On Being Engaged

so, yes, it has finally sunk in. though i still stare at my ring bewildered by it. hehehe... and i still get depressed whenever knowing my sister (and dad) may not be here on my special day.. and the fact that things would have been easier (and happier) if only my sister was here. but, i have started to look at places for the reception, though the date we really haven't set it in stone. we are still nonchalant about it.. but there is a date hovering above us. i think i know which photographer i want, since i have my eye on them eversince... the dresses and tux could wait, but i've set on the color scheme that i want, thanks to my sister. i plan on not telling anyone about my color scheme unless you're part of the entourage. the flowers, well, that's the other thing that i have set my heart into... the church, well, i have this church that i really want, but they had just turned us down, since they only offer the church for this type of ceremonies to "members of the church" only due to some "legal" thingies in the past. so now, i have to look for another church.. i just want it to be small and have that cozy feeling. as for the reception.. well, the ultimate dream wedding is to have the reception at the brooklyn botanical garden, and since i (and horacio) think that spending $50k on the reception alone is not really practical... it's hard to find a place that is really pretty at the same time within our budget... i knew planning a wedding is hard, i just did think it would be this stressful!! if only achi was here... then there's the flowers and the car service and the dj (yes, we're thinking of hiring a dj) to worry about...

just a couple of days ago, we went into this bridal shop at steinway. i thought they only "sell" bridal gowns.. so we went in, hoping to get a catalog so that i could get more ideas on how i would my gown to look like and the color scheme. when a guy started to talk to us (i think he was the owner) and started to ask me questions.. i was like.. uh... i was so dumbfounded!! i didn't know that there was so much things!! and he started to tell me that they have been doing weddings for over ten years and that they could offer to take care from the dresses to the flowers to the car services. i think the selling point for me was that they don't advertise, they just rely on word of mouth. when we stepped out of that store, i just told horacio that i just felt like hiring them right then and there! i mean, i just felt like he took the weight off my shoulders!! i'm not sure how much a good idea that is though...

so for now.. if anyone out there have any suggestions for a church or reception place or florist or whatever.. please, please, please... don't hesistate!! hehehe

On The Day of Hearts

This day has been filled with so much emotions.... let me digress..

before we left for manila, horacio suggested that we return to work after valentine's day, so that we would be able to spend valentine's day together with no hassle. so, we scheduled it and got approved...

while in manila, horacio has been insisting to by dress pants and dress shirts... for no apparent reason. i remember telling my sister that i feel like he has something planned out for valentine's day, and all my sister told me was that if he is, don't do anything and spoil the surprise. so, i tried to behave myself.. no questions, no prying.

when we got back to new york, horacio had asked me to just take it easy and get enough rest (since i wasn't feeling my best) and that he wants me to be well for the 14th. the 13th came, and he told me that we had to leave the house at 10 in the morning dress casual and warm, but at night, we had to dress nicely (formal). i was curious... i tried to ask questions, but he wasn't letting in, not even the destination.

the 14th came, woke up at 9 am and got ready. dressed warm enough. we left at 10:10 and took the train, the only hint i got... we're taking the 2 train to bronx. on the way to the bronx, i tried to kept guessing.. but still nothing from him. when we reached 174th street station, he told me that we'd be getting off the next stop.. i wondered what's in the next stop... as soon as we got out of the station, i saw a sign "Bronx Zoo". then i almost shrieked, we're going to the bronx zoo!! i thought to myself, well, he's been wanting to go there but i kept cancelling on him since it was cold and all... i guess this was his way of getting me to go there with him without giving him any type of excuse why we shouldn't go.

we got to bronx zoo, paid entrance, then i mentioned to him how this was the place where our first date was.. and he smiled and said yeah.. then i told him.. although, it was warmer and a lot more people.. he then replied, well, it was in april!

then we walked... went to look for the giraffes, tried to coax them into coming out from their hinding.. and coaxed other animals too. we were like young kids having fun. then we went to the place he loves the most.. the gorillas! we saw the baby gorillas running around in circles, and there was a group of kids (on a field trip, i guess) that joined us, that was our cue to move along...

when we got out of the conga place, on the right side, i saw this nice pond. i asked him if we could pass by there since the view was so nice and i wanted to take pictures. the pond was frozen, it was tranquil, it was nice. we were taking pictures.. when all of a sudden, he became serious. he started to talk about how the zoo has a meaning to us, since that was the place where it all started (our first date). by now, i wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying.. i was just looking at his hands wondering, is he trying to propose to me? he is not reaching for his pockets... he's not trying to propose, is he? he knows not to propose on "special occassion" day... he's not proposing, is he?? then i hear him say that he had a little friend help him out in asking me a question.. i look around and try to search for any human body, ,wondering who's there? marleni? nancy? when he reached for his bag and took out this small little stuffed toy -- MIMOSA! (the first stuff toy he's given me, from the zoo!). around mimosa was a ribbon, with a ring on it!! i was so out of words.. i felt like i was gonna cry at the same time i was telling myself not to cry... then he asked me the ultimate question - will you marry me? of course... i started to kiss him and said.. Yes.***

we started to call family and friends who has been a part (and behind) all the planning... then went home. we called more people... most people were happy, some were, let's say not expecting this thing to happen so soon.

then, he told me that we had to leave by 4:30.. so by 4, i started to get ready to leave... again, he wouldn't let in on where we were going. my only clue was, we were going to the meat packing district.

when we got there.. the restaurant's name sounded familiar.. Morimoto. he looked at me and asked me if the name sounded familiar. my head was just blank.. then he said.. iron chef? i was like... iron chef morimoto!!! i was... how are you able to pull this things for me?? i was astounded. the dinner was yummy (as usual!) we saw the chef, but was too shy to have our pictures taken. he looked friendly though, but he just kept a low profile. i was full by the time they served the kobe beef (yes, i finally have tried kobe beef.. and it was... no words to describe it!). we talked about how our family reacted.. we also decided to let the whole thing sink in first before we really start planning...

so yeah... i got engaged on a valentine's day. cliche, i know.. but it just gave the number 14 a whole new meaning for me. :) i think i am the happiest girl alive today. and i have horacio to thank for, for he is the cause of my happiness. :)

*** upon proposing, he took out his ipod and started to play our song... he had a playlist ready just for the occassion!! hehehe... i used to tease him before (even before we started going out) that he always have a background music in everythin he does, for he always have earphones on him!

back from the warmth...

it's almost midnight... end of the first day back here in cold, snowing new york. tried to blog each day while in manila, but time did not allow me to, aside from the fact that there was a lack of internet access.

anyways, here i am, going to do some justice in writing my account on my trip to philippines... (warning: this could be a lenghty one!)

2008.01.24 - Flight to Manila.

I have been looking forward to this day, it has been a mixed of different emotions. I was excited and nervous on how jackie would welcome back horacio. knowing that spoiled little one, she could be quite difficult.

2008.01.25 - Arrival in Manila.

Dad, Achi, Jackie, Auntie Fe, Ahiya Pat and Achi Pearlie picked us up from the airport. As soon as we got settled at my sister's apartment, we realized that there was luggage that did not belong to neither one of us. we checked the name and lo and behold - it belonged to someone else. we had to call our cousin, who lived closer to us, to drive us back to the airport. Although the luggage that we left behind looked so much different than the one we picked up, good thing it was still there! After all that luggage incident was settled, the three of us stayed up talking in my sister's bedroom.

2008.01.26 - First Day in Manila.

First breakfast in manila consisted of tocino, sunnyside eggs, rice and coffee -- all courtesy of my then yaya (nanny) manang belen. then we went to pepsi herrera for my (first!) gown fitting. i was scared that it may be to tight on me, since i got fitted in september of 2007. i loved the dress, and yes it did needed to be altered - it was big around my waist! the dress was really nice. it was kinda like a halter but not really. it's hard to describe it. after the fitting, we all had our nails done (manicure and footspa!). i felt bad for horacio though, for each time we are at tips 'n toes, he usually gets pampered by getting a massage at a nearby spa. unfortunately, that day, all three nearby spa wasn't available... so he ended up having a massage in a chair with the rest of us. after the massage, he and my brother went to get their haircut, while me and my sister bought stuff for our cousin's bridal shower. for dinner, we all met up with dad, jackie and auntie fe at italliani's. dad was his humorous self, which was caught in video!! afterwards, me, achi and horacio went to the fort and bought ourselves 2 dozens of krispy kreme and went home to do some final preparations for the bridal shower.

2008.01.27 - Achi Pearlie's Bridal Shower.

The bridal shower was held at Sonya's in Tagaytay. It was a nice day, with episodes of light rain. people were staring at our table, since we did some (clean) games and achi pearlie was weraing a bride-to-be tiara and sash. it was nice... yet tiring day!! afterwards, we all headed back to magallanes and had dinner there (prawns, crabs... yum!) with the rest of the family.

2008.01.28 - Bohol Day One.

Woke up early in the morning for our flight to Bohol. There was eight of us who went... me, my bro, my sis, horacio, marianne, and our cousins antoinette, jennifer and lester. it was a nice day in bohol, although i couldn't really enjoy the sun since the color of the dress that i would be wearing for the wedding wouldn't look nice if i was "dark". so, i tried to enjoy the water as much as possible and of course, i had a massage by the beach!! we spent the rest of the day by the shade, reading books, ordering mango shakes... for dinner, we had freshly caught seafood - squid, tanigue and the likes. fresh seafood never tasted so good and so cheap!! we also had some barbecue, sinigang and grilled eggplant. :)

2008.01.29 - Bohol Day Two.

Another early day for us... we had breakfast of friend(!) eggs. then we went for some touristy things... we went for bohol's seven stops. (1) the blood compact shrine, (2) tarsiers in captive, (3) the chocolate hills, (4) hanging bridge, (5) lunch on loboc river, (6) largest python in captive (prony), (7) baclayon church - first church in bohol. although, we couldn't really enjoy the sun that day, since it was raining, we still had a good time. en route, we also saw how bolos(machetes) are made.

2008.01.30 - Bohol Day Three.

Had to be ready by 6:30 in the morning for some dolphin watching! waking up that early was so worth it!! inspite of the strong waves, we saw a lot of dolphins - in the wild!! they were so cute! i wanted to jump into the ocean and ride them! after the dolphins have left us, we all headed to an island and had our breakfast. then headed back to the resort and rested.

2008.01.31 - Final Day in Bohol and Achi Pearlie's Despedida de Soltera.

After catching our flight back to manila, we headed straight to my dad's place for some lunch. on the way, we called dad and teased him if we could have jackie skip chinese class.. to our surprise, dad agreed and we called auntie fe so that she could ask permission from jackie's teachers. after lunch, we all hang out, and i tried on jackie's dress for the wedding. it fit me right (though it also needed some alterations!). the dress and her shoes fits me!! after that we went back to my sister's place to get some clothes and freshen up before going to magallanes and head to mall of asia's china place for achi pearlie's despedida de soltera. this is also the day where all the relatives are in. we had to reserve a room for 37 people (all immediate relatives) not including the nannies for the little ones!! having the room all to ourself and realizing that it's just family is crazy! i couldn't believe how much the family has grown. greeting each other alone takes us at least 30 minutes! Afterwards, my sister and i stayed behind magallanes and finished putting ribbons and tags on my cousin's wedding souvenirs. we finished at around 4 in the morning!!

2008.02.01 - Jollibee!!

After a long night.. we woke up late and decided to have brunch delivered. so, we had Jollibee!!! needless to say, i ordered more than i could handle... but it was great! i love jollibee.... i mean, who doesn't? after getting ready, we picked dup my dress.. which was lovely and fit me just right. we did some errands and went to magallanes once more for dinner.

2008.02.02 - Eve of the Wedding.

We all checked-in at the Hyatt Hotel, did some last minute shopping for the wedding. took all the space at tips 'n toes and had our nails done (it was a nails day with the ong family!). even jackie had her nails done!! afterwards, we had dinner with the family and helped out achi pearlie in stuffing in envelopes that would be given the following day.

2008.02.03 - Tan-Maceda Nuptial.

The most awaited day came. The wedding was held at San Miguel Church (inside Malacañang). It was a lovely day and we were blessed with some rain. The ceremony was nice. The reception was fun. there were some nervous parents, afraid that their little ones won't walk the aisle. tears were shed during the reception. philippe and pao-pao serenaded the couple with a chinese song.

2008.02.04 - Flight to Iloilo.

After Auntie Fe picked-up Horacio and to took him to their place so that he could watch the Superbowl at 8 in the morning. We all got ready and had breakfast at the hotel. After which, we packed all our things and went to pick up horacio and headed to catch our 3pm flight to iloilo. when we arrived at iloilo, we were surprised how the airport has changed. it was much nicer than the old one, although it was so far from the city. after checking in at iloilo business hotel, we headed out get food for dinner to bring to my grandma's place. they weren't expecting for us to come, as soon as we got to my grandma's new place, she just had dinner. she was rather in a good mood. was chatty and kept calling me to sit next to her. as we bid farewell, and told her that we'd come back the next day to have lunch with her, i couldn't stop myself for feeling bad. my sister told me that she is in much better place now compared to her previous situation. in truth, my grandma did look better.

2008.02.05 - Iloilo Day Two and Flight Back to Manila.

After getting grocery for my grandma and her sister's family, we picked up my grandma and took her to Breakthrough. once again, fresh seafood, green mangoes with shrimp paste, raw oysters! After lunch we dropped my grandma off and headed straight to the airport. After dropping of four things at my sister's apartment, we all headed out once again to meet up with her friends for dinner at Cena and picked up jackie on our way back home.

2008.02.06 - Chinese New Year's Eve.

Went to Divisoria with Auntie Fe and achi in the morning. my sister did all the haggling for me! bought tons of scrubs... man, i bought worth $100 of scrubs (16 scrubs in total... which would cost triple the price if bought from here!). Then we received a call from dad saying that we should go to malate and for the offer for ammah. after we were done haggling, we went straight, as per dad's order, to malate and paid our respects and had lunch. then we went back to my sister's apartment annd got ready for donner at magallanes in celebration of chinese new year. after dinner, some of us went back home, and some went to malate to witness the dragon dance and fireworks display.

2008.02.07 - Lito Sy Pictorial.

This pictorial was actually my idea... it's been a while since we had a decent photo. since my sister suggested that we try a different photographer, and after seeing his works, we went for lito sy. although, it was not really him who took the pictures... it was fun. the pictures came out great. after the pictorial, we all headed to my dad's place for dinner and went back home to rest and pack our things for an overnight stay at batangas.

2008.02.08 - Anilao Day One.

After a long ride, we finally got to eagle's point resort. we got in just in time for lunch, so after we were all settled in our cottages, we all headed out to sepok island to have our lunch there. i took advantage of the sun, read a little and joined in the water with horacio and jackie. then, we headed back to the main resort and got ourselves ready for some scuba diving. horacio, marianne and i had a crash course of intro to diving. although horacio wasn't able to join us into the deep, since he was not comfortable breathing and all... it was still enjoyable. we saw all these colorful fishes, bright coral and gigantic clams!! an hour later, we went back on shore and the dive instructor took horacio for a short trip down under. which was nice of him... i think diving is not for me though. i enjoyed the experience, but i think it's not something that i would look forward to doing over and over and over again.

2008.02.09 - Anilao Day Two and Back to Manila.

Woke up really early in the morning, had breakfast with the family and head out for the sun. with only a couple of hours before we left, i tried to take in as much sun as possible. had fun in the pool with jackie and horacio. by 11:30 we all headed back to our cottages and got ready to leave. we had lunch at chowking and stopped by at the factory where my dad works. picked up a pair of slippers. then we met up with my sister at rockwell and had shabu-shabu (hot pot) for dinner. when dinner was done, we decided to head out to a store, as soon as we got there, we saw our aunts and cousins where there as well. then we all headed home and ordered some full body massage.

2008.02.10 - Last Day in Manila.

Last day in manila was spent with some last minute shopping. had lunch at magallanes (achi pearlie's famous carbonara!). did some more errands. had dinner at my dad's place. and passed by achi pearlie's condominium.

2008.02.11 - Flight back to NY.

after tearful goodbyes... i wasn't really prepared to leave yet... i felt like the first time i left manila. i have gone back to manila a couple times before, and i have never felt this sad to leave. upon arriving new york, i could still feel the sadness in me... i don't know why, but i just do. i miss the warmth of the family there... the togetherness of the family. the closeness.

first day was mostly spent in bed and segragating things for people. was suppose to celebrate mom's birthday, but unfortunately she is nowhere to be found... it's back to reality for me, i guess.. back to the cold, cold, new york.