Face-to-face with BB Gandanghari: out with the old, in with the new
A lot of girls had a crush with Rustom Padilla, way back when he was younger and married to Carmina Villaroel. I admit I found him attractive too. Here’s an old picture:
It was in 2003 that he came to full realization that he was gay and it wasn’t until 2006 or so that he admitted publicly about his orientation. Fast forward to 2009 and everybody’s talking about the birth of a new woman. Gone with Rustom, in with BB Gandanghari:
Pictures from the bloggers’ Meet and Greet with BB at mag:net Bonifacio High Street today.
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What I learned from… a sidewalk
The streets in Manila are crowded with vendors selling all sorts of wares. First picture shows a boy selling bubble toys and demonstrating it in the process by throwing bubbles in the air 
The second one is making her living telling fortunes of people. There are lots of fortunetellers like her just outside a church in Quiapo, a crowded district in our city. It seems an irony that you profess your faith and then outside, there are lots of old women claiming to tell the future, and more.
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Jollibee opens in New York, a first in the East Coast
Thanks to Spanx for giving Pinoy foodies a heads-up on this piece of news:
Philippines’ Most Popular Fast-food Chain Lands in Queens. Via Grub Street.
500 overseas branches, and counting? Wow! This is just positive news, especially as we don’ t really see too many Filipino companies going global. I did see Pancake House International during my last visit to Malaysia. I had to blink twice. Kudos to these firms for expanding.
Litratong Pinoy 47: Bulaklak
Ngayong linggo sa Litratong Pinoy, ang pinag-uusapan ay bulaklak.
Kapag sinabi mong bulaklak eh wala akong maisip kundi ang magandang bouquet ng dilaw na calla lily na hawak ko nung kami ni WhizHeart ay kinasal kamakailan. Sobra akong nabighani sa bulaklak na ito kaya di ko sinunod ang tradisyon na itapon ito sa bouquet toss. Ganun na lang ang panunuksong inabot ko sa aking kabiyak at malapit na kaibigan. Selfish daw ako, hehe.
Ngayon ko lang naisip, nandun ang bulaklak sa bawat mahalagang bahagi ng buhay ng tao. Halimbawa na dito ang kasal, Valentine’s Day, pagkakasakit at pagkamatay. Ano ba ang ibig sabihin nito? Supposed to be nagbibigay tayo ng bulaklak para mapasaya ang isang tao. Bakit nga ba sa mga burol ay may bulaklak pa rin? Hindi naman siguro ito nagpapahiwatig ng kasayahan sa isang pangyayari. Ninanais lang ng nagbibigay ng bulaklak na sumaya ang mga nagdadalamhati.Ito’y sapagkat sa ating kalungkutan, nagbibigay ang bulaklak ng paalala ng kagandahan ng buhay.
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The budget bride’s guide to getting married: a salute to our wedding suppliers
For our wedding, I liked working on the budget given me by my then-groom-to-be. I was very much challenged with stretching every peso, without sacrificing the quality of the outcome. If we had all the money in the world to spend, it would have been so easy to scout for the most expensive wedding venue, priciest wedding videographer, or the tallest cake, but it wasn’t meant to be that way. We wanted a small, intimate wedding, and we had to be “creative” with the people who would work behind the scenes to make our dream wedding come true.
As a non-OC bride, it also paid to put my complete trust on our wedding suppliers . Our choices were a “leap in the dark” since we either just researched them or were referred to us by other people. Still, am very happy that they were able to deliver exceptionally well, and this post is our little salute to them. I hope this would also help would-be brides in scouting for their suppliers.
First, the sponsors:
Vintage Bridal Car by Danny Maramba of 249 Motors. Call or text: 0917-8100249
Danny was my colleague when I was still with Rotary and am glad he did me the favor of lending a vintage Benz from his collection. Actually, it was supposed to be a 1951 Oldsmobile, but at the last minute he proposed using the 33-year old red Benz 450 SL convertible instead. Using the topdown meant that I had to melt under the heat, as the vehicle drove me from the hotel to the church. It also meant that Mr. Z had to drive, instead of being driven, from the church to the reception.It turned out to be FUN, FUN, FUN. ’twas nice to see the happy faces of people on the streets as they gawked, waved and smiled at us. For a moment, we felt like movie stars, hehe. Mah groom looked handsome in his RayBan and I had a kick wearing my Rudy’s 
WPD motorcycle escorts: PM me for details
Riding a top down car in the heart of Manila meant safety was our primary concern. So I contacted my “hagad” (police escort) contact who I dealt with in my previous work assignment. They were available and didn’t ask me for anything. They were more than happy to assist me. Right there, my impression of rogue cops was changed 
The escorts proved to be very useful in negotiating traffic from Binondo to Quirino Grandstand on that busy Friday afternoon!
The Wedding Emcee, Spanky Enriquez Call or text: 09285035137
Am glad this fellow blogger made it to our wedding, coz it seems he’s always fully-booked. Aside from being in-demand in the emceeing circuit, Spanx also shares his foodie bent in the group called Ultimate Philippines Tours where he shares stellar billing with travel aficionados Anton Diaz, Ivan Henares and Ivan Man Dy. Okay girls, he’s also an eligible bachelor, hehe. Once again, maraming salamat Spanx! 
And the rest of the suppliers:
Church Venue, Bridal Entourage Flowers & Doves: Basilica Minore de San Lorenzo Ruiz ( Binondo Church) Call 242-4850
This church was highly recommended to me by someone for its no-fuss policy on weddings, unlike other Catholic Churches. Am glad we made the choice, because we were pressed for time. It was a plus that the parish priest is the Judicial Vicar of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila which decides on weddings of foreigners to Filipinos. Even a greater plus that the church is simply beautiful and has historical value. It was first erected in 1596 and its ceiling has been likened to the Sistine Chapel in Rome. We’re proud to be married in its hallowed halls.
The church staff is very nice and helpful, especially Lizel, the girl who assisted us. Their package of 21K already included the priest, soloist, coordinators, the flowers used in the church and all bridal entourage flowers. One can opt to have a simple wedding for a much lower price. I loved my bouquet of yellow calla lillies. Liked it so much that I opted not to throw it!
The non-OC bride’s guide to getting married: post-wedding thoughts
I was a non-OC bride and just left it to God to make our wedding come true:) Never mind if I singlehandedly took over the planning, coordinating and implementing our wedding. A few months before, hubby made it clear that he was willing to spend on a wedding planner and I said no, we only had a small wedding and I could do it on my own. Never thought it would suck the life out of me, or it would be the cause of some arguments because of my mood swings. “Non-OC” does not always equal “non-stressed out.”
While it appeared that the major details were already ironed out, it was the last-minute details that got me. I thought I didn’t have decent pics for the bridal preps because instead of facing the make-up artist, I was writing the reception program outline an hour before. My manicure and pedicure was also done four hours before, and on the big day itself, there I was in the bowels of Binondo buying my son’s camisa de chino. I still regret that we weren’t able to print out our missalette, even if a well-meaning friend shared with us theirs.
Still, all’s well that ends well. Funny how some betrothed couple can fuss and plan 360 days in advance about something that happens only in one day, but that’s the way it is. In our case, it was only 59 days preparation time or so 
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God made our wedding come true…..
Life is good, we gotta wear shades….
After what seemed like an eternity of bungles and jumbles, we were finally married in our church, the church of my dreams.
I walked the aisle to the tune of “‘Til There Was You” because that was truly meaningful. Later on, Mr. Z would choose “People Will Say We’re in Love” by Glenn Miller for our first dance.
Soon to be Mrs. Z
I remember the time when love failed me
and to be reminded of the present
where I have someone who’ll think about me and my family
more than he’ll think about himself.
It is a nice wonderful feeling
to experience that just when you think you’ll grow old
struggling with your seeming emptiness
someone will come along
loving you for who, and what, you are.. warts, wrinkles and all
Litratong Pinoy 41: Asul
Lumaki akong kaharap lang ang dagat kaya naman ako ay nabibighani kapag nakakakita ng tanawing tulad nito. Natatandaan ko noong ako’s maliit pa, nakikita ko ang mga mandaragat na pumapalaot sa kanilang bangka tuwing umaga. At pag gabi naman, naririnig ko sa aking kwarto ang paghampas ng alon sa mga bato.Too good to be true, pero totoo.
Masasabi mo ngang malayo na ang narating ko kasi nasa Maynila na ako. Pero ano naman ang panama ng mga naglalakihang mall at gusali ng siyudad sa puting buhangin at malawak na dagat na kinagisnan ko? Kahit wala man gaanong pinagpiyestahan na TV at tsokolate sa paglaki, nakaukit na sa isip ko ang mistulang paraisong kinamulatan na yon.
Visa Waiver Program: have ESTA, will travel
If you’re a Filipino hard put in getting a visa at the US Embassy, this is not for you. But in case you’re still interested, read on –
Citizens of countries under the US Visa Waiver Program will now have to make an extra effort to enter the US. This is made possible with the Electronic System for Travel Authorization implemented last January 12 by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Prospective passengers are now required to apply online for travel authorization at least 72 hours before their trip.
Blogging since 2004 and recently married to Mr Z. I can't live without coffee....and brown sugar.
