Sunday, February 27, 2005

Lazy Girl


Sofa and Painting
Originally uploaded by Janey123.
I've been exhausted the whole week. Always on the run. Went swimming yesterday. Felt so tired and my body aches. Sunday is a nice time to relax and rejuvinate!

Been watching our wedding video for the nth time today. My excuse, checking for faulty dvd burning, had to inspect frame by frame. Oh well, I've almost memorized the song lyrics as well as the the scenes. Sometimes, I still can't help but weep.

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Reel Deal


bride
Originally uploaded by sThig.

Got our video today from DVPost. We first thought that we would just have a viewing of the edited version and get the raw clips. Surprisingly, we got to take home the final product in less than a month. I really requested that they finish it by tuesday next week (as my FIL will be leaving for PNG on Wed.) They didn't promise me anything but deep inside I hoped that they'll do it.

It was really pleasant to watch, fast-paced, not dragging nor redundant, light-hearted and a picture of a truly joyous occassion. Every scene was worth keeping! But the video only lasted for 20 mins. I don't know if it's too short. Maybe I hoped that it would be longer. I feel that they could have done a better job with the dvd menu. In any case we saw what we wanted to see and it was documented well. That was enough.

Wow! Now I saw how the event unfolded. As usual, I got teary-eyed watching the wedding march and the father-bride dance. Once again, i fed jayson's brewing plan to embarrass me. What a cry baby! I cried because I'm so ecstatic! I think that's a good sign that they did their job well.

Personally, i don't like the idea of being unobtrusive (quite an overused word) when it comes to video. We all need a little help every now and then. A little directing is of big help! Sometimes we get lost, confused on how things should go about. Their artistry is what we've payed for. Let the videographers do their work, but not to the point of orchestrating the whole thing (which i think they won't be able to do unless you're a moron!). As you get the hang of it, everything will transpire smoothly.

Final Verdict: 9 (avp, on-site, video)

To DVPost, Kudos! It was our pleasure to work with you!

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Triumphant Times

Same time last year, nothing ever gave me comfort. Waiting for the result of the physician board exam was taking a toll on me. It was agonizing! Imagine having your whole life's work defined by ONE exam. Does it make you a less competent person if you fail or does it make you a better person if you succeed? Nobody can tell you the answer but yourself.
Times like this calls for inspiration, something that will uplift our spirits and renew our faith. Look on the bright side! Are we winners or Losers?

The winner always has a plan, the loser has an excuse.
The winner makes a mistake and says "I was wrong"", the loser says "it is not my fault".
The winner learns from those better than he is, the loser tears down those better than he is.
The winner says "it may be difficult but it is possible", the loser says "it may be possible but it is difficult".

Goodluck to my future collegues!

Misinformation

Since I just got my laptop today, my e-mails from W@W got piled-up with one-liners, PM's and messages with incompatible subject headings. Grrrrrrrrr!



Anyway, as I was deleting the messages, one post captured my attention (because I saw Mimi's name on the subject). Knowing how much we love our photographer, Mimi, and appreciate all the effort that she gives to her work, we felt the need to defend her through our post. Nothing personal, just something to put things into perspective.

Here is our answer to this comment by another w@wie ( Si Jaimee kasi he edits the picture para mas maganda unlike Dino Lara and Mimi Abesamis.) :

I'd like to comment on Mimi Abesamis not editing her pictures , i think the entire point of turning digital is the ability to manipulate certain aspects of the images. Techniques may differ based on many factors. i guess you choose the photographer you like the best based on your own personal preference, we chose Mimi because of her subtlety, saying that she doesn't in fact edit her images is probably the biggest compliment you could be giving her. Unfortunately in a wedding setting where there are far too many variables to control and consider, it is highly unlikely Mimi or any photographer can take a picture and not find anything technically wrong with it. There is no perfect picture thus the entire point of digital editing. But just to make sure and to prevent misinformation you could just go ahead and ask her.



Monday, February 21, 2005

Moving Forward

We made our first withdrawal from our joint account today. I was saddened by the decreasing value of our savings as I placed the ATM card in and out of the slot. There was no other choice. We needed to buy equiptments for us to set-up our New Clinic.

Bambang, a shoping haven for Medical supplies. We didn't want to go through the fuss of going from one store to another just to bargain for such a small amount. With one stop, we got all that we needed to buy.

The easy thing is over. What's harder is to put other peoples' lives in our hands with the intention to heal them of their ailments. This is the hardest part, to wait anxiously for your patients to recover. I am pertified, not because I'm incompetent but because I don't want to put harm unto those who will seek my care. At this point, God is my only ally.

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Mission Accomplished!


Things we were able to do today:

- Get Jayson's TIN number
- Claim our first ATM card as a couple
- Set-up our clinic
- DSL connection installed
- Called my friend's Travel Agency for help regarding Visa for Papua New Guinea

Whew!

Monday, February 14, 2005

Vday

What a day!? This is our first time to celebrate Valentine's day as a married couple. It didn't turn out to be the most romantic date, nor was it productive, but sharing the day with his parents was worth it.

Since Jayson's mom will be leaving on Wednesday for Papua New Guinea, we tagged along with them the whole day, going to the embassy, the airline, POEA and taking some time to take them shopping. We must have walked the day away.

Oh! and yeah, we also took some time to share a few bites with my hubby. Yum!yum!


Sharing a bite of our favorite dessert, choco chip muffins! Happy Vday, baby! Posted by Hello

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Our Coordinator's Letter

Jayson & Leslie,
I'm really moved with the message you have for me and my team. I should thank you guys as early because I have been receiving inquiries from w@w all of them referring to the pleasant endorsement they got from you. Maraming Salamat po and I would really appreciate your referrals we need that very much.

Btw, you owe yourselves a lot, too. I have always believed that the success of a wedding would always depend on how the couple have lovingly put in their efforts. i know you'll as much apply the same zest in your married life, one that shall never change.

Let's keep in touch and we'd love to hear the fruition of all these ... when you'll have little jayson's and leslie's soon .

MARAMING, MARAMING SALAMAT TALAGA.

Our love and prayers,
wini and the witty jobs party team

Let the Music Play

We're in the process of video editing. And choosing the right song is detrimental in setting the mood for the video.
We only need 5 songs. I'm still clueless on what to choose. I'm not up for standard and classic love songs.

How's this for starters:
1. Beautiful Day - U2
2. No Ordinary Love - Jennifer Love Hewitt
3. This I promise you - N'sync (which incidentally was my wedding march song)
4. A Moment Like this - Kelly Clarkson
5. If I Ain't got You - Alicia Keys

Thursday, February 10, 2005

A Pinch in My Heart

After all that's been said and done, everything that we worked hard for payed-off. Here are some words that inspire and heart-warming thoughts from my sisters at W@W.

hi leslie!
looks like you had a fun wedding! i liked your gown and your mom's gown too :) i admire you for putting all the extra effort in incorporating
the details in your wedding. congratulations for a successful wedding!
wishing you many years of bliss with jayson!

joanna ni rey

Hi Leslie,
I saw your pictures and they are great, ok lang yong crying moments mo pa-demure effect... hehe!. Anyways, I'm glad that the two of you are okay. I liked your gown, I'm also in the planning process with Michi thanks to you and Monina, at least I have a sample of her gown na.
Best Wishes to you and Jayson!

Nette

Leslie! I just saw your pictures!! I looooove it! It truly was a great and detailed wedding :) Im more convinced to get Mimi na tuloy. Ive been leaning towards her ever since. I will be booking her this week since she has a discount going on,. hehehe.
I just would like to tell you you look very very happy :)

Regards to Jason,
Aggie


Hey Leslie,
Congratulations to you and your hubby for having what seems like a perfectly wonderful wedding! And, I sooo love your gown! Just perfect for you. Remember, I told you before, that you'll make a beautiful bride and you really were. You were blooming! You two seemed a perfect match.
I wish the two of you to stay euphoric as you go on each day of your lives as a married couple.

Cheers,
~Geca~

Suppliers' Rating

Photographer: Mimi Abesamis and Karl de Leon of Fotogra
http://www.fotogra.ph
0917-6246464

They are our favorite suppliers! From the prenups to the wedding itself, they were great! After going to all the bridal fairs looking for photographers' porfolio/albums, Mimi's work which we saw via internet, is the only one that Jayson didn't criticize badly. A small price to pay for high quality of worksmanship.
Though we consider them as our friends now, they still maintained their professionalism. Parang di napapagod sa kaka shoot. They bring out the best in us.

Verdict: 10

Videographer: DVPost
Glass Tower Bldg. 115 C. Palanca st. Makati

Very affordable! for 25k we had 1 cam set-up, free avp, free on-site edit, free 6x6ft Lcd and multimedia player. I was very comfortable working with them. Judging from the AVP(thanks to Nice who did it) and on-site edit(thanks to Olga) alone, i'm sure that the final output for the video will be spectacular. This under-rated team can go head-to-head with other overrated and overpriced vidographers.

Verdict: 9 (for AVP and On-site edit)


Music: Saturday Night Project (Acoustic)
Kathy Solis
0917-8589727

Since they're not Catholics, they were not able to sing church songs during the mass. But for the reception, they brought the house down! The 2 vocalists had different styles. Never boring! And very affodable.
Cons: They left early and they didn't get to sing for the couple's first dance.

Verdict: 8


Church: St. Francis of Assisi Chapel (inside Fernwood Gardens)

As a child, I've always dreamed of getting married in a big church with all its grandeur. But the moment I saw this chapel upon visiting fernwood, it turned my world around. Very simple and one-of-a-kind, it has an atmosphere that will relax your senses. We love how intimate the ceremony turned out. Even though the chapel got filled with guest(which is a very good thing), ventilation did not become a problem, thanks to airconditioning!

Verdict: 10
Posted by Hello


Venue: Fernwood Gardens(Venue 1)
71 Cenacle Drive, Sanville Subd. QC
Contact person: Joy Ycasas

I first saw a picture of Fernwood Garden way back 2002 on Mega Magazine. Upto this very day, I kept it with me. I knew that this is the perfect place to celebrate our union with our family and friends. It's an eye candy for everyone! Unique and first of its kind. It's like being inside a botanical garden. It was the "rain-free" effect that did it for me,not to mention the exotic birds and koi pond too. It was perfect!
Btw, our AE, Joy is the best! She gets things done and always accomodating.
Bonus: we had at least 250 guest and they didn't charge us an extra P70/head for the exceeding 50guests.

Verdict: 10 Posted by Hello

Caterer: VS&F
Contact person: Val Jamora
937-4989

I first thought of getting Josiah's before I met Val Jamora (supervisor/AE) of VS&F during one of the bridal expo's at SM city. We chose them mostly for the quality and choices of food. We had 2 food tastings with them and in both occassions, it tasted great. True enough, they didn't disappoint us. All our guests complimented the food and the serving was big.
Another thing that blew my mind was the set-up. Because we were having a Japanese themed wedding, we were not sure if they could pull it off. The set-up I wanted needed that we upgrade the flowers to include papyrus foliage (which is expensive according to most florists). But because it wasn't in the list of our priorities, we dropped the upgrade. I was surprised to see how beautiful the centerpieces are and Mang Roland of Flowers Unlimited (VS&F's florist/stylist) included most of my requests.

Verdict: 10+ Posted by Hello

Cake: Alex Franco

YummY! Need I say more?

Verdict: 10+ Posted by Hello

OTD Coordinator: Wini Sanchez of Witty Jobs Party Team
0927-5220168

Wini and her staff are really masters of their league. I never had a problem with her except for her being slightly late during our meetings. Maybe I was just really early for the appointment. I really appreciated how she made me feel during that special day. I felt proud and confident that nothing will go wrong. That's how confident I am with her team. They're very courteous and polite with the guests and everything happened as planned. Most of all, she's a very imaginative emcee. Never a dull moment during the reception.

Verdict: 10+
 Posted by Hello

Hotel Preps: Astoria Plaza
Escriva Drive, Ortigas Center

This was the perfect place for preps. I had a hard time booking with Astoria so i had it booked on-line thru Asia Travel. It has a Zen interior, which complimented our theme. The rooms are very spacious with very friendly staff and house-keeping. Although, breakfast buffet is not so good.

Verdict: 9  Posted by Hello

Entourage gowns: Itchy Co
225 Katipunan Ave. QC
439-2884, 0917-8574271



She's a very promising designer. Payment terms was never an issue with her. It just took one fitting for the gowns, and it's done. Raise the roof! Job well done.

Verdict: 10+
 Posted by Hello

Flowergirls gowns: Jenette Panganiban
San Miguel, Hagonoy Bulacan

She did the labor free of charge...as a wedding gift to his cousin Jayson.
Verdict: 10
 Posted by Hello

Dad's Barongs: July Bonifacio
Sto. Domingo, QC

Free labor...Another wedding gift.
Verdict: 10
 Posted by Hello

gown details Posted by Hello

Bridal Gown, Groom's Apparel, & Mothers' Gowns:
Michi Calica-Sotto
11 Pennsylvania st. New Manila, QC
722-0061, 0917-8911968

She is a darling! She saved me from all my miseries with a previous designer. Very professional and straight-forward. She would't promise something that she could not deliver. Most of all, being a woman and has been a bride herself, she understands what most of us need. I just love my gown. Simple as it is, it's so me. She captured my style and personality.
With Jayson's barong, it was a perfect fit! One fitting and that's it. Neatly tailored and structured. He couldn't stop raving about it.
As for the mom's gowns, they just adore their gowns.

Verdict: 10++
Posted by Hello

Florist: Tropical Blooms
Dangwa , Sampaloc, Manila


Since I reside a few blocks away from Dangwa, i decided to go with Tropical Blooms. It was Ate Matet (Angel Pennaroyo's wife) whom I negotiated with. I have a big entourage and that meant more flowers and a higher price. Again, I requested for a papyrus foliage just to go with the Japanese theme. She gave me a lot of freebies too. When I received the bouquets at the hotel, I was really pleased. The colors were so vibrant and appealing. I was so happy with my bouquet too. It was not what I expected but Mang Angel delivered and did not disappoint. Don't get me wrong. I loved it! Even my oh so critical mom said that it was unique yet simple. Very Zen.

Verdict: 10+ Posted by Hello

Invitations: QP designs

We wanted something that looks like an origami piece. Everybody who received our invitations complimented us for it. It only took 11 days for the invitations to be finished. They even gave us free thank you cards. Most of all, they displayed our invitations at their shops. What could be more flattering than that?

Verdict: 10+ Posted by Hello

Souvenirs Posted by Hello

Souvenirs, Missalette, Unity Candle : DIY

I did everything myself as a labor of love.
Verdict: 10+++++++++++++++++++++
 Posted by Hello

Shoes: VNC
Glorietta Mall/Robinson's Galleria

I first thought of having my shoes done at Solea's. But after making an appointment and beeing stood up, I just opted for ready-made. VNC was on sale that day and I was lucky to grab the last pair. The only problem...it's hard to look for a shoe that fits my specifications.

Verdict: 10
 Posted by Hello

Monday, February 07, 2005

A Letter from Michi

Dearest Leslie and Jayson,

My heartfelt congratulations to the coolest newlywed doctors in town.
Thank you for the photos, it looked like such a happy celebration! And
indeed you were heavenly!

May I have permission to feature your photos and letter in my website?
You were so photogenic!

Sincerely,
Michi



You can read our testimonials on her website: Michi Calica
Michi and I

Saturday, February 05, 2005

Petrified Lovers



I thought only famous people gets death threats. At least 2 days after our wedding bliss came this horrifying text messages. What did we do wrong? Was this somebody whom we forgot to invite? An ex-lover? We can't comprehend the anger that is within his/her heart. We go day-by-day living as if it were our last. Nobody can help us. The cellular network can't even do anything to trace the calls. NTC just offered to give him/her a warning, nothing more. I'm afraid for our lives. Mostly, I'm anguished for the ones we might be leaving behind.

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Wedding Moments

The wedding is over and I'm back with our story!

Truly, all the hard work payed-off. Since I've been planning the wedding by myself (jayson's just there to drive me around... sometimes), I often wonder if I can pull the whole thing off. We had 8 months to prepare for this event, one month for each year that we've been together. After all the weightloss, sleepless nights, and hairloss too, the wedding had commenced.

Most of the moments were unforgettable, but there are moments that stood out for me. This was really a day that no married couple will forget.

I'm a jolly person mostly. But everytime I see my dad, I get really emotional...a cry baby. The moment I got dressed with my gown, my dad disappeared from the room. Jayson's dad told me that my dad went to their room. "May baha sa kabilang kwarto." I thought somebody left an open faucet. Yun pala, bumabaha ng luha dahil sa dad ko. I kept on laughing! After a while, he came back to our room for the picture taking. Oh boy, I was surprised at myself. I totally lost it. One look at him and the tears just kept falling. Mimi (our photographer) didn't know what to do with me. Medyo matagal din ako naa-peace. Para ngang lalo nya ko pinicturan. Haha! It was time to take a family portrait. My mom was really in to it but my dad was hesitant. 4 shots pa lang, suko na! Naiiyak na naman kasi! So after a few more shots with my ento ,we headed off to fernwood.

It was so quiet in the car. Nobody wanted to show their emotions and start another crying session. We reached the church early. My parents got out of the car as I waited inside. I was so happy to see that the chapel was so full and there were even some guests standing on the sides. It was overwhelming! I entered the chapel with a smile, but halfway through the aisle, the tears kept pouring. There was nothing I can do to stop it. I saw my mom and dad waiting for me at the end, everybody was crying along with them. As my dad gave me away, I hugged him and it felt as if I didn't want to let go. But upon seeing Jayson approach to take my hand, I knew it was time to let go of my parents. When we reached our seats, my darling husband held my hand tight and whispered softly to my ear, " I love you, baby". That did it for me! It's really happening... I'm marrying the man that I've always loved and loved me back even more.



Seeing the faces of family and friends gathered inside the garden, knowing that many people wanted to share with our union, we were at loss for words. Some said, they wouldn't miss it for the world and that they waited for 8 agonizing years for this moment. Well, they're not alone. We did too! All the wait is over and everything was perfect.