missing olive's bridal walk

I was tapped by Sherwin and Olive as an unofficial photographer for their wedding. Unfortunately, Gino and I arrived super late at the church ceremony at Mary the Queen Parish in Greenhills, San Juan. And so I missed my friend's bridal walk. But I captured their first kiss as Mr. and Mrs. Coronado!
I didn't know it would be so fun taking pictures at a wedding. And imagine this --- I was in my 3-inch heels wearing this killer dress but I was up and about roaming around the church capturing the lovely scenes. And when Olive tried to fix the trail of her gown, I knew I had to take a snap shot of it!

Again, wishing you blissful moments together Sherwin and Olive! Blogmates, you may view some of the photos I took HERE.

the surprise coron, palawan vacation

It was March of this year when I planned and booked a 4-day surprise vacation for me and my husband. Our destination? The pristine Calamian Islands in Palawan. With the help of my 2 buddies from UP, I blocked the dates and kept mum about the trip.

You can just imagine how tormenting it was to keep the adventure from my husband for 8 months! Whenever I hear him mention the words travel, beach and island hopping, it was too difficult to shut my mouth. I couldn't even write about the vacation because he reads my blog. But I was successful! He only knew about my surprise for him exactly 4 days before we boarded the Cebu Pacific plane bound for Busuanga!


From the morning of November 27 until the afternoon of the 30th, we were lost in the beautiful islands around Coron. The whole time we were in that trip, made possible through Calamian Islands Travel and Tours, Gino and I were able to appreciate and love the Philippines more. It isn't surprising to know one of the islands was a venue for Survivor France in 2007 dubbed as Koh Lanta Palawan. No words can ever describe how pristine the place is. Palawan is truly a paradise.

Despite having cough and colds, I was in high spirits the duration of our vacation as I marveled at the beautiful islands of Palawan. Add to that my husband's indescribable joy. A detailed story shall be posted soon!

of cars and driving

After buying me my Canon dslr camera, my husband has been vocal about living a frugal life in the coming months. He wants to save up for a bigger expense which he hopes to happen late next year. So what is he obsessed about? That would be buying our own car! I love the idea of him saving up for it. He intends to buy just a sedan, but I prefer a pick-up for traveling purposes. To drive a maroon-colored Chevrolet Silverado won't hurt! It's big and bulky and is a good all-around truck conducive for a rough ride.

This early, I have reminded him to brush up on vehicle issues such as maintenance, auto repair and brake job. We are both clueless on this area so reading on it will be beneficial for us. I have heard friends discussing stuff such as brake pad, spark plug, exhaust and emission --- and I admit, my head spins whenever the pantry topic switches to that.

A friend who lives in Dallas, Texas recently bought her Ford SUV. The photos she has sent us leaves me green with envy because of 2 things: the liberty she enjoys as she confidently drives plus the knowledge and experience she is gaining on auto maintenance. She honestly tells me though, that she is still dependent on Dallas auto repair for major car issues. As for me, first-hand experience on driving will have to be put on hold. I'll have to be bookish for now as I read on stuff about cars and driving.

brighter than sunshine

I love listening to music and understanding every line each song says. Back when Gino and I were still friends, I remember how he would tease me whenever I discuss with him the meaning of songs playing on the radio. He tells me I have a habit of complicating the simple pleasure of listening to music! But through the years, maybe because we have been together everyday, he too, has been reflective of song lyrics.

To put character to my newest layout (finally not a quickpage), I added the lyrics of a song by the alternative band Aqualung. Their song entitled Brighter Than Sunshine speaks of embracing the beauty of love after brushing it off. For weeks now, this song has been my alarm tone. And it hasn't failed giving me bright mornings!

To complete the layout, I used a photo of Gino and me in our Anawangin and Capones Island adventure last summer. The kit I used for this layout? Of course they're all free! Credits HERE.

Well, I surely missed making my own LO. I might be able to make more this weekend with some freebies for you too!

bundle of joy

A personalized desktop calendar with photos of your bundle of joy on it? Who can resist that! Here is my little gift for the newest mom in town --- a November 2009 calendar with the latest photos of her baby! Looking at the pictures of Enan here, don't you agree he is such a bundle of joy?
I used a free quickpage I saw online. Ooh, this is embarrasing... I can't remember which digiscrap site I downloaded it from! Oh well. Whoever made this freebie, thanks a bunch!

Grab your November 2009 desktop calendar HERE Mommy Jowee!

the edge of satellite tv

Admit it. Sometimes, we are unable to enjoy TV viewing because our cable connection can't produce high-quality images and sounds. With the expensive cable fee we are paying monthly, the channels made available to us is so limited as well! If you are a couch potato who loves to navigate through various channels, then direct TV packages is what you definitely need.

Missing my favorite TV series because our cable connection is down today, I began surfing the web for direct TV deals, curious if that is even possible. In bold letters, Google introduced me to satellite TV where high-definition programming is attainable. Imagine this -- digital direct TV satellite gives you over 150 channels in HD-quality! Aside from that digital offer, the edge of satellite TV is its easy and affordable set-up. Handling and delivery are free if you order online! Oh, and did I mention satellite radio channels too?

These direct TV offers are really tempting. Wait til I introduce it to my husband. He will love its sports programming made accessible 24/7!

a simple act from forest club

It must be Forest Club's way of thanking me for promoting them on my blog. Giving back, they featured my post in their website too! There's nothing much to it, really, except that they linked back to my blog entry entitled Forest Club: An Earthly Terrain.

However simple this act is, I truly appreciate what the owners of Forest Club did. If you look at it, this small act works both ways. Travelers will get to read about my experience at the place which means more visitors in my blog. And at the same time, Forest Club gets a reliable endorsement. You may want to see this simple act HERE.

If all vacation destinations we visited give back to its guests like this, then we will definitely keep coming back to those places and promote them too, right?