(Reposting my own post to my w@w yahoo group on June 08, 2008)

Hi mga sis! I know it's been quite a while since I really had time to read and
post here. Busy kasi sa work tpos biglang 6 months to go nlng kami kaya medyo
nakakapanic.

Only a few might know abt my story with H2B -- for those who visited our site,
you'd know we are officemates. And our office has a policy na bawal ang
relationship inside the office (yeah, old school nga eh). My boss, the VP, kinda
"knows" something kasi he heard na tinutukso kami dati, pero my boss' dad, the
CEO, doesn't know a thing. So it was really really a challenge for us kng paano
kami magpapaalam. The worst case scenarios are: a) they might get mad at us for
keeping a relationship; b) one of us has to leave; c) both a & b.

To make the long story short, we were preparing ourselves for the possible
scenarios that may happen. Just last Saturday, the IT group had a breakfast
meeting with the CEO and the VP, so everyone was there. Jon & I knew this was
our only chance to talk to the big wigs (father & son) together. Pero we knew we
had to do it privately and not in front of our officemates. After the meeting,
we asked the bosses if we could talk to them for a minute, and we closed the
door muna. The four of us were all standing near the doorway of the conference
room lng. Here's how it went:

Jon: Sir, may ipapaalam lng po sana kami sa inyo....
Me: (raising eyebrows at Jon to encourage him to go on)
Jon: Gusto lng namin...ah....Inform lng po sana namin kayo.....
VP: O...?
Me: (still raising eyebrows and glaring at Jon to just get it over with)
CEO: (looking at Jon)
Jon: (in soft voice) magpapakasal na kami...(getsuring at me)
VP: (SMILING!!!!) oh? tlga? kelan?
CEO: (Still clueless)
Jon: (Relieved at VP's reaction) Sa December...
VP: (SMILING WIDELY!!!!) tlga? Uy Congratulations! (shaking Jon's hand!)
CEO: (Confused) What?!?
VP: (to CEO-Dad) Magpapakasal na siya! (pointing at Jon)
CEO: (still confused) Kanino?!
VP: Sa knya! (pointing at me)
CEO: Ah?! Tlga?! Ah, congratulations! (Shaking our hands, then turning to me)
Teka, diba iba boyfriend mo dati?!
Me: (Flustered) Ay, dati po un sir!

--------------------
WAhahahahaha! You know what our VP did when we got out of the room? He
announced it to the rest of the IT group who were still lounging at the lobby.
"Oy! Alam nyo bang magpapakasal na sila?!" Hehehe! Naku, I really hope he
doesn't expect us to invite the whole office!

We're really happy that we weren't sent to pack our bags hahaha! Although I'm
still prepared na if ever, as an afterthought, they might talk to us and tell us
that one of us has to leave, it's still ok with us kasi at least their first
reaction to our wedding was that of support. It makes all the diff in the world
kasi at least no bad vibes there. Sabi nga ni Jon, parang nabunutan cya ng
"dagger" sa dibdib. Kya happy happy kmi and at least "out in the open" na kami!

Ayan. Pasencya na tlga at long read. I just HAD to share this with you guys.
Milestone ito eh. hehehe. I can freely write "Wedding Preparations" in my
vacation leave form if necessary, dba?

6 months nlng! grabe ang bilis ng panahon! Happy Preps satin!!!

Eva

--------------------------------------------


~*Jon c",) Eva*~
12 [27] 2008
Mt. Carmel / Horan Hall
http://jon-and-eva.weddingannouncer.com

In my previous post about the first day of the Wedding Expo, I mentioned winning a prenup thingie from My Portrait Box. It's actually a free Prenup/Creative Shot (just 1 pose) done on the spot. Yes, right there beside their stall, in full view of everyone. But since Jon wasn't with me at that time, I had all the more reason to go back on the second day. (Hehehe.)

So there, I dragged Jon to the second day of the fair last Sunday, and we made sure to claim our free creative shot/prenup thingie from My Portrait Box. I stared incredously at the tiny backdrop and faux frame that was placed on the side. I asked jokingly,

"Ay, hahawakan ba namin ung frame?"
"Opo mam." Whaaaat?!?

Ok. Their location was in the middle of a cramped row of different photographers/suppliers, with no dividers to give privacy to each of their spaces. I've been to my share of cramped stalls, my parent's being in the bazaar business and all, so the setup was not entirely alien to me. But we had our own "wall", or at least a divider to -- well -- divide the space between us and the vendors next to us. But this here is a (not so) wide open space, with a backdrop and a single lighting on one side. Jon and I was supposed to stand there, amidst wires, chairs and boxes, and have our "creative shot" taken, in full view of people passing by. It was so weird I swear I could feel the movements of the people from the next stall behind our backdrop. But the "hawak-frame" effect was actually nice, and in all fairness to them, the outcome was really nice too. It was just so unreal to me because the shot looks like it was done in a dark studio. Who would have thought it was actually done in a cramped but well-lighted area in the middle of a crowd? It made me feel that pictures really do have a story behind them...

So while waiting for the pictures to be printed, we decided to disturb our videographer's peace. We really had fun hanging out with Buddy and Cathy Gancenia of Reality Wedding Videos. And by a wonderful coincidence, our photographer Jomel Gregorio and his wife Nanette (they weren't able to join the fair coz they ran out of slots) suddenly popped up! They were going around the venue and happened to pass by Buddy's stall while Jon & I were there. It was actually a very happy impromptu meeting that had me realizing: I'm really getting married, and it's happening soon, and there are loads of stuff to do and pay for!!!

This realization was brought about by Jomel, who bombarded us with very creative ideas about our pre-nup shots. My mind was reeling with thoughts on how to make his vision possible, coz we really like his ideas. Which brought me to think of my worst fear: going over-budget. I am presently wrestling my brain not to think along that lines just yet.

Having maximized our time there, we felt the gravitational pull of our stomachs heading towards Mall of Asia. So we went to MoA to spend quality time...eating. Yeah yeah, I have to head back to ringside soon.

Yep. Boxing. And Bridal Fairs. Two activities that have nothing in common except for their first letters.
Highschool friends Marge & RG are heaven sent -- I had a blast last Saturday.

First up they brought me to the wonderful (and now painful) world of Boxing yesterday (saturday) morning. I swear I almost passed out after doing 6 minutes of skipping rope. Damn skipping ropes! hahaha! I asked for a break and headed for water. Turns out I was dehydrated, coz after I chugged almost half of the bottle, the little blue dots slowly disappeared. Then I was back in my sluggish fighting form. Then kuya asked me what my fighting stance was. So I showed him. He asked me if I was right-handed or left-handed. I said I write with my right hand but I often do things the other way around. He said ok, coz with my preferred stance I was South Paw. Huh? I was left-handed in boxing?!? Interesting!

So I did the boxing thing with him, then with this huge punching bag, then with this ball tied up floor-to-ceiling, then with this pear-shaped one that's hanging from my head... the small one that I often see Pacquiao punching very fast... I pathetically attempted to punch it fast and almost hit my head with it. That damn thing was sneaky! You have to have a certain rhythm going there, so you can punch it continuously without it recoiling in your face. Haha. So I started counting.

"Punch, 1, 2, 3. Punch, 1, 2, 3. Punch.... oooops..." Ok. There goes my combo. Pathetic.

Then they made us do the ab thing. Crunches and the works. Jeez, I thought I'd given birth. In the middle of leg-raises I told Marge I can't go with them to the bridal fair later on, coz at the rate I was going I'd be unconscious by then.

So then RG picked Marge & me up, they dropped me off at home, and despite my excuses of being uncounscious and bed-ridden due to the sudden workout, RG said they'll pick me up in the afternoon so we can go to the Wedding Expo.

So I struggled to keep myself alive at least for the rest of the day. And am I glad I did. Marge & I had fun going around the huuuge venue, talking wedding... while RG was on his own, prowling for food (hehe) and rings for Marge (how sweet!). We were there for 3 hours, I think, and I think we pretty much covered everything. I booked our florist there already, and even won a Pre-nup thingie with My Portrait Box. Haha.

Muchas Gracias to my sweet friends, Marge & RG, for the wonderful day. Til next boxing session, ate Marge! ( i have to recover first haha)

I'm not a coffee fanatic and I always go for non-caffiene drinks but I love spending time in coffee shops, chatting with friends, gossiping about other people (with my soul-burning partner Jen R. haha) or just reading a book. Heck, I worked in the E-banking hub INSIDE Starbucks Chinabank for several months, so I've learned to inhale the aroma of roasted beans  for hours at a time.

I've also spent countless dates in coffee shops with the men who became part of my life (some, regrettably) and have spent hours talking about anything, sometimes alluding to a future together. There was always the same scene in every relationship: cozy coffee shop, lazy afternoon, having "our future" talks over hot or cold drinks. But those relationships ended up the same way -- vamoose!! Yep. Deja Vu.

However, this Saturday's Starbucks trip in Greenbelt 3 with my fiance proved to be different. This wasn't just another "cozy coffee shop, lazy weekend afternoon, and 'our future' talks over drinks" (and cinnamon roll) kinda thing. This time, our future was as clear as the bakery case beside the counter. We had a future, and the man sitting across the table from us is going to document it. His name is Buddy.

Buddy Gancenia, a Reality Wedding Videographer, is going to make sure i have something to bitch-slap myself with if ever I start having an early mid-life crisis.

I think I just sealed my future -- amidst coffee and love.