An Opal Engagement Ring

A few days ago, a photo popped up on my phone of a beautiful opal ring on a very familiar hand. I didn't quite get the meaning until I read the words "He proposed!" in the text message. Imagine my surprise and joy at the fact that one of my dearest friends of earth was engaged to her longtime boyfriend of five years!

The photo on my phone

Maybe it's a year for wedding and engagements and new things. Perhaps its the age group were in, (late twenties) that is "typical" if I daresay of such events such as marriage, moves, and births of babies. It seems that in the last few years, we've been talking of weddings and babies more and more! (One of my other friends just gave birth and I am godmother to her a child, another friend is pregnant, Rhoda and I were bridesmaids at her wedding, and Rhoda was a bridesmaid at mine!) So much has come full circle.

Rhoda showing off her ring :D

But why an opal ring you may ask, not the traditional diamond? Well, her boyfriend listened to her last year when she said she didn't want a regular diamond ring, and the opal is her birthstone! He had to get it especially made for her. Isn't that different? I thought it was a wonderful idea!

I really wish I could be home in Cebu at this exciting time of my Rhoda's life. All the choices you have to make, dress designs, color motifs, venue, food, music, etc! (Yes you can tell I just got married too.) She and have seen each other through so much, through elementary, and high school, and college, not to mention through relationships! She's such a dear friend of mine, who's always seen me through thick and thin and I am deeply happy that we are both settled with good men to be beside us for the rest of our lives. 

So Rhods, if you're reading this too, I am so happy that you're happy with Jim. I love you and I wish you nothing but the best! And I promise. I'll be there on your special day!

On Changing Planes

I'm writing this at the Ninoy Aquino Interntional Airport, while waiting for our long haul flight from Manila to San Francisco. I think I'm a little overwhelmed but also caught up in the excitement of going on an extended vacation with my family, cause they're all coming with me to San Francisco! (Well, not really vacation for me as I'm moving to California but you get the picture.)

Au Revoir, Barry and Isha! Thank you for throwing me a farewell party!

This week was bittersweet as I said goodbye to friends and family, before making my way to my new life with my husband. Not to mention my dog, who did seem very lifeless today, he didn't even come up to me at the dining table for his usual "secret" nibble! Sigh. I hope he''ll be ok.

It's definitely hard, leaving home, family, and friends behind but I'm going to my new home now, and starting a new chapter in my life. I'm really excited for that too! Which makes all this bittersweet. But such is life and I am grateful for everything and for everyone, especially for this chance to take this trip with my family.

I'll see you soon Anya! Whether Cebu, SFO, or Australia!

Thanks for coming to see me at the airport girls!

Boarding.

See you tomorrow, San Francisco!

And Cebu, I'll be back!

Rayvin + Louanne, The Perfect Blend

Over the weekend, my whole family drove to Dumaguete to see my cousin Louanne marry her longtime sweetheart, Rayvin Pinero.

It was a lovely morning full of love, joy, and tears, as the eldest daughter of a brood of four officially tied the knot. Yes, I said morning! They had a beautiful ceremony at 7 AM at the grounds of the South Sea Resort in Dumaguete. The weather was perfect, windy, and not too warm nor humid. A yummy brunch followed, held at the hotel as well. (I loved that we could eat lechon at 9 in the morning!)

As you can see from the photos, Louanne and Rayvin chose the cheerful colors of yellow, orange and brown as their wedding motif and coffee as the emblem of their wedding as they got to know each other over many cups of coffee.

Here are some photos from that beautiful day.

My mother's magic. From this...

To this!

With the maid of honor, my cousin Issa

My parents getting to ready to march as Principal Sponsors

The beautiful bride being escorted down the aisle by her mom and uncle. And while she was walking, her groom was singing "Bless the Broken Road." I couldn't help but shed a few tears!


Welcome to the Family!


Issa, maid of honor, got picked for the garter!

Beautiful shot taken by one of the groomsmen, Meltoy Ferrero. How do you like the dresses I designed? The secondary sponsors dresses were orange and brown as well! I love how the colors came out!

Congratulations to the newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Rayvin Pinero! So happy for you guys! It was a beautiful wedding!

Anya of Anthill Fabric Gallery

I don't know what it is, maybe it's growing older, maybe it's cause I live in a small city, or maybe it's because I went to a small school. But in the few years that I've lived back home, I've found meeting new people to only be an occasional occurrence.

Which is why, I'm always happy when I meet and make new friends like Anya Lim of Anthill Fabric Gallery.

Photos courtesy of Stylecebu.com

I started coming to Anthill to buy yummy fabric for my dresses of course, and a friendship struck up between me and Anya, the owner and proprietress of the wonderful store. It's not every day that you meet someone as bright, smart, and funny as Anya. She's got this awesome, happy personality, and being around her is like being in a room with a bright ray of sunshine bouncing around.

Not to mention that she's giving! She used to work (and still does consulting) for World Vision, an organization that works to find sponsors for children in poverty all around the world. Then she founded Anthill with her mom, Annie Lim.

I love that Anthill is not just a fabric store, it's a socially responsible enterprise wherein not only do they sell fabric, but they also support new and upcoming local designers and indigenous weaving communities by making their products available to the public. And Anya is the perfect person to run it. She's super nice to everyone!

So Anya, if you're reading this, please know that I'm so glad we met and became friends! I know we didn't get to spend a lot of time together, but I know that we'll see each other again :) May you continue the wonderful work you do with World Vision, Anthill, and I know that you'll do great things wherever you go.

I'll see when I see you! Come visit me!

You can view Anthill's website here.

We voted! Did you?

And so we Filipinos wait, glued to our TVs for news, as our election day comes to a close.

As of 7:30 this evening, we still had friends waiting for their turns to be responsible citizens and cast their votes. And we watch the tallies and polls, wondering about the future of our nation.

Voting today, was not easy, difficult for many, and even deadly for some, as the new automated system is run for the first time and violence breaks out in some provinces. People literally had to wait for hours for their turn to shade the circles, cast their ballots, and get their fingers inked.

Let us pray for a safe and honest election and deserving, honest leaders who will be capable of leading our nation.

Sulong Pilipinas!

Wonderful Wedding Photographers

I, the queen of promptness, is being told that she was late for her own wedding.

I had wonderful wedding photographers, and I couldn't have been happier with them.

Let me introduce you to the men, Joey Reyna and his partner, Nelson Petilla.

Joey Reyna was referred to me by a friend and since I felt I hadn't quite found the right photographer in Cebu, I decided to check his work out and see how I felt about it. With all the stress and everything, I just decided to go with my gut, hired Joey and Nelson, and hoped I'd made the best decision.

When it came to our wedding photos, I knew that a good wedding photographer was on my top 5 list of non negotiables. That was one thing that I was willing to really budget for. You have your dress, cake, flowers, and everything else, but long after your wedding, you'll still have your wedding photos.

One month after our wedding, I've received 5 DVDs of raw files, and I feel that I could not have hired a better tandem.

One of the things I love about their style is their ability to capture emotion, and "moments" if you must. Sure you'll still have posed photos. But so many of Joey's and Nelson's photos are unexpected surprises which I really love.

So, thank you, Joey and Nelson, for all the wonderful moments that you captured for us! Thank you a million times!

You can view Joey's blog entry about our wedding here.