Colds

I was proud that I didn't catch any cold during the first few months of my pregnancy. Now that I'm in the homestretch, I end up with a nasty cold.

I thought at first it was allergies. I woke up with a sore throat and when we went to Dita to have lunch with Daddy on his birthday, I started sneezing continuously and my nose began running. I thought it was the dust and cigarette smoke that got to me. But now that I'm home, it's as bad and my throat is sore and I feel like I'm going to end up with a fever. :(

I don't know where I caught the cold as Leo's as healthy as a horse. I can't remember coming in contact with anyone last night who has a cold when we watched Hairspray. Fortunately, I'm still on vacation leave so I can still get enough rest to recuperate and get rid of this cold. I pity my baby as my sneezes tend to be violent and causes my stomach to contract. Hopefully, he's still ok in there.

As I'm not sure what cold medication to take, I'll just drown myself in orange juice (Florida Naturals!) and water and get plenty of sleep. Leo and I decided to sleep in tomorrow and just go to the St. James Bazaar late in the morning. Thank goodness it's raining tonight so we can do away with the aircon when we sleep. Being on my 8th month, I have additional 50% (?) blood volume in my body thus I always want the temperature cold.

I do hope this is gone tomorrow. I still want to go to the bazaar and finish my Christmas shopping! I only have a few items left in my list.

Baby Kicks

By next week, I'll be on my 8th month already. It means that in less than 8 weeks, I'll be giving birth! I'm excited and anxious as the same time.

Since this Monday, the baby has been moving and kicking a lot. Yesterday while I was taking a nap, I woke up after the baby gave a very hard kick. No amount of begging or pleading would make him rest. I shouldn't complain though. The point that he's  moving a lot means he's ok. I can't help but feel very battered though. I feel very stretched already

I'm very thankful though that Leo has been taking very good care of me. He would immediately wake up or rush to my side everytime I would utter a surprised or painful cry. He's always ready to take me to the doctor or hospital everytime I complain of pain. He would give in to my whims whenever I would want something--as long as it's reasonable. During our birthing class, there was a question wherein the husbands were asked how they perceive their wives' pregnant bodies. Leo answered "fragile". I laughed at that. Never in my life have I been described as fragile until now.

The heartburn is getting worse as the baby starts pressing against my stomach making the stomach acid go up my esophagus. At least the hamstring/butt pains have eased. It was really so painful early this week as the baby must have been pressing against a nerve.

Though I'm anxious over the birthing process, I really can't wait for this pregnancy to be over.

Dinner with former and current SCB Credit people

Out of the 5 other people that I had dinner with, two of them have already left SCB. I miss them and it was great seeing them again.

Baby Kicks

By next week, I'll be on my 8th month already. It means that in less than 8 weeks, I'll be giving birth! I'm excited and anxious as the same time.

Since this Monday, the baby has been moving and kicking a lot. Yesterday while I was taking a nap, I woke up after the baby gave a very hard kick. No amount of begging or pleading would make him rest. I shouldn't complain though. The point that he's moving a lot means he's ok. I can't help but feel very battered though. I feel very stretched already

I'm very thankful though that Leo has been taking very good care of me. He would immediately wake up or rush to my side everytime I would utter a surprised or painful cry. He's always ready to take me to the doctor or hospital everytime I complain of pain. He would give in to my whims whenever I would want something--as long as it's reasonable. During our birthing class, there was a question wherein the husbands were asked how they perceive their wives' pregnant bodies. Leo answered "fragile". I laughed at that. Never in my life have I been described as fragile until now.

The heartburn is getting worse as the baby starts pressing against my stomach making the stomach acid go up my esophagus. At least the hamstring/butt pains have eased. It was really so painful early this week as the baby must have been pressing against a nerve.

Though I'm anxious over the birthing process, I really can't wait for this pregnancy to be over.

Twilight - A Pleasant Surprise

I just watched Twilight today (first screening at Alabang Town Center) and 3 hours after leaving the cinema, I'm still in that Twilight high. To think I did not that have high expectations on the movie. I did not believe that Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart were fit as Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan respectively. So I was not really overly going gaga whenever Robert would appear in the TV shows or wherever promoting the movie. I also can't understand why they're making that much a fuss with his hair. It's so...unruly! Though I do like the books, I was not that much of a fan to buy the merchandise or watch the special preview last night. I just watched the first screening to make my officemates envious. Hehe.

But after watching the movie, I totally changed my mind. They're really perfect for the movie and what makes it better was that everything was exactly how I imagined it to be when I read the book. From the cinematography (I haven't been to Oregon or Washington but I imagined it to be that way--beautiful) to the way the actors portray the characters. Alice looks like Alice. Dr. Cullen looks like Dr. Cullen and everyone else (although I imagined Jacob to be taller).

Leo was laughing throughout the movie because of the audience reactions throughout the different scenes. I can't really blame him. Looking back, it was indeed hilarious if I wasn't caught up in the moment. When Edward first came out, half of the moviehouse softly screamed. When Dr. Cullen first appeared, he solicited the same reactions. The lady seated behind us kept on saying "sh*t" whenever a "kilig" moment would play in the screen. I don't think she was being sarcastic. It's her way of expressing her "kilig"-ness

The story is really quite simple. It's basically a love story between a human girl and a vampire boy. I still can't figure out what made these book series a hit as I've read a bit of paranormal romances and there's nothing different about the story. I guess Stephenie Meyer got her language and target audience right. The teenager age group is one of the most powerful market (next to children) available to be exploited. It's odd though that what was meant for the teenager audience spilled over to the adult age group (read: my age group. You should see the Twilight hysteria happening in the office right now. I gave my previous boss a Twilight shirt and mousepad which I saw in the bazaar for her birthday and she was SO ecstatic), same as the Harry Potter series. It was only natural that they make the series into a movie. By putting an actual physical face to the images floating in the imaginations of the teenage readers' brains can make any hooked reader into a rabid fan. And everyone knows how rabid teenage fans can be. Hey, I was a teenager once so I can relate. Think notebook covers, accessories, shirts, the whole shebang!

Nevertheless, I'd watch it again just to see Edward's brooding and piercing glare. And I totally forgive Robert Pattinson for his hair.

Now, let me surf for some Twilight clips and articles to assuage my Twilight thirst and keep my Twilight high maybe until New Moon the movie comes out.


(Images taken from filmonic.com and reviewabook.blogspot.com)

Christmas Wish List 2008

It has become tradition for me to write down my Christmas wish list. But somehow, I'm at a loss for this year. It seems that all I want are for my baby. I do want stuff for myself but they seem rather shallow compared to my baby's needs. Besides, the thing I really want is not material and it will depend on God's plan for me. All I really want for Christmas is for my baby to be born healthy and for us to be the best parents there is.

But well, I'll try my best to write down stuff I need:

1. Wall clock or alarm clock - my cellphone has always been my alarm clock. I'm having mixed feelings if I want it to be digital where I can see the time even at night or not. I have this habit of waking up in the middle of the night and if I see the time, I sometimes get pressured to get some sleep that I end up not sleeping at all.

2. Wallet - I love my wallet now as it has lots of pockets and big space for all my stuff. Unfortunately, there's already a big tear on the side and it's already looking for a replacement.

3. Baby Couture Diaper Bag - This is the style that I want. In case you would want to get me one (hinthint), they have branches in Glorietta 3, SM Megamall and Alabang Town Center. They are also available in SM department stores (Makati, North, Manila, Megamall and Mall of Asia), Rustan's and Baby & Co.

4. Wrist watch - Preferably one with a second counter so I can time contractions.

5. A nice soft arm chair - This is not cheap but hey, it's a wish list after all. We don't have an arm chair here in our room and I would want one when I breastfeed.

6. Office hand bag - I never could get tired of having a new bag. I'm not really a bag hag that would want branded bags but it's always nice to have a new one. Preferably one with LOTS of pockets.

7. Breastfeeding blouses - I saw a lot of nice blouses that are breastfeeding-friendly (where you can inconspicuously feed) but are rather pricey. During one of our birth classes, one of Rome's former students presented her breastfeeding blouses and they're really nice.

8. Post-its or office supplies - One of my staff gave me this as a gift last year and I was overjoyed. There's something about new pens, pencils, notebooks and whatever that brings me joy.

9. Baby clothes/attire - I bought a lot of baby clothes when I went shopping. Unfortunately, most of them are newborn sizes so I would prefer big sizes please. My baby will grow into it.

10. Diapers - yeah, well we won't be needing this until the baby gets here but I somehow assume that this will be our biggest expense (I did buy cloth diapers but disposables are the best--are there any environmentally-friendly diapers available?).

Kiko's 7th Birthday Celebration

A swimming party for my cousin and godson, Kiko with his family and friends held at the BF Clubhouse today, Nov. 23.

Leo and I was there together with the whole family. However, we opted to just sit in the sidelines and watch everyone enjoying the water. It was rather humid so while everyone was cooling off in the pool, Leo and I were sweating at the sidelines. Though I do have a maternity swimsuit, I didn't want to swim with so many people around as I felt very conscious with my humongous tummy.

Tita Mae and her brood arrived late although I wasn't able to take much of their pictures.

8th Month Check-up

Start:	Dec 3, '08 10:00a
Location:	Asian Hospital

Lolo Gening's 90th birthday celebration

Start:	Dec 14, '08 12:00p
Location:	The Palms Country Club

Leo's maternal grandfather is turning 90 this year. It's a big enough reason to celebrate.

Hairspray

Start:	Nov 29, '08 7:00p
Location:	Star Theater, CCP Grounds

Leo and I got tickets to watch Hairspray at Manila this coming weekend. He's pretty much excited about it. I hope the baby will cooperate. Last time we watched a musical (Avenue Q), I was miserable the whole time as it was my first trimester and I was not feeling well.

Kiko's Swimming Party

Start:	Nov 23, '08 1:00p
Location:	BF Clubhouse

Kiko's 7th birthday celebration

4d Video of Sebastian #2

Sebastian's 3D and 4D Ultrasound Pictures and Video

You can view the pictures here

While the video can be viewed here

There are actually more pictures and videos. I'm just too lazy to sort through them to find a decent one to upload.

As I mentioned, our apologies for the hazy pictures. Try not to enlarge them too much. Sebastian was loving his placenta too much as he was sticking close to it. If he's not there, he's trying to wedge himself down my pelvic bone thus we couldn't get a complete whole picture of him. Most of them are just profile shots.

4D Video of Sebastian

Again, sorry for the hazy pictures. Same explanation as the stills.

Sebastian's 3D Pictures

Don't enlarge the pictures too much as it would be too hazy. Sorry if we couldn't get any clearer pictures. Basti was too near his placenta and my pelvic bone and he did not want to move away. I think it took a total of more than 2 hours (2 sessions at 1 hour each--even more) just to get these pictures. He just did not want to cooperate though how much wheedling and cajoling that we did.

So, who does he look like?

Day 3 of Block Leave

After a hard day of cleaning yesterday, I resolved to just take it easy today.

Late this morning, Leo and I went to Town Center. I bought a copy of the latest issue of YES! magazine (it's the only local showbiz magazine that I read) and had lunch at Mexicali (somehow, the food tastes different there compared to their branch in RCBC). Afterwards, we had dessert at Razon's (love the halo-halo yumyum) and did some shopping at National Bookstore and Toys R Us.

When Leo took me home, I resumed wrapping gifts. Late in the afternoon, I realized that I underestimated the gift wrappers so we're going to the bazaar tomorrow morning to buy some more and probably buy gifts as well.

There's something therapeutic about gift wrapping, probably like origami. Though my skills are pretty simple and sometimes crude, I love taping and folding the wrappers. I've even copied the style of the professional gift wrappers by using double-sided adhesive (yeah, it's more expensive than scotch tape but hey, it makes the gift look clean!). I don't have ribbons though but I did have custom-made gift tag-stickers done at Robee Stickers (I love this shop! Too bad they closed their branch here at Town Center. Now I have to go all the way to Glorietta 3 to have the stickers made).

To make sure my lower back doesn't ache too much from the sitting, I placed two cushions on my monoblock chair. To set the mood, I even played christmas songs while wrapping! Now, the baby's room is again a mess but it's due to the Christmas gifts scattered all over the room.

We went to Alba's at Westgate for dinner to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday. It was my first time to eat there and the food was ok. We got Chris (my BIL) some golf balls which he can use in the driving range.

I'll probably sleep in an hour. I'm happy though as I sleep throughout the night (with a couple of bathroom breaks in between). I now wake up at 7 or 8 AM. I don't nap anymore in the afternoon though as I get enough sleep throughout the night. Maybe when I'm done with the wrapping and cleaning, I'll resume my old habit of napping in the afternoon.

Day 2 of Block Leave

Finally, I was able to start cleaning the baby's room. I threw away 4 garbage bags worth of stuff (some of them are actually trash while others will be given away). I'm really anxious to have the baby cabinet fixed so I can start putting away the baby clothes.

I also managed to organize Leo's papers into files and folders. My new system surely beats his old system of just stuffing everything in the filing cabinet that it's already overflowing.

In the next few days, I'll start wrapping and tagging presents and figure out who else I need to shop for. My last project is to fix all our pictures and hang them either in the baby's room or our room. A lot of people gave us really nice pictures frames for our wedding last year and I can't wait to put them to use.

All that hard work really drained me though. My lower back and hamstrings are aching. I would expect the lower back but my hamstrings? My doctor said that it's due to my center of gravity shifting. My stomach is really big now and I can feel the aches more than ever.

3d/4d Ultrasound and Prenatal Check-up

I don't have pictures yet as the baby was very shy when we went for our 3d/4d ultrasound today. However, I can categorically say that based on what we saw of the baby's profile, he just looks like Leo. Hah! We'll be returning on Saturday to try again and hopefully get the pictures and video.

As early as now, it seems this will be a serious child. He refused to smile whenever we were coaxing him to do so. There were also some pictures of him hugging his leg and trying to suck his toes! When he finally let go of his leg, he turned away from the camera and showed us his back! Ang kulit! :)

Based on the ultrasound, my baby is already 3.74 lbs which is also normal for his gestation. Forgot to check the length though.

I also had my long-delayed 7th month pre-natal check-up today (I'm already on my 30th week!). All signs are good. My BP is normal (100/60), there's no protein in my urine and my glucose is also normal. My doctor is also very happy on my weight gain (5 lbs total since I got pregnant). My iron though is low which is normal for pregnant women so I'll still be on my Natalbes prenatal tablets. I was also given my 2nd Tetanus shot and 1st HepaB shot. Both my upper arms are now painful. For the flu shot, I'll probably get that early next year.

We also talked about my birth plan. She said that basically what I want will happen. I'm still a bit wary on the epidural but she said there's nothing to worry about. We'll talk more about it when I see her again after a couple of weeks because she saw how scared I was of the epidural. She wants to assuage my fears and to assure me that it's safe.

Hopefully by that time, the new wing of Makati Med will already be open. It seems we won't be getting the package as husbands are not allowed in the birthing room and I do so want Leo to be with me when the birthing happens. We have to time it perfectly though as charges in the birthing room runs by the hour (my doctor said para daw taxi). So the longer I labor, the more expensive it will get.

My OB also said that she managed to campaign for the hotel administration to get a water bath for the new wing which was approved. She's in the process of writing the rules and regulations of the tub's use. It's meant to make labor easier and if I would want, I can give birth in the tub but I'm not that adventurous yet. I'm happy with the bean bag and the table, thank you.

Can't wait to get the pictures. This baby is definitely a Sangalang. :)

Leo's Project

Leo is particularly proud of this project. I mentioned yesterday that he wanted to assemble the crib and he managed to do so today.

This is the baby's crib. I initially didn't like the color so it was a pleasant surprise that it matched the curtains in the baby's room. Hah!

Now, I just have to get rid of the mess.

By the way, see the propped picture frames at the lower right? That's me actually. I'm thinking of having both pictures re-framed and will hang it in the baby's room.

I have to find picture hooks that wouldn't need drilling. I have lots of picture frames here and I would want to hang our wedding pictures and other pictures as well.

Shopping for Baby

Leo and I made our first big purchases last Wednesday and today for the baby.

First of all, we bought a new digital camera to record the auspicious event on January. It's a nice new toy. We bought a Canon Digital IXUS 85 IS. It has a whopping 10 megapixels! My old digicam already gave up and the response time is too slow to capture the eye-blinking moments. It can also take video shots (with sound) as well.

We haven't actually tinkered with it fully but we gave it a test run today. We can whole-heartedly say that it's definitely worth the price.

Other than that, we finally bought a Graco crib for our baby boy. As we were meeting up with Tita Loida, Tito Ruben and Sean at SM Southmall, we braved the Alabang-Zapote Road mid-day traffic and was there two hours before our meeting time.

We bought a Graco Contour Electra same color as the right but with the cot inside is red. (Thank you Lola Jennie and Russell for the crib!). Leo was really excited to buy this and he wanted to immediately assemble it when we got home. I didn't want to as it will just gather dust but he's adamant as he reasoned out that it's one way to find out if there are any missing parts or pieces which I found odd considering he had the thing assembled and dissambled before we bought it just to make sure.

I wanted to buy cloth diapers and other clothes but Leo stopped me as we already bought a dozen Chino Pinos (no pins needed. Go velcro!). I was tempted to buy more baby clothes but again, I already have lots stocked up here. I did try to look for a baby cabinet but Leo said that we already have one here at home that just needs to be fixed.

When we met up with Tito Ruben, Tita Loida and Sean, they gave us our pasalubong from them and Claudine and Mommy (thank you thank you!).

Mommy gave us the Baby Bjorn (the one at the back) which Leo loves. I also got the Medela Breast Pump (from Claudine or Mommy?) which I wanted to buy ever since. Oh and there's also the baby monitor that Claudine sent us early this year.



The Chicco crib mobile was given to us by my sister-in-law and the baby mat on the top was given to us by Tita Loida. The plastic on top of the baby carrier contains lots of baby clothes which I have yet to wash.

The crib is the long box while the baby carrier is the big box (thank you Tita Chit!). Looking at the stuff, it seems that we haven't bought enough.

The picture on the right will be the baby's room. I have yet to clean out all the stuff which I will be doing on my vacation. I'll definitely be throwing out lots of stuff. Oh and I will keep the ball and the bean bag. The ball helps soothe my aching back while the bean bag makes a nice recliner when I put it on the bed.

Which reminds me, I'm looking for a nice breastfeeding chair (either a rocker or a nice chair with arm rests). I want to exclusively breastfeed the first three months and I'm still trying to figure out if it's possible. Oh and I wonder where the maids put the breastfeeding cover-up that I bought last month. Gosh, the room's a mess!

Tito Robin, Tita Loida and Sean Meet-up

Met-up with Tito Robin, Tita Loida and Sean at SM Southmall today, Nov. 15. They gave us our pasalubongs and we went around SM shopping and hanging around at the food court tasting almost all of the abounding Filipino delicacies

Rome Kanapi's Nov 2008 birth class

Some pictures taken of our batch. Classes ran from Oct 13 to Nov 8 and it was held at one of the conference rooms at the Sanctuario de San Antonio.

About Hubby

I saw this at Cessna's blog. Just like Cess, I asked my husband for his answers after I finished answering the questions. Let's see how we fare:

1. He’s sitting in front of the TV: what is on the screen?
MY ANSWER: Sports channel (soccer, basketball)
HIS ANSWER:Sports

2. You are out to eat: What kind of dressing does he put on his salad?
Asian dressing or whatever he likes and it's always on the side
Ranch

3. What is the one food he doesn’t like?
Chocolate (but if I buy for myself, he takes a bite. Madaya!)
None
I didn't want to believe him as there would be times that he would refuse whatever it was I would offer him. He said that it doesn't mean he doesn't like the food. He just doesn't want to it eat at that time.

4. You go out to the bar: what does he order?
None. He doesn't drink alcohol. If he does drink beer, he usually shares with me.
Beer

5. Where did he go to high school?
DLSZ/U (from prep to MBA. so there's no question where our son will be going to school)

6. What size shoe does he wear?
9
9 1/2

7. If he were to collect anything, what would it be?
Techie or sports stuff
Nothing

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
Tuna or any of those healthy sandwiches
Tuna clubhouse

9. What would the husband eat every day if he could?
Salad
Chicken

10. What is his favorite cereal?
Ewwww...the stuff that he buys at this organic store. The healthier the better
Tama daw ako. :)

11. What would he never wear?
Swimming trunks
Polka dots (sabi niya, puwede rin sagot ko. Polka dots na swimming trunks. Hehe)

12. What is his favorite sports team?
Sports? Football - Arsenal; Basketball - everything
Arsenal, San Miguel

13. Who will he vote for?
Obama
Obama

14. Who is his best friend?
ME!
“Sunshine"

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do?
 Eat junk food.
Wala daw (he forgot the times that he would scold me whenever I would pick out ice cream or chocolates when we buy groceries)

16. How many states has he lived in?
Manila, Paranaque and Muntinlupa - 3 all in all
Nagtatalo kami. He can't remember living in Manila (pero I'm sure he told me that before) and Paranaque doesn't count because at that time, Paranaque was not a city yet.

17. What is his heritage?
Filipino.
Filipino

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday: what kind?
Cheesecake
Chocolate

19. Did he play sports in high school?
Yes
Yes, basketball.

20. What could he spend hours doing?
Watching downloaded TV series
Internet, watching TV, sleeping

Block Leave

I can't wait to start my block leave. It'll start on the 19th of November and I'm due back to work on the 4th of December.

I have so many things lined up to do and I hope I can finish them:

1. Prepare the baby's room - the spare room is a big mess. It's basically where we put stuff that we don't use but might use. We need to get rid some of the stuff to make way for the baby stuff.

2. Buy baby stuff - so far the big major thing that we already have for the baby is the baby carrier. Other big purchases are: crib, stroller, cabinet, sterilizer and breast pump (yes, I intend to exclusively breastfeed for the first 3 months).

3. Finish Christmas shopping - I really don't know how far along I am in our Christmas list. I have to sit down and check out the stuff that we already bought and match them to the people in the list.

4. Wrap Christmas gifts - I love wrapping gifts. I'm already preparing my gift-wrapping station. I already bought dozens of gift wrappers and had stickers prepared. Can't wait to start wrapping!

5. 3D/4D ultrasound - I also scheduled this during my block leave and on a weekday. Hopefully, there will be fewer people at the clinic and the doctor can take her time. I'm glad I already had my congenital scan done and the baby's healthy. With the 3D/4D ultrasound, we can have a clearer view of the baby and probably see who he looks like.

And some other stuff.

Leo and I intend to go somewhere also for my birthday but we haven't really talked about it. For sure, I can't travel too far as sitting for too long a period makes my back ache already.

CSI Season 9 Espisode 5: Leave Out All The Rest

The song is sung by Linkin Park (from their album last year) and is also the same title of CSI Season 9 Episode 5. I'm just haunted by the song as the episode really revolved around the lyrics.

I won't give anymore spoilers but it's an episode that CSI fans would want to watch (other than the first episode of this season)--especially those looking forward to seeing Lady Heather again--sans heavy make-up and dominatrix outfit (honestly, I like her better for Grissom than Sarah...hmph).

This is the chorus which was played before and after the episode (without the drums):
When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some
Reasons to be missed

Don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory
Leave out all the rest, leave out all the rest

As usual, bitin na naman yung ending ng episode. Haaay. Guess what's the episode all about.

Supplier Ratings and Wedding Kuwento

I was supposed to post this last year but I totally forgot. Here it is.
The post was meant for the Weddings@Work yahoogroups where I used to be a member of. We're encouraged to share our wedding experience and the suppliers that we've worked with to help other brides/grooms-to-be in their wedding planning.
Happy reading!

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Sangalang-David Wedding 9-1-07 Supplier Ratings

I’m writing this fresh from our honeymoon from El Nido. Basically, the wedding was perfect. A dream come true for both of us.

To start off my wedding kuwento, my hubby accompanied me when I checked in at Vivere on Aug. 31, Friday. My mom followed later on after she checked in my relatives at another hotel. My other relatives were supposed to check-in at Vivere in another room that I reserved for them through Palms but when I saw the suite, it was too small for all of them. Good thing we found (through the goodness of a relative) another condotel which is much cheaper and can accommodate all of my relatives coming from the north. For those looking for an alternative preps venue in the south, check out Parque Espana at Filinvest near South Supermarket.

As our wedding is in the morning, I intended to be asleep by 8pm (with a 4am wake-up call!). However, I couldn’t sleep that night. Though I’ve been reminded by Queen (and even Cecil) to get some sleep, I really could not as I was so excited over the wedding. Leo called me up earlier to say goodnight (the more excited I became Hehe).

Queen told me that she’ll give me a wake-up call at 4am. Just to be sure, I set my alarm at 4am. I woke up at 130 am and had problems going back to sleep. I managed to doze off at 230 only to wake up at exactly 4. I took a bath and got ready for the day.

The first supplier to arrive was Jesy Alto and Steve. They were there at 5am! Steve started to work on my hair while Jesy worked on my mom’s make-up. Queen soon arrived at 530 and Jong’s team around 6. The flowers arrived at exactly 7am however I was really disappointed how they turned out. My bouquet was acceptable, unfortunately, the other bouquets were not. As they were white liliums, they already had brown stripes/spots on them already. Worse, bouquet pa ng mother-in-law ko yung pangit! My MIL loves flowers and she paid for those expensive flowers. She deserves to get what she paid for. I refused to give the balance and called up Liv. She was really apologetic about it and I left Queen to deal with her. I was really livid about the whole thing but Jong, Jesy and other suppliers reminded me to not let it ruin my day. I went to the bathroom, took a deep breath and just let it go.

Cecil’s team was the last one to arrive at 7am. As my make-up was not yet done, he helped out my mom in her gown as well as my matron of honor.

I also belatedly realized that I forgot to buy the fruits for our offertory the day before! I asked Queen if they could pass by Rustan’s or any nearby supermarket to buy the fruits.

Jesy had a harder time with my make-up (as compared to our trial) as I used a different moisturizer this time which did not help with the acidity of my face. I was already getting impatient as I wanted to start with the pictorial and put on my gown. I’m glad she quickly finished and I looked tons better than what I looked like during our trial. I didn’t realize I could be sooo pretty! 

Jong left earlier to do his pictorials with Leo at their house in Alabang. He left me with a couple of his photographers (John Jay and Markches) who ably did their job. We were running late so we had to cut our pictorials at the hotel.

Once we got to the church, my parents stepped out of the car while I was left to wait to be called. The car was a Lincoln which was also provided by Palms as part of our package. The driver was not very talkative as he left me alone in the car to wait. Queen stopped by to tell me that they were able to buy the fruits and she mentioned that she’s on her way to the reception (I love Queen!). She said David (her husband) will take care of all the church coordination.

At around 10, I was asked to step out of the car while Cecil and his team fussed over my gown and my veil. I quietly stood in front of the closed doors of the church while listening to the instrumental of “Sleeps with Butterflies” being played over the PA system which is an indication that the entourage march is still ongoing. I could feel myself starting to get emotional and tears were pricking my eyes. John Jay said that it’s ok for me to cry and to just let the tears flow. When Anima Choir started humming the first lines of my requested bridal march song, “Ikaw Lamang”, I started crying. However, when the doors opened and I saw all those photos being snapped, the tears just stopped. Hehehe. I guess I was so overwhelmed that all I could do was smile. I could hear the coordinators giving me instructions in the background “Look at Leo”, “kick your gown”, “kick your gown”, “walk slowly”. I was just smiling and focused on my husband at the end of the long aisle. My mind was just blank. Good thing I remembered to greet and kiss my parents when they met me at the middle.

When we got to the front, I kissed my mother (she said I looked so beautiful!) and father in law and gave my husband a very big smile. He took my arm and led me to the altar and the song exactly finished when we got there.

The ceremony proceeded smoothly. Anima Choir sang all of our requested songs and they never sang out of tune! I had goosebumps when they sang “The Lord’s Prayer”. Sobrang ganda.

During the vows, I had Anima play the instrumental of Lea Salonga’s “Two Words”. According to my relatives, they saw me give Leo a nudge when he didn’t answer the priest together with me (merong part kasi na sabay dapat kami magsasalita). Natawa raw sila.

After the ceremony, we had pictorials outside the church. Good thing it didn’t rain although it was a bit cloudy. Nevertheless, it was still quite hot and humid. We gamely posed though. St. James is indeed a very beautiful church. We could’ve done more poses but we were running late. We arrived at Palms around 1230 already and everyone was so hungry! Even if we provided Chex Mix, mas gusto raw ng tao yung food. The program started immediately when we arrived. My brother-in-law did the invocation and we had the cake-cutting and wine ceremony afterwards.

We requested that pictures be taken with us before they head for the buffet tables. I barely ate whatever delicious stuff they served in front of me. Basta alam ko, masarap siya nung nag-food tasting kami so it should be still delicious. The soup was wonderful (pumpkin bisque with semi-whipped cream. Yumyum) and it was the only thing I was able to consume a lot of of. Yung sinerve na yung main course, wala na akong nakain.

The best part of the reception was when I danced with my dad. I asked the string trio (c/o Palms. They get the strings from Bernie Pasamba) to play “What a Wonderful World” and we danced to that. Actually, I don’t know if we danced as I was hugging him most of the time. He kept on telling me how happy he was and he was just crying. I could feel myself crying pero hindi pa rin tumulo ang luha ko. I just hugged him and told him I love him so much.

My dad then handed me over to my husband and we danced to Michael Buble’s “For Once in my Life”.

For the gifts part, we gave Leo’s parents, an enlarged photo of their wedding. I had Leo look through his parents’ photo albums. Apparently, they did not have a picture na silang dalawa lang. Parating may kasama. So we had a photo cropped para may pose na silang dalawa. We also had another photo blown up na kasama nila yung respective parents nila. This was suggested by Queen. Good thing I took her advice. :)

As for my parents, since they live apart, I had a studio (Blow-up Babies) take portraits of my niece and nephew. I had them framed and gave it to them as their gifts.

For my hubby, I gave him a Rudy Project watch which he has been eyeing for quite some time. I wanted to give him a PSP or a Wii but we spent so much already. Saka na siguro yon.

The program was finished around 230pm. Actually, I asked Missy to cut it as some of the guests were already leaving. We skipped the Couples Game and went straight to the Thank Yous. Siyempre, I thanked all the suppliers and my friends and my hubby for making me the happiest woman in the world.

My officemates stayed behind and I could see them having the time of their lives posing outside the ballroom. I changed to my wedding wedges and it was so much comfortable than the heels. Although I wanted to get out of my gown already but we were still waiting for Jong to finish burning the pictures. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law finally took us to Vivere around 430 or 5pm already.

We left for El Nido, Monday Sep. 3. Palawan is such a lovely place and Lagen Island is ideal for honeymooners. It’s interesting to note though that we were the only Filipino guest couple in the island. The rest of the guests were either Koreans or Japanese.

When we got back from Palawan on Wednesday, we were given the sad news that my lolo’s dextrose has been removed already. A few months back, I emailed to the group that my lolo was diagnosed with liver cancer. A couple of weeks before the wedding, I thought he was going to die as my dad rushed him to the hospital due to difficulty in breathing. The cancer has metastasized to his chest cavity area. The mass was pushing against his trachea making breathing difficult for him. He was then put in IV as he couldn’t eat. He was also bed-ridden and he’s always asleep.

When my dad got home after the wedding, he whispered to my lolo that the wedding was over. My lolo smiled and a few minutes later, his arm suddenly swelled. The vein where the IV was connected apparently collapsed. They couldn’t find another vein so they had to insert the IV through a vein on his foot. On Wednesday, that vein also collapsed. His family then decided to remove the IV tube that was providing him sustenance all this time. He’s now in deep comatose and so now, we’re just waiting for the inevitable.

I cried when I heard the news. When I visited him before the wedding, I silently told him that if he needs to go, I won’t mind. Kung nahihirapan na siya, he doesn’t need to wait for me to get married. Whatever God wants, I will just accept. But he held on for me to get married as I know he doesn’t want the happy event to be shadowed by his death. I just pray that his passing will be peaceful and that I hope that he will carry the thought that he is very much loved.

Nevertheless, the wedding was indeed very memorable and something that my hubby and I will treasure for the rest of our lives together. The wedding was made more beautiful by my able and efficient suppliers. Without them, this beautiful wedding will not be possible.

Herewith are our supplier ratings. Five being the highest, 1 being the lowest.

CHURCH - St. James the Great, Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa
Rating: 5
Peso Power: Php20,000
http://sunshifairy.multiply.com/photos/photo/14/84
http://sunshifairy.multiply.com/photos/photo/14/81

Ever since Leo and I started talking about the wedding, I wanted to get married at Calaruega at Tagaytay. But Leo refused and wanted it to be done at St. James the Great where we regularly hear mass every Sunday. He reasoned out that Tagaytay is quite far (even if we live in the South) and he does not relish going to Tagaytay ever weekend just to look for suppliers or fixing our wedding requirements.
I finally acceded to his wishes (after all, they're paying for it) and we booked our date July last year.

Since Leo and his family are residents, we were given the resident rate (5K less than the non-resident rate). We paid the downpayment of P10K and we requested for aircon.

Thinking about it now, I would not have chosen another church. When you see it the first time, you will be awed by how big it is. The interior is also nicely done. It can be quite beautiful during Christmas.

Ms. Aycie also did not give us a hard time with the requirements. I initially thought I would have a problem as my confirmation and baptismal certificates have “Sunshine” whereas my birth certificate does not. She just asked me to accomplish a certification that I am one and the same and that was it.

RECEPTION: The Palms Country Club (http://www.thepalmsclub.com/)
Rating: 5
Peso Power: Member rates (PM me for exact amount)

After we booked the church, Leo and I went to the nearby hotels to look for our reception venue. We were choosing between Palms and Bellevue but we were already leaning on getting Palms as they’re quite well-known for their food. Besides, Leo’s sister is a member so we easily got the member rates.

All the food served during the food tasting was so scrumptious. Good thing I tasted them then because I was not able to eat much during the wedding itself.

You can find our menu posted here: http://walkingwithsunshine.blogspot.com/2007/07/sangalang-david-wedding-reception-menu.html

All our guests were very happy with the food. Everyone was saying that the food was delicious! The portions were huge (kahit buffet). Hit yung Japanese Sushi bar namin. It was the first thing the guests went through. You will definitely not go wrong with the Palms food.

Anne Zablan, our AE, was very accommodating. She even got my last-minute requests right! Very efficient.

They’ve also upgraded their wedding packages. Ang dami nang inclusive. We still have that GC for the dinner, massage, gym etc.

Just one little comment, we didn’t like their choices for the supplier meals. Parang ang konti yata. Ginawa namin, we had Palms set up a buffet table doon sa loob ng holding room para sa kanila. At least hindi kami nahiya sa mga suppliers namin.

PREPARATIONS: For the bride – Vivere Suites (http://www.viveresuites.com/)
Rating: 4
Peso Power: Part of the Palm’s package. Extra night costs Php8,500 (if booked through Palms)

The room is really nice and the bed really comfortable. My only complaint was that we had to call twice for housekeeping to come over and they’re really expensive as compared to Parque Espana. The room we reserved at Parque Espana has 3 BR and only cost us Php6,500/night. Also, Vivere will charge you extra if you order more than 3 dining sets (plates/spoons).

The package also comes with a breakfast buffet. Their rooftop restaurant has a nice view and the food really superb.

For the other relatives – Parque Espana (http://hospitalityinc.com.ph/parque/)
Rating: 4
Peso Power: Promo of Php6,500/night for 3BR (with maid’s room)

A relative of my aunt referred me to this place. It’s located near South Supermarket. The rooms are really nice and it’s furnished. According to my relatives and my other family members who stayed there, it’s really comfortable. I would recommend this place to other people looking for alternative prep venues at the South. A nice change from Vivere and Bellevue.

Although I only gave it a 4 as the lobby is quite small. If you’re going to consider this as a prep place for the bride, the lobby leaves much to be desired for photo ops.

PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHER: John Mateos Ong (Imagine-Nation) (http://www.imagine-nation.org)
Rating: 5+++++
Peso Power: Labor only of Php50,000 + 5,000 for projector rent

This was the first supplier that we actually booked. I think we booked him sometime September 2006 during the bridal fair at PICC Tent. Jong is an old college friend and it was by accident that I found out he’s now a professional photographer (wala siyang hilig sa ganyan nung college pa kami. Puro events at banda lang). I saw some of his sample works and we did not think twice in booking him.

Jong recommended other suppliers to me and I think I almost got them all.
Sobrang bait ni Jong at ang galing talaga. We had our prenup pictorial with him at Tagaytay Highlands last Aug. 23. To think it was raining that day and he was still game. He was walking in the rain looking for nice shots and he just directed us on where to stand and pose. Galing talaga. Our relatives said parang pang-movie poster yung mga shots naming. Hehe.

As for the wedding itself, there was a moment when I got so mad as the entourage flowers were really disappointing. Jong, together with Queen and Jesy, calmed me down and said I should not let it ruin my day.

Everybody said that our pictures were really good. Jong even made a slideshow presentation containing shots of the wedding preps and ceremony which was showed during the reception. Sobrang kakakilabot siya (http://sunshifairy.multiply.com/video/item/3/Leo_Sunshine.mov)

It’s because of him that we have something to remind us of our very beautiful wedding. He made me see the little wonderful things I’ve missed. It’s from his pictures na napansin ko na maganda talaga yung flowers namin sa church at nakita ko na maganda pala ako. Haha! We even got the pictures right after the reception! As in we just waited for him to burn them in DVD cds and we took them home right afterwards. The pictures are indeed good high res quality. Imagine, his pic size files are 4MB each! Ubos ang memory ng laptop ko! Hehe. Puwedeng i blow-up talaga.

Highly, highly recommended supplier. The best among the best!


HAIR AND MAKE-UP: Jesy Alto and Steve of Madge Lejano
Rating: 5
Peso Power: Php12,000; Php1,500 for trial

Madge actually was Jong’s first referral to me. Unfortunately, when we visited her during the bridal fair, she was already booked for our wedding date. She recommended her second team which was Jesy Alto. I booked her on the spot without any trial whatsoever. Just based on the pictures and Jong’s referral.

I’m so glad I got Jesy. Based on the pictures, I really look very very pretty! Natural make-up talaga. What I love about it was that she matched my face sa skin tone ko. She did not even have to put make-up on my neck (not what I was used to)!. Kaya masasabi ko na magaling siya talaga. Atsaka OC! Acidic kasi ang face ko and she kept on fixing the color to ensure that my skin tone is still the same. And even after the reception, my make-up still looks great!

Steve also made my hair look so beautiful. Ang ganda nung hairpiece that Cecil provided. I really let my hair grow for the wedding and I’m so glad I did. Ang ganda ng bagsak ng veil ko! Gosh! Happy happy!


BRIDAL AND ENTOURAGE GOWNS: Cecilio Abad Couture (http://cecilioabad.multiply.com/)
Rating: 5+++++
Peso Power: Php80,000 for 10 gowns including my gown
(For my Dad’s barong – P2,000, I provided the tela; for my brother-in-law’s barong – P3,500, Cecil provided the tela)

http://sunshifairy.multiply.com/photos/photo/14/89
http://sunshifairy.multiply.com/photos/photo/14/88
http://sunshifairy.multiply.com/photos/photo/14/90


I LOVE CECIL!!! Cecil was the second supplier that Jong recommended. I did not look for any other couturier and after my first meeting with him, I immediately made my downpayment.

Cecil’s very easy to talk to. He’s very open when it comes to his designs. On my second fitting, I had problems with the sleeves. Hindi ako mapakali. So I called Cecil up and asked if I could bring someone with me to do another fitting kasi hindi ako happy sa sleeves. Ok naman sa kanya (actually kasalanan ko. In my first two fittings kasi, ako lang ang mag-isa na pumupunta so wala akong 2nd opinion). I brought my officemate with me where they talked about the design and whatsoever. Hindi na ako nakikinig kasi clueless ako about designs and fashion. Basta maganda ang kalabasan ng sleeves ok lang sa akin.

To fix the sleeves, Cecil took stretch tulle and placed it over my arms. Ayun, natakpan rin ang problem area ko. Sabi niya lalagyan raw niya ng beading. Ok na kami. When I went back for my 3rd fitting (4th na yata yon), I was happily surprised as doon sa unang akala ko na spattering of beads lang ang ilalagay niya, tinadtad niya talaga ang buong sleeves! My gosh! Ang ganda tuloy. Yun ang napansin ng mga guests. Para raw dinikit yung beading sa braso ko. Happy gosh gosh! So pretty! 

I asked Cecil to make the gowns for my entourage and everything really looks so great. My entourage looks very nice in their gowns and flatters all of their figures. And the colors! Ang gaganda ng contrast. When we were initially discussing colors kasi, all I know I wanted was blue. Si Cecil na ang nag-suggest ng mga contrasts-chuva and he was the one who thought of making the flower girls gowns pink. Ang ganda tuloy ng effect.

Everyone complimented me on my gown. Sobrang ganda raw ng beading! Atsaka he also did something to the beading that made me look thinner. My gosh, Ang galing!

Cecil’s also very accommodating. When I got stressed over the gown of one of my entourage, he called me up and told me not to worry about it. He had one of his people (the ever popular Clayton), deliver the gown to the house of my entourage. O diba. So, so bait and so, so talented.

He’s also very flexible when it comes to payment terms. Hindi nga nasunod yung payment terms na nakalagay sa contract. Whenever I have money, nagbibigay ako kahit less or more than the amount indicated. Basta when the gowns were done, I gave the balance na.

Very humble din itong si Cecil. Siya mismo ang luluhod sa harap mo para gupitin ang hemline. Walang kiyeme and so creative. I just wish he stayed throughout the wedding. He had to leave immediately after I walked down the aisle. I was so full of praise and thanks for him during my thank you speech. He made me look so beautiful!

He also works well with overseas clients. My mom kasi arrived a week before the wedding. Aug. 24. From the airport, I brought her (and my sister) straight to Cecil’s shop. He asked them to send their measurements months before so gawa na yung basic gown. Yun nga lang yung sinukat nila, sobrang luwang! I don’t know what he did but 5 days after, ayos na yung gowns nila with sandamukmok na beading rin on my mom’s gown! Natuwa tuloy mama ko sa kanya. Even my mother-in-law. They both love their gowns made by Cecil.

Highly, highly recommended!

GROOM’S BARONG: Edwin Valerio
Rating: 5
Peso Power: Php10,000 (inclusive of the barong, inner shirt and pants)

Edwin Valerio has been the tailor of hubby’s family for quite a long time. Leo told me that he used to have his office pants made there. It was no question that they will have their pants and barongs done by their family tailor.

Well, hubby’s very happy with it. My mother-in-law was the one who coordinated with them. Once lang ako pumunta doon para samahan si hubby to have his measurements taken. So far, ok naman ang fit. He got the barong weeks before the wedding.

BRIDE’S SHOES: Alberto
Rating: 4
Peso Power: Php3,000 (1 heels and 1 wedge)
http://sunshifairy.multiply.com/photos/photo/14/32

Cecil suggested that I get wedges para comfortable ako. Yun nga lang, I couldn’t resist buying this pair. Bagay na bagay kasi sa gown ko.
Four kasi mas mahal pa yung wedge kaysa yung heels mismo. To think I only wore the wedge after the reception (was supposed to wear it during the whole reception but we lacked time to change).
I loved my wedding shoes. They’re so dainty. Bagay pa sa dress ko.


ON-THE-DAY COORDINATOR: Queen David of Just Like Ours (http://just-like-ours.blogspot.com/)
Rating: 5+++++
Peso Power: Php15,000 for 8 people, + Php3,000 for RSVP

Queen is a W@W find. After going through the coordinators that Jong referred, I can’t seem to find a connection with them, but with Queen, I felt comfortable immediately.
Grabe, super capable talaga and super efficient. She gave such wonderful advice and she will really ensure that your wedding will be stress-free. As I said earlier, I forgot to buy the fruit basket for the offertory, she immediately went out and bought one. She also fixed the problem that I had with Holland Tulips with regards to the flowers.

And her husband, ay, sobrang bait din. He kept on asking us if there was something that we needed. He even had someone look for Tic Tacs when we asked for it! Also, when we were on our way out of the door, I liked how he prepped everyone up. They arranged our relatives and friends at the doorway to throw confetti. Before we stepped out, I could hear him preparing everyone and getting them all excited to see us. Kaya when we stepped out, everyone was just cheering. Ang ganda ng picture tuloy. Everyone was just smiling 
I’m so glad I got her. Highly recommended supplier.

GIVE-AWAYS: Papemelroti
Rating: 4
Peso Power:
http://www.papemelroti.com/148-255.jpg - for the principal sponsors (ninong)
http://www.papemelroti.com/1-663.jpg - for the guests
(Imagine them in blue)

The giveaways were the idea of my mother-in-law. After looking through cupcakes, she proposed on getting something more permanent. She sent me a photo of a Papemelroti giveaway and I was sold. I asked my mom to bring home specialized Kisses Chocolates which we placed inside the containers. What makes these Kisses special is that instead of the “Hershey’s” tag, it has “Thank You” instead.

The whole giveaway is a labor of love. My mother-in-law personally filled up each container and bought specialized ribbons for it. I was surprised she did it but I was very touched by her efforts.

I only gave it a 4 as they got the color for the principal sponsors giveaways wrong. For the ninongs, we got them a bigger container and bought Mary Grace fruitcake which we placed inside. We wanted it in blue color but they gave us yellow. Good thing we had enough time for them to re-do the whole thing. Again, my mother-in-law personally dressed the containers up.

For the Ninangs: tablecloth from Singapore
Rating: 5
Peso Power: ???

My mother-in-law asked a friend of a friend to buy this nice tablecloth from Singapore. Ang ganda. Kakulay pa ng motif namin. She again individually wrapped it and she even put tassels on the ribbons! Magaling siya talaga sa mga DIY’s. Even the other guests are asking if there’s an extra one kasi ang ganda nga daw.

WEDDING CAKE: Alex Franco
Rating: 5+++++
Peso Power: Php25,000 for a 5-layer cake inclusive of flowers and fruits

Everyone loved our cake. It was SOOOO delicious. As in! Yumyum. Hanggang ngayon, naiisip ko pa rin yung cake. Good thing we still have some of it left here at home.

You will never go wrong with Alex Franco. Touched kami kasi when we got to our table at the reception, meron ulit kaming chocolate cake from Alex. Ang dami nang freebies! Kasi when we got him, he sent us home with a small chocolate cake tapos ngayon, meron na naman. Ang daming cakes!

CHURCH FLOWERS: Mother Butler Guild of St. James
Rating: 5
Peso Power: Php30,000

My mother-in-law was the one who coordinated with them as she knows someone who’s part of the Mother Butler Guild of St. James. During the past weddings that we saw at St. James, it seems that the flowers were always white. Always. I never realized that we can request for different colored flowers.

I was happy the way the church came out. Flowers used were pastel colors which went well with our color motif. I also like the way it blended with the backlight of the altar. Ang ganda tuloy ng church.

Tapos sabi blue pa dapat ang carpet. Buti nalang red pa rin. It would’ve looked weird kung blue.

ENTOURAGE AND RECEPTION FLOWERS: Holland Tulips
Rating: 2
Peso Power: PM me

This is the supplier with the lowest rating. Siya ang nag-prove ng kasabihan na there is no such thing as a perfect wedding. Out of all our suppliers, siya lang ang nagpainit ng ulo ko. To think siya pa yung pinakamahal (other than the caterer/reception).

My mother-in-law kasi was the one who got them. I let her decide on this as I was practically clueless when it comes to flowers and event styling. Happy naman si MIL sa kanila so ok na rin sa akin. A few days before the event, I met pa with Liv to give her the horseshoe to be included in my bouquet. I thought ok na lahat.

The entourage flowers arrived at the hotel at exactly 7 am. Yun nga lang when I looked at them, sobrang na-shock ako. ANG PANGIT! Maganda yung bouquet ko pero ang pangit yung bouquets ni MIL and MOB. Meron kasing lilium yung bouquets nila at merong mga brown spots/stripes yung flowers. Obvious na hindi siya fresh! Hindi ko pinabigay yung balance at tinawagan ko agad si Liv. I said that the flowers were unacceptable and she’d better do something about them. After that, I let Queen handle the arrangements na. Sobrang uminit talaga ulo ko! Jong and Jesy told me to just let it go. Si Queen naman told me to just relax and she’ll take care of it.

Tempted ako to give them a 1, but I still gave them a 2 kasi maganda yung ginawa sa bouquet ko. Maganda yung pag-incorporate nila sa horseshoe doon sa bouquet (FYI, the horseshoe is an old English tradition. My aunt who is one of our principal sponsors and who resides in England gave me the bridal horseshoe). Also, medyo bumawi naman sila sa reception. Ang ganda ng ballroom ng Palms and they also changed the entourage flowers. Sobrang nahiya kasi ako sa MIL ko kasi she paid for those flowers tapos ganon lang???

Tapos my mother-in-law was also expecting an abundance of flowers sa reception. Sa lagay na yon, kulang pa pala sa kanya. Hindi pa namin nagustuhan yung table centerpieces nila, ang tataas! My golly.

Tip lang, if you’re getting white flowers for your entourage or bouquet, make sure fresh sila. Better yet, don’t get white flowers. Kitang-kita kasi kung may flaw.

INVITATIONS: Printsonalities (Noky Gatmaitan) http://www.printsonalities.com/index.html
Rating: 5
Peso Power: PM me

Noky was referred to me by the same aunt who referred me to Jong. Cool si Noky. She responds quickly to text messages and ok kausap. During the course of the proof reading etc, I keep on finding errors and she accommodates the changes. Kahit yung dapat na final revision na at may nakita pa rin ako, she still changed it. Sobrang bait talaga.

We ordered 200 invites. When Leo picked them up, hindi niya binilang. When I counted them 5 days later (note, I had an appendectomy kaya out of commission ako), kulang ng 50 invites! We called up Noky and she immediately delivered the remaining 50 2 days after. No stress talaga. Sobrang natakot ako kasi knowing other suppliers, they will not give you the kulang kasi dapat responsibility ng client to ensure that what was delivered/picked up was correct.

EMCEE: Melissa Ferrer-Litao
Rating: 5
Peso Power: Php4,000

I saw Missy in action during the wedding of hubby’s cousin last January. She was so bubbly, perky and professional and I knew she would be right for our wedding. We immediately booked her soon afterwards.

The program ran so smoothly and she really knows how to ad lib. Highly recommended!

CHOIR: Anima Choir (http://www.freewebs.com/animachoir/)
Rating: 5+++++
Peso Power: Php14,000

Another W@W find. I already booked another choir already but changed them a month before the wedding as I was not happy with their performance. Also, their repertoire of songs leaves much to be desired. I immediately called up Roger and he said that they’re still available on Sep. 1. Thank God!
He had me download some of their samples from their website and they’re actually REALLY REALLY good! My basis for a “good” choir is the Madz and Anima has truly exceeded expectations.
True enough, a lot of the guests cried when I walked down the aisle tapos ganon pa ang background. They also sang so lovely throughout the mass with no one missing a note. The best talaga yung “The Lord’s Prayer” nila. Have them sing this and you will surely have goosebumps.
I also got them for the reception. Sayang lang na kulang kami sa time and they couldn’t sing all the songs that I requested. Ok lang naman. Sobrang sulit talaga yung binayad namin sa kanila.
Highly, highly recommended!

HONEYMOON: Lagen Island, El Nido, Palawan
Rating: 5
Peso Power: Php65,000 (3 days, 2 nights; inclusive of airfare; we got a water cottage)

Palawan is beautiful. As in! Kahit nakaupo ka lang doon, happy ka na. Everything’s so beautiful. You will see God in everywhere you look! The islands, the water—and even the people. They’re just so accommodating and nice.
Yun nga lang, super-taga lahat. Inclusive kasi sa package yung mga boatrides (kahit saan pa gusto mo!), tours, activities, meals etc. Yung mga incidentals nila yung taga. From the mini-bar (parang hotel!) up to the internet connection (Php300/hour! Pero bakit ka naman mangangailangan ng internet connection on your honeymoon? Heheh). Not surprising as most of their clients are foreigners. In fact, we were the only Filipino guests in the island at that time. Yung mga kasama namin mga Japanese and Koreans.
For those considering El Nido for their honeymoon, we recommend Lagen Island kasi mas secluded siya. For honeymooners talaga. Miniloc Island kasi maraming tao. Andoon kasi lahat ng activities.
For the activities, the best yung fish feeding. You will have fishes literally eating out of your hand. You get to swim with the jack fish (growing up to 4 meters!). Pati yung kayaking nila sa big/small lagoon. Either/or yon. You can’t visit both kasi depending sa tides. The big lagoon is only accessible during high tide while the small lagoon is only accessible during low tides. Ang ganda ng pictures!
At yung food! My gosh! Bondat ka talaga. After months of depriving myself of food (siyempre, dapat magkasya sa gown) pig-out galore talaga. I get to eat anything I want. And their choco fountain is very delicious (I wonder what chocolate they use?).

MISALETTES AND GUEST SHEETS: DIYs

WEDDING RINGS: c/o Mother-in-Law

That’s it. I’m really thankful for this yahoogroup for all the advice and insights that I received in our one year of planning. Thank you for those who encouraged me whenever I’m faced with a daunting task.

Thank you and good luck to those getting married. Remember, what is important is that you and your hubby—not the flowers, or the pictures, or your make-up. As my friend said, the important people that she wants in her wedding is the priest, her husband and herself.

For more pictures, check out sunshifairy.multiply.com. Check out the photo album and video section. Please be patient though. I’m still uploading pictures! Ang dami kasi. Yung prenup namin and honeymoon pictures, wala pa rin. Please do check from time to time.

Seven Months (28 weeks)

I'm starting my 7th month of pregnancy this coming week. I wasn't able to see my doctor yesterday as it was a holiday. Hopefully, I'll be able to make it this coming week. This Saturday will be our last day of birth classes and hopefully I can make the afternoon schedule.

Breathing is becoming more difficult. Last Friday, I could feel my baby pushing against my lungs so I really felt out of breath. Finding a comfortable sleeping position is also becoming a challenge. Flat on my back is definitely not possible so I switch from my left or right side.

Our class yesterday tackled drugs that can be given to women giving birth. I'm still not decisive on what drugs to take and I have to talk it over with my doctor. I have officemates who are advocates of "twilight" or the painless way of giving birth. It's given through IV and though the mother is awake during the birth, she totally forgets the experience afterwards. I don't know if that's something I want. Spinal block and epidural is also something that I'm not comfortable with as I'm really squirming at the thought of having a needle up my spine.

I have a friend who went through the whole thing without anaesthesia--just the local anaesthesia for the episiotomy. I don't know if I'm going to be strong enough to bear the pain but hopefully the breathing exercises that we learned in our classes will help me cope. At least I have the drug option in case I can't bear it.