http://bakitnamanganun.blogspot.com/

Lumang blog, hindi na nabalikan. Dapat ang tema nito ay mga tanong na walang kwenta pero may impact. Nung unang subok, di available ang username na gusto ko kaya nag-second attempt pa...

http://bakitnamanganon.blogspot.com/

Don't try this at home

Kuha sa pwesto ng Swift Ham sa SM Makati. Walang bantay noong mga oras na yon kaya rumelyebo muna ang isang matabang bangaw. Tsk.. tsk... tsk... Sabagay, ang hamon na ito ay para ring pasko. Mahal at nilalangaw sa lahat ng sulok ng mga higanteng malls.

Jong & Jill's Wedding: #4 The Theme (1872)

Jong & Jill's Wedding: #1 A Little Introduction
Jong & Jill's Wedding: #2 The Invitation
Jong & Jill's Wedding: #3 The Church


1872, Ivory and Red. Filipiniana if you can't find anything 1872-ish... that got me really excited! I've always wanted to be able to wear something hardcore Filipiniana. So chance na ito... Kumarir kami ni hubby sa Divi! And that's the story behind these feelingero/feelingera pics.

BTW, why 1872? Read here...

Best In Costume Nominees with the Newlyweds

Jong & Jill's Wedding - #3 The Church

"Basilica de San Martin de Tours is a Minor Basilica in the town of Taal, Batangas in the Philippines. It is considered to be the largest church in the Philippines and in Asia, standing 96 metres (315 ft) long and 45 metres (148 ft) wide." - Wikipedia

Wala lang kaming masyadong pekatyurs kasi late kami dumating. Sorry naman. Malaki nga talaga ang simbahan, ang hirap kumuha ng pekatyur kahit powerful ang zoom functions ni Gyper.

from iglesiasdelasfilipinas.blogspot.com

Kule Peeps nagsimba! (Kuha ni Rem Zamora)

Jong & Jill's Wedding - #2 The Invitation

The best invitation I've ever seen... Halo-halo, in equal proportions:

• Creative
• Functional
• Filipiniana Theme
• DIY by the bride and groom

*** Jong & Jill's Wedding Series - Part 1 ***

FRONT: Brown envelope with native red-gold ribbon. 

Back: Stamp and our names.... when was the last (or first?)time someone
addressed you as Ginoo, Binibini or Ginang?

(4 Postcards inside) Photo #1

(4 Postcards inside) Photo #2

(4 Postcards inside) Photo #3

(4 Postcards inside) Photo #4

All 4 Postcards

Printed on the backside of the postcards (click for bigger view)...

Directions and driving instructions

Parents and Ninong/Ninang Roster with
Wedding Reception details

Secondary Sponsors (Mga Pangalawang Tagapagtangkilik)

Favorite! Letter from the Groom, for the Bride

Favorite! Letter from the Bride, for the Groom

Jong & Jill's Wedding: #1 A Little Intro

We met "Jong" 12 years ago. Ang tawag namin sa kanya ay Master Allan Dyowns. Master, kasi para sa amin, siya ang master of coolness. Naaalala ko pa, isang Friday presswork, inuwi namin sa Kule office ang "TO BATASAN" street sign na nadaanan namin somewhere along University Avenue. Siya ang may bitbit. Naalala ko rin na noong huling UP Fair namin (sa UP at sa Kule), nalasing si Master Allan. Pagulong gulong na siya sa fair grounds at nung nagsimula ang fireworks display, tinawag niya ako at sinabing --- bili mo ko nun! Sabay turo sa mga kuwitis.

Marami pang cool moments si Master Allan. Pero alam ko na, noon pa, na kahit cool, romantic siyang tao... at hindi ko na isusulat kung bakit. Haha! Anyways, sa 12 taon na kung sino-sino na ang kinasal, lagi naming naiisip si Master Allan. Kailan kaya siya ikakasal? Ikakasal kaya siya? Magiging rockstar ba siya? Kaya noong nabalitaan namin sa Facebook ang paparating niyang kasal, halos magtatalon kami sa tuwa. Oh yes! Ikakasal na si Master Allan! Kahit malayo, kahit saan, pupunta kami!

Siyempre pa, curious kami sa kung sinong magiging bride ni Master Allan. Ang alam lang namin, bilang delingkwente kami sa pag-attend sa mga Kule meet-ups (this year, magbabago na kami!), doktora raw si Jill. Mabait na pedia sa UDMC. Sana makachika pa namin siya balang araw.

Sigurado akong inlababo si Master Allan kay Jill. Hindi ako makapaniwalang si Master Allan ay nagpa-kumpil, nagpa-pre nup photo op, nagpakasal sa simbahan, etc., etc., etc., akalain niyo, nagsayaw pa sila sa reception! Pag-ibig! Yes!

All things bright and beautiful. Yan ang naiisip kong best summary ng wedding ni Master Allan and Mistress Jill.

Next stop, the best wedding invite I've ever seen!

Feeling Pre-Nup

Dear Family and Frends,

I'm so sorry. We got married over the weekend. Hindi na kami nag-imbita dahil wala kaming pera. Sa party na lang tayo magkita-kita. Chareng! Here are our "Feeling-Pre-Nup" photos. Kuha lang sa bahay ang lahat ng ito (except for two photos). At dahil wala kaming tripod, thank you sa plantsahan (kabayo) at mga DVD case na pinagpatong-patong patong namin para merong kaming "photographer." Thank you rin kay Sir na pinagbigyan ang aking fantasy.

Pero sa totoo lang, ang tunay na thank you ay para sa bagong kasal (sa susunod na posts na ang paliwanag)! Mga feelingerong guests lang kami.

Pasweet.

Siya.

Ako

Nagsu-sumixteen.

Mga eksenang prom night?

Di maalis ang tingin. Yummy!

Ang sikip!

Kami ay puwede na ring ninong at ninang sa kasal in the very near future.

Thank you Divisoria for our outfit!

Ayala Triangle Lights and Sounds Show

Social institutions thrive on traditions. Last year, we started building our little family's Christmas deck of jollies. First on the list - Ayala Triangle Lights and Sounds Show. And we did it again this year!

Wild estimates on Meralco bills and equipment expense aside, it's magical. I guess the mystics are right. We are light. When you are swimming in an ocean of blinks and blings, you tend to forget anatomy. Your hands, arms, feet, everything, blends with colors and sparkles. You are light! Worship and be worshiped!

Bring your family, friends and loved ones to the show! It starts at 6PM, everyday, until December30!!!

Little One had fun, we had to watch two runs! Dadda, angkas din ako!

Bye Sexy Squid

I just found out from Zephyrinthesky that The Sexy Squid is dead. I don't know Sexy Squid personally but you can see that this blog links to his... I love it that he is into visual arts and writing short stories and poetry (I must admit it took days for me to get over the concept of semen art). He was only 21 years old when he died last August. According to Zephyrinthesky, "Sadly, in his last few days before he died, he succumbed to AIDS-related dementia and stopped taking his meds."

I strongly believe that if you have to stop doing what you love to do, you eventually die. So The Sexy Squid didn't really die because he stopped taking meds. He died because dementia stopped him from using his hands/mind for creation.

Which leads me to my next revelation of fear. My dear friend Zephyrinthesky, loves this someone to degrees I will never understand (but must tolerate). Now "this someone" is HIV+ and I'm afraid that if he passes on, my friend will lose what he loves most and might you know...

It's almost Christmas and I miss the good old days when Zephyrinthesky and I would color our hair together before we go to the company Christmas party. I miss his cursing and verbal abuse. I miss his rendition of Whitney's songs...

Basta iyon.

Photo Archives: LOST Addiction

Mulan, the laptop we lost to Ondoy, left a functional hard disk filled with good pics, good vibes and good memories. Mulan's memory has become accessible once again due to the Hubby's efforts. So there'll be more of these...

[Date Taken: 07/15/2010, 7:07AM] We were at the height of our LOST addiction. Before The Little One started living with us in Oct2011, we used to spend whatever time we had in our hands for DVD marathons.

In this couch... the big red couch before this got Ondoy-ed too.

 In this house...

Photo Archives: How to protect food

Mulan, the laptop we lost to Ondoy, left a functional hard disk filled with good pics, good vibes and good memories. Mulan's memory has become accessible once again due to the Hubby's efforts. So there'll be more of these...

[Date Taken: 06/24/2010, 10:14PM] As the culture of my previous employer went through expedited fugly-zation, food robbery was one of the things that became an annoying norm in the pantry fridge. After I lost one small box of chocolate drink, I started using labels to protect my food.

Major Backlog

Ipupusta ko ang aking 13th month pay. Hindi mo kayang talunin ang aming parent backlog. Si Little One ay 4 years old na sa April. Pero hanggang ngayon hindi niya pa kilala si Jesus, si Mama Mary, si St. Joseph, kahit sinong santo o santa. Kahit si Santa Claus. Hindi pa rin siya marunong magdasal.

Kaya naman siguro lagi siyang masaya. Walang kumplikasyon, walang pantasya. Ang lahat ay kulay lang at ilaw.

Pero next year, di na yan pwede. Kailangan daw ng bata ng routines. Guguluhin ko na ang kanyang buhay. Eto na. Sorry naman.


Lahat ng pekatyurs ay galing sa Pacific Star Plaza lobby. Ang ganda!

Message for her...

Dear  ____,

Please watch... for me.  One day, one night, somewhere, sometime, we'll dance this way.

"You know I feel it in my heartbeat
Don't you know? Can't you see? When I dance I feel free
Which makes me feel like the only one
The only one that the light shines on"

P.S. I think you'll like her shoes.

~YummyliciousLady

The one where I said: No, I don't want this anymore!

Y posted this in Facebook:

"Is it just me or did Zoren ruin weddings for the rest of us men folk? He set the bar way too high.. It's going to take a while before the women forget about this...So to the men - if you you have any plans of proposing any time soon... I suggest you postpone it until this whole thing blows over...To the women-please have short term memories... My two cents. =)"

I declared news blackout. I will not search videos and news articles about the event.

Then there were other posts and so many likes.

Then The Nanny told us about The Wedding too. Mr. Pragmatist's intense reaction was --- how was that possible? Don't you need to be together to sign marriage license application requirements?

I got curious. Curiosity killed the cat. Yup, got that loud and clear. From six feet under.

Even if the marriage license were printed on soiled toilet paper, I wouldn't care if it came this way... The authentic marriage contract from City Hall is for the government. The proposal and wedding ceremony's for the ladies raised by Walt Disney.



Look at her. Glowing with the purest, strongest form of bliss. She's blessed and I'm happy for her. Coincidentally, someone from work also got married over the weekend - a few months after she gave birth. Lovely story. And I'm also very excited about a special wedding in 2014... a dear friend is getting married after two kids.




















The hissing sound of the pressure cooker is telling me it's time to cook sinigang. It also yelled at me... to let go, in whichever, whatever or whenever way I want.  With very tender and overcooked grief (yes beef too), let it be known to all concerned that I don't want any surprise weddings nor proposals until the day I die. I don't need the real wedding ring I've been waiting for. I don't need the real make-up engagement ring. I don't need anything at all.

And that is real bliss.

XO46 Bistro Filipino

It's not just a restaurant, it's a delightful serving of the dying Filipino dining experience.

• XO46 Bistro Filipino
• Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/XO-46-Bistro-Filipino/184146081640792
• Address: G/F Le Grand Condominium 130 Valero St., Salcedo Vill., Makaty City, Makati, PH.
• Phone Number: 5536632

I wasn't able to take a lot of photos. It means that I enjoyed myself immensely. Ok, it's actually not 100% Filipino... it's the Ilustrado dining experience (if you don't know what that means, go find your first History teacher and ask for a refund).

What I loved about the place...

1. Ambiance

This blog (walkandeat.blogspot.com)  captured it best. Native craftsmanship on display. I only got this centerpiece.

2. Bugtungan

"Bugtong" means "riddle." In the olden days, bugtungan is a colorful thread in any social (happy or sad) event fabric. Just like balagtasan (ok, Google that, I don't have time to explain). In XO, they served appetizers (puto!) with bugtong. It's a scary reminder of your Filipino classes... scary because most of us have already forgotten the answers to the simplest bugtong.

3. Waiters speak traditional Tagalog!

The waiters and waitresses are in Filipiniana garb. They don't call the guests "ma'am/sir" --- theirs is "senyorita/senyorito." Z and I imagined freaking them out by making this request: "magaling, handa na ang hapunan, tawagin mo na ang senyorito mo at kakain na tayo!"

When we asked for the waiter's help in taking group photos, he said this before the click: "isa, dalawa, tatlo, ngiti po!"

4. Food

I'm a big fan of Filipino food. I don't want to dabble on other cuisines until I'm able to cook papaitan, kare-kare, lomi and all possible variations of pansit. 

XO carries a creative menu of Filipino delicacies. Enough said, just try them please. I specifically fell in love with the brownie-ganache-champorado fusion. Remember tsokolate eh and tsokolate ah of Dona Victorina (Noli Me Tangere)? They playfully call this bite-size delights "Champorado Eh." Cashew nuts and cacao powder on top made me feel something I haven't overwhelmingly felt in years: I'm proud to be Filipino!

5. Baybayin on demand

Baybayin, before gay speak started using it as a derogatory term for bisexuals (don't judge me, I just got that from the gay community), is a pre-historic writing system. In XO, you can request for words, phrases, etc. to be written in "baybayin." On the night we went to XO, we were with a guest from the US and our managers had his name "written" in baybayin. If I were dating, I would be thrilled to have the exclusive dating  (or marriage) proposal presented to me in baybayin. Teehee...Too late for that now.

Price notes? I didn't pay. But according to the managers who did, for the ambiance, experience and location, it's fairly reasonable. I don't know if this is updated - menu is here.

Price notes for me? Even if this were expensive, I'd save up for it... Because...

Fact. Any intimate encounter with the Filipino culture, sad to say, is becoming more and more expensive because it's close to extinction. I sincerely wish that restaurants like XO Bistro will still be around when our little girl is old enough to ask questions and remember details. I doubt that she'll be able to answer the riddles though. Schools don't pay too much attention to bugtungan these days. :(

Last stop... our special guest conquered Balut... coolest (Filipino Bullying Mafia) victim. We miss him!

Remember these?

For the young(er) ones... did you ever wonder why this is the "save" icon?

It's because of these.... a trip down memory lane for the young-at-heart.

Before the thumb drives of the world were born, we used floppy disks for our thesis, resume (for the first job hunting experience), love letters, songs (we had to rely on splitters to make them fit!), work! I used them until early 2007... and figured it was time to let go when it became next-to-impossible to find an external floppy drive that connects to the more.. ehem... modern PCs!

Photos were taken last October 2011, a year after we finally unpacked our moving-in boxes. The hubby is a neat-freak-pack rat!

My love affair with purple started a looong time ago...

Can't wait...

I spent the last two hours comparing package tours for an upcoming trip... and now I can't get my mind off this...

It may be the last bongga vacation we can ever afford for the next eight years, because we will be so poor paying for this...

But it's all good, because in 2014, our January trips will have a constant plus one --- until she decides she's too cool to tag along. Why you little biatch...

Ok, too early for empty nest syndrome. Got carried away.

Galera 2012: First Real Sunbathing

Big deal for me. This is a milestone. Please don't judge.

If I were in the US, I'd be legally blind. I've been wearing eyeglasses since I was 10 years old and so the idea of wearing "shades" never really appealed to me. Plus, it costs so much to have "shades with grade" so why bother? On our last trip to Galera, however, everyone had shades so I got a little curious... and envious. Therefore, I got me one... It was a rip-off at PhP80 (K got hers for only PhP50) but it was totally worth it!

Gorgeous Mommy Coincidence
(same design, purchased on different dates and location) 

Gagamgirl was on my side on my first official sunbathing day. She introduced me to the concept of authentic chill. Wear shades, lie on your back, look up, smoke! When you start feeling burned, dip in the water, then go back to real chill (sounds like rinse repeat). Also works when you lie on your tummy... and according to Gagamgirl, this works really well with a box of Mojos on your tummy too. Haha!

So this post, ultimately, is to celebrate my first real sunbathing experience with shades... and to say thank you to Gagamgirl (for her guidance and encouragement) and to the ladies who shared the lechon spot with me.

Looking forward to more firsts, at 31. :)