Wow! I've been tagged for the first time! Thanks Kaye! Ikaw ang unang nagbinyag sa akin. HEHEHE..

Instructions: Name ten of life™'s simple pleasures that you like the most, then pick ten people to do the same. Try to be original and creative and not to use things that someone else has already used.

• One. A tight hug from lablab! Awww I love it when he starts snuggling... (cheeesssyy)
• Two. Receiving gifts and opening the wraps! Double excitement when it's beautifully wrapped (with bow ties and all). Triple excitement if it's something I've always wanted but hesitated to buy!
  
• Three. Hot noodle soup with lots of chili sauce on a rainy day. I love gloomy weather!
• Four. Anything with CHEEESSEEE! You should see my facial expresesion whenever I have a bite of Kenny Roger's maraconi cheese. As in aaaaawwwwww!!!
• Five. Food tripping! I love to try different kinds of food! So far my fave dishes are taiwanese street food, singaporean laksa noodles and sate bbqs, vietnamese pho noodles and salad with fish sauce, thai curry and tom yam kum, american steak and burgers, italian pasta, japenese ramen and takoyaki (my fave), mexican chili con carne... should I go on? ;p
• Six. Smell of freshly brewed java in the morning. Lalo na kapag windang pa pagpasok sa office. I'm a coffee addict!
• Seven. Buying new gadgets! I always use the newly bought ones while Dex uses hand-me downs c/o me. HEHE..
• Eight. Seeing new comments on my blog and posts on my tag-board. aaaww.. everybody loves Wanda pala. :)
• Nine. Patching up. I'm the type of person who doesn't initiate a fight. Kahit na masama na loob ko, I won't say anything coz I know it will also hurt my friends. Pero pag-inaway mo ako, sorry ka nalang... di ako marunong makipagbati unless ikaw ang mauna. Lam mo yun? Kahit na gusto ko nang makipagbati pero di ko naman magawa kasi laging nauuna ang pride. Kaya super touched ako kapag may mga batian na nangyayari. I love living in perfect harmony.
• Ten. MASSAGE!! Gusto ko yun malakas!!!
  

10 na? Parang bitin! :) Lemme add two more! :p

• Eleven. New SHOES!! I'm a shoe-freak!
• Twelve. New make-up! I'm a blush & lipstick freak! I can't live without my eyebrow kit and tweesers (wala kasing kilay bwehehehe)

isa pa! isa pa!

• Thirteen. Seeing F4 in person! BWAAHAHAHA... It's an unforgettable experience! I want to see Rain in person naman next time. bwehehehe... teka simple pleasure ba 'to? :p

Now, its ur turn. Let me see what you have to say:

• ConCon
• Jacq
  
• Mika
• Mel
• Rhea
• Mrs. Schmuck
  
• Jeanne V.
• whoever wants to be tagged as most of my BF (blog friends) have already answered this one already

Labels: tags

It feels sooooo GOOOOD to finally be "allowed" to blog and digiscrap again. I forced myself to stop doing things that would distract myself from reviewing the IELTS exam. That means, no blogging, no digiscrapping, no wedding preps, and no gimmicks. Uhm… I was able to finish a couple of LOs in between breaks though.. and I was able to visit a couple of blog sites.. and got a little tipsy last weekend over glasses of margarita. Hehe.. taking about self-control and discipline huh? It’s totally outta my system! I wonder why is it so difficult to resist temptation? Tukso! Layuan mo akoooo!!! Hehe.. I guess I’m just a rule-breaker by nature. :)

It’s such a relief to finally ditch the IELTS burden I’ve been carrying the past couple of weeks. I took the listening, reading, and writing module at Intercon this morning so that’s another item off my to-do list. I’m not confident with the writing part though. The essay topics are pretty simple but I just find it difficult to compose and write down anything using a pen! Yellow? I’ve been using a computer an average of 12hrs each day for 9 years! My handwriting is still nice though, but flow of thoughts isn’t that spontaneous anymore (as compared to typing everything in a computer). Most of my time in the exam was wasted on erasing what I’ve written on the answer sheet. Hoh well, the speaking module is schedule next Monday. After that, I’m done! I just hope I won’t get nervous on the interview. Geesh! Anyhoo, I’ll try not to fuzz over the results of the exam coz I still have plan B in case plan A doesn’t work. Let's say, there’s still a way to fulfill the qualifications required for my PR visa anyways. I’ll just let God decide what is meant to be for me. :)

On wedding preps, I got a bit disappointed this morning when I received Madge’s text informing me that she’s no longer available on our wedding date. Huat? I’ve been trying to set a trial schedule with her since April! And.. and.. and.. we already set the trial schedule next Monday! And.. and.. and.. even if I’m so kapal and hiya, I already requested Dino to do a studio pictorial for us even if it’s beyond his deliverables as stated in the contract! Binola ko nalang si Dino na I'll just serve abalone shark's fin soup for his team on the reception. LOL joke of course! He agreed to do it for us for free! (Nice guy talaga si Dino! ^_^). I’ve been sleepless and excited for nights looking forward to Monday! Whenever I feel pressured and down studying for the IELTS test, I would always remember my trial with Madge and Dino.. then I will feel better. You know what I felt after reading Madge's text? Splash of cold water! It’s so depressing. Just to make my point clear though, I don’t blame Madge for anything coz I understand that she really requires a downpayment for booking confirmation. I’m just sad because I won’t be glammed up by Madge anymore. Hoh well… all I can say is – not meant to be.

I don’t want to cancel our plans for Monday though coz it’s really difficult to set a schedule with Dex with his busy work. I’ve also filed a leave already so I don’t really want to waste the day. So I tried calling other HMAs in my shortlist. I would really want to set a trial with Toto Bagamasbad but his trial fee is a bit expensive. So I’m planning to set the trial with him on the date of our outdoor prenups nalang. Para mas maraming pictures mas sulit! Although I’m a bit concerned coz our outdoor prenups will be scheduled sometime July or August pa. I’m afraid someone might book him ahead of me. What dya think? Or should follow my instincts and book with right away without trial? I really love the make-up he did on my friend’s wedding! *Struggle Struggle*

Another person I considered is Tonette Chua. My friend had a trial with him a couple of weeks ago and she’s very satisfied with Tonette’s work. But I decided later to just schedule our trial on another friend’s wedding this coming June. The church is quite near Tonette’s house kasi so I can dress up at his place as well. It’s a 10am wedding though… yayks! That means I have to start my trial at 8am? Magising kaya ako? Hehe.. Tonette’s really a nice “gay”... I like talking with him coz he’s so friendly! His package is also affordable – 7K for 3, 1,500 trial and 1,000 additional head. June is just around the corner so I’m looking forward to my trial with him na.

For Monday, I ended up scheduling a trial with Eddie Bruan coz his trial fee is the cheapest on my list. Eddie’s package is really attractive and includes lots of freebies! 15K for 5 heads with the following freebies: flower girls’ make-up, groom’s “grooming”, groom’s haircut before the wedding date, hot oil/manecure/pedicure for the bride, retouch up to start of reception. Great deal eh? Plus, he’s really accommodating and easy to talk to. Here’s an excerpt of our conversasion:

W: magkano po ang trial?
E: kelan nga ulit wedding mo?
W: Jan 21 po next year.
E: Ah.. pag next year 1,500.
W: hehe.. this year po ako magpapatrial.. too late na kasi pag next year (sabay okray)
E: Ay ay! Oo nga pala dapat this year ang trial.. 1,000 pala. (sabay halakhak)
W: E magkano po ang additional head for the entourage?
E: 1,250.
W: di ba ho 1,000 din kaparehas ng trial?
E: ok na din ang 1,000… yun ordinary make-up nalang gagamitin ko sa kanila… hindi na yun high-end.
W: ano ba ho yun low-end?
E: MAC products yun gagamitin ko sa kanila.
W: Naku, low-end ba ho yun? Ang sosy na nga ng MAC e! (sabay halakhak)

Funny right? Haha.. And oh! He's so thoughtful! He requested to set the trial about the same time as our church wedding so that we can envision how the make-up will look like on the day itself. Wow, di ko naisip yun! Walahhh.. here I am, excited again! :)

That’s what I’ve done so far. Not much progress actually, but I don’t need to panic pa naman at this point in time. Although the clock is tickin' and our wedding is a little more than 7 months away. I’m thinking if I should get an OTD na now? I’ve met Erika’s team (Perfect Moments) already. Although they’re kinda ok na for us coz they have the advantage of being members of St. Peter’s choir. It’ll be more convenient to deal with them on church matters. However, I would really want to meet Clarice of An Event to Remember before I decide who to get so that at least there’s a point of comparision. I’ve been hearing good reviews on their services and how nice Clarice is. Indeed, she’s such a sweetie kahit sa text palang! We’ll be having a meeting with her team next Tuesday. Will just do the thinking afterwards. :)

On non-wedding related matters, did I mention I banned myself from digiscrapping while the IELTS thing is still on-going? Yeah… I didn’t scrap.. but I downloaded TONS of kits!! And man, I have this list of Photoshop tutorial sites to visit so that I can add more effects to my future LOs. Hm.. just when will I be able to start? Hehe.. pag wala nang ginagawa ulit sa office.. LOL! I love doing non-office related stuff.. in the OFFICE! Hehe.. laki ng sungay ko, see? LOL!

Before I bid everyone good night, I’d like to share these 2 LOs I did during the “banned” period.. haha.. di nakapigil. I did the paper tearing effects on one, and the shape cropping on another. Hm… any improvements? Or none at all? LOL! Lemme know… criticisms are welcome! :) Wan An (good night) everybody!

Labels: blabs, wedding

I was watching TV at Ma's room last night. Laid there and just occupied the entire queen-sized bed. After having enough soap operas and dramas on TV, I went out the room and noticed her curled up like a little baby while taking a nap at the sofa. I suddenly realized how much wrinkles have added up to Ma's face. Indeed, she's getting old. The thought of it made me panic. I don't know why but I'm just afraid. Maybe because I haven't been a good daughter after all. Life's been a tough one for Ma. If I could just do something to ease the weight on her shoulders. I just don't know how.

I thought of making a layout for Ma. And the output -- Tada! This is my very first official layout. Not bad eh? I haven't really tried doin' an LO like the ones the scrappin' ladies do coz I don't have any idea on the words to put together with the pictures. Hm.. squeezed my brain to come-up with a few words. Well, at least I tried. The ones I've done before are mostly banners, photo clips, and portfolio layouts, which are mostly photo layouts. Hm.. what dya think?

Labels: matters of the heart, scrap

No, this is not wedding related... and this is not some TV show or movie either. What are you going to do in case of fire emergency? When there’s an alarm a few houses away from where you live?

I received a phone call from a friend yesterday informing me that there’s a fire on going at R***N St. at the moment. She advised me to check with my mom if it is anywhere near our house. ME GOD! That’s exactly our street and it’s relatively short. I immediately dialed my mom’s number to ask if she’s ok. No one’s answering! I tried to keep calm and searched through the contacts in my cellphone trying to look for someone who lives near our place. Grr.. I don’t befriend our neighbors that much so I don’t have their number! Glad I was able to find one (mom’s friend) who has a store in the next street. It was an abrupt call but who the heck cares! I asked the exact location of the fire. MY GOD! It’s within our townhouse! Imagine how I panicked after knowing that the fire was just 1-2 house behind ours! Thank God I was able to contact my mom a few minutes later. She wasn’t able to answer the phone coz she just come back from the bank where she stored some of the important stuff in the deposit box after knowing about the fire. She’s not quite sure if the fire was already contained/off as our house was entirely surrounded by smoke. I immediately left work and hurried home. Thank God the fire was already off when I reached home – mom and house both safe.

Here are some of my realizations after the incident:

• Store important stuff (especially legal papers) in one container so that in case of emergency, you just grab the bag and run for your life!
• Be friendly to your neighbors (even if you’re not much acquainted to them) and ask for their phone numbers so that you can ask for help in times of need.
• Keep the numbers of fire volunteers in your area. They’re usually the ones that are first to arrive in times of fire emergency.

One thing made me go “gaga” yesterday was the sidewalk vendors on the streets!!! Since Christmas last year, they have occupied the entire street and made it their own. They blocked the street from 7am-7pm and no cars are allowed to pass. They claimed that they rent their area from Manila Cityhall. I was told by my fire volunteer friend that the fire was caused by electrical spark. How could that be? You do the thinking. My mom told me the vendors refused to give way when the fire truck arrived. Why? You do the thinking again. A few hours after the fire went off and the fire truck left, guess what happened? They all came back and occupied the street as if nothing happened! Business as usual! Damn it! Sino ba talaga ang nagbabayad ng buwis? Mga “buwis”it!

Labels: blabs, matters of the heart

Finally, a Veluz bride in the making. :) Yep yep, that's me! The approach on deciding my gown designer is pretty much the same as how we finalized our photographer. Called Veluz and inquired if I'm still her first bride for our wedding date. I was thinking, if she's still available, then again, it's meant to be. Well, just trying my luck actually. Wasn't expecting a supplier as popular as her would still be free on our wedding date. Surprise surprise - she's still available and I'm still her first bride. That's it -- it's gotta be Veluz. We visited her tonight and closed the deal. And indeed, being a Veluz bride means you get a designer, couturier, coordinator and mentor in one. Her ideas just keep pouring in! Oh, by the way, being a V bride also means I'm automatically a Niko bride as well. Niko's the one who makes the shoes and bag of the bride, which are included in the accessories with the bridal gown. He's such a sweetie -- ba mas mapoise pa sa akin! haha.. We had so much fun making chika with Veluz and Niko. And I'm glad Dex got along well with them. Actually I find their conversasion quite funny. As witnessed by Veluz, patience is really the key to tame Dex's kakulitan! haha.. Oh, and one thing more, I'm really really glad Tita V finally moved her shop to Quirino. Saves us a lot of travel time. Can drop by any time to make kulit! :)

Veluz is all out support to making my dream tulle gown come true. Got some of the inspirations from the pictures below. And of course, my gown won't be complete without that Veluz touch! :)
Side note: Tita V actually noticed the bridezilla genes in me! Yeeeks!

Labels: wedding

Have been fabric searching these past few days to no avail. I can't find the exact shade that I want that matches the plumberry shade. Either too violet, too maroon, or too magenta. Whenever the salesladies ask me what color I'm looking for, I can't answer back. It's like searching without a goal. In addition to that, I'm kinda getting hints from Dex's side that a toned down color will be a better choice. Well, our preference will ultimately be followed, but I just want to be sure we won't be disappointing anyone with our decision. After all, things will get messier if we don't pick the right decision now. At some point, I thought of changing the motiff altogether. Thought of blue + brown or green + brown. Both are nice but I'm kinda having a hard time visualizing the entire look of the wedding with those colors. Like, what flowers go well with blue + brown? I'm really trying to stay away with tinted flowers (blue) for the fear of stains all over. Green + choco is a nice combination. But not all people can carry themselves well in a green outfit. Geesh.. this is getting me more frustrated than ever.

Back to plumberry, here are the swatches I gathered so far that somehow matches the color. The ento gowns should be in chiffon fabric but it's just so difficult to find. Maybe we could just stick with the color and alter the designs a little bit. I like fabric 1, 6 and 4. They're either silk or organza. I'll just show the swatches to my couturier and see if we could workout something with these colors.

We went shopping at Glorietta yesterday. By chance, I passed by Merger and decided to have a look inside. I remember my brother had a Merger suit for his wedding and it fitted really well. I was so happy to see a pink tie in polka-dots displayed in the shelves. I got even more excited when I saw a chung-sam suit that looks really nice. To my surprise, the prices of Merger's suit is so reasonable. Barely had an increase in price since the last time I went there with my brother last 1996. I immediately texted Dex to proceed to the shop and fit on the chung-sam. The salesladies there were also very accomodating and assisted us even though there were a lot of people looking around that time. I'm so so soo stunned!!! Dex look really gorgeous in that chung-sam suit!! It fitted well... uhm... just a bit tight on the neck. The suit's not to be blamed as both of us know the culprit is still the model's neck.. haha.. malaki kasi. But overall, I really liked how Dex look in the chung-sam suit... broad shoulders, lean chest. Flaws were disguised perfectly (belly and the not-so-tall height) hehe... We didn't buy the suit yet as we're still thinking if we should just have our couturier make a chung-sam instead. It'll be cheaper. And also, my mom prefers an american suit for Dex so that he could still wear it for other occassions. True, who would wear a chung-sam to parties anyways? Hm.. but he just look so 'gwapo' in that chung-sam. haay... I can imagine how my groom will look like on the wedding day.. hehe.. :)

Registered myself for IELTS exam on May 25. Exam date to be confirmed. I haven't reviewed anything yet! Geesh.. it's slowly killing me! Some friend from tsinoy.com discouraged me to take the exam as transcripts and certificates from the university will be enough proof that I am English literate. Had I known it earlier, I wouldn't have registered for the exam anymore. Sakit sa bulsa! Could have added it to our wedding expenses instead. =(

Labels: wedding