Another thing I had difficulty teaching him was the difference of long and short a vowel pronunciation; Vowel o pronounced as /ow/ or as short /a/; and the difference in pronouncing /o/ and /u/. At times, we're doing ok but whenever his being moody gets in the way....hay, nagpapagod lang ako. He can read but was easily distracted. Medyo may pagka-antukin din, like me hahaha! One problem with him is his unfamiliarity of the English words. He would know what a "barko" is..but he can't distinguish a ship from a boat. He doesn't know what a train is. He had a hard time differentiating tree and three. There's the hard part, isn't it? Even if he knows how to read the vowels and consonants but doesn't have any idea what that word means or implies, he still won't get it and it won't retain in his head. Nevertheless, one thing I like about this kid was his being open and madaldal. He wouldn't bring his baon for merienda but he has plenty of stories to tell about his family. At times, when I'm getting impatient waiting for his answer with my big staring eyes, he can make me laugh because he would also make "dilat" to me. Hay I miss that boy. There's even one time when we were on the picture-sentence association part:
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
teacher-teacher and the summer that was..
Another thing I had difficulty teaching him was the difference of long and short a vowel pronunciation; Vowel o pronounced as /ow/ or as short /a/; and the difference in pronouncing /o/ and /u/. At times, we're doing ok but whenever his being moody gets in the way....hay, nagpapagod lang ako. He can read but was easily distracted. Medyo may pagka-antukin din, like me hahaha! One problem with him is his unfamiliarity of the English words. He would know what a "barko" is..but he can't distinguish a ship from a boat. He doesn't know what a train is. He had a hard time differentiating tree and three. There's the hard part, isn't it? Even if he knows how to read the vowels and consonants but doesn't have any idea what that word means or implies, he still won't get it and it won't retain in his head. Nevertheless, one thing I like about this kid was his being open and madaldal. He wouldn't bring his baon for merienda but he has plenty of stories to tell about his family. At times, when I'm getting impatient waiting for his answer with my big staring eyes, he can make me laugh because he would also make "dilat" to me. Hay I miss that boy. There's even one time when we were on the picture-sentence association part:
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
I need your vote pls..
I don't know how my blog got included in The Composed Gentleman's Filipino Blog of the Week list of nominees but just the same help me bag this for my sidebar hihi!
Monday, May 29, 2006
Swimming & wedding Snapshots
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Sunburnt & 2 Weddings
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Huling swimming hirit...
Friday, May 26, 2006
Patiently Waiting..
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Digiscrap..trapped!
Thanks Mec for letting me know of Genetic Computer's Free Photoshop Training I attended last April. I had a crash course on PS basics..hmm..and I thought PS was difficult to trickle with? Well, maybe most of the functions yeah but armed with the basics, it's fun exploring your artistic side. (ngayon ko lang nalaman, kahit papano eh meron pala ako hehe!)
Here's one of my favorites:
LO: Meryl Barthou
Alpha Titles: Tanya Doughty
Wedding Sikat
Just want to share these links. I never thought that our wedding could get our names and faces published/uploaded on the net and on print:
Tips On Having The Wedding Of Your Dreams Without Breaking Your Budget
- scroll down until the last tip
- as published on Manila Bulletin About Weddings dated March 15, 2006
Kenneth Uy's Website Prenups Gallery - Images 22 - 42
- edited prenup pics taken at Parks & Wildlife
Prenup pic featured at Canon PIXMA 2005 Exhibit Gallery at SM Megamall
- Kenneth Uy's entry
Wedding Announcement on Manila Bulletin About Weddings Dec. 3, 2005
Our Pic with our Wedding Cake by Emily Uy
- as published on our cake artist's website
** But wala ng sisikat pa sa W@wie/CWL sis kong si Jacque whose wedding shall be featured on an upcoming bridal mag. o ha...astig! (blowout naman diyan) :)
"We Work to Live...not, We Live to Work..."
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Suppliers' Ratings...(and some kwentos ulit)
Disclaimer: Ratings of our wedding suppliers are drawn from our own views..our personal experiences with them as the basis. These are personal opinions as their clients and we have no intentions of making any misguided or malicious statements. They are graded in accordance to OUR standards .. hence, pls do not carelessly generalize. Some may have not fully met our expectations and some may have disappointed us but these blunders are just case-to-case basis. Also, we've raised our concerns to the suppliers involved. I've heard their sides and we've talked it over na. Pls take this rating as a guide na lang for you to prevent potential blunders and glitches that may happen on your wedding day. Rates mentioned are their quotes as of Dec'05. Pls inquire directly from them for updated rates.
Our suppliers shall be rated from 1 - 10 (with 10 being the highest):
Church - Sta Rita de Cascia Parish
Address: Philamhomes Subd. Quezon City
Contact Persons: Egay and Cecille
Contact Number: 9298280
Peso Power : Php 10,000 (+100/pair of Principal Sponsor in excess of 5)
Rating: 9
Email: hotel_rembrandt@yahoo.com / info@hotelrembrandt.com
URL: http://www.hotelrembrandt.com.ph/
6. Very courteous and accommodating waiters.
Email: inquiries@ilovesugarbox.com / emilyuy@ilovesugarbox.com
URL: http://www.ilovesugarbox.com
Florist & Event Stylist: Interplay Flowers & Events Specialists
Address: 14 Aurora Drive St. Vergonville Subd. Las Pinas City
Email: interplaycreative@gmail.com
URL: http://www.interplaycreative.com
Peso Power : Php 18,850 (inclusions: bridal bouquet, entourage floral arrangements, reception floral arrangements, supposedly comes with unity candle, free 2 dozen loose roses and petals)
Ratings: Pre-wedding=10 / Wedding day itself=8 / Post-wedding=5 :(
During our preparations, Lala was one of our favorite suppliers as she was so bubbly and easy to talk to (with regards to her package inclusions). One thing we like about her is the super practical and affordable package rates she offers. Looking at her previous wedding projects, you'll really marvel on her folios. She also seemed knowledgeable on her craft as she could readily conceptualize the flowers she'll use in collaboration with your ideas. I love my bouquet! Just the way I imagined it to be .. same as with the flowers of the entourage and of the principal sponsors. Our coordinators didn't have a hard time distributing the mini-bouquets since they were also nicely labeled. Lala and her staff also arrived on time on our wedding day. In fact, Lala was even requesting the AE of Rembrandt if they could start setting-up the ballroom as early as 5 am. But since they were not allowed to do so..they still came early even before technician of the ballroom arrived. I liked their table centerpieces with the floating votive candles .. i just don't know kung ganun talaga ang style pero it seems na kulang mga flowers eh..what you think?
We didn't have our unity candle. One, Lala didn't make it clear that I have to provide her the candle and she'll only do the arrangement. When I asked her kasi I told her if she DOES unity candle..meaning the whole package (the candle, other stuffs and the arrangement). She said yes and thus it was included in the package. So all the while I didn't worry about it. It's only after the fiasco that I reviewed the contract..yun nga arrangement lang pala nakalagay. Nevertheless, di niya ako naintindihan of my requet ... she could've reminded beforehand of the candles she'll be decorating. I admit ang fault ko dito is di ko inintindi ang contract but still dapat ni-follow up niya sakin ang mga candles bago ang wedding day or the wedding day itself. Second, granting I provided her the candles, di pa rin kami magkakaroon ng unity candle ceremony. This time Lala shares the blame with my coordinators. I asked Kitte, my coordinator, if my sisters could hitch with them sa van nila on their way to the church. She agreed. I didn't know that Lala and Kitte had an agreement that Lala's staff who'll design the unity candle will be hitching with them din pala on their way to the church. Ayun naiwanan ang staff and thus, Lala puts the blame solely on my coordinator. But still that's not an excuse right? She could've just instructed her staff to find a way to get to the church. Ang lapit lang naman po kaya ng Sta rita sa Rembrandt. And nung naiwanan na and thus walang unity candle na na-arrange, dapat I was informed or kahit yung mga coordinators ko na wala nga kaming unity candle. Ayun, di siya nacancel sa ceremony and we looked like silly looking for our unity candle sa altar when we were called to light it.
Third, what disappointed me most was Lala's reaction/ethics when I escalated this concern days after our wedding. I emailed her (and my coordinator) and asked what happened. I explained how bad I felt being the client but nevertheless still thanked them for an overall good performance. I even told them na I'm no longer mad kasi tapos na yun and there's no sense of pointing pa who's to blame. All I want to know was their version on the incident. Also with my intention to let them know of their shortcomings so they could prevent same mistakes from happening again on their next clients. I've heard my coordinator's side and Kitte was apologetic about it. But with Lala .. nah .. I was surprised! I never expected that a client will ever receive a response from a supplier saying na: she's disturbed of my email as I was questioning her professionalism. She did not remiss on her delivery of her services daw. And why does she share the blame daw. Having been a customer service frontliner for a bank and a telecom company, I was really turned off to see a supplier refusing to accept a criticism from a client. Moreso, a supplier saying she feels bad on a client's comment about her performance. For her, she could've given her best but at the end, the clients have the final say if she indeed met or exceeded one's expectations. I've read her email a lot of time...not a single sorry was written. Her reply appeared she was more hurt..uhm, it was us who weren't able to have the meaningful unity candle. She gave us back the amount we paid for the unity candle..but still...we can no longer rewind the time. Sus we can buy anywhere now yang unity candle na yan pero para saan pa?
Coordinator: Out of the Box Events
Email: out_of_d_box@yahoo.com
URL: http://outbox.freewebspace.com/
Peso Power : Php 10,000 (w@wie rate / includes OTD coordination with 5 coordinators / free photo AVP)
Rating: 9.50
Being a former w@wie herself, it's so easy to talk and deal her with coz she fully understands the sentiments, thoughts, feelings of every bride she works with. Having been a bride two years ago and handling wedding coordination these past months makes her updated of the latest trends and happenings in the wedding industry. Add to that, her stint at ABS-CBN as promo specialist makes her adept in events coordination. She does wedding coordination part-time lang pero mapapabelieve ka sa professionalism niya. What I like about her is that di ka niya pababayaan. Though medyo bihira lang kami nagmeet before, ok slang kasi On-The-Day services lang naman ang nibook namin with them. Besides, medyo hands-on talaga ako sa preps before kaya nga tuwa siya nung nagturn-over kami ng documents and bilins kasi kumpleto with all the info she needed. Implementation na lang daw ang kulang which is her job. She was the one who made the reception layout and the program script which I edited na lang.
She and her husband, Joseph (part of the coordination team), were the ones who woke me up at the hotel at exactly 6:00 AM. True to her word talaga kasi a day before when we met, sabi niya "ako gigising sayo ng 6 AM". The rest of her team came early din and started working right away. Naging maayos ang call time ng mga suppliers because of Kitte's coordination din. Throughout I was being made up, Kitte was on my side. She was even the one who slipped on my shoes. While waiting outside the church, inaaliw nila ako and gave me tips on how to walk with my long gown para di ako magtrip, to smile and just enjoy the march ... sila rin ng husband niya ang nag-open ng door for me sa bridal march ko. I entrusted her na rin of all the payables that are still due to some of our suppliers. She was maayos naman as I was presented afterwards with signed acknowledgement receipts for the payments made. Basta wala akong ni-worry all throughout the wedding day kasi siya nag-asikaso (except for 2 minor flaws which I will entail later). I was relaxed and di ako nagpanic kasi alam kong si kitte bahala lahat-lahat hehe. Sa church naman si edith ang in-charge. The ceremony went on smoothly naman. Except for the unity candle I elaborated earlier with my florist's ratings. Sa reception, hats off ako sa mga guys, JP, Jun and Joseph. They handled everything very well..the program, yung cue ng songs, coordination with the other suppliers .. ang galing! My ate even commended JP for distributing the guest sheets and convincing them to write. Nung una kasi I was worried na konti lang ang babalik na signed guest sheets.. when they were returned to us to my surprise, ang daming signed sheets. Gift registry was well taken care of din. Paraphernalias and other wedding stuffs were turned over to us completely.
What a bit disappointed us:
First: yung sa unity candle issue nga with my florist. Kitte and her team failed to coordinate properly with Lala. Nevertheless, they were sincerely apologetic naman after.
Second: They forgot to give our thank you tokens to our entourage members. What I liked about them naman is that they didn't tell me right away kasi katwiran nila, they will just tell their mistake pag nagawan na nila ng solution. It's a good thing na I've given them a list of my entourage and their cellphone numbers. Kaya ayun, pinadala nila sa mga friends namin kaso I have to request na irush nila yung isa kasi lapit ng bumalik sa US yung isang friend namin. Ending, nareceive naman ng mga friends ko yung mga tokens, super apologetic si Edith that she even sent us a sorry gift from Body Shop. Now that's how a supplier should be to her clients .. ginagawan ng solution for any mess done and make up for their mistakes :)
Photographer / Videographer: Kenneth Uy Photography
Contact Person: Kenneth Uy
Address: 138 Kanlaon St. QC
Email: kentuy@yahoo.com
URL: http://www.kennethuy.com/
Peso Power : Php 42,750 (discounted w/ 5%)
Package inclusion: 2 Professional photographers / 1500++ Hi-resolution shots / 40 pages Digital Magnetic Story Book Album (8x10) / 16 " x20 " photo lamination in a special frame / 1 videographer / digital editing MTV style / one copy in DVD / raw footage / free prenuptial shoot
Rating: 10
What makes us medyo tampo of him:
Waaahh! Our pics are not included yet sa wedding gallery on his website. Instead, our prenup pics ang andun pa lang (click on prenup samples). I asked him why ours were not included..sabi niya he exceeded his web storage quota and yet to erase some old files daw. I do really wish na ma-include na niya pics namin sa gallery..a lot of our friends kasi are asking about it na :(
Musicians: Sentimental Groove
Contact Person: Danny / Kate
Email: tsg_prod@yahoo.com / sentimental_groove10@yahoo.com
URL: http://thesentimentalgroove.kasal.com/
Inclusion: Should be Enamel Group but was upgraded to TSG1 (church and reception)
Rating: Pre-wedding meetings - 5 / Wedding day: 10++++++
I'vee heard about SG through weddingsatwork with their positive feedbacks and after attending their demos, I got Paul's approval to book them. Super hats off ako sa galing nila. All in one band talaga. Pero quite disappointed ako with the way they handle their prospective clients (those attending the demo). One: one of their AE was not sure of her answers on her queries..in fact, wala siyang alam. She didn't even know how much was the rate of one band and just answered us na it was the road manager who knows it. Tapos when we asked if Enamel was still available on our wedding date..sabi niya booked na daw. But later claimed na we check daw with Danny, the one who handles the scheds. What's the purpose of the calendar with marked bookings that she carries if that's not the official one. And the ultimate question, why is she attending our queries if she wasn't sure of answers to give. When we came back 2 months prior our wedding, wala na itong AE na ito. Tapos when I attended the Megamall Bridal Fair, I saw her there pero not with Sentimental Groove anymore. She's with The Mango Farm na ata. Buti naman..ala ng panggulo sa SG.
Our succeeding production meetings were organized naman as Danny and Randy were easy to talk to. They asked for our song selections and were played naman .. though I'm just not sure kung lahat since siyempre on the wedding day cloud 9 ang feeling mo. Pero what makes me happy about SG the most was they upgraded our package without a fee on the wedding day itself. Originally, we booked Enamel (3rd best group since the 2 best groups were booked already)..while waiting on the bridal car, one of their AEs who was also the flutist (shucks forgot the name) approached me and said that Enamel couldn't make it kaya TSG1 will replace them .. I was like..huwaaat??? siyempre super happy ako. Yun kaya ang first choice namin nun and undoubtedly the best SG group. Kahit na with my gown on, kulang na lang magtatalon-talon ako sa saya hehehe. Second surprise, I was surprised to have 5 singers!!! Sa contract kasi only 2 are included sa package. All of their 5 best singers were there sa church: May, Johan, Ronald, Candy and the singer/flutist which I forgot the name nga. The climax for me was nung bridal march ko. Without Johan (SG's Josh Groban) singing You Raise Me Up, my march wouldn't be as touching as it was. Pag-open pa lang ng door and upon hearing yung into ng song, I was teary-eyed. Truly the song added emotion so much kaya nga my bridal march was one of those moments I always relive and replay on my mind. A lot of our guests were sniffing and crying while I marched..well aside from the song kasi eh my dad was like a crybaby hehe! After the wedding, I would hear comments na super galing daw ng musicians namin lalo na nung Lord's Prayer which Ronald sang. Operatic daw ang dating. Same with May when she sang Love Moves in Mysterious Ways during the reception. That's what Sentimental Groove is all about. Sayang nga lang kasi ayaw magsayawan ng mga guests after. Pero nevertheless, Sentimental Groove rocked the house talaga. Kahit na medyo nagsplurge kami on budget sa musicians .. it's truly worth it.
Contact Person: Loren
Contact Number: 0918-5309364
Peso Power : Php 8,330 (discounted w/ 15%)
Package inclusion: Bridal Package (hairstyling and make up for 5 subjects + 2 flower girls / free trial make-up)
Rating: 10++++++
Peso Power: FREE c/o my dad
Rating: 10
Our rings are made of white gold and knowing that it was bought from Saudi siyempre ganda ang quality. I just sent my dad the design we wanted and it was nicely done naman.
Chocolate Fountain: Events by Perfect Moments
Peso Power : Php 6,500
Package inclusion: 2 units of 16" fountain / choice of 5 dippers /5 kilos of Pure Belgian Chocolate
Choco fountains are one of the latest trends in the wedding industry. Paul and I were awed everytime na may bridal fair and we would fountain-hop and taste it..hala dip ng dip everywhere. From the beginning I really wanted to have such pero medyo ala sa budget kasi ang rates ng mga fountains displayed sa bridal fairs. Kaya ayun..i just shrugged it off na lang. Even Paul he finds it impractical to rent a 20K fountain. Tapos yung maliit lang 5K na. Siguro meant din talaga na magkaroon kami ng choco fountain on our wedding kasi four days a week before the wedding, I saw sa classified ads ng weddingsatwork.com that Events by Perfect Moments are renting two small machines at 6,500. Upon learning na available pa siya for rental on our wedding day, I sought the approval of Paul agad. And being the mapagbigay that he is, he asked kung talagang gusto ko daw ba...and siguro dahil nasa "letting-go" stage na siya by that time..pinayagan niya ako. Kaya Events by Perfect Moments was the last supplier we booked days before our wedding. Madaling kausap si Erika. In fact all our transactions were through text and call lang..we never met. She didn't even ask for downpayment. Ni wala na nga rin kaming contract. Pareho kaming nagtrust na lang sa isa't isa. Full payment was to be paid cash on-the-day. Come wedding day, ang daming guests ang nag-flock at natuwa sa choco fountain. Sarap daw. And looking at the pics, grabe nasimot nga ang chocolate at dippers.
Contact Number: 09178349930 / 6556909
Rating: 10+++++
Kahit na minor supplier lang ang Burst Professionals, I love dealing with Ms. Odette. Sobrang accommodating and madaling makausap. We booked her just a week before our wedding. We never met din as our contract was just faxed and negotiations are through text and calls. Malaki yung bubble machine nila. It has a stand and may adjustable lever siya kaya it can be elevated or lowered depends kung gano kataas mo gusto magblow at magfloat yung bubbles. Our bubble machine was utilized as we entered the ballroom and nung first dance namin. Ganda ng effects. It was nice to see the kids na tuwang-tuwa sila sa mga bubbles. Ms. Odette was also sweet...she texted me after the wedding just to extend her warm wishes.
Peso Power : Php 700
Rating: 10
Peso Power : Bride's: Php 795 / Groom's: Php 1,395
Rating: 10
One of those things na "tipid find" namin. I didn't want a customized one for me kasi di naman siya makikita underneath the gown. Basta particular lang ako sa height ng heel..medyo mataas pero comfy. I need to wear high heels para naman kahit papano eh di ako magmumukhang masyadong maliit sa height ni Paul. I wore the shoes from 9:30 AM until mga 5:00 PM...my toes and soles didn't hurt or sore. Same with Paul's shoes. Elegant and lambot daw sa paa. Isa pa, it's reusable..ginagamit niya ng pamasok sa office ngayon.
Manequin Rental: Theresa Nobleza c/o W@wie Liv Nobleza (liv ni ruy - 12.17.06)
Peso Power: Php 300
Rating: 10
It's a good thing talaga to meet Liv sa w@w. Her tita rents out manequins and I believe ang daming w@wies ng nakinabang dito hehe. Siyempre ilang hours mo lang naman magagamit ang manequin (for the pictorials) kaya reasonable na ang price.
Bridal Car: AdeB Enterprise
Contact Person: Tricie
Contact Number: 682-5922
Peso Power : Php 3,000
Package inclusion: 3 hour usage of MB E320 (driver, gas & flowers included)
Rating: 9.50
What a bit saddened me:
Yung right window ng car, sira. Hindi daw naibaba kaya permanently closed lang siya. Kainis lang kasi may friends na gustong makipagpicture-taking sa right side kaya ayun they have to transfer on the other side pa at siyempre kelangan kong umurong on the other side din. Hirap kaya to move with my gown on.
Projector: c/o Out of the Box Events
Peso Power: Php 3,000
Rating: 10
We used the projector for our AVP. Just don't know the exact dimensions pero clearly visible and maganda naman quality ng video. Wala namang technical problems na nag-arise.
Their silver dangling earrings were on sale kaya binili ko na siya. Sobrang elegant and in fact di mo aakalaing 1K lang siya.
Hay...isa sa mga minor suppliers na super love ko din. Kahit na somewhat free and di talaga nila ako client..nikko was so machika and super accommodating. He sent me through MMS (MMS sending cost is not cheap ha) pics of his sample designs and pinapili niya ako para magawa daw niya. When I won the bid I thought na may ready-made particular design na sila and yun lang ang ibibigay. So nice of him na gawan pa niya talaga ako. Sayang lang kasi I never met Nikko kasi when I picked up the ornament, he went somewhere and it was Ms Veluz who entertained me. At kahit na may client si Veluz nun, she too time na asikasuhin ako sandali and made konting chika. Super elegant din ng hair ornament..in fact, hiniram pa siya ng w@wie friend kong si wella.
Archie and Wilsie were our HS classmates. They were debaters during those times kaya naman carry nila ang magsalita. Added to that, even before, they used to emcee a lot nung HS. Considering na I just sent them the program through email and di ko sila nabrief ng maayos, they pulled it off. Ang galing nila. Isa pa, it's nice that our emcees are our personal friends. They know you better kaya di sila mahihirapan to make adlibs.
We booked them during a bridal fair kaya may discount. Practical and time-saving kasi elegantly packaged na siya.
We bought it na nicely wrapped na rin siya. Kainis lang kasi they easily ran out of stocks kaya yung isang gift naiba yung color niya.
Gift Favors for Maids of Honor, Female Secondary Sponsors and Bridesmaids: Cellphone charms
Siyempre kami nagconceptualize at nagrepackage nito kaya taas ang ratings. A lot appreciated it even more when they learned na kaming 2 ang manually na nagrepackage.
Hehe biased ba ang rating ko? nah! he deserves higher grade pa nga eh kasi kung makita niyo lang ang pagod diyan ni Paul..every weekeends and pagkagaling sa work siya lang gumawa. (Though may konti naman ako itinulong hehe). Siya nagcut ng paper isa-isa (our invite has 4 inserts each), nagprint and nag manual punch ng design on the front. Almost a hundred pieces yung ginawa niya kaya super proud ako sa kanya. Even the map siya gumawa using MS Paint. Kung kaya nga lang daw niya gumawa ng envelope, he could've done it na rin daw. Sobrang nakatipid kami dito since magaling naman talaga asawa ko and nakatulong talaga printing shop nila...salamat sa Fuji Photocopying Printer...and kahit ako natutunan kong kalikutin.
Materials supplier: Prestige Paper Inc
Printing: DD Copyworks
Peso Power: approximately Php 15-18 /misalette
Ay! pinag-agawan lang naman ang mga chocolates placed per table. Kahit mga baskets walang natira.