iffy

If you didn't buy the place and didn't spend much on its renovation and furnishing, would you feel it's okay to be the first one to spend the night there and use the facilities, appliances and furniture?

I'm so iffy about this whole thing, but I'm just trying to be patient, for fear of being OA and being perceived as "territorial" or "selfish". But truly, I find the whole idea very strange and kind of offensive. Maybe they feel it's their son's place too, ergo they have as much right as him to spend the night. I really don't know. I don't understand this kind of logic, so I guess I really shouldn't see it from their point of view.

Ugh.

yet another checkpoint and... a baby!

OK, tomorrow is the last day of the month so I thought I'd do a recap of my almost-accomplishments and see what I can tick off my list:
1. Invites: Finally, after some headache with our supplier (Hay, sometimes this is the hidden cost you pay with "cheap" suppliers), finally, our invitations are ready for printing! We should be getting the first batch next Wednesday! Isn't that so cool? To say I'm excited is an understatement, definitely.

2. Marriage banns have been posted, and we now have all our requirements! Just need to turn them over to our planner and we're done! :)

3. Prenup and trial makeup/hair : CHECK!

4. Invitations list: Semi-check, because we still don't have my mother in law's list. Hay. Oh well. Small glitch.

5. Shoes: CHECK! They're now sitting comfortably in Richie's atelier and are ripe for embellishment. Another point of excitement for me. I can try them on again when I have my 3rd fitting next week!

On top of the above, we've made the hotel reservations for the night before and night after the wedding. I've also collated the addresses for the invites and I've also finished off the neckties and gifts we need. We already have all the suppliers we need, and our misalette has been approved already by our officiating priest!

All in all, July has been a fruitful month. August should now just be a month of finalizing, readying the balance payments and getting final fittings! :) This bride feels rather accomplished :) Hehehe.

Oh, and the highlight of this month is the birth of my soon-to-be first-ever goddaughter - Tala! She's the cutest ever, and is such a goooood baby girl, not giving her mommy and daddy a hard time. Welcome to the world, Baby Tala! Can't wait to see you again! :)

Gadget love!

OK, I know I registered for a travel steamer in Rustan's, so if someone got me that as a wedding gift, I wouldn't complain. But if I don't get it through the registry, I just might buy this one because it seems to perform better than the brand that Rustan's carries --

Innotec handheld steamer

http://www.shopcrazy.com.ph/2010/07/gadget-love-innotec-handheld-steamer/#more-9475

:)

Not now. Thanks but no thanks :)

So, just when I'm definitely not thinking about exploring other career opportunities, that's when options come knocking on my door. While there was one recent call that I was unable to turn down, I still stand quite firm on my stand that I'd really rather stay where I am. There will be some big adjustments to be made in the personal side of my life in the coming months, and I don't particularly feel like adding a professional adjustment to my list. I also can't wait to live out my lifelong desire to finally live *nearby*. So, for now, stay put. :)

Almost-accomplishments

A few days to go and I can tick off some items off my list and add them to the "accomplished" pile:
1. Invites: We received the sample already and made a last pass of revisions. HOPEFULLY it's the final set of comments already and we can finally start production next week. This means we'll have the invites before the month ends! Please, Lord! Konti nalang :)

2. Wedding requirements: Next Sunday is the last of the 3 banns we have to post at the Binondo church, and after that, we would have finished all the church req'ts already!

3. Our prenup pictorial is also scheduled next week- at the same date as my trial makeup. Once those are done, they're 2 more things to tick off the list!

4. Dennis and my guest lists have already been translated into invitation lists. The next step is to add addresses so the transport of the invites can be arranged. After this step too, we'll have to fix the seating chart but that's not until end-August or early Sept.

5. My bridal shoes have been fitted and save for a few minor changes, they're all ready for embellishment!

Hay, when you're a bride, life becomes just one big checklist of things to do and things to accomplish. I must say though, the control freak in me feels mighty proud when things get ticked off the list, esp if they're done so way ahead of time. My planner was telling me yesterday that she's very pleased with me, because even before she has to remind me about a wedding item, I'm a few steps ahead of her and would've already emailed, texted or sent her a document already. What can I say, when you're OC, there's simply no other way to do things :p

blackout!

I didn't know we can last this long without power. At the time of this writing, our house has been power-less for about 36 hours already...and counting. Huhuhu. I'll never take electricity for granted again!

I also realized the vulnerability of condos at a blackout. A friend was thrown out of his place last night because, due to lack of power for more than 24 hours, the building's genset finally died and no elevator service was possible. Scary! Imagine being stranded and forced to be a refugee when you have a perfectly good home, just floors above the ground. Hay. Must make contingency plans when we live in our condo already :s

major ACTION ITEM

for this month is: Invitations!!

Lord, please help me finalize the invitation draft and get the final list of addressees. Yon lang po. Thank you.

:)

Project Home Checkpoint

Went to visit the condo today and I think we're making good progress. The wood flooring is being sanded down now, and the paint work is 80% done. Electrical work is all laid out and the waterproofing is done. Tiling is about 50% done with the kitchen and master's bath to be finished within the next few days. The doors and doorways also look perfect- precisely what I wanted!

A cool thing about our condo is the little free things that we get here and there from well-meaning and generous uncles. We got free cabinet handles, door knobs and door locks from his uncle, as well as free outlet covers and switch plates from mine. We also got a good deal on lights because of another uncle. I love it! :p

I also understand now what they say about a house being a budget waiting to bust :p I encountered some more unexpected items that need to be paid for, that were not part of the original estimate. They are important things though, definitely cannot be missed out on, so I just handed over a check without complaint. It just taught me that when it comes to anything real-estate related, you really need a buffer budget, because it's inevitable that you would need some additional materials or replacement items or even added labor that wasn't part of the work scope initially planned for. And you wouldn't want to run out of money midway, because that will be an even bigger problem.

Bottomline, Project Home is going very well. And making good time too. It's set to be done in the next 3 weeks. This weekend, we need to buy some cabinetry already, which we need them to install next week. The shower heaters will also be installed next week. I'm excited! It's all coming together :) :) :)

Song and Invites: Semi-check

I think I've found my bridal march! After having some interesting contenders (including a waltz that I still really really love), I think I found it tonight. Serendipitously too, I may add. It's a song that's been in my ipod for the longest time, and I don't know why I didn't think of it. Then tonight, when I put my ipod on shuffle, I stumbed upon it and voila! Lightbulb moment! I just hope Da Capo can perform it :)

Invites are also a semi-check, because we have the FA already and is now up for sample-printing. I hope to receive and approve the sample in the next week or so, so we can get that out of the way already. Just have to finalize the guest names now, so we can turn them over later on for printing on the envelopes :)

That's it. Bride signing off for now :)

WEDDING LICENSE: Check!

So off we went today to the Manila City Hall to get our wedding license. I was prepared for a long wait, with matching sticky heat and having to bear with bureaucratic processes. After all, I've only seen the Manila City Hall from outside, and it certainly didn't look like an efficient place to me.

So imagine my (pleasant) surprise when I discovered that it's actually very organized inside, and people were friendly and accommodating. True, the fact that Dennis is a lawyer and is a familiar face inside the city hall by this time, with all his hearings there, certainly helped. But I also think that the overall process is really relatively painless. In less than an hour of being inside the place, we were all done! Our license will come out in 10 days!

Our planner also took care of submitting our docs to the church and getting the permission slip to be able to get wedding banns issued at our Binondo parish. After that, we just have to get our license picked up at the city hall by Dennis' messenger, and we're all set, legally speaking, to get married. YEHEY! :)

CEFAM: Big fat check!!!!

We're sooooo glad that CEFAM is finally off our list of things to do for the wedding preparations. Granted, there were some parts that were helpful but on the overall, we were (1) sleepy because of the early hour and the fact that ADMU is an hour away from our homes ; (2) kinda annoyed by some annoying personalities who joined us in the CEFAM sessions ; (3) bored by some of the segments of the seminar ; (4) tired afterwards but had to brave the rains and floods caused by late-afternoon rains.

The highlight or best part of the seminar were our sessions with the counselor, because not only was she very open, helpful, easy-to-talk-to and very insightful in her questioning, we also felt that it was the time when our particular setups and life situations were discussed and hence the topics at hand were the most relevant. We had already talked about most of the pre-marriage topics anyway, so it was a breeze to go through, but we were glad to get affirmation on things that we had previously discussed. And it was nice to see and hear another person's perspective on our lives, particularly since there are things in our lives that I feel we may take for granted or have already forgotten. It was good to have a fresh take on things, and an objective one at that.

So net takeaway, I think the church should just change pre-marriage seminar to pre-marriage counseling. I feel the topics discussed at the lectures were vague and didn't really appeal to the audience. Might as well go right to the heart of the people's lives and give them advice accordingly.

That's just me :P

I'm just glad we got that over with and we can now proceed to schedule when we'll head to the Manila City Hall to get our license done! :) Yahooooo!!!!

I really like....

this thing I found online--

Ceylon Pitcher

Lately, I've been more into looking at stuff for the house more than shoes, clothes and bags. This one looks so cool, you can flavor water w/o having annoying bits of mint or lemon mixed into it. Love it!!!

103 days to go!

It's like I winked and now, I'm 13 weekends away from my wedding. I'm busy for the upcoming 3 (gonna be in HK this weekend, then CEFAM next weekend, then Kayers' baby shower the weekend after that), and then, June is over. This leaves me with 10 weekends to plan everything else that needs to be done for the wedding. I have a count of the days to go before the big day, but I have to remind myself from time to time to only count the weekends, because really, that's the time reserved to do wedding planning stuff. The rest of the week (which is really the 5 other days that not part of the weekend) is pretty booked for work and the condo-related items. With budget planning season coming up at Smart, I expect work to be extra hectic in the next few weeks. And, beside the fact that I pretty much have no other choice but to put in the required hours at work, it's really not my work style (nor my work ethic) to give in less than what's expected of me. I don't think it's right nor fair, for a company that's been way too generous to me the past couple of years.

So with that said, I'm now researching what shoes to finally decide on, so I can ready it for my Solea visit. :p Time is ticking!!!

peg for our bedroom

Love it! :)

Project Home checkpoint

So far, here's what's been accomplished in Project Home:
1. All old tiling and fixtures have been taken out. New tiles are currently being put in as we speak, and the new bathroom fixtures have already been delivered.
2. Paint has been approved (by me) as of today. They made special mixes for me, to get the tones that I want. The paint in the guest room turned out lighter than I thought, but I figured it's better to have something lighter (or weaker in color) than the opposite where you almost get heart failure for walking into a room too bright for your tastes.

Good progress for the past 6 days they've worked on the condo. Up next are finalizing the shower enclosure and shampoo caddy in the bathrooms, starting the waterproofing and starting the electrical work. Also, we have to buy new pinlights, door handles and blinds.

I'm bleeding money, but my heart is giddy with excitement and fulfillment. They're right. Buying your own place is bittersweet. While your wallet aches to no end and your budgeting skills are challenged almost on a daily basis, the feeling of achievement definitely cannot be overestimated. :)

118!

My friend Anna got hitched last Saturday, and up until then, her impending wedding has overshadowed the fact that mine is just around the corner as well. But now that her wedding is over, I have just realized that it's my turn next! 118 days until my wedding!!!! Aaaaak!!!!

leave of absence

So, I won't be posting any MBA updates for a while because I'm taking a leave of absence from my schoolwork. Reasons are:
(1) For this upcoming school year, my wedding date falls in the middle of the 1st and 2nd terms. Which means that when the finals week of 1st term rolls in, I'll be in the home stretch of my wedding planning. Then when 2nd term comes in, I'll be out for 2 weeks on my honeymoon. So I figure, might as well take a break from school and focus on my wedding, my honeymoon and getting ready for married life.
(2) Work is getting heavier, and I admit I am still adjusting to this new work scope. I know that the respite from MBA will do me some good too in this area. Also, my new work entails some going-out-of-town on provincial tours and events, so it would be good not to have school to worry about for a while.

Also, I figure when I live so near to RCBC, I can resume school w/o any difficulty. My mom is worried I may not go back after the wedding and honeymoon, because a lot of people lose that crucial sense of momentum and inertia when they take a break from school. Most don't go back. Esp when pregnancy rolls in.

I told her that, first off, given my personality, I think I would be the first to give myself a hard tiime to leave unfinished something as big and as important to me as this. Also, I am just 4 terms away from finishing my MBA. Which means a pregnancy will not likely affect my finishing. And lastly, Dennis promised her (my mom) that he will make sure I finish school, even if it means carrying me physically into class (haha!) So yes, I hope there are enough measures in place to prevent me from permanently slacking off from schoolwork.

There you go. No books, exams, readings or class presentations for 7 months. Hope I miss it so I'll be in 100% "ganado" to resume school in Jan :)

Til then, books! :)

Project Home underway!

By next Tuesday, the condo renovation crew will move in and start the work on the tiling and bathroom fixtures. Then after that, they'll move on to the kitchen and parquet floors. The aircon will then be installed, then the sanding and relamination work will follow. The electrical work will then ensue, followed by the waterproofing and painting. Hopefully, by end-June, the place will be ready for furniture and appliances to be moved in. I can't wait!!!!! :)

a not-so-new tomorrow

I must admit I am saddened by the results of the 2010 elections. While it's good that the automated process worked, despite the many glitches and problems, and that the results seem to be clean and uncontestible, I am saddened by the confirmation that the Filipino electorate is still mostly very immature. It's politically immature thinking that led the majority of the populace to believe that a good father sires a good son, and if someone pledges to be incorruptible, that alone makes him a good President. I'm also sad that Filipinos opted for Erap as a second choice. Again, very politically immature. I honestly don't know how we can progress from this point. This has *got* to be a new low. Even for the Philippines. The change we all want is still an elusive dream.

But then, if I really believe in Gibo and have faith on the ideals he was pushing, I need to set these "nega vibes" aside and still wish the new administration the best. Perhaps we will be given a miracle; after all, no matter what we get into, we as a nation always survive. We may not always emerge better or wiser, but we always live to see another day (or another administration). Knock on wood, hopefully, Homer's parents will indeed bless him from up above and guide him throughout his 6 years in power. And hopefully, his youngest sister does shut up for good, pack up her things and move away just as she promised she would.

And maybe, just maybe, we'll see the day when our nation will finally elect officials based on merit, on qualifications and on track record. If not, we may one day elect Baby James because of his grandparents. If that happens, I may just push Atty to run for mayor. Or President. Haha!

There's still hope, people. Let's all pray for a better tomorrow for all of us. Even if it has to be achieved in spite of our newly elected leader.

Mabuhay ang Pilipino!

May 10, 2010

Made my vote count today, despite almost 3 hours of waiting and falling in line, after a failed attempt earlier this morning at 7am. Thank God I was able to successfully feed my ballot into the machine. Now all we gotta do is wait.

Win or lose, GT, you should be president.