I Blog, Therefore I Am.

I am so behind with my blog posts. This entry was supposed to be posted two months ago. I've been busy with work and personal stuff so I wasn't able to update. I have a whole lot more to tell about the summer that was and I'm really hoping that I would be able to blog them all.

Our first family adventure for the summer was a Visita Iglesia of Laguna churches. I've been to Ilocos, Batangas, Cebu and other old Spanish towns and provinces but nothing beats Laguna when it comes to its abundance of historical churches. I've always been fascinated by churches so this trip is both cultural and religious. The goal of the travel was to visit 7 churches which includes a trip to the popular Kamay Ni Hesus religious grounds in Lucban, Quezon. We had two Stations of the Cross for each visit to complete the 14 stations.

OUR LADY OF THE HOLY ROSARY CHURCH
Our first stop was the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish at Luisiana, Laguna. It's a very simple church but is very popular among Visita Iglesia goers. It's also said that it's the oldest parish honoring Nuestra Senora del Rosario in the Philippines.

Happy New Year!

As part of my resolution for the year, I committed myself to taking more photos compared to last year. I vowed to devote some of my time this year to photography. I also got myself a Flickr Pro account where I will document the beautiful pictures and memories of the year.

As motivation, I started a 52 Weeks Photo Project where I will upload one photo a week and make short descriptions about it. I began the project this week and will cross-post here whatever I will upload on my Flickr - so that guarantees at least four blog posts a month. Yey me!

Here's my first entry:



The first wedding of the year was Francis and Cleng's last January 3 at Madre De Dios Chapel at Tagaytay Midlands, Tagaytay City, Philippines. The wedding was also my 11th "bridesmaidship".

This much-awaited celebration was 11 years in the making. It was grand, fun and truly nice. The whole event was well-prepared and memorable. Beautiful couple, fabulous gowns, the priest's sermon was good, the food were sumptuous, and the entertainment provided was the talk of the town!

Best Wishes, Francis & Cleng!

It's more than twenty three hours since the New Year and I am still stuck on 2008 (but not because I want to). It's just that I was too tired in the last few days to make a serious and emotional "looking back post" and it's only now that I become inspired to actually write one.

I usually describe my years according to the major milestones I felt or experienced in that year. Like 2004 was The Year I Fell In Love, alternately 2005 and 2006 were the The Year I Messed Up and The Year My Heart Got Broken In So Many Ways (I still can't decide which is which) and 2007 was The Year I Became Smart - literally and figuratively.

2008 was a year of great blessings for me. Yeah, I still have the occasional trials and hardships in various aspects of my life but it was nothing compared to the tumultuous years I had in the past (Hello, 2005 & 2006!). 2008 was very generous to me even if I don't deserve all the things that were given to me.

The Year I Turned Thirty was probably the best description I can give to 2008. Turning thirty years old (and single at that) can be a dread. I used to fear it when I was still on my twenties. But being on this year actually opened doors for me. Come with the age is the respect and a certain reverence. I am still funny, clumsy and carefree but I already sense a certain maturity within me which I've been hoping to achieve for years. My views and convictions are now on the serious path compared to the ideals I had a few years back. Oh, and thirty is "happiness". I'm now happier and more contented with my life compared before.

The most-asked-and-I-often-despise question of the year was of course the boyfriend question. "Do you have one?" "When are you going to have one?" "Mag-diet ka kaya so you can have one?" I am tired of answering these questions so I often answer in jest or sarcastically. My usual answers were "I am not interested!" or "I've long given up on love!". Then there will be another batch of questions and opinions ranging from "But why? You're still young! Don't give up!" to "Why? Are you now interested in women?". Oh well! The truth is I feel so indifferent about it. Yeah, there are guys out there who asks; and friends keep on fixing me up with people BUT I just don't feel it. The past, though very painful and a bit traumatic, is no longer an issue for me. I have longed forgiven myself and moved on from it. I just want to be happy all by myself for the meantime. I want to be single and discover things for the meantime. I want peace and serenity for now. I'll be ready when I'll be ready. :)

It was a less emotional year for me except for the fact that one of my good friends unexpectedly died last February. Binchy definitely struck a cord in all of us but we believe that he's now in a happier and better place. Aside from that, everything was smooth-sailing and drama-free. My relationship with my family and friends became stronger than ever and I was also given a chance to bond more with my bestest friends through several trips, vacations and travels last year.

Work is great and I learned a lot last year. There was the usual pressure and competition but it helped us more than it broke us. Heading a team was really a challenge especially if you were out to prove something. There were a lot of guts, second guessing and prayers involved as we launch one project after another. I am definitely happier and more contented with my current career compared to all the other past jobs I held. It allowed me to have independent ideas, kick-ass diskartes, and most importantly it gave me the opportunity to have a work and personal life balance. The pay-out at the end of the year were just icings on the cake.

I sailed through in 2008. It's a neutral year for me (boring at times actually) and I will definitely miss it. I am sure that 2009 will be a bit different since I know it will involve a lot of challenges and risk - not only for me but for everyone (Hello, Economy!). I also know that I will be fighting a lot of internal battles this year with the choices I will make...so help me God. Stay tuned!

Let's rock 2009! Happy New Year!

I was really fascinated by Time Magazine's Top 10 of Everything for 2008 and I think that it would be cool to do one for myself as a year-ender. "Ten of everything" would be too much for me so I am just limiting my list to my ultimate "tops" and favorite things.

TOP PEOPLE

Family
In sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, until death do us part. Enough said.





Forces Girlfriends + Jako
We've been through a lot this year - travels, dinners, quarrels, success, misunderstandings, profound e-mails, unions, engagements, singleness, happiness and broken hearts. Despite everything we've gone through we realized that we all love each other at the end of the day! :)



My CLRD Angels
The year will not be as sweet if not for my dear Marj and Kathy. We worked very hard and delivered a lot of projects that helped build subscribers' loyalty. I'll miss you, girls! Thanks for all that has been and for all that will be!

Gabsters
Our fondness and support for GDM was the one that introduced us to each other; but we discovered along the way that we have loads in common other than our PBB obsessions. Our BBQ Boy dinners were always riot events!

Ros + John + Eric
A common tragic event early this year made us closer to each other. It was not a "good year" for us but we all believe that it's already time to move on (Binchy would want it that way).

TOP TRAVELS

Boracay Birthday
This is my most traveled year! I'm out each month except in January. The one that stood out is my 30th birthday celebration in Boracay. My friends Tin, Aileen, Charo and Jako went with me last 888 (August 8, 2008) and had the time of our lives. The highlight of the trip? The Paraw Sunset Sailing!

Viva Vigan
My friends and I had a memorable roadtrip to Vigan last May. Aside from the cobblestones, the picturesque Spanish houses, and the yummy delicacies (I'm still craving for Martha's Bibingka until now), the trip was one for the books because we were were stranded in La Union for hours because of Typhoon Cosme. Our trip back home was 17 hours long. Whew!



Beautiful Bohol
Our Team Celebration Program in Bohol last September was great because there were only four (4) of us on the trip and it was my first time in Bohol! I can't wait to go back for more! Bohol is truly a relaxation haven!



Travel To Meet Subs
A huge chunk of my work-related travel this year was because of one of our loyalty programs. I was able to meet various subscribers all over the nation through this activity. They were all fun and enriching events and it gave me also the opportunity to visit Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija and Balanga, Bataan for the first time. I also visited Cebu (twice), Davao (thrice), Baguio and Cagayan de Oro this year.

TOP EVENTS
(These are my non-travel events this year that are memorable. "Memorable" can either be happy or sad and a couple of entries here were unfortunately sad ones.)

My Pond's Beauty Blog
One of my non-work achievements of the year is winning the Pond's 7-day Beauty Blog. The "essay" (as my dad puts it) won me a new iPhone 3G and gift certificates.

Binchy's Passing
My good friend's unexpected death usually trumps the happy events of the year. We are still grieving but we know in our hearts that he's now in a happier place.

NatCon 2008
Customer Care's National Conference 2008 became a memorable one for me because of some unexpected twist of events. It still haunt me at times but I already learned from the experience. Things that doesn't kill you truly makes you stronger! :)

Vince & Eliza's Wedding
Ate finally tied the knot last November! The event was a joyous one and it gave me the opportunity to be reunited with my Real relatives whom some I haven't seen in years.



TOP GADGETS

Canon 1000D
Santa came this year and got me this! Eyeloveit! Definitely the gift of the year (or even the decade).



Nokia E71
Nokia did everything right with this phone. It's perfect (or perfect for me at least!). The slim design allows you to text using one hand, it has WiFi, cool interface, huge LCD screen and its HSDPA! Definitely one of the best Nokias in the market today.

iPhone 3G
Dubbed by most as The Gadget of the Year, it is not on top of my list because it's not the best - for me anyway. It has its greatness, ganda points, Internet anywhere and everywhere, and it's the best iPod ever...but it's far from perfect (jailbroken or otherwise). But I still love it to bits because it's "my trophy".

TOP TV SHOWS

Grey's Anatomy
The plot with Denny coming back to life is beyond absurd and George may be resigning but I still love this show! Nothing can keep me away from it despite the cheesiness of Mer and Der. My only wish? End the dead guy story and let Izzie fall in love with Alex.

Gossip Girl
One of my Twitter buddies thought I was on my early twenties because of my great love for these Upper East Siders. Season 2 made me fall in like with Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass together with the teens and tweens of the world. I still love Serena and Lily but I just can't stand the Humphreys especially Dan, the over-analyzer.



The West Wing
It might have ended a couple of years ago but I am still on Season 3 of this great political drama. I am so fascinated with life at the White House and my week is not complete without hearing the "CJ! CJ! CJ!" of the reporters at the make-believe press room.

Brothers & Sisters
Who doesn't want to be part of the Walker family and their famous dinners? I've decided this season that Kevin is my favorite Walker (aside from Nora of course). Who's your favorite?

TOP MOVIES

Sex and The City Movie
Seeing Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte once again is beyond words! Watching it at Powerplant with great friends after Pepper Lunch was also great.



Twilight
Seeing Bela and The Cullens come to life is more than enough to land this movie on the list despite its crapiness. Sorry, Twitter movie fans.

TOP BOOKS

Twilight Series
It was the much-hyped launch of Breaking Dawn in August which prompted me to read the series. It somehow filled the void that Harry Potter left me. Stephanie's writing was so bad (grammar and punctuation errors, over-plot, under-plot) but her great storytelling skills compensated for it. My favorites are Breaking Dawn, Eclipse and Alice Cullen.

American Wife
Time Magazine agrees with me that this is one of the best reads of 2008. It's a story of a librarian turned First Lady of the United States of America (sounds familiar?).



Remember Me
Another chick-lit of Sophie Kinsella which was patterned after the humor and sweetness of tUndomestic Goddess and Can You Keep A Secret?.

TOP RESTAURANTS
(Funny that everything on this list is a destination restaurant.)

Bigby's
I fell in love with their Grilled Rodeo Chops and Iced Tea! I had it four times this year: Bigby's Davao, Bigby's LimKetKai, Bigby's SM Cebu and Bigby's Ayala Center Terraces. They will open a branch in Manila soon! Yey!

Cyma
This was my "supposed" 30th birthday dinner. The Cyma feast we had in Boracay was one of the best dinners that my friends and I had of late. Greek food is truly love! Best Moussaka I've ever had!



Breakfast at Antonio's
I came back this year to this beloved restaurant that hold so many wonderful memories of yesteryears. Their steak is still tender and I still love it! Yum!

TOP ON-LINE SITES

Twitter
I tried Plurk for a couple of months but I came back to Twitter. If I can't blog then I usually express myself via Twitter's 140 characters. According to TweetStat, my average tweet per day is 7.3 and I usually send them 8:00 pm onwards. My most replied twitter friends are taetin (Tin), rivengodwind (Rodge) and lilacstardust (Aileen), siaz (Mitzi) and charuzee (Charo). No surprises here since they are also my real-life best buds! Twitter is our cheesmux extension.

Facebook
I joined Facebook in mid-2007 but I only realized its full potential early this year. Everyone who's anyone is on Facebook; and it's the best Social Networking Site ever!

Multiply
This has always been my favorite repository site for photos, videos, blog entries and music. Add me up!

iGoogle
A customizable one-stop shop for everything Google (and some more). It's always a joy to see my e-mail, google search tabs, Remember The Milk tasks, Google Reader feeds and various news all in one place. Thanks to Marj for the tip!

Thanks to 2008 for being such a wonderful year!

Credits to Bordoy Viterbo, Charo, Aileen and Marj for the photos.

My cousin Eliza, the daughter of my dad's brother, had the wedding of her dreams to Vince last Friday at the charming Madre De Dios Midlands Chapel in Tagaytay Highlands. The Real family (or what's left of it here in the Philippines) came in full attendance to celebrate the joyous occasion.


Madre de Dios Midlands Chapel
Tagaytay Highlands


View of Taal from Madre De Dios

Ate Meliza looked extra-fabulous and extra-beautiful on her wedding. She looked like a gorgeous Goddess who came down from the heavens! I almost cried when I saw her walking down the aisle to meet Vince. She's surely one of the best-looking brides I've seen and I'm not saying this because she's related to me.


The beautiful bride walking down the aisle


The nice altar at Madre de Dios


Ate with her immediate family


I love this photo! Everyone is looking at different directions

I love everything about the wedding! From the elegant styling to the on-site video with U2's "All I Want Is You" as music. I also love the way all things were in sync with the navy blue theme with the silver snowflake-like pattern. The ceremony and rites were also solemn and intimate. My other cousin, Jaymee, and I even had a small part on it.


Ate Meliza


The Real Women
Eliza, Margo, Abbie, Jaymee, Chay

The cocktails, reception and after-party were held at the Highlands Country Club and it was both an elegant and fun affair. My cousins and I truly enjoyed the food and the never-ending booze. Ate made sure that we were all tipsy or drunk by the end of the night.


White roses, glasses and candles


Norwegian Smoked Salmon + Cream of Broccoli + Fillet Mignon + Choco Toblerone Cake


I drank all of these at the after-party!

Congratulations and Best Wishes, Vince & Ate Eliza! Keep the love burning! :)

More pictures at my Multiply site.

Our family spent Maundy Thursday in Tagayatay and it was a fun and well-deserved trip for all of us. It was so traffic both because of the Visita Iglesia people and the Holy Week vacationers. It was I who drove both ways so I was really really tired when we get home.

We did not do our usual 7 churches of Visita Iglesia and we just visited Pink Sisters in Tagayatay. It’s been a while since the last time we were in Pink Sisters. There were so many people who were there last Thursday so we had to walk a few meters to reach the church. The small pathway to Angels’ Hills and Pink Sisters were bustling of commercialism for every bit of space were consumed by vendors selling vegetables, souvenirs, plants and food of all kinds. The Last Supper mass was ongoing when we arrived so we stayed a bit to pray and offer our petitions and requests.





On our way back to the car, we found a Gourmet’s stall (from the fame Gourmet Gafe) that sells fresh produce and dips for salads, pasta and crackers. We bought some lettuce, Honey Mustard Dressings and Pesto Sauce. I love pesto! Pesto Pasta was actually the first-ever pasta I’ve ever made. The one of Gourmet’s had the right taste and blend so I bought a bottle. Gourmet’s products are now available in leading supermarkets but nothing beats the original farm and café in Silang, Cavite.


My mom, brother and sis-in-law at the Gourmet's stand
sampling the produce and dressings.

Traffic was really bad so it took us almost an hour to travel from Pink Sisters to Breakfast at Antonio’s where we had our dinner. We were all famished when we get there. Oh, Antonio’s! I love it! It’s one of the best restaurants here in the South. The Ex and I loved it so much and it held so many good and happy memories so it took me a while to go back. :)

Breakfast at Antonio’s is an all-day breakfast restaurant that offers great delicious dishes that you would like to wake up to. It’s one of the most sought-after eateries in Tagaytay not only for the yummy food but also for its American colonial-style structure with big windows and the magnificent view of the Taal Volcano to boot. It a little bit expensive compared to the usual grilled and bulalo restaurants that abounds the area but it’s truly worth every penny.


My niece Gabbie and my sis-in law Chay


Breakfast at Antonio's revelers

My brother and I ordered their specialty, Steak & Eggs; it’s a broiled US Black Angus Sirloin Steak with eggs and rice. My mom, sister-in-law and Ate Omie ordered Pasta Carbonara and Bacolod Grilled Spareribs, my dad had the delicious house burger, while my little niece ordered Pedro’s Pancakes for kids. They also ordered Pepperoni & Mushroom Pizza and I had my favorite Cream of Pumpkin Soup for Appetizer (It’s the B E S T!) It was such a hearty dinner! Worth the wait and the weight!


Steak & Eggs Antonio's style

Breakfast at Antonio’s is located in Bagong Tubig, Tagaytay City. It’s approximately 5KM away from Taal Vista Hotel. You may call (046) 413-0975 for inquiries and reservations.

Next on our Tagaytay list is The Boutique Bed & Breakfast and its on-site Hawaiian Barbecue Restaurant, Cliff House and Antonio's Fine Dining (best for couples though). Soon!

The long-overdue blog redesign is now completed so it's now to write some posts. I've been so behind with my writing but I hope that I can update more frequently in the coming days. November is not my favorite month for nothing. This entry on my cousin's wedding is already delayed by two weeks.

Anyway, moving on.

My family, the rest of our clan, and I attended my cousin Gen's long-awaited and well-prepared wedding to Nonie two Saturdays ago, October 20. The wedding was held at a very beautiful quaint garden home in Antipolo City called Jardin De Miramar. I love out-of-town garden weddings! There's a certain tranquility, exclusivity and intimacy in them. Nonie and Gen truly made the right choice in holding their union in one.




Gen and Nonie met through their Church's Pastor five years ago and been in love since. Most of the guests were their Church friends (or otherwise known as the Bridal Shower Girls) who witnessed their love story through the years. The rites and program were very simple and it was mostly participated by family and close friends. Bonus points to the pastor for his very endearing sermon and good pieces of advice to the couple. And special kudos to Gen for choosing Josh Groban's "You're Still You" as part of her wedding march.



The Beautiful Bride


"Who gives this woman?"

Since Gen is a year older than me and I am her "next in line" it was not a surprise that she got me as one of her Bridesmaids. Yeah, yeah, I am at it again. This is the ninth time I've been part of a wedding entourage. Six times as a Bridesmaid, thrice as a Veil Sponsor, and once as Maid of Honor to my dear Olen. Along with it are nine gowns in different colors and forms – from Maroon to Pink to Blue. Yeah, I truly am a Professional Bridesmaid and I dunno if I will be happy or sad about it. Aside from me, a number of my relatives were also chosen as part of the entourage.

Here are some of the photos:


With my niece Hannah (who looks like me) and Goddaughter Khiara



My nieces Chesca and Migee as Flower Girls



Tita Doris with The Navarros

I had fun in the wedding with my other cousins. It was truly a wedding worth attending. The scenery and the nice venue absolutely made up for the very long drive to Antipolo. I also overdid the photos so here's the link of the album at Multiply and a slideshow from Google Picasa.




Best Wishes, Nonie and Gen!

P.S.
Wedding Season officially started for me! Next stop? Raymond & Patty, Carlos & Che and Rhett & Tisha! Whew!

One of my cousins, Gen, will be getting married next month and we threw her a very nice and hilarious bridal shower at The Richmonde Hotel in Ortigas last Friday. Since I am one of her Bridesmaids, I helped her Maid of Honor in inviting my other cousins to attend the party. Most of my cousins were busy or out of the country so it was only, me, Ate Ja, Ate Jing and my sister-in-law, Chay, who were able to attend. We were joined by eight other friends of Gen from Church, former officemates from GSIS, and friends from UP. We really had a fun time even if most of us are total strangers from each other.

The night started when I met Gen at the lobby of LKG Tower where she parked her car. She and I were actually just a building apart from each other - she's at the Multinational Bank Building where her Tupperware office is and I am at the Smart Tower - yet we haven't found the time to have lunch or meet-up because of our busy schedule. It was very traffic last Friday so we had a nice time updating each other with stories of our lives. We talked about the wedding, her Fiance Nonie, work stuff, childhood memories and a whole lot more.

We arrived at Richmonde around 8:30 pm and we were greeted by her friends, yummy foodies, the usual phallic bridal shower cake from Kink Cakes, and fantastic decors of her Sun, Sand and Sea shower party theme. We were required to be in beach get-ups but I instead had a "bright and shiny" aquamarine top. I also learned that Gen was supposed to have a beach wedding last summer but she opted to have a garden wedding instead since she changed jobs this year and pulling off a summer beach wedding is near-impossible. The sun, sand and sea theme stuck a little to the final wed plans since we will all be wearing blue and yellow gowns with brown accents.



Here's the BRIDE!


Gen and her friends


We feasted on salad, breads, hams...and the ever present "cake"

My cousins and the rest of Gen's friends arrived around 9:30 pm and we immediately started the games thereafter. Olga, Maid of Honor and organizer/host of the party, asked us to wear sun nametags which we drew pictures on and wrote an adjective that describes us. I drew a laptop and the word "excites". Rule is Gen cannot call us by our names but just the adjective word we wrote in our cards. We also cannot mention her name, the word wedding or her Fiance's name or we will get consequences - ranging from dance numbers, singing, etc.



Long Live The Unicorns!


My Sis-In-Law and I

Since Gen is a Statistics graduate from UP, the rules of the games were also mathematically and mentally challenging. It's not the usual bridal shower games taken from the Internet. Our nametags were numbered and games' groupings were based on it. Some were the usual "all even/odd numbers should be grouped" but it got funny (and harder) when the rules called for "numbers which are factors of 30", "all prime numbers", "square roots of 25" etc. Kindda hard for Math-unfriendly people like me!

The first game is the Bridal Scrap Book Game where we created pages for Gen's wedding scrapbook. Each team were given themes and ours was "Honeymoon". Chay's team won because theirs is the cleanest and the most precise. Boring. Ours was very colorful and crazy. Yeah, I am very competitive even in silly games like this.



Jelyn browsing some magazines


Team Courtship


Team Honeymoon


Team Family

Next was the Haiku Game where we were given sheets of paper to describe Gen by creating Haiku for her. Yeah, Haiku, as in 5,7,5 syllables in 3 stanzas! Whatever happened to "Design a Bridal Gown in Tissue Paper?" This was definitely the most "intelligent shower" I've been. Forget strippers, we aim to learn here! :)

Third game was the Paint Me A Picture Game where I superbly led my team to victory through various actions which Cherrie guessed all correctly.



Paint Me A Picture

We truly had a lot of fun. There were also a lot of singing and dancing coupled with cheers and laughter.


Dancing To "Pamela One"...


...and "Telephone"


Ate Jing singing Christian Bautista's version of Lupang Hinirang

One of the night's last activities was the usual gift-giving, sharing of advices from the married women (uh, you know what I mean) and wishes from all of us. Mine was at its emo best when I told Gen that I am happy that she found THE ONE while most of us is still searching and refusing to settle (yeah, I made it all about me!)The best gift definitely came from Hannah. She got Gen some Edible Underwear! We all took turns reading the "instructions" and taking pictures with it. The night ended with the bride thanking all of us and retelling her wonderful lovestory with Nonie. Awww!



The Blooming Bride


The Edible Underwear - the night's best gift!


Best Wishes, Gen!
See you all at the wedding!

It was really a very very fun night. It's been a while since I got together with my cousins. I cannot wait to spend more time with them in the coming months - with the wedding and Christmas just around the corner. Of course it's evitable for me to realize that Gen's wedding will surely put a great pressure on me since I am the next single remaining girl among us (there are 8 of us and 6 are already married). I actually told them that I will bring a scoreboard to the wedding and will take points on how many relatives will ask about the state of my individuality (read: singleness). Damns. More pictures at my Multiply site.