Travelogue of an Absentee Blogger

Yes, I have been out for quite some time…been up and about doing a lot of things [as some other people would call it, simply put, “I was caught up with @#%^ work!”]…anyhow, now that I finally found some time to sneak out and logon to our blog, here’s my excuse:

July 2007: Been asked to prepare and pack up for a month-long trip to Cape Town. Happy? Hmm…yes, since it would be my first time to see another part of the globe (which apparently has quite a number of interesting places to boot – in fact, these places are included in the book, “1000 Places to See Before You Die”) Sad? Hmm…yes, as I know it will be another bout of fighting loneliness.

Aug 7, 2007: Off to Cape Town via Singapore. I will be taking 16 hour long trip from Manila. I even had a funny experience of bringing overweight luggage into Cape Town, that the ground attendants initially thought I was flying to the US. Well, another help from lady luck, I got off without paying a cent!

Aug 8, 2007: Arrived in Cape Town safely. Weather was nice. It was sunny and breezy at the same time. From the airport and en-route to the hotel, I never thought I was already staring at the famous Table Mountain. Only until I got into the office did I realize I was staring at the same mountain all along! Believe it or not, that same day when my plane landed, (after a bit of work) I had to ask my colleagues to drive me up to the Table Mountain. [I was indeed lucky to get that opportunity, as the sun never showed up the same way it did that day when I arrived during my month-long stay in Cape Town.]

Aug 9, 2007: National Women’s Day…Fighting the urge to succumb to jetlag, I had to condition myself for my next stop. 6AM flight from Cape Town to Durban! It was a long weekend, so I took the chance to get in that flight! Once we landed in Durban, which was about a 2 hour flight, we enjoyed some nature and cultural trip, seeing the valleys and the tribes that lived there. Then, as the day ended, we headed to Umschlanga to get some rest in preparation for the next leg of the Durban trip.

Aug 10, 2007: From Umschlanga, we drove off to the Sani Pass Hotel to view the famous Drakensberg Mountain. We enjoyed the scenery and the buffet dinner they served…and yes, since we were in South Africa, we had to try the wine! Guess what? Wine tastes great! We all had our fair share of the bottle that we all retired early to bed. It was just right to keep us well rested…

Aug 11, 2007: Early to bed, early to rise…we all had to rise up early to get on our ATVs! Yes, we all booked ourselves for a tour using All-Terrain Vehicles! Driving to the top of the Sani Pass using quad bikes? That was an awesome (but dangerous) experience.

Aug 12, 2007: Headed back to Cape Town. For the first time, I checked in a hand-carry luggage (which was not overweight, and not heavy at all) and it got lost!

From the time I got back my luggage, until the time I got to have Kermin with me in Cape Town, we had the chance to see Cape Town’s great scenic places --- Stellenbosch, Boulder’s Beach, Cape Point, Cape of Good Hope…seeing these nice places were great…but I knew it would be much better if I had shared the trip with Migs around. Day in and day out, we keep in touch…greeting each other as we start the day or as we end the day whenever possible. It felt different when a day passes by without hearing each other say “Hi” or “Hello”.

…Being away for one whole month, one thing’s for sure, I knew it felt great to know that though we’re miles and miles apart, neither distance nor difference in time zones will ever keep us apart. Oops, a second point to add, I am pretty sure Cape Town will be on our list of things to see together…honeymoon? We’ll see…

Lightning McQueen, Route 66, Radiator Springs and Finding Yourself

When you find yourself
In some far off place,
And it causes you
To rethink some things.
You start to sense
That slowly you’re becoming someone else
And then you find yourself.

When you make new friends
In a brand new town,
And you start to think
About settling down,
The things that would have been lost on you
Are now clear as a bell.
And you find yourself
That’s when you find yourself.

Well you go through life
So sure of where you’re heading,
And you wind up lost
And it’s the best thing that could happen.
‘Cause sometimes when you lose your way
It’s really just as well.
‘Cause you find yourself;
That when you find yourself.

When you meet the one
You’ve been waiting for,
And she’s everything
That you want and more,
You look at her
And you finally start
To live for someone else.
And then you find yourself;
That’s when you find yourself.

We go through life
So sure of where we’re heading,
And then we wind up lost
And it’s the best thing that could happen.
Sometimes when you lose your way
It’s really just as well.
Because you find yourself;
Yeah that’s when you find yourself.


Well, when you want to find a movie that'll somehow teach you a simple lesson in life, go look for an animated movie (or as they'd say in the '80s, a cartoon). That'll surely make you leave the cinema, or your favorite comfy chair, with a light heart, but with a lesson learned.

This lesson I learned came from Disney's "Cars". Well, actually, from one of the songs on its OST -- Find Yourself. Didn't think a song done by a Country singer would catch my fancy, but more about that in a little bit. Cars is one of my all-time favorite movies. The story is pretty simple, but the trip to Radiator Springs reminded me of my road trip last year with Hestia to the Grand Canyon. We drove down the Mother Road, Route 66.

Getting off the main freeway and on to Route 66 is a bit like getting of SLEX or NLEX and going onto provincial roads. It's not as wide, nor as spacious, and you can't go as fast. A bother for the true blue Lightning McQueen in each one of us. But like Route 66 passing through Carburetor County, these country roads are quaint and charming. And if you travel into the countryside more, the less you see the same stuff you see in the city, and the more you have a glimpse and a taste of the more laidback culture.

That was a fun trip. Romantic, you could say that. It was then the longest time I had been seated beside Hestia. Well, the longest time I had been seated beside her straight, without anyone or anything getting in the way. I'm speaking figuratively, of course, you dirty mind, you. :P

Now about the song whose lyrics I've again shamelessly posted on the blog. There comes a time in your life when you're just too caught up with what you do (well, or not), that you, ehem, lose yourself and just find in your place this lost person just going through the motions. You end up doing something that you've been accustomed to doing, but you no longer recall why you're doing it. One day, you just end up hitting a wall, or getting, ehem, lost. It's when you're knocked off of this comfy (comfy coz you're used to being there) perch that you realize you don't know exactly who you are anymore, and you don't know exactly where you wanna go.

Lightning was too busy basking in his glory, that he forgot about the simple yet more important things in life. I was caught up going through some familiar motions about 3 years back. My brick wall was the announcement that I'd be pulled out of my project, my lofty perch, and moved to a new one, working with colleagues I was not familiar with, and at a place miles in the direction opposite of where I wanted to be. I was, ehem, lost.

And Hestia was, packaged together, my Sally Carrera, my Radiator Springs, and my reason to go all out for the Piston Cup, yet not that all out to lose my self again. When I found her, then realized that she is the one I want to be with, I knew my life was going to change -- for the better, of course. I found myself. I found her, then I found me.

I found out that I didn't want to be single for very long anymore, and that I would like to experience the joys and pains of being married to the woman of my dreams and the love of my life. (Whether I'll be saying the same after years of being married, I don't know.)

Hehehe! Just kidding Honey. That part is something we both will be working on by living our lives together. I miss you. I love you.

Restless Nights, Sleepless Nights, Helpless Nights

It's really true that the person getting left behind going about the same routine but alone feels, well, alone and lonely. Though this is not the first time for me, somehow it feels even more depressing than the first time.

Five nights have passed since Hestia left. Three of those nights I was home early after work, and two other of those nights I was out a bit late. But in all of those nights, I hadn't slept straight nor soundly. Without fail, I'd wake up at 2-2:30 am, whether or not I had slept early the night before. It would take me a while to get back to sleep. And it would be a b1tch to wake up in the morning.

I miss you, Hestia.

I miss waking up in the morning knowing that someone's gonna be waiting for me. I miss waking up reading your good morning greetings. I miss seeing your partly-harrassed-by-work self when I get to the office.

I miss you.

Telecommunications infrastructure at your part of the world aren't helping me. I don't like the feeling of not being able to contact you. The feeling of helplessness just makes it more frustrating.

Oh boy... 28 days of this to go.

L-O-V-E...

Here's a light ditty from the standards genre we discovered a few months back. I think it was Frank Sinatra who did the original. Somehow when I hear it, I think about scenes from romantic movies set in our favorite US cities, namely New York and San Francisco. Mine's New York and Hestia's San Francisco. She finds NYC to be too dark (ala Gotham City) and the people and the city's aura to be too rude (ala Manila, or worse). Hey, feels like home, for me. On the flipside, I find San Francisco to just be too laid back. But it is relaxing, I must admit. Twenty-one years ago, when I first visited the US, it was the opposite for me. The first city I visited, and which I enjoyed, was San Francisco. I didn't like New York then. Everybody was in a hurry (and a lot more walking was required of me, hehehe!). Oh well, how times can change how people think.

I wonder, Honey, what'll eventually be OUR favorite city...


L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore

Can love is all that I can give to you
Love is more than just a game for two
Two in love can make it
Take my heart but please don't break it
Love was made for me and you

L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore

Can love is all that I can give to you
Love, love, love is more than just a game for two
Two in love can make it
Take my heart but please don't break it
'Cause love was made for me and you
I said love was made for me and you
You know that love was made for me and you...

When You're In My Arms...

I would think it's kinda obvious that I like songs, and different ones at that, with special mention to some Ballads and Oldies, which are now better (or more politically correctly?) known as Standards. Thankfully, Hestia shares about the same taste in music as myself, so we're not really at odds with what I play in the car when we're together. (Except perhaps for that House CD, hehehe!)

My being able to carry a tune for the songs I like, however, is another story altogether, hehehe! but thankfully, again, Hestia does sing well and can sing in public. (Anyone want to hear a demo?)

Anyhow, the story behind this latest tune brings me back to the year 2000. I had recently resurrected my Casio MP3 watch, from our den, which has 32MB worth of memory for, you guessed it, MP3s. That's probably just 7-8 songs at most using 128 mbps recording, but hey, it was an early edition iPod. Talk about a Blast From The Past, huh?

Anyways, for some reason, I had been spending a bit more time in our den. Dunno if it's related to my finding the watch there. The PC we have in that room is also a blast from the past, year 2002 this time, but then not fully-spec'd. With such limited memory and programs running on Windows 98, (due to my inclination being really towards cars rather than computers) it wasn't gonna be long till I'd find my songs from the Honda days.
The featured song is from the musical "They're Playing Our Song".

They're Playing Our Song is a musical with a book by Neil Simon, lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, and music by Marvin Hamlisch.
In a story based on the real-life relationship of Hamlisch and Sager, a wisecracking composer finds a new, offbeat lyricist, but initially the match is not one made in heaven. The two undergo a series of trials and overcome a number of hurdles before finding true love by the final curtain.
Productions: 1978 Los Angeles; 1979 Broadway; 1980 Sydney; 1980 West End

When you’re in my arms
And I feel you close to me
Life’s what it’s supposed to be
I’m in love you are my soul

You’re my melody
You’re every dream I locked away
My whole world came alive the day
You walked into my life
You are my song

Sing it
Let everybody know I found you
Let everybody know I found that thing
That people love to sing about

Tell them
Tell them if they didn’t hear by now
Tell them how I’ve found that feeling that I waited for
I’ve got the world and more

When you’re in my arms
I wish I had the words to say
I’ll give them to you every day

Tonight you’re in my arms
It feels good in your arms
Tonight you’re in my arms

When you’re in love the time keeps tickin’
But you’ve got no time to see it go
I’ve only got eyes for my sweet sweet baby
So love’s the only time I know

When you’re in love your smile gets wider
You get a kind of magic glow
The clock on the wall doesn’t matter at all
Cause love’s the only time you know

Something so right like lovin’ together
Two hearts are better than one
Good good lovin’ that some sweet sweet music
Sure makes wakin’ up fun

Sure feels good to be lovin’ each other
I wonder why we waited so long
The fire is burnin’
We got ourselves our own sweet song

When you’re in my arms
I see a world I’ve never seen
I never knew that trees were green
Till you were in my arms
You are my song

Sing it
Let everybody know I found you
Let everybody know I found that thing
That people love to sing about

Thank you
For helping give my life some order
And where’d you put my tape recorder
I want to write how good I feel tonight

When you’re in my arms
I wish I had the words somehow
Shhh
Not now

Tonight you’re in my arms
And you’ll be wakin’ up in my arms
When you’re in my arms...

I have my friend Lisa to thank for bringing the cd to work about 7 years ago, and her now hubby Mike, for using the company's IT resources in ripping the songs. Hehehe! Mike has since left the company, so I think it's safe to tell a little story about our project exploits. Hehehe!

Back to the song, it kinda brought me back to the time Hestia and I were a new couple. It reminded me of the happy uncertainty we felt weeks before we became a couple which was in stark contrast to the euphoric feeling when we got together (well, the day after, at least, coz on the night we became "us", I was really downed by colds, but that's another story ;) ).

Some people are really better off single, while some are miserable in that state. I'm in the mold of the latter. Ever hear of the phrase "Alone, but not lonely"? Well, I'm quite the opposite. Without a better half, a partner to inspire me, a strong force to calm me, I am lonely even within a crowd.

Honey, your taking a chance with me years ago made everything right for me. Short of sounding like Jerry Maguirre, your reaching out to me put everything in perspective. I am no longer blindly reaching out, but now I'm seeing you and I know that you're within reach. I see the world and life from more than just my point of view. I see more colors and details that have always been there, but have not meant anything until you pointed them out to me.

I look forward to that day in January, six months from now, when we embark on a new journey, when we take another chance and dive into a bigger pond filled with more challenges. Somehow it doesn't feel as frightening nor as daunting, not when you're in my arms...

3165 Date of Initial Incarceration
1198 Date Life Sentence was handed down

Hehehe! Talk about a Prison Sentence, eh? Got to talk to a few guys who've been married for quite a while. This seems to be their idea (read: misconception) about Marriage.

Well, Honey, far from being sucked into their frame of mind, I just laughed with them, not at them, coz they are my friends, too, but made sure that the entire topic ended at the laughing part.

I dunno. Maybe the magic wore off for them. Or maybe, the magic wasn't there to begin with. Perhaps they weren't done having fun - the kind of fun you could no longer have as freely when you have a ring - in the first place. Just like Chris O' Donnell's Jimmie Shannon character in The Bachelor. (Oooh! Farmer Hoggett / James Cromwell is a good guy in this movie! But anyways, that's another story, hehe!) He saw his and his friends' free-running mustang characters being herded in, one by one. But anyways, whatever their reason/s is/are, that's their problem, and I wish them luck resolving it.

Now going back to Jimmie Shannon, and his friends, it's not uncommon to have such a frame of mind. Some guys really value their being able to have a relationship, yet at the same time, have an abundance of space. Intimate time with the sweetheart and bonding time with the boys. Best of both worlds, so to speak. For other guys, that is. I value space, but only to a certain extent. A small extent. At the moment, a day in the week or weekend not spent with each other is enough space. Most of the time, that day is Sunday, when we have our separate commitments to each other's families. Sometimes even, this is not the case, as we both attend each other's family's events.

Honey, I'm not directly asking you to give me space. I'm not straight-forwardly requesting you to keep to your end of the metropolis on one day of the week, and allow me to stay on my end. It just so happens that this is how our Sundays are like. I'm not complaining when this happens. I'm also not complaining if it doesn't - meaning when we spend it together attending some family activity. I like this arrangement, while we're at this engaged-to-be-married state. In a little over 6 months, we'll be together, more so on Sundays.

Though I cherish what we have now, I look to cherish what we'll start having soon a lot more. Mwah!!!

OUR song!

"it had to be you...wonderful you, it had to be you!" this song has always been part of our songlist as a couple. to others, we may strike as a couple with a lot of differences, but to those who know us, they can probably agree that we are a lot like each other. cliche as it may be, we even try to complete each other's sentences. we can read each other's minds! eerie...but when i stop and think about it, to me, it's magical!

that's how we started...chit-chatting about the corniest and the most serious topics anyone could think of..and slowly realizing we found the person we can "connect" with in each other. we burst into laughter at each other's jokes. we cry together at those heartbreaking moments or stories we get to know about (...and shed tears in Spidey 3, right? my current all-time favorite movie). we trust in each other's driving skills and yes, we both enjoy driving and talking about cars. we feast on our favorite foods (or at least, my recent cravings) - from UP Kalayaan's isaw, to Manong Zone's squidballs, to NY Fish & Chips, to Salted Pepper Garlic Squid, to Wagyu Beef, to a toasted bagel with cream cheese at Starbucks). we enjoy being with our families and spending time with friends. all these and more make up OUR special moments...and OUR being a couple.



[p.s. we even share the same favorite number now...he had no choice. hehe]

My Song to You? Or Your Song to Me?

It had to be you
It had to be you
I wandered around
And finally found
Somebody who
Could make me be true
Could make me be blue.
Or even be glad
Just to be sad
Thinking of you.

Some others I've seen,
Might never mean.
Might never be cross,
Or try to be boss,
But they wouldn't
do.
For nobody else gave me
a thrill,
With all your faults I
love you still.
It had to be you,
wonderful you,
It had to be
you.

Nobody's perfect. As they said in the the 2005 movie, "The Perfect Catch/Fever Pitch," "the perfect catch rarely comes in the perfect package." People make mistakes. That's normal. Afterwhich, either of two things happen. People learn from their mistakes, or they don't.

I came across these lyrics as I was going through some songs from my favorite "Standards" singers, my being an old soul and all. This song popped up in Tony Bennett's list of lyrics. Although not exactly on my usual list of songs, a mistake I now will correct, this one's a nice one. First time I heard it sung was back in 2002, care of Marla Hooch in "A League of Their Own". Anyhow, enough of that trivia.

The lyrics hit me, most especially the highlighted ones. It's how someone makes a distinct mark on someone else, by not just being nice and sweet, but by being "real" - moody, temperamental, mean, cross, bossy, overly in/sensitive. These, too, if done in moderation and under "real world" circumstances are endearing qualities, in my book. To me, if these emotions come out so as to make a point that'll help make your relationship better, I'll take them. And although my Honey is generally loving and sweet, she does have her taray moments, a lot of which were triggered by my being masungit.

Honey, I'm not perfect. I never was, and I never will be, you know that. But being with you, seeing you happy, sad, bubbly, moody, frustrated, teary-eyed makes me a better person. Thank you for that. Here's to a lifetime worth of learning by loving.

Waiting...But not in Vain (Hes' Version)

i had my own shares of downfalls and sad moments in my life...sad moments that at times made me question if i was really destined to live a life with a loving partner and beautiful kids. i have always dreamt of having kids and taking good care of them...there were times i can't even imagine my life without kids. i just love them and being around them that having kids and raising them well were to me, measures of my being successful and satisfied with my life. but He has His ways of teaching us to be patient and to learn how to trust in His plans.

i had to experience hurt to appreciate His plans...i had shed tears and shared laughters with people who have come and gone in my life...those experiences made me cherish my family more and the true-st friends i had throughout my life. i learned to love them dearly as they stood by me through the happy and saddest moments of my life. He has made me wait...wait until it is time for me to embrace His plans. during the time i was waiting, i was impatient. there were times i ask questions and there were times i even hurt myself more for prodding and pushing for the things i want.

i learned the hard way...yes, not all the things we want are the things that are good for us. it is only when we learn to accept, let go, trust and wait...that we slowly receive His blessings without us even knowing that His plans are already unfolding. i learned to accept that there are things that i want that are not just according to His plans. i learned to let go and trust that His plans are going to be realized in His perfect time. i learned to wait patiently...and all these have gotten me to enjoy His plans slowly unfolding before me! i waited...and He has shown me the way to reaching the happiness i deserve. while waiting, i lost some friends and gained more! i lost my dad...and i gained a good stepdad, two dear nephews and a whole loving clan in Migoy's family. i loved and lost a couple of times...and i found the one whom i am going to love and share my life with for a lifetime.

yes, i, too, did the waiting...and definitely, it was not in vain.

Waiting... But not in Vain

"I've already found the one worth waiting for. Now all I have to do is wait."

They seem like lines shamelessly stolen from a mushy movie. I won't take it against you for thinking that. But they're actually mine... for Hes, last February 2006.

Flashback to 7 months prior to that. I had just gotten my permanent employment status (finally!) in the company I had once worked as an external consultant/consultant-for-hire (TPC - Third Party Contractor, as they would call it), and a direct contractor. Keeping your head down, concentrating on the road ahead, and blocking out distractions at work, as the Great Schumi used to do on the track, paid dividends. After 20 months, I finally get my blue ID. (I preferred the green one for color purposes, though, hehehe!)

So there, as I had been smiling and thanking everyone who came by and congratulated me, our team had been called into an ad hoc meeting. Juicy, long-term project assignments were being handed out. It's funny how you can be on top of the world for a moment, and crushed right under it at the next. Hes had been assigned abroad for a year, I had not. A Strong Ice lunch had followed later in the day. Wa-Pakk! was needed. While everyone present floated in their assignment excitement, I had wallowed in my disappointment and had drowned it in drink.

Woe is me. Woe is our relationship. Why now?

I got a few mixed reactions from my friends. Some said it could be a sign to let go, since we were quite new (4 months from the get-go), this was a very difficult position to be in and long distance relationships hardly, if ever, work. Some said otherwise. Fight, Fight, Fight! Wait, Wait, Wait!

Oh boy, here I am again - at a position I know so well, but which I find no comfort being at. Hes asked me why I did not want her to leave, aside from the separation. Did I not want her to progress? Did I effectively and selfishly want her career to take a nosedive for my personal reasons? I did not have any right to do so, but I had a privilege to say something. So I did. And so she knew. She hugged me and assured me that my fears, this time, were unfounded. We'd resolved to actively fight for us.

And now, we're living and breathing proof that waiting and holding on has its rewards. As fate would have it, the 1 year assignment would allow her to come home after a month, then a month and a half from then, then allow me to visit after 3 months, and have her home in 4 months. Globe would generously not cut me off (though they're probably this way with most subscribers) for corporate-value and slightly delayed monthly payments, and they'd eventually give me a phone (why just one, though?) for their booming IDD sales.

As Annie Lennox once put it, in the OST of an all-time fave movie, Serendipity, "I don't wanna wait in vain, for your love." Thanks Honey, I never did.

who's the WINNER?

it's been a week-and-a-day that i have been engaged...sorry, i can't stop fixating on my status change. indulge me, please? we met up with friends this week to keep in touch and to keep them abreast on the details of our preps. of course, we indulge their curiosities...i love sharing the great news --- over and over again --- up to point that i almost lost my voice last night! i have been repeating the same story to friends who were patiently and eagerly listening.

last night, one of migs' friends just made me realize there are actually three of us girls (almost of the same age in the group) that are enthusiastically preparing for our respective special days…not so long ago, we were all joking that we are racing against time --- the clock is ticking fast…(but that time, it seemed that all of us were not giving up). now, we are all hopeful brides-to-be. who would’ve thought that? we were all graciously racing against time…and we all emerged winners!

to my dear co-brides-to-be, good luck to us…let us enjoy every moment of preparing to end this race against time and to spend our lives with our mr. right’s for a lifetime.

"nobody knows where you might end up..."

crazy...i am writing this post inspired by my recent hobby - that is, catching up with the grey's anatomy series. please don't laugh...but i am really hooked with the series lately. ok, go ahead, laugh. the tv series is not really just focusing on romance, but heck, the series' one-liner tag line strikes me a lot. "nobody knows where you might end up...nobody knows"...yes...i didn't know i would be where i am now.

from today, march 22, in exactly 22 hours, i am already enjoying a week of bliss with my current change of "social status". thanks to a thai galpal who reminded me, that i have already changed my status! by tomorrow, it's been a week since i got engaged! i am happy...and thankful i ended up where i am now. people in our workplace have started to notice the change of my social status...well, i smile a lot (despite my oh-so-harassing day) and uhm, (as my mr. right would put it) i have a bling on my left finger!

before, when i still had that ring my mom gave me, i used to wear it on my left finger too...concerned friends would insist for me to remove the ring since as they say, "that's not the way to advertise yourself" - that time, i was single but was so afraid to be part of the dating crowd. now, those days are over. thank GOD! i am proud to have reached this stage...after patiently waiting and hopelessly trusting that this time will come. i am proud to say, i found the man for me without even looking.

but reaching this stage in my life was not easy...i had my share of downfalls and heartaches - a lot of them actually. until i just found myself hoping and praying -- praying hard. i found myself just living my day - a day at a time. but i held on to my hopes, dreams and prayers...and this is where it got me.

...i ended up having another chance at life and love...the best thing of it all, i ended up here...sharing a lifetime of friendship and love with my mr. right.

Incredibly, Unimaginably Unbelievable

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv81.shtml

These two adjectives, incredible and unbelievable, are quite interchangeable and to these two you could add a third: unimaginable.

They all describe things or events which are so amazing that they cannot be imagined or believed.

Adverbial forms are incredibly, unbelievably and unimaginably.

That's the general sentiment that I got from everyone not part of the planning, preparation and execution of Operation: Bling on the Left Finger.

"Nashock din ako at nagkaroon ng creative juices in him somewhere. Pero he says he needs to thank friends...feeling ko may nagsuggest *think*think* hehehehe," from my sister.

"How'd you do it? That's a logistical nightmare," said a cousin.

Well, yeah, it was a logistical nightmare to some extent, considering I had to coordinate with the choirmaster (Friend # 1) on what I had in mind and what date exactly we could watch the choir's (Friend #s 2 to 30) "rehearsal". Rather, whether we could actually do it last Friday, since that was an important date for us, but a busy night for them. Thankfully, luck was on our side, and we were able to push through as intended. Thumbs up to their well-practiced and ultra smooth execution of my plan. Galing! She, with her recently affirmed 20/20 vision (not to mention 6x optical zoom - luv yah hon!), never saw it coming. It's still a mystery to me how the kids were able to hide those tulips.

Next, the flowers. The Contact (Friend # 32) was supplied to me by Friend # 31. Friend # 32 wasn't able to deliver them to my office due to logistical reasons, so I had to get them from her. Her instructions: "Meet me at this place along XXX street, with the guards and dogs. Don't go in to that driveway anymore. I'll be standing a little after that, under the "No Parking at anytime" sign." So when I meet her, she shows me the lovely tulips in that large vase, and hurries me away, coz a few meters further down the road were city cops. Hahaha! So I had to drive off, holding the wheel with 1 hand, and hugging the vase with the other arm. Parked in a safe place to figure out how to hold the vase, and then went back to the office. Friend # 1 sent over his assistant, Friend # 33, who contracted a cab, to pick up the flowers from me at my office after lunch. This was a better plan than asking Friend # 34 to leave the office at about 5 pm and deliver it to Friend # 1. But thanks for the offer to do it, Friend # 34.

Friend # 35 handled the food. I paid him a visit a day before D-Day and placed an order for Friends 1-30. He asked for the time and place of delivery and told me to rest assured that it would get to the concerned parties on time in full. (Oh, pardon the last phrase, too much project-related work running through my mind. Hehehe!)

35 friends to thank for, for a successful Operation: Bling on the Left Finger. Would've wanted to include Friends 36 (Mr. Moving Pix) and 37 (Mr. Next Big Thing), but that would've been too obvious. She would've gotten an idea of what was to come, although that would've have meant a lot more stuff to add to Friend 36's and 37's finished products. But hey, Friend 1 and 2 did a good job covering that. Looking forward to viewing the pics and vids. We hope to be able to include them in the overall presentation.

That's the "help" I got from them (defensive, eh? hehehe!). No way could I have managed to pull it off so smoothly and successfully, not to mention, so secretly, without them. Hats off to you guys and gurls.

Now, on the idea, well, Sis, let's just say that I got some inspiration from one of our favorite movies... Love Actually. (Yeah, the "extended" DVD version, not the one "sanitized" for HBO. Not like there's a difference anyway, since the scene I derived inspiration from is in both versions. I just like the additional parts in the extended version. Hehehe!) Just when the groom tells his Best Man that he was glad he resisted the chance to pull off a surprise, out came the surprise. This was just too good an opportunity not to take, to pull off a surprise. Add to that, my low score in terms of creativity. Hehehe! Bingo. One BIG surprise. Perhaps one thing that could've gone better was if I was able to give nee a chance to retouch. Hehehe! Sorry. You weren't as glamorous as you had wanted to be, but you were, as always, beautiful. Can I have my hanky back now?

Expecting another surprise from me? Hahaha! You'd be surprised.

gift of ironies

a lot of my friends would know i tend to be mushy at times...(pagbigyan na ako please? hehe) there was one time when a dear friend from college just uttered "migs is hes' GG (short for Gods' Gift)"..and that, of course made me pause...at that moment, i was fighting to show my affirmation to his statement to show that at times i can control not to be mushy (siyempre hirap na hirap na ako nun!), i knew deep down there was some truth to it...


some? yes, because after being together through the DW (Discovery Weekend), i came to realize he is actually not just God's Gift but a "surprise package of ironies" for me...the days we spent together nurturing our relationship were founded on meaningful laughter and tears --- shared during a short drive from work to QC; shared while watching a feel-good movie; shared with our dear family and friends. we would share a laugh or cry tears together after looking past our separate lives yesterday...while watching a sweet movie (sige na, mas madami ang iniiyak ko...) just like "While You Were Sleeping". remember that nice scene in that Sandra Bullock flick where the whole family of Bill Pullman went over to the train station to join him to propose? my heart just melts when i recall that scene...as just recently, after i felt how it was to be proposed to by the man you love who knelt down on one knee and said "Happy Anniversary...will you marry me?", i did not only share laughs and tears with him, but with our dear families and friends...being asked to recount the heart-melting moment of the proposal just made me cherish it over and over again. it was indeed special that whenever we all hear the music, that's it. everyone is just moved by it. there are laughters and tears...of joy.


i love to laugh (ganyan talaga pag mababaw ang kaligayahan..hehe)...i don't mind the tears (obviously, mababaw lang talaga ako - madaling patawanin at paiyakin)...since i believe they are part of God's Gift to me and part of the memories i will share with my GG...

What Made Kleenex More Profitable

The link to this song had been in my Favorites folder for so long. Little did I know that it was going to mean something someday. I had been ribbing my Honey about her crying bucketloads of tears (together with my lady relatives and family friends) whenever this song would be played, and whenever it would be mentioned as part of the proposal ('not!' pala huh?).

The melody would be enough for them to get teary-eyed, and the lyrics were very meaningful that when put together, they had to pull out their Kleenex boxes. Little was I to know that the song, mixed with the right frame of mind, good sounds, and played over again, would elicit a similar reaction from myself. Well, a small part of a similar reaction, that is. One thing's for sure next year, Kleenex stock is going up in January.

I Will Be Here
(Steven Curtis Chapman)

Tomorrow morning if you wake up
and the sun does not appear
I will be here

If in the dark, we lose sight of love
Hold my hand, and have no fear
'Cause I will be here

I will be here
When you feel like being quiet
When you need to speak your mind
I will listen

And I will be here
When the laughter turns to cryin'
Through the winning, losing and trying
We'll be together
I will be here

Tomorrow morning, if you wake up
And the future is unclear
I will be here

Just as sure as seasons were made for change
Our lifetimes were made for years
So I will be here

I will be here
And you can cry on my shoulder
When the mirror tells us we're older
I will hold you

And I will be here
To watch you grow in beauty
And tell you all the things you are to me
I will be here

(Here's when I got down on my knee, showed her the ring and asked her to marry me.)
I will be true to the promise I have made
To you and to the One who gave you to me

Tomorrow morning, if you wake up
And the sun does not appearI will be here
Oh, I will be here.

----------------------------
I saw this on the web page I got the lyrics from. Nice.
There is only one happiness in life: to love and be loved.

Bling On The Left Finger

It's funny how things turn out when they're meant to be. Somehow, you just do all you can and let fate handle the rest.

Is the venue really more important than what transpires at it? In general, I guess so. You can't hold a car show packed with German and Italian exotics at a crappy or perhaps too simple, or too pedestrian a venue and expect it to be successful and memorable. But in our case, I heard my honey say it wasn't as important as what had happened at it.

"Where did he propose?" This is a question that will be oft-repeated, as it has been the past 24 hours, by friends and family, hers and mine alike. The answer: An unromantic, and average music room in one of your average buildings. "Nyah!" you'd exclaim. Since when has that combination been a romantic location? Has something really great been done to it by the powers-that-be to make it a memorable place?

Not quite. But, to us, my honey especially, it's a special place that made us smile as we passed it earlier today, and will continue to bring smiles to our faces whenever we're in the area, and it's a once-in-a-lifetime event I probably can't duplicate even with all my creative juices at full boil.

If you wanna find out what happened, just read her latest post. Yes, I had her love for kids, for flowers and for music in mind when I planned this. Thankfully I was able to find some way to get them together at once. Yes, she was laughing and crying at the same time, blaming me for not giving her time to be glamorous enough for such an occasion. 1) There was no need for such, 2) It would ruin the surprise. She did not see it coming. Wapakk!!! I was smiling all the way, happy that all things came together. I was finally able to pull off something memorable and creative. Astig! Planning, and a lot of prayers paid off. Oh, not to mention a lot help from friends who I can't name at the moment. You guys know who you are, and to all of you, I am eternally grateful.

mr. right's wrong...

i love kids...i love tulips...my mr. right knows all those facts. he understands why i can't stop missing my little boys (that's how i call my endearing nephews - mattie & miguel), even if i just spent the weekend with them. he understands that if i ever have a chance to see tulips growing in the streetsides of manila (how i wish!), he can never stop me from just being so bubbly and from asking him to take a lot of my 'flowershots' (kahit nakakahiya pala yun if i realize later on). oh well, i can say he knows me...he knows me very well - my quirks, my weakness, my comfort food, my mood. why am i writing this? i can't sleep. i can't get the thought out of my mind...that i was wrong. yesterday was another memorable one for me -- hectic as it always was, my day was packed with a series of meetings and a bad headache that i never had the chance to even see my mr. right (we're working in same place, by the way)...i just wanted my workhours to end so i can move ahead with my social life. yesterday, i had to check out on one reception venue setup (which was impressive, i should say) and to attend the rehearsal of our choir. yes, i was excited to hear them practice (especially that i miss my chorale practices lately). our friendly choirmaster invited us in, shortly after they finished on the song they were practicing when we got there. the kids said hello (oh, i forgot to mention, i have always dreamed of getting a children's choir for my wedding day...so we got one!). the choirmaster seated us in front of the kids - there were 25 to 30 kids in the room - and said, "this is one song we are practicing for you..." i smiled and said, "oh thank you!". the moment i heard the background music, i immediately said, "baka maiyak ako niyan ha...hehe". the kids started singing..."I Will Be Here" (S.C. Chapman). while listening, i was just smiling...until the little boy in front of me stood up...and handed me a red tulip! i smiled and said, "thank you!"...i was just thinking, "how sweet". and one by one the kids started to stand up while singing, handing a tulip to me...then i realized something's wrong! I WAS WRONG! i knew i fell for my mr. right for his sweet, caring and loving nature. i just never thought he was that creative...towards the end of the song, i saw all the kids in front of us, standing, smiling, and singing angelically....and saw my mr. right kneel down before me, as i was laughing and crying at the same time! (what a crazy sight, huh?!)...he was proposing to me with a ring! (oh yes, i got my ring)...while our choirmaster and rey were busy capturing the moment for us. who in the world could turn down a proposal like that! in the end, we were surrounded with talented kids (laughing with us and enjoying the moment) and colorful tulips! it is definitely a memorable day for me...my usual harassing day turned out to be a special day that again made me check off one of things in my "little girl's wishlist" -- a memorable proposal to share with our own little angels...

S350?

Yup, as my honey mentioned, the S350 comes with the Manila Peninsula package. Not a bad deal, but it could've been sweeter had these babies come in the elegant and mafioso Obsidian Black. Oh well, Peninsula Green ain't that bad. It's an exclusive color to the Peninsula chain of hotels, or so we were told, so it's not a common sight. And, finally, we get to ride this luxo-barge. I wonder if it'll be able to fit honey's long train and veil. Hmmm... I wonder if can get to drive it tho. "Please Mr. Driver, it's just a short stretch from Santuario to The Pen. How in the world do you think I can get it up to 180 kph?"

Top Wedding Songs

On my way to work one morning, I was listening to a station whose DJs were counting down the Top 10 Wedding Songs. Part of the list were the usual "I Could Not Ask For More" by Edwin McCain, "I Wanna Grow Old With You" by Adam Sandler which is one of our favorites, "The Way You Look Tonight" by Tony Bennett, and "All My Life" by America. "I'll Be," another of Edwin McCain's oft-sung ballads was out of the list coz of the song's overall theme. What caught my attention though, was the inclusion of "Loving You" by Michael Ball.

Who is Michael Ball? And what was "Loving You" about? Well, thanks to Google, I find out he's a operatic-musical-type-of-singer. Here are the lyrics. (Unfortunately, however, I still haven't heard the song):

Loving you is not a choice
It’s who I am
Loving you is not a choice
Not much reason to rejoice
But it gives me purpose
Gives me voice
To say to the world
This is why I live
You are what I live
This is why I live

Loving you is why I do the things I do
Loving you is not in my control
But loving you I have a goal
For what’s left of my life
I will live
And I will die
For you

It gives me purpose
Gives me voice
To say to the world
This is why I live
Yes, this is why I live
Loving you is why I do the things I do
Loving you is not in my control
But loving you
I have a goal
For what’s left of my life
I will live
And I will die
For you

I will live
And I will die
For you.

It may not sound so romantic with the lines, "Loving you is not a choice, Not much reason to rejoice," but then, this isn't the courtship stage any longer. That's over, as well as the Wedding. Now the Marriage begins. And, to me, since we've already decided to take that lifelong plunge, it's time to stand by that decision, and strive to make things work, no matter hope hopeless things may be, at times. "Loving you is why I do the things I do, Loving you is not in my control, But loving you I have a goal, For what’s left of my life, I will live And I will die For you".

The Blog Name

Ever wonder where the "Takawmata" in Takawmata.blogspot.com came from? Well, wonder no more. The term, in general, refers to one's (bad) trait of getting or ordering more food than he or she can consume. In our case, it's actually my honey's (endearing?) trait. She'll order more than she can eat, and I'll end up devouring her leftovers. Which is why I let her do the ordering. I'll eat anything anyways. Isn't that part obvious?

Anyhow, that's perhaps just part of the story of "takawmata". It's actually meant to be a funny but real description of my honey and I. "Takaw" is, evidently, me. I just said I'll eat anything. Knowing that she cooks is probably going to mean a lot more exhausting badminton games, among other things, (wink)(wink) after we're married. Or else, there'll be more of me for her to love. "Mata" is, hehehe, my honey! Check the pics, you'll find out why. Nakuha nga ako sa tingin. Luv yah, Honey! :)

m-t-v!

still shots are already covered...we're in good hands in recording our undoubtedly fun moments during our BIG day. but wait, we also need video! again, also considering our friends' inputs, we drew up our own list based on our priority - that is, making sure that we're getting value for our money. we had our top three choices - whew! but after getting rejected by the 1st video supplier that we went to (yes, they are already fully booked!...too bad), we had to consider adding more options to our top-3 list. after watching video samplers and doing supplier-hunting (which we both enjoyed doing - more bonding moments for us!), we are happy to say, we also found a talent in bob nicolas...it was great getting to know this kind and goodhearted person. (yun nga lang, mas bata siya sa akin...he always makes me feel so old. well, kasi naman he's very respectful.) tama nga sabi ng friend ko...apparently, we got to book two of his suppliers...there is nothing much more to say about this guy. you just have to see his work: www.bobnicolas.com..
and yes, with the latest trends, couples have more and more choices of photo and video suppliers which could make it even harder to decide. here's an unsolicited advice: keep the list simple and make sure that your photo and video partners are people you can be comfortable with. you will not just get an MTV style video but a Truly-Moving (or Memorable) Video you can cherish forever...together!

photographs & memories

after so much number of weddings i have attended, i know how important it is to have good photos to capture those special moments during the BIG day...ang hirap din ata magprepare ng wedding, so might as well make sure that all the little special details you planned for are captured in photos. ilang albums na din nakita ko at ilan na din prenup shots ang naenjoy ko...lalo na sa mga cute poses (haha). well, yes, the new era has brought a new meaning to the term prenup...prenup in most manila weddings would mean - more nice pics of the couple before the wedding. and yes, since we're both sucker for pictures (hehe), we need to have the best that our money can buy. so we went to meet our friendly photographer - fol. no need to say much about him, i guess his works precede him (check out: www.folrana.com). we loved the shots, the imaginative packaging of his images, the artbook (not to mention his cozy house)! when we learned he's still free on the day of our wedding, we had to book him fast. you can just imagine how my mind went wild thinking where we will be shooting those prenup shots...

reception venue

the grand staircase...everyone who spoke of the peninsula (or "the pen", as most people would call it) always remember the staircase which should be a grand photo-op for the bride. other than that (and the exclusivites yummy cheesecake), the rigodon ballroom has always been a favorite in my list. plus the fact that, the ballroom boasts of having the kitchen adjacent to it so food is always served fresh and hot. another plus is that, it has just been renovated! we hear a lot of people say we're lucky as it looks really grand-er after the renovation. wait, do i need to also say we get to ride an S350? *wink, wink*

ergo, reception venue: check!

first hurdle

with my dreamy-eyed look, i was envisioning how my entourage would look like as they walk down the hilly, grassy pathway of the church of transfiguration (caleruega)...the big boys, nee's parents, lolo & lola (?!), TG (?!)...yes, he made me realize it would not be possible even with tagaytay's cooler climate and nicer views...what would then be the next-best-thing? (nee + barong) or (uncle + barong)...hmmm...we both agreed we need to have a way to make them more comfortable. so, we need to have A/C. did the research and learned that there are only a few churches in town that have A/C. after some thinking - one is just too big, the other too small to hold our loved ones and friends - we decided to drop by santuario de san antonio. next question: for when? oh yeah, we needed to have a specific date before we get there. we just knew it was going to be early 2008 - Jan would be a good month, as it would still have the cooler breeze as an aftermath of the christmas season. we looked at the calendar and saw there was a weekend date with "9" (sidebar: we were told once that we, as a couple, will be lucky if we get a date with the number "9") - saturday, Jan 19. as we were both morning persons, we have always had it in our minds that ours will be a morning wedding - but NO, i don't think i can try to beat my friends' early morning wedding (630AM)!!! off we go, talked to the ladies of santuario's office. watched the lady open the logbook of wedding schedules and...WHEW...we thought the timeslot was closed. nun una, akala ko ako lang kinabahan e...we both felt nervous pala when we thought we can't get the schedule we wanted. it was a good preview of "better" things (read as: KABA moments) to come.
church: check!

the proposal (N-O-T)...

never did i imagine that there will come a time that i will be surprised to reach this stage...i have always dreamt of seeing my dreams realized. pero eto na, kakagulat lang - we found ourselves talking to each other...asking what should now be our next steps? we are driven. driven by our feelings and dreams. kaya yun, with no romantic music, no RING (?!), we were moved (naks). right there and then, we knew "THIS IS IT"...