Taking a Breather...

It has been an extremely overwhelming day today. That might even be an understatement.

So many changes happening recently. We've finally started renovating our rooms and that's causing me so much anxiety. I guess when there's so much change happening in one's life all at once everything becomes chaotic. Especially if that someone is like me who loves being in control over EVERYTHING. Gaaaah.

Work has been crazy. Fun…but crazy. I'm so proud of the team that we have now. We're slowly growing and that on it's own is pretty crazy. Add to that the fact that today my partner and I finally signed the lease on a new space. Eeeep. Here's to bigger and better things for us. Can't have done it without everyone in the team of course. Those guys are amazing. That is an understatement. Aaaaaand, of course we can't have done any of it without God getting us through it. Seriously, every time I feel overwhelmed, much like right now, I take a breather and pray about it.

Let me talk about my team a little. They're such characters and it's so much fun having them around because it makes everything easier. Not only because there are people to share the load but because they're such a happy bunch. There are random afternoons when we get surprised they suddenly burst into song, the most awkward of songs, which genuinely adds to their charm. I love them!

We started the year a bit slow which had me worried but once things got busy…as they say, When it rains, it pours. Just another testament to God's unlimited blessings.

But let's take a step back from all that stress and realise that although everything is all up in the air right now it's all a lead up to a whole lot of positive things.

I'm baaaack…!

So…I find it funny that every time I tell myself I'm going to start posting on my blog more frequently I always end up NOT posting on my blog. It's like I do things just to contradict myself. Like yoga, I keep telling myself tom is the day I am going to get my ass to the studio and I'm still here. Fat and sluggish and waaaaay inflexible. Oh yoga, how I miss you.

You might be wondering…Why'd I all of a sudden decide it was time for me to write a blog today…well, because I'm being honest here, I'm procrastinating. Don't tell my partner, although I don't think she'd mind since she's currently making her second cup of coffee after successfully butchering the first one she made. We're kissing productivity goodbye…I'm kidding.

How has life been? My life has been filled with work, work and a little bit of fun on the side. I'm not complaining. On the contrary I'm having the awesomest time. We're actually in the process of making our dreams come true and it may be a bit scary, ok, I lie it's REALLY scary but it's worth it. We just have to keep praying and of course working hard. Harder than we've ever worked in our lives.

In the more personal aspect of life. Been married a little more than a year now and it's been sooooo much fun, and that is why you should always marry your best friend who may or may not think he's funnier than he actually is. :/ hehe…

Last year was heartbreaking as well because I lost my car…well, not really lost. It decided it wanted to be a submarine and well, it's still partial car partial who knows what. :( And as we wait on the final verdict…I just have to live with driving my husbands car and he just has to live with the fact that it might not be in such safe hands. LOL. I KID!!! I'm a super safe driver, well except when backing up, but that's a story for another day.

And as the brand new year starts, Chinese New Year pa lang so pwede pa humabol! :D I guess I should put my resolutions in writing somewhere…and this year instead of making resolutions let me write down the things that I want to be able to do by this year.

• I want to have a constant yoga practice. Be it in a studio, at home or at the gym. I need to get back into yoga. My husband told me recently, in a not so nice tone might I add, that I should get back to yoga because I complained less when I was still practicing. Soooo…yeah. 
• Must make actual edible meals for the husband because all my married friends keep posting their kitchen masterpieces it kinda hurts already. Ahem Tin, ahem!
• Invest more!
• Spend more time with my family…because every year this should be a priority
• Branch out and always challenge myself, work wise and personal life wise. 

I think 5 is enough…because let's face it…I'll probably not do the cooking thing and the exercise part is still a little iffy. LOL. 

Getting Back on Track

Oh what a week it has been. Don't you just love the New Year. It gives people the chance to reboot their lives, and as my Wally app reminded be ever so nicely...It's almost the end of the month, want to get your life back on track. Lol. It's a hilarious app. Anyway, every year we get a chance to get perspective back in our lives. We re-asses and make a mental list of the things we should prioritize and those that quite frankly should just take a back seat. At least that's the way it is for me. I hope. hehe

So this year I decided is the year I get back on track when it comes to being healthy. I used to play sports. Used to being the operative word. Now I want to at least be able to walk around a foreign country without feeling like I'm about to keel over. It's good motivation. :D I've been so unhealthy lately it's not funny and since I was vegetarian for awhile, and was too vain to take vitamins because they make you fat, my immune system suffered tremendously. I've been crazy sickly and well, let's just say I'm tired of that and decided that it's high time to change it. What have I done to get back on track? Well, signed up for 6 months of yoga. Weeee...see it works 2 ways, I now have access to yoga for half the year and it's wasn't cheap so every time I'm too lazy to wake up I just have to remember that I paid all that money and I must push myself. Haha...Hopefully I'm more kuripot than tamad. Oh and I have a yoga partner, well 2 if everything works out. :D Ele and I have both signed up and she's game all the time some times I want to bonk her on the head. LOL. You know I love you El!

We took advantage of the promo from Bliss Yoga. Yaaaay!

Seriously though, the first week of January has been awesome. I've been to yoga 4 days in a row and although initially it was painful and everything felt stiff, I've survived and can honestly say it's not crazy painful anymore. I just need to work on a lot of stuff. Every time the yoga instructor asks us to set a goal for the practice mine is always the same. I want to be tone but more importantly I need to improve my balance. It is seriously frustrating not to be able to do any of the balancing poses because I keep falling over. :( Must concentrate and not be so negative about it. I'm sure it will come.

My other goal for this year is to take more photos. I keep telling myself I want to buy a new camera so that I can take more photos but part of me thinks I'll be too lazy to actually lug it around. Must really decide on that. To be honest though, it kind of made me sad that I haven't been taking a lot of photos lately especially since I used to be such a camwh*re it was ridiculous. So this year I will take more photos and I will make sure to upload them somewhere so I never loose them. :D

Now the only problem with that is I also told myself that this year I will curb on all the spending. When I looked back at all the things I've been spending on the past year it's been crazy. I have been trying to write down all our expenses to give ourselves a respectable budget that way I won't feel like I'm punishing myself and after seeing everything I paid for last year, you can say I was shocked. That is an understatement. Which led to the fact that this year, before buying something, even if it costs 50 pesos, I have to think twice about it. If I don't really need it it's not going to be bought. Oh, and I'm not taking money out of the savings account either.Which means someone's got to work hard to spend hard. LOL. Notice how it's not really I, this is a marriage and that means it's a team effort. LOL. I'm sure my husband knew what he was getting himself into before we got married. :D

So I've got to earn my camera before I buy it. Now, which camera should I get? I haven't decided yet, will have to consult the experts. Husband wants a dslr kind of camera and I honestly cannot see myself lugging that around so we have to meet somewhere in between. :D We'll just have to wait and see.

Here's to keeping our resolutions!

2014 Bring it On!

This year is the my most favoritest year EVER! That's cause this year I married the love of my life and although it's been a crazy year of planning and planning and stress everything was worth it. :D Since some of you weren't there to witness the wedding let me share with you one of my favoritest parts of Miggy's vows. :D

• My favorite quote about love goes...“Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.” from the movie Captain Corelli's Mandolin. I must confess I've never watched the movie but I've loved that quote since I read it the first time! hehe so you must imagine my surprise and excitement when my husband started his vows with that exact quote. :D It was perfect. He was perfect. I am still all gooey inside when I think about it. 

Weee...how lovely it is to be loved. My heart is a happy little heart. Anyway, enough with the cheese...for now. I've been blessed with a lot this year. A lot of changes have been happening and as my aunt texted me about a month ago, 2 big things happened for me this year. A change in surname and a change in career. Although there is always uncertainty when you venture out on your own there is also that excitement for what the world has in store for you. So even if recently I've been scared sh*tless because of the possibility that this might not work out I'm even more excited because I know God has so much more blessings to shower upon us. 

On a more personal note, no we're not pregnant so please stop asking..LOL I'm having the time of my life being a wife. :D Ok, so I don't do all the stuff normal wives might do. I'm still lucky enough that I don't have to manage a household or do chores. But I still make sure I take care of the things my husband, eeep, still not used to that term, might need. Oh, and I love spoiling him. Making him happy makes me happy. So the PS4 might not have been the best idea, everyone keeps telling me I'll never hear from him again, I'm still happy about it cause he's like a little boy all excited. Oh, and I get to do whatever I want since he's always on that thing anyway. Win - win! :D

2014 is going to be a year of many firsts. I've given us a budget and the idea is to stick to it, although I'm already thinking it might not be enough. What a challenge! I've also decided that in 2014 I'm not going to go crazy shopping...all the time. It's time to invest wisely. I'm so freaked out because I think I'm starting to sound like a grown up. Waaaaah! It's so surreal. So here's to a better year for everyone. 

Oh, and before I get too lazy to write another blogpost let me try to write down my resolutions for the year...bear with me here. 

1. Learn to live within a budget. A non-negotiable budget. LOL. There are just some things we can learn to live without. I won't die if I don't get to buy all the crap I love buying. 
2. This year I must learn to keep with the yoga program. Last year was crazy, loosing weight because of the stress was easy now they're back and they want to take over the world. 
3. Travel more with the husband. Although this may be extremely difficult because he has an extremely inflexible schedule I think short trips can be arranged. :D
4. Learn to cook...or at least get back in the kitchen. It won't kill anyone until it actually does. Hehe...
5. Spend time with family. Because in the end they are the people who matter.

So here's to an awesome 2014 for all of us! :D

Long overdue Thank You part 2!

It's the last day of the year and I realized I've been procastinating blogging enough I must get on with it and truth be told I've been feeling bad I haven't completed the Thank You's and we've just gotten to our 2 month as a married couple mark. I thought it was high time I start writing the second part of my list of people to thank. See, I have been racking my brain trying to figure out who to thank first and stuff like that. But then I figured, it's not in the order but it's in the content. That means this post is bound to be a long one. LOL! Be warned!

Most people would think that since I have experience in planning events it would be easy-peasy planning my wedding. Boy did they get THAT wrong. See, as I mentioned in my vows, which I totally should write about in another post, I'm not the typical girl. I didn't really know what I wanted, I was fickle. We had a color theme and half way through the planning we, by that I mean me, decided to change it. It wasn't right. And I'm glad I did! :D That meant everything that already got made had to be redone. All the planning and designing and pegs hunting had to be redone. It was chaos...in my panic riddled brain at least.

So let me introduce to everyone my best friend Val, or as she prefers to be called Master. :D I had to italicise the best friend because she thinks I'm kidding most of the time. LOL! But seriously though, Val and I have been friends since high school. She's my go to person for all things design. "Best friend are you busy? I need kasi..." hahaha...most often texted line between us. Whoops, I'm sounding soooooo abusive. But I'm nooooot. I promise!!! :P So obviously Val did all the designing for the wedding. From Save the Dates, to Invites, I made her do 2, to missalette covers. And I think because we've grown up together she knew just exactly what I wanted. The best part...she actually drew/designed us...don't understand what I mean...let me show you.

I was super aliw with it and everyone kept commenting on Mig's hair. Yes, he really has curly hair. :D So super kaduper thanks Best Friend! You are awesome!!! 

The thing that caused me the most panic was finding someone to take care of the styling of the venue. I was in so much panic. The venue had so many restrictions and there was so many other things that needed to be considered, primarily the budget. LOL! So there I was literally a week before the wedding talking to a bazillion people trying to figure out what to do...and then literally like mana from heaven my aunt tells me she found all these things that I could use. That was already on top of all the other things she previously got for us. So you can imagine how much of a load off that was. All the little things you saw at the wedding she had a hand in. From the words of love and encouragement spread all over the tables to the little balls of light to the spray painted (by hand might I add) butterflies and fireflies, everything came from her. I was beyond ecstatic. So thank you Auntie Stella for picking up all the little things that made our reception look perfect. :D 

see the famous cake topper, one of her first buys. :D Isn't it perfect?!?

And everything put together was just perfect. :D

Add to that the fact that she hosted 2 Bridal Showers for me. Am I not the luckiest?!!? :D It was so much fun being a bride I kind of miss it but I'm happier now because I don't have to stress so much. So super kaduper thank you Auntie Stell. You are the awesomest!!! 

And then there's Barbs. Who amongst all the stress I would call and she would repeatedly tell me to relax. Things will work out and we have tons of time. I was so stressed about everything it wasn't even funny. The only thing I wasn't stressed about was the amount of drinks we had. Miggy's number one priority when planning the wedding, make sure there are drinks enough to get everyone drunk. It was epic. Everyone was plastered including me. :D By the last week before the wedding I was literally just calling her to make sure I didn't forget anything. On the day of the wedding I didn't stress about anything. I gave everything to her and she took care of the rest. I literally left her with all the things she had to hang on to our bag of angpao's because as previously stated I was too drunk. LOL! I love you Barbs and my best girl Bea! hahaha

Chiqui (my drinking mentor) and Barbs! :D

There was so much alcohol at the wedding my bouquet is still with Barbs. LOL! :D

And then there's Ed, who literally came in to save the day. I don't even remember how it came up but one day we were talking and the next thing I know he said he would take care of styling the venue for me. He talked to the florist and got all the elements and put them all together. As you can tell, I was in love with everything. So thank you Ed! You are a life saver.

Finally, I think it must be mentioned that our flowers were more than I had dreamed of. From my bridal bouquet to the flowers by the table. Everything was beyond what I was expecting. I am blessed to have family who love me and make sure that my dream wedding would come true. So thank you Auntie Lilian for making sure the flowers were just perfect. They tied everything together. They were so amazing Miggy made everyone take home as much as they could. Even the fratmen. LOL. I don't think I should have shared that. Haha...

This year we have been blessed with so much and I'm sure next year will be even better. So yay for all of us! :D It's been crazy but I'm sure it's going to get even better!  

Thank you...part 1! :D

OMG!!! We’re married!!! :D

It’s crazy because after 11, well almost 12 as my dad pointed out, of being boyfriend – girlfriend this felt a long time coming and now that it has I still can’t wrap my head around it.

So as made obvious by the numerous posts I’ve been writing, or not, my life has been tumultuous as of recent. From the wedding planning to work to just plain being sickly old me there hasn’t really been any time for me to sit down and actually write down the stuff that’s been going on. But since the Bu and I are leaving for our Honeymoon – woot woot – tom night I figured I should at least get our thank you post out already! :D Ok, so obviously this didn't get posted in time, but today marks our first month together and I think it's about time this post gets out, don't you? haha...

There’s just too many people to thank and admittedly during the reception itself we didn’t really make a list. Hah! Ok, I forgot and let’s face it Miggy wouldn’t really know who to thank. Haha…So let’s face it, this is going to be an extremely long post. You’ve been warned! Read on if you want to, but I encourage you to. Haha…

I keep trying to think back on who I should thank first. And well it only comes down to one person. Tita Baby! :D I can’t really go into much detail since she told me not to tell anyone, but she’s one of the main reasons why Miggy and I finally sat down together and decided this was really going to happen. So thanks TIta Baby for being that push we needed to get us moving! :D We love you to bits! You’ve no idea.

So who did I first share my awesome news with. I can’t really remember. To be honest though, we had already begun planning our wedding waaaaaay before we announced our engagement. But I remember one of the first persons I told was Mervin because I wanted him to design my gown. I remember the phone call when I asked him if I ever got married would he help me with my dress and without even waiting to be asked he already volunteered to do it. He’s awesome and don’t you agree that I looked stunning. I couldn’t have done that all on my own you know. I met Mervs a few years back when we worked at the same company and we became fast friends. I don’t think it was really hard considering he’s such an accommodating guy and all around he’ll just help you when you need it. Awesome stylist/designer even more awesome friend! :D And yes, he did design and make all the decisions when it came to the gown and my second dress. :D He also made sure my make up and hair looked perfect. I love you Mervs, you don’t know how much. Thank you for making me look stunning that day. Everyone loved the dress, although I must admit I should have practiced walking in it first. LOL :D

That's me trying not to bawl my eyes out...I love the dress Mervs. It was perfect!

I’ve also got to thank my sister-in-law Alay because even before I told her she was going to be my Matron of Honor she was already helping us out with all the planning. Although she lacks arts and crafts skills, don’t believe me ask her to cut something for you with a pair of scissors, she was always willing to run errands with/for me. She also made sure that whenever everything seemed daunting for me she’d ask me to calm down and make a list so she could help. Oh, and in case you were wondering who the other crying person was at the wedding, that would be her. From coming to the fittings and trial make ups with me and making sure I had all my wedding paraphernalia in check. Thanks Lay! You know I love you but I might as well let the whole world know. :D

My Ahia's lovely family.

Wow, just three people and already this feels like a novel. Makes me think I should break it down into another post but to be honest I’d just end up being lazy. Haha…so let’s get on with it.

Alay was my official Matron of Honor but behind the scenes I had another Maid of Honor. Haha…we would joke about it but really Miggy and I wouldn’t be married if it wasn’t for Kaka. She literally drove to the City Hall with me, twice!, to make sure that had our Marriage License and stuff. She also went around running errands with me. I must not forget Rockie too! Both of them sat me down a month before the wedding and made sure I listed down all the things I needed and made sure I actually did it. But most of all, I need to thank these two awesome people for being extremely understanding!!! A couple of weeks before the wedding I got extremely sick it wasn’t even funny. That meant I couldn’t really do my share of work when it came down to it and not once did they say I was being unfair. They kept on insisting I rest and get better for the wedding. I did by the way. I got sick a week after the wedding though, typical me. So thanks awesome friends you guys are the best partners a girl could ever ask for! :D I love you to bits!

I couldn't find any photo with just the two of them, so here are some of my awesome friends who came to the wedding. 

Then there’s Eleonor. I’ve known Ele since we were in High School. I actually remember telling her we were getting married when she called me the night she got engaged! Hahaha…I couldn’t help sharing her happiness. Ele got married earlier this year. I originally thought we could plan our stuff together but she decided she didn’t really want to do a long engagement and got married in a jiffy. Which worked out for me because I could pester her about all the little details that drove me crazy and she would calm me down by telling me either they didn’t really matter or they would work themselves out. It was also awesome timing that she got married a few months before us because that meant she still had all her files and checklists and stuff and I could work from there. Ele also helped me with all the small stuff. From coming over to paint décor with me, to planning my surprise bridal shower with my sis-in-law and aunt, to forcing me to go to yoga because we both needed to get fit! Thanks for being my go to girl El! :D Love you!

There’s still so much more people we have to thank and this post is getting extremely long. So let me cut it here…LOL! There’s more to come! For now it’s of to Bali for us! Weeeee

A reminder that we're all human. Thank you PO1 Joselito Sevilla

I started writing this blogpost yesterday when I was extremely frustrated by the customer service of Globe. I wasn't able to finish it because I didn't want to seem to harsh or mean. So I let a day pass and tried to get my emotions in check. But then again I guess God has different plans for me today. As I was browsing through my FB timeline this afternoon I come across this link shared by a friend and it made me realize, I shouldn't really fret about the small things. Let me share with you the link that I am referring to... The Crying Cop

Everyday I try to be mindful of at least one thing in my life that I am thankful for. It keeps me grounded and sane and it makes me remember that I am indeed extremely blessed. Yesterday wasn't such a good day for me. I had a horrible time getting service from Globe. We've all had our share of horror stories and hair-pulling-extremely-annoying instances that as consumers we can only hope gets better. But then again reading that story made me realize how menial my problems and frustrations really are. Everything has to be put in perspective. However, I do admit that I am only human and there really are instances where in you loose your temper. I may look like I'm perfect but I'm really not. Hahaha, since it's my blog I have free reign and I say so. 

But let me put in my 2 cents worth on the crying cop. I am a firm believer of free speech but I am also a firm believer of respect. You can't have one without the other. I respect that some people who feel that they are oppressed have the right to go on the streets and march in protest to get themselves heard. But have they not heard of a peaceful protest? Sometimes it seems as if the ultimate goal of these protesters are to come into physical blows with the people who are trying to maintain order and safety. How do they expect to be heard when they themselves do not know how to listen. I know how frustrating it can become when you feel as though you have no voice and it will reach a point where in you will feel the need to take up arms. But what has that ever achieved? I remember a talk I had with an aunt a long time ago about being an activist. She used to be one in college and then she said she stopped because there came a point wherein she realized that she really did not know what they were rallying against, it seemed as though their only goal was to rally. Those words stuck with me. I wonder how many of those people actually know what their cause is, what do they want to achieve, what they are fighting for? I hope one day they realize that there are better ways of getting answers, there are better ways of being heard, there are more peaceful, more proactive, more productive ways that they can do aside from going into the streets armed with rocks and sticks itching for a chance to hurt someone. There is no solution in violence.

To the police officer who reminded us of the hardships and sacrifice they do to keep us safe, saludo ako sayo. Thank you PO1 Joselito Sevilla for being human enough for all of us. For standing there and keeping calm despite the crazy that was going on. Thank you for being unwavering in duty despite being there for 2 days without sleep, rest or food. Thank you for your service and your good work. Thank you for serving as an inspiration and a reminder that we can all become better people. You are a hero in my book.

I hope that when I'm having a bad day and I don't get the service that I want right away I remember that on the other side of the phone call or table or barricade, whatever it may be, is a human being and he too might not be having the best day.

Photos taken from Rem Zamora.

Guess who's going bazonkers!!! Weeeeee!!!

There are soooo many things happening in my life right now that I can't seem to find enough time to actually sit down and take a break, but then again, I promised myself that I would always be number 1 priority so I guess that will all have to change. :D LOL.

So while having lunch with friends this afternoon I started enumerating all the things lined up for me these coming months then I also counted down to how many months left til the wedding. THREE!!! That's right...3 months to go, not counting this month and October of course. But damn! 3 months then it's the big day! Waaaaah!!! Do you have any idea how I feel right now?!? Let me show you...

***photo from the internet

That's was me at lunch time. I was going bazonkers. This only means it's time to FOCUS. Get your head in the game. Tune out the noise. Concentrate. I need to figure out what needs to be done and just do it! Tonight, random people are you going to get random panic messages from me. They should be expecting it! Lol. But I'm serious.

So you must be asking...what's the hurry? Well, let me begin by pointing out the fact that we have been together FOREVER. But that's not the point, I confuse me too sometimes...deal with it. The truth is, it's because the Zetans have been pressuring us (and that's why I love them)! Lol, I kid. We've actually been preparing for this for quite some time now and it's only really now that we've actually decided to let people in on the secret. Weeeeee! :D We like being secretive like that. Deal with it. And no, I'm not preggers. Hello! 

Can you imagine the struggle of having to keep MY mouth shut about the biggest news in my life. Resisting the urge to smile every time people would ask us when we plan to get married. Trying not to look at each other knowingly when our friends would pressure ask us what was taking so long. I am the most talkative person that my friends know. LOL, I'm assuming of course but I'm sure they'll agree. And keeping news like this to myself and not being able to talk about it. Torture. To be completely honest though I didn't really keep it a secret very long from my extremely close friends, I just really couldn't. hehe The bu on the other hand. Professional Poker Facer. Haha, it was so natural. Maybe that's cause he's always been the quiet type. Riiiiight. He's seriously not that quiet once you get to know him. Ask my friends, sometimes I seriously think he scares them. Lol. 

But let's get back on point. I am in a state of PANIC!!! Panic I tell you!!!

So dear friends, I apologize in advance for all the crazy out of the blue messages you might get from me. You knew it was bound to happen. 

In case you haven't heard!

I have copied and pasted this quote a million times and yet every time I read it my heart smiles and I am reminded of the fact that I am lucky to have found someone who I am ready to share the rest of my life with...

“Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is.

Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.- Louis de Bernières, Corelli's Mandolin

If you don't follow me on my social media accounts then you probably don't know that We're Officially ENGAGED!!! Yes, officially. :D It's a long story and maybe we'll wait til the wedding to tell people about our journey to here or maybe well just keep it to ourselves but the important thing to take away from this is the fact that WE'RE GETTING MARRIED! 

I am overwhelmed with the response we got when we announced our engagement. :D It made the engagement even more special. :D Thank you to everyone who liked, commented, SMSed, messaged, tweeted and shared with us the happiness and excitement the next few months will bring leading up to the big day! That's right folks, after all the teasing and nudging it's really happening.

By this time I can already picture our friends as they sigh and say "finally" and I must admit that it's been a long time coming. But I am a firm believer that everything happens at the right time and we can't rush God's timing. All in His time. And right now feels perfect for us. 

I'm so full of energy right now and there's so many things I still have to do. I can finally start calling everyone, rally the troops as they say. It's crunch time! :D So I'm off, to plan and panic and plan some more.

Weeeee...We're getting married!!! 

Happy Easter! Cheers to new beginnings!!!

Happy Easter everyone! :D

I haven't blogged in awhile and I feel like I have about a thousand ideas. Things I want to write about but nothing really seems to be worth it enough to write about until now. Hahaha...because as I sit here the bu is sleeping soundly. He got off work around noon today, he started yesterday morning. No rest for the weary. Why did I decide to write today? Well, because there's really nothing more interesting for me to do and well, it's been quite awhile. 

So, what's new with me? A lot of things. Something major and a lot of little things in between. I've been struggling with having to balance my time, energy and attention. It's been crazy. But in the end it's been a lot of fun and well, I have friends who have my back every step of the way. So that makes up for all the stress. Now, if only I was loosing the extra inches I've put on with all the stress this would be perfect.

Moving on...decided to write today because it's Easter and a wonderful time to talk about new beginnings. :D That after all, is what Easter is all about. I have so many things to be thankful for. So many blessings and I feel like this year is a BIG year. I just hope I can juggle all these commitments. 

I am all excited about the new beginnings although I am a bit sad about the end of the old. I guess part of growing up is realizing that there is soooo much to do and so many things to accomplish that at some point you have to move on to bigger, better things. Let's see, I need to set a mtg with God and discuss these things. I think I might go crazy. hahaha...

I guess to sum it all up. I'm crazy scared about the prospect of new things because I am a creature of habit and my little circle of comfort is being disturbed. A lot. But then again...to be better you have to learn to take risks. :D So here's to new beginnings!

The Little Things :D

Since the boyfriend officially started his Residency I feel like I never get to see him when in fact we still see each other everyday except for duty days which is every 2 days. What sucks though is that he always seems to be soooo tired...no rest for the weary. So instead of heading out we usually end up staying home listening to music, catching up on shows and movies or sleep.

Most often than not he always has work to do since you don't really have much time to sit at a desk when you're at the hospital. So we spend our quality time sitting in bed doing his census. Time well spent. :D

Why did I decide to write about this all of a sudden. Because I realized that in the past 2 months I've learned to appreciate the little things more and more. :D

So here's to the little things...like having dinner, going to the grocery, having our hair cuts together and finishing our work together. It's the little things that make the world the amazing place that it is. :D

Here's to more Valentine dates! :D

I hate nightmares. :( They leave you feeling horrible the next day and you just really don't get any rest. I wonder when I can finally get done and over with this. It leaves me very lethargic and feeling ominous the next day. Not happy. :(

The little things...

Sometimes when life gets too fast paced and there are too many things going on and everything just seems to be too big you tend to forget about the little things. That's what happened to me last week. Friday was a very emotional day filled with disappointments add to that the fact that I was being very hormonal. It was dramafest all over. But then before sleeping I prayed about it and woke up feeling a tad better.

Life is filled with disappointments, there are just some things beyond my control. When I woke up I reminded myself that what I did control was how I would react to things. Happiness is always a choice. And though I must admit that it took me most of the day just sitting around watching Shameless before I decided to get up and move to the bedroom to take a nap. Haha...to give you perspective, the bu just got in from duty and was napping too so I didn't want to disturb his nap by waking him up. See, sooooo thoughful. I managed to snap myself out of all the drama.

When everything seems to be going wrong the best way to deal with it is to remind yourself that no one is more in control of your happiness than yourself. After an extremely sad end to my work-week my weekend was awesome because it's the little things that make life worthwhile. Take for example spending the entire weekend with my now public servant bu. Finally getting to watch a movie that you've both been raring to catch. Being even more impressed with the movie despite the already high expectations. Spending time with your godchildren even if it was just for a little while. All awesome things packed into an awesome weekend.

Without the hardships, disappointments, heartbreaks I would have never been able to appreciate things the way I appreciate them now. Never loose sight of the little things because in the end, it's really the little things that make life awesome. Here's the looking forward to more weekend breaks with the bu. :D

It's just not my day...

When I was younger I would always pray to God for a sign. Whatever it was, be it my chinese test, "Lord give me a sign if I will pass this test", or a crush, "Lord please give me a sign that we were meant for each other". Everything in my life needed a sign...and then you realize that signs are everywhere. Once you start looking for signs they just seem to be all over the place. And it dawned on me, every sign that I wanted to see is me somehow interpreting things the way I want them to be interpreted. So I grew up and I learned not to ask for signs anymore. I learned to trust in God because whatever life throws at me I know there has got to be a reason for it.

Today was not a good day. 

It started out great but everything quickly turned horrible. I don't even know how to begin to explain how I'm feeling right now. Hurt. Exhausted. Disappointed. Rejected. Those are just some of the adjectives I can think of right now but I it doesn't really sum it up. Right now as I type this though I just feel empty, lost. I know these things have a way of working themselves out and I believe that things happen for a reason. But allow me this one day to feel horrible about it and maybe tomorrow when the day starts anew I can get a fresh perspective and see things a little bit lighter.

Today was a horrible day...but there's always tomorrow.

Focus.

You know that feeling when you have soooo many things to do and sooooo many commitments to juggle and in the process you keep forgetting to do things that are important. Gaaaah, I want to bonk myself in the head sometimes.

That big change in my life is starting to stress me out. I think it's time to call in the troops! Me needs some help! :O It's crazy that it feels like the list of things to be done just keep getting longer and longer. I need to sit and list down all the things that need to be done, prepared and finalized. We can do this. FOCUS!

Change is coming! :D

I just got home from a really looooong day of errands. I have to go to a friend's party but it looks like I might not make it out, I have a massive headache and well, my cough is very persistent despite the fact that I've finished my meds.

Anyway, the reason I decided to blog today is because as I was browsing through a friends blog I got inspired by her optimism. :D You see, growing up I was sort of the pessimist. And then I realized that when you learn to look at things from a different, more sunny perspective, everything changes and life just becomes better. I know it is because my faith and relationship with God has grown. I have faith that even if things don't really seem great, in due time, they will turn around,  I just have to be patient.

I've been extremely excited to start this year. Yup, that's right...this year is going to be awesome. There's a lot of things to work out and a lot of work to be done. But I know that it will be great! :D I can't wait to be able to share it with everyone, but for now...trust me when I say,

photo sourced from the internet

It is bound to be awesome! :D

Thankful. :D

I was supposed to post this on my birthday a few months back. Sadly though I didn't really have enough time to write it all out, and I must admit that I have been lazy on the days when I could have finished it...but because during the New Year people always make time to be thankful, I thought I would do the same. :D

Because my life has been filled with so much blessings and because it is my birthday I thought it would be awesome to write a post about the 15 wonderful people and things I am most thankful for. :D Why 15? Because it's half of 30 (which was initially what I wanted to write but since this post had been dragging for way too long I think it's about time I post it already) seems like such a nice number, not old high at all, seems just right.

Since 15 is A LOT for a list, let me try to keep it simple...unless I can't help it. haha...so here it goes...
I am thankful for:

1. My job! :D Because people always tell you to do the things you love and you'd never have to work a day in your life. I'm not saying I'm in love with my job but I am content and happy, and I am blessed at this job. It's not easy and it can be quite the challenge but the positive always outweighs the negative. :D
2. The Nuffies. Just because of who they are. :D It really makes a huge a difference when you want to spend your free time at the office. 
3. Thei-thei and Rendy! I know they're Nuffies too but I think they deserve their own entry because I can tell them anything and everything and we always have one another to listen to when the sh*t gets cray. :P hahaha
4. My car. Because I've been telling myself that it's about time I start learning how to drive and at the start of the year I wrote down in my goals was to buy myself a car and I was finally able to do it. :D
5. Everyone's patience in teaching me how to drive. I'm manic when I drive and people aren't allowed to talk at me when I'm driving unless I ask them specifically to. hahaha
6. The kindle, because I love reading and I love being able to bring it out anywhere, especially when I'm in a cab, and read. Thanks for lending it to me Jonah! :D It has been put to good use! Add to that my iPad Mini because I twisted the bu's arm so he'd trade with me. Yaaaay! :D It has become my constant companion.
7. My new phone because it work waaaaay better than the other one. And it's the first phone I actually spent money on. Haha...about time!
8. My family because we're big, we're loud but most of all we're crazy! :D                                                                                 
9. My mom who is the worst worrier I've ever met. We used to have a tough relationship but then again what mother-daughter didn't. Thankfully we've outgrown it and now she's my biggest and best supporter. 
10. My dad who spoiled me silly and worked hard to keep his family happy. Despite the hardships we always manage to smile and be thankful. We may not have much but we have more than enough. :D 
11. My brothers who used to annoy and pick on me A LOT!!! It's because of them I know never to let anyone pick on me. 
12. All the opportunities this year has given me. I have been blessed beyond measure. Thank you Kuya Jess. 
13. My wonderful godchildren, Atchie Fif and Lucas-chichas. They make reunions extremely tiring fun and laughter filled. 



photo from cousin Coley taken at Sofia's party                                                                  

14. My faith because I know that there is nothing in this world I cannot conquer with God by my side. :D
15. My bu, because at the end of the day, there is no one I would rather come home to. :D I have been blessed endlessly and he is just really the cherry on top. :D Thank you for consistently being my inspiration. I love you bu!

                                                 

Baking adventures...2012

Growing up I remember celebrating my birthday with homemade cake. My mom made the best chocolate cake, or so I have been told. Back then I was too busy enjoying the toys and the attention to notice the cake. Horrible I know but I was a kid so sue me! haha

So that probably explains why I've been going crazy with the idea of making my own birthday cake. Ok, not really my own personal cake but cakes for people in my family. Thank God for my sister-in-law Alay who is always a willing accomplice to my crazy ideas. :D

As I was searching for things I would love to eat I came across a recipe for Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting I knew right away I had to try it out. I am a sucker for Reese's peanut butter cups and this recipe sounded amazing. But since it was a European recipe the first try didn't turn out too good. I could not figure out what to substitute Heavy Cream with and there's none available in Manila, or at least in the places I looked. We just made it look good by filling it with icing and drizzling it with chocolate. Presentation was nice, the taste totally sucked. haha

So after failing miserably...I searched the net for a substitute cake recipe and tried it again. It was my younger brothers birthday and it was an awesome opportunity to try out the recipe. Lucky him he didn't get stuck with the gross flop that was the week before. 

We baked the cake, iced it and placed it in the fridge to set. Then off we went to dinner...

Since the layers weren't even we had trimmed the top and made a dome cake out of the trimmings. haha...in the family nothing goes to waste. :D

My brother enjoyed it, we had fun making it and I finally got it out of my system. Now I'm obsessed with the idea of making a vanilla chiffon cake. If only my schedule would settle down and I'd get a free weekend. :D

On the eve of my birthday I sit back and think how blessed I am. :D Thank you Lord for all my blessings. :D My heart is happy and content.

Must. Travel. Soon.

I have been itching to book a flight to Bangkok for the longest time now. The bu and I agreed that we would travel out of the country at least once a year. I must admit though that I'm not really sure if I just had that conversation in my head and pretended he agreed with me. And we already went to SG earlier this year so he's not that into the whole -Let's go to Bangkok this November - plan that I've been trying to shove down his throat. Yes, I'm a very very pushy girlfriend.

But because next year might welcome extremely huge changes in our lifestyle and time, I think it would still be an awesome idea to go. Now, if only I could find cheap flights to get there. I figure once they're booked he really doesn't have much choice. Bwahaha...

See, the first time I went to Bangkok I was throwing up all over the place. I was sick before boarding the plane and spent 70% of my time in the hotel. Lucky for me Jacob was still a child back then so he preferred staying in the hotel with me too! Oh, and the fact that back then I was rooming with my 2 cousins who loved shopping helped as well. They shopped for me so I eventually went home with loads of new stuff without having to go out. Awesomesauce right. But that meant I haven't really experienced the whole shopping in Bangkok thing. Yes, I'm shallow like that, I love shopping. Although quite recently I've also been thinking of going to Cambodia or something, you know, one of those countries that don't have much shops but have loads of culture. Maybe I can do that in December. Must look out for more cheap flights!

So before I continue rambling on and on about nonsense...what I really want to say is. I miss travelling and I miss the bu. He's been busy with hospital work recently and if my next few years will be like this. Meh, I don't like it. Then again, grown ups always have to make sacrifices. Sucks. No wonder I never wanted to be grown up. Hahaha...

So there. Thanks for reading my nonsense post for the day. I'm off to find cheap flights. If you've got an awesome BKK itinerary you'd love to share send it my way. I'd love some inspiration. Haha...

I miss the bu's curly hair. I miss travelling.
Must. Travel. Soon.