My honeymooning officemate was  incommunicado for a week.  Of course, we understand that they needed all the time to be alone together.  However we need to bother her for a while because there is one  urgent document  schedule for discussions that we’ve been looking and apparently not in her file.   So, we have  no option but texted and also called her because the Fellows Program Director was already getting “toxic”.  Toxic is the word we use for people who are giving us hard time in the office and we have a lot of those kind….

When I finally had the chance to talk to her,  her voice was sombre.   I have no time to pull out a joke on her because I can sense that she was not in the mood for my silly comments.    Instead, I told her right away the urgency of my call.  After talking to her as  I mused, how I wished that she  is notexperiencing the so called Post Wedding blues.    I’ve heard that most brides fall prey to a condition like this and sufferers are said to feel desperate and low and transition from being single to married life is not nearly so smooth.

Some brides go through this ordeal- Post Nuptial Blues

Being her office mate, I’ve seen how she had gone through the Pre Nuptial blues and I also felt sorry because depression and pressures of months of wedding preparation slowly got into her nerves.   She sometimes can’t concentrate on her work and would burst into tears when she was weary and still having those cluttered wedding ideas in mind.   It was only a week before the wedding that  she and her fiance was  able to go on leave from work and had finally had the chance to concentrate on the final and heady days of wedding preparations.   Such a tough situation they were into that time but they managed to pull through by delegating some responsibilities to selected friends and their family members.

If my suspicion is indeed true, I am confident that they will get over it I am sure!   One surefire tip is to be prepared to let go of single life in a way and embrace the new married status.   And they should allow a period of adjustment. It is entirely different now from the courtship, dating and steady phase.   Feeling married and behaving married really takes time and adjustments  and acceptance.  The major change will be living with your husband and soon you will find out that his endearing habits before may soon become  annoying and you will start to feel depressed.   I am sure that most couple in a way experience the pre nuptial blues and now the post wedding blues as well.

Well, it is true that “Marriage is a life sentence”….

Does it happen to you?   I know that most women have their share of the so called “bad hair days” which often affects our mood but this bad make up day happened to me.  I love taking photos to capture the moment on special gatherings and it was a terrible feeling that I had on the night of the wedding reception party of a friend wherein I stood as one of the principal sponsor.   I prepared for that big event so I hired  the services of a “make-up artist (?) trusting that she will make me ever beautiful that night.  I thought I looked alright but photo after photo taken in the party registered horribly!  That’s how I felt upon seeing the pictures.   Nothing turned out well… The foundation didn’t blend well enough to my skin color.  In short, the color is lighter than my skin tone and the full foundation with face paint stuff applied did not looked good on me.  It looked horrible and was not refined as I like.

It was a wasted night!  Wasted because I paid for the hair and make-up that only upset me, my husband and my children.  Ewww… that was all they can mutter and long after they were teasing me!    I thought I will be able to surprise them but they’ve  got a good surprise themselves.    To end up with such an unproductive investment of time and money  only to look that way  was very upsetting!  I don’t have much time really to redo my make up because of time constraint but only if I have the liberty of time, for sure I would have washed my face and do it all over again.   Upon reviewing all the photos  it all revealed my bad make-up and hair too!   Grrrrrrrrr…..

I know that I am the least skilled with applying make-up for now, but I would rather try to learn to practice applying it on a daily basis as I go to work.   A friend advised me that good  make up is a pretty big investment.  Good quality brands should be taken into consideration and it isn’t cheap.   It also requires a lot of time to practice to get all that make up application properly and to develop the artistic skills of doing it especially the eyebrows and the eye make-up.  Thanks to my lady friend who gave me few tips  and now I have got it down almost perfectly for there were days that I cannot get my eyebrows done right… sometimes the lines are way too thick.   However, I am developing the skill very slowly and I will  continue on with learning how to do make up application well so I can do my face for special occasions and I will no longer require the intervention of others.

To most people this is something quite trivial and yet very important to so many of us.   We all want to look our best!  The help of light make up makes a significant difference.

Sorry, I don’t have the courage to post my “bad make-up” photos.

The venue of the wedding reception was a regular school quadrangle ( a basketball court) but it was magnificently turned into a beautiful garden setting on the day of the event.  It took clever and creative minds to come up with nice and interesting ideas and a  lot of resources to transform a vague place into such a splendid set-up.  The walls were draped with green motif with balloons of white and green color hanging from the ceiling.  The tables and chairs were in accordance to the wedding color.   The focal point of the event which is the stage was simple but elegantly designed.   Everything I believe was done to perfection and I really enjoyed being there to witness and celebrate the momentous event in the life of our friends.

This school quadrangle was transformed into a wedding venue

Such occasion like this needs a competent wedding planner or events coordinator.  Usually it took long months or even a year  of careful considerations in preparing the whole event and there is a need  in hiring the services of  professionals to save you a lot of trouble.  Of course, all of us wants to be spared of all the hassles and bustles of preparation but sometimes the budget constraint always gets in the way.   So, if you opt for simple and within your budget means, better consult a friend for good ideas and ask for help from friends and relatives with the preparation.  I am sure a lot will be more than willing to lend a hand.   And be prepared for all the pressures…..

After the presents have been opened and the wedding garments have been put away, it is time for the couple to chill out and relax.

Congrats to Dax and Mau… Best wishes!

We stood as Principal sponsors to the wedding of our office mate held last Wednesday.   We had imparted to the newly weds some words of wisdom that are surefire useful in establishing a harmonious relationship as they venture into their new life together.   In my almost 25 years of marriage with the same man, I held on to the following tips for a happy marriage given to me also by our principal sponsors during our wedding day and I am gladly passing it on to our friends.

Periodic disagreement is an inevitable and normal part of marriage and the resolution of such disagreements has to take place verbally.  Therefore, communication is the key.

However, there are seven things not to say to your spouse:

1. “You never do what I tell you”.  Avoid using the word “never”.    Firstly, it is inaccurate.It is probably not true that your spouse has not once done what was required.
2. “You’re just like your mother (or father)!”  By saying this, you are getting critical of his/her parents.
3. “You are misunderstanding what I’m saying”. This is a subtle way of implying that you are communicating clearly and so the fault must be with your spouse.
4. “I can’t take it  any more!”  In moments of crisis, melodramatic statements like this are common.  Such statements are often an escape from the responsibility to face difficulties squarely.
5. “It’s all your fault.  You’re to blame”  If, through verbal manipulation and domination, you come away from every disagreement absolutely blameless, then only one other person is to blame‑‑your spouse.
6. “I don’t want to talk about it”.  This is a very dangerous stage.  When communication ceases, the avenue for reconciliation is blocked.
7. “I’m leaving”.  Stay and talk things out, no matter how difficult.

Regular communication is a very important element in establishing harmony between husband and wife.  I hope that my newly wed friends will take these words by heart because it worked on my relationship.

After months and months of wedding preparation, finally the Rodil-Delos Reyes nuptial came to reality!   It was painstakingly planned and the result was great!  The couple had their shares of pre nuptial blues and they were not spared of the problems, hassles and worries.   They were also stressed out and burdened especially on the last week of the preparation but they have managed to pull through.

We are all happy for both of them… We hope and pray that they continue to love each other unconditionally and will stay in love forever.

The culmination of a long and much awaited union

Ah… I love weddings!  However, it always bring tears to my eyes..

I am hopeless romantic I guess..



The image of a stork bearing an infant wrapped in a sling held in its beak signifies childbirth

A baby girl finally came to the life of happy couple Jimmy and Trixia Andaluz.  The baby saw the light of day today, 14 October 2010.   It was a long awaited moment they will both cherish because after 5 long years of union, the couple were finally blessed (for the first time ) with their new bundle of joy.  The baby is a precious gift from the Lord.    We were excited hearing the good news so we trooped to the hospital and there we saw the proud Dad, tired but fulfilled Mom and the cute baby girl just brought in by the nurse for rooming-in.

We can feel the excitement of the first time parent and we are here to guide them and give some parenting tips if needed.

Babies are such adorable creatures!

The travel bug has bitten us once again and really, it has started to bother us.  This time we are “itching” to visit Singapore.   We heard that the Universal Studio is operational and we think it is about time to revisit the place since it was year 2002 when we’ve been to that beautiful city.

While on board our car going to the airport to meet a friend, we were able to weave our next travel plans and it thrilled our children no end.   They were giving endless inputs and thoughts on how they will enjoy and appreciate more the sights and sounds of Singapore.   Their minds were on fast forward mode and they were talking as if the following day will be the big day.

So, this early we are mapping out every plans as:

1. made early booking and to purchase online tickets  ahead of time to avail of promo discounts
2. call my sister and asked whoever family members are interested for a group tour
3. call my son to find out if our choice dates will not in conflict with their school calendar
4. block our vacation schedules in the office, file and get leave approval
5. remind my relatives that they need to save for the trip (pocket and shopping monies) if they are really interested to join
6. inform our Mom about the trip so she will strive hard to be A-okey and that her high blood pressure will be maintained to its normal level to avoid hassles because of her health problem
7. make arrangements or compromise with other family members  like those who were not able to join last December in Hongkong will now have their turn for a Singapore trip
8. most important- we will  continuously pray that the trip will push through as planned

Wow.. we are dreaming big again!  We will go for it!  Yehey!!!

Don’t laugh now! I am serious! Even how silly it may sound but I am telling the truth, my stiff neck was caused by a ceiling fan! The other day, we graced the housewarming of a friend, an occasion we all looked forward to. The said house was on the buzz lately because our common friends were like bees talking about how majestic its interior, furnishings and appliances are. We were not disappointed for true to our expectations the house was adorned with beautiful vases, painting but we were particularly in awe with the decorative ceiling fans.   We all can’t help to look up all the time because it was an instant conversation piece the whole evening.

Obviously, those elegant fans have caused the strained soft tissues on my neck for I was trying to figure out its brand and kept looking up. A guest who for sure had noticed me,  whispered that I don’t need to strain my neck any further and scribbled a site in a scratch paper.  It was written exactly like this- the best place to shop -Hansen Wholesale Ceiling Fans and he further wrote to visit this site if you really want to find out who makes the Best Ceiling Fans here! It was written with conviction! I later found out that he too owns a beautiful home with fans of those brands and he swore for its super quality performance and never stops recommending the brand to his countless friends.

In the meantime, I will continue to draw inspiration from my friends’ home decorations and should we decide to re-decorate our house for a modern look, I would definitely consider buying from Hansen Wholesale those ceiling fans.

However, I am afraid that if I will frequent my friends’ house, for sure my stiff neck will linger on and on.

…. words from a Shakira song…. It hits me bullseye for I won’t deny it, my hips expanded much to my dismay. Admittedly, I have totally blown out my self control
and for the past weeks now, I have done terrible on my diet. Yes, I succumbed to my moment of weakness and temptation, I gave in to eating without let up.

Now (oh no not again) I am thinking of challenging myself to lose weight. I have self declared last night (after my weigh-in ) that I will start my weight reduction program but my family is already used to hear my self pronouncements so I know it fell on deaf ears. The past months were very good for I had successfully got back on focus and was able to maintain my ideal weight. I even rewarded myself with a nice gold bangle for I was a good girl but the diet was ruined totally when my children came for vacation, I ate without any regret. Of course, we were very happy and ecstatic when they came so in celebration, we had successive eating and dining out.

I am very much aware, this yo-yo syndrome is not really doing me any good. I’ve been there, done that way too many times. A dietician friend whom I have consulted told me that starvation is not the way to lose weight. She said it simply, it is output vs. input. We should be burning more calories than what we eat everyday and it should be in combination with exercise and good balanced diet. True, it is really easier said than done but we really have to assess our life style if we are really bent in changing our outlook towards fitness. Further, she said that if we want to lose weight, we don’t need to starve ourselves in guise of dieting.

The other day, I casually asked one of physician staff on how I can lose weight fast. Simply she said “zip your mouth” Hmmm… true and I will take her word! I will give it a try and this time, I will make a realistic set of goals for losing weight.

Weight loss challenge? My hips won’t lie!

We grew up with our maternal grandfather who was strict.  Strict in the sense that he would not let us leave our dining table unless our  plate is clean.  He was teaching us the value of conserving  every grain of rice and not to waste food.  Because being a farmer himself, he knows the hardships of toiling in the farm.  So, we were taught to only put on our plate what we can consume.  He used to remind us that millions of people are getting hungry and dying and that food crisis is inevitable so we should be thankful that we have food to eat.  So why waste them?

Almost empty plate

We have carried on with us this kind of rules in the house that we should empty our plates and never to waste food ever.

I miss our grandfather… We’ve learned so much wisdom from him and empty plates always remind me of how frugal he was.