virtual cocktail party....5 things about me!

Having been tagged by Bongga Mom, here are five things about me that not too many people know about. Read on!

1) i'm scared of electricity
All outlets should have on-off switches! Electricity is really dangerous i swear. Oh life, it's such a hassle when i need to charge my phone or laptop. Once, Cesar held my hand and made (read: FORCED) me plug a phone charger, and the outlet sparked! I almost cried =(. The solution? My extension cords have switches!

2) i love pictures & scrapbooks

Documenting memories is one of my favorite hobbies! And aside from just pasting pictures on an album, I like adding background props to tell the whole story. I put in movie tickets, phone cards, boarding passes, etc. I have a scrapbook exclusively about me and Cesar.I get so jealous when I see other scrapbooks, but Cesar claims mine are the best because they're simple and done in good taste.

3) i've made "sabit" once on a jeepney going home

For those who've never gone to Manila, a jeepney is like a big van with no doors at the back, windows at the side, and seats on each side for people to ride on. It's a popular mode of public transportation in my country. Anyway, one day all the jeepneys were full. So I had to be creative, as I was in a hurry to go home. Thus, I had to stand at the back with my body outside the jeepney holding on to the railing inside. The ride took an hour.

4) i've made ice to earn money
We used to have a big empty freezer. So to earn extra money, I thought, why not make ice and sell it? Hehe! So I would have a bunch of little plastic bags and everyday I'd fill them with water, freeze them, and sell them the next day. I did it everyday to make money. My little business helped pay the electric bill that kept the freezer running! I know, we should've just taken out the freezer huh? But at least I learned to tie small knots. Trust me, it can be quite challenging.

5) i dream of having a house...feet flat on the floor

All my life I've lived on the 2nd floor. It's sad because it feels like there's no space affordable enough for you on the ground. There's no grass to look at and no garden to play in. Just hardwood and windows overlooking the neighborhood. So that's one of my goals, to one day have my own house, with feet flat on the floor!

So that's it. I enjoyed posting this one. Made me acquainted with myself again!

highly recommended

Eat at Som's! Very good Thai food. The place may not look much but trust me, they have really good food! Som's is located at Alger Street, Kalayaan, Makati. You have a nice view of Bel-Air village. Al fresco dining!

Namit! =)

Hand-Crafted Wedding Cords

A little bit of plugging for my big sister....

=)

wedding update

And finally, here it is. Wedding updates, dear friends! I had to take a sabbatical from all the wedding preparations because I had to attend to some important things at work (career change!) plus the preps were driving me nuts! Sometimes I think it's the wedding jitters (uh-oh..cold feet? hmmm...) but Cesar insists I'm just feeling pressured (ha!). Anyway, here's the list of suppliers we have booked. I'm happy we have covered the important details. As you all know, we will be holding a very small wedding with family and close friends. I'm finding out that budgeting expenses for the most important day of our lives is very tasking! Though we try to really stick to the budget we first planned, it's quite impossible to achieve! Okay I admit, I gave a really small budget, but what do I know right? This is a first for me (and the last!). =)

So here's the list...

Church - Mt. Carmel Church (New Manila)
Reception Venue - Oasis Garden (very near Mt. Carmel)
Hotel - Astoria (to be paid for by friends? hint, hint!)
Caterer - Bizu (yummy!)
Photography - John Mateos Ong (my sister's good friend)
Hair and Make Up - Madge Lejano
Bridal Gown/Entourage Gowns - Allan Uy (my very good friend)
Entertainment - The Sentimental Groove
Florist - Giordino de Manila (sponsored by my sister-in-law)
OTD Wedding Coordinator - Style Concepts and Events
Invitations - Printed Matter
Souvenirs (bag charms) - Tita Girl
Gifts for Sponsors - Grassroots, Objects
Gifts for Entourage - Tiendesitas
Wedding Cord - Handcrafted by my sister! Order from her please!

So basically, here's what we have so far. Cesar's coming home in May to help with the government requirements and to attend the seminars with me. Plus, we have to look for wedding rings. We are so blessed that we have friends and family helping us out. Even my friends abroad are offering financial help (pssst Karla, ikaw yun! hahaha..mwah!). Anyway, I'm really excited everytime I think about the wedding. I think I have to stop and just wait til Cesar's home. I'm feeling the pressure (or the jitters) again! I'm so happy that I have a very supportive Cesar helping me the best way he can considering the distance. I made him pick out some of the items like the gifts and souvenirs. Or was it more of leading him to choose the things that I like? Hahaha.

But seriously, my boyfriend has taste and I'm glad. And everytime he feels that I'm panicking already, he takes charge and i thankfully let him take over. Oh, I love how we work. I love our partnership. I am so blessed.

Cesar always say that he's lucky he found me. I disagree. I'm the lucky one.

Thank you Lord for my sweet Pangga!

This is it!

now open!

Our store is officially open! Please come and visit Ziya - located at the 4th Floor, The Block, SM North Edsa.

At Ziya, we aim to inspire women to be unique and creative in their choice of clothes and lifestyle. I have listed below some of our offerings in the shop.

Products:

* Tops - long-sleeved tunics, mao collared tops, Nepal tank tops, beaded/embroidered blouses, plain cotton tops
* Bottoms - skirts, pants, capris. We also have wrap around pants in rayon material (the store's bestseller) and printed square pants.
* Accessories - Earrings, necklaces, hair clips, body stickers, rainbow bangles, and pinki bangles
* Foot wear - rubber sandals, leather sandals, men's sandals. All come in unique designs!
* Bags - beaded and embroidered handbags and clutch bags, hip beach style bags using hemp, cotton, and silk
* Dress - We offer dresses that come in soft flowing fabrics such as chiffon, silk, taffetta, stretch jersey, and cotton.
* Antiques - these are part of the shop's overall design. Wooden chests, or baors from Marawi with okir engravings and embedded mother of pearl designs, mirrors, tables - all displayed in the shop and is made available for sale
* Others - shawls, shrugs, saris, belts

We are running an opening sale until March 31. Please come and visit! I'm there during weekends and usually Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday nights.

See you guys and happy shopping! =)

highly recommended

I've been living with a shadow overhead
I've been sleeping with a cloud above my bed
I've been lonely for so long
Trapped in the past, I just can't seem to move on

I've been hiding all my hopes and dreams away
Just in case I ever need em again someday
I've been setting aside time
To clear a little space in the corners of my mind

All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can't make it through without a way back into love
Oh oh oh

I've been watching but the stars refuse to shine
I've been searching but I just don't see the signs
I know that it's out there
There's got to be something for my soul somewhere

I've been looking for someone to shed some light
Not just somebody just to get me throught the night
I could use some direction
And I'm open to your suggestions

All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can't make it through without a way back into love
And if I open my heart again
I guess I'm hoping you'll be there for me in the end

There are moments when I don't know if it's real
Or if anybody feels the way I feel
I need inspiration
Not just another negotiation

All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can't make it through without a way back into love
And if I open my heart to you
I'm hoping you'll show me what to do
And if you help me to start again
You know that I'll be there for you in the end

proudly PINOY

..and he's cute too. I pray he goes far in AI. Galing! =)

just one of them days.....

Today, I decided to feel good about myself! I have been so pressured with work issues the past weeks and I have had enough. I carefully picked out what I wore today, put on make up, then I was off to my day's adventures. I went to Market!Market! and had some pictures printed. To date, I have had 412 pictures printed, bought 3 albums, and spent around 3,000 pesos. I guess I have to stop my picture-crazy phase now. But I'm happy. And one album is on its way to London....a little gift for my sweet Cesar. Then, I went to Serendra to meet up with my OTD wedding coordinator and I had a good snack. Check out Cupcakes by Sonja. They're absolutely heavenly!

After a couple of hours, I met up with Nor and Tong and we rushed to Quezon City. I'm posting some "under construction" photos of Ziya. Watch out for our soft opening....hopefully by tomorrow!


And now, I just got home blogging about today. I feel happy and I feel no pressure. And I'm waiting for Cesar to come home but I think I'll sleep for a while. I have to be ready for later's activities. I was once again invited to give a talk on "Braveheart" this Sunday to Batch 28 of Yuppie Days with the Lord. Oh, I hope I'll be able to share something of substance to this group.

So bye for now. Wedding updates on my next post! Goodnight friends! Mwah!

let me count the ways

Taking our cue from Bongga Mom, and enjoying a 2-day V day (Manila and London time, baby!), here's sharing with everyone some reasons why we love each other...

14 Reasons I Love Cesar
1) Because he makes me laugh
2) Because I beat him in Word Racer
3) Because he calls me up all the time
4) Because he picks up the phone when I call him up
5) Because he works hard
6) Because he plays the piano for me
7) Because he listens to Air Supply and Barry Manilow
8) Because he's honest with me always
9) Because he sings to me
10) Because he hugs me all the time
11) Because he agrees with me that "foods" is not a word
12) Because he loves his family
13) Because he cries with me
14) Because he loves me!

from Cesar....with my notes! Well, I'm the one who's blogging here... ;)

14 Reasons I Love Erica
1) Because she agrees "foods" is a word (no, no, no! food, not foods!)
2) Because she's O.C.
3) Because she reads her school books in advance (i admit it, i'm a geek...just like him!)
4) Because we get free alcohol (that's because i don't drink!)
5) Because she has the prettiest smile on earth (oh, thank you! smile, smile, smile!)
6) Because she's so sweet (he's sweeter, trust me)
7) Because she tries to understand baseball (a banana is a FRUIT! not a missed target!)
8) Because she actually thinks i'm a somebody (of course! i don't think it, I KNOW IT and I'm so proud of you pangga!)
9) Because her mom makes the best omelette and fruit salad (tried and tested. the way to a man's heart is through his stomach)
10) Because she doesn't drink (hence, the free alcohol in #4)
11) ...... or smoke
12) Because she's a simpleton like me (we're not very bright... ;))
13) Because she cracks me up
14) Because she knows how to share, share, and share...not just with me

Oh, we could go on and on but we have to stop at 14. We love each other and we're so happy we found each other.

We are truly blessed.

P.S. Cesar insists I add this one...

15) Because she has a couple of Barry Manilow songs (i just like the lyrics! not the singer!)

love day!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Love, Bez & Ercs

kodak moments

This is the time of the year once again when I just want to organize, organize, and organize! I have been going home early from work, and I always can't wait to get started fixing up my room. Heck, I even dream of containers and boxes neatly stacked up, properly labeled. Talk about OC, huh? After all the "future" items were stored, I now tasked myself into organizing all my digital photos! I bought cute photo albums, printed all the pictures that I wanted, and backed up all the files. This is my first attempt at digital scrapping, thanks to my very good friend Michelle. Check out her site for really cool scraps. I'm doing small collages as cover pages for all my albums, especially the trips. I think this will probably take me two whole weeks to finish. I haven't even started on office pictures and Cesar's pictures.

Though I appreciate the convenience of digital scrapping, I still go for the "old school" kind of scrapping. I have one scrapbook for each phase in my life...Highschool, College, Student Council, Youth for Christ, Work Scrapbook and some scrapbooks for old boyfriends long forgotten. But now, I am currently working on my Peppercorn Scrapbook. Here's what I have so far...

Well, gotta go back to scrapping....digital and manual. You just gotta love it!

cold..cold..cold....

Okay the past weeks were C-R-A-Z-Y. Bad vibes at work, bad vibes at home, and even more bad vibes in the love department. Oh, what to do? what to do?

Please pray for me.