Hunkydorky Weds The Princess
posted by princessgen at
6:00 PM
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Good Luck, Bad Luck, Who Knows?
There was a farmer whose horse ran away.I liked the story so much that I decided to post it here so that whenever something happens that could easily be blamed to good luck or bad luck, I'd think again and remember that all I need is faith. God always knows best. From now on, instead of saying 'Good Luck', I'd say 'God bless.' :o)
The neighbors sympathized, 'Oh that's such bad luck.'
The farmer replied, 'Good luck, bad luck, who knows?'
Th next day the farmer's horse came back and with it was a herd of wild horses.
The neighbors commented, 'Oh that's such good luck.'
The farmer replied, 'Good luck, bad luck, who knows?'
Then the farmer's son broke his arm while taming one of the wild horses.
The neighbors said, 'Oh that's such bad luck.'
The farmer replied, 'Good luck, bad luck, who knows?'
Then a decree announced that all able-bodied young men were to be sent to war. The farmer's son, with his broken arm, was exempted.
The neighbors said, 'Oh that's such good luck.'
- Story retold from Fr. Joseph Yao's homily yesterday at the Church of St. Ignatius
In other news, Andrei was cantor for yesterday's Sunset Mass. My heart almost burst with pride as the timbre of his rich vocals filled the church. It took a tremendous amount of self-restraint to stop myself from applauding and shouting to the Singaporean congregation that he's Filipino! And he's mine!Today's Low: We went to four different malls but we still couldn't find the luggage in the color and size that Andrei wanted. We ended up just buying the small one. Good luck, bad luck, who knows?
Today's High: I have new luggage too! Matching pink ones! I am getting the hang of this 'girl' thing. ;o) Labing-isang linggo na lang, pulotgataan na! Kahit saan mang lulalop kami mapadpad, panalo ang maleta ko! :o)
posted by princessgen at
10:02 PM
Sunday, November 12, 2006
God Is In the Details
Have you ever sliced a papaya crosswise and taken a moment to admire the celestial shape formed by the hollow part containing the seeds? When did you last examine the wondrous intricacy of a flower from its petals and sepals to its pistil and anthers? Have you ever stopped at a parking lot to wonder how a few drops of black oil on concrete could create a whole array of colors? Everywhere we look there is a reason to marvel at God's attention to detail. And that's the underlying theme that we will try to achieve on our wedding day --God Is In The Details. (Ok, so that was a lame attempt for an introduction just so I'd have an excuse to post my favorite macro shot of a flower with a pistil. But I stand by my statement about the wonder of God's creations.)
And so our mission this weekend was to think of ways to PersonalizeIt! by infusing little bric-a-bracs that will accomplish the 'detailed' look.We started off with the Table Names (as opposed to Table Numbers). Each table will be named after a tree (Andrei went to great lengths researching what tree name sounded best for each letter. Proved to be difficult finding for K and U -- ever heard of Kumquat and Uvalha??) and each name card was painstakingly put together using the leftover invitation materials.
Next on the list were the placecards for the presidential table. We didn't want to settle for the plain placecards that will be provided by the caterer and so we made our own!
And instead of the traditional bilao heaping with valenciana, embutido, and morcon to give as thank you gifts for the Principal Sponsors like we do in the province (for the life of me I could not remember the Tagalog term for it), we opted for a non-perishable alternative. Each handmade bag (with an autumn surprise -- you never know what you're gonna get) was tied lovingly with gold and terracotta ribbons, beads, and our bungisngis picture. Packaging is everything.Today's Low: Found at least 3 clichés in the blog I just wrote.
Today's High: People don't seem to mind as my hits are increasing each day (even if most of them point to a certain IP ad from Zilog Philippines. I guess one more cliché wouldn't hurt: One loyal friend is worth ten thousand acquaintances. :o)
posted by princessgen at
11:14 PM
Friday, November 10, 2006
Labor of Love Part 2
Yes, this is still a wedding countdown blog. Pooh Bear and Eeyore were just carried away for a while there. But then, what better way to prepare oneself for marriage than discussing love's mysteries as if you know them so well? :o) Today's High: We finished packing 30 souvenirs! 130 more to go! We got this idea from my brother to just use index prints of our pictures for souvenir tags instead of going to all the trouble of designing and printing thank you cards.
Today's Low: It's Friday! Any low can be upped just by the thought of the weekend. :o)
posted by princessgen at
9:13 PM
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Pooh Bear Replies...
"May tanong ako, ano ang nangyari sa story mo? Nung dumating yung second brother, nakakita ba sya ng perfect na corn? Dalawang bagay ang naiisip ko sa blog mo. Una, sa story mo, pano kung nakarating ka nga sa dulo ng corn field at wala ka nang napili, hindi ka na pwedeng bumalik diba? What you thought could be the best, but decided you should look for something more, was lost, and you could never go back. In either of the paths that you'll take, both has risks and consequences. It's just a matter of choice, and nobody will know if it is right or wrong. A better thought, there could never be a right or wrong decision. It's up to you to make it right and more so, you could make it wrong.
Ang pangalawang bagay na naisip ko ay tungkol sa quote mo. "Anything less than mad, passionate, extraordinary love is a waste of time..." Maybe, most of us, wish and want to believe that because ideally, that should be love. Pero sa totoong buhay, meron pa bang mad, passionate or extraordinary na habangbuhay? Sa tingin ko, madaming paraan natin makikita, masasabi at mawiwitness ang love. Yung sinabi mo, totoong nag-aapply sa inyo ni daddy. Pero sa iba, hindi. Tulad ng kela mommy at papa, definitely hindi mad at passionate yon. Tapos yung pagiging extraordinary ng love ni papa kay mommy, naprove ko na lang nung later part ng buhay nila. But all these years, they stayed together and I could say it is love, even though it isn't mad and passionate."
Walang ending yung kwento ko - to emphasize my point that the first brother is still suffering until now because of thinking of what-could-have-beens.
Could be that he came back with something that was better than what his brother came up with and so he won the price.
Could be that he reached the end of the field and so he was forced to just get the last one he saw, which was inferior to the one the first brother got and so he lost.
You're right. There are risks in both cases. And no choice is right or wrong.
I still stand by my belief and it's ok if you don't agree. That's what we're here for - to listen to each other's thoughts. Pero oo, sa tingin ko there could be a love that is mad, passionate, and extraordinary na panghabangbuhay. Nagkakatalo lang how you define these adjectives. Mad and passionate and extraordinary don't always equal sexual chemistry or being all over each other or breathless declarations of undying love or anything as dramatic as the story of Romeo and Juliet. But two things must hold true - it should be real and it should last. Passion that is based on being "in love" or "in heat" easily fades, and that's not what I meant. For me, it is something that is based on, among other things, sharing good laughs, long conversations, and comfortable silences, putting the other person's needs before your own, and being fascinated with the tiny details of his being that are insignificant to other people - all done passionately. It could be a quiet kind of passion like what you witnessed with your parents. That kind could be more powerful because it's grounded on strength that each of them held on to until the end. I'm sure your parents loved (and still do) each other in their own ways, but knowing what little I know of your mommy, I'm sure she must have loved your papa in her own way, but passionate nevertheless.
"But could this be the way I love him?" What Tigger and I have is not perfect and not even almost perfect - far from it even. But I know that it is love - without any question mark. And that's what I want you to have. I want you to be sure. Not just because Piglet promised to change to be a better person to suit your standards and not just because you heard what you wanted to hear. Yun lang ang hiling ko, ang maging sigurado ka tapos susuportahan ko kung ano man ang desisyon mo.
Tigger and I love you very much (and not without passion) and we just want you to be truly happy.
posted by princessgen at
11:06 PM
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
For my Pooh Bear who deserves all the love in the world
"Anything less than mad, passionate, extraordinary love is a waste of time. There are too many mediocre things in life and love shouldn't be one of them." -- Dream For An Insomniac
As the tag line of La Germania (or was it Imarflex?) succinctly puts it: Don't settle for anything less.
There was this story I read somewhere about a father who asked his two sons to ride into the cornfield to look for the perfect ear of corn (or was it a blade of grass?) and the son who came back with the best will inherit the father's riches or some other nice prize. But the catch was, once they go past one, they cannot come back to it; they can only move forward and without turning back. The first son came back with his choice and the father, seeing that his son came back so quickly, asked him, "How do you know that you found the perfect one if you didn't cover the entire cornfield?" The son replied, "I did not want to risk going past a perfectly beautiful ear of corn in search for a more beautiful one for who knows if I never find it." However, as they waited for the second brother to come back (he still hasn't come back as of press time), the first son suffered in anxiety (and is still suffering). If he had looked some more, could he have found a more beautiful ear of corn than the first one he settled for? He will never know now, will he?
Ok, so I fabricated the story a bit. But the point is, settling for something may be the easiest route, especially when you have the excuse that you might not find something like it again. But sooner or later, you will regret it somehow and you will spend the rest of your life wondering. Had you looked some more or had you waited some more, would you have found the ear of corn that would have made you happier?
So when did I become an expert on this love thing? (We're still talking about love, are we not?) Well, I'm not. I just know that I am blessed to have found it and I am certain that this is really it because not once did I wonder if there could ever be a better one for me even if I have been always allowed to go back to the others and have always been free to look farther in the cornfield.
Love (and making love) is the ambrosia of life and it is something that God must have intended to be brilliant and extraordinary and splendid and, as Heidi Klum would put it, over-the-top. If it's anything less than that, then why bother? There are many fish in the sea and the cornfield is limited only by our own capacity to dream.
And so, my dear Pooh Bear, which brother are you? The decision is yours but you know where I stand: La Germania or bust. It will be all worth it, I promise you.
posted by princessgen at
4:34 PM
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
The Final Touch
Materials:oil (baby oil or cooking oil)
wax stamper
small glue gun
glue sticks
tray or any smooth surface
a thin ruler or a stiff plastic ID cover or any thin sharp material
1. Coat the tray and the wax stamper with oil.
2. When the glue gun is hot and ready, squeeze 6 full squirts on the tray making sure that the squirts land on the exact same spot for the glue not to spread out.
3. Wait for one minute for the glue to harden a bit. This step is very important as the glue will imprint even the littlest imperfection of the stamper if it's too wet.
4. Press the wax stamper slowly on the blob of glue (making sure to press it exactly in the middle) until approximately 1-2mm of glue is pressed outside of the stamper, creating the outline of the seal.5. Wait for one minute for the glue to cool and then using the stiff plastic ID cover, slowly detach the glue from the tray.
6. Detach the stamper from the hardened glue.7. To attach the seals on the envelope flaps, use a non-colored gluestick.
Ta-dah! You now have a cheaper alternative to a wax seal!
Thanks, Nis! What will I ever do without you?
posted by princessgen at
4:59 PM
Monday, November 06, 2006
Labor of Love
My brother flew home this morning with a bagful of invitations and a headful of instructions on how they should be sealed with wax (colored gluesticks actually) and when they should be distributed. Yes, we did it! We finished all 180 of them! We slaved away on Friday night, spent the day off on Saturday (we attended a friend's son's Christian dedication, went to hear Mass at the church where Andrei's choir sings, bought Crocs for Mama at Queensway, and bought rugs at Ikea), and then went at it again on Saturday night. Around break of dawn, Andrei officially announced with a dramatic sweeping gesture that we have finished! The last bead has been strung, the last maple leaf has been glued, the last board has been pinked, and the last stroke of Andrei's beautiful calligraphy has been penned! We celebrated by naming that tune from our selection of 14GB mp3s while drinking Bailey's Caramel Creme.The only thing better than seeing your hard work come to fruition is seeing the hard work that you've done with two of the most important men in your life come to fruition (now that's a run-on sentence).
Now it's all in Riel and Eunice's hands - literally. :o)
posted by princessgen at
10:29 PM
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Friday, November 03, 2006
I Am Woman
Hasty generalization is the fallacy that I hate most but for the sake of blogging, I might have to commit one: most women own at least a dozen pairs of shoes, one bag for each day of the week (and in all imaginable colors if most women are like my mother), and jewelry for all occasions. I, a woman of uncertain terms (blame my past life in Lesbos), own one bag (plus two if you count my camera and laptop bags) and two shoes (a pair of rubber shoes and a pair of slip-ons which I haven't used for more than a year now) and the only piece of jewelry that I own is my engagement ring (which I love to bits, by the way). I don't even own a watch.But then again, I am not most women. On my wedding day however, I will be one. A woman, that is.
I am going to wear stilettos (open-toed ones to show off my Tips 'N Toes pedicure c/o ate Dimps), I am going to carry a sequined pouch bag, and I am going to wear jewelry from head (see previous entry on Wedding Hairstyles 101) to toe (toe ring, perhaps?). Which brings me to my newsworthy accomplishment today: I bought diva earrings! We went to Chinatown after work today and I bought three pairs! I'd have bought one pair only had it not been one of those 3 for $10 souvenir stores, but what the hey, I am woman! I need at least 3 of everything. And who would guess that a pair only costs Php 100? I am diva on a dime, bride on a budget.But I'd be woman in NO uncertain terms, albeit only for a day.
posted by princessgen at
1:22 PM
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
I found time today to go over the on-the-day tasks and realized that I already have 52
items on my list and I'm not even halfway finished with it yet!For a minute there I panicked and considered hiring a professional coordinator just so I'd have someone to worry for me. But I quickly came to my senses and reminded myself that everything is under control. Why would I have all these items written down if it were otherwise? Besides, Eunice (love her!) volunteered her sisters and boyfriend to be our OTD coordinators so there's nothing to worry about. In fact I already did the cutest IDs for them. :o)
A very wise woman told me once that "the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions, and not on our circumstances". That's been my mantra ever since because I know that from time to time, I WILL find myself in situations that are out of my control but what's within my control is my attitude towards these situations. But before I go all philosophical, let me go back to what I was trying to say -- I vow to have fun on my wedding day no matter what. I've waited for this my whole life and no amount of wilted flowers, defective microphones, or missing luminaries can ruin it for me. After all, I'm marrying the man of my dreams and that's the only reason I need to celebrate the best day of my life.
posted by princessgen at
4:39 PM
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
No to Butterfly Kisses
Today found me finalizing the guest list while listening to Moon River, Fly Me To the Moon, and What A Wonderful World over and over again. These are the songs that Papa will sing for the reception and I wanted to immune my tear glands as early as now. I initially wanted him to sing Butterfly Kisses but I knew that I'd be crying buckets even before he reach the line "She'll change her name today. She'll make a promise and I'll give her away." Not that I believed for a minute that I wouldn't cry with the other song choices but if i can help it, there's no reason to push it. Sayang naman ang professional makeup. ;o)Today's Low: Today is All Saints' Day and I miss the traditions that my family does every year on this day . :o(
Today's High: By this time next year, I'd have a new family to start new traditions with. :o)
posted by princessgen at
4:21 PM
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Wedding Hairstyles 101
This was the very first hairstyle that I seriously considered until somebody pointed out that because of the dishevelled-looking bun, this won't work at all for me unless I looked exactly like the model (magmumukha kang labandera!). 
And then I found this. Simple and very elegant. But! My forehead (in its all-encompassing glory with the trademark pockmark) is not exactly Audrey Hepburn. And neither are my eyebrows, eyes, and my whole face, for that matter. I'd bring a new level to the words Funny Face if I attempted this hairstyle.
And then I came across this. The tiara and the curls might be able to do the trick and draw the eyes from my wide gangplank. And I've always wanted to wear a tiara. But the problem with this hairstyle is that my hair is too stubborn to curl and so we might end up all afternoon just doing my hair and then it wouldn't even stay that way for the whole night.Conclusion: If the combination of the first and last (hairstyle#1 minus the dishevelled bit plus the tiara of #3) still won't work, I'd be sticking to my original plan: two simple braids (think Tiger Lily's hair minus the feathers or Pocahontas' hair before Disney re-invented her) interwoven with red-gold thread - simple, unique, and worry-free.
Today's Low: Uncle Caloy won't be able to make it for the wedding (but he said he'll still try).
Today's High: Papa Pito agreed wholeheartedly to be his proxy.
posted by princessgen at
3:31 PM
Monday, October 30, 2006
The Hollywood 24-Hour Miracle Diet
47 (coincidentally my target weight in kg) days into the countdown, desperate times call for desperate measures.I pigged out the whole weekend (and have been doing so for my whole life, for that matter) and so I decided to try the Hollywood 24-hour Miracle Diet today. I weighed myself this morning and found out that after months of watching what I eat (well, I watch it but I still eat it), rebounding for at least 30 minutes a day (ok, 5), playing badminton on weekends (this is true until we got really busy with the DIY stuff), jogging occasionally (ok, brisk walking), and borrowing all those yoga DVDs from the library (ok, some were designed for expectant moms so they weren't really strenuous), all I accomplished was that I maintained my weight (no, I am not publishing it here). Ok, so what did I expect?
0930 hours: Mixed 4oz of it (a quarter of the whole content) with 4oz of water. Taste not bad, no hungry pangs yet (not that I feel hungry at this time of day)
1030 hours: Having taken a few sips of the purportedly miracle juice and 2 glasses of water, I felt my stomach growling not because of hunger, but because I needed to go to the washroom (and not just to tinkle!)
1100 hours: Bathroom beckoned once again.
1130 hours: My concoction - which I was supposed to sip slowly over 4 hours - finished orredy! This means that I have 2 hours to kill before I get to sip my next ration. Beginning to feel my stomach growling again but this time because of hunger.
1200 hours: Looking at my gown design gave me the fuel for the last 30 minutes. Not sure if it will be enough motivation for an hour and a half more.
[What was I thinking choosing a design like this for my gown?! I must be out of my mind! Heaven help me! Good thing the veil will be big enough to cover all of me, especially the fatty parts of my scoliotic back. But at any rate, I don't think 10 lbs would be enough, especially now that the last person who could help me in achieving the illusion of a waist is not replying to my emails (paging Mabelle of Betty's Bodyform corsets). Mental note to buy half dozen more bottles of this miracle juice.]
1330 hours: Mixed another 4 oz. with water (more water this time to make it last a little longer.
1400 hours: Lunch hour came and went and surprisingly, I feel OK. I had a bit of a headache though but nothing a quick splash of cold water didn't fix. Didn't want to risk taking Mefenamic acid in fear of it messing up my detoxification process.
1530 hours: Lethargy and sleepiness set in (could be psychological).
1730 hours: Outta here in 15 minutes. I doubt if I could keep this up until tonight; the Baldoza family is coming over to help with the invitations which means I have to cook dinner.
0035 hours: Just as I predicted, $12.50 - not 5 lbs - down the drain. Oh well. I'll try it again next week.
Today's Low: My brother was not exactly the world's most loving brother today. Normally I would not have minded but try waiting for almost an hour with an empty stomach, you'd be pissed too.
Today's High: 70% finished with the invitations - special thanks to the Baldoza family, to Ate Dimps and friend Anele, and to my apologetic brother.
posted by princessgen at
1:03 PM
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Tinapa't Talong
I slept at 4:30 in the morning and was already up by 9:30 thanks to my dear brother. In fairness, he was not informed of the single house rule that I tell everyone who comes for a visit: Under no circumstances am I to be woken up on non-working days, except only for dire emergencies as I find it hard to go back to sleep once I'm up and I could be really cranky when I lack sleep. But after learning the reason why he woke me up, I forgave him instantly. He cooked tinapa at talong with kamatis at patis -- my favorite breakfast that I haven't had for more than a year now! It was a dire emergency after all. :o) And to think that he went to sleep the same time we did because he was helping us finish the invitations. I have the most loving brother in the whole world!posted by princessgen at
10:32 PM
Friday, October 27, 2006
the countdown begins
Today marks the 50 day countdown to our altar date and so I decided to create this blog for the sole purpose of recording my musings as the big day approaches. Share in the joy of my anticipation because after all, getting there is half the fun!Today's Low: My dear brother arrived the other day to bring us the envelopes, stickers, and what-nots that I asked Mama to buy, and to join me in my undertaking to lose 10 lbs., details of which will also be written here should there be any progress - which I highly expect as we bought this Hollywood diet juice which claims to make you lose 5 lbs in 24 hours (we bought 4 because of the buy one-take one promo at Watson's and so if it works like it says it will, then bye bye to the 10 lbs that I've been trying to lose (and needless to say, to no avail) since Andrei proposed. But I digress. Today's low is not my brother's being here (certainly not!), it's the news that he brought with him that my parents are not in speaking terms (my mother's own words!) again because of some misunderstanding which I personally think is very childish. But I digress again. The blogworthy (i.e. wedding-related) news is that my Papa was apparently hurt because I didn't give him any slots on our guest list for his friends. But I know I did! I distinctly remember sending them a copy of the tentative list for them to modify as they please. Is it my fault that I sent it around the same time that he and Mama were again in one of those not-in-speaking-term crusades? But being the good daughter that I am, I emailed Mama today to ask her the names that they want included and I specifically told her to ask Papa as well. I just got her reply and now my problem is how to make sure that only 230 guests will attend out of the 300 that will be invited because we only paid for 230 heads. :o)
Today's high: Today is Friday and no amount of parent-rearing problems can ruin the start of my weekend. I can't wait to go home and continue working on the invitations! Earlier this year Andrei and my best friend and maid of honor Eunice managed to convince me that we could pull off a DIY invitation. Much to our delight and to our detractors' dismay, it looks like they're turning out to be quite nice. In fact, we've done a bang-up job so far if I do say so myself. And it's such a joy doing the invites with my future husband as he always willingly accedes to doing the tricky parts like the pinking of the cardboards with a rotary cutter, which literally requires muscle power and
a certain degree of OC-ness -- both of which, fortunately, he has a lot of. I, on the other hand, get to do the fun parts that only require an effortless artistic talent like the gluing of the cutout leaves on the main invite page in such a way that they look like they're falling. I say marriage is all about that - complementing each other's differences toward a common goal while hip-gyrating to Shakira's Hips Don't Lie (thanks to Yahoo! Launchcast) and munching on Boy Bawang.
posted by princessgen at
11:49 AM
