Feb 2009 roundup

I had a tooth extracted, was evicted from my room, am currently living in messier-than-average digs (have not sorted through everything yet—no time!), and was bogged down and bummed out by a hundred other minor changes…but Feb was not without its highlights! With the bad comes the good.

2 become 1

“Coz tonight is the night when 2 become 1…” Notice: 1) how nognog I am compared to the rest of my family (left side), 2) darling Marga in her tube top and matching shorts!

H’s mom was in town so we started off the month with the pamamanhikan on the first of February. They came over bearing a truckload of food (aside from delish dishes from Conti’s, they brought extra stuff like spaghetti), and got to meet mi familia. Dad was in character, cooped up in his room for the most part, watching the exciting Aussie Open match. (Can’t blame him.) Was a bit nervous about the whole thing, but it turned out OK.

Flower power

Getting flowers never gets old. My sweet fiancé surprised me on the evening of Friday the 13th with a bunch of purty flowers! Awww.

Full of hot air

I’m happy I decided to drag my arse out of bed at 3:00 in the morning so that I could make it to the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. I got closer to a balloon than I would have, had I actually ridden it!

Inside a balloon as it was being blown up (photo from Fel)

Let’s do lunch

It seems like such a minor thing unworthy of a place in the highlight reel, but eating at Soms one lunch time was one of the things that made me happy this month. It’s nice getting out of the office for a relaxed, yummy lunch with a bunch of fabulous girls (the MC staff). So nice, in fact, that it didn’t matter that we got rained on as we tried to flag down a cab.

We are the champions!

(Photo from Ian)

Our goal at the beginning of the league: to become Pool B champs. And mission accomplished!

I don’t give a crap that people are saying we won coz of the two superstars on our team. Whatevs, man. We worked hard for that, we won, and they can’t take that away from us! Ultimate…Warriors!

(Master)Piece of cake

I first learned about Sylvia Weinstock while I was watching an ep of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy a few years ago. While the show exhibited her cake-making skills, I didn't realize just how amazing she was until I saw this...

While it's not the kind of cake I would have at my wedding (I would rather spend on other things), I must say that that is a masterpiece. Sylvia is truly an artist. Note those lovely bouquets surrounding the base of the cake and sitting on the top tier: Those life-like beauties are actually sugar flowers, hand-molded by the cake-maker! What skill! What talent! What artistry!

I snagged this pic off of Martha Stewart Weddings (Winter 2008). It was a feature on the winners of the "Today Throws a Martha Stewart Wedding" contest. The winners were Cody Hegelson and Jessica Mapel, and their wedding was the first ever held at the private event space at famed jeweler Tiffany & Co. (rumored to be closing. Damn you, Recession!).

Sure, it was purty, but I don't think I would have the towering centerpieces they used, nor have a breakfast reception. (I can't drag my friends--or myself--out of bed so early in the morning.) But three things did make a big impression on me:

• The heavenly dessert buffet (such pretty pastel treats!)
• The carved ice bar (huge blocks of ice used as chillers; some were cut to look like humongous diamonds, befitting of the setting)
• The Ghost chairs (used in lieu of the ever-dependable, always-elegant Tiffany chairs or--gasp!--slipcovered Monoblocks. Funny though how a Tiffany wedding didn't have Tiffany chairs)

In about a week, wedding preps will be in full swing. I think I've dawdled long enough. Here. We. Go.

Ultimate...Warriors!

Warriors are New Year League 2009 Pool B champs! And El Capitan is Pool B MVP! Woohoo!

Call me "mutt"

Today, I met two people who asked if I was Filipina (one guy was from Burma…it’s normally the foreigners who can’t tell). One of them said that I looked Turkish with some Spanish. A number of people have asked if I have Spanish blood (D, for one. And a dude in the US started speaking to me in Spanish once). Some guys in Palawan asked me if I was Thai. My Aussie 5 Takes roommie said I looked Puerto Rican, while Team Taiwan said I looked like someone back in their home country.

So, as of today, I could pass for Filipina-Turkish-Spanish-Thai-Puerto Rican-Taiwanese. Throw in the Indian jokes (because of my built-in bindi) and H’s chinito-ness, and it’d be interesting to see what my kids would look like!

Hot air and the day of hearts

A frantic call from my mother at 6:00 in the morning:

“Nasa’n ka?!”

Oopsie.

I left the house at 3:00 am to go to Clark with my teammates. I mentioned it to my mother in a hurried phone conversation the day before, but apparently she thought I was leaving in the afternoon. She panicked when she saw my empty bed at sunrise—a time which I normally consider “the middle of the night.”

I wasn’t supposed to go to the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, but decided to do so at the last minute because:

1. I had an overwhelming week and thought it would be a nice break.
2. I had a tooth pulled and was feeling low.
3. I had a tooth pulled and couldn’t attend dance practice anyway (“No strenuous activities for four days,” said my dentist. Four days? Riiight. The next thing he said was, “I know I can’t stop you, so here’s what you should do when it bleeds…”).
4. It was an experience that at least promised to be different.

And I am so glad I went because:

1. We had special access courtesy of Fafa Fel’s powers. So we got really up close and personal with the balloons!

2. I got to sort of crawl inside one balloon as it was being aired up, and had some pics taken, wind factor and all.
3. We got Dondi’s “pasindi” shot, after A LOT of attempts.

5. We ran into a superstar who was with his new girlfriend…who happened to be a good friend of mine! “Surprise” was an understatement in this case. Haha.

Would’ve been cool having H there, but, as he said, it’s not his thing. We were together the night before—Best Boyfriend Ever gave me flowers—and we spent the V-Day evening in, eating pizza in front of the TV (and with pore strips on our noses). Really, it isn’t the fancy-shmancy restos, the overpriced bouquets, the sexy underthings that make the day of hearts; it's simply about spending it with the person that makes your heart beat that much faster.

Right, Jasper and Dinds? Harhar.

When it rains

I don't know if it's the sugar rush or if all the changes are starting to make me feel dizzy.

Whatevs. Things have been pummeling forward at breakneck speed, it's a bit of a challenge trying to keep up and to cope.

Our SUV was sold. I didn't even get to say goodbye.

Good ol' Elps is retiring. Again. And I guess this time it's for good. He's had his Michael Jordan moment.

The house is being renovated. In a major way. As in, tonight is the last night I will ever spend in the room I've had for years.

There have been some earth-shaking happenings at work. Plus one of my co-workers resigned; another will soon follow.

I'm having a tooth extracted. (That's the short version of it.) OK, so the toothache I've had for days was intolerable (and H was aghast after seeing how swollen my gums were), but I didn't think it was gonna be this bad. Now I have to set aside moolah for something I never imagined I would spend on this year. It's a lot of money, damnit.

I'm getting married. Which is a really good thing. (And something else that's...a lot of money as well.) But it's an incredibly BIG change--moving out, moving in with someone, taking on a new name. Among other things.

"Embrace change," H told me today. I am trying to. But please, I need to catch my breath. Even just for a minute.

Exactly seven months from now...

...I will be a Mrs.:)

January 2009 Highlights

And just like that, the first month of the year has gone by! Some highlights:

New Year with the fam

I looove being with my family, so even though I was bummed that H got sick (which meant we couldn't party as planned), I still had a pretty rockin' New Year.

Hyper Diego with pogi Lolo. Awesome!

We spent it at my bro's place, where the kids were in their PJs, in awe of the fireworks. (Marga had gotten over her fear.) Diego, who could already say, "That's so cool!" (I wonder if Tito Miguel had anything to do with that...), learned how to say "Awesome!" courtesy of, ehem, his tita. Everyone was in good spirits as we sat around the table and talked, and feasted on Rita's yummy pot roast, and a gooey chocolate cake. And when it comes to chocolate cakes, the gooier, the better!

H's big 3-0

Wok with Ham: Us in matching aprons. Hehe

I am now engaged to someone in his 30s! My man celebrated the big day with a steak-and-wine party--a departure from the usual beer and sisig, and perhaps, a true sign of maturity! Haha. I had fun playing hostess for the night, and was just happy that H was happy.:)

New Year League

The first league of the year has started, and our lineup is loaded! We even got two Team Pilipinas players on our roster (D & G--not to be confused with the original, Dondi & Greg). Our record so far: 3-1. Let's go, Warriors!

Ron and Rhea's wedding

I-Girls with the newlyweds (Rhea, all goddess-like in her short dress)

Rhea was the first Pinay bride I had ever seen in a short dress. Lovely! I wore another Madhuri Hemandas creation, and we stayed for as long as the flipped-out music would let us. (Let's just say the DJ played a rather, er, diverse selection of sounds.) I had quite a bit of sparkling white wine (champagne-y, without actually being from Champagne), nicked from the couple's table! Haha. Congrats and best wishes, Ron and Rhea!