Filipina Bloggers in Their Wedding Gowns

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Love is in the air these days. What better way to feature love than through the eyes of a bride in her dream wedding gown. Every wedding gown has its own story to tell. If it could speak, it would be the guardian of memories for the night. It isn’t just proof of one’s most beautiful state; it is witness to the gamut of our emotions, from the moment it is put on to the time it is returned to the box. Instead of featuring socialites in their fancy wear, why not feature our lovely Filipina bloggers? Guess who is who in these photos!

mimi-bday-party-010.JPGmyrnas_wedding_gown1.jpgcookie_wedding_gown.jpg

gail-wedding_gown.jpgdine_wedding_day.jpgwedding_gown.jpgmec_wedding_gown_1.jpg

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Happy Slip Peelings Video and My Dad

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The other night, my husband and I slept at 2:00 AM because we enjoyed watching Happy Slip’s YouTube videos. You know, we needed our endorphin fix. The Peelings video hits close to my heart for many reasons because of my dad. The quirky characters played by Happy Slip as the “aunt” and “mom” display so many similarities to my dad’s Filipino personality. Is it old-school now?

(gasp), I see myself in them too.

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Love Struck Writing Contest

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THE WINNERS

Top 3 Winners

1. Mnel- First Kiss

Lauren says This story is captivating because it focuses on just one aspect of the love story – the first kiss. Other events and details were written in such a way as to emphasize the magic of that moment.

2. Lady Cess- The Promise of a Fairy Godmother

Lauren says that Her love story has a great hook and an interesting twist. I love how the ending leaves a lot to the imagination.

3. KingDaddyRich- Siya

Lauren says It was a bit of a struggle to read his entry because it’s written in Tagalog, but I love how he made poetic use of the language to create imagery that stays.

Runners-up

1. Kongkong – The End of Friendship

2. Fitz- A Valentine’s Date to Remember

3. Mr. Z- Strange Times My Dear

As a couple, Butch and I celebrate three anniversaries: the day we met, the day we became steadies and the day we got married. See, that’s how big I am with celebrations and anniversary dates. Celebration is a high form of praise of gratitude. To celebrate is to delight in the gift, to show gratitude. And that’s what I intend to do today. Celebrate the day that Butch and I first met each other 30 years ago.

diary.jpgI sifted through the yellowed pages of my diary to that day when I first met my ex-boyfriend at the UP Campus Shopping Center. I laughed at my entry because apparently, I was in love with another guy that day I met Butch. I simply forgot about it and it explains why I did not fall for Butch right away.

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Boracay and The Dream

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A dream about a late loved one is often a gift. “Don’t overanalyze it. Accept it with gratitude.” But what happens when a friend dreams about your blog entry? Here is a story which is one for the books.

I apologized to Cathy that I was unable to attend the Grief Share meeting last Saturday. Here are parts of our chat a few hours ago.

Cathy: okay lang. I read it in your blog.

Me: I haven’t blogged yet about boracay. Where did you read it? in my blog?

Cathy: yes. about my recovery

Me: No I haven’t blogged about it yet. The wi-fi was so slow in the hotel.

Feeling rather surprised, I checked my blog if I accidentally posted an entry. I knew that Abe blogged about it so maybe that’s where she found out.

Cathy insisted that she only reads my blog.

Cathy: I saw a photo of you in front of Microtel with Butch and Lauren.
microtelmcirotel

Me:: Only Lauren went with me.

Then Cathy narrated all the photos she saw in the entry I never posted (until now):

Cathy: There’s a nice shot of palm trees at dusk. You have a photo with Abe.

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I pointed Anton Diaz Boracay Escape with Pinoy Travel Bloggers and Ivan Henares Microtel Boracay in Diniwid Beach entries but Cathy did not read those entries either.

Me:: Maybe you accidentally saw my Boracay Photo Gallery?

Cathy: Ah No. It was a collage of photos. (Cathy takes a look at my gallery) There is that picture in the boat and I thought the man in stripes beside you was Butch

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Me: How did you know then? I have not shown my photos yet to my readers because I have 500 photos to upload. Besides I cannot make a collage because my macbook does not have Photoshop.

Cathy: If you didn’t post, then how else did I see it? Psychic powers?

Me: then no other way unless you read the 12 other bloggers’ entry.

Cathy insisted again that she only reads my blog from the the list of Pinoy Travel bloggers I mentioned.

Cathy: You even wrote thanks to SeAir and Microtel and there was one other sponsor I cannot remember. And you added that you were glad that Lauren was able to join you on the trip.

The sponsorship and Lauren were the clincher. One can conjure dream images of the beach and my travelling companions. But the sponsors? There are a gazillion hotels in Boracay. And airlines? There are around 5 airlines that fly to Boracay. Also, how would she know that Lauren nearly didn’t make it to Boracay? Her dream is almost accurate.

How can one explain my blog entry that Cathy read but which I have not posted yet (or still drafting as I write this)?

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My UP Centennial Celebration

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Tomorrow, January 8 kicks off the year-long centennial celebration of the University of the Philippines. Spearheading the kick-off rites is the UP Alumni Association (UPAA). While everyone celebrates in their own unique way, I will celebrate my University of the Philippines (U.P.) Student days’ memories in this blog. Excuse me for my unabashed display of school pride.

mommy_in_UP.jpgThe opportunity to study in the U.P. Diliman campus would never have been possible without the motivation from my mother, the late Salustiana Veloso. She graduated Cum Laude, 1954 with two degrees, BA in Education, Major in English and Minor in Music (Voice). Mom envisioned her children studying in her alma mater, In college, you will study in U.P.. As far back as I could remember, mom always ingrained those words in our minds. (six out of seven siblings eventually did. One chose to study in Ateneo).

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New Year Goals for 2008

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New Year 2008Happy New Year 2008! I greeted the New Year by taking a slice of this evil Dairy Queen Peppermint Ice Cream cake. Let’s all greet the new year on a positive note by setting goals for ourselves. It’s a good thing that my sister reminded me of my New Year goals last year. Yesterday, she read the Review of New Year Goals for 2007 and it reminded her to set her goals. Butch loved the idea of writing down my goals when I told him that I achieved 8 out of my 11 goals for the New Year.

I realize that goals need to be written down. It serves as an affirmation of myself, my life, and my ability to choose. Then I let it go. New Year goals are something we need to dig within and discover what we would like to happen in our life this year. It is an affirmation that we are interested in living life in the year to come.

So the questions evolved. What would I like to attain? Where would I like to go? What would I like to happen in my marriage and family life? I have to remember that I am not out to control others with my goals but rather giving direction to my life. So I continue on pondering. What problems would I like to be solved? What decisions would I like to make? What would I like to happen in my business?

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Review of 2007 Goals

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planner for 2008
The Year 2007 has been good to me and I attribute it to the setting of goals. I am grateful that I laid down my New Year Goals in this blog and even listed them in my Starbucks Planner. I normally don’t use a Planner since my smart phone is adequate enough to store appointments and other plans. But 2007 brought about a multitude of plans that needed careful organization and planning. Not that I am superstitious or anything, the Starbucks Planner (actually any planner will do) brought me on track. I was able to renovate and move in our new home within two months from contract signing.

This was my New Year’s Goal for 2007 which I wrote on January 2, 2007. Let me show you how much of these goals were actually met.

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Christmas in Our Hearts

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christmas_kitty1.jpgEven the kitties at our home feel the Christmas Spirit. It’s as if they know it’s Christmas and play “cutesy” poses to blend with our Christmas decors. Like the song goes in “Christmas in Our Hearts” by Jose Mari Chan, I believe Christmas lies in our hearts. Everyone at home feels the Christmas spirit in their hearts.

So let me share Christmas in Our Hearts (as sang by my two girls and the 1999 Manila Children’s Choir) so the message rings all throughout the year:

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Paskong Pinoy- Christmas Dinner Date Tradition

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Warning: Not for the Grinch or those suffering the Holiday Blues. This is dedicated to Aileen’s Paskong Pinoy compilation.

my husband and meIf you have read our love story, you would know that this is our 30th Christmas together of which seven years were spent physically apart from each other. Those seven Christmases were spent with my dad and siblings in Cebu. You can imagine what it was like for a lovestruck couple like us who had no means of communication during the two week break. Sure, there was the expensive long distance calls which needed an operator to get a connection. Suffice it to say that all he could manage to blurt out was Merry Christmas…how are you?…sige, expensive na. Love you. bye. which reminds me of that Smart commercial over the radio. No lovers’ conversation. No time to swoon or babble sweet nothings. Nada.

Lucky for most couples these days, there is email, text messaging, cellphone calls, video chat and what not. I yearned to be with my boyfriend during Christmas day but I knew that my family of origin was my number one priority. The meaning of Christmas is about God’s love that He brought Jesus Christ to this world. Christmas is about love , the love and joy of family. I understood that well.

To make up for the physical separation, the 18 year old Butch started this brillant idea of having an annual Christmas dinner date tradition where we celebrated the Christmas message of love. Our love. On our first Christmas date together by the Manila Bay, the hopelessly romantic Butch held my hand and pointed our hands towards the moon as if we were holding the moon together. In the most seductive voice, he whispered to my ears:

don’t worry, my love. Even if we are not together on Christmas day, just stare at the moon. Hold it and know that I am holding it too. We are together in spirit. The moon sees us.

christmas dinnerDeeply touched and giddy all over, the equally hopelessly romantic me almost cried at his sappiness. He assured me that this separation was only temporary and that we would be spending Christmas for the rest of our lives. Every Christmas day in Cebu for the next 7 years, I strolled outside my home standing there by the garden, blanketed by the twinkling stars trying to hold the moon and knowing that Butch would do the same. (of course, I cannot vouch that he was doing the same.)

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