The Namesake

By Jhumpa Lahiri

What an wonderful read! This has got to be my favorite literary piece so far. Lahiri is an exemplary story-teller.

It tells about the life of Gogol, an American of Bengali descent. His family migrated to the States from India and the novel relates how migrating to a foreign land is never really an easy task.

There are several lines from the book which I can so very well relate to:

But nothing feels normal to Ashima. For the past eighteen months, ever since she's arrived in Cambridge, nothing has felt normal at all. It's not so much the pain, which she knows, somehow, she will survive. It's the consequence: motherhood in a foreign land. For it was one thing to be pregnant, to suffer the queasy mornings in bed, the sleepless nights, the dull throbbing in her back, the countless visits to the bathroom. Throughout the experience, in spite of her growing disconfort, she'd been astonished by her body's ability to make life, exactly as her mother and grandmother and all her great-grandmothers had done. That it was happening so far from home, unmonitored and unobserved by those she loved, had made it more miraculous still. But she is terrified to raise a child in a country where she is related to no one, where she knows so little, where life seems so tentative and spare.

...

UPDATE (09 March 2007):

I just found out that The Namesake has been made into a film with Kal Penn as the lead actor and Mira Nair as director. It starts showing in the States today. I can't wait to see it here in Oz. The trailer looks quite promising so I'm pretty excited to see if the movie is as well made as the book.

The Time Traveller's Wife

By Audrey Niffenegger

This takes love stories to a whole new different level and approach. All the time travels may seem too science fiction-ish to be believable but Niffenegger sure does an amazing job of pulling it off with ease.

I loved how simple it was written. Definitely not a single boring/dragging part. Needless to say, I was up all night, trying to find out how the story ended. I was not disappointed whatsoever.

Letting Go

I got this one from dear friend, Iris, who's having THE time of her life. I wished I had stumbled into this sooner so it could have made things easier for me then. But come to think of it, sometimes, I realise, you just need to learn the hard way.

To let go does not mean to stop caring,
it means I can't do it for someone else.
To let go is not to cut myself off,
it's the realization I can't control another.
To let go is not to enable,
but allow learning from natural consequences.
To let go is to admit powerlessness, which means
the outcome is not in my hands.
To let go is not to try to change or blame another,
it's to make the most of myself.
To let go is not to care for,
but to care about.
To let go is not to fix,
but to be supportive.
To let go is not to judge,
but to allow another to be a human being.
To let go is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes,
but to allow others to affect their destinies.
To let go is not to be protective,
it's to permit another to face reality.
To let go is not to deny,
but to accept.
To let go is not to nag, scold or argue,
but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.
To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires,
but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.
To let go is not to criticize or regulate anybody,
but to try to become what I dream I can be.
To let go is not to regret the past,
but to grow and live for the future.

Fresh Starts

I'd just like to inform you regular visitors to the Abstract Musings that we are transferring to a new site. Now i bid adieu to blogspot and head for a refreshing start. check out our new site by clicking here.

From the Land Down Under...

Finally, I have found the time to post. i know i've been offline for almost a week and probably you guys are wondering what has happened to me. not to worry as i am very much alright and pretty happy now that i am with J. :)

i arrived in Sydney last march 8. it was quite a bumpy ride, but i didn't get any motion sickness. my agent checked me in on a good seat -- one that's near the toilet! hehe... Qantas served us two full meals and the food was great. I didn't get much sleep though. I guess all that excitement and anxiousness kept me from dozing off.

when we landed in Sydney, there were lots of foreigners who also arrived at the same time as our trip. to my disappointment, the immigration department was packed with Europeans. Halos mahimatay ako sa amoy! Ack! LOL! it's a good thing it took me only 10-15 minutes to get them to put a stamp on my passport. otherwise, i'm sure i would have had a sneezing fit. hehe...

At the customs area, i really had nothing to declare. but since i had some valuables and gifts from our wedding with me, i didn't want to take the risk so i queued up at the 'something to declare' area. the lady just asked me what i wanted to declare and i told her the details. she then asked me to bring my luggages to the x-ray machine. i thought they were going to go through my stuff (which, by the way, i was afraid of because i had so carefully packed my clothes), but to my surprise, the guy there just placed my bags back on the cart after going through the x-ray machine and told me that i was free to go. phew! :)


when i came out, J was already there with his videocam. Kala mo artista! LOL! :D

We checked in at the Medina, near the central station. The two days were spent sightseeing. We were able to visit Darling Harbour, The Sydney Opera House, The Rocks, Manly Beach, Sydney Tower, Chinatown and downtown Sydney.

As of this writing, am now in Canberra, still trying to settle in. I have yet to get my clothes out of my luggages and put them in the closet. the weekend was pretty busy since we arrived. we had to get my medicare number and open a bank account for me. the welcome parties are killers! mukhang tataba ako dito. LOL! the filipino community here is very big and close-knit so, it isn't that lonely here.

More kwento to come...

a not so happy birthday

yesterday marked the big 3-0 for me. and yet, i still feel like i'm in my early 20's. where did all the time go?

there was no big celebration at our house, since we had that early despedida party last Saturday hosted by my mom. and also probably because, there was an emotional strain in the air due to my impending departure. there were only six of us (me, mama, brother david, our two household helps and baby G) having a real quiet dinner. it was too quiet for a birthday celebration.

and to cap the night off, i spilled buckets of tears while i was talking to J on the phone. i guess i just wasn't good enough in keeping it all in.

i hope, when when my mom drops me off at the airport on Tuesday, she can be strong for me and won't let me see the tears in her eyes. otherwise, i am almost a hundred percent sure that i'd be an emotional mess at the departure gate. *sigh*

last minute details

it's the first day of the month. this signifies the start of a lot of things for J and me.

for one, both J and I are celebrating our birthdays this month, with dates just five days apart. :)

another thing to look forward to is my departure on the seventh for my trip to Australia. Only less than a week left before i haul my belongings to be with my husband at last!

time is of essence right now because i have to finish packing things and running errands before i leave for good. apart from packing my stuff into luggages and boxes, i also had to make some last minute visits to my dentist and to the salon. the works! :) tomorrow, i will be picking up my plane ticket at my travel agent's office and meet a good friend for lunch. for some reason, i have been putting off packing, but hope to do them during my last few days in Manila.

i am excited alright, for this is what J and I have been waiting for months -- to be together! but, i am also feeling sad because i'll be leaving my family behind.

by next week, i will be in a different land, with major adjustments to face and new people to meet. when you think of it, it can really be scary. but i'm up to it. at least, i don't have to face them alone. i have J with me. :)

then and now

i turned in late again last night because i watched the feature on the 1986 People Power Revolution on ABS-CBN in its entirety. i felt like i was back in history class, but this time, with a different twist. the feature was very detailed and presented the events that took place in chronological order.

what was most interesting about the documentary was that they interviewed key personalities to tell their side of the story. it was such a diverse group of people which included nuns, priests, former US ambassadors and soldiers, even ordinary citizens who went to EDSA to take part in the protest against Marcos. what was even surprising was that there was not a single politician interviewed.

this was good for a change. i think what the producers wanted to convey to the public is that EDSA 1 was just not about these government officials who turned against the former dictator, but also of the common Filipino. for without them, Ramos, Enrile and Honasan's plans would not have been fruitful.

not only did the show tackle past events, but they also discussed the significance of EDSA 1 in the world and in our country. it was definitely a shining moment for the Filipinos then. if only we could keep the spirit of EDSA 1 going... what a difference it would make!

it is only now that i got to appreciate this important part of Filipino history. i was only a 10-year-old kid when it happened, oblivious to it all. Kudos to the Foundation for Worldwide People Power, Inc. (FWPPI) who produced this wonderful documentary!

walang magawa

i was blog-hopping earlier and came across Via's blog. heto ang resulta ng taong walang magawa. :P

kung wala na rin lang kayong magawa, try nyo na rin. :)

the perfect birthday present

after all the wondering and speculations, our prayers have finally been answered! this came in the mail today for me...


this has got to be the best birthday present for us yet. it feels so surreal! i must have looked really silly when i opened the envelope with trembling hands and read the letter from the embassy. i was jumping around and screaming! LOL! :)

of course, i had to let the news out. and within the following hour, i've informed almost all of our relatives and friends. everybody must have wished for this visa to come kaya it finally arrived today. thanks for all your prayers! :)

oh boy, time to really start packing. this time, for the land down under. Beh, watch out, here i come!!! :D gosh, i am soooo excited! :D

two months and counting!

time flies! today marks our second "monthsary." i miss J so much... :(

in light of this, i'd like to share this post by Ms. Seuss for all us married couples out there. such wise words! :)

Never go to sleep angry.
You won’t be able to sleep comfortably anyway because the other person is beside you and you’re both digging this little trench on the bed that not even the hem of your nightgown is supposed to cross.

There are habits you CANNOT change.
If he is messy, then he is messy. Don’t create wrinkles that will add to your derma bill. Even if he pretends to clean up it will only be for a month. Same thing applies to you anyway. You’ll never be able to kick that habit of shopping for your nth pair of shoes.

Your spending and saving habits need to align. Or at least agree on a percentage. Really.
If you both believe in seizing the moment, then blowing your bonuses on a trip to Vanuatu is cool. But if one is a compulsive saver and the other is in love with the concept of a sale then building up a fund for a home is going to be tricky

Don’t forget to take some “ME” time.
Take care of yourself. You won’t be able to take care of anyone else in the long run if you don’t. Don’t feel guilty about it. He loved you for your independence. Don’t lose it just because of a Mrs. prefix or a hyphenated surname.

Create space between yourselves.
Trees grow better when they both catch sunlight.

Like nature, a marriage has seasons.
Keep the memories of summer in your heart when you go through a harsh winter. Remember you will get past it if you keep faith long enough till your next spring.

Keep God in the Center.
If there is something which will be instrumental in the success of a marriage, it is your relationship as a couple to Him/Her. (Oh, and add to that your mom-in-law or equivalents thereof at the periphery :-))

When you pray for your husband, pray for yourself too.
Sometimes when you ask God to change this or that about the love of your life, you actually need to ask Him/Her to work on you.

Talk. Wait --- COMMUNICATE.
Over the years the definition of the word “husband” will evolve as your relationship grows deeper. Part of the evolution is in how you discuss the profound and the mundane...

In the long run, it’s the ordinary everyday that matters.
Flowers, gifts, and big celebrations are great. But that’s just the icing on the cake. Make a REALLY good cake.

wait and see

nine days have passed and i'm all done with my novenas. why the prayers, you ask? well, at this point, i am undoubtedly desperate to get my a$$ over to where my dear husband is based. to put it simply, i am bored, lonely and feeling utterly unproductive as i have taken care of almost everything i need to attend to. and that's the sad truth. we're still keeping the faith inspite of it.

it's a good thing though that J's package came in the other day. i now have loads of plastic bags so i can vacuum seal some of my stuff (my bridal gown, most importantly). i couldn't get hold of one in the local stores so i asked J to send some to me.


each Space Bag has a "zipper" (much like those ziplocks) that allows you to seal in your items. then there's a one-way valve in one corner of the bag where you can fit any vacuum cleaner hose into and suck out the air from within the bag to compress your items. pretty neat stuff and yet so inexpensive! :) time to get busy tomorrow! yipee! :D

photobucket discovery

i was tinkering with Photobucket earlier today and discovered this. it's like Flickr's photo badge, but this time you can choose which pictures to include in your Bucketstamp. cool!

for this little experiment, i used little baby G's recent pictures. check it out! :)

happy hearts' day!

this came in today for me. i have been dropping hints to J ever since the love month began. success! thanks, beh! :)

hope y'all have a wonderful, love-filled day, with OR without the flowers and chocolates. :)

Asar!

i am irked at Church Mouse Journal's attempt at getting away with posting some of our wedding pictures on their blog without our consent. i found out about it only by accident, when i clicked on one of the items in our list of site referrers found at the bottom of our webpage.

i know they have past issues with Father Dennis, one of the priests who officiated our wedding ceremony and who also happens to be a family friend of my husband's. But who cares about their issues?!?! couldn't they just write about it? text links are fine, but posting OUR pictures on their blog is another story!

NB:
if ever you are interested to read more about their issues with Father Dennis, i'd advise you not to believe everything that they claim it to be. there are, after all, two sides of the coin.

as of 10 February 2006, we are temporarily suspending all links to our photos to prevent these people from invading our privacy any further. to friends and family who would want to view our pictures, please don't hesitate to email us for the new link.

new addition

Baby G Jr. born 03 Feb 2006
Welcome home, Baby G Junior! You are such a cutie! :)

our humble home

finally, my dear husband has taken photos of our new home. it's a little bit bare (but functional!), with J desiring to achieve the "minimalist" look. but, it looks good! more than what i expected, believe me. :)

check out pictures of our home by clicking here.

-o0o-
with the recent temporary absence of our household help G, i had to do my share na rin with the household chores. yes, i am on my way to being a full-pledged domesticated housewife. practice kuno! LOL!

i am such a neat freak so cleaning is proving to be quite therapeutic! :)

-o0o-
speaking of our household help G, she's been gone for more than a week now, to give birth to a big baby girl. i said big, because the baby weighed 6 lbs and 16 oz at eight months of pregnancy and so G had to be induced to deliver the baby early. unfortunately, G had Gestational Diabetes.

i never knew you could have diabetes while being pregnant. what's frightening is the fact that more expectant mothers today are afflicted by it. this i found out in my newlyweds' egroup. i hope i don't get it when the time comes.

anyway, the baby is coming home soon and our family decided to give them a little surprise.



it was fun shopping for all those baby stuff. in a way, i was secretly fantasizing it was OUR baby that was coming home. practice ulit! hehe...

tagging myself

being bored at home allows you to do the most trivial of things. i found this over at Aggie's blog and decided to tag myself. :)

4 jobs i've had in my life
1. Summer job at my mom's business. labored over repacking items for promos. made a lot of money though! ;)
2. Administrative assistant/accounting clerk still for my mom's business; worked for 9 months full-time, part-time for 39 months.
3. Licensed Occupational Therapist for six years at a private hospital in the south.
4. Wife at 29.

4 movies i could watch over and over
1. Serendipity
2. My Bestfriend's Wedding
3. The Last Samurai (love Ken Watanabe!)
4. Love Actually

4 Places I've Lived
1. Paranaque - birth to 11 years old; 22 years old to present
2. Cebu City - 11 to 22 years old
3. Hongkong - 2 months each in 1980 and 1981
4. Bacolod City - 8 weeks during internship

4 tv shows i love to watch
1. Oprah
2. Extreme Makeover (home edition)
3. Lost
4. Desperate Housewives

4 Places I've Been on Vacation
1. Baguio
2. Singapore
3. Pampanga
4. Laguna

4 websites i visit daily
1. Yahoo & Gmail to check mail
2. Blogs - hopping all around :)
3. Support Groups in Yahoo
4. Friendster!

4 of my favorite foods
1. My tuna pasta
2. Blueberry cheesecake
3. Hen Lin's siomai
4. North Park's boneless chicken chops

4 places i'd rather be right now
1. Australia, with my husband
2. Australia, cooking for my hubby
3. Australia, meeting up with friends
4. Australia, decorating our new home
*obvious na ba masyado? LOL

4 bloggers i'm tagging
- go ahead, tag yourself like i did! :)

love month

the love month is here! with Valentine's Day just looming ahead, it makes me think if i'll ever be with J to spend that special day with him... i am still crossing my fingers!

-o0o-
i went to my doctor yesterday for my last dose of medication. much to my surprise, it did not sting that much. not enough to remind me of my worries, that is.

yes, i bid farewell to my OB and asked for her recommendations as to what to do once i'm all settled in Oz. to my chagrin, it is still surgery. she even told me how things are in Canberra when it came to these things. it felt like she was discouraging me to see an OB there and instead, go to Sydney because more doctors there were more inclined to perform a laparoscopy.

when i told Joseph about it, he was disappointed that my doctor could say those things. He thought that my doctor didn't think Australian doctors were good enough to handle my case.

sometimes, i actually don't know what to make of it anymore. what i do know at the moment though is that we will continue to stick to my plan of not undergoing surgery and just to try the next few months conceiving the natural way. who knows what the future holds? i am still hopeful.

the million dollar album

we got an email from J's brother a week ago about a new site on the web that he's put up. it's called The Million Dollar Album. sounds intriguing noh? i was real curious when we first heard about it. talk about keeping a "perpetual photo album where people can buy a space for their loved ones' photos." Says Kuya E, my brother-in-law, "It's perpetual because I will try to sustain the website on the web 'forever'."

J and I wanted to support Kuya E in this new endeavor of his and bought nine blocks so we can post our wedding pictures online. :)

Read more about The Million Dollar Album by clicking here.

we have a house!

after all that waiting, one house owner finally got in touch with J yesterday to inform him that our application's been approved. i saw the picture of the house and just found out that it's BUSHY! lol! but J reassured me that he'd take care of the garden. you hear that people? hehe...

anyways, on the brighter side of things, J says we got a good deal on it considering that the house has three bedrooms that's newly painted, with new carpet and window treatments.

i'm not posting pictures just yet. will personally take some photos once we're all settled there with all our stuff. can't wait to start decorating! :)

-o0o-
time to get mushy! sayang, i did not know of this song before our wedding last December. although i haven't heard the actual piece, the lyrics says it all! take a look!

The Last Time
by Eric Benet

The first time I fell in love was long ago.
I didn't know how to give my love at all.
The next time I settled for what felt so close.
But without romance, you're never gonna fall.
After everything I've learned;
Now it's finally my turn.
This is the last time I'll fall... in love.
The first time we walked under that starry sky,
there was a moment when everything was clear.
I didn't need to ask or even wonder why, because each question is answered when your near.
and I'm wise enough to know when a miracle unfolds, this is the last time i'll fall in love.
Now don't hold back, just let me know.
Could i be moving much too fast or way too slow.
'Cause all of my life, I've waited for this day.
To find that once in a lifetime, this is it, I'll never be the same.
You'll never know what it's taken me to say these words.
And now that I've said them, they could never be enough.
As far as I can see, there's only you and only me.

This is the last time I'll fall in love.
Last time i'll fall in love.
The last time i'll fall... in love.

* Thanks she for posting about it in your blog. :)

one month and counting!

i almost forgot that it's exactly one month since we were wed at Saint James. J reminded me about it last night at the stroke of midnight (Canberra time, that is). i was busy kasi singing my heart out with my new favorite toy. ;)

2006 Xtreme Magic Sing Version 8

we got it after the new year so we could bring it to Oz. i'm sure every Pinoy has one in their household. it's becoming quite the craze these days, especially with those living abroad.

-o0o-
speaking of Pinoys, here's one who's made us proud to be one. Manny Pacquiao! :)


image swiped from Maxboxing.com

i watched the fight earlier today and i can truly say that Manny was in real fine form and showed that he was definitely prepared for the bout. there was no doubt that he would defeat Mexico's Erik Morales. what's even great is that Pacquiao is the very first boxer to ever win against Morales via a technical knock-out. this'll will surely go down in boxing history.

poor Morales' face AND body was so beat up that he had to be rushed to the hospital. but in all fairness, the fight was clean. no bloody fist fight at all! i'd say that both put up a real great battle for this. and yes, only one gets to win -- a fellow Pinoy! Go Pacquiao!!! :)

house hunting

i love house hunting! what's different this time is that J and I get to do it online. aren't we lucky to be living in this day and age of internet surfing? :)

one thing i did not realize before was that it's whole different ballgame when you're in Australia. it's like you're applying for a job! the house owners check your references, your employment and civil status, to name a few. they can be real picky, i tell you. we have submitted a handful of applications now to different home owners and we have yet to get their approval(s).

here is a picture of our dream house. this has yet to be the neatest house and lot i've seen so far as most residential lots in Oz generally have BIG bushes all around. (i honestly hate bushes! LOL!) the place is so lovely i hope we could get it.

picture swiped from AllHomes.Com.Au

so disappointed

well, what do you know... it really is a small world. i just found out from a groupmate that my OB (who also happened to be her former OB) only quoted her 58% of what she quoted me a few weeks back. even if the price didn't include an anesthesiologist's fee yet, i don't think it would take up 42% of the total package. also, if she did increase her fees, i don't believe it would take such a big leap.

geez, talk about milking us dry. was it because she knew that J is an Australian citizen? where is the heart of this kind of doctor? it's bad enough that i have to go and see her every month and charge me everytime her professional fee and for the sonogram that she conducts herself. i repeat, she does the ultrasound on me every month. talo ko pa ang buntis!

surgery is definitely out of the question at this point and i am going to find myself another doctor. period.

under the knife

i just remembered that i was supposed to go under the knife sometime this week. it is a procedure recommended by my OB-GYNE called surgical laparoscopy to determine the real score if i can truly bear children the natural way.

they'll be using only a little scope to probe around my lower abdomen. but still it is considered as surgery, as they will be "cleaning" me up to increase my chances of conceiving. nevermind the cost (which is astronomical, by the way!), but the idea of me lying on an operating table and having an incision on your body under general anesthesia scares the hell out of me, no matter how safe they can claim it to be.

and so, we have decided NOT to go through with it, especially after reading this. our main reason? we have never really tried conceiving yet. i've been on and off medication for the past three years to treat my endometriosis so there is no absolute chance for me to conceive a child at this point. when my medication is over (last dose on feb 1!), we'll just have to try if we can do it on our own.

we just want nature to take hold first and give miracles a chance. when all is done and exhausted, then i suppose we can go ahead and start playing God.

on gown preservation

coming back from a lengthy honeymoon, i am now faced with the dilemma of post-wedding clean-ups. there are tons of documents that i must sift through to determine which needs to be kept and which goes to the trash bin. being the sentimental person that i am, this will prove to be a very difficult task for me. i have no choice, really, because i do need to start organizing my stuff now, especially if i am to migrate to the land down under.

as i go through my stuff, i realize that the most challenging of all tasks is how to get my gown cleaned and preserved. after posting inquiries for referrals on our e-group, i was directed to seek the services of The Bridal Conservatory. i went to their website and have found their services quite impressive! i immediately emailed them to ask for a quotation of my gown and showed them pictures of it so they could see it for themselves.

their response was immediate but i was quite appalled at the price tag they offered me. twenty five thousand pesos! of course, it included the following: museum-standard cleaning, a bodice mold (a mold simialr to a mannequin), archival packaging, an internal environment monitor, a detailed condition report, and a care instruction sheet. if i wanted to have my accessories packed (pillows, cord, veil, etc), the cost is P950 per bag (Usually one bag is enough daw). Shoe preservation including the same type of cleaning performed on the gown costs P1,200 per pair.

but after all the wedding expenses last month, i don't think we could spare that much this soon. :( i was desperate and eventually found myself texting Veluz if she could refer me to a good supplier. i found out that Ate Beth de Leon, my burdadista, pala offers washing of piña gowns and accessories. You're not supposed to have piña gowns dry cleaned pala. if i remember it right i think Veluz mentioned about using even vinegar for the washing solution. According to Veluz, once it's cleaned, you just need to sprinkle white pepper in between folds to keep the cloth from turning to an ugly shade of yellow or from acquiring that "been-kept-in-the-cabinet-for-years" smell. and don't use moth balls, mind you! :) after which, you should have it vacuum sealed. since piña is a natural fiber, you should allow the material to "breathe" once every two years. that means, opening it up then sealing it once again. if not, the cloth will become brittle over time, thus defeats the whole point of keeping it.

The best part about the whole thing was founding out from Ate Beth how much she charged for her services. she just asked for two thousand pesos for the gown and an additional five hundred for the accessories! yipee! :)

now i just need to buy that vacuum sealing machine so i could preserve all of my bridal accessories. i think home TV shopping is selling one and i'll bet my a$$ that it won't amount to 25k. not even 10k!

here's what the stars have to say...

i'm not really a newspaper fan, nor do i consult its astrological section for any future endeavor. but just minutes ago, i couldn't help but smile as my mom showed me my astrological report for the new year. get a load of this...

PISCES 2006 ASTROLOGICAL HIGHLIGHTS*
Wonders are plentiful this year, mostly because you are open to being "wowed." You give up the skepticism of the past because curiosity attracts more interesting, creative and impressive people to your life. January and February show a mischievous character influencing your world. It is lucky to travel with this person or go into a short-term investment or business situation. You'll see new places in February and could move to one. (Here's my favorite part! -->>) New additions to your family are a joy in the spring. These arrivals bring new expenditures, too, so your financial realm will have to grow in order to handle the difference. This causes you to think and act more creatively...

How wonderful is that? seems like things are looking up for Joseph and I, since we happen to be both pisceans. twice the luck! hehe...

*Quoted from The Philippine Star, 10 January 2006.

wedding story

-o0o-
all i can say about our wedding is that it was the happiest time of our lives for both Joseph and I. the year-long preparation was worth it, even if it was only for a day! if we could go back and replay that momentous event, we'd do it in a heartbeat.

days before the wedding, i couldn't quite feel the excitement and to me that posed as a problem. why wasn't i excited? all i could feel then was the stress and how it was so annoying. but the moment of truth finally came to me and all those repressed emotions came flooding through me as i stood behind the massive doors of Saint James. suddenly, i was shivering from the light breeze! i was definitely nervous and giddy at the same time. not to mention, there were millions of butterflies in my stomach. what a strange feeling it was and yet, i know i will remember it vividly each time i look back at this occasion. and then, slowly, the doors opened...

yes, it was an emotionally charged evening for both of our families. nothing can compare to the ceremony that was officiated by our friend, Fr. Dennis, concelebrated by Fr. Honesto. Father Dennis sang his heart out during the liturgical prayer and everyone was in awe at the solemnity of the mass. the beautiful interiors of Saint James was just icing on the cake, so to speak.

The food was absolutely delicious and was overflowing. the flowers were beautiful too. our reception program was short but sweet. the highlight of the reception for me would have to be the AVP that Joseph made. it showed our baby pictures, as well as photos of some of our relatives and friends who were also present that night. it was an enjoyable five minutes.

at the end of the day (to quote my hubby), i think what is important are the things that you remember most on your big day. we're lucky that all we can recall are the good things. Things that we can tell tales about to our future children and grandchildren. now, that's an even nicer thought. :)

-o0o-
the honeymoon was a pretty good break from all our YM chats and blogging days. but now that Joseph is back in Australia, we are resuming to chats online and long-distance calls effective yesterday. just when i was getting the hang of it, time flies and leaves us back to the way things were a month ago, except of course of the fact that we are now so married. :)

this won't take too long, i'm hoping. the embassy has not yet issued my visa but i'm scheduled to fly to Australia and be with Joseph on the 4th of February. originally, i was set to leave on the 28th of this month. unfortunately, there must have been a setback at the embassy during the Christmas break. Joseph already emailed them regarding my application, but they just told us that they will inform me of their final decision one of these days. as to when exactly, who knows?

oh well, life goes on...

just a little teaser

Parish of Saint James the Great
22 December 2005

i swear, more photos to come! :)