Dear Dad

Dad and I circa 1986

Happy birthday, Dad. You would have been 78 tomorrow.

I am writing to you just to let you know that in 3 days, I will be walking down the aisle, to marry the man I love so dearly. Mom and JV will be waiting for me at the aisle, where you would have held Mom's hand, and walk down with me.

Things have been very busy lately, as the day lingers just around the corner. You know that we have been independent in preparing everything. I feel that somehow you are proud of what we have done, preparing and organizing everything. Well, what can I say, I had probably got that from you. Remember when we put up those parties as home: birthdays, Christmases and New Years, and even Sunday lunches? Somehow, I feel I'm so used to planning gatherings and parties because of those we had when I was kid. There are times that I think of how you would plan this day: What would you have done, your inputs, your vision, how would you have seen the whole thing. And I feel so sorry that you were not here to do what I think would have been one of those special occasions you would plan for months.

Almost a month to go

It seems that time flies fast now, and there are still a lot to do. Our to-do list are getting longer now, including our backlogs from the past months. This week: done with license application, about to pick the banns from the church (after I post this, will head to the shower na), then first fitting on Sunday. SS favors are now at hand, kept in the vault, waiting to be boxed. Invites are also done, proofs printed.

Will probably resume doing DIY soon, maybe this weekend. On our list:
 - the toppers
 - invites
 - table number holders
 - fascinators

Hopefully, we can also go back to Divi to to get our covers for the boxes.

just dropping by... now, will prep for church, then gym, then to work. See yah later.

c",)

Ber-ly there...

Another quickie post for the uber busy Guin. It has been a long time since I last posted something, and I'm afraid it's gonna happen again this month. Barely 2 and a half months to go, and still with sooo many things to do, it seems that we are behind schedule. Not to mention, deadlines in the office and projects, grad school projects and papers to submit; it's just tiring - so many to do with so little time.


I had just updated our wedsite, and hopefully, I can complete it within the next few days. I just feel sometimes that wearing 3 hats and having a lot on my plate are taking its toll now - not really feeling well since last week.

I just wish I can do all these at the same time >.<

Ber Months have just begun

Today is the first weekend of September. Last Thursday marked the first day of the long Christmas season in the Philippines (well, as the society says it, when it's -ber, is Christmas). I can now hear Christmas songs playing in the mall, the radio, on tv, or even in some lifts. Everyone's excited, but I think this year, I'm gonna feel really weird about it - Christmas would mean Cosa Nostra - and the clock is ticking.

So far, these are what we have ticked off our list:

22 weeks before the Operation

Tomorrow, it will be exactly 5 months to go before the Cosa Nostra. Time flies so fast, that preps can't keep up with its speed. So far, we have most of the associates positioned, just waiting for their turn to work. Still have a few positions vacant though, and already have a list of possible members.

This week, I have been quite busy looking for our getaway car. I really appreciate bosses from other operation lending a hand, and the offered their resources. The Doctor (Doc Chris from GT) offered to ask his minions to check their black book while La Donne Summer called her contacts about it. I also did my own research (and inquiry), sent off emails, and made some calls. Have some good numbers on my book, so we have quite a number of options.

Rainy Friday

It has been raining for almost a week now. Today, the feel in the office is relatively lax, maybe because of the weather. I came in shorts and flipflop, which is actually the first time I ever did such a thing to work. Since I was able to submit my script conversion yesterday, and nothing on my desk this morning, I spent the whole day putting things on our wedsite.

It's now ten minutes before weekend officially starts. So far, I'm nearly done with the Operation Capos page on the wedsite. I dont have any ideas yet on what I should do next after I'm done with that page, since we haven't given out the WYBs yet to our entourage, nor haven't started with our DIYs yet. And since this is a Guin operation, maybe I'll have to keep the site with a password; the police might hear the buzz - and we don't want that.

But I would have to say that mywedding.com is a lot easier to use vs weddingannouncer.com, not to mention, mywedding has a lot of cool designs and space where you can personalise the page. Kudos to mywedding.com team! They reply fast too. I sent them an email yesterday, and got a reply from their technical expert this morning. Good job!

Four minutes now, and have to prep for home. Still raining outside, so better go early today. Enjoy the cold, wet weather every one. Grab some chips or warm soup and lots of DVDs. ☺ Stay safe.

c",)

An Anecdote of a Mafia Matriarch

I shared this to my GT friends more than a month ago, just like anything and everything that happens through the preps. I have been meaning to share this here, but for some reason I forget it whenever I get the time to post something. Thanks to bro MrBlue from GT, I was able to go through my posts in the archive and finally found this. Copying and pasting straight from GT. Enjoy, kids!

On Wedding Registry

Napped from Today'sBride

Just yesterday, when we got home from Megamall to pay Matus this month's installment, the Other Guin asked me if we are will sign up for a bridal registry, just as we were watching an episode of Friends. I said, of course. I don't think having two gas ranges, 3 electric fans and a lot of chinas would be a good idea. Plus, we already have a few things in the kitchen, and we might not be moving out anytime soon after the Cosa Nostra. Not to mention those we need (and want) are not typically thought of as gifts (such as linens, like lots of bed sheets, pillow cases, baking pans, etc), so having a wish list would definitely help. 

Operation: Get-away Car | Update on Fly to Manila

Hello ladies (and gentlemen)...

It's been a while since I last posted something. Been everywhere recently, all weekends in May are booked with different activities. Anyway, just wanted to share this with you guys. Last weekend, I received an email from Ronnie of Fly to Manila, asking me for my bank details so that he can refund my down payment. The last email I got from him was the one I considered, rather rude email, about the additional fee, etc.

I have been researching for other suppliers since then (which I will post as soon as I get my backlogs done) and found that there are other suppliers, maybe costs not as low as what Fly to Manila offers, but give relatively better deals.

Just wanted to say: I have learned something in this ordeal. One, suppliers tend to change their packages/rates when they learn that their services will be used for a special events vs regular affairs. Two, some suppliers may feel to proud of themselves because they are preferred by clients from a certain group, and may take other clients for granted because they are not from that group. And lastly, make sure your supplier clarifies everything. When there is an issue, they need to resolve it. If they don't, or start sounding rude (like you owe them big time), let go... just imagine how they would be come your big day *wooo... scarry*

Thank you to everyone who posted their comments in my last post about our getaway vehicle. It is indeed true that there should be a sound relationship between us and our suppliers. We'd rather spend more with someone who we can trust, than keep one who may compromise our getaway - just imagine: what if the cops learn about the Cosa Nostra - not good!

c",)

Usapang Bride: GT Grand EB at BK Part 2

I'm glad that the ladies of GT enjoyed the first installment of our post about our EB... at dahil hindi sapat ang time when I posted those, here's another round of photos for your enjoyment :)

Huli man daw at magaling, el presidente pa rin: Iba na talaga pag artista, diba sis Ruthie?

Usapang Bride: GT Grand EB at BK

Naks, Grand EB talaga! Well, this is, again, an uber delayed post, as in 2 months na yata since this happened. The 2011 brides of GT made me feel I belong, and made preps more enjoyable, since I can talk and share with not just fellow brides, but those who are tieing the knot the same year as we are. 

I must say that GT could be addicting, especially with the light load we have during day time. It's also in GT that I find, discover, and learn new things. But what I really like about GT - the ladies (and gents) who might have been immune to CTS, and just wont stop (don't get me wrong ladies... umamin na kayo!)

ShoDocu Seminar-Workshop on Film

Last week, as I was waiting for something good to happen, I saw this post about my "Sintang Paaralan" (Dear School) PUP. I was surprised (and happy) to know that finally, we (PUPians) have our own Film Center now. I just came across their post shared in COC's group page.

I must admit, I don't really have all the info, but based on the thread on PUP-Film Center's Facebook page, they have listed some activities this year. Though they have postponed the 1st PUP National Convention on Film, moving it to 5-6 July, they will have seminar-workshop on short film and documentary film making dubbed as Shoducu on 28 April 2011 at Claro M Recto Hall, PUP Main Campus.

I asked Hector Calma of PUP-FC (I think he is one the administrators of the PUP-FC page) about the event. According to him, this activity aims to give an opportunity to the under-privileged students or professionals who have the interests on film making but could not afford to attend expensive film-related seminar-workshops and classes (which most are).

Here are the speakers for the event (reposting profiles from their respective sites, and photo-napping their pictures as well :) )

Director Jerrold Tarog on Independent Film Making

Aside from being a director, Filipino film maker and Jerrold Tarog, is also the writer, editor, composer and sound designer for most of his films. Four years after graduating from UP College of Music with a degree in Music Composition (with several semesters in film theory, 2001), he entered the world of indie films, then made his breakthrough short film, Carpool.

His debut feature, Confessional (2007) won Best Film, First Feature Category, at the 10th Osians Cinefan in New Delhi, India, and has won acclaim from local and international critics and audiences. He has since directed a handful of feature films, all garnering rave reviews, including his much-lauded first foray into mainstream film making, an episode in the horror anthology Shake, Rattle and Roll (Regal Films, 2010). He has also composed film scores for award-winning directors such as Jeffrey Jeturian, Adolf Alix and Cannes Best Director Brillante Mendoza.

Director Aissa Peñafiel on Short Film Making

Long Live the Fearless Man by Aissa Peñafiel is one of six winners of the Democracy Video Challenge, launched online and at the United Nations on 15 September 2008. The competition invited citizens around the world to engage in an online dialogue on the nature of democracy by submitting video shorts that completed the phrase "Democracy is..." She also directed a short film on Ambisyon 2010 of the ABS-CBN News Channel.

Aissa graduated from the University of the Philippines, Diliman, with a degree on Film and Audio-Visual Communication.

Director Kiri Dalena on Documentary Film Making

35-year-old visual artist, film maker, scriptwriter and human rights activist Kiri Dalena might come off as a quiet person, but it's her work that really speaks volumes for those who cannot speak for themselves or can no longer tell their stories. Her documentaries and art installations are the voice of those with no voices: victims of human rights violations. Kiri and her fellow activists from the Southern Tagalog Exposure group ruffle some dangerous feathers, but they refuse to be silenced by fear because their message is far too important. (Taken from Cosmo.ph's Fun, Fearless Female 2010 article)

One of her successful shorts was Requiem for M, which was one of the short films in the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) special feature amBisyon 2010. According to Film Angel of cinefilipinas.blogspot.com's synopsis, Requiem for M deals with a widow's search for justice. The wailing of Myrna Reblando sends shivers. She gets to see the place where the massacre happened. The image of the backhoe brings up memories of the gory fate of her husband and 56 other people in the Maguindanao Massacre.

Event Details:
Shodocu: A Seminar-Workshop on Short and Documentary Film Making
28 April 2011
Claro M. Recto Hall, PUP Main Campus, Sta. Mesa Manila
Whole day affair, 10AM to 5PM
Registration fee: 350Php
For inquiries, call 716.4033 or +63.927.2976143

I say this is a milestone, not just for the organization, as we make our mark in the film industry, be it in short film, full length, or documentary and journalistic film making, but for the school as well. This also paves an avenue for more film enthusiasts and aspiring film makers to appreciate film with the PUP-FC, its programs and activities.

Too bad, the date falls on a weekday, and I have work, but I wish the Center can run more programs like this in the future. I am sooo looking forward to the Film Convention in July [I hope I can squeeze it in in my sched :p].

Congratulations, PUP-FC.

c",)

Usapang Bride: EB with GT Brides

As usual, it has been another busy weekend for us. At dahil hindi masyadong busy sa office, namantala lang para makapagsulat ng mga keme para sa blog at para sa kung saan saan lang. At dahil jan, mega-research na rin ako ng kung anu-ano pang kaylangan namin. Pero, what made this weekend fun, aside from the gimik we had last Friday, was the EB our GT sisses were sooo looking forward too last week pa.

Bridal Fair Chronicles : The Ultimate Wedding Fair 2011 Megatrade Hall

This blog is sooo long overdue. This should have been posted weeks ago, but I think was "frantically" busy (i guess for the lack of a better way to describe) that week, plus our Puerto Princesa holiday we had the week after. 

Anyhoo, just wanted to share what happened when I went to the fair.

Bridal Fair Chronicles: Hizon's GFT at Pergola plus P/V booked!

30 January 2011

While waiting for anyone to become available

The last week of January has been very busy, not to mention, very stressful. I guess this is just the first of many for the next 11 months. It's been almost a month now since we started the preps, and so far we only have three suppliers ticked off our list. I know we still have a long way to go, and time is running out. Just like how the Other Guin would say it, "Parang Amazing Race..."

This is really is it!

Photo by catholicpinoyblogger.blogspot.com

This is really is it... The date has been blocked.

We just made our reservations for the church ceremony at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Makati yesterday. Now, let me just clarify: this is not the famous and historical Nuestra Señora de Gracia in Makai ruins. This is Our Lady's Minor Basilica on the peak of Guadalupe plateau, Orense St, near the MMDA office.

Checklist for Your Maid of Honor

I just want to share this with you, which I really find informative. Most people, both entourage and the bride, don't really know what their roles are in the celebration. There's more to being a bride's maid, or in this case, a Maid of Honor, than just walking down the aisle with your escort.

Kyemeng Monday

Still can't get over with our blogsite so I thought of checking on just a few minutes ago. And there I saw, we have been clicked 29 times! Whoa! So, who might have visited us, that I don't know, but am happy that someone actually clicked on the link I posted of FB last night (err, morning na pala) before I went to bed.

It's an unusually slow Monday for me today... Nothing much on my plate when I got in the office. Just needed to make a call to a client for TPR then to the workshop about an order, then nothing much for my real job. So here I am now... just hitting the keyboard with what's keeping my brain cells running.

I dunno if you would call it excitement or what, but I just feel like we should get things started. So Kiko and I made our tentative guest list (which I don't know where i last placed it on) about a month ago (before the ring came), attended the Themes & Motif's bridal fair at SMX, got lots of leaflets (which I know I wont look back any time soon), and now, here I go again with this weekend's Kasalan 2010 at Megatrade Hall 1 and 2 in Megamall. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we had already registered, but still not sure if we can go there. It's a 3-day event, starting on Friday, 15 October, until Sunday, 17 October. So far, my schedule is already halfway full: have work on Friday until 5pm, gym with Di after; deliveries for 3 of my TPR brides, then probably gym after; then birdwatching with my birder friend Tin on Sunday. As usual, we'll never know how my weekend would be until Friday. Megamall will also have their 3-day sale on those dates, so still either go to Megamall on Saturday for gym, the fair, and sale, or not at all.

I'm sure I'm not making any sense now... I told you so, I'm just hitting the key board. I still need to figure out how I can put stuff in this blog site together, and a lot of catching up on our posts. I wonder if people can follow us even if they don't have a google account? Hmmm...

c",)