Marriage proposal pix

Finally, I've uploaded the pictures!!!


Click here.


Enjoy!!

Wedding preps on hold

Yes, we are pushing the breaks down. It seems like there are issues (coming from both sides) we should have considered before we reserved/blocked the church last saturday. We've been really stressed the past week we got engaged.

Ane and I both decided to wait for the formal pamamanhikan on aug 14 before we continue with the preps. We might even forfeit the reservation/blocking fee we paid.

Hhhaaaayyyy this is so sad and stressful. I feel I shouldn't be idle for the next few weeks! But I guess there's nothing I could do.

Sorry, I just need to vent.

ps. daday, hindi siguro matutuloy sa saturday po...

Wedding preps Update 1

This weekend was relatively productive. Although there was a bit of a problem whether or not to reserve both the church and the reception venue, we did it anyway. We realized time is not on our side, especially nowadays that venues get reserved as early as a year. It's sad though that we were not able to get the original date which is 08 April 06. And that my sister and her family would not be able to come home for my wedding.

Wedding Date: 25 March 06 (my gosh, just 8 months to go!)

Confirmed details:

Church: check!

Reception venue: check!

Pamamahikan schedule: check!

Photographer: check!

Calligrapher: check!

Gown designer: check!

Coordinator: check!

Souvenir ideas: check!

CHURCH. Our first choice have always been Our Lady of Consolation Parish in QC. We both fell in-love with the place when we attended a friend's wedding a couple of years back. We fell in-love again when we went there yesterday. I instantly got a lot of ideas for the floral arrangements. I have a florist in mind but I haven't talked to her yet. We paid the non-refundable reservation fee and we were asked to answer the pre-cana survey. We were instructed to answer separately and discuss afterwards the points we disagreed upon. The funny things is we didn't wanna discuss any further that we, well we, cheated! hahaha! We were making funny faces and hand signals while answering the survey, hehehe. We were also able to get a copy of the prescribed misalette and the guideline sheets. We were done before noon and we are expected to be back in January 2006.

RECEPTION VENUE. We chose Gazebo Royale along Visayas Avenue. The Hall we chose has enough space for our guests to move around. Our only wish is that there is no other function scheduled that day. We paid the non-refundable blocking fee. We are going to pay the downpayment on Saturday as the blocking fee is only good for 1 week.

PAMAMANHIKAN. The Pamanhikan is scheduled on August 14, 2005. Both set of parents have crazy schedules that we couldn't make it a bit earlier. I'm feeling both excited and scared, hahahha!

OTHER DETAILS. Since father-in-law to be (FIL2B) requests that we suspend all preparations until after the Pamanhikan, I won't discuss yet the other confirmed details. And since Ane is convinced that such is the right thing to do, I will keep my mouth shut out of respect.

Aaaaaaarrrrrgggghhhhh!!!!! That's a pretty too long a time to not talk about the wedding! Maybe I should relax a little and stop bugging and stressing Ane for the meantime. Heheheh.

The signs I missed

I've always been the mausisa type and he the one who always slips his secrets. I ask questions that would make words come out of his mouth. The RING for instance. He slipped and told me he had it already. And so I was really proud of him when he proposed and pulled it off really well. I was really surprised when he told me later on the he prepared for the proposal day for at least three weeks.

I was so surprised I actually missed the signs.

One. Like him not insisting to buy a gift for Matthew. He doesn't like giving cash gifts to kids.

Two. His frequent texting with Gilda - his conspirator. And his erasing his messages right away saying that his unit has slowed down because of too much messages.

Three. That he insisted on canvassing for a new mobile phone unit at the manila mall when we are always at greenhills every saturday. Later I found out that Gilda wasn't done yet with the set-up that he decided to stall a little.

Four. He told me to bring the camera (when I'm the one who would usually insist on bringing it), although he forgot to ask me to charge the battery, geesh.
Five. That Gilda had an extra hanky for blindfolding and the fact that in other parties they don't let the players be blindfolded in games like banana eating unless there is a partner, right?
Six. That I actually won the contest when my teeth and gums really hurt.
Seven. That I did not get it right away when I saw the words "Hunny, you are the key to my heart" and "for better or for worse". The letters were all jumbled up.
Eight. That some of the McDO crew stayed to watch the party even if it was time for them to go home. (apparently, they were soooo kilig to find out that someone was proposing that night which was something new to them)
Nine.The song playing in the background while I was looking at the "jumbled" letters was actually a marriage proposal song. Below, the lyrics of such song which I transcribed (I couldn't find in the net the correct lyrics, let me know if I got it wrong. We also don't know who composed it)

JOURNEY FOR TWO
Unknown

Verse 1
So many years, been searching for the one
Then one day I found you
Now that you're here, my life has finally begun
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Who'd have ever thought that we would meet each other
We were oceans apart
Guess it's fate and destiny that brought us together
And put my heart next to your heart, oh

Verse 2
Out of the blue, you were sent from up above
Bringing sunshine into my life
Right then I knew, I found my one true love
Oh yeah, oh yeah
You know it's not hard to see that the love I have for you
Will never go away (never go away)
So I'm now down on my knee all I wanna do
Is to say the one thing I've been wanting to say

Chorus
Will you marry me, my HUNNY TIN?
Take a lifetime journey for two
Say you'll marry me, oh HUNNY please
Cos I wanna spend my days growing older with you

Bridge
They say that marriage is a long-distance race
Will you run with me across the finish line
I swear I'll cherish you for the rest of my days
If you'll let me be with you and be forever mine

Final Chorus
Will you marry me, my HUNNY TIN?
Take a lifetime journey for two
Say you'll marry me, oh HUNNY please
You know I just can't live my life if I don't have you
Marry me, my HUNNY TIN
You know my heart will always be true
Say you'll marry me, oh HUNNY please
Cos I wanna spend my days growing older with you

See? There were so many signs! And I missed it all!!! Sometimes, it feels good to be dense. :)

The Party That Wasn't Matthew's

He said we are attending a children's party. It was to be a colleague's son's birthday -- on a friday, after office hours, in McDonald's. The birthday party was last night. I thought we could not stay long enough because of some appointment my parents made for me. I told him. He said okay and that we could just leave the party early.

I expected it to be some really casual party so I chose to wear a pair of jeans, a red shirt and a pair of old rubber shoes. I asked if I should change my shirt to something else and my pants to my denim skirt which I brought along. But he said I looked okay. Besides he was just wearing a pair of shorts and a polo shirt. Before we went to the party, he insisted we go look at some mobile phone units at the mall saying that we were too early. Weird thing though, we were at the mall but we did not buy a gift for the birthday boy. And he never reminded me to buy something. We decided to just give angpao.

We got to McDonald's PRC a little after seven pm and there were only a few guests who have arrived. So we waited a little more before the program for Matthew, the birthday boy, started. His mother, Gilda, meanwhile chatted with us and asked all sorts of questions about us. She even commented, "Magkamukha kayo!" To which I gave no reply but just smiled.

When the kids arrived, the games started. They surely were having fun. The third game was meant for the titas. The host called out four names, including mine. We were to be blindfolded. The three other titas promptly brought out their hankies. I don't use hankies so I asked him for his. But instead of lending me his, Gilda amazingly had a spare hanky for me to use. It was even neatly folded, ready to be tied on around my eyes. The game was banana eating contest. I whispered to him, saying that I might have a hard time since I just got my braces adjusted that morning. They all said it was okay. And I was ready to lose the game.

Before the game started, they had some technical problems with the sound system. And there we were, standing, holding on to dear banana, blindfolded and clueless about what was happening. We were signalled GO and I started to patiently bite and chew, little bites and slow chews. So imagine my surprise when haflway thru my banana, the host announced that I, the tita in red shirt, was on the lead. How could that be?!? I did not mind them. But then again, I was announced the winner. Before they untied my blindfold, the host told me to turn-around for we were about to "punish" the other titas who lost...and that the Special friend was already there to give me my prize. As I was un-blindfolded (is there such a word?!?), the mascot Birdie was already standing beside me, clutching what seemed like a spaghetti styro. It was a spaghetti styro! And I thought, "why would they give me spaghetti as a prize when I just finished a big piece of banana?". I was told to open it, and when I did...my world suddenly stopped. Or rather, except for my eyesight, my other senses were numbed. There inside were pictures of the two of us. There were words that I failed to read until later on. There was a song being played, the lyrics of which , I wasn't able to pay attention to.

I wanted to cry but I couldn't. I was both suprised and ashamed because we just "stole" Matthew's moments and the people around me were strangers. My first instinct was to look for him, glanced hopefully at our table. But he was not there. Then I knew, there was something else about to happen. As I turned around to face everybody, the kids were arranged in such a way that a small aisle was formed. The boys were holding on to roses while the girls blew on bubbles. There was a red "carpet" with petals. While I was watching them, trying so hard not to cry, he came out of the backroom...with that really broad smile of his, as if saying "Gotcha!". It was all real. I saw right away that he was holding on to THE RING.

I started to laugh and say between my teeth how corny all that was. And I slapped him. Yeah! I remember slapping him. It was something I didn't mean to do of course! That was my booboo...his was worse, I'd say...because he forgot to ask me THE QUESTION, and jumped right to putting the ring on my finger. Not that I would have said no. Sometimes the two of us could be nervous wrecks, hehehe.

And then they brought out a small table, with our picture and pink candles. There was a choir of kids who sang some songs. And they announced...

It wasn't Matthew's birthday after all. It was all a set-up. I knew there was a ring already. Just so I won't suspect anything, he misled me by throwing that kids' party. They recruited all the kids for the party. They made all the kids believe it was Matthew's party.

It was our party on July 15, 2005 all along. It was the day we got engaged.