be transported to another time and place (read: philippine time and, well, philippines).
watch news about noynoy waking up. noynoy eating breakfast. noynoy being dressed by liz uy. noynoy getting in the car. noynoy in malacañang. noynoy with gma. noynoy sitting onstage. noynoy watching charice. christian bautista. apo hiking society getting out of retirement for another gig. ogie alcasid. regine velasquez. the madrigal singers. noel cabangon. noynoy taking his oath. noynoy giving his speech. noynoy walking out of the venue.
realize you've been glued to the monitor for five hours non-stop.
look at your starving husband who not only missed dinner but has taken to talking to the walls thanks to your prolonged mental and emotional absence.
never in my life did i expect to get me a stage husband. but i like it. a lot :) i went to my first job test today, not an interview, just a test, and gary looked like a doting dad ready to drop his baby daughter off to 1st day of kindergarten.
i'm finally starting my job search, and this one was for a grant writer position downtown. as you may know, i battle with insomnia most nights, and the husband was adamant about making me sleep early last night so i could get enough rest for my test. i had to stop myself from laughing because he was serious about it.
in the morning he was a human stopwatch, telling me how much time i got left to eat and shower. i watched him watch me try out my wardrobe and when i was done with my make up, oh my gosh, the proud daddy took pictures. LOL maybe he missed seeing me in my office clothes. it has been a while.
i mean, the last time i went job hunting was five years ago, right after college, when i got my job in the senate. so naturally, i was a bit nervous. i could see gary was amused when i was quiet in the car. he kept on telling me 'you're gonna get this,' and when he saw that wasn't exactly the encouragement i was looking for, he tried 'there are many other jobs out there even if this one turns out to be not for you.'
we got to the company building 15 minutes early, and he sat there with me while i waited to be called. when i finished in about an hour, he was still there, smiling and asking me how everything went.
i have a stage mom, i have a stage husband, i'm made. LOL
as a little girl i always loved june and december. june meant the start of the school year, and december meant christmas. no, i didn't look forward to going back to school. i did get very excited however about getting new stuff for school. and then there's new shoes and clothes and toys for christmas of course.
i think this is something i wasn't able to outgrow. matter of fact, i love shopping. no matter how big or small the purchase, getting something new has a way of uplifting my mood. on this note, in just two weeks, gary and i never had more new things in our lives. it was no joke starting over, but i'm loving the fresh start.
we got to el paso the same day; him from iraq (i didn't make it to his homecoming! sadddd...) and me from santa clara, the day after arriving from the philippines. it was a leap of faith for me to come to el paso because as everyone knows, we gave up everything before gary got deployed to iraq--the car, the apartment, the pans and pots, the tv, what have you--and he wanted me to wait until he gets us an apartment so then i didn't have to have a hard time. i just trusted my instinct and flew in anyway.
so yeah. for a week, we stayed at the hotel and took the cab while we searched for a new apartment and a new car. saying that was hard would be the understatement of the year. we literally spent an arm and a leg going around el paso, aimlessly searching for these essentials. under the el paso heat. we're on three digits this month because it's still summer, and the scorching weather is just unbelievable. i worry about skin cancer, i kid you not!
so after a week of losing sleep, money and more, we finally found a new home. it's pretty close to our previous place but i really like this one for so many reasons. there are more trees in our new compound than in any other spot in the city. it's close to everything, like our place before, only this time it's even closer to gary's work, which is very important.
the one-bedroom apartment is just the perfect size for me and my husband. this means it's cozier and easier to clean up, thank you very much :P the bedroom already has a headboard, which matches the rest of the woodwork in the kitchen and the living room. i'm still in the process of putting everything together, so no pictures yet, but i'm splashing red, orange, and brown--autumn colors--all over the place. like i said, we gave up everything last november, so we bought new plates, a new couch, a new tv set(this 42" plasma is my new best friend), a new dvd player, a new shower curtain, new everything!
the hubby is pretty happy with his new red honda, although he gives me his non-chalant face and says the car is "ok lang" lol our new phones on the other hand are just plain eye-candies. they are soooooo hard to use. touch screen technology needs some serious tweaking. i always end up dialing a number by accident, and even texting becomes such a chore.
but beyond these new things, it's really the new life i'm looking forward to. gary is getting out of the service in a few months, and we're both in search of new careers. uncertainty lies ahead, but as it is always the case with me and gary, we always pull through :)
i'm finally back here in the states after seven months of stay in the philippines. i arrived here at gary's parents' home in santa clara late last night. his brother jeng and wife glenda picked me up with their little girl annber at the san francisco airport. it was a long trip with a stop over in hong kong.
the hong kong international airport is insane. i had to ride a train and walk a mile to get to my gate. good thing it's easy to spot the pinoys, and like a herd, we just went wherever the others went. i got through immigration pretty quick and the luggage retrieval went pretty fast too. except for the enormous weight of the two luggages i brought, i was okay.
i am jet lagging sooooooooo bad. this didn't happen to me the first time i came here but now it hit me hard. i didn't sleep at all on the plane and last night i was up the whole time. needless to say, i've been nursing a major headache the whole day. plus my entire body's aching too...try carrying around bags that weigh close to 21 kilos each and you'll know what i mean. there are no friendly kuyas who will lift your stuff for you for a price of a pack of yosi. but i managed.
my mom, ate beng and the kids and my two titas dropped me off at NAIA. my brother met up with us at mall of asia. i have to hand it to him, and if he's reading this then all the better, he left his work for a few hours just to send me off. i miss my baby nephew chok. i took care of him everyday and he is just the most adorable baby everrrrrr. last night while i was in bed, the neighbor's baby cried and my instinct was to call out chok. except it's not chok. :(
on a lighter note, the husband's almost here too. we've been racing our way here. we left the same day, him out of iraq and me out of the philippines. gary called my mom to say he was in kuwait while i was waiting for boarding at NAIA. we haven't heard from each other since then, i assume he's been moving around, but i got a call from the fort bliss people this afternoon asking if i'm going to his homecoming, which is at 1:45pm tomorrow.
gary and i already talked about this extensively. i was insisting on going to el paso ahead so then i can just take a cab, stay in a hotel and meet him when his army plane lands at biggs airfield. the husband was insisting that i wait until he lands before i fly to el paso so then he doesn't have to worry about where i'm staying, how i'm carrying around my luggages and how i'm getting a taxi.
the hardheaded side of me was trying to make a way to get to el paso tonight but as luck would have it, the flight tonight gets there too late and costs too much, twice more than what i paid for flying tomorrow actually. so yeah, gary will have no welcoming party tomorrow, instead he's picking me up at the el paso airport at 4pm. this is pretty much what we agreed on the last time we talked, except that gary has no idea right now about my flight. i really hope he gets a chance to call as soon as he lands so then there's no mix up. i don't wanna stay at the airport, not sure if he knows i'm there or not. i have no cellphone yet because we gave up everything when gary got deployed and i left for the philippines in november so the only chance he'll be there is if he calls home and gets to talk to nanay or debra.
it still disappoints me that i can't be there at gary's homecoming. i always pictured waiting there as he lands, taking pictures, running towards each other. in slowmo. like in the movies. ewwww. LOL no i just wanted to witness how he lands and comes home. oh well. at least we get to see each other right away. i hope :P
my mom and i went to nice print photography's office in shaw yesterday and finally got the raw photos from the wedding. they gave us three CDs, i left another CD containing songs for the video, and then they told me to choose 150 pictures for the albums and one for the blowup picture, all to be sent via LBC. as mentioned before, it'll take months before we get to watch our wedding on DVD and see hard copies of our pictures.
aaaaaaaanyway, here are some of my favorite shots. nice print gave me like over four thousand digital pictures and i literally spent the whole day sorting everything. i just got all the really nice ones then practically killed myself trying to limit everything to 150. i'm almost done, but now i gotta get me some cheap CDs so i can give everyone (and i mean everyone; i don't know anyone who hasn't asked for a copy)a CD.
gary's yet to see the photos because he has a convoy today to doria. he's now stationed in his mother base, fob warrior, by the way. he gets his own room, his own internet connection, and there's burger king over there i think, so it's a relief he gets some of the comforts he's missed for months now.
rings and bouquet
awww :P already nervous as hell here the bridal march saying "i do" the st. peter of verona parish church isa pang awwww :D bottoms up! :) me and my hubby
the countdown on my blog says it's been twenty days since the wedding, but gary and i spent another night chatting while looking at our wedding pictures. we just can't get over it! :P this week, the plan is to go to manila to pick up our raw photos, choose 150 shots for the albums, and leave our choice of songs for the wedding video. the albums and the edited video won't get to us until after three months (and i'll probably be back in the states by then) but what choice do we have, really.
i miss my husband. from the day he got to the philippines up to the day he left, we were always too busy. the only time we had that quiet moment for ourselves was when we passed by the subic boardwalk after going to our couturier. we didn't have a camera with us so we went back with my niece chay and nephew gelo, and gary's sister debra a few days after. we also didn't have time for a honeymoon. gary left for iraq last march 26. so to make up for that, (and because a trip has always been planned after gary leaves the army this november) guess what we're planning!!! yay yay yay! we're going backpacking in europe! :D :D :D gary and i always wanted to travel, and we want to do everything together before we start a family and be busy with our jobs. gary deserves a break for working so hard in a warzone, and he's really excited about this trip. it's something to look forward to for us both, keep our minds off the frustration of being apart for months.
the next thing to think of is getting schengen visas. i already got one before when i went to germany and france but it expired already. gary being a US citizen doesn't need one, i read somewhere. or i don't really know. either way, i'm gonna have to go get one for myself because i still hold a philippine passport. but yeah. right now i'm looking through backpacking sites, where to go, what to do, where to stay (the cheaper the better syempre). i know i've been to paris already but i want gary to see it too, and i want to be there with him. sigh. okay, okay, too much daydreaming na. for now, i'm just gonna cross my fingers. hehe
when things get messy and you just don't want to be sad anymore, it feels good to be surrounded by lifetime friends who know you inside out. our doctor friend ate gay called me, ate nelly, avon and ate may for merienda last saturday (her birthday was easter sunday). we haven't done this in more than a year. ate nelly cooked (tried!:P) spaghetti, i brought ice cream (better safe than sorry), avon helped doc gay out with her really yummy siomai and ate may took care of the grill. i ate too much. again. but yeah, who cares?!
ang mga boss birthday girl putting the cam's timer on works :P the shirt is a gift from my mom. my brothers got theirs too: masamang impluwensya and sunog-baga. our mother loves us dearly :) nakikigulo lang sa pag-iihaw :P
after months of planning and waiting, our wedding finally arrived. it was a dream come true for me and gary. i have to say, if there's one experience every girl--or guy, for that matter--must have in their lifetime, it is to get married at church. not just for the glitz, but more importantly, for the blessing and that special bond. while it has always been undeniable that gary and i have been crazy for each other (too crazy at times), we look at each other now with even more love than ever before. our church wedding is something that no one can ever take away from us, and can i just say i was so so kilig all throughout! LOL :P
of course, as in any wedding, ang daming palpak. hehe the rings were accidentally left at the hotel (they made it on time, fortunately), the audio for the AVPs didn't play (don't ask why), some gifts were lost (again don't ask), some egos were bruised, but hey, try to imagine two clans, an entire office, and friends made in a span of a lifetime, all together in one place at the same time and tell me how we could possibly please everybody. in the end, it was really just me and gary that mattered.
who gets the best actress award? i was too giddy to keep track of the drama. but i must say it made me 10x more nervous when i saw gary so handsome, waiting for me at the altar, ready to cry in his military suit. the husband kept on whispering "you're so beautiful" to my ear throughout the ceremony, i almost melted. plus the heat. gosh, the heat inside the church made everyone melt. LOL
we decided to write our own vows, and gary made a really, really, romantic one. i pretty much messed up the first part of mine but the husband reassured me he got everything i wanted to say.
i now take the opportunity to thank all the people who made our wedding possible.
the magat/cativo and claravall/tungol families, for their presence and support. gary & i both wish we could've done more for all of you but we were both so busy with the preparations and the rush of the event. we are very grateful for your understanding and love.
fr.mario margallo, for making us feel the loveliness of our wedding so easily, and for the instant friendship he created with me and gary. many times during the ceremony, i saw him smiling whenever i was kilig, and i also saw him nodding at gary from time to time, as if to say he was just as happy for us.
my childhood friend rev./kuya noel nuguid for doing the sermon, assisting fr.mayong and leading the prayer at the reception. many years ago he promised he'll be the one to officiate my marriage, and as God so amazingly planned, he was ordained two days before my wedding.
the church secretary mel nuguid, and the children of mary immaculate for assisting me patiently.
our ninongs and ninangs who really went out of their way to attend our ceremony. it means so much to us.
our entourage, for the friendship, which, we have proven, can push you guys to wear suits on a hot summer day, and revealing tube dresses :P
team kiko for being a real family. mahal na mahal ko kayo.
georg and jayson for adding class to the programme.
my friends from kalayaan residence hall in UP. thank you for pausing your climb up the corporate ladder to see me walk down the aisle. i miss you all!
to wonderful events wedding coordination, for all the help.
to nice print photography for capturing our special day. i must say neither gary nor myself liked the posing part very much, but we're very excited to see the photos and videos nonetheless.
ms.virgie reyes and JS bridals for the gowns and suits. alvina for my make-up. mayo arellano for my entourage's make-up. my youngest flower girl annber asked me, "ina, are you a princess?" and thanks to the beautiful wedding gown and makeup on my wedding day, i really thought i was. :)
global ventures for my classy invites.
lilwhiskers for our cookies and cream giveaways.
crown royale's mark and lizel for all the assistance, attention, freebies, what-have-you.
kuya michael and ate jonalyn for the beautiful flower arrangements. i was expecting a plain aisle because the church didn't want flowers at church during the lent season, so i was pleasantly shocked to see the beauty of the st.peter parish church decked with flowers. galing ninyo, wala akong masabi!: D
st.peter parish choir and sandy and her band for the beautiful music in the church and at the reception. i always said maganda lang music sa kasal ko masaya na ako. thank you!
to those i failed to mention, we're sorry, and please remember that we're just as grateful for all your help.
as i mentioned, the official photos are not with us yet, but i stole some pictures online from friends. yes, i know, the fact that it was my wedding doesn't mean i own these pictures, pero pagbigyan nyo na ako. excited eh. hehe so thanks to yvette, tina, giselle, arlo, debra and all other unwitting people whose shots i stole. :P
if you wanna see a bigger slideshow, follow this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/42425843@N07/sets/72157623739456716/show/
the invitations finally arrived this afternoon! yay! it's better than i expected. a big shoutout to global ventures for giving me the attention every bride wants to get, especially for going out of its way to get me the right shade of purple for my stationery! the embossed printing is great, and i love love love the scent :)
husband news. gary's still stuck in fob warrior, awaiting a flight to balad, iraq, before going to kuwait and finally to the philippines. it is insane that he's on his way here but not quite. i mean, can he just get here already???!!!
