Side Trip: Crosswinds Christmas Village

After our lunch at the Pamana Restaurant, we went to Crosswinds Resort Suites for a photo op. Crosswinds  is a property development in Tagaytay inspired by the architecture of Switzerland. It isn't fully developed yet, but I swear, once you set foot there, you'd think you were in another country.

Diba? Think San Francisco. Though I don't know why they keep on saying it's the Switzerland of the Philippines. Haha.

For more information on Crosswinds, click HERE. 

We decided to pay Crosswinds a visit because we read on the Internet that it has its own Christmas village. Here's how the so-called village looks like:

Santa's House. Only kids are allowed to enter :(

The Christmas village wasn't as huge as we expected it to be. In fact, the "houses" were situated far from each other; we had to drive from one place to the next. Doesn't matter though. We had fun taking pictures and pretending we were in a foreign country. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from our family! :)

Dine In: Pamana

The last time I was in Tagaytay was two years ago. This year, my cousins and I decided to go back there after Christmas - just us, no adults allowed. Haha. We were planning to go to Enchanted Kingdom, but the weather refused to cooperate. Plus, we were warned to expect long customer lines there.

So, we agreed to just have lunch in Tagaytay and go sight seeing after. Our feet, and hungry tummies, led us to Pamana, a quaint Filipino restaurant just along the Aguinaldo Highway.

The restaurant is owned by the Ongpaucos or the Barrio Fiesta Restaurant Clan. Notice the photos of family members hanging on the walls. Of course, we were only familiar with actress Heart Evangelista. Haha.

Their interiors give off an old-fashioned feel. I remember my grandmother's old drawers and cabinets just by looking at the restaurant's decor. Everything in the shop - from the wooden chairs to the utensils - looks old. Haha.

I wouldn't end this post with just the photos of the furniture, would I? Here's what we ordered:

Crispy Pata

Bulalo

Pinaputok na Isda

I must say, that was one of the most satisfying Filipino lunches I've ever had. It was a bit expensive for my taste, but I'd consider it my money's worth.


Visit Pamana Restaurant at:
Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City
Beside Boutique Hotel, near the Tagaytay Rotunda

Year-End: Books

So aside from movies, I also promised myself that I'd devote more of my time on reading novels. This year, I was able to read ten. Don't judge ha. I do a lot of reading in school, so ten is already a big number for me.

Here is my 2012 book pile:

1. The Confession by John Grisham
2. The Client by John Grisham
3. Forbidden Fruit by Erica Spindler
4. See Jane Die by Erica Spindler
5. Killer Takes All by Erica Spindler
6. Fortune by Erica Spindler
7. The Third Secret by Steve Berry
8. Nancy Drew: The Secret of Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene
9. Deception Point by Dan Brown
10. The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry

 

So... I've read Deception Point for the third time this year. I've also become a fan of John Grisham. And I've finished off all of Erica Spindler's novel. And I discovered another amazing author in the person of Steve Berry. And I've rekindled my love for Nancy Drew. Wow for my book experience this year.

I'm currently reading another Berry novel. Too bad I wasn't able to finish it before the New Year. Oh well, I'll just include it in my 2013 book pile.

All photos grabbed from Google Images.

Year-End: Movies

Before the year 2012 started, I promised myself that I wouldn't scrimp on movie tickets anymore. I'm so kuripot that I'd rather wait for a movie to be released on DVD than watch it on the big screen. I'm happy to say that this is one New Year's Resolution I was able to keep. This year, I was able to watch 12 movies in the cinema, one for each month. Haha.

Okay, I confess. I saw Suddenly It's Magic twice.

Here are the movies I saw these year. I hope I get to see as much next year.

1. Star Wars in 3D
2. Unofficially Yours
3. Mirror Mirror
4. Titanic in 3D
5. The Avengers
6. The Amazing Spider-Man
7. The Dark Knight Rises
8. The Expendables 2
9. Taken 2
10. Suddenly It's Magic
11. Breaking Dawn Part 2
12. The Hobbit

All photos grabbed from Google Images.

Bookworm: The Jefferson Key

The first Steve Berry book I read was The Third Secret. I found that book at a Booksale branch while killing time inside the mall. It was much enjoyable, and I couldn't even put it down. But since I got the copy from a second-hand book shop, I didn't think I'd find another Steve Berry book elsewhere. My favorite author, Erica Spindler, is a Booksale regular, but I can't find her work in our local bookstores. I thought the same goes for Steve Berry.

So I was really ecstatic when I saw two of his recently published novels at the Fully Booked store in BGC. I chose The Jefferson Key over The Columbus Affair because I was more interested in the former's plot. My sister offered to buy me the book as a birthday present.

The Jefferson Key is about one of the adventures of Cotton Malone, a former Justice Department operative in the United States. He saved the President from an assassination attempt plotted by a secret society assembled during the American Revolution. Malone soon discovers why the secret society wanted the President dead, and his discovery leads to an age-old cipher from Thomas Jefferson and a mystery concocted by Andrew Jackson.

For a more detailed synopsis, click HERE.

Photo directly lifted from Google Images.

I like Steve Berry because his books are much like Dan Brown's. They usually cover a lot of ancient history. And they all fall under the suspense/mystery genre, which I think is the best genre there is. 

Though I'm not an American political history expert, I enjoyed reading this novel very much. Steve Berry combines fact and fiction in an amazing way. He knows how to help the readers differentiate between the two. You won't find yourself asking if a certain event or object is for real or not, because by the way he writes, you just know. The Writer's Note/Disclaimer at the end of the novel was very helpful too. 

His characters have a lot of personality. And he shines the light on them equally. His protagonist, Cotton Malone,  was your usual hero - smart, courageous, and has a heart. His love interest, Cassiopeia Vitt, is equally stunning. What differentiates her from other suspense/mystery book female characters is her wit and strength. She's not a pushover or a crybaby. She's very aggressive and is not afraid to go after what she wants.

The most interesting character in the book for me would be Clifford Knox. If you've read the book, you'll know that he's the secret society's quartermaster or go-to guy. I think he has the most conflicted personality which makes him the most interesting. He's the bad guy trying to be good. But sometimes he doesn't have choice but to be bad. I just wished that Steve Berry put more drama into his character, and that his fate was different.

Overall, I'd give this book four stars out of five. History buffs will surely enjoy this novel. But if you're not a history junkie, and you're just a regular suspense/mystery fan, you'll fall in love with the story just the same.

I look forward to reading more Steve Berry novels in the future. I've got my sights set on The Emperor's Tomb, if I can get my hands on 'em. Happy reading!

Dine In: Uncle Cheffy

It'll be Christmas in 8 days! I have some sort of Christmas countdown here. Haha. Excited beyond words! 

Anyway, this post is dedicated to my first Christmas dinner this year. My law school friends and I usually have dinner on special occasions - last day of classes for the semester, start of Christmas break, etc. We wanted to make the Christmas dinner an annual thing, so we agreed on a specific date and time for it this year. Unfortunately, some of them couldn't make it due to work and other prior commitments. So, the four of us, with the latest addition to our group, settled for a dinner plus movie night.

Our choice of resto? Uncle Cheffy at Robinsons Magnolia. I've never been to any Uncle Cheffy branch, or to Robinsons Magnolia before. It was definitely a memorable first for me. 

Everyone was just so hungry that day. We decided to have dinner even if it was just around five o'clock in the afternoon. Here's what we ordered:

Brick Oven Panizza. It was my first time to eat a panizza, and I didn't know how! Haha. Apparently, you have to take a slice of the pizza (which isn't shaped its usual triangular way), some tomatoes, and other leafy vegetables. (Forgive me for being really bad at this; I'm not really a vegatable fan. Haha.) You're supposed to place the toppings on top of the pizza, and then roll them together. It was like eating a small shawarma. But you had the say on how much toppings to put. You can even eat the pizza as is. In all fairness ha, it tasted really good!

Cream Dory. I have to say I expected more from this dish. I was disappointed when I took a bite and found it to be bland. It lacked that salty flavor I was expecting.

All Meat Barbecue Platter. We already ordered the cream dory, so we settled for an all-meat platter, which was super filling! The platter was a combination of chicken leg, lamb breast, beef and pork ribs, served with barbecue sauce, chimichurri (which they explained was their own concoction), and tomato salsa. It was more than enough for five people. I don't eat lamb, so I chose to devour only the beef and pork ribs. The sauces are refillable, and I think we asked for a refill of the barbecue sauce four times!

We spent around two thousand pesos for the food. It was a bit pricey, but we went home with happy tummies. I guess that's what you'd consider value for money.

Here's to more food escapades before Christmas day. Happy Christmas, everyone! :)

Dine In: Vanilla Cupcake Bakery

When I read on Facebook that a new cupcake stall has recently opened in TriNoma, I dragged my perennial  food buddy to the mall so we could be one of the first to try out these babies. I'm a fan of anything sweet, so I wouldn't let a chance like this just pass. But of course, before attacking, I went online to search for reviews about the Vanilla Cupcake Bakery. I learned from professional bloggers that its main branch is located at Glorietta in Makati. That branch is actually more spacious, and I think, cozier. The one in Trinoma's just bigger than your ordinary stall. The blogs also mentioned that the Glorietta branch is always packed with people, and that it's close to impossible to get a seat inside. That's why we were a bit surprised to find that the TriNoma branch was almost devoid of people.

Ate and I found a space in the corner. You know how people try to beat others to the fluffiest seat available? That's what we did, even though there were no other customers around. Haha. But even if, say, we didn't get the stuffed chairs and cushions, the other seats weren't bad at all. The store has dainty ghost chairs and wooden tables with little cupcake candles as centerpieces. Lovely, right?

Surprisngly, we were handed a menu by one of the waitresses. I mean, a menu in a cupcake place? I thought, when in a cupcake store, you just approach the counter, point to your choice, and then pay for your purchases. Well, it turns out that in the VCB, they serve not just cupcakes, but pastas, salads, sandwiches, and hot/cold beverages, as well.

Since we were already full from dinner, we decided to get a cupcake each and share a class of Iced Mocha. It was a tough choice given the wide selection of cupcakes. I got the Luscious Salted Caramel and Ate got the Chocolate Cream Pie.

The cupcakes were both sweet, and I mean really sweet. We had to drink water after every bite, and I think we gulped down an entire bottle. They were good, but I didn't expect them to have that much sugar. I was able to eat half of mine; the other half, I was able to finish off by removing the icing on top. Ate did the same to her cupcake. Maybe next time, we'll go for more subtle flavors.

Ate liked the Iced Mocha, but I found it a bit bitter. And I kept on wondering why it was a little hot when it was supposed to be iced. Very confusing.

Overall, I'd give the VCB 4 stars out of five 'cause I liked the place and the ambiance. I've tasted better cupcakes, but this one isn't far behind.

In 2010, I became obsessed with yogurt. Last year, with milk tea. This year, with cupcakes. I wonder what'll tickle my fancy next year? :)


Visit the Vanilla Cupcake Bakery at the 2nd Level, Trinoma (near Charles and Keith).

Group Shot

Hello again, guys! 17 days to go before Christmas, but I haven't caught the holiday bug yet. Except for the worsening traffic, I still can't feel that Christmas is just around the corner. We've had Christmas parties in school already, but, so far, they haven't done the trick. Maybe one of these days, someone will spread the holiday cheer, and hopefully, I'll get infected.

Speaking of parties, my law school friends/classmates and I had a mini-Christmas dinner last Wednesday. We were supposed to hold it during class with the intention of preventing our professor from giving a much-delayed  recitation. Sneaky kids, huh? Haha. Fortunately, she had another appointment so she had to cancel her class and we were left to enjoy the food we prepared.

After dinner, we got word that a dinner party was being held at the school gym in honor of the newly appointed Cardinal, His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.  And that the Cardinal was eagerly accepting requests to have his photo taken. At first we were too shy to go to the gym, so only a few of my classmates went for it. When they came back and showed us their pictures, we instantly got jealous, causing us to trek to the gym in no time.

We found Cardinal Tagle surrounded by so many nuns and priests, well wishers and students trying to get a picture with him. They asked us to fall in line and wait for out turn. Cardinal Tagle was all smiles during the photo op. He was very charming and accommodating.

Unfortunately, when it was already our turn, Cardinal Tagle stood up and said that he had no more time for individual pictures. He apologized, saying that he had to officiate mass the following day at six o'clock in the morning, and so he had to leave already. However, he took pity on us and said that he can pose for one group shot.

With some of my friends in law school and His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.
Photo Credit: Kristel Bianca Fernandez 

It felt surreal, seeing a newly-appointed Cardinal, kissing his hand, and even being in the same photo with him. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I'm really glad we took it. Cardinal Tagle is the second youngest Cardinal, and one day, might even be the leader of the Catholic Church. When that day comes, I'll be the proudest person to have an old picture with the Pope.

Import 2: Stress, Airline Tickets, at si Heath Ledger

Hey there. I mentioned in my previous post that I've imported my blog posts from Multiply to this site. I've been reading my old posts and choosing which ones I should publish here. It looks as though I'll be publishing quite a few because most of the posts are love life-related, and I don't wanna embarrass myself in front of the whole cyberworld again. Haha.

So here goes my second imported post. I wrote this almost five years ago (obviously, because Friendster was still the hit social networking site), before or during midterms week in college. I still laugh at myself whenever I read this post. Sobrang nene ko pa mag-isip back then. How I wish my problems today were the same - simple and easy to fix. Anyhoo, I hope this blog post makes you smile and helps you ease your own stress. Enjoy! :)

********************

COURSE CODE AND NUMBER: Stress 101
COURSE TITLE: Introduction to Stress
COURSE CREDIT: 3 units. maybe more.*
PREREQUISITE: None.**
PROFESSOR: All college professors are capable of teaching this course. ***

********************  

CAUSES - bakit ka nasestress:

• 2 set of photocopied readings na puro theories. 82 pesos ung first set at 111 naman ung isa. kung piso isang page, 193 pages pala ang babasahin ko. at nag-iiba iba ang font size sa bawat page ha. 2 bluebooks daw ang kelangan para sa exam.
• halos kasing kapal na readings para sa media law. at ang exam eh wala pang 24 hours after the exam mentioned above.
• medical at dental mission na gaganapin bago ang dalawang exam. whole day. at ang expected na dami ng darating ay 400 na tao.
• research papers na kelangan daw "i-fine tune" dahil medyo maraming mali.
• reaction papers na hindi maliwanag kung kelan due kaya naman talagang kakabahan ka dahil baka biglang ipapasa na lang nang wala ka pang nagagawa.
• ung planner mo na wala nang space dahil puno na nang events at requirements

SYMPTOMS - pano malalaman kung nasestress ka na nga:

• kelangan mo na ata ng hair fall control na shampoo dahil nagkalat sa sahig ang hair na dapat mong walisin.
• nagkita kayo ng orgmate mo at bigla ka nyang sinabihan ng "buddy, meron ka no?" nang sabihin mong wala at tanungin mo kung bakit nya nasabing meron ka, sumagot sya ng "mukha ka kasing haggard."
• every once in a while, nagkakaron ka ng urge na umiyak na lang hangga't makalimutan mo lahat ng causes.
• nagahahanap ka ng karamay. halos lahat ng tao tinatanong mo kung may exams, reports, o papers. at natutuwa ka na pareho kayo. bad ka.
• natutulala ka na lang bigla. kapag kinakausap ka, delayed ng mga 2 minutes ang reaction mo.
• ang natural na tulog mo na dating 8 hours ay nagiging 3 hours na lamang.
• kapag tumitingin ka sa salamin, hindi mo na makilala ang sarili mo. ang taong nasa harapan mo ay malaki ang eyebags, maputla, mukhang malnourished. kahit pinapipilitan mong hindi ikaw yan, ikaw yan.

CURE - posibleng gamot at solusyon:

• bukod sa stress tabs, tulog. magnakaw ka ng tulog kahit sa desk mo lang. mga 10 minutes.
• ice cream at anumang happy food.
• gaya ng sabi ko, mga karamay, mga taong nakakaexperience ng naeexperience mo.
• divine intervention. dasal. maraming maraming dasal.

********************

*kung ang stress ay 3 units, 18 units pala ako ngayon. at 24 units ung classmate ko.
**hindi required kunin ang subject na stress. pero kadalasan, lahat ng estudyante ay nakakakuha nito. shet, ganun kabait ang computerized registration system (CRS) ng UP diliman.
***kahit ata hindi pumasa ng licensure exam, pwedeng magturo ng stress. hindi na ako nagtataka kung bakit.

********************

siguro nagtataka kayo kung bakit ko naisipang lagyan ng airline tickets ang title ng blog ko.

kasi gusto ko ng airline tickets. gusto kong lumabas ng pilipinas. kahit 5 minutes lang.

at lahat ng yan ay dahil sa nararanasan kong stress.

nung august kasi, winish ko nang lamunin ako ng lupa. eh wala namang nangyari. kaya minabuti kong humiling na lang ng airline tickets.

kahit hanggang march tatanggap ako.

maraming salamat in advance sa magbibigay. hinding hindi kita makakalimutan. i-aadd kita sa friendster at hindi kita i-dedelete. (ang last sentence ay may halong bitterness. wag nyo nang itanong.)

********************

hindi kasali si heath ledger sa stress na nararanasan ko.

pero nakakalungkot ang pagkawala nya. hindi man kami close, sayang pa rin.

wala naman kasi syang sakit at bata pa sya kaya kagulat-gulat ang balitang namatay na sya.

katatapos ko pa lang namang i-mention ang 10 things i hate about you sa isa ko pang blog.

hainaku, wag na tayong mag-isip ng sad thoughts. nakakadagdag ata sa stress un.

********************

o sya, ung ticket ko ha. gawin mo nang dalawa para naman may kasama ako. maraming salamat talaga.

Import 1: Pwede Naman Kasing Huminga :)

Like most people who spent a good portion of their college years blogging on Multiply, I tried to salvage some of my blog posts last night. I'm going to publish a select few here on my Blogger account. I refuse to publish the others because most of them are about my love life, or lack thereof. Haha.

Anyway, this first imported post is about the first time I tried to drive a car. I took driving lessons three years ago, and this is an account of how the first session went. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to practice, and I think I've forgotten how to drive. Maybe, someday I'll try again.

**********

i suck at anything physical.

i haven't failed any of my PE classes, but since i have one PE left, malay natin diba? :)

wala akong sport sa katawan. kahit na anong sport.

well, i think chess is a sport, but it's not physical, so it doesn't count. :)

ayoko sa physical activities kasi may pagka-lampa ako. at dahil takot akong masaktan.

takot akong magkasugat, magkagalos, magkagasgas at kung anu-ano pa.

pero ayoko ring maging forever incapable dahil lang takot ako.

sabi nga sa A Cinderella Story, "Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game."

Kaya, last week, nag-enroll ako sa driving school.

yep, driving school. 

gusto kasi ng parents ko na matuto kaming mag-drive. kaya kahit medyo takot ako, sige lang. go lang.

alam kong hindi biro ang pinasok ko kasi hindi lang sarili ko ang pwedeng masaktan dito. pati ibang tao, ibang kotseng kasalubong, ibang aso o pusang tumatawid sa daan.

somebody might actually get hurt because i might end up hitting somebody.

pero dahil bawal ang refund at nagbayad na si mama, wala nang atrasan. kelangan kong pumasok. eto ang kwento ng first time kong paghawak sa manibela.

(oo, sa hinaba-haba ng binasa mo, intro pa lang yun.haha.) 

*******************************

8:00 am

ang sabi saken ni migo, sa unang araw daw, mag-aasikaso lang kami ng student's permit sa LTO. sinamahan nya ko sa driving school kasi aasikasuhin rin nya ang license nya na super lapit nang mag-expire. pagdating namin dun, may instructor na na naghihintay. pero since ung secretary pa lang sa office ang kilala ko, sa kanya ako lumapit.

"Good morning po."

"Ms. Fatima, good morning po. (Yep, Fatima ako sa driving school :/). Hindi po kayo makakapag-asikaso ng permit ngayon kasi po wala pa po yung nag-ayos ng tin number nyo. Lesson na lang po kayo ngayon."

Napalingon ako kay migo. Panic mode. Sobrang nag-expect ako na lisensya ang aayusin ko. hindi ako prepared sa first day. wala akong baong lakas ng loob. shet.

di bale, sabi naman ni migo, hindi daw kagad magda-drive sa first day. lecture lecture lang.

Umalis na si migo kasi hindi naman pala nya maaasikaso ang lisensya nya. sasamahan na lang daw nya ako pag pwede na. umalis na sya sa office. Lumapit saken ang instructor.

"Kayo po pala si Fatima. Ako po magtuturo ngayon. Tara na po."

at dahil alam ko namang kelangan ng sasakyan sa pag-aaral (duh!), hindi ako nagulat nang lumabas kami sa office at lumapit sa kotse. nag-drive sya hanggang makarating kami sa malapit na subdivision. pagdating sa subdivision, nag-park sya at nagsimulang maglecture.

wala akong alam sa pagda-drive. twenty years ko nang pinapanood ang papa ko na magdrive pero wala akong idea kung pano. ang manibela lang ata na nahawakan ko bukod sa manibela ng kotse namin ay manibela nung mga games sa TIMEZONE.

may alam ako sa konting parts ng kotse kaya hindi ako sobrang nahirapan sumabay sa lecture nya. twenty minutes into the lecture, bumanat ang instructor ng,

"o sige, palit na tayo. dito ka sa pwesto ko."

Huwaaaat????!!!!

kumakabog ang dibdib ko habang nagpapalit kami ng pwesto.

"ayan, since alam mo na naman ang basics, start na tayo."

oh my God. oh my God. oh my God.

this is it.

hindi ko alam kung ilang beses akong umikot sa ilang bloke ng subdivision. honestly, hindi ko na maalala. dahil wala akong ibang iniisip nung mga panahon na yung kundi ang huwag mabangga at huwag makabangga.

"Ineng, Clutch. Brake. Hinga."

Hinga? ano yun? clutch, brake, at gas lang naman diba?

"Neng, huminga ka. pwede ka namang huminga. mag-iiba ang ang kulay mo o."

nakakahiya. feeling ko super tensed ang itsura ko. at kung pwedeng sumabog ang manibela sa higpit ng hawak ko, wala na silang manibela ngayon.

"Pwede mo nang bitawan yung kambyo. dalawang kamay sa manibela."

ang daming kelangan tandaan. information overload. malapit na kong magsystem shutdown. hindi ko na maalala kung alin ang right, alin ang left.

Pagliko namin sa kanto, may tricycle pa na biglang sumulpot.

"Oh my God!!!"

"Neng, relax lang. Huwag ka nang mag-Oh my God."

Andami pa nyang comments sa loob ng two hours na nag-aaral ako. Kulang na kulang ang baon kong lakas ng loob at presence of mind. hindi ko alam kung ilang beses sumubsob sa dashboard ang intructor ko, o kung ilang beses syang napakapit sa upuan dahil napasobra ang tapak ko sa gas o napadiin ang pagtapak ko sa brake.

oo, ako ang epitomiya ng first-time driver.

but i'm happy to report na walang nasaktan nung araw na yun. walang asong nasagasaan (although muntik na. haha.) walang ibang kotseng nasagasaan. at buhay na buhay ang intructor ko.

kung bibigyan ko ng grade ang sarili ko para sa first day ko, isang malaking C- :/

meron pa akong natitirang anim na araw bago ko matapos ang program. marami pa akong kelangang tapang at presence of mind. donation naman dyan.

anim na araw ko pang ipagdadasal na wala kong masaktan - sarili ko man o bang tao.

Wish me luck :)

Little Things

I spent more than an hour going through a friend's Tumblr account. And I discovered just how much she's obsessing over One Direction. Oh my, I never thought I'd write a blog about them. Haha. Anyway, I found one song on her page that really caught my attention. It's actually a very cute and heartfelt song. 

I love the fact that it's black and white. No cheesy stroll along the park or walk on the beach. Hindi pang videoke ang dating. Haha. And the lyrics? I melt.

Here's the video I got from YouTube:

_________________________________________________________________________________

Your hand fits in mine like it's made just for me 
but bear this mind it was meant to be 
and i'm joining up the dots with the freckles on your cheeks
and it all makes sense to me

i know you've never loved the crinkles by your eyes when you smile, 
you've never loved your stomach or your thighs 
the dimples in your back at the bottom of your spine But i'll love them endlessly 

I won't let this little things slip out of my mouth 
But if i do, it's you, oh it's you, they add up to 
i'm in love with you and all these little things

You can't go to bed without a cup of tea
maybe that's the reason that you talk in your sleep
and all those conversations are the secrets that i keep 
though it makes no sense to me 

i know you've never loved the sound of your voice on tape 
you never want to know how much you weigh 
you still have to squeeze into your jeansbut you're perfect to me 

i won't let this little things slips out of my mouth
But if it's true, it's you, it's you, they add up to
I'm in love with you and all these little things 

you never love yourself half as much as i love you 
you'll never treat yourself right darling but i want you to 
if i let you know, i'm here for you
maybe you'll love yourself like i love you oh

i've just let these little things slips out of my mouth 
because it's you, oh it's you, it's you they add up to 
and i'm in love with you (all these little things) 
I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth 
but if it's true, it's you, it's you they add up to 
I'm in love with you, and all your little things.

_________________________________________________________________________________

I've highlighted all the lines that I love. Notice how I've almost highlighted everything. Haha.

Lyrics from this site.

Here Comes The Sun

Yesterday, one of my closest cousins and her boyfriend of more than three years got hitched. It was the coolest, most beautiful, and by far, the most lavish wedding I've ever been to. The wedding ceremony took place at the Santuario de San Antonio Parish in Forbes Park, Makati, and the wedding reception at The Blue Leaf, McKinley Hill, Taguig.

The last time my whole family attended a wedding was in 2005. Seven years is a long time to wait for another wedding. So we were all very excited. It was a black tie event, so imagine the stress we all had to through - the hunt for gowns/coats, shoes, and bags, setting up salon appointments and booking hotels. But in the end, it was all worth it. 

Attending a wedding is the perfect excuse to feel in love the whole day. Haha. It makes you giddy about tying the knot yourself. Not that there's anyone in the running to tie the knot with me :)

My cousin met her groom when she least expected it. I was there when they first met. In fact, it was the reason she asked me to give a speech during the reception. My new cousin-in-law got really excited when I offered to tell their story.

Their wedding wasn't the most traditional. There was no bouquet throwing (thank God because I'm sure to be a candidate. Haha), no doves and garters. The bride and groom arrived at the reception wearing leather jackets and aviators. Cool, right? 

The leather jackets and aviators don't exactly match the vintage theme, but everyone enjoyed the cute antic. Kaye Cunanan, on the other hand, did a very good job of sticking to the theme. She deserves a slow clap for the way she designed the whole place. And the food was to die for. The guests definitely went home with happy tummies and smiles on their faces.

I look forward to celebrating another milestone in the happy couple's life together. Nothing beats being there during the most important events in the lives of people who mean so much to us. Congratulations and best wishes to the newlyweds! :)