Compromise

One of the most important things that I've learned in marriage is the power of COMPROMISE. My husband and I, despite our many similarities, do not always want the same things. This is where compromise needs to come in. One of us has to "give way" to the other. Sometimes "meeting halfway" could also be a good idea. The bottomline is, we have to have a mutual agreement so that we're both happy.

The message exchange below shows how my husband and I compromised with each other recently.

As you can see, compromise may involve bargaining sometimes. Hahaha!!

Sorry if it's a shallow example, but i'm sure you get the point :)

P.S. Please ignore the fact that my husband loves Sam and Cat. This is the man I fell in love with -- don't judge. :P

Recent Blessings

HOORAYYYYY FOR THE LONG WEEKEND!!!! Yayyyy, happy dance!! I’ve been looking forward to this long weekend for so long because I’ve been working for two months straight. No vacation or medical leave. Thank God I haven’t been sick except for the occasional headaches and sniffles. Tonight will be dinner with the girls, then we’re having a camping trip tomorrow until Sunday. I’m so excited!

Today is my mom’s 54th birthday. People still get shocked when they find out her age because she looks no where near 50s. Sometimes people even mistake us for sisters! She looks like she’s only in her late 30s or early 40s. I wish that I’d age gracefully as she does. :)

My family moved into my parents' newly-purchased condominium unit in Commonwealth a few days ago. The photo above was taken last night when they had a simple birthday salubong for Mommy. It makes me so happy to see my parents enjoying where they are and what they have right now. I know one of the reasons why they purchased this condo unit is because it is easier to maintain. Also, it is literally next-door to my mom’s office. Of course, our Novaliches house will always be our home. But we are all very excited to build a new home that is more convenient for everyone location-wise. Hehehe. :D

I’m happy to hear that my sister’s wedding preparations are coming together smoothly, save for a few minor stress bouts. As much as I want to be with her in her gown fittings and assist in their prenup shoot, I’m glad that I’m still able to help her as a ‘consultant’. I appreciate that she keeps me in the loop in practically all aspects of her wedding — from reception setup, invitation design, motif, gowns, flowers, etc. I appreciate that my opinion matters to her, not only on wedding matters, but even on something as simple as her outfit for the day.

Work has been good. Really good. Everyday I thank the Lord for blessing me with this job in a great environment, and being able to work alongside awesome people. I honestly didn’t expect to be able to adjust this smoothly. I thank the Lord for the wisdom and knowledge He continues to bless me with.

That’s a photo of me and my new colleagues in one of the social events organized by our Business Development team for our students. My boss treated us to a huge pork knuckle platter.

I am thankful that I get to go home early enough to prepare home-cooked dinner for my husband.

Thanks to Pinterest, I’ve been learning new dishes to cook, the latest one as shown above is chicken spinach. It’s not only fairly easy to make, but it’s delicious and healthy too. My husband liked it a lot that I cooked this dish for two consecutive days, haha.

I know I haven’t blogged for a long time and I plan to catch up in the next few weeks! September has been pretty eventful, and I would like to document it as much as I can. Have I mentioned that we’ve already booked plane tickets for our Christmas vacation? After spending two consecutive Christmases here in Singapore, E and I are beyond thrilled to be back home this year! Also, we’re planning for our anniversary trip (I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since we got married!!!). Since I just transferred to a new company, I have limited annual leaves. We’re thinking of a 3D2N trip somewhere in Asia. The top choices at the moment are Phuket, Hong Kong, and Bangkok. I am very thankful that I have a lot of things to look forward to. :)

The One Where I'm a Charlotte

A few days ago, I chanced upon Sex and the City the movie on HBO. I remember one of my girl friends remarked that I’m “such a Charlotte”, as we compared our mannerisms to that of the characters’.

Samantha: Relationships aren’t just about being happy. I mean, how often are you happy in your relationship?
Charlotte: Every day.
Samantha: Every day?
Charlotte: Well, not all day every day – but yes, every day.

I loved that quote. I think she described my relationship perfectly. Sometimes I get easily upset at something my husband said or did, and we may fight over the most stupid things. But those moments are just bits and pieces, few and far between. I am genuinely happy (happiest) when I’m with him. Every day. Not all day, every day, but definitely every day.

There was another scene where she’s in bed with Harry after a long day of hearing about everyone else’s failed relationships. She looks at him and says something to the effect of, “Thank you for being you.” Simple, sweet, and totally melted my heart.

At another point in the movie, she has one of her little freak-outs, and talks about how there’s no way things could go so well for one person, and she’s just waiting for something terrible to happen. This same thing lurks at the back of my mind sometimes. My life has had its ups and downs, but for the most part, it’s been so easy, so amazing, and things have just fallen into place. Despite whatever impending terribleness that may lie ahead, the kind of life where you’re able to think ‘there’s no way things can go so well’ is one that I’m quite blessed to be living.

I am now embracing my inner Charlotte, and it felt really good to just step back and realize how beautiful things are, how incredible my life has been, how blessed I am. I hope to never take this for granted.

Grace Under Stress

This morning, as early as 6:15 AM, I’ve been receiving updates from the IRIS (transpo) app on my phone that there’s a train fault in the North East line. What a bummer, because this is my daily route. It’s only my first week in my new job and I certainly don’t want to be late. Naturally, I hurried up, anticipating the possible delay. We left the house fifteen minutes earlier than usual, so I was thinking I could probably still reach the office by 8:30. E and I walked to the bus stop right across our block, and thankfully there’s bus 43 that could bring us to Serangoon station. One-north is the nearest station to my office, and it’s just a straight 25-minute train ride from Serangoon. It all sounded great in my head, until bus 43 arrived — super packed, with literally no room even for one additional passenger. There were shuttle buses available, but those were filled to the brim as well. Anxiety and stress kicked in sooner than I wanted to. How dyahe to be late on my first week at work. I reminded myself that this is a situation that is beyond my control, so stressing over it is absolutely useless.

Fifteen minutes later, another bus 43 came, and this time it could fit in the passengers waiting at our bus stop. Hallelujah!!! But why are we moving at such a slooowwww speed? Is that a traffic jam building up?? What happened to the very systematic and efficient transportation system that this country is known for? UGHHHH. At this point, it felt like the universe was conspiring against me. OA and exagg, yes, but it seriously got me so stressed! :( Thank heavens, my husband — my stress-reliever, the voice of reason in my life — was with me. He told me to calm down and just pray. It sure is easier said than done. But the fact is, worrying and stressing out wouldn’t change anything.

So what’s the best thing to do in a time like this? I chose to look at the brighter side. I thanked God for the good weather. Imagine if there was a heavy downpour while people are walking to the nearest MRT station that is not affected by the power outage. Oh my, it would have definitely sucked so bad. I thanked God that there’s a bus stop just across our HDB, and that there’s bus 43 (going to Serangoon MRT) there. Otherwise, we would have been one of those people who had to take a loooong walk under the scorching heat of the sun. I thanked God that even if we were stuck in traffic, at least we were sitting comfortably inside the air-conditioned bus. I could just imagine how BUGNOT I would have been! Hahaha! I thanked God for the IRIS app, otherwise I would have taken my sweet time preparing, had I not known beforehand that there was a train fault, and I would have been even more late than I already was. And of course, I thanked God for my handsome (among other adjectives I could use to describe him, haha) husband who soooo patiently dealt with me and my ridiculous stress levels! Praise God for you, my love!

I reached the office at 8:45. Fifteen minutes late. And I walked into an EMPTY office. Hah! So I was actually stressing out over NOTHING! Hahaha. What I am most grateful for is the grace that enabled me to see brighter side of things, despite the (unreasonable) stress and anxiousness. :)

The Magic of Beginnings

Two weeks ago, I tendered my resignation from my current post in the company I have worked for the past two years. I haven’t secured a new job yet when I resigned. I know it’s not exactly a pragmatic move. It’s actually stupid in a way, because it would mean jumping into a sea of uncertainty. However, it wasn’t decided on impulse. I have been praying for it for months, so I believe that it’s a well-guided decision. I admit that it was scary as hell. At first, it was all relief, that finally I can focus on my search for “greener pastures”. But thinking of the what-ifs sort of made me panic. What if I’ll be out of job for too long? I’d definitely go crazy. What if we wipe out our funds before I find a new job? How will we survive here in Singapore? And the list goes on…

I didn’t like the feeling, and it was the total opposite of the unwavering faith in God that I am striving to have, so I decided to give myself a little flashback to the many other instances He had saved me and Erick. We’ve been in similar situations before. How could I forget the prayers that have been answered in a timing that couldn’t be more perfect? How could I forget how each detour ultimately led us to His answers? How could I forget the small and big miracles He has done in my life?

Remembering all these led me to ask myself how could I even doubt God and His greatness. I felt ashamed of myself. So I apologized to God, and I could almost hear him say to me, “My child, why are you still worrying when you have already prayed?” I teared up because I know in my heart that it is definitely God speaking.

Tomorrow is my first day in my new job. My heart is filled with gratitude for this answered prayer. My great God has once again orchestrated everything to fall into their proper places just for me. I am so blessed to be a recipient of His inexhaustible grace.

This whole experience re-emphasized to me that:

1. Worrying is completely useless. When you pray for something, trust that God has control over it and He’s got everything taken care of. I read somewhere that SURRENDER is God’s love language. That’s exactly what we need to do — surrender all our worries, anxieties, pains, fears unto the Lord because He knows what He’s doing.

2. Don’t be afraid to take risks. As I mentioned earlier, I haven’t secured a new job yet when I resigned from my previous job. I just had this nagging feeling that I couldn’t shake off, so in my mind, I really HAD TO do it – by hook or by crook. I was praying “Lord, Kayo na po ang bahala.” over and over again. When I listed down the reasons why I was resigning and concluded that the situation I was in is not what God wants for me, that’s when I found the courage to do it. I’d like to believe that the courageous ones — those who are not afraid to jump into a sea of uncertainty without a life vest — are being rewarded by the Lord. :)

3. Have a grateful heart, no matter what. When the struggles and frustrations at work were on its all-time high, I was feeling demoralized and unmotivated. I knew I had to do something to prevent it from tarnishing the other aspects of my life. I am so grateful that God has given me the grace to continue reading my daily devotionals from Joseph Prince, Joyce Meyer, and Rick Warren. I was inspired by these devotionals to always see the brighter side of things. And that despite the struggles, there is always, ALWAYS something to be thankful for. The more I made a conscious effort to focus more on the things that make me happy, the more capable I became to overlook the unpleasant parts of my life. Having the attitude of gratitude puts things in perspective.

Although I’ve learned all these in theory over the years, I sometimes forget how to apply it in real life. I am grateful that a ‘dark’ phase in my life made me re-learn these three important things. It is only through God’s grace that something horrible could turn into something beautiful.

I admit I am a bit anxious of the adjustment I need to go through, but I am also excited to learn more and work with intelligent and hardworking people. I am in this for the long haul. And so, I pray that I will be able to honor and glorify God through the work of my hands in this new company that He has blessed me with. I pray for the new relationships that I will be building. I pray that my wisdom and knowledge that will be made full use in my new role. I pray that I will be able to grow professionally and personally. I pray that I may be a blessing to my new colleagues.

No Other Name

Hello friends! I just want to share with you this song from Hillsong’s new album which was released just recently. Been playing this on repeat ever since I came to know this song. It has become my default morning worship song for about a week now, and I mean every single word in my heart of hearts. I love how it speaks of God’s sheer beauty and splendor, I am left in awe over and over again.

His face, shines brighter than the sun 

His grace, as boundless as his love

He reigns, with healing in his wings

The King above all kings

The greatest one of all

Truly, God’s power and greatness is incomparable. I love how the song gives us a clear picture of its extent. I will never get tired of singing praise for Him who is the source of everything that I have. It is my way of celebrating His constant presence in my life. Sometimes I feel that the words of praise in my prayers are inadequate because His love is just too overwhelming to put into words. It’s just really the way it is, and we have no choice but to bask in it. What a wonderful blessing and privilege it is to be recipients of God’s unearned, unmerited, and undeserved grace. And for that, I am infinitely grateful. :)

#100happydays

Last January, I stumbled upon a post on Facebook that grabbed my attention.

Can I truly be happy for 100 days in a row? With the motivation to find an answer to that question, I decided to sign up for the 100 Happy Days Challenge. 

I half-jokingly said that I might end up posting one hundred photos of my husband for this challenge because, well, he is obviously my major happy-maker. Haha :D But because God is so good and His love for me is immeasurable, I find myself with so much gratitude for so many things that make me happy every single day.

Truth be told, I had some inhibitions before I decided to go for the challenge. I didn’t want people to see my posts as mayabang, or something to that effect. Also, I didn’t want to be that annoying girl who exposes all the cheese and mush going on in her life — which might be over-sharing or TMI  for some. In the end, I decided that I will be doing this for no one else but myself. I liked the idea of documenting God’s goodness in my life through the #100happydays challenge. Besides, you can never go wrong when you’re spreading good vibes, right? You’ll never know, you might inspire others to do it too. :)

It has been an amazing 100 days of happiness — in simple and profound ways. Some days, happiness made its presence felt from start to end. Some days, happiness was elusive, that I needed to make an effort to find it. Yes, there were days when I worried that I won’t have an entry for my #100happydays challenge. So sue me for being shallow, haha. :P

Indeed, there is always, ALWAYS something to smile about and be thankful for, no matter how small or trivial it may seem. It may come in the form of an uplifting quote you stumbled upon the Internet, or a cute baby who smiled at you on the train, or a bar of chocolate. I guess it’s all about the mindset. It’s like, if I’m having yet another stressful day in the office, I try to counter the negativity by telling myself “That’s okay, I’ll do a FRIENDS marathon at home after all this crap!” It diverts my mind into something worth looking forward to, and puts me in a better mood. Okay, I’ll be honest here and say that this does not work all the time. There are days when it takes much more than a FRIENDS marathon to make me feel better, but I guess the key thing here is having the ability to look at the brighter side and still have a grateful heart despite life’s difficulties.

My #100happydays journey was mostly made of grand and small (but meaningful) gestures from my husband, newlywed adventures, messages of assurance from God, kitchen experiments, little victories in life, and quality time with people who matter to me. I am so glad I took this challenge. It helped me focus on the blessings that God has so generously bestowed upon me, especially on my low days. It made me fall in love with my life even more, and inspired me to treasure everything that I have with utmost care. Best of all, it also served as a testimony of God’s greatness and faithfulness in my life.

So to answer my question, yes, it is possible to be happy 100 days in a row. Beyond that, even. It may take a whole lot of ‘practice’ to adapt the right kind of mindset into a habit, but in my experience, it proved to be the secret to living a happy life. :)

Little Rays of Sunshine

• My mother is finally on Viber! She sent me a photo of a sunflower she drew on her Samsung phone just using her fingers. Haha. Miss her. I told her to install the 2048 game on her phone. Pero baka sisiw na yun sa kanya coz she’s so good in Sudoku.

• “Your report was eloquently written. Your grammar is flawless.” comment from our Head of Academic Quality :) :)

• ‘The One Year Love Language Minute Devotional’ by Gary Chapman. Learning so much from this book. Highly recommended to all married couples. 

• Weekend coming up! Yahoooo!

• ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ soundtrack on repeat. I’m in love with this playlist!

• Another very close friend moving to Sengkang soon. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again — Sengkang is the coolest neighborhood in Singapore. Hahaha :D

• Discovering new great blogs to read

• My daily dose of fresh fruit juice

• Positivity and possibilities. Planning for our next big step. This gets me sooo excited and inspired and motivated to work harder!

• Thanks to our finance-savvy friends, my husband and I are learning together about investments that we can consider.

• The attitude of gratitude <3

• Early morning banter while prepping for work. How lucky am I to get to experience this everyday, with the wittiest husband in the world to boot!

• Getting excited for our Manila trip next month :)

Happy weekend, friends and lovers!!!! :)

Spontaneous Reassurance

Hello! Sneaking in a quick post before I go to bed because what happened today is something that I must put into writing; something I want to remember until I’m old and gray.

I was having a lovely morning — had home-cooked brunch, then watched a couple of 2 Broke Girls episodes with the husband. I decided to make my Saturday a productive one by doing some office work. Wrong decision. It was all good, until I read an email that put me into such a bad mood. Now, this is not my ‘normal’ bad mood wherein I just keep quiet while waiting for the negative air to disappear. I was pounding on my keyboard as I crafted my response. Our housemates would have assumed that E and I were having a fight, judging my loud, angry voice as I told him about the mood-ruining email.

In an attempt to calm me down, my wonderful husband rubbed my back. In normal circumstances, his back rubs work magically in making my stress go away. Today, however, it didn’t. I can feel that he’s uneasy, and I understand how it can be frustrating for him when he can’t do anything to make me feel better in that moment. Yes, he’s the kind of guy whose goal is to make his wife happy at every chance he gets. He must have taken the mantra “Happy wife, happy life” a bit too seriously :D

At one point, he just kept quiet while I continued typing away on my laptop. Then, an all too familiar song started playing in the background. It’s OUR song. The song he played in his guitar when he proposed to me. When I turned my back, I saw him looking at me, smiling oh so adorably. “Do you recognize the song?”, he asked. OF COURSE. How can I not? Less than a minute into the song, my eyes were welling up with tears. Memories of the day he asked me to marry him came flashing in my mind. It’s impossible to stay angry when I was brought back to that day in my life where I have experienced joy in its purest form.

He sat beside me and gave me the most loving embrace. “I hope this will make you feel better. Smile ka na.” My heart melted. The outrage I was feeling earlier was instantly replaced with love, joy, and gratefulness. Oh, my sweet loving husband.

As much as we love and appreciate life-changing milestones, I guess the little things like this one is what really makes for a strong, solid foundation. The way he handled me at my ‘worst’ today says a lot about how he would manage when we are faced with more serious circumstances in our marriage. I am very, VERY grateful for this reassurance.

Okay, that’s it for today’s dose of cheese. Thank you for bearing with me. Haha, I should have warned you guys earlier on. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!! :)

Brighter Side

Here’s the thing: despite my hundred and one reasons to hate this place — the system (both in the IT and management sense), some people who refuse to do their jobs properly, lack of motivation and direction, super disorganized processes, inefficiency in general, lack of reward and recognition, and so on and so forth — I am thankful that I am constantly learning here. Everyday I am reminded of Jesus’ teaching that I should love my neighbor, no matter how difficult and challenging. That I can only do so much, and I need to let go of things that are beyond my control. Everyday I feel that my patience has reached its maximum, but everyday I prove myself wrong, because apparently, there is still room for just a little bit more patience in my heart. I (would like to think that) I am growing to be more independent and responsible for my own actions. I discovered that I can take one for the team without expecting anything in return. I never saw myself as a strong person, now I think I am slowly turning into one. A few more months, maybe I’ll be able to master the art of compartmentalizing my life.

This is me trying to look at the brighter side. Also keeping in mind the power of positive thinking and having a grateful heart no matter what :) But I think I still need to work on my Plan B very soon.

Love and Misadventure

Poetry is not for everyone. I myself wouldn’t have normally read a book of poems unless it’s recommended to me by someone who I look up to when it comes to reading choices. But this book, I think, is worth reading.

There’s been a lot of hype on this book, and it’s a good thing that it was able to live up to it. Like I said, I’m not much of a poem person), but every page turn got me “aww”-ing over words I wish I could have written myself. Lang Leav’s choice of words are mostly simple, yet it has a way to strike the right chords within you. It’s quite refreshing to read poems that doesn’t require much analyzing. Some of the poems speak of pain and longing, and it will break your hearts, but somehow it leaves you with so much hope. My take-away from this book is that in all things, more so in love, HOPE IS EVERYTHING.

Lenten Realizations

I decided to abstain from social media for three days, from Maundy Thursday until Black Saturday. I have been thinking for so long what to give up for Lent, and the lightbulb moment happened last Wednesday. For someone like me who checks Twitter, Facebook and Instagram multiple times in a day (to say the least), I could say that abstaining from these three sites feels like sacrifice. This is actually not the first time I thought of abstaining on social media for Lent. I’ve thought of this in the previous years, but sadly, I was not strong enough to give up something that is a huge part of my day-to-day living. What a shame, I know. I always had alibis, thinking that Twitter is my go-to site for current events, and I use Facebook as a communication tool. I guess what really made me finally go for it is my desire to receive and clearly understand God’s special message for me. Social media has lots of advantages, but sometimes it can be a source of noise that can cloud one's mind.

Today is Day 2 of being free from social media. The more I feel ‘disconnected’ with the rest of the world, the more I feel a closer, tighter connection with God. Sometimes, all we need is silence. Sharing with you some of my realizations these past two days:

1. God is doing everything to reach out to us. I admit there are times my prayer time is sacrificed due to my very busy schedule. I get home from work drained and exhausted from the day’s activities, that I find it a struggle to spare at least fifteen minutes of quality time with the Lord. God knows that people nowadays are too attached to smartphones. I have this Bible app on my phone which I use to read daily verses and devotionals. It even has several Bible plans that you can choose from, depending on the duration you’ll be comfortable with. Recently I discovered that the app actually has a reminder option. You set a time, and a notification will pop up on your phone/tablet. It is amazing how God worked through the app developers. He equipped them with wisdom and skills to turn the app into an instrument that would bridge the gap between us and God. He made this app somehow similar to a social networking app to make it more ‘appealing’ to us. This goes to show how much God wants to connect with us and how badly He wants to reveal Himself to us through His word.

2. God wants us to rely on His grace. I can distinctly remember a number of moments in my life wherein I’m stuck in (what seems to be) a dead end, feeling helpless and hopeless, debating with myself on what I should have done differently. God does not want us to be in a situation like that. Sometimes, all that is left to do is to acknowledge the fact that I cannot do things on my own and that I need God’s grace and guidance in every aspect of my life. Note of caution, though — this does not mean that we can be complacent. You know the saying ‘Do your best and God will do the rest’? This is basically the logic behind it. I think whenever I say “Lord, Ikaw na po ang bahala.“, it’s a bold statement of my dependence on Him. That He will not fail me. Looking back, He never did. Relying on God’s grace comes hand in hand with persistent prayer. It works for me every single time.

3. God thinks we’re worth it. There is no exception. It doesn’t matter how broken, sinful, undeserving, and messed up you think you are. God thinks you are worth it, and quite honestly, nothing can ever change that. If you think you are the most stubborn person in the world, well, think again. God is probably more stubborn than you in the sense that no matter how many times you push Him away, He will still love you. Unconditionally. Whether you like it or not. Every single day I wake up in the morning, I find myself thanking God for never giving up on me. I’d like to think that my relationship with Him now is more stable than ever, but it took time before I could reach to this point. And it’s all because the more lost I became, the tighter He held my hands.

And so, this Holy Week, I would like to thank the Lord for sending the most selfless person who has walked on earth. Thank You for giving us Your most precious son, Jesus Christ, who showed us what it really means to love. Thank You for remaining steadfast in Your love for us, despite and in spite of everything.

The newly-engaged

Good morning Thursdayyyy! :) Woke up to such wonderful news that Bianca Gonzalez and JC Intal are engaged! Waah, yung level ng saya ko, akala mo close friend ko yung na-engage. Hahaha. I’m not sure why, probably because I’ve been reading Bianca’s blog since 2003 (hindi pa siya masyadong sikat non!), and it was crush-at-first-sight for JC when I saw him in that first and only time I watched an Ateneo game. May history talaga, hahaha. Also maybe because nasundan ko yung lovelife ni Bianca and in one of her ‘People Of My Year’ posts (I think it was in 2011) where she mentioned how in awe she is of JC’s good heartedness, I thought to myself I hope she ends up marrying this guy. And now she is one step closer to doing just THAT!!! Eeeeeeehhh!! <3

MY.HEART.IS.MELTINGGGG over this collage posted by JR Intal. Absolutely sweet and romantic! Although it would have been a million times better if JC went with Bianca to London. I could just imagine Bianca’s bottled up emotions, parang sasabog ang puso sa sobrang saya at kilig while she’s on the plane. What I loved about this proposal is how Bianca was in such a simple get-up, makeup-less even! I just think that there’s something about the simplicity (i.e. unglammed) that makes it more meaningful. Okay, yes, it also did remind me of when Erick proposed to me. At least si Bianca nakaligo, ako hindi! Hahaha :P

This year is truly proving to be the YEAR OF LOVE! In February alone, four of my friends got engaged. I know, right? How awesome is that? What makes me even happier is someone very close to my heart, my Ate Cha, also got engaged just a few days ago. FINALLY! I know she has been waiting for this, and I guess it came in a perfect time. I’m so happy!!!! God’s grand plans are slowly but surely being unfolded for her.

And my personal wedding preps worksheet is making its rounds to my newly-engaged friends, hahaha! Ang dami ko din namana na wedding worksheet files from my friends who got married earlier than I did, but I tried to personalize mine and made it as simple and user-friendly as possible. Hindi yung tipong malulula ka sa dami ng info when you open the file, so I hope they’d find it useful too! These days my Skype and Whatsapp conversations are mostly about wedding preps. So much fun sharing pegs and ideas! It’s like going back to my own wedding preps days, except that this time hindi ako gagastos. Hahaha!

I’m so excited for these people close to my heart who are about to enter a new chapter in their lives. It may be a huge transition for some of them, but it really is a privilege to be in this beautiful, life-changing phase. Wedding planning can get very stressful, exhausting, and time-consuming (I know this for a fact all too well! Haha), so my prayer for my newly-engaged loves is to have the time and resources to prepare for their married life ahead as well. After all, wedding is just a one-day event, while marriage goes on forever. It is what really counts.

Thoughts on ‘Starting Over Again’

Ever since the trailer came out last January, I’ve been excitedly waiting for the movie to come out. Having Piolo Pascual and Toni Gonzaga as the lead actors, plus the tagline in the form of a very thought-provoking question “How do I unlove you?” are more than enough to pique my interest. Also, I’m such a sucker for Tagalog romance movies. Hehehe.

Before I get into the rest of this post, I would like to say, ANG GUAPO NI PIOLO. His close-up shots made me swoon like a lovestruck teenager.

Yes, Sir Marco? <3

Hahaha sorry, I just had to. :D

Okay, I don’t know how to write a proper movie review, so I’ll just write in bullets what I liked and what I didn’t like. Warning: Spoilers galore ahead!

• The opening scene where Ginny was shouting “I love you, Sir Marco!” was kind of tacky. I know it is a reference to Toni’s “I love you, Piolo!” Sprite commercial years ago. Still tacky.

• I am not exactly a fan of Toni G, but I will say that she is truly a great actress. She does both comedy and drama so well. Her facial expressions and the way she delivers her lines are always spot on. As for Piolo, well, Piolo is Piolo.

• “My love is bigger than your failures.” —  I really loved this line from Patty. This is what TRUE LOVE is all about. Love does make up for a lot of things. And this is why I was happy with the ending she got. Good things deserve to happen to people who love faithfully and unconditionally.

• Winner din yung lines ng friends ni Ginny! “Yang hope na yan. Lason yan. Parang drugs na nakaka-adik.” | “Adik ka na naman sa pag-asa eh. Try mo na kaya lumaklak ng realidad?” I loved Ginny and Wella’s drinking scene. It was filled with truth and tears. And I cried with them.

• The confrontation scene between Ginny and Patty was unexpected, and I actually liked it despite the cringe-worthiness of it all. I get that people sometimes tend to do desperate things just to win the heart of the one they love. But to deliberately attempt to ruin someone else’s relationship will never be acceptable in my book. I hated Ginny when she indirectly told Patty that she slept with Marco while she was away. That was wayyyy out of line. Obviously, I am #TeamPatty! #sorrynotsorry Haha! She is the present un-bitchy girlfriend who did nothing wrong. She was actually a little bit too nice to a fault! Na-balance out ng pagiging calm and collected ni Patty yung inis ko kay Ginny. Hahaha. I loved that she only broke down when she walked out of the kitchen. That was some understated acting at its finest. Galing ni Iza! Ang galing din ni Toni, she very effectively portrayed the role of a desperate woman who would to ANYTHING to get the love of her life back.

• I guess the reason why this movie captured the hearts of millions of viewers because the story is highly relatable. All of us may have fallen in love, went through the pain of a break up, regretted something we have done, faced rejection, and moved on from a heartbreak — all of which we saw in the movie. It showed us love in its rawest form, eliciting raw human emotions.

• I was happy with how the movie ended. Everyone got their happy ending. Yay, Marco and Patty! (Btw, kinilig ako sa term of endearment nila na ‘ga’, as in short for ‘palangga’). I’m glad that Ginny was able to start over again and met Martin in what she believes is a perfect timing. Direk Paul’s appearance was such a nice surprise! It was an effective pampalubag-loob for those who were rooting for Marco and Ginny to get back together. Haha.

photo credit: Star Cinema

It’s a film worth watching again, and would make for a good conversation/debate topic with your friends. I swear, this movie has been discussed in most of my Whatsapp groups. At nakakatuwa kasi ang daming opposing opinions. Talaga naman, basta tungkol sa love! Hahaha. So kids, remember: Don’t just walk away. You’ll never know what a good explanation and an acceptable reason can do in a relationship :)

Do Not Worry

I am admittedly a worrier. I would love to say that I USED TO BE one, but even if I have improved over the past couple of years, I still have my worrier moments. Although this time less intense and less frequent. Honestly, it’s hard to not worry especially when it concerns the people I love most. I guess it’s all part of being human. I tend to worry about all sorts of things — health and safety of myself and my loved ones, future plans, finances, job security, etc. Yesterday’s gospel was such a beautiful reminder of why we SHOULD NOT worry.

"And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? "

– Matthew 6:30

 A friend once said that worrying is a form of insult to God. Since then, I became more conscious on worrying, because I definitely do not want to do anything that could insult my God who has been always been so faithful, loving and generous to me. What I started doing differently is to make prayer an immediate action. No more having my mind go on overdrive and thinking of worst-case scenarios before actually praying.

I have resolved that prayer should come first, and it does make a lot of difference. Doing so not only calms my heart, it also brings me in a peaceful state and gives me a clearer perspective on the matter, allowing me to focus and come up with a sensible action plan. This is just one of the many, many ways how utterly beautiful the gift of prayer is. In contrast, worrying is… completely useless. It makes you unproductive and leads you into the wrong direction.

Also, God is loving, powerful, and He is in control. Filling my mind with these thoughts is enough to make me put my full trust in Him. It calms my heart like no other.

"So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today." 

– Matthew 6:34

Today's Dose of Cheese

You can be assured that your husband loves you when you tell him about your new email address and he reacts like this…

Real men are not afraid to express their kilig :D

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! May you all find real love — ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can’t-live-without-each-other love (channeling Carrie Bradshaw, haha).

Celebrity Wedding: Drew and Iya

Okay, everyone’s gushing over Drew and Iya’s engagement and wedding video by Jason Magbanua, and I myself can’t help but gush over it too! How can I not, when there are just so many things to love about this wedding! Both of them are famous celebrities, but on their wedding day, they’re simply a man and a woman so madly in love with each other. Haaaay, love is such a beautiful thing :)

Iya Villania and Drew Arellano's Wedding from Jason Magbanua on Vimeo.

I adore how absolutely heartwarming their vows are, especially when Drew said: “In this journey, I will hold your hand. I will always be there. So don’t be afraid to follow your dreams, and all the sacrifices I will bear.” I teared up at this point because WOW, WHAT SELFLESS LOVE. Also because it reminded me of what my husband told me when he proposed to me — he assured me that our marriage (and consequently building our own family) will never be a hindrance for me to pursue my dreams for myself, and promised that he will be my ultimate supporter and encourager. Now, how can anybody say no to a proposal like that? :D

Back to Drew and Iya. I find it very charming how they’re not afraid of looking funny and making silly faces, to the point that Iya comically hit Drew on the head. That was funny and super cute! Hahaha. I love that they’re as real as they can get. I don’t think a lot of brides would want to be captured makeup-less on their wedding video, but she did, and she still looked very radiant! I also loved how Iya ended her vows with “It’s ridiculous, honey. I love you so much.” Two simple, seemingly ordinary sentences that actually spoke so much more than it ought to.

It’s amazing how Drew and Iya made it through nine years, considering that it’s a rare feat in the world of showbiz. I read somewhere that they actually remained pure and chaste in those nine years — now that’s even more amazing (if it were true). Seriously, can they get any more perfect?

Jason Magbanua did such a magnificent job in weaving Drew and Iya’s stories of life, love, joy and triumph in the form of a 5-minute same day edit video. He was able to capture the precious, candid little moments so powerfully. The way he pieced everything together was perfect. What an exceptional talent this guy has.

More than the picturesque cliff and the perfect sunset as background, the stunning gown, the impeccable set up, and all the other pretty little details — it’s the genuine love radiating through the smiles and laughter of Drew and Iya that struck me the most. This couple made me appreciate the beauty of simplicity even more. Theirs is the kind of love that inspires me to love even more passionately.

P.S. Can I just say — I hope Nikki Gil would find her true love soon. Hahaha, lakas maka-showbizzz :p

BEST DAY EVER

It’s been two and a half months since Erick and I got married, and it still gives me unspeakable joy every time memories of that beautiful day pop up in my head, or whenever it is brought up in random conversations with friends. Sometimes it still feels surreal – I can’t believe THE day we’ve been waiting for so long already happened. It felt like dream. Please allow me to recount my favorite moments of that day — memories that I will definitely carry in my heart forever, those that I will look back to whenever I need something to make me smile, those that I will praise and thank the Lord for every single day of my life.

1.) Seeing my Mom and Dad waiting for me in the middle of the aisle as I was about to enter the church; my Dad trying to hold back his tears with all his might as they walked me to the altar.

Ever since we announced our engagement, my relatives have been joking “babaha ng luha sa simbahan”, because everyone in the family knows how emotional my Dad can be. A few days before the wedding, he gave me a really tight hug and said that he’s still ‘in denial’ that his panganay is getting married. Awwww *tear here*

Notice the pursed lips? Apparently, that was my Dad’s technique to keep his tears at bay. Hehehe. Ang hirap pala magpigil ng iyak! I love my Dad!

2.) Speeches of our fathers (this was the part where Erick and I were welcomed to each other’s families)

Some of our suppliers texted me after our wedding na naiyak sila sa part na ‘to. I will never forget when Daddy Benjie (Erick’s Dad) told everyone that I am the greatest gift given to their family. In my mind, I was thinking: “Wow, ‘greatest’. Big word. Am I worthy?” Nevertheless, it was overwhelmingly touching to receive such kind of affection from my father-in-law. I totally didn’t expect that, so it was such a sweet surprise. More than anything, I am very thankful to have been blessed with parents-in-law who love me like their own.

This was the part where Daddy Benjie said that his wish is for Erick and I to build our very own basketball team. Kaya ganyan ang mga itsura namin sa picture! Hahaha. My Dad’s advice to us was to never get tired of saying ‘I love you’ to each other even if everyone else says ‘Actions speak louder than words’. I agree with you, Dad. I totally agree.

3.) Tears of joy from people closest to our hearts caught on camera

These are just some of them, madami pang hindi naisama dito. Hehehe :D

I was super touched by our bunso (the red-eyed guy in the pic, haha), who apparently cried a lot during the ceremony. He’s usually cool and patawa, and I think this is the first time I’ve seen him cry like THAT. What a heartwarming sight of our bunso getting a little bit too emotional on his ate’s wedding day :)

4.) Papa’s moment with Erick

During the family pictorial at the church, my 94-year-old grandfather was holding on to Erick’s arm and didn’t want to leave the pictorial area even after their turn. He wanted to chat with Erick; he asked him who among the guests are his relatives “so I can tell them that I like you.” (These were Papa’s exact words) It was a really sweet and touching moment. My aunt and grandmother had to literally pry Papa’s hands from Erick’s arm so he can go back to his seat and we can continue with the pictorial.

I love this photo of me and Erick with Papa and Mama. Ang cute ng smile ni Papa! And Mama is very beautiful, as always. A lot of our guests were surprised to know that Papa is 94 and Mama is 87 years old because they look strong and healthy despite their old age. Speaking of Papa — one of the clearest visions I had as I walked down the aisle was of him cheering me on, clapping very excitedly for me :)

5.) The long, tight hug after Father Beleno said “You may now kiss the bride”

…and my husband crying while hugging me. Aaawwwww :) Overjoyed that we’re officially husband and wife. By the way, thank you Ninang Debbie for capturing this moment! I LOVE IT! I will definitely show this to our kids someday.

6.) My walk down the aisle

Nothing quite says “THIS IS IT” as strongly as the last few seconds before the church door opens for the bride. That moment when all eyes were on me as I take the first couple of imperative steps towards the altar, knowing that there’s no more turning back (just for the record, I did NOT think of running away, haha).

Talking to myself (in my head) to wash away the nerves:

“So this is how it feels. I waited my whole life for this moment. I can’t believe it’s finally happening.”

“I think I should walk a bit slower, but I already started with my normal pace. Whatever. Let’s do this.”

“No no no no, I cannot cry. I don’t look pretty when I cry. I don’t want awkward shots of myself on my wedding day.” (when I heard my bridal march song being played so beautifully by our wedding band)

“The aisle is fairly short, but why does this feel like the longest walk ever?”

“Must make it to the altar without tripping on my gown.”

“Must make it to the altar without breaking down. I. CAN. DO. THIS.”

“Oh there he is, my handsome groom. Aww, he’s crying! I. Must. Not. Break. Down.”

These thoughts in my head kept me from turning into a weepy mess before the ceremony started (sayang naman din kasi ang make up diba? Haha). I was actually smiling the whole time! Even I surprised myself, because I was so sure na maiiyak talaga ako. Our super efficient wedding coordinator Ms. Kredin asked me pa kung nagpractice ba daw ako ngumiti. And our other wedding suppliers were telling me that I was such a BUNGISNGIS BRIDE. Hahaha, ang kulet lang! Looking at the pics, ang dami ko ngang bungisngis moments! The best thing about walking down that aisle was it felt like coming home. :)

7. Watching our SDE

I have probably watched a hundred wedding SDEs of people who I don’t even know. I guess it has been my ‘thing’ way back when I was still single. I would watch videos filmed and edited by Bob Nicolas, Jason Magbanua, and Mayad Studios. Each time I’d be amazed at how brilliant they are in capturing moments of utmost love and joy in its purest form. And at the end of each video I’d think to myself: Wow, true love does exist. It made me feel hopeful that someday, in God’s most perfect time, I’d find MY true love too.

I can’t tell you how utterly surreal it felt to be sitting next to my husband, hand in hand while watching OUR VERY OWN wedding SDE. Akalain mo yun, after all those years of swooning and gushing over other people’s SDEs, I finally have my own? And an absolutely beautiful one at that! Thanks to our insanely talented and creative videographers, Zoombox Wedding Videos! Ang daming napaiyak ng video na yun, lol. Nung first month pa lang namin, everyday namin pinapanood yung SDE, ngayon every other day na lang, hahaha. Thank you Zoombox for our amaaazing SDE. Thank you for making it longer than the usual 3-4 minute video, that you had to use 2 songs for it! :)

8. Exchange of vows

Let these actual excerpts from my husband’s vows speak for themselves…

…sabi ko, “Lord sana ipakilala mo na sa akin yung taong mamahalin ko habambuhay.” Pagkatapos ng dasal na ‘yon, ang daming nangyari sa buhay ko na hindi ko naintindihan. At lagi akong napapaisip kung naririnig ba Niya ang mga dasal ko. Lahat ng iyon ay unti unting nagkaroon ng sagot nung nakilala kita. Lahat ng bagay nagbago sa buhay ko. Naayos ako dahil sayo. Ikaw ang naglapit sa akin sa Diyos. At dahil doon, na-realize ko na mula sa umpisa pa lang, sinagot na pala ni Lord ‘yung dasal ko sa Kanya.

Gela, hindi ako mangangako na lagi kang magiging masaya, na lagi kang pro-protektahan at aalagaan, hindi ko kailangan mangako dahil lahat ng ito ay kusa kong gagawin, araw araw. Ako ang magiging best backscratcher mo, best shopping buddy. Kahit pa walong oras ka magsukat ng mga sapatos, kayang-kaya kitang hintayin.

Ako yung magiging kasangga mo, bestfriend, barkada, partner, lover na hinding-hindi ka iiwan kahit kailan sa kahit anong oras. Ikaw yung totoong God’s greatest gift. Mahal na mahal kita.

I can’t quite explain my exact feelings while hearing these words being sworn to me by the man I love the most — in the presence of God, our officiating priest, our godparents, and the people who mean a lot to us. Ang alam ko lang, parang nag-uumapaw yung puso ko sa sobrang pagmamahal at pasasalamat. My family and friends were joking na mukha daw akong teenager na kinikilig habang nagv-vows si Erick. It was a major ‘bungisngis bride’ moment captured on our SDE! Hahaha. On a more serious note, though — for Erick to say in front of everyone that I ‘fixed’ him — I couldn’t help but feel incredibly thankful for being blessed with a husband who never fails to make me feel appreciated and special, privately and publicly at every chance he gets.

I LOVE THESE SHOTS! At ang bungisngis ko pa rin kahit naiiyak na! Hahaha. Thanks to my good friend Ricke for capturing this memory that I want to bottle up for the rest of my life. There’s really nothing like it. BEST FEELING EVER.

Our Ninong Rudy wrote this sweet comment on Facebook:

I feel very thankful whenever one of our friends tells us that our love story inspires them. It reminds me that it’s a privilege to have the kind of love that blesses and inspires others. This is God’s work, and all praise and thanksgiving goes to Him.

The wedding planning journey is another story on its own. It has been such a humbling experience from the get-go. Erick and I are blessed to have worked with wedding suppliers who are not only dedicated and passionate in their craft, but are also genuinely nice and caring people. We are blessed to have been recipients of goodness and generosity of our family and friends. I praise and thank the Lord for all of them.

I’m so glad to have written this long overdue post as I was able to relive the beautiful memories of our wedding day. I know ‘beautiful’ has been an overused word in this post, but I can’t really think of a better word. I can’t contain my joy and gratitude to the Lord for blessing me and my husband with a wedding that turned out much more than what we prayed for. Like what my Dad said, what made our wedding a beautiful and meaningful occasion is the LOVE of the people who celebrated with us, which was truly evident all throughout the occasion. There was overflowing love not only from our guests, but from our suppliers as well.

May we never forget the feeling of that day as it will always bring us back to the core of our love for each other. I wouldn’t say that ours was a fairy tale wedding, but I’m pretty sure that what we had is a million times better because it was REAL and HEARTFELT. Truly, God blesses us with much more than we could ever deserve. The first day of the rest of our lives was perfect in so many ways, and for that, I am eternally grateful.