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!