Buhay Misis, ATBP.

One long post about being....*

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:44:00 +0000

Okay, okay, okay... I admit I'm a bad blogger. Even Jojie has been making me kulit about blogging (nagugulat kasi siya na sometimes his friends tell him that they read pala this blog kaya feeling proud naman siya. Hahaha!).

Anyway, the reason I wasn't able to blog for a loooooong time is.... tsadan... I'M PREGNANT! Isn't that like the most ironic thing??? I mean, it's ironic after that post "On having a baby". Teeeheeeheee! But then, it just shows how things can not be controlled sometimes (which is such a big realization for me... mwehehehehehe!).

I find out I was pregnant on November 20, which was a few days before the W@W Christmas party. I didn't think I was pregnant kasi I spotted but when my regular period didn't come, I decided to take a pregnancy test and needless to say, it was positive.

The whole pregnancy process (at least from the time I learned I was pregnant up to now that I'm in my 29th week) is one bumpy but happy roller coaster ride for me. For one, I was constantly in a threatened abortion condition (not sure if I used the term correctly) during the first couple of months. I spotted for almost one month so I was put on bed rest. Since Jojie and I live in a condo unit alone and he had to go to the office, we decided to move back to my parents' house. Kasi dun sure ako na may mag-aalaga sa akin. I accomplished everything in bed. My mom and my sister (who were super duper supportive) would feed me in bed and would constantly deep me company para hindi ako ma-bore. Abie sent me bobo novels to keep my mind off things. Jojie bathed me. All these para hindi ako ma-stress at hindi makasama sa baby.

I didn't miss a single wedding. There were times na hindi na ako nagsa-spot tapos dahil sa stress sa wedding, bigla akong magsa-spotting uli. In spite of all the hassles and the worries I went through, wala akong bride na hindi ako yung nagpalakad. :)

Sa super stressful events, sinamahan ako ni Jojie. The most stressful was probably the W@W Party. It went great naman daw sabi nila... hahaha! pero super duper grabe abot sa ceiling ng Fernwood yung stress ko the days before that and OTD. Jojie was with me the whole time and I was clutching my tummy kasi masakit yung puson ko the whole day. (Btw, Mimi and Karl won the Supplier of the Year award. Very well-deserved, I must say. :)) Nagsisi lang ako kasi I wasn't able to have lots of post-nup picture taken despite the 20+ photographers present! Nakapagpa-picture lang kami kay Mel Cortez and kay Chito Cleofas (two of my "favoritest" photogs! :)) pero hindi ko pa rin nakukuha until now. Hehehe!

Morning sickness was hell.... don't let anyone tell you otherwise. And for the life of me, I cannot understand why it's called morning sickness when it starts at 7am and lasts until 12 midnight! Pucha! One third lang dun yung umaga... dapat whole day sickness yun eh. Hahaha!

The transition to being a pregnant working person was very hard for me. Bigla na lang hindi ako makapag-meeting ng hanggang gabi unlike before. Kelangan may driver ako at may yaya na kasama forever.

In my post about having a baby, I think I discussed about being afraid of the changes I'd have to face if I were to get pregnant. I was so right! Totoo nga palang ang daming changes, ang daming sacrifices. I'm not saying I'm not excited to see my baby or that I don't think the sacrifices are worth it but I have to admit that there were times I wasn't too happy. For one, Jojie and I love to travel. We love the beach and goal naman to go to the beach at least once a year. Normally by this time, nakaka-dalawa na kaming alis. But because of my delicate pregnancy, syempre hindi pwede. Oh well, sabi naman ni Jojie we'll travel next year, and since that would be with baby na, mas masaya! :)

Am giving birth in July. As early as now, I'm making sure all my June, July, and August (konti lang yan, don't worry) weddings are fixed. Pati mga song lists, inaayos ko na. Before the month ends, I'll make sure super konti na lang yung kelangan ayusin. I'm very grateful to all my brides. All of them were very supportive when I told them I was pregnant.

So there... this post is just basically to update you on why I wasn't able to blog.

Till next time!

:)

* - a crossover post; also posted in An Event to Remember

You Raise Me Up

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 10:35:00 +0000

I was so busy with various things that I never paid attention to the fact that Josh Groban is having a concert here. Josh Groban!!! I cannot imagine how it would feel like to actually watch his concert. Haaaaay!

Jojie saw the ad the other day and knew that I would want to watch (O di ba, nung isang araw niya rin lang nakita? Hay exagg sa busy kami no?!). There are only two concert days. October 17 is by-invitation only while Oct 18 has limited tickets. When he looked at the ticket prices though, Php5,000.00 is the cheapest available. So syempre, binale-wala na niya. Sabi niya pa "Seriously?!"

Then when I told him that I really want to watch, he asked me "Eh sino nga ba yang si Josh Groban uli?"

Sabi ko "Hon, siya yung may version ng The Prayer."

"Hmmm..."

"Hon, siya yung kumanta ng You Raise Me Up. Kilala mo na? Alam mo yung You Raise Me Up di ba?"

"Ah... oo nga... you raise me up." I went back to what I was doing and was going to hum You raise me up when Jojie suddenly sang, "You raise me up before you go-go, Don't leave me hanging on like a yo-yo, You raise me up before you go-go, I don't want to miss it when you hit that high" Tapos tawa siya ng tawa.

Di ba nakakainis?!

:)

new blog

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 17:58:00 +0000

I'm putting up another blog, solely for weddings and wedding planning. This blog will revert back to my personal blog.

It's not so maayos yet kasi hindi pa napapalitan the background and stuff but please visit. Will transfer my wedding-related posts to that blog soon.

http://aneventtoremember.wordpress.com

:)

on having a baby

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 17:25:00 +0000

Whenever I meet someone new (be it a bride, a groom, a starbucks barista, or a taxi driver), I always get asked if I'm married. When I say yes, the next question is always if I already have a baby. My standard answer would be "Wala pa. Mukha lang." Then I'll smile. More often than not, the person would laugh. If I'm in luck, the questioning would stop. If not, next question would be "Eh bakit wala pa? Gaano na ba kayo katagal kasal?" I would answer "Two and half years po" and then, believe me, a barrage of (I'm sure) supposed-to-be well-meaning badgering about my biological clock (oh yeah, isa pa pala sa tanong ay kung ilang taon na ako) would ensue. The person would tell me to stop working and to have a baby NOW NA. The joys of motherhood will be explained and I would just smile. Dati sinasabi ko pang "Nag-iipon pa po kasi." Pero nagsawa na rin ako sa "Naku, eh baka masyado kang yumaman!" So ngayon, my standard answer is "Naku, baka mapa-anak ako sa kasal. Hindi pwedeng ma-agawan ng eksena ang bride!" More often that not, that will end it.

Don't get me wrong. As I said, I'm sure these are all well-meaning badgerings. Even my friends, as in closest friends, and my family, ask me sometimes. Ang kaibahan lang, kilala nila ako, and they support what I want. Nakakainis lang when they make me kulit when I don't even know what I want. :(

Oh yeah, I want to have a baby. Not sure if that's now or two years from now. And yes, natatakot ako sa biological clock. Believe me. But I'm scared. Feeling ko super daming changes na mangyayari na baka hindi ko kayanin. I even asked my mom if it will be worth it and she said that it will be. And looking at my friends, I know having a baby will be worth all the sacrifices and the pagod. Love na love nila yung babies nila eh na I'm super touched whenever I see them.

Haaaay! I don't know. Last month, I thought I was pregnant and mejo natakot ako kasi that would mean baka manganak ako ng July eh wedding yun ng isang supplier na kami magko-coordinate. Sabi ng isang friend ko, next year na lang daw ako magpabuntis, pero naisip ko na wedding naman un ng sister ni Melissa Ferrer-Litao. Haaaaay! (Weird my concerns no? Hahaha!)

Another concern pala is I know how much the kapalpakan of a parent can ruin a child's life (kasi yung clients ko dati minsan gusto ko nang i-adopt kasi super palpak yung mga magulang) and I don't want that to happen to my kid. Pero alam ko rin naman that every mom just does best and just hopes that whatever that is, is totoong the best.

Oh well! Kung ano man, I'll just let God do the decision for me. Honestly, I'm okay with not having a baby. I'm super happy right now and getting happier every day. But I'm also excited at the thought of having one. Hahaha! Sabi naman ni Mama, as long as klaro kami ni Jojie sa gusto namin, be it having a baby or not having a baby, then everything will be okay.

:)

P.S. Sorry but one thing I hated pala was when a couple actually asked me if I could state it in my contract na hindi ako mabubuntis during the duration of their preps. Buti na lang I didn't lose my cool. I mean, wala ako balak mag-baby pa talag during that time pero nagulat lang talaga ako. I know, I know, it's their wedding pero hindi ba over yun? I wonder tuloy if they also asked that from their other suppliers. Hmmm...

Oh I know...

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:51:00 +0000

Warning: This post is a product of just continuous typing so I don't even know if it makes sense. :)

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Yeah, I know it's been ages since I've last posted. I've been meaning to but there would always be something more important to do...

It's almost 3:00 am. Jojie is already asleep. I'm finishing something for a bride and I promised myself I won't sleep without finishing it first. I just finished it and I can sleep now but before shutting down my laptop, I checked my personal email first and I got this comment from Nadia. She commented on my last post.

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Hi Clarice!

This is one of those nights when I'm on an out of town assignment and only the internet can make me sleepy. But then I chanced upon your blog while browsing Veluz',so I ended up staying awake all night, enjoying your insights.

Some of your entries have given me a stinging reminder about compassion, some have made me laugh and realize that I shouldn't take some things too seriously. Some just made me a fan. Hehe. Funny how even after my wedding, life still finds a way for you to help me organize and de-clutter-- without you even knowing it, hehehe.

Oh yeah, I've been meaning to tell you pala how Dax and I get a kick out of telling my chupitero Dad na kilala namin yung nagsusulat ng investment advice that he takes as gospel truth sa pagbili ng stocks. Parati ko sinasabi na asawa yung nung wedding coordinator ko and he would just say ganun ba?--- although ilang beses ko na yung sinasabi sa kanya hehehe. Buti na nga lang bullish ang stockmarket lately kaya parati niyang sinasabi, buti na lang sinunod ko yung stock pick ng Abacus. Mwahahaha.

O siya yun lang. Sobra kong natuwa talaga sa blog mo. Wishing you and Jojie all the best...

:)

Nadia

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Sobra ako natuwa. Funny how everytime I even consider changing jobs, a bride (or a former bride) would make me remember that what I do helps them, even in just little ways. Goodness knows I get tired. Sometimes, the never-ending stress of wedding preps gets to me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy what I do and I LOVE my brides pero exagg the stress minsan. It's my job to shield the bride from the stress kahit papano so in the process, I absorb it. It helps a super lot that I was trained to be a counselor. It also helps that I seem to have a personality which easily puts people at ease (siguro part ng pagiging psychologist). My mom keeps telling me to take it slow. Jojie has told me several times to stop and to just finish the weddings I've lined up kasi nga naman we never had a normal life together (no weekends, meetings at night, phone calls at 12midnight from frantic brides, everything has to be planned like six months in advance, I don't get to attend any family events, etc.).

Sometimes, I just want to curl up and cry. Pero di ba nga, may three minute rule? Three minutes lang pwede mag-self-pity? And miraculously, before that three minute is up (syempre metaphorical ito ha), a bride just pops out of the blue to make me remember how much I love this job. Ang galing no?

Si Nadia was my 4th bride. Her wedding was in Hacienda Isabella na, take note, umulan. That was a really unforgettable wedding. First time kong nagtuyo ng kutsara at tinidor sa kitchen para makakain na yung guests. Nag-distribute din ako ng kubyertos at nag-set ng table.

Nadia is an ABS-CBN reporter while Dax was a writer for Inquirer during the time of their wedding so karamihan ng guests nila media people. Mabuti na lang media sila at sanay sa cowboy way of living. Hiyang-hiya ako nun kasi we couldn't even provide dry chairs for the guests. Oh yeah, that was also the first time na nag-sindi ako ng fireworks for the fireworks display. Masyado kasi mahal pag nagpa-OOT pa kami sa fireworks supplier so bumili kami ng light-it-yourself (sorry, kuripot na coordinator). Nung sisindihan na, nawala yung waiter na dapat magsindi so ako yung nagsindi. Ang masakit nun, ang hirap nang sindihan nung susunod na set kasi hindi na ako makalapit! Hahaha!

That wedding made me realize though that having a perfect wedding doesn't just depend on immaculate setup or having a six layer cake; it depends on the couple and the guests. And with the right attitude, even a garden wedding "ruined" by rain can be really wonderful.

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Hi Nads!

I hope you don't mind that I posted your comment on my blog. :)

Thank you so much for dropping by and for perking me up at this time of the night! :)

Alam mo sa lahat ng naging brides ko, ikaw ata yung pinakamadalas kong makasalubong, makabangga, at makita. Hehehe!

Thank you for your comment. I super appreciated it. I was post-hopping through my blog and I realized na ang dami-dami-dami ko na palang nasulat tungkol sa kung anu-ano and it never occurred to me that people actually read my blog. Hahaha! Feeling ko sumusulat lang ako sa sarili ko... parang diary! Mwahahaha!!

Alam mo, for some reason, reading your comment made me want to seriously consider the hobbies and other things that I've been wanting to pursue. Gusto ko mag-tutor for free uli sa public school students, gusto ko mag-photography, gusto ko mag-bake uli, gusto kong matapos yung kurtinang dalawang taon ko nang tinatahi... hahaha! Funny how a simple comment from you inspired me to explore new things.

When you come to think of it, ang galing kasi kahit na I coordinated your wedding, Jojie and I got married just a few months before you and Dax did. So I realized na we're in the same life stage. Ang saya no?

O cia, mahaba na ito. Masyado nang OA yung reply ko. Haha!

Thank you, Nadia. *hugs*

:)

Clarice

I miss my friends

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 02:36:00 +0000

I know I have Jojie and I'm really happy with him (I actually have an unfinished blog post about how happy I am with my marriage). We talk all the time and I am able to tell him anything and everything. I am also able to tell him if I get hurt with something he does or if I'm irritated with him. But I still miss my friends.

I miss Candice, one of my closest friends and my maid of honor. She's taking up her residency in California right now and although we email and chat once in a while, I miss her terribly. Pag may problema ako, siya pa rin lang yung nasasabihan ko. Kakatawa nga kasi pag nagkikita kami sa chat at napapakuwento ako, I almost always end up crying.

I miss Kat, my "oldest" friend (we've been friends since grade school). She and her husband Dex migrated to the UK. I know she's very happy but the selfish part of me wanted her to stay. Alam mo yun, yung hindi naman kayo nagkikita pag andito kayong dalawa kasi super busy kayo pareho but you realize that you miss your friend when she's gone.

I miss Emily, also one of my closest from college. Emily and Candice were both my barkada in college. Ems is now in France, married to Tony and taking care of their little boy, the super duper gwapo Angelo.

I miss Michelle, my best friend in high school. Jojie and I met through her (siya kasi yung crush talaga ni Jojie). We kinda just... drifted apart and I feel sad and guilty, too, because I didn't make more effort to sustain our friendship.

I miss Jonathan, my guy best friend. Yeah, anjan pa rin siya sa tabi-tabi but we seldom talk to each other now unlike before when we talked almost everyday and until midnight or even until the wee hours of the morning.

I miss Dowa, my wedding-theme buddy, my partner in coordination, my W@Wie sister. She's in Malaysia right now and I know that she's really happy there, especially with Iaree.

I miss Kat-Kat, my closest friend in AC. I miss talking to her about anything and everything.
But then, I have still some of my old friends and several new friends now.

I have Abie, my W@Wie sister, my partner in coordination, my Mang Boy-buddy, my Divi-friend, my super-kasundo-in-everything-can-talk-about-anything friend.

I have Maye who used to be my super malditang kapatid but with whom I've grown closer since I got married (read: left the house). Hehehe!

I have my team... Mitch, Marielle, Au, Mac... whom I spend so much time with that from mere teammates, we've grown to be friends.

I have Tisha, my event stylist for my wedding and still my favorite event stylist in the world! She and I can talk about so many stuff... weddings, married life, the future, politics, movies, other people... mwehehehe! chismisan pala yung ginagawa!

I have Mama na forever naman talagang anjan. Love you, Mama! Mwah!

I guess, life really is this way. You gain friends, you lose friends. People come and go. But everyone I meet leaves an imprint in my life and touches me in a way only that person can.

W@W Party 2007

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 02:32:00 +0000

During Tita Jet Versoza's (of Josiah's) brithday party last Tuesday in Josiah's UN, I was asked by Benz to coordinate this year's Weddings at Work's Christmas Party. Tentative date is 3rd week of November in Fernbrooks. At least now, hindi na siguro ako ganun mase-stress. For one, I already know what to expect. Last year's party caught our team off guard. Super daming suppliers! Mas marami pa sa W@Wies! We didn't expect that. Plus daming prizes na dumating OTD so kagulo sa pag-register ng prizes. Isa pa, last year, I kinda felt that I had to prove our team's worth. During that time, we have been in business for just a year and a half and we bagged one of the top ten wedding suppliers position. Since hindi naman talaga kami kilala and I don't naman din talaga socialize with so many suppliers AND I heard that other suppliers were asking around who we were and kung magaling daw ba kami, parang feeling ko I needed to prove that we could handle the event. Lastly, given the small number of weddings I have accepted for this year, I do not honestly think (though hoping, of course) that we'll make it to the Top 10 this year so that will be super less stress.

After last year's party, Ronald of Balay said that we did a good job and we have to do it once lang naman so okay na kami. According din to Tisha, John said naman that that was the first time that Benz was not as stressed. Sana totoo yun! Hahaha! So I think all in all, it was an okay job although super dami ko pa gustong ayusin.

Kanina, Tisha and I were texting and we were already thinking of the theme for the party. Mej hindi naman advanced di ba? Hahaha! Looking forward to this year's party!

:)

A really good week...

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 01:55:00 +0000

Remember my "Good morning!" post? That good morning stretched to a good week!

Teng, my June 29 bride, texted me last also later that day. Her message went:

"Hi Clarice. Pauwi na ko NY bukas. I juts want to thank your crew again, most especially you for all your help sa wedding namin ni Charles. Parang di pa sapat yung thank you and fee to let you know how grateful we are to you. I hope mas maging successful pa kayo. We'll miss you. God bless and ingat palagi.... Mwuah!"

Then last Friday, on my way to my car, our building guard approached me and gave me a card which arrived via mail. It was a card from Sarah and Lesley, our May 26 couple. This was the card they sent.

Aaaaaw! Aren't they sweet?!

For some reason, everytime I even consider quitting coordination, something like this happens... a former bride texts or emails to thank us and I realize how much I really enjoy this job.

Before I end, just want to share this email I got from Tin (our July 1, 2006 bride). Last January, during the time I was so stressed, Concon texted me and told me that I should continue with coordination then Tin emailed me this super duper heartwarming letter.

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Hi Clarice!

This morning, I thought of you. You see, one of my college friends got married on January 12 and last night we met up and talked about our weddings (masaya pala yun! :)).

She shared that her make-up session (also with Madge) ended a little later than scheduled, because she had to stand up and fix a few things every now and then. She was still awake around 1030pm the night before her wedding day texting people and reminding them. She got goosebumps all over the morning of her wedding day because she was too nervous. They forgot to arrange for packed lunch for the suppliers and everyone else in the hotel until a day before. She walked too fast down the aisle. The church boy was all over their pictures simply because they didn't know what to do and he had to tell them pa. At marami pang glitches. I admire her mom though for pulling it off beautifully pa din.

And then I realized, I didn't have the same problems as hers. I was so relaxed and light hearted a week before the wedding, moreso on the day itself (that is until I was ready to walk down the aisle hahahha). Mhel said, it's because I knew we were alright with you around. :) He was right.

So there. I am sending this just to let you know how glad and grateful we are that you and your team played a big part in making our wedding very memorable. Thank you for giving us your best and more. We will never ever regret having you. :)

hugs,

Khristine

ps. madrama ba? naiiyak nga ako oh, promise! :) hehehe

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I oh so love love my brides!

Good morning! :)

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 10:57:00 +0000

I woke up this morning with a slightly-higher-than-last-night's fever. My energy level was so low and I know I shouldn't go to work or else baka lalo pa lumala. I extended my hand to serach for my phone (a thing I do every morning). I had one unread text message. It said:

"Gd am. Tita Meli to, mom ni Pam. Remember Mla Pen? Nag-attend ako wedding. Compare ko kay Pam. Wala sa 1/4 ang ganda.... Maganda talaga service niyo.... Ngayon pa lang ako magpapa-thank you sa iyo. Isa ka sa nagpaganda ng kasal ng anak ko. God bless."

It was so heartwarming to know how much Tita appreciated the work we did. It made my day.

:)

a groom's speech

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:14:00 +0000

Weddings are all about love. Guests see and feel the love between the bride and groom. After all, that's the reason for the whole celebration.

In Ryan and Juli's wedding, I was reminded again that the love we feel and see during weddings is not just that between the bride and groom. In Ryan's speech, he thanked Juli's parents for allowing him to marry her. He promised Juli to love her and to take care of her in this lifetime and in the next ones. He thanked his Dad for being there for him. He told him that if he, Ryan, does half as good a job as his dad did, he would know that he succeeded. He told the guests that although his biological mother wasn't there, he was sure that she would approve of the decision he made to marry Juli. Lastly (I put this last because I was most touched by this part), he thanked his stepmother whom he simply called "Mom". He thanked her for coming into their lives, for bringing stability, and for making his dad happy.

Weddings are really about love and not just between the bride and groom.

S

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 16:35:00 +0000

Got home a couple of hours ago from a "presentation" and although Jojie thinks the two hours we spent there were wasted, I don't.

One of my clients was looking into applying for an Ortigas hotel's membership to save on their hotel preps. I called the hotel last Sunday and asked for info about their hotel membership. I was told that the sales office was closed so someone will just call me the following day. Monday passed but I didn't get a call. Tuesday afternoon I called the hotel again. Mejo mainit ulo ko kasi hindi pa dumadating yung order ko from McDo so I was kinda mataray. (Few clients know how mataray I can get. My friends knows it very well. :)) I demanded to know about their membership. After all, how difficult can that be, right? I was told by the customer service girl I was talking to that she doesn't have the authority to discuss the membership with me so I really needed to wait. She let it slip though that they don't have an annual membership but they have time-sharing instead for 30 years. She also let it slip that the cost is around P400,000.00. I lost my interest and told her that no one needs to call me anymore.

After an hour, someone from the said hotel called and offered me a dinner buffet for two at their hotel for tonight. I asked if the invitation was because I'm a coordinator or because of the inquiry I made. He said that I was being invited because of being a coordinator. I asked again and he replied positively that it was because of my job. Since I get calls like this all the time, I didn't anymore think about it. I just said that if I had time, I will drop by.

Since my meeting with Alex Franco at 7pm was cancelled, I had time. I asked Jojie to accompany me, called my contact, and confirmed my attendance.

When we got to the hotel, we were shown to our table. The buffet selection was very simple but nonetheless good. The staff were very courteous. After dinner, we were told that someone was going to show us around the hotel. Again, since this is usually part of the whole thing, it was no biggie so we went with her. The girl, S, was very nice. She was very friendly and had a bubbly personality. We went to a function room and tsadan! I realized that this was like one of the Family First presentations! Jojie had a million reports to finish so mejo tinignan niya ako kasi nga sayang oras. I told him that at least we got free dinner. He jokingly replied that he would have gladly treated me to dinner if he only had known. But because S was very nice, we listened to her presentation. The presentation, ergo the invitation, was indeed about the timesharing. She proceeded to explain the concept to us but since I'm very much familiar with the concept, we told her that she need not explain everything. We actually had a very good time with her. We joked and we laughed. We were finished with the presentation in no time but she said that she needed to talk to us some more or else her boss will scold her for not being able to explain timesharing well. Since Jojie and I were not really interested, we just continued to joke with her. Mangbabara si Jojie tapos matatawa lang kami ni S. Or basta tawa-tawa lang kaming tatlo.

Jojie and I learned that S was just new and in her two weeks working for the company, she has not yet closed a single transaction. We could see that she really hoped that we would buy. We asked her to tell us the price but she said she couldn't; it was her boss who had to present the payment terms. After discussing all we could discuss, we asked her to call her boss. Her boss, E, was also very nice. We could see that he was a good salesman whereas S, though very nice, really needed more sales pointers. The price of the timesharing was almost Php500,000.00 with the usual discounts if we book tonight or if we pay in cash. With all the package inclusions, the price was actually okay but since we're not looking into having a timeshared hotel room right now, buying was out of the question. E left us and when S came back, I had to tell her that we were not buying. She tried to explain to us and to convince us some more but since I am very familiar with the hotel (stayed there a couple of times), I told her some kinks in their sales pitch (like the hotel was definitely not a 5 star hotel). She accepted defeat then she told us, "Naiiyak naman ako" and promptly cried in front of us. Mejo nag-panic naman kami. We were leaving the room na and she went with us but she went straight to the ladies room. I caught up with her and talked to her. When I told her I am a therapist, she cried even more. She talked and I listened. Naawa naman ako sa kanya kasi I could feel how pressured she was. Being new and having closed no accounts yet, she felt hopeless. I left when she seemed better. Pati si Jojie naawa sa kanya and he admitted din that he had a good time kahit papano dahil tawa lang kami ng tawa. :)

We went home feeling really sad for her but knowing that eventually she would be able to close a transaction. Ang hirap lang ng super pressured to make a sale para kumita. Pero ganun ata talaga di ba? The older we get, the more pressured we are to earn money. And again, I felt so blessed to have Jojie and to have my family and to have my small business.

To S, really enjoyed our chat. Good luck on your job! I know that eventually you'll be able to close an account. *hugs*

:-

P.S. Oh, and to add to my guilt feelings even more, because of listening to the presentation we get 7 nights, 8 days stay free in Bali, Indonesia. Since Jojie and I are planning to go to Kuala Lumpur, we can go to Bali too! P1,000 plus lang ticket from KL to Bali eh. Am I bad for feeling happy?

Transformers

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:50:00 +0000

Since I'm not like Pazette, I don't I'll be able to do justice to do the movie if I write about it so I'lll just say this...

ANG GANDA, GANDA, GANDA, GANDA, GANDA, GANDA, GANDA, GANDA, GANDA, GANDA, GANDA, GANDA, GANDA, GANDA, GANDA NG TRANSFORMERS!!!

For someone who was not a fan and who was not able to watch a single epidose of the cartoon series, I really enjoyed watching the movie. The effects were unbelievable! Although there were many too-close shots (a usual criticism of Michael Bay films, I learned), it was one of the best sci-fi films I've seen. Jojie, who is a super fan, was so happy with the film, too. He kept on saying "Ang ganda-ganda!" during the movie. Watch it!

PJ and Abi's onsite video

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 05:00:00 +0000

Abi is one of the nicest, kindest brides I have had the pleasure of working with. And PJ, her groom, is equally nice and kind... Mukha bang pilit? Hahaha! I like PJ but I like Abi better though kasi palagi ako inaasar ni PJ... Mwahahaha!!! As I told them, they are my only Catholic couple na super ko na-feel yung pagiging Christian nila. Ang bait-bait nila and during our meetings, I can really feel how much they love each other. Abi is very soft-spoken and PJ, although not as soft-spoken (hehehe!), is calm. They look happy together.

About a year a half ago, Abi and PJ went to Baguio to give a testimony during the Couples for Christ convention. PJ's dad introduced Abi to the audience saying that he would be very happy to have Abi as his daughter-in-law. The following day, PJ proposed and Abi said "yes". The day after, PJ's family rushed his dad to the hospital. From what I know, PJ's dad passed away the following day. He passed away without knowing that PJ proposed to Abi and that Abi would indeed be his daughter-in-law.

Their onsite video contains the clip of PJ's dad introducing Abi in the CFC convention. It is the most poignant onsite video I've seen to date (and I've seen hundreds!). Kudos to Bong of Threelogy! Galing, galing, galing!!! Bow ako!

Here is the link to the Threelogy's blog post. http://threelogyvideo.com/blog/?p=154#more-154

And to Abi and PJ, wish you guys lifetime bliss, good health, and dozens of kids! May God super bless you. And PJ, one word of advice po, wag na wag na wag po kayong magsusuot ng white socks with black pants! Nyahahahahaha!

My bus ride today

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:13:00 +0000

Hindi naman ako burgis. Maarte ako pero hindi naman ako sosyal. Pero parang ayaw ko na maulit sa akin ito. :)

My day started with Jojie not feeling well. So instead of attending my 1130am meeting, I moved it to 1pm and I brought him to the doctor instead. Hindi pa kami nakikita ng doctor, I had to go na or else I would be late. I got to the meeting around 5 minutes late so okay lang. Pero sa super duper dami ng pinag-usapan namin, we finished around 430pm. The bride, knowing that I didn't have my car (nag-overheat ako nung isang araw and I needed to bring Arcy to the casa), asked if I would be able to go home. With confidence, I replied, "Oo naman, okay ako lang, ako pa!" I smiled and they left na.

Dahil hindi naman ako sanay sa Festival Mall (I live in QC), I asked around where I can get a cab. I was directed to the other side of the mall. Ang laki-laki ng Festival so ang layo ng linakad ko pero go lang. When I got to the taxi line, linapitan ako ng mga 4 na drayber at tinanong kung san ako pupunta. Sagot ko "Manong, Project 8 po pero may dadaanan lang ako sa Tektite". At ang sagot nila ng lahat "Okay. Mga 1 thousand yun, iha, kasi sa Tektite pa lang seven hunded or eight hundred na." Juice ko! "Ho? Para namang airport taxi!" "Eh magkano ba bayad mo papunta dito?" "Three hundred plus lang po, ako may sagot ng toll." "Eh kami sagot na namin yung toll." When I walked away, one of the drivers even caught up with me and haggled. Six hundred na lang daw hanggang Tektite. Juice ko! Ano ba yun!?

So I walked. May sign na "Bus Terminal" so sabi ko "Aba, bus na lang ako". Ako pa, sinabi ko sa sarili ko na kaya ko namang mabuhay ng walang kotse at taxi. But I realized that it was drizzling and I didn't want to get sick so I went inside the mall to buy an umbrella. Syempre sa kabilang dulo ng mall yung mga payong so bumalik ako dun at bumalik uli sa sakayan. On the way, I passed by National Bookstore to buy a magazine (Real Living). Sabi ko "Might as well spend for something na pwede kong gawin on the way home than pay P800 for a taxi ride!" Syempre pagbalik ko sa labas, wala nang ulan so walang saysay yung pagbili ko. Hahaha!

I walked to the "Bus Terminal". Lo and behold, company buses pala siya! Hahaha! Since I'm naturally an adventurer, I walked lang. Hindi ko alam san papunta pero sinundan ko lang yung mga tao. Lakad ako hanggang umabot ng Alabang-Zapote road. Dala ko yung magazine ko at payong, bag, at files. Syempre while deciding what to do, I couldn't resist buying streetfoods so kumain pa ako ng calamares sa daan (Piso lang isa. Lima binili ko. Masarap na rin. Isasawsaw mo sa suka.) Syemre bumili na rin ako ng pineapple juice. At syempre pati mani, pinadagdagan ko pa ng bawang dun sa manang.

Ito na, lahat ng bus na andun, papuntang Calamba! Hahaha! But I realized that every once in a while, may dumadaan na papuntang Crossing Ibabaw. So alam ko na may saysay na yung pinuntahan ko. Next goal was to actually ride a bus. So nakipag-habulan ako sa bus. Kasi hindi naman sila humihinto eh. Hahabulin ko sila. O di ba, isipin mo na ang dami kong dala at nakikipaghabulan ako. Sa arte kong ito!!! Hahaha! Nakasakay ako pero hindi aircon. Ayala Ilalim which is good and Crossing Ibabaw which is what I needed kasi I'd meet Jojie sa Shangri-La. PERO Sucat at Bicutan din. So ibig sabihin susuyurin niya pa yung Sucat at Bicutan! Pero sabi ko okay lang. Umupo na ako at kumain ng mani.

After 20 minutes, umabot na sa Metro Star (tama ba?) yung bus. Nakita ko na na maraming aircon buses dito so I got off and walked to the front of the bus pila. At least dun aircon yung mga bus. Eksakto, pagdating ko, Crossing Ibabaw yung bus! And, I couldn't believe my eyes "Skyway Derecho"!!! I was so happy that I boarded the bus. Pag-akyat ko ng unang step, may bumababa na tatlong tao. I gave way syempre. Pag akyat ko uli, puno na pala yung bus. As in wala nang upuan ni isa! But I so wanted to ride this bus kasi "Skyway Derecho" eh. Sabi nung kunduktor, "Dito ka na lang, miss, kung gusto mo. Wala nang upuan eh," referring to a can beside the driver. Hindi man lang upuan. Lata lang talaga. As in lata ng malaking Alaska. Or Promil kung sosyal ka. Pero dahil talagang nagmamadali ako, umupo ako. So ang liit ko ikumpara sa lahat ng tao. Mukha akong gusgusin at I'm sure mukha akong nakakaawa so I got my magazine and started reading. O di vah? Kahit na sa lata ako nakaupo, tungkol naman sa condo living ang binabasa ko! Hahaha!

When the bus reached Magallanes, many people got off and I decided to, too. I walked to the MRT station and rode the train to Shang. Sabi ko naman maarte ako pero hindi ako reklamadora and cowboy naman ako pero sana hindi ko na kailanganing umupo sa lata sa tabi ng drayber eber!

:)

Ging and Jojie

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 16:10:00 +0000

Jojie and I love photography and pictures. Although we only have a point-and-shoot camera, we literally have thousands of pictures together. This slideshow was made by Jojie originally for our Cebu trip but he decided to just include whatever picture he wanted.

:)

Uno na si Dos!

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 15:06:00 +0000

Last Sunday, June 17, Ronald Rosales Correos II, or Dos, turned one. The youngest of Ronald and Tisha's (of Balay Kandila) kids, Dos is Ronald's "the second", hence his nickname.

Discussing Dos' birthday party started months ago. In fact, last year pa I knew na that our team would be coordinating the event.* The real planning, however, started two weeks before the event. Syempre cramming forever... kami pa ni Tisha!!! LOL! Sabi nga namin palagi, ano akala mo sa amim, efficient?!?!?! Hahaha! Iba kasi pag para sa client at iba kung para sa amin lang. :)

Tisha was very clear with not having a just-for-kids birthday party. She wanted a party the adults would enjoy. Sabi niya since hindi naman daw maiintindihan ito ni Dos, might as well do something she'll enjoy! Mwahahahaha! The idea for a flip-flops party came later on. In one of our brainstorming sessions, the idea of setting it in "Boracay" was agreed upon. We were also clear with not having the traditional magician cum host since we already did that for Waddy's and we're probably also doing that for X's. Isa pa pala, we were clear on requiring the guests to come on flip-flops... no shoes allowed!

Come day of the party, our team arrived at Fernwood Coral Tree Garden at 10am. The invitation said 3pm so we were expecting people to come in a quarter to 3. I wanted an earlier call time pero super pagod rin kasi yung team namin from a wedding the day before so hindi ko naman sila ma-force to go super early. When we got there, the first order of the agenda was to have our nails done. I brought my trusty hairdresser/manicurist/pedicurist to Fernwood to do our team's pedicure pero syempre ang pinaka-nauna si Ronald! Haha!

I briefed the team on what was going to happen and we started inventory na. Ang dami namin at ang dami pang oras pero parang ang daming kelangan gawin!!! Buti na lang naayos naman lahat just on time. Ang galing ng team ng Balay Kandila! Ang ganda-ganda nung setup. Super bilib talaga ako sa kanila. Syempre rin hindi pahuhuli ang Josiah's. Sir Rommel was our captain waiter. Ang bait-bait niya talaga. Super efficient. Kaya ko rin talaga love ang Josiah's kasi ang galing ng wait service nila (bukod sa masarap food nila.) Yung isang lamesa ata limang beses kong pinalipat ng pwesto kay Rommel pero ni hindi ako nakarinig ng kahit anong angal or nakaramdam ng kahit anong inis on his part. Super super love ko siya.

By 2pm, mejo okay na kami. Super konti na lang ang kelangan ayusin. My team was nanggigitata na sa pawis. They wanted to go to my parents' house to take a bath pero hindi na kaya ng time. Buti na lang may bridal room and Fernwoods. Nanghiram na lang kami ng kwarto at dun kami naligo lahat. :)
By 3pm, everything was set up. We had four game booths. We had Ring a Surfboard, Starducks Dart a Balut, Tumbang Preso Presto, and Wackee Munkey. The RIng a Surfboard was the usual ring a bottle but instead of bottles, we had surboards, hehe! Starducks was the usual dart the balloon pero there were balloons with baluts as prizes. The Tumbang Preso was the usual tumbang preso... may lata na kelangan nilang tumbahin. The Wackee Munkey was basketball with a monkey holding the basket and instead of shoting a ball, you shoot a banana. Sa lahat ng ito, when you win, you get a feather, which you can exchange for prizes in the Prize Pit.

We also had a Dress Up Your Flip Flops corner. The idea was from the Havaianas "convention" where they could dress up their flips flops. So we had setup a corner with super daming beads, flowerettes, ribbons, etc. and kids and adults alike were encouraged to dress up their flops.

Balay also made a photo booth with a family of flip-flops. Super cute nito at super patok!!!

Setup wise, we had banners, japanese lanterns, ottomans, low tables for the kids, and beach chairs just scattered around.

Food... we had Mongolian buffet, fish fillet with curry mayo, baked spag, pork BBQ, and chicken lollipop from Josiah's; roast beef from Albergus; tapa courtesy of Tisha's friend; sorbetero cart and balut corner from Josiah's; mini-burgers, fishball, and fruit shakes from Party Time; a dessert bar with flat tops, sampaloc, and other pinoy candies; and my most favorite of all... mangga at bagoong stall from Tisha's manangs.

Guests started to come in at 3pm. At the registration table, the guests were given their nametags and were aked to get two friendship bracelets from a basket. We started the program at around 4pm as per the agreement with Tisha. L.A., BK's former practicumer, hosted the event. She was very good. Hindi siya pro pero may stage presence. I have to admit that I was not very supportive of Tisha's idea to have her host pero she did really well. There was no program really. LA just led the prayer and explained what awaits the guests. She talked for less about 5 minutes lang tapos open na the food booths, buffet table, and game booths. During this time Katukayo, a really good reggae band, played na.

After Katukayo's first set, we had the program games like Bring Me, etc. Okay naman kasi enjoy naman the kids.

Birthday candle blowing came after. Super panic attack ako dito kasi hindi namin masindihan yung kandila kasi ang lakas ng hangin. Buti na lang suppliers yung mga guests and they helped. Bong of Threelogy and Mallory Ferrer Cosio (Mal, super thank you for helping. Na-touch talaga ako nung lumapit ka.) helped cover the candle. Lisa of Kasalan signalled Katukayo to just repeat the Happy Birthday song over and over. :) Thanks, you guys! :)

After the candle blowing, we had a bubble show and then LA closed the program na. Loot bags were distributed to the kids and flip-flops key chains were distributed to the adults.

I think the guests enjoyed the party. Alam ko kami super nag-enjoy. After the program my whole team had out pictures taken over and over plus kinareer nila yung decorate the flip-flops. Natuto na kami from last year's party. Last year hindi kami nag-enjoy so this year, nakabawi na kami. :)

When I met with Tisha the day after, super high pa siya. It was the really great feeling of knowing that you just threw a really fantastic party. So next stop would be X's dinosaur-themed party and Bethia's (second child of Ms. Veluz and Sir Rene) Wings-themed party. Saya ng kid's birthdays!

:)

* Around middle of last year, Tisha told me that she was planning for the 7th birthday of Waddy, their eldest. Although I treated Ronald and Tisha as friends and I was ready to help, I also knew that they were friends with SOOOO many other coordinators na feeling ko super dyahe to offer our team's services. Sa dami ng friends nila na coordinators na mas matagal na sa amin sa industry (plus they also used to coordinate years ago), nakakahiya talaga na mag-offer kasi baka masabihan pa ako ng pumapapel eh kabago-bago ko sa planning business. :) But then, exactly a month before the target date, Tisha called me and seriously asked for our team's services. Syempre I said yes. Bukod sa pagbabayad ng utang na loob kasi they made my wedding so beautiful, I was really touched (and flattered na rin) that they asked me. One month before the date, wala kaming kahit ano but come the day of the event, super wagi ang party! The kids enjoyed it so much. So naging usapan na rin that our team would also do Dos' birthday and also X's birthday this coming October. Incidentally, when Benz of W@W saw me and Tisha discussing the Waddy's party, she asked me to coordinate the Weddings@Work Xmas party kasi daw mukha daw dumadali yung buhay ni Tisha nung nag-uusap na kami. LOL!

2 and 1/2 years and going strong...

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 16:05:00 +0000

Jojie and I had a very petty fight last night which ended with him going home and me staying at the office. I had to work but with my mind distracted from the "fight", I took time to surf the net (supposedly to clear my mind but I was really just playing hooky). Kakatawa kasi kaka-bloghop ko (I do not read clients' blogs eh but I do read my ka-batch sa W@W plus my fellow suppliers' blogs) umabot ako sa wedding website namin and I was able to read our story... like how we met and how we ended up together and how he proposed. I remember the time that I was doing that website, I didn't know anything about website making... kapa-kapa lang. This also made me realize how arte a bride I was and how much time I had in my hands during my wedpreps days! LOL!

I think I'm pretty lucky that Jojie and I are doing really well in our marriage. We've been married for two and half years and I know super dami pa naming pagdadaanan but I'm so proud of the things we've achieved so far.

I remember arguing over my schedule during the first few months of our marriage. Di ba ang usapan homemaker ako? To begin with, hindi naman ako super duper malinis sa house. Unlike Jojie's mom who did general cleaning every week (no kid!), sa bahay namin hindi ganun. Eh during our first few months, super maayos ako (hahaha! best foot forward) but when I started getting busy, napapabayaan ko na.

When we were able to resolve this and Jojie kinda acepted that I was busy (you have to remember that I didn't work during the wedpreps so wala talaga ako ginagawa tapos bigla akong nagkatrabaho na gabi ang meetings at weekends ang pinaka-stressful na araw so exagg talaga), naging super okay na kami. During that time, we bought Arci/Arcy na. Arci/Arcy (sorry can't remember the right spelling right now) is our Honda Civic. Kaya Arci/y kasi the plate number is JGC which stands for Jojie and Ging's Civic. Arci/y is its nickname kasi Our Civic... Arcivic... Arci... Gets? LOL!

I was so happy during that time. Feeling ko paunti-unti nakaka-pundar na kaming mag-asawa. We pooled our savings for the downpayment and ang saya talaga. Then Jojie was paralyzed and was subsequently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Ay! Umikot ang mundo ko. Totoo pala na nawawala ang saysay ng lahat pag nagkakasakit yung mga mahal mo. That particular time when we were waiting for the diagnosis and ilang beses kaming nagpa-confine was the most difficult period in my life. Wala pa kaming isang taon mag-asawa nun tapos ganun na. :(

January of 2006, Jojie had his thyroid ablated. So hindi na siya mapa-paralyze uli. Yehey! Akala ko okay na but we were in for another round of complications. According to statistics, a significant number of patients who have their thyroids ablated develpp hypothyroidism ten to twenty years after the procedure. Syempre ang asawa ko overachiever... two months after inalisan ng thyroid may hypothyroidism naman. Hypothyroidism is usually accompanied by weight gain (ay! from 180lbs before the wedding, he reached 220lbs during the peak of hy hypothyroidism), lethargy, sluggishness, weakness, memory loss, etc. Although he was taking a thyroid supplement, tagal bago na-regulate his thyroid hormone levels. This period made me realize how strong my husband is. Kung nahirapan siya sa hyperthroidism, mas nahirapan siya sa hypo pero kahit alam kong hirap na hirap siya, he kept on going. Ang hirap pero kaya... kayang-kaya.

Then last November, my coordination team was named one of 2006 Top Ten Wedding Suppliers of the Year. Haaay super dream come true! A few people know this but I was a W@Wie when the first W@Wie Awards was held and I distinctly remember seeing Jody being given her medal for being one of the Top Ten Suppliers that time and I distinctly remember telling myself that I will enter the wedding industry and I will be named one of the Top Ten Suppliers. So being named one of the Top Ten was really a big thing for me. Yun lang ang pangarap ko at pakiramdam ko pwde na akong mag-"retire". Hahaha!

Jojie was really happy for me. Aside from our fight re my schedule during the first few months he was really very supportive of my newfound career. Andun siya pag may meetings ako... well, he didn't sit with me and my clients LOL but he made me sundo everytime gabi na ako. Siya nag-a-absorb ng stress ko. Pag umiiyak ako sa stress, he hugged me. He was a major, major reason for our team's win (syempre bukod sa staff and sa clients and sa fellow suppliers).

But after that really happy period, I realized that the stress I go through during weddings was not worth it kasi nag-iiba na akong tao. Parang hindi na ako counselor, hindi na ako life-giving the way naghihigpit ako sa members ko. And this was when I decided to take a step back. I thought really long and hard. Gusto ko pa ba ituloy ito or gusto ko na tapusin na lang lahat ng commitments ko? I didn't entertain inquiries at all. Deadma na kung sabihan ng nang-iisnab kaysa tumaggap ako only for me to just quit in the end. Ang tagal kong nag-isip. Masaya pa ba ako? Jojie encouraged me to REALLY think. And I realized that events planning made me happy and so I decided to continue working. Buti na lang Jojie still supported my decision. However, although we were generally doing fine, the sould-searching prompted me to instill several changes in the way we handle things para mas efficient and mas makatulong sa couples. Ako kasi when I do something, never half-hearted, so since I decided to go through with wedding planning, aayusin ko pa lalo.

During this time of soul-searching, Jojie and I put up our own fire extinguisher manufacturing business. Weird no? Hahaha! But Jojie grew up with his dad being in this business and he has such a passion for it that I supported him kahit na nung una hindi ko talaga naiintindihan kung bakit fire extinguishers of all things. Hahaha! I remember when Jojie told me about his plans of putting up this business, he also asked my permission. Ang tanong ko lang, "Sigurado ka ba, hon?" He replied with conviction, "Yes". And I told him na susuportahan ko siya.

Ngayon, we're doing okay... I'm still in the process of instilling the changes that I want in the team (Do you know, I so love working with my team? Super ko sila love talaga.) and Jojie's busy with his work as a stock market analyst and we're both trying to boost sales for our firex company. We're doing really good and I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful husband. I thank God everyday for giving me Jojie. And after 30 months of being married, masaya pa rin to wake up next to him. We go on dates and we love spending time with each other. Pag iniisip ko yung buhay namin so far, parang walang panahon na walang major thing happening... pero alam ko din na ano pa man yung dumating, sigurado ako na kakayanin namin. Kasi ganun lang yun.

:(

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 16:01:00 +0000

Jojie has been so stressed lately and I don't know what to do to help him. :( The stock market has been realy bullish lately which has been one of his greatest dreams for the longest time but also translates to so many reports to write, so many models to update, so many meetings to set, and so many interviews to conduct. Dami ko rin naman ginagawa so hindi ko siya maasikaso. :( Haaaaay!

Staff concerns

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 17:17:00 +0000

Ang hirap maghanap!!! Our team is currently in need of new coordinators. No, we're not putting up a second team but we do need more people to be included in our pool of coordinators. Madali lang naman requirements. I need someone responsible, assertive, smart, efficient, someone who is alert the whole time, and someone who can think on her toes (kahit sumisigaw na ako sa harap niya). Since I was able to find several people with these traits, hindi ba dapat pwedeng makakuha ng iba pa? Kung meron man, hindi naman pretty... this may sound bad but I do need someone super presentable or basta may authority yung dating. Contrary to popular conception, wedding planning is NOT a glamorous job... it involves being on your knees to tie someone else's shoes, being on the floor to arrange the veil, assisting the bride while she pees... So i need to make sure that the coordinator, after doing all these, still looks presentable or else baka hingan kami ng tubig ng mga guests sa reception (as in "Miss, tubig nga!"). Kahit sa mga waiters, it's hard to command respect pag hindi ka presentable. Hindi naman porket magpakilala ka na coordinator rerespetuhin ka ng mga suppliers. You need to earn that and looking nice makes the job a little, teeny, weeny bit easier. (Oo na, Emily, I know I'm not practicing what I learned in UP.) Plus pa pala, she needs to jive with the whole team kasi promise, we always laugh. I need someone kikay pero cowboy.

I did interview someone last week who might fit the bill. Super gushing siya about how excited she is to be a coordinator. Juice ko, nung tapos na yung interview and I told her to come in for an observation, she told me that she doesn't want to go inside a catholic church. Ay juice! Gusto ko siyang awayin sa loob ng Starbucks! Ang tagal naming nag-usap hindi niya pala naintindihan na ang "wedding coordinator" may kinalaman sa pagpasok sa loob ng simbahan! Juice! Sabi ko sa kanya, "Iha, walumpung-limang porsyento ng Pilipino ay Katoliko. Ergo, karamihan din ng kasal sa Pilipinas Katoliko!" Haaaaay!

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Hey! If you know someone who is interested in wedding coordination (our team prefers those with no prior experience), please ask them to email their resume to eventtoremember@gmail.com.

:)

Peachie and Wilbert

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 03:08:00 +0000

Peachie and Wilbert's wedding last Saturday was not the usual Chinese wedding. :)

Preps was done at the bride and groom's respective houses. Normally, I do not recommend preparing for a wedding at the bride's home. The parents are more often than not more anxious since they are in effect "hosting" the suppliers. Whereas in a hotel, our team has the run of the room and we can just call housekeeping for anything, in a bride's house, we have to ask for permission for every little thing. Concern din ang aircon because if the bride's home does not have centralized airconditioning, it might be too hot for the bride to stay in certain areas of the house where the picture taking may take place (plus her makeup might melt). Also, since our team does not have a groom's coordinator (we do not see the need for it kasi talaga), we have a harder time making sure that the groom leaves at the time that he needs to leave since we're at the bride's home.

In the case of Peachie's wedding last Sunday, preparing at their house was a non-negotiable thing for her parents. I was really anxious kasi the wedding was at San Agustin in Intramuros while their house, ergo the preps venue, was in Quezon City! Although Sunday naman pero kakatakot pa rin ma-late lalo na sa San Agustin pa.

Our call time was 830am to 900am and my team assembled at 8am. Yun lang, stupid me couldn't find my trusty Nike wedding shoes at first and it took me several minutes to realize that I left it at my parents' place. So I had to go there befor I could go to our team's meeting place. We got to Peachie's place around 845am.

Another thing why I do not want to prepare at the bride's place is... and this is not to sound arrogant... the pictorial spots at a normal home is limited kasi bihira naman yung may bahay na tipong straight from Real Living pages. But in Peachie's case, super ganda ng house niya for pictorial. No exagg pero mas maganda pa sa hotel room yung Master's bedroom where we had the preps. May staircase din sila where pictures can be taken so it was actually a good idea to hold the preps there kung sa picture at sa picture lang naman. :)

The preps went very smoothly. The bride's mom just had an appendectomy and kakalabas niya pa lang ng hospital that morning pero she was game. I really appreciated the fact that she was not pa-importante kahit na may operasyon siya. She was really nice. Actually, the bride's family was very accommodating... and super ganda lahat ng girls sa family nila. :)

A funny thing happened during the preps. Dino Lara's team and Threelogy arrived around 11:00 am. Sabi daw kasi ni Dino sa kanilang lahat bawal daw mag-sapatos loob ng bahay nila Peachie so LAHAT sila pumasok ng naka-medyas lang! Super nakakatawa!!! Isip ko nga next time dapat may dala akong camera palagi para I can capture those moments. Hahaha!

I left Peachie's house around 1230pm to test the traffic. We arrived in Intramuros at 115pm so tolerable naman the traffic, sa Quiapo lang. When we got there, the coordinators for the 2pm wedding were preparing na.

We started preps for the ceremony as soon as the 2pm wedding started. Since nagdadatingan na rin naman yung mga sponsors, we started checking the attendance na. One thing I realized that our team really needs to master is tying neckties kasi ang daming hindi alam mag-tie ng necktie nila eh.

The mass went without a hitch. The thing I'm most proud of is the fact that we were able to clear the area beside the carpet between the doors and the pews. Pag Chinese wedding kasi andun lahat ng guests so what happens is hindi nakukuhanan yung bride ng wide angle pic na hindi nakikita yung isang libong guests na nakatayo. The task was actually not easy since some guests were being very unhelpful (I was told by one of the guests when I asked her to occupy the pews "Ayoko, ayoko, ayoko!")

After the mass, the couple went to the Inner Courtyard for the pictorial while the rest of the team went to Century. When we arrived at the reception venue, papasok pa lang yung Balay Kandila, the event stylist. The ingress was at 430pm, imagine!!! Ingress is normally, at the least, 4 hours before the event pero dahil may lunch event na isang Chinese Association (na I'm sorry pero super duper hirap paalisin), nakapasok yung Balay Kandila just before 5pm.

We immediately started preps for the reception. Buti na lang super bilis ng Balay, ni Alex Franco (for the cake), and ni Strad (for the sound system). By 630pm, almost done na and we were able to open doors at exactly 7pm (as per the agreement with the couple).

The Century function hall was transformed! Nag-mukhang ballroom ng hotel! Ang galing talaga ni Balay Kandila kaya rin they're my favorite stylist. :)

The program was very short and sweet. Cake cutting lang and two AVPs basically yung laman ng program. Super okay talaga pag ganun kasi the guests were not bored (and the guests numbered 900 nga pala!). Paulo Clemente and the RSVP String Ensemble entertained the guests and entertained they did! Ang galing nila! It was my first time to work with RSVP and I understood Paulo's comment that it was great to sing with them kasi hindi sila nagkakamali. :)

The program ended exactly the same time the last course was being served which was exactly our goal. Ganun kasi sa Chinese wedding. The program cannot end after the guests are done eating, otherwise lahat sila umaalis na. :(

Another funny incident, after the program, Marielle and I ran to the Century Hotel lobby (mejo malayo yun ha!) to run after guests who took the centerpieces home. It slipped my mind that aside from the main entrance, there was a side entrance, and guests who knew that we were at the main entrance watching out for vases went out of the side entrance so they can make puslit! Hahaha! Buti may mga naabutan naman kami. I even requested Robert of Dino Lara's team to take a picture of the two of us holding the vases we were able to sequester. Hehehe!

By the way, Candy, my January 27 bride, dropped by to see Balay's work. She chatted with the suppliers and nag-enjoy siya. Sa kulit ba naman ng Threelogy at sa bait ni Alex eh. :)

I got home past 12 midnight. Super kapagod (ushering 900 guests is not an easy task) pero super saya, espcailly running to the lobby for those vases!

:)

never trust an itlog from the tatlong itlog...

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 16:17:00 +0000

I got home late today from my meetings. With tomorrow's task list still unfinished, I was kinda in a panic na. Then around 930pm, my phone rang. Unrecognized yung number. I didn't want to answer the call pero baka important and baka yung bride tomorrow so I answered. The conversation went basically like this:

Me: Hello?
Guy: Hello! Good evening. May I speak with Ms. Clarice?
Me: Speaking. Who's this, please? (In my thoughts, kilala ko ito! Kilala ko ito!)
Guy: Oh hi! Mag-i-inquire lang...
Me: Yes? (Sino ito?!?!?!)
Guy: For a wedding. You came highly recommended by the community.
Me: Oh, you're a W@WiE?
Guy: Yes.
Me: Ikaw mismo yung W@Wie or yung wife mo? (If this is a real groom, cool! Pero baka niloloko lang ako nito ah!)
Guy: Couple kami.
Me: Oh, ok! When's your wedding?
Guy: 2008 pa.
Me: When in 2008?
Guy: January 2. Are you still available?
Me: January 2. Hmmm... I'll check ha.. (Sino ba to???)
Guy: Yeah, it's in Boracay kasi.
Me: (Checking the calendar and thinking 'sino ba ito?', 'tuesday ang january 2,', and 'tatanggapin ko ba ito?' all at the same time) I think we're still available.
Guy: Mejo nahihiya nga ako sa iyo kasi kakatapos lang ng New Year and syempre you have to be there.
Me: Hmmm.... I would have to ask my team and my husband... (Super wanting to ask, Sino ka ba??? Natatawa na ako by this time and my husband, upon hearing the date January 2, was signalling me NOT to accept the wedding, ang sama na nga ng tingin niya sa akin eh.)
Guy: Pero parang you don't want to. Parang you're turning me down na.
Me: (not wanting to be rude) No, no. I was doing something kasi.
Guy: Oh okay. You were doing something... pero parang you don't want.
Me: (Hmmm.... yeah din... ) No, no, no... (Pag tinanong ko kung sino siya at totoo pala siyang groom, nakakahiya! Ano kaya gagawin ko?)

BIGLANG...

Guy: Clarice! Si CJ ito!!!
Me: CJ!!! G*gu ka talaga! Hahahaha!

... Haaaay! :-D

Yun lang!

:)

sari-sari

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 13:21:00 +0000

i am currently listening to lea salonga's broadway concert. she's so good!!! i really love her!

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last year, our team had 8 weddings in may. there was even a week that we had 5. this month, i only accepted 4 for the whole month but my stress level was the same, if not higher. siguro kasi out of the 4, 3 were full coordination. lesson learned: limit to 2 full coordination in a month.

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i remember last year, i was so stressed during one of the weddings... everything was going wrong... the bride lost her arrhae the morning of the wedding (she had two and she lost both. :)) and she wanted a traditional arrhae (yung nasa cage!!!) and we couldn't find a shop which carried one... buti na lang na-convince siya in the end to just use loose coins... the mother of the groom had her own timeline and she didn't listen to our constant pangungulit na magbihis na... ending, she was two minutes late for the ceremony and she wasn't able to march (manila cathedral is super duper strict when it comes to time... isang beses lang kaming pinayagang maging late dun, nung ninang si PGMA)... the emcee, a friend of the couple, was 45 minutes late and the couple wanted to wait for her... basta ang daming small glitches that my stress level was so high... when dinner came, the emcee explained that it was photo-buffet but the guest singer, when he had the mic, asked everyone to go to the buffet table! eh di nagtayuan kalahati ng ballroom to go to the buffet! that exact moment when i turned my back to find half the ballroom gone was so surreal! parang slowmo sa pelikula. i radioed one of my coordinators to take over my post, went to the hotel veranda, and cried. i even called jojie and told him what happened. after three minutes, i went back inside (i have a rule, 3 minutes lang pwedeng mag-self-pity :)) to oversee the reception again.

that was the first and only time that the photo-buffet was not perfect. since then, super proud na yung team namin sa photo-buffet. we also made sure to brief anyone who will be handling the mic about the photo-buffet procedure.

:)

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even before we got married, jojie and i agreed that i would be a homemaker. when i started coordination, my self-concept was that i was still a homemaker and just a part-time coordinator. kahit na ang dami ko nang meetings, i don't wash our clothes (we have a neighborhood laundromat which picks up and delivers our clothes), i rarely get to cook (we eat out most of the time), i seldom clean the house, feeling ko pa rin homemaker ako. last week, i finally admitted that i needed help and today i hired a cleaning lady. hooray for city living!

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:)

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Sat, 19 May 2007 15:47:00 +0000

Haaaay! Try as I might, I cannot blog regularly. Parang ang dami-daming kelangan gawin at tapusin. Ayooko namang mag-blog nang ang daming backlog so ang ending, di ako maka-blog!

:(

MAKE new roads, BLAZE new trails, FIND new routes to your dreams

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Fri, 04 May 2007 05:46:00 +0000

This is truly inspiring.

:) CTA

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Mikaela Irene Fudolig
BS Physics Summa Cum Laude
Speech at the UP Diliman Commencement Exercises
April 22, 2007

One of the things that strike me as being very "UP Diliman" is the way UPD students can't seem to stay on the pavement. From every street corner that bounds an unpaved piece of land, one will espy a narrow trail that cuts the corner, or leads from it. Every lawn around the buildings sports at least one of these paths, starting from a point nearest to the IKOT stop and ending at the nearest entry to the building. The trails are beaten on the grass by many pairs of feet wanting to save a fraction of a meter of traveling, no matter that doing so will exact some cost to the shoes, or, to the ubiquitous slippers, especially when the trails are new.

What do these paths say about us, UP students?

One could say that the UP student is enamored with Mathematics and Pythagoras, hence these triangles formed by the pavement and the path. Many among you would disagree. Others could say that the UP student is naturally countercultural. And the refusal to use the avement is just one of the myriads of ways to show his defiance of the order of things. This time, many would agree.
Still, others will say that the UP student is the model of today's youth: they want everything easier, faster, now. The walkable paths appeal to them because they get to their destination faster, and presumably, with less effort. Now that is only partly true, and totally unfair.

These trails weren't always walkable. No doubt they started as patches of grass, perhaps overgrown. Those who first walked them must have soiled their shoes, stubbed their toes, or had insects biting their legs, all in the immovable belief that the nearest distance between two points is a straight line. They might even have seen snakes cross their paths. But the soiled footwear, sore toes, and itchy legs started to conquer the grass. Other people, seeing the yet faint trail, followed. And as more and more walked the path, the grass gave in and stopped growing altogether, making the path more and more visible, more and more walkable.

The persistence of the paths pays tribute to those UP students who walked them first – the pioneers of the unbeaten tracks: the defiant and curious few who refuse the familiar and comfortable; the out-of-the-box thinkers who solve problems instead of fretting about them; the brave who dare do things differently, and open new opportunities to those who follow.

They say how one behaved in the past would determine how he behaves in the future. And as we leave the University, temporarily or for good, let us call on the pioneering, defiant, and brave spirit that built the paths to guide us in this next phase of our life.

We have been warned time and again. Our new world that they call "adulthood" is one that's full of compromises, where success is determined more by the ability to belong than by the ability to think, where it is much easier to do as everyone else does. Daily we are bombarded with so much news of despair about the state of our nation, and the apparent, perverse sense of satisfaction our politicians get from vilifying our state of affairs. It is fashionable to migrate to other countries to work in deceptively high-paying jobs like nursing and teaching, forgetting that even at their favored work destinations, nurses and teachers are some of the lowest paid professionals. The lure of high and immediate monetary benefits in some low-end outsourcing jobs has drawn even some of the brightest UP students away from both industry and university teaching to which they would have been better suited.

Like the sidewalks and pavement, these paths are the easiest to take.

But, like the sidewalks and pavement, these paths take longer to traverse, just as individual successes do not always make for national progress. The unceasing critic could get elected, but not get the job done. The immigrant could get his visa, but disappear from our brainpower pool. The highly paid employee would be underutilized for his skills, and pine to get the job he truly wants, but is now out of his reach. And the country, and we, are poorer because of these.

Today, the nation needs brave, defiant pioneers to reverse our nation's slide to despair. Today, we must call upon the spirit that beat the tracks. Today, we must present an alternative way of doing things.

Do NOT just take courage, for courage is not enough. Instead, be BRAVE! It will take bravery to go against popular wisdom, against the clichéd expectations of family and friends. It will take bravery to gamble your future by staying in the country and try to make a prosperous life here. It might help if, for a start, we try to see why our Korean friends are flocking to our country. Why, as many of us line up for immigrant visas in various embassies, they get themselves naturalized and settle here. Do they know something we don't?

Do NOT just be strong in your convictions, for strength is not enough. Instead, DEFY the pressure to lead a comfortable, but middling life. Let us lead this country from the despair of mediocrity. Let us not seek to do well, but strive to EXCEL in everything that we do. This, so others will see us as a nation of brains of the highest quality, not just of brawn that could be had for cheap.

Take NOT the road less traveled. Rather, MAKE new roads, BLAZE new trails, FIND new routes to your dreams. Unlike the track-beaters in campus who see where they're going, we may not know how far we can go. But if we are brave, defiant searchers of excellence, we will go far. Explore possibilities, that others may get a similar chance. I have tried it myself. And I'm speaking to you now.

But talk is cheap, they say. And so I put my money where my mouth is. Today, I place myself in the service of the University, if it will have me. I would like to teach, to share knowledge, and perhaps to be an example to new UP students in thinking and striving beyond the limits of the possible. This may only be a small disturbance in the grass. But I hope you'll come with me, and trample a new path.

Good evening, everyone.

Things that happen only to me...

noreply@blogger.com (bernardandclarice) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 03:24:00 +0000

Last Christmas season, I ordered pearl rosary bracelets to be given to the people I wanted to
thank. With my schedule, however, I wasn't able distribute the bracelets. Sabi ko, pag nakita ko na
lang yung mga tao, dun ko na lang ibibigay.

Last week, I went to Josiah's in Marikina and I saw Tita Jet Versoza, Josiah's first lady. :) She told me that she has something to give me. I told her I also have something for her which I wasn't able to give her yet. The following day, I had to go to Josiah's again and that time, I remembered to
bring the bracelet. Tinanong ko pa sarili ko kung nakakahiya bang ibigay yung bracelet kasi baka
isipin niya masyadong cheap pero inisip ko naman na pearls naman yun so hindi naman siguro
nakakahiya masyado. When I arrived at Josiah's, I immediately went to Tita Jet's office to give her my gift. It was in a little box with a ribbon. I also gave her a belated Christmas card. She accepted the gift and thanked me. She said she also had something for me. I thanked her and went back to my client. A while later, Ms. Lirio, one of Josiah's AEs, came up to me and gave me Tita Jet's gift. It was a white paper bag. I thanked Ms.Lirio and took a peek at the contents of the bag. It had lotion, an army knife, and another box. Natuwa ako kasi gusto ko yung lotion and yung knife (it had a folding spoon and fork!).

When I got home, I opened the box. Inisip ko pa bago ko buksan, ang dami namang gifts sana hindi
nakakahiya yung bracelet. Pag bukas ko nung box, lo and behold, inside was a pearl necklace and two pairs of pearl earrings! Nakakahiya ako!!!! Sabi ni Au, my coordinator/assistant/secretary/training officer, at least wala daw bracelet! Haaaay! Nakakahiyang nakakatawa!!!

:)