a gift: something for HER

Beautiful things keep coming our way, literally.

---

Sitting by our dining table, I look at the hand painted porcelain wall dish I was holding dearly.

I am amused.

It was that of my favourite Klimt painting.

I smile to myself.

---

The Kiss.

I have not seen it in real life, though I know someone  who literally stood in front of it for as long as she could.  Staring.

It is not hard to imagine myself doing the same.

It is not unlike what I was doing there, while sitting by our dining table.  Staring.

---

I don't remember where I first saw it.  A book?  Poster?  No idea.  But somehow, I never really forgot it.

Maybe I was even consciously trying to find it again.

Seeing reproductions allowed me to later figure out what it was called--and who's work it was.

Apps as we know them today were not available to me then.  Besides, it was not like I had a picture.

---

Sitting.  Staring.

I was holding thoughtfulness realised.

from someone who listens and remembers

This was a gift from our dear friend, Gela.

I'm touched.  Really.

Associations.     

Selecting this, out of all things was a decision bore out of multiple conversations shared between us spread over what could have been years.

• My love for Klimt
• When I go to museums, I can't bear to buy a canvas print because I feel it is wrong
• Despite #2, I would love to look at something that reminds or represents specific art pieces
• I am excited to decorate our home, but don't want to rush buying things
• My husband and I choose, think and re-think every single thing that comes into our home very carefully because we have limited space and it should be filled with things we love

---

Bull's eye.

---

There is one other thing from Gela, I will reserve that blog entry for another day.

cruet (within a cruet)

I had been looking for an olive oil AND balsamic vinegar cruet forever.  Okay, since my husband and I found our first home.

Every now and then, there would be candidates.

I once found something I could have taken home , but then the 'bubble' for the balsamic vinegar was too small.

In another occasion, the proportion between the two liquids was correct but the actual cruet was too small.

Either would have worked, but it would have caused me to refill way too often.  Bad.

---

As I don't like buying things twice, I preferred to defer my purchase until the right one came along.

I can be quite patient with postponing purchases if the feeling is not right.

Waiting game it was.

the search is over

Carleen, my close friend from work came to my desk earlier this morning.  

She was holding a plastic bag that said thank you and have a nice day, with a yellow classic smiley face drawn smack at the center.

"I have something to give you", she says.

I reached for the bag and thanked her.

Still smiling, she says “Open it.”  

From the look on her face, I can say that she was excited.  I started to feel excited too.  She is infectious like that.

And while I was making my way though the bag, she added that she hoped I didn't have that thing I was about to discover.

Plastic, paper, paper.

And there it was.

The perfect cruet.

---

Welcome to our home.

(don't let it) slide

Lately, conversations with friends revolve around 'stepping up'. 

This of course, means different things to each person.

For the most part, it is stepping up to keep--if not make one's self more healthy, fit and possibly attractive.

---

This is not centered on any particular agenda, except that you wouldn't want to 'slide'.

Youthfulness from a physical perspective is something that easily slips between your fingers when you reach a certain age.

Truly for me, turning thirty shook me up pretty good.

---

It did not happen overnight.  It was a slow process of packing in pounds. 

Someone came to visit, we went to a buffet.

It was someone's birthday, we drank a little too much cocktails.

My Mom sent over my favorites.

I attributed the tightness of my pants to these small seemingly harmless activities.  I thought to myself, I am just bloated, I'd be back to normal next week, when I go back to my routine.

It never happened. 

One day, I woke up overweight.

That was my new 'normal'.

---

As if having to buy clothes one size bigger was not enough clue.

It took my brother pointing out that I needed to lose weight to get me started.  I need to thank him for challenging me to a round of biggest loser.  That made all the difference. 

I bought a digital weighing scale. 

And gasped at my weight, the first time I stepped on it.

I weighed myself everyday.

I gave up some things.

Eventually, I was somewhat back to my old self.  Not as I was early in my twenties, but a more 'realistic' version of it.

---

I've managed to stay somewhat the same since.

And now that a few years had past, and we are all about continuous improvement, it is truly time to step up again?

Same Day Edit (SDE)

Unless you work in the wedding industry, it is likely that you are not too familiar with wedding suppliers.  Truly, this was the case for me.

I only knew of one wedding videographer, and while I felt that he was good--it didn't seem like a perfect fit--in terms of style.

---

My husband and I spent two weekends watching hundreds of Wedding Same Day Edit Videos--split between 9-ish suppliers.

In the end, it was clear for us.  There was this one that we liked.  And all the rest we were neutral about.  None of them sucked--but like I said, it needed to be a fit.

---

I contacted the videographer and right then was told that they were booked the day of our wedding.

While we would have loved for him to do our wedding video coverage, we did not feel that any supplier was worth moving our wedding date for.

---

We talked about our options and it seemed that apart from our favourite, there was no other videographer we would be willing to fly in for our destination wedding.

We decided to interview local suppliers.  

---

Our wedding coordinator made arrangements with two local videographers so that we can talk to them the next time we went to Cebu.

We felt comfortable with both suppliers, but somehow, we both favoured one over the other.  We felt that his style was more suitable to what we wanted.  

Our coordinator seemed especially happy with our choice, it was as if she knew something.

---

Franz, our videographer is a very quiet gentleman.  

During our first meeting, we talked about elements of our wedding.  We talked about the number and types of guests we had.  We talked about the potential of being allowed to say our personal vows during the ceremony and things we could do instead if we weren't.

We talked about shots we loved.  We talked about shots we were not too crazy about.  

He offered his suggestions.  And was considerate of our input.

Even without saying too much, I felt that he understood what we were about and what we were looking for.

We were hopeful.

---

Watching the SDE is my favourite part of the reception.

And when the time came for ours, I was excited.

On things like these--those I have no control over, I tend to curb my expectations whilst remaining hopeful.

Surely, however the SDE turns out, we would love it?  Is that not the reality of things?  Because it is yours. 

I will never know.

For when I watched it, I loved it.

---

Watch our Same Day Edit here  

isn't she lucky?

I know.  

Lucky Charms is Cheerios with (hard) marshmallows.  And while I don't have a soft spot for Cheerios nor marshmallows, I could not truly explain why Lucky Charms is my favourite cereal.

Maybe it is the sudden burst of sweetness in my mouth when I chance by a rainbow or heart that reminds me of simple joys in life bore off the mundane.  Or maybe something less philosophical, I love it because junk food taste goooooood.

all day breakfast

A box of Lucky Charms costs $10.95 where I live.  And while I am all about you should not scrimp on food, I feel that that amount is A LOT for a box of any cereal.

I often wonder how this one could command a premium.  I mean, it costs more than cereals from the organic / glutten free section.

I always thought that ONE DAY, they will go on sale.

Froot Loops, Frosties, Captain Crunch,  all cereals go on sale!  

Except Lucky Charms.  Never.  The price is firm.

AND I ALWAYS LOOK.

---

Rummaging through the cereal aisle today, of a grocery I frequent, I saw a box of Lucky Charms and instinctively looked at the price.

I mean, I knew how much it costs, but I still look.  Maybe.  

And guess what?

$8.80

Not on sale.  New price.

$8.80

Just my luck :)

Hung Over

My husband and I thought long and hard about wedding souvenirs for our sponsors.

We thought about giving them truffles--but truly, with so much food from the buffet, maybe something sweet won't be too enticing.  

We thought about alcohol--champagne maybe.  But, half of them didn't drink or should not be drinking.

---

We wanted to give them something useful. 

Something that won't add to the things that collect dust in a shelf somewhere.

While it would be good if the object reminded them of us, but we didn't want our faces plastered or names stamped.  

Something practical, but gives a sense of indulgence.  Something you won't buy for yourself, but don't mind having.

---

And so, I was reminded of something I'd seen in Etsy or other cutie-and-crafty sites.  

"if it's the same for you, I'll just hang"

I thought, perfect.

If I was a sponsor and got one of these, I'd love it!

Handmade hangers, our wedding giveaway :)

---

Note:  While these were our actual hangers, the image unfortunately is not mine.  Stolen and enhanced from our wonderful wedding coordinator #blissunlimited

what goes with THE dress?

Before I do a monster blog entry about the probable most important dress of my life, I thought I'd write about accessories.

---

Restraint.  

I think that it would be all too easy to go overboard with accessories.

Something for the hair, a belt for accent, a heirloom locket, a beautiful bracelet, chandelier earrings, a necklace he gave you for your anniversary--there is something meaningful, relevant, pretty, sparkly and wedding worthy for every part of the body.

It could be quite overwhelming deciding what to wear.  Or what not to wear.

For myself, I've always known that the only thing I wanted to add to the dress was a pair of earrings.

No headpiece.  No necklace.  No belt.  No bracelet.

Just earrings.

---

Now, I didn't know exactly which earrings it would be.

From those that I already had, I was sure something would work.  I had finalists.  

My finalists fell under the obvious choice category.

What is the obvious choice?  Diamonds with a drop South Sea Pearl.  I think that is beautiful.  Classic.  It is the quintessential wedding accessory.

That being said, I was happy to wear any of my finalists.

dress to earrings: you complete me

Admittedly, there was a small part of me that felt the longing for the earrings to be different.

Something that has an antique feel, but doesn't look old.  Maybe even nostalgic. 

Something potentially with a hint of colour.  But not at all bright or striking.
Subtle. 

Something I would love to own.
Something I can see myself wearing even after the wedding. 

Something that suites me.  My style.
It should compliment me first, the gown second. 

Something possibly romantic.  But not cheesy.
Absent of hearts or stars. 

Exhibits a sense or classiness and elegance.
Not whimsical.

It needs to be well made.
Could have a potential of being a classic.

I know this is asking a lot from a mere set of earrings.  But let us not forget that I have the "ideal" earrings on hand--and this was me dreaming of an extra special touch. 

---

With a lot of other things going on, I didn't want to stress over something I didn't even know existed.  

It wasn't as if I found the one.  

It was just the idea of the other choice. 

With a shrug I thought, if it happens, it happens.  

I didn't even set out to find it.

---

During one of my facetime sessions with my Mom,  I told her about the debate in my mind about which earrings I ought to wear for the wedding.

She offered me any earring in her jewellery stash.

She also said that we can scout for earrings when I come home to visit.  She is somewhat a regular at a certain store, so we may be able to get better rates if we see something we like, she said.

---

I guess, a fairy godmother I didn't know about decided to grant me a wedding gift.

Without much effort, I found my earrings--in the store, my Mom frequented.

It was  a bonus that my Mom loved them too!  Our styles are quite opposite so finding something we are both in love with, is on its own, an event worth noting.

my earrings, in action

I consider myself lucky.

My heart secretly dreamt up the perfect earrings and somehow, circumstances (with the help of my Mom) lead me to find it--even when I was not looking.

This is by no means a highlight on our big day, but I do smile a little when I remember the story behind that small thing.

Save the Date Prints

I had this sepia printed to be given out to wedding guests.

Some friends mistook this for our actual wedding invite--so they were surprise to receive another invite closer to our wedding date.  

Having this alone for a wedding invite would have been okay too.  Adorable even, now that I think about it.

(Though I love our wedding invites too much to say 'we shouldn't have' as I believe we made the right decision doing both.)

---

The intention behind the fun shooting night we had with our friends was really to have enough material for our Save the Date prints to pull off letting the pictures talk.  I'm quite happy with the end result ;)

Of course, we took so many photos--that I ended up making a 2-minute clip out of it!

i got a disease

I'm so scared that I'll never
get put back together

I think that Rob Thomas really has one of my favourite voices.

It sound like, well, like he is reeling you in.  Consider me, dead fish.

---

I am a little bit heartbroken that they didn't sing Hang, Overjoyed and Last Beautiful Girl.  But maybe their live version of Bright Lights made up a little for the omission. 

---

I think I will be singing Bent the next three days.

my little matchstick girl

photoboothing

My good friend A is one of my favorite people.  

Outside of my family, she is one those who are closest to me and know me well.

Our story as friends started slowly.  I can say that it was even, by chance.

It had its starts and stops, but with our renewed friendship I know I’d love for it to last.

We met at work.  We were not on the same team.  Did not have the same start date.  Circumstances or maybe Michael happened and we ended up becoming regular lunchmates.  

We were usually in a group, so we hardly shared much except maybe notes on which stalls had good food and other random impersonal things like new places to visit in Singapore or what locals call certain things.

It was okay.  Lukewarm. 

We didn’t even know of each other’s personal emails nor handphone numbers.  It was a casual—even formal, relationship.

One day, certain departments were moved to another location.  So, she went away.  I stayed at the same place.

It looked like the end of our encounters.

- - -

After a little more than a year, there was again another office move.  And we found ourselves, in the same location.  Together again.  This was our unofficial second go.

I can’t put my finger on what changed—if any at all, but we started to become friends.  Not the casual friendship that revolved around small talk and general things.  But a deeper, more meaningful friendship that included sharing glimpses of the self we share with family and loved ones.

From having nothing to talk about, we suddenly did not have enough time to talk.  We also realised that while we are very different in terms of background, up close we have very similar values.

- - -

I will never forget the look on her face when I told her that my husband and I were engaged.

It was a validation of some feel good postcard I could have read somewhere; that happiness grows exponentially when shared with other people.  

With the right people. 

- - -

When I asked her to be the Candle Sponsor in my wedding, she gave me the same big-eyed smile, a hug and said YES!

This was later followed by a conversation about what the candle symbolises.  As she is not Catholic, she learnt about the ceremony traditions for the first time that day.

- - -

On my wedding day, I learnt that she had never lit a match before.

At home, they had an automatic stove.  When lighting candles, they would use lighters.

So as part of the homework she set for herself to prepare for her role in our wedding, she spent a Saturday afternoon lighting tea light candles using matchsticks.

I thought that was the sweetest thing any candle sponsor could do for the couple.  Much sweeter than say, making the actual candle.  Really.  Much.

- - -

I think that from that day onwards, I can never see matchsticks without thinking of the wonderful friend I found in A. 

no words

I'm grateful.  Thank you.

I'd give you a moment.

To look.

Feel.

See.

Breathe.

That image.

A vision.

A gift.

---

On the first day of our honeymoon, I was feeling a little bit lonely that one day had pass and that it meant one day less to cycle through the village, swim, soak in the sun, take outdoor showers, run through light showers--be carefree.  Live a childhood summer holiday.  

I was sitting at our water villa's deck, flute in hand, watching the sun almost setting.  I knew I only had a few minutes.  I was torn between taking photos--to capture and just staying still, watching--to experience.

I've always felt that our photos remind us of our moments.  So I opted to live the moment.  I put my camera away.

I called on to my husband who was opening another bottle.

We sat there.

Watching our first honeymoon sunset.  As if it was a short film made especially for us.

---

And just when you think that's it, the higher being surprises you.

THIS.

The creator--an artiste.

---

NO WORDS.

Look.

Feel.

Breathe.

Wedding Suppliers: first things first

After getting over (just a little bit) the high of our engagement, my husband and I decided on a date--range.

Our wedding date would be one year from our engagement date.  Not for any reason except that we felt we needed a year to plan our wedding.

We soft set two Saturdays in our minds and decided that the estimate would be a good enough gauge for the next few weeks when we would start talking to suppliers and booking big ticket items.

What are we talking about here?

Church
Reception Venue
Photographer
Videographer
Wedding Gown (Custom vs. Off the Rack)
Wedding Coordinator
Wedding Bands

Okay.  So maybe wedding bands arrangement was not really something urgent, but it was something I wanted to look into early in the game.

----

I would probably write separate entries on the stories of each supplier.  Who we booked first, which suppliers we contacted--maybe I will omit some names.

Maybe I will share a lot of back stories.

Maybe. Maybe.

----

Going back to the story, we later took on a wedding date that was not exactly one year, but very close to the anniversary of our engagement.

As the only thing we were sure of was the reception venue.  We immediately contacted the hotel.  As we were early, we had a free pass to choose any date from the month that we selected.

We were so eager to get the paperwork done so the date would be ours.  However, we were surprised that the events coordinator was being cool and overly relaxed to secure our deposit.

It won't be until we selected our wedding coordinator that we found out that things ran differently in Cebu.  It was not as cut throat as far as booking places and suppliers go in Manila.  People were generally more comfortable securing dates and bookings based on verbal agreements and personal relationships.

Long story short, while our reception venue was the first thing we wanted to book book, we had to rely on a verbal yes (not a contract, not even an email) that the venue was reserved for us.

If you know me, you would know how this would sit uncomfortably with me.  But in planning our wedding, I needed to trust our suppliers.

Trust me, I kept insisting that they take our money.  They wouldn't.  Instead, they reassured me that we were pencil booked.  And that was supposedly solid.  I literally asked them if I could get it inked.  They ignored me.

I was not too happy setting dates with the church and other suppliers with our reception venue not inked.  But like I said, when in Rome....

Needless to say, the pencil booking in Cebu, truly holds.

---

This is where a side story comes into play.

Conversations with my brother and sister in law brought about another venue in Cebu.  It would be rare for either one practically beaming about a place that would suit the wedding they felt I had in mind.

They spoke of a quaint resort in Cebu that they had grown fond of.

As much as I trusted their opinion, I thought maybe to make things simpler, we should just stick with our first choice.

On a separate occasion, we were talking to our Wedding Coordinator (WC) about our vision of how our wedding would be.  Eyes sparkling, she said that maybe we should also look into another venue because it seemed perfect for what we had in mind.

What venue?  You guessed it.  THE SAME VENUE my brother and sister in law were talking about.

At this point, my husband and I could not longer ignore the obvious.  The other venue needs to be considered.  We had to check it out.

Long story short, we loved the other venue.  However, there were too many constraints.  In the end, while it was a good contender, our first option won. 

Note:  In hindsight, I know we made the right decision.

---

It was only six months later that they finally agreed that we were ready to sign a contract.  Alleluia.  

And that is as exciting as our wedding reception venue booking story could go.

Photos to follow.

O Blogs: Cebu? B?

So this is my husband's first entry.   

People always ask us why we decided to get married in Cebu, I usually gave then a quick answer.  My husband, O usually doesn't answer the question.

This is his (late) answer to the big question mark.

Enjoy.

------------

When Tracy and I got engaged, there was very little doubt between the two of us that our wedding will be held in Cebu. 

Naturally, when we started telling people, the typical conversation was:

"Cebu?"

"Yes, in Cebu"

"But you're from xxxxx. Your wife-to-be is from Cebu?"

"No, she's from xxxxx"

"Why in Cebu?"

A lot of times, you will hear that ladies know what their wedding day will be like, even when they were still little girls.  As a man, you don't put too much thought into these things. 

I have not imagined mine to the smallest detail or much detail actually, but I always imagined that it will not be a hometown wedding. The idea of being in a villa somewhere, where families and friends come for a couple of days ending with a solemn wedding ceremony and reception had always been appealing. I probably had seen it in one too many romantic comedy movies back then. Today, this concept could simply be described as a destination wedding.

Cebu is not particularly special to us, but Shangri-la Mactan is.  A couple of years back, we had our vacation in Bohol and since our flight back to Singapore will be from Cebu, we decided to spend some nights in Shangri-la Mactan before heading home. 

Shangri-la Mactan is a really beautiful resort. It has swimming pools, gardens, spa, restaurants, bars, fitness centres and one long, very well-maintained beachfront. The place has everything you need and when you're there you would probably not want to spend your time elsewhere. 

I imagined it then, having the reception at that beachfront, families and friends laughing, cocktail drinks in their hands, awaiting Cebu lechon to be served.

For our wedding, we had that and more. 

It was fun seeing familiar faces during breakfast time. 

And having them come down for a quick drink before going to bed. 

And staying late because no one has to drive home. 

And having lunch with them before checking out.

October 2013. 

We had our wedding. 

We had a vacation with Tracy's family.

We had a vacation with my family.

We caught up with old friends.

We partied with new ones.

In Cebu.  

LIKE THAT. Exactly.

“Kumiko and I felt something for each other from the beginning. It was not one of those strong, impulsive feelings that can hit two people like an electric shock, but something quieter and gentler, like two tiny lights traveling in tandem through a vast darkness and drawing imperceptibly closer to each other as they go. As our meetings grew more frequent, I felt not so much that I had met someone new as that I had chanced upon a dear old friend.”

— Haruki Murakami - The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle