WEDDINGS: KUYA DEE and ATE JONA

I just realized that I haven’t shared here yet the main reason why I went for vacation last June. And it’s almost 2 months ago already. Well, better late than never ;) So here it is. Warning though, this post is loaded of kwentos and photos. Kuha muna kayo ng chocnut, pantanggal umay =)

Just early this year, my brother told us na magaasawa na daw sya. Nagulat kami lahat. My kuya’s too young, he’s only 36 turning 37 this year. Bakit padalos dalos sya magdecide? Alam ba nya na ang pagaasawa ay hindi kaning isusubo na iluluwa pag napaso?? Haha! Choz! Kidding aside, our one and only brother, decided to end his bachelor days with his girlfriend (then), Ate Jona. She’s our church mate and my kuya’s gf for I think 2 or 3 years already.

Among us 3, the last one to get married was my kuya considering he's our eldest. Nahirapan siguro mamili, mabenta kasi yang kuya ko eh lol! Just for the sake of sharing (I hope my sis in law will not mind and will not make away my kuya because of this, past na naman e), I had so many sisters because of my kuya. Ang daming naging jowa kasi haha! Hindi nga, totoo! She had this gf na super pretty and petite. She’s the Ms. something of their campus in college. I liked her instantly, she often give gifts to us eh hehe. Then after sometime, ayun break na daw. Next is a churchmate din. She’s my favorite because she’s pretty too, has dimples, always treats me out and loves to give me nice clothes. Sino ba naman hindi magiging favorite yun db? She came to our house one day looking for my kuya, aba ang kuya ko nagtago, wag daw sabihin na andun sya! Kaloka! So I’m sure you know what happened next, break it to me gently din ang drama nila.

Then I met one more pa of my kuya’s ex, I think eto officemate naman nya. Ay hindi ko type. May itsura pero parang makalumang tao. My kuya dragged me with him to go to the hometown of this girl in Quezon. We brought a LOT for her family eh kaso her family are ALL snobbish. Che! Layo layo ng planeta nyo and dami pa namin dala tapos suplada kayo lahat? Amp! Buti nag-break din agad. Ang saya ko kaya. (grins)

Came 2007, my kuya had to work abroad. After some months, he invited us to visit him there and to meet daw his Indonesian gf. He sent us the photos of the girl, ay pretty. Morena pero maganda. Ms. something din dun sa company nila. With that, our whole family flew all the way to Singapore. Worried nga mommy and mga tita ko, baka daw mag nosebleed sila sa gf ng kuya ko. Wala namang nangyaring pag dugo ng ilong because when we were there na, break na daw sila ni Indonesian gf. Hay kaloka!

I have many kwento pa but I have to stop na telling you my kuya’s past dahil baka saktan na ko ng kuya ko pagbalik ko ng Pinas haha!

I shared all these snippets to you so that you’ll know why my kuya reached that age before he finally decided to tie the knot. Pero syempre that’s aside from the fact that my brother has always been very responsible to our family. Our needs are always in his priority. Sobra nya kami mahal hence his decision (I think) of delaying his plans of having a family of his own.  

Back to my kwento. The original plan was, the wedding will either be in November or December. He informed us ahead of time so that we can file our leave. But in the middle of everything, we had to change plan. We had to come to Pinas kasi by June because of Mimay’s baby fashionista and I told my kuya that we can’t come na by December, so I requested to him and Ate Jona if it’s possible to move the wedding date earlier. As in from December to June, ganun ka-layo ang jump hehe. Thankfully they agreed.

With less than 3 months left, wedding preparations started. I was super nakokonsensya because they had to make madali everything and squeeze their budget to the max para lang umabot ng June ang wedding. But God is really good because everything turned out beautifully. Everything was almost perfect especially my gown haha!

Allow me to photoblog and narrate everything from prenup, wedding and honeymoon. Echosera ko eh kaya share ko sa inyo lahat ;P

I want to brag that their prenup idea came from me. They both like watching movies so I thought that it would be nice if the location will be in a movie house. These photos are unedited pa. You should see their photobook, very beautiful.

Mr & Mrs Smith kuno

By the way, their photog was Kuya Sunny of SNY Cavite, which was our wedding photog too. He’s the nicest and his rates are very affordable.

Nani: Bi pag 5 years na tayo, pakasal ulit tyo ha? Si Kuya Sunny ulit kunin natin. Nice his shots no?

Poy: Ha pwede ba yun bi? Kakasal ulit? Madami ulit bisita?

Nerbyoso tong asawa ko! Konti lang kaya ininvite ko nung wedding namin, 250 lang kaya, halleer? Anong masama kung ulitin namin yun? :D Pero no joke, I really want to get married again. Renewal of vows ba, sa beach. Dream ko din to have a beach wedding eh. Pero this time, intimate ceremony lang. Just like Megan Fox’s wedding. It will just be me, Poy, Mimay and some of our closest relatives. Very unlike our 2008 wedding pero I want it in Phuket Thailand haha! Dream on nani, walang masama jan!

Moving on, this is where we spent the night prior the wedding day. Mimay had fun in Hotel Kimberly Tagaytay. They have a spacious playground for kids and swimming pool. Me naman enjoyed the buffet breakfast. I finished kilo kilong tocino talaga haha!

In the hotel before the big hour:

Just some quick info: Did you know that the 3 of us married all in the month of June with 9 days gap in between the dates? Nani & Poy – June 10, Chelo & Dong – June 19, Denz & Jona – June 28. Hindi yan sinasadya ha, nagkataon lang. Cute no? :)

Date – June 28, 2011

Wedding location, both ceremony and reception – Sonya’s Garden Tagaytay

Officiating Pastor – Rev. Pastor Levy Erasga (the same pastor who officiated our wedding)

Time – 3:30 pm

I don’t want to be biased but I have to say that my Kuya and ate Jona’s wedding is one of the best wedding I’ve ever been to. I had goosebumps while Ate Jona walks down the aisle. It was a very emotional moment especially when Ate Jona’s dad cried. I notice everyone’s crying too, truly very touching. Ate Jona’s the eldest kasi of the 4 girls and she’s the first one to get married kaya super cry-ola si dad. I suddenly remember my daddy in my wedding, agaw eksena din. As in hagulgol ha! Nalito tuloy ako kung kasal ko nga ba yun o libing, jowk!

Here’s my poging pogi kuya in his Onesimus dark gray coat. Di naman sya tuwang tuwa no?

Here naman are my mommy and daddy. Aminin, ang ganda ng mommy ko. Motif kung motif ang hair haha!

This is my only sister with her hubby, Mimay’s Ninung Dung! (dahil visayan accent ang anak ko, ang Dong naging Dung. Atleast may accent!)

And this is me ofcourse with the very beautiful (but sick) & one and only flower girl. Wrong timing nga. This is Mimay’s first ever abay but sadly she was sick. Look at her eyes, tamlay no? But still she’s very adorable in her gown. With us is my cousin Warren who replaced Poy as my partner. 

Here’s our Mimay during the ceremony, totally not in the mood.

Here are some more photos during the ceremony. The couple is laughing ang giggling all the time!

And the part which really made me teary eyed. I’m so happy for both of them =)

Right after the ceremony, the couple gave their “thank you’s” to everyone who witnessed their special day. And what surprised me was, my kuya cried. His speech was like this: “Nakakaiyak pala to. Pasensya napo kayo, first time eh. Yaan nyo po next time di na ko iiyak.” Haha loko talaga tong kuya ko!  Gusto pa ng 2^nd time!

The pretty and handsome members of the entourage. It could have been happier if my Poy was there that time too.

Wacky family shots.

naynay! ang ganda mo! ikaw na!

During the reception.

I just have to include these dahil ang ganda namin dito ng ate ko haha!

I super love the food in Sonya’s. I’m just lost for words how to perfectly describe the taste eh, basta lahat masarap. They have fresh mints pa (na mukang damo as in grass) in the juice, so unique. And what’s more bongga? It’s an eat all you can, sit down dinner! Chuchal!

Congratulations to my one and only kuya na mahal na mahal na mahal ko! And to my new ate, welcome sa pamilyang galgal! Haha! Love you both!

Have a blessed marriage and we pray you little Denz and Jona the soonest!

Oh by the way, guess where did they go for honeymoon? Hirap hulaan no? Wala man lang clue. Hehe =)

EID PLANS

Next week, we will be having long weekend to celebrate the Eid Holidays. This mark the end of Ramadan for Muslims hence the 4 days off (in my case 3 days lang because we have work on Saturday) which will start on next Wednesday. For someone like me na 1 day off lang per week, sobrang saya ng moment nato at gusto ko mag cartwheel sa galak!

But I have a problem, serious. Di ba, naynay just came here in Dubai with us and it’s biglaan, so sobrang dami talaga namin expenses the past month for her visa and airfare then I just came from vacation so my last salary is not yet full. We also needed pa to buy additional cabinets and bed for naynay, so ayun wasak na wasak ang bulsa namin ni Poy. Therefore, we have no budget for Eid. Parang gusto ko lagnatin na lang so that I will not feel bad staying at home for the whole 3 days.

Nakakaiyak no? Mimay and Naynay’s here pa naman. Anong gagawin namin sa 3 days na yun eh we’re on a tight budget? Ay let me correct that, hindi pala tight, as in wala pala kaming budget for an out of town trip. Sad.

This photo was taken last 2010 EID at Jumeirah Beach. How about this 2011 kaya?

GREENHILLS IS LOVE

During my pinas vacation last June, I got the chance to visit Greenhills Shopping Center to look for some fab and cheap outfits.

Greenhills is indeed a shopping heaven on earth! Nakakabaliw if you set your feet on the entrance pa lang. There are so many lovely bags, shoes and clothes! I have to control myself because hubby and I have an agreed budget to splurge or else ipapakain lahat sa kin ni Poy mga bibilhin ko hehe.

Greenhills is more than 2 hours from our place (since I had to commute) and I arrived there at around 3pm na hence I only have little time to do my shopping. I immediately roam the stalls to look for some decent office slacks. And it was a success! Guess how much are these slacks?

You will not believe because it’s P400 only! Ang bongga bongga bongga! And I must say that the materials of the slacks are of good quality. It’s soft and very comfortable to wear. I got some jeggings too because their cheap. 3pcs for P1,000! San ka pa?

this white jeggings is P400 only!

I also got some blouses with prices ranging from P300-P600 only per piece. I even got an undershirt for a hundred bucks. Saya! :) 

Pardon my kajubaan ha? I need to diet na talaga, parang hihimatayin ako sa pagpigil ng hininga ko para lang di makita ang aking baby fats haaay! Anyway, everything I wore in the above photos are all from Greenhills except lang for my footwears.

Greenhills is almost like Divisoria. There are lots of tiangges where you can haggle the prices of the items. In greenhills lang, it’s aircon and they have nice toilet too. Slightly chuchal compared to Divi. Siksikan din at times pero mga flawless naman ang kadikit mo at hindi mga dugyot, so carry lang haha!

What’s also good about Greenhills is that all the stalls for clothes, shoes and bags are located in one spacious area only. There a lots of tiangges to choose from. You don’t need to hop from one location to another. Just be ready because there are no fitting rooms in this place except if you’re buying inside the mall.

Shopping tips:

1.Make sure to wear something comfortable such as a sando or a tee over leggings. In this way, you can easily fit the clothes that you find, right then and there! No need for a fitting room.

2.For your personal belongings, it’s advisable to bring only a sling bag while shopping. It would be more convenient to choose items without worrying where to put your bag.

3.Roam around. Don’t settle immediately in a particular item because you “might” get it at a cheaper price from other stalls.

4.Be nice to the tinderas. They can give you discounts if you’re nice to them.

5.Bring a bottle of mineral water. Shopping is the loveliest form of exercise, tiring but fun =)

MIMAY’S HYGIENE ESSENTIALS

After reading Mommy Fleur’s post about her dear Anika’s products, I was stirred to do my own version :) I just hope this will also help all the mom’s out there in picking out the right products for their toddlers.

Yes our Mimay is no longer a baby, toddler na sya hence I am less praning now of what to buy for her personal hygiene needs. Before kasi, I am not allowed to use powder, cologne and lotion for ineng. She’ll get asthma daw like me. But now, I am so free to put anything on her. Kulang na lang pati pepe nya i-wash ko ng lactacyd haha!

our Mimay showing off her kutiks! :)

To start of, I’d like to share the basic bathing products that we use for Mimay. For almost 2 years, we use Lactacyd baby bath for her. I also tried Enfant products once. Then when she first came here in Dubai, we shifted to Sebamed products. It’s a hypo-allergenic, soap-free, baby product line which is highly promoted and recommended here in Dubai. I bought everything from body oil, face cream, body lotion, cologne, baby wash and hand soap. For her first 3 months stay here in Dubai, sebamed is okay. It smells nice too. So when Mimay return back to Pinas with her naynay last February, I bought big sizes of these products which she can use until the time she’ll be back here with us.

When I came for vacation in Pinas last June, I saw the Zwitsal products. I dunno if you have heard of this brand. This was introduced to me by my dearest mother in law. Lola Espie (my MIL) bought a baby wash that she uses when Mimay comes over for a weekend stay with her. It smells so nice! Even after a long day, Mimay’s hair still smells fresh. Usually kasi, if Mimay is not in an airconditioned room and she’ll sweat, lumalaban sa sukang paombong ang amoy nya. Yun ang na-notice ng mommy ko with Sebamed, it doesn’t smell good kapag napawisan si Mimay. But with Zwitsal baby wash, no more asim smell. And what’s better about it? It’s cheap! As in! It’s Php 199 only for a 200ml bottle. Bongga!

I also learned that this is the same brand Poy’s cousins are using for their kids so I became more certain that it’s safe. So with that, I also got Mimay the Zwitsal lotion, cologne, powder and baby wash. So far, I love it. I’ve been using it for almost 3 months now and no signs of any allergic reaction naman with Mimay. So when Naynay came here, I asked her to bring more for reserve.

Na-carried away naman ako, haba na pala ng intro ko. Anyway, eto na talaga yung post ko haha.

Mimay’s bathing essentials:

> Corine de Farme Body Oil – I put this in Mimay’s body before she takes a bath. This is to keep her skin hydrated.

>Lactacyd baby wash – this naman I use to wash Mimay’s face. I thought of using mild liquid soap lang since she develops rashes if I’m using body wash for her face.

>Zwitsal Baby Bath – this I use as her hair and body wash. It’s hypoallergenic and dermatologist tested too.

>Sebamed Baby Wash – this is just left over lang. Sayang naman kung itatapon, so I’m using it as body wash for Mimay at night time.

>Electric tootbrush and Dora Hapee toothpaste – eversince the world began, Mimay’s not fond of brushing her teeth. Hindi daw mapilit ni naynay hence her bulok front upper teeth. So when she came here with us, I thought of getting her an electric toothbrush and so far no more battles na during brushing time. Eto lang ang problema ko, si Dora Hapee toothpaste. Although the packaging says that it has the right amount of fluoride, I know this is still not safe for Mimay’s age. Kaya lang, Mimay will not brush her teeth kapag hindi si Dora ang toothpaste. See my problem?

Here naman are Mimay’s after-bath essentials:

>Corine de Farme Moisturizing Cream – this is to avoid Mimay’s face from drying up. This is the same cream I used when Mimay had heat rashes. Super effective! Bungang araw disappeared right away. 

>OFF Insect repellant – this I put only if we go out so that she will not get insect bites.

>Zwitsal Baby Lotion – body lotion for Mimay. It enhances the smell of the body wash.

> Zwitsal Baby Cologne – mild powdery scent, I love!

>Sebamed Baby Cologne – Mimay’s cologne if I use the sebamed body wash, which usually is bed time. Partner partner dapat :)

>Zwitsal Baby Powder – I put powder to Mimay’s face when we go out, because I firmly believe that “oiliness is next to ugliness!”

>Glycerin Cream – I read from an article in the internet that Glycerine is non-toxic and is very beneficial to any skin type even to baby skin. I put this on Mimay’s feet and knees as moisturizer. I’m sharing this with her. We put this once a day, before we go to bed.

When we go out, I always make sure to bring hand sanitizer and wipes. Especially now at Mimay’s age, dampot dito, dampot doon, subo dito, subo doon. Imagine my horror when one time we’re walking and she touched the ground sabay lick sa hands nya! Kaloka talaga! Tikman daw ba ang lupa??!

 Asar na asar mommy ko sa dami daw ng nilalagay kay ineng. Ang arte ko daw. Well, I know, matagal napo ;) I want Mimay to have nice skin eh, Ms. Universe kaya ang peg ko sa baby ko haha!

Seriously, I believe teaching Mimay (even at her young age) good hygiene habits will not only make her neat and clean but willl prevent her from getting diseases. This is because good hygience affects the health and well-being of a child. So see my point? This is not only because maarte akong nanay. I want our Mimay to develop lifelong habits of good hygiene to keep her healthy and happy always. Yun yon!

IT’S ZOE!

I have so many things to blog, but I don’t have the time yet. I’m itching to type away all my kwentos! I’ll do it soon, wish me luck!

Quick post na lang muna. Last night, we attended Mei and Yo’s Baby shower in Chowking. I’ll make a separate post about this, soon :)

Me, Poy, Mimay and Naynay shared the table with my friend and churchmate Grace, her husband Daniel and 8^th month baby boy Zoe. While we were eating, Mimay gave a cupcake to Zoe.

Poy: Wow bait naman ni Mimay kay CHOEY (pronounced as CHO-WI)

Naynay: (while looking at mimay) Oo nga. Love mo neng si JOEY?

Amp! Ang gulo nyong magbiyenan! Kayo na nga lang magusap! Haha!

Happy Saturday everyone! =)