My Holiday Project

I've just recently discovered the beauty of this application called Pinterest. I'm starting to get the hand of it (as a matter of fact i'm starting to feel addiction creeping in) and what's great, I was able to create a board for my upcoming Holiday Project.

I'm so looking forward to completing my materials so Maia and I can finally start working on this project. Time to put these hands to good use!

Some Wedding Photos

I was looking at my 2007 entries here and I realized I've never shared photos of our simple, intimate yet very special wedding.

Our wedding was attended by only 58 guests all of which were family and friends all of whom were very close to us. Here is the full wedding story (but please skip you are not up to reading some boring story hehe).

Let me share with some of the photos I was able to dig up from our memory box.

Listening (as if) intently to Fr. Boying's Words of Wisdom

L - R: My dear friends Ces and Toks; Tita Helene giving us marriage tips;
Mommy taking the stage (lolz)

Various photos of us at the reception and leaving the church after the ceremony

Planning a small wedding was not as easy as I had deemed it to be since most weddings suppliers have pegged their packages at 100 pax minimum. But with the help of WeddingsAtWork, I was able find suppliers who were willing to adjust to our needs. They really made my life so much easier.

Here's a rough list of our wedding partners:

Church - Ina Ng Laging Saklolo (Tagaytay)
Reception/Catering/Cake/Flowers - Josephine's

P/V - KJ Rosales/Ross Calahig

HMUA - Am Yap-Joco

Bridal Preps - T-house Tagaytay

Gown - Annalyn's/Divisoria

Barong - La Herminia/Kalibo Aklan

Invites/Gift Tags/Message Cards - Printed Matter

Giveaways - OA Sweets

Rings - Goldenhills Jewelry

Hoodie - Ade Singson of Runway Bride


More wedding photos here and here:

My family minus one sister and her family (she's couldn't travel yet since Gogol was still an infant then)

My in-laws and Tibs' cousins . They were very supportive during the wedding day!

Our close friends from college and from work

Food c/o Josephine's Tagaytay (awesome staff!)

October 20, 2007
Tibs and I enjoying our moment finally as husband and wife!

A Wedding Story (well, of sorts)

Unlike most brides, I was not the kind who had a dream wedding in mind. My parents were married civilly and we were not raised to be the party-going kind. So no, I was never fond of grand events like wedding parties and big birthdays.

But two years into our relationship, Tibs and I knew we wanted to bring our relationship to the next level and start our own family. So started talking about getting married, the first topic of which of course started with THE BUDGET.

Since both of us agree on one thing, that we do not want a big wedding we thought why not settle for a civil ceremony too. We'll just have our immediate families and really close Aunts and Uncles to witness then share a sumptuous lunch after. It seemed like a good idea. My family was agreeable to it.  And so is Tibs'. But I still asked for advices from close relatives and friends. I ended up with mixed reactions. But the closest people to me really wanted that we marry in Church. 

So Tibs and I sat down again and wrote down the pros and cons of having a Church wedding vs. a Civil wedding. In the end, we decided we'll have a Church wedding but a really small, intimate one attended by people closest to us. We wanted a quite one where we can actually sit down, share and exchange stories with our guests. We are not the giddy, soon-to-wed archetype. We only took what was important to us and didn't adapt the traditional wedding program. 

First off, we did away with the elaborate wedding entourage. I have a big family (my mom has 6 siblings + averaging 3 children each) but most of my cousins are still kids I don't think they would really enjoy going thru an entire wedding ceremony. And besides, I really would like to enjoy my wedding day and wouldn't want to be bothered following up my secondary sponsors etc etc. I want to be stress-free on my wedding day. So we only enlisted the help of our Maid Of Honor and Best Man. At the last minute though, my mom requested my youngest sister and brother to join in the wedding march and they were the ones who carried our wedding ceremony accessories. Our Best Man was in charge of our rings. My maid-of-honor worked hand in hand with him till we were done with the ceremony. 

The reception was a strictly for adults affair. So where did all the kids go? My aunt brought them to the nearby Jollibee store where they enjoyed their meals. Then after they were done eating they came to join us for the remaining of the wedding program which was basically mostly just us mingling with them and exchanging stories. We did away with the AVP Presentation, first dance, wine toasting, and bouquet/garter throwing. The cake-cutting we only did for posterity's sake when most of the guests have left. Basically, it went like this: Eat, Laugh, Bye-byes. 

It was a tiring day and was not as stress-free as I'd wanted it to be. There were glitches of course. I guess no wedding would be memorable without them anyways (in my case, it was my mom accidentally burning my bolero just minutes before I was to wear my gown). Am Yap-Joco, my HMUA, was quick to comfort me though. She told me it was just a bolero and I am still gorgeous without it. (It helps to get suppliers who were also hands-on during their wedding preparations)

Despite how crazy the hours before our wedding went, I cried tears of joy  while I was walking down the aisle. I couldn't believe that I was finally a wife! And that all our efforts (we planned our wedding on our own, no coordinators and with minimal help from families and friends) paid off. All of our guests appreciated and complimented the simplicity of our party and how intimate it was. It was a no-frills wedding party and I guess it really echoed our personalities (Tibs and mine). It was exactly how we planned it to be. 

As long as we do things together, challenges just become a lot lighter.

You'll find the rough list of our major suppliers here. 

50 Promises For Marriage

I cannot remember where I got this originally but I'm sure it came from the yahoogroup - WeddingsAtWork - that I used to be a member of when Tibs and I were still preparing for our wedding four years ago. That group was a tremendous help to me when I was planning our wedding. I gained friends and more from that group. But I will talk about that on a separate post.

Meanwhile, going back to the list. I had it printed and posted at the most conspicuous corner of my office cubicle so I always get a good glimpse of it. It serves as a guide and reminder to me. And to Tibs as well. We don't get to follow all of it but somehow it helps us especially when we're getting into each other's nerves already. I'm sharing it again here thinking it could/might benefit other married couples too.

50 Promises for Marriage
By Dr. Steve Stephens

1. Start each day with a kiss.
2. Wear your wedding ring at all times.
3. Date once a week.
4. Accept differences.
5. Be polite.
6. Be gentle.
7. Give gifts.
8. Smile often.
9. Touch.
10. Talk about dreams.
11. Select a song that can be "our song".
12. Give back rubs.
13. Laugh together.
14. Send a card for no reason.
15. Do what the other person wants before he or she asks.
16. Listen.
17. Encourage.
18. Do it his or her way.
19. Know his or her needs.
20. Fix the other person's breakfast.
21. Compliment twice a day.
22. Call during the day.
23. Slow down.
24. Hold hands.
25. Cuddle.
26. Ask for each other's opinion.
27. Show respect.
28. Welcome the other person home.
29. Look your best.
30. Wink at each other.
31. Celebrate birthdays in a big way.
32. Apologize.
33. Forgive.
34. Set up a romantic getaway.
35. Ask, "What can I do to make you happier?"
36. Be positive.
37. Be kind.
38. Be vulnerable.
39. Respond quickly to the other person's request.
40. Talk about your love.
41. Reminisce about your favorite times together.
42. Treat each other's friends and relatives with courtesy.
43. Send flowers every Valentine's day and anniversary.
44. Admit when wrong.
45. Be sensitive to each other's sexual desires.
46. Pray for each other daily.
47. Watch sunsets together.
48. Say, "I love you" frequently.
49. End the day with a hug.
50. Seek outside help when needed.

My Running Playlist (Aug-Oct 2011)

For the past 2 years I have desperately sweated my post pregnancy flab out by running around our village. They never went away mind you. But what started as an obsession to lose the flab has now become sort of a passion for me. I say passion because running now brings me a different high. It's now something that I look forward to doing after work.

I used to be able to run for just 20mins max. But for the last few months, I've started increasing my weekly goals by 10-20%. This running thing has also started me to challenge myself to do better each time. Lately I've been doing 35 mins already (yey!). And what helps me going these days is my running playlist. During my daily commute, I listen to this already so I'm all pumped up when I get home. Trick always work. At the risk of sounding overboard, there are days when I just feel like I want to run my way to work instead just by listening to this playlist. :)

Starting Easy (usually 5-6 minute slow, this serves as my warm up as well)
All in All - Lifehouse
Small Wonders - Dog's Eye View
I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
You and Me Song - The Wannadies

Steady Run (Usually a two-three miler if I'm gunning for a 30min run, I don't get to finish all these most of the time but my goal is to run past 12 songs these days)

A Life Less Ordinary - Ash

Hush - Kula Shaker

Perfect Day - Collective Soul

Aurora - Foo Fighters

Uncharted - Sara Bareilles

Designer Skyline - Owl City

Energy - Collective Soul

Fidelity - Regina Spektor

Fireflies - Owl City

Flat Top - Goo Goo Dolls

Halfway Gone - Lifehouse

Just Say Yes - Snow Patrol

Turn My Head - Live

Science and Faith - The Script

Reach - Collective Soul

Wrecking Ball - Lifehouse

Vanilla Twilight - Owl City

Ripcord - Radiohead

Signal Fire - Snow Patrol

Winding Down (5 minute slow run)

Fix You - Coldplay

Hold My Heart - Sara Bareilles

Marry Me - Train

Yes as you can see they're limited to just a couple of music artists which are not exactly big favorites but I don't know this playlist just stuck with me. Usually when I feel like I can't go any further I just tell myself to just  finish the song and yet I always end up adding another song and another till my legs give up. I might probably get tired of this list by the end of October but I'm hoping by that time, I can already run for an hour straight (I'm aiming for at least 1 long run of 10km every week).

Do you run with music too? Care to share your playlist with me?

The Road I Always Travel errrr...Run On

Recipe: Crab Aligue Pasta with Lemon and Fresh Basil

On her last visit, my mother-in-law brought us a bottle of Taba ng Talangka. I've long wanted to try making Aligue pasta so it was just perfect timing. Two weeks ago, I was inspired to finally try the recipe but I was already done with our weekly grocery so I made use of whatever was in our pantry and fridge at that time. Most of the recipes I came across in the internet made use of other seafood (tuna, clams, mussels). I was able to whip this recipe in less than 30 mins (prep time including). It turned out to be amazingly easy.

For my version, I used the following ingredients:

• 200g spaghetti (cooked al dente. don't throw away the pasta water, by the way)
• about 4-5 tbsps of Crab Paste/Taba ng Talangka (we used Navarro's); some recipes I came across also made use of almost a bottle but I was just too scared of the cholesterol
• 2 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped (I would have used more but that was all we had)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Fresh shrimp (we only have about 8pcs on hand), shelled and deveined (I chopped it so everybody will have a taste of it hehehehe)
• 1/2 large white onion, chopped
• juice of half lemon
• a handful of Fresh Basil, torn in half 
• 1/2 cup pasta water
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• Parmesan cheese (since I omitted salt on this recipe)

My version: Aligue Pasta. 

How I did it:

1. Saute garlic, onion and tomatoes in olive oil till translucent.
2. Add crab paste. Saute for about 5 minutes (well I'm just OC on this but I'm sure there's really no need to saute since the crab paste is already cooked anyways).
3. Add the pasta water and simmer for 2-5 minutes.
4. Add the shrimp and wait till pinkish.
5. Toss over cooked pasta.
6. Add fresh basil and squeeze in the lemon.
7. Top with parmesan cheese and you're good to go!

This is good for 4 hungry stomachs (and I was even able to bring in an extra serving for my co-workers to taste). 

My Take: Getting To Know Me

Inspired by Neva's and Toni's entries (which I truly enjoyed reading), here's my take on this meme. I am fervently hoping that by doing this post, I'd be sparked to write again and be lifted off this blog drought that I am currently experiencing. 


1. Were you named after someone? 
Yes. After the actress Faye Dunaway, according to my parents. Superman was a big hit the year I was born (okay so I gave my age away...hehe)
2. How did you name your blog? 
My blog has a cheesy name. I couldn't think of any title to put on then but I associated marriage to me and my spouse making our dreams come true hand-in-hand...thus, the title.
3. Where did you meet your husband? 
We were workstation buddies. Yes, we were a product of office romance too.
4. How long were you guys dating before you got married? 
3 years
5. How did you bond? 
Badminton. Road trips. Bookstores. Furniture stores. Thrift store hunts (think: Evangelista St/Bangkal and Cubao)
6. If there is one song to describe your life right now what would it be? 
Alanis Morisette's Ironic
7. What did you first notice about your partner when you first met? 
Uhmmm his super boyish looks. And he was super shy. But then again, ours was not love at first sight. It was the product of my husband's persistence.
8. If you could have any superpower what would it be? 
Time Travelling
9. Have you ever sung in front of a large number of people? 
Nope (or maybe I blocked it in my memory already). I'd probably usher in a super typhoon had I attempted to do so.
10. As a child, what did you want to grow up to be? 
A Nobel Prize (for scientific breakthrough) Winner (I really dreamt big didn't I?). Oh, and I adored Rainbow Brite so much I wanted to be like her too (at some point lolz)
11. Do you remember where you first spent your paycheck? 
Bought myself a watch (can't remember where I kept it though, have to check with my mom)
12. Favorite Social Network? Facebook
13. Favorite place in Manila? 
España. No I'm not from UST but the first few months of my 'independent' life I lived in this area and that was a big turning point in my life. And it housed Mayric's too. I loved that place.
14. What are your favorite TV Shows (local and foreign)? 
Dexter, CSI, Grey's Anatomy, Chuck, Castle (I actually like TV shows that make me more paranoid lolz)
15. What’s your silliest pet peeve? Over-accessorizing (yes, that Christmas tree look. I feel like snatching some of those jewelry sometimes)
16. What’s your favorite quote? 
“No pain, no gain”
17. What’s your favorite smell? 
The smell of an infant. Kakagigil, I just couldn't get enough of it! (hehehe)
18. Say a random thing about yourself: 
I can survive the day with just coffee as my liquid intake (and no, I've never overdosed yet. My all time high is 5 heaping mugs of barako coffee)
19. If you could meet anyone (dead or alive) who would it be? Bono
20. If you could drop everything now and do something what would it be? 
Go home to my home province and play all day with Maia and train for a marathon.


Now it’s your turn: in the comment box, answer one question AND if you want to ask me another question go ahead and do that as well and I’ll answer it!


If you do continue this chain in your blog, leave the link to your entry too. I’d love to read more about you.