after two years

It's been two years and 11 days since I joined my present company. It has actually been that long since I blogged daily. It's been two years since I used to go out on gimiks for no reason at all. And it has been that long since I used to visit Eastwood City for purely pleasure.

In the past two years, I've become the workaholic I never thought I could be. Looking back, I've never really fully utilized my 100% at work. Now, when I'm not working, there's a sense of guilt because of that simple fact -- I'm not working.

Sometimes it's hard. I feel very responsible for the projects that I'm leading or involved with. To the point that if I'm not there and something goes wrong, I only have myself to blame -- even though I am not at fault.

I'm not sure if it's the company's doing or its culture that making me feel this way. Maybe it's just me. But working with people who give the best of everything they've got, gives professionalism a whole new meaning.

I will be on leave in December for three weeks. This is because I'm getting married. Part of me can't wait for it, while the other part doesn't want to go because of two major projects. It's not as if it's a choice between my life and my career -- it isn't but the guilt sure feels that way.

I'm trying to convince myself that the company will not die if I'm away for a little bit. It's not like I'm leaving my work to inept people (in fact, they are very good.) After all, putting my personal life on hold is not exactly an option, especially since I still believe that all employees are dispensable.

However, a great sense of responsibility heavily weighs on my shoulder. Our responsibility to our clients, to each other, and to our franchise.

Maybe I'm just psyched.

However, hearing my boss say that I'm doing an absolutely good job and have her giving me glowing comments in my mid year appraisal makes me feel that a sense of satisfaction in my career. That's a major add-on to the two the two awards I received earlier this year.

I guess it's just because I never worked with a multinational company before, wherein your work and your responsibility is taken very seriously. That my work ethics is the same as the next person (ok, maybe not all.)

Despite the busy schedule, I'm actually happy because I'm with people who understand me. The type-A, obsessive-compulsive, hard worker that I am.

Maybe I'm just very grateful because without this company (and it's employees), I wouldn't be marrying the man sitting beside me, playing with his PSP.

(Hmmm, it may be a false sense of loyalty after all!) :)

pre-cana and wedding registry

Last Saturday, Ivan and I went to Guadalupe Viejo and had our pre-cana seminar. We arrived there 30 minutes later, due to confusion with the time. Originally, it was set at 8:30am. Instead, they started at around 8:00am.

For P500, we sat through approximately 8 hours of "lecture" on family planning, genogram, and examination of marriage expectations, etc. I liked the last part of the seminar when we were asked to answer questions about our expectations about marriage, money, kids, sex, and in-laws. The girls and the boys were separated from each other and were asked to answer a questionnaire. After which, when the couple finished answering their own papers, a counselor sits down with them.

Ivan and I finished pretty early and compared to the other couples, our counseling did not take more than 30 minutes. I think it's because we talked about this before and we really have the same views on the topic mentioned above.

The few differences that we had in the answers were due to the interpretation of the question. After all, the questions were all in Tagalog and I have to admit, it isn't one of my forte.

We spent the next three hours waiting for other people to finish their talks. I guess, the long and short of it is, they have more different answers than same ones.

After we got our certificate, half a bond paper, with printed words saying we completed the requirement, we went to Rustan's in Makati. We submitted our bridal registry forms (not the registry list yet) and we got our registry cards for the wedding invitation.

I got a free tote bag, discount coupons, calculator and wedding binder as freebies, too. =) Now, my wedding stuff stuff has it's own bag! Yipee!

(Ok, I admit... I'm a sucker for freebies!)

engagement gift

I learned the hard way that giving my boyfriend perfume or clothes (except maybe for basketball shoes) will not exactly merit a certain heartfelt response of thanks. Not that he's not grateful... Let's just say he isn't into it.

Knowing full well his love for electronics, I gave him a cd/mp3 player (which he never had) for our anniversary last year (albeit it was a couple of months early.)

For months now, I've been planning to give him an engagement/wedding gift. I've been trying to look for the best buy here (preferably in installment) for the latest version of a PlayStation Portable (PSP).

Last week, I found out that his boss is going to Singapore and I knew that it would be cheaper there. I managed to communicate my request to him, unbeknown to Ivan, asking him if ever he would find one, can he buy it for me (or him, from whichever perspective)?

It took his boss 3 hours scouting the malls in Lucky Plaza and four phone calls to me to buy what my baby calls as his new "baby". In between the calls, I had to tell Ivan to ask for his input. I didn't realize then that this thing had so many versions.

Yesterday, the wait was finally over for me (and him). When I handed him the precious cargo, words cannot express what he felt when he looked at me and gave me a hug. In truth, he was a little bit shy when he was looking at his brand new PSP and me. He was like a little boy, who shyly asked for a toy on Christmas and actually got one.

I love my baby. He's so cute!

love that vintage car

Last Saturday, future hubby and I picked up our Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in Fully Booked (Promenade). On the way to his cousin's birthday lunch in Las Pinas, we dropped by this garage in Boni, where it hid our bridal car.

Thanks to Citibank Concierge, I found an unlikely supplier last January 2007. All I requested for was a quotation of different Mercedes Benz suppliers and they gave me one for a 1952 Mercedes Benz.

For months, I've been talking with National Car, regarding renting the vintage for the wedding. Lucky for us, we booked early and it was still available for December 8, 2007. But then again, we started talking last January!

For P8,000, we get to rent the car with chauffeur for 6 hours! I tried asking around and nobody can beat that price.


Don't you just love the look of it. Can't wait till our wedding day where will definitely spend a couple of hundred shots with that beauty.

five months to go

Five months today, I will be walking down the aisle.

To be honest with you, I'm stressing myself out because I haven't been doing anything the past few months.

After Ivan's cousin's wedding, I had my trial make-up and I saw the trial works of my photographers and florist. Minus the make-up, everything is as wonderful as the vendors promised they would be. The make-up looked natural for an evening affair but it wasn't a bride make-up as it should be.



The stress of the whole wedding fell on my shoulders because I was their coordinator. For my wedding, I'm resolved to really get my coordinator so that she will do the worrying and stressing for me.

I definitely learned a lot of things that could help me make the most out of the most important day of my life.

I just hope I don't forget anything.

weekends on the road

A little over five months and we are tying the knot.

The last 4 weekends are a blur. Traveling back and forth from my parents' house to his parents' house, we have a preview of how our married weekends are likely to be. Quite frankly, I'm having a difficult time adjusting to the 40km distance, considering the traffic in Metro Manila to Cavite.

Mondays, I feel so tired as if I can't get enough sleep. Hence, this post.

But no matter how bad the traffic is or how my weekends are getting shorter, I'm taking it all in. My future in-laws and I are doing quite well, spending quality time baking and cooking. My parents and Ivan are pretty good, too. Just that they won't let us sleep in the same room -- they are too conservative for our age.

The irony about all this is that I don't even drive. Not because I chose not to drive, but the fact that I can't drive because I don't know how to. I'm complaining and all but I'm just a passenger in all these trips. I should actually be more concerned for Ivan.

The difference is, Ivan has been doing this since he was in college. The travel is as much a part of his life like his computer. In my case, I've never studied or work far from my house. Anything over 20minutes traveling time (excluding traffic) is far already. My concept of traveling more than an hour involves outings or plane trips.

I sincerely hope my old body gets used to this. Because I sincerely want to grow old with the man beside me, currently playing Warhammer 40K in his laptop.