Supplier's Rating: Candy Rose Pastillas

Rating: 5/5 (1 as the lowest)

Peso power: 200php/basket of flower pastillas, 3php/stick(pack of 100 pieces)

Kwento: This should have been the first rating since she was the first to deliver but anyway, here goes:

I used to follow the blog of a newly wed who bought pastillas for her wedding instead of flowers for the flower girls and I liked the idea. However, I am familiar with the products that she bought and I wanted to find something cheaper and voila! I came across Candy Rose Pastillas on the net. I checked her products and I was very interested so I texted her and we did a meet up.

Pros:

Chai, the lady who makes the pastillas can meet you up and give you around 10pieces of samples based on what you asked for. She uses coloring for the products so if you have a specific color in mind, she can adjust it for you. Likewise, the pastillas can be flavored- I was able to try the plain one and the strawberry ones and though I liked the strawberry ones, I thought that not all kids would like them so I ordered for a combo of both. The basket was much fuller than I expected (my sisters and I "stole" a few roses from the baskets.haha) and the ordered roses on sticks were actually bigger than the samples she gave me. Also, Chai was very honest about the products and didnt want me to get them too early since they might get ruined because of weather conditions.

Cons:

Chai manages a smaller enterprise so she's kinda limited to the metro. When I say limited, what I mean is that if you wanna check out her products in a store or something or maybe meet up somewhere farther north or south, it'll be more complicated. Other than that, dealing with her was easy breezy- she promptly replies to text messages, her delivery fee is very minimal and on both occasions that I met her, she was right on schedule.

Anyway, enough with the blah and on with the munching. Kids and adults alike loved them! I was told that adults were asking if there were spares and I was witness to our kiddie guests( as a former teacher, kids were rampant in our guest list; none of that crap about not having kids) eating their hearts away. Here are some pictures to give you an idea:

See the hands touchin' em? Go and eat them girls!

Who'd say no to these? yummy!

My inaanak munching away :)

So, if you wanna avail of Chai's products(I see that she has expanded to cake polvorons and what have you), just look for her site on FB and ask her about the details. See yah soon!

Suppliers' rating: The legend villas

Rating: 4/5
Details: 4200/family room good for four, with complimentary access and usage of facilities, + buffet breakfast

Kwento on why we booked this hotel :

Prior to our wedding, we ate at the legend villas for the buffet breakfast and we loved it so we decided to book  rooms here for the wedding. I booked 1 room for 2 nights and another for 1 night(meiokoi's family). We booked their family rooms coz when we did the ocular:

The villa suite was not worth it for a number of reasons. The sleeping area was basically the same as their superior room, the only difference was the receiving area, which was too plain in my opinion. It was not worth the extra 2+++ for a receiving area that would only be used for a few hours. Second, The Legend Villas put similar rooms in the same corner and if I get different room types for hubby and I, we would be on different ends, hence, we just decided to get he family rooms for both of us.

During the stay:
Good points: The breakfast was great! I love omelet stations in buffets and theirs is no exception. I also loved the champorado, the croissants, the bistek tagalog and their palabok. The other choices were okay as well, but these were the ones that stuck to me the most.

The internet was quite fast and it was a good plus for my sisters who were staying with me.
The pool was decent enough and my cousins had quite a go and enjoyed taking advantage of it.
They have parking spaces that are very adjacent to the rooms. This was a big factor since we had to go back and forth the vehicles to load and unload stuff so it was quite good that it was very convenient for us.


Bad points:
There was "something" with the bathroom. I guess it was the fact that it didnt have an exhaust, but even on the first night when there were only 4 of us, it already had a pungent smell. I used the cr in the other room as well(which was hardly used since my in-laws) but it was the same.
The pool was sooooooo far away. I guess this would be a plus for people who really want r &r in the pool area but it was quite inconvenient for us, especially since we had to go back and forth during the pictorial.

Points for improvement:
Decor! We would have loved to book the villa rooms if we felt that they would add up to the "feel" in photos but they were way too bare. Good thing that our p/v team was very creative and found nooks and crannies that would serve as good backdrops to the frames.

Final Say:
I would recommend The Legend Villas for people who are looking for great value for money, especially guests who are merely looking for budget-friendly accommodation in a very good location. Compared to other hotels, this hotel is very lenient and you can bring in cooked food, accommodate as many guests as possible(such a pro if the room will be used for wedding preps/intimate parties). However, if you are looking for a more poshed and well-appointed accommodation, I guess you have better options in the Ortigas area.

Photo from our official photog:

This is way disappointing but I cannot, for the life of me, find our shots at the hotel :(. Sorry for a non-visual review. Tah-tuh!

After 4 days of Partying and sleepless nights :)

After almost a year.. we are finally married! It feels so good to start off a new month with this change.. I feel like we are experiencing many firsts and I am basking in the glory of love, takin' in everything and enjoyin' it.. Of course, I know that I would have to write suppliers' ratings at some point, but that would have to wait as I try to be more objective about how things went and not just on an emotion attached to a supplier. Cheers to us, to our families, the suppliers and everybody else who made this possible! Here are some sneak peeks into what happened:

I'm still asking for my husband's help regarding the link to the video.. I want it to play directly on this page but he's kinda busy with other stuff so it might have to wait for another post.. I'll upload more pictures as soon as we get them.. Cheers again and God Bless us all!

My mountaineering retirement and its indefinite date

I once mentioned that after our wedding, I will convert this blog into a travel blog, which for the most part, would include more posts on mountains that we've climbed. No, this will not be an attempt to follow the steps of Gideon Lasco. Rather, this blog will be more of on the kwento side- for those who are just about to get into the sport and needs a little cajoling to be convinced; and 2, for those who cannot do it for some reason and wish to be a mountaineer even just in spirit.

I have been deprived of mountaineering for 2 months. Though I barely had a facial and a few treatments as feeble attempts to look better on my special day, I dont want to jeopardize my current skin tone by hiking. That is why, this pent up energy of not being able to hike will most likely explode after the wedding, and as a prelude to what this blog would become in the future, I decided to collate information on mountains that I wish to climb before I "retire" from mountaineering. There was a time that I limited it to 5- Pinatubo, Mt. Apo, Kota Kinabalu, Mt. Asog, and Pulag via Akiki(I have done Ambangeg). Now, the list is becoming longer again, thus the title " my mountaineering retirement and its indefinite date".

1. Kibungan Circuit
In one way or another, I consider myself as one of the most prima donna mountaineers- I literally cross a mountain off my list if it is in Luzon and bringing private transpo is not an option. why? having a car eliminates a lot of hassle in logistics and if a vehicle's seating capacity is maximized, the transpo expenses is relatively the same. I havent included this mountain in my list because the old IT was only a traverse but with the new possibility of a back track, we will definitely schedule a Kibungan climb in the near future via Mt. Tagpaya.

(credits to promdicitygirl.blogspot.com)

2. Balingkilat
Mt. Pundaquit was the first and last mountain that I've climbed in Zambales because the scorching heat in Anawangin(which was contrast to the high waters we prepared for) was something I never wish to experience again. However, I'd like to change the statistics by adding Balingkilat to my list. Balingkilat is very much exposed just like Pundaquit but with God's grace, it can be a bearable trek in the last quarter.

(credits to http://zharnec.multiply.com)

3. Asog/Iriga
My husband is 100% Bicolano and climbing a mountain rooted in his heritage would be a great tribute. I would have loved to write and include Isarog but it takes so much to climb it- time(most of all), effort and money. Therefore, I prefer to put Isarog in this list since it is most realistic and includes a well-rounded schedule.

(meiokoi's shot when he was still staying in the ricefields)

4. Malasimbo
Malasimbo serves as a perfect backdrop to Puerto Galera and it would be nice to climb it vis-a-vis a trip to the beach. Before I became a mountaineer, I have always considered myself a beach bum and therefore such destinations are always high on my list.

(credits to mam joie)

5. Kota Kinabalu
It is a bit redundant to include this given that our honeymoon will be in KK. However, we booked their "extreme" package, which means that we have to be able to climb the mountain in a day. Therefore, there's always the chance that we will not reach the top,and hence I am keeping all fingers (toes even!) that we will reach the top successfully, despite the time constraints.

Low's Peak, the highlight of climbing Mt. Kinabalu

I would have loved to rave on about Apo, Pulag via Akiki and Pinatubo but mountaineering enthusiasts would know that the dream of climbing these three are self explanatory. I am excited about the future posts and am hoping that posts like this can help others in simple ways.

Till Next time!

wake me up when this is all over: the wedding preps fighting sequel

Today, I did turn over everything to Meio. The church offerings, the wedding rings, the arrhae, the rsvp call-out list, the suppliers' receipts, the task list. EVERYTHING. He was so angry because he couldn't understand all the fuss. He went down the car. As soon as he stepped out, I wept my heart out. After a few minutes of blurred vision, he came back and went back inside. "Hindi naman kita kayang tiisin. Uuwi nga ako, mag-iisip naman ako. Mag-usap na tayo kung bakit ka nagagalit skin"
And so we talked, and talked, and talked. Amidst the rain, the honking and that froglet girl who I knew waited much longer than necessary just to uzi about our love quarrel. And we became okay.

Some of the things I'm about to share, I realized them a long time ago...Some, I needed a wake up call to realize. Either way, these are for future brides and/or grooms- whether you are in the process of planning your own or a marriage is still in your distant future.

1. Your husband-to-be doesn't come from a mass-produced tin can.
There were instances when I kept wishing that I could switch husbands with some girls that I know for the sake of getting the results that I was aiming for. But boys will be boys. My fiance's cousin was so hands-on with the preps, he knew the differences in floral quotations for a December wedding(much pricier). A college friend practiced answers with his wife before doing their canonical interview.my uncle smoked like hell minutes before his wedding. My father gave tons of money to my mother so she had liberty to buy what she wanted for the wedding.
Many times, I kept wishing he would be perfect, even just for that split second that I needed his cooperation. But my fiance, just like me, is an individual with strengths and weaknesses and it just so happened that in instances when I needed him most, his weaknesses prevailed.. Hence I had to try harder to remember #2

2. Work on his strengths
He may not be the best shopping buddy but he can sure as hell budget everything very well. He doesnt like coming to food tastings but he knows the nooks and crannies of the metro where you can find cheap stuff. Use this to your advantage and assign tasks that he can ace. I banked on this and we did get amazing results- our invites and save the dates got tons of compliments, he didnt mind going to the church and talking to the staff, he aced our canonical interview because of his respectful ways.There were some things that I knew I could never ask him to do, but there were things as well that I couldnt have done as well as he did.

3. Go back to basics.

Remember the reason why you are doing all these in the first place: You will be marrying the love of your life. Remember that you want to spend the rest of your life loving this person, thus you want to remember the day that binds you together. With this in mind, isn't it right that you will remember it for the right reasons? For the joy, the beauty and not for the stress that it caused you? Enjoy the preps, ease a little, forgive yourself for the mistakes, and if it's not too much to ask(or if it didnt cost that much), forgive others as well, like the suppliers or an antribida relative ^_^.

He gave my ring on April 9 2011 and in a few days, it'll be year. Ambilis! I am more excited than ever about the big day..

our picture hours before he gave the ring in Mt. Timbak, Benguet

see you soon!

wake me up when this is all over

I am sad and very upset that it has come to this. Tomorrow, I will turn over all wedding preparation details to my fiance.

For the past couple of months, I have been upset with him over wedding preps. There were some things that I told him to attend to much earlier but lo and behold, he simply ignored and did only when he felt like doing them. I know it is against the nature of men to plan, execute and scrutinize wedding details so I assigned tasks which I felt were in his alley. A few tasks that I cannot do, and yet, he would cram and do them at the last minute.

Yesterday, something to this effect happened again, and today, I snapped. Somehow, I cannot bear another crying session by myself. Another moment of getting really annoyed over something that should have been attended to, or done a few months ago at the very least.

Today will be our canonical interview. For information purposes, it's the interview you do with the priest before you get married. It is a must in all Catholic churches. In the church where we want to wed, they refuse to accept our reservation until we have passed (I repeat pass) the interview.

I snapped because I brought up the idea of practicing our answers, just to make sure that we are on the same page. That we are not caught off guard by questions that we did not prepare for. However, he asked me, in that same nonchalant tone that I have grown to resent " Na-aano kaba sa interview?" Simply put, he couldnt believe that I was worrying too much about it.

He texted me today and he explained his side. But it was just another of one too many incidents. Of nonchalant tones. Of things not attended. Of deadlines moved. Of things when my veins are throbbing and yet, the only answer I can get comes in a nonchalant tone.

Money does not grow on trees and I have long accepted that there are some things that we cant have on our wedding due to money constraints. Like preps in a five star hotel suite. a limo bridal car and so on. That's why I have worked very hard to make small details count. To make things as perfect as they can be despite our budget limitations.

But today, I've had enough. I did not listen to reason. I cannot accept excuses and explanations.

I will turn over almost all preparations to him. Tasks that need to be done. Payment schedules that need to be fulfilled. I might regret it in the end, but I am in a masochist mode and I am almost hoping for everything to fail so that finally, I can say, "I told you so.
"
sigh**

the wedding aftermath

It is approximately 2 months before our big day and more than ever, it is starting to get very real. For the past couple of weeks, I have been more intense about preparations and the next few weeks will get more intense so I want to take a mental break from the preps and think about the aftermath. The wedding is just a one day affair, and I am excited about what lies ahead. I dont want to feel apprehensive and overwhelmed when the time comes, so I am starting to think about the future that lies ahead and here are some questions that are brewing in my head

1.What will I do with this blog?
our title reads: we've known for years that we'll grow old together. It's time to let you know too. It's catchy for a wedding preps blog, but what happens when the preps are over? I decided that since hubby and I are mountaineers and we've been to a few tourist spots, I'll convert this into a travel blog. I'll blog about mountains and tourist spots we've visited, for information purposes.

2. How will I make room in MY ROOM for my husband?
After the wedding, hubby and I plan to live here in my parents' house, at least until the time that we are ready to move to a house that we plan to build.However, I probably have one of the most cluttered bedrooms on earth. I do tend to keep a lot of things and I've never denied the fact that I dislike cleaning and organizing things, hence I have a plethora of items that take up too much space. Therefore, I have started up cleaning or at the very least, I made feeble attempts, so that my room, which will be our haven in the next few months, can accommodate an extra person, an lcd tv(which we plan to buy soon), a sofa(so that we dont stay all day in bed) and hubby's other thingies.

3. How does mountaineering fit in in a newly wed pregnant woman's life?
I have thought about this a gazillion times and I dunno what will happen. So far, I know 2 women who are mountaineers and have had babies and truth be told, I'd love to have an opportunity to have a conversation with them, one at a time, talk show style, to ask questions on how they are able to climb mountains given the fact that they have babies. We lift it up to God as to when we will have our blessing, but the idea of not being able to climb mountains for about 11 months(9 mos pregnancy +recovery period) or maybe longer is making me sad VERY VERY VERY VERY SAD. Hence, I would like to work around this concern by:

suggesting more day hikes(or trips that would only take a day)
suggesting mountains where I can wait at a specific point while they hike(like Manalmon and Batulao)
suggesting mountains where I can stay at a tourist spot while they hike(like malasimbo, close to puerto galera and benguet mountains close to baguio)

4. And another looming follow up question: what if we cant get pregnant?

The writer of one of the sites I follow wrote(in essence) that she was ramping up herself to be a mother that she never thought of what she would do if there was no baby.. The reason being she lost her baby a few months ago. I'm not being nega and all..I definitely dont want to lose a baby and I definitely want to be a mother. I just want to be realistic and all..that it's possible that we might not have a baby immediately or for real..so I wanna be ready for that too..just in case. :)


Obviously, question number 3 bothers me the most so I should have put it first. Haha. Anyways, we'll find ways with God's grace.
tah-tuh!