Of prenup photos and weddings of the present

I'm a soon-to-be bride, have I told you that? And my fiance and I have recently had our prenup photos taken and I got to thinking how wedding preparations have evolved as the years progress. I don't recall having attended weddings back in 2000 with prenup photos and on-site videos, but today, the two are almost essentials in a wedding to-do list.

I am amazed at how prenup photos allow couples to be characters other than themselves and how creative people could get. Prenup themes could go from sporty, high fashion, boheme, vintage, masquerade to an endless list of other possibilities. I guess for the soon-to-wed couple, the prenup photo session is a unique bonding opportunity and a chance to challenge their tolerance for nonstop camera posing in preparation for their wedding day. Plus, it's pure fun. =)

Aside from the prenup photos, on-site videos and other stuff that are now part of the wedding repertoire of today, wedding preparations have surely climbed up a gazillion notches as brides-to-be and even grooms-to-be have become more assertive as ever, with bookings that start as early as two years before their chosen wedding date and preparations spanning longer than the usual. I guess its a nice thing since it gives couples more time to gear up and save up for their dream wedding day, but hopefully also more time to prepare for the more important aspect of all the hullabaloos - the marriage and their lifetime of marital bliss together. =)

My first Royce' experience

I've always loved eating potato chips. I even handle marketing of potato chips products for a living. So I didn't need a lot of convincing when a colleague of mine told me to try Royce Potato chip Chocolate. And the raves from so many people made me stop and take action.

I remember asking my brother to buy me 'THE' Royce' Potato Chip Chocolate when he was at Greenbelt with my family. Little did I know that I was in for a surprise. I went home looking forward to try the new snack, but my thrill was watered down when my brother asked me to reimburse Php540.00 for the box of Royce' he bought for me. I knew it was expensive, but Php540.00? Sheesh... Had I known, I could've just walked past the stall and asked for a sampler. Hehe. I was still in disbelief, so I didn't rush to eat it. I even told my mom I'd just put off eating it 'til Christmas (ang mahal eh...).

Seeing that the box won't last 'til Christmas, I opened it the following day. I was excited at the sight of the chocolate. Chew... chew... chew... Hmm... I waited for that something... after around 5 chips, it still didn't come. Nope, no wonderful burst of flavors here. I know the product has a lot of following, but my own opinion is this... The potato chips are good and the chocolate is good... but on its own... At some point, I felt the chocolate was too overpowering that the saltiness was a bit negligible. But maybe that's just me. It fell short of my expectations from all the hype Royce' Potato Chip Chocolate got.

Try it for yourself. It's different, but maybe not my kind of different.

Man-made breath-taker in Bohol

My fiancé and I went to Bohol recently and found ourselves in awe of this little island tucked away in the Visayas region. More than the infamous Chocolate Hills, white sand beaches of Panglao and the provinces’ resident Tarsiers, Bohol had so much more to offer. One of which is the point of my raving today.

We took this countryside tour that would bring us to the popular tourist sites of Bohol including one with less hype than the others, but of equal or maybe even more beauty (subject to the author’s own perception) - the Man-made Forest in Bilar. When we were passing through it, I felt like I was looking at some stored Microsoft Windows screen saver. It was such a pretty site. It had the charm of the countryside and the soothing feel of paradise.

To add to its charm, the forest is a site to behold and historic in its own right, with the thousands of Mahogany trees painstakingly planted by the Boholanos since the start of the 50s. I know, I know… What’s so special about just lots and lots of bundles of trees? Maybe it’s the breeze or the endless shade it offers… I really don’t know, but it has that something that merits it as a special place. Try seeing it for yourself when you visit Bohol and maybe you’ll feel the same way as I do. Of course, the photo can’t compare to the real thing. Maybe we could replicate something like the Man-made Forest of Bilar somewhere here in Manila… I’m pretty sure it would be another site to behold. =)

Minus another to-do

Like I've said in my older post, I have this list of things to do before I get married and today, thanks and no thanks to Ondoy, I had another item done. Yup, my latest done to-do is the one in fuchsia. Since my parent's A/C was submerged in the flood, we had to replace it before dad's homecoming. So I gathered all my disposable income and got them an aircon. To a person like me, who isn't earning much and saving for the wedding of her and her fiance's dreams, buying an aircon is already grand. Ergo, that's 'By mom and dad something grand': CHECK and just four more things to go. Although, I am double thinking the 'Take the FSO exam' item 'cause I'm kinda set with my career path and I don't think I'm taking the foreign affairs route anymore. But we'll see, I'll probably replace that with another to-do once I think about what it should be.

Take up any kind of post-grad studies – CHECK

Take the FSO exam

Get a new job (2nd job) – CHECK

Travel – CHECK

Sponsor the schooling of at least 1 kid

Start up a business

Be an ice skating coach

Buy mom & dad something grand

Plant a tree – CHECK

How 'bout you? Have you started your own to-do list? It helps a lot.=) You'll see.=)

Makeup neophyte

I don't wear makeup. The only time I wore makeup was during my college graduation photo shoot and during mandatory makeup occasions like proms, balls and weddings, oh and ice skating competitions. Heck, I didn't even wear makeup during my debut and my college graduation. So I guess, that's probably just around 20 times of wearing makeup for my whole 25 years of existence. However, I am feeling this urge to wear makeup so I'd look more my age and less like a teener. I'm still quite afraid of makeup and I squirm like crazy when some sort of makeup is applied on my face.

With our upcoming prenup photo sessions and our wedding less than a year to go, I've finally taken the leap from my dependence on oil blotting films alone. Today, I am a proud owner of a minute tube of liquid foundation. I think it's a good start. But my post isn't about that, it's how despite my makeup ignorance, I am a firm believer in the transforming power of the eyeliner. As shown in my photo, the eyeliner made me look a tad bit more mature and well-groomed. And so my makeup investments shall now increase to a tandem of liquid foundation and a trusty black eyeliner.

I'm no expert, but to makeup newbies I think having a good eyeliner is the way to go. Oh, and you can throw in a nice lip gloss too.=)

Duh?!@# (Rant about Glee)

Don't get me wrong, I like Glee - well, except for the storyline they developed for Mr. Schuster and his scheming wife. For those who watch Glee, you know how Terri is faking her pregnancy and Will believes her like a crazed puppy dog. I refuse to believe that in this day and age there would be a husband as ignorant as Will's character. Unless you're a super absentee husband, I'm pretty sure you'll know it if you're having a kid or not. From the last episode I've watch, I think Terri is already almost 5 months along - so does this mean that Will hasn't accompanied her to visit the doctor to have her ultrasound? Her husband hasn't touched her growing belly long enough to recognize that she's just faking it?

I guess it's just a sub-plot. I like the singing and all, the dancing, just a bit - but if there's one thing that would make me stop watching Glee, it's gonna be this minor storyline that kind of comes off as an insult to supposedly wise and discerning adults.

On the brighter side, it also shows how having a kid or even the thought of having a kid could make one lose the ability to think rationally - maybe because it feels that ecstatic. Who knows?

Probable Cause

Nope, this isn't the judicial jargon we always hear when we're watching courtroom dramas. It's just what it is - a probable cause. It's amazing how a single photo could make a point-and-shoot person like me want a DSLR. I took this photo with a friend's DSLR and I loved the output, it made me feel like a pro. Harhar. Instant artistic photography. I'd just like to share it because I think it's a nice photo (even better than the ones I took for my photography class in college) and if EVER I decide to buy a DSLR of my own - this photo would be the 'probable cause'.