Christmas Eve 2004

Christmas this year was very memorable to my husband and I. Not only was it our first Christmas as husband and wife, it was also the first Christmas that we were able to celebrate together.

We spent the day shopping for last minute gifts and wrapping them. I found the simple chore of shopping and wrapping gifts extra special just because I was doing it with him :0)

The earlier part of the evening was spent with my husband's side of the family.

This Christmas was also extra special for them since they rarely spend the holidays together, given that my mother-in-law is in the States and Tita Beth and her family are based in Japan.

This year the family was complete.

We ate dinner and played Santa, giving gifts to everyone, young and old alike :0) There was also a Karaoke game going on, with cash prizes for the top 3 scorers. Mr. A joined in the fun while I cheered him on :0)

We said goodbye at quarter to 10pm, in time to attend the Christmas Eve mass at 10pm. I savored our time together. I felt so blessed that I was sharing the night with the person I love so much. It was nice to know that from now on, I will be spending all my Christmas eve and days with my husband.

We got an early start at opening our gifts in the car. We opened the gifts from my sis-in-law and my mother-in-law. My hubby got a Pearl Jam CD while I got a wallet from my sis-in-law and an elegant necklace and earring set of freshwater pearls set in gold from my mother-in-law.

Noche Buena was spent with my side of the family.

The simple celebration started with the opening of the wine. My husband and my dad worked together in popping it open. I was very happy to watch as my family fully embraced my husband into the fold.

Gift giving and opening followed a filling meal.



We played Santa once again and gave my sister and brother each a Tommy Hilfiger perfume set. My baby bro got a pencil sharpener and a PDA. My parents received pendulum desk clock with the inscription: To Mom and Dad, hope our marriage is as beautiful as yours. Monching, my cousin spending Christmas with us, also got a robot set from us.

We were so happy to see everyone opening and appreciating our gifts :0)

My husband got a blue Nautica shirt from my sister, a red Lacoste shirt from my parents, and a key chain from my baby bro. His favorite gift was the g-string undies from my brother :0)

[My gift was to follow later -- a stainless-steel Casio G-shock, something he's been eyeing for a while now.]

I got body wash from The Body Shop from my brother, a red wallet with a yellow embroidered flower from my baby bro and a set of Lancome eye make-up from my sis. My favorite gift was, no doubt about it, the gorgeous red leather jacket from my hubby complete with care set ;0)

Mine really was a very Merry Christmas :0)

Bridal Shower

It wasn't a very promising beginning. The shower was officially slated to start at 3pm (as set by the organizers -- my sister, Liz and my cousin, Ate Chic) but most of the guests arrived at 5.30pm already. I wasn't also at my best since I've been nursing a cold and a fever for the past week.

But some good things were just meant to be. And tonight was one of them.

As soon as we got started by 6pm, it was good food, fun, laughter and girl bonding for the rest of the evening.

All my favorite dishes were present -- tokneneng, dimsum, chicken lollipop, rosemary pork, roast beef with mushroom gravy, lasagna, samosa with green mango dip and buco pandan for dessert. There were games and prizes galore, loot bags filled with chocolate bars and cookies plus a mini-coin-purse-cum-key-chain to remember the night by.

Plus the rare chance of having my friends and my cousins together and socializing :0)

Bring Me served as ice breaker. By the 3rd item requested, everyone was already running and trying to outdo each other!

Charades was hilarious! Two groups played against each other, trying to guess my favorite things. It was a close fight of who knows me better, my cousins or my friends. In the end, my cousins won!

There was also the Q and A portion. Earlier this week, my sis e-mailed Mr. A several questions which he e-mailed back to her with answers. During the game, I was given multiple choices where I had to guess what Mr. A's answers were to the same set of questions. I amazed everyone by correctly answering most of the questions even without choices. I guess that shows how in sync I am with my hubby:0)

The highlight of the evening was opening my gifts.


There was the gorgeous pearl bracelet with crystal spacers and sexy dangling crystal earrings from my mother-in-law. Lots of thong undies-- a prim and proper white cotton with blue lace from Chel, see-through ones in violet and blue from Ka and Farrah and a very sexy red, Victoria's Secret from Tessa. Two beautiful nightwear -- a slinky satin number in burgundy from Maine and a set that shouts flagrant sex appeal in red lace with matching thong undies from my sister. My cousins, Ate Fe, Ate Jo and Ate Chic also gave me two sexy tops, an empire-cut with spaghetti straps in red and black and a backless halter in white linen with embroidered flowers. There was also the red lacy underwear set from my sis-in-law, Tetel and the dreamy and colorful chiffon poncho, yet still another gift from Tessa-girl.

Another gift from Karen garnered the most laughter. It was a Hello Kitty demibra with a halter strap and a golden heart in the middle. Talk about tacky! When I tried it on, it was so small that I can hardly stuff my set into it! And that's saying a lot since I'm no Pamela Anderson hehe! We kidded Ka that she was so hyped up in finding a Hello Kitty bra (coz I love Hello Kitty!) that she did not notice that it was actually a trainer bra :0P

Then came the biggest surprise (and the most emotional part) of the night -- a gift from Mr. A :0)



It was the tiara I was eyeing from David's Bridal.




[A little background: At first, I wasn't planning on wearing a tiara but Mr. A told me that he wanted me to wear one so that I'd really look like a princess while walking down the aisle :0) I found that so sweet so I started looking for one. I was having a difficult time looking for a tiara that would go well with the gold motif of the wedding. I kept seeing a lot of silver tiaras and the few gold ones I saw were cheap looking and small. I finally saw one I love last week in the David's Bridal website. When I told Mr. A about it, he said he'd try to buy it before he comes home this Sunday. Just yesterday, he told me that it wasn't available anymore. I was very disappointed but I couldn't do anything about it since it was already too late. Turned out, he bought it as a surprise for me and gave it to his mom to bring since she went back here earlier:0)]

I was really touched by the gift. As I was opening it, my sis saw that he failed to remove the price tag ($170). Everyone was laughing and talking about how expensive it was and how he probably left the tag intentionally. But I know that it wasn't the price that made him buy it but the fact that I wanted it.

After tearing off the wrapper, I saw the dedication that he wrote on the container of the tiara...

To my Princess (soon to be my Queen),

I love you so much.

Your King.

And that started the tears. I missed him so much that moment that it just overwhelmed me. Soon, almost everyone was misty eyed, carried away by the moment.

After the gift giving and opening, the beautiful cake was brought out and I blew the candle. Everyone dispensed advice and express their warmest wishes for me while enjoying the yummy cake.

The chika and the bonding plus the pigging out went on well into the night.

It was a very memorable night that made me love my family and friends more :0)

officially unemployed

as of tuesday this week, i am officially unemployed. and at about the same time, i became a full-time wedding planner :0)

the invitations and the CD covers are out! and they are more than what i expected and everything i've ever wanted... simple, elegant and original!

more wedding updates include:

> the bridal entourage have had their fittings already except for one. All the designs have been finalized.

> hair and make-up trial on sat, november 13 (hopefully, i can post pics by then)

> will soon meet with the wedding coordinators, the photographer, lay-out artist for reception and emcee to hash out details of the wedding day itself.

> Mr. A is due to arrive on the 19th of December (can't wait bibi!)

I'M SO EXCITED ALREADY!!!

sneaky loneliness and drunken misters

It's interesting how one can be lonely in the midst of friendly company. That sneaky loneliness that creeps up amongst teasing laughter and spirited conversation. When all of a sudden, you're on the verge of tears, craving the company of the only person who understands your every mood and action.

And given the fact that it's an impossibility at the moment, you turn to the next best thing -- solitude, to reminisce about memories of moments spent together.

***

I usually enjoy my commute home. The solitude gives me time to think about my day and reflect on the events that happened during its course. It gives me a chance to clear my head of work-related stress and prepare for a relaxing evening at home.

But tonight, I was on edge for half of my commute. There was no time for reflection nor introspection. I was just praying for a traffic-free travel that would make my commute faster.

Hindi ako naiihi . Hindi rin ako nana-number 2.

The problem was this man who was stupid enough to get drunk at eight in the evening and was not even man enough to hold his drink gracefully. He was singing all throughout the half-hour jeepney ride, while ogling me from time to time. The first time I caught him staring it me, I gave him a 'dedma' look, and he had the gall to wink at me! Ugh! After that, even though I can feel his eyes on me, I ignored him for the rest of the ride. Upon arriving at our destination, I made sure to walk as fast and as far away from him as possible.

I hate men like that. I know it's ok to look (but never, ever touch!)but an appreciative glance is one thing, an outright lascivious stare is a totally different thing altogether. Men like that make me feel dirty just by looking at me.

Konting respeto lang please!

countdown

Next week's going to be my last week here at work. I'm looking forward to having work-free days and dreading it at the same time :0P

I'll surely miss being a part of UP, having the privilege to educate the cream of the crop (nax!)and working with the brightest and sharpest minds in the allied health field. I don't consider this job as work, thus, I have such fun doing it :0) I'm hoping I can find another job like it when I get to California.

Meanwhile, I'm shifting my focus to wedding planning. It's roughly two months before the church wedding and I feel like I still have a thousand and one details to consider! I'm trying to avoid being such a control freak about my wedding but I really can't help but take note of every little thing. I want this day to be memorable, not just for me and my husband, but for all our guests.

I'm starting to actually feel how it's like being a bride-to-be :0)

the immigration process

Pathetic. The way our future hinges on impersonal bureaucracy governed by unfeeling immigration laws.

Pathetic. How each official looking form we fill out corresponds to the brightening of the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

Pathetic. That no matter how much we love each other, miss each other, long for each other, we must remain thousands of miles apart.

Just because we have to go through the proper channels, wait for the proper authorities, have the proper documents.

Sometimes, it's not just pathetic anymore. It's sad.

Mondays

Disappointment is a pill that leaves a vile taste in one's mouth. It raises questions of misplaced trust and unfounded expectations. Even before 8am today, I had to swallow this bitter pill given by a friend. I guess I was too assuming when I hoped that he will be there to help me out of a jam I was unwillingly forced into.

Less than an hour after that, someone tried playing smart-ass with me. And got a very public put-down for his effort. Usually, I can rise above those kind of remarks. But there are times when I find it too much of an effort to play little Miss Nice. Especially with people who rubs me raw and seems to suck out all the niceness I can offer.

Today was turning out to be one of those I-should-have-stayed-in-bed days.

Luckily, the later half of the day turned out rather well. Lunch with an old friend, tuna sandwich at Almon Marina and flirty boy shorts for a bargain managed to save the day for me.

Hmm. Seems like Mondays can be the dreadful end to a long and refreshing weekend. Or Mondays can be the unsullied start to a brand new week.

I haven't made up my mind yet about Mondays.

as time goes by

One more week has ended, another has began. Where does all these seconds, and minutes, and hours, and days go?
It seemed like a moment ago when I was feeling the anticipation that Friday inevitably brings.
I feel torn. Torn between trying to grasp each second as they sift through my days and trying to hurry, hurry the passing of time.
I want to savor each day for what it may bring me, teach me, show me. I know that I will never be the same person that I am right now, right this moment.
And yet. I am restless for the new life that awaits me across the ocean, in the arms of the one I love most.