Here are just a few images that will serve as our inspiration for our engagement shoot next weekend. Pretty excited about it! Our Singapore photographer is Josephine Sicad. She is great! Really passionate about taking photos! Go click!

Images were lifted from stylemepretty.com

Wedding preps is fun! I am actually enjoying it! The painful and happy part of it all is seeing our excel sheet with all the COST and PAID columns.! happy part on the PAID part! Another concern is the guest list. I have a big family. I am close with my second cousins so meaning, additional guests! Good thing, John has a small family and we have common friends so that leaves us with less guests to invite! hahahah

One more thing about all this initial wedding preps, you will really know and find out who your REAL friends are. I am actually seeing it now. The ones who are whole heartedly happy for us and the ones who are just stoic. Well.. I really don’t expect everyone to be happy real friends should feel the same way as we do.

Well, we have a long way to go so we will see how everything goes!

I am thankful to God for allowing me to open my heart and mind to love and allowing me to grow as a person all throughout our relationship over the past 6.5 years of being together. When I was a little girl who ate her stomach out thinking that the end of the world would be coming the next day, marriage was never on my mind. I thought I could live and die alone and I would be a happy camper. Being fat was something I learned to accept and boys were never on my want list.

Then came latter part of gradeschool and high school. I became conscious of what I ate and what I looked but guys never really took notice. That was fine I guess. But I learned to accept that, I think love would find a way somehow. I prayed and waited until the waiting got a bit tiring so I just prayed but then praying for someone to come did not make any sense so I stopped asking God for a guy. I just prayed for more important things that were worth it. I just prayed for patience.

God you are really amazing! I finally found someone who I prayed for and much more. So fitting! Kahit na super dungis ko and everything else. I have the funniest, most loving, the best boyfriend or rather…as Patty Laurel said — “FEYONCE KNOWLES” ever.

Thank you God. You work in mysterious ways tulad nga ng sabi ni MYMP. AMAZING. I cannot wait for our life to “begin”. If I can only hug you Lord now and personally thank you but unless I’d go to heaven anytime soon (WAG MUNA HA?), I am writing you now to thank you. My life is far from perfect but you know, That’s OK! Kasi if perfect ang buhay ko na laging masaya at walang problema whatsoever, I won’t be able to appreciate the BIG THINGS. I have had my fair share of problems kaya thank you for those and thank you dahil bumawi kayo ng sobra

I will try my best to be nicer, better and stronger! hahah Love you po!!!

THANK YOU and invited kayo sa wedding!

January: Went back to SG after a week’s worth of holiday vacation. Thank God for a good and understanding boss! Went back to work and started to look for a new job!

February: Birthday month! Valentine’s Day! John cooked risotto for me on hearts day! <3 thanks honhon! I looooved it even though you know very well I rarely eat rice! He went home early that day to cook! Such a sweetie! Birthday! Had lunch at Chili’s Sentosa, roamed around VIVO city mall and went home to rest. We ordered a ton of food and took home the rest! Dinner at a fancy shmancy place — Mandarin Oriental’s Melt the World Cafe! dressed up for the occasion! SO full! Yummy dinner! must visit soon!

March: My contract ended with my first job and had to look for a newone! Dad’s birthday! was not able to go home to visit but was able to send money aside from the monthly remittance, for them to spend for his day!

April: Bum month! busy looking for work! Found one after 2 weeks but work started end of May! Started to go to them Gym! Fitness First! been going ever since! Month where we decided to get married next year (this year 2012) No ring yet by this time.

May: Had a quick vacation from May 5-9. Just stayed at home, met with a few HS friends and went back to Singapore! Started my new work at Barclays Capital (Wealth). Met with my possible gown designer #1 (Veluz Reyes). She broke my heart. We cannot afford her.

June: This was a blur! Work load was tough! INvestment banking you pain my heart!

July: Same with June! Started to book our photographer and videographer at this time. Been talking with our caterer too!

August: Had a semi-long vacation from Aug 4-9 (i think). Mother’s birthday celebration, food tasting with mother, sister, John and his sister at Blue Leaf. Decided on getting the caterer and had a tour of the reception venue. Paid the DP for the venue after that. Met with my gown designer #2 and decided on getting him already! (Cecilio Abad).

September: Work woes Wedding preps on the works. I am glad John is there to help me get through the work woes

October: Work has been really stressing. Decided to leave after my project makes its first release this March 2012. I cannot take it any longer.

November: Busy saving up and also trying to keep up with work.

December: jolly happy holiday month! Excited for our holiday vacation! Started buying small stuff to bring home! Watched Wicked! ITS IS THE BEST PLAY I HAVE EVER SEEN! — EVER! Spent the holiday season here in Manila which btw, is THE BEST! Nothing

beats Pasko in the Philippines! I am willing to spend SGD1,000 just to go home every holiday season. Best blessing this year, WE ARE ENGAGED, officially! Got my ring and the proposal story is really funny/romantic/nakaka frustrate rolled into one. I looooove it! Then had dinner at — Gluttons Bay! Yes! Hawker food! I loooove it! I shall blog about how John proposed next time.

Thank you Lord for a wonderful 2011. Thankful to have a job which sometimes I don’t like. I hope 2012 will be better in terms of work. But overall, I wish for 2012 to be better for us (John and myself), my parents’ health and my brother and sister and tita and Roca

January: Went back to SG after a week’s worth of holiday vacation. Thank God for a good and understanding boss! Went back to work and started to look for a new job!

February: Birthday month! Valentine’s Day! John cooked risotto for me on hearts day! <3 thanks honhon! I looooved it even though you know very well I rarely eat rice! He went home early that day to cook! Such a sweetie! Birthday! Had lunch at Chili’s Sentosa, roamed around VIVO city mall and went home to rest. We ordered a ton of food and took home the rest! Dinner at a fancy shmancy place — Mandarin Oriental’s Melt the World Cafe! dressed up for the occasion! SO full! Yummy dinner! must visit soon!

March: My contract ended with my first job and had to look for a new one! Dad’s birthday! was not able to go home to visit but was able to send money aside from the monthly remittance, for them to spend for his day!  

April: Bum month! busy looking for work! Found one after 2 weeks but work started end of May! Started to go to them Gym! Fitness First! been going ever since! Month where we decided to get married next year (this year 2012) No ring yet by this time.

May: Had a quick vacation from May 5-9. Just stayed at home, met with a few HS friends and went back to Singapore! Started my new work at Barclays Capital (Wealth). Met with my possible gown designer #1 (Veluz Reyes). She broke my heart. We cannot afford her.

June: This was a blur! Work load was tough! INvestment banking you pain my heart! 

July: Same with June! Started to book our photographer and videographer at this time. Been talking with our caterer too! 

August: Had a semi-long vacation from Aug 4-9 (i think). Mother’s birthday celebration, food tasting with mother, sister, John and his sister at Blue Leaf. Decided on getting the caterer and had a tour of the reception venue. Paid the DP for the venue after that. Met with my gown designer #2 and decided on getting him already! (Cecilio Abad). 

September: Work woes Wedding preps on the works. I am glad John is there to help me get through the work woes

October: Work has been really stressing. Decided to leave after my project makes its first release this March 2012. I cannot take it any longer.

November: Busy saving up and also trying to keep up with work. 

December: jolly happy holiday month! Excited for our holiday vacation! Started buying small stuff to bring home! Watched Wicked! ITS IS THE BEST PLAY I HAVE EVER SEEN! — EVER! Spent the holiday season here in Manila which btw, is THE BEST! Nothing beats Pasko in the Philippines! I am willing to spend SGD1,000 just to go home every holiday season. Best blessing this year, WE ARE ENGAGED, officially! Got my ring and the proposal story is really funny/romantic/nakaka frustrate rolled into one. I looooove it! Then had dinner at — Gluttons Bay! Yes! Hawker food! I loooove it! I shall blog about how John proposed next time.

Thank you Lord for a wonderful 2011. Thankful to have a job which sometimes I don’t like. I hope 2012 will be better in terms of work. But overall, I wish for 2012 to be better for us (John and myself), my parents’ health and my brother and sister and tita and Roca

engaged! <3

Given this day and age where it is either you get employed from a top company or you make your own business, I am still in that stage wherein I feel that I am in the middle of both. I cannot let go of my day job since it allows me/us to save up for the future and to be able to fulfill my other passion..my real passion.

I am not saying I want to put up  a restaurant. I used to dream of opening one, but for now, I only want to cook for small parties. More of like a small and home serviced catering thing. I want to join bazaars, be able to share my food to friends then through word of mouth hopefully, clients will increase. I need something new to offer. Something unique. Something that has never been done before. I want to revolutionize how people eat and enjoy their food.

I currently have a blog where I post my “daily” experiments on food but due to the day job I have, I cant quite keep up.

The time is now. I will make time

I promise to myself that I’d go home every month kahit weekend lang (overnight). I dont care how costly this may sound but I cannot take this 5 month of not going home crap. IT SUCKS!

I miss the food, my Headstrong officemates, my HS friends! I MISS MANILA!

Our flight is tom morning and I cannot wait to be home!

See you in a few hours Manila!