's far too tempting to walk out and go ; (2) "for richer or for poorer" - more or less same reasons as (1) ; (3) the fidelity clause - also self-explanatory
I realized today another part of the marriage vows that may not be as much of a deal-breaker as the first three I mentioned, nor does it seem to be that big of a deal because it sounds so mundane and a bit obvious. But I think it's the one part in the marriage bond that will probably be challenged the most often and hence deserves attention too. While it may not be devastating in huge, earth-shattering, marriage-threatening ways, I think it's just as difficult to overcome. Major loads of maturity are needed, if you want to stay sane. And stay married.
This such part is where you vow to love the ones that he loves, on the day you agree to become his wife and swear in front of God and all your loved ones that you will be together forever and ever. It's a promise that can easily escape your lips, again because it sounds so obvious and hence so easy (oh how naive you are, dear bride!). After all, his family is good to you and they approve of your marriage. He loves them, and hence how hard could it be to love them too?
Suffice it to say that I've had a fair look at the challenges that can rock this particular corner of the matrinomial vow. It's not as easy, in fact it's probably one of the biggest and hardest adjustments to make. You can bounce back from a fight with your own mother, because she gave you life and can forgive you for anything and everything. Someone else's mother though, even if she happens to be your husband's mother, is an entirely different story. Whether you annoy her or she annoys you, the loser in the battle ends up being your husband. It's rarely about who's right and who's wrong, mind you. Almost all of the time, it's about two different upbringings, two different queens and two different emotional states. So declaring a clear winner in such battles is rather gray. But what's crystal clear is the suffering husband in the middle.
So, I lectured myself today on this particular issue and told myself that, for as long as the matter at hand is not that of life and death, or anything concerning children, values, religion, and deeply personal parts of our lives, I will let these "difficulties" roll off my back and focus on what's critically important - that I have a peaceful relationship with my in-laws and that my (soon-to-be) husband can sleep soundly at night. In Tagalog, kung hindi ko naman ikamamatay yung ipinaglalaban ko, wag nalang ilaban. Choose your battles carefully, because there are battles you need to lose, so you will win the war. And mind you, by "war", I honestly don't refer to my mother in law. Hahaha!
Another point I'd like to make: I believe in karma. I know that my family, with all their virtues, is far from perfect and in the future, two daughters-in-law would also have to "pakisama" with them. I would hope and wish that these two girls would also extend to my family a rich amount of patience, understanding and love. Because I'll be leaving my family behind soon. I'd want these two girls to care for them as if they were their own blood and flesh. To do that, I'd have to "plant" seeds of karma now. How can I expect from others what I cannot ask of myself?
Lastly, at the end of the day, I love him. And part of that love is loving those he loves. Maybe at the start, I'm loving them because he loves them. But hopefully, as we go through life together as family, I'll grow to love them without needing any other reason.
:)
I realized today another part of the marriage vows that may not be as much of a deal-breaker as the first three I mentioned, nor does it seem to be that big of a deal because it sounds so mundane and a bit obvious. But I think it's the one part in the marriage bond that will probably be challenged the most often and hence deserves attention too. While it may not be devastating in huge, earth-shattering, marriage-threatening ways, I think it's just as difficult to overcome. Major loads of maturity are needed, if you want to stay sane. And stay married.
This such part is where you vow to love the ones that he loves, on the day you agree to become his wife and swear in front of God and all your loved ones that you will be together forever and ever. It's a promise that can easily escape your lips, again because it sounds so obvious and hence so easy (oh how naive you are, dear bride!). After all, his family is good to you and they approve of your marriage. He loves them, and hence how hard could it be to love them too?
Suffice it to say that I've had a fair look at the challenges that can rock this particular corner of the matrinomial vow. It's not as easy, in fact it's probably one of the biggest and hardest adjustments to make. You can bounce back from a fight with your own mother, because she gave you life and can forgive you for anything and everything. Someone else's mother though, even if she happens to be your husband's mother, is an entirely different story. Whether you annoy her or she annoys you, the loser in the battle ends up being your husband. It's rarely about who's right and who's wrong, mind you. Almost all of the time, it's about two different upbringings, two different queens and two different emotional states. So declaring a clear winner in such battles is rather gray. But what's crystal clear is the suffering husband in the middle.
So, I lectured myself today on this particular issue and told myself that, for as long as the matter at hand is not that of life and death, or anything concerning children, values, religion, and deeply personal parts of our lives, I will let these "difficulties" roll off my back and focus on what's critically important - that I have a peaceful relationship with my in-laws and that my (soon-to-be) husband can sleep soundly at night. In Tagalog, kung hindi ko naman ikamamatay yung ipinaglalaban ko, wag nalang ilaban. Choose your battles carefully, because there are battles you need to lose, so you will win the war. And mind you, by "war", I honestly don't refer to my mother in law. Hahaha!
Another point I'd like to make: I believe in karma. I know that my family, with all their virtues, is far from perfect and in the future, two daughters-in-law would also have to "pakisama" with them. I would hope and wish that these two girls would also extend to my family a rich amount of patience, understanding and love. Because I'll be leaving my family behind soon. I'd want these two girls to care for them as if they were their own blood and flesh. To do that, I'd have to "plant" seeds of karma now. How can I expect from others what I cannot ask of myself?
Lastly, at the end of the day, I love him. And part of that love is loving those he loves. Maybe at the start, I'm loving them because he loves them. But hopefully, as we go through life together as family, I'll grow to love them without needing any other reason.
:)
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