My (pleasant) NSO experience

Due to our ehem advanced age, one of the documents (among a dozen of them!) required to be submitted to the Church and the City Hall (to get a marriage license) is the CENOMAR. A certificate of no marriage which states that neither of the contracting parties involved has been previously married. The said document has to be issued for both the bride and the groom and the releasing agency is the National Statistics Office in East Avenue, Q.C. Naturally, I firmly trusted D when he told me while we were still dating that he has never been married but apparently just saying it out loud to anyone who cares to listen doesn't count. It has to be validated and authenticated by the NSO.

So D and I agreed to meet at the NSO at 8 AM sharp this morning to get an early start. Truth be told, I expected total mayhem and confusion as is to be expected from most government agencies. Thankfully it was a rather pleasantly cool day so I wasn't sweating like a pig although I was fully prepared for it by wearing a loose t-shirt and I brought along two huge hankies.
We go to the processing area, got our CENOMAR forms from some guy at a small table. We filled it up, got our numbers and waited patiently to be heralded to the screener's table whose only task is to check whether the form is filled up accurately. Then we queued at the payment counter. It took us only 45 minutes. 45 minutes which I didn't mind at all because I am by nature a very patient person. But really it was rather painless.

It was for me an enjoyable experience because it meant that I got to spend the day with D running all sorts of errands. First, we applied for CENOMARs at the NSO in East Avenue. Second we applied for a certified true copy of D's baptismal and confirmation certificates at the San Rafael Church in Pasay City. Lastly we ended the day at Escolta, Binondo and Santa Cruz in the hopes of buying wedding bands only to come home empty handed because of my indecision! I had a difficult time picking a ring. You know the one which calls out to me with the words - "Pick me, choose me! I will look good on D's finger without drawing too much attention from certain bad elements of society!" =)

The 2nd day of 2008

The moment 2008 set in, my frame of mind immediately shifted to bride mode. Resting on my laurels so I could enjoy the Yuletide season made me too complacent, that I immediately sprang into action to get the ball rolling towards my date with the altar.
I am happy to announce that I now officially have a wedding gown! Happiness =) Let me backtrack a bit. Remember a previous entry where I posted a picture of the gown I wanted? Well I dragged my sister to accompany me to the designer's showroom somewhere in Pasig City so I could have a look see at his designs. I really loved that gown so I had myself measured. I told the designer to add some flimsy sleeves because the Church has a very strict dress code - no spaghetti straps, sleeveless dresses allowed for the female guests and I figure that includes the bride, me! I ordered it made in off white chiffon fabric. All that for only P500 added cost to the actual price of the gown! Great deal, indeed. Phew I can't tell you how totally relieved I was that finally I have something to wear so I won't show up dressed in a white bed sheet!

Last post for 2007

My original plan was to post an entry about what made 2007 special. But I'm sure that by now the faithful readers of this blog know that the MAIN highlight for me this year was meeting D, falling in love with him, getting engaged and now just excitingly waiting for the day when we are bound together for life in holy matrimony! I believe you have read enough of my blossoming relationship so I won't bore you with more mushy stuff. But suffice it to say that 2007 was indeed a very good year for me! So I would just post a message I received in my email inbox a few hours ago:

May you have the hindsight to know where you've been,
The foresight to know where you are going,
And the insight to know when you have gone too far

May you never forget what is worth remembering,
nor ever remember what is best forgotten

May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day.
May songbirds serenade you every step along the way.
May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that's always blue.
And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through

May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live
May you have all the happiness and luck that life can hold,
And at the end of all your rainbows may you find a pot of gold!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Hair Spa

Yesterday was pamper me day!

It has been months maybe even a year since I last got my hair cut. You see, my usual stylist got transferred to another branch all the way in hilly Tagaytay City of all places. Since then, I didn't muster enough courage to try a new stylist so I've stayed out of the beauty salons. I am very particular about my hair style. It has to be cut in a certain way so that it accentuates my curls and not hide them. Yes I am still as stubborn as ever and always have my I.dont.want.to.rebond.my.hair.so.please.don't.bother.convincing.me.thank.you spiel ready in case they get into their long boring speech about the benefits of having straight hair.

My (new) stylist recommended I go for a hair spa when she noticed the dry condition of my scalp, I wholeheartedly agreed! The smell of minty fresh shampoo and conditioner being massaged into my scalp felt utterly orgasmic! Midway during the hair spa treatment, specifically the part where they enveloped my hair with plastic wrap and enclose my head within that round thingy to warm it up, I realized I didn't have enough cash. Ngek! I panicked and texted my sister who was at the supermarket to bail me out in case I got arrested for not paying. I also texted D and told him about my foolish spur of the moment indulgence. He was willing to come all the way from Project 8 to David's Salon in Megamall just to pay for the treatment. Ain't that sweet? Not that I will accept his offer but it is the thought that counts, right? But luckily they accept credit card payments so I didn't get arrested. Phew! My new stylist (bless her!) cut my hair precisely the way I wanted it. I was indeed one very satisfied client for Ms Susie! =)

Play and Win!

If you like playing guessing games, then bid4prizes is the perfect site for you. It is a reverse auction game which you can play online or by sending text messages to a certain number. All you have to do is sign up, pick a prize then place your lowest unique number to win free gifts such as iPods, Notebooks, HDTVs to cash prizes You can play several times and bid on different prizes at any given time. It is just like betting at the sweepstakes. When the prize game ends, if you have the lowest guess which is not the same as any other current guess, you win that prize for free. Their user friendly website provides first time users enough information to better understand the mechanics of this exciting game. Let's play!

Memorable Christmas

All of my Christmases so far have been more or less memorable but this year it was more significantly poignant. A bit overwhelming (in a good way) tinged with a certain melancholic ambiance.

After we heard the 10pm Christmas eve Mass at St. Francis, we headed home for the noche buena. Our sumptuous meal consisted of Marca Pina Queso de Bola, Adelina Ham, Milky Way Morcon, Purefoods Chicken Ham (for the parents who cannot eat pork), Hizon's dinner roll and my only and usual contribution to the fare - chicken salad.

We celebrated the fact that it was my 'last' Christmas with my parents and sister as a single person and in this loft, a place I've called home for the past 6 years. Surprisingly, no tears were shed, I just felt a certain calmness and utter contentment in my little heart.



On Christmas Day itself, D joined us for Christmas lunch here at home. He added a yummy mocha cake to the reheated Noche Buena leftovers. We all had so much fun just laughing, eating, being silly, opening gifts, talking, eating some more and just being inundated with my childhood stories which is my parents' way of embarrassing me. Eeeps!



Then D and I heard the 4:30pm Christmas Mass at Edsa Shrine. I thanked the Lord Almighty for giving me the greatest gift - the loving person who always holds my hand and fans me because I sweat like crazy. His smile uplifts my spirits when I get stressed and he tells me he loves me constantly. I love the way he treats my parents and sister with due respect and shows genuine concern for their welfare. The man I will grow old with and spend the rest of my life with in (hopefully) blissful marital harmony - my one and only honey bunchy who is truly a blessing to me! =)

So yes Christmas 2007 was indeed quite memorable! As 2008 sneaks in a few days, I am both happy and excited to begin a new chapter in my colorful life.

You all have a Happy Christmas now, ya hear? =)

Prayers

Yesterday, I was shopping at Tiendesitas, Pasig with my sister and my mom when I got D's SMS. He was informed by his sister in the States that his 93 year old father suffered a mild heart attack and was confined in a hospital.
D last saw his aged parents 4 years ago when they came to the Philippines for a visit. They are kind hearted simple folks who have been together for over 50 years. Whenever I talk to D's mom over the phone, she always excitingly conveys to me their extreme pleasure that D is finally getting married. She has been wishing and praying for the longest time that D would settle down so that in her words "may mag aalaga sa kanya".

Kindly say a prayer for his full recovery so that some day D and I will get the chance to visit him in Seattle.

Thanks and God bless!