Monthly Archives: April 2010

Red Ribbon’s Chocolate Heaven

Posted by wandergirl on April 27, 2010 None comments

I am not a big fan of sweets. I’d rather go for something salty than munch on a bar of chocolate or a slice of cake. It probably is another factor that I get skin allergies every time I’d eat chocolates, and that explains why my intake has to be very limited.

Lately though, it’s so ironic that I have been craving a lot of Red Ribbon Chocolate Heaven. In fact, just last week alone I have eaten a slice thrice that I had to make sure I have enough of my skin ointment to ease the itchiness that triggered on some parts of my arms and legs during the weekend. Whew, poor me.

Red Ribbon's Chocolate Heaven

Nevertheless, braved by the fact that I still have my medications within my reach, I have been indulging with Chocolate Heaven sooooooo frequently. It’s super rich with chocolates…chocolate brownie, chocolate icing, chocolate mousse, and top that with chocolate curls, you get the most tempting, chocolate-full dessert of your life. Yum, yum!

Looking for a hard drive?

Posted by wandergirl on April 27, 2010 None comments

If you are, then you might want to check 500gb hard drive, which carries a wide selection at its lowest price. Why go for something with less data storage if you can get a bigger one for the same price? See, my husband is so into this kind of thing so I’m thinking that maybe this one’s gonna be a nice gift idea for him without spending too much…yipeeeeeeee!

Isha’s Birthday celebration-cum-Summer outing at Bosay Resort

Posted by wandergirl on April 26, 2010 1 comments

On April 22, Isha turned one and spent the day with my in-laws feasting on spaghetti, buko-pandan salad, and cake. I mentioned on a previous entry that we wanted to stay away from the usual Jollibee or Mcdo party and was hoping to get an accommodation at Amana Waterpark in Bulacan, but failed to do so because rooms were already taken even on a Friday that week.

And that explains how we ended up with Bosay Resort in Antipolo for her post-birthday celebration. It was initially suggested to me by my sister, but I did not check on it until only three days before the 24th.

Hopeless with no choice, I decided to check about Bosay Resort online and found their official website. I checked on the cottages and pools and thought they are quite nice and the kids would love it.

Bosay Resort boasts with several pools such as the Kiddie pool with slide, Turtle pool (also for kids), pool with therapy shower, Disco pool, and our favorite, the Olympic pool. They also have some private pools with Jacuzzi for those who’d want more space for themselves.

Of all the pools, we spent most of our time in their Olympic pool which I think is their biggest, by the way. And because they require guests to only wear trunks (for men) and 1-piece or 2-piece swimsuit (ladies)  in this pool, it was not as jampacked as with the rest and so we had a lot of spaces for ourselves, too.

I guess at this point where they are beginning to attract more and more people, they should start accepting reservations via phone and require initial payment thru bank to somehow extend a little convenience to their guests. Right, it’s a first-come-first-served basis thing, so you really have to be there early especially if you are considering a weekend summer getaway. Entrance fee is P150 for adults and P110 for kids (4 ft. and below). In our case though, we have 4 kids in tow and we were expecting to pay for P110, but luckily allowed to go in free. Sweeeeeeeeet.

Another great thing about Bosay is that you can bring in food and even cook there. Every cottage has a grilling station, so you can have your ihaw-ihaw to complete the summer salvo. And speaking of cottages, we availed this Executive room good for a maximum of 15 pax for only P3,500. I think the rates are still quite reasonable at this point as they continue to build their identity to people.

Here are some pix taken inside the resort. Enjoy!

Executive cottage

our 1-bedroom Executive cottage

the humongous Olympic pool

the Disco pool entrance

cool kiddie backdrop

one of Bosay's kiddie pools

Bosay's landscaped garden

Baby’s 1st birthday party ideas, anyone?!

Posted by wandergirl on April 13, 2010 10 comments

I am stressed. A week from now, my daughter is celebrating her 1st birthday, and I have not even prepared for anything yet!

I know that perhaps at this point the next most logical thing to do is to pick from any one of the usual Mcdo or Jollibee kiddie party, but again, it’s very USUAL. Honestly, Nel and I are highly considering a swimming party for her since it’s summer time and we are soooooooooo wanting to do it at Amana Waterpark in Bulacan.

I’ve seen it on TV and I thought it was very nice for kids and adults alike. Anyway, we’re doing it as sort of a summer family outing at the same time. The bad news is: the resort is fully booked in all Saturdays of the month.

Grrrr, honestly, I really do hope someone would cancel a room reservation and we’d gladly take the slot and hit the plunge…lolz

Dang it, I hope when I wake up tomorrow I’d finally put things together and make the necessary reservation for Aiesha’s party, whether it’d be at the resort or in a fast food chain with the kiddie mascots.

Wedding supplier dilemma # 1

Posted by wandergirl on April 12, 2010 1 comments

As much as I’d like to hope this is going to be the first and the last one, I can also bet there’s more to come.

Yesterday when Nel and I met with our account handler in City Garden Suites Manila (where the wedding reception will be held) to pay for the 50% downpayment of the wedding package we availed, I had the shock of my life when we were notified that there was a slight problem with the package given to us.

I tried to stay calm but couldn’t hide my irritation when we were told that the bridal car and 3-layered fondant cake, which were initially explained to us to be part of the package, were in fact not included.

I was like “Are you kidding us?!”

And why tell only now, when I have been calling and talking to them several times in the past after the day we paid for the blocking of dates. Dang it!

I was quick to somehow lose my focus and couldn’t decide whether to push thru with them. Nel was cool but likewise annoyed. I was hoping and waiting he’d say let’s just cancel the initial booking but he didn’t.

When Marichu, the banquet supervisor who was handling our account, left us to get their cake album for us to check out, I was telling Nel that perhaps it’ll be better to look elsewhere.

But come on, we only have three months left and doing another research might be more of a hassle. Plus, it’s not going to be easy to start anew with this little time left. Fine, I conceded. (nakakainis)

So we paid the 50% DP. And on that same day, we tried to check Vienna Cakes which fortunately happens to be just within our neighborhood. We decided to avail of this 2-tiered cake with 20 pieces mini-cakes to serve as additional souvenirs as well.

Sigh, I really do hope no more drastic than that. What a day!

Looking for the church venue

Posted by wandergirl on April 9, 2010 3 comments

Before I started thinking about the reception venue and the entourage’s gown, the first I had in mind is the church. And this should as well apply t0 every bride out there. After all, once you have decided and booked for the church where you want to get wed, looking for the reception venue comes in handy.

First, I have to admit that looking for a church is not as simple as I thought it would be. There’s the non-stop researching and phone calls, which by the way, is in itself very tedious already especially if you happen to come across someone who doesn’t seem to be quite willing to accommodate your queries. But then of course, you’re left with no choice because obviously, the church is the MOST important part of the event.

My first choice was Mt. Carmel church in New Manila, Quezon City because of how beautifully it appears in photos and it has a function hall for the reception. The only thing that bothers me is the humongous size. Personally, I want a small, chapel-like church that oozes with an intimate ambiance. A church that wouldn’t look empty with a small number of guests.

I googled more churches around Manila and that’s when I came across Paco Park Church, located in San Marcelino, Paco, Manila. I have not done an ocular visit to this church yet, but the first time I seen in one of the pictures online, I knew it’s exactly the kind I wanted.

Paco Church

The church rate is P15,000 just like most of the rest I inquired to. The people I spoke with are very friendly and accommodated all my questions. And best thing about the place is that it comes with a sprawling garden where you can hold your wedding reception. What’s more: the compound boasts with a fountain that a couple can use as backdrop to set a more romantic mood.

REMINDER: While the church is being managed by St. Vincent de Paul Parish, the garden venue is managed by a different office. See below for the contact details of where you can get in touch with if you want to rent out the garden for your reception and/or book for the church.

PACO PARK CHUCH
Contact Details: St. Vincent de Paul Parish
Tel #: 302-7374 / 524-2022

PACO GARDEN VENUE
Contact Details: NDC Office
Tel #: 5257853

PICC Wedding Expo (16th Edition)

Posted by wandergirl on April 9, 2010 1 comments

On March 14, hubby and I attended the 16th Edition Wedding Expo held at the PICC, CCP Complex. Truth is, we’re not supposed to be present in the event, though, we have once planned dropping by because NICE PRINT STUDIO (our photo and video supplier) is one of the major sponsors in the event and we want to see the extent of discounts they are going to give walk-in couples.

But because we have already booked NICE PRINT prior the wedding expo event, we decided to scrap the original plan. That day we were strolling at SM North EDSA and Trinoma mall, canvassing for wedding rings. We wanted to simply know the price range at look at some styles readily made available.

Around 3 PM when we were checking out some wedding rings in one of the jewelry stores in Trinoma, the attendant made mention about their participation in the Wedding Expo which at that time is already happening at PICC.

Thinking about the freebies and discounts we might be getting, I asked my husband to go right ahead and just take some look. I know my husband was a little hesitant even if he didn’t say so…lolz.

In less than an hour we were already heading right past the entrance gate when one of the usherettes pointed us to line in one of the booths to secure an ID pass.

our wedding expo IDs

To be honest, the place was overwhelming with so many wedding vendors. In less than 5 minutes, I have been holding stacks of brochures and fliers, and more were coming.

It was our first time to attend a wedding fair, and I thought it was pretty stunning. It was also good that we were able to accomplish two things: buy our wedding rings (with a good discount), and book for the wedding invitations.

I’m talking about PRINTED MATTER invites which we decided to choose for the simple reason that they are more budget-friendly and does not have a minimum number requirement for booking. I’ve seen a lot of wedding invites gone wasted no matter how pretty nice things they look, so I thought that given the small number of guests that we are considering, it’ll be wise to allot just enough number of invites to distribute. So, we initially booked for 50 pcs. boarding pass-type invitation cards, and paid P2,000 down payment…woohooo!

Printed Matter's brochure

And as we walked some more, exploring a variety of options, we are somewhat deciding which wedding bands’ store to book. There were plenty and if money wasn’t an issue, we’d definitely go for the best ones. But of course, the one we decided later on wasn’t of anything worse or not worth keeping for, to say the least. We opted for a two-toned rosegold and whitegold combo from Goldenhills Jewelry.

The wonders of wedding forums

Posted by wandergirl on April 9, 2010 None comments

I am always a fan of so many online forums for the simple reason that they get you connected with people of certain expertise about something you need to know and shares the same experience, sentiments, and excitement about any and every inconceivable topic on earth.

That’s why when Nel and I started planning our wedding, joining wedding forums was never left out on the list. And honestly, I learned a lot. More than a lot than just simply asking friends who’ve wedded before us.

Two of my favorite wedding forums are W@W and Femalenetwork.com‘s GirlTalk. The difference between the two is that W@W includes suppliers directory, post-wedding forums, wedding articles, and many more, whereas, GirlTalk is more dedicated to providing weddings and engagement forums where members can post and share their personal experience with other soon-to-be-brides.

So if you are just starting in your wedding planning, you can never go wrong with these two sites, because they do offer a lot of nice tips and personal stories.

Preparing a wedding budget

Posted by wandergirl on April 9, 2010 None comments

One of the first things to consider when planning a wedding is the couple’s budget. Ask the following questions below:

1. How much are you will to allot for the entire wedding?
2. Which among the things in your checklist will get the most out of your budget?
3. Which are your priorities on the list?

Most definitely, the questions can go on and long. Hence, it’s important that you have a wedding budget to work around, unless money is not an issue for both the soon-to-be bride and groom.

A wedding budget worksheet allows you to know exactly where most of your wedding budget are going and how to manage them well. These days there are so many of these worksheets you can choose from online. Some of them are pretty standard, while some allows you to customize your worksheet on your own conditions and details.

Personally, I use these same worksheet instead of creating one from scratch. It’s always better to start right than forget some other necessary details at the last minute.

Wandergirl ties the knot

Posted by wandergirl on April 9, 2010 None comments

Dang it, I can’t believe that in three months time I’d be getting married! It’s pretty overwhelming, yes. Not to mention, way too stressful to be hands on to all the wedding preps.

And because I can no longer afford to maintain a second website that would greatly talk about the works (no matter how hard I try), I decided to just quit Blogspot and put everything in here instead. After all, what’s the sense of having two websites, anyway?!

To be honest, planning a wedding takes so much patience and never-ending research just to get the best deals from the best wedding suppliers in town. Top that with a lot of hard work and you’re sure to be in the right track.

But really, how can you get it all done in so little time while sticking to your budget?

In my mind, I started with only a hundred and fifty thousand pesos and I thought that going way too far than that is not reasonable anymore, especially if you think about the fact that after you say “I DO” you’re ought to start a new family with a whole new expenses in tow. Beat that!

But I was wrong (like I’ve always been in a lot of times…lolz). Now, the total expenses just ballooned way bigger than I ever imagined. Not gonna mention anymore amount though, coz’ the mere thought of it makes me feel like blah.

Effective today, I’m gonna be blogging a lot about the fun, stress, and excitement of preparing for the event. I’m sure Nel will somehow react to this and reprimand me for disclosing too much. But then, it’s as if I can turn back the hands of time when all these are done, ayt?

You see, I’m also trying to import some of my Blogspot entries, but for some reason, I just can’t seem to pull everything right. So maybe, I’ll go re-write?