My Year in 2009 (part 2)

.... (cont.)

MAY 

...was try something new month for the hubby (then-fiance) and I.  We went to Subic with a bunch of our friends and tried to act a lot braver than we were by taking a crack at the Tree Top adventure.  Silly scaredy cat blogger here had to muster enough bravado in front of friends.  Afterall I just bungy-ed a few months back and a little tree drop should be a walk in the park right?  I don't know why I always put myself in this predicaments, ok, I do know why.  I'm mayabang as hell and I just want to prove to myself that despite the terror of a thousand deaths knocking I will let go of that damn rope. MUST let go!!!  It never fails to give me a heart attack though.  Poor weak heart deserves a little break after every challenge.  M-U-S-T develop ballsier balls. (yeah, you get what I'm getting at.)

The fifth month of the year also found us Boracay-bound with hubby's friends plus some of my ex-Nestle workmates.  Went on a helmet diving escapade and found my inner Ariel.  Boracay was extra fun due to all the freebie events we were able to attend to courtesy of Nestea and Grand Boracay (thanks Gail for hooking us up!)  Nothing beats going on a vacation with these two words always present: "OPEN BAR".

JUNE

My 27th!!!  Hubby surprised me with a faux wedding.  There were family, friends, tears and cake.  What more could you ask for in a wedding, right?

We finished house construction around this time as well. So that's a double yay for us!  Good thing too, 'cause we were fast becoming a contender for the imaginary Suki of the Year award at Wilcon and Home Depot so thank gawd construction wrapped up as planned. 

My Year in 2009 (part 1)

Since most sites are doing their year end countdowns, I thought it was high time I join in on the fun and create my very own version.

This year was full of unbelievably fabulous memories and fortunately not so many cringe worthy lows. Here are some highlights for each month of 2009.

JANUARY

...for me was all about the 2009 Nestle Kick Off.  Our batch was in charge of organizing the event and as you can imagine, with more than a thousand++ in attendance, a mixture of chaos, laughter, tears, and pride ensued.  It was 5 days of sleep deprivation, heartbreaking excitement and a whole lot more that made all of us that much more closer.  It was our graduation of sorts.  I will forever have the fondest memory of the last week of January 2009.  Oh did I mention, Kick Off stress week made me lose 5 pounds! San ka pa!

FEBRUARY

We have been in 6 countries together;  Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong (ok, that's not really a country but heck) and Macau (yes I know, still not a country.  Should brush up on my geography), for 2009 February, favorite travel buddy Jeanie and I decided to make it into seven with our little trip to Hawaii.  My US visa was about to expire without so much as a dent to it that I am grateful Jeanie was available for a little R&R that time.  To date, Hawaii and all our little and not so little adventures and misadventures still ranks a top my most outlandishly fabulous out of town/country trips.

MARCH

Hmm nothing really eventful happened this month, me thinks. Oh yeah, except for that one tiny incident on March 2 that was called as my official last day in Nestle.  After almost 2 years working as a slave CMT in one of the coolest, family friendly corporations, I tendered my resignation just before my trip to Hawaii.  In all honesty this was somewhat an unexpected move even for impulsive lil ol blogger me.  Well, the resigning wasn't but the timing was.  I was initially planning on quitting after the November wedding to start something of my own.  However, by some twist of fate (that's what I'm calling it and I am sticking by it hee) I got to go inside the big room and handed my two weeks noticed 9 months earlier.

APRIL

... Was the start of our house renovation. Then-fiance and I searched high and low for the perfect floor tiles, synthetic granite countertops, wenge laminates and many more construction terms that I wouldn't bore you guys with.  I loved the whole process so much that for a moment I even considered going back to school and taking up interior design (it's still there, that crazy idea, but for now that plan has momentarily been shoved way way back.)  Blood, sweat and tears went into this and so now that everything is in order, I sometimes find myself just staring at our house in appreciation.

Merry Christmas Everybody

Merry Christmas to everyone!!!  This year has truly been full of great surprises and experiences.  I will forever be grateful to all my family, friends and of course my husband for making every second of 2009 as wonderfully fantastic as it has been.

Cheers Everyone!

By the way, it's freezing here in Tagaytay! :O

Diving Virgins No More (Trip to Anilao)

Last Saturday, the Hubby and I, together with some old and new friends went up to Anilao, Batangas for some weekend diving.  We were the only two in our group that was considerably/totally clueless to the sport.  So we waited patiently for our turn, you know, shallow 20-40ft waters for our intro dive, while the rest of the experts thread the below 60ft mark.

Mr. and Mrs.... Finally!

It's finally official! We're married!!!  The day went by so fast.  I was trying to soak as much as I could and just really enjoy the moment.  So no crazy bridezilla antics, my wedding planner was surprised at how calm I was.  People were commenting that I was probably the giggliest bride they've seen (hmmm, giggly or bungisngis hehe) From the ceremony to the cocktails and the reception all the way to the after party - We were just all smiles.

I love the fact that even with 500++ guests we were still able to talk to each and every guest.  And surprisingly, we actually know all 500++ guests.  Who knew right!?!

Thanks to Veluz Reyes for making my absolute dream of a dress.  Everyone just loved all the intricate detailing of the gown and of course the much-noticed sheep-skinned like skirt.

Thank you to Hubby's friend, Dennis Panlilio for taking the pictures for our movie posters.  And yes! that's really us on the picture.  No cut and paste there!

Thanks to Niceprint Photography.  I know that silly OC bride me had a gazillion check list for Edwin and James but in the end they did their thing and I was more than thrilled.  It pays to trust your photographer talaga since they've been doing it for ages and probably knows more about the perfect angle than you ever would.

Thanks to Detalye Weddings for placing our wedding tokens and seat cards prior to guests arrival (that plus so much more).

Thank you to Angel of Tropical Blooms for transforming One Esplanade into such a lovely, magical room.  Our wedding wouldn't be as special without his touch.

And finally thanks to all our family and friends without whom, last Sunday would not have been as special.

 at the executive lounge for the wedding after-party!

Photo cred: friend's and S-i-l's cameras + a few from Niceprint